The not so good: Middling fuel economy, limited rear-seat passenger space, especially limited availability
CG Says:
Hyundai introduces an all-new compact pickup truck for 2022, with splashy styling and scaled-down dimensions that blur the lines between the compact SUV and compact-pickup-truck categories. Compared to traditional pickup-truck rivals such as the Nissan Frontier, Toyota Tacoma, and Chevrolet Colorado, the Hyundai Santa Cruz is considerably smaller. It’s based on a unibody-design platform shared with the redesigned-for-2022 Hyundai Tucson compact SUV, and it integrates the cab and cargo bed into one seamless unit—unlike the separate cab-and-bed configuration of most pickup trucks.
The Santa Cruz is offered in just one body style: a five-passenger, four-door crew cab with a 4-foot bed. Four trim levels are available: SE, SEL, SEL Premium, and Limited. The SE and SEL are powered by a 191-horsepower 2.5-liter 4-cylinder paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission, and offer a choice of front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The SEL Premium and Limited come standard with AWD and a 281-horsepower turbocharged 2.5-liter 4-cylinder paired with an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Santa Cruz’s maximum towing rating is 3500 pounds with the non-turbo engine, or 5000 pounds with the turbo all-wheel-drive version.
For greater hauling flexibility, the Santa Cruz’s bed features an array of D-rings, cleats, and pockets that allow users to customize their cargo setup as needed. A lockable under-bed storage trunk with a removable drain plug is a handy standard feature. An available lockable roll-top tonneau cover conceals cargo and retracts into an enclosure beneath the rear window when not in use. The Santa Cruz’s cabin features contemporary tech amenities such as Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity and wireless device charging. These and other infotainment features are accessed via a standard 8.0-inch or an available 10.0-inch touchscreen. Also available is Hyundai’s Blue Link service, which provides remote-access features such as starting the engine or locking/unlocking the vehicle via a smartphone app or Amazon Alexa. A wide array of safety tech features are also offered, including lane keeping assist, driver attention warning, blind-spot monitor, and forward collision-avoidance assist with pedestrian and cyclist detection.
The genre-bending Santa Cruz aims to blend the cargo-carrying versatility of a pickup truck with the sleeker styling, smaller dimensions, and better overall refinement of a compact SUV. Though we categorize it as a compact pickup, the Santa Cruz will likely be cross-shopped against traditional compact SUVs as well. For now, its only direct competition is the equally new Ford Maverick, which has similar dimensions and a unibody/crew-cab configuration.
Our test AWD Limited proved practical and fun to drive during our testing, though the smallish rear-seat area will limited the Cruz’s appeal to families with growing teens or those who regularly drive with adults in back. Additionally the dual-clutch automatic transmission occasionally registers shifts with more pronounced engagement than we’d prefer.Aside from that, Santa Cruz’s tidy size, energetic design, and handy features offer a refreshing “adventurous urban dweller” alternative to more established competitors.
It’s crunch time and that means the thrash begins! Of course, it also tends to mean that corners are about to be cut, shortcuts are about to be created, and sleep is only a dream. Watch.
If you haven’t been to Bonneville to see land speed racing in person, and haven’t gotten to see what is really going on inside the streamliners that run 200, 300, 400, and even 500 mph then you are missing out at a lot of levels. One is the technology and creativity that is brought to the table at these events. This new streamliner project from FastMatt is one of those that you are going to want to check out, and thanks to his videos you get to see it actually coming together and we dig it. Check out Part Three of the build as he goes over all the challenges of putting a drivetrain in this race car here. Sometimes the engines, transmissions, and axles don’t connect real easily and in a car like this space is at a premium. Watch how Matt handles all of it below.
I’ve been attending and racing at, land speed events for nearly 15 years now which is kind of weird and hard to believe. It’s amazing racing, and a whole other kind of experience compared to drag racing, road racing, circle track racing, etc. But there are still a bunch of similarities in all kinds of racing with regards to speed parts, chassis components, etc. How you put them together and make them work together is a different ball game in some ways though, as frontal area and aerodynamics are so critical on a vehicle like this streamliner. With that said, you still have to fit a driver in it that can actually drive while in it. Makes sense right?
