Innehållsförteckning för June 2005 från MotorTrend

INFINITI WILL JOIN the smw X3-fighter fray for the 2008 model year with a smaller V-6 and four-cylinder counterpart to its FX35/45 crossover. Named CX25, for the 2.5-liter four-cylinder version that'll be the volume seller in Europe, and CX35, for the hotter 3.5-liter V-6 version expected to take most sales in the U.S., the CX will share many of the FX’s bold styling cues. It'll be built on a shortened next-generation FM front mid-engine platform. The versatile FM underpins FX35/45, M35/45, G35, Nissan 350Z, and the next Skyline GT-R. And the new-wave crossovers it has to beat… The all-new Infiniti CX’s 2007 introduction comes in the midst of a flood of compact-luxury crossovers. All these designs have two rows of seats, like the X3, and the subsegment has proven especially…

IT’S NOT A small world after all. Forces against a world economy remain, and the new Audi RS4 is proof. First, we have to wait for the 414-horsepower M3-slayer. Audi will import it to North America next spring or summer, at least half a year after it makes its European debut. Second, its second-coolest feature, the front seats, have no side airbags, so U.S. cars will have to be refitted with the standard items. But it'll be worth the wait and certification efforts, as the coolest feature is the 4.2-liter direct-injection powerplant cranking out all that horsepower, just edging the upcoming BMW M3’s 400-horse, 4.0-liter V-8 and roughly equaling its 100-horse-per-liter claim. The RS4’s FSI also is rated at 317 pound-feet of torque at 5500 rpm. At 3638 pounds in…

ENGINE Direct-injection 8.0-liter W-16 has 64 valves and four turbos. Power output has been confirmed at 987 horses at 6000 rpm, with 922 pound-feet of torque at just 2200. Engine drives all four wheels (with a fixed 30/70 front/rear torque split) through a seven-speed DSG twin-clutch trans. Bugatti claims O-to-60 mph in under 3.0 seconds, O-to-124 mph in 6.0, and O-to-186 mph in 14.0. COCKPIT Interior is simple, but luxurious and fully equipped. Boast gauge” next to tach indicates engine power output. Veyron is intended to be a comfortable two-seater that can be driven long distances; several of the 11 prototypes built so far have completed more than 50,000 miles, each following the same grueling test regimen as that of regular VW models. AIRBRAKE At speeds above 124 mph, the…

FOR ITS first-ever sport/utility with three rows of seats (seven-passenger), Jeep has now expanded outward and pumped up the sheetmetal of its Grand Cherokee to create something that looks like a mutant of the 1984 to 2001 Cherokee. Jeep also cites the 1946 to 1962 Willys station wagon and 1963 to 1991 Wagoneer as inspirations. The Commander is truly the box the Grand Cherokee came in—they share platforms, down to the same 109.5-inch wheelbase. Jeep found room for the third row by squaring its shoulders and making its green-house more upright. 6 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 1. Commander has a body-color grille; Commander Limited gets chrome. Clamshell hood is aluminum. 2. It comes with a choice of three four-wheel-drive systems, like the Grand Cherokee: the base Quadra-Trac I, the…

IT’S NO COINCIDENCE we're at a regional airstrip for straight-line testing of these two cars—either one could take flight at the end of a quarter mile at speeds in excess of 120 mph. In the 360 Modena and all prior models with a Ferrari Fl manual transmission, launch strategy involved turning off the traction control, selecting first gear, taking both feet off the pedals, whacking the throttle, and waiting for the clutch to drop at some random rpm. From that point—until it was time to grab second gear—getting a good number was an exercise in pedaling the throttle to allow wheelspin, but not too much to achieve a 0-to-30-mph time below 2.0 seconds. With the introduction of a selectable-rpm launch control in the F430 Fl, the result is greater predictability…

HE’S THE WORKING stiff type of enthusiast. He doesn't own a scuderia of Ferraris or vintage T-Birds and Jaguars, like some aesthete who just happens to engineer cars for a living. ‘I have no time,” he says. ‘‘No money. Usually, you have one or the other. I have neither.’ Hau Thai-Tang doesn't even have a copy of the icon on which he spent the last five years as chief engineer. Thai-Tang promised himself that he'd get a red 2005 Mustang GT when the car whose development he led made it off the assembly line. But Thai-Tang ordered his car late and still drives a 2004 Lincoln LS V-8—his engineering project in the late 1990s—to his new job as director of Ford’s in-house tuner operation, Special Vehicle Team. He has this…

