Autoblog News
Hosted by Chris Shunk, Dan Roth and Zach Bowman, the Autoblog Podcast is the long-running no-holds-barred audio-only counterpart to Autoblog.com. On the show we drop the pretense of being professional automotive journalists so we can passionately talk about cars like the real automotive enthusiasts that we are. Special guests including other Autoblog.com staff and titans of the auto industry are also common, and every week we answer your questions.
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Brabus Built a Sleeper Mercedes Wagon So Rare Most Americans Have Never Seen One
<h2>Early Brabus</h2><p>Nowadays, we all know Brabus as one of the go-to tuning firms outside Mercedes-Benz. We've all seen its numerous creations over the years, of very high-performance, yet visually striking, takes on Mercs.</p><p>Back in the 1990s, though, Brabus was still carving out a name for itself in the industry, content to experiment and fiddle under the radar. One of its builds of the time has just reached the auction block – and it's as rare as they come.</p> <p>Pistonheads</p> View the 2 images of this gallery on the original article <h2>W124 Wag...
This Normal-Looking Acura Was One of the Weirdest Hondas Ever Made
<h2>Gone and Largely Forgotten</h2><p>If your birth year starts with 20 and not 19, there's an actual chance you've never seen this particular Acura model in the metal. For starters, it was discontinued over 30 years ago, and fewer than 40,000 of these were sold in the U.S in the span of just three model years. With so few finding homes in the first place, there aren't many survivors left out there.</p><p>Now, those more of, er, our age would probably know what we're talking about. That would be the Acura Vigor, Honda's attempt to expand its luxury...
Tesla Model S Claims First Coast-to-Coast FSD Drive With No Human Intervention
<h2>Coast to Coast, No Hands</h2><p>A 2024 Tesla Model S has reportedly achieved the first zero-intervention Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) Cannonball Run. The journey began in Los Angeles and ended in New York, with the small team covering 3,081 miles in 58 hours and 22 minutes.</p><p>For the uninitiated, the Cannonball Run originated in the early 1970s as a protest against newly imposed speed limits and heightened traffic enforcement in the U.S. In the Tesla world, the challenge became more relevant after CEO Elon Musk said the company would complete a coast-to-coast demonstration drive in 2017. That never happened—along...
Rivian May Be Giving the R1S a Smarter Tailgate—and Bringing Back Buttons
<h2>A Newly Published Rivian Patent</h2><p>Automotive patents don’t usually guarantee a new product is around the corner, but they do offer a window (pun intended) into what carmakers are working on behind the scenes. Most of the time, these filings are about staking a claim on an idea that might never see the light of day. Still, when a patent gets approved, it’s a hint at the direction a company is considering.</p><p>That said, Rivian’s latest patent piqued our attention. Approved by the US Patent and Trademark Office in January 2026 (patent no. 12522055, publis...
Mercedes-Benz's Entry-Level SUV Is About to Become More Practical Than Ever
<p>We're in the middle of the winter testing season, and several European automakers are evaluating their upcoming products in the coldest weather they can find, including Mercedes-Benz. The German automaker has been seen working on its first electric C-Class, a new, smaller version of the G-Class, and in these latest spy photos, the next generation of its smallest crossover, the Mercedes-Benz GLA. On a new platform, the GLA will be getting bigger, and the test mule in these images appears to be far along in its development cycle, with plenty of production-ready elements apparent, but it'll be a few...
Why the Mercedes W123 Is Still the Definitive Classic Benz at 50
<h2>The Quintessential Classic Mercedes</h2><p>Ask anyone to paint a picture of a classic Mercedes-Benz, and chances are the image of a W123 might appear. Such is the impact of that model that it still makes an impression today. It was renowned for its reliability and durability, and it was a car that truly lived up to the mantra of 'Engineered like no other car in the world.'</p><p>Launched in January 1976, this icon celebrates its 50th anniversary. In those 50 years, it's been offered as a traditional family sedan, a practical station wagon, and a stylish...
2026 Bugatti F.K.P. Hommage Gallery: See the One-Off Tribute to the Iconic Veyron from Every Angle
<p>For just the second time in its modern history under the umbrella of the Volkswagen Group, Bugatti has created a one-off hypercar, and this one is already an instant icon. Last year's Brouillard reflected one owner's immense passion for the Bugatti name and its history in the worlds of furniture design and bronze sculpture, as well as an understanding of founder Ettore Bugatti's love of horses, but this year's Bugatti F.K.P. Hommage is even more significant, paying tribute to the engineering talents, business acumen, and vision of Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Karl Piëch, as well as the V...
The Biggest Myth About Why New Cars Cost So Much
<p>New cars are more expensive than ever, with the average price of one sitting above $50,000. More often than not, safety tech is blamed for it. A recent piece from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) makes a strong case that this narrative misses the mark. Modern crash protection and driver assistance systems are not the main reason prices have spiralled. In fact, some of the safest cars on the road remain among the most affordable. The real issue is what gets prioritised when affordability becomes a talking point.</p><h2>Our Buying Habits Are Driving Up Prices</h2> <...
Toyota Recalls 162,000 Tundras Over Backup Camera Failures
<h2>Déjà Vu, Toyota</h2><p>Toyota has joined Nissan and Ford on the 2026 recall list after pulling back 162,000 vehicles over a rearview camera display issue. The Japanese marque said on Friday that the display may become stuck on the camera view or show a black image, a condition that violates a federal safety standard requiring all new vehicles to be equipped with a backup camera since 2018.</p><p>The vehicles affected include the 2024–2025 model-year Tundra and its hybrid variant. Given the full-size truck’s sheer footprint – comparable to that of the Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado – addressing a rearview cam...
Toyota Hybrids Are Now More Reliable Than Gas Cars, Says Veteran Mechanic
<h2>The Hybrid Era Is Here</h2><p>Hybrids have become so prevalent that Toyota is now offering more of its models exclusively with additional electric motors. While some buyers have expressed disapproval of this strategy due to lingering reliability concerns, a mechanic YouTuber – who claims to have worked on Toyotas for many years – shared his perspective based on extensive hands-on experience.</p><p>The Car Care Nut, who has roughly 1.67 million followers on YouTube, said that modern hybrids have “simply become more reliable than non-hybrids.” Drawing from the many vehicles he has serviced, he noted that he encounters turbocharged powertrain...
