Innehållsförteckning för July 2009 från MotorTrend

■ Comparisons on Tape This month’s issue features two epic showdowns: one a high-horsepower supersedan shootout between the Cadillac CTS-V and BMW M5, the other a V-6-powered parlay pitting the all-new Chevrolet Camaro against the Hyundai Genesis Coupe. Once you’ve digested all the words and photos in the magazine, visit mt.com for moving pictures from each comparison. Our videos show all four cars doing what they do best: smoking tires and running hard at speed as our editors analyze strengths and weaknesses. You can find it all either here www.youtube.com/motortrend or here www.motortrend.com/…

GENERAL MOTORS has approved production of the stunning Cadillac Converj extended-range electric-powered coupe, based on the Chevrolet Volt’s Voltec architecture, a well-placed source says. GM brass wants the car on the road by 2011, making it a 2012 model. Retiring product chief Bob Lutz told Motor Trend in April that GM would decide by the end of the year whether to build the Converj. A spokesperson denies the Converj’s green-light status and says that nothing has changed regarding the production prospects for the car. However, our source offers a number of details to lend credence to the probability of its approval. While the Voltec architecture is exclusive, there’s a lot of GM’s compact Delta architecture in it. A 2012 Converj would need all-new sheetmetal and interior, but the basic platform…

FROM virtually every angle, the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro is a gorgeous car. Its C-pillar, in coke-bottle profile, looks even more rakish than that of the 1969 Camaro, which served as its designers’ inspiration. Its deep grille is like a fierce smile and the rear-view accents huge rear quarter-panels and extreme tumblehome—the way those quarter panels flare out from the greenhouse. It’s more than a retro reference to the original Camaro. It’s an homage to the Bill Mitchell era of exuberant styling, when General Motors divisions needn’t be bothered with outside competition. They competed with each other to dominate the North American market. Subjectively, the 2010 Camaro is the best-looking new model of this old breed of pony/musclecar. And in V-8 form, it beat the updated Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger…

IT’S THE SOUND that hits you first. Roll into the throttle at 2000 rpm and rising above the raspy whirr behind you is a single sonorous wail—like the bass notes belted out by the Wagner tubas of “Der Ring des Nibelungen.” This Wagnerian tone lasts for only a second as the rapidly soaring engine speed leans out the brassy resonance and elevates the pitch to that familiar flat-six howl. But this is no normal Porsche 911, this is the 2010 GT3—the purest evolution of the breed. As in versions past, the GT3 badge means two seats, normally aspirated power, and a heavy focus on racing—a term Porsche does not take lightly. Consider the intensive give and take of the 2010 GT3’s engine development. Though the engine architecture carries over and…

TORQUE STEER. Two words that make front-drive loyalists cringe and rear-drive purists chuckle. While most of today’s automakers have managed to quell torque steer with halfshaft trickery or engine control units that reduce torque in low gears, the helm-tugging phenomenon still exists in several, modern front-drivers, especially those with a propensity for pound-feet. This trait is unwelcome in any car, but certainly those of the luxury bent, whose buyers, after gassing their new rides through a sharp turn, would likely race back to the dealership exclaiming, “There’s something wrong with my $50,000 car!” Solutions? Besides the obvious (read: rear drive) and the aforementioned tricks, there’s all-wheel drive, a system that can be easily bolted to a front-drive chassis and, more notable, apportions torque to the rear wheels, thus nullifying or…

“PERHAPS WE’RE stretching ourselves a little bit too far, given the size of our company compared with our competitors and given the technical advantages the diesels have today,” said Aston Martin chairman David Richards, “but Aston Martin is a challenging brand, one that has often punched above its weight. We thought our fans around the world would be disappointed if we ignored this opportunity.” In 1959, Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori drove an Aston Martin DBR1 to the marque’s only overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, although the company has a rich history in the world’s most epic endurance race. Aston is returning this year in celebration of that historic win, with a top-tier, two-car LMP1-category effort. “We’ve been to Le Mans with GT class cars successfully…

CADILLAC needed two tries to get the CTS right. Now it’s leading a brand renaissance (financial woes notwithstanding). The 2010 SRX has been rightsized and is to the 2004-2009 model what the ’08 CTS was to its ’03-’07 predecessor. The new SRX boasts best-in-class specific output with its new 3.0-liter gas direct-injection V-6 (based on the CTS’3.6) and will be available with FWD or a Haldex AWD system, either one just pounds heavier than a comparably equipped Lexus RX. Cadillac expects to rival the RX in fuel economy, and with a 21-gallon tank, breach miles in range. Its standard FE2 suspension comes with constant-rate steering, passive shock absorbers, and 18-inch wheels. FE3 adds variable-effort steering, Sachs continuously variable suspension damping, and 20-inch wheels. FE3 is optional with the 3.0-liter V-6,…

