Innehållsförteckning för January 2007 från MotorTrend

◼ Ferrari 599GTB at Fiorano Follow the 599 around Ferrari’s famed Fiorano circuit through the magic of our Virtual Road Test. Available December 5. ◼ Car of the Year Go to motortrend.com January 1 for expanded coverage of the 2007 Car of the Year testing. Check out: ◼ Full vehicle specs and expanded photo galleries ◼ Videos of testing procedures ◼ Tundra Deep Dive We’ve dug under the skin to find what makes this Tundra the toughest truck Toyota’s built. Log on January 8 for our comprehensive, insider’s look at the all-new Tundra. ◼ Hummers in Russia Join tech editor Frank Marcus on his journey through Russia to see what GM and partners have cooking behind the former Iron Curtain. Available December 5. ◼ Auto Show Spectacular Let motortrend.com take…

THE MUSTANG is cheap to build. And that's causing major headaches for planners at Chevrolet and Dodge as they work on their own, more sophisticated, musclecars. Whispers out of Auburn Hills hint DaimlerChrysler couldn't figure out how to price a V-6 Challenger within $5000 of a base Mustang and now won't even bother offering an entry-level model. The problem is the Challenger's platform, which will underpin the next-gen Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger, features a more expensive independent rear-suspension setup. Dodge marketers figure the Challenger will appeal most to baby boomers who have the money to splash on a well-specified V-8, anyway. But this also limits the car's potential sale and makes the already wafer-thin profit margins even thinner. Chevy faces a similar cost problem with the independent rearend Zeta…

THIS IS the ragtop version of the handsome new TT coupe, and, unlike the first TT, the roof surgery has been kinder to the looks. The new TT Roadster will appear with the 200-horsepower, 2.0-1 iter FSI turbo four and the 250-horsepower, 3.2-liter V-6. OTHER DETAILS The 2.0-liter FSI comes with front drive only; the V-6 model is quattro only. ◼ Audi rejected a folding metal top to make the TT a "pure" roadster. Cloth versus the hardtop also results in a lower center of gravity. ◼ Cloth top has steel and aluminum reinforcements and a glass rear window and folds in a "Z" with the front section covering the cloth when the top is open. ◼ Power top is standard with the V-6, optional with the FSI four. It…

BMW’S NEW 3 Series hardtop-convertible makes its debut at the North American International Auto Show at Detroit in time for summer sales. Here's a look: ◼ 335i with 300-horsepower/300-pound-foot twin-turbo direct-injection gas 3.0-liter six ◼ 328i with a 230-horsepower/200-pound-foot 3.0-liter inline-six ◼ All-steel top lowers in 22 seconds, closes in 23 ◼ Rear side windows are 30 percent larger than on the last-generation 3 Series ragtop ◼ Hofmeister kink is retained…

TRUST THE PROCESS. That's the mantra our Car of the Year judges kept in the back of their minds as they faced the daunting task of sorting through 27 contenders to find the 2007 Car of the Year winner. And this year, the first part of that process involved three days of intensive testing at Hyundai-Kia's impressive new proving ground complex at California City in the Mojave Desert, 100 miles north of Los Angeles. Completed December 2004, the Hyundai-Kia California Proving Ground is the newest dedicated automotive-testing facility in the country. Hyundai-Kia’s $58-million investment enables the company to develop vehicles that better suit North American market requirements, particularly in terms of ride, handling, refinement, and performance. The 4800-acre complex includes nine test courses totaling 72 miles, plus more than 30,000…

DAVID SPADE made an unscripted joke about the Dodge Neon when he helped introduce the Caliber at the Detroit auto show last January. This new entry-level Dodge surely is better than the Neon, he implied. Is it? Yes, the Caliber launched to a great start (as did the Neon in 1994). The Neon was a small sedan. The Caliber strives to be something more: a versatile near-crossover wagon. Yet its ride and handling fall short of expectations. It's like a smaller version of last month’s Ford Edge Sport/Utility of the Year contender, plowing through corners as if Dodge had benchmarked a full-size truck. Its tail gets nervous under throttle lift, and there’s no steering feel to rebuild your confidence. While nearly five inches lower than the Jeep Compass, which is…

