Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2019 i MotorTrend

Pop quiz: Do you know what Thai food is called in Thailand? Food. Do you know what electrified cars will be called in an electrified future? Cars. And autonomous cars in an autonomous future? You get the point. The world is moving in the direction of EVs and autonomy. Someday there will be more electric and autonomous vehicles than cars powered by internal combustion engines (ICE) that we pilot ourselves. How soon is the question. For all the hype of the past two-plus decades, progress in both arenas has been less leaps and bounds, more fits and sparks. I should know because MotorTrend was there from the beginning, with our first test drive of GM’s new-for-1997 all-electric EV1 in the June 1996 issue. Fast-forward a decade, we followed up with…

The Byton isn’t just another 0–60 electric railgun. While the 680-hp Tesla Model S P100D, 1,000-hp Lucid Air, and the 754-hp Rivian R1T will all bazooka onto on-ramps, the Byton’s standard configuration—with a modest 272 hp rear motor and 71-kW-hr battery (250-mile range)—will be merely “quick.” Its “fast” version adds a front 204-hp motor that’s just a shortened (cheaper) version of a rear one, and it can travel a Tesla-like 325 miles on its 95-kW-hr battery pack. But even then, its combined 476 hp won’t raise one eyebrow among performance wonks. Although Tesla has sometimes crowed in its quarterly reports about MotorTrend’s blistering Model S 0–60 times, Byton president Daniel Kirchert tepidly defended his car’s performance, saying it’s “not a lame duck.” Underwhelming? It’s intentional, one leg of a three-legged…

To the delight of lead-footed enthusiasts, the 2019 Mazda CX-5 now offers a more powerful turbo-four engine option. The 227–250-hp 2.5T engine (output depends on whether you use regular or premium fuel) adds to the charm of the CX-5, already the most stylish crossover in its class. If you’re aghast at how a CX-5 could possibly hit $39,030, know that the engine upgrade is only available with all-wheel drive, and even then, only on Grand Touring Reserve and Signature trims that have more content than the 187-hp CX-5’s lower trims. Trying to convince your spouse the turbo is worth it? Note that the 2.5T’s GT Reserve is only $1,800 more than a comparably equipped base-engine GT model. Or you can just get in the CX-5 2.5T and step on the…

Nissan’s big redesign of its Leaf landed with a lithium thud. Sure, it emerged from its insectoid cocoon wearing admirably handsome new clothes and drove with a lot more polish. But the goodness was short-circuited by its 150-mile range—better than before but a wild shortfall compared to the more expensive Chevrolet Bolt’s already whopping 238 miles. The fix? A new variant with a bigger battery, more power, distinguishing exterior details, and the promise of eventual vehicle-to-grid, two-way energy flow from its battery. This is a fast-moving technology—the Hyundai Kona Electric now touts a 258-mile range. But finally, there’s a Leaf that’s solidly in the game. Nissan’s long-range version of the Leaf, with an EPA-estimated 226 miles, provides a 40 percent range increase from the regular Leaf. This increase comes thanks…

TECHNOLOGUE An Israeli startup called MDGo could put a real dent in the ambulance-chasing business if its bid to leverage deep learning and biomechanical modeling succeeds in turning cars into triage doctors. The idea is elegantly simple: Use information gathered by a vehicle’s multiaxis accelerometers and other sensors during an accident in order to help predict the injuries inflicted on the occupants, and share this data with first responders so they’re prepared to provide precisely the care needed. For example, the data could be used to immediately dispatch a medevac unit instead of waiting for an ambulance to arrive, assess, and then summon medevac. MDGo claims that—for survivable accidents—such tailored care and time savings could improve victims’ long-term outlook for mortality and morbidity (chronic pain/side effects) by as much as…

This month’s reader on location, James Stewart, writes to us from Las Vegas, Nevada. “Hello, MT! I’ve owned both a Scion FR-S and BMW M235i, and your car reviews for those cars greatly impacted my decision-making. During a recent weekend trip in Las Vegas, I rented a Lamborghini Huracán and drove it to Red Rock Canyon. The nice winding roads and scenic views made for a perfect driving experience I will never forget. I look forward to future exciting content from the MotorTrend crew! Keep up the amazing work!“…