HYUNDAI’S GENESIS sedan is one of the most significant new cars launched in America this decade. It represents an ambitious reach toward Lexus and Mercedes-Benz territory, a car designed to catapult the fast-growing South Korean automaker into the luxury segment. Shockingly, the Genesis is also a car that puts GM, Ford, and Chrysler on notice: Detroit now hasn’t the money or resources to produce a rear-drive luxury sedan of its size and quality. Think about that. We know the Genesis is good: Were it not for the astonishing Nissan GT-R, it probably would’ve won our 2009 Car of the Year. What cost the Genesis the title was detail stuff, like the overwrought grille, the limited rearward travel of the front seats, and a ride deemed too jittery for a luxury…

WE DON’T KNOW exactly when this photograph was taken, but judging by the 1970 Ford Torino Cobra in the middle of this wing of Ford’s design studio, we’d guesstimate it to be just about four decades ago. The gentleman in the middle foreground is the legendary Larry Shinoda, who designed, among his many notable projects, the stripes and other graphic touches for the Mustang Boss 302 and 429. Previous credits include the 1963-1967 Corvette Sting Ray, during his stint at General Motors. Look closely around this obviously posed public-relations photo, and you’ll see renderings of the ’69 Torino Talladega. The illustration on the design board in the lower-middle of the photograph shows a Torino done up in Petty Blue, wearing that famous number 43—yes, the King ran with the Blue…

TIME IS closing in on the Ferrari 430. The Scuderia and 16M Spider versions will maintain sales at a good level for a year or so. But this fall, the all-new 430 successor, already testing extensively, will be shown. Innovations will include a double-clutch transmission to replace the F1 system, and a direct gasoline injection engine. The V-8 engine will make significantly more than 500 horsepower, though we can’t confirm its exact size. Engineers are happy the car will significantly improve on the performance of the 430, and yet reduce fuel consumption. The car will not feature any sort of kinetic energy recovery system. Officials say that technology won’t be commercialized earlier than 2012. The marketing men don’t believe Ferrari yet needs to be seen as all that green, and…

PORSCHE recently invited journalists into the heart of their normally verboten technical center in Weissach for a reveal of the controversial four-door Panamera. Three models will debute in U.S., all powered by a direct-injection 4.8-liter V-8 coupled to a 7-speed dual-clutch (PDK) transmission. The normally-aspirated S and AWD 4S, and AWD Turbo are expected to go on sale in October with prices ranging from $90,750 to $133,550. Will Porsche’s fourth model be the first four-door sports car? We’ll see. The twin-turbo produces 500 hp at 6000 rpm and 516 lb-ft at 2250 rpm–enough for a 4.2 sec 0-100-kph sprint. The non-turbo offers 400 hp at 6500 rpm and 369 lb-ft at 3500 rpm (5.4 sec to100-kph for the base model). An idle-stop feature reduces fuel consumption. Electronically controlled thermostat and…

WHEN LAST we rounded up the usual suspects in the intensely competitive four-cylinder family-sedan segment—there were 10 of them last August—four of the top-five finishers wore nameplates hailing from overseas. The lone Yank was the Ford Fusion, in fifth place. Though it was only in its second year, Ford was already hard at work rectifying many of the demerits we assigned that 2008-model test car; and now the Blue Oval gang is rolling out a much-modified 2010 model. The restyling of the front and rear of the car is about as thorough as those that happened every model year back in the 1950s and ’60s, and the result is every bit as uniquely American as the cars of that longer/lower/wider age. Ford’s trademark three-bar grille is enlarged and exaggerated, trapezoidal…

IF THE 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan’s styling isn’t controversial enough for you, meet the E-Class Coupe. While the new coupe, like the CLK it replaces is based on the C-Class, its sheetmetal and engine choices tie it to the all-new E-Class sedan. The E-Class Coupe is more relaxed and less sporty compared with the 2009 CLK, and along the way it drops out as a competitor for BMW’s unbeatable 3 Series coupe. In the same fashion as the E-Class sedan’s rear fender treatment is designed to recall the “Ponton” Mercedes of the early 1950s, the E-Coupe’s rear fender flares pay homage to the Ponton coupe, a rather obscure car in North America. Less obscure, the new coupe’s look evokes stolid two-door Benzes like the ’68 C114 and the later C124.…

I’M STUCK at a crossroads. I love the new 2009 Lotus Exige S 260, but for the very same reasons, I hate it as well. Let me explain. At 6 foot 3 and 210 pounds, my relationship with the Exige got off to a rocky start (you get one second to stop laughing at the thought of me trying to get in and out of this car). But once I was in, our relationship warmed. The racing Recaros gave an idea of what was in store for me, as did the very sparse interior. Since we had the opportunity, we turned some laps in the Exige S 260. Its amazingly good brakes let you go deeper into a braking zone than you initially think you can, and its quick and…

