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During our First Drive of the 2019 Mazda3, we praised the car’s agile handling and superbly executed interior. Now that we’ve driven the new all-wheel-drive variant, we’re happy to report that the sporty compact car is even better to drive with four-wheel traction. The 2019 Mazda3 AWD handles better in all weather conditions, turning it into a sophisticated all-weather driver’s car that puts entry-level offerings from luxury brands on notice.

At a drive event for the 2019 Mazda3, we started the day on a snow course and an icy slalom section. We jumped into a front-drive 2019 Mazda3 sedan first and instantly found it lacked the traction to get up inclines without momentum. All-wheel-drive-equipped cars breezed through the course from a standstill. Mazda’s all-wheel-drive system sends torque where it’s most needed and works with G-Vectoring Control Plus (GVC+) to maintain traction, taking into account weather and road conditions.

In the snow, the all-wheel-drive system and GVC+ keeps the Mazda3 sure-footed in the slush by reducing engine torque ever so slightly and applying small amounts of braking to shift weight and power around to keep the car stable. With GVC+ disabled, you immediately notice you’re steering more to keep the car from getting unwieldy. The lack of stability instantly became obvious on a slalom course where a 20-mph lane change easily caused the car’s rear end to step out, forcing the driver to counter the skid with lots of steering input.

On pavement, the all-wheel-drive system makes the 2019 Mazda3 feel predictable when driving enthusiastically. Torque sent to the rear wheels pushes the car out of corners, minimizing understeer and allowing it to rotate. Superbly controlled body motions keep the Mazda3 neutral, and the sharp, communicative steering tells you exactly what the front wheels are doing. The Mazda3’s brilliantly tuned chassis soaks up broken pavement beautifully without disconnecting the driver from the road, making you question the need for adaptive dampers and suspensions on some cars that aim to improve handling without sacrificing ride comfort.

The carryover 186-hp 2.5-liter naturally aspirated I-4 happily revs to redline; however, you feel it working hard at higher elevations. Mazda’s six-speed automatic upshifts quickly but takes a second or two to kick down. Sport mode offers quicker rev-matched downshifts and holds gears longer. We also drove a front-drive Mazda3 hatchback with the six-speed manual and found it to be the liveliest of the bunch. The free-revving four-banger works with the slick shifter and communicative clutch admirably to provide plenty of smiles behind the wheel.

Mazda’s interiors continue to move upmarket, and the 2019 Mazda3’s cabin easily matches those in entry-level luxury vehicles, especially with the two-tone options. Everything you touch from the dash to the armrests feels expensive, and the infotainment controls click and turn with a satisfying sound. Even harder plastics in the rear wouldn’t look out of place in a car donning a three-pointed star or a stylized “L.” Save for some road and tire noise at highway speeds on uneven surfaces, the 2019 Mazda3’s cabin is nearly vault-like. Complementing the spiffy interior is a 12-speaker Bose surround sound system that provides a crisp listening experience and just enough bass to satisfy audiophiles. The latest iteration of the MazdaConnect interface is easier to use but still falls behind Hyundai/Kia’s Blue Link/UVO, Subaru’s Starlink, and FCA’s UConnect.

All-wheel drive should make the 2019 Mazda3 more appealing to consumers living in four-season states, but that’s only one part of the equation. Four-wheel traction along with GVC+ also improves the Mazda3’s driving characteristics on pavement. When combined with its elegant interior, the Mazda3 turns into an entry-level luxury car in disguise. A Signature trim and the CX-9’s 2.5-liter turbo-four are the final pieces that can turn the Mazda3 into a nearly perfect package: fun, chic, and eye-catching.

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Google's Waymo self-driving car division on Wednesday brought California Highway Patrol officers to the classroom to go teach them how to deal with self-driving cars. KNTV reported that Waymo employees showed the highway patrol officers not only how to pull over an autonomous vehicle but how self-driving cars actually operate. Waymo provided...

Fastback SUVs are all about the look, considering they provide no practical benefit over traditional utility vehicles. With their dramatic rooflines, they attract customers who want something a little different. The 2020 Porsche Cayenne Coupe is the latest entry in this growing segment, competing against the BMW X6, Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe, and the new Audi Q8. But which is the best looking of the bunch?