THE NEW Jaguar XK is gorgeous. lan Callum's beautifully tailored curves are shrink-wrapped over the big coupe’s hardpoints, and his use of crisp lines artfully hints at the taut muscle under the all-aluminum skin. The new XK is unquestionably the sportiest Jaguar sports car since the voluptuous original that shocked the world at the 1961 Geneva show Ironically, that makes it seem cold and clinical at first: We've become so used to Jaguar sports cars replete with olde worlde foibles like pillowy ride, airy steering, and abysmal interior ergonomics that it’s hard to connect to one that does almost everything pretty damn well. On paper, the XK is the underdog of its competitive set. Base engine is a 300-horse version of Jaguar's well-regarded V-8, now stretched to 4.2 liters, and…

IN A WAY, the Es 350 suffers from being too perfect for its buyers. It's a solid, inoffensive vehicle that cushions, buffers, and numbs its owners from the cruelties of the outside world. The trouble is that Lexus is fast becoming the high-tech, performance- and style-driven branch of the Toyota family. It seems comfortable giving ES buyers exactly what they want, a midsize non-Lexus-type luxury car. The truth is the vehicle drives and feels more like a plush Camry, with few novelty bells and whistles. Although its interior is well executed with soft leather and quality materials, it doesn't compare with other Lexus products that match and exceed class competitors (in some cases leading the segment). With that said, this new ES 350 has several strengths in its favor. For…

CURIOUS CARS, the Versa. Nissan’s aim is to give its dealers an entry-level model below the all-new Sentra. But the roomier, better-value Versa might just end up being the new Sentra’s deadliest rival. Originally launched in Japan as the Tiida in late 2004, the Versa rolls on the first shared platform to emanate from the Renault-Nissan alliance (in Europe the same basic structure underpins small Renaults such as the Clio and Modus). There's a hint of the avant-garde Renault Megane in the Versa’s angular hatchback styling, too (a sedan is coming), but only a hint:With its small wheels, tall roofline, and odd mixture of curves and creases, the Versa looks awkward from some angles. You won't notice from behind the wheel, however: The impressive interior package is this car's strong…

WHEN IT MADE it two suvs (the GrandVitara and XL7) bigger and more upscale, Suzuki had a wonderful opportunity. It could've filled the space left behind with a pocket-rocket crossover, something that handled well and offered some power, at a low price. But it chickened out, and what we get instead is the SX4, a conservative, value-focused hatch. Just as with Suzukis from the past, this car is competent as a commuter car, but it's boring. The 2800-pound all-wheel-drive vehicle uses a 2.0-liter, 143-horsepower four—which one judge described as having an “agricultural, lawn-tractor whine”—as its sole source of power. Buyers have a choice of a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual—which was what our tester came with. This is likely the best way to make use of the power the four-cylinder…

IF THE SWISS Army knife people made a convertible hardtop, this would be it. You can have it as a completely closed hardtop. Or let the sunshine through a glass roof panel. Or let in a little air via a sliding sunroof. Or let it all in by lowering the entire top, a la conventional convertible. Volkswagen calls this system the CSC (coupe/sunroof/convertible), and it's composed of multiple glass and body panels that perform an amazing ballet when opening or closing, all at the touch of one button. It comes attached to a car called the Eos, by the way. The standard Eos is equipped with VW’s rather fantastic 2.0-liter turbo 1-4, spooling out 200 horsepower; choose between a six-speed manual or the equally fantastic six-speed DSG autoclutch tranny. A…

IF THERE’S arty company that understands and executes the small-is-beautiful theme better than Honda right nosy we don't know which one it is. Its latest gamble, and arguably biggest risk, is the Fit. Slotting in underneath the Civic, which is evolving toward a ''semi-premium” compact, the Fit could be our Bang-for-Buck winner this year. In fact, because of its $16K price tag, sportier driving dynamics, and clever storage flexibility, it was one of the easier selections our judges made in the first cut. Among the Fit's most potent strengths is a well-matched five-speed automatic transmission (with Fl-style paddle shifters on S models—how fun is that!?) with strong first and second gears. Just a warning—the upper gears are all about fuel economy. The 1.5-liter engine offers no surprises with its 109…

