2018 Jeep Wrangler JL at NYIAS w/ Scott Tallon

It’s not easy to redesign an icon, but Jeep has pulled it off!

Jeep Brand Director Scott Tallon discusses the all-new 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL with RPM News Weekly from the show floor at the 2018 New York International Auto Show.

RPM Drives: 2018 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid

RPM News Weekly correspondent Rich Taber travels to Union Point, MA, 12 miles south of Boston – a new city that’s rising out of the remnants of an old military airfield. Situated between Weymouth and Rockland, this city is different. It’s intended to be a sustainable city, but like many other cities it shares some of the look of an urban development.

Similarly, the featured RAV4 Hybrid SE looks, feels and could be confused with its conventionally powered siblings. However, there are many differences. Toyota introduced the SE trim of the RAV4 Hybrid late in the 2017 model year and it essentially carries over into 2018 with an MSRP that’s just a little over $32,000. A new 2018 entry level LE Hybrid trim priced at about $27,000 opens an even more affordable way to get into this very practical compact crossover.

In the upper trims, like the SE featured in the video, the front and rear fascias get a silver-painted bumper garnish giving the vehicle a bit of a rugged off-road purpose. Upper trims also get fog lights and heated side mirrors.

Inside the base RAV4 Hybrid, a 6.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth® connectivity is standard equipment. But, the SE test vehicle came with the optional Advanced Technology Package that includes a 7-in. system with integrated navigation and a Bird’s Eye View camera –very useful when getting in and out of tight parking spots. The SE features amenities such as heated front seats that got a good workout in the New England November weather.

So far, the hybrid is not so different than the conventionally powered RAV4. But the similarities quickly end with the hybrid’s better city fuel economy – rated at 34 mile per gallon in city driving. The non-hybrid RAV4 musters only 22 mpg in the city – a 12 miles per gallon difference. Coincidentally, 12 miles is the distance between Boston and Union Point.

The RAV4 Hybrid delivers a combined hybrid system output of 194 horsepower, seamlessly utilizing either the 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder gasoline engine or the electric motor, or both, as needed. Power goes through a continuously variable transmission, while electrical energy from regenerative braking is stored in a nickel-metal hydride battery pack. Acceleration from zero-to-60 miles-per-hour is as fast as 8.1 seconds – nearly a second faster than the conventional RAV4.

Included on every RAV4 Hybrid is the Toyota Safety Sense-P suite of advanced safety technology with pre-collision warning, dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure assist and automatic high beams.

Compact crossovers are crazy popular right now. Their combination of utility vehicle versatility and car-like handling is hard to ignore. When you can add strong performance AND efficiency to that, it’s definitely worth taking a closer look. Whether or not you’re driving back and forth to the city of the future.

Formula E Kicks Off Season Four

While much attention from the automotive press this week has been aimed at the Los Angeles International Auto Show, RPM News Weekly has focused its eyes on the Season Four start of Formula E Racing. With the city of Hong Kong for its opening backdrop, the series is expected to see 11 cities over the next eight months including its second run in New York in July 2018.

Ten teams, 20 drivers compete in the Formula E Prix driving their all-electric open-wheel formula cars along city streets at speeds up to 140 miles per hour. From a standing start, these supercars accelerate to 62 mph in under three seconds. Each race runs about 50 minutes during which drivers make one mandatory pit stop to change over to a fully charged car. Tire changes are not permitted unless a tire is punctured or damaged. The Hong Kong track covers approximately 1.15 miles.

Teams that RPM News Weekly is watching closely include Jaguar, who managed to pull in last year’s season opening pole-sitter Nelson Piquet, Jr. to team up with returning driver Mitch Evans, whom RPM News Weekly interviewed last year in New York along with former teammate Adam Carroll. Also, Virgin Racing can be expected to provide some thrilling maneuvers with drivers Sam Bird and Alex Lynn on board. Bird pulled off a double win in New York last season showing a remarkable capacity to adapt his strategy to create a winning formula. We’re keen to see Venturi garner a few podium spots this season against a competitive field that continues to ratchet up the stakes in this still new, yet fast-growing sport of racing ultra-high performance electric vehicles.

For more on Formula E Racing visit www.formulaefans.com or join the discussion at www.formulaeforum.com.

 

 

Larz Anderson Auto Museum Collaborates w/ Boston MFA

This week RPM News Weekly kicks off its second season of programming and the launch of its all new website at rpmnewsweekly.com with a visit to the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, Massachusetts where Boston Museum of Fine Arts Curator of Design Meghan Melvin gave a group of curious automotive enthusiasts a peak at the MFA’s transportation design collection.

Don’t worry. It’s not as stuffy as you might think. In fact, we were delightfully surprised that the Museum had such an expansive collection of original automobile design artwork from such highly regarded automotive illustrators as Carl Renner, Homer C. LaGassey, Wayne Kady, Karl Moravick, Richard Arbib and more.

So, stay with us and enjoy these highlights from the presentation.

RPM News Weekly would like to thank the Larz Anderson Auto Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and especially Meghan Melvin for the opportunity to share these highlights with you. We hope that it inspires you to find out more about these automotive artists and encourages you to visit both the Larz Anderson Auto Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts.