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<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="1673725" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Acura-NSX">Acura NSX</keyword> is a supercar, yet part of its design traps dirt and other debris after driving.</li><li>You can clean it either by taking part of the car apart or with compressed air.</li><li>This is not an NSX-specific issue. It happens to a lot of other <keyword id="575565" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="supercars">supercars</keyword>.</li></ul><p>Some of the most prominent features of the new <keyword id="371058" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Acura">Acura</keyword> NSX - or indeed, any mid-engined supercar - are the rear airflow intake vents, located just behind the doors. They're large, eye-catching, and most importantly, functional.</p><p>But they do present a bit of a problem sometimes: They get dirty and they're not always easy to clean.</p><p>Airflow is necessary for all internal combustion engines, no matter where they're located - in the front of the car, the rear, or like the NSX, in the middle. An air intake system lets air reach the engine, and part of that system includes vents in the front of the car so the air can get channeled to the engine more easily. </p><div type="image" title="2017 Acura NSX 161 source" height="1080" width="1920" msid="81333793" hostid="261"></div><p>Because the NSX has a mid-mounted engine - meaning that it's found between the car's axles - it has two giant intake vents in its sides. Air that flows over the hood gets fed directly into the engine via these vents. Cool stuff all around.</p><p>Here's a diagram of the NSX without its body panels so you can see. The two radiators are placed behind where the car's doors would be and right in front of the rear wheels. The engine is behind the driver.</p><div type="image" title="2017 Acura NSX 140 source" height="1406" width="2500" msid="81333795" hostid="261"></div>While I was out with the car, I happened to look down into the NSX's intake vent and saw some debris chilling in there. Not big debris, mind you - just what appeared to be some dust, small pebbles, and pine needles. Undoubtedly, the honeycomb mesh grille protecting the vents kept the bigger stuff out.<p>But how would one clean such an area? The grille that keeps bigger rocks out also prevents you from wiping away the accumulated grit. I couldn't see an easy way to remove the grille, either.</p><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_48" height="3750" width="2500" msid="81333798" hostid="261"></div>As it turned out, my instinct for removing the grilles was correct. Daniel, a professional car detailer from <a href="https://cleardetail.us/">Clear Detail LLC</a> in Richmond, Virginia, told me via email that when detailing cars like this, he also tries for the best access by removing the grille.<p>This isn't always possible, though.</p><p>"The new NSX grilles can only be accessed [by] removing the wheels, wheel wells, and radiators," Daniel said.</p><p>Since that isn't an option for most people, Daniel recommended that owners first try blowing out the area with compressed air, a pressure washer, or even a vacuum, spraying it with a paint-safe citrus cleaner, letting it soak, pressure washing it out, and finishing with blowing it out again with compressed air - or a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/INTRODUCED-Master-Blaster-Revolution-MB-3CDSWB-30/dp/B00UVUTP2S">Master Blaster</a>, if you've got one. </p><p>An Acura spokesperson declined to confirm whether or not this is the recommended way of cleaning out an NSX's intake vents.</p><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_14" height="3750" width="2500" msid="81333801" hostid="261"></div>I'm not dogging on the NSX for this issue, as it seems fairly innocuous. I just know that if <em>I </em>owned the car, the buildup of dirt in the vents would bug the hell out of me, and I wanted to see how someone would go about finding a solution.<p>In the case of my loaner, it had been driven 15,000 miles by journalists who, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/audi-rs-6-rs6-avant-wagon-camping-cars-travel-winter-2021-2">like me</a>, can sometimes enjoy <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mclaren-gt-supercar-grand-tourer-costco-it-went-shockingly-well-2020-11">making a car do things it wasn't designed to do</a>. Because of the life it's lived, it is very possible that this NSX merely accumulated more dirt than others that haven't been tracked or parked, outside, under trees. </p><p>And it's also not an NSX-specific issue!</p><p>"With a lot of supercars, the intakes are fantastic leaf, pebble, dirt, pine needle, and sand traps," Daniel said. In his experience, this is a problem that has plagued many supercars, not just the NSX. It's just what happens when you combine sticky, performance tires that have a habit of flinging debris around with an intake vent that's behind those tires.</p><p>The issue is addressed more easily in some other cars, though. All Daniel has to do in a Lamborghini, for example, is remove three screws and then the grille comes right out.</p><p>But if you're an NSX owner who's been frustrated by a small collection of dirt riding around with you, here's your solution.</p>

The $200,000 Acura NSX supercar comes with a tricky chore: cleaning out the massive air vents down its sides

