Category: Speed

The 2025 Honda Accord hybrid sees minimal changes and a $760 price increase over the 2024 model. The hybrid version of Honda’s mid-size sedan costs $34,750 with the mandatory $1,095 destination charge. In keeping with Honda’s strategy of positioning hybrids as higher-end grades, the cheapest hybrid Sport grade is priced above the gasoline-only LX…

2025 Honda Accord sedan costs at least $1,000 more than the redesigned 2023 model New SE trim adds black exterior elements in replacing the EX 2025 Accord Hybrid Sport starts at $34,750 and gets 44 mpg combined The 2025 Honda Accord sedan rolls into the new year with at least a $400 increase and a new SE trim that replaces the EX grade from the…

Looking for a cheap car that doesn’t feel cheap yet has a cheaper cost of ownership than any other cheap car? The cheapest cheap car is a hybrid, and it should be no surprise it’s a Toyota. With a Toyota Corolla Hybrid and its 50 mpg combined, the EPA estimates that you can save $3,250 in fuel costs over five years compared to a similarly-equipped…

What kind of vehicle is the 2025 Audi A3? What does it compare to? The 2025 Audi A3 is the umbrella model for a trio of small sedans. Shop them against the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class, BMW 2-Series, and Cadillac CT4. Is the 2025 Audi A3 a good car? Overall, the 2025 Audi A3, S3, and RS 3 sedans are impressive small cars with a high-end feel and…

Porsche first implemented turbochargers on its race cars The first turbocharged Porsche was the 917 Porsche turbocharges many of its road cars today and some EVs even wear the badge Porsche was one of the first automakers to adopt turbocharging—and the impetus was racing. General Motors introduced turbocharged road cars in the early 1960s…

• Tesla Model 3 Performance is quick enough to match and even surpass two of the world’s most powerful performance sedans.
• It comes second to the M3 CS with launch control and it beats the BMW when it’s not used.

Performance electric vehicles are known to be quick in a straight line but heavier and more expensive than an equivalent combustion model. The Tesla Model 3 Performance is none of those things, and it can hold its own in a drag race against the world’s fastest compact executive sedans, the BMW M3 and the Mercedes-AMG C63.

Hagerty’s Jason Cammisa put these three vehicles head to head to see which was the quickest in a quarter-mile dash, and the results were eye-opening. These are three different cars with electric, plug-in hybrid and pure combustion powertrains, yet they are about as close as direct rivals get.

The $85,050 Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance has both a combustion engine and a battery pack and electric motor combo, which is why it’s the only one of the vehicles that exceeds two tons. Its official weight is just over 4,600 pounds, but it’s also the most powerful car with the most torque of the trio.

Mercedes’ decision to remove the much-loved twin-turbo V8 from the C63 is unanimously hated by enthusiasts, even if the new plug-in hybrid has a peak output of 671 horsepower and 752 pound-feet of torque. It can easily accelerate to 60 mph quicker than the 3.3-second claimed time, but it’s no match for the other two cars.

Cammisa chose the more extreme, powerful and lighter M3 CS for this drag race, which is also the most expensive of the three cars, with a starting price of $118,700 (considerably more than the base M3, which costs $76,000). It weighs 3,915 lbs and has 543 hp from its twin-turbocharged straight-six, which thanks to all-wheel drive allows it to dip below the claimed 3.2 seconds to sixty.

With 510 hp, the Model 3 Performance was the least powerful of the trio and in the middle in terms of weight with its 4,054 lbs. It accelerates to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds, and unlike the other two, there’s no need to enable launch control to achieve it.

During the first drag race, the two combustion vehicles used launch control to get off the line as quickly as they could. This resulted in the M3 CS sprinting ahead and staying there for the entirety of the race, completing the quarter-mile in 10.9 seconds at 126 mph. The Tesla was about a car length behind and achieved a time of 11 seconds flat at 122 mph. The Mercedes was two-tenths behind with a trap speed of 120 mph, although it seemed slower than that in comparison with its two rivals.

For the second drag race of the video, they don’t use launch control and simply floor the gas off the line without building boost. The Tesla is unaffected by this and it shoots off ahead of the other two cars, followed by the Mercedes and the BMW. The M3 takes the longest to build boost, but it does manage to catch the C63 before the end of the run and finishes second.

Pirelli and Bosch plan to jointly develop tires with embedded sensors that can transmit data directly to a vehicle’s onboard computers. These software-enhanced tires will deliver “greater safety, comfort, and sustainability, as well as improved driving dynamics,” the two companies said. That will be made possible by harnessing data from tires to…

As the only part of a car that actually touches the road, tires can have a major impact on both performance and efficiency. Tire manufacturer Pirelli and automotive supplier Bosch both believe that making tires an extension of vehicle sensing systems can help enhance both. The joint development agreement was announced Tuesday for tires with…

What kind of vehicle is the 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport? What does it compare to? The 2025 Range Rover Sport is a high-end midsize SUV that squares off against the BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz GLE Class, and Audi Q7. Is the 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport a good SUV? This is no bargain basement luxury SUV, but it feels worth the money thanks to…

Volvo ended its Care by Volvo subscription program in August, Automotive News (subscription required) has learned. The program was introduced in the U.S. in 2017 and covered not only the vehicle but also maintenance and insurance in the one monthly price. Volvo now plans to return its focus to traditional sales and leasing models. A spokesperson…