2022 Toyota Tundra Hybrid First Drive: Pry the Prius From Your Mind

mercedes-benz sl-class Full OverviewThe AMG gang in Affalterbach desperately wants you to know a few things about the 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL-Class. One, they designed it. From scratch and with little help from the Benz mothership. Two, it barely shares a screw or rivet with the AMG GT Roadster they also designed. Three, despite the new SL having grown a pair of vestigial back seats and adding a few inches in length, it promises to be the sportiest SL roadster since the racing-derived 300SL from 1957. And four, thanks to miracles of modern science, this new R232 SL also promises to deliver comfort on par with—if not exceeding—that of its Mercedes-developed R231 predecessor.Three months of engineering roundtable Zoom calls and even a low-speed ridealong event have sufficiently satisfied us on the first two points; it's the last two that we've been itching to verify. At long last we had the opportunity to flog both the SL55 and SL63 variants on a variety of highways and twisting roads. So, has AMG managed to channel the speed-record-setting, Mille Miglia-winning verve of the original W196 while making the car even more cosseting and comfy than the outgoing roadsters?Mercedes-AMG SL Performance in a Straight LineThe 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL63 will undoubtedly go down in our record books as the quickest SL we've tested. Mercedes claims this 577-hp, 590-lb-ft beast will dash from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds, thanks in large part to newly standard all-wheel-drive traction that guarantees none of those ponies or pound-feet gets squandered generating tire smoke or brake heat from traction-control intervention. Converting those estimates to account for MotorTrend launch-control test conditions and a 1-foot rollout will probably boil that number down to something much closer to 3.0 seconds flat. (The last two SL models we tested each beat Mercedes' conservative estimates by exactly half a second.) The SL55, running the exact same engine but with smaller turbos and slightly less aggressive tuning produces "just" 469 horsepower and 517 lb-ft. The AMG team reckons it'll give up three-tenths to the SL63.For some perspective, that performance should rank the SL models somewhere about even with the Porsche 911 Carrera 4S and GTS cabriolets, which is to say, ahead of the BMW M850i xDrive cab (3.9 seconds to 60 mph) and way out in front Lexus LC500 (4.7 seconds) in the bucks-up 2+2 cabrio set.Trust us, if you never drive an SL63, that SL55 will seem like it has more than enough power. However, we might counsel those prepared to settle for the SL55 to consider opting for its AMG Dynamic Plus package, which brings with it a Race mode. We don't typically prefer Race modes because they usually disable all the stability controls, increasing amateurs' risk considerably. This one does not.What it mostly does, in addition to heightening all the car's responses, is switch to a perfectly linear throttle response map. There's more gain earlier in the pedal travel in the Sport and Sport+ modes, which may make the car seem more eager and powerful, but at some cost to the predictability serious drivers prefer. The computer programming in Sport+ and Race modes devotes a bit of extra fuel to generating delightful pops and snorts on overrun. That feature is fun, but this mode also tends to deliver some harsher downshifts when slowing, which can feel like grabbing brakes (this never happened in Comfort mode).We only got the SL63 up to triple-digit speeds briefly, but with the optional AMG Aerodynamics package, an air dam in front of the engine lowers 1.6 inches at speeds above 50 mph to help induce a venturi effect that helps suck the car down to the ground and reduce front-axle lift.SL-Class Handling BehaviorThese are heavy cars, pushing two-and-a-quarter tons. But AMG Active Ride Control, which connects opposite corners of the car hydraulically to limit body roll (as on various McLaren cars and now Rivian trucks), truly makes them feel as agile as cars weighing a half-ton less. This is another feature that's standard on the SL63, and available to help make your SL55 cost almost as much as a 63.Clicking the steering-wheel-mounted drive mode selector clockwise relaxes the stability nannies somewhat, making the cars progressively more neutral in their handling demeanor, but there's no "drift mode," no option to bar torque from reaching the front axle. (That's right—unlike the AMG GT family, the SLs are all-wheel drive.) And hence, even an aggressive drive up Mount Palomar on a cool morning with slightly dewy road surface, we never once sensed Race mode allowing the tail to run wide. More than a little credit here is due