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The 2020 NSX is the mildly refreshed version of <keyword id="371058" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Acura">Acura</keyword>'s second-generation mid-engine supercar.</li><li>It uses a twin-turbocharged V6 and three electric motors, including one for each front wheel.</li><li>Base MSRP of the NSX comes to $157,500. After options, my loaner cost $197,995 MSRP.</li></ul><p>I think there should be a rule for when we talk about, think about, and drive the new <keyword id="1673725" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Acura-NSX">Acura NSX</keyword>.</p><p>And that rule is: You don't talk about the old NSX. </p><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_9" height="3750" width="2500" msid="81314135" hostid="261"></div><p>Fans hold the <a href="https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/og/">OG</a> NSX from the 1990s and early 2000s - whether deserved or not - in a sort of godly, mythical regard. It might not have the same <a href="https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1029273_original-fast-and-furious-toyota-supra-sells-for-185000-at-auction">"Fast and Furious" pop-culture clout worn by the Toyota Supra</a> of that age, but among car people, it's in the same class: worthy of worship and <a href="https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1992-acura-nsx-50/">a whole lot of money on the used market</a>. </p><p>The trouble with hero worship of that magnitude, of course, is once you do it, it's nigh impossible for a successor to reach it - let alone surpass it. In that sense, the new NSX was born to lose.</p><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_8" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81314137" hostid="261"></div>This is a crime. <p>True, the new NSX doesn't have a manual transmission and all the other analog this, thats, and whatevers that people loved about the old car. The only things the two have in common are a name and the fact that they were built as specific responses to the calls of their respective eras.</p><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._OEM4" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81314138" hostid="261"></div>The first NSX was designed and built in the late 1980s. <a href="https://www.automobilemag.com/news/acura-nsx-history-variants-specifications-photos/">It had</a> a five-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic. A naturally aspirated V6. Horsepower came to 270.<p>Since then, technology - and our own supercar expectations - have marched on by light years. </p><p>The current NSX, which finally hit showrooms in 2016, is an embodiment of <em>this</em> period in automotive design and technology. It answers to demands from <em>this</em> market. </p><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_17" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81314139" hostid="261"></div>And it does the job perfectly.<p>The new NSX uses a mid-mounted 3.5-liter, twin-turbo V6 and an electric motor to drive the rear wheels and two more electric motors to drive the front. Combined, the total system output is a claimed 573 horsepower and 476 pound-feet of torque. There's a nine-speed dual-clutch transmission.</p><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_7" height="3750" width="2500" msid="81314141" hostid="261"></div>Mildly updated for the 2019 model year, Acura gave the NSX improved standard features such as dynamic chassis control, power seats, satellite navigation, front- and rear-proximity sensors, and aluminum pedals. Thermal Orange Pearl paint was introduced that year, followed by Indy Yellow Pearl in 2020 and Long Beach Blue Pearl for 2021.<p>But it's still the same striking hybrid supercar that was introduced five years ago, and its looks haven't aged a bit. </p><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_27" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81314142" hostid="261"></div>The first thing you'll notice when walking up to the NSX is how petite it actually is despite its classical supercar proportions. Its low stance and wide front fascia suggest something far more vast, but <a href="https://acuranews.com/en-US/releases/release-37de9aca49b346b38381113a4d213ab9-2020-acura-nsx-specifications-and-features">at 176 inches long</a>, it's actually 1.9 inches shorter than the <a href="https://www.caranddriver.com/porsche/911/specs/2020/porsche_911_porsche-911-carrera_2020/405360">current Porsche 911</a>. But it hunkers, staring down the world like a wad of muscles bunched up and ready to spring forward.<p>In bold, eye-catching Pikachu-yellow, the NSX's swaths of black detailing - its wheels, intake grilles, and front bumper - contrast sharply. Around back, the massive carbon fiber diffuser claws its way out of sight beneath the car. A honeycomb mesh grille festoons the body, letting out heat here, giving the engine holes with which to breathe there. </p><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_39" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81314143" hostid="261"></div>Though a hybrid, the NSX is not a plug-in hybrid. Battery-only driving <em>is</em> possible, but Acura declined to give a range. In Quiet mode, the car will roll forward from red lights on battery power, with the gasoline motor only kicking in when you press on the accelerator more forcefully. <p>It's an event when that happens too; one second, there's a futuristic and high-pitched whirring sound accompanying your zero-emission, low-speed traversing. But when the V6 kicks on, it does so with a tremor through the cabin and a throaty purr like something that's just been woken up.</p><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._OEM6" height="1878" width="2500" msid="81314144" hostid="261"></div>Climbing into the NSX demands that you do the DSD, a pretty standard supercar dance: <strong>d</strong>uck to fit under the low ceiling, <strong>s</strong>lide across the big sills, and <strong>d</strong>rop into the bucket seats. Or, if you're my 94-year-old grandmother, you go in butt first and swing your legs in after. Both are acceptable. <p>The NSX's skinny steering wheel fits well in the hand and, frankly, is my favorite part of the interior. Not only does it require very little arm movement to turn, but that petite wheel is also attached to some of the most direct steering I've ever used. Even the smallest inputs twiddled the front wheels, like I was the marionettist making the car dance.</p><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_52" height="3750" width="2500" msid="81314145" hostid="261"></div>The instantaneous torque from the electric motors steps in most obviously under quicker acceleration in Sport, Sport Plus, or Track mode. The NSX leaps forward with a ferocity that a solely turbocharged car cannot normally muster. From what my butt dyno could tell, the addition of the motors effectively eliminated the sensation of any <a href="https://www.aet-turbos.co.uk/turbo-tech-101-what-is-turbo-lag/#:~:text=Turbo%20lag%20is%20the%20hesitation,extra%20power%20to%20your%20engine.&amp;text=Once%20a%20turbo%20reaches%20the,and%20fuel%20into%20the%20engine.ine.">turbo lag</a> from the V6. <p>And the noise? Furious. At the mid-RPMs, you're urged along by a velvety V6 rasp - more trebly than any V8 - that crescendos into a full-out roar as you ascend the rev range. Let off the throttle and you can hear the turbos whoosh encouragingly.</p><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_13" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81314147" hostid="261"></div>You'll find <a href="https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a10334294/it-takes-2500-miles-to-understand-the-acura-nsx/">plenty</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2020/03/1200-uncomfortable-miles-in-a-gorgeous-acura-nsx-hybrid-supercar/">of</a> <a href="https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/pictures/2020-acura-nsx-road-trip/">blogs</a> on the internet of people doing long-distance journeys in the NSX. This is because the car has been billed as the daily drivable, everyday supercar. Certainly, in Quiet mode, it's manageable on long stretches of highway.<p>But it's still a supercar. And as such, it comes with supercar-isms that make living with it inherently compromised.</p><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_70" height="3750" width="2500" msid="81314149" hostid="261"></div>To begin, the price: My loaner, with its Indy Yellow Pearl paint, carbon-ceramic braces, carbon fiber exterior sport package, rear decklid spoiler, carbon fiber engine cover, carbon fiber interior sport package, and carbon fiber roof, came to an estimated MSRP of $197,995. <p>The suspension: Doesn't feel like it'll atomize your bones, but I wouldn't call it soft. You'll never forget it's there. </p><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._OEM5" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81314151" hostid="261"></div>The seats: Do not raise, so shorties like me have to put a lot of faith in those proximity sensors and our own depth perception. (The ceiling is nice and high, though, so a racing-helmeted head would have no problem fitting in the NSX.)<p>The rear visibility: Garbage! </p><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_56" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81314153" hostid="261"></div><p>The wing mirrors: Must stick out into the next county just to be able to see around the giant intakes behind the doors.</p><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_58" height="3750" width="2500" msid="81314155" hostid="261"></div><p>The infotainment: Seemingly straight out of <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=2014+acura+mdx+interior&amp;tbm=isch&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjJkIuxnYjvAhVOjeAKHWQiCYMQ2-cCegQIABAA&amp;oq=2014+acura+mdx+interior&amp;gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIECCMQJzIGCAAQBRAeMgQIABAYMgQIABAYMgQIABAYMgQIABAYOgYIABAHEB5QsiFY6yJgiSRoAHAAeACAATyIAXWSAQEymAEAoAEBqgELZ3dzLXdpei1pbWfAAQE&amp;sclient=img&amp;ei=i0Q5YImfA86aggfkxKSYCA&amp;bih=1304&amp;biw=1429&amp;rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS911US914&amp;safe=offmp;rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS911US914&amp;safe=off">an MDX from 2014</a>. </p><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_55" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81314156" hostid="261"></div><p>And the storage: Laughably bad. There's no front trunk because that's where all the hybrid stuff lives. As my mom acutely observed, "They put too many motors in it and not enough storage space."</p><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_36" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81314158" hostid="261"></div><p>But fully expecting the NSX to have the practicality of anything else is silly. Anyone serious about it going in already knows about these -isms; hell, they might even welcome them, because, in exchange, you get a driving experience that rips just as well as other <keyword id="575565" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="supercars">supercars</keyword> that cost $100,000 more. </p><p>Among its competitors, the NSX stands alone. It is neither the fastest nor the most powerful, but it <em>is</em> the only one from a Japanese automaker. It's also a hybrid, of which there <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mclaren-artura-hybrid-supercar-first-look-ferrari-lamborghini-info-2021-2">aren't</a> <a href="https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a14498342/2018-lexus-lc500h-hybrid-test-review/">many</a>. </p><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_34" height="3750" width="2500" msid="81314160" hostid="261"></div>The base NSX starts at $157,500; that price jumps to $159,495 after you factor in the $1,995 <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/car-buying-new-what-know-destination-fees-strategies-dealership-negotiation-2021-2">destination fee</a>. (Autoblog has reported that <a href="https://www.autoblog.com/2019/05/16/acura-nsx-20000-discount/">dealers will knock $20,000 off</a> of NSX prices because nobody is buying them and they want them off their lots. If you manage to score a mega deal on an NSX for this reason, please report back because I'm so curious.)<p>The NSX isn't cheap by any means - the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chevrolet-corvette-mid-engine-review-c8-horsepower-price-specs-chevy-2020-10">C8 Corvette</a> is far more affordable and much newer - but every aspect of it feels tighter and more exciting than the Corvette. More special. There, I said it.</p><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_16" height="3750" width="2500" msid="81314163" hostid="261"></div>On this side of the new millennium, we have turbocharged cars with so much power that they need all-wheel drive to mitigate all of it. We can give them nine gears to help with gas mileage. We have the option for electric motors and driving without using an ounce of gasoline. What might have been regarded as unthinkable witchcraft in 1990 is today's reality. It's marvelous stuff.<p>If you're still stuck on the idea of the original, analog Car-That Must-Not-Be-Named, then just go ahead and buy that. Don't cross-shop it with today's NSX because the two couldn't be more different.</p><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_29" height="3750" width="2500" msid="81314165" hostid="261"></div>Rather, enjoy the current NSX in all its funky hybrid goodness. Don't dismiss it just because you don't like its on-paper ingredients. It deserves so much more than that.<p style="text-align: center;">♦♦♦</p><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_41" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81314166" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_24" height="3750" width="2500" msid="81314167" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_21" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81314168" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_19" height="3750" width="2500" msid="81314170" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_14" height="3750" width="2500" msid="81314172" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_10" height="3750" width="2500" msid="81314173" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_6" height="3750" width="2500" msid="81314175" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_44" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81314176" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_3" height="3750" width="2500" msid="81314177" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_59" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81314178" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_53" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81314179" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_69" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81314182" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_46" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81314185" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_47" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81314187" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_64" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81314189" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_50" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81314191" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_51" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81314195" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_62" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81314197" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_11" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81314198" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_66" height="1667" width="2500" msid="81314199" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="Acura NSX._KL_35" height="3750" width="2500" msid="81314204" hostid="261"></div>

Review: The $198,000 Acura NSX lives in the shadow of its legendary predecessor but deserves so much more

