Car and Driver USA 06.2022

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V O L . 67, N O . 1 0
TABLE of CONTENTS JUNE 2022
26
FIRST DRIVE
Red-Letter Day
A new 400-hp Z is set
to awaken the Nissan
brand from its slumber.
By Dan Edmunds
34
C O M PA R I S O N T E S T
NFT (Nice F—ing
Trucks)
Cadillac Escalade vs.
Jeep Grand Wagoneer
vs. Lexus LX600 vs.
46
ROAD TEST
2023 Mazda CX-50
2.5 Turbo
Mazda’s new compact
SUV joins the CX-5
to double down on
52
F E AT U R E
Is This Really the
Last Gas(p)?
A dozen internal-
combustion cars
worth waiting for.
60
FA U X D R I V E
Playtime Is Over
Tesla Cybertruck world
Lincoln Navigator. the segment. By the Editors exclusive, first driving
By Ezra Dyer By Joey Capparella impressions (plural).
By John Phillips
“THE TESLA CYBERTRUCK SMELLS MORE PLASTICKY

THAN FOURTH OF JULY PICNIC PLATES.”
—John Phillips, “Playtime Is Over”
CA R AND D RI VE R 3
JOIN US AS WE ADVENTURE
INTO WASHINGTON STATE’S
RUGGED WILDERNESS.
JULY 15-16, 2022
YOU’LL ENJOY:
// Views of volcanic peaks and the glistening Pacific will serve
as backdrop for your adventure, including a drive along the state’s
scenic Highway 2.
// Get sideways (and then some) at DirtFish, America’s premier rally

driving school, followed by a private tour of one of the finest rally
car collections on earth.
// Drive one of Washington’s most dramatic mountain passes before

pit-stopping in Leavenworth, a charming mountain town modeled
after a Bavarian mountain village.
// Revel in the Pacific Northwest’s rustic and refined cuisine – wild-

caught salmon, fresh foraged ingredients, locally
distilled whiskeys, and Washington’s world-class wines.
EXPERIENCES.ROADANDTRACK.COM/RALLYU
OR SCAN HERE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
JUNE 2022
COLUMNISTS
10. Tony Quiroga
Long time gone.
22. Ezra Dyer
The circle of Bronco.
24. Elana Scherr
Out of stock, out of
mind.
UPFRONT
13. Vim, Vigor, and Vin
Vietnam’s first car
company is going
all-electric, and world-
wide, at full speed.
16. Short Stop
Braking from 100 mph The joyful noise of the commentariat,
is our newest test.
18. Stormy Six
rebutted sporadically by Ed.
Stellantis’s new turbo
inline-six defies the
electric onslaught. CURRENT AFFAIRS Okay, regarding February/ pose. Maybe bring back John
19. Know Shows Just received the February/ March 2022: Wow, what a Phillips? Or maybe just some
Don’t be the schmuck March issue and saw that fantastic return to form. So K-cups for the break room?
who spoils the fun. Eddie Alterman is listed pleased with the changes, Ben Ray
as interim editor. Please and thank you for the vision California, MO
T H E R U N D OW N convince (pay) the man and strategy. Everything is Johnny is back, and
66. 2023 Land Rover to come back full time where it should be. Looking we have no rivals;
Range Rover and save the magazine. forward to what’s next! we just won a National
Sleek and chic. Thanking you in advance. Goddamn, pal, excellent job! Magazine Award—Ed.
68. 2022 Porsche —Cannonball Warthen —Jim Macdonald
Macan North Myrtle Beach, SC Seattle, WA LAPLANDERS
Back to basics. Lightning Lap XV did not
69. 2022 Bentley Bravo! Bravissimo! Car After picking up a copy of a include previous years’
Bentayga S and Driver issues may be rival, ahem, trendy motor lap times [February/
Dollars and scents. getting thinner and less magazine, I realized good March 2022]. “Yardstick
70. 2023 Mercedes- frequent, but every article writing is so much more to gauge progress over
Benz EQE was car-oriented. We got important than just getting time”? Hit me with it, please
Silent smoothie. to read about 30 different the bland facts in a flashy (don’t say it’s online).
72. 2023 Toyota bZ4X vehicles! Now that’s prog- layout. I am letting you know —James Mazgaj, MD
Safe at first. ress, Alterman. You know I have renewed my subscrip- Florence, SC
73. 2021 Ford F-150 what? Keep my subscription! tion for another year. I am Okay, doc. Instead of
Raptor 37 —Marek expecting you will put the $10 stating the obvious, I’ll
Performance Package Jamul, CA I have sent you to a good pur- cough twice instead—Ed.
A game of inches.
74. 2022 BMW 230i
Class of one. CUSTOMER SERVICE Call 800-289-9464, email cdbCustServ@CDSFulfillment.com, visit www.caranddriver.com/service, or write to
Customer Service Dept., Car and Driver, P.O. Box 37870, Boone, IA 50037 for inquiries/requests, changes of mailing or email addresses,
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E TC . CAR AND DRIVER® (ISSN 0008-6002), VOL. 67, NO. 10, June 2022, is published monthly, 10 times per year, with combined issues in February/March and July/August, by Hearst,
300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019, U.S.A. Steven R. Swartz, President & Chief Executive Officer; William R. Hearst III, Chairman; Frank A. Bennack, Jr., Executive Vice
5. Backfires Chairman; Debi Chirichella, President, Hearst Magazines Group. Hearst Autos, Inc.: Nick Matarazzo, President & Chief Revenue Officer; Debi Chirichella, Treasurer; Catherine A.
Bostron, Secretary. © 2022 by Hearst Autos, Inc. All rights reserved. Trademarks: Car and Driver is a registered trademark of Hearst Autos, Inc. Periodicals postage paid at
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CAR AND DRIVER ~ JUNE 2022 ~ SIC YOUR DOGS ON US AT: E DI TO RS @CARAN DDRIVE R.CO M 5
Backfires
What impact do the various Another Lightning Lap

drivers have on the compar-
ative performance of the ignored. What happened
cars? The variable skill and to reviews, comparos, and
experience of each driver— worthwhile photography?
including how late they
stayed up the night before—
must have an impact on their Hey, hey. We just won an me better appreciate what time it picked up from that
and the car’s performance. Ellie for general excellence the Toyobarus and Type initial Lightning Lap. Of
—Steven A. Judge for our reviews, comparos, Rs of the world are doing. course, that’d depend on you
Royalton, VT and photography—Ed. —Tom finding someone willing to
We regularly check one Westlake, OH let you wring out their car.
another’s lap times to The new issue with Lightning Rental-car agreements It’d be pretty cool, though.
ensure we’re getting the Lap XV is a joke. Where was expressly prohibit track —Rob Gross
most out of the cars. Typi- the Corvette? Were you testing. But we’ve tested a Summerville, SC
cally, the delta between afraid it would show up all the 2015 Honda Fit (3:37.7), This sounds suspiciously
us is 0.5 second or less, foreign cars costing tens of a 2019 Toyota Camry like something Colwell
with the assigned driver thousands of dollars more? V6 (3:25.3), and a 2018 wants to do—Ed.
being quicker due to —Dick Draper Honda Accord Sport
more familiarity with the Lincoln, NE 2.0T (3:18.4). When time I was surprised to see, in the
car in question—Ed. The 2020 Corvette ran a allows, we’ll do more—Ed. latest Lightning Lap, that the
2:49.0 two years ago, you Acura TLX’s tires lost grip
Wish I could say I cared about know, when it was new—Ed. I am truly curious if we because after one lap they
your irrelevant Lightning should accept that tire and became “hot and greasy.”
Lap. But I don’t, so I can’t. It’s hard for me to appreciate track-surface improvements Everything else I’ve ever
—Dave Grayson just how fast the Lightning account for the fact that read about tires suggests the
Calgary, AB Lap times are. I would love the 2006 Ford GT (fastest opposite: that being hot is
to see times from some at first Lightning Lap) and good, because they gain grip.
Just wondering, why no regular cars that are out on the 2021 Honda Civic Type Can you explain why some
electric or hybrid cars? the road. For example, how R LE tie at a 3:00:7 lap tires get “hot and sticky”
—Richard Garriott-Stejskal fast could one of your drivers time? Isn’t this really just (good), but others become
Albuquerque, NM take my 120,000-mile 2010 another subtle step in your “hot and greasy” (bad)?
EVs appropriate for a track Mazda 3s Sport with the pro-Honda, anti-Ford con- —Bob Woolley
test weren’t available when slushbox around VIR on my spiracy? Or maybe you’re Asheville, NC
we tested. We’re hoping to standard Yokohamas and getting better at driving? All tires, from racing tires
lap more next year—Ed. AutoZone brakes? Would —Justin Webb to the track-focused stuff
you be able to break 3:45? Columbus, OH on supercars, create the
Regarding Lightning Lap, put What about a middle-of- most grip within a certain
this letter in the “Where the the-road 2015 Camry or a It would be an interesting temperature range. Get
S IC YO U R D O GS O N U S AT: E DI TOR S @ CA RA N DD R I V E R.CO M
hell was a Corvette?” pile. 2018 Pacifica? How about experiment to put some the rubber too hot and the
—Tom Orashan a tradesman-spec pickup? modern rubber on a mid- compound loses its ability
San Antonio, TX Once we see what “regular” 2000s Ford GT and take it to grip the tarmac, result-
ing in a greasy feel—Ed.
FAST TIMER
Letter of the Month So, a $340,000 race-car
Mercedes on cheater-soft
What happened to Letter of the Month? Can it be kick- race-car tires with a ridicu-
started again with mine? I was published in July 2017. lous race-car rear wing set
—Jem Karunungan, Simi Valley, CA the fastest lap at VIR? Yawn.
Jem’s truly outrageous request nets a bZ4X water —Ryan Owens
bottle for those sweaty days in Simi Valley—Ed. Greenville, SC
Aww, someone
needs a nap—Ed.
6 J UNE 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIV ER

EXPLAINED
The maximum payload capacity for my 2008 Yukon

XL is 1805 pounds, but the sticker in the doorjamb
says 1520 pounds. Why is there this discrepancy?
—Steve Wallerstein, Raymond, NH
A BIG NUMBER TWO WILD, WILD WEST
I’m not sure what shocks Your review of the new Payload figures are the weight of people and stuff
me more: a 2-series that is Subaru Outback [“Call of the that a vehicle is rated to carry. This important
not an M2 for $57K or the Wild,” February/March 2022] number is the difference between the curb weight
fact that a standard 2-series totally missed the point of and the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR). Man-
has 382 horsepower and this vehicle. You took it to a ufacturers set the GVWR for a model, so every
weighs nearly two tons. mud-bog park where only pound that’s added in options—oversize sunroof,
Damn, I must be getting old. ATVs and side-by-sides can power seats, etc.—is a pound subtracted from
—Jeff Bjerke realistically play. I live in Col- payload. The best way to know your vehicle’s is to
Klein, TX orado where steep terrain, do what you did and check the required doorjamb
ruts, rocks, and drop-offs are placard. —Dave VanderWerp
BILE DUCT the obstacles of concern. I
Your photo of the GT3 shows don’t own an Outback, but
something like a piece of I have seen them in places I
tape in the front grille. Was was unwilling to take a full-
that installed by Porsche size four-wheel-drive pickup.
technicians? If so, what for? A version of the Outback
—Luis Kahn with more clearance and skid
Paris, France plates will get you in and out
It’s a duct installed at of nearly any road or trail
the Porsche factory you could expect to take a
on all GT3s—Ed. competent street-legal vehi-
cle in any season of the year. O’Rourke, whose Car and when they have a few million
PEPPER POT This version will sell like hot- Driver pieces were treasures. satisfied customers. Right
Curious how much you cakes in the Mountain West. —Jack Walmer now, it’s just another Tucker.
added to the price of the —David Redfern Denver, CO —Fred Flynn
Cayenne Turbo GT Coupe to Grand Junction, CO Sun Prairie, WI
purchase the oven needed ELECTRUCK
to bake those tires? Those Okay, sure I just canceled my So, out of the evolving I don’t understand every-
Pirellis ain’t fitting in the long-standing subscription electric-vehicle world, up one’s panic over the EVs. I’m
run-of-the-mill oven, and no because I was ticked about hops the frog-eyed Rivian old enough that I’ll have my
self-respecting restaurant or the bloated auto-renewal R1T [“Your Move, Spaceboy,” “gassers” with manual-shift
chef is letting you cook tires rate you pitched, but I still February/March 2022]. transmissions for the rest of
in their commercial unit. have to praise Ezra Dyer. His Whatever its technical my life, but I also hope that
—Don Evans well-crafted tale is a great merits may be, a paragon within five years I’ll have an
Sunapee, NH memorial to the late P.J. of styling and design it EV. I’m glad we don’t all still
isn’t. Just being new isn’t have Ford Model As. When
enough to make it good. people run down EVs to me, I
Since no owner is likely to take their —L. C. Bohrer simply say, “Don’t buy one.”
Subaru Outback Wilderness to a mud bog, Buckley, WA There are plenty of gas and
we did just to see if it would survive.
diesels available and will be
for many years to come.
—Kevin Wicker
Walterboro, SC
REX EFFECT
I LLU ST RAT IO N BY T. M . D E TW ILE R
A CVT in a WRX? Is the

apocalypse nigh?
—Scott Daly
Portland, ME
If you’re going by that sign,
it’s been nigh since about
2015, which come to think
of it seems right—Ed.
7
Backfires Editor ’s Let ter
SIC YOUR DOGS ON US AT:

EDITORS@CARANDDRIVER.COM
CIVIC YES
In your article about the
Long time gone
A
Honda Civic Si, you refer to it
as being in the compact-sedan
segment [“Sticking with It,”
February/March 2022]. It’s
t noon on a Wednesday, then C/D editor-at-large John Phillips
been a mid-size car for a while
appeared in the lobby at Automobile Magazine. I worked near the
now. Why not call it that?
elevator and had become accustomed to the metal doors parting
—Peter Fiddler
to reveal heroes. P.J. O’Rourke, Bruce McCall, Brock Yates, and
Seattle, WA
even John Oates of Hall and Oates all stopped by, but it wasn’t
until Phillips visited that I felt compelled to say something.
I love watching all the new EVs
Hired by C/D editor-in-chief William Jeanes after simply ask-
come to market, but I’m dis-
ing for a job, Phillips went to work, work that had him ingesting
appointed in Honda. As a loyal
puppy dewormer while driving a Toyota Land Cruiser over the
Honda fan who has had the same
Himalayas to evacuate, well, worms and winning a Camel Tro-
Civic Si sedan for 15 years, I’m
phy in the jungles of Borneo. He and a partner attempted a nonstop drive from
ready for an electric one. I don’t
New York to San Francisco locked in a 1997 Volkswagen Jetta diesel outfitted
want to spend over $40,000,
with a 68-gallon fuel tank and a hole in the floor for bladder relief. After a bliz-
I don’t want an SUV or dorky
zard in Nebraska forced them to stop, they carried on to San Fran, then turned
hatch/lozenge, and I don’t need
around and completed the 3000-mile salute to claustrophobia and fifth gear.
400 miles of range in a city car.
Phillips’s visit to Automobile coincided with the C/D issue containing
Since Tesla apparently quit work-
his 2002 Cadillac Escalade EXT road test. If you don’t recall it, I’ll jog your
ing on a $25K car, here’s your
memory. There’s a photo of a large white dog perched in the passenger’s seat of
chance, Honda—make an electric
the Cadillac pickup with a caption reading, “Later on, the dog drove us home.”
Civic that looks and drives like
I awkwardly introduced myself, while attempting to hide my supafan-level
your new Si and start printing
excitement. He was gracious, although his mien said, “You’re scaring me, kid.”
money. While I would miss the
At C/D, Phillips would come in twice a week and work behind a photo
sound and the manual, I’m willing
annex in an office he dubbed “the cold room.” Lunch meant a BLT at Ban-
to make the sacrifice if you are.
field’s, a sticky dive bar with a Pall Mall fog and the unmistakable chemical
—Eric Fransted
scent of urinal cake number 4. Phillips described it as the perfect place to dine
Boise, ID
if you were cheating because no one you know would ever step foot in there.
If that’s not worthy of a Michelin star, then I don’t know how stars are earned.
LOW RANGER
In addition to schooling me on where to eat and cheat, he taught me a
With other EV makers going for
lesson about overdriving an unfamiliar road. I’d been laying chase to his
range and performance, why is
Dodge SRT-4 ACR with a Subaru Impreza WRX. I missed him slowing for a
Mazda’s first EV, the MX-30, so
bridge with a 15-mph recommended speed. Thinking that he hadn’t changed
underwhelming [“Short-Distance
his pace, I went over it fast enough to send the WRX into a full Ken Block.
Runaround,” February/March
Flight WRX landed hard enough to punch out the front fender liners, eject the
2022]? Was their goal to be a
Creedence from the CD player, and flip the mirror from day to night.
minuscule fish in the big ocean?
It occurs to me that this column
—Mike Matter
may lead you to believe Phillips
Sunnyvale, CA
has died. Despite Montana’s many
attempts on his life, he is alive. The
Regarding the Mazda MX-30.
first of what I hope to be many new
I vote “No.”
contributions is on page 60. If that’s
—Robert Curiale
P HOTO G RA P H BY M I C H A E L S IM A R I
not enough for you, and it shouldn’t

