Indholdsfortegnelse for July 2013 i Car and Driver

Hosted By ED. Sic your dogs on us at: editors@caranddriver.com or join the discussion at: backfires.caranddriver.com GOING RIGHT A couple of things about your April "25 Cars Worth Waiting For": First off, give whoever was writing the one-liners in the "What Might Go Wrong" sections a raise. I found myself chuckling and skipping ahead to read it in each section first. You definitely have a lifetime reader here. And seriously, give the one-liner guy all the money. DAN CRYER LAS VEGAS, NEVADA THE WAITING GAME Note to Chevy Marketing: When you work up the ads for the SS, make sure every picture of this car is a side view. GM isn't making enough money to afford the bill for the dozens of camera lenses that will be destroyed…

THE ROBOT APOCALYPSE THE SENSORS Not only do S-CLASS OWNERS live better than you, but their cars see better, too. The 2014 edition certainly has more eyes. Encircled by cameras, radar transceivers, and ultrasonic sensors, it monitors traffic, tracks pedestrians, and even watches your back. Here are the systems by which the new S accelerates, steers, stops, and parks itself. SMART DRIVING SYSTEMS ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL WITH STEERING ASSIST Here, Mercedes adds steering to the cruise-control mix. The power steering's electric motor applies torque to keep the car centered in its lane on straights and in gentle curves. Even where there are no lane markings, the S-class will autonomously follow the car in front, provided it's traveling at less than 37 mph. ADAPTIVE HEADLIGHTS Shutters in the LED headlamps shape…

TWO DRIVEN WHEELS The Rokon Trail-breaker is a lightweight, balloon-tired, two-wheel-drive motorcycle designed to go anywhere. New Hampshire-based Rokon calls itself America's second-oldest motorcycle manufacturer (behind that Milwaukee outfit), and the current machine's clever design has changed little since the 1958 original. A 7-hp engine and a 29-mph top speed are plenty in this application—the bike's not street legal, and you wouldn't want to go much faster anyway. The Trail-Breaker's front suspension has a claimed eight inches of travel to soften any blows that might come up through the handlebars, and a single coil-over damper supports the seat. But be warned that the fat tires and your body are the primary dampers. This posed no problem on our flat office floors. After cruising the cube farm, we headed to the…

Among the unexpected things that Jay Harvey Robinson did during his life was buy an army-green 1978 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 out of the newspaper for $1500. He said he thought it would be "kinda fun." In fact, it was an antisocial cube made out of rust, noise, and mechanical disaster. Dad started calling it "the Land Smasher," and I have no memory of him ever driving it. Instead, my sister and I shared it for a few Michigan winters, after which the road could be seen passing underneath. Youth is a time for bad decisions, and an FJ40 is an excellent catalyst. I once turned up four hours late for dinner, encrusted to my frostbitten knees with muck and being followed by a tow-truck driver demanding $150 in cash.…

COMPARO WE PUT SIX HIGH-FIBER FOUR-DOORS ON the Road to Wellville. july TWENTY THIRTEEN caranddriver.com — The house that Corn Flakes built: Kellogg Manor, constructed by W.K. Kellogg in 1926. — CHRYSLER 300S PRICE: $37,925 • POWER: 300 hp TORQUE: 264 lb-ft • WEIGHT: 4101 lb C/D OBSERVED MPG: 22 2014 KIA CADENZA PRICE: $41,900 • POWER: 293 hp TORQUE: 255 lb-ft • WEIGHT: 3789 lb C/D OBSERVED MPG: 25 TOYOTA AVALON XLE PRICE: $36,549 • POWER: 268 hp TORQUE: 248 lb-ft • WEIGHT: 3521 lb C/D OBSERVED MPG: 24 HYUNDAI AZERA PRICE: $37,290 • POWER: 293 hp TORQUE: 255 lb-ft • WEIGHT: 3791 lb C/D OBSERVED MPG: 24 DODGE CHARGER SXT PRICE: $37,810 • POWER: 300 hp TORQUE: 264 lb-ft • WEIGHT: 4122 lb C/D OBSERVED MPG: 22…

A BONUS FEATURE from the editors of THE HEARST MEN'S ENTHUSIAST GROUP* The garage isn't just a place to park cars. It's a storage shed, a shop, a hangout, an office, and even a place to get the band back together, man. What was once merely a permanent structure to keep your car out of the elements has evolved into the focal point of many homes. Only the kitchen gets more attention, yet the garage offers far more possibilities. Attached or free-standing, with one, two, or three parking spaces, the potential of a big empty space is only limited by your imagination and willingness to spend. This special section is meant to guide two kinds of people: The first is garage owners who want to organize the mess they have;…

