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MotorTrend|July 2007this month @ motortrend.comTHE FUTURE IN MOTIONGM PERFORMERS/CHRYSLER CONCEPTS/INTERCEPTORWe were at a recent GM event with video cameras to shoot driveable concepts including Chevy’s Camaro Convertible concept and Holden EFIJY from Down Under. Chrysler’s driveable concepts included the Dodge Demon, Jeep Trailhawk, and a Super Stock Dodge Challenger. See it starting June 1 at motortrend.com/multimedia/videos/features. A stunning gallery of the Ford Interceptor concept is at motortrend.com/multimedia/photos/gallery along with desktop wallpapers: motortrend.com/multimedia/wallpaperMOTOR TREND…1 min
MotorTrend|July 2007Buick’s Shanghai showstopperCHINA HOLDS Buick in high regard. Centurys, Regals, a new local-market LaCrosse, and a Holden Statesman-based Park Avenue are considered nearly the equivalent of Audi and BMW, which build stretched versions of the A6 and 5 Series there, and a step up from Japanese brands. So GM and partner Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation opened the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center a few years ago with plans to design Buicks. Its first international concept is this Riviera.The Riviera concept is no Bill Mitchell 1963, instead combining an early 1950s-style vertical bar grille, which Buick has been tweaking since the early 1990s, with a voluptuous body that vaguely recalls the 1971 Riviera boattail.The front fascia with the big intakes under the headlamps is a bit much, and the ventiports, or "portholes" on…1 min
MotorTrend|July 2007MT CONFIDENTIALGEORGE W. BUSH finally takes time out from clearing brush on the ranch, meeting "American Idol" contestants, and that pesky mess in Iraq to talk with the three guys desperately trying to keep Detroit’s automakers afloat, and the newbie blows it. Ford CEO Alan Mulally’s story about preventing the president from mistakenly plugging an electrical cord Into the hydrogen tank of the Ford Edge fuel-cell prototype apparently went down like the Hindenburg at the White House. Yeah, we know now it was a Joke, Alan, but Dubya’s people didn't see the funny side. That gets the CAFE negotiations off to a good start, then… Meanwhile, Mulally’s also been quoted as saying a lot of people have asked why he'd leave successful Boeing Aircraft for a sinking ship. "Everybody wants to…2 min
MotorTrend|July 2007Chevy’s small optionsHYUNDAI’S rear-drive, V-8 Genesis concept was the most important car at the New York International Auto Show. But General Motors proved the savviest automaker there—the New York show draws a lot of nonautomotive press, interested in emissions and fuel mileage—by showing three tiny commuter-scooter concepts.All three baby Chevys were designed at GM’s South Korean Daewoo facility—global center for GM small cars. They're built off the same platform and could be manufactured to challenge Toyota’s Scion division.GM asked Web viewers to pick the one they want Chevy to build at vote4chevrolet.com. At press time, the site had received 777,881 "valid votes" (as with everything else on the Net, there was no way to prevent one person from being counted multiple times). Here’s how they fared:GROOVE: Described as a retro car or…1 min
MotorTrend|July 2007we hearNISSAN HAS SIGNED a deal with Japanese battery giant, NEC Corporation, to develop lithium-ion batteries for use in cars and trucks by 2009. The two companies have formed Automotive Energy Supply Corporation out of the deal and plan to invest $4.1 million in it. AESC plans to sell lithium-ion batteries to Nissan and other automakers for use in green vehicles.NISSAN ALSO IS JOINING the dean-diesel fray. It plans a diesel-powered Maxima for the U.S. market by 2010, using an engine codeveloped with alliance partner Renault. Assuming the typical five-year product cycle for the Maxima, the engine would come early on in the next generation.ONSTAR HAS TEAMED UP with MapQuest to provide turn-by-turn directions to its customers. It works like this: You go to mapquest.com and enter up to five destinations.…1 min
MotorTrend|July 2007Road Trip!OVER THE PAST several months, you've seen Audi’s hot new R8 in disguise, in press photos, at the auto shows, and on the track—you know, in all the usual places and spaces. So when we got a second go-around with the Audi R8, we decided to take it on a good old-fashioned road trip. Tag along with senior editor Ron Kiino as he wrings out the R8 in an excellent West Coast adventure from Mexico to Canada, and relive the experience through photographer Brian Vance’s lenses—photo and video. Find the photos here: motortrend.com/multimedia/photos/gallery and the videos here: motortrend.com/multimedia/videos/features, starting June 1.…1 min