Nowheresville
be, pick up his new book about life in
Montana, find yourself a Banfield’s,
PENALTY SHOTS
order a BLT and a Pabst, and read it.
The article “Know Why I Pulled
If you’re lucky, he might just walk in.
You Over?” [February/March
2022] described how drivers
can be gouged with added fees TO N Y Q U I R O GA
tacked on to basic fines for E D I TO R - I N - C H I E F
Editor-in-Chief Tony Quiroga
Digital Director Laura Sky Brown • BUYER’S GUIDE Deputy Editor Rich Ceppos Senior
Editor Drew Dorian • FEATURES Senior Editors Greg Fink, Elana Scherr Staff Editor Austin
Irwin • NEWS Senior Editor Joey Capparella Senior Associate Editor Eric Stafford Staff
Editor Caleb Miller Social Media Editor Michael Aaron • REVIEWS Deputy Editor Joe Lorio Using Shell V-Power®
Senior Editors Ezra Dyer, Mike Sutton • TESTING Testing Director Dave VanderWerp Deputy NiTRO®+ Premium Gasolines
moving violations, but that’s Director K.C. Colwell Technical Editors David Beard, Dan Edmunds Associate Technical and diesel fuels appropriately
Editor Connor Hoffman Road Test Editor Rebecca Hackett Road Warriors Harry Granito, in Car and Driver test vehicles
only half of it. Moving viola- Katherine Keeler, Jacob Kurowicki, Christi VanSyckle • CREATIVE Director Darin Johnson ensures the consistency and
integrity of our instrumented
tions are reported to drivers’ Consulting Designer Pete Sucheski Staff Photographers Michael Simari, Marc Urbano testing procedures and
Photo Assistant Charley M. Ladd • VIDEO Deputy Editor Carlos Lago Producer/Editor Alex numbers, both in the magazine
insurance companies, which Malburg • PRODUCTION Director of Editorial Operations Heather Albano Copy Chief and online.
Adrienne Girard Associate Managing Editor Jennifer Misaros Production Manager Juli Burke
levy additional “fines” by Associate Production Manager Nancy M. Pollock Copy Editor Chris Langrill Online
increasing monthly charges Production Designer Sarah Larson Online Production Assistant Andrew Berry
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for a period of their choos- Contributing Editors Clifford Atiyeh, Brett Berk, Sebastian Blanco, Csaba Csere, Malcolm Call 800-289-9464,
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2022, Hearst Autos, Inc.
were you when I was buying Published by Hearst 300 W. 57th Street, New York, NY 10019 All rights reserved.
my ‘95 Dodge Neon? President & Chief Executive Officer Steven R. Swartz Chairman William R. Hearst III
Executive Vice Chairman Frank A. Bennack, Jr.
—Shawn M. Kelly President, Hearst Magazines Group Debi Chirichella
Harrisburg, PA
HEARST AUTOS, INC. President & Chief Revenue Officer Nick Matarazzo
He was in his high-school Treasurer Debi Chirichella Secretary Catherine A. Bostron Chief Brand Officer Eddie
Alterman Chief Marketing Officer Michelle Panzer Director of Audience Development
parking lot leaning Sharon Silke Carty Executive Director of Finance Paul Neumaier
against a Camaro—Ed. PUBLISHING CONSULTANTS Gilbert C. Maurer, Mark F. Miller
INTERNATIONAL EDITIONS China, Greece, Spain, US
Longtime subscriber, first

time nitpicker. In his column,
Dyer writes, “Gravity is are posing as car fans when You know how they don’t the clutch, the headlight
one of the most powerful they are some of the most publish Penthouse anymore, dimmer switch, and, possi-
forces in the universe.” Well, creative humor writers in just Letters to Penthouse. bly, the windshield-washer
gravity isn’t a force, it’s the business. If Hearst wants —Joe Reiman pump. Now in cars with
an effect. Check out time to start up a humor mag- Tucson, AZ automatic everything, the
dilation. And it isn’t all that azine, hire your pen pals! left leg just sits in one place
strong, either. There, I said —Herb Mosher CURIOSITIES with nothing to do. Perhaps,
it, and I feel much better. Orchard Park, NY Are there any microcars a medical professional
—John Arthur available in the USA would have an opinion.
Santa Ana, CA I am not a car guy by any that can use a house —John Magness
stretch of the imagination. plug for charging? Emailville, USA
INTO THE FIRE The evidence would be my —Kay Miller Four out of five doctors
Though I enjoy the articles purchase of a 1982 Olds- Pittsfield Township, MI we called didn’t answer
in each issue, particularly mobile Cutlass Cruiser Pow, pow, Power their phones. The fifth
anything Corvette related, station wagon with an Wheels—Ed. one hung up on us—Ed.
I must admit I really enjoy Oldsmobile diesel engine.
Backfires! Ed.’s responses However, I became a sub- Would it be possible to inves- Why do cars need air-filled
are frequently hysterical scriber because of the tigate the possibility of a car tires instead of using
and usually spot on! unparalleled quality and driver’s left leg becoming something that won’t go
—Penny Price style of your writing. atrophied? The right leg and boom over a nail? Can’t
Bloomington, IN —Neil Leitner foot operate the brakes and suspension make up for
Vancouver, WA accelerator, and, in the past, tractor-type tires?
Your Backfires pages are From one former Olds diesel the right foot operated the —Ezra
a gem! My favorite. I’m owner to another, I think starter. Also in the past, the Baltimore, MD
convinced that gearheads you might be a car guy—Ed. left leg and foot controlled Stop trolling, Ezra—Ed.
11
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N E W K I D O N T H E B LO CK
By Elana Scherr
Vim, Vigor, and Vin

Vietnam’s first car company is going all-electric, and worldwide, at full speed.
The Fast in the VinFast name is an acronym in Viet- Pham Nhat Vuong announced that VinFast would begin
namese, but it’s not lost on us, or the company’s pivoting to EVs. Now it’s selling electric scooters, electric
founders, that in English it suggests something done buses, and the VF e34, a small electric SUV, with prom-
quickly. The new Vietnamese automotive brand was ises of two larger versions to come, the VF8 and the VF9.
announced in the fall of 2017, and barely a year later, The mid-size, five-seat VF8 and the seven-seat VF9 will
VinFast had three gasoline-powered cars in develop- not only come to the U.S. market but will be built here,
ment and an electric-scooter factory. By the summer of in a new factory at a 1976-acre North Carolina site. The
2019, the company had built an 827-acre complex in Hai goal, says Pham, is to make VinFast a recognizable name
Phong and was delivering its first cars. In 2021, founder worldwide and, you guessed it, do it fast.
CA R AND D RI VE R ~ JU NE 2022 13
N E W K I D O N T H E B LO CK laggy. Then there was a seat with reversed
controls—when we went to slide it forward,
it smashed the knees of the guy in the back.
Most of the promised driver’s aids, such as
remote summon and self-parking, were
A SHINY NEW FACTORY nonfunctional.
We visited VinFast’s Hai Phong plant in Prototype bugs aside, the cars felt prom-
Vietnam. There, workers and robots build ising overall. With 349 horsepower and
combustion-engine cars as well as the new 369 pound-feet of torque, the Eco model
EVs. In the battery shop, cells purchased provided adequate acceleration, and the
primarily from Samsung and LG are tested 402-hp Plus trim was downright quick. Our
and assembled into packs. Motors are also route had only one turn, and we took it fast
built in-house. VinFast aims to deliver two enough to dump the engineer’s notes into
new models by the end of this year and pro- the passenger footwell, so apologies to him,
duce nearly 100,000 cars annually by 2026. but we have no complaints about steering.
That’s a big number to achieve in a short Fast Food Chief engineer Huy Chieu says adjustable
time, but accelerated growth is not new to VinFast founder regeneration will be ready for production,
VinFast. The factory site was coastal swamp- Pham Nhat Vuong with one-pedal driving likely down the line.
land in 2017, yet the plant was up and run- likes instant The all-wheel-drive car—the only version
ning in 21 months—too fast for digital car- results. No child we’ll get stateside—offers two battery-pack
tography to keep up. At press time, Google of inheritance, options on each trim level, with range esti-
Maps showed the VinFast campus as being Pham grew up mates from 248 to 292 miles using the opti-
in the bay. We can report it’s on dry land. poor in Hanoi, mistic WLTP scale.
where his mother The exterior is standard SUV with some
DRIVING THE 2023 VF8 ran a modest striking details: A long LED strip leads to a
The Tesla Model Y–sized VF8 is the smaller tea shop. Pham V in the nose, and the bodywork ducts air
of the two models planned for the U.S. and moved to Ukraine, around the front wheels. Inside, VinFast
is further along in development than the where he started made the Tesla-like decision to eliminate
three-row VF9. We were able to briefly a noodle restau- instrumentation in front of the driver, who
get behind the wheel of a few VF8 proto- rant. It became instead must rely on the large central screen
types that were assembled for our visit. popular enough
Each machine had development quirks that to spin off into
were obvious even on our two-block drive. an instant-soup The Fast in VinFast is an acronym
One had a jumpy accelerator; another was company. that translates to style, safety,
creativity, pioneer—Pham Nhat
Vuong’s goals for his company.
Italian firms Pinin-

farina and Torino
Design styled the VF8,
which will be built in
Vietnam and the U.S.
VinFast is trying a risky sales strategy

where the battery is a separate
lease from the purchase price.

LEADING THE
CHARGE
Everyone we spoke with at VinFast,
We approve of the when asked about the driving force
traditional round behind the company’s ambitions and
steering wheel. quick pace, pointed to the chairman,
Center screen
is right out of Pham Nhat Vuong. Pham was born
the Tesla Model in Vietnam, studied in Moscow,
3’s playbook. and worked in the food industry
in Ukraine, eventually starting a
and the head-up display. Our sample worldwide may prove to be a chal- dehydrated-products company that
car was finished in a deep-blue leather, lenge. VinFast will have to overcome he sold to Nestle. He returned to his
but other than that pop of color, it’s the stigma of being a new company homeland, where he opened a chain
typical textured plastics. When asked from a country not known for auto- of resorts and became Vietnam’s
about the choice of faux-carbon and motive industry, something that took first billionaire. Today Pham over-
gloss-black trim instead of more Kia several decades. Pham wants to sees the Vingroup empire of hotels,
experimental materials or those manage it in only one. apartments, factories, business
reflecting the automaker’s culture (as There also may be some customer parks, and medical research.
we’re seeing with Volvo and Genesis), confusion around pricing. A base of He says there are similarities
David Lyon, director of design, looked $40,000 seems reasonable, but the between where he started and
mildly exasperated. “What, like bam- price goes up because buyers lease where he’s going. When he pitched
boo? People here would see that and the battery separately, with a monthly instant noodles in Ukraine, people
say ‘It’s a weed!’” Even with lackluster fee. VF8 drivers pay $35 with a cap of couldn’t believe that simply pouring
touchpoints, the interior is comfort- 310 miles per month or $110 with no boiling water over them would cook
able. Cargo room seems on par with mileage limit. VinFast says the sub- them. “It took a year of marketing
similarly sized vehicles, and there’s a scription addresses consumer con- to convince them,” he says. “Sell-
small frunk in addition to the hatch. cerns about battery life, but we think ing a car is more challenging, but
it just complicates an EV purchase. the idea is the same. We need to
COMING TO AMERICA It’s possible VinFast is having second convince them we have a better
VinFast has done well in Vietnam, thoughts as well. The company fol- offering with style, design, technol-
where customers are excited to have lowed its announcement of the plan ogy, and smart services.” His goal
a homegrown option, with prices that with the addendum that customers is to make VinFast a leader in the EV
are lower than Korean and Japanese will have a choice of battery subscrip- market. “Maybe not in five years,
competitors’. But bringing the brand tion or purchase by 2024. but in 10? We want to be at the top.”
I LLU ST RAT IO N S BY DO M IN IC B UGATTO
VIN CHECK : WHY TRY THE UNTRIED?

—
On our tour of VinFast’s properties, we had a chance to meet a few
customers, including several Americans who have reservations for the
VF8. All said the risk of investing in something untried was worth it for
the thrill of being part of something new. “I live in Orange County,” said
one man who has both a VinFast VF8 and a Fisker Ocean on order. “Every
other car there is a Tesla. It’s like, ‘Oh, you have a Tesla? I have a
hemorrhoid; we gotta talk about it?’ I wanted something different.”
15
TECH D E P T. ~ By Dave VanderWerp
LET M E STO P YOU

RIGHT THERE
Short Any braking test is a measure of how quickly the entire

braking system gets up to peak performance and stays
Stop
there throughout the stop. A vehicle with a strong
system should stop from 100 mph in about double the
distance it does from 70. But a number of factors affect
the results. For example, a vehicle with aerodynamic lift
To better torture a vehicle’s will have less traction available early in a stop, whereas a
braking system, we’ve added a vehicle with downforce will benefit from plenty of initial
100-mph-to-zero measurement. bite. As in all braking tests, tire traction is a major
contributor to how quickly a vehicle can slow down. In
We started testing vehicles’ accel- 100-mph testing, particularly with vehicles wearing all-
eration way back in the 1950s, season tires, we occasionally notice grip falling off
but it took us a decade to stop. That is, before any brake-pedal softness. And then there’s how
to measure the distance needed to stop. well the brakes shed heat. Stopping a 6781-pound Ram
We initially conducted brake tests at 80 1500 TRX from 100 mph causes enough brake fade to
mph, but in the early 1970s, we settled more than double its stopping distance from 70 mph.
on 70 mph. Back then, braking distances Fade affects more than just big pickups—the brakes on
averaged around 200 feet, serious fade the Acura TLX Type S and the Cadillac CT5-V also wilt
occurred regularly, and automakers had from triple-digit speeds. We’ve just recently begun to
yet to implement anti-lock technology compile 100-to-zero data, and for now, Porsche sits atop
to optimize the braking force at each that leaderboard with the 718 Cayman GT4 RS, which took
contact patch. Today’s hardware makes only 242 feet (with an average of 1.38 g’s), against
fade rare in our standard six-stop rou- 132 feet from 70 mph (1.24 g’s).
tine. And last year the average stopping 2.0
distance shrunk to 168 feet, even as
tested curb weights have ballooned by 100 2022 PORSCHE 718 CAYMAN GT4 RS 1.8
70–0 VS. 100–0 COMPARISON
nearly 50 percent in the past five decades 1.6
to almost 4400 pounds. Performance- 80
1.4
oriented vehicles do even better and
DECELERATION, G
often cluster around 150 feet from 70 1.2
SPEED, MPH
60
mph. To further challenge those vehicles’ 1.0
fortified brakes, we’ve started doing
three stops from 100 mph in addition to 40
0.8
the 70-mph bogey. Kinetic energy swells 70–0 SPEED 0.6

with the square of speed, so a stop from 70–0 DECELERATION
0.4
100 mph takes more than double the 20
100–0 SPEED
energy as from 70, making this a chal- 0.2
100–0 DECELERATION
lenging test that should create more than
0 0
a few feet of separation among results. 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5
TIME, SEC
0 ft 50 ft 100 ft 150 ft 200 ft 250 ft 300 ft 350 ft 400 ft 450 ft
189 ft 418 ft
2021 Ram
1500 TRX
165 ft 359 ft
2021 Acura
TLX Type S
132 ft 242 ft
70–0 mph 100–0 mph
2022 Porsche 718
Cayman GT4 RS
16 ILLUST RATI ON BY S I NELAB ~ JUN E 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIV ER

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E N G I N E R O O M ~ By David Beard
With 510 horsepower, the LOSSES AND GAINS
high-output Hurricane becomes Predictably, the Hurricane
the most powerful inline-six on is lighter than the cast-
the market, trumping BMW’s iron-block V-8s it’s destined
503-hp twin-turbo 3.0-liter. to replace. The standard
version weighs 430 pounds,
and the high-output engine
comes in at 441. In the
Grand Wagoneer, it delivers
1- to 2-mpg gains in EPA
fuel economy, so expect
similar results in other
models. The Hurricane will
eventually pair with the
brand’s eTorque and plug-
in-hybrid technologies.
BLOCK PARTY
The aluminum block’s bore
and stroke of 84.0 by 90.0
millimeters add up to 2993
cubic centimeters of dis-
placement. A plasma trans-
ferred wire arc process lines
the cylinders with a coating
that is stronger and lighter
than traditional iron sleeves.
HEAD GAMES
The 24-valve aluminum head
has sodium-filled exhaust
valves. Wide-range cam
phasers enable a broad
powerband. Fuel is deliv-
ered via direct injection.
The Hurricane SPIN ME RIGHT ROUND

comes in two To make 90 more ponies
versions that than the standard Hur-
share 96 parts, ricane, the high-output
but not crank- version drops the compres-
shafts, rods, sion ratio from 10.4:1 to
or pistons. 9.5:1 and bumps up boost. It
also gets forged aluminum
pistons, and the crankshaft
Instead of having one big and connecting rods are
Stormy
turbocharger, the Hur- forged steel. Redline is
Warning: There’s a ricane uses two smaller 6100 rpm (well short of
Hurricane coming. turbos, each fed by three BMW’s 7200-rpm song). The
Six
cylinders to minimize lag. standard-output version
While new electric vehicles In the high-output engine, gets by with cast-aluminum
grab headlines, Stellantis is the turbos pressurize pistons and an agricultural-
confident there’s a place for the intake manifold up to grade 5800-rpm limiter.
26.0 psi. The turbos are
Stellantis’s new turbo engines that suck, squeeze, smaller in the standard- STAY COOL
inline-six defies the bang, and blow. Its latest output engine, where Each Hurricane variant
i nt e r n a l - c o m b u s t i o n they can deliver 22.4 has its own water-to-air
electrified barometer. pounds of boost. An intercooler. The high-
offering is the Hurricane, electric pump circulates output engine’s is larger
a twin-turbocharged coolant after shutdown. and features dual inlets.
3.0-liter inline-six that can slot into various engine bays across
Stellantis brands. The 2023 Jeep Grand Wagoneer and Grand
WINDS OF CHANGE
Wagoneer L will offer a high-output version with 510 horse-
power and 500 pound-feet of torque (buyers can swap out the PENTASTAR 220 305 power range, hp
2022’s 471-hp 6.4-liter V-8 for the Hurricane for $2000). A 3.6-LITER 235 271 torque range, lb-ft
slightly less stormy variant, with 420 horses and 468 pound-
HEMI 363 395
feet, will plug into the 2023 Wagoneer and Wagoneer L. 5.7-LITER
394 410
Stellantis says the Hurricane will fit in place of any of its lon-
gitudinally mounted V-6s or V-8s, so expect it to replace the HEMI 410 485
aged 5.7- and 6.4-liter V-8s in other Jeep and Ram products. 6.4-LITER 429 475
Stellantis is just the latest manufacturer to move to a
HURRICANE 420 510
high-performance inline-six. Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar Land 3.0-LITER 468 500
Rover, and BMW also have straight-sixes, with BMW’s 503-
hp S58 3.0-liter leading the horsepower charge . . . until now. 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550

FI N IS H I N G S CH O O L
By Elana Scherr
Know
Shows
Don’t be the schmuck
who spoils the fun.
Hey, you over there,
can you stop revving
your engine? We’re trying to
suggest an LS swap to this lady,
and you’re drowning us out.
She doesn’t seem into it, but
maybe she just can’t hear us.
Car-show season is in
full swing, and it’s time for a
refresher on how to behave.
Some things are a matter of
taste: Hood open? Hood closed?
That’s between you and your
can of engine degreaser. But
loudmouths, bad parkers, and
the guy whose burnout gets the
whole show banned—don’t be
that person. Also, those crying-
baby dolls? So creepy.
Look, we’re not the car-show police,

but if you want to be invited back,
here are a few things to keep in mind
as you back in next to a Lamborghini
Countach and a primered Pinto wagon.
1. Don’t like a car? Fine, but keep it to

yourself until you’re out of earshot.
2. Hands off and butts off. Don’t touch
anyone’s car without asking.
3. It ain’t a table. Keep your
Thermos off the wing.
4. Um, your dog is peeing on my tire.
5. We love V-8s, but no, we don’t want
to hear it at redline for 10 minutes.
6. Smokers are jokers, especially the
ones who burn rubber near others.
7. Your Dua Lipa mix at full blast
doesn’t sound as good as you
think layered over the Beach Boys
coming from that ‘57 Chevy.
8. Those creepy dolls! They don’t have
faces! Why don’t they have faces?!
9. Stay home, snobs. You already
have the Pebble Beach
Concours d’Elegance.
10. Skateboarding is not a crime, but
if that board dents my Pacer . . .
11. Once more, in case you couldn’t
hear over the revving and
burnouts: No touching.
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EZR A DY ER
Dave drove it 13 hours home without incident,

unless you count long-term hearing damage in the
“7.3 Power Stroke at 2500 rpm” frequency range.
He then immediately started fixing other stuff I’d
ignored. This caused serious mixed emotions—it’s
like hearing about an ex who’s doing better than
ever now that you’re gone. Dave got the windshield
washers going. He eliminated the squeak from
the clutch pedal (which involved removing all the
pedals, plus the steering column). He fixed the fuel
gauge, which required cutting a hole in the floor to
pull the sending unit out of the tank. Yeah, I was
never going to do that. You see, my conflicting desire
to drive something extremely unique but also totally
reliable torments me. So I tend to satisfy the former
requirement and then just pretend I’ve met the latter
by ignoring the inevitable cascading failures. It’s a
tough way to live.
But as much as these convoluted repairs reduce
my Bronco nostalgia, I still miss it and occasionally
question the anti-materialistic urge that prompted
me to banish it. My old Ram is fun, but for warm-
weather ice-cream trips, it pales in comparison to
an open-top Bronco. Most things do.
Fortunately, through a bizarre chain of events, I
can now satisfy my Bronco cravings by borrowing
the keys to a 2022 Bronco Black Diamond four-door.
I
It has black steel wheels, 32-inch tires, and, best of
all, a manual transmission. It’s my sister-in-law’s,
and she fell into ownership by accident. Literally.
Scene: Her daughter is home from college. She
asks to take the family’s new Bronco Sport Big Bend
to the store. Ten minutes later, she calls to say the
Big Bend now has a big bend where it got broadsided
sold my Bronco. I’m sorry I didn’t let you know, by a Buick. Luckily, she’s okay, but their household
but vehicles of this caliber rarely change hands is down a Bronco. Just like mine.
in public. Frankly, the idea of the unwashed Because used-car prices are bananas, insurance
masses slobbering over such a singular paid $6000 over MSRP for the destroyed Bronco
machine at Pebble or Amelia fills me with Sport. This, I immediately pointed out, pushed the
revulsion. So I sold it to my friend Dave. The payout into actual-Bronco territory. And one of
transaction price remains undisclosed, but our local dealers is honorable enough to sell those
it was a sum characterized by Dave’s wife as at sticker. It took a few months, but eventually the
“way too much” and by mine as “Didn’t you Big Bend’s spot in the driveway was filled (and then
spend more than that?” some) by the Black Diamond. I like the Bronco Sport,
Dave lives in Massachusetts, and he planned to fly to but as my brother-in-law observed, “That thing next
North Carolina and drive home. So the week ahead of the to a real Bronco looks like Danny DeVito next to
sale, I fixed things I’d want to fix before attempting an 800- Arnold Schwarzenegger in Twins.”
mile drive in a 1993 Ford Bronco with the wrong engine. So, as I once gave manual-transmission driving
Annoyingly, most of it was easy and made me mad that I lessons in my Eddie Bauer, now I am again in the
didn’t do it on my own behalf. The leaky transmission drain Black Diamond—this time to my nephew, so he
plug just needed tightening. Replacing the tailgate win- can drive it. I should be jealous, but I’m just happy
dow motor was more involved, but not the finger-removing to have a rig like this around again. Old or new,
ordeal I’d built it up to be. Completion of that job allowed Broncos might be a little bit like boats: The best
me to reinstall the hard top and have a lockable, (reason- kind is the one your friend owns. And now I have
ably) dry interior. two of those.
22 I LLUST RATIO N BY D ERE K BACON ~ JUN E 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIV ER

