Innehållsförteckning för December 2023 från MotorTrend

The AMG GT coupe is back after a one-year hiatus. Now more mechanically aligned with the recently redesigned SL convertible, the new coupe still has a V-8 rumble, but customer feedback on the more hardcore prior version sees it grow larger, more comfortable, and more practical—and presumably less rowdy. But before anyone fires off an angry email to Mercedes, let’s just enjoy the fact a new, low-slung sports car is arriving at all. Electrification is big at Mercedes and AMG, but this new GT eschews any sort of complex plug-in hybrid powertrain (as seen on the recent C 63, S 63, and GLC 63 S) for the two models available at launch, the GT 55 and GT 63. As such, the GT 55 gets a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 with 469…

Alfa Romeo set the bar high with its new 33 Stradale, declaring the sports car “follows in the footsteps of an icon of the 1960s and one of the most beautiful cars of all time, the Tipo 33.” Does the 33 Stradale live up to that heady comparison? It’s certainly pretty, but then so are most Italian sports cars slathered in lurid red paint. Where the 33 Stradale truly stands out is in its general audacity—outside of a few one-offs, Alfa’s been out of the exotic car game for nearly 15 years—and rarity. Just 33 will be built. Alfa Romeo will offer a broad menu of customization possibilities to give customers wide latitude to make their custom-built cars unique, but even so, the biggest decision will involve the powertrain. As…

In the past, sporty Audis caught flak for being too heavy—their front ends, in particular. With their engines mounted ahead of the front axle, overall balance was compromised and thus fun hunters passed them over in favor of amusements from BMW and AMG. We bring news that ought to give those folks pause: This Audi is sensational to drive, plus it puts down some big-time numbers. Its 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-6 produces 444 hp and 442 lb-ft of torque, all of which is funneled through an eight-speed automatic and to all four wheels. Our testing returned a 0–60-mph sprint of 3.5 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 12.0 seconds, the accelerative ferocity enhanced by aggressive shifts and a sonorous, trebly engine note. Both metrics are just three ticks behind those of…

Still Living in the Past Your Back to the ’90s essays in the July issue were spectacular, particularly for someone such as me who spent that decade in suburban Detroit. When I was an auto industry executive, I’d look forward to reading my weekly Automotive News trade publication. It was the industry rag and a must-read for every industry player. Your splendid array of essays in the July edition brought back memories of that time, and I celebrate MotorTrend for the extraordinary effort. The way Angus MacKenzie connected the dots that led to GM’s implosion was masterful. As he observes, while the Europeans were obsessed with creating wonderful-performing machines and the Asians were fixated on delivering superb-quality fit and finish, GM and the other American automakers were concerned more about…

Don’t get up or go outside, but look around wherever you are. Chances are, something within your line of sight was made in China. Modern Chinese industrialization and manufacturing only began in the latter half of the 20th century, but the country is a global leader in exporting furniture, clothing, lighting, electrical machinery, computers, appliances, and more. It’s no surprise, then, that exporting cars is now part of its economy, too. But the big question on this side of the Pacific is why Chinese manufacturers haven’t landed yet in the U.S., despite a few showing up sporadically at this country’s auto shows since 2006. In fact, Chinese cars are closer to the U.S. market than most people know. We traveled to Mexico City, where there are Chinese-branded, Chinese-manufactured vehicles in…

Deafening silence. Open secret. Jumbo shrimp. Icy hot. All are examples of a particular rhetorical quirk known as the oxymoron. A generation ago, you could have added “sporty SUV” to that list, as the only thing sporty about, say, a Jeep Wrangler was the sunburn you got after a day of creeping along the trails with the roof and doors removed. Then the world, and Americans in particular, went insane for SUVs. Like any time you can charge more for something that already exists, automakers realized making sporty SUVs and crossovers meant extra dollars in the sum columns. A genre was born, and performance-oriented SUVs are now more popular than ever. So much so, even the Toyota RAV4 Prime gets a sporty variant, the XSE. For today’s comparison test, Toyota’s…

