Innehållsförteckning för December 2012 från MotorTrend

LEWIS HAMILTON won the last U. S. Grand Prix, held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway five years ago. Since the 1980s, the world’s most advanced form of motorsport has had trouble gaining a substantial foothold in America. The ninth venue for the USGP in the modern era (from 1950) is Texas’ 3.4-mile Circuit of the Americas in Austin, with a race scheduled for November 18, 2012. Pirelli will provide all 24 racing machines with six rubber options throughout this season’s 20 races. These are designated by color of the raised letters: intermediate wet (green), full wet (blue), super soft (red), soft (yellow), medium (white), and hard (silver). The FIA and Pirelli choose two of these specifications for use by teams during a given weekend. Pit stop tire changes last under…

JAGUAR launched its long-awaited all-wheel-drive system during warm weather in New York earlier this year. The AWD system is available on XF and XJ luxury sedans equipped with the supercharged 340-hp, 3.0-liter V-6, and features active torque management and an active power transfer control technology designed to retain sporty agility and steering feel with the benefit of all-season traction. Jaguar figures AWD will vastly expand its market. RWD luxury sedans are virtually impossible to sell in snowbelt states from November through February. FIAT tweaked the final-drive gear ratio of its North American-market 500 to eke out a 40-mpg EPA fuel efficiency number. The new rating applies to the Fiat 500 hatchback and cabrio with the base 1.4-liter naturally aspirated four and five-speed manual gearbox. Before the tweak, the car had…

“MY PREDICTIONS SUGGESTED THE ONLY WAY WE’D MAKE IT WAS BY CRAWLING THERE AT 55 MPH WITH THE AIR OFF.” AN IRRATIONAL a version to Las Vegas has kept me from visiting Sodom in the Desert since the age of 5. I can’t explain it. I just wanted desperately to avoid it—until I was offered a chance to copilot what was surely the first electric drive from the L.A. basin to Vegas without a recharge. I was to coach WOT video host Jessi Lang on ways to optimize the Tesla Model S P85’s range while I recorded data and learned a few things about EV range optimization. On the plane to L.A., I calculated how much battery energy we’d expend climbing the Cajon Pass and the Baker Grade and driving…

HOW IS THIS for a sign o’ the times? Despite having such chest-thumping appellations as Pathfinder, Crosstrek, and Allroad, nary a one of the 11 contenders in this year’s competition has frame rails tucked beneath its sheetmetal. All have unitized steel and/or aluminum shells riding on independent suspension. Yup, no live rear axles, either. In fact, nine of the 11 contenders are products of front-drive automobile architecture, and six can be obtained in front-drive-only configurations. More telling, turbocharged four-cylinders and naturally aspirated V-6s rule the lineup. There were three V-8 options, but all were offered on the same model. Every year, our team reviews and refines this program to address market trends and make the process as comprehensive and relevant as possible. One tweak we added this year, in a…

WE LIKE: Euro-chic styling and handling, turbo oomph. WE DON’T LIKE: Hammer-down gas guzzling, rough-road rattles, fancy-pants price too big for its britches. FORD’S LIGHT, LIVELY 2013 Escape was a heavy favorite going into this competition. It had already vanquished the CR-V and CX-5 in a comparison test on the strength of its sleek and fresh styling, astute packaging, and high feature content. (Options include self-parking and a hands-free power tailgate.) That comparo featured a 1.6-liter EcoBoost Escape, and the top-spec 2.0-liter turbo included here delighted us with its even sprightlier scoot and sharper handling. Against its competition, the Escape stands out as the enthusiast’s choice. “Takes a nice set after the initial body roll; from then on it’s all grip and grins,” said boss-man Loh, adding, “So sporty, I…

WE LIKE: Quiet cabin, loads of features, sporting pretensions. WE DON’T LIKE: Hyperactive stability control, cramped rear seats, too similar to Pathfinder for the price. THE ALL-NEW Infiniti JX slots nicely into a small hole in the brand’s lineup between the smaller, sportier FX and the massive QX. With three-row seating like the QX’s, but easier entry and egress and better fuel economy, the JX fits the bill for upper-middle-class soccer-team haulers upgrading from a minivan. For performance of intended function, then, it hits the nail on the head. Judges were impressed with the JX’s quiet, luxurious cabin, sporty performance, and long list of features. “The Infiniti’s cabin isolation at speed is on another level from its Nissan sibling,” Floyd wrote. “I had it turning nearly 5000 rpm in Sport…

