Indholdsfortegnelse for May 2007 i MotorTrend

■ THE VIRTUAL WATER-COOLER ONCE YOU HAD TO WAIT A MONTH TO FIND OUT WHAT we thought about, oh…anything. In the office, we’re always jaw-boning topics as diverse as, say, the rumored 700-horse C7 Corvette, the disasters going down in Dearborn, or Fernando Alonso’s new haircut. And someone always says something to start an argument. Now you can join in the fun. Simply log on to check out the blogs from Angus MacKenzie, Matt Stone, Todd Lassa, and Art St. Antoine. Then send us your two-cents’ worth. It’s like hanging around the Motor Trend water-cooler, only in cyberspace. continued on page 9 >…

BMW said nothing about the engine when it unveiled the E92 M3 at the Geneva show, But we've known for quite some time that it’s four-fifths of the M5’s V-10 with more than four-fifths the power. BMW M has squeezed at least 420 horses out of the high-revving 4.0-liter engine, which not coincidentally gives the engineers around the regular old BMW shop room to build the grunt on the 335i’s twin-turbo six—more power for those with mere mortal bank accounts. The production M3 goes on sale in Europe late this year with a conventional six-speed manual, but it also is expected to get a new ZSG central synchromesh gearbox with a permanently engaged takeoff shaft and a single quick-acting clutch that continues to pull power during gear changes. Shift quality…

JUST AS archrival Rolls-Royce is pondering production of a hardtop version of its new Phantom Drophead Coupe, Bentley has unveiled an Arnage-based Brooklands coupe. But while the Rolls-Royce’s emphasis will likely be on languid luxury, Bentley is playing up its performance heritage: Under the hood is the marque’s most powerful V-8 engine ever, a 530-horsepower, 6.75-liter twin-turbo that also pumps out a massive 775 pound-feet of torque. The engine is mated to a six-speed automatic with manumatic controls. The car becomes Bentley's second inspired by the rakish 1952 Continental S, and the automaker says it'll be the most commodious coupe on the market when deliveries begin in early 2008. Bentley design chief Dirk van Braeckel says the task was “to create a powerful, muscular coupe, with classic British proportions, in…

SLOTTING between BMW’s Mini and 3 Series is the rear-drive 1 Series, coming to the States in 2008. This is the one we’ve been waiting for, not the hatchbacks that’ve been on sale in Europe for three years. Likely U.S.-bound engines are the 265-horsepower, 3.0-liter six, plus 170- and 143-horsepower versions of the 2.0-liter four. Expect a convertible version to follow the coupe, and BMW is considering a two-seat coupe and possibly a roadster for future production. Correction THE $14,985 base price for the Jeep Patriot (April) is for a 2.4-liter model with five-speed manual transmission. The 2.0-liter model is $850 more, because it comes only with a CVT. Also, the standard low-gear ratio for the CVT is 14.4:1.…

“HONDA’S SYSTEM DOESN’T SIDESTEP THE CATALYST ENTIRELY THIS TIME AROUND, BUT IT DITCHES THE PEE-TANK.” REMEMBER the little Honda Civic CVCC? It arrived in an era when four-wheeled Hondas were a novelty and commercials showed a Civic driver in a filling station struggling to decide which fuel she’d buy—leaded, unleaded, premium? Any of the above would work because the exhaust exiting the cleverly designed compound vortex controlled combustion (CVCC) chamber was so clean it didn't require an expensive and lead-averse catalytic converter. The engineer responsible for that innovation, Takeo Fukui, now runs the whole company, and he's looking to repeat that triumph over costly emissions controls with a diesel engine that meets the strictest 50-state regs without urea-injection. These new regs essentially require diesels to be as clean as gasoline…

