We’ve driven them all. Now it’s time to choose the best! The 2017 Digital Trends Car Awards pit the year’s strongest contenders in five different categories against each other, and crown an overall Car of the Year.
Saying one car is “the best” is a difficult thing to do. It’s why we have categories: different cars meet different needs. With that said, our pick for Car of the Year was the one out of the whole lot that really impressed us the most. It could’ve come from any category as long as it just wowed us, and this year, the Audi R8 V10 Plus was the car that did so hands down.
The Audi R8 V10 Plus is a performance car that not only excels in every aspect, it balances them perfectly.
The centerpiece is a a mid-mounted 5.2-liter V10 that produces 610 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque. Power is delivered to all four wheels by way of Audi’s patented Quattro all-wheel drive system. It automatically sends power to the wheels that need it most, providing the grip the R8 needs to make you a track superstar. In conjunction with magnetic ride shock absorbers and electromechanical steering, it provides incredible control.
All of this is orchestrated from within an efficient, comfortable cabin that blends just enough luxury with the practical needs of the driver, making it easy to switch from a spirited sprint to a casual cruise. Tying it all together is the 12.3-inch virtual cockpit, which is the interface to all the car systems. Among other things, the Nvidia-powered digital gauge cluster helps drivers nail gearshifts with pinpoint accuracy while displaying Google Earth imagery of whatever track, mountain pass, or backroad you find yourself on.
It’s rare that a sports car balances out performance and livability this well. Striking that balance so masterfully is what endeared us to the first generation R8, so much so that we were concerned that Audi might ruin a good thing with an update. We’ve never been so glad to be wrong.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.