TNC's Jeep Wrangler Is the Rugged-Chic Way to Hit the Trails

 These special Jeep Wrangler builds have what you need to head off-road in style.

Forget muscle cars and hot rods—the most customized and personalized vehicle genre on the planet has to be off-road SUVs and trucks. One of the first stops a proud new Jeep or Toyota Tacoma owner makes on the way home from the dealership is their local 4x4 shop for bumpers, roof racks, lifts, wheels, tires, and lights—and they probably already hit the manufacturer's accessory catalog. Sometimes, the end result is less than cohesive, more an amalgam of individual parts than a nicely modified trail-buster.

Not so with True North Collections' (TNC) special Jeep Wrangler builds. These bespoke, pseudo overlanding rigs are the brainchild of TNC founder and head honcho Shane Russeck, a professional wildlife photographer who turned his love of well-kept classic 4x4 trucks into a business. Alongside TNC's selection of impeccable and occasionally restomodded GM Squarebodies, the True North Edition Jeep Wrangler is unabashedly modern, with each based on brand-new JL-series Wranglers ordered from the factory by TNC.

Of the factory powertrains, TNC's Jeeps are for now limited to the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 or the new 3.0-liter turbodiesel V-6, but the company expects to eventually use the forthcoming V-8-powered Rubicon 392 as a starter rig, too. Aesthetically, the True North Edition Wrangler takes welcome inspiration from Land Rover Defenders both old and new, incorporating a slick safari-style hardtop with curved roof windows, a cargo rack, a ladder, and tethered hood supports.

Elsewhere, standard heavy-duty body bits include large front and rear bumpers with an integrated winch, rock sliders, fender flares, side-steps, tow hooks, and a set of Hella auxiliary lights. A lift kit jacks everything into the sky, and the whole shebang rides on a set of rather handsome steelie-style wheels wrapped in aggressive off-road rubber.

TNC touches can be found inside, as well, including edition-specific leather upholstery and badging. Each Jeep arrives with a special handmade leather duffel to match the rig, so your soiled hiking pants and greasy camp pans have a bougie stowage spot while you motor back to basecamp. Pricing isn't listed on TNC's website, but it does mention availability begins next week, so get your orders in now if you like the look of this rugged-chic Jeep.

New 2021 Mercedes-AMG C43 spied in estate form

 Hot middleweight Mercedes-AMG C43 has been spotted testing once more – this time as an estate

Our spy photographers have spotted another Mercedes-AMG C43 prototype but in estate form for the very first time. The brand’s latest performance-focussed compact executive car is expected to be revealed this Autumn, providing new competition for the BMW M340i xDrive.

Compared with regular versions of the next Mercedes C-Class, AMG variants like this C43 will bear a much sportier look. This mule features a more aggressive body kit with a lower front splitter, broader side skirts and a new quad-exit exhaust system, housed in a large rear diffuser. The radiator grille is also likely to receive a redesign, while the production model should feature a unique set of AMG alloy wheels.

This new estate also has a larger spoiler mounted to its tailgate, while the saloon makes do with a duck-tail unit mounted to its boot-lid. Our previously spied mule featured a pair of makeshift canards mounted to its front bumper, which could eventually be offered on the production car as an optional extra.

Mercedes has already confirmed that the next-generation C-Class will have a completely redesigned interior, with digital instrumentation as standard and a large infotainment screen stretching from the bottom of the centre console to the top of the dashboard. However, as this is an AMG model, the cabin will also get sports seats, aluminium pedals and a sports steering wheel.

Like the standard saloon, the new Mercedes-AMG C43 will be based on an updated version of the outgoing C-Class’s rear-wheel drive MRA platform. As with the rest of the brand’s AMG 43 line-up, we also expect it’ll be powered by a turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine that develops around 400bhp.

The new AMG C43 will come with a range of chassis upgrades, including adaptive dampers, uprated anti-roll bars and a set of enormous drilled discs with six-piston calipers – as shown behind the wheels of both our spied test mules.

2021.5 Tesla Model X First Look: Yoke and Plaid Redux

 The focus may be on the Model S, but the Model X gets many of the same changes.

It's classic middle child syndrome. The internets are ablaze with news of the yoke-controlled, ridiculously quick, 520-mile-range Tesla Model S Plaid+. But will anyone notice the Model X is getting many of the same changes?

Tesla's big SUV gets its own version of the new Model S's interior, including the Roadster-inspired yoke, landscape-style center screen, and Model 3-like simplicity. The Model X also gets its own three-motor Plaid version, although performance is somewhat reduced. Tesla claims the tri-motor Model X Plaid will get to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds, top out at 163 mph, and run 340 miles on a charge, numbers that are 0.51 sec, 37 mph, and 50 miles below that of the Model S Plaid. The retail price, however, is the same $121,190.

