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- GTD first drive, Top-selling SUVs 2025, Rolls sinks Phantom
GTD first drive, Top-selling SUVs 2025, Rolls sinks Phantom
PLUS: 2027 Cayenne spied, 986hp shooting brake, Infiniti manual?
2025-08-22
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Releases & Reviews
The track-only-leaning GTD pairs a dry-sump 5.2-liter V8 making over 800 hp (597+ kW) with a rear transaxle, pushrod inboard suspension, and active aero. Top Gear highlights astonishing lateral grip, endurance-race composure, and surprisingly approachable balance, though road noise and cabin refinement remain secondary.
Jeep revives Cherokee as a hybrid-only, AWD crossover targeting 37 mpg (6 L/100km) and over 500 miles (805 km) of range. No low range at launch, but a Trail Rated variant is promised; production shifts to Toluca, Mexico with sales starting late 2025.
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Technology, Market Data & Analysis
Manager Magazin reports Mercedes is in advanced talks to use BMW four-cylinders across CLA, GLA/GLB, C-Class, and even the “Little G”, trimming powertrain cost and complexity. The Drive notes potential collaboration reflects regulatory pressure and Chinese competition; branding and customer perception remain open questions.
Motor1 compiles year-to-date U.S. sales, showing compact crossovers dominating while full-size models retain loyal buyers. Hybrids gain share and the Tesla Model Y’s momentum pressures legacy entries; mainstream nameplates like RAV4 and CR-V anchor the list as inventory normalizes and incentives nudge affordability.
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Car Culture
Marking Phantom’s centenary, Rolls-Royce drove an old extended prototype into Plymouth’s Tinside Lido—riffing on the Keith Moon legend. Top Gear details precautionary measures, celebrating the brand’s theatrical flair while underscoring Phantom’s cultural mystique beyond horsepower figures or leather counts.
Harry’s Garage tours Iconic Auctioneers’ Silverstone Festival catalog, from Lamborghini Countach to Subaru Impreza 22B, TVR bruisers and Bowler off-roaders. The 36 minute watch leans into provenance, originality, and maintenance histories, spotlighting rally-bred engineering and 1990s icons entering serious-collector territory.
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Miscellaneous
Fresh spy video captures a near-production S650-generation Shelby GT500 prowling Detroit with a supercharged V-8 and multiple exhaust prototypes—rectangular, round, and dual tips. Motor1 notes muted calibration during testing, yet the signature burble and blower whine leave little doubt about intent.
According to Automotive News via The Drive, Nissan told dealers it will revive Xterra and Pathfinder as body-on-frame, hybrid SUVs. Xterra is pitched as a rugged, affordable midsize due around 2028; both target boxy, upright styling and revived off-road credibility.
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Quick Links
Shelby adds a 3.0-liter Whipple supercharger, Tremec six-speed or 10-speed auto, forged 20-inch magnesium wheels with 13-inch rear rubber, widened arches, and track-tuned aero and suspension to Ford’s Dark Horse.
Brabus converts its SL-based Rocket GTS shooting brake back into a roadster, unveiling the Rocket GTC at Monterey with hybrid SL63 S E underpinnings, extensive carbon-fiber aero, bespoke interior trims, and reworked chassis hardware.
Jim Farley told Bloomberg’s Hot Pursuits he wants a Dakar-inspired supercar engineered for gravel, high-speed sand and dirt, hinting at long-travel suspension and rally durability rather than track-only theatrics, though the project remains exploratory.
Near-production prototypes wear minimal camo, and one already stormed Goodwood in 31.28 seconds; expect Taycan-style trim spread and performance tiers as Porsche finalizes its flagship electric SUV.
Infiniti reportedly plans a rear-drive Q50 successor with the Nissan Z’s twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6, targeting at least 400 hp (298 kW)—possibly 450+ hp (336+ kW)—and a manual gearbox instead of a shelved EV.
MotorTrend reports McLaren’s first “shared performance vehicle” will be a plug-in hybrid, four-seat high-rider targeting Ferrari’s Purosangue, a pragmatic cash generator as Woking stretches beyond two-door exotics without uttering the letters S-U-V.
Pininfarina and startup Vittori will unveil the Turbio in Miami on October 4, touting active aerodynamics and an estimated 1,100 hp (821 kW) as the “AI hypercar” experiments with software-driven performance features.
MotorTrend argues skateboard batteries enable flat floors and long wheelbases, yet aero efficiency and crash rules funnel designs into similar teardrop silhouettes; outliers like Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 and Honda’s 0 Series hint at fresher forms.
Nissan’s new PRO-4X R package adds a 2.0-inch lift and Öhlins off-road dampers among other hardware, but buyers must source the components straight from Roush rather than through Nissan dealers.
Hagerty notes Ford’s Mustang GTD laid down a 6:52.072 Nürburgring lap with 815 hp (608 kW), yet the radical Transit SuperVan—an experimental special—sits ninth overall and remains Ford’s quickest ‘Ring machine.
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