Innehållsförteckning för July 2008 från MotorTrend

Let the Musclecar Era Commence! Challenger vs. Mustang. What is this, 1970? Some 40 years after the first musclecar era, a new age is dawning. We’ve got plenty new American muscle at motortrend.com. Stop by for our video look at the Challenger SRT8 doing battle with the Ford Shelby GT500 and on-track footage of the Shelby GT500KR: motortrend.com/multimedia/videos/road tests. You can also view more shots of the high-powered Detroit iron through the lenses of Wesley Allison and Evan Klein in our photo gallery section: motortrend.com/multimedia/photos/gallery…

Z9 OR Z10—BMW calls its flame-surfaced modern update of the legendary M1 the “M1 Homage.” Its main purpose, though, is to prepare us for the long-awaited replacement for the Z8, to be named either Z9 or Z10. This coupe won’t be directly translated into the new $125,000+ supercar. It hints at it, much as the 2001 BMW X Coupe concept led the way to the 2003 Z4, and especially the 2006 Z4 coupe. The Z9 or Z10 (the latter makes sense, since most BMW sedans have odd-numbered names, and two-doors except for 1 and 3 Series have even numbers) is set for production at the end of 2009, with U.S. imports beginning in early 2010.…

THESE ARE the cars you recommend to friends, family, and neighbors. The front-drive midsize segment is the backbone of Toyota, Honda, and Nissan, where they help fund more passionate models like FJ Cruiser, S2000, and 350Z. And now, with $115-plusper-barrel oil, strict new fuel-economy standards, and the global food prices versus biofuels battle brewing, new realities are pushing back the surge toward rear-drive V-8 sedans, and the Detroit Three are finally getting some decent four-cylinder/six-speed automatic powertrains in these cars. This is your family-car future, America. GENERAL MOTORS ■ 2010 BUICK INVICTA The LaCrosse moves to Epsilon version 1.5 architecture in early 2009 and therefore says goodbye to the V-8-powered Super. It promises a quietly luxurious, high-quality interior as previewed by a high-zoot concept at the Beijing motor show. We…

retro bait Excitement ran high when the Dodge Challenger show car made its debut (“The Challenge Has Begun”). Rear drive, a big V-, and that fantastic, open-window two-door-hardtop styling that inexplicably has been denied to domestic-car buyers for nearly three decades. A true retro car, a blissful throwback to the days before lawyers, marketing hacks, and cost accountants had the final say-so in issues of automotive design. Now it’s here, and what do we wind up with? The sticker price is $ K too high, thanks to the marketing hacks. The engine is crippled by electronic nannies like stability and traction control, thanks to the lawyers. And the pillarless hardtop design has been replaced by a sealed quarter window and ugly center post, thanks to the cost accountants. So much…

“THEY’RE WORKING ON A WAY TO MAKE THE METHANOL THE EXIGE RUNS ON FROM CO2 PULLED OUT OF THE AIR. HOLY CARBON FOOTPRINTS! CAN THAT BE DONE?” NOBODY PAID much attention to the Lotus Exige E show car on display at the recent Geneva motor show. Aside from a new stripe job, it looked like every other Exige, and even its tri-fuel (gas/ethanol/methanol) drivetrain seemed ho-hum. We’ve had bi-fuel cars capable of burning one or the other alcohol, so big deal—this one runs on all three and makes a bit more horsepower. But deep in the press release, they mentioned working on a way to make the methanol it runs on from CO2 pulled out of the air. Holy carbon footprints! Can that be done? There’s a great deal of…

FORD RACING’S newest Mustang racer is so turnkey, it comes with a window sticker. But it’s not your average Monroney. For example, instead of options, it lists “Stuff it doesn’t have.” “Estimated annual champagne cost” replaces EPA numbers. The conversion from Mustang GT to FR500S is straightforward: Strip the car of about 300 pounds of unnecessary street-car hardware, build in a full cage, give it a stiffer suspension, lowered right height, Borla exhaust system, racing seat and six-point harness, adjustable shocks, an aggressive front splitter, a serious rear wing, an AIM instrument and data acquisition system, and you’re track ready. The 4.6-liter V-8 remains internally stock, but freer breathing results in 325 horsepower. Other hardware changes include GT500 spec 14-inch Brembo front brakes, a six-speed tranny in place of the…