THIS SEDONA isn't just a huge improvement over the first, but it now contends for highest honors in its class, not a small feat with the likes of the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna as battlers. Among the most notable improvements are the interior quality upgrades, a new 3.8-literV-6, and fully loaded price tag clicking in between $5000 and $10,000 less than the big boys. This may be the Korean manufacturer's first shot that hits the class leader square between the eyes. At almost every turn (textures, material quality, safety features, and performance), the new Sedona is right on top of the leader—the Honda Odyssey. The only unique feature the Honda offers is cylinder deactivation, but that does allow the Japanese minivan to get almost 12 percent better fuel economy.…

AS MAXWELL Smart would say, “Missed it by that much.” Porsche's stunning Cayman mid-engine coupe tied with the Toyota Camry during first-round voting, but lost the runoff. Significance and value rule: Everyman can lust over the Cayman; everyman can own the Camry. Everyman and everywoman can drive the Cayman, though. It makes you feel like a better driver. If you're average, you'll feel like an expert; if you're an expert, you'll think you're ready for the next Red Bull Formula One challenge. Cliché-mongers will tell you it fits like a glove. The Cayman is perfectly balanced, thanks in part to the mid-engine, and power comes on strong but smoothly. Turn-in is quick and predictable with no surprises, and you can dance on the edge of oversteer as you slalom your…

SQUINT ALL you want, but still you can’t tell. Far in the distance, approaching fast, it's an alien shape, a silhouette not found on the standard vehicle-I.D. charts. What the…? It’s a… it's… okay, 50 bucks says it's a giant nacho cheese Dorito. Suddenly the UFO flashes into rakish relief and claws to a standstill at your feet. A wisp of ceramic brake dust coils out from one of the Cuisinart-blade wheels. Heat waves warp the view above the glass engine cover. The Pearl Metallic Orange paint pulsates as if freshly washed in a reactor core. And then, with a click-hissssss, the scissor doors open, one followed by the other, the pair gliding skyward with luxurious torpor until they resemble tangerine slices garnishing a wedge of pumpkin pie, the archways…

AS TOYOTA prepares to become the first Japanese manufacturer to enter the NASCAR Nextel Cup series at the Daytona 500 in February, the company's public-relations nightmare is personified by a balding 47-year-old man who lives in a Detroit suburb. Bill Bagwell, dedicated NASCAR fan and a General Motors employee for 21 years, has started a Web site, fansagainstracingtoyotas.com, which has the unfortunate acronym of FART Bagwell also markets a line of anti-Toyota T-shirts with messages like this: “Bud at a Cup race: $4.Winning the Cup: $6,000,000. Selling out to Toyota: Shameless!” Bagwell showed up at the NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Michigan International Speedway last August holding a ‘Hates Toyotas!” sign that plugged his Web site. During the telecast of Speed TV's “RaceDay" show, broadcast with a live audience behind…

SENIOR BOARD members confirm Audi is working on a diesel version of its new R8 Porsche-fighter in the aftermath of its historic 2006 Le Mans win with the diesel-powered R10 racer. The engine is the same as that just launched in the Q7 and introduced in the A8, a 6.0-liter V-12 with 500 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. That's slightly less power than the Lamborghini-derived V-10 version will have, but way more torque. With the right gearing, this means the diesel could be the quickest of the R8s. The R8 TDI hasn’t been approved for production yet, but if it gets a green light, it'll be unique among sports cars, although Mercedes-Benz displayed Bluetec diesel SL and SLK concepts at the 2005 Geneva show. Audi insiders admit the diesel…

VOLVO’S XC70 3 At ZU wagon gets a major redo along the lines of the upcoming S80 that includes new styling, tying it in more closely with the XC90 SUV. But the XC70 will be the last Volvo to carry Peter Horbury's distinctive look: The first production Volvo styled under the direction of new design chief Steve Mattin, who arrived from Mercedes-Benz in May 2005, will appear in 2008 Volvo has been studying the compact SUV market for a long time, and a design study tentatively called XC50 was done at least four years ago. But with Mattin's arrival, the project has been rethought. "I came just at a time when I could tune it and point it in the right direction," Mattin tells Motor Trend. A concept at this…

