Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2007 i MotorTrend

■ Tundra Time BE SURE to check out our exclusive in-depth look at the all-new Toyota Tundra, with photos, complete vehicle specs, videos, road test data, and a whole lot more, available online January 8. ■ motortrend.com: The Next Generation LIKE A GANG of tatted-out tuners hopped up on Red Bull, we’ve been spending long hours and big bucks to pimp out the next generation of motortrend.com. Our goal is to bring much more of what you love about Motor Trend to the Web with a site that’s quicker, bigger, and better than the competition. Beyond its shiny new skin, there’s a parts bin full of upgraded features, including: ■ Dramatically increased video offerings ■ More photo galleries, wallpapers, and spy shots ■ Daily blogs featuring entries from MT editors…

SHARP-EYED AUSTRALIANS will see the 2009 Chevrolet Camaro before Americans. Engineers and designers working at GM's Holden headquarters in Melbourne, Australia, finished the first handbuilt Camaro prototypes just before Christmas. Some were due to be tested on Australian roads before the festive season, but none has been spotted yet. Holden boss Denny Mooney, told local media in late November: "We're building prototype Camaros right now. We should see some on the roads before Christmas." The Holden-based team has been given the responsibility of leading the final design, engineering, and development of the Camaro, which uses the same rear-drive Zeta vehicle architecture as the recently released Holden Commodore. Highly regarded Korean-born U.S. designer Sang Yup has been working alongside Holden designers in Melbourne to do the final work on transforming the…

MITSUBISHI’S new GS platform is already on sale underneath the Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Caliber, and Jeep Compass. Now it's Mitsubishi's turn, with the 2008 Lancer making its debut alongside the Evolution X at Detroit. The struggling Japanese automaker is repositioning its entry-level compact as a sport sedan, one that riffs off the fast and furious Evo, offering good performance and handling for the money. Its four-banger is from the new DaimlerChrysler/Hyundai/Mitsubishi global family.…

dumb it down You hit the nail on the head about Wall Street being the iron fist for automakers ("The Big Picture," November). But why did you spare CAFE and the safety-nics—or are they coming under the gun in future columns? Then, too, if people just drove their vehicles rather thinking of them as, say, dishwashers, we wouldn't have these mobile caricatures burdened with airbags and run-flat tires. Evidently, the human element is inviolable, so we dumb down our cars—and trucks to a lesser degree. Take the new Mini, for example. The front turn lights are integrated into the headlights. Dumb! They're nigh impossible to see when headlights are on, especially at night. This has become all too common on new cars, along with the Euro taillights, which have the…

STRAP INTO the sleek Audi A6 4.2, and you'll enjoy the heady thrust of 350 horsepower. Or perhaps the BMW 550i's mighty 360 ponies are more to your liking. You also could strut about town in a Mercedes-Benz E550, boasting to all within earshot of your ride’s thunderous 382 horsepower. On the other hand, maybe you're one of those defiant souls for whom such lofty power ratings elicit a different response: “Not enough." Ah, then please follow us down the hall. First we need to run you through Paycheck Analysis (good, good—you’ve got the requisite digits in your bank account) followed by a quick screening in Velocity Tolerance (check your preconceptions at the security desk, please).Thumbs up? Splendid. Now, be patient a moment longer while the guard deactivates the Laser…

THE FT-HS isn't Toyota’s first foray into the high-performance sports-car arena: The company has dabbled with the genre since 1967, when it launched the gorgeous 2000GT, dubbed “the transistorized E-Type" for its unashamed aping of the iconic Brit. And while the original Supra started out as little more than a six-cylinder Celica, the two generations from 1986 through 1998 were built on unique platforms and steadily gained power and performance. But in 1989. as the Japanese bubble economy neared its peak, Toyota revealed its most ambitious sports-car concept to date the 4500GT. Under the hood was a 300-horse, 4.5-liter V-8 with five valves per cylinder, driving the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transaxle. Toyota claimed a 190-mph top speed. Five were built. With its vanlike profile and rounded surfaces,…