We’ve seen many flavors of Ford Explorer over the years. It’s been a trucky, body-on-frame SUV and a stretched car-based crossover with roots that trace back to Volvo. It has also shown flashes of pure Ford DNA. The common thread—no matter how it was engineered, what it looked like, or how it was critically received—has been its status as an American sweetheart. Ford has sold 7.7 million Explorers since that first one rolled off the line in 1990, and there are still 3.6 million of them on the road today. The Explorer helped define the SUV segment and is one of the automaker’s best-known nameplates. It’s the centerpiece of a utility lineup that has grown around it. Above it is the Expedition, a massive body-on-frame SUV. Below it is a…

It’s cold. That worst kind of cold. The biting, penetrating cold you feel in your bones. It’s mid-morning at Circuit Ricardo Tormo inland of Valencia, Spain, and all of 40 degrees. The sun’s been up only an hour, and it’s cloudy. I’m not worried about the air temperature, though. I’m worried about the track temperature. The tire temperature I can fix on the warm-up laps. The track, though, that’s on nature. I might have known I needn’t worry. Eight years ago, Jonny Lieberman and I absconded from the last Porsche 911 launch in Los Angeles with a Carrera S and a Corvette Grand Sport and quickly found ourselves in a freak rain-sleet-snowstorm in the mountains halfway between L.A. and Santa Barbara. The Corvette was nearly undriveable; the Porsche didn’t even…

It’s the biggest snake yet. Literally. When the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 goes on sale in the fall, you won’t miss it. The satin-finish snake up front, on the back, and on the sides has grown substantially. It’s fitting for the new GT500, which Ford promises will be the quickest and best handling to date. Under the hood is a hand-built 5.2-liter supercharged cross-plane V-8, as opposed to the 526-hp, 429-lb-ft 5.2-liter naturally aspirated flat-plane-crank in the GT350. The blower’s 2.7-liter displacement is more than half that of the engine, for crying out loud. Coping with in-cylinder pressures of more than 2,000 psi required longer, stronger cylinder head bolts, stiffer valve springs, hardened valve seats, and structural ribbing on the cylinder block. To handle all this torque coming from…

For all VW’s talk about the 2020 Passat midsize sedan being a full redesign, it stays on the old platform. Only the Chinese-market Passat moves to the MQB platform—yet another sign that China is the dominant market car companies cater to these days. Also, given that sedan sales in America are in the tank, you can’t fault VW for saving a bit of capital investment from the product development budget. Instead, VW is loading up the 2020 Passat with standard features, such as 17-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, full LED lighting, and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto/MirrorLink compatibility. Standard safety features include a blind-spot monitor, rear traffic alert, and front traffic assist with pedestrian monitoring and autonomous emergency braking. Optional driver-assistance features include adaptive cruise control and lane keep and parking steering assist. In…

OE Fluids The days of pouring 10W-30 into everything are long gone. Rock Auto now carries the OE-specification motor oil and fluids (transmission, brake, steering, coolant, gear oil, injector cleaner, DEF, etc) that your newer vehicle needs. Brake Line Kits Rock Auto now offers AGS EZ-Fit hydraulic brake line kits for many trucks and SUVs. Made from nickel–copper alloy that’s tougher than traditional steel, these kits do not require cutting and flaring and can be installed 65 percent faster.…

Marc Lichte is the auto designer from central casting: sharply tailored suit, expensive watch, improbable hair. Born in the town of Arnsberg, Germany, just outside Dortmund, he joined Volkswagen AG in 1996 as a junior designer while completing his degree in transportation design at Pforzheim University. Lichte has worked for VW Group ever since, becoming head of exterior design for Volkswagen, working on the fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-gen Golfs, the Passat and Arteon sedans, and the Touareg SUV, among others. He moved to his current role as head of design for Audi in early 2014. MotorTrend caught up with Lichte just prior to the reveal of the Audi E-Tron GT concept in Los Angeles. The A8 and Q8 were the first production Audis designed on your watch. What do they…

