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A hybrid and electric Corvette, plus we drive the Ioniq 5 | Autoblog Podcast #728

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. Zac drove the electric 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Greg drove the fire-breathing 2022 Maserati Levante Trofeo. The two dive deep into the relatively heavy news week by starting off with a discussion about the upcoming hybrid Corvette before chatting about what the electric Corvette might be like. They have a chat about the possibility of Porsche and Audi officially joining the Formula 1 field. Then, Greg and Zac get into some quick-hitting news to round out the segment by dissecting the updated Kia Soul (now without a turbo), the 30th Anniversary Edition Land Rover Defender and the new CEO at Aston Martin. Following the news and drive reviews, they rope in Senior Editor, Green John Beltz Snyder to give them a quick download of what went down at the first drive for the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning. Finally, they reach into the mailbag and answer some questions from someone who is less than pleased about infotainment systems in some new cars. And lastly, the gang hears back from someone they helped out in a prior Spend My Money segment on the podcast. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #728 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown News The hybrid AWD Corvette and the electric Corvette Audi and Porsche to enter Formula 1 Land Rover Defender 30th Anniversary model 2023 Kia Soul refresh A new CEO at Aston Martin Cars we're driving 2022 Maserati Levante Trofeo 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Dispatch from the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning first drive in Texas Mailbag: A discussion about complicated infotainment systems Also, trading a Model 3 for an Escape PHEV? Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives.

Audi A5 and S5 freshen up for 2017

UPDATE: A previous version of this story mischaracterized the 2017 S5's engine configuration. The article has been updated. Well, here's the new Audi A5 and S5. They look a lot like the old ones, but just a tiny bit better. In other words, the redesigned coupes received the same treatment as their four-door counterparts, the A4 and S4. While the German press materials mention both gas and diesel engines, we expect the A5 to carry on in the US with petrol power only. Like the current A5, a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder will serve as the base engine, but will probably get a similar power bump as the A4 – Audi hasn't released official figures yet. The four-door had its base output bumped from 220 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque to 252 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque. The S5 is a more interesting proposition than the S4. Where the old S5's 3.0-liter, supercharged V6 produced 333 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque, the new, turbocharged, 3.0-liter six-cylinder pumps out 354 ponies, according to the global press materials. That figure, fans of the old 4.2-liter V8-powered S5 will note, is identical to the original S5 that came out for model-year 2008. Torque figures aren't available yet, but we'd bet on at least a small increase in torque. Still, the increase in power is good for a 4.7-second run to 62 miles per hour, a 0.2-second improvement over the current car's 0-60 time. Audi claims it will offer the A5 with both six-speed manuals and seven-speed dual-clutch transmissions, but we wouldn't be so sure about that stick here in the US. The only available gearbox on the A4 is a seven-speed S-Tronic – coupes are inherently more sporting than sedans, but we aren't sure that's justification for Audi to offer a manual-trans A5 here in the US. Audi only mentions an eight-speed automatic for the S5. So no, the German press materials aren't a good indicator of the US-market A5. What we can rely on, of course, are the official images. The original A5/S5 was a handsome car, but Audi's designers have done a swell job styling the 2017 model. It looks good, and is somehow even more refined than last year's car. Audi's new corporate grille works well on a coupe body, although the powerful creases in the hood might be a little too powerful. The tail is lovely, like a prettier A3. The bodies are better looking, but they're also lighter and more aerodynamic, too. The A5's coefficient of drag is down to a slippery 0.25, while Audi's engineers lipo'd 132 pounds of fat.

Audi Prologue Avant Concept points to the future of wagon design in Geneva [w/video]

The new generation Audi R8 and its LMS GT3 racing version are grabbing much of the attention at the Audi stand at the Geneva Motor Show. However, if you are more interested in seeing the brand's future design direction, just take a look at the Prologue Avant Concept that's also on display. Audi traditionally uses the Avant name for the company's wagons, but that's tweaked slightly here. The vehicle is certainly a five-door, but from some angles it looks more akin to a Porsche Panamera-like hatchback. Compared to the B-pillarless Prologue Coupe (that we recently drove), the stretched roof flows all the way to the angled rear hatch, and the result is a very elegant design. The interior tends towards minimalism with just a few screens showing the driving info. The Prologue Avant also ditches the Coupe's petrol-fueled hybrid for a 3.0-liter, twin-turbo diesel V6 plug-in hybrid with a total of 455 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque, which is linked to an eight-speed gearbox. Audi claims the setup reaches 62 miles per hour in 5.1 seconds and allows for 33 miles of pure electric driving. To get a sneak peek at what's next from Audi, take a look at the Prologue Avant Concept on the floor of the Geneva show in the gallery above.