When Mercedes announced a 649 horsepower, AMG variant of the EQS, we knew it wouldn’t be cheap. The base EQS 450+ already starts at a hefty $102,310.
Granted, for the money, even the base model offers yacht-like luxury and the next generation of automotive tech. The EQS AMG ramps things up by adding in some rocket ship performance. Using a “Boost” function, the EQS AMG is capable of up to 751 horsepower.
Thankfully, the AMG is all-wheel-drive. Otherwise, it would probably need fresh tires every other charge.
More Standard Features
Tech geeks will be happy to know the AMG EQS comes standard with a 56″ Hyperscreen. The Hyperscreen converts most of the real estate on your dash board into 3 screens. The MBUX operating system is capable of displaying a dizzying amount of information using any of the three screens.
Burmester audio takes its cues from adjustments on the center screen. The driver can choose from an infinite range of sound settings to tailor the audio experience to a specific taste. The EQS also tunes its air suspension and damping to your driving conditions.
9 degrees of rear-wheel steering do well to hide the EQS’s size during tight maneuvers. What does all this cost? Pricing on the AMG starts at an eye-watering $147,500.
More To Come
The EQS is the first in a long line of upcoming EQ models from Mercedes. We recently had a chance to look at the upcoming EQE a couple weeks ago. The EQE sits below the EQS as a more compact alternative to the flagship electric sedan. Further down the line we can expect to see a full range of SUV’s and more economical EV cars from EQ.
For an up close look at the EQS AMG, check out Roman’s video on the car linked below.
Overview: 2022 Mazda CX-30 Turbo (Premium Plus tested)
A premium interior helps set the 2022 Mazda CX-30 SUV apart, and one expects—and gets—Mazda’s fun-to-drive personality from it.
Moreover, this Mazda has an especially lush interior for its class, especially if you select the Premium Plus package with which my test car was equipped. It includes leather trimmed seats, a heated leather-wrapped steering wheel and a surround-view camera.
The quiet cabin helps allow comfortable long-distance driving. However, a driver’s over-the-shoulder rear vision is marginal—use those outside mirrors!
Rivals of this small SUV include the Nissan Rogue Sport, Subaru Crosstrek and Chevy Trailblazer, but the CX-30 has them beat on styling and athletic ability. Helping set apart the turbocharged CX-30 I drove were 18-inch black alloy wheels, a black front grille and chromed dual exhaust tips.
The price of a standard non-turbo CX-30 is $22,050, and all versions now have standard AWD. My test turbocharged CX-30’s list price with the Premium Plus package is $34,400. Options and freight brought it to $35,345, all-in.
Comfort and features
The CX-30 Turbo I drove had first-rate materials, excellent fit and finish, soft-touch surfaces, a nicely designed instrument panel and heated front seats. There also was a power glass sliding moonroof, Bose premium 12-speaker audio system and power window and outside mirror controls that allow quick driver operation. All side windows slide all the way down, which is a nice surprise with modern crossovers.
There’s room for four 6-footers in this 173-inch-long vehicle, but even an average-size rear passenger behind a tall driver with his (or her) seat shoved all the way back will want more legroom. The middle of the back seat isn’t comfortable for a fifth adult and is best left to the fold-down armrest with twin cupholders. Installing a child car seat isn’t difficult.
The cargo area is large, and fold-down rear seatbacks significantly enlarge that area. The power rear hatch has an inside release, besides one on the key fob.
There’s a fair amount of storage areas in the rather snug cabin, including long but slim door pockets and a covered center console bin.
The driver’s seat is extra supportive and has a power lumbar support. The front passenger seat has manual adjustments, with no power operation. There’s also a push-button start, dual climate control, illuminated vanity mirrors, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and paddle shifters for the transmission, which also can be shifted manually with the transmission lever.
The infotainment 8.8-inch color display screen is controlled by a console rotary knob and can be frustrating to use because too many steps are needed to complete simple tasks. A touch-screen would be preferred. However, there are manual dashboard controls for such things as the climate control system. A multi-information display tells of such things as the outside temperature and current and average fuel economy.
