2022 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce First Test: Strong and Spirited

The first pure electric Jeep is coming in the first half of 2023, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares revealed in Amsterdam where he delivered an overview of the direction of the automaker through 2030.No, the first electric Jeep is not a Jeep Wrangler. It is instead a small lifestyle Jeep, shorthand for a crossover. It is an all-new vehicle, a new addition to the lineup, and does not yet have a name. The SUV is small, somewhat rounded, kinda cute, almost Renegade-like—and obviously tailored to the urban customer. Being small, it will hold broader global appeal.The Jeep EV has been developed on the STLA Small platform, one of four dedicated electrified architectures that will underpin all nameplates for the 14 brands under the Stellantis umbrella. Stellantis is the automaker created more than a year ago with the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group, lumping Jeep, Chrysler, Ram, Dodge, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, and Maserati together with the French auto conglomerate's offerings.Stellantis is moving towards a future where 100 percent of all vehicles sold in Europe and 50 percent of the lineup in North America will be electric vehicles by 2030.Jeep has embraced electrification faster than most Stellantis brands, at least according to Tavares, who said as much to reporters gathered in Amsterdam to learn more of the Dare Forward 2030 long-term strategic plan that has more than 100 new vehicle launches planned—75 of them electric—including an electric Ram 1500 full-size electric pickup truck in 2024.Jeep's 4xe plug-in hybrid technology is gaining recognition and sales, making it the second of the 14 Stellantis brands in terms of electrification, Tavares said.The strategic vision is to invest in all the American brands and the U.S. will have 25 EVs on sale by 2030.

kia forte Full OverviewThe average price of a new-car transaction has been climbing higher than ever in recent years, and buying into a brand-new car that's also fun to drive is a harder feat than ever before. Fortunately, Kia upsets that notion with the Forte GT, the highest performance variant of the automaker's compact sedan.The Forte GT belongs to Kia's line of GT models, which are the sportiest versions of its cars. Kia equips the Forte GT with a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine developing 201 and 195 lb-ft of torque, 18-inch alloy wheels, stiffer sport suspension, and a sport exhaust system. The dual-exit setup is startlingly loud upon cold start, which we imagine will be a draw for buyers looking for a compact with more zest than the run-of-the-mill Forte. The model we tested was equipped with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, but Kia also offers a GT Manual trim that comes standard with a six-speed manual gearbox and Michelin Pilot Sport 4 summer tires for $1,000 more.How Does It Drive? Gun the throttle, and there's plenty of torque steer to be had, making the Forte GT feel feisty off the line. It'll sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 6.4 seconds, which is right where it needs to be in its segment. The power remains plentiful when called upon on the freeway even when every seat is filled with adult passengers. Under steady throttle application, the transmission provides clean, snappy shifts. However, in low-speed traffic or when driving on streets with repeated stop signs, the dual clutch gearbox's weaknesses are revealed. It tends to buck under braking right after accelerating and also tends to hesitate in reverse.When we sampled the Forte GT in the canyons, the transmission was in its element. Under smooth throttle inputs, it revs out to redline and delivers crisp upshifts. It preemptively shifts down under braking. Using the paddle shifters increases the driver engagement and gives further control over the dual-clutch transmission's behavior.Under enthusiastic cornering, the Forte GT is willing to play. Despite rolling on all-season tires, the compact sedan hangs on in the corners. This was supported by our instrumented testing where the Forte GT pulled an average of 0.87 g on our skidpad, which is better than average for compact sedans equipped with comparable tires.The Forte GT has three drive mode settings: Comfort, Smart, and Sport. Comfort has the most relaxed steering feel and throttle responsiveness, while changing over to Sport turns up the steering weight and wakes up the drivetrain. Road test editor Chris Walton noted that the Forte GT has "talkative steering and good balance on the skidpad." However, he also commented, "My only complaint is that the transmission isn't quite intelligent enough to downshift and hold a gear on the skidpad even in Sport mode."During our instrumented testing, the Kia Forte GT stopped consistently from 60 to 0 mph in 122 feet. It has decent brake pedal feel and bite, allowing the driver to smoothly modulate the brake pedal. Under hard braking into a corner at the track, the Kia Forte GT's tail end exhibited a tendency to skid out, but this contributes to its eagerness and playfulness on winding roads. The car's overall communicative nature makes it easy to work the sedan into a rhythm and tackle technical routes with poise.The Forte GT is at its best on curvy roads and at its worst in bumper-to-bumper traffic. The dual-clutch transmission copes poorly with stop-and-go jams, and the stiff suspension jars occupants when the car travels over uneven or craggy surfaces. Prospective buyers ought to bear this in mind when considering a Forte GT, as most folks likely won't want to put up with its non-adaptive sport-tuned suspension setup.Are Features the Forte's Forte? The Forte GT benefits from metal pedal covers, contrast stitching, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel that feels great in the hand. Although Forte GT's interior looks sporty, it has already started to look dated despite the current generation's debut for the 2018 model year. Hard plastics cover most surfaces, although the door cards and armrests have soft padding. Much of the competition has eclipsed the Forte's interior design with cleaner, better-looking cabins.Kia offers the GT2 package for $2,200 which includes a number of comfort, convenience, and aesthetic features that make the cabin a much more impressive space. Our GT2-equipped test car featured a 10-way adjustable driver's seat with power lumbar support, an electric parking brake, auto-hold brakes, heated and ventilated front seats, LED interior lighting, rear parking sensors, a power sunroof, a premium Harman Kardon eight-speaker audio system, synthetic leather seats with GT logos, highway driving assist, and forward collision avoidance assist with cyclist detection. It's worth noting that the GT Manual variant of the Forte cannot be equipped with this package.Every Forte GT has a 10.3-inch touchscreen with navigation, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, keyless entry and push-button ignition, dual climate control, and full LED exterior lighting. We particularly enjoyed using the Forte GT's remote start feature to enjoy the exhaust's burbling startup from the outside. It's a feature-rich vehicle, especially considering its affordable starting price of $24,515 relative to less sporty competitors within the compact sedan segment.Is the Forte GT Right for Me? All in, this 2022 Kia Forte GT stickers at $26,870 which undercuts its closest rival, the (manual only) 2022 Honda Civic Si by about $1,500. As such, the Kia makes a strong case for itself with loads of available feature content and enough sportiness to thrill when the road gets twisty. However, forking over the extra cash for the Honda could be worth it for drivers planning on regularly driving their car recreationally, especially because the Civic Si uses a standard limited-slip front differential.The Forte GT isn't the most hard-core sports sedan, but it can be enjoyable when driven with enthusiasm and comes with plenty of tech to serve as a well-equipped daily driver. That said, its low starting price and affordability after adding the feature-packed GT2 package leaves room for enthusiasts hungry for more to buy their own summer tires should they want to make their car even more capable. Kudos to Kia for keeping the affordable sporty sedan dream alive.Looks good! More details?2022 Kia Forte GT Specifications BASE PRICE $24,515 PRICE AS TESTED $26,870 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, FWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan ENGINE 1.6L Turbo direct-injected DOHC 16-valve I-4 POWER (SAE NET) 201 hp @ 6,000 rpm TORQUE (SAE NET) 195 lb-ft @ 1,500 rpm TRANSMISSION 7-speed twin-clutch auto CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 3,097 lb (60/40%) WHEELBASE 106.3 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 182.7 x 70.9 x 56.5 in 0-60 MPH 6.4 sec QUARTER MILE 14.9 sec @ 95.8 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 119 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.87 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 26.6 sec @ 0.67 g (avg) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 27/35/30 mpg EPA RANGE, COMB 420 miles ON SALE Now Show All

The first car the Morgan Motor Company built 113 years ago was a three-wheeler; two wheels up front for steering and stability, and a single drive wheel at the rear. In fact, until 1936 Morgan built nothing but three-wheelers. Over a century later, the all-new 2023 Morgan three-wheeler might be the most important yet.Morgan ended three-wheeler production in 1952 as more affluent post-war customers switched to its four-wheeled sports cars. But the concept was revived in 2012 with the retro-styled 3 Wheeler, which was powered by an air-cooled, American-made S&S V-twin motorcycle engine mounted across the front end—just like the Morgan three-wheelers built until 1939.That car is now being replaced by an all-new three-wheeler that is arguably the single most important new Morgan in history. Unlike the 3 Wheeler, the all-new Morgan Super 3 has been designed from its three wheels up to meet global crash and emissions standards. And the U.S. is one of the car's key target markets.Old School Meets New SchoolPark your preconceptions: The Super 3 is not a Polaris Slingshot with a posh accent and debonair duds. Far from it. The Super 3 aims to capture the fun and free-wheeling spirit of the original Morgan Three Wheelers, light and sporty cars that frequently punched above their weight in motorsport events in the 1920s and '30s. It looks old school. But the clever and innovative engineering underneath is state-of-the-art.The Morgan Super 3 is powered by a naturally aspirated version of Ford's light and compact 1.5-liter, three-cylinder "Dragon" engine, used in turbocharged form in the Ford Bronco Sport, as well as the European-spec Ford Focus and Fiesta hatchbacks. The decision to switch to a car engine was driven by the fact that the previous car's S&S V-twin would struggle to meet future emission standards, and other similar motorcycle engines all had integrated sequential-shift transmissions. Still, there's history here: The F-Series Morgan Three-Wheeler built between 1933 and 1952 was powered by Ford side-valve engines.In