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ELANA SCHERR
we can do it,” said another, “in August.” It took eight

tries to find a place that would take it on before sum-
mer. And it isn’t just body shops that have waiting
lists. Tires, camshafts, intakes, paint—everything
is on back order, and that’s affecting everyone from
hobby builders to top-end restoration experts.
Robert Huber runs Vintage Lambo LLC, a one-
man shop that works on rare Italian cars. Whether
he’s reviving old Fiats or modernizing Espadas,
Huber enjoys a challenge. As you might imagine,
there’s a lot of one-off parts ordering when you’re
turbocharging an ’85 Jalpa, but these days Huber
orders in bulk. “I just ordered five sets of pistons. I
only need one, but it’s at least 12 weeks, and by then
I’ll need another set.” Machine shops cut back during
the first year of the pandemic and were trying to
catch up with big orders by the second, he says.
“They’re running six days a week, and now they’re
wearing out machines and tooling. And that’s on
back order from their suppliers.”
Bruce Canepa builds a lot more cars than Huber.
His 70,000-square-foot facility near Monterey, Cali-
fornia, turns out many of the collector machines you
see at Monterey Car Week. His scale may be bigger,
but his problems are the same. “With our Porsche
959 builds, we used to try to keep parts enough for
three on the shelf. Now we order 10 and hope three
T
arrive in time.” While some supply issues are due
to shortages—paint toner is suffering from a global
mining issue that affects the minerals needed—
many delays are in transport. “Stuff is just sitting.
‘Overnight’ shipping is now a week, and the cost is
10 times what it was.” Meanwhile, more customers
are into collector cars. “We’re busier than ever. I
here was a time when “chip shortage” could use another 20 people, but even people are in
meant the party was running low on short supply. I don’t just need a Porsche mechanic, I
Doritos. These days we know it’s part need one who knows how to rebuild a distributor.”
of a global disruption in manufacturing It seems all the distributor experts are down
and shipping. The dearth of new vehi- south at Jay Leno’s garage, which builds mostly
cles at dealerships has led to a spike in very old cars and therefore should be immune to
used-car prices. More people holding on shortages of new parts. “We aren’t dealing with chip
to older cars longer means more repair shortages, but getting things made takes longer,”
work for mechanic shops. Busy shops says chief fabricator Jim Hall (not Chaparral’s Jim
mean nobody can paint my 1970 Nova. Hall). To re-create parts a century past warranty, the
My husband and I recently sat down to make a list of our garage uses 3-D-printing services. Before, a modeler
projects and what they needed. The Challenger’s tires are might squeeze in a quirky one-off gear design on
mysteriously down to the cords. The Plymouth wagon needs their lunch break, but now engineers have been laid
pretty much everything, starting with the eviction of what- off, people are working remotely, and Hall’s team is
ever rodent has taken up residence under the dash (I think waiting in line behind much bigger orders.
it’s a capybara—it’s huge!). With all the to-dos in front of us, Estimates for seeing recovery in the OEM sector
we did what any reasonable car owner would and bought a range from late 2022 to mid-2023, which means
Nova SS that was in pieces. There’s nothing better for for- that back-ordered intake manifold might be awhile,
getting your problems than getting a new one. folks. If you’re stuck on a project car, I suggest you
When it came time to paint the Nova, nobody would. follow my lead and buy another. Surely something
“We’re only doing insurance work,” said one shop. “Sure, is in stock.
24 I LLUST RATI ON BY D I LE K BAYK A RA ~ JUN E 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIVER

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RED-
LET TER
D AY
A new Z shows there are signs of life at Nissan.
~
By Dan Edmunds
Photography by Greg Pajo

or a car named after the last letter of the alphabet, the Z-car got off to an incredibly
strong start. An instant hit when it landed on our shores in 1970, the first-generation
Datsun 240Z wore a graceful long hood, a sloping fastback roofline, a squared-off
Kamm tail, and a powerful overhead-cam inline-six engine driving the rear wheels.
A starting price of just $3526, about $26,000 in today’s money, led to an amazing
rookie year. Eventually, the 240Z became the 260Z and then the 280Z, and Datsun
became Nissan. But the car’s 53-year history has been a bit of a roller coaster. Strong
sales, accolades, and racing success met rising prices, a shrinking sports-car market,
and eight model years of no Z at all.
With the new 2023 Z, Nissan hopes to bring shared: two doors, rear-wheel drive, and a primo
back the thrills. It starts with the name itself. six-cylinder engine. It also maintains the nod
Until now, the adjacent number has always rep- toward affordable performance that the 350Z
resented the engine’s metric displacement in and 370Z reestablished. This Z comes in just
three-digit shorthand. The 2023 Z is powered two grades: a Sport priced at $41,015 and the
by a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6, and past conven- Performance going for $51,015. There is also a
tion demands it be called a 300Z or 300ZX. A special-paint-and-trim launch edition called the
marketing meeting likely deemed that a number Proto for $54,015, but it’s capped at 240 units.
lower than the last 370Z could be considered a Those prices remain unchanged whether you
step backward. But the engine displacement choose the six-speed manual or the nine-speed
doesn’t define Nissan’s sports car; it’s the Z-ness automatic, and there are no options apart from
of the thing. exterior paint and interior color schemes.
On that front, the new Z is on point. It adheres Looking at the car in person under a blue
to the classic formula that all predecessors have sky, we can easily see that the designers nailed

Sport versions come Packaging the VR30DDTT engine is worth the effort.
with gray cloth seats. It’s the same V-6 that powers the Infiniti Q50 and Q60
Moving up to the
Performance trim Red Sport, and its 400 horsepower at 6400 rpm and
brings fake suede 350 pound-feet of torque at 1600 rpm eclipse ye olde
seats with contrasting naturally aspirated 370Z by some 68 horsepower and
red or blue leather
(that’s red above for 80 pound-feet. At about 3500 pounds, the Sport is
the colorblind). The roughly 150 pounds heavier than a base version of its
limited-edition Proto predecessor, mostly because of the new engine. But the
gets yellow accents.
Mercifully, all Zs come twin-turbo six successfully hides the extra mass, as each
with black seatbelts. horsepower now has roughly nine pounds to move, com-
pared with 10 pounds per pony in the 370Z. Run hard on
a circuit, the Z felt properly quick and eager. Turbo lag
never once reared its head, to the point where the engine
managed a credible impersonation of natural aspiration.
it, even though the new Z shares its basic platform with It’s no wonder. Integrated exhaust manifolds pack-
the 370Z to the point that they have a common 100.4-inch age the turbochargers tight up against the flanks of
wheelbase, 72.6-inch width, and 51.8-inch height. The the block, and the turbos feature built-in speed sensors
sloping rear roofline is much the same, but it’s now framed linked to the wastegate control to keep impeller speeds
by more subtly muscled rear haunches. The melted-blob look near their maximum. There’s also a recirculation circuit
of the 350/370 tail end is history, replaced by a sharp vertical that helps maintain turbo speed when you lift off the
rear cutoff that is much more evocative of the original Z’s throttle on corner entry.
tail, with horizontally slotted LED taillights that echo the A reworked six-speed manual now features available
stunning ’90s-era 300ZX. no-lift-shift launch control on the Performance version,
The new Z is 4.9 inches longer than before, and all of and in all cases its shift action is notably less notchy,
the added length is in the nose. This was a
necessity, as the twin-turbo V-6 requires a
veritable club sandwich of heat exchangers,
with an air-to-liquid intercooler and trans-
mission and oil coolers joining the usual
radiator and AC condenser. This hardly
fazed the designers, because it allowed them
to stretch out the hood and resculpt the nose
in homage to the 240Z. It also results in a
large squared-off grille below the hood’s
leading edge, a feature that appears less
prominent when you’re standing next to it
than from the ground-level perspective of
most photographs.
29
the numbers
Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive,
2-passenger, 2-door hatchback
Base ................................................ $41,015
Engine: twin-turbocharged and intercooled
DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and
heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement ......................... 183 in3, 2997 cm3
Power ................................... 400 hp @ 6400 rpm
Torque ................................ 350 lb-ft @ 1600 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual, 9-speed
automatic
Dimensions
• Wheelbase ............................................... 100.4 in
• L/W/H ..................................... 172.4/72.6/51.8 in
• Curb Weight ................................. 3500–3600 lb
Performance (C/D est)
• 60 mph ............................................... 4.2–4.4 sec
• 100 mph ........................................... 10.1–10.4 sec
• 1/4-Mile ........................................... 13.0–13.3 sec
• Top Speed ............................................... 155 mph
EPA Fuel Economy
• Comb/City/Hwy ......... 20–22/18–19/24–28 mpg
a result of re-profiled detents,

with considerably smoother clutch
engagement thanks to a new exter-
nally mounted clutch-activation
cylinder. As for the nine-speed
automatic, its chunky shift paddles are part of an incred- too hard, but the nose tucks in obediently if you breathe
ibly simple arming procedure for its new launch control: off the throttle. It’s also far more livable day in and day
Hold the brake pedal, pull back on both paddles, floor out. The ride has shaken off its previous flintiness, and
the accelerator, release the brakes, and hang on. In either coarse road noise is no longer an ever-present nuisance.
case, Performance models more effectively direct the The steering builds up well and communicates on the
resulting ruckus to the pavement through a new clutch- track but hardly does the same when aimed straight. Our
type limited-slip differential that replaces the outgoing Sonata N Line long-termer has better on-center definition
viscous unit. when highway cruising.
The body structure has more torsional rigidity, but the Inside the Z’s cabin, dimensions are virtually identical
suspension pickup points are unchanged. That said, Nissan to the 370Z, which is no bad thing. The steering wheel
selectively and surgically retuned the Z’s chassis from a now telescopes to improve your chances of finding a good
370Z baseline. The front caster angle increases via a new driving position. The infotainment system benefits from
upper control arm, and an electrically assisted steering volume and tuning knobs and wireless phone mirroring,
rack replaces the former hydraulic unit. The 370Z’s twin- but the climate-control temperature dials are saddled
tube dampers swap for more precise monotube units that with tiny numerals that are difficult to make out. The star
develop damping force far more quickly. The Sport gets a player has to be the configurable gauge cluster, particu-
square 245/45R-18 tire setup, while the Performance has larly in Sport mode, which conjures a large analog-looking
a 255/40R-19 front and 275/35R-19 rear stagger. tachometer front and center, oriented racing-style so the
This all adds up to a Z-car that grips tenaciously on the redline is at the top. Progressive multicolored shift lights
track, with approachable limits that are easy to kiss and sit just under the lip of the instrument binnacle, and they
correct. There’s a bit of understeer if you charge a corner converge toward the middle as you approach the 6800-
rpm redline. It’s equally fabulous with
the manual gearbox or with the auto-
matic in manual mode, but you can shut
them down if you prefer darkness.
It’s easy to like the new Z, but it’s too
early to say we’ve completely fallen for
it. It certainly seems worthy of love: Its
400-hp V-6 has our undivided atten-
tion, and it’s a more refined and livable
daily driver than the 370Z. But acco-
lades don’t always translate into sales
success, and vicious competition means
we won’t know if it’s true love until we
compare the Z to its enemies.

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Nice F —i n g
34 J UNE 2022 ~ CAR AN D DR IV ER

T Trucks
IF YOU WANT TO INVEST IN THE NEXT BIG

T H I N G , H ER E A R E FO U R N F Ts T H AT A R E
GUARANTEED TO HAVE YOU LIVING L ARGE .
BY EZRA DYER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARC URBANO
35
IF YOU ’VE NEVER HEARD OF AN NF T, ALLOW
U S TO EN LI G H T EN YO U . T H E T ER M S TA N DS FO R
NON-FUNGIBLE TOKEN, AND IT’S A MEANS OF
CO M M O D I F Y I N G D I G ITA L P R O P ER T Y.
Instead of buying, say, a Michael Jordan baseball card, all set up with that—just let him know you already agreed
you could buy a digital image of a Michael Jordan base- to the undercoating.
ball card, or of a Princess Beanie Baby, or perhaps of your To qualify as an NFT, we submit that a vehicle needs
favorite Dutch tulip, and it would be all yours. Maybe you’d three rows of seating, four driven wheels, body-on-frame
buy Twitter founder Jack Dorsey’s first tweet for $2.9 mil- construction, and the kind of badge that says “I’ll spon-
lion, or pick up a drawing of a cartoon ape for $2.3 million, sor you at the country club if you don’t tell the town that
or spend $69 million for a digital mosaic from an artist my guesthouse violates the setbacks.” From Cadillac, we
named Beeple. These are not hypothetical examples, in have the Escalade, redesigned last year and armed with
case you’re wondering. Rich people are evidently running air springs and GM’s Super Cruise hands-free driver-
out of things to spend money on. Luckily for them, we have assistance system. After a 31-year hiatus, the Jeep Grand
some suggestions. Wagoneer is back for 2022 in all its V-8-powered glory.
Since we’re always on the bleeding edge of hot trends Lexus also has a fresh model for 2022, the LX600, the
in crypto or blockchain or the metaverse, we figured we’d upmarket counterpart to the Toyota Land Cruiser that U.S.
create a new category of NFT: the Nice F—ing Truck. dealerships no longer get. And Lincoln’s refreshed Navi-
Like a seven-figure Bored Ape, these body-on-frame gator is as plush as ever, now featuring a version of Ford’s
behemoths embody a certain brand of conspicuous con- hands-free cruise control dubbed ActiveGlide.
sumption. But unlike an NFT of LeBron dunking (which But which of these NFTs best justifies a withdrawal
sold for a mere $208,000), a big luxury SUV actually, you of your hard-earned dogecoin? We rounded up all four
know, does stuff. You can drive it around and go places. and headed to Kentucky horse country, where we logged
You can tow heavy trailers. Maybe it’ll give you a massage hundreds of miles, won $8 on a gelding named Baby Yoda,
while you’re towing a heavy trailer. Try getting a Beeple and minted some conclusions. But if this doesn’t help you
to do that. You don’t even need the blockchain to prove make a decision, feel free to buy more than one. Hey, it’s
ownership. Lance down in the finance office will get you only money.

2022 Cadillac Escalade 2022 Jeep Grand 2022 Lexus LX600 2022 Lincoln Navigator
Sport Platinum 4WD Wagoneer Series II F Sport Black Label 4x4
Obsidian
Base/As Tested $107,290/$114,865 $105,490/$113,120 $102,345/$107,585 $106,285/$107,605
Dimensions
Wheelbase 120.9 in 123.0 in 112.2 in 122.5 in
Length/Width/Height 211.9/81.1/76.7 in 214.7/83.6/75.6 in 202.2/78.4/74.6 in 210.0/79.9/76.3 in
Track, F/R 68.4/68.1 in 68.5/68.3 in 66.0/66.0 in 67.6/67.2 in
Passenger Volume,
F/M/R 71/61/45 ft 3 65/65/50 ft3 55/49/35 ft 3 69/62/47 ft 3
Cargo Volume, F/M/R 121/73/26 ft 3 94/71/27 ft3 71/46/11 ft 3 103/58/19 ft 3
Towing
Max 8000 lb 9850 lb 8000 lb 8300 lb
As Tested 7500 lb 9850 lb 8000 lb 6200 lb
Powertrain
Engine pushrod 16-valve V-8 pushrod 16-valve V-8 twin-turbocharged twin-turbocharged
376 in3 (6162 cm3) 391 in3 (6410 cm3) DOHC 24-valve V-6 DOHC 24-valve V-6
210 in3 @ (3445 cm3) 213 in3 (3492 cm3)
Power, hp @ rpm 420 @ 5600 471 @ 6000 409 @ 5200 440 @ 5850
Torque, lb-ft @ rpm 460 @ 4100 455 @ 4400 479 @ 2000 510 @ 3000
Redline/Fuel Cutoff 5700/5900 rpm 6400/6400 rpm 5800/6200 rpm 6000/6000 rpm
lb per hp 14.5 13.5 14.5 13.8
Driveline
Transmission 10-speed automatic 8-speed automatic 10-speed automatic 10-speed automatic
Driven Wheels rear/all four four rear/all
Final-Drive Ratio:1 3.23 3.91 3.31 3.73
Low-Range Ratio:1 — 2.64 2.62 —
Chassis
Suspension F: control arms, air F: control arms, air F: control arms, coil F: control arms, coil
springs, anti-roll bar springs, anti-roll bar springs, anti-roll bar springs, anti-roll bar
R: multilink, air springs, R: multilink, air springs, R: live axle, coil springs, R: multilink, coil springs,
anti-roll bar anti-roll bar anti-roll bar anti-roll bar
Brakes F: 13.5-in vented disc F: 14.9-in vented disc F: 13.9-in vented disc F: 13.8-in vented disc
R: 13.6-in vented disc R: 14.8-in disc R: 13.2-in vented disc R: 13.2-in vented disc
Stability Control partially defeatable, traction off partially defeatable, traction off
traction off traction off
Tires Bridgestone Alenza A/S 02 Goodyear Eagle Touring Dunlop Grandtrek PT5A Pirelli Scorpion Verde
275/50R-22 111H M+S TPC 285/45R-22 115H M+S 265/50R-22 112V M+S All Season
285/45R-22 114H M+S
TEST RESULTS
Acceleration
30 mph 2.0 sec 1.8 sec 1.9 sec 1.8 sec
120 mph 25.3 sec — 24.3 sec 21.9 sec
1/4-Mile @ mph 14.5 sec @ 91 13.9 sec @ 100 14.3 sec @ 97 13.9 sec @ 100
Results above omit 1-ft Results above omit 1-ft Results above omit 1-ft Results above omit 1-ft
rollout of 0.3 sec. rollout of 0.3 sec. rollout of 0.3 sec. rollout of 0.3 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph 6.5 sec 5.9 sec 6.7 sec 6.0 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph 3.3 sec 3.2 sec 3.3 sec 3.2 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph 4.2 sec 3.8 sec 4.4 sec 4.0 sec
Top Speed 125 mph (gov ltd) 119 mph (gov ltd) 135 mph (C/D est) 124 mph (gov ltd)
Chassis
Braking, 70–0 mph 174 ft 202 ft 180 ft 185 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad 0.67 g 0.69 g 0.75 g 0.75 g
Weight
Curb 6098 lb 6348 lb 5938 lb 6078 lb
Distribution, F/R 50.1/49.9% 51.3/48.7% 52.0/48.0% 49.2/50.8%
Fuel
Capacity/Octane 24.0 gal/91 26.5 gal/91 21.1 gal/91 23.0 gal/93
EPA Comb/City/Hwy 16/14/19 mpg 15/13/18 mpg 19/17/22 mpg 18/16/22 mpg
C/D 750-mi Trip 15 mpg 14 mpg 17 mpg 16 mpg
Practical Stowage
No. of 9 x 14 x 22-in
Boxes behind F/M/R 46/24/6 40/18/7 30/16/3 39/21/4
Length of Pipe 150.0 in 118.0 in 136.0 in 146.0 in
Largest Flat Panel, L x W 86.6 x 49.7 in 91.0 x 51.5 in 79.7 x 41.4 in 86.8 x 51.5 in
Sound Level
Idle/Full Throttle 42/75 dBA 40/74 dBA 37/73 dBA 42/72 dBA
70-mph Cruise 66 dBA 66 dBA 68 dBA 67 dBA
TESTED BY DAV I D BE ARD, K.C. COLW EL L, AN D DAVE VAND ER WER P I N CHE LSEA , M I
4th Place: Lexus LX600 operated like the others in this test. There’s no hands-
Had this shootout taken place entirely off-road, we bet the
free cruise control, no massaging seats, no panoramic
Lexus would have won. As the upscale offshoot of the Toyota
roof. Some of our phones wouldn’t fit on the wireless
Land Cruiser, the LX600 F Sport has the goods for overland-
charger unless we removed the case. The rear seat is a
ing excellence: a four-wheel-drive system with low range, a
bench rather than captain’s chairs, yet the LX600 isn’t
limited-slip rear differential, and a clever display that shows
an eight-seater—its third row seats only two, and those
you what’s underneath the vehicle by recording the path unfortunates will be staring at their knees and ruing the
ahead and then transposing it to a see-through overhead live rear axle bounding around below. Do you remember
view. Everyone loves glass-bottom-boat mode. how the LX570 had a fun drop-down tailgate you could
But as the Lexus Land Cruiser, there’s also a lot of sit on? They got rid of that.
standard-issue Toyota on display for a vehicle that costs However, there’s still plenty to recommend about
$107,585 as tested. When you stop for fuel, you pull a flimsy
the LX600. Everyone loved its front seats, which are
plastic flap to open the filler door and then unscrew an somehow both supportive and buttery soft. It returned
actual gas cap. The running boards are fixed, not power the highest observed fuel economy (17 mpg), and its
ride epitomizes the Lexus glide.
It even tied for highest skidpad
Lexus LX600 F Sport Plus Good fuel economy (relatively),
number—0.75 g, accompanied by
supple ride, legit off-road chops. Minus Ahoy-matey body roll,
extravagant body roll—and, some-
dearth of luxe features, tight rear seats. Equals This would
what hilariously, highest top speed.
make a great Toyota Land Cruiser.
It’s the quietest at idle, and under
throttle its twin-turbo 3.4-liter V-6
issues agreeable forced-induction
huffs rather than V-6 exhaust blat.
In the Lexus cinematic uni-
verse, the LX is closer in spirit
to the rolling-anesthesia ES350
rather than the more involving LC
or IS500, no matter how many F
Sport badges it wears. That aloof
mien is appropriate for this genre.
But Lexus can squeeze only so much
luxury into the 112.2-inch wheel-
base, which hasn’t changed since
the 1991 Land Cruiser. That’s about
six inches shorter than the wheel-
base of a Hyundai Ioniq 5, to give
you some idea of what an outlier the
Lexus is in this gargantuan crowd.
An F Sport LX600 makes as much sense as

