Vehicles 136

• Jeep revealed the 2022 Grand Cherokee two-row model, and it adds a new 4xe plug-in hybrid that promises 57 MPGe and up to 6000 pounds of towing capabilities.
• It uses a similar powertrain as the Wrangler 4xe: a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine paired with two electric motors and a roughly 14.0-kWh battery that makes a combined 375 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque.
• The Grand Cherokee 4xe will be on sale early next year in Limited, Trailhawk, Overland, and Summit trims.

Jeep says that the Wrangler 4xe, which went on sale earlier this year, is the best selling plug-in hybrid in the U.S. It’s adding to the 4xe lineup (pronounced “four by E”) with the new Grand Cherokee 4xe that uses a similar powertrain, comes standard with four-wheel drive, and will be on sale early next year. On top of that, Jeep says it will offer an electric SUV in every segment by 2025.

The Grand Cherokee 4xe uses a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine paired with two electric motors, one at the front connected through the accessory belt and the other in place of the transmission’s torque converter, feeding off a roughly 14.0-kWh lithium ion battery pack. Working in harmony, the powertrain produces 375 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque, the same as the Wrangler PHEV. Jeep says the Grand Cherokee 4xe will achieve 57 MPGe, travel up to 25 miles on the battery alone, and tow up to 6000 pounds.

Eco Coaching pages displayed on the 10.1-inch digital gauge cluster show the plug-in-hybrid powertrain’s power flow, regenerative braking, and scheduled charging. When we tested a Wrangler 4xe, which is EPA-estimated at 49 MPGe, we found the transition between electric driving and hybrid power to be rough. Like the Wrangler, the Grand Cherokee 4xe has buttons on the left of the steering wheel that control hybrid, electric, and eSave, which prioritizes the gas engine to save battery, modes.

The 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe is available in Limited, Trailhawk, Overland, and Summit trims with the new Trailhawk model adding a front sway bar disconnect, electronically controlled rear locking differential, Goodyear Wrangler Territory all-terrain tires, and blue accents exclusive to the 4xe model. It will be on sale in the U.S. early next year starting at around $50,000.

• Lucid Motors held a factory-commissioning ceremony in Casa Grande, Arizona, today to celebrate the start of production of the Lucid Air sedan.
• The first customer-quality cars were driven off the line, indicating the Lucid Air has received full EPA and FVMSS safety certification.
• Customer deliveries of the 2022 Lucid Air Dream Edition are set to begin in late October, with other variants to follow.

An excited group of Lucid Air Dream reservation holders, Lucid dignitaries, and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey were on hand today to watch the first customer-quality 2022 Lucid Air cars roll off the assembly line today. Analysts, investors, and members of the media, including Car and Driver, were also present. The move signifies that the Lucid Air sedan has received full FPA and FMVSS safety certification, and it paves the way for the first 2022 Lucid Air Dream Edition

customer deliveries in late October.

Lucid’s facility, dubbed the Advanced Manufacturing Plant (AMP-1), not only builds the cars themselves, but an adjoining Lucid Powertrain Manufacturing (LPM-1) facility also assembles major powertrain components such as the electric motors, power electronics, and battery packs. A Lucid representative told C/D that complete control over both powertrain design and manufacturing is one reason why the Dream Edition can produce as much as 1111 horsepower and deliver up to an EPA-certified 520 miles of driving range.

The limited production cap of the waitlisted Dream Edition is now set at 520 cars to celebrate that maximum range achievement, but the Casa Grande, Arizona, plant will also build the $139,000 Lucid Air Grand Touring. This model makes some 800 horsepower and has been certified to have a range of 516 miles when equipped with the standard 19-inch wheels and tires. Production of the lower-cost Touring and Pure models will follow after they receive their EPA certifications.

In 2023 the AMP-1 plant is set to begin production of an SUV that is known by the name Project Gravity. Little else has been made public, and a reservation portal for the SUV has not yet opened on the Lucid website. This delay seems like a strategic decision to allow the new AMP-1 plant to ramp up smoothly before a potentially higher-volume SUV is added to the production mix.

Currently, Lucid has some 13,000 reservation holders. It will be interesting to see how that changes now that the plant is up and running. It’s common practice for high-end models to be produced first, so it will be interesting to see what happens once production of the $77,400 Lucid Air Pure gets underway.

Production is an important milestone, and Lucid should be congratulated for this achievement. But the realities of sustained sales, delivery, build quality, and after-sale service are still big unknowns. These have proven to be challenging for all-new car companies, so let’s hope the Lucid Air sedan’s impressive power and range specs are harbingers of how the customer experience will pan out.

• The Honda Passport has been given a refresh for the 2022 model year, bringing a new front fascia with a bulkier, aggressive grille.
• The new TrailSport model gets unique bumpers, a smattering of TrailSport badges, and orange stitching throughout the interior.
• Honda’s suite of driver-assist technology is standard on all models, and all Passports continue to be powered by the 280-hp 3.5-liter V-6.

