Innehållsförteckning för June 2006 från MotorTrend

AUDI’S newQ7 SUVis the first of six all-new Audi models, including a mystery small car aimed at BMW’s highly successful Mini, to be launched over the next three years, according to Audi board members, They say the actual form of all six cars has yet to be frozen into place; six is the maximum the dealers and marketing department can launch in that time, so six has become the target. Insiders are hoping the additional models will push total Audi sales to more than 900,000 vehicles a year by 2008. With the Q7 just hitting the road, here’s how the other five are shaping up: ■ R8 This mid-engine supercar, which shares its aluminum spaceframe and suspension with Lamborghini’s Gallardo, is ready to make its debut later this year. Engines…

YOU'D THINK a four door Wrangler would've been a no-brainer, but it won't be until later this year that you'll be able to take four of your closest friends off-road in traditional Jeep style with the 2007 Wrangler Unlimited. While the first Unlimited was an extended cargo-space two-door, this is essentially a four-door convertible sedan with all the capability (except, perhaps, in tight rocky spaces) of the conventional Wrangler. ■ New 3.8-liter pushrod V-6 replaces heavier, longer 4.0-liter inline-six, maintains higher torque above 3400 rpm. Peak horses, 205; torque is 240 pound-feet. ■ Six-speed manual or four-speed automatic available. ■ Turbodiesel is available outside North America, coupled to a five-speed manual. ■ 116-inch wheelbase is 20.6 inches longer than the standard two-door 2007 Wrangler. ■ More cargo space, Jeep says,…

CHECK OUT what may be the coolest bicycle ever: the Aeroblade, an award-winning new two-wheeler jointly designed by Dutch sports-car maker Spyker and high-end bike maker Koga (also from Holland). The Aeroblade sports a titanium frame, Hulshof leather handlebar grips and seat, and a Rohloff 14-speed gearset; total weight is just 28 pounds. Each Aeroblade is custom-made for its owner. Price: a mere $12,540; www.koga.com. NUMBER CRUNCHING 15 ESTIMATED PERCENTAGE OF ONLINE ADVERTISING THAPLL COME FROM THE AUTO INDUSTRY IN 2006, ACCORDING TO A REPORT BY EMARKETER, INC. 1.44 DOLLARS (IN BILLIONS) SPENT BY AUTOMAKERS ON ONLINE ADS 12005, ACCORDING 10 THE EMARKETER REPORT. 3.3 DEDCEMTAGE PERCENTAGE cr DECREASE IN U.S. LES DURING THE FIRST TWO MONTHS OF 2006, COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 2005.…

ASTON MARTIN V8 VANTAGE WHILE Beniley has always hinted at a convertible for its new-age car, to the point of confirming the rumors, Aston has been more circumspect about the Vantage. But per these spy photos by our shooter who’s so deep underground he’s anonymous, it’s on. Expected as a model-year 2007 car, the Porsche 911 Cabrio-fighter would make most sense to unveil at Paris, LA,, or Detroit and launch in the States by spring of next year. Like its coupe sibling, the convertible gets the Jaguar AJ-V8-derived 380-horsepower, 4.3-liter, twin-cam 32-valve V-8 and an aluminum/composite body. BENTLEY GTC BENTLEY confirmed the obvious with the unveiling of its Continental GT convertible at the New York auto show. Chop the top off of the alluring 552-horsepower Continental GT, add an electrohydraulic-operated…

back to the future shock Just my two cents on some of your up and comers: CHEVROLET CAMARO CONCEPT: Made me want to be 25 again. GM’s only exciting design in 20 years. Would buy one yesterday. CADILLAC XLR-v: No doubt the plastic engine shield justifies the $100,000 demand for yet another stillborn Cadillac ragtop. GM will sell a couple dozen in Florida, especially with that K-Mart interior. PONTIAC SOLSTICE: A design that'll be at home on the Cote d‘Azure, though it has a decent dash (less plastic). BMW Z4; Ugliest shape in automobile design history. GALLARDO SPIDER: 100-percent Latino Miami heat! FORD REFL3X: Another stillborn Ford. AUDI Q7: Every housemaid should be given one. CADILLAC ESCALADE: No wonder GM’s fortunes are heading south so fast. GM needs more design…