a TRD Pro Supra. Yes, we just conflated
Toyota and Lexus, but so does the LX600,
with its Land Cruiser roots.

The Navigator’s front seats adjust to each
individual vertebra in your back (okay,
almost), and the illuminated badge on the
grille glows like a righteous gemstone.
As one logbook entry put it,

“Toyota obviously thinks this will
capture the orphan Land Cruiser
customers. Some of them, maybe.
But there were about 3500 people
every year who specifically didn’t
want this.” So, hey, we’ve got an
idea. Hear us out: LX600, but with
a lower price, a smaller grille, and
maybe some smaller wheels with
all-terrain tires. We don’t know
what they’d call such a thing, but
we bet we’d like it.
3rd Place: Lincoln Navigator

The Navigator was the quickest of
our quartet, and everyone agreed
it has the most special-feeling
interior—when your second-row Lincoln Navigator Black Label 4x4 Plus Opulent interior,
seats have a massage function, tastefully gaudy exterior, quickest of the bunch. Minus Shudder-
you’re not skimping on the N in NFT. ing structure, flinty ride, ActiveGlide feels half baked.
Second-row passengers also get their Equals Does Lincoln proud, but needs a more compelling refresh.
own climate controls and buttons to
commandeer the shade for the pano-
ramic roof. Lincoln has christened our test truck’s new-for-2022 Grand Wagoneer and its 6.4-liter V-8. The Navigator
interior theme Central Park, possibly because it’s large enough for also ties the Lexus for highest skidpad grip, although
Rollerblading. Even the third-row seats get power recline. And one editor described its steering as “gooey,” and the
the Lincoln’s exterior is the best at announcing that you’ve spent driving experience is definitely the most trucklike.
a lot of money and are not ashamed to show it. The Lincoln badge “You feel more body-on-frame jiggles through the
in the grille lights up at night, so even in darkness your Black steering wheel here than on any of the others,” read
Label will never be mistaken for a Ford Expedition. one logbook entry. Another driver opined that the
But this isn’t just a chauffeur special built to cater to the big- “flinty ride and creaky structure might benefit from
wigs or junior tyrants in back. The Navigator is fun to drive, in another semester at Chassis Tuning U.”
the manner of a big Bentley—an opulent living room thrown The Lincoln was the only vehicle besides the
by a trebuchet every time you flatten the accelerator. With its Cadillac to offer hands-free cruise control, which
turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 cranking out 440 horsepower and a Lincoln calls ActiveGlide. When it works, Active-
best-in-test 510 pound-feet of torque, this 6078-pound Lincoln Glide effectively keeps the big Gator centered in its
flings itself to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds, narrowly outracing the lane, but the key qualifier there is “when it works,”
39
“LISTEN, GUYS, EVEN THOUGH
T R A N SY LVA N I A U N I V ERS I T Y I S H ER E
IN LEXINGTON , IT’S NOT THE VAMPIRE
T R A N SY LVA N I A LI K E I N T H AT FA M O U S
M OV I E , W H AT ’ S I T C A L L E D? H EL P M E
O UT. O H , RIGHT: VAN H ELSING! THAN KS .
H E Y, TH IS J EEP H ERE HAS
471 YOU-POWER. HA.”
2nd Place: Jeep Grand Wagoneer
which is best described as intermittently. Assuming you’re on
Speaking of great apes, get a load of this gorilla.
a limited-access highway that’s part of ActiveGlide’s roughly
The Grand Wagoneer is rolling hyperbole: biggest,
130,000 miles of available roads, the system might engage for
10 seconds, quit for 10 seconds, and then come back onlineheaviest, most powerful, highest tow rating. But
again. One driver commented, “If ActiveGlide were any morealso: worst fuel economy, longest stop from 70 mph,
most challenging exterior design. We don’t have a
on-again, off-again, they’d call it Bennifer.” But the hardware
is there, so we presume that Lincoln will keep improving it, the
number on that last one, but the best anyone could
same way GM has. muster on the Grand Wagoneer’s styling is, “You’d
So, you read that right: The quickest truck with the nicest
probably get used to it.”
interior gets third place. It’s tough out there for an NFT. This
The Grand Wagoneer looks as if different teams
generation of Navigator debuted in 2018, making it the oldest
designed its front and rear halves and the one that
worked on the back thought they were creating a ship-
here, and that might be part of the problem. If you’re going to
ping container until an hour before the project was
part with your precious bitcoin, oftentimes the latest ape is
the greatest ape. due. The B- and C-pillars evoke an Atari logo erupt-
ing out of the doors, and the D-pillars
sweep up at the bottom in homage to
Jeep Grand Wagoneer Series II Obsidian Plus Supreme interior
. . . the Jeep Compass? Somehow, the
space, really quick, tows 9850 pounds. Minus Guzzles fuel,
Grand Wagoneer’s slab-sided body
some uninspired interior materials, brutalist exterior styling.
makes 22-inch wheels look tiny. It’s
Equals The beauty is on the inside.
Brink’s-truck chic, we’ll give it that.
Fortunately for the Jeep, it’s
supremely well adapted to the mis-
sion of an NFT—shuttling around
seven or eight people in utter com-
fort. Its third row is by far the most
habitable, with plenty of legroom,
power-reclining seatbacks, and its
own skylight. Third-row denizens
also get dedicated HVAC vents and
USB-A and USB-C outlets. The sec-
ond row’s 10.1-inch entertainment
screens feature Amazon Fire TV.
Even the front passenger gets an
entertainment screen that’s polar-
ized so the driver can’t peek at The
Wheel of Time while you’re rolling.
Everybody ought to be happy in this
pleasure palace, including the driver.
Even the front passenger gets a screen in

the Jeep, which embraces a more-is-
better ethos. The Grand Wagoneer is so
big, it makes 22-inch wheels look small.
41
Thanks to its rear-drive mode, the
Escalade can do smoky burnouts (not
pictured). Super Cruise is our favorite
not-quite-autonomous system.
That part surprised us a bit,

given that the Grand Wagoneer
doesn’t look like it wants to hustle.
Its 471-hp 6.4-liter V-8 might not
feel as energetic here as it does in
a Dodge Durango SRT 392, but it
still hucks this big galoot to 60 mph
in just 5.4 seconds. And although
nobody’s going to try to slay a twisty
Kentucky back road in one of these,
we did anyway—for science. And
the giant Jeep is sneakily fun to
drive. “It’s wallowy, leading you to
believe there isn’t much there, but
then you lean on it and it takes a set
and hangs in there,” read one log-
book comment. The big V-8 makes
the best noises of the bunch, and
despite the long stopping distance Cadillac Escalade Sport Platinum 4WD Plus Chassis-tuning
at the test track, the brakes offer magic, Super Cruise, exterior style. Minus Not as quick as the
excellent bite on the street. And, others, highest price, some cut-rate interior bits. Equals The
of course, when you’re clicking off NFT that cares about the driver more than the passengers.
highway miles, the Grand Wagoneer
is really in its element. Its 66-decibel
interior hum at 70 mph tied the Escalade for best in the test. ing features that are either rare or nonexistent in
But, impressive as it is, there were enough caveats to keep its competitors: Super Cruise, magnetorheological
the Grand Wagoneer out of first place. Its 14-mpg observed fuel dampers, augmented-reality navigation, a curved
economy gets expensive. Its interior, while artfully designed, OLED dash display, an optional diesel engine that
includes a lot of piano-black plastic and rubber. And there’s earns a 27-mpg EPA estimate on the highway. Our
the styling, such a rare misfire from Stellantis that it prompted test vehicle’s pushrod 6.2-liter V-8 felt incongruently
comments like “Even the Chrysler 200 looked good.” And hey, old-school, coexisting as it is with so many harbin-
we know NFTs don’t always have to be pretty. But it sure helps. gers of the SUV future. But hey, 420 horsepower is
420 horsepower.
1st Place: Cadillac Escalade And when you care to summon those horses,
NFTs—the digital kind—are all about believing in the future, the Escalade reveals itself as the truck you want to
inasmuch as their value depends upon future humans ascribing drive. The moment you lay hands on the steering
desirability to digital ownership of photos or videos or tweets. wheel, you feel a connection between this SUV and
The Escalade, too, embodies optimism in technology, offer- the Blackwing sedans. It’s not that the Escalade is

sporty, exactly—the upcoming Escalade V will take care slower traffic. Better yet, it also moves back over as soon as
of that—but it delivers feedback in a way the others don’t. it has a chance. If only humans would do the same.
Run over a manhole cover that’s flush with the pavement Yes, you still have to pay attention and keep your eyes
and you might not feel it through the seat, but you will on the road, but Super Cruise is good enough to actually
through the wheel. The brakes are the strongest, the body reduce driver fatigue during long highway stints. It’s a lux-
control impeccable. Thanks to those crafty dampers, the ury more valuable than impeccably crafted switchgear.
air springs, and independent front and rear suspension, Which is fortunate, because the Escalade doesn’t have
the Escalade’s ride can morph from serene to taut in the that. Noting the mediocre quality of the window switches
moment it takes you to turn in for a corner. And yes, this and shifter, one driver said, “Well, GM gonna GM.” But
GM SUV still has an intrusive stability-control system, but everything from the console up looks gorgeous—brushed
it’s unlikely to interfere during street driving. As one tester metal, wood, leather, those OLED screens—worthy of the
noted, “This might as well be a Corvette compared with Escalade’s $114,865 price.
the Navigator. Feels 1000 pounds lighter than the Lincoln.” Which is, as of this writing, about two and a half bit-
Another wrote, “The best handling here by a long shot.” coins. By the time you read this, it might be one bitcoin.
And it has Super Cruise, which feels years ahead of any Or 10, or 114,865 of them. That’s the thing about crypto,
other system, probably because it is. While the Lincoln’s and non-fungible tokens, and the metaverse—it’s all fluid,
ActiveGlide struggles simply to remain engaged (and the and it’s hard to predict what will last. But this Cadillac right
Lexus and Jeep don’t enable hands-free driving at all), here, all 6098 pounds of it, is real as it gets. You want an
the Caddy can automatically pull into the left lane to pass NFT you can believe in, get a Nice F—ing Truck.
GRAND TOTAL
1/4-MILE ACCELERATION*
SECOND-ROW COMFORT
FEATURES/AMENITIES*
THIRD-ROW COMFORT
SECOND-ROW SPACE*
THIRD-ROW SPACE*
TOWING CAPACITY*
EXTERIOR STYLING
REBATES/EXTRAS*
INTERIOR STYLING
AS-TESTED PRICE*
DRIVER COMFORT
FUEL ECONOMY*
PERFORMANCE*
FIT AND FINISH
STEERING FEEL
CARGO BOXES*
TRANSMISSION
Experience
Powertrain
FUN TO DRIVE
FLEXIBILITY*
ERGONOMICS
ENGINE NVH
BRAKE FEEL
FINAL
SUBTOTAL
SUBTOTAL
SUBTOTAL
HANDLING
Chassis
Vehicle
RESULTS
RIDE
Maximum points available 10 10 5 5 5 5 5 5 10 10 10 10 5 20 115 20 5 10 10 10 55 20 10 10 10 10 60 25 255
1. Cadillac Escalade 9 9 5 4 5 4 5 2 6 8 8 9 1 19 94 17 4 8 9 10 48 18 9 9 8 10 54 22 218
2. Jeep Grand Wagoneer 9 8 5 5 5 5 5 5 10 8 8 4 1 19 97 20 4 7 9 8 48 16 8 8 7 9 48 18 211
3. Lincoln Navigator 9 10 5 4 4 4 3 1 4 10 10 8 2 20 94 20 3 9 9 9 50 19 7 7 7 7 47 19 210
4. Lexus LX600 8 8 2 2 1 2 1 3 2 9 8 7 2 20 75 18 3 10 9 9 49 20 6 8 5 7 46 16 186
*These objective scores are calculated from the vehicles’ dimensions, capacities, rebates and extras, and/or test results.
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SECOND ACT
46 J UNE 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIVER
MAZDA’S NEW
U.S.-BUILT
COMPACT SUV
OFFERS MANY OF
THE BEST TRAITS
OF THE 10BEST-
WINNING CX-5
WRAPPED IN A
NICELY SHAPED
WAGON-ESQUE
BODY.
By Joey
Capparella
Photography by
Roy Ritchie
47
M
SUV, the CX-5. The company asserts
that there’s enough room in this popular
segment for two similarly sized vehicles,
and Mazda won’t be the first to double
up: Jeep sells the Cherokee and the
Compass, and Ford has both the Escape
and the Bronco Sport.
We decided to ignore the outdoorsy
shtick and instead found the CX-50
to have a pleasant on-road driving
demeanor, an appealing design, and
class-above refinement—all for about
In 2021, Mazda sold azda has never been short on original the same price as its mainstream com-
more CX-5s in the ideas. This is the company that is still petitors. If that sounds like a familiar
trying to make the Wankel engine work refrain, it’s because we’ve heaped simi-
U.S. than all other and that stubbornly insists on selling a lar praise upon the CX-5, which has won
models combined. tiny two-seat roadster even as most multiple 10Best awards and is Mazda’s
other affordable sports cars have gone bestseller by far.
the way of Triumph, MG, or, well, pretty The CX-50 and CX-5 share power-
much the British car industry. So maybe trains, but there are notable differences
that’s why it seems unoriginal for Mazda in the packaging. The CX-50’s body is
to chase the exact same outdoorsy, rug- 1.4 inches lower, 3.0 inches wider, and
ged image that Jeep, Subaru, and many 5.7 inches longer (most of that length is
50.6% 49.4% others have done to death. from a 4.6-inch wheelbase stretch), giv-
Marketing images of the new 2023 ing it station-wagon-esque proportions
CX-50 show the SUV plowing through that are more Subaru Outback than
the forest festooned with all manner of Forester. Although the CX-50’s black
off-road and camping accessories. For plastic cladding and faux vents are a
this model Mazda even came up with a bit overdone, we like its more athletic
U.S. CX-5 sales: new exterior color called Zircon Sand, stance and wide haunches. It all comes
168,383 UNITS which is meant to make adventuresome together in a design that’s far more mod-
shoppers think they can conquer the ern than that of the current CX-5, which
U.S. Mazda sales dunes—or at least imagine doing so. got a facelift for 2022 but still doesn’t
(all other models): If we were to hazard a guess, we’d look all that different than it did in 2017.
say Mazda is doing all of this to differen- Compared with its stablemate, the
164,373 UNITS tiate the CX-50 from its other compact CX-50 does offer a bit of real capabil-

ity to go with the imagined variety. Counterpoints
For one, it has slightly more ground
clearance than the CX-5. And Mazda As an auto writer, I should hate that Mazda is building
says it beefed up the CX-50’s engine another compact crossover, but the CX-50 is just so
cooling to increase towing capacity: damned pleasant. Longer, lower, and wider, the CX-50’s
Equipped with the optional turbo design, inside and out, speaks to me more than the
engine, the CX-50 can tow up to 3500 CX-5’s. Both enjoy skillful chassis tuning, a gutsy 2.5-liter turbo,
pounds, while the CX-5 Turbo maxes and a six-speed automatic rather than a CVT. So I can accept that
out at 2000. Towing and Off-Road Mazda fields a CX-5 and a CX-50. But if it’s considering a CX-500,
drive modes join the Normal and that had better be a diesel, manual station wagon. —Joe Lorio
Sport selections and bring different
calibrations for the steering, trans- I usually find drive modes annoying because they tend to
mission, all-wheel-drive system, and amplify unpleasantries—stiffer, jumpier, twitchier. But
throttle response. An upcoming off- we always check to see whether a mode makes a differ-
road-themed CX-50 Meridian Edition ence at the track (they rarely do in mainstream vehicles).
will offer all-terrain tires, along with So I was pleased when Sport mode put a little pep in the CX-50’s step.
a hood graphic, a basket rack, and a Activating it shaved 0.2 second from the otherwise lazy amble off
few other accessories. the line—even with a brake-torque launch. Now I am left wondering
Given that its turbocharged 2.5- why Mazda didn’t make the Sport tune standard. —K.C. Colwell
liter inline-four—which makes 256
horsepower on 93-octane fuel and
227 horsepower on 87-octane—and provides a strong swell of low-end mapping is noticeably snappier, so
six-speed automatic transmission are torque, and the transmission shifts much so that it improves the CX-50’s
shared with upper trims of the CX-5, crisply and does a great job of pre- acceleration by a few tenths. Saddled
much of the driving experience is dicting what gear you want. with an extra 57 pounds compared
familiar. (We assume the same will Unlike with most mainstream with the last CX-5 Signature we
apply to the CX-50’s base powertrain, vehicles, engaging the CX-50’s Sport tested, our all-wheel-drive CX-50 2.5
a 187-hp naturally aspirated 2.5- mode actually does something: The Turbo test car got to 60 mph in 6.6
liter inline-four.) The turbo engine steering firms up and the throttle seconds and through the quarter-
The optional Terra-

