Indholdsfortegnelse for June 2001 i MotorTrend

◼ Chevrolet will celebrate the Camaro’s 35th anniversary with 3000 special-edition cars for the U.S. Based on the 335-hp SS, they’ll be offered as T-tops and convertibles—no coupes. The instant collectibles will have festival duty at the Brickyard 400. ◼ Happy days, Volkswagen fans: For ’02, the GTI and Jetta get the 2.8L/201-hp 24-valve VR6 previously available only in Europe as an engine option. It replaces the 174-hp 12-valve VR6. A six-speed manual for the VR6 will replace the five-speed a bit later in the model year. And the GTI gets decontented slightly (sunroof and leather become options) for a lower price despite more power. ◼ Oldsmobile’s 11th and last Indianapolis 500 pace car is a truck: the 02 Bravada. Other than induction and exhaust system tweaks, the pace…

Production of Mazda’s four-place suicide-door rotary-powered RX-8 sports car is all but assured, though not formally announced. Yet, we see blendings of it, and a previous Mazda crossover showcar called Nextourer, in the MX Sport Tourer concept unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show. The Sport Tourer packages the Nextourer’s demi-SUV practicality and the RX-8’s purposeful sportiness with a clean, green powerplant. Though this show car is powered by a 2.0L gasoline engine/electric motor hybrid, a production version would likely get a livelier powerplant, probably a V-6. The concept’s S-VT hybrid system can be run as either a pure internal combustion engine or strictly on electric power. The Sport Tourer’s rear seat folds flat into the floor, allowing a maximum interior cargo capacity of 44 cu ft. The concept won’t…

Two facts about Mercedes’ new C-Class sport wagon reveal its true purpose: First, it has less luggage capacity than the car it replaces (which wasn’t sold in North America) and second, management didn’t sign off on the sedan’s design until it saw the wagon. In fact, the sport wagon is the best looking and arguably the sportiest C-Class, the Sport Coupe (covered in this issue) included. Mercedes believes the sport-wagon segment, already red hot in Europe, will grow by 15 percent here in 2002. BMW’s 3 Series wagon has joined the Audi A4 Avant in the U.S., and several new less-expensive sport wagons are on the way to attract SUV-weary buyers. The C320 wagon goes on sale this fall for about $38,000, powered by the C-Class’ top engine, a 3.2L/215-hp…

“The challenge was to take a vehicle that was actually under five meters, which is very much European size, and maximize the interior volume,” says Freeman Thomas, vp of advanced product-design strategy, on the Super8 Hemi. “We also wanted a flexible interior where you could vary the seating configuration and volume. The [B-pillarless] door system is looking at the popularity of those that allow you to load things in through the side. “I challenged my designers to come up with a brand-new sedan architecture. The thought of the normal sedan is dying. For the sedan to have life, it has to do a few things. First, it has to be passionate and emotional. One of the reasons we buy trucks is that they have passion and emotion, as well as…

We’ve previously told you as much about Jaguar’s all-new, affordable, compact sport/luxury sedan as we could without actually driving it. The X-Type looks great, packs the requisite leather-and-wood trimmed cabin, and appears to have a high feature/value ratio. But questions remained: Does it feel substantial, elegant, and mechanically slick as a Jag should? And does it deliver on both sides of the “sport” and “luxury” equation? In other words, is it a real Jaguar or does it suffer from sharing its engine architecture, suspension layout, and a few (though very few) structural bits with Ford’s new, Europe-only Mondeo? Only a considerable amount of time at the wheel, under a variety of road conditions, • / would tell. We finally got our chance in the form of carving up some corners…

One drive in this definition-defying New Beetle, and you’ll be ruined for life. Everything you once considered really quick—Corvette, 911 Carrera, M5/Z8, or XKR—will be handily outrun by an HPA Motorsports GT6 Beetle. Go ahead and laugh. The only exotica out there that can touch it are a 911 Turbo, Viper, or a Ferrari 360 Modena. You think we’re kidding? Do 500 hp and all-wheel drive change your mind? How about a mere $65,000 pricetag? Interested yet? It’s also serviceable at any VW dealership and warranted by its Canadian builder, HPA Motorsports of Langley, British Columbia, for a year on parts and six months on workmanship. HPA’s never had to oblige a customer yet, and you know how the buyer of this type of car is likely to drive it.…