Yep, in a move we LOVE, NHRA has decided that this weekend’s U.S. Nationals is LIVE and FREE all weekend long on their YouTube Channel. It’s just Thursday, with racing going on through Monday, so tune in and watch, we know we will! Thank you NHRA, we love it.
The UK’s grassroots drift community has been going through a bit of turbulence over the last two years. Venues that have previously hosted drift events are being shut down by local councils. Police and other authorities think anyone with a low BMW is out to commit crimes. And on the odd occasion where mainstream media gets a hold of drifting they depict those involved as irresponsible boy racers. Today, when your Average Joe in the UK hears the word ‘drifting’ they immediately think of a muddy oval track with rattle-canned Scrapyard Challenge motors crashing into each other. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that amongst all that rubbish is a growing, thriving community of people who are successfully bringing style and class into the mix. Let me introduce you to Dorifest, the event where these incredible individuals get together for a weekend of pushing their cars around the iconic Driftland venue.
You join me on a sunny-yet-chilly evening in Fife. My good friend Tom Wright and I had just done a 12-hour pilgrimage from the south of England all the way up to Scotland. Travelling at a steady 60mph in a borrowed 20-year-old Mitsubishi Shogun, Tom successfully just completed his first towing journey. The car on the trailer? The red PS13 Nissan Silvia above.
We seemed to be the first people at the party. The pits were quiet, but it was very obvious from the atmosphere that the following morning – when Dorifest officially kicked off – we’d be in a pack of 60 other drivers who all had the same goal for the weekend: Get in their pride and joy drift car, get as close to their best friend in their own car, and initiate together into a corner at about 70mph.
Dorifest is a brand new event on the UK drift calendar. Its organiser Martin Oberheim, however, is no stranger to organising drifting events. Martin’s an S-chassis guy through and through, and he’s been around the block a few times with his own project cars. The idea for Dorifest came from his previous event, S Chassis Fest, where Martin invited his friends with show-car-quality S-chassis drift machines to come down to Driftland and shred the track together.
Now, some people may disagree here, but the drift world doesn’t end with the S-chassis. Yep, I know, that’s a bold claim to make, but the biggest S-chassis lover of them all, Martin, agrees with this one. The natural progression for his events then, was to open up the doors and include all makes and models.
One thing that wasn’t up for discussion, though, was the quality of the cars. Dorifest prides itself on having drift cars attend that wouldn’t look out of place at a car show. Low drive heights, real parts used and tight wheel fitment is standard. The award ceremony even saw a trophy go out to the best engine bay of the weekend.
This makes sense. Drifting is all about style and self expression, and your car is the boldest way to reflect that.
Dorifest represents the best the UK has to offer, and rumour has it over 150 people applied to take part in the event. This wasn’t a ‘first come first served’ gathering though; Martin and his team hand-picked the cars from a sea of applications. This is good news for UK drifting; the demand is there and growing. Dorifest is the perfect challenge to issues I mentioned at the start of the article, and Driftland is the perfect place to showcase it.
From the get-go on Friday evening I was already beyond excited for the weekend ahead. I used to read about Driftland as a teenager – a smooth, purpose-built drifting playground with easy spectating, and a big pit area and located away from anyone who could get annoyed by the sound of an SR20DET revving into its ketchup. The only catch is that it’s a 12-hour journey north from me, but the perks of that far outweigh the cons.
Scottish hospitality is at a different level. Everyone is friendly and was keen to make sure all guests were fed and watered. The scenery is truly beautiful and the air is crisper than that of England. Things were setting up for a lovely weekend ahead.
Slow & Steady
Saturday rolled around, and with the drivers and media briefing out the way it was time to get stuck in. Overnight, the quiet pit we experienced on Friday had became a little more full, with a line of empty car trailers at the back for each of the cars there. The drivers were taking this seriously. Only one small issue: the weather.
The morning was damp. This was bad, because for the drivers that didn’t know the track (most of my friends), not only did they have to try and learn somewhere new, they also had to fight the elements. Two of my friends slid right off on the first bend; wet tarmac and an off-cambered corner made for ice-like conditions. Fortunately, the slip ups weren’t the end of their weekend.
