Indholdsfortegnelse for June 1999 i MotorTrend

Do you really need a daily driver with a top speed of a NASCAR machine? Considering this month’s exclusive test of the Hennessey Venom 650R, a frighteningly powerful Dodge Viper GTS clocked at 214.7 mph, that’s a shockingly real question. Grasp this: Hennessey’s latest concoction is a certified 48-state smog-legal commuter with quicker 0-60-mph acceleration than an Indy car! (Check Mac DeMere’s instrumented test of the Motor Trend-sponsored Cobb Racing/Roberto Guerrero IRL car in this issue, if you don’t believe me.) Okay, so it’s incredibly quick. But why would any sane human pay the $160,000 price of entry to buy one? For many, the automotive drug Hortospe (horsepower/torque/speed) is as addictive as any designer methamphetamine cooked up in a Simi Valley trash can. And the desire to consume ever more…

Okay, it’s big. Measuring 226.7 inches nose to tail, with a 137-inch wheelbase, seats for nine, and a base curb weight of 7648 pounds, the new Ford Excursion fairly dwarfs its closest competitor, the Chevy/GMC Suburban. From a sheer scale standpoint, the General’s biggest gun gives away over 7.0 inches in length, 3.3 inches in width, and roughly 2000 pounds—or one Chevy Metro’s worth—of mass. Spun from the beefy Ford Super Duty F-Series pickup platform, the Excursion employs leaf springs front and rear, a three-channel/four-wheel disc anti-lock braking system, and various tweaks to steering and suspension for more carlike ride and handling. Underhood, this road-going leviathan offers a choice of three engines: a 5.4-liter/260-horsepower V-8, a 6.8-liter/300-horse V-10 that makes 430 pound-feet of torque, and a 7.3-liter/235-horse V-8 turbodiesel generating…

Go ahead, drag race an IRL car 0-60 mph. You’ll win. Challenge a Winston Cup car in the quarter mile, you’ll beat it. Go up against the world’s best-handling production vehicles on a slalom course. You’ll spank ‘em. Then head to the skidpad, and you’ll again embarrass them red. This is one bad-ass, walk-the-walk, talk-the-talk street-fighter. A 650-horse street-legal Viper that looks every other car straight in the headlights and dares, “C’mon, try me!” Mash the gas and you’ll hit 60 mph in 3.3 seconds, your screams of nervous glee trailing behind you in a Doppler-shifted curtain of expletives. In an unbelievably short 11.2 seconds, you blow through the quarter mile, accelerating past 131.5 mph. But you’re still not even close to being through. With the standard 3.07:1 rear-axle gearing…

Toru Tanaka, chief engineer for the Tundra project, is much as you would expect a Japanese born, 25-plus year veteran of the car business to be: polite, obviously intelligent, and quite articulate in his measured delivery of English. He likes to relate the following story, one that certainly marked a significant turning point in the design of Toyota’s fresh-from-the-ground-up pickup. Early in the project, a team of Toyota marketers and engineers conducted a series of dealer meetings. During one such gathering, a local dealer stood up and asked the obvious question: “So, are you guys planning to build a V-8, or what?” Tanaka answered that, while he personally felt they should, the decision had not yet been made, and there were, in fact, people at Toyota who felt a V-8…

The inherent goodness of the A6 sedan is one of the major foundation blocks on which Audi’s resurgence in the U.S. has been based. Beyond that, it’s simply a downright enjoyable car to drive. Audi’s midsize model offers style, comfort, handling, and class. Where it comes up short is in the department of power. While smooth, civil, and responsive, its 2.8-liter/200-horsepower V-6 just doesn’t generate the beans that competitive models deliver. As of this fall, however, things will change. Audi’s new 4.2-liter 40-valve V-8, with a potent 300 horsepower coursing through its output shaft, will significantly change the A6 equation, give it a considerably more exuberant personality, and solidify the model as the center of the marque’s North American offensive. While it will also be shared with the A8 (in…

It comes down to this; If that pipsqueak in the new Corvette next to you doesn’t launch perfectly—and nail every one of his redline shifts with lightning speed—you’re going to whup him good in the sprint to 60 mph, you and your Mercedes-Benz E55—and over the distance of the quarter mile, too. Let that soak in for a minute. Your handsomely elegant, roomy, quiet four-door sedan with a silky five-speed automatic is every bit as swift as a purpose-built, two-seat, manual-transmission sports car. Conventional wisdom says that, to go fast, you’ve got to sacrifice comfort, convenience, luxury, utility—you name it. The E55 proves that (for a price) you need to accept zero compromise. The Mercedes-Benz E55 is, in our estimation, the greatest sport sedan ever to ride the face of…

