Innehållsförteckning för March 2007 från MotorTrend

CADILLAC thinks it has a winner on its hands with the new CTS (see page 68) and wants to expand the CTS franchise with coupe and wagon variants. The strategy is similar to that employed by Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, which all build coupe and wagon variants of their entry-level sedans. The move will make the CTS more appealing to a broader range of buyers, particularly in Europe. So where does that leave the Europe-only Cadillac BLS? Built on the versatile Epsilon architecture, the front-drive BLS lacks the sporty handling and powertrains it needs to be Caddy’s BMW 3 Series-fighter in Europe. (The CTS is perceived as closer to a 5 Series and E-Class in size.) But a Europe-only rear-drive Caddy smaller than CTS isn't likely to sell in the…

THE FIRST question always asked an automaker about a concept like this is "Will you build it?" Mercedes-Benz is calling its S600-based Ocean Drive convertible a "one-off special." But following the appearance of the ASC-developed Chrysler 300C Helios at the Detroit show two years back and the Peugeot407 Macarena with folding steel roof by Heuliez shown at Geneva, it’s surely only a question of time before someone builds a four-door convertible that recalls the grand phaetons of the 1920s or 1930s, or even the iconic 1961 to 1967 Lincoln Continental. Chrysler’s plans to market a four-door hardtop convertible based on the next-generation 300, circa 2010, have reportedly been scrubbed, and the Macarena was basically a showcase for Heuliez’s engineering skills. But the Ocean Drive could be the car that kickstarts…

AT FIRST BLUSH, the Bevel looks like a next-generation Cube concept. But Nissan describes the Bevel as a "dynamic, multipurpose vehicle "designed for" male empty-nesters actively engaged in hobbies, recreation, and community service." Talk about your market niche. If the Rouge is a smaller, RAV4-fighting Murano, the Bevel is a smaller, sub-Xterra, albeit more a crossover than hard-core SUV. Nissan North America in La Jolla, California, designed the Bevel with asymmetric styling (coincidentally, like the Japanese-market Cube), high-utility three-zone interior and glass roof-mounted solar panels and drive-by-wire steering, throttle, and brakes. The Bevel is substantially larger than the Cube (which Nissan/Renault chief Carlos Ghosn promised would be built for left-hand-drive markets in its next iteration and is expected to launch in the U.S. for the 2009 model year). The Bevel’s…

GETTING THESE two cars together just wasn’t going to happen. But with the data gathered from the GT500 during our “American Rockets” track testing (December 2006) and data taken from the Saleen PJ Mustang (page 120, this issue), you can see them run wheel-to-wheel on the Streets of Willow road course. No tricks, no cheating. What you see is the real-world performance and handling of two of America’s hottest new Mustangs in 3D virtual reality.…

0:2 OF COURSE! A convertible! It’s as obvious as the response General Motors expected last year when it posed the question, “Should we build a new Camaro?” in three glorious, 1:1-scale Detroit-show dimensions. Look at the Camaro coupe concept’s top, or the original 1969 Camaro to which it pays homage, and you'll see it’s easy to slice it off without compensating for too fast a fastback. It’s easy if you picture it or photoshop it as we did months ago. It wasn't as easy for Tom Peters, director of rear-drive design and chief of design for the Camaro convertible, last year’s coupe, and, not coincidentally, for the C6 Corvette. “It’s amazing how many people think that’s all you do," Peters says. “Probably every surface is changed, say, two or three…

0:5 NISSAN SENTRA SE-R NISSAN’S icon rejoins the lineup powered by a 2.5-liter four in two states of tune. Milquetoast rocketeers get 177 horses hitched to a CVT with paddle shifters. SE R purists will insist on the 200-horse, 180-pound foot Spec V with its six speed manual and limited-slip diff. The added oomph is derived from hotter cam profiles, higher 10.5:1 compression, and sport-tuned intake and exhaust manifolds. All SERs get 17-inch wheels and four wheel discs, to which Spec-Vadds larger brakes, a starchier suspension, and structural upgrades. TO SUM UP: A turnkey SEMA special for under $20,000. 0:6 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX EXPECT fairly dramatic changes for the next-gen impreza, which parent Subaru wishes to reposition as a Euro hot-hatch rival. Hotness in hand (WRX and STI variants are…

