Lincoln's Aviator-Sized EV Lifts Off in 2024 Ahead of More Electric Luxury SUVs

Over the decades, Jeep has sold its venerable Wrangler in umpteen different badged combinations of thrift, style, capability, and opulence, so nobody begrudges Ford for playing catch-up and releasing a new Bronco variant seemingly every month. One meaningful difference here is that Ford seems to be releasing new variants in part to distract or appease hand-raisers and deposit-placers whose Broncos have yet to be built. To wit: The 2022 Ford Bronco Everglades is being made available exclusively to existing reservation holders. "Wow, lucky us, Marge, we don't yet know when our Black Diamond Sasquatch will get built, but for just $4,765 more, we can convert our Bronco order to this new Everglades model and drive through water that's 2.9 inches deeper!"What Is the Everglades and What Makes It Everglades-Ready?Yet another unique collection of Ford options and accessories aimed at creating "an SUV born to breathe when the air gets thick and designed to press on when the trail turns others around" Presumably it is water features that Ford reckons this Bronco will trudge through while other SUVs chicken out. As the name suggests, the Everglades model is optimized for deeper water running. This kid brother of the Raptor could therefore be nicknamed Swampter.The functional foundation of the 2022 Ford Bronco Everglades is a four-door Black Diamond model outfitted with the Mid Package trim content, the off-road Sasquatch Package, a molded-in-color hardtop with roof rack and crossbars, and with the turbocharged 2.3-liter EcoBoost I-4 with a ten-speed automatic. To this ($49,730) foundational Bronco, Ford adds the following to transform it into an Everglades:A heavy-duty modular Ford Performance bumper outfitted with a Zeon 10-S Warn winch and protective safari barRaised air-vent plumbing for the front and rear axles, transfer case, and transmission to increase the safe wading depth from 33.5 to 36.4 inchesAn air snorkel to help exclude dust, snow, and water from the engine intakeAbout That Air Snorkel…Ford's first factory-installed engine intake snorkel snakes its way out of the engine compartment, over the side-view mirror mounts and up the passenger-side A-pillar to inhale clean air when traveling in convoy on a dusty road. Its party trick is an open vent piece and blanking plate that can mount interchangeably to the front or rear of the unit by removing three Bronco wordmark bolts on each. So when it's raining or snowing hard, the engine can inhale from the back side, otherwise air can rush in from the front. Note that, as with other such devices, this is not an underwater breathing apparatus for the engine, which is why the fording depth is listed as 36.4 inches—not 70, roughly the height of the snorkel's opening.10,000 Pounds of Winching CapabilityLike the Ford Performance winch ($3,500 via the Ford Performance catalog), the Everglades' factory-installed winch comes with a 100-foot synthetic line. Its mounting system was designed in from the inception of the Bronco program, the mount exceeds the manufacturer's strength requirements, and it has even been crash tested.The winch features a large-diameter aluminum drum to reduce strain on the rope, its internal mechanism is waterproofed, and it features a three-stage planetary geartrain that can reel in the line at 33 feet per minute when there's no load (27 percent faster than on other Warn winches).How to Spot the Bronco EvergladesThere will be no mistaking the Bronco Everglades, even from vantage points that obscure the winch and snorkel. Just look for any of these features:Unique front and rear fenders with squared off wheel openings reminiscent of the original Bronco's and flares that match those of the Sasquatch package for width (easily accomplished with the Bronco's bolt-on front and rear fenders)17-inch painted alloy wheels unique to the Everglades modelA carbonized gray grille with gloss-black Bronco letteringDesert Sand paint color exclusive to Everglades (the other four available colors are Eruption Green, Area 51, Shadow Black and Cactus Gray)Everglades topographical map graphics on the front fenders (complete with an image of Sasquatch wading through thigh-deep water!)Swamp-Ready Interior UpgradesEnsuring easy cleanup after a satisfying swamp run are marine-grade vinyl seats in two-tone light and