Innehållsförteckning för February 2005 från MotorTrend

Touareg-based SUV A4-derived coupe New aluminum-bodied TT Lamborghini-based supercar A6 avant wagonbased supercar AUDI Q7 Stand by for an avalanche of all-new Audi models over the next three years, spearheaded by this new sport/utility built off the same platform that supports VW’s Touareg and Porsche’s Cayenne and set for launch as a 2006 model. To be called Q7 (the Q moniker will be used to designate future Audi sport/utes; a Q5 based on the A4 platform is rumored to be under development to take on BMW’s X3), Audi’s first SUV will feature three rows of seating to better serve the U.S. market and help differentiate the Q7 from the Touareg and Cayenne. Elements of the Q7’s styling were previewed on the Magellan and Pikes Peak concepts at previous Detroit shows,…

Technology continues to evolve the way open-topped cars are designed and constructed. Ferrari’s Superamerica, to be unveiled at the Detroit auto show, incorporates a glass roof panel that rotates back onto the rear deck. It doesn’t disappear, and there’s no tonneau cover required. The design, executed by Pininfarina, was licensed from Leonardo Fioravanti who, while at that same Turinese coachbuilder in the late 1960s, penned Ferrari’s seminal Daytona coupe and spyder, cars not so different in concept from today’s front-engine 575M Maranello GT. The Superamerica gets a horsepower bump to 532 and can be had with six-speed manual or FI sequential gearbox. Price and build quantity haven’t yet been announced, but expect fewer than 500 units, with a sticker approaching $300K.…

Subaru announced the name for its 2006, seven-passenger crossover SUV at the Miami motor show: B9X. The name seems designed to create confusion with the Subie’s platform sibling, Saab’s 2007 9-6x, which will bow as a concept this spring at the New York show. And Subaru plans to use the B9X to compete with the Acura MDX and Volvo XC90, taking the brand upmarket—into Saab territory. But there are differences: Besides exclusive sheetmetal and a mostly exclusive interior, the 9-6x will be available only with two rows of seats, because Saab doesn’t want to put a third row of passengers in its rear crumple zone. Most similarities are under the skin. The Saab 9-6x will have Subaru’s 245-horsepower, 3.0-liter flat six and its Symmetrical all-wheel-drive system. And that new Subaru…

LETTER OF THE MONTH “BMW M5,” November 2004 You guys got me drooling. A racing Bimmer in street clothes? Yeah, baby! Mom and Dad? Can I have my inheritance now?John Kendall Newport, Oregon CITY DRIVING Nowhere on this planet is Motor Trend more happening than in Southern California (“Editorial,” November). A lot of great cars are heading our way, too, and the domestic brands are now more aggressive than ever. Mustang, Corvette, Cadillac, Buick, 300C, GT—man, what a lineup. Angus, you stepped in at the right time: Driving in Los Angeles will be fun again. Now, which car can I afford? Norm DrexelChino, California ALMOST A BEAUTY The Ferrari F430 (“News,” November) is one serious machine. The design has incredible strength, yet it looks like somebody put a wide body…

The earliest sketches of what’s become the Charger originated as a coupe in Freeman Thomas’s Pacifica studio in Carlsbad, California. This extreme, wheels-to-the-corners design featured a long front end similar to the Charger’s leading back to an almost Audi TT-like roofline and bobbed tail. It grabbed design VP Trevor Creed’s attention, and he ordered it transformed into a sedan (the market for large coupes is moribund). The first draft of this transformation was the rather poorly received Super8 Hemi show car of 2001. Meanwhile, in the studio next door, a separate team was attempting to adapt the highly acclaimed 1999 Charger concept to fit the LX architecture. That low and wide concept didn’t translate well to the big-shouldered LX architecture, and, in any case, its look was too retro.…

Chevys, and more high-performance GMs are on the way under his watch. He says: “We will not rest until the owner of a BMW who rents a Buick or a Pontiac at the airport opens the door, sits in, and says ‘Holy mackerel, I had no idea American cars were getting this good.’” We say: May have convinced GM to spend a few hundred bucks more per car on quality than give away thousands in incentives. Service bulletin: GTO sales slow; Saab 9-2x, 9-7x strategy is risky. In the garage: At last count, 20 cars and trucks, nine motorcycles, and five aircraft, including a 1952 Cunningham C-3 Vignale, 2000 Suzuki Hayabusa, and an ex-Libyan air force 1989 Aero-Vodochody L-39 “ZO” jet. Bet you didn’t know: He loves a shot of…

