Automobile 2010 02

*
www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.com

–62–
The prowls the
California coastline.
Features :: February 2010

42 62 76
2010 ALL-STARS MERCEDES-BENZ SLS AMG PORSCHE PANAMERA
By Automobile Magazine staff By Jason Cammisa TURBO, BMW 760Li, AND
We came, we drove, we chose— The successor to the SLR MERCEDES-BENZ S63 AMG
and then we photographed our McLaren evokes the original By Jason Cammisa
winners in the City by the Bay. 300SL Gullwing. The German sport-sedan trio
meet in a Wild West showdown.
Audi S4 68
BMW 335d FERRARI 458 ITALIA 84
BMW Z4 By Joe DeMatio EARL OF GOOD WOODS
Chevrolet Camaro Ferrari’s F430 replacement By Ezra Dyer
Dodge Ram 1500 takes the mid-engine exotic game Take a cast-off Fast and Furious
Ford Flex to an even higher level. Subaru Impreza WRX STI, a slew of
Ford Fusion Hybrid power equipment, and thirty acres
Jaguar XF/XFR in Maine, and you’ve got the
Mazda 3 makings of a private rally
Porsche Boxster/Cayman playground.
4 AUTOMOBILE | FEBRUARY 2010

Departments :: February 2010
Ignition
10 NEWS
Honda’s minicar concept, Pirelli’s racy
calendar, diesel’s decline in America,
and Continental’s pursuit of speed.
20 BY DESIGN
By Robert Cumberford
The Nissan Leaf is a milestone
in a mediocre wrapper.
24 NOISE, VIBRATION & HARSHNESS
By Jamie Kitman
Opel is saved. But was it ever
really in jeopardy?
26 DYER CONSEQUENCES
By Ezra Dyer
Some cars quicken your pulse;
others calm your nerves.
30 LETTERS
A debate on the Lexus LFA, and
a lesson in Yiddish.
DRIVEN
–10– 32 BMW ACTIVEHYBRID X6

Threatening the hybrid establishment.
34 BMW ACTIVEHYBRID 7
Having your cake and eating it, too.
Could Honda’s P-NUT be the minicar that 39 LEXUS LS460 SPORT
Americans really fall for? Delightfully immature.

