Innehållsförteckning för September 2010 från MotorTrend

FOR 23 YEARS, J.D. Power and Associates’ Initial Quality Study results supported and enhanced Toyota’s reputation. Quality was the brand’s most prominent attribute, pushing sales in North America to help it become the world’s largest automaker. So it was no surprise when this year’s Power IQS recorded Toyota’s big fall. After problems with sticky throttle pedals, the floor-mat recall fiasco and allegations of possessed electronic throttle controls, the brand recorded more problems per 100 cars than the industry average for the first time since the study began with the 1987 model year. In 2008, the first full year Toyota was larger than GM, the Toyota brand had the fourth-best IQS score in the U.S. and was the best non-luxury brand. In 2009, Toyota was sixth, but with just 101 problems…

IT’S 6 A.M. The light is soft and the air cool. In two hours, it’ll be about 95 degrees F, the sun pouring heat onto the pavement until the place feels like one giant hotplate. Around here, oil isn’t a dirty word; how does 90 cents a gallon sound? Thanks to vast oil reserves and even bigger natural gas stores (14 percent of the world’s total), tiny Qatar, thrust out into the Persian Gulf like a sandy thumb, has the highest per capita income on earth. Somehow this leads one to expect Bugattis on every street corner, Ferraris used as taxis. It isn’t like that. There are signs that Qatar is a coming nation. The whole place is a sprawling building site, the new Pearl-Qatar resort, an island built on…

FORD FIESTA SES The Fiesta’s attractively tapering roofline impinges on cargo space, rear vision and aft headroom (the headroom and kneeroom gaps are what’s available for average-proportioned, six-foot occupants). That is, its “negative” rear knee gap means you’d need 3.3 more inches to fit comfortably. However, the Fiesta produced by far the best ride. HONDA FIT SPORT Fit? It probably will. There’s 14 percent more total cargo space than in the externally larger Versa. Credit its Magic Seat (and gas tank relocated beneath the driver) for stowage under the aft seat and space for tall objects when that seat bottom is raised (the rear doors open extra far too). Plus, the load floor’s nearly flat. Downside? Ride quality. NISSAN VERSA 1.8 SL America, believe it or not, you would be…

THE ACURA ZDX is in an elite subcategory of the SUV world. How many have basically abandoned off-road ability and instead shifted complete focus to on-road high performance? Two: the BMW X6 and the ZDX. How many have four-door sport coupe/SUV styling? The same two. It ‘s the same combination of futuristic styling and impressive performance that makes this vehicle so intriguing. At Motor Trend’s 2010 Sport/Utility of the Year competition, the ZDX was hands-down the vehicle that generated most comments on styling. One tester said, “I’ll admit it: I was taken aback—no, shocked—by my first sight of the ZDX in the metal. This thing is out there—to my eye, way edgier and more futuristic-looking than the X6. But the more I looked, the more I found the ZDX…interesting. Even…stunning.”…

FROM THE DAY the TL SH-AWD arrived at our offices, our staff was critical of its controversial styling, quickly filling the Acura’s logbook with unflattering comments. “Pontiac Aztek aficionados, rejoice: Your luxury car is here!” wrote one editor. Another noted, “She’s not a looker, unless you dig a Cyrano schnoz and a can-opener smile.” The least disparaging remark? “It’s different, to say the least.” Although backhanded compliments were about all the praise we could heap on the TL’s sheetmetal, naturally our deep, genuine crew managed to look beyond the Acura’s unbecoming façade. “The TL suffers from the same syndrome as did the Subaru Tribeca,” said Truck Trend Web producer Melissa Spiering. “Its symptoms are obvious to most, with a hideous front grille and a ridiculous looking rear end, but what’s…

THE HEART of Volkswagen’s growth strategy in the U.S. is its upcoming New Midsize Sedan, designed to replace the Passat with a car as roomy as the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. Ahead of that car, VW has unveiled its 2011 toa, which also grows, nicely filling the gap between the Golf and the larger Passat replacement. At 182.7 inches long, the new Jetta is more than three and a half inches longer than the ’10 model, creeping closer to the C/D-segment. Rear-seat legroom is up 2.6 inches. And VW says its sticker will be $1700 less than the old model. With a starting price of just $16,000, the Jetta competes not only with the Honda Civic and Toyota Camry, but also with cars like the Ford Fiesta and Mazda2.…