Last year, our TOTY spotlight was trained on two all-new ground-breakers in the full-size truck category. One, our winner, was the redesigned Ford F-150, a grille-toll itch makeover of a perennial leader in the segment; the other, Nissan’s potent clean-sheet-of-paper challenger, the Titan. Some 12 months later, the focus has shifted to the smaller categories, although incongruently, a couple of behemoth megaweights have nevertheless wriggled into our TOTY circus tent. Indeed, if this were a three-ring circus, in the center ring would be the Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier, two competitive offerings vying to outshine the other like a pair of backflipping acrobatic canines. In the second ring would be the half-step-bigger Dodge Dakota attempting a daunting juggling act of full- and midsize truck attributes, while in the third ring…

achieving what was intended: near-Lexus levels of feel, fit and finish, and attention to detail at sub-Toyota pricing. While it may not officially be called the Celica replacement, that’s the role it’ll take in the near future when Toyota’s long-running sporty coupe is retired. That’s some takeover. Playing second fiddle to Mitsubishi’s giant slayer, the all-wheel-drive Lancer Evolution, is a thankless task, but the Lancer Ralliart makes the best of it. In place of the Evo’s high-strung turbocharged 2.0-liter four is a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter engine that has variable valve timing. Forget all-wheel drive with electronically controlled differentials, too—you’ll just have to make do with the front wheels delivering the traction action. It’s playing second fiddle. But does that necessarily mean it’s cut-rate? The Mazda3 may look like an outtake…

When you drive a limited-production, high-performance automobile, you expect car buffs to check out your wheels. Italian exotics, Dubbed-out Escalades, snorting 911s, Vettes, Vipers, and Nissan Z-cars grab their share of stares. But you’d figure Chevy’s successor to the Cavalier to be about as invisible as a minivan at a Cub Scout picnic. So when a late-night run on L.A.’s freeways in the new Cobalt SS snared some lookie-loos in slammed, winged Civics, Integras, SRT-4s, and EVOs rubbernecking for a closer look at the new Chevy, we began to wonder. Do they think the Cobalt SS is cool or an intruder in their midst? Okay, the SS sports a huge rear wing, the four round taillamps say Corvette, and the not unattractive body hunkers down around fender-filling 18-inch wheels. On…

Ever date a cute girl with a lot of sisters? Naturally, one of them is a bit too big, another a bit too dressed up, and the rest are just too loud. In the family of Nissan pickups and SUVs, the newly evolved Xterra, the smallest of the six vehicles sharing a version of the Titan’s F-Alpha platform, is looking like it might be the pick of the litter. The 2005 Xterra stays true to the more industrial, squared-off lines of the previous generation. There’s also two more inches to its width and wheelbase. The result is a sturdier, muscular appearance, helped in part by the wider fender bulges. The wide-tube roof rack, an Xterra trademark, now includes a roof-mounted closable cargo basket, an SUV first. The rear storage area…

Fantastic is the best word for Chrysler’s hot rod.” So said Motor Trend editor Joe H. Wherry in our March 1957 issue. “If it were named Jim Dandy instead of 300-C, it could be the inspiration for a whole series of popular songs.” Late-1950s campy, for sure, but this glowing report indicated that the huge, winged, 375-horsepower luxury convertible was a seriously popular ride. “Cubic inches, pure and simple, are the most direct route to super performance.” Much as the new Hemi received a displacement increase for SRT-8 duty, for 1957 the original Firepower V-8 got bored and stroked from 354 to 392 cubic inches. Even though today’s 300 has four doors and isn’t available as a ragtop, its in-your-face four-sided grille harks back to these early Chrysler “Letter Cars”—and…

Chrysler’s Hemi-powered, Viper-based Firepower concept is wedged neatly in size and status between the ME Four-Twelve dream car and the very real Crossfire SRT6. Since other companies—presumably in the arms biz—own “Firepower” the label is a working codename. The car will have been renamed by the time you read this. But the vitals remain the same. The handsome, fastback skin is by Four-Twelve designer Brian Nielander and stretched over a Viper chassis—it seems Chrysler was drinking from the same design well as was Ford with the Shelby GR-1. Replacing the Viper’s thumping 8.3-liter, 500-horsepower V-10 under the hood is the punchy yet refined 425-horse, 6.1-liter Flemi V-8 from the hi-po version of the hot-selling Chrysler 300, the SRT8. The suspension is tuned for a softer, GT-style ride akin to Aston…

