Indholdsfortegnelse for July 2005 i MotorTrend

THE NEW 206 is the most powerful production Corvette in history, making 505 horsepower at 6300 rpm. Torque is 470 pound-feet at 4800 rpm. GM is the first automaker to certify horsepower using the Society of Automotive Engineers’ new test procedure, J2723, which gave the Z06 five more ponies, at least on paper, than GM high-revving 7.0-liter LS7 V-8. And that may not be the only surprise the new ultra-Vetteis going to spring: Ne’re hearing it may even better the 3.7-second 0-to-60 time that’s been bandied about. Apparently, GM testers have already run some super-quick numbers.…

GM HAS RUSHED ahead its next-generation full-size pickups and sport/utilities, including the GMC Yukon/Chevy Suburban/Cadillac Escalade ESV, as those high-profit models have lost a lot of sales in the last year. The new utilities have a more rounded, organic-look sheetmetal to go with substantially upgraded and updated chassis, suspension, and steering. Cadillac asked for input from influential Escalade customers (translation: athletes and rappers) to make sure it got its truck sales profiler just right.…

snowjob I realized just in time the other day that the young female was intent only on her cell-phone as she pulled into traffic in Fargo, North Dakota, and cut me off ("The Asphalt Jungle," April). The only chance I had to escape was to crank the wheel hard right and plow into the snow piled on the side of the street-no curb, luckily. She didn't even notice. Having just returned from a 5000-mile road trip and seeing five single-vehicle, SUV accidents along the way, I wondered who among these unfortunate drivers also was on a cell-phone. If you're starting a petition to make cell-phone time run $20 a minute, send one here—I'll sign it. Right on! Phil W.Johnston Forest River, North Dakota write us at 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los…

CRANKY OLD-TIMERS who complain about the new Dodge Charger’s four doors will hate what Chevrolet is doing with Super Sport. How dare Chevy hang an SS badge on the boxy, utilitarian Malibu Maxx or on a whiny, blown four-cylinder Civic coupe wannabe Cobalt—or anything else with front drive? It’s the risk automakers take when they tangle with their heritage. Never mind that SS versions were first and foremost a way to get bucket seats and more chrome trim on Chevy II Novas and 327 Impalas. It’s the muscular 1966 Chevelle 396, 1970 Chevelle 454, 1960s Impala 396s, 409s, and 427s, and the Camaros we remember as standard-bearers of the SS emblem—the cars that today command big prices at classic-car auctions. The theoretically possible 1961 six-cylinder Nomad SS station wagons had…

HARD TO TELL what kind of speed you can get away with when GM lets you drive its new high-performance SUV around the Tech Center in Warren, Michigan. When John Heinricy and Tom Wallace represent GM, it turns out to be a lot. “Take that road,” Wallace prods, pointing to a less-traveled thorough-fare on the sprawling postmodern-design campus. It’s early and there’s no traffic, so we punch the throttle, and the LS2 responds with a muscular burble and a smooth and progressive burst of power. Quick, not neck-snapping. Okay, that was good. How about a standing start? Heinricy, in the front-passenger seat, punches the traction-control off button with his right index finger. We launch it, again smoothly, with no wheelhop or smoky-misty burnout. The 20-inch rear tires on this black,…

MIDSIZE-TRUCK vehicle line executive Tom Wallace missed out on all the fun. He had to stay in the States to work on the Hummer H3 and Saab 9-7x and let high-performance operations director John Heinricy fly off to Germany’s storied Niirburgring to tweak the TrailBlazer SS. “It’s the most challenging track I’ve ever been on,” says Heinricy, “and | don’t think there’s a more challenging one in the world. If you want to develop the dynamics of a vehicle that can handle any situation, you’re going to find it at the Nurburgring. It has huge elevation changes, on-or off-camber turns; they’re going in an odd direction after the top of a hill. If you can develop a vehicle to behave well at the Nurburgring circuit, running at full-tilt, you’ve pretty…

PROBABLY THE ENGINEERS at BMW’s power-mad M division are eating too much sugar. The team’s four-door atom bomb, the new MS sedan, hasn't even reached our shores yet, and already those hyperactive Bavarians are giddily one-upping themselves by giving us a taste of the M5’s more extreme sibling, the 2007 M6 two-door coupe. More extreme? Than the M5? Which, after all, is a luxury automobile packing a Formula 1-inspired, 500-horsepower V-10 engine that revs like a dentist’s drill; a seven-speed, paddle-shift, sequential manual gearbox that Mark Webber might think got stolen from his BMW Williams; and an aluminum suspension so sophisticated you could drive over a newspaper and practically read it. More extreme than that? Yes. Performance-wise, the M6 is all the M5 is and more. And less, too, in…