0:17 TWO YEARS ago, at a retirement dinner for outgoing Ford exec Nick Scheele, we asked if he really planned to give its attractive new Lincoln sedan a moniker so dated and strange sounding as Zephyr. He said he really did. We asked how long it would be until the company acknowledged this was a mistake and change it. Crickets… The answer turned out to be one model year. Launched as the Zephyr for 2006, it becomes the MKZ for 2007. Unlike many Lincolns, the MK doesn't mean "Mark"—it’s simply Em Kay Zee. But it’s more than a badge swap for a midsize luxury/sport sedan that, up until now, shared far too much with its less-expensive platformmates, Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan. Nothing against those cars, but little of substance,…

0:23 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN VW joins the CR-V/RAV4/X3 fray with a smaller Touareg that has an equally unpronounceable name. The Tiguan concept (shown) features VW’s new 2.0-liter clean diesel four. The 200-horsepower, 3.2-liter FSI VR6 are likely engine options. While the Golf-based 2008 Tiguan must be less luxurious than the Touareg to be competitive, VW says it has similar on- and off-road capabilities. And it has seating for five. On sale in Europe late this year, we'll have to wait until early 2008. TO SUM UP: Appealing design, but can it compete with cheaper Asian and American models? 0:24 PORSCHE CAYENNE IT’S BEEN four years since high-rise Porsches first veered off-road, so it’s time for a facelift. Front styling is aerodynamically tweaked with squintier eyes and a gapier mouth that drops…

0:39 YOU DON’T start this 640-horsepower V-12. You ignite it. The result is an eruption of mechanical and exhaust noises that'll peg your car lust-o-meter like it may not have been pegged in a while. And now, your ears will enjoy the aural assault that much more, as the LP640 (the updated, upgraded, and uprated version of the flagship Murciélago) is at last available in roadster form. Pity the poor Kenwood audio system. it won’t get much use, because the tunes you'll want to hear come from just over your right shoulder. The LP640 Roadster combines the LP640 coupe’s technical and design updates with the al fresco style of the previous Murciélago Roadster. The angular body basics are the same, but the front and rear ends get a nip/tuck; that…

00.1 WATTS OVERTAKING HORSEPOWER Don’t believe that documentary, the electric car isn't completely dead. Electrons will do a lot more of the driving in mainstream commuter cars. Plug-in hybrids will hum along for 30 or 40 miles in silence, and eventually their gas-, diesel-, or bio-fueled internal-combustion engines will simply spin a generator to extend battery range. Slim new ultralight wheel-mounted motors by TM4 and others will free up space to package innovative interiors without ruining ride and handling (especially if combined with Dymag’s new carbon-fiber and magnesium wheels that weigh just 13 pounds for an 18-inch rim). 00.2 DIESEL PROLIFERATION If you drive a large vehicle, and certainly if you tow anything, expect to fill up with diesel. Engineers are winning the war against soot and NOx emissions, largely…

CAR-BASED trucks are the market darlings of our day. The propaganda suggests if you're willing to sacrifice a smidgen of the towing and off-road capability the Marlboro-Manly pickup-based trucks offer, you can enjoy similar space and styling in a vehicle boasting the fuel efficiency and comfort of a large sedan. They're billed as the metrosexual Renaissance men of the motoring scene. Of course, the hype is often hooey. Tall, blocky styling creates truckish aero drag, however slippery the shape, and ladling on the comfort and convenience gear buyers demand bloats the curb weights of midsize crossovers to two tons and up, at which point any hope of carlike fuel economy hinges on exotic hybrid or diesel powertrain technology. Nevertheless, the market is buying the message and flocking in droves from…

THERE’S AN Edge competitor in Ford’s future. It’s this Dodge, codenamed JC49 and built on the longer Dodge Avenger/Chrysler Sebring version of the GS platform that also underpins the Dodge Caliber and Jeep Compass. The JC49 is a crossover sport/utility with two rows of seats to combat the just-released Ford Edge. Engines are likely to be the 2.7-liter and 3.5-liter V-6s and, if needed, the 2.4-liter four (though V-6-only options would compete more directly with the Ford). About a year after the JC49’s late 2007 release, Chrysler division will get its own version to replace the Pacifica minivan.…

0:3 THE STORY SO FAR: At the 2005 Tokyo motor show, Mitsubishi unveiled the Concept X, an Evo IX based mockup of the next-generation Lancer Evolution. In spring 2006, it showed a further tweaked version and offered test drives in its handling mule. Last fall, Mitsubishi released the Outlander, the first vehicle sharing the C-segment platform upon which the Lancer and Evolution are based. Last month in Detroit, Mitsubishi’s production Lancer GTS made its debut, alongside the final Lancer Evolution concept before the real one is displayed at the 2007Tokyo motor show. Dubbed Prototype X, Mitsubishi claims it’s 95 percent of what the Evolution X will be. Despite sharing a common ancestor, recent Lancers and Evolutions have looked like separate species, making it difficult to sell the former using the…

