The Dodge Charger Is America’s Ferrari Luce

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By: Sergiu Tudose

I wouldn’t go as far as to say the Charger and the Luce look alike, but it almost seems as though they’re distant cousins, don’t you think so? The lines of the body seem to follow a similar philosophy. It’s like some sick, perverted take on Coke bottle styling. I don’t want any part of this, and clearly neither does America.

More often than not, in today’s day and age, the car industry bends over backwards to remind us that nobody is immune to spectacularly misunderstanding its target “audience”. It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling six-figure Italian exotics or HEMI-powered American muscle cars. If you fancy yourself smarter than everyone and you forget why people love your products in the first place, those very same people will remind you who's boss by not opening up their wallets.

Check this out. According to a recent study of dealer inventory by CarEdge, the all-new 2026MY Dodge Charger (meaning 2025 through 2026) is by far America’s slowest selling new car through July of this year, sitting on dealer lots for an average of 385 days before finding a buyer.

Think about that for a second. That’s over a year! It means some Chargers have probably watched an entire model year come and go without ever leaving whatever patch of asphalt they were parked on.

Which brings me to this Charger x Luce comp I thought I’d make just to piss off two carmakers at the same time.

I know the Charger doesn’t occupy the same price bracket as “Maranello’s” latest creation. I say “Maranello” because it’s not actually a Ferrari. Not to me, at least. Anyway, what both companies tried to do was to take something iconic (like the Ferrari name or the Charger lineage) and reinvent it into something more modern and future-proof.

Now there’s your problem! As the MythBusters used to say. There is no such thing as future-proofing a legacy product, especially not when the entire industry is going through a transition period. Both carmakers ended up creating products that left their core audience in disbelief.

Then there’s the confusion surrounding the Charger. You’ve got two-door models, and you’ve got four-door models. The fully electric ones are the Daytonas, and the gas-powered ones are the Sixpacks, with two different power ratings. All wearing the same duds, brandishing the same name. The only reason you employ such a strategy is to cut costs. I don’t take kindly to that type of strategy.

Sure, not everything is bad about the Charger. The Hurricane engine is pretty good, and the Daytona is quick, but then again so is every single other EV on the planet. The liftback design is vastly more practical than the old Challenger/Charger duo ever was, but why are we “doing practical” when it comes to muscle cars?

For the full article, please continue reading on our site.

By: Cristian Agatie

Traditionally, cars have had buttons. A lot of them, to be precise, especially if it was a high-end model with many comfort and safety functions. There was no other way back then, as touchscreens and software interfaces did not exist. Everything changed when Tesla launched the Model S in 2012, and "glass cockpits" have become the norm in just a few years since then.

Some might say things have gone downhill from then, from the ergonomics and safety perspectives. Unsurprisingly, touchscreens and software menus have become more prevalent as tablets and smartphones have started dominating the world. Everyone thought a similar interface would gain traction in the automotive world as well. And they did, with screens growing in size and number with each model year.

Tesla undoubtedly set the tone, but they also went to the extreme with touchscreen interfaces. While the Model S and Model X have kept a driver information display behind the steering wheel, newer models have ditched that. Everything was concentrated in the software interface on the center screen. And before too long, even critical controls started to disappear.

Wipers, horn, gearshift lever, and even turn signal levers were removed as Tesla iterated through model years and refreshes. Everything went to the center screen, or, in rare cases, a touch button on the steering wheel. The best part is no part, but where do you draw a line? At some point, people noticed that something was off and started voicing their criticism. Thankfully, Tesla listened to them instead of its cult members.

This doesn't mean that Tesla changed its screen-centric interface. It just brought back some of the physical controls in one form or another. A turn-signal lever appeared, although devoid of light switches and extra functions. The horn is now again a large button in the center of the steering wheel, as it should be. The center touchscreen is still there, bigger than ever, but the clever interface makes interacting with it child's play.

Without an excellent software interface like Tesla's, many carmakers have continued to integrate touchscreens into their vehicles. The experience has been poor in many cases, not necessarily because screens are bad, but because their UI designs were questionable.

People have discovered that cars are not like phones, and finding a button on a screen while driving is more difficult than hitting the right physical button in older cars. Good luck if that button is hidden in poorly-designed, nested menus; you'd be better off pulling over. And if the infotainment system's interface lags and stutters, it's a nightmare. This explains why some have started to push back against touchscreens and want more physical buttons.

For the full article, please continue reading on our site.

By: Daniel Patrascu

It’s almost impossible to separate the name Zora Arkus-Duntov from the Chevrolet Corvette. The American engineer was responsible not only for the rise of America's Sports Car, but also for its transformation over the years. And nothing speaks more about his influence on the model family than the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport.

