Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2015 i MotorTrend

“From a technological standpoint, it makes no sense to have a manual gearbox anymore,” said Franciscus Van Meel, BMW’s new head of the legendary M sports car division. Van Meel’s mildly inflammatory statement is not news, but it does give tangential foreshadowing to the outcome of our cover story and where we are in the evolution of the automobile. The cars on the cover and many within our expanded NAIAS section (pages 16-24) are best of breed, the latest and greatest examples of the sports and supercar segments. They are the distillation of all we know about making cars and hearts race faster and faster. But all the grip and go-fast bits that make these cars special are not new; they are but the latest iterations of decades-old technology. They…

Jason Stoicevich took over the Fiat brand in North America in 2013. He turned a rocky start for the Fiat brand into a record sales year in 2014, and he answered a few questions on the future of Fiat in the U.S. What is the strategy behind naming every product 500? Are you concerned about customer confusion? It’s a global strategy, but when we came into the market, we had one car for over two years. That’s what we became known for. When we launched the 500L, there was a little bit of confusion, quite frankly—is L just a trim level? Is it a new car? I don’t expect to have any issues like that with the 500X. What’s the plan to avoid those issues? The car is the star.…

Among the automakers, the automotive media, and the fans, new vehicles face great expectations from the moment their existence is revealed. Speculation and bench racing run rampant as we all try to infer from the available data how a vehicle should perform and how it will compare to the best in the segment. This prejudgment is no better illustrated than in the realm of sports cars, which brings us to these two perfect examples. Both the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and the Nissan GT-R NISMO were among the most anticipated sports cars of recent years. The former sees a thoroughly improved chassis and interior matched to an even more capable drive train and suspension that promise to steal the mantle of supercar-killer from the latter, a no-holds barred rethink of the…

We ran with elephants— mean, exhausted, 18-wheeled elephants. We were tourists in their world. Their bald tires narrowly fit within the skinny lanes we traipsed. Cacti outnumber humans here in Baja California, Mexico. “It’s not the off-roading that’s dangerous,” said my pilot, Ivan “Ironman” Stewart. He reached for an almond tucked in the cupholder. My brow was wet; his, bone-dry. “It’s the highways. The best advice I can give you guys is to not make a mistake.” The Ironman’s words carried the wisdom and authority of a three-time Baja 1000 champion and 17-time Baja 500 winner. Two days earlier, we and our Toyota TRD Pro trucks—Tacoma, Tundra, and 4Runner—met Ivan and his manager, Lynne, over coffee. He was to join the seven of us “Baja Stormtroopers”—Toyota USA PR maestro Craig…

When Subaru announced that its 2015 WRX would come to the U.S. only as a sedan, fan boys of the previous gen’s hatchback variant let out a collective sigh of grief that could be heard all along the snowbelt from Portland, Oregon, to Portland, Maine. Sure, the new sedan is cool, but a hatchback possesses inherent attributes—a curvaceous rump and a larger cargo hold—that make it special and appealing. Sadly, news didn’t get much better when Subaru debuted the 2015 Levorg—the name is derived from Legacy Evolution Touring—for the Japan market. Essentially a WRX wagon, the best-looking Subaru in maybe forever wasn’t going to take the boat ride to America. Forbidden fruit? For the fan boys, it tasted more like sour grapes. With any luck—and enough letters to your local…

“With the GTI’s five doors, four seats, and heart of a sports car, I’m looking forward to a year with the COTY.” @roryjurnecka EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 25/33/28 MPG BASE PRICE $25,815 PRICE AS TESTED $33,205 There’s no question we’re fans of Volkswagen’s new 2015 Golf. After all, the Golf TSI won a compact hatchback Big Test shootout, undoing our previous segment five, the Mazda3, in the process. It followed up that battle victory by also winning the war: The Golf is our 2015 Car of the Year. As is the case every year, that award goes to an entire model range, not a specific trim level, and the Golf’s model range is larger than many others. With five different power trains, five transmissions, three- and five-door configurations, and…

“I’ll be 40 soon, but the raspy roar the F-Type makes when firing up still makes the 9-year-old in me wideeyed and smiley.” @MT_Loverman Service life / 5 mo/11,310 mi Avg CO2 / 1.07 lb/mi Energy cons / 185 kW-hrs/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $0 Normal-wear cost / $0 Base price / $99,925 As tested / $103,575 REAL MPG FUEL ECON 22.3 MPG comb. A miracle happened. It rained in Los Angeles. After the king hell drought we’ve had—the worst in who knows how long—water falling from the heavens was cause for celebration. Unless you happened to be driving south on the 110 through downtown Los Angeles in a 550-horsepower supercharged Jaguar F-Type. Friends, Angelenos, countrymen: There are a great many things to love about…

