Ferrari’s mid-engine mainstay gets with the times, and does so in dramatic fashion. I don’t consider myself one to be easily swooned by the mystique of heralded marques and the allure of iconic badges. It’s a necessary disclaimer because I can declare without hyperbole that the Ferrari 488 GTB is the finest high performance road car I’ve ever driven. Quite frankly, I didn’t expect to like the 488 GTB as much as I did, or to be smitten with it so quickly. You see, Ferrari’s mid-engined “mainstream” model has – much like the Porsche’s 991.2 generation 911 Carrera – succumbed to the mounting pressure of fuel economy and emissions standards. The result is a shift away from big, naturally aspirated motors in favor of a smaller displacement mills that are supplemented by turbocharging. This, many enthusiasts claim, is a harbinger of doom, typified by lackadaisical throttle response, uneven power delivery, and a muted engine note. When implemented poorly, these potential pitfalls of turbocharging can certainly make themselves evident. But if a best case scenario for this trend exists, the Ferrari 488 GTB sets that standard. Allow me to elaborate. Utilizing the same underbody as the 458 Italia, the 488 GTB’s new design takes some inspiration from the LaFerrari hypercar. Yet its completed figure was largely dictated by a mandate from Matteo Biancalana, Ferrari’s aerodynamics chief, to increase aero downforce by 50 percent versus the 458 Italia while incurring no increase in aerodynamic drag. This function over form approach explains some of the more controversial features of the 488 GTB, like the oddly shaped door handles that are designed to direct airflow into the engine intakes. The result is a shape that’s simultaneously more aggressive but perhaps less dramatic than the outgoing car, as the gaping ducts on the front and sides of the car make its intentions clear, but also serve to remove some of the overall continuity in its design. Regardless, the 488 GTB’s emotional impact is still unarguably substantial; whether or not the end result is an improvement or a step backward from the car it replaces is largely a subjective matter. But perhaps the biggest change over the 458 Italia is the switch from that car’s 4.5-liter, naturally aspirated V8 to a 3.9-liter, twin turbocharged eight cylinder mill. Although similar to the power plant found in the California T, the 488 GTB’s motor gets revised cylinder heads, camshaft profiles, pistons and other sundry tidbits, resulting in a maximum output of 660 horsepower and 560 pound-feet of torque, with the latter peaking at a rowdy 3,000 rpm and staying flat all the way to the 488’s 8,000 rpm redline. That’s 162 pound-feet of torque and nearly a hundred horsepower more than the 458’s motor produced, and from behind the wheel, its performance is more than enough to forgive the more subdued wail from the exhaust. 0 to 60 can be had in three seconds flat, 0 to 124 mph is dispatched in a hair-raising 8.4 seconds, and the 488 GTB will keep pulling all the way to a 205 mph top speed. As you’d expect, there’s additional revision found throughout the car, including tweaks to both the MagnaRide derived adaptive suspension and Ferrari’s F1-Trac stability control systems that help corral all of that newfound torque in order to keep things progressive and predictable when driven in anger. I managed to procure my stint in the 488 GTB during Monterey Car Week, where Casa Ferrari had set up shop just off Pacific Coast Highway at the northern tip of Big Sur. More epic locales for a drive of this nature are few and far between in this part of the world. Using the California coastline as its backdrop, this section of PCH is a twisting, picturesque stretch of tarmac with no shortage of switchbacks, elevation change, and straight-line runs to put the 488 GTB through its paces. Although the F40 is seen as a legend in Ferrari folklore, the company’s return to turbocharging has been the subject of some consternation. Prodigious output aside, spongy throttle response from turbo lag is of paramount concern, and Ferrari took a number of steps during the design phase of this motor to address that potential pitfall. The twin-scroll, ball bearing turbochargers’ compressor wheels are made of a special titanium alloy in order to reduce rotational inertia while remaining resistant to high temperatures, and the 488’s ECU is programmed to vary engine output in the first three gears in order to give this boosted engine the personality of a naturally aspirated one. The 488 GTB will keep pulling all the way