Innehållsförteckning för August 2005 från MotorTrend

DODGE IS cetermined to keep up by applying a major update to its Ram pickup line. Otherwise, the Ram, all-new for 2002, would become the oldest domestic full-size pickup when Chevy and GMC GMT900 pickups launch late next year. The Ram 1500 light-duty trucks get a new, stiffer frame with new body mounts and better noise, vibration, and harshness qualities. The optional 5.7-liter Hemi gets Chrysler’s Multiple Displacement System cylinder deactivation for 2006, for an expected EPA highway fuel-economy savings of up to 20 percent; it'll get more than 21 mpg for the 4x2 and more than 20 mpg for the 4x4. The 4x4 also gets a new double-wishbone ‘coilover-shock front suspension, and there are new monotube shocks across the board. Beyond the new front fascia, headlamps, fenders, and wheels…

WITH STYLING cuesfrom the2004 Rescue concept, the 2007 Wrangler gets a major makeover, including big improvements in noise, vibration and harshness, convenience, and visibility. In addition to this traditional two-door, which will have a new permanent top with removable panels and a fold-down windscreen, there’s talk of a four-door model and possibly a 4.7-liter V-8 option. The latter wouldn't arrive until the 2008 model year at the earliest, however. Jeep traditionalists will be happy to learn the new model will still have two solid axles. Mf…

GENERAL MOTORS'’S plans for a rear-drive Buick Velite sedan, convertible, or anything else are officially dead. The murder also affects any rear-drive Chevy coupe, Camaro, Chevelle, or otherwise. While development of a new Zeta platform was scaled back months ago, the decision to pull the plug on these new cars is much more recent. The only sub-Cadillac/Corvette rear-drive program going forth (beside Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky) is the next-gen GTO, expected for the 2008 model year. GM sources say the Holden’s Zeta rear-drive platforms aren't considered refined enough for rear-drive Buicks and Chevys to compete with the Mercedes-based Chrysler and Dodge LX models or any other modern competitor. Cadillac’s Sigma platform, meanwhile, is too expensive for GM’s mainstream brands. Meanwhile, GM is yet again reorganizing its divisions. Cadillac, Hummer,…

BACK IN 1938, Fulda commissioned May bach to build a streamlined coupe to conduct 120-mph-plus tire tests. That car is lost, but for 2005, Fulda has done it again. Maybach’s Exetero is designed to test 315/25ZR23 Fuldas at speeds in excess of 217 mph (350 kph). The Exetero is slightly shorter than the Maybach 57, and engineers bumped its 5.6-liter twin-turbo V-12’s capacity to 5.9 liters. The result is 700 horsepower and at least 738 pound-feet of torque. Maybach insists it’s a one-off, but since the DaimlerChrysler flagship is a bespoke automaker anyway, just a handful of customer inquiries could turn it into a “production” car. Meanwhile, development continues on a midsize Maybach based off the next Mercedes S-Class and aimed at the Bentley Continental. That Maybach will be built…

YOU'RE A Chicago hitman in San Francisco for a job. You need a car; some-thing that looks cool and will slink you up and over (sometimes way over) those notorious hilly streets—something like the sleek coupe Phil (Bill Hickman) drove in Steve McQueen’s 1968 film “Bullitt” How about checking out a black, newly minted 2006 Dodge Charger R/T? Sure, it’s a four-door, but it’s got 350 horsepower and comes loaded with optional Daytona R/T goodies. Cue the jazzy Lalo Schifrin soundtrack: Across the street from the apartment belonging to McQueen—er, Lieutenant Detective Frank Bullitt—is the corner grocery where he shops. “Fresh today,’ the clerk says as Bullitt heads to the frozen-foods section for dinner. Bullitt is the essence of cool, never speaking an extraneous word and living a minimalist modern-day…

