A Cast Of New Autos Is Ready For Adventure

Gather your chosen family and hit the road!…
 
By Casey Williams
 
Spring is the time to think about adventure, whether that includes hiking, boating, bicycling, or…driving. Get out there in style – and with the latest safety features. We look at vehicles from the recent Los Angeles and Detroit auto shows that will soon be available. From redesigns of iconic sports cars to capable crossovers and a boulder-busting pickup, these vehicles can take you almost anywhere.
 
Toyota Supra
Supra returns for the first time in 20 years with next-decade bad-boy styling highlighted by its F1-style nose and integrated rear spoiler hump. Under the bulbous hood is a 3.0-litre turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine producing 335 horsepower – adequate to run 0-100 km/h in 4.1 seconds. An eight-speed paddle-shifted automatic transmission is standard. Adaptive suspension, active rear differential, head-up display, JBL audio and crash avoidance tech are available.
Base price: under $65,000
 
Cadillac XT6
Cadillac’s first three-row crossover cribs the recent Escala concept’s horizontal LED headlights and vertical tail lights, though it’s considerably less flashy than the Escalade. Get it in Premium Luxury or Sport trim, the latter with black mesh grille. Interiors are lavished with wood or carbon fibre, Bose audio, adaptive cruise, head-up display, and night vision camera. Infotainment is by rotary controller; wireless charging and 4G Wi-Fi are available. Go forth with a 310-horsepower 3.6-litre V6.
Base price: TBA
 
Jeep Gladiator
Meet Jeep’s first pickup in a quarter-century. Fronting the cargo bed is pure Wrangler with a standard soft top and available hard top with removable panels. Harboured behind the famous grille and round LED headlights is a choice of 285-horsepower V6, with eight-speed auto or six-speed manual transmission, or 3.0-litre V6 diesel delivering 260 horsepower. Lockable four-wheel drive, forward-facing camera and disconnecting sway bars aid off-roading. There’s nothing like it.
Base price: around $50,000
 
Porsche 911
Porsche begins the roll-out of its next-generation 911 with Carrera and Carrera S versions. While you’ll recognize the sculpted Beetle body from two planets away, it is slightly wider and longer, distinguished by LED headlights, variable-position rear spoiler, and large wheels. S models get a 443-horsepower turbo flat-six, with eight-speed PDK transmission, for 3.3-second 0-100 km/h runs (3.2 seconds with AWD) – swift by any standard. A night vision camera and adaptive cruise with stop-and-go are available.
Base price: $130,000
 
Honda Passport
Honda adopts a name from the past for its Pilot-based five-passenger crossover. It packs a 280-horsepower V6 and nine-speed transmission to tow up to 2,268 kilograms (with AWD), and comes standard with large-diameter wheels and a full suite of crash avoidance tech. While not a classic SUV, the Passport is still quite capable off-road. It’s also quite advanced: connects with wireless phone charging and 4G Wi-Fi. There’s a long list of accessory packages for adventure and urban living.
Base price: Expected under $40,000
 
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CASEY WILLIAMS is a contributing writer for Gaywheels.com. He contributes to the New York-based LGBT magazine Metrosourceand the Chicago Tribune. He and his husband live in Indianapolis, where Williams contributes videos and reviews to wfyi.org, the area’s PBS/NPR station.