Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2015 i MotorTrend

What began with 3.4 million vehicles recalled worldwide in 2013 has exploded into the largest consumer product recall in American history. Nearly 34 million vehicles have been recalled in the U.S. alone as of press time. At the heart of the recall are defective airbags made by Takata Corporation of Japan. The airbags have killed at least six people and injured hundreds. The recall has expanded several times over the past two years as more vehicles with the defective airbags have been identified. Automakers issuing recalls include BMW, Daimler Trucks, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, and Toyota. The vehicles involved were built after the 2000 model year. To see if your vehicle is affected, contact your dealer or go to SaferCar.gov and enter your…

My long-awaited opportunity to drive Honda’s all-new second-generation Acura NSX will finally come later this year. And what an opportunity it should be. Blending the exotic low-slung looks of a mid-engine Audi R8, the power and all-wheel traction of a twin-turbo Nissan GT-R, and the hybrid electric assist of a seven-figure Porsche 918, the NSX reads like a technological tour de force that, in the footsteps of its predecessor, puts sports car makers from Europe and America on high alert. Without a doubt, the NSX promises the kind of silly stats we’ve come to expect from near-600-horsepower, all-wheel-drive supercars: 0-60 mph in less than 3.0 seconds, a quarter mile in the 11s, and a Nürburgring Nordschleife jaunt in the low 7-minute range. OMG impressive. But will it be LOL fun?…

I’d been conflicted for two days, but when I got the call, I knew which car would be our winner. I don’t often get calls from coworkers on the weekend, especially when none of us is working, but when Jonny Lieberman called me out of the blue to rave about the drive he just finished, it all fell into place. Each of us has a long list of cars we like, but actually calling someone just to babble about a car is unusual. This was one of those cars. “America’s Stelvio Pass” is so good we voted to keep it a secret. Five Days Earlier Coming off several intense weeks of endless planning meetings and two back-to-back comparisons, all of us were ready for the road trip, a chance to…

The door handle of the Ferrari 488 GTB is probably as good as any place to start. It’s a curiously shaped piece, a vaguely finlike structure that requires your fingertips to be inserted from the top to open the door. A bijou stylish flourish from Ferrari design chief Flavio Manzoni and his team? Nope. The door handle is shaped like that, says Ferrari aerodynamics specialist Enrico Cardile, to help direct air into the massive inlets on the 488’s broad haunches. God is in the details, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe once said. He was talking about architecture, but his famous maxim neatly sums up the stunning Ferrari 488 GTB. It looks like just another poutingly seductive Italian supercar. But drive it, as hard and fast as you dare, and you’ll…

PICTURED: Lamborghini Aventador SV Page 86 ALL-NEW New inside and out, possible powertrain changes MAJOR Mid-cycle change updates, minor powertrain changes MINOR Special editions, significant new features UNCHANGED Minor trim or package changes, new colors KEY 5M five-speed manual 6A six-speed automatic 6-sp auto-cl man six-speed auto-clutch manual 7-sp twin-cl auto seven-speed twin-clutch automatic FWD front-wheel drive AWD all-wheel drive / RWD rear-wheel drive NHTSA and IIHS safety data derived from 2015 or 2016 model ratings IntelliChoice five-year retained value data may apply to common vehicle variants, not an average of all model variants. ACURA | ALFA ROMEO | ASTON MARTIN EPA Econ City/Hwy: 25/36 mpg 0-60 mph: 6.8 sec Finally, a credible entry-level offering from Acura. Acura ILX Base Price $28,820-$35,810 Body Type Sedan MAJOR The ILX adds a…

As we predicted months ago, Ford will return to Le Mans next year with its all-new GT supercar, just in time to mark the 50th anniversary of Ford’s big 1966 win. The Ford GT race car, based on the GT that awed us at the North American International Auto Show earlier this year, will run the full 2016 schedules of the FIA World Endurance Championship and Tudor United SportsCar Championship. In partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing, Ford will present four cars at next year’s races, two in each series. The GT will make its competition debut in January 2016 in the Rolex 24 in Daytona, Florida. As we’ve known for some time, the Ford GT boasts a 3.5-liter, twin-turbo EcoBoost V-6 engine with more than 600 hp, making it the…

Cheap gas makes vehicle buyers eager to pay for space, comfort, and capability and utterly unwilling to spend a dime on fuel economy. But although our embarrassingly ineffective government feels bad about the oil use and carbon dioxide production this free-market reality results in, it doesn’t have the cojones to fix the problem efficiently with a gas tax. Instead, it passes the buck to automotive engineers who must figure out ways to sneak fuel efficiency into vehicles without buyers noticing on the window sticker. A potential success story on that front: affordable steel that’s about as light and strong as aluminum. It’s called NanoSteel. It’s designed to be producible in existing steel mills and stamped using conventional tooling typically used for today’s more advanced steels, and it delivers ultra-high strength.…

Confirmation of the Month In “Corvette, the Redeemer” (“Trend,” June 2015) do you mean rear camber where you wrote rear caster? BARRY BROWN Via the Internet We most definitely did not mean camber. As described in the non-abridged online version: “How did this happen? Rear caster adjustability is pretty rare. Outside of a race shop, most people will tell you it’s not a real thing, that caster adjustment only affects the front wheels (the steering wheels). Usually, rear caster is set at the factory and can’t be changed even if you want to. It’s something Chevrolet engineers added to the C7 Z06 so it could be better aligned for track duty, and when you change the rear camber and toe, you can mess up the caster if you don’t check…