Thanks to an SUV hangover mentality, people want their vehicles to do everything YOU'RE LOOKING at this picture and asking yourself what these four vehicles have in common. Okay. here it is: Getting you and your family to Wally World or Wal-Mart even if that means negotiating foul weather. twisty roads, or hundreds of miles of arrow-straight highway. These are the new all-wheel-drive " all 'rounders." We've come a long way since the Wagon Queen Family Trucksters of our childhood-and with gasoline prices tickling $3 a gallon, 4x4 V-8 sport/utilities now seem about as hip as dial-up modems, cigar bars, and the Macarena. In their place, wagons—that’s right, wagons-have crept back into our peripheral vision and our garages. Cleverly disguised in various shapes and sizes, these new-generation utility/wagons are more…

SAD BUT TRUE: Less than Io percent of all vehicles sold in the U.S. and Canada have manual transmissions. Yet Mini’s performance-oriented S model has always bucked the trend. While the standard Cooper or Convertible offer a choice of CVT or five-speed manual transmissions, untill now the only way to row the S’s spirited supercharged four has been with a six-speed stick. That changed this year: Mini has opened the door to a broader scope of customers by adding an optional six-speed automatic on hatch and convertible S models. The S automatic handles and steers just like the manual-equipped version and is in all other ways essentially the same-instantly likable styling, surprising headroom in front, tight rear seat. The only difference is in the shifting. Leave the lever in D,…

ORDER TO succeed as a luxury marque.a carmaker’s topline big sedan has got to be a player-nobody would buy a Mercedes Benz C-Class if the S-Class weren't so desirable. Audi set a high standard with the AB introduced last year; the A6 and A4 lineups have benefited from the trickledown. Jaguar’s previous XJ sedan was a classic, but the basic platform dated to the late 1980s and was costly to produce, cramped inside, and still suffered reliability problems, even though the old-and deservedly maligned-British electronics had long been exorcised. Jag had to get the new one (also launched in 2004) right. Beginning from the proverbial clean sheet of paper (or perhaps it was a blank CRT screen), Jaguar made the leap-and spent the money to put its big kitty onto…

FERRARIS SUPER ENZO FERRARI INSIDERS readily admit the company must have an ultra-high-performance supercar as its flagship. And, as this pic shows, work is already well underway ona faster, more powerful version of the awesome Enzo. The chiseled nose will have an NACA duct; note the numerous rear-end mods, including the rerouted exhaust, bigger spoiler, and revised venturis. NEW MARANELLO FERRARIS REPLACEMENT foritsaging 575 Maranello has broken cover. The new car, codenamed F139 and designed by Pininfarina for a shortened 612 Scaglietti platform, will be larger and roomier than the Maranello. Scheduled for a Geneva show 2006 appearance next March, it’s rumored to have a 6.0-liter V-12 making at least 580 horsepower. NISSAN GT-R NURBURGRING TRACK tests of the twin-turbo 450-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 GT-R under the Skyline (Infiniti G35) body…

AFTER YEARS of development, Maserati is redesigning its Coupe/Spider replacements from scratch. The reason? Cost. Ferrari is too expensive a supplier to Maserati, says Karl-Heinz Kalbfell, the ex-BMW chief brought in to head Alfa Romeo and Maserati in February’s boardroom shuffles. Ferrari isn't the smartest supplier in terms of cost,"he says. "It’s like buying prototype parts. "Kalbfell’s a huge fan of the Quattroporte and thinks it can be priced even higher than its current $101,000 tag, but he says the business model for the Coupe/Spider is flawed if Maserati is too closely wed to Ferrari, a builder of high-dollar, low-volume cars. The Quattroporte will always be the top model apart from race specials like the MC12, and Kalbfell wants Maserati’s sales volume to go above 10,000 total. To make the…

FOR 2006, the Volkswagen New Beetle gets its first significant facelift since its 1998 launch and a new standard engine, the 150-horsepower, 2.5-liter inline-five. Traction control is now standard with the Electronic Stability Program. Sheetmetal changes include slightly sharper body lines, especially at the wheel wells, and updated bumpers. Headlamps are larger and more oval, and taillamps are new. The interior freshening includes new air vents and an instrument cluster with chrome applications. With this facelift, the news Is that there are no set plans to phase out the New Beetle—yet. ml 28 AUGUST 2005 MOTOR TREND.COM MAKE YOUR your deals using the Pininfarina-designed Motorola i833 cell-phone ($599). Styled by Ferrari’s most famous designer, the handset includes built-in speakerphone and voice recorder. motorola.com.…