The Audi R8 has always been a starter supercar, a toe into the high-g waters. It doesn't wear an exotic badge, and it won't trigger too many adverse assumptions about your manhood. Other supercars are riskier, wilder, more dangerous, less defensible. They test you by draining their batteries while at rest in the garage. They demand that you regularly remove the engines for new spark plugs. Just how invested are you in the whole supercar lifestyle, anyway? Do you even own an Ed Hardy shirt? Indeed, most supercar owners are more like zookeepers than drivers. Actually driving one is the rare reward for all the feeding, protecting, and preening. The R8 isn't like that, though. For all of its lofty perform ance and aluminum construction, it behaves pretty much like…

WHAT WE SAID: "The [Miata] is alive with sensations, starting with steering that feels very direct and impressively natural." — C/D, OCTOBER 2011 CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED CARS 2006-12 Since its introduction in 1989, the Mazda MX-5 Miata has been the definitive affordable sports car. Though the third generation (2006–present) is the most civilized and most expensive Miata ever, it retains its elegant simplicity and remains one of the most responsive cars on sale today. There's a healthy market for used Miatas of all ages, but for everyday transportation (as opposed to racing), the latest versions are the better choices. Newer cars are generally healthier to begin with; if you opt for one in certified pre-owned (CPO) form, you should be in for a lot of fun, trouble-free…

MODERN CARS COME WITH A maintenance regimen recommended by the manufacturer, but some dealers will try to sell you their own more expensive plan with extra, often needless services. If you let them. Don't. A substantial share of a dealership's profit comes from its service department. The more it can charge for service, the more money the dealer banks. The over-servicing of vehicles can elevate the practice of good, proactive maintenance into a criminal scam. In the early 1990s, Car and Driver's then technical director and subsequent editor-in-chief, Csaba Csere, testified before a congressional subcommittee about these sometimes fraudulent dealer practices. To avoid them, follow these three steps: 1. READ YOUR OWNER'S MANUAL. Pay heed to it. Don't get drawn in by a pamphlet at the dealership's service desk. It…

IT WAS A NAIL-BITER FOR SURE. Fisker, the company, seemed to lurch from disaster to disaster in its short half-decade. When it wasn't defending itself against charges that it took a government loan to build cars in Finland, Fisker was busy reassuring buyers that its cars' most reliable feature wasn't a propensity to catch fire. As I write this, Fisker has just laid off most of its employees and is preparing to file for bankruptcy. At the story's center is the guy who just left the company that bears his name. Henrik Fisker is a man with talent, vision, and ego in appropriate proportion, and he built a damn fine car to back it up. And though Henrik may go down in history as Preston Tucker's rightful heir, we shouldn't…

In 2007, Honda had plans to distribute 200 fuel-cell FCX Clarities to SoCal lessees. Then the economy tanked. Then the Tohoku earthquake damaged the FCX's production facility. Total output: just 26 cars. No energy forecaster, government expert, or Ouija board can say when hydrogen will graduate from experimental fleets to our cars and trucks. But in some industries, hydrogen is already the fuel of choice. BMW has 230 hydrogen-powered forklifts, stackers, and tuggers (tractors) in daily use at its sprawling Spartanburg, South Carolina, manufacturing plant. To test these hydrogen pioneers, we delivered a trainload of parts to the assembly line with a stand-up-control materials mover. Driving a tugger is the most fun you can have at 3 to 6 mph. Even with a three-car train of parts in tow, there's…

To the casual OBSERVER, Mazda appears to be on a hot streak. The new 6 is great and just beat the Honda Accord in our comparison testing. The CX-5's 43,319 sales in 2012—the highest for a Mazda crossover in nearly a decade—helped propel the company to its best year since 2007. The company expects 300,000 U.S. sales in 2013, a mark it hasn't hit in almost 20 years, and in February, its stock soared 12 percent on increased 2012 profits, a huge gain after four straight years of financial losses. Despite all this, Mazda's future is wracked with uncertainty, a worrisome notion for those who love affordable fun cars. Mazda's divorce from 30-year-plus partner Ford deprived the Japanese brand of critical economies of scale, greatly increasing its costs. And last…

FORD FOCUS ST PRICE: $29,525 • POWER: 247 hp • TORQUE: 266 lb-ft • WEIGHT: 3232 lb • C/D OBSERVED MPG: 20 2015 VOLKSWAGEN GTI PRICE: $31,000 (est) • POWER: 217 hp • TORQUE: 258 lb-ft • WEIGHT: 3057 lb • C/D OBSERVED MPG: 22 At roadside cafeterias in France, next to the napkins, cutlery, and plastic trays, are baskets of free dinner rolls. Hungry? Take as much as you want; bread is as free as air. We have to assume that this is a legacy of the French Revolution. No need to steal, Jean Valjean. The struggle is over. Everyone is equal and no one will go hungry. Put away the guillotine. Parked outside the cafeteria is a 2015 Volkswagen GTI, the seventh generation of the hatchback…

