Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2010 i MotorTrend

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca doubles as our satellite office. We make the pilgrimage north to the 11-turn, 2.2-mile track several times each year for various events. We test cars there too—lots of cars. With the aid of GPS, accelerometers, video cameras, and a professional race driver, we’ve been able to extract the fastest lap times from 30-plus production cars in the past several years. From the track monster Dodge Viper ACR to the Honda Civic Si, if we’ve tested it at Laguna, you’ll find it at our Laguna Lap special section, along with videos from each hot lap and a history of the famed circuit. Check it all out here: www.motortrend.com/features/laguna_lap…

WHEN editor-in-chief MacKenzie drove the Buick Regal-badged Chinese version in Shanghai in April last year, he declared it a logical candidate for the U.S. Buick lineup: “The Regal would give Buick a modern, stylish sedan that would perfectly complement the new LaCrosse and the solid-selling Enclave.” Which is what will happen when the 2011 Regal hits Buick showrooms 2Q ’10. The Regal rides on the LaCrosse’s Epsilon II platform, but on the 107.8-inch wheelbase (3.9 inches shorter than the LaCrosse’s) that will form the basis for the next Chevrolet Malibu. At 190.2 inches, it’s 6.8 inches shorter than the LaCrosse and 0.8 inch lower, at 58.4 inches. With its fast C-pillar, the Regal sedan isn’t designed to be LaCrosse-capacious. The back seat is roomy enough for kids, or adults on…

ONLY the hood bulge and the yellow brake calipers are gone, as we predicted in the May 2008 issue. The Cadillac CTS Coupe concept’s neat dihedral-shaped dual exhaust outlets, the long, thin horizontal CHMSL, hidden electric door buttons, and preternaturally rakish C-pillar remain. There’s more bumper offset, too, but as we said nearly two years ago, this is the best-looking American car since GM’s Bill Mitchell era. And like the CTS sedan on which it is based, the CTS coupe will be available in 556-horsepower V-trim, although in this case the hotrod version will launch about the same time the standard coupe goes on sale later in 2010. While the sedan’s base engine is a gas direct-injection 3.0, the lower-volume coupe starts with the GDI 3.6-liter V-6, rated 304 horsepower…

INTERNET video has become one of today’s richest sources of automotive ads, many of them way cooler and edgier than the pap shown on network and cable TV and propagated around the Web—and around the world—via email, Facebook, and Twitter. But are these just another fun way for the hipsters in ad agencies to spend lots of their clients’ money? Or do people actually watch them? And which ones do they watch? Unlike TV, the Web allows us to find out. And with the help of Internet video analysis experts Visible Measures, we’ve listed the 10 most-watched auto ads on the Internet for the month of November. Our first month of data indicates European manufacturers have an early lead in online video, claiming seven of the top 10 automotive online…

(first drive) ferrari 458 italia FERRARI has rebooted its V-8 sports-car range, starting with a sheet as clean as the one the 360 Modena was scribbled on to replace the F355. The new 458 is still a mid-engine RWD all-aluminum design, but the powertrain, chassis, electronics, aerodynamics, ergonomics—practically everything but the manettino switch—are do-overs. And a day spent terrorizing the rural flora and fauna in the Apennine hills above Maranello, along with a few hot laps at Fiorano, should help determine whether this is indeed Ferrari’s hottest V-8 since the F40. Dimensionally, the wheelbase stretches 1.9 inches for greater stability while shrunken overhangs reduce the polar moment of inertia to help the car rotate more eagerly. New aluminum alloys and bonding techniques boost the larger body’s structural rigidity by 20…

HOW MUCH is half a second and 105 horsepower worth to you? You’ll want to ponder that question if you’re in the enviable position of having to decide between the V-8-propelled version of Audi’s R8 two-seat, mid-engine exotic or the newly introduced V-10 edition. When the cars are similarly configured, the ten’s two additional cylinders command a premium of nearly $10K apiece. Are they worth it? It’s at this point our test drivers get all philosophical and existential. Is a 2001 Beringer Private Reserve a “better” Cabernet than a 2002 Quintessa? Do we prefer Angelina Jolie to Jennifer Connelly? “GoodFellas” or “The Sopranos”? It’s debates such as these that keep the MT water cooler boiling. The “regular” R8, understand, is already one of our very favorite automobiles. It won our…

