2012 Maserati Gran Turismo S on 2040-cars

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Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.

2022 Maserati Grecale spy photos show new SUV behind Stellantis gates

Here’s our first good look at the upcoming Maserati Grecale. Maserati dropped a few shadowy and blurry images as a teaser a couple months ago, but they only provided a vague idea of what we should expect from the compact crossover. The blue camouflage theme is one consistency, and it seems the level of coverage on the car is similarly enveloping. It's deception following deception up front, as the hood features strange bulges, and the headlights look taped on. The only visible opening is a grated intake in the lower side bumper area. That said, we do have a better look at the proportions without blur or confusion. Rumors point to this crossover using the Alfa Romeo-developed Giorgio platform, despite reports of that platform not having much of a future at Stellantis. That means it should be similar in size to the Alfa Romeo Stelvio. Seeing it parked nearby a camouflaged Jeep Compass, this approximation appears to ring true. It looks like itÂ’s a bit larger than the Jeep, which is as it should be, considering the Grecale should be one class larger. Those big, wide hips are visible from the front three-quarter angle, but theyÂ’re extra dramatic from the rear. We have a feeling that the Grecale is going to look much sportier than the Levante does, and hopefully more handsome, too. The big, quad exhaust poking out the back is another big hint in that direction. All the powertrain details are still shrouded in mystery, but the likely options are a base four-cylinder turbo and a boosted V6 as the upgrade. WeÂ’ll be especially interested to see if the car launches with a Trofeo model to compete with other high-powered compact models like the Porsche Macan Turbo, BMW X3 M and Mercedes-AMG GLC 63. From the shape we can see here, it looks like the Grecale will be a traditionally-shaped crossover, albeit one with a pretty severe angle to its rear window. ThereÂ’s a fairly large hood of a rear spoiler to hang over that window, but the dominating feature out back are the horizontally-stretching rear taillights. Everything else is covered in camo, so weÂ’ll need to wait for Maserati to reveal its secrets when itÂ’s good and ready. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2021 Maserati Quattroporte Trofeo First Drive Review | For the Ferrari faithful

Maserati is fighting hard for relevance right now. Its car lineup is severely dated with both the Quattroporte and Ghibli. The Levante faces more accomplished competition. At least there is hope on the horizon in the form of the Alfa — ahem, Maserati — MC20 mid-engine supercar and high-tech Nettuno engine. Plus, with the Grecale crossover soon to come, there could be brighter days ahead. ThatÂ’s tomorrow, but today we still have the vanguards of the early 2010s. The current flagship, more or less by default, is the big Quattroporte, and Maserati is giving it the Trofeo treatment for 2021 in an effort to bring it back onto our radar. Previous to now, the Trofeo trim was limited to the Levante. In the Quattroporte, the Trofeo formula is similar. It plops in the unbridled version of the Ferrari-sourced 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 engine — red wrinkle paint and all — making 580 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque. It is, without a doubt, the brightest and best part of this car. The most potent version previous to now was the Quattroporte GTS with its 530-horse version of the same Ferrari V8. Very little is done to the exterior to let you know this Quattroporte is the Trofeo apart from the script on the front fenders that are accentuated with red-painted side air ducts. Beyond this, the C-pillarÂ’s Maserati logo gets a red lightning bolt, and more carbon fiber trim is used throughout. It also comes with 21-inch forged aluminum wheels, a glossy black grille finish and the same restyled taillights applied throughout the 2021 Quattroporte lineup. Unlike “look-at-me” performance offerings from Mercedes-AMG or BMW's Alpina, MaseratiÂ’s Trofeo is notably subtle. This not only goes for the Trofeo extras, but the Quattroporte in general. The big trident in the grille announces its presence, but just as it's been from the beginning, the current-generation Quattroporte simply fades into the background in a parking lot. Our test car's beige paint certainly doesn't help. While most prefer their big luxury sedans to be restrained and tasteful, aren't Italian sedans supposed to have a certain degree of excitement and flare?  At least the Trofeo will be recognizable by the sound it makes. Even with a pair of turbochargers attached, the Ferrari engine and exhaust note are unmistakable. Although the V8 is the same basic engine as the Levante Trofeo's, the Quattroporte version gets new turbochargers, stronger internal components and new camshafts and valves.