THE PUREST BIOFUEL is straight vegetable oil. Rudolph Diesel ran his first engine on peanut oil, and if biodiesel isn’t green enough to suit you (the methanol used to produce it is usually fossil-fuel-derived), you can easily find someone to convert your old diesel vehicle—in most cases, an older Mercedes-Benz—to run on this thicker, more viscous fuel. But there are issues to consider. This oil has to be warmed to flow properly, so you have to keep a petro-diesel tank for the engine to warm up on before switching to the heated French-fry-smelling stuff. You also have to be sure to switch back to diesel before shutting down to clear the lines of veggie oil. The oil must be exceptionally clean and free of water or you’ll damage even the…

SOME PEOPLE say you can’t go home again, but I’m not so sure. You see, I recently returned to the site of one of my most memorable motorsport victories. And it was a bit of a blast. In 1911, the Rallye Automobile Monaco, created by Prince Albert I to attract wealthy enthusiasts to the principality for the winter sunshine, was held for the first time. Twenty-three cars started from six cities around Europe, 16 made it to Monte Carlo, and the winner was Henri Rougier driving a Turcat-Méry. In 1967, I helped drag Porsche, kicking and screaming, into international rallying, although at the time, its interest primarily was in sports-car racing. After coming close to victory in that year’s Monte Carlo Rally (missing out only because a sudden, violent change…

OKAY, admittedly the graceful coupe pictured here is not aimed at plutocratic off-roaders, but the engineers on hand at its launch proudly recalled an instance while mountain testing when they encountered a team of fellow development engineers shaking down a proper off-roader. Upon hiking the AIRMATIC suspenders up to tippy-toe mode, their graceful and gorgeous coupe managed to tackle a trail that impressed the truckers. This feat of derring-do was made possible by the addition of the S-Class’s spanking new Matic all-wheel-drive system, which splits torque/front/rear and incorporates a wet-clutch limited-slip center differential. As in the S-Class, the system’s compact design allows it to package in the same transmission tunnel the rear-drive models use, and Mercedes claims that at pounds, it’s the lightest system of its kind. Other changes to…

EVER SINCE it made its debut over years ago, the Honda Accord has arguably been the best vehicle in its class, providing a roomy, well-appointed interior; sporty yet smooth driving characteristics; and a price tag and fuel economy that were easy on the wallet. Now in its eighth generation, the Accord is longer, wider, taller, more powerful, and more fuel-efficient than its predecessor—traits that every buyer of a midsize family sedan can appreciate, certainly if the family is growing as quickly as gas prices are rising. With that in mind, we added to our long-term fleet a topline EX-LV-sedan, replete with Honda’s fuel-saving Variable Cylinder Management system, to determine if the Accord’s step up in size and technology will keep it at the top of its class after months of…

ON THE SURFACE, the notion of paying north of $, for a utility vehicle you’ll never actually utilize seems absurd. Drive the Audi Q7, though, and rationalizations may set in. Against better judgment, you crave one. The Q7 you see here entered our long-term-test fleet in January. As more and more staffers returned from their first drives, we realized we had an unusual new arrival on our hands—and began a search for the proper word to describe it. The Q7 is…no, it’s…it’s quixotic, that’s what it is. With this machine, Audi may have created the world’s first “U-less” SUV. The Q7 is a sport-vehicle, plain and simple. Don’t mention “utility”—the Q7 would rather not get its fingernails dirty. On paper, the Q7 4.2 Premium sure sounds SUV-like. Quattro permanent all-wheel…

“DO THE CHINESE AUTOMAKERS ACTUALLY HAVE THE RESOURCES AND EXPERTISE TO TURN THEIR OWN-BRAND BEIJING CONCEPTS INTO REALITY? NO ONE REALLY KNOWS.” “MAN,” said GM design boss Ed Welburn, “this is the most exciting auto show I’ve been to in a long time. It’s the wild, wild East.” Welburn was on the Geely stand at the 2008 Beijing auto show, checking out nine new concepts. “They don’t know what the rules are,” he said, referring to some of the weirder designs on display, “but that’s okay. There’s a lot of creativity here.” Welburn’s Buick Invicta concept, jointly designed in GM’s Chinese and Detroit studios, was one of the star cars of Beijing. Welburn wasn’t the only senior designer prowling the eight crowded, chaotic halls of the giant China International Exhibition…

