Indholdsfortegnelse for August 1998 i MotorTrend

www.motortrend.com BURNOUT CHAMPIONSHIP DRAG RACING Hot Rod Magazine has joined forces with Bethesda Softworks to produce a stunning drag race simulation based on accurate physics models and hands-on, tire-shredding experience. Performance enthusiasts with a PC can tear down 20 tracks competing against the clock or a friend over the Internet for bragging rights. A full 20 cars can each be tweaked for optimum performance. Add a Thrustmaster steering wheel and powered speakers, and the game truly becomes a simulation. GRAN TURISMO Enter a fast-paced world of extreme racing with 11 tracks and over 150 cars, including the world’s hottest sports cars and show vehicles from Acura, Chevrolet, Dodge, Porsche, Toyota, and TVR, to name a few. PlayStation owners can choose from Arcade and Simulation modes and can graduate through race…

They’re sleek, sexy, and built to thrill, but you won’t see either of these tasty two-seaters until sometime around the year 2002—if they get the go-ahead for production. For now, our deep-cover spies have unearthed enough tantalizing secrets about the proposed new BMW and Mercedes supercars to whet our appetite big-time. It’s well known that both German carmakers long to strut their technical know-how by building super-fast, Ferrari-challenging sports cars. Yet the market for such machines is quite small, and as McLaren found with its megabuck speed-toy, there is a point where price does matter, even to the very rich. Tb try its hand at the exotic class, Mercedes is considering low-volume production of a V-8 or V-12-powered supercar that evokes the gorgeous Gullwing coupe of the ’50s. Meanwhile, long-standing…

Mega-horsepower shootouts like “Viva Velocity!” (May ’98) and I “High-Speed Gamble” (May ’97), where the world’s best sports cars I engage in door-to-door combat, are extremely popular with readers. However, Chevrolet is tired of the Vette trailing the much pricier coupes in Motor Trend standings, specifically the Dodge Viper GTS and Porsche 911 Turbo. From this frustration, a two-pronged attack was launched with a pair of production-capable Vettes that attempt to outshine the C5’s mortal enemies. Using timed laps at the 2.25-mile Moroso Motorsports Park in Florida as a baseline, developers found the Corvette trailed the Viper and 911 Turbo by 5.0 and 4.0 seconds, respectively. With the challenge presented to close the gap in an affordable manner that could be replicated by owners, the Chevrolet Specialty Vehicles (CSV) department…

Audi’s on a roll. As in rolling out a fresh roster of great products in just a few years’ time: the powerful, subtly elegant A8; the lithe A4, which instantly put Audi back in the small sport sedan market; and this car, the all-new A6. Looking more like a one-off concept car than a readily available production model, the sensuously sculpted A6 reeks of a deft designer’s touch. But if you’re the type who turns to our performance charts before reading the story, you already know it wasn’t the fastest of our desert lot. That’s okay with me, for just as with significant others, the one that dazzles you with speed at the beginning may not be the one you want to keep forever. Just about everything short of the…

Long considered the car of choice among New England professors and liberal free-thinkers, Saab breaks away from the stereotype mold with the all-new 95 luxury/sport sedan, deftly preserving the Swedish company’s distinct flavor while opening its four doors to more conservative Euro intenders. Don’t let the evolutionary styling fool you, the clean-sheet design pulls together a host of safety and comfort innovations, while pushing the balanced package to a higher level of performance. Subject of plenty of debate, the wedgy exterior styling grew on us during our madcap adventure. The pleasing front clip continues familiar Saab styling cues, but the rakish appearance created by the sharp cutline at the C-pillars was lost on us. Regardless of personal tastes, credit is due for its low 0.29 drag coefficient that matches the…

NEWS On March 9, General Motors announced that the Chevrolet Camaro’s and Pontiac Firebird’s St. Therese, Quebec, assembly plant doesn’t have a product assigned to it beyond the 2002 model year. “That does not necessarily imply that the product goes away,” Chevrolet spokesperson Janine Fruehan told Reuters, but it’s widely assumed that, at current combined production volumes of 70,000 or 80,000 cars per year, GM is losing money on the two coupes (during ’79, Chevy sold 282,571 Camaros alone). The brilliantly performing Camaro and Firebird (known internally as the F-body), may not see another generation. As this is written, GM is debating the F-car’s future. In recent years demographic trends and demand for sport/utility vehicles have led to the death of venerable coupes like the Ford Thunderbird, Oldsmobile Ibronado, and…