If you drove a Volkswagen XL1, you'd be unlikely to encounter anything like it coming the other way. That's because VW plans to build only 250 copies of its 283-mpg hyper-hybrid, and also because GM long ago crushed most of its EV1s, from which the XL1 looks almost entirely plagiarized. Here's another example of VW chairman Ferdinand Piëch going to extremes—in this case, to show his many critics in the German Green Party where to stick it. The XL1 is 1800 pounds of carbon fiber, aluminum, and plastic propelled by a two-cylinder turbo-diesel engine sharing the trunk with an electric motor. As of this writing, this Karmann Ghia of tomorrow may be sold or leased, VW hasn't decided, but any sticker price should exceed $120,000. Sorry; European distribution only. Just…

THIS MONTH CHEVROLET SONIC RS / 2014 AUDI R8 V-10 PLUS / MERCEDES-BENZ SL65 AMG / BMW 650i xDRIVE GRAN COUPE Diving into the Porsche 911 end of the sports-car pool after a four-decade soak in the GT and sedan spa seems suicidal. Just be grateful that Jaguar finally realized that its technology, honed while fighting the German and Asian juggernauts, shouldn't be exclusive to cars with a surfeit of seats and doors. By growling at the 911, Jaguar is confirming that its F-type is an earnest return to two-seat roadsters. Driving it on Spain's Navarra circuit and through mountain passes near Pamplona revealed that the F-type pays no homage to the E-type roadster or any other past Jaguar. Compared with the spear-like E, the F is a billy club.…

The Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG is a serial killer. It's straight-up, put-the-lotion-in-the-basket crazy. There's but a thin crust of civility over a roiling center of completely freakin' nuts. It's the relatively unassuming look of the thing. To the uninitiated, the SL65 looks like a sane SL550. But it is something other than sane. With a base price of $214,445, the 621-hp twin-turbo V-12 SL65 is the most expensive roadster in the Mercedes lineup, because, says Mercedes, some buyers simply want the top-shelf car that others can't afford. We thought those guys would be inclined toward the more extroverted SLS AMG GT roadster, but unfortunately that one is less expensive at only $208,605. It's also less powerful, by 38 horsepower. Besides, the SLS looks like a mechanical phallus. It's so … overt.…

You've leased a new car, but you decide you really don't like it. Or maybe you realize you can't afford the payments, or parking it at your downtown loft is a hassle, or that you're a Zipcar guy after all. What are your options? If you turn the car back in, breaking the lease will cost you anywhere from a bundle to a truckload. A much cheaper alternative might be a lease swap. What's a lease swap? Well, unlike a wife swap, it's permanent: Essentially, you find someone with good credit who wants your car and is willing to assume the lease payments, and you walk away. Several websites can help you find people looking to slip behind the wheel of your financial responsibilities. Among them are swapalease.com, leasetrader.com, and…

2000-03 When it was unleashed upon the world, the $73,874 V-8–powered 2000 BMW M5 was immediately and universally hailed as the apex of the 1997–2003 E39 BMW 5-series. This M5 instantly won our hearts and endures as a Car and Driver favorite, even after a V-10–equipped M5 replaced it. Depreciation has put this spectacular car within reach of anyone who can afford a Toyota Camry or even a Corolla, and careful scrutiny could land you a deal. That is, if you avoid some very pricey pitfalls. — james tate ENGINE: The joy of this 394-hp V-8 can turn to suffering if seals fail inside the engine's two double-VANOS variable-valve-timing units—which use oil pressure to change intake and exhaust cam timing. BMW's solution is to swap the entire unit at more…

INVENTED WORDS DEPT. CUSHIONBAG — An airbag in each rear seat's bottom cushion that keeps a reclined passenger from submarining under the seatbelt in a crash. Rather than a deployable crotch pylon, this ramp-shaped bag rotates the pelvis to give the lap belt better grip. Carbon-fiber MISSILES with horse or bull badges might attract more attention, but few cars command the respect of an S-class. Mercedes-Benz's flagship is globally recognized as the unofficial—except in cases where it's official—transport of powerful people on all three sides of the law: right, wrong, and above. Its flawless comportment, industry-leading technological suite, and lavish interior have made the S-class an icon. But buyers in this market are uncompromising by their very nature. For 2014, the regal Benz gets redesigned with more of everything that…