FIFTY GRAND is a lot of money, certainly in a recessionary economy riddled with layoffs, bailouts, furloughs, and pay cuts. In some parts of the country, that kind of cash would not only make for a healthy down payment on a home, it would also cover the entire cost of the home. Yet, when it comes to a premium mid-level sport sedan from a luxury automaker, whether with six- or eight-cylinder power, $50,000 is pretty much the price of entry. Scan the present offerings—Acura RL, Audi A6 3.0T, BMW 535i, Cadillac CTS 3.6 DI, Infiniti M35, Jaguar XF 4.2, Lexus GS 350, and Mercedes-Benz E350—and the average base price comes out to nearly $49,000, with a high of $52,000 (XF) and a low of $44,650 (CTS). Through September 2009, sales…

THE LEXUS GS 350 is a specs-checker’s dream: strong, sophisticated V-6 (303 horsepower); solid engine and chassis performance (0 to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds, 0.82 g of grip); class-leading EPA fuel efficiency (19/26 mpg); highly competitive window sticker ($50,995 well-equipped). For legions of ardent Lexus devotees, those numbers are more than enough to seal a sale. The GS 350, it seems, offers everything they’re looking for in a luxury sedan. Everything, that is, as long as you’re not looking for flavor. From its “safe” exterior design to its pleasant but uninspiring driving dynamics, the Lexus simply leaves “spiciness” out of its mission profile. It’s a character everyone noted. “Shares the profile of the Jaguar, but none of the sensuality,” writes Loh in a comment echoed by the rest of…

IT’S NO real surprise Deutschland’s Three-Pointed Star is near the top of the finishing order. When it comes to sedans, Mercedes-Benz has it covered. The recently introduced E-Class is easily more refined, technically advanced, and stylish than the seven generations preceding it. It’s also the sportiest in its long-famed lineage. The E’s clean and precise styling package, inside and out, is one of the most attractive today. “Interior is lovely”, notes senior editor Ron Kiino, “a beautiful mix of materials and hues, elegant and classy with a touch of sport”. St. Antoine praises the exterior, but doesn’t care much for one element in particular. “Those LEDs on the lower grille bug me. They look like stuck-on afterthoughts from the ‘make me look cool like an Audi’ store. That said, the…

WHILE OUR TESTING generally revolves around measuring the fun part of vehicle dynamics, what dominates most of your time behind the wheel is the experience of ride quality and interior noise. So for this comparison test, we decided to make our measurements more elaborate by employing a terrific sound meter kindly supplied by Bruel & Kjaer (a model 2250 for you sound-meter fans). With it, we recorded the familiar dBA numbers, but in addition, two other, possibly superior, quantities: an intriguing measurement called “sones” and another “PSIL,” which stands for Preferred Speech Interference Level. The sone is what’s called a psychoacoustic measurement. While the calculation of dBAs entails some mathematical manipulation to approximate what our ear perceives, its assumptions are rather crude. It doesn’t account for our ear’s variable response…

LISTEN here, sonny, the Evo is all grown up. That ridiculous wing? Gone. A subtle, age-appropriate lip spoiler takes its place so there’s no more guessing about the cop pacing behind. Inside, the Recaro racing seats are now lined in leather—and heated to boot. A full-color LCD now rests between the gauges and not only delivers more information (because of higher resolution), it’s easier on the eyes as well. They’ve even put a powered sunroof in the thing—a first for the aluminum-roofed Evo. So this MR Touring model definitely looks more mellow and certainly has additional creature comforts, but does this mean the mighty Evolution has gone soft? Limp even? Not one bit. Bilstein dampers and Eibach springs still suspend the MR Touring, so the crisp handling clarity has diminished…