the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires—265/40 front, 295/35 rear on the standard 20-inch rims, or 275/35 front and 305/30 on the optional 21s we mostly ran.The carbon-composite brakes deserve honorable mention for being equally adept at shedding heroic speeds upon approach to a tightening-radius corner—corner after corner—as they are at executing a limousine stop in town. Both models share this standard six-piston front, single-piston rear brake system.Steering feel changes as you switch modes, and we generally found the comfort mode to be a bit too light. The other modes don't heighten the driver's feel for the road, per se, but the firmer helm feels better. We were blissfully unaware of the four-wheel steering (standard on both models) doing its thing, except when executing exceptionally tight U-turns.The California roads between Newport Beach and Palm Springs are relatively smooth, but we aimed for the bumpiest patches we could find and were impressed by the suspension compliance afforded in Comfort mode. The Sport and Race modes firm things up noticeably enough that we took the time to program the Individual mode with everything set to its raciest option and the suspension set to Comfort. This was our Goldilocks "just right" setting, but we also appreciated that individual characteristics (steering, ride, exhaust noise, etc.) can be easily adjusted on the fly using the round selector and twin toggle switches at the lower left side of the wheel, just opposite the main mode-selector switch. The super-rigid multi-material structure never seemed to twist or jiggle in response to bumps.What's the Mercedes-AMG SL-Class Like to Live With?Mostly wonderful. The cabin seems as quiet with the soft top up as the previous model did with its folding hard top raised. The Z-fold fabric roof lowers in 15 seconds at the touch of a button, and a switch allows all four windows to be lowered simultaneously. Happily, the sun visors swivel out, unlike on some convertibles. Raise the windows and pull up the mesh-screen wind blocker that covers the rear "seat" to keep the cabin remarkably calm and quiet even at highway speeds. In cooler weather, switch on the Airscarf neck-warmer to extend the top-down season (the cockpit isn't long enough to need the E-Class convertible's Air Cap windshield header air-management screen).The center info screen adjusts between 12 and 32 degrees to prevent sun from reflecting directly into the driver's eyes, though the buttons for adjusting this (and for raising and lowering the top) can be hard to see when that glare prompts you to fix the screen. We're also not completely sold on a lot of the capacitive switchgear in use here. The mirror switch, for example, didn't seem to respond as expected. We have yet to experience capacitive switches we love.As with all new Mercedes products, the all-digital instrument cluster can be set to display any of several different themes and tons of information, the most pertinent of which is redundantly shown on the head-up display (standard on 63, optional on 55). Track Pace screens will help folks monitor and improve their performance on their car country club track, and the additional stowage space behind the front seats and in the trunk should make the new SL much more useful as a daily driver.We reckon the new car is comfortable enough to retain the SL faithful and sporty enough to pull some customers out of 911s, the BMW 8 Series, and Lexus LCs. Of those, the BMW's nearly 5 inches of added wheelbase gives it a slightly more usable rear seat (the SL's is only rated for passengers shorter than 5 feet tall). A lighter Porsche will always feel nimbler, and the Lexus design may turn more heads, but this Mercedes-AMG enjoys nearly seven decades of heritage, and this R232 pays legitimate homage to its very best SL progenitors.When and How Much?The 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL-Class will go on sale in the second quarter of 2022. Mercedes isn't talking pricing just yet, but it seems a safe bet to assume that since the new 2+2-seat SL is effectively replacing both the four-seat S-Class cabriolet and two-seat R231 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class, pricing should represent an average of these models. Let's figure $132K for the SL55 and $175K for the SL63. That prices the new SL right in the thick of the 2+2-passenger convertible crowd.Looks good! More details?2022 Mercedes-AMG SL-Class Specifications BASE PRICE $132,000-$175,000 (est) LAYOUT Front-engine, AWD, 2+2-pass, 2-door convertible ENGINE 4.0L/469-577-hp/516-590-lb-ft twin-turbo direct-injected DOHC 32-valve V-8 TRANSMISSION 9-speed auto CURB WEIGHT 4,300-4,400 lb (est) WHEELBASE 106.3 in L x W x H 185.2 x 75.4 x 53.5 in 0-60 MPH 3.5-3.8 sec (mfr est) EPA FUEL ECON 16/21/18 mpg (est) EPA RANGE (COMB) 350 miles (est) ON SALE 2nd Quarter 2022 Show All

