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There is only one vehicle on the market with a roof rack system like the 2020 Subaru Outback. Literally everything else has either flush-mounted or raised rails where some form of crossbars are connected with "towers" (OK, so there's whatever you'd call this on the 4Runner TRD Pro). While car manufacturers will sometimes include crossbars, quite often it's left to the accessory catalog or third-party companies such as Yakima and Thule. In any event, keeping crossbars on your car regardless of how they are affixed increases wind noise and can harm fuel economy. They can also sully the view out your sunroof, but that's obviously a lesser concern.

The Outback doesn't have to worry about any of that, including buying aftermarket pieces. Its roof rails are the crossbars.

With a new generation of Civic arriving for 2022, it's no surprise the 2021 Honda Civic has a pared-down lineup. Previously, the company announced that the coupe was being discontinued, and the Si performance models would be on hiatus until the next generation. Now we know that Honda is also dropping the manual transmission option from the sedan bodystyle.

The manual transmission choices for the sedan were already limited for the 2020 model year. It was only available with a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder on the base LX and Sport trims, or on the Si trim. Still, if you're looking for a manual Civic sedan, remaining 2020 Civic Si sedans will still be on lots for a while. And if you need a manual 2021 Civic, you can still get it on Civic Sport and Sport Touring hatchbacks, as well as the Type R. We also expect manual offerings to expand again with the next-generation model coming soon.

The Lexus IS has now been with us for more than two decades. First introduced in 1999, it celebrated its 21st birthday this year and, to mark the occasion, Lexus hit the compact sedan with a significant overhaul, including a revamped powertrain lineup, an updated interior, and a much-needed tech update in an attempt to keep the sporty four-door relevant in a market that craves crossovers and SUVs.

So, first things first: The 2021 Lexus IS is not actually new. In fact, Lexus still refers to it as a third-generation car internally, despite the "redesign" and repositioning for 2021, which is ultimately more about the products elsewhere in the Lexus lineup, rather than the IS itself. We'll come back to that.

As expected from spy shots, the 2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross has received a styling refresh, and it changes the somewhat controversial rear end. It also brings some tweaks to the infotainment, and for markets outside the U.S. a plug-in hybrid.

The big exterior changes are at the back. The Aztek-style split rear window is gone for a conventional single one. The taillights no longer bridge across the middle of the hatch. They do still extend up the rear pillars. The shape of the hatch looks a little different, too, and it helps reduce the stubby look of the Eclipse Cross's tail.

A Japanese import and export company by the name of JDM Expo is looking to sell a 2002 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec II Nur for $485,000.

The next-generation Acura MDX is here, almost. This three-row crossover you're looking at is technically being called the MDX Prototype by Acura, but it's about as close to production as any prototype can get.

And what a looker it is. Acura has followed up the slick TLX sedan with another attractive design. With the MDX now the best-selling Acura nameplate of all time, this one was even more important for Acura to get right. Just like the TLX, it benefits from a much longer dash-to-axle dimension, measuring in six inches longer than the outgoing MDX. The pentagon grille, and Chicane-shaped DRLs in the headlights now grace a much wider car. Acura gave this MDX a wider track and a three-inch longer wheelbase, both aiding in making it appear far more graceful and sporty.

Following the July unveiling of the namesake concept, the production Nissan Magnite B-SUV will have its world debut on October 21.

Honda takes the idea of a "mid-cycle refresh" of its cars rather literally, and sure enough, three years into what is likely to be a six-year lifespan, the current generation Accord sees a comprehensive round of updates. Yet, true to the company's norm, don't expect massive changes for the 2021 Honda Accord. The styling is updated, but even we're having a hard time telling the difference. The interior sees more infotainment features on more trims, while the various driver assistance systems have been updated and increased in number. There have also been some improvements made to throttle and brake response.

All of this should be welcome news, but it's really just a bunch of icing on what was an already delicious, well-iced cake. Despite some impressive new competitors in recent years, the Accord continues to shine as our top family sedan choice. It does virtually everything well. It has a huge interior, yet is responsive to drive. It's fuel efficient, yet all its powertrains, including that of the Accord Hybrid, provide punchy acceleration for the segment. It's also well-equipped, and should provide the long-term value that's become synonymous with the name Honda Accord. In other words, the best just got better.