Unsurprisingly, the Cayenne Coupe looks pretty much like the regular Cayenne from up front. Its front fascia has soft edges with rounded headlights, but the large grille gives it some edge. Similarly, the X6 looks like a typical BMW from this angle, sporting the brand’s familiar kidney grille. The Mercedes GLE Coupe has a streamlined feel to its front fascia with a rounded grille, headlights, and lower fascia. The Audi Q8 probably has the most unexpected front end since it looks so different than other models from the brand. Sharp lines abound, and the razor-thin headlights have a unique lighting signature. The grille is set off by a large frame.

Crossover coupes can sometimes look strange when viewed from the side. We would argue that’s the case with the BMW, whose roof rises sharply up front and drops off dramatically in the back. The slope of the Porsche’s roofline looks more natural, and that’s probably helped by the soft lines of the window trim. A soft character line runs high across the doors near the windows, helping the transition from front to back. The GLE Coupe comes in high-performance AMG trims, and its sporty ambitions are apparent through its bold wheels and window spoiler. The Audi Q8 shows off its long hood, sharp body lines, and bulbous rear end from this angle.

In the rear, the Cayenne Coupe offers an active spoiler. It has taillights connected by a rear light bar much like the Audi, which has a bolder lighting signature that matches the look of the front end. In contrast, the BMW features chunky taillights sitting below a large lip spoiler. On the Mercedes, a tasteful piece of chrome trim links together the traditional-looking taillights.

Take a peek inside the Cayenne Coupe’s cabin, and the first thing you’ll notice is the large screen and the thick center console dominated by buttons and switches, and big grab handles on either side. The interior of the X6 looks older, because it is. Swoopy lines cut the dash into various layers, and controls are laid out in a predictable and somewhat uninteresting way. The interior of the GLE Coupe looks particularly dated with the big number touchpad in the center below the screen. Audi interiors rarely disappoint, and the Q8 is another winner. It has a dual touchscreen setup, with the upper screen used for infotainment controls and the lower screen dedicated to climate functions. And who doesn’t love the 12.3-inch Audi virtual cockpit instrument cluster?

So which crossover coupe is the style winner? Let us know in the comments on Facebook.

The post Refreshing or Revolting: Porsche Cayenne Coupe Vs. The Competition appeared first on Motortrend.

Tesla ended its customer referral program in early February, citing significant costs associated with the offer. Less than two months later, the automaker is announcing a new referral program, and this one works quite differently.

Under the new offer, Tesla owners and those they refer get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging. Each referral also enters you to win a Founder’s Series Model Y monthly and a Founder’s Series Roadster quarterly. The vehicles will come signed by CEO Elon Musk and designer Franz von Holzhausen. In the case that an owner already has free Supercharging, Tesla is offering two chances to win those awards per referral.

Tesla says the new program saves money compared to the old one. Although the deal is a nice perk, the old referral program was more impressive. In addition to six months of free Supercharging, there were other rewards. A first referral gave you the chance to launch your photo into space. With two referrals, you could snag yourself a Signature Black Wall Connector or a Founders Series Tesla Model S for Kids. Three referrals gave you special wheels or one week with a Model S or Model X; four gave you priority access to software updates; and five gave you invitations to product unveilings.

Tesla says referrals have been an important part of the company’s growth ever since it launched the Roadster in 2008. In one past offer, new Tesla buyers could get $1,000 off their vehicle when referred by an existing owner, while the referrer also received $1,000 toward a new Tesla.

There are a few caveats to the new program. Free supercharging miles expire three years after the most recent miles are added. And if you win one of the vehicle prizes, you can’t win the same prize again, Musk clarified on Twitter. New purchased or leased Model S, Model X, and Model 3 orders are eligible for the program.

Source: Tesla

The post New Customer Referral Program Gives Owners a Chance to Win a Tesla Model Y, Roadster appeared first on Motortrend.

General Motors Co confirmed on Friday it will invest $300 million in a suburban Detroit assembly plant, adding 400 jobs to build a new Chevrolet electric vehicle.

The largest U.S. automaker has come under heavy criticism from President Donald Trump in recent days over its decision to end production at its Lordstown, Ohio, assembly plant earlier this month.

GM officials said the announcement was planned well before Trump’s series of angry GM tweets that started on Saturday. Trump called GM CEO Mary Barra on Sunday to raise the decision to end production at the Ohio plant, which is in a crucial state for the 2020 presidential election. He again ripped the company in a speech in Ohio on Wednesday.

GM has shown no indication it will reverse course and reopen the Lordstown plant.

Reuters reported on Thursday on GM’s investment plans for the plant in Orion Township, outside Detroit.

Chevrolet Bolt and Sonic at GM Orion plant

Last year, GM said it would end production at five North American assembly plants and eliminate about 15,000 jobs, prompting outrage and a two-day visit by Barra to Capitol Hill to answer questions about the job cuts.

GM did not disclose the name or timing of the new GM EV but said it would be built on the same platform as the existing Chevrolet Bolt EV. GM did not disclose the name of the new EV or the timing of production.

The automaker said in total it is investing $1.8 billion in its U.S. manufacturing operations this year, creating 700 new jobs and supporting 28,000 jobs across six states.

Additional product information and timing for the new Chevrolet EV will be released closer to production.

GM said producing the vehicle in a U.S. manufacturing plant supports the rules of origin provisions in the proposed United States, Mexico and Canada Agreement.

In February, GM disclosed that it had hired Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm run by Brian Ballard, a fundraiser for Trump’s presidential campaign. The company has been eager to try to smooth over relations with the White House after Trump first began harshly attacking GM last year.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Dan Grebler)

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There were some rumblings that the Toyota 86 may not return for a second generation, but a new report revives our hopes. Toyota’s European marketing boss has confirmed that the company will indeed build a new GT86, as it’s known in Europe.

Matt Harrison told Autocar that the GT86 has been a successful halo model for Toyota. He also reiterated that the new Supra was not intended to replace the GT86. “They are for different audiences and are different products,” he said. “We see a situation where they will sit alongside each other.”

Harrison said it was a “safe assumption” that the second-generation GT86 would keep its ties to Subaru. Originally co-developed with the Subaru BRZ, the GT86 features a Subaru-derived 2.0-liter flat-four Boxer engine. Making 205 hp and 156 lb-ft of torque, a manual-equipped 86 we tested ran from 0-60 mph in 6.4 seconds.

The 86 is not a big seller here in the U.S. Last year, Toyota sold just 4,146 copies, down 39 percent from the previous year. We don’t know about Toyota’s plans for the 86 here, and a U.S. Toyota spokesman told us the company couldn’t confirm plans to introduce a new version on our shores when asked for comment. But Harrison makes it clear this car isn’t about sales.

“Its role is not one particularly about volume globally. It’s about adding excitement to the brand and emotional appeal,” he said, adding the GT86 has achieved this goal particularly in markets like the U.K.

Earlier this month, we learned that Toyota wants three sports cars in its lineup, but it’s unlikely to make one smaller than the current 86. Toyota Gazoo Racing chief Tetsuya Tada told Evo, “I believe most people are looking forward to the smallest of the ‘three brothers,’ And when people say the smallest, they expect it would be the most affordable. But in reality coming up with a compact small sports car is quite difficult.”

Source: Autocar

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Debenhams’ share price plummeted 61% after it announced it is looking to raise £200m from its existing investors.

Paperchase’s creditors have approved its CVA proposal, which will see rents reduced on almost 100 stores.

New York is in for its first self-driving car shuttle service, thanks to Optimus Ride. The company announced Wednesday that it will bring the first autonomous shuttles to the Empire State later this year. Specifically, the shuttles will operate at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which covers 300 acres and houses more than 400 manufacturing sites. About...

2020 Porsche Cayenne Coupe debuts, stretches expectations for a crossover SUV The 2020 Porsche Cayenne Coupe that broke cover Thursday blurs the already fuzzy line between crossover SUVs and sports cars. Ford will build its self-driving cars in U.S. When the first self-driving cars from Ford are ready for the road, they'll leave a Michigan...