<ul class="summary-list"><li>I drove four mid-engine cars this past year: the 2020 <keyword id="890941" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Chevrolet-Corvette">Chevrolet Corvette</keyword>, the <keyword id="529178" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Audi-R8">Audi R8</keyword>, the <keyword id="10238587" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="mclaren-gt">McLaren GT</keyword>, and the <keyword id="10045545" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="lotus-evora-gt">Lotus Evora GT</keyword>. Last year, Insider's Matt DeBord <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/acura-nsx-review-pictures-2018-11">reviewed the Acura NSX</a>.</li><li>All of them offered a mix of cylinder counts, horsepower ratings, and price points.</li><li>For me, the <keyword id="240486" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Corvette">Corvette</keyword> beat out the Audi but fell behind the <keyword id="64813" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="McLaren">McLaren</keyword> and the <keyword id="71296" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Lotus">Lotus</keyword>.</li></ul><p>Few cars in recent memory arrived with as much pomp and anticipation as the mid-engine Corvette. Rumored for decades, the thing finally became real in July of last year.</p><p>As the first model year of the new eighth-generation Corvette, the 2020 Corvette - known as the C8 - is significant because of its engine placement. Whereas every single Corvette model that preceded it placed its engine in front of the driver, the C8's engine is tucked behind the driver and between the car's front and rear axles.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_46" height="3750" width="2500" msid="80073705" hostid="261"></div>Doing this ideally would give the new Corvette mid-engine driving and handling characteristics. Because the engine is now located in the middle of the car, it should lend to a more ideal weight distribution and improved traction, since more weight is now sitting over the rear tires. <p>Historically, all of the best-performing sports cars, super cars, and race cars have been mid-engined. Moving the Corvette's engine would finally make it a true competitor against other mid-engined greats. (A separate argument can be made about how the front-engine Corvettes have been long-standing thorns in the side of mid-engine competition; that's how great they were.)</p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_13" height="1667" width="2500" msid="80073709" hostid="261"></div>But anyway! Here we are. <p>I had the opportunity to not only review <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chevrolet-corvette-mid-engine-review-c8-horsepower-price-specs-chevy-2020-10">the new C8 Corvette</a> this year, but also got some seat time with other mid-engine sports cars and supercars such as the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/audi-r8-v10-performance-review-horsepower-price-sports-supercar-lamborghini-2020-12">Audi R8</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mclaren-gt-supercar-review-price-specs-info-photos-competitors-2020-11">McLaren GT</a>, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/2020-lotus-evora-gt-review-price-specs-horsepower-sports-car-2020-9">Lotus Evora GT</a>. Last year, Matt DeBord <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/acura-nsx-review-pictures-2018-11">reviewed the Acura NSX</a>, which we obviously had to include as well.</p><p>By happy accident, this turned out to be a pretty diverse bunch. All of the cars had various cylinder counts, were either rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, had either automatic or manual transmissions (a rare godsend in 2020!) and were priced between about $80,000 to $240,000.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_14" height="1667" width="2500" msid="80073712" hostid="261"></div>Of the group, the C8 Corvette is the newest. It has the <a href="https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a28843640/chevrolet-corvette-c8-z06-zr1-hybrid-engine/#:~:text=The%206.2%2Dliter%20LT2%20V,the%20Corvette%20to%20new%20heights.">newest engine</a> (a naturally aspirated, 495-horsepower V8) and the <a href="https://www.popsci.com/corvette-stingray-supercar-chassis-engineering/">newest chassis</a>. Paired with its eight-speed, dual-clutch automatic, America's Sports Car has all the ingredients of modern performance. How does it stack up against the competition? <p>Read on to find out.</p><h2><strong>The $80,000 C8 Corvette versus the $208,000 Audi R8</strong></h2><p>The Corvette and the R8 are the only two mid-engine cars I tested with naturally aspirated engines - meaning that they don't make their power with the help of turbochargers or superchargers. </p><p>With its V10 engine, the 602-horsepower R8 delivers its power to all four wheels. It's far louder than the Corvette and it sounds much better. Few things shout as well as a naturally aspirated, 10-cylinder engine as it's screaming up to redline.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_63" height="3750" width="2500" msid="80073714" hostid="261"></div>The R8's steering is wonderful and tight; its interior is far airier than the Corvette's claustrophobic one. But in the Performance Coupe Quattro trim, which is what my tester was, the sport-tuned suspension was non-adjustable and affected the Audi's daily ride comfort. <p>And I found the Audi just too powerful and fast for normal usage. It wasn't a matter of it feeling out of control, it was more like wasted potential. The R8 makes you want to dip into its power and hear its V10 sing. But to do that satisfactorily is to break about half a dozen traffic laws.</p><p><strong><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_26" height="1667" width="2500" msid="80073717" hostid="261"></div>Verdict: </strong>Despite its aural goodness and the glory of driving something with 10 cylinders, I have to lean toward the Corvette here. It's just more comfortable and more usable in the most general sense. If you live near a track or take cars on track often, the R8 is probably a dream. But if you want something you can sometimes track but more often commute around in, the Corvette is the one you want. </p><p>And it's a fraction of the price of the Audi.</p><h2><strong>The C8 Corvette versus the $200,000 Acura NSX</strong></h2><p>Acura's hallowed NSX returned for its second generation in 2016. Instead of a lightweight body, a naturally aspirated V6, and a manual transmission - all beloved features of the original - the new NSX instead gives us a turbocharged and hybrid V6, all-wheel drive, a nine-speed automatic transmission, and <a href="https://acuranews.com/en-US/releases/release-ada28d9a2a2602e13a2004f53d06ca1b-2021-acura-nsx-specifications">a 3,878-pound curb weight</a>.</p><p>But don't let any of that perceived anti-enthusiast hardware fool you. The new NSX is fantastic. </p><div type="image" title="Acura NSX" height="1333" width="2000" msid="80073720" hostid="261"></div>Not only does it look understated, but it also handles and rides beautifully. Cruise down the highway and you'd swear you were riding in a comfortable sedan this side of sporty. But lean into the throttle and the acceleration is instantaneous. Breathtaking, even.<p>With 573 horsepower available, the new NSX produces nearly 100 horsepower more than the 495-horsepower Corvette. It could easily be a very <em>lazy</em> 573 horsepower, but, thankfully, it is not. Accelerating in the NSX has that extra burst of spontaneous power that can only come from electric motors. My main takeaway with the Corvette's power delivery was that it was quite tame. The NSX's has a ferocity that the Corvette does not.</p><p>Granted, you won't get to tow much along with you - the NSX only has one trunk it's pretty tiny. On this front, the dual-trunk Corvette has it beat.</p><p><strong><div type="image" title="Acura NSX" height="1301" width="2000" msid="80073722" hostid="261"></div>Verdict: </strong>In terms of sheer excitement and ride comfort, the NSX comes out on top. ("The NSX is <em>so</em> much better!" DeBord insisted on a Wednesday morning video conference.) True, it's also more expensive, but you get a little slice of the weird automotive in-between we have going on right now: hybrids. </p><p>There aren't many hybrid sports and supercars, but you can count the NSX as one of them. Cars used to be completely gasoline-driven. One day, all cars will be entirely electric, but the NSX will be remembered as one that was once both.</p><h2><strong>The C8 Corvette versus the $240,000 McLaren GT</strong></h2><p>Similarly to the R8, the 612-horsepower McLaren GT has the Corvette beat on power. With a twin-turbocharged V8, the GT is rear-wheel drive and looks like nothing else on the road (though some readers have pointed out that it looks like the C8). Its up-swinging dihedral doors grab attention every single time.</p><p>True, the Corvette sounds better than the McLaren, but the GT's chassis and steering cannot be beat. The carbon-fiber monocoque is both lightweight and extremely stiff, meaning that the GT returns virtually no lean in the corners. </p><div type="image" title="2020 McLaren GT_KL_59" height="3750" width="2500" msid="80073725" hostid="261"></div>And the electro-hydraulically assisted steering is a dream to use. Even the smallest inputs return a reaction in the front wheels, the steering wheel feeding road information into your fingers all the while. The Corvette's chassis and steering were good; they weren't <em>this</em> good.<p>As it is meant to be the grand-touring, daily driveable McLaren, the GT offers two trunks and a combined cargo volume of 20.1 cubic feet, which is greater than the Corvette's total cargo volume of 12.6 cubic feet. </p><div type="image" title="2020 McLaren GT_OEM_10" height="1875" width="2500" msid="80073727" hostid="261"></div>Don't let your eyes fool you; the Corvette's trunk might look long and the GT's wide and flat, but the McLaren does technically fit more.<p>I should know. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mclaren-gt-supercar-grand-tourer-costco-it-went-shockingly-well-2020-11">I'm the one who took the supercar to Costco</a>.</p><p><strong><div type="image" title="2020 McLaren GT_KL_40" height="1667" width="2500" msid="80073729" hostid="261"></div>Verdict: </strong>I'm a punk for saying this, but the McLaren GT beats out the Corvette for me. It seems too obvious, too easy, and too cliché to say you prefer a car that starts at $215,000 over one that starts at $60,000, but for that astronomical leap in price, you get a supercar that is otherworldly to drive and sit in. </p><p>Despite its increase in power, the GT feels just as daily-driver friendly as the Corvette, with an interior that offers far more breathing room. All of its switchgear feels machined to perfection, too. </p><h2><strong>The C8 Corvette versus the $106,000 Lotus Evora GT</strong></h2><p>The 416-horsepower Lotus Evora GT is the lowest-powered of this band of cars. But it's also the only supercharged one - with a V6 sourced from the Toyota Camry, no less. It's the only one with a manual transmission, too. And as far as modern manual transmissions go, it's utterly superb.</p><p>The Lotus weighs about 260 pounds less than the Corvette, but the weight differences might as well be 1,000 pounds. Everything great about the Lotus is like the McLaren, just miniaturized: the same incredible handling, the same epic suspension and chassis feel, absolutely elfin on its feet. </p><div type="image" title="2020 Lotus Evora GT KL_29" height="1667" width="2500" msid="80073732" hostid="261"></div>But the Lotus also offers a few party tricks of its own, like a deliciously linear power delivery and exhaust valves that open up with a trumpeting howl of V6 fury. Contrary to its big noise, though, nothing on the Lotus is more than it needs to be. The car is perfectly balanced with itself. I couldn't think of one thing that needed more or one that needed less. It did not require more power or any less curb weight. <p>Compared to the Lotus, the Corvette felt big, hunkering, and bloated. This is truly saying something because the Corvette drives very precisely by itself. That's just the power of perspective, I guess.</p><div type="image" title="Lotus Evora GT and Chevrolet Corvette" height="1667" width="2500" msid="80073736" hostid="261"></div>In the Corvette, I was annoyed that outward visibility wasn't better. I was irked that I couldn't raise the seat high enough to comfortably see. The Lotus was no better, but it forced me into a new headspace that modern cars do not force me into. <p>I accepted that I couldn't fully reach the pedals, so I supplied my own cushion. There was no rear visibility to speak of, so I just learned to use my wing mirrors better.</p><p>Why? Because the trade-off was just too wonderful to pass up. </p><div type="image" title="2020 Lotus Evora GT KL_33" height="1667" width="2500" msid="80073739" hostid="261"></div><p><strong>Verdict: </strong>I gave the Lotus back at the beginning of September and not a day goes by that I don't think of it. It brought skill back to the act of driving and was one of the few loaner cars I've taken out that I could genuinely see myself owning.</p><p>It might seem ludicrous to charge nearly $100,000 for so little car, but if you love driving at all, get yourself into one. The Evora GT will warp your perceptions to fit around itself, just like it did me. </p><div type="image" title="2020 Lotus Evora GT KL_14" height="1667" width="2500" msid="80073744" hostid="261"></div>

