Acura Rdx Driveway Test | How Does A Stroller Fit?

Acura RDX Driveway Test | How does a stroller fit?

From the people who brought you the Luggage Test, it's the Stroller Test! I know, sequels, right? 

However, as someone who was recently in the market for a stroller and didn't want to buy a new/gigantic family vehicle to accommodate it (not to mention needing to potentially store it in every vehicle currently sold), knowing how big strollers were and how they might fit in cars was important. 

Toyota 4runner Trd Off-road Suspension Flex Test | How Does Kdss Work And What Does It Do?

Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road Suspension Flex Test | How does KDSS work and what does it do?

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.

2020 Nissan Kicks Luggage Test | How Big Is The Trunk?

2020 Nissan Kicks Luggage Test | How big is the trunk?

The 2020 Nissan Kicks is a refreshingly honest tool for people who know what they honestly need from a car. It doesn't have all-wheel drive, but you know what, most people don't really need it -- front-wheel drive and a useful extra bit of ground clearance will be just fine to access that campground, and if snow is in the forecast, snow tires will mean more than all-wheel-drive anyway. It doesn't have much power, but you know what, the Kicks is probably going to spend most of its life in traffic and the general urban grind, and in that setting, its engineers have made it feel surprisingly spritely. That it's reasonably quiet and comfortable on the highway should make that weekend trek to the campground sufficiently pleasant. 

And what about all the stuff you'll be bringing to that campground? The Kicks may have comparable exterior dimensions to most subcompact SUVs, but it's packing a shocking amount of cargo room. On paper, it has 25.3 cubic feet of space, whereas nearly all its competitors are in the teens. Only the Honda HR-V comes close at 24.3. And as you're about to see, it lives up to that promise in person.

2020 Mazda Mx-5 Miata Luggage Test | How Much Fits In The Trunk?

2020 Mazda MX-5 Miata Luggage Test | How much fits in the trunk?

The Mazda Miata would not be my first choice for a road trip car. Would probably be in the bottom 10, in fact. The interior fits me like a coffin, the seats pinch my back and the amount of passenger legroom is laughable. It's not exactly the most serene car, either. 

But hey, there are sadists out there who may want to venture somewhere in it. I work with some of them. So, as they were the ones who requested this, here is the answer to the question: how much luggage fits in the Miata's trunk?

2020 Honda Pilot Luggage Test | How Much Fits Behind The Third Row?

2020 Honda Pilot Luggage Test | How much fits behind the third row?

To date, the Volkswagen Atlas has managed to swallow more pieces of my luggage behind its raised third row than any other three-row crossover. The Hyundai Palisade came close as it was able to fit the four biggest bags in my travel arsenal. In this segment, I have also tested the Mazda CX-9 and Toyota Highlander, both of which are at the bottom of the segment in this one area. 

On paper, the Honda Pilot should be among that smallest group, providing 16.5 cubic-feet of space when the third row is raised. The Highlander is 16 cubic-feet, while the Palisade has 18 and the Atlas 20.6. In practice, however, the Pilot turns out to be far closer to those class leaders. Let's see why.

2020 Acura Nsx Suspension Deep Dive | How It Works

2020 Acura NSX Suspension Deep Dive | How it works

The Acura NSX has been a special car as long as I've been in the business. The first one came out in 1990, the same year I started my career in automotive engineering. I vividly remember driving one briefly back then when we brought one in for benchmarking. I'd drive it again 22 years later when my previous employer bought a used 1991 example for a long-term test. Reader interest was sky-high and the car was still gorgeous, but the march of time and automotive engineering had clearly left it behind.

Then, in 2016, a second-generation NSX emerged, and it was packed with bleeding-edge thinking. It has a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6, but this new NSX is a hybrid with an electric motor-generator sandwiched between the engine and its nine-speed DCT transmission. Two more electric motors – one for each wheel – power the front axle. There they can add traction, regenerate electricity under braking and dole out hyper-accurate levels of torque vectoring.

2020 Infiniti Qx50 Luggage Test | How Big Is The Trunk?

2020 Infiniti QX50 Luggage Test | How big is the trunk?

The 2020 Infiniti QX50 is a comfortable five-seat luxury crossover that competes with the Audi Q5, Acura RDX, Volvo XC60, Lexus NX and others. If you're interested in a QX50, it's probably got something to do with its impressive, technologically advanced VC-Turbo variable compression engine.

It also has sumptuous swales of bodywork, a long list of driver-assist and safety features, and a solidly luxurious interior with a two-screen infotainment setup. The window sticker for the QX50 we drove recently in Essential trim says the seats were leatherette; if true, it's the most buttery fake leather out there.

Learn How To Draw Totoro At Home!

Learn how to draw Totoro at home!

