Innehållsförteckning för June 2020 från Car and Driver

At Car and Driver, we spend most of our time focused on what’s new. But despite our love of fresh sheetmetal, some manufacturers continue toiling away at the same old, same old. Why are so many relics still rolling out of factories? Well, you don’t see KFC revising its original recipe. If the engineering, design, and tooling costs of a product were paid off years ago, and if customers are still putting down money, the savvy businessperson stays the course, even when the vehicle starts to look like an antique. Here are some of the longest-lasting examples of that passive strategy. DODGE JOURNEY The Journey is everywhere. U.S. sales of Dodge’s mid-size ute peaked at more than 106,000 in 2016, eight years into its run. And dealers still moved 94,000…

I need an icebreaker. Not the Russian Arktikaclass variant, not that I don’t want a 75,000-hp ship capable of busting through 16 feet of solid ice, but where would I put it? My neighbors already look askance at the oil stains in my driveway. Also, I don’t think I could get away with nuclear reactors. I need the other kind of icebreaker, the one for parties where you have to talk to strangers but nobody’s drunk yet. Well, some of you might be, but for those who aren’t, I’m going to lean on the experts in long-distance communication. I was launched the same year NASA sent the Voyager spacecraft in search of extraterrestrial life, so let’s look to them for tips on making new friends. Voyager’s goal was to map…

1 To siphon fuel from a modern vehicle, you’ll need a semirigid tube to make it past the internal valve. PEX or polyethylene tubing works well. Insert a 10-foot-long, quarter- or half-inch-diameter piece into the filler neck until it bottoms out. If it catches as it’s inserted, rotate the tube as you push. Blow into the tube to confirm that the end is submerged. You should feel backpressure in your mouth and hear bubbling from the tank. Place the free end of the tube in a jerrycan that’s positioned lower than the fuel tank you are siphoning from. 2 Insert half of an 18-inch-long tube into the filler neck alongside the other tube. 3 Wrap a rag or plastic bag around the tubes and stuff it into the top of the…

1 Remove the trim around the ignition switch and locate the bundle of wires connected to the switch. 2 Identify the wires that bring power to the switch from the battery. They’ll generally be larger in diameter than the other wires in this bundle. (What? You didn’t do any research on this model to figure out what colors the important wires are?) 3 Identify the wires for the body and electronic control modules. They, too, should be thick wires. 4 Strip the insulation from the two power wires and the two control-module wires, then splice one power to the body control module and the other to the electronic one. 5 Identify the starter wire(s). If there are two, cut them, strip back the insulation, and touch them together just long enough…

THE NUMBERS Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon Base*/As Tested ......... $234,102/$277,904 Engine: twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection Displacement ........................ 244 in3, 3996 cm3 Power (mfr’s claim) .......... 725 hp @ 5700 rpm Torque (mfr’s claim) .... 750 lb-ft @ 3500 rpm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Dimensions • Wheelbase ................................................. 118.2 in • L/W/H .................................... 201.3/79.4/64.0 in • Curb Weight .............................................. 5140 lb TEST RESULTS Rollout, 1 ft ................................................. 0.3 sec 60 mph ........................................................... 2.7 sec 100 mph ........................................................ 6.8 sec 130 mph ....................................................... 12.0 sec 150 mph ........................................................ 17.5 sec Rolling Start, 5–60 mph ........................ 4.2 sec 1/4-Mile ................................. 10.9 sec @ 125 mph Braking, 70–0 mph ..................................... 150 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad ................ 1.04 g We don’t have the sex…

You can’t immediately tell the status of the folks sitting in a 2020 Audi S8. Even in this big executive sedan, it’s not a safe assumption that it’s the boss in the back seat. The smart boss would be behind the wheel. What is it about a big fast car that is so empowering? Does it engender a sense of invincibility, or tap into the notion that might makes right? Whatever it is, it’s unquestionably satisfying to floor a 563-hp sedan and feel 5256 pounds’ worth of quilted, massaging seats and carbon-fiberinlaid door panels hunker down and move forward with minimal lag or drama. The S8’s twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 shoots the car to 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 11.6 seconds at 119 mph. Even…

Tribute bands know the songs, but it’s the rare Elvis impersonator who earns his own audience. Gordon Murray hopes his forthcoming T.50 supercar, inspired by the McLaren F1 he also designed, will do just that. The new car will hit many of the same notes as the original, and Murray says his goal is to build “the last analog supercar.” But we’re most excited about the promise of active aerodynamics driven by the T.50’s 15.7inch fan. Murray had already designed a fan-assisted car. He developed the BT46B for the Brabham Formula 1 team’s 1978 campaign. It won the only race in which it was officially entered, the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix, by a lengthy 34 seconds. Before it could repeat that performance, Brabham’s then boss Bernie Ecclestone, who was angling…

