Riding along in Audi’s e-tron, the electric SUV born to slay Teslas
The E-Tron is Audi’s first mass-market electric vehicle, and we got to take a ride in this Tesla-fighting crossover down Colorado’s Pikes Peak over a month before the official unveiling. Get a first look at the Audi E-Tron’s performance, tech, and specs with this sneak preview.
We dragged 7 crossovers onto 4WD trails to see what breaks, and who makes it
Challenging the notion you can’t off-road with a CUV, we took 7 CUVs and pitted them against each other in a unique off-road competition. A blown tire, numerous scrapes and a few close calls later, a clear winner emerged from the pack – 2019 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk.
The coming hydrogen fuel cell evolution
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, and on Earth. Our oceans are mostly made of Hydrogen. So why have hydrogen fuel cells had such a hard time catching on? We met with the California Fuel Cell Partnership to get the low-down on how they can make hydrogen-fed cars more mainstream.
The Cullinan is truly the Rolls-Royce of SUVs
At a private event in Los Angeles, CA, Rolls-Royce showed off its first SUV. Built for wealthy families or executives, the Cullinan is a groundbreaking model for one of the most esteemed brands on earth. The SUV’s all-wheel drive system, hatchback design, and touchscreens are other firsts for Rolls-Royce.
From a bad battery to a crash, Virginia Tech’s automated car beat all challenges
General Motors and the Society of Automotive Engineers created the AutoDrive Challenge, and a team of mechanical engineering students from Virginia Tech overcame technical and human obstacles to create a basic autonomous car in one year. Over the next two years, they’ll build a true autonomous car.
Can’t we all just drive along? The not-so-universal language of autonomous cars
The road to an autonomous future is filled with competitive driving systems – but what happens when they encounter each other on the street? Automakers must decide whether to follow the same code, or duke it out for safety supremacy.
Go off-road in your bathrobe thanks to the rock-taming tech in Ram’s new Rebel
Off-roading doesn’t have to mean crawling around in the mud to lock hubs and climbing into a jacked-up cab. Ram’s Rebel 1500 uses technology to take the discomfort out of the road less traveled, and it works shockingly well.
How racing simulators are helping stroke victims get back behind the wheel
Researchers at Loyola Marymount University are adapting technology developed to train the world’s top pro racing drivers to assess cognitive abilities and help victims of stroke and traumatic brain injury to safely retrain themselves to drive. For brain injury survivors, this is anything but a game.
At Pikes Peak, VW just used an EV to smash a gas-powered record
The Volkswagen I.D. R electric car smashed the overall record at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, making a major statement for electric power. Volkswagen claims the I.D. R is just the beginning, and that its future lies with electric cars. But how long will it take to get there?
The Fender Stratocaster helped Bentley ally tech and craftsmanship
Bentley is known for interiors that use soft leather upholstery and real wood veneer. Digital Trends sat down with some of the company's experts to find out where they source their inspiration when they begin drawing a car, how they ally tech and craftsmanship, and what goes into making a piece of wood trim.
The car dashboard is dead, long live touchscreens! But give us better apps
The era of 747-style car cockpits full of dials and buttons is coming to an end. Features like CarPlay and Android Auto mean screens are in, and we’re all better for it. Or are we? Sometimes things don’t go as planned.
How Pioneer’s Z-series system gave my aging SUV a 21st century makeover
Can you really teach an old dog new tricks? Pioneer set out to prove you can by outfitting my reborn 1999 Honda CR-V with a state-of-the-art AVH-2440 NEX receiver with Android Auto and all the fixings, along with the company’s latest Z-series high-end speakers. Find out how the upgrade went down, and whether you should do the same for your rig.
Your next car will talk to crosswalks, pay your tolls, and find its own parking
V2X stands for Vehicle to Anything communications, and it will help you avoid accidents, make all the green lights, and keep away from traffic jams. The technology is already here, and it’s being rolled out over the next few years. When you have it, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without it.
We drove Bugatti’s 1,500-hp Chiron on the French backroads where it grew up
Bugatti sounds Italian, and its founder was born in Milan, but the brand has been based in France since its inception over a century ago. We traveled to Molsheim, a small Alsatian town the company calls home, to learn more about its heritage and drive the Chiron on some of the roads it came to life on.
We spent a smoky day sampling every generation of Mustang on 1 track
Nitto invited Digital Trends to the Thermal Club race track to experience all generations of the iconic Ford Mustang, each wearing its latest performance tires. Formula Drift champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. also let us ride shotgun in his 700-hp Mustang RTR as he tore up the skid pad.
