Innehållsförteckning för August 2007 från MotorTrend

■ MORE TO WATCH Our MT video crew has been cranking out the clips, shooting and splicing together the goods on the latest vehicles, including the Scion xB, Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel, and Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe. There’s also a comparison shoot between the Honda Civic Si sedan and Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V. We’ve even got the Mercedes-Benz CLK Black Series, covered from multiple angles, including a hot lap at Willow Springs, a first look with editor-at-large Arthur St. Antoine, and the hot BMW Alpina B7. We’re adding new videos all the time, so check back often to motortrend.com/multimedia/videos.…

MEANWAHILE, cadillac’s Rx is due for a major update about 2011, but could be alee by a five-passenger BMW X3-size crossover Cadillac is designing primarily for Europe. The new crossover, reported here in the past, will see a strong evolution of the brand’s Art & Science design language. The vehicle shares its architecture with the 2009 Saab 9-4 crossover, which replaces the larger 9-7x. The Caddy and Saab are on a transverse-engine platform with some part-sharing with the Epsilon (Chevy Malibu, et al.) platform. The design uses such familiar Caddy elements as vertical lighting front and rear, the centerline crease and sheer side surfaces, but the hood and tailgate are more domed than on the firm’s other vehicles. The headlamps are pulled back over the tops of the front fenders,…

ALFA Romeo’s reentry into the U.S. market has been brought forward to spring 2009. The firm was recently aiming at fall 2009, but fast-moving Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne is pushing it ahead. Under Marchionne’s three-year tenure, Fiat has turned around and this year added more shareholder value than any other automaker. Industry research Web site justauto.com says, "A resurgent Fiat’s share price rose by 89 percent in the period as its financial results improved on the back of restructuring and new models." Alfa will launch in the U.S. with its stunning SC Competizione, a carbon-fiber-skinned two-seat coupe packing rear drive and a 4SO-horsepower, 4.7-liter version of Maserati’s V-8. Just 99 copies will come to the States, so Alfa will quickly follow up with two vehicles that fit under the…

BMW’S superb new twin-turbo 3.0-liter In line-six was named the Best New Engine for 2007 at the International Engine of the Year awards, presented by Engine Technology lnternotional magazine. The award’s 60-member panel of Judges includes our own Frank Markus and European editor Paul Horrell. "At last, twin turbos with a butler’s demeanor: never seen, nor heard, but highly efficient," Markus says of the Simmer engine, which edged out Lexus’s Hybrid 5.0-liter V-8 for Best New Engine honors. OTHER WINNERS ■ TOYOTA 1.5-liter Hybrid Synergy Drive: Best fuel economy ■ BMW 5.0-liter V-10: Best performance engine ■ TOYOTA 1.0-liter: Best sub-1.0-liter ■ VOLKSWAGEN 1.4-liter TSI Twincharger. Best 1.0- to 1.4-liter ■ BMW-PSA 1.6-liter turbo: Best 1.4 to 1.8-liter ■ VW / AUDI 2.0-liter Turbo FSI: Best 1.8- to 2.0-liter ■…

IT’S ALMOST TIME for a second-generation Aura. The Opel Vectra on which it’s based gets a major update next year for 2009, but Saturn will continue to build the current model in Spring Hill, Tennessee, for a few years, For 2009 or 2010, Germany will send over an Aura wagon. The new Opel is bigger than the current Aura, with a couple inches added to the wheelbase and a wider track. Engines run up to a twin-turbo V-6, and GM will offer a direct-injection E85 version of the engine. For Europe, six-speed manual and six-speed automatic transmissions will be offered (likely only the automatic here). The chassis is front-drive only for now, but all-wheel drive may be added later. Rear suspension is multilink. The production model is remarkably close to…

DIETER ZETSCHE & CO. have finally given up on Jurgen Schrempp’s "merger of equals" ruse. DaimlerChrysler sold 80.1 percent of Chrysler to private equity firm Cerberus, with no input from the Americans and no money for the Germans. After nine rocky years of marriage, Daimler will pay nearly $1 billion to unload its American patient. Where does Cerberus’s $7.4 billion payment go? Five billion dollars goes directly into Chrysler Holding LLC, the new, private automaker. It pays off debt. Another $1.1 billion goes into the financial services business "to strengthen the equity base of both businesses." DaimlerChrysler says it gets the remainder, $1.3 billion, but then grants a $400-million loan to Chrysler. And when the deal is finished this autumn, DaimlerChrysler pays another $1.6 billion for the "anticipated negative cash…

