Innehållsförteckning för September 2004 från MotorTrend

> BLUES FOR BLUE DEVIL? > GAME PLAYING > OUT OF FOCUS > IS IT ONSTAR OR OFFSTAR? M3 GETS 4/5 OF M5 BMW’s next M3 will launch some time after the new 2007 4 Series premier with a version of the 5.0-liter V-10 that powers next year’s M5 sedan. The major change is that the M3 will be powered by a 400-horse V-8 made of the V-10 with two cylinders lopped off. So the M3’s V-8 will be 4.0 liters. BMW has reversed its notion to rename the supercoupe M4, because there’s too much equity in the M3 name. While the plan was to give even numbers to all coupe lines, like 6 Series and 2 Series, BMW might scrap the 4 Series name for the two-door that enters…

Electric-car purveyor ZAP (Zero Air Pollution) plans to sell smart fortwo minicars here by year’s end. The cars have fuel-efficient three-cylinder gas engines and will not be converted, like other ZAP products, to all-electric. About 100 fortwos are holed up in Santa Ana, California, wearing the local, capitalization-challenged label "smart, Americanized by ZAP” and will sell for $15,000 to $25,000 per copy, depending on trim and equipment, says ZAP director and CEO Steve Schneider. The company plans to sell 15,000 per year, at least through 2005. But there are barriers. At press time, the for-twos had met NHTSA crash certification, but were awaiting stringent EPA emissions certification. And DaimlerChrysler, which is launching the smart brand here in 2005, hasn’t sold any cars to U.S. gray-market importer Smart LLC, ZAP’s supplier—the…

As pretty as it is, the 575 M Maranello is getting on in years. Its replacement is now under development and will make use of the aluminum space-framed platform developed for the just-released 612 Scaglietti. This new front-engine flagship two-seater will be at least six inches shorter than the Scaglietti 2+2 and much lighter than the current, steel-chassised Maranello. Count on a further development of the big V-12 to remain, producing as much as 600 horsepower. This test mule, nabbed just outside the factory gates, wears a Scaglietti-style nose; expect that to change, and the proportional differences between the two are easily spotted. Rumored to be named Imola or Monza—two Italian racing circuits with significant history to the marque—the Maranello’s successor will bow in mid-2005 as a 2006 model.…

BMW has made “Mini” an adjective. “This is a very ‘Mini’ restaurant,” a PR. exec said of the chic, cool, colorful Parisian eatery where we hung out before flying south to drive the Cooper ragtop. The Cannes Film Festival underway at the time is “very Mini convertible.” So we skipped part of the twisty, hilly press-drive route through Provence—much more “Mini Cooper S hatchback”—in search of starlets and budding directors. Mini had no 170-horsepower Cooper S convertibles on this first drive, although the Cooper S and Cooper convertibles launch together in September. The ragtop is as much of a go-kart as the tintop, heading where you point it with lightning quick, precise steering. It has minimal cowl quiver, only on the worst of washboard roads. Mini reinforces the A-pillars, rocker…

Last December, Volkswagen’s first-ever SUV was honored as Motor Trend’s 2004 Sport/Utility of the Year without benefit of its top-gun powerplant. Available in Europe for some months now, VW’s potent V-10 turbodiesel comes to Canada and 45 of these United States this summer. California and a few Northeastern states with extra-stringent particulate-emissions limits will remain diesel-less probably through 2006, after which low-sulfur fuel will become available in the U.S. VW hopes to bring the TDI engines to all states for 2007. In the meantime, lucky buyers have an SUV that, at a rated capacity of 7716 pounds, will tow more than a Hummer H2 can, while getting nearly twice the fuel mileage at an EPA-rated 17 mpg city/23 mpg highway. As diesels go, the VW V-10 is a sweetheart, smooth…

You’ll know it by its shape and the familiar, hairdryer rasp of that whirring flat-six. The ignition switch remains just to the left of the steering column. And for the 2005 model year, Porsche’s iconic 911 will greet you with a modern rendition of the friendly face that made you love it in the beginning. Like it or not, Porsche had to get past an air/oil-cooled powerplant. The current 996-platformed cars, introduced for the 1999 model year with proper liquid cooling, accomplished that. More than 160,000 have been sold. We’ve tested every iteration and generally praised them. But that praise always came with a To-Do list attached: “Too much road rumble from the rear suspension.” “The front sheetmetal and interior designs resemble the Boxster’s.” “This Tiptronic sucks.” “Wish it looked…

