Indholdsfortegnelse for July 2006 i MotorTrend

◼ Thunder Road Join us on the road as we travel across America in the greatest Mustang ever! Extra behind-the-scenes photos will put you in the passenger seat as we visit the Shelby Museum and other landmarks between New York and Los Angeles. ◼ Supercars, Super wallpapers! Can’t get enough of the beautiful Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano and Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 featured in this issue? Visit motortrend.com for a collection downloadable wallpaper images for your desktop. ◼ New Car Price Quotes You’ve done your research and narrowed down your choices for your next car, truck, or SUV, so why not get the best price? Knowing the price before going to the dealer saves you time and money, and motortrend.com offers a free, fast, no-hassle service without any obligation. Check it…

CHEVY is rushing its own version of the Lambda-platform midsize SUV into production. General Motors had originally limited its new Lambda platform to three brands with the 2007 Saturn Outlook, 2008 Buick Enclave, and 2008 GMC Acadia. But the collapse of Ford Explorer sales has GM officials pondering the long-term viability of its body-on-frame TrailBlazer and GMC Envoy sport/utes, as Ford customers seem ready to embrace the more carlike unibody crossovers such as the Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX, and Mazda CX-7. Although the rush program means the Chevy version—probably due the 2009 model year—will share a lot of its sheetmetal with the Saturn Outlook, GM’s play could still be the smart move, as the Lambda platform takes advantage of the front-drive, independent-rear-suspension architecture to include a third-row seat, which isn’t…

BMW SERVES up two surprises with its long-awaited E92 3 Series coupe (the convertible, coming later, is code named E93), a 300-horse, 300-pound-foot twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six and those long, horizontal tail lamps. That engine is under the hood of the top line (until the 4.0-liter M3 V-8 arrives) 335i Coupe on sale in the U.S. this September. The “base” 328i Coupe has a naturally aspirated 230-horse, 3.0-liter six, rated 200 pound-feet. The other major change (beside the fact it’s an all-new car) is the addition to the coupe, for the first time, of the optional X-Drive all-wheel-drive system on the 328ix. NEED TO KNOW ◼ BMW estimates a 5.3-second 0-to-60-mph time for the 335i Coupe and electronically limited top speed of 150 mph (with sport package). ◼ Engine is direct…

THERE will be no 2007 RSX. Acura is dropping its entry sport coupe from the market this year, it says, as part of a plan to move the brand upmarket with BMW as its target. While the RSX Type-S resonated with young enthusiasts for its high-revving 200-horse four, the cheaper 2006 Honda Civic Si matches that performance. Another possible reason for the drop is there appears no replacement for the Civic-based hatchback coupe, sold in Japan as the Honda Integra. Lowest-price Acura next year will be the $28,000 TSX sedan; rumor is Acura may introduce a coupe version of the TSX when it’s updated in 2008.…

LUKE MANION, of Prescott Valley, Arizona, sent us this pic of a heavily disguised SUV ona gas-station forecourt. Luke thought it might be the new Land Rover LR2, but wasn’t sure. Well, Luke, you’re right: This Is the new LR2, which will go on sale in the U.S, later this year, replacing the Freelander. Under the hood will be a transverse-mounted 3,0-liter I-6 engine, and inside Is aroomier, more stylish interior. Seen an unusual or disguised car, truck, or SUV? E-mail a good-quality digital photo to us at motortrend@primedia.com with your contact details. All published photos will win a cool prize.…

HOW fast can a turbodiesel go? More than 300 mph, a diesel manufacturer hopes to show at the Bonneville Salt Flats during Speed Week this August. And, no, it’s not BMW or Mercedes. It’s JCB, a British construction-equipment company that’ll send its twin-engine streamliner to Bonneville with world land-speed record-holder Andy Green behind the wheel. The JCB is 358 inches long, with a drag coefficient of 0.174 and two four-cylinder Dieselmax engines totaling 10.0 liters and producing 1500 horsepower. Here are more details: ◼ The diesel record to break, set in 1973, is 235.756 mph. JCB plans to blow well past that. ◼ Point of the car is to promote JCB’s new diesel, a 4.4-liter four-cylinder ranging between 75 and 125 horsepower. ◼ Dieselmax uses standard block and crankcase. Engines…