We tested both of these all-new SUVs at the track, on highways, on challenging, wet, offroad trails, and even through snowy mountain road passes. What we learned furthered our understanding of the vehicles’ underlying missions. We found shortcomings with the inadequate-for-off-road-use tire fitment on our preproduction Explorer, but this SUV’s offroad challenges go a bit deeper than that. The Control Trac 4WD-version of the Explorer comes with a system that’s switchable between variabie 4x4 Auto, full-time 4x4 High, and 4x4 Low. When in the default auto mode, the Explorer delivers all the power to the rear wheels. When tire slip is detected, it directs as much as 100 percent of available torque to the end of the driveline with traction, or splits it up as conditions dictate. In 4x4 High…

We’re blasting down the short straightaway in excess of 110 mph, grabbing gears faster than you can think, breathing the throttle at the kink with turbo popoff valves tweeting, and hauling the 1.5-ton race car down to hairpin speeds with massive brakes and lightning-fast downshifts from the six-speed gearbox. Now, a precise tum-in to the corner, holding steady, then just a hint of comer exit wheelspin. Trans-Am racer? American Le Mans Series GTS car? Winston Cup tat machine? Guess again—it’s an Audi. We’re talking a real Audi here, not some tube-framed carbon-fiber bodied silhouette racer where the only stock part on the whole car is the air-cleaner stud. In fact, you can walk into your local dealership, plunk down some cash (well, a lot of cash) and—eventually—go home with a…

AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY MAVENS HAVE been predicting the end of the luxury/sport coupe market for years. It’s easy to understand why: American stalwarts like the Lincoln Mark VIII, Buick Riviera, and Oldsmobile Toronado have all gone away. Cadillac hasn’t remodeled the Eldorado since ’92. BMW has yet to replace the 8 Series, and Lexus’ SC has been reborn as an upmarket convertible hardtop. However, none of this means there isn’t room for an artfully designed, weII-executed, reasonably priced (well, relatively reasonably priced), luxury performance coupe to fill what appears to be an obvious void. That sums up Mercedes-Benz’ CLK320, and its V-8-powered stablemate, the CLK430. Introduced as a ’98 model, the CLK represents more than a two-door version of the previous-generation C-Class sedan: It was designed as a coupe from the…

Panoz sold just 200 of its bare-bones sports car, the AIV Roadster, in four years. It plans to sell 400 copies of its new luxury GT, the Esperante, in two years. How? Name recognition, for one thing: Panoz has become a major player in big-time sports-car racing as builder of its own race cars and engines and as owner of its own race team, several tracks (Road Atlanta and Sebring, to name two), and the American Le Mans Series sanctioning body. Borrowing styling touches from vintage Jaguars and Ferraris, the Esperante road car is powered by a modern 4.6L7320-hp SVT Cobra V-8, backed by a five-speed manual that benefits from wonderfully crisp shift linkage. Power steering is go-kart quick, but the car’s 106-in. wheelbase results in a wide turning…

Volkswagen is heading into several new market segments with a raft of exciting products. Certainly, the biggest news will be the upcoming Colorado sport/utility, but don’t overlook the Passat W8 luxo/performance sedan arriving this fall as an ’02 model. Its main calling card will be a 4.0L/275-hp W8 engine. No typo, that’s W8. meaning two vees of four cylinders each, placed at a very narrow angle within the engine block, not unlike VW’s terrific VR6. As the new flagship for the VW lineup, the Passat W8 represents the brand’s first use of an eight-cylinder engine. This innovative powerplant will be teamed with either a six-speed manual transmission or a five-speed Tiptronic automatic, both of which will be offered in North America, insiders say. The ’01 Passat’s styling and equipment updates…