WE LIKE: Comfort and capacity, ride and handling for suburban adventurers, seamless CVT, fuel economy. WE DON’T LIKE: Torque steer despite AWD, and it’s still a CVT. FEBBO RECHRISTENED it the Nissan Mallfinder. He’s right, though Nissan’s move from trucky, body-on-frame, longitudinal engined sport/utility to the Altima-based, unibody, transverse-engined alterna-minivan was necessary. (See Ford Explorer and Chevrolet TrailBlazer-Traverse for precedence.) The market for truck-based SUVs that aren’t Suburbans, Jeeps, or Land Rovers has left the building. Now the Pathfinder is a long, tall Altima wagon, the Quest that the Quest will never be. Its single powertrain option combines Nissan’s venerable 3.5-liter, VQ V-6 with perhaps the best continuously variable transmission extant. Towing capacity is 5000 pounds with front or all-wheel drive, and AWD can be locked in. More important, the…

IF YOU’RE ONE of the few (like me) who has watched Chris Paine’s twin EV documentaries, “Who Killed the Electric Car?” and “Revenge of the Electric Car,” you might think the battery-electric car’s fortunes are currently soaring. Cue the “Apocalypse Now/The Ride of the Valkyries” theme. The reality? It’s been close to crickets in the Leaf’s showroom. But before anybody demands a refund from Mr. Paine, let me direct you to the accompanying spider graph (next page), which plots a few of the more significant attributes of battery-electric cars: range, recharge rate, cost, 0-60-mph time, and gas-equivalent mpg. (The better the car is in each attribute, the farther out it extends on the graph.) As you can see, there just might be a revenge of the electric car after all…

5TH PLACE Toyota Camry XLE Will Toyota care that its latest Camry finished fifth? Not likely. Over three decades, Toyota’s midsize sedan has won a huge, faithful, and mostly well-deserved following. The Camry has become the go-to choice for buyers in search of a roomy, efficient, comfortable, reliable four-door that does it all. It’s not surprising that the latest, ninth-generation U.S. version is America’s best-selling automobile. The competition has crept up, though. And the Camry itself is—dare we say it?— showing signs of weakness. True, the basics are still there: a genuinely huge and inviting rear seat, impressive real-world fuel efficiency (we observed 26.1 mpg), a full complement of conveniences, and aggressive pricing ($25,570 base for the topline XLE). So why aren’t we in love? Ask Febbo. “This car is…

2ND PLACE Honda Accord If you’re searching purely for family-sedan virtues—room, comfort, efficiency—stop reading right now. The new Honda Accord is your car. So why only a second-place finish? You’ll understand once you read our winner’s review. For now, let’s turn to what makes the Accord so special. For one thing, this is a conspicuously spacious sedan, with a truly palatial back seat and unparalleled airiness all around. “Very roomy,” writes Martinez. “Most of the materials have an Acura-quality feel, well above the cheap plastics in the Chevy and the Ford.” The seats are splendid, with a richness and plushness rare for this class. Climb aboard, and right away you know you’re riding in something special. The powertrain continues that sensation. The 2.4-liter four and CVT deliver tied-for-best acceleration, fine…

“Relax while you drive? why not? the front seats in this spa on wheels offer a choice of five different massages.”@Angus_Mack Service life / 10 mo/15,633 mi Avg CO2 / 1.04 lb/mi Energy cons / 180 kW-hr/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $0 (oil change, inspection) Normal-wear cost / $0 EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON:18/28/21 AVERAGE FUEL ECON 18.7 MPG I’m sitting in the back seat of the A8, writing this on my iPad. When I’m finished, I’ll e-mail these words to the office via the A8’s own Wi-Fi system. I can’t help but recall that I wrote my first road test on a typewriter, and sent the copy to the editor via mail, the sort the postman used to carry through snow and rain and heat…