MotorTrend|July 2007(your say)gray mattersConsider the disregard for two laws: prostitution and speed limits ("The Big Picture”): History teaches and present-day practices verify that the first will continue ad infinitum. I submit that the second seems to be fast on its heels. All this talk about gas mileage and having to make vehicles more efficient is just a way to skirt the public’s blatant disregard for #2. Why is reducing our use of foreign oil the manufacturer’s problem, when all it takes is easing up on your right foot? The uncontrollable factor in the equation for better gas mileage is the driver, it seems if you can't control him, you must continue to work on the machine. Your column states: "Gas-saving technology costs." But using your brains to save gas doesn't.Norm KeonSaint Louis,…9 min
MotorTrend|July 2007mission: possiblePRESS THE electrically triggered chrome door handle and the door pops open. The sculpted one-piece leather seats are as stiff as the suspension, and you slide onto them as into a Barcelona chair. A 21st-century "shaker" looms in your view and the rest of the hood is long and upright… you’re overlooking a similar expanse of sheetmetal as in a Chrysler 300. Hit the electronic ignition button on the headliner just aft of the header, and the 5.4-literV-8 fires up with a rumble.The clutch is a bit heavier than a Mustang GT's. but it releases smoothly and progressively. This big sedan is easy to drive—if you’re into low-riders. It bounces along the smooth test road like a candy-colored 1964 Impala on the haunches of its hydraulics. It feels like one…7 min
MotorTrend|July 2007eleven-year itchGOOD TIMES are rolling at Audi. Sales, production, and profits have all risen for each of the last 11 years, so the maique is in a celebratory mood. The first champagne cork to fly was the mid-engine R8 supercar. The next one will be a voluptuous, decadent four-seat grand tourer, the likes of which Audi has been itching to produce for the last 11 years, while it was attending to more serious business. With its all-new A5 and S5 coupes, the company is scratching that itch in grand style.For a start, this car is indeed “All new. "Its platform will underpin the next A4, though that car won’t necessarily be as wide as this one. A new transaxle design places the differential ahead of the clutch or torque converter, so…5 min
MotorTrend|July 2007trick in a boxSTEP 1CUT A WHOLE NEW BOXWhen it launched Scion back in 2003,Toyota claimed the founding tenet of its new, youth-oriented brand would be surprise. Surprise in the look of the vehicles, the low price, and the high level of content. Surprise in its game-changing plan for short vehicle life cycles and regular rollouts of specially equipped, limited-edition models. Surprises that wouldn't be limited just to the products, but would infiltrate the entire brand experience—from Scion’s nontraditional, underground marketing campaign to its no-negotiating, "Pure Pricing" policy.In retrospect, it should surprise no one that such a well-conceived and thoroughly executed plan worked as well as it has. In 2006, though just three years old and boasting a lineup of only three models, Scion sold 173,034 vehicles. That’s 50,000 more than Volvo and…4 min
MotorTrend|July 2007at the crossroads'BRING IT," said our contact at Hyundai. “We know we have a great price/value story in theVeracruz, but forget that. We want to take on the Lexus, straight up." Okay, pal. You got it.With its most recent round of product introductions, Hyundai has gone from price-driven alternative to legit player in several vehicle categories (the same can be said for corporate cousin, Kia). The designs, most of which now originate in Southern California, are clean and handsome, quality has jumped by leans and bounds, and performance has come up to class average in most cases. The Veracruz (June 2007) is Hyundai’s newest crossover entry, slotting in above the Santa Fe with more room and features and a third-row seat.Lexus’s RX pioneered the notion of the midsize, car-based, luxury crossover in…7 min
MotorTrend|July 2007vanquish: one last blastIT’S HARD TO BELIEVE the Aston Martin Vanquish is now six years old. lan Callum’s design is a masterclass of British muscle; under the skin is an aluminum and carbonfiber chassis that makes it still one of the most technically advanced cars Ford has ever produced.The origin al Vanquish’s 6.0-liter V-12 kicked out 460 horses, which helped make it the fastest, most driveable Aston in decades. With one small exception: the transmission.The Vanquish came with a clutchless six-speed manual similar in concept to Ferrari's F1 paddleshift. Only problem was the Aston's transmission management software was nowhere near as sophisticated as Ferrari's. Shifts were said to take just 2SO milllseconds, but it often felt like the engine and the tranny weren't on speaking terms.Now, just as the Vanquish is about to…1 min
MotorTrend|July 2007classicalgasNOT MUCH about the 2007 Bentley Arnage T aristo-sedan makes sense. Not the fuel efficiency—just 11 mpg in the city. Not the curb weight, which checks in at a titanic 5715 pounds even before you've filled the trunk with polo mallets and cucumber sandwiches. And certainly not the price: $271,696, including $2090 worth of rear-seat picnic tables and $240 worth of umbrellas but not a three-bedroom Tudor in which to park them.The Arnage T doesn't care. It’s big, indulgent, and expensive on purpose. Let other car buyers fret over trifling concerns like miles per gallon, monthly payments, and high cholesterol. The Bentley is the four-wheeled equivalent of a dark, leathery steakhouse where at lunchtime you put away a couple martinis, a NewYork strip, a doublewide slice of cheesecake, and a…5 min
MotorTrend|July 2007Light, Nasty, FastA LARGE carbon-fiber wing. Two carbon-fiber bucket seats. A four-point seatbelt harness. No radio. No cupholders.These five items succinctly sum up Lamborghini's newest model, the Gallardo Superleggera. The superleggera moniker '(pronounced su-per-le-JHEH-ra) comes from Lamborghini's illustrious past, as it was used on two of the company's earliest models, the 350 GT and 400 GT 2+2. Back then, superleggera referred to a coachbuilding technique noted for avant-garde styling and, most important, light weight. It's the latter quality the word references when applied to the new Superleggera. Lamborghini has shaved over 200 pounds off the standard Gallardo's weight, thanks to liberal applications of carbon fiber and the deletion of a few key components. Dry weight is now a factory quoted 2992 pounds.The most prominent use of composites is a new, feather-light rear…3 min
MotorTrend|July 20072007 Lexus LS 460THE FOREMOST vehicle in Lexus’s lineup, not to mention the model that introduced the brand to America back in 1989, the LS is the epitome of Toyota's luxury division. Now in its fourth generation, the LS—showcase of the brand's most innovative technology—is an obvious and welcome addition to our long-term fleet.While we were tempted to go for the extended-wheelbase $71,715 LS 460 L or wait for the high-and-mighty $104,750 LS 600h L hybrid, we instead opted for the bread-and-butter $61,715 LS 460, replete with a 380-horse V-8 and the world’s first eight-speed automatic. In addition to its pioneering powertrain, the LS 460 came well equipped with dual-stage front knee airbags and a wood-and-leather-trimmed interior. To up the luxury ante, we added a $6345 Navigation/Mark Levinson/Advanced Parking Guidance package, which tacks…2 min
MotorTrend|July 2007saving ford“FORD’S HOTTEST VEHICLES IN NORTH AMERICA, THE EVERGREEN F-SERIES TRUCKS AND THE REMASTERED MUSTANG, ARE BASICALLY UPDATES OF 50-YEAR-OLD IDEAS.”I THOUGHT long and hard about the cover lines for this issue. Saving Ford. Had it really come to that? Like Boeing and Microsoft, Ford is a company that changed the world. One of the engines of America’s 20th-century industrial might, it helped power the American Dream. It’s been through good times and bad. But is it really fighting for its life?"There’s a quieter disaster going down in Motown: Ford." Those words appeared in this column back in January 2006, when GM was hogging all the bad news headlines in the mainstream media. Things were rough for GM, but to those close to the industry the company at least seemed to…3 min
MotorTrend|July 2007ShanghaishockBMW PULLED he wraps off its new design language at the Shanghai motor show in the form of its dramatic Concept CS four-door. While : the Bavarian automaker says officially that it only previews the design language for future Bimmers, it does give hint to the 2010 8 Series, designed; to leapfrog the Mercedes CLS-Class : in status and do battle with the Aston Martin Rapide and Porsche Panamera.One thing’s for sure: The BMW CS Is a stunner, one that should put an end : to criticism of Chris Bangle’s design language. Just as other automakers : have begun to copy his "Flame Surfacing" language, his design team, : led by Adrian Van Hooydonk, has taken it a step further, with stronger, more : beautiful shapes. Yes, there’s a bit…1 min
MotorTrend|July 2007Audi thinks small, part oneAFTER FINALLY entering the SUV segment with the Q7, Audi is preparing to slice it up with an A4-based Q5 hinted by the Roadjet concept and a smaller 03 hinted by the Cross Coupe quattro. The Q3 will slot below the Q5 as a response to tighter European Corporate Average Fuel Economy regulations, like proposed U.S. CAFE regulations.Audi is playing up the “Coupe" part of the name, with severe tumblehome and a fast C-pillar, But it’s really a 63-inch-tall five-door with a rear hatch. Audi unveiled the Q3 with the new Audi/VW 2.0-liter TDI engine. The transverse-mounted, four-cylinder, 204-horse turbodiesel makes 295 pound-feet. It’s a clean 50-state diesel with a Bluetech injection system and urea after treatment.The Cross Coupe’s quattro system is the same permanent electronically controlled four-wheel drive as…2 min
MotorTrend|July 2007Flex Ford reinvents minivanELEGANT in its design and yet a hefty, big SUV/minivan crossover box, the Ford Flex is the next big new model that has to save the company. The New York International Auto Show introduction was a bit early to unveil the production version of the Flex, which first appeared at the 2005 Detroit show as the Fairlane concept. The Flex goes on sale next summer as a 2009 model.While the Fairlane’s suicide doors have been replaced by four conventional doors, many details remain, including horizontal strakes on the profile and brushed, stainless rear deck accent. Not retro, the Flex comes off as a quietly luxurious modern station wagon, the obvious descendant of the 1940 Woody or 1965 Country Squire. But given the five-passenger Edge’s near-Explorer weight, how much mass does…1 min
MotorTrend|July 2007GM fuel cell by 2012FOR GOOD reasons, General Motors is being cautious in talking about the timing on production of its plug-in hybrid and fuel-cell cars. But we could see either or even both sold by the thousands by 2012.GM has begun production engineering for the E-Flex platform, which would accommodate the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid and/or a full hydrogen fuel-cell car. E-Flex is based on GM’s global compact architecture, i.e., the coming Saturn Astra. High-tech production engineering is the same as conventional production engineering and should take three to four years, vice president of research and development Larry Burns says.Key to a production fuel-cell car is GM’s Gen V powerplant and fuel stack. By improving its material mix, Burns and his engineers have halved its size from the Gen IV Sequel unit to…1 min
MotorTrend|July 2007Your Steeda AwaitsEACH YEAR Steeda (the world’s largest aftermarket parts supplier for the Mustang) holds its annual Camp Steeda event in conjunction with the SVT Owners Association. The meet takes place in April at the famed Sebring International Raceway, and on hand this year were many different versions of Steeda’s Q-series Mustangs, lots of SVO and SVT vehicles, along with a cache of historic Ford race cars. Senior feature editor John Kiewicz attended this year’s Camp Steeda and had the tough assignment of spending time behind the wheel of each version of Steeda’s Q-series Mustangs. In addition, Kiewicz logged laps in a legendary 1993 Mustang Cobra R as well as in a 1995 Cobra R For a behind-the-scenes look at the Camp Steeda event, the Q-series Mustangs, and a few in-car hot…1 min
MotorTrend|July 2007splendidisolation“THE LS 460 IS NOT A SENSORY-DEPRIVATION CHAMBER IN THE GRAND TRADITION OF BYGONE DETROIT.”I want to live alone in the desertI want to be like Georgia O'KeefeI want to live on the Upper East SideAnd never go down in the street.—Warren Zevon, “Splendid Isolation"MOST OF the time, I manage to look on the bright side of driving in LA. For instance, when a Hummer HI nearly crushes my car into a chewing-gum wrapper because its driver is steering with his Frappuccino while munching on an arugula burger, I remind myself that the palm trees here don't ever get buried in snow like they do In Buffalo. Or if I'm hit by a wave of nausea after seeing a vanity plate like "SGRDADY" or "QTPIE4U, "l calmly redirect my eyes…3 min
MotorTrend|July 2007unlocking ford’s secret planFORD OF EUROPE’S Focus is a fine car, one of the benchmark entrants in the hotly competitive C-segment, where it sells head to head against VW’s Golf, Toyota’s Corolla, GM’s Astra, and a half dozen other rivals. So why are U.S. buyers lumbered with a Focus built on a platform nearly a decade old?The answer has a lot to do with, ahem, the focus of the European Focus. In Europe, Focus-size cars are the heart of the market, not just cars for college kids and buyers on a budget; and European consumers want more features, more body-style variants, more powertrain options. A European Focus runs the equivalent of $19,000 to $30,000. That’s way too rich for the American market, where Camry and Accord-size sedans start at about $20,000.That’s why world…2 min
MotorTrend|July 2007gran turismo, audi styleTHE VOLKSWAGEN group revived the Audi brand name in 1965 and launched its new 100 flagship in late 1968. A year later, a sporting and stylish Coupe S version became a star of the Frankfurt motor show, with shortened, fastback bodywork penned by Hartmut Warkuss, drawing inspiration from hot Italian shapes like the Giugiaro-designed Fiat Dino and Maserati Ghibli. This beautiful Audi was never sold in the U.S. and production ended in 1976. Four years later, Audi’s most famous coupe, the rally hom*ologation special quattro model arrived, combining a 200-horse turbocharged, intercooled five-cylinder engine with full-time all-wheel drive on the smaller 4000 model chassis cloaked in angular bodywork again cribbed from maestro Giugiaro’s sketchbook. Priced at a lofty $35,000, only 664 smogged 160-horse quattros were sold in the U.S. between…1 min