to a 205 mph top speed. The result is the most urgent and immediate throttle response I’ve experienced from a turbocharged sports car. With peak torque coming in so low in the rev range, the engine’s power delivery feels linear and consistent, while turbocharger lag is so difficult to identify that it’s essentially a non-issue. That leaves one to focus on formidable task of actually driving this high performance monster. Near-instantaneous gear changes are dispatched by the paddle-shifted seven speed dual clutch gearbox that’s carried over from the 458, and are fired off in shockingly rapid succession when the generously dipping into the throttle from nearly any reasonably plausible speed on a public road. The 488’s steering is incredibly quick as well as surgically precise and, working in conjunction with Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber that measures 245/35/R20 up front and 305/30/R20 in the rear, felonious levels of excess speed are such an effortless affair that they’re often only noticed in retrospect. When it comes time to reign things in the 488 GTB utilizes a set of carbon ceramic brakes that are derived from the LaFerrari. These stoppers have quite a bit of bite at the top of the pedal, as is typical of carbon ceramic setups. While it serves to make the whole driving experience feel that much more immediate, it also requires a more steadied approach around town than conventional systems do. Regardless, pedal feel remained consistent throughout my spirited drive down the California coast, and the considerable braking capability on tap provided the confidence required to truly exploit the 488’s performance. In the realm of super sports cars, the competition is genuinely formidable. The McLaren 650S might be slightly faster, the Lamborghini Huracán slightly more accommodating, and the Porsche 911 Turbo S more attainable, but none of them tie together the elements of the high performance driving experience as successfully as the Ferrari 488 GTB does. The sounds, the sensations, the visual and aural drama – it’s all here. And, turbocharged or not, the prodigious output of this new boosted V8 is both awe inspiring and masterfully executed. I simply did not tire of the 488’s charms. Instead, I longed for it afterward, with unshakable memories of that yowling flat-plane crank V8 etched into my psyche. Reality often falls short of promise, but that’s simply not the case with the 488. Beautiful to look at, an immediate pleasure to operate, and an absolute behemoth of a performer, its minor shortcomings are so overwhelmed by its strengths that to harp on them feels petty and misguided. Simply put: The Ferrari 488 GTB is more than worthy of the crown.
If you want to see just how quickly the electric car landscape has changed over the past few years, take a look at the redesigned 2023 Kia Niro EV.
When the first-generation Niro EV launched for the 2019 model year (following hybrid and plug-in hybrid Niro variants), it was a pretty big deal. The Niro was Kia’s first EV not based on a conventional gasoline model, and the first intended for high sales volumes.
The second-generation 2023 Niro EV boasts more tech, more space, and more extroverted styling than its predecessor, but it’s still very much in the shadow of the Kia EV6. Once Kia’s main EV attraction, the Niro is being refocused as a more affordable option to take on the likes of the Chevrolet Bolt EV/Bolt EUV, Volkswagen ID.4, and Nissan Leaf.
Kia plans to offer the Niro EV in trim levels named Wind and Wave, but hasn’t released pricing for either. Note that the previous-generation 2022 Niro EV started at $41,245; the new model could see a price increase because of its updates. And because it’s assembled in South Korea, the 2023 Niro EV won’t qualify for the revamped federal EV tax credit, Kia has confirmed. Design and interior
Like the previous generation, the Niro is part of a three-pronged lineup that also includes the Niro Hybrid and Niro PHEV (plug-in hybrid models). All three maintain the tall-wagon shape of the first-generation Niro, but with much bolder styling.
Where the previous Niro was a wishy-washy mix of car and SUV styling elements, the 2023 Niro is the result of the same fearless design department that produced the EV6 and the 2023 Kia Sportage. The traditional automotive “face” was rearranged with a visor-like element, protruding grille, and hexagonal lighting elements. Contrasting trim panels break up the profile view, and conceal “Air Blade” elements around the taillights that, Kia claims, reduce aerodynamic drag.