IT RUNS ON AIR: BATTERY AND POWER CONTROLLER ARE REPLACED BY A COMPOSITE COMPRESSED AIR TANK AND SOME VALVES. SAY YOU’RE a developing country with a billion or so poor, upwardly mobile, would-be drivers pining for personal transportation. You could tool up for a billion cheap two-stroke Tuktuks and hope your citizenry evolves a genetic ability to breathe blue air. Or you could hope to attract a billion tech-support phone-bank jobs so they can afford Priuses. Or maybe you could engineer a $9000 car that runs on air. All three solutions sound equally unlikely, but indeed French R&D firm MDI has licensed technology for an air engine to India’s largest car company, Tata. And indeed the engine runs on compressed air—and electricity and the combustible liquid fuel of your choice.…

WHAT IF you could buy a car capable of running in front of Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, and the rest of the Formula 1 boys on any Grand Prix circuit in the world? Why, just think of the giddy satisfaction you’d feel gazing into your rearview mirror and seeing those champagne-fueled yacht jocks choking on your exhaust fumes, their once-sanitary Ferraris and McLarens now befouled by your impudent rubber dust. Well then, sir or madam, here’s your ride: the limited-edition, alphanumerically extravagant Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series—a super coupe expressly designed for running at the front of the pack. Granted, if you actually attempted to drive this new AMG model on a race circuit currently occupied by 22 screaming F1 machines, you’d be instantly vaporized by a gamma…

IT’S DRAFT DAY and you're on the clock. On the board are highly prized recruits from two noted powerhouses. Though your lottery pick is way up there, your salary cap is restricted to roughly $23 grand. You can take only one, so choose wisely. Both prospects are front-engine, front-drive, four-door sport sedans from programs with storied traditions in this category. Though Honda has been building the Civic Si since 1986—five years before Nissan made its first SE-R—it's never done a sedan. Nissan has been making SE-R sedans since 2002, but the tale of the tape reveals no significant advantage for either rookie. In fact, from mundane to exotic, whatever parameter you measure, the cars are nearly identical. Each vehicle's wheelbase, width, and front and rear track are all within an…

CADILLACS need V-8s, at least. We know that. Except that GM's most potent V-6 ever, a new direct-injection 3.6-liter, has come along. With its 11.3:1 compression ratio, it has 47 more horses than the 3.6 on which it's based. The 2008 STS V-6 is just 18 horses shy of and 22 pounds trimmer than the STS V-8. Keep the hood shut. No one will know. Direct injection also gives slightly better fuel mileage and cleans start-up emissions by 25 percent. It’s clear the new DOHC V-8 GM is developing for the 2010 STS will have direct injection, possibly making eight cylinders relevant in this car again. Most direct-injection gas engines start up with a gravelly diesel voice. Not this Cadillac, with fuel-system sound shields and covers to prevent metal-on-metal clatter.…

ONE of the problems parents encounter when dropping their kids off at school is the obligatory wave. You know, a familiar Sienna or Odyssey minivan drives by, and you wave. Trouble is, there are dozens of Siennasseys in the lot, so you have to wave at each one just to be sure. This country’s grade-school parking lots are crying out for something different—and Toyota's got a dandy new candidate in the 2008 Highlander. “But Highlanders are too small,” weary new parents out there yawn. Well, not anymore, Mister and Missus Carpool. It’s 3.8 inches longer, 3.3 inches wider, and2.8 inches taller. It’s bigger! Yes! Grown from the same structural seed that sprouted the Avalon and Camry, the roomier Highlander’s interior is highlighted by an extractable (and stowable) center row that…