Ford Motor Company scrubbed the Boxster-size Jaguar F-Type concept years back, but look for some of its flavor to seep into the all-new 2007 XK, the first Jaguar completely designed under the direction of Ian Callum, the man responsible for the gorgeous Aston Martin DB7 and Vanquish. Jaguar expects the supercharged XKR will be quicker than the mighty Mercedes SL55 AMG, which means a sub-five-second 0-60-mph time. It won’t be achieved with power as much as low weight—the base V-8 XK8 comes close to 3500 pounds, usefully less than a Euro-market BMW 630i with its magnesium 3.0-liter six, and it’s 500 pounds less than a Merc SL500. The platform is derived from the XJ’s aluminum monocoque and uses a similar wishbone suspension. But the springs are steel coils, not the…

Oldsmobile sports car? It’s not far-fetched. GM is quickly taking Saturn upmarket to take that space in its lineup between Pontiac and Buick, and one of the new models designed to do that is the 2007 Sky, built on the same platform as Pontiac’s 2006 Solstice. The Sky, unveiled at Detroit, has a fancier, more conservative and more elegant interior and features Saturn’s new corporate face. Powertrains will mimic the Solstice’s, which means a naturally aspirated Ecotec 1-4 at launch. Expect a more luxurious interior and a nicer ride (thus less aggressive handling) than the butchier Pontiac.…

Fancy a six-cylinder M3 while they’re still available? BMW is offering the 2005 M3 with a new Competition Package, featuring 19-inch forged-alloy wheels and high-performance tires, a specially tuned suspension, and a 14.5:1 steering ratio (from 15.4:1). The package gets the M3 CSL’s less-intrusive M track mode for the Dynamic Stability Control as well as the CSL’s compound and cross-drilled brake rotors, with front rotors enlarged 0.8 inch, to 13.6 inches. Interior changes include Alcantara steering wheel and handbrake grip and a steering-wheel button for the DSC M track mode. It’s offered with a six-speed manual or optional sequential manual gearbox, and an exclusive Interlagos blue exterior paint Package price is $4000, and the line forms here.…

Whoever said “knowledge is power” never got blown off by some pimple-faced kid in a ratty Trans Am after screaming, “The area of the square built upon the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the areas of the squares upon the remaining sides!” Often, there’s just no substitute for power of the powerful variety. Say, when you’re trying to coax an 800,000-pound Boeing bound for Mumbai off the runway (try that by flaunting your facility with irregular second-conjugation Italian verbs). Or if you want a car so deliciously quick it’ll entice you to skip “Desperate Housewives” just to get in another run to the Piggly Wiggly. Detroit used to know this. In the heyday of the 1960s, the Big Three tossed out brawny, ballsy, rear-drive…

The original Viper GTS coupe was an RT/10 with a full roof and hatch that also was available with a club-racer ACR package or as a full-blown race car, dubbed GTS-R, capable of dominating the American Le Mans series. In 2003, the SRT10 roadster arrived without a coupe sibling, but a race-only Competition Coupe based on the GTS/R concept car of 2000 became available to privateers competing in Speed World Challenge, Grand American Cup, and other series. With no corresponding street-legal variant, it wasn’t homologated for American Le Mans. Relative to the SRT10, the Comp Coupe’s wheelbase was three inches longer, track two inches wider, the doors were longer, the body was carbon fiber, and the engine made 520 horses and 540 pound-feet. Some 50 coupes were sold for about…

Some car companies define a sport package as black trim and tape stripes. Infiniti goes well beyond that with the M’s. Considered a standalone model due to the comprehensiveness of equipment changes, the M Sport’s standard 18-inch alloys hit the dumpster in favor of 19x8.5-inch lightweight alloys at 245/40R19-inch rubber. The suspension is recalibrated for firmer handling, the steering ratio is quicker, and adaptive HID headlights are included. As noted, chrome-trimmed aluminum panels and alloy pedal trim are standard, although the buyer may choose to retain the standard car’s rosewood IP inserts if desired. The superb sport seats are more thickly bolstered, feature two textures of leather, and are heated and cooled. There’s even different stitching on places like the shifter and steering wheel. The Sport model’s technical centerpiece is…

The resounding thud emanating from the pickup bed as we exited a sweeping lefthander got our attention: A 100-pound toolbox riding in the bed had come loose. To our amazement, the sides of the sheet-molded compound cargo box took the shunts from the toolbox with zero damage. It was a pleasant surprise, one of many we experienced in the new Tacoma, Motor Trend’s Truck of the Year for 2005. Like you, we appreciate a truck that can take abuse. All too often in the past, that meant some industrial-grade machine with not much more than a whiff of creature comforts and sophistication, but were betting you don’t want to be stuck driving something that dishes out its own abuse. And that may just be the essence of what Toyota has…

