Innehållsförteckning för September 2013 från MotorTrend

Knobs and buttons are making a comeback at Ford. After valiant attempts to defend its MyFord Touch interface, the automaker has bowed to consumer blowback. Sync and MyFord Touch have helped Ford raise average transaction prices, but they’ve also contributed to huge drops in customer satisfaction surveys. Complaints typically center around the touch-sensitive pads that replace traditional buttons and knobs as redundant controls for the touch screen, as well as glitchy software that shuts down the whole infotainment and climate control system. Ford points to the full-size F-150 as an example of successful MyFord Touch execution, noting that models with the feature have a quality satisfaction rate of 86 percent. That version of the technology features traditional manual buttons and knobs complementing the touch screen.…

Infiniti brand boss Andy Palmer tells us the aim for the whole Infiniti line is 500,000 units per year by 2020, a 10-percent share of what Palmer calls the “facing luxury” market. Before the 2009 crisis, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn’s target was to reach that figure by 2016. But Palmer is now optimistic. He cites the “unassisted awareness” of the brand among Chinese as having risen from 19 percent to 29 in one year, mostly through Infiniti’s partnership with the Red Bull Formula 1 team. He says that has done a great job of getting the name out there, while being far cheaper than buying and running a team. “If awareness rises, then—unless you’re doing something wrong—sales should rise in direct proportion. “Infiniti has a strong business case, because 50…

When General Motors began the global rollout of its Chevy Cruze in early 2009, the stakes were incredibly high. With bankruptcy looming, GM’s new compact simply had to be good. Two million Cruzes have been sold worldwide since, and Chevy’s current most popular nameplate has played a significant part in helping revitalize the biggest of the Detroit three. Now, GM believes the time is right to further expand the Cruze’s mission with the 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel. The Cruze and its only market competition, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI, are both powered by 2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbo-diesels. Chevy’s unit makes 151 hp and 264 lb-ft of torque (with up to 280 for limited amounts of time in Overboost mode) compared with the Jetta’s 140 hp and 236 lb-ft. The EPA has rated…

Since 2008, Sony PlayStation’s Gran Turismo driving simulation team and Nissan Motor Corporation have sponsored GT Academy, an innovative program based at England’s Silverstone Circuit that aims to turn the best virtual drivers into real-life motorsport aces. The tagline “From Virtual to Reality” often gets repeated when chatting with executives such as Darren Cox, Nissan’s director of Global Motorsport, who works closely with the successful program and runs NISMO’s many racing ventures. To be eligible for GT Academy, drivers must first beat their online competition in a special version of Gran Turismo 5 (soon to be Gran Turismo 6). Winners attend a boot camp to push their physical and mental limits and hone their driving prowess. GTA has evolved from a Euro-centric school into a global phenomenon with satellite sites…

Corvettes have always been adept track stars—a ZR1 set the pace at our 2009 Best Driver's Car competition, and a Z06/Z07 laid down the quickest lap at that event in 2011. Maintaining a close relationship with a successful racing team assures that. But it’s telling that each of those lap-time champions finished sixth in its running, thanks to comments like these: “My knuckles were a lot whiter at the wheel of the ZR1 than they were in the Audi” (racing pro Randy Pobst); “The ZR1 does not elicit relaxed smiles or slow sighs of ecstasy, only pants and palpitations” (editor-in-chief Edward Loh); and—referencing the Z06/Z07’s semi-slick Pilot Sport Cup tires—“The ultra-gumballs help highlight just how inferior the seats are” (associate road test editor Carlos Lago). Well, the time has come…

The turbo-six is one of the best-sounding engines this side of anything stuffed into an F-car. OK, OK… settle down, Maserati fans. While the thought of the Ghibli badge being slapped on anything but a two-door coupe may make you want to impale yourself on a trident, the new Maserati Ghibli sedan is aimed at bringing a brand that barely achieves five-digit sales at present into the 50,000 annual sales range by the year 2050. Plus, while it’s not a coupe, it is tremendous fun to drive. In a nutshell, you can think of the Ghibli as a smaller, sportier Quattroporte. It shares most of its chassis architecture with its big brother, including its front A-arm and rear multilink suspension design, but the wheelbase loses 6.8 inches to the Q-Port,…