Super chargers are an exceptionally popular means of obtaining more oats from an engine these days. Most blower kits are developed by the automotive aftermarket and seem to find their way under the hoods of American trucks and sport/utility vehicles. The ’98 Toyota 4Runner pictured here, however, flies in the face of both norms: It’s definitely not built by Ford, GM, or Chrysler, and its prototype supercharger package has been developed by Toyota Racing Development (TRD), the company’s inhouse performance and racing arm. The 4Runner’s 3.4-liter/183-horsepower four-cam V-6 is a jewel to begin with, but what sport/ute couldn’t use more power? TRD’s Roots-type supercharger kit does the trick in that regard, as it claims to be good for an estimated 70-horsepower increase. Torque is also said to rise by about…

VIVA VELOCITY! Based on “Viva Velocity!” (May ’98), I have decided that you guys have the most difficult job in the world. First, if I were an editor at Motor Trend and were given the keys to any of those cars, you can bet that I would never be heard from again. What kind of incentives can you possibly offer that would make the editors come back with the cars at the end of the drive? Second, after driving one of those cars, you have the daunting task of trying to describe the experience to us readers; I wouldn’t be able to do this, since I would be sitting there for years, speechless and drooling on myself! Brad RauchOrefield, Pa.via Motor Trend Online First, we return eager to drive yet…

FIRST LOOK This fall, Jeep’s senior sport/ute gets a major body restyle and engineering upgrades that should keep it more than competitive in its class. As these first official photos show, smoother, curvier lines replace the former boxy shape and sharp edges without disguising the vehicle’s visual signature. Its interior also gains sophistication, along with an enhanced roster of standards. Other important changes for ’99 include a new V-8 engine option, trick “five-speed” automatic transmission, better brakes, revamped suspension, and an even more capable all-wheel-drive system. Jeep claims its new 4.7-liter/230-horse-power SOHC V-8 is quieter, smoother, cleaner, more durable, more fuel efficient, and a whopping 54 pounds lighter than the current OHV 5.2-liter/220-horse V-8. (The 5.9-liter/245-horse engine is history.) Paired with the new transmission (which features an innovative “dual” second…

Everywhere we looked, there was a car to take our breath away: a bright yellow Ford GT-40, a ’65 Aston Martin DB4GT-2 Zagato, racing Porsches in 962, 956C, and 917K form, a ’66 Chevy Impala 409 that used to run moonshine, a stunning black ’57 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible, plus the really old stuff, too, like a 1901 Duryea and ’13 Pierce Arrow Model 48, as well as a raft of quirky machines from a ’47 Tucker to a ’63 Chrysler Tlirbine car. But this wasn’t a secret Pebble Beach pre-showing, it was the annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance held at the sumptuous Ritz-Carlton golf resort in northern Florida. This marks the second year Motor Trend was honored with an invitation not only to judge the field at the East…

At top speed, I find little need for power-operated gloveboxes or dual reclining cupholders. And who cares about the lovely patina of burled wood trim when you’re burning the tread off all four tires on a delicious stretch of twisty canyon road? At those times, it’s a car’s confidence that counts most. Confidence to respond instantly, in precisely the manner you expect, and with complete hardwired-to-your-senses control. That’s a sports car. That’s the BMW M3. Ignore the fact that this Bavarian sports car has four doors instead of two. Aside from that slight sheetmetal deviation, this sedan looks, acts, and performs exactly the same as the phenomenal M3 Coupe. Overlay the specs of the two siblings and you’ll find identical length, wheelbase, track, front/rear weight distribution, and curb weight data.…

