super – Engine Icon https://engineicon.com Latest car news and advice blog Tue, 14 Jul 2026 02:07:49 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 https://engineicon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/cropped-ME_favicon-1-32x32.png super – Engine Icon https://engineicon.com 32 32 Big Trucks Like the Ford Super Duty and Ram HD Eluded Safety Evaluations, Until Now https://engineicon.com/big-trucks-like-the-ford-super-duty-and-ram-hd-eluded-safety-evaluations-until-now/ Sun, 14 Jun 2026 14:33:53 +0000 https://engineicon.com/big-trucks-like-the-ford-super-duty-and-ram-hd-eluded-safety-evaluations-until-now/

Heavy-duty pickup trucks from brands like Ford, Chevrolet, and Ram aren’t considered passenger vehicles under federal regulations. So while an F-150 or Ram 1500 has to meet fuel-economy and crash-safety standards, a Super Duty or Ram HD doesn’t. But the feds aren’t the only ones conducting crash tests.

Because it’s backed by the insurance industry, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has an incentive to be tough on automakers when it comes to crash performance. Its safety evaluations for light-duty passenger vehicles—encompassing crash tests and performance evaluations of related features like headlights and crash-avoidance tech—already go above and beyond the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regimen. Now it’s also casting a wider net by testing heavy-duty pickups and other commercial vehicles.

Chevrolet Express 2500 Cargo Van
General Motors

To get things started, the IIHS evaluated the performance of seatbelt reminders and seatbelt pre-tensioners in three Class 3 pickups (signifying a GVWR between 10,001 and 14,000 pounds) and six cargo vans, as well as confirming that seatbelt force limiters and front and side driver airbags are standard equipment. This may seem basic, but federal regulations don’t require any of these features.

The test group included one HD pickup from each of the Detroit Three: a 2026 Chevy Silverado 3500HD, 2025 Ford F-350 SuperCrew, and 2025 Ram 3500. The vans tested (all 2025 models) covered pretty much everything currently available, including a Chevy Express 2500, Ford Transit T250, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500, and Ram ProMaster 2500, along with an electric Rivian Delivery 500 and Chevy BrightDrop 400, even though the latter has been discontinued.

No crash tests were performed, but test drives were conducted to see if seatbelt reminders actually did their jobs. To pass, vehicles needed to have a visible warning light and an audible tone that could be heard over background noise. The IIHS requires warnings to continue for at least 90 seconds, compared to the federal standard of four to eight seconds. This is especially important in commercial vehicles because drivers are likely unbuckling frequently when making stops, the IIHS notes, adding that one of its studies showed that persistent reminders increased seatbelt use by 30%.

2025 Ram 3500 Heavy Duty Laramie – Black
Stellantis

The Ram 3500, Ford Transit, Mercedes Sprinter, Chevy Express, and Rivian all failed the seatbelt reminder test. The ancient Express also lacked effective seatbelt force limiters. Everything else was a pass, though. Not a bad start.

The IIHS plans to expand testing to cover other features such as headlights and automatic emergency braking, as well as larger Class 4-6 trucks, helping to close the safety gap with passenger cars and reduce injuries and fatalities. In 2023, 6,535 people were killed in crashes involving medium- and heavy-duty trucks or light vans, accounting for 16% of U.S. road fatalities that year, according to the IIHS. So the insurance-backed nonprofit’s testing program arrives not a moment too soon.

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Stephen has always been passionate about cars, and managed to turn that passion into a career as a freelance automotive journalist. When he’s not handling weekend coverage for The Drive, you can find him looking for a new book to read.

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]]> Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2 at Lightning Lap 2026 https://engineicon.com/lamborghini-huracan-super-trofeo-evo2-at-lightning-lap-2026/ Wed, 04 Mar 2026 21:38:34 +0000 https://engineicon.com/lamborghini-huracan-super-trofeo-evo2-at-lightning-lap-2026/

From the March/April 2026 issue of Car and Driver.

Lap Time: 2:30.6

Class: LLPro | Base: $360,000 | As Tested: $360,000
Power and Weight: 612 hp • 2950 lb (C/D est) • 4.8 lb/hp
Tires: Hankook Ventus slick
F: 300/660R-18
R: 300/680R-18

Throughout the year, squads of stripped-down Lamborghini Huracán race cars square off in championships in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. VIR resident Kaizen Autosport looked after this particular example on behalf of a client last year who ran in the Pro-Am class; thanks to both of them for bringing it to Lightning Lap.

lamborghini huracán super trofeo evo2View Photos

Michael Simari and Marc Urbano|Car and Driver

After sizing up the livery, meant to mimic a child’s play mat adorned with roads and buildings, we folded ourselves into the Huracán’s tight confines. Even with the seat bolted to the floor and no headliner, our tallest staffer barely fit; our right knee whacking the shift paddle caused a few unplanned upshifts. It’s a serious thrill to pilot—so eager, so precise, and also a serious workout. Standing on the brakes hard enough to get the dash lights to blink, indicating ABS activation, takes massive effort. But you can brake incredibly late.

We want to bottle up the V-10’s syncopated scream because we already miss it dearly. As we found ourselves traveling backward in the grass, we were reminded that stiffly suspended race cars don’t swallow curbs like street cars do, and they spin rather instantaneously.

lamborghini huracán super trofeo evo2View Photos

Michael Simari and Marc Urbano|Car and Driver

Kaizen hot shoe Wyatt Foster, who co-drove this car for the season and finished as high as third, set the timed lap. The Super Trofeo is a perfect example of what downforce (roughly 1500 pounds at 170 mph), light weight (2756 pounds minimum), and slicks can do. Using most of the 17 degrees of rear-wing angle the series allows, the Huracán is glued through the Climbing Esses. Foster’s right foot never flinches as he actually accelerates through them, averaging 153.2 mph. That’s 12.0 mph faster than the Corvette ZR1, the fastest street car we’ve run, and just 5.3 mph shy of the swiftest thing we’ve measured in this sector, the Garage 56 Camaro.

The 5.2-liter V-10 retains stock internals and makes 612 horsepower. And all of that downforce means limited top end; the Super Trofeo’s 164.7-mph peak isn’t even in our top 10 among street cars. While the Hankook slicks are more endurance oriented, their 1.19-g average in Turn 1 doesn’t exceed that of some street tires in previous years, another clue that grip was lacking. Compare it to the bonkers 1.43 g’s from last year’s Ford Supertruck.

lamborghini huracán super trofeo evo2View Photos

Michael Simari and Marc Urbano|Car and Driver

Still, a 2:30.6 lap is heroic. That’s 13.3 seconds quicker than the quickest street Huracán and 11.1 quicker than the new Temerario. The $360K price seems downright reasonable compared with that of Lamborghini street cars, and the Kaizen crew attests to the car’s durability. We’re drooling at the thought of what the Temerario Super Trofeo might be capable of with an infusion of power from the new twin-turbocharged V-8. Hopefully, we’ll find out soon.

Back to Lightning Lap 2026

Headshot of Dave VanderWerp

Dave VanderWerp has spent more than 20 years in the automotive industry, in varied roles from engineering to product consulting, and now leading Car and Driver‘s vehicle-testing efforts. Dave got his very lucky start at C/D by happening to submit an unsolicited resume at just the right time to land a part-time road warrior job when he was a student at the University of Michigan, where he immediately became enthralled with the world of automotive journalism.

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