Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2007 i MotorTrend

6-/8-/10-/12- AND ACCORD VIDEO HIT MAKER We flog four of the most amazing cars on the road today at Kingman—and we’ve got it all on video. Be sure to stop by motortrend.com beginning September 1 for our sensational 6-/8-/10-/12-cylinder shootout featuring IRL star and motorsport sensation Danica Patrick. Ride along with Patrick as we bring you her observations at speed—straight from the cockpit. Looking for something more sedate, like say the 2008 Honda Accord? We’ve got you covered there as well, with video of one of the biggest launches this year, beginning August 21. MOTOR TREND…

HONDA TEASED us with a Mugen version of the Civic Si sedan last year at SEMA. The car becomes areal ity this fall, but only 1000 copies will be available for the 2008 mode) year for an Acura-like $30,000 each. The hot sedan is all suspension upgrade, retaining the same 197 horses and 139 pound-feet as the standard Si's 2.0-liter four, despite reduced back-pressure from the sport exhaust system. Chassis tuning includes an 0.6-inch-lower suspension with aggressive spring rates and eight-to 24-percent-increased damper bump and rebound rates, lightweight, 17 .0-pound 18x7 .5-inch forged-aluminum wheels (27 percent lighter than the Si's 17x7 .0-inch alloys) and BFGoodrich g-Force KDW215/40ZR18s. The aero package features a front spoiler with a special grille, side spoilers, and a rear bumper diffuser and rear wing. Only color…

LIKE JIMMY STEWART’S L.B. Jeffries slowly uncovering a murder in Hitchcock's “Rear Window,” our spy shooter, Deep Throttle, has been peeling away at the disguises hiding the rear windows of the Porsche Panamera and BMW X6. His photographs uncover a curved roofline with a rakish rear door window on the 2010 Panamera as well as a deep glass tailgate with a spoiler. The spy shots also indicate that 911 styling doesn't translate easily to a front-engine, rear-drive sedan. The roofline of the 2009 BMW X6 proves more rakish than thought: a four-door coupe greenhouse atop the X5 lower body on which it’s based. Engines will be a 260-horsepower direct-injection 3.0-liter six and a 350-horse, 4.8-liter V-8, both with the standard Steptronic six-speed automatic transmission.…

THESE PICTURES of the Ford Performance Vehicle (FPV) versions of the next-generation Australian-built Ford Falcon were found on a landfill site in Melbourne. They show F6, GT, and GT-P models of the 2008 Falcon, codenamed Orion, eight months before the cars are due to go on sale. FPV is co-owned by Ford Australia and Britain‘s Prodrive, the performance and motorsport company of new Aston Martin owner David Richards. The Orion Falcons represent a major redesign of the existing Falcon, which has been on the market with only minor changes and facelifts since 1998. The Orion cars are new from the sills up and from the firewall forward and will go head to head with the new Holden Commodore, lead car in a new global rear-drive GM vehicle family that includes…

W212, the next-generation E-Class, is in the final stages of development. Still heavily disguised, this spy shot reveals S-Class-like wheelarch extensions, a rising character line, big bumpers and greenhouse, and a more sculpted, wide-frame grille. The car is expected to come with such high-tech goodies as lane-departure warning control, eye-movement monitor, road-condition sensors, and a stability-control system that accounts for crosswinds, camber changes, and tire wear.…

THE VIPER HUMS. Not a buzzy electronic hum, like you get from an AM radio, but a deep, resonant, barrel-chested hum, like a Shinkansen—Japanese bullet train—storming past with the rheostat pegged wide open. Patrick's on it, and that newly pumped 8.4-liter V-10 is clearly answering the call as the blue coupe arrows down the straight. Second time around, Patrick nails 157.25 mph through the south turn, at which speed the Viper'’s redesigned aerodynamics are generating some 100 pounds of downforce on the rear wheels. With 600 horses under the hood and a claimed 202-mph top speed, we're expecting our biggest number yet at the end of the straightaway—the Porsche and the Corvette have run exactly 20 mph shy of their claimed top speeds, but the Viper’s 180.84 mph is two…