A MENACING 8000-pound steel wrecking ball suspended above the new Mitsubishi Eclipse; the symbolism must be obvious to our readers. Ifnot—perhaps it’s time to subscribe to a reputable newspaper or visit Todd Lassa’s bountiful background information on Mitsubishi’s plummeting fortunes (see sidebar). Lassa claims the market failure of the new Eclipse probably wouldn't shatter Mitsubishi, but it could wind it into a deadcar-company walking. This is an important car for its maker; in the past, it’s proven to have longer sales legs in the marketplace than most sporty coupes. It’s also developed a following among the sport-compact tuner crowd, which didn't exactly go hog wild over the previous-generation Eclipse. Hence, the suspense mounts: 2006 Eclipse, feted or flattened? Thumbs up or down? Will our trusty crane operator, Robert Stanley, flip…

SUBARU LOOKED to its own history for design inspiration: Fuji Heavy Industries, the parent company, has built aircraft since the early 1900s, a tradition that continues to this day. (It’s currently a supplier of air frames for Boeing.) While this is the first production model for the American market with the new Subaru front end, Japan has seen this face on the company’s R1 and R2 microcars. It’s likely to spread from there: Subaru’s public-relations department has said the new front end will go on vehicles that suit it, meaning you'll be seeing more of it in the future, but it won’t necessarily be plastered on every Subaru. That’s okay, because conformity can be a terrible thing.…

IT’S WRONG. All wrong. Everything I've been conditioned to do as Motor Trend’s driver of record—techniques I've spent years learning, practicing, and relegating to muscle memory: wrong, wrong, wrong. Forget braking in a straight line, downshifting then turning the wheel smoothly, and gently squeezing the gas. Here, the superstar drivers arrive at every corner going sideways in a frenzy of revs and a cloud of tire smoke, two turning and two burning as their cars waltz back and forth. What I do—and what Michael Schumacher and Dale Earnhardt Jr. also do—is called “grip driving’’: all the same and not nearly as much fun. Welcome to the politely anarchic world of drifting. For grip drivers, drifting, like skidding or sliding, is something to avoid—or at least to correct as soon as…

THE MOMENT OF TRUTH, when it came, was almost an anticlimax. Almost, because watching the speedo needle kiss 320 kph—200 mph—while storming down the fast lane of a German autobahn is, like reaching the summit of Everest, a rather special experience for any driver. It’s just that the Bentley Continental Flying Spur made itseem, well, a bit too effortless. Think 200 mph in a road car, and you'll invariably think of some shrieking, low-slung Italian exotic—all noise and carbon fiber; all edge and sweaty palms. Yet here we were, arrowing along the M92 toward Munich in a 5450-pound luxury limousine with leather on the roof lining, burled walnut on the dash, and Mozart on the CD player. At close to 200 mph. Suddenly, I understood exactly what the Continental Flying…

WAIT! Don't flip that page just because the pictures show a bunch of four-door econoboxes. Sure, at first glance they resemble cars from the bottom of the Hertz and Avis price sheets—and since none of them wears Evo-esque wings, flares, air-dams, or other overt signs of swagger, you can be forgiven for thinking these cars are automotive white bread. It turns out that, while we've been distracted by spicy high-horse hardware and high-tech hybrids, the Happy Meal sedan has grown up, come of age. Scan the option sheets of the five compact four-doors collected here, and you'll find such extravagances as Xenon headlamps and navigation (Mazda3); satellite radio, OnStar telematics, and a trip computer (Chevy Cobalt); tire-pressure monitoring (Toyota Corolla); heated seats and moonroofs (several). The Kia Spectra SX, Toyota…

