Indholdsfortegnelse for November 1997 i MotorTrend

MORE HEAT FOR THE SPORT CAT The popularity of the pretty XK8 has boosted Jaguar’s worldwide sales by more than 20 percent, to 22,000 per year—and now, the British marque is preparing a boost for the model itself, with the introduction of a supercharger for its already potent AJ-V8 engine. Paralleling the nomenclature of the just-introduced XJR sedan, the force-fed XK8 will likely be badged the XKR. Also like Jag’s top-gun sedan, its supercharged and intercooled all-aluminum 4.0-liter DOHC engine is expected to produce 370 horsepower and a heady 387 pound-feet of torque. That kind of accelerative punch should let the XKR run 0-60 mph in under six ticks and top out on the far side of 160 mph. Both coupe and convertible variants of the XKR have been seen…

As government planners are busy thinking up Draconian measures to ease gridlock—like more bike paths, HOV lanes, and mass transit—American entrepreneurs are capitalizing on the growing problem to provide new comforts and services while we are trapped in traffic for longer and longer periods of time. Fast food chains, for example, are designing new dashboard-dining entrees that are crumble-and spill-proof, for easy dining behind the wheel. Taco Bell, according to an Associated Press report, is folding its tortillas to keep juice and food from oozing out and is working to get a crumble-proof taco. Kentucky Fried Chicken is instituting a pita sandwich to keep ranch dressing out of our laps in traffic. Even 7-Eleven, the first to advertise “Dashboard Diners,” recently introduced a quarter-pound burger shaped like a hot dog…

Expect California’s zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate to become a hot topic once again. The ZEV mandate, which initially aimed to bring electric vehicles to the mass market in 1998, was shelved until 2003 after heavy lobbying in Sacramento just two years ago. Now it’s poised for a fresh look by the automaking community. While the agreement manufacturers signed with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) still obliged them to introduce demonstration fleets in 1998 and work toward EV commercialization, 2003 at least seemed out there a ways. Now it’s drawing close, at least in product development terms, and the first public rumblings by automakers are already taking place. The initial volley was fired recently in Detroit by both domestic and import manufacturers, which expressed concern about the approximate 150,000-unit…

A massive infusion of performance may not be the universal automotive panacea, but it sure doesn’t hurt. That basic truth clearly was not lost on the troops at Lexus when it came time to develop a successor to the GS 300. Dramatic changes were sorely needed to bring this slick, rear-drive sedan back from the edge of oblivion. Giugiaro styling assured the middle child in the Lexus lineup plenty of visual impact, but lackluster dynamic traits and a questionable price/value relationship relegated it to perpetual underachiever status among its mid-luxury peers. That won’t be the case for ’98. The car has been completely redone—and done right. While the second-generation GS 300 is no slouch (see sidebar), it’s the fire-breathing V-8-powered GS 400 variant that’s really destined to shake things up.…

Here it is, your one-stop source for what’s new in the world of sport/utility vehicles, trucks, and full-size vans. Our alphabetical compilation is based on the best information available as of press time. In each spec chart, the information on curb weight, brakes, and fuel economy apply to the base trim level of the model in question. Expect bigger numbers and better equipment on up-level models. The estimated prices listed range from the bottom trim level to the top-of-the-line version, but don’t include options, destination charges, or taxes. ACURA SLX Substantial changes mark the Acura SLX’s arrival for ’98. Though photos are not yet available (the ’97 model is shown), this big luxury-ute wears a new front end that couples with other styling cues to modernize the look. A newly…

The course is roughly a mile long and has a little of everything: fast, straight sections, sharp turns, sweepers, steep hills, hard-braking situations, accident-avoidance-type maneuvers, and a sharp U-turn in a dead-end—all covered by a slippery layer of water. It’s like a bad day’s commute, compressed into two minutes. The track is Pirelli’s Vizzola proving grounds in northern Italy, and we were there to try the company’s latest pride and joy, its P6000 SportVeloce, a high-performance, made-for-America, all-season version of Pirelli’s popular P6000 summer touring tire. With wintery weather just around the seasonal bend, wet-traction testing was the order of the day. With good grip at a premium, we experienced slick, low-traction corners galore, fruitlessly spinning drive wheels, and no shortage of deep-water pockets ready to induce aquaplaning at the…