THIS SCOOP SHOT of a detailed clay of the next-generation Taurus was splashed all over the Web a while back. Ford sources have confirmed it’s pretty much how the 2010 car will look. What’s interesting is it combines elements of Ford of Europe design chief Martin Smith’s flamboyant “Kinetic Design” with North American design head Peter Horbury’s tasteful flair. That’s a smart move, for a couple of reasons. First, you don’t want too much flamboyance on a large car. What looks cool on a cute hatch can look overwrought on a big sedan. And second, pure “Kinetic Design” may have a shorter shelf-life than something more restrained. The upper grille opening is fairly conventional, but there’s the right amount of detail in the bodyside section and the hood to hold…

THE 2009 Mazda6 is bigger than its predecessor, with most of the extra size going to its backseat space. The U.S. version—set apart from overseas versions, like the Honda Accord—no longer comes in five-door hatchback or wagon or MazdaSpeed forms. And yet it’s on the same CD3 platform, derived from the 2007 Ford Mondeo, itself derived from the last-gen 6. There are three new trim levels: Sport, Touring, and Grand Touring, and two engine options, a new 2.5-liter inline-four with a five-speed automatic and the CX-9’s 273-horsepower, 3.7-liter V-6 with six-speed automatic. A six-speed manual is available with the four-cylinder engine only. ABS and dynamic stability-control are standard across the board. Mazda says it’s made unparalleled reductions in road noise and vibrations that combine with trademark driving dynamics and road…

MERCEDES-BENZ GLK350 ■ DRIVETRAIN: 3.5-liter V-6 rated 268 horsepower and 258 pound-feet and mated to a seven-speed automatic. It’ll be offered with rear drive or 4Matic full-time all-wheel drive with a 45/55 torque split. Mercedes estimates a 6.5-second 0-to-60-mpg time and 23 mpg EPA highway for either drivetrain. ■ SUSPENSION: MacPherson struts front/multilink rear ■ WHEEL SIZES: 19, 20 inches ■ WHEELBASE: 108.5 inches ■ LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT: 178.3 x 72.4 x 66.9 inches ■ SEATING CAPACITY: Five ■ SELECT FEATURES: Two-zone automatic climate control, integrated Bluetooth mobile-phone connection, hands-free system microphone, central five-inch color display, COMAND multimedia system all standard; optional panorama sunroof, Sirius radio, power liftgate, bi-Xenon headlamps with adaptive lighting and washing, rain-sensing wipers, Multimedia package with hard-drive navigation and rearview backup camera. IN MAY,…

where do you read motor trend? E-mail digital photo(s) of you and Motor Trend to: motortrend@gmail.com or mail them to: Motor Trend, c/o Mail, Readers on Location, 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048 AT EASE—Army HET platoon, part of the 377th Trans, at Camp TQ, Iraq: PV2 Sushereba, Sgt. Moline, Sgt. Shoup, SPC McDonald, SPC Smith, Sgt. Rodriguez, SPC Rivera, Sgt. Jones, SSG Ramos, Sgt. Ramirez, PFC Lovato, Sgt. Smith, Sgt. Hunter, SPC Jackson, Sgt. Gosling.…

SOMETHING’S WRONG. Parked outside is a brand-new Dodge Challenger. Next to it, a freshly baked Ford Shelby GT500. Yet nowhere in the CBS television lineup can I find a listing for that funny new series “The MaryTyler Moore Show.” Also, what’s with all this gray hair? I’m only nine years old. Quick check of the morning newspaper: Aha! It’s 2008, not 1970. Those two muscle machines outside sure confused the issue. Hey! Who ate my Space Food Sticks? Viva the American retro-car revolution. Three years ago, Ford struck first with its late-1960s-inspired gen-five Mustang and still had the segment all to itself when it released the reincarnated, high-output Shelby GT500 version for 2007. But Ford’s solitary rule of the musclecar time machine is over. In Chevrolet Camaro, will return after…

OIL DERIVED from soy, rapeseed, palm, etc., must undergo “transesterification” (a chemical reaction with an alcohol and an acid or base catalyst) to make it more stable, freer flowing, and more like petro-diesel. The next generation of renewable diesel fuels may more closely resemble petro-diesel without further processing. Some even claim to lower engine emissions. PYROLYSIS OR THERMAL DEPOLYMERIZATION. Take any long-chain hydrocarbon material—poultry and swine offal, old tires, plastic scrap, etc.—pressurize and superheat it with no oxygen, flash it to atmospheric pressure to evaporate water, filter out solids, and reheat the resulting liquid to get a light crude oil that can be further refined. Changing World Technologies has a plant up and running, and current oil pricing is making this approach feasible. CATALYTIC HYDROTREATING. Various different catalysts react with…