40 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER GT
Gunning for glory.
Upshift
90 FOUR SEASONS WRAP
A year with the Mazda 2 in France
piques our interest in the Asian
subcompact prior to its U.S. arrival.
94 FOUR SEASONS LOGBOOK
We introduce our newest fleet member,
the Audi Q5, and share the latest on the
BMW 750Li, the Honda Fit, and the
Hyundai Genesis 4.6.
96 COLLECTIBLE CLASSIC
32 the bmw x6 goes green 94 audi q5 arrives
The 1967–71 De Tomaso Mangusta
is an exotic from one of the
lesser-known Italian masters.
100 AUCTIONS
A 1969 Mercedes-Benz limo gets big
money at RM’s London auction.
106 VILE GOSSIP
By Jean Jennings
Selecting our annual list of
All-Stars reveals more winners
than you might think.
96 exotic animal 90 mazda 2 preview
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Reserve and drive the
2010 Ford Fusion.
2010 Motor Trend Car of the Year. ®
Hertz is proud to announce the Ford Fusion as the 2010 Motor Trend Car of the Year.® The Fusion
makes a bold statement, actually two. One, you’re smart. Two, you care about the environment. So
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■
Smart ForTwoTwo
First sold in
n Europe
in 1998, thee Smart
car arrived here in
2008 as a coupe
and a cabriolet.
olet.
U.S. cars use
se a
rear-mounted,
ted
d,
1.0-liter
three-
cylinder
Meet the from Honda, the latest engine.
Length:
entrant in the strangely effervescent
ent arena 106 inches
of pint-size pod cars.
O THE COMELY BLONDE Most have their engines in the rear, but thehee
models, slowly spinning iQ uses a more conventional front enginee
turntables, and acres of cheap and front-wheel drive.
carpet, we can add tiny These cars also display surprising variety
ietyy
bubble-car concepts as an in their seating configurations: The P-NUT T
auto-show fixture. At the has a one-plus-two layout. The iQ is a
recent Los Angeles show, two-plus-two, although Toyota says it seatsats
Honda presented the P-NUT. three adults and one child. The Nissan Land nd
The too-cute name is an Glider and Volkswagen’s L1 concept cars
acronym for Personal-Neo seat two in tandem. The Smart is a more
Urban Transport. More than two feet shorter conventional (side-by-side) two-seater.
than a Fit, the P-NUT seats three and has its As to their overall shape, “The Smart
(hypothetical) powertrain located at the rear; and the iQ have it right,” says our own
Honda says it could use a gasoline engine, design editor, Robert Cumberford. “A
battery power, or a hybrid of the two. really small car has to be fairly tall to
What’s perhaps most interesting about be seen among SUVs in heavy
the P-NUT is that it was designed in the traffic. Low, narrow fuselages, such
United States (by the company’s Advanced as the VW L1 or the Nissan Land
Design Studio, in Pasadena) and it debuted Glider, are entirely too scary to
at a U.S. auto show. Typically, these tiny be successfully marketed for
transportation units are the province of intense urban use.”
foreign auto shows. Despite all the
Dave Marek, head of Honda’s U.S. uncertainty surrounding
design studio, argues that America is a these miniature machines,
legitimate venue for cars like this. “We it’s clear that the notion
need urban cars as much as anywhere else, of minimalist motoring
given the economic climate today,” he says. is one that has an
Unfortunately, the one city car that is outsized hold on the
sold here, the Smart ForTwo, saw its sales world’s carmakers.
drop dramatically in 2009, its second year — joe lorio
in our market. Despite Smart’s difficulties,
however, Toyota has indicated that it wants
to bring the podlike iQ here, possibly as a Honda P-NUT
Scion. The car is already on sale in Europe The California-designed P-NUT is shaped more like a wedge than a
bubble, and its single front seat flanked by two rear seats is
and Japan. reminiscent of the McLaren F1. Honda says it could accept a gasoline,
In addition to being an unproven hybrid, or electric powertrain. The navigation system and backup
business prospect, these vehicles also lack a camera project images onto the windshield. Length: 134 inches
consensus with regard to their ideal layout.

THE HORSEPOWER OUTPUT OF THE
SINGLE-CYLINDER ENGINE IN THE FIRST
BUBBLE CAR TO BRAVE THE U.S. MARKET,
THE BMW ISETTA. THE ISETTA OFFICIALLY
ARRIVED IN 1957 AND STAYED UNTIL 1962.
Nissan Land Glider

First shown at last fall’s Tokyo show,
the battery-powered Land Glider
can lean into turns like a
motorcycle.
Length:
122 inches
Volkswagen L1
Presented at the
2009 Frankfurt ■
show, the L1 is the
second iteration of Toyota iQ
VW’s effort to The iQ’s 1.0-liter
develop a car that three-cylinder
uses one liter of fuel gasoline engine and
to go 100 km (equal 1.4-liter diesel
to 235 mpg). With a four-cylinder achieve
diesel/hybrid combined fuel
powertrain, this economy ratings of
concept doesn’t 55 mpg and 60 mpg,
quite get there, but respectively, in
its 170 mpg isn’t bad. European testing.
Length: 150 inches Length: 118 inches