In 2012, Acura sold 50,854 of its three-row MDX crossover, the brand’s best-selling vehicle. The next best? The TL sedan, at 33,572 units. Now, almost 51,000 vehicles might not sound like a lot, but consider the following: Not even the fuel-efficient, budget-priced, and generally excellent Honda Fit subcompact, at 49,346 sold, found as many takers—this during a year of growth recession and high gas prices. The MDX is vital to Acura, and one of the reasons Honda’s luxury wing can absorb the costs associated with developing the NSX super sports car. So thank you, MDX, and congratulations on the success. Just don’t screw it up. Enter the third-gen 2014 model. If it looks similar, that’s because it bears a strong resemblance to its predecessor, despite every piece of sheetmetal, plastic,…

“I love the Titanium Silver exterior paint. It feels very rich.”@Emiliana505 Service life / 6 mo/7935 mi Avg CO2 / 0.84 lb/mi Energy cons / 145 kW-hrs/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $53.55 (oil change, inspection) Normal-wear cost / $0 EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON: 22/34/26 MPG AVERAGE FUEL ECON 23.2 MPG I’m short, with short legs, and I have trouble getting 100 percent comfortable in most driver’s seats. I usually end up sitting too high or too low, too far away from the steering wheel or about to be impaled on it. In the Optima, I feel like Goldilocks—it’s just right, thanks to the eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat (standard on the SXL, SX, and EX trims, and optional on the LX). Once I tweaked the settings…

“Secondary, tertiary, even quarternary movements in the front suspension after a bump. Someone make my 3 Series’ nose stop bouncing.”@MT_Evans Service life / 14 mo/23,693 mi Avg CO2 / 0.75 lb/mi Energy cons / 131 kW-hrs/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $0 (oil change, inspection) Normal-wear cost / $1389.90 (4 Pirelli Cinturato P7 run-flat tires, installation, balancing) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON: 23/34/27 MPG AVERAGE FUEL ECON 25.7 MPG Not far from the office, Sepulveda crosses some railroad tracks in the middle of a moderately steep hill. This creates a sort of shelf that can decompress or compress a car’s suspension rather dramatically if you’re going fast enough when you hit it. I drive across this shelf every day, and it makes a handy little suspension test.…

“I had wondered if the Impreza would be our rookie of the year. Maybe not, but it had a place in my starting lineup every day.”@MT_ROYER Service life / 13 mo/20,535 mi Base price / $20,720 Options / Limited Package ($2925: Lineartronic CVT, leather, auto climate control, HD Radio), Power moonroof, navigation system ($2000) Price as tested / $25,645 Avg CO2 / 0.71 lb/mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $315.01 (2-oil change, tire rotation, inspection; 1-engine-air cleaner) Normal-wear cost / $0 3-Year Residual Value* / $14,618 Recalls / None EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON: 27/36/30 MPG AVERAGE FUEL ECON 27.4 MPG *Automotive Lease Guide Our Impreza came to the garage with just 30 miles on the odometer, and within hours I was on I-10 heading to Phoenix to…

These guys have talent, absolutely no discussion about that. What they haven’t got is time.” Built to celebrate a century of Aston Martin sports cars, the Aston Martin CC100 Speedster Concept stunned crowds at the annual 24 Hours of Nürburgring in May. The CC100 Speedster concept’s shape is inspired by the race-winning 1959 DBR1 driven by Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori, and hints at the future design direction of Aston Martin. With Aston Martin CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez behind the wheel, the CC100 Speedster concept lapped the famous track alongside British racing legend Sir Stirling Moss in a 1959 DBR1. “CC100 is the epitome of everything that is great about Aston Martin,” Bez said in a release. “It represents our fantastic sporting heritage, our exceptional design capability, our superb engineering…

Ford has announced that it will end local manufacturing in Australia in 2016, which means the end of the single-market Falcon as well as the Falcon Ute pickup variant and the Falcon-based Territory SUV. There are a number of reasons behind Ford’s decision, but they all come down to money. Ford’s two Australian plants, Broadmeadows (assembly) and Geelong (stampings), have lost the equivalent of $583 million (all denominations are in U.S. dollars) over the past five years, while Ford Australia lost $455 million in the last two years alone. The company tried to stem the bleeding by reducing production from 209 vehicles per day to 148, but with Falcon sales cratering from a high of more than 80,000 annually 20 years ago to fewer than 20,000 today, there was little…