Studio Ghibli producer Suzuki Toshio has released a video message for children who are  staying at home due to school closures.

Schools in Japan as well as all over the world have been closed in an effort to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. To cheer up those children staying at home, the Nagoya Board of Education launched a special website. 

2020 Toyota Gr Supra Luggage Test | How Big Is The Trunk?

2020 Toyota GR Supra Luggage Test | How big is the trunk?

Nobody is going to buy a 2020 Toyota GR Supra because of its luggage-carrying capacity. However, there is a chance that they may not buy such a car because of its luggage-carrying capacity. For instance, you may actually want to take your fun weekend automotive toy on a fun weekend away, but if it can't fit a simple pair of bags for a pair of passengers, forget about it. It's pretty difficult to tell your significant other that "Sorry, you can't pack that. Won't fit in the R8."

In that light, let's see how Supra would do for such a weekend getaway. It has a hatchback trunk lid, albeit a narrow one, that reveals a shallow, yet long space. At first glance, it seems pretty useful and on paper, Toyota says the space is 10.2 cubic-feet. That's more than double the Mazda MX-5 Miata (stay tuned for that car's luggage test in a few weeks). 

2020 Mazda Mx-5 Miata Suspension Deep Dive | How It Works

2020 Mazda MX-5 Miata Suspension Deep Dive | How it works

Full disclosure: I'm a longtime Miata fan. And by longtime I mean since mid-1989, the year I obtained, through a series of fortunate connections, one of the three original Chicago auto show display cars. But this was no blatant attempt to butter up a journalist – I barely knew how to spell the word. At the time I worked for the Department of Defense and was racing SCCA showroom stock on the side.

It was destined to be a racecar. I was assured it'd be quick, but doubts surfaced when I arrived at Mazda's dealer training center to pick it up. "Oh, it's that cute Elan-looking thing," I probably said. But my mind was utterly changed when I eyeballed its double-wishbone suspension and other cleverly engineered features hiding beneath its skin. In subsequent years of racing – and eventually restoring – that car, I spent uncountable hours being impressed by it.

Govt. To Study How Often Hospitals Refuse Patients

Govt. to study how often hospitals refuse patients

Japan's government plans to investigate reports that many hospitals are refusing to admit people suspected of having the coronavirus.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency will survey 52 fire departments in Tokyo and other big cities. The survey will ask them how many times their ambulances have been turned away by four or more hospitals.

Honda Europe Reveals How It Will Recycle Ev And Hybrid Batteries (64 / ?)

Honda Europe reveals how it will recycle EV and hybrid batteries (64 / ?)

One of the biggest obstacles automakers face with electric and hybrid vehicles is battery longevity and battery disposal. If EVs are truly the next wave, there must be a solution to sustainably using the materials in batteries and safely. Both Volkswagen and Nissan have previously detailed reuse and recycling programs, and Honda Europe is the latest to announce an eco-friendly plan.

Honda Europe is expanding on a partnership with waste management company Société Nouvelle d'Affinage des Métaux (SNAM) that originally sprouted in 2013. SNAM previously assessed the traceability of end-of-life batteries and made sure they were properly disposed of. In the new arrangement, SNAM will analyze batteries for what are known as "second-life" uses.

2020 Toyota Highlander Luggage Test | How Much Fits Behind The Third Row?

2020 Toyota Highlander Luggage Test | How much fits behind the third row?

The 2020 Toyota Highlander is bigger than the model it replaces, growing some 2.36 inches in overall length. All of that pretty much went to its very end, as the cargo area aft of the third row sees the only significant increase of interior space, growing to 16.0 cubic feet from 13.8. 

Sounds good, but when you look at the 2020 Highlander versus these primary competitors, you'll see that 16.0 is still smaller than them all. And it's behind that third row where extra cubic feet can really make the difference, where one bag might be left behind or you'll have to resort to a rooftop carrier. By contrast, the Highlander's space with the third or second rows lowered is seemingly on par for the segment, as by those metrics, all entries are basically various degrees of enormous.

2020 Subaru Outback Suspension | How It Works, Ground Clearance

2020 Subaru Outback Suspension | How it works, ground clearance

The 2020 Subaru Outback is a completely redesigned car. It has a lot to offer in terms of new convenience features, and the driving experience is much improved. A good deal of that comes from chassis improvements, and indeed a lot of work went into making the body shell and suspension subframes more rigid so the suspension attachment points could be more robust and stable.

Don't let all of that rigidity talk make you think the ride itself is stiff. It isn't. Any suspension tuning engineer will tell you that a stable platform is necessary even if a smooth ride is the goal. Rigid attachment points make it easier to control ride motions and road imperfections within those components designed for that very job – the springs, dampers and suspension bushings.