As you can see, Martin’s influences in the S-chassis world meant a lot of his friends brought their own Nissans out to play at the event. Stew Noble’s red Spec-R S15 on 17-inch Advan Model 5s was one of the first on the track, demonstrating that despite arriving on a trailer and being very clean and understated on the outside, cars like these aren’t show ponies. They get used properly.
The queues to head out onto the track grew as the drivers all got their prep out the way. A slow and steady approach was developed by many as the track was still damp, but word was spreading that the sun would be out by lunch, and stay with us for the weekend. I could tell these guys were saving their energy and tyres for the dry afternoon ahead.
The First Pitstop
Drift days require constant spanner-work, and I don’t think any of the cars managed to do the whole event without needing something replaced or fixed. For the most part it was boost or temperature related. I’m pretty sure that most of my friends with turbo cars popped a boost pipe, and those who didn’t probably shredded a body panel on an apex. These guys run low cars knowing a side skirt will likely fly off at some point over the weekend.
But why? Why are these guys committed to running their cars low, when it all guarantees is damage? It’s hard to summarise it briefly, but think of it sort of like a rock concert. The artist would play their songs, shred the guitar with the same energy these guys shred their cars on track, and finish the song off by smashing the guitar on stage. Obviously the drivers won’t completely destroy their cars, but ultimately, fibreglass bumpers are replaceable parts, just like a guitar is, and the battle scars are a sign of you pushing the car to its limit. When the guitar is smashed against the stage, the audience is still screaming, asking for one more song.
Unfortunately, not all damage is light. At the start of the Saturday, my buddy Stu Burrows blew a gearbox up before his first pitstop. His morning went from drifting his car with his buddies to sourcing and replacing a gearbox using the tools he brought with him. But by dinner time, the car was out and running again.
Here’s a little pit curiosity for you. Seeing a standard Peugeot 505 GTI is rare, but one with some tinkering done to it? Unheard of.
Bonnets up to let the cars cool down; scissor doors up to let the world know this isn’t your first rodeo. Well-styled from the Irish gents in their Nissans… Dorifest invited people from all over the surrounding areas, with some even coming over from mainland Europe.
I used my time in the pits to also head over to the spectator area. Driftland has a unique setup where spectators stand on elevated land around the track, meaning you can always see all the action. It’s a dream, allowing photographers to get all sorts of angles even if they don’t have full access to the track the way I did.
This NB Mazda MX-5 is packing a feisty punch with a Honda K20 engine under the bonnet. Conor Wilson has had this car for longer than I’ve been attending drift events, so it was great to finally see it in person.
Martin made it clear to the drivers that all cars had to remain presentable for the weekend. If you lost a bumper, you had to reattach it. My friend Rory Brice managed to have an unfortunate quarter panel loss in the morning. Fortunately, his S15 is the exact same colour as masking tape. Adapt, improvise, tape it up… something like that.
Picking Up The Pace
With the rainy clouds moving on and the track drying up, the guys were picking up the pace. Naturally, tyre smoke started to appear, and before you knew it the entry speeds were doubling and friends started twinning with each other.
John Fallon was really going for it in his R32 Nissan Skyline GTS-t. This was another car that stood out to me, also rocking Advan Model 5s. I promise it’s a coincidence, but I’m definitely biased to cars that don’t need huge kits to stand out.
It was in the afternoon that a group of little NA Mazda MX-5s started to appear and grab my attention. There were three of them in total, making the most incredible, raspy racket around the track. Despite their size, they were pushing some bigger cars about.
Adam Maciejewski (famously pronounced Magic-Jetski) was piloting this E46 BMW 3 Series saloon. Interestingly, it’s a 330d running the legendary M57 diesel engine. A drift car getting 40mpg around the track? In today’s economy, the car makes more sense than ever. With some fruity exhaust trickery it sounded great too, and the endless torque easily pushed it from bend to bend. You can see just how much tyre smoke it was lighting up in the photos.
I feel like I’ve never seen an NC MX-5 at a drift event before. It’s maybe a sign that I’m getting old, but I still see these as modern cars. Again, a fruity sound, great colour combo and plenty of steering angle allowed this car to be super competitive throughout the day.
Three layouts were being used, but amongst other reasons, Driftland is known for that chequered board wall running the length of the spectator seating. This is where drivers could really throw it in at speeds north of 80mph, with those who dared even throwing it in backwards. It’s safe to say that by the end of the day everyone knew what they were doing. Sunday was shaping up to be fast-paced day.