THERE ARE probably few things in the world more pointless than a 190-mph convertible. Even if you could find somewhere to go 190 mph, driving one with the roof down at that speed would be like sticking your head in the dyno room at General Electric while the boys are bench testing an F/A-18 jet engine. On full afterburner Convertibles, of course, are for being seen in, mobile fashion statements that usually do their best work nailing the primo parking spot on the forecourt of the nearest Ritz-Carlton. But mooching around Beverly Hills or South Beach strapped into a convertible with $15,364 worth of race-tuned carbonceramic brakes underfoot, or 513 horsepower of autobahn-hungry V-10 growling quietly at your shoulder blades, seems, ahhh, a slight waste of engineering. Yes, you could…

THIS MAZDA CHANNELS THE SPIRIT OF THE PORSCHE CAYENNE AND RANGE ROVER SPORT BETTER THAN ANYTHING ELSE IN THE UNDER-$30K CLASS OUR EYES were discreetly rolling from the start of the presentation. As if the slogan ''The SUV you never saw coming”’ weren't trite enough, the presenters started throwing around verbiage like “'the first midsize, low-priced sports-car/utility-vehicle crossover.” Well, the first one introduced on a Wednesday moming in March anyway Our ears glazed over. We've heard it all before and usually have been disappointed; besides, isn't this vehicle a kissing cousin of the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX? How racy can it be? Mazda’s suggested test route started with along freeway slog, during which the steering demonstrated a diligent sense of straight-ahead. The MacPherson-strut front and multilink rear suspension smothered…

CLIMBING ABOARD the Aero X is simple. Lift a leg over the wide sill and hoist your body into the white leather seats. As the canopy lowers via a center console-mounted control module, your initial reaction is to duck, but once the roof is in place and the doors swing shut, it’s apparent there’s plenty of headroom. The benefit of a pillarless windshield is clear, as the view out the glass encompasses at least 180 degrees. Distortion from the wraparound windshield is minimal, and it’s easy to picture a similar panoramic view out of a jet fighter. Pushing a start/stop button in the center of the same console awakens the engine (this multifunction unit also serves as the gear selector). Once the V-6 is running, the layered acrylic instrumentation lights…

IF YOU NEED proof that ostentation isout and subtlety is in, look at all the towering wings that aren't showing up on the new Asian sport compacts. In that same vein, ifyou want a luxury all-wheel-drive machine to get you to your Aspen chalet, why put up with a lumbering, dub-wheeled, glorified pickup truck? Enter the new 4Matic-equipped Mercedes-Benz $550 luxury sedan. Building on the system first developed at Steyr-Daimler-Puch for the 1987 E-Class, Mercedes has set out to create a no-compromise all-wheel-drive car boasting best-in-class traction, handling, stability, driving dynamics, comfort, NVH, fuel economy, and weight—no small feat, given the excellence of tival systems from Audi and BMW. The new 4Matic’s torque split varies from 45/55 front/rear on low-friction surfaces to 30/70 when friction is high; in between those…

PRIOR TO the new Altima’s unveiling at the New York auto show, Nissan gave us an early peek, along with drives in two preproduction mules. Our initial impressions? The 2007 Altima not only has the looks but also the goods to deliver on Nissan’s ambitions to spank the Altima’s fiercest rivals: the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. The 2007 Altima doesn’t appear dramatically different from the 2006 model; Nissan’s designers took an evolutionary rather than revolutionary approach. Still, there are significant alterations to prompt more than a few ganders from passers by. Up front, Z-like vertical headlamp lenses flank Nissan’s new corporate ‘T” grille, giving the Altima a more refined face, while in back the new Car integrates larger taillamps that flow upward into the rear-quarter panels; it’s a decidedly…

