Innehållsförteckning för January 2017 från MotorTrend

Is this Ram’s Raptor killer? Based on the Ram 1500, the Rebel TRX Concept is the most powerful half-ton truck Ram has ever produced, and it’s capable of off-road runs at more than 100 mph. We hope it’s also a hint at an upcoming Ford F-150 Raptor fighter. A 575-hp 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 lives under the hood and comes with an eight-speed automatic optimized for offroad performance. If the powertrain sounds familiar, that’s because the engine is a detuned version of the one in the Challenger and Charger Hellcat. Ram’s 4x4 Performance Control System comes standard along with a 44-45 Borg Warner transfer case. The front suspension is the same as in the Ram 1500 and features an open differential and CV halfshafts specifically made to handle the wider track.…

Sometimes scientists just get lucky. That’s what happened recently at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where researchers were experimenting with a low-cost electrochemical catalyst featuring nanotechnology. The team was hoping to turn CO2 and water into something mildly more useful, perhaps methane (CH4)—a long shot, considering that feat requires stripping an oxygen molecule off the CO2 and dissociating the hydrogen atoms from the water molecules then somehow recombining them. Imagine the surprise and delight when this one catalyst somehow managed to deliver ethanol—aka C2H6O. This was a big deal because forming a carbon-carbon bond and assembling all those extra hydrogens should be a fussy process. I’ve covered several such tricky attempts at converting CO2 back into usable fuels (see July 2013’s “fireball fuel bug” microbe that produced biobutanol, March 2012’s complicated…

Here’s the further ado. You’re going to be transported into the biggest and most comprehensive vehicle evaluations in the industry. All contenders are judged against our six criteria. These allow us to evaluate entry-level econoboxes against six-figure luxury whips and everything in between. They are key to what we do. In addition to the criteria-based reviews, we’re also giving you a peek behind the curtain. Do you need to know how the sausage is made, or would you rather just find out who wins what? Either way, all that’s left for you is to turn the page. THE CRITERIA ADVANCEMENT IN DESIGN ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE PERFORMANCE OF INTENDED FUNCTION EFFICIENCY SAFETY VALUE…

On the preceding pages, Chris Walton introduced the contestants, the methodology, the judges, and the weather. But he forgot to introduce you to Pinch. We were warned about Pinch when we first arrived at Honda Proving Center of California. Don’t leave your bags on the ground, they cautioned us. Pinch will rummage through them. Watch where you step, or Pinch might get you in the ankle. Don’t sit on the ground, either, because Pinch will sting you in the hiney. Pinch, by the way, is a scorpion. And although we only met him once during our two days at HPCC, we knew he was everywhere, watching everything. He had a CB radio, apparently. And a radar gun, too. Because he ratted me out for doing 109 mph in a Mazda…

Although an improvement over the departing SRX, the Cadillac XT5 doesn’t deliver on its sporting pretense. Our testers found the V-6 coarse and its sleepy transmission’s gears too widely spaced. The lack of accelerative chutzpah feels out of place with the sharp steering and good handling balance on winding roads. But we wonder how many luxury SUV buyers desire such a dynamic chassis setup—especially when accompanied by the overly tight seat-belt hug when stability control intervenes. As for ride, the XT5 aced the crumbling-freeway test. Cammisa described it as the best of any SUV in the test: “Hands down. The surface ripples were just … gone.” Off-road, the XT5 was merely competent in both FWD and AWD versions. Walton found both versions bogged down when the dirt turned to silt,…

Many of this year’s competitors elicited passionate responses from our staffers— positive and negative. Perhaps the biggest disappointment with this new Kia is that it garnered neither. Reading through the notebook entries, there’s one common theme: This is a forgettable vehicle. That’s surprising given the handsome exterior styling. There’s some dissent about whether it looks better than the previous Sportage, but both are high-water marks in a class of crossovers designed to look like washing machines. The interior is also inoffensive in its simplicity, although one editor accused it of being retrograde. The base 2.4-liter’s off-the-line acceleration is adequate—in fact, the 181-hp front-drive 2.4-liter beats the 237-hp AWD 2.0-liter turbo’s run to 60 mph, thanks in part to short, closely spaced first and second gears. Unfortunately, it’s a big leap…

Mercedes-Benz gave the GLS-Class a major freshening for 2017 to attempt to create the S-Class of full-size SUVs. And although this is likely achievable, it will take a full redesign to get there. That being said, this was a solid update to an old favorite—and our 2013 winner. The addition of Active Curve Control and an independent air suspension on top of light steering makes this large SUV feel half its size on a handling course. But the changes were neither extensive nor advanced enough to make it to the final round. Performance is strong with either engine and “super smart transmission mapping,” Walton said. Seabaugh noted the quick downshift from ninth to fourth at highway speeds for passing. In the dirt, Markus said, “this big girl managed to drift…

A new eight-speed automatic transmission and electronic updates such as radar cruise control scored the Land Cruiser an invite to the party this year, where its off-road prowess won Priddle’s heart by “plowing through everything in its path.” No surprise that this Serengeti tamer drew unfavorable comparisons to wildlife when on the track. “It certainly is a hippo out there on the winding road,” Markus said. From MacKenzie: “It handles like a wayward water buffalo.” That said, Cammisa lauded the Cruiser for being “big, lumbering, dumb, and incredibly strong” while remaining comfortable and luxurious. Many judges would take it over its Lexus LX twin. The Land Cruiser remains a relic of the pre-crossover era; there is no sporty handling to this body-onframe beast. There isn’t much efficiency, advancement in design,…

There are many parallels between the Audi Q7 and last year’s SUV of the Year winner, the Volvo XC90. The Q7, like the Swede, replaced an aged three-row crossover with a family hauler that’s luxurious, innovative, and practical. “Elegant. Clean. Quality materials throughout,” Accavitti said. Beyond the thick leather and gorgeous wood, the Q7’s biggest luxury is its technology, which provides drivers with access to more information than before while reducing their workload. The extra data is displayed by Audi’s revolutionary virtual cockpit, which replaces the instrument cluster with a digital screen showing satellite maps, road information, infotainment, plus the standard gauges. “I know it’s mostly Google Earth in an Audi, but I can’t get over virtual cockpit,” Lieberman said. The Q7’s semi-autonomous radar cruise control is consistently…