Fives and Sixes
A NEW 5-SERIES ARRIVES FOR 2011 . . .
YRIAD INTRIGUING TECHNOLOGICAL

innovations and new engines and
transmissions mark the sixth generation of
BMW’s 5-series. Developed in parallel with the
7-series, it shares all suspension components,
resulting in a switch from struts to a multilink
layout in front. Most suspension components,
the front fenders, the doors, and the hood are
aluminum. The optional active steering uses
electric—instead of hydraulic—assistance for It’s good-looking, too, with classic
additional fuel economy benefits. proportions, clear flowing lines, and elegant
Every 5-series model thus far has surpassed its immediate detailing. Despite the coupelike roofline,
predecessor in power output and reduced emissions. The 2011 550i rear headroom is uncompromised, and the
uses a smaller direct-injection, 4.4-liter V-8 with twin turbochargers 3.2-inch-longer wheelbase increases
and catalytic converters nestled between the cylinder banks. It legroom. Altogether, our initial first-hand
6-SERIES: AUTOBILD/LARSON
makes 400 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque, which is good for 0 to 60 mph look at the design and engineering was
in just five seconds, according to BMW. The 535i has a 300-hp, highly promising, and we expect the
3.0-liter in-line six with a single dual-scroll turbo and Valvetronic. driving experience to confirm that promise.
Both engines drive through a six-speed manual or a new eight-speed The new 550i and 535i arrive this spring,
automatic transmission. Braking regeneration is just one of many followed later by a 528i powered by a
new efficiencies. An ActiveHybrid version is expected to debut at 240-hp, 3.0-liter in-line six. Look for a report
the Geneva auto show in March. on our first drive of the new 5-series in the
April issue. — robert cumberford
. . . AND THE 6-SERIES WILL GAIN A FOUR-DOOR COUPE
GIVEN THE HYPERCOMPETITIVE, HYPERIMITATIVE

dynamic among Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi, there was no way
that a successful new niche model like the Mercedes CLS could
remain unanswered. Indeed, Audi is readying its slope-roofed A7
Sportback to slot between the A6 and A8 sedans, just as the CLS sits
between the E-class and the S-class. BMW at first pursued a different
strategy. Its CS, previewed by the well-received 2007 Shanghai auto
show concept, was to be positioned above the 7-series and would be
joined by a two-door roadster/coupe (filling the spot abdicated by
the Z8). But the project fell victim to the recession.
Now, however, it’s been resurrected, albeit in less grandiose
form. The new CS, as a four-door coupe only, will become part of
the 6-series family, alongside the traditional two-door coupe and
the cabrio. The change in plans means that the BMW won’t arrive
before 2012. The Audi and a second-generation Mercedes,
meanwhile, are both expected late this year. — georg kacher

CADILLAC.COM/2010SRX
THE ALL-NE W 2010

SRX
THE CADILLAC OF CROSSOVERS

Adjectives are well and good, but for those who know, the numbers speak for themselves. Choose the
265 hp 3.0L V6 with direct injection and variable valve timing, or opt for the 2.8L V6 Turbo that produces
300 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque,* both with a six-speed automatic transmission. And whatever your engine
choice, there is a sophisticated chassis underneath to make the most of the powertrain. Plus, available
ZF SACHS Continuous Damping Control suspension technology reads the road every 2 milliseconds for
improved driving dynamics. Finally, when the weather turns bad, one of the most advanced All-Wheel
Drive systems available manages torque to each wheel, and is augmented by a rear electronic limited slip
differential, which provides enhanced control. Introducing the new standard for luxury crossovers.
The all-new 2010 Cadillac SRX. Starting at $34,155.† As shown $49,640.†

How tires and top speeds are related.
LAST FALL, WE JOINED CONTINENTAL TIRES AT THE DOES IT MATTER?
Nardo proving ground in Italy, where eighteen tuner cars were You may never achieve speeds like this
invited to show off their top speeds on the 7.8-mile circular track. at home, but all new car and truck tires
With our archaic speed limits in the United States, we often forget sold in the United States have speed
that you need serious tires to survive serious speeds. And serious ratings on them. A tire’s ability to deal
with high speeds doesn’t necessarily
speeds were definitely part of this program—have a look.
increase its handling and braking
performance, but generally there is a
strong correlation—so if you’re looking
for a higher-performance tire, look for a
higher speed rating.
PEAK SPEEDS REACHED DURING NARDO EVENT