THERE’S SOMETHING strangely paradoxical about Porsche’s newest 911. The GTS, for those less conversant in the 911 catalog, is the one engineered to meet FIA GT and American Le Mans Series homologation rules as a street-legal racer. Funny thing is, despite all the adjustable race-hardened suspension bits, the low-profile 19-inch footwear, and the high-revving 41 5-horsepower naturally aspirated engine, the car is comfortable, tractable, and docile enough for commuting. Hard-core Porschephiles, please don’t be alarmed at that revelation. Your weekend-warmior isn’t softening with age. Indeed most of the new hardware is actually hardened. Like the 996-based GT$3 that preceded it (Motor Trend, April 2004), this new car rides on a modified Carrera 4§ unibody (a 23.8-gallon fuel tank fills the void vacated by the front diff in this rear-driver), modified…

HIS VOICE is measured. Calculating. Rich with the timbre of his years. Yet it leaves no doubt that a clever retort can be summoned upon demand."I don’t get asked to do a lot of voiceovers. I don’t know why not’ Paul Newman’s words, as with anything he does, are well thought out and wisely chosen. In this case, they answer, and beg, a question. Mr.Newman needs no introduction here where else. The ultra-blue-eyed nning actor has had his way with n film and theatre for five decades. levels. His personal racing résumé includes a class win at the 24 Hours of Daytona (in celebration of his 70th birthday),a second overall at Le Mans in 1979, Trans-Am victories, and multiple SCCA regional and national championships. He once owned a Can-Am team,…

FOR ALL theirinherent capabilities, the majority of premium SUVs sold in the U.S. spend most of their lives challenging nothing more demanding thana rain-slicked highway or a compact-only slot in a supermarket parking lot. But there’s a simple rationale for this well-documented fact: Most owners find ramping up the accelerated depreciation on these high-dollar assets by subjecting them to a run up the Rubicon Trail about as much fun as undergoing quadruple bypass surgery without anesthesia. With that fundamental truth in mind, we gathered three topline players that excel in cool, comfortable, and versatile transport for real-world users. All feature standard four- or all-wheel drive, seats for seven, and the power to make the good life even better while holding plenty in reserve for dealing with the most foul forces…

THE GOOD NEWS: Audi’s crammed a Lamborghini-based V-10 into its elegant midsize sportwagon. The bad news: Only Europeans will have the pleasure ofdriving it. But why be envious when the sedan’s already here? The S6 Avant has the potential to outrun most performance SUVs. It receives a version of the engine found in the Gallardo and the R8, in this case a 5.2-liter FSI V-10 good for 435 horses (DIN) and an estimated 398 pound-feet, with a six-speed automatic and quattro all-wheel drive. The Avant has a lower center of gravity than anything with the “sport/utility” label, giving this Audi the edge in corners. It even has advantages over the S6 in sedan skin: The cabin has the same level of comfort and style, but adds up to 58.6 cubic…

THE DESIGNS of Ferrari’s new 599GTB: Fiorano and the seminal 365GTB/4 Daytona are separated by nearly 40 years. Yet they’re both the work of Pininfarina, and the connection between them unmistakable. The Daytona wasn’t conceived as a race car, but it became a good one. By the late 1970s its day was done: Asa racer, it was old, heavy, and front-engined, while the latest and greatest was the opposite. That didn’t keep one privateer team from giving a well-used Daytona racer another go at the 24-hour race that was its namesake. It seemed hopeless: The car, driven by endurance vets John Morton and Tony Adamowicz, was outclassed. And the Porsche 935s seemed i unbeatable. But while the Porsches fell one by one, the G-Class Daytona bore into the night and…

THERE’VE been times when Porsche was nothing more than the 911 company. No longer. Sources inside Welssach confirm Porsche is working On up to 10 new models for launch by the end of the decade, Some are variants of the existing 997-series 911. But others will take the company into new and possibly controversial market niches. 911 TURBO CABRIOLET Seen here with very little disguise—just some tape on the front air dam and silver around the headlamps—this is the convertible version of the just-launched Turbo. The current 3.6-liter flat-six turbo coupe is rated 473 horses and 457 pound-feet and is good for a mid-three-second 0-to-60-mph time. The slightly heavier ragtop should take a few tenths longer to get to 60, but should exceed the 996 Turbo Cabrio’s 191-mph top speed,…

SPY SHOTS of a pumped-looking Cadillac CTS-v are not of the much-rumored Super-v version, say Cadillac insiders, Instead, we understand this car’s a limited-edition high-performance model under development by a tuner company. The shot of the car under the covers is of the next-generation CTS, which should arrive in showrooms earlier than the traditional fall 2007 timeframe. Our spy shooter says the new CTS lookstobewhat Bob Lutz showed Steve Kroft on “60 Minutes,” including its fast backlight. Like the 2007 Escalade, future Cadillac cars will feature a Sixteen concept-inspired grille and jeweled headlamps. The CTS-v version of the new car likely will appear 2008, probably powered by the 505-horse, 7.0-liter LS7 V-8 currently fitted to the Corvette Z06.…

“THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS” (2001) captured LA’s street-racing scene in a kind of large-screen PlayStation format and earned $144.5-million domestic gross. “2Fast 2Furious” (2003), directed by John Singleton, captured Miami’s street-racing scene and $127.2 million in domestic gross. Hey, kids, it’s summertime again, and even though Vin Diesel, star of the first flick, has moved onto serious acting in Sidney Lumet movies (“Find Me Guilty”), the sequel engine has cranked up. Guess what “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” is about? Well, you’re partly right. It’s about Sean Boswell (Lucas Black), a ne‘er-do-well good ol’ boy who moves to Japan to live with his military father. Young Sean meets a fellow American named Twinkie, who introduces him to drifting, so Sean drifts his 1967 Mustang GT around the…

GENERAL MOTORS has killed a bold new design for the entry-level Saturn Ion, set to launch by calendar year 2007. The design, shown to auto journalists more than a year ago as proof of GM’s impending design renaissance, was of a four-door that would’ve reversed the lon’s image and made it a premium small car. Now Saturn says it’ll build out the current lon, ending production this December, with enough units to see it through much of the 2007 model year. The new replacement will appear some time in 2007, and it won’t be based on the Chevy Cobalt or the upcoming Pontiac G5 compact. It’s likely the new lon will be based on Opel Astra, which has been a, critical and sales success.…

letter of the month apocalypse now! Amazing! Freak weather patterns emerging across the world, country music and its stars turning on their president, and, finally, the scariest thing of all: Motor Trend has admitted a Corvette is better than a Porsche (“Dial 911”). The rapture is on, people. Run! Seriously, Porsche has dug itselfinto a mighty big hole doing the right things and has taken the role of the overachieving class president, Mr. Jack ofAll Trades, who seems destined for greatness but ends up managing a Barnes & Noble. What happened? Porsche’s current situation is a gross latent function of trying to outdo itself. Forso long Porsche hasn’t rested on its laurels. Thousands of hours of engineering have gone into details grand and minute. It’s paid attention to the market,…

CRISP BLUE skies, palm trees, and snow-capped mountains sparkling in the distance: L.A. in its spring glory. And we’re rumbling east along I-10 in 500 horsepower of supercharged Shelby GT500 Mustang, all red-with-white-siripes and Schwarzenegger swagger. Yeah, some days are definitely better than others. We’re on a journey, heading back to where it all began. In six days and almost 3500 miles, we’ll have crossed a continent, having taken the GT500 from the Pacific Ocean through the heartland of America to the place where, in 1964, the original Mustang stole America’s heart: the site of the New York World’s Fair. Before we get there, though, we’ll have pushed the GTS00 to the very edge of its performance envelope on the track, run it hard wheel to wheel against rivals from…

AT ITS HEART THE FLORANO IS A RAVENOUS BEAST, A FIRE-SPEWING DRAGON… WHEN THE an-new Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano rolls into view, onlookers gasp the same way audiences did when a clingingly attired Sophia Loren emerged from the ocean in 1957’s “Boy ona Dolphin.” Chalk it up to the Curves Reflex, the primal human response to an overdose of tumescent contours and mesmerizing proportions. But the Fiorano’s zaftig front wheel arches and Loren cat eyes don’t provoke the last gasp—at least not for those fortunate enough to experience the confident embrace of its deeply pocketed, leather-trimmed driver’s seat. You see, this Ferrari’s sensuous physique and luxury conveniences—including optional navigation and Bose audio—are an elegant smokescreen, jellyfish tendrils to draw in and devour the world’s unsuspecting sportscar sucker fish. For at…

JUST LOOK AT IT: mnits face-lifted LP640 form, the Murciélago scares you more than ever. Look at the jagged edges of the sharklike nose, its nostrils bigger, more snorty. The threatening rotary-blade wheels. The giant tailpipe’s tip that’s turning blue with the heat. Even the refreshed taillamps that light up in the shape of-nuclear-hazard symbols. Be afraid. Be very afraid. The name alone marks this car as an awkward cuss: Murciélago. Five syllables, and hard ones at that for an Anglo-Saxon tongue to navigate. And you can’t abbreviate it—it doesn’t break down in the way you can call a Corvette a Vette. To call it a—what?—a Murs would be overfamiliar. And anyone who gets overfamiliar with a Murciélago is heading for a fall. So it’s intimidating to look at and…