0:12 YOU'RE looking at the single most important car Cadillac will launch this decade. The new 2008 CTS will prove once and for all whether GM’s luxury division can truly deliver on the promise of its radical “Art & Science” styling revolution and run wheel to wheel with the likes of Audi, BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz. There’s a lot at stake for GM with this car: prestige, credibility, and the corporation’s reborn faith in the primacy of product. By definition, there’s also a lot at stake for the American auto industry: “Hey, forget pickup trucks, guys. We can do this stuff, too.” With its edgy panels, wedgy stance, and bold light graphics, the new CTS appears a straightforward design evolution of the current car. That’s no bad thing: Although now…

0:18 CHEVROLET MALIBU IT’S A NEW day for Chevy’s quotidian midsize, which goes to the longer, 1123-inch Epsilon wheelbase of the current Malibu Maxx. Meanwhile, the Maxx is discontinued; the 2008 Malibu will be four-door only. Engine choices will be an Ecotec 2.4-liter four-cylinder, a 3.6-liter DOHC V-6 and, later, an Ecotec/electric hybrid. Chevy plans no SS version, as that name will hereafter be added to serious performance cars only. The new Malibu interior features a handsome two-tone dash in six available color combinations and optional two-tone leather seats. TO SUM UP: With its handsome, Audiesque design and good engine choices, it’s the next big thing in midsize cars. 0:19 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS THE C-Class is no longer a junior E-Class. Mercedes will emphasize the differences between sporty and traditional versions…

0:28 CHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY 0:29 DODGE CARAVAN GM AND FORD have discovered it’s near impossible to keep up with the latest minivan interior innovation, which in the new Chryslers includes optional second-row swivel captain’s chairs with a stowaway table between rows two and three and an optional dual DVD system that lets the second and third row play different movies or games. Less tumble home makes more headroom. Town & Country and Caravan have distinct front sheetmetal and tail-end styling. On sale this fall with a 240-horse 4.0 V-6 as top engine. TO SUM UP: America’s remaining minivan leaps ahead of the Asian competition… for now. 0:30 HYUNDAI VERACRUZ “A CROSSOVER for every purse and purpose," seems Hyundai’s current mantra, so it put the Santa Fe into a taffy…

0:40 NISSAN ALTIMA COUPE THE WORD coupe is derived from the French word for “cut; and indeed Nissan has cut its Altima sedan about twice as much as Toyota and Honda did, slicing 4.5 inches from the wheelbase and another 2.6 from the overhangs. The hood is the only major exterior part shared with the sedan. Drivetrain choices include a 175-horse four or a 270-horse V-6 teamed with a six-speed manual or a CVT. The engine rides lower in the car, and the sport-tuned suspension’s geometry is unique, all of which suggests that this could be the best-driving of the midsize coupes. TO SUM UP: Nipping and tucking seldom works out so well. 0:41 AUDI AS THE Geneva 2003 Nuvolari show car hinted at this sporty new coupe, the first…

WHEN WE REPORTED in January Ford was planning to resurrect the Boss 302 name and add it to the Mustang lineup for the 2008 model year, we failed to mention that Saleen, the boutique automaker based in Irvine, California, will sell you one now. You read that right: Buy your Boss 302 Mustang today! Simply visit the nearest certified Saleen Ford dealer or the new Saleen Store in Irvine, scrawl your John Hancock on a check for $61,565, and begin frosting that shiny orange paint with white clouds of Pirelli smoke. What's the catch? Well, Saleen plans to produce just 500 examples of its Boss, so if you don’t act quickly you may miss out. Furthermore, Saleen’s version isn’t exactly a Boss, as it’s devoid of “Boss” decals—Ford, naturally, is…

FRESH OFF a win in our 2007 SUOTY competition, the all new Mercedes-Benz GL450 is the newest addition to our long-term test fleet. Already a major player in every other vehicle segment, it was only a question of time before M-B decided to get into the full-size luxury sport/utility market. At just over 200 inches long, the GL is the largest vehicle in the Mercedes stable. But those extra inches make the third-row seat actually useable by occupants over six feet tall, a stretch for many other vehicles in this class. Surprisingly, though, the GL doesn't feel that big; as many editors observed, “It drives small.” Options are abundant for this vehicle, and we got most of them, starting with a whopper premium package that includes Parktronic, a power tailgate,…