“Taking the subaru north to mammoth is a no-brainer. stopping at schat’s bakkery in bishop is essential.”@MT_Royer Service life / 6 mo/9779 mi Avg CO2 / 0.71 lb/mi Energy cons / 123 kW-hr/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $0 Normal-wear cost / $0 EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON: 27/36/30 MPG AVERAGE FUEL ECON 27.4 MPG In late March, I took the hatchback north to the Mammoth Mountain ski resort in California’s Eastern Sierras for a long weekend. Whoever said the journey is more important than the destination might have been driving the approximately 160-mile run between Indian Wells and Mammoth Lakes on U.S. 395. In the Owens Valley, it’s a chasm with the Eastern Sierras to the west and the smaller Inyo Mountains to the east. The…

“I couldn’t force any squeaks, rattles, or other telltale signs of hard wear out of the Jetta TDI. I’ll miss the lengthy trips between fill-ups.” Service life / 12 mo/36,643 mi Base price / $22,575 Options / Navigation Package ($2390: nav, keyless entry, driver seat lumbar adjustment, foglights), DSG twin-clutch auto transmission ($1100) Price as tested / $26,065 Avg fuel economy / 39.5 mpg Problem areas / None Maintenance cost / $0 (3-oil change, inspection, rotate tires, 1-fuel filter, cabin-air filter) Normal-wear cost / $0 3-year residual value* / $13,554 Recalls / Fuel injector line (11V490000) *Automotive Lease Guide EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 30/42/34 MPG AVERAGE FUEL ECON 39.5 MPG You learn a lot about a Volkswagen Jetta TDI while piling on 36,643 miles in 12 months. I crisscrossed six…

“THE FACT THAT SOME VERSIONS OF THE FORTHCOMING MERCEDES-BENZ CLA WILL SELL IN THE U.S. FOR LESS MONEY THAN A WELL-EQUIPPED 2013 FORD FUSION IS THE STUFF OF NIGHTMARES FOR FORD.” I HEAR FORD is again considering building a four-door car off the Mustang platform. This idea has been floating around the Glass House for years, but the development of a new platform for the 2014 Mustang means there’s a genuine opportunity to engineer a rear-drive sedan for modest incremental cost. But it’s not mere opportunism that’s spurring this program. There’s a whiff of desperation, too. One Ford sounded like a great idea when Alan Mulally announced it in 2008. It made perfect sense to rid the company of expensive distractions like Aston Martin and Jaguar and Land Rover, unnecessary…

JAGUAR UNVEILS SPORTS CAR F-INALLY, Jaguar has delivered a proper British sports car for the new millennium. One of Jag’s core strengths is aluminum construction, and the F-Type is the beneficiary of its latest technological advancements designed to make the softtop convertible as rigid and lightweight as possible (roughly 3550 pounds in its skinniest form). The other is supercharging. The F-Type is powered by two flavors of Jaguar’s new supercharged V-6 (340 and 380 hp respectively) as well as a take on its blown 5.0-liter V-8 with 495 hp and 460 lb-ft powering the top-shelf model, which Jag says is capable of 186 mph and a 4.2 second 0-60- mph time. All engine choices are mated to a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic. No, there is no manual transmission. Shapes of Jaguars…

MAZDA unveiled the production version of its new 6 sedan at the Moscow motor show, and, no surprise, it looks much like the Takeri concept that made its debut at the November 2011 Tokyo show. The new Mazda6 won’t be on sale in North America until early next year, making it a 2014 model and thus ineligible for the 2013 Motor Trend Car of the Year competition, which will include the new Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Chevrolet Malibu, and Ford Fusion. Early buzz has critics declaring it at least as handsome as the all-new Ford Fusion, with which it no longer shares a platform. Looks are important in the midsize sedan segment, known for its sleep-inducing dynamics and design. Competition in the D-segment is fierce, so just about everybody has…

