Innehållsförteckning för February 2020 från Car and Driver

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao “[The Obama-era] rules are making cars more expensive and impeding traffic safety because consumers are priced out of newer, safer vehicles.” Governor of California Gavin Newsom “Few issues are more pressing than climate change, a global threat that endangers our lives and livelihoods. California, a coalition of states, and these automakers are leading the way on smart policies that make the air cleaner and safer for us all.”…

I’ve always been creeped out by the silence of the desert. Invariably, I start to wonder if I’ve had some sort of brain bleed that’s quietly taken out my ability to hear. So when I heard the distinctive rumble of a small-block V-8 in the distance, it felt to me as if I’d just stumbled across an oasis after days stranded in the sand. (My idea of a desert stranding comes entirely from Bugs Bunny cartoons.) Okay, I’d been waiting for only 10 minutes, and that was because I was early to the meeting spot. Still, who should stand in judgment of another man’s fears? Then I see it. A great flaming four-eyed wolf spider thundering up the dirt trail toward me. Against the dung-colored desert, its bright-red body is…

If a Mustang can be both a gas-chugging muscle car and an electric crossover in the 21st century, who’s to say that a Bronco should be only an off-road-capable, body-on-frame truck? Not Ford. Within a year of the Bronco’s arrival, Ford will co-opt the name for a smaller, cheaper crossover, likely to be called Bronco Sport. This isn’t the first time Ford has leveraged the Bronco name to a smaller and less capable ute: You may recall the Bronco II sold in the ’80s. But unlike that pickup-based SUV, the Bronco Sport will be closely related to the Escape, sharing only styling cues and maybe a few interior switches with the big Bronco but no significant hardware. Based on spy photos and leaked images, our illustration gives you a solid…

1. 90-Degree Left-Hand Highway Curve Speed Limit: 70 mph • Recommended Speed: 60 mph Set Speed: 75 mph • Left Lane Super Cruise Nailed it. Smooth steering with no slowdown, day or night. Autopilot Great control and maintained the set speed. No issues. Comma.ai Slowed considerably from the 75-mph set speed to 68 mph during the day and to a poky 64 mph at night. Steering wasn’t as smooth as it was in the others. Flashed an alert: “Take control. Turn exceeds steering limits.” but this didn’t require driver intervention. 2. Left-Hand Curve Combined with a Lane Expansion on the Left Side Speed Limit: 70 mph • Set Speed: 75 mph • Left Lane Super Cruise In daylight, it perfectly navigated the curve and stayed in its lane, but it…

Conestoga Dragon Audi’s new RS6 Avant establishes a strong foothold in hostile territory. It’s an unforgiving world, the station-wagon market, with savage competition for an ankle-deep pool of buyers. If you’re going to wade in, you’d better be prepared to make a splash. One way to do that is to finally cross an ocean. For the first time, Audi’s RS6 Avant will be available in North America, and it’s arriving ready to fight. The RS6’s twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 turns air and direct-injected gasoline into a 591-hp tidal wave. The eight-speed automatic, all-wheel-drive system, and launch-control programming make for such consistent hole shots that they might get boring, except that hitting 60 mph in 3.4 seconds (Audi’s claim) never gets boring. Spec the optional carbon-ceramic brake rotors and that charge will…

We know what you’re thinking: Didn’t you just pick the Ram 1500 as a 10Best winner? Why are you comparing these trucks again so soon? Well, upsets happen all the time, and when you narrow the focus to a single model rather than the entire range, it’s possible that a Ford or a Chevy beats the Ram. So we lined up the Big Three’s new half-ton diesels and let them slug it out. It was a fair fight. We gathered four-door crew-cab versions with four-wheel drive and two-speed transfer cases, five-seat leather interiors, and five-figure asking prices that start with “6.” In other words: These aren’t strictly work trucks. These pickups fulfill a daily mission not unlike a large SUV, albeit with heftier towing capacities [see “Truth in Numbers,” page…