The issue, at least at first, will be to convince people this really is a new vehicle. In photos, it looks so much like its big brother that people might not realize it’s supposed to be a different kind of drive. Next will come the small matter of getting people used to the idea of a high-performance Land Rover—that’s high performance as in smokin’ ’em on the switchbacks, not casually tip-toeing along a rock-strewn mountain trail. The new Range Rover Sport is Land Rover’s first shot at the burgeoning fast-SLA7 market. To ensure the Sport is what it says it is, the top-of-the-range version boasts a Jaguar-sourced supercharged V-8 underhood kicking out 390 horsepower (the entry-level model gets the same 300-horse, 4.4-liter naturally aspirated version of the engine as used…

Mazda’s tunerized its mainstream midsize sedan for the performance enthusiast. A 274-horsepower turbocharged engine with direct fuel injection for enhanced low- and midrange torque, a wide-ratio six-speed manual transmission (the only gearbox offered), and an Active Torque Split all-wheel-drive system are the key elements. The MazdaSpeed6 is the most powerful sedan the company’s ever built, good for a claimed 149 mph. Though the horsepower rating and AWD capability may suggest otherwise, don’t let the big power rating fool you. The new Speed6 isn’t positioned to compete with the rally-based sedans from Mitsubishi and Subaru. It’s more of an all-weather high-performance touring sedan in the tradition of the BMW 330xi, Audi A4 quattro, and Subaru Legacy GT. Based on the MPS concept shown at the Paris auto show, the Speed6’s design…

2005 SUBARU LEGACY GT Subaru has really gotten its game on, and the popularity of the original Impreza WRX has proven more than a fad. The company has done a good job of populating the rest of its lineup with similar enthusiasm and performance. The new-for-2005 Legacy is one such example and an important one, as it forms the heart of Subi’s sedan, wagon, and Outback lineup. Previous Legacy models always were nice drivers, if a bit quirky and/or staid. Our handsome new Legacy GT Limited came coated in a succulent hue called Garnet Red Pearl, with Black Leather interior. We chose a $1200 five-speed automatic transmission with Sportshift as our only option. This transmission offers manumatic-shifting control on the floor or steering wheel. The bottom line for our newest…

The Gladiator concept takes yet another stab at a Jeep pickup, and this appears a logical and easy-to-produce machine. Its engine is a 163-horsepower, 295-pound-foot turbodiesel (specs virtually equal to the new Liberty CRD’s 2.8-liter four) with part-time four-wheel drive. With a 138-inch wheelbase, its dimensions are close to those of the midsize Dodge Dakota pickup. It’s also described as a concept, but it clearly gives clues to the design direction of the 2007 Wrangler. Jeep used the Gladiator name on a pickup built from 1963 to 1969. Despite the Wrangler/Liberty styling themes, Chrysler says the Gladiator’s platform is unique. The club cab has a small lower access door on the driver/-sidemount side and a full-height rear-hinged half-door on the passenger side. The sidemount spare saves space and allows rear…

Volvo’s long-awaited C50 cabrio will be revealed at the Geneva show in March, and it’s a four-seat “vario roof” coupe-convertible. The car is stretched slightly, versus the Euro-Focus-based S40 sedan, to make room for the rear seat and the roof mechanism. Ford also plans to build a version of the Focus-based Vignale vario roof concept it showed at the Paris show last autumn. While such four-seat hardtop-convertibles will be new to the U.S. (at least, since the Ford Skyliner of the late-1950s), Peugeot and Renault have sold them in Europe for years. Hummer will add GM’s 300-horse, 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel to its lineup for the 2006 model year. The engine will launch at this division in the HI, but a Duramax H2 is likely to closely follow. For the HI,…

Mazda’s MX-Crossport, which premiered at the Detroit show in January, offers the flair of Nissan’s upmarket Infiniti FX but with better proportions. The concept is a four-seater with a console running between two rows of bucket seats, its exterior styling a sharp blend of RX-8 and BMW X5 cues. No official word on production, but lots of hints to the affirmative from Mazda design chief Moray Callum. If the MX is built, expect the Mazda6 platform and probably a conventional center console with a conventional 60/40-split rear seat. And there’s no official word on what engine it would use. We’d hope that in the four years or so it would take to produce it, Ford will have an ample supply of its upcoming 3.5-liter V-6. After all, the Crossport is…

