Flying, flipping Tesla Roadster delivered on style, THESE EVs deliver on substance

After a nine-year wait, Tesla finally took the covers off its second-generation Roadster on Thursday. The reveal showed off a dramatically different car from the concept first shown in 2017, but the bigger news was what the company says that the car can do. In four different demos, the new Roadster was seen holding up its weight upside down, flipping in the air, and even completing a 0-60 mile-per-hour sprint in 0.81 seconds. And in case you missed them last night, here are those stunts, all neatly packaged via Tesla’s YouTube account. The reveal started with a stunt that Tesla calls “the ramp,” opening with the car using its fan-supplied downforce to drive up a ramp, stop, and hold itself nearly upside down in a demo similar to what McMurtry did with its Speirling track car last year. Tesla’s clipped video picks up right after that, showing a second run where the Roadster continued driving off the edge of the ramp, then used its cold gas booster propulsion system to complete a barrel roll and land level with the ground. While the flipping is completely unnecessary for anything a car is actually intended to do, the fan system that allows the car to climb the wall is substantial.

Joel was previously an editor at Autoblog for nearly a decade, covering cars from humble economy hatchbacks to high-end sports cars. He has extensive driving experience with plenty of track time, and even dabbles in motorcycling. Joel has shared his experiences in the car world not just in text, but also on podcasts and web videos.

My wife, a longtime Lexus fan, wants a bigger, newer car that’s electric, but there’s a problem: There are no 3-row EVs available from Toyota. So “larger” is going to have to wait; that means, if we want to go electric, we’ve got two “bad” choices: the Lexus RZ or the Toyota bZ4X. I’ve already written all about how we are considering going with the former, but now I’m pushing for the latter. Here’s why. The three-row EV SUV space is bleak. You can buy a tiny Model Y, you can snag a Kia/Hyundai, or you can spend lots of money on a Rivian, Cadillac, Mercedes or Lucid. Choices from Ford, Toyota, Stellantis, VW, and on and on are non-existent. This is a shame because there are lots of families who want extra space and who want to go electric; we’re one of them.

Apologies to anyone else who spent afternoons after class playing Gran Turismo, but the gaming series turns 30 next year. But if you can't wait that long to celebrate, here's a new update and merch for you to enjoy. At least the plus side is that the update is free and includes a Ferrari F355, a French economy car, and a minivan. If that's not Gran Turismo, what is? Let's dive into the details. We've already briefly told you about the game's Spec IV update, but today, we know more about what's included. Released on October 15, update 1.72 adds six vehicles. They include the Ferrari F355 Berlinetta, the 1986 Citroën 2CV 6 Charleston, the 1987 Honda Civic Si Group A race car, the 2023 Honda Step WGN Spada Premium Line, the 2026 Mazda RX-VISION GT3 EVO, and Xiaomi Vision Gran Turismo. It's an appropriate lineup for a series that often includes both extreme concepts and cars like the Daihatsu Midget. On top of that, or below it rather, is a new track as well.

Classic gems, tasteful customs, legendary supercars - for Silvian, they're all fair game. He's been in love with cars and motorcycles for as long as he can remember, so it made perfect sense to eventually turn that passion into a full-time writing career. Around six years and more than 3,000 articles later, he is still going strong and doesn't plan on hitting the brakes anytime soon. The Hyundai Elantra N is an absolute blast, as evidenced by all the praise it’s been getting since it first arrived as a 2022 model. It carries a two-liter turbocharged inline-four with 276 horsepower and 289 pound-feet of torque, all sent to the front wheels by way of a six-speed manual gearbox or an eight-speed DCT. And although it isn’t the first car to prove that FWD can be a ton of fun, it most certainly does a great job at reiterating that point. Stylistically, it makes a bold statement with its red highlighting and wing-type rear spoiler, so as to let everyone know they’re not looking at a regular Elantra. But what if you wanted something a bit more understated?

Why is the SUV/crossover the dominant form of car in the world right now? When did we, collectively, decide that? Because I don’t recall being consulted. It’s not that I have anything against SUVs and crossovers, but I just don’t get why they ended being the default state of cars at this moment in history. Most people don’t off-road them, they’re not all that big inside, and I just don’t get the appeal of wanting to be so high off the ground all the time. Really, if you were to be completely, pointy-eared-alien rational about it all, the car type that should be dominant is a four-door hatch. Ideally, a hot one. Yes, this well-banged drum is going to get further banged! Spanked, even! Because it’s true, dammit, and everyone that drives any decent hot hatch has this same glimmer of realization, and it’s absurd to pretend it’s not A Thing. Because it is. I was reminded of this because I was recently loaned a 2027 (I think? Model years sometimes confuse me) Volkswagen Golf GTI, the Autobahn edition, and the GTI is arguably the hot hatchiest of all the heated hatches, so it was especially hard not to have the realization of, damn, why doesn’t everyone drive one of these?