ALL RIGHT, so it’s not really a new idea, but given recent fuel spikes, the desire for more car like accoutrements, and aging competitors in the segment, the notion of building compact SUVs that no longer ride like lumbering buses has taken on new significance. BMW took the lead in this exclusive segment several years ago with the addition of the X3 (which is just a hair’s breadth smaller than the midsize X5). And now Acura, the X3 (and maybe the Infiniti FX35) square in its sights, is predicting strong growth in this segment, with sales more than quadrupling by 2011. Considering this, Acura has taken its first shot to bring down BMW with its all-new RDX. Acura engineers had the critical measurable numbers from the X3 (compare length, width,…

IT’S NO secretthere’sa momentous battle of brawn brewing between the sporting arms of today’s German luxury marques. BMW’s M brand, via the M5 and M6, has recently brought to market a naturally aspirated V-10 that pumps out 500 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque. Producing 100 horses per liter and a seductive scream up to 8250 rpm, it’s arguably more the 10 than V-10. Then there are Audi’s S models, which subsequently have responded, “If you can do a V-10, then we can do it better,” evidenced by their lighter and torquier Lamborghini-based 5.2-liter mill whose direct injectors motivate the 420-horse $8 and 430-horse S6. Last, but certainly not least, there’s Mercedes’s AMG wing, which is answering its rivals’ V-10 muscle with—get this—a V-8. Come again? Even better, this 6.2-liter…

THE PREVIOUS- generation 3 Series, sold from 1999 through 2005, defined the modern, European-style sport sedan. In all its versions, the last 3 was a well-synthesized machine, sold like mad, and was still a solid seller even in its sixth and final year. Although the 3 Series was due for a refresh, BMW was careful not to stray too far from its winning formula, even though its latest design themes and new technology like iDrive, were going to be part of the new-for-2006 package. How could we not try one out for a year? We ordered ours old school: Skip the toys, but give us the big motor, a manual trans, and the sportiest suspension and rolling-stock combo offered. That means a 330i with the 255-horse inline-six and a six-speed,…

GM BRASS reportedly has approved a convertible version of the forthcoming Camaro coupe. Like the Ford Mustang convertible, the open-top Camaro will probably make its debut some months after the coupe goes on sale in 2006. And, like the Mustang, it’ll feature a power-operated folding cloth roof to save weight and cost. Weight is fast becoming a key issue for engineers working on the new Camaro, which will roll on a modified version of the Australian-developed Zeta platform. The Zeta-platform Holden Commodore sedan, which will go on sale in Australia shortly, will tip the scales at about 4000 pounds, according to insiders, mainly because of tough local crash-test regulations. Excess weight will not only blunt the Camaro’s performance potential, but impact fuel-economy numbers. GM’s internal weight target for the Camaro…

THANKS TO DISNEY and the ever-inventive filmmakers at Pixar, “Cars” mania is sweeping the country (see feature story this issue). And you know what that means: Yes, officially licensed “Cars” merchandise. There’s the Lightning McQueen portable AM/FM/CD boombox with swiveling wheel rim speakers ($49.99), the programmable Fast Talkin’ Lightning McQueen action vehicle ($34.99), a 13-inch colorTV with built-in DVD player ($159.99), the Mix Stick MP3 player ($49.99), and more. Available at most major retailers.…

FIFTY-NINE-YEAR-OLD TVR is to close its factory at Blackpool, a seaside town in the northwest of England. A year ago, the company announced its plant was impossibly outdated and planned to move to new premises in search of better quality and more efficient production. Fair enough: At Blackpool, the staff labors in Dickensian, dusty, fume-laden conditions. Now TVR has laid off more than a quarter of its 260-strong workforce and said it can’t guarantee security for the rest. It’s brought forward the closure of the current plant to the end of 2006, coinciding with the end of the lease there. It still won’t give the location of the new plant or even say whether one has been found or indeed whether it’ll be in Britain. So at least a temporary…

LET’S BE CLEAR: The State of the Union is damn fine right now. Who’d have thought, even five years ago, that we’d be comparing three 400-horse-plus, V-8-powered performance cars from Detroit that cost little more than a fully loaded pickup? Behold Ford’s Shelby GT500, Dodge’s Charger SRT8, and Pontiac’s GTO. And rejoice. The GTO is the oldest, least expensive, least powerful, and probably most misunderstood car of this trio. Originally developed in Holden for a the late 1990s by GM’s Australian subsidiary mere $50 million, it was snapped up by Bob Lutz to add much-needed pizzazz to Pontiac’s moribund model line. It was the right idea, but the wrong badge: Despite a quick and dirty facelift, the soft, rounded styling, derived from Holden’s Commodore sedans, just didn’t jibe with America’s…