Our fondness for the Mercury Mountaineer grew over time as the luxury-oriented sport/ute proved a trusted daily steed and capable weekend escape vehicle. Far from love at first sight, our admiration for the rebadged Ford Explorer increased over the year we spent with it. We immediately appreciated its clean, conservative styling, above-the-crowd view of the road, torquey V-8, comfortable leather-clad seats, confidence-inspiring steering feel, and cargo-carrying versatility. However, the reason our affection required time to grow is that, after hopping into the Mountaineer from competitive vehicles, our assessments were less than glowing. Such back-to-back comparisons made evident its rougher ride, louder tire and wind noise, pitifully low cornering traction, gluttonous fuel usage, tight rear-seat room, less than pleasing ergonomics, and ineffective tires for off road situations. And we swooned at…

Actor/rapper Will Smith is on a roll: His recent movies are hits, his CDs bag sales and Grammy honors, and he’s got a fabulous wife (actress Jada Pinkett). It probably goes without saying that he’s financially comfortable and can drive just about anything he wants. But you won’t see a million-dollar McLaren F1 in the Smith/Pinkett driveway. Just an average, everyday Suburban. Sure… To say that Will’s new Sub is an average truck is to say that Mark McGuire is an average hitter. Yes, it began life as an off-the-rack ’98 7.4-liter 2500 Suburban 4x4, but then Will turned it—and about $120,000—over to Becker Automotive Design. You may never have heard of Howard Becker, but folks like Barbra Streisand, Jerry Seinfeld, and Steven Spielberg know him well. They, and a…

Spinning your wheels to determine just the right rubber to slap on your ne ride? Unfortunately, all too often new car owners don’t get around to dressing up the new ride because, frankly, your decision on the right wheel and tire combination is a difficult one. With the enormous number of aftermarket wheels available and added pressure from those intimidating, quick-tongued salesman ready to slip you into their highest-priced set of shiny wheels, buying new rolling stock for your car or truck is often a chore many would rather avoid. Sound familiar? Believe it or not, choosing new wheels should be a pleasurable experience, and here’s our personal helping hand. Motor Trend’s annual Wheel Buyer’s Guide is a listing of the newest offering for your vehicle from quality manufactures who’ll…

The MOTOR TREND Electronic Reprint Service The MT Electronic Reprint Service gives you anytime access to many of our most popular reviews through an automated, 24-hour computerized system. With a touch-tone phone and a Visa or Mastercard, you can order up to five reviews, for delivery by mail or fax. Single reviews cost $4.95 each, and comparison reviews (marked by a “c” next to the issue date) cost $9.95 each. (Body copy and tech data are included. Photos do not appear.) It’s easy: 1. Note the four-digit ID numbers of one or more of the reviews you’d like to order from the ROAD TEST REVIEW list on the following pages. Have your Visa or Mastercard handy. 2. Using a touch-tone phone, dial 1-800-549-0682. Follow the instructions of the friendly automated…

‘BIRD WATCHING I just have to say one thing to Ford: It’s about time. This car is gorgeous. Since the old T-Bird got the axe, I wondered what Ford would replace it with, if anything. When I saw the sketches of this car I was hopeful, but the cover of the March issue relieved any concerns I had about the future of this American icon. Glad to see Ford went back to its roots. I can’t wait until it actually releases the specs and allows Motor Trend to test drive one. Tom Sonza-NoveraSt. Louis, Mo. When my eyes scanned the March cover, I thought, “Wow, an article on the Rover MGF.” Then I saw the photos were of the Thunderbird—a gorgeous sports car, finally. Surely, you have to admit the…

A $4 billion national racket has turned up the heat on itself by going too far and dipping into the crown dump of federal crash test vehicles. Alerted that some of its twisted and mangled vehicles have been rebuilt, retitled, and sold to unsuspecting consumers, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is more determined than ever to seek federal legislation to end this title laundering fraud and put the bad guys out of business. After suffering severe damage in a variety of tortuous tests, NHTSA’s crash test vehicles are sold at Government Services Administration public auctions. The sales receipts are “branded” with the message, “Salvage Only—Not to be Titled for Highway Use (wrecked/inoperable).” But like other sales of wrecked vehicles supposed to be sold for salvage or parts only, that…

Mercedes-Benz’ 200-mph Vision SLR sport coupe balances delicately on the knife edge of maybe. Yes, this fully operational unleaded-chugging ultracar could happen. And that will surely keep some folks at Lamborghini and Ferrari awake at night. The SLR is a platinum puzzle piece in a gold-plated power play. Even as other car makers spend hundreds of millions to acquire prestige and exotic automotive nameplates, the Mercedes strategy appears to be a reinforcement of its position at the head of the motoring class by adding a few awesomely powerful and frightfully expensive models to an already diverse and bulging product portfolio. For example, at the ’97 Tokyo Motor Show, Mercedes unveiled the giant (227.2 inches long, with TV, bar, and three phones) Maybach überlimo, which, like the swoopy SLR, was described…

