cars news 10: 2018

10 New Year’s Resolutions We Hope Automakers Are Making

The start of a new year is a great time to set personal goals to improve your health, happiness, outlook on life, or any other area you want to see progress in. We as individuals make New Year’s resolutions, but we wonder: Do automakers, too? If not, then now is the perfect time to start. Here are 10 suggestions from the MotorTrend team on how automakers can improve and innovate in 2019.

Automakers: Bring back CD players

Old fogeys like me want CD players to not go away. People can talk about the convenience of streaming audio all they want, but the fidelity of compact discs is supreme. Now that automotive stereo systems are so good, they deserve to get the full awesome power of CDs.—Mark Rechtin

Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis: Shoot for better fuel economy

The three Korean automakers have made extraordinary progress over the years across many segments (congrats, G70!), but fuel economy remains elusive. When your all-wheel-drive compact crossover can’t achieve on the highway what the Honda CR-V gets in the city, something’s gotta change.—Zach Gale

Infiniti: The QX50 needs a new transmission

We love the idea of the variable-compression engine that Infiniti uses in the new QX50. But the execution? Not as much. Swap the continuously variable transmission out for a good old-fashioned automatic, though, and the VC-T would finally be able to shine.—Collin Woodard

Nissan: Update the Z or introduce an affordable, sporty car

I’d love to see Nissan embrace its sports car heritage and prepare a new Z car. Or, to get enthusiasts’ attention, the automaker could build a production version of the IDx concept of 2014, introducing the joys of driving to a new generation—provided the model is priced right.—Stefan Ogbac

Jeep: 4WD or GTFO

I’ll keep this short and sweet. When your key brand value is the ability to go anywhere at any time, the fact that you still have two-wheel-drive Jeeps on the road (and likely stuck every winter) is an affront to the brand’s legacy.—Christian Seabaugh

Automakers: Bring back front bench seats

Car makers continue to adopt electronic shift-by-wire transmission systems, which means traditional shift levers have been replaced by everything from push buttons to knurled knobs to piano keys for gear selection. These new input controls have often been moved to the center stack, freeing up space between the seats for more cubbies and USB ports. But why not a front middle seat? Who wouldn’t want to become the industry’s first nine-seat luxury SUV? While we’re at it, how about bringing back those six-passenger family sedans of yore? And yeah, I’d love a three-seat Supra or five-seat Porsche 911.—Ed Loh

Subaru: More power, please!

Subaru, you give us many reasons to love your vehicles, but power is usually not one of them. Your engines make lots of noise when you get on the gas, but the resulting acceleration (or lack thereof) leaves us wanting. Give your powertrains some torque and stop eating the competition’s dust.—Michael Cantu

FCA: Keep working on that nine-speed

I don’t have too much to complain about in our long-term Chrysler Pacifica yet, but by far my biggest gripe concerns the nine-speed automatic transmission. Thanks to numerous software updates since its launch five years ago, the nine-speed has come a long way from the jerky, gear-hunting ZF-sourced unit we first sampled in the Jeep Cherokee. But the rough shifts are still there, and they happen far too often. I hope FCA can further improve the transmission’s software, but if this is as good as it’s going to get, then I hope the nine-speed’s successor is more refined.—Alex Nishimoto

Automakers: Give us better sun visors

I’ve driven many cars this year with wimpy sun visors. Even some of the most functional vehicles, like the Subaru Forester which I otherwise enjoy, have this issue. On many vehicles, the pull-out extensions don’t reach far enough to cover the whole side window, and they’re so thin they don’t block more than a strip of sunlight from your face. It’s a small but important detail that I hope automakers can pay a bit more attention to in the future.—Kelly Pleskot

Toyota and Lexus: Redesign your infotainment systems

Toyota and Lexus’ infotainment teams need to go back to the drawing board. The systems of both automakers operate as if they were designed by someone whose personal computer is a typewriter and who still calls friends by picking up the phone and asking the operator to please connect them with Fordham 4141. I highly suggest spending some time with FCA’s UConnect system, or the systems from Hyundai and Kia, when considering a replacement. Sincerely, frustrated millennial.—Christian Seabaugh

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2018 BMW X3 M40i Long-Term Arrival

With a blip, rip, and a snarl of its exhaust note on startup, the BMW X3 M40i has entered our long-term fleet for a year of amassing miles. This tuned and tweaked version of BMW’s mainstream SUV is the performance offering for the third-generation X3. Press the start button, and it’s immediately obvious this is not a standard-issue X3. As soon as the straight-six fires up, the engine goes into a burbly, deep, high-revving idle that most certainly announces your daily departure from the neighborhood to anyone with ears. More important, though, is that it’s a daily reminder that this X3 means business and craves more than just jaunts to work, Home Depot, and the grocery store.