200 MPH IS the new 150. Lots of cars can hit that benchmark. What would it take to modify one of our test cars to outrun a Bugatti Veyron and hit 254 mph? Aerodynamic drag increases with the square of speed and the power to overcome it varies with speed cubed. So that ‘‘mere”’ 27-percent bump in top speed requires loads of extra power or drastic changes in aerodynamics. Here's what it would take to get each car to 254 mph.…

WHETHER YOUR nest is empty or you simply value style over utility, the Accord coupe is the next best Honda to a Civic Si. Sharing only sideview mirrors and door handles with the sedan, the coupe’s sassy sheetmetal drapes over a 107.9-inch wheelbase, 2.3 inches shorter than the sedan’s but 2.8 inches longer than the 2007 coupe’s. A near mirror image to the Accord Coupe Concept that wowed the press and public at January’s Detroit auto show, the new coupe is 3.1 inches longer, 1.4 inches wider, and 0.7 inch taller than its forebear, resulting in over an inch of extra rear legroom and over two inches of additional front shoulder room. Honda offers the coupe in LX-S, EX, EX-L, EX-L V-6, and EX-L V-6 six-speed variations, the last (pictured)…

ENGINE: Block is cast in the same plant used for the BMW Sauber F1 engines. Aluminum-silicon alloy means it doesn’t need heavy steel liners. At 445 pounds, the V-8 is 33 pounds lighter than the straight-six it replaces—the forged-steel crankshaft weighs just 44 pounds. lon flows across the spark-plug electrodes are monitored to sense knocking or misfiring and control the combustion process in each cylinder. The wetsump lubrication system features two sumps—a large one behind the front axle and a smaller one up front—and can handle up to 1.4g lateral acceleration. LIGHTWEIGHT MATERIALS: Carbon-fiber roof lowers center of gravity. Thermoplastic front fenders save about six pounds. Hood is aluminum, and aluminum-intensive suspension components save about five pounds. Thermoplastic carriers for the bumpers allow low-speed impacts without damage and save 12…

SHOPPING FOR a sporty two-door hatchback that hails from across the Atlantic? Your timing couldn't be better, as options are plenty and satisfaction is practically guaranteed. Now in its fifth generation, the Volkswagen GTI, which ignited the hot-hatch craze back in 1984, is arguably the premier European pocket-rocket for the money, what with its robust direct-injection engine, stellar auto-clutch manual, and sub-$24,000 price tag. Feeling a bit more nostalgic? Then there's the second-generation Mini Cooper S, a throwback to the 1950's original that possesses modern proportions and BMW technology; plus, it’s cuter than a shar-pei puppy wearing an Adopt-a-Pet button. Prefer safety and Scandinavian design? Then check out the new C30 from Volvo, an S40-based two-door inspired by the famous glass-hatched P1800ES of the early 1970s. What's that? None of…

SAY YOU LIVE IN NewYork, los Angeles, or any other American city big enough to support an NBA franchise. You're young, or at least young at heart: hip to pinkberry, A Bathing Ape, andYouTubin’ on your iPhone. You need wheels, but not just any will do. Can't be a Civic or Corolla—that’s what you drove in college. Now that you've been working for a while, you have the scratch to afford something more. Blinged-out SUVs are passé: You want something more fun to drive, easier to park, and with just enough room for your honey and maybe a couple friends. And whatever it is, it’s gotta have the style to match your urbane, urban lifestyle. Well, what do you know, that description just happens to match the trio of hot…

WHAT YOU need to know about Mercedes-Benz’s new GL550: There are no plans for an even more powerful AMG version of this seven-passenger SUV. Next need-to-know: The GL550 grille’s three-pointed star is Mercedes's biggest ever, save perhaps for those on Mercedes buses and semis and Unimogs. Can't wait to see how one looks around 50 Cent's neck. Mercedes unabashedly targets the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator with the North America-only GL550, even as Cadillac tries to compete with Mercedes's passenger cars. This is that model’s flagship, complementing the GL320CDI and GL450, neither of which gets the 550's dog-dish-size emblem or enlarged grille. Those are 21-inch five-spoke AMGs, just one inch shy of the ’Slade’s optional wheels under fender flares unique to the 550, but infinitely more tasteful. The GL550 also…

