Innehållsförteckning för June 2004 från MotorTrend

Drivers, passengers, take your seat. And prepare to be amazed. A miracle of magnetic proportions is about to unfold a thousand times a second in the space just one foot above the pavement. Push a button to start. Press the pedal and witness the wonder of Magnetic Ride Control (MRC) at work in Cadillac XLR. Welcome to the dynamic, ever-changing world of magneto-rheological fluid technology. Here, in the far recesses of the Cadillac XLR shock absorber, iron particles float in a soft, synthetic fluid bath. In 1/1,000th of a second, their world changes. An electromagnetic charge jolts them to attention. The shock contents, bolstered by the iron columns, turns thick and viscous as it readies for impact. The shock absorber that houses the fluid is now instantly applying various levels…

Oldsmobile’s Bravada will depart the sport/utility landscape just as the recently announced Saab 97X touches down upon it But if the two had been on the market at the same time, it would’ve made a total of six not very different and not-so-unique midsize SUVs offered concurrently by General Motors—all built on the same midsize chassis architecture. True, the powertrain and wheelbase offerings among these six nameplates vary somewhat, and each version’s grille and interior reflects its brand’s attire. But, really, they’re the same damn truck. If you’re keeping score, the others are the Chevy TrailBlazer, the GMC Envoy, Buick’s new Rainier, and the Isuzu Ascender. The pundits are screaming “badge engineering!”—or “badgeneering” as we’ve come to call it. The situation reminds me of an even more blatant nameplate shell…

With a $1 million first prize you’d guess there’d be a winner. The challenge? Race 143 miles across desert tracks and highways between Barstow, California, and Primm, Nevada, in 10 hours or less. Easy? No! The vehicle had to get there by itself without a driver or outside assistance. Billed as the first-ever off-road race for robots, it was an historic event sponsored by the Pentagon’s infamous DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, which developed the Internet) as a way to jump-start research into fully autonomous vehicles. More than 100 teams entered, 25 were accepted, 15 qualified, and none finished. The farthest a bot got was a mere seven miles. Prerace favorite Big Red, a topless Hummer from Carnegie Mellon University, hit a gatepost and bent its front suspension, causing…

You say that Ford Excursion or Hummer HI is too puny and effete for you? The heavy-truck folks at International soon may have just the thing. This downsized and civilized concept, trimmed as the SmarTruck III in military garb, complete with a hydraulic drivetrain, night vision, and Star Wars-grade weaponry, made its debut at Detroit’s SAE show. International also showed a tough, open-fendered, big-shouldered crew-cab pickup designed for commercial—maybe even personal—use. The idea is to meet military specifications in a truck whose development costs could be spread over a high-volume vehicle sold to commercial and possibly retail customers through International’s 1000 dealers. The concept places the mass-produced cab (two-door, four-door, sleeper) from a class 5/6 semi on a new and much-lower-slung frame tailored to the 16,000-pound gross vehicle weight class.…

LOOKS TESTS DRIVES A comedy routine by Billy Crystal revolved around a Fernando Lamas-like character who pursued perfection through vanity. “When you look mahvelous, darling, you are mahvelous,” he exhorted. No student of “Saturday Night Live,’ Aston Martin chief executive Ulrich Bez enthuses, “The new DB9 drives as good as it looks.” When more stringent safety standards signaled the end of the line for the long-running DB7, the pressure was on to create a new gran turismo to meet those lofty standards. Henrik Fisker, Aston Martin design director, extols, “To design a GT car, you must start with the right proportions,” although it must be noted that this design was initiated by the hand of Ian Callum, who also did the DB7. There’s no reinventing of…