ENGINE For the U.S. market, the R129 was sold with two different DOHC inline-sixes, two different V-8s, and a V-12. Each model had its charms, but our favorite was the 500SL (a.k.a. the SL500 after Mercedes switched its naming scheme in 1994) with the M119 V-8. Sold between 1990 and 1998, this DOHC 5.0-liter was ultrahigh tech for its day. It even had variable intake-valve timing. Producing 322 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque, the 500SL was capable of period-sports-car acceleration with a muscle-car soundtrack to match. “DURING OUR ROAD TEST, THE SL REMAINED UNFLAPPABLE EVEN WHEN DRIVEN SO QUICKLY OVER WINDING ROADS THAT THE AUTOMATIC ROLLOVER BAR DEPLOYED IN CONCERN.”—Csaba Csere, C/D, December 1989 VALUE It takes less than $10,000 to buy a presentable V-8 R129; $15,000 gets you…

We all have that friend, the one who buys a new car loaded with every electronic knickknack even though he can barely keep up with the payments. At some point, you’ve maybe been that friend. With car loans at record-high balances and terms lasting longer than the typical celebrity marriage, impulse decisions in the showroom are costing Americans more than ever. According to Experian, in the second quarter of 2019, new-car buyers on average borrowed $32,119. More people turned to 72- and 84-month terms. Talk about a seven-year itch. These loans coupled with good-credit interest rates ranging between 4 and 6 percent ensure that buyers end up paying a lot more than the number on the sticker. So where’s the relief? AAA repair systems manager David Bennett says what we…

1966–77 The Legend The first Bronco was like an off-road counterpart to the Mustang, with an available V-8, coil springs up front, and a removable top. It was also tiny, with a wheelbase about five inches shorter than a two-door JL Wrangler’s. It’s the most collectible Bronco and also the spirit animal for the 2021 model. Hot Setup: a ‘76 or ‘77 with disc brakes, a Dana 44 front end, and a 4.9-liter V-8. 1978–79 The Beefy Years In 1978, the Bronco followed the Chevy Blazer’s lead and got huge. Basically a shortened F-100 pickup with seats in the bed, this generation is prized for its combination of girth and bulletproof live front axle. The top still came off but only over the rear seats and cargo area. Hot Setup:…

New EV brands are sprouting faster than marijuana stores in Los Angeles. In the next few years, Aspark, Bollinger, Byton, Faraday, Lordstown, and probably a few others we can’t remember promise to do big things. Specifically, build actual cars that can be bought and driven. And while we’re learning and forgetting all these new names—thanks a lot, short-term memory loss—we’re grateful to be already familiar with at least one: Polestar. Polestar is Volvo’s performance subbrand, an in-house tuner that cranks all the knobs on Volvos in ways that make enthusiasts grin. Now the company is branching out into electrified vehicles. Volvo’s owner, Chinese automaker Geely, is responsible for this, and the 1 is Polestar’s appropriately named first offering. The second will be the electric-only 2, a high-roof four-door hatchback with…

For $7300 more than the 443-hp 911 Carrera S, the 4S gains all-wheel drive and … well, that’s it. New for the 992 generation, rear-wheel-drive 911s wear the wide-body fenders that were once a selling point for the 4S. There is no standard-equipment difference between the S and the 4S beyond the all-wheel-drive hardware and a marginally larger fuel tank. The original four-season sports car doesn’t have to withdraw into winter torpor. With the right tires, it will fly in any weather (the rear-drive models fare just fine in winter with the correct rubber, too). Porsche—always minding the pecking order of the more than 20 variants in its rear-engine flock—provides another incentive to spring for all-wheel drive. Despite a 139- pound weight penalty, the 4S neatly trims a tenth of…

In the Porsche world, “GTS” denotes a model with high performance and low frippery—speed with value. Kia applies a similar concept to the Stinger GTS, with extra emphasis on value, of course. Korea’s GTS offers a trick all-wheel-drive system, called D-AWD, that features a Drift mode, just like the BMW M5 and the Mercedes-AMG E63 S. Unlike those six-figure Germans, the Kia costs $44,995. That’s for the rear-drive model. But you’ll probably want to spend the extra $2400 for the D-AWD system, since this new driveline is the main differentiator between the GTS and other V-6 Stingers. (The 365-hp twin-turbo 3.3-liter is unchanged.) While the temptation to disconnect the front axle for tire-frying antics never sleeps, Sport mode is where it’s at on track. When it’s sending torque to all…