AFTER WE bade farewell to our long-term pocket-rocket, the 2006 Honda Civic Si, our fleet needed a fresh sport-compact. Enter Nissan's fourth-generation Sentra SE-R. All new from the ground up and available in base or Spec-V trim, the SE-R, with its high-output four-cylinder and sport chassis, seemed a fitting replacement to the Adrenaline-fueled Si. Rather than go for the racier, manual-only Spec-V, which gets an additional 23 horsepower and a taller axle ratio (4.43 versus 5.41), we opted for the standard SE-R, which comes exclusively with Nissan's Xtronic continuously variable transmission paired with a 177-horse, 25-liter DOHC engine. The CVT, using cones and a belt instead of gears to keep the revs in the engine's sweet spot, is meant to increase fuel economy by as much as 20 percent over…

JUST AS purists begin to worry that we're paying too much attention to the Cayman and its mid-engine potential, along comes the most powerful production Porsche 911 ever. Let’s hear it for sticking with a great, classic design and a powerful pancake six hanging over the rear axle and perfecting the package over and over again. The 911 GT2 makes its debut at Porsche’s hometown international auto show, Frankfurt, in September with a variable turbine twin-turbo 3.6-liter boxer six, rated 530 horsepower, 505 pound-feet, and good for 204 mph and 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds. It puts power to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual, of course. Porsche says the 50 more ponies over the last GT2 comes courtesy of two turbos with a larger compressor wheel and a…

ALAN MULALLY wants to turn Ford's global design strategy on its head. For the past three years or so, Ford has been mapping out a design direction where U.S. products differ substantially in look from the company’s European cars, But Mulally wants to get off an airplane anywhere in the world and instantly recognize a Ford. U.S. Fords, designed under the direction of former Volvo design chief Peter Horbury, fall under the theme “red, white, and bold,” with elements that include square shoulders and the three-bar chrome grille with rectangular lights. In Europe, the theme is Martin Smith's “kinetic design,” which offers more complex shapes and dartlike profiles—for example, the new European Mondeo, or the S-Max minivan, 2007 European Car of the Year. There are powerful arguments in Mulally’s favor.…

letter of the month hazardous to your health Yesterday afternoon: I opened the mailbox and discovered my July Motor Trend—my favorite car magazine. Tossing aside the junk mail, bills, daughter's wedding announcement, and jury summons, I eagerly sat down on the curb to read the issue. At first, I had difficulty distinguishing the hideous vehicle featured on the cover (“Mission: Possible”). Was it a tarted-up Japanese truck? Someone's drug-induced hallucination or some nancy-boy designer’s idea of what the future has in store for us? After several minutes, I recognized the vehicle, the Ford Interceptor, which I'd seen at the Washington, D.C., auto show. In the future, please pick something much nicer looking to festoon your magazine covers or give me some advance warning. The heart's weak, and I’m not getting…

YOU CAN TELL Danica Patrick's busy as the bright-green Porsche rimfires around APG's banking for the first time. The front end is bob-bob-bobbing over the bumps as the bark of the 415-horsepower flat-six shatters the early morning calm. Close your eyes, and you'd swear you were standing on Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans. Patrick probably wishes she were, too—it would be a lot smoother ride than the one she's currently having behind the wheel of the busy 911. The Porsche runs a best of 158.56 mph through the turns and hits 173.05 mph on the straight, confirming the one thing we knew already—big as it is, APG still isn't big enough to take any seriously fast car to V-max. We like the 911 GT3—winner of our handling test (june 2007)—and…

PATRICK LIKES THE BIG orange Murciélago. A lot-You can tell from the moment she pulls out onto the APG oval. In the other cars, she’d merely accelerated away briskly, settling back in the seat before getting on the gas. In the Lambo, she nails the gas from the get-go, the exhaust crackling on the gearshifts, and stays hard on the throttle all the way into the first turn. The Murciélago looks like it's nailed to track as it streaks past, that big V-12 howling in the desert air. It comes as no surprise to learn it's quickest through the south turn by some margin, posting 164 mph even, and Patrick powers past on her final lap to hit 191.41 mph before braking for the north turn. There's a big smile…