Performance, ride and handling are where the CX-30 Turbo shines
The standard non-turbo CX-30 has an adequate 2.5-liter, 186-horsepower four-cylinder, but I drove the turbocharged 2.5 four-cylinder version. It produces 227 horsepower with 87-octane fuel and 250 horsepower and more torque with 91 (or more) octane premium gasoline in its rather small 12.7-gallon tank.
Estimated fuel economy the CX-30 turbo is 22 miles per gallon in the city and 30 on highways, which is average for a vehicle in its class.
Acceleration of the 3,294-pound CX-30 Turbo is strong, and a driver can select “Normal” or “Sport” driving modes with the flick of a console switch. The CX-30 turbo has livelier acceleration in “Sport” mode, but this mode lowers fuel economy because of increased engine revs. The engine works with a six-speed automatic transmission that upshifts quickly for the best MPG.
The electric power steering is quick and nicely weighted. It firms up on highways when the CX-30 turbo is in Sport mode. The ride is supple, and handling is athletic with G-Vector control, the AWD system and dynamic stability and traction controls. The all-disc brakes assure quick stops and are controlled by an easily modulated pedal with a firm, high engagement.
Safety features include radar cruise control, lane-departure warning system, lane-keep assist, driver attention alert, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, automatic on/off headlights, traffic sign recognition, rear parking sensors, tire-pressure monitoring system, ”smart brake support” and LED headlights and taillights.
(Image: TFLcar)
Bottom line
For some, the turbocharged Mazda CX-30 promises to fill the need for a not-too-big and not-too-small sporty SUV with lots of flair. See the video below for more on the CX-30:
Toyota shocks the world with a 300-horsepower all-wheel-drive 2023 Toyota Corolla GR hot hatch! Why is it shocking? Tommy goes hand-on with the car to show us all of the details first.
It’s shocking because it’s a traditional hot hatch recipe that has nothing to do with electrification or autonomous driving. Toyota took their latest high-tech turbocharged 3-cylinder 1.6-liter engine, turned up the boost to the tune of 300 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque. They connected it to a manual transmission and a GR-Four all-wheel-drive system. All of this is packaged in a Corolla hatchback with a wide-body stance. This is practically a world rally championship (WRC) car for the streets.
OK, not exactly a WRC car. The new Corolla GR joins the Yaris GR hot hatch (which is available overseas) that is more closely related to the new Yaris WRC racing cars. No matter, this is a very exciting proposition for all hot hatch performance enthusiasts in the United States and beyond.
Check out the video below as Tommy shows us the car up close and personal.
✓ Remarkably well-rounded character (more on that below)
☓ What do you mean it’s $45K!?
✓ Rear torque-vectoring (and Drift Mode)
Overview: The 2022 Volkswagen Golf R made me feel old at first — then it cured me.
Let’s face it — adulting can really, really suck sometimes. When I and so many other folks first started driving, it was all we could do to fantasize about going fast, as most performance options are well out of financial reach. That’s why I love hot hatchbacks: They can be fast and affordable. So much did I want to ascribe to the “gotta go fast” philosophy that I would have gladly suffered a back-pummeling ride, perforated eardrums and annoyed neighbors just to have a fun car. Getting into the 2022 Volkswagen Golf R, I expected to be taken back in time. I expected to have a raucous, raw and visceral experience that revived my teen self.
Instead, I found my curmudgeonly self griping at how damn frustrating modern cars have become to operate. I wondered if both I and the car were getting too grown up. Why can’t I just focus on having fun, Volkswagen? Why do I have to fiddle with all these maddening capacitive buttons just to set the car up the way I want it? My first experience taking the car to launch wasn’t exactly pleasant as I came to terms with what I thought the Golf R had become. And all of this for an Audi-esque $44,640.
“Maybe I need to try it again,” I thought — and so I gave the 2022 Volkswagen Golf R another shot. And I’m glad I did, because this is hands-down one of the best cars I’ve driven this year.
Performance: This car is a blast, once you find your way around the settings
At its core, the 2022 Volkswagen Golf R Mk8 has a familiar powerplant: VW’s turbocharged 2.0-liter EA888. However, we finally, finally see more horsepower than what we experienced with the Mk7. In fact, you get 315 horsepower driving all four wheels, as well as 295* lb-ft of torque — at least with the 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Opt for the 6-speed manual instead (like we have here), and you’ll only get 280 lb-ft of torque. The so-called “Evo4” variant gets some tweaks to both hardware and software to get that extra power, but another headline change with this generation is with the Golf R’s all-wheel-drive system.
