Goodbye Gasoline: These 2022 Volvos Are About to Get Hybrid Powertrains

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The hand that taketh away can also giveth. After recently announcing the cancellation of most V60 and V90 estates in the states, Volvo is bringing their B5 and B6 powertrains over here for certain models. These include the XC60, S60, S90, and V90 Cross Country in an effort to improve fuel economy and attract more buyers. But as the company shifts its focus towards electric vehicles, one wonders how long these Volvos will last.

Volvo XC60 (Top Left), S60 (Top Right), V90 Cross Country (Bottom Left), and S90 (Bottom Right) | Volvo

The Volvo XC60, S60, S90, and V90 Cross Country are all getting hybrid powertrains

It’s a smorgasbord of Scandinavian hybrids that are about to come to the states, replacing the T5 and T6 engines that came before them. The smaller S60 and S90 sedans, along with the larger XC60 SUV and V90 Cross Country wagon will be fitted with Volvo’s 48-volt hybrid system.

Branded as the B5 and B6 powertrains, they all use a 2.0L inline four-cylinder paired with either a turbocharger or a turbocharger and a supercharger, respectively. And while these systems are new to us, they’ve already been offered over in Europe. The S60 and XC60 both come with the turbocharged B5 powertrain. Meanwhile, the S90 and V90 Cross Country come with the more powerful B6 powertrain as standard and is an available option for the XC60.

How do the B5 and B6 hybrid powertrains improve the cars?

Volvo Cars Plug-In Hybrid line-up
Volvo Cars Plug-In Hybrid line-up | Volvo

The hybrid powertrains, in all honestly, don’t boost the car’s efficiency all that much. Car and Driver used the models sold in Europe as a baseline, showing that the S60’s city mpg is raised from 23 to 26. Meanwhile, the longer V90 Cross Country goes from 20 city mpg to 22. The improvements to fuel economy are minimal, as are the decreases in power.

The T5 engine produces 250 horsepower, whereas the B5 hybrid powertrain that’ll replace it only makes 247. Not a large difference, but something to consider. Meanwhile, while the T6 engine makes 316 horsepower, the B6 bumps that down to 295 horsepower. A 21 horsepower difference may go unnoticed but is significant enough.

So, the next generation of Volvos will save two or three miles per gallon, give or take, and lose a bit of power. But they’re is gradually shifting towards electric vehicles, with plans to go fully electric by 2030. So one question remains: how long do these Volvos have left?

How long will these Volvos be in production?

XC60 Lineup
XC60 Lineup | Volvo

While Volvo isn’t announcing the cancellation of these new 2022 hybrids right as they’re being released, they are hinting at their shift away from the current lineup. According to The Drive, Volvo is poised to ditch alphanumerical names like “S90” or “XC60” in favor of “emotional” ones.

And while Polestar hasn’t become as popular yet, Volvo is still moving towards electric vehicles faster than other automakers. And while 2030 may be the cut-off point for these cars, these hybrid powertrains certainly won’t last forever.

RELATED: Being an EV Doesn’t Stop the 2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge From Being a Volvo

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The Biggest 2020 Kia Telluride Complaints After 30,000 Miles

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Even though the Kia Telluride has been out for a couple of years, it’s still heating up the competition. The 2020 Kia Telluride dominated lists as the best SUV you can buy, and rivals still haven’t caught up. But what are the most significant issues after one year of use? 

The biggest 2020 Kia Telluride complaints 

2021 Kia Telluride | Kia

We have a special 2020 Kia Telluride review from Larry. He’s a dad, enjoys traveling and cooking. Ge took a moment to share every detail about his year with a Kia Telluride. He racked up over 30,000 miles with it! 

Larry and his family spent time in the Kia Telluride LX trim, which is the base model. This involved one of the first issues mentioned. This model didn’t include power seats in the front or the power sunroof. But he notes that if you don’t need these features, then it’s fine. 

For the starting price of about $31,890, you get a leather-wrapped steering wheel, rear climate control, and an 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Plus, the interior is spacious and upscale. Standard safety features include blind-spot monitoring, automated emergency braking, lane-departure warning, and lane-keeping assistance. 