“I HAULED the F-150 out to Diamond Bar to pick up a pair of couches last night,” says associate Web producer Scott Evans, “and came away with mixed impressions. It’s a good-looking truck inside and out and some of Ford’s low-tech features are exceedingly useful, but the truck has its drawbacks. The ride on broken freeways is disappointing, with lots of shaking and vibrating. I’m also not particularly impressed with the 5.4-liter V-8 engine. This is a big, heavy truck, and you can feel that weight every time you accelerate. Throw some large pieces of furniture in the bed and the lack of power becomes even more pronounced, especially when entering a freeway. I’m sure the truck can tow the 11,000 pounds Ford says it can, but they don’t mention…

IN A RARE revolving-door moment down in the Motor Trend garage, the Evo X showed up for its one-year stay just as our long-term 2006 Evo IX MR was vacating the premises. And with the Evo X being so radically different from its predecessor, it only made sense to sample the two back to back. Aside from the fresh, aggressive styling, the $38,965 Evo X MR features an entirely new aluminum-block 4B11 turbo four in place of the IX’s venerable iron-block 4G63, a softer, more road-friendly Bilstein suspension, and the brand-new TC-SST twin-clutch automatic transmission. And lest we forget, the X also includes such amenities and safety features as Bluetooth, Fast Key, steering wheel-mounted audio and cruise-control switches, and curtain airbags. We also had Mitsubishi throw in the $2550 Technology…

VIPER’S back, and it’s here to stay, declares new Dodge chief Ralph Gilles. “2009 was a bad year for owners and a bad year for the car,” says Gilles of the persistent stories the Viper franchise was to be sold off. “But it woke the whole Viper nation. Everyone realized how special it is” While the Cerberus regime failed to understand the Viper’s potential as a halo car for the company, it needed no explaining to Sergio Marchionne and his team, continues Gilles. Marchionne has committed to building 500 Vipers between now and mid-July 2010. Among those 500 cars will be a mildly tweaked ACR, and the new CR X, intended as a track-only spec racer for Viper fanatics. “This will be a bridge to the new car,” adds Gilles.…

BMW’S fifth-generation 5 Series, codenamed F10, goes on sale here later in the year as a 2011 model. BMW notes it shares its vehicle architecture with the 7 Series, and it shows in the design. It’s a slightly shorter 7 Series with a faster roofline and a 116.9-inch wheelbase, claimed as the longest in the class. The Munich automaker characterizes the design as defined by the long wheelbase and hood, short overhangs with the greenhouse toward the back, and “coupelike” flowing roofline. It features a “fresh interpretation” of the Hofmeister kink. It launches as the 550i with the 400-horsepower, twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 and the 535i, with a 300-horsepower, 3.0-liter inline-six with Valvetronic throttle-less intake boosted by a single twinscroll turbocharger. Both engines are available with six-speed manual or automatic or…

cross circuits Boy, did my head ever do a double-swivel when I read the subtitle of Kim Reynolds’ long-term arrival story about the Honda Insight: “George Jetson’s car—with everything but Mabel the robot” (November). And who is this “Mabel,” may I ask? Buster, I was Mr. J’s one and only maid for 75 episodes—never missed a day’s shooting, I’m proud to say—and don’t remember any Mabel. It’s bad enough living in obscurity on a fixed income here in Encino, without having to endure those scrap heaps, Robbie and R2-D2, snickering about this name mixup during bingo. Rosie the MaidSpacely Space Sprockets’ Home for Retired RobotsEncino, California things to come In your November issue, “No Compromises, No Competition” speaks about Ford’s new SVT Raptor. Edward Loh wrote, “Underhood is Ford’s stalwart…

POWERTRAIN: 1. Left and right intake plenums are connected by three butterfly valves that open and close in different combinations between 2500 and 6750 rpm, boosting torque by up to 30 pound-feet. No air flows through the valves, but the reflection of sonic shock waves (formed by the closing intake valves) changes, providing three different “sweet spots” at which reflected waves help cram more air into the cylinder. 2. Flat-plane crank means the middle two cylinders on each bank move in unison and out of phase with the outer two. Scavenging the crankcase with separate pumps for the front/rear pairs and the middle four, keeps air from flowing between galleries, saving almost 6 pound-feet at 2500 rpm. CHASSIS 3. Overall roll stiffness is up about 16 percent, but the anti-roll…