IMPORTS AND EXPORTS GLOBAL ENTRY PROGRAM Ever get nervous PASSING THROUGH CUSTOMS, feeling like those steely-eyed agents are unduly suspicious? By comparison, new cars have it easy, usually entering the country with little more than an electronic data exchange. Twenty percent of the 14.5 million new vehicles sold in 2012 were built overseas and arrived via 19 American seaports. While neither Canadian- nor Mexican-built vehicles are usually counted as "imports," our NAFTA partners shipped an additional 3.5 million vehicles into the U.S. last year. Upon arrival, all of these cars and trucks undergo some manner of processing, from an inspection and "throw-ins," such as floor mats, to damage repair and the installation of accessories. Here's where vehicles get their passports stamped: ALL-AMERICAN Globalization means that even domestic automakers are importers,…

Last month, I discovered that 21 percent of U.S. car buyers eschew any sort of test drive, and I pedantically waved the metaphorical finger of shame. I mean, when I was a kid, I wouldn't even shoplift red licorice unless I sampled its freshness first, which was actually two crimes, although I always pleaded double jeopardy. Of course, it's also true that, for some shoppers, a test drive is a bad idea, like studying your hospital bill. Test drives can be a petri dish for vehicular mayhem. Among drives gone wrong, my favorite belongs to Keith Bransford, 55, now retired in Maui. Thirteen years ago, however, he was a mechanic for Porsche's race team, Champion Racing, in Pompano Beach, Florida. Here's how Keith remembers it: "We'd just bought a Lola…

AFTER 250 MILES OF MONDAY, ENDURING EXACTLY WHAT most people expect of Ohio—dead-flat, straight pavement overpopulated with vigilant traffic enforcers—the sight of state highway 664 rolling into view through the windshield comes as a reward for good behavior. The kind of road that promises a workout, Route 664 slithers south out of Logan, carrying us toward the Hocking Hills and Car and Driver's Midwestern driving roads of choice. By the time we've made the turn at the Lazy W airport, a Nissan Altima looms in the mirror, striving to catch up to our 2014 Aston Martin Vanquish, the brand's elaborately detailed top-holer. Its driver tries to snag a cellphone pic, a mission that's distracted many others during our five-hour slog from Ann Arbor. Cobalt-blue paint draws them like bees to…

"It's reality plus 30 percent," explains Justin Lin about the outsize action in the four Fast & Furious films he has directed. "We take everything that step beyond." However, that step beyond, that leap from live action to full seat-rattling mayhem, takes people, cars, two years, logistics that span the globe, and a thick layer of technology. Plus bags and bags of cash. This isn't the early 1970s, when a relatively small crew could film street-level mayhem on a shoestring. And today's audiences won't accept the crappy, computer-generated car imagery that was the standard a decade ago. State of the art in 2013 means combining elements lavishly filmed at locations around the world with digital effects carefully crafted to blend in unnoticed. Lin's latest—and, likely, last—film in the series is…

After years of diluting its fabled SS badge, Chevrolet has sworn off applying it to models that are unworthy and unfun. But hold the applause, as there's another letter sequence that wears the double-sided sticky tape: RS. This less-fondly remembered moniker, which is "a throwback to 'Rally Sport,' " according to a Chevy spokeswoman, now goes on bow-tie-brand cosmetology projects. After driving the new-for-2013 Sonic RS, however, we'd suggest that RS stands for "Rather Subtle." Or, perhaps, "Regular Sonic." It does not mean more power for the turbocharged, 1.4-liter four-cylinder, which still makes 138 horses. It does not denote stickier tires on larger wheels, as the same all-season, 17-inch Hankook Optimos offered in LTZ trim also appear here. Indeed, the $20,995 Sonic RS is not so much a special model…

We'd guess that few people climb into a BMW 5-series and say to themselves, "You know, I like it. I just wish it had less space inside." Nonetheless: wish granted. The 6-series Gran Coupe, built on the same architecture as the 5, down to its shared 116.9-inch wheelbase, is very much a 5-series with 0.8 inch less rear legroom and 1.3 inches less rear headroom. If this presents a problem, maybe you need to associate with shorter people. Because the 650i GC's silhouette is the sort of sultry form that seizes onlookers' attention until they walk into a street sign or fall down a manhole. Inside or out, the car has nary a bad angle or misdirected cue. As lovely as its design is, the GC's 4.4-liter engine is just…

WHAT WE SAID: "After six months of selling cars … my conscience had been reduced to: sale = right, customer leaves = wrong." — C/D, MAY 2006 Humility about one's own knowledge and abilities is the key to finding success in life. With that profound fortune-cookie philosophy in mind, let's deal with five myths that, should you naively accept them, will prevent you from scoring a great deal when buying a new car. And the myths we've chosen are just five among hundreds. A friendly Southern California Porsche/Mercedes-Benz sales veteran—who prefers anonymity—helped us separate fact from fiction. A second salesperson, this one from the East Coast, also weighed in [see "On the Marks," below]. Quoth the SoCal gent: "It's like someone wrote a how-to-get-the-best-deal book 10 or 15…