ONE HUNDRED ana forty miles per hour. That’s the electronically limited top speed of the new supercharged Range Rover Sport, the fastest Land Rover €ver built. Say the words out loud: “Land Rover; 140 mph.” Sounds strange, no? A bit like hearing “Adam Sandler" and “cultural Symposium” in the same sentence. The dissonance is understandable, of Course. Until now, Land Rover has been Content to build vehicles that excel at obstacles climbing—whether Or the social it be ladder. off-road But with BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and even olkswagen now offering premium high-Performance SUVs (see “Flexible Flyers,” MTApril), the British maker can ill afford to be content ruling the Serengeti Plain. Hence, the new supercharged Sport, an asphalt-optimized SUV fast enough to pin Prince Charles’s ears flat against his head. Don't be…

IT’S SAD when reality rears its ugly head. A Viper, Ford GT, or Corvette is a cool ride, but only so many people and so much gear can fit into one, and none of them can tow anything. What’s a hot-blooded performance freak with a few friends and a little cargo to do? Up until 2003, there were two choices: the Ford Lightning, with a supercharged V-8, 380 horsepower, and styling that screamed attitude, and the 2003 Silverado SS, with full-time all-wheel drive and an overhead-valve 6.0-liter, 345-horse V-8. The year after, Dodge made it a threesome with the introduction of the Ram SRE10 regular cab. Its 500 horses, 525 pound-feet, and surprising handling brought attention to the Ram line. No shots have been fired at the SRT-10 since then:…

DRIVING AN open-topped Ferrari makes your hair feel thicker and your waist feel thinner. You drive faster and age slower. But, more than anything else, driving the al fresco version of the F430 delivers an even fuller dose of the burbling, popping, and wailing 483-horsepower V-8 sitting just aft of your right shoulder—especially at 8500 rpm when driving through a tunnel. The previous-gen 360 Spider, wonderful though it was, came off a bit less of a driver’s car than the coupe. There was a noticeable reduction in the Spider’s chassis’ structural rigidity level, and its 150-or-so extra pounds knocked the edge off the 360’s forward thrust. That gap has closed to just about zip, as the F430’s chassis was designed from the beginning with the coupe and convertible versions in…

VOL KEWA CE VOLKSWAGEN’S popular midsizer remained a strong salle: since its last major remodel for the 1998 model year. It looked good, handled nicely, and served well as a smart-priced alternative to some ofthe costlier German brands. Now, the Passat would have power, too—and not just from aturbo option, but via a revolutionary new engine architecture based on a“W”" instead of a“V.” A high-tech eight-cylinder motor and all-wheel drive? Sport suspension and a six-speed stick? Sounded like a bargain-priced alternative to a 540i Sport or A6 4.2. We, among others, were excited about what the Passat W8 promised. Put us down for 12 months’ worth. Everyone had his take on the $40K sticker price when the car was introduced in mid-2002. Some staffers felt it a good value, as…

NOBODY IN THE auto business was the least bit surprised when Toyota overtook Ford to become the world’s number-two automaker in 2003. And nobody laughed when Toyota chairman Hiroshi Okuda recently asserted his company’s next target was 15 percent of the world auto market. Especially when they figured out that means Toyota fully expects to end GM’s near 80-year reign as the world’s number-one automaker sometime soon. Last year, Toyota sold 7.54 million cars and trucks worldwide, up from 6.78 million in 2003. It has officially forecast global sales of 8.5 million vehicles in 2006, and a leaked report in Japan suggested itwould be selling 9.7 million worldwide by 2008, although company sources later insisted this was merely a“loose internal target.” GM, by contrast, sold about 8.8 million vehicles in…

THERE WON’T BE a separate dealer channel for them, but Nissan is seriously pondering import of three sub-Sentra models for the U.S. market. They'd be production versions of the hatchback Sport Concept that just made its New York show debut, the Azeal coupe unveiled at Detroit, and the Actic small people-mover concept it showed at Detroit in 2004. All would be based on the Renault Megane platform and are intended to compete with the Scion xA, tC, and xB, respectively. The Sport Concept isdescribed as “the latest in a series of dynamic performance/youth concept vehicles, following the Actic and Azeal concepts.” Would the Scion generation accept a Megane-based hatch-back as a Sentra replacement? Design chief Shiro Nakamura thinks there’s room for more hatchback models in the U.S. market. The Sport,…