FOR MANY, a compact truck will provide all the capability they’d need. It can tow a good-size boat or trailer, lug half a ton of payload, and, as a plus, fit in most garages and provide decent fuel economy while doing it. What’s not to like? Add to that the opportunity to try out one of the rare new models in this segment and we were eager to sample an Equator for the long haul. (Okay, in all honesty, a rebadged Nissan Frontier does not a new model make, but we were curious to see how the Suzuki version differs from the Nissan.) The truck we selected is powered by Nissan’s 261-horse,. 4.0-liter V-6, backed by a five-speed automatic. Suzuki’s crew cab comes only with the V-6/automatic combination, with the…

“HOLY TIRE NOISE, Batman!” says associate Web producer Scott Evans. “I took the STI on a road trip up to Northern California, and the tire roar on the highway was excessive, to say the least.” Indeed, upon Evans’ return to Southern Cal, we inspected the tires and noticed that, after over 17,000 miles of use, their tread blocks had worn even with the wear bars—not bad mileage for a soft and sticky summer tire, though—so we promptly called Tire Rack. For replacement rubber, we opted to stay within the Dunlop line, swapping the OE SP Sport 600s with a set of Direzza Sport Z1 Star Specs ($893.85). So far, the Direzzas are delivering a quiet ride and handling on par with the OE tires. Tire noise notwithstanding, Evans did enjoy…

THE CHEVROLET Volt compressed timing and intense development are reminiscent of Ed Cole’s crash program to build a light, affordable V-8. And its engineers want the car to be as easy to drive as any conventional internal-combustion-powered model. The difference this time is that the press has been given the opportunity to closely watch the process and to drive powertrain development mules. We drove one of about 40 Chevy Cruze sedans that have been outfitted with the Volt’s T-shaped lithium-ion battery pack, its 150-hp, 272-lb-ft AC induction motor, and the proper powertrain control electronics and the regenerative and hydraulic braking components needed to develop driveability. The chassis tuning is not representative, and while weight is reasonably close to production intent, it’s distributed differently. These first-generation mules are not equipped with…

THE ON-TRACK rivalry between the Ferrari and McLaren Formula 1 teams has been one of the most intense and hard-fought in the history of Grand Prix racing. Now McLaren wants to take that battle to the streets. If surprise plans announced by McLaren Group chairman Ron Dennis in April come to fruition, within five years McLaren Automotive, the division of the Group that currently builds the Mercedes-McLaren SLR, will be a stand-alone company building up to 4000 high-performance sports car a year. Centerpiece of the plan is an all-new mid-engine McLaren sports car codenamed P11. Dennis gave no detail about the car, but it’s a Ferrari F430-size coupe. The P11’s design is the work of talented American Frank Stephenson, whose credits include the new Mini and the new Fiat 500,…

FATHER OF LOTUS Colin Chapman said his secret to engineering racing and sports cars was to “add lightness.” We mention Chapman because underneath the polyester bodywork of the Dodge Circuit, there is large helping of the Lotus Europa, a slight larger, fixed-roof Elise derivative. The Europa’s 197-horsepower, 2.0-liter GM-sourced turbo I-4 and six-speed manual gearbox have been dumped in favor of a 268-horsepower DC permanent magnet motor driving the rear wheels through an 8.3:1 planetary reduction gearset. While the base Europa engine is rated 200 lb-ft of torque, Dodge claims the Circuit motor is good for 480 pound-feet. When Dodge broomed the reciprocating engine, the Europa’s gas tank joined the turbo four in the parts dumpster. The “fuel tank” in the Circuit is a 10-module lithium-ion battery. So with the…

TOYOTA’S Scion division and Honda have a South Korean car company on their tails. Kia, known until recently for its cheap, boxy, outdated-looking small cars, has transformed itself into a styling powerhouse. While the Soul will look familiar to those shopping the Scion xB and Nissan Cube, and some angles of the Forte Koup will remind you of the Honda Civic two door, the fact is, Kia has quickly moved to the forefront of automotive fashion. Credit Kia’s design chief, former Audi designer Peter Schreyer, and staff like Mike Torpey, the Soul designer recognized as one of the Top 10 designers by Automotive Design. Kia’s next hit, following the 2010 Forte Koup and sedan, could be the 2011 Amanti midsize sedan, as previewed by the KND-5 concept at this year’s…

speaking of car of the year In January, we handed the award to the Nissan GT-R. The resulting hate mail was staggering. The argument continues below: In your April issue, you have two complaints about your pick for Car of the Year. I read it and thought it was hilarious. Your magazine is about cars, period. American cars or not, it really is all about what you’ve mentioned: Significance, superiority, and value. I absolutely love cars and, for the most part, I don’t discriminate. These people need to calm down and stop taking things so seriously and personally. Mike M.Las Vegas, Nevada In response to the whining about the Nissan GT-R winning Car of the Year: Get over it! The layout was beautiful wand the pictures, gorgeous. I own a…

