This engine came out of a 2012 Ford F-150 with over 200,000 miles. The owner bought the truck at auction and later noticed a ticking sound from the powerplant. He tried to fix it, but the repair apparently didn’t work because the piston exploded.

The damage is immediately obvious because there are big holes in the engine block. The opening on one side is big enough to fit your hand in. Things don’t even start well for this engine. Removing the spark plugs reveals that the electrode on one of them is gone.

Taking off the intake cover reveals even more damage. The valve for one of the cylinders has its guide exposed, which isn’t something you should be seeing. Plus, there’s a hunk of piston at the bottom of the engine when the timing cover comes off. Removing the oil pan provides a spectacular view of the carnage. There are palm-sized pieces of the piston and connecting rod in there, in addition to lots of finer pieces of metal.

We ultimately learn that in addition to the piston catastrophically failing, the connecting rod also sheared away from the crankshaft. In the process of the various bits flying around the engine, the side skirt of another piston was damaged. Given the carnage, it comes as no surprise that many valves are severely bent.

What caused this epic engine failure? Eric from the I Do Cars YouTube channel isn’t sure. He doesn’t think it’s an oil starvation issue, and the engine jumping time doesn’t make sense because the bulk of the harm wouldn’t be to a single cylinder. 

Let us know in the comments if you have any theories about what could cause this damage to an EcoBoost engine.

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The first completed example (see gallery below) is a 1986 635 CSi with an inky black body and a set of multi-spoke wheels. Carlex doesn’t alter the classic coupe’s sharp exterior styling. The only items of note are the company’s badges and emblems affixed to the outside.

Gallery: 1986 BMW 635 CSi By Carlex Design

The sole mechanical change is a revised suspension. Carlex doesn’t provide details about the changes but says the setup is sporty yet soft. In Europe, an ’86 635 CSi would have a 3.5-liter inline-six, making 215 horsepower or 182 hp for the version with a catalytic converter. This one has the four-speed automatic gearbox.

The cabin is where Carlex places most of its focus. The company uses a patination process for the brown leather that gives the upholstery the deep appearance of naturally aged hides. The material covers portions of the seats, center console, dashboard, door panels, and rear chairs.

Patinated leather even appears on the instrument dials. Carlex makes the numerals and needles out of hand-polished steel.

The seats use the original frames, but Carlex uses a firmer, more compact foam for the cushions. The company claims that the chairs are more ergonomic than the pieces from the factory.

Carlex uses the Blaupunkt Bremen SQR 46 DAB radio that looks like a classic stereo with a cassette player but actually has a USB connection under a cover. It also supports Bluetooth. The unit keeps the center stack looking like the car is from the 1980s while offering modern amenities.

Each one of these updated 6 Series requires 1,200 hours of work to complete. A lot of that time goes into patinating the leather. For comparison, Carlex says one of its usual builds takes around 340 hours.

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The van has a more sinister look and stance thanks to its detailed body kit and new chassis. The Irmscher is3 Black Phantom 2.0 is a reminder that vans don’t have to be boring. The Opel wears a revised front fascia with a new integrated front spoiler lip. 

Along the side, the van receives new side skirts and rear side skirt extensions, which draw the eye to the back of the vehicle. Irmscher adds a functional rear spoiler and a wider rear apron that better hides the back of the tires for a sportier look. The aftermarket specialist tested the body kit extensively, including stints in the wind tunnel. 

Irmscher enhances the van’s mean appearance with gold or black accents. The van in the photo above features gold on the new lip spoiler, grille, and lower bumper opening. The color also cuts down the side of the van underneath the greenhouse, while a bolder graphic celebrates the brand’s heritage. 

Sitting underneath the Opel are 20-inch “Hydra Star” wheels finished in black. The van rides lower than stock thanks to the chassis improvements, hugging the wheels, but the tuner didn’t explain what it changed. As for power, the van remains stock under the hood and is available with a slate of diesel engines from the factory.  

Irmscher will limit production of the Black Phantom 2.0 to just 100 units. It’s available directly from the company or one of its partners.  

The tuner has enhanced various vehicles over the years, including a Tesla Model Y. Irmscher added a body kit to make the electric crossover look more aggressive, adding new front and rear bumpers, a rear diffuser, side skirts, and new wheels.