the Super 3 the Ford Dragon engine, which drives the single rear wheel through a Mazda MX-5 sourced five-speed manual transmission connected to a bevel box and carbon-fiber reinforced drive belt, makes 118 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 110 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm. That doesn't sound like much. But as the Super 3 is expected to weigh not much more than 1,400 pounds, Morgan says that's enough grunt to shoot it to 60 mph in less than 7.0 seconds on to a top speed of 130 mph. And with no roof, no doors, optional aero screens, and the road rushing past just under your elbows, that's going to feel very fast.Monocoque Makes Its Morgan DebutThe core of the Super 3 chassis is a super-formed aluminum monocoque, making it the first monocoque Morgan in history. Bolted to the front of it is a large cast aluminum structure that cradles the engine and provides all the pickup points for the multi-link front suspension. The floorplan is a non-structural aluminum piece that's been designed to accommodate future powertrain upgrades, including full electric drive. The single rear wheel is located by a twin beam swingarm with coil-over shocks on either side, and the beetle-backed bodywork enveloping it is more super-formed aluminum.Though modern in its detailing and execution, the Super 3's layout is pure vintage Morgan. Ensuring the engine and cooling system sat no further forward than the front axle centerline while providing enough legroom for occupants drove the entire design.The vertical cast aluminum element at the center of the mesh grille is not for decoration: It connects to the top mount of the Dragon engine. "There's nothing on this car that doesn't need to be there," says Morgan design chief Jonathan Wells. The cast aluminum piece at the rear of the bodywork, for example, not only ties the body structure together, but also provides the hinge for the rear wheel cover, the lower mounting point for the optional CNC-machined luggage rack, a license plate mount, and the location for the fog and reversing lights.The desire to keep the Super 3 as compact as possible—though it measures 72.4 inches across the front wheels, it's only 141.0-inches long overall, just 4.0-inches longer than the 3 Wheeler—meant locating the cooling radiators on either side of the engine. That, in turn, required placing large, rectangular "barge boards" along the side of the car to manage the air flow through them.At first glance they are perhaps the most controversial elements of the design, but Morgan has embraced their presence. A patented clip system—Morgan's first ever patent—allows specially designed hard cases, waterproofed soft bags, or racks to be attached to the side of the car. The clips and the hardware that attaches to them can carry as much as 44 pounds.Clever Design AboundsThe Super 3 has no roof. But the interior has been designed to cope with the elements. The seats can be trimmed in water-resistant leather, or a new vegan technical fabric that is 100 percent waterproof and can be cleaned with bleach. The digital instruments, located in cast aluminum pods at the center of the dash, and all the switchgear are not just waterproof, but will withstand a quick blast from a jetwash.The seats are fixed, both to reduce weight and complexity, but also to ensure the mass of the occupants remains in the same place in the chassis, critical in a three-wheeler. The steering column is reach and rake adjustable, and the floor-hinged pedals can be moved fore-and-aft to accommodate drivers of different sizes, however. The steering wheel is by Moto-Lita, the boutique British manufacturer that supplied everyone from Aston Martin and Austin Healey to Carroll Shelby and Saab in the 1960s and '70s and is still doing business today.The closer you look at the Super 3, the cleverer it is. The two round headlights and horseshoe cowl are vintage Morgan design cues; the cowl's radius is the same as on Morgan's four-wheeled models. But the air intakes at its trailing edge are functional, feeding air into the engine intake. The small structures protruding from each headlight—nicknamed "snail's eyes" by Wells' team—enable the lights to meet global standards for height and side visibility while retaining their vintage-era location low and close to the front axle centerline.The front wheels are flush-face 20-inch alloys shod with 130/90 Avon Speedmaster tires specially developed for the Super 3 by the British specialist tiremaker. Though vintage in appearance right down to the tread pattern, they are radials with a modern rubber compound and are speed rated to 130 mph. The single rear wheel is a 15-inch steel car rim, shod with a 195/65 winter tire to deliver slightly more initial compliance on turn in, and less overall grip to reduce understeer.How Much Is the Custom Built Super 3?As you'd expect of a Morgan, the hand-built Super 3 will be highly customizable, with more than 200 available options. To make life easier for buyers, the company will offer three "character" themes at launch: Contemporary, which combines brighter exterior colors with the dark finish on the wheels and other cast aluminum parts, plus the textile interior; Classic, which has silver wheels and aluminum bits and leather trim in the cockpit; and Touring, which comes with the aero screens, rear luggage rack. and side panniers.Super 3 production is scheduled to start at Morgan's factory on Pickersleigh Road in Malvern, England, in April, and will ramp up to a maximum of 15 cars per week within four to six weeks. The first cars will arrive in the U.S. in the third quarter of this year, priced at about $70,000 to start.