THIS CAR IS GOING to shock you. It’s going to Satisele GM and Toyota, too. Even BMW and Mercedes-Benz are going to pay attention. Hyundai calls it Concept Genesis, but you can forget the concept bit; apart from the odd piece of showcar eye-candy, you're looking at Korea's first production sport-luxury sedan. It has rear drive and aV-8 engine. And it'll be in a Hyundai showroom near you sometime in 2008. Concept Genesis gives us the first glimpse of Hyundai's much-anticipated BH rear-drive architecture. For a company with a reputation for fast-tracking new models at a pace that makes even the Japanese dizzy, the BH has been a long time coming—more than five years, in fact. But that doesn’t mean Hyundai has been slacking; Concept Genesis is on its second…

WHAT IS IT that makes Americans so afraid of going topless? It's so common place in Europe, it hardly raises an eyebrow. Yet if you take a count of all the convertibles offered by American makers, you end up with only a handful (Mustang, Corvette, Viper, Sky/Solstice, PT Cruiser, Sebring, G6, and XLR) and of those, just two currently on the market—the G6 & XLR—are retractable hardtops (the 2008 Sebring goes on sale later this year). The traditional convertible has its charms, but there are drawbacks. Top up, the cabin's noisy, visibility is compromised, space is cramped for four people, and few look as good with the top up as when it's stowed. Enter the retractable hardtop. Once an auto-show eye-catcher or sales gimmick, the technology has improved while prices…

DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 25, 2007—Ford Motor Company [INNYSE:F] today reported a 2006 full-year net loss of $12.7 billion, or $6.79 per share. —Ford press release OUCH. While Ford doesn't issue individual profit-and-loss statements for each of its brands, Jaguar played some part in filling the Blue Oval's 2006 earnings pool with red ink. Everyone—Ford management, stockholders, Jaguar dealers, and customers-continues to wonder if and when the ship can be well and truly turned, the iceberg avoided for good. Much of the brand's near-term fortune rests on the muscular shoulders of the concept car on these pages, the production version of which (dubbed XF) is coming to market early next year as a 2008 model. Since Ford purchased this hallowed marque in 1989 (saving it from sure extinction by so doing)…

SIX DOGS HAVE PROVED MORE DIFFICULT TO HANDLE ON ICE THAN 552 HORSES THE AIRPLANE DOOR opens and the freezing air rushes into the cabin. It permeates my clothes, chills my lungs, and screams, “Welcome to the Arctic!” This is Kuusamo, a small town on the eastern edge of Finland, 20 miles from the Russian border and less than 50 miles south of the Arctic Circle. From here, I'm to travel a short distance to the ski resort of Ruka, where I have a date with Bentley. It's in Ruka where Bentley hosts its annual Power on Ice extravaganza for enthusiastic owners. This is an extraordinary part of the world. The weather here is shipped in from Siberia, and, in winter months, the temperature nestles between-4 and -22 degrees Fahrenheit.…

WHILE IT’S unclear who killed the electric car, the culprit behind the demise of the traditional British Sports Car is living amongst us in plain sight. Mmm-hmm, the Miata, aka Mazda MX-5. Mass murderer of virtually all of Her Majesty's sports-car citizenry. The slaughter started small, as these things often do. In 1989, the original Miata—with its zinging 120-horsepower, 1.6-liter four, nifty shifter, and moves like a Chinese acrobat—was (ironically) welcomed by the naive tweed-cappers who'd been shielding the dwindling flock of Spitfires, TR6s, and MGBs from the scourges of rust and Joseph Lucas’s electrical theories. However, it took only a fraction of a mile behind the wheel of Mazda's non-self-immolating oil-tight wonder to affect a dark change of mood: "Hmm, I just might get me one of these things,"…

HONEST. Capable. Tough as nails. And a great value. Nissan’s gutsy, few-frills sport/utility was loosely patterned after the original, much-missed Jeep Cherokee, but it has since garnered a following that's all its own. The second-generation Xterra was launched in early 2005 and represented a thorough updating of the original, which first came to market in 2000. The design team was smart enough to not only retain, but enhance, its square-jawed styling and no-nonsense appeal. If you want to pound rocks, order the Off-Road package, and go ahead. The fully boxed frame can take it. There's lots of function here: a tubular roof rack with a covered storage cubby, steps cut into the rear bumper so you can reach up top to retrieve that cargo, plenty of powerpoints and tie-downs, and…