1 Loosen the lugs, jack up the vehicle, and remove the wheel. 2 Bleed the air from the tire. With the tire lying flat, slide it under the car so the sidewall is beneath the sturdiest low point of the underbody. Lower the jack. The car’s weight will push the tire bead off its seat. Raise the car and repeat the process, spinning the wheel each time until the bead is free. Flip the wheel over and repeat on the other bead. Pro tip: Place a wood block or a brick between the vehicle and the tire to focus the weight on the bead. 3 Insert a crowbar and a long-shaft screwdriver between the tire and the rim. Pry the bead to the outside of the wheel with the crowbar…

You may be familiar with the idea of a bug-out bag: a backpack or duffel filled with essential medications, clothes, firearms (if you are so inclined), food, and other necessities. But if you’re really fleeing a hairy situation, wouldn’t you take your car? So why limit yourself to a backpack? Assemble the following in a corner of your garage so you can toss it all into the trunk at a moment’s notice and ensure that your car continues to serve you long into the apocalypse. • A selection of sockets and wrenches • Persuasion tools (hammers, Vise-Grips, pliers, pry bars) • A voltmeter, wire strippers, and electrical tape • Duct tape and WD-40 (these do-alls may become the bullion of apocalyptic currency, so pack multiples) • A tire-patch kit and…

THE NUMBERS Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear- or all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan Base ...................... $45,490–$46,590 Engine: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection Displacement ................ 166 in3, 2727 cm3 Power ........................... 325 hp @ 5500 rpm Torque ..................... 380 lb-ft @ 2000 rpm Transmission: 10-speed automatic Dimensions • Wheelbase ...................................... 109.3 in • L/W/H ........................... 187.2/71.5/56.0 in • Curb Weight ....................... 3650–3800 lb Performance (C/D est) • 60 mph ...................................... 4.9–5.1 sec • 100 mph ................................. 11.6–11.8 sec • 1/4-Mile ................................. 13.4–13.6 sec • Top Speed ..................................... 165 mph EPA Fuel Economy • Comb/City/Hwy ....... 23/20/28–29 mpg The decades following your centennial are an unusual time for teenage selfdiscovery, but that’s exactly where Cadillac finds itself. Multiple reinventions in recent years and regular product reengineerings…

THE NUMBERS Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheeldrive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan Base/As Tested ...... $39,645/$52,830 Engine: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection Displacement ................. 122 in3, 1991 cm3 Power ............................ 221 hp @ 5800 rpm Torque ...................... 258 lb-ft @ 1800 rpm Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic Dimensions • Wheelbase ...................................... 107.4 in • L/W/H .......................... 184.6/72.0/56.7 in • Curb Weight ................................... 3535 lb TEST RESULTS Rollout, 1 ft ....................................... 0.3 sec 60 mph ................................................ 5.6 sec 100 mph ............................................. 15.0 sec 130 mph ............................................ 30.3 sec Rolling Start, 5–60 mph ............... 6.1 sec 1/4-Mile ......................... 14.2 sec @ 97 mph Top Speed (gov ltd) ..................... 130 mph Braking, 70–0 mph ........................... 166 ft EPA Fuel Economy • Comb/City/Hwy .............. 27/23/33 mpg C/D Fuel Economy •…

THE NUMBERS Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheeldrive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback Base/As Tested ..... $90,495/$101,340 Engine: twin-turbocharged, supercharged, and intercooled DOHC 24-valve V-6; aluminum block and heads; direct fuel injection Displacement ............... 177 in3, 2894 cm3 Power ........................... 444 hp @ 6700 rpm Torque ...................... 443 lb-ft @ 1900 rpm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Dimensions • Wheelbase ....................................... 115.3 in • L/W/H ........................... 196.0/75.1/55.8 in • Curb Weight .................................. 4640 lb TEST RESULTS Rollout, 1 ft ....................................... 0.2 sec 60 mph .................................................. 4.1 sec 100 mph ............................................... 9.9 sec 130 mph ............................................. 17.6 sec Rolling Start, 5–60 mph ............. 4.8 sec 1/4-Mile ........................ 12.5 sec @ 112 mph Top Speed (mfr’s claim) ............ 155 mph Braking, 70–0 mph ............................. 151 ft EPA Fuel Economy • Comb/City/Hwy .............. 22/18/28 mpg C/D Fuel Economy •…

BALLOT BOX Thank you, Backfires readers, for participating in our great infotainment poll [March 2020], but really, you can stop now. Seriously, that’s enough. Given how passionate some of you are about this subject, we decided to dig a little deeper, interviewing an interior designer from each side of the screen-integration equation and asking them to explain themselves. Here’s what the teams at Mazda, which uses a “floating” display atop its dashboard, and Ram, which crams its big screen into its trucks’ center stacks, have to say—Ed. THE GEOMANCERS “Mazda’s HMI (Human Machine Interface) philosophy is centered around minimizing driver distractions” says Matthew Valbuena, one of the brand’s engineers working on integrating digital technology. “The screen placement is about minimizing visual distractions. We place it high on the dash so…

