Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2012 i MotorTrend

THE NEW Explorer is off to a rip-roaring start, despite less than enthusiastic reviews. Meanwhile, the Flex, which shares the Explorer’s platform, founders in the marketplace after four model years, though its boxy body provides a roomier, more useful interior and reviews have been mostly positive. Last year, the Ford Transit Connect outsold the Flex. So Ford’s throwing a kind of Hail Mary pass with a face-lift for 2013. The basic box, with horizontal side strakes and optional two-tone paint remains, though there’s a new, kind of macho horizontal brushed chrome grille bar, new lower fascia, and headlamps and “F-L-E-X” badging above the grille replacing the Blue Oval. There’s a new 20-inch machined aluminum wheel option, rain-sensing wipers, power folding mirrors, thumb shifters for the SelectShift automatic, passive entry and…

IT WAS A BIT of “gotcha” theatrics when Ford announced its 5.8-liter super-charged aluminum V-8. The most powerful production V-8 in the world, according to its creator, will put out 650 hp and 600 lb-ft of torque in the 2013 Shelby GT 500. Top speed will be more than 200 mph, a lot for a car with a live rear axle. Its power levels sucker-punch Chevrolet’s new Camaro ZL1 by 70 ponies and even edge the Corvette ZR1’s 638 hp. If Ford does proceed with its long-rumored GT supercar successor, it certainly has the engine. Ford says it expects the new engine’s fuel efficiency to be sufficient to avoid the gas-guzzler tax, while the GT 500’s curb weight of 3850 pounds closes the weight gap between the relatively light Mustang…

MERCEDES AMG and Jaguar are working on AWD sedans for the Snowbelt. Across much of the U.S., as well as such other significant markets as Switzerland and Austria, RWD luxury sedans are avoided when AWD versions of BMWs, Mercedes, and Cadillacs are available. Jaguar is preparing AWD versions of the XF and XJ, though the cars were not initially engineered for it. The AWD XJ will launch in calendar year 2013. By then, every XJ and XK will have an eight-speed automatic transmission. The electronically controlled AWD system will also find a home in Jaguar’s 2015 midsize longitudinal-engine crossover vehicle. For Mercedes AMG, the AWD system already is available, as it is fitted to a wide range of base Mercedes models. Mercedes is moving toward AWD for all its higher-powered…

ABARTH AND SUPER BEE. Two names from countries an ocean apart, but each defined in enthusiasts’ hearts by a single, simple word: performance. Historians may contend that the golden era of performance cars in the United States ended by the late 1960s. We say rubbish. So does Fiat-Chrysler. To prove it, the Italo-American duo recently launched two hot new cars at the Los Angeles auto show, each not only reviving a nameplate that represented performance in the ’60s, but also showing that both names and the values they represent are still relevant. In the pages that follow, we get exclusive first drives of two of the hottest cars on U.S. roads today. Separated by two doors, 1700 pounds of curb weight, more than 4 feet of length, 310 horsepower, and…

Back in 1969, Dodge built a Challenger Concept with the Yellow Jacket name that toured the show circuit. It was a two-seater with a targa-style removable roof. Although those elements never materialized in production form, it did carry many styling touches that made their way to the production Challenger. For 2012, Dodge has resurrected the Yellow Jacket name, but this time it will go into production with the same specs as the car unveiled at the Los Angeles auto show. Basically a Challenger SRT8 trim package, the limited-edition car will feature black leather interior with yellow trim; the same cast aluminum 20-inch wheels found on the Super Bee; and a distinctive side stripe, Yellow Jacket lettering, and badges. Under the hood is the same 470-horsepower, 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 SRT fans…

Never have we approached the first drive of a new 3 Series with more trepidation. Our beloved sport sedan has experienced another disconcerting growth spurt, adding 3.7 inches in length and 0.4 inch in height to gain 3.5 cubic feet of passenger space and one more cube in the trunk. Its sublime hydraulic power-steering assist has been benched for a choice of electric setups, and the entry-level 328i trades its turbine-smooth inline-six for a blown four-banger. This could easily go either way, and if this F30 edition of the breadwinning 3 has been botched, BMW’s in for a world of hurt. There are, of course, mitigating factors. Weight savings due to expanded use of higher-strength steels in the body structure, the lighter base engine, and increased use of plastics, composites,…