Should Jaguar revive the XKSS? Let us know at motortrend.com…

2005 Ford Super Duty Ford has given its Super Duty trucks much more than a mid-model freshening. To begin, Ford has bumped up towing and carrying capacity to class-leading status by strengthening the frame. The Super Duty also gets bigger brakes and an industry-first: a trailer-brake controller factory-installed in the dash. In addition, both gasoline engines get new three-valve-per-cylinder aluminum heads, bumping horsepower to 300 for the 5.4-liter V-8 and 355 on the 6.8-liter V-10. And, finally, on all 4x4 Super Duty models, Ford is scrapping the front leaf-spring suspension in favor of more compliant coil springs, which should vastly improve the vehicle’s turning diameter and overall ride quality. 2005 Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra Hybrid General Motors has been offering what it calls a mild parallel hybrid Silverado/Sierra for fleet sales…

It’s no surprise that Hollywood adores Ferraris, even when films are shot in Miami and Hawaii, rather than California. Like any great star, the machines from Maranello have presence, the ability to steal a scene. Faye Dunaway may look spectacular in the original “The Thomas Crown Affair,” but the 275 NART Spyder she photographs Steve McQueen from is that much more alluring. And even if you didn’t know anything about cars, you knew the ride that Ferris Bueller used on his day off was something special. Here are a number of television series and movies in which Ferraris starred, with the name of the production followed by the year(s) in which it was made and the Ferrari model(s) that appeared in each. This list is by no means comprehensive. SMALL…

Your Lotto numbers finally paid off. That risky stock you bought just went sky high. Your rich Uncle Milton kicked the bucket and left you his entire estate. Regardless of where the money came from, let’s assume that you’ve just become filthy rich and you’re ready to buy a serious ride. Chances are Ferrari is the first name that comes to mind, but what if even a new Modena isn’t unique enough? Germany-based Novitec wants to help make your new Italian stallion even more exclusive. Novitec’s recently released Modena F360 aims to up the performance ante. The core of its F360 effort entails adding more power: Twin superchargers work with twin carbon-fiber water-cooled intercoolers, additional fuel injectors, and an artful handmade carbon-fiber air-inlet setup employing high-flow filters. Custom exhaust manifolds…

We had such high regard for the last-generation E-Class that we named it Motor Trend’s 1996 Import Car of the Year (an award no longer separate from the Motor Trend Car of the Year). And we weren’t alone in our praise. The E-Class sedan represents about 25 percent of total Mercedes-Benz sales, so a redesign of such an important member of this German family carries significant weight. While the 1996-2002 E-Class ushered in the four-ovoid headlamp look now a signature in much of the Mercedes line, we welcomed a redesign to bring its overall appearance more in step with the company’s freshest offerings. In terms of styling and performance, the 2003 E-Class is a successful update of an old friend. Dimensionally, the new E-Class is close to the previous car;…

In the early 1990s, the intermediate sport/utility emerged as a wildly popular, stylish alternative to the wagon and minivan. With a thriving economy and the success of the new premium marques from Asia, it wasn’t long before luxury offerings bowed in the segment. Badge engineering was the quickest way to fill the niche, so Acura borrowed the Isuzu Trooper and christened it the SLX for 1996. Nissan’s Infiniti division didn’t stray quite as far; with a little extra body cladding and leather-lined/wood-look trimmed interior, a thinly disguised Pathfinder became Infiniti’s SUV, the 1997 QX4. While it shared the Pathfinder’s unibody platform; 3.3-liter, 168-horsepower V-6; and four-speed automatic trans; the QX4’s standard premium upgrades included an advanced All-Mode four-wheel-drive system (derived from Nissan’s Skyline GT-R sport coupe); 16-inch wheels; Bose audio;…

