Innehållsförteckning för April 2003 från MotorTrend

Lexus has unveiled its hybrid RX 330 (“News,” February), claiming V-8-powered zip combined with lower emissions and compact-car fuel economy. It has Toyota’s new 3.3-liter V-6 (developed from the familiar 3.0) with front and rear electric motors and all-wheel drive. The automaker claims a 7.8-second 0-60 mph for the standard V-6 model, which means the hybrid could get close to 7.0 seconds flat. Look for the hybrid crossover, possibly to be called RX 33X, as an ’05 model.…

General Motors is making a big bang on the production hybrid-electric-vehicle front. In addition, it’s testing a military version of a “ruggedized” diesel-electric-fuel-cell Silverado pickup that could see duty on the front lines of a battlefield. The camo-covered pickup has a night-vision camera on a telescoping mast and a computerized communications and surveillance center powered by a fuel-cell-electric generator. The program seeks to adapt modified commercial pickup trucks for light tactical military missions. The hybrid and fuel-cell technologies have become available as GM stretches its technical muscle to create cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles. Plans call for civilian hybrid Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups to become available late in 2003 as ’04 models. By 2007, the hybrid pickups and GM full-size SUVs also will boast engines that shut down cylinders…

Some classify minivans as yesterday’s news, SUVs as passe, and feel that traditional sedans don’t offer the configurability or safety features many families want. Here’s the latest budding, blending segment, the Crossover, and its newest entry, Chrysler’s Pacifica. Unlike others of this genre, the Pacifica grafts a new limb to the family tree, a branch Chrysler calls the “sports tourer” (thank goodness, there’s no three-letter acronym for it—yet). They’d like us to think of it as a mix of minivan configurability, sport/utility functionality. and sport-sedan agility with a dollop of luxury. It sounds like a strange combination, but it works—extremely well. Designed from the ground up, the Pacifica’s styling has a fresh look, blending European cues with a dash of Chrysler design heritage. While it resembles Audi’s allroad, with…

A smallish car with a big motor is an intoxicating combination. That’s how the first musclecars were brewed, and it’s one of the philosophies behind Audi’s newest S4. We liked the old S4 a lot, but it was short on rear-seat legroom and low-end torque. Based on the new-for-’02 A4 platform, the S4 addresses both issues. Out with the old 250-horse biturbo V-6, in with a 4.2-liter/344-horsepower V-8. The ’04 S4 is far more than just an engine swap: The S designation means the same to Audi as the M means to BMW: a balanced combination of performance, luxury, and appearance upgrades. Exterior giveaways include revised front/rear fascias, Xenon headlights, polished aluminum mirrors, and bladelike sill extensions. Larger disc brakes are visible through handsome 18-inch Avus alloys wearing 235/40ZR18…

Species evolve, said Charles Darwin, “so as to acquire that perfection of structure and coadaptation which most justly excites our admiration.” Perfect words for the Mitsubishi Evolution. The modern evolution of a species that began with side-curtained ’50s roadsters, this rally-bred Mitsu is as well balanced as any modern sports car and capable of quick sprints. The Evo is the under-$30,000 sports car to have, but its impact will be lessened slightly when the $32,000 300-horsepower Subaru WRX STi arrives. While track testing is forthcoming, we can tell you that the car is no low-end grunter. But once you get into meaningful turbocharger boost, its power will push you back into your Recaro. The Evolution’s (no VIII on its badge) driving environment is workaday; its steering is quick, precise,…

And they said it wouldn’t last. In fact, there were a few times when it nearly didn’t. Yet, overall, it would be hard to name an iconic machine that’s enjoyed and endured five more-interesting decades than the Corvette—or one that enters its sixth with more youthful exuberance. In the beginning, you could get a Corvette but one way: Polo White with a red interior, powered by a Blue Flame six backed by a two-speed automatic transmission. Then, along came Zora Arkus-Duntov and a small-block V-8, and the Vette was off to the races—literally and figuratively. Even though there’ve been mid-engine, rotary-powered, and even Corvair-based Corvette concepts, the real thing has remained remarkably true to a formula that broke cover in 1953, was refined in 1955, reinvented in 1963, reshaped in…

While shiny, red sports cars tug at your heartstrings and sleek silver luxo sedans give a leathery whiff of the good life, the car that’s getting you to work right now is probably a midsize sedan. Welcome to the middle class; no, not the socioeconomic bracket, but more likely than not, your mode of transportation. And might we add: a rather smart choice at that. You’re in good company. There are a fair number of people who want good quality, utility, and roadgoing competence and who don’t want to pay any more than they must to get it. Perhaps they shop at big box stores, read Consumer Reports and buy closeouts and end-of-season goods. Seems like good common sense to us. Just three midsize sedans, in fact, the ones examined…

Dick Guldstrand has been racing and modifying Corvettes for nearly as long as there have been Corvettes. Really. With that many years of tuning and tinkering under his belt, he knows his way under the hood and around the chassis. To commemorate the Corvette’s big birthday, Dick gathered up all he’s learned to produce a wicked piece called—simply enough—the Guldstrand Signature Edition 50th Anniversary Corvette. It won’t be a high-volume offering; the plan is to build just 50 serialized units, so instant collectable status is virtually assured. The Guldstrand 50 is little about flash and mostly about performance. “A 50th anniversary of anything is significant, but a 50th anniversary of a car, especially the Corvette—America’s sports car—is truly important,” states Guldstrand. “A milestone like this demands a strong statement, and…

Ten years ago, if you were to ask any BMW enthusiast if a sport/utility could qualify for Ultimate Driving Machine status, he would’ve looked at you cross-eyed. Yet, BMW’s clientele, dealer body, and the market itself demanded this type of product. The Bavarian automaker entered the sport/utility fray in December 1999 with its “Sport Activity Vehicle”—the X5—with the intent of demonstrating that a rugged SUV could be equally at home off-road and on the autobahn. This intriguing concept was worth a One-Year Test evaluation by our gang. Our Jet Black X5 4.4i based at $49,400. We added the Sport Package option (suspension upgrades, 19-inch wheels, light wood trim, white turn signals, anthracite headliner, and a beefier steering wheel for $2470), a power moonroof ($1050), Xenon headlamps wheel for $2470), a…

Metaphorically speaking, the Corvette has gone in and out of focus several times during its storied 50-year history. It’s been Chevrolet’s performance flagship, and it’s been the victim of forces, inside and outside of GM, that have attempted to kill it numerous times. It’s been a purposeful, two-seater sports/musclecar packing a V-8. Conversely, it nearly wound up as a mid-engine exotic with a rotary engine. Then, there was this. The late ’70s was a scary time, from an automotive standpoint, as the kit-car industry matured into serving up neo-classic replicars to people with bad facelifts, too much money, and not much taste. California Custom Coach, an outfit in Pasadena, which built Ford-sedan based Auburn boattail Speedster knockoffs, dreamed up the double T-topped wonder you see here. A Corvette coupe was…

NOTABLE QUOTABLE Infiniti G35, “Car of the Year,” January 2003 Absolutely great pick of the G35 for Car of the Year. My only gripe is that now I won’t be able to get a good deal on one!Bill Lynch Londonderry, New Hampshire Car of the Year, 2003 You made the right choice for Car of the Year by picking the G35. Just to preempt all the negative nancies who’ll write to you in protest: Are you all blind?! Just look at the price, the performance, and the oh-so-beautiful styling of this car. Great job, Infiniti! Keith A. FerrisPittsfield, Massachusetts This year’s COY contest proves the merits of your unbiased evaluation criteria. The nominees seemed extremely competitive. It would’ve been easy to select the Mini or the new 7 Series without…

briefs Last year, diesel cars were all but gone from the U.S. market, with only Volkswagen’s 1.9-liter TDI available. Now everybody seems to be getting into the act-well, at least Mercedes, Jeep, VW, (with a new TDI) and General Motors, with a military-use diesel/hybrid concept. Last year, sport/utilities were hot. This year, they’re being vilified—but they’re still hot. And, last year, retro cars looked all but played out. This year, retro remains alive and well. All fine examples of how the more trends change, the more trends remain the same. Honda Picked Up—Honda has finally made a decision on its pickup-truck strategy (that is, its decision has finally leaked out). There will be no V-8-powered, full-frame Honda truck. Leave that to Toyota and now Nissan with its new Titan. Imagine…