A MERCEDES Benz for the masses? Almost 25 years ago, it was a revolutionary idea. And the launch of the 190E in November 1982 proved Stuttgart could deliver its legendary engineering expertise at a relatively affordable price. Mercedes-Benz is today marketing-driven rather than engineering-led, but the idea of driving the three-pointed star is still a seductive one. Especially if you can do it for not much more money than you’d spend on something wearing the Blue Oval. Or a Bow Tie. The C230 Sport is the entry-level Mercedes sedan here in the U.S. The Sport moniker means you get a standard six-speed manual (Benz's new seven-speed automatic is an option) bigger wheels and tires, sport-tuned suspension, and some minor cosmetic mods. The engine is a 2.5-liter V-6 with 201 horsepower…

“SO WHAT’S the difference in suspension tuning between the Outlook here and its sibling, the GMC Acadia?" The sincere-looking Saturn representative who'd just wrapped up his point-by-point rundown of Saturn's new crossover must've been amused by my eagerly cocked ear. "There's no difference at all," he cheerily responded. "This tire [pointing at one of the Goodyear Eagle RS-As] is such an ideal compromise for all-weather grip, ride quality, and rolling resistance that both the Acadia and Outlook have been tuned exactly the same for it." Logical, I guess. But given that the two crossovers share powertrains, platforms, roofs, and doors, too, you wonder what Saturn's old motto. "A different kind of car. A different kind of company," might read like in 2007. "We're the slightly different front and rear fascia…

REAR-ENDERS nearly happen all around you. Everybody looks. Kids scream. Truckers honk. Either you’re a wild driver or you're driving something wild. In this case, it's the latter as we cruise a CRC Corvette convertible around the streets of Los Angeles. Gawkers (everybody who eyes the car) don't know if it's an old Vette made new or a new Vette made old. Again, it's the latter. The new C6 Corvette is here, and it's wonderful, which is good news for everybody except C5 owners. However, if you're happy with your C5, but want to add some newness, consider stepping back to 1962. Classic Reflection Coachworks recently put the final touches on its retro rebody kit for the C5. But don't think the CRC conversion is just a shoddy kit-car body…

WITH the recent news of Ford dropping to number four in sales in America, the race to see if/when Toyota will overtake GM as the world's largest automaker, the rise of Korean carmakers to competitiveness, and the notion of Chinese producers entering the U.S. market, this near-50-year-old photo seems oddly prophetic. The left side of the building was a Ford dealership, while Ramblers were sold on the right side. The Rambler store vacated the space, and a new company, called Toyota Motor Sales USA, took it over. There were three new Toyopets in the showroom, ready for customers willing to try something different. Not only could you buy a car at this Hollywood, California, location, but you also could purchase a Toyota dealership franchise. About 45 dealers signed up that…

continued from page 4 Watch Subaru WRX's Next Generation WHEN SUBARU’S WRX finally washed up stateside for the 2002 model year, the car quickly became a fave of autocrossers and the tuner crowd with its affordable combination of all-wheel drive and turbocharged chops. The updated model of its foil, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, stole the limelight earlier this year. Now it’s Subie’s turn to urileash its vision for WRX—The Next Generation. The MT video crew tagged along on our exclusive photo shoot and; scored behind-the-scenes look at the new WRX. Check out our photos and desktop wallpapers of the new car, too. drive Porsche 911 GT3 IT’S WHAT superman would drive, it’s that good. Log on to motortrend.com/multimedia/videos/roadtests for a look at the greatest 911 ever in action. As…

