Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2015 i MotorTrend

At last year’s Tokyo Motor Show, Mazda CEO Masamichi Kogai made a bold statement when he said his company would launch five new models by March 2016. Those include the Mazda2, MX-5 Miata, CX-3, CX-9, and the successor to the Japanese-market Premacy minivan. With the just-launched Mazda2, Mazda has finally put in place its four signature models (Mazda3, Mazda6, CX-5) built around the company’s new Skyactiv technologies. The new Miata is on its way to production; a new compact crossover, the CX-3, will appear in showrooms in Japan and the U.S. by spring; and the remaining two models will be revealed by early 2016. According to a source close to Mazda, the five new models will complete Mazda’s short-term lineup. “What gets added to the lineup in addition to those…

Want another Z06 bragging right? It’s more powerful than its C7.R road racing counterpart you’ll see at the Tudor United SportsCar Championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans. The C7.R makes around 500 hp because regulations limit displacement to 5.5 liters and forbid forced induction and variable valve timing. The engine is based of the one in the C6.R and still uses a six-speed sequential transmission, but it now has direct injection, which improves throttle control and fuel economy—pit stops mater. The same new types of aluminum construction that improve the Z06 translate to the C7.R. Using the production car’s aluminum frame increases the race car’s stiffness by 40 percent over its predecessor, according to Chevrolet. Both race car and street car chassis are built in the Corvette’s assembly plant…

We Like Integrated bumper step; work-friendly cabin with Wi-Fi hot spot. We Don’t Like Lazy throttle response; lack of hardware upgrades. As we wrapped Truck of the Year, the San Francisco Giants won their third World Series in five years. With two recent championships under their belt, high expectations were the norm for the Giants. The same dynamic regularly plays itself out in our of the Year competitions, and as a recent Truck of the Year winner (2011), the giant new 2015 Chevrolet Silverado HD faced high expectations of its own. Much of what made the last Silverado HD a winner carries over to the new version—chiefly the truck’s beefy boxed frame and its two engines: a gas 6.0-liter V-8 making 360 hp and 380 lb-f (a CNG version is…

We Like It’s not a boring, bland people-mover or cargo-hauler. We Don’t Like The cheap-feeling interior plastics and questionable fuel economy. After 60 years of production, the Ford Transit van has finally landed in the U.S. The best part? Ford didn’t limp into this segment. It came swinging for the fences, offering the Transit in three body lengths with three engine choices, three roof heights, and two wheelbases. To say the bases are covered would be an understatement. The Transit was the surprise vehicle during our TOTY program, an opinion echoed by everyone involved. You don’t expect much when you hop into a big, top-heavy van, but we all came away impressed. The 3.5-liter EcoBoost passenger version is a complete blast to drive; everyone commented on how unbelievably quick, agile,…

What was good for Texas was good for pickups. So full-size pickups got bigger, and midsize trucks began to vanish. Gone were the Ford Ranger, the Dodge Dakota, and, most recently, the GMC Canyon and Chevy Colorado. But three years after disappearing, the Colorado returns, completely redone in more manageable bite-sized proportions compared to those full-sized Texan trucks. The Colorado may not be the biggest pickup in contention for the 2015 Motor Trend Truck of the Year, but it turns out to be the best in more of our judging categories than anything else. “The Colorado to me is the perfect-size truck again,” Reynolds said. “Its simplicity and purity are what a truck ought to be about.” Indeed, for many, a midsize pickup appeals to a more modest sense of…

“The RamBox is convenient for storing camping items—plasticware, paper towels, charcoal—or can be used as an ice chest.”@MT_JasonUdy EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 19/27/22 MPG BASE PRICE $45,905 PRICE AS TESTED $53,440 As the first back-to-back Motor Trend Truck of the Year winner, the 2014 Ram 1500 owes much of its repeat success to its class-exclusive turbodiesel engine. It’s been more than 15 years since the last diesel half-ton pickup was available (1998 GMC Sierra/Chevrolet K1500). Like last year’s Golden Calipers winner, the 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel offers class-leading features including an eight-speed automatic transmission, Chrysler’s Uconnect infotainment system, available air suspension, and the innovative RamBox. We replaced our long-term 2013 Ram 1500 Laramie Crew Cab 4x4 with a new 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Outdoorsman Crew Cab 4x4 in…