How 2020's hottest car, the mid-engine Corvette, compares to rivals from Audi, McLaren, Lotus, and Acura

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The 2020 <keyword id="1531711" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="R8">R8</keyword> is <keyword id="6363321" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="audi">Audi</keyword>'s halo car, with a naturally aspirated V10 positioned between its two axles.</li><li>There are currently two versions of the R8 available: the V10 Quattro and the more powerful V10 Performance Quattro.</li><li>My loaner was the more powerful version, starting at $195,900. Fees and extra options brought it up to $208,245.</li></ul><p>If it feels like the <keyword id="529178" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Audi-R8">Audi R8</keyword> has been around for a while, it's because it has. Why fix what isn't broken, right?</p><p>The <keyword id="10451261" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="2020-audi-r8">2020 Audi R8</keyword> V10 Performance Coupe Quattro is Audi's halo car: a sleek mid-engined, two-seater coupe with all-wheel drive and a naturally aspirated V10 nestled between its axles. Compared to Mercedes-AMG, which only sports a front-engined coupe as a halo, and BMW, which has no halo at all, the Audi stands out.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_18" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79782845" hostid="261"></div>But there's no denying the R8's age. The first model appeared in <a href="https://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/27/paris-motor-show-say-hello-to-the-audi-r8/">2006 at the Paris Motor Show</a> and its basic principles have largely remained the same.<p>In the year of our Lord 2020, the R8's power and speed are perennially good. But they come at a cost that feels steeper today than ever before.</p><h2><strong>The 2020 R8: A brief history</strong></h2><div type="image" title="audi_r8_2007_wallpapers_7" height="1536" width="2048" msid="79782847" hostid="261"></div>When it originally debuted, the R8 was aimed directly at the Porsche 911. The move was controversial - first of all, who goes after <em>Porsche? </em>And second, up until that point, Audi was busy making executive, Autobahn-cruising sedans and station wagons. What business did a company like that have dabbling in mid-ship, two-seater sports cars?<p>But as it turned out, the first-generation R8 - with a 4.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 - was glorious. Earlier models even offered <a href="https://www.wired.com/2015/04/weird-shifter-made-audis-r8-sports-car-legend/">a wondrous gated manual transmission shifter</a>. With its rear-biased all-wheel<strong>-</strong>drive system and comfortable ride, the R8 catapulted straight up the list of practical <keyword id="575565" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="supercars">supercars</keyword> good for everyday use. </p><div type="image" title="audi r8 manual gated" height="1067" width="1600" msid="79782850" hostid="261"></div><p>The R8's clout further increased when videos <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9vTnh_mif8">popped up on YouTube</a> of owners taking their R8s out in snowstorms that would have all but stranded a Ferrari. Fitted with proper winter tires, R8s were shown tanking around in weather only snowplows would dare venture out in.</p><p>A 5.2-liter V10 engine, sourced from the Lamborghini LP560-4, was added to the lineup later on <a href="https://www.automobilemag.com/news/audi-r8-history-generations-specifications-photos/#:~:text=The%20Audi%20R8%20Goes%20V,from%20the%20S6%20and%20S8.">in 2009</a>. It has since stuck around.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_71" height="1666" width="2500" msid="79782853" hostid="261"></div>In 2015, Audi launched the R8's current and second generation, which uses a lot of the same hardware as the Lamborghini Huracán. A 2019 facelift raised the base model's horsepower slightly and renamed the range-topping model the "R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro," which is where we find ourselves.<p>Today, you cannot buy a new V8-powered R8. You cannot buy a new R8 with a manual transmission. Today's R8 comes exclusively with 10 cylinders and an automatic.</p><h2><strong>Details and safety ratings: More than 100 horsepower per liter</strong></h2><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_63" height="3750" width="2500" msid="79782856" hostid="261"></div>Wide and low-slung, the 2020 R8 is blessed with classical supercar proportions and good looks. It's powered by a 5.2-liter, naturally aspirated V10 engine - meaning that it has no supercharger or turbochargers to help it make additional power. The R8 and the Huracán that it shares its engine with are the only two V10-powered cars you can buy new today.<p>In Performance Coupe Quattro tune, that engine <a href="https://media.audiusa.com/en-us/models/r8-coupe">makes a claimed</a> 602 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque. The power's sent to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Audi estimates a 0-to-60 mph sprint to happen in just 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 205 mph.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_64" height="3750" width="2500" msid="79782862" hostid="261"></div>Other standard equipment includes sport suspension, 20-inch wheels, ceramic brake discs, and carbon fiber trim on the engine compartment, mirrors, door sills, rear spoiler, and the iconic sideblades.<p>The car's curb weight comes to 3,638 pounds. </p><p>The EPA estimates the R8 to return 13 mpg in the city, 20 mpg on the highway, and 16 mpg combined. It gave the car a score of two out of 10 on its fuel economy and tailpipe greenhouse gas rating. On the agency's tailpipe smog rating, the R8 scored a one out of 10. </p><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_39" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79782863" hostid="261"></div>As it is the case with most other supercars, the Audi R8 has not been rated for crashworthiness by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.<h2><strong>What stands out: Instant gratification</strong></h2><p>If driving was a theater production, then being behind the wheel of the R8 V10 Performance is like sitting in the front row of a thunderous drama. </p><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_60" height="3750" width="2500" msid="79782864" hostid="261"></div>Everything - from the howl of the V10, the ferocious power, to the tight and precise steering - is an assault on the senses. Though the R8's stats are similar to those of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mclaren-gt-supercar-review-price-specs-info-photos-competitors-2020-11">McLaren GT</a>'s, the Audi just <em>feels</em> so much faster and more exciting. More alive. More eager. Far more dramatic.<p>The power delivery also feels far more immediate and direct: You lean on the accelerator, the dual-clutch snaps down a couple of gears faster than you can think, and you rocket forward without having to wait for the turbochargers to spool up. In terms of instant gratification, big-displacement and naturally aspirated engines just can't be beat.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_70" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79782866" hostid="261"></div>And the R8's <a href="https://www.autoblog.com/2019/11/04/2020-audi-r8-coupe-spyder-review/">8,700-rpm</a> shrieker of a redline lets that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg2ivxa0sj0">V10 sing across all octaves</a>. Perhaps this is also why the R8 feels so fast: It is so effing loud. On start up, it lets loose with sharp bark that startles passersby. Its <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VloEagry010">trebly idle</a> is expectant, a raspy purr of something tightly coiled and ready to pounce.<p>But get into the R8 and you'll immediately notice how airy the cabin is. There's no massive screen taking up the center console and blocking your forward visibility. Instead, the car's functions are controlled via the 12.3-inch driver instrument display. Your passenger cannot access screen inputs, but they also aren't isolated from you like they are in the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chevrolet-corvette-mid-engine-review-c8-horsepower-price-specs-chevy-2020-10">C8 Corvette</a>. Overall, the R8's cabin conveys room to breathe.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_67" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79782867" hostid="261"></div>There's even a handy little parcel shelf behind the seats, but be mindful of loose items you put there. As soon as you hit the brakes hard, your stuff could go flying.<h2><strong>What falls short: Climate guilt</strong></h2><p>As fast and clever as the R8's dual-clutch auto is for brisk driving, it doesn't love regular commuting quite as much. Slow deceleration for stop signs and red lights is met with hiccuping downshifts. </p><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_45" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79782870" hostid="261"></div>And the sport-tuned suspension, which revels in providing a flat, lean-free ride in fast corners, doesn't offer a softer setting for when you <em>don't</em> want your teeth rattling inside your head every time you hit a bump. The ride quality feels deliberately tuned to be on the harder side - because apparently this is what articulates "sportiness" - but these old bones (I'm 28) wished for something more forgiving. <p>And I couldn't look away from two glaring aspects of the R8: its fuel economy and tailpipe emissions. Getting 13 mpg in the city in 2020 is <em>not</em> good. Getting a rating of <em>one</em> on the EPA's tailpipe smog rating is worse! I couldn't shake the dreadful feeling that every time I accelerated in the R8, a litter of otter pups suffocated to death.   </p><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_52" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79782916" hostid="261"></div>This posed a huge problem for me, because even though V10s are my favorite engine configurations of all time, I've come to the realization that my climate guilt is now too strong for me to enjoy these things as much as I used to. <h2><strong>Against competitors? Ten (10) reasons to stick with the Audi</strong></h2><p>I love the R8's retro, screenless interior, but buyers might not look at it as favorably when compared against the R8's other, more modern competitors. </p><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_65" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79782917" hostid="261"></div>You can count the Acura NSX, Aston Martin DB11, Mercedes-AMG GT R Coupe, Porsche 911 Turbo S, and McLaren GT among the R8 Performance's competition. With a starting price of $195,900 and comparable stats, the Audi is positioned right in the thick of them all. <p>After options such as the Ascari Blue metallic exterior paint ($595), sport seat package with diamond stitching ($5,000), Bang and Olufsen sound system ($1,900), dynamic steering ($1,400), and the gas guzzler tax ($1,700), my loaner came out to a grand total of $208,245 MSRP.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_58" height="3749" width="2500" msid="79782923" hostid="261"></div>The R8 is the only one with the naturally aspirated V10, though.<h2><strong>Our impressions: Old guard</strong></h2><p>It is clear that the V10 Performance Coupe Quattro is the top-tier R8. More expensive, faster, more powerful, and lighter than the regular (lol) V10 Coupe Quattro, it's like someone took the base model and poked it with a barbed stick.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_22" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79782928" hostid="261"></div>I'm not altogether convinced the Performance version is the one you want to live with, though. It's the one to take to the track, for sure, but its non-adjustable suspension, sensitive brakes, and sheer power make it difficult to justify in normal, day-to-day settings. <p>Merely driving around my neighborhood and taking it on the highway a few times felt like doing the car a disservice. The Performance R8 has far too much, too good go-fast hardware to waste on the streets of suburbia.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_53" height="3750" width="2500" msid="79782929" hostid="261"></div>Still, I enjoyed my time in it. Crippling climate guilt aside, the R8 is objectively a wonderful, sheer force of a thing and that'll certainly age gracefully in the coming years. First-gen R8s already have. <p>Audi took a risk with the R8 and it paid off, allowing Audi to ride the R8 wave ever since. The current car is just sort of stuck in the past decade.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_30" height="3750" width="2500" msid="79782930" hostid="261"></div>Whereas its competition has advanced, incorporating forced induction and hybridization all in the name of efficiency, the R8 still stubbornly resides in the year 2009 - where stuffing a V10 into a car was far more common. In those days, if you wanted 10 cylinders, you had the BMW M5 and M6, Audi S8, Dodge Viper, and Lexus LFA to choose from.<p>As the years went on and these cars were all either discontinued or downsized, the R8 and Huracán persevered. Their V10s are gifts of epic noise and addicting linear power delivery. Paired with stellar handling, driving the R8 feels so much rawer and more visceral than driving most other modern supercars. </p><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_10" height="1666" width="2500" msid="79782934" hostid="261"></div>Turbochargers <em>are</em> more efficient, but they also button up an engine. Muffle it. Sometimes it takes driving something archaic to remind you of that.<p>I don't know how much longer cars like the R8 will stick around, what with tightening emissions regulations. But - as the last of the old guard - it'll be remembered when it goes. </p><p style="text-align: center;">♦♦♦</p><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_68" height="3750" width="2500" msid="79782936" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_57" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79782939" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_69" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79782943" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_50" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79782946" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_72" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79782950" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_62" height="3750" width="2500" msid="79782955" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_61" height="3750" width="2500" msid="79782960" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_56" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79782965" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_51" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79782967" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_47" height="1666" width="2500" msid="79782968" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_48" height="3750" width="2500" msid="79782970" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_35" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79782973" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_32" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79782974" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_25" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79782976" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_28" height="3750" width="2500" msid="79782979" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_11" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79782981" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_16" height="1666" width="2500" msid="79782985" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_3" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79782986" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_8" height="1666" width="2500" msid="79782987" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe Quattro_KL_5" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79782988" hostid="261"></div>