So why bother building a new Supra? “I think Akio [Toyoda] loves sports cars,” says Lentz. Toyota has a fascinating history when it comes to sports cars. The 2000GT of the 1960s was powered by a Yamaha-developed twin-cam straight-six and styled with enough sex appeal that a topless version—one of two built—earned a supporting role in the 007 classic “You Only Live Twice.” The original MR2 was a bijou mid-engine Ferrari for the masses, faster than a Porsche 914 and more reliable than a Fiat X1/9. The 1987 Celica—the one with the 3S-GE engine—set a new benchmark for front-drive handling. And then there was the Supra. Originally litle more than a big-engine Celica, by the mid-’80s the Supra had become Toyota’s flagship sports car, and by the ’90s it boasted…

We told you it was coming (MT December 2014), and now it's here: the all-new Ford GT supercar. First, the basics. The midengine GT utilizes a carbon-fiber tub with aluminum front and rear sub frames; carbon-fiber bodywork; a 600-plus-horsepower, race-derived, 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V-6 engine; pushrod inboard suspension; carbon ceramic brakes; and a seven speed dual-clutch transmission by Getrag. It’ll go on sale at the end of 2016, just before the expiration of the 50th anniversary year of Ford’s first overall win at Le Mans with the original GT40. Now, to the details. The engine is essentially a street-legal version of the Roush-Yates-built powerplant found in the Riley Technologies Daytona Prototype race car. Per Ford, the race engine uses 70 percent stock parts, including the block and heads. It’s been…

2015 DETROIT AUTOSHOW SPECIAL Local Motors has been making a splash at shows such as SEMA and Detroit by 3-D printing its Strait EV on a Cincinnati Inc. BAAM (Big Area Additive Manufacturing) 7-by-12-foot-bed 3-D printer right on the show floor. Downstairs at NAIAS the company gave rides in first-gen Strati after announcing a mid-cycle refresh (revised headlamps, taillamps, windshield mounts, and the like). What are we, six months into Gen 1's development? Welcome to the world of 3-D-printed cars: Tweak the design, hit send, print the face lifted model. The ride was EV-fun, as the carbon-fiber-reinforced ABS plastic body/chassis weighs just 1,100 pounds, and it gets its 16-hp electric drivetrain (and its suspension) from the tiny Renault Twizy electric quadricycle, so it sprints around quickly and nimbly. A 6.1-kW-hr…

We car nerds know all about noise cancellation and enhancement. Dr. Bose worked out the math for his noise-canceling headphones on a Zurich-Boston flight in 1978, and car audio systems routinely use similar tech to generate sound waves of identical frequency and amplitude but out of phase to erase cylinder deactivation grumbles or enhance an engine’s growl. Manipulating sound (and light for that matter) is a snap because sounds and colors are simple waves that are easily described by amplitude, phase, and frequency. Smell is the final remote sensory frontier to be manipulated. Because our noses can detect and distinguish millions of smells, each comprised of myriad molecules and compounds, the task of detecting and canceling them is complicated, er, myriad-fold. Enter brothers Lav and Kush Varshney. Lav, a researcher…

Big Willow Willow Springs, California Track Length: 2.42 miles When we overlaid the plots of the Z06 and GT-R’s best laps, we all sat back, briefly confused. Is the Nissan really that much faster at higher speeds? Does the Corvette really outgrip the GT-R that substantially through the long Turn 2? The data doesn’t lie. (We simultaneously record these laps with two different Vbox data loggers precisely to keep them honest.) But on both the front and back straights, the Nissan clearly had the legs on the Chevrolet. Gearing? Aerodynamics? Heat buildup? Meanwhile, the Corvette’s big Turn 2 cornering edge quickly degraded during subsequent laps. Was heat generation in its tires rocketing their pressures? And notice, too, Randy Pobst’s pause between Turns 4 and 5 in the Z06 (avoiding a…

It’s tough to overstate the Sorento’s significance to the Kia brand. It was the first Kia produced in the U.S.; the first Kia to break 100,000 annual sales; and as Kia itself says, the model is a “core pillar of our brand.” That means it’s important not to screw up the 2016 Sorento. Fortunately, Kia has only made it better. Although there is some carryover from the previous year, Kia has given the new Sorento some significant improvements that are easy to appreciate. For example, overall length and wheelbase are up 3 inches from the outgoing version. We’re normally against this kind of growth trend, but the previous Sorento seemed to be stuck in a no-man’s land between compact and midsize SUV options. The increase gives the 2016 Sorento the…

Even if Toyota hadn’t refreshed its Tacoma midsize pickup, the truck would likely hold the top spot for the segment this year. Toyota owned it with 60 percent of all midsize truck sales last year and has had the best-selling midsize truck 10 years and running. During that time, however, more trucks have left the market than entered it. Gone are the Ford Ranger, Dodge Dakota, and until recently the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. The 2016 Tacoma gets just the makeover it needed: new powertrains, fresh sheet metal, and a raft of new features. Welcome to 2015. Unveiled at the North American International Auto Show, the Tacoma will arrive with either a new 3.5-liter Atkinson cycle V-6 or a carryover 2.7-liter four-banger. Both will be mated to a six…

