The 2022 Subaru WRX Is Fuel Efficient As...a Ford F-150?

After months of teasers, the wait is finally over. The 2023 Honda Civic Type R has been revealed, and unlike previous years, the performance-oriented model launched on American soil with IndyCar driver Colton Herta behind the wheel. For a long time, Americans were banned from purchasing the Civic Type R, but this time Honda is making a statement by doing the global reveal in Los Angeles.The Type R joins the Si and Sport models in the Civic's lineup and stands as the pinnacle of performance in Honda's portfolio. The 2023 model will be the most powerful Honda car in America, with Honda promising more power than ever before.Untamed PerformanceWhile Honda is still tightlipped about its horsepower and torque numbers, we're told it will have more power than before. That means we'll see figures north of 306 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque—the numbers for the current Type R. The familiar 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo returns, except this time it will be mated to an improved six-speed manual transmission with rev-matching. As of this time, Honda is not planning to offer an automatic transmission in the Type R.Honda says the new Type R will be rewarding and addictive to drive. With an enhanced suspension system and steering performance, we're told the driving feel is direct and engaging, though we'll have to wait until this fall to try it ourselves. But with more power, a new, lightweight chassis, more body rigidity and improved high-speed stability, it sounds like the Type R has everything to deliver a thrilling experience behind the wheel.Just as important, Honda made sure the Type R would stop confidently. The 19-inch wheels are wrapped around Michelin Pilot Sport tires, which should provide sharp grip on the corners and under hard acceleration and stopping. While Honda didn't reveal any specs, the big, red Brembo calipers up front will make sure the Type R brakes properly.With its compact, hatchback body, loads of power and handling hardware, the Type R stands out in the segment. This time, however, it will have more competition. Newcomers such as the Toyota GR Corolla and Hyundai Elantra N have gotten the enthusiast's attention, and the Volkswagen Golf R is back for a new generation. While the GR Corolla and Golf R get all-wheel drive traction, the Civic Type R and Elantra N are front-drive only. But the Honda will continue to stand out with its power numbers. The Elantra N makes 276 hp and the GR Corolla pumps 300 hp, and we expect the updated Type R's numbers to be between 307 and 315 hp. That means the Golf R—with its 328 hp—should continue to be the most powerful of the group.Even if the power numbers don't increase by a lot, there will be a lot to like about the new car. The current-generation Type R continues to be among our favorite hot hatches in the market.Mature ExteriorDespite the 11th-generation Civic gaining a more mature styling, the Civic Type R does a good job distinguishing itself from the rest of the lineup. While the entire Civic lineup lost its race boy design, the new model will be more appealing to those who thought the previous design was too wild. The new Type R is longer, wider, and lower than the outgoing model, and every aerodynamic element is there for a reason.From the front, the honeycomb grille in the lower fascia gives the Type R a distinctive look, and sporty elements on the fascia stand out. Other dynamic cues include air vents on the hood and behind the front wheels. If that's not enough to differentiate it from the rest, the red Honda logo and Type R badge on the grille pop out.From the profile, the side skirts help redirect the wind for better aerodynamics. Unlike any other Civic, the second half of the rear doors expand outward to give the Type R more hips. The rear continues to be the best angle, with a massive wing that's hard to miss and a redesigned rear diffuser that houses the signature three-round exhaust system.There will be five different colors available—Rallye Red, Racing Blue Pearl, Crystal Black Pearl, Sonic Grey Pearl, and Historic Championship White. The latter is exclusive for Type R and one that's famous among Honda enthusiasts.A Familiar InteriorThe red bucket seats and red carpet—two signature elements for the Type R—are back. Comfortable and supportive, the suede-like seats should be able to keep the driver and front passenger tight when the driving experience gets intensive. A numbered Type R badge is now placed on the passenger's dash.A new +R driving mode will show exclusive graphics with engine rpms, indicator lights and gear position indicator displayed at the top, while the bottom display will have other information selected by the driver. A stopwatch to record lap times and the ability to share driving videos is also incorporated in the infotainment system.The rest of the cabin will be familiar to Civic drivers. A honeycomb mesh grille expands across the dashboard and houses the air vents. The HVAC controls are backlit for a premium look, and the digital instrument cluster is standard. Like the top-trim Civic Hatchback, the Type R comes with a 9.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as three USB ports.Is the 2023 Honda Civic Type R Worth It?We'll have to wait a little longer to find out the Type R's performance figures, but from what we've seen so far it looks like Honda's promise of delivering a thrilling driving experience might be fulfilled. The 2023 Honda Civic Type R will be on sale this fall, and we can't wait to get behind the wheel. Although Honda didn't mention pricing, we don't expect it to increase too much from the current generation, which starts at $38,910.