“I thought vehicle-to-load capability would feel like a gimmick, but it’s already come in handy.”Erick Ayapana Service Life 2 months/2,661 miles Average Fuel Econ 3.6 mi/kWh Unresolved Problems None  Maintenance Cost $0  Normal Wear $0  Base Price $52,695  As Tested $55,500  EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ 120/98/109 mpg-e One of the many common experiences when switching from a gas-powered car to an EV like our EV6 is discovering new and somewhat cryptic features like Vehicle to Load (or V2L for short). V2L essentially turns the EV6 into a generator by tapping into its ginormous 77.4-kWh battery and bidirectional onboard charger to provide AC power to your electronic devices and appliances. Admittedly, we didn’t expect to find much use for the EV6’s bidirectional charging and thought we would need to come up with a gimmicky way to report…

“The G90’s advanced driver aids provide hands-on luxury.”Alexander Stoklosa Service Life 3 months/9,964 miles Average Fuel Econ 20.6 mpg Unresolved Problems None  Maintenance Cost $0 (oil and filter change, fuel system conditioner due to California’s 91-octane fuel, windshield washer fluid, inspection)  Normal Wear $0  Base Price $99,795  As Tested $101,295  EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ 17/24/20 mpg Context is everything when it comes to road trips. Are you loafing along in a cacophonous rented box truck with all of your belongings, on your way to a new home? Bzzzt! Game-show buzzer! Hauling the entire family in the filthy minivan to see yet more family over the holidays? Bzzzt! Just had a new baby but needed to fly to Los Angeles on the company dime to drive a $101,295 luxury sedan some 1,400 miles over several days from California to Texas—alone? Ding, ding,…

“Updates over the where? This EV’s digital maintenance hasn’t always been simple.”Alex Leanse Service Life 5 months/5,948 miles Average Fuel Econ 2.9 mi/kWh Unresolved Problems None Maintenance Cost $50 (tire rotation, multipoint inspection) Normal Wear $0 Base Price $57,795 As Tested $58,005 EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ 113/90/101 mpg-e Free from the stresses of contained explosions and contaminated fluids, electric vehicles need far less maintenance than those with combustion engines. Less is the operative word here. As our Ioniq 5 rolled up to 5,000 miles, it alerted me that service was due. For what, exactly? Skeptical, I scheduled at a Hyundai dealership, where all we got was a tire rotation. Mechanically, everything was perfect. Digitally, however, the Ioniq 5 wasn’t. When our Ioniq 5 first arrived, its infotainment lacked height adjustment for the…

Odds are good that by 2035, you won’t be able to buy a new gasoline-powered automobile. Sure, California and New York have passed legislation mandating exactly that, but I doubt there will be laws in most places around the world prohibiting the sale of internal combustion powerplants. The reason you won’t be able to buy one is you’re not rich enough. Gazing into my crystal ball, the next generation of passenger vehicles will consist almost totally of battery electric vehicles, dusted with a small percentage of heavy-duty diesel trucks, a few weirdo hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and gasoline-powered sports cars (some using eFuel—see page 82). The Ferrari V-12 and the naturally aspirated flat-six in the Porsche 911 GT have long lives ahead of them. Primarily because the high-end market has…

Car fans have been burned before by a beautiful 2+2 Lamborghini GT design, the stunning hybrid-powered Asterion concept from 2015. It offered a promise of a future hybrid Lamborghini grand-touring coupe, but it never materialized as a production model (though its hybrid spirit lives on, in a sense, in the Urus and the Revuelto V-12 plug-in supercar). Now the Lanzador EV concept twists our imaginations around what an electric Lamborghini will be—even with a name fit for prescription medication. The sculpted exterior design of the new “ultra” GT EV, as Lambo labels it, recalls a few signature elements of the Asterion hybrid design, including a similar shade of blue paint (called Azzurro Abissale in this application). However, the Lanzador sports broader intakes and slimmer headlights up front more akin to…