THE TEXAS STATE legislature has approved an 85-mph speed limit for a private, 41-mile toll road connecting Austin and San Antonio. The road was scheduled to be completed by November, and its speed limit trumps the highest posted speeds of 80 mph in West Texas and Utah. Predictably, it has raised the ire of officials elsewhere, and of the insurance industry, which can’t raise rates for speeding drivers when their speed is legal. The Governors Highway Safety Association is worried other states will look at raising limits, which more typically have been set at 65 mph or 70 mph since the nationally mandated speed limit of 55 mph was lifted. The fear is that other states will adapt higher speed limits in the aftermath of the private road’s 85-mph limit.…

THOUGH WE’RE still waiting for flying cars and jetpacks, a somewhat more mundane technology forever in the future has gotten a boost from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. The latter, more conveniently known as UMTRI, has begun a year-long study to determine how well cars, trucks, and buses can let each other know where they are, and whether cars with advanced intelligent systems can warn drivers to avoid potential collisions. The study works like this: • UMTRI has outfitted 2836 cars, trucks, and buses with two antennae. One is a global positioning system antenna, and the other is a dedicated short-range communication antenna. Conway Freight and Cisco Food are participating with their semis. At press time, UMTRI was planning to extend the…

LETTER OF THE MONTH Unforgettable I enjoyed your editorial “Epic Drive” (September 2012). The freeways get you from point A to B, but there is nothing like exploring the blue highways. My favorite car for the task was a Fiat Spider 2000. With the top down, it was just right for cruising along many of California’s winding two-lane back roads. My most memorable ride was a trip from San Jose to Sacramento with a friend. At one point, as we were keeping a brisk pace along Altamont Pass Road outside of Livermore, she started yelling, “Faster, faster.” I pointed out that we had pegged the then-federally mandated 85-mph speedometer. She looked over at the dash and said, “Oh come on, there’s plenty left on the tach.” Mark HoltSan Jose, California…

IN CHAT ROOMS and at owner events, the Viper faithful like to beat their chests and rail against all efforts to domesticate their sacred serpents. But get them alone and loosened up a little, and the story changes. “Yes, I track my car a lot, and I still want to win, but I wouldn’t mind winning in a less deafening, roomier cockpit with cruise control.” See, these rich guys also own other fancy GT cars, and they’re a smidge smitten by those cars' creature comforts. So the SRT Viper team set out to deliver a no-compromises car this time around, and at long last they’ve invited us to grade their efforts by taking it for a few laps around western Michigan’s GingerMan Raceway. But before we strap in, let’s recap…

WE LIKE: Good handling, great interior packaging, improved fuel economy. WE DON’T LIKE: No more turbo-four, no more SH-AWD, no more unique selling proposition. THE ACURA RDX entered our competition like a fish swimming upstream. Where the industry is moving toward small-displacement, forced-induction engines, Acura went the opposite way. Gone are the turbocharged four-cylinder engine and “Super Handling All-Wheel Drive,” replaced with an off-the-shelf V-6 and an all-wheel-drive system borrowed from the RDX’s Honda CR-V cousin. To Honda, it was a simple business decision. Customers demanded a softer ride, quieter cabin, smoother acceleration, and better fuel economy. The new RDX delivers all those things and more power to boot. While that will make it an easier sell in the showroom, it means that, in our eyes, the RDX isn’t nearly…

WE LIKE: Everything from the B-pillar back, lots of storage, trick folding second-row seats. WE DON’T LIKE: Uninspired driving experience, five-speed automatic. IF WE GAVE an award for coolest feature in this year’s SUVOTY field, the Honda CR-V’s magically folding, 60/40 second-row seats would have nabbed it. Simply pull a lever and voilà!, the spring-loaded system flips the rear seat cushion up against the front seat and the seatback folds down flat. “David Copperfield can’t do stuff like that in his shiniest shirt,” commented Mike Febbo. Alas, that was all that wowed us about the CR-V, but there is a lot to like about Honda’s five-passenger crossover. Our notes mentioned several positive tidbits, mainly the copious amount of storage space and headroom. Interior packaging is the most impressive part of…

