Tested: 2021 Ford Bronco Black Diamond With a Manual!

UPDATE 3/4/22: "The Batman" is now in theaters, racking up a respectable 85 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and appearing to be on a trajectory to cash in at the box office. But, for our purposes, the star of the movie isn't Robert Pattinson—its the muscular Batmobile, with its mid-mounted engine and an overall vibe that wouldn't be too out of place in a Mad Max film. And, like any good Batmobile, it seems to be a central part of the film, speeding through a Gotham City that's as dark and moody as ever, launching baddies' vehicles into the air to land with an explosive thud. Whet your appetite with a longer, more recent trailer below. "The Batman" opens today in theaters, and will hit the HBO Max streaming service in mid-April. The Batman director Matt Reeves just revealed the new Batmobile on Twitter, and it's a definite departure from past movie cars. The movie press had earlier heard rumors that the new Batmobile would be more of a muscle car than the military-inspired Tumbler that appeared in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight film trilogy. That is exactly what we have here, although the mid-mounted engine is a bit of a surprise.What we can see resembles a lot of different classic muscle cars, and that's probably intentional. The deeply recessed front headlamps have a generic late 1960s look to them: a bit of Mopar, a bit of Mustang, maybe even a hint of De Tomaso Mangusta. Extremely swoopy rear fenders with pointed trailing ends that hang over three-element taillights are the closest thing we get to a traditional Batmobile motif. The rear tubes of a roll cage poke through the C-pillars and trailing edges of the roof. It is likely completely custom bodywork over a tube frame or donor chassis, so there's probably not a single recognizable base underpinning this creation.The longitudinally-mounted engine aft of the cabin is an enigma, but an awesome one. It appears to be a V-10—an OHV unit—with a couple of immense turbochargers that dump straight into the atmosphere behind the roof. If the movie magic gods are kind, it'll spit two tongues of delicious fire with every throttle blip. This Batmobile will be neither inconspicuous or quiet. There's obviously some extraneous fantasy bits tacked on to make it look more futuristic, but it seems like a real motor under there.Remember, there are usually several movie cars built for various purposes: stunt cars that can take a jump without disintegrating, "hero" cars that look good in close-ups, a rig that makes it look like our new Batman (Robert Pattinson—yes, that guy, from the sparkly vampire movies) is actually driving it even though it's grafted to the front of some other vehicle. This is probably a "hero" car, so the wild-looking engine might not be what motivates the running/driving ones.Even so, the Mad Max meets Fast and Furious vibe this new Batmobile gives off is a solid hint that this will be a movie that appeals to car enthusiasts on a deeper level. This reboot, the umpteenth since the 1989 Tim Burton movie, focuses on a more youthful Bruce Wayne/Batman with a greater focus on his detective work. There's surely going to be a lot of fighting, and given the unique direction that this Batmobile's design takes, we hope that there will be a lot of driving, too.Update: This post, which originally published on March 4, 2020, has been updated with the latest trailer for "The Batman".

This is a pivotal year for Cadillac—its endeavor into electrification has begun. That charge is led by the Lyriq, an all-new addition to the Cadillac SUV lineup built using General Motors' Ultium battery tech. Yet the brand has not forsaken internal combustion. Rather, for 2023 it celebrates the joys of internal combustion by rolling out a super-powerful, supercharged version of the Escalade. Additionally, the brand's three XT-badged crossovers get a few minor updates. Due to supply chain constraints, the Super Cruise hands-free driving system offered previously is not currently available, but Cadillac is working on changing that. Continue on to see everything new on 2023 Cadillac SUVs.