Though popular opinion has long pigeon-holed Volvo as the maker of safe, sensible cars, enthusiasts realize that Volvo’s devotion to performance runs deep. Our radar gun had to visit the rebuild shop after the flying-pebble battering it received from the 153-mph 850 T5-R station wagon we drove to Death Valley a few years back. Far from an aberration, that car was simply high-speed proof of Volvo’s commitment to go-fast cars—a commitment in evidence today in the S70 T5 we’ve included in this desert romp. For those of you still coming to terms with Volvo’s recent change to new model names, the “S” stands for sedan, and “70” is the designator for Volvo’s current front-drive platform. The part of this Volvo’s nomenclature that’s important to enthusiast drivers is the T5 designation:…

At one end lies “Music City USA.” Nashville is the country music capital of the world, rhinestone cowboy central. Here, the pulse of the countiy-and-westem scene beats 24 hours a day, usually accompanied by the distinctive twang of a steel-stiing guitar. Among its many icons are the Grand Ole Opiy, the Countiy Music Hall of Fame, and the sharp-eared, mysteriously gothic “Batman Building”—the Bell South Tower, which looms over the citys skyline. At the other end is Memphis, ‘Home of the Blues.” It was here, along the muddy banks of the Mississippi River, that W.C. Handy plucked out the first blues songs ever published, B.B. King and his guitar, Lucille, etched the music form indelibly into the American consciousness, and another “King”—Elvis Presley—launched himself into rock-’n’-roll legend. Memphis “must-sees” include…

“Near luxury” is one of those inherently hard-to-define terms, particularly when it’s applied to the likes of the Lexus ES 300. Treated to a comprehensive makeover for ’97, the entry-level offering from Toyota’s upline marketing channel emerged with a host of functional upgrades that left it even more attractive to value-conscious fast-laners than its hugely successful predecessor. Immediately following our first encounter with the latest-generation ES 300, we requested one for duty in the MT long-term test fleet. Some 15 months and 25,000 miles later, it’s time to bid farewell to what began as, and remained throughout, one of the most popular members of our select scuderia. Included in the ES 300’s $29,900 base price are numerous premium standards headed by automatic climate control, 195-watt AM/FM/cassette stereo, an expansive roster…

’97 HONDA CR-V Honda virtues of reliability, fuel economy, and simple, effective design continue to hold true for our CR-V as it enters the final leg of its yearlong review. The logbook reveals that staff drivers are regularly impressed by the amount of passenger and cargo space in what is considered to be a small sport/ute. Careful packaging has yielded impressive second-row space while maintaining a healthy rear compartment. Because we’re programmed by dozens of other vehicles to expect instant response, we would prefer the rear glass to pop open with a simple remote push, instead of holding the button for a couple seconds. Up front, the sharp steering wheel angle and unusual dash-mounted window switches frustrate us. Criticism continues for the diminutive 2.0-liter/126-horsepower engine, which must work extremely hard…

Honda has released the first official photos and preliminary specs on its all-new V-6-powered minivan. Although slightly less radical looking than the MV-99 concept, it’s still absolutely loaded with potential. While retaining the same name and front-drive configuration as the firm’s current minivan offering—which it replaces in the U.S. lineup this fall—the two share no other common bits. With an overall length of 201.2 inches and a 118.1-inch wheelbase, this handsome hauler dwarfs the current Odyssey, which measures but 187.6 inches nose to tail and 111.4 inches wheelcenter to wheelcenter. Along with pipping the segment-leading ’99 Ford Windstar in length, Honda promises the new Odyssey also will have the widest front and rear track dimensions in its class. Prime among the host of key upgrades on the new Odyssey is…

Repeat offenders who continue to drive and thumb their noses at suspended licenses are a big problem on our roads today. Take the case of the twice-dead Baltimore motorist. Stopped for a DWI offense in Virginia in 1991, the man “died” in a car crash in ’ Los Angeles just before his Virginia court date, according to the death certificate mailed to the Virginia court. Amazingly, the dead man was resurrected in Maryland, where he was stopped for a second DWI. He died again just before that court date, this time from “Denzor Hemorrhagic Fever,” while visiting Zimbabwe. His luck ran out when the same Maryland police officer arrested him for a third DWI and recognized the “dead man.” While this guy was more clever than most, drunks and reckless…

