Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2016 i MotorTrend

Gorilla Glass. It makes your smartphone screen scratch-resistant and tough, and now it’s being used in the Ford GT windshield and the BMW i8 bulkhead window. What is it, and what makes it different from the plain green stuff glazing other cars? To find out, I rang up Doug Harshbarger, Corning Automotive Glass Products’ business director, who explained that there are two big differences: chemistry and the manufacturing process. Plain “soda-lime” glass is composed primarily of silicon dioxide. Gorilla Glass is a “technical glass,” an aluminosilicate formulation that includes aluminum, magnesium, and sodium. Plain green glass is typically formed by pulling a hot sheet of glass across a bed of molten tin. Liquid Gorilla Glass is poured into an elevated trough with a V-shaped bottom. It overflows this trough, flowing…

THE JUDGES Jason Cammisa, Scott Evans, Benson Kong, Carlos Lago, Jonny Lieberman, Edward Loh, Angus MacKenzie, Frank Markus, Randy Pobst, Christian Seabaugh, Chris Walton IF ONLY … Even in the most competitive Best Driver’s Car field yet, we can’t help but look forward to a few dream cars for next year. We can always hope. Ferrari 488 • Lamborghini Huracán LP580-2 Chevrolet Corvette Gran Sport Lotus Evora 400 • Mercedes-AMG GT R Porsche 911.2 GT3 • Pagani Huayra BC Our 2016 Best Driver’s Car competition is the most competitive in the award’s nine-year history. This year, 12 automakers sent their best sports cars, supercars, and ponycars our way for a week of incredibly vigorous testing. In fact, if you’ll allow us to brag for a moment, we had so many…

For its ninth model year, the GT-R has been revised to make it a kinder, gentler Godzilla. The new interior is “a step up,” Loh said. “Screens are bigger and have crisper graphics, and materials are nicer. But it’s a pretty mild step up, one that doesn’t take the GT-R a level beyond.” Other changes were far more noticeable. The carryover sixspeed dual-clutch transmission wasn’t perfectly silent, but it didn’t make the constant gear-gnashing racket earlier cars did. Additional sound-deadening measures and a softer suspension conspired to make this a much more livable monster. “If there’s one thing the GT-R has lacked since its debut, its refinement,” Walton said. “This one didn’t crash on its suspension, knocking fillings lose, and the driveline and diffs weren’t always whining and clunking away.…

On paper this is a real head-scratcher. Our last R8 V10 Plus finished third with few stated gripes aside from “wanting more torque,” “steering is a bit numb,” and issues with the tires and their pressure settings. So Audi gives the entire car a thorough going over that includes boosting engine output by 52 hp and 15 lb-ft, which helps the all-wheel-drive hypercar lay down the quickest quarter mile of any naturally aspirated car we’ve tested. It then slaps on some Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, which help this richly appointed grand tourer circulate Mazda Raceway in a blistering 1 minute, 34.23 seconds—a result that ranks 10th among all cars we’ve tested at MRLS and is 2.16 seconds quicker than the crude R8 GT race car that finished in…

For its 50th anniversary last month, we highlighted Chevrolet Camaro performance through the years. Had we tested this 2017 Camaro SS 1LE, it would’ve proven one of the greats. The high-water mark for the Camaro had been the 2012 supercharged, 6.2-liter, 580-hp ZL1. For acceleration, it still is: 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds on its way to a 12.1-second/117.4-mph quarter mile. ZL1s have stopped from 60 mph in 100 feet, clung to the skidpad with 1.03 g in lateral acceleration, and completed MT’s figure eight in 23.9 seconds—at the time, all Camaro records. At Mazda Raceway, it lowered the Camaro’s lap record by 6.52 seconds. Along came the marginally slower yet hardcore 7.0-liter, 505-hp Z/28. It managed a 4.0-second 0-60 time and a 12.3 quarter mile, but with its racy…

Going back to basics, McLaren has built its most engaging road car yet. In the great pantheon of automobile racing, there exists a remarkably small club of people who’ve both built race cars and won championships behind the wheel. None, though, was more prolific or more famous than Bruce McLaren. The team McLaren founded would go on to be one of the winningest in Formula 1 and build a road-going tribute through the 1990s that would become a legend in its own right: the McLaren F1. In 2011, McLaren would return to the road, but its confusingly named MP4-12C met a cold reception. A technological marvel, it sorely lacked the charisma of a Ferrari. It finished fifth at Best Driver’s Car 2012, behind the Subaru BRZ. What changed in…