The 2018 X3 M40i replaces the standard car’s four-cylinder turbo for a turbocharged inline-six that makes 355 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. This gives the M40i a notable 107 hp over the X3 xDrive30i. But it’s important to note that this is not a full-blown M car like, say, an X5 M. Rather it’s a BMW that’s been massaged by the M division with a slurry of added parts and tuning meant to sharpen all aspects of the driving experience. What this means is that M has enhanced the driving experience here but not as thoroughly as it will when it rolls out the promised X3 M later in 2019. Yet letting the M division shape its magic into the X3 makes a lot of sense because most agree that, unlike some of BMW’s current car and SUV offerings, the X3 has embodied BMW’s core driving dynamics ever since the gen-one vehicle went on sale here in 2004. So yes, take your already well-driving crossover and make it louder, faster, and handle better. And in doing so, become directly competitive with Audi’s SQ5 and Mercedes’ GLC 43.

Included in the M40i’s price is BMW’s Driving Dynamics Control (adjustable ride) and a sport-tuned eight-speed transmission with paddle shifters. Notable M equipment includes better brakes and steering, plus an adaptive suspension. The steering and brakes come standard, but the suspension is a $700 add-on. Default wheel size on the M40i is 19 inches, but this test car has been upgraded to large-and-in-charge 21-inch wheels wrapped in Bridgestone Alenza 001 RFT tires ($1,900).

Additional standard equipment includes a stitched dash, leather sport seats (with a muscular-looking stitching that looks like Batman’s suit), adaptive LED headlights, and a burly body kit that’s unique to the M40i and gives the vehicle a substantial-looking stance while parked on the curb. Unique puddle lights known as the “welcome light carpet” cast a multi–hockey stick design onto the asphalt below the rocker panels, and the same design is also mimicked in the dome lights and HVAC vents inside the cabin.

Additional options include BMW’s Premium package ($3,300), which includes heated front and rear seats, a heated steering wheel, navigation, and a head-up display. The Executive package ($2,250) includes parking assist, gesture control, an upgraded all-digital instrument panel, and 3-D surround view, which uses onboard cameras to help you avoid rubbing the X3 on any hard, inanimate objects while parking.

Other a la carte items include adaptive cruise control ($1,200), a Harman Kardon stereo system ($875), a wireless charging pad in the center console ($500), front ventilated seats ($350), , Apple CarPlay ($300), and rear-seat window shades ($250). The snazzy blue paint is called Phytonic Blue Metallic and is a $550 upcharge.

All tallied up, this X3 rings in at $68,670. And with that we set off ripping and roaring up and down California’s highways as we pile on the miles and send the X3 to all corners of the state in search of weekend exploration and the path less traveled (and lots of curvy byways). This X3 is unmistakably fast and capable, but we also want to know how it will hold up to the wear and tear of being a performance SUV in the hustle and bustle of the L.A. jungle.

2018 BMW X3 M40i
BASE PRICE	$55,295
PRICE AS TESTED	$68,670
VEHICLE LAYOUT	Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV
ENGINE	3.0L/355-hp/369-lb-ft turbocharged DOHC 24-valve I-6
TRANSMISSION	8-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST)	4,282 lb (50/50%)
WHEELBASE	112.8 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT	186.1 x 74.7 x 66.0 in
0-60 MPH	4.8 sec
QUARTER MILE	13.4 sec @ 103.7 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH	112 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION	0.85 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT	25.9 sec @ 0.72 g (avg)
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON	20/27/23 mpg
ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY	169/125 kW-hrs/100 miles
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB	0.86 lb/mile

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Watch World’s Greatest Drag Race 8 in Miniature

We love putting on World’s Greatest Drag Race every year as part of our Best Driver’s Car competition. But perhaps just as much, we love it when our videos inspire others to create homages like this stop-motion reenactment of World’s Greatest Drag Race 8.

MotorTrend fan and die-cast car collector Emmanuel Otuonye assembled most of the lineup from this year’s drag race and painstakingly recreated the quarter-mile sprint on his kitchen floor—in a couple cases nearly shot for shot. There are a few substitutions, including a Ford GT standing in for the Aston Martin Vantage and a Maserati GranTurismo in place of the Kia Stinger GT, but most of the major players are there. There’s a McLaren 720S, Porsche 911 GT2 RS, Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, and of course the 2018 BDC-winning Lamborghini Huracan Performante. The cars are a mix of 1:36 and 1:38 scale models.