This time around, VW ditched the old Haldex system with its center clutch, open rear differential and brake-based torque-vectoring system for a twin-clutch setup on the rear axle — one for each of the half-shafts. That allows the Golf R to split power not just front to rear, but also side-to-side, enabling another addition for the Mk8: Drift Mode. Pressing the “R” button on the steering wheel or the center “Mode” button allows you to get into Drift as one of the special drive modes. When it’s enabled, the car will send all of the available power (mind you, only 50% of the total power makes its way rearward) and shifts it to the outside tire in corners. It’s fun, but obviously not something I’d recommend on public roads, so I kept it in ‘Race’ most of the time…until I discovered the Nürburgring special mode.
You can really change up the way this Golf R feels to drive
Selecting each of the drive modes will change up the standard VW Digital Cockpit in a few different ways, namely the prominence of the speedometer or the tachometer (you can use the “View” button on the steering wheel to cycle through a few different layouts). Nürburgring turned out to be my favorite, though, as it substantially changes up the throttle response and the DCC adaptive suspension. On DSG-equipped models, it also changes the transmission mapping. Essentially, it dials everything in a bit differently from Race to handle Nordschleife’s 14 miles of corners…or more handily, the canyon roads leading up into the Rocky Mountains.
Our particular Golf R came with Bridgestone Potenza S005 tires.
No matter which drive mode you pick, though, the 2022 Volkswagen Golf R absolutely tears up the back roads. You get nice, linear response from the EA888 motor, a perfectly honed clutch and snappy (if a bit numb) steering — all of which turned me into a card-carrying hooligan in the span of about five minutes. Granted, the Mini Cooper JCW has that effect too, but there’s so much more going on here. From the drivetrain to the 14.1-inch cross-drilled front brakes to all the on-board technology, this R model is simply the best, most well-rounded hot hatch around at the moment.
The only real down side? With the extra grunt — and possibly my desire to wind up that turbo as much as possibly — you do only get about 23 MPG with the 6-speed manual. It’s not terrible, but with even the last-gen Civic Type R managing 25 MPG I’d call the VW’s showing on that front “meh”, at best. With gas prices over $4 a gallon, you will feel the lower economy more than you would in, say, a Golf GTI.
One size fits all: The 2022 Volkswagen Golf R checks most of the tech boxes, but…
Volkswagen slimmed down the Golf offerings for U.S. buyers this go-around — you can either have the GTI or the Golf R. The GTI still offers some wiggle room in its trim walk, from the base (but still well-equipped) S up to the fully-loaded Autobahn. Here in the Golf R, you only get one bells-and-whistles package, with your only choices being transmission, color and accessories.
On one hand, that means you don’t have to really think about content here: You just get it all, full stop. A 10-inch infotainment screen with built-in navigation comes standard as does the 10.25-inch Digital Cockpit Pro. There’s a 12-speaker, 480-watt Harman Kardon sound system, three-zone automatic climate control, heated and ventilated Nappa leather front seats, heated rear seats and a panoramic sunroof. On the safety front, you get VW’s IQ.Drive system with front and rear radar, cameras and ultrasound sensors to support all the driver aid systems, including adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist.
It’s all there, though that can cut both ways. First, having all that gear can get in the way of experiencing the more mechanical, connected aspect of driving the 2022 Volkswagen Golf R. That’s what I first experienced, and I mainly blame that on the MIB3 infotainment system. It’s a similar gripe I had with the ID.4 — it looks slick, but the combination of capacitive buttons with haptic feedback and touchscreen controls is frustrating to get used to. The Digital Cockpit isn’t much better from an ease-of-use standpoint, either. While I appreciate the flexibility VW baked in as far as what you can display at any given time, actually getting to the items you want can be a major chore.
Verdict: A great hot hatch, even with the frustrations
It’s impossible to approach the 2022 Volkswagen Golf R without mentioning some of the frustrating controls. Would I still want one, though? I would, because as hot hatches go, it’s still a great one to drive. You do have to get past the tech, and admittedly that is a barrier to entry for some hot hatch enthusiasts who want something a bit more straightforward.
