Innehållsförteckning för October 2023 från Car and Driver

A love of driving propelled Bruce Robinson’s career as an engineer in the automotive industry, with his lengthiest tenure at Nissan, where he even toiled on the hallowed GT-R and 350/370Z. Shortly after his retirement, this same desire, along with a hunger to see the country, led Robinson to get his commercial driver’s license and embark on a short-lived career driving Class 8 trucks. But he soon found the required waypoints, stops, and scheduling to be more trouble than they were worth, so he took a job driving oversize moving trucks. Contracting drivers to operate moving trucks was just one aspect of business for the company that had hired Robinson. It also happened to hold the account for Jackass star Steve-O’s coach bus. When Steve-O needed a new driver, Robinson…

TRACK TEST Why wait for Elon Musk’s ethically dubious Neuralink? If you want to feel telepathically connected to something, buy a BMW M3 CS. Behind its David Cronenberg body-horror visage is a lighter, stronger M3 that responds with such immediacy that it’s as if there’s a cable from the USB port jammed into your brainstem. The M3 CS’s twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six makes 543 horsepower, 40 more than the M3 Competition and 70 more than the standard model. Torque remains unchanged from the Comp at 479 pound-feet. Unlike the equally track-focused M4 CSL, the CS is all-wheel drive, though the system can decouple the front axle to enable rear-drive heroics. An eight-speed automatic is the only transmission offered because it’s quicker than a human. Carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic carries the weight (or lack…

ROAD TEST There we were, that Vapor Blue Ford Mustang GT and me, at a Pasadena stoplight, windows down, waiting to enter a free-way. A black Tesla Model 3 rolled up alongside. The driver, in his late 20s, smiled at the Ford through an open window. “Nice,” he offered. “Thanks,” I said. “Wish it were mine. Just on loan.” A pause, followed by a gesture toward the Mustang’s dash, unsure. “Is that . . . a giant screen?” I blinked, wondering whether this was a setup. The Model 3’s touch-screen is famously humongous. The GT’s wide glass display, new for 2024 and as long as your arm, is more tasteful, but it still tumors off the dash like a hat on a hat. “Works fine,” I said, shrugging. “But looks…

BYTON The latest owner of the Chinese brand filed for bankruptcy in June, three years after the automaker presented its production-ready M-Byte SUV in Las Vegas. Back then, Byton planned to kick off U.S. sales for 2021. Ultimately, it never delivered a salable vehicle to our shores. LORDSTOWN MOTORS In the days before the Ford F-150 Lightning and the Rivian R1T, Lordstown Motors, founded in 2018, was an exciting entry into the race to make the first electric pickup. The Endurance promised 174 miles of range and 8000 pounds of towing capacity, but the effort fizzled after 56 trucks were built (five more than Tucker made). In June, Lordstown Motors filed for bankruptcy protection, put its assets up for sale, and sued its manufacturing partner, Foxconn, for reneging on a…

You state, in reference to the Bolt, that “heavy rain increased the friction coefficient between the tires and the wet road surface, causing the indicated range to drop at an alarming rate” [“Gas or Electric?”]. I would think that on a wet surface, the coefficient between the tires and the road would decrease (not increase), causing slippage, lowering the MPGe, and reducing the range. I would also think that if the coefficient between the tires and the road did increase, the range would increase due to less tire slippage. —Phil Mortello, Vail, AZ We should’ve said simply “friction” rather than “friction coefficient” because we’re talking about increased rolling resistance, not the tires sliding against the road surface. You’re right that a wet road surface is more slippery, causing, for example,…

At a glance, Toyota’s IsoDynamic seat looks like a set decoration, a strange contraption built to make a starship’s command perch appear suitably futuristic. But there’s method to this apparent madness. The IsoDynamic seat is inspired by the Lexus Kinetic Seat, a 2016 Paris auto show concept that featured spiderweb-patterned hammocklike supports instead of cushions. The design allowed an occupant’s torso and hips to move independently in order to keep the head stationary. Toyota developed the Tacoma TRD Pro’s IsoDynamic seat to accomplish the same goal in an off-road context.…

