reviews

Hyundai has went full German on the new 2022 Hyundai Tucson’s design and that’s not a bad thing. Not at all. In fact, it shows the Korean carmaker’s competitiveness in a cloak-and-dagger segment. However, you need more than a pretty or sci-fi face to make it in this arena.

We’ll know more about what the 2020 Tucson feels like inside and out once we take it for a spin. For now, here’s what the crossover has to offer on paper.

In an attempt to milk the popular Kia Carnival — it’s the Kia Sedona in the U.S. — Kia is finding new and inventive ways of offering the minivan in different shapes and guises. Fresh from mixing SUV styling to the minivan’s aesthetics, Kia has taken the unconventional step of adding another version to the Carnival lineup, this time of the limousine persuasion.

Say hello to the 2021 Kia Carnival Hi Limousine, a retooled version of the luxury minivan that comes with a higher roof and plenty of new creature comforts to justify its billing. Somewhere, the Toyota Alphard must be shaking in its boots.

Nissan Frontier is considered to be one of the best workhorses you can buy today. It never had any oomph factor and was happy being in its comfort zone as a work truck. It has remained pretty much the same for 15 years and Nissan never bothered to bring in a new generation because, well, why fix something that ain’t broken?

Given the long wait, everyone expected the next-gen Frontier to get a complete makeover inside out. The Japanese automaker still hasn’t brought out the new generation, but it decided to give us a glimpse of the future by plonking in a new engine and transmission in the same old body.

The new engine and gearbox come at a cost; the cost being $8,000. The starting price of the truck has gone up considerably and a lot of us were confused if it’s worth the hike or not. So, here’s our take on the 2020 Nissan Frontier that arrived at TopSpeed’s headquarters in the PRO-4X trim finished in a Blue exterior shade.

Who thought the hard-working Ram 1500 pickup could ever challenge the likes of Rolls-Royce or Bentley? Obviously, this is not stock a Ram 1500 and while the jury is still out on the way this thing looks, it’ll catch your attention with its peculiar name first and foremost.

Meet the Aznom Palladium, an Italian coachbuilder’s take on a luxo-barge it likes to call a “hyper-limousine.” That said, bear with us for specs and whatnot.

The Discovery has been in the market for over three decades now. Currently in its fifth iteration, this Land Rover has proved its mettle over the years and is an all-rounder in this family of off-roaders. It comes with all the bells and whistles on the inside, a seven-seat layout, and is a true off-road capable family SUV. The Discovery is currently in its fifth generation and Land Rover has decided to update it for the 2021 model year.

The 2021 refresh sees a lot of new updates, like refreshed aesthetics, a lot of improved tech features, and most importantly, new engines, one of which is mated to a mild-hybrid system. Does the facelift make the Discovery all the more relevant in this competitive segment?

If I were to ask you to name a six-wheel-drive truck a few years back, chances are you could recollect just one – the Mercedes G63 AMG 6x6. Even the non-enthusiasts were aware of its existence. But, lately, the scene is changing and there are a lot of 6x6 trucks available. Hennessey has not one, but two – the VelociRaptor 6x6 based on the Ford Raptor and the Mammoth 6x6 that’s based on the Ram 1500 TRX.

However, there’s another new entrant from Rezvani Motors that comes with insane performance figures and a sky-high price tag. Ladies and gentlemen, presenting to you, the Rezvani Hercules 6x6!

The new BMW 4 Series is already a fact. With the coupe and convertible versions being introduced, the new Gran Coupe is ready to make an appearance as well, thus expanding the 4 Series family.

BMW has always been a competitive brand across the board. That said, BMW came late to the four-door coupe party. A segment that has become rather competitive over the last decade. Although the Bavarian brand was beaten to the four-door coupe party, it eventually managed to regroup and now they have four different four-door coupes in their lineup. But has the new 4 Series still have what it takes to play the game?

The BMW Vision iNEXT has become the BMW iX – a pre-production prototype that previews the brand’s upcoming electric SUV. With a year still to go before its market launch at the end of 2021, the BMW Group is providing a first look ahead to the future BMW iX, which is currently still in the series development phase. The BMW iX is the first model based on a new, modular, scalable future toolkit developed by the BMW Group and focused on a fresh interpretation of design, sustainability, driving pleasure, versatility and luxury. Check out our awesome photo gallery below!

The 2021 Fiat Tipo Cross is a crossover-style version of the company’s compact car. Introduced in 2020 as a new trim for the Tipo range, the 2021 Tipo Cross is based on the hatchback model.

The Cross version joined the existing sedan, hatchback, and wagon models following the mid-cycle facelift, which added revised exterior elements, new tech inside the cabin, and a brand-new gasoline engine. But is the Tipo Cross a good addition to the lineup and will it give the Ford Focus Active a run for its money? Let’s find out in the review below.

Toyota’s range of performance-spec models under the “GR/GRMN” family has a new member in the fold. The C-HR GR Sport, which Toyota first unveiled in October in Japan, is heading to the global market packing enough sporty bits to qualify as a GR Sport model.

The upgrades are mostly cosmetic in nature, but Toyota also worked on improving several of the crossover’s technical elements. Considering that GR Sport is the entry-level line of Toyota’s growing performance-spec lineup — the GR sits in the middle and the GRMN rules the roost — the C-HR GR Sport is both a walking advertisement of what you can expect from future GR Sport models and a good example on the kind of performance potential that the C-HR has.