MotorTrend|July 2007scion from xA to xDPERHAPS THE real surprise is how badly Scion estimated consumer reaction to the xA. At launch, it expected sales to outpace the xB by a factor of two to one—a figure it got completely backward. No matter, Scion hopes to set the record straight with an all-new replacement called the xD.Partnership with Toyota’s Daihatsu subsidiary gives this five-door a look and feel all its own. Sharper styling, a wider stance, and tighter wheel-to-fender clearance eliminate the jellybean comparisons that plagued the xA. Though the exterior is closer in size to the first gen xB, the theme doesn’t carry through inside, particularly in the back. Legroom is fine, but limited headroom necessitates rear seats that slide six inches and recline up to 10 degrees.The xD’s new 2ZR-FE 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine is…1 min
MotorTrend|July 2007the man who bought aston martinLAST YEAR, ASTON MARTIN MADE 7000 CARS—IN 1993, IT MADE ONLY 42. NO NEW OWNER HAS EVER BEFORE INHERITED A STRONG ASTON MARTIN.DAVID RICHARDS, 55, is an accountant who first defied death and is now hoping to defy history.Defied death? Name a sport more dangerous—or deranged—than rally co-driving. For the benefit of the uninitiated, it involves being strapped into the passenger seat of a cramped and brutally fast forest racer, reading out map instructions head-down, while one of the world’s fastest drivers sits next to you and jumps humps, slides around tree-lined bends, blasts through streams, and generally defies the laws of physics at 100 mph plus on gravel or pebbly tarmac tracks. Richards blames a boyhood spent watching rally stars thundering through the forests of his native Wales for…5 min
MotorTrend|July 2007trailblazer"I GUESS WE SHOULD HAVE INSTALLED THOSE SNOW TIRES…"“ I GUESS WE should've installed those snow tires,’ photographer BrianVance mutters as the icy precipitation morphs from a slow shower into sheer whiteout, covering our gray R8 in a thick blanket of powder. Seconds ago—literally—light and fluffy snowflakes, like mini-parachutes, were floating to the ground, barely dusting the curvy two-lane that led down to the shore of southern Oregon's Crater Lake. No problem, we thought. Plus, the R8 has all-wheel drive and stability and traction control, so even if the snowfall intensified moderately, we figured we’d still be okay.Now, however, a blizzard is upon us, not only hindering our vision, blending the eight-foot-high snow banks with the downpour, but also wreaking havoc on our PZero-shod Audi. Remember Bambi on ice?"Whoa, whoa,"!…15 min
MotorTrend|July 2007postcards fromdetroitFROM 1982 through 1988, the Formula circus included the mean streets of Detroit, Michigan, among its annual stops. It doesn't seem all that long ago, except when you consider that none of the drivers of that era is still in the game today (okay, there's a Rosberg, but it’s now Keke’s son, Nico). More names: Michele Alboreto, Nelson Piquet, Eddie Cheever, Gerhard Berger, Nigel Mansell, Martin Brundle, and a blindingly talented Brazilian named Ayrton Senna.Roger Hart was there, too. As an Associated Press photographer assigned to cover the race, Hart (now AutoWeek’s managing editor) had a camera and a better-than-front-row seat for every Detroit Grand Prix of the Fl variety. Friends encouraged him to pull out those old negatives, and it was instantly clear to everyone that the makings of…5 min
MotorTrend|July 2007now that’s more like itLAUNCHED as a 2006 model, Subaru's B9 Tribeca had us scratching our collective heads. One name too many. Good looks too few. A 3.0-liter engine in a 3.5-to 4.0-liter world. Sales were tepid at best. Instead of letting this otherwise worthy crossover twist in the wind, the company acknowledged its misstep in record time and bucked up for a substantial round of fixes. The result now puts the Tribeca squarely in the game.Gone is the “B9" piece of its moniker, so it’s just Tribeca now. Gone too is the strange, aero-inspired visage. The nose job resulted in a face some call too generic (“Chrysler? Kia? What is that?”), but it’s clean and pleasant-looking. The tushy tuck is an unquestioned improvement. Tribeca’s revised D-pillar and rear-window design looks nicer, too, and…2 min
