Posts with «author_name|roberto baldwin» label

Mercedes EQXX first drive: Driving the future of Mercedes

Mercedes had a singular goal: Build a one-off concept vehicle that could travel 1000 kilometers (621 miles) on one charge from a battery pack slightly smaller than 100kWh. The result was the EQXX, a coupe that looks as good as the technology that powers it. Typically these vehicles are off limits to anyone outside of a chosen few within an automaker. But Mercedes decided to let us behind the wheel for a test drive.

Designed to slip through the air with as little drag as possible, the EQXX doesn’t wow with off-the-line performance. Instead, the power really comes after you’ve gotten to highway speed. But even then, the concept vehicle is an efficiency machine that feels like the future. Mercedes has no plans to put the EQXX into production, but what it's learning now will at some point land in its vehicles. Watch the video below for the full story.

Lucid's Air Grand Touring EV delivers luxurious speed and range

We were impressed with the Lucid Air Dream Edition earlier this year, even though it was just a pre-production vehicle. Well, the automaker gave time behind the wheel of its latest top-of-the-line Grand Touring Performance model with all the proper pieces of hardware and software ready to go. This is a Lucid you can actually buy — although the starting price is $179,000. We have to say, it's better than anticipated.

The Grand Touring and Grand Touring Performance deliver on the Lucid promise to take on the German sport sedans in an all-EV package. The newish automaker was so confident in the 1,050 horsepower Performance trim level that it took it to the Goodwood Festival hill climb and was victorious in the production vehicle category. The regular $154,000 Grand Touring model is a touch slower — it takes 3 seconds to hit 60MPH, rather than 2.6 in the Performance — but you'll get another 70 miles of range (516 total, compared to the Performance's 446). 

All of which is to say, the Lucid Air GT models are more than just fast electric sedans. Check out the video below for the full story.

Cadillac’s Lyriq SUV is the exact EV it needed to build

Luxury automakers can’t phone in an EV. Especially now as the electric vehicle market matures, it’s no longer a case that a car is a “good EV” but instead a “good car that happens to be an EV.” Cadillac seems to have gotten the message as it drops the Lyriq into an increasingly crowded luxury electric SUV field and may have delivered one of its best vehicles ever.

The 2023 Lyriq is the first electric vehicle from the automaker based on GM’s Ultium battery platform. Upon that, Cadillac built a luxury EV that has the fit and finish you’d expect from the automaker combined with a polished ride and almost eerily quiet interior. Toss in over 300 miles of a range and a starting price of around $60,000 and Cadillac is ready to take on the current crop of EVs. Watch the video below for the full story.

Ford added GT power (and fun) to the Mach-E

The Ford Mustang Mach-E GT suffers from long-name syndrome. Most of it has to do with cramming with the word “Mustang” onto the front, which has really angered some Mustang owners on the internet. They can be mad all they want because the GT is a great addition to the Mustang lineage, even though it’s an electric SUV.

Starting at over $60,000, the GT is not cheap fun, but it is exhilarating enough that if you’re in the market for a Mach-E and crave an all-wheel-drive torque machine, you owe it to yourself to hop in the driver’s seat for a road test. As for the tech, it’s getting better but there are a few issues we hope Ford will rectify in the future. 

Check out the video above for the full story.

Mercedes' EQS SUV arrives in US showrooms this year

Building upon the success of the EQS and the launch of the EQE, Mercedes has another electric vehicle on the way to the United States. This time it’s more in line with what the US wants: an SUV.

The oddly named EQS SUV is to the sedan EQS what the GLS is to the regular S-Class — an upright take on its ultra high-end model. It was unveiled recently in Germany and we got a chance to check out the taller electric vehicle from Mercedes. In addition to having room for seven, the electric SUV has an off-road mode and special running boards that help reduce drag. 

While Mercedes is mum on pricing and range details for the US, we do know that its European range will be "up to 600 kilometers" based on the WLTP standard, which should make the range top out at a shade over 300 miles in the US' more stringent EPA ratings. As for pricing, well, the regular EQS starts at just over $100,000 so the SUV is going to be in a similar bracket to Tesla's Model X. The car’ll be built in the US and available this fall, and you can watch the video above for the full story.

Riding in the Mercedes Vision EQXX, the ultimate endurance EV

In January, Mercedes unveiled the Vision EQXX, an electric concept vehicle. It had a sleek exterior, active aerodynamics, and a battery pack that approached 100kWh while being lighter and taking up less volume than packs it had placed in production cars. The plan: drive 1,000 kilometers (622 miles) on a single charge.

On April 5th, it completed that test driving from Germany, through Switzerland and Italy to the south of France. We had a chance to get a ride in that vehicle and talk to one of the drivers. Watch the video above for the full story.

Hummer EV first drive: An enormous electric super-truck

The Hummer has always been ostentatious. So it should have been a surprise to no one that the Hummer EV is not only large, but also heavy, and really not all that efficient as an EV. But what it lacks in miles per kilowatt, it makes up for in over-the-top fun.

We had the opportunity to drive the larger-than-life SUV from GMC in the Arizona desert. It proved to be a capable off-roader that's being used to showcase GM’s Ultium platform. It’s more Halo car than a daily driver, but it’s still a Hummer.

A quick drive in Nissan’s Ariya EV

For years, the Nissan Leaf was the best-selling EV in the world — then the Model 3 appeared on the scene. Still, Nissan has lots of EV experience and it’s transferring all that knowledge into the 2023 Nissan Ariya SUV. With a starting price of around $40,000, the electric vehicle is expected to land in US showrooms this fall.

Ahead of that, we had a chance to drive the latest Nissan EV on a track in Spain. The automaker set up various portions of the track to recreate different driving conditions. The result isn't as good as a real-world drive, but we did get a good feeling of how the vehicle drives and got a chance to check out its very nice interior. Watch the video above for the full story.

Testing the power and luxury of the Lucid Air Dream Edition Performance EV

Lucid Motors had a plan: Instead of taking on Tesla, it was determined to shoot past the EV-only automaker with its vehicles and instead, go after Germany. More specifically, the German luxury sedan. With a combination of power, range and opulence, it seems to have pulled it off.

The automotive startup offered up a pre-production (but very very close to production) Dream Edition Performance for us to review. The vehicle starts at $169,000 with 1,111 horsepower and range of over 450 miles — Lucid is taking its task very seriously. While the version we drove was sold out, it does give us a very good indication of what’s coming from the company. Watch the video review above for the full story.

Ford’s 2022 Maverick pickup is perfect for nerds

It’s easy to point to EVs and declare them the official vehicles of nerds. The only problem is that EVs are pricey. We’ve been waiting for pricing parity between EVs and gas vehicles for years and it’s likely going to take longer to come to pass thanks to ongoing supply issues. So why not embrace a hybrid that also happens to be a small truck with a very impressive starting price?

The 2022 Ford Maverick starts at $20,000 and ships with a hybrid powertrain that delivers up to 42 MPG. In addition to being a truck, it has a bed that’s built for customization. Plus, thanks to makers like Robert Trapp, the FITS ((Ford Integrated Tether System) already has 3D designs ready for printing or manipulation. It’s inexpensive, customizable, and a hybrid. Now, all we need is a cheap EV version in five years.Watch the video above for the full story.