Born from an idea Arkus-Duntov had to take on the Shelby Cobra and the Ferrari 250 GTO, this version of the C2 Corvette was significantly lighter than a production Corvette and packed hundreds of components that were not only different from the standard version, but also unique.

The Grand Sport was developed under the radar, and plans were to build 125 units, which would open the doors for international Grand Touring races' homologation. People over at GM got in the way, though, and Arkus-Duntov only managed to complete five of them, three in coupe form and two convertibles.

Their mechanical setup, along with their rarity and the achievements in various competitions, makes the Grand Sports not only the most coveted Corvettes ever made, but also the crown jewel of car collections. And that explains why the owner of one of these racers, chassis 003, hopes to fetch as much as $13,000,000 for their example when it goes under the RM Sotheby’s hammer at the Monterey Auction in mid-August.

This particular example is not only one of five ever made, but also the first of the Grand Sport coupe lineage. It was intensely campaigned back in the day by some of the greatest names in racing, including A.J. Foyt, Jim Hall, Augie Pabst, and Dick Doane.

Tipping the scales at 1,900 pounds (862 kg), which is a staggering 1,300 pounds (590 kg) lighter than the production version, it scored with Dick Doane behind the wheel three SCCA class victories, finished second at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1964 in the hands of A.J. Foyt and John Cannon, and entered the history books after leading the Road America 500 for 93 laps. And that's only the tip of the iceberg.

The car has been in possession of the current owner, a California-based collector, for the past 23 years, during which time it was shown at various specialized events, including the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Sonoma Motorsports Festival, and Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.

It turned heads all around because over the years the Corvette has been subjected to restoration work that brought it back to its original specification, meaning the one it carried when it was fielded in the 1964 12 Hours of Sebring.

California-based Terry Scarborough Racing (TSR) was tasked with the work, and its crew spent four years and over 4,000 hours of work to get it in shape. It was an effort that required every component of the car to be disassembled, inspected, and, if need be, restored or replaced with hardware built to the original specifications.

For the full article, please continue reading on our site.

By: Sergiu Tudose

Every few weeks, an old BMW E39 pops up for sale and reminds me that we’re apparently still not over it. Most recently, it was a 2001 530i Sport with a 5-speed manual. Not a museum piece by any stretch, but rather a well-kept six-cylinder sedan. It sold for $16,500, which will fetch you a perfectly respectable modern used car.

It almost feels as though BMW enthusiasts appreciate the E39 more today than they did back when it first came out. And for the record, this op-ed is about the entire E39 range, not just the M5. I don’t even want to mention the M5, because obviously any heritage M car is going to do well as a used purchase nowadays.

Designed by one Joji Nagashima, also known for the Z3 Roadster and subsequently, the E90 3 Series, the E39 5er began rolling off the assembly line in 1996, following its global debut at the 1995 Frankfurt Motor Show.

U.S. buyers could only choose between the 528i and 540i to begin with. The M5 wasn’t introduced until 1999 on this side of the Atlantic. The awards quickly followed, as car magazines began obsessing over just about any version they could get their hands on. Consumer Reports went as far as giving the 530i its highest car rating ever.

But just think for a second about the world in which the E39 5 Series was born. It was an era when mobile phones were luxury items; the internet was still in its infancy, and sedans were rarely considered sporty in the truest sense of the word.

By modern standards, this car is small. I mean, you’ll find more room in the back of some 2026MY compact hatchback. I remember driving an E39 nearly 20 years ago, and it already felt old-fashioned in certain ways. The “infotainment” system was ancient, and for some reason it felt a bit clunky compared to the E60 5 Series or the C6-generation Audi A6. I wasn’t impressed with the value proposition.

When the E39 came out, it immediately landed in a fiercely competitive environment. It had to battle the likes of the W210 E-Class and the C5 Audi A6 with its increasingly sophisticated quattro all-wheel drive system. BMW’s answer to its rivals came in the form of balance. And this I do remember enjoying.

The steering had enough feel to it so as to make it engaging. Both weight and feedback – the likes of which we probably haven’t felt since. Speaking of which, I can tell you in no uncertain terms that there are more high-quality plastics in the E39 5 Series than in the current G60 5 Series. It would be hilarious if you thought I’m exaggerating. If that’s the case, I just hope you find a way to try out both cars. Maybe visit your local BMW showroom for the latter, and a used car lot for the former.

Why would anyone get an E39 in 2026?

Like with any other car that you buy because you’re an enthusiast, the objective is never just transportation. You buy an E39 for the same reason you buy a vintage watch or a guitar. It’s one of those products that arrived at exactly the right moment in history and achieved exactly the type of equilibrium that later generations never quite matched.