WE LIKE: The modernized cabin and Entune infotainment system. WE DON'T LIKE: What’s with the subpar brake feel, lack of power, and so-so mpg? THE CURRENT-generation Tacoma debuted for 2005 and won our coveted Truck of the Year prize. Seven years later, Toyota hasn’t made any significant changes, save for a revised front end and interior and improved audio systems, including Toyota’s Entune. As in years past, the Tacoma soldiers on with a 2.7-liter, 159-horsepower I-4 paired to a five-speed manual or four-speed auto, and a 4.0-liter, 236-horse V-6 teamed to a six-speed manual or five-speed auto. Cab configurations remain regular, access, and double, and drive options stay two- or four-wheel drive. Nothing new here. Our test example was a Double Cab 4x4 V-6 with the TRD Off-Road Package, which…

WHEN WE FIRST tested the new-to-America Fiat 500 back in January, two things happened. One, we determined the diminutive Cinquecento is delightful, and two, we concluded that we simply had to get one for our long-term fleet. Spec’ing out exactly which 500 to get was tricky, and the task fell to our photographer extraordinaire Julia LaPalme. She and I both fell in love with the pint-size Fiat during a San Diego photo shoot. Early on in the process, Julia and I decided our 500 would be either green or brown. Why? Well, we don’t have any brown long-termers, and our bright green Mazda2’s visit is coming to an end. I was lobbying hard for Mocha Latte or Espresso, but this was Julia’s car to spec, and she chose Verde Chiaro,…

THE BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo is emblematic of everything that’s both right and wrong with today’s automotive industry. In a desperate search for the next big thing, product planners continue to push, pull, and bend the metal shapes draped over four wheels. In some cases, it works to great effect (see the modern crossover or the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class). In others, you get cars like the 5 GT. That’s not to say the 2010 BMW 535i GT we piloted for almost 24,000 miles is an inherently bad car. But in Munich’s unceasing drive to develop yet another “segment buster,” it instead created a vehicle that’s been mostly a bust in the U.S. (But they love it in China!) As the 5 GT is part crossover, part station wagon, part sedan,…

TOYOTA rushed a cut-rate version of its current Prius into development when Honda announced a sub-$20,000 price for the Insight a couple years ago, but the loss-leader never came to production. Turns out the incremental costs involved with adding crank windows and the like to the Prius weren’t recoverable, and anyway, there was no need to worry. Insight sales provided no serious competition. We don’t yet know pricing on the new, smaller Toyota Prius C four-door hatchback unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show, though it, too, doesn’t need to match the Insight’s price tag to be a bigger success. The Prius C, like its bigger brother, is a full Synergy Drive hybrid, not a mild hybrid like the Honda. If the midsize Prius hatchback is an alterna-Camry, the Prius C…

LET’S PUT THIS fallacy to rest. The 2013 XTS is not Cadillac’s new flagship. Its base price will probably be close to that of the CTS, though with the new Cadillac User Experience (CUE) infotainment system and all the features of the topline Platinum trim level, it will top out a bit higher than a non-V CTS. It won’t come anywhere near the Ciel concept-inspired RWD S-Class-size sedan GM tentatively has under development. Cadillac hasn’t held back on loading up what’s essentially a V-6-powered replacement for the DTS with the latest interpretation of the Art & Science design language, cutting-edge features like CUE, and the most sumptuous interior it can manage. Consider the door handles. No one else—not Mercedes, BMW, or Audi—has these door handles, which are Cadillac’s new bling…

WHEN IT COMES to filling the tire tracks of a storied model like the Defender, there’s no way to make everyone happy. External forces are at hand. It doesn’t meet U.S. safety requirements or stricter Euro Union CO2 standards, it’ll hurt LR’s American Corporate Average Fuel Economy ratings, and SUV buyers continue to move away from hard-core off-roaders toward crossovers. If Land Rover wants to bring the Defender back to the U.S.—and seems it does—big changes must happen. The DC100 is the more traditional of Land Rover’s two concepts. We briefly drove the other, the lifestyle-oriented DC100 Sport. The Sport’s interior is more modern and easier to use than the ergonomically challenged yet charming original. Some switchgear, including the pushbutton starter, look borrowed from Jaguar. The concept has a gasoline…

