Lincoln's Aviator-Sized EV Lifts Off in 2024 Ahead of More Electric Luxury SUVs
WHAT IT IS: Lincoln's first electric vehicle, an Aviator-sized SUV.
WHY IT MATTERS: Lincoln promises three new EVs by 2025, a fourth in 2026, and full electrification of its portfolio by 2030. Many automakers are letting their luxury brands lead the EV charge, but Lincoln is behind the volume Ford brand.
PLATFORM AND POWERTRAIN: The Lincoln Star concept offers hints of what's to come when Lincoln creates high-tech, connected luxury vehicles on Ford's new rear-wheel-/all-wheel-drive EV architecture. Given today's Lincoln lineup in the U.S. consists of four crossovers (China has an additional electric Lincoln Zephyr Reflection sedan), we expect four electric SUVs to replace them, followed by derivatives.
First up should be the Lincoln Aviator EV, last up an electric Navigator from the next-gen full-size large truck/SUV EV platform. There's nothing concrete yet on the powertrain, but dual motors are a must for AWD. And although the Lincolns will ride on a different platform than the Mustang Mach-E, there could be sharing of its 75.7- and 98.8-kWh battery packs. Expect one-pedal driving, the latest Sync infotainment, a streamlined body with LED lighting, an illuminated matrix grille below the frunk lid, and lattice lightwork across the back.
Anticipating advanced driver assist technologies, the concept has an interior ready for an autonomous future, with front seats that swivel to interact with rear passengers. The production model won't go that far. We expect Lincoln will add B-pillars for production models, and the A- and D-pillars will be made of metal, not glass like the concept's. The split rear gate can open to create an extra bench for tailgating, a feature that might survive into production.
ESTIMATED PRICE: $70,000
EXPECTED ON-SALE DATE: Q4 2024 or Q1 2025
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This used to be a much easier decision. Between the compact Hyundai Tucson and the company's midsize Santa Fe SUVs, the latter was an obvious pick when interior space was important to you. Now, the new-for-2022 Hyundai Tucson boasts handsome, angular styling and top-of-its-segment interior space. That doesn't leave out the midsize Hyundai Santa Fe, whose pricing is so reasonable with its base engine that compact SUV buyers might want to consider it, too. We've driven both; read on for pros and cons on the two Hyundais.
ProsNear limitless gripQuicker-than-you-can-think responsesBiblical brakes ConsConfusing drive modesNo performance auto-shifting modeNeeds a bigger shift lightIt's not often a car comes along where the only thing you can find to complain about are the names, functions, and number of drive modes, but here we are. The 2021 Lamborghini Huracán STO is so insanely good to drive, we're left with the nittiest nits to pick."You look at the STO and its wings 'n' things," deputy editor Alex Stoklosa said, "then consider that it's shoving a V-10's worth of power to only the rear wheels, and you assume it'll be hairier than a barbershop floor. Not at all. There is so much grip front and rear, and the chassis is so balanced, that it drives nothing like it looks. There is no evil here. Sure, the Lambo hustles in ways most cars don't or can't, but it simply has no vices while furiously raging."You could call it a complaint for lack of others, but the amount of time some judges felt they needed to fully understand the car's limits was a bit longer than usual, simply because the limits are so high you need a telescope to see them. Once you truly understand what it's capable of, though, you never want to stop driving it. On the street, on the track, it doesn't matter.Credit the brilliant blending of adaptive magnetorheological shock absorbers, rear steering, racing brakes, and Bridgestone Potenza Race tires for the STO's direct connection to your brain's pleasure center. The front end changes direction quicker than you can think it while the rear stays behind you no matter the speed unless you very deliberately kick it out. When you do, the car breaks away beautifully, allowing you to ride that slip into the perfect amount of rotation.Mostly, though, it just goes. The damn near race-spec V-10 delivers a perfect progressive powerband that never wallops the rear tires with more torque than they can handle (which is, admittedly, a lot), so you can stand on the throttle leaving every corner, and the STO will grab and go. Get to the next turn, and the brakes require only gentle but deliberate pressure to stop the car like you just grabbed the No. 3 wire on an aircraft carrier's deck.Not just a one-lap pony, the Huracán STO will do it over and over, every corner, every lap, all day long. It's so rewarding and fulfilling to drive, you never want to stop. You can't automatically say these things about every mid-engine supercar with 600-plus hp.About those nits. Some judges found the drive modes confusing, assuming the STO mode would be the most aggressive since it shares the car's name. ("STO" stands for Super Trofeo Omologato, meaning this is the road version of the Huracán Super Trofeo track-only race car.) But STO is actually the "around town" mode, and many felt it was way too docile. Corsa is the mode you want to be in, but keep in mind it's the full race mode with manual-only shifting and reduced stability control. Several judges found themselves wishing for an intermediate mode with lighter steering than Corsa and far more aggressive automatic shifting. But alas, the only other mode is Pioggia, the wet weather mode.Since we're whining, an actual shift light instead of the graphics in the digital instrument cluster would be nice. The engine just revs forever, right until it suddenly doesn't, so you need the upshift indication in Corsa.But again, all you really need to know about how ridiculously awesome this car is to drive is that we can't find anything better to complain about. The Huracán STO is an apex predator at its apex, fully bestowing the thrill of the hunt to anyone who slips behind the wheel.2021 Lamborghini Huracán STO Specifications Base Price/As tested $333,633/$442,033 Power (SAE net) 630 hp @ 8,000 rpm Torque (SAE net) 417 lb-ft @ 6,500 rpm Accel, 0-60 mph 2.8 sec Quarter-mile 10.7 sec @ 132.3 mph Braking, 60-0 mph 95 ft Lateral Acceleration 1.16 g (avg) MT Figure Eight 22.3 sec @ 0.99 g (avg) EPA City/Hwy/Comb 13/18/15 mpg Vehicle Layout Mid-engine, RWD, 2-pass, 2-door coupe Engine, Transmission 5.2L port- and direct-injected DOHC 40-valve 90-degree V-10, 7-speed twin-clutch auto Curb Weight (F/R DIST) 3,390 lb (42/58%) Wheelbase 103.1 in Length x Width x Height 179.0 x 76.6 x 48.0 in 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.
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