THE LAST TIME saab begged parent GM for an engine with enough cylinders to compete in the US., it was thrown an odd 3.0-liter, 54-degree iron-block V-6 and a tiny budget with which to Saabify it. A turbo on the front bank pressurized the whole engine to just 3.9 psi (the internal structure couldn't tolerate any more), so output was constrained to a ho-hum 200 horsepower, and sales ended in 2003. This new 60-degree turbo V-6 is custom-tailored for Saab. The engine shares its chain-driven DOHC architecture and variable intake-valve timing with the “high-feature’’ V-6 currently powering Cadillacs and other upscale GM vehicles. The turbo is Saab’s alone, but some features required to meet the demands of turbocharging, like oil-cooled pistons, have been applied across the other brands. Stronger forged…

WITH EACH new Odyssey, Honda reestablishes its dominance in the minivan marketplace. It does this not only by winning magazine comparison tests, but also at the dealer level, where “additional dealer markup” seems the often-used phrase of the Honda sales reps. Everyone needs the people-and-stuff-moving capability of a minivan, and we're no different. We opted for the top-of-the-line Touring model, sans Nav, which includes everything offered on the 3.5-liter V-6-equipped LX through EX models, plus variable cylinder management (also available on the EX) and the Michelin PAX run-flat system with unique 17-inch self-supporting wheels. The VCM should yield better fuel economy, something on everyone’s mind these days, and we'll see ifthe soft-sidewall PAX tires deliver a more comfortable ride, as promised. Upon the Honda’s delivery, we were surprised at how…

CARMAKERS have always worked overtime to define trends and identify the next big thing. One notion they're all trying to understand is what people want in a “crossover”—something that delivers the best attributes and passenger-space flexibility of a sport/utility, a minivan, and a station wagon—without the stigmas associated with any of them. The Subaru B9 Tribeca tested in this issue is just one of many. In 1964, Ford dreamed up the Aurora, which offered “a compartmentalized interior designed for family travel in utmost comfort and convenience.” Don’t even worry about sunburn from that glass roof, as it boasted a power-operated polarizing sunscreen. The Aurora’s press release also mentioned an “aerohead” cooling system, which sounds a lot less high-tech. While the marketplace has generally rejected two-door wagon/utes, the Aurora was an…

YOU READ THAT RIGHT Hyundai is planning a sedan that’s bigger and more upmarket than its new Azera, the XG3S0 replacement with rear drive and choices of six-cylinder and V-8 power. Whispers out of Korea suggest the car could appear before the end of the decade. Hyundai also reportedly is working on a coupe version of the car as well. With rear drive and a V-8, the sport coupe isn't a replacement for the Tiburon. If the Tiburon is replaced—and it might not be—the new model would appear about 2009. One more piece of this puzzle is Hyundai-owned Kia, which could get its own car based on the new platform. If it does, it'll be a sedan only, with no coupe to compete with Hyundai's. Based on the brand values…

THE ENGINEERS at Porsche’s Zuffenhausen R&D center are working overtime, with three models due soon. The Boxster-based Cayman coupe is set for a September unveiling at the Frankfurt auto show. It'll be positioned above Boxster and below 911, with a 295-horsepower, 3.4-liter flat-six in the Cayman S, which will bow ahead of a standard Cayman. Built by Magna Steyr in Graz. Belgium, the Cayman will be offered with six-speed manual or five-speed Tiptronic transmissions and may have a targa roof. Porsche’s 911 GT3 is set to arrive soon, packing all the goodies of the new 997, including a better interior. And it gets more power than the old GT3’s 380 horses-i’s reportedly close to the last not-for-U.S. import RS’s 420 horsepower, but without the body-lightening the RS went through via…

THE ALL-NEW Land Rover Freelander is scheduled for an early-2006 on-sale date. it uses a stretched and strengthened component set from the Volvo S40/V50 and Mazda3, called C Plus. The platform will underpin the next Volvo S60 and Ford Mondeo and Galaxy as well. The new Freelander will be more refined, sportier than the current model, and will have far richer feature content. 1t features a Volvo-derived turbocharged Inline-six. Max power is somewhat less than the 270 horses of the XC90 six, but it’s also a much lighter machine.…