“AUTO-PARKING will take some getting used to,” says tech editor Reynolds. “The first time I tried it [parallel parking], it worked perfectly. Since then, however, I’ve tried it twice more, and it’s either scared me or just refused to work at all. Undoubtedly, I need to learn more about the system.” As Reynolds discovers, though, the LS at least drives like a dream. “After journeying to Phoenix and back, I have to say that this is one fantastic machine for long-distance driving. My mileage for the round trip was 25 mpg, and the range is simply extraordinary—it appears to be about 530 miles on the highway.” At 5000 miles, the LS made its first service stop (complimentary oil change and inspection) and also had its cracked windshield replaced for a…

“I’M STILL a huge fan of the big grab handles on the doors and dual gloveboxes, but the upper glovebox has a weird push-in and pull-out open lever that feels like it’s going to break every time I open it,” observes Truck Trend editor Mark Williams. “Also appreciate having so many engine and vehicle readings at my fingertips—every vehicle on the planet should offer transmission-temp access, tire-pressure sensors, engine-hour meters, and even paddle shifters behind the steering wheel. The 6.0-liter does drink the fuel, evidence that it desperately needs the six-speed. But all the right power is there—makes me want to tow something. I almost feel guilty driving around with an empty bed; kind of like driving the Jaguar XK in bumper-to-bumper traffic.” ■ Months/miles 4/7087 ■ Avg econ/CO2 13.4…

CARMAKERS TODAY talka lot about how they're rationalizing their global chassis architectures. It's just smart manufacturing: Have lots of common bits and dimensions underneath, where the customers can't see them and don't care, while everything they do see is unique and brand- or model-specific. Well, it’s nothing new, and two of the best examples of the concept were born in the 1960s under the stewardship of the outspoken Lee lacocca, whose new book is excerpted in this issue. On the left is the humble Falcon (the gent next to it is longtime Ford exec Don Frey), which was a smash success as an economy model, having reached one million sales just 26 months after its 1960 introduction. A few years later, Ford's product developers started playing around with the Falcon’s…

THESE GUYS aren’t letting up. The Corvette team is relentlessly chipping away at every reasonable argument a rational buyer can articulate for choosing some big-name, bucks-up, blue-blooded bahn-stormer over the crossed-flag cruise missile that Zora launched. This C6-1/2-generation Vette boasts more refinements and detail enhancements than one expects from a midcycle refresh of a supercar, but are they enough to steer the Porsche/BMW/Benz/Jag buyers into a Chevy store? To find out, we spirited a manual coupe and an automatic convertible away from the General’s Milford Proving Ground for a romp across rural southeast Michigan. One of the biggest and best-deserved beefs brought by the stringback-gloved set against the Vette is that its interior was too rent-a-Chevy, its pleasing design marred by downscale grains, textures, and gaps. All Corvettes get metal…

AUDI has made Its second-generation 1T a more serious sports car with the Clubsport quattro, a technical tour de force that appears headed for low-volume production. Its 2.0·liter turbocharged gas direct-Injection four, a TFSI, has been tweaked with a modified Intake manifold to make more than 300 horsepower. Transmission is dual-clutch, S tronic direct-shift with six gears. Audi isn’t being any more exact In offering power and torque numbers. It did provide plenty of other details, however. ■ Shades of the first Dodge Viper. There’s no top. Also, no A-pillar, but a low wrap-around windscreen to evoke the Image of a speedster (or Speedster, as In Porsche). ■ Rollbars from the 1T Roadster are shorter, the same height as the sports bucket seats, and a new tonneau Includes farings behind…

THIS ODD-looking Honda $2000 at the Ring is none other than a test-mule for Acura’s 2010 NSX follow-up, named the Advanced Sports Car concept when unveiled at Detroit last January. The ASC gave up the NSX’s mid-engine V-6 for a front-engine V-10 and a rear-drive-biased version of Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive (SH-AWD). Given Honda’‘s I intense rivalry with Toyota, expect a V-10 with at least + 500 horsepower to help the NSX take on the Lexus LF-A super coupe. We’ll see a clearer picture of Honda’s intentions, perhaps with an interior this time, at October’s Tokyo show.…

