WhipJury

Car reviews, model guides, and daily duels where readers pick the winner.

From the Blog

Is it illegal to lower your car?

Lowering a car is legal in most states until it crosses a specific line. California says the body cannot sit lower than the lowest part of any wheel rim, Washington requires fenders to cover the full tire tread, and some states set bumper heights instead. Air suspension is how the stance scene stays legal.

Cam Walsh · Sep 19, 12:59 PM ET

The new Nissan Skyline arrives in December, and it's coming here as an Infiniti

The 14th-generation Nissan Skyline debuts in December, confirmed by CEO Ivan Espinosa, and comes to North America as the Infiniti Q50. It keeps rear-wheel drive and the Z's 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 at up to 420 hp, was developed in 26 months, and Nissan's teasers show GT-R-style round taillights.

Cam Walsh · Sep 18, 1:18 PM ET

DLO fail: the fake window glass designers quietly hate

DLO stands for daylight opening, the glass area of a car's greenhouse seen from the side. DLO fail is the black plastic cheater panel at the end of it, faking a longer or sleeker window than the car actually has. Designers use the term as an insult, and once you see it you cannot unsee it.

Jeffrey Wiley · Sep 18, 1:10 PM ET

BMW is building an electric M3 and keeping the six-cylinder one

BMW's electric M3 is expected in production next year on a dedicated EV platform, and a combustion M3 is lined up for 2028 using a modified version of today's S58 twin-turbo inline-six with mild-hybrid help. M boss Frank van Meel has hinted the gas car may even keep a manual.

Cam Walsh · Sep 17, 12:09 PM ET

Mitsuoka is turning a Miata into a 1950s Corvette

Mitsuoka's new LA1 puts 1950s C1 Corvette bodywork on a current Mazda MX-5, with quad headlights, a chrome bumper, side gills, and taillights moved to the quarter panels. It debuts November 26 as a limited Japanese-market car. The same designer did the 2018 Rock Star, which copied the C2 instead.

Jeffrey Wiley · Sep 17, 12:07 PM ET

Why almost every car interior is black now

Mainstream carmakers usually offer about three interior colors and one is always black, because every extra color is separate inventory. Americans buy off the lot, so dealers stock the combination that sells to everyone. Black also hides wear better than beige or gray, at the cost of absorbing more heat.

Jeffrey Wiley · Sep 17, 12:01 PM ET

The 2027 Ford F-150 brings the V8 back in the expensive trims

The 2027 Ford F-150 makes the 5.0-liter V8 available from the base XL to the top Platinum again, and the King Ranch and Platinum get it back for the first time since 2023. A new 325 hp 3.0-liter EcoBoost becomes the base engine, and a new Raptor 800A trim starts $4,010 cheaper at $74,995.

Cam Walsh · Sep 15, 1:24 PM ET

GM is bringing back CarPlay and Android Auto, but only in a box

GM is adding Apple CarPlay and Android Auto back to its vehicles after stripping them from its EVs and floating their removal across the lineup. The catch: phone content sits in a card window alongside GM's own apps rather than taking over the screen. Trucks get it first, then electric, gas, and diesel models.

Jeffrey Wiley · Sep 15, 1:23 PM ET

Why a V8 rumbles and a Ferrari screams

An American V8 rumbles and a Ferrari V8 screams because of the crankshaft. Cross-plane cranks fire unevenly between banks and produce the lopey rumble; flat-plane cranks alternate perfectly and rev higher for that howl. Here's also why an inline-six is the smoothest engine you can buy.

Cam Walsh · Sep 15, 1:17 PM ET

The next BMW 3 Series has been spotted without camouflage

The next-generation BMW 3 Series, an M350 xDrive, has been photographed undisguised in Munich. The clearest change is at the back, with wide taillights that stretch almost to the center of the trunk and a busier, heavily creased bumper borrowed from the electric Neue Klasse i3. Production starts in the second half of this year.

Jeffrey Wiley · Sep 14, 12:28 PM ET