gmc sierra-1500 Full OverviewWorking as an automotive journalist is a surefire way to get to know all your neighbors. With a weekly (and sometimes daily) rotation of new metal circulating through your driveway, it's rare not to be asked about the vehicles when you dare poke your head outside. In my neighborhood, pickup trucks have been especially popular lately. The questions are usually the same, but a recent conversation involving the 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate threw me for a loop."Hey, what do you think of that Chevy?" came the inquiry. "The Chevy? Oh, no, that's a Ram TRX," I replied, pointing to our long-term test truck. "No, not that one. It was the boxy-looking truck," he said. "Oh!" I replied, "You mean the electric F-150? Yeah, it was pretty great!" "Yeah … maybe. I could have sworn it said 'Denali' on it," he said.After an embarrassingly long pause, it came to me: "The 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate! I forgot I recently had that one." "Yes! What'd you think?" I paused for a second before replying, "Well, I forgot about it, didn't I?"This admittedly unfair personal anecdote is a sign of a larger problem for the new luxe Sierra Denali Ultimate: With a high-horsepower electric Ford and an ascendent, stylish Ram across the way, the GMC (and its Chevrolet Silverado sibling) is a bit lost in the shuffle until the next-gen electric trucks arrive. However, the only ones suffering for this are potential buyers; the new Sierra Denali Ultimate is the most convincing Denali product in years. But is it enough as we enter the electric pickup truck revolution?Why It's ImportantIt's easy to forget, but back when it first launched, people held GMC's Denali brand in the same esteem as its Cadillac siblings and Lincoln rivals. In fact, MTV's TRL (for the younger crowd, it was a show where you called Carson Daly and asked him to play your favorite music videos) was just as likely to feature a Denali-branded GMC on spinners as it was a Cadillac or Lincoln.Somewhere along the way, the Denali brand began to lose some luster as rivals stepped up from simply premium to truly luxurious. The new 2022 Sierra Denali Ultimate aims to fix that.Designed to slot above the already spendy Sierra 1500 Denali, as well as the Sierra 1500 Denali Limited, which is the pre-refresh truck, albeit also a 2022-model-year offering that is confusingly sold alongside the new one, the Ultimate ups the ante by adding double-finished embossed leather, open-pore engineered-wood trim, aluminum accents, and a synthetic suede headliner. GMC finishes off the interior with a smart-looking black and tan color scheme, hand-stitched massaging seats, topographic maps of its namesake mountain etched into the wood, and much less plastic than is typically found in a GMC product.The 2022 Sierra Denali Ultimate also steps things up on the tech front. Like the new Sierra 1500 AT4X, the Ultimate gets a massive 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a Google-capable 13.4-inch infotainment screen, and a 15.0-inch head-up display. Provided it has enough semiconductors handy, GMC also fits the Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate with its Super Cruise advanced driver assistance system as standard equipment.Outside, the Denali Ultimate gets the freshened face GMC fit to the Sierra 1500 for 2022, with the addition of black badges and accents, and black-trimmed 22-inch wheels. The Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate is available exclusively in the ever-popular crew-cab, short-bed (in this case a 5.8-foot carbon-fiber job) configuration. A 3.0-liter turbodiesel I-6 making 277 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque is standard, but our test truck was fitted with the more popular gas-swilling 6.2-liter V-8, which makes 420 hp and 460 lb-ft. All 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimates come standard with 10-speed automatic transmissions and four-wheel drive.Pricing for the 2022 Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate begins at $83,695, and this loaded test truck stickered for $84,190.Pros: What We LikeAlthough there's a fair bit of Spinal Tap-esque "but these go to 11!" nonsense in the Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate's naming and positioning (why not simply make the standard Denali more luxurious, as there's clearly room for improvement there?), there's no denying that by turning up the luxury dial, GMC has finally built a compelling Denali product again. The seats, though a bit hard and short, are swathed in thick, rich-feeling leather, and the aluminum brightwork and convincingly real faux-wood trim do much to make the Sierra's cabin feel special. Some of the materials below the belt feel of lesser quality, but the opulent touches that benefit the front of the cabin thankfully also carry through to the back seats.The Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate's new tech touches are a welcome addition, too. Super Cruise continues to be the most confidence-inspiring driver's aid on the market, clearly communicating to the driver when it can take control, when it's going to automatically change lanes for you, and when it needs you to resume control. The integrated Google Maps is also done well. We especially appreciated the fact that when you enter a destination into the system, it tells you how many minutes of your route Super Cruise will be available for. This is a really thoughtful touch.Whether or not Denali Ultimate buyers will ever put the Sierra 1500's bed to good use, the carbon-fiber cargo hold is impressively deep and wide. It features three tie-downs in every corner—an incredibly useful feature.Cons: What We Don't LikeIf the interior is so great, why had I