The 2021 Ford Bronco Gets a 10-Speed Gift From the Explorer – Is This a Good Thing?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The 2021 Ford Bronco will begin arriving at dealerships relatively soon. As a result, we’re learning more about exactly which components this off-roading SUV will feature. While we’ve generally known what lives under the Bronco’s hood, dealerships now have exact part numbers, giving us greater insight.

This latest report comes from Bronco 6G via The Drive. A forum member claiming to have access to Ford’s part registry claims the Bronco will get the 10R60 transmission out of the Explorer, not the 10R80 found in the Ranger. The big story here is that the 10R80 is a more robust unit typically used in trucks, unlike the crossover-friendly 10R60.

The 2021 Ford Bronco gets the 10-speed auto out of the Explorer

2021 Ford Bronco | Ford

While this 2021 Ford Bronco transmission choice might seem insignificant, fans on the Bronco 6G forum seem quite upset. As stated above, the main reason seems to be that the Explorer’s transmission isn’t quite as robust as the one found in Ford’s trucks. Given the Bronco’s status as an off-roading vehicle, ultra-reliable components are the name of the game.

At this point, it is worth stating that no one has done any comprehensive off-road testing to compare these transmissions. As a result, the outrage might be completely unwarranted. Additionally, Ford never stated the Bronco would get the 10R80. As The Drive points out, none of the SUV’s promotional material mentions it.

According to The Drive, there are a couple of potential upsides to this decision. The main one being that the Explorer’s transmission is reportedly smoother on the road. Additionally, the truck-based transmission could add unnecessary weight. While we’ll have to wait to hear from Ford for an official reason, chances are there is a valid one.

Is the Explorer’s 10-speed transmission reliable?

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Since some 2021 Ford Bronco fans seem to be upset at this transmission choice, let’s see if it’s truly something to worry about. The current-generation Explorer has featured the 10R60 since it arrived back in 2019 as a 2020 model.

According to Consumer Reports, the 2020 Ford Explorer suffered from some serious transmission issues. In fact, the family SUV received awful ratings in both the transmission major and minor categories. Overall, the Explorer received very poor reliability ratings for the 2020 model year.

For now, we’ll have to wait and see how the Bronco performs once it finally lands at dealerships. Given the amount of development that has gone into this specific model, perhaps the 10R60 housed within will feature unique components or software to toughen it up.

Does the 2021 Ford Bronco offer a manual transmission?

If you’re concerned about the automatic transmission in the 2021 Ford Bronco, there is one easy way out. That’s because this off-roading SUV offers up a seven-speed manual transmission.

However, you won’t be able to get it paired up to the larger 2.7-liter turbocharged engine. Instead, you can only have it with the smaller 2.3-liter turbocharged engine. As a result, going with the cheaper powertrain options might result in greater long-term and off-roading reliability.

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Which Tesla Model Costs the Most to Insure?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Like many other vehicles, Teslas must be insured to protect their owners from legal and financial responsibilities when they’re involved in accidents. As you’d expect, ensuring a Tesla model is way more expensive than insuring your sedan, crossover, or SUV. When insuring your Tesla Model S and Model X, factors such as the age of the car, its state, your credit score, and the car’s model are not the only factors that determine the insurance premiums you’ll pay.

These models are high-tech, and their prices are stickier. Repairs also cost more. You’ll also find that different insurance providers offer different rates for the same Tesla models. 

What does it cost to insure a Tesla?

Typically, Teslas are hi-tech and expensive luxury vehicles. The cost of insuring a Tesla reflects the worth of Tesla cars. The CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, is a visionary and techy individual. Business Insider reports Elon is gearing up toward developing 20 million electric vehicles by 2030. Meanwhile, he has ensured the continued production of high-end vehicles integrated with cutting-edge technologies. 

MotorTrend lists the 2021 Tesla Model X Plaid among the most expensive cars to insure for 2021. Inspired by the 1987 sci-fi movie, “The Spaceballs,” Elon developed Model X with a plaid powertrain. Model X is an all-electric SUV capable of reaching 60 mph in three seconds. MotorTrend shows that it costs $4,025 per year to insure this sleek and eco-friendly SUV. 

Leave the Model X Plaid aside. The 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid is even more expensive to insure than its Model X counterpart. With powerful aerodynamics and a tri-motor EV powertrain, the Model S Plaid is the epitome of interstellar speeds. The car reaches 60 mph in just two seconds. Because of the design and the value of the Tesla Model S, insurers charge an average of $4,143 per year. 

Why are the Tesla Model X Plaid and Model S Plaid expensive to insure? 

RELATED: Is Buying a Tesla Worth the Money?