Few of us noticed that last April 7 was World Health Day and that the theme this year was road safety. The World Health Organization (WHO), a United Nations affiliate, proclaimed it such, marking the U.N.’s identification of traffic injuries as a major and growing threat to global health to be tackled along with AIDS/HIV, the Ebola virus, famine, and armed civil conflict. As a motorist, car enthusiast, and citizen of planet earth, I’m intrigued that the issue of safety on public roads has been taken up by mankind’s global body, the U.N. Now, I have some personal views on motor-vehicle safety. And they’re pretty jumbled and conflicted, I admit. I hate to see lives ended or irreparably shattered by car crashes. I hate to see auto makers hauled into…

General Motors’ OnStar is a hit. More than 2.5-million subscribers pay a monthly fee for service. Its satellite network and three call centers, two in the U.S. and one in Canada, handle about 700 airbag deployments and 32,000 lockout calls per month. The latest version diagnoses mechanical problems, tracks stolen vehicles, and finds the nearest gas station. But a problem looms for subscribers. It’s in a footnote in the specifications chart for the Saturn L300 on GM’s Web site, though it affects other OnStar-equipped vehicles: “FCC ruling 02-229 eliminates the requirement that wireless carriers support the analog network after February 16, 2008. As a result of this ruling, if carriers for OnStar elect to provide only digital service commencing on February 16, 2008, the OnStar system in this vehicle may…

Toyota Motor Sales USA (including Lexus and Scion) had its best-ever sales month in the US. during May. So far this year, it’s captured 12 percent of the market for new cars and trucks, so it’s likely to sell more than two-million vehicles for the complete year. Forty years ago, the three major Japanese manufacturers had a miniscule share of the market, while almost 90 percent of buyers purchased vehicles from General Motors, Ford Motor Company, or Chrysler Corporation. Their share of the market, especially that of GM, has gradually eroded during the past four decades. If trends continue at the same pace, the six major domestic and Japanese manufacturers look set to enjoy about equal shares—around 15 percent—unless the traditional Big Three domestics manage to turn the tide. Domestic…

Mercedes-Benz is throwing a big sendoff for the 25-year-old G-Class—the rugged, function-first, military-inspired sport/utility—by giving it the most powerful V-8 ever offered in any factory-sold SUV. At 469 horses and 516 pound-feet of torque, the hand-built AMG 5.5-liter supercharged V-8 offers 30 percent more power than last year’s naturally aspirated G55 (which at the time was also the strongest SUV sold in the U.S.). The new AMG G55 version uses a different fuel-injection system, an intercooler, and a screw-type supercharger to create the extra go. And even though this AMG engine is shared with E-, S-, SL-, and CL-Class sedans and coupes, this G55 could be the most muscular-sounding V-8 you’ll ever hear. According to preliminary M-B test data, the 2005 G55 can haul its 5600-plus pounds to 100 kph…

Though it sounds like something from Dr. Seuss’s “Cat in the Hat” children’s tales, Volkswagen’s new Pumpe Düse technology (pronounced pump-a-dooz-a) takes its turbodiesel engines to a new high in performance and efficiency. The system injects fuel directly into each cylinder at very high pressure (around 30,000 psi), and the resulting extra-fine atomization of the mixture gives more complete combustion. The Passat’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder TDI engine develops a mere 134 horsepower, but the key to its satisfying performance is a robust 247 pound-feet of torque at a loping 1900 rpm. That rich surge of torque just above fast idle helps move this 3450-pound midsize sedan with no fuss, and one smoke-free look in the rearview mirror confirms that the car creates no muss, either. Hooked to the standard five-speed Tiptronic…

• Two models for 2005: 3.6-liter, 325-horsepower 911 Carrera and new 3.8-liter, 355-horsepower 911 Carrera S. Offered at launch in coupe body style only• All body panels except the roof are redesigned. Sharper lines, wider rear fenders, return to traditional ovoid headlights, aluminum front decklid• Updated chassis is structurally stiffer; packs revised suspension, wider track, updated brakes, more use of high tech materials• New six-speed manual transmission; revised/updated five-speed Tiptronic S automatic• Revised aero package reduces both lift and drag• Remodeled, upgraded interior with new IP and center stack; use of more leather and soft-touch materials. Several seat and steering-wheel options. DVD nav system and six airbags standard. Bose surround-sound system optional• Active damping system standard (PASM) on Carrera S, optional on Carrera• 18-inch wheels/tires now standard on Carrera; 19-inch…