Supermarket Income REIT has raised £45m from its share issuance, surpassing its target of £40m.

Sainsbury’s and Asda have offered to offload up to 150 supermarkets in order to address concerns raised about their merger by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

Build-to-rent developers have voiced their opposition to changes to the London Plan which would require them to provide social housing in their developments.

Thomas Cook has announced it is closing 21 high street stores and cutting 320 jobs.

Sports Direct has offered to acquire Debenham’s Danish business for £100m and place Mike Ashley at the helm of the struggling department store.

Arcadia has appointed property advisers ahead of a possible company voluntary arrangement (CVA).

When the first self-driving cars from Ford are ready for the road, they'll leave a Michigan assembly plant. The automaker said that part of a $900 million investment includes plans for a new facility near Detroit to assemble its autonomous vehicles starting in 2021. Workers at the new plant will be tasked with installing self-driving car...

Quick Stats: Cary Deuber, nurse/star of The Real Housewives of Dallas
Daily Driver: 2018 Porsche Panamera GTS (Cary’s rating: 9 on a scale of 1 to 10)
Other cars: See below
Favorite road trip: Texas to Colorado
Car she learned to drive in: 1994 Jaguar XJ Vanden Plas
First car bought: 2002 Acura TL

The Real Housewives of Dallas star Cary Deuber grew up with eclectic cars in her family garage, and when it comes to her 2018 Porsche Panamera GTS, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

“We’re kind of a Porsche family. My dad collected cars growing up. I remember the Austin-Healey always ran out of gas because the gas gauge didn’t work,” she says, laughing. “We’d sit on the side of the road for hours. But the Corvettes were always very reliable. He was an aerospace engineer, he worked with turbine engines, and he was always very into cars. He still is he, drives a 911 now.”

Deuber originally had a Panamera but switched to a Cayenne because the Panamera’s back seat was a bit too small for a child car seat. Later she settled on the smaller 2016 Macan Turbo. Then last year, she switched from her Macan back to a 2018 Panamera.

She rates her current Panamera a 9, and her old Panamera would’ve been a 7 on a scale of 10. Although she found visibility out of the older model to be not very good, she says the new one improves on that. Plus, she says the new model is “better, faster, peppier.”

Deuber likes the Panamera’s GPS screen and infotainment system better than the Mercedes and BMW she’s previously owned. “Your cell phone is integrated into the car, which I really like. And I bought the fancy stereo system,” she says, with a laugh. “And I love the German engineering.”

When she got the new Panamera last year, Deuber was ready for the change out of the Macan, which she felt was a “mom car.”

“I generally don’t like a big SUV—I’m not an SUV person,” she says. “I want just more of a sporty luxury car. I like the back seat in the Panamera because it’s bigger [than my husband’s]. I really like it. My husband’s car I like, but it’s really small.”

She sometimes drives her husband’s 2018 Porsche 911, which she’d rate an 8. “I like the sportiness of it,” she says. “It’s a fun car to drive. It’s just not that practical for me. Running around all day, running mom errands, it’s a little cumbersome getting in and out of. That would be my only negative about it. It’s beautiful and has the yellow seat belts and the yellow vents. It’s really pretty. And so sporty. It actually doesn’t have the heated seats, but it has a sport seat, so it’s very, very sporty.”

Car she learned to drive in

Deuber learned how to drive in her mom’s 1994 Jaguar XJ Vanden Plas. Her parents taught her in their neighborhood outside of Dallas.

“I remember my dad tried to teach me to drive a stick on his Porsche, and it was terrifying. Mark, my husband, eventually taught me to drive a stick on his old 911,” she says.

Learning to drive in a nice Jaguar was a bit nerve-wracking. “It was a bigger sedan, and I was really nervous because I felt like it was a nice car. [My mother] used it for her work in real estate,” she says. “I was always nervous about driving it.”

Her parents gave Deuber a 1993 Nissan 240SX for her 16th birthday. A  month later, she backed it out of the garage and into the Jaguar, which her dad was washing on the driveway.

“He’s very fastidious about his cars, and I totally backed into it and put a huge dent in my mom’s Jag’s. It was not good,” she says, with a laugh. “He was mad. My dad was really pissed.”