Apparently not content with the level of iPhone integration in modern cars already, Apple has announced “iOS in the Car,” a new version of its iOS mobile software designed to replace your car’s infotainment functions with your iPhone starting next year. Based on Apple’s new iOS 7 operating system and Siri voice control software, iOS in the Car will work with touch and voice control. It will allow hands-free calls, read text messages aloud, respond to text messages via voice inputs, play music from your phone, and provide navigation with turn-by-turn directions and 3-D maps. 12 automakers have signed on: Acura, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jaguar, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Opel, and Volvo.…

We’re not exactly flying through the Chinese countryside outside of Beijing in the new Bentley Flying Spur. It’s more like ducking and dodging stacks of bricks, glacially moving wheeled conveyances, trash bins, and sleeping dogs in the road. Although well-paved, the route is often treacherous, especially given the hulking, 5500-plus-pound ultra-luxury sedan we’re driving. As I mat the throttle in a bid to politely blow by yet another rolling roadblock, the Flying Spur’s menacing 6.0-liter, twin turbocharged, W-12-cylinder-powered heart starts pumping. Although it’s a carryover powerplant, the hand-assembled W-12 has undergone an engine management system makeover. It has more horses (616 in all) and is paired with an impressive ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic routing power to an all-wheel-drive setup. Bentley says the Flying Spur can barrel to 60 mph in just…

1959 Corvette Stingray Racer XP-87 Built on the chassis of Zora Arkus-Duntov’s 1957 Corvette SS race car, the Stingray Racer concept was designed and built in secret. With the SS’ 307-hp, fuel-injected, 283-cubic-inch V-8 under the hood, tube frame, and race-ready suspension and brakes, it won its class in SCCA racing. 1963 Corvette Sting Ray The first production Corvette to carry the name Sting Ray, the C2 featured major upgrades including a strong frame, a shorter wheelbase, independent rear suspension, and an all-new coupe model. Duntov reportedly hated the “split window” design because it impeded visibility. 1968 Corvette Stingray Duntov and Bill Mitchell reportedly clashed over how to fit the mechanical bits underneath the C3 without compromising the design. The rest of the car was mostly carried over with improvements…

Go ahead. Rank your children in order from worst to best. I’ll wait. Not easy, is it? Yet that’s the task we’ve been given for this month’s Big Test. Small sport sedans are to automotive journalists what paparazzi are to the Kardashians: We wouldn’t exist without them. Flip side of that coin: It’s hard to imagine the car world would be so crammed with smallish, sporting, executive rides if it weren’t for the four-plus-decade-long chorus of praise we’ve collectively hurled at BMW and the 3 Series, including the 2002 before it. Hey, they are good. And not only are the Bimmers good, but all the cars competing with the original are pretty sweet as well. And they're getting sweeter all the time. What do we car-writer types dig so much…

There has been one consistent criticism of the 2014 GMC Sierra and its Chevrolet twin: GM played it safe on drivetrain technology. To take such a conservative approach to a key component has led critics to infer that the whole truck was an exercise in doing the bare minimum, and, as such, wouldn’t be competitive with the latest and greatest from Ford and Ram. Those inferences are wrong. It says something about the quickening pace of automotive technology development that direct injection is viewed as plebeian and passé. The fact is, GM’s EcoTec3 engines may look similar, but are big improvements on a tried-and-true formula. The first-ever production, direct-injected, pushrod engines offer better power and fuel economy, GM says, and to prove it, GMC took us “glamping”—glamorous camping. Made-up words…

Just outside of Paris, in the town of Sèvres, sits the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures. Inside, you’ll find two glass jars containing objects made from a mix of platinum and iridium alloys. One represents the meter, and the other the kilogram. Everything in the world is measured against these two—for lack of a better word—yardsticks. If you didn’t see my metaphor coming, it just hit you square on the nose. Meet the newest S-Class, the sixth generation of Mercedes' full-size four-door sedan, internally known as the W222. Bigger, brasher, and packed with more luxury and technology than ever before, the W222 is the latest luxury beast against which all other wannabes will be compared. Despite what Cadillac might want you to think, this is the luxury car standard.…