2006 HONDA RIDGELINE RTL Tota! mileage 7728 POSITIVE affirmations are filling the logbook for our newest Truck of the Year winner. “The more I drive this truck the more I appreciate what it offers.” “The truck reinvented? You bet!” “The Ridgeline truly is an all-in-one vehicle.” “The perfect urban tool: useful and yet not punishing to drive.” It’s gone on several trips and is fast becoming our photo team’s favorite fora support vehicle. We wish the steering wheel telescoped, and a few staffers have mentioned that finding a comfortable seating position is hard, something a wider range of steering-wheel adjustment could help. Otherwise, lovin’ it. ■ Average fuel econ 15.5 mpg ■ Unresolved problems None ■ Maintenance cost $47.70 (“A” service) ■ Normal-wear cost $0 2005 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA S…

THE 2007 the 2007 Infiniti G35 sedan might be all new, but it looks awfully familiar. Nissan clearly isn’t about to mess with success, especially with the car that first effectively positioned its upscale brand as an Asian BMW alternative. Take a closer look at the photo here, though, and you'll notice every panel is completely different. The hood no longer meets the headlights or the top of the grille, for example. The front fenders are softer and more rounded. The front bumper fascia is a large one-piece unit. The doors feature a strong shoulder line just above the door handles. The 3.5-liter V-6 under the hood has been upgraded to produce more than 300 horsepower, and the automatic transmission has paddle shift control. The 2007 G35 goes on sale…

EVER SINCE last year’s gas-price crunch, there’s been a lot of talk about the potential growth of small-car sales in the U.S. market. Outside of America, small is more than beautiful; it’s a way of life. While the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. is still a full-size pickup, in Europe it’s a Golf-size hatchback. Higher gas prices in Europe are just part of the story, however: The tightly packed European landscape means a big car can be a liability when negotiating narrow city streets and attempting to find somewhere to park. These European cars might be small in size, but they're big in personality and performance. ALFA SPIDER ■ what is it? The convertible version of the gorgeous Alfa Brera coupe. ■ It’s cool because: You've seen “The Graduate,” right?…

EXTERIOR New front bumper and lower air dam, a restyled front grille and headlights, more aerodynamic side mirrors, and refreshed rear bumper and taillamps. INTERIOR New steering wheel and gearshift lever, revised climate-control layout, and four new colors. Glass sunroof, six-disc CD changer, harman/kardon Logic 7 premium audio, and on the wagon a power tailgate is now standard. PRE-SAFE safety feature has been added. GAS ENGINES New £63 AMG, with 503-horse, 465-pound-foot V-8 replaces E55; 32-valve E550, at 382 horses and 391 pound-foot, replaces E500. E320 engine unchanged. BLUETEC DIESEL New E320 BLUETEC six replaces the £320 CDI diesel, has 24 valves, centrally located piezo-electric injectors, Gen III CDI direct injection, turbo with variable nozzle turbine and gas recirc. Depends on the availability of low-sulfur diesel this fall.…

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FORGET THE 1960S now is the golden age of horsepower. Just visit your local new-car dealer, and you'll find an abundance of factory-tuned hot-rods, replete with warranties and that new-car smell. These days, 400 horsepower is easy and 500 commonplace. But what if you crave more? You could oneup your neighbor by sending your vehicle to a tuner for a full performance makeover: Twin turbochargers, custom suspension, and unique bodywork—it’s all there if you've got the greenbacks. Last year, the automotive aftermarket was a $35 billion industry—and it’s growing. But the tuners now have to work a whole lot harder to make the factory guys look slow. Case in point is Chevrolet’s raucous new Z06. With 505 horsepower, throw-out-the-anchor-braking, and Nurburgring-tuned competition suspension, the Z06 is a genuine all-American supercar…