BMW is slowing development of its so-called 0 Series, the front-drive sub-1 Series that’s a reaction to Audi’s A1. Word is BMW has come to realize it’s working on FWD from both sides. The i3 and i8 electrics will be FWD-based. The all-new 2013 1 Series will be FWD too, though only the hatchbacks sold outside North America. The next 1 Series coupe and convertible remain RWD. BMW already has, of course, a competitor for the Audi A1, called the Mini. Fiat will not complete a merger with Chrysler Group until the end of 2014, says Sergio Marchionne, chief executive officer of both companies. Fiat’s share rose to 58.5 percent of Chrysler at the end of 2011 after the Italian automaker met certain performance goals, including the launch of the…

THE FIAT 500 ABARTH may be small—smaller than even a Mini Cooper—but it’s a heavy car. With a curb weight of about 2500 pounds, the 500 Abarth isn’t pound-heavy—it’s heritage-heavy. Just look at all the stylized scorpion badges. The 500 Abarth has eight of those badges on its exterior alone, if you count the wheel centers, and all of them remind you of one thing: a reputation for performance that’s as large as the 500 is small. This is the car the most fervent Fiat fans have been waiting for, ardently avoiding local dealers for fear of cracking and buying a regular 500. It certainly looks the part, especially our tester, turned out in Rosso paint and the optional gunmetal-colored 17-inch wheels, red brake calipers peeking out from behind the…

SINCE ITS DEBUT in 1963, the Porsche 911 has epitomized singularity in the sports-car world. From the ill-advised rear-engine placement and the smooth, high-revving boxer motors to the provocative Bauhaus styling with its roundish headlamps, humped front fenders, and horizontal taillamps, the 911 is an automotive freak. But it’s a striking one that has sold 700,000 units worldwide, spawned more race victories than any other sports car, and served as the lustful fantasy of many a car enthusiast. Perhaps what makes the 911 unique is its comparative breadth. At this magazine, for instance, we’ve compared the 911 with Mustangs and Corvettes, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, BMWs and Benzes, Jags and Astons, Audis and Acuras, Nissans and Toyotas, and even Evos and STIs. I don’t mean to suggest that we’ve actually pitted…

Today, America needs fresh leadership to lead us as a nation out of this economic crisis. Leadership must come not only from our political leaders but also from the average citizen. The exporting of American jobs is a trend that must be stopped and reversed. When I walk into my local hardware store, I typically find 85% of the goods for sale are manufactured 7,000 miles away. Recognizable American brands have been forced by shortsighted management and buyers at large national chains to build factories overseas just to save a lousy $.50 on a tape measure. To these ruthless buyers, it is all about the money. Rarely are product quality, the political system, human rights, animal rights and environmental costs to the planet considered, not to mention the cost to…

WE LIKE: Honest, utilitarian, refreshing. Nissan redefines the full-size van market. WE DON’T LIKE: No diesel and appalling gas mileage. Perhaps too niche for its own good. “THIS FEELS almost like a whole new category of vehicle,” says Febbo of Nissan’s first ever full-size van. If you haven’t driven a full-size van in a while, here’s the scoop: They’re primitive things. Whereas, by contrast, our high-roof NV felt pretty darn good. “It’s quick and ridiculously nimble and easy to drive, despite its hugely intimidating stature," says Jurnecka. Kiino agrees: “Feels seriously smaller than it is, as in it feels like a full-size SUV as opposed to a gargantuan van.” The NV is fast, too. “Good power and responsive tranny—I like the throttle blips,” notes Kiino. “It feels like the fastest…