“The RDX has proven to be a comfortable and fuel-efficient road-trip vehicle, averaging just under 22, which is right at the claimed combined mpg.” Service life / 12 mo/23,118 mi Avg CO2 / 0.89 lb/mi Energy cons / 155 kW-hrs/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $356.88 (3-oil change, inspection; 2-tire rotation; 1-differential fluid change) Normal-wear cost / $0 EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON: 19/27/22 MPG AVERAGE FUEL ECON 21.8 MPG It took almost a month, but I heard back from Acura regarding my inquiry about the RDX’s infotainment screen display. I wanted to know why the screen cuts off long names of songs or artists, and here’s the official answer: The RDX displays XM’s standard metadata, which is 16 characters. XM offers extended data once the head unit…

“The GLI is a fine example of today’s global market: engineered in Germany and built in Mexico with an engine that comes from Hungary.”@RonKiino Service life / 7 mo/16,793 mi Avg CO2 / 0.78 lb/mi Energy cons / 135 kW-hrs/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $0 (oil change, rotate tires, inspection) Normal-wear cost / $0 EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON: 24/32/27 MPG AVERAGE FUEL ECON 25.3 MPG The GLI’s standard Dunlop SP Sport 01 A/S tires are solid performers—lateral acceleration of 0.87 g, 60-0-mph braking of 123 feet, and a figure-eight run of 26.5 seconds at 0.69 g—but I wanted to see how Vee-Dub’s sport sedan would perform on a set of summer tires. Our friends at the Tire Rack sent over a set of OE-size (225/40R18)…

Even Toyota admits the Corolla doesn’t have the best reputation for style, saying the new car’s styling will “challenge the preconceptions about Corolla.” That’s no exaggeration, as the 2014 Corolla draws heavily from the aggressive-looking Furia concept. Helping improve the Corolla’s proportions is a wheelbase stretched by 3.9 inches, with overall length growing by nearly as much, which improves interior space. Among the biggest surprises in the 2014 Corolla are LED headlights. Normally reserved for pricier cars, they are standard across the lineup, a first for the C segment. Those headlights feature LED low-beam lamps and LED daytime running lights, and were developed to reduce mass at the corners. The 1.8-liter four-cylinder carries over from the previous model, but a new version with Valvematic variable valve timing appears for the…

Late last year, Maserati announced in a stock analysts’ presentation that it would replace the GranTurismo (above) and GranCabrio with three models, called Gran-Turismo, GranCabrio, and GranSport in 2015. The most intriguing is the one that bears the new name, Gran Sport. CEO Harald Wester said the current GranCabrio is actually too big. “The four-seat GranCabrio is in a segment where even the biggest-selling competitor sells just 2000 a year maximum. We need a smaller sports car.” He implies that this will be sold as a convertible (the new GranCabrio) and as a hardtop (the GranSport). So we have been doing some digging to learn more about this pair of smaller cars. A marketing source told us their design isn’t fixed yet, as launch is still three years away. But…

Let’s start with the downsides of the new CLA45 AMG. The seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is a little grabby off the line, rear headroom is a problem, and it costs almost 50 grand. Everything else about this 355-hp, all-wheel-drive sedan is nothing short of amazing. The 355 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque are a very small part of this car. Although these are big numbers from the little 2.0-liter, the most impressive thing is the delivery. There’s very little lag, with full torque delivered from 2250 to 5000 rpm. Even better, the throttle response is almost naturally aspirated linear. Small throttle adjustments are mirrored in power delivery, unlike most high-power turbo engines that deliver all-or-nothing wallops of power. This is probably the best turbo I-4 I have ever driven. The…

Counting Corvettes Corvettes produced 1953-2013 THE GOODS Shinola The Runwell $550 z Where to buy: www.shinola.com Say hello to the first series watch crafted in Detroit, Michigan. Clean, solid, and durable, it employs an Argonite quartz movement and a leather band stitched in Florida. SIGG Wide Mouth and Active Top Bottles $30 z Where to buy: www.mysigg.com They’re some of the best bottles around, thanks to BPA-free liners, an available Active Top, textured finishes, and distinctive styles. Salt Optics Lodin and Sutherland $400-$425 z Where to buy: www.saltoptics.com Each classically styled, handmade-in-Japan piece melds superb functionality with advanced technologies such as PFV polarized glass with anti-smudge, - scratch, and - reflective coatings. Sparco Time 77 $80 z Where to buy: www.sparcousa.com Feel is key in a proper driving shoe. That’s…