MERCURY UNVEILED its2006 Mountaineer at the Chicago auto show earlier this year, but we haven't officially seen the much more popular 2006 Ford Explorer—yet. Like its Mercury sibling, the Explorer gets a major update, with a stiffer chassis and a smoother ride, optional power hideaway running-boards, and fold-flat second-and third-row seats. Advance Trac with roll stability control and a six-speed automatic will be standard, as is the carryover 210-horsepower, 4.0-liter V-6. The optional V-8 is a new 292-horsepower, 4.6-liter. jump the shark WE'RE BIG fans of MTV’s street-smart reality show "Pimp My Ride" (MT, June). But, seriously, how thin can this "make my crap car cool" thing get stretched? In addition to "PMR," the airwaves are already congested with "Monster Garage," "Overhaulin," "Unique Whips," and "Chop Cut Rebuild," among others.…

core values Angus MacKenzie is correct that it’s hard to identify which cars are American these days (“Editorial,” March)—but he’swrong to suggest we don't need to know. The window sticker on a new car used to reveal domestic content. Now, only the point of final assembly is revealed. The core issue is that America has been losing manufacturing jobs to low-wage countries for years. It’s not a simple problem to sort out or fix, but it’s hurting American wage earners. Mike Hermesch Trimble, Missouri MacKenzie concludes that the location of design, development, and manufacture are the important criteria for defining domestic vehicles. But the real criterion is where profits go. Those receiving the profits determine where design, development, and manufacturing are placed—wherever they're most effective. Maybe next year, they'll be…

IF YOURE really into driving—and driving hard—an open-topped car is the last thing you want. Despite the classic wind-in-the-hair sports-car imagery, most real-drivers’ cars are coupes; their closed-body configuration providing the structural stiffness required to make the suspension, steering, and brakes work at their best. Having said that, there’s something magical about driving an open car. Maybe it’s the whiff of jasmine on a warm summer evening or the brisk, salty tang of the surf as you tool past the beach, or maybe it’s just that you want to hear the CD player over the wind noise. Whatever the reason, it seems natural to notch back the aggression, lean back in the seat, and go with the flow, smiling inwardly at all those wound-up lemmings running their own personal Daytona…

AFTER A DECADE of nirting with popular fashion and building such sub-Mercedes as the first M-Class at the risk of its reputation, Mercedes-Benz is getting back to its roots. The new M-Class, a luxury transportation module with style and elegance, is where it starts. The 1998 W163 broke ground as a luxury crossover vehicle but hurt itself with early quality issues. The first M was too short on luxury for a Mercedes and didn't have the expected ride, handling, and refinement. The 2006 W164 M-Class is new from the ground up. Its optional 5.0-liter V-8 is the only major component that carries over from the 2005 model, with power upped from 288 to 302 horses. Mercedes figures the MLSO0O will account for 25 to 30 percent of M-Class sales, with…

REMEMBER the show, “Victor/Victoria”? It contrived musical merriment by having Julie Andrews play a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman. There’s a strikingly similar story line behind the supercar you see here. Its basic carbon composite chassis and 65-degree V-12 drivetrain started life in the street-legal Ferrari Enzo. Maserati did an extreme makeover, transforming the Enzo into an FIA GT race car. Then, with another nip and tuck, it was morphed back into a street-legal vehicle for a production run of 25 cars to satisfy series homologation rules. In the movie and play, Andrews is at her most alluringly feminine when festooned as Victor the drag queen, and it turns out that the Enzo makes a more comfortable and attractive road car when made over…

FOR THOSE who remember the SSR hey-let's-go-retro-everybody's-doing-it concept (2000 Detroit auto show), it was impressive to see how little the SSR changed on its way from show floor to showroom in 2002. But there were problems: a retractable hardtop that let in wind and road noise, a less-than-favorable weight-to-power ratio, and too much body shake served up by the modified GMT 360 sporvutility platform—not good traits for a product GM calls its Corvette truck. Initial sales were strong, but collapsed quickly and resulted in an early midlife upgrade that included a sultry Gen IV LS2 6.0-liter V-8, with just under 400 horsepower, and a T-56 six-speed manual trans. The most significant improvements to the SSR are chassis stiffness, shock/spring tuning, engine mount strengthening, and bushing reevaluation. The bottom line is…

