This new Mercedes might look like a frog, but it drives like a sports car

For those who want the performance and handling characteristics of a mid-size coupe with the body of a crossover (mostly), Mercedes has a sporty new vehicle for you: the 2017 GLC43 Coupe.

Think of it as the GLC SUV with a shorter roof. No, scratch that. Don't think of it that way, because that's exactly what it is.

Underneath the hood is a 362-horsepower twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 engine that has been tweaked by Mercedes' in-house performance arm AMG. And that AMG-tuned engine is mated to an also-AMG-tuned 9G-tronic automatic transmission. From there, power is routed to all four wheels through — you guessed it — an AMG-enhanced 4MATIC all-wheel drive system.

Notably, the 4MATIC system has a rear bias. That means it sends more of the torque to the rear wheels, which further emphasizes the vehicle's sport-y driving dynamics.

IMAGE: MERCEDES-BENZ

As a result of all its AMG-ness, the GLC43 Coupe can do a 0 to 60 mph sprint in 4.8 seconds on the way to its electronically limited 130-mph top speed.

Along with a shorter, swooping roof, the GLC43 Coupe includes a sport-tuned version of Mercedes' AIR BODY CONTROL air suspension system (I'm not yelling, that's Mercedes name for it).

Also sport-tuned is the interior, which features black and red contrast stitching, a flat-bottom steering wheel and a dashboard caked in both carbon fiber and longitudinal-grain aluminum trim. And, let us not forget the optional tablet-like 8.4-inch COMAND infotainment color display mounted on the center of that dash.

IMAGE: MERCEDES-BENZ

When cars like this — the crossover with a coupe roofline — first hit the market a few years ago, I wondered if folks in the future would look back on these designs and wonder just what the heck we were thinking.

Having now driven some, including the GLC43 Coupe's bigger brother, the GLE63 Coupe, I finally see the appeal — at least from a driving stand point. I still think they look like frogs, but now I see the attraction to a car that both drives like a sports car and can also haul three kids and a labrador.

The GLC43 Coupe will be unveiled in the flesh on Sept. 28 at the Paris Motor Show. It will then be heading to U.S. showrooms in the first quarter of 2017. However, Mercedes hasn't decided how much it will cost when it arrives on American soil.

World's fastest EV trounces Tesla Model S and LaFerrari in drag race

When Croatian carmaker Rimac Automobili unveiled its Concept_One, the world's fastest electric vehicle (EV) this spring, we were blown away by both its design and performance figures.

Thing is, though, sometimes having the best specs doesn't always translate into real-world speed and performance. But in Rimac's case, it does.

On Tuesday morning, Archie Hamilton released a video depicting a drag race between the Concept_One, and both a Tesla Model S P90D and Ferrari LaFerrari — two of the fastest electrified vehicles (the LaFerrari is a hybrid) around. 

For a refresher, the all-electric Concept_One is said to have 1,088 horsepower. The Model S P90D produces around 532 horsepower. And the LaFerrari's V12 engine and onboard electric motor together churn out 950 horses.

That said, horsepower isn't everything, which is underscored by the car's 0 to 60 mph times. The P90D boasts a 2.8-second 0 to 60 mph time. Rimac's Concept_One is pegged at 2.6 seconds. And the $1 million LaFerrari claims to make that same sprint in 2.4 seconds.

Amazingly, on that fateful day in Croatia, the Rimac won out. Heck, it's so fast it makesLudicrous mode look downright sensible.

Here's where we come to a bit of a speed bump, so to speak. While both the P90D and LaFerrari were available to customers (I say were because the LaFerrari is sold out), the Concept_One isn't available for purchase in the strict sense; it can be custom-built on order, but you can't buy it in a store. 

Regardless of whether its a production car or not, its accelerative capabilities are wildly impressive, 

So let this stand as an example to us all. Just because we are privy to some astoundingly quick cars right now, the future surely holds much, much faster ones indeed.

14 things you should do to get the most out of a test drive

So, you’re in the market to buy a new car. 

You’ve done some online and in-real-life automobile window-shopping, and then used KBB.com to complete some preliminary research, which helped you narrow down your list to a few final makes and models for consideration.

Now comes one of the most fun steps in the car-buying process: The test-drives. 

It’s exciting – and extremely important – to get behind the wheel and give prospective vehicles a try-before-you-buy experience, but your test-drives should be much more than simply driving a car around for a few minutes to see how it handles. You’ll want to take the time to really get to know the car, since, you know, it’s likely you’ll be driving it for the next few years. The test drive is crucial in helping you make sure you’re purchasing the one that best fits with your wants and needs.