SHE STANDS 5'2” and weighs in at a neat 100 pounds. Her handshake is muscular, her smile beams, and her right foot is heavy. Anyone who didn't know Danica Patrick got a dramatic introduction on May 29, 2005, when she drove her way to the front of the Indy 500, becoming the first woman to lead the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Although she wears her various “Female Athlete of the Year” awards proudly, they're not what she wants to be known for. Patrick just wants to race and win, with no gender qualifier attached. “My car doesn't know the difference,” says Patrick. “I can't take credit for that statement; Lyn St.James said it first. But it's true.” Like so many of today’s most accomplished drivers, she raced karts as a…

IN THE AUTOMOTIVE world, there's no shortage of archrivals—two major players that battle for supremacy, day in and day out. Whether it’s for sales titles, track times, or magazine comparison-test victories, being number one is an automaker's ultimate goal. From Camaro versus Mustang and Evo versus Sti to S-Class versus 7 Series and Supra versus Z, these combats of style, power, and agility have defined competitors throughout history. Today, no clash is more significant than…Accord versus Camry? You bet. Over the past decade, the Honda Accord I and the Toyota Camry have waged war over “bestseller” bragging rights, with each moving around 400,000 per year. Camry has taken the title nine of the last 10 years, but Accord has always been right on its tail, even grabbing the title in…

THUS US IT. the car the BMW faithful have been waiting for. This is the heir to a dynasty; the keeper of the flame; the purest expression of a corporate passion. A car that at once defines its maker and its drivers. Probably no automobile in the world, apart from the next-generation Porsche 911, carries as heavy a burden of hope and expectation as the all-new BMW M3. There's a metallic bark from the 4.0-liter V-8 up front as the tach needle zings around the dial—6000, 7000, 8000 rpm. Grab fourth just before the 8400-rpm redline—no, that's not a typo—and turn into the fast righthander. The nose pushes gently. Feather the gas momentarily to get the bespoke Michelin Pilot Sport tires up front to bite, then back on the go…

IMAGINE WHAT the world would be like today if Enzo Ferrari had never been born. Scores of garages in Beverly Hills, Palm Beach, East Hampton, Monte Carlo, and Gstaad would sit empty. Grand Prix starting grids often would be missing the two front cars. People would mention the sound “banshee wail” only when talking about banshees. Bragging to your buddies that “one day I'm going to own a Ferrari” would make them ask, “What's that? A cat?” Italian race fans would crowd cafés on Sunday afternoons only to share their angst at the demise of the Minardi Fl team. But in 1898 Enzo Ferrari was born. And by 1947 the former mechanic turned race driver turned race manager had begun producing the cars that in the coming decades would win…

THIS FINAL collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and McLaren is, like the Coupe and 722 Edition that preceded it, a technological wonder. It shares the same carbon-fiber-reinforced-plastic bones and 617-horsepower, 5.5-liter supercharged V-8, but the Roadster’s semi-automatic cloth top opens up an entirely new, more pleasurable dimension to the thrill of driving the wickedly fast two-seater. Because the SLR tub is so stiff, no structures were added to match the Coupe’s torsional rigidity and, except for a new, stronger tri-axial CFRP weave in several components, most revisions are above the beltline: new windshield frame, rear fenders, trunklid, doors, and A-pillars integrating steel tubes as part of a safety system including two non-retractable hoops, six airbags, and sophisticated traction control. The chart says 0-to-60 mph in 3.8 seconds (and we saw 0-to-124 mph…

IF AMAGICIAN doesn’t have a dazzling new trick up his sleeve, he'll likely whip out a deck of cards and put a new spin on an old favorite. Dodge did just that by—presto!—giving the Ram the largest turbodiesel in the segment. Indeed, Ram HDs come to market this year with the biggest, cleanest, most powerful Cummins turbodiesel the lineup has ever seen. It’s the first diesel to meet the strict 2010 emissions regulations—almost three years early—thanks in large part to several pieces of the Mercedes-Benz-developed Bluetec system. The new Cummins is almost 1.0 liter larger, now displacing 6.7 liters in its trademark inline-six configuration. Horsepower is increased significantly to 350 (up 25 from the previous 5.9-liter I-6), and torque is now 650 pound-feet at 1600 rpm, up from 610. While…

