Innehållsförteckning för May 2009 från MotorTrend

■ Delightful Smorgasbord This month’s issue has supercars, misers, boxes and pocket-rockets in motion: vehicles to satisfy about every automotive taste, and our moving-picture pros have been busy bringing them to life for you on screen: everything from an in-depth look at the gorgeous Alfa Romeo 8C to an Evo and STI ice dance to a head-to-head frugality faceoff between the new Prius and Honda Insight. We’ve also taken a trio of boxes—Cube, xB, and Soul—to the target market for their feedback, and we have more on Hyundai’s hot new Genesis Coupe. Find all our video coverage here: www.motortrend.com/multimedia/…

RETIRING GM VICE CHAIRMAN Bob Lutz says he doesn’t need to stick around to watch the 2011 Chevrolet Volt enter the market in fall 2010. Media drives will begin this summer, and the car’s details are all locked in. What could go wrong? In fact, GM has unveiled special tires and a special optional audio system from two key suppliers for the extended-range electric sedan. Tires are Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max all-seasons, made of a special compound for low rolling resistance. The tires offer up to one extra mile under electric-only power, before the flex-fuel four-cylinder engine kicks in to recharge the battery pack. Vehicle line executive Frank Weber says Goodyear has packed performance characteristics into the Fuel Max to make the Volt fun to drive. Bose will supply its…

CHRYSLER’S PLAN considers three scenarios. A bankruptcy study was required, and chairman Bob Nardelli says the $20- to $25-billion debtor-in-possession Chapter 11 would require an entity no smaller than the federal government to step forward, otherwise it’s liquidation. “This is not a course of action we’re recommending,” Nardelli says. Nardelli says Chrysler could remain a stand-alone company if it receives an additional $5 billion in loan guarantees, in addition to the $4 billion it got at the beginning of the year. Its best-case scenario is the pending alliance with Fiat, which was contingent on federal money. Fiat would own 35 percent of Chrysler with no money down, propelling the alliance to the sixth-largest automaker in the world, just behind Ford Motor Company. Chrysler “revealed” that three models would be added…

HYUNDAI is investigating the feasibility of bringing its new flagship, the Mk VI Equus (the first rear-drive version of that car), to North America and Europe by 2011 or ’12. If the Genesis sedan is Hyundai’s E-Class (even though the Korean car is longer), the Equus is its S-Class and launches in South Korea this year with the 290-horsepower, 3.8-liter V-6 and 375-horsepower, 4.6-liter V-8. Both engines come coupled to a six-speed automatic transmission. Using the same rear-drive platform as the Genesis sedan, the Equus is 7.2 inches longer, 0.4 inch wider, and 0.6 inch taller. That 4.6-liter Tau engine, Hyundai’s first in-house V-8, can be bored and stroked up to 5.4 liters, and the Genesis sedan is slated for a 5.0-liter version in the future, which means it will…

JUST A YEAR ago, Hyundai pulled out the red carpet to launch the Genesis, a rear-drive, V-8-motivated luxury car with power and grace akin to that of a Lexus LS 460. Its pricetag, however, resembled the one dangling from the rearview of a Chrysler 300C. And wouldn’t you know it, just as the original Lexus LS did 20 years ago, the Genesis garnered much attention, plenty of love, and due respect. It certainly got ours. In fact, had it not been for the extraordinary Nissan GT-R, the Genesis would be reveling in Motor Trend Car of the Year glory for the next seven months. Suffice it to say, the Genesis is one of several top-notch products coming from the now formidable Korean brand. Don’t believe us? Well, Hyundai was one…

THE NEW Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro may drive like one of the world’s most exotic and exquisitely executed sports cars—new V-10 engine, choice of six-speed manual or R-tronic paddle-shift transmissions, body design straight from Pluto—but in many ways the coming U.S. version is very much a work in progress. For instance, will the 40-valve, 5.2-liter V-10—sister engine to the unit in the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4—produce 525 horsepower or 518? The difference is normally attributable to the conversion from metric to English units, but in the R8’s case Audi may juice output to 525 Yank ponies for the U.S. The automaker’s marketing and planning execs haven’t yet decided. Nor have they finalized their thinking on optional carbon-ceramic brakes. The upgraded binders are a done deal for Europe, but Audi bigs…