LAST YEAR’S Car of the Year winner, the 2006 Honda Civic, reset the bar for the compact-sedan segment. Everyone is still attempting to catch up to its blend of design, quality, features, value message, and fun-to-drive nature. Hyundai has taken a credible shot at the class-leading Honda with a piece that offers much of its goodness for less money. The Elantra is all new this year, save for its basic powertrain architecture, which is refined but largely carryover. The new look is courtesy of Hyundai's Southern California design studio and, unlike too many previous Korean offerings, is clean, smooth, and unburdened by fussy details. It's taller and wider than its predecessor, increasing shoulder and headroom; the EPA credits it with seven cubic feet more interior volume than the vaunted Civic.…

THIS IS WHAT we mean when we say Hyundai and Kia have caught up with the rest of the automotive world. The Jeep Compass is no match for the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage, introduced last year. The interior, especially the dash and door plastics, aren't up to Tucson/Sportage snuff, and overall it’s less refined. If you do light off-roading, the Compass does offer an optional ($1600) Freedom 1 all-wheel-drive system with a locking center differential, but it's not trail-rated. Other differences from its platform sibling, the Dodge Caliber, are distinctive sheetmetal, no smaller engine choices and a higher front-seat height, which provides a better gear-shift feel. It also has more standard safety equipment (and a higher base price), including anti-lock brakes and stability and traction control, earning it an…

THE DIFFERENCE between the 2002-2007 Altima and its forgettable predecessor was huge. The outgoing model redefined the label with a bold look, value, and the availability of (big) V-6 power. Even though the interior was a bit under par, we liked it, and it sold strong. The redo is more evolution than revolution, but that's no bad deal. Nissan has upped the technology and power, giving the car a market-competitive cabin, and crisped up the look. There's lots of news underhood. The base 2.5-liter 1-4 goes to 165 horsepower, and the 3.5-liter V-6 is now 270—that's 10 more ponies than last year’s performance-oriented SE-R version. There’s also a gas/electric hybrid version on the way. Our tester was a V-6 model with the continuously variable transmission, replacing last year's conventional automatic.…

UPON HEARING that this is the best-looking sedan Saturn has ever built, the typical skeptic would respond: “Oh, sure. It's attractive for a boring car." But starting with the Sky and moving forward with the Aura, Saturn is making even the most cynical turn around for a second look. Replacing the unmemorable L-Series, the all-new sculpted Aura comes to dealerships with a choice of two V-6 engines: a 224-horsepower, overhead-valve 3.5-liter backed by a four-speed automatic, or a dual overhead cam, 252-horsepower 3.6-liter with a six-speed automatic. At the track, the 3.6-liter XR's 6.3-second 0-to-60 time was 1.1-second quicker than the L-Series and went through the quarter mile at 93.4 mph versus the L’s 88.9. The Aura also feels better at speed and is better composed in every driving situation.…

IF COTY were awarded solely on a vehicle’s contribution to streetscape aesthetics, Toyota's all-new Yaris would be the hands-down winner this year. Available as a two-door hatchback and a four-door sedan, the Yaris replaces the hideously ugly Echo as Toyota's entry-level model here in America. As small cars go, the Yaris is conventional for the most part. Under the hood is a 106-horse, 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine (carried over from the Echo) that drives the front wheels through a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. Front suspension is MacPherson strut, while at the rear is a torsion beam axle. Brakes are disc up front, drum at the rear. Perhaps the most innovative technical flourish is the adoption of the electric power-steering system seen in the Prius. The hatch is the cooler-looking…

VOLKSWAGEN has brought the Rabbit name back to the compact segment for the U.S. market. It replaces the previous-generation's Golf with an all-new model that sports a cute bunny badge here, but will still be sold as the Golf around the globe. While affordable, pocket-rocket performance and a terrific, neck-snapping powertrain are the cornerstones for the awesome GTI, those elements don't translate over to the Rabbit, which is a shame. We weren't expecting the turbocharged 2.0-liter four from the GTI, but something in the same family would've been nice. Value is the highest priority for the Rabbit, and that becomes clear as soon as you start the engine. The two- or four-door Rabbit is currently offered only with a 150-horse-power, 2.5-liter inline-five, an engine that was unfortunately the item that…