Well, there are a lot of things that come into an insurer’s mind when insuring expensive cars. According to Allstate, the market price of a car determines how much an insurer will charge. Insurance companies also consider the costs of repairing a car in case it gets damaged during an accident. 

Car insurance for the Tesla Plaid configurations is like for any other car, except you’ll need more coverage because these cars are high-tech. The tech systems integrated with the Tesla Plaid models are so complex that it makes the repair super expensive. 

Tesla Model X Plaid and Model S Plaid are high-end vehicles, which are expensive to purchase and maintain. As such, these cars attract more insurance costs than ordinary vehicles. Compared to Model S and X, the Tesla Model 3 attracts low insurance premiums. It costs an average of $2,215 per year to insure the Model 3.  

Plaid vs Long Range models

The Model X Plaid and Model S Plaid operate on the Tri-Motor All-Wheel Drive platform giving them better acceleration than its Long Range variants that have Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive. The Long Range variant of Model X accelerates from 0-60mph in 3.8 seconds with a top speed of 155mph. The 2021 plaid variant makes 0-60mph in just 2.5 seconds with a top speed of 163 mph. 

The 2021 Model S Plaid accelerates to 60 mph in 1.99 seconds or less and boasts of top speeds of 200 mph. The Long Range variant reaches 60 mph in 3.1 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. Model S Plaid has superior acceleration than Model X Plaid. It also costs more to buy a Model S. This explains the slightly higher insurance premiums for Model S.  

Tesla models give you superior performance and costly repairs 

Compared to plaid configurations, the insurance costs of non-plaid Tesla models are lower. The Long Range variants of the cars are cheaper to insure because they are much easier to repair. Typically, all Teslas are repaired at a limited set of Tesla-approved body repair shops. It makes sense that the fewer repair shops the higher the costs of repair. 

With superior all-electric tri-motor powertrain, aluminum body, and high-tech integrations, the plaid variants of Model X and Model S are high-performance vehicles but expensive to maintain. This reflects the high insurance covers they attract. 

Note that Tesla offers its own and less expensive insurance in some states. It also provides additional coverage benefits for drivers that use the autopilot feature. The bottom line is that Teslas are made out of expensive parts. They contain high-end batteries and powerful electric powertrains. A combination of these factors makes the Model X Plaid and Model S Plaid costly to insure – more so than the rest of the Tesla models. 

The post Which Tesla Model Costs the Most to Insure? appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

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Is the Porsche 911 Worthy of the Supercar Distinction?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The Porsche 911 is a car that comes in a variety of sizes, shapes, and prices. While the base 911 might not be a supercar, it has all of the characteristics a supercar would need as the price increases. So, is the 911 a supercar or just a regular old sports car?

What makes a car a sports car or supercar?

The Porsche 911 is often called a sports car but not everyone agrees | Wu Wei/VCG via Getty Images

J.D. Power offers a bit of insight as to why this question is so hard to answer. Some sports cars can keep up with supercars. Sometimes, supercars are just driving around on the road like a regular car.

J.D. Power suggests that British automakers like Morris, the Triumph Motor Company, and MG started the trend. The trend started around the 1920s. These cars were smaller, lower to the ground, and frequently had convertible tops. By the nature of these differences, the cars were quicker and handled better than the larger counterparts.

Weight distribution improved while the weight of cars, in general, went down. Automakers replaced aluminum parts with steel parts for weight reduction. And the most obvious improvement was the engine. Engines became faster, stronger, and arguably more fun to drive.

After that, sports cars were no longer sporty enough. Supercars came into the picture and blew sports cars out of the water. The base-level Porsche 911 might not be a supercar off the lot. However, if you upgrade to something like a GT3 RS, 911 Turbo, or any other top-level Porsche 911 cars, it is worthy of the distinction.

However, the 911 GT1 is a different story. The GT1 was designed for racing but happened to require a street-legal version, according to Wikipedia. Thus, the 911 GT1 Straßenversion (street version) was born.

What year Porsche 911 is the best?

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The Porsche 911 comes in a variety of years, trims, and models. It isn’t so much the year that is important, but the type of 911 you want to consider. The 911 is offered in the Carrera, Targa, Turbo, Turbo S, and GT3 models. All of these are also offered in convertible styles, and other various S and Turbo trims. But that doesn’t mean all of the 911s on the road are supercars.

The 911 Turbo S Cabriolet gets 640 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque from the twin-turbocharged boxer 6. The 0-60 speed of 2.7 seconds has a top track speed of 205 miles per hour. The starting MSRP is $219,800, which is getting up into supercar prices.

