One doesn’t need a photo finish to recognize that Ford has a winner on its hands with the colorful 2024 Bronco Sport Free Wheeling Edition. Does it cross the line, though, with its retro styling?
Apparently, yes it does! And, in a good way, too. Everywhere I went with this charming SUV during my weeklong testing, strangers either nodded approval, gave thumbs-up or called out “Nice car!” affirmations.
Talk about ego boosts. All the attention couldn’t help but slant my unbiased intentions and create good free-wheelin’ vibrations about the five passenger SUV. I think it’s the nostalgia that this edition of the Bronco Sport carries with it. As RPM’s Peter Ciani reported some months ago, “…the Free Wheeling evokes the earthy and colorful, yet restrained, color palette of the 1970s.”
You can read the full original review here on RPM News Weekly – just click the button below.
Meanwhile, we’ve gathered up a new gallery of photos for the vehicle. Have a look. We hope you enjoy the second take of this delightful Bronco Sport edition.
A Splash of Chrome adds a Touch of Class to a Capable Middle of the Lineup Truck
by Peter Ciani
When the average Jane or Joe hunts for a new midsize pickup, chances are they’ll aim for the middle of the lineup at their local dealership. More than likely, that will be a Ford dealership, and that’s when the 2024 Ford Ranger XLT will come into their sights.
Not nearly as exotic as the Raptor perched at the top of the Ford Ranger food chain , the XLT tracks middle ground among the non-extreme performance models in the Ranger lineup, accompanied by the base XL and the decked out Lariat.
2024 Ford Ranger XLT (all photos by Peter Ciani except where noted otherwise)
The entry-level XL ($32,720 MSRP) is the value play or workhorse in the Ranger lineup, but these days entry-level doesn’t necessarily mean bare-bones. Sure, the XL plays the part, coming standard with basic black vinyl flooring, but you also get a 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder turbo engine, 10-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and LED exterior lighting including automatic LED headlights with LED daytime running lights.
Ranger XL | Photo: FordRanger Lariat | Photo: Ford
As expected, on the other end of the spectrum, the Lariat trim offers a few more interior niceties, including heated, leather-trimmed power front seats, a 12-inch center-stack touchscreen display, and a Bang & Olufsen Sound System.
Getting back to this week’s ride, the new 2024 Ford Ranger XLT is the “just right” trim in the Ranger lineup. I say that because the XLT gets more tech than the XL, but it also lets you add many features that you’ll find on the Lariat – in a sort of à la carte ordering. You may not care for leather seats, but if you tow you might want to add the available 2.7-liter V6 and the Advanced Towing Technology Package, which includes Ford’s innovative Pro Trailer Assist.
Some of the additional tech you get for its starting MSRP of $35,660 includes SiriusXM satellite radio, a wireless phone charger, LED bed lighting, 120V/400W in-cab and in-bed power outlets, and remote start.
More importantly, the XLT also features Ford Co-Pilot360 technology, which comprises BLIS Blind Spot Monitoring with Cross Traffic Alert and Trailer Coverage, Lane-Keeping Assist, and Reverse Sensing. That’s a good amount of tech for the $3,000 cost over the XL.
2024 Ford Ranger XLT With Sandstone Interior | Photo: Ford
All trims provide seating for five passengers. XL and XLT trims offer Premium Cloth seats only. The XL gets an Ebony (black) interior, while the XLT gives you a choice of Ebony or Sandstone (tan). Our test vehicle came with the Sandstone, which works well with the Azure Grey Metallic exterior color. The Lariat trim offers the same interior color choices, but the seats are covered in leather as opposed to cloth.
2024 Ford Ranger XLT
Outside, the XLT gets a standard Sport Appearance Package with gray-painted aluminum Sport Wheels and gray front and rear bumper trim. Our tester also included the FX4 Off-Road Package with an electronic-locking differential, underbody skid plates, off-road-tuned shocks, and the Chrome Appearance Package.
I’m a fan of the Chrome Package. It gives the Ranger a more elegant look, especially when paired with the Azure Grey Metallic Tri-Coat paint of our test truck. On the XLT, the package adds a chrome grille surround and center bar, a chrome rear bumper, chrome tow hooks (4×4 models), and 18-inch chrome-like wheels as Ford describes them. Chrome running boards are also included when paired with the FX4 Package.
2024 Ford Ranger XLT With Chrome & FX4 Packages | Photo: Ford
Standard power for the Ranger comes from a 270-horsepower, 2.3-liter EcoBoost inline 4-cylinder engine paired with a 10-speed SelectShift automatic transmission. The optional twin-turbo 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 makes 315 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque, and is available on the XLT and Lariat trims. The 2.3-liter engine can be ordered with rear-wheel drive or optional 4×4 drive. The V6 is only available with 4×4 drive.
Ford Ranger Towing | Photo: Ford Media
The Ranger can tow up to 7,500 pounds; maximum available payload capacity tops out at 1,805 pounds.
Handling was a priority in designing this sixth-generation Ranger. The fully boxed steel frame has been stretched to allow for more bed space, and the rear shocks and mounts have been moved outboard. Both of these improvements work to enhance ride quality and ride control. Overall, the 2024 Ford Ranger offers a stable, comfortable on-road ride for a truck with an off-road-tuned suspension, which is a good thing considering that many buyers likely won’t take it off-road often.
For some buyers, covering the middle-ground in the lineup may appear to be a somewhat ho-hum job, but for those Janes and Joes with an eagle eye, the 2024 Ford Ranger XLT pickup actually makes a superb choice especially if they want plenty of tech and more space and capability than the compact Ford Maverick, yet don’t need a full-size F-150.