This Model Y Long Range doesn’t look much different from one we tested in 2020. That said, plenty of changes were made to the hardware (including the battery) and software, and EPA range increases from 316 miles to 330, so we figured it was time for another look. Output is the same, but the 2023 dashed to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, 0.3 second slower than the 2020. The discrepancy is for a very Tesla reason: The acceleration is now a $2,000 option. Besides providing Tesla an opportunity to hoover up more cash, the altered acceleration curve might get credit for lengthening the range. Seems a fair trade-off, given two grand is a lot of dough for three-tenths of a second. Our figure-eight test revealed quick and precise steering, as…

People have clamored for an all-wheel-drive Corvette for decades. Sure, those voices largely belong to Boomers who want to drive their cars in the snow, but the sentiment still carries. Now, conveniently, the auto industry’s electric revolution combines with the C8 team’s understanding that AWD would be a logical way to achieve another performance push for the first mid-engine Corvette. Chevy also hopes the first hybrid Corvette will begin warming public perception to the idea of a fully electric vehicle eventually coming out of the nameplate’s Bowling Green, Kentucky, assembly plant. Designed to be equally at home on roads and racetracks, the 2024 Corvette E-Ray’s split personality comes courtesy of an enticing mix: It uses the standard Stingray’s chassis and engine along with the Z06’s wider bodywork and wheel-and-tire package.…

If you grew up reading car magazines or sites, it was always a special occasion when American muscle and pony cars faced off. Even if you were into the import scene, hot rods, or off-roaders, you probably stopped in your tracks when you came across a story pitting a Ford Mustang GT against a Chevrolet Camaro SS or a Dodge Challenger R/T. Sadly, those days are disappearing quicker than the fuel in a Challenger Hellcat’s tank. Ford, having flirted with killing its pony car long before doing so was cool, has emerged as the most steadfast in its commitment to its contender, the Mustang. Rather than the ritual sacrifice of its gas-fed icon for an EV, Ford expanded the family with the Mustang Mach-E electric SUV, taking things in a…

Compact luxury SUVs make up a crucial segment of the automotive business. Often positioned as entry-level models, their job is to convince buyers to spend a little more money to obtain the prestige of a luxury brand. Get it right, and they’ll attract decades’ worth of profitable repeat business; get it wrong and the buyer goes back to blue-collar brands—or another luxury marque. We gathered four compact SUVs that represent a wide range of approaches to luxury. Because these are special vehicles, we chose a special destination: Big Bear Lake, a Southern California vacationland 7,000 feet above sea level and accessible only by twisty, challenging roads, a place where you can water ski or snow ski, sometimes on the same day. We thought a road trip to Big Bear was…

“We’ve been critical of Nissan’s midsize pickup, but now our equine friends are relying on its strengths.”Aaron Gold Base Price $40,455 As Tested $43,241 EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ 17/22/19 mpg EPA RANGE, COMB 399 miles VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, 4WD, 5-pass, 4-door truck ENGINE 3.8L direct-injected DOHC 24-valve V-6  POWER (SAE NET) 310 hp @ 6,400 rpm TORQUE (SAE NET) 281 lb-ft @ 4,400 rpm  TRANSMISSION 9-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 4,798 lb (56/44%)  0-60 MPH 7.5 sec  QUARTER MILE 15.7 sec @ 89.2 mph  BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 122 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.77 g (avg)  MT FIGURE EIGHT 28.9 sec @ 0.56 g (avg) ON SALE Now If you’re a regular MotorTrend reader, you might think the 2023 Nissan Frontier is an odd addition to our long-term garage. You’ll recall…

