Indholdsfortegnelse for June 2015 i MotorTrend

For as much as Randy Pobst typically has to say about a car, he doesn’t often use walkie-talkies. We always stick one in the car before he goes out in case of emergency, but he rarely uses it. So you can imagine our surprise when, during his cool-down lap, Pobst’s voice suddenly came crackling over the radio, gushing about the Z/28. “Oh my God, you fixed it!” came the voice. “This is so much better. It’s back. This is how it should perform. We were so right to name this car Best Driver’s Car.” You can also imagine Pobst’s surprise when we told him how little we’d changed. A new set of tires, a double-check of the alignment, and oh, yeah, that little wickerbill bolted to the spoiler now. CHEVROLET…

2015 DODGE CHARGER SRT HELLCAT VS 2015 TESLA MODEL S P85D Life here at Motor Trend isn’t always gazing out the window into Laguna Seca’s Turn 1 at 130 mph from inside a 500-plushorsepower sports car. But even if our lives are (mostly) like that, we still get a truckload of mail each month telling us exactly where and how deep we stepped in it. Here’s an example, courtesy of Florida’s Bob Marks, “RE: March 2015 issue, story on p. 52—The Big Test minivans, by Christian Seabaugh. YOU BLEW IT—again!! … WRONG decision!!!” We’re going to let you in on a little secret, Bob (and the many readers who often feel the same way). Sometimes we don’t even agree with each other. CASE IN POINT: That very same Christian Seabaugh…

The recent death of AMG’s legendary, big-lunged, freebreathing 6.2-liter V-8 has inspired its own “black series” of obituaries. Road tests of the last Edition 507 and Black Series models praised that M156 engine’s linear power, eagerness to rev, and thundering bellow, implying that its smaller displacement successor stifled by turbos might not share such virtues. Well it’s time to doff those widow’s weeds, lighten up, and regard this new Mercedes-AMG C63 as the rainbow in Genesis—a sign of the horsepower gods’ covenant that no flood of CO2 regs, CAFE standards, or guzzler taxes shall ever smite mankind’s quest for linear torque delivery, ever-improving lap times, and soul-stirring sounds. This new direct-injected, 4.0-liter, “hotvee” twin-turbo V-8, code numbered M177, is a wet-sump riff on the M178 in the new Mercedes-AMG GT.…

2015 Audi SQ5 VS. 2015 BMW X4 xDrive35i VS. 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG VS. 2015 Porsche Macan Turbo Sport/utility vehicle. Is there a bigger misnomer than that? Sure, SUVs are vehicles, and they do usually have some sort of utilitarian function, but sport? Nuh-uh. Take a look at the most popular SUVs in the United States last year, led by the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, and Toyota RAV4. I don’t think any of you would argue with me if I said sportiness is the last reason anyone's buying these. I suspect somewhere along the SUV development timeline someone—probably the same person who said a four-door could be labeled a coupe—forgot to tell the Germans that SUVs don’t need to be sporty. And what a wunderbar mistake that turned out to…

“Better than any Ferrari I’ve ever driven!” When writing a car review, I generally try to throw some misdirection into the first paragraph to keep the reader guessing. Not here. “Wow, wow, wow, WOW! That’s better than any Ferrari I’ve ever driven!” So exclaimed Motor Trend hot shoe Randy Pobst as he swung open the Lamborghini Huracán’s door and jumped onto his feet. His smile was a mile wide. Randy had just finished five laps of Big Willow, the infamously high-speed track north of Los Angeles. Randy usually performs three hot laps for us when he’s trying to set a fast time. “I took a couple extra because the car’s so good,” he admitted. Randy’s not alone. I let one of our video guys drive Kermit the Lambo to grab…

ARRIVAL 2015 Audi A3 1.8T “I’m really geeking out over our A3’s MMI system: picture destination, Google Maps, Wi-Fi. Where do I sign up?” @C_Seabaugh EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 23/33/27 MPG BASE PRICE $30,795 PRICE AS TESTED $36,645 In the past year we’ve seen luxury automakers refocus on entry-luxe models, but Audi seems to be taking the segment the most seriously with the new 2015 A3. Although companies such as Acura and Mercedes-Benz only offer up to two powertrains and one body style with their entry-level cars, Audi has fired off a full salvo. The A3 range includes three gas variants, a diesel, a PHEV, front- or all-wheel drive, and three different body styles. And we’re getting the chance to spend a year with the best of the bunch.…

“Our long-term Fit has led me to a deeper appreciation of volume knobs.” @erkayapana Service life / 6 mo/8,993 mi Avg CO2 / 0.61 lb/mi Energy cons / 106 kW-hrs/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $0 Normal-wear cost / $0 Base price / $19,025 As tested / $19,025 AVERAGE MPG FUEL ECON 31.9 comb. Don’t take volume knobs for granted. It’s an unexpected lesson I’ve learned from our long-term 2015 Honda Fit EX, which has a fancy touchscreen infotainment system that lacks a volume knob. A few readers pointed this out in past updates, and it’s something I’ve obsessed over in recent weeks. “Needs a volume knob,” one reader noted after testing driving a Fit. “Did you end up using the steering wheel controls for adjusting…

