Cars & Trucks // BY ERIC ADAMS //

LIKE MOST INDUSTRIES, AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING took a beating in 2020. Sales dropped as buyers scaled back spending. Factories struggled to keep assembly lines moving in the face of new safety requirements and supplier disruptions. Since then, however, the automobile has regained its mojo. Daily commuting is still down, but interest in new electric and performance vehicles has helped keep consumer appetite strong. People still need, and want, cars. Of the new models arriving this year, here are five that have our editors’ attention.

2022 Subaru BRZ

PRICE: $30,000 (est.)
ETA: FALL 2021

The second generation of this fun and eminently tossable little sports car will arrive with added power and chassis tweaks that will make it even more fun and tossable. The BRZ is a collaboration between Subaru and Toyota, which sells its own version as the 86—the design comes mostly from Toyota, while Subaru manages the engineering. A larger 2.4-liter boxer engine produces 228 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque, a 15 percent boost. Meanwhile, front-end rigidity is up by 60 percent. Those upgrades will help drivers keep control and modulate power delivery, while optional Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires on 18-inch rims will stay nice and grippy when cornering. Cars like this are a godsend to buyers who want affordable performance that’s nevertheless engineered to a high level.

2021 Ford Bronco

PRICE: $28,500
ETA: MID-2021

The smaller, more affordable Bronco Sport is out now, but it lacks the off-road prowess that makes the main Bronco such a big deal. Specifically, it has an electro-mechanical transfer case, which shifts automatically between 2H and 4H, eliminating uncertainty about when to engage the former. Electronic locking front differentials and the seven-speed manual’s 94.75:1 crawl ratio will permit the tackling of the gnarliest terrain. And a single-pedal drive mechanism will make precision throttle and brake application more forgiving. All that means the Bronco will keep novices out of trouble, while allowing off-road pros to push their trail bashing.

2021 Hyundai Santa Cruz

PRICE: $25,000 (est.)
ETA: UNKNOWN

Tucked deep inside the midsized pickup category sits a subset of truck built via unibody construction, rather than body-on-frame. Most pickups use the latter because it enhances body strength and assists with towing and scrambling over rocky terrain. The former integrates the chassis and body into a single interwoven unit, which benefits efficiency, weight, and crash safety. The Honda Ridgeline and, soon, the Santa Cruz are the only pickups to use this strategy. That means Hyundai is aiming the Santa Cruz not at the traditional pickup crowd, but at buyers who are interested in utility rather than raw power. It will also likely share the Ridgeline’s towing limit of about 5,000 pounds, which will be fine for most, if they tow at all. The truck will likely include a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder delivering 235 horsepower, or a beefier 3.8-liter V6 cranking out 291 horses. Hyundai’s original 2015 concept had a lot of cool tricks, including an extendable cargo bed and a retractable tonneau cover. We hope that at least some of those will survive to production.

2021 Volkswagen ID.4

PRICE: $39,995
ETA: OUT NOW

Volkswagen’s first purpose-built electric car has a striking design—at once sleek and perhaps a little toy-like, but absolutely attractive. The crossover profile rises toward the rear, lending the car an athletic posture. And its electric chops should help win over consumers who might have passed on other affordable EVs. While the magic number for range nowadays is 300 miles, the ID.4’s estimated 250 miles meets most people’s daily driving needs. And federal incentives put its starting price down to $32,495—within reach of most buyers. To sweeten the pot, it comes with three years of free DC fast-charging at Electrify America stations. Under the right conditions, the car can pull a practical 60 miles of driving range in 10 minutes.

Rivian R1T

PRICE: $67,500
ETA: JUNE 2021

This is going to be a killer ride, with four-motor all-wheel-drive, three feet of wading capability, and a startling zero-to-60 time of 3 seconds. Rivian says it will get 300 miles of (unverified, as yet) range, and semi-autonomous drive capability thanks to 11 cameras, five radars, and 12 ultrasonic sensors. One of the big questions with electric trucks is how badly cold weather and towing compromises range, but regardless of those numbers, specs like 14 inches of ground clearance and 11,000-pound towing capacity will earn the attention of pickup fans. It’s a promising alternative to Tesla’s wedge-shaped, stainless steel–clad Cybertruck.

COURTESY SUBARU; COURTESY FORD; COURTESY HYUNDAI; COURTESY VOLKSWAGEN; COURTESY RIVIAN