Innehållsförteckning för Sep-14 från Car and Driver

Sic your dogs on us at: editors@caranddriver.com or join the discussion at: backfires.caranddriver.com SHIFTLESS Dear "Save the Manuals" committee:I want to congratulate you for rising (sinking?) to a level of incompetence only previously shown in congressional attempts to cut spending. In your June comparison test issue you featured zero manual-transmission cars out of the 23 tested. While many of these don't offer the option of a manual transmission, to not choose manuals when they are optional (or even standard) just accelerates their demise. Please do a better job and actually feature manual-transmission cars whenever possible. BRUCE FUNDERBURGMADISON, ALABAMA I was excited to receive my June issue of C/D, especially after seeing it was the "Comparison Test Special," my favorite. Corvette versus Jag, cool … What's this, automatics?! Well…

FITTED LUGGAGE NOW THAT'S A HYBRID! WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN YOU CROSS AN OSPREY WITH A BADGER? Advanced Tactics recently announced the first successful flight test of its Black Knight Transformer, a hybrid truck/helicopter designed for military use. Four rotors on each side fold in for driving on narrow streets and can tilt forward like those on the Osprey for high-speed flight. With the ability to be piloted either onboard or remotely, the Black Knight could handle tasks currently assigned to the Osprey and Phantom Badger. It's a typical GOVERNMENT PROBLEM: You've spent billions of dollars developing an aircraft unlike any other for the express purpose of getting troops into remote areas faster than traditional helicopters can. But the result, the tilt-rotor V-22 Osprey, is so narrow that military…

This month, let us consider two men—two has-beens, as in, each has been a success in the automotive biz, honing skills that led to gratifying careers involving no cars at all. Consider, first, Canada's Terry Cleland, whose career took off in the early '80s, when he was the crew chief for Can-Am owner/driver Horst Kroll, then for IMSA and SCCA racer Ludwig Heimrath, then for Indy-car pilot Jacques Villeneuve. In those jobs, he worked daily with carbon fiber, becoming, well, the Rodin of composites. "At one point," he recalls, "I was converting Ludwig's Porsche 934 to a 935, and it started to look like a spaceship. Hurley [Haywood] told me, 'That's never gonna work.' But it did." During one Indy-car season, however, Terry was on the road 200 days, and…

AUDI S3 plus: Quick, cuddle-worthy style, highly intelligent automatic transmission. minus: No dumb-but-fun manual transmission for the U.S. market. So here's a question for Audi's marketing department: Why should anybody buy an S4 sedan? The new S3 is cheaper, quicker (4.4 seconds to 60!), and, although this won't trigger a buying impulse in everybody, considerably cuter. Sure, it's down a couple of cylinders compared with its bigger brother, and it has to make do with a less sophisticated four-wheel-drive system. But this is 2014 and the world is downsizing; even the BMW M3 has given up two pots. Let's start with the obvious point that the S3 you're looking at here has its steering wheel on the wrong side and wears a license plate that looks like an eye chart…

CALIFORNICATION first drive . Brought to you by the letter "T," for turbo. Five years ago, if you'd asked Ferrari engineers why they didn't use turbochargers, you probably would've gotten colorful responses involving a lot of suggestive hand gestures. With very few exceptions (F40), forced induction used to be blasphemous in Maranello—not enough aural emotion. And now here we have the new California T, short for turbo. What are we to make of this? Is Ferrari simply holding out on its entry-level American customers, leaving the good, naturally aspirated stuff slightly out of reach? Or has turbocharging somehow redeemed itself in better Modenese society? Before we answer the foregoing, know that the updated Cali brings more than just a pair of turbos. All the sheetmetal is new with the exception…

LEXUS RC F An F Sport model will be sold alongside the regular RC350, and it will pack adaptive dampers, Lexus's Dynamic Handling equipment (variable-ratio and four-wheel steering), 19-inch wheels, and body enhancements that include a grille mesh made from dozens of tiny F logos. — RC F: With a requisite Lexus gaping maw, the rear-drive RC F coupe fits a 460-hp, 380-lb-ft V-8 to an eight-speed automatic. It's a bump up from the old IS F sedan, which the RC F effectively replaces. The IS F drew 416 horsepower and 371 pound-feet from almost the same 5.0-liter engine. The RC F is set to lock horns with the BMW M3 and various AMGs. Lexus will expand its F offerings by roughly one model per year over the next 24…

