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MotorWeek remembers a better time for Mitsubishi performance

Dodge still knows how to create an capable performance car – look at the Hellcats, for example – but the same isn't true for Mitsubishi. With the Lancer Evo's demise, we don't expect driving enthusiasts to clamor for any of the Japanese automaker's other products. Things used to be different, though. As MotorWeek found in its new Retro Review, the 1991 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 and its sibling, the Dodge Stealth R/T Turbo, were impressive sports coupes in their day. Dodge and Mitsubishi packed a bevy of cutting-edge tech into the coupes. In these trims, both sported all-wheel drive, four-wheel steering, an adjustable suspension, active exhaust, and automatic climate control. The 3000GT VR4 upped the ante even more with active aero parts at the front and rear. Their 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 was good for 300 horsepower and 307 pound-feet, which were good numbers at the time. This pair put all their gizmos to good use, too. MotorWeek compares the all-wheel-drive system's grip levels to a Porsche 911 Carrera 4. When was the last time you heard any favorable similarity between a Mitsubishi and a Porsche? The Stealth R/T Turbo and 3000GT VR4 came from a special time for Japanese sports coupes, when every brand had a halo model. Whether you were looking at Nissan 300ZX, Mazda RX-7, Toyota Supra, or even the Acura NSX, there was a lot to like on the market. MotorWeek's latest Retro Review offers a great reminder of that period.

Autonomous tech will drive motorheads off the road

While autonomous technology could make car travel much safer and more efficient — and automakers and marketers are salivating over the prospect of a "passenger economy" that could potentially generate $7 trillion by 2050 — those of us who enjoy driving are not so stoked. Experts have predicted that as autonomous vehicles are deployed in large numbers, human-driven cars eventually could be outlawed on public roads due to the carnage they create, which is currently more than 41,000 deaths a year in the U.S. alone and climbing. Such scenarios have driving enthusiasts envisioning a "Red Barchetta" style nightmare becoming reality, making Rush lyricist Neil Peart a clairvoyant as well as one of rock's most badass skin-pounders. But there could be a couple of refuges left for motorheads, and they won't be on public roads. As Popular Science's Joe Brown points out in a recent editorial, we're seeing a wave of vehicles being offered by legit mainstream automakers that aren't made for public roads. The poster child of this vanguard is the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, which comes with a crate full of goodies that lets you turn the already formidable street-legal muscle car into a drag-strip dominator. Brown also notes that two out of five of the Ford GT's driving modes are for use on the track, "catering to the $450,000 machine's club-racing clientele." We're also currently enjoying the heyday of production off-road-ready pickups that kicked off with the Ford Raptor in 2009. The latest salvo in this escalating war of overachieving trucks is the Chevy Colorado ZR2 that can take on the likes of California's Rubicon Trail without issue. Brown also gives a shout-out to his magazine's Grand Award Winner, the Alta Motors Redshift MX, which "isn't even allowed on public roads" and is "meant for bombing around motocross tracks, big backyards and single-track woods trails." If you follow Brown on Instagram, you know that he's also a two-wheel aficionado, and he points out that sales of off-road bikes are leaving street machines in the dust. Sales of off-highway motorcycles rose 29 percent between 2012 and 2016, according to the ­Motorcycle Industry Council — compared to 6 percent for road-bike sales during the same period. "That's a nearly 400-percent drubbing," Brown remarks.

Playing in the snow | 2017 Dodge Challenger GT First Drive

The previous day was miserable. An icy rain fell over Portland, Maine, coating the pavement and making even walking a chore. Driving a muscle car like the Dodge Challenger seems ill-advised. But this is exactly the weather Dodge hoped for, because we're here to test the new all-wheel-drive 2017 Challenger GT. The morning of our test drive dawns sunny and cold. The remnants of a late January nor'easter now past, we nonetheless steel ourselves for a day of unruly roads. Stepping into an inch of slush, we open the huge door, climb inside, and nestle into the heavily bolstered driver's seat. Immediately comfortable, we know the Challenger well. It's an old friend. Late in life, it's finally finding stability. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Heading onto the Maine turnpike, we're struck by the Challenger's poise. All-wheel drive civilizes the coupe's brutish nature. We confidently navigate the first on-ramp – still wet from the storm – and merge onto the highway. A rear-wheel-drive car would come unsettled here, yet this Challenger's 19-inch wheels wrapped in all-season Michelin rubber are not disturbed. At the very least, the specter of tire spin would have made us overcautious. All-wheel drive doesn't morph the Challenger into a Subaru Outback, but it does make the Mopar a realistic year-round option for buyers north of the Mason-Dixon line. Dodge arrived at this conclusion after some introspection. The Challenger and its sibling the Charger sedan are usually cross-shopped with each other, and design is often the deciding factor. With Charger AWD sales remaining strong (in 17 Northern states at least 50 percent of Chargers are sold with the system), not offering an all-wheel Challenger leaves money on the table. Ben Lyon, Challenger brand manager, says the common refrain was, "I would have bought a Challenger, or I would have bought a two-door muscle coupe, if it was available with all-wheel drive." View 50 Photos Naturally, the Dodges share an AWD system, which has an active transfer case and the ability to disengage the front axle, making the Challenger a rear-wheel-drive car in certain conditions to help save fuel. Ambient temperature, wheel slip, Sport mode, passing situations, and the driver's behavior can trigger the all-wheel capability.