Innehållsförteckning för April 2010 från MotorTrend

FORD unveiled the second-gen Edge, which will go on sale summer 2010, at the Chicago auto show. When it first came out, the crossover was available with one engine and one transmission. For 2011, buyers will have three engines and two different six-speed automatics from which to choose. Ford expects the new base engine, a 2.0-liter EcoBoost four (late availability), to provide best-in-class mpg, but hasn’t released horsepower or fuel-economy numbers. The original 3.5-liter has been replaced by a TiVCT 3.5, which puts out 20 more horsepower (now at 285), backed by an upgraded version of the six-speed automatic used in the first gen. TiVCT, or twin independent variable camshaft timing, which is also used in the 2011 Mustang’s 5.0-liter V-8, is said to increase performance and fuel economy while…

THE GREAT RECESSION and spikes in late 2008 to $4.50/gallon gas surely changed what we bought and what we drive, didn’t they? While the body-on-frame Ford Explorer was the third-best-selling vehicle in the United States in calendar year 2000, it sold just 1/14th the volume in calendar 2009. Put that in perspective though. In 2000, light vehicle sales totaled 17.4 million. In 2009, it was just 10.4 million. No surprise, then, that while the F-Series remained the bestseller throughout the 2000s, Ford sold about half the number of its full-size pickups in 2009 as it did in 2000. Here’s how 2009’s best sellers compare with 2000’s: Estimated fuel mileage considers the numbers for the most popular version of each model, and we used the 2000-model-year numbers adjusted by the Environmental…

a choice everyone likes Nice pick for 2010 Car of the Year. I purchased a Fusion Sport about a month ago, and I am very impressed with it. The car is quick and agile, and the styling (especially the interior) is miles ahead of the previous model’s. Ford is definitely raising the bar, and they didn’t need a bailout to do it. Brent SouthMuscle Shoals, Alabama Despite growing up a car-mad kid in the Detroit area, I no longer have a great passion for cars. No more Ferrari posters and musclecar dreams. (New York isn’t a great place for a car, anyway.) But earlier this year, silly as it sounds, I felt that old oily ardor flicker to life when I saw the new Ford Fusion. Later, I got one…

SINCE 1989, Toyota’s Lexus ES sedans have been raking in gigantic piles of crispy green cashola by employing an absurdly elementary tactic: simply becoming Japan’s Buick. You see, Buick’s once colossal sales volume hasn’t so much evaporated since its halcyon days as it’s been incrementally hijacked by a Lexus that’s consistently been offering Buick-to-the-bone qualities—most notably relaxed quietness—conjoined with Japanese quality. Buick now appears to think this identity theft thing can go both ways. The spanking-new 2010 LaCrosse is intent on not only rehijacking its Buickness, but going even further. American Lexus, anyone? To manage that, it’ll need Lexus-eclipsing quietness, which appears to be a credible threat, given it’s the quietest GM car the company’s tested in its vaunted wind tunnel. Trouble is, the current, fifth-generation ES 350 (introduced way…

“IT’S NOT ABOUT performance, it’s about where you come from,” proclaims Dr. Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin’s outspoken CEO at the global launch of the Rapide. “It’s about authenticity. The Rapide is the only four-door sports car in the world—the only one that comes from a sports car, Others are made from limousines”. Strong words, and whether or not you believe them, they’re a clarion call to battle. Though Aston Martin is fashionably late to the four-door party, the Rapide is aimed squarely at the likes of the Porsche Panamera, Maserati Quattroporte, and Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG. Just look at the dimensions: While not not quite as long as the 200.7-inch Maserati, the Rapide is four inches longer than a CLS. In the Panamera, the Rapide has its closest rival; the Porsche…

WHO DOES Kazuo Mori, design chieftain of the 2011 Toyota Sienna, think he’s kidding? Throughout his portion of Toyota’s presentation of its latest minivan, Mori-san kept reminding the audience that what has always really turned him on are performance cars (click: photo of him next to a Ford GT; click: snapshot from his karting days). All the while, his ironic half grin implied that his winding up a minivan designer must be some sort of cruel cosmic joke. Well, for a vehicle-type with so much native potential for indifference and humdrumness to turn out as exquisitely as this Sienna has suggests a passion here that Mr. Mori is too humble to admit. Truth told, price-is-no-object sports cars are child’s play to engineer; summon the engineers and toss money above their…