We have finally found the Subaru that dogs hate: the 2019 STI S209. Well, perhaps Beau, the miniature Australian shepherd, might not hate the track-oriented S209, but judging by the partly digested kibble he ralphed on the passenger’s seat, it’s fair to say he finds the ride nauseating. But that’s just, like, one dog’s opinion, man. Beau’s reaction does, however, highlight the yawning chasm between the hot-rodded STI and the bulk of Subaru’s amiable, pet-friendly lineup. Of course, this limited edition isn’t made for dogs. It’s made for people who have almost $65,000 to spend on this, the swan song of the current-generation STI. Subaru needs to find 209 of these people if it’s to sell the full run of S209s. Those buyers will get the quickest STI we’ve ever…

CLOSE YOUR EYES, PLEASE. OKAY, WAIT. You’ll have to open them if you’re going to read. Did you open them yet? Great. Now, take a nice deep breath. Feel the air rush through your nostrils as your lungs expand. And hold. Two. Three. Four. Now release. Ah … Here we are again, at our center. Driving sports sedans, the vehicles that, more than any others, exemplify the Car and Driver ethos. They’re practical, fun, and relatively efficient. They don’t necessarily need to be from premium brands. If cars like these existed for $15,000 less without the snooty logos punched onto their noses, we’d be into that. But they don’t. Breathe in. Breathe out. Accept. So here we are with a quartet of luxury sports sedans—two past 10Best winners, one legendary 10Best nameplate,…

Price As Tested ……………………$156,500 Base ………………………………………………………. $156,500 Vehicle Type: front- and mid-motor, front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 2+2-passenger, 2-door coupe Audio: bowers & Wilkins; satellite radio; uSb, SD-card, and bluetooth inputs; Android Auto and Apple CarPlay interfaces; 17 speakers Engine turbocharged, supercharged, and intercooled inline-4; aluminum block and head Bore x Stroke ……. 3.23 x 3.67 in, 82.0 x 93.2 mm Displacement …………………………. 120 cu in, 1969 cc Compression Ratio ……………………………………. 10.3:1 Fuel Delivery: direct injection Valve Gear: DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder, variable intake- and exhaust-valve timing Redline/Fuel Cutoff ……. none/6300—6700 rpm Power ……………………………………. 326 hp @ 6000 rpm Torque ……………………………….. 384 lb-ft @ 2600 rpm Motors Front: permanent-magnet synchronous AC • Power ……………………………………. 71 hp @ 3500 rpm • Torque ……………………………….. 119 lb-ft @ 500 rpm Mid (x2): permanent-magnet synchronous AC…

Let’s do some free associating. When we say “compact car,” you say—well, honestly, this is kind of hard to do from inside a magazine. Not exactly what Freud had in mind. But if your answer is closer to “small sedan” than “three-row SUV,” we’re sorry to say that you lack the creativity needed to work at Mercedes-Benz. No, when the visionaries in Stuttgart created their new transverse-engine platform for the puny A, CLA, and GLA models and saw that it was good, they stretched it into a seven-seat crossover just 0.9 inch shorter than the GLC. Called the GLB, that crossover debuted in concept form last April wearing knobby off-road tires, more than its fair share of plastic cladding, and a roof-mounted light bar. Led on by Mercedes, the automotive…

“Crude” is too negative. “Raw,” although more accurate, sells the 2020 Lotus Evora GT short. “Intense” is a fair descriptor for the mid-engine sports car, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. Let’s go with “analog.” Sigh. We know that brings up images of vinyl records. But forget the hipsters; we mean it in the best possible sense. Like every Lotus we can recall, the Evora GT is built to take corners. There’s a clear connection in the hydraulically assisted steering, and the chassis happily complies with what the cornering pressure and the steering dial up. Bilstein dampers offer excellent body control and a livable ride. This car will untangle even the most serpentine road with an inherent ease that’ll impress a Porsche owner. An analog and engaging driving experience…

Automotive launches often lean on corporate history, the new car presented proudly with a nod to an equally proud past. But sometimes the carefully crafted history lesson takes a turn and knocks the mind off script. Was the presenter alluding to war-on-drugs-era paranoia when he described the CLA-class as the “gateway” to the Mercedes brand? Or was he simply looking for a more credible adjective than “entry-level” for AMG’s most affordable model? Either way, let’s work with it. If the CLA-class is the candy-flavored vape pen to the S-class’s Marlboro Red, then the AMG-tuned CLA35 is a pencil-thin joint to the E63’s speedball. At its $47,895 base price, the 35 justifies the spend with its 302-hp, 295-lb-ft turbocharged 2.0-liter four. Bolted to the engine is a seven-speed dual-clutch transaxle and…