The Tesla Cybertruck Squats Like A Rally Truck - First Ride

Mustang Mach-E, eat your heart out

Not only did MotorTrend get unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to the Tesla Cybertruck's development, we were also the first automotive journalists in the world to go for a ride in Elon Musk's new polygonal pickup. It was a short ride—the whole ordeal was over in three minutes—but we learned a whole lot about what could be the future of the pickup truck as we know it.

Tesla's electric pickup rides high, significantly higher than the Model X we drove to the reveal. The interior of the cab is properly huge, due in part to the lack of a traditional transmission and driveshaft tunnel. That wacky triangular roof peaked just above my head in the front row and forward visibility seems on par with conventional gas-powered pickups. (And Tesla was kind enough to replace the windows after lead designer Franz von Holzhausen shattered them on stage.)

Hip point feels similar to the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 and like the ZR2, the Cybertruck rides on colossal hella-knobby off-road tires. (The Tesla rocks 35-inchers.) Compared to the ride height and ground clearance of the Mustang Mach-E, this might as well be Grave Digger. With the compliance from all that tire sidewall and the Cybertruck's softly sprung air suspension, I barely noticed the speed bumps we rolled over.

Speaking of softly sprung, it's the Cybertruck's body motion more so than the accelerative force that stands out. All of Tesla's previous cars are immensely quick and instantly torquey off the line, but nothing the automaker builds feels like this truck does under full throttle.

The stainless steel brute squats back on its rear haunches, pointing its nose toward the sky. As soon as the driver lifted his right foot, the front end dove down toward the ground ahead. I didn't get the impression that it had poor body control, but that it would lean, dive, squat, and take a set 'round a corner like a rally truck headed straight for the Baja 1000. Oh yeah, and this dual-motor version felt like it would hit 60 mph in the low four-second range.

I did notice a few interior rattles in this prototype (that I didn't notice in the electric Mustang Mach-E prototype) which may or may not make it to the production version given Tesla's less-than-stellar reputation for build quality. Other than that, I have nothing bad to say about my ride in the Cybertruck. Rock on, Elon.

Porsche's Sports Car Boss Says An Electric Porsche 911 Isn’t Happening

Not anytime soon, anyway

Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser is like a lot of Porsche fans. He loves the brand, and he owns two 911s himself. He took up the reins of 911 and 718 development from "Mr. 911," August Achleitner, earlier this year, and is usually hard at work in meetings or spending time with development mules to ensure the Porsche sports cars of the future retain their trademark balance and approachability. So when we had the rare opportunity to catch up with Dr. Walliser at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show, we had to ask him a few questions about the future of the 911. Specifically, will the much-rumored electric Porsche 911 happen anytime soon? His answer: Nope. Not while he's in charge, anyway.

Citing packaging reasons, Walliser said the 992 platform wasn't even developed with a full EV powertrain in mind. When asked about supercapacitors—a smaller and lighter EV solution—like the one found in the Lamborghini Sian, he said Porsche considered them in the early days of the 991's development but decided they didn't provide enough of a power benefit to justify their use. Trying once more, we wanted to see if a mild hybrid would be possible sometime during the 992's lifespan, he retorted by simply asking, "What is mild?" He added that any hybridity Porsche adds to its sports cars will have to have a little "pepper" to it.

Walliser drives a 993 in the summer, his daily is a Panamera Turbo S E-hybrid Sport Turismo, and he's waiting on the delivery of a Taycan—so Dr. Walliser is clearly into a little pepper. He joked that he likes to stay away from anything with less than 500 horsepower if he can help it. He sounds like our kind of guy, so as curious as we are about the 911's future, it's good to know the iconic Porsche sports car is in Walliser's safe hands.

2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E Priced In the Heart of Affordable Tesla Territory

We break down the new electric Ford crossover's trim levels by price, power, battery capacity, and driving range

Ford's all-new Mustang Mach-E shatters the mold for what you think a Mustang should be. It's electric, has four doors, and is a freakin' SUV! The Mach-E pushes against another, more mundane boundary, as well: It is relatively affordable, at least as far as sporty, electric crossovers go. A Tesla Model 3—yes, we know, a car—can be had for less than the least-expensive Mach-E, but the larger Model X crossover costs far, far more. So, until the similarly sized Tesla Model Y SUV appears, Ford is in a space of its own.