MotorTrend|July 2007OUR FLEET UPDATE2007 GMC YUKONTotal mileage 14,181THIS all-new Yukon has kept our editors satisfied from the get-go, impressing everyone who's spent time in it with its fantastic interior materials and build quality. It’s been used as a photo vehicle, and, with all the gear we've managed to shove in there, the interior has held up amazingly well. However, on one trip to Central California, the Yukon was so packed with people there wasn’t much room left for luggage and equipment, which had to be squished in stacks behind the third row, where storage space is minimal—unless you want to use the roof and footwells, which could prove cumbersome when taking the family on a vacation. Average fuel econ 13.2 mpg Unresolved problem areas None Maintenance cost $49.19 Normal-wear cost $02006 HONDA CIVIC…2 min
MotorTrend|July 20072007 Lucra Cars LC 470MERGING NEW and old seems the current rage. A few issues back, we highlighted CRC's retro rewind consisting of a modern Corvette chassis shod with a custom “1962 Vette” composite body. This month, things get even more interesting as Lucra Cars introduces its LC 470. Road-racing diehards will remember the legendary 1958 Lister/Chevy of which the LC 470 is a modern interpretation. With aluminum/composite bodywork designed in concert with Chuck Beck (of repro Porsche 356 Speedster and 550 Spyder fame), the car epitomizes 1950s vintage. And with a chassis designed in concert with Dick Guldstrand, the car screams race-ready.If you've ever driven a real 427 Cobra, you know exactly what the LC 470 is like. Light and loose—yet magically tied down—the two cars drive nearly identically. However, at $65,000, the…3 min
MotorTrend|July 2007Blown!WHAT’S GOOD for the Blue Devil is good for the Cadillac CTS-v. The next-generation musde-Caddy, which is expected in the 2009 model year along with the quicker-than-Z06 Chevrolet Corvette, also will get the supercharged LS7 7.0-liter powerplant. While the Blue Devil, which will be named Z07, will have about 700-horsepower ("Trend," June), expect the engine to be detuned somewhat for the CTS-v to about 600 horses.That’s still well above the competition’s numbers. The BMW M3 and Audi RS4 come in at 420 horsepower, and the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG looks to be about 503 horsepower, same as the CLK63 AMG Black Series that made its debut at the New York show.On paper, the Z06’s 505-horsepower, 7.0-liter has enough grunt to give the CTS-v the edge over its European rivals. But the…1 min
MotorTrend|July 2007Evo-X: Official pixA FEW small details distinguish the production Mitsubishi Evolution (Evolution Xin Japan and U.S. car magazines), shown here in its first official photos, from the Prototype X we drove earlier this year (Motor Trend, March).Conventional one-piece side mirrors replace the concept’s smaller, aerodynamic mirrors, front turn signals are changed, and the production car has sidelamp repeaters just aft of the front fenders.But the important specs remain, including a 2.0-liter turbocharged MIVEC four and six-speed automated manual. The stiffened chassis (versus Evo IX) features the S-AWC2 traction and handling system, integrating control of the drive torque and braking management with all-wheel drive for better handling and stability.On-sale date is late January 2008.…1 min
MotorTrend|July 2007Audi thinks small, part twoREAR-DRIVE GM cars aren't the only vehicles caught in the struggle for lower emissions and higher fuel efficiency. With European CAFE regulations, measured in tailpipe CO2 emissions rather than fuel economy, also getting much tighter, Germany’s luxury automakers, too, are feeling the heat from global warming.These new regulations will be difficult for BMW and Mercedes with their top-heavy luxury-car fleets, but even Audi, which can average out its CO2 figures across the entire VW Group portfolio, is feeling the pressure to build smaller, more fuel efficient cars.Audi management has settled on a strategy of making its 2009 A2 a straightforward subcompact with mass appeal, rather than leftfield, like the Gen I aluminum A2. The 2009 A2 won't have a unique platform, but will use the VW subcompact underpinnings, like the…1 min
MotorTrend|July 2007HERE ARE THE DETAILSBASED ON THE VOLVO-DERIVED DS PLATFORM. 117.9-inch wheelbase; 202.3-inch overall length. Front drive standard, all-wheel drive optional. 18-inch wheels standard, 17-and 19-inch optional. 3.5-LITER DOHC V-6 rated more than 260 horses and 245 pound-feet. 4.4-liter Yamaha V-8 will fit, but won't be available. Expect a twin-turbo, gas direct-injection 3.7-liter version of the V-6, if any, as an optional engine. AVAILABLE REAL WOOD TRIM, navigation with voice recognition, real-time traffic and weather and 23,000-song hard drive. Refrigerator option fits between the second-and third-row seats. Bench or captains chairs for the second row. SECOND-GENERATION KEYPAD has touch-sensitive, flat-panel display. Unlocks doors, disarms alarm, and disables auto-lock function. Standard front-and side-seat airbags, three-row Canopy side curtains, optional AdvanceTrac with RSC. OPTIONAL MULTI-PANEL VISTA ROOF covers each of the three rows with sunroofs. Top…1 min