Simply put, the Golf R can be a grown up car when you need it to be, and a fun machine to hoon around when you want it. It’s something Volkswagen’s always managed to pull off with both the GTI and the Golf R, and I’d argue this is their most well-rounded attempt yet. If you can afford the Golf R — that $45,000-ish price tag definitely stings — it’s absolutely worth your time.
Fortunately, if that’s too rich for your blood (it is for mine), there’s also the GTI. Not a bad choice, either way.
In its latest generation, just how far has the Golf R come over the past decade? We take a look at that question in the video below:
Hmm…which of Mazda’s mid-range crossovers deserves your attention (and cash)?
In the past few days, TFL Studios finally had the opportunity to put the venerable Mazda CX-5 together with that is ostensibly it’s big brother: the new CX-50. The two cars share powertrains and certain elements of their styling. However, the CX-50 aims itself more toward the rugged, outdoorsy crowd, while the CX-5 still carries a great reputation for its on-road sportiness. In this video, Tommy and Kase take a look at each car from two different locations.
Yes, we had to get a bit creative in making this happen. Mazda invited Kase out to sunny Santa Barbara, California to test the CX-50. The CX-5, for its part, arrived at TFL HQ in Colorado, and Tommy saw fit to take it over to Tumbleweed Ranch to try it out. Now, the “original” CX-5 is a huge deal for the brand: This is their best-selling model, by far. So how exactly does the CX-50 set itself apart (or does it?) and which one is the better spend?
What these two share in common
We’ve seen Mazda’s strategy at play to some extent with the CX-30. In this case, the 2023 Mazda CX-50 brings a longer, lower, wider and fresher design to the table. The brand’s cash cow did receive some smart updates for the new model year, but we’re still in the midst of a five-year-old generation, as the second-gen CX-5 debuted back in 2017. Side note: I was a bit miffed about that because I just bought a “2016.5” CX-5 in mid-2016, right before the current model’s launch. That’s what you get for not paying attention, so make sure to keep an eye on TFLcar for more updates!
So, should I consider swapping into the CX-50? Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about powertrains choosing between the two. Both cars get the brand’s ubiquitous 2.5-liter SkyActiv engine, with or without turbocharging depending on the trim. The naturally-aspirated versions put out 187 horsepower and 186 lb-ft of torque. You do get a bit more power this year with the turbo option, as it now puts out up to 256 horsepower and 320 lb-ft of torque. However, the caveat is that you have to run it on premium fuel (93 octane) to get that sort of power. If you don’t and run it on 87 instead, your power output will be 227 horsepower and 310 lb-ft.
The good old (and at this point, I use “old” with a more exasperated tone) 6-speed automatic transmission continues as the workhorse of the CX-50 lineup. Good news in that Mazda’s had plenty of time to hammer out the details — the company literally uses this transmission across its entire portfolio, at least for now. If you’re looking for more gears, you’ll have to wait for the larger SUVs. The European CX-60 previewed what’s to come, including a plug-in hybrid powertrain and an 8-speed automatic ‘box. Hallelujah on that last part, I say.
The pricing isn’t really all that different, either
While Tommy and Kase go into further detail on what separates these two (more on that in the video below), both stick around the same price point to start. The 2022 Mazda CX-5 does come in a bit less expensive, at $27,125 for the base 2.5 S, including destination. The CX-50 2.5 S, on the other hand, is $900 more expensive, with a starting price of $28,025.
Check out more on which one is right for you below!
The Rolls-Royce Spectre is 25% through its 1.5 million mile testing regimen.
BMW Group has been at work testing its new large electric sedans near the Arctic Circle, and that continues with the Rolls-Royce Spectre. The company announced its new zero-emissions model late last year, but we haven’t heard too much about it since. On Wednesday, Rolls-Royce mentioned a few more numbers, but it will still be about 18 months before customers see these cars, in the fourth quarter of 2023.
The Spectre rides on Rolls-Royce’s “Architecture of Luxury” platform, and they’re billing it as a super coupe to replace the Phantom Coupe, rather than the smaller, recently departed Wraith model. It brings massive 23-inch wheels into its design — the first of the brand’s cars since 1926 to do so — and its steeply raked windshield and rear diffuser contribute to a drag coefficient of 0.26.