Customers can now order their 2021 Mustang Mach-E, with deliveries slated to begin in the fall of 2020. There are three primary trim levels (Select, Premium, and GT), along with two special-edition models (California Route 1 and First Edition). Every version can be ordered with rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, except the California Route 1, which is rear-drive-only. Read on for a peek at each Mustang Mach-E and how much they will cost:

Select | Base price: $44,995Output: 255 horsepower
Battery: 75.7 kW-hrs
Driving range (est. ): 210-230 miles

The entry-level Mustang Mach-E comes standard with rear-wheel drive. All-wheel drive is a $2,700 option. The extra drive motor bumps peak torque from 306 lb-ft to 417 lb-ft; no matter which driveline configuration is chosen, you'll get 255 horsepower. Only the "standard range" battery is available on the Select model, which translates to a 75.7-kW-hr battery pack that delivers an estimated 230 miles of driving range in the rear-drive model and 210 miles in the all-wheel-drive model.

Premium | Base price: $51,700Output: 255-332 horsepower
Battery: 75.7-98.8 kW-hrs
Driving range (est. ): 210-300 miles

The mid-level Mustang Mach-E, like the Select, comes standard with rear-wheel drive. All-wheel drive, is, again, a $2,700 option, and again, lifts peak torque from 306 lb-ft to 417; in either configuration, peak horsepower stands at 255 ponies. That's with the "standard range" battery, however. Step up to the 98.8-kW-hr "extended range" battery for an additional $5,000, and horsepower jumps to 282 in the rear-drive model, and 332 in the all-wheel-drive variant. The standard-range Premium models deliver the same estimated 230 miles of range (rear-drive) and 210 miles of range (all-wheel-drive) as the Select. With the extended-range battery, those figures jump to 270 miles and 300 miles.

GT | Base price: $61,600Output: 459 horsepower
Battery: 98.8 kW-hrs
Driving range (est. ): 250 miles

For the range-topping Mustang Mach-E GT, Ford whittles buyers' choices down to nil. Pick the GT, and you get 459 horsepower (a preliminary figure) and 612 lb-ft of torque, the larger 98.8-kW-hr extended-range battery, and all-wheel drive, standard. There will be an available GT Performance package, which has yet to be priced, that will chop the GT's 0-60-mph acceleration time from about 4 seconds (Porsche territory) to about 3.5 seconds. Driving range is estimated to be 250 miles.

California Route 1 | Base price: $53,500Output: 282 horsepower
Battery: 98.8 kW-hrs
Driving range (est. ): 300 miles

Think of the Mustang Mach-E California Route 1 edition as something of a special, maximum-range model. It is equipped to match the Mach-E lineup's longest-range model, the Premium with rear-drive and the extended-range battery pack, and adds special aerodynamic wheel covers but otherwise makes do with slightly less content than the Premium. (It forgoes that model's Bang and Olufsen sound system, heated front seats, and hands-free liftgate, for example.)

The Chevrolet Corvette is the 2020 MotorTrend Car of the Year

Chevrolet rolls out a mid-engine masterpiece on its first attempt

Sometimes, a car comes along that leaves the automotive landscape different than before. In today's Silicon Valley parlance, we'd be tempted to term such a car a "disrupter." The last car to so radically shift the car world was the Tesla Model S, our 2013 Car of the Year.

This time around, our 2020 MotorTrend Car of the Year, the Chevrolet Corvette, fully scrambles the order of things. Simply put, never before has so much four-wheeled exoticism been attainable for so little money. Or I should say, so much good exoticism.

Chevrolet Performance did not phone in the first-ever production mid-engine Corvette. It dialed it, massaged it, honed it, crafted the new 'Vette to the point of the nearly impossible. The eighth-generation car will bring people into dealerships who previously would never have come in. The mid-engine Corvette is a game changer, an inflection point, and a reminder that when Americans truly set our minds to a task, look out. For soon you'll be standing on the moon—or driving the sports car equivalent thereof.

The father of the Chevrolet Corvette, Zora Arkus-Duntov, began working on a mid-engine Corvette back in 1959. Called the 1960 CERV-I (for Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle), the single-seater located its 283-cubic-inch pushrod V-8 small-block just aft of the driver's head. Subsequent CERV concepts only stoked the belief among MotorTrend editors that such a vehicle was not only possible but also likely.

Fast-forward to September 2019, and we finally get our greedy, grubby hands on the 10th-ever production mid-engine Corvette, an early-build, production-intent model with a VIN that ends in 000010. From our weeks of testing the Corvette against a field of formidable competitors, we can say Zora was onto something six decades ago.

"We've been waiting so long for this car that, climbing in, I felt like a kid on Christmas morning," Detroit editor Alisa Priddle said. "I didn't care if it was going to be good or bad, I just wanted to unwrap the present and drive it."