OUR 2005 TRUCK of the Year showdown featured some tough competition, but from the outset, we knew the new Toyota Tacoma was going to be a serious player: bigger and bolder looks, a strong powertrain, a vast improvement over the previous model. In the end, it took home the well-deserved honors, which earned it a place in our long-term fleet for a one-year evaluation. We opted for the PreRunner with a TRD package—it offered the tough looks of a hard-core 4x4, sans the weight of a transfer case, extra driveshaft, and all the front-axle parts that would've added almost 400 extra pounds. The weight savings provided a good amount of extra throttle response and better overall fuel economy. Regrets? Opting for the runningboard step rails ($369). They weren't practical, didn’t…

SPORTVANS are the next big thing at BMW. In 2005, the Bavarian automaker confirmed it would build a sportvan/MPV/wagon based on the X5 (itself based on the 5 Series). The vehicle was developed under the working title RFK, but we believe it'll be called F5. Now comes word that BMW is planning a similar vehicle based off its 3 Series—called F3—though the company’s board hasn't given it the green light, yet. BMW is expected to launch the approved, the F3 the following year. Both would be five-door, five-passenger vehicles with rear or all-wheel drive offered. They’re designed to be sporty and yet capacious, with ride and handling to BMW sedan standards. They'll eschew larger wheels and tires that add unsprung weight as well as high centers of gravity that diminish…

FABRIZIO Giugiaro’s wild 500-horsepower concept is no show pony—it’s a fully driveable future coupe. And we're the first in the world outside Giugiaro’s Italdesign organization to drive it. Check out our exclusive videos (motortrend.com/multimedia/videos/features) of the Mustang in motion and our interviews with its creator. Oh, and there’s an awesome photo gallery from Wesley Allison’s stunning shoot, too. Download your favorite as wallpaper: motortrend.com/multimedia/wallpaper/ THE BOSS IS BACK! The Saleen/Parnelli Jones Limited Edition Mustang is the Boss 302 reborn, right down to its iconic stripes, wheels, scoops, and 5.0-literV-8 under the hood. Watch video of the Saleen PJ Mustang on the track with the car that inspired it—the 1970 Trans-Am-winning Mustang—and the driver who made it happen, Parnelli Jones. Watch video interviews with Parnelli and Steve Saleen, too. HEIR TO…

letter of the month same difference I noticed something about the cars on the cover of your December issue. Put the Dodge Viper and Chevy Corvette side by side, and they share many of the same design characteristics. They have similar top/hook-around headlights, a small intake at the front of the hood, and the same hoodlines. They also share the same windshield-semi-circular at the bottom and moving up to the roof (though squared off on the Corvette). They also have an air duct right behind the front tire, with lines continuing down the sides. I've put together a composite of the cover so you can see the similarities for yourselves. Why do the slim differences between these cars continue to disappoint this reader? George SmolarFlushing, New York write us at…

0:1 IT’S NO surprise, given his profession, that Fabrizio Giugiaro grades new-car designs the way a mountaineer might rate peaks (for him, the Bentley Continental GT and the VW Phaeton merit 8000-meter admiration). But when he first gazed upon the redesigned-for-2005 Ford Mustang, “the most beautiful Mustang I'd seen in decades,” the 41-year-old son of legendary auto designer Giorgetto Giugiaro knew immediately he'd found a new Everest. He had to climb it. “I remember talking with J Mays (Ford chief creative officer] at the 2005 Detroit auto show,” recalls the younger Giugiaro, now styling director of Italdesign Giugiaro SpA, the Turin-based company his father founded in 1968. I said, ‘I want to do my next concept car for Ford,’ and J—whom I've known for a long time—said, ‘Great. You can…

0:4 MITSU’S current Lancer proved a good basis on which to develop a halo machine like the rally-bred Evolution. But in Clark Kent-issue, econocar trim the Lancer was a midpack offering at best, For 2008, Mitsubishi throws out everything but the nameplate and starts from a much better place. Although this ninth-generation Lancer shares some platform architecture with the Dodge Caliber, Jeep Compass, and Mitsubishi’s own Outlander crossover, draw no conclusion from any of them. Nothing you can touch or see is the same. This Lancer is 1.3 inches longer in the wheelbase, 2.6 inches wider, and just a skosh shorter overall than the version it replaces and will be served in three different trim levels; base DE, luxury-equipped ES, and sport-tuned GTS. Stripped of the Evo’s wings and wicked…