It’s RR’s most intelligent car ever, according to these figures
This car will also be the “most connected” Rolls-Royce to date, and went into elaborate detail about the 141,200 “sender-receiver relations” it features. You can interpret that to mean “do something and something happens” or vice versa, and apparently the Phantom has 51,000 of these sender-receiver relations. The new, electric Rolls-Royce Spectre has “1,000 functions with 25,000 subfunctions”, whereas the Phantom has 456 functions and 647 subfunctions.
All of that is to say, admittedly in an abstract fashion, that this car is far more intelligent than the aging Phantom. Rolls-Royce says that the Spectre has 7 kilometers (or 4.35 miles) of cabling, which enables the powertrain architecture and electronics to carry out those 1,000-plus functions with “no centralized processing”. On its face, that sounds great for components talking directly to each other without having to wait around on a monolithic CPU to figure it all out, but I can’t help but think that would be terribly complicated (not to mention eye-wateringly expensive) to troubleshoot. Then again, we are talking about one of the most opulent luxury brands around with the most affluent customers, so…hush my mouth, maybe.
No other technical specs yet
Want to know more hard numbers on the Rolls-Royce Spectre? So would we, but the automaker hasn’t yet revealed any of that information officially. Odds are, we’ll see at least a dual-motor configuration capable of matching the outgoing Phantom for power and acceleration. Mind you, out-and-out grunt isn’t really what the company’s aiming for. That’s especially true when they talk about the battery architecture acting as 1,500 pounds of sound deadening, by creating wiring and piping channels between the floor of the car and the roof of the battery pack.
Rolls-Royce still has a substantial amount of on-road testing to go. The 2.5 million kilometer (1.5 million mile) testing program simulates 400 years of use for the average owner, so hopefully the result will be a phenomenally good luxury car that cements the brand’s reputation in what is their most important shift since its founding in 1904.
The Spectre doesn’t have small shoes to fill, either, going by how remarkable the Phantom’s been over the past two decades:
The Lotus Eletre officially takes the British automaker in an entirely new direction.
Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to buy small, lightweight, British-built Lotus sports cars. The company is aiming for the future, though, and to that end you pretty much have to build a new SUV. And it should probably be electric — hence the forthcoming Lotus Eletre. It’s a radical departure from what we’ve known, and the Chinese-owned automaker (Lotus is a subsidiary of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co) is pulling out the stops with this high-performance SUV.
At first glance, at least, what’s the one car your mind immediately shifts toward? The company says this “momentous point in history” is a hyper-SUV through and through, so on that basis it may not be a bad move to style your car like a Lamborghini Urus. While full technical specs aren’t available yet, Lotus says the Eletre starts at 600 horsepower as well as standard all-wheel drive. Other headline figures include a 100-kWh battery pack good for up to 600 km (373 miles) of range using the WLTP cycle. Bear in mind, EPA range figures usually trail those figures by a fair bit, so we’d expect this car to manage somewhere just north of 300 miles on a charge.
Lotus says the Eletre (that’s “Elet-ra”, remember) can top out at 161 mph, and replenish up to 400 km (248 miles) of its range after about 20 minutes of 350 kW DC fast charging. It can also accept up to 22 kW AC charging, though you likely won’t find that sort of capability over here in the US just yet.
Riding on a 118.9-inch wheelbase, the 200.9-inch long crossover is 78.7 inches wide and 64.2 inches tall — all within about an inch of the Urus.
Simplify? Not quite — at least not by the on-paper features
We’ve come a long way from the days of tiny sports cars like the Elan and the Elise, and Lotus’ new SUV brings in the feature set you’d expect from a modern EV. Air suspension with adaptive damping is standard across the entire Eletre range, for example. You also get a 15.1-inch OLED display. As for entertainment, there’s an 800-watt, 15-speaker sound system as standard equipment. If that’s not enough for you, Lotus will also offer a 1,500-watt, 23-speaker sound system. Even better for blasting your ears out — it’s not like you need that sort of wattage to drown out the engine, right?
Throughout the rest of the interior, the new Lotus Eletre offers microfiber and wool-blend fabric, so you can argue there is some weight-saving going on here. Even so, the interior looks nice and luxurious, though you can glean the company’s intent to make this a driver’s car by way of the square-ish steering wheel.