REVIEW: The $208,000 Audi R8 Performance is a relic of supercars long gone, and that's what makes it special

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="5909113" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Polestar-1">Polestar 1</keyword> is a hybrid coupe from <keyword id="88395" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Geely">Geely</keyword>, the Chinese parent company behind Lotus and <keyword id="6359474" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="volvo">Volvo</keyword>.</li><li>It's a slick-looking thing that returned nearly 60 miles of electric-only driving in our testing.</li><li>But it's expensive and rare; the starting price is $155,000 and only 1,500 examples will be made.</li></ul><p>It's not often a car will stop pedestrians in their tracks because they have no idea what it is, other than that its visage, wide and low, has grabbed their attention. </p><p>But the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/volvo-polestar-1-review-first-drive-photos-features-verdict-2019-12">Polestar 1</a> makes a game of it.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Polestar 1_KL_21" height="3750" width="2500" msid="79582363" hostid="261"></div>I assume because you've clicked on this story that you have some inkling of what <keyword id="1953747" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Polestar">Polestar</keyword> is. You're aware that it's a new, electrified luxury brand from Geely, the Chinese parent company that bankrolls Volvo and Lotus. You've perhaps heard of Polestar's second car, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/polestar-2-review-price-ev-volvo-tesla-specs-horsepower-electric-2020-8">the 2, which is an all-electric sedan</a>.<p>The $155,000 Polestar 1 is Polestar's first production car since its inception in 2017. It has two doors, two electric motors, and one gasoline engine. <a href="https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1124753_polestar-1-starts-production-at-new-plant-in-china">Production began last year</a> at the automaker's Chengdu, China, plant.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Polestar 1_KL_62" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79582366" hostid="261"></div><p>Thus, the 1 is still quite new. Most people still haven't seen one before. But when they do, they won't forget it.</p><h2><strong>The exclusivity is a feature, not a bug</strong></h2><p>As a new brand, it's obvious that Polestar wanted to break from the ordinary with the 1. It's a slick, badge-free, plug-in hybrid coupe with the styling and proportions of a futuristic muscle car. </p><div type="image" title="2020 Polestar 1_KL_12" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79582369" hostid="261"></div><p>And it'll be exclusive. A Polestar spokesperson told us that production will be capped at just 1,500 examples, with a three-year production run and 500 cars available per year. Your odds of running across one in the wild are slim, and they always will be.</p><p>Positioned as a halo model, this is the aspirational Polestar with an aspirational price tag.</p><h2><strong>Details and safety ratings: Combined power</strong></h2><div type="image" title="2020 Polestar 1_OEM_16.JPG" height="3184" width="2500" msid="79582370" hostid="261"></div><p>The 1's propulsion comes via a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder, supercharged and turbocharged engine that drives the front wheels, which makes a claimed 326 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque.</p><p>Two electric motors drive the rear wheels, producing a claimed 232 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque. Total system output is a claimed 619 horsepower and 738 pounds-feet of torque, and the 1 comes with an eight-speed automatic transmission.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Polestar 1_KL_31" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79582371" hostid="261"></div><p>The battery is a 384-volt lithium-ion battery that's positioned along the car's floor and over its rear axle.</p><p>Polestar estimates the 1 to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds and have a top speed of 155 mph. The estimated mileage comes to 21 mpg in the city, 31 mpg on the highway, 25 mpg combined, and 60 MPGe. </p><div type="image" title="2020 Polestar 1_KL_63" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79582372" hostid="261"></div><p>The 1 measures 15 feet long, 4.4 feet tall, 6.4 feet wide, and has 4.4 cubic feet of trunk space. If the cargo room sounds small, it's because it is.</p><p>And despite the <a href="https://www.polestar.com/global/press/press-release/carbon-fibre-plays-integral-role-in-polestar-1-development">extensive use of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer in most of the 1's main body parts</a>, shaving off more than 500 (!) pounds, its curb weight still comes to a whopping 5,170 pounds (again: !).</p><div type="image" title="2020 Polestar 1_KL_52" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79582377" hostid="261"></div>As of this writing, the Polestar 1 has not been rated for crashworthiness by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.<h2><strong>What stands out: Power and beauty</strong></h2><p>If it isn't the best-looking car available today, the Polestar 1 is mighty close. It's built on the same platform as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/volvo-s90-and-buick-lacrosse-comparo-2017-2">Volvo's gorgeous S90 sedan</a> and also shares a few of its design cues. The general profile silhouette and the shape of the Thor's hammer headlights and taillights are all carried over.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Polestar 1_KL_65" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79582380" hostid="261"></div><p>But besides that, the removal of the rear doors and the elongation of the front doors gives the car a stretched, instantly eye-catching look. With its low window line and broad, horizontal grille, the 1 is striking. </p><p>The 1's claimed 619 horsepower might be scary to read, but it's very tame in practice. Acceleration is never met by any sort of violence. It's not the same kick-in-the-head feel you'd get from a powerful combustion-engine car, nor is it that spooky, all-at-once warp drive you get from a high-power EV. Rather, it blends that elasticky-feel of electric acceleration with slight pauses in power from the engine's transmission.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Polestar 1_KL_7" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79582384" hostid="261"></div>Speed in the 1 turns you into a shark, moving powerfully through dark water: sleek, forceful, quiet, but low-slung, especially when in the performance-oriented Power mode. The 1 is anything but light and it moves like it, too. You know what a plane feels like when it's taking off? How you can feel both the mass and velocity combine into momentum? It's like that.<p>But the most remarkable part of the 1 was its all-electric driving capabilities. The gasoline engine will only kick in when you <a href="https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/road-tests/a32354470/polestar-1-review/#:~:text=In%20electric%2Donly%20operation%2C%20the,all%20four%20wheels%20are%20driven.">exceed 99 mph</a> or when you floor the accelerator aggressively. Otherwise, you're free to go about your business in rear-wheel drive, EV-only mode. </p><div type="image" title="2020 Polestar 1_OEM_14.JPG" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79582385" hostid="261"></div>Polestar estimates EV-only driving to return 60 miles. I managed 55.8 miles of emissions-free driving through Vermont's Green Mountain National Forest on a curvy, 50-mph road with few stops and slowdowns.<h2><strong>What falls short: Tiny trunk, anyone?</strong></h2><p>I'd planned on running off with the 1 for 10 days, so I packed like I was going away for 10 days. We brought our medium-sized bags and thought nothing of it - surely, the big grand-tourer would also have a spacious enough trunk to accommodate us.</p><p>Reader, we thought wrong. We thought <em>so</em> wrong.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Polestar 1_OEM_1.JPG" height="1691" width="2500" msid="79582387" hostid="261"></div>It was almost like a scene from a movie. I opened the trunk for the first time and felt my eyes pop in shock at the shoebox of space I had to work with. Just as this happened, someone walked around from the other side of the car after admiring it. They said they'd just watched a review of it on YouTube but learned that "the trunk's really tiny, isn't it?"<p>You don't say!</p><div type="image" title="2020 Polestar 1_OEM_8" height="1875" width="2500" msid="79582389" hostid="261"></div>It's not like the back seats can fold down, either. So what did we do? We stuffed as much as we could into the trunk and piled the rest of our things in the back seats and on the floor. It worked.<p>I use "back seats" liberally here, because there isn't much headroom or legroom. In a pinch, they work, but I wouldn't want to put anyone there for an extended amount of time. Anyone I liked, anyway.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Polestar 1_KL_50" height="3750" width="2500" msid="79582391" hostid="261"></div>The 1 also comes with Pilot Assist, Volvo's advanced semi-autonomous feature that includes adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist. Pilot Assist was great on long stretches of highway. <p>I turned it on, set the following distance for as far as it would go, and kept my hands lightly on the wheel as the car followed the road's curves and kept to my desired speed. It definitely cut down on driving fatigue.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Polestar 1_OEM_4" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79582395" hostid="261"></div>It wasn't a perfect system, though. Sometimes the car would inexplicably hang out in one extreme side of the lane. Other times, when the system couldn't "see" the road's lane markers anymore, it would deactivate the lane-keeping function without much warning. The green lane-keeping light would turn off - that was your only hint. I would have appreciated some kind of auditory cue.<p>On this front, I preferred Tesla's Autopilot, General Motors' Super Cruise, and Mercedes-Benz's Drive Pilot over Pilot Assist.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Polestar 1_KL_6" height="3750" width="2500" msid="79582460" hostid="261"></div>Strangely, the 1's suspension didn't ride as softly as one would expect from a grand-tourer. Ride quality was on the harder side, with no setting to soften it. It seemed at odds with the otherwise smooth transmission, engine, motors, and brakes.<h2><strong>I have one complaint and it's about money</strong></h2><p>And here we arrive at my biggest gripe about the Polestar 1. It is very expensive. </p><div type="image" title="2020 Polestar 1_KL_5" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79582461" hostid="261"></div>The starting price is $155,000, which includes all options. Matte exterior paint is an extra $5,000. <p>Other luxury grand-tourers in that price range include the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/2020-porsche-911-carrera-s-review-price-specs-photos-power-2020-8">Porsche 911</a>, Mercedes-AMG GT, BMW M8, Aston Martin Vantage, and Audi R8. Among hybrids, it competes against the BMW i8, which <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/a-look-back-at-the-futuristic-bmw-i8-which-ends-production-in-april-2020-3#:~:text=After%20six%20years%2C%20BMW%20will,sports%20car%20of%20its%20kind.">isn't being made anymore</a>, and the Acura NSX.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Polestar 1_KL_53" height="3750" width="2500" msid="79582465" hostid="261"></div>But! The Polestar 1's hybrid powertrain certainly gives it an edge over gasoline engine-only cars. It's <a href="https://jalopnik.com/2019-bmw-i8-i-am-a-big-dumb-idiot-for-thinking-it-need-1829549409">more powerful than the i8</a> and far more practical than the NSX, which has no back seats and a minuscule rear trunk. (Hilariously, though, the NSX's trunk <a href="https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/acura/nsx/interior">is the same size</a> as the 1's.) <p>And the Polestar 1 is being made in very limited numbers. For some, the exclusivity could be the only thing that matters.</p><h2><strong>Our impressions: A future classic</strong></h2><div type="image" title="2020 Polestar 1_KL_57" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79582469" hostid="261"></div>After completely draining the battery, charging the 1 took the better part of 24 hours while plugged into a garage wall outlet (I have no idea what the voltage was). Combined with the EV-only driving, I put 472 miles on the car before I stopped to fill it up. Per my own calculations, I was getting 37 mpg.<p>I have real trouble getting over the price, though. There's no denying the Polestar 1's exquisite looks and notable range returns, but I can't get over how it commands Aston Martin money. That's especially true when the interior, beautiful as it is, doesn't offer the Android operating system natively - as the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/polestar-2-review-price-ev-volvo-tesla-specs-horsepower-electric-2020-8">all-electric Polestar 2</a> does - and appears to have been lifted straight out of a Volvo, which costs <a href="https://www.volvocars.com/us/v/cars/v60">a mere fraction</a> of the 1.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Polestar 1_OEM_3" height="1875" width="2500" msid="79582470" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="247770_Volvo_V60_T8_Test_Drive_in_Lule_Sweden" height="3333" width="5000" msid="79582474" hostid="261"></div>The driving experience, too, isn't transcendent the way the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/porsche-taycan-4s-review-0-60-price-range-ev-electric-2020-11">Porsche Taycan</a> EV's was. Don't get me wrong, it was very nice and the combined power makes you feel like a tacit force, but the curb weight does not make the car feel particularly agile. It is happiest sitting at speed, quietly, on a highway, or sweeping along a wide back road in a brisk but not breakneck pace.<p>But I can also easily see this 1 becoming a future classic. It's already got the looks and exclusivity. </p><div type="image" title="2020 Polestar 1_KL_18" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79582479" hostid="261"></div>Plug-in hybrids are that weird stop-gap right on our road to cutting out the reliance on fossil fuels altogether. Cars such as the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rav4-toyota-plug-in-hybrid-first-drive-review-suv-mpg-2020-10">Toyota RAV4 Prime</a> and the Polestar 1 offer more range than most current EVs and they're largely more powerful than their solely combustion-engine counterparts. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/analysis-plug-in-hybrid-cars-are-the-real-ev-solution-2020-10">Until the EV revolution fully takes hold, plug-in hybrids are our long-distance and efficiency solution</a>.<p>But when the EV revolution finally does happen, I bet we'll look back on cool hybrids like the Polestar 1 with the same sort of nostalgia that people look back on vintage analog cars now. </p><div type="image" title="2020 Polestar 1_KL_41" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79582480" hostid="261"></div>The 1 is a very specific response to a very specific transitional stage of today's automotive market. Had it come 10 years earlier, maybe people would have dismissed it as just another Prius. <p>But advancements in manufacturing and battery technology have given us a contemporary plug-in hybrid that is not only mighty and fast, but will also age gracefully in the coming decades. It's met with a buying populace that's only becoming more and more willing to embrace electrified cars. </p><div type="image" title="2020 Polestar 1_KL_26" height="3750" width="2500" msid="79582487" hostid="261"></div>The Polestar 1 is here - <em>now</em> - to enjoy this very propitious moment in automotive history. When it goes, it likely will not return again.

Review: The $155,000 Polestar 1 is unlike any car on the road - and a collector's item waiting to happen

