Innehållsförteckning för May 2019 från MotorTrend

I distinctly remember the first time I saw Chris Forsberg. It was inside the October 2003 issue of Wired magazine. I know because I wrote a sidebar to the story “Go, Skid Racer, Go!” which profiled him and his buddy Tony Angelo, two kids from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with a penchant for the underground Japanese motorsport known as drifting. I remember thinking, who the hell are these guys? Drifting in the backwoods of Pennsylvania? C’mon, Wired, leave the car stuff for the car guys—drifting is a Japanese phenomenon that put down its earliest foreign roots in Southern California. I’m pretty sure the disgust was mutual. The sidebar I wrote was a primer on how to drift, and the Wired art department decided to illustrate my piece with a first-generation Subaru…

Tesla owns 80 percent of the U.S. EV market, with the Model 3 single-handedly capturing 58 percent. So far nobody’s cracked the code to Tesla’s “it factor.” Might Sino-Scandinavian brand Polestar be poised to do so? You can dismiss the low-volume $155,000 600-hp plug-in Polestar 1 the way folks did Tesla’s original Lotus-sourced Roadster. But check out the mainstream Polestar 2 being pitched directly at Tesla’s Model 3: 78-kW-hr battery, 275 miles of estimated EPA range, all-wheel drive, and a $63,000 price tag for the first year’s “launch edition” models. Lower-spec front-drive models are promised later, starting in the low-$50,000s, but tariff-torn North America may not get the base $42,000 small-battery front-driver. The tall-riding four-door hatchback is based on Volvo’s CMA architecture, also used in the XC40 compact crossover. Its…

What if the battery and EV worlds have been barking up the wrong forest? What if, instead of forever seeking new battery chemistries and better materials for anodes and cathodes to improve energy density and battery range, we just needed a newer, better, smarter charging system? GBatteries Energy, a tiny startup out of Canada’s capital city of Ottawa, claims it has a charger that can purportedly pump 119 miles of range (a half-charge) into a Chevy Bolt EV battery in 5 minutes and fill it completely in about double that time. Do we need fuel cells (or gasoline vehicles) if we can recharge an EV during a potty stop? The technology originated as a basement-lab project for the self-described nerdy father-son team of Nick and Tim Sherstyuk. They were looking…

TELL ME SOMEBODY GOT THAT!?!?” I scan the track walls for the lenses of Lamborghini’s hired shooters and the sky above for a drone I saw earlier. Nope. Nobody appears to have captured my most heroic drift out of a cresting right-hander at Bahrain International Circuit in the new Huracán Evo. Such a pity, too, because Lamborghini has baked a ton of new features into the Evo, expressly for the social media generation. The Evo reflects the evolution of the Huracán base model. Gone is the Huracán LP610-4 coupe (and that naming convention); every future Huracán variant will be based on the Evo. And what a place to begin, as the Evo upgrades the base coupe with the Performante’s 630-horsepower V-10 and next-generation electromechanicals culled from across the Lamborghini lineup,…

“Hey, man,” the Ram PR dude said to me. “Would you mind starting out in the Hemi 2500 Tradesman?” No, dude, I silently thought to myself. I did not drive 47 miles to spend the night at the Four Seasons Westlake Village only to drive some dirty old gasoline-powered Ram HD with only—only—429 lb-ft of torque. No, sir! I made the sacrifice to stay in a five-star hotel away from my sleep-averse toddler only to play with the big dog, to experience the main event, to drive the Ram with the 6.7-liter Cummins turbo-diesel inline-six with—are we all sitting down?—1,000 lb-ft of torque! A Hemi 2500? Come on! “Sure,” I said, knuckling under to petty authority. “That’s fine.” The shocking part is, said Hemi-powered truck is much better than fine.…

Quarterfinal 2 Chevrolet Traverse VS Subaru Ascent The utility of a minivan is never questioned, but its coolness? Absolutely. The original tough-looking, truck-based SUVs offered image-conscious buyers an alternative that combined most of the space of a minivan with a truck’s off-road and towing capabilities—and also a truck’s jarring ride quality. But because most families prefer the go-anywhere image over actual abilities, less capable but more functional car-based crossovers have risen to the top of the market. For the family that most needs what a minivan can do but doesn’t want to be seen in one, three-row crossovers like the Chevrolet Traverse and Subaru Ascent offer a rugged-image alternative. Although they arrive in the same place, these two entrants take very different routes getting there. Both offer a standard turbocharged…