THE ORIGINAL Infiniti G35 was a bit like that first CD from NewYork hipsters, the Strokes: a surprise hit right out of the box. In rock-music terms, then, G35 gen-two is the automotive equivalent of that difficult second album. You know, the one where the fans' expectations and the bands' delivery don't quite meet. We're big fans of the original G35—we made it our 2003 COTY, after all—and it's fair to say we expected big things from the new one. For the most part, Infiniti’s 3 Series fighter delivers. It’s fast, for a start, easily capable of nailing 60 mph in under 6.0 seconds and the quarter mile in 13.8. On the Hyundai/Kia Proving Ground, only the Jaguar XKR and Porsche Cayman bested it at our speed checkpoints. It’s entertaining…

LEXUS’S PRESS materials don't state that the LS line of cars is aimed squarely at the Mercedes-Benz S-Class—but it is. Where the S-Class comes with a seven-speed automatic transmission, the Lexus has eight. Did Mercedes go high-tech in the cabin? So did Lexus, but not to as extreme a scale as the new Mercedes. Are the dimensions the same? They sure are close. The new LS, which comes with a long wheelbase or an upcoming hybrid version, offers a feeling of value. While base prices start at $61,715 and go to just over $94,000 with options, the Mercedes S-Class's MSRP is much more expensive, ranging from $86,000 to a whopping $182,000. Upon getting behind the wheel of the preproduction Lexus, judges immediately noticed that this sedan has more of an…

EVERY DAY OF EVERY WEEK, on average, Americans buy more than 1200 of them. Since its debut in 1983, over 10 million have been sold worldwide—five million of those homegrown in the horse country of Kentucky. Without benefit of fleet sales or incentives or dancing girls behind the showroom glass, it's easily the best-selling car in the United States—and has been for nine of the past 10 years. The redesigned, sixth-generation version has even become something of an automotive rock star: Stories circulate of buyers chasing loaded transport trailers to the dealership in hopes of grabbing one before it’s snatched up by some other lucky groupie. Maybe now those buyers will have to don helmets and shoulder pads: The new Toyota Camry is our choice for Motor Trend's 2007 Car…

A YEAR AGO, Angelinos weren’t thrilled to see throngs of Texans running around L.A. after the University of Texas Longhorns upset our hometown USC Trojans in the Rose Bowl Game. But with time comes healing, and we at Motor Trend have moved on. So much so that we recently welcomed to our long-term fleet a hulking corn-fed brute hailing from—you guessed it—Texas. Assembled at GM's Arlington, Texas, factory, our GMC Yukon SLT not only feeds on good-ol' gasoline, but also E85 ethanol fuel, which is made from U.S.-grown bio-material such as corn. Fitment of an LMG version of GM's Vortec 53-liter, 320-horsepower V-8 allows for this dual-fuel capability as well as a snazzy FlexFuel badge to be affixed to the tailgate. This badge has prompted queries from curious bystanders, to…

2006 HYUNDAI SONATA LX Total mileage 15780 THE WAIT to get a ride in the new Sonata stretches over two weeks in some cases, which speaks volumes about the car's popularity. We appreciate the little things, like the nonskid cupholder, the fact that the key fob doesn't clank on the dash when driving, the auto down and up feature for the driver's window, and the remote-control buttons on the steering wheel. Normal in more expensive cars, but they surprise and delight at this price point. The Hyundai is a huge jump forward for its Korean maker. ■ Average fuel econ 19.7 mpg ■ Unresolved problem area Intermittent-flickering dash lights ■ Maintenance cost $56.98 (7.5K service) $35.67 (15K service) ■ Normal-wear cost $3 (replacement brake-light bulb) 2006 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE GT Total…

THE ALL-NEW 2005 $40 was the first new model from Volvo following its introduction of the popular XC90. Launched back in 1995, this current-generation S40 is the latest addition to Volvo's S model line, which includes the larger S60 and S80. The design of the $40 is unmistakable Volvo; it's evolved to match the changing times. Many consider the $40 a shrunken version of its big brother S80, which isn’t such a bad thing—and is one among many good reasons to have an S40 for a year in our long-term fleet. The interior is a complete departure from the norm. Modern minimalistic sums it up best with its ultra-slim “waterfall” center console and limited use of knob and button controls that keep the interior a pleasure to occupy and view.…