SINCE ITS LAST UPDATE two months ago, the Silverado has accrued 2113 miles, thanks in large part to road trips to Arizona and California's Eastern High Sierra. Truck Trend editor Mark Williams, armed with an invitation to drive the all-new Toyota Highlander in Phoenix, commandeered the Silverado for the trek to the Grand Canyon State. But rather than just hop in and go, Williams opted to test the Chevy's payload prowess; thus, he loaded the bed with about 1200 pounds of boxed rock salt. "The Silverado handled the weight well," he says, adding that "there was no tail-dragging, the steering never felt heavy or sluggish, and it seemed it could've handled another 500 pounds with no problem." Much of the Silverado's payload adeptness can be attributed to the robust GMT900…

BY THE dawn of the 1970s, Datsun, Toyota, Mazda, and Honda were making huge headway in the American marketplace with cars that didn't cost a lot and used less gas. Chevrolet, American Motors, and Ford responded with the Vega, Gremlin, and Pinto. Each was offered in coupe form with a standard trunk and, ultimately, as a hatchback. Few buyers wanted station wagons at that time, and the hatchback body style made a compact car more practical. Performance and image weren't issues for this class of automobile; cars like the original GTI weren't born yet, much less today’s GTI and the Volvo C30. Funny enough, each of these Detroit hatchbacks had its foibles: Vega engines melted down (which ultimately killed off the model entirely), the Pinto went through its purported exploding…

TAKE THE 500-plus-horsepower, Formula 1-inspired sub-5.0-liter V-10 slated for the 2010 Lexus LF-A supercar, drop it in the body of the all-new 2011 GS sedan, and what’ve you got? The 2012 Lexus GS-F. Watch out, BMW M5, Audi RS6, Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, and 2009 Cadillac CTS-v! Details are sketchy, but engineers are said to be protecting the next-generation GS to be able to package. the supercar’s V-10. The GS-F apparently hasn't been approved for production. It would be a good idea, though, and not just for enthusiasts. It would cut engine costs through higher volume than by building it just for the exclusive supercar. This also is official (kind of) notice that a V-10 has emerged as the engine Lexus will use in its supercar. Lexus hasn't announced the engine,…

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER—you know, the seven-time World Champion who retired from Ferrari Formula 1 last year—is scheduled to help Luca Di Montezemolo pull the wraps off Ferrari's new lightweight F430 at the Frankfurt motor show in September. Ferrari has scuttled the 430 Pista name (‘Trend,” September) for the name 430 Scuderia. The key to this new version of Ferrari's two-seat Berlinetta is low, low weight. The Scuderia is a healthy 220 pounds lighter than a quotidian F430. Its 4308cc naturally aspirated V-8 has been tuned to 510 horses, up 27. So at 2756 pounds, the Scuderia achieves a weight-to-were power ratio of just 5.4 pounds per horsepower in a car that’s 103 pounds lighter than a Honda $2000 with five more horses than a Chevrolet Corvette Z06. For more perspective, the…

VOLVO bosses are lobbying Dearborn for permission to develop a large platform for the next XC90 and a full-size station wagon. The flagship XC90 has been an unexpected success, delivering strong sales all its life (85,000 worldwide, 33,200 in the U.S. in 2006). The current model is based on the P2X platform, also used in the S60 and the now-replaced generations of the V70 and S80. Volvo engineers believe there's potential for aiming the next-gen XC90, due in 2010, at more upscale (read German) competition. To spread development costs and improve purchasing, any platform needs as many cars as possible. Hence, Volvo is considering using these potential new underpinnings for a full-size wagon to sit above the V70. In 2003, the company showed a concept, the VCC, which was its…