Kia used sustainable materials to further decrease the Niro EV’s environmental impact. Volkswagen’s growing family of ID-badged electric cars has a new mascot: the ID. Buzz. Inspired by the vintage air-cooled Bus models and previewed by a close-to-production concept unveiled in 2017, the heritage-laced van offers an electric powertrain, an eye-catching design, plus an interior that’s high-tech and almost lounge-like. I tested a Buzz prototype in England in February 2022 and walked away impressed, and time driving a regular-production model in and around Copenhagen, Denmark, confirmed these impressions. This was worth the wait.
Design and interior
While you can tell that the Buzz is on the same branch of the Volkswagen family tree as the split- and bay-window Buses prized by hippies decades ago, designers decided not to go full-retro as they did with the New Beetle released in 1997. The headlights aren’t round, for example, and they’re much higher than the original van’s. It’s the same story out back: The lights are horizontal, located right below the big hatch’s window, and connected by a light bar. This is intentional — Volkswagen aimed to echo the original model without cloning it. In terms of proportions, the Buzz is pretty spot on. The front end isn’t entirely flat and the front doors are positioned behind the front wheels rather than over them, but the design is as close to the old van’s as modern regulations allow. The Buzz variant that I drove in Denmark measures 185.5 inches long, 78.1 inches wide, and 76.8 inches tall, so it’s about as long as a Tiguan but around 10 inches taller and five inches wider. This is what Volkswagen refers to as the short-wheelbase model, and it’s not coming to the United States. We’ll get a long-wheelbase model that hasn’t been unveiled yet; it should look just like the European-spec model but with more space between the front and rear axles. Mercedes-Benz aims to go all-electric in at least some markets by 2030 but to do that it will need to launch electric equivalents of each of its many gasoline-powered models. The 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQB fits that description to the letter. Where the EQS sedan aims to fill a similar role to the S-Class without directly copying it, the EQB is literally an electric version of an existing Mercedes crossover SUV — the GLB-Class. It uses the same body shell as the GLB, even retaining that model’s optional third-row seats.
Upgrade your lifestyleDigital Trends helps readers keep tabs on the fast-paced world of tech with all the latest news, fun product reviews, insightful editorials, and one-of-a-kind sneak peeks.

Ferrari’s mid-engine mainstay gets with the times, and does so in dramatic fashion. I don’t consider myself one to be easily swooned by the mystique of heralded marques and the allure of iconic badges. It’s a necessary disclaimer because I can declare without hyperbole that the Ferrari 488 GTB is the finest high performance road car I’ve ever driven. Quite frankly, I didn’t expect to like the 488 GTB as much as I did, or to be smitten with it so quickly. You see, Ferrari’s mid-engined “mainstream” model has – much like the Porsche’s 991.2 generation 911 Carrera – succumbed to the mounting pressure of fuel economy and emissions standards. The result is a shift away from big, naturally aspirated motors in favor of a smaller displacement mills that are supplemented by turbocharging. This, many enthusiasts claim, is a harbinger of doom, typified by lackadaisical throttle response, uneven power delivery, and a muted engine note. When implemented poorly, these potential pitfalls of turbocharging can certainly make themselves evident. But if a best case scenario for this trend exists, the Ferrari 488 GTB sets that standard. Allow me to elaborate. Utilizing the same underbody as the 458 Italia, the 488 GTB’s new design takes some inspiration from the LaFerrari hypercar. Yet its completed figure was largely dictated by a mandate from Matteo Biancalana, Ferrari’s aerodynamics chief, to increase aero downforce by 50 percent versus the 458 Italia while incurring no increase in aerodynamic drag. This function over form approach explains some of the more controversial features of the 488 GTB, like the oddly shaped door handles that are designed to direct airflow into the engine intakes. The result is a shape that’s simultaneously more aggressive but perhaps less dramatic than the outgoing car, as the gaping ducts on the front and sides of the car make its intentions clear, but also serve to remove some of the overall continuity in its design. Regardless, the 488 GTB’s emotional impact is still unarguably substantial; whether or not the end result is an improvement or a step backward from the car it replaces is largely a subjective matter. But perhaps the biggest change over the 458 Italia is the switch from that car’s 4.5-liter, naturally aspirated V8 to a 3.9-liter, twin turbocharged eight cylinder mill. Although similar to the power plant found in the California T, the 488 GTB’s motor gets revised cylinder heads, camshaft profiles, pistons and other sundry tidbits, resulting in a maximum output of 660 horsepower and 560 pound-feet of torque, with the latter peaking at a rowdy 3,000 rpm and staying flat all the way to the 488’s 8,000 rpm redline. That’s 162 pound-feet of torque and nearly a hundred horsepower more than the 458’s motor produced, and from behind the wheel, its performance is more than enough to forgive the more subdued wail from the exhaust. 