THE ACADIA was our first opportunity to get behind the wheel of a Lambda-based vehicle, but others are coming. Saturn’s version, the Outlook, is scheduled to go on sale at the same time as the GMC. These two models share roofline and doors, and the suspension tuning is said to be similar, if not identical. Saturn styling cues, seen prominently on the front end, make it the easiest way to differentiate it from the GMC model. Engine and transmission are shared among the two, but power output is slightly different: All Acadias and top Outlook XRs come standard with a dual exhaust good for 275 horsepower. The base Outlook XE gets a single exhaust and 270 horses. Interior materials and color schemes are different, and cloth seats are standard fare…

ACCORDING TO the tourism Web site for Newfoundland and Labrador, the Black Spruce "is the most common tree in the province. It is the favored tree in the pulp and paper industry and is widely used for lumber, wharf piers, and firewood.’ 'And, as I discovered on the first day of the 2006 Taiga Newfoundland rally race, it also can deftly cleft the chin of an overzealous Mini Cooper S. Of course, it wasn’t exactly the car that was so overzealous, as much as it was me, the driver. A month prior, Mini USA asked if I’d like to pilot a rally-prepped Cooper S John Cooper Works in the six-day, 60-car, 1400-mile event in which I could drive as fast as I dared on closed public roads in the open…

power list to powerless: gone but not forgotten BERND PISCHETSRIEDER Left his post as Volkswagen AG chairman at the end of 2006, ostensibly due to a row over VW’s impending purchase of truck-maker MAN. But Ferdinand Piech (who hired him) didn't like his disassembling grand plans for Europe’s largest automaker. 2005 Rank: 7 KIRK KERKORIAN What happens in Vegas should stay in Vegas. After the GM board rebuffed his thinly veiled move to replace Rick Wagoner with Carlos Ghosn, Kerkorian sold his GM stock. 2006 Rank: 9 TREVOR CREED CHRYSLER GROUP DESIGN CHIEF: It looked like he’d bring a Euro-American design aesthetic to the automaker. But the Dodge Caliber and Chrysler Sebring and Imperial concept lack the stylish flair that made Chrysler under Tom Gale the American auto industry’s design…

FROM ITS introduction in 2002, the Avalanche has offered the best of both worlds: the passenger benefits of an SUV with the function and practicality of a full-size pickup truck. Sporting a new Suburban SUV platform, the Avalanche has all the same features (flop-down midgate, hardtop bed cover, and side-mounted lockable storage) of the previous model, with the addition of the redesigned frame, suspension, new body panels, and interior. In fact, the interior improvements are by far the vehicle’s most impressive enhancements—improved gauge layout, tight material seams, and texture choices. The dash itself has a more sedan-like look and feel, with a nav-screen option that includes a backup camera that’s functional and fun to play with—almost distracting. The information computer, where a readout demonstrates exactly when the engine is inV-4…

One of the three pillars of every "of the year" contest is significance, and on that score this contest was the GMT900’s to lose. Sales of the two brands tally well over a million units year in and year out, owing to the squillion different combinations and permutations of cabs, beds, drivetrains, and suspensions offered. There truly is a truck for every purse and purpose from the entry-level construction worker’s no-frillsV-6 work truck to the fully loaded limo version his big-boss will drive to the building's gala grand opening. But market significance doesn't energize the Truck of the Year voter base, so at the beginning of our hellish week of testing, the Silverado and Sierra had plenty to prove—and each other to beat. Both trucks make an excellent first impression…

THE HYDROGEN atom that hovered in the center of the power gauge was big and orange and staring back ominously. Hal? Is that you? Even if it wasn't the deranged computer from “2001: A Space Odyssey,” it still looked displeased with my profligate rate of H2 consumption. At the moment, the Honda FCX Concept was swishing down the pit straight at Laguna Seca Raceway like a horizontal elevator as its 127 electric horsepower and estimated 4000 pounds of curb weight lawyerly interpreted the laws of motion. "So?” asked the Honda engineer seated next to me. "What do you think of it?" "The steering's numbness would be the envy of an anesthesiologist," I answered, "but it really doesn't matter right now, does it?" Why? Because this is a prototype created to…