FIRST DRIVE Casting the silhouette of a born-again Chevy Avalanche, the Silverado EV shares virtually nothing with existing Silverados. It’s based instead on the bonkers GMC Hummer EV pickup but is 5.1 inches narrower and 16.3 inches longer. Chevy is leading with the fleet-only 4WT model; it’s a no-frills counterpoint to the RST First Edition coming this fall. The 4WT skips the RST’s air springs, rear-wheel steering, and midgate, a folding pass-through from the cabin to the bed. Its 510-hp dual-motor, all-wheel-drive powertrain produces 615 pound-feet, whereas the RST is good for up to 754 horsepower and at least 785 pound-feet. Both have a 215.0-kWh Ultium battery pack, a 2923-pound behemoth delivering a 450-mile range in the 4WT and a predicted 400 miles in the RST. It can also provide…

Price As Tested ……………………. $62,425 Base ………………………………………………………… $44,090 Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door coupe Options: GT Performance package, $4995; GT Premium package, $4520; Equipment Group 401A High package, $2900; MagneRide dampers, $1750; Recaro seats, $1650; active-valve performance exhaust, $1225; Mustang Nite Pony package, $1095; floor liners with carpet mats, $200 Infotainment: 13.2-inch touchscreen; wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay; satellite radio (3 months included); 1 USB, 1 USB-C, and Bluetooth inputs; Wi-Fi hotspot (3 months or 3.0-GB included); Bang & Olufsen, 12 speakers Engine V-8, aluminum block and heads Bore x Stroke ……. 3.66 x 3.65 in, 93.0 x 92.7 mm Displacement ……………………….. 307in3, 5038 cm3 Compression Ratio ……………………………………. 12.0:1 Fuel Delivery: port and direct injection Valve Gear: double overhead cams, 4 valves per cylinder, variable intake- and exhaust-valve…

FIRST DRIVE For 70-plus years, Lotus has been noodling around in Norfolk, England, building cars widely admired for their simplicity and purity but purchased by few. Most years, fewer than 1500 cars left the factory. All of this was fine, because a Lotus was art made by a small group of dedicated craftspeople content simply to keep the lights on and the cars light. Geely Group purchased a controlling stake in Lotus in 2017, and the Chinese conglomerate wants to make the brand recognizable in circles outside of those who can quote Colin Chapman. The goal is to sell 100,000 cars a year by 2028. The plan, as it seems to be for so many sports-car brands, is a performance SUV. Enter the 2024 Lotus Eletre, an all-wheel-drive four-door that…

FIRST DRIVE Will the 718 Spyder RS excel on a racetrack the way its suffix implies? (RS is for rennsport, German for motor racing.) Sure, but Porsche didn’t even attempt a Nürburgring lap time. On paper, it’s a Cayman GT4 RS without a roof or a wing, though it is hardly without. To increase the Spyder RS’s road harmony, the GT team reduced spring rates. Compared with the GT4 RS, they’re down by 55 percent in front and 43 percent in the rear. There are no underbody strakes, the front splitter is 2.0 inches shorter, and the front fenders and hood are carbon fiber. This droptop also rides 0.2 inch higher than the GT4 RS. But the engine is the same 493-hp 4.0-liter flat-six, with individual throttle bodies (one per…

TRACK TEST Rivian burst onto the scene with the R1T Quad-Motor, an 835-hp supertruck. Now there’s a more sensible Dual-Motor with 533 horsepower, but between those is the 665-hp Dual-Motor Performance package. That $5000 upgrade requires the Large 131.6-kWh battery, itself a $6000 add-on that provides up to 352 miles of EPA range on standard 21-inch wheels or 341 miles on 22s (tested here). We achieved 280 miles in our 75-mph highway test, well shy of the EPA estimate and identical to the Quad-Motor on 22-inch tires. But that isn’t too surprising considering their shared sheetmetal, and the Dual is only 122 pounds lighter. The Dual-Motor makes 829 pound-feet of torque, 79 less than the Quad. So it’s no surprise it leaps to 60 mph in a still-thrilling 3.4 seconds…

Three-row electric SUVs from brands such as Mercedes (the EQS) and Tesla (the Model X) use blobby, almost minivan-like shapes to maximize aerodynamic efficiency and seemingly signal their battery-powered status. Kia’s EV9, on the other hand, wears the squared-off bodywork of a traditional SUV, yet manages to slip through the air with a drag coefficient as low as 0.28. Tom Kearns, chief designer at Kia Design Center America, defends the design of the EV9 and shares a little more about the upcoming electric SUV. C/D: Most EVs tend to wear overtly aerodynamic designs. Why is the EV9 so boxy? KEARNS: Because it looks tough. ◼ We’ve heard colleagues refer to the EV9 as an “electric Telluride.” Is that fair? ◼ If you put an EV9 next to a Telluride, I…