The term “station wagon” comes from the vehicle’s first use as a conveyance to carry people and their belongings to and from railroad stations. Built from (usually) lengthened rear-drive sedan chassis, these “depot hacks,” as they sometimes were called, became the four-wheeled embodiment of suburban American harmony. Later, truck-based, four-wheel-drive sport/utilities supplanted the dear old wagons, offering at least the promise of adventure beyond one’s neighborhood. Fast forward to oil-reliant 2004, and wagons are again making a strong case for themselves. Modern wagons provide most of the cargo capacity sport/utility owners would ever need, plus the all-wheel-driving excitement and foul-weather capability SUVs offer but with considerably better fuel efficiency. While the Saab 92X and Volvo V50 are based on sedans, those sedans are in a way someone else’s—though one might…

Ferrari and America are inexorably linked with a history that stretches back five decades. The United States brought the small Italian firm financial stability during its formative years via a number of wealthy enthusiasts eager to acquire machines that were competitive on most any track. Ferrari also was the most prestigious high-performance car one could buy for the street. At 1948’s Turin Auto Show, famed coachbuilding company Car-rozzeria Touring displayed the first 166 Barchetta, which was immediately sold by America’s Luigi Chinetti to radio executive and car aficionado Tommy Lee of Los Angeles. Today, America remains Ferrari’s most important market and a culture enamored by the House that Enzo Built. We take 25 to 30 percent of the company’s annual production, exhibiting a devotion that’s grown exponentially over the years…

There doesn’t always need to be a victory for a race result to be a critical factor in a championship. Look no further than the first two entries in our list. • 1964 United States Grand Prix, Watkins Glen, New York: In the second to last race of the season, John Surtees came in second, enough to keep him within striking distance of points leaders Jim Clark and Graham Hill. • 1964 Gran Premio de Mexico, Mexico City: In the season’s last race, Jim Clark’s engine expired on the last lap. Surtees came in second to Dan Gurney, giving Ferrari its first driver’s and constructor’s championship since 1961. • 1975 United States Grand Prix, Watkins Glen: Ferrari won its first driver’s and constructor’s championships since 1964, with Niki Lauda’s win…

• The entry of Toyota into the NASCAR Craftsman truck series this year will lead to its involvement in the Nextel Cup series, likely in 2007, or possibly 2006 if things go better than even Toyota expects. So far, Honda and Nissan have shown no interest in following Toyota, but that could change. • Expect the aforementioned New York City-area track to generate a lot of publicity once ground is broken, not because it’s particularly important to anyone but NASCAR, sponsors, and the New York media, but that’s enough. Determined to shake the bootlegger’s-boy mud off its shoes once and for all, NASCAR steps up its search for respectability. • Look for NASCAR to work hard on diversity programs, as indicated by the recent hiring of Magic Johnson as a…

NASCAR has the Daytona 500. The IRL has the Indianapolis 500. And so it is that the National Hot Rod Association has the U.S. Nationals. It used to be called simply the Nationals, but it still takes place at Indianapolis Raceway Park and will do so for the 50th time this September. Larry Dixon, two-time NHRA Top Fuel champ, once said: “If you could pick one race you were ever going to win in your entire life, it would be Indy.” And he wasn’t referring to the oval race at the brickyard, either. “Big Daddy” Don Garlits won the Nationals a record eight times, often doing so in dramatic fashion, as shown by this wheelstander during the Top Fuel final round in 1967. This was his second Nats class victory,…

Car companies spend millions coming up with names for their products. They engage research companies to host focus groups in the hopes of identifying labels that resonate with consumers. They employ people who pore over any number of resources in further search of appropriate names. They develop naming strategies for entire brands; all of Ford’s sport/utility models don’t start with an “E” by accident. And if, after all this, they can’t find the right words, there are still more folks assigned the task of making them up. “Escalade” and “Maxima” are examples of nonwords that were brewed to evoke positive attributes about the vehicles they adorn and, hopefully, instant recognition in the minds of consumers. The identification of a potential name is only the beginning of the process. The magic…