0 to 60 can be had in three seconds flat, 0 to 124 mph is dispatched in a hair-raising 8.4 seconds, and the 488 GTB will keep pulling all the way to a 205 mph top speed. As you’d expect, there’s additional revision found throughout the car, including tweaks to both the MagnaRide derived adaptive suspension and Ferrari’s F1-Trac stability control systems that help corral all of that newfound torque in order to keep things progressive and predictable when driven in anger. I managed to procure my stint in the 488 GTB during Monterey Car Week, where Casa Ferrari had set up shop just off Pacific Coast Highway at the northern tip of Big Sur. More epic locales for a drive of this nature are few and far between in this part of the world. Using the California coastline as its backdrop, this section of PCH is a twisting, picturesque stretch of tarmac with no shortage of switchbacks, elevation change, and straight-line runs to put the 488 GTB through its paces. Although the F40 is seen as a legend in Ferrari folklore, the company’s return to turbocharging has been the subject of some consternation. Prodigious output aside, spongy throttle response from turbo lag is of paramount concern, and Ferrari took a number of steps during the design phase of this motor to address that potential pitfall. The twin-scroll, ball bearing turbochargers’ compressor wheels are made of a special titanium alloy in order to reduce rotational inertia while remaining resistant to high temperatures, and the 488’s ECU is programmed to vary engine output in the first three gears in order to give this boosted engine the personality of a naturally aspirated one. The 488 GTB will keep pulling all the way to a 205 mph top speed. The result is the most urgent and immediate throttle response I’ve experienced from a turbocharged sports car. With peak torque coming in so low in the rev range, the engine’s power delivery feels linear and consistent, while turbocharger lag is so difficult to identify that it’s essentially a non-issue. That leaves one to focus on formidable task of actually driving this high performance monster. Near-instantaneous gear changes are dispatched by the paddle-shifted seven speed dual clutch gearbox that’s carried over from the 458, and are fired off in shockingly rapid succession when the generously dipping into the throttle from nearly any reasonably plausible speed on a public road. The 488’s steering is incredibly quick as well as surgically precise and, working in conjunction with Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber that measures 245/35/R20 up front and 305/30/R20 in the rear, felonious levels of excess speed are such an effortless affair that they’re often only noticed in retrospect. When it comes time to reign things in the 488 GTB utilizes a set of carbon ceramic brakes that are derived from the LaFerrari. These stoppers have quite a bit of bite at the top of the pedal, as is typical of carbon ceramic setups. While it serves to make the whole driving experience feel that much more immediate, it also requires a more steadied approach around town than conventional systems do. Regardless, pedal feel remained consistent throughout my spirited drive down the California coast, and the considerable braking capability on tap provided the confidence required to truly exploit the 488’s performance. In the realm of super sports cars, the competition is genuinely formidable. The McLaren 650S might be slightly faster, the Lamborghini Huracán slightly more accommodating, and the Porsche 911 Turbo S more attainable, but none of them tie together the elements of the high performance driving experience as successfully as the Ferrari 488 GTB does. The sounds, the sensations, the visual and aural drama – it’s all here. And, turbocharged or not, the prodigious output of this new boosted V8 is both awe inspiring and masterfully executed. I simply did not tire of the 488’s charms. Instead, I longed for it afterward, with unshakable memories of that yowling flat-plane crank V8 etched into my psyche. Reality often falls short of promise, but that’s simply not the case with the 488. Beautiful to look at, an immediate pleasure to operate, and an absolute behemoth of a performer, its minor shortcomings are so overwhelmed by its strengths that to harp on them feels petty and misguided. Simply put: The Ferrari 488 GTB is more than worthy of the crown.
