2023 Ford Ranger Raptor First Look: Midsize Truck, Full-Size Aggro

lincoln navigator Full OverviewThe Lincoln Navigator is well established among ginormous three-row luxury SUVs, having initiated the full-size segment some 25 years ago. The latest iteration of the Navigator made its debut for the 2018 model year and has been refreshed for 2022 with updated styling and some new technology. We usually welcome changes like these, but in the case of the 2022 Navigator at least one addition isn't, er, particularly great.ActiveGuide Is New but Has FlawsLet's dive right into the trouble: The headline technology for the updated Navigator is Lincoln's ActiveGlide semi-autonomous driving technology, effectively an adaptive cruise control and lane centering system that allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel on certain pre-mapped roads, the ever-expanding database of which will be beamed to Lincolns through over-the-air updates. (ActiveGlide is effectively a rebadged version of the BlueCruise system used in the parent company's Ford-branded vehicles. Lincoln offers it free for the first three years before owners need to subscribe.)Like all hands-free systems, in order to let you take your hands off the wheel, ActiveGlide needs to be able to detect that you are watching the road. To do this, the Navigator employs cameras atop the steering column that detect head and eye movements. If the system senses that the driver's eyes are off the road, it sounds repeated aural warnings before canceling lane guidance.We are intimately familiar with this sequence of events because we experienced it repeatedly—not because we weren't watching where we were going, but because we forgot to bring sunglasses to the press preview. Turns out that if you squint, ActiveGlide loses track of your eyes and thinks you aren't looking at the road. It also turns out that if a short driver doesn't position the steering column low enough, the steering wheel hub partially blocks the camera, generating more false alarms."Watch the Road"? We Are Watching the Road!We experienced ActiveGlide's full automation on Phoenix's 202 loop freeway and found it worked beautifully—right up until the road curved west into the afternoon sun, when it started shouting warnings to our squinting selves. (Interestingly enough, when the Navigator came to a section where it couldn't steer itself and needed the driver to put hands back on the wheel, the warnings were silent.)Now, we'd normally dismiss this as not such a big deal if it only affected hands-free driving, but there is a major caveat here: The face-recognition camera is also required for the normal lane centering function. So even when we weren't letting the Lincoln do the driving—so, when we were on non-ActiveGlide-mapped roads and turned on cruise control and lane guidance, with our hands firmly on the wheel—the Navigator continued to yell at us to watch the road, even though we were.This annoyance is piled on top of another one: Like most vehicles, when lane centering is engaged, the Navigator sounds a warning if it believes you've taken your hands off the wheel. Instead of a capacitive touch sensor, Lincoln uses the cheaper torque sensor, which detects inputs on the steering wheel. The problem—which we've experienced on other vehicles as well—is that on long straightaways, which require no steering, the Navigator yells at you to put your hands on the wheel even when they are already there. This is the reason why the Cadillac Escalade, equipped with GM's competing Super Cruise system, invested in the pricier touch sensors. Lincoln could do better for its top-of-the-line vehicle—after all, it's not like it's selling these full-sizers at razor-thin profit margins.Were these isolated incidents or due to a malfunctioning vehicle? We don't think so. We drove two different Navigators, and both exhibited the same behavior. Furthermore, other staffers have experienced these issues with the BlueCruise-branded version of the system in Ford vehicles. However, aside from the bedeviled lane-centering system, we found lots to like in the face-lifted Navigator.The Actual Improvements to the 2022 Lincoln NavigatorThere are other changes to the '22 Navigator, and some are genuine improvements, like the styling. The 2022 model has thinner headlights, a bolder grille, and better taillights, i.e., ones that no longer look like they've been installed upside down. There's a new Central Park Edition available with a dark green interior that looks in person better than it sounds on paper, as well as the blue-upholstered Yacht Club version. (Is this a return to the 1970s, when you could get your car's interior done up in colors other than black and