Awesome Rides

Most gas-powered cars use a large, 12-volt battery to start their engines. The guys from Garage 54 previously figured out it was possible to start a car with 1000 AA batteries, but this time they conducted a little experiment to see how few of the 1.5-volt batteries you could get away with. They should try it again with rechargeables.

The Nissan Armada has been the Japanese automaker’s largest SUV for 20 years. We hadn’t spent time in one in a while and recently had the opportunity to live with the 2023 Armada for a week. Does the upscale Platinum model have what it takes to keep up in today’s crowded 3-row SUV market?

In 2011, Vagabond Works created a skateboard like no other. The Land Crawler eXXtreme is a robotic skateboard that walks using a mechanism based on Theo Janssen’s Strandbeests. It uses two motors and 24 legs to scurry along and has a load capacity of 300 kg or about 661 lb. We imagine its battery doesn’t last long.

Hyundai’s IONIQ 5 EV swept the 2022 New York Auto Show awards. This week Hyundai did it again with the IONIQ 6 and unveiled the IONIQ 5 Disney100 Platinum Concept car, the first-ever collaboration between Disney Imagineering and an automaker. A limited-edition production version will commemorate Disney’s 100th anniversary.

Mountain bikes are fun to ride, and so are skateboards. So is riding twice as fun if you combine the two? Master of weird bikes Sam Pilgrim put the idea to the test by grafting skateboard trucks onto the front fork and rear end of his bike. It works surprisingly well, though we think he should have welded the pedals in place.

We love the bold black styling of Ride1Up’s REVV1 pedal-assisted electric bike. It rides on fat tires, and its 750-watt motor can hit speeds up to 20 mph. Take it off the public streets and kick it up to 28 mph in off-road mode. It comes in two models: one with a full suspension and a hardtail version with front suspension only.

For two consecutive years, our favorite NY Auto Show moment has been the concept reveal at Genesis House. This week the Genesis GV80 Coupe Concept blew us away, not only for its sporty profile, Magma paint, and carbon-fiber-shelled Recaro seats, but because this is no pipe dream: a tweaked version will be produced next year.

Stunt driver Paul Swift and his precision driving team have performed in numerous movies, TV shows, commercials, and live shows. This showreel compiles some of their many amazing stunts, including Audis dancing in a swimming pool, a Ford Raptor jumping from an airplane, and cars balancing on two wheels.

Jeep heads to the 57th Annual Easter Jeep Safari with a fantastic set of concept off-roaders. The custom 4x4s include a 1978 Cherokee with a hybrid powertrain, lifted Wrangler and Gladiator Rubicons, a modern Jeep Scrambler with a 6.4L HEMI V8, and a battery-electric Wrangler that makes 625 hp and 850 lb-ft. of torque.

Presumably, because his wife was sick of him tearing up their lawn, inventor Colin Furze set out to come up with a mod that lets him ride a drift trike without chewing up the grass. The trick was making lightweight, spherical “wheels” by welding together sheet metal and hydroforming them using a pressure washer.

Bye bye Aventador, hello Revuelto. Lamborghini’s high-performance hybrid combines a naturally-aspirated V12 engine with three electric motors and a unique eight-speed, double-clutch transverse gearbox to produce 1001 horsepower. It zooms from 0-to-62 mph in 2.5 seconds on its way to an insane top speed of 217 mph.

A normal bike uses a set of gears to influence the amount of torque sent to its rear wheel. Tom Stanton wanted to see if it was possible to create a bike transmission that uses magnets to turn its wheel and create resistance. Put your thinking caps on for this brainy video that incorporates physics, math, and engineering.

Locking up your bicycle to a rack or pulling your car into a marked space seem like nice, low-tech approaches to parking. Tom Scott explains why some locations in Japan have adopted a much more complicated system, using underground garages and massive, robotically-controlled systems for parking bikes and cars.

Got an old ATV and a moped sitting in your garage? You could take them to the junkyard, or you could do what Meanwhile in the Garage did and turn them into a tank for your kid. Of course, there was much more to it than rearranging parts. Quantum Tech HD boiled down the laborious 6-month project into a 20-minute video.

The Q shows off the Big Boy, a teensy bicycle he created that’s fully functional. It has a custom-built steel frame and handlebars, rides on inline skate wheels, and has tiny pedals. And somehow, despite being a normal-size human, The Q managed to ride the thing.

We recently drove the Nissan Pathfinder. Now, we’ve spent some time getting to know its fancier cousin, the Infiniti QX60. The luxury SUV retains the Pathfinder’s versatility while upgrading its materials and creature comforts. It features a luxurious and quiet cabin, a confident and refined ride, and lots of modern tech.