Here are 14 things you should keep in mind and make sure you do when you’re test-driving a new car, from before to during to after.

1. Bring your phones, cords and other loose items you’d regularly use and store in a car to make sure there are ample cubbies and storage places to accommodate your needs. 
2. Take a moment to see how easy it is to pair your phone to the car's Bluetooth, and if the vehicle is equipped with voice recognition, take a look at how well it works and responds to your requests.
3. If you often have coffee or another beverage while driving, bring along your favorite to-go mug to make sure it fits well in the cup holders. 
4. If you use a stroller and/or car seat, bring those along as well to ensure there’s ample room to install and comfortably fit them.
5. Play with the sun visors to make sure they offer adequate protection from distracting rays. Little things like this may seem very insignificant in the grand scheme of a car’s offerings, but they’re also the things that will repeatedly annoy you while you’re on the road.
6. Try out the air conditioning and climate controls on maximum to see how user-friendly they are, how well the air flows, how quickly the car heats up or cools down, how loud it sounds and where the system blows the most air. 
7. Experiment with the controls and infotainment system to see how adjustable the lighting and the screen illumination is. 
8. Register the interior quietness (or loudness) of the vehicle, and imagine yourself having a normal conversation with a passenger in the front seat. 
9. Check the audio source reception, including AM, FM, satellite and any auxiliary connections you might use. (You may want to check these multiple times in different areas during the drive, since reception gets better or worse in certain places.)
10. If possible, you should take the car for a drive at night to see how well the headlights illuminate the road. If you go on your test drive during the day, take it under a bridge or into a tunnel to test the headlights and see how legible the instruments are when it’s dark.
11. Find a stretch of highway or freeway so you can see how the car handles on the open road. During this phase of the test drive, take a listen for wind noise, rattles, squeaks and other abnormal noises.
12. Pull into a parking lot, park and get out of the car. You’re going to be parking your car multiple times pretty much every day, so you want to see how easy it is to maneuver into a space, how easy it is to get out of the car when it’s parked next to another vehicle. You’ll also want to get back in the car and check for rear visibility while backing out.
13. Set the driver’s seat to your ideal position, and then get into the seat behind it to make sure there will be enough leg room for friends, loved ones and other passengers who might regularly be riding in the back. 
14. While driving in your ideal seat position, check mirror visibility and overall visibility. You’ll want to check how easy it is to monitor the vehicle’s four corners, and where the front and rear bumpers start.

IMAGE: UNSPLASH

5 additional questions to ask yourself during your test drive

1. Do the brakes allow you to make smooth and abrupt stops? 
2. Would you be comfortable having your spouse or partner’s parents riding in the backseat?
3. Beyond off-the-line acceleration, does the vehicle provide good second-effort acceleration between 20-40 mph?
4. Would you be willing to rent the car for the same monthly amount you’re buying it for?
5. How does the car compare to your current vehicle — and what do you like or dislike (if anything) about it? 

For more information to help you have a successful set of test-drives, check out the video below, and visit KBB.com for reviews and information that will help you get into your next ride.

These hackers found a few ways to blind Tesla's Autopilot

A driver of a Tesla Model S died in early May when both he and his car's semi-autonomous Autopilot system failed to see a tractor trailer crossing in front of the car on a highway in Florida.

While it seemed like the perfect storm of real-world chance versus automotive high tech, it turns out not just an unlikely blend of coincidence could cause Tesla's Autopilot to miss an obstacle.

Researchers at the University of South Carolina and China’s Zhejiang University, in collaboration with the Chinese security firm Qihoo 360, say they've both easily blinded Autopilot and also caused it to see phantom obstacles.

When they take the stage later this week at the Defcon hacker conference, the researchers will detail how they used relatively accessible (but expensive) devices to deceive Tesla’s Autopilot sensors, according to Wired

Intriguingly, the researchers, turned white-hat hackers, didn't actually have to hack the car. They simply jammed the stationary test car's front-mounted radar, ultrasonic sensors and cameras by exposing them to various machines that emitted light, radio and sound.

As you can see in the video above, Autopilot suddenly and without warning loses track of the car ahead when the radio interferer is activated.

What's more, the researchers created the same blinding effect by draping a car with acoustic foam, which is far cheaper than devices with five- and six-figure price tags.

Granted, the machines employed by the researchers are expensive — and wrapping something in acoustic foam would be obvious. So, it's unlikely they would be used by would-be hackers to impair a single car. However, the tests prove that there are more issues with Tesla's Autopilot system than was initially anticipated.