ONCE “The Standard of the World,” by the early 1980s GM’s Cadillac division had nose-dived to “The Standard Engine on Our New Cimarron Is a Four-Cylinder.” Cadillac has since scrambled back to become “Another Legendary Automaker Attempting To Reestablish Past Glory.” But give the Wreath-and-Crest brand credit for aiming high. With Bavaria’s BMW proffering a 500-horsepower, V-10-propelled Motorsport Division version of its 5 Series sedan, Cadillac has unveiled a new, second-generation CTS-V that wouldn’t look out of place alongside a crate of TNT. Clearly, Motown 2.0 was asking for this matchup against Munich. Dimensionally, M5 and CTS-V are near-mirror reflections, within fractions of each other in length, wheelbase, width, and height. By those mere fractions, the BMW is the larger car, but it doesn’t tip the scales accordingly. In fact,…

IF YOU follow the San Andreas Fault on a map, from its southern origins near the Salton Sea, it points along a 10-o’clock angle, gradually nearing the Pacific Ocean for 745 miles until it finally glances past San Francisco and then disappears near Point Delgada. It’s a mammoth crack in the earth’s crust, with Los Angeles heading for Anchorage, and all the rest of it drifting toward the equator. No point along it is more remarkable to the naked eye than where a splinter of the San Andreas, called the Calaveras Fault, bisects the town of Hollister. Unlike the celebrated jumping frog of Calaveras County, the Calaveras Fault is aseismic; that is, its sides creep past each other slowly and smoothly. It produces few seismic “events.” Gradually, the center of…

SURE THE race and test tracks can divulge much about a car—where else can you safely push the limits in a controlled environment?—but the daily drive home can often reveal just as much valuable information. Take the 39-mile commute from Motor Trend’s L.A. office to my home in Conejo Valley. It consists of three miles of stop-and-go motoring on urban surface streets, seven of 70-mph cruising along Interstate 10, another nine of 50-mph sailing on the scenic and gently sweeping Pacific Coast Highway, and finally 20 miles of grip-defying, brake-scorching hustling over two-lane tarmac that tightly twists and undulates through the mountains in Malibu. In the past month, I’ve hit the car lotto, piloting home such stout performance machines as the BMW M3 DCT, Mitsubishi Evo MR, Nissan GT-R, and,…

FORD SAVED ASTON MARTIN from the scrap heap. And after so many years, and so many millions invested, it’s a shame the Blue Oval isn’t able to enjoy the fruits of its labor. Because Aston Martin is on a roll. Aston was sold in 2007 to a private investment group headed by David Richards; think of him as Britain’s version of Roger Penske. Serious car guy CEO Ulrich Bez remains at the helm. The model lineup is proliferating, including the upcoming Rapide sedan and a high-tech, million dollar plus flagship called the One-77. The marque is once again chasing an overall win at Le Mans, five decades after it last did so. And of course, Aston Martin remains the automotive clothier of choice for the world’s favorite spy. Not bad…

WE KNEW we had a battle on our hands before we even palmed the first key fob. The last time we did a test like this (“Dune Devils,” August 2007), the segment consisted of just five vehicles, of which we chose to compare four—Acura RDX, BMW X3, Land Rover LR2 HSE, and Lincoln MKX. When it came time to select the contenders for this go ’round only two years later, we drew up a list twice as long. So we exorcised the demons from that story—including the formerly winning RDX—in deference to the latest in six-cylinder luxury. With the Cadillac SRX not yet available, we chose to cut the decidedly carlike Infiniti EX35, launched last year, in favor of an all-new foursome: Audi Q5, Lexus RX 350, Mercedes-Benz GLK350, and…

THE CURRENT Tundra is a stunning reminder of how far Toyota has come from the days of the T100 and first-gen Tundra. The maker’s initial two tries at penetrating the full-size truck market were too small—the T100 was more than 15 inches shorter than the same vintage F-150—or just didn’t catch on. This market has always been dominated by the American automakers and is a hard nut to crack for imports—which is why it is so significant that the Tundra won our 2008 Truck of the Year. It entered the 2007 model year bigger, bolder, and faster than ever before (and just a hair too late to be a part of the 2007 TOTY). It grew more than 10 inches overall from the previous Tundra, with well-defined muscular curves that…