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The yoke-like steering wheel enables hand-operated driving, therefore making the 2024 Land Cruiser usable by drivers with lower limb impairments. The newly gained controls are mounted on the right side of the yoke and effectively replace the acceleration and brake pedals, thus allowing drivers to sit more comfortably and enter/exit with ease.

Bear in mind Toyota is no stranger to yokes considering its luxury division Lexus has engineered one for the RZ electric crossover with a steer-by-wire system. It’s offered as an alternative to a traditional steering wheel.

Toyota is not the first Japanese automaker to cater to people with disabilities as Mazda has been selling its range of “Self-empowerment Driving Vehicles” for years. The 2, MX-30, CX-5, and even the MX-5 Miata in both soft-top and RF flavors come with a lever mounted next to the center console that replaces the pedals. These cars can also be ordered with a special steering wheel featuring a built-in knob to enable one-hand steering.

Toyota is putting on quite a show at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show by bringing a plethora of concepts, most of which are electric. There’s a zero-emission, three-row Land Cruiser Se, a Ford Maverick-rivaling pickup truck, and even a sports car that also does away with the combustion engine.

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Ricardo designed the Ford Ranger HEX 6×6 to increase its payload capacity and off-road capability. The modified pickup can accommodate payloads of up to 8,377 pounds (3,800 kilograms). That’s a sizable increase over the truck’s standard 1,905-lb rating. It even trounces the F-150’s 3,325-lbs capacity.

The conversion uses a De Deion rear suspension setup that Ricardo says is weight-efficient and robust. The setup can decouple the suspension and drive systems, allowing flexibility. Different drive units could be used or deleted. A cheaper, 6×4 variant is possible without compromising the vehicle’s payload capacity that uses a “lazy” axle.

The Ranger HEX features regenerative braking, feeding energy into the battery pack during deceleration. Ricardo designed the hybrid system to mitigate performance loss when carrying heavy payloads. The electric drive unit provides additional torque. To simplify maintenance and repair, the company houses all high-voltage components in a single enclosure.

The Ford-sourced electric drive unit adds 282 horsepower (210 kilowatts). Under the hood is Blue Oval’s 249-hp (186-kilowatt) 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine.

Ricardo designed the HEX system as a bolt-on upgrade for the Ranger, and it doesn’t require any alterations to the base vehicle. Owners can remove the system and install it on a different vehicle without compromising the base vehicle’s original integrity.

Ricardo is an engineering consulting company that operates in various industries, including the public sector, mass transit, financial services, energy and utilities, manufacturing, and the automotive industry. It has projects in motorsports, motorcycles, commercial vehicles, passenger cars, and high-performance vehicles.

McLaren announced in May that Ricardo would build the brand’s new hybrid V8 engine. The consulting company has been building powertrains for McLaren since the 12C in 2011. The company has made approximately 34,000 engines for the British automaker.

Ford electrified the Ranger this week in Europe. The automaker gave the popular pickup, the number-one commercial truck in Europe, says Ricardo, its first-ever plug. The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle won’t begin deliveries until 2025, but the truck will arrive with a 2.3-liter PHEV system that is estimated to offer up to 28 miles of range on a single charge.

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To be a bit more specific, it’s a notable addition for tire shoppers in North America. At the P Zero AS Plus 3 launch back in June, Pirelli stated that 94 percent of tires sold in this market are all-season rubber. That’s a significant figure, and it’s why the Italian-based brand spent considerable time dialing in the AS Plus 3 to give it more grip in all conditions, notably under braking. And since North America is a place where drivers can cover a lot of miles, Pirelli also worked on improving tire wear and rolling resistance.

To accomplish all of this, the AS Plus 3 has a new tread pattern incorporating 3D sipe technology. This helps both in wet and snow conditions; Pirelli says the tire is 20 percent better with snow braking and 10 percent in the wet. As for dry braking, the tire also improves over the outgoing model with a modest 4 percent.

The tread is only one part of the equation, however. The P Zero AS Plus 3 also makes use of a new compound that enhances both grip and tire wear. The result is a 25-percent improvement in wear and a 10-percent bump in rolling resistance. And as the tire wears, Pirelli says 99 percent of AS Plus 3’s overall performance is still there when the tire is half worn. It comes with a 50,000-mile treadwear warranty, and at the end of its life, the tire still has 82 percent of its performance.