“4.5 sec to 60 mph. 0.96 g avg on the skidpad. Quiet, comfortable, and luxurious. What a fantastic sport sedan this CTS Vsport is.” Service life / 10 mo/16,770 mi Avg CO2 / 0.85 lb/mi Energy cons / 148 kW-hrs/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $0 (oil change, tire rotation, inspection) Normal-wear cost / $0 Base price / $59,995 As tested / $60,990 REAL MPG FUEL ECON 22.7 MPG comb. Taking something for granted is generally considered a negative behavior, but in rare cases, I believe it can be construed as a compliment. A backhanded one, maybe. I realized recently how comfortable I’d become with the Vsport and how little I appreciated what a good car it is on my daily commute. This epiphany was spurred…

“The Acura MDX ticks all the boxes with regards to an SUV—there is nothing you could need of an SUV that the MDX can’t deliver.” Service Life / 13 mo / 29,137 mi Base Price / $45,185 Options / Advance/Entertainment Package ($12,215: remote engine start, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, parking sensors, rear DVD entertainment system, ventilated front seats) Price As Tested / $57,400 Avg Econ/CO2 / 20.6 mpg / 0.94 lb/mi Energy Cons / 155 kW-hrs / 100 mi Problem Areas / Dash fasteners Maintenance Cost / $806.39 (3-oil change; 2-tire rotation, 2-inspection; 1-rear diff fluid change, 1-transmission fluid change, 1-engine-air filter, 1-cabin-air filter) Normal-Wear Cost / $0 3-Year Residual Value* / $28,126 Recalls / Driveshaft bolts EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 18/27/21 AVERAGE FUEL ECON 20.6 MPG *Automotive Lease…

“To go in there and be the best is very exciting.” There’s no denying the new Mustang is pretty great—except on a racetrack. Here to fix that minor character flaw is the track-focused Shelby GT350, a worthy homage to the original road-car-based racer. Starting with the most important bit, Ford has suppressed its appetite for turbochargers and instead designed a race-inspired, 5.2-liter flat-plane crank V-8 engine that at press time was said to make more than 500 hp and more than 400 lb-ft. A redline of 8,200-8,300 RPM is impressive given the displacement. The engine drives a lightened six-speed manual transmission, then a standard Torsen limited-slip rear differential before reaching the 305-width rear tires. An optional Track Package fits engine and transmission oil coolers, and a differential cooler is optional.…

It’s the kind of upgrade enthusiasts love: more power. For the 2016 A6 and S6, which arrive in the spring, Audi added more power, cleaned up the front ends, and added a few new features to its luxury sport sedan. Audi brought Motor Trend and a few other journalists out to Dresden, Germany, to test the A6 and S6 on the autobahn and the winding roads around a city known for stellar architecture and firebombings. If you liked the A6 and S6 before, you’ll still like them. Both models offer great acceleration, crisp handling, and the perfect balance between sportiness and luxury. Audi has added power to all four engines that will arrive in the U.S., including the 252-horsepower 2.0-liter TFSI turbocharged four-cylinder engine (plus 12 ponies) and the 450-hp…

Don’t let the name “GT” fool you. Sure, AMG’s latest in-house creation has cruise control, sound deadening, and a hatchback that’ll easily swallow weekend luggage, but “grand touring” is not this car’s mission. Rather, it’s designed to knock Porsche’s iconic 911 off its sports car throne while also fending off Audi’s R8, Jag’s F-Type, and high-end Corvettes. A daunting task, but one made slightly easier by basing the hatchback on the recently retired architecture of the mighty SLS AMG. Yes, the aluminum space-frame architecture underpinning the new Mercedes-AMG GT and GT S is essentially a shortened, lightened, de-gullwinged, re-skinned SLS. The striking design is very son-of-SLS from the front and rather 911-esque from behind. Motivation comes from a brand-new, direct-injected “hot vee” twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 that’s kind of like two…