Volumes of speculation about the Blue Devil have appeared since we broke news of the car in April 2003 (page 94, “Crystal Ball 2005—Chevrolet Corvette C6”), some of it in print, much of it on the Internet. Not true is a Web site’s insistence that the Ford GT/Dodge Viper-fighter is actually a mid-engine C7 based on the Cadillac Cien concept architecture. Chevrolet is working with a C6 chassis, running a race version of the C6’s 6.0-liter small-block V-8 up front, bored out to 7.0 liters. The development mule’s engine is making-sit down for this—700 to 725 horsepower. Engineers also are working to take as much weight out as possible, aiming for a sub-3000-pound car. Another great number is the price, targeted at $ 100,000-plus. But costs are potentially prohibitive. If…

More than 400 companies showed off their latest videogame titles, peripherals, and handheld systems at the 10thannual Electronic Entertainment Expo. Held every spring at the Los Angeles Convention Center (also home to the LA. Auto Show), E3 is an industry-only event that dazzles like a Hollywood-grade arcade. We sent our resident thumbstick jockeys to test drive the near-future automotive games and discover the standout titles to light up car enthusiasts’ radar: Gizmos: For PDA entertainment, Tapwave Zodiac (Palm OS) and Gizmondo (Windows CE) offer all the features of a handheld organizer, plus memory, connectivity, and gaming controls. A true show-stopper, the innovative Nintendo DS is the dual-screen heir-apparent to the Game Boy Advance. The system to rule them all: the powerful Sony PSP, with large screen, Wi-Fi, Memory Stick, and…

LOOKS TESTS DRIVES What’s Hollywood cult icon Dennis Hopper doing in front of a customized GTO? It’s a convoluted story, but from it we gain insight into possible next steps for Pontiac’s born-again muscle coupe. The car has created a unique marketing dilemma, in that it needs to attract not only the middle-aged GTO Faithful who’ve kept the Goat’s flame burning since the original went away after the 1974 model year, but also young performance enthusiasts who currently shop at Honda, Subaru, and Mitsu stores. These audiences have dissimilar tastes. To that end, Pontiac and USA Networks conjured a made-for-TV movie that attempts to connect with both. Entitled “The Last Ride,” this flickette ends up being little more than a two-hour-long infomercial, although it’s never billed as…

There’ll soon be gas/electric hybrid-powered Camrys and Accords, following in I the footsteps of their well-timed and oh-so-successful little bros, Prius and Civic. Nissan’s midsize Altima competes well with the volume sedan players from Toyota and Honda and will need a hybrid model to stay in the game. The Altima Hybrid is on its way, coming to market some time in 2006 as a 2007 model. We’ve driven it in early engineering prototype form and can tell you right now: It has the makings of a worthy product. The goals are near-V-6 levels of performance out of a four-cylinder engine, along with miserly fuel consumption and a Sierra Club-friendly emissions rating. Nissan starts with its own 2.5-liter gas-powered 1-4; the assisting electric motor gives it more oomph and also serves…

You read what our spies and industry insiders suggested the new Corvette might be like. We told you what Chevy told us about the new Corvette coupe. We shared the information chief engineer Dave Hill and his team wanted you to know on the new Corvette roadster. Well, Corvette-launch-fatigue sufferers, take heart: We’ve taken the wheel, and we’re ready to tell you what we think of the so-called Co Corvette, finally answering the question: Is it really a C6 Corvette or should it more aptly be dubbed C5-and-some-fraction? Its a question that’s been nagging at us throughout this Chinese-water-torture-type release of information. “85 percent of the car by mass is new,” we’ve heard repeated like a chant at every press gathering. We chronicled all the new stuff, but deep down,…

You don’t normally see $450,245 worth of premium luxury automobiles rolling in tight formation down a Los Angeles street unless (a) J. Lo is having another wedding, (b) the cast of “The West Wing” is out playing motorcade again, or (c) Motor Trend is conducting a super-sedans comparison test. Despite the conspicuous sheen on the vehicles, this time it was us. If you spotted our mini-parade, you may have noticed that we were wearing our finest T-shirts. After all, we’re talking about automobiles that make no compromises when it comes to shameless luxury and top-of-the-line hardware. Indeed, each boasts an interior so sumptuous and exclusive it looks like it should be surrounded by a velvet rope and a self-important doorman sipping an espresso. Our mandate for inclusion in this comparo…