Hopes were exceptionally high for our 2008 SUV of the Year’s redesign, which follows in the footsteps of several sibling comparo champs (CX-5, MX-5, Mazda6). Could the “Best Drivers’ Three-row CUV” grab the calipers? Early logbook entries from the winding track praised the CX-9’s communicative steering, playful chassis dynamics, and perfectly tuned Sport mode transmission shifting, which bestows rev-matched downshift blips. On real-world curves, Evans enjoyed the way it “glides from corner to corner, attacking them like a Mazda should—fun for the whole family.” Ride quality drew kudos on the gravel/Belgian block loop, as did the solid build quality and “bankvault doors.” Nearly everyone felt the design inside and out looked elegant and upscale even if it doesn’t represent much “advancement Savvy interior packaging accommodates seven actual people. Sounds…

SUV OF THE YEAR THE CRITERIA Advancement in Design Well-executed exterior and interior styling, innovative vehicle packaging, and a good selection and use of materials. Value Each vehicle’s price and equipment levels compared with those of vehicles in the same market segment. Performance of Intended Function How well the vehicle does the job its planners, designers, and engineers intended it to do. Efficiency Fuel efficiency and carbon footprint size relative to the vehicle’s competitive set. Safety The ability to help avoid a crash, plus secondary safety measures to protect occupants during an accident. Engineering Excellence Total vehicle concept and execution; clever solutions to packaging, manufacturing, and dynamics; and cost-effective technology that benefits consumers. ROAD TEST NOTES Audi Q7: NHTSA has apparently never tested a Q7, but IIHS has the 2017’s…

Now in its third model year, the F-150 adds a new powertrain and other improved bits. Ford’s revisions to the P552 platform are a definite improvement. The new 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 with auto start/stop is magic, creating 375 hp (10 more than before) and 470 lb-ft of torque (up 50). Coupled to a new 10-speed automatic transmission, our Platinum-trim test truck is 0.3-second quicker than the 2015 model from 0 to 60 mph (6.1 seconds, blistering for a pickup). It also shaved 0.3 second in the quarter mile, to 14.7 seconds, prompting the observation, “Weren’t 14-second quarters just for sports cars only a few years ago?” Yet Real MPG increases, too, from 2015’s 14.8/19.9/16.8 mpg city/highway/combined to 17.1/21.1/18.7. Reynolds deemed the Ford’s steering “rubbery, but other times it showed…

New engines are a big deal in Truckland, which is why the Titan XD returns to TOTY this year—this time with Nissan’s familiar 5.6-liter gas V-8. But the new offering simply did not impress, and it seriously underperformed in a couple crucial tests. “On-road performance feels just about adequate,” Kong said. “The fuel economy is not great for a tweener class truck.” Also, the performance gap with the light-duty Titans with the same engine made the XD feel “stunted,” Kong added. The V-8 has a loud, proud engine note at wide-open throttle, but a lot of time is spent there, particularly when towing, and power delivery often fell short “Both Titans struggled to reach 55 mph up the grade,” Evans said. Not only did the XD perform poorly on its…

ROAD TEST NOTES F-150: This is the first truck in the world with a 10-speed transmission. What’s more, Ford co-developed it with General Motors. #frenemies Honda Ridgeline: Is this really just a Pilot with an open bed? Nope! Peel the rubber stripping behind the cab, and there is daylight. Plus there is an expansion joint where the bedrail meets the cab. Nissan Titan: Single-cab, 8-foot bed, bench seat, made in Mississippi, brand logo looks like a hamburger. Can you get more American that that? Titan XD: The Nissan has larger brakes—14.2-inch front and 14.4-inch rear ventilated discs— than the equivalent 250/2500 domestic trucks. Ram 2500/3500: RamBox lockable cargo management system is great for hauling smaller items you don’t want sliding around (or stolen), but it narrows usable carrying space in…

JUDGES Scott Evans Associate editor Tom Gale Guest judge Jonny Lieberman Senior features editor Edward Loh Editor-in-chief Angus MacKenzie International bureau chief Frank Markus Technical director Alisa Priddle Detroit editor Mark Rechtin Executive editor Kim Reynolds Testing director Chris Theodore Guest judge Chris Walton Road test editor To paraphrase the quitedead St. Augustine of Hippo, “Numbers are the language to confirm the truth.” And from where we sit, the old guy may have been on to something. Nowadays, all kinds of insights are being confirmed by what’s called Big Data—wherein mountains of digits get fire hosed through brainboggling supercomputers. Unfortunately, how we roll is restricted by $600 Dell laptops. But we gleefully overcompensate for this by testing the ever-loving heck out of our field of Car of the Year hopefuls.…

We don’t do a Most Improved award, but if we did, the Chevrolet Cruze would have that one locked up. A few months ago, we published a Big Test of the latest compact sedans, and the Cruze finished second to the Honda Civic. That same Civic was a finalist for last year’s Car of the Year award. But as it was unable to best the Civic, the Cruze had no clear path to winning this year’s COTY contest. That’s not to say the Cruze is a second-class car. To the contrary, the judges had a lot of nice things to say about it. “Quite a bit of mass came out,” Markus said, “and quite a bit of gizmology went in.” The Cruze received high praise for its styling inside…