THE MUSTANG continues to be one of the few bright spots in Ford’s product range, and Dearborn intends to make the most of the reborn ponycar’s popularity. The recently announced 325-horsepower Shelby GT will be joined by two more Mustang variants in 2007—an all-new Bullitt and the long-rumored Boss. The new Bullitt will be the best interpretation up to this time of the iconic 1968 390 GT driven by Steve McQueen in the movie that still sets enthusiasts’ pulses racing for its real-world chase sequence through the streets of San Francisco. Insiders who've seen styling mockups report the 2007 Bullitt features a plain grille without galloping pony badge or spotlights and a black-painted panel between the taillights, just like McQueen’s ‘68. Naturally, the car will be available in Highland Green.…

ULTRA-LOW-sulfur diesel officially went on sale in the United States on October 15, and automakers are confident diesel-powered cars can become a phenomenon equal to hybrids here. A survey from the Diesel Technology Forum and Mercedes-Benz USA claims 50 percent of Gen-Y buyers and 46 percent of Gen-X buyers would consider buying a new clean diesel car. The survey skips buyers old enough to be of driving age when Oldsmobile and Volkswagen Rabbit diesels hit the market in reaction to the fuel shocks of the 1970s. With such high acceptance from those under 42 years of age, the new low-sulfur standard and environmentalist interest in biodiesel as an alternative source make diesel engines likely to be the Next Big Thing. Ultra-low-sulphur diesel has no more than 15 parts per million…

TWO NEW models are a lot for Maserati (although one's a variation on a theme). The big one is the long-anticipated Coupe replacement, set for a mid-2007 launch. But the fact that both the new Coupe and Maserati's upgraded Quattroporte will be available with conventional automatic transmissions is arguably more significant, as it means the charismatic Italian cars will have much wider appeal. Maserati will present the new, much-awaited full automatic version of its Quattroporte luxury sedan at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It’s an important car because many customers have been resistant to the jerky automated manual that’s been the only transmission option until now. Getting an autobox to fit hasn't been easy. The current Quattroporte has a transaxle layout, and it's been impossible to fit…

letter of the month it’s a living I had if Baad fortune to share a beer with Chris Economaki while attending the Six-Hour at the Glen in the mid-1970s (“The Write Stuff”). 1 was in the Toyota hospitality tent enjoying lunch (and avoiding the rain), when Economaki came in and sat at an adjacent table. I'd never met him, but when I went for a refill, I asked if he cared for a beer and he gladly accepted. When! returned, John Greenwood, whose monster Vette had blown up in a big way earlier, had joined Economaki at his table. Economaki fired up his microphone and interviewed Greenwood on the track P.A. system. Upon completion of the interview, Economaki signed off with, “This is Chris Economaki reporting from pit lane.” He…

EVEN THOUGH Daimler-Chrysler is no longer pumping investment into Mitsubishi, the product sharing between the two companies continues. The newest result of this no longer happy communion is the Chrysler Sebring. The Sebring shares a new 2.4-liter 1-4 engine with other Dodge and Jeep products, but it can be optioned with either a 2.7 or 3.5-liter V-6. The four-cylinder and 2.7-liter come matched with a four-speed automatic, while the 3.5-liter enlists a six-speed auto, as did our COTY contender. While the 235-horsepower, high-output V-6 draws such comments as "adequate" and even "powerful," it’s likely the quick-shifting, if strangely geared, transmission is what facilitates these observations. The transaxle is somewhat bipolar, offering both muscular off-the-line performance and lethargic but fuel-sipping top-gear cruising. Chrysler went with more conservative lines for this iteration…