If you want to see just how quickly the electric car landscape has changed over the past few years, take a look at the redesigned 2023 Kia Niro EV.
When the first-generation Niro EV launched for the 2019 model year (following hybrid and plug-in hybrid Niro variants), it was a pretty big deal. The Niro was Kia’s first EV not based on a conventional gasoline model, and the first intended for high sales volumes.
The second-generation 2023 Niro EV boasts more tech, more space, and more extroverted styling than its predecessor, but it’s still very much in the shadow of the Kia EV6. Once Kia’s main EV attraction, the Niro is being refocused as a more affordable option to take on the likes of the Chevrolet Bolt EV/Bolt EUV, Volkswagen ID.4, and Nissan Leaf.
Kia plans to offer the Niro EV in trim levels named Wind and Wave, but hasn’t released pricing for either. Note that the previous-generation 2022 Niro EV started at $41,245; the new model could see a price increase because of its updates. And because it’s assembled in South Korea, the 2023 Niro EV won’t qualify for the revamped federal EV tax credit, Kia has confirmed. Design and interior
Like the previous generation, the Niro is part of a three-pronged lineup that also includes the Niro Hybrid and Niro PHEV (plug-in hybrid models). All three maintain the tall-wagon shape of the first-generation Niro, but with much bolder styling.
Where the previous Niro was a wishy-washy mix of car and SUV styling elements, the 2023 Niro is the result of the same fearless design department that produced the EV6 and the 2023 Kia Sportage. The traditional automotive “face” was rearranged with a visor-like element, protruding grille, and hexagonal lighting elements. Contrasting trim panels break up the profile view, and conceal “Air Blade” elements around the taillights that, Kia claims, reduce aerodynamic drag.
Kia used sustainable materials to further decrease the Niro EV’s environmental impact. Volkswagen’s growing family of ID-badged electric cars has a new mascot: the ID. Buzz. Inspired by the vintage air-cooled Bus models and previewed by a close-to-production concept unveiled in 2017, the heritage-laced van offers an electric powertrain, an eye-catching design, plus an interior that’s high-tech and almost lounge-like. I tested a Buzz prototype in England in February 2022 and walked away impressed, and time driving a regular-production model in and around Copenhagen, Denmark, confirmed these impressions. This was worth the wait.
Design and interior
While you can tell that the Buzz is on the same branch of the Volkswagen family tree as the split- and bay-window Buses prized by hippies decades ago, designers decided not to go full-retro as they did with the New Beetle released in 1997. The headlights aren’t round, for example, and they’re much higher than the original van’s. It’s the same story out back: The lights are horizontal, located right below the big hatch’s window, and connected by a light bar. This is intentional — Volkswagen aimed to echo the original model without cloning it. In terms of proportions, the Buzz is pretty spot on. The front end isn’t entirely flat and the front doors are positioned behind the front wheels rather than over them, but the design is as close to the old van’s as modern regulations allow. The Buzz variant that I drove in Denmark measures 185.5 inches long, 78.1 inches wide, and 76.8 inches tall, so it’s about as long as a Tiguan but around 10 inches taller and five inches wider. This is what Volkswagen refers to as the short-wheelbase model, and it’s not coming to the United States. We’ll get a long-wheelbase model that hasn’t been unveiled yet; it should look just like the European-spec model but with more space between the front and rear axles. Mercedes-Benz aims to go all-electric in at least some markets by 2030 but to do that it will need to launch electric equivalents of each of its many gasoline-powered models. The 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQB fits that description to the letter. Where the EQS sedan aims to fill a similar role to the S-Class without directly copying it, the EQB is literally an electric version of an existing Mercedes crossover SUV — the GLB-Class. It uses the same body shell as the GLB, even retaining that model’s optional third-row seats.
Upgrade your lifestyleDigital Trends helps readers keep tabs on the fast-paced world of tech with all the latest news, fun product reviews, insightful editorials, and one-of-a-kind sneak peeks.