THESE TWO SURFACES indicate the payoff mileage when opting for a diesel engine over a gasoline engine that achieves 16 mpg (average for the vehicles on sale now offering both options). Assuming a gasoline price of $3.49 (the national average at press time), the orange surface represents the worst-case diesel price 70¢ higher, the green surface indicates the best case at 40¢ under gasoline (reflecting the range experienced over the last year). Our “Miles to Payoff” engine stats on the next two pages presume these same pricing extremes.…

"I DON'T USUALLY care much for wine,” blurts technical editor Kim Reynolds after swigging a sip of the 2005 Jours de Bonheur, a 2007 release from Demetria Estate, “but this pinot noir is very nice.” Owners Sandra and John Zahoudanis and winemaker Michael Roth see to the day-to-day demands at Demetria, a small winery in Central California’s Santa Ynez Valley that produces a modest output of around 7500 cases per year. According to Sandra, renowned winemaker Andrew Murray used to reside on the estate, which sits a stone’s throw from the Firestone and Fess Parker vineyards as well as the former residence of an infamous moonwalker. “Just over that ridge is Jacko’s Neverland Ranch,” she says, pointing south toward rolling hills that, due to an especially wet winter, resemble a…

FROM your chatter at motortrend.com, we know you prefer sporty wagons to SUVs, stickshifts to automatics. Which is why you don’t buy the cars and trucks you recommend to friends. Anyone interested in the new, bigger Audi A is likely to buy the sedan. You might prefer the Avant (Ingolstadtese for “sporty wagon”). While the Avant accounts for to percent of A sales in various Western European countries, it’s below percent here, volume about equal with Bentley’s. To avoid complexity with fewer than 4000 units annually, the new A4 Avant comes to the U.S. only with quattro all-wheel drive, six-speed Tiptronic automatic, and the new 211-horsepower,. 2.0-liter turbo charged direct-injection four, called 2.0 TFSI(not 2.0T FSI; that’s the 200-horse power engine). Don’t let anything besides lack of transmission choice dissuade…

THE AUDI S couldn’t do it. Nor could the Chevrolet Malibu, the Honda Accord, or the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. The only vehicle able to electrify our senses at this year’s Car of the Year competition was the all-new, second-generation Cadillac CTS. And seeing as we’re not ones to shun a prospectively fruitful long-term relationship—and, more important, because it’s Motor Trend protocol to subject a Car of the Year winner to a year of service—we had Cadillac ship us a CTS for a 12-month stay. Our topline CTS 3.6 LDI—nomenclature that signifies a new, all-aluminum. 3.6-liter V-6 with direct injection—arrived at our offices dressed to impress, wearing snazzy 18-inch wheels (part of a $2980 Performance Package that includes Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 summer tires, an FE3 sport suspension, a rear limited-slip diff,…

WE’RE MIGHTY pleased that, years after the zenith of the musclecar era, we can still put a hot new Dodge and a thundering Mustang on the cover of Motor Trend. Here are a few snaps from our visit to the dragstrip in the original Dodge Challenger. This was a nicely equipped car, too, an R/T with a Six-Pack, vinyl roof, and tacky luggage rack. It would be worth solid money today. We can’t tell from these black and white pix what color it was, but we’re guessing it was Plum Crazy, that wonderful 1970s shade of purple so popular on Mopars of the day. The ½ Challenger SRT out performs the old classic in every way possible, but couldn’t improve on the original look. The proportions, overhangs, and dash-to-axle ratios…

GENERAL MOTORS’ Cadilla-conly Sigma platform (CTS, SRX, STS) proved too expensive for cars like the Pontiac G8 and Chevrolet Camaro. Now GM is merging the Sigma architecture with its other RWD platform, the G8/Camaro’s Zeta, in time for the urgent 2011-model-year Cadillac STS/DTS convergence. Cadillac has locked in the new flagship’s design. We hear designers are reworking the nose because the flashy headlamp design turned out to be too busy. A rear-drive Chevrolet Impala is all but off the table. GM is unwilling to give up sales of the front-drive full-size sedan, which isn’t ceding sales to the popular new Malibu. The Impala competes directly with Ford’s Taurus, and the division already has a Zeta-based model, the Camaro, on the way. Because the only other car on the Impala’s aged…

