Indholdsfortegnelse for June 2002 i MotorTrend

Time was that when a new car met a frosty response in the marketplace, the reasons were pretty apparent. You’ve got your Edsels, your Pacers, and, more recently, your Azteks, which fell flat primarily due to, um, unorthodox styling. High prices are a killer, too, and shifting exchange rates have conspired to make various foreign models unattractive because their stickers spiraled when the dollar weakened. The mid-’70s Mercury Capri and Porsche 914 suffered from higher-than-anticipated pricing that left them gasping for air. The same affliction slaughtered several Japanese sports cars in the early ’90s. Reputation and quality are inextricably inter-; twined, and we weren’t surprised when companies like Renault, Peugeot, and Fiat couldn’t move their wares when consumers had superior alternatives available to them. In the mid-’80s, it was no…

One is the tiniest BMW Its profile looks like a tightened-up 3 Series body, and its tail shows what a ragtop Acura RSX might look like. From the front, it’s pure BMW, with the traditional twin-kidneys, and inside, it’s show-car wacky. The only realistic interior element is the not-so-popular iDrive management system found in the new 7 Series. BMW’s CS1 offers a peek at “the design philosophy that characterizes the exterior of a ’small’ BMW in the future,” the automaker says. In other words, you’re looking at the Series—the new sub-3. Power comes from BMW’s 1.8L I-4 with Valvetronic valve control, making a mere 115 horses and coupled to a sequential manual. Its 215/45 front and 235/40 rear tires are mounted on 18-in. wheels.…

LOOKS DRIVES TESTS FIRST DRIVE ’03 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra How do you say “ponycar” in German? What happens when your only direct competition finally ups and dies? If you’re Ford’s Special Vehicle Team, hot off launching the Japanese performance-hatchback-beating 170-hp Focus, you target more imports. In the case of the new SVT Cobra, the latest target is BMW’s M3. Stop laughing. With the Camaro Z28/Pontiac Trans Am headed for that great drive-in in the sky, SVT’s set its sights higher and feels it has a bargain BMW-beater in the ’03Cobra. In fact, this maximum-strength Mustang does feel sufficiently refined to take a run at the M3. It’s certainly quick enough: As revealed in our March ’02 issue, the supercharged Cobra makes 390 hp and 390…

’66 International Scout The International Scout, with its 93.4-hp four-cylinder engine, was perceived as a bare-bones ride for ranchers, rangers, or cold-water campers. ’73 Ford Country Squire America’s highways and byways were awash with the ubiquitous domestic wagon loaded with families on vacation or just on the move. ’71 Chery Blazer Built on a sawn-off pickup chassis, the original Blazer offered V-8 power and anvil-simple toughness for towing and trail riding. ’84 Ford Bronco II For $14,218, you got a 115-hp V-6, a live axle with leaf springs in back, and a short 94-in. wheelbase. A best run to 60 mph took MT’s tester 14 seconds. ’84 Dodge Caravan Dodge’s seven-passenger invented its own segment, the modern minivan. DaimlerChrysler still commands nearly half this market. ’87 Toyota 4-Runner Two-wheel-drive versions…

When the Ford Expedition was introduced in ’97, it quickly topped the full-size SUV sales charts. As an SUV derivative of the F-Series pickup, the best-selling vehicle in the land, the Expedition had a lot going in its favor. Mo-bigger-better. But as scores of fresh competitors piled into the market, buyers had many new ways to spend their SUV dollar: truck-based SUVs, car-based SUVs, wagons, and even all-wheel drive minivans. And last year, Ford’s own Explorer, featuring third-row seating and a smoother-riding independent suspension, began nipping at the Expedition’s heels. Hence, an all-new second-generation Expedition for ’03. It may not look that different from an ’02, but the skin’s fresh, and there are myriad changes inside. The Expedition still represents the large, full-frame, truck-based side of the SUV spectrum, but…