WE LIKE: Looks good, fun to drive, great base model value. WE DON’T LIKE: It’s low on power, and options add up quickly. FROM THE STYLING to the specs, everyone expected the CX-5 to drive like a lifted Mazda3. In the handling department, no one was disappointed. The small CUV was easy to hustle around the test track and rotated smoothly with a little lift-throttle oversteer. But sad to say, the trip from corner to corner was a bit too long. The CX-5 is powered by the 155-horse Skyactiv 2.0-liter I-4, which seems adequate in a small hatchback, but inadequate in a larger, heavier, and lifted hatchback now called a CUV. Power arguments aside, we consider the basic version a real value. Harwood logged, “There is a tremendous value here.…

WE LIKE: Agile handling, supple ride, steering feedback, value, and fuel efficiency. WE DON’T LIKE: Merely adequate power. NVH matches low-rent ’90s interior. NOTHING BEYOND the Subaru XV Crosstrek’s “Impreza Outback” styling suggests “new” or “breakthrough.” The transmission has just five gears, and we suspect the continuously variable transmission option would drain the old-school driving fun. So it might surprise you that the Subie made our first cut of Sport/Utility of the Year candidates. But it’s greater than the sum of its parts, and was more fun than most on the Santa Maria airport tarmac’s handling course. It’s 148-horsepower slow, though tossable while maintaining Subaru’s typically supple ride. The Crosstrek handles and parks like a compact car, will carry sporting accoutrements and friends, and is capable of light off-roading if…

FERRARI MAY GET all the fan mail and sell countless bedroom wall posters, but in the 66 years since its founding, the Italian automaker has sold just 130,000 cars. Total. Worldwide. Ever. Toyota, in comparison, sells roughly that many Camrys in the U.S. every five months. Honda’s Accord and Nissan’s Altima are close behind. Make no mistake, the humble sedans you see here may have to endure morning gridlock, Labrador fur, and the occasional wayward French fry, but they’re the power players of America’s auto landscape. Indeed, data sifter Experian Automotive says this mid-range class accounted for a whopping 27.4 percent of the U.S. auto market in the first half of 2012. (Crossovers were a distant second, at just over 19 percent.) While the spotlight-hungry 458 Italia is out there…

4TH PLACE Nissan Altima 2.5 SV The jump from fifth to fourth is huge. Now we’re talking about sedans with way more plusses than minuses—each of our top four finishers is a worthy entry. There’s still a pecking order, though, and the new Altima lies fourth. The good stuff first: There’s genuine driving entertainment to be had here. The Altima has a capable, confidence-inspiring suspension, sweetly balanced steering, and good power (it tied with the Accord for best acceleration) from its 2.5-liter four. “I’m struck by how buttoned-down the Altima is,” writes Martinez. “Solid, great ride, smooth.” Agrees Kong: “Nissan did a lot of work on the driving dynamics: new electrically controlled hydraulic steering, ZF Sachs shocks, passive rear steer, Active Understeer Control.” After the Camry, jumping into the Altima…

1ST PLACE Volkswagen Passat SE More than 12 months after being chosen as the 2012 Motor Trend Car of the Year, the Passat continues to impress. No whiz-bang here. This a classically styled, sagely engineered four-door that focuses on bona-fide family sedan requirements while delivering a notably superior driving experience. You want room? The VeeDub delivers, with a leviathan back seat, a massive trunk, and plenty of breadth for shoulders. “Four dudes on a road trip?” Martinez asks. “No problem. The Passat can handle them and all their stuff.” Writes Febbo: “Very few cars of any size have this much space. Really does feel like an affordable Phaeton.” The interior design is clean and purposeful, almost austere. “Functional to a fault,” says Evans. The rest of us disagree. Febbo again:…

I WAS CHARGING into Quiddlebacher-Hohe at the top of fourth gear, the Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon still accelerating hard at well past 120 mph, when it really hit me: This is my old long-termer. This is the same Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon I shepherded around Los Angeles for more than a year. The same crazy-fast station wagon I picked up on May 7, 2011, in Michigan, then promptly filled with beer from seven Midwestern breweries and drove 2000 miles back to Los Angeles. The exact same evil-looking, sparkle-black Cadillac with the black wheels and yellow brake calipers that I personally took to the dragstrip on four different occasions. The same one I drove on the glorious canyon roads above Los Angeles whenever the opportunity presented itself. The same Caddy Wagon…