HERE’S another Maserati that'll be as rare as Paris Hilton’s decorum, but it’s as important as anything that made its debut at Geneva, proving the brand has a future within the halls of Fiat. Maserati has gone through the wringer recently, having been bounced to Ferrari management and then to Alfa, where its capable chief, Karl-Heinz Kalbfell, resigned after disagreements on how to run the fabled marque. The Pininfarina-designed GranTurismo is derived from the Quattroporte structure, with shorter front and rear overhangs, short-long arm front and rear suspension and high-strength steel box-section construction. Its 3950 pounds (curb weight) are distributed 49/51 percent front/rear. It measures 191.9 inches long on a 115.7-inch wheelbase and a low-slung 53.9-inch overall height. We expect that it'll be priced and marketed somewhere north of Mercedes's…

letter of the month that’s heavy, baby The GMC Acadia (“Forest for the Trees”) needs liposuction with a professional-grade vacuum. A new platform that manages to weigh five thousand pounds (5000!)? Such corpulence is inexcusable. This has to be a typo. But maybe this extreme pudginess explains why the Acadia is slow, handles ponderously, and drinks like a frat boy. Potential buyers of the Ford Edge and GMC Acadia must make a choice: Morbidly obese or grotesquely obese? Potential buyers should keep their Honda Pilots awhile longer. Raymond EvansGreer, South Carolina Sorry to say, it’s no typo—Ed. watch what you say What the heck are you thinking? The 2008 Malibu is a looker and has crisp clean styling? (“Trend,’ February.) From the side, it's just like every other four-door sedan…

HOW DOES A kid racer mature without growing up? In the case of the Subaru Impreza WRX, it loses the fender flares and becomes a hot hatch, that Euroesque ideal of the small, fast, cheap car. And it becomes more liveable, more sophisticated. When the 2002 WRX morphed off the PlayStation screen and onto American streets, it didn't have a useful back seat. If you puta friend back there to torture him, engine and road noises would drown out his screams. You had to deal with limited trunk space and a cheap interior. The chassis was said to be 185-percent stiffer than the previous Impreza’s, but that tells more about how flexy the 1993 to 2001 models were. You didn’t drive it because it was a practical four-door sedan; you…

ONE LOOK at the “G37” badge on the trunklid of Infiniti’s new sport coupe, and it's evident there's something bigger and better at play here. Not that its predecessor, the G35 coupe, was in desperate need of becoming bigger or better. With a 293-horse-power, 3.5-liter V-6, a stout front-mid (FM) platform, and sheetmetal so arousing you can throw away the Viagra, the G35 coupe wasn't only a standout player in its segment but also a huge hit for Infiniti. In fact, since it arrived for the 2003 model year, the G coupe has averaged annual sales of nearly 26,000, numbers that account for nearly 40 percent of all G sales. And with just over 20,000 sold in 2006, Infiniti moved more G coupes than BMW did 3 Series coupes (slightly…

◼ XJ SEDANS Midlife freshening was revealed at the Geneva auto show in March. No major changes, but there are new fender gills on supercharged models, revised front/rear fascias and color palettes, interior upgrades, and perhaps reworked entertainment packages. Wish they could borrow Aston’s V-12 for it and have an XJ12 like the good old days. ◼ XK COUPE/CON VERTIBLE The pride of the Jaguar fleet at the moment launched recently to solid reviews. Boasting dazzling styling and a light, strong aluminum body/chassis structure, the XK and XKR are what they ought to be and selling well. A modern interpretation of the XJS that propelled Jaguar into the luxury GT coupe market three decades ago and should remain relevant for some time. ◼ X-TYPE Rumors of its imminent demise are…

DER KLEIN GTI first came to the States in the early 1980s and quickly became the alterna-enthusiasts’ performance car, a Kraftwerk listener's answer to the hairband lovers' Camaro or Mustang. The third and fourth generations let us down, but when we finally got the fifth-generation GTI last year, it made us feel like we're just out of college again and in a real job, ready to plunk down our first 48-month loan on a driver's car. Painted black, white, gray, red, or silver, the GTI melds grownup, austere styling with boy-racer touches from the red stripe grille surround and red brake calipers to the plaid seats. This isn't your earth mother's Rabbit. Key to its appeal is one of the world's best engines, the cutting-edge gas direct-injection 2.0-liter FSI, a…