Has it really been 10 years since Mazda reinvented the classic British sports car? Ten years since igniting a roadster revival that’s still spawning new models? Yes, it has. And the fact that more than half a million Miatas have since hit the world’s highways proves the concept was indeed a good one. So Mazda is celebrating these milestones with a commemorative model dubbed—appropriately enough—the Miata 10th Anniversary Edition. But while most such “special editions” amount to little more than not-so-special paint, floor mats, and maybe a decal or two, Mazda has gone the extra mile by making substantive hard ware upgrades. The most significant is a new six-speed close-ratio transmission that really sweetens up the Miata’s already lively, communicative driving experience. First gear is a bit shorter than that…

1958 The ultimate commuter? A new German product was the amazing Brutsch-Mopetta. This ultra-compact, one-person, three-wheel car was not only amphibious, but so light and small that “even a girt can lift up its front end to drag it into the house for parking.” This mini made even a VW Beetle look like a Buick and could be carried on the roof rack of a larger car. 1975 The lights, the spectacle, the smoke: This year brought the spectacular grand opening of Motorama, a museum of “some of the world’s more unusual cars,” organized by Motor Trend founder, Robert E. Petersen. The gala premiere included a smoke-cloud-generating burnout in the middle of Hollywood Boulevard by famed drag racer Tony Nancy, who wore a Nomex Pierre Cardin jacket. The collection included…

A legendary nameplate reborn in front-drive form, the 2000 Chevrolet Impala remains true to its heritage in providing affordable six-passenger transportation that strikes at the heart of the family market. Sharing basic architecture with the Pontiac Grand Prix and Oldsmobile Intrigue, the Impala rides on a 110.5-inch wheelbase and stretches 200 inches nose-to-tail, slotting between the Ford Taurus and a Dodge Intrepid in size. The Interior boasts 122.1 cubic feet of EPA-rated large-car volume, with a quite useable trunk gobbling 17.6 cubic feet of cargo. Sharp exterior styling and aggressive stance gives the Impala a decidedly sporty flair augmented by decklid spoiler and a 16-inch aluminum wheel design borrowed from the bad-ass ’94-’96 Impala SS on LS models. Abundant features come standard, including power locks, windows, mirrors, air conditioning, rear…

Remember the multi-talented BMW sedan assigned to super-agent James Bond in the most recent 007 flick, “Tomorrow Never Dies”? You know, the one that sat poised on those fabulous-looking 18-inch alloy wheels (not to mention packing handy little touches like a missile launcher). Don’t expect to buy one just like it, but you can have something similar. BMW calls its civilian version the 740i Sport. BMW’s optional “Sport” packages are reasonably priced equipment and trim groupings that offer the enthusiast driver something in between a standard version and an ultra-high-performance M edition. The 7 Series receives the Sport treatment, along with a minor exterior freshening, for model year ’99. Order up the $2600 Sport option, and you’ll get the following: Steptronic sequential shift system for the five-speed automatic, shorter final-drive…

’99 MITSUBISHI GALANT GTZ Sharp, upscale styling gives the Galant GTZ a classy appearance that’s at home valet-parked beside more expensive luxo sedans. Passersby often seemed puzzled to hear it’s a Mitsubishi. Their loss. The chiseled Galant has a smooth overall driving feel, from steering and throttle input to suspension compliance, but the capable 3.0-liter V-6 doesn’t display the auditory refinement and visceral performance of some import-badged competitors. We’re impressed with the amount of stuff the car can hold with careful packing, despite not being able to fold down the rear seat. Four passengers are ideal, though legroom is tight for long-limbed rear riders. We like that we can begin playing music by simply pressing the “CD” button, but why does the stereo reset to radio when the car is…

Power and performance took center stage as keynote themes of the Geneva Motor Show, handily outpointing economy and ecology issues when it came to mesmerizing the hundreds of thousands in attendance. There, amid numerous rapid-fire rumors of corporate mergers and several equally pointed denials—not to mention Cadillac’s surprise announcement of plans to return to Le Mans in 2000—the first major European motor show of the year played host to an impressive cadre of new faces in both production and concept guise. Here’s a quick look at the most notable of that tantalizingly diverse group. BENTLEY HUNAUDIERES CONCEPT A recent addition to VW’s war chest, the British marque lost no time in reclaiming its Le Mans heritage with a mid-engine luxo-racer one-off. But the Hunaudieres (named after a French town near…