“The interior isn’t fancy, but that just might be the Maverick’s best trick.”Erik Johnson Service Life 5 months/6,750 miles Average Fuel Econ 35.2 mpg Unresolved Problems None Maintenance Cost $0 Normal Wear $0 Base Price $25,950 As Tested $30,355 EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ 40/33/37 mpg The Maverick’s greatest trick isn’t how it manages to be an affordable pickup in a world where the price of most cars—and especially trucks—has exploded. No, its greatest feat may just be that it has one of the most clever, functional, and stylish interiors you can find anywhere while also managing to disguise much of what allows the truck to be so cheap. Storage is where it best punches above its weight—there are a ton of places to stash your stuff inside. For everyday items,…

Should we be surprised by the Mustang GTD? For many, this all-American kick in the cojones of Porsche’s race-face 911 GT3 RS is a stunning thing—a performance car like nothing ever seen from Detroit. Sure, some things remain sacred: There’s a V-8 up front under that well-vented hood, 5.2 liters and packing an 800-hp supercharged punch. But an eight-speed dual-clutch rear transaxle transmission? Semiactive, race-car-style multilink suspension front and rear? Carbon-ceramic brakes? Magnesium wheels? An aerodynamic drag reduction system? We’re a long way from Woodward Avenue, folks. But a surprise? Not really, when you think about it. After unveiling the Mustang GT3 race car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans earlier this year, Ford motorsports boss Mark Rushbrook made it abundantly clear the Blue Oval’s pony car will play…

Fisker has taken the wraps off its long-teased Pear compact electric SUV, which promises encouragingly practical gimmicks and a modern, sporty design. The sculpted exterior takes cues from the rest of the brand’s emerging all-electric lineup, including the larger Ocean SUV and Ronin four-door, five-seat convertible. Given its products, you can’t say this startup isn’t trying. A priority for the Pear’s interior design was practicality and flexibility. An example is the door armrests, which are identical to simplify manufacturing. Then there is, of course, the long-advertised Houdini trunk, where instead of a tall, traditional liftgate, it has a lower tailgate that disappears down into the body of the SUV once the rear glass is lowered into it (shades of GM’s old clamshell station wagons). Additionally, the two-row Pear offers a…

The ’60s and ’70s were arguably sports car racing’s golden era. Trans-Am was still huge, mid-engine cars hit Formula 1, and Can-Am featured some of the greatest sports racers to have been developed. Lotus was in the thick of both Can-Am and F1, with plenty of success in the latter. In Can-Am, however, the Lotus 30 and 40 weren’t faring as well; company founder Colin Chapman decided to focus solely on F1 in ’65, with Lotus stepping away from Can-Am. But there was another racer in the works before that happened—a lost Can-Am Lotus that existed only as a set of drawings. Those rediscovered plans led Colin’s son, Clive, to work with today’s Lotus to create the Type 66, a car that looks like it’s from Can-Am’s glory days but…

The 2024 Porsche 718 Spyder RS emphatically proves there’s more to life than a lap time. Porsche GT-division boss Andreas Preuninger freely admits the new Spyder RS isn’t the quickest of the 718s developed at Porsche’s in-house hotshop around a racetrack. But after sampling this joyous little roadster on snaking roads, we’re here to say, so what? It’s the finest open-top street-legal car the company has ever built. In fact, this might be the finest open-top street-legal car Porsche will ever build. That’s not merely because the Spyder RS is the last 718 to be launched with an internal combustion engine. It’s because that engine is the charismatic 4.0-liter naturally aspirated flat-six from the spine-tingling 911 GT3 and the track-dedicated 911 GT3 Cup racer. This is a fitting last hurrah…

Monterey Car Week every August is North America’s foremost celebration of vintage automotive style and sophistication. It’s where crazy-money restorations make their public debuts and where many of the world’s most fabulous vehicles trade hands at auctions that attract the hobby’s deepest pockets. These days the peninsula’s landed gentry are also cashing in, renting their mansions to luxury and hypercar brands who use them to privately demonstrate their new-car exotica to prospective clients. I managed to talk my way into a few of these manses and discovered enough cool tech to rank Monterey Car Week as a mini SAE or CES show. Swedish hypercar purveyor Koenigsegg is readying an all-new type of electric motor it dubs Dark Matter, featuring a novel “raxial-flux” layout. The motor is configured like a tall…