WE LOVE the Cadillac CTS-V sedan. It’s the best-handling performance four-door this country has ever built. Period. So unless GM really screws up, the 2011 CTS-V coupe ought to be dynamic dynamite. CTS program engineering manager Ed Piatek says the coupe’s body is “significantly stiffer” than the sedan’s, and Cadillac has used that to improve ride isolation and body control. The coupe’s rear track is widened to 62.8 inches (front track remains 61.8). “It allows you to power out of corners” more quickly than with the sedan, Piatek says, and even if straight-line acceleration isn’t improved, laps times will fall. The V-coupe is 3.1 inches shorter and 1.6 inches wider than the V-sedan. The coupe is 2.1 inches lower, compliments of the faster, 62.3-degree windshield angle, and 50 pounds lighter,…

“OUR VOLKSWAGEN Jetta TDI always makes me wonder why today’s highly refined, European-bred diesels aren’t widely available in the States,” writes assistant Web producer Nate Martinez. “My friends thought the same after seeing the high-30 mpg earnings.” Martinez and Co. aren’t alone. Our oil-burning Jetta, one of two of its ilk in the MT garage’s recent inventory (the other being the BMW 335d), garnered admiration for its miserly fuel consumption and seemingly endless range over its 13-month stay. Our Laser Blue Jetta TDI proved a capable long-distance hauler, evidenced by the near 26,000 miles it accumulated. “I’m astounded to see 500-mile jaunts on $35 worth of diesel,” logs associate Web editor Rory Jurnecka. Indeed, our notoriously light-footed technical editor Kim Reynolds got 583 miles on one tank, costing him $46…

THE BUICK Regal GNX has quietly entered the pantheon of American musclecar greats. That’s partly because by the time the GNX appeared in 1987, the musclecar’s glory days were a distant memory for most Detroit brands. And partly because it was, well, a Buick. The Regal GNX was a limited-run “skunkworks” car built to send off the RWD, turbo Grand National coupe in style when the Regal nameplate shifted to the first of the all-new GM10 FWD platforms for the 1988 model year. The GNX’s 3.8-liter V-6 developed 276 horsepower at 4400 rpm, and 360 pound-feet of torque at just 2400 rpm, courtesy of an up-rated Garrett ceramic vane turbocharger and recalibrated engine-management system. On a smooth road the GNX would nail 60 mph in just under 5.0 seconds. Just…

A HOT FOCUS is “a natural,” Jost Capito, Ford’s global head of sport-vehicle operations has confirmed to Motor Trend. The headline version of the car will be a two-door coupe, although other body styles are likely too. The 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine will develop at least 250 horsepower initially, elbowing it ahead of the VW GTI. Capito formerly ran Ford’s European RS division and was chief engineer for the remarkable Focus RS, a marvelous 305-horsepower, 164-mph five-cylinder crazymobile. His job now is to roll RS and SVT together and make hot versions of Ford’s global cars. Ford hasn’t decided whether the global performance Focus will wear RS or SVT branding, Capito says. “SVT has a huge following in the States, but we got the RS brand well established in Europe and…

SEVERAL senior General Motors executives are pushing for the Holden Commodore-based Pontiac G8 sedan to return to America as a high-performance Chevrolet. “There’s a possibility of [the Pontiac G8 coming back as] a high-end Chevy sedan that would be sold in limited numbers,” Bob Lutz told international media at the Detroit show. Volume would be limited because “with the U.S. fuel-economy legislation, we just can’t afford to sell too many”. Lutz is a great fan of Holden’s rear-drive Commodore sedan, which is available in several high-performance variants. “The thrill of high-performance driving is unmatched by anything that doesn’t have rear drive, bags of torque, and a nice transmission,” he said. “I think of it as a four-door Corvette” He added the Commodore-based Chevy sport sedan could be on sale “well…