TUNER CAR BASIS VEHICLE CLAIMED OUTPUT TOP SPEED
9ff TR 1000 Porsche 911 GT3 Mark 2 838 hp 233 mph
Hohenester HS650G Audi A4 641 hp 219 mph
Geiger Z06 Bi-turbo Chevrolet Corvette Z06 779 hp 213 mph
Edo Gallardo LP600-4 Lamborghini Gallardo 592 hp 211 mph
ABT RS6 Avant Audi RS6 Avant 690 hp 208 mph
MKB SL65 / 12 TT Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG 805 hp 205 mph
Brabus GLK V12 Mercedes-Benz GLK350 740 hp 200 mph
TechArt Cayenne Turbo Porsche Cayenne Turbo 670 hp 200 mph
Manhart M3 5.0 V10 Touring BMW 3-series wagon 534 hp 197 mph
ABT Audi R8 Audi R8 4.2 552 hp 195 mph
Lorinser C LV8 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG 493 hp 195 mph
TH2 RS Volkswagen T5 Transporter 769 hp 193 mph
9ff PT 55 Porsche Panamera Turbo 542 hp 191 mph
Edo Panamera Turbo Porsche Panamera Turbo 532 hp 190 mph
AC Schnitzer ACS4 3.5 Turbo BMW Z4 sDrive35i 375 hp 188 mph
AC Schnitzer ACS3 3.5d BMW 335d coupe 306 hp 179 mph
9ff Speed9 Porsche 911 Turbo cabriolet 641 hp 179 mph
Steinmetz Insignia OPC Opel Insignia wagon 389 hp 179 mph

In earning the DOT’s approval for U.S.
sale, a tire needs to be tested only to a
top speed just shy of 100 mph.
European regulations call for ratings to
be verified by running the tire up to the
claimed speed in increments of 10 kph
for ten to twenty minutes at each step.
Although the highest current marking
allows manufacturers to claim a tire
that’s capable of speeds only “above
186 mph,” companies sometimes
publish a more precise number for how
fast their tires can safely go. Michelin,
which makes original-equipment rubber
for the Bugatti Veyron, certifies those
tires to the car’s 253-mph top speed.
Continental makes an entire line of
high-speed tires, called the Vmax, which
have either 360-kph (224-mph) or
400-kph (249-mph) ratings.
Using a wise and endearing dog as his narrator,
The Art of Racing in the Rain author Garth Stein
has put motorsports on national best-seller lists.
Come on. A talking dog? Named Enzo? Are you a racer yourself?
When I started writing the book, the dog’s I raced a Spec Miata with SCCA for about
name was Juan Pablo. We were about to four years. I stopped racing when I put my
have our third child. If it was a boy, I wanted car into a wall—in the rain, of course—in
to name him Enzo. Seattle. Then I wrote this book and my wife
And my wife said, said, “You know, I wondered why you were
“Absolutely not.” doing that racing thing. Clearly, it was just
She told me, “You’ve research.”
got to name the dog
Enzo.” Recently, I The book really captures the allure of
got an e-mail from competition driving.
somebody who I think racers appreciate the book on an
named his kid Enzo entirely different level from the general
after Enzo the dog. ction-reading audience or the dog crowd. I
Speed ratings are found on the sidewall
of a tire, in what’s known as the service had a guy who wrote me a long e-mail, and
description. The letter following the Enzo even gets a thrill ride around he said, “My wife and my family and my
two- or three-digit numerical load index Thunderhill Raceway Park in a BMW. friends have no idea why I’ve been racing for
indicates the highest speed at which a I thought that scene pushed the boundaries twenty years. They don’t get it. They don’t
tire can safely be driven. The “Y” service
description surrounded by parentheses of credibility. But I got a call from Bob understand why I bother doing it. It doesn’t
indicates that the tire can be driven in Bondurant, and he said, “Oh, I loved it when make any sense to them at all. Now I have
excess of that speed rating. All speeds you had Enzo in the car! I take my dog Rusty this book, and I gave it to them and I said,
are converted from kilometers per hour, out all the time.” ‘Just read this. This will explain it to you.’ ”
hence the seemingly odd break points.
The old “Z” rating (more than 149 mph)
has been largely replaced by the “W” Dogs and race cars . . . Is racing a metaphor for life?
and “Y” designations. Some common People say, “Well, it’s so obvious. You’re so When you go to your first racing school,
ratings include: manipulative.” But when I wrote this book, they tell you, “If something happens to your
I had to fire an agent over it. My agent said, car, it’s your problem.” It’s about personal
S: 112 mph V: 149 mph
T: 118 mph W: 168 mph
“Nobody reads racing books. You can’t responsibility and taking charge of your life.
H: 130 mph Y: 186 mph narrate from a dog’s point of view.” Now it’s You don’t like your job? Change it. Don’t
in twenty-five languages, and we’re up to say, “It’s somebody else’s fault that I have
almost a million copies in print. this job.” — preston lerner
FEBRUARY 2010 | AUTOMOBILEMAG.COM 15

