Indholdsfortegnelse for January 2022 i Car and Driver

IN THE FOLD Your October 2021 cover made me laugh. “Pay Less,” “Cheap & Fast.” Sounds like the first online date I went on. —Kristopher ContrerasMiami, FL THE COUNT I read the entire October 2021 new-cars issue while waiting in line at the county treasurer’s office to pick up personalized plates for my car. Thanks for your efforts, but I could’ve used another 16 pages. —Bob DickelmanJohnston, IA Well, you could’ve told us what you got on your personalized plates, but here we are—Ed. ROLLOUT Very clever, C/D, to use song titles for all the new-cars headlines in the October 2021 issue. I especially appreciated your use of “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “Like a Surgeon” for the Hyundai Santa Cruz—most people ignore parodies for the original, but I think that song…

Ever since the advent of the iPad, I’ve questioned the value of factory in-car video entertainment systems. You’re going to pay extra for a pair of screens in your car? An iPad is now $329, and it isn’t glued to your headrest. But I’ve experienced a change of heart, a glorious enlightenment revealing that the path to seatback entertainment nirvana is not through a tablet. We need to save the DVD players. My 2020 Chrysler Pacifica has all manner of rear-seat video options, including HDMI ports. But the DVD player is our road-trip default. If you want to watch a movie in a car, the digital versatile disc is the ideal option. It doesn’t require batteries or broadband. You don’t have to pair it with anything. DVDs are cheap and…

For decades we’d staged our 10Best testing at a Boy Scout camp near Chelsea and Pinckney, Michigan. This year we had to find a new home, but we wanted to remain near the roads that make up the 10Best loop. That led us to North Star Reach, a therapeutic camp for families with children who have chronic or life-threatening illnesses or have just undergone an organ transplant. It’s part of the SeriousFun Children’s Network founded by Paul Newman. To find out more about the camp and the good work it does, visit NorthStarReach.org.…

TOYOTA SIENNA A dull powertrain that works well and gets you driving responsibly, which isn’t easy to get the C/D staff to do. —Tony Quiroga An efficient family hauler that helps out the family budget makes all kinds of sense. —Rich Ceppos TOYOTA VENZA Put into malaise-era context, if the RAV4 is a Chevy Malibu, the Venza is a Monte Carlo. —Joe Lorio VOLKSWAGEN GOLF R No longer feels like a junior Audi, just a nice VW. —Mike Sutton VOLKSWAGEN ID.4 Anyone who writes it off for being slow isn’t paying enough attention to its ride quality, solidity, and interior solitude. —Dave VanderWerp VOLKSWAGEN TAOS A refined offering, but please bring back the base Golf. —David Beard…

HUMMER CHIEF ENGINEER AL OPPENHEISER SEES a lot of trucks on his commute from the northern suburbs of Detroit. To sway their owners to his new electric vehicle, Oppenheiser recognized that the GMC Hummer EV had to knock their socks off. Convincing folks who drive V-8-powered pickups that an electric can be fun and exciting would require a standout design and lights-out performance. Fortunately, Oppenheiser knows a thing or two about that. He’s also the engineer behind the 650-hp Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. We briefly drove a prototype of his latest creation: a 9000-plus-pound, 1000-hp, three-motor, removable-roof pickup. Even without confirmation from our test gear, we’re pretty sure he nailed the performance part. We weren’t allowed to sample the Watts to Freedom (WTF) launch-control mode—a name that deserves the eye…

Spoiler alert: I did it. I got faster. In late 2020, I decided I’d try to keep up with our Lightning Lap drivers at the next version of our running of the bulls. I was pretty certain that with some training I would get at least a little bit faster, but readers, I got a lot faster. And I was going to hold off and tell you all about it in our February/March issue, but then life did what it does and moved forward on its own terms. I’m deeply sad to say that the last day of our putting this issue to bed was my last as editor-in-chief. I’m moving on to direct content strategy for all of Hearst’s automotive brands, focusing on videos, podcasts, and other digital stuff.…

AVERAGE COST OF CARS AND LIGHT TRUCKS SOURCE: U.S. BUREAU OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS You likely know this, because it’s daily news of late, but there’s a chip shortage, and it’s affecting new-car availability. Limited supply coupled with strong demand has led automakers and their even more opportunistic dealers to jack up new-car prices, sometimes to shocking highs—for example, $10,000 added to the sticker for the popular Ford Bronco Sport. Is it just a few outliers skewing the curve, or is it really as extreme as it seems? For context, we looked at government data on the cost of new cars and trucks over the past few decades, and, well, this is pretty dramatic. Think of the rolling slope of the Great Plains before they hit the Rockies, then bam—the Rockies.…