Cool. Handsome. Talented. Paranoid. Driver Mercurial. Idealistic. Straightforward. And Sexy. Sexy as hell. These are but a few of the words used to describe Terrence Steven McQueen. Even now, nearly 25 years after his passing, Steve McQueen’s legend lives large. A troubled, dyslexic, often homeless youth who found his calling on both stage and set, McQueen was the most complex of human beings. He could be kindhearted one moment, evil-spirited the next. He exhibited a wicked sense of humor and a violent temper. He was always the perfectionist. A man’s man. And a lady’s man. McQueen’s complicated life and wildly successful career paralleled the tenets of theater itself: Comedy and Tragedy. Possessing a steely blue gaze and a smoldering moodiness, he magnetized everyone with whom he came in contact, whether…

Sometime during the night of September 29, 1913, Rudolph Diesel, 55 years old, roughly 10 million marks in debt, and racked by debilitating headaches, disappeared from the liner Dresden as it crossed the English Channel. In Diesel’s cabin was found his inventor’s notebook. Under the date of his disappearance, there was nothing but a small cross, marked in Diesel’s hand; 11 days later a passing ship found his floating body. At that point, there’d been little progress in commercializing the Paris-born Bavarian’s highly efficient engine. And its future seemed to go over the rail along with its creator. Had Rudolph Diesel, at that railing, clairvoyantly seen, say, 91 years into the future, he might not have made that fatal leap into the sea. For he would’ve witnessed us whistling up…

Born in 1901 in Milan, Italy, he was the son of a gunsmith. He showed mechanical aptitude at a young age, and that likely drew him to the automotive world. His career began at Alfa Romeo, winding up in the competition department where he crossed paths with Enzo Ferrari. Chinetti eventually moved to Paris, France, to sell Alfa Romeos, and he had great success with a wealthy clientele. He also proved an admirable driver, winning Le Mans in 1932 and 1934. He came to America in 1940 aboard a ship with two Maserati Grand Prix cars that were destined to compete at that year’s Indianapolis 500. By then, hostilities were overtaking Europe so Chinetti remained in America. He became a citizen of the United States in 1946. Prior to Christmas…

Luigi Chinetti was Ferrari’s first importer, a position he held until 1978. From 1978 to 1989, Ferrari’s parent company, Fiat, imported Ferraris to the U.S. But with Fiat’s exit from the country in the first half of the 1980s, it was only a question of time before a separate entity would be established to handle the importation and distribution of Ferraris in North America. In January 1990, Ferrari North America was established, and today FNA estimates that between 18,000 and 20,000 Ferraris call America home. Ferrari and the United States have benefited by having an organization dedicated only to its products, as the past decade of sales growth shows: 1993: 507 1994: 558 1995: 673 1996: 704 1997: 743 1998: 770 1999: 936 2000: 1023 2001: 1090 2002: 1122 2003:…

MOTORTREND.COM Bonus C6 coverage After his first drive of the all-new C6 Corvette, technical director Frank Markus has even more to say about it. Online we have the bandwidth for the complete account Cruise by motortrend.com to get more information, more technical data, and more photography of Chevy’s highly anticipated new Corvette. Also, come along with Motor Trend as we conduct in-depth tests of six luxury sedans over three days in a marathon trip from Los Angeles to the high desert of Arizona and back again. Relax with our road-weary editors in classic style at the Boulders Resort in Carefree, Arizona. FORMULA BMW Building better drivers Motor Trend has partnered with Formula BMW USA as a sponsor of one of the premier amateur racing series in the world. This is…

2004 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX STi A factory-authorized Ferrari mechanic left his business card on the windshield of our STi with the following proposal written on the back: “Wanna trade?” Now that’s an exciting offer—but it’s no surprise given our appreciation for Subaru’s rally racer. From the logbook: “The engine is a jewel, and I can really feel the diff do its thing when I’m working the car hard, especially on uneven pavement or when traction varies.” “The STi is one of today’s greatest sport/compacts. It delivers Herculean performance in an econobox package that’s relatively affordable and can be driven every day. Personally, I’d keep such a car as my week-end/track toy and would prefer an Evo by the narrowest of margins. But that takes nothing away from what Subaru has…