YOU KNOW that feeling you get when you see a supercar sitting in the parking lot of the local six-buck-a-cup coffee shop? The ache in your stomach, knowing that toddling back and forth from the gated community to the strip mall is all the driving that poor car will ever do? We get that same feeling when we see an F-150 that doesn’t have at least 1000 pounds in the bed or 5000 pounds hanging off the hitch. Just like that supercar, the F-150 is a tool built for a purpose. It has a goal in life, and the people who never use it as it was intended are squandering the truck’s ability and a heritage that goes back to 1948. We had a pair of F-150s for our Truck…

I’VE TRADED in the Porsche Cayenne Hybrid—Scott Evans is taking ownership for the rest of its stay here at Motor Trend—but I’m staying with an AWD German with height-adjustable air suspension. My 2012 Audi A8 4.2 is a very different ride, however, aimed squarely at the full-size luxury sedan market the Mercedes-Benz S-Class has owned for decades. Obviously, this one’s strictly for the blacktop, though the following paragraph in the owner’s manual stopped me in my tracks: “Remember that your vehicle is not suitable for driving off-road even when it is raised. There is not enough ground clearance.” Huh? Surely no one that stupid could afford an A8… This is not a cheap car. I ordered the standard-wheelbase model because I like the proportions better, don’t need the extra rear…

IT’S BEEN a long time since we ran a story about an Abarth in Motor Trend. Almost 30 years, in fact. In the November 1982 issue, we featured this very yellow 1955 Abarth 207A Spyder 1100. The 207A was one of the first cars ever produced by Abarth. That’s right, back in the day, Abarth was more than just the tuning wing of Fiat. Carlo Abarth began his postwar automotive career in Italy by helping Piero Dusio construct the tiny but gorgeous Cisitalia D46 sports car, which predates both the Ferdinand Porsche-designed 360 and MOMA permanent collection resident 202. Once Dusio ran out of cash, Abarth set up his own shop. The single-seater 207A Spyder 1100 was accompanied by two other body styles built off the same chassis and running…

FIAT BUILDS its MultiAir engine in five plants around the globe, though only one plant builds it for the 500: Chrysler’s Dundee, Michigan, factory. Other world markets, including Europe, don’t use the cutting-edge MultiAir, with its infinitely variable intake valve movement, in the 500. In the North American Fiat 500, the 160-hp 1.4-liter turbo version is for the new Abarth 500. A third MultiAir will go into the new Dodge compact unveiled at the Detroit show in January. They’re part of Fiat-Chrysler’s Fully Integrated Robotized Engine family, whose program manager, Mike Vincent, spoke with us at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The 1.4-liter is the biggest of the MultiAir engines, he says, the others being 1.0 and 1.2 liters and not for this market. With MultiAir technology, the North American…

Economy of Scale With regard to the 2013 Pagani Huayra article in the November issue, an appropriate fuel economy evaluation need not have been “Not yet rated.” An alternative response, considering this novel, magnificent, and expensive automobile, might have been, “Who cares?” Bernie Kressner Appleton, Wisconsin wwrite us at 831 S. Douglas St. El Segundo, CA 90245 e-mail us online at motortrend.com or send an e-mail direct to motortrend@motortrend.com Letter of the Month "Who cares?" We care! That’s why we're running this magazine while you’re relaxing on your porch eating frozen custard. But, because you make a good point, we’re giving you some Pioneer Active Style headphones so you can listen to the Packers while typing your multiple missives to our editor. Or you can wear them while picking apples.…

THERE’S SO MUCH smoke wafting around the figure-eight track, I have to look through the passenger-side of the windshield to see where the car is headed. I barrel down the straight while the Charger Super Bee’s 6.4-liter Hemi pours out its constant gurgling bellow. I jump on the brakes and the nose dives onto the front tires as the tailpipes burble. Hard left, and the front end bites in and the tail begins to rotate like it’s afraid of the orange cones. Halfway through the 200-foot turn and it’s hard on the gas, and the car tenses as the smoke rolls off the rear tires. The cop-show heroics continue until just before the pillar of smoke reaches a level that would attract the attention of the local fire department. It…

