First drive

Enlarge / Mitsubishi's plug-in hybrid SUV has been comprehensively redesigned for 2023.Mitsubishi It wasn't all that long ago that we were questioning whether Mitsubishi would continue operating in the US. With an aging lineup that was far from being considered class leaders, the future was looking bleak. Thanks to a partnership with the Nissan and…

Enlarge / Ferrari has ditched the V8 for its latest mid-engined supercar, the 296 GTS.Jonathan Gitlin IMOLA, ITALY—Time is running out for the internal combustion engine. Looming bans on new vehicles powered by internal combustion engines are set to go into effect in the mid-2030s around the world, from California to China, but even now,…

Enlarge / Lighter and less powerful, the 911 T benefits from some desirable options that aren't available on other 911s.Tim Stevens Getting bigger and heavier as you age is something that many of us can relate to. Even the sportiest of cars is not immune to this unfortunate expansion. The Porsche 911 weighed just 2,400…

Enlarge / BMW is now confident enough in its EV powertrains that it's made a fully electric 7 Series alongside the gasoline-powered versions.Jonathan Gitlin PALMS SPRINGS, Calif.—For decades, automakers like BMW and Mercedes-Benz have fought each other in group tests for the title of "world's best car," an honor awarded by various magazines. The battle…

Enlarge / In green, the Kia Niro hybrid; in white, the Kia Niro EV. (Kia Niro PHEV not pictured)Jonathan Gitlin LEUCADIA, Calif.—The Kia Niro isn't a flashy car. It doesn't have a weird origin story like its stablemate, "the boar with a backpack." There are no sporty pretensions, nor designs on exploring Moab off the…

Enlarge / After the sedan came the SUV: the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV.Jonathan Gitlin DENVER, Colo.—Mercedes-Benz isn't really hanging around when it comes to new electric vehicles, all launched under the new Mercedes-EQ sub-brand. It has electrified its popular little crossover, the GLB, to create the EQB, which does everything the gas-powered car does, but…

Enlarge / The Mercedes-Benz EQE sedan's shape has been designed to create as little drag as possible. DENVER—No one has more experience with launching new cars than Mercedes-Benz, the world's oldest existing automaker. The company is at the start of a new phase of its existence, as it transforms into a carbon-neutral company that mostly…

Enlarge / A shiny black panel instead of a front grille, and more aero-efficient wheels are some of the subtle clues that this is a Mercedes-Benz EQB and not a Mercedes-Benz GLB. Jonathan Gitlin IMMENDINGEN, GERMANY—You have to be very observant to spot the difference between Mercedes-Benz's new EQB electric crossover and its GLB crossover…

Enlarge / You might think this looks like any other McLaren. But the Artura is a clean-sheet design with a new plug-in hybrid EV powertrain. And a total output of 671 hp.McLaren Since the launch of the McLaren MP4-12C in 2011, all the company's road cars have fundamentally used different variants of the same V8…

Enlarge / This is Kia's distinctively styled EV6, a new electric crossover that's one of the best we've tested.Jonathan Gitlin HEALDSBURG, Calif.—Remember how, a few decades ago, the Japanese car industry came and ate everyone's lunch? History doesn't repeat, the aphorism goes, but it does rhyme. And this time around, the lunch-eating is courtesy of…