Let’s cut to the chase: When it debuted in ’01, dynamically and functionally the Pontiac Aztek was a decently good vehicle. Aesthetically, however, its exterior styling was, well, kind of funny looking. Its space-age, geometric body panels scared off most buyers before they could even get any seat time to experience the civilized driving manners and Swiss-Army-Knife-like utility of the Aztek. But based on dismal ’01 sales figures, much of the Aztek’s original youth-oriented and adventuresome outer styling has been redone for the ’02 model. Gone are the dorky wheels, the heavy bodyside cladding, and the multicolored body panels. New are cleaner shapes, a monotone paint scheme, and sporty 17-in. five-spoke wheels. The new look is mellower, yet it still has enough funky edge left to compete with other players…

OKAY: ITS ACTUALLY 500 HORSEPOWER. 500 POUNDS-FEET of torque, and 506.5 cubic inches. But we’ re not going to get persnickety with Dodge over those few extra cubes. These are impressive numbers, any way you make them. We first saw the ’03 Viper SRT-10 as one of the stars of last year’s Detroit Auto Show, the same venue at which the original Viper concept car created production life and legend for itself a little more than a decade earlier. With the exception of the fact that it’s still made by Dodge, still has 10 naturally aspirated cylinders, and still will melt the rear skins right off the wheels, next year’s Viper is a largely new piece. “Five hundred has always been a magic number.” notes John Fernandez, ultimately in charge…

’02 Subaru WRX Sport Wagon With its rally-inspired handling, powertrain, and looks, our WRX wagon has left many editors feeling like they’re Tommi Makinen after a stint behind the wheel. Or, as Senior Shooter Kiwi notes, “I particularly enjoy blowing off unsuspecting Mustang owners.” Our Subie is a textbook Jekyll/Hyde commuter: docile when the traffic is thick or when the kids are strapped in the rear seat, and a thrill ride on canyon two-lanes or back-country roads. At the 3000-mile mark, we changed the oil (cost: $0) and swapped the standard 16-in. rolling stock for a set of Subaru’s optional 17-in. BBS alloys wrapped in 215/45R17 Bridgestone Potenza RE011 s. The change in rubber was good for an extra 2 mph through our slalom test, posting a 65-mph pass. The…

When Honda introduced the Accord in 76, no one fathomed it would someday —successfully—contest bragging rights as America’s best-selling car. Throughout its 26-year tenure, the Accord remained dedicated to two main tenets: value and quality. While all used Accords tend to be long-running value-holders, the sixth generation (’98-’O1) models bear special mention: Larger by some 7 cu ft over its predecessor, the Accord moved from compact to midsize status. Available as coupe or sedan, base DX four-doors receive a 2.3L/135-hp SOHC I-4 (a far cry from the 1,6L/68-hp I-4 it had in 76), midlevel LX and uplevel EX coupes/sedans get a 150-hp variant or optional 3.0L/200-hp SOHC V-6. Four-speed autos are standard on the V-6, while the fours receive five-speed manuals (the autobox is an option). With regular maintenance, Accords…

Compact-disc players. Navigation systems. One-touch power moonroofs. Leather upholstered seats that can heat your buns. Cupholders by the dozen. This is the stuff car (and truck and SUV and crossover) makers make nowadays. And, understandably, people want. You won’t find any of the above in this Toyota Land Cruiser FJ45 wagon. Nossir, it’s as sturdy as steel because it’s made mostly of steel. You were lucky to get some hard vinyl on the seats, and maybe a little rubber matting on the floor, but that’s the extent of its luxury trappings. Suspension: crude and tough in the form of solid axles with leaf springs front and rear. A fuel-injected DOHC V-8? Nope; just a tough-as-nails inline-six. Note the dealer license frame on this truck; the shot was taken in 1963,…

Up-to-the-Minute Coverage For extended coverage of the Geneva Motor Show, visit Motor Trend Online (motortrend.com) where you’ll find highlights from this extravagant event. More than 30 production and concept vehicles are featured online, including the Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible, Ferrari 575M Maranello, Porsche Cayenne, and the Maybach ultra-lux sedan. While at MT Online, be sure to also tour the New York Auto Show coverage. trucktrend.com The Wait Is Over Truck Trend Online (found at www.truck-trend.com) is dedicated to getting the latest and greatest to truck and SUV lovers around the world. In fact, the most recent news to light up those rabid about torque, horsepower, and brute strength is the debut of the new Dodge Ram Heavy Duty. Both the 2500 and 3500 monster pickups will offer the long-awaited all-new…