dark gray, plus rubberized washout floor covers. The interior door grab handles and air register vents are accented in Urban Green, and the 12-inch Sync 4 infotainment screen is prepped for off-road trail maps.Price and Availability of the 2022 Ford Bronco EvergladesThe Bronco Everglades starts at $54,495. That's just $1,515 more than a Badlands 2.3-liter automatic model with the same Sasquatch/Mid-Pack/hardtop/roof-rails combo, which seems a pretty fair deal for the winch and snorkel, given that Ford Performance charges $3,500 for the winch, which is otherwise incompatible with the Black Diamond model. Reservation holders will be able to convert to Everglades models beginning in March for deliveries…later. Perhaps after another compelling model or two come out enticing reservation holders to switch their orders again. 2022 Bronco Everglades Specifications BASE PRICE $54,495 LAYOUT Front-engine, 4WD, 50-pass, 4-door SUV ENGINE 2.3L/300-hp/325-lb-ft turbo direct-injected, port-injected DOHC 16-valve I-4 TRANSMISSION 10-speed auto CURB WEIGHT 5,200 lb (mfr) WHEELBASE 116.4 in L x W x H 198.9 x 79.4 x 75.3 in 0-60 MPH 7.5 sec (MT est) EPA FUEL ECON (CITY/HWY/COMB) 18/17/18 mpg EPA RANGE (COMB) 374 miles ON SALE March, 2022 Show All

WHAT IT IS: The seventh generation of the icon that launched the pony-car genre will arrive in time for the Mustang brand's 60th anniversary. Expect it in coupe (as rendered here by our artist) and convertible forms with two powertrain offerings. Variants delivering greater performance and efficiency will follow in the years to come.  WHY IT MATTERS: The Mustang, along with the Bronco and F-150, is a pillar of the Ford brand that carries immense emotional appeal. It's Ford's sole North American car offering and also ranks as one of a shrinking number of affordable, fun-to-drive two-doors. Plus the droptops are all over rental fleets in tropical locations—what would we do if it disappeared? PLATFORM AND POWERTRAIN: The 2024 Mustang will get a new code name (S650), but we expect its D2C-derived architecture to largely carry over from its S550 predecessor. And based on numerous prototype spy photos and leaks, it will receive only mild evolutionary styling revisions, such as squintier three-element headlamps, a revised hexagonal grille, and new air intakes. New electrical architecture will enable new feature content at launch, like a fully digital instrument cluster and today's latest safety and driver assist features. It will also support over-the-air updates to an increasing number of software-enabled features, helping it stay as fresh as ever over its expected eight-year lifespan.Powertrain offerings will carry over at launch, including the 2.3-liter EcoBoost I-4 and 5.0-liter Coyote V-8 engines, as well as the six-speed manual and 10-speed automatic transmissions. Engine outputs may be adjusted—we hear base 2.3-liter power will increase from 310 to 320 hp, for example. And Ford officials have cautioned us that the six-speed could be phased out at some point during this model's lifetime.The 2021 Mustang Mach 1.One major powertrain addition expected in 2025 is conventional and/or plug-in hybridization. Leaked info suggests both engines will get an electric boost. This could be accomplished most easily by employing a version of Ford's Modular Hybrid Transmission (MHT) as found in the Explorer Hybrid, which should be adaptable to either engine.Among the electrification possibilities, enthusiasts will be most stoked by a unique V-8 hybrid powertrain revealed in patent drawings. It mounts a roughly alternator-sized electric motor on each side of the V-8, with their output shafts roughly aligned with the crankshaft centerline. It being patented makes sense, as we're not aware of any other vehicle employing such a setup. Plus, it's far simpler than trying to package a single electric motor somewhere and needing to run a shaft through the oil pan; that would likely require halfshaft angles that would overtax existing CV joints. Using dual motors also allows handling-enhancing torque-vectoring up front—might this system power the next Bullitt or Mach 1?The rumor mill has hinted at a plug-in version offering at least 10 or 20 miles of electric range, and this would undoubtedly boost efficiency and possibly contribute in some small way to achieving higher corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) ratings