2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing First Test: It’s Almost the Best

Do not go gentle into that good night, or anywhere at all. That's (probably) Dodge's internal motto. To wit: our sources tell us that a brand-new generation of V-8 powered, rear-wheel drive muscle machines are coming, and coming soon. Here you thought Dodge was going fully EV, and turning its back on the burning of gasoline. Not yet, bro! Yes, everyone knows that the current generation of Charger goes back to the year 2005 when it was introduced as a 2006 model, making the Dodge's bread and butter almost old enough to buy a gun. The Challenger went on sale in 2008. Both were updated in 2011. While the future is InEVitable, and there will be a time when electric cars will represent the bulk of new car sales in the U.S., that's still a decade (or more) off. In the meantime, Dodge is electing to make a little hay while the sun is shining. Meaning profits on the backs of many burnouts.Wait, Really?Yes, really. Dodge has said that fully 50 percent of its product portfolio will be BEV by 2030. That's only half of the lineup in 8 years. Until then, most of what Dodge sells will be internal combustion, and even by 2030, half will still burn gasoline. Dodge is reaching (or has long ago reached) the limits of what's possible with yee olde LD platform, which is actually a slightly refreshed-in-2011 LX platform, which as every single 14-year-old on the internet will tell you, dates to the 2002 era W211 E-Class and W220 S-Class, as if that's some sort of bad thing. DaimlerChrysler, remember? Let's not forget the 900-pound cash cow in the room: since 2006 Dodge has sold over 2,156,000 Chargers and Challengers, and that's not counting 2022. Don't forget, sales jumped in 2015 when the Hellcat models were introduced.What We Think We KnowA new, large Stellantis rear-drive platform is coming and can fit a V-8. This platform will be separate and unrelated to the EV skateboard chassis that will underpin other large Stellantis EVs. This vehicle architecture will underpin a new Charger, a new Challenger, as well as possibly a new Chrysler 300, and the next generation Maserati Quattroporte. Any chance a large Alfa Romeo 5 Series or 7 Series fighter could come along? Nope, as Alfa Romeo has announced its going all-EV by 2027. Opel? Vauxhaul? Could either of those brands get a gas-powered V-8 capable chassis. No clue, but hey, why not?The new Charger and Challenger will be lighter than the cars they replace, and they will handle better, if not much better. The designs are currently being finalized, so our sources haven't seen anything yet. We do hear that Dodge is aware that looks played a big part keeping both models alive for this long, so don't expect anything too radical. Expect ZF's ubiquitous (and excellent) 8-speed automatic to remain the transmission of choice, and of course for our friends in the Northeast there will be an AWD option.What About the Firepower?We don't know which engines specifically will show up in Dodge's new muscle cars, but you don't need to be a scientitcian to guess, with an asterisk. Currently, the 392 V-8 puts out 485 horsepower. Not bad for natural aspiration. However, Mopar's new 3.0-liter twin-turbo Hurricane I-6 pumps out "more than" 500 horsepower. It's a tough intellectual conundrum for the muscle car fan, take the less powerful V-8 or go with more power but fewer cylinders. We're betting that Dodge decides to offer two flavors of Hurricane I-6 (standard will be over 400 hp, high-output will again be over 500 hp) and save the V-8 for the all-powerful, all-profitable Hellcat variant. Figure 800 hp minimum for the next gen evil kitty.