WITH THE ARRIVALof BMW’s new twin-turbo V-8 in the X6, which produces more torque and only slightly less power than the V-12 in the 7 Series, you might imagine the future for BMW’s 12-cylinder engine is bleak. Not so. The V-12 will soon get a fresh lease on life, as evidenced by a new dedicated engine line at BMW’s Munich plant. An improved version with high-precision direct injection will power the coming 7 Series, especially in Asian markets where there’s little sign of long-term economic slowdown. Expect the V-12 to be rated at 470-plus horsepower. The HPi system gives cleaner emissions and improves power, although it does require higher fuel quality, which could delay introduction in some markets. We can also confirm a V-12 will be fitted to the new…

green piece The April issue (“Trend”) has a brief article about the Mustang possibly being equipped with a twin-turbo V-6, reinforcing a previous article that said Ford plans on phasing out its V-8s. While you’re getting death threats for something that isn’t your fault, I’m actually in favor of the idea. Don’t get me wrong, musclecar lovers: I’m not some tree-hugging Greenpeacer. In fact, I’m an avid motorhead, usually laughing at anything with fewer than eight cylinders. But the earth isn’t getting any healthier, and one of the contributing factors of pollution is the automobile. I’ll be sad when the only V-8 Firebird to be seen is in a museum and not in my driveway. However, I’ll be happy knowing I didn’t sacrifice performance while making our lives better. Paul…

“PASSION IS OUR COMMON BOND. IT’S WHAT SEPARATES US FROM OTHER HUMANS.” ON APRIL 1, I posted a blog on motortrend.com trashing the Corvette Z. I slammed its brake pedal for being “too far in the middle.” I ridiculed the car for having a noisy tachometer needle. And I posited that, to raise EPA targets, Chevy must secretly be dialing back the Z’s horsepower—given that I’d only managed a sprint to 60 mph of. 5.3 seconds “on an inclined entrance ramp.” Of course, I closed the piece with two words that finally let the Vette (and me) off the hook: April Fools. While writing the blog, I thought perhaps I was making my ruse too obvious (I even ran a photo of the base Corvette, not the Z). But no.…

THOUGH OVER 15 million have been sold around the globe since 1973, the Volkswagen Passat has never been fashionable in America. The reason? Some say it’s the duds. Sleeker, more stylish rivals from Swabia, Bavaria, and Japan consistently outsell the sedate sedan by considerable margins. Well, the style mavens at Volkswagen are hoping to close this gap and light up the runways with the all-new, haute-couture Passat CC. What their designers and engineers have done is take the “classic” Passat—a harmless, homogenized sedan fit for global consumption—and ripped it apart at the seams, recut its sheetmetal, and tailored together what they call a Comfort Coupe. Though it’s technically wrong to call this four-door, four-seater a coupe, there’s apparently a bit of latitude in the world of fashion. It’s not a…

YOU KNOW it’s different the moment you twist the key. It idles with the burble of a twin-engine Cigarette speedboat. Zing the gas, and the GT500 KR barks hard from its large, brushed stainless exhaust pipes. The roar is accompanied with a moan from the cold-air intake and a whine from the supercharger. Select first, plant your right foot, and run it through the gears. The most powerful factory Mustang ever sold bellows like a Cup car. The current GT500 is fast, sophisticated, and a Motor Trend fave. But we’ve always known there were sharper teeth hidden within. “Can we have less understeer, please? Not so much front-end lift at high speed? A more planted rear end is a must, and nastier intake and exhaust noises would be just ducky.…

RUDOLPH’S LITTLE STINKER HAS EVOLVED TO WORLD-CLASS LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE, ECONOMY, AND REFINEMENT. BUT WILL FUEL PRICES AND EMISSIONS REGS PLAY INTO ITS HAND OR—ONCE AGAIN—HAMPER ITS ATTEMPT AT WORLD DOMINATION? LIKE KUDZU, zebra mussels, and purple loose-strife, diesel engines are poised to invade the American landscape. The environment is certainly conducive. Federal CAFE regulations and California’s threatened CO2 restrictions demand a quantum leap in fuel economy of the sort that diesel promises. Rising oil prices are driving consumer demand for improved thrift, and the Green groundswell is encouraging renewable fuels like biodiesel. Over a dozen brands have announced plans to sell diesels here, but astronomical diesel-fuel prices and pending SULEV emissions standards are formidable threats. On these pages, we’ll share what we know about the individual species populating this…