Thought experiment: Think about your favorite hamburger. Juicy, deluxe, piled high with all the fixings, with spicy mustard, blue cheese, grilled onions, you name it. Sounds good, right? Now imagine eating it for breakfast. Every day. The clumsy but tasty metaphor we’re trying to illustrate is that on a back road, the Ford Focus RS is one of the most capable asphaltattack vehicles we’ve driven. If the road twists enough, only the Nissan GT-R or Porsche Turbo S could keep up. Trouble is, police-free back roads are scarce. The RS didn’t work at Hyundai’s proving ground and wouldn’t have on most of the Tehachapi loop. MacKenzie’s opening salvo: “A crude, one-dimensional performance car lacking nuance and finesse. Buy a Camaro 1LE instead. It doesn’t need a Drift mode.”…

Jaguar is on a roll this year—enough that the XE was a COTY finalist. The larger midsize XF shares many of the same attributes, but a few shortcomings held it back from making the final cut. Gale described the styling as having a simple elegance and brilliant character lines. Markus said it has an “aggressive, poisedto-pounce stance and minimalist line work and trim details,” and MacKenzie called it a “master class in elegant restraint.” Most agreed with Lieberman that it offered a composed, firm, and elegant ride with excellent steering. Evans called it “the most fun large sedan here,” and Walton said the XF "has the poise and composure befitting a Jaguar." The second-generation XF is the first Jaguar in the U.S. to offer a diesel engine, part of…

We had high hopes for this car, and deservedly so. It’s a Mercedes coupe, so we wanted it all. But the Merc didn’t deliver. We did experience a car that was comfortable and controlled on the velvet-smooth proving ground track. The 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 delivers six-cylinder levels of performance, and Lieberman said the “good brakes and nice handling are confidence-inspiring.” But it all fell apart on uneven surfaces where judges had to baby the car over rough patches and worried about breaking the Benz. “It just beats you up,” said Rechtin, who feared he would blow out a tire. We appreciate that the C300 is infused with some E-Class tech, and we like the interior features. Our test vehicle had rich two-tone leather with soft-touch surfaces and delicate…

Ever watch two dudes sit down to arm wrestle? You study their flexing biceps. Hmm, they look evenly matched. Their palms clasp, eyes lock, and arms tense, and then—BAM!—the back of one hand slams against the table. Over. Despite appearances, it isn’t even close. And that’s symbolically what happened when we debated the fourth-generation Prius. Its legitimacy as a candidate was given an immediate pass. It crushes its rivals in sales, and it has a COTY pedigree—a predecessor had grabbed the calipers back in 2004. Reynolds posited that “this car is a stunning technological advance, a road map to how future cars could actually achieve the government’s target of 54 mpg by 2025.” Its revamped drivetrain delivers the best mileage ever achieved by an internal combustion automobile, with…

It pained us how badly we wanted to like the Cadillac CT6. The muscular exterior looks swaggeringly upscale. “Good looking, masculine, chiseled, sinister,” Loh said. “It’s unabashedly gangster.” But the interior doesn’t follow through: the rickety feel as the power seats scroll fore and aft, the muscle required to move the shifter, the cheap-looking switches purloined from the GM parts bin. The drive experience is a mixed bag, too. The RWD 2.0T is more pleasant than the AWD 3.0TT, which weighs 496 pounds more, feels nose-heavy, and has a worse ride. Although GM’s 2.0-liter turbo I-4 isn’t as impressive as the similar powerplant in the Mercedes E-Class, the 2.0T’s powertrain is smoother than 3.0TT’s V-6, which surges strangely at times. And the GM eight-speed automatic is especially clunky delivering…

If one wishes to forget the entry-luxury abomination that was the Jaguar X-Type, a rollicking drive in the new XE sedan is the quickest way to do so. Boasting handling and steering dynamics superior to the German entrants, the XE might have redefined the “sport” in sport sedan. “The rear-drive 35t is a legitimate sport sedan,” MacKenzie said. “It has a wonderfully playful chassis, delightful steering, and a punchy engine. Ride quality is also decent despite the low-profile tires.” Walton described the XE as having “a modicum of British style and hooliganism.” We were less enchanted with the diesel variant, whose high-mpg, low-performance equation doesn’t match the XE’s ready-to-pounce exterior styling. And it wouldn’t be a Jaguar if there weren’t some head-scratching moments. “Window switches are at the ergonomically…

Volvo could have won back-to-back Of The Year titles following last year’s SUV triumph for the XC90. And although this year’s S90 is a stellar flagship sedan, Volvo’s premier offering fell short in some crucial categories. Gothenburg is finally creating cars on par with the German luxury players. As befitting a luxury car, the S90’s ride is smooth and refined. “The suspension is soaking up more of this tilted-slab stuff,” Markus said. “The car feels rock stable at 120 mph.” Volvo only equips its topline model with four-cylinder engines—then turbocharges and supercharges the bejesus out of the induction. Small engines mean better packaging for passengers. The Volvo also looks the part by avoiding the accepted German design motifs and creating some of its own. The front fascia looming…

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May are on the move. After leaving the BBC’sTop Gearlast year after Clarkson got in an altercation with a producer, the trio has regrouped for a new adventure backed by Amazon Prime Video that will tour the globe in the coming months. We had a chance to grab a drink with the trio in L.A. Motor Trend: Thanks for doing this, and welcome. How did your guys’ taping go this weekend? Jeremy Clarkson: Well, the day before was enormous. The biggest thing we’ve ever done. Richard Hammond: It’s sort of a grand opening of the whole thing. But on scale, we’ve never done anything like this. JC: It was an ambitious start, the first six minutes was very expensive in relation to the total…

FIRST LOOK This is more than just another electric vehicle concept. The Mercedes-Benz Generation EQ is a close-to-production EV with a 70-kW-hr lithiumion battery good for a Teslatrumping 300 miles, and it ushers in a new electric brand for the German automaker. The concept has two motors and scalable battery components that permit discharge rates at up to 300 kilowatts (402 hp), ensuring sub-fivesecond 0–60 acceleration with permanent all-wheel drive. “The emission-free automobile is the future,” said Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, adding that the new EQ brand goes beyond electric vehicles and stands for a comprehensive electric ecosystem of services, technologies, and innovations. EQ stands for “Electric Intelligence,” according to Mercedes-Benz executives, who offered no explanation for the “Q,” as Electric Intelligence in…