FIRST DRIVE Even the most avid Aston Martin trainspotters may be hard-pressed to tell the new DB12 from its DB11 predecessor. Like Fonzie checking out his perfect ducktail in the mirror and just putting his comb back in his pocket, it’s as if the designers rolled a DB11 into the studio and decided, “We can’t improve upon that.” In truth, most of the body panels are new or altered, yet they’re so similar that the DB12 giveaways are details such as the grille, headlamps, and sideview mirrors. Aston drapes the body over its bonded and riveted aluminum structure, here with improved rigidity. The cabin makes a greater break, despite similar packaging with a shallow greenhouse and token rear seats. A slimmer instrument panel imparts a more spacious feel, while the…

TRACK TEST Consider the 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse an evolution of the spectacular outgoing Mach 1. Exterior and interior design changes are obvious, while tweaks to the chassis and powertrain are comparatively minimal but welcome. The 5.0-liter V-8 sports a new dual-throttle-body intake and gains forged connecting rods from the departed Shelby GT500. Here the V-8 makes 500 horsepower, and every single pony feels present and accounted for. At Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Roval, their furious sound echoes proudly off the walls as they easily propel this coupe to triple-digit speeds. A six-speed manual is standard, and it’s the Tremec TR-3160 from the Mach 1 rather than the GT’s Getrag MT-82. Both offer rev matching (that’s defeatable) and no-lift shifting. But the optional 10-speed automatic will doubtlessly produce quicker acceleration…

FIRST DRIVE There are plenty of two-row electric SUVs, but in the three-row space, the options are limited to luxury brands. The 2024 Kia EV9 will change that. The three-row EV9 is similar in size to the Telluride SUV, albeit with a 7.8-inch-longer wheelbase. After a preview drive of a Korea-spec model, we think it might be as successful as its the 10Best-winning Telluride. Kia will offer the EV9 in three guises. A 76.1-kWh standard battery pairs with a 215-hp rear motor that has 258 pound-feet of torque. Kia estimates this version will deliver 223 miles of range, and it should get to 60 mph in 8.0 seconds. Long Range models upgrade to a 99.8-kWh battery good for a claimed 300 miles with the same 215-hp rear motor, though 60-mph…

ON THE FAMILY-CAR EVOLUTIONARY CHART, THE STATION WAGON SLITHERED OUT OF THE PRIMORDIAL OOZE TO BEGET THE MINIVAN, WHICH THE BODY-ON-FRAME SUV DROVE TO THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION. SOON ENOUGH, CAR COMPANIES REALIZED THAT ALL MOST PEOPLE WANT FROM AN SUV IS THE LOOK, WHICH LED TO ANOTHER FORM OF MASS-MARKET PEOPLE-MOVING MACHINERY: THE THREE-ROW CROSSOVER. This genetic mutation combines a buff-truck attitude with a carlike driving experience, and just about every-body makes one—hell, even Bentley. Thus, the competition is ruthless, with a new crop of candidates arriving nearly annually. Indeed, there’s a slew of fresh competitors vying to oust the reigning champ of the segment, the four-time 10Best-winning Kia Telluride. Mazda’s CX-90 brings a new rear-drive platform with turbocharged inline-six power and an upmarket interior. The Honda Pilot is…

CANOO It looks vaguely like the 1990s Toyota Previa, but the Canoo Lifestyle Vehicle’s skateboard platform is adaptable for consumer, commercial, and military use. These little egg-shaped electric vans are ready to deliver astronauts to the launchpad for Artemis lunar missions. Other customers, including Walmart and possibly the U.S. Army, will have to wait until Canoo’s new assembly and battery plants in Oklahoma are up and running. DELOREAN Taking two steps back into the past, DeLorean originally planned to make 9351 examples of the Alpha5 electric sports cars, one more than the number of original DMC DeLoreans supposedly built. However, production has been reduced to just 4000 over the next five years, with deliveries expected to start late next year. FARADAY FUTURE Having revealed its FF 91 EV in 2017,…