When Ford announced Thunderbird production would be suspended at the end of the ’97 model year, Winston Cup fans fretted about what would become of the blue oval in NASCAR Winston Cup racing. NASCAR and Ford were also more than a little concerned: Ford didn’t relish the idea of promoting an out-of-production model, and NASCAR was afraid of Ford staying home until the next Thunderbird debuted in ’00. The answer arrived in the form of the Ford Taurus. Or at least the Winston Cup interpretation of the Taurus. Similar versions of the car pictured above will initially appear in competition in the ’98 Daytona 500. Ford says this is the first time a “four-door” (or more accurately, since no part of a Winston Cup car is stock and it has…

’97 JAGUAR XK8 CONVERTIBLE An alluring body running topless down Sunset Blvd, doesn’t turn heads the way it used to when the regal Jaguar XK8 was first introduced, but the flirtatious feline still has the graceful lines and exclusive cachet to bring a Cheshire-cat smile to passersby. Our long-term convertible has been spared the mundane chores of commuting this past quarter, leaving those duties to working-class sport/utes and sedans. Instead, the gorgeous Jag has been driven strictly for driving’s sake, with several editors savoring hair-blowing cruises along the Pacific coast and one staffer escaping to the mountains. All the time spent with the roof tucked neatly under the tonneau cover resulted in a dirty bird attack. Lesson learned: Keep leather cleaner and a cloth in the car at all times.…

SECRET CHEVYS I eagerly await my copy of Motor Trend every month, and for good reason: tuner Chevys! Jon Moss must have the most awesome job on the face of the planet. Where else in the free world can you get paid (and I mean PAID) to do your best to personify “testosterone on wheels”? Case in point: your Aug. ’97 articles on Moss’ creations (“Chevy Performance Raid”). It made my jaw drop and my mouth drool. I especially loved the 600-horsepower Camaro. Wow! Will the tire companies ever harness these things? Not in my lifetime, and surely not if Moss continues to get his way. James CurieRaleigh, N.C.via Motor Trend Online I just finished reading about the secret Chevys, and already I’m wishing those Chevy aliens would come pick…

They say variety is the spice of life. And while the compact Neon has done fairly well for itself in coupe and sedan forms, Chrysler plans to broaden its horizons by the turn of the century, filling out the lineup with several new variations. Along with a generational revamping of the platform, expect to see a four-door hatchback and a convertible model, as well as this sprightly compact SUV offering—shown here in Dodge guise—join the existing Neon family for sale in both the U.S. and international markets. Although Chrysler’s rough-and-tumble Jeep brand remains hugely popular in its own right, the new wave of smaller, smoother-riding sport/utes derived from unibody passenger-car platforms—spearheaded by the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4—has enjoyed substantial success in carving out a new market niche. Hard-core off-roaders…

MOTOR TREND online www.motortrend.com That’s right, visitors to Motor Trend Online will be the first to know who receives the prestigious Truck of the Year award for 1998. The announcement will be made in late October, with full coverage appearing in the December issue. While the official date wasn’t set at press time, MT Online will count down the days until the news is broken. Once the word is out, a press release, photography, and complete story will be available in the “of the Year” section. Associate Editor Chris Walton chronicles his off-roading adventures at Camp Jeep in a new Exclusive Editorial. This fun-filled trek is open to all Jeep owners interested in learning about their machines and experiencing the great outdoors while driving on light-duty trails. Consider it “Jeep…

Roadmaster. Toronado. Bronco. Caprice. And now, Thunderbird. As automotive manufacturers pummel us with brand management and target market segmentation, great American nameplates are going the way of the dodo. Apparently these time-honored labels no longer fit the cars or the images the marketers are trying to create for them. Some of these monikers were memorable, some were marginal, but Thunderbird? Just say it: Thunderbird! Has there ever been a more image-provoking, unabashedly American name for a car? Originally conceived as a more luxurious answer to Chevrolet’s new-for-’53 Corvette, the T-Bird has been a lot of things throughout its career: two-seater “personal” sports car, luxoboat convertible, four-door sedan, and even a turbocharged and supercharged sport coupe. Over the years, Ford’s flagship has shared its foundation with Fairmonts, Lincoln Marks, and its…