cotta leather interior
with contrasting
stitching is more luxe
than what you find in
some premium brands.
Mazda builds the CX-50 in Alabama in a
plant shared with the Toyota Corolla Cross.
Each has a separate assembly line, though
both share a few paint-color options.
The infotainment system is sim-

ilar to what you’ll find in other Maz-
das, replete with a quirky menu struc-
ture that can make simple tasks, such
as tuning the radio, require more
steps than you’d expect. A control
knob on the center console operates
most functions, but there’s touch-
screen functionality for when you’re
using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
You sit low in the CX-50’s driver’s
seat and experience a carlike view
over the long hood. Even though it
offers slightly less headroom com-
pared with the CX-5, the CX-50 is
plenty spacious for four adults, if
not quite as cavernous as the Honda
CR-V. The cargo floor is 0.7 inch lower
than the CX-5’s, and there’s a bit more
luggage space behind the rear seats,
but we couldn’t fit more than nine
carry-on suitcases, same as the CX-5.
Soon, the CX-50 will add another
identity in the form of a hybrid vari-
ant with a Toyota-sourced powertrain
that should offer considerably better
fuel economy. As it is, the CX-50
Plus: Refined powertrain, good ride and handling Turbo does have an unobtrusive
engine start-stop system, which the
balance, premium looks. Minus: Infotainment CX-5 does without. As such, the EPA
quirks, costlier than a CX-5, trying too hard for a rates it at 25 mpg combined, 1 mpg
better than the CX-5. We averaged
rugged image. Equals: Mazda now builds not one 20 mpg overall and hit 28 mpg on our
but two of the best compact SUVs you can buy. real-world 75-mph highway test.
We’ve perhaps buried the lede in
waiting until the end to reveal one
of the most significant differences
mile in 15.1 seconds at 91 mph. Those more body roll. But the wider track between the CX-50 and the CX-5.
numbers are a few ticks behind the and lower seating position help off- The real reason why the CX-50 is
CX-5’s but are still strong for the seg- set the additional side-to-side move- a big deal for Mazda is because it’s
ment. Most SUVs in this class don’t ment, and the ride-quality benefit is built at the company’s new plant in
offer upgrade engines at all—only the noticeable. Huntsville, Alabama, which is a joint
Bronco Sport and Escape with their Quiet, comfortable, and confi- venture with Toyota. And Mazda has
optional turbo 2.0-liter four deliver dent, the CX-50 drives more like a even suggested that once produc-
similar acceleration. Volvo XC60 than a Toyota RAV4. tion ramps up, it may be easier for
With predictable handling and Our top-trim Premium Plus package– U.S. buyers to get their hands on a
sports-car-accurate steering, the equipped model rang up at $43,170, CX-50 than a Japan-made CX-5—an
CX-50 is a pleasure to hustle through which is steep by the standards of this important factor in our supply-chain-
corners. It delivered an impressive class, but not unheard of, as $40,000- constrained times. Whether or not
0.87 g on the skidpad and stopped plus RAV4s and Escapes exist too. customers can get a good grasp on
from 70 mph in a good-for-the- Plus, with its attractive brown leather what sets the CX-50 and the CX-5
segment 161 feet, both improve- and contrasting stitching, the CX-50’s apart, we’re sure dealers won’t mind
ments over previous CX-5 results. cabin is considerably nicer to look at offering not one but two of the most
The CX-50’s suspension tune feels a and touch than anything else in the appealing choices in today’s most
bit softer than the CX-5’s, resulting in mainstream segment. popular new-vehicle segment.

2023 Mazda CX-50 2.5 Turbo AWd
Price
As Tested CX-50 CX-5
65.3–66.2 in
63.5–63.9 in
$43,170
Base
$37,625
110.8in 106.2in
185.8 in 179.1 in
Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon Dimensions

Options: Premium Plus package (ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel, 12-speaker Bose Wheelbase .................................................................... 110.8 in
audio, Sirius XM radio, wireless phone charger, navigation, head-up display, front and rear parking Length ............................................................................ 185.8 in
sensors, 360-degree view, blind-spot detection, traffic-jam assist), $5150; Zircon Sand Metallic Width ................................................................................. 75.6 in
paint, $395 Infotainment: 10.3-inch touchscreen with rotary controller; wireless Android Auto and Height ............................................................................... 63.9 in
Apple CarPlay; satellite radio (3 months included); 4 USB (2 for power only) and Bluetooth inputs; Front Track ................................................................... 64.9 in
Wi-Fi hotspot (3 months included); Bose stereo, 12 speakers Rear Track ..................................................................... 65.0 in
Passenger Volume, F/R ...................................... 52/46 ft3
Engine Chassis Cargo Volume behind F/R ................................. 56/31 ft3
turbocharged and intercooled Miller-capable unit construction Approach Angle ............................................................. 18.0 0
inline-4, aluminum block and head Body Material: steel stampings Break-Over Angle ......................................................... 18.4 0
Bore x Stroke ..... 3.70 x 3.94 in, 94.0 x 100.0 mm Departure Angle .......................................................... 25.0 0
Displacement ............................... 152 in3, 2488 cm3 Steering Ground Clearance ....................................................... 8.6 in
Compression Ratio ........................................... 10.5:1 rack-and-pinion with variable electric power
Fuel Delivery: direct injection assist
Turbocharger: Garrett GT20 Ratio .......................................................................... 15.1:1 TEST RESULTS
Maximum Boost Pressure ........................ 18.9 psi Turns Lock-to-Lock ............................................. 2.9
Turning Circle Curb-to-Curb ................... 36.0 ft Acceleration
Valve Gear: double overhead cams, 4 valves 30 mph .................................................... 2.2 sec
per cylinder, variable intake-valve timing Suspension 40 mph .................................................... 3.5 sec
Redline/Fuel Cutoff ................... 6250/6000 rpm F: ind; strut located by a control arm; coil 50 mph .................................................... 4.9 sec
Power ........................................... 256 hp @ 5000 rpm springs; anti-roll bar 60 mph .................................................. 6.6 sec
Torque ...................................... 320 lb-ft @ 2500 rpm R: ind; trailing arm integral with a transverse 70 mph ................................................... 8.8 sec
member; coil springs 80 mph ................................................... 11.2 sec
Drivetrain 90 mph ................................................... 14.7 sec
Transmission: 6-speed automatic Brakes 1/4-Mile ............................. 15.1 sec @ 91 mph
Final-Drive Ratio .............................................. 3.84:1 F: 12.8 x 1.0-in vented disc, 1-piston sliding 100 mph ............................................... 18.8 sec
All-Wheel-Drive System: full time with an caliper 110 mph ................................................ 23.9 sec
electronically controlled clutch-pack coupling R: 12.8 x 0.4-in disc, 1-piston sliding caliper 120 mph ............................................... 35.5 sec
GEAR RATIO MPH PER MAX SPEED Stability Control: traction off Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
1000 RPM IN GEAR (rpm)
1 ......... 3.49 ......... 6.1 ................ 37 mph (6000) Wheels and Tires Rolling Start, 5–60 mph .................... 7.2 sec
2 ......... 1.99 .......... 10.8 .............. 65 mph (6000) Wheels: cast aluminum, 8.0 x 20 in Top Gear, 30–50 mph ........................ 3.6 sec
3 ......... 1.45 .......... 14.8 .............. 89 mph (6000) Tires: Goodyear Eagle Touring 245/45R-20 Top Gear, 50–70 mph ........................ 5.0 sec
4 ......... 1.00 .......... 21.4 .............. 128 mph (6000) 99V M+S Top Speed (mfr’s claim) ................. 142 mph
5 ......... 0.71 .......... 30.2 ............. 142 mph (4700)
6 ......... 0.60 ......... 35.7 ............. 142 mph (4000) Handling
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad ......... 0.87 g
Understeer: minimal
COMPETITORS Braking
BASE,
70–0 mph ................................................. 161 ft
75 D
$ x 1000*
-M RI
You know what’s harder than Fade: none

PH VIN
HI G,
32
reading a spider chart? Choosing

GH MP
Weight
WA G
three competitors in this segment.

Y
Curb ......................................................... 3866 lb

TIO ILE
36
14
SE N,
RA -M
Per Horsepower .................................... 15.1 lb

.5
C
LE 1/4
Kia Sorento Distribution, F/R ........................... 58.9/41.1%

33
15
X-Line EX
.5
CE
40
Towing Capacity ................................. 3500 lb

AC
CARRY-ON BOXES
281-hp 2.5-L I-4,

BEHIND SECOND
16
.5
8-sp auto Fuel

44
27
17.
Mazda CX-50 Capacity ................................................ 15.8 gal

5
2.5 Turbo AWD Octane ............................................................ 93

24
ROW
6.0 7.0
256-hp 2.5-L I-4,
C/D Fuel Economy
ACCELERATION, SEC
60-MPH
6-sp auto 6 8 10 12
Subaru Forester Observed .............................................. 20 mpg
170
Touring 75-mph Hwy Driving ........................ 28 mpg

0.
82
182-hp 2.5-L flat-4, Range ...................................................... 440 mi

0.
CVT EPA Fuel Economy

84
2
ID G,
16
G SK DIN
Toyota RAV4
-
Comb/City/Hwy ...................... 25/23/29 mpg

0.
D, FT OL
86
8
Adventure AWD
PA 00- DH
15
3 OA
203-hp 2.5-L I-4, Interior Sound Level

R
0.
88
8-speed auto Idle ............................................................ 37 dBA

70 RAK
B
–0 IN
Full Throttle ......................................... 80 dBA

-M G,
PH FT
70-mph Cruising ................................. 69 dBA

CURB WEIGHT, LB
TESTED BY K .C. COLWE L L I N CH EL SE A, M I 51

IS THIS
REALLY
THE
LAST
GAS(P)? Acura’s
Blast from
There is no doubt that we are in the
beginning/middle/end (you pick) of an
the Past
automotive era. We have seen your letters With interest in ’80s and ’90s cars
complaining about too much electric-car rising fast, the 2023 Acura Integra
coverage—they’re in an overflowing postal brings back a famous name in hopes
bin marked “Angry Letters to Santa.” of winning over a new generation.
We get it. Unfortunately, many of the new
vehicles being introduced are electric or cura pulls a page from Hollywood’s
A
electrified. But, most isn’t everything, nor playbook and reboots an old classic.
does it mean the next time you head to a The 2023 Integra marks the nameplate’s
dealership you’ll have to buy a vehicle with return to the lineup after more than 20
some variation of the following words: years. Though the reborn Integra looks
“Eco i Lightning tron ID Prime Dream.” more like the ILX sedan it informally
There are still some great gas-burning replaces than a modern take on its namesake, the
machines coming to showrooms soon, and new entry-level Acura cribs its ethos from the three
we’ve carefully selected 12 that we think are generations of Integras before it. Like its predeces-
worth the wait. After you buy one of these sors, the new Integra shares its underpinnings with
models, consider keeping it for the long run the Honda Civic in a bid to meld the Civic’s engag-
because vehicles of this ilk will become ing dynamics with the feature content of a more
increasingly rare in the coming decades. upscale vehicle.
Motivating the Integra is the Civic Si’s 200-hp
turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four. Whereas the
52 J UNE 2022 ~ CAR AN D DR IV ER

2024
GMA T.33
The second model from Gordon
Murray’s eponymous car company
(that’s the GM in GMA), the GMA T.33
is a follow-up to the T.50 supercar,
and it looks slightly anticlimactic. The
T.33 trades the T.50’s central driving
position for a conventional one and
ditches the T.50’s fan-powered suction
to generate downforce. By any other
standard, though, the T.33 marks a
radical departure from other modern
supercars.
The powertrain, for instance,
combines a naturally aspirated V-12
and a manual gearbox. The V-12 is the
same Cosworth-built unit as in the
T.50, although retuned to improve
drivability. Gear-driven camshafts
allow the 4.0-liter engine to rev to
11,100 rpm and make 607 horsepower.
Peak torque is a more modest 332
pound-feet, delivered at 9000 rpm,
although 75 percent is available from
2500 rpm. A paddle-shifted six-speed
sequential manual transmission will
be optional, but Murray confirms the
vast majority of buyers have ordered
The new Integra is mechan- the do-it-yourself six-speed stick.
ically similar to the Honda Although lacking fan-assisted aero,
Civic Si and, unlike the pre-
viously imported Integras, the T.33 does use passive suction
Acura builds this one in Ohio. from a low-pressure area behind the
car to boost the efficiency of an active
underbody diffuser with a movable
flap. This obviates the need for a large
rear wing and also contributes to low
Honda is a stick-shift-only affair, the Acura offers the choice of either
drag and improved fuel economy.
a six-speed manual (with limited-slip diff) or a continuously variable
Barely larger than a Porsche Cayman,
automatic. The Integra starts at $31,895, but the stick is only avail-
the car will weigh just 2400 pounds,
able in conjunction with the A-Spec and Technology packages, so
Murray claims.
the one you’ll really want costs $36,895.
Unlike the T.50, the T.33 will be
Acura attempts to draw an even deeper line in the sand between
homologated for U.S. sale, at a price
the identically powered Integra and Civic Si by ditching the Honda’s
of $1.9 million. But if you haven’t
trunk for a more functional and versatile hatchback. Although prior
already ordered one, you‘re too late.
Integras were available with two doors, the new car comes strictly
All 100 cars sold out within a week of
as a four-door—a nod to the first-generation Integra, which also
the official announcement.
offered a four-door hatch.
Acura reportedly plans to add to the Integra line, too, with a
hotter Type S trim due to debut in the coming months. Look for
the Integra Type S to build upon the performance of the Civic Type
E N G IN E P H OTO G RAP H BY G R EG PA J O
R and its turbocharged 2.0-liter four with more than 300 horse-
power. Expect that engine to send its output to the front wheels of
the Integra Type S by way of a six-speed manual transmission or
possibly an optional dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Don’t rule out electrification, either. Honda may opt to further
differentiate the Integra Type S from the Civic Type R by fitting the
Acura with all-wheel drive courtesy of a rear-mounted electric motor
(and associated battery pack) to complement the forced-induction
four-cylinder driving the front wheels.
BMW M2
As the M4 has grown bigger, brawnier,
and all ate up with grille, the fun-size M2
took the spot of favorite M car around
the C/D office. The last generation of
the little coupe exemplified the virtues
that made BMW’s performance division
famous: inline-six power, rear-wheel
drive, a manual gearbox, and a nearly
affordable price tag. The upcoming
G42 version looks set to carry on those
important traditions.
The relationship with the regular
2-series coupe will remain close, and
the M2 will share a fair percentage
of its componentry with the existing
M240i that sits below it in the range.
The new M2 will have more power: We’re
expecting its twin-turbo 3.0-liter six to at
least match the 444 horsepower of the
previous M2 CS. Based on conversations
with BMW executives, the new M2 should
launch with rear-wheel drive, with an
xDrive version following later, as in the
M3 and M4. Expect the junior M car to
feature BMW’s drift analyzer, a bit of
software that, like a figure-skating
judge, scores your ability to do accident-
free spins. This feature probably helps
the company’s dealers sell significant
amounts of replacement tires and PH OTO IL LU ST RAT ION BY B EN S U MME R E L L-YOUD E / FOX SYN DI CAT IO N
bodywork services.
The close mechanical ties between the
2-series coupe and the larger 3-series
and 4-series also mean the M2 will likely
continue to offer a six-speed manual
transmission, at least in some markets. 2023 Honda Honda to increase output
beyond the outgoing Type
An eight-speed automatic is a sure bet. Civic Type R R’s 306 horsepower and 295
Our fingers are crossed that we get the
WHAT IT IS: The most power- pound-feet of torque. Despite
stick, as BMW has already said none of
ful and driver-focused version the extra ponies, this hottest
its manual gearboxes have a long-term
of the 11th-generation Civic. Civic ought to remain a front-
future. Or even a medium-term future.
WHAT POWERS IT: The prior driver. A six-speed manual
The M2 could be the last of the line.
Civic Type R’s turbocharged transmission is a given—how-
Pricing will start below the base $71,095
2.0-liter inline-four returns ever, we hear rumors that
M3 and $72,995 M4, but we expect the
for duty. That said, expect Honda may offer an auto-
M2 Competition will easily find its way
beyond the $60,000 threshold.
54 JUN E 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIVER
Riding Hard
into the Sunset
There might be an electric Mustang now, but that
doesn’t mean Ford will phone in the 2024 Mustang.
he glory days of brightly colored Plum Crazy
T Challengers, Burnt Orange Camaros, and Grabber

Green Mustangs burning down Detroit’s Wood-
ward Avenue are unfortunately numbered. But
they’re not done yet. While the Chevrolet and
Dodge camps are showing signs of slowing down,
there’s a rumble reverberating from Dearborn in the form
of a redesigned 2024 Mustang. The 60th-anniversary Stang
debuts next year, possibly on April 17, the day the original
Mustang bowed at the 1964 New York World’s Fair.
Judging by the camouflaged mules we’ve seen roaming
the streets of southeast Michigan, we don’t expect the exte-
rior design to stray far from its current look. However, the
interior will undergo a major makeover with a digital instru-
ment cluster that wraps into a driver-focused infotainment
touchscreen with added buttons for basic functions.
It’s no secret that the Camaro’s Alpha platform outhan-
dles the Mustang’s current S550 chassis. Ford hopes to cor-
rect that with the seventh-generation car, dubbed the S650.
Under the hood, expect the turbocharged 2.3-liter inline-
four to produce around 320 horsepower, and we wouldn’t
be surprised to see a hybrid variant join the herd. If a hybrid
keeps the 450-plus-hp V-8s coming, we’re more than happy.
If the hair-raising 760-hp supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 from the
GT500 survives, we’ll be thrilled. A six-speed manual and a
10-speed automatic are likely to return.
Like the current-generation Mustang, the new S650
should have an eight-year life cycle, and expect the pack
to add performance variants year after year. Those faster
ponies might come fast, though, as 2026 brings more strin-
gent corporate average mpg requirements.
Though further details are still months away, we do
Push all thoughts of the
Mustang Mach-E out of know one thing: Ford and Multimatic Motorsports will pro-
your mind and focus on duce a Mustang GT3 race car that’s set to debut at the 2024
this Mustang instead. Rolex 24 at Daytona. Could it spawn a Mustang GT3 for the
street? Watch this space.
matic gearbox as an option, performance in a reasonably

possibly a quick-shifting dual- affordable package. Fearless
clutch unit. prediction: This latest iter-
WHY IT MATTERS: If you’re ation of the model will only
reading this, you probably improve upon the formula.
like performance cars, right? ESTIMATED PRICE AND ON-SALE
Well, the last Type R was one DATE: Look for the 2023 Civic
of the best, and we expect Type R to arrive before year’s
the new one to continue to end with a likely starting price
combine practicality and of just under $40,000.
Raising Baby
on Electricity
and Boost
The 2023 Mercedes-AMG C63 goes from having a
twin-turbo V-8 to a single-turbo four-cylinder.
To ensure it’s worthy of the AMG badge, it employs
Formula 1 tech and a couple of electric motors.
ngine downsizing usually means losing a cylinder top ratio around 87 mph.
E
Between the impeller
or two, but the upcoming W206 generation of the The motor adds to the and turbine of the
C63’s e-turbo lives a
Mercedes-AMG C63 makes a more radical reduc- torque delivered from the tiny electric motor that
tion. Gone is the old car’s twin-turbocharged V-8 four-cylinder via the con- keeps things spinning.
and in goes a hybridized and turbocharged four- ventional driveshaft.
cylinder. But, before we all get too upset about the Engine output can also
demise of one of our favorite engines, let’s consider the rea- be sent to the front axle thanks to a clutch-pack coupling
sons to be optimistic about the new one. on the nine-speed automatic, and electric torque can be
The next C63 will use a longitudinally mounted version of shifted forward by effectively reversing the torque flow
the M139 turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four, which, in trans- within the driveline. A small (think 5.0-kilowatt-hour
verse form, powers AMG’s CLA45 and GLA45. Unlike the usable capacity or smaller) battery pack sits above the
CLA and GLA version, the C63 will have a 400-volt electric rear drive unit to aid weight distribution, and it can
turbocharger (or e-turbo), a bit of motorsport technology deliver 201 horsepower for up to 10 seconds at a time.
transfer from M-B’s Formula 1 powerplant. A small motor We will need to wait until the new C63 is officially
mounted directly onto the turbo’s shaft will be able to accel- unveiled to get the final tally, but AMG promises the
erate the compressor to deliver boost before exhaust gases four-cylinder engine will make at least 442 horse-
start to flow. AMG says it will be possible to keep the turbo power. The combined figure with the electric motor
spinning even when the engine is idling to ensure instant should make at least as much power in the new car as
throttle response. the 503-hp V-8 does in the outgoing model. The hybrid
The 400-volt supply to make this happen comes from system will eventually mate with the brand’s 4.0-liter
the battery powering a hybrid system that includes a rear- V-8 to make an even more muscular 73 AMG powertrain
mounted electric motor. The motor will drive the rear axle for larger AMG models. We’ll see the C63 this year and
through its own two-speed gearbox, which shifts into its anticipate its price to start at just over $70,000.

