The 5-Second Belt Change On Air-Cooled 4-Cylinder VWs Is Both Impressive And Terrifying

Many automakers have opted to add an electric motor (or two) and a high-voltage battery pack to form a hybrid power train to make an internal-combustion engine more fuel-efficient, but you can go the route of cylinder deactivation. As the name suggests, cylinder deactivation temporarily shuts down some cylinders when the engine does not need its full power output, which helps with fuel efficiency and thereby reduces carbon-dioxide emissions. You'll usually find cylinder deactivation tech in larger engines, such as Chevrolet's 5.3-liter EcoTec V8, although some four-cylinder engines also use it — Volkswagen's 1.5-liter TSI Evo 2 and Mazda's 2.5-liter Skyactiv-G come to mind. But while the idea of shutting down cylinders to save on fuel and cut emissions sounds great on paper, things aren't so cut-and-dry in real life. Cylinder deactivation adds mechanical and electronic complexity to an engine. Depending on the design, a cylinder deactivation system may rely on oil-pressure-controlled valve lifters and specialized valve mechanisms to switch cylinders on and off.

In the dying wagon and convertible markets, Genesis dares to patent new safety tech for its convertible concept that could come to market. The full-size luxury wagon has long been a body style that Europe's prestige brands acknowledge but refuse to fully commit to at the top of their lineups. Mercedes-Benz will sell you an E-Class wagon, and BMW will hand you the keys to an M5 Touring — but neither Stuttgart nor Munich has ever been willing to stretch their flagship sedans into long-roof territory. Now, Genesis is calling that bluff. The brand's G90 Wingback Concept takes the full-size G90 Sedan and gives it a sweeping roofline, a tailgate, and the full Magma performance treatment. It's still a concept — but it's the kind of concept that forces competitors to reconsider their assumptions.

What would you be willing to endure to fill up with gas for just $0.97 per gallon? Throngs of drivers showed up as rival gas stations in Powder Springs, Georgia, aggressively undercut each other’s prices for regular gas last week, eventually prompting police to shut the whole thing down. And you thought the Costco line was brutal. Rival Amoco and Sunoco stations on Marietta Street were responsible for the kerfuffle last week. The very dedicated staff at the Amoco station reportedly adhered to a policy that required them to price their fuel five cents lower than its nearest rival’s—in this case, the Sunoco, which responded with its own price cuts. This race to the bottom sparked a race to cash in as drivers took note of tumbling prices.

Brett T. Evans has more than a decade of experience driving, writing about, and evaluating automobiles. His early career comprised writing about pre- and post-war classic cars, as well as late-model performance diesel trucks. These varied experiences allowed him the chance to gain expertise in every corner of the auto world. Today, he spends much of his time on modern car culture and mass-market news. Mercedes-Benz is forging ahead with its plan to build a compact SUV in the vein of the larger G-Class off-roader, but those expecting mountain-bashing capability at a smaller price point may be disappointed. Speaking at the 140th anniversary celebration of the original Daimler-Benz Patent Motorwagen, Mercedes-AMG CEO Stefan Weckbach said that the "baby G" will appeal to a totally different customer than the original, intimating that it may not have as much off-road talent. In other news, we now know that the small SUV will arrive within 24 months.

Evan Williams is an automotive journalist and mechanical engineering technologist with more than a decade of experience in the industry. He has written for the Toronto Star and AutoTrader Canada and previously served as editor of Wheelscene.ca. A four-time Canadian Automotive Journalism Award winner, he is the current President of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada, where he oversees the Canadian Car of the Year Awards program. At CarBuzz for the last year, Evan uses his engineering background to analyze vehicle tech and patents, with a focus on the details that defines great cars. Since the EX60 won't be widely available for some time, here are a few rivals that you can either buy or order today.