In order to faithfully replicate World’s Greatest Drag Race 8 on a miniature scale, Emmanuel says he watched the original race at least 25 times. And though the clip is only 16 seconds long, he says shooting it took about 45 minutes. That’s in addition to the time it took to reference the original video for car spacing and camera angles. Emmanuel isn’t new to stop-motion, as he regularly posts videos on his Instagram account. We might be biased, but we think this WGDR tribute is his best work yet. Take a look for yourself in the video below and be sure to give him a follow on Instagram. If for some reason you haven’t seen World’s Greatest Drag Race 8 yet, scroll to the bottom and watch that first.

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2019 Rolls-Royce Cullinan: 6 Cool Facts

The Cullinan is a big deal, and not because it weighs nearly 6,000 pounds. Although Rolls-Royce’s first SUV starts rolling into driveways this holiday season, you don’t have to wait for one to appear under a freakishly large Christmas tree to learn more about it. As we discovered when we drove the 2019 Cullinan, the Rolls-Royce is more of a stately super-luxury cruiser than a quick and posh back-road carver. Great. But how much do you really know about the 563-hp, 12-cylinder Rolls-Royce Cullinan? Keep reading for six cool facts about the new SUV.

Trend Alert

Rolls-Royce says it’s starting to hear interest from a few customers who want an alternative to high-quality leather. Such an option may become available on the Cullinan down the line, but not until the right, no-compromises leather alternative is found, one representative told us. We’ve begun to see premium fabrics on lower-priced luxury cars, from a base-model Volvo V60 wagon whose interior wowed MotorTrend editors, to the non-leather seating options on the Range Rover Velar and electric Jaguar I-Pace, which combines a wool blend with a suede-like material.

You Spent HOW MUCH on Options?

For the type of experience the Rolls-Royce Cullinan offers, $330,350 (including destination and gas guzzler fees) is an appropriate price. But no one drives home in a base-model Rolls-Royce. Sales to early adopters of the new model are in the $380,000-to-$390,000 range, Rolls-Royce says.

Americans Lounge Around

For a traditional Rolls-Royce experience, order the Cullinan with the so-called Individual seating—a four-passenger layout with two separate rear seats. Between the reclining seats sits a drinks cabinet with a refrigerator and champagne flutes, as well as Rolls-Royce whisky glasses and decanter. If this is your family road trip car, maybe go for the five-seat Lounge option. Although you can order the Cullinan any way you wish, Rolls-Royce expects about 80 percent of American customers to pick the five-seat Lounge option, but just 50 percent for Chinese buyers.

Just Like an Escalade?

Twenty-two-inch wheels make the most of the Cullinan’s imposing presence (yes, like that Cadillac). Those wheels are standard in the U.S.—Rolls-Royce will make the 21s a no-cost option. Winter tires are available on the 21-inch wheels, and all Cullinan tires are specially designed to reduce road noise. And maybe it works, because the Cullinan provides a smooth and quiet ride, just as you’d expect from a Rolls-Royce.

We’re sure it won’t take long, however, for some buyers to prioritize looks over ride quality and add even larger aftermarket wheels.

One for Every Day of the Week

Cullinan buyers have, on average, seven other cars. The new SUV is the right choice when it’s time to take the kids to the summer home, but it’s probably overkill for date night. That won’t be a problem for a Rolls-Royce owner because, chances are, they also own an upscale two-door or winding-road-friendly exotic.

Bet You Didn’t Notice That

It took a Rolls-Royce designer to point out a detail I’m not sure I would have noticed otherwise: The stainless steel door trim stretches from the D-pillar over the front and rear doors to the base of the A-pillar—in one piece. Cool, huh?

How Many Six-Figure SUVs Can You Name?

The Rolls-Royce Cullinan isn’t the only SUV with a six-figure MSRP. Other options in that range include the Bentley Bentayga, which is offered with six-cylinder plug-in, eight-, and 12-cylinder powertrains. Then there’s the unmistakable Lamborghini Urus, which carries a $200,000 price tag and makes 641 hp from a twin-turbo V-8. The 557-hp long-wheelbase Range Rover SVAutobiography crests $200,000 before diving into the fun and colorful ways to customize. The boxy Mercedes-Benz G-Class is still around, and Porsche and Maserati will be happy to sell you the most powerful version of the Cayenne and Levante, respectively, for under $200,000. If you want to go fully electric, Tesla offers the surprisingly quick Model X P100D for around $150,000, loaded.

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