The bigger news on the Model S side of things is the Plaid+. This is the one that Tesla says will deliver a fuel-tank-busting 520 miles of range, and 0-60 mph and quarter mile times even quicker than those of the Model S Plaid. Unfortunately, if Tesla's Model X configurator is to be believed, there will be no Plaid+ version of the Model X. Well, we suppose that's only fair—it's not as if the Model S is going to be fitted with falcon-wing doors.

The configurator also shows the dual-motor Long Range version, which now has a range of 360 miles (up from 328) and a 0-60 time of 3.8 seconds. It will be priced at $91,990. The prior Long Range Plus model, which offered 371 miles of range, is MIA.

Jaguar Classic Will Build You a Brand-New C-Type

 70 years after it debuted, a lucky few will be able to obtain (and afford) a modern classic.

As it has with its stunning continuation Lightweight E-Type, XKSS, and D-Type cars, Jaguar Classic will assemble a limited number of brand-new, hand-built Jaguar C-Types for well-heeled customers of exceptional taste. It's been 70 years since the C-Type hit the scene, its timeless grace and technical innovations forever changing motor racing. These new C-Types—and we mean new, not restored or remanufactured—will be as correct as possible and even eligible for vintage racing.

That is sure to be good new for anyone interested in hearing these straight-six-powered cars roar around a track. Rare and costing well into seven figures for even the most pedestrian original C-Type, it's getting to the point where sheer rarity and value may mean owners might think twice about exposing their cars to the rigors and risks of competition. Even injecting a limited number of new racers into the vintage-racing circuit could make a big difference in the number of classic Jaguars that line up on the grid.

For those that want to do so, the continuation C-Types will adopt the specification of the 1953 works racer, which won Le Mans that year. That means the 3.4-liter six, fitted with three Webers, will pump out 220 horsepower. Disc brakes—a then-novel technical advancement that made the car the first race car so equipped—will be standard. An optional FIA-approved harness system is available for those hoping to compete.

53 C-Types were built, of which 10 were works cars. Earlier drum-brake cars were less developed than the '53 spec than the continuation cars will be based on. If you'd like to visualize what your dream modern C-Type would look like, Jaguar Classic is kind enough to offer an online configurator. So if owning a brand-new C-Type is just a fantasy for you, at least it's an interactive one.

2022 Chevy Corvette C8 Z06 Spied Testing—Is That a Flat-Plane V-8 We Hear?

 New, exclusive video of a Z06 mule reveals how this beast will sound. Which is wild.

Death, taxes, and high-performance versions of the Chevrolet Corvette C8: what do these things have in common? They are inevitable, and while the 'Vette might be most desirable of the three, it's not quite here yet. However, thanks to some spy shots (and video seen below—turn it up, the audio's quiet) taken by MotorTrend's very own photographers, we can now say for sure that Chevy is hard at work testing development mules of the C8 Z06.

We've already speculated as to what engine might rest behind the driver (along with other juicy details) here. A source from inside Chevrolet told us the Z06 will abandon the pushrod V-8 in the standard 'Vette and use a naturally aspirated twin-cam 5.5-liter V-8 rocking a flat-plane crank. Even though Chevy is being very tight-lipped about final powertrain details, the video does plenty of talking.

Listen closely and you can hear a high-pitched wail similar to that of the Ferrari F430 or 458 Italia. This clearly isn't the deep grumble of a typical cross-plane crank V-8. As for the way it looks, well, see for yourself. The mule we stumbled across was covered in extremely heavy camouflage, but from what we can tell, very little about the bodywork on this particular mule has changed. The only physical difference we could spot was the width of the rear tires, which look significantly chunkier than the rubber found on the standard C8.

The wheels themselves are covered, but will likely be bigger than the standard Corvette's 19-inch fronts and 20-inch rears. They'll no doubt cover a much beefier brake package, in combination with more hardcore aero, a more aggressive suspension setup, and the dozens of other tweaks Chevy makes to the Corvette in the transition from base car to Z06. The new king of the Corvettes will likely be one very spicy machine, at least until the rumored "Zora" arrives. We can't wait to see more.

2022 Hyundai Tucson N-Line First Look: Sportier Looking, Not Any Sportier

 There is nary a suspension upgrade or a turbocharger in sight on this "sporty" model.