DODGE HORNET: Chrysler has signed its deal with China's Chery to produce a B-segment subcompact primarily for Europe and Asia, although it could be sold in the U.S. as early as 2009 as a 2010 model. FORD B-SEGMENT: Ford will rely on the Mazda2 platform for a new subcompact, also arriving here in 2009 as a 2010, and possibly a small crossover based on it, to tackle Toyota's Scion division. It's likely to be built in Mexico or South America. Meanwhile, Mazda has ruled out selling its own B-segment car here. FIAT 500: This Mini-fighter commemorates the 50th anniversary of the original 500's launch. So far, it's a Euro-market car, but new Alfa Romeo dealers scheduled to open in spring 2009 could make showroom space for Abarth performance versions of…

HOW A CAR EXECUTES OUR COMMANDS MATTERS AS MUCH AS WHAT IT CAN DO. OH, WE GET LETTERS. “How can you lumberheads rate the new Acme Babe Magnet Turbo over my Consolidated Motors Apex Grande Swank? According to your own test results the Apex is 0.1 sec faster to 60 mph, corners with an additional 0.02 g, and stops from 60 mph in just 108 feet—versus a pitiful 109 for the BMT. How much do the people at Acme pay you to write such drivel?” Make a man mad, criticize his mother. Send him into a seething rage, criticize his car. Still, as I browse the vitriol that pours into our offices whenever we pronounce one car a“yea” and another a “nay,” between the collective lines I detect the seeds…

THE DARK BLUE 206 growls like a wounded grizzly as it thunders past on Patrick's first hot lap around APG, that monster 7.0-liter small-block under the hood reaching for its 7000-rpm redline with the effortless grace of a Michael Jordan slam-dunk. As all-American as apple pie—well—Chevrolet, the world's best-value supercar is getting down to business in a big hurry. Patrick hits a high of 152.53 mph through the turns, then nails a best of 177.38 mph as the big-lunged LS7 starts breathing deeply on the straights. And while the GT3 RS looks busy and kart-darty over the bumps, the big Corvette seems, from where we're standing, to ride like a Cadillac. And as technical editor Reynolds starts downloading the data, Patrick is quick to confirm our trackside assessment. “I thought…

A LOT OF manufacturers and tuners claim to build cars capable of hitting the magic double-century mark. But can they? Or more important, have they? Anyone with a calculator and a decent set of assumptions can determine a car's theoretical top speed, but scale wind-tunnel drag predictions don't always hold up in the real wind, where lift can make a car undrivable. Calculators can't tell you whether the fuel pump is capable of feeding that hungry engine—if it's not, some cylinders may run lean, burning pistons. To know for sure, someone has to pedal the car to 200 mph or beyond, and there aren't many places to safely do that. A closed circuit track is the obvious answer. The advantages include easier control of traffic, animals, etc. and the fact…

IF YOUR budget tops out at $25,000 and a V-6 doesn't make sense when a four-cylinder will suffice, then an Accord sedan with a 16-valve engine presents a compelling case. Offered in LX, LX-P, EX, and EX-L trims, and with pricing estimated at around 2007 levels ($21,000 to $24,000), the Accord sedan gets two new 2.4-liter four-bangers, one producing 180 horsepower at 6500 rpm and 166 pound-feet at 4500 (LX trims) and the other, thanks to a tweaked Powertrain Control Module and a high-flow muffler, 200 horsepower at 7000 and 170 pound-feet at 4500 (EX versions). A five-speed manual or automatic can be paired with either engine, both of which run on regular gas and meet ULEV-2 or PZEV emission standards. With the previous-generation’s Value Package trim gone, the LX…

1987 E3O M3 E30—1986-1991 LOUD, FAST, EDGY Originally built as a homologation special to allow BMW to compete in European touring car racing, the original M3 was powered by a 195-horse, 2.3-liter, 16-valve four-cylinder engine. Later Evo versions boasted 200, then 220 horsepower, with Sports Evolution model reaching 238 horses. COOL FACT: The original engine was developed in just two weeks, using the 2.0-liter block that formed the basis of the turbocharged F1 engine Nelson Piquet used to win the 1983 world championship, and two-thirds a four-valve head from an existing BMW six. KEY STATS: 0-62 mph in 6.7 seconds; 143-mph top speed; 84.8 horsepower/liter’ TOTAL PRODUCTION: 17,970 units *European launch models 1992 E36 M3 E36—1992-2000 STEALTH FIGHTER The purists howled when the E36 M3 appeared on the scene with…