HONDA axed the S2000 a decade after introducing the front-engine, rear-drive roadster to celebrate the company’s 50th birthday. The tiny 1991 Beat, powered by a mid-mounted 660cc engine, is all but forgotten in its home market and virtually unknown in the U.S. But both may live again, fused into one car. A source close to Honda says the company is working on “molding” the two together in a radical new project taking shape in the halls of Tochigi’s R&D center just north of Tokyo. Dropped into a modified Fit platform, the new roadster apparently will employ a mid-engine layout, like the Beat. Our illustration shows what we hope the car will look like. It’s an intriguing new sports car plan from a company that doesn’t have much left in that…

THE NEW Range Rover Evoque launches in mid 2011, positioned as a more sporting, more expensive, and smaller model than the Land Rover LR2. The Evoque will slot under the Range Rover Sport in the Range Rover lineup. Based on a front-drive, transverse-engine platform, the new Range Rover will be available as both a two-door and four-door crossover. The Land Rover LRX concept at the Geneva auto show in 2008 wasn’t a designer’s fantasy: The production two-door is surprisingly close. The production interior will also take some inspiration from the concept, with typical RR cues of strong “structural” lines in the dash, intersected by straight lines of the center stack. The company has announced that, for Europe, at least, a front-drive version will go on sale, making it the first…

THIS MONTH: TESLA BECOMES THE FIRST U.S. AUTO IPO SINCE FORD IS TESLA’S Elon Musk the green Henry Ford or the latest Preston Tucker? Circa 1948 Tucker stock certificates are worth more as a collectors’ item than they were as company shares. Eight years after Tucker, Ford’s public offering became the largest ever. As for Musk, he might not be a modern Henry Ford, but he sure is green. Ford’s 1956 public offering: 10.2 million shares. Issued at: $63 per share to underwriters. Sold to public for: $ 64.50 per share. Total raised: $642.6 million. Adjusted for inflation: $ 5.178 billion Brands: Forel, Mercury, Lincoln, Continental. 1956 global sales: 2,565,874. Ford family’s special payoff: Class B stock with majority voting status. Tesla’s 2010 public offering:13.3 million shares. Issued at: $17…

THE ANGULAR red coupe darts and weaves along the narrow, glistening switchbacks as clouds swirl around the brooding 11th-century Schloss Hohenwerfen, the castle that starred in the 1968 World War II action thriller, “Where Eagles Dare.” Earlier, on the wide-open spaces of the autobahn, we’d scattered hard-driven Opels and Volkswagens like autumn leaves, thundering past them at 165 mph with a supercharged sonic boom. But now we are deep in enemy territory, prowling roads that have honed the reflexes of some of Germany’s best driver’s cars. In a Cadillac… Cadillac CTS-V Coupe versus BMW M3 and Audi RS 5: This one’s been a long time coming. We’ve compared American and European cars before, but those stories have been more about a clash of cultures than a match-up of machinery. This…

WHEN GEORGE HURST was crafting his first factory-backed special-edition car—the 1968 Hurst/Olds—he had one goal in mind: Create a “gentleman’s hot rod” that looked great, ran fast, and, of course, had a Hurst shifter. Mission accomplished. Fast-forward 42 years and the supercharged black-and-gold 2010 Hurst/Camaro continues Hurst’s famous philosophy. Each of the 50 Performance Series 4 Supercharged limited editions arrives at Hurst Performance Vehicles factory as a stock Camaro SS. Our tester wore thick matte black and thin gold striping, giving it a contemporary take on the classic hot-rod look. The side lettering that looks like decals isn’t. It’s painted on and protected by a hefty clearcoat layer. Vehicles factory as a stock Camaro SS. Our tester wore thick matte black and thin gold striping, giving it a contemporary take…