SURE, you could wait for the coming Chevrolet Camaro, hold off for the new Dodge Challenger, even save up a few more pennies for a Shelby Mustang. Or you could take the money you have right now and buy your own rear-drive, tire-smoking, big V-8, hot rod—all for $25,000. And it can tow a 10,000-pound trailer and carry almost 2000 pounds of your favorite gear. A new Tundra, with the 271 horsepower, 4.7-liter V-8 and five-speed automatic, a regular cab and short bed, wears a base price of $24,075. But the bigger value and performance deal is with the 5.7-liter V-8 that's rated at 381 horses and 401 pound-feet of torque. This powerplant comes standard with an all-new six-speed transmission—for just $950 more. It gets better EPA fuel-economy ratings than…

AS A FOLLOW-UP to the release of last year's half-ton Silverado (our 2007 Truck of the Year), GM now releases the rugged three-quarter and one-ton pickup versions, with many of the same exterior and interior design cues. You'll notice a familiar look to the hood and body panels between half-ton and heavy-duty trucks. Engine choices are simplified to include one gas and one turbodiesel motor. The new Gen-IV OHV 6.0-liter V-8, now with variable valve timing, produces 353 horsepower and 373 pound-feet of torque. This engine gets the new 6L90 six-speed automatic transmission (a stronger version of the Escalade and Yukon Denali 6L80-E). A revised 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel V-8 remains the tool of choice for more than 60 percent of heavy-duty buyers. Of course, to meet the new 2007 federal…

DON’T LAUGH, it took all Mercedes's cleverness to make a car 106 inches long work properly. But as the antidote to city traffic, to spiraling oil prices, to parking woes, to the supersize high-horsepower excess-all-areas mentality of too much modern driving, the Smart shines like a beacon of carefree minimalism. This is actually the second-gen Smart; the 1998 model sold in Europe (700,000 copies) and Canada. This will be sold in the U.S. by United Auto Dealers from 2008. It’s vastly better to drive than its predecessor was. It shares almost nothing with other DCX vehicles. The structure is a steel safety shell, colored black or silver. The remaining panels are nonstructural plastic clip-on replaceable items. The engine is a 1.0-liter unit from Mitsubishi. It sits under the trunk, together…

THE idea was simple enough: Create a flexible, modular platform from which you could spin off a mainstream SUV (for VW), a performance-oriented SUV (for Porsche), and a longer-wheelbase Grand Touring SUV (for Audi). But a funny thing happened on the way to the Audi engineers: They made so many technical changes and improvements to the vehicle, it became a completely new animal—exactly what we discovered with a new Q7 in our latest Sport/Utility of the Year match. The Audi compared favorably with the other top finishers, though, in the end, the Mercedes-Benz GL took home the cake. Still, we remained curious about the Q7, Audi's biggest and heaviest SUV to date, and welcomed one into our long-term fleet. Q7s with the V-8 start at $50,620 (3.6-liter, 280-horse V-6 models…

2OO6 HONDA CIVIC SI Total mileage 15,385 MORE than one editor has noted the Civic Si’s engine behavior when shifting. Put the clutch in to upshift, and the revs just hang there, though your foot is off the gas entirely. Lifting off the gas while still in gear induces a similar response. This is to prevent the engine from suddenly running rich when the throttle closes abruptly, but it spoils the pleasure of operating this otherwise spirited machine. The engine offers quick acceleration, the shifter a snick-snick precision, and the seats support and comfort, even on long drives. ◼ Average fuel econ 24.8 mpg ◼ Unresolved problem areas None ◼ Maintenance cost $81.40 ("Al” service); $85.46 (“Bl”) ◼ Normal-wear cost $4 (one quart oil) 2006 AUDI A3 Total mileage 19,943…

JIM QUEEN, GM's VP of global product development, has told Motor Trend the next-gen C7 Corvette will stick with a naturally aspirated V-8 and rear drive (not AWD). Power for the Z06/Blue Devil successor will climb up to about 700 horses. “We're working hard to get that power onto the pavement,” says Queen. Adding weight and optimizing weight distribution are the keys. GM's international car lines also will continue to get closer, notes Queen. The new Australian-developed rear-drive Zeta platform will be used not just on the Pontiac G8 and Chevy Camaro, but also as the basis for a new generation of Cadillacs. In GM's portfolio, says Queen, the only large rear-drive car not built on this platform will be the next Corvette and XLR, which are expected in the…

