Mike Austin, executive editor of Road & Track, so he knows things like this, recently told me that a number of supercar manufacturers are developing vehicles with internal combustion engines rather than with full battery electric propulsion systems because people like the visceral sensation of the thrum of an engine. He acknowledges that there is no doubt that EVs can go really, really fast. But that speed is achieved accompanied with the sound of a whine characteristic of something from the Star Wars universe, not Le Mans or Nürburgring.
McLaren W1: mid-engined hybrid. Yes, there’s a V8 in there. (Image: McLaren)
Case in point is the McLaren W1 supercar, which is based on a V8 hybrid powertrain that produces 1250 hp—915 hp from the engine and 342 hp from the “E-module” (a combination of electric motor and control unit).
Quick? 0 to 62 mph in 2.7 seconds.
Of course, a powerful engine like the MHP-8 twin-turbo V8 itself can’t make a vehicle go fast if the structure it needs to propel is too bulky.
So McLaren, per usual, has constructed a carbon-fiber “Aerocell” monocoque and even uses things like 3D-printed suspension components.
Honda and Acura Go Electric with Ultium and Then Some. . .
By Gary S. Vasilash
As is widely known, when it comes to the contemporary electric vehicle, Honda was a bit late to the party. Given that the company has extensive experience in electrified vehicles. It is often forgotten (or unknown), for example, that the first hybrid on the U.S. market wasn’t the Toyota Prius, but the Honda Insight, which was launched in December 1999, edging out the Prius by a few months.
(This gives rise to another consideration. Toyota has also been criticized for its approach to the EV market, being tagged as a laggard. One could argue that this isn’t a mistake, given the still rather small number of EVs being sold in the U.S. market. According to Kelley Blue Book, for Q3 2024 there were 346,309 EVs sold, a number that will undoubtedly help the number of EVs sold in the U.S. to exceed the 1.2-million sold in 2023. But here’s something to think about: if you take away the Tesla sales from the Q3 numbers this means that 27 brands cumulatively sold 179,386 vehicles. That would be 6,644 if the number was evenly distributed. But no matter how you look at it, there is a long way to go in order to achieve the necessary scale to have a profitable production operation.)
Anyway, I’ve just been driving the Honda Prologue and the Acura ZDX, the two contemporary EVs from the company.
A sign of the times is that in order to get these vehicles on the market, Honda worked with a company that it has been collaborating on for some time (on things ranging from the engine for the Saturn Vue Red Line to hydrogen fuel cells).
The two vehicles are based on the GM Ultium platform (yes, even though GM is going to stop calling them “Ultium,” the platforms were Ultium when the Prologue and the ZDX were developed).
Just as the Saturn Vue Red Line was a Saturn through and through, not a Honda, the Prologue isn’t a Chevy Blazer EV, which it shares the platform with, just as the ZDX isn’t a Cadillac LYRIQ.
In the case of the Prologue—which is available with a single-motor (212 hp) front-drive setup that provides a range of up to 296 miles or as a dual motor (288 hp) with a 281-mile range (although there is the Elite trim package that goes 273 miles); all have an 85-kWh battery pack—the design inside and out are characteristic of the brand.
The design-speak for the exterior design—which was executed in L.A.—is “Neo Rugged.” It is, after all, an crossover. Arguably, it is a simple, straightforward design with a sufficient number of creases in the sheet metal to keep it from looking innocuous or as something that it isn’t (i.e., like something you’d take on the Rubicon).
Inside there is the clean, straight-forward Honda approach to ergonomic instrumentation. However, I have two quibbles with the interior design:
An excessive use of piano black plastic on the IP. Whereas the Civic Hybrid (a hatchback was recently released) has an interior that looks of the moment, the piano black in the Prologue is dated.
The distance from the top front edge of the instrument panel to the bottom of the windshield is a tremendous amount of real estate. Someone had better have a Swiffer on a long handle to be able to keep that surface clear because it is a reach.
But while on the inside it should be noted that there is as much as 57.7 cubic feet of cargo space, so it can handle a reasonable haul.
Of the two cars, the ZDX is the one that I find to be most impressive. (Of course, the starting MSRP for the Prologue is $47,400 and it is $64,500, so there has to be some bandwidth there.)
The ZDX comes as a rear-drive vehicle with 358 hp and a range of 313 miles from its 102-kWh battery. Or there is an all-wheel drive version (A-Spec) that provides 490 hp and 304 miles of range from the same battery pack. Or there is another AWD version (Type S) that generates 499 hp and will take you 278 miles with some alacrity.