Semifinal 1 Chevrolet Blazer VS Nissan Altima Military air traffic isn’t uncommon while visiting the Honda Proving Center. Fighter jets zip by, and bombers lumber across the sky from the many nearby Air Force and Navy air bases. But we don’t often get a show like we got while comparing the Blazer and Altima. Two F/A-18 Super Hornets stole our attention as they practiced dogfighting. Each Hornet danced through the air, twisting, turning, and falling as each pilot attempted to point the jet’s nose at the other. After a few minutes, with no clear winner to us on the ground, they formed up and zipped north back to base. Unlike what we’d witnessed, our military often practices dissimilar combat training, when two wildly different jets practice against each other. What’s…

Check out what we caught! This is the literal first-ever run of the Chevrolet eCOPO Camaro, an all-electric drag racer. The photos you are looking at, from January 26, 2019, are the first time this all-electric dragster has ever been on a dragstrip. MotorTrend photographer Brandon Lim just happened to be at Arizona’s Wild Horse Pass dragstrip because yours truly and my co-host, Jethro Bovingdon, were filming a new episode of Head 2 Head at the same venue. Talk about being in the right place at the right time. On its inaugural launch, the eCOPO ran a 10.14 before eventually dropping the time down to 10.03 seconds at 138 mph. Does this bode well for the future or what? A little background: The SEMA darling eCOPO is a joint venture…

The 600LT Spider is the fifth McLaren to receive the Longtail suffix. It is extended by 1.7 inches at the rear of its fixed spoiler, but LT relates to a handful of goals that McLaren uses to guide the engineering teams: minimizing weight, optimizing aerodynamics, increasing power, enhancing driver engagement, tuning the chassis for track use, and limiting production. In Spider form, the carbon-fiber MonoCell II tub upon which the convertible is built is so structurally sound that there was no additional strengthening or reinforcement necessary, as in some other convertibles. It’s plenty stiff and stable, even with the slender A-pillars. The power-operated rear window and three-piece power-retractable roof and its mechanisms lowers in 15 seconds at speeds of up to 25 mph. Top-down motoring with all windows up demonstrated…

Where do you want to take the Mazda brand in North America? We are moving away from a commodity discount brand to a more emotional and premium style. We strive to provide a great car with beautiful design, craftsmanship, and driving dynamics. We are working with dealers to provide a better customer experience, upgrading facilities, and we changed the marketing strategy, new campaign, and digital focus, all to make Mazda an emotional brand rather than just a functional, rational brand. Is the manual transmission still alive and well at Mazda? Of course. We couple it with all-wheel drive on the new Mazda3 to provide the best driving experience. Why does the Mazda3 get all-wheel drive for the first time? To provide a very unique driving experience. We have four-wheel-drive capability…

There’s an old joke: You ask, “What’s the difference between an elephant and an ant?” The mark answers, “I don’t know, what’s the difference?” You reply, “Come on, you don’t know the difference between an elephant and an ant?” News flash: The Ferrari 812 Superfast is a much better automobile than the Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye. It just is. I’m mentioning this because Ferrari—like Rolls-Royce and, to a lesser extent, Lamborghini—has this infuriating prohibition against comparison tests. This forbiddance is particularly annoying because modern Ferraris are so good. This 812, the 488, both flavors of Lusso, the new Portofino—I’ve driven them all, and all are wonderful. Nine times out of 10, the prancing horse would mule-kick the competition in the teeth, and that 10th time would be close. So, to…

I am parked on a grassy hilltop, sitting on a hay bale in the bed of an atomic-orange 2018 Toyota Tacoma, soaking in the warm, pale, late-afternoon California winter sun, and watching a black-on-black Honda Ridgeline descend the opposite hill. It pauses at the top and then slowly moves toward me. As the Ridgeline inches down from the ridgeline, a massive black and white form suddenly looms in front of me, blotting out the sun, the truck, and even the hill. Enter Safran the steer. All 7 feet and 3,000 pounds of him. Safran steps forward, looks down at the Ridgeline, and gallops after it. A dozen or so similar large forms appear and watch Safran chasing after the Honda. He cuts off the Ridgeline and lowers his head toward…