There’s no hiding the fact that the 92x Aero was fished right out of the Subaru Impreza gene pool. But Saab isn’t attempting any sort of coverup; in fact, the gang from Trollhattan is proud of its association with Fuji Heavy Industries and of this first-ever Swedish/Japanese product-development project. Saab needed fresh hardware—fast-—and this was the quickest, most cost-effective way to get it. The 92x will be sold as the 165-horsepower naturally aspirated Linear and 227-horse, turbocharged Aero (Saabspeak for WRX). Either can be had with a five-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive is standard, and the five-door sportwagon is the only bodystyle choice. What differentiates a Saab from a Sube? All body panels forward of the A-pillar are new, as are the rear decklid, spoiler,…

The X-type was Jaguar’s first entry into the premium compact segment and was a sales success, outpacing company projections by 19 percent—with 87 percent of those buyers being new to the brand. We had a 2002 in our one-year-test fleet; it was a nice enough driver, but left us with concerns centering on the quality of some of the materials and the high initial price (ours was a hefty $44,120, sans nav). Somebody must have been listening, as more than 1000 component upgrades have been made since the car’s 2002 introduction. For 2004, Jaguar reshuffles the X-Type’s price and equipment, dropping the cost of the 3.0-liter model and making some previously optional equipment standard. Base 2.5-liter models add a single-disc CD and 16-inch wheels. The 3.0-liter versions include a standard…

The 612’s ultra-long wheelbase makes it look a bit awkward from some angles, despite the “Ingrid scallop” used to disguise it, but Ferrari’s engineers deemed it vital to approach the target front/rear weight distribution of 45/55. (The final distribution ended up 46/54.) That target was established after extensive testing on the effect of weight distribution on acceleration, handling, and braking, the graphic results of which are illustrated on this page. ACCELERATION Acceleration performance was found to improve markedly as the percentage of weight on the rear tires increases beyond the 40 to 50 percent most GT cars employ, before leveling off between 55 and 60. The steering-wheel angle required to maintain a given lateral g load varies noticeably with weight distribution. At 0.90 g, the mule with the 55-percent rear…

We asked for it and we got it: a good-handling Solstice. Well, actually we got a drive in some engineering test mules. But by all indications, the production versions of this new-for-2006 Pontiac roadster will feel appropriately lithe and entertaining to drive. Just what we were after. In these pages (“Editorial,” April), we asserted that GM and its chief car guy, Bob Lutz, were taking on a major challenge of packaging, chassis development, and ergonomics in presenting the Solstice to the world. A small, open-air, two-seat roadster absolutely must be lively and responsive in the drivers hand. It has to have balance and polish, feel compliant as well as stable, perform in a spirited fashion regardless of its actual test numbers, and generally possess a loveable character. A Mazda Miata…

On the list of life’s most soul-nourishing pleasures, driving a top-down convertible has to rank right up there with eating free Beluga caviar or hitting the channel-changer the moment Dr. Phil appears on TV. To our minds, any convertible is wonderful—“We never met a convertible we didn’t like,” to paraphrased uh, 1 think it was Kenny Rogers—but some convertibles are obviously more wonderful than others. Case in point, the three plush, new four-seat imports gathered here. Now into its second model year, Audi’s A4 Cabriolet is the senior citizen of the trio. Compared with the chunky cabrio Audi sold without anyone noticing from 1994 to 1998, the new car is sleeker, roomier, and, Audi says, 112 percent stiffer structurally. Two engines are available: a 170-horsepower, turbocharged 1.8-liter four and a…

Okay, so not everyone wants to dance on the ragged edge of the laws of physics. The Solara Convertible is for folks who may have never stepped on a clutch pedal or purchased a set of performance tires and never dreamed of clipping apexes on Mulholland Drive. They just want to motor patio-style now and then in the quiet, smooth-running, droptop version of America’s best-selling car. Unlike the tall, boxy, and unrelentingly conservative Camry Sedan, the curvy, torpedo-shaped Camry Solara Convertible (and the Coupe its based on) is pushing the bounds of design; some like it and some just don’t. The Convertible’s mind-bending taillamps are probably stretched farther than the epidermis on Phyllis Diller’s face. A longish 107.1-inch wheelbase affords the Solara Convertible’s rear-seat passengers decent legroom, and with the…