THERE ARE HYBRIDS and there are mild hybrids. The Bush administration’s Environmental Protection Agency has proposed rules for states that would exclude the mild ones from high-occupancy-vehicle lanes, says the Hybrid Owners of America. If you have a 2004 to 2007 Toyota Prius, you’re in the HOV. Same with the 2006-2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, 2006-2007 Lexus RX 400h, 2006 Mazda Tribute Hybrid, 2005-2007 Ford Escape and 2006-2007 Mercury Mariner hybrids, 2003-2007 Honda Civic Hybrid, 2003-2006 Honda Insight, and 2005 and 2007 Honda Accord Hybrid, leaving out the Lexus GS 450h — and Saturn Vue Green Line hybrids. Heck, by 2020, the HOV lane will be jammed with Toyotas, anyway. That’s the year hybrids will be the base engine on all Toyota Motor Company products, says powertrain veep Masatami Takimoto. By…

letter of the month come and play So here I sit, at 4:20 in the morning, reading about the new Infiniti G37 coupe, and {can’t help but regret that! haven’t been watching “Sesame Street,’ as I’m having trouble right now with the alphabet (“G-Force,” May 2007). Maybe because it’s early, but the one-, two-, and three-letter automotive monikers seem to keep running together—G37, VQ-V6, G-sedan, VHR, VVEL, VQ, FX, M, and G sedans, Nissan Z, and Skyline GT-R, G35S, LSD, NVH, FM, ATC, and E92. Didn’t extra letters like SS and GT once mean something significant? I’m beginning to wonder if Bert, Ernie, and Big Bird should start thanking the auto industry for their jobs. John DennyStewartville, New MexicoP.S. Does the G37 run on E85? by any other name What’s…

“The most exciting grudge match since Mustang-Camaro 17!” The Village Vocalist “\iore plot twists and phrase turns than Evo-versus-STI 6” Entertainment Weakly IF THE POSTERS AND trailers make this movie seem formulaic and predictable because the cars are of the same generation as the sedan versions that faced off just 10 months ago, allow us to persuade you to read more deeply into this plot synopsis. You see, much more thought and effort went into producing these stylish coupes than a mere rear-door-ectomy and a judicious stop in the hair and makeup trailer. Each sports a new engine, for example. The BMW’s motivation comes from a hot (in more ways than one) new twin-turbo six that spools up an even 300 horsepower and pound-feet. That’s plenty to overcome the 3’s…

AMG HAS BEEN in existence for four decades now. It’s about time we all celebrate, yes? Let’s cut loose in a nice, comfy two-door with more rampaging horsepower than 30 Kentucky Derbys. The new car is called the CL65 AMG, the third AMG model to flaunt the division’s awesome twin-turbo, 6.0-liter V-12. With 604 horses on tap, this raffish coupe moves almost as if weightless, the big 12 smooth and unstressed, the five-speed automatic slicing through huge hunks of torque (738 pound-feet total) almost without detection. Or press down hard on the right pedal and watch the view out the windshield become a surrealist painting. You glide on 20-inch twin-spoke forged AMG wheels and Active Body Control; you stop (but why would you?) via brakes sporting twin-sliding front calipers(for high…

IN A CORNER of this morning paper’s obituary section were a couple paragraphs devoted to a Mr. Dwight Wilson. Although it’s always unfortunate when anyone passes away, we should all be so lucky when the time comes to be 106 years old, as was Mr. Wilson. His particular notoriety was being Canada’s second-to-last remaining WWI veteran. Still, probably the most poignant departure was four years ago with the demise of another 106-year-old, Henry Botterel, also a Canadian and generally considered the last-known WWI fighter pilot. According to reports, during 1917/1918, Botterel was smack in the middle of seven confirmed dogfights in his Sopwith Camel and accrued 250 hours of combat. For present-day automotive pilots, there are a few four-wheeled portals into the wind-washed and snap-g world Botterel enjoyed when he…

IN THE automotive world, if a vehicle can't adapt to a changing market, it dies. That threat looms over SUVs and is a fate the Touareg wants to avoid. Enter the Touareg 2. Volkswagen's revisions to the fifth-year model aren't all apparent to the eye, and most fall under one heading—refinement. It retains many of the same dimensions—wheelbase, length/width/height, track widths, and interior volume—plus identical off-road capability and towing capacity, but this evolution has several new and improved features. The Touareg 2 (that "2" only shows up in VW literature, not in badging) has reshaped headlights, grille, and bumper, new, larger side mirrors, and updated taillights and exhaust tips. Careful revisions also were made in the cabin-a new instrument panel, 12-wayadjustable driver's seat, and new stereo interface with LCD screen,…