You can only gaze at the 2017 Buick LaCrosse’s finely sculpted curves for so long before it’s time to get behind the wheel. Once that happens, the quality of your driving experience will be determined largely by whether you opted for the standard 18-inch wheels or the optional 20s. (Go big!) Either way, the redesigned LaCrosse is quieter than before and has a more expressive exterior design, but it lives in a scattered segment with competent front- and rear-drive sedans from non-luxury and luxury automakers. We drove the 2017 LaCrosse in Portland to determine whether the large four-door distinguishes itself from the competition. The 2017 LaCrosse’s $32,990 base price places it in the middle of some interesting alternatives, from the restyled Kia Cadenza and the sporty Nissan Maxima to more…

Everyone needs a V-12 in his or her life. It propels a car with that unmistakably historic, silky, shrieking gravitas that no other engine can. There’s something nostalgic about it, too, as if it were an endangered species (it probably is), and it’s this rarity—especially with a manual gearbox—that makes driving this Aston Martin V12 Vantage S that much more special. To date, this is the most sporting Aston Martin we’ve tested. Not the quickest, not the fastest, not the most nimble, but certainly it is the most ambitious in terms of mission. But it is simply impossible to speak about the V12 Vantage S without first gushing over the engine. It’s even part of the car’s name, and the specs are gobsmacking. From the press kit, “All-alloy, quad overhead…

2016 marked Jaguar’s third at bat with the F-Type. Its first, a 488-hp S-spec roadster, finished in fourth place in 2013 on account of iffy transmission logic and power oversteer that was mostly fun and mostly controllable but nonetheless excessive. The second, a 550-hp R-spec coupe, finished ninth in 2014 because the oversteer only got 62 hp worse. We had high hopes that this year’s 575-hp SVR coupe might surge ahead in the rankings with all-wheel drive taming the tail-happiness, but from the first runs up State Route 198, Loh and others were scribbling in their notes: “Glad to be alive! Wants to enter every corner tail first.” Walton was particularly chagrined, as he’d pronounced such behavior tamed after the SVR’s launch. But while fitting new tires for the track,…

From first place to … sixth. Hey man, still top half. As far as our defending champion is concerned, the headline reads: “Hosed By A Power Steering Pump.” That’s right, friends. Halfway through our runs up and down 198, the mighty AMG got sick. As a result, about half of us (yours truly included) weren’t able to take a turn in the GT S. What’s the expression? For want of a nail the shoe was lost. Or in this case, the crown. Especially because this year’s GT S—complete with a new aero package—was quicker than last year’s winner around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Let’s suppose for a moment that the AMG had been fully functional. Where would it have placed in this year’s competition? Still mid-pack it turns out. We…

I find the best driving cars are the ones that put me in a state of flow from the very first turn of the wheel. Flow? What? Some hippie-dippie psychobabble? Perhaps, but until I got behind the wheel of our winner, the 911 Carrera S was the only car I found myself leaning with into corners, perfectly in sync, a big, stupid grin on my face. And I certainly wasn’t the only one going with this flow. “The car itself practically disappeared from my consciousness as it translated my will into motion,” Walton said. “Almost like an out-of-body experience, this out-of-car experience had me way out in front of the 911, pulling it behind me through each bend and corner.” Evans touched on one secret to the Porsche’s success: a…

Thump thump. Thump thump. A cocktail of adrenaline and outright fear is spooling my heart rate to around 150 bpm. Believe it or not, I, a summer intern, am about to drive Mazda’s ND-based Global MX-5 Cup Car around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. How’d this happen? Partly my four seasons in this MX-5’s predecessor, including one particular weekend here … where I’d both crashed and won. But it’s also the Motor Trend staff’s 100-mph sendoff following my two-month internship here. That’s the good news. The bad news is that, No. 1, I haven’t driven here in more than a year, and No. 2, Randy Pobst has been lapping here all day, and he just set a flyer. No. 3 through 22 are the staffers watching my every move, including testing…

To businesses, globalization means more markets to sell in and more opportunities to save money by standardizing and sharing products sold around the world. To consumers, it means more options clouded by the possibility of offshoring. In a world where anything can be made anywhere and sold anywhere else, the 2017 Infiniti QX30 is the car by and for the modern world. Let’s start with what it is and what it isn’t. The QX30 is the new luxury compact crossover from Infiniti. It’s the result of what can be briefly summarized as globalization. A French-Japanese auto manufacturing alliance cut a deal with a German automaker to build a crossover in England and sell it in America, among other markets. Although it’s an all-new product from Infiniti, it’s not entirely all-new;…

FIRST LOOK The Escala concept is the big, bold Cadillac we’ve been waiting for. After years of teases and rumors, the big Cadillac sedan is finally here—in concept form. We saw hints of what a no-holds-barred big Cadillac could be in the Ciel and Elmiraj concepts, but deep down, we always knew the car that could actually get built would be a proper luxury sedan. Fans have howled about a supposed “Omega-chassis” S-Class fighter waiting in the wings, and we’re not talking about the not-quitebig-enough CT6. This, the Cadillac Escala concept, is the big, bold Cadillac we’ve been waiting for. Let’s cut to the chase. The Escala, which means scale in Spanish, is a concept. Cadillac won’t commit to producing it, and the company’s R & D department has plenty…