THE TRICKLE OF CARS currently exported from China is about to become a flood. DaimlerChrysler has announced it’s in negotiations with one of its Chinese partners to build a subcompact that'll be exported to the U.S. for sale in Chrysler Group showrooms. The car will be smaller than the Neon, which is to be replaced for 2007 with a production version of the Dodge Caliber Geneva concept. DC also announced it'll source parts and components in China for use in Mercedes and Chryslerfactories around the world and will open a Mercedes-Benz design studio in Beijing. Meanwhile, General Motors and Chery have unveiled new Chinesemade cars to the world. And no, the Chery wasn't a copy of GM’s car. Chery showed a four-seat steel-topped convertible designed by Pininfarina. It'll be one…

sacred cow Why would Mazda ("Trends," April) drop the name from a car that’s become an icon over the past 15 years? The name Miata instantly creates an image of a fun sports car and hints at the personality of its owner. Corvette and Mustang have become sacred names in automotive history, so should Miata for marking the rebirth of the quintessential sports car. Shame on the marketing boob responsible for thisblunder. Brian Mihalcin North Canton, Ohio Goes along with GM dumping th e Camara and Acura the Legend, doesn't it?-Ed. consumer interest This new 3 Series is butt fugly ("Driven by Desire," April). It may be a technological wonder, but I can't find an angle that looks pleasing to the eye. This one seems to mimic features from every…

LOOKING BACK, it’s awonder we survived. Driving in the 1960s, 1 mean. Well, riding, actually—in 1968, 1 was only seven and my brother and two sisters were even younger, so my parents did all the driving, unless it was my Uncle Jim scaring me to death by gunning his new Chrysler to 110 mph so I'd make it to summer camp in time for a lesson in canoe safety. Viewed through the enlightening prism of experience, though, even sedate car rides back then seem packed with peril. Passenger safety? In the 1960s that meant,“Do not touch the cigarette lighter to your Major Matt Mason action figure or you'll produce stinky cabin fumes that'll make your head feel funny.” All this was on my mind recently as I loaded my four-year-old…

FOR 2006, the Impala sedan got a major/minor workover, like its W-body mates, the Pontiac Grand Prix and Buick Lacrosse. Unfortunately, the Monte Carlo got new sheetmetal only forward of the A-pillar. Everything else is carryover. Both come with 3.5-liter and 3.9-liter V-6s, but the SS treatment shoehorns in the LS4 5.3-liter V-8 with Displacement On Demand cylinder cutoff. A V-8 Impala has been rumored since the late 1990s, and now Pontiac has the same engine in the 2006 Grand Prix GXP. All Montepalas have MacPherson struts front and trilink coil-over struts rear, but 55 ups the anti-roll bars. Hollow bars replace solid ones, 34mm front (4 mm larger than the V-6's) and 19.4mm rear (up 3.4 mm). Tires are W-rated P235/S0R18 AL3 Goodyear Eagle RS on 18x7.0-inch aluminum wheels.…

1962 IMPALA SS 409 SS might as well have stood for Super Stock—as in NHRA drag racing—as that’s where special versions of these full-size coupes cleaned house. Employing cool, dual-quad carbs, they were factory rated at 409 horsepower. EL CAMINO SS Since the El Camino was based on a car platform, it got nearly every option and powertrain offering, as did its conventionally bodied cousins. SS versions first showed up in 1964 (this one’s a 1973) and continued until the El Cam’s demise at the end of 1988. 1969 CAMARO SS The first-gen Camaro’s final year was a pearl; SS models were offered, plus this ragtop Indy pace-car version. SS buyers could choose among four V-8s, ranging from 325 to 375 horsepower. 1970 CHEVELLE SS 454 LS6 1970 is considered…

ALTHOUGH GM has put the Zeta platform on ice, we can confirm that engineers and product planners in Detroit continue to attend meetings at which Zetabased vehicles are an agenda item. And Zeta’s demise would certainly come as a shock to GM’s Australian subsidiary, which will begin to roll out its all-new Zeta-based Holden range next April. GM has been rushing to pull forward the launch of its next-generation full-and midsize trucks, diverting money and engineering resources away from the U.S.-market Zeta programs. Why? Because trucks are GM’s highest-profit products, and the slowdown in truck sales in the first quarter of this year has been bad news for a company whose bottom line is already under siege from billions of dollars in health care and legacy costs. Next to a…

THE BAVARIANS deny they’re toying with the notion of a topless M6, but as this undisguised prototype—caught testing at the Nirburgring—proves, the car is very much a reality. Because BMW designed the 6 Series from the outset for coupe and convertible bodywork, the structure is inherently ready for the folding soft-top. But not for the M6’s 500 horsepower. A few additional braces will be added for M duty—along with the top, they’ll raise the M6’s weight by as much as 200 pounds, sapping a tad of performance in the bargain. Otherwise, the Cabriolet will mirror the coupe: Fl-inspired V-10, seven-speed SMG, cockpit-adjustable shocks, MDM button, luxurious leather-lined cabin. When we asked how much the a/fresco M6 will cost, a BMW exec just laughed. Which, if you consider its likely window…

