How have cars changed? A lot, but not a lot

About eight yearsas a freelance writer, I have the privilege of driving and reviewing brand-new cars on an almost weekly basis. I started with a 2014 Lexus LX570 and progressed to a wide variety of vehicles and experiences—from line-lock burnouts in a 2015 Ford Mustang GT to towing a boat to the lake in a Toyota Sequoia Limited Edition to a 2,600-mile out-of-state trip in a Ram 1500 Rebel EcoDiesel to zipping down the highway in an Audi R8 V10 plus. In late 2022, my schedule didn’t allow for a review, and I handed the press car keys over to one of my (now former) colleagues. I’m happy to announce that I’ll soon be reviewing cars for ClassicCars.com magazine again, both in written and video form. These are some of the changes I’ve seen over the past two years, and some things remain the same.

The more changes…

SUV countries

There was a time when sports car companies didn’t make SUVs or crossovers. Now you can buy people movers from Aston Martin, Maserati, and even Ferrari. That’s understandable, since revenue from sales of cars that purists hate could go toward developing the true sports cars they love. But now certain manufacturers are blurring the line between the two.

Porsche and Lamborghini are two prominent examples. As if Porsche didn’t have enough 911 variants in its lineup, it announced in late 2022 that it would produce 2,500 911 Dakars. As the name suggests, it commemorates Porsche’s victory in the 1984 Paris-Dakar Rally. It backs up that image with about two more inches of ground clearance, a lift system that adds another 1.18 inches between the car and the road below, and Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus tires. Lamborghini took its already crazy Huracan supercar to the extreme by creating an off-road version called the Sterrato, which flies 1.7 inches higher over rough terrain than the street-only Huracan and is powered by a mid-mounted 5.2-liter V10 engine.

Hyundai has done something similar with a completely different car. The outgoing 2023 Santa Fe featured a slightly chaotic design with curves. The all-new 2024 model has the same hallmarks, but its hard lines and right angles make it look more like a Land Rover Defender. How does it perform on the road? I look forward to finding out and letting you know.

A new generation – finally here!

While I’m no longer getting media loans, the current generation Toyota 4Runner and Tacoma are still going strong—and enduring. The all-new 2015 S550 Mustang is nearing the end of its product life cycle. Now, these off-road and performance vehicles are updated again and are more powerful than ever. We live in an age where the Tacoma (albeit with an i-Force Max hybrid engine) has a whopping 465 lb-ft of horsepower, and you can get a 500-hp Mustang from Ford (the dark horse) that has nothing to do with Carroll Shelby.

Even trucks are not immune to downsizing

It’s not entirely new, as Ford has offered the EcoBoost 3.5-liter V6 in the F-150 since 2011, but the span is new. While other companies have turned to small-block engines with forced induction, Stellantis has led the industry, boosting output in Dodge Hellcat models to a peak of 807 horsepower, stuffing a 702-hp Hellcat engine into the high-flying TRX supertruck, and finally giving Wrangler enthusiasts a factory V8 model (the Rubicon 392) with a monstrous 6.4-liter V8 under the hood.

The Stellantis is getting slightly less powerful. The Hellcat engine was discontinued last year. For now at least, the TRX has been replaced by the Ram 1500 RHO, which has a 540-hp high-output 3.0-liter Hurricane I6. The regular 1500 gets both versions of the Hurricane engine, as well as an eTorque version of the 3.6-liter V6, but no Hemi V8.

…the more they remain unchanged

The bigger the better

Touchscreens have been taking up more and more space over time. I was shocked when Ram started offering 12-inch touchscreens in its Uconnect 5 infotainment system a few years ago. Now that you can buy a 2025 Ram 1500 with a 14.5-inch display, it’s old news. Not only that, but you can get a secondary screen for the front passenger, bringing the total touchscreen display space to over 24 inches.

The manual lives on

Online forums are filled with people lamenting that the manual transmission seems to be dying. It’s true that manual transmissions are rare in new cars these days, but they’re still available in the Mustang, GR86, Miata, and other models. Chevy fans have it worst—the Camaro has been discontinued, and the Corvette has only been available with a dual-clutch automatic since the 2020 model year.

I’m still a nerd

Press cars are certainly a bonus. They are usually loaded with all the bells and whistles. While they are nice, what I miss most is the amazing feeling of driving a new car and learning about it, whether it goes well or goes completely wrong. I look forward to sharing my journey and thoughts with you all.