THIS IS the most capable Wrangler ever. A strong statement, yes. But consider this: The Wrangler Rubicon (and the new-for-2007 four-door version) has the most comprehensive heavy-duty off-road package available from the factory, making it the best Wrangler right out of the box. The 2007 Wrangler also has the most horsepower to date (more than the optional V-8 from the 1970s). Plus, while its longer wheelbase could give it a disadvantage on trails compared with the two-door Rubicon, the Unlimited adds the most interior space and easiest entry/exit of any Wrangler. We found that combination irresistible enough to bring a fully loaded Bright Silver Rubicon Unlimited into our long-term fleet. The stellar Rubicon package comes with the 3.8-liter V-6 and four-speed auto, 4:1 Rock-Trac part-time four-wheel drive, electronic front sway-bar…

ON A 100-MILE BUZZ down to Irvine and back, online editor Floyd notes, "The XK's suspension is nice and comfortable, and the seat is comfy, too. I could definitely see myself taking the Jag on a long trip (albeit with scant luggage)-it really hits the sweet spot as a sport tourer. When I needed to drop the hammer, it had more than enough oomph to get me up to speed in style, and with a potent exhaust note to let me know there's some growl in this cat. Agree with others regarding the power antenna-why on earth does this setup still exist?" As for the XK's styling, some object to it. Floyd digs It. "All things considered, the overall design is certainly a step up from the previous generation's, and…

“CAN A MINIVAN make a teeenage boy go, ‘Wow!’?” asks art director Voehringer. “Apparently this can: On the first occasion, my daughter’s boyfriend dropped the Wow! bomb while I was transporting him up a steep freeway on-ramp. The Sedona’s engine growled its way to freeway speed in short order, duly impressing the youth. A couple days later I drove him and his pal to the movies. His friend was still recovering from an ATV-versus-pickup altercation, with him on the losing end. ‘Wow, this thing is comfortable…and…big,’ his friend exclaimed, prompting my daughter’s friend to say, ‘You should hear the engine.’ Our Kia has a license frame that says, ‘The Power To Surprise. Imagine: an advertising slogan that’s true.” ■ Months/miles 11/24,381 ■ Avg econ/CO2 18.0 mpg/1.1 lb/ml ■ Unresolved problems…

HYUNDAI HAD one goal when it launched its all-new 2006 Sonata: Become the leader in the midsize-sedan category. After spending a year with our LX, we can say the carmaker is well on its way. The Sonatas interior is cavernous compared with those of its rivals; it has 105.4 cubic feet of passenger volume versus the Accord's 97.7 and the Camry’s 101.8. Hyundai spreads the wealth, too, increasing passenger room front and rear. The Sonata also leads in front headroom, legroom, and hiproom and comes in a close second in shoulder room. In back, it continues the lead in shoulder and hiproom and again is a close second in head- and legroom. All this extra area is the result of an increase of two inches in length and height with…

TO COMPETE on a worldwide scale with BMW and Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac will replace the failed BLS with an all-new rear-drive model probably coming to the U.S. about 2011. It’ll be a 3 Series-size sedan on a new, longitudinal-engine rear-/all-wheel-drive platform. The new architecture, as GM would call it, would likely use components from a number of different existing component sets to create a car too small for Sigma (current reardrive Cadillacs) or Zeta (Camaro, Pontiac G8, et al.). A rear-drive entry-level car is critical to firmly establish Cadillac as a viable premium player outside the U.S. Compact premium cars are where the volumes—and the profits—are for BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Problem now for North America is the cadence of the new car. It could launch in Europe first, where there’s enough…