19 CONTENDERS, 30 MODEL VARIANTS, FIVE COUNTRIES, AND ONE SINGULAR PURPOSE: TO BE YOUR EVERYTHING THE JUDGES Michael Accavitti Guest judge Jason Cammisa Senior features editor Scott Evans Associate editor Jonny Lieberman Senior features editor Edward Loh Editor-in-chief Angus MacKenzie International bureau chief Frank Markus Technical director Alisa Priddle Detroit editor Mark Rechtin Executive editor Christian Seabaugh Associate editor Chris Walton Road test editor It should come as little surprise that a group of vehicles devised, engineered, and intended for an array of uses by a diverse motoring public would come in a variety of sizes, shapes, powertrains, and prices. The SUV has, whether we like it or not, become the do-everything vehicle for the American consumer. This is what makes this contest, more than Car or Truck of the…

For the mid-cycle refresh of its flagship three-row SUV, Acura clipped the chrome beak, added captain’s chairs and more premium leather and wood to the cabin, and enhanced a host of safety and technology upgrades. Nearly every judge called out the MDX’s quiet, well-damped ride, particularly on the bumpy replica of L.A.’s 110 freeway. We also appreciated how Acura’s Super Handling All Wheel Drive system responded well when driven firmly, but Cammisa questioned the need for torquevectoring AWD in a soccer-mom hauler. “Sure, it’s great when you’re pushing the limit,” he said, “but is it really necessary?” At lower speeds, some judges were put off by the “herky-jerky” response of the nine-speed transmission. Others had issues with the inconsistent “ping-ponging” performance of the MDX’s lane keep assist system, the cornerstone…

The increasingly popular compactcrossover segment is making things tough at Ford. Even with this year’s revised exterior styling, minor interior revisions (cupholders with “fingers”), a newly available 1.5-liter turbo-four, and a modified 2.0-liter turbo-four with a bit more output, the Escape is just hanging in there. Lane keep assist, a driver drowsiness monitor, and adaptive cruise with forward collision alert plus auto brake-boost are now available—but those innovations aren’t all that novel. Indeed, a 2017 Escape SE AWD’s sixthplace finish (out of nine entrants) in our recent Big Test comparison was the harbinger of how it would fare in this tougher contest. It’s not all bad news. Juror after juror complimented the Escape’s finely tuned suspension and precise steering, from the base S trim to the top-tier Titanium. “Ford’s chassis…

Many of us have a soft spot for old-school body-on-frame SUVs, but we found ourselves torn regarding the Lexus LX 570. The problem: The Toyota Land Cruiser sitting right next to it. It seemed that for every two steps the Lexus took ahead of the Land Cruiser it’s based on, the LX took two steps right back. Take, for example, the interior. It earned praise for premium materials and impressive differentiation from the Toyota. Loh was impressed with the heated and cooled rear seats, a singular feature in this field. On the other hand, no one particularly liked the design of the interior, and we all agreed the mouselike infotainment controller was an unmitigated deal-breaker. Then there’s the LX 570’s big party trick, its hydraulic suspension. Here the judges were…

Americans may be buying car-based crossovers in droves, but the classic V-8 body-on-frame SUV is still a favorite among some families. The old Titan-based Armada never made its mark, so Nissan decided to save some dough and repackage the other body-on-frame beast in its portfolio: the Patrol off-roader. The Patrol has already been in the U.S. for some time, in the form of the luxed-up but watered-down Infiniti QX80. As far as we can tell, little separates the Armada from the QX80. The Nissan sports the same powertrain, sheetmetal (save for the nose and tail), and even interior. “I’m struggling to remember how much fancier the Infiniti version of this could possibly look,” Markus said. “With white-contrast stitching and this convincing bird’s-eye maple wood, this thing seems country club–ready.” Not…

The Toyota RAV4 has grown up from being the cute runabout when it made its debut two decades ago. Bigger and more family-oriented than before, the RAV4 finally gets a hybrid variant for the 2016 model year. The two powertrains backdrop two quite differently behaving RAV4s. Driving the Hybrid was a pleasant surprise. Basically a Camry Hybrid drivetrain with an additional electric motor at the rear wheels, the RAV4 Hybrid “delivers genuine consumer benefit in terms of greater fuel efficiency, higher towing capacity, and—surprisingly— a better drive experience,” MacKenzie said. Added Rechtin: “The fuel economy play is the main thing.” For a small premium, there’s much better mileage and better performance. That’s a good deal. However, the unchanged base 2.5-liter I-4 could have used some extra TLC, as…

We profess great admiration for the chassis of the downsized GMC Acadia and its ability to balance smooth ride and suitable handling. And because SUVs are also about livability, the All Terrain edition with its spacious secondrow seat and cargo area also won us over. That was enough love to make it a finalist. But the dozy engine and slow response of the transmission torpedoed its chances of becoming our winner—although it did get one vote. “The new Acadia is a massive improvement on the old,” Seabaugh said, calling it handsome “with a clear, unique design that screams GMC to me.” Most of us felt it outshone its platform-sharing cousin, the Cadillac XT5, with more userfriendly features, including a rear-seat reminder that chimes a warning to check that…

You’re looking at what could easily have been our 2017 SUV of the Year with two simplifications: fold-flat second-row seats to allow owners to carry big stuff inside the car and traditional rear doors to permit strapping stuff to the roof. These gadgety, form-overfunction errors cost the Model X dearly in our engineering excellence and performance of intended function criteria. The power front doors and the Rube Goldbergesque falcon-wing rear doors both proved glitchy, occasionally striking adjacent cars and once peeling off a piece of its own rear quarterwindow trim. Besides neutering the vehicle’s utility (prompting the quip “the U in SUV is silent here”), the mono-post seats rattle and don’t adjust comfortably. They lack inboard armrests, too. Even that big windshield, which is super cool for stargazing,…