Just when America finally gets some really good diesel engines,
automakers start giving up on the technology.
NLY A FEW MONTHS ago, the diesel engine’s “Beyond the German-car fans, Americans didn’t seem to
momentum in the States seemed as unstoppable as its embrace the idea fully,” said Christina Ra, a Honda spokesperson.
mighty torque and all-day driving range. Now, its GM and other automakers say that diesel makes sense for
prospects here have suddenly dimmed: with models in Europe, where its popularity has been driven by high
American and Japanese automakers switching off the gasoline taxes and other government incentives.
lights on announced programs, the Germans are But here, diesel fuel is often more expensive, and that has made
virtually alone automakers leery. Combine a
in tending the global shortage of diesel refining
oil-burning capacity and a troubling spike in
flame. demand for “middle
Honda, Nissan, Ford, and distillates”—not just diesel but
General Motors have all also jet fuel and kerosene—with
canceled previously at U.S. gasoline demand and a
announced plans for glut of supply, and the diesel
U.S.-market diesel models. price crunch may be just
Subaru hasn’t officially nixed beginning. In fact, everything
diesels but says it is now that gives diesel an edge in
focusing resources on hybrids Europe, from high gasoline taxes
instead. The casualties to the Continent’s refining
include diesel versions of the infrastructure, is reversed in
Acura TSX, the Nissan America to favor gasoline.
Maxima, the Ford F-150, and The defections leave only
the half-ton Chevrolet Mazda among major Asian and
Silverado/GMC Sierra. American brands. Robert Davis,
The message is clearer Mazda’s North American
than the ticking idle of a product chief, said Mazda may
Volkswagen Jetta TDI— offer a new 2.2-liter turbo-diesel
diesel defectors see little in U.S. models, likely beginning
future for the technology in with its CX-7 or CX-9. Among
the United States. Executives the diesel-loving Germans,
say they’ve been spooked by Honda, Nissan, Ford, and BMW and Mercedes-Benz have
volatile diesel prices and by the green-lighted four-cylinder
high costs to design and build General Motors have all canceled diesels for U.S. models that
diesel engines and their
complex emissions controls.
previously announced plans for likely will include the BMW
3-series, X3, and X1 and the
GM indefinitely delayed its U.S.-market diesel models. Mercedes C-class and GLK. And
4.5-liter Duramax turbo-diesel Volkswagen has been cheered
program despite spending tens by higher-than-expected sales of
of millions of dollars to its diesel offerings. These makers
develop the new V-8 for its full-size pickups and SUVs. Executives may be joined by Mahindra, the Indian manufacturer, which still
say that whatever diesels can do to help GM meet CAFE standards intends to market a diesel pickup here sometime in 2010.
can be done at a lower cost with gasoline engines by employing Diesel’s special allure to enthusiasts, of course, is its promise of
improved transmissions, turbocharging, and direct injection. megamileage with little sacrifice in performance. That
High technology costs, along with market studies showing that technological promise isn’t broken. But it’s fair to wonder how
many Americans were still skeptical or unfamiliar with diesel, also many Americans will ultimately enjoy diesel’s gift if it most often
led Honda to abandon its diesel program. comes wrapped in an exclusive German box. — lawrence ulrich
16 AUTOMOBILE | FEBRUARY 2010 ILLUSTRATION BY TIM MARRS