ON YOUR BEHALF, we ask the stupid questions so you don’t have to. Of course, we didn’t think it was stupid when we asked Mercedes-Benz if there wasn’t a passing product simi-larity between the Chrysler Pacifica and the new 2006 Mercedes-Benz R-Class. After all, both represent a cross between a sport/utility vehicle, a minivan, and a station wagon, right? And both hold six people in three rows of two seats, right? And both are products of DaimlerChrysler, right? Suffice it to say that Mercedes doesn't consider the Pacifica competition for the R-Class, and there certainly aren't any common ingredients between the two. We'd suggest it might be a segment-buster—but that’s how Chrysler’s marketing types labeled the Pacifica at its introduction. Let’s just agree that the R-Class is, for a somewhat…

AND THERE YOU ARE, at the wheel of a brand new Ferrari road car in Mon co, a week before the annual Grand Prix, mixing it up with traffic on the actual Formula 1 circuit (the guardrails are up, the grid lines are painted, but the streets are still open to the public). Suddenly. ahead looms the famed seaside tunnel. The traffic momentarily clears. Do you: (A) immediately turn around, park the Ferrari, and attempt to find a spa where you can soak your feet in Chanel No. 5; (B) allow the tiny Smart car behind you to pass because. well, he has three cylinders, you have 12, and in France it is glorious to be a martyr; or (C) paddle-shift the Ferrari’s semi-automatic gearbox down into first. stand on…

YOU'RE STAYING at one of the finest resorts in Vegas. High rollers everywhere. You're looking tight in y our Armani tux, and the tables are cooking. The chief pit boss okays an extension of your six-figure credit limit, You double down. Time for a celebration-and perhaps some shopping. For her, something sparkly from Cartier and a few pairs of those cute Manolo Blahniks. For you? A new Ferrari, of course. Every guy’s had this dream. Thanks to Roger Penske and Las Vegas luxury hotel magnate Steve Wynn, you can now live it all in one place. Wynn has recently opened a new five-s tar digs-for the first time ever, named the Wynn-and it houses the first car dealership ever to set up shop in a resort casino. " This whole…

HE’S BUILT hot rods for more than 30 years, so Chapouris knows how the job should-and shouldn't-be done. Here are his rod-building tips. DEFI E, DECIDE Go to rod shows, read books, look at cars, visit shops, talk to people. Then get real about what you want (a driver or show toy; what brand/year/body style; traditional or modern look, etc.). Make a list of components and features, down to the paint and interior colors, wheels, and tires. START WITH BASIC CAR Hot rods are a lot like Harleys. It might be wise to buy a $6500 Sportster before jumping Into a $20,000 Heritage. You can find out if you like the scene, have some fun, discover what you want in a rod, and not take a big financial hit when…

SO IT’S FINALLY come to this: One of America’s great luxury marques. once the preferred transport of presidents and plutocrats, is now basically a trim level on an F-150 pickup truck. That low rumbling sound you hear is Henry Leland turning over in his grave. Leland is one of the forgotten pioneers of the American auto industry. A perfectionist engineer who made a name for himself building the single-cylinder engine that powered Oldsmobiles in the early 1900s, Leland was instrumental in the founding of Cadillac, which he sold to GM in 1917, and in 1920 launched a new high-quality car named after a lifelong hero, the man for whom he'd voted: Abraham Lincoln. Leland’s timing was bad, however: His upscale Lincolns were launched just as the post-World War I recession…