At their core, pickup trucks are rugged vehicles with big boxes tacked on the back. They can perform brawny, important tasks, such as tugging a boat to a Shasta Lake bachelor party. Or the more mundane chore of moving your compadre’s couch in exchange for pizza. It’s the story lines we as drivers weave that make the pickup so fascinating. This year’s Truck of the Year stable of all-new or significantly revised trucks includes the gasoline versions of the Nissan Titan. It’s not quite the half-ton household nameplate of the Silverado, Ram 1500, or F-150. It also has taken more than a decade for the secondgeneration Titan to come into being. And although Nissan is flashing the underdog card, we have the perennial heavyweight F-150, too. It flaunts a new…

This is the truck for people who dislike the jouncy ride and clumsy handling compromises that come with truck ownership. Perhaps you have a lifestyle involving a lot of mud and muck, but you don’t want to mess up your SUV’s precious carpet. But, eww, a pickup truck? The Ridgeline is basically a Pilot SUV with an open bed and a longer wheelbase (for stability under load). Its unibody structure and independent rear suspension help it handle more precisely and ride more smoothly than a traditional body-on-frame, leaf-spring truck. “When towing the 3,000-pound trailer, the engine’s VTEC changeover at 5,500 rpm is very evident under load,” tow-meister Walton said. “Yet upshifts came precisely at redline, and the Ridgeline felt as if it could pull much more than this. This…

We simply do not understand gasolinepowered heavy-duty trucks. Fundamentally speaking, who will buy one? “For serious hauling and towing, gasoline is not the way to go,” Evans said. “The torque of a diesel makes the 3500 so much more drivable in all conditions.” Not entirely. Take, for instance, the ride of the 3500 diesel dually. “Poor” doesn’t begin to describe it despite its $1,595 rear air suspension. “It rides like a truck from 10 years ago,” Loh said. “I felt bumps and other vibrations like no other truck here on parts of the drive loop that I didn’t feel anything in any other truck.” Weirdly, and probably due to its off-road package, the 2500 rode great. “How much is due to the Bilstein dampers?” Loh wondered. The clattery Cummins…

Introduced in 2005, the Motor Trend Power List recognizes those who have most made a difference in the automotive industry during the previous year. These are the people who have helped create, engineer, and market the cars, trucks, and SUVs we love to drive, the people who have entertained us, engaged us, and, yes, sometimes enraged us. We recognized that, inevitably, automaker CEOs tended to hog the upper echelons of the list. So we changed things up a little last year, reworking the top 10 places to recognize those who have had the most impact on the industry over the past 12 months in terms of design, engineering, brand development, performance, product development, and overall company management. And because this fascinating industry never stops evolving, we’ve nominated our top…

Every Of The Year begins months in advance with brainstorming sessions to establish the list of cars and minivans deemed sufficiently new and improved to warrant an invitation. Our first draft included a daunting 67 variants of 44 new models. But the worrisome initial size of our list of competitors was quickly winnowed by a rapid attrition rate. Just asking to be part of COTY isn’t enough—you have to deserve to be here. If your car isn’t brand new or massively changed since last year, it doesn’t warrant inclusion. Some automakers selfselected their way out. The Mitsubishi rep actually laughed into the phone when we requested a Mirage G4, before declining yet another opportunity for the enthusiast press to savage the minimalist econobox. Similar motivation may have withheld Buick’s…

If it weren’t for the Chevrolet Bolt, we would have paid more attention to the Volt. But when we couldn’t give the redesigned Toyota Prius more attention for its vaunted gains in mpg, packaging, and handling prowess, we couldn’t really laud the evolutionary advances to the Volt, either. “The Volt’s problem is that the Bolt essentially makes it obsolete in terms of being an efficient commuter or city car,” MacKenzie noted. That said, most people commute less than 50 miles a day, and if a Volt owner has a home recharger, the updated Volt’s battery range makes gasoline refills a rarity. Markus called this “a pretty decent value proposition.” We found the new paddle braking to be a cool feature. Rather than use the traditional friction brakes with…

“Flawless.” “Utterly joyless.” “Truly impressive for a big sedan.” “The most disappointing car I’ve experienced in quite some time.” Could there be a more polarizing car at this year’s COTY than the humble Honda Accord? An all-new hybrid version for 2017 and tweaks to the styling and feature set in 2016 were enough to qualify the venerable family sedan to our competition— where it was immediately met with howls over its looks. “This one is a lumpen mess visually,” MacKenzie said. “That great chrome girder across the front of the car is horrible.” Lieberman agreed. “There is absolutely no excuse here for the design,” he said. “It moves the entire brand backward.” Others looked beyond the sheetmetal and found some lovely bones. “It absorbs bumps without reservations,” Rechtin, who…

We drove this car back to back with its direct competitor, the Buick LaCrosse, and most of us preferred the Kia. Loh found the diamond-quilted leather interior “much more premium than the LaCrosse’s.” Reynolds gushed, “It’s solid and refined, wellengineered. It really puts the Buick on a transporter back to Michigan (or wherever).” MacKenzie found it “smoother and more refined,” adding that its “engine is more responsive and its transmission shifts quicker than the snoozy Buick’s. When better Buicks are built, Kia will build them.” If that was its intended function, Kia nailed it. But is Buick the best target? Loh said that Kia should have tried to “out-Avalon Toyota.” It fails in that mission, lacking the (2013 COTY finalist) Avalon’s crisp driving dynamics. Instead, the Kia behaves…

It’s the German-car cliché: Design it once, sell it in three sizes. It’s something we thought the Germans had gotten away from. But it seems to be creeping back. So although this new E-Class is a perfectly good car, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. Familiarity has its pluses and minuses. Judges lauded its baby S-Class technology suite, although the touch-sensitive steering wheel controls and layered infotainment menus met with mixed reviews, as did the lane keeping steering assist. All the gizmos quickly packed more than 17 grand onto the price tag, and there are plenty more options we could have specced. For what should be a statement car, the E300’s anonymous styling drew our ire. “They’ll sell a ton as taxis in Europe,” MacKenzie said. But that might…