A NISSAN? An ultra-high-tech, brutally fast, and rabidly driver-focused Nissan? Unless they're keyed into Japanese console driving simulators, most Americans will regard the GT-R as a car that comes straight out of nowhere. Nissan’s a sporty company for sure. But turning out Sentra SE-Rs and Z-cars is one thing; being a fully credentialed member of the Porsche-baiting supercar club is quite another. In Japan, though, things couldn't be more different. Over there, successive generations of fast, high-performance Nissan GT-Rs, dating back more than three decades, have been carried shoulder-high on the imaginations of the gearhead populace. So the 2008 Nissan GT-R has a complex set of roles. On the home front, it must honor and perpetuate a noble tradition. Globally, it needs newness and impact for instant kudos among the…

WE'RE CRUISING Fioriaa’’s Femandina Beach while in town for the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. There’s some fabulous hardware trolling the island this weekend, yet our brilliant Sunburst Yellow Sky is attracting as much attention as any Bentley or Bugatti. “I had no idea Saturn made a sports car.” ‘Dude, how much does that thing cost?" "That’s a Saturn? Don't they make icky cars?” The questions come rapid fire no matter where we take the squat, wide roadster that Saturn hopes will become its image leader. But let’s dispense with the obvious: Yes, it’s a reconstituted Pontiac Solstice. GM needs to amortize the cost of its global chassis architectures, so every one of them must do double, triple, or quadruple duty. The Sky has been part of this Kappa platform’s plan…

WHEN WORD camedown that the U.S. market was getting all-new versions of the Honda Civic Si and the Volkswagen GTI, we knew a comparison test was inevitable. As we started to envision this match-up between two of the hottest teen idols of the 1980s—both seemingly resurrected to apparent glory after tumultuous 20-year careers—the staff-meeting wheels began spinning out of control. Suddenly, our brains were filled with fantastic fight scenes staged from the urban alleys of L.A. to the barren bends and bowls at Willow Springs Raceway. While we practice a sooner-is-better approach with regard to testing—our readers deserve timely reporting and our competitors warrant equally timely beatings—we hit a speed bump. The GTI, available with either a standard six-speed manual or an optional dual-clutch direct shift gearbox (DSG), could be…

FROM ICONIC to the endangered species list and now back on the road to recovery, the full-size American sedan continues to amaze and amuse critics and fans. Although the sales supremacy of this longtime bulwark of the U.S. auto industry has been usurped by fancy-cab pickups and sporvutilities of every stripe, crossovers, and well-crafted and engineered sedans from Germany, Japan, and now Korea, the latest strain of players to roll out of Detroit have recast the basic “big think” formula in ways their venerable forebears could only dream about. To better appreciate the design diversity currently available in this most traditional segment, we assembled three notable members of the class of 2006 for a head-to-head-to-head shootout. All were fitted with their most capable V-6 engines and carried a base MSRP…

CADILLAC remains one of those American things that just keeps getting lost in translation, especially in Europe, where the Standard of the World sold just a couple thousand vehicles in 2005. If Cadillac is to get itself dug in over there, it needs a compact sedan. That’s where all the other luxury brands maintain their balance—and a small car by itself isn't enough. None of which could be spun off the existing Cadillac portfolio. But by opting to rebody the Saab 9-3 and making itdown the same line, GM has gotten itself aEurobuilt compact with appropriate powertrains, and in double-quick time, too. Presto: the Cadillac BLS. GM execs figured this Saab-sharing plan also would have the benefit of giving Saab’s underutilized factory a bit of extra earning capacity, but of…

NEW entry-level cars are hatching almost as quickly as gas prices are rising at the pump. With economy-sedan icons like Civic and Sentra evolving upward in size and price, the majors are offering freshly named subcompacts to woo the most price-conscious buyers. The Honda Fit is one such newcomer, more stylish, versatile, and better equipped than yesterday’s dowdy econo boxes—and even stingier with fuel. Nissan’s new Versa might be the biggest bargain of them all in more ways than one. The Versa is the result of the first joint platform development between Nissan with Euro partner Renault. It’s already on the road in Japan and other world markets, badged as the Tiida. Nissan says it’s this global economy of scale in shared parts that lets it offer a lot of…