We went gaga over Maserati’s delectable Spyder the first time we drove it at its 2002 introduction. What’s not to like? Great style, a polished yet fearsome V-8, and a comfy cabin covered in supple, aromatic leather as only the Italians can stitch it. Then we hit a railroad track, and the chassis shook like a dog that just climbed out of a swimming pool. Maserati heard the cry and has worked to improve the chassis’ torsional rigidity over the al dente nature of the original. The availability of a new Vintage trim package was all the inducement we needed to check back in to see how the Spyder had progressed. In a word, nicely. The Vintage model is mechanically identical to the standard Spyder, but earns several handsome trim…

CIAS/MT DESIGN CONTEST Theme announced What if Rolex made a car? What about a Nike sport/utility? Maybe you’ve considered what a truck would be like if it were really designed and sold by Tonka? The 2004 CIAS Motor Trend International Design Contest will be your chance to design a car, truck, or SUV—conceived, built, and brought to market by a company brand that’s not currently an automotive producer. This year’s entry information, deadlines, rules, and prizes—which include expense-paid trips to Southern California for the contest finale—can be found at mtdesigncontest.com or via the link at motortrend.com. Logos reproduced on entries are used purely for design purposes and in no way indicate source sponsorship or authorization by the trademark owner. MOTORTREND.COM Summer sports cars Go behind the scenes of this month’s…

> SCOOP: ODD-NUMBERED AUDIS > AN INTERNATIONAL RETURN > AUTO ENGINEERS PARTY AT EXPO > CHICKEN, ROBOTS, AND JACK BLACK A7, A5, AND A3 JOINS EVEN NUMBERS Audi’s entry-level A3 lands in North America late this year as a 2005 model. It won’t be the only odd-numbered Audi sold here, though. Like BMW, Audi will begin separating body styles by number. Its Pikes Peak sport/utility vehicle will be named A7 when it goes on sale in Europe in late 2005, probably mid-2006 here (as a 2007 A7). The Volkswagen Touareg-based A7 is reportedly not a crossover, but a true SUV with serious off-roadability, like the SUV on which it is based. Rounding out the odd Audi lineup is the A5, which will be two cars. One is a facelifted A4…

Simply stated, Geneva is a great show. It has an international feel, puts independent designers and tuners on somewhat even ground with OEMs, and takes place in Switzerland. What else could you ask for? If there’s been a downside, it would be an occasional lack of relevance to the North American marketplace. Not so this year. As the globalization of the car business continues, more hardware that shows up over there has more meaning for what eventually happens here. To understand this point, you need look no further than Chevrolet’s introduction of the 2005 Corvette roadster in Geneva. Other Geneva unveilings we’ve previously shown you include the new Audi A6, a thoroughly remodeled Mercedes-Benz SLK, the Mini cabriolet, and high-performance SRT-6 versions of Chrysler’s Crossfire. Here’s the best of the…

The burden of Mercedes-Benz’s considerable weight is on the C-Class’s shoulders. After a few years of cutting corners to make more-populist cars, the automaker appears to be striving for a higher level of quality and substance once again. An updated, facelifted C-Class lineup is helping lead the charge. The bread-and-butter C-Class ranges from a hatchback and European taxis to the new V-8-powered C55 AMG, which has model-specific track and sheetmetal. The latter’s hood has a slightly different slope from those of the standard C-Class sedan, wagon, and Sports Coupe. Its grille is shaped differently, too, although the variance is so subtle that you’d have to put them side by side to notice Use of the slightly larger CLK coupe’s front-fender innards help provide a 0.3-inch-longer nose on the C55…