The Telluride faces windshield problems 

Larry loves his 2020 Kia Telluride, but he experienced a common issue with it. During the first two weeks of ownership, he took a road trip when something cracked the windshield. It then took weeks to replace. 

Luckily the crack wasn’t that bad, but that’s still an unfortunate experience with a brand new vehicle. This was also an expensive problem to face. Car and Driver paid $1,500 to have theirs replaced. 

The warranty excludes coverage for broken, chipped, scratched, or damaged window glass due to outside influence. But Kia decided to issue a goodwill repair for this windshield issue. Driver’s that experience a cracked windshield can have it replaced as they investigate the problem. 

Kia offers alternate transportation for the duration of the windshield repair if necessary. If you previously paid an out-of-pocket expense to have your windshield replaced, then you may be eligible for reimbursement. You will need your receipt for the repair and costs. 

What does Larry like about the Telluride? 

a white 2022 Kia Telluride in a forest with mountains in the background
2022 Kia Telluride | Kia

Larry and his family only had the two issues mentioned above with the 2020 Kia Telluride. They are impressed with its space. Two adults and a teenager were able to fit in the third row comfortably. There are 21 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third-row seats, with up to 87 cubes total. 

The Kia Telluride’s standard power is also impressive. It comes with a 3.8-liter V6 engine with 291 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque. When properly equipped, it can tow up to 5,000 lbs. Plus, it can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in about 7.2 seconds! 

Larry shared that he gets close to 30 miles to the gallon, which is impressive for a three-row SUV with a V6. The Telluride receives an EPA-estimated 20 mpg in the city and up to 26 mpg on the highway. Also, their model is equipped with all-wheel drive and includes the trailer pin connector, making it pretty capable. 

So far, the Kia Telluride doesn’t seem to have massive issues. The windshield issue is being resolved, and it’s proving to be a reliable option as it accrues more miles. Families are enjoying this comfortable, well-rounded Kia SUV.

RELATED: Most Frustrating Issues 2021 Kia Telluride Owners Deal With

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The Chevrolet C8 Corvette 1/4 Mile Record is Held By One Impressive Woman

by Gabrielle DeSantis

What does it mean to have the fastest quarter-mile time in any performance-focused sports car? For manufacturers, it means prestige, giving the car an additional selling point and bragging rights. But, car enthusiasts and mechanics are seemingly never satisfied with what the car can do from the factory. In fact, the performance a car offers from the manufacturer is typically a bit toned back with the goal of prolonging the life and quality of the vehicle rather than breaking records. For car builders, the numbers provided by manufacturers are just a starting point meant to be improved on with heavy modifications and tuning, and for Emelia Hartford and her team, that meant building the fastest quarter-mile time Chevrolet C8 Corvette.

The emblem of the mid-engine C8 Corvette Stingray | Kevork Djansezian, Getty Images

The C8 quarter mile record

Emelia Hartford not only set the record for the world’s fastest C8 Corette on the quarter-mile, but she also broke it a second time. The record itself was set by a heavily modified C8 built by Emelia and her team, with a car pushing an impressive 1,022 hp and plenty of torque provided by the 942 lb-ft of torque delivered to the wheels which, were, of course, sporting drag radials. It broke the record for the fastest quarter-mile time with the C8 at a sub-ten second time of 9.41 seconds.

Who is Emelia Hartford?

If you don’t recognize the name Emelia Hartford, chances are you’d recognize her if you saw her. She has quickly become a social media icon in the automotive world, taking the stage to inspire young women interested in motorsports. She’s known for her talented driving abilities on and off the track, as well as her record-breaking drag-racing C8 Corvette. You’ll catch her collaborating with other YouTubers, especially if it involves racing, and she has her own channel showing off her own builds and insane projects.

The C8 Corvette has been rather controversial

From the introduction of the mid-engine design, the C8 generation of the Chevrolet Corvette has been controversial, and that only got worse as production was unable to live up to preorders and demands. Because of this, this borderline supercar has been selling for well above MSRP even on the used market, ruining the car’s reputation of being the “every man’s sports car” with its insane prices reaching over six figures. Regardless of the controversy, the mid-engine Corvette has proven to at least offer the power and performance we’ve come to know and expect from the brand, but also the ability to heavily tune and modify the engine and drivetrain to produce even more power, as Emelia Hartford has shown.

