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I’m a big fan of a good drill bit, like anyone else who’s having to drill holes. But there are some serious differences in bits, regardless of the price. With all the different coatings, tip designs, and more available it is often hard to decide which ones you need in your tool box. The nicest bits I’ve used in recent years are the stepped tip bits, which power through thinner materials. One thing that I learned many years ago was that the drill bit only needs to be long enough to go through the

The founder and chairman of CATL, the world’s largest EV battery manufacturer, believes the protectionist measures the US has taken in recent years to prevent Chinese EVs and batteries from penetrating the market will hurt the US auto industry more in the long term. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Robin Zeng, who is China’s fourth richest man, said the American EV market is doomed without CATL. While the Biden and Trump administrations have imposed prohibitive tariffs on Chinese-ma

Not Just Another Entry-Level Land Cruiser In stock form, the Land Cruiser FJ already shows what Toyota is going for. It’s smaller, easier to handle, and sits below the American Land Cruiser. But seeing it in Thailand, surrounded by finished builds and accessories, changes how I see it. The new FJ isn't an entry-level Land Cruiser – it’s meant to be an off-road toy. Up close, the proportions stand out even more than those of the well-loved Suzuki Jimny. It looks like something you’d actually want

Mercedes-Benz revealed the new VLE minivan earlier this month, and it will give U.S. customers something different to consider in the luxury class. The VLE is set to become America’s most opulent minivan when it goes on sale, but something even more lavish is coming from Mercedes in the minivan segment. The company has just teased the all-new Mercedes-Maybach VLS, which means the Maybach sub-brand—considered a Bentley and Rolls-Royce competitor—will gain a minivan model for the first time. A Gra

Just because the parts are available doesn’t mean that doing an interior restoration on your favorite project is going to be cheap. With lots of options, from “custom” bolt in replacement options to factory replacements, there are a jillion price points to navigate when getting parts for your ride. And then there is the labor. Regardless of how cheap the parts are, paying someone to rehab your interior will cost a pretty penny. But what if you do it yourself? Can you save real money and actually

Make It Three Straight Mazda has earned the most Top Safety Pick+ awards from the IIHS this year, marking the third consecutive year the automaker has led the industry. A total of eight models have received the honor so far, surpassing brands like Hyundai and Audi, which have six each. The list of Top Safety Pick+ recipients includes the 2026 Mazda3 Sedan, Mazda3 Hatchback, CX-30, CX-50, CX-70, CX-70 PHEV, CX-90, and CX-90 PHEV. Genesis ranks fourth with five models, followed by Kia with four, N

The Dodge Durango has always stood out in the three-row SUV segment for its brutish design and high-horsepower engines, and now one of the most appealing models in the lineup has gone on sale. You can finally order the new Durango R/T 392 in all 50 states, which is available in Launch Edition or Launch Edition Premium variations. The highlight is the iconic 392-cubic-inch Hemi V8, which is standard on the Durango R/T for the first time. At just under $50,000, no other gas-powered three-row SUV c

Station wagons have been completely eclipsed by crossovers and SUVs, which offer a more commanding driving position along with impressive cargo capacity, but according to BMW, American buyers couldn't care less about the practicality of a wagon, and the German automaker wants to offer more of them to U.S. customers. Speaking with CarBuzz, BMW's Senior VP of Brand and Product Management, Bernd Koerber, said that Americans are more interested in the way Munich's wagons look than how useful they ar

The Chrysler Pacifica is about to enter its 10th model year on sale, but Stellantis shows no sign of winding down the minivan, especially because it still remains the sole model in Chrysler’s stable, and its modest but consistent sales success seems to be pointing towards a quiet renaissance for the minivan genre. In fact, the Pacifica is just about to undergo its second major facelift, something we’ve already had a more than adequate look at in official imagery and had plenty of info on, includ

Toyota has announced a noncompliance safety recall for the Lexus LX, the company’s most luxurious and expensive SUV in the United States. The issue revolves around the front passenger-side airbag, which may not deploy correctly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury for anyone in that seat. While some airbag-related recalls can affect hundreds of thousands of models, a much smaller number of LX SUVs are affected by this one, but that doesn't mean owners shouldn't take it seriousl

We’ve seen Jay Leno drive all sorts of rare and exotic cars over the years, but the episodes that stand out the most are always those that feature unexpected vehicles, such as tractors, buses, semi trucks, fire engines, tanks, and even steam locomotives. You probably remember Jay Leno drove a pre-production version of the Tesla Semi Class 8 electric truck in October 2023 in a famous episode that saw the famous car collector and TV personality towing a trailer with another Tesla Semi on it. That

Targeting the EV Carbon Problem Head-On Since electric vehicles became more widespread at the start of the decade, so has the debate over whether EVs are actually more environmentally friendly. Some argue that EV production generates so much carbon upfront that, over time, their overall carbon footprint may end up being no better than that of internal combustion engine vehicles. At Mercedes-Benz, however, the German marque is drawing a clear distinction with the new electric GLC, which, based on

Incessant car bloat is an enemy that every new car battles and typically loses to, with additional safety equipment and the advent of electrification adding hundreds or even thousands of pounds to the curb weight with each new generation—just look at the new Audi RS 5, which now tips the scales at almost 5,200 pounds in sedan form, compared to under 4,100 lbs for its B9 Sportback non-hybrid predecessor. A notable exception to this trend is the Mazda MX-5 Miata, which is lighter in current ND for