Two affordable performance icons on our favorite affordable ohio roads. SUBARU WRX PRICE > $29,290 POWER > 268 HP TORQUE > 258 LB-FT WEIGHT > 3314 LB C/D OBSERVED MPG > 22 VOLKSWAGEN GTI PRICE > $28,305 POWER > 220 HP TORQUE > 258 LB-FT WEIGHT > 3105 LB C/D OBSERVED MPG > 26 You have heard plenty over the years about Subaru's rally-inspired WRX. And, owing to its longer life span, you have probably heard even more about Volkswagen's genre-defining hot hatch, the GTI. It's now in its seventh generation. Goodness knows, you've also heard plenty from us about the southern Ohio area of Hocking Hills around Cedar Falls. We've been such ardent and vocal fans of the area's beautifully maintained and lightly traveled roads that even the Hocking…

C/D: So have you added anything to your own collection lately? CJ: I think the last thing I bought was a new ZL1. General Motors made it with the same numbers as my '69 Camaro ZL1. C/D: What do you drive every day? CJ: Usually an Escalade or a Bentley GTC. I drive the Veyron quite a bit if the weather's nice. C/D: Do you see a generational shift in the hobby? CJ: When I grew up, my dad [Russ Jackson] and Tom Barrett collected primarily prewar cars. I grew up with American muscle. Then, as my father's generation aged, I started saying, "We're going to have to start broadening what car collecting is." So we had to start looking at postwar and the whole hot-rod phenomenon. And also what…

One consequence of THE Great Recession and the government rescue of automakers is that many Americans watch the industry's executive compensation a little more closely than they did before. Consider us among the many. With help from Equilar, an executive-compensation and corporate-governance data firm, we looked at how much these executives at six of the world's largest automakers rake in each year. At this level, it's not as simple as drawing a paycheck every two weeks. A base salary can be a paltry $1 million or less, but stock options, performance bonuses, and other financial gravy can jack up an exec's annual gross to dizzying heights. The champion breadwinner among the domestic automakers' executives is Alan Mulally, the recently retired Ford CEO who took home what many consider a well-deserved…

PRIME CUTS PLANKING The more expensive the car, the heavier its trim. Shown here: how many ounces a square inch of each car's trim weighs. 0.07 VW PASSAT SEL $32,115* 0.18 Audi S8 $115,825 0.31 Bentley Mulsanne $310,125 *2014 price Aluminum and carbon-fiber trim pieces might be fashionable in car cabins these days, but nothing classes up the joint quite like the look of wood. Which is not to say that all lumber is created equal. To examine how automakers trim their cars with trees (or fake ones) at different price points, we collected samples from three castes of the Volkswagen Group and dropped the miter saw on them. AT CREWE, 15 CRAFTSPEOPLE WORK TO TURN RAW VENEERS INTO A COMPLETE SET OF MULSANNE TRIM. BENTLEY MULSANNE Dark-stained, 0.02-inch-thick burl…

What sense can we make of the future of the automobile? Three things appear central to me. The first is that we live in market capitalism, which means that endeavors must pay their own way. Second, our nation is at present structured around personal transportation—the automobile. Third is that no technology too expensive to serve the mass market can significantly affect national energy use or air quality. Every week, someone forwards to me an announcement of a fabulous barrel engine, swash-plate engine, or advanced battery that is poised to replace the internal-combustion engine. But market capitalism requires that any revolutionary prime mover must save so much overall expense that automakers can afford to scrap their existing tooling, replace it with new, and still earn a profit. The Wankel came close.…

THE LIST BMW [ MARKET SHARE 2.06%, +0.06% ] — Alpina B6 xDrive Gran Coupe: Alpina is a sort of half-sibling competitor for BMW's own M division. Think of the B6 as an M6 Gran Coupe that is more luxurious and faster (BMW claims it tops out at 198 mph ungoverned, 38 mph higher than the M's wet blanket is set), and comes with four-wheel drive for only $1000 more. — i3: see comparo, page 098 — i8: The higher-profile prong of BMW's i subbrand can go 22 miles on electrons, skips the next 20 or so years of car design, carries a turbocharged triple, and has serious sporting intent—a zero-to-60 sprint of just 3.8 seconds. The gas engine drives the rear wheels with help from a small electric motor;…