A New Day
After an evening with some food and drinks, we crashed to get some energy back for another day of Driftland action. With Stu’s car being back on the road after a whole day out replacing the gearbox, he spent no time getting back into it on Sunday morning. A new day brought him new opportunities to push his E36 for all its worth. With a boosted M50 under the bonnet, the brown BMW was comfortably punching up to the more powerful Japanese cars on the track.
Sunday also introduced a team drift aspect to the event. It was time to get on each others doors and close that proximity.
Most people at the event are good friends with one another, so it’s only natural for people to gather into teams. Some go the extra mile and match their cars up. First up were the Stylecase gents – Nate, Ryan and Chris – rocking matching purple liveries.
This is what drifting is all about, getting amongst it with your friends and chasing doors… and occasionally taking it a little too far and putting it up a bank. All part of the fun.
My good friend Austen Beischer swapped a new Pulsar G30-660 turbo into his JZX100 in time for Dorifest. Keen to see what it could do, he was pushing the car and his driving throughout the whole weekend. As you can see, so much so that the gravel made contact, but it was no biggie. A quick shakedown later and he was out again leading Stu down the main straight.
Austen’s Chaser is amazing, featuring a lot of suspension parts that he designs and makes himself though his DausFab business.
Here’s Rory leading Connor with a reverse entry down the main straight. The boys were in their zone, and the driving kept getting faster and faster into the afternoon. Until the inevitable happened…
Casualty Room
An early re-centre mid-drift from a leading car caused Stu and Chaz Lott to collide. It feels really weird seeing your mates crash. A trip back to the pits was in order to make sure they were alright.
The casualty room was pretty busy. The mood didn’t seem sour or upsetting though; I’d hazard a guess every driver at the event has badly damaged a car – or three – in their time.
Many people were playing jungle mechanics here, knocking their heads together to make sure that the cars were safe to get back out.
In The Hot Seat
For me, it was time to hop into the passenger seat with my camera. As fun as taking photos on track is, the real fun at a drift event is being in the hot seat, getting on your mates’ doors.
There’s Stu, the lovely gent who runs Driftland. The organisation on the weekend was spot on; the marshals were sharp and everyone got the seat time they paid for.
Next up was a round with the MX-5 boys. I won’t lie, this was a highlight of my weekend. So much so that I’ll be doing a spotlight feature on this team and their event experience.
From left to right, Stu was back in full swing. It’s not about how badly you crash, but about how you get back up and out on the track again afterwards. There was no stopping Stu from having a good time this weekend.
The Final Push
And just like that, the Sunday was coming to an end. It’s at this point where some of the drivers start to pack their rigs back up to prepare for the journey home, while others tried to use their last set of tyres. We’ll focus on the latter for now.
Door-on-door action was endless throughout the weekend. Not only from the Stylecase gents, but from everyone at the event.
Wall clip casualties were everywhere, wearing their proximity markings with pride.
Kings Of The Castle
You couldn’t have a proper event without a set of awards to give out at the end. Fortunately, some of my pals were recognised for their efforts.
There’s the boss himself, Martin, proudly announcing that my trucking partner Tom Wright won the award for ‘Best Crash’ at the event which saw his PS13 fly through the gravel and up into the blue netting after a failed reverse entry. Of course, he was back out straight after. Stew Nobel also picked up an award for ‘Best Prepared’, acknowledging his organisation for the weekend. I mean, have you seen his car? The guy’s got everything under control.
And that marks the end of the incredible weekend up in Scotland. My first, well overdue Driftland experience which also acted as an unforgettable reminder for just how rich UK’s street car drift culture really is.
Here in the UK we’ve always looked up to the big events overseas, wishing we had something like it for ourselves. Well, I think there’s no need to dream anymore. We do have it, up at beautiful Driftland with clued-up hosts such as Martin, who see the UK’s potential and the interest in a drift event that throws weird egos aside, instead encouraging creativity and community with Dorifest.
People who like big equipment know that the Caterpillar D9 tractor is one of the most well known, well developed, and widely used machines around the world. In this day and age of mega-giant earthmoving machines, it is not the biggest, but it is still a massive beast that works on jobs that range from mining to highway building. Like any hulk out there, the D9 had to have come from somewhere, right? It did. It came from the 1950s and it came from a battle of increasing size and capability between companies like Caterpillar and Euclid.