ALTHOUGH BRITAIN’S CAR magazine, in the mid-1960s, legitimized the term “supercars” as part of the modern lexicon, it was hardly the first to use it. CAR’s editors applied the term to the decidedly super Lamborghini Miura, and it proved a perfect fit. About the same time, America’s Car Life applied it to the original Pontiac GTO. The first known usage? As far as we can tell, the term was coined in an advertisement for the Ensign Six, all the way back in 1920. No matter. Motor Trend has tested the all-time greats, and they’re the stuff of which legend, dreams, and countless posters and wall calendars are made. Supercars had to be more than mere sports or musclecars: They needed to go, stop, and corner. Outrageous looks helped too. And…

OVER THE LAST few years, sales of pickups for personal use have dropped dramatically. It’s been a long, slow road to recovery in this country, and we still haven’t seen truck sales improve. Making things worse, guys who work in construction are among the most dedicated to buying pickups for use on the job, and there isn’t a lot of that going on right now, either. How did truckmakers respond to this sudden, dramatic, and prolonged change in the marketplace? Instead of sticking solely with the mainstream-market formula, they’re focusing on catering to the specific needs of truck people. That helps explain the interesting grouping of vehicles for the latest Truck of the Year event. Four qualified: the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, the Ford Transit Connect, the Ram Heavy Duty,…

GIVEN THE Infiniti’s last-place finish in this highly competitive comparison, it’s obvious there were M attributes we didn’t find endearing. Before we delve into those, though, let’s first examine the characteristics we applauded. The new-for-2009 seven-speed automatic, for instance, proved an M bright spot, delivering quick, intuitive shifts (certainly in sport mode) and seamless and euphonious throttle blips. “Always seemed in the right gear for the occasion during my drive in S mode”, says technical director Frank Markus. The 3.5-liter, 303-horse V-6, while a bit coarse underWOT, provided speedy test-track figures—0 to 60 in 5.9 seconds and the quarter mile in 14.3 at 99.1 mph—and the steering and brakes were deemed above par for the segment. The navigation system, too, was given top marks for its ease of operation. “The…

FOR 2010, our 2008 Car of the Year winner gets the option of stickier 19-inch summer tires, with which Cadillac wisely armed our test car for this sport-sedan battle. Combined with the second-largest brakes in the test, they helped deliver the shortest stops from 60 mph (108 feet).While objective cornering performance ranked midpack, out on the road these Continentals bit into smooth corners with “almost no understeer at all,” noted St. Antoine. He was also “impressed with the steering feel—sharp, quick, precise”. But throw a few bumps into those curves and the tightly wound FE3 suspension has trouble pressing the tires to the tarmac, resulting in StabiliTrak intervention. That sort of high-adrenaline running, which the CTS’ communicative chassis encourages, revealed another shortcoming: “Seats need more lateral support,” declares Loh, noting…

A HIT THAT JUST MISSES WITH THE next-generation A6 set to make its debut later this year, you might think Audi would let the current model go quietly into the night. Not a chance; in this test, Ingolstadt’s executive cruiser did not go down without a fight—and nearly took all comers with it. It’s always been strong on style, with clean lines and a sumptuous, well-executed interior. “Gorgeous dash, great use of wood,” finds Markus. “Well arranged cockpit—the pedal to wheel is relationship excellent.” Now armed with a brand-new supercharged, direct-injected V-6 and revised suspension and AWD system, the A6 gives its chief rivals, Mercedes E-Class and BMW 5 Series, and the rest of the pack additional headaches. Chief among these is the new powertrain, dubbed 3.0 TSFI V6. This…