THE CARS from BMW’s M division are virtuoso performers, built upon a rich layer of engineering ingenuity and an imaginative application of choice materials. The new M6 Convertible is no exception. Mechanically identical to its coupe counterpart, it's a gem. The 500-horsepower V-10 reminds us that BMW builds fabulous engines; its road-holding and balanced handling suggest a special relationship to gravity; and its huge brakes yank the car's exhilarating forward motion to a quick and stable halt. But this gem has a major flaw. The SMG transmission diminishes an otherwise exemplary driving experience. We've driven an SMG a bunch, in lots of different BMWs, and we're still not much better at shifting it smoothly than we are at delving into the dark recesses of iDrive (another misapplication of complex engineering).…

THE MITSUBISHI folks know how to burnish their icon machine. Since the original Evo VIII hit our docks in 2003, there've been numerous special models, and the current version has evolved (sorry…) to the point of being the ninth generation of this rally-bred rocket, although it's now called Evolution with no number attached. One of those first U.S.-spec Evos spent a year in our fleet, and it proved one of the most-enjoyed long termers we’ve ever thrashed, er, tested. Inasmuch as the current MR Edition has improved the CT9A platform as far as it will go, and to be well poised for the inevitable comparison between it and the upcoming, all-new Evolution X, Mitsubishi served up a purposeful-looking Tarmac Black Pearl MR for another year's tour of duty. All Evos…

FINALLY, once again, Chevy has a Malibu that deserves the name. This may be the most desirable Malibu since the last time a Texan—LBJ—was in the White House. The 2008 Malibu, unwrapped at the Detroit show, is based on the same revised Epsilon platform as the Saturn Aura. It rides on the longer Epsilon wheelbase, 112.3 inches, up from the current car's 106.3-inch wheelbase (the longer, ungainly Maxx has been axed). While the slightly more upscale Aura is V-6 or hybrid only, the Malibu launches later this year with a choice of Ecotec four or 252-horsepower, 3.6-liter V-6 engines. Taking a lesson from last year's steep gas prices, GM won't link engine choice to trim level, meaning consumers will be able to choose a topline LTZ with the more economical…

CADILLAC CTS-v ■ 600 HORSEPOWER ■ SUPERCHARGED V-8 ■ DUE 2008 CADILLAC WANTS to destroy BMW's M5 with the next-generation CTS-v and so has shoehorned a version of the Corvette SS's supercharged V-8 under the hood. Sources suggest 550 to 600 horsepower is likely. Track is wider than new CTS, with pumped fenders covering the tires. Note bulge in hood to clear supercharger and integrated intake-manifold intercooler. CORVETTE SS ■ 600 HORSEPOWER-PLUS ■ SUPERCHARGED V-8 ■ DUE 2008 THE MOST POWERFUL production Corvette ever is based on the Z06. Engine will be hand-assembled at the GM Performance Center, and no more than 2000 will be built a year. Price is likely to be close to $100,000. Production version will have a new hood with integral power bulge to clear supercharger,…

NISSAN ALTIMA COUPE While Toyota is preparing to get out of the Camry coupe business, Nissan has a new model set to compete with the Honda Accord and Pontiac G6. Like the competition, the Altima coupe has unique body panels. It's also shorter overall with a shorter wheelbase. That ought to translate into better power-to-weight and, thus, quicker acceleration. On sale this summer. Powertrains: 2.5-liter inline-four or 3.5-liter V-6, either available with six-speed manual or CVT. NISSAN SENTRA SE-R Available again in standard or Spec V trim, both with side sill covers, rear spoiler, unique headlamps and rear combination lights, front fog/driving lights, 17-inch alloys. Spec V adds Helical Limited Slip Differential, larger front discs, sport suspension tuning, front strut tower brace and six-speed manual. Standard SE-R has CVT with…