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="9741456" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="2020-chevrolet-corvette">2020 Chevrolet Corvette</keyword> is the first mid-engine <keyword id="240486" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Corvette">Corvette</keyword> ever.</li><li>It has a naturally aspirated V8 between its axles that makes nearly 500 horsepower.</li><li>Starting MSRP for the mid-engine Corvette is $58,900. But after options, my loaner came out to $80,315.</li></ul><p>The person walking their dog pumped a fist triumphantly into the air upon seeing my Rapid Blue 2020 Corvette loaner drive by. So did a driver in <em>their</em> brand-new Corvette, going the opposite way on I-80. Another driver in an oncoming red Ferrari 488 flashed their lights in greeting.</p><p>Wherever you go in the new Corvette, that'll be the standard reaction - for a while, at least, until everyone calms down about the car a bit.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_46" height="3750" width="2500" msid="78701477" hostid="261"></div>That's because the new Corvette <em>is</em> exciting, and it's a seismic shift from any other Corvette in history. <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/18/americas-sports-car-the-corvette-almost-didnt-survive-the-great-recession.html">America's Sports Car</a> has finally landed in the form of the mid-engine supercar - an idea that's been in the works since the late 1950s, but never actually came to be. <p>That is, until now. </p><p>The mid-engine Corvette is no longer <a href="https://jalopnik.com/how-the-mid-engine-chevrolet-corvette-became-the-automo-1834958901">a myth, no longer a tall tale</a>. This is the real thing, designed to go toe-to-toe against the other midship sports cars and supercars that command much, much higher price tags.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_37" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701481" hostid="261"></div>Unlike some of the mid-engine options from Italy or Britain, however, the mid-engine Corvette isn't merely a noisy, one-trick track pony. It calms down into everyday civility, broadening the number of places you can actually use it. <h2><strong>The 2020 Corvette: Folklore no more </strong></h2><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/corvette-history-chevy-chevrolet-1953-debut-mid-engine-supercar-2020-5#on-january-17-1953-the-chevrolet-c1-corvette-was-displayed-as-a-dream-car-at-the-general-motors-motorama-exposition-at-the-waldorf-astoria-hotel-in-new-york-city-1">Since 1953</a>, the Corvette has been <keyword id="55200" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Chevrolet">Chevrolet</keyword>'s two-door, two-seater sports car. For the first seven generations, it used a traditional front-engine setup, where the engine was located in front of the driver.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_47" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701486" hostid="261"></div>For the current and eighth generation, also known as the "<keyword id="8954824" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="C8">C8</keyword>," the Corvette finally went mid-engine, tucking its power source behind the driver and between the front and rear axles. Rumors of the Corvette going mid-engine have been swirling for decades. With the C8, they finally became true. <p>Mid-engine setups are generally seen as the more naturally performance-oriented ones. Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, and McLaren choose not to use the tired, old front-engine setup seen in both your Ford Fusion and the Corvettes of years past. Mid-engine cars are praised for their balance and handling, since most of their weight isn't located at one extreme end. </p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_26" height="3750" width="2500" msid="78701491" hostid="261"></div>For lifelong Corvette fans and enthusiasts, the move to midship is a controversial one - added to the fact that the <keyword id="7572445" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="c8-corvette">C8 Corvette</keyword> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/corvette-history-chevy-chevrolet-1953-debut-mid-engine-supercar-2020-5#unfortunately-none-of-the-c8-corvettes-will-be-offered-with-a-manual-transmission-78">will not offer a manual transmission</a>. Primarily, the reason for dropping the stick had to do with demand. <p>When the C7 Corvette launched as a 2014 model, about half of its customers optioned it with a manual transmission. By the end of the C7's production run, however, the number had shrunk to only 20%. That, according to <a href="https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a28531606/2020-chevy-corvette-manual-transmission/">Car and Driver</a>, was enough to convince General Motors' money team to axe the manual option on the C8 altogether.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_7" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701497" hostid="261"></div>You've only got yourselves to blame for this. <h2><strong>Details and safety ratings: An all-American V8 </strong></h2><p>Cheer up, though. The C8 has plenty of other good stuff, like its naturally aspirated V8. Most automakers don't offer that anymore! </p><p>Packed between the base C8's axles is Chevrolet's LT2 engine: a 6.2-liter V8 that produces <a href="https://media.chevrolet.com/media/us/en/chevrolet/vehicles/CorvetteGS/2020.tab1.html">a claimed</a> 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque. All of that is sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. The automaker quotes a sub-three-second time to get from 0 to 60 mph when the base car has the $5,000 Z51 Performance Package.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 214" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701502" hostid="261"></div>Overall, the C8 measures 15.2 feet long, 6.3 feet wide, and four feet tall. Its dry weight - meaning its weight without onboard consumables such as cargo or people - comes to 3,366 pounds. <p>Because the engine is now no longer in the nose, the C8 has two trunks: one in the front and one in the back. The front trunk will fit a pretty average-sized carry-on suitcase, while the rear trunk is much longer and will fit a set of golf clubs, according to Chevrolet. Why this is a unit of measurement is beyond me. </p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 061" height="1227" width="2500" msid="78701504" hostid="261"></div>Anyway, Chevrolet quotes the C8 to have 12.6 total cubic feet of cargo volume. This is slightly less than the Porsche 718 Cayman, which is also mid-engined and has a combined cargo volume of 14.9 cubic feet from its two trunks, according to <a href="https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/porsche/cayman/interior">US News</a>.<p>The Environmental Protection Agency estimates the C8 to return 15 mpg in the city, 27 mpg on the highway, and 19 mpg combined. Corvettes, like many sports cars, generally aren't rated for their crashworthiness. </p><h2><strong>What stands out: The steering, suspension, and transmission are your friends </strong></h2><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_33" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701505" hostid="261"></div>The new Corvette's steering is wonderful. You only need about five seconds with the car to realize this. Tight, beautifully weighted, and acute, the C8's steering fills you with confidence. It builds trust, relaying gobs information up through your fingers and obeying even the smallest inputs. <p>This particular loaner came with the $5,000 Z51 Performance Package, which adds performance brakes, suspension, and exhaust, as well as a special rear spoiler. There was also the $1,895 Magnetic Ride Control option: GM's highly adaptive suspension system that uses magnetically controlled shock absorbers.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_30" height="3750" width="2500" msid="78701507" hostid="261"></div>Combined, these options give the C8 a solid and stiff-feeling ride, certainly less bouncy than the Z51-less C8 <a href="https://jalopnik.com/the-2020-chevrolet-corvette-doesnt-drive-like-other-mid-1841799213">I tried out in 2020</a>. It's not a ride that will shake your spine to pieces like it has something to prove, but rather one that clearly articulates the road surface and how the car is responding to it. There's no body roll - or lean - to speak of.<p>The road feedback doesn't mean the C8 is murderous on your bones over long distances, though. It cruises comfortably, its <a href="https://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/the-2020-chevy-c8-corvette-mixes-two-technologies-no-other-car-in-the-segment-has-ar186066.html#:~:text=Cylinder%20deactivation%20improves%20fuel%20economy&amp;text=When%20all%20cylinders%20are%20active,%2D7%2D6%2D4.2D4.">cylinder deactivation system</a> keeping four of the eight cylinders inactive in order to save fuel. </p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 060" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701510" hostid="261"></div>When that happens, the Corvette putters along quietly, its dual-clutch transmission keeping the engine's revs low in eighth gear. That dual-clutch, despite being a sore spot for many purists, is in fact quite good. <p>It's relentlessly fast on upshifts and snappy on the way back down. DCTs, as I've experienced them elsewhere, typically don't handle stop-and-go traffic very well. They shudder all the way down, jerking to match the right gear with the steadily decreasing speed of the car. </p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Engine 100" height="2000" width="2500" msid="78701512" hostid="261"></div>The C8's DCT is comparatively slick, shudder-free in traffic, and smooth as glass. So smooth, in fact, that you can barely feel it working in the car's comfort mode. Under harder driving I sort of wish the transmission made its presence a bit more known, but during around-town cruising, it was ideal.