Innehållsförteckning för April 1995 från MotorTrend

FIRST DRIVE Sportage 4x4 KIA’S AFFORDABLE SPORTAGE Here’s the situation: Although the new Kia Sportage had already arrived at dealerships in Southern California, test models weren’t made available to the media. Why? The first shipment of these affordable sport/utility vehicles was equipped with Kia’s 2.0-liter/94-horsepower SOHC inline-four; vehicles fitted with a new, more powerful 139-horse DOHC version of the engine are due to go on sale in April. So, Kia figured there was little sense in handing out SOHC Sportages for reviews when the twin-cammer was right around the corner. We figured otherwise. Determined to find out what this new low-cost sport/utility was all about, we headed down to our friendly, neighborhood Kia dealer, Don-A-Vee, in Bellflower, California, and took a base-level Sportage out for an exploratory test drive. The…

As the electric-vehicle field heats up in response to impending EV regulations, component suppliers with unique wares for this industry are beginning to emerge. While some are simply fishing for publicity to entice investment for research and development programs, others are actively signing up customers. What products are unique to EVs? Highly efficient electronic air-conditioning and heatins systems, on-board energy-management systems, low-rolling-resistance tires, and regenerative braking hardware are but a few of the EV-specific components and systems that will come to the fore as electric vehicles are driven to market. Of course, the most innovative system in any EV will be its electric powertrain. Almost every automaker is heavily involved in electric motor/controller research, and many have made considerable breakthroughs. General Motors even established a new company, Delco propulsion Systems,…

About 15 seconds after the original Mustang hit the street on April 17, 1964, Carroll Shel-by was at work developing its road racing counterpart: the Shelby GT350. With a hairy 289 V-8, muscie-bound suspension, no back seat, and blatty side-exiting exhausts, this fastback flier was nothing less than a race car for the street—built for men with bulging biceps and crumpled packs of Pall Mall reds, and a dswning free-love nation awaitimg conquest. On the racetrack, Shelbuy’s blue-striped ’Stangfs were true ponycars on steroids, dominating the SCCA B-prduction road racing world and delivering a fiery-hot performance image to Ford showrooms across the nation. Of562 GT350s built during the inaugural—65season, 35 were techno-morphed into full-compition versions, known in the Shelby vernacular as “R-models” Powered by a race-prepped 289 producing close to…

FACTORY NEWS GM’S NEW TRUCK V-8s Hidden in the announcement that Chevy would use a C/K pickup to pace the ’95 Brickyard 400 was the fact that the truck would be powered by a new 5.0-liter Vortec V-8 engine. Essentially, GM has transferred all the lessons it learned on the 4.3-liter Vortec V-6 to its small-block V-8 truck engines. (After all, the 4.3 engine started basically as a 5.7-liter V-8 with two cylinders lopped off.) According to sources within GM, there will be two Vortec V-8s in full-size pickups: 5.0 liter/220 horsepower (305 cid) and 5.7 liter/250 horsepower (350 cid). Like the Vortec V-6, both will feature central port fuel injection. Unlike the V-6, however, they won’t get a balance shaft, which is unnecessary with the intrinsically smoother V-8. FRESH…

LETTERS OF THE YEAR Even as he was developing the Avanti in an effort to save his company’s automobile production, the late Sherwood Egbert (d. 1969), former president of Studebaker Corporation, observed that the American automobile industry had yet to build the ideal family car. In the Chrysler Cirrus and Dodge Stratus, I believe the Chrysler Corporation has met Mr. Egbert’s aspirations and fulfilled the dream. Henry E. Mallue, Jr.Williamsburg, Va. Rims and tires that bury the Accord, lots of interior room, a front end that looks like a Volvo concept car, ample power, a fair price, and you call the Chrysler Cirrus your Car of the Year? (Jan. ’95) Okay! No argument. John ArnoldSan Antonio, Texas Sorry, but I’m disappointed in the Cirrus. It needs a larger motor as…

DODGE WANTS 200 HP AVENGER R/T Dodge hopes the reaction of auto show attendees will validate production of this Avenger R/T concept car. Positioned in terms of price and performance as the new top model, over the current Avenger ES, the monochrome R/T will address the Avenger’s principal shortfall—power. The concept car is powered by a Chrysler SDHC 3.0-liter V-6 with new four-vaive cylinder heads and a compression ratio altered from 8.9:1 to 10.0:1. As used in the Dodge Caravan, for example, the existing two-value-per-cylinder 3.0-liter six produces 142 horsepower at 5000 rpm. The four-valve edition reportedly generates an impressive 200-plus horsepower at 6000 rpm, which Chrysler says translates into an estimated 0-60 mph clocking of 7.0 seconds—3 seconds quicker than the “performance” model, the SOHC 2.5 liter Avenger ES…

To quote the famous philosopher Flip Wilson, “What you see is what you get.” Believe it or not, Acura says its first U.S.-built effort will look very much like the concept car, the Acura CL-X, shown here. Acura officials said that when the production version of the CL-X hits show-rooms early next summer (as a ’97 model), differences between it and this special auto show version will be largely limited to a slightly less pointed nose and tail, as well as shallower sculpting of the lower door and rocker-sill areas. And, we expect, a better-riding, more practical combination will replace the show car’s 18- and 19-inch tall, 9.0-inch-wide, carbon-fiber and aluminum-composite wheels shod with super-low-profile tires (255/35VR18 front, 255/40VR19 rear). Acura said the CL-X nomenclature is a codename and was…