We Like Altitude-proof twin-turbo punch, abundant innovation. We Don’t Like Elusive economy, wonky shifter, jittery ride. This was to be the F-150’s year. Hyped as the most thoroughly re-engineered, game-changing pickup of the millennium, these twin-turbo'd alloy haulers swaggered in with great expectations. First impressions were glowing. Of the 2.7L EcoBoost, Seabaugh said: “This little guy seriously packs a punch.” Evans enthused, “This thing’s like a race truck.” At speed, Loh found it “an impressively tomb-quiet truck, like a library.” The judges awarded Engineering Excellence points for truck firsts such as the 360-degree camera, park-distance sensors by the front wheels, panoramic sunroof, LED headlights, BoxLink hardware, materials engineering, and its impressive roster of available safety tech. Then came some grumbling. “The interiors are Wurlitzer organs of heavy-handed design,” Reynolds said.…

We Like Fun to drive, super capable, blows away the competition. We Don’t Like The Colorado is nearly as good for less money. It’s always a bit of work teasing out the competitive advantages and disadvantages of a GMC truck when there’s a Chevy siting right next to it. Thankfully, the new Canyon made it a little easier. “Somehow it feels different than the Colorado,” Seabaugh noted, “which I must applaud GM for. It’s not just a rebadged Chevy like many were expecting. It’s got a completely different vibe and character than the Colorado does. Whereas the Colorado feels young and fun, the Canyon feels more upscale and professional.” Judges were very complimentary of the Canyon’s sharp steering and nimble handling, its upmarket stereo, and its higher-quality interior. Despite its…

You may find yourself crossed up in a luxury car, steering turned opposite the direction of the road, the remnants of tires following behind. And there may be a moment when, between the giggles, you find it strange that this kind of car exists. How would you classify these two? They started as luxury coupes—something once intended to be well-appointed and comfortable—but now they have more power, stiffer suspensions, and locking differentials so you can powerslide. And boy, can you powerslide. The makers of these two cars will tell you about lap lateral g’s and suspension kinematics, but the ease with which you can destroy their rear tires in wild displays of immaturity says differently. Think of the untold millions invested to satisfy us kids; we’ve built rockets that go…

“It fits! The rear passenger area has enough room for my road bike—thanks, Magic Seats.”@erkayapana EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 32/38/35 MPG BASE PRICE $18,225 PRICE AS TESTED $19,025 A routine commute home in our new long-term 2015 Honda Fit was briefly interrupted when a gentleman in a Mercedes-Benz E-Class, idling next to me at a stoplight, waved his hand to get my attention. “Hey, how do you like that thing?” he yelled. “I hear it gets great gas mileage, and I want to get one for my wife!” Unfortunately the light turned green and abruptly ended our chat. Otherwise, I would’ve told him that, yes, the 2015 Fit’s fuel economy rating has improved, which I’ll closely observe during its long-term stay. I probably would’ve asked, “Why just a…

“Old long-term Accord Sport (28.6 mpg/22,856 miles) would’ve consumed 283 fewer gallons at the Hybrid’s 44.3 Real MPG—enough to fill 26 Fits.” Service life / 4 mo/16,133 mi Avg CO2 / 0.44 lb/mi Energy cons / 76 kW-hrs/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $124.51 (oil change, tire rotation, inspection) Normal-wear cost / $0 Base price / $35,695 As tested / $35,695 REAL MPG FUEL ECON 44.3 MPG comb. The Accord Hybrid is very efficient, and I’m not just talking about miles per gallon. Its 7.0-second 0-60-mph time is 0.6-second quicker than the average of four Accord I-4/CVT sedans we’ve tested, despite the Hybrid weighing 231 pounds more and possessing 19-23 less peak hp. Credit the electric motor’s power-delivery promptness. The car has an official 196-hp total…