For today’s environmentalists, the remaining trees in the Amazon jungle need hugging more than ever, as cities around the globe continue to choke on pollutants. Government mandates and California Air Resources Board (CARB) memoranda have manufacturers scrambling to develop vehicles with near-zero and zero emissions and introduce them into market. Following a tradition of being well ahead of legislated schedules, Honda is offering two squeaky-clean cars that improve upon low-emission-vehicle (LEV)-compliant 1.6-liter Civics sold in California since ’96. Barely distinguishable from a traditional gasoline Civic sedan, the natural-gas-powered GX may be the most viable near-zero-emissions vehicle currently offered. To accommodate the large compressed natural gas (CNG) tank, passenger count has been limited to four and trunk space has been reduced by 40 percent. With 110 horsepower on tap, the CNG-fueled…

Clean It and He Will Come Before the cold winter temperatures hit, it’s a good idea to make sure your battery is in good shape so it’ll be able to generate maximum starting power for those cold, frosty mornings. One of the biggest battery problems is corrosion (a white, flakey substance) around the terminals. It can prevent current from getting to and from the battery. If you see this, take the connectors off both terminals. Then, using a brush or toothbrush, thoroughly clean the clamps and terminals with a baking-soda-and-water solution, which will neutralize the battery acid that causes the corrosion. Then rinse off the battery and mounting surface with clean water. Finally, clean the clamps and posts with a wire brush or post-cleaning tool and retighten the cables onto…

For Mazda, this has been a rough decade. Sales have stalled, profits have evaporated, Ford has taken the company over, and it’s launching yet another corporate logo. But an updated version of the B-series compact truck is on the way for ’98 and—even if it is produced by Ford in Edison, New Jersey, and is a Ranger under the skin—it’s going to set a younger, more vibrant tone for the company. As proof, Mazda has produced a special concept truck. Like the Ranger it’s so closely related to, the B-series enjoys revisions to its engine lineup. The 2.3-liter four grows to 2.5 liters and 119 horsepower in the base B2500; the 3.0-liter OHV V-6 returns with 150 horsepower in the B3000; and the 4.0-liter OHV V-6 range topper produces 160…

Not to put too fine an edge on it, the Mercury’s MC2 concept shown here is the thinly disguised next-generation, front-drive Cougar. According to Ford officials, the crisply configured MC2 is meant to show not only the styling direction for the ’99 Cougar, but of the entire Mercury division. The sporty coupe was executed using computer-aided design technology at Ford’s Small and Medium Car Vehicle Center in Germany as part of a global development project involving Ford’s European and American stylists. Wearing a slightly tamer version of the same “New Edge” theme seen on the four-door MC4 concept (June ’97), the MC2 was unveiled at the Meadowbrook Concours by honorary chairman Jacques Nasser, president of Ford Automotive Operations. Inside, the MC2 features a swiveling entertainment control panel that allows easy…

The ’98 Mercury Mountaineer is really a truck for people who like cars. In its ongoing attempt to further separate from big-brother division’s Ford Explorer, Mercury has executed a significant front- and rear-end freshening on its upscale all-terrainer for ’98, adding a high-tech powertrain choice and tweaking the steering, chassis, and suspension to give the Mountaineer a more refined ride and better handling. Some changes to this sophisticated midsize sport/ute are obvious. There are a new front grille with complex reflector headlamps, new bumpers, integral foglamps, seating and console improvements, a fresh liftgate with larger glass and styling cues from the bigger Lincoln Navigator model, and new bodyside molding. A neat optional exterior feature is “puddle lamps” built into the lower edges of the sideview mirrors for illuminating the ground…

Join us each weekend for the fastest-paced half-hour in television. Each episode of MT TV is packed with performance tests\comparisons, and features on today’s—and tomorrow’s—hottest cars and trucks. Check your local TV listings for showtimes in your area. Oct. 4&5: High-Speed Gamble—Seven hot cars. 10 tough tests First test: Honda CR-V Buick’s Bad Boys: Revisiting the raucous Regal Grand National and GNX Oct. 11&12: Performance Raid ‘98—Lifting the lid on Jon Moss’ Chevrolet Toy Box First test: Mercedes-Benz SLK American Classic: AMC’s hot AMX V-8 Oct. 18&19: Sport Cute Shootout—Subaru Forester. Honda CR-V, and Toyota RAV4 Chevrolet Tahoe SS—Will the dream become reality? Chevy Impala SS history Chrysler’s spectacular 300 series Oct. 25&26: Battle of the Best-Selling Domestic SUVs—At the limit with America’s five most-popular sport/utes Classic comparo: Jaguar’s new…