“The JX is great for long-distance treks. I comfortably drove nearly 1500 miles round-trip to the bonneville salt Flats.” EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON: 18/23/20 MPG BASE PRICE $42,500 PRICE AS TESTED $54,800 As Motor Trend’s photo editor, I need a vehicle that can carry all my gear to photo shoots. This limits me to minivans, SUVs, trucks, and the occasional wagon. I just finished a year of driving the Honda Odyssey, and my replacement vehicle for this year is the 2013 Infiniti JX35 AWD SUV. The JX’s 3.5-liter V-6 engine delivers 265 hp and 248 lb-ft of torque, propelling drivers from zero to 60 in 8.2 seconds. The continuously variable transmission offers a manual shift mode, and adjusts revs to accommodate the Drive Mode Selector among Standard, Sport, Snow, and…

“Our diesel family car finally shuttled a family: Art St. Antoine took it on a Michigan vacation with wife Maryam and daughter Juliette.” Service life / 9 mo/12,445 mi Avg CO2 / 0.56 lb/mi Energy cons / 94 kW-hr/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $0 (oil change, inspection) Normal-wear cost / $0 EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON: 30/40/34 MPG AVERAGE FUEL ECON 39.5 MPG Post 10,000-mile maintenance, my wife, Donna, and I took the diesel VW for a weekend trip to Milwaukee. Then, MT contributor Arthur St. Antoine borrowed the car for a vacation in northwest Michigan with his wife, Maryam, and 12-year-old daughter. The capacious family sedan finally had its family, with stretch-out rear seat space for Juliette. Its trunk easily swallowed their luggage. Art drove 300…

VOLKSWAGEN’S Golf is to Europe what the Ford F-Series or Toyota Camry are to the U.S. market. For the first seven months of 2012, Ford sold 350,455 F-Series trucks in the U.S., and Toyota sold 243,816 Camrys here, while VW sold 278,470 Golfs in 30 European countries, well ahead of the number-two Ford Fiesta at 204,247. For the same period, VW sold just 24,870 Golfs in the States. Befitting VW’s antithesis of One Ford-like marketing, the Mark VII Golf will go on sale in North America some time in the first quarter of 2014. Volkswagen unveiled the car in Berlin late last summer, and was already taking orders for delivery in Europe. Our market, which prefers compacts with trunks, like the Jetta, got the current Mark VI Golf first as…

HE WAS Jim McKay’s go-to guy for ABC Sports broadcasts during such races as the Indianapolis 500 — “Now, to Chris Economaki in the pits.” To National Speed Sport News readers, he was known for 60 years as The Editor. Chris Economaki died September 28, 2012, at 91. The cause of death was not immediately available. Economaki was born in Brooklyn, New York, on October 15, 1920, to a Greek immigrant father and the great-niece of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Economaki was 9 years old when he saw his first race at the Atlantic City Board Track in New Jersey. When he was 13, Economaki began selling the newly minted National Speed Sport News. He began writing his first column, “The Gasoline Line,” for National Auto Racing News at…

ONE WOULD THINK Ford Motor Company’s globalized product plan would have involved Europe at the same time it involved North America. Not so. The company announced at a pre-Paris show video conference in Amsterdam that it is “expanding” the One Ford program to the European market. Of course, Ford faces problems there similar to GM Europe, Peugeot-Citroën PSA and even Volkswagen AG, all of whom are dealing with the economic crisis and far too high capacity. “Manufacturers with the right product will prosper in the tight European market,” Ford of Europe chief Steve Odell told the video conference. European Fords will go from 43 percent global product currently to 71 percent in five years, CEO Alan Mulally said, and the company will have 15 global models by 2017. One of…

THE LEXUS LF-A supercar’s styling is divisive, but it’s distinctive. Nothing else in its class looks like it. No other Lexus looks like it, either, which diminishes any halo effect the LF-A might have on the brand. The LF-CC concept is a clear hint at the 2014 IS. It shows Lexus is dusting some LF-A magic on its mainstream products. Ahead of the LF-CC’s public disrobing at the Paris auto show, Motor Trend had a preview with its key designers. Exterior designer Hideaki Iida sweeps his arm over the car, showing the proportions, the long hood, and short overhang characteristic of rear drive. The roof appears to gain depth as your eye moves rearward, flowing into a broad D-post above the rear fenders. “I wanted a strong volume in that…