“E85 reduces realistic driving range to 300-350 miles, so locate fuel stops before you leave when fueling a long trip.”@MT_Markus Service life / 11 mo/18,346 mi Avg CO2 / 1.18 lb/mi Energy cons / 225 kW-hrs/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $0 (2-oil change, tire rotation, inspection) Normal-wear cost / $0 Base price / $51,355 As tested / $54,585 AVG COMB. FUEL ECON 15.6 MPG (GAS) 14.5 (E85) Our handsome hauler swilled 253 gallons of E85 ethanol late this summer, and surprisingly it saved us money doing so. Comparing 4,000 miles of E85 consumption with 3,512 miles of gasoline operation preceding it, we averaged 14.5 mpg on E85 versus 16.8 mpg on gasoline—a smaller drop than the EPA predicts. Driving range plunged, but I was…

Enzo Ferrari, who founded his eponymous company in 1947 as an extension of the race team he’d run since 1929, might have created the legend, but it’s Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, born into an aristocratic family the year the company was founded and appointed Ferrari chairman in 1991, who turned the legend into money, to the point where Ferrari was recently ranked the world’s most powerful brand, ahead of Apple and Coca-Cola. Now Sergio Marchionne, the sweater-wearing workaholic who, through sheer force of will, merged two of the most unlikely automotive partners to create Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), wants to cash in. Marchionne’s announcement that FCA will spin off Ferrari, distributing 80 percent of stock to current FCA shareholders and offering 10 percent to the public, probably via a listing…

Our resident hot shoe Randy Pobst idles back into the pits in the Z06. It’s turned into a humid, 85-degree afternoon here at Road Atlanta—we’d spent the morning in the garages waiting out a rainstorm—and the white car with the black wheels and black wings looks purposeful against the tarmac and bright green trees. Pobst gets out, and the small group of Chevrolet engineers approaches, eager to hear his thoughts. Impatient for our data acquisition hardware’s results, they’d been timing his laps on their phones: 1:30.17, 1:30.21, 1:30.67. One of Pobst’s thoughts: “The power felt great. Honestly, I want another hundred more. It’s stable enough. You don’t feel threatened.” It’s a strange comment when you consider the last-generation ZR1, whose powerband made you keenly aware of its awesome potential. During…

There is arguably no vehicle more distinctly American than the pickup truck. Last year, Yanks bought almost 2.2 million of the work-and-play haulers, ranking them second only to midsize sedans in segment volume in the U.S. Further, three of the four top-selling vehicles in America through October 2014—the Ford F-150 (1), Chevrolet Silverado (2), and Ram 1500 (4)—were trucks. For the 2015 TOTY competition, we invited seven all-new or significantly updated vehicles to compete for the Golden Calipers. From GM came a tandem of revamped midsize offerings—the Chevrolet Colorado and the GMC Canyon—and the Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD pickups. From Ford arrived the updated F-450, the full-size Transit van, and, last but certainly not least, the much-hyped aluminum F-150. We put these seven contenders (with 10 variants…

We Like The Engine Haul of Fame beastly engine. We Don’t Like $23,000 in fake wood and mediocre leather. The heart versus the mind. That’s what it comes down to with the big—and I mean BIG—Ford F-450 Super Duty Platinum. In my heart I love this truck, I want this truck, I need this truck. But in my mind? I’m not in the yacht-hauling game. Logically this heavy-duty has but one trick. Said Reynolds, “It’s a chrome-dipped Gulliver in Lilliput land, Las Vegas bad taste all the way, and really only makes rational sense to horse haulers. I have a cat.” Sadly for the F-450, Truck of the Year is a fairly cerebral endeavor, what with our six key criteria and all. The big red sucker is also the heaviest…