LIGHT WEIGHT, strong power, and outstanding grip are key elements for a competitive race car. Lotus’s new (for North America, that is) 190-horse Elise melds those traits with a license plate and daily-driver reliability. At our test track, a stock Elise put down some of the strongest performance figures we've achieved with an OEM-certified street car; a lot of credit goes to the fact that it weighs just 1945 pounds. But due to its micro size, you'll be staring up at everything that passes by, Minis included. On the track, however, few can touch it—except a tuned and turbo ‘Elise from Forced Fed. Well known for its Mitsubishi Evolution and Subaru WRX/STI performance packages, Forced Fed now offers a complete forced-induction setup for the Elise. Opting for the $7200 Sport…

2007 BMW M3 The M3 version of the new E91 3 Series coupe, caught testing at Niirburgring, is being prepared for launch shortly after the 2007 3 Seriesjust as the M6 closely followed the 640i. The E91 will become the first M3 with a V-8 engine^ a 400-horsepowen 4.0-Iiter unit derived from the M5’s 5.0-liter, 500-horsepower V-10. Like the M5, we expect the new M3 to be a high-revving motor with a torque number well below its power number and with the M5’s seven-speed programmable, sequential gearbox. BMW IS MOVING into more product niches with the launch of two all-new models planned by 2008, according to BMW chief Helmut Panke. He describes one as “a new segment” combining innovative seating, dynamic performance, and the “distinct appearance of a coupe” with…

MERCEDES HAS BEEN showing various concept versions of this new segment-buster, the R-Class, since the Adenauer administration. Finally, the production model became the first Benz since the 300SL Gullwing in 1954 to make its world debut at the New York auto show. As a sport-tourer, it’s | positioned as a kind of spacious wagon version of the CLS500 | with Chrysler Pacifica-like 2+2+2 seating. It'll be available in R500 (302-horsepower, 5.0-liter V-8) and R350 (268-horse, 3.5-liter, 24-valve V-6) form, both with seven-speed automatics. Touting dynamic space and supreme comfort, loaded versions will have twin power sunroofs and video screens in the back of the front headrests. It’s a large Merc—203 inches overall, with a 126.6-inch wheelbase, and is about three inches shorter in height than an M-Class. A short-wheelbase model,…

THOUGH NOT DIRECT competitors, they're both truck-based 4x4s with monster motors. Chevrolet will finally offer a hot truck (the Silverado SS isn't it) with its long-anticipated Trail-Blazer SS. GM Performance Division stuffed an LS2 6.0-liter V-8 under the hood and lowered the suspension and then tuned and tested it at the Nurburgring. The 6.0-liter small-block makes 390 horses and 405 poundfeet in the SSR. Chevy estimates a sub-six-second 0-to-60-mph time for the TB SS, which will be offered with rear-or four-wheel drive. Ford, meanwhile, is lending the SVT treatment to its upcoming Explorer-based Sport Trac. Named Adrenalin, it has a supercharged 4.6-liter, 32-valve V-8, six-speed automatic, all-wheel drive, and, unlike SVT’s new Shelby GT 500 Mustang, independent rear suspension. This new-age sport truck makes 390 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of…

junkyard dog I've owned a 1996 Saturn S series wagon that I sold after 181,000 miles—it still looked like new and ran well. I now own a 2002 LW200 wagon and a 2004 L300 sedan. The new Saturns (“Future Shock,” March) are much more exciting than mine, but, as Saturn phases in these models and the polymer body panels are phased out, I guarantee that one day my cars will be driving past junkyards containing the rusted remains of these newer models. All Saturn has to do is eliminate its no-haggle policy, and the Oldsmobilization of this division will be complete, Thomas Hanley Fulton, New York write us at 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048 e-mail us from motortrend.com letter of the month wins! Sony’s new PS2“thin” game system…

It’s HARD to imagine a Ferrari feeling its best in south Michigan—the endless straight roads, slapping concrete surfaces, and potholes the size of a Kenworth; the speed limits, the traffic, the stoplights. It’s definitely not Ferrari country. That’s why we've brought the Italian’s Detroit rival, the Ford GT, to the heart of Ferrari territory, up in the mountain back roads above Maranello, the very twisting routes where Ferrari tests Ferraris. And the Ford is loving it. It grabs these hillsides by the throat, dispensing its 550 horsepower onto the pavement with an urge that stuns. It rockets out of the hairpins, second gear throwing us back into the seat, widening our eyes. That one cog will blast to 90 mph when there’s the chance, and when we reach the top…