THROUGH OCTOBER 2011, sales of the Lexus GS luxury sedan were a paltry 3346 units, less than half of the crosstown rival Infiniti M (8813) or the slowest-selling German, the Audi A6 (7890). Worse yet, compared with the big boys, the BMW 5 Series (43,040) and Mercedes-Benz E-Class (52,340), the GS was barely a blip on the radar. Lexus’ onetime prominent player, which debuted back in 1993 and won our Import Car of the Year award in ’98, has become a forgotten entry. That’s a trend Lexus is aiming to reverse. Enter the fourth-generation 2013 GS, restyled and reengineered to jump-start that reversal when it goes on sale in February. But “restyled” seems an inadequate description, as the highly evolved L-Finesse design language, with its prominent “spindle” grille, LED light…

FOR AS MUCH as people often consider their car an extension of their personality, the automotive world is strikingly conservative. Sure, automakers like to wow us with out-of-this-world concepts, but you almost never see those in showrooms. Every so often, though, a vice president gets a few too many drinks in him and says, “Sure, what the heck.” Once it’s too late to cancel the project, the marketing people start biting their nails and wondering how they’re supposed to sell the public on a car with three doors. Invariably, they decide to target younger buyers looking for a way to disassociate themselves from their parents. These segment-defying cars don’t really have direct competitors. If you’re a marketing guy trying to convince a millennial or a hipster that a car is…

AS THE Great Recession hit, not only did casual truck buyers vanish, but automakers were forced to do some serious belt-tightening. The result: Relative to pickups, the goal was to appeal to core truck people, listen to customer input, and use resources wisely to keep loyalists happy and win over new buyers. That is precisely what has happened in this Truck of the Year contest. Model-year 2012 is punctuated more by pointed improvements than dramatic change. Four contenders qualified: the Ford F-150, Nissan NV, Ram Laramie Longhorn, and Toyota Tacoma. All manufacturers were welcome to provide variants, but only Ford accepted, sending us two F-150s powered by the volume V-8 and V-6. That brought the total number of trucks tested to five. After completing unloaded acceleration and braking tests in…

WE LIKE: Massive towing and hauling capacity, bold exterior styling, quiet turbodiesel engine. WE DON’T LIKE: Choppy ride and the gaudy Longhorn interior theme. BACK WHEN we voted the Ram HD our 2010 Truck of the Year, we had plenty of good things to say. We appreciated the Ram’s improved interior quality; massive payload and towing capacity; and perhaps most of all, its new 6.7-liter inline-six turbodiesel engine that cranked out 350 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque. That’s all impressive, but for 2012, Ram has upped its game, introducing the new upscale Laramie Longhorn trim package and a new high-output engine package that brings torque up to a simply staggering 800 lb-ft and includes an uprated torque converter. Our truck also featured the Max Tow package, bumping the maximum…

“IT HANDLES like a 500-horse Miata.” Not only did I say this out loud a few times, but several of my colleagues barked the same thing after lapping this car around Laguna Seca. And if they didn’t say it outright, they agreed with the sentiment. And despite what Mercedes-Benz might say about the subject, around these parts that’s among the highest praise we've got. Like its predecessor the CLK63 AMG Black Series, this new guy (which we’ll just call Black Coupe) is a hopped-up, raced-out version of a “lesser” AMG product. In this case, we’re talking about a car we’re already smitten with, the C63 AMG. Leave well enough alone? That’s not how AMG’s Black Division sees the world. Major differences include more power—always a good thing. In this case,…

AFTER SEVERAL months with the Quest, I’ve found it to be a breath of fresh air in the minivan segment, figuratively and literally. Figuratively, its JDM design and made-in-Japan construction make it unique in the class, resulting in standout styling (love it or hate it) and top-notch build quality. Literally, the topline LE’s standard advanced climate control system sports a Plasmacluster air purifier and a grape polyphenol filter. I know, sounds very scientific. The Plasmacluster purifier gets rid of unwanted odors, whether they emanate from a big rig outside or foul vapors inside, by creating ions that essentially clean the cabin air. As for the grape polyphenol filter, it helps trap harmful allergens, keeping them from entering the vehicle. Further, the LE’s climate control system also features auto-recirculation control, which…