buggin’ out! The test driver on motortrend.com summed it up it best when he said this is "beauty and the beast." Just by looking at the Veyron ("The Fastest"), you get the sense it's something special. Not often does an auto manufacturer release a car that makes you forget about the competition—especially a manufacturer just having the often-forgotten EB110 to fall back on from the last 40 years. Congrats to Bugatti to finally releasing the Veyron and making it so much more than anyone could’ve dreamed about. Gran ted, the car costs more than an Enzo and Murcielago combined, with change to spare. But, then again, when's the next time a Bugatti is going to come around? I hope I'm still alive to tell my grandchildren how great this one…

ONCE A FREE-FLOWING waterway that charted its own course through the plain that is now Los Angeles, the L.A. River that forms the backdrop for these pictures has been a flood-control channel ever since the Army Corps of Engineers paved over most of its 51 miles following a disastrous flood in 1938. The resulting urban conduit, mostly dry except during heavy winter rains, quickly became a favored hangout for drifters, taggers—and Hollywood. Among the many movies featuring scenes filmed within the L.A. River’s dramatic cement walls are “Blue Thunder," "Grease,” “Volcano,” "Repo Man,” "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," and “The Gumball Rally” (see Motor Trend Classic, July/August 2006). If you have access to Google Earth, take a virtual visit to our shooting location, just north of the 1st Street Bridge, at:…

THE BRITISH motor industry has been synonymous with financial disaster and is studded with motoring corpses—from Austin Healey to Allard, from Alta to Alvis (and that’s just some of the As). But the most significant disappointment of late is Jaguar. So much promise, so many dollars, such let-down. To paraphrase Churchill, never has so much been invested in so few products with such little return. In spite of its hallowed name and much promise jaguar hasn’t been owner Ford's finest hour. Its not through lack of finance or willpower or want of car-making skills. Rather, Ford’s Jaguar strategy is to blame. Part of that was to concentrate on quaint English retro styling, 1990s reinterpretations of the great Jaguars of the 1950s and 1960s. In a world that prefers the iPod…

ASK WHY the new Phantom Drophead Coupe uses a cloth rather than retractable metal roof, as is the modern custom, and design director Ian Cameron will give a typically Rolls-Royce answer. “There's something romantic about raindrops falling on a fabric roof.” Ah, the r word—romance. How often do you hear that in motoring these days? You hear plenty of the other r word—rational. But romance? Never. Yet there's something intrinsically romantic about this big, graceful, bluff-nosed, long-hooded, majestic statue of a car, more of a 1920s or 1930s luxury roadster than a machine from this century. And although the people at Rolls-Royce hate the other r word—retro (how can it be retro when it’s peppered with such high tech?)—they’ll happily concede that the inspiration for this car came from the…

TRUCKS carry stuff. And tow stuff. So as part of our Truck of the Year testing, we look at how well each of the contenders does the job it’s designed to do. Payload and towing capacity are the key numbers truck guys talk about, but they don’t tell the whole story: If you divide the payload capacity by the curb weight, for example, you get an idea of a truck’s work efficiency. All other things being equal (engine, transmission. etc.) a lighter truck that can carry a larger payload or tow a bigger trailer means you’ll likely use less gas when you’re not working it. But you can’t argue with the laws of physics: Load carrying and towing also affects acceleration and braking performance. By measuring the differences between laden…

TO SAY the second-gen Explorer Sport Trac was overdue is an understatement. The previous-generation Sport Trac, Ford's answer to the four-door-pickup truck craze of the late 1990s, was based on the Explorer SUV platform from 1996. This new one is based on the current four-wheel independent Ford Explorer platform. The new Sport Trac is an improvement over the previous generation, benefiting from two significant Explorer SUV redesigns in the time it took Ford to redesign the Sport Trac once. The new model offers one of the few V-8 engines in the class, with the 4.6-liter SOHC V-8, producing 292 horses and 300 pound-feet—though it doesn’t have the punch you’d expect from something so close to 300 horses. The six-speed is worthwhile, but slow to kick down and upshift, giving our…