2024 Acura ZDX Type S. Wicked quick. And you can shop for groceries with it, too. (Image: gsv)
Although Acura does have two cars in its lineup—the TLX and Integra—its two crossovers—the MDX and RDX—are focal points. In terms of powertrain performance, the ZDX smokes the other crossovers (or maybe that should be it “ozones the other crossovers”).
It, too, was styled in LA. And although it is a crossover, its exterior body style resembles for me more of a contemporary station wagon, with a lower, longer, more angular sideview than many other crossovers.
While it seems as though all vehicles today have some sort of light signature up front, credit should be given to the Acura designers for the sharp styling they’ve brought to the lighting of this vehicle.
On the inside the seats in the front are bolstered in keeping with the type of vehicle it is, and the layout of the instruments and gauges are intuitive. A cowl over the gauge screen provides something of a cockpit feeling when sitting behind the wheel.
Both are solidly engineered vehicles that go well beyond the propulsion systems.
The Prologue seems like a Honda (presumably because it is) and the response from the market is good: According to numbers from KBB, through the third quarter there have been 12,644 Prologues sold—more than the 7,998 Blazer EVs sold, and closing in on the popular Mustang Mach-E, which had sales of 13,392.
The ZDX, which is essentially a new nameplate (yes, Acura built a ZDX until 2013, but its sales were so tiny that it isn’t likely remembered by many (outside those who smacked their heads getting into or out of the rear seat on the C-pillar)) has had sales through Q3 of 2,647—which is not far from the Lexus RZ’s 2,742, which has been available for longer.
In 2026 Honda will roll out its 0 Series, which it is developing sans GM.
But neither the Prologue nor ZDX are placeholders until then.
Creating a tactical vehicle based on something that may be in your driveway. . .
By Gary S. Vasilash
One of the things that Ford, Ram and GM are really, really (yes, two reallys) good at is building trucks. Although many people buy pickups for non-work purposes, the engineers at those companies develop their trucks for all manner of demanding contingencies.
So it isn’t entirely surprising that GM Defense has rolled out with a Chevy Silverado 2500HD ZR2 truck that has been upfitted for war-fighting applications.
The “Next Gen” tactical vehicle prototype was introduced this week at the annual meeting and exp of the Association of the U.S. Army in Washington, DC.
You’re not going to pick up 2 x 4s or a load of mulch at Home Depot in this Silverado. (Image: GM Defense)
The truck is primarily powered by a 2.8-liter Duramax turbo-diesel but there is also a 12-module battery pack that power electric motors that are on both axles.
So when the truck goes into “Silent Drive” or “Silent Watch” modes, the electric propulsion system comes into play. So the truck can approach in silence. What’s more, there is sufficient power on board to handle the electrical needs of various sensors and other equipment.
According to Steve duMont, president of GM Defense:
“This rugged and highly capable diesel-powered vehicle offers tactical advantages, such as Silent Operations, exportable power, and increased range with extended mission duration. Our warfighters deserve the latest technology that industry can offer in order to gain and maintain competitive advantage over our adversaries. Our Next Gen mobility solution can be customized and fielded now.”
Presumably, as this is based on a vehicle that is in mass production it would be more economical than one that is purpose-built. But GM is adding the tech necessary to make the truck sufficiently robust to handle fighting missions.
After all, these trucks need to deal with conditions that the standard truck engineers don’t need to think about.
One would assume that when buying a vehicle in the >$100,000 vicinity it will have a full suite of amenities, both infotainment and safety-oriented (a.k.a., “stuff,” albeit that being a somewhat plebian term), as well as comfortable (e.g., seats that could be utilized in an upscale house) and capable (as in all-wheel drive).
One thing that may not has as top-of-mind consideration as it probably should, something that may be taken for granted, is the level of dependability of the vehicle.
It is one thing to feel a bit of quiet satisfaction of dropping off one’s luxury vehicle with the valet at the front of the club. It is something else entirely to be waiting for the valet to return said vehicle because there happens to be a glitch in the lot.
Or it could be simply the issue of getting something to work (e.g., perhaps if you want to open the glove box you should simply, well, use the pushbutton-style mechanism to open the glove box, not have to find a button or something on a screen to do it—otherwise, it could be frustrating/annoying).
Which is to say that all luxury vehicles aren’t built with the same levels of quality and dependability as others.
And there is information to back this claim up.