beige? Gosh, we hope so.)The newly expanded 13.2-inch center screen, which runs Ford's Sync 4 system, is intuitive and easy to use, and the optional premium sound system is nothing short of spectacular. We also remain fascinated by Lincoln's 30-way power front seats, though we're not convinced they're a great idea. Automakers pay ergonomic experts to craft seats that are supportive and comfortable, with a few simple adjustments so we can tweak them to our needs. Lincoln's 30-way seats make, well, the occupants into the experts. Except most people aren't orthopedic spine physicians, and they will have the same trouble we do molding the seats into a perfect position. Perhaps there is such a thing as too many choices. Lincoln, how about a few ergonomically optimized presets that we can then fine-tune?The Best Seats Are the Rear SeatsWe had a much better time in the back seat (stop giggling, you children). Before our drive, we were chauffeured around in a Navigator equipped with Lincoln's new-for-'22 rear-seat entertainment system, which now incorporates Amazon Fire TV. Two of us streamed two separate programs from Amazon Prime (the system also does Netflix and Disney Plus), all while enjoying the class-exclusive massaging rear seats. (OK, so maybe there isn't such a thing as too many choices.) It was a far more enjoyable experience than being yelled at by the lane-centering system.The 2022 Lincoln Navigator also gets the latest version of Ford's Pro Trailer Assist system, which lets you steer a trailer in reverse via a knob on the dash. Programming is now easier than ever: No separate transponder is needed (as on the Ford F-150), just a checkerboard sticker on the trailer that Ford devotees will recognize from the system's first generation. In addition, no measuring is required to set up the system as with the original sticker-based system. Drive a calibration pattern, and the cameras do all the measuring for you. We're pleased to see this in the Navigator; its ability to tow up to 8,700 pounds—more than half a ton better than the Escalade—is a compelling reason to buy it.Likable, But Still Needs to Be BetterIn all other respects, the 2022 Navigator is basically the gentle giant we've come to know and love enough to make it our top-ranked full-size luxury SUV. It has authoritative power from the 440-hp 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6, a smooth-shifting 10-speed transmission, and a somewhat noisier, choppier ride than you might expect from Lincoln's flagship. And, of course, the Navigator is woefully inefficient—count on fuel economy numbers in the mid-teens. Lincoln tells us it has no plans to add a hybrid powertrain because gas mileage is not high on the priority list of the Navigator's target buyer.Hopefully said buyer is willing to deal with the driver-assistance foibles, too. Lincoln could dramatically mitigate the Navigator's problem by disabling the face cameras for hands-on lane centering, but it would be better still if the brand invested more in the engineering of the system. ActiveGlide's current functionality is enough to give us major pause, and that's really a shame—among big SUVs, the Lincoln has a lot to offer. Let's hope Lincoln sees the wisdom in investing in a rapid update to this update.Looks good! More details?2022 Lincoln Navigator Specifications BASE PRICE $78,405-$107,720 LAYOUT Front-engine, RWD/4WD, 7-8-pass, 4-door SUV ENGINE 3.5L/440-hp/510-lb-ft twin-turbo direct-injected DOHC 24-valve V-6 TRANSMISSION 10-speed auto CURB WEIGHT 5,700-6,050 lb (mfr) WHEELBASE 122.5-131.6 in L x W x H 210.0-221.9 x 79.9 x 76.1-76.4 in 0-60 MPH 5.9 sec (MT est) EPA FUEL ECON, CITY/HWY/COMB 16-17/22-23/18-19 mpg EPA RANGE, COMB 414-513 miles ON SALE Now Show All

There's nothing like shifting your own gears in a sports car like the 2022 Toyota GR86. With EVs taking over the market, the manual transmission is once again at risk of peril. Fortunately, a patent filed by Toyota with the US Patent Office was immediately spotted by the forums describing a complex new system to simulate the experience of driving a manual transmission, now without any of the thrilling danger of stalling.What Is It?When it comes to an EV like the upcoming Toyota "Sports EV," there is no gas engine that can stall out. That used to be the whole reason you need the clutch and a gearbox—to keep the engine from stalling, and to transition between gears, obviously. Why would Toyota bother having something like this on a car with no gears and likely near-instant torque on command?The patent filed by the Japanese brand a few months ago, but published this week, describes a system that uses a fake clutch, fake shifter, a three mode selector, and programming at