Since it was her first car, Deuber logged more seat time in her Nissan than she had the Jaguar. “It was very fun to drive,” she says. “It was a little hatchback. It was pretty cool to have it in high school. I really liked it.”

First car bought A 2002 Acura TL is shown here.

When she began her career as a registered surgical nurse, Deuber bought a new 2002 Acura TL.

“What I liked about that car was that it had the techie stuff in it, it had the cool dash and the lighting,” she says.

At the time she was working for a plastic surgeon in Dallas and needed the car for work. She kept it for six years. “I … was proud that I bought it with my own money and I felt like it was a nice car for me at the time in my 20s,” she says.

The one thing she didn’t like was how the Acura handled. “It’s not German,” she says, with a laugh. “I tend to drive very precisely, and I like really tight brakes and really tight handling and steering. I feel most other cars that aren’t German are a little bit squishy.”

Favorite road trip

One of Deuber’s most memorable road trips was the time she drove to Colorado. “That was crazy, and there was a huge snowstorm,” she says. “I’m a huge skier. My parents used to go skiing every year, and we used to drive. Even when we lived in Ohio, we would drive to Colorado to go skiing. My parents love to drive.”

She took her road trip to Colorado with some college friends for spring break, driving in a huge snowstorm through the Texas Panhandle. “It was just insane. It was 20 mph for hours, hours, hours through the Panhandle,” she recalls. “The Panhandle can be really bad. … It can be nasty weather, and you have to get gas in New Mexico, I think. But all through there, from the Panhandle up through New Mexico, it’s pretty barren. And you can have some pretty bad weather in the winter.”

But it was fun to drive through the mountains and passes. “Even the snow, I was driving, and it was pretty fast but I made it. I didn’t slide off the road—it was a miracle,” she says with a laugh.

Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Dallas

Fans of the show know that Deuber is a nurse working with her husband Mark, a plastic surgeon, and they have a new practice, Lemmon Avenue Surgery and Laser Center. In high school when she wanted a job to make money and learn skills, she enjoyed being a dental assistant,.

“I always think it’s good for teenagers to work and learn a work ethic and so I started working at 16 when I got my car and I could drive to work,” Deuber says. “I went into my dentist’s office and I cleaned instruments, and that developed my taste for medicine.”

In college she decided she wanted to become a nurse, and after an internship she also got the bug of being in the operating room. Now she also volunteers with ConnectMed.

“I love it. I love operating, I love being a nurse, I love taking care of people,” she says.  “It’s really rewarding. I also do some mission work, sometimes in foreign countries doing burn reconstruction, reconstructive surgery on children. That’s a great way to give back. It’s more than just giving money. Giving money is great—I do that, too—but I really enjoy giving my time, which to me is more meaningful.”

She likes being on The Real Housewives of Dallas, where she can share her perspective on life as a multitasking mother, working with her husband, and launching their new laser center.

“Keeping up with it all can be challenging, but family always comes first,” she says. “I’ve learned how to balance my priorities in the public eye and even stepped away from work a bit to spend more time with my 6-year-old daughter Zuri. Life is still moving full speed ahead as our business grows each day.”

For more information, please visit CaryDeuber.com.

READ MORE CELEBRITY DRIVES HERE:

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• Jonathan Scott of HGTV’s “Property Brothers: Forever Home”
• Russell Holmes of “Garage Rehab”
• Spin Doctors’ Lead Singer Chris Barron
• Ted Nugent, and Why He Loves His Hellcat

The post Celebrity Drive: Cary Deuber of “The Real Housewives of Dallas” appeared first on Motortrend.

A look back at the original BMW 8 Series should make you appreciate the new one even more. Unveiled almost three decades ago, the first-gen 850i enamored us with gorgeous styling, impressive tech, and tanklike solidity at triple-digit speeds. And its big V-12 and six-speed manual gearbox? Very enticing. But overall the 850i failed “to elicit much in the way of a visceral reaction,” we noted. “Handsome but unfulfilling.”

The hard, cold numbers confirmed our feelings. It needed 6.7 seconds to reach 60 mph and 15.1 seconds to reach a quarter mile, trailing cheaper sports cars including a savage slew of Japanese imports like the Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 and Nissan 300ZX Turbo. BMW’s M division eventually worked its magic with the quicker and more exciting 850CSi, but it came years later and was relatively rare.

So with that in mind, is the second-gen 8 another lethargic luxobarge like its predecessor? Absolutely not. And it didn’t take us long to reach that answer—just 3.5 seconds to be exact. That’s how quickly the M850i xDrive rocketed to 60 mph in our testing before crossing the quarter mile in 11.9 seconds at 116 mph. Impressive numbers considering its 4,365-pound curb weight.

To make its big car go fast, BMW has stuffed a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 under the hood, good for 523 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. That’s hooked up to an eight-speed auto and xDrive system that divvies power to both rear and front wheels, resulting in explosive acceleration off the line with little to no wheelspin. Consistent, too, thanks to its launch control system, which is easy to activate.

Things got interesting on the figure-eight course, where we discovered that it’s quite easy to get the rear end loose—it may have all-wheel drive, but the system definitely favors the back wheels. The M850’s 24-second lap is good for a car of this size, but road test editor Chris Walton said it didn’t come easy.

“Jeez, there’s a lot going on here,” Walton noted. “I was constantly sawing at the wheel on the skidpad to maintain a smooth line. It would understeer on entry, then go neutral, then transition into oversteer—all by itself.”

We suspect the rear-wheel steering system is the main culprit here. According to BMW, the back wheels turn opposite of the front wheels at low speeds. And at higher speeds, they’re pointed in the same direction as the fronts. This transition takes place at 45 mph, which just happens to be how fast the M850i is traveling during those crucial moments when it’s entering and exiting the skidpad. Walton also said brake feel could be better and that the Bridgestone Potenza S007 tires were grippy but heated up and lost traction just after a few laps.

OK, so the M850i wasn’t exactly tuned to master our figure-eight course. And although the rear steering system is a nuisance on the figure eight, it’s oddly fun at low speeds, where snaking through a crowded and tight parking lot can feel like a carnival teacup ride. The M850i also shines on twisty roads, as long as you stay within six- to seven-tenths of its limits. But perhaps most important to most buyers is how smooth and calm it is while cruising the boulevard and highway—ride quality is remarkably good considering its sporty suspension (with adjustable dampers) and 20-inch-wheel setup (245/35 up front and 275/30 at the rear). Yes, the sidewalls are extremely short for a car of this size and weight, so prepare to have a bad and expensive day if you encounter any potholes. If you live in a city that’s slow to patch roads, we’d recommend the 19-inch wheels with thicker rubbers, which should still pair well with the handsome sheetmetal.

And yes, the M850i looks good. Ignore any comments about the 8 Series being a simple carbon copy of the 4 Series. That might be true if you’re looking at a small image on the cracked screen of an iPhone 5, but in person, there’s no denying the 8’s commanding presence that the 4 Series simply can’t match (no knock on the 4, which is also attractive).

So right out of the gate BMW’s new flagship coupe is properly quickly. It might not be the Ultimate Drive Machine at the limit, but most buyers won’t care anyway. And it gives us more reason to eagerly await the upcoming M8.

2019 BMW M850i xDrive Coupe BASE PRICE $112,895 PRICE AS TESTED $118,945 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, AWD, 4-pass, 2-door coupe ENGINE 4.4L/523-hp/553-lb-ft twin-turbo DOHC 32-valve V-8 TRANSMISSION 8-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 4,365 lb (55/45%) WHEELBASE 111.1 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 191.2 x 74.9 x 53.0 in 0-60 MPH 3.5 sec QUARTER MILE 11.9 sec @ 116.1 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 107 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.99 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 24.0 sec @ 0.84 g (avg) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 18/25/20 mpg ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY 187/135 kW-hrs/100 miles CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 0.94 lb/mile

The post 2019 BMW M850i xDrive First Test: Right the Second Time? appeared first on Motortrend.

Morgan Sindall’s investment arm has been selected as Brentwood council’s preferred partner to fund the borough’s plans to build new homes and other schemes for the next 30 years.