MotorTrend|July 2007Midsize versus midsizeOUR SPIES have caught two significant midsize cars that go all-new this fall for 2008, the Honda Accord and Mazda6.The white Accord coupe shown here is the V-6 version (with dual exhausts) and looks to be close to the "concept" unveiled at the Detroit show in January. This was the first time the company had shown an Accord concept. Honda is promising better fuel economy and even lower emissions, thanks to cylinder deactivation.The next-gen Mazda6 sedan gets a more voluptuous body in keeping with the design direction of its 3 and its new SUVs. Built off a platform called CD3-2—basically a larger version of the current car’s underpinnings used for the European Ford Mondeo—the new Mazda6 will be bigger all round, with most of the extra space benefiting rear-seat passengers.…1 min
MotorTrend|July 2007letter of the monthpull up to the bumperIf you think it’s fun to drive a marked cop car ("Do You Feel Lucky, Punk?" April), you should try an unmarked cop car. I drive an unmarked Crown Vic, and I get more smiles per day than you can believe. Most people never see the mounted light on the package tray through the tinted windows, but when they start to pass and see the steel wheels with dog-dish hubcaps and the spotlight on the window post, you can see their front end dip when they hit the brakes. The most fun I’ve had in my 32 years as a cop.Gary KlingerLakeland, Floridawrite us at6420 willshire Blvd, Las Angeles, CA 90048e-mail us online atmotortrend.comor send an e-mail direct tomotortrend@motortrend.com letter of the month winsGary wins the…1 min
MotorTrend|July 2007running on fumes“THIS PAGE ISN'T ABOUT DOOM AND GLOOM, IT’S ABOUT HOPE FOR BETTER DRIVING THROUGH TECHNOLOGY.”THE NEWS out of Ford is grim these days. Several of my local Detroit pals who work there are taking buyouts, and those too young to be offered a parachute are jealous of the ones who are jumping. We're all holding our breath to see whether Mr. Mulally and company have what it takes to pull out of this ominous-looking nosedive. It certainly won't be easy, given the low morale and frightening brain-drain the company is experiencing. But this page isn't about gloom and doom; it’s about hope for better driving through technology. So I rooted around and found some good news on the techie front coming out of our embattled number-two automaker.Mark Wherrett and his…3 min
MotorTrend|July 2007the ford rear-drive familyTHE COMMON process system allows some flex in wheelbase and width. The Australian Falcon is likely to be slightly smaller than the Crown Vic replacement, for example. FORD HAS looked at doing a Town Car replacement (codenamed E386) off the 03 architecture used for the Five Hundred (now Taurus), Montego (Sable), and forthcoming MKS, but just can't make the platform wide enough. THE TERRITORY is an AWD crossover built off the Falcon platform. It's logical the Aussies would want to retain the Territory, so the new architecture likely would be protected for AWD applications. That would help Dearborn, too, as it would make AWD versions of the Lincoln, Mercury, and Ford cars available for snowbelt states. FORD AUSTRALIA is likely to lose the long-wheelbase Fairlane/LTD variant of the Falcon (rival…1 min
MotorTrend|July 2007audi valveliftTHE A5’S 3.2 FSI engine boasts a new variable valve-lift system credited with boosting fuel economy by six percent. Each intake valve gets two cam profiles, one of which has low lift, appropriate only for idle and low-load operation. The lobes for each cylinder slide fore and aft on the camshaft independently, controlled by electric solenoids that drive pins into one of two keyways to engage or disengage the low-lift lobe while the valves are closed. On the low-lift cam, which can engage at cruising speeds of up to 70 mph, the engine does less work than it would sucking air past a closed throttle. A cam-phaser varies the valve timing. Unlike in Honda’s VTEC-e, both valves follow the same high or low cam profile, and unlike BMW’s Valvetronic, a…1 min
MotorTrend|July 2007no pain all gainLIKE SAMUEL Clemens’s pithy observation regarding rumors of his own demise, the death of sport coupes has proven just a tad overstated. While their absolute numbers remain modest, these two-doors are currently experiencing a mini-renaissance. Nissan is the latest auto-maker to exploit the enticing potential of turning heads and profits at a single stroke, spinning a slick coupe variant from its new-for-2007 Altima sedan and offering it in 2.5 S and 3.5 SE trims. We recently sampled a preproduction 3.5 SE and found this front-driver a solid performer with sufficient look and cook to become a formidable player in what’s turning into an increasingly crowded field.While planned and developed for, and built in the U.S., this front-drive coupe was styled in Japan in hopes of attracting young and young-thinking buyers…5 min