Whatever you think of the way the new Hyundai Tucson looks, there's little doubt that it does plenty to set itself apart in a relatively sedate segment. But if the looks of the regular 2022 Tucson weren't quite enough to digest—or be excited about—already, Hyundai has an even angrier Tucson N-Line version in the works, and it's even less subtle.

Up front, the Tucson wears a more aggressive grille and slightly redesigned front bumper with a marginally larger lower central air intake and a bright silver skid plate. Out back there's a new roof spoiler and fresh exhaust outlets poking out from underneath the right side of the new rear bumper. N-Line models also get body-colored wheel arch extensions, N-Line specific wheels, and, depending on color, the option for a contrasting black-painted roof.

Suede now covers most of the seats, though the units are unchanged and no more supportive when compared to the chairs in non N-Line cars, despite the fact that the Sonata N-Line offers excellent seats with adjustable side bolsters. Red stitching is used throughout the dark cabin on the seats, center console, steering wheel, and doors to give the Tucson N-Line a slightly sportier look. Beyond these skin-level upgrades, there isn't much else in the way of actual performance upgrades for the more aggro Tucson. Those who want a more performance-oriented compact SUV should look more toward the recently confirmed Kona N, the hotter version of the smaller Kona crossover.

Even though "N-Line" denotes "quicker" in Hyundai-speak when used on the Sonata sedan, there are no changes to the Tucson N-Line's powertrain, suspension, or the brakes. According to Hyundai's customer site, the N-Line will only be available with a 190-hp 2.5-liter four cylinder (one of three available powertrains here in the U.S.) with either front- or all-wheel-drive. No turbo, no spicy exhaust, nada.

Other goodies such as Hyundai's digital dashboard, a 10.25-inch infotainment display, automatic high beams, forward collision warning, and standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are all here. It's worth noting that, even though Hyundai's release only mentions the Tucson's European-market prospects, the N-Line appears as an option on Hyundai's U.S. consumer site for the new SUV. Hyundai isn't talking pricing just yet, but you can expect the N-Line to be priced somewhere in the middle of the Tucson range, right around $31,000 when it comes stateside.

2022 Acura MDX Interior Review: Lacking Luxury

 Even in range-topping Advance trim, the new MDX needs more polish and panache.

First and foremost, know that the redesigned 2022 Acura MDX's interior is a big improvement from the outgoing model. That SUV's nice-for-a-Honda aesthetic and dual-screen infotainment setup were decidedly 2014. Not so for the new MDX, which takes on a distinctive, modern ambiance with more technology than any Acura before.

But that the MDX has outdone itself is no surprise—the real question is whether its cabin rivals other luxury three-row SUVs. Does it? Short answer: Even in the range-topping Advance model we drove, no. Long answer: Read on.

2022 Acura MDX: Cargo Area

Let's start at the back. Pop the powered tailgate to find a 16.3-cubic-foot cargo area, slightly larger than the one in the previous MDX. There's also a wide underfloor storage bin with a removable, flippable cover. On one side the cover is carpeted; on the other, it's hard plastic so dirty cargo doesn't soil the upholstery. Other conveniences include a small deployable bag hook, a 12-volt power outlet, and a one-touch close and lock button.

Cargo capacity increases to 39.1 and 71.4 cubic feet behind the second and first rows, respectively. This MDX may be new, but its seats still fold the old-fashioned way: manually and individually. Whereas some three-row competitors offer powered rear seats, the MDX relies on levers and buttons. Tried and true those may be, but there are times when hitting a switch and letting motors do the work would be a saving grace the MDX can't provide.

2022 Acura MDX: Third-Row Seats

The rearmost seats are less confining than before, with headroom increased by 0.6 inch to 36.2 inches and legroom by 2.4 inches to 29.0 inches. Those dimensions remain best for kids, but adults could fit in a pinch, especially if the second-row occupants are generous enough to scooch their seats forward. However, the third-row chairs feel flat and narrow, limitations of their folding capability and the vehicle's rear structure.

At least accessing the third row is simple—just press the button on the side of the second-row seats to fold and slide them forward. The resulting gap is large enough for anyone who'd be comfortable back there to clamber through. Rear passengers can also let themselves out with the button on the second-row seat back or nylon pull below it.

Third-row riders don't get trim or amenities much beyond the basics. Besides cupholders, there are floor-mounted air vents and ear-height speakers. Only the Advance trim has rear USB ports—on others, occupants will need a cable long enough to reach to the second row.