It’s hot. Way over 100° hot, even though the sun is setting behind the mountains. We’re tired. Dirty. Thirsty. It’s been 16 hours since we rolled out of bed—long before the parched desert begins to come to life—and all we want to do is get the Jaguar X-Type prototype we’re driving back to base, get a cold shower, and face-plant in a pillow. Of all the testing that manufacturers perform before a new vehicle is introduced to the public, hot-weather trials are among the most demanding. Test mules are on the road nearly 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for months on end. When they aren’t running, they’re baking in the 110°-plus heat in the unforgiving desert, exposing everything from interior plastics to engine electronics to the environmental…

Unlike some tuner cars we’ve tested, the BMW Hartge H50 3 Series—powered by a BMW M5’s autobahn-eating 5.0L V-8—is amazing in at least two ways: It goes scary fast, and it’s nearly a indestructible. We ought to know: We | spent a day at the Motor Trend test | track launching the car down the quarter-mile dragstrip, pushing it around “ our slalom course, and pulling huge | negative g-forces during brake tests. We g laid down tire-melting burnouts, o snapped off 7000-rpm shifts, and performed numerous nower slides on the handling track. You know, our typical stuff. When it was all done, we had awesome numbers to show for the effort: 0-60 mph in a very traction-limited 4.87 sec; 13.01 sec at a booming 115.41 mph in the quarter;…

Repeat after us, “Zero to 60 in 2.43 seconds.” That’s the amazing stat Hennessey Motor Sports’ new Venom 800 Viper smacked down in a recent track test in Texas. Just how quick is that? It’ll take you longer to say the stat than for the Venom 800 to do it! Last month, we gave you the exclusive first look at Texasbased asp-kicker John Hennessey’s latest tuner creation, his Venom 800 twin-turbo Viper GTS that belted out a whopping 833 hp and a mountain-pulling 902 Ib-ft of torque. A Superflow chassis dyno verified that an unholy 725 hp was being delivered to the rear tires. However, the act of actually getting that gargantuan power to the pavement without merely vaporizing the rear tires would be the real test. * Previous record…

Hurtling Porsche’s new twin-turbo GT2 down the Italian autostrada at more than 280 kph—barely shy of 175 mph—conjures an altogether new understanding of the word “alert.” Your vision narrows, and your eyes focus intently on what’s way up ahead—because it’ll be right in front of you in an instant. What would be the gentlest curve at 75 becomes a corner at 175; the most minor undulation in the road becomes an attention-demanding bump. You’re keenly aware of signposts, traffic, and the entire landscape flying past you backward at a pulse-quickening rate. In fact, a rate of more than 250 feet per second. Nearly three miles a minute. In short: flat hauling ass. For some small—and financially secure—number of enthusiasts, the above scenario awaits, as served up by this Maximum Strength…

2001 Infiniti QX4 Infiniti’s QX4 may be a remodeled Pathfinder—but it’s a darn nicely remodeled Pathfinder, and Nissan’s upmarket division has added enough content and style upgrades to differentiate the two. We were just a few hundred miles early for the QX4’s 11,250-mile service, as the driver-side power window was operating intermittently. The window motor was replaced under warranty, and the problem has not recurred. The shifter also feels a bit sloppy in its gate; upon inspection, we were told the proverbial “they’re all like this"—a bit disappointing. Infiniti’s checkup is quite comprehensive, including oil and filter change, tire balance and rotation, several diagnostic checks, the topping of fluids—even a wash and vac. A bargain at $133.86, and the Q-by-4 runs like the proverbial champ. Our biggest complaint is the…

Jaguar X-Type Jag’s AWD baby sedan is set to pounce on BMW s 3 Series sales. At S31K. it'll make the performance driver's pocketbook purr. Lexus SC 430 I Call it a rolling work of art or trick tanning salon, the SC 430’s ultra-cool metal top provides all-weather protection and I ooh-la-la thrills. Toyota Camry Solara Spring has sprung and so has the top on Toyota’s Camry Solara. Read all about it in the April ’01…