Back when the Caterpillar D9 was introduced it was created to battle what was then the biggest bulldozer in the world, the Euclid TC-12. Euclid had changed the game by effectively mounting two of their dozers side by side in the same chassis and with two engines, creating something more huge and powerful than the world had ever seen before. The downside was that the thing was ungainly and it sucked down fuel with two Detroit Diesel engines running at once. The D9 was a response to this machine and it was better in every respect. A single turbocharged diesel engine that made around 300hp when introduced and well over 300hp over time was hooked to a torque converter drive transmission, and innovative developments in the track drive system to make it easier and more efficient to use than anything else on the market.
When we look at the 108,000lb version of the Caterpillar D9 today as compared to this open cab, comparatively small machine, the old one almost seems quaint. Much as an old car can seem quaint as compared to modern one, the old D9 set the stage for the crawler tractors and bulldozers that we have today. If you like old equipment, this video is tops!
Press play below to see this cool 1950s look at the Caterpillar D9 bulldozer –
Sometimes a ‘how we got here’ point of view is necessary for a story. Nino Tecson grew up around cars. His dad and uncles were always working on various builds, and some of Nino’s earliest memories revolve around his father respraying cars multiple times and swapping engines and transmissions.
With cars such a big part of his childhood, it’s unsurprising that Nino and his cousins were taught the ins and outs of auto repair and enhancement from a young age. They were swapping engines at 16 years old, as well as maintaining all the family vehicles. We’re talking about a large family too, so Nino got to work on Japanese, European and domestic American models.
Both of Nino’s parents drove Toyotas and when he was looking to buy a car in the early ’90s, his peers were all getting into Honda Civics, CRXs and Integras. Nino wanted something different, so after saving up some money, he bought a Nissan Sentra. It was with this car that his passion for custom and modified cars really began.
Nino says that after around a year of ownership, the Sentra was fully gutted and barely streetable. It started with NOS fogger system and other performance upgrades, but eventually a tuned SR20DET found its way into the engine bay to really light up the front tires.
Cars continued to play a big role in Nino’s life through his 20s and 30s, but five years ago he was able to make a career out them. Now he spends his days restoring and modifying old cars for others. Of course, Nino still needed his own project.
Having started out with a Nissan, Nino knew he had to go there again, but this time with something a little more special – and quite a bit older – than a Sentra. He found exactly what he was looking for in a straight, rust-free S30 Datsun 240Z.
Using his decades of experience, this would be Nino’s ultimate build.
Nino’s approach to this build was to restore, improve and add personal touches to the Z. The result is pretty spectacular.
Early on in the project Nino considered cutting the body to fit fender flares, but given the condition of the car, it just felt wrong. As you can see though, it hasn’t stopped him from fitting wide wheels – specifically a set of Devil Japan Shadow Spokes from the early ’70s. These have been stepped up from 14 to 15-inch and out to 8.5-inch at the front and 9-inch at the rear.
One of the main reasons to go 15-inch was the brake upgrade Nino had in mind – a Techno Toy Tuning BBK package with 300mm front discs and Wilwood Superlite forged calipers. At the time, micro kits for 14-inch wheels weren’t a thing. Techno Toy Tuning’s name came also be found on the coilover suspension conversion.
Under the hood, the Z’s original L24 engine remains, but today it looks, sounds and performs a whole better than it did when it left the factory more than 50 years ago. The E31 head has been ported and fitted with a performance cam, the intake benefits from a Mikuni 44PHH triple carburetor setup, and with the exhaust, headers flow into a custom stainless steel system. Crane ignition and a Mallory optical distributor are also in use.
Inside, Nino has kept things simple and minimalistic. Here you’ll find a pair of Autolook seats from the early ‘80s with Willans x Nightrunner harnesses, a Watanabe Falcon steering wheel, custom Porsche 917-inspired wooden shift knob (with matching e-brake lever cover) and a Datsun Competition rear-view mirror. Sound deadening and new floor carpet was also added to keep things comfortable.