Just reading the
article, are you? All
right, we’ll play
along. In the
mid-1960s, Pirelli
decided that a free
calendar full of
not-quite-half-
dressed women
was just what it
needed to sell more
tires. Thirty-seven
editions later, the
calendar has
become a cult
obsession whose
extravagance even
a global recession
hasn’t diminished.
This year, models
were photographed
in Brazil by Terry
Richardson. Pirelli
is giving away
fewer copies than
in the past—about
20,000 worldwide
and only 700 for
the United States.
You won’t get one
unless you’re
willing to bid
hundreds of dollars
on eBay or make
friends with Pirelli
executives, who,
we’re told, fight
over their calendar
quotas.

1
Mediocre milestone.
ISSAN’S LEAF IS understandable. It wouldn’t be a good idea

highly important, a to give it the “this is a hybrid” Kamm profile
true milestone in of the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight,
automotive history. however efficient that is, nor should it have 1 5
Essentially, it’s the been an electrified version of an existing Bulging, The trunk sill isn’t
first electric car from model. But surely it didn’t have to look quite transparent too high, but it is
an established so . . . ordinary. headlamp covers very narrow.
manufacturer that is Nissan PR people say the electrical plug are visible even
seriously intended for trapdoor on the Leaf’s nose is a highly from far behind 6
imminent production. Yes, I know about distinguishing mark of electrification. It is the car. These under-tail
General Motors’ EV1, which was our 1997 not. There’s the suggestion of a radiator ribs recall
Design of the Year. But you couldn’t buy it. grille, too, as unnecessary here as were the 2 diffusers on race
You could only lease it and, ultimately, had huge false radiators on air-cooled Franklins Another curiosity cars and lead one
to give it back to be scrapped. Most of the in the 1920s and ’30s. Volkswagen and is this blackout to ask, “what were
electric cars I’ve seen in fifty years in the Porsche at least eschewed air inlets in the triangle behind they thinking?”
automobile business were funny little fronts of early Beetles and 356s, as did the door and side
Renaults stuffed full of lead-acid golf-cart Chevrolet for the Corvair, all three firms transparencies. 7
batteries, which transformed nimble thereby making clear their differences from The upper point Not exactly a
four-door sedans into heavy, slow two-seat “regular” cars. I know Shiro Nakamura and draws the eye head-up display,
city cars. A few electric conversions are his Nissan design team, and they are a lot upward and but the
available now—Peugeots and Minis—but better than this disappointing Leaf might makes the car speedometer
they’re basically existing small cars that lead one to believe. seem even taller. readout is close
have been clumsily repurposed to the driver’s
in half-hearted gestures toward 3 down-the-road
being “green.”
Asked to characterize the Leaf
The electric Leaf This awkward line
is puzzling. It
sight line.
in Tokyo last October, Nissan’s

head of American operations,
isn’t ugly, but surely peaks a bit ahead
of the wheel
8
The information
Carlos Tavares, thought for a
moment, then said, “It’s a real
it didn’t have to look centerline, so
high on the body
on current usage,
on the other
car.” That’s a powerful
statement—and one I’d like to
quite so . . . ordinary. that it makes the
side panels seem
hand, requires a
considerable
believe. Driving a test mule with the Leaf’s Putting any car into production today is a enormous. shift of focus.
systems for a brief moment, I thought it gigantic gamble, often based on no more than
quite nice, but it was hardly a defining some half-qualified executive’s “gut feeling” 4 9
experience. What concerns me about the and justified only by putting too many After its peak, the The central
Leaf is its crushing visual banality. Many badges on one vehicle. For Nissan, making side crease line control panel is
surface details are excellent, but others are the brave commitment that the Leaf becomes three clean, simple,
just awkward. It’s often said that a camel is a represents must have caused many sleepless flattened and legible.
horse designed by committee. The Leaf, alas, nights, hence, I suspect, the play-it-safe shape. segments joined
looks like it was done by a committee of I hope the Leaf succeeds so that the next- by disparate radii, 10
committees. It’s not ugly, but neither is it generation Leaf’s styling can become what for an odd and Nissan claims that
striking nor exciting. Perhaps that’s this one could and ought to have been. ■ unpleasant effect. this hatch over