Now, that’s what Pirelli says but what about the real world? Tire guru and head of Tyre Reviews Jonathan Benson joined Pirelli at the tire’s launch in June and found the steering response to be quite impressive. He followed that up with a comprehensive ultra high performance tire test, pitting the new P Zero AS Plus 3 against six performance-focused all-season competitors. We have his video embedded at the top of this article (set to start with the Pirelli review at the five-minute mark) but the summary is that the new Pirelli ranked near or at the top in his categories.

“The P Zero AS Plus 3 is a testament to Pirelli’s focus on the North American Region and its commitment to develop products that answer to the specific needs of this market,” said Pirelli North American President and CEO Claudio Zanardo. “We’re confident that this tire will exceed our customers’ expectations, providing a great driving experience and delivering exceptional performance in all conditions.”

The P Zero AS Plus 3 is available in 31 sizes ranging from 17 to 20 inches, and it’s available now.

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The non-profit group recently published a series of articles about personal data and privacy in cars. It researched 25 brands, all of which earned the foundation’s Privacy Not Included warning label, meaning the automakers did a poor job of managing data and providing security. In fact, Mozilla found that cars ranked as the worst category of products it had ever reviewed. 

According to the study, all of the car brands surveyed collect too much personal data. In addition to the information required to operate a vehicle, details on how people use their vehicles, how fast they drive, and where they go are data points. Auto companies also collect information from the connected services used in the car, including third-party sources from companies like Google, Meta, or Sirius XM. 

The study determined that 84 percent of car companies share or sell customer data to third parties, including service providers, data brokers, and other businesses. Additionally, 56 percent of automakers say they share information with government or law enforcement officials in response to court orders, warrants, or informal requests.

Mozilla Foundation concluded most car companies also provide little or no control over personal data. 92 percent of companies surveyed allegedly don’t allow or make it extremely difficult for people to delete their personal information. Renault and Dacia are listed as exceptions, though the study notes these two brands fall under the purview of Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) privacy laws. 

The Mozilla Foundation spent over 600 hours researching the car brands’ privacy practices and was unable to determine the full picture of how consumer data is used or shared. It also reached out to all of the car companies in its survey but only received responses from Ford, Honda, and Mercedes-Benz, and apparently, those responses still didn’t answer all of the group’s questions.

Motor1.com has also contacted automakers to request comments on the study. A spokesperson from Stellantis responded with the following statement:

Multiple claims in this document are incorrect as they relate to Stellantis brands. We carefully and diligently consider data privacy and act accordingly. Customers with questions may call our Customer Care center.

We will update this article with additional statements as they become available.

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The minivan has a 60-speaker sound system that consists of four 12-inch subwoofers, 36 midrange speakers, 14 tweeters, and six percussion horns. It has 16 amplifiers that produce 25,000 watts of power. Professional-grade audio comes from a 12-channel Digital Sound Processor, while multiple connections are possible through the van’s eight-channel mixer.

Gallery: Toyota Sienna:Remix Concept

Toyota modified more than just the Sienna’s sound system. The automaker installed heavier springs, added a two-inch suspension lift, and put 22-inch wheels at all four corners. The company also used a lot of noise-dampening material. 

The Sienna also replaced its rear liftgate with swing-out doors packed with speakers. The automaker also removed the van’s center roof panel, replacing it with a fully retractable panel and elevated platform for the mobile DJ booth, which features digital turntables.

It has six 56-volt Li-Ion batteries that power the 16 amps that are chargeable through two standard 110-volt plugs. They also power the 43-inch, high-definition TV in the back, which has WiFi for streaming video content or video games.

Texas-based Complete Customs built the concept for Toyota, with SiriusXM also collaborating on the project. It also has tunable dynamic LEDs and tunable under glow because no DJ booth is complete with a proper light show.

Toyota launched the fourth-generation Sienna for the 2021 model year with a standard hybrid. The 2.5-liter, electrified powertrain delivers a combined 245 horsepower, and Toyota offers it in both front- and all-wheel-drive configurations.

Sales for the Sienna are down 18.8 percent through the first six months of 2023. Toyota has sold 27,940 minivans so far, trailing the Honda Odyssey, which has sold nearly 40,000 examples during the same period. Both models trail the Chrysler Pacifica, which had sold almost 45,000 vehicles in the second quarter alone. The Pacifica has racked up 73,845 sales in the first half of of the year.