The new Mazda3 5-Door replaces last year’s nicely wrought but underpowered Protege5. Competing for eyeballs against the sport-compact darling Honda Civic, sales-rich Toyota Corolla, and cheap-wheels Scions, Hyundais, and Kias, the Mazda3 brings muscular-looking sheetmetal, sporty driving characteristics, and a high level of sophistication to the segment. There’s a lot to check out in the new compact Mazda, which rides on chassis architecture shared with up-brand models like the Volvo S40 and V50. Bulging fender flares, short overhangs, a body-colored grille and V-contoured hood, sloping hatch-back roof, and beefy 17-inch alloy wheels set a sporty tone. Inside, a roomy cabin, premium materials, and lots of standard equipment surpass most expectations. It’s the only compact available with navigation ($1750) and one of the few offering leather seating ($590) and Xenon…

Behold the largest Ferrari ever. Measuring 193 inches long by 77 — inches wide, it shades slightly more pavement than does a Lexus LX 470 sport/utility. Even in this day when everything seems to come jumbo, supersize, or el grande, our first glance at this flagship caused us to ask: “Et tu, Ferrari?” Still, we tried to open our minds as the director of product strategy, Giuseppe Bonollo, laid out the case for his big new baby, the 612 Scaglietti (say it like an Italophone: say-CHEN-to do-DI-chi skahl-YET-ee). It seems the design brief was to build a car capable of blistering Ferrari-grade performance in a package that could comfortably carry four actual adult humans—a feat no four-seatbelt Ferrari in history has managed. That four-human mandate motivated much of the dimensional…

BMW’s recently launched 645Ci coupe is just now arriving at dealerships, yet the company didn’t waste a minute in introducing the convertible version. They were, of course, designed at the same time, so the ragtop is no mere chop job. Although there’s some discernible relationship between this latest coupe and the last-generation 8 and 6 Series, we need to reach back to 1965 to make a convertible connection. It’s a slim one at that, as BMW built just a single ragtop version of its Bertone-designed 3200CS coupe. So it’s fair to say that the 6450 Convertible is the first two-plus-two, V-8-powered top-downer from BMW in almost 40 years. With the top up, the convertible shares the organic profile of the coupe we tested earlier this year (January 2004). Yet, lower…

Convertibles are simple, right? Just drop the top and enjoy the sun. Well, the reality of their performance is considerably more complicated, with lots of details factoring into the experience. Here, we’ve rated some of the basics on a one-to-10-scale (poor to excellent) spider diagram. Below, two of these aspects, operation and noise, are shown in greater detail. At the very bottom, we’ve indicated how much wind buffeting fluctuates the interior noise level: The smaller the number, the better.…

Since the Sebring’s introduction in 1996, Chrysler has often held the top spot in the domestic drop-top market, selling roughly 33,000 Sebring convertibles a year. This equates to 12 percent of all convertibles sold in the U.S. For 2004, Chrysler gave the Sebring a facelift, adding a restyled front fascia with scalloped headlamps and a new grille; there are also two new 16-inch wheel options. The Sebring comes in four trim levels: base, GTC, Touring, and Limited. All offer ample interior room for four plus 11.3 cubic-feet of cargo area. The design is nicely executed, featuring a high-quality, power-operated cloth top of a level similar to those of more expensive offerings. The top is easy to operate: Undo the two overhead latches, depress the console-mounted switch, and the top drops…

The obituary for the convertible is dated April 21, 1976. That’s the day Cadillac general manager Edward Kennard drove the last 1976 Cadillac Eldorado convertible off the assembly line at GM’s Clark Avenue plant in Detroit. “Like runningboards and rumble seats,” Kennard said, “the convertible is an item that history has passed by.” Of course, there were still a handful of manufacturers overseas that continued to build convertibles, but in 1976, when General Motors proclaimed it was the end of an era, it was the end of an era. Convertibles, GM insisted, had been done in by a variety of concerns: the higher speeds we were driving, safety issues, better stereos that we couldn’t hear properly with the top down. It wasn’t the end of convertibles, of course. Lee Iacocca…