“It’s wicked important,” says Mark Whitehouse, a retired driving-rehab instructor. “Wicked important.” He’s gotten rather fired up while we’re talking, his mellow Florida-tinged accent turning steadily more Massachusetts over the course of the conversation. “Picture you can’t drive,” he says, “can’t drive to work, to the store, to socialize. You’re stuck. When you drive your car, it feels great, doesn’t it? Feels free.” Whitehouse believes everyone should have a chance at that feeling, even if vehicles need to be modified or people taught different ways to drive. That’s what driving rehab is: a combination of occupational therapy, doctors’ input, modified vehicles, and specialized training so people who have physical or cognitive disabilities can get behind the wheel. It’s not a new concept. In the early ’60s, an engineer named Ralph…

Can consistency be a superpower? It seems improbable, like a superhero forgoing a cape or opting not to wear their underpants on the outside. But the Volkswagen Golf GTI’s enduring strength has been that it brings fun to the everyday. That longstanding ability to foster joy is what makes it special. Well before the new eighth-generation car arrived, the GTI was one of our most awarded 10Besters, often in conjunction with a Jetta or Golf sibling. This marks its 19th appearance since 1983. It has never been difficult to see the allure: a bona fide German performance car with an affordable price—the $30,540 base figure qualifies by the overwrought standards of the current market—plus the practicality of five seats, good fuel economy, and a larger cabin than some compact crossovers.…

We love performance. But we also love saving money. That’s why the Chevrolet Corvette’s appeal, its superpower, what sets it apart from all the other cars, trucks, and SUVs on the market today that didn’t get the votes, is one we hold dear: It’s the best performance bargain. But should you be thinking that the Corvette is more about the deal than the business of going fast, we’ll emphasize that it is flat-out quicker around a challenging track than anything else on this list, even the Porsche Boxster and Cayman. The Corvette delivers a supercar experience at a sports-car base price of $62,195. And that next-level vibe extends beyond its go-fast abilities and test numbers. The eighth-generation Corvette has a no-excuses interior in its upper trim levels, with an Italian-level…

LEXUS NX350 Not quite as convincing as the GV70, but it’s a solid effort that looks and feels upscale. —Drew Dorian MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER 2.5 SEL S-AWC Lord, is it slow. It doesn’t go faster with more throttle, just gets louder. —Elana Scherr NISSAN FRONTIER A small truck that drives big. —Dave VanderWerp PORSCHE MACAN GTS Head and shoulders above anything else in this class in terms of steering feel, power delivery, brake feel—all the things that make a car good to drive. —Joey Capparella PORSCHE TAYCAN The most fun you can have in a car powered by batteries. —Joe Lorio…

Despite ever-increasing advancements in pickup-truck refinement, the good ones are still defined by offering an appropriate amount of capability for the money. Relatively inexpensive fleet-oriented full-size trucks still exist at the low end of every pickup manufacturer’s lineup. However, the once-simple compact pickups that could fit most suburban garages and wallets have ballooned in size and equipment, pushing their prices toward $40,000. Buyers seeking an affordable small truck for Home Depot runs or towing a couple of Jet Skis had limited options until Ford introduced the Escape-based Maverick. Think of the Maverick as a compact SUV with a 4.5-foot cargo box. Slotting below Ford’s mid-size Ranger, it starts at just $21,490 for the base XL model. It comes only as a crew cab and eschews the body-on-frame construction of most…

In March, an unsuspecting tourist in Hawaii might have wandered into one of 2021’s more illustrative stories. As reported by Hawaii News Now, a pandemic-related rental-car shortage meant that visitors to Maui interested in a Toyota Camry would be on the hook for more than $700 a day. In Honolulu, vans were going for $500 a day and convertibles for up to $1000. U-Haul, however, held to its standard prices for vans and pickups, and so moving trucks began showing up at the beach, surprising no one more than U-Haul itself. Kaleo Alau, U-Haul Company of Hawaii president, told the TV station KHON2 that during the usual pre-rental interview, customers would admit they weren’t moving anything, saying instead, “Oh, we’re just going to use it to drive around.” In 2021,…

IN THE 40TH INSTALLMENT OF OUR 10BEST AWARDS, WE FIND OUR CHAMPS FIT, VIGOROUS, AND FULL OF GOODNESS. Over a two-week period, we pitted last year’s heroes against new or significantly redone cars and trucks that fall under our base-price cutoff of $90,000. That ensures that 10Best winners aren’t just the best of what’s new, but the best of the car world. After scrutinizing, testing, and voting, we present to you the 10Best of 2022.…

ACURA TLX TYPE S Throaty V-6 engine, chassis puts down the power well, lots of grip. I like the simple gauge cluster. Decently priced too. —Joey Capparella BMW M3 COMPETITION Driven back to back with the CT4-V Blackwing, the Bimmer doesn’t feel as playful, alive, or, well, good. —Eric Stafford FORD F-150 LIMITED So, this is what it’s like to have a TV in your car? Seriously, the F-150’s touchscreen is almost as big as my first flatscreen. —Eric Stafford FORD MUSTANG MACH 1 If you missed the Shelby GT350, too bad. But if you missed the Bullitt, here you go. —Ezra Dyer FORD MUSTANG MACH-E Thank you, Ford, for an electric car with an on/off button. —Elana Scherr…

