Today the Pixel 4 Google event was confirmed for October 15, 2019. This scheduling and a wide variety of leaks make it a very good bet that the Google Pixel 4 and Google Pixel 4 XL will be revealed alongside other Google devices and services. This event's date placement is extremely similar to the last three years of Google events for their Google Pixel smartphone lineup.
The 2020 GMC Sierra HD is now bigger, stronger, and equipped with a bewildering array of new technology. Naturally, the new GMC Sierra HD is still available in 2500 and 3500 and is based on the new Chevrolet Silverado HD.
As we ascend above the cloud layer onboard the Canadian North flight - the tagline of which is “seriously northern” - bound for home from Inuvik, Northwest Territory, the native Inuvialuit boy next to me looks out of the window. “Wow, it looks just like the ocean!” he says. Not only is this his first plane ride, but it’s also his first trip ever out of the Arctic Circle. It takes a minute to really appreciate what the boy said. Few people on Earth would make that observation; from a boy who lives near a frozen sea, it's clear evidence that environment and experience help shape our perspective.
This week the White House released a video showing CNN reporter Jim Acosta at a press event. In the video documenting the original event, as broadcast on C-SPAN, a White House intern approached Acosta and attempted to remove a microphone from Acosta's hand. The point in question happened during this exchange. In an edited set of video clips shared by the White House, it would appear that Acosta swiftly chopped downward at the arm of the intern to stop her from removing his microphone. The video shared by the White House was doctored to make this action appear violent.
I struggle with the new SQ5 because the Q5 is already an amazing mid-size SUV. There’s so much goodness I’d imagine one would struggle with the idea of anything better, right? The correct answer is, wrong. While the differences are subtle for what you can and cannot see, they might be just enough for the right buyer in search of a high performing vehicle that stands out from the rest of the crowd; especially when there are over 1.5-million first generation Q5 roaming the roads today. That’s where Audi’s S-badge comes in.
Bravo Honda, bravo. The 2018 Civic Type R is the company’s most powerful car ever to be sold stateside. Indeed, Honda’s people are unofficially referring to it as the fastest front-wheel drive “road legal racecar” on the road. In short, no, the “R” in the name plate isn’t just for show.
What an epic year. Right around this time last year, I made one New Year’s resolution for 2016: drive as many tracks around the world as humanly possible. To my amazement, I did just that. While I did make that my singular resolution for the new year, I didn’t really care which cars I drove as long as I was on a track somewhere. That opened up some fairly unusual opportunities both for me and for SlashGear: read on for five of the most memorable.
If California was a country, it would make up the fifth largest market in the world for Porsche. What better place, then, for the US' second Porsche Experience Center (PEC). The first opened roughly a year ago in Atlanta, and also serves as the home base for Porsche North America. The new $60 million, 53-acre facility in Carson, California is also Porsche Motorsport North America’s new headquarters, not to mention being officially open for everyone to enjoy. Porsche invited SlashGear out to Carson for a first-hand experience; after all, the PEC is all about getting hands-on.
When I think of cutting-edge technology in the automotive world, Audi comes to mind. Performance, it’s Porsche. Bentley, of course, holds the title for luxury and the hypercar trailblazer, without a doubt, is Bugatti. So where does that leave VW? When I think of Volkswagen, I think of reliable cars that are affordable for mass-market consumers.
It’s track time and Pikes Peak Hill Climb is no ordinary race track. Taking a corner too wide pretty much anywhere within the 14,114 climb along what’s a 12.42 mile course packed with 156 twists and turns has consequences beyond a couple of dents. Luckily, Porsche’s confidence in the new 2017 Macan GTS is off the chart. This is a super rare opportunity where automotive journalists were given the opportunity to drive up Pikes Peaks and then, on the very same day, keep on going right up Mount Evans.
As decisions go, opting for the newly redesigned 2018 Audi A5 or its hotter S5 sibling is a good problem to have. This past week, I had the opportunity to experience both vehicles in Portugal and walked away impressed with the refined styling, performance, and handling. Much of the improvement can be credited to the same MLB Evo architecture first introduced in the 2017 Audi A4, not least a weight reduction of up to roughly 100 pounds for the US car, not to mention a drag coefficient cut to 0.25 for the base A5 model. Still, the second-gen A5 and S5 don’t go lacking in Audi’s typically meticulous evolutionary changes.
Classic design ages gracefully, but the 2017 Audi A4 hides its technological prowess under a body that's evolutionary rather than revolutionary. The latest version of the German company's compact executive sedan may look a whole lot like the outgoing model, but to my mind that's the beauty of it: unlike some rivals, change hasn't been made for its own sake.