We didn’t quite know what to expect when Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury division, burst onto the scene a little over five years ago with a megadollar ad campaign spewing Zen philosophy and images of rocks, trees, and sky. It was a setup for the ultimate dichoto my: Infiniti’s flagship model, the Q45, was anything but serene. It was a full-size sport sedan with the heart of a 7-Series BMW, and a blend of quality, refinement, and value then unknown to European luxury manufacturers. The supporting cast initially consisted of the M30, an Americanized version of Nissan’s home-market Leopard coupe and convertible. It acted as the entry-level Infiniti until the G20 came along. Eventually, the rear-drive J30 was introduced, rounding out the automaker’s lineup. Since its launch, Infiniti has been recognized for…

In this age of sport bucket seats, well-stocked center consoles, and passenger-swallowing minivans, the six-seater sedan is a scarce breed. Today’s selection pales in comparison with the genre’s heyday of yore when sedans were sedans, ready to carry an entire family reunion, along with a year’s worth of luggage, anywhere the sweeping chrome grille and queen-bed-size hood was pointed (as long as the 8-mpg V-8 underneath was kept fed). Today’s six seaters may not match those behemoths in sheer girth, but in terms of safety, efficiency, reliability, and creature comforts, yesterday’s sedans can’t hold a 10-watt bulb to today’s lot. To judge the current large six-seater sedans, we’ve gathered a sampling that shows the eclectic mix available. Included are the Buick Roadmaster Limited, Chrysler New Yorker, Mercury Grand Marquis LS,…

Let’s face it—only a few things in this world really make life worth living: love, reading Motor Trend, champagne, and driving a BMW. We don’t recommend experiencing these sensations all at the same time; put the BMW first. It’ll hold you until the champagne’s chilled. If you don’t know how we feel about our long-term 540i sedan by now, this must be your first time reading Motor Trend. We may need to enlist the help of Dr. Christiaan Barnard to detach us from this vehicle. Over 90 percent of 540i owners who participated in our survey feel likewise about their cars. There’s no doubt the 540i’s performance is first in the hearts and minds of owners; over 95 percent of the respondents named performance as the primary purchase influence. The…

The new year began on a high note in both Detroit and Los Angeles. In addition to displaying loads of new and improved hardware, manufacturers were eager to play up the good news that ’94 vehicle sales had reached 15.1 million units—the fourth-best annual total ever and a healthy 9-percent gain over ’93 figures. Concept cars played a prominent role in both exhibitions, and we’ve profiled many of the significant ones in this issue’s special Future Cars section. But although this report’s central focus is on production vehicles—primarily the raft of early ’96s that were given their first public showing—we couldn’t help but sprinkle in a few fantasy machines for good measure. Here’s a brief overview of what surprised and delighted the crowds who showed up in record numbers at…

The Clean Air Act, which is up for renewal this year, sits in the cross hairs as the Republican Congress draws a bead on regulatory targets. Aware of its precarious position, the Environmental Protection Agency has moved quickly to soften three clean-air mandates and to promote a more flexible image. After months of wrangling last year between the EPA, state regulators, and automakers, EPA Administrator Carol Browner granted approval to the Ozone Transport Commission to implement California’s auto emissions standard in 12 northeastern states. But Browner also made it clear that she prefers a 49-state plan developed by automakers that would allow low-emissions vehicles rather than mandate zero-emissions (electric) vehicles, as required in the California plan. Browner said that talks between automakers and state regulators should continue, leaving the door…

What’s its secret? Why has the Ford Explorer dominated the increasingly competitive sport/utility vehicle arena ever since its ’91 model-year launch? It’s sold over 300,000 units annually since: significantly more than either of its two closest competitors—the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Chevrolet S-Blazer—and more than all import SUVs put together. In ’94, it was the ninth-best-selling vehicle of any kind in the USA, edging out the likes of the Honda Civic, Pontiac Grand Am, and Chevy S-10 pickup. And Ford anticipates even better sales (up to a heady 400,000) in ’95, with the recently added capacity of an assembly plant in St. Louis supplementing the flow from Louisville, Kentucky. Ford obviously knows what Explorer buyers are looking for. This sport/utility’s traditional strengths have been a roomy cargo area, a welcoming…

All cars start as ideas. A few start as dreams. The lusty Dodge Viper did just that in the early ’90s. But during the early ’50s, an even more impressive feat occurred—a two-seat fiberglass sports car sprang from the dreams of a manufacturer noted for stodginess, not inspiration. Ever since, the Corvette has been used again and again as the platform upon which General Motors (through Chevrolet) has expressed its automotive ambition. The first Corvette dreamer was Harley J. Earl, GM’s chief designer (formally the head of the Art and Color Section) and the man who invented the “dream car” with the ’38 Buick Y-Job. After the grim tasks of WWII, Earl eagerly looked forward to expressing once again his automotive love. By the fall of ’51, with the industry…

’94 GMO SONOMA Life with the hot-pink truck was cruising along wonderfully until the 8200 tick on the odometer. That’s when the electronic control module, the processing unit for the vehicle’s electronic system, called it quits. We had it towed to the dealer, where it quickly received a new brain, all under warranty. Since then it’s had no other glitches. The biggest complaint overall is from those who’ve had to squeeze passengers into the rear jump seats. One editor said he loved his 8-year-old twins too much to subject them to that kind of punishment. Power for work and play is readily abundant from the 4.3-liter/195-horse OHV V-6, and the Sonoma has seen all kinds of duty, from hauling skis to moving furniture. Fuel mileage has remained constant, but the…