FORD has changed the name of the slow-selling Five Hundred sedan to “Taurus,” the Freestyle to “Taurus X,” and the Mercury Montego to “Sable.” These name changes come along with a facelift that adds the 427 Concept three-bar grille to the Fords and upgrades, finally, the 203-horsepower, 3.0-liter V-6 to the 263-horse, 3.5-liter engine. President of the Americas region Mark Fields says Ford changed the names because buyers don’t know what a Five Hundred, Freestyle, or Montego are and that giving up the well-known names like Taurus and Sable was a bad decision. Fields points out Taurus outsold Five Hundred last year 174,803 to 84,218 (Freestyle sales totaled 58,602). In good years, Ford sold more than 400,000 Taurus sedans and wagons. Naming what became Five Hundred and Montego Taurus and…

MAZDA HAS recently taken on some 400 new engineering staff, which reflects a 20-percent increase over current levels. This opens the way for another entirely new model in the four-year plan beyond replacing current vehicles. Mazda looked at production potential for the 2006 Detroit show Kabura coupe concept and the Geneva show Hakaze compact coupe-SUV crossover concept, and reports from inside the company indicate the Hakaze has won the day. Hakaze Was an idea that Originated in Europe, but Mazada's North American Operation has reportedly said, it would take 30,000 a year of a production version…

IN THE EARLY 1990s, on a black lake in a proving ground carved out of the hills in rural Japan, 1 drove the very first version of the car that changed everything for Subaru. It was the original Impreza WRX, a turbocharged, all-wheel-drive performance version of the new small car designed by Subaru to complement the midsize Legacy. The drive was brief. But you only needed a few minutes behind the wheel to realize Subaru, one of Japan’s quirkiest automakers, had created something special: a giant-killing pocket-rocket sedan with the technology and traction of an Audi Quattro, and—thanks to its flat-four boxer engine—some of the charisma of a Porsche 911. What's more, it was affordable. Over the next decade, the car virtually came to define the Subaru brand—except in the…

THE GREATEST 911 EVER? The evidence weighs heavily in favor of “oh, yeah.” As Vincent Vega would say, though, “That's a bold statement.” Strap in as we substantiate our claim. BODY BY GINSU Is that a sly smile between the headlamps? The new 997-based GT3 looks like it knows something you don't—and unless you have a Ph.D. in sodium-filled exhaust valves, asymmetric-locking differentials, and intake-manifold resonance flaps, it does. Now look again: That's the grin of a killer whale. And after all, with a box kite nailed to its rear end and a front air dam as low as the average IQ on "'The Real Housewives of Orange County,” the GTS is clearly no ordinary 911. Add in the less-obvious stuff, including bending rigidity improved by 40 percent over the…

THINK YOU'D be entertained by BMW reflexes Wrapped in steel origami topped by… Well, the stratosphere? Sure you would. The Z4 3:0i convertible manages to be both affordable and exotic, a two-seater with the flair of a sports Car costing twice its price. Chris Bangle's wildly Scalloped, outré design doesn't play will amid the trimmed lawns and picket fences of Pleasantville. The rest of us, though, will appreciate that by its very nature a two-seater needs to step out; it needs compelling creases and curves to catch the sunrays, refract them through its daring aura, and radiate them back out toward all those poor souls content to motor through life in pedestrian machines. You enjoy being the cente of attention. Here's a chance to sit inside de White-hot spotlight. (The…