The J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS), which surveys owners 90 days after they’ve owned their vehicles. Presumably that is sufficiently long to get a sense of one’s vehicle and if something is going to break early, it has.
Lexus comes in second in the Premium category of the survey, behind Porsche (174 for Lexus and 172 for Porsche, with lower being better). Although one might argue that Lexus models and those from Porsche are largely different (but both are big in the SUV space), the most Porsche-like Lexus model, the LC, had the highest initial quality of any vehicle surveyed.
But there is another study that J.D. Power does, one that is more about the long run. It is the J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS). While IQS is after three months, VDS is after three years.
The categories VDS asks about include climate, driving assistance, driving experience, exterior, features/controls/displays, infotainment, interior, powertrain, and seats.
In the 2024 VDS Lexus comes out on top—by a considerable margin.
That is, the metric is “problems per 100 vehicles,” or PP100. A lower number is better.
Lexus has a score of 135 PP100.
Porsche came in second. It scored 175 PP100.
(Oddly enough, whereas Porsche came in first in the IQS but a Lexus was the overall highest in initial quality, in the VDS Porsche, second overall to Lexus, has the vehicle with the highest dependability, the 718.)
So one can feel confident that the LS 500h is something that is built with quality and dependability.
LS 500h AWD: Looks good. Drives well. Brings the amenities. And is built to be a quality vehicle. (Image: Lexus)
The Look
The sedan is low and lean. Specifically, 206.1 inches long, 57.5 inches high, and with a 5.8-inch ground clearance. It rides on 20-inch wheels. And the other obligatory specs are that it has a 123-inch wheel base and is 78.8 inches wide.
The Power
This is a big sedan, one might feel environmentally awkward driving it.
But this is a hybrid. There is a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 engine that is supplemented by electric motors so the total system horsepower is 354. This may not be the stuff of being pushed back in your semi-aniline leather seat when you push down on the accelerator (there are other LS trim levels for that), but it is something that results in a combined fuel economy number of 25 mpg, which is certainly outstanding for something of this scale.
(And going back to the issue of dependability, know that Toyota started building the Prius in October 1997, so it is undoubtedly the most capable producer of automotive hybrid powertrains by a long shot.)
The Interior
Luxurious. Sumptuous. Like that.
Leather is leather. Wood is wood. Metal is metal.
You’d think that’s, well, normal.
It’s not.
But it is normal in the LS.
Which is impressive.
(Although I must confess that when there’s white leather seating surfaces, I have some, well, concern. . . .)
The Tech
There is Lexus Teammate, a Level 2 advanced driver assistance system that provides the means for hands-off driving predicated on both a sensor suite (radar, lidar and camera sensors) and GPU processors. Eyes must be kept on the road and it works on highways that have been digitally mapped. Arguably, this type of system de rigueur for vehicles in this category, and in the case of Teammate, it provides the hands- and feet-free capability as would be expected.
A Thought
LS 500h AWD: All that is expected—and then some—in a reliable package.
Let’s face it: when it comes to Halloween, capacity matters when it comes to candy
By Gary S. Vasilash
Although things are undoubtedly scary right now in Auburn Hills, one vehicle that is holding its own against its primary competitors is the Pacifica minivan.
Through the third quarter 92,386 Pacificas have been sold.
That bests both the Honda Odyssey with 59,248 and the Toyota Sienna at 50,789.
Taking advantage of the season, Chrysler has decided to name the vehicle “the Official Minivan of Trunk or Treat.”
Load up the Pacifica minivans for Halloween. (Image: FCA)
This isn’t entirely fanciful, as the vehicle does offer the Stow ‘n Go Seating and Storage System, the built-in Stow ‘n Vac, and the Uconnect Theater System, which are key features for the season. (Arguably any season, but. . . .)
The seating system is helpful because when the second and third rows are folded into the floor there’s more than 140 cubic feet of cargo candy space.
The theater system allows the showing of scary films.
And, probably the most-vital feature of all is the vacuum cleaner, because let’s face it: Halloween is probably has the highest level of debris-generation of any holiday.
Incidentally: the Pacifica is available as a plug-in hybrid, so there is built-in efficiency on the way to the trunk-or-treat venue.
Some have thought that the Tayron will become the Tiguan.
The next-gen Tiguan will be on the long-wheelbase configuration for the Tayron.
But the Tiguan will, according to VW of America, have significantly different “sheet metal, powertrain options and equipment set.”
In other words, for ordinary people who don’t care about things like platforms, the U.S. Tiguan is a completely different vehicle than the European Tayron.