Earlier this month Honda announced that it would launch a new TrailSport trim line focused on off-road performance, and now the first TrailSport model has arrived with the refreshed 2022 Honda Passport. Along with the new all-terrain version, all 2022 Passports gain a revised front fascia, new wheels, and more standard safety tech. The full lineup will be on sale this winter, Honda told Car and Driver.

Most of the visual changes to the Passport occur ahead of the A-pillars, where the fairly anonymous face of the outgoing model has been replaced by a snarled, bulldog-esque mug that calls to mind the Ridgeline pickup. The rear bumper has been tweaked slightly, and the 2022 Passport will also be available with a HPD accessories package which alters the grille and wheel designs and adds black fender flares and HPD graphics.

The new Passport TrailSport, the only version of the 2022 Passport that Honda has showed to date, receives a unique grille design, chunky front and rear bumpers, and orange TrailSport badges throughout. The track has been widened by 0.4 inch at the front and rear for increased stability, and the 18-inch wheels are wrapped in TrailSport-specific 245/60R-18 tires. The TrailSport uses Honda’s i-VTM4 torque-vectoring all-wheel drive and Intelligent Traction Management systems to tackle unpaved roads. The interior features orange contrast stitching, TrailSport logos, and amber ambient lighting.

All 2022 Passports continue to be powered by the same 3.5-liter V-6, which makes 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. It’s mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission. The i-VTM4 torque-vectoring system, which is standard on the TrailSport and Elite, is now optionally available on the EX-L as well. Honda says all Passports now have 8.1 inches of ground clearance, and the EX-L and Elite models have a new 20-inch wheel design. Honda says that the Passport TrailSport is the first in a new series of off-road-focused models and that the future could bring bigger upgrades like beefier tires and a revised suspension.

In the interior comfort and safety department, there’s a standard 8.0-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, plus the Honda Sensing system of driver-assist features, also standard. A rear-seat reminder will tell drivers to check the rear seat for children, pets, and anything else when turning the crossover off, and a rear seatbelt reminder lets the driver know if the rear passengers aren’t strapping in; both warning systems are standard.

The Ridgeline pickup truck is likely to be the next Honda to receive the TrailSport treatment, and the badge could potentially expand to the Pilot and CR-V as well. The TrailSport lineup will compete against Ford’s Timberline for the Explorer and Hyundai’s XRT package for the Santa Fe, both of which are expected to migrate across the automakers’ rosters as well.

• Honda has announced pricing for the hatchback version of the 2022 Civic.
• It starts at $23,915, and the various trim levels cost $1000–$1900 more than the equivalent sedan models.
• The Civic hatch is reaching dealerships starting today.

Honda’s new Civic appears to be an enticing package in hatchback form, as this new body style has more cargo space than the sedan and offers a manual transmission on certain models. We now have pricing for the slightly more practical Civic, and it starts at $23,915 for the base LX model and ranges up to $30,415 for the Sport Touring. Those price are between $1000 and $1900 higher than the equivalent sedan models, which are only available with an automatic transmission.

The hatchback comes with the same two engine options as the sedan, either a 2.0-liter inline-four or a turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four, and comes standard with a continuously variable automatic transmission. The naturally aspirated 158-hp engine comes on the LX and Sport ($25,115), and on the latter it offers a six-speed manual transmission as a no-cost option. The more powerful 180-hp turbocharged engine comes standard on the EX-L hatch ($27,615) with a CVT and is also standard on the loaded Sport Touring ($30,415). Honda offers a manual with this engine, too, as it’s a no-cost option on the Sport Touring with the 1.5T.

Apart from the available manual and the price premium, another key difference between the hatchback lineup and the sedan lineup is that the hatchback offers an EX-L trim with leather upholstery. The sedan is available as an EX with cloth seats, meaning you have to step up to the top Touring trim to get the upgraded upholstery.

Honda says the Civic hatchback is arriving at U.S. dealerships starting this week.

• The Volkswagen ID.4 AWD Pro and Pro S models add an extra motor on the front axle, increasing power by 94 horsepower to 295 and boosting torque by 110 pound-feet to 339.
• These powertrain upgrades drop the range by around ten miles according to the EPA, with the AWD Pro going 249 miles on a charge while the Pro S can manage 240 miles.
• Opting for all-wheel drive will see the price raise by $3680 to $44,870 for the Pro and $49,370 for the Pro S, which adds tech and convenience features and the option of 20-inch wheels.

The Volkswagen ID.4 EV launched for the 2021 model year, and now the the lineup is expanding to include the more powerful ID.4 AWD Pro and Pro S models. Although this version of the ID.4 is marketed under the GTX subbrand in Europe, the U.S. model gets a subtler moniker here but has the same upgraded powertrain. With the 2021 ID.4 AWD Pro and Pro S now ready for sale, Volkswagen has announced the EPA estimates for range and efficiency, along with pricing for the newest member of the ID family.

While the rear-wheel-drive versions of the ID.4 make do with 201 horsepower and 229 pound-feet of torque from the rear-axle mounted motor, the AWD models add another motor on the front axle, upping the horsepower to 295 hp and torque to 339 pound-feet. Still, the ID.4 AWD Pro and Pro S have the same battery pack, which offers 77.0 kWh of usable capacity. With the same battery but more power, the AWD Pro and Pro S models unsurprisingly lose some range, with the EPA estimating 249 miles for the Pro and 240 for the Pro S. This is down from 260 and 250 miles of range for the rear-wheel-drive Pro and Pro S, respectively.

The all-wheel-drive ID.4s are also slightly less efficient that the rear-drive versions, with the Pro returning 102 MPGe in the city, 90 MPGe on the highway, and 97 MPGe combined. The Pro S, which adds tech and convenience features and can be optioned with 20-inch wheels, drops that to 98 MPGe in the city, 88 MPGe on the highway, and 93 MPGe combined. Volkswagen says that using a 125-kW charger, the ID.4 can hit 80 percent charge from five percent in 38 minutes, and all ID.4 owners get three years of free unlimited charging at Electrify America stations.

The 2021 ID.4 AWD Pro will start at $44,870 and the the AWD Pro S will cost $49,370, increases of $3680 over the rear-wheel-drive models.

• The Mission R is similar in size to the 718 Cayman, although it’s quite a bit wider, and it puts out 671 horsepower in “race mode” and cranks that up to 1073 horses in “qualifying mode.”
• Porsche claims a zero-to-62-mph time of less than 2.5 seconds and a top speed of over 186 mph, while the Mission R can also recharge from 5 to 80 percent in 15 minutes thanks to its 900-volt electrical architecture.
• The Mission R is currently a running prototype not scheduled for production, but its development will continue, with a fully realized version expected by 2025 or 2026.

Porsche has an extensive history in customer racing. The automaker’s motorsports arm has churned out more 4400 Cup cars over the past three decades, and Porsche Cup cars currently compete in 30 one-make series around the world. Today, at the IAA auto show in Munich, Porsche revealed the Mission R, a concept that hints at the all-electric direction of Porsche’s future customer racing vehicles.

The Mission R, which is similar in size to the 718 Cayman but sits considerably lower and wider, features two electric motors, with a 429-hp unit on the front axle and a 644-hp motor powering the rear. In Race mode, the Mission R delivers a consistent 671 horsepower, but in Qualifying mode, the motors churn out a whopping 1073 horsepower. The juice needed for all that power is delivered via an approximately 80.0-kWh battery that Porsche says can supply 30 to 45 minutes of on-track action.

Porsche claims the Mission R rockets from zero to 62 mph in less than 2.5 seconds, reaches a top speed of more than 186 mph, and can match the lap times of a current 911 GT3 Cup. While the Porsche Taycan’s 800-volt electrical system makes it among the fastest-charging EVs currently for sale, Porsche has taken the Mission R a step further, installing a 900-volt system so it can recharge from 5 to 80 percent in just 15 minutes (with the right charging equipment, of course).

Typically, Porsche’s motorsport gurus take an existing road car and modify it for the track, but with the Mission R, Porsche’s designers and racing engineers worked side by side from the get-go. Instead of sticking in a roll cage as an afterthought, the Mission R’s carbon-fiber composite cage is integrated into the structure of the car itself, becoming visible within the roof in what Porsche describes as an exoskeleton. The designer of the Mission R was also heavily involved in unseen design studies, especially the Vision Spyder, and that influence can be seen in the recessed headlights, the roll-bar exoskeleton, and overall styling philosophy.

Typically, EVs don’t tend to require as much cooling as gas-powered cars, but Porsche says that the cooling requirements of the Mission R actually ended up similar to those of a gas-powered GT3 Cup race car. That’s because its track focus necessitated a lot more air to maintain relatively stable battery temperatures. For this reason, active aerodynamics are abundant. Louvers in the front air intakes can open and close depending on cooling needs, and they also work in conjunction with an adjustable rear wing, reducing front downforce when the drag-reduction system on the rear wing is open (while going flat out down a straight) for more top-end speed.

The EV powertrain isn’t the only area where Porsche focused on sustainability. Most of the Mission R’s body is built from natural-fiber-reinforced plastic, and the material features heavily in the interior along with 3D-printed foam elements. The interior is geared toward maximizing on-track performance, with a screen on the steering wheel providing important data while a display perched atop the steering column shows the side and rear mirror camera views. There are also cameras throughout the interior that can have their angle remotely adjusted, and Porsche envisions fans choosing the camera angles while the race is livestreamed.

The Mission R is currently a running prototype—with Porsche lapping it around their test track—but the company says more development is needed and suggests that a fully realized version could come in 2025 or 2026. Porsche hasn’t officially said if the Mission R is bound for production, but the concept could preview the next-generation Cayman and Boxster, which are expected to be electric and could spawn a one-make electric racing series of its own.