10 Biggest News Stories of the Week: Tesla Model S and X Go Plaid, Kia Sorento Follows Family Pattern
Tesla’s self-styled approach as an industry disruptor with continual over-the-air software updates means that the luxury all-electric automaker isn’t bound to the standard cycle of physical updates every few years. But even the likes of Tesla’s Model S sedan and Model X SUV must update their designs and capabilities to maintain the brand’s status as the innovator to emulate — and what, after all, is more fashion forward than plaid?
Related: Best of 2021
In one of Cars.com’s most popular news stories of the past week, we report on all the latest updates to the Model S and Model X, both aesthetic and athletic — the latter category including the performance perk that enables the all-electric vehicles to, in “Spaceballs” terms, “go to plaid!” The top-performing (and top-priced) Plaid and Plaid Plus models of the X and S, respectively, up the performance ante beyond that of the already-ludicrous Ludicrous models. Y’know what they say when it comes to the ability to hit 60 mph in under 1.99 seconds, as in the case of the Model S Plaid Plus: Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
But because Tesla performance specs seem to always increase from one bonkers measure to the next, somehow the interior updates to the newly refreshed Model S and Model X are the real story here. These include:
- A new steering wheel that’s missing the top portion of the rim, a la K.I.T.T. from “Knight Rider”
- A revised central multimedia screen, now oriented horizontally rather than vertically and powered up for a purported console-worthy in-car gaming experience
- A smaller screen with the same multimedia and gaming functions for rear-seat occupants
- Wireless-controller compatibility from any seat
- The elimination of steering-wheel stalks, the gear-shifting and turn-signal functions, all of which are now folded into touch controls
You can get full details on the refreshed Tesla Model S and Model X by following the link below to our No. 2 article of the past week.
Another newcomer to our weekly countdown is Cars.com reviewer Jennifer Geiger’s comprehensive critique of the redesigned 2021 Kia Sorento. The mid-size SUV slots just below the Korean brand’s excellent Telluride in size and price (starting at nearly $3,000 less), and its overhaul brings it closer into line with its bigger brother in terms of size, cabin quality and features. The results temper our questions on Kia’s wisdom in keeping the Sorento around to ride the Telluride’s coattails.
“Kia has a strong SUV lineup, and with its 2021 redesign, the Sorento has earned some time in the spotlight, outshining many other three-row SUVs in the class — and maybe even one from the automaker’s own lineup,” Geiger’s review says. “In this case, shoppers looking for a three-row SUV stand to benefit from a little sibling rivalry.”
Follow the link below to our No. 5 article of the past week for the full context. Also joining the countdown this week is another review by Geiger, this time covering the mixed-bag 2021 redesign of the Acura MDX three-row SUV, at No. 8; and a roundup of everything new on the SUV front for the 2021 model year, at No. 9.
Beyond that, we have headlines on the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport, 2021 Toyota Camry Hybrid and much more, so keep reading. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past week:
1. What’s New With Electric Vehicles for 2021?
2. 2021 Tesla Model S, Model X Get Interior Refresh but No Shifter
3. 2021 Ford Bronco Sport: 6 Things We Like, 3 We Don’t
4. New Year, New Me: These Manufacturers Have New Logos for 2021
5. 2021 Kia Sorento Review: A Middle Child Deserving of the Spotlight
6. 2021 Toyota Camry Hybrid: 5 Things We Like, 3 Things We Don’t
7. Here Are 5 Great Affordable Luxury Cars You Can Buy Right Now
8. 2022 Acura MDX Review: Tech Pains Curb Family, Luxury Gains
9. What’s New With SUVs for 2021?
10. What’s New With Pickup Trucks for 2021?
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