The lineup 1 Chevrolet Equinox AWD LT $34,330 2 Honda CR-V AWD (EX-L) $32,145 3 Hyundai Tucson HTRAC (Ultimate) $34,120 4 Jeep Cherokee 4x4 Latitude (Plus) $34,720 5 Mazda CX-5 AWD (Grand Touring) $32,760 6 Nissan Rogue SV AWD $32,820 7 Subaru Forester Limited $31,770 8 Toyota RAV4 Adventure $38,865 It’s hardly a news flash if you’ve been paying attention: Over the past decade, American families have dumped their family sedans for compact SUVs. Such a transformation in automotive preferences is nearly unprecedented: Car-based compact crossovers have become the best-selling passenger vehicles in the United States—second only to full-size pickups—and odds are you and/or most of your neighbors have one in the driveway. MANY IN THIS RED-HOT SEGMENT HAVE UNDERGONE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES. WHO LAYS CLAIM TO BRAGGING RIGHTS? We did…

THE EXPLORER ST REPLACES THE SPORT TRIM AND UPS THE ANTE WITH HELP FROM THE FORD PERFORMANCE TEAM. Ever since Sir Alec Issigonis launched his miraculous Mini, popular wisdom holds that a sideways engine and front drive is the surest-fire way to maximize interior volume in a given footprint. But Bill Gubing, chief project engineer for the 2020 Ford Explorer, claims that switching away from transverse front-drive architecture to a longitudinal rear-drive setup allowed his team to unlock additional interior space in the new Explorer. It turns out the real problem with the old Explorer’s architecture (its roots tracing all the way back to the 1998 Volvo S80) was that it started out as a low-ground-clearance sedan. That meant the entire drivetrain went up as the body was raised to…

Driving a car is a sensual experience. That’s the main reason we love it. Driving a car quickly geometrically magnifies that sensation. Riding a motorcycle further increases the environmental intimacy between man and machine. And riding a motorcycle quickly leans the sensual needle all the way into the red zone. And here I am, sitting on a Yamaha YZF-R1M, one of the very insanely fastest, world-beating sportbikes that Toyota Corolla money can buy. I’m decked out in Alpinestars gear that makes me look and feel like a MotoGP knee and elbow and shoulder dragger, about to make a lifelong bucket list dream come true—thanks to Zack and Ari and the gang at Throttle Out. Life isn’t just good right now. It’s fabulous. As I look through the visor of my…

Jerry Kroll, Electra Meccanica’s fast-talking CEO, describes his Solo electric-powered single-seater as “a Disney ride that escaped.” Having driven an early-build version for about 20 minutes around L.A.’s South Bay, I am unsure if that’s a good thing. Covered motorcycles are hardly new. The Corbin Sparrow fluttered for about a decade before going bust a few years back. Europhiles will recall the crazy-leaning Carver from Holland and the sleek Peraves MonoRacer from the Czech Republic. But while the Euro-cycles exude technology and cool, the Solo gives more of an amusement park vibe—but less Disney than an abandoned theme park in rural New Jersey. As I contort myself into the Solo’s cramped cabin—there’s barely enough door opening space for a 6-footer to swing in his knees—I am confronted by a steering…

CES is the tech show, but as our vehicles become more sophisticated, it’s become a must-see auto show, as well. With 170 exhibitors showing automotive products, it’s easy to pick up on key trends. This year it’s all about how you will or won’t interact with the outside world in the near and distant future—especially when cars start driving themselves. The Near Future Holoride A startup co-founded by Audi Electronics Venture GmbH (an Audi subsidiary) integrates virtual reality headsets in the rear seat with data from the car, turning an A3 E-Tron hatchback into a real-world amusement park ride. It works like this: Marvel Studios created a custom game featuring Guardians of the Galaxy’s Rocket Raccoon flying a spaceship through an asteroid field, and it’s played through VR headsets in…