PUTTING AN exclamation point on its complete generational makeover for 2007, Nissan's best-selling sedan is taking one more step down the evolutionary highway with the introduction of the Altima Hybrid. With its own Hybrid Electric Vehicle system not due until 2010, Nissan licensed Toyota's already-proven technology for its initial foray into the enviro ranks. Our drive in a late preproduction example showed the resulting effort is quite credible. The Hybrid's package uses a variation of Nissan's QR25 25-liter inline-four, but all HEV-related hardware—including the CVT automatic—is Toyota sourced. Delivering 158 from the gasoline side and 40 from the electric motor, the engine makes 162 pound-feet from 2800 to 4800 rpm while the motor develops 199 pound-feet from 0 to 1500 revs. Nissan expects the Hybrid, while 306 pounds heavier, to…

THE “SI” is a meaningful addition to the badge, signifying a new, stronger engine, but there’s more to the 2007 X3 than a power upgrade. Fresh styling throughout, an available six-speed automatic, a more capable chassis, and additional content enhance this already appealing vehicle. The X3's freshened visual athleticism is technically supported by a more sophisticated version of BMWs standard xDrive. Quicker in response to traction issues, it also offers, for the first time in a BMW sport/ute. Dynamic Traction Control that allows the driver to choose a higher threshold of wheelslip before the electronics kick in. A longer push of the button deactivates stability controls completely except when the system detects wheelspin—not difficult to achieve with the brisk throttle response from the 260-horse inline-six. Its 225 pound-feet of torque…

2006 KIA SEDONA EX Total mileage 11,945 SEVERAL staffers logged notes comparing the Sedona with the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna. This bodes well for Kia, suggesting these brands are now competing for the same piece of minivan pie. One editor said, "It walks like an Odyssey, it talks like an Odyssey, but it doesn't exactly taste like an Odyssey." Another felt the Sedona seems to offer all the same thoughtful features as the Toyota for five to eight thousand less. It’s a compelling argument on price alone, and unless you drive them back to back, most won't miss the small difference in refinement levels the competition offers for the extra money spent. ■ Average fuel econ 18.4 mpg ■ Unresolved problem areas Check-engine light on ■ Maintenance cost $19.51…

ELSEWHERE in this issue, editor MacKenzie gives the lowdown on Toyota’s upcoming new gran turismo. But Toyota's done this sports-car thing before. Before there were MR2s, before the Celica and Supra, there was the 2000GT. Its story has been well and often told, but it's worth remembering. The 2000GT is a sensational-looking piece, inspired by the E-Type, with packaging that in 1967 foretold the Datsun 240Z. which didn’t come to our marketplace until 1970. The Datsun was less expensive and went on to become a much bigger seller, but this doesn't minimize the impact of the lithe, sexy Toyota. Shelby American campaigned them with success in the SCCA, and a custom-built roadster version appeared in the James Bond flick “You Only Live Twice." Just 13 were sold in the U.S.,…

CHRYSLER GROUP design chief Trevor Creed previewed just two concept models for the North American International Auto Show at Detroit this year. There was no Dodge showstopper, just this Jeep and Chrysler. The Jeep Trailhawk uses the new Wrangler Unlimited's underpinnings, with a Grand Cherokee design theme. It serves as a concept for a more rationally priced Range Rover Sport competitor. The Chrysler Nassau looks like a modern interpretation of the Virgil Exner-era Chrysler hardtop station wagons and is built on the same 116-inch-wheelbase LX platform as the Challenger concept. The Trailhawk is most likely to morph into a production model, but the Nassau is conceptually the more interesting vehicle, a large, rear-drive hatchback/wagon. Several European automakers, including Audi, VW, and BMW are working on similar concepts that offer some…