People trip over Amazon boxes to get inside their homes. Online shopping was big business before the pandemic and is now the go-to for many consumers for most goods with one notable exception: buying cars.The auto industry is behind the rest of the world when it comes to online purchases, even though buyers consume everything else digitally, TrueCar President and CEO Mike Darrow said during a presentation at the Automotive Press Association in Detroit.Death, Taxes, and Car SalesBut that will change—and fast. In 2019, a mere 1 percent of auto sales, new and used, were conducted digitally. It grew to 10 percent in 2020, spurred by COVID shutdowns and lockdowns. By 2025, 40 percent of auto purchases in the U.S., about 23 million new and used vehicles, will be conducted completely online, Darrow says, and surveys show 62 percent of people say they would  buy online if they could.It shouldn't be that hard. The IRS reported that 71 million people filed their U.S. income tax online this year with no help—that's gotta be harder than buying a car online, Darrow says.The transition from a century-old way of selling cars by visiting a dealership is also being fueled by new automakers, starting with Tesla which prominently adopted a direct sales strategy that is being followed by other new electric carmakers including Rivian, Lucid, and VinFast.Ford Wants to Sell EVs OnlineConventional automakers also want the flexibility. Ford CEO Jim Farley recently said he would like to switch to haggle-free pricing and digital sales for EVs, with dealers as service centers for customers who buy their vehicles online.Darrow sees it as a way for automakers like Ford to stimulate conversation with their retailers and while he sees EVs as a good focus initially, he favors digital sales for all vehicles regardless of age or powertrain. The TrueCar CEO fully expects automakers to develop their own in-house digital sales process that will compete with TrueCar. The difference: Ford will sell to those who already know they want a Ford; TrueCar will offer cross-shopping across multiple brands for the consumer looking at a wider field.TrueCar+TrueCar has used a leads-based model to date where it helps consumers find a car and passes the lead on to a dealer to complete the transaction. But TrueCar is testing a new model called TrueCar+ in Florida that would be the first new and used car online marketplace, allowing its 8.6 million monthly visitors to conduct the entire car-buying process online, from sourcing and pricing to insurance and financing, before handing it off to the dealer to supply the vehicle.New ways of doing business are taking over during difficult times for dealers and online shopping sites alike with the scarcity of inventory. TrueCar has about 1 million vehicles listed on its site, half the usual menu. Of those, less than 300,000 are new cars; the site usually has 1 million new cars that dealers are offering up for sale.

kia sorento-hybrid Full OverviewThe Kia Sorento is one of the better midsize SUVs you can buy, but it just missed a podium placement in our midsize SUV rankings. So what gives? Well, despite its confident handling, eager responses, and tech-forward interior, the mainstream turbocharged gas powertrain isn't as refined as it should be. We recently tested the Sorento Hybrid, and it has an entirely different personality. Is this the pick of the litter?While the non-hybrid Sorento offers a broad range of models, Kia streamlined the hybrid lineup into two moderately contented trims. Our test example was the higher EX version, which is far from Spartan but not as plush as the tippy-top conventional Sorentos, and it's worth noting the hybrid only offers a six-seat configuration where the regular version also has an available seven-seat layout. Fuel economy is the main draw here, with hybrids achieving 39/35 mpg city/highway. In comparison, the gas-only 2022 Sorento tops out at 24/29 mpg with the base engine and 22/29 mpg with the turbo four-cylinder—all with front-wheel drive.To achieve these strong results, the 2022 Kia Sorento Hybrid teams a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, electric motor, and lithium-ion battery pack to deliver a healthy 227 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels. (AWD adds $1,800-$2,300, depending on trim level.) The hybrid trades the regular Sorento's clunky eight-speed dual-clutch transmission for an unobtrusive six-speed planetary automatic.The Objective Numbers—and Subjective OpinionIn our tests, the Sorento Hybrid ran from 0-60 mph in 8.4 seconds. That matches exactly the time we achieved in a Toyota Highlander Hybrid AWD, which is larger than the tweener Kia. Unsurprisingly, the Sorento Hybrid is quite a bit slower than the 281-hp turbocharged Sorento, which hit the mark in 6.3 seconds. More troubling