MotorTrend|July 2007oh! oh! seven heavenTHE DBS will launch the new Aston Martin era with one hell of a bang, Set to go into production in October, it'll be quicker than any Aston road car before it, thanks to its massaged V-12. It'll weigh about 220 pounds less than a regular DB9. It'll wear a body kit designed to help it slice through the air more cleanly. And it'll introduce high-tech materials and a new upgraded co*ckpit for the entire DB line.The ultimate embodiment of the DB9 coupe, the DBS will replace the muscular Vanquish as the flagship Aston Martin, although senior execs struggle to admit it.“It'll be our halo car and will have superior performance to the now-aged Vanquish,” says Aston’s Ulrich Bez, before quickly countering; "It's not the Vanquish successor, but another car…4 min
MotorTrend|July 2007up the pct by the numbers3096TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED, MILES4STATES VISITED8574HIGHEST ELEVATION REACHED, FEET (CARSON PASS, CALIFORNIA)21LOWEST ELEVATION SEEN, FEET (EVERETT, WASHINGTON)1SYNTHETIC OIL ADDED, QUARTS201.7UNLEADED PREMIUM USED FOR ENTIRE TRIP, GALLONS645DOLLARS SPENT ON FUEL18AVERAGE FUEL ECONOMY FOR ENTIRE TRIP, MPG31SUMMITS CRESTED163,333SUM OF THE SUMMITS, FEET19CROSSINGS OF THE PACIFIC CREST TRAIL22LOWEST TEMPERATURE OBSERVED, DEG IN F (CRATER LAKE, OREGON)74HIGHEST TEMPERATURE OBSERVED, DEG IN F (PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA)1TICKETS RECEIVED301,783LOOKS FROM PASSERSBY (EST)…1 min
MotorTrend|July 2007commuter combatSUDDENLY, IT’S 1973 again. That big SUV in your garage feels as modern as a Nixon-era Olds 88. Global warming and our everlasting oil dependency are dimming the prospects of GM and Ford following Chrysler into the rear-drive V-8 sedan business. You could drive yourself to work in a Toyota Prius or one of the stealthier hybrids, but even at $3 per, the hybrid won't pay off for years. By then, the interest on your adjustable-rate mortgage could be sky high.The good news is that, when it comes to finding a cheap, economical commuter combat car, it's not 1973 anymore. No more Datsun B-210s or Honda Civic CVCCs. Of course, your target price is now “under $20,000,’ not “under $3000. ”The Civic and the Sentra, the latter having been on…12 min
MotorTrend|July 2007realm of invincibilityBUYERS never plan on driving their shiny new car-payments into an offset barrier, in front of a runaway side-impact sled, or dirty-side up. But the fatalistic ones know it’s statistically likely, and these folks will be encouraged to learn that Saturn has armored the new Vue's body structure and armed it with six airbags, active head restraints, seatbelt pretensioners, and collapsing pedals so dummies emerge unscathed (or at least undead) from the worst crashes conceived by any world government. Standard stability control with trailer-sway mitigation (a class exclusive) might even help intelligent dummies avoid a crash—and if not, standard OnStar will summon help.In between catastrophes, occupants enjoy a superbly trimmed cabin, with supportive seats, soft-touch materials, and quasi-convincing wood or metal-mesh trim. The rear-seat cushion is higher than before, so…2 min
MotorTrend|July 20072006 Honda RidgelineWHEN THE Honda Ridgeline won our 2006 Truck of the Year competition, we fully expected the hard-cores to be outraged. “It’s a modified minivan!” they screamed, claiming it didn’t qualify as a truck because of its unibody chassis and transverse-mounted engine—and because it looks funny. Others, however, saw the Ridgeline as a clever solution for those who didn’t want the typical pickup trade-offs: stiff ride, horrible fuel economy, and miserable handling. Now, after a year and 24,000 miles in our long-term fleet, the Ridgeline has ultimately made a few converts among our car-loving staff, some of whom would never consider themselves fans of anything with a pickup bed.We put this vehicle through its paces, as evidenced by its ending odometer reading of 24,219—just about double the average number of miles…3 min
MotorTrend|July 2007An Aston/Driver To RememberWHY IS IT the prettiest cars are usually the best performing, too? Or is it the other way around? No matter, some machines are just winners in every sense of the word. Aston Martin’s history is peppered with watermarks, high and low. This Italian-designed and bodied DB4 GT Zagato is one of the high ones. It used the DB4 GT's hotter straight-six, wrapped in gorgeous alloy bodywork shaped by a young Zagato designer named Ercole Spada. The DB4 GT Z was a limited-production piece, with just 20 built from 1960 to 1963. Much like the seminal Ferrari 250 SWB berlinetta, this curvaceous Aston was designed to serve as roadgoing sports car and GT-class racer. It was successful at both, although not a match for the V-12 Ferraris. Nineteen of the…1 min