GEMERAL Motors is at work on a new overhead-cam V-8 that could be a replacement for its costly Northstar V-8 (at right). The General is mum on the engine, codenamed Ultra, which we expect to make its debut no earlier than 2009. That would make it a good candidate for the next-gen Cadillac STS V-8. Given the secrecy surrounding the Ultra V-8, there's no word yet on displacement ranges. But as the Northstar, a physically big and costly engine, can go only to 5.3 liters—and that's with siamesed liners—logic suggests 5.0 liters would be an ideal starting point. GM needs the engine to be able to go out to as much as 6.0 liters to enable Cadillac to compete with the new generation of big-bore V-8s from Mercedes-Benz. Two things…

ASTON’S NEXT CAR is the DBS, previewed by James Bond in last fall’s 007 movie, 'Casino Royale.' Strip off some of the polished jewelry and the racing buckets, and your new DBS is ready. Engine is a 520-horsepower version of Aston's 6 O-liter V-12. Bigger brakes and 20-inch wheels, plus firmer suspension complete the transformation. The DBS isn't a Vanquish replacement, as it'll be about 25 percent cheaper and still related to the DB9 2+2. The Vanquish's successor comes in about three years, after the intro of the Rapide four-door.…

where do you read motor trend? E-mail digital photo(s) of you and MotorTrend to: motortrend@gmail.com or mail them to: MotorTrend, c/o Mail, Readers on Location, 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048 HOLY CRUISE-AID Tomer Yaniv of Ventura, Florida, brings his speed bible to sacred ground at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, Israel. QUARTER-MILE RESTING Brock Telia of Cardiff, California, on safari in Timbavati, South Africa. We're still waiting for his 0-to-60 from a hungry lion times.…

600. As in horsepower. @#$&%! First-gen Can-Am racers put out about that much. Same for late 1960s NASCAR stockers. Mopar's vaunted Street Hemi of 1970-1971 was good for “only” 425—and that was in SAE gross terms. LS6 Chevelle, Shelby 427 Cobra, any street-legal preEnzo Ferrari? Save your breath for another argument, because none of their horsepower numbers starts with a "6". Lamborghini’s new Murcielago LP640 packs just that many cavallini—but it tops S300K. Oh, sure, there are one-off tuner toys running hand-grenade motors that claim big power—at least until their internals morph into shrapnel. Don't even ask if they'll run on pump gas, pass a smog inspection, or if that engine-block-shredding ker-blammo is covered under warranty. Pictured here is the next chapter in the Viper’s story. It may be hard…

IT'S EASY to see how declining sales of the Envoy would make General Motors nervous. The truck-based line, launched for the 2002 model year, is now long in the tooth and in need of either a serious update or a replacement. Meanwhile, crossovers have become red hot and GMC doesn't have one. What do you do? Stay dedicated to the SUV, which has been a terrific moneymaker for decades, or transition to a market that may not have that same level of staying power? In GMC’s case, introduce the Acadia, a unibody with aspirations of being the most SUV-like crossover on the market. With three rows of useable seats standard, a functional cargo area, towing capacity of up to 4500 pounds, and plenty of amenities, it’s a valid argument. It…

THE NEW MINI looks much like the 2003-2006 version, but don't let that similarity fool you. The moment you sit in the car, let alone drive it, it’s clear that what was a good package to begin with has become even better. The Mini's “sameness of appearance” was purposely planned, but every body panel on the 2007 Cooper and Cooper S is new. Overall length has increased nearly 2.5 inches, yet the proportions remain the same. The most obvious change is the radiator grille. Rather than being made in two sections, as on the outgoing model, it's now a single unit. The headlights are moved slightly outward and are in-unit with the directional indicators. Along the side, the door handles are chrome-plated. The beltline is raised a half meh and…

AS IT HAS in the past, GM is using Cadillac as the early technology adopter, giving its buyers the chance to get first crack at some cool features that'll eventually trickle to the wider lineup over the next several years. The most obvious example of this early adopter strategy is the all-new 6.2-liter all-aluminumV-8 that makes 403 horses and 417 pound-feet, as well as the new 6L80-E six-speed automatic, which does a commendable job of making the heaviest player in our test run like a sprinter. In fact, the EXT may be the heaviest light-duty pickup truck out there, yet it scoots to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds. With two overdrives and strong first gear and a clever thumb-shifter switch on the column-mounted gear shifter, 6L80 would be a strong…