FOUR PLAY True dual exhaust gets four central tips, and if you pop for the $1195 Dual-Mode Performance Exhaust, an extra pair of exhaust valves largely bypass the rear mufflers to improve airflow by 27 percent. Did you know about the standard pair of valves that all Corvettes get? They’re in the center pipes, and they close during V-4 operation to restrict 80 percent of the exhaust flow for improved sound quality. GAUGES GALORE Three design themes present mission-tailored info. Touring highlights album art, phone contact info, fuel economy, etc. Sport features oil temperature and pressure gauges flanking a big round tach with a ring that changes from white to yellow to red as you approach redline. Track mode’s tach is a wide yellow ribbon easily monitored in peripheral vision,…

The real winner is the GL63’s angry exhaust note, which we very much enjoyed. Congratulations! You’ve just been picked 127th in the NFL/NBA/NHL draft! Here’s your jersey and a big, fat contract with your name on it. Now then, how will you spend your newfound fortune and let everyone back home know that you made it? An expensive luxury SUV ought to do the trick, but which is right for you? Never fear, we’re here to help. You’ve narrowed it down to the all-new Range Rover Supercharged or the Mercedes-Benz GL63 AMG. Both offer big power, lots of luxury, plenty of space, and that all-important gravitas that lets the haters know they were wrong. Sure, there are a few obvious differences. The Rover is clearly a better off-road vehicle (as…

The loft-style interior opens up the cabin, thanks to glass A-to D-pillars, to provide a nearly 360-degree view around the car. We were under the impression that the L in the 2014 Fiat 500L stands for large. But while attending the press drive in Baltimore, Maryland (where U.S.-spec 500Ls will be delivered after they’re built in Kragujevac, Serbia), we learned that L actually stands for several things. The first is leveraging. While the most recent additions to the Fiat 500 lineup (500 Turbo, Abarth Cabrio, and 500e) help the brand appeal to a wider audience, the 500L will give it considerable leverage by welcoming families and outdoorsy types into its circle. This brings us to large. You might be inclined to think the 500L is a stretched-out, bloated version of…

“I’ve been in fast sedans all week, so driving the GL today was like walking on a balance beam in ski boots.”@MT_MikeFebbo EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 19/26/22 MPG BASE PRICE $63,305 PRICE AS TESTED $88,615 My last long-term vehicle was the Volkswagen Passat TDI, Motor Trend’s 2012 Car of the Year. To continue the best of the best theme, I begrudgingly pried myself out of the frugal and efficient Passat and stepped up, figuratively and literally, into our new gigantic and luxurious Sport/Utility of the Year, the 2013 Mercedes-Benz GL350. Let’s go ahead and address the elephant in the room. Our diesel-powered GL bases at $63,305, but was delivered carrying an as tested price of $88,615. Before you light the torches and sharpen your pitchforks, you might want to…

“I find it fascinating just how many different types of people I recommend the Volvo S60 AWD to. It’s in a real sweet spot.”@MT_Loverman Service life / 10 mo/16,029 mi Avg CO2 / 0.87 lb/mi Energy cons / 152 kW-hrs/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $0 (oil change, inspection) Normal-wear cost / $0 EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON: 20/29/23 MPG AVERAGE FUEL ECON 22.2 MPG I can’t stop recommending this car. In my line of work, I am constantly asked by friends, family, and strangers what car they should buy. More and more, I find myself recommending the Volvo S60 T5 AWD. Does familiarity breed puppy love? Maybe just a little, but there’s some logic at work, too. The S60 is complete enough to appeal to a…

“Evoque’s condensed size and surefooted stability make it a great weekend runner for two. It’s best to keep the back seats folded and cargo area stuffed.”@BrianNVance Service life / 12 mo/25,600 mi Base price / $41,995 Options / Dynamic Premium Package ($9500: 17-speaker Meridian sound system, xenon headlights, surround camera system), Adaptive Dynamics featuring MagneRide ($1250), Climate Comfort Pack ($1000), Special Paint ($950), Satellite radio ($750), Contrast black roof ($650), Ebony headliner ($275) Price as tested / $56,370 Avg CO2 / 0.97 lb/mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $0 (1-oil change, inspection, cabin-air filter, engine-air filter) Normal-wear cost / $0 3-year residual value* / $27,058 Recalls / None EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON: 18/28/22 MPG AVERAGE FUEL ECON 20.1 MPG *Automotive Lease Guide The first thing you need…