FOR 65 years, Jeep has been an American icon. With brand recognition on par with Coca-Cola, merely saying "Jeep" denotes its off-road ability without a single description. But as recognizable as Jeep is, it's long been a single-purpose vehicle. Use it for anything else than off-roading, and you pay a stiff penalty. Until now. Enter the all-new Jeep Wrangler two-door and the first ever Wrangler Unlimited four-door. Now, added to its stellar Trail Rated off-road reputation are safety, versatility, and a step up in fun. Sure, the Wrangler still claws up hills and crosses rivers with ease, but now it does so with a heaping helping of luxury. The Unlimited's four doors allow the entire family to ride, a new three-piece Freedom Top hard-shell roof keeps out the noise and…

WHETHER you relish the thrill of rocketing from 0 to 60 mph in 53 seconds, taming a sinuous mountain road, or chauffeuring a primped foursome to the theatre, the G35 is ready for action. Better yet, for around $400 per month, you can have that action every day. Fortified with 306 healthy horses underhood, all corralled by an efficient five-speed automatic with downshift rev matching, the second-generation G trumps the musclecar brawn of a V-8 powered Ford Mustang GT—it boasts an exhaust note just as raspy, to boot, not to mention quarter-mile time (13.9 seconds at 99.9 mph) just 0.4 behind—while offering the sophistication of a four-wheel independent control-arm/multilink suspension. Standard features are plentiful and include vehicle dynamic control, bi-Xenon headlamps, leather-appointed seats, an in-dash six-disc changer, and an Intelligent…

THE 350Z-style vertical headlights, Maxima rear-window line, and Altima-esque taillights of the new Sentra make it clear Nissan is working hard to establish a common, family-styling gene. But it seems staying true to the gene pool may have been a bit more important than aesthetic beauty in the latest Sentra lineup. If you can resist drawing the connection to the lumpy Lego cars you built as a kid, there's a lot to like about the new big-wheeled and body-kitted SE-R, particularly in the higher-trim Spec-V edition. The latter gets the biggest brakes in the segment (12.6 inches up front), a 200-horse,25-liter four, and a six-speed manual transmission. The Spec-V is readily adjustable: Minute lifts of the throttle silence understeer and engage a useable rearend to tighten the line. It also…

LOVE ’EM or hate 'em, crossovers remain popular because they break the old-school SUV molds. And Mazda is determined to keep this trend flowing with its latest follow-up to last year's turbocharged CX-7, the CX-9—the longer, wider, and stronger big brother with similar performance, styling, and attitude. At the heart of this new crossover is the 35-liter V-6 used in the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX; however, Mazda has tweaked the intake manifold and reduced the backpressure to produce a more responsive feel on the low end. Additionally, a different software program for the engine and a Mazda-only butter-smooth Aisin six-speed automatic transmission give this powertrain a unique character, more in line with Mazda's typical performance traits. Total output for the Mazda-tuned 35-liter V-6 is 263 horsepower at 6250 rpm…

2006 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION MR SE Total mileage 6055 “MAN, this car is fun!" writes editorial intern Julia LaPalme. She adds that acceleration will throw your head back without even trying, though turbo lag is a nuisance. A little extra gas to up the revs, however, and it's chomping at the bit. Steering is so intuitive, it's almost like you just have to think which way to turn, and there it goes—although the turning radius leaves something to be desired. The brakes are getting noisy, but this is a small fault compared with many virtues. ◼ Average fuel econ 18.3 mpg ◼ Unresolved problem areas None ◼ Maintenance cost $69.94 (5K service) ◼ Normal-wear cost $6 (one quart Mobil 1 oil) 2006 KIA SEDONA EX Total mileage 17,590 OUR Sedona…

WE’VE had several 911s in our long-term fleet over the years. They're always staff favorites and seldom spend a weekend idle in the MT garage. Two of our last three were 996-generation Carreras: a 1999 coupe and a 2004 C4S. Like the others, they were popular dates, but there was always a wish list attached: "I wish there weren't so much interior noise," or "I wish the cabin were more differentiated from the Boxster's," or "l wish it looked more like an old 911." Nearly everything on that To Do list was addressed with the 997-model Carrera introduced in 2005. We, of course, went straight for the topline, 3.8-liter S model, equipped with all the right stuff. It turned out to be an enchanting year with a marvelous automobile. The…