Three configurations, two right answers. By the time the leading Porsche 911 Turbo S reaches the finish line, the Mercedes-AMG GT S is hot on its heels, a scant 76 feet and 0.31 second arrears. Close—but it had been even closer. Indeed, the GT S had actually led throughout and was hanging on to a tiny lead up until the final turn. From passing the green flag through Turn 4, the performances of the 911 and GT S can be nearly overlaid. The Nissan GT-R, however, is a noticeable step behind in cornering pace through the long Turn 2, as well as through Turns 3 and 4. (A throttle lift by Randy while exiting Turn 4 is the nail in its coffin.) Unexpectedly, the GT-R is also substantially slower through…

“Honda’s lane keeping assist system is spooky and helpful at the same time. Can’t wait until it trickles down to other cars.” @zachgale EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 26/33/28 MPG BASE PRICE $33,775 PRICE AS TESTED $33,775 Don’t look now, but Honda’s best-selling vehicle isn’t the Accord or the Civic. The refreshed 2015 Honda CR-V leads the brand for the first third of 2015 and is also the highest-volume SUV of any brand in the U.S. The revised CR-V impressed the 2015 SUV of the Year judges by how well-executed so many of its elements are, and we’ve got one year to determine how this SUV of the Year winner grows on us. With a new engine, new transmission, and newly available safety technology, can the CR-V continue to meet…

“Despite its oftenadmired demure blue color, this unassuming wagon’s turbo has no trouble getting up to traffic speed on the highway.” Service life / 11 mo/22,866 mi Avg CO2 / 0.74 lb/mi Energy cons / 128 kW-hrs/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $36 (2-oil change, inspection, 1-tire rotation, cabin air filter) Normal-wear cost / $0 Base price / $36,225 As tested / $45,625 REAL MPG FUEL ECON 26.3 MPG comb. I recently took our Volvo V60 to the AutoNation Volvo South Bay dealership for service, which was due at 20,000 miles. They did an oil change, replaced the oil filter, and inspected the fluid levels, brakes, battery, belts, and hoses. Normally this visit would cost $289.99, but with Volvo, the first three maintenance visits are covered…

The last time you went to an auto show, you might have seen a concept car with some wild features and thought to yourself, “Nah, that’s never going to happen.” Well, the new BMW 7 Series might just be the car that proves us all wrong. The flagship sedan doesn’t look dramatically different, but its new lightweight body, gesture control technology, and plug-in hybrid option represent significant changes from the previous model. The all-new BMW 7 Series will be offered in the U.S. exclusively as a long-wheelbase version, and it gains more than 6.6 inches in length over its predecessor. But the biggest visual changes are up front, where the sedan’s “eyes” are now connected to the kidney grille, which now features flaps that open automatically to help cool the…

AT PORSCHE, RS stands for Racing Sport. The mission for these models is to put trailer companies out of business. Yes, these Porsches are built to be capable of streetdriving to the track, winning the race, and driving comfortably home. But to the seat of my driving suit, the GT3 is nearly perfect already. Can this RS special improve on that? Two hours north of Frankfurt, Germany, I had the fabulous opportunity to take an hour of wonderful back roads to Bilster Berg, a private circuit filled with ground-bound aerobatics. These drives highlighted my favorite characteristic, the near-miraculous combination of extreme track control and reasonable street comfort delivered by PASM, the Porsche Active Suspension Management system. I was struck by the statement that the GT3 RS is built by enthusiasts…

Lamborghini didn’t just add power. It dropped weight. “We learned a lot from launching the Huracán,” Maurizio Reggiani tells me. Lamborghini’s alwayssmiling head of research and development and I are standing on pit row at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain, surrounded by no fewer than a dozen Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloces. Seeing as Lambo is only producing 600 SVs, my head should be spinning. Also, seeing as I just completed four overcaffeinated laps in a 740-hp brute on a track I’d never driven, blood should be pouring from my ears. Instead, I’m deep in discussion with Maurizio — who gets my vote for nicest man in the car industry— about the Superveloce’s suspension. The Huracán was the first Lamborghini to come with magnetorheological dampers— the same type of Delphi-developed, fluidfilled,…

“Could the Corvette be your only car? After a few thousand miles, I say yes.” @CarlosLago Service life / 2 mo/3,281 mi Avg CO2 / 0.88 lb/mi Energy cons / 152 kW-hrs/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $0 Normal-wear cost / $0 Base price / $55,995 As tested / $64,880 REAL MPG FUEL ECON 22.1 MPG comb. With the new-car honeymoon period ending, it’s time to settle in with our longterm Stingray. Its performance remains fantastic, and I’m finding new ways to appreciate the car on the daily commute. For one, despite lacking adjustable dampers and pulling 1.05g average on the skidpad, the Corvette still rides comfortably. The nose isn’t too low, so I don’t worry about scraping over most driveways. The drivetrain can switch from…

“I’m often told I have the best job in the world. Waking up to F-Type R Coupe for 12 months provides not one shred of mitigating evidence.” 2014 JAGUAR F-TYPE S Service life / 6 mo / 10,720 mi Base price / $81,895 Options / Premium Pack S ($2,000: 14-way power seats, dual-zone climate control, wind deflector), Extended Leather Pack ($1,925: premium leather), performance seats ($1,500), Italian Racing Red paint ($1,500), Climate Pack ($600: heated seats and steering wheel), HD and satellite radio ($450), active sport exhaust ($220) Price as tested / $90,090 Avg fuel econ/CO2 / 19.1 mpg / 1.02 lb/mi Problem areas / Sound system software Maintenance cost / $0 Normal-wear cost / $0 3-year residual value* / $45,045 Recalls / Seatbelt harness connector REAL MPG CITY/HWY/COMB…