Google “best family car.” It’s a safe bet you get a lengthy list of cars, minivans, SUVs, and even trucks, but nothing actually telling you which is best. With more than 310 models in dealer showrooms, we Americans are spoiled for choices. Such a diverse field of vehicles with disparate abilities can make crowning the family car champion seem impossible. But because we know that coronation is what many families want, our selection committee began to narrow the field. The resulting eight-vehicle bracket represents four regions of the family car landscape. In a single-elimination format, we’ll pit size versus quickness and blue bloods versus up-and-comers to figure out which body style and which vehicle can best handle your starting five (and mascot). Our field includes midsize sedans, midsize crossovers, minivans,…

Quarterfinal 3 Nissan Altima VS Toyota Camry You want to talk about mayhem? Imagine being a product planner responsible for family sedans in Detroit, Tokyo, or Seoul six or seven years ago. The future looked promising then. Gas was expensive, the global economy was starting to recover, and consumers were hanging onto their cars longer. Those cars would need to be replaced right around the time your new family sedan was slated to go on sale. Turns out that future you were planning for wasn’t to be. Gas prices dropped, and consumers replaced their sedans with crossover SUVs. With sales plummeting, Detroit’s automakers dropped sedans like a panicked freshman confronted by a full-court press. In planning our face-off, we debated passing on sedans, too, but Asian automakers are gladly absorbing…

Semifinal 2 Chrysler Pacifica VS Subaru Ascent This semifinal brings us the most interesting matchup of the entire series. Conceptually, little separates the minivan from the three-row crossover, but functionality and image play massive roles. After all, both classes offer seating for seven or eight passengers, available all-wheel drive (Toyota Sienna, all three-row crossovers), hybrid powertrains (Chrysler Pacifica, Toyota Highlander), the ability to tow, and the space to take it all with you. Still, even good-looking minivans like the 2019 Chrysler Pacifica are too often seen as frumpy mom-mobiles, and rugged-looking crossovers like the 2019 Subaru Ascent earn style points on their way to the gym. But should they? Let’s first get one thing out of the way. If your lifestyle regularly involves towing heavier loads and going deeper into…

“Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.” It’s a marketing line as old as the automobile. When Henry Ford raced—and famously beat—rival automaker Alexander Winton on the Detroit Driving Club’s 1-mile oval at Grosse Pointe in 1901, it wasn’t to prove who was the better driver, but whose was the better car. Racing made the reputations of Alfa Romeo and Jaguar and Porsche and Bentley; even aristocratic Rolls-Royce used its victory in the grueling 1913 Alpine Trial to enhance its reputation as builder of “the best car in the world.” And it’s still an article of faith among many automotive marketers: Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari are each reportedly spending $400 million making sure their brands stay at the pointy end of this year’s Formula 1 field. Hyundai is said to pour about…

Mazda is worried about your pelvis—so much so that the automaker spent considerable time pondering your pelvic region when developing the 2019 Mazda3. Why? Because understanding how the pelvis moves in relation to the rest of your body was key in determining how to give the Mazda3 the sporty performance the brand is famous for while moving upmarket to challenge luxury brands. Many automakers signify luxury intent with expensive flagships and new technologies. But Mazda relied on some old-school solutions, such as a twist-beam rear axle and a carryover 186-hp 2.5-liter I-4 in its entry-level Mazda3. Although twist-beam suspensions are infamous for undesirable ride/handling characteristics, Mazda says it used a twist-beam because it’s easier to control those undesirable movements in its bushings, as compared to the more complex multilink rear…

While an Arctic polar vortex blasted Michigan, we headed to the Arctic Circle for comparative warmth. And while Americans continue to unabatedly love SUVs and crossovers, we were in Lapland because, to our great joy, Volvo continues to make wagons. Delicious dichotomies. We flew to Luleå, Sweden, to drive the 2020 Volvo V60 Cross County, a hiked-up wagon with all-wheel drive, hill descent control, 8.3 inches of ground clearance, and room for gear. The Cross Country, a rugged wagon that resides close to the almighty crossover, is expected to outsell the regular V60 4 to 1. We packed our long johns and headed to a fairy-tale land of ice and snow to test its mettle. The Gulf of Bothnia and other frozen bodies of water served as ice roads and…