We’re back from the Geneva Auto Show with ’ the scoop on too many cool cars, concepts, and crossovers we can’t buy here. Though the sport/utility is still having its way in the sales universe, there’s hope for luxury coupes and converts in the form of an upcoming Volvo, among * others. Also heard around the water cooler: A V-8 for Cad’s newest sport sedan, more heritage t design from Chevy, an expensive Volkswagen, and a cheap BMW. Times remain a-changing. CTSi V-8— Why not put a V-8 in the Cadillac CTS? Originally, the answer was that Cadillac didn’t want its new entry-level luxury sport sedan to encroach on the ’04 replacement for its Seville, named STS. Now comes word that the high-performance version, called CTSi, will be offered with…

Here comes the big Bug VW Chairman Bernd Pischetsrieder would not have approved the plans of his old employer, BMW, to build the 1 Series. “Moving a brand upmarket is not as hard as going downward,” he said at Geneva, where his new employer, Volkswagen, unveiled the 199-in.-long Phaeton. The VeeDubLux sedan launches in Europe with a standard 3.2L V-6 this summer and in North America a year later with a 4.2L V-8 standard. Horsepower will be somewhere between the Audi A8L’s 310 and the S8’s 360, VW promises. It’s this engine that’s delaying U.S. introduction: VW says it can’t launch the car here without an eight-cylinder version. But the Phaeton’s flagship engine for both continents will be the hot ticket a 48-valve 420-hp 406 Ib-ft W-12 (transmitted to 4Motion…

Next thing in luxury SUVs? Cadillac won’t take over the Bravada sport/utility vehicle, after all. when Oldsmobile goes out of business in a couple years. Instead, the Bravada will get a Buick nose, while Caddy’s competition for the midsize (Ford Explorer-based) Lincoln Aviator will be its new. cutting-edge crossover, the SRX. That Cadillac is taking on a full body-on-frame truck-based SUV with a unibody crossover indicates a major shift in the market. Both Cadillac with its Escalade and Lincoln with its Navigator have carved a special niche with big. V-8-powered SUVs. The SRX is much sleeker and more carlike than the Aviator will be: it even outdoes the BMW X5 and Acura MDX on this count. At roughly 66 in. tall, the SRX is 2.7 in. shorter than the MDX…

What did minivans do to deserve such disrespect? How did they fall from grace, despite architecture that makes them the unchallenged champions of space efficiency, flexibility, and sheer usefulness? Huge inside for their size, multiconfigurable, allowing freedom of movement among seat rows, minivans are as smart and slick as family trans port gets. But no one wants to be seen in one, not even an example as lavishly trimmed as our test Chrysler Town & Country. The standard assumption is that younger drivers, especially, look down on minivans as the sort of thing their moms would drive, and as with station wagons a generation before— they’re not aroused. But, frankly, the modern minivan doesn’t try very hard to be a lust object. Overall performance is modest, styling tends to be…

Representing the midsize, traditional full-frame sport/utility segment in this exercise is the Chevrolet TrailBlazer. While the previous-generation Blazer lacked adequate on-road handling and ride manners, the new for ’02 TrailBlazer is light years ahead in these areas. This is due mainly to the 1 all-new platform shared by the? TrailBlazer, Oldsmobile Bravada, and | our ’02 Sport/Utility of the Year, the 3 GMC Envoy. At the heart of this new setup is a larger structure highlighted by hydroformed frame rails, and it’s these rails that are at the center of the sport/utility debate. With them, an SUV is considered more rugged and able to tow larger loads, yet this often comes at the cost of a comfortable ride. Because of this, many feel that, without a full frame, a sport/utility…

Osamu Shikado Design Manager Daimler Chrysler Advance Packaging Studio It took Osamu Shikado, design manager, DaimlerChrysler Advance Packaging Studio, about five minutes to sketch for us this rendering of his most recent design project—although he worked on the ’03 SRT-10 for much longer than that. The new Viper represents a considerable departure for this Osaka, Japan-born designer; his previous gig was with Toyota, where he worked on all manner of Camrys and Corollas. The Viper GTS-R concept of 2000 was by no means his first design-study project since coming to the U.S.; he also designed the stunning Chrysler Chronos concept of ’98 and ’99’s Chrysler Citadel. The Viper, however, is his magnum opus to date, and he comments that “it’s an honor to redesign an American icon."—M.S.…

