Auto Moto

Subaru's idea of updating the Crosstrek is dropping a bigger, 2.5-liter flat-four engine in the engine bay. American tuner Crawford Performance has other plans for the city-friendly crossover. It turned the model into an off-roader enhanced with a lift kit, skid plates, and extra lights reminiscent of Subaru's rallying past, among other add-ons.

California-based Crawford Performance knows what it takes to improve a Subaru. It's one of the companies responsible for the Crosstrek Baja Racer introduced in 2019, and it's the only aftermarket parts manufacturer ever factory-backed by Subaru. The suspension lift it developed for the second-generation Crosstrek adds 2 inches of ground clearance to the front axle and an extra inch and a half to the rear. For context, the Crosstrek sits 8.7 inches off the ground when it rolls off the assembly line, so the lift alone raises it above the 10-inch mark.

Welcome to the interior of the 2020 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro, Toyota's largest SUV in its lineup. We're in the fancy off-road-ready TRD Pro (new for 2020), but that doesn't make a difference when it comes to the Sequoia's interior storage solutions. 

This truck is huge, both inside and outside. It's imposing and utilitarian, and there are many cubbies and slots for you to put your life's treasures. The video at the top of this post will give you a tour of the various places to put things, but keep reading for testing of said storage compartments.

When you drive cars from the same brand enough, you start to instinctively know how to accomplish tasks. It's like seeing the emblem on the steering wheel automatically reprograms your brain. For instance, a three-pointed star = gear shift is the stalk that usually controls the windshield wipers. 

I say this because when I got into the 2020 Lexus RX for the first time, I ignored my programming. I don't know why, but when I went to change the channel (left on Sirius Watercolors, ugh), I reached up and tapped the 12.3-inch dashtop display to do it. Just as I remembered that doing so should do nothing ... it worked! What the hell?

Toyota updated its popular Hilux pickup with a new look, a more car-like interior, and a more powerful engine. The changes reflect the fact that, even overseas, motorists are increasingly buying trucks as daily drivers.

In the United States, the Hilux is a forbidden fruit. It's tremendously popular in many global markets, however. It has stood proud as Australia's bestselling vehicle regardless of body style since 2016, for example. The competition is getting fiercer, so it needs to stay fresh to remain on top. Although it's not entirely new, the 2020 model receives a long list of visual updates that include a redesigned front fascia with a new grille and LED lights, plastic cladding over the wheel arches, and, on the Invincible X trim, INVINCIBLE lettering on both sides of the bed and on the tailgate, a proclamation that we imagine many owners will gladly put to the test.

Ignore the noise about where the engine and most of the parts come from — BMW. Never mind the comparisons to the last Supra, which was born in a different era and carried a much higher relative price. The 2021 Toyota GR Supra is a phenomenal sports car. Powerful, agile and communicative, it's a genuine performance machine capable of keeping up with more expensive cars on a track or your favorite winding road. Yet, it's also playful and full of character, eagerly wagging its tail around corners and sounding sensational in the process. And although its looks aren't universally adored, our time spent in various Supras would indicate the general public likes it enough to draw impressed stares and thumbs up.

And as we go into below, the Supra lineup expands for 2021. The new four-cylinder model lowers the price of entry, and although it certainly doesn't provide the thrills or speed of the six-cylinder (which was given a significant bump in power this year), it should nevertheless be priced well below similarly powerful luxury-branded sports cars, including its BMW Z4 platform-mate and the Porsche 718 Cayman. Of course, the six-cylinder Supra makes its own compelling value proposition, but it also drives so well that it doesn't have to lean on its price tag to get noticed. 

Premiering alongside the facelifted Toyota Hilux is the refreshed 2021 Toyota Fortuner and while it isn't sold in the U.S., it brings with it some minor revisions that should help it keep pace with the competition in markets including Australia.

The facelifted 2020 Toyota Hilux has just been unveiled in markets such as Australia and Thailand with subtle exterior and interior alterations as well as some mechanical updates.

As the top-of-the-lineup performance variant, the Civic Type R is already a rarified vehicle, and Honda added to the car's legendary mystique with a limited-edition model for 2021. The Canadian market was restricted to only 100 examples of the special edition, and all 100 recently sold out within four minutes of the order books opening. That's quicker than the 2017 Type R's Nürburgring lap record.

The 2021 Type R LE, which is offered exclusively in Phoenix Yellow, offers slight apperance tweaks, as well as a lighter overall package. It features 20-inch BBS lightweight forged aluminum wheels that reduce unsprung weight by 18 pounds total, and those wheels are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber. Weight has further been cut by reducing the use of sound-deadening materials, though Honda does not get into details about where the materials were affected. 

You've seen this particular Toyota 4Runner before because it was the subject of the first Suspension Deep Dive I wrote for Autoblog. It's still hanging around my driveway and available to make the occasional repeat appearance because, well, it's mine. I chose the TRD Off-Road for a couple of reasons, some of which will come into play on my Flex Index ramp.

First, it's the only model other than the TRD Pro that comes with a push-button locking rear differential, electronic crawl control and multi-terrain select. Second, it can cost as much as $10,000 less than a TRD Pro, particularly if you're content with cloth seating and no sunroof, as I am. I used some of the money I saved to buy the third item: an option called KDSS, the Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System. Importantly, this clever option can only be fitted to a TRD Off-Road; it's not even available on the TRD Pro.

The 2021 Toyota Hilux was a well-preserved secret until just a few hours ago, when the first image showing its new face leaked online.

A touch over 9,500 examples of the 2019-2020 Toyota RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid are being recalled in the United States.

As someone who spent far too long failing to stick the landing on aircraft carriers in Top Gun, it comes as a bit of a surprise that another Tom Cruise movie almost spawned a video game for the original Nintendo Entertainment System.

The Type S moniker is back along with the 2021 Acura TLX Type S sedan. And today, the internet has sprouted some more Acura Type S news. We caught wind of a forum post on Acurazine through a thread on Reddit that includes a link to a video allegedly shown during Acura's 2020 dealer meeting webcast. That video doesn't appear to be live anymore, but an enterprising individual happened to screenshot the most important slide from the video: Acura's product roadmap to 2022. Here's the link you're looking for.

Take this information with a grain of salt. There's a good chance that this intel is correct, but plans change. Most imminent is a redesigned Acura MDX with a Type S variant. We expect an MDX Type S to follow the same formula as the TLX Type S. Acura's new 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 would be a fine candidate for this duty. With that powerplant (horsepower unknown, but likely around 400 ponies), it could punch up against SUVs like the Mercedes-AMG GLE 53, or punch down to the Ford Explorer ST. tuned suspension, plenty of appearance add-ons and sportier interior would also likely be along for the ride. It's placed directly after the TLX on the chart timewise, so there's a good chance that we see a new MDX soon.

Collectors who find limited-edition hypercars with a multi-million-dollar price tag a little bit too stodgy will soon have a rare opportunity to add a real Formula One car to their fleet. Toyota donated the first example of the last car it built to compete in the series to a charity auction whose proceeds will go towards COVID-19 relief.

Wearing chassis number 01, this TF109 participated in a battery of tests leading up to the 2009 Formula One season. It was driven by several professional pilots, including Henkie Waldschmidt, Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock, but it never lined up on the starting grid of a race. Instead of stuffing it in a dimly-lit museum, Toyota passed the TF109 to Pirelli who used it as a high-speed test mule for tires. It was stripped of its red and white livery and put in the hands of well-known pilots (including Romain Grosjean) until it finally retired in 2011 after covering about 30,000 kilometers (approximately 19,000 miles), which is enormous for a Formula One car.