Displaying Items By Tag: 2020

Consumer Reports is out with its top 10 picks for best cars of the year, with increased emphasis for 2020 on safety technologies and its rankings based for the first time on price point rather than segment categories. Models from Asian brands cleaned up, with the Tesla Model 3 as the lone entrant from an American automaker on the list and the controversial Toyota Supra making an appearance.

Among 33 brands tested, Porsche was named top vehicle brand, with Genesis staying at No. 2 and Subaru dropping two places to third.

The 2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid marks the first time we've seen a hybrid powertrain in a Corolla in the U.S. It uses the same hardware as the Prius, consisting of a 1.8-liter four-cylinder and single electric motor that combine for 121 horsepower. So no, the power numbers aren't scintillating, but the EPA fuel economy figures are. The Corolla Hybrid is rated at 53 mpg city, 52 mpg highway and 52 mpg combined. Those numbers put it right on pace with the 52 mpg combined rating of the Prius LE (though the Prius Eco achieves 56 mpg combined). Its price is significantly less than the Prius LE, though — at just $24,055, it's $2,435 less. Impressive stuff, but the Prius is more practical with its hatchback body. You can also get the stripper Prius L Eco for just $25,280, closing the gap by a bit.

Toyota positioned the Corolla Hybrid like this on purpose, letting it be the budget option for Toyota's small, hybrid lineup — the Prius C hatchback is no longer with us. Our tester was the LE trim, because that's the only trim Toyota offers on the Corolla Hybrid. After a couple of accessories were tacked on (body side molding, mudguards and a carpet mat package), our tester came to $24,467. A few of the standard features are impressive at its low price point. You get LED headlights, an eight-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay compatibility and Toyota's full Safety Sense suite of driver assistance aids that includes adaptive cruise control and lane-centering. 

The 2020 Honda Civic Type R gets a number of updates over the previous model, plus a wild special edition, but one that Honda just announced is actually for your phone. The company is launching a phone app called LogR that will record vehicle data when you're at a track.

The app connects with the car's on-board computer to display and record various, well, data. The most basic function is as an auxiliary instrument panel displayed on the infotainment screen. It can show oil, water and intake temperatures, oil and boost pressure, and lateral and longitudinal g forces.

A year and a half ago, we got our first glimpse at a Civic Type R sporting a wing that didn't touch the sky. And now that more subtle Civic is going into production as the 2020 Honda Civic Type R Sport Line. It features a number of changes that make it more mellow looking, but American buyers hoping to order one are out of luck, as it's a European model only.

The obvious change is a low-profile wing that is almost more of a spoiler. It does still have pointy parts like the rest of the Type R's extroverted body, so it fits in nicely. Another significant change is the switch to 19-inch wheels, rather than 20-inch units. These look less extreme, and they will probably return a slightly nicer ride. The front splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser also get a grey highlight rather than the regular Type R's red line. Inside, the red bucket seats are swapped for simple black ones with red and grey stitching.

Honda has announced a new recall on more than 200,000 Odyssey minivans, model years 2018 through 2020.  Due to a safety defect, a wiring harness could potentially be pinched, which could create a short circuit and therefore a fire risk.

Honda first learned of a reported fire back in August 2018, but no information was provided to the company for further investigation. After a second fire in April 2019, however, Honda repurchased the involved minivan to examine it. In total, three fires were reported, and after months of internal testing and investigation, Honda identified the defect in January 2020. 

PARK CITY, Utah – The next-generation Camry was in the bag, on-sale, and receiving positive reviews. High-fives, team. The new car was wildly improved, having adopted Toyota's new TNGA-K platform that would go on to proliferate throughout the lineup, including the all-wheel-drive RAV4 and Highlander. But the new Camry, like every predecessor since 1991, would be front-wheel drive only. That there is a 2020 Toyota Camry AWD shows that something quickly changed.

All-wheel drive had been considered during the development of the new Camry, but was nixed. One gets the impression it was a decision made in Japan. Then the car launched, and almost immediately a vocal group of North American customers and dealers started asking why all-wheel drive wasn't offered and could it be added. This coincided with a continued mass exodus from family sedans to family compact crossovers, at least in part because of the reassurance all-wheel drive provides (even if a good set of tires should functionally do the trick). Toyota of North America made the decision to quickly change course, to offer all-wheel drive on the Camry, and put its own engineers in Michigan to work.

To create the 2020 Camry AWD, those engineers needed to rework almost the entire floor pan to accommodate a prop shaft and rear axle. The only engine paired with all-wheel drive would be the 2.5-liter four-cylinder, which in this application produces 202 horsepower and 182 pound-feet of torque (205 hp and 185 lb-ft in the XSE trim). Besides it being the sole gas-only engine offered by its AWD donor, the RAV4, only 6% of Camrys sold pack the optional V6. On paper, that 2.5-liter would seem to be the same in the Camry and RAV4, but they are in fact different in tiny ways, and it's the RAV4 unit that finds itself in the Camry AWD. The minuscule output difference between the standard Camry (203 hp and 184 lb-ft in all trims but its own XSE) and the Camry AWD is actually the result of a slight restriction in the exhaust caused by the need to package extra hardware at the rear.

The engine is joined by the RAV's eight-speed automatic transmission, which possesses the required output for the prop shaft needed to power the rear wheels. That piece of hardware actually comes from the Highlander, but the rear axle and multi-link rear suspension are modified from the RAV4. To accommodate all of the above, an electronic parking brake was fitted and a new gas tank was created in a saddle design that arches over the prop shaft. To ensure there was enough room for the new tank, engineers turned to the Camry Hybrid's back seat, which is 10 mm higher to accommodate its battery pack. Trunk space remains the same.

The Nissan Navara is getting a refreshed N-Guard variant in Europe adding new premium features to the pickup truck's range-topping trim.

Organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games have revealed the motto for the games: "United by Emotion."

Each Olympic event has featured a motto since the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul.

The 2020 Lexus UX 200 is moving into its second year on the market, and we decided it was time to take a spin in the F Sport model. Similar to other F Sport models from Lexus, this one amps up the handling and styling, but retains the same powertrain as the base vehicle. That means we're working with a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making 169 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque, which is then paired with a CVT. With a 3,307-pound curb weight, this Lexus crossover/hatchback isn't going to win many drag races in this segment. Lexus tried to improve the driving dynamics in other ways, though.

F Sport models get revised springs and more aggressive stabilizer bars in an effort to reduce roll and improve handling. Lexus says the 18-inch F Sport alloys are more rigid than the standard wheels, also aiding in the handling department. If sound is your thing, the F Sport also uses something called Active Sound Control that simulates the sound of up- and down-shifts. You know, since the UX is only available with a CVT. Both the grille and front bumper design are F Sport exclusive fittings. Same goes for the rear bumper and rear moldings, further separating itself from the regular UX 200. There are even more sporty touches on the interior. Lexus installs high bolstered sport seats it says were originally designed for full-on F models. Paddle shifters are placed behind the leather-wrapped steering wheel, too, allowing you to toggle through the simulated gear ratios. Aluminum pedals, scuff plates and an aluminum footrest all try and convince you that you're in something sporty.

It may not look it, but the 2020 Subaru Outback is a completely redesigned model. Eager to keep its snowball of success rolling, Subaru chose to evolve and refine its popular, genre-bending utility vehicle rather than re-inventing the wheel.

The key improvements can be found inside, where swaths of padded simulated leather are pretty much everything, creating an overall environment that's more pleasant for your eyes and fingers. Even the armrests are pleasantly squishier than before. Ultimately, though, the cabin's show-stopper is the massive vertically oriented touchscreen found on most trim levels.