We each spent 45 minutes driving each finalist on a highway-and-byway circuit near Tehachapi, which affords ample time to notice things we miss in the hurly-burly of the test-track days. Evans noted that the Audi was transmitting more bumps and jounce than the 911. Rechtin dinged the A4’s leather seats as borderline rubbery, but he declared the CT6’s shiatsu massage seat “worthy of a favorite nail salon.” Sadly, he predicted the same seat’s lack of lateral support would help drivers develop “six-pack abs trying to keep centered in the seat.” The CT6’s inside rearview mirror can present a wide-angle camera view or a normal reflected view. The former gave many editors a headache refocusing on the close-range image. (This feature also begged the question, “Why on earth is the…

The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica minivan surprised and delighted. Theodore called it the best Chrysler minivan since the 1996 model was named Motor Trend Car of the Year. If Chrysler had a hybrid version available to test this year, it might have been enough to add another set of Golden Calipers. Judges were impressed with the drive performance, which had surprisingly little body roll, an improved nine-speed transmission, and an adroitness that belies the minivan class. “If you didn’t know you were in a minivan and opened your eyes for the first time,” Theodore said, “you’d swear you were in a luxury SUV.” We like the modern look, hidden sliding door tracks, and tasteful interior with touches such as van silhouettes imprinted into the console rubber mat. Loh liked…

Porsche keeps polishing its jewel. Just when you think the engineers in Weissach couldn’t make one of the world’s definitive sports cars any better, they roll out a 911 that does just that. The 991.2’s new 3.0-liter turbocharged engine, available with 370 hp (Carerra) or 420 hp (Carerra S), delivers a broad torque brand and impressive efficiency. Even on base wheels and tires, the chassis is staggeringly communicative and adjustable—easily the nicest and most user-friendly in 911 history. It’s supercar performance at half (or one-third) the price. Porsche’s PDK dual-clutch automatic is a benchmark transmission in terms of its smooth, precise shifts. But the seven-speed stick shift on the base 911 Carerra we tested (the car had but seven options) delighted with a rifle-bolt action. The engineering excellence…

THE GROUNDBREAKING CHEVROLET BOLT EV IS THE CAR OF TOMORROW. TODAY. That sound? It’s almost imperceptible, but it’s there. The soft rustle of air over steel and glass, the muted hum of rubber on tarmac, the faint whirr of spinning metals. It’s the sound of electrons at work, the sound of electrical energy being converted into motion, the sound of the automotive world shifting on its axis. It’s the sound of the 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year, the Chevrolet Bolt EV. The Bolt EV is not GM’s first pure electric car. The company has been experimenting with electric vehicles for decades, stuffing batteries into Corvairs in the mid-1960s and developing the fiendishly complex EV-1 in the 1990s. You can buy an all-electric version of the Spark from your…

PHASE 1 THE PERFORMANCE TEST We put each SUV through the usual battery of instrumented tests at our Auto Club Speedway test facility. Utilizing “mil-spec” satellite GPS, our Vbox data-acquisition equipment measured 0–60 and quarter-mile acceleration, 60–0 braking, and lateralacceleration. It also generated a best lap time through our dynamic figure-eight test. We then generated a spreadsheet with all the contenders’ performances listed against peers in our database dating back 20 years. Meanwhile, our Real MPG team attached highly sensitive instruments to measure and quantify city, highway, and combined Real MPG fuel economy results. PHASE 2 THE PROVING GROUNDS This year, we enlisted the help of American Honda Motor Company to use their recently renovated Honda Proving Center of California. Located in the high desert near Mojave, HPCC has nearly…

The BMW X1 was easily the most controversial vehicle of the test. No other SUV or crossover provoked more argument or more polarized opinions. What one judge loved, the next hated. More time was spent debating whether the Mini-based X1 was finalist-worthy than any other contender, and it eventually missed the cut by the slimmest of margins. Loh and Priddle thought it handsome. MacKenzie and Evans disagreed. Markus thought the interior looked rich. Cammisa and Seabaugh felt like it was full of cheap plastic. Walton and Cammisa liked the handling. Most everyone else was unimpressed. Walton liked the steering feel. Seabaugh described it as a “Mini steering box on novocaine.” Seabaugh and Evans were unimpressed with the cargo space, but the rest found it reasonably large for the class. There…

There are two big reasons why the Infiniti QX30 is not our 2017 SUV of the Year. One, it’s not even close to being an SUV; it’s a lifted hatchback. Two, it’s not an Infiniti. “I pulled up next to a Lexus CT200h and was dead even in height,” Evans said. “This is a hatchback with an AWD option, not a crossover.” From Seabaugh: “C’mon now—this is a car.” Just because a vehicle isn’t an SUV doesn’t mean we can’t like it. “Wow, this thing drives like the car it is,” Markus said. “Nice low center of gravity, nice grippy tires, and lots of fun to throw around.” See? We like the QX30. Why might that be? Because underneath all that badging, the QX30 is a Mercedes-Benz. A GLA250 to…

The RX is Lexus’ cash cow, which might be why the automaker erred toward caution with its redesign. Although the sheetmetal—including the polarizing Predator grille—and the interior design are both new, under its skin the fourth-generation RX sports a chassis dating back to the Clinton administration and a powertrain not much younger than that. It shows, too. The chassis of both our V-6-powered RX 350 and hybrid RX 450h proved themselves to be unrefined and rattle-prone over gravel roads and poorly maintained freeways. “The shocks are rock hard,” Evans said, “and the body control isn’t any better.” The powertrains proved to be hit and miss. Our RX 350 tester, a pseudo-sporty F Sport model that features a slightly stiffer suspension and revised transmission tuning, didn’t feel particularly sporty during our…