“THIS NEW ONE LOOKED LIKE NISSAN LEFT THE OL’ BRICK OF CHEDDAR UNDER THE SUN AND SAID, ‘WHO’S HUNGRY?'” “THEY SHOULD call it the Mallfinder,” quipped associate editor Mike Febbo, referring to the all-new, fourth-generation Nissan Pathfinder. I chuckled, as I couldn’t disagree. When I first saw the 2013 Pathfinder in person, I was taken aback—it looked a lot wimpier than it did in photos, and it appeared droopy and saggy. If the boxy previous gen were a block of cheese, this new one looked like Nissan left the ol’ brick of cheddar under the sun and said, “Who’s hungry?” Well, I wasn’t quite ready to take a bite. When I think Pathfinder, I envision my pristine hand-me-down 1987 SE V-6 4x4 from high school that my parents and sister…

SRT is seeking to boost the Viper’s racing credibility by returning to the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) to compete against Chevy’s class-leading Corvette. Riley Technologies is developing the cars in conjunction with SRT. Like the club-racing, GT3, and World Challenge series Vipers SRT has been fielding for the past decade, ALMS cars are also production based, but greater variation is permitted. The stock frame must be used, and only minimal changes to suspension pickup points and such are allowed. The Roush-prepared engine is destroked to 8.0 liters; it runs racing rods, domed pistons to increase compression, and a (non-VVT) camshaft; and it inhales through 10 throttle bodies and drinks E85 fuel. A rear-mounted Xtrac transaxle with power takeoff for the alternator and A/C compressor improves weight distribution and permits…

WE LIKE: Car-like road manners, combination of torque and fuel efficiency. WE DON’T LIKE: Lack of real offroad prowess. Really is an A4 Avant with plastic flares. THE ALLROAD returns from a seven-year hiatus leaner, meaner, and based on the A4 rather than the A6. The previous Allroad used an adjustable air suspension that often proved problematic over time, and it was powered by either a twin-turbo V-6 or a naturally aspirated V-8, both of which had a real taste for fuel. This version uses the 211-hp, 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 that returns an EPA-rated 27 mpg on the highway. The overall staff opinion of the Allroad was very positive. The interior was universally praised, with comments ranging from Floyd’s “typical Audi: well-executed with top-notch craftsmanship” to Allyson Harwood’s “elegant and…

WE LIKE: Attractive exterior, quality interior style and function, strong value proposition. WE DON’T LIKE: Numb steering, poor handling, turbo’s disappointing power. FOR 2013, there are two Santa Fes: the short-wheelbase Sport and the long-wheelbase Santa Fe. The Santa Fe Sport rides on the same length of wheelbase as the 2012 Santa Fe, but looks totally different. There are two engines: a 190-hp, 2.4-liter four and a 264-hp, 2.0-liter turbo four. The 2.0T has significantly more power than the 2.4, yet was only 0.2 second faster to 60. While the 2.0T is quick and throttle response is excellent from a stop, there were noticeable flat spots in the acceleration curve that made power delivery feel uneven. On twisty roads, when accelerating out of a turn, we had to wait—or mash…

WE LIKE: That Mercedes is finally giving the U.S. a small-displacement diesel engine. WE DON’T LIKE: That Mercedes isn’t letting us get our hands on it until next year. WHEN YOU FIRST lay eyes on the 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK, nothing pops out as significantly changed, but according to M-B, there are more than 1000 new parts on the revised SUV. The most notable change for the GLK is the introduction of the new 2.1-liter, four-cylinder diesel engine. The exterior gets a slew of minor changes. A new nose has the GLK looking more like the rest of its kin in the M-B lineup. New headlamps get LED running lights; the upper and lower grilles have been reworked; the new taillights have LED accents; and there are new exhaust tips and…