STUTTGART engineers are putting the years of cost-cut me-too Benzes behind them. Ditto the endless distractions of the Chrysler affair. The new E-Class represents Mercedes’s contrition for those sins. The new E, like the recent C and S, is a return-path to what people always loved Mercedes for: a solid, safe, comfortable, conservative car in which you can invest utter faith. That’s not to say there hasn’t been progress—it’s clearly part of the new design generation. The E posts impressive economy and performance numbers thanks to careful weight reduction, low aero drag, and powertrain improvements. It inherits a panoply of fancy driver-assist systems from the S-Class. But overall, the impression is that nothing has been done to upset the solid evolution and granite-like quality. The design sits somewhere between crisp…

TEMPERATURE IS -13 Fahrenheit. The Dallas Cowboys lead the Green Bay Packers, 17-14 and the Packers have the ball two feet from the Cowboys’ goal line. There’s 16 seconds on the clock here at Lambeau Field, the Frozen Tundra. A Packers field goal would be the sure save for this NFL championship game, December 31, 1967, but who wants to go into overtime when it’s 13 below? So on third down, Bart Starr completes a quarterback sneak and the Packers come out of the cold with a 21-17 victory. The connection? We’ve compared Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions and Subaru WRX STIs every whichway for what seems decades. (Did Evo I coincide with Super Bowl I, or does it just seem that long?) Evo versus STI stories were once so common in…

BENTLEY, Ettore Bugatti reportedly once sneered, built the fastest trucks in Europe. Okay, Mr. Bugatti was probably a mite peeved his delicate little sports cars were routinely trounced by W.O. Bentley’s thundering green giants at Le Mans during the late 1920s, but he had a point. Bentleys were big, and they were heavy. And they certainly were fast. Fast forward 80 years, and little has changed. The 621-horsepower Bentley Continental Supersports is fast. In fact, it’s the fastest Bentley in history. Engineering boss Ulrich Eichhorn claims the Supersports will sprint from 0-to-60 mph in 3.7 seconds, nail 100 mph in 8.9 seconds, and hit 204 mph. Eichhorn also says it is—shock!—a lightweight Bentley. Then he pauses and, with a twinkle in his eye, adds, “but it still weighs 4800 pounds”…

SOMETIMES, all the right stuff shows up in one place. That’s the case with the sportiest, fastest, highest-quality, and all-around best-ever Quattroporte. Maserati’s elegant four-door has been a favorite since its introduction, but we wanted more power, a more appropriate transmission than the jerky old DuoSelect, and sportier tuning. All these facets converge in the Sport GT S. There are too many detail improvements to cover here, but the short of it combines the GranTurismo S coupe’s 433-horsepower, 4.7-liter V-8, a six-speed automatic transmission, 20-inch rolling stock, and edgier suspension, in the big Maser sedan. Think Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG versus S550. The GT S also benefits from last year’s mild restyling, plus updated electronics and infotainment. As soon as you fire this so very motore Italiano, thumb the Sport button,…

LIKE the Cadillac CTS coupe, the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Chrysler 300 made their public debut in the reorganization plan to the U.S. Treasury. Sort of. This rendering and its angle don’t do the new 300 anywhere near justice. New fender flares, character beltline, and redesigned grille are apparent, but the real thing (which we’ve seen) looks much, much better. The two-row Jeep rides on a new unibody platform derived from the Mercedes-Benz M-Class.…

BMW continues its drive to boldly go where no market niche has gone before—whether it makes sense or not. Munich’s latest segment-busting creation has officially arrived in the form of the Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo, BMW’s attempt to morph sedan, SUV, and Grand Touring coupe into a single vehicle. BMW claims the Concept 5 Series is equally suitable for long journeys, commuter traffic, and short, local trips. It fits somewhere between the midsize 5 Series sedan and its X5/X6. At 196.8 inches long, 61.2 tall, and 74.8 wide, it’s just 3.0 inches shorter than a 7 Series and 5.3 inches lower than the X6 in height; this is a large car. With an arching rear roofline blending into a turned-up spoiler, first impressions are of a vehicle in the…