HYUNDAI [ MARKET SHARE 4.53%, -0.05% ] — Genesis: see test, page 078 — Genesis coupe: Hyundai's rear-wheel-drive coupe carries on, based on the old Genesis platform, but only in limited form. Hyundai nixed the turbo 2.0-liter engine to avoid the cost of engineering it to comply with more-stringent emissions standards. The remaining engine is a 3.8-liter V-6. Expect an entirely new coupe, based on new Genesis-sedan underpinnings, for the 2016 model year. — Sonata: see test, this page — Tucson: The Tucson compact SUV will serve as the platform for Hyundai's foray into hydrogen-fuel-cell electric vehicles. The lease-only Tucson Fuel Cell can be had only on a 36-month basis for $499/month with $2999 down. That price includes free hydrogen—thanks, universe!—but the fuel-cell model is, for now, only available in…

MERCEDES-BENZ B-CLASS ELECTRIC DRIVE PRICE > $50,710 POWER > 177 HP TORQUE > 251 LB-FT WEIGHT > 3935 LB C/D OBSERVED MPGe > 97 BMW i3 PRICE > $51,175 POWER > 170 HP TORQUE > 184 LB-FT WEIGHT > 2853 LB C/D OBSERVED MPGe > 123 In Los Angeles County, and particularly on the ocean side of the I-405 freeway, eco-awareness is the highest virtue. The Tesla Model S is the halo car, and most cabs are Priuses. ChargePoint.com's online locator lists a staggering 49 electric-car chargers in Century City, the 176-acre high-end westside district built on what was once the back lot of 20th Century Fox. That's 15 more chargers than the whole 49.5-million-acre state of Nebraska can claim. There isn't any place in North America more eager or…

We have a long and checkered history with the current-generation Volvo S60. First it lost to the Buick Regal GS in a head-to-head comparison test. Then, given a chance to redeem itself in a five-car sports-sedan comparo in which it was spotted a 60-hp advantage, it finished last. We signed on for a long-termer anyway, and the car wound up requiring a brain transplant to complete its 40,000-mile test. Now the S60 returns—this time with a new heart [see Model-Year Advances, Pt. 2]. A 2.0-liter, direct-injected four-cylinder mated to an eight-speed transaxle with stop-start forms the basis of a goofy new appellation, "Drive-E." (Note to Volvo: Put the internetty vowel before the word.) All future Volvos will be powered by these new fours, which, oddly, retain the T5 and T6…

SHARK TANK FRICKIN' LASERS Okay, so they're too bright for the U.S. But lasers also require very little energy to operate. HIGH-BEAM SOURCE LIGHTING INTENSITY ENERGY DRAW PER PAIR HALOGEN 162,500 cd 220 watts XENON HID 175,000 cd 140 watts LED 237,500 cd 72 watts LASER 425,000 cd 40 watts CD: candela, a unit of luminous intensity. MAXIMUM LEGAL LIGHTING INTENSITY EUROPE, JAPAN: 430,000 CD CHINA: 225,000 CD U.S.: 150,000 CD LASER DIODES EMIT BLUE LIGHT THAT IS TURNED WHITE BY A PHOSPHOR-COATED FILM. Ever since Audi began its rise from mislabeled killer to bona fide premium brand, it's had its sights on BMW. Now, the battle has turned Star Wars, and the two are sparring with lasers. In 2009, in a proverbial Biergarten meeting, BMW engineers sketched out their…