THE NEXT-GEN Audi A6, which could make its public debut as early as the 2010 Paris motor show, will likely hit U.S. shores with a pair of supercharged 3.0-liter V-6s—one low output (around 300 horsepower) and one high output (roughly 400 horses)—as well as a new eight-speed automatic. BMW, which needn’t unveil a new 5 Series (above) based on this test’s outcome, just took the wraps off of the sixth generation anyway. Sharing a platform and myriad parts with the 7 Series, the fresh 5 will be offered initially with two direct-injection power plants: a single-turbo 3.0-liter I-6 making 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet (535i) and a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 producing 400 horses and 450 pound-feet (550i). Both engines can be mated to either a six-speed manual or an eight-speed…

FOR THOSE who feared the Lexus GX would go soft and join the ranks of the unibody RX, rest easy. Undergoing its first major redesign since it was introduced in 2002, the GX continues on as a body-on-frame vehicle, sharing its highly revised platform with the new-for-2010 4Runner. While the new GX’s dimensions have changed slightly, its wheelbase remains identical. It looks significantly different as well, its most noticeable new styling cue being the exaggerated rear fender flares. A big difference for 2010 is under the hood. The GX 460’s sole motivator is a 301-horsepower, 4.6-liter V-8, backed by a six-speed automatic. Also, fuel economy has improved to 15 city/20 highway mpg. The new powertrain is excellent—and even though base curb weight has gone up about 450 pounds because of…

■ Silicon Valley International Auto Show Jan 7-10, 2010 • San Jose McEnery Convention Center ■ South Carolina International Auto Show Jan 15-17, 2010 • Carolina First Center ■ Utah International Auto Expo Jan 15-18, 2010 • South Towne Exposition Center ■ Northeast International Auto Show Jan 21-24, 2010 • Rhode Island Convention Center ■ Memphis International Auto Show Jan 22-24, 2010 • Memphis Cook Convention Center ■ Mississippi International Auto Show Jan 22-24, 2010 • Jackson Convention Complex ■ Pennsylvania Auto Show Jan 28-31, 2010 • PA Farm Show Complex & Expo Center ■ New Jersey Auto Show Jan 28-31, 2010 • Meadowlands Exposition Center ■ West Virginia International Auto Show Jan 29-31, 2010 • Charleston Civic Center ■ Motor Trend International Auto Show/Baltimore Feb 11-14, 2010 • Baltimore…

ALONG WITH cars like the Duesenberg SJ and Ferrari 250 GTO, Mercedes-Benz’ seminal 300SL Gullwing has rightly been called an automotive high watermark. Produced from 1954 through 1957, the 300SL coupe (Gullwing is a nickname not officially recognized at the time) was the roadgoing version of the similar-looking W194 race car of 1952. The original 300SL racer cleaned up at Le Mans and in the Carrera Panamericana that year and placed second in the Mille Miglia. Most street Gullwings wear steel body panels over a tubular frame, but 29 of them are dressed in lighter alloy coachwork. Another breakthrough was mechanical direct fuel injection, one of the keys to the 300SL’s 215-horsepower rating, a lot at the time from a 3.0-liter straight-six. The Gullwing is one of the most highly…

YOU’RE looking at the single most important car Hyundai will launch in America this decade. While the upscale Genesis sedan has transformed Hyundai’s image, the new Sonata is intended to make the South Korean automaker a major player in America’s most competitive vehicle segment—at the expense of Toyota’s Camry and Honda’s Accord. Hyundai’s done its homework. The all-new sixth-generation Sonata is big: It’s classified by the EPA as a large car, rather than a midsize. It’s fuel-efficient: Standard engine will be the new direct-injection, 198-horsepower, 2.4-liter Theta II four-cylinder that Hyundai claims will deliver 23 mpcj city and 35 mpg highway with the available six-speed automatic transmission (a six-speed manual is standard). And it will offer something for the enthusiast driver: a sporty SE version with 200 horsepower (thanks to…