hyundai sonata Full OverviewWhen we first took stock of our 2020 Hyundai Sonata Limited, we were impressed by its slick screens, comfortable leather seats, and stylish exterior. A year later, does the Sonata continue to charm, or has it lost its luster?The midsize sedan rolled into our garage wearing a striking sapphire blue paint color and all the trimmings of the top-tier Limited model. At $34,630, our test car looks almost like a luxury sedan. Its plush caramel leather seats held up well over a year of passengers shuffling into seats, loading and unloading tons of baby gear, car seats installations, and baby spit-ups. The leather didn't pucker over time like it did on one of my previous long-term vehicles, which happened to be a luxury vehicle.The Sonata's interior earned high praise for its uncluttered, elegant design. I enjoyed the easy-to-use 10.3-inch touchscreen, though I didn't fully appreciate how crisp it was until I downgraded to a duller 8.0-inch screen in my latest test car. The Sonata's infotainment screen complements the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and a sharp Bose sound system sweetens the deal.Passengers enjoyed the panoramic sunroof, but my favorite feature is Highway Driving Assist. A semi-autonomous system that combines adaptive cruise control and lane centering tech, this feature makes highway commuting less stressful. Although it has a tendency to steer the Sonata to the left side of the lane within the lane markings, it works better than some other systems we've tested. The 360-degree camera system is another winner, providing a clear view on all sides of the car and making it easy to park this long sedan. The only real tech hiccup we encountered was with the keyless entry system. It often wouldn't register when I touched the door and had the key in my pocket, forcing me to dig out the key and press the unlock button.I had no illusions about the Sonata's performance going into the year. Our car features the Sonata's upgraded engine option: a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that makes 180 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque. As I quickly found out, it has just enough power for merging and passing other cars on the highway. Given how well it handles, I didn't mind its lack of power. What became more and more bothersome over time was how the power is delivered. There's a noticeable lag off the line when you jam the accelerator, so making quick maneuvers in traffic can get a little tricky.No maintenance problems plagued our Sonata through the year, but the car visited the dealership twice for routine servicing. Our first service trip was free, but Hyundai charged $92.01 for our second visit. These costs will look quite different for typical retail customers of newer Sonatas, however. For retail vehicles sold on or after February 1, 2020, Hyundai offers complimentary maintenance for three years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first.Subaru also offers free maintenance, which is why our long-term 2017 Subaru Legacy cost $0 over three service visits and 20,460 miles. Free maintenance hasn't been the norm among the Sonata's competitors we've tested for a year, though. We spent $178.96 for two service visits on our long-term 2014 Mazda 6, which logged 24,316 miles, and $204.92 on two services for our 2013 Nissan Altima, which finished its run at 21,774 miles. Surprisingly, our long-term 2013 Honda Accord cost more than all of these sedans, racking up a bill of $209.42 for two service visits over a course of 22,856 miles.Driving the Sonata for a year revealed more about the sedan's quality and maintenance costs, but what will the ownership experience look like over the course of five years? Our colleagues at IntelliChoice have some insights. Although we enjoy all the fancy features that come with the top Limited trim, it might not be the choice if you're looking to maximize value. The lower SE trim gets a Good value rating, but the other trims earn Mediocre or Average scores. The 2020 Sonata Limited has been deemed an Average value when taking into account depreciation, insurance, fuel costs, state fees, financing, maintenance, and repairs.The Honda Accord remains our top pick for a midsize sedan because of its superior driving dynamics and its spacious, well-packaged interior. That said, our yearlong test confirms the Sonata is a solid pick. Among its rather conservative, plain-looking competitors, the Sonata stands out with its sharp design. More important, its tech-forward cabin continues to delight over time, speaking to its strong feature-per-dollar value. Its playful handling never gets old on a twisty road. For the practical-minded, free maintenance and a generous warranty make a strong case for the Sonata.Looks good! More details?POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS 2020 Hyundai Sonata Limited 1.6T DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT Front-engine, FWD ENGINE TYPE Turbocharged I-4, alum block/head VALVETRAIN DOHC, 4 valves/cyl DISPLACEMENT 97.5 cu in/1,598 cc COMPRESSION RATIO 10.5:1 POWER (SAE NET) 180 hp @ 5,500 rpm TORQUE (SAE NET) 195 lb-ft @ 1,500 rpm REDLINE 6,500 rpm WEIGHT TO POWER 18.4 lb/hp TRANSMISSION 8-speed automatic AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO 3.37:1/2.14:1 SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar STEERING RATIO 13.3:1 TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK 2.6 BRAKES, F; R 12.8-in vented disc; 11.8-in disc, ABS WHEELS 7.5 x 18-in cast aluminum TIRES 235/45R18 94V Michelin Primacy Tour A/S (M+S) DIMENSIONS WHEELBASE 111.8 in TRACK, F/R 63.1/63.3 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 192.9 x 73.2 x 56.9 in TURNING CIRCLE 35.9 ft CURB WEIGHT 3,316 lb WEIGHT DIST, F/R 60/40% SEATING CAPACITY 5 HEADROOM, F/R 38.4/37.4 in LEGROOM, F/R 46.1/34.8 in SHOULDER ROOM, F/R 57.9/56.1 in CARGO VOLUME 16.0 cu ft TEST DATA ACCELERATION TO MPH 0-30 2.7 sec 0-40 3.8 0-50 5.5 0-60 7.4 0-70 9.5 0-80 12.3 0-90 15.6 0-100 — PASSING, 45-65 MPH 3.8 QUARTER MILE 15.7 sec @ 90.1 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 115 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.89 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 26.6 sec @ 0.66 g (avg) TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH 1,800 rpm CONSUMER INFO BASE PRICE $34,475 PRICE AS TESTED $34,630 STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL Yes/Yes AIRBAGS 9: Dual front, f/r side, f/r curtain, driver knee BASIC WARRANTY 5 yrs/60,000 miles POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 10 yrs/100,000 miles ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 5 yrs/Unlimited miles FUEL CAPACITY 15.9 gal EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON 27/37/30 mpg RECOMMENDED FUEL Unleaded regular Our Car SERVICE LIFE 12 mo / 11,734 mi BASE PRICE $34,475 OPTIONS Carpeted floor mats ($155) PRICE AS TESTED $34,630 AVG ECON 24.4 mpg PROBLEM AREAS None MAINTENANCE COST $0 (oil change, inspection) NORMAL-WEAR COST $0 3-YEAR RESIDUAL VALUE* $27,700 (80%) RECALLS None *IntelliChoice data; assumes 42,000 miles at the end of 3-years Show All

I will start this by saying I have zero buyer's remorse. Within about a day of driving the Rivian R1T—even in unfinished pre-production form, as was the case on our cross-country, Trans-America Trail journey—I knew I simply had to have one. Moreover, the R1T impressed every single editor on the TAT goat rodeo and we even named it our 2022 MotorTrend Truck of the Year, the highest honor in the biz. And so, on Flag Day, June 14, I took delivery of my "Spinach Omelet" electric pickup truck. Why Spinach Omelet? I went for the unusual but gorgeous color combo of Compass Yellow over Forest Edge. Yes, my 835-hp pickup truck has a vegan "leather" interior the color of day-old guacamole. The R1T is superlative. I love it.But buying it? I'd rather visit my periodontist and get my gums scraped.Jonny Lieberman's Rivian R1T with Compass Yellow exterior paint and Forest Edge interior 5The process began when I put down a $1,000 deposit, and luckily I did so before Rivian jacked the price of the truck by 20 percent. Soon after, a very friendly Rivian Guide—a specific customer service agent who helps each buyer through the process—contacted me to see if I had any questions. As I'd already driven the truck 1,850 miles across six states, I had just one: When will I get mine? The conversation went something like this:Me: Can you tell me when I'll get the truck?Rivian Guide: I'm sorry, I can't answer that.Me: Well, can you tell me if I'll get it near or if I'll get it far?RG: I'm sorry, but I can't answer that.Me: Will I get it in 2022 or 2023?RG: I'm sorry, I can't say.If you can picture my eyes rolling up into my brainpan, that's good because that's exactly what happened. If you don't know, I'm a cast member of the popular automotive podcast "Spike's Car Radio." I used this big megaphone to tell the above anecdote on an episode. A month or so goes by and I get an unexpected phone call from my Rivian Guide. I'm paraphrasing here, but they said, "Hey, what if instead of the truck you ordered, we got you an identically spec'd Launch Edition R1T? It would only cost you $400 more, and you'd get it in July instead of unknown?" I quizzed them pretty hard. For real, it's identically spec'd? With yellow paint, a green interior, underbody armor, the off-road recovery kit, ski racks, all that? Yes, I was assured. My exact spec. For only $400? How could I not?I agreed and was then told to just go and fill out the eight-step buying process on the website. When I heard "eight steps," I got nervous. Sounded like too many. More than an hour later, I was thinking about smashing my laptop against the wall. I'd managed to complete perhaps 5 of the 8 steps and my blood was boiling. The one that killed me—aside from essentially being forced to sign up for Rivian's Nationwide-backed insurance to get to the next step—was the value offered for my trade-in. I had a 2014 Ford Fiesta ST in good, slightly modified condition with 43,000 miles on the clock. Rivian's website offered me $10,400. I not only balked, I called my Rivian Guide and said something like, "ARE YOU KIDDING?" No, I was told, that's what the computer offers and there's nothing they can do about it. Fine, I'd just sell the damn thing privately.Jonny Lieberman's Rivian R1T with Compass Yellow exterior paint and Forest Edge interior 7In May, I received a call from a different, equally friendly Rivian employee at the company's delivery center in El Segundo, California, just 