For 2017, Toyota has butched up the Highlander’s exterior styling, co-opted the 2GR-FKS V-6 from the Lexus RX 350, and added a suite of standard safety features. Did all this work pay off? “The Highlander is a mix of all that’s good and bad with Toyota,” MacKenzie said. “Underneath a restyled body, which is one of Toyota’s better recent efforts, is a platform that’s old and a ride/handling compromise that’s been dulled to the point of lethargy.” Part of this is due to the new-for-2017 SE’s all-spring, no-damper suspension tuning, which we’ve witnessed in other sporty Toyota/Lexus products. Besides steering that is unnecessarily heavy, the Highlander’s ride was irksome on the rough freeway stretch, where Markus remarked that it was “even jiggling my face.” Another demerit came at the expense…

The third day started with some gentle discussions (I say “gentle,” as neither food nor chairs went flying) to whittle the group down to just six finalists. The Audi Q7, GMC Acadia, Mazda CX-9, Mercedes-Benz GLC300, Jaguar F-Pace, and Tesla Model X all impressed us enough that we brought them along for our final two days. Once settled, we bade farewell to Pinch as we headed to the high-desert town of Tehachapi. Now it was only other motorists and police we needed to look out for. The Tehachapi loop let us drive like ordinary folks, around town, on normal two-lane roads and the freeway, listening for interior rattles and road roar over broken pavement, and noting each car’s outward visibility when there are pedestrians and other cars around. This…

“The most important Jaguar since 1968? Or 1961?” Referencing two seminal Jaguars, the XJ sedan and E-type, Lieberman nailed the significance of the F-Pace. “Everything changes now,” he added. F-Pace changes Jaguar, whose first-ever SUV looks like a global sales hit. Jaguar engineers could have merely rebadged a Land Rover Evoque and spent their savings at the pub, but this cat is worthy of the brand’s sporting legacy. It’s the genuine article. The F-Pace changes the sportutility vehicle segment. Not only styled like a sports car, it also drives a lot like one, complete with a snarling engine and throaty exhaust note. Yet thanks to technology transferred from Jaguar’s Land Rover cousins, it’s surprisingly capable off-road. The $43,385 35t AWD will be the volume seller in the U.S.…

MERCEDES-BENZ GLC Mercedes-Benz is no stranger to our SUV of the Year honors. The venerable Stuttgart brand has twice before taken home the Golden Calipers, once in 2007 for the three-row GL-Class and again six years later for the second-generation GL. Interestingly, the first Mercedes-Benz SUV meant for civilians, the 1998 ML320, did not win our SUV of the Year award (principally because we hadn’t thought it up yet). However, the ML320 did win our 1998 Truck of the Year award—no doubt hastening the decision to cook up an award just for SUVs. The M-Class helped usher in the luxury crossover as we know it today, so we find it fitting that the all-new GLC is the fourth SUV with a three-pointed star on its hood to take home…

Radiator Springs exists. Even if you’re passionate about traveling the original Route 66, you may have missed the onehorsepower town of Cool Springs. Located on the westbound stretch of America’s oldest highway heading toward Oatman, Arizona, Cool Springs has been a prominent feature in two Hollywood movies— blown up in one and blown off in the other. Action-movie junkies will know Cool Springs as the desert hamlet turned flaming ruin in Universal Soldier, the cyborg-warrior pic starring Dolph Lundgren and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Normally, that would be sufficient fame for any small town’s IMDB profile. But when Disney’s Pixar Studios started looking for a locale of a stereotypical Southwestern desert burg bypassed by superhighways for its animated film Cars, Cool Springs and neighboring Hackberry and Oatman seemed like perfect…

Sometimes, fitting into a group can take time. Ask any rat race–weary Manhattanite who’s attempted to relocate to smalltown Maine. Or the four-wheel analogue—an Asian automaker entering the long-calcified American full-size truck segment. Let’s just say Toyota and Nissan haven’t been invited to join the Detroit Athletic Club. And now, as Nissan continues to roll out its second-gen Titan, the standard-duty variant is finally one of the boys. All our judges noted the Titan’s smooth ride. Rechtin found a “much smoother ride than the Ford in routine around-town travel.” And everybody fell for the stark simplicity, light weight, and happy handling of the bare-bones Titan S single-cab work truck. That version hauls, ahem, mulch. But as the features (and weight) climbed, performance dropped. At full-boot throttle, the Titan’s 5.6-liter engine…

“Who’s your favorite for Truck of the Year?” The conversation plays out across the office in the weeks leading up to all the Of The Year competitions. The question comes from all angles: from video producers, art directors, fellow judges, non-participating editors, photographers—even the honchos in corporate. We have been thinking about this topic ever since we saw the official invite list of vehicles, sometimes since the launch of a particularly impressive vehicle earlier in the year. We all have our favorites, but it’s our thorough regimen of testing that determines the winner. Nowhere are those numbers more important than for Truck of the Year. An Of The Year contest plays out one of three ways: There’s no clear winner right up to the end; there are two to three…

There was a time when large three-box American sedans with trunks the size of 24-hour gyms were as ubiquitous as half-caf skinny macchiatos are today. That’s history, yet Buick soldiers on with the 2017 LaCrosse. The most powerful LaCrosse engine to date, a 310-hp V-6, accelerates the FWD Buick (available with AWD) with authority, front HiPer struts handily quelling the expected torque-steer effect. But the new transmission “shunts on occasion,” MacKenzie said. Of the electronic shift knob, he observed that it’s “counterintuitive to use at first, especially when trying to engage reverse,” which is a questionable choice considering Buick’s aged demographic. “If you don’t look close, the interior makes a great first impression with its chocolate-and-saddle palette and wood-grain trim,” Theodore said. “Unfortunately, on closer inspection, the leather…