ON THE CUSP of Chevrolet announcing the true out-put-SOS ponies-of its upcoming 2006 206, Texas-based MTI announced the availability of its 427 cube LS2 V-8 C6 that pounds out a solid 100 horsepower more. The heart of MTJ’s $23,995 Devil Ray package is a fully reworked LS2 V-8. The factory cylinder block is gutted before being fit with a stroker crankshaft, longer-than-stock lightweight connecting rods, and forged 11 .8:1 pistons. The new bottom end yields an impressive 427.6 cubic inches (7.0 Iiters)-same as the new 206. Feeding the engine are a set of MTJ’s Stage III cylinder heads that have been competition ported and fitted with Ferrea stainless-steel valves, dual valve springs, and titanium retainers. An MT! high-flow air-inlet system funnels cool air to a modified aftermarket intake manifold. MTl’s…

GMC YUKON: note six-spoke alloy wheels. Like other GMT900s, the Yukon has big, squared-off wheel openings reminiscent to those of the iconic 1973 GM trucks. Front end has bold stacked headlights and bigger grille. Denali gets upscale interior that rivals Caddy; rounded instrument binnacle just visible. CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV: the big luxury truck leads off the latest iteration of what Cadillac used to call “Art & Science” styling, with much edgier sheet metal versus that of Chevy and GMC models. Note seven-spoke wheels, 20 inches or more, and what appears to be a slightly tapered back light. CHEVY TAHOE: Five-spokewheels indicatethismay beabase model. GMT900 SUV styling diverges from that of the pickup trucks more so than with the outgoing GMT800s. Chevy and GMC, too, have more exclusive sheetmetal. CHEVY SUBURBAN:…

SATURN PR was upset with our March future-car story’s mention of a standard 170-horse-power, 2.2-liter four, noting that the Detroit Aura concept has a 250-horsepower, 3.5-liter DOHC V-6 under its hood. It’s the same high-feature engine as in the Buick LaCrosse CXL and Cadillac CTS. Here’s proof of both engines in the Epsilon platform sedan. The black car is the V-6, with multispoke wheels, probably 18 inches, replacing the concept’s five-spoke 19-inchers; the white car is the entry-level four. The V-6 shows toned-down wheel arches, but has the concept’s rakish, almost coupe like roof line and swept-back header. The V-6 also has dual exhausts, one pipe on each side (in place of the concept’s twin center exhausts) and distinctive chrome door handles, while the white four has a single driver-side…

PORSCHE HAS released photos of its 2006 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 and 4S. Both are wider than the rear-drive 911 and feature what the automaker calls “more muscular” rear bodywork. The Carrera 4, powered by the 325-horse, 3.6-liter flat-six, has 295/35ZR18 rear tires, while the 355-horse, 3.8-liter flatsix-powered 4S has 305/30ZR19s in back. Both cars’ rear fenders are 1.75 inches wider to accommodate the rubber. As in previous Carrera 4s, the new ones have all-wheel drive with a multiviscous coupling that transfers between five and 40 percent of power to the front wheels. Porsche’s stability-management system on the 4S prefills the brake system prior to full brake application to eliminate the air gap between the pads and the disc, shortening braking distances. The hydraulic pump builds up extra pressure to…

downward spiral l used to think GM’s financial woes (“The Big Picture,” May) exist because it makes cars no one wants to buy (given that these cars fall apart in about 18 months) and has an anachronistic divisional structure replete with redundant costs. Now| know the real culprit is health-care costs in the United States, some-thing over which neither GM nor its employees has any control—or maybe it’s really just greedy GM employees driving up the costs. Now that we've found someone to blame, proceed with making excuses for GM’s next 10 years’ worth of cars no one wants. Edward Burmila Bloomington, Indiana You failed to mention exactly what type of business model GM (and the others that follow suit) will use in its redefining of the auto-mobile-manufacturing industry. It’s…