2 3
4 14
the recharging across the nose
plugs clearly The nearly flat roof above the “grille”
identifies the Leaf panel elegantly and the side
as an electric car. runs under the crease turning
5
It doesn’t. transverse spoiler/ back toward the
CHMSL at the rear. wheel opening.
11
15 18
The hood’s very
rounded edge This is not a For all the visibility
visually shortens radiator grille, but it provides, this
the front of the car. it has the outline leading quarter
and inset surface window might just
12
one would expect as well be opaque.
The base of the to see for one.
6 19
windshield is
16
considerably less The tall, featureless
rounded than the This rib that dips sides provide a
7
hood, leaving a big below the air good base for the
black void. intake beneath the Zero Emission
8 grille shape in the graphics, but one
13
9 lower front fascia hopes that not
The windshield is is crisply executed every Leaf will
sloped back at an and leads nicely wear them.
extreme angle, into a surround for
20
more like an the foglamps.
Italian GT coupe Tall vertical
17
than a typical taillights are well
economy car. If Sculpting of the integrated to the
only the whole car entire front end is upper structure,
were this quite elegant, with but less so on the
dynamic. a soft radius lower body.
14
13
20
12
11
10
18
19
15
16 17

ALL CARS BEGIN AS A
CONCEPT. ON RARE OCCASIONS,
THEY END AS ONE.
It began as an idea unburdened by limitations.
And in the end, despite the practicality of
manufacturing and the challenges of production,
it remained one. Introducing the first creation
from the Acura Design Studio – the ZDX four-door
coupe concept. Introducing Next.

Learn more at acura.com or by calling 1-800-To-Acura. © 2010 Acura. Acura and ZDX are trademarks of Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

rooted in expedience? It’s a trend
worth looking out for these days.
For GM wouldn’t be the only car
giant holding its intentions close to its
vest lately in the mad scramble for
federal funds. Toyota recently
announced, after agonizing months of
public dithering, that it would shut the
New United Motor Manufacturing,
Inc., plant in Fremont, California—its
former joint venture with GM and its
only plant staffed by UAW members.
The announcement was quiet, but the
timing was intriguing: Mere days had
passed since the Cash for Clunkers
program ended—a noteworthy detail,
as the taxpayer-supported program had
T ISN’T OFTEN THAT a humble member of the Fourth Estate gets subsidized the sales of more Corollas
the chance to alter the course of industrial history. So I won’t take all (built at Fremont) than any other car.
[or even some—Ed.] of the credit, but I am certainly gratified to learn With the program expired, Toyota
that General Motors followed my advice and killed the sale of Opel. disclosed—to a Japanese news agency,
(I had nothing to do with Fritz Henderson.) GM’s future is instantly for extra fact-defusing effect—that, like
brighter, one of the worst strategic misadventures in the great GM, it was bailing out of the NUMMI
American carmaker’s 101-year history has been averted, and one has plant. All future Corollas destined for
to wonder—was GM ever serious about selling Opel in the first place? the American market will be imported
To recap, there were numerous reasons it made no sense to unload from Canada or Japan. As Toyota’s ads
Opel, even as part of a strategy for a leaner, meaner future. So the once trilled: Oh, what a feeling.
reasons cited by GM for canceling the sale now are as good today as they Meanwhile comes word that
were eight months ago when I cataloged them in this space by way of Chrysler, which made a bold move
castigating GM for dragging one of its crown jewels in the dirt. into electric vehicles a central plank of
Opel provides major engineering support for high-mileage, electric, and its case for $12.5 billion of federal aid,
fuel-cell vehicles, the stuff GM will need in coming years. The best suddenly plans to unplug its EV effort.
affordable passenger car that GM sells in the United States—the Chevy Huh? Last January, Chrysler pledged
Malibu—is based on an Opel design. Many other Opel models can be more that it would build half a million
or less directly transferred to U.S. showrooms, as Buick plans to do with the electric cars by 2013. But apparently
2011 Regal, a near-exact duplicate of the well-regarded Opel Insignia, just this promise is no longer operative,
on sale in Europe. Ford is following a similar strategy with compact, with new owner Fiat’s recent decision
Euro-designed cars and trucks already coming our way. to shutter Chrysler’s Envi division and
Opel has been gaining market share in recent years, which is more than merge electric efforts with general
you can say for the brands GM is off-loading, and even some of the ones it is vehicle development, where Fiat
keeping. Opel also provides a beachhead for GM in the European market— chairman Sergio Marchionne says
one of the world’s largest, along they’re still struggling with batteries.
with the U.S. and China—as well as (Chrysler claims it’ll still build a test
a vital presence in the burgeoning fleet of 220 hybrid trucks and minivans,
Russian automobile bazaar. for which it received $70 million in
The case for keeping Opel was, in Department of Energy loans.)
fact, so strong that some may Of course Marchionne was on—or
conclude that GM was only ever near—the case when all the promises
pretending to sell it, knowing that were being made. He, too, chose to
the concept of U.S. taxpayer funds keep quiet about his real intentions.
going to prop up a German company This proves that in addition to being a
wouldn’t have played well when GM shrewd negotiator—Chrysler cost Fiat
approached Congress seeking its virtually nothing in auto-business
$50 billion bailout, or when it hit the terms—Fiat’s boss is molto in tune-o
American bankruptcy courts, or, with what appears to be the industry’s
crucially, our idiot-led, cable-fed new modus operandi: don’t fight the
courts of public opinion. government like you used to—just tell
Was it a case of doling out the it what it wants to hear and then do
facts parsimoniously while rolling whatever you want anyway.
out its real plans with lethargy Like I said—oh, what a feeling. ■