WE’VE DRIVEN it in Europe. We’ve driven it in China. And eventually, we’ll drive the U.S.-spec 2011 Chevrolet Cruze on America’s roads—although it’s still almost a year away from Chevy showrooms. The 2011 Cruze, the North American version of which will be built at GM’s revamped Lordstown, Ohio, plant, is arguably as important to the General’s future success as the 2011 Chevy Volt. GM is making no bones about the Cruze’s main mission. This is a car that must do what the outgoing Cobalt could not—seriously challenge the Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic for compact-car supremacy. Chevy’s main selling point for the Cruze is GM’s new turbocharged Ecotec 1.4-liter, DOHC I-4 with variable valve timing. The 1.4-liter is tentatively rated at 138 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque. GM…

WHAT’S good for Mini is good for Ford, right? Hold on. While the 2011 Ford Fiesta on sale this spring won’t range from $20,000 to over $30,000, it easily will stretch into four-cylinder Fusion price territory thanks to a long list of gee-whiz features that don’t come with the base model. To get costs down for North American-market subcompact pricing, Ford has scrapped the European Fiesta’s colorful interior, with its techie two-tone seats and matching dash fascias. The North American Fiesta has black-on-black dash tops with contrasting plastic grains, although the topline SES and SEL do come with different-color lower dashes and door inserts, and are available with supple leather seats with contrasting piping and stitching. Though Ford will offer all trim levels of the Fiesta with the same five-speed…

laugh, kookaburra The photo of the Sydney skyline (“Terror Australis,” November 2009) took me back to November 1969 when I was on R&R from my day job as a helicopter crew chief in Vietnam. The skyline has lots of new additions, but the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, which was under construction in 1969, are unchanged. Days were spent at Shark Island and Bondi Beach and nights on the Kings Cross nightlife scene. At age 20, I required little sleep, which would not have been possible anyway after a cab ride in a speeding Holden. For maximum shock value, Aussie cab drivers always insisted we Yanks ride up front in what would’ve been the driver’s side in the States. Etched forever in my memory are the seven days and seven…

FORGET the economic debacle of 2009 and the wallet-flattening gas prices of the year before. It’s now 2010, and it’s a darned fine month when you can join us for a thrill ride in three outrageous new supercars. Few would argue that the first real postwar supercar was the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing of 1954-57. With direct fuel injection, optional lightweight bodywork, and those fabulous gullwing doors, it set high standards of innovation and performance. Which brings us to its sexy, spiritual successor, the SLS AMG. The original was a high watermark then, as the SLS is to Mercedes-Benz AMG today. Ferrari has forged more great supercars than any other carmaker. Each is a worthy poster child for the breed: F40. Enzo. 430 Scuderia. And now the 458 Italia, Ferrari’s first…

THE MOMENT the doors arc skyward, it all makes so much sense. The classic long-nose proportions, those silver strakes along the base of the windshield and behind the front wheels. Of course, there is a three-pointed star on the nose. A touch of the key fob ejects a thin handle from the smooth side more than a foot below where you’d normally grab. Lift up, step across the low sill, and grasp the interior handle to close the door as you sit down. It takes some getting used to, but settling in requires far less contorting than with the original 300SL—although the process is just as much of a showstopper. The view outward is intimidating. The horizon is yours as the hood dominates the lower third of your field of…

DESPITE the effects of the Great Recession on personal-use truck sales, there is still demand for pickups ready to do hard work. The heavy-duty truck market has gotten smaller, but the guys who buy those pickups are fiercely loyal to the segment—they need the extreme capability these hard-working haulers provide. Some may wonder why anyone would own a truck that can tow nearly 20,000 pounds, but for a lot of people in construction, those who transport vehicles or goods, and those with ranches, this is just a part of everyday life. Within the next few months, the heavy-duty category will heat up, as all three manufacturers have all-new offerings coming. The Ram Heavy Duty is the first to market, and it’s already ahead of the game. When Ford and GM’s…

THE VERDICT was unanimous: Our editors grew very fond of the Acura RL’s Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive system. “SH-AWD does improve cornering feel noticeably,” says Markus, adding, “The corner exits are its real forte. I ended up thinking it worked a lot better than the numbers suggest.” Mortara notes, “I never thought this car would be such fun on a mountain road”. But it was. Despite ho-hum exterior styling—a freshening for 2009, replete with Acura’s controversial bucktooth grille, did little to spruce up this flagship’s conservative lines—and midpack lateral acceleration of 0.82 g, the RL managed to get our adrenaline flowing once on a twisty road. The reason, of course, was SH-AWD, a nifty technology that can apportion up to 70 percent of the available 271 pound-feet of torque to either…