The 2023 Sienna is on sale now. It starts at $38,280 (all prices include the $1,395 destination charge). Toyota offers the van in seven trims: LE, XLE, XSE, Woodland Edition, 25th Anniversary Edition, Limited, and Platinum. The Platinum has a $57,740 starting price. While you can’t get this concept’s 60-speaker system in the van, customers can opt for the 12-speaker JBL Premium Audio system.

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The current-generation Grand Cherokee debuted back in 2020, with the longer Grand Cherokee L following in early 2021. However, the IIHS awards only apply to 2023 models, and to get even more specific, Grand Cherokees built after March 2023. For Grand Cherokee L versions, the production date bumps up to May 2023.

Why is this? According to IIHS, Jeep made structural changes to the SUV’s undercarriage that addressed a major fuel leak on earlier versions, resulting from sheet metal puncturing the tank in previous crash tests. That contributed to poor ratings on prior models, and IIHS also mentions changes in how Jeep adjusts the headlights across all Grand Cherokee trims.

As a result, 2023 models built after the aforementioned dates earn good ratings in all IIHS crash tests. That includes overlap front crash tests on both driver and passenger sides, and side-impact testing. As for lighting, changes made by Jeep give the Grand Cherokee either good or acceptable ratings for all trim levels.

Vehicles receiving Top Safety Pick + awards must have standard-issue frontal crash prevention systems that earn advanced or superior ratings for vehicle-to-pedestrian collisions. The 2023 Grand Cherokee in standard and L format received an advanced rating in daytime operation, and a superior rating when the sun goes down. Jeep offers this system on all Grand Cherokee trim levels, thus leading to the Top Safety Pick + award.

For 2023, Jeep offers the Grand Cherokee in no less than eight trims. The entry point is the Grand Cherokee Laredo with a starting price of $41,330, including Jeep’s $1,795 destination fee. That gets you a very specific SUV, namely a two-wheel-drive model with a white exterior as all other colors are a $595 option. Opting for four-wheel drive adds $2,000 to the price, and the cheapest three-row Grand Cherokee (2WD) is $43,330. At the other end of the price spectrum, the range-topping Grand Cherokee L costs $72,735 and comes standard with 4WD. However, any exterior color other than white is still a $595 upcharge.

Gallery: 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee: First Drive

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One of the Mustang’s newest features is Remote Rev (p. 76), which allows owners to rev the engine through the key fob. The feature only works once the engine is at its optimal temperature. The manual states that it could take the vehicle up to one minute to reach its appropriate system temperature when ambient air temps are 41 degrees Fahrenheit or above. It could take longer than that if temperatures are below 41 degrees.

Gallery: 2024 Ford Mustang GT First Drive

The Remote Rev function will not work if the engine oil, coolant, or catalytic converter temps are too high or too low. The system automatically switches the active exhaust to the track position to increase the auditory awesomeness.

Driving any car through standing water is dangerous, especially when it is difficult to determine its depth. Ford cautions owners of the EcoBoost and GT not to drive in water deeper than the bottom of the Mustang’s front rocker area (p. 276). The Dark Horse has a different standard, which was discovered by Mustang7g.com readers. 

Due to the model’s additional aerodynamic devices, Ford cautions Dark Horse drivers never to drive through water higher than the bottom of the rim. According to the manual, “Water may enter through the air intake due to the vacuum generated in the engine.” If a Dark Horse driver must drive through deep or standing water, the Blue Oval says drivers should not exceed 10 mph.

Ford dedicated many of the manual’s pages to the new infotainment system and the driver’s display. The new Mustang has speed sign recognition, driver alert, Amazon’s Alexa, and more cutting-edge features and customization options.

The manual also reminded us that not every Mustang is the same inside (p. 186). Models without the Performance Package feature an electric parking brake switch. Only Mustangs with the Performance Pack get the traditional parking brake handle.

The automaker has around 13,000 orders for the 2024 Mustang, with the majority – 67 percent – ordering the V8-powered GT. Twenty-seven percent of orders are for the six-speed manual gearbox. Shipments begin next week, with the entry-level Mustang EcoBoost starting at $32,515. The Mustang GT starts at $44,090, while the Dark Horse commands $60,850.

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