A fter decades of posturing about how high-speed rail was going to be California’s transportation salvation, new Governor Gavin Newsom curtailed the overwrought, overthought, and way over budget choo-choo from L.A. to San Francisco. I’m sure Newsom did some version of the following math: The proposed budget for the high-speed train was $77 billion, and growing. That’s $200 million per mile just to build it, let alone maintain it. Another way to look at it: At $200 per round-trip train ticket (a fare comparable to a flight), it would take 385 million train rides to pay off—and that’s if the loan from taxpayers were interest-free. Using WanderBat data for passenger counts, if everyone who flew that route instead took the train, it would take 64 years to pay for the…

The two big differences between how we test straight-line acceleration versus actual drag racing are surface and tires. When our test team hooks up the Vbox and records both 0–60 and quarter-mile times, we run on street tires on asphalt. Typically speaking, if you’re at an actual drag strip, your car is launching atop a prepared surface and kitted out with some form of drag slick. The latter is much better for traction. Why else do you think the Dodge Demon ran a 9.65-second quarter mile while the Hellcat Redeye here could only manage 11.8? A scarier name? With that not necessarily in mind, yours truly and Jethro Bovingdon staged up the Italian and the American at the Christmas tree at Arizona’s Wild Horse Pass dragstrip to see what’s what.…

The 2020 Jeep Gladiator is many things—the latest in a revitalized midsize pickup segment, the first pickup from Jeep since the early ’90s, and the only convertible truck on the market. But the one thing it isn’t, according to those responsible for creating it, is a Jeep Wrangler with a bed bolted to the back. Given the amount of design and engineering work that went into creating the 2020 Gladiator, I get it. But the Wrangler is the MotorTrend 2019 SUV of the Year, so I don’t think being a Wrangler with a bed is really such a bad thing. Just as much separates the Gladiator from the Wrangler as connects it. About half of the Gladiator’s parts are shared with the Wrangler—including doors, front fenders, the front half of…

Quarterfinal 1 Chrysler Pacifica VS Honda Odyssey Several automakers offer a minivan, but none devotes more dollars and engineers to the design and engineering of clever, useful features than Chrysler and Honda do. For better and for worse, minivans are the default answer to the question: I have kids; what car should I get? They were once all the rage, they became wildly uncool, and now they’re somewhere in between. If minivans are going to cut down the nets, they need to be represented by the best of the best. Evidence of how closely matched the Pacifica and Odyssey are is spread across our notes. Disagreements over which interior was noisier on what surfaces and at what speeds, which engine felt more powerful, and which went around a corner more…

Quarterfinal 4 Chevrolet Blazer VS Honda Passport These entrants representing midsize crossovers are storied names resurrected to cash in on the American family preference for SUVs over sedans. Although neither the Blazer RS AWD nor the Passport Elite AWD will ever be mistaken for their off-road-bred predecessors, they offer tantalizing takes on the form factor. The Honda Passport is without a doubt the more traditional and familiar. For all intents and purposes, it’s a Honda Pilot with 6 inches lopped off and a slight ride-height increase. Mechanically it sports the same 280-hp 3.5-liter V-6 and nine-speed automatic transmission with torque-vectoring all-wheel drive; visually it’s virtually indistinguishable from the Pilot inside and out, save for the lack of a third row and a slightly different grille and bumper. What the Chevrolet…

Final Chevrolet Blazer VS Chrysler Pacifica Among the many important decisions you might make during that first pregnancy is the second most expensive purchase for most of us: the family car. Judging from the semifinal results, you now know it’s time to trade in your old sedan that got you through college (though maybe grab the toga from the back seat for future spills). Based on our final twosome, your heart might say, “I’m still in my 20s and I’m definitely still cool, even with a baby, so I should get that sporty, sharp-looking Chevrolet Blazer.” Your head says, “I have a business degree and know how to do a cost-benefit analysis, and the Chrysler Pacifica is specifically designed for people with my needs.” Which do you trust? Gut instinct…