WHERE THE Chevy is all about width and horizontal lines, the GMC headlight stack is more vertical and the grille has a gaping look. All GMCs have a different set of body panels where the fender arches over the wheels for a softer, rounded look with a more sculpted appearance. The image is sleeker and more upscale, but doesn't the stamped-steel look of the Chevy Silverado project a stronger professional-grade feel? Yet the GMC Sierra Denali, the most expensive package in the portfolio, includes the powerful 6.2-literV-8/six-speed auto option that gives the GMC pickup something the Chevy trucks don't have: an all-wheel-drive powertrain pumping out 400 horsepower. Our Sierra TOTY contender came in crew cab configuration with center seat and armrest storage boxes, 40/20/40 bench front seats, dual gloveboxes, and…

WE’RE TEARING toward the 6600-rpm redline in third gear, the approaching corner on this lonely mountain road in southern Portugal bending sharply left, the invisible, if-l-brake-too-late line continuing straight past a non-existent guardrail into a 2000-foot abyss. Right now my co-driver is not looking through the windshield. Better to avert the eyes by studying the handsome stratocumulus cloud formations above our heads—which is easy enough to do in this Porsche 911 with a roof of glass. In an instant, unwanted express descent is behind us, the full-time AWD system—now standard on all 911 Targas—easily flouting Newton's first law and yanking our necks through the turn. Grip this newest Targa has in profusion—and speed, too. The top 45 version gets the 91Ts 355-horse, 3.8-liter flat-six and standard PASM stability control; the…

HORSEPOWER loves the absence of weight. Ever notice how those nags in the rental stables shy away from the heavier riders? An attractive power-to-weight ratio is one of the reasons we adore the new Lotus Exige S. With only 2077 pounds of car to push around, the S's supercharged engine puts out 220 horsepower and 165 pound-feet of torque, giving the two-seater a ratio bested by a small crop of ultra-high-priced sports cars. Factor in a sticker of only $57,985, and the winner of the performance-per-dollar competition is clearly this newest Lotus to reach our shores. The supercharged coupe is virtually identical to the normally aspirated Exige it replaces. Changes include a revised headlamp cluster for better lighting and easier aiming, a single oval exhaust pipe in place of twin…

DON NICHOLSON—related to the famed “Dyno Don" Nicholson—carries on the family tradition of power and performance in the form of Evolve Cars. Rather than wrenching on NHRA Pro Stock monsters, Nicholson squeezes powercut of—yep, you guessed it—Volvos. Before you snicker, know that Evolve has the expertise to extract over 430 horsepower from Volvo’s svelte 2.4-1 iter 1-5 engine. And that's on 91-octane fuel. Whether you start with a base 257-horsepower S60 T5 or a 300-horse S60 R, Evolve replaces the factory turbocharger setup with a specially made ceramic-coated high-output ballbearing-style turbo. A custom exhaust manifold, external wastegate, and unique turbo downpipe compose the exhaust setup, while a special high-flow air-inlet system, a suitcase-size front-mounted aluminum intercooler, and race-style pop-off valve handle intake duties. Oversized fuel injectors with a proprietary support…

THE 2005 RL was a big deal for Acura. It was to be the year its flagship was transformed from a car for older drivers to a sport sedan. Not only did it represent a dramatic change in the luxury sedan's styling—it went from being nondescript to one with angles and more attitude—but it was by far the most revolutionary redesign since the RL replaced the Legend. That, plus the addition of 75 horsepower, steering-wheel-mounted paddles, and Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD), made this a no-brainer for the Motor Trend long-term fleet. The new RL was slightly scaled down from the previous year. The wheelbase decreased by 4.4 inches, and the sedan 3.0 inches shorter overall. Combined with the wider track and overall width, though, this gives the Acura the…