WOLFGANG REITZLE was a senior exec at BMW when that company owned Land Rover, and he personally spearheaded the development of a new Range Rover planned for a 2002 introduction. He left to join Ford before the job was done—only to reinherit the project when the Blue Oval acquired Land Rover. When the flagship Rangie came to market, it did so Carrying a BMW powerplant. Ford, for obvious reasons, wanted to segue to homegrown engines, taking the opportunity to do that, and much more, with a substantial midlife update for 2006. The previous BMW V-8 cranked out 282 horsepower and was backed by a five-speed automatic transmission. That combo has been replaced by two new powertrains; a4.4-liter naturally aspirated aluminiumV-8 good for 305 horses and an Eaton-super-charged 4.2-liter unit packing…

BOB COSMAI, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor America, calls the all-new 2006 Sonata “a brand-altering product and the most important introduction in company history’’ Okay, maybe that’s over the top—but this is an important car for a brand that’s enjoyed good sales as of late, thanks to a strong value proposition, big warranty coverage, and increasing customer-satisfaction survey scores. The scrappy Korean automaker hopes this Sonata will strike the right note, putting its high-volume name-plate on the shopping list of potential buyers who've never before considered this model, or any Hyundai. The 2006 Sonata is offered in three trim levels: GL, GLS, and topline LX. It’s targeted at such segment sales champions as the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Nissan Altima as well as the Chevy Malibu. Tough territory,…

THE LOGBOOK is swelling with careful commends about the long-term tester that continues to impress:“Probably the best small car on the market” and “What a great car for under $20,000.” Along with “a guy approached me over the weekend asking how | liked the Mazda3.1 raved about it, | couldn't help it—it’s so likable.” And those are just the first three entries in the log. Unfortunately, one of the million new potholes in Los Angeles (thanks to more than our share of recent rainfall) claimed the right-front tire. We were able to find a replacement for the sizeable sum of $172.98. Since the 3 was near its 5000-mile-service mark, the techs also rotated the tires. We're happy to report that Davis Bros., on La Cienega Boulevard near our offices, knows…

OUR TITAN has made its way back to LA. after its tour of duty in Florida. Online editorial director Jeff Bartlett got several unsolicited comments from rear passengers about the scatbelts cutting Into their necks, the lack of height adjustment that they're too tight, and that you can't release the tension once they do tighten. His passengers also commented on the abundance of rear-seat legrcom. Jeff, being the electronics-gadget geek he is, enjoyed the microplug auxiliary input, just below the HVAC dials, which allowed him to hook up cither XM Satellite Radio or an iPod for his trips to Detroit.'This input should be on all head units in this age of MP3 players,’he says. If only they could fix our AM reception. Jeff reported that cold weather could trigger the…

PORSCHE RELEASED official pictures of the all-new Cayman coupe just as we were putting this issue to press. We have some details on the new Boxster-based car’s engine and power output in our story on page 18. But this is your first opportunity to check out how the car will look in your friendly Porsche dealer’s showroom. Visually, the Cayman is a lean, taut, compact car that recaptures the spirit of the iconic 2.7-liter 911 Carrera RS from 1973. Most of the sheet metal is all-new, giving the car an identity distinct from both the Boxster and the 911. Much of the interior will be shared with the Boxster, although the large rear hatch means the Cayman should have more luggage capacity. This S version, which will make its debut…

MEANWHILE, Hyundai also is close to approving the Portico crossover concept for production. Introduced at Chicago, the Portico is Hyundai’s answer to the Chrysler Pacifica/Ford Freestyle class of tall crossover wagon, but with 3+3 seating, like a Fiat Multipla/Honda FR-V. The middle seat in each row may be slid backward for staggered seating to prevent banging knees in a full house. The concept is powered by a hybrid electric and twin-cam Lambda V-6 coupled to a six-speed Shiftronic (automanual) automatic that Hyundai will soon have in production. One electric motor powers the front wheels, and a second motor powers the rears. Designed in South Korea, such concept-friendly cues as the suicide doors with no B-pillar will likely give way to a conventional four-doar-sedan configuration. If it gets final approval, the…