First Impressions Don’t Last  When it comes to BMW, first impressions are never final – take the Bangle Bimmers as an example. The brand has proven time and time again that the first (internet) impressions won’t ever dictate how well a product eventually does, or how it will factor into the cultural zeitgeist – at least that’s what I tried to tell myself while approaching the first of the “Neue Klasse” BMWs, the 2026 iX3.  Now, if you ask me, the E46 generation is the most influential modern Bim

In the 1970s and 80s, Volvo built its reputation on something unfashionable: simplicity. Cars like the 240 were overbuilt, mechanically straightforward, and designed to be fixed rather than replaced. The 940 that followed leaned on familiar components, while many competitors were already introducing increasingly complex electronics and untested systems. That conservatism was very much part of the product. And for decades, it worked brilliantly. Now, in 2026, Volvo sits second from the bottom of

Over the past few months, speculation surrounding the return of the Corvette's Grand Sport trim has been rampant, and after what appeared to be the C8 Grand Sport was spotted in the wild a month ago, Chevy finally confirmed the model's existence at the 12 Hours of Sebring last weekend, displaying it alongside previous Grand Sports during a parade lap. Now, a new report from The Supercar Blog claims that the C8 Grand Sport will debut with between 550 and 720 horsepower. The report says the RWD Gr

A Climate Case With Big Targets BMW and Mercedes-Benz are two of the industry’s biggest performance brands, so it was no surprise when environmental group Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) sued the automakers for allegedly exceeding their “carbon budget.” However, Reuters reports that Germany’s Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe rejected the lawsuit, ruling that no such budget had been allocated to individual companies. DUH – whose three managing directors stood as plaintiffs – sought to force BMW a

There's yet another recall out for certain Ford and Lincoln SUVs, and it concerns the rearview camera again. Only this time, the glitch may also mean that advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that aim to prevent crashes may also fail. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there's a software problem with some 254,640 Explorer, Navigator, Nautilus, and Aviator SUVs, specifically their image processing modules. These may "unexpectedly reset," and if they do, both the

Here’s our last blast of photos from David Whealon, but we’ve got more galleries coming still! Use the link below to check out any of the photos you might have missed so far! (Photos by David Whealon) – NHRA Drag Racing at the Gatornationals was off the hook yet again in 2026! The week started with new drivers, crew chiefs, and teams, plus record breaking performances in testing, and ended with big wins and happy fans. This is the start of a whole new year of NHRA Drag Racing and we know this s

Here’s the Day 5 video from The Texas Motorplex and TX2K26! If you missed any of the previous videos, just click the link below to check them out too. With the sale of Houston Raceway Park three years ago, TX2K was in need of a new home and with only one really big world class drag racing facility left, that meant that TX2K had to move to the Texas Motorplex in Ennis. This is the third year at the Motorplex, and it is carrying on the tradition that was started in Houston. This year’s action was

It’s coming up on four years since we first laid eyes on the imposing-looking seventh-generation BMW 7 Series and its electric counterpart, the i7, and that means it’s almost facelift time. We’ve had glimpses at the full-sized sedan’s refreshed look through both disguised prototypes and official teasers from BMW, but this new unofficial rendering, from digital artist Nicolás Cavero – @futurecarsnow on Instagram – gives us perhaps our best idea yet of what to expect. The Grille’s Not Going Anywhe

Audi is getting ready to launch its largest ever SUV, the Q9, but over in China, it’s already revealed something even bigger than the existing Q7. Well, Audi hasn’t, but AUDI, the all-caps, all-electric China-only sub-brand, has in the shape of the E7X. Following the first official pictures arriving late last year, and ahead of the car making its official debut at the Beijing Auto Show next month, more info on the E7X has appeared on AUDI’s website. AUDI, Not Audi

Lamborghini started out producing grand tourers, and in the late 1970s, it sold a 2+2 grand tourer called the Jarama 400 GT, but in 1976, the Sant'Agata Bolognese company ended production of the GT and hasn't made another since (the Urraco survived until 1979, but despite its 2+2 seating, it's classified as a sports car). Today, the automaker offers the wild Reveulto supercar, the Temerario super sports car, and the Urus super SUV. The gap between the two-seaters and the SUV is considerable, wit

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has announced the latest round of models to attain its Top Safety Pick+ accolade, the agency’s highest rating for vehicle safety. The safety body recently introduced tougher safety rules for crash avoidance systems and rear-seat safety, but despite this, an impressive 45 vehicles earned a Top Safety Pick+ award. At a time when new cars are unaffordable for many Americans, it’s particularly promising to see that many award winners fall into the su

Mazda Refuses to Rush Electrification at the Cost of Driving Feel Mazda has always played the long game, and it has done so on its own terms. While much of the industry rushed toward electrification, the Hiroshima-based brand stayed focused on driving feel. Its Jinba Ittai philosophy, the connection between car and driver, continues to shape every product. From the MX-5 to its crossovers, Mazda prioritizes engagement above all else. That mindset explains why Mazda has been late to EVs. The compa