<p>The removable roof is nice, too. It unclips easily and you can store it in the trunk, though you sacrifice rear trunk space if you do.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 059" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701513" hostid="261"></div><h2><strong>What falls short: An all-consuming interior </strong></h2><p>When Chevrolet set out to build the new C8, it really seems like the intent was to remake the whole thing. The engine got moved. The base version is slightly more powerful. There's no more manual transmission. <a href="https://jalopnik.com/in-desperate-attempt-to-alienate-buyers-above-retiremen-1836909441">No more chrome wheels</a>.</p><p>And the interior went from this, which was just fine and serviceable:</p><div type="image" title="2018 Chevrolet CorvetteConv 045" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701663" hostid="261"></div><p>To this:</p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 223" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701670" hostid="261"></div><p>As you can see, the big change was moving all the climate buttons to the giant, driver-oriented ridge thingy that sweeps down the center console like a spine and cleaves the cabin in two. </p><p>Here's a closer look at it.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 219" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701673" hostid="261"></div><p>In the Corvette, the interior was one place that needed no revamping. It was just fine in the previous-generation C7.</p><p>The very best thing I can say about the new one is it looks like Star Trek cosplay. The worst I can say is that it's claustrophobic. From the driver's seat, I felt consumed, swallowed up by the tallness of the center console, the high window line and the narrow, steeply raked windshield. </p><p>Outward visibility is not great, which did not help to alleviate the overwhelming sense of <em>mass</em> that came from sitting in the new Corvette. The car is and feels big to drive. Intellectually, I knew I could fit it on the tight, twisting roads of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Emotionally, I'd still cringe a bit when there was an oncoming car. </p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 218" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701676" hostid="261"></div>As a passenger, you feel quite isolated from the driver - cut off completely - and your own climate control buttons aren't even facing you. It's a good interior for two people who are having a fight, I guess.<p>The C8 also could have used more nighttime testing, if the final product is anything to go by. When driving at night, light from the center infotainment screen reflects off of the partition behind the cabin, which then reflects directly into the rearview mirror. This was also slightly annoying to deal with.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 216" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701680" hostid="261"></div><h2><strong>How the C8 Corvette compares to its competitors: The most car for the least amount of money</strong></h2><p>With a starting price of under $60,000, it's tough to find a better bargain out there than the C8 Corvette. You get a 500-horsepower, mid-engined supercar for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-bmw-m3-m4-first-look-price-info-pics-stats-2020-9">less than the price of the new BMW M3</a>, and none of the pretentiousness of a Porsche or Ferrari. This is America's Sports Car, after all. The car with home-team advantage. If you don't like it, you're a dirty Commie. </p><p>Besides the Corvette, other mid-engine cars for sale today include the Acura NSX, Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, Audi R8, Bugatti Chiron, Ferrari 488, Ferrari F8, Ford GT, Lamborghini Aventador, Lamborghini Huracán, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/2020-lotus-evora-gt-review-price-specs-horsepower-sports-car-2020-9">Lotus Evora GT</a>, all McLaren models, and Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman, according to this <a href="https://www.caranddriver.com/features/g27343417/mid-engined-cars/">helpful Car and Driver list</a>.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_45" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701687" hostid="261"></div><p>Unfortunately, all of these cars also either start at well over $100,000, are down on power, are less daily usable, or some combination of all three.</p><p>Among its competitors, the C8 shines. It offers the most mid-engine car for the dollar.</p><p>Good luck finding a sub-$60,000 C8 Corvette anytime soon, though. <a href="https://jalopnik.com/the-59-995-c8-corvettes-are-virtually-non-existent-at-1842394471">As of March</a>, base-model cars were "virtually non-existent." My loaner certainly wasn't cheap, either. </p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_11" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701691" hostid="261"></div><p>Sure, the base price was $58,900, but it also had the: 2LT equipment package ($7,300) that included a premium sound system, head-up display, heated and ventilated seats, a heated steering wheel, wireless charging, and navigation; Magnetic Ride Control ($1,895); Z51 pack ($5,000); GT2 bucket seats ($1,495); a <a href="https://jalopnik.com/see-the-2020-c8-corvettes-nose-lift-in-action-1836907887">front-nose lift system</a> ($1,495); staggered 19-inch front wheels and 20-inch rear wheels ($995); and Rapid Blue paint ($500). </p><p>In all, the car had $20,320 in options, bringing the total MSRP to $80,315. Still <a href="https://www.porsche.com/usa/models/911/">less than a 911</a>, however!</p><p>Here's the window sticker, if you're curious.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette window sticker." height="1403" width="2171" msid="78701695" hostid="261"></div><h2><strong>Our impressions: The true everyday supercar</strong></h2><p>Head-on, the C8 is a visual punch to the face. Low, pointy, and wide, it captures the wild essence of great supercar design. Everyone will wave at you. Everyone will be stoked to see it. Smiles all around, and you'll feel just a little bit famous.</p><p>In profile and from the rear, the design flattens out and becomes rather disjointed - a gripe overshadowed by the stunning front end.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_13" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701698" hostid="261"></div><p>But as striking as its face is, the C8 is docile. Driving it, you'll forget the car is mid-engined at all. It handles beautifully as a cruiser, agreeable and quiet, kind on your body over bumps but also not erasing the sensation of road imperfections altogether. It strikes a nice balance.</p><p>That tame mood also extends to when you want to push the car a little bit. Oh, there's power, no doubt about that, and it'll do the fast stuff just fine - but the C8 doesn't feel innately hyped-up and ready to go like other sports cars do.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_40" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701705" hostid="261"></div><p>Somehow, what a naturally aspirated V8 packed in behind you is supposed to offer just doesn't translate to a kick in the back of the head (the good kind) when you really put your foot down. Rather, it feels a little sluggish at low revs. </p><p>As a base model, though, it's clear that Chevrolet left room for what's coming next. It's the only explanation for all the tameness. The upcoming performance versions will build on what the C8 already offers, and will likely surpass what they were in the C7 generation when they put down <a href="https://www.caranddriver.com/chevrolet/corvette-z06-2019">650 horsepower</a> and <a href="https://www.motortrend.com/cars/chevrolet/corvette/2019/2019-chevrolet-corvette-zr1-first-test-review/">755 horsepower</a>.</p><p>I'm speculating, but I wouldn't be surprised if in two or three years we find ourselves with a 1,000-horsepower, hybrid, mid-engined Corvette for the C8 generation.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_17" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701708" hostid="261"></div><p>But for now, we have the base C8. Even calling it a base model feels disingenuous because the car is so capable. The C8 is easily the most exciting thing this side of $100,000, and as something to live your normal, everyday life with, it's pretty tough to beat. </p><p>Just hope you like attention.</p><p style="text-align: center;">♦♦♦</p><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_3" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701712" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_32" height="3750" width="2500" msid="78701716" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_39" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701717" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_48" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701720" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_44" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701722" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_6" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701724" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_15" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701729" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_31" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701733" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_28" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701736" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_29" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701738" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="2020 Chevrolet Corvette_KL_18" height="1667" width="2500" msid="78701746" hostid="261"></div>