We Like Handsome looks, impressive interior design, solid performer. We Don’t Like Lazy throttle response, too under-the-radar for its own good. If you jot down all the reasons for the Sierra Denali HD hopping into the ring with this year’s other TOTY contenders, it quickly amounts to a respectable admission ticket: updated styling that mirrors the refreshed look of last year’s 1500, a new double cab with front-hinged aft doors, a snazzy new Sierra All Terrain trim, and for connectivity fans, an available 4G hot spot. And despite its familiar-looking mechanicals, the 2500HD was a steady player. Seabaugh: “The Sierra’s Duramax diesel is a pretty potent engine, quick of the line both loaded and unloaded and with enough power to make merging and passing maneuvers easy.” There was praise for…

When the checkered-flag start-finish line disappears under the M4’s front bumper after 1.55 miles of furious driving, the Lexus is 13 feet arrears the BMW’s bumper—a scant 0.3 percent of a lap behind. How did we get here? Let’s rewind the tape to the beginning. The two cars blur past the starting line with the M4 almost 4 mph faster, with the gap inching up to about 4.5 before Turn 1. By this point, the BMW has a 33-foot edge, a separation that will Slinky somewhat over the ensuing 84 seconds, but never disappear. To really understand what happened we have to rewind even further, to when they accelerate out of the last corner and approach that start-finish line. The final result is dictated by a simple drag race to…

To dramatize just how fast the MiEV Evolution III is, here it’s compared to the production-car lap record Randy Pobst recently nailed around Streets of Willow in a Nissan GT-R Nismo. Except for a few low-speed corners, the Mitsubishi’s graph almost looks like a misprint—displaced upward to a comical degree. Obviously the Evo III accelerates more fiercely and reaches higher top speeds (almost 8-percent higher on the back straight), but it also brakes dramatically harder—notice the steepness of speed trace into Turns 1 and 8. In these, as well as Turn 4, the Nissan nears the Mitsu’s cornering pace; in Turn 14 (the “skidpad”) we have the most direct comparison of their low-speed lateral grip. The two cars share many attributes, including sophisticated all-wheel drive and similar horsepower: 604-hp (Mitsu)…

“‘What is that color called?’ Austin Yellow, produced by BASF and named after Austin, Texas, home of the Circuit of the Americas.”@edloh Service life / 3 mo/9,397 mi Avg CO2 / 0.91 lb/mi Energy cons / 158 kW-hrs/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $0 Normal-wear cost / $0 Base price / $62,925 As tested / $78,125 AVG FUEL ECON 21.3 MPG comb. The two most popular questions I receive about our long-term BMW M3: “What is that color called?” and “How do you like the M3?” The first is easy: Austin Yellow, produced by BASF and in line with BMW’s habit of naming paint colors after cities that are home to famous racetracks. This one honors the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. The second question…

“Climbing back into the F-Type R Coupe after two weeks of Truck of the Year felt like going from mud-caked work boots to flip-flops.”@MT_Loverman Service life / 3 mo/7,703 mi Avg CO2/1.11 lb/mi Energy cons / 194 kW-hr/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $0 Normal-wear cost / $0 Base price / $99,925 As tested / $103,575 AVG FUEL ECON 17.4 MPG comb. Not only does my baby got back, but I finally got my baby back. To recap, Jaguar needed to take our F-Type V-6 S back before the yearlong loan was up and replaced it with a F-Type R Coupe, which was then promptly rear-ended after I drove it twice. The R Coupe then spent close to two months getting sewn back together. Now…

“The Jeep is shifting better than ever after a software update. There are no more sloppy starts.” Service life / 5 mo/12,727 mi Avg CO2 / 1.01 lb/mi Energy cons / 176 kW-hrs/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $0 (oil change, tire rotation, inspection) Normal-wear cost / $0 Base price / $30,490 As tested / $37,265 REAL MPG FUEL ECON 19.2 MPG comb. The Trailhawk has become a popular vehicle among our staff, racking up more than 12,000 miles on the odometer in just five months. On the odd nights that I haven’t taken it home, it’s been requisitioned by other staffers for everything from the daily grind, to local camping trips, to long-haul road trips over the Rocky Mountains (more on that in a future…