AUDI is preparing to give the R8 a smaller brother. The Audi e-tron concept from the North American International Auto Show is a whole lot more than a one-off electric sports car. The body is designed as a compact gasoline-powered, turbocharged mid-engine two-seat four-cylinder sport coupe. If confirmed—and the ever-expansionist Audi board appears well disposed toward it—it would go on sale around 2013. Overall length is shorter than a Mazda MX-5’s. It’s no coincidence that it’s about the same size as 2008’s super-sweet VW BlueSport roadster concept. The existence of each of those German concepts makes the production viability of the other more likely; the two brands can share some of the development costs. Suspensions, powertrains, brakes, electronics, and so on would be shared. They wouldn’t be badge-engineered clones, because…

YOU MAY HAVE heard rumors the next-generation Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution will be an electric car. Well, they’re true, according to sources in Japan, though we understand the project has not yet been given an official green light. To be built off the same platform as the chunky PX-MiEV plug-in hybrid off-roader concept Mitsubishi revealed at the Tokyo motor show last October, the Evolution XI’s 2.0-liter MIVEC gasoline engine, borrowed from the current Japan-spec Galant, reportedly will be mated to a new plug-in hybrid system with lithium-ion batteries. But here’s the twist: The Evo’s main power source will not be the gas engine, but an electric motor that will drive the front wheels. The 2.0-liter engine, when needed, will motivate the rear wheels. The Evo XI will give drivers the option…

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IT’S BEEN A LONG, LONG TIME since a Buick was featured on the cover of Motor Trend. Nearly 28 years, to be precise. The Century T-Type that graced our August 1982 cover was, we reported, designed for “young, affluent, trend-setting import buyers”—the sorts of people who might otherwise drive an Audi 5000, Toyota Cressida, or Nissan Maxima. Uh-huh…Little did we know that, by the time the Century nameplate bit the dust in 2005, Buick would be a hapless relic of a Detroit mindset that believed American automakers could get away with foisting outclassed machinery on American consumers too patriotic—or dimwitted—to buy an import brand. That’s why the 2011 Regal is one of the most important Buicks ever launched. The Regal checks those pension cards marked Park Avenue and Roadmaster at…

WHEN THE NAME Tesla Roadster Sport was penciled in next to the new Porsche Boxster Spyder, I paused. The sorts of things that ordinarily differentiate comparison contestants are generally pleasant little trifles—a few more cc here, an unexpected turbocharger there. These alone can keep us chewing for several pages. So how in heaven do we get our arms around two cars propelled by entirely different energy sources, employing completely different means of power-making? By considering them simply as…two sports cars. And not a speculation more. Global warming, battery economics, and recharging infrastructure—the whole swarm of peripheral questions presently swirling around electric vehicles—are more expertly answered by our esteemed counterparts at the journal Science. But how well do these cars perform as sports cars? For that, baby, the Motor Trend test…

MUSTANG FANS WILL THRILL TO A REDUNE THAT NOW HOVERS ATA SCREAMING 7000 RPM. “MAKES A great boat anchor.” That’s how our editor-in-chief, Angus MacKenzie, neatly summarizes the V-6 engine in the 2010 Ford Mustang. The so-called “Cologne” six, produced by Ford of Germany in varying displacements for more than four decades (currently it’s a single-cam, 4.0-liter), is rough, noisy, and underpowered (210 horses) and probably cheats on its taxes. Single-handedly, it knocked the Mustang out of contention for our 2010 Car of the Year award (the V-8-powered Mustang GT and GT500, in contrast, earned raves). We admire this motor like we admire Balloon Boy Dad. But now—and none too soon—it’s gone. For the 2011 model year, starting this spring, the Mustang jettisons the stinky Cologne in favor of a…