The Yamaha TW200, brought forward for 2021 with its scrappy little 196 cc engine, is a nice learning bike, fully street legal but with that distinctive motocross-style swale seat that says you’re going off-road. On the move, the bike has nice low-end torque and you’ll feel the front end trying to come up when you get even a little twisty. Dual sport, yes, but so much about this bike just begs to be in the dirt.

The 2021 Bentley Bentayga LWB is a long-wheelbase version of the already familiar Bentayga. Not yet confirmed by the British company, the SUV was spotted testing around and on the Nurburgring track and looks ready to go into production.

Compared to the regular Bentayga, the 2021 Bentayga LWB will feature a slightly longer wheelbase that will add a few extra inches of legroom for second-row seat passengers. When’s it going into production and what extras will it come with? Find out in the speculative review below.

Reintroduced in 2011, Yamaha’s Zuma 125 provides a viable alternative to the old-fashioned, ’60s-style scooter prevalent from the Italian manufacturers, and those who would try to garner a slice of that market. A modern shape and revised chassis carries the four-stroke fuel-injected engine in a spiffy little scooter that — with upwards of 100+ mpg — makes a capable commuter or errand-runner.

Nissan has launched the 2021 Navara pickup truck in Europe and South America. It is called the Frontier in the latter, but we’ll stick to calling it Navara to reduce the confusion.

It looks fresh on the outside with noticeable changes, some tweaks inside the cabin, and a few under the skin as well. The highlight of this update is the introduction of the PRO-4X package. Unlike the U.S.-spec Frontier’s PRO-4X, which is an off-road package, the one on the European Navara is just a styling kit. Will Mercedes come back and try to build another truck based on this refreshed model?

The Range Rover Velar is a fairly new product in the company’s lineup, but an important one. It looks like the Evoque and the Range Rover Sport’s lovechild and even sits in between them in the lineup. There is a lot of part-sharing with the Jaguar F-Pace, but the Velar is more suited to folks who prefer an SUV with better off-road dynamics. In the top-spec, it is loaded with features and comes with a 5.0-liter V-8 that dishes out 500 ponies. The Velar starts around $55,000, but the mouth-watering top trim costs an eye-watering $90,000.

The 2020 Land Rover Range Velar recently arrived at TopSpeed’s headquarters in the top-of-the-line SVAutobiography Dynamic trim, and here’s what we have to say about it.

The 2021 Toyota GRMN Yaris is an upcoming high-performance version of the fourth-generation hatchback. Toyota has yet to confirm the GRMN Yaris, but word has it the Japanese brand is planning to introduce a range-topping GRMN version of its GR-badged cars in a variety of segments. What’s more, Toyota recently tested a beefed-up GR Yaris on the Nurburgring and its appearance hints at an upcoming GRMN variant.

Just like the GR model, the GRMN is being developed by Toyota’s Gazoo Racing division. However, development takes place under a more hardcore performance arm called Gazoo Racing Masters of the Nurburgring. The 2021 GRMN will arrive with a sportier exterior and various upgrades to the drivetrain. Let’s find out more about it in the speculative review below.

Call it what you will but to our eyes, the Audi Q8 is a neatly executed example of what a “SUV-coupe” must look like. That or our brain has been bombarded with some many iterations of this car body style that we’ve learned to live with it.

In any case, Audi is not about superficiality and that’s why the Q8 can now be ordered with a new powertrain. A plug-in hybrid one, to be more precise, featuring a larger battery pack and two system outputs.

Honda is known for many things. Having great racing history, making engines for land, sea, and air, as well as their reliable, economical, and cleverly-designed vehicles, like the Civic. One thing they are not associated with is sedans.

Even though they have given us fun sporty sedans, as well as comfortable luxury sedans, they don’t seem to be a part of their definitive portfolio. The new Civic is offered in both hatchback and sedan forms, and hatchbacks are generally known to be more practical, although that’s only partially true. This begs the question, does the Civic sedan have what it takes to survive the hatchback and crossover fever?

German aftermarket company Lumma has come up with a build for another luxurious SUV. The company has given radical twists to many vehicles in the past, including multiple iterations of the Audi Q8. This time, it’s the Mercedes G-Class that goes under the knife.

The German firm is known to design really wild creations, pretty much like Mansory, but this one – according to Lumma’s reputation – is a rather subdued customization. The conversion kit comes with a custom body kit and huge wheels amongst other things.

The 2022 Mercedes-AMG S 63e is an upcoming, high-performance version of the company’s full-size sedan. Just like its predecessor, the AMG S 63, the 2022 AMG S 63 e will be heavily based on the regular model.

However, the new high-performance sedan will feature a hybrid drivetrain instead of an all-gasoline powertrain. So not only it will be more powerful, but it will also return better fuel economy and will boast some sort of all-electric range. Let’s find out more about that in the speculative review below.

The SEMA Show is turning out to be quite exciting. Jeep is taking part, obviously, and has come with a concept targeted at hard-core mountain bike enthusiasts. The automaker, along with Mopar, has transformed the 2020 Gladiator pickup truck into a fun concept vehicle for serious mountain bikers. But, what’s catchier about this concept is the number of storage spaces in the customized truck bed. Oh, and also, there’s a built-in hot dog machine. How about that!

We’re having quite an unusual SEMA Show this year, but that hasn’t deterred automakers from coming up with special off-roading concepts. Toyota is no exception and has teamed up with 4WD Toyota Owner Magazine to develop an Overlanding concept based on the Tacoma. We’ve seen a lot of aftermarket Tacoma builds over the years, but this one stands out for the amount of equipment installed on it.