Just as cayenne pepper is hot, so is Porsche’s new SUV. There are three levels of spiciness (Cayenne, Cayenne S, and Cayenne Turbo); the top offering employs a twin-turbocharged 4.5-liter V-8 engine that sends 450 horsepower through a well-sorted 4WD traction-management system and onto grippy 18-, 19-, or (optional) 20-inch tires. The 5500-pound Cayenne Turbo delivers sports-car performance. Why would anybody want to mess with such a potent piece? Well-seasoned German tuner Techart attempts to answer that question with a few packages designed to add more kick to the Cayenne. Techart’s muscular body kit includes a front spoiler with four integrated driving lights, side and rear skirts, head- and taillight trim, and a contoured panel for the rear hatch. The good news is the body panels are tested in a…

2004 CHRYSLER PACIFICA When Chrysler reinvented the minivan, it wrote itself into automotive history by engineering a segment-buster that demanded new classification. Some 20 years later, the brand is attempting the same with the Pacifica, a crossover positioned somewhere in among a station wagon, an SUV, and a minivan. We ordered ours in Satin Jade Pearl with Deep Jade and Taupe premium leather. The only available engine, a 3.5-liter V-6 with 250 horsepower motivates our (ever-so-light) green machine. We opted for an all-wheel-drive version with a base price of $32,980 (including $680 destination) and added the aforementioned leather seats for $890. We also went for the instrument cluster navigation system for $1595, the power liftgate for $400, and HID headlamps for another $500. Audiophiles on the staff checked the option…

Sport/utility vehicles have become, well…soft. Most of the car-based crossovers are essentially tall station wagons with butch bodywork—an eight-year-old in a cowboy hat wearing plastic six guns, perhaps. Nissan bucks the trend with the Xterra, an unashamedly trucklike SUV aimed at outside-living, extreme-everything Gen-Xers. Introduced for 2000, the Xterra earned Motor Trend’s Sport/Utility of the Year honors. In overall size and heft, the Xterra took up the big end of the mini-SUV market, styled with enough swagger to send the cute ’utes back to their brie and chardonnay. In true truck fashion, you get a lumpy ride and numbish steering at no extra charge. Base models get a 2.4-liter 1-4 with 143 or 153 horsepower, while the stouter option is a 3.3-liter SOHC V-6 with 170 horses—either way, that’s not…

Let’s talk about old cars. There’s no question that elderly automobiles can be wonderful. They can exude character from every rivet hole and upholstery tear. They can remind us of another time, a time of innocence or coming of age. A car that was around for us during a particular period of life brings back that time, to mind and to heart, in more vivid relief than any photograph or song or whiff of perfume. But a car is also still a car, a mechanical contrivance intended to be driven. And our standards for driving quality are evolving constantly, as technology progresses and the automotive universe shifts. So any time we go back and get behind a wheel out of our past, we’re running a terrible risk. Odds are it’ll…

Lexus is on the warpath, with plans for “more passionate” cars and trucks in the coming years, plus a performance division in the mold of BMW M, Mercedes-Benz AMG, and Cadillac V-Series. Bolstered by the distinctive new 2006 GS sedan, which it revealed at the 2004 Detroit show, Lexus is looking to inject a dose of high style into its designs. A new IS model follows the GS, also in 2006, with coupe and convertible body styles joining the sedan and SportCross for a lineup to rival the BMW 3 (and future 4) Series. All-wheel drive and Lexus’s 4.0-liter V-8 will be offered as options for the IS. The LS 430 will undergo a major change for the 2007 model year, and there’ll be two wheelbases, the longer of…