DRIFT ON SUNDAY, sell on Monday. That’ll be Hyundai’s motto as it enters the 2009 Formula Drift Professional Drifting Championship with multiple champion Rhys Millen. To achieve the target curb weight of 2400 pounds, Millen and his team gave the Genesis Coupe drift car an alkali bath to remove all rubber and adhesives from the chassis and then replaced every metal body panel with ones made from carbon fiber. The chassis is stitch-welded for extra strength, a necessary step given the stiffness levels of the KW three-way adjustable coil-over suspension. A stroked 4.1-liter Lambda V-6 that makes 550 horsepower and 520 pound-feet provides the rubber-melting power; and there’s plenty of it to instantly fry a pair of Toyo Proxes R1R tires. Look for Millen and his Red Bull Genesis in…

WERE THE ECONOMY what it was a year and a half ago when Wall Street was in full Go-Go-Mode, it’s doubtful anybody seriously shopping for an all-new Prius would give Honda’s new Insight a second glance. Sure, they look an awful lot alike, but understand, these are two starkly different automobiles. Different in size: Dimensionally, the Insight is a confirmed compact while the new Prius has expanded its interior volume enough to place it somewhere midpack in the midsize category. Different in hybrid technology: What they mainly share is battery chemistry. And different in cost, with a price spread big enough to drive a couple of mortgage payments through. Unfortunately, the economy has subsequently put this sort of simple thinking into a coffee grinder and pressed the top down. Today,…

YOU KNOW you’re suffering from horsepower-war battle fatigue when your first reaction to the news that the Jaguar XFR’s all-new, supercharged 5.0-liter direct injection V-8 develops 510 horsepower is a faintly disappointed “Oh…” It might outgun the 500-horse BMW M5 and the 507-horse Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, but it comes up short against Cadillac’s mighty 556-horsepower CTS-V and Audi’s head-banging 572-horse RS6. We’re here to tell you, however, that sheer horsepower ain’t everything. Just point the new XFR at your favorite stretch of gnarly two-lane, nail the gas, and you’ll soon see what we mean. The XFR is, of course, the new flagship car in an upgraded and expanded XF range for the 2010 model year. By now, you will have noticed the entirely predictable exterior mods: a new front bumper…

LAMBORGHINI HAS TRADITIONALLY relied solely on outside design firms to create the look of its cars. That changed under the company’s previous design director, Luc Donkerwolke. He championed the creation of Lamborghini Centro Stile (say “chentro steelay”), an in-house team and facility now charged with the responsibility for the marque’s design language. It’s a tiny group, currently just seven members, plus a few outside contractors. Now under the direction of the talented Manfred Fitzgerald, it’s a busy shop. It’s responsible for the updated look of the LP 560-4 Spyder, and you’ll see more of Stile’s efforts at international auto shows—and perhaps Lamborghini dealers—in the near future.…

THERE IS no questioning the Silverado Hybrid’s truck cred. Offered in RWD and RWD varieties, its towing capacity (5900-6100 pounds) and payload rating (1418-1459 pounds) are sufficient for most applications that a half-ton truck can reasonably be called upon to perform, although it’s offered only as a short-bed crew-cab. A choice of cloth or leather interior is offered, however. The latter also adds a navigation system. More important, this truck also packs real green cred, achieving an impressive 20-21/20-22 mpg city/highway thanks to GM’s two-mode hybrid system. As in its Tahoe Hybrid stablemate, power flows from a 332-horse, 6.0-liter V-8 through GM’s two-mode electrically variable transmission featuring two 60-kilowatt electric motors that feed off a 300-volt nickel/metal-hydride battery. Full electric operation is possible up to around 25-30 mph, but requires…