0.5 mile from MotorTrend HQ. "Your truck's here. We're so happy you went with such a bold colorway." Whoa, whoa, whoa. It's here? (Also, I still needed to sell the Ford, which I was able to do rather quickly for nearly 50 percent more than Rivian offered.) Because I was leaving for Pikes Peak practice, we settled on the day after I returned, June 14, for handover. Sunday evening, June 12, I'm told by my friendly Guide to make sure I bring a certified or cashier's check with me on Tuesday. "What?!?" I rudely exclaim. "You're telling me this now? I'm in Colorado, and flying back tomorrow, landing after my bank is closed and I have to work the morning of the 14th? How can I get a cashier's check?"Then I'm told there's another option. I can just simply link my bank account to my Rivian account and pay that way. All I have to do is go to the website and link the two. Thirty minutes and dozens (fine, hundreds) of swear words later, I determine that, nope, there's no freaking way to link my bank account to my Rivian account via the blasted website. I call my Rivian Guide back to explain this and ask for assistance. I mentioned that when I picked up my Alfa Romeo Giulia that I also custom ordered, I was in and out of the dealership in 26 minutes, and that it would have taken less time but they forced me to drive the car around the block. I'd just wasted more time than that on the farshtinkener Rivian website, and I'm furious. My Guide had no answer, so I needed to delay delivery until I had a chance to get a certified check.The next day I'm told, you know what, Rivian will accept a personal check from me after all. I'm not optimistic an anonymous buyer would get the same pass, but at least we're back on. I'm leaving out details of the seemingly never-ending series of documents to sign (it was like buying real estate), but mercifully they're all electronic-signature-type things. The next day I get to the MotorTrend office at 10:15 a.m. and the thing I'm supposed to be doing gets canceled. I call my Rivian Guide and arrange to grab the truck then, not at 2:30 p.m. as scheduled. Thirty minutes later, I arrive at the delivery center but am informed my early arrival will mean things will take a while. Now, I know they're not putting gas in the thing, so I have no idea what the holdup is, but my gorgeous new truck was parked right out front by about noon.I guess the delay wasn't because they were checking the paint, because a brief once-over revealed the paint-protection film on one of the gear-tunnel doors was defective, and my truck went away. It's fixed and 90 minutes later, I'm driving home. Hurray! Although, it must be said three hours to turn over my truck that I'd learned had been sitting there for days if not weeks is crazy. But hey, the Rivian R1T is fantastic and worth the wait.An electrician came over just before I sat down to write this, to install the Rivian charger that the company had shipped to my house. After about 90 minutes it was ready and we tried to pair the unit to the Rivian app. No luck. We pored over the instruction manual, and tried to pair it three more times. Still no luck. A solid red light then illuminated, which is a signal you need to contact Rivian. After 20 minutes of being on hold, my electrician left for other jobs. Eventually, I spoke with someone who told me I needed my electrician to proceed. Long story short—and many more privately spoken foul words later—my electrician agreed to come back.Rivian wanted him to confirm the charger was getting power from the breaker (it was, to the tune of 240 volts) and confirm that everything was hooked up and set correctly. It was, as verified by sending photos to Rivian for analysis. Bum charger, it turned out, and Rivian is shipping a new one. Meaning that as of this writing, I cannot charge my brand-new electric truck at my house. This is awful because I have to deal with the often unreliable Electrify America charging network. I know this will all get resolved and I'll soon be blissfully motoring along in my Spinach Omelet R1T, but man, I didn't know I had so much swearing in me. You learn something new every day.Postscript: I wrote this screed after burning an entire day's worth of time dealing with a defective Rivian charger and a new company's processes. My R1T's VIN ends in 05020. I don't know the actual production numbers, but seeing as my truck was built in May, I'd guess the 7,000th R1T hasn't rolled off the line yet. Lamborghini builds more cars in a year than that. True to its word, Rivian shipped out a new charger, got a third party to come remove the busted one and install the good one, and all that only took a few days. Since then, the Lieberman household has been experiencing trouble- and gasoline-free charging and driving, and my Alfa Romeo wound up in the shop. So, why write this? Rivian needs to get its buying experience in order. True believers like me who know how good the truck is will put up with this sort of nonsense. But with electric Ford trucks coming on strong, the buying experience needs to be as simple as possible. Tesla, despite numerous other faults, has mastered this process. The cars just show up at your house. Easy as that. Rivian can get there. When it comes to cars, like so many things, it's the little things that count.