Our selfish love of little roadsters almost earned the Fiat 124 a finalist berth. Potential rationalizations included Loh’s contention that the handling was less darty than the donor Mazda MX-5’s (while remaining equally fun to drive) and MacKenzie’s praise of the Fiat’s ride quality (asterisked to note some higher-speed float). Walton proclaimed the Fiat “an ideal driving-school car that rewards sticking to the tenets of performance driving while amplifying the consequences of diverging from them.” Theodore and Evans said that although the turbo powertrain suffers some lag, which costs it about a half-second relative to the Miata’s 0–60 dash, its midrange thrust would erase this deficit on the real-world loop. Many preferred the 124’s styling, including Priddle and Rechtin, who singled out the view over the longer, more…

What’s cooking, good looking? All sorts of stuff, if you must know, the biggest being how spiffy this Hyundai looks. “It looks like Hyundai has passed through the wacky design stage and is now starting to present more mature-looking vehicles, both inside and out,” MacKenzie said. Markus countered: “Although I’m persuaded that the new Fluidic 2.0 is a notable advancement generally, I think it works better on longer forms. This C-segment sizing isn’t the best fit.” Yeah, but who’s buying cars in this segment for their looks? You snatch ’em up for their value. Against that particular criterion, the Elantra, specifically the Eco model, was strong. “Eco is very high on value,” Loh said. “This car has everything you need in an attractive solid package: heated seats, cruise…

In terms of acceleration and fuel economy, the 2017 Kia Forte lags behind not only the segment leaders but also its Hyundai Elantra cousin. Replacing the previous 1.8-liter engine with the EX’s 164-hp 2.0-liter I-4 and six-speed automatic helps the Forte run to 60 mph in 8.4 seconds while earning up to 33 mpg on the highway, a measured improvement. Unfortunately, the 2017 Hyundai Elantra Eco’s 128-hp 1.4-liter turbo I-4 is paired to one of the segment’s best transmissions, a seven-speed dual-clutch auto that sprints an 8.0-second 0–60 time and gets up to 40 miles on a gallon of gasoline. “The Kia boys must be getting a bit tired of their big brother,” Theodore said. “They are always served second when a new platform [or driveline] comes out.” Small-car…

Clubman is to Mini what supersizing is to McDonald’s. But is more better? The Clubman brings additional usable space and a quieter big-boy car feel—but at great cost. It’s a girthy offering that is more than a foot longer and 4.6 inches wider than the last generation. And it’s hardly recognizable from the base Mini hatchback. “It looks like a big and bloated caricature of a Mini,” MacKenzie said. “Same with the interior: Once an artful homage to Mini minimalism, it’s now cluttered with oddly placed stuff.” Gale piled on: “Heavy-handed surfacing, wheel and wheelopening proportions, and overdone graphics and lamp details all contribute to negate any advancement in design.” Added Theodore: “Gone is the lightness, fun, and personality of the iconic original. My hero, Sir Alec Issigonis, must…

A controversial finalist among the judges, the Audi A4 hit hard on some criteria and weakly on others, leading to intense debate regarding the merits of the car as a whole. The A4 packs a brilliant chassis, which handled exceptionally well on the proving ground and our realworld loop. Judges also gave high marks in engineering excellence to the engine, transmission, and build quality. The spacious rear seat and cavernous trunk were complimented, as well. More than anything, judges were floored by the optional virtual cockpit digital dashboard ($3,250). Yes, we’ve seen it in other Audis, but it’s absolutely unmatched in its class and indeed at this price point. In other categories, though, the A4 struggled. Most notably, the judges unanimously agreed the exterior styling is a step…

Read these gushing reviews, and you’d think the Genesis G90 was a sure thing to win the whole shebang: MacKenzie: “Noise levels are very low, and ride quality is right on the money for a luxury car.” Rechtin: “I got hit by a big crosswind while going 120 mph, and it just shrugged it off as a minor irritant. Oh, are those bumps? I thought someone was tickling me.” Priddle: “$70,000 for loaded luxury sedan with all-wheel drive and virtually everything standard, plus three years of no additional costs for service, including valet service appointments, XM satellite, updated nav, etc.—hard to beat.” Markus: “A very serene cabin in which to travel, beautifully finished. Everything looks upscale.” Loh: “When your snobby neighbor asks why you got this instead of a 5…

Problem: The 60-kilowatt-hour version of the Tesla Model S is one of our finalists for Car of the Year. However, its range is about 200 miles. Our finalist loop is 27.6 miles long, and we’re doing eight loops on the first day. We realized that the judge on the last loop would never make it back to the Marriott. Solution: Call Tesla! The Model S 60 is really a Model S 75 with a software governor restricting the amount of juice you can flow into the battery. If you buy a 60-kW-hr version and later decide that you want an extra 40 miles of range, you can pay Tesla $9,000 to uncork the battery with an over-theair software update. Voilà. You have a Model S 75. That’s perhaps the…

But the CLA’s steering almost makes up for the transmission issue. Although it’s electric, it responds accurately. The Sport Plus package includes constant-ratio steering, and for someone who loves to drive, it’s the perfect weighting, and the assist when turning is almost intuitively modulated. And the awesome perforated-leather flat-bottomed steering wheel with red stitching adds to the vibe of, “Hey, wanna drive? I’m game.” With the transmission in Sport mode and a driver pushing it through a canyon road, the CLA250 is fun to toss around. It is more than quick enough to execute pretty much any maneuver you’d want, whether that’s passing the tractor going uphill on a rural road or gunning it at freeway speeds to squeeze into that spot as you approach an off-ramp. There aren’t that…

TheBig Picture We could do it the easy way. We could spend a day or two thrashing a few of our favorite cars along some fun local roads then sit down over pizza and beer and argue about which one we liked best. By the end of the night, as we’re savoring bourbon and cigars around a backyard fire pit, we would have chosen our Car of the Year. There. Done and dusted. Hey, Jonny, pass the Willett, will ya? Or, to make our lives even easier—and gratify our bean counters who grit their teeth and sign off on the hefty expense reports—we could simply conduct a poll of the Motor Trend staffers as to which car they think should be COTY. Given that we would have driven most of…