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Travis Pastrana, fresh from filming “Gymkhana 2022,” took to social media on Monday to announce his exit from the American Rally Association National Championship. Despite his multiple successes in the series, including taking home the title in 2017, Pastrana said he won’t return in 2023 due mainly to his desire to dial down his motorsports participation to spend more time with family, while still being able to focus on his own Nitro Rallycross series. He also said he will step back from his participation in offshore powerboat racing. Pastrana also made reference to a BASE jump accident during filming of…
Southern California might be known for its sunshine and warmth, but it gets rain and, in the mountains, snow. It wasn’t enough to deter the redesigned 2023 Honda Accord Hybrid from climbing more than 5,000 feet to Palomar Mountain, from the hallmark coastal sunshine to unusual bluebird snow. The curving ascent showed off the impressive handling of the 11th-generation Accord. Honda ditched the available adaptive dampers that were the secret sauce for an ideal ride-and-handling balance in outgoing top Touring trims, while it made the body of the new version stiffer with brace bars, stiffer brackets, and thicker plates. Honda…
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has been a long-time favorite for commercial customers around the world, and the U.S. has been the number two market behind Germany, with local sales averaging about 30,000 units annually. However, despite decent demand for the full-size light van here, the U.S. misses out on the electric eSprinter version that’s been available overseas since 2019. That changes with the arrival of the 2024 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter. Unveiled on Tuesday, the latest eSprinter is confirmed to start sales in the U.S. in the second half of 2023. Production for the U.S. will be handled at Mercedes’ plant in Charleston,…
Hennessey has come out with a supercharger upgrade for the C8 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray that lifts the mid-engine marvel’s performance to supercar levels. The Texan tuner on Tuesday announced the H700 upgrade that dials output from the Stingray’s 6.2-liter V-8 to 708 hp and 638 lb-ft of torque. That’s up from the peak 495 hp and 470 lb-ft of the stock Stingray, and also well ahead of the track-focused Corvette Z06’s 670 hp and 460 lb-ft. The modifications to the engine include not only the supercharger but also an induction system, an intercooler, and ECU tuning. Hennessey’s programming of the…
Even though Mercedes-Benz AMG replaced its GT Roadster last year with the redesigned 2022 SL (the iconic nameplate is now part of the AMG fold), the coupe version of the GT sports car has stuck around and will soon be redesigned. The latest spy shots and video show a prototype for the redesigned GT, which should be revealed shortly and arrive as a 2024 model. An updated version of the GT 4-Door Coupe may also arrive for 2024. The redesigned GT will ride on a newly developed platform known as the MSA (Modular Sports Architecture), which made its debut in…
The 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class has been updated for 2024, though it’s difficult to tell on the surface. It does have tweaked front and rear fascias, and the interior has the new steering wheel with touch-sensitive controls. But all the noteworthy updates are buried deeper with powertrain revisions and feature changes, the biggest of which is the GLE 400 e 4Matic plug-in hybrid. The GLE 400 e combines the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with a 134-horsepower electric motor. Total output is 381 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque, which makes it the second-most powerful non-AMG GLE. Oddly, for a plug-in hybrid,…
Volkswagen is recalling 20,904 ID.4 EVs—all from the 2021 model year—to address an issue that stems from faulty drive-system control software. In the affected vehicles, current software may cause the battery management control module to reset or the pulse inverter to deactivate, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This in turn may cause loss of power while driving. In the case of the battery management control module software, a self-diagnosis function may be too sensitive, causing unnecessary resets, while faulty pulse inverter software may cause “incorrect evaluation of internal measurement values” leading to deactivation, according to the…
BMW will turn to Mexico to make some of its more affordable EVs for the U.S. The past couple weeks have signaled that the EV price war has begun. And Electrify America raises prices. This and more, here at DriftBreath Reports. Electrify America last week announced price hikes for EV fast-charging. Adding up to about 15% extra for frequent customers, the higher rates do roughly correlate to a surge in the cost of electricity across the U.S. over the past year—although they’re not close to the volatility that those who fill up with gas are used to. A series of…
Porsche is out testing prototypes for an updated Taycan, and the latest tester to be spotted is for the performance EV’s Cross Turismo soft-roader body style. Prototypes for the sedan and Sport Turismo wagon are also out testing. Clear giveaways that this is the Cross Turismo and not the Sport Turismo include the taller ride height, chunky side skirts, and protective underbody cladding. The Taycan initially arrived in the sedan body style for the 2020 model year and spawned the Cross Turismo for 2021 and Sport Turismo for 2022. The complete updated range should arrive for the 2024 model year,…
Quick Facts About Trailer Backup Assist Systems All current systems require the driver to accelerate and brake the vehicle. Ford and Ram trailer backup assist systems provide a separate control knob for steering. Aftermarket backup assist kits similar to the Ford and Ram factory systems aren’t currently available. Truck makers are tirelessly working to eliminate some of the drama from towing a trailer. These are welcome improvements to a task that can be stressful for even experienced drivers and downright scary for the novice. Here we are going to concentrate on some current technologies that simplify one of the more…