Lamborghini’s electric supercar won’t contain batteries; it will be one
The brightest minds from Lamborghini and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are looking at how to electrify a super sports car. The answer could lie in rechargeable body panels, according to Lamborghini's R&D boss.
Dainese’s Custom Works motorcycle suit is one even Iron Man would envy
Dainese's new Custom Works program isn't cheap but it does give ordinary riders the ability to customize and design the kind of high-quality motorcycle gear worn by professionals. To see if it's worth the investment, we got fitted for our own suit -- and we couldn't help but feel like a superhero.
How tech is helping used car sales with safe transaction zones
No one needs to be reminded that the online marketplace can be risky. Scammers and creeps have infested classified ad sites like Craigslist and made them dangerous. In response, cities and businesses are now offering safe transaction zones to meet for online sales and used car test drives.
Behind the wheel with Volvo’s Android infotainment system
Volvo is injecting Android into its upcoming cars. You don't need a phone to power it like Android Auto or Apple's CarPlay, but you can still get the same great apps, music services, and even the Google Assistant to control your car. At Google I/O 2018, we took a look at a prototype.
How Mercedes-AMG’s Project One will influence car design
Mercedes-AMG is slowly adopting electrification. Going hybrid isn't as straight-forward as it sounds because it presents a unique set of challenges, but AMG boss Tobias Moers believes his team is ready to face them. AMG will launch electric turbocharging and a plug-in hybrid powertrain with V12-like power.
Climbing (literally) behind the wheel of GMC’s All Mountain Concept
We get behind the wheel of GMC’s bonkers Sierra All Mountain Concept to see how it performs through the last bit of heavy snow up in Park City, Utah.
It’s all in the trident. Meet the man who makes Maseratis look like Maseratis
Alfa Romeo and Maserati are both over 100 years old, yet they've remained faithful to their heritage through periods of ups and downs. We sat down with Klaus Busse, the head of the Centro Stile responsible for drawing both brands' cars, to learn what it takes to balance tradition while breaking new ground.
Technology is finally going to kill car dealers, and consumers win
Traditional auto dealers are a threatened species, according to industry veterans. Rising trends like subscriptions, direct sales, and the ride-sharing industry all combine to put auto dealers in a difficult spot. Here are some of the changes we could see in the coming years, and what they mean for buyers.
From SUVs to sedans, every electric Volkswagen starts with the same guts
Volkswagen -- a name that literally means people's car -- wants to bring electric cars to the masses. The brand is designing a modular platform named MEB to underpin a wide variety of electric cars, ranging from a Golf-sized hatchback to an A8-like sedan. The platform will be ready for autonomous driving.
Volkswagen builds a Batmobile-like electric race car to settle an old score
Volkswagen will return to the Pikes Peak hill climb in Colorado after a 31-year hiatus. The last time it competed, it turned a humble Golf into a monstrous prototype with an engine on each end. This time, it made a high-tech electric car that eclipses a Formula 1 racer in terms of performance.
Polaris eyes desert dominance with the 2018 Polaris RZR XP Turbo S
Billed by Polaris as "the nastiest RZR ever," the XP Turbo S can take you places you didn't think you could go off-road, at speeds you didn't think you could handle. Unless you're a professional desert racer, you will not outdrive the RZR XP Turbo S, which does the shifting for you.
Who pays for autonomous driving fatalities?
Human drivers are still far more dangerous than autonomous cars, but if you’re not really at the wheel, whose fault is it if there’s an accident, or worse, a fatality? The insurance industry has been slow to respond, and nothing has yet been decided in the courts.
Maven shows how a company that makes cars can also share them
Brent Taylor, Maven general manager for New York City, explains why General Motors got into car sharing.
How do you prune a Porsche? Add carbon and cut carpet (but not the glovebox)
With the Weissach package, Porsche is giving 911 GT3 RS buyers the opportunity to order a lighter, more track-focused car. We sat down with Andreas Preuninger, the head of Porsche's GT division, to get insight on the future of weight savings.
With new cars and new allies, Mitsubishi prepares for an electric future
Mitsubishi Motors North America COO Don Swearingen says to expect more electric cars and plug-in hybrids from the Japanese automaker.
From smartphones to airbags, MEMs sensors make the world work
Here’s how the technology that helps decide when to deploy an airbag also lets you watch YouTube on the train, by way of the lightsaber.
That’s a Jag? How the electric I-Pace broke the brand out of its own box
Digital Trends sits down with the two men responsible for designing and developing the 2019 Jaguar I-Pace. Ian Callum and Dr. Z share the past, present, and future aspirations for Jaguar's first-ever all-electric model.