Chevy took its lumps with the last-generation Malibu, but that seems to have inspired the company to pull out all the stops for the all-new 2016 Malibu. Under the seriously handsome new sheetmetal are a number of changes sure to appeal to customers. The first is right in the middle. The wheelbase has been stretched 3.6 inches, and the car is 2.3 inches longer overall. All of that extra length goes to the rear seat, whose size was a big complaint for the old car. Despite the size increase, Chevy says the new car is almost 300 pounds lighter than the one it replaces. The reduced weight should pay dividends when combined with the updates under the hood. The old 2.5-liter fourcylinder is gone, replaced by an all-new 1.5-liter, turbocharged…

“Unfortunately for the Z06, these numerical advantages don’t play out on the racetrack.” With those words, our highly anticipated comparison between the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and the Nissan GT-R NISMO, our April cover story, took a serious turn. On paper, the Z06 should’ve schooled the NISMO. In the real world, it didn’t, and that was the biggest factor in tipping the test toward the NISMO. It certainly didn’t seem right to us, and we said so. The Z06 has power, weight, grip, and braking advantages, but it was 1.4 seconds slower around Willow Springs International Raceway’s “Big Track.” Because the Z06 was slower on the straights while being quicker mid-corner and braking later, we assumed excessive drag from all the downforce the aero kit was making had to be the…

In the movie “Be Kind Rewind,” two friends replace accidentally erased rental video tapes with homemade re-enactments they call “Swedish” or “Sweded” editions. The new movies are quirky and a bit different, but honest. Volvo has always been a bit quirky and different, but the honesty in its purpose, its function, and its intent has always been obvious. The original XC90 embodied this, and the all-new SUV carries the mantle very well indeed. Perhaps the best place to start is inside the car. Craftsmanship has always been a brand value, but the company is now more interested in you seeing and feeling it. The leather is of distinctly higher quality and stitched neatly to nearly every interior surface. What’s not leather is intriguingly textured metal trim or wood, with a…

I’m convinced there’s no more blatant sign that you’ve aged out of the hip crowd than when you have to ask for an explanation of lingo the kids use these days. It seems like not that long ago I was DJ-ing high school dances and up on the latest songs and pop culture. Peers and elders used to ask me what the new slang meant. Then the song “All About That Bass” came out. Having heard only the ultrarepetitive chorus, I assumed it was about bass. I felt very old when it was explained as a euphemism for booty. I would’ve known that if I’d listened to the rest of the song, but I was too busy yelling at kids to get off my lawn. Thankfully, the song isn’t another…

“Thanks to South Bay BMW my 2015 BMW M3’s squeaky door seals are no longer. Now let’s fix this front left brake judder!” @edloh Service life / 8 mo/21,011 mi Avg CO2 / 0.96 lb/mi Energy cons / 166 kW-hrs/100 mi Unresolved problems / Front brake judder Maintenance cost / $0 (oil change, inspection) Normal-wear cost / $0 Base price / $62,925 As tested / $78,125 AVERAGE MPG FUEL ECON 20.3 comb. I had three specific issues to address at the M3’s first service, which I was about 1,500 miles overdue for. First and foremost, I asked the guys at South Bay BMW to diagnose and fix the incessant squeaking coming from inside the vehicle. The brittle creaking over speed bumps and in and out of steeper driveways has…

“The legacy car-building establishment is ripe for overturning by fast-moving tech companies versed in silicon, not steel.” @MT_Reynolds Service life / 17 mo / 38,054 mi Base price / $94,900 Options / ‘+’ suspension, wheel, and tire upgrade ($6,500); tech package ($4,250); third-row seats ($2,500); air suspension ($2,250); dual charger ($2,000) Price as tested/ $112,400 Avg fuel econ* / 86.2 mpg-e Problem areas / Motor replacement, steering knuckle replacement, sunroof Maintenance cost /$0 Normal-wear cost / $1,760 (new tires) 3-year residual value** / $53,307 Recalls / None EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 88/90/89 MPG-E AVERAGE MPG FUEL ECON* 86.2 MPG-E *Performed in the manner of Real MPG testing. **Based on Tesla resale price guarantee I’ve known Alec Brooks longer than either of us can precisely remember, but during a recent…