MERCURY WAS BORN in 1939. It was intended as an upscale offering that would slot in between Ford and Lincoln, which probably made sense at the time, but was something Mercury has not been in decades. There were some great ones we’ll miss: the slightly overdone Turnpike Cruiser, the original Marauder, and several superb Cougars. Pictured is a 1970 Eliminator; the Eliminator filled much the same role as did the Mach I in the Mustang lineup, if perhaps a bit more upscale. Eliminators were offered with a wide variety of modest and wild V-8 engines up and down the displacement scale. You could always spot one by its aggressive front air dam, parallel side stripes, hood scoop, and rear wing. Note this ’model wears steel wheels and “dog dish”-style hubcaps.…

NISSAN’S Leaf, the world’s first purpose-built, mass-market electric vehicle, goes on sale in small numbers this December, with regions added throughout 2011 and U.S. production planned for 2013. And Nissan is already working on follow-up models that are said to be more radical in design, including one for its Infiniti division. First to appear will be a two-seat runabout-style car. At the 2009 Tokyo show, Nissan unveiled its LandGlider concept, and a production version will use its 1+1 seating layout, if not its overall design. Think of it as a kind of full-bodied four-wheel motorcycle that leans into corners. Vehicle mass to battery mass ratio determines range, so the runabout ought to go far on a single charge. Next will be a commercial vehicle of some sort. We don’t know…

by the numbers I must comment on your “Wrong Numbers” column (June). My son is only five years old, yet can name almost any performance car that goes by. When one does, he asks, “Is that faster than your car?” If it is faster than my 335i, I will say yes. The first time this happened, the car was a Corvette. He was four. Immediately he replied, “That will be my first car, and it will be blue and red.” This lasted for a few months until a Ferrari passed us. When he found out the Ferrari was faster, he corrected himself, saying his first car would be a red Ferrari. I quickly corrected him and said, “No, the first car you will buy your dad is a Ferrari.” My…

THE PLAYERS WERE AUTO-TRANS-EQUIPPED, FOUR-DOOR HATCHBACKS WITH A SPRINKLING OF SPORTINESS IF POSSIBLE. HAVING VANQUISHED the Old World to become the best-selling car in Europe, Ford’s Fiesta has been readying its attack on our shores via some seriously subversive methods. Last year, for instance, Ford dropped 100 Fiestas behind our lines as part of its Fiesta Movement campaign. And insidiously, each of its lucky drivers was issued a video camera, with the resulting propaganda injected into the minds of our tender youth via such “alternative portals” as Facebook and Current TV. What’s next? Fiesta sleeper cells? Maybe. We say: Ford, stop all this nefarious skulking in the shadows. The Fiesta needs to come out into the open and subject itself to a proper comparison test like a real car. So…

BELIEVE IT or not, we’re big fans of the minivan here at Motor Trend. Sure, a seven-seat family hauler is rarely a first pick for a stress-busting weekend drive up Pacific Coast Highway, but the truth is that the versatility, comfort, practicality, and carrying capacity of the modern minivan means that at least one staffer will find it his best option each night. Extended family visiting? Going to a beach party? Picking up a new television? The minivan is a great choice. Add in the fact that minivans are staff photographer favorites for loading gear and snapping rolling action shots, and it’s no surprise we try to keep one in the fleet perennially. With the departure of our long-term 2008 Chrysler Town & Country late last year, we found ourselves…

SENIOR EDITOR Ron Kiino spent a long weekend in the Borrego and found its size, versatility, and power especially commendable. “I took my wife and son up to Solvang in the long-term Kia and was quickly reminded how much I like the Borrego’s size. Smaller than a Chevy Tahoe but bigger than a Toyota 4Runner, the Borrego is relatively easy to maneuver through parking lots and tight streets, especially with its impressive 36.5-foot turning circle (the Tahoe’s is 39.0, the 4Runner’s 37.4). Inside, it offers great room in the first two rows, decent space in the third, and a ton of cargo volume with the third row folded flat. I managed to fit three duffel bags, a stroller, a Pack ‘n Play portable crib, an ice chest, and still had…