2022 Acura MDX: Second-Row Seats

Moving up, the second-row seats have 38.1 inches of headroom and 38.5 inches of legroom, measurements within a tenth of an inch of the outgoing MDX. Like the ones behind them, the middle chairs have minimal bolstering, a trade-off for their flat-folding capability. Yet a sense of openness is aided by the huge panoramic moonroof and door windows, the latter of which have retractable sunshades on all trim levels above the base.

New for the MDX's second row is a multifunction middle seat. Put it upright for someone to sit in, fold it down for an armrest with cupholders, or remove it entirely. Taking it out is easy, and this provides another method of third-row access. But that leaves unsightly mounting brackets exposed, a ding against the MDX's luxurious aims.

Second-row amenities include two USB-A ports, a 12-volt outlet, and automatic climate control. The Advance trim adds an AC plug and outboard seat heating. These are all nice to have but not different from what's available in three-row SUVs across the spectrum. Add in the abundance of hard-wearing materials, and the MDX's second row feels more functional than upscale. A captain's chair setup like was offered previously would help it feel more like a true luxury SUV.

2022 Acura MDX: First-Class Front Row

Unlike the somewhat lackluster rear seats, the MDX's front row is pretty sweet. The seats are excellent; they're nicely bolstered, comfortably padded, and power adjustable in no fewer than 12 directions. Although 38.5 inches of headroom and 41.6 inches of legroom are increases of less than half an inch over the previous MDX, the steering column tilts and telescopes 50 percent more to help people short or tall find an ergonomic driving position. Three-level seat heating is standard, with seat ventilation and automatic climate control added on A-Spec and Advance models. The steering wheel, smaller in diameter and with a thicker rim than before, feels great—especially when it's heated, a perk exclusive to the MDX Advance trim.

Like in the TLX sedan, the new MDX's dashboard looks sharp. It's modish and unique, with high-quality wood, metal, and stitched leather everywhere. Although there's a bunch of buttons on the dashboard and steering wheel, their layout is logical and ergonomic. Acura's signature push-button gear selector quickly becomes second nature. A particularly fun addition is the ambient lighting on all trim levels above the base, which has 27 color themes named after famous roads and locales. There are other enjoyable little touches—check out how the arrows illuminate with each press of the temperature toggle, or listen for unique chimes when switching between drive modes.

Some quirks remain. The pop-up USB ports hide out of sight when not in use—but isn't using them the point? There seems to be space for them elsewhere on the dash, outside of an enclosure that could attract debris between its seams. On the center console wrist rest, padded upholstery only covers the top, leaving exposed screws underneath. Behind it, lots of space is devoted to a wireless charging pad. It's wasted on those who have a case on their phone or don't mind plugging in. If only the bin under the armrest hadn't been made so small for it. The half-size, cheap-feeling paddle shifters and strangely noisy side window motors are other un-luxurious foibles.

2022 Acura MDX: Tech Features And Headaches

Between the 12.3-inch gauge cluster and infotainment displays—both standard across the range—the MDX is adorned with literal feet of digital real estate. Yet, Acura's True Touchpad infotainment interface, which relies on a trackpad instead of a touchscreen, remains in need of improvement. Like in other Acuras, it requires finesse, patience, and too much focus away from the road. That the entire right third of the screen is devoted to basic redundant information, all controlled by its own smaller trackpad, seems like suboptimal design. At least wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto work consistently, and the Advance model's 16-speaker ELS Studio 3D audio system sounds fantastic.

Acura's first all-digital gauge cluster, dubbed Precision Cockpit, earns higher praise. It's bright, crisp, and clear, with slick graphics and animations. Driver assist system status, SH-AWD torque split, and real-time fuel efficiency are only a few of the data points it can show, but hopefully future over-the-air updates will add capability and customization. A full-screen map or more distinctive layouts for various drive modes would put it among the best digital gauge clusters, but it's not quite there yet.

2022 Acura MDX: What's It Missing?

Although undoubtedly improved over the last MDX, the 2022 model's interior lacks the completeness of other luxury three-row SUVs. For as nice as its first row is, the seats behind feel utilitarian. Depending on the buyer, that may not necessarily be an issue. Family drivers might appreciate the tough-built materials and straightforward approach. But for them, absent features like power-folding seats or standard third-row USB ports seem like obvious omissions. Against three-row SUVs with improved premium appeal, the MDX hardly distinguishes itself.

For drivers who want a luxury SUV as a posh conveyance for themselves and some friends, the MDX's interior lacks panache. It's not a cabin in which to welcome guests to sprawl out or woo with indulgent features and trimmings. Potential future inclusions like second-row captain's chairs could help change that, but until then the MDX doesn't have the, well, luxury to keep it in contention against other luxury three-row SUVs.