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future forecast BMW has made it official: It will slot a new 1 Series compact line of cars in between its 3 Series and the new Mini Cooper in calendar year 2004. But while the Mini—BMW’s only remnant from its six years of owning “The English Patient” (the Rover Group)—will be front drive, the 1 Series models will be rear drive; more appropriate to what buyers expect in a BMW. The automaker plans three body styles, sources say.. A hatchback will compete with Audi’s Europe-only A3. A two-seat roadster will have a Mercedes-Benz SLK-style retractable hardtop, and a coupe will be designed as a modern-day 2002. While the car officially is named 1 Series (internally dubbed UKL), it may be sold in North America with the familiar “2002” moniker.…

Mercedes-Benz is moving in on Acura’s territory. Or is it Acura that’s moving in on Mercedes’ territory? Honda established Acura in the mid-’80s as a value-priced alternative to Mercedes and BMW. But Honda and Benz never have come as close to matching competitive products as they have this year, with Mercedes introducing the C230 Kompressor Sport Coupe and Acura launching its long-awaited Integra replacement, the ’02 RSX. Both are lean, modern hatchback coupes with high-output four-bangers—200 hp/142 ft-lb of 2.0 variably timed liters in the RSX, versus 190 hp/200 ft-lb from 2.3 supercharged liters in the C230—with six-speed manual gearboxes, ultramodern interiors, and sharply raked noses. The only big difference between the two is that the Acura is front drive and the Mercedes is rear drive. But the RSX…

Volkswagen has tantalized us with several Bugatti-badged concept cars over the last several years. Now the teasing is over, as the historic luxury/performance nameplate that VW bought in 1998 was officially relaunched at the Geneva Auto Show. The first new Bug will be the hyperexotic, superbly styled 16.4 Veyron. The allwheel-drive mid-engine Veyron will employ an 8.0L all-alloy W-16 powerplant rated at—get this—1001 hp. Look for a detailed story, photographs, design analysis, and all the specs in next month’s issue.…

HEMI THE MERE MENTION OF THE NAME CONJURES UP IMAGES OF BIG HORSE Power, a rattling exhaust note, and burning rubber Hemi legend was born in the ’50s and grew large and long as various Dodges, Chryslers, Plymouths, and even DeSotos stormed dragstrips (legal and otherwise) across America. There were many NASCAR wins, too. When the 426-cu-in. “Street Hemi” was bom in ’66, its reputation for performance grew from merely amazing to all-conquering. The basicarchitecture of Chrysler’s big-cube, hemispherically combustion-chambered V-8 still powers every The Fuel Dragster and Funny Car currently competing in NHRA drag racing, though those engines are now built by specialty manufacturers. Well, Chrysler’s getting back in the Hemi business in a big way. At first glance, the bodacious Dodge Super8 Hemi concept car you see on…

It rattles your rib cage, and you feel it in the small of your back: a deep, rich, basso prof undo. Beautifully aggressive—and definitely American V-8-generaled. Indeed, the sounds that emanate from the Supers Hemi’s handcrafted aluminum exhaust pipes are about as subtle as a train wreck. As you’ve read, the Supers Hemi is no push-mobile; it’s a real, live, amazingly functional car. The view from inside is interesting: the door sills are high, the side glass short, and the interior bathed in a greenish glow as the sun shines through the large sunroof. The green plastic of its steering wheel is similar to the material used along the side panels and is a strange contrast to the firm, saddle-leather covering the seats. The windshield seems way out there, miles…

Today’s traffic might make you think everyone is driving sport/utilities. Actually, most families have at least one passenger car of some sort in their driveways, and the midsize, mid-price four-door sedan remains the most popular combination of comfort, user-friendliness nd value. Other than the occational need for calgo carrying or heavy towing, the average sedan still fills nearly every transportation need faced by a family on the go. There are scores of sedans to choose from between $10,000 and $100,000. The best-sellers—Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Ford Dodge Stratus: It packs more style than the pricetag suggests. Taurus—range in price around $20,000 to about $27,000, depending on trim level, powertrain, and optional equipment chosen. For those who don’t always follow the crowd, however, there are many other choices in this…

