S650 Ford Mustang: Next and Last V8 Muscle Car

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Ford’s next all-new Mustang will be the last V8 Muscle Car made. There have been rumors of a V8 Dodge Barracuda floating around to be sold next to a new electric Challenger. But while that seems far-fetched, we know a new Mustang is coming in 2022 as a 2023 model.

Ford’s seventh-generation Mustang is called S650 internally

Mustang Shelby 500 sketch | Ford

Codenamed S650, this will be the Mustang’s seventh generation. It was once thought to be a Mustang based on the Ford CD6 platform of the Explorer. Now, it looks like it will be built around the current S550 platform, according to Muscle Cars and Trucks. 

So rather than being entirely a clean sheet Mustang, it will be hammered out of its current guise. Sort of like the new Nissan Z is based on its old architecture. But everything other than the bare shell will be new, including the sheet metal.

Ford has said that the demographic for the Mustang is aging. So while some of these plans may seem out of touch with the electrification taking place in the auto industry, keep that in mind. Whether this next Mustang will also appeal to a younger following will remain to be seen. 

Will the next Mustang be a hybrid?

Shelby Mustang GT500 Coyote engine
Shelby Mustang GT500 Coyote engine | Ford

No hybrid system is planned for this new Mustang until after 2025. So this will be a traditional gasoline-powered muscle car. The 5.0-liter Coyote engine and 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-banger will start off the power parade. Then the 5.2-liter Predator V8 may or may not show up later in production. And the 6.8-liter V8 is probably not going to materialize.  

When will the Mustang go all-electric? We can partially determine that from the current Mustang’s lifecycle. It started in 2014, so it will have been with us for eight years before getting replaced with the S650. We should expect another seven or eight years for it before an all-electric Mustang debuts. That put it at roughly 2030. 

But things are changing quickly, and that lifecycle could be cut shorter or extended. Gas stations will be harder to find, and the choice of driving an ICE vehicle will mean paying more for gas. So societal and infrastructure changes could shorten the V8-powered Mustang’s life. 

There is a reason why this will be the last V8 muscle car

A blue 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E against a white background.
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E | Ford

Now, we say this is the last V8-powered muscle car for a reason. The electrification drumbeat is getting louder at Dodge. With the Stellantis merger, the French executives are not constrained by traditional Detroit thinking. They maybe have a clearer vision of the future, and that means an electric Challenger.

Over at GM, it looks like the Camaro will turn into a performance sedan. That means no more muscle car aura. It might still be called a Camaro, but it won’t be in the traditional sense. So the Mustang will really become the last of a breed. The Challenger, Camaro, and Mustang all have huge brand recognition, so they will never be completely gone.

With the demand and hype surrounding the new Corvette, there could be versions of it baking at Ford and Stellantis right now. But those are sports or touring cars, not muscle cars. And from a performance standpoint, electric vehicles match up or exceed muscle car performance. So there will always be high-performance vehicles. Whether they’ll be completely recognizable from what is plying the streets and drag strips of today will be defined in this decade.

RELATED: 3 Reasons Why the Future Belongs to Ford

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The 2022 Ram Truck Lineup Has a New Uconnect Infotainment System With Many Appealing Features

by Gabrielle DeSantis

There is much to like about the 2022 Ram Truck lineup. The truck models boast high-powered engine options, impressive off-road capabilities, towing prowess, and high-level utility. The 2022 Ram Truck lineup also benefits from an infusion of many appealing technology features, including the new UConnect 5 infotainment system.

What new features are in the 2022 Ram Truck Uconnect 5 infotainment system?

Ram Uconnect 5 | Ram

The 5th-generation Uconnect infotainment system in the 2022 Ram Truck lineup builds upon the previous version. It has faster performance, a more user-friendly design, many new features, and more customization options. 

With the wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, you can seamlessly integrate the features of your smartphone with the Uconnect infotainment system. Also, with the wireless charger, you can conveniently charge your smartphone while on the road. Additionally, with the dual-phone application, Ram pickup and Ram Commercial fleet drivers can easily share relevant information. 

The Uconnect mobile app provides greater functionality. Via your smartphone, you can use the Uconnect mobile app to remotely perform a variety of functions. This includes such things as unlock and lock the doors, start the truck engine, and receive relevant notifications. The Uconnect mobile app also enables you to get external assistance, help the police locate a stolen vehicle, and notify parents when their child exceeds a set boundary with the truck.

RELATED: The 2022 Ram 1500 Cut Crucial Features to Stay in Production

It’s a breeze to find your destination with the new navigation system in Uconnect 5. Helpful features in the navigation system include turn-by-turn directions, traffic services, and connected services. Also, the new navigation system has new last-mile navigation and maps over the air features. The last-mile navigation feature provides walking instructions for the last mile of your destination. The maps over-the-air feature automatically downloads and installs map updates.