GENESIS G70 There’s a lot going for it: a stunning interior that’s a class above, a potent V-6, dialed-in steering, strong brakes, and an enjoyable driving experience. —David Beard HONDA CIVIC Feels more alive than the Jetta—more eager handling and better control feel. —Drew Dorian HONDA CIVIC TYPE R LIMITED EDITION The rear wing catches your peripheral vision like a tailgater. It’s like when a cat gets surprised by its twitching tail: “Oh, that’s my own butt!” —Elana Scherr HYUNDAI SONATA N LINE A lot of power and a lot of fun. But if you want poise and refinement, too, the Accord 2.0T is the sedan for you. —Tony Quiroga HYUNDAI TUCSON Did someone pull a plug wire out of the 2.5-liter four? This thing is seriously slow. —Tony Quiroga…

HYUNDAI SANTA CRUZ Is the world dying for a cute ute with a bed out back? Good question. —Rich Ceppos JEEP WAGONEER Pretty underwhelming interior at the $82,500 as-tested price. What is this, the same rubberized dash material from the Compass? [Checks Compass.] Yes, yes it is. —Dave VanderWerp JEEP WRANGLER RUBICON 392 Ridiculous, not entirely safe, stupidly entertaining. Love it. —Mike Sutton I put a heart next to it in my notes. —Elana Scherr KIA CARNIVAL Kia builds a Telluride minivan, and it’s great. —Tony Quiroga KIA SORENTO A capable and refined SUV that unfortunately lives in the shadow of the Telluride. —Tony Quiroga…

A superhero needs a behind-the-scenes fixer, someone as low-key as they are invaluable. Think Pepper Potts, Alfred, and whoever keeps Aquaman’s trident sharpened. That’s the Kia Telluride. It can’t tow a 787 or win the Baja 1000 or pull a wheelie, and yet it’s probably the vehicle we most frequently recommend, simply because its thorough excellence enlivens the proletarian chores of daily driving. On paper, the Telluride is an average three-row crossover: 291-hp V-6, eight-speed automatic, pricing that starts around $34,000 and stops around $50,000. Front-wheel drive is standard. You wouldn’t think this thing has the juice, in a world of 400-hp Explorers and V-8 Grand Cherokees. But then you climb inside, and it’s like somehow your Kia fob unlocked a Range Rover. That doesn’t only apply to the features…

A settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit alleging that consumers sustained economic losses because they purchased or leased vehicles from Volkswagen AG, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., VW Credit, Inc., Audi AG, or Audi of America, LLC (collectively “Volkswagen”) containing allegedly defective airbags manufactured by Takata Corporation and its affiliates (“Takata”). The Settlement includes certain vehicles made by Volkswagen (the “Subject Vehicles”). Volkswagen denies any and all allegations of wrongdoing and the Court has not decided who is right. If you have already received a separate recall notice for your Volkswagen or Audi vehicle and have not yet had your Takata airbag repaired, you should do so as soon as possible. When recalled Takata airbags deploy, they may, in very rare cases and under certain circumstances, spray…

Highs: Revving past 8500 rpm, real-feel steering, makes 631 horsepower easy to handle. Lows: Painful seats, wearing earplugs to protect your hearing, can’t see out the back. The remoras are back. Drive a car like a Lamborghini Huracán STO on the freeway and a school of hangers-on forms around it. Booting the 631-hp 5.2-liter V-10 shakes them only temporarily. Emboldened by the knowledge that Officer Bob Speed is far more likely to pay attention to a Lamborghini than a Dodge Charger, they quickly race back into position. We can’t blame the remoras. Lamborghinis are a rare, captivating species, and it’s fun to get close to one, especially track specials like the STO—that stands for Super Turismo Omologato, a nod to the car the brand runs in GT3 racing. A step…

ENGINE The Z32 was introduced with a 222-hp 3.0-liter V-6 in late 1989. A 300-hp twin-turbo 300ZX Turbo followed soon after, and a rare factory-backed Steve Millen–tuned SMZ 300ZX with 365 horsepower was sold through Nissan dealers. If you’re considering a car from the 1990 model year, get the engine number and check the build date, as very early examples were known to have valve defects. Sundry mods are common. As always, the more service records, the better—even if only to know what’s overdue. VALUE Where a few years ago just about any Z32 could be had for a song, there has now been a definite bifurcation in pricing. Non-turbo 300ZXs can still be found for well under $10,000 but will climb toward $20,000 depending on mileage. High-mileage Turbos start…