6TH PLACE Chevrolet Malibu LTZ Talk about a comedown. What had previously been a sedan we’d regularly praised—and GM’s best-selling car—finished dead last. How could the likable Malibu have fallen so far? Mostly this: a retrograde interior, a nearly useless rear seat, and the thirstiest powertrain in our group. “The back seat is too small for folks with legs,” logs associate online editor Christian Seabaugh. Associate online editor Nate Martinez: “At 5 foot 9, I had about an inch of clearance for my knees if I sat up like a crash dummy.” Such is the penalty served by Chevy slicing 4.5 inches out of the new Malibu’s wheelbase. (The roomy sedan in the lineup will be the 2014 Impala.) Also drawing jabs was the general look of the interior, a…

3RD PLACE Ford Fusion SE If looks alone determined the finishing order, we’d probably have our winner right here. Admittedly, the new Fusion isn’t as sleek in the metal as some of its photos might suggest, but this is still a great-looking sedan, an Aston Martin amid a sea of cereal boxes. The Fusion is not just another pretty fascia. It’s a genuinely spirited car, with real flavor and competence in its moves. “You can tell right away it was engineered by a German team,” says Evans. “Reminds me of the Passat, but even more German. The ride is firm; you feel all the bumps; but it pays back in handling. This thing is built like a tank and feels it in turns, but the body is very well controlled.”…

I WILL NEVER be a sommelier. I love wine, but I couldn’t tell the difference between a 90-point wine and a 100-point wine if you paid me. Wine experts can stick their noses in a glass and tell you a particular vintage has hints of tobacco, star fruit, and elderberry. Huh? I sometimes wonder if they’re just making it up, but I’m sure some people say the same thing about me when I write about steering feel. My point is that I either like how a wine tastes or I don’t, and I’m often perfectly happy with an inexpensive bottle. I feel the same way about the Corvette. I understand the performance-for-dollar appeal of the ’Vette. I know I can spend a ridiculous amount of money on a top-shelf bottle,…

“Over 400 miles of freeway driving, I got a new record of 34.5 mpg.”@roryjurnecka EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON: 22/30/25 MPG BASE PRICE $28,265 PRICE AS TESTED $28,265 The ol‘ MT garage has been a little light on sports cars these past few months. Sure, the Nissan GT-R Black Edition that currently resides there pulls the weight of two or three “normal” sports cars, but even so, it’s still limited to just one driver at a time, usually bossman Edward Loh. Apart from the Godzilla that lurks in our shadowy lair, there isn’t a single vehicle that could be considered an honest-to-Fangio sports car. Until recently, when this Sterling Silver Metallic Subaru BRZ was delivered. As is often said, timing is everything. Having just given my previous S60 long-term car…

“A little sound deadening could go a long way toward improving the Civic’s comfort and overall feeling of quality.”@MT_DubDub Service life / 9 mo/15,401 mi Avg CO2 / 0.77 lb/mi Energy cons / 133 kW-hr/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $121.83 (2-oil change, inspection; 1-rotate tires) Normal-wear cost / $0 EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON: 22/31/25 MPG AVERAGE FUEL ECON 23.5 MPG A better Civic exists in the form of the ILX, Acura’s new-for-2013 intro-luxury sedan. Eager to put it through the paces, we took delivery of the shiny new car introduced in our November issue. So is the ILX a slightly heavier, overpriced Civic? Mike Floyd will be the judge of that during the next year. But I think if Honda were to put the Civic…

“The Caddy CTS-V Wagon is a high-water mark not just for GM, but for performance sleepers everywhere. I can’t accept the fact that it’s gone.” Service life / 14 mo/36,457 mi Avg CO2 / 1.31 lb/mi Energy cons/ 228 kW-hr/100mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $0 (3-oil change, inspection, rotate tires; 1-engine-air filter) Normal-wear cost / $2107.45 (four new Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires, alignment, mounting) 3-year residual value*/ $27,472 *Automotive Lease Guide EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 14/19/16 MPG AVERAGE FUEL ECON 14.8 MPG The Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon wears a weird crown. Consider a Ferrari; Aston Martin; Lamborghini; big, sexy Jaguar coupe; or fire-engine-red Corvette—all are wonderful, loud, boisterous sports cars. Each is a blast to drive, makes a statement, and has been telegraphing its intention since…