A very true statement, as we've had our eye on the mid-engine Corvette ever since we broke the story (yes, Virginia, it was us) back in August 2014. Half a decade is quite a lengthy waiting period, and if life teaches you anything, it is to be prepared for disappointment. Witness The Phantom Menace. All that anticipation, so much hope, so much good will, all destroyed by a terrible product.

Not here. I'm happy in the extreme to report that the 2020 Corvette delivers the goods, and does so in ways you wouldn't think possible.

"The C8 represents the biggest step change since the original Acura NSX in terms of being a usable everyday mid-engine supercar," international bureau chief Angus MacKenzie said. "It brings the Corvette closer to the Porsche 911 in terms of being an attainable and credible 24/7 supercar than any time since the '60s."

The C8 (referencing the eighth generation of the Corvette) still features a cam-in-block small-block V-8 right behind the passenger cabin, only it's grown to 376 cubic inches, or 6.2 liters. But everything else is changed. The new Corvette is all about disruption.

"The first thing you notice when driving in town is the lack of road noise for a supercar," said Chris Theodore, a perennial COTY guest judge as well as the engineer behind the second-generation Ford GT. "It's not silent, but it's much better than any other supercar I've driven."

That's right, a mid-engine, removable-roof car that hits 60 mph in 2.8 seconds is being praised for the quietness of its cabin. "This means that C8 engineers have done a good job in making the chassis attachment points stiff," Theodore continued.

The new Corvette rides surprisingly well, too. "Behavior on the freeways was remarkable," technical editor Frank Markus said. "In Tour mode it felt as comfortable as anything we've driven—including the dorky, tall-sidewall Nissan Leaf. And best of all, that ride quality didn't disappear when we put it in Sport and Track modes." We were collectively surprised by how smooth and polished the C8's chassis is.

We were also equally surprised at the Corvette's high-quality cabin. To be blunt: Corvette interiors have been nasty, low-quality dens of cheapness and weird smells since 1984. With always-terrible seats, too. That's the truth. With history as my witness, I was expecting more of the same. To keep the price as low as Chevy has promised, you'd think corners would have to be cut, and this would be the place to cut them. Nope. "The interior actually has great build quality. What a miracle!" associate online editor Stefan Ogbac said. "Lots of good materials, and the seats are super comfortable and supportive."

What impressed me most about the quality of the Corvette's cabin were the gear and drive mode selectors. At first glance, the shifter looks similar to what you'd find in the Acura NSX. The Corvette's gear selector is metal, about half the size, and feels like something off a high-end stereo. As does the well-weighted mode-selector puck. Think of a Marantz tuner from the 1970s, back when "American Made" was king.

Everything is laid out well, too. "Not only is the interior clever, and attractive, the ergonomics are very good," road test editor Chris Walton said, "but having a small screen, close to the driver, also enables you to rest your hand on top and thumb the touchscreen without the unsteadiness you'd have without the perch."

I love the squared steering wheel (a few others did not) and the jet-age homage of its design, though there was debate about the cabin's overall design. Some judges felt as if there was a bit too much bling, but others liked it. As for the stream of buttons that make up the HVAC controls and "puts up a wall," to quote Walton, between the driver and the passenger/glove box, most judges felt that these controls are of the set-and-forget variety. Plus, you just don't notice them from behind the wheel. You do notice a couple inexplicable cheap outs, especially if you're our executive editor Mark Rechtin. He despises the plastic cupholders. "How much would improving them have cost Chevy? Five bucks a unit?"

If the new Corvette has a weakness, it's the exterior design. The judges' opinions ranged from harsh (MacKenzie: "Bill Mitchell would be spinning in his grave. ") to damning with faint praise (Walton: "Fine from 100 feet. ").

The main issue: As you get closer to the vehicle, you see tributaries of pointless lines going off in every direction. This sort of sloppy linework—folds and creases that exist for the sake of existence—first appeared on the previous generation. Did the Corvette design team want to link the two products, to maybe help convince current Corvette owners to trade up for the newer model? Perhaps. Whatever the reason, although the car's shape is good, the details are not. However, that just means that Chevy has a real opportunity in a few years with the midcycle refresh. As our guest judge and former Jaguar design boss Ian Callum said, "Great car to drive. Shame about the styling."

Right, driving. What will convince current Corvette owners to trade in their cars is the C8's performance. In truth, the new 'Vette's numbers and capabilities might convince a few Porsche, BMW, and AMG owners to do the same. Might convince more than a few, in fact.