John Lingenfelter is as good a Corvette tuner as any—actually, better than most. He’s always happy to let us (and others) test his cars against all comers, bring what they may. So this time, we brought something that would give his latest road rocket a run for its proverbial pink slip. A hot Viper, Ferrari, or Porsche? Nah. How about an F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet? In this modern-day reprise of an ’84 Motor Trend cover story (see “Archive,” this issue), we celebrate two very different brands of performance: a ground runner that’s fast enough to fly and a flyer that would surely own the land-speed record—if only it wouldn’t leave the ground in the process. Professional performance freaks live on one-upsmanship. A few years back, Lingenfelter Performance Engineering (LPE) built…

Monaco is the town. Monte Carlo is the country or, rather, principality (in Montecarlese, that’s principaute, to be said with pinkie extended). There’s been a championship rally bearing the principality’s name since 1911, taking stretch breaks for 20 of those years, while guys with monikers like Adolf wandered far from home to do some repressing. Things are nicer now. Other than tax evasion as the national racket sport (wordplay intended), there’s little to actually do in the principality. It’s idle richness at work. Until the circus comes to town. Not Monaco’s Formula One circus in late May; rather, it’s mid-January’s Monte Carlo Rally, otherwise known as Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo, which marks the start of the World Rally Championship (WRC) season. Over three days and 15 race stages with conditions varying…

Peter Horbury is among today’s hottest automotive designers. Volvo’s design chief has turned the western world’s boxiest lineup of sedans into voluptuous S80s, C70s, S60s, and the like. But even voluptuous design can’t sell coupes to an SUV/crossover/sedan-happy upper-middle-class car-buying public. The current C70 coupe and cabrio will disappear within a year in favor of a smaller, less-expensive S60-based vario, badged C60. Volvo has reportedly dropped plans for a fixed-top coupe/traditional ragtop one-two for just one new car, with a Mercedes-Benz SLK-style folding metal top. Engines will include the usual low- and high-pressure turbo I-5s, plus a 300-hp version, connected to a six-speed manual, shown in the V80 and V70 Performance Concept Cars. Look for the C60’s debut as early as this fall’s Paris Motor Show.…

The rules, theme, entry information, and deadlines for this year’s Motor Trend International Design Contest have been announced. The contest brief encompasses redesigning your favorite racing machine, from the series of your choice, for the year 2020. Get the details and download an entry packet at www.mtdesigncontest.com or link to it via www.motortrend.com. Good luck! SPIED OPEL SIGNUM/CHEVROLET MALIBU This spy shot is of the new Epsilon-platformed Opel Signum, an 04 model hatch/Wagonback based on the mid-S size Vectra sedan that debuted at the Geneva show. The other shot is of Opel’s new 03 Vectra midsize car, but it’s also the next Chevy Malibu. The ’04 Malibu will consist of two body styles, built on Epsilon: a standard four-door sedan and the extended sedan hatch/wagon. The Malibu will have slightly…

AMERICANS HAVE AN ALMOST IRRATIONAL LOVE for sport/utility vehicles. Arguably, many SUVs are unwieldy, some are expensive, only a few ever go off-road, and many drink too much gas—but we still love them like crazy. Our romantic side adores their adventurous and often upscale image; our practical nature seeks to fill the need for safely transporting the family, securely handling light cargo, and towing trailers. Irrational? Maybe. Insane? No. In fact, one mental-health expert we talked to finds America’s SUV obsession fairly reasonable. “Sport/utility vehicles project a more masculine image associated with camping and the outdoors,” explains Dr. Michael Abramsky, a clinical psychologist, sports-car enthusiast, and sometime Ford Explorer driver. “SUVs are very practical in some ways, but they’re also relaxed, rugged-individualist, American-style fashion, like Eddie Bauer and Ralph Lauren.…

