Indholdsfortegnelse for June 1998 i MotorTrend

www.motortrend.com ’Net Traveler Further establishing MT Online as the place to begin your automotive adventure, a special Traveler section offers suggestions on great vacation getaways. Ride along as our editors take you on driving tours of all comers of the United States, highlighting the hot spots and pointing out must-see locations. Complementing the features is a growing library of road gear, great for seeing what’s new or finding gift ideas. While in trip mode, read through the special “Fun on the Fault Line” Travelogue with exclusive pictures and text not shown in the magazine. Surf into the Multimedia section and download ready-made desktop wallpaper from this earthshaking adventure. Also new to the wallpaper area are images of several hot ’99 vehicles, including the BMW 3 Series, Ford Super Duty pickup.…

In an era of bigger is better in sport/utilities, Lexus takes the opposite approach with its new RX 300, which is more compact and decidedly gentler to drive than the company’s mega/ute, the LX 470. While Mercedes-Benz splits the sport/ute concept square between car and truck, the RX 300 leans toward the luxury sedan end of the spectrum, with stunning results. The RX 300 was conceived as a versatile, all-weather vehicle for sport/ute intenders who didn’t care for the trucklike compromises of some of the offerings. Developed on an ES 300-derived platform employing a fortified independent suspension, front and rear, and numerous structural reinforcements, the RX 300 provides a more supple ride than its competition. The compromise of such a setup was experienced only at the test track where the…

More than any other vehicle in this comparison, the Dodge Durango represents the mainstream of the sport/utility field. Other than its midsize dimensions, it’s the closest to the basic SUV blueprint that has shaped this category and propelled it to its current dizzying heights. From its broad snout to its muscular rear haunches, the testosterone-sculpted body is intended to appeal to the rugged individualists, the active outdoors-man, the free spirits who have scooped up Explorers, Grand Cherokees, 4Runners, and the like by the hundreds of thousands. Under the skin, the Durango is pure truck, with a full ladder frame, live rear axle, front torsion bars, and rear leaf springs. Large light-truck tires and a high 7.9-inch ground clearance lend it extra off-road prowess, while a tried-and-true four-wheel-drive system offers a…

It was just about 25 years ago that the classic musclecar era ended. Though the Arab Oil Scam (sorry, Embargo) was raging, and 5-mph safety bumpers had already appeared, we still had big-block V-8s, close-ratio manual transmissions, and thirsty four-barrel carbs. It was also about 25 years ago that I was a car-crazed American youth, locked and loaded for my very first driver’s license. And I wanted a Pontiac Trans Am 455 H.O. Bad. Unfortunately, my dream—and everyone else’s—was over by 1975. American carmakers checked out of the horsepower hotel for the next eight to 10 years. Somehow, the Pontiac Firebird, Chevrolet Camaro, and Ford Mustang survived. Oh, it came close a few times, as all three flirted with extinction, or castration, into smaller, front-wheel-drive packages. But among them, the…

No car on earth approaches GM’s V-8-powered F-car on a bang-for-the-buck basis. The Camaro and Firebird advantage only expanded in 98 with the replacement of the old, iron 285-horsepower LT1 small-block 5.7-liter V-8 with the all-aluminum 5.7-liter/305-horsepower LS1 V-8 powerplant. A car this cheap and this powerful attracts tuners the way train wrecks get lawyers’ attention. Lou Gigliotti’s LG Motorsports (LGM) builds parts for the Camaro and Firebird, campaigned them in World Challenge road racing, and now field a Mustang in SCCA Trans Am. Their ’98 LS1-powered ZR-28 packs all the World Challenge lessons into one black road demon. The modifications to the LS1 itself are limited. A K&N air filter, Borla 3-inch exhaust, a revised G2 (Gigliotti’s parts operation) Y-pipe, and G2 SuperWires plug wires are the only mechanical…

THE BEST SAFETY FEATURE OF ALL: CLEAR VISION Anti-lock brakes, traction control, airbags, anti-skid control. In this age of increasingly sophisticated and expensive automotive safety systems, the most important of all is still the least expensive and easiest to maintain: a clear windshield. All the fancy electronics in the world can’t substitute for good visibility, and the key is the simple, taken-for-granted wiper. When you need your wipers, you need them now, and if they’re not in good operating condition, you can be left virtually sightless for long, critical moments. Even at 40 mph, in only five seconds you travel the distance of almost a football field, a long time to be driving blind. At best, deteriorated wipers can be annoying and irritating, resulting in streaking, smearing, chattering, or squealing.…

