News Roundup: The new Lexus LX 600, a needlessly destroyed Mazda, and Jeep-Ford beef

Article content

Welcome to our round-up of the biggest breaking stories on Driving.ca from this past week. Get caught up and ready to get on with the weekend, because it’s hard keeping pace in a digital traffic jam.

Article content

Here’s what you missed while you were away.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

News Roundup: The new Lexus LX 600, a needlessly destroyed Mazda, and Jeep-Ford beef Back to video

Lexus introduces 2022 LX 600 with new trims and trimmings

The 2022 Lexus LX 600 has arrived with new options for those looking to get more out of their luxury SUV both off-road and on. Sharing a chassis and a 3.5L V6 engine with the Toyota Tundra pickup, the fourth-generation SUV remains off-road capable, says the brand, with more rigidity and less weight, plus a couple new tech-controlled suspension and drive mode options. All new for the 2022 model-year, there’s a performance-oriented F Sport LX on tap and an Ultra Luxury trim that sits above the Standard, Premium, and Luxury levels, offering more luxe features for backseat passengers, like exclusive reclining chairs, foot rests, and extra legroom.

Article content

Ontario student’s Mazda destroyed by partiers

A university student in Hamilton, Ontario, who saved up her Dairy Queen wages to purchase a Mazda3, has received over $10,000 in donations after a crowd of 5,000 McMaster students and other partiers “360 destroyed” her cherished car . The ruckus occurred when the thousands of students staging a fake homecoming party took to the streets near the university to wreak teenage havok. Ashley Hogan recuperated her car in the junkyard where she discovered it smashed and dented, with beer bottles in the engine compartment, and graffiti on the hood. A woman after our own hearts, Hogan says her replacement car will also be a manual like her lost Mazda3. “I taught myself how to drive it in an empty parking lot,” she says. “I really liked it, it’s safer — a manual makes it harder to text.”  

Article content

Corolla Cross starts under $25,000 with FWD and AWD options

As the crossover sibling to the Toyota Corolla sedan, the brand new Corolla Cross is sure to appeal to some drivers for two reasons: it’s a bigger Corolla and, unlike the car version with which it shares a platform, it’s available in AWD. The 2022 Corolla Cross’s “Dynamic Torque Control All Wheel Drive system” operates in FWD, but is able to send up to 50 per cent of power to the rear axle in the event of traction loss. Entry into the new SUV comes at $24,890 for the base L trim, or $26,290 with AWD. The top-trim XLE adds interior perks to the LE Premium and comes with an MSRP of $33,990. The Corolla Cross is expected in dealerships later this month. 

Why Jeep’s president “feels sorry” for Ford customers

Article content

Jeep hosted a public pity party for competitor Ford recently. Jeep’s president Jim Morrison took some clear shots at the Ford Explorer Timberline in an interview with Muscle Cars & Trucks. “I actually feel sorry for customers that get tricked,” he said in reference to the Explorer Timberline, which, according to him, isn’t much of an off-roader at all. We break down why Morrison has a point, including the fact that the Timberline lacks a proper low-range setting, and compare it to the plethora of rugged equipment available on the competing Cherokee Trailhawk.   

Flames consume a trailer full of C8 Corvettes

Warning: Multiple new Corvettes were harmed in the making of this video. Far from fiction, the video, originally shared on a Corvette fan group , was shot outside of Nashville, Tennessee early in the morning and shows a transport truck, allegedly on its way to drop its sports-car load at dealerships, going up in flames. “On Tuesday evening, a hauler carrying a load of new Corvettes caught fire in Tennessee after the driver pulled into a truck stop to investigate an issue with the truck,” a Chevrolet spokesperson told Road & Track. “Fortunately, the driver of the truck is okay. Our vehicle logistics supplier is investigating. As we learn more, we will reach out to affected dealers and customers.”