coming for 2026. But it would also add even more weight to a sports car that typically weighs more than 3,800 pounds today. So if there is to be an efficiency-focused Mustang hybrid, expect it to be an EcoBoost with rear drive. Of course, once there's a battery and an MHT to work with on this platform, it's not hard to imagine pairing them with the V-8 and front motors, juicing those Coyote V-8 and motor outputs, and creating a worthy Shelby GT500 successor with blistering torque-vectored AWD performance and respectable EPA numbers.Spy shots have also revealed a shift away from the retro-look dash with binnacles to a more streamlined interior dominated by big instrument and infotainment screens capable of displaying the latest Sync graphics in dazzlingly high resolution. It's unclear that the Chevy Camaro and Dodge Challenger as we know them will survive into the next decade, but we expect Ford to assume they will—and to sharpen the Mustang's chassis dynamics sufficiently so it once again outhandles the Camaro.ESTIMATED PRICE: Expect a modest price bump to an even $30,000 for a base EcoBoost coupe or $40,000 for a GT, with the ragtop adding roughly $5,500 to either.EXPECTED ON-SALE DATE: Could Ford possibly resist launching its 60th anniversary Mustang on Monday April 17, 2023—the 59th anniversary of its World's Fair debut?

Going on its fourth year of this third generation, the 2023 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter will lose its available V-6 diesel engine while gaining full-time all-wheel drive and retaining the versatility it's long been known for. While the U.S. won't see the updated van until "early next year (2023)," all of them, regardless of which engine is specified, will use a new 9G-Tronic nine-speed automatic transmission.No More Turbodiesel V-6Prior to its 2023 version, the Sprinter could be had with a 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 gasoline engine, a 3.0-liter turbodiesel V-6, and a 2.0-liter turbodiesel I-4. The diesel V-6 has been dropped and a new turbodiesel I-4 is getting installed known as the OM654. This new I-4 turbodiesel will come in two power output ratings—168 hp and 208 hp—while providing "smoother acceleration, high torque values, decreased emissions and lower noise and vibration levels." The gasoline-burning 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 remains the same as 2022.Two More GearsMultiplying those torque levels behind both gas and diesel engines is the 9G-Tronic nine-speed automatic transmission. When Mercedes compares it to the outgoing seven-speed 7G-Tronic, it claims the 9G offers quicker take-off and improved performance thanks to its shorter first-gear ratio and two more additional gears for a much greater gear ratio spread. The latter point seems rather obvious to point out but the former is important when you consider that the 2023 Sprinter now only offers four cylinder engines.AWD for 4WDThe final big change for 2023 is the move away from a selectable 4WD system to an automatic, full-time all-wheel drive setup, bringing the versatile van into the modern age of electronically controlled wheel torque distribution. Rather than having to select four-wheel drive (as before) via a part-time system like in rugged SUVs, the 2023 Sprinter equipped with four driven wheels will automatically detect wheel slip and apply up to a 50 percent torque split between the front and rear axles, like in most crossovers and cars. The selectable four-wheel-drive system of yore only allowed for up to a 35/65 split when it was in 4WD mode. While it loses a selectable 4WD, the AWD Sprinter will still retain the off-road prowess the 2022 model had in terms of its ground clearance (8.0 inches) in addition to its approach (26 degrees), breakover (23 degrees), and departure (25 degrees) angles.Same VersatilityThe other important factor of the Sprinter is its ease of being as capable inside as it is outside. This is especially true for its commercial users thanks to the Sprinter's streamlined packaging structure. With enough ingenuity and imagination, you can make the Mercedes van into anything from a perfect parcel delivery machine to a shuttle to ferry people across town to a rugged "van life"-styled overlander and everything in between. While no pricing has been announced yet, Mercedes does promise that the 2023 Sprinter will drop some time early in 2023.