’97 JEEP CHEROKEE SPORT Our long-term Jeep Cherokee visited the dealer for a Mopar Performance Parts makeover this winter, as chronicled in the March ’98 “Truck Trends” column. The sport/ute’s already rugged good looks have been augmented by a front grille guard, molded side steps, and polished cast-aluminum wheels. Ready to rumble, our feisty workhorse has been exploited for its go-anywhere abilities on various road-trip adventures, such as running support on last issue’s high-speed three-ring circus also known as “Viva Velocity.” In the rain, the extra illumination offered by the added foglamps repeatedly proved helpful. Interstate travel served to remind that the Cherokee’s strengths are best exploited off-road or in tight urban quarters, where its abundant traction, torquey engine, and nimble character can be put to use. At highway speed,…

USA VS. THE WORLD Finally, after more than a year, the compare I’ve been waiting for (“USA vs. the World” March ’98). I loved it all! A year ago, I think the results would have been solidly in favor of the BMW 540i six-speed. I salute Lexus for providing a truly sporting luxury car, the GS 400. The fact that BMW is the only manufacturer that believes real driving includes making all the shift decisions and gear-change actions personally further sets the 540i apart. My purchase decision was based on getting a luxury car with a big, thumping V-8 and manual transmission. All the other advantages of this wonderful machine are bonus! As far as low-speed shifting goes, I’ve found no problem. Perhaps when your editors get a little more…

The next-generation Ford Contour and its Mercury Mystique sistership will arrive with considerably more visual attitude for the new millennium. These compact sedans (as well as their European Ford Mondeo platformmate pictured here) will all share expressively styled bodywork that strongly resembles the “New Edge” sheetmetal used on the recently introduced ’99 Mercury Cougar. For good measure, the design team chose to endow these high-volume four-door offerings with some of the same fierce elliptical boldness around the headlights and front-end openings as found in Ford of Europe’s sporty Puma coupe. Mechanically, the black metal, suspension, and powertrain changes will reflect more of a refinement process rather than any wholesale reinvention of the existing packages. Slight tweakings aside, the basic engine choices will remain the current 2.0-liter/125-horsepower Zetec four cylinder and…

Join us twice each weekend on TNN (The Nashville Network) for MotorTrend Television, the hottest automotive half-hour on the air today. Highlighting our stellar lineup this time around is the first test of the all-new Mercury Cougar, remade for ’99 with New Edge styling and European handling flair. We’ll also bring you high-velocity close encounters with the truly awesome 590-horsepower Ford Mustang Super Stallion and the 327-horse Pontiac Firehawk SLP as well as a full-on flog of the Dodge Durango sport/ute, a close-up look at the Chevy S-10 SS, Ford Ranger Super Cab, GMC Sonoma SLS, and lots, lots more. Don’t miss out. Consult local program listings for MT TV showtimes in your area.…

Ask Reeves Callaway to tell you the most significant spec sheet number on his new C12 supercar, and it likely won’t be the anticipated near 200-mph top speed, its 4.2-second 0-60-mph acceleration, or its 440-horsepower V-8. More likely, the number Reeves will proudly produce is 1998 millimeters, the car’s overall width. That makes the C12 just 2 millimeters shy of the 2-meter maximum allowed by international production-based GT2 racing rules. When you’ve got designs on places like LeMans, this is a big deal. Overall width is the sort of arcane specification that gets chassis designers all misty-eyed. During at-the-limit cornering (pretty much the only kind that matters at the racetrack), a wider chassis loads all four’ tires more evenly than an otherwise identical narrow layout. Even tire loading means higher…

It’s a challenge to find something new to say about Mercedes’ much-in-demand, Alabama-built SUV. We, too, have invested many pages describing its features and extolling its virtues, eight pages alone in our Dec. ’97 issue, where we proclaimed it our choice for ’98 Truck of the Year. But this comparo allowed our editors to gauge more accurately where the ML320 really falls on the “Truck Versus Car O-Meter,” especially in relation to what may be its most blatant competitor in the marketplace, the Lexus RX 300. As a twist, we decided to try an unadorned model. No leather, no wood, no killer stereo system nor cell phone. The only options on our tester were a power moonroof ($1075) and metallic paint ($475). “Stripped” is hardly an accurate descriptor, however, as…

With the introduction of the ’99 Chrysler 300M, Chrysler has resurrected one of its most sensuous performance nameplates, one that effectively began the musclecar era over 40 years ago. Such an act of resurrecting a legend obviously begs the question, “How does it stack up against the spirit of the original 300 letter-series cars?” A tough role, indeed. In reality, the connection between the original 300 letter-series and the new 300M is a far greater stretch than that of, say, the original Volkswagen Bug and the New Beetle. While the two VWs have significant mechanical differences, most notably the engine location from rear to front, the New Beetle inherited many of its parent’s traits—its face, its body shape, its personality. Such is not the case with the 300M, which is…

