Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:35 — 62.6MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio | Blubrry | Podcast Index | Email | RSS
McLaren has just introduced the McLaren GTS, a replacement for the GT, and we have the details. The grand tourer marries supercar performance with everyday practicality. Its 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine boasts 626 horsepower, 14 more than its predecessor, and it’s lighter at 3,351 pounds. The result is what McLaren claims is a class-leading power-to-weight ratio of 412 horsepower per ton. Clocking 0-60 mph in 3.1 seconds and 0-124 mph in 8.9 seconds, it outpaces the well-regarded GT.
Its structure, rooted in McLaren’s carbon fiber monocoque chassis, enhances agility and stability. Crafted with recycled carbon fiber components, the GTS boasts a lower center of gravity and intelligent adaptive suspension. The exterior flaunts a more aggressive design, enriched by gloss black finishes and personalization choices like ‘Lava Grey’ paint and ‘Turbine’ forged alloy wheels exclusive to the GTS. Inside, upgrades feature softgrain Aniline leather seats. The McLaren GTS is now open for orders, with McLaren promising deliveries in 2024.
At the same time, Lexus has introduced a far more approachable car. The 2024 RZ lineup is now headlined by the newly announced RZ 300e, offering a 266-mile range and starting at $56,300. The front-wheel-drive model employs a 72.8kWh battery to feed a drivetrain that generates 201 horsepower. Lexus says it will deliver an EPA-estimated MPGe of 137/112/125 (city/highway/combined). The new RZ model features a rear subframe replacing the electric drive axle of the RZ 450e. The all-wheel-drive RZ 450e utilizes the Lexus DIRECT4 system, balancing torque between its 150-kW front and 80-kW rear eAxle motors. Total system horsepower is 308, and the trim offers a 220-mile range.
Also in the news this week, a new study shows that Tesla drivers are the most accident-prone. And the drivers of other brands come in for some criticism as well. You’ll be surprised to learn which brand’s drivers get the most DUIs, for example. We’ll have details.
In the road tests this week, Host Jack Nerad and guest Co-Host Matt DeLorenzo will discuss the 2024 Honda Accord and the 2024 Toyota Sequoia full-size SUV. The Accord is a 2024 North American Car of the Year Finalists, and Nerad and DeLorenzo, two NACTOY jurors, discuss its merits in comparison to the other contenders — the Toyota Prius and the Hyundai Ioniq 6.
Nerad and his family took a pre-holiday road trip in the Sequoia, which has been totally remade after the previous generation ran for more than a decade. How does it fare in comparison to the domestic stalwarts in the class, the Chevrolet Tahoe and Ford Expedition? We’ll tell you in the road test segment.
Also, in this episode, Nerad and DeLorenzo will discuss the most important news stories of 2023 and take a preview look at what might happen in the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year awards, which will be presented in early January.
All that and so much more are coming up in this episode of America on the Road.
America on the Road is brought to you by Driving Today.com, Mercury Insurance, YourTestDriver.com, and EMLandsea.com , the publisher of Nerad’s latest book, Dance in the Dark, which is available HERE on Amazon.com