These guys are getting serious about this “v" performance model thing. Although the new STS-v’s supercharged 4.4-liter V-8 shares its basic architecture with other Northstars, it’s essentially an all-new power-plant—appropriate only for the most powerful Caddy offered in the company’s history. It’ll be backed by an equally new six-speed automatic transmission, another wreath-and-crest first. Naturally, a performance-tuned suspension, upsized vented disc brakes, 18/19-inch rolling stock, subtle body mods, a lowered right height, and an upgraded interior will all be part of the package when the STS-v comes to market this fall. We’ll bring you tech and spec details and lots more photos, next issue.…

Lets say your vehicular shopping list calls for a pricey topless bauble with a Le Mans pedigree, something to tow said bauble with, and a small, cheap, and cheerful runabout for everyday use. Naturally, your lead-foot proclivities demand that each of the above be capable of 100-plus-mph quarter-mile trap speeds. You’ll surely have to tote your suitcase full of big bills all over town visiting one snooty import brand after another, right? Au contraire! Your friendly local Dodge dealer can hook you up with all of the above and maybe even talk you into a Hemi V-8-powered wagon or sport/utility (if you can bend that quarter-mile threshold just a smidge). One-stop shopping—how convenient. Clearly, Dodge is on a mission to achieve top-of-mind status when buyers think performance. Slowly but surely,…

To bring you the facts on the world’s most powerful motorsport, we quizzed Schumacher Racing, which campaigns the U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster and currently holds the record for the quickest run ever in a Top Fuel Dragster (4.441 seconds). As of press time, Schumacher not only captured the 2004 NHRA POWERade World Championship (his second championship), but also won the season-ending NFIRA Finals, netting him another world record—the most Top Fuel wins (an amazing 10 victories) in a single season. To learn more about Schumacher Racing and the U.S. Army dragster, deep stage your mouse and then click on www.tonyschumacher.com.…

Admit it. No one, especially an adult, wants to be stuck sitting in the middle seat. Trapped, riding the hump, passing scenery blocked from view, with knees and elbows tucked in to avoid violating someone else’s space. Lately, we’ve seen luxurious three-row business-class seating in the more expensive Chrysler Pacifica and Mercedes-Benz Grand Sport Vision concept. But the Mazda5 brings the six-seat concept into the budget of, say, a young family with one or two small kids and wraps it in a package closer to that of the sporty Mazda3 many moms—or singles—would rather be driving. Based on the four-cylinder drivetrain, front structure, all-independent suspension, steering and brakes of the Mazda3, the new 5 is more of a C-class space wagon, closer in size to the original Honda Odyssey. Mazda…

That’s right! Simply splice a foot-long tube into your fuel line, hook up a couple of wires to 12-volt power, and magnetized plasma, photons, microwaves, sound waves, surface waves, electrostatic ion-cyclotron waves, quantum waves, and even Alfen waves will go to work generating hydrogen from whatever fuel your car burns to boost fuel economy by 10 percent while slashing emissions. Or so gushes the Web site advertising the Hydrodrive Electronic Catalytic Converter, invented and manufactured in Madras, India. The all-star roster of waves at work in this gizmo, coupled with the low low price and easy installation pegged my hokumometer, much like those magnets that clamp onto a fuel line to allegedly bust up clumps of loosely attracted hydrocarbon molecules for improved fuel atomization and, hence, cleaner, more efficient combustion.…

Since 1994, the big-rig-inspired Dodge Ram has become a potent pickup force, building its reputation on the pillars of size and power. The current-generation continued this tradition when it launched in 2002, making the competition look stale and diminutive. Dodge further elevated its game when it introduced the heavy-duty range for 2003, taking an excellent overall package and fitting it with a work-ready suspension and the beefier powertrains. As a result, the Ram HD commanded respect during our testing and evaluation and earned Motor Trend’s 2003 Truck of the Year honors. We added a Ram to our long-term fleet to determine how the Golden Caliper winner would perform after a year of constant service. We were faced with numerous configuration choices and options to build the right truck for our…

Acura’s 3.2CL was a well-rounded machine: impressive on paper, enjoyable on the road, and a solid performer at the test track. It was roomier and more powerful than the car it replaced, and, in optional trim, it stepped up to match performance wits with the BMW 3 Series coupe but undercut that rival’s sticker by thousands. Yet buyers stayed away. The 3.2CL inherited a front-drive luxury/sport-coupe sales decline it couldn’t shake, and Acura hasn’t offered a similar car since. The final-generation CL bowed in two models: base 3.2CL at about $28,000 and higher-performance CL Type-S for just under $31,000. Each came loaded with luxury amenities like heated power-adjustable leather seats, moonroof, Bose in-dash CD changer, auto climate control, SportShift five-speed automatic, and Xenon lamps. The only option for either model…