We attended the 20th annual Goodwood Revival and reflected on the past and the future; an off-road enthusiast in California built a Mercedes-Benz G500 pickup; and the 2020 Kia Telluride walked the runway in New York during Fashion Week. It's the Week in Reverse, right here at Motor Authority.
We walked the grounds around the Goodwood Motor Circuit to take in the sights and sounds of the best vintage race in the world, the Goodwood Revival. It got us to thinking about the automobile's past and future. Much of automotive history will be forgotten, but we should treasure the past even as we look forward to the future.
Mani Kulasooriya just wanted a way to carry his mountain bikes to off-road destinations. It turned into a project to convert a 2006 Mercedes-Benz G500 into an off-road-ready pickup truck. The project took him to the Netherlands and involved hassles with import taxes, but the result is a one-of-a-kind pickup that gets attention everywhere it goes.
Cars and especially SUVs aren't usually the stars at New York Fashion Week, but the 2020 Kia Telluride made its debut in production form at an event held by fashion designer Brandon Maxwell. This version of the three-row, eight-passenger SUV carried some styling from Maxwell's Texas roots, including a saddle-colored interior and natural wood trim. It was also outfitted with off-road goodies, indicating the big SUV will have mud-plugging prowess.
The 2019 Lexus ES is the first production car to replace side mirrors with cameras, but it's not in the U.S. The backward-looking version of this forward-looking technology is making is first appearing in Japan in October, where it was made legal in 2016. The Audi e-tron will also offer the tech in many markets, but not the U.S., where regulations prohibit it.
The fourth generation of the Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class was unveiled this week. Longer overall and in wheelbase, the 2020 GLE adds an optional third row for the first time since the first generation. A 255-horsepower turbo-4 and a 362-hp 48-volt mild hybrid will be offered when the new GLE goes on sale next spring.