That said, the Tayron, which is available as a five- or seven-seater, is an interesting vehicle, largely because of the powertrain choices.
There will be:
A mild hybrid based on a 148-hp engine
Two plug-in hybrids, each of which will offer an electric range of over 100 km (62 miles)
Two turbocharged diesels
The Tayron will be slotted between the Touareg and the Tiguan in the European market.
The Touareg, a premium crossover, hasn’t been available in the U.S. market since model year 2017.
However, the U.S. has both the Atlas and the Atlas Cross Sport, which the Euros don’t have.
The next Tiguan will be announced at the LA Auto Show in November.
When the subject is NVIDIA and the auto industry, it is often related to how companies like Volvo are leveraging the company’s silicon for getting autonomous capabilities.
But what is possibly more germane and interesting on the road to autonomous driving is an announcement by MITRE Corporation, a government-sponsored nonprofit research firm, that it is partnering with Mcity, a 32-acre site in southeastern Michigan operated by the University of Michigan where autonomous driving systems can be safely developed.
Mcity includes various road surfaces, road signs, building facades, various types of crossings, underpasses, guard rails, and other real-world elements of driving.
NVIDIA’s Orin. Not only does it develop tech for autonomy in vehicles, it also has tech that allows the simulations necessary to get autonomous capabilities developed. (Image: NVIDIA)
What MITRE and Mcity will be doing is using NVIDIA Omniverse Cloud Sensor TRX APIs.
Or said more simply: developing the means by which their will be a comprehensive digital representation of the entire Mcity environment, including the cameras, lidars, radars, and ultrasonic sensors on vehicles.
The objective of having things like a digital twin of Mcity is providing the means by simulations can be run to test the performance of virtual vehicles. Then this information can be used in the development of physical vehicles.
By running the tests first in the virtual environment there can be repeated consistent tests as well as the ability to adjust parameters to present different conditions and/or capabilities so that when the real car is on the roadways of Mcity it is more likely to be able to perform as expected due to the virtual testing.
Sure, in order to get autonomous capabilities vehicles are going to need to use things like the NVIDIA Orin processor. But to get to the vehicles, there needs to be a whole lot of development, which things like the NVIDIA Omniverse Cloud Sensor TRX APIs can be instrumental for.
Renewables are nice, but petroleum provides the profits, it seems. . .
By Gary S. Vasilash
In defining its purpose, energy company bp states, “Our purpose is reimagining energy for people and our planet.”
Apparently there’s not a whole lot of imagination at the company because it seems, according to reporting from Reuters, that said reimagination is going to be more of the same.
“BP has abandoned a target to cut oil and gas output by 2030 as CEO Murray Auchincloss scales back the firm’s energy transition strategy to regain investor confidence, three sources with knowledge of the matter said.”
The whole notion of cutting oil and gas output by 40% by 2030 was announced in 2020. But that 40% was ratcheted back to 25% in February 2023.
That “abandoned” seems to indicate it is now closer to 0, if not all the way there.
As you may recall, bp came up with a moderately clever “Beyond Petroleum” slogan to play upon its name.
Seems like it is more like “Bullish (on) Petroleum.”
Meanwhile, over at ExxonMobil, when it announced its Q2 2023 financials, Darren Woods, chairman and CEO, stated, “We delivered our second-highest 2Q earnings of the past decade as we continue to improve the fundamental earnings power of the company.
“We achieved record quarterly production from our low-cost-of-supply Permian and Guyana assets, with the highest oil production since the Exxon and Mobil merger.”
Yes, oil is not going away anytime soon, EV investments notwithstanding
And while there are regulations around the world regarding the reduction of carbon emissions, how long are they going to stand if the market isn’t interested in those vehicles?
Most people need transportation but don’t necessarily want to compromise on how they achieve it but don’t want to be crushed by the sticker price. Enter the Jetta. . .
By Gary S. Vasilash
Cox Automotive’s “Auto Market Snapshot” for October 3, 2024, has it that the average used vehicle listing price was $25,172 (updated 9/20/24) and the average loan rate for a used car was 13.91%. And the average new vehicle listing price was $46,841 and the loan rate was 9.51%.
So taking those numbers into account, I am exceedingly impressed with the MSRP for the 2025 Volkswagen Jetta 1.5 SEL: $29,000. (Adding destination bumps it to $30,225).