THE BAD NEWS is that Pontiac has pushed back the first drives of the new Solstice Roadster two months (to late June). The good news is it’s because GM vehicle-line executive Lori Queen wasn't happy with the quality of the interior and ordered last-minute revisions. So determined is GM to get this car right from the get-go, that Solstices have been running down the final assembly line for months. And when the cars have been built, they’ve been sent backward down the line, disassembled, and rebuilt to fine-tune the process. The 2007 turbocharged Solstice roadster will have enough juice to compete with BMW’s Z4. But BMW is upping the ante with the much-anticipated Z4 M, which makes its debut just as the naturally aspirated, 170-horse-power show power, base Solstice launches…

THESE ARE THE six-cylinder Impala SSs of the day. As modern cars with modern weight and horsepower, they should do well, like the Pontiac G6 GTP with which they share the 240-horsepower, 3.9-liter high-value (i.e., pushrods) engine. Unlike the G6 GTP, there’s no manual transmission option, just the four-speed automatic. The interior is designed in ebony, but you get a three-spoke steering wheel, an SS feature-and a choice of all-season or summer 225/SOR18 rubber. As for styling, it’s a question of taste, of course. Chevy car marketing chief Jim Campbell says he likes the Malibu SS front end.…

CHEVY’S LATEST Silverado SS has always tried to be a jack-of-all-trades performance truck. A renaissance bad-boy, if you like. When it arrived in 2003, it looked mean and its 6.0-liter, 345-horse V-8 sounded swift and accelerated smartly, but it also boasted six-passenger club-cab seating, all-wheel drive, and a hefty towing capacity (now 8100 pounds). These virtues did much to offset the fact that the short-cab, rear-drive Ford SVT Lightning (380 horsepower) and Dodge Ram SRT-10 (500 horse) pickups could run rings around it at the track. The market has responded favorably, snapping up over 14,000 Silverado SS versions in two years. Ford’s Lightning struck out after 2003, and Dodge has recently seen fit to introduce a more practical four-door SRT-10 with an automatic transmission and a 7500-pound towing capacity. Now…

IRRESPECTIVE of all the Chevelles, Impalas, Camaros, and even S-10 pickups that have worn Chevrolet’s SS badge, the first car to do so was a one-off Corvette. Corvette doyen Zora-Arkus Duntov and GM designers created the original Super Sport (below) in 1957 as a race and engineering toy and as a styling study. It is, so far, the only Corvette to be called an SS. If a hard-core enthusiast group of General Motors product types, designers, and execs have their way, there could be another—and it would slot into the lineup above the upcoming ZO6. This Super-Vette is far from a done deal, but we know for a fact it’s being studied within the halls of GM. With the base Corvette rated at 400 horsepower and the ZO6 now officially…

MERCEDES-BENZ CLSs are blooming around Beverly Hills like poppies after a desert rainstorm. All of a sudden, they're everywhere, at least on Drives with names like Camden, Roxbury, and Bedford. And with good reason: M-B’s new fourdoor coupe combines the all-around goodness and prestige of an E-Class with an architectural body design that belongs in a modern-art museum—or at least parked in front of your favorite joint on Sunset. In the event Brad or Paris needs to nip up Rodeo or get away from the stalkerazzi in an even bigger hurry than usual, they should consider the CLS55 AMG version. Out goes the standard 302-horsepower V-8 in favor of a supercharged, intercooled 5.4-liter monster good for 469 horses. And let’s talk torque: 516 pound-feet Of. delivered on a platter that…

THERE’S NOTHING WRONG wit vehicle having personality—but you don't want it to make you cringe. This is the controversy surrounding the B9 Tribeca. Subaru has found success by thinking differently and incorporating unique styling into its cars. Remember the Brat? The SVX? Its new, three-row-seat, crossover sport/utility is attractive, inside and—mostly—out. But will the Tribeca’s odd-duck face scare off potential buyers? It’s a shame, if so. It makes sense for a company that’s earned a solid reputation for its wagons to offer a larger sport/utility—especially to accommodate Subaru loyalists who've outgrown their Outbacks. Subaru’s first, the Tribeca, rides on a stretched and widened variant of the Legacy and Outback platform. It can seat five or seven passengers and comes in regular or Limited trim levels for each configuration. The Tribeca…