LUXURY SALES-channel discussions are on again for Hyundai and not because of its new BH rear-drive platform. It’s because Hyundai is working on premium rear-drive cars that go beyond BH, a car platform Hyundai brass believes can directly take on the likes of Lexus and Mercedes-Benz. You’ll remember Hyundai said it had no plans for a third sales channel—it also owns Kia—and said so well before the BH reardrive sedan’s debut at the New York International Auto Show this spring. Now we get indications that Hyundai is discussing the possibility of not one, but two new sales channels in its quest to do to Toyota what Toyota has been doing to General Motors. Why two? That’s not clear. It’s possible one luxury channel would serve North America and Europe and…

THE TRUCK wars have lit a fire under Ford—which moved up its next-generation F-150 development about a year—and Dodge, which is ready to replace its aging Ram. The Ford is now expected in early 2008 and the much-needed Hurricane 6,2-liter V-8 is back on. Ford also is working on a V-6 diesel and an SVT version. The Dodge boys, meanwhile, will offer a more refined version of the big bad Ram, perhaps something with a longer shelf life. Insiders are said to be confident the 2009 Ram will reestablish Chrysler’s design leadership.…

AS WE GUIDE the newest Rolls-Royce’s proud visage through the lush Italian countryside, we feel as much the captain of a custom-built motor yacht as the driver of a uniquely crafted motorcar. The “six and three-quarter-liter” (not 6.7 or 6.8, thank you; it’s 6 3/4, just as Rolls engines have been for decades) V-12 woofles softly. The naturally finished, oiled teak decking glows in the afternoon light. What seems like acres of soft, drum-tanned leather is supple to the touch and adds its own aroma to the sea-scented Tuscan air. Sisal floormats feel good underfoot, and, with the top down, we have a view of this breathtaking yet tranquil region that is unparalled. The Widnged Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament leads the way, as a soft wind ruffles hillside vines,…

ONCE UPON A TIME, Buick was on top of the world. Design chief Harley Earl blessed it with his attention, bringing modern, flowing lines to the 1949 models. By 1954, the preternaturally aspirational brand passed blue-collar Plymouth for third place in sales. GM doesn’t need to sell to people who remember those days, but just as 1959 Cadillacs set the attitude for GM’s luxury division, early-1950s Buicks can inform that brand how to compete with low to mid-Lexus and Audi models. Here’s the recipe: ■ ENCLAVE Add the V-8 Super for 2010, exclusive to Buick’s Lambda, plus maybe a hybrid version. ■ EPSILON FRONT-DRIVE SEDAN When the 2009 LaCrosse gets this platform, it should start out as well equipped as a midlevel Saturn Aura and option all the way up…

SATURN’S UNINSPIRING Ion became a rental favorite the day it was born. A tepid seller at best, it drives, it’s reliable, it’s inexpensive—and it’s utterly forgettable. But General Motors wants Saturns to be more than that. And the Opel Astra—one of Europe’s best-selling compact cars—is part of the plan. GM has made it no secret that Opel and Saturn will share more sheetmetal as time goes on. The new Opel Antara is just arriving as the 2008 Saturn Vue (MT, July 2007). Our Sky sports car has become its GT. And the Astra three- and five-door hatchbacks arrive this fall as, well, Saturn Astras. To sample the goods, we dipped into the European press fleet and pulled out an Opel Astra GTC three-door, analogous to a VW GTI in the…

THIS IS IT? Typing "19 Daimler Strausser, Garching” into the sat/nav transports us to an anonymous industrial estate near Munich and a building of spectacular Teutonic nothingness. Apparently, this is where it's at—the place where engineers have octane ratings for blood groups, where the suits love circuits, where the fastest, most focused production BMWs on the planet are honed to apex-clipping perfection. Yet, pebble-dashed and just two stories high, the premises looks more like the lair of an industrial plastics trader than it does a motorsport Mecca. Welcome to the BMW M-Division’s headquarters, backdrop to preproduction M3 tweaking and home to M exploits since 1986. Judging by the interior décor, BMW has decided to carefully preserve the moment. A small-town bank branch has more charisma—and very similar chairs. Still, Garching…