CRATE & DOUBLE BARREL KEY: CHEVROLET PERFORMANCE SMALL-BLOCK ENGINES / CHEVROLET PERFORMANCE LS-SERIES ENGINES CHEVROLET PERFORMANCE BIG-BLOCK ENGINES / FORD RACING PUSHROD ENGINES / FORD RACING OHC ENGINES MOPAR GEN III HEMI / MOPAR GEN II HEMI / MOPAR COMPETITION V-10 / MOPAR SMALL-BLOCK MOPAR COMPETITION V-10 512 cu in, 800 hp, 695 lb-ft, 530 lb, $39,096 CHEVROLET LSX454R 454 cu in, 770 hp, 612 lb-ft, 619 lb, $24,038 CHEVROLET ZZ572/720R 572 cu in, 720 hp, 685 lb-ft, 575 lb, $17,904 CHEVROLET ZZ572/620 572 cu in, 620 hp, 650 lb-ft, 580 lb, $17,225 MOPAR 572 HEMI 572 cu in, 650 hp, 660 lb-ft, 650 lb, $18,500 MOPAR 528 HEMI 528 cu in, 640 hp, 612 lb-ft, 650 lb, $18,965 CHEVROLET LS9 376 cu in, 638 hp, 604 lb-ft, 549 lb,…

And we're back! The skyscraper graphs on these pages show each brand's new-car sales for the past 10 years; the pink bar, for 2015, is predictive. But what these towers actually reveal is the resilience of the new-car market—see the steady rebounds from all those dips in 2009. Despite the media noise about millennials' car apathy and the growth of the ride-sharing culture, the fact is that life in America demands a car. Given our preference, we also want to drive the newest, the latest, and the greatest. The following 59 pages delve into all that is to come for 2015, making it clear that the death of the car has been greatly exaggerated. TOTAL PREDICTED SALES FOR 2015: 16.4 MILLION THE LIST Details of each brand's 2015 model-year lineup…

BEELZEBUBBA This is the stuff of redneck dreams … and everyone else's nightmares. Make room, Beelzebub, there's a new demon-prince pony car in town, and it's from the people who once brought you a real Demon. This Challenger brandishes numbers to shame the mightiest Mustangs and Camaros. Known in this mortal realm as the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, its 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V-8 conjures up a tire- and soul-melting 707 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of panty-bunching torque, played to a tune composed entirely of flatted fifth notes. The pony-car business is by nature a game of one-upmanship, so it was inevi-table that someone would eventually top the 662-hp Ford Mustang GT500. We just didn't expect the 700-hp threshold to be crossed so soon. The Hellcat brings 45 more horsepower than…

HURACáN FORCE LAMBORGHINI HURACáN LP610-4 plus: Scarcely believable acceleration, sharp and smart transmission. minus: Punishing ride, awkward infotainment controls. equals: Toned-down looks, amped-up performance. Sedona: After a brief dirt nap, Kia's minivan is revived. The new one packs more power, space, and technology than the old Sedona. Motivation comes from a 276-hp 3.3-liter V-6 coupled to a six-speed automatic. There's more legroom in all three rows than before, as well as available "First Class" seating in the second row, allowing passengers to slide their seats way back and deploy a recliner-style leg rest. Newly available safety gear includes adaptive cruise, forward-collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. Being a Kia, it's stylish but not overwrought. — Soul EV: Kia is basing its first electric vehicle on its runaway-hit Soul.…

S-class: New last year, Mercedes' flagship sedan gets joined by a dramatic coupe for 2015 [see test, p. 094]. — SL-class: Alert the leisure classes: The SL400 roadster joins the lineup, offering the same iconic style as the SL550, SL63 AMG, and SL65 AMG but with the sensible twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 under the hood, making 329 horses and 354 pound-feet of torque. — SLS AMG GT: Availability is limited to a run of 350 "Final Edition" models, all of which will be sold by the time you read this. — Sprinter: We're only going to say this once: 4x4 Sprinter. Coming only with the 188-hp V-6 diesel mated to a five-speed automatic (low range is optional), this lifted box on wheels is bound to become the ne plus ultra mobile…

The Accord is nothing if not popular; Honda's bestseller ranked second among all cars in the U.S. in 2013, with 366,678 sales. Unit number 58,634 entered the Car and Driver fleet shortly after this ninth generation made its debut and just after the Accord landed on our 10Best list for the 27th time. We have feted each generation since the second; we failed to recognize the first gen, not out of any editorial malfeasance, but because we didn't establish our annual awards until 1983, after the ur-Accord was already out of production. Do you know who really loves the Honda Accord, though? Thieves. The Accord tops recent surveys of the most-stolen vehicles by both the National Insurance Crime Bureau as well as security vendor LoJack. While that bellwether of desirability…