MOTOR TREND Online motortrend.com With the Motor Trend Online redesign comes a fresh news delivery system. Latest headlines are listed right on the home page for convenient review. Enter the Auto News section for Clips from each of the recent top stories and a list of older items. Typical stories range from new vehicle announcements and pricing updates to recalls and industry reports. Pickup, sport/ute, and van enthusiasts can visit Truck Trend Online (www.trucktrend.com) for news served up in the same way. Sign up for the Newsletter on either site for e-mail on major site updates and significant story postings. HIGH-POWERED ACTION ON “MT TV” That’s 650 horsepower worth of Hennessey Venom coming at you, this month on “MT TV.” Join us every weekend on the Speedvision Network for the…

A turbocharged VW New Beetle may seem an oxymoron, incongruous in mindset with the “keep it simple” design philosophy. Certainly the original Bug was anything but speedy. But who wouldn’t want a bit more power? Volkswagen has sweetened the deal for ’99 with a collection of new features, in addition to expanding the model lineup. Following standard VW model designation policy, last year’s GL will be joined by GLS and GLX models. Volkswagen predicts the GLS to be the volume leader, accounting for some 80 percent of ’99 New Beetle sales. The topline T-charged GLX becomes the “technology earner,” getting all the good stuff, with the four-speed automatic being the only option. Borrowed from friends at Audi, the Bug’s new 1.8-liter/150-horsepower turbocharged/intercooled inline-four is best known for its duty in…

You could use this hot, new Ford pickup’s 360 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque to tote 800 pounds of bales or even to tow a 5000-pound barge. But what fun would that be? This truck is really about a different kind of hauling. You know what we mean. We want to be there when some unsuspecting Z28 or Trans Am driver stumbles on one of these in traffic. Imagine his surprise when he tries to get a jump on what looks like a flashy farm implement. Because if the F-150’s pilot is cool and doesn’t smoke his humungo P295/45ZR18 Goodyears on takeoff, the Lightning will leap out of the hole and take one giant bite out of somebody’s fat ego. Sixty arrives in a pavement wrinkling 5.6 seconds, and…

What began innocently as a “what if” project has become an all-consuming passion for Bugster owner/designer/builder Mark Etheridge. Before he even owned the stock ’98 Volkswagen donor vehicle, he came to Motor Trend with a question: “Would you be interested in seeing a New Beetle made into a speedster? Not a dopey-looking convertible, but a lowered, chopped, souped-up speedster—a Bugster?” We scratched our heads, tried to imagine such a vehicle, shrugged our shoulders, and said, “Sure, we think it’d be cool.” The very next day, Etheridge bought a New Beetle from a local VW dealer and began working. Etheridge’s experience in club racing taught him the less-is-more rule—that subtle tweaks to key systems are better than sweeping changes to an already good vehicle. Of course, cutting the top, windshield, side…

Named for the challenging curve on the Le Mans race circuit where this venerable British marque once ruled, the Arnage is Bentley’s answer to the increasingly popular and contentious premium luxury performance segment currently dominated by BMW, Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz. Though it was introduced in April 1998, just before the firm was acquired by Volkswagen, we finally had a chance to test drive the newest Bentley stateside, when a local dealer was willing to loan his to us. As with all cars in this class, the Arnage boasts an exhaustive fist of interior features such as Connolly hides, Wilton wool carpets, the finest woodwork, and top-drawer audio equipment. And the requisite electronic bits include an adaptive five-speed transmission, four-channel ABS, and an investment-guarding automatic stability control system. The hand-crafted reputation…

True, you may have to take a second look to tell the newly revised Discovery from its predecessor. That’s because Land Rover intentionally chose a modest freshening of the original look—complete with its distinctive stepped roof and Alpine windows—rather than a more aggressive approach. (For our tastes, they may have kept it a little too modest.) Still, don’t be fooled into thinking the Series II is simply a warmed-over version of the old Discovery. As the first major redesign of the model since its ’89 introduction, this largely all-new vehicle represents a dramatic step forward, not only for the Discovery but, in some areas, for sport/utility engineering as a whole. For starters, every exterior panel on the vehicle is indeed new. Plus, the chassis has been strengthened, with about a…

Mercedes continues to flesh out the M-Class sport/utility lineup, with the introduction of two new variants set to appear as 2000 models. At the top of the performance heap will be the ML55, packing a 5.4-liter/340-horsepower (yes, you read that correctly) V-8 plus a host of other performance, appearance, and interior upgrades. Preliminary estimates put the torque rating at a more than healthy 380 pound-feet, and we anticipate the ML55 will be a genuine 150-mph sport/utility. This maximum-strength Mercedes is being developed in concert with AMG, the company-owned supertuner responsible for so many memorable autobahn cruisers and Mercedes-Benz endurance racing victories. Expect pricing in the mid-$60,000 range, including full-time four-wheel drive, four-wheel traction control, special leather seating, 18-inch AMG wheels wearing high-performance tires, and a standard satellite navigation system. A…