SATURN is going from three basic models for people who don't like cars—ion, Vue, Relay—to six, including some for people who do like cars, by the 2008 model year. Much of the new lineup bowed at the New York motor show. While the fourth model, the Sky roadster, is just now hitting those lovable Saturn dealerships, New York unveiled the high-performance Sky Redline. It’s an American-market Opel GT, as revealed at the Geneva show in March. Saturn also previewed the 2008 Vue, basically a rebadged version of the Opel Antara GTC three-door crossover concept coupe from last year’s Frankfurt motor show. The division also showed the production version of the midsize, midprice Aura, first revealed as a “concept” at Detroit in January, and unveiled the production version of its 2007…

FOLLOWING up on January’s reveal of the Compass is Jeep’s 2007 Patriot, also based on the new front-drive Mitsubishi Lancer platform (although Chrysler is quick to say it’s developed this architecture itself) and powered by a 172-horse, 2.4-liter four that’s part of the World Engine family developed by Chrysler, Mitsubishi, and Hyundai. Jeep will sell the Patriot in Europe as well as North America and says its optional Freedom Drive Iloff-road package makes it as Rubicon-capable as anything else in the lineup and the best-performing off-roader in its class—well, at least until Land Rover’s all-new LR2 arrives. ■ Freedom Drive I is an optional, active 4WD system on this front-drive-based crossover, with a lockable center coupling for deeper snow and sand. ■ Freedom Drive II has a second-generation continuously variable…

WITH THE Adrenalin pickup canceled, Ford’s in-house hot-shop has no work. Is Ford’s performance shop. Special Vehicle Team, about to die? It looks that way, with no new products scheduled after Ford’s launch of the Mustang-based Shelby GT5C0. The Adrenalin, which was to be an SVT-built performance version of the new Explorer Sport Trac, has been canceled. The automaker has several performance projects in the works, Ford says, but the sweeping "Way Forward" plan, designed to dig the company out of its financial hole, has priority. As for Hau Thai-Tang, SVTs earnest chief, he’s "not going anywhere," a Ford spokesman says. Ford promises we'll learn more about the company’s new performance direction soon. SVT has lots of name recognition, the spokesman maintains, although others suggest the SVT name isn't magic,…

OUR AUDIENCE with the current project manager of the 911 line, held in a small 'burb just outside of Porsche’s technical center in Weissach, was intimate A chit-chat over strudel and beer, Quite unlike the formal deluge of facts and figures that would come the next day at a technical workshop organized to disseminate the intimacies of Zuffenhausen’s latest turbo sports car, It was at dinner where one of the most interesting factoids of the entire trip arose. Question: “Mr. Achleitner, how long before the 911 Turbo finally gets a DSG-type transmission?” Herr Achleitner twisted in his chair for amoment. Before him, problematic equations of applied torque and shaft shear stress were evidently floating in the air, though invisible to us. “Maybe two years Putting a 911 Turbo’s level ofpower…

THE NISSAN GT-R is like Japan’s answer to the Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Mustang, all rolled into one. it traces its ancestry back to the early 1960s and the boxy, six-cylinder Skyline GT sport sedans built by the Prince Motor Company under the direction of charismatic chief engineer Shinichiro Sakurai. These are some of this historical car’s highlights: 0:1 1964 GT-R: Basically a Prince S50 sedan with eight inches added ahea of the firewall to accommodate a tuned 2.0-liter SOHC inline-six from the larger Prince S40. GT-B version boasted close-ratio five-speed trans limited-slip diff, and 26-gallon gas tank. Triple 45DCOE Weber carbs and high compression meant 125 horsepower. LEGEND STATUS: Briefly led a Porsche 904 GTS in the second GP of Japan. 0:2 1969 GT-R: like a regular sedan of…