Dr. Hardy, my optometrist, leaned back and blanched. There aren’t many excuses that sound as made-up as “Yeah, I need these new contacts in a hurry because next week I’ll be driving Ferraris at their Fiorano test track in Maranello.” But I was genuinely worried. My current split-focus lenses are fine for dodging the harebrains on the 405 (and most important, not looking like I need reading glasses). But little ol’ me venturing onto Fiorano, the famous asphalt canvas once painted by the brushes of Lauda, Villeneuve, and Schumacher—the da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Caravaggio of the Scuderia? Can Biofinity lenses be air-dropped into central Italy? Ten days later, it was see-your-breath cold and drizzling outside the red brick conference room as Ferrari’s chief test driver, Rafaela De Simone, circled the…

@MT_TheGoods Closet Factory Motor Trend Garage by Closet Factory $TBD• motortrendgarage.com Have the specialists at Closet Factory spruce up your garage with custom, high-quality, stylish, and functional cabinetry, flooring, racks, and accessories. Each garage is built to accommodate the client’s needs and carries the Motor Trend stamp of approval. Vbox LapTimer $1,050• racelogic.co.uk Get instant feedback on the racetrack thanks to a Predictive Lapping function. It’ll compare your current lap time and speed against your fastest lap to give you an idea of your progress. Mujjo iPhone Leather Wallet Case $38• mujjo.com The case isn’t new, but the color is. The leather is vegetable tanned to create a unique monochrome take on the popular case. It still holds up to three cards while maintaining a slim overall profile. Gramovox Bluetooth…

For once, I’m early. As I sit in the chilly sunrise on Willow Springs pit lane, associate road test editor Carlos Lago pulls up in something exotic, and I’m slightly put off by the striking orange color. That’s a bit much, I think. Then it hits me like twin turbos spooling up boost: McLaren. I had that orange HO-scale M6A Can Am car when I was a kid, marveled at Senna and Prost dominating Formula 1 after college, and still list the McLaren F1 as my second-favorite street car (after whatever I am racing that year). McLaren Orange. Provenance. The new 650S is the second generation of the MP4-12C road car, and our tester is the Spider, with a trick lightweight power-folding top, the only way to go. Power is…

It’s said you don’t get a second chance at a first impression, but modern attention spans have given lie to the adage. Make a strong enough first impression, good or bad, and you’ll never have another go at it. Make a weak impression and wait long enough, though, and you’ll get another shot. Enter Maybach. By the time the revitalized Maybach brand ceased production in 2012, most people had forgotten it was still on the market despite having been around for 10 years. This time, though, things are different. The brand is now Mercedes-Maybach, embracing its roots and buying a bit of prestige from the powerful Mercedes-Benz brand, and it's a genuinely fantastic car. Yes, it’s a stretched S-Class again, but it’s not some aged-out chassis. It’s the best S-Class…

“Three adults and a dog managed to fill the entire cab and bed for our Xmas odyssey, but we averaged 18 mpg (that’s 54 people-mpg).” @MT_Markus Service life / 12 mo/20,370 mi Avg CO2 / 1.18 lb/mi Energy cons / 225 kW-hrs/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $0 (2-oil change, tire rotation) Normal-wear cost / $0 Base price / $51,355 As tested / $54,585 AVERAGE FUEL ECON: 15.6 (gas), 14.5 (E85) MPG comb. I promised we’d put Big Jim to work towing, and for this update we have. MT’s Detroit office recently acquired a sweet tailgate trailer outfitted with TVs, keg taps, and the works, festooned in matching gloss black with corporate TEN logos. When hooking up the trailer, the rear camera certainly helps, but its…

“Say it ain’t so—our long-term Model S is finally being summoned back home.” @MT_Reynolds Service life / 17 mo/36,200 mi Avg CO2 /N/A Energy cons / 39 kW-hrs/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $0 Normal-wear cost / $0 Base price / $94,900 As tested / $112,350 AVERAGE FUEL ECON 86.2 MPG-E Suddenly dizzy, I slowly sat down to read the email. The date for our long-term Model S’ departure had been set. I wonder: Will they shoot me with a stun gun or roll a tear gas canister under my cubicle to peel the Tesla’s keys from my clenched fingers? Either way, our sedan will soon be returned to the realm of people who can actually afford a car like this. How gauche to complain, of…

“If I could only have one car, it would be the Range Rover. A true go-anywhere wagon that’s also a genuine luxury car, it does everything I need and everything I want.” All good things must come to an end, and after almost 28,000 miles, I’ve said a reluctant goodbye to the 2014 Land Rover Range Rover that has been my daily driver for the past year. I already know I’m going to miss its quiet comfort and restrained opulence, as well as its discreetly confident, go-anywhere demeanor. Fast-moving freeway? Rocky trail? Sandy beach? Cratered city streets? Snowy mountain pass? Country club driveway? No problem. Drive on. Range Rover reliability is still a favorite carp of the Internet’s armchair experts, many of whom posted dire predictions of expensive problems after…