PRODUCTION XF’S TURN SIGNAL/ROUND HEADLAMP TREATMENT UNDER CLEAR COVERS, LOOKS BETTER THAN THE THIN CAT-EYE CONCEPT’S LONDON—Hold your breath. Ian Callum is slowly motoring a preproduction 2009 Jaguar XF around a temporary driveway built at Skywood House, a surprisingly postmodern home set deep into verdant property somewhere in the outskirts of this city. ‘We wanted you to see it in motion,"’a P.R. exec intones. The XF does another lap of the temp road, the Jaguar design chief scarcely blipping the speedometer. The car is handsome and it's familiar. In the eight years since the S-Type revolutionized Jaguar, or, at least, its marketing department, rival BMW has revolutionized luxury-car styling. Mercedes-Benz has introduced the CLS “four-door sport coupe.” Lincoln's discontinued the LS with which the S-Type had shared its platform, and…

DON’T BE surprised, should you become the owner of a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan, if your kids Scooter and Buffy actually dance in anticipation of their ride to school each morning. So accommodating and packed with amusements is this all-new, fifth-gen version of the minivan that started it all a quarter-century ago, your primary morning chore will likely be prying the kids out of it. The new Caravan (and Chrysler Town & Country—see sidebar) arrives none too soon. Chrysler Corporation had the minivan market all to itself in 1984, but in the ensuing years its 100-percent share has steadily eroded in the growing shadow of myriad worthy arrivals—Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna, Kia Sedona, Nissan Quest, and more. The now-retiring fourth-gen Chrysler models still account for a segment-leading 38 percent of…

WITH THE exception of the 1996-2001 Acura Integra Type R, Honda has kept its highest-performing variants out of the hands of U.S. enthusiasts—until now. But make no mistake, we're not getting a new Type R. Honda is giving us its vision of the ultimate daily-driver/weekend race car: the 2008 $2000 CR (Club Racer). To create a street car that provides properly balanced track performance and excellent high-speed stability, Honda starts with a regular $2000. The stock softtop, spare tire, and tools are all removed, as are the hood and cabin insulation. Radio and air-conditioning are deleted as well, though they can be put back in as an option. For rainy days, the CR comes with the Honda Optional Equipment 48-pound nonstructural aluminum hardtop. Without the hardtop, air-conditioner, or radio, the…

ALTHOUGH relatively obscure in North America, Alpina has long been a top BMW tuner in Europe. While the tuner offers potent power packages for 3 and 5 Series Bimmers, BMW won't promote Alpina wares as it would be in direct competition with those of its popular M3 and MS super screamers. Yet, with no plan to produce an M7, BMW has teamed with Alpina to offer a dealership-sold tuner 7 Series. The BMW Alpina B7 offers M-like upgrades of power, handling, and style for a car that delivers a huge performance gain while retaining a luxurious ride. Similar to the new M5, the B7 delivers a stout 500 horsepower due to an 11.5psi boost delivered from an Alpina-engineered centrifugal supercharger system paired with an intercooler. Unlike most centrifugal superchargers, Alpina’s…

WOULD WE ENJOY spending a year (and then some) evaluating the ongoing performance and reliability of one of our all-time favorite sport sedans? Does Lindsay Lohan know how to mug for the camera? It was a fine day for all when, in December 2005, we took delivery of a Mystic Blue Metallic BMW 330i. Freshly redesigned for the 2006 model year, the new “E90"3 Series had a tough act to follow, the 1998-2005 “E46” version having won the unrestrained praises of this staff and the hearts and wallets of driving enthusiasts around the globe (in 2002, the model's best year, BMW sold more than 560,000 E46s worldwide). We felt it our civic duty to determine if the new edition was in fact “latest and greatest.” For 2006 BMW offered toys…