the controller to simulate the experience of driving a manual transmission, just without the stalling.Full Manual ModeSo how does the patent say it works? Essentially, when you shift the "transmission shifter," the prospective EV's motor controller will increase or decrease the voltage—and, thus, the magnetic field controlling the rotor in the motor—and this effect is meant to simulate the torque feeling of each gear. There are three modes described in the patent.Both "clutch" and "clutchless" modes, as we're calling them based on what we see in the patent documents, operate this way. Some EVs do use a clutch to decouple and idle a permanent-magnet motor when it's not needed. However, that is not what is being operated in this mode. A third, automatic mode, lets the driver ignore the clutch pedal and shifter altogether, and operates as a traditional EV.The patent's clutch mode includes the need to operate the clutch pedal—and yes, there would be a third pedal in this car, but again, there is no true clutch being operated here. The voltage is changed to act as if you're not generating enough torque to move the vehicle. The motor won't stall and require you to restart it, it just won't go very fast or just won't move, like tugging on a gear or starting on a hill in a traditional car.No Clutch, No ProblemWhen operating in the other, clutchless mode, it will act similar to a DCT equipped vehicle using a regular stick shifter. You select the gear with the shifter, the controller modifies the voltage to the motor for each gear, and you "shift" through the "gears" to get the torque you want.The driver doesn't have to do anything with the clutch pedal in this mode. It's basically like knocking a normal automatic car into the "S" mode, where you can toggle "+" and "-" to control the gears with no clutch pedal.What Transmission?The automatic mode (again, our description based on what we saw in the patents) will act as a normal, "transmission-less" EV. The Toyota patent details how each mode calculates the torque the motor sends to the wheels, the torque demanded by the driver in relation to the throttle pedal and gear selector, and the amount of torque demanded by the throttle pedal position.There is even talk on how to train each mode to fit a specific driver profile with this type of pseudo-manual. It's unclear if this system would be built on current Toyota EV architecture and powertrains, or require broader vehicle development to be adapted to future cars.Early EV Conversions Did Have TransmissionsWhile early EV enthusiasts did stick a real transmission into their conversion projects, they mostly did it to try and assist the lackluster power and capacity available from lead-acid and nickel-cadmium batteries of the time, along with rudimentary controls for the motor. Most projects didn't even use the clutch or torque converter, and instead the motor was attached directly to the input shaft of the transmission.Today, thanks to lithium battery technology and controllers that can withstand higher amperes—along with much better cooling technology—you can truly build a car with monster V-8-like torque with battery power. The transmission just isn't needed as the motor actually potentially spins faster than is usable, and a reduction box is usually attached to the motor before heading to the wheels on EVs already. Perhaps plans could have this new EV "manual" replace or assist the current energy-reduction principle.Will It Stick?As a performance driver, you really want to have full control of your vehicle, but it gets tricky to continue to satisfy drivers with the input of a computer and more advanced technology. Not only is it technically obsolete, but it's also that little bit slower to shift, and it does force drivers to take their hands off the wheel. It's why a majority of race cars today utilize paddles behind the steering wheel rather than a stick that you must move around in a gate or even sequentially—speed, and a little intended safety.But we're not all racing drivers, and we have grown to love the manual transmission for the control it hands the driver. Heel-toeing into a corner to get the RPMs right is sublime. Sometimes you get a better lap time, being able to throttle the right amount of power down as you accelerate out of the corner if you know what you're doing. Some worry over major automakers pivoting to electrified technologies that completely render their charming stick and pedal technically obsolete. They want that feeling of rowing your own gears and operating a clutch. There isn't anything saying Toyota will bring this out, but it's exciting to see the brand thinking for enthusiasts, and worrying about making sure the future is still fun.