2023 Mazda and inline-six engine. The six, diesel is unlikely for the mid-300-hp range. A plug-in-
CX-70/CX-90 three-row CX-90 replaces U.S. And Mazda has yet hybrid powertrain using an
WHAT THEY ARE: They’re the CX-9, while the CX-70 is a to certify the Skyactiv-X inline-four and a single AC
mid-size crossovers [Don’t two-row variant. technology here, so our motor is also in the works.
stop reading, it gets good— WHAT POWERS THEM: While market will likely get the gas WHY THEY MATTER: The
Ed.] that will be the first Mazda promises gasoline, 3.0-liter. Expect the engine new platform and engine
U.S.-bound Mazda models diesel, and Skyactiv-X to have a turbocharger and are Mazda’s bid for
to use the company’s new compression-ignition a 48-volt hybrid system with premiumness—to
longitudinal-engine platform variants of its new inline- an output somewhere in the become more like BMW
and less like Honda or
Toyota. The longitudinal-
There’s a new engine layout should allow
inline-six under
that long hood. engineers to better tune
ride and handling, and it also
creates that all-important
dash-to-axle ratio that
implies luxury.
ESTIMATED PRICE AND ON-SALE
DATE: The CX-70 will arrive
sometime before the end
of 2022 starting at about
$38,000, with the seven-
passenger CX-90 set to
follow in 2023 with a starting
price around $40,000.
2023 The GR Corolla aims for our hearts To prepare for the gravel-spewing,
TOYOTA GR by coming exclusively with a six-speed airborne life the GR Corolla will live, the
COROLLA manual transmission (with a rev-match
function), and it also has Toyota’s
unibody gets additional welds and more
structural adhesive. The GR is wider
Are we in the midst of a hot-hatch first sporty all-wheel-drive system in than a standard Corolla by 2.4 inches,
revival? Let’s say yes, because we want decades. Dubbed GR-Four, the name is and those chonky fenders house
to manifest that. Apparently Toyota has embossed on the doorsills as a salute 235/40R-18 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires.
seen our vision board, as the eagerly to the GT-Four rally cars of the ’80s. Grooved 14.0-inch brake rotors up front
M E RC E DES A ND M AZ DA P H OTO IL LUSTRATI O N S BY BE N S U M M E R EL L-YO U DE / FOX SY NDICATI ON
awaited GR Corolla looks like it’s going The default setting is a 60:40 front-to- and 11.7-inch rotors in the rear fill the
to reinvigorate the segment by giving rear torque split, but the clutch-pack 18-inch wheels.
us everything we liked about the coupling can send as much as 70 Inside, there’s a racy steering
forbidden-fruit GR Yaris and more. percent to the rear. Track mode locks wheel, more aggressive seats, and a
The GR Corolla is flared fendered the split at 50:50. However you cut it, performance readout in the digital
and RC-car silly in the best way, with the torque feeds two open differentials gauge cluster. There’s even a proper
a chunky, vented body and a modified as standard with the option of front and hand brake. Pricing is likely to be in the
version of the Corolla’s big frown of rear Torsen limited-slip diffs. low $30Ks when it hits later this year.
a grille that makes the GR look like
it’s laughing. It certainly has a lot to
be happy about. Under the hood is a
version of the turbocharged 1.6-liter
DOHC inline-three from the Yaris GR. In
the Corolla, the G16E-GTS engine makes
300 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of
torque, up from the Yaris’s 257 and 266,
respectively. The Corolla has a unique
exhaust with three outlets to reduce
backpressure. A ball-bearing turbo and
exhaust manifold are integral with the
DOHC 12-valve head, while oil jets cool
the pistons, and a machined intake port
improves flow.
2023
CHEVROLET
CORVETTE Z06
Chevrolet didn’t move the Corvette’s
engine behind the cabin for the valets
at Musso and Frank’s. The big move is
more for the Z06 and its new 670-hp
LT6 double-overhead-cam 5.5-liter
flat-plane-crankshaft V-8. This tribute
to piston speeds makes that power at
8400 rpm on its way to an 8600-rpm
rev cut. Those numbers make it the
most powerful naturally aspirated V-8
ever installed in a production car, which
it turns out was an engineering goal.
To get it to breathe at low and high
revs there’s a three-valve, two-plenum
intake atop the engine that’s optimized
for low-end torque, high rpm, and
everything between. An eight-speed
dual-clutch transmission promises So You Think
lightning-quick shifts, but like the regu-
lar Stingray, there’ll be no manual.
We’ve heard the engine, and it’ll
almost make you forgive the Corvette
You Can Fly
The 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS will probably be the
for its missing third pedal. The Z06 last 9000-rpm 911 without some kind of electrification
should reach 60 mph in the mid-two- or turbochargers, but it’ll have plenty of wing.
second range and pass through the
quarter-mile in 10.5 seconds. Wider
fenders are home to meatier rubber ou could set a watch by the familiar cadence of Porsche’s
(275/30ZR-20 front and 345/25ZR-21
rear), and the Z06 will come with stand-
ard 14.6-inch front and 15.0-inch rear
brake rotors. Larger carbon-ceramic
units are part of the track-focused
Z07 package that also adds aero bits
and unlocks the option of carbon-fiber
wheels wrapped in track-focused Miche-
lin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires developed
Y 911 product strategy. New, more powerful iterations follow
each other in steady, predictable order. According to the
timetable, the next one up is the new RS version of the
naturally aspirated 992-generation 911 GT3.
Porsche has long placed the letters RS on the best and
most extreme 911s. The Rennsport name is for cars designed spe-
cifically for regular track use—one as close as possible to its motor-
sport siblings. Now approaching its 50th birthday, the first 911 to
get the treatment, the 1973 Carrera RS, has become so sought after
specifically for the Z06. During develop- by collectors that good examples can sell for seven figures. More
ment, Chevy benchmarked the 2010–15 recently, the branding was applied to the raciest versions of the GT2,
Ferrari 458 Italia, because that Ferrari GT3, and GT4.
also used a high-revving flat-plane- We know that the new car will use the existing GT3’s glorious
crank V-8. The Corvette Z06 is arriving naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six, one that will almost certainly
later this fall, and it’s poised to be the have a small performance bump over that car’s 503 horsepower.
most Ferrari-like Corvette of all time. Drive will go exclusively to the rear axle—motorsport 911s aren’t
sullied with the added weight and complexity of all-wheel drive—
and although we would love the idea of a three-pedal RS, it is over-
whelmingly likely that Porsche will only offer its dual-clutch auto-
matic in the RS.
P HOTO G RA P H BY KG P P H OTO G RA P H Y
Spy shots have shown RS mules wearing a vast, swan-neck dou-

ble-plane rear wing, one that actually looks larger than the one on
the company’s RSR race car. Huge downforce is a certainty, as is
the RS improving on the regular GT3’s incredible track perform-
ance. Expect Porsche to best the last-gen GT2 RS’s 6:43.3 time at the
Nürburgring Nordschleife. The new car will carry a hefty upcharge
over the GT3’s $163,750, but demand means potential buyers will
still struggle even to get their name onto an order and will be even
luckier if they get to pay the manufacturer’s sticker price.
J UNE 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIV ER

2023 Cadillac
Escalade V
WHAT IT IS: A high-
performance variant of
Cadillac’s giant body-
on-frame SUV with a
leather- and suede-lined
cabin and a footprint 2023 Ferrari is adapting its existing front-
similar to a tiny house.
WHAT POWERS IT: A
FERRARI engine platform to fit the SUV mold.
supercharged 6.2-liter PUROSANGUE That means a rear transaxle is likely and
a hybrid powertrain is all but a guaran-
V-8 related to the CT5-V
Those shopping at the very top of the tee with the possibility of an electrically
Blackwing’s bolts in and
performance SUV pyramid—say, for a driven front axle like that of the SF90.
powers all four wheels.
Lamborghini Urus or an Aston Martin Ferrari has strongly hinted that it will
F E R RA R I P H OTO ILLUST RATI O N BY B E N S UM ME R E LL-YOU D E/ FOX SY ND I CAT IO N
The pushrod V-8 delivers

DBX 707—might want to wait to see what use a new V-12 engine, and a twin-turbo
682 horsepower and fos-
Ferrari has wrought. So, too, will the V-8 is likely too. Whatever the cylinder
ters a claimed 4.4-sec-
legions of prancing-horse fans, whether count, if Ferrari wants to have the fast-
ond time to 60 mph. If
or not they’re excited or ready to storm est utility vehicle in existence—and you
that doesn’t sound quick,
the factory gates at the prospect of know it does—it will have to deliver a top
remember it’s the size of
a Ferrari SUV. The wait is nearly over: speed surpassing the 189-mph Urus and
a tiny house.
Ferrari has said the Purosangue (Italian the 193-hp DBX 707.
WHY IT MATTERS: It’s a
for “thoroughbred”) will go into produc- Rumors are swirling about rear-
really quick Escalade,
tion later this year with deliveries set to hinged rear doors—suicide doors or
and really quick objects
start in 2023. coach doors, as Rolls-Royce calls them—
always get our attention.
Enzo Ferrari was always opposed to and a B-pillarless greenhouse. To drive
Fun fact: The Escalade
the idea of a four-door Ferrari, and for- home that this is a Ferrari SUV, there’s
is the only SUV to wear
mer boss Sergio Marchionne famously a badge on the hood and a prancing
Cadillac’s V badge.
said, “You have to shoot me first,” when horse in the grille. A Purosangue spied
PRICE AND
asked about the prospect of a Ferrari at the factory wore a Scuderia crest on
ON-SALE DATE: Pricing
SUV. Enzo has been gone for decades, its fender. Get that extra badge and all
starts at—deep breath,
and Marchionne died (of natural causes) the owner will need is a red satin jacket
everyone—$149,990,
in 2018. Ferrari announced its SUV inten- with a prancing horse on the back. Will
and you can expect to
tions that same year. the Real Ferrari please stand up?
start seeing Escalade
Vs sucking down 93
octane at a gas station
near you before the
end of 2022.
59
playtime

TESLA
CY BERTRUCK
WOR L D
E XCLUSI V E ,
FIRST
DRIVING
IMPR ESSIONS
(PLU R A L)
is over BY JOHN PHILLIPS

E DI T OR , MON TA NA DE S K
PHOTOGR APHY
BY A NDI HEDRICK
61
IN HOPES
OF GETTING ROLL ME IN PETUNIAS, but didn’t [The tech department would like
H I M BACK
Car and Driver ship me a Tesla a word with you—Ed.]
Cybertruck via FedEx? Not tootin’ Another thing about battery
IN THE FOLD, my own horn, but I’m a guy who
notices the little things in life, such
packs: You’re always driving around
loaded even unloaded, because it
WE SENT as things that sting or bite. Course, doesn’t matter how much juice you
the C’truck is a darn big thing. Does pour into her, what with electricity
JOHN it bite? Let’s find out! hardly weighing anything—which I
PHILLIPS
I usually hate to bust into math seriously did not know. A whole fry-
straight off, because me and num- ing pan full of 110 volts, even 220 of
A TESLA bers equals Confucius. But here
goes: Tesla says right out loud
them, weighs less than the hair clog-
ging my sink, practically zero, even
CY BERTRUCK . that their truck will carry 3500 on those teal scales that Costco sells.
pounds, meaning it could haul So it seemed peculiar that the
A WEEK my 1970 Mustang Boss 302 in the one that arrived from C/D weighs
L AT E R , H E
cargo bed if somebody slid her in only four pounds with a battery
there half-teeter wedgewise. The pack of mere ounces, meaning,
SENT THIS battery pack has to be as heavy as
the Hummer EV’s, so add another
I guess, that Elid Mulkx has slid
headfirst down a lubed downsiz-
BACK . 2923 pounds. Then the truck itself ing chute. Sorry, but I cannot ever
is, I don’t know, 2.5 tons? Check remember that man’s name, though
my math, but fully loaded, this I once jumbled the letters and came
gray goose is gonna stomp dirt at up with Lone Smuk. That doesn’t
right around 11,400 pounds, give or sound South African to me. Icelan-
take, depending on that day’s Star- dic, maybe.
bucks selection. That’s the weight I’ll tell you, this is the truck you
of the Detroit Tigers plus 1.5 hot- want on that weekday that the mis-
dog stands. sis and I like to call Make Your Own

Goddamn Dinner Night. Also a good
truck if you own a souvenir stand.
No Body, No Crime
Two tech matters: (1) I couldn’t A close inspection reveals that the wheels
catch air until I rented ramps from and tires are one unit, entirely rubber
Robbie Knievel (pricey) and it broke with heavy knobulations that are ideal
the ramps, and (2) 3500 pounds in for off-roading but will negatively affect
the cargo bed equals wheelies (four- rolling resistance. Goodyear should inves-
wheel drive not so effective). tigate this novel design. The battery pack
[The tech department just left for is way smaller than expected, so hats off
the bowling alley in the long-term to Mr. Muscatel, although in this photo it
Sienna. Please, carry on, John—Ed.] appears he lost drive to the front wheels.
I must report that Tesla’s remote Suggestion: Look behind the sofa.
fobulator to engage the nonexis-
tent engine is now so bulky it won’t
slide into my pocket. Had to grab my
grandpa’s cargo pants with pockets
floppy enough to hide a regulation
NFL football plus a pint of elder-
berry with a screw top covered in
lint. Then the remote got hot and
made my thigh sweat.
Would’ve been nice if C/D’s tech
department had made it somewhat
clearer that electricity is required
for all of this. I mean, before that
big scene at the Pilot pumps and a sledgehammer or a brick or his chrome exhaust tips to my Swizzla,
all. Two more things: The Tesla entire brain at the driver’s-side win- as he called it. Then Earl and I
Cybertruck smells more plasticky dow in some sort of demonstration parked the truck on display, and it
than Fourth of July picnic plates. intended to prove he was twice his attracted as many as two specta-
Also, I think its styling was stolen own gender. Did not witness this tors, one of whom tucked an NRA
from a drawing that yours truly myself, but two words: insurance application under the wiper. Then
fashioned by his talented lonesome claim. Now he only throws bricks he thought about it and ripped it
in ninth-grade study hall, where at the federal government. up. Later, between Kyle leading
Mrs. Sanderson yelled, “You can I took the truck to a NASCAR Stages 1 and 2 of the big race, I
draw trucks or go straight home. race, but they don’t allow electric attended what Earl called the Our
Which is it?” To which I replied, vehicles or hybrids on the property America’s Heroic Distillers Brought
“Can I do both?” (Yeah, so next she (so-called Prius Amendment, Sec- to You by Miller celebration, closely
phones my mom, saying how high tion VIII, Article 5.4-a.). Neverthe- followed by the Girls Gone Some-
school wasn’t sufficiently structured less, a sunburned fellow in the pad- what Wild/American Rifleman/
for a youth of my potential.) dock named Razorback Earl said he Stop the Steal/Keggeration Nation/
I searched the owner’s manual could attach fake valve covers and Dance-a-thonic. The dancers asked
for the lubrication interval. Not
listed. So I called Etol Milks, who
suggested fresh applications of
Pacquin’s or Jergens, the one with
the aromatic jojoba, every night
before bed. Yeah, well, fine, but
if you follow his advice, you won’t
be swirling on Turtle Wax anytime
soon. Gunk don’t stick.
Did you know that the proto-
type C’truck had bulletproof glass?
I wondered how many buyers asked
for that option, but Enot just glared,
cause he’d already publicly swung
Musk touts the see-through

wheel wells as a safety feature
that is in no way related to
Tesla’s other panel-gap woes.
The test took a turn when
John misunderstood
“bulletproof” for 119-
proof Bulleit, which made
this result inevitable.
their commercials, apart from Matt

having trouble with personal pro-
nunciation when he talks to himself,
which lately is a lot. Idea: Have Matt
talk about fracking with Malcolm
Bricklin sitting in the passenger’s
seat. Is Malcolm still alive? Know
what? Better idea: Let Tiger Woods
take the wheel for the high-speed
stuff, see how she handles. (Then
Tiger tells us, “Hey, this is a drivers’
truck!” Funny!) Either Tiger or, hon-
estly, any guy named Darrell.
Folks criticize the form-over-
me to rev my Tesla’s motor but seemed struction foremen and all, you’re friction styling. Not me. Know why?
disappointed. It sounded more like the gonna develop an image problem Earl and I could rebuild this entire
high-pitched wheeze of my old basset while Tesling. What worked for truck from pieces falling off an Air-
hound, Winston. So Earl told me to me: Lean real casual on the door bus A320. The windshield is so flat
stash the truck in a shed behind his and spit. Small gobbets, negativo that pigeons, U-joints, and Renault
trailer and close the door real tight, I on the loogies. Mind your Jordan coupes just Teflon right off. Course,
guess so it wouldn’t get stolen, then Fight Clubs. if you ever bust that glass—size of a
suggested I look into employment I told Elan Monks that all of square-dance floor—your insurance
opportunities at a nearby farm called this talk about his truck’s “exo- agent will total the whole truck.
Ride the Pony. skeleton”—real big highlight in his Food for thought.
I steered this truck to an actual glossy brochure—reminded me of, The owner’s manual goes mental
construction site where they’re build- like, a beetle. Then he blurted polit- over the perils of water, especially
ing a tanning booth in Fancy Dan’s ically incorrect stuff about Beetles driving your C’truck into, say, a set-
All-U-Kin-Chew Café (Dan invented during the war. I also suggested he tling pond or the Los Angeles River.
the Gravy Avalanche, earning him the hire a kid in Bushwick to redraw Funny, a recent news report actually
Fancy title). One thing I noticed about his official Cybertruck logo, which insists the truck might skate on top
the Cybertruck: Folks smile. Laugh, right now reads, and I quote, “crab- of water, but that turned out to be a
actually. My point being, with con- brakk.” That’s possibly a fishing claim Econ Mole made for himself.
term but with the downside of being Anyway, I decided to work some
in hieroglyphics. Because I nudge up science, give ’er a full reservoir-dog
against the literary world, one of dunking. Color me red-faced, peo-
the numbers my buds happens to be in charge of ple, but that marked the end of my
Vehicle Type: mid-motor, rear-wheel- King Tut’s bandages, so I asked for road test. Still, I got the job at the
drive, 0-passenger, 0-door 1:10-scale toy a translation. pony farm. Self-hug.
Price ........................................... $100 “Hell if I know,” he said. [Mr. Quiroga: Sorry, but I’m out
Motor: DC, quarter-horse power
Transmission: 2.4 GHz “Okay, so who would know?” I of practice after losing my column
Dimensions wondered. two years ago. Anyway, no need to
• Wheelbase ......................................... 15.1 in “No,” he answered, “that’s the pay me, although my lawyer, Cal
• L/W/H ................................. 23.2/8.0/7.5 in
• Curb Weight .......................................... 4 lb translation: ‘Hell if I know.’ ” “Amine” Goshen, might be in touch
Turns out he speaks numero right after his skin heals. Pretty
test RESULTS? languages (as if that’s even possible) sure it’s psoriasis. Give him a couple
and told me that another translation days, he’s in some sort of paternity
Rollout, 1 ft ....................................... 0.6 sec
6 mph .................................................... 1.3 sec is “Beaucoup de bozos.” So maybe pickle with his secretary Brittnee—
10 mph .................................................. 3.3 sec the DMV is involved. By the way, Love, Johnny]
Rolling Start, 1–6 mph .................. 1.2 sec keep your Tesla Cybertruck away
1/40-Mile ....................... 14.2 sec @ 12 mph
Top Speed (gov ltd) ........................ 12 mph from your Samsung widescreen John Phillips’s most recent book,
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THE RUNDOWN
An expert look at the newest and most important vehicles this month.
Page 72: A degree from Toyota University

may be required to decode the bZ4X.
202 3 L A N D R OV E R R A N G E R OV E R ~ BY DA N E D M U N D S pleasing to the air as it is to the eye, with a remarkable (for

an SUV) 0.30 coefficient of drag.
Sleek and Chic Wheelbases have been stretched 3.0 inches on both
standard- and long-wheelbase versions, from 115.0 to 118.0
inches in the case of the former and from 122.9 to 125.9
The new Range Rover’s singularly smooth exterior
inches for the latter. Their overall lengths increase by a
hides substantial changes within.
similar amount, as the overhangs are largely unchanged.
Inside, the result is about an inch more legroom in
the standard three-across back row, which can be clas-
sified as the middle row in the first-ever seven-passenger
There’s a simple elegance to the new Range Rover’s design long-wheelbase version. Cargo space increases dramati-
that stands in direct opposition to some of the more gim- cally no matter how you flip or fold the seats. The extra
micky new vehicles we’ve seen of late. Its proportions and length also comes into play underneath, where there’s
roofline are unmistakably Range Rover, but precise execu- room for a substantially enlarged 31.8-kWh battery for a
tion makes the vehicle appear to be a design study brought forthcoming plug-in-hybrid variant.
to life. Smooth lines flow along the flanks with barely an A redesign of the rear suspension is equally significant.
interruption from gentle curves and subtle creases. It’s as Land Rover changes the former “integral link” arrange-
Looking like a used

bar of Irish Spring
helps the Range
Rover achieve a low
(for an SUV) 0.30
drag coefficient.