Slotting above the Sorento, the Kia Telluride saw minimal changes on its journey from concept to New York Fashion Week prototype to its Detroit auto show production debut. The Telluride will be the largest vehicle in Kia’s lineup, featuring seating for up to eight passengers. Riding on the same platform as the recently revealed Hyundai Palisade, the 2020 Telluride will come with an Atkinson-cycle 3.8-liter V-6 good for 291 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive comes standard, and all-wheel drive with a lock feature and Snow mode is optional. The Telluride is rated to tow up to 5,000 pounds and will be available with a self-leveling rear suspension on the EX and SX grades. Five driving modes—Smart, Eco, Sport, Snow, and Comfort—can…

@markrechtin REFERENCE MARK It may seem antithetical for an automotive enthusiast magazine to allocate pages to the idea of life without cars. But this is the reality we live in. Five years ago, the concept of ride-hail and ride-share was barely a blip on society’s nav screen—a quirky Silicon Valley experiment. Now Uber is so commonplace that it’s in peril of becoming this generation’s trademark-protected verb, like Xerox. This reality is also confronting automakers, who are being stretched to serve more masters than they ever expected. Making great engines and cars for the world’s drivers used to be the extent of the mission statement in Detroit, Stuttgart, and Tokyo. But automakers are now being pulled in multiple directions with the emergence of autonomous technology, battery-powered and fuel cell vehicles, and,…

Although this Big Test rightly ranks the entrants in the compact SUV segment, each vehicle that participated had some winning traits that stood out from all the rest. Which got the test judges thinking: What if someone took the very best elements from our tested vehicles and mashed them into a single, perfect crossover? Well, likely it would cost well north of 40 grand and be impossible from an engineering standpoint. But we can dream, can’t we? Behold, the MotorTrend FrankenSUV. Exterior Design: Mazda CX-5 The Mazda has no competition in this aspect. It easily wins the “Look back over your shoulder and smile” contest. Lexus and Acura designers should take note of what suave elegance looks like. Engine: Jeep Cherokee Almost every vehicle in this class is about miles…

The original 1991 model year Explorer, a Ranger-based family hauler, largely ruled the segment for two decades. The second-generation 1995 Explorer was still based on the Ranger but with a more refined ride and rounder lines. Mercury added the Mountaineer in 1997. The third generation (2002–2005) provided a new take on the body-on-frame SUV with an independent rear suspension and third-row seats. At the Explorer’s peak in 2000, Ford sold 445,000 units. Its popularity was so consuming that Ford ignored other vehicles like the Taurus sedan, which was relegated to rental car status. (Sound familiar?) However, a massive recall involving Firestone tires that were mostly installed on Explorers hurt Ford’s brand equity severely. That recall, higher gas prices that torpedoed the SUV segment, and consumers gravitating to the new breed…

Circle back to six years ago when 11 MotorTrend judges unanimously voted the then-brand-new Tesla Model S the 2013 Car of the Year. Were we nervous? Yeah, sure, of course. Tesla what? Elon who? I remember asking the group if anyone had publicly or privately ever said that the Model S was vaporware. Ten hands shot up, with the other judge stating that his mother taught him to say nothing when he had nothing nice to say. Tesla has had many ups and downs since then, with CEO-mascot Elon Musk’s Trumpian Tweets piling on the damage that “manufacturing hell” has wrought. Still, paraphrasing what I said back in September 2012, I’ll never bet against a billionaire who docked his rocket ship with the International Space Station the week before his…

January 2003. I’m talking with a senior auto industry analyst about Carlos Ghosn. “If it was announced Ghosn was about to take the top job at Ford,” he muses, “it would add $10 billion to the value of the company.” He pauses just long enough to ponder a pile of greenbacks larger than the GDP of several small Caribbean countries, then delivers the punchline: “Overnight …” Ghosn became the auto industry’s $10 billion man for one simple reason: He had saved Nissan. In 1999, Japan’s second-largest automaker had been a basket case. Its share of the Japanese market had been shrinking for 26 years, and only two or three of the 48 vehicles it built were profitable. Buckling under $20 billion of debt and teetering on the brink of bankruptcy,…