WE’VE BEEN HERE, done this. In August 1979, we devoted 25 pages to chronicling a diesel revolution that was going to ease the acute pain we were all feeling at the pump. VW, Mercedes-Benz, and Peugeot cashed in with their Euro diesels, and GM hastily dieselized a couple V-8s with disastrous results. Tightening emissions regs, falling gas prices, and the horrendous sound, smell, and sloth of those “thundering turtles” brought a speedy end to that revolution. Here are some highlights of our eight-car comparison roundup: ■ MOST POWER/TORQUE Cadillac Eldorado (Olds-built) 350-cu-in V-8, 125 hp/225 lb-ft ■ LEAST POWER/TORQUE VW Rabbit/Dasher 1.5L I-4, 48 hp/57 lb-ft ■ QUICKEST Mercedes-Benz 300SD 3.0L I-5 turbo, 0-60: 15.1 sec; quarter mile: 20.0 sec @70.0 mph ■ SLOWEST Mercedes-Benz 240D 2.4L I-4, 0-60: 27.4…

IN DEALERSHIPS NOW 1. DODGE/CUMMINS 6.7L APPLICATION: Ram Heavy Duty pickups STATS: 6.7L/350-hp/650-lb-ft single-turbo OHV 24-valve I-6 TECH TRIVIA: A diesel particulate filter and a NOX-adsorber catalyst make this the first heavy-duty diesel to meet 2010 emissions. OPTION PRICE: $7095 FUEL-ECONOMY BENEFIT: 50% (est*) MILES TO PAYOFF: 50-102K (est*) *Not rated by EPA, estimate assumes heavy-duty towing/hauling operation. 2. FORD POWERSTROKE APPLICATION: Super-Duty F-Series pickups & E-Series vans STATS: 6.4L/350-hp/650-lb-ft twin-turbo OHV, 32-valve V-8 TECH TRIVIA: To combat turbo lag, a small variable-geometry turbo provides launch torque, then a larger fixed-geometry turbo takes over, providing 42 psi of peak boost. OPTION PRICE: $7245-$7670 FUEL-ECONOMY BENEFIT: 50% (est*) MILES TO PAYOFF: 51-110K (est*) *Not rated by EPA, estimate assumes heavy-duty towing/hauling operation. 3. GM/ISUZU DURAMAX APPLICATION: Chevy Silverado/Express, GMC Sierra/Savanna heavy-duty…

FOUR YEARS after VW and Audi launched DSG, BMW might seem fashionably late to the double-clutch-transmission party. But the one now optional in the M3 is special. For a start, it’s the only one that can handle supercar engines—not just the horsepower and rpm of an M3 but, technically anyway, the juice of an M5. Called, logically enough, M DCT, the box has seven forward ratios. In D mode, it can shift about as smoothly as a torque converter auto, something no single-auto-clutch manual quite pulls off. A rocker switch called Drivelogic enables you to progressively ramp up the aggression of the auto shift patterns, with the higher levels holding low gears, shifting down sooner, and avoiding shifts in corners. This, however, is an M car, and the tranny is…

ONCE a staple of American idiom, the term “station wagon” has all but slipped into disuse, now found way back in the synonyms drawer alongside words like “dull,” “archaic,” and “I’d rather have a big ol’ SUV.” Yet Volkswagen, which has been making wagons for years (think Square back, Dasher, Quantum, Fox, etc.), stands against the trend. Not only has the company proudly dubbed its sleek new five-door the Jetta Sport Wagen, but, as VW COO Mark Barnes gleefully points out, the SportWagen’s new, optional panoramic glass sunroof has four times the sky view of the bubble-topped Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser wagon from “That’s Show.” When VW begins selling the SportWagen about the time you’re reading this, three engines will be offered: the 2.5-liter five-cylinder (making 170 horses); the 200-horse, turbo…

SENIOR EDITOR Ron Kiino recently commandeered the largest-in-fleet Tundra for a big-time move. “I took the Toyota home for the first time, so I could pick up a queen-size mattress and box spring from Sam’s Club. By angling the bed setup along the rear window, both pieces fit no problem, and I used the fixed tie-down hooks to secure them with rope.” With the view out the rear window completely obstructed, Kiino says the “gargantuan sideview mirrors finally came in handy.” Not so handy are the dash-mounted radio controls, whose far reach, says to copy editor James Dryden, is “waaaaay over there and hardly user-friendly.” Truck Trend editor Mark Williams concurs with Dryden—“Makes for an awkward reach to change radio stations or media modes”—and also notes that the Tundra’s myriad…