WITH THE proliferation of the seven-seat crossover/utility vehicle—even such cute/utes as the Mitsubishi Outlander and Toyota RAV4 offer a third row—the two-row CUV, the old standby, is seemingly becoming a thing of the past. Several automakers, though, aren't dismissing the five-seat crossover, especially the premium variety, recognizing there are still plenty of singles, couples, and families who aren't willing to take one for the home team—at least not yet. Audi, Infiniti, and Volvo, for instance, are betting that the popularity of the small, snappy CUV is shooting nowhere but skyward, each readying a version of its own (see sidebar). Mercedes and others are sure to follow. Further, prospective customers of these premium crossovers have some money to burn—certainly if they're empty- or never-nesters—and are willing to spend upward of $40,000…

FROM THE maker of the S7 supercar, the Mustang S281, and limited-edition Parnelli Jones Boss 302 comes the boutique manufacturer's take on the third-gen Lightning pickup that Ford forgot to build. The $331 Sport Truck is based on a Ford F-150 FX2 SuperCab that Saleen engineers have lowered by almost two inches, fitted with 23-inch wheels and tires, and recalibrated by tweaking the shocks and spring rates to better accommodate the lower center of gravity and the heavier rolling stock. They also gave it an updated look with body cladding and a new aluminum hood. This isn’t just another aftermarket body and bolton power kit. Saleen is the manufacturer of record for the $331 Sport Truck, which means every vehicle he sells meets or exceeds the same federal tests Ford…

“I’VE JUST DONE 2000 mites in four days through mountains, deserts, rain, sunshine, snow, and heavy winds; and overall, the Qis comfortable and especially stable, even at high speeds,” notes art director Andy Foster, who rendezvoused with Kiino and Vance on their R8 adventure (July 2007). Road tripping from L.A. to Crater Lake, Oregon, via Reno, Foster had myriad impressions:”The engine sound when planting the boot and accelerating away from 60 mph is satisfying, as the V-8 power kicks in nicely to move you quickly past all the trucks and RVs on I-5. Up in the mountains and through the twisty roads, the handling still feels sporty enough for you to think you're not in an SUV. The brakes and handling of the Q7 inspired confidence when driving down long,…

A 1200-MILE OUTING to zion National Park has editor-in-chief MacKenzie gushing: “We arrived home at the end of a 600-mile day feeling fresh, a testament to good seats and impressively low NHV levels. While our GL is a real-deal SUV rather than a wannabe crossover, it’s actually a nice rig for the great American road trip. It’s quick, quiet, and comfortable, with a high seating position and big windows that give you a panoramic view of landscapes. And though you feel its mass at times, it drives more like, well, a Mercedes than a truck.” No vehicle’s perfect, though. “I’d prefer a 50-state-legal version of the 4.0-liter V-8 diesel Mercedes offers in Europe. That baby delivers nine-percent-less power but 52-percent-more torque.” ■ Months/miles 7/10,649 ■ Avg econ/CO2 14.8 mpg/1.3 Ib/mi…

“BUZZED BACK and forth to work in the Evo for a couple nights, and with my commute (20 miles total), I didn’t exactly put the hammer down,” admits on line editor Mike Floyd. “But a few things I noticed: At nearly 10,000 miles, the Evo seems to be holding together fairly well on the inside, with no real squeaks or rattles. The tires are almost slicks at this point, not terribly surprising considering all the wear and tear we’ve subjected them to-e.g., Angelelli’s hot laps at Laguna Seca. Notching each gear just right can take some effort when just lollygagging around. Visibility with the rear wing is an issue, as it’s right in your sight lines. That said, I never tire of spooling up the boost in the Black Knight,…

WE’RE GUILTY. All too often this column focuses on high-end speed machines when in fact most of America commutes in a plain-Jane family car. This month, we're giving back to the average Joe with a look at a basic four-door. Ford's Fusion is selling well thanks to its clean design, well-sorted chassis, and copious interior space. However, although optionally available with a perky 221-horsepower, 3.0-liter v-6, the Fusion’s acceleration is milquetoast. As the world's largest vendor of Mustang aftermarket parts, Steeda Autosports knows how to make Fords run-and run hard. With the GT Fusion package ($5995), even doses of power, handling, and style are added to generate a practical commuter with attitude. The GT Fusion is fortified with Steeda's cold-air induction kit, a specially calibrated engine computer, and a performance…