WE INVITED ONLY TURBOCHARGED FOUR-DOOR HATCHBACKS, IN SEARCH OF THE ULTIMATE UTILITY MISSILE. “THESE CARS are pretty amazing out here” I said to St. Antoine, as we filled our hatchbacks with Chevron’s premium petrol, both of us grinning from ear to ear, still relishing the comedown off adrenaline. He’d been driving the 2010 Mazdaspeed3, I’d been trailing in the 2010 Subaru WRX. From our starting point to our fuel stop 12 miles down the road, it took us all of 10 minutes. Average speed: 78 mph. That may not sound especially brisk, but on the challenging curves of our secret Sport/Utility of the Year test loop in the SantaYnez Valley, that’s a hasty clip. Every autumn when we drive the year’s field of SUVs around this loop, it generally takes…

HONDA is one of the few automakers that continues to sprinkle manual-transmission options throughout its lineup, but even with that in mind, the appearance of a three-pedal option on the Acura TL is a bit surprising considering that one isn’t offered on the V-6-powered TSX. Its presence in the TL and absence from the TSX are explained by five letters and a dash: SH-AWD, the acronym Acura uses for its all-wheel-drive system. SH-AWD-fitted TLs get a 305-horsepower, 3.7-liter V-6 instead of the front-drive’s 280-horse, 3.5-liter unit; and this transmission was designed specifically to be a part of that combination. Seemingly a proof-of-concept exercise, as Acura expects a take rate of around five percent (amounting to just under 1700 units based on the TL’s 2009 sales), this six-speed gearbox is nevertheless…

CHEVROLET is looking at two ways to “sport up” General Motors’ Delta compact platform. The more radical idea involves all-new, “four-door coupe”-style sheetmetal on the same platform as the 2011 Cruze compact. The car would retain the Cruze’s wheelbase, but with a more rakish roofline that would sacrifice some back seat space for a more expressive design. The idea would be to get a higher profit-margin car out of a relatively humble platform, but it’s comparable to what Mercedes-Benz did with its four-door coupe. It raised the retail price of an E-Class-based car to nearly the price of an S-Class. The Cruze-based four-door coupe would serve as a step up toward the Camaro. The more practical solution would be a Super Sport version of the Cruze. That entails suspension mods,…

AMG’S new SLS supercar previews future Mercedes-Benz sports cars in at least one way: The SLS’ flat nose will trickle down to the SL-and SLK-Classes, as thi spy shot illustrates, to unify and connect the brand’s two-seaters. The SLK will undergo a major refresh for the 2012 model year, while the SL is all-new for 2013. No word on engines yet, but given BMW’s downsizing plans, a base four in the SLK and a base V-6 in the SL for North American markets would not be a surprise.…

MITSUBISHI, which sold just 54,000 vehicles in the U.S. last year, is planning a resurgence starting with the new B-segment Outlander Sport that has just debuted as the ASX at Geneva. The new direction is to capture niches, especially in the smaller B-and C-segments, including the i-MiEV pure electric hatchback set to go on sale in fall 2011. The salient model for enthusiasts, however, is a B-segment hot hatch, with a 1.0- or 1.2-liter turbo and AWD planned for calendar 2012. The performance version probably won’t be quite on the level of the C-segment Lancer Evolution, but it’s at least the equivalent of a Lancer Ralliart. Mitsubishi’s all-important C-segment compacts come in calendar 2013, including the PX-MiEV plug-in gas/electric hybrid Outlander we scooped earlier. A new Lancer launches that year…

Most Important Icon I wanted to alert you to the passing of an automotive icon who has managed to escape mention. While the name may not be well known outside of Cincinnati, my dad, Jerry, certainly was the most influential car guy to me. He is the person I can thank for my obsession with cars. My dad was a longtime collector, favoring mid-1960s Vettes and early ’70s Cutlass 442s. In addition, he worked in the auto business for all of his adult life. My dad was blessed to work at his passion. No one was a stranger to my dad and everyone was his friend. He is missed by many and impacted even more. I hope someday I can cruise the streets of heaven with him in the Cutlass…