Although it has lost share to sport/utilities, the near-luxury segment has started an upturn in sales these past few months. BMW’s 3 Series has been the perennial leader for many years, but its lead over competitors has narrowed. Chrysler’s new 300 series comes in at the bottom on this list, but pay little attention to that number, as it’s just hitting the market. It should steadily climb up the charts into the top 10 in the coming months, especially if it sells better than the outgoing 300M. Near-Luxury Segment Sales Note: Acura CL, Mazda Millenia, and Oldsmobile Aurora recorded a few sales during this period although they’re officially off the market. Sales figures are from October 2003 through February 2004 for 2004 model year and October 2002 through February 2003…

On the eve of the Golfs fifth-generation debut (due in 2005), Volkswagen has brought to our market the highest-performance Golf ever. Some might say that VW is late with the $29,675 R32, as similarly priced specialty models like Mitsubishi’s Lancer Evolution and Subaru’s WRX STi have been winning accolades for a couple of years. We say they’re different animals. The R32 goes a step beyond the GTI, and just 5000 examples of this limited-edition two-door hatchback will be imported this year. It features a 3.2-liter, 240-horsepower 15-degree VR6 engine and six-speed manual transmission, plus “4Motion” all-wheel drive. Launching the R32 is an exhilarating experience, and getting the right amount of clutch-slip will net a 5.9-second 0-to-60 time on the way to the quarter mile in 14.2 seconds at 97.6 mph.…

Audi sits in the luxury catbird seat for 2005: A new Mercedes S-Class is more than a year away, and the BMW 7 Series suffers the controversy of its styling and iDrive. This fall, a 450-horsepower, 6.0-liter W-12 joins the 330-horse A8 L V-8. The W-12 is a technical wonder made from two 15-degree VR6 blocks joined in a 72-degree bank angle. Just 2mm longer than the 4.2 V-8, the engine fits nicely with quattro all-wheel drive. Improvements over the 420-horse VW Phaeton’s W-12 include dry-sump oiling, 12-percent-lighter pistons, a 17-percent-lighter crankcase, maximum-speed-oriented intake runner length, better-breathing exhaust manifolds, and a 6200-rpm red-line (up 200). The handsome sedan is beautifully finished, with a choice of four- or five-passenger seating and myriad personalization options. Extras include 20-inch nine-spoke wheels, adaptive cruise…

An aristocratic, world-renowned Italian filmmaker. His beyond-beautiful, Oscar-winning wife. The Don of exotic sports car builders. Money. Fame. International intrigue. A great movie script? Heck, no. Just a confab between Roberto Rossellini, Ingrid Bergman, Enzo Ferrari, and a custom-bodied Ferrari. Rossellini and Bergman’s marriage ran hot and cold, but the former’s love for Ferraris burned at high intensity for decades. He and Enzo were amici speciali, and among Roberto’s fleet at one time or another was Ferrari 375 MM chassis #456. It would be unfair to accuse Pininfarina and lead designer Ken Okuyama of going retro with the look of the new 612 S. Yet there’s no question the long-hooded proportions, scalloped side treatment, and cat’s-eye-shaped headlights drew inspiration from this 1954, also-Pininfarina bodied Paris show car. Romantic legend says…

Ah, the mercury’s rising, and the days are getting longer—inevitably giving you the urge to duck out of work to soak up some sun. That means you’ll want a convertible parked in the company lot so that even your commute can be alfresco. By our count, there are some 45 ragtops now on sale or coming soon, with prices starting around $20,000. In the following pages, we’ll introduce you to five newly minted convertibles and seven more that’ve been substantially updated or reworked since their namesakes last mussed our locks. Our roundup includes something for nearly every budget, from the Pontiac Solstice, basing around $20K, to the ninety-grand-plus Maserati Vintage Edition Spyder. Today’s convertibles are quieter, safer, stiffer, less drafty, and more livable in four-season use than those of a…