forgotten about the Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate when my neighbor queried me? Probably because it's a bit unremarkable to drive.Surprisingly, the 6.2-liter V-8-powered pickup truck feels a bit poky compared to its crosstown rivals. The Sierra's V-8 feels big and lazy, and the 10-speed auto feels as if it's tuned for smooth, purposeful shifts, not quick up or down blats like you get in conventionally powered Ram 1500s, even if the GMC is ultimately quicker than all Rams without a dinosaur graphic under the hood. With a 0-60-mph run of 5.7 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 14.2 seconds at 98.5 mph, the Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate isn't exactly slow. However, the performance of the rival F-150 Lightning Platinum, which will hit 60 mph in 4.0 seconds and can run through the quarter mile in 12.7 seconds at 105.9 mph, makes the GMC feel stately in comparison.Despite the Sierra's standard magnetic dampers, there's room for improvements to ride quality, too. You pay for how good the Denali Ultimate's 22-inch wheels look with a firm, almost flinty ride. The GMC would likely be a far more luxe truck with a smaller wheel package.Lastly, those big new screens could use a bit more work, too. The graphics are clear and crisp, and the layout is generally intuitive, but the screen responds slowly at times. There were also a handful of instances when menus and features—such as the fancy 16-way massaging front seats, activated by a physical control on your seat but adjusted via the screen—wouldn't load.The Bottom LineAlthough the fancy new interior does much to finally drag the Sierra Denali brand forward, it does so at a time when all of its competitors are redefining what a luxury truck is.Looks good! More details?2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate Specifications BASE PRICE $83,695 PRICE AS TESTED $84,190 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, 4WD, 5-pass, 4-door truck ENGINE 6.2L direct-injected OHV 16-valve 90-degree V-8 POWER (SAE NET) 420 hp @ 5,600 rpm TORQUE (SAE NET) 460 lb-ft @ 4,100 rpm TRANSMISSION 10-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 5,582 lb (58/42%) WHEELBASE 147.9 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 231.9 x 81.2 x 75.5 in 0-60 MPH 5.7 sec QUARTER MILE 14.2 sec @ 98.5 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 132 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.76 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 27.6 sec @ 0.61 g (avg) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 15/20/17 mpg EPA RANGE, COMB 408 (est) miles ON SALE Now Show All

Do you want the good news or the bad news first? Well, we can't hear you, unfortunately, so we'll start with the good and get to the bad in a second. This is the 2022 Mazda CX-60, a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) crossover SUV that combines impressive total system output with what appears to be impressive overall fuel economy (if, of course, you plug it in often). The numbers are impressive, and so is the latest evolution of the company's Kodo design language, which looks more premium than ever.Power!Let's start with the PHEV powertrain. It combines the company's familiar 2.5-liter I-4 gas engine with a 100-kW e-motor and a 17.8-kWh battery, good for a total of 323 horsepower. That, Mazda says, makes it the most powerful road-going car the company's ever made. And with a 5.8-second sprint to 62 mph, this Mazda won't be a slouch at a stoplight, either.Mazda also claims this PHEV can travel 37 miles on pure electric power before its gas engine must fire and work in tandem with the electric motor as a hybrid. Its fuel consumption and emissions figures look impressive, too. And in the future, the CX-60 will get a number of additional powertrains, including a 3.0-liter e-Skyactiv-X I-6 and a 3.3-liter Skyactiv-D diesel, both equipped with 48V mild-hybrid systems that Mazda calls M Hybrid Boost. The CX-60 will feature i-Activ AWD, but when the I-6s come around, they will have the option of rear-wheel-drive. The CX-60 PHEV can even tow more than 5,500 lbs.KodoThe CX-60 is a shapely SUV, with proportions that draw attention to its new, rear-drive-based architecture in a huge way. The long hood and short front overhang give it a sleek look. The new grille has a premium texture that's accentuated by its bright surround and interesting divorced/integrated running light arrangement. Out back, things are handsome if a bit more generic. Devoid of badges, it could be an Infiniti or a BMW. The quad rhomboid exhausts are a nice touch, and well-integrated into the rear end. Chrome brightwork and fender garnishes add a bit of jewelry to the flanks.Inside, it's typical modern Mazda stuff, but the dash adopts a layered appearance with stacked horizontal elements, some of which surround and partially shroud the wide infotainment screen. Some specs will use interesting textiles and woods, giving it a bit more character than the rather drab appearance provided in these photos. The CX-60 is a two-row vehicle, by the way, although it's about six inches longer than our market's 2022 Mazda CX-5.What Does This Mean for Us?If all of this sounds a little too fantastical for an upcoming American-market Mazda, you're right. The bad news is that we won't get the CX-60. What we will get is the slightly larger CX-70, which will be related to the CX-60 and share many of its powertrains. It's unlikely that either of these I-6s will arrive on these shores, but it's possible a non-Skyactiv-X gasoline I-6 might arrive with the same 3.0-liter displacement. Meanwhile, it's a safe bet that our CX-70 PHEV will match or exceed the CX-60's 323-hp rating.So, good news, bad news, and something to look forward to.