PONDER THIS: It’s a hot-looking Euro-style sport sedan that ticks all the right boxes. A high-output turbocharged four with 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, six-speed manual transmission, and a Haldex all-wheel-drive system that can funnel up to 85 percent of the torque to the rear wheels. It rolls on 20-inch alloys and has Brembo brakes. Claimed 0-to-60-mph time is under 6.0 seconds. Now ponder this: It’s a Buick. And it’s not just an auto-show concept car. All the Buick Regal GS’ hardware is production ready. The GS’ Interactive Driver Control System (IDCS), for example, is an evolution of the system that will be available in the regular 2.0 Turbo. “We’re going to take the electrons to the limit,” says Regal chief engineer Jim Federico. In its sportiest mode,…

5 VERSUS E These two have been fighting for sales supremacy in the hotly contested executive-sedan segment for decades, and they’ve sparred in nearly as many magazine comparison tests as have the Mustang and Camaro. The lead has swapped back and forth from time to time, and just as the Camaro owns the winning record in the ponywars, BMW has finished ahead of Mercedes more often. But each time one of the players rejiggers its formula, it’s a brand-new game. Last year’s E-Class reboot marked a welcome return to Mercedes-Benz’s “designed to a standard, not to a price” ethos, with vastly improved fit, finish, materials, and general solidity. In the bargain, it delivered world-class aerodynamics and held the line on weight, which helped improve performance and fuel efficiency. And yet…

OUR COVER STORY ponders the reinvention of Buick, a once-iconic American brand, in the aftermath of the most tumultuous year in Motor Trend’s 60-year history; a year during which both GM and Chrysler declared bankruptcy and which marked the end of the road for Pontiac, Saturn, and possibly Hummer. Back when Motor Trend was launched in September 1949, there were 10 major U.S. automakers building and selling cars and light trucks under 21 different brand names. Sixty years later, we have three automakers—two of which are still in intensive care—building and selling 11 brands. And during those six tumultuous decades of mergers and bankruptcies another 11 automotive brands have come and gone. Among those that didn’t make it: Allstate, AMC, Checker, Crosley, DeSoto, Eagle, Edsel, Frazer, Henry J, Hudson, International,…

JUST AS BMW finished touting its wondrous new 3.0-liter N55 engine, which traded one of its turbos for Valvetronic, it unveiled a sportier new 335is model powered by the old twin-turbo, juiced up to produce 20 more horses and 32 more pound-feet—70 more with momentary overboost! The added thrust was found where tuners usually seek it—in a hotter chip that dials peak boost up from 8.7 to 11.6 psi—or 14.5 psi for up to seven seconds at engine speeds below 4500 rpm. Unlike some tuners, BMW upgrades the cooling system substantially, adding an extra radiator, an oil cooler, and a better cooling fan, to ensure durability. Engine mounts are more rigid and the exhaust note is rortier (backpressure is unchanged). A choice of six-speed manual or a seven-speed twin-clutch automatic…

“I TOOK the TL up to northern California over the weekend, first to Sacramento to visit family and friends and then to Santa Cruz for camping/bachelor party on the beach,” logs assistant Web producer Carlos Lago. “I didn’t realize the TL lacked a sixth gear until well into the six-hour drive north, after I exhausted iPod entertainment and started playing with the paddle shifters. “At first, I was surprised at how smoothly the drivetrain coped without the extra cog. But then I began to wonder how much the longer ratios hamper the engine. Our TL doesn’t feel like it has 305 horsepower. Not to say acceleration is a problem, but the engine needs to be high in the powerband to provide real oomph. During normal driving, the TL feels sluggish.…

WHEN THERE’S a vehicle that claims to offer the utility of an SUV with the driving experience of a sport sedan, what better way to test it out than with a cross-country road trip? That’s exactly how we tried out Motor Trend’s long-term Infiniti FX50 S AWD, opting to go from California to Virginia—and back. Starting before sunrise, cargo area stuffed full, we headed south, nearing the Mexican border to connect with the first of several Interstates. As with any long trip, the adrenaline disappeared quickly after the drone of the road took over and we settled into a steady pace. The highway turned twisty, and we got to enjoy the excellent handling and sporty suspension this vehicle has to offer. Just outside Yuma, Arizona, we discovered two important things:…