WITH THE introduction of the XF, Jaguar not only redesigned a segment player, it also completely reinvented itself as a brand. Combining style, function, and performance into a vehicle that buyers desire—to look at and drive—is a feeling that Jaguar has been unable to induce from lux-sedan shoppers for quite some time. Until the svelte XF arrived, that is. Much of that desire stems from the Jag’s handsome and well-laid-out interior, a luxurious cabin that follows a bit more form than function. The pop-up rotary shifter and flip-up A/C vents are a nice novelty, but the seats are small, firm, and underbolstered, and if you’re in the back seat, the XF’s sloping coupelike roofline means less headroom compared with that of some others. Underhood resides a 4.2-liter V-8 teamed to…

BMW WILL soon release its all-new 2011 5 Series—so, naturally, the aging 2010 model featured in this comparison got its tail whupped by newer rivals, right? Yes, and Michael Jordan was all out of air after his fling with baseball. The fifth-generation, Chris Bangle-designed “E60” 5 Series quickly knocked any notions of “past its prime” right out of our collective heads. “Yeah, I know it’s old, but I love, love, love this car,” writes Ed Loh. “So much fun to drive, even if I can’t give the car bonus points for allowing me to row the gears myself. Unlike many here, this one actually feels fast. Sonorous engine note, excellent driver controls (M Sport steering wheel and shifter), and near-telepathic steering”. Our other editors’ notebook commentaries read much like Ed’s—and…

EUROPE is like a whole other world. Its citizens tolerate insane levels of taxation, live happily in extremely close quarters, and possess fashion sensibilities that foster foreign-looking footwear and business suits dyed colors we associate with the management ranks of the “oldest profession.” Now the Euro elites are eschewing lux sedans and SUVs in favor of “something different.” Something like the current crop of bucks-up hatchbacks including BMW’s X6, the forthcoming Audi A7, and this 5 Series Gran Turismo. Maybe Europe loves hatchbacks simply because Americans hate them and they’re P.O.’d at us for grenading the global economy. Whatever, these platypi—some prettier than others—are coming, if only in niche volumes (BMW promises the GT will surpass the current 5 Series wagon’s 1000 per year). Fashion-forward Yanks who can be coaxed…

WHY hybridize the X6? (A) Because fuel efficiency shy of 20 mpg is better than fuel efficiency just north of 10 mpg, and (B) because BMW can. It starts with BMW’s smooth 4.4-liter V-8, its twin turbos placed inside the vee. The hybrid control box is above that, requiring a hood bulge, a subtle visual clue. The others are optional Bluewater Metallic paint and (standard) chrome Active Hybrid badges, too small to attract the attention of any smug, militant Prius driver. The seven-speed trans has two electric motors, putting out 91 and 86 horsepower, and three planetary gearsets. The nickel-metal hydride battery is liquid-cooled, capable of 2.4 killowatt hours storage, and contributes 187 of the hybrid’s 550 added pounds. BMW has retuned the shocks and springs to handle the weight.…

WHEN SUBARU introduced the STi in the U.S. for the 2004 model year, it did so using a four-door compact sedan with the subtlety of a ruffled hot-pink tuxedo. After all, with BBS alloy wheels and Brembo brake calipers painted a sparkly gold that could dress up a bass boat, a gaping hood scoop that could double as a badger den, and a giant rear wing that looked like the handle on Paul Bunyan’s lunchbox, the STI didn’t exactly blend into the automotive landscape. Nevertheless, it was blindingly quick, an absolute blast on a curvy road, and about as reliable as any ordinary Subaru, which is to say virtually bulletproof. Naturally, Subaru found plenty of enthusiastic takers. But as the STI’s first generation neared the end of its lifecycle, Subaru…