One of the more sought-after fast cars is the 911 GT3. The GT3 gets 502 horsepower and 346 lb-ft of torque. The same Naturally aspirated boxer 6 engine has a 0-60 time of 3.2 seconds. It also has a top track speed of 197 miles per hour. The MSRP is $161,100.

Back to the GT1. First released in 1996, the GT1 originally didn’t share much with the 911. The only bits shared by both cars were the front and rear headlights. Some parts of the front chassis were also from the 911.

The track version 911 GT1 came equipped with a 3.2 L (200 cu in) water-cooled, flat-6, twin-turbocharged, mid-engine. It participated in 135 races and won 47 of them. The Straßenversion had a 3.2 L (3,164 cc), twin-turbocharged, flat-6. But this Porsche 911 begs the question, are either one of these a supercar?

Is a Porsche 911 a good investment?

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A sound investment is probably not a Porsche car unless you plan on being able to store it for extended periods of time and not drive it much. However, if there is a car that tends to hold its value well, it might be the 911. CarEdge has an interesting depreciation calculator tool.

Additionally, a graph shows the depreciation for the first 10 years of a 911’s life. In the first year, the depreciation value is around $38,872. If you purchase the car a few years older, you can save yourself some immediate depreciation. CarEdge notes that if you purchase a 2020 911, you will pay an average of 79% of the price, with 92% of the car life remaining. Not a bad deal.

If you are thinking about investing in a car of any kind, it is good to do extensive research beforehand. Not all cars are a good investment idea. And while we at it, not all sports cars are supercars, but all 911s are sports cars.

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Recall Alert: ATV Steering Problem Could Cause Riders to Lose Control and Crash

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Four-wheelers are useful on farms and fun forms of recreation. However, another top consideration for ATV enthusiasts and new riders is safety. Crashing can be a concern, particularly because most people ride ATVs for thrills. And losing control and crashing due to a defect shouldn’t be something riders should have to worry about. But this could happen if you own a certain CFMOTO ATV model, which is under recall for a dangerous steering problem.

The 2021 CFMOTO CFORCE 800XC ATV recall

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According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), CFMOTO issued the recall in early May for just over 2,000 units due to a problem with the electronic power steering (EPS). The CPSC received reports that the EPS failed, causing riders to lose control and crash. Riders reported at least two injuries as a result of this problem.

The affected ATVs are 2021 CFORCE 800XC models with 800cc four-cycle engines. The recalled vehicles are orange, blue, silver, and camouflage and have the CFMOTO logo stamped on the grille.

How can you find out if your ATV is part of the recall?

Owners purchased the affected ATVs between September 2020 and April 2021 at CFMOTO dealerships nationwide. You can find the model name on the side of the vehicle chassis. Also, 2021 models have the letter “M” in the 10th position of the vehicle identification number (VIN). The VIN is on the right frame rail, under the seat.

CFMOTO is contacting all registered owners and dealerships. However, if you suspect your ATV should be part of the recall, stop using it immediately. Then contact a CFMOTO dealer to schedule a free repair. You can reach the company by calling 888-823-6686 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, emailing info@cfmotousa.com, or visiting CFMOTO‘s website and clicking on “Customer Care” and then “Vehicle Safety” for more information.

Also, if you had a problem with the EPS in your ATV, you can file an incident report with the CPSC. Even though CFMOTO has already issued a recall, it’s still important to report any problems so that the CPSC can monitor any adverse events related to the recall.

About the CMOTO CFORCE 800XC

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The CMOTO CFORCE 800XC has a 65-hp V-twin, liquid-cooled eight-valve engine with an easy-shift gate system. In addition to the EPS, it has a CVTech transmission with a high gear and a low gear, along with neutral and reverse. It has a double-A-arm front suspension, independent trailing arm rear suspension, and fully adjustable gas shocks. Each 800XC also has hydraulic brakes, 14-inch cast aluminum alloy wheels, and 26-inch radial tires.

With a ground clearance of 11 inches, a 3,000-pound winch, a two-inch hitch receptacle, and a towing capacity of 873 pounds, this ATV can get a lot done. It also features LED running lights and LED projector-beam headlights. Its front and rear racks have a capacity of 100 pounds and 75 pounds, respectively.

Riding an all-terrain vehicle can be exciting and entertaining. If you have a farm or a large property, a four-wheeler can be a valuable tool for completing chores quickly and easily. Even Kanye West loves ATVs, using them on his ranch in Wyoming. Whether you use your ATV for tearing up the terrain or doing chores, staying safe is imperative. So make sure your vehicle doesn’t have a recall attached to it, and always wear a helmet. 

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