REVIEW: The $80,000 mid-engine Corvette is the best bargain supercar, yet it's unexpectedly tame to drive

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<ul class="summary-list"><li>A YouTuber's massive car collection is up for auction after he was sent to prison.</li><li>Omi in a Hellcat was sentenced to five and a half years over a copyright-infringement scheme.</li></ul><p>US Marshals are selling off a YouTuber's car collection after he was sent to prison for five and a half years over a copyright-infringement scheme.</p><p>Bill Omar Carrasquillo, better known by his YouTube alias Omi in a Hellcat, was sentenced in March, and the auction of his cars began on September 29.</p><p>An official with the US Marshals said some of the proceeds would be given to Carrasquillo's victims.</p><p>He was part of a group illegally selling pirated access to various TV network to its own subscribers, according to a press release from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania's US Attorney's Office.</p><div type="image" title="Backdraft Roadster" height="363" width="687" msid="104161102" hostid="261" sizebytes="24162"></div><p>Among the charges listed were "piracy of cable TV, access device fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and hundreds of thousands of dollars of copyright infringement."</p><p>Carrasquillo, who is 36, had over 800,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel where he mostly posted car content. He was ordered to pay $10.7 million to the cable companies, over $5 million to the IRS, and to forfeit $30 million in illegal profits.</p><p>Carrasquillo's 32-strong car collection was seized during his arrest in 2021, and the proceeds of the auction are likely to reach millions of dollars.</p><p>Among the lots are two Lamborghini Huracans, a 1996 Chevrolet Impala SS, a 2020 Audi R8 V10, and a 2020 Bentley Continental GT V8. There are also many other vehicles including motorbikes, ATVs, and dirt bikes, totaling 57 lots overall.</p><div type="image" title="Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat" height="359" width="694" msid="104161103" hostid="261" sizebytes="14814"></div><p>The action will be held on October 13, but bids have been rolling in online since September 29 on the Apple Towing Co auction website.</p><p>His four Lamborghinis currently have the largest bids, all with six-figure offers. A 2019 Lamborghini Aventador LP740-4 S, complete with Power Rangers wrap, has the highest bid so far of $380,000.</p><p>A Bentley Continental GT V8, a 2020 Audi R8 5.2 Quattro V10, and a 2019 Acura NSX SH-AWD Sport Hybrid all have bids over $100,000 as well.</p><div type="image" title="2020 Bentley Continental GT V8" height="371" width="673" msid="104161105" hostid="261" sizebytes="21032"></div><p><a target="_blank" href="https://wtop.com/maryland/2023/10/imprisoned-youtubers-high-end-car-collection-to-be-auctioned-off-in-maryland/">Washington DC-based outlet WTOP</a> spoke with Jennifer Crane, an official with the US Marshals, who said this was the agency's first live auction since 2019.</p><p>Crane also commented on the condition of the cars, and that being able to see them up close would "pique people's interest."</p><p>"These are a little bit better than coming off a used car lot, because someone actually had them in their garages before we took them," she said. "Before we took them someone was probably taking really good care of them."</p><p>She added that it was a "major law enforcement win" to get the cars — "to be able to take the items away from the bad guys, liquidate them to get the highest that can gather from the car sales, to be able to provide some of the proceeds back to the victims."</p>

The feds are auctioning off a YouTuber's prized car collection while he's in prison, including a Power Rangers-themed Lamborghini

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<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Ford Motor Company</span></p><p class="caption">The Ford Mustang.</p></div><p></p></div></div>On Tuesday, Ford announced plans to introduce a new Mustang complete with a hybrid drivetrain in 2020.</p><p>You read that right.</p><p>MUSTANG. HYBRID.</p><p>One of the true icons of American muscle will soon be available with a powertrain most closely associated with fuel-sipping compact cars. </p><p>While muscle car purists and those who crave the old-school pony car may be on the verge of a meltdown upon hearing this news, those looking for a more potent Stang should welcome this development.</p><p>According to Ford, the Mustang Hybrid is expected to produce V8-like power and torque while obviously delivering better fuel economy. </p><p>The sterling track record of recent electrified performance vehicles lend credence to Ford's goals. After all, the greatest performance attribute of an electric motor is its ability to deliver monstrous amounts of torque instantaneously.</p><p>"On paper, a hybrid Mustang doesn't sound all that special, but those who have experienced the incredible acceleration of an EV know that it could be the very thing that makes Mustang the performance car for a whole new generation," Autotrader executive editor Brian Moody said in an email.</p><p>This is how a 5,000 lb. Tesla Model X SUV can give Ferraris trouble at a drag strip. It's also how BMW's hybrid I8 sports car can sprint to 60 mph in just 4.0 seconds, and yet deliver 50 mpg of fuel economy. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Ford Motor Company</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>In addition, Business Insider's recently crowned 2016 Car of the Year is Acura's new NSX hybrid supercar. One of the attributes that impressed us the most was the NSX's hybrid drive system, which enables the car to launch off the line swiftly and consistently. </p><p>Ford hasn't specified whether the Mustang Hybrid will feature a turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder or six-cylinder engine. </p><p>Regardless of which motor is under the hood, the hybrid Stang will likely be a beast at the drag strip, while helping Ford meet its corporate fuel economy targets.</p><p>Ford has confirmed that the Mustang Hybrid will be produced at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan. </p><p>Tuesday's announcement comes as part of a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ford-45-billion-investment-autonomous-vehicles-2017-1" target="_blank">$4.5 billion initiative Ford has undertaken to introduce</a> more than a dozen new electric or hybrid models over the next five years.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/laundry-folding-robot-foldimate-video-2016-12">This machine solves the most time-consuming things about doing laundry</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="J1eXMwNDE6xEXrR7AqHv3GmDTNcBqpqx" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

You Searched For "2020 acura nsx" and got 10 results

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