Ukrainian forces were battling Russians who had taken an advantageous position making it difficult for the Ukranians to push them out of the town of Vovchansk. To counter that, the Ukrainian resistance had to get innovative. Scavenging the fuel tank from a wrecked Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell car, reports the Euromaiden Press, the Ukrainian soldiers improvised a non-nuclear hydrogen bomb.

The GMC Sierra is a popular pickup truck that comes in a variety of configurations. We’ve talked about the Sierra many times here at Drive Mode. But we haven’t gone in depth on the Sierra Denali Ultimate.

The 2024 Nissan Ariya is an all-electric, small SUV-sized model with just about the right balance of size and interior space. It’s roughly equivalent to the high-selling Rogue in footprint, but a little shorter and squatter by comparison. The outgoing Nissan LEAF EV, one of the most popular electric vehicles ever, will be replaced soon. But not by the Ariya.

Automotive columnist Aaron Turpen writes, “I’m mostly positive about the 2024 Passport. I think Honda hit a mark with this one and it doesn’t get the attention it should. It’s a strong contender in a competitive market.”

Standing in the pickup zone at the Austin airport, I felt the immense humidity of that part of Texas. As a man of the High Plains, much further north on the map, I felt the powerful heat that holds that rain-soaked part of the Lone Star State during the summer. Then the giddiness of low altitude was surpassed by the sight of a baby blue Porsche 911 Carrera. Led by its impact bumper, a sure sign it’s a 1974+ model, the little nine-eleven glided to the curb. My ride was here in glowing, but still vintage-appealing Miami Blue.

The seventh-generation Mustang arrived in the 2024 model year. Building on recent changes that have brought this pony car into the modern era, the new Mustang also gets some big technology upgrades. And the GT model marks the last of the V8-powered muscle cars available today.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office has estimated the cost of electric vehicle lithium-ion batteries have dropped by about 90 percent since 2008.

Most of the vehicles that were based on the Toyota Land Cruiser have seen a complete revision to follow the Land Cruiser’s new design. The Lexus GX, the closest kin to the Land Cruiser, is no exception. But it does outdo its Toyota sibling in several ways.

GMC redesigned the Canyon midsize pickup truck last year and we really liked it. Now it gets a fully off-road-ready model in the AT4X with the AEV package.

Now Porsche has revived the idea of a six-stroke engine, first patented (but never realized) in 1883.

Automotive columnist Aaron Turpen writes, “Toyota finally redesigned the aged Sequoia into a new third generation for the big SUV. The new version has a hybrid powertrain, lots of towing capability and an afterthought third row.”

Ford redesigned the Ranger pickup truck for the 2024 model year, pushing it into its fifth generation. I drove both the XLT and the Raptor, comprising two of the four models of Ranger available now.

Old SJ-series Jeep models are some of the most iconic American things there are. At Vigilante 4x4 in Texas, however, adding rubber-burning muscle and a whole lot of engineering makes them even more.

In the world of off-roading and overlanding, there are a lot of great options. One of them is this Woolly Bear camp trailer from Taxa Outdoors. Here’s a walkaround of the trailer and its features along with photos of our family camping trip into the wilds of Wyoming.

There are a lot of scams, many of which are legal, in the car selling and repair business. Luckily, it doesn’t take a lot of knowledge to avoid most of them. And it’s worth knowing that for the most part, those trying to fix your car are probably not trying to outright rip you off. Most mechanics and car dealerships are on the up and up. But like any group, it only takes a few bad apples to spoil the barrel.

Police and sheriff’s office auctions have a sort of aura around them wherein they can be the greatest thing since buttered biscuits or sound way too good to be true. The reality is, of course, somewhere in the middle.

A new study from the Argonne National Laboratory via its R&D GREET Model says that a small electric sport utility produces 52 percent fewer lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions than does a comparable gasoline model. R&D GREET is a life cycle analysis model that assesses energy use and environmental impacts of vehicles, fuels, chemicals, and materials at multiple points along a vehicle’s start-to-finish life.

When I reviewed the CX-50 last year, I applauded this approach to the compact crossover segment in the CX-50’s debut. The 2024 model sees only a few slight changes to carry it forward. I like the CX-5 as a compact family hauler, but the CX-50’s higher stance and more rugged look are a real draw.

Headlines and links from all the news, including things we didn’t cover in depth here on EVmeme this past week.

This is a quick roundup of what’s happened in automotive for the week of October 13 through October 19, 2024.

My family spent a week with the Taxa Outdoors Woolly Bear Overland camp trailer, and we loved it. Camp trailers like this are an off-road-ready camping option with a lot of storage, organization, and other useful features.

The Infiniti QX50 is a small, affordable luxury SUV. It has some similarities to the lower-cost Nissan Rogue, but several key differences make it more than just a “tarted up” version of that popular crossover. The QX50 has a peppier drivetrain, more luxurious interior, and a better overall look to it. The greatest draw of the Infiniti QX50 versus rivals from Acura, BMW, Genesis, et al is its lower price.