Several other YouTube-oriented performance car builders have stepped up to try and build a C8 that could break Emelia Hartford’s record, and with companies like Hennessey Performance offering heavily modified variations that produce a nauseating amount of power, only time will tell how long she will hold this fun record — and who knows, she might just break the record again herself.

RELATED: Is the World’s Fastest Production Car Actually a Fraud?

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In Terms of the Chip Shortage, Toyota Is Winning, Ford Turned a Profit, and Nissan Is Worried

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The chip shortage, paired with Covid-19, has been a test for automakers worldwide. And while no company has made it out unaffected, some are doing better than others. Toyota has a history of rebuilding, which gave them the upper hand from the start. Ford, despite projections, managed to turn a profit. But Nissan, and many others, aren’t so optimistic.

Toyota Logo on 4Runner | Yichuan Cao/NurPhoto via Getty Images

How Toyota kept making cars throughout the chip shortage

The Toyota brand has faced immense challenges throughout its existence. For starters, they had to, quite literally, rebuild from the ground up after WW2, and still managed to produce the first Japanese car sold in America just 10 years later. And in 2011, after a violent earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, they had to rebuild again. Now, after having been around the block, Toyota is applying its rebuilding mentality to this shortage.

The key element in this equation is that Toyota does a great job of maintaining all levels of the supply chain. If you’re not aware of how it works, I’ll briefly sum it up. There are three tiers in a supply chain known as Tier One, Tier Two, and Tier Three.

Let’s say the product you’re making is a t-shirt. Tier Three supplies the raw material, cotton, while Tier Two sews that cotton into fabric. Then Tier One puts that fabric together to create your t-shirt. That’s a very simplified version, and you can learn more at Sustain Life.

But when it came to the chip shortage, most automakers were only in cahoots with the Tier One suppliers, the final product, and not the suppliers that source materials needed to make the chips. Toyota, on the other hand, maintained strong connections on each level, from sourcing the rare materials to building every component of the chip. And those strong relations meant suppliers saw Toyota as a priority, even throughout the shortage.

Ford turns an unexpected, albeit small profit

Ford logos on the grilles of two pickup trucks
Ford pickup trucks | Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images

We’re now in what businesses call “the third quarter,” a fancy way of saying July, August, and September (3/4ths through the year). But Ford’s year has certainly been bumpy, with their net income bouncing up and down. In quarter one, despite the ongoing Covid pandemic and the looming chip shortage, Ford turned a $3.3 billion net income. But for the second quarter, with both Covid and the chip shortage hitting hard, Ford only managed a $561 million net income.

That dip, albeit significant, is actually smaller than what Ford projected back in quarter one (January, February, and March). According to CNN, the company approximated that, over the course of the year, they’d turn a $5.5 or $6.5 billion profit. But now, after recovering from the lack of supplies, Ford is projecting the year’s earnings to be over $10 billion.

This is partly due to the fact that Ford restructured their business. Before now, Ford could just churn out vehicles and send them to dealerships, knowing people would buy them. But because of the limited production, Ford has focused more on “made to order” cars. Not only are they exactly what the buyer wants, but it helps reduce the clutter at dealerships in order to make sure everyone gets the car they want, not just what’s sitting on the lot.

Nissan “cannot be optimistic” about the chip shortage

Nissan Badge Logo
Nissan Logo | Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Not every automaker, however, has a positive outlook on things. Nissan’s CEO Makoto Uchida told CNBC “we cannot be optimistic, and I think this is day-by-day still.” In other words, they’re not out of the woods yet, expecting an impact of 500k units that won’t be made. Though in the second half of the year, Nissan hopes to get that number up to just 250k cars left unmade.

Nissan is hopeful that the first half of the year undid some of the damage, as they’ve been consistently selling 60% more cars per quarter than last year during the Covid pandemic. But nobody there is confident that this shortage will go away soon, bracing themselves for a bumpy road ahead.

The clamoring for chips and Covid pandemic has sent automakers and tech companies in a headspin, with even Apple struggling to get chips for their iPhones. And while there’s no guarantee that the shortage will end in the near future, businesses are testing the effectiveness of their supply chains like never before.

RELATED: Thousands of 2021 Ford Super Duty Trucks Waiting for Chips Can Be Seen From Space

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