Airscarf” sounds like a nice gift for a wife or girlfriend. It’s also what Mercedes-Benz calls a new option that blasts warm air from a vent at the base of the headrests at any of three speeds onto the necks of the driver and passenger—all offered in the second-generation SLK-Class. The goal is top-down comfort in sub-60-degree Fahrenheit weather. Make that 15.5-degrees Celsius. The Airscarf isn’t coming to the land of Fahrenheit under that name, however, because its makers aspire to find more male buyers (versus the largely female buyership that favored the 1998-2004 model). You can buy the option for your SLK350 this fall, but only by its butch name, Active Heated Headrest, which cries out for a typically Benz abbreviation, AHH. “Like my new Merc? It has ESP,…

With three different convertibles to sell (one more than any other domestic moniker), Chrysler hopes to be viewed as America’s convertible brand—never mind that its latest offering is built in Germany The Crossfire Roadster arrives on the heels of the 2004 Crossfire Coupe introduced last year and joins the value-priced PT Cruiser and the best-selling Sebring convertibles as a new, upmarket alternative. While the Coupe bowed in a single trim level, the 2005 Coupe and Roadster will be offered in three. The lineup includes an entry-level Crossfire (exterior color offerings include black, black, and black) with cloth interior and manual transmission, a leather upholstered Crossfire Limited, and the supercharged Crossfire SRT-6, which launches later this year. The Roadster’s profile is less extreme than that of the fastback Coupe. It resembles…

A young mom in heavy traffic leans out of the window of her Dodge Caravan. “I like that, honey” she shouts toward our top-down Ford StreetKa. But tough-guy attendants just laugh when we pull it into the Detroit Bureaus garage. This nifty little Pininfarina-penned number is what some (not us—were PC) might call a “girl’s car.” Ford’s press release even describes its target buyers as “fashionistas.” Whoever they are, they’re not Americans—the StreetKa is Euro-market only. Ford asked Pininfarina to design the car, based on its kicky Ka mini, for the Turin Motor Show in 2000 to gauge public reaction. By the autumn of 2002, Ford had the production version on its stand at Paris, with Australian superstar Kylie Minogue draped all over it. Ford has kept the StreetKa’s buzz…

Automotive manufacturers are seeding the clouds of a worldwide performance downpour. Who’s got the highest horsepower? Which one handles best? What’s the quickest lap at the infamous Nürburgring? Who wins? We all do. This seemingly limitless convergence of high-performance hardware continues to blanket our highways and whet our appetites. Not limited to passenger cars, high-output sport/utilities occupy one arm of this tempestuous storm. In many ways, these sporty extroverted SUVs are designed and built for the American buyer. Sure, they’re sold in other markets, but not in the numbers the high-output versions are here. Six-cylinder or even diesel models can be found overseas. Americans have an insatiable appetite for V-8 performance and sport/utilities, so why not combine the two? The four PUVs (performance utility vehicles) you see here are the…

The day Motor Trend’s long-term Nissan 350Z arrived at our Los Angeles office was a happy one. Nissan had sent us a Track model complete with big Brembo brakes and lighter aluminum rims. It wore a shiny layer of Le Mans Sunset paint, and its odometer barely read over zero. We were keen to put the Z through our one-year testing regimen. Our Track model Z carried a base price of $34,619 (including a $540 destination charge), and with a $69 set of optional floormats, the as-tested total came to $34,668. A $35K window sticker doesn’t seem like much of a bargain for this supposed value-oriented sports car, but keep in mind that the same engine, transmission, and suspension is found in all Z trim levels, including the $26,930 base…

Lincoln’s recent Mark X concept car is an elegant two-seat luxury roadster. Its mission in life is to suggest what the marque might do should it choose to take on the Cadillac XLR. But a two-door drop-top is hardly a new thing for this brand. The original Continental of 1940, subsequently and colloquially named the Mark I, was available as a convertible, and Lincoln very nearly offered a ragtop version of the production Mark II hardtop as well. This Continental Mark II convertible prototype was a joint venture between Ford and the Derham Custom Body Company and made its debut at the Texas State Fair in October 1956. To say that it, too, was elegant, would be an understatement. After a tour of duty on the show circuit, it was…