Does Cadillac really need a rear-drive two-seat tail-finned convertible with a top-end close to 180 mph? Practically speaking, probably not. But then, most folks said Dodge didn’t really need the V-l 0-powered Viper, either. From an image perspective, however, it could be argued that Cadillac Motor Division badly needs a halo car like an Eldorado roadster—a concept scheduled for public unveiling at the Paris Auto Show this October—even more than Dodge needed the brutal Viper. For the first time in nearly a half century, it appears Cadillac may lose luxury-car sales leadership in ’98 to Lincoln and risks falling to third place behind Mercedes-Benz, which also beat Cadillac in March. Lincoln has surpassed Cadillac in total sales with help from its hugely successfill Navigator sport/utility, while Mercedes is aided by…

kåv′ə-lîr—adj. 1. Nonchalant; casual; carefree 2. Haughty. Chevrolet recognizes the front-drive Boy Racer car market as a growing and vital one. It has a good-looking two-door in the Cavalier that simply lacks the attitude the more popular souped-up cars exploit—that is, until Chevrolet Specialty Vehicles (CSV) department got ahold of one. Chevrolet admits there’s absolutely no chance of production for the little red Cav that could, but when the car was shown at the SEMA show in Las Vegas, after-market companies were falling all over themselves, asking where they could get some of the bolt-on pieces like the aluminum-look hood scoop and rear wing. They’ll just have to wait because CSV fabricated them just for this car. Most of the other modifications were sourced out through existing manufacturers (Baer brakes,…

Take Mercedes’ light C-Class sedan platform, stuff it with a tweaked, high-performance 4.3-liter V-8 engine exhaling a smoldering 302 horsepower, mix in some sportscar-style suspension tuning and sticky, low-profile rubber, and lightly spice with a few distinctive styling touches. Then prepare to feast on an awesome combination of billet-like stability and rocket-like go-power. The limited-edition C43 is the latest creation of AMG, Mercedes’ performance-edition partner. And we like it. Visually, the C43’s surest give-aways are the 17-inch AMG monoblock alloy wheels and aggressive Z-rated tires mounted in staggered sizes: 225/45 front and 245/40 rear. The car’s identity is also cued by a deeper front air dam designed for the V-8 engine, plus the shape of the lower rear apron and door sill panels. The dynamic interior features two-tone leather covering…

SWEDE SURPRISE After 1000-plus miles of all types of driving, on everything from wide-open interstates to dirty backroads, one thing became quite obvious: How one ranks these five sedans depends more on your personal driving style than on any other single factor. Sure, things like styling and standard features are part of any thinking person’s equation, but when it’s time to pick the one you’d most like to live with (and pay for), every one of our editors reached for the car that most fit their driving style. For me, it’s the BMW M3. Hands down. I love its combination of big power and nimble feel, all wrapped in a shape that lets you slip by the highway patrol virtually unnoticed. Sure, $40,000 is still a lot of money, but…

It seems that every year, new brands of synthetic motor oil pop up on store shelves. Despite the plethora of products, the same types of questions keep appearing in reader mail: What are the advantages and disadvantages of synthetic oil? What vehicles benefit the most from it? Can I add it to my regular oil? Will it allow me to extend my oil change intervals? And, most of all, is it worth the premium price? Unlike conventional petroleum oil, synthetic is not refined from crude. It’s developed chemically from one or more compounds, such as organic esters, synthetic hydrocarbons, polyglycols, or polyalphaolefin (PAO), depending on the brand. The increased complexity of the refining process accounts for the extra cost of synthetics. While originally used mostly in military and industrial applications,…

If you’ve never experienced a 10-second quarter-mile car, it’s unlike anything you’ve ever encountered. With my helmet on, braced against the headrest, my on-board two-way radio was useless over the blap, blap, blap of the open headers just below our feet. We dipped into the water—front, then rear tires—engaged the linelock to apply only the front brakes, and a moment later, the engine roared and the slicks produced an entire cloud bank of thick, white smoke through one, two, release the brakes, and three gears. The driver later said the tires only require a two-gear burnout to get them sticky, but the cameras love the extra drama. He put the car in reverse, and with one throttle blip, we were coasting back the 50 yards we had just traveled, blap-blapping…