IT WOULD BE EASY to envy Henrik Fisker. The affable Dane is movie-star handsome and has a great family. He’s lived and worked in Germany, London, and some of the hotter spots in Southern California. While at BMW, he designed a car so beautiful—the retromoderm, M5-powered Z8 roadster—it starred in the James Bond film, “The World Is Not Enough,” with Pierce Brosnan. His most recent hands-on design project is the upcoming Aston Martin AM V8 Vantage, which could easily become 007’s next missile-firing ride. While at Ford, he held not one, but two of the most desirable automotive design positions in the world: director of Ford’s Global Advanced Design Studio and director of design for Aston Martin. His legend was secured, his future bright, his salary huge. And, on January…

0:1 ALFA ROMEO BRERA WHAT IS IT? Gorgeous two-door coupe built on the new Premium platform originally developed in conjunction with GM. Top-of-the-range versions get all-wheel drive and a 256-horse, 3.2-liter V-6 engine built in Australia by GM subsidiary Holden. Standard transmission is a six-speed manual, and a six-speed Selespeed automatic is available as an option. WHERE’S IT SOLD? Officially unveiled at this year’s Geneva show, the Brera is not due to go on sale in Europe until later this year. A convertible version will probably be revealed at the Een sana! this October. WHAT’S IT COST? Early feaicaiione suggest top-of-the-range models will cost BMW 330i money in Europe, so say $40,000, WHY WE WANT IT Just look at it! The styling 1s as passionately Italian as anything out of…

AUDI HAS three goals with its new A3; (1) target younger and/or first-time Audi buyers who will (hopefully) move up to more expensive models, (2) pursue those buyers with products built around lower price points, as the A4 has continued to move upmarket. These first two objectives are aimed at (3) seeing Audi’s mid-$20K-range offerings become a continued sales success, something Mercedes-Benz and BMW haven't been able to pull off. Audi’s A3 is a sporty, four-door-hatch-back complete with the brand’s signature grille, aggressive fender flares, and creased character lines that run from the corner of the front headlamps through the fenders and doors to the taillights. Similar to the shortened-wheelbase quattro Sport from Audi’s rally-racing past, the A3 some-what resembles an abbreviated wagon. Only one body configuration—this four door hatch—will…

AT ITS beginning, the sport-compact drag-racing scene was a joke. A“race car” was just a gaudy import sporting a loud exhaust, funky wheels, an over-the-top body kit, and (of course) a fourinch-diameter exhaust tip. That was then. Today, turbochargers, Pro Stock technology, and seven-second elapsed times are the norm—all accomplished via tiny four-cylinder engines and often with front drive. GM entered the sport-compact scene late in the game, but has quickly grown to bea major player, thanks to its impressive Ecotec 2.2-liter I-4. As competent as the Ecotec (GM’s first truly global engine family) engines are, there have been parts failures during dyno and track testing. These represent lessons learned, however, and GM has spent considerable R&D time on new, tougher components. Intended primarily for the new Cobalt, this extensive…

OUR SENIOR road-test editor had an unusual experience with this long-termer. On the way home from the office one night, the Touareg began spraying a reddish, greasy fluid onto its windshield. It appeared to be transmission fluid, so he pulled over and called VW roadside assistance. Fast forward to a repair bill for $1372.41 to replace the transmission cooler. Yikes! All we can figure is some hard object must have hit the cooler, causing it to fracture. We wonder how susceptible to damage that component may be, however, and whether it would be a problem during moderate off-roading. While the 'Egg was in for the repair, it got the 10,000-mile service, including the first tire rotation and checking on a rear-center seatbelt latched in the closed position and pulling tightly…

FOR YEARS, stateside driving enthusiasts were tortured by overseas reports touting the Impreza WRX. the turbocharged rally-winning machine from Japan When it finally was ottered to the American market In 2002. Subaru single-handedly launched a vehicle niche. What’s so special about the WRX? It’s a sedan about the size of a Honda Civic—but with almost twice the horsepower, all-wheel drives and sophisticated suspension derived from the FlA World Rally Championship race cars. Nothing else on the market could touch it for the money, though Mitsubishi tapped into the street-legal rally-car pool with the lancer Evolution scries, and so did Volkswagen Cm a spiritual sense) with the one-year-only RJ2. To keep the Joneses at bay. Subaru issued the Impreza WRX STi in 2004. Subaru Technica International upped the engine’s output and…