- Today in Cars
- Posts
- Audi A6 Returns, ZDX Canceled, Ferrari F80 Tested
Audi A6 Returns, ZDX Canceled, Ferrari F80 Tested
PLUS: McLaren Mystery, VW Buttons Backlash, Tesla Airborn
2025-09-26
🚙
Releases & Reviews
Toyota’s widebody GR Corolla returns with subtle chassis and calibration tweaks that sharpen turn-in and mid-corner grip while preserving its rowdy character. The rally-bred AWD, six-speed manual, and playful balance remain the stars, delivering more composure on track without sacrificing daily livability.
U.S.-spec 2026 A6 now drops the four-cylinder for a standard 362 hp (270 kW) 3.0-liter turbo V-6, paired with sharper chassis options and a screen-heavy cabin. With these upgrades, Audi hints an S6 may sit out the lineup, at least initially.
📈
Technology, Market Data & Analysis
Amid an EV retrenchment, Honda is killing the Acura ZDX after a single 2024 model year, despite its 325-mile (523 km) EPA range and $60,000 starting price. Built alongside GM Ultium models in Spring Hill, the badge’s first EV becomes another short-lived casualty as hybrids surge.
To juice end-of-quarter numbers on America’s best-seller, Ford is courting buyers at the edge of its credit box with unusually low rates and incentives on F-150. The tactic could lift volume near-term while adding risk to loan performance and future pricing discipline, The Drive reports.
🛞
Car Culture
Henry Catchpole pits the Baja-bred Ford Raptor T1+ against the minimalist Ariel Nomad 2 across road and rough terrain, exploring how each delivers speed and feel. On Hagerty, the 19-minute film contrasts long-travel sophistication with lightweight immediacy to reveal where driver engagement truly lives.
TopGear goes flat-out in Ferrari’s 1,183 hp (883 kW) F80, asking whether a tech-heavy V6 and layers of control systems can still thrill like the analog greats. After hard laps at Misano, the verdict weighs towering speed and aero grip against sound, tactility, and emotional bite.
🔧
Miscellaneous
Playground Games confirms Forza Horizon 6 for 2026 with a new map set in Japan, promising urban skylines, touge-style mountain passes, and a fresh car roster. The series’ biggest cultural pivot yet taps Japanese performance icons and drift culture while keeping the open-world festival formula intact.
The National Corvette Museum crossed 20,000 VIP deliveries, a program dating to 1995 that lets new owners take museum-floor handover in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Beyond photos and plaques, the milestone underscores how factory-adjacent experiences deepen brand loyalty and turn a purchase into a memorable rite of passage.
🏁
Quick Links
The U.S.-spec GR Corolla adds a stiffer structure (nearly 46 feet of adhesive), an upgraded JBL system with synthesized engine sound, and modest price changes: $41,195 base, $47,160 Premium Plus, and a $2,000 optional automatic.
JLR says manufacturing won’t restart until October 1 at the earliest, with losses estimated at $70 million per week and analysts warning of a potential $4.7 billion revenue impact if shutdowns persist into November, threatening smaller suppliers.
RTR’s flagship Spec 5 packs a supercharged 5.0 liter V-8 with at least 870 hp (649 kW), a wild carbon widebody, and track-focused hardware rooted in Vaughn Gittin Jr.’s drift program.
Attempting a cross country trip on Full Self-Driving (Supervised), influencer Justin Demaree’s 2026 Model Y Juniper hit debris at 77 mph (124 km/h) near San Diego and went briefly airborne; no injuries were reported.
VW patented an eye tracking interface that requires drivers to look at the target (radio, wipers, mirror, vents) before activating it via a single controller, a concept likely to intensify debates over distraction and usability.
BMW’s next 3 Series adopts Neue Klasse design beyond EVs, following the minimalist iX3; with the current G20 launched for 2019 and refreshed in 2022, sales fell 7.8% in 2024, fueling anticipation for a cleaner, tech forward successor.
McLaren will reveal an all new model before year end and is developing future cars with Nio sourced tech, as owner CYVN’s merger with startup Forseven under CEO Nick Collins aims to broaden the lineup beyond two seat exotics.
Wards’ 2024 list is nine tenths electrified, with the Chevy Corvette ZR1’s LT7 V8 the only pure ICE honoree, underscoring how the 31 year old ranking has shifted from “10 Best Engines” toward hybrids and EV propulsion systems.
On TheSmokingTire, Matt Farah declares the 800 hp (597 kW) GTD the best Mustang he’s driven, explaining why by focusing on power delivery, chassis tuning, and overall pace in a succinct, high energy review.
carwow revisits the famously indestructible Top Gear Hilux, testing its off road capability and durability against modern expectations while balancing nostalgia and objective evaluation in a long form, playful comparison.
Reply