“THE CLOSEST vote in Motor Trend Truck of the Year history.” That was our summation in February when handing the Golden Calipers to the 2009 Ford F-150 instead of the superb new 2009 Dodge Ram. Both trucks presented compelling cases for victory, but the Ford’s greater load capabilities and broader range of models edged it into the winner’s circle. Now, with a recently delivered F-150 Lariat in our long-term test fleet, we’ll live with our decision and see how it holds up as the months and miles roll on. What’s clear after barely a month in our fleet is that this is one sophisticated truck. “Cary Grant in work overalls,” is how I described our new arrival in an online blog after a 300-mile trek from Mammoth Mountain back to…

AFTER 37,248 miles and 15 months of grueling service, including trips to Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, and Utah; myriad assignments with Motor TrendÕs photo and video teams; and dozens of seven-passenger loaded-to-the-gills excursions, some of which ventured into snowy climes, our 2008 Sport/Utility of the Year-winning long-term Mazda CX-9 drew the following complaints from our discerning staff : The volume knob for the radio was located too far from the driver, the rear hatch didn’t rise far enough, and the driver seat (at least for one editor) induced backaches on long drives. Other than those minor quibbles, our Liquid Platinum CX-9 Grand Touring AWD, which carried an as-tested price of $41,540, received nothing but rave reviews. “Unlike other vehicles in its weight class, you really don’t get the feeling…

JAGUAR is working on a new sports car that will be positioned under the XK, and aimed squarely at Porsche’s 911. To be called XE, the car likely will make its debut at the 2011 Geneva show, on the 50th anniversary of the iconic Jaguar E-Type, its spiritual successor The XE will be based on the Jaguar range’s flexible architecture, which accommodates the XK, XF and the all-new XJ that bows this September at the Frankfurt show. The last is designed to be a larger, more formal version of the XF, but more lowslung than the current, conservative XJ. Rumors of a smaller, more focused Jaguar sports car have been around for decades. Ford, which never truly understood Jaguar, canceled work on one called the F-Type about 10 years ago,…

IF A LARGE-DISPLACEMENT V-6 seems superfluous, the Genesis Coupe’s 2.0-liter turbo four will seem just plain super. With 210 horsepower and 223 pound-feet channeled through a six-speed manual (a five-speed automatic is optional), the 2.0T should hit 60 in about 6.5 seconds and the quarter mile in roughly 15.0 ticks at 94.0 mph, yet still dispense an estimated 21/30 mpg. And given the $22,750 starting price, the 2.0T delivers bang for the buck that will make such front-drive pocket-rockets as the VW GTI and Honda Civic Si take notice. For those in search of more street cred, there’s the $27,500 2.0T Track, replete with a limited slip, Brembos, and 19-inch wheels, as well as the $24,500 R-Spec, a decontented Track trim for tuners and autocrossers. THE DETAILS Base price: $22,750-$27,500…

SO, IT’S LESS ENDEARING than the Mustang and less exhilarating than the Z. But does that make the Genesis Coupe less desirable? Not necessarily. By combining some of the choice attributes of each—the forceful façade and 26 mpg highway of the Z and the four-seat accommodations and the nearly 13.4-cubic-foot trunk of the Mustang—the Genesis Coupe represents, in some ways, the best of both worlds. It is quick and fun to drive. It’s easy on the eyes and on the wallet. And it comes with a stellar warranty from an automaker whose sales aren’t in the toilet. The only caveat is that you have to want to live in both those worlds: in the style of the Z and in the functionality of the Mustang. But if you’re just after…

ALEX TREMULIS, best remembered as the designer of the Tucker, once emplored his colleagues to “stop torturing air!” Maybe they’re finally listening. The hacked-off-tail look, typified by double rear glass panels, is a modern interpretation of the ideas of Dr. Wunibald Kamm and Baron von Koenig-Fashsenfeld in the 1930s. Together they recognized that most of the aerodynamic value of an ideal streamline shape could be had in a fairly practical vehicle by slicing away the trailing end once it’s tapered to about 50 percent of the car’s maximum cross-section. While all four of these modern hybrid, or plug-in hybrid Kammbacks, are impressively aerodynamic, the new Prius appears to have done its homework particularly well. Note its very low nose and wind-deflecting front corners. Both it and the upcoming Volt also…