THIS FALL, when “Casino Royale,” the 21st EON-produced James Bond film, lights up movie screens, it’ll once again showcase 007 driving an Aston Martin—in which, logically, the immortal MI6 agent will escort beautiful women, escape cold-blooded villains, and display the kind of automotive artillery that would make a Humvee jealous. Bond, played by Daniel Craig, will utilize his DBS as a daily driver (naturally) and will no doubt possess the uncanny ability to return the car spotless after an extravagant chase, at which point he’ll dismount unruffled, dust off the lapel of his Brioni tux, and slip into the cocktail lounge for a vodka martini—shaken not stirred, of course. If only we were all lucky enough to enjoy such thrilling lives and exotic machinery. Unfortunately, there’s something called reality, in…

THERE’S ONE element of Volvo’s image itdoesn’t like to broadcast: The brand is a key icon of the stereotypical liberal—or, as University of California, Berkeley linguist Geoffrey Nunberg describes the demographic, the “latte-drinking, sushi-eating, Volvo-driving, New York Times-reading, body-piercing, Hollywood-loving, left-wing freak show.” Volvo wants to sell the all-new 2007 S80 to conservatives, too. While the new Volvo flagship’s design whispers its luxury in an egalitarian way, any devotee of modern Scandinavian elegance, conservative or liberal, will like the S80. An optional Yamaha V-8 will allow bourbon-drinking, red-meat eating, Wall Street Journal-reading, Marine haircut-wearing, Crawford, Texas-loving right-wing freaks to drive it stealthily and be admired for owning a safe, virtuous car even as fuel supplies tighten. The S80 has lost the Swedish Buick look of the 19992-2006 model. The new…

PRESIDENT BUSH was just 16 years old when the pavement was poured for Sebring International Raceway. No, not the current President Bush—the previous one. Sebring, home of the 12 Hours of Sebring sports-car endurance race, began life as Hendricks Field, built in 1941 as one of dozens of World War II-era vast expanses of bleached concrete and oozing tar strips that graduated crews and pilots to battle the evil alliance. In 1952, a rudimentary road course, defined by painted lines, hay bales, and stacks of old tires, hosted the first 12 Hours. In March, the 54th Annual Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring played to a paying crowd of 169,000, eclipsing the 2002 record, set for the 50th anniversary of the race. Sports-car racing in trouble? Sorry, not here. Of…

IT’S BEEN two decades since the first Saab convertible made its U.S debut. Since then, drop tops have become an integral part of the Swedish automaker’s market mystique. This year, the born-from-jets set amps up its alfresco menu with an updated 9-3 Aero Convertible, the sportiest, most stylish descendent of its illustrious forebear—and with a new turbocharged V-6 underhood, easily the quickest. Adding to the mix, a 20 Years Edition turned out in Electric Blue metallic paint with color-keyed trim bits, unique alloy wheels, and—limited to 400 units, same as the original 1986 900 Convertible—could become one of the most collectible as well. Like other 9-3 Aeros, the Convertible ismotivated by a Saab-spec version of GM’s 2.8-liter DOHC all-aluminum V-6. Fitted with a quick-spooling dual-scroll turbocharger, it cranks out 250…

2006 HYUNDAI SONATA LX Total mileage 8593 OUR HYUNDAI Sonata is a popular choice among the staff, but we all have to fight technical editor Kim Reynolds for a night in it. When the keys can be pried away from him, staffers have found the Hyundai a comfortable place to spend time, especially on long trips or commutes, where the cushy seats have been given special mention. Ifyou removed the badges you’d probably guess it’s a Honda or Toyota; some of us think it looks even better, although others say the quality levels don’t yet match those standards. Styling alone tells a lot about how far Hyundai has come with the new Sonata. ◼ Average fuel econ 19.6 mpg ◼ Unresolved problems Intermittent flickering dash lights. ◼ Maintenance cost $0…

CLOSE YOUR EYES and think “Subaru.” What do you see? Perhaps a late-model Sooby trundling across a sleety New England highway in the pit of December. Two hundred and fifty thousand miles on its odometer. Mud petrified on its flanks. A flinty Northeasterner behind the wheel who’s wise enough to be driving a reliable car at a time like this. You probably don’t think of a red Legacy sedan sucking warm Southern California air into its hood-mounted air scoop as itturbocharges past startled BMWs beneath the sunshine and blurring palm trees of LA. traffic. The car? Our long-term 2005 Subaru Legacy GT, which we’ve finally handed back to Subaru high command after completing its year-long suffering at the hands of hedonistic Motor Trend staffers who only know New Hampshire winters…