You laughed at us when we first imagined the Apple Car in 2016. "It's too podlike and not exciting enough to wear the Apple moniker," you complained.Look who's laughing now. The pod, for better or worse, is the future of automotive design. Just peek at the likes of the Canoo Lifestyle Vehicle or the Cruise Origin or the Amazon-backed Zoox, each of which essentially is a stylized passenger cell.The reasoning is simple: simplification. With compact electric motors instead of bulky internal combustion engines and no need for steering columns or gas and brake pedals, our projected autonomous future strips down the automobile to its most basic elements, a concept Apple has for decades applied to everything from cell phones to wristwatches.That said, pods need not look boring, which is why we went back to the drawing board and reimagined the Apple Car. Or should we say, cars.The Apple TouchIt may pain Apple fans to read this, but the company rarely creates truly original pieces of hardware. Its products instead tend to improve on existing concepts. For instance, Apple's earliest personal computers—the more rudimentary Apple I of 1976 and the more familiar-looking Apple II of 1977—were beaten to market by the likes of the Altair 8800 in 1975. Likewise, the first MP3 players and smartphones, the MPman F10 of 1998 and the IBM Simon Personal Communicator of 1994, went on sale years before Apple revealed the iPod (2001) and iPhone (2007).This is no knock against Apple's hardware, which with exceptions such as the Apple III is generally competent in its own right, but rather a commendation on the software environment the company created over the years. Credit the late Steve Jobs' decision to forgo licensing Apple's operating system to other hardware manufacturers, a strategy the company tried briefly in the mid-1990s during the reign of then-CEO Michael Spindler. (Jobs ended this process upon his return to Apple.)By maintaining integration between Apple's software and hardware, the company could "take responsibility for the user experience from end to end," as Walter Isaacson wrote in his 2011 book, Steve Jobs. Following Jobs' death in October 2011, Apple's current CEO, Tim Cook, regularly espouses the same beliefs."We love to integrate hardware, software, and services and find the intersection points of those because we think that's where the magic occurs … and we love to own the primary technology that's around that," Cook told Kara Swisher of The New York Times in response to a question regarding Apple's automotive ambitions.Recent Apple hires provide evidence the company continues to toy with the idea of fully developing its own car. The man said to be heading the program? Kevin Lynch, the executive responsible for turning the Apple Watch into one of the Cupertino, California, tech giant's core products. Lynch is much more a software developer than an automotive or autonomy engineer, but worry not.Over the past few years, Apple successfully recruited automotive industry talent such as Ulrich Kranz, former CEO of Canoo and former head of BMW's i division; Michael Schwekutsch, who previously served as Tesla's vice president of engineering; and Anton Uselmann, an engineer whose résumé includes stints at Mercedes-AMG and Porsche.Given Apple's nearly $2.9 trillion market cap (as of this writing), the company certainly has the means to develop and produce its own car. Nevertheless, developing and building an automobile is not the same as developing and building personal electronic devices such as computers, tablets, and smartphones. Or vacuums, as Dyson discovered when it attempted to mass produce its own electric vehicle.As company founder James Dyson revealed in his 2021 memoir, Invention: A Life, the company invested $700 million into its stillborn EV project, which it ultimately abandoned. Blame the various costs associated with the production and storage of a "relatively low-volume" vehicle Dyson intended to sell directly to consumers."[W]e would have [had] to sell the car at $210,000," Dyson wrote. "There are not many people who will buy a car at [that] price."The Apple Car(share) ProgramRumors persist that Apple plans to partner with an established automobile manufacturer to build its vehicle. Such a move may help Apple keep the per-unit costs reasonably low. How such a business relationship may affect Apple Car consumers is a different story.Although it's possible Apple decides to sell vehicles directly to the public, we hear it may ultimately pursue a car- or ride-share model, wherein Apple owns the vehicles and consumers pay to use them, à la Zipcar, with an autonomous twist. In this sense, then, Apple's model for its car program may more closely mirror Cruise's or Waymo's, wherein a user schedules one of Apple's autonomous electric vehicles to take them from Point A to Point B.We foresee riders being able to schedule recurring rides, too; just imagine an Apple Car showing up outside your door Monday-Friday to waft you off to work or shuttle the kids to school. If Apple goes this route, the company will likely—initially, at least—limit its vehicles' use to metropolitan areas where lower speeds and streets laid out in predictable grid patterns are the norms.Admittedly, we're working here with an assortment of crumbs we've gathered from sources and publicized leaks to come to this conclusion. Apple's car plans could take an entirely different route from what we're hypothesizing, or perhaps Cook and company will scrap the program altogether.Nonetheless, an autonomous car-sharing service seems the most sensible way for Apple to enter the automotive space. After all, there's a reason Alphabet