TO GET THE right ambience on the night it unveiled the Aero X at the Geneva auto show, Saab decided to surround the car in walls of giant ice blocks and trucked in 60 tons of the stuff from northern Sweden. It nearly didn't make it, as there was a disagreement about import duties when the trucks crossed the border into Switzerland. Geneva in late February is plenty cold, so why the big fuss over Swedish ice? Partly because it had the right balance of clarity and fissures, reminiscent of the etched and layered glass used in the lamps and instruments of the Aero X. But partly because Saab, a brand seemingly headed for oblivion a year ago, at last has fresh confidence in its Swedish identity and its independence.…

THERE’S something special about driving a great Italian car in Italy. Maserati is aware of all this and seasons its automobiles accordingly. But it also knows it must think far beyond the boundaries of the Emilia-Romagna region if it wishes to increase volumes and remain a viable business entity in the future. To this end, the company is expanding the Quattroporte lineup to three semidistinct models: the standard edition, the Executive GT (a heavier quotient of luxury trimmings), and the Sport GT (self explanatory). Visuals differentiating the Sport GT include black mesh griflework, 20x8.5-inch wheels front, and 20x10.0-inch wheels out back. Inside, the standard wood trim gives way to genuine carbon-fiber trim panels. The exhaust system is retuned for a louder warble, and the suspension is recalibrated for better handling…

AUDI’S SPIN doctors seem to be having trouble with this one. They tell us the S6’s 5.2-liter V-10 is the “most unstressed in the class,” that it has the lowest specific output among its competitors. On the other hand, Audi makes great play ofthis V-10’s relationship with the one in the Lamborghini Gallardo. An unstressed supercar engine? Say what? Only one way to find out: Hit the gas. There’s never amoment’s doubt an epic reserve of low-down torque is at play here, and the direct fuel injection wastes no time in deploying it. The six-speed auto transmission flicks the changes the instant the tach needle kisses the big seven. It ratchets speed in an effortless torrent as we careen toward the 155-mph limiter. Effortless. And, yes, unstressed. Oh, and the…

LONG KNOWN forits luxurious sedans and sporty coupes, Audi has taken the logical next step by combining the two. Result: the 2006 Audi A3, a compact Juxury-performance hatchback compelling enough that we quickly added one to our long-term test fleet. The A3 is powered by anew turbocharged, 2.0-liter, four-cylinder with FSI direct injection, the world’s first production engine to combine FSI gasoline direct injection with a turbo. This combination delivers 200 horsepower and a maximum torque of 207 pound-feet, available from 1800 to 5000 rpm. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard, while the Direct Shift Gearbox automatic transmission is optional. The cockpit is what we've come to expect from Audi: high-quality materials combined with superb fit and finish. The low-slung seats are plenty sporty, while aluminum accents convey a sense…

CHEVY PROMISED greatthings from its new-for-2005 Malibu. The premise was that GM needed a car that could legitimately take on Camry and Accord, which long ago assumed the roles of America’s best-loved and best-selling midsize family sedans. The aptly named Maxx sportwagon variant—something the others don’t offer—is intended to help eke out some extra volume. The appeal is more rear legroom and cargo space than in a conventional sedan, without it being a crossover or conventional sport/utility. Our well-equipped example cost $27,045 all in and included other rear cabin accoutrements such as a glass roof panel and DVD system. The Maxx wasn't the car our staff lusted after for high school reunion duty, but it seldom spent a night in the garage. “I have stuff to pick up from the…

1963 MARKED the debut ofthe all-new Sting-Ray—the only year for the now-coveted “split-window” body style and the first time Chevy offered the Z06 model. Technically called the Special Performance Package, it could be ordered as Regular Production Option number Z06. The idea was to assist Corvette race teams by homologating the hi-po hardware at the same time. Some of the changes were larger, dual-circuit power brakes with sintered metallic linings, cooling fins for those Alfin front drums, a 36-gallon fuel tank, knock-off alloy wheels, and a 360-horse version of the fuel-injected 327 V-8. The Z06 was theoretically available only in the coupe body style, but one documented Z06-equipped roadster snuck down the production line. One of the first Z06s off that line won a road race at Riverside International Raceway…