IF YOU NEED evidence that the Korean automakers are serious about their place in America, look no further than the Entourage. Hyundai's first-ever minivan (essentially a twin to the Kia Sedona) was designed with the hope of overtaking the Honda Odyssey as the industry standard. With 250 horsepower, a bevy of standard safety equipment, and a roomy interior, it comes close. Judges were impressed by the quality of the materials in the cabin. Hyundai uses soft-touch plastics, stitchwork is top-notch, and none of the amenities look cheap or designed to a price. The Limited model we tested came with comfortable leather seats (with heaters in the front row), easy-to-use controls in the center stack, tri-zone climate control, a power sunroof, and a rear-seat audio entertainment system. The Entourage also is…

SATURN contemplated selling a U.S. version of the Opel Zafira minivan here several years ago, but dropped the idea. Mazda introduced its four-cylinder 5 here last year, and it made the first cut in our Car of the Year competition. Now Kia has decided its European-style minivan, the Carens, is ready for the U.S. market, where it's called the Rondo. Based on the impressive Optima midsize sedan, the Rondo is much smaller than Dodge Caravans and Honda Odysseys and such and, like the first Odyssey, has four conventional doors. When the optional third row is up, cargo area is virtually eliminated, and you've got two fairly tight seats. Still, for smaller and/or younger families that use the third row occasionally, the Rondo offers maneuver ability and fuel mileage that conventional…

THE COMPACT market segment is tough, so quick face-lifts no longer cut it. Nissan threw out everything but the nameplate for the 2007 version of its Sentra. The previous conventional sedan profile has been ditched for a more chiseled look with Nissan's current corporate face. While a complete redo was long overdue, is Nissan diluting its own piece of this market space with the addition of the new subcompact Versa? They're separated only by a mere 3.6 cubic feet of interior passenger volume. Both share chassis architecture with Renault, although the Versa is a hatchback and the Sentra has a conventional trunk. The new Sentra houses a new larger and more powerful 140-horse, 2.0-liter inline-four versus the Versa’s 122-horse, 1.8-liter 1-4. Both are available with continuously variable automatic transmissions as…

SOME PLATFORMS enjoy multitasking more than others. Introduced as the Pontiac Solstice, then making its debut as the Saturn Sky, then announced as the Opel GT for Europe, this new GM roadster is the poster child for platform sharing. Rated at 260 horses, the high-tech turbo can stand “ready” for a hint of throttle blip. Where typical turbos have to ramp up over seconds, this dual-scroll turbo uses a sophisticated variable-valve-timing software program to keep the exhaust valves open just a smidge to allow more air to flow through and keep the turbo primed. Several judges note this extra power (almost 100 horses over the naturally aspirated 2.4-liter in-line-four) allows access to certain chassis characteristics we didn't experience in the base Solstice and Sky. This kick allows the Sky Redline…

LIKE MOST convertibles, the true beauty of the shape is revealed with its top off—but the look of the Volvo CTO's mechanical robo-top in action, with its nasty levers and threatening scissor hinges, is somewhat frightening. Nonetheless, Volvo, with strong safety and interior-design credentials behind it, went to the Italian designers at Pininfarina to help it make the new CTO hardtop convertible look good and work smoothly. Judges note there's more trunk room in the Eos with the top down, but the Volvo does offer a clever trunk-mounted switch that'll raise the roof pieces more than six inches to facilitate top-down access to luggage. During our track loops, the turbocharged 1-5 performed admirably, clicking off 7.2 seconds before it reached 60 mph in acceleration runs, with 6T.1 mph through our…

GOD, AS ARCHITECT MIES VAN DER ROHE once famously observed, is in the details. And it’s the detail the judges focus on with the eight cars nominated for the second and final phase of this year’s COTY test program. We’ve moved away from the controlled environment of the Hyundai-Kia California Proving Ground and out into the real world, courtesy of a 27.5-mile road loop starting in Tehachapi, a bustling community that straddles the 4064-foot pass in the Tehachapi Mountains between Bakersfield to the west and Edwards Air Force base to the east. We’ve found how well these cars work at their limits: Now we’re going to find out how well they work in everyday driving conditions. From our hotel, the loop joins the freeway for a short stint before turning…