created Waymo and why General Motors and Honda, not to mention others, invested in Cruise.Much like Apple's electronic devices, the company's potential crop of autonomous vehicles will likely rely on clean design, user-friendly ergonomics, and easy integration with Apple's various products to create a user experience distinct from those of competitors—and we think the company's CarPlay interface may play a key role.The Apple CarPlay PushToday, CarPlay largely serves to display and control Apple devices running certain iterations of the brand's mobile operating system, but tomorrow, CarPlay could effectively replace the native infotainment systems now used by automakers.Per a Bloomberg report, Apple is looking to take CarPlay to the next level as part of a project the company's working on, dubbed "IronHeart." If successful, IronHeart will reportedly give CarPlay access to control various vehicle settings, including the host car's climate, seat, and audio selections.Apple will likely struggle to convince automakers to let CarPlay control such features, but consumer demand for a more fluid experience between their personal vehicles and mobile devices could ultimately force carmakers to play ball. Little is known about the IronHeart project to those outside of Apple (and likely to many of those within Apple, as well). There's even a chance Apple has already scrapped IronHeart—assuming the project ever truly existed at all.Yet it makes sense for Apple to invest in a project such as IronHeart, if only to give drivers a more standardized user experience between the mobile devices they use and the cars they pilot. Cynics are sure to view IronHeart in a darker light as a way for Apple to collect pertinent information to use in the development of its own vehicle.This may be the case. Still, if our hunch is correct and Apple's car program takes on the form of a car-share service, then we think the company's intentions are far less nefarious. Rather, we wager Apple's goal for IronHeart is to turn CarPlay into a portable profile, allowing its autonomous cars to preemptively adjust comfort and convenience features to the individual preferences of a given passenger.The Apple Car ExperienceImagine the entirely possible future where, with few exceptions, private vehicles are banned from major metro areas such as San Francisco, New York City, and Chicago. Sure, you can take public transportation into the city, but you better hope your destination is located close to a train or bus stop.Alternatively, you can drive your personal car to an Apple Car pickup point located just outside the city. Once parked, the Apple Car you scheduled via your smartphone's app will whisk you away to your specific metropolitan destination with no driving required.An array of vehicle-mounted cameras and lidar sensors work with Apple's Maps app, which includes high-precision mapping of specific metropolitan areas, to help Apple's fleet of cars safely react to unforeseen obstacles, such as pedestrians and road debris. Additional peace of mind comes courtesy of the Apple Cars' vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication systems, which allow the autonomous cars to wirelessly "communicate" with one another and the surrounding infrastructure. Energy-dense battery packs afford many hours of continuous operation.Although some users will lease a private Apple Car, most will subscribe to the service that allows them to use the company's fleet of shared autonomous vehicles. Apple Car lessees and subscribers will largely consist of individuals who frequently enter city centers that ban private vehicles.Those unable to or uninterested in justifying the cost of an Apple Car lease or subscription, however, will be able to pay to ride in one of these self-driving EVs on a single-use basis, provided there's a fleet car available for such use. If none is, then single-use customers may decide to forgo the familiar interface of the Apple Car for a readily available autonomous vehicle from a competitor such as Cruise, Waymo, or Zoox.In this hypothetical future, we foresee Apple introducing its automotive worldview with two models of autonomous vehicles for its users to catch a ride in: a larger, boxy multipurpose vehicle, dubbed the ePod, capable of carrying multiple passengers and their associated goods, and a smaller, single-seat option, better known as the ePod Solo. Down the line, there would be a whole fleet of offerings, ranging from eight-passenger vans to open-top sports cars.No matter the model, Apple Car users will need only pair their CarPlay profile to the vehicle, which then automatically adjusts the likes of the display interface, climate control, seat settings, and more to the individual rider's personal preferences. To increase profits, Apple will offer the option to unlock certain features for a small fee. This includes access to the Apple Arcade collection of mobile games, exclusive programming from Apple TV+, and even in-car workouts and meditations through Apple Fitness+.Is the Apple Car Really Coming Soon?Apple's automotive doings remain a moving target, and much about what the company intends to produce in this space has changed since we first imagined the tech giant's four-wheeled machine more than a half-decade ago. That said, the rumor mill indicates the company continues to tinker away at developing a vehicle—there's even chatter Apple targets a launch as early as 2025. In other words, it's only a matter of time until Apple vindicates or disproves everything we think we know about its car program, from the vehicle's (or vehicles') potential design to the whole operation's potential business model.