OCTOBER 14, 2026

The original - and still our favorite - Autoextremist logo. 

The AE Quote of the Century: Everybody loves The High-Octane Truth. Until they don't. -WG 

(BMW images)

This is the new, fully electric BMW iX4, the third Neue Klasse model from the German manufacturer. The SUV coupe comes equipped with a standard M Sport package and full-length panoramic sunroof. Other stuff? The BMW iX4 50 xDrive offers a preliminary estimated range of up to 428 miles with 400-kW DC fast charging, which can add up to 184 miles of range in just 10 minutes. The range-topping BMW iX4 M60 xDrive—coming later in 2027—delivers 603HP and 645 lb-ft of torque, and accelerates from 0–60 mph in an estimated 3.7 seconds. BMW Panoramic iDrive with Operating System X combines BMW Panoramic Vision, an available BMW 3D Head-Up Display, a 17.9-inch Central Display, and an intelligent voice assistant enhanced by Amazon Alexa+ AI technology. The new BMW iX4 is scheduled to arrive here next March.

 

(Honda images)

The 2027 Honda Civic Sedan and Hatchback are starting to arrive at Honda dealerships, with the new Sport-L trim joining the Civic lineup by the end of the year. The new Sport-L trim adds leather, power-adjustable and heated front seats, dual-zone climate control and more for under $28,500. The Civic Sport Touring Hybrid adds the Honda S+ Shift drive mode which initially debuted in the Prelude. The Sport Touring Hatchback Hybrid stickers for $35,190. The Civic "remains a gateway to the Honda brand, with an average new vehicle transaction price below industry average used vehicle transaction prices," according to Honda PR minions.

  

Editor-in-Chief's Note: This week, our video features Gil de Ferran setting an all-time closed course speed record in 2000. Watch it here. -PMD

The AE Song of the Week:

See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side
I'll wait for you

Sleight of hand and twist of fate
On a bed of nails, she makes me wait
And I wait without you

With or without you
With or without you

Through the storm, we reach the shore
You give it all, but I want more
And I'm waiting for you

With or without you
With or without you, ah-ha
I can't live
With or without you

And you give yourself away
And you give yourself away
And you give, and you give
And you give yourself away

My hands are tied
My body bruised
She got me with
Nothing to win and nothing left to lose

And you give yourself away
And you give yourself away
And you give, and you give
And you give yourself away

With or without you
With or without you, oh-oh
I can't live
With or without you

Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh

With or without you
With or without you, oh-oh
I can't live
With or without you
With or without you

"With Or Without You" by U2 from the album "The Joshua Tree" (1987).* Written by Adam Clayton, Dave Evans, Larry Mullen and Paul David Hewson. Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group. Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind. Watch the Original Music Video here.

*In this song, Bono describes a tortured relationship that he can't escape. The lyric can be interpreted many ways; Bono explained that he wanted to write a love song that dealt with real issues. In 1987 Bono explained that everybody in the group knows what the line "and you give yourself away" means: "It's about how I feel in U2 at times - exposed. I'm not going to do many interviews this year. Because there's a cost to my personal life, and a cost to the group as well."

In 2005 Bono called the refrain most important part of the song because it signifies a release of mental tension, "which is when the 'Aah-aah' comes out. That is what giving yourself away is, musically."

This was U2's breakout hit in America, where they had only modest success until The Joshua Tree album. They had long been stars in their native Ireland, and with their previous album, The Unforgettable Fire, they broke through in the UK, but until "With Or Without You" their biggest US hit was "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" at #33. When they did conquer America, they did so swiftly and thoroughly; "With Or Without You" went to #1, and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" followed to the top spot.

The Edge used a distortion device called an "Infinite Guitar" to create the wail. It was invented by Michael Brook, whom The Edge worked with on the soundtrack for a 1986 film called The Captive. Brook created the Infinite Guitar by replacing the pickup on a guitar with a magnetic device that vibrates the strings. Daniel Lanois, who co-produced The Joshua Tree album with Brian Eno, told Songfacts:

"We had a little secret weapon. It was called the 'infinite sustain guitar,' invented by my good friend Michael Brook, a Canadian associate. Michael had invented this instrument where you didn't have to use your right hand on the guitar. You just held a note with your left hand, and he had a little self-looping system built into the instrument. But as you went up higher on the guitar, the infinite sustain just kept going into the stratosphere. So, that sound that you hear, I was taking the infinite sustain guitar out of the box and plugging it in to see what it did, and it started making that sound. The Edge was really just testing the guitar to see what it could do. He did a take, and I said, 'That sounds pretty good. Can you try another one?' And then we did a second one, and that was it. We did a little 'best of the two performances,' and then it became that signature, high-frequency stratospheric sound on 'With Or Without You."

The title is a more sincere variation of the "can't live with them, can't live without them" idiom, which is typically used to describe something or someone that is frustrating, but hard to give up. The video, directed by Meiert Avis, is rather artsy, showing the band performing the song in a rather affected manner. It did very well on MTV, where it was nominated for seven Video Music Awards, including Video Of The Year. It won for Viewer's Choice, beating Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer." (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)

Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG