Innehållsförteckning för December 2004 från MotorTrend

America so loved the 240-horse Golf R32, VW built a special extra batch of 5000 cars to meet demand. So it’s reasonable to expect that Wolfsburg will set aside at least 5000 of the new R32 (shown here) for the United States. The Gen-V Golf R32 must make at least 300 horsepower and will do so with the help of twin-turbochargers. The R32 will play upmarket as a grand-touring hatch to free the new GTI to become a more affordable hot hatch. As before the R32 engine drives through VW’s 4motion AWD system, but this time via a quick-shifting DSG double-clutch six-speed transmission. Expect O to 60 in under six seconds and 155 mph from this. pocket-rocket.…

The race is down to final laps-Chevy is drafting Ford in overall car and truck sales and could slingshot past for the win. Although final 2004 figures are not yet in, Chevrolet looks set to trounce Ford in car sales (having already passed Toyota) unless Ford pulls out all the stops with fleet sales and incentives, Chevrolet still lags Ford in truck sales but could take the overall combined title from Ford for the first time since 1986. Chevy could use “Number One in the U.S.” as a tagline as it starts to use the brand name around the world, where Toyota is the top-seller, followed closely by Ford. Chevrolet, which is currently sold only in the Americans in any quantity, ranks a distant third thanks to all that North…

Mazda’s new six seat 5 is the first small MPV to be sold in the U.S. with sliding rear doors and third row seating. European buyers will get a choice of two gas or two diesel engines, but America will get the new 2.3-liter four as standard. Standard equipment will be high, including 17-inch wheels and premium sound. The 5 will be pitched between Toyota Matrix and Honda Element.…

Beforehand, it seemed straight-for-ward to predict the defining MS moment. The tantalizing pre-launch specs had given enough clues: It was inevitably going to be the fraction of a second when the mighty 5.0-liter V-10 homed in on its 8250-rpm red-line, when the head-up display flashed red, and when you tapped the transmission upshift pad-dlc. In an instant, you'd be up into the next of the seven sequential ratios, the 10 individual throttle butterflies would've flipped wide open again, and the hungry M engine would hurl you onward in a brutal, hedonistic surge, Which is exactly what happened. It shouldn't have been a surprise. After all, that was what the last M5 led us all to expect. Sure, the old V-8 MS handled okay, rode with Aplomb, braked sternly, and was…

Chevy has finally arrived at the compact V-6 crossover party with the Equinox, its first car-based SUV. Even Saturn’s Vue, which shares its platform, beat the Equinox to market. The extra development time produced a handsome vehicle that beats the heck out of the minivanesque Vue in most every aspect. In LS base trim with black bumpers, or LT trim with chrome and body-colored bumpers, it’s a clean shape, although the clear taillamp lenses already look outdated and the Chevy-trademark horizontal chrome bars front and rear, with large gold Chevy bowties, look way overdone on this midsize utility. This tinsel is “brand management” left over from the Ron Zarrella era, designed to connect every car and truck in the Chevy lineup. It’s time to ditch it, in the same way…

“Ride is stiff off-road Lots of head-toss”—Angus Mackenzie When Infinitis original off-roader, the Nissan Pathfinder-based QX4, came due for replacement, the similarly sized FX35 and FX45 crossovers had already joined the stable. This being America, the logical move was to supersize the QX replacement, making it the first Asian-brand lux ’ute to challenge Caddy’s Escalade and Lincoln’s Navigator head-on. Significant? You bet. The Infiniti QX56 shares its architecture and most of its sheetmetal with the Nissan Titan pickup-derived Armada SUV. Befitting its topdrawer positioning, the Infiniti version of the Armada’s four-cam V-8 is tuned to produce 10 more horsepower and five extra pound-feet of torque (315 horses and 390 pound-feet). The engine is mated to a smooth-shifting five-speed automatic and nestled in a rugged ladder frame atop a fully independent…

BADGE COMPENSATION? It's no surprise that the ginormous Infiniti QX56 wears the biggest identity badge (8.0 inches wide by 4.5 tall), but the dark-horse runnerup is the Lilliputian Equinox. Its tail-plinth bowtie stretches 8.0 inches wide by 2.8 high. RACIC ’EMUP Active-lifestyle vacationing in an SUV often forces some gear up onto the roof. Here's what to look for in a luggage rack: • Adjustable crossbars-Grand Cherokee and Escape bars are easily secured with thumb-wheels; Equinox and QX56 (rear bar) use levers; but Pathfinder requires tools. Freestyle and LR3 lack optional crossbars. • Tie-down points-Jeep wins with 12 loops or rings; Freestyle's smooth rails will require clever Boy Scout hitch knots. • Capacity-Wispy Escape bars can only handle 100 pounds; 220-pound-capable Equinox rack trumps even the QX56 by 20 pounds.…

Maserati’s two-door lineup has a new flagship. Designed to bring a bit of the Trofeo race car’s edgier performance to the street, the GranSport coupe rides on 19-inch wheels with the Trofeo’s trident-spoke design, shod in special 235/30-series front, 265/30 rear Pirelli P Zero Rossos. The active-damping suspension is lowered 0.4 inch, and the response rate of the shock absorbers is increased to limit pitch and roll. These modifications boost lateral grip by a claimed 10 percent and reduce understeer. Helping to shorten the commute between corners is a 10-horsepower bump in engine output to 395, courtesy of friction reductions, improved intake airflow, and new sport mufflers with bypass valves. New underbody panels, side sills, rear diffuser, and rear lip spoiler help improve the drag coefficient by 6.5 percent and…

second, and get even, strong power from the turbo four, with virtually no lag and with a crisp, rorty exhaust note that could be a tad louder. Its uncanny how smooth this turbo engine is, certainly the smoothest four-cylinder of its kind. VW estimates a 7.2-second 0-to-62-mph time, and it feels a bit quicker. But, like the original 110-horsepower GTI launched in Europe in 1976, the car isn’t all about power; it’s about graceful use of power. Think of that first GTI versus a big sled of a 1964 GTO, and you'll understand. The GTI will make you feel good about turning and braking as well as going straight, where the VW shows its European bias—estimated top-speed is about 146 mph. VW uses electric steering in the GTI, but the…

Holy Birkenstock, Sven, Volvo's got a V-8! What will its stereotypical constituency of college professors and earth mothers think of the first eight-banger in Volvo's 77 years? Volvo's willing to chance its P.C. image to remain the builder of America’s favorite European sport/utility, the XC90, and take on the likes of BMW’s X5 4.41, VW’s Touareg V8, and Cadillac's Northstar V-8-powered SRX, with a Yamaha-developed V-8, for about $6000 less than these competitors. The new-from-scratch powerplant fits under the XC90’s hood because it’s a 60-degree all-aluminum design with a reversed-bank offset and a two-stage cam timing chain and direct-mounted accessories. A counter-rotating-balance shaft keeps the cylinders chugging smoothly under the same hood that usually houses the 208-horsepower, 2.5-liter turbo inline-five or the 268-horsepower, 2.9-liter twin-turbo inline T6. The Yamaha makes…

The Plan The idea seemed simple enough. Give 10 Primedia magazine teams $25,000 each to build the best tuner vehicle they could dream up, with the vehicle and nearly all the parts purchased from ebaymotors.com. Establish a time limit for project completion. Then each team shows up at a test track with its finished product to duke it out. Afterward, sell the projects and donate the proceeds to a worthy charity. That was the plan. Now, here’s. our story. The Car What to buy, what to build? Perplexing questions, indeed. Start with a cheap car, leaving lots of money for upgrades? Or buy a high-performance car and unlock its hidden potential with the last remaining bucks? Musclecar, sports car, pocket-rocket? After careful consideration, one of several Volkswagen models appeared to…

$31K? This Subaru WRX STi is the ultimate Blue Light Special—high performance on sale! “Besides the potent turbo mill,” said one staffer, “the precise shifter and clean, crisp clutch make the STi a pleasure to drive, even in heavy traffic. I’d call the STi a rocket launcher with a six-speed. Man, what a screamer!” He also noted that, “the red gauges are neat, especially the full sweep on startup.’ These gauges include a programmable shift indicator that allows you to set the shift light/audible tone to your rpm preference. You could set it just at redline or any rpm before redline. The shift light is brilliant, allowing you to keep your eyes on the road instead of having to look down at either the tachometer or the shift light. We…

While some car companies were pinning their badges and grilles over someone else’s ee Volvo was putting SUV sales, design trends, and customer preferences in its crosshairs. And it waited. And waited some more, keeping a steady hand on the new-product trigger. For 2003, Volvo introduced its first-ever sport/utility vehicle, the XC90. Predictably, it blended Volvo’s longstanding legacy of pragmatic station wagons and solid-as-Grant’s tomb safety engineering with all-wheel drive, seven-passenger versatility, and a command-driving position. Surprisingly, however, Volvo crafted a package that exhibited a high degree of finesse and polish, challenging established luxury SUVs from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Acura, and Lexus. The XC90 so impressed Motor Trend that we named it Sport/Utility of the Year in 2003. A long-term test was in order. The first long-term XC90 T6 destined for…

Chrysler division is looking to fill out its catalog with a couple of sport/utility vehicles beginning in the 2007 model year. A “mini Pacifica” built off former partner Mitsubishi’s JS platform would slot in size and price between the PT Cruiser and Pacifica. Really a midsize crossover, the vehicle will have two rows of seats and a large, rakish hatchback/small wagonback profile. The second SUV, arriving shortly thereafter, will be based on the body-on-frame Dodge Durango, designed to compete with the likes of Mercury Mountaineer and Buick Rainier. Toyota is hard at work on a turbodiesel for a heavy-duty version of the 40ON, the new 2007 full-size pickup the Japanese automaker will build in San Antonio, Texas, beginning in 2006. The goal for the engine is 390 horsepower and 700…

The good news is, your dog might actually benefit from getting in on the pumpkin carving: Set aside some of the guts and cook them up to mix with their food for a delicious, nutritious treat. “Pumpkin can be a healthy food for dogs,” Attas says. “We prescribe it for dogs who are constipated because it’s a wonderful source of fiber.” X5 4.8is fighter: Optional engine will be the 380-horsepower, 4.2-liter supercharged Jaguar R Series V-8, 25 horses more than the Bimmer. XS 4.4i fighter: Base V-8 will be the 300-horsepower, 4.4-liter Jaguar V-8, 15 horses shy of the Bimmer. LR3 similarities: The Sport shares chassis, suspension, and drivetrain, hi-lo transfer case, and 4x4 hardware, seats, and electronics with the LR3. LR3 differences: The Sport's wheelbase is five inches shorter…

Honda hopes to get back on its small-car horse with an all-new 2006 Civic launching in 2005. The Civic platform will incorporate innovative packaging and seating from the successful Jazz/Fit supermini sold in Japan and Europe. But American Honda is said to be worried that the new car won't resonate with U.S. Civic customers. The American arm hopes to regain some of its loyal Civic customers with the return of the rakish Si coupe for 2006 to replace the current Si hatchback, the first Civic ever to go straight to dealer incentives. The 2006 Si will need at least the 200 horsepower of the 2004 Acura RSX's 2.0-liter VTEC four (bumped up to 210 horses for 2005) just to stay in the hunt. What the 2006 Honda Civic Si must…

Jaguar left Formula One at the end of the 2004 season and has put the team up for sale as part of Ford Motor Company's restructuring of the marque and the Premier Automotive Group (PAG). Ford bought three-time World Champion Jackie Stewart's team in 2000. The withdrawal from Fl also has implications for two other struggling teams: Jordan and Minardi, which both have been running the same Ford Cosworth engines as the Jags. Jaguar's fabled Browns Lane factory will discontinue car assembly as part of the Jaguar and PAG reorganization. It'll transfer 425 jobs to Castle Bromwich, but continue wood veneer manufacturing for Jag, Aston Martin, and Land Rover at Browns Lane, home to Jaguar manufacturing since 1928. PAG has lost money this year mostly due to inefficiencies and disappointing…

You're looking at a sport/utility that'll change the way you think about the compromises between on-road refinement and off-road ability. You're looking at a sport/utility that combines snap-click functionality with ice-cool 21st-century designer chic: Imagine a Leatherman tool by Bang & Olufsen. You're looking at the Land Rover LR3, our 2005 Sport/Utility of the Year. Did we say Land Rover? Uh-huh. It’s going to change the way you think about that as well. Let’s start with the visuals. Forget traditional SUV cliches such as bolt-on cladding, fake runningboards, and monster-truck grilles—the chiseled shape and sheer surfaces are a nod to Land Rover’s utilitarian past, yet executed with such care and flair that the LR3 looks like it’s driven straight off the designer’s CAD screen. Which it pretty much has: “Look…

Talk about market significance and class superiority: Ford’s Escape Hybrid is the first gas-electric SUV and so occupies a segment all its own. Its roster of techno wonders closely parallels that of Toyota’s Prius, including a state-of-the-art Atkinson cycle DOHC four-cylinder engine, a continuously variable planetary automatic transmission, an electrohydraulic by-wire braking system, and electric power steering. But none of these bits bears a Toyota part number. License fees have been paid for those Toyota patents that couldn’t be engineered around, but Ford expects to be awarded 100 of its own patents for the technologies baked into the Escape Hybrid. No other rival arrived with any hope of trumping the Ford on powertrain innovation. The Ford and Toyota hybrid drive systems behave similarly on the road. Accelerate lightly, and the…

Light the fireworks: Jeep has declared independence for its flagship Grand Cherokee—or at least for its front suspension. Yes, at long last, Jeep has joined the rest of the civilized (riding) world of trucks and SUVs by ditching the live front axle that for decades has sacrificed steering feel, on-road handling, and ride quality on the altar of Rubicon Trail supremacy. In its place are long, beefy control arms and precise rack-and-pinion steering. That change alone in a freshly minted third-generation Grand Cherokee might've been sufficient to zing our SUVOTY significance meter, but it may not even be Jeep’s biggest improvement. Also vying for that honor: an optional 330-horse, 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 with cylinder deactivation and an innovative Quadra-Drive II four-wheel-drive system that employs front, center, and rear differentials that…

Ferrari does’t care to admit there’s a horsepower war going on out there. But when its entry-level 360 is making 390 horsepower and just across the Milan-Bologna highway the Lamborghini factory is turning out the Gallardo with 500, something probably had to be done. That something is the F430. Its all-new engine is up to 4.3 liters, from which it kicks out 483 rampant horsepower. And to keep it in check, the suspension gets a host of revisions, most significantly an electronically controlled differential that Ferrari developed for its Formula 1 cars, only to find it was so beneficial it was outlawed. Formula remains a talisman at Ferrari. You get an engine designed by engineers who have worked on FI, using titanium rods and five valves per cylinder like the…

Remember the date: Fall 2004 will go down in history as the moment when the Motor City finally cast aside its feeble efforts in the midsize sedan arena and once again began building big, bold, American four-doors with the moxie and the quality to seriously challenge the segment-leading Japanese brands. Hallelujah. Gathered here are the latest three from this long-overdue Midwestern-design renaissance: the audacious Chryslér 300, the substantial Ford Five Hundreds and the beguiling Buick LaCrosse. Two of the three contain. substantial underpinnings sourced from familiar corporate relations in Euyope. Lurking beneath the Ford Five Hundred, is a sizeable chunk of the Volvo S80’s platform, while the-felorysler 300's skeleton has plenty off previous generation Mercedes-Benz bones to it. But don’t bother with the details, because at their heart is pure…

For decades, the Jaguar XJ sedan held sway over luxury-car buyers, mixing a low coupe roofline with four-door sedan practicality to help create its distinctive feline personality. Now that the current XJ’s grown taller into a full-blown sedan, Mercedes is making its move with the low-slung CLS. Call it a coupe d'état. The low-slung look is part reality, part illusion. True enough, the CLS sits about two inches lower road to roof than the comparable size Mercedes: E-Class sedan. But this is accentuated by slitlike side glass that imbues the new car with an appearance of a chop-top custom job. To give CLS passengers a modicum of headroom, Mercedes used an effective parlor trick, raising the beltline of the doors. This has an enveloping effect in the cabin: You sit…

Like Pamela Anderson, the updated 2005 Bentley Arnage T mega-luxury sedan flaunts most of what you'll want to know about right up front. Gone are the busy lamps-under-windows headlights of the previous Arnage, replaced by a pair of individual beacons per side (two of the four are Xenon low-beams with integrated turn signals) that co-opt the rakish look of the Continental GT coupe. On each side, an integrated power washer splits the two round lenses. Bentley has also reworked the car’s prominent radiator-shell grille (available in matrix or vaned styles); it now flows more smoothly into the hood (which has been raised slightly). These are subtle revisions, but they dramatically clean up the Arnage’s prow and go a long way toward modernizing the car’s regal appearance. Other updates include an…

Right before the second service interval (12,000 miles), the SRS warning light came on again, something we’d taken care of at the 6000-mile service. So now we’re two for two: two service vis-its, two airbag clock springs. The second visit included a replacement cabin air filter (about $90), plus the usual oil and filter change and visual inspections (about $40). With the Pacifica’s rear DVD entertainment system proving to be a hit, several editors have taken this minivan on family trips. “Chrysler has finally made interiors a priority,’ noted an editor. This van is attractively laid out, crafted of quality materials, and offers good ergonomics.” Another interior item that generated multiple comments: “Chrysler's steering-wheel-mounted button controls, which are on the front and back surfaces of the wheel and allow for…

For many BMW purists, the fourth-generation 5 Series epitomizes the sport sedan: sleek, talented, all but unrivaled at its game. These sturdy, well-engineered machines were retired in 2003, replaced by a platform that’s longer, wider, and taller—but one that hasn’t garnered the widespread accolades of the previous contender. All-new in 1997, the 5 received subtle refinements during its life cycle, which kept it laps ahead of its competition. In addition to a generous level of standard amenities, buyers could tailor the luxury/sport ratio of their car with a dizzying array of options. The Premium Package elevated six-cylinder cars to V-8-equipment levels. The Sport Package stoked handling with firmer springs and shocks, larger anti-roll bar, lower ride height, upsized performance tires, and an M-sport steering wheel. The Sport Premium Package combined…

Launches fall 2005 on a stretched Golf/Jetta platform, codenamed PQ46, with a longer wheelbase and shorter overhangs than on the current car. Sheetmetal is conservative but elegant—note the taut surfacing in the profile, with character lines running horizontally, above the door handles and above the rocker panels. A prominent trunklid hints at subtle Bangle-esque influences. The costly W8 engine is gone, and the 1.8-liter turbocharged five-valve four will be replaced with the 200-horsepower FSI (fuel stratified injection) turbocharged 2.0-liter four-valve that makes its debut in the new GTI. The 2.8-liter V-6 probably will be replaced with a 3.0-liter, and the upcoming 3.6-liter VR6 will be the top engine.…

A Slovenian BMW dealer? Yeah, right. BMW won't deny the recently leaked 2006 3 Series brochure photos were a publicity stunt by the folks in Munich intended to spike the launch of Audi's facelifted A4 (see our “Hot Drives” in this issue), rather than the work of an indiscreet Slovenian dealership that posted them on the Internet. The E90 3 Series sedan is the most con-servative of BMW-Bangle flame-surface design, with a shoulder-scallop through the doors and a chiseled tail in place of the 5’s and 7’s bulbous butts. Still, 3 Series fans had better get used to the painted eyelash-and-brow look of the bigger cars, and iDrive has made it into the small sedan, albeit as an option. Interior space is up, and engines will include a magnesium-block 2.5-liter…

Mitsubishi’s new plan for survival is to become a niche maker specializing in sporty models. That means trading on its rally-car heritage, found in its Lancer Evolution. Its 202-horsepower Outlander Turbo premiered at the Paris motor show with a detuned version of the Evo VIll’s 2.0-liter, 16-valve turbocharged and intercooled twin-cam ECI-MULTI4G63 four-cylinder, and full-time four-wheel drive. Mitsubishi claims a 135-mph top speed and a 7.7-second 0-to-62-mph time. Amazingly, Mitsubishi says it has no plans for Outlander Turbo import to the U.S.…

Cue Elmer Bernstein's theme from "The Magnificent Seven." Motor Trend's 2005 Sport/Utility of the Year, the Land Rover LR3, swaggered into town along with six others seeking the title: Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Escape Hybrid, Ford Freestyle, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Intiniti QX56, and Nissan Pathfinder. Some are Yul Brynner or Charles Bronson types (the LR3 is Steve McQueen, of course), while the Freestyle and Equinox are like Robert Vaughn and Brad Dexter: gunslingers for sure, but too dapper or too boyish to hang with the tough guys. Evaluation began with the usual MT track tests, then thorough examinations of each model atop the Petersen Automotive Museum garage. On-road driving, the fun part, commenced the next morning. With just seven entries, we doubled up in a "drive, ride, swap" drill. Heavy floods…

Ford’s Freestyle was in trouble in its run for the calipers the moment a Motor Trend staffer started calling it “Freestar. As in Freestar minivan. Despite vague SUV styling cues, the Freestyle looks more like a neat and useful station wagon than a brawny sport/utility. Which is precisely what it turned out to be. As a wagon, the Freestyle works well, taking advantage of an overall length 0.9 inch longer than the Pacifica and 2.1 inches longer than the Dodge Magnum, with a capacious interior—85.2 cubic feet of cargo space with all the rear seats folded flat. Ford has given mixed messages during the Freestyle’s long rollout on how original its platform is, but lately has proudly declared the car a derivative of the flexible Volvo S60/S80/XC90 platform that also…

How do you build a good, strong midsize sport/utility? You start with a full-size one. That’s Nissan’s formula for the new Pathfinder, which reverts from the previous model’s unibody to a traditional body-on-frame using a shortened version of the F-Alpha platform that underpins the Titan, Armada, and Infiniti QX56. This new Pathfinder is a sport/utility middleweight, weighing less than 5000 pounds with three rows of seats standard, and is motivated by a new VQ-series-based 270-horsepower, 291 pound-feet 4.0-liter V-6, paired with a standard five-speed automatic transmission. Bigger than the old Pathfinder in all dimensions, its third-row seating differentiates it even further from Nissan’s entry-level Xterra SUV. The second row of seats has a flip-and-fold feature, and the second and third row fold flat for an even load floor. The V-6…

Two thousand years ago, Roman author Pliny the Elder wrote: “The only certainty is that nothing is certain.” He was undoubtedly talking about car advertising. Fast-forward to August 2004. Chevrolet has dropped a staggering sum—more than $3 million—on “A Boy’s Dream,” a splashy new 60-second TV spot that’s A-List all the way: New York City as backdrop, Guy “I Married Madonna” Ritchie as director, pricey special effects, a rippin’ Rolling Stones soundtrack, and, as its star, the new 2005 Corvette—a model the automaker hasn’t advertised on TV since 1997. So pumped are Chevy execs over “A Boy’s Dream” that they've peppered it throughout the prime-time schedule of the 2004 Athens Olympics (cost: about $1.5 million per showing), scheduling the ad’s debut for the opening ceremonies, where it will be seen…

This isn’t about a car; it’s about an engine. Forget Vipers, Ferraris, Bentleys, all those rumbling turbodiesel-powered American trucks, and anything else you think has punch. The CL65’s handbuilt, twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V-12 spanks them all, grunting out 738 pound-feet at just 3000 rpm. And that’s only because Mercedes-Benz electronically limits it to that number; fully unleashed, it'd be good for a transmission-shredding 885 pound-feet worth. Its 604-horsepower rating almost gets lost in the blur. AMG?’s power mongers begin with the architecture of the twin-blown V-12 that powers both Maybach sedans and several upper-deck Mercedes and gives it a significantly longer stroke, upsized pistons, larger fuel injectors, higher intake-valve lift, longer valve-opening duration, larger turbochargers packing 22 psi of boost, a super-large air-to-water intercooler, oil jets that spray the bottom of…