If you’ve watched any form of motorsport, you’ve probably heard the name Roush. With over 238 combined wins in SCCA Trans-Am, IMSA GT, NHRA Pro Stock NASCAR Winston Cup, Busch, and Craftsman Trucks, Jack Roush knows a thing or two about building a car that can bring home the checkered flag. All these years of professional racing, combined with Roush’s personal preference for hot street Mustangs (he owns more than a dozen) prompted him to create Roush Performance Products (RPP)—a company made up of talented designers and engineers who transform Ford Mustangs, F-150s, and Expeditions into more performance-oriented versions of themselves. Roush’s Stage 1 upgrade package consists of mostly body and appearance modifications; roadhugging Stage 2s get the looks and suspension upgrades; and new tireburning Stage 3 machines are for…

It’s not often two head-to-head competitors are completely redesigned from the ground up in the same model year. Usually, adversaries’ products are separated by at least a year, so carmakers can wait and see the other guy’s hand before showing their own cards (or to avoid comparison: like this one). But here, both manufacturers, and to some degree the marketplace itself, determined the time was right for a clean-sheet redesign of both Ford’s immensely popular Explorer (along with its platformmate, the Mercury Mountaineer) and the aging GM triplets: Chevrolet Blazer (known as the TrailBlazer from the ’02-model year forward), GMC Envoy (GMC dropped the Jimmy name), and the last new Olds, the Bravada. As America’s current appetite for SUVs is seemingly insatiable (climbing from 900,000 sales in ’91 to over…

Porsche paid considerable attention to the GT2’s air-management abilities in order to maximize high-speed stability and engine and brake cooling, while minimizing unwanted aerodynamic lift. The front end was completely redesigned and incorporates an intake that manages airflow to the revised radiators and brakes; a vent at the trailing edge of the bumper releases the air. This entire system creates considerable downforce, while airflow between the floor of the car and the road is reduced by 60 percent versus the Turbo. The fixed GT2-specific rear wing and decklid are tuned to balance the downforce created up front. The wing’s tips are designed to create lateral stability, and the angle of the wing can be adjusted between 1° and 6°.…

Mercedes-Benz’new Sport Coupe does indeed look. like one when viewed from the side. Get behind it. though, and you can’t miss its hatchback styling. With this allnew C-Class variant, Mercedes hopes to change Americans’ perception of hatchbacks as entrylevel cars—while also altering the perception of Mercedes as a brand many can’t afford. Designed to compete with the Acura RSX (Integra), BMW 3 Series Compact (not yet committed for our market), and maybe even VW’s GTi VR6, the C230 Kompressor Sport Coupe mixes the feel and versatility of those sporty hatchbacks with the solidity and quality of a Mercedes—at a base price well below 30 grand. Its 2.31/190-hp 200 Ib-ft supercharged I-4 provides sprightly performance—Mercedes conservatively estimates 0-60 mph in 7.5 sec. The four works best with the six-speed manual gearbox,…

Cars Trucks SUVs EURO SPEED & STYLE Since this month’s feature stories address the types of cars we usually feature in “Performance Trends,” we decided to take a more international perspective here. Performance upgrading is a language spoken in many other countries, as clearly evidenced by some of the cars, trucks, and SUVs displayed at this year’s 71st International Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland. Euro tuners have a unique style that’s really becoming popular stateside, and many of the OEMs are getting into the act big time. Our only gripe? There are just too many cool platforms and models we don’t get in the U.S.!—Matt Stone FORD MONDEO ST CONCEPT The new-for-’01 Mondeo replaced the Contour/Mystique in Ford’s lineup. But since it’s about the same size as the current Taurus/Sable,…

Jaguar certainly isn’t the first or only carmaker to employ the letter X in the name of a new vehicle. This unusual, somewhat fishlike concept car (shown) was first displayed by the famous Italian design house Farina in late 1960. You’ll know the company better by its current name, Pininfarina, which, among many other accomplishments, has designed nearly every Ferrari built over the last 40 years. The X’s breakthrough u feature was its wheel § configuration within the chassis: one up front 5 (to steer), two in the | middle, which the | designers called “out-z riggers,” and one in P back, classifying the £ car as a true rear-wheel drive—singular! The front wheel got its own disc brake, while the other three were equipped with drums. Motivation was supplied…