If you've ever looked at a performance car's specifications and wondered what “turbocharged” or “supercharged” actually means, the basic idea is surprisingly simple. Both are ways to force more air into an engine. More air allows the engine to burn…
There are some appointments you never forget as an automotive journalist. Not because of a spectacular world premiere or an especially exotic race track, but because two cars are suddenly sitting in front of you that you usually know only…
If you've ever looked at the side of a tire, you've probably noticed a strange combination of numbers and letters, such as 225/45 R17 91W, followed by a long string of codes, the word “DOT,” and plenty of other markings.…
Walk into a new-car showroom, and there's a good chance the dashboard's main highlight is not the steering wheel, the instrument cluster, or even the climate control panel. It's the screen. Modern cars increasingly have enormous displays stretching across the…
Your car probably came with a traditional metal key that you almost never use. In fact, if you have a modern key fob, there's a good chance that a tiny mechanical key is hiding inside it right now. You may…
There's a good chance you've seen the Mercedes-Benz logo thousands of times without ever stopping to wonder why its star has three points. The silver star is one of the most recognizable and coveted automotive badges in the world. It…
All-wheel drive has become one of the biggest selling points for vehicles that can defeat the winter. Put an AWD badge on an SUV, add a picture of it powering through a snowy road, and the message seems obvious: AWD…