Like it or not, Audi’s new schnoz will be everywhere in dealerships next year. The carmaker has grafted it onto the face of the A8 W12, the all-new A6, and the latest compact A3. Now the gaping grille has surfaced on the updated 2005 A4. Audi has wholly committed to the new design philosophy and has changed the visual face of its entire sedan/wagon lineup—even the next TT will share this controversial new cue. Although the A4 got a complete redesign for the 2002 model year, Audi felt it necessary to keep things ultrafresh. Why such a proactive approach? Simple: competition. A new 3-Series is on the way, the C-class gets a heavy freshening for 2005, and last year’s redesigned Acura TL is a legitimate alternative to the pricier German…

Gas-electric hybrid vehicles are hot. The line for a Toyota Prius now stretches about six months long—and that’s for a small hatchback sedan selling for an average $25,000. Imagine what the demand would be for a small Jeep-like hybrid vehicle priced at $16,000. That’s the vision of 79-year-old Hungarian-born entrepreneur and self-educated electric-vehicle engineer Lou Gyory. Motor Trend readers with good memories may recall the first hybrid Gyory helped develop, which graced our March 1980 cover. That sharply creased 2+2 hatchback rode on six wheels, powered by an 18-horse Briggs & Stratton two-cylinder engine and a 20-horse electric motor. Power flowed through a four-speed transmission to one rear axle; the second served as a captive trailer carrying the weight of the 12 six-volt batteries. Dubbed the 85-mpg Hybrid, that one-off…

Everyone is looking for a fresh, appealing way to repackage the classic American station wagon. Chevrolet makes an attempt with the Maxx, a stretched, wagonified variant of the Malibu sedan introduced this year. The Maxx’s wheelbase is six inches longer than the conventional four-door’s, but its overall length is a half inch shorter. The rear seat slides fore and aft for nearly seven inches of limo-like legroom. Our Galaxy Silver metallic Maxx came equipped with OnStar Safe and Sound for $695, which includes Advanced Automatic Collision Notification, a system that senses when you may have been in an accident. Last year, during our “Car of the Year” instrumented testing, the OnStar operator called asking senior road-test editor Chris Walton if he was okay; it seems the system had sensed the…

Our XJR hit its second service interval (20K) just before we were scheduled to return it to Jaguar. In addition to the regular service, the dealer checked a bothersome supercharger bearing-type noise as well as a fuel-level indicator not relaying correct information after fill-ups and noisy brakes (again). We took the Jaguar to a different dealer who replaced two defective fuel-pump/sending units, performed the scheduled 20,000-mile service, and replaced the worn rear brake pads. The brakes ran $400, and the supercharger noise was pronounced normal. Despite our concern over the latter, the XJR continues to make new fans. “Truth be told,’ said one editor, “I’ve never been a Jaguar fan. They represent a stodgy, somewhat bulky and clumsy, old-duffer’s car gasping to be a throwback to racing Jags of the…

Leather-trimmed heated seats? No way. CD6 audio system and DVD player? Forget it. A metal dashboard, solid axles, flat-paned window glass, and a lever-actuated ‘transfer case? Absolutely. These are among the elements that defined a sport/utility in the 1950s and 1960s, and the rough-and-ready Scout had ’em. International entered the compact-SUV market in 1961, and this first-generation Scout marched on through to the 1972 model year, when it was replaced by the larger yet somehow less-charming Scout Il. The original was offered in a coupe/wagon body style (equipped with a removable hardtop or the rare folding softtop shown) or as a small pickup. Engine choices included an OHV four-banger and the “Powerthrift” inline-six. More than 300,000 Scouts were sold. COVERAGE: MARCH 1959 The domestic “Mid-Price 3” of the late 1950s…