“What’s the most unusual thing you’ve seen here?” It was a question a Microsoft programmer asked his friends. The answer: “The new ZAP electric car—it looks like something out of ‘Star Wars.’” While auto manufacturers were busy flaunting increasingly powerful and luxurious cars in Detroit, their counterparts in the electronics world were displaying their latest gizmos in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show. Parts of this trade show—the largest of its kind in the world—looked more like SEMA. That’s because there were plenty of cars and trucks to be seen, many with outrageous sound systems. CES attendees got the chance to test drive Mercedes-Benz cars on a slalom course in the parking lot, as well. But one of the hottest items was the new Italian Teener neighborhood electric car…

Ford’s SVT F-150 Lightning Concept uses an innovative method of boosting horsepower. A technology it calls “SuperCooler” circulates refrigerant though an auxiliary evaporator attached to the truck’s air-conditioning system. This provides a denser air supply to the supercharger to increase output. Traditionally, intercoolers work by blowing air over a radiator at the front of the vehicle. Super-cooling is activated under wide-open throttle conditions or when the driver presses a button on the instrument panel, netting what Ford says is as much as a 20-percent decrease in the temperature of the charge air from the blower. Ford rates the Lightning Concept conservatively at 500 horsepower, but with SuperCooler, 550 horsepower is more likely. While the idea isn’t new, it’s never seen the light of day. Several automakers tried it in the…

Owners might regard their crossovers as cars, but under government regulations, they’re called trucks. Whatever they are, don’t call them anything but popular. For the second calendar year in a row, trucks outsold cars in the United States in 2002. It was close, with 51 percent of 16.8 million vehicles classified as trucks. SUVs captured almost one-quarter of the market with growth in three of the four SUV segments. Despite the SUV onslaught, minivans held their own with more than one million sold, or seven percent of the market. Meanwhile, midsize cars continued to sell strongly, although the entry luxury segment gained most. In fact, it was the only segment (car or truck) where the top three sellers (BMW 3 Series, Lexus ES 300, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class) saw strong sales…

The principle behind Ferrari’s original Challenge series involved a crate of performance components and safety gear that, when bolted onto a Ferrari 348, turned it into a worthy weekend racer. When the F355 came along, the modifications got more serious, though some owners still drove them on the street. By the time Maranello launched the 360 Modena Challenge as a factory offering a few years back, it had become a somewhat serious racer—no longer street legal. With Ferrari’s introduction of the Challenge Stradale, the process has come full circle: a factory-developed, special-edition Modena that is street legal, yet retains much of the appearance and technology of the race-only version. The Stradale’s weight has been reduced over that of the standard car. via a trimmed-down interior, lightweight racing bucket seats,…

Face it: The current Civic Si is a disappointment. It stumbles over its puny 15-inch rolling stock, and its engine is not the rev-happy zinger we’ve come to expect from Honda. Fear not: Relief is on the way, in the form of the near 200-horse, 146-mph Civic Type R. Visually, the Type R’s stiffened three-door shell gets front and rear roof and underbody spoilers and sits lower on its 17-inch alloys. Inside, the Alcantara trimmed sports seats are embracing, and the titanium metallic trim looks race-car purposeful. The R’s i-VTEC four seems initially unremarkable—just another refined Japanese lump with feeble low-end torque (145 Ib-ft at a high 5900 rpm). Real performance always seems a downshift away in most real-life conditions. What it likes is revs—and lots of them. Power…

For the discerning customer who test drives the $73,000 BMW 745Li and pines for more power, creature comforts, and electronic wizardry, BMW now offers the V-12-powered 760Li. Its new namesake power-plant makes a 113-horsepower gain over the 5.0-liter V-12 fitted in the previous top-shelf 7 Series. Leading-edge technologies, such as direct fuel injection, Valvetronic variable valve lift, and even a liquid-cooled alternator, help the all-aluminum 12 generate formidable power with an uncanny smoothness. A chauffeured tour of Miami’s South Beach gave us an opportunity to stretch our legs in the voluminous back seat, puzzling over the second iDrive controller for the DVD-outfitted entertainment system. Power shades, 14-way powered rear seats with active ventilation, exceptional 420-watt sound system, and generous wood trim pampered us all the way to the Homestead-Miami…

There’s an aura about a Corvette. Those fortunate enough to have owned one know what I mean. I never owned one — and I’m not entirely sure why. But I’ve driven—and delighted in—five generations of Corvettes. Some were more impressive than others. But during the Vette’s formative years, none ever smacked me between the eyes any harder than the ’56/’57 Fuelie I drove decades ago at General Motors Proving Grounds at Milford. Michigan. Judging those early Corvettes in today’s milieu is unfair. Sports cars were then an anomaly. Only the cognoscenti knew about, or owned, the few samples from England: Jaguars, Austin-Healeys, MGs, Triumphs. Straightline performance wasn’t everything; handling ability and the call of the open road were. As for domestic cars, those behemoths were bereft of the performance ability…

The Music Keg If you hate to haul CDs (that take up space, warp in the sun, or can be stolen), consider Kenwood’s new Music Keg. Powered by PhatNoise technology, the Music Keg works with more than 20 Kenwood in-dash receivers and can be adapted to work with any factory FM car radio. Consisting of a removable 10 gigabyte DMS cartridge, the system allows PC users to store about 2500 songs, 999 playlists, or as much as 640 hours of AudibleReady audio books. The system includes software for use with MP3, WAV, WMA, and other digital audio formats. We recently tested the Music Keg and found it outstanding—it’s compact, easy to use, delivers excellent sound quality, and stores out of sight. The unit offers quick transitions between channels and delivers…

Volkswagen has the original Beetle. Ford has the Thunderbird. Mini has the, er, Mini. And Toyota has the FJ 40. Sold here from late 1958 to 1983 as the first Land Cruiser, the FJ comes closest to an icon product for Japan’s leading automaker. It combines Army Jeep compactness and off-roadability with Land Rover worldliness. And, like the FJ Cruiser concept that debuted at the Detroit show, the ’06-model production version will be built off a modified Tacoma pickup platform when Toyota launches it in ’05. Dimensions and overall style will be much like this FJ concept but with a taller greenhouse and a different design relationship between the glass and the B-, C-, and D-pillars. It’ll have real, full-size headlamps in place of the tiny notions shown here, and…

Now that the World Rally Championship is catching on in this country, its American little brother, the SCCA ProRally series, is next. Who can resist those fab in-car camera shots on the Speed Channel? Mitsubishi’s Lancer Evolution has been there every step of the way, at least at the international WRC series level (although the team is taking 2003 off to regroup, Mika Hakkinen will drive an ’02 Evo in the Arctic Lapland Rally). Now Mitsubishi Motors North America and Ralliart (the automaker’s performance brand in Japan) will take on the Subaru WRX where it lives, by running two open-class Evos in the U.S. series. Overall driver’s champ David Higgins and Group 2 champ Lauchlin O’Sullivan will drive. We’ll be watching to see what the ProDrive Subie team has to…

Mercury’s mission to revive the American musclecar has been aborted. Slow sales have doomed the Marauder, and it’ll be wiped from Mercury’s product palate after model-year ’04, sources say. Apparently, the performance sedan’s $35,000 pricetag and disappointing lack of low-end torque have made the car a hard sell to customers, despite more than $3500 in rebates available. Meanwhile, silver will be added to the color options for the car. Thus far, the Marauder has been offered only in black. Ford also continues to sell the Crown Victoria LX Sport, which swaps the Marauder’s 32-valve powerplant and 18-inch wheels for 17-inchers and a 16-valve V-8. The Marauder’s 302 horsepower and 318 Ib-ft of torque, with a 3.55:1 final-drive ratio, doesn’t feel sufficiently quicker than the Crown Vic Sport’s 239 horsepower and…