Ten years ago, Mazda jumpstarted the American love affair with the convertible sports car. Remember when people followed Miata transporters to dealerships and paid unbelievable markups for those first ’89 Miatas? The name “Miata” is German for high reward, but don’t think that means Mazda is trying to compete in the same market with upscale, higher-priced two-seaters. It doesn’t have to; the Miata is already the world’s best-selling roadster and has nothing to prove—but it will, anyway. Although there have been numerous improvements to the car, what the new Miata “means,” how it drives, and how it’s priced all remain in line with the model’s overall philosophy. Remarkably, the ragtop Miata has come a long way without forgoing its heritage as a fun-to-drive, back-to-basics two-seater. Yet, this destined-to-be-classic car is…

Back in 1869, it was one of the last great uncharted regions in America, when a one-armed Civil War veteran named John Wesley Powell set out with 10 men and four wooden boats to explore and map a 1000-mile stretch of the Colorado River. Only six men and two battered boats made it back out. Through what would later be called the Glen Canyon area, Powell marveled at hundreds of miles of sheer Navajo sandstone canyons cut deep into the primordial sea floor that composes the Colorado plateau. It was an unbelievable, isolated place. The most recent traces of human habitation Powell could find dated back some seven centuries. Other than the occasional band of hardy, adventure-seeking river rafters, this lonely network of 96 major canyons remained essentially untouched until…

Our gripes about the ’97 Honda CR-V centered around sluggish acceleration and its high entry price. For ’98, Honda has addressed both problems, just not fully at the same time. For its rookie season, the Civic-based sport/cute was imported in only one flavor: automatic transmission, on-demand four-wheel drive, and a host of uplevel equipment. This drove its base price to a lofty $19,300. Powered by a 2.0-liter/126-horse DOHC four that’s soft on low-rpm torque, it could manage a leisurely 11.7-second 0-60-mph run. Also, its automatic hunted between gears trying to maintain freeway speed on the mildest uphills. Aggressive drivers didn’t have the option of rowing a manual shifter to improve performance, while the frugal couldn’t swap luxuries for lower payments. For ’98, American Honda expanded its order form to include…

With the best Tim-Allen-like ape grunt we can muster, we introduce this new section of Car Care to focus on the newest and most innovative tools and shop accessories. Here, we’ll highlight products for the do-it-yourselfer that make it easier to get the job done right. Brand new on the market is Mr. Tooltray, which successfully answers the question, “Where the heck did I put that bolt/wrench/screwdriver/hose clamp?” In storage trim, Mr. Tooltray measures 33 inches long, but an inner drawer can extend it up to 54 inches to fit even Cadillac-size engine compartments. A number of molded-in compartments and tool holes keep you organized and provide handy places for tools and parts while you’re working. A built-in grab handle also makes it easy to carry around when not in…

Although the weather may A be unpredictable, you can always depend on the first major European auto exhibition of the new year to generate more than its fair share of excitement and industry news. True to longstanding form, the most recent gathering in Geneva delivered on both counts. A raft of new production offerings in literally every size and price category stood shoulder to shoulder with a bumper crop of one-off concept machines, all vying for the attention of a record number of show attendees. You’ll find extended coverage on two of these new faces—the BMW 3 Series and Callaway C12—elsewhere in this issue. But first, check out the other key players that helped make the ’98 iteration of this annual Swiss motoring classic a major success. —Michael Cotton CHRYSLER…

Watch out, barflies. Having one for the road may be an increasingly bad idea as the feds and safety advocates move to lower the boom—or in this case, the BAC (blood-alcohol level)—on what qualifies as drunk driving. With the number of alcohol-related traffic fatalities on the rise again since 1994, after more than a decade of declines, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) are pushing for Congress to withhold federal highway funds unless a state lowers its DWI blood alcohol level to 0.08. (The same tactic was successful in raising the national drinking age to 21.) Fifteen states have already set the legal level at 0.08, and the remaining state legislatures are being heavily lobbied to follow suit. With no lobby of their…

With all the attention being garnered by electric and hybrid vehicles these-days, it’s easy enough to forget there’s work taking place in other clean-fuel arenas, as well. One of the most-promising involves natural gas vehicles (NGV). There’s no shortage of effort here, with Ford, GM, and Honda currently selling NGVs, and other automakers on their heels. Even Chrysler, which pulled its NGV offerings about two years ago, is reentering the market with its ’99 natural-gas-powered Ram Vans. Automakers are currently aiming at fleets since clean air rules require alternative-fuel vehicles to be increasingly phased into larger fleets nationwide. But this represents only a small part of the potential market for NGVs if a few key hurdles could be overcome. Among these challenges is improving the packaging of onboard gaseous fuel…