I don’t hold that against BMW. It’s the car industry that needed to grow up, literally. You can’t have your cake and eat it too, with all these newer regulations for safety, efficiency and whatnot. It’s what makes the E39 5er uniquely capable of balancing being truly sporty and feisty, with comfort levels worthy of a late 90s sedan.

For the full article, please continue reading on our site.

By: Mircea Panait

The Polestar 4 received plenty of criticism for the solid rear panel located where the rear window should have been. Fortunately, the Sino-Swedish automaker has acknowledged this problem, catering to would-be customers with a new body style for the full-electric crossover. Enter the 2027 Polestar 4 SUV, which has recently started dynamic testing at the Nurburgring.

A wagon-inspired sport utility vehicle with actual rear glass, the 4 SUV doubles as the more practical sibling of the 4 Coupe. Very similar to its brother from the B-pillars forward, the family-oriented model also shows a relatively upright liftgate and a taller greenhouse for extra headroom.

Going live in September 2026, the 4 SUV promises up to 630 kilometers (391 miles) on a full charge in the WLTP and no more than 544 horsepower from a dual-motor setup. Instead of China or Sweden, production will be handled by Renault's Korean Motors division in Busan, South Korea.

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BMW is developing an electric vehicle on the Nordschleife as well, though it's a very different animal from the Polestar. A superbly proportioned sedan with four electric drive units and rear quarter windows augmented by Hofmeister kink-shaped inserts, the electric M3 rides on the Neue Klasse platform and will pack fewer than 1,000 ponies in its raciest mode.

Developed for driving enjoyment rather than best-in-class acceleration figures, the ZA0 is extremely similar in styling and aerodynamic traits to the M Concept Neue Klasse. Equipped with sticky rubber and lightweight forged wheels framing massive brakes, the heavily camouflaged M3 prototype appears to be running production-spec front and rear lights.

Given the concept's existence, it's easy to assume that BMW has mostly finished the interior as well, giving it trademark M goodies for the M3 to stand out from lesser versions of the iM3. And yes, the first zero-emission M3 is going to share its name with the replacement for the G80 model.

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Referred to as G84, the internal combustion M3 is undergoing a Neue Klasse makeover in 2028 on the Cluster Architecture of the outgoing six-pot sedan. Pictured on its first laps at the Green Hell, the G84 mirrors the Neue Klasse design language of the ZA0. Save for the hood length and some C-pillar and rear deck bits, you will find it very hard to tell them apart.

The lack of an extractor vent in the hood and the integration of a quad-piped exhaust system out back separates the internal combustion model from its more clinical alternative. Just as important, the kidney grilles are not closed. Behind those grilles, you will find a familiar twin-turbocharged I6 lump.

Certain to use M Ignite pre-chamber ignition, the G84 is also believed to feature mild-hybrid assistance instead of purely internal combustion or plug-in hybrid solutions. If the mild-hybrid hearsay turns out to be true, prepare to bid farewell to a manual tranny in favor of the 8HP automatic.

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While the Hyundai Motor Company continues development of the much-anticipated next generation of the Tucson, a fresh set of unofficial digital illustrations offers one of the clearest looks yet at what the production model could become. Penned by Nikita Chuyko, the renderings draw a lot from recent spy photos of the South Korean automaker's global top seller.

As illustrated by Nikita, the 2027 Hyundai Tucson is boxier than its predecessor. Together with the clamshell hood, width-emphasizing daytime running lights, and cleaner profile, it is hard not to like this crossover. The South Korean colossus calls this design language Art of Steel, and the focus here is on the formability of steel, hence the very bold yet crisp lines.

Just like Toyota, the folks at Hyundai are believed to focus their powertrain efforts on hybrids with this generation of the Tucson. While there may be talk about an extended-range electric option, the packaging compromises and the production costs are too great for such a compact footprint.

By: Bogdan Popa

Sticking with Android Auto in the long term is certainly becoming more challenging. Google keeps rolling out botched updates, and version 17.2 is a painful reminder that the beta program doesn’t always serve its purpose.

A preview version of Android Auto 17.3 shipped with the same connection problems as its predecessor, making it impossible for some users to run the app.

Google eventually replied late this week, shipping an emergency update for Android Auto 17.2 and 17.3.

If you installed these new builds and somehow escaped the bug invasion, there’s good news. Google Maps immersive navigation is rolling out to Android Auto users.

Meanwhile, Waze is also keeping Google busy. The other Google-owned navigation app has received a major update that includes personalized routes and a new voice guidance mode that makes it less chatty. 

These updates seem to turn Waze into a testing ground for Google, so don’t be too surprised if they eventually make their way to Google Maps, too.

As an ending note, since all Android Auto issues have now been corrected, it’s safe to re-enable automatic updates on your phone.

Congratulations for reaching the finish line!

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