EVEN AGAINST a more-than-competitive field, this player proved a standout from Day One of the program. More than one of our editors asked if our four-cylinder-equipped Optima test unit was aV-6 model. This makes more sense when you look at the numbers. The Optima’s standard 2.4-liter I-4 puts out 161 horsepower, competitive for the segment. Its optional 2.7-liter V-6 is good for 185, not as competitive among midsize V-6 sedans. That's two cylinders, just 0.3 liter, and a measly 24 horsepower separating the two engines. This four-banger offers nearly comparable power for less money and with much better fuel economy. It's not as smooth nor sweet as the Accord’s I-4, but gets the job done with zing. Both engines are mated to nicely geared five-speed automatics; a five-speed manual can…

THE LAUNCH of a new S-Class is a much-anticipated event, not the least because M-B's flagship sedan ought to represent the distillation of the collective wisdom of Germany's finest automotive engineers. It’s no surprise, then, that the 2007 S-Class is dripping with cutting-edge technology, from adjustable air suspension to radar cruise control to seatbelts that sense an impending crash and cinch you into the seat. Some of that technology might be a bit too cutting edge, though: The world's first seven-speed auto (trumped almost immediately by Toyota, which put an eight-speeder into the new Lexus LS 460) sounds impressive over a martini at the country club, but out on the road you can become aware of the transmission constantly shuffling through the ratios to find the optimum one. The night-vision…

FOR THE LAST 26 YEARS, Dario Benuzzi (pictured left), Ferrari’s head test driver, has had the world’s best job all to himself. Day after day, following yet another struggle to warp the time/space continuum around Fiorano’s 1.83 miles, Dario’s words into an engineer’s ear have helped sculpt the roadgoing character of every roadgoing Ferrari of the last quarter century. Tickled with your Testarossa? Credit Dario. Miserable with your Mondial? Dario again. He’s so highly esteemed that when the Olympic torch passed through Maranello on its way to the Winter Games in Turin, Benuzzi was selected to carry the flame into the factory. But these days the legendary man in black sunglasses Is getting help from a 26-year-old protege who’s likely to become Maranello’s future shaper-in-chief of Ferrari feel. "My name,…

FIRST, THE BAD NEWS: GM is releasing its newest pickup truck, the Silverado, into one of the most hotly contested segments around—at a time when full-size-vehicle-bashing is fast becoming a new sport. Additionally, Toyota (whose market share continues to grow) is on the verge of releasing its first crack at this lucrative full-size pickup-truck market. And if that weren’t enough, Honda and Nissan have offered their own interpretation of the full-size pickup truck for American buyers and both have hit the market with a thud. Likewise, Ford and Dodge are struggling with thousands in cash on the hoods as well. If this isn't dangerous automotive territory, nothing is. But GM still might have a few tricks up its sleeve—trouble is, this isn't a segment that responds well to trickery. The…

2007 TOYOTA CAMRY HYBRID Total mileage 8281 OUR fuel-mileage champ is getting a workout. One weekend, it's Los Angeles to San Diego, back to L.A., over to Manhattan Beach, and back to L.A.—all on about 9.5 gallons. Then it's off to Lake Tahoe where it stretched 477 miles out of a tank with 30 miles still left in it This included climbing several mountain summits over Highway 395. On the return trip back to L.A., it traveled 450 miles on 11 gallons. "It doesn't matter if you get 35 or 40 mpg, it's way better than most cars of this size and power output," notes one editor. ■ Average fuel econ 32.1 mpg ■ Unresolved problem areas None ■ Maintenance cost $51.03 (5K) ■ Normal-wear cost $0 2006 BMW 3301…

MOTOR TREND has evaluated many Ferraris (and a few Maseratis) at Ferrari's hallowed private test track in Italy. It’s located just a few blocks from the factory gates, and the 599 GTB Fiorano represents the second time in a decade Ferrari has named a new model after this much-storied facility. Ferrari used to do its testing at the now-defunct Autodromo course in downtown Modena, but began building its own track in the early 1970s. Think of those who've tested there: Gilles Villenueve, Mario Andretti, Prost, Berger, Pironi, Alesi, Johanssen, Alboreto, and of course the just-retired Michael Schumacher. This photo shows a prototype Ferrari 312B3 Formula 1 car at what looks to be a media day prior to the 1973 season. Note the sign reading “Costruzione Pista di Fiorano,” which indicates…