As the earth-trembling sport/utility explosion continues to develop seemingly unlimited variations on the theme, determining exactly where a sport/ute stops and a minivan or passenger car starts is becoming harder each year. However, it’s clear that consumers benefit from the abundant choices available, particularly in the $30,000-$40,000 range where everything from all-weather wagons to monstrous full-size 4 × 4 rigs can be found. To try and establish some lines of demarcation among the diverse offerings, we gathered up four of the latest players (from a hard-core truck-based SUV to a very car-based all-wheel-drive wagon, and two hybrids in between) to take on a 1200-mile “Fun on the Fault Line” adventure, following the San Andreas fault from near the California/Mexico border up to Parkfield, California, the self-proclaimed earthquake capital of the…

Amid this cadre of so-called sport/utilities, the Volvo V70 XC Cross Country is able to out “sport” all in this comparison and boast more genuine “utility” than some in any class. Volvo doesn’t call this versatile vehicle a sport/ute, rather an “all-road car with rugged looks,” and I’ll add: It hauls—more than just camping gear. When I drew the Volvo for this test, I thought I’d be continually playing catchup, or worse yet, making excuses for this or that feature the more full-figured of the field offered. By the trip’s midpoint, I was smitten in my Swedish rocket wagon. The V70 XC makes you feel like a rebellious and stubborn European who needs most of what a sport/ute offers, but is unwilling sacrifice agile handling, astonishing acceleration, decent mileage, or…

Three is a monumentally significant number to the folks at BMW. The current 3 Series cars have been among the company’s most successful model lineups ever. As the basis for a four-door sedan, two-door coupe, two-door convertible, Compact (known to us as the 318ti), plus several M variants, the 3 Series accounts for nearly half of BMW’s North American market sales. So changing the product is definitely “messing with success.” But in the case of the new-for-’99 323i and 328i sedans, the messing is a success. A major design mandate was that the new cars must retain the look, athletic feel, and basic size package of the current Threes, while improving them from a refinement, safety, and passenger-room standpoint. According to Dr. Wolfgang Reitzle, board member of BMW AG in…

A Lincoln to challenge BMWs? Don’t laugh. For the first time ever, this traditionally American luxury barge builder is seriously stepping-up its image. But will this new line of sport-luxury sedans for the 2000 model year make the grade? It would appear from a sneak peek we were given that Ford Motor Company is preparing to launch its most serious attempt ever to crack into the sport-luxury sedan market. Both the V-6-powered LS6 and eight-cylinder LS8 versions of this sleek five-passenger comer-bender are expected to hit showrooms by late spring or early summer 1999. At a briefing at Ford’s engineering center in Dearborn, Michigan, Bob Widmer, luxury vehicle line director for the Large/Luxury Vehicle Center, told us this all-new Lincoln will meet or beat its import competitors in all areas—a…

NEWS HURST FIREBIRD #2 Last year’s extremely limited-edition Hurst Firebird by legendary tuner John Lingenfelter sold out almost immediately after it was announced. In fact, it was so successful that he’s going to do it all over again in ’98. Based on the WS6 Trans Am, much of what was good about last year’s car carries over to this year’s edition including the black and gold livery. However, the big change, as it is in every ’98 V-8 Firebird, is the adoption of the all-aluminum LSI powerplant. Lingenfelter Performance Engineering (LPE) takes the standard LSI and CNC ports the cylinder heads, installs the company’s own mystery grind Accel camshaft, and lets it exhale through a Borla stainless steel exhaust system. With Pontiac’s excellent WS6 Ram Air system handling induction, the…

There are two ways for a driver to see what’s coming up beside him: Look over his shoulder or look in the truck’s side view mirrors. However, when there’s a wide load in—or a camper atop—a truck’s bed, the standard sideview mirrors on any truck usually aren’t wide enough. Traditionally, the solution to such a problem has been to fit different, wider mirrors or to supplement them with additional reflective surfaces. Creative Sales & Marketing’s Extend-A-Mirror extensions solve the problem in a different manner. Extend-A-Mirror is simply a shaft along which a truck’s standard side-view mirror can be attached and extended outward. Once the mirror is removed from the truck (or SUV), it’s a straightforward installation using the standard mounting brackets to hook up the Extend-A-Mirror shaft. After the standard…

Within a relatively short time frame, Nissan’s Infiniti division has established a pattern of going its own way in the face of conventional automotive wisdom. Nowhere has this been more clear than in its flagship Q45 sedan, which arrived as a ’90 model grilleless, sans wood interior trim, and with a blatant bias toward performance at the expense of pure luxury. It didn’t take long for the powers that he to realize there are often very good reasons why some roads remain untaken. A series of ongoing changes since then moved the Q45 ever closer to a traditional luxo mode. However, they all proved mere prelude compared to the full-scale makeover wrought upon it for ’97. CONSUMER CHECKLIST The second-generation Q-ship is still the biggest Infiniti you can buy; but…