THE QUEUE starts forming on opposite sides of the domestic/import Maginot Line when it comes to choosing between a Mustang GT and a Z-Car—either the Mustang tugs at your heartstrings, or you wouldn't be caught dead in one. Forget that one seats four and the other two. The real question is, which car makes the most convincing icon? The Ford GT may headline the company’s 2005 Year of the Car campaign, but the new Mustang is where the showroom action is. It’s been 26 years since Ford rolled out the last all new Mustang, so interest in the freshly foaled ponycar is understandably high. Fueling the anticipation is the heritage direction the car’s design took. The not-so-subtle J Mays rehash blenderizes 1967-1968-vintage proportions with details from 1965-1966 and 1969-1970 models.…

MY SCREEN BLINKED full of matches when I typed “rear-wheel drive” into Google—among them, www.rearwheeldrive.org. Created by Parker Thomas, the site’s a simple but delightful online shrine to rear drive. When Thomas was visiting Australia a few years ago, he was bowled over by the multitude of fun-handling rear-drive cars still available in that lost world of drivetrains. His site grew out of the epiphany and includes this, my favorite bit from his Drive Line Quiz: QUESTION 7: Which type of vehicle accelerates and handles best while driving backwards? A. Front-wheel drive. B. Rear-wheel drive. ANSWER: A. Front-wheel drive, since it’s functioning as rear-wheel drive at the time! Attaboy… Thomas’s dream seems set to come true. Rear drive is in vogue right now, with a roster of car manufacturers pregnant…

ANY FULL-SIZE sedancosting over $60,000 represents more than just transportation. If it didn't, everyone would drive Crown Vics, which can carry at least as Many people and just as much stuff for a lot less coin. To make you buck up 80 to 100 grand for a big, fast, designer four-door, you want style, comfort, performance, prestige, technology, craftsmanship, self-satisfaction, and respect from the valets at Spago—that’s what these cars are all about. Every country that plays in this segment has a different take on the luxo-sedan game. Quality, technical innovation, and sheer competence have long made Germany the default setting, but Britain and now Italy are making convincing plays for 4 share of the action. But are they convincing enough? From the U.K. comes the latest, and likely greatest,…

THIS JUNE, BMW’s 5 Series gets three major enhancements—and none of them is controversial: the high-tech 3.0-liter six we sampled in the new 3 Series, xDrive AWD, and svelte wagon bodywork. A magnesium-intensive engine block with aluminum surrounding the water jacket and cylinders helps trim 24 percent off the weight of its aluminum predecessor. Throttleless Valvetronic valvetrain and a three-stage intake manifold boost output to 255 horsepower and 220 pound-feet while trimming fuel consumption almost 10 percent. The sound and thrust are more urgent, too. The xDrive system is functionally equivalent to that in the X3/X5 (except for a more compact gear-driven power takeoff in place of the trucks’ chain drive), but it behaves differently. Naturally, the 5’s lower center of gravity and nearly perfect front/rear weight distribution are part…

VITH THE continuing popularity of SUVs—even with current fuel prices—it’s surprising that BMW has managed for so long with the X5 as its sole representative in this lucrative and profitable segment. The next logical step, then, was to morph a compact sport/utility off its best-selling 3 Series, thus creating the X3 last year. Based on the new 3 Series architecture just hitting our shores, it deserves a year-long look. Typical of the BMW ordering system, many options are available 4 la carte:To the base price of $30,300, we managed to add another $13,950 in options, for a total of $44,945 including the $695 destination charge. Our 2.5-liter-equipped X3 came draped in Flamenco Red Metallic paint, adark Burgundy hue that added $475 to the bottom line. We matched it with Also…

IN SPITE OF an onslaught by a slew of factory-entered Ford GT 40s, Ferrari finished 1-2-3 at the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans. Henry Ford I then had lapel buttons made declaring “Ford Wins Le Mans in‘66,” promising the world that his company would and threatening the jobs of anyone at Ford who wasn't with the plan. Ongoing development made the Ford GT faster and more reliable, and an all-star team of drivers was recruited. Ferrari relied on small displacement, high-winding single-over-head-cam V-12s, while Ford approached the job hotrod-style: lots of cubes, one cam, and a pair of four-barrel carburetors. Here, the Ford Mark II driven by Graham Hill and Brian Muir leads the Ferrari P3 of Lodovico Scarfiotti and Mike Parks. In the end, it was Bruce McLaren…