Release the dry-ice fog, hit the spotlights, cue the orchestra. (May we suggest Mozart’s “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik”?) The ’99 911 Carrera is deserving of ceremony normally reserved for a coronation solely on the importance of being the first all-new Porsche 911 since the model’s ’63 debut. After sampling a pair of prototypes—stretching their legs on Autobahn A81, pushing them to edge of sanity on rural German lanes—we can say that, even without its momentous heritage, this car deserves royal pageantry. Imagine downloading Mario Andretti’s memory bank into the brain of a hot, young Formula 3000 driver: This robo-racer would be a fearless 19-year-old with light-speed reactions and 30 years of maturity and experience in chassis setup and race strategy. The automotive equivalent is the delicious new 911 Carrera. (Though called…

Imagine some wealthy, hopelessly demented car enthusiast took a fire-snortin’ Dodge Viper and had a custom-design shop render it as a big four-door sedan. Not bloody likely? Well, if that styling scenario gets your attention, coil your eyeballs around this completely reengineered ’98 Intrepid ES sport sedan. No, this second-generation Intrepid isn’t packing the king snake’s wide-asp rubber, V-10 fangs, or even its bellowing sidepipes. Much as we’d like to see a howling Dodge four-door that erupts to 60 in four flat and sucks up a quarter mile of tar in 12 seconds at 120 mph, the line of serious paying customers would be way too short. Dodge, precariously dependent on trucks for profit, is aiming to jump back into the high-volume, front-drive V-6 sedan market occupied by first-class appliances…

It happens every autumn. An “Octoberfest” of color explodes across New England, painting the landscape with awesome brilliance. It’s the turning of the leaves, and it’s a transformation that draws pilgrimages of tourists from around the country, raises Kodak stock by 80 points, and can leave the foliage of other states seeming pale by comparison. In fact, the Norths east’s unique fall climate mixes with the sweeping forests of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont to produce such vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges that, in all the world, only the northern island of Japan, Hokkaido, can come close to its vivid intensity and surreal imagery. Catching the foliage at its brilliant peak, however, can be tricky, even for the seasoned leaf-watcher. The transformation generally begins in mid- to late September in…

NEWS IMPALAPALOOZA Much of the membership of the National Association of ’94-’96 Impala SS Owners (NAISSO) gathered around General Motors’ Arlington, Texas, assembly plant on Dec. 13, 1996 (a Friday, of course), to watch the last of their beloved big Chevys roll off the line and into history. Fighting melancholia after that last car was built, they went back and finished partying around the more than 300 Impalas gathered for the event. Owners of ’94 to ’96 Chevy Impala SS sedans are shockingly passionate, and that passion has been channeled into state-of-the-art enthusiasm. “The demographics [of Impala owners] is between 30 and 55,” explains NAISSO President Troy Willrick, “and most of us are in professions. Exactly the sorts of people who are comfortable with computers, the Internet, and such.” Using…

Among some truck nuts, a rule of thumb asserts that Fords look good with big tires and tall 4x4 suspensions, and Chevys look great crushed to the asphalt on street tires. Still, with Ford selling nearly 300,000 Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators every year, it was just a question of time before someone slammed one. Paxton Products is among the first to produce a street-bound custom Expedition XLT. This two-wheel-drive 5.4-liter big Ford SUV argues that the street isn’t the domain of GM trucks alone. From the outside, the obvious element of the truck’s transformation is a 3.0-inch lowering performed by Full Effect using special front upper and lower control arms and shortened-suspension airbags in the back. In addition to the drop, a Hellwig 11/8-inch rear anti-sway bar was also added.…

In this business, not many vehicles get a second chance to make a first impression. One of the lucky few is the Oldsmobile Bravada. Olds resurrected the Bravada for ’96 after stopping production on the first generation of its upscale compact sport/utility at the end of ’94. That hiatus resulted from softer-than-expected sales coupled with the fact that the division’s top brass were working on a deal that would’ve seen a revised/rebadged Isuzu Trooper serve as donor platform for a successor vehicle. When that program fell through, Olds opted to base its Gen II Bravada on the new and vastly improved Blazer/Jimmy platform introduced for ’95. In addition to benefiting from all of the structural and powertrain upgrades found in its Chevrolet and GMC counterparts, the Bravada received numerous other…