If you look close you’ll also see an Autometer Sport-Comp tachometer mounted in the dash. It’s the only part that Nino has left over from his Sentra, so it felt right to include it in this build.
When I asked Nino about some of his best memories in the Z so far, he replied: “The most recent one was when I had my 6-year-old in the car with me on the way to meet you. Someone gave a thumbs up; my son saw it and said, “they like your car, dad.” He saw another one, and another one, so he counted them. “That’s three, dad; that’s four.” He was so amused. He counted six people waving or giving a thumbs up. He said, “wow, they really like your car, is it like that every time?” It made me laugh and I told him no, usually just one or two, but there was traffic and a lot of cars on the road.”
I think we all remember the first time we realized certain cars are special. This Z definitely is.
Now that the boxing plates are in for the factor frame rails, it’s time for a crossmember and transmission mount. This is a single-seat race car remember, so there isn’t a lot of room and that means that getting the engine and trans sitting right can be the difference between sitting down nice in this car and sitting up way too high. This one is going to be nice.
Bennett’s Customs is an Australian traditional hot rod builder that does some pretty cool car and motorcycle projects, and they have embarked on a new project that must be done by September in order to go racing at the Perkolilli Red Dust Revival. This is a single-seat race car build, like one that you would have seen in the 1940s and they are building it from a mix of scratch-made parts, stuff that has been sitting around collecting dust, and some more traditional parts they will no doubt be wheeling and dealing for. If you are into traditional rides, like those we feature from Iron Trap Garage, then you are going to dig what they are doing here. I’m intrigued, and inspired, by projects like this because we all tend to make projects that are so complicated and big that they take forever. If instead, we worked on some smaller projects, maybe we could get more of them done.
This project here is no lightweight with regards to the work required since they are doing this all from scratch, but it sure looks like it is going to be a fun one and we can’t wait to watch it come together.
Video Description:
On this episode we create a new crossmember and transmission mount for the race car allowing more leg room and strength for the chassis. 69 days to go!
Whether you drive a car, need a car, or just occasionally bum a ride with friends, you’ve come to the right place. Join the editors of Consumer Guide Automotive as they break down everything that’s going on in the auto world. New-car reviews, shopping tips, driving green, electric cars, classic cars, and plenty of great guests. This is the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast.
Episode: 145
Broadcast date: August 21, 2022
Guest:Jennifer Newman
Ranking the Most American-Made Vehicles, Dodge New-Product Blitz
Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell kick off the show by discussing Dodge’s “Speedweek” barrage of new-product announcements, including the Charger Daytona SRT electric-vehicle concept and the 2023 Dodge Hornet compact SUV. Cars.com Editor-in-Chief Jenni Newman joins us to talk about Cars.com’s 2022 American-Made Index, a ranking of the most American-made vehicles sold in the U.S. Tom has a quiz on Rivian for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Consumer Guide Daily Drive blog, including a Test Drive review of the 2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line.
The Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast is broadcast every Sunday on Chicago’s WCPT AM 820 at 1:00 PM CT.
Report-card grades are derived from a consensus of test-driver evaluations. All grades are versus other vehicles in the same class. Value grade is for specific trim level evaluated, and may not reflect Consumer Guide's impressions of the entire model lineup.
Big & Tall Comfort
Big Guy
B-
Tall Guy
A-
Big & Tall comfort ratings are for front seats only. "Big" rating based on male tester weighing approximately 350 pounds, "Tall" rating based on 6'6"-tall male tester.
The great: Comfortable, nicely finished cabin; respectable power from new mild-hybrid powertrain
The good: Nice blend of car and SUV attributes; handsome styling
The not so good: Some class rivals offer more cargo space; infotainment-system quirks
John Biel
The Volvo crowd has long been something of a station wagon crowd, the brand extolling its focus on safety, and that being a key selling point to families—which just happen to be the prime demographic for wagons. These days, though, Volvo’s wagons are themselves a thinning crowd.
The current generation of Volvo’s V90 wagon debuted for the 2017 model year. For 2022, the V90 lineup is pared down to only the SUV-flavored Cross Country model, which receives an updated powertrain and a new infotainment system.