LAMBORGHINI ISN’T KNOWN FOR making open-topped cars, but four decades ago it was involved in a one-off, al fresco version of its magnificent, mid-engine Miura. It was created by designer/coachbuilder Bertone for the 1968 Brussels Auto Salon. Rather than being a true Spyder, however, it was really a roadster, because it had no roof panel whatsoever. Even though the chassis was stiffened, it still lacked the rigidity required for production. The point was moot, Ferruccio Lamborghini reportedly wasn’t thrilled with the idea, anyway, stressing that the Miura was a pure sports car, not a tanning booth for rich playboys. After the first round of show-car days were over, Lamborghini sold the roadster to the International Lead and Zinc Research Organization (the acronym of which, ILZRO, was strangely close to the…

IF THE Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione never stirred a tire, it would draw a crowd. Somebody might even try to frame it. Likewise, if the 8C simply revved its 4.7-liter, Ferrari-based V-8 behind a curtain, it would draw a crowd—a few probably offering to pay to meet the hidden opera tenor. Future owners, take note: Do not even think of driving this Alfa unless you’re having a good hair day. It was well over a year ago (January 2008) that I had the opportunity to sample this attention-snatching exotic in Italy, though my wheel time was limited to laps on a rain-soaked circuit with an Alfa Romeo handler riding shotgun (i.e., playing Slip ’n Slide was out). Nonetheless, even driven gingerly the 8C revealed an overwhelming charisma, emitting an exhaust…

SPORE. BEER PONG. Flight of the Conchords. Super-poking on Facebook. Any of these sound remotely familiar? If not, it’s because you’re old and unhip. These terms belong in the vernacular of a specific subset of the American populace. Whether you call them Gen Y, Echo Boomers, or Millennials, they're the next generation of young drivers and car buyers—and they are different from you and me. They grew up not on Atari or Commodore64, nor even Nintendo or SEGA, but on PlayStation and Xbox. They Google, Yelp, and Twitter—often while simultaneously LOLing on IM or downloading the latest iPhone apps. See? Unhip. Toyota is not only a student of this generation, it’s at the head of the class when it comes to identifying and codifying their existence. Toyota wrote the playbook…

THE previous-generation Mazda6 was always a popular player around these parts. It won a midsize sport-sedan comparo when introduced. The Long-Term 2002 test unit we lived with performed flawlessly during its year in our garage. But by the time it had run its course at the end of the 2008 model year, others had moved on. Top-selling entries like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry were roomier and more sophisticated, and had better infotainment offerings. So the zoom-zoom folks got busy and reinvented the Mazda6 for 2009. It’s now more in line with other marketplace offerings in terms of size and, as is typical for Mazda, offers more expressive design and tips its hand more toward the performance side of the coin. All good reasons for a yearlong look. Base…

“MY DAD and I took the IS F on a road trip up Highway 1 this weekend from Morro Bay to Big Sur,” says associate Web editor Carlos Lago. “We had a blast, as the IS F performed exceptionally.” Allow Lago to explain. “The engine’s evil, nasty howl at around 4000 rpm is addicting. After the first few miles, I was a junkie for the sound, relying on the shift indictor to say when the next dosage was ready. Beep, upshift, bliss. The eight-speed box seems a bit superfluous, but I can’t imagine this car being better with a manual (Yes, Kiino, I’ll concede this auto is just that good). Though, at cruising speeds, it seems to hunt around with minor throttle adjustments, but it’s perfectly liveable. It’s also Speedy…

NISSAN CUBE. Scion xB. Kia’s new Soul. Boxy little cars that define a sharp-edged segment of today’s automotive landscape. This curve-free zone is hardly new. Witness the Ford Comuta, a semi-rectangular concept commuter pod that not only eschewed the designer’s French curve for a ruler, but also foretold the current move to make the electric car a real deal. Powered by just four 12-volt lead acid batteries, it was speed limited to about 37 mph. The Comuta’s range was seriously limited too, less than 40 miles at an average speed of about 25 mph. Ford President Arjay Miller was quoted by The New York Times as saying “cars like the Comuta could be available in five to 10 years.” Things are running a little late on that front, as Ford…