At the University of Iowa’s National Advanced Driving Simulator (NADS) research center, more than 40 faculty, staff, and students use a 93-ton moon-lander-looking machine and a variety of vehicle cabs to study the way people drive. This test rig—called NADS-1—rides on seven belts (six on the x-axis, one on the y). All in, this costs about $80 million, but it allows researchers to perfect today’s automated driving tech in a safe, controllable way. The team does some testing on public roads (they’re leading the charge to make rural-road-capable automated vehicle systems that can detect farm equipment), but that real-world work validates the 10,000 simulator drives logged in the NADS-1. On the day we visited, they were using a seventh-gen Toyota Camry to study how human drivers interact with Level 3…

It really doesn’t matter what you drive; Car and Driver’s favorite U.S. roads deliver the same mind-focusing curves and breathtaking panoramas whether you’re at the wheel of a Porsche or a Buick. Find the one nearest to home—or farthest from it—and leave everything else behind. Dealing with a heavy situation? The Alpine Armoring Pit-Bull VX, driven on page 36, will make your neighbor’s Ford F-150 Raptor seem like a Huffy if it comes time to ride out the apocalypse. “But wait!” you shout, tripping over the sweatpants around your ankles as you jump up from your porcelain throne. “You claimed it doesn’t matter what I drive!” True. For that story, turn to page 40, where Ezra Dyer tails a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon through a gnarly trail of obstacles in a…

Your pilot stole your plane. So much for flying to New Zealand. To say you should have seen it coming is inaccurate: You did see it coming, because you plan for all eventualities. So when it was time to escape the city, your decision tree was decidedly more bountiful than most. Scratch the Gulfstream G650 to Auckland; head instead to your converted missile silo in upstate New York, hunker down, and spend a few years sipping your way through the wine cellar until something like civilization is reestablished. But first, you have to get there. Fortunately, your Alpine Armoring Pit-Bull is just the thing for a road trip through the apocalypse. An armored personnel carrier built on a previous-generation Ford F-550 4x4 chassis cab, the Pit-Bull is normally sold to…

Imagine a rugged trail leading to a wind-swept mountaintop. A small crossover pulls up to the summit and its driver steps out and inhales the crisp mountain air. Ah! Now this is why you bought one with all-wheel drive: adventure. Then the director yells, “Cut!” and everyone climbs into the helicopter that airlifted the ute to this spot. And sure, we all know that’s how it got there, but that’s okay. Suspension of disbelief allows millions of Americans to buy the cars they really need dressed as the trucks they think they want. Just get in the Kia Sportage and don’t harsh my mood board, Chet. But let’s say you wanted—or needed—to make the cosplay real and steer your family crossover into a mud bog, a sand pit, or a…

TURNING THE KEY HAS BECOME AN ACT OF FAITH. AS THE ENGINE GRUMBLES TO LIFE ON THIS FINE SOUTHWEST COLORADO MORNING, THE YELLOW CHECK-ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, AS IT HAS EVERY DAY FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS, AND THE SAME QUESTIONS SWIRL IN MY MIND. Is this the day that tiny head-gasket leak turns into a gusher? Is this the day the catalytic converter chokes closed for good? Is this the day that one speck of sand too many works its way into that cracked CV-joint boot, causing it to seize up at some bend in the road and send me spinning into a ravine, not to be discovered until spring? I baselessly reassure myself that everything is going to be fine and pull onto a narrow Montezuma County back…

THE NUMBERS Vehicle Type: front-motor, front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon Base ....................................... $28,870 Powertrain: permanent-magnet synchronous AC motor, 181 hp, 232 lb-ft; DOHC 16-valve 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle inline-4, 143 hp, 129 lb-ft; combined system, 212 hp, 232 lb-ft; 1.4-kWh lithium-ion battery pack Transmission: single-speed direct-drive Dimensions • Wheelbase ...................................... 104.7 in • L/W/H ........................... 182.1/73.0/66.5 in • Curb Weight ................................... 3700 lb Performance (C/D est) • 60 mph ............................................. 7.6 sec • 1/4-Mile .......................................... 15.9 sec • Top Speed ...................................... 115 mph EPA Fuel Economy • Comb/City/Hwy ............. 38/40/35 mpg It’s surprising that Honda is only now introducing a hybrid version of the CR-V in the U.S., a full 15 years after the hybrid Ford Escape’s debut and 23 years after the first CR-V went on sale. Currently, Honda’s hybrid lineup…

The Fox-body Mustang, produced from 1979 to 1993, enjoyed a long and successful run and earned three 10Best trophies. Over the years, Ford offered a range of power options, but the lustiest models wore “5.0” regalia. Which, as the name implies, meant that when you popped the hood, you’d find a... 4.9-liter V-8. At least the cars’ performance could back up the marketing embellishment, leading Ford back to pony-car credibility after the Mustang II debacle of the ’70s. The Fox-body models, particularly the minimalist LX trims, aged well and still deliver an entertaining shove in the back. They were built by the millions, so despite their appeal, a plentiful supply keeps prices reasonable. ENGINE The 4.9–liter—or in cubic-inch parlance, the 302—really rounded into form in 1985, hitting 210 horsepower with…