While Part One of this story gives an historical and forward-looking account of the SUV/crossover phenom, Part Two is a snapshot of what’s currently available in the family hauling arena. For this test, we chose six vehicles that represent four distinctly different categories in the ever-growing utility-vehicle market wagons, minivans, midsize sport/utilities, and full-size sport/utilities. Even though they’re aimed at different buyers, the characteristics shared by each include the ability to haul cargo and people, along with off-pavement capability. Just how much gear and how many passengers you want to transport, combined with how far off-road you want to go and how you want to be perceived behind the wheel are the major factors in picking one over another. Our goal is to see how each holds true to its…

Funny how nothing is new, just revisited. Some 20 years ago, station wagons were about to be eclipsed by the introduction of the minivan. The large car-based cargo-carrying conveyance was handy, but it was what Mom and Pop drove. Overnight, everyone had to be in the one-box design. A wagon in the driveway meant being uncool, behind the automotive curve, and not everyone wanted to drive one. Enter the sport/utility vehicle. Able to carry a respectable load, it had a macho air, even if it was more vehicle than most people really needed. Fast forward to present day, and the ubiquitous minivan has become the I last vehicle young drivers want to be seen in. Too much like Mom’s drive. SUVs have grown to frightful proportions while possessing questionable utility.…

Some say the smart people show up to the party a little late—gives them extra time to prepare, they can size up the mood of the room, and then decide where they want to fit in. Clearly, the all-new Honda Pilot is just such a latecomer. Based off the Honda Odyssey platform and sharing all of its drivetrain components with the more-refined Acura MDX, the Pilot could be the closest shot to date from an SUV manufacturer aiming for that ever-elusive moving target. SUVs and crossovers typically have split in two directions: truck platforms versus car platforms. However, some carmakers have noticed SUVs are solving many of the problems that make minivans a good choice, but without the alarming soccer-mom stigma. Although late to the party, Honda’s solution was to…

VALENCIA, SPAIN-WHILE CARVING ALONG TWO-LANE RIBBONS THAT snake through the hills above this tabled city, we finally came across the right spot to let our all-new Mercedes-Benz E500 off its leash. Requiring no more than a quick pedal stab followed by a slick downshift, it devoured the next 30 miles of bobbing pavement like an Enron document shredder inhaling memos from Accounting. In truth, we ran out of cop-spotting mental focus long before the car exhausted its muscle, brakes, or cornering ability. It made sense that this in-flight demo revealed familiar Mercedes-Benz mechanical polish. The surprise was a refreshing slice of driving fun, something not present in most previous E-Class models. Actually, the ’03 E-Class was full of nice surprises. One of them wasn’t the car’s impressive acceleration; with a…

If, 10 years ago, we’d have told you that at least three premium-luxury carmakers would he trafficking in trucks and sport/utility vehicles, you’d have laughed us I right off the newsstand. Well. Cadillac, Lincoln, and Mercedes-Benz build and sell SUVs, and they’re dead serious about it. In fact, the two domestic marques offer both a truck and a sport/utility, and each is working on a second-tier sport/utility as we speak. Along with this market segments exponential growth has come a similarly timed increase in the demand for luxury-branded goods. In other words, people want nice stuff with lots of features, along with perceptions of quality, capability, and status. Put these two trends in a blender, and the result is premium SUVs. Besides toughness and real four-wheel-drive capability, lux-truck buyers are…

KEY: T =turbocharged, S = supercharged, 0 = diesel. M = manual. A = automatic, SA = semi-automatic KEY: T =turbocharged. S = supercharged. D = diesel, M = manual, A = automatic, SA = semi-automatic KEY: T = turbocharged, S = supercharged, D = diesel. M = manual, A = automatic, SA = semi-automatic KEY: T = turbocharged, S - supercharged, D diesel. M = manual, A = automatic, SA = semi-automatic KEY: T s turbocharged, S = supercharged, D = diesel, M = manual, A = automatic. SA = semi-automatic KEY: T = turbocharged, S = supercharged, D = diesel. M = manual, A = automatic, SA = semi-automatic KEY: T = turbocharged, S = supercharged, D = diesel. M = manual, A = automatic, SA = semi-automatic…