the numbers
Vehicle Type: front-engine; all-wheel-
drive; 4-, 5-, or 7-passenger; 4-door wagon
Base .................... $105,850–$219,650
Engines: supercharged, turbocharged,
and intercooled DOHC 24-valve 3.0-liter
inline-6, 395 hp, 406 lb-ft; twin-
turbocharged and intercooled DOHC
32-valve 4.4-liter V-8, 523 hp, 553 lb-ft
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Dimensions
• Wheelbase ........................... 118.0–125.9 in
• L/W/H ............. 198.9–206.8/80.6/73.6 in
• Curb Weight ...................... 5500–6000 lb
Performance (C/D est)
• 60 mph .................................... 4.2–5.8 sec
• 1/4-Mile ................................. 12.7–14.5 sec
• Top Speed ............................. 150–155 mph
EPA Fuel Economy
• Comb/City/Hwy ... 18–21/16–18/21–26 mpg
ment to a five-link setup, allowing for 395-hp 3.0-liter inline-six with 48-volt hybrid
the implementation of standard rear- assist and enough beans to readily motivate even
wheel steering. The result is extreme the 5600-pound three-row version. A Range
“You don’t sit in a
maneuverability, to the point that Rover SE with this engine costs $105,850 for a Range Rover, you
even the new long-wheelbase vehicle’s standard-wheelbase five-seater or $111,850 for the sit on it,” says
37.9-foot turning radius is significantly seven-seater. In both cases, for $18,300 more, you Land Rover chief
creative officer
tighter than the old standard version’s can upgrade to P530 spec, which brings a twin-tur- Gerry McGovern
40.5-foot effort. This suspension bocharged 4.4-liter V-8 that makes a healthy 523 of the effect of
rethink also opens space for the trans- horses. If cost is no object (and you employ a driver), the Range Rover’s
traditional low
verse electric motor that will appear in the exquisite range-topping long-wheelbase Range beltline and vast
a full battery-electric version. Rover SV four-seater runs $219,650. greenhouse.
We’ll learn more about the PHEV
and EV models soon. But for now U.S.
customers will have two engine choices,
each backed by a smooth-shifting eight-
speed automatic. The P400 sports a
A V-8 FOR CLIMBING AND WADING

—
The P530’s twin-turbo 4.4-liter
V-8 is a BMW-developed engine, but
with specific changes Land Rover
requested. Its high-mounted air-
intake tract enables a water-fording
depth of 35.4 inches, while the
revised sump prevents oil starvation
when the vehicle climbs or descends
steep off-road gradients or traverses
hillsides of up to 45 degrees.
the numbers
Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-
drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
Base/As Tested ...... $56,250/$63,270
Engine: turbocharged and intercooled
DOHC 16-valve inline-4, iron block and
aluminum head, direct fuel injection
Displacement ................. 121 in3, 1984 cm3
Power ........................... 261 hp @ 6500 rpm
Torque ...................... 295 lb-ft @ 1800 rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch
automatic
Dimensions
• Wheelbase ...................................... 110.5 in
• L/W/H ............................ 186.1/75.7/63.8 in
• Curb Weight .................................... 4199 lb
test RESULTS
60 mph ................................................ 5.0 sec
1/4-Mile ......................... 13.7 sec @ 98 mph
100 mph ............................................. 14.4 sec
130 mph ............................................ 32.5 sec
2 02 2 P O R S C H E M A C A N sending all 261 horses charging into Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec.
~ BY T O N Y Q U I R O G A the seven-speed dual-clutch auto- Rolling Start, 5–60 mph .............. 5.9 sec
Top Speed (mfr’s claim) ............ 144 mph
matic. Thanks to the aggressive
Back to takeoff procedure, 60 mph falls
in 5.0 seconds. Remove the hard
Braking, 70–0 mph ............................ 163 ft
Braking, 100–0 mph ......................... 342 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad ..... 0.89 g
Basics launch and the Macan requires 5.9

seconds to get from 5 to 60 mph.
EPA Fuel Economy
• Comb/City/Hwy ............... 21/19/25 mpg
Highs: Looming large in sports If this is the only Macan you’ve

cars’ mirrors, smarty-pants driven, this engine will rate some-
automatic. Lows: Occasional where between lovely and more
moans from the engine room, than adequate. But we’ve driven T TIME IN STUTTGART
relatively soft on power. other Macans, and next to the rich To inject more driving pleasure
timbre and backrest-imprinting into the base Macan, Porsche
thrust of the rest of the lineup’s now offers a T version that
Who put a Volkswagen engine in my turbocharged V-6s, the four works bundles the performance and
Porsche? It’s a question as old as harder and will occasionally sound handling options enthusiasts
Porsche itself, so it shouldn’t sur- like it’s gathering a loogie. The want. The 261-hp turbocharged
prise anyone that the brand equips automatic tries its best to give you 2.0-liter four remains, but
the base Macan with a VW Group a Porsche experience, downshift- standard equipment includes
turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four. ing quickly and holding lower gears 20-inch wheels with summer
Now, what if the Macan had the to help you get the most out of the tires and Sport Chrono with
718’s 2.0-liter flat-four under the engine, but even it seems to recog- launch control. Combine the
hood? That’d be amazing, of course, nize the futility of sending the 2.0- optional air springs with the
but playing these what-if games liter to its 6900-rpm redline. Unlike T’s stiffer anti-roll bars and
always ends with Bugatti’s quad- the engines Porsche builds, this one optional brake-based torque
turbo 8.0-liter W-16. doesn’t get better as you get closer vectoring, and the Macan T acts
We’ve long had some what-ifs to max revs. more like a sports wagon than a
about the base Macan, as Porsche Thanks to the selection of chas- compact SUV. We expect the T to
has never lent us one. It’s the best- sis options, this Macan can untan- start around $63,000 (as much
selling Macan, accounting for 60 gle a canyon road like a Porsche as a base Macan with all the
percent of sales, and its engine is should. Option the adaptive damp- handling bits). —Connor Hoffman
a ripper in things such as the GTI ers ($1360), Torque Vectoring Plus
and the Audi A4. In the Macan, the ($1500), and summer tires for the
261-hp engine finds itself pushing standard 19-inch wheels (that one’s
against 4199 pounds. But equip- a freebie), and this lightest version
ping the car with the Sport Chrono of the Macan, with its 0.89 g of grip,
option ($1220) adds a wartlike stop- will reel in poorly driven sports cars.
watch to the top of the dashboard Drive it aggressively and opt for
and some critical launch-control the badge delete, and no one will
software. Engaging the system revs ever suspect there’s anything but a
the Macan’s four to 5200 rpm before Porsche engine under the hood.
68 THE RUNDOWN J UNE 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIV ER

2 02 2 B E N T L E Y B E N TAYG A S ~ B Y T O N Y Q U I R O G A
the numbers
Dollars and Scents Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-

drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
Base/As Tested ... $222,525/$269,865
Highs: A whiff of the leather-lined interior, listening to the audio Engine: twin-turbocharged and
system, on-demand silence or thunder. Lows: Ride harshness, rear- intercooled DOHC 32-valve V-8,
aluminum block and heads, direct fuel
seat legroom, close relatives cost half as much. injection
Displacement .............. 244 in3, 3996 cm3
Power .......................... 542 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque ..................... 568 lb-ft @ 2000 rpm
Dimensions
• Wheelbase ....................................... 117.9 in
• L/W/H .......................... 201.8/78.7/68.6 in
• Curb Weight ................................... 5439 lb
test RESULTS
60 mph ................................................. 3.5 sec
100 mph ............................................... 9.0 sec
1/4-Mile ........................ 12.0 sec @ 114 mph
130 mph ............................................. 16.2 sec
150 mph ............................................ 24.4 sec
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph ............. 4.6 sec
Braking, 70–0 mph ............................ 165 ft
Braking, 100–0 mph .......................... 331 ft
C/D Fuel Economy
• Observed ......................................... 14 mpg
• 75-mph Hwy Driving .................. 22 mpg
• Hwy Range ...................................... 490 mi
EPA Fuel Economy
• Comb/City/Hwy ............... 18/15/24 mpg
P HOTO G RA PH Y BY A ND I HED RI C K 69
2 02 3 M E R C E D E S - B E N Z E Q E
~ BY J O N AT H O N R A M S E Y
Silent
Smoothie
The second all-electric Benz
is not just a junior EQS.
In the Mercedes-Benz product

constellation, the S and the E
are a binary star system. Thus,
shortly after the electric EQS
sedan comes the new electric EQE. The former is the technological the numbers
showcase, with the latter serving as its sporty smaller brother. The EQ
Vehicle Type: mid-motor, rear-wheel-drive,
trademarks of a black fascia panel, a solid light bar across the rear, and 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
a “one-bow” greenhouse that arcs from cowl to tail build the visual con- Base (C/D est) .............................. $70,000
nection. The EQE is about nine inches shorter, but its wheelbase shrinks Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous AC
Power ............................................................. 288 hp
by only 3.5 inches. The battery tucked within that wheelbase is good for Torque ......................................................... 391 lb-ft
90.6 kilowatt-hours of usable energy and a promised range of 300-plus Battery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion,
miles. As on the EQS, the maximum charging rate is 170 kilowatts. 90.6 kWh
Transmission: direct-drive
The condensed greenhouse constricts the rear-door aperture, requir- Dimensions
ing a duck of the head to get in. Adult back-seat passengers will find the • Wheelbase ................................................ 122.9 in
curved ceiling ever-present in their vision, especially with the underfloor • L/W/H .................................... 196.6/76.2/59.5 in
• Curb Weight ............................................. 5200 lb
battery pushing the rear hip point 2.6 inches higher than in the E-class. Performance (C/D est)
Mercedes helps alleviate the headroom problem by giving the EQE a • 60 mph ....................................................... 5.5 sec
trunk instead of a hatch as on the EQS, eliminating overhead hinges. • 1/4-Mile .................................................... 14.5 sec
• Top Speed ............................................... 130 mph
With hefty A- and B-pillars, a bunker-slit rear window, and a roofline EPA Fuel Economy (C/D est)
that cuts the height of the side windows, the EQE is for looking inward • Comb/City/Hwy ................... 98/100/96 MPGe
rather than out. A standard 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and • Range .......................................................... 300 mi
12.8-inch center display are set against a sweeping backdrop of wood
or gloss-black trim. The optional Hyperscreen spreads three screens
across some 56 inches of curved glass. The interface keeps the systems the biggest impression—the sedan rides as
used most often, such as navigation and audio, calm as a crypt. We drove the single-motor
Skip the 56-inch glass on the top level. But there are curious tics: When EQE350+, which puts out 288 horsepower
Hyperscreen option the augmented-reality video feed pops up on top and 391 pound-feet of torque. We’d for-
and stick with the of the map, it hides the arrow glyph. merly consider those middling numbers to
EQE’s multiscreen
setup similar to the The driving experience is everything one move some 5200 pounds, but what a differ-
S-class and base EQS. expects. The vacuum-of-space silence makes ence electric propulsion makes. (A 402-hp
dual-motor EQE500 4Matic and the AMG
EQE53 4Matic+ are still to come.) On snak-
ing roads, the sedan hits its sporty-smaller-
brother target, thanks to instantaneous
torque, optional rear-wheel steering, and
a curb weight that makes it a few hundred
pounds lighter than the EQS. The advanced
driver-assistance systems could use some
polish, however. The software exhibited
occasional learner’s-permit foibles, such
as late braking and skittishness on narrow
roads with oncoming traffic.
Even so, the EQE is superb. Buyers,
though, might want to take a meditation
course. The quietude will give them a lot of
time with their thoughts.
70 THE RUNDOWN J UNE 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIV ER

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2 02 3 T OYO TA b Z4 X L I M I T E D AW D mph about a half-second behind it. The 12.3-inch center touchscreen
~ BY J O E L O R I O the 6.3-second effort made by the has sharp graphics and wireless
Limited AWD model we tested. phone mirroring, but plus/minus
Safe at First In a drive around suburban San

Diego, the two felt equally spry, par-
ticularly in their initial response pull-
buttons for volume and onscreen
audio tuning are negatives.
At $43,215 to start, and nearly
Highs: Taut yet compliant ing away from a stop or accelerating $10,000 pricier for the model we
suspension, airy interior, solid
onto the freeway. The chassis is taut tested, the bZ4X lands in the thick
roster of features. Lows: Modest
but compliant, and a button on the of the mainstream market. But
power, so-so range, federal tax console boosts regenerative braking without a headlining long-range
credit expiring soon. though not to the level of one-pedal or flashy high-performance model,
driving. The all-wheel-drive version it’s more utility player than league
includes hill-descent control plus MVP—in other words, a Toyota.
Toyota has a deep roster of hybrids, X-Mode programming (borrowed
but with EVs it has mostly been con- from Subaru) with two off-road
tent to watch from the stands (except modes and a brake-based system
for the RAV4 EV sold in California in to manage torque across either axle the numbers
1997 and again in 2011). Now, Toyota when one wheel loses grip.
Vehicle Type: front- and
steps up to the plate with a nation- EPA range is toward the lower mid-motor, all-wheel-drive,
ally available EV, the bZ4X, and it’s end of the competitive set. With a 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
a largely cautious effort that doesn’t 63.4-kWh battery, the front-drive Base/As Tested ... $49,995/$52,050
Motors: 2 permanent-magnet
swing for the fences. model has estimates of 242/252 synchronous AC
Although the name seems like miles (XLE/Limited). The dual- Combined Power ..................... 214 hp
a bad pull from the Scrabble let- motor version’s 65.6-kWh pack Combined Torque .............. 248 lb-ft
Battery Pack: liquid-cooled
ter bag, Toyota says bZ stands for delivers 222/228 miles. At 75 mph, lithium-ion, 65.6 kWh
“beyond Zero” emissions, while however, that range drops to a mere Transmissions: direct-drives
X indicates SUV. The 4 denotes 160 miles. With a Level 2 supply, the Dimensions
• Wheelbase ............................. 112.2 in
the size, which is slightly longer 6.6-kW onboard charger replen- • L/W/H ................ 184.6/73.2/65.0 in
and lower than a RAV4. The bZ4X ishes the battery in nine hours. A DC • Curb Weight .......................... 4514 lb
was co-developed with the Subaru fast-charger adds 80 percent charge
Solterra, which is almost identical in an hour. Buyers get a year of free test RESULTS
inside and out. charging at EVgo locations and can 60 mph ...................................... 6.3 sec
One major difference: Subaru add a ChargePoint Level 2 home 1/4-Mile ............... 14.9 sec @ 92 mph
went exclusively dual-motor, all- charging station for $699. 100 mph ................................... 18.5 sec
wheel drive, while Toyota also The roomy interior features a
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph ... 6.4 sec
offers a single-motor, front-wheel- fixed glass roof and a high center Top Speed (gov ltd) ........... 104 mph
drive variant. That base car has console with open stowage under- Braking, 70–0 mph .................. 174 ft
201 horsepower (exactly matching neath but no glovebox. An optional Roadholding,
300-ft Skidpad ....................... 0.82 g
Volkswagen’s ID.4). The dual-mo- radiant heating element in the lower C/D Fuel Economy
tor’s 214 horsepower, though, trails dash of Limited models warms front- • Observed ............................ 76 MPGe
far behind the similarly priced seat riders’ legs. The digital instru- • 75-mph Hwy Driving ..... 86 MPGe
• Hwy Range ............................. 160 mi
dual-motor ID.4 (295 horsepower) mentation display is positioned EPA Fuel Economy (mfr’s est)
and Hyundai Ioniq 5 (320 horses) in above the steering wheel rather than • Comb/City/Hwy ... 112/92/102 MPGe
power and acceleration. We expect behind it, and drivers who adjust the • Range ...................................... 222 mi
the single-motor variant to hit 60 wheel higher may partially obscure
72 THE RUNDOWN P HOTO G RA PH Y BY M A RC URBA N O ~ JUN E 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIVER

2021 FORD F-150 RAPTOR 37 PERFORMANCE PACKAGE ~ BY CONNOR HOFFMAN
the numbers
A Game of Inches Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear/4-wheel-

drive, 5-passenger, 4-door pickup
Base/As Tested ............... $78,695/$81,285
Highs: Increased clearances, composed ride, larger tires Engine: twin-turbocharged and intercooled
don’t inhibit performance. Lows: There is a V-8 coming, poor DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and
heads, port and direct fuel injection
fuel economy, bedside “37” graphic is a bit much. Displacement ......................... 318 in3, 3496 cm3
Power .................................... 450 hp @ 5850 rpm
Torque ................................ 510 lb-ft @ 3000 rpm
Ford knows people will pay a lot for two extra inches. Add the 37 Perform- Dimensions
ance package to the F-150 Raptor, and the price balloons from $70,370 • Wheelbase ................................................ 145.4 in
• L/W/H ................................... 232.6/86.8/80.7 in
to $80,375, or about $5000 an inch. • Curb Weight .............................................. 5971 lb
Before you scoff at that, know that Ford’s kit offers more than just
two-inch-bigger tires. In addition to the 37x12.5R-17 BFGoodrich All- test RESULTS
Terrain T/A KO2s for which it is named, the package includes 17-inch
60 mph ........................................................... 5.2 sec
forged aluminum beadlock-capable wheels, front Fox dampers with a 1/4-Mile ................................... 14.0 sec @ 96 mph
1.0-inch rod diameter (an eighth-inch increase) to account for the extra 100 mph ....................................................... 15.8 sec
mass, and a limited-slip front diff. Ford also modifies the back of the Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
frame to fit a full-size spare tire. And owners can show off the bigger tire Rolling Start, 5–60 mph ....................... 6.0 sec
Top Speed (gov ltd) ................................ 114 mph
measurement with “37” decals on the bedside and tailgate. Braking, 70–0 mph .................................... 200 ft
Compared with the F-150 Raptor riding on standard 35-inch KO2s, Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad ............... 0.70 g
the 37-inch tires increase approach, departure, and break-over angles C/D Fuel Economy
• Observed .................................................... 11 mpg
by 2.1, 1.0, and 1.7 degrees, respectively. Ground clearance improves by • 75-mph Hwy Driving ............................. 16 mpg
1.1 inches, and this Raptor stands 0.9 inch taller. But the 37s require • Hwy Range ................................................ 570 mi
suspension travel to decrease by 1.0 inch in the front and 0.9 inch in the EPA Fuel Economy
• Comb/City/Hwy .......................... 16/15/18 mpg
rear. At a technical off-road park in northern Michigan, we found the
increased clearances to be more impressive on paper. The taller sidewalls
are great at soaking up rocks, ruts, and roots, however.
Regardless of tire size, the F-150 Raptor has a twin-turbocharged Braking from 70 mph required 14 fewer feet.
3.5-liter V-6 that makes 450 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of The larger tires also are not obnoxiously
torque. With the new equal-length exhaust system set to Baja mode, noisy on the highway—at 70 mph, volume
the boosted six brap, brap, braps louder than the Ram 1500 TRX’s inside the cabin was only one decibel louder.
supercharged V-8. During 75-mph highway driving, we aver-
The larger rubber doesn’t inhibit performance. Both Raptors reach 60 aged 16 mpg, which is 2 mpg less than what
mph in 5.2 seconds. The truck riding on 37s was only 0.1 second slower we saw in the standard F-150 Raptor; both
through the quarter-mile at 14.0 seconds at 96 mph. At their 0.70-g results match the EPA highway estimates.
limit, the 37s have 0.01 g more grip than the 35s (like that matters). The 37 Performance package gives Rap-
tor owners another bragging point. But the
truly numbers-obsessed might want to wait
for the upcoming Raptor R, with its antici-
pated 700-plus-hp V-8. Now, that number is
worthy of decals.
P HOTO G RA PH Y BY M IC HA EL SI M AR I 73
2 02 2 B M W 2 3 0 i ~ BY E Z R A DY E R
Class of One
Highs: Sneakily quick, strong brakes,
fun size. Lows: No manual, options
run up price, 230i means what now?
BMW should have picked a name and stuck

with it. After our David E. Davis Jr. sang
the praises of the 1968 2002, BMW
might have said, “Our overachieving
compact sports coupe will be called
2002 forevermore.” But no. BMW kept
building cars in the 2002 idiom, joyful
rear-drive coupes, but the names were meaning a good number of them only did the 230i stop from 70 mph
inconsistent: 3-series, 1-series, 2-series, escaped the count. As such, the in just 152 feet (within a yard of the
4-series. If BMW hadn’t stopped build- 3554-pound 230i rips to 60 mph Maserati MC20’s performance), but
ing the 2002—and it basically didn’t— in 5.1 seconds. The 13.7-second, it did so time after time with no
the redesigned 2022 230i would be the 101-mph quarter-mile sprint is also fade. Even repeated stops from 100
latest model, and we’d all know what to solidly in rowdy territory. With mph elicited consistent results (offi-
expect, which is to say a practical every- numbers like that and a base price cially 309 feet) and no fade.
day car with a secret rambunctious side. of $37,345, the 230i could score a Given its throwback vibe, the
Though BMW rates the 230i’s turbo- few converts coming from a Subaru 230i works best with minimal
charged 2.0-liter inline-four at just 255 WRX or a V-6 Camaro. But in this adornment. The standard SensaTec
horsepower, these are Bavarian horses, case, the engine and eight-speed faux leather is believable enough,
automatic transmission are a means and if you’re careful with options,
to an end, generating enough speed you might build a 230i that costs
to showcase the chassis and brakes. less than a Toyota Supra 2.0, which
the numbers As was true with the ’68 2002 uses the same powertrain. The 230i
Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel- and the muscle cars of its day, you even returned 38 mpg in 75-mph
drive, 4-passenger, 2-door coupe wouldn’t want to pit a 230i against highway driving.
Base/As Tested ...... $37,345/$48,520 a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat on Yes, we’ve compared the 230i to
Engine: turbocharged and intercooled
DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block a straightaway, but get down into a a lot of cars that aren’t really its com-
and head, direct fuel injection canyon and the BMW will run away. petitors. Because at this point, what
Displacement ................ 122 in3, 1998 cm3 Wearing staggered Pirelli P Zero is? Minimalist rear-wheel-drive
Power .......................... 255 hp @ 6500 rpm
Torque ....................... 295 lb-ft @ 1550 rpm PZ4 summer tires, the 230i gen- European coupes aren’t exactly
Transmission: 8-speed automatic erated a healthy 0.92 g of skidpad thick on the ground these days. So,
Dimensions grip and showed off the kind of bal- regardless of whatever else BMW
• Wheelbase ...................................... 107.9 in
• L/W/H .......................... 179.0/72.4/54.8 in ance that comes with a nearly 50/50 rolls out—electrified, bombastic,
• Curb Weight ................................... 3554 lb front-to-rear weight distribution. hypercomplicated—we’re glad that
Its brakes, too, are up for diving somebody in Munich still has their
test RESULTS deep into corners all day long. Not hymnal turned to page 2002.
60 mph .................................................. 5.1 sec
100 mph ............................................. 13.4 sec
1/4-Mile ........................ 13.7 sec @ 101 mph
130 mph ............................................. 26.1 sec
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph ............... 6.1 sec
P HOTO G RA P H Y BY M I C HA E L S I M A R I
Braking, 70–0 mph ............................ 152 ft

Braking, 100–0 mph ........................ 309 ft
C/D Fuel Economy
• Observed ........................................ 28 mpg
• 75-mph Hwy Driving .................. 38 mpg
• Hwy Range ...................................... 520 mi
EPA Fuel Economy
• Comb/City/Hwy .............. 29/26/35 mpg
74 THE RUNDOWN
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Not Available
in Stores
Back in Black:
The New Face
of Luxury Watches
“...go black. Dark and
handsome remains a
classic for a reason”
— Men’s Journal
I’ll Take Mine Black…

No Sugar
I n the early 1930s watch manufacturers took a clue from Henry
Ford’s favorite quote concerning his automobiles, “You can have
any color as long as it is black.” Black dialed watches became the rage
especially with pilots and race drivers. Of course, since the black dial went well with a
black tuxedo, the adventurer’s black dial watch easily moved from the airplane hangar
to dancing at the nightclub. Now, Stauer brings back the “Noire”, a design based on
an elegant timepiece built in 1936. Black dialed, complex automatics from the 1930s
have recently hit new heights at auction. One was sold for in excess of $600,000. We
thought that you might like to have an affordable version that will be much more
accurate than the original.
Basic black with a twist. Not only are the dial, hands and face vintage, but we used
a 27-jeweled automatic movement. This is the kind of engineering desired by fine
watch collectors worldwide. But since we design this classic movement on state of the
art computer-controlled Swiss built machines, the accuracy is excellent. Three interior
dials display day, month and date. We have priced the luxurious Stauer Noire at a
price to keep you in the black… only 3 payments of $33.
An offer that will make you dig out your old tux. The movement of the Stauer
Noire wrist watch carries an extended two year warranty. But first enjoy this hand-
some timepiece risk-free for 60 days for the extraordinary price of only 3 payments of
$33. If you are not thrilled with the quality and rare design, simply send it back for
a full refund of the item price.
27-jewel automatic movement • Month, day, date and 24-hour, sun/ moon dials
• Luminous markers • Date window at 3’ o’clock • Water resistant to 5 ATM
Crocodile embossed leather strap in black fits wrists to 6½”–9”
1-800-333-2045
Offer Code: NWT529-06
You must use this offer code to get our special price.
Stauer Noire Watch $399†

Your Cost With Offer Code $99 + S&P Save $300 | OR 3 credit card payments of $33 + S&P
† Special price only for customers using the offer code versus the price on Stauer.com without your offer code.
Stauer ® 14101 Southcross Drive W., Dept. NWT529-06

Burnsville, Minnesota 55337 www.stauer.com Rating of A+
Stauer…Afford the Extraordinary.™

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@caranddriver
A LT E R N AT E U N I V E R S E
The Ford
Taurus That clay model of a Taurus hatchback (plat-
form code: DN5). Engineering concerns
Didn’t Make It about the hatch’s negative impact on

structural rigidity derailed the design.
“I think the early design themes
that had the hatch would have been
Ford’s first-gen Taurus was a radical departure from main- interesting,” Myler posits. Imagine one
stream American sedans when it debuted in 1985. But it of the slippery outré designs equipped
could have been even more outlandish. with the Taurus SHO’s 220-hp V-6 and
JUST SAY NO
Reducing drag, increasing innovation, and improv- — five-speed. It could have easily been a
ing quality were primary considerations in conceptu- This 1981 hatch- prescient competitor to today’s perform-
alizing the Taurus, as was proving to consumers that back proposal for ance “four-door coupes” such as the
the first Taurus
Ford was breaking away from the cars of the Malaise (below) wasn’t Audi RS7 or the Tesla Model S.
Era. To achieve these goals, the project got a dedicated chosen, but the Still, the vehicle that Ford settled
crew of designers, engineers, and marketers all working aerodynamic on pushed domestic design far enough
shape and the
together. “The car was developed by one team, Team doors that wrap forward that the Taurus stood in as a
Taurus, from start to finish. This gave the product a into the roof made futuristic car in RoboCop and Back to
cohesive look and feel from inside out,” says Jamie Myler, it to production. the Future Part II. It also aged relatively
The Mercury Sable
Ford’s senior research archivist. That this concept was got the proto- gracefully. “The revolutionary design
novel should communicate something about Detroit’s type’s skirted was a bit jarring to some,” Myler says.
failings during that period. fenders, and the “But the fact that it wasn’t [entirely]
taillights inspired
The group journeyed into the windmills of their the 1988- 1/2 redesigned for a decade speaks to the
Escort’s.
ist visionaries like Syd Mead, production-
above the roof,” Myler says.
80
A a r o n J o h n s o n • A l a n C o o p e r • A l e x G r e e n wa l d • A l e x W e l l e n • A l e x a n d e r M a r m u r e a n u
• A n d r e w Wag n e r A n t h o n y J . W e av e r • A n t h o n y M ac k e • Au st i n M ot t i n g e r • B e n ja m i n K a r l
B u s s e y • B i l l F e n e c h • B i l l M u r p h y B i l ly E d wa r d s • B l a k e Tov i n • B l u e J e n k i n s • B o J u n g •
B o b B r ay t o n • B o b S ta n f o r d • B r i a n L a m • C a r l F o r s h a g e C h a r l e s A r o l l a • C h a r l e s
E d wa r d s • C h a r l e s H o o p e r • C h a r l e s St e fa n ko • C h a r l e s W. L ac e y • C h r i s H a n n e s C o r e y
R a d c l i f f • C u r t i s J e n n i n g s S c h o f i e l d • D. N i c h o l s B row n • D. S c ot t Fa r m e r • Da k i n T r i m b l e
• Da m i a n S h av e r • Da n e B l u e • Da n i e l D u r a n • Da n i e l J . Vo e l k e r • Da n i e l S h a f e r • Da ry l
M c L i n d e n • Dav i d D o n a l d s o n • Dav i d D OZ ZO • Dav i d J . E l l i ot t • Dav i d J u l i a n W r i g h t • Dav i d L .
W e st e r • Dav i d M a f f u c c i • Dav i d R ay • D e a n E . S c h r e i n e r • D e a n M i yas h i r o • D e n n i s G i b s o n •
D e n n i s R o b e r t S m i t h • D e o m i d R a p o p o r t • D e r i c k R a u s c h • D e v i n A n d e r s o n • D i v ya j o t
Sa n d h u • D o n a l d R . Pa r r i s h • D o n n a L . M i c h a e l s • D o u g l as Ro s s • D r . Ro b e r t G i rg i s • D r . W M
E . D e w i t t • E r i c M ag n u s s e n • E r n e s to C a r r i z o s a • E u g e n e A l l e n W e i l • F r a n k M a n z a r e •
F r a n k l i n H . H a n c o c k J r . • F r e d Ba r a s oa i n • F r e d e r i c k A . Ba r t z e n • F u lto n H a i g h t • G a r ry
C r o o k • G a ry R e t e l n y • G e n e P o n d e r • G e o r g e A n ag n a s • G i l W e s t • G i l b e r t o P i n z o n •
G i u s e p p e C o n d e m i • G r e g o ry S c h i l l • G u r d o n H o r n o r H . A l a n Yo k e m • H ay e s H . H a r r i s • H e n ry
M a l c o l m Y e e • H o w i e T. Z e ag e r • H u g h W h i p p l e • I n n e s T. M at h e r • Jac o b H u n t • Jac q u e s
Fav r e t • Ja d S a l i b a • Ja k e S a lt z b e r g • Ja m e s A . Wo l f • Ja m e s A l a n B e n n e t t • Ja m e s B ly •
Ja m e s Cat low • Ja m e s C ow e n • Ja m e s D o u g l as L ac e y • Ja m e s I m a n i a n • Ja m e s Wa l k e r • Jay
S t e i n e r • J C L o m b a r d o • J e f f M a r s e l l e • J e f f M a r t i n • J e f f e ry Q u e s e n b e r ry • J e f f r e y
Ca p p e l • J e f f r e y T r ow e r • J e va n Ca p i ta l • J i m Bay • J i t i n d e r S e t h i • J o h n & S h e l l e y Av i l a •
J o h n B o c c h i e r i • J o h n B r av m a n • J o h n B r u ba k e r I I I • J o h n D e Pa l m a • J o h n Fo st e r J r . • J o h n
Gau c h • J o h n G r e e n b u rg • J o h n J. Ca m p b e l l • J o h n S . H a m i lto n • J o h n W. Yo u n g J o h n W i l lc ox
• J o n at h a n D . C u m p t o n • J o n at h a n F i n s t r o m • J o n at h a n W e i z m a n • J o n at h a n Ya r m i s •
J o s e p h M i l a z z o • J o s h S p e n c e • J o s h ua J e f f r i e s • K a n e A l l e n • K e i t h & J e r i ta W i l l i a m s •
K e v i n B o g a n • K e v i n C h at h a m K e v i n C z i n g e r • K e v i n H u n t e r • K e v i n J o h n s o n • K u r t F e h l i n g
• K u rt W. B r a e u t i g a m • L a n c e M c r i tc h i e S m i t h • L e a h K . H u d s o n • L e e L e v e n s o n • L e s
A n d e r s o n • L e s s L i n c o l n • L e st e r J o n e s • L e w i s C h e w • Lo r a M e l m a n • Lo u i s Jac o b ow i t z •
L u ca s M a r g o l i s • L u ca s T r a b e r • L u k a s A m l e r • M a r c u s B o l i n d e r • M a r c u s St r o m • M a r k
Day • M a r k E . S c r o g g i n s • M a r k G o i n e s • M a r k O n e i l • M a r k S e h g a l • M at t G e n ua r d i • M at t
N i au r a • M at t St r at h m a n • M at t h e w B r i a n C h e s l e r • M at t h e w C o o p e r • M at t h e w F r a n k e l
• M a x P o w e r M oto r s • M i c h a e l B at t i s ta • M i c h a e l C o n g e l o s i • M i c h a e l G r e e n • M i c h a e l
L a m ac c h i a • M i c h a e l M u z z i n • M i c h a e l N i c h o l a s • M i c h a e l P e s ot s k i • M i c h a e l Va l e n t i n e •
M i c h a e l W e i l • M i k e Bau r • M i k e J e n n i n g s • M i tc h S h e i t e l m a n • M i tc h Wat e r s • N at e S h a d o i n
• N at h a n S i e w e r t • N i c h o l a s D o n a h u e • N i c h o l a s M o r r i s • N i c k A l e x a n d e r I m p o r t s • N i c k
M ata r a z zo • N i c o l as P u j e t • Pa r a m d e e p M a n d • Pat Da ly • Pat r i c k A h e a r n • Pau l B o n o m o •
Pau l H ag e r • Pau l P o r t e o u s • Pau l R ag s da l e • Pau l S k a f t e • P e t e r H e f f r i n g • P J C ro sw e l l
• R a n dy C o p e l a n d • R e x M ca f e e R i c h a r d C o r g e l • R i c h a r d H ag e n lo c k • R i c h a r d H a r p h a m •
R i c h a r d M o r r i s o n • R i c h a r d R e y n o l d s • R i c k R h a b e g g e r • R o b e r t By r n e • R o b e r t G r ay •
R o b e r t H e s s • R o b e r t N e w m a n • R o b e r t R u b i n • R o b e r t S c h o l l • R o b e r t Wa l k e r • R o n E .
P o h n d o r f • Ro n S c h n e i d e r • Ro n a l d Sav e n o r • Ro ry R . Dav i s • Roy Pa n t l e • R u s s e l l N e u w i rt h
• S a m u e l Yag gy • S a r a h S a r o u f i m • S c ot t B a e r • S c ot t B r i n k • S c ot t M c C l u r e • S c ot t P.
Wa r d l aw S c ot t S p o r t e • S c ot t W. C r o u c h • S e a n B u r c h • S e a n O H o l l a r e n • S e a n R e d d i s h
• St e fa n J o h n s o n • St e p h e n B r u n o • St e p h e n L e w i s • St e p h e n Ta r r • St e v e n & K ay H i c k s •
S t e v e n M a r l o R e i m e r • S t i g N i e l s e n • S u m i t N ag pa l S u s a n M i l l e r • T h o m a s B o e h l a n d •
T h o m as R . N e i l s o n • To d d Ba l l e n g e r • To d d St e g m a n • To m Ba i l e y • To m E l l i s o n • To m
H e l l a n d • To m R o b e r t s • To m S c h a e f e r • To m S i e w e r t • To m To m l i n s o n • To m m y Ta r lto n •
To n y A b e n a • To n y D e l e l l i s • T r av i s H a l l • V i n c e n t C r o g n a l e • Wa lt e r S . G e r r i s h • Wa lt e r
S . L i g h t J r . • W i l l K a l u t yc z • W i l l i a m B a k e r • W i l l i a m B a r b e r • W i l l i a m B u t l e r • W i l l i a m J .
S z a fa r ow i c z • W i l l i a m R . H as s e l l W i l l i a m R e i d • W i l l i a m St e wa r t • W i l l i a m Wo e b k e n b e r g +
M A N Y M O R E , yo u k n ow w h o yo u a r e . . . .
HOLD ONTO
YOUR SEATS.
ALL SEVEN
OF THEM.
The Type S badge is reserved for only the
highest-performing Acura vehicles. Now, for the
first time, we’re bringing Type S performance to
our flagship seven-passenger SUV. Introducing
the 2022 MDX Type S. At its core, a 355-hp,
3.0L, turbo V-6 with a torque-vectoring Super
Handling All-Wheel Drive™ system, a specially
tuned Adaptive Damper System, Brembo®
4-piston front brake calipers, and a Sport+ drive
mode. It’s the most powerful, best handling,
supremely capable SUV we’ve ever made.
©2022 Acura. Acura, MDX, Precision Crafted Performance, Super Handling All-Wheel Drive, and the stylized "A" logo are trademarks of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Brembo is a trademark of Brembo S.p.A.

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