Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2016 i MotorTrend

Mini Vision Next 100 Mini’s latest concept takes the brand’s philosophy of personalization and merges it with the culture of ridesharing. BMW says future Minis will be available 24/7 to pick up riders and quickly adapt to their preferences. That’s where the car’s “blank canvas” design comes in handy. Whoever is “driving” the Mini can customize the interior instantaneously to his or her liking, choosing different colors, graphics, and content to project onto the interior of the car. Driving fun is an important part of the model. It can tailor the driving mode to an individual, but it’s just one option. Switching to autonomous mode is as simple as moving the steering wheel into the open area between the driver and the front passenger seat. Inside the cabin, look for…

GET YOUR SEARCH ON DISCOVER WHAT’S NEW FOR ALL YOUR FAVORITES 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 DISCONTINUED Vehicle is going out of production 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 is derived from 2016 or 2017 model ratings. IntelliChoice five-year retained value data may apply to common vehicle variants, not an average of all model variants. 2017 EPA ratings are more stringent than before, so a car with no mechanical changes from 2016 may still get a slightly different rating…

The 911 R shouldn’t be a thing. Or at least as big a thing as it is. It’s not new—merely a 991.1-chassis Porsche 911 GT3 with the 4.0-liter, 500-hp engine from the GT3 RS, no big wing, and a low-tech manual gearbox. And yet before a single one was seen by the public, the car was sold out. Porsche can build only 991 of these, but it could have sold thousands—and that’s before anyone sat in one. Now we’ve driven it. To call the Porsche 911 R a revelation would be an understatement. You know from the second you turn the key in the R that this is not a normal Porsche. The single-mass flywheel (technically optional but absolutely mandatory) shaves more than 12 pounds off the standard dualmass version,…

Motor oil isn’t terribly sexy, so I don’t pay it a lot of attention. But because it would double as an opportunity to spend an evening at the Buffalo Trace distillery (one of only two on the Bourbon Trail I was missing), I decided to head to Kentucky to help the Lexingtonbased Valvoline celebrate its 150th birthday. Yes, in 1866, while John Ellis was trying (unsuccessfully) to find a medicinal purpose for the crude that was bubblin’ up in Pennsylvania, he noticed how slippery it was and reckoned it might serve as an improvement over the animal- and vegetable-based oils that were then used to lubricate steam engines. He renamed his company Valvoline in 1873, and the company has since pioneered all-climate motor oils, racing oils, synthetic blends, and high-mileage…

WRITE US AT 831 S. Douglas St. El Segundo, CA 90245 Email us online at motortrend.com or send an email direct to motortrend@motortrend.com Apple Car Commotion Normally, we reserve this space for you and your insights. This month, however, we’re giving Kim room to respond to your thoughts on his Apple Car story (“The Apple Car,” June). We’d run more of your actual letters, but the responses were, well, pretty unanimous, so we’ll instead cede the floor to Kim and his rebuttal.—Ed. The afternoon we’d released some teaser photos from our Apple Car story, I was driving back from California Speedway. I tuned XM/Sirius to CNBC—I like business news—and this first thing I heard was Melissa Lee of “Power Lunch.” “Next up, the images that are burning up the…

For a company that builds cars called Vantage and Vanquish and Vulcan, AM-RB 001 sounds about as exotic as a VIN. But the prosaic name belies an extraordinary Aston Martin concept with an astounding performance target: a road car that will deliver Formula 1 race car levels of acceleration, cornering, and braking. “We’re talking an F1 car in race trim, not qualifying trim,” hastens an Aston Martin insider. OK, consider our expectations managed. The AM-RB 001 is the product of a joint development program between Aston Martin and Red Bull Advanced Technologies, the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team’s in-house design and engineering shop headed by superstar race car designer Adrian Newey. Aston Martin says the car shown here represents about 95 percent of the final design. The first running…

2017 Hyundai Elantra Eco The last-gen Elantra kind of set the benchmark for fuel economy in the gas-powered compact segment. We say kind of because Hyundai announced in 2012 that it miscalculated mpg across its lineup, which led to the Elantra’s highway rating dropping to 38. Nevertheless, 40 mpg stuck as the magic number manufacturers have strived to hit. Now, Hyundai offers an Elantra it promises actually gets 40 mpg. The Elantra Eco, the midlevel model in the lineup, slots above the base SE. As the name suggests, the Eco is geared toward fuel economy, and it accomplishes that mission with a turbocharged, 1.4-liter four-cylinder and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission combo good for 128 hp and 156 lb-ft of torque. The Elantra Eco doesn’t offer navigation but instead comes standard with…

@MT_TheGoods MOTOR TRENDS THE GOODS The Daring One: Electric Unicycle Ninebot One E+ • $699 • segway.com This is one of the most challenging yet rewarding (and mildly addicting) devices to roll into Motor Trend HQ. The Ninebot One E+ is an electric unicycle that weighs 31 pounds and has a 22-mile range and a top speed of 14 mph. A Bluetooth connection lets you control settings and the LEDs on the side of the device from your smartphone. The Practical One: Rear-Wheel-Drive Electric Folding Scooter EcoReco M3 • $899 ecorecoscooter.com Walking to work is a thing of the past with the EcoReco M3 E-Scooter. This green form of alternative transportation boasts the ability to go 500 miles on $1, a top speed of 20 mph, and a 20-mile…

After 68 years and 2,016,933 vehicles, the last Defender rolled off the assembly line in Solihull, England, last January. HUE 166 Even after 40 years the muscle memory quickly kicks in. The left leg pushing the springy clutch pedal to the floor through its circular arc; the left arm out, almost at waist height, to find first gear, then reaching down past the left knee for the e-brake; the awkward stomach crunch as you guide the stubby lever to the floor. The Land Rover Defender 90 Heritage is a kinder, gentler version of the battered 1960 ex-Australian Army Series II in which I learned to drive. But it’s essentially the same car. The steering wheel sits atop a non-adjustable steering column set at exactly the same angle, and there’s the…