THE KIINOTE As part of our Sport/Utility of the Year competition, participating automakers agree to provide us with a long-term vehicle, should their SUV win. Not only does this arrangement give us 12 months to fully assess the champ’s pros—and inevitably its cons—but the lengthy loan also paints a more complete picture of why the SUV earned the coveted golden calipers. Recently, I had the opportunity to sample our past two award-winning SUVs, the Subaru Forester (2014 victor) and the Honda CR-V (2015)—not in sunny SoCal, but in my temporary home of wet and chilly Japan. Our first road trip took my wife, Diane, me, and our two kids—5-year-old Julian and 2-year-old Coletta—from Tokyo to Sendai, roughly a four-hour jaunt. Our transporter? A limited edition 2015 Subaru Forester X-Break dressed…

Style The iconic name is back, the split wing grille is gone, and to answer your first question: No, it’s almost certainly not rear-wheel drive. Lincoln’s official response goes something like this: “This is a concept. We’re not talking platform architecture at this stage.” The automaker is happy to confirm that a new turbocharged, 3.0-liter EcoBoost V-6, exclusive to Lincoln, will power the production Continental when it arrives in 2016. But that’s just a bit of misdirection when confronted with the return of such a historic nameplate on a concept so dripping with potential. If you were the Lincoln designer tasked with creating the car that would again wear the Continental name, how far would you take it? If the design brief even hinted at rearwheel drive, you would leave…

Gliding through Portimão’s Samsung corner, former World Rally Champion Walter Röhrl is driving the dark silver Cayman GT4 very, very quickly, but by now I’ve spent enough time with the car to sense it’s got some left in it. As we exit Turn 9, Röhrl glances in the mirror at the three GT4s tailing us. They’re keeping up. His face, already stoic, tightens. His eyes narrow, and his body language is suddenly but obviously more serious. It’s on. Röhrl drives the GT4 for everything it’s worth. Three corners later, he backs off a bit, looks over at me, and says dryly, “Sometimes you have to show them who is the chief.” It’s there, at the razor’s edge, where I finally appreciate just how good the GT4 is. Röhrl has left…

Within minutes after I posted a 2015 Ford Edge Titanium photo on Instagram, the comments already showed a consistent theme: “Looks like the RAV4,” wrote mrbrightside725. “Doesn’t the new Edge look like the Santa Fe?” asked rdederick. “Nice Honda CR-V,” noted danieljay6910. But it was j_runemova_23’s post that stood out most: “Looks like everything else all together.” The popular Web meme I SEEN’T IT! instantly came to mind. My Instagram insta-poll was clear: The Edge’s design is a little too familiar. But Kevin George, the Ford Edge’s chief designer, seemed to see this coming when he talked to journalists the night before an event in Scottsdale, Arizona. “We didn’t want to reinvent what we had,” he said as he pointed out its uncomplicated exterior and familiar proportions. “We wanted to…

“Can’t wait to test the Colorado Z71 package on some serious trails.”@AutoCritic EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 17/24/20 MPG BASE PRICE $34,990 PRICE AS TESTED $37,265 The 2015 Chevrolet Colorado, the Motor Trend Truck of the Year, was delivered in January to serve as the Detroit office’s long-term vehicle. Over the next year, we’ll test everything this four-wheel-drive, Red Rock Metallic Z71 crew cab has to offer. It’s already assisted in one weekend move and was a champ through the heaviest of snowfalls during our brutally cold winter. When I left the airport after one snowstorm, the Colorado easily pulled out of its space while many others spun their wheels and owners waited for rescue shovels to arrive. This was the first time I needed to put the Colorado in…

“Hope I don’t lose any car guy street cred admitting this, but I’m really gonna miss my Rogue.” @C_Seabaugh Service life / 12 mo / 21,550 mi Base price / $30,280 Options / Premium package ($1,990), auto-dimming mirror ($310) Price as tested / $32,580 Avg fuel econ/CO2 / 23.3 mpg / 0.84 lb/mi Problem areas / Rattling sunroof, power window, tailgate Maintenance cost* / $648.61 (4-oil change, inspection; 2-tire rotation; 1-cabin-air filter, engine-air filter, brake fluid change) Normal-wear cost / $0 (front brake rotor resurface, pad replacement, battery replacement) 3-year residual value** / $16,290 Recalls / Front hub bolts, loose lug nuts, steering shaft bolt EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 25/32/28 MPG REAL MPG CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 20.1/28.2/23.1 In an age of people arguing with Internet strangers about which performance…

“We will solve the problem that you cannot spend more than $160,000 on an SUV,” deadpanned Bentley boss Wolfgang Dürheimer about the company’s forthcoming Bentayga of-roader. Dürheimer was only half-joking: It appears there are indeed enough people in the world willing to spend four times or more the average annual wage in America on an SUV to justify Bentley spending hundreds of millions of dollars developing one for them. Bentley. First World problems solved here. Dürheimer expects the Bentayga to boost Bentley’s global sales to 15,000 vehicles a year when it launches in 2016. And while that total is still only about two-thirds the total number of vehicles Toyota sells worldwide every single day, it represents a 50 percent increase in Bentley’s output. Small wonder, then, that other ultra-luxe brands…