AMERICAN CARS are back! Real American cars, that is. American cars with bold styling, lots of horsepower, and… rear drive. The success of DCX’s rear-drive LX platform cars—Chrysler 300C and Dodge Charger/Magnum—has convinced more than a few insiders that rear drive could be Motown’s secret weapon in the fight to win back car buyers. GM appeared to walk away from rear drive in early 2005, announcing it had ceased development work on the Australian-engineered Zeta platform and had axed plans for the rear-drive Buick Velite, Chevrolet Impala, and Pontiac G8 model. But, in July of that year, we told you Zeta had been merely put on hold while GM diverted resources to rushing the GMT900 SUVs and pickups into production. Last year, however, GM announced it planned to build a…

0:22 AS MANY automakers do during new-product launches, Land Rover brought a competitive vehicle to the sands of Morocco during the first press samplings of the all-new LR2 compact sport/utility. And a brave choice it was. After I'd powered an LR2 over the handsome coastal dunes near the 18th-century city of Essaouira, about 100 miles west of Marrakech, for comparison my hosts invited me to climb directly into the waiting rival. Or, rather, onto the rival. The competitor was a camel. Including an Alfa-Romeo GTV, it was only the second test vehicle I’ve ever driven that foamed at the mouth. To be fair. Land Rover clearly hadn't brought along specimens of Camelus dromedaries for comparo testing. But as my slobbering, overinflated beast effortlessly carried me into the same soft sand…

0:51 CHEVY VOLT CONCEPT ELECTRONS are all that power the Volt Concept's wheels. Its 1.0-liter turbocharged three-banger is hitched directly to a 53-kilowatt generator, with no mechanical connection to the road. If your daily commute is less than 20 miles each way, your Volt may never burn any gasoline. Plugging its 136-kilowatt lithium/ion battery pack into a normal 110-volt 15-amp home power outlet for six hours stores up 16 kilowatt-hours of energy—enough to propel the Delta-platform-based five-passenger wagonlet for 40 miles of EPA city cycle driving before the engine/generator kicks in. When it does, it runs at a constant speed of 1800 to 3000 rpm. Cruising at a constant 70 mph on the highway, the battery should last 30 minutes, then the engine would run for 30 minutes, and so…

MOTOR TREND: You've driven the old Boss and now the new “Saleen Boss.” What would you say are the biggest similarities? PARNELLI JONES: Well, they’re both Boss. Actually, the new car, with power steering, power brakes, is probably a lot easier to drive. The other one has no power brakes, no power steering; it has good brakes, good steering, and everything—it’s just that you have to be much more physical. And especially on a tight course like this, where you don’t have much to let it out, so to speak. MT: If you had to pick one car to take out on the track, which would you choose? PJ: To play with? Well, the other one is getting to be my age. The newer one probably would be better; in…

2006 JAGUAR XK COUPE Total mileage 9709 SOME niggling quality issues have dogged our feline: the rear hatch cover that wouldn't stay attached, the rear-hatch pulldown that kept coming off in our hands, the metal emergency key insert in the fob that wouldn't stay in place, and the air-conditioner’s nasty habit of arbitrarily disengaging the cold-air delivery. It took about two weeks to get this air-conditioning situation resolved, We further asked the dealer to replace a power antenna severed during the Jag's first car wash. The antenna set us back a whopping $489.93. Why Jaguar can’t design an antenna to replace that 1970s design is beyond us. ■ Average fuel econ 16.2 mpg ■ Unresolved problem areas None ■ Maintenance cost None ■ Normal-wear cost None 2006 MAZDA MX-5 Total…

THIS MONTH’S cover car is an eye-catching blend of Italian design and American muscle. However, this hybrid combo has been done before and, believe it or not, by some of the same people. Giorgetto Giugiaro worked at Bertone in the mid-1960s and styled this Bertone Mustang 242 as a joint-venture project between Ford and hardbound car publication Automobile Quarterly. Four decades later, Giugiaro runs his own studio, Italdesign, and his son Maurizio spearheads the new one. As with the old, the modern version retains the stock Mustang's chassis and dimensions, but all body panels were replaced. The interior received a full redesign, too. Both are still recognizable as Mustangs, but with a decidedly Latin flair. The Bertone car's slim roof pillars and airy greenhouse are typical of the period. The…