Thank—or blame—SUVS for overshadowing the passenger-car-derived station wagon but the contraction in sales has virtually wiped out the body style. The few survivors have taken to trying on a pseudo off-roader look. For 2022 Volvo still makes two wagons, the V60 and V90, but the V90 now comes only as a Cross Country version with a raised ride height and protective black cladding around the wheel openings and lower body. The “standard-height” V90 models minus the cladding have been discontinued.
Consumer Guide tested a V90 Cross Country, the larger of the two Volvo wagons (though both are considered part of the premium-midsize class). For ’22 the car switches to a mild-hybrid powerplant and gets a new infotainment system.
Interior ambiance is a Volvo strong point. The V90 Cross Country’s cabin boasts a genuinely luxurious look and feel. The center console is home to an unconventional twist-knob engine start/stop switch and a wireless charging pad.
The V90 occupies the most populous price/size segment in what’s left of the station wagon field. In addition to its slightly smaller kinswagon, it also vies for shoppers’ attention with the costlier Audi A6 allroad and Mercedes-Benz E450 All-Terrain. The base price, with delivery, of the V90 Cross Country is $56,295; even with a quartet of options CG’s test car came in at $61,990, well below the $69,450 starting price of the E450 All-Terrain our editors drove previously.
Where the Audi and M-B are 6-cylinder cars, the Volvo utilizes a 2.0-liter four that is supercharged and turbocharged and newly tended by a 48-volt electrical system with an electric starter-generator. Dubbed the B6, its electrically run supercharger adds boost to the engine at lower rpm until the turbo assumes this task at a higher rate of revolutions. At 295 horsepower, the B6 is down 21 ponies from the similarly aspirated T6 engine that preceded it. (Both of its German rivals generate well more than 300 horsepower.) That said, one of the several duties of the starter-generator—which replaces a conventional starter motor—is to hasten delivery of the 310 lb-ft of torque for zestier starts and smoother shifts from the 8-speed automatic transmission. The engine in the V90 is responsive and smooth, flashing good power for standing-start getaways and nice punch for highway passing.
There’s good space for most adults in both the first and second rows, and the seats are comfortable and supportive.
It wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect that a benefit of the B6 four would be better gas mileage than its more powerful competitors, and going by EPA estimates that’s true. The V90 Cross Country is rated at 22 mpg in the city, 29 on the highway, and 25 combined—all of which are one mpg better than the respective estimates for the All-Terrain and two mpg above the allroad’s combined figure. However, when this driver put 77 miles on the test car with 61 percent of that in city-style use, he didn’t quite hit the city number, logging 21.5 mpg. The erstwhile T6 engine was pegged at 21 city mpg but 32 on the highway.
No matter what kind of fuel mileage they’re getting, V90 passengers will be enjoying their trips in comfortable and tasteful surroundings. Seats are supportive and comfortable and are available in a choice of two no-cost color alternatives to the standard Black leather or four shades of ventilated Nappa leather offered in an extensive interior package. Front seats are heated and power adjustable, with memory function for the driver. Depending on the color selected, dash, doors, and console are dressed in real-wood accents of either gray ash or pitched oak. Padded, soft-to-the-touch areas are abundantly distributed. The steering wheel is wrapped in leather and cars like CG’s tester with the Blond interior have this off-white color on the inside half of the wheel.
The V90 Cross Country’s cargo volume checks in at 25.2 cubic feet behind the rear seats, and 53.9 cubic feet with the rear seats folded–respectable, but behind its primary class competitors.
There’s plentiful stretch-out room and good headroom in front. Rear-seat legroom is sufficient to accommodate lots of adults, though you won’t get more than two of them in this 5-passenger car because the driveline hump in the floor is fairly substantial. Even with the standard panoramic moonroof overhead, rear-seaters won’t feel crowded for headroom. Personal-item storage is handled by a large glovebox, small console box, modest door pockets, mesh pouches on the backs of the front seats, and a shallow covered bin in the pull-down rear armrest.
Drivers face a 12-inch digital display (with configurable functions via steering-wheel buttons). The new Google-based infotainment system has a touchscreen that is smaller and somewhat easier to navigate than the former Sensus Connect system had but it still requires some concentration to work through menus. Management of the standard two-zone climate system is also via the screen, but there are quick-hit buttons for defrosters and an audio power/volume dial below the screen. Satellite radio and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto phone mirroring are included. However, CG editors with both types of phones reported difficulty maintaining a Bluetooth connection.