Alive and well The gorgeous two-tone steering wheel and elegant dashboard of the Pacifica (August, “Alive and Kicking”) made me want to order a minivan. Almost. Point is: When will other automakers recognize there are other colors in interior design besides claustrophobic black, desert sand tan, and mousey gray? Time was when interiors—leather, vinyl, and fabric—were a matter of pride. They matched or intentionally contrasted with a whole palette of exterior colors. Designers went to extremes to make their interiors attractive. I own three vehicles, all with featureless black interiors, but not by choice. Enough is enough! My prime criterion next purchase: no more black. Congratulations to Chrysler for its trendsetting accomplishment. ROBERT SCHAMBIER PEORIA, ARIZONA It’s really quite shocking that in an issue with a Mustang and Camaro on…

Our inner 16-yearolds— brandishing their freshly printed driver’s licenses and ready to prowl the streets while listening to vulgar music—are smitten with the BMW M4 GTS. The M4 GTS employs a titanium exhaust “silencer” with a distinct sound, and it’s 20 percent lighter than a stainless-steel muffler, but this car doesn’t do silent. It has a carbon-fiber rear spoiler seated atop glistening aluminum uprights. Acid Orange contrast coloring liberally coats the car, particularly on the forged alloy wheels. It has an extendable carbon-fiber front splitter (the leading edge is also dipped in orange), which has two positions to pick: scrapes-over-95-percent-of-things street or scrapes-over-everything track. This M4 has also been weaponized for the diehard driver. Coil-over shock absorbers allow for mechanical adjustment of rebound and low- and high-speed compression. The Michelin…

More than 25 years after the NSX shamed Ferrari, could Honda engineers do it again? Perhaps no car in this year’s Best Driver’s Car lineup piqued more interest than the new Acura NSX. A hybrid powertrain with three electric motors. Active allwheel drive with torque vectoring. Nine-speed dual-clutch transmission. More than 25 years after they shamed Ferrari, could Honda engineers do it all over again? The short answer is, nope. Although technically interesting, visually arresting, and suitably fast, the 2017 Acura NSX isn’t a game changer. If it causes raised eyebrows in Maranello, it’ll be because the Ferrari guys, like us, were perhaps expecting all that technology to deliver more. “Most of my drive … was spent eagerly waiting for the ‘aha!’ moment when I’d clearly comprehend what Acura’s new-age…

Deserved or not, the Dodge Viper has long held a reputation for actively trying to kill its driver. Whether it be by outright speed, lack of grip, or simply exhaustion, driving a Viper has always been a workout. The new 2016 Dodge Viper ACR still is, but the snake’s been charmed—it’s now one of the most enticing track cars on the road today. The key to the Viper’s new polish lies in the letters ACR. Short for American Club Racer, the ACR package sheds some weight and adds a picnic table-sized carbonfiber rear spoiler, a front splitter, dive planes, and a host of other aero improvements, plus adjustable shocks, huge carbon-ceramic brakes, and a five-point harness for good measure. The formula is an alluring one. “It’s a brutal assault on…

Ford should’ve named this Shelby GT350R after its engine. The Voodoo 5.2-liter V-8 dominates the driving experience and all subsequent conversations. Reaching for its 8,250-rpm redline fills you with disbelief. You stare at the tachometer and ask it incredulously, “Really? Really?!” All the cars here feel special, but some only do at their limits. The GT350R’s character is ever-present because of that engine, inspiring socially irresponsible behavior at all speeds. At 8,250 rpm, its redline is the third highest in this group. Its 526 horsepower is the most of any naturally aspirated Ford engine ever. And its 429-lb-ft torque peak at 4,750 rpm is strong enough to make you short shift by mistake. Like a Ferrari V-8, the engine employs a flat-plane crank where the connecting rods attach at 180-degree…

ARRIVAL 2017 Kia Sportage EX AWD Zach Gale “The Sportage senses my approach by unfolding the side-view mirrors, but I wish I didn’t have to press a button to open the door.” @zachgale EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 21/25/23 MPG BASE PRICE $27,895 PRICE AS TESTED $32,595 The temperature display read a startling 118 degrees outside, but I couldn’t have been any cooler inside the 2017 Kia Sportage. To cope with a surprise SoCal heat wave, the Sportage did its part with air-conditioning and a feature you still don’t see much under $35,000: ventilated front seats. And although it’s cool Kia offers so many features at reasonable prices, there’s a lot more to owning a car than an impressive features list. I’m looking forward to determining how much sense this crossover…