than the mediocre acceleration time is exactly how the Sorento accelerates and its lack of power, especially at speeds above 50 mph. There's a bit of a sugaring feel from the hybrid's turbocharged engine, too, which is a disappointment.Our feelings were mixed on the Sorento Hybrid's ride, with some noting it could use refinement. Handling is a tough call, too. On our figure-eight course, the Kia turned in a time of 27.7 seconds at an average 0.62 g, a better performance than we achieved in the Highlander Hybrid (28.4 seconds at 0.58 g). The non-hybrid Sorento beats them both with a time of 26.5 seconds at 0.67 g. Our test team praised the Sorento Hybrid's natural steering feel and neutral chassis, but its performance wasn't consistent. "Acceleration was brisk while I had an almost full battery but clearly waned when I got down to one last bar," road test editor Chris Walton said. We also noted considerable body lean.Because hybrids often suffer from mushy or non-linear brakes, we were curious to see how the SUV would perform in our 60-0-mph test. The Sorento Hybrid stopped in 121 feet, on par with the Highlander Hybrid but a slightly longer distance than the non-hybrid Sorento. Nevertheless, our test team praised the Sorento Hybrid's brake feel and overall body control.As a whole, the Sorento Hybrid's driving experience failed to impress. The turbo gas-only Sorento is the more tempting option, even if its engine and transmission combination rarely serve up a smooth off-the-line start.How It Is to Live WithAt least the hybrid doesn't sacrifice much interior space for better fuel economy. It offers slightly less legroom in the second row than the non-hybrid model, but it has the same amount of legroom in other rows and the same amount of cargo space. Headroom is tight in the third row, although legroom there is reasonable enough—if still tight—for a three-row SUV of this size. The raised floor causes your knees to sit up higher than you might imagine. Bottom line: The back row is best for occasional use.Accessing the way back is easy because the rear seats fold down readily. The second-row seats go down with the push of a button on the top of the seat back, and the third-row seats drop to the floor with the simple pull of a lever. There's also the option to fold down the second-row seats with a button in the cargo area.The interior departs from Kia's usual designs. Along with vertical-oriented air vents, the cabin features a space-saving rotary gear shifter. For the 2022 model year, all Sorento Hybrids feature a sleek 10.3-inch touchscreen. (Our 2021 model photo vehicle was stuck with an 8.0-inch screen).Our Sorento Hybrid EX came with a slew of standard safety features, including rear blind-spot collision avoidance assist, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance assist, stop-and-go adaptive cruise control, and a helpful lane keep assist feature. Heated front seats, an expansive panoramic sunroof, and USB chargers for all three rows sweeten the deal. Kia is known for its strong feature-per-dollar value, and although this isn't a shining example, our Sorento Hybrid test vehicle offers a solid amount of equipment for just under $38,000. Looking at value in terms of five-year cost of ownership, the Sorento Hybrid is just adequate. Considering costs such as depreciation, insurance, fuel, and maintenance over a five-year period, our partners at IntelliChoice gave the 2022 Sorento Hybrid an Average value rating.Kia has a unique product on its hands: a stylish, three-row SUV that's not too big and that provides excellent hybrid fuel economy. But be prepared to sacrifice performance for efficiency. The Sorento Hybrid lacks the wow factor of Kia's other three-row SUV, the Telluride. At the end of the day, the Sorento Hybrid is a solid vehicle, and it would have been hugely impressive just a few years ago, but we now know how much better Kia can do.Looks good! More details?2022 Kia Sorento EX Hybrid Specifications BASE PRICE $37,165 PRICE AS TESTED $37,610 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine/motor, FWD, 6-pass, 4-door SUV ENGINE 1.6L Turbo direct-injected DOHC 16-valve I-4 POWER (SAE NET) 177 hp @ 5,500 rpm (gas), 60 hp (elec); 227 hp (comb) TORQUE (SAE NET) 195 lb-ft @ 1,500 rpm (gas), 195 lb-ft (elec); 258 lb-ft (comb) TRANSMISSION 6-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 4,091 lb (56/44%) WHEELBASE 110.8 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 189.4 x 74.8 x 66.7 in 0-60 MPH 8.4 sec QUARTER MILE 16.4 sec @ 87.2 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 121 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.80 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 27.7 sec @ 0.62 g (avg) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 39/35/37 mpg EPA RANGE (COMB) 665 miles ON SALE Now Show All