The 2024 Subaru WRX garnered the New England Motor Press Association Best In Class All-Wheel Drive Vehicle Award at the organization’s annual Winter Vehicle Awards event. The short video featured below was produced by RPM News Weekly specifically for the awards presentation using action clips from Subaru Media. Watch to get a quick glimpse of the excitement one can experience in driving the WRX.
RPM News Weekly recently reviewed the 2024 WRX TR edition. The full review can be found at:
Highlights include: All five WRX trims come with a 271-horsepower 2.4-liter turbocharged BOXER engine. While the TR (Tuner Ready) edition that we drove and the top-of-the-line GT trims are very similar spec-wise, there are a few mechanical differences between them. Most noteworthy is the standard 6-speed manual transmission in the TR. The GT is only available with a Subaru Performance CVT with manual shift mode.
The WRX TR is the only trim in the 2024 lineup to include a Brembo performance system with six-piston front and two-piston rear brake calipers, along with a larger brake master cylinder and larger rotors. It’s not just painted calipers; it’s a true performance system that works together to reduce brake fade and increase stopping power. And it works quite well. The upcoming 2025 WRX Ts, will also include the Brembo brake system.
While all WRX trims come with a sport-tuned suspension, the TR gets stiffer springs and dampers. You won’t find the GT’s electronically controlled dampers on the TR option list, but with the letters TR historically meaning “tuner-ready”, upgrading the struts could make it to an owner’s wish list. To complete the performance profile, the TR comes equipped with 245/35 R19 Bridgestone Potenza S007 performance tires.
If there’s one word to capture the sublime combination of performance and luxury in the Genesis G70 3.3T Sport Prestige, it is ‘authentic’. We here at RPM News Weekly had the opportunity to drive this vehicle for a week this summer, during which time we traveled from SouthCoast Massachusetts to Philadelphia and back, and concluded that it far exceeded the usual compliments for comfort, stability and driving satisfaction.
If one can travel for six hours straight in a sedan (with a couple of short rest stop breaks) and not feel achey all over from thighs to rump to neck, then that’s a car that deserves to be called a great touring vehicle. Not to mention if that car continues to instill confidence at highway speeds through the pounding rain that we experienced from New Haven to Providence on the way back. The G70 didn’t even flinch… not once.
Okay, so it’s got a 365 horsepower 3.3-liter twin turbo engine. Great! But those are just numbers. The vehicle must be designed all around to utilize that in conjunction with suspension, braking and noise mitigation to really earn luxury status. That’s called elegance. That’s the G70 Sport Prestige. It’s not just fancy knobs, ambient lighting and leather seating.
We suggest you give the all-wheel drive 2024 Genesis G70 3.3T Sport Prestige a test drive. The difference between it and so many others will be apparent.
Watch our slide show below to see many of its features.
The GMC Canyon AT4X is not for everybody, but that’s okay. Not everyone needs (or wants) the prodigious off-road capabilities this mid-size pickup truck has to offer. For those that do, the special AEV Edition of the Canyon takes off-road performance and recreational adventure to totally rarefied heights.
It’s not just that the four-wheel drive truck’s turbocharged 2.7-liter engine with 310 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque can muscle its way up the side of a mountain while towing a trailer or carrying a heavy load. What sets this workhorse apart from the herd is that it comes fully equipped with all the right hardware to take on seemingly impossible journeys where the path is strewn with rocks, saturated with mud or blanketed with snow.
photo courtesy GMC Media
Utilizing ultra high strength, hot-stamped boron skid plates instead of common cold-stamped high strength steel ones, this vehicle’s chassis, fuel tank, rear differential and transfer case get the added protection needed for some seriously rugged excursions into the wild. Plus, it’s off-road suspension gets a 3-inch factory lift over the base model for some extra clearance.
Just so there’s no confusion, the AEV reference does NOT have anything to do with this version of the Canyon being an EV, HEV or PHEV. The AEV is the registered trademark of the after-market parts and accessories company American Expedition Vehicles who has partnered with GMC in adding off-road performance components to create the AT4X AEV Edition.
Granted there’s a price to pay at the pump for this special brand of performance. EPA fuel economy ratings are miserably low at 16 city / 16 highway mpg (that’s 6.2 gallons of gasoline every 100 miles). Evenso, we are quite enthusiastic about what the Canyon AT4X AEV has to offer in special use circumstances. Watch our slide show below to see many of its features.
RPM News Weekly Slide Show by Rich Taber
What Does AEV Bring To The Canyon AT4X?
AEV® underbody skid plate protection
AEV® stamped-steel rear bumper with heavy duty cast recovery points
AEV® stamped-steel front bumper
Wheel flares
17″ beadlock capable wheels w/ laser etching & AEV center cap
17″ LT315/70R17 MT blackwall tires
Bed-mounted vertical spare tire carrier
17″ beadlock capable spare wheel w/ laser etching
17″ LT315/70R17 MT blackwall spare tire
All-weather floor liner
AEV branded front head restraints & AEV exterior badging
One should not conflate seductive performance with the benefits of a BMW X2 being equipped with the M Sport package. Yes, the car enjoys a more sporty appearance with the extra bling, but the equipment already packed into the xDrive28i stands on its own merits – 241 horsepower 2-liter turbo four, 7-speed dual clutch transmission, all-wheel drive.
True, the Adaptive M suspension changes up the ride a bit, if that’s what you’re looking for. But why go half way? Move up to the M35i. Treat the X2 xDrive28i as what it is – a somewhat roomy SUV-like sedan with a swoopy roofline, smart interior and unpretentious driving experience.
Have a look at our video slide show below to see all the key features.