WASHINGTON — Nissan's U.S. lending arm agreed on Tuesday to pay a $4 million U.S. fine to settle a government agency's allegation that it improperly repossessed hundreds of consumers' vehicles.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) said that between 2013 and 2019, Nissan Motor Acceptance Corp (NMAC), a subsidiary of the Japanese automaker's North American unit, "wrongfully repossessed hundreds of consumers' vehicles despite the consumer having made payments" or taken other actions. Nissan must pay up to $1 million distributed to consumers subject to a wrongful repossession.

The 2021 Honda Passport is quite obviously a Pilot that has had some inches and a row of seats lopped off its tail. Sure, it has a different grille, big black wheels, chunkier roof rails and extra ground clearance, but the similarities are impossible to miss. The interior design is literally identical.

So why bother considering this midsize SUV with three fewer seats? Well, you wouldn't be alone in pondering that considering the Passport sells in far fewer numbers than the Pilot does. However, we think that it generally makes sense. The Passport is roughly $2,000 less than a comparable Pilot (the base prices are nearly equal, but the Passport includes more equipment), and if you're unlikely to use that extra seating row, why bother lugging it around? The Passport still has a colossal amount of space in its second row and cargo area, while its smaller size improves its acceleration and sharpens its driving experience. We also think there's value in its quasi-rugged attributes, including its 8.1 inches of ground clearance and more functional roof rails. It's basically a Toyota 4Runner for those willing to sacrifice extreme capability for better efficiency and on-road handling. And, of course, being OK with the Pilot-in-hiking-boots look.

New spy photos fresh from Germany give us yet another look at Toyota's upcoming subcompact hot hatch. While the Toyota GR Yaris is not destined for American showrooms, we're always happy to see Toyota hard at work developing enthusiast cars. Our spies speculate that this particular prototype may be a hardcore GRMN variant of the new baby rally car. 

This prototype boasts canards on its front bumper and an upsized rear wing, suggesting that it might be the GRMN variant, rather than the "basic" GR Yaris. GRMN stands for "Gazoo Racing Meisters of the Nürburgring," after all, so it makes all the sense in the world that Toyota's motorsports development specialists would take their prototype to its namesake road course. 

Nissan is paring down the midsize Altima lineup for the 2021 model year, eliminating some trim/engine combinations and effectively streamlining the remaining offerings, while also repositioning the sporty SR grade just above the SV (and below the SL) as it becomes the only variant available with the Altima's more potent turbocharged engine option.

The thinning of available trim combinations is by far the biggest news for the 2021 Altima. The 2.0-liter turbocharged, variable-compression engine is now exclusive to the SR trim, where previously it was also available on the loaded-up Platinum grade. All told, the adjustments eliminate three Altima variants: the aforementioned Platinum/VC-Turbo combination, the 2.5-liter Platinum with front-wheel drive and the base S model with all-wheel drive.

Autoblog wasn't around for the literal first drive review, but as they say, it's better late than never. Take a trip down memory lane in our latest retro first drive.

With automotive press launches curtailed, some manufacturers have taken to revisiting past glories, rolling out classics from their collections and making them available to drive. We've previously slipped behind the wheel of a ‘64 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, '67 VW Microbus and a pair of Hondas from 1999: a Civic Si and a Prelude Type SH. Now we're getting to dig a little deeper into the Honda museum vault in Torrance, Calif. with a turn in a 1985 Honda CRX Si.

This black Subaru WRX STI is going to be the next fireball of a racecar to be featured in Hoonigan's Gymkhana video series. It's billed as the "wildest WRX STI ever" by Subaru, and we're not going to argue with that claim. Just look at it.

The raw carbon body looks like an actual cheese grater. You could throw a whole chicken at the front fender as it drives by and end up with shredded BBQ. Its hood-exit flame-spitting exhaust will even give the bird a nice char as it passes over the front of the car. And no, we can't see any flames in the photos here, but Subaru promises that it does produce fire. The wacky aero was apparently developed in a wind tunnel. And if you haven't guessed by now, this car was designed with zero restrictions for anything. It's not competing in any competition, so everything was optimized for the best possible performance.