We mentioned the 0-60 time previously, but to contextualize that number, the 755-horsepower C7 Corvette ZR1 hits 60 mph in 3.0 seconds. The 789-horsepower Ferrari 812 Superfast hits 60 mph in 2.8 seconds. Remember, the C8 with the Z51 Performance package makes "only" 495 horsepower. I won't even point out the $377,000 price gap with Ferrari. Whoops, I just did.

Much of the credit is due to the quick-shifting eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Big takeaway: We've yet to test a quicker naturally aspirated, rear-drive production car to 60 mph, price be damned. The C8 did great in the quarter mile, too, covering 1,320 feet in 11.1 seconds at 123.2 mph. That beats the direct competitor Porsche 911 Carrera S by 0.1 second. A win, however, is a win; the Corvette is quicker than the Porsche.

Braking from 60 mph takes place in 97 feet, which is world class. The C8's figure-eight time of 23.3 seconds is quick but behind the aforementioned Porsche (22.7 seconds) and stuff like the Chevy Camaro SS 1LE (22.9 seconds). I'll go ahead and blame the awkward brake-by-wire system. We all agreed there's more work to do here. "It's near-impossible to accurately modulate the braking effort in Track mode, the system defaulting to instant-on ABS intervention at pedal speeds and weights a steel-braked 911 would shrug off," MacKenzie said.

But those are modest complaints. The C8 wins our top award on the strength of how it drives. "Phenomenal performance," news editor Alex Nishimoto said. He's right. While conducting limit testing of the entire field at the Hyundai Motor Group California Proving Ground, I knew the Corvette deserved to be a finalist—but my mind remained open to other vehicles taking the top spot.

It was after cruising the twists and turns of Cameron Road on our finalist loop near Tehachapi that I became convinced the mid-engine Corvette had to be our winner. "It's so easy to drive," editor-in-chief Ed Loh said. That's perhaps the No. 1 big change from behind the wheel of the C8 compared to the C7. You can just go for it and attack a road with abandon. I loved how potent, aggressive, and in control I felt. Total confidence.

Many judges mentioned that there's a touch of understeer. Note, I did not say complained about said phenomenon, just mentioned that it's there. Loh noted that dialing in some understeer is a "sensible strategy," as this will be many owners' first time driving a mid-engine car, and understeer keeps the nose pointing in a straight line when you push the throttle farther than your skills allow. Let me stress that we're talking a skosh, a pinch, a tiny amount of understeer. We're just saying the car isn't tail happy. "The genius of this Corvette is it feels benign to beginners," MacKenzie said, "but it's not boring for experts."

As a group of experts, we collectively loved driving the thing. "The sound is just thrilling when you accelerate, punctuating each shift change, sounding and feeling fabulous," Priddle said. Theodore agreed: "The C8 is very easy to drive, with very high capabilities that most owners will not reach." Nishimoto added, "Happiness is having a small-block V-8 rumbling behind you." Rechtin called the C8 "something that can be driven very fast, all day, but you emerge completely rested and relaxed." And MotorTrend en Español managing editor Miguel Cortina said, "Finally, a Corvette that I enjoy driving."

To become a MotorTrend Car of the Year, you have to punch hard against our six key criteria. To quickly break it down, the new Corvette fares worst in terms of advancement of design. However, as a car's interior is included in this metric, the C8 did OK.

The 2020 Corvette's engineering excellence is through the removable roof; it features world-class performance combined with shockingly good ride comfort and noise levels. Chevy's top dog also scores big in terms of performance of intended function, assuming that intended function is to be a daily-driven supercar.

Safety is trickier with the Corvette, as neither IIHS nor NHTSA have or will crash-test it, but based on safety scores for GM's other recent offerings, we'll give Chevrolet the benefit of the doubt here. As for efficiency, the small-block has cylinder deactivation to loaf along while powered by just four cylinders.

Value is where the C8 goes off the charts. Why would you buy a BMW M4 for the same money? Why would you spend half again as much for an equivalent 911? Besides a badge, what does a Ferrari give you? And just wait until the more powerful Corvette iterations show up.

Few cars change the automotive landscape, forcing other manufacturers to react, as the status quo will no longer do. It's déjà vu all over again, again, folks. Chevy is selling a supercar for sports car prices. As I told a wealthy supercar collector friend of mine, "If I were you, I'd buy three." Or as MacKenzie put it, "Hallelujah! A real, honest-to-god, mid-engine supercar for the price of a Corvette." Great job, Chevrolet.