The surprises at MotorTrend.com are part of what makes delivering some of the best online automotive content around fun. Many of the stories below are ones you’ll only find at Motor Trend, and they cover subjects that are varied as an affordable compact crossover to a SEMA show-car star.
How many of these MotorTrend.com stories have you read?
10. 2016 Trans Am Worldwide First Look
How could you go wrong with nostalgia for the Trans Am? Using the Camaro as a base car (of course), modifications extend well beyond the visually rewarding updates—a supercharged GM LSX 454-cubic-inch crate motor with 840 hp and 790 lb-ft is available. A GTO Judge conversion with hidden headlights is also offered. With pricing starting at more than $70,000, this could be just the car for the GM fan who’d rather have something different than a well-executed Corvette variant such as the Grand Sport.
9. Ford Super Duty is the 2017 Motor Trend Truck of the Year
This wasn’t a nail-biter of a finish for the Motor Trend Truck of the Year contest. As we write in the winner article linked above, we knew by the halfway point that the Ford Super Duty was our winner. The capable heavy-duty truck overcame three Truck of the Year contenders and two other finalists (Ford F-150 and Honda Ridgeline) to claim the Golden Calipers.
8. Refreshing or Revolting: 2017 Toyota Highlander
Our long-running design critique feature focused on the 2017 Toyota Highlander in May, and the post’s popularity rockets it to eighth on this list. Toyota is on a quest to make sure none of its cars can ever be called boring again (have you seen a Prius lately?), and the refreshed 2017 Highlander’s front grille is the latest evidence of that.
7. Half Ford GT, Half Mustang: The GTT is Coming to SEMA
We covered the blending a Ford Mustang with a GT … that also added an 800-hp engine. Prepared for a SEMA Show debut, the controversial creation is a must-see for anyone who’s a fan of either car.
6. Tesla Model 3: First Look
The Tesla Model 3 has captured the public’s attention in a way few cars have in decades, and our First Look story on the car was filled with content you couldn’t find everywhere, including a video from the reveal night and first impressions from Motor Trend editors at the actual reveal event with the all-electric Model 3, which Tesla says will come with a $35,000 price and range of over 200 miles.
5. This Airplane-Engine 1939 Plymouth Pickup is Radically Radial
You’ve got to see this one-of-a-kind 1939 Plymouth pickup, which uses a 1950s seaplane engine for power. The details are rewarding, as is the story on this Plymouth “Air Radial,” which you can hear for yourself at the link above. Go check it out, and be sure to visit the Hot Rod Network for more stories like this one.
4. 2017 Honda Ridgeline First Drive Review: Insistent Iconoclast
Finally back for a second generation, the Honda Ridgeline remains a unique entry in a class filled with brand-loyal buyers. Interest in the 2017 Ridgeline has been incredible, and we can’t wait to get it in a comparison test with other more traditional midsize trucks.
3. Future Cars! 2017 and Beyond
It’s always fun to gaze into the crystal ball and see the automotive future. The Lincoln Navigator and Volvo XC40 were two highlights from this perennial favorite, but we still haven’t seen either fully revealed. Will these two future cars have a significant impact on their respective segments once they arrive?
2. 2017 Honda CR-V First Look: Beyond Civic and Accord, Is This Honda’s Next Best-Seller?
Consider that our second-most popular story for all of 2016 was only published in October, and you’ll get a better idea for how high the interest has been for the CR-V. Redesigned for the 2017 model year, we’ve already run Real MPG analysis and put the compact crossover to the test on the track since this First Look went live, and we wonder whether the crossover has what it takes to become an SUV of the Year like the 2015 model.
1. Exclusive: Tesla Model 3 Photo Shoot at the Gigafactory
It’s tough to grasp the enormity of Tesla’s Gigafactory in Nevada without actually being there—and we have. We got access to the under-construction Gigafactory for an extensive story that we updated throughout the day as our tour continued. The structure will be essential to the success of the highly anticipated Tesla Model 3. By a margin of nearly two to one over the CR-V First Look, this feature about our exclusive photo shoot of the Model 3 will end 2016 as the most popular story on MotorTrend.com.
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