Drive Wire: November 10, 2015

Hey guys, it’s Christina Thompson and this is Drive Wire for Tuesday, November 10.

In the world of auto racing, Ferrari introduced its new endurance race cars this weekend. The 488 GTE will run in the World Endurance Championship series at Le Mans and its associated races. The GTE’s stablemate, the 488 GT3, will run in the Blancpain and Pirelli World Challenge series. One major change in these new models is a switch from 4.5-liter, naturally aspirated engines to 3.9-liter twin turbo V8 power. It goes without saying that our primary concern here is that they look as good as they sound.

Toyota is entering the world of hybrid compact SUVs with its new RAV-4. It’s the first hybrid RAV-4 the company has ever offered, and it’s also the most powerful RAV-4 ever, just shy of 200 horsepower, the new model will hit 60 mph in around 8 seconds. With power going to all four wheels, the RAV-4 is still expected to deliver 33 miles per gallon on the combined cycle. Pricing starts at just below $30,000, if you’re looking to get your practical on.

The wait is over…Chevy’s 2016 Camaro has hit dealerships. The first new-model Camaro went to a nice gentleman in Dallas named Turk who accepted the keys to his red SS from Danica Patrick on Saturday. New Camaros, including the first four-cylinder model since the 1980s, should be in a dealership near you right about now. The Drive’s chief auto critic Lawrence Ulrich believes the Camaro reigns supreme over the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger. Let’s see if the buying public agrees.

In gear news, here’s something that might make living with a bicycle a much more practical proposition. The Yuba Spicy Curry, which sounds like a dish at your favorite delivery spot, is actually a cargo bike with electric power assist. The battery lasts up to 45 miles, drives the bike up to 20 miles per hour, and recharges in about 6 hours. At $4,500, it’s about the price of a good used hatchback, but a hatchback won’t blast your quads, now will it?

If your first intuition is to put nearly 900 screws into an ATV tire, the idea is probably incredibly dangerous and totally awesome. Check out today’s ridiculous video: an ice-racing V-twin cruiser drifting on a frozen mountain lake. Driver Bill Hitchon uses that ATV tire to glide along snow near Mt. Mason in British Columbia. Whoever came up with this idea, keep it coming.

That’s it for today’s edition of Drive Wire. For more, be sure to come back to thedrive.com, and follow us @thedrive on all your favorite social media platforms.