Now were you to buy a used car at that average listing price of $25,172 and get a five-year loan fat the 13.91% rate (assuming nothing down) that vehicle would end up costing $34,929.
If you were to buy a brand-new 2025 Jetta for $30,225 and finance it for five years at 9.51% (again, assuming nothing down), you’d pay $38,320.
Or, a difference of $3,391 over the five-year period, or $678.20 per year.
Somehow it seems that ponying up $56.52 per month is well worth it for getting a car that is really quite impressive—and if you took at the average new vehicle listing price of $46,841, that $29K MSRP cannot be overlooked when the Jetta is a complete package.
2025 Volkswagen Jetta. (Image: VW)
When it comes to VW sedans, the compact Jetta is the proverbial last-man standing. The Passat, which the company once hoped would be its answer to the Toyota Camry and Honda According, went out of production in the U.S. after model year 2022.
Then there was the Arteon, model year 2024 was it in the U.S. for the upscale-but-affordable sedan.
This goes to the point that the U.S. is a tough market for sedans, especially when companies, including VW, are promoting their electric SUVs (the ID.4 in VW’s case), or their ICE SUVs (the Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, Taos, and Tiguan, in VW’s case).
But apparently there are some people who recognize that the Jetta is a vehicle that fits their needs.
That is, in Q3 2024 in the U.S. there were 19,379 Jettas sold—making it the second best-selling vehicle in the VW lineup, with the Tiguan taking first place, at 21,231. This means the Jetta outsold the Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, Taos, and ID.4.
Notably, compared with Q3 2023 the Jetta sales are up 35%, the biggest percentage increase of any of the VW vehicles.
This may go to the point of Cox’s findings about the high prices of vehicles nowadays.
The thing about the Jetta is that this is a completely competent vehicle, and that is not damning with faint praise.
The SEL is the top-of-the line Jetta. The S starts at $21,995, which is certainly something that plenty should consider (i.e., $3,177 less than that used vehicle).
But the SEL has much of the “stuff” that people want in a new vehicle—heated and cooled leather front seats (heated in the two back positions), a sunroof, 10.25-inch screen with navigation, BeatsAudio. . .
There is a 1.5-liter, turbocharged, direct-injection engine that provides 158-hp mated to an eight-speed automatic that offers both a sport mode and paddle shifting. The front-drive car is surprisingly peppy.
Adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, blind spot monitor. . .these and other tech-based features are part of the package.
The styling is more sophisticated than sporty or extreme: it is a design that won’t age fast.
It is sometimes said that kids swerve from the types of vehicles their parents owned.
So it went from sedans to minivans to SUVs. Perhaps we are getting to a point of a full circle.
The Jetta is certainly a good reason why that could be the case.
No, not for an Accord. It’s for the boating enthusiasts. . .
By Gary S. Vasilash
Back in the day when the Honda Accord was about the size of the current-generation Civic, Honda put a four-cylinder engine in the car, which did the job that needed to be done.
When a new Accord was launched, there was always praise among the motoring press that had a seemingly obligatory, “But only if it had a V8.”
After all, sedans were meant to have those things and it just seemed odd that Honda was more concerned with things like efficiency.
By 1995 the company gave in and put a V6 in the Accord.
But it never put in a V8.
Had it, it would probably been one heck of a V8 because Honda Marine has launched a new outboard motor, the BF350, which is a V8.
The award-winning Honda BF350—a V8 outboard. (Image: Honda Marine)
The new engine has garnered several awards already, including the National Marine Manufacturers Association and Boating Writers International 2024 Innovation Award and a Red Dot Award for Product Design (Red Dot awards, if you’re not familiar with them, are prestigious in the design community).
The Honda Marine description of the engine rings with familiarity for those who are more interested in powertrains for things with four wheels:
“a broader, flatter torque curve; smoother power delivery throughout the engine’s operating range. . .excellent fuel efficiency. . .superior reliability, ease-of-use, maintenance and ownership. A fully balanced, 60° offset precision crankshaft eliminates the need for a harmonic balancer—saving weight and seamlessly integrating with 60° engine design and nonlinear engine mount to provide exceptional operation with minimal vibration.”
And there’s this:
“VTEC (Variable Valve Timing & Lift Electronic Control), the BLAST (Boosted Low Speed Torque) System, Lean Burn Control, Programmed Fuel Injection (PGM-FI), a new Friction Reduction Technology, and Honda Intelligent Shift & Throttle (iST).”
Sounds like it has all of the characteristics that automotive V8 enthusiasts of yore were seeking from Honda.
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