As it launched the S650 Mustang, Ford talked about the lineup as a triangle. It finally makes sense. One side was the base car. The second was the Dark Horse model, which formed the development base for the Mustang GT3 to race in 2024—with eyes on earning a 24 Hours of Le Mans GT-class trophy with a pony car. And now we know the final side to the triangle: The team homologated the GT3 race car via a $300,000 global street-legal track monster: the Mustang GTD. Named for the North American IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GT Daytona class, the GTD will blast onto the scene with more than 800 hp. This car has been in Ford CEO and racer Jim Farley’s head for 50 years. “I want to see Porsche,…

On a gloomy Sunday morning, dark clouds blotted the sky and the thud of heavy raindrops on pavement had the finality of canceled plans. Still, that didn’t stop a handful of Porsche 911s—some with Martini livery and Rotiform wheels and some without—a Boxster Spyder, a wrapped Mercedes S-Class coupe, and a totally kitted-out E36 BMW with a front bumper you could plow snow with from showing up. Beneath a vintage Mobil sign and its signature scarlet Pegasus, water beaded on the hood of a navy blue Porsche 912 coupe. Whether or not they knew each other, the owners had come together for simple reasons: to have some coffee, eat some breakfast, and hang out with other car enthusiasts. You could easily assign this scene to any of the numerous cars…

“We want to find out if our long-term Tundra turns out to be a pro or just an amateur.”William Walker Base Price $70,315 As Tested $71,998 EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ 18/20/19 mpg VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, 4WD, 5-pass, 4-door truck ENGINE 3.4L twin-turbo port- and direct-injected DOHC 24-valve 60-degree V-6 plus permanent-magnet electric motor  POWER (SAE NET) 389 hp @ 5,200 rpm (gas), 48 hp (elec); 437 hp (comb)  TORQUE (SAE NET) 479 lb-ft @ 2,400 rpm (gas), 184 lb-ft (elec); 583 lb-ft (comb)  TRANSMISSION 10-speed automatic  CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 6,131 lb (56/44%)  0-60 MPH 6.5 sec  QUARTER MILE 15.0 sec @ 91.8 mph  BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 134 ft  LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.69 g (avg)  MT FIGURE EIGHT 29.1 sec @ 0.57 g (avg)  EPA RANGE, COMB 612 miles  ON SALE Now There’s no missing our newest yearlong test vehicle. With paint so bright it…

“Our ID4 costs pennies to run, but it shouldn’t be this hard to figure out exactly how many.”Ed Loh Service Life 7 months/11,738 miles Average Fuel Econ 3.9 mi/kWh Unresolved Problems None Maintenance Cost $0 Normal Wear $0 Base Price $42,525 As Tested $42,525 EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ 116/98/107 mpg-e I had the best of intentions when I accepted the responsibility of shepherding our long-term ID4 for 12 months. I was (and still am) genuinely curious what the ownership experience would be like, especially from a cost perspective. But it took a surprising amount of time, effort, and aggravation to calculate what it costs to drive, especially when charging at home. We’ll get to the complaints later, but first the good news: Our ID4 has cost us about $0.07 per…

“Electric motors are great for moving heavy things, but the R1T has other challenges.”Scott Evans Service Life 13 months/27,591 miles Average Fuel Econ 1.80 mi/kWh Unresolved Problems None Maintenance Cost $0 Normal Wear $1,378.06 (three new tires) Base Price $74,075  As Tested $76,875 EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ 74/66/70 mpg-e Able to hit 60 mph in 3.1 seconds, our long-term R1T is great at hauling ass. This is a truck, though, and the real hauling it ought to be doing is cargo. Lots of it. Heavy stuff. The real measure of a truck, after all, is how well it does truck stuff. We’ve hauled all kinds of things over the past year, and we have a few thoughts. We’ve hauled a lot more than just people and air in this “lifestyle”…