YOU NEVER FORGET the first time you hear granite biting into sheetmetal—the hairs on your neck stand up. No doubt that’s what our trail boss heard as we traversed our first nasty off-road obstacle. The spotter yelled, ‘Whoa! Whoa! The other left! This time, watch me!" as he guided our 2006 Hummer H3 up a rock climb most people couldn't navigate on foot On this winding desert trail, one of the five most difficult in Arizona, all we could do was wait and listen to the granite-versusmetal torture going on around the bend. It was like sitting in a dentist’s waiting room, hearing someone getting a cavity drilled. But, unlike what was happening to that poor fellow, our H3’s four-wheel-drive system crawled over the nastiness with impressive ease. Company personnel…

THIS WINGED wonder was built 50 years ago for Leader Card Company owner R. C. Wilke. Mr. Wilke was a successful champ-car team owner (his entries won the Indy 500 in 1959, 1962, and 1968) and already a Ferrari owner when he commissioned Italy’s Ghia coachworks to fashion this decidedly unique machine. It was built on a modified 410 Superamerica chassis and packs a special Ferrari V-12 engine. The " Lampredi" series powerplant was born as an Fl engine in 4.5-liter form and was later stretched to 4.9 liters. This Superamerica’s bored-out, 5.1-liter version was rated at 340 horsepower-heady stuff back then. The look, upon which Wilke reportedly had considerable influence, is dominated by the large, oval eggcrate grille and, of course, those huge bat fins that begin at the…

HEINZ BERNHARD does it so you don't have to. In the Arctic, he endures temperatures so cold they'd make you cry, and the tears would freeze to your cheeks. Through high summers in South Africa and Death Valley; he throws himself into nature’s ovens, working in air so hot it’s violent. He drives on rough, remote tracks, avoiding the comfort of strangers. He seeks out humidity and dust. Wherever across the globe there are road conditions inimical to the automobile, Bernhard has probably spent time. As head of testing for Porsche, he has to find the best ways to punish and erode and curtail the lives of the company’s prototypes. It’s by surviving life with Bernhard that Porsches emerge so fit and strong. His latest charge is the new Cayman…

STIRLING MOSS didn't much care for the Mille liglia. "I didn't like it at all," he exclaims in the crisp, old English accent that’s become his trademark. "God, no… it was the only race I ever did that frightened me because I knew that I couldn't learn a thousand miles of road. It wasn't my idea of a good time, it was too dangerous." His candor raises a smile. Moss is now 75 years old, and his thoughts, comments, and aspirations are from a different age. There’s no p.r. spin, just an honest insight into the background to one of motorsport’s greatest-ever drives. At 7:22 a.m. on May 1, 1955. Moss left Brescia at the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz 300SLR with journalist Denis Jenkinson for company: Ten hours. seven minutes.…

SURE, the 2006 Forester has been revised, but how about we go straight to the good stuff-i.e., the extensively revamped spec sheet that makes this more than just the usual midterm makeover? Simplified into two trim lines, all Foresters powered by normally aspirated boxer fours are now deemed 2.5Xs. The L.L. Bean Edition adds a wood-and-leather-trimmed Momo steering wheel, leather-encased shifter, and water-resistant sides to its already drip-defying cargo floor. It’s the only variant with self-leveling rear suspension. A turbocharged Forester is served in just one flavor, the top-drawer 2.5XT Limited, which adds turn signals integrated into the side mirrors (also available on 2.5Xs with the Premium package) to its complement of niceties. Accelerating these are revisions to both versions of the 2457cc engine. The atmospherically aspirated base mill gains…

FORD’S GLOBL Cl platform gets around. In our April 2005 issue, we discussed our newest long-term acquisition, the Mazda3, which has Cl architecture-even though Ford isn't yet using it for its U.S.-market Focus. Volvo has wisely chosen to employ the Cl as the basis of its newest model, the entry-level 540. We ordered the topline TS AWD with four options. Our Barents Blue Metallic ($475) 540 has a five-speed automatic transmission with Geartronic ($ 1200). The Select Package ($1850) includes a power glass moonroof, 17-inch SAGITTA alloy wheels, and the premium sound system with six-disc CD. The Climate Package ($625) has the usual heated seats and headlamp washers, plus a rain sensor. The total came to $33,015. The S40’s newfound Swedishness (the old car was a joint-platform venture with…