Big-torque, pushrod V-8 power is what Chevrolet Super Sport is all about. We’ve been anticipating a V-8 to twist away at the front wheels of a blacked-out Impala and/or a Winston Cup-evoking Monte Carlo since we heard about the idea several years ago. Well, it’s not going to happen—yet—although an intermediary step is on its way. Chevy has decided to equip the ’04 Impala/Monte Carlo Supercharged SS with a blown 3800 V-6 rated at 240 horsepower and 280 Ib-ft. Not gut-wrenching numbers, but a step up from the current 160- and 200-horse V-6s. More power for the people, and it’s easily available, since these cars share platforms with the Buick Regal and Pontiac Grand Prix, which already employ this powertrain package. The supercharged Series II V-6 gets refined software…

The three-door Freelander SE3, which has been available in Europe since 1997, is coming to America for ’03 to join the smallish sport/utility marketplace. Mechanically identical to the five-door Freelander, including its 101-inch wheelbase, the three-door has a 2.5-liter/174-horsepower DOHC V-6 and a five-speed automatic transmission feeding power through full-time all-wheel drive. The SE3 gets a full suite of standard electronic aids, including Electronic Traction Control, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, and Hill Descent Control. The SE3’s solidly adequate, if not stirring, performance mimics that of its five-door sibling—and weighs the same, at 3577-pounds. What sets it apart from its competitors? The detachable rear hardback. Releasing four latches frees the 60-pound top. Options include a folding soft-top and a tonneau cover. True to Land Rover heritage is the SE3’s ability to…

General Motors is among the last automakers we’d expect to attempt to reinvent the automobile. Despite recent positive stirrings, GM is widely perceived as a nearsighted industrial giant stumbling along in a swamp of spiraling market-share loss and engineering complacency. Imagine our surprise at piloting this experimental fuel-cell vehicle that turns the automotive status quo on its ear. Fueled with plentiful, nonpolluting hydrogen, the hand-somely wedgy Hy-wire offers a vision of driving virtually untethered by emissions concerns. It’s controlled by an aircraft-style electronic hand yoke sending digital acceleration, braking, and guidance signals that allow the driver to throttle, stop, and steer with no mechanical linkages. Although hydrogen distribution and high fuel-cell costs still have to be addressed, the 100-mph (claimed) Hy-wire is quiet, smooth-riding, and lively on the road.…

No car has been more anticipated than “the next Corvette,” generation after generation. Magazine editors burn up the phone lines trying to get even a shred of inside info. Spy shooters hang around GM proving grounds. Illustrators illustrate, speculators speculate, and, in this new millennium, there are dozens of Web sites dedicated to the subject. Like planning for a vacation, anticipation is a big part of the fun. We’ve played this game before. We’ve been right. such as when we nailed the look and content of the current C5 in the mid-’90s. And we’ve been wrong, such as when we confidently predicted, several times during the “70s, that the next Corvette would be both mid-engined and Wankel-powered. Here we go again. For a half century, the Corvette has been a…

“You’re about to experience a most incredible adventure. You must expect at all times to encounter oncoming traffic. You must be alert that there are many cows, calves, bulls, horses, and goats roaming freely on and around the course. All competitors are reminded that off-road racing is an inherently dangerous activity that can result in serious injury or even death. Due to weather, animals, and people, [we] do not guarantee that all [course] markings will still be up on race day. Be advised that spectators on or near the racecourse may engage in malicious activities by building ramps, digging ditches, and/or placing objects onto the course. Once the race starts, it’s outta my hands—you’re on your own, or, in other words, the lunatics will, indeed, be running the asylum. Good…

2003 FORD SVT MUSTANG COBRA There’s something addictive about gut-wrenching power and the scent of tire smoke. The folks at Ford’s Special Vehicle Team have been feeding this addiction since they introduced the 235-horsepower Mustang Cobra in ’93. Now with a 4.6-liter/390-horsepower supercharged V-8 aboard, the Cobra has the highest horsepower rating (for a production model) in the history of the Mustang. Our Satin Silver drop-top based at $37,545, and with $625 in destination charges, it snake-charmed our pocketbook for $38,170. Since our car was destined for Ford’s West Coast PR fleet (before we hijacked it, anyway), our tester will be with us only for six months. So far, we’ve begun to break in the powertrain and have nary a complaint to log—except, perhaps, for the wish of a less-trafficked…