Uconnect 5 has a more advanced voice recognition feature that more closely matches your natural voice in a conversation. It also has an improved ability to pick out your voice when the background noise is very loud, such as when you have the windows rolled down. 

2022 Ram Truck over-the-air updates

Red 2022 Ram 1500 parked in front of a large house
2022 Ram 1500 | Ram

In addition to the maps over-the-air feature, Uconnect 5 offers over-the-air capabilities for updating other truck software, as well as for servicing your truck. Many of the over-the-air updates will be done automatically. Other updates will be performed when taking your truck to get serviced. The over-the-air function also helps with keeping your truck in good working condition. This is accomplished by working in conjunction with the vehicle health report and alert features, as well as the Ram mobile app. 

Customization options for the 2022 Ram Truck Uconnect 5 infotainment system

With the ability to customize Uconnect in many different ways, Ram Truck owners can modify it to suit their individual needs and preferences. You can uniquely adjust the home screen and create up to five different user-profiles and multiple customizable interfaces. Customizable settings include frequently used features, such as towing or payload information, off-road apps, seating position, temperature, and mirror placement.

RELATED: Ram Recalls 212,000 Trucks Over Airbag Blowouts

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The Rolls-Royce Phantom Tempus Doesn’t Abide by Time, Has No Clocks

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Rolls-Royce has to have extravagant press releases to match the grand scale of most of the luxury vehicles offered. However, in one recent announcement about the new Rolls-Royce Phantom Tempus, the hyperbole to describe time was almost humorous. The old phrase, “time flies when you are having fun,” must have been coined in a Rolls-Royce.

Inspired by time, the Rolls-Royce Phantom Tempus is born

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Tempus | Rolls-Royce

The new Rolls-Royce Phantom Tempus has quite a name already. In the first part of the announcement, Rolls-Royce calls new the Tempus the “pinnacle product” that “resides at the apex of the luxury world,” which does sound a bit wordy. The rhetoric was necessary since the new Phantom collection is more exclusive than usual. The Phantom Tempus price? Likely around $750,000.

The theme of “time” seems to be ever-present in this release. Unquestionably, Rolls-Royce says that time inspired the Phantom limousine. The luxury brand calls this inspiration from “astronomical phenomena and the infinite reaches of the universe.” The sparkles in the exterior paint mimic the stars with a new mica fleck color. Furthermore, the fiber-optic has a similar appeal.

However, the Rolls-Royce Phantom Tempus has no clock

The Phantom Tempus

RELATED: Roll-Royce Silent Shadow: The Most Luxurious Electric Car Ever Made

Nevertheless, to be inspired by time but not have a clock in it seems misguided. The vehicle is sans-clock for a specific reason: apparently, Rolls-Royce clients don’t use time.

“With Phantom Tempus, we have created a space in which those strictures no longer apply – as illustrated by the deliberate absence of a clock. Rolls-Royce clients are not bound by Time; the outside world with all its pressures and demands are forgotten. Phantom Tempus is a motor car for those who shape the world as they seek their own place in the universe.”

Torsten Müller-Ötvös | Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Müller-Ötvös goes on to say that people who buy the Phantom Tempus make time up. No clock is necessary, and time goes how the Phantom Tempus buyer says it does. In other Rolls-Royce models, the clock is normally a significant piece of artwork. In the Phantom Tempus, a work of art takes the clock’s place. “The clock is deliberately omitted to signify patrons’ freedom from time and its limitations,” Müller-Ötvös said.

All joking aside, the Tempus sounds excellent

RELATED: Even the ‘Baby’ 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost Is Still a Rolls

The rest of the information about the Tempus is an exercise in talking about a lot of stars in various ways. Rolls-Royce made the interior of 100 individual columns. Each column represents the rotational spin of a pulsar star. These each represents the 100-million-year period of said rotation. More stars shine along the doors, seats, and roof.

The super-luxury vehicle offers a champagne chest with room for a full-size champagne bottle and some caviar. The hand-blown crystal champagne flutes evoke an image of the V12 engine. Included with the champagne flutes is a mother-of-pearl caviar spoon for quick bites on the go.

Without a doubt, the Phantom Tempus sounds pretty luxurious. If someone is driving you around in a Rolls-Royce, you probably have someone keeping time for you. Who needs a clock when you have caviar and champagne? No one riding in this extravagant vehicle.