Headlines and links from all the news, including things we didn’t cover in depth here on EVmeme this past week.

It’s almost winter time. And you know what that means. Yep. Debates over winter tires vs studs, how much of a lift a truck needs to be more capable in the snow, and other such traditions as the pumpkin spice flows.

The Chrysler Pacifica PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid EV) has been around for a few years. Like any plug-in hybrid, it’s gives a halfway point to full electric vehicles by providing a short EV range and gasoline range beyond

Mercedes-Benz added several things to the EQS electric sedan for 2024. It’s also the only production car in the U.S. that is certified for Level 3 autonomous driving. (Nope, Tesla doesn’t get to claim that.)

The 2024 Toyota 4Runner is the last of the fifth-generation for this SUV. The 2025 model year will see a full redesign of the 4Runner and will, for many, mark the end of the model’s reign. I’m not that skeptical, but I see where they’re coming from.

The new Toyota C-HR Plug-in Hybrid 220 has debuted in Europe with a new Predictive Efficient Drive. The system combines hardware and software to maximize all-electric range and is specifically tuned to European driving.

Traveling to Coos Bay, Oregon, I recently experienced the new lineup of RZR Pro side-by-side models from Polaris. On the sand, in the dunes, and on the beach, every 2025 RZR Pro showed what it can do.

The 2024 GMC Acadia marks the third generation for the middle-sized SUV. The Acadia is a three-row sport utility that shares a platform and parts with the Chevrolet Traverse and the Buick Enclave. That’s right. This new Acadia is back to its right-size when compared to the diminutive version it was before.

In this quick walkaround, Aaron looks at the Ford Bronco in its Everglades package. His favorite setup for this rig. Plus a little bit of light off-road footage out here in Wyoming.

Fiat has reintroduced the 500e for the 2024 model year. It’s slightly larger inside, has a lot of tech features, and nothing like the electrified monstrosity sold five years ago.

News from Chevrolet, Walmart, Mopar, and more PLUS the first of the SEMA concepts!

Headlines and links from all the news, including things we didn’t cover in depth here on EVmeme this past week.

BMW’s 5 Series was redesigned for 2024 and brings an even classier feel to this already benchmark-setting sedan. Newly added this year is the i5, the all-electric version of the 5 Series.

Toyota dropped the Land Cruiser from its lineup in 2021 after slowly tanking sales and the pandemic’s toll on automakers caused some shakeups. The Land Cruiser, however, is a legendary mainstay and losing it entirely would not go over well. As promised, Toyota has brought it back. But this seventh generation of the Cruiser is not the same as the previous models were.

The 2024 model year marks the seventh generation of the Ford Mustang, which is now the last of the American muscle cars with a V8 engine option. Ford has said that the V8 will remain a mainstay in the Mustang for as long as it’s legally possible.

The Ford Ranger got a full redesign this year and we reviewed that back in July, detailing what’s changed and how much we liked those upgrades. One of the big changes that we just glossed over, though, was the addition of a new Raptor model to the Ranger lineup.

In this one, I review my friend Bud Wells' book 2,600 Cars and a Dog Sled. This is a wonderful reminiscence of the past several decades of automotive journalism and history. Bud is a legend in the Rocky Mountain region. Find Bud's book at: https://budwellsbooks.com/

Can-Am has completely changed the Outlander series with the largest of them, the 850 and 1000R. They now have more power, more flexibility, and capability. Here’s Aaron’s rundown after a trip to British Columbia to ride them in the wilderness and check them out.

Headlines and links from all the news, including things we didn’t cover in depth here on EVmeme this past week.

This is a quick roundup of what’s happened in automotive for the week of November 11, 2024 through November 16, 2024. A video walkthrough of this roundup is at the bottom of this article.

Can-Am has completely changed the Outlander series with the largest of them, the 850 and 1000R. They now have more power, more flexibility, and capability. Here's my rundown after a trip to British Columbia to ride them in the wilderness and check them out.

In this video, I'm asked the question of why it seems that the range for electric vehicles has hit a plateau of around 300 miles.

The all-new Mazda CX-50 Hybrid has debuted and it’s very well done. The hybrid system is licensed from Toyota, but doesn’t change that signature Mazda drive appeal. Plus the MPG gains are off the charts!

The all-new CX-50 Hybrid adds efficiency to the already well-done CX-50 crossover. You’ll be surprised at how much it adds, in fact. And without sacrificing what makes a Mazda a Mazda.

This is a quick roundup of what’s happened in automotive for the week of November 3, 2024 through November 10, 2024. A video walkthrough of this roundup is at the bottom of this article.

Like any industry, automotive has a lot of jargon. Including a host of acronyms that are used without much explanation. It's not at the level of the military when it comes to letters that mean words, but it’s not far behind. Here are some of the most popular.