“But what about those massive wheels on the outside?”, you might be asking. Those 23-inchers definitely don’t play into small, lightweight and nimble, but take heart. Those are the optional wheels. You get 22s as standard, because SUV. Beyond the sportiness — you can get carbon ceramic brakes, an “active” anti-roll bar and rear-wheel steering as optional extras — the Eletre’s air suspension can raise the car by two inches for more off-roading capability. If you want more sportiness, it will also lower itself by an inch to improve dynamics.
It will arrive in 2024, but no word on MSRP yet
Whether the thought of a Lotus SUV, let alone an electric Lotus SUV, offends your purist sensibilities, folks will undoubtedly take interest when the car arrives on U.S. shores in 2024.
How much will it cost? That’s tough to say at this point, and the automaker is tight-lipped on that part for the moment. Based on the existing competition — this car clearly has the Tesla Model X in its sights — it’s reasonable to expect a six-figure asking price for this experience. Lotus may undercut its rival by some margin or it could get confident and charge a premium…so don’t be surprised to see this car somewhere in the $110,000 to $130,000 range.
Lotus will build the Eletre at its new factory in Wuhan, China.
Speaking of a six-figure EV, check out more on the GMC Hummer EV below:
Alfa Romeo adds some more options for performance-oriented customers with the Stelvio and Giulia Estrema.
If you’ve even given owning an Alfa a passing thought, then you’re probably smitten with the full-blown Quadrifoglio models. The Stelvio and Giulia both offer remarkable performance draped in Italian flair and style. Thing is, they’re not exactly cheap. In fact, the 505 horsepower Stelvio Quadrifoglio will set you back an eye-watering $86,575. Fully kit one out, and you’re paying nearly $95,000. That’s where Stellantis’ latest announcement comes in, with the Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Giulia Estrema models.
Alfa Romeo Rolls Out New, Limited-edition Giulia and Stelvio Estrema Models
So, what do you get with the “Extreme” version of Alfa’s flagship sedan and crossover? These limited-edition cars come based on the top-spec Veloce trim, with some touches from the Quadrifoglio — and one notable omission.
Because the Stelvio Estrema and the Giulia Estrema are based on the Veloce, you only get the standard 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine here. That still gets you 280 horsepower and 306 lb-ft of torque, though, which Alfa Romeo says is good for a 0-60 run between 5.1 and 5.5 seconds, depending on the model. Sure, you don’t get the 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6, 505 horsepower or 3.5-second 0-60 time, but these aren’t nearly as expensive to buy either.
Specifically, the Estrema models get a limited-slip differential and adaptive suspension from the Quadrifoglio. Developed in collaboration with its Formula 1 team, the suspension system can read the road ahead and react more quickly to changes than the stock setup.
The first globally available limited-edition car from Alfa Romeo
Both the Estrema models will be available worldwide, and bring in their own bits of flair. Unique exterior and interior design touches include a carbon fiber veneer (shown above) and gloss black wheels. Like all Giulia and Stelvio models, these limited versions bring in standard blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning and automatic emergency braking. An additional Active Assist Plus package — also an option on the Quadrifoglio — brings in more advanced driver assistance tech, as well as a security alarm. Both Stelvio and Giulia get a dual-pane sunroof, 14-speaker Harman Kardon audio system and wireless charging.
Buyers can select a staggered wheel package if they wish. Limited-run Estrema models are available in four colors: Alfa White, Alfa Rosso (red), Misano Blue and Vulcano Black.
Pricing and availability
Pricing for the 2022 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Estrema and Giulia Estrema comes in closer to the Veloce than the Quadrifoglio. Including a $1,595 destination fee, the rear-wheel drive Giulia Estrema starts at $56,685. Step into the all-wheel drive version, and that rises by $2,000, to $58,685.
You’ll only be able to get the Stelvio Estrema with all-wheel drive, with pricing at $60,545.
Both cars will be available this fall. While Alfa Romeo mentions that these are limited runs, it did not specifically exactly how many examples of each car it will build.
After raising prices in response to tariffs earlier this year, Ineos is slashing MSRPs on its Grenadier SUV and Quartermaster pickups after reportedly weak demand.