The V90 Cross Country’s sole powertrain is a turbocharged and supercharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder that is newly paired with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. Our tester was equipped with the optional 20-inch alloys in place of the standard 19s.
Other standards include bright aluminum roof rails, automatically retracting heated power mirrors, and wireless charging. For safety and driver assistance there’s autonomous emergency braking, pedestrian and cyclist detection, rear-collision warning, blind-spot alert, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist, oncoming lane mitigation, and Volvo’s Pilot Assist with lane centering and adaptive cruise control.
At 115.8 inches, the V90’s wheelbase is 0.1 inch longer than the stretch under the E450 All-Terrain. Ride on the double-wishbone front suspension and rear integral-link suspension with composite transverse leaf spring is comfortably composed, even on the optional 20-inch alloy wheels.
The V90 isn’t as roomy for cargo as the Mercedes. Maximum cargo capacity with the 60/40-split rear seats down is 53.9 cubic feet; the All-Terrain holds up to 64 cubic feet. The cant of the Volvo’s tailgate plays a part here. The rear seats do fold flat and flush with the load floor.
Power and cargo room aren’t the only advantages that come for the All-Terrain’s extra cost. For instance, it has 4-wheel air suspension, one additional transmission gear, and a rear-facing two-passenger seat for 7-passenger capacity. But considering what the V90 Cross Country does offer for its price it should draw a crowd.
The 2022 Volvo V90 Cross Country stands out from the run-of-the-mill luxury SUV by offering handsome station wagon proportions in addition to its upscale trim and rough-terrain/inclement weather capabilities.
VW, Porsche, and BMW. Face Supply Chain Challenges As Western Ukraine’s Wire Harness Production Stops
The catastrophic Russian invasion of Ukraine is having an impact on more automakers, as German auto giants Volkswagen, Porsche, and BMW struggle to obtain wire harnesses from their regional suppliers.
Wire harnesses are required to organize kilometers of vehicle cables, hence this component is essential when designing autos. However, as the Russian onslaught on Western Ukraine escalates, suppliers like Leoni, Fujikura, and Nexans have stopped doing business there, reducing output of this component.
This development has already resulted in supply chain challenges, with delivery bottlenecks affecting some Volkswagen assembly plants, the second-largest manufacturer in the world. The Leipzig facility of Porsche’s luxury division has already stopped production, and BMW has also been impacted by the shortage of wire harnesses.
BMW experiences delivery problems because of a lack of wire harness
BMW said in a statement that production halts will occur as a result of supply shortages, which are hurting the company’s supply chain. BMW further stated that they are in extensive talks with their suppliers to resolve the aforementioned problem.
For BMW and all automakers, a wire harness is essential because automobiles cannot be constructed without them. This group of components is essential because a wire harness enables automakers to neatly package up to 5 kilometers of cables in a typical car. The building of the car is a complete chaos without the wiring harness.
In a statement, wire harness supplier Leoni said it is attempting to make up for production losses brought on by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. With plants in Stryi and Kolomyja, Leoni has two wire harness manufacturers in Western Ukraine that are both experiencing production halts due to the fighting.
There are several more businesses producing wire harnesses in Western Ukraine besides Leoni, including Germany’s Prettl, SEBN, Kromberg & Schubert, Forschner, and Japan’s Yazaki. These businesses decided to establish wire harness manufacturing facilities in Western Ukraine due to a more affordable, skilled labor force.
The fabrication of wire harnesses is essential to Ukraine’s economy.
In 2020, wire harnesses turned out to be the most important automobile component that Ukraine sold to the European Union. According to Comtrade data compiled by consulting firm AlixPartners for that year, wire harnesses made up close to 7% of all EU imports.
According to statistics provided by the Ukrainian government, 38 plants totaling more than $600 million were built in the nation by 22 automotive businesses. Over 60,000 Ukrainians are employed by these businesses, the majority of which make wire harnesses.
The aforementioned facilities are adjacent to German automakers’ low-cost manufacturing plants that they have established in the central European region as well as to German auto factories that produce vehicles. Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, says that in order to handle this problem, which is not going away anytime soon, carmakers will need to develop alternate solutions for the short- and mid-terms.