audi s8 Full OverviewOur MotorTrend test team cycles through hundreds of vehicles a year, and an old pro like road test editor Chris Walton has been in and out of thousands of them during his career. So when he starts waxing poetic about a car like the 2022 Audi S8, you better believe we sit up and take notice."Wow. What a sleeper," Walton said of the S8 super sedan we recently had in for testing. "It's way too easy to find yourself driving 90 mph without noticing it. I could live with this car for the remainder of my life." That's a bold statement, Chris, do go on. "The whole thing kind of shrinks around you and makes it feel like an S6. Goodness, what an achievement this thing is."He's right, of course, about all the sleeping and shrinking 2022 S8 does. This particular car looks downright menacing, as well, thanks in large part to its Daytona Gray pearl paint scheme offset by a Black Optic Plus package ($2,100) that adds 21-inch, 10-spoke gloss black rims shod with summer tires, and other blacked-out elements including Audi's famed four-ring badge adorning (what else?) a bold black grille.There's also some menace in its exhaust note, a bombastic baritone that bellows out from its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8, which produces 563 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. The engine is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission that proved smooth and quick under hard acceleration. It all works in concert to move the S8's significant 5,204-pound mass with authority.Audi S8 0-60 mph Time: Very ImpressiveGiven its prodigious poundage, the 2022 S8's 0-60-mph time of 3.7 seconds is darn impressive. Its Quattro all-wheel-drive system and attendant sport differential certainly don't hurt matters when you're firing it out of the starting block, and the S8 also has a launch control feature that further aids the cause.The test team reported some issues getting the S8 to launch right—but when it does, it launches hard. "Because the window of optimal boost and rpm is brief, and if you miss it you must wait a bit before trying launch control again. But when everything works, you get neck-snapping acceleration. Very harsh shifts from 1-2-3," road test analyst Alan Lau noted.Audi S8 Quarter-Mile Time: Low 12s Will Do After hammering past the 60-mph mark, the 2022 S8 barreled its way to a quarter-mile time of 12.2 seconds at 113.0 mphagain, a heck of a number for a car of its size and class. It's hard to find an apples-to-apples comparison to the 2022 S8 given its curb weight and configuration other than maybe the BMW Alpina B7 xDrive or the last-generation Mercedes S63 AMG, as most of the 2.5-ton machines we've tested in the past few years are either SUVs or EVs.Interestingly, one of the closest EVs we found to compare the S8 against is another Audi, the dual-motor E-Tron GT Prestige sedan, which weighs in at 5,095 pounds. That car hit 60 mph in 3.6 seconds and on to a quarter mile of 11.9 seconds at 118.8 mph. Of course, the E-Tron doesn't get the S8's twin-turbo terror of a V-8, but you won't have to pay a gas-guzzler tax or live with the S8's officious inefficiency, either (it's EPA rated at 14/23/17 mpg city/highway/combined). Different power strokes for different folks.Audi S8: Getting Its Oversteer OnAs for the rest of the 2022 Audi S8's overall abilities, once again, with the "for its weight" caveat out of the way, its stopping distance of 105 feet from 60 mph is as impressive as its acceleration. Lau reported the following: "The brake pedal feel seems to be tuned with a good balance between comfort and performance. It's not overly touchy and easy to modulate. When it comes to very aggressive braking, they get the job done very well." Walton added that the brakes were "tremendous and easy to modulate to just stay barely out of the ABS" during his testing.But it was out at our figure-eight (24.4 seconds at 0.79 g avg) and skidpad (0.95 g avg) tests where Walton truly fell in love with the S8 and its capabilities. "The way it turns in makes it feel so much smaller and lighter," he wrote in his notes. "The steering is a bit vague in feel but very precise. The car takes a very neutral attitude, just barely dancing on oversteer. The way it drives off the corner with the all-wheel drive (the S8 also comes standard with a four-wheel-steering system) is phenomenal."Comfort, Plus a Whole Lot MoreSo yes, the S8 does things cars of its size, heft, and weight distribution (55/45 percent front/rear) have no business doing from a performance standpoint. But when it comes to its other mission as a cosseting luxury limo, all play and no relaxation can make for a bone-jarring bad time. That's where the S8's Comfort+ setting and its optional predictive active suspension ($6,000) come in to help smooth the road ahead. As with other systems of its type, the predictive suspension uses a camera to read the oncoming surface, sense jarring impacts or other undulations, and react accordingly to soften the S8's ride.In addition to the fancy active footwork, the 2022 S8 has all manner of standard and optional luxury trappings (this particular S8's black interior, trimmed with carbon accents, looked stealthy chic), as well as safety systems and other craftsmanship befitting a car that starts at $118,995 and rang up at $135,595 as tested.It's a car you won't see many of to begin with and one that you can be assured won't be around for much longer in its present configuration. It's a special sport sedan for a chosen few. So if you happen to be in the Los Angeles area and see one blow past you, it could very well be a certain MT staffer at the wheel (if he robbed a bank or raided his 401(k) to get one, that is). Be sure to say hi—if you can catch him.Looks good! More details?2022 Audi S8 Specifications BASE PRICE $118,995 PRICE AS TESTED $135,595 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan ENGINE 4.0L Twin-turbo direct-injected DOHC 32-valve 90-degree V-8 POWER (SAE NET) 563 hp @ 6,000 rpm TORQUE (SAE NET) 590 lb-ft @ 2,050 rpm TRANSMISSION 8-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 5,204 lb (55/45%) WHEELBASE 123.2 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 209.5 x 76.6 x 58.5 in 0-60 MPH 3.7 sec QUARTER MILE 12.2 sec @ 113.0 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 105 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.95 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 24.4 sec @ 0.79 g (avg) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 14/23/17 mpg EPA RANGE, COMB 369 miles ON SALE Now Show All