RELATED: Post Malone Took His 2021 Rolls-Royce Cullinan on a NASCAR Track in His New Music Video

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The Buick Electra EV: A More Stylish Tesla Cybertruck, but Only for China

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Tesla has made waves in recent years with its bold automotive design choices. Perhaps nowhere is this more apparent than in its Cybertruck. Tesla’s Cybertruck boasts impressive capabilities, such as the ability to tow seven tons and hit a top speed of 130 mph. However, its blocky frame is enough to turn off many prospective buyers. However, it’s not the only automotive manufacturer venturing out into new truck design terrain. Buick is bringing back the classic Electra in a form similar to the Cybertruck, first in China and, potentially, the U.S. in the future.

The luxury Buick Electra’s initial run

The Electra models were known for their wide bodies and luxury trappings. But these distinct cars were eventually discontinued as consumer preferences shifted to sleeker-styled vehicles. Still, the Electra enjoyed a four-decade-plus run and produced some popular models. The name Electra first went to two top-line Buick models, the Super (the Electra) and the Roadmaster (the Electra 225), in 1959 to increase sales.

By 1961, the minor refresh the company gave to both vehicles became a major redesign. The Electra of 1961 was available as an RWD station wagon, sedan, coupe, or convertible. Hardtop models were known as Electra Riviera or Electra 225 Riveria. Models featured fabric trim while 225s featured leather or vinyl. Each model included a Turbine-Drive transmission, power steering and brakes, and deluxe wheel covers, among other amenities. By the end of this year, the Electra was phased out in favor of the Electra 225.

The Seventies saw the Electra 225’s sport updated grilles, bumpers, and taillights. In 1974, Buick introduced the Electra Limited, which had previously been a luxury trim, as a full model. 1975 saw many changes, including fixed rear side windows, a shorter front end, rectangular headlights, and a grille with running lights on each side.

All models also saw powertrain changes designed to meet then-new federal emissions standards. And 1975 also saw the Electra Limited Park Avenue’s introduction, which came with such luxury trappings as pillow-topped seats and velour interior trim. In 1977, further changes came when Buick downsized its Electras by nearly a foot.

These smaller cars, complete with additional powertrain changes, enjoyed greater fuel economy and sales throughout the 1980s. By 1985, the company debuted a slimmer FWD Electra that was even smaller. But the Electras of this era were packed with luxury touches. The 1986 Riviera even featured one of the first touchscreens in a car. The Park Avenue trim continued to be the highest level until the Electra Park Avenue Ultra was unveiled in 1988. And by 1991, “Park Avenue” replaced Electra as the name of the Roadmaster.

Bringing the Electra back

While Buick has no plans to bring back the Roadmaster of old, the company does plan to bring the name back for its new crossover. From the recently unveiled prototype, the Electra is boxy but sleek with 23-inch wheels, as per General Motors. And according to Autoweek, it will house the same battery the Cadillac Lyriq does, meaning it can produce 583 hp and hit 60 mph in under 4.5 seconds. It also should be able to hit just over 400 miles on one charge.

As per the Robb Report, the new Electra will boast butterfly doors that can open based on face recognition, a retractable steering wheel, and a large touchscreen dashboard, among other striking features. Riders will also be treated to floating seats, which will create the impression of weightlessness in the cabin. The concept car has plenty of futuristic touches and could be a popular competitor to Tesla if available in the U.S.

Of course, the Tesla Cybertruck will supposedly have many awe-inspiring features, such as its scratch and dent resistant cladding, its aircraft-style yoke instead of a steering wheel, and butterfly doors. But the Cybertruck has been pilloried as ugly by many mainstream publications, not to mention car enthusiasts. Despite its new-age features, many consumers will be looking for other alternatives.

The Buick Electra’s future

According to Green Car Reports, the first models of the all-new Electra will be sold in China rather than the United States. For those who’ve followed the Buick brand, this is not much of a surprise. Buick has been making vehicles for the Chinese market and selling them in other markets and China for years. And China’s adoption rate of EVs is moving faster than in the United States. Coupled with Buick’s market position in the country, the move makes more sense.

Given Buick’s long-standing history in North America, it is somewhat surprising that sales in a foreign market would primarily drive it. But Buick began consolidating its U.S. offerings in the early 2000s, as sales growth grew considerably in China. Buick manufacturing began in Shanghai in 1996. But it had become associated with power and prestige in the minds of Chinese consumers in the days of the Super and the Roadmaster, as many famous Chinese figures drove these foreign cars during the mid-twentieth century. And in the Nineties, the company launched new brands that recalled that association and impacted a new generation of Chinese consumers.

Today, Buick sells 80 percent of its stock in China. And in a large and growing auto market, Buick is likely making a smart strategic decision with the new Electra. Buick may well have a hit on its hands with the Electra by producing a futuristic EV with a throwback name.

RELATED: The Buick Electra Concept Proves the Brand Isn’t Just Your Grandad’s Grocery Getter

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