the Fit for errands. And I can see where
he’s coming from with that—sort of. I
like to think that even if I had to take
the Fit for an oil change, I’d tow it to
Jiffy Lube behind the GT-R.
But the reality is that there’s
probably more occasion for cars that
lower your blood pressure rather than
raise it. The base-engine Lexus IS C
convertible is a case in point. I drove
the IS C last summer and wasn’t
expecting much, as this particular car
was equipped with the dinky V-6, all
2.5 liters of it. Certainly, a hard-
driving macho man like myself needs
more than 204 hp to get out of bed in
the morning.
HIS MAGAZINE WAS FOUNDED on the simple Yet, in its bright blue paint and
premise, “No boring cars.” Indeed, we all like to imagine white leather interior, the IS C was a
ourselves as hard-core, take-no-prisoners speed junkies who minor sensation. Ahead of me in a
readily sacrifice comfort in the name of performance. But drive-through, a girl in an IS250 sedan
after recently driving 7000 miles in the span of three weeks, leaned out the window and asked if I
I’ve gained a new appreciation for cars that occupy the wanted to trade. In Boston, a grizzled
less-exciting end of the performance spectrum. Because townie called out, “Your cahh’s a piece
somewhere in Nebraska, fueled by whatever chemicals of crap!” before adding, solemnly,
animate Jack Link’s beef jerky, I had this epiphany: if “That thing’s beautiful.” At one red
driving is so very often annoying, it becomes more light, I fielded questions from drivers
annoying in direct proportion to the performance of your car. in both adjacent lanes. I was honestly
A quick list of common driving-related frustrations: Traffic circles a little surprised by the stir caused by
where people drive in the outside lane without exiting (which is to say, all the IS C. And nobody asked how fast it
traffic circles). Construction zones where there’s no evident construction goes. Everyone did ask how much it
actually taking place. Construction zones where the arbiter of traffic flow is costs, which, thanks to the humble
a guy smoking a cigarette and wearing pajamas (I saw this in Canada). drivetrain, is an unexpectedly
People who slow down while going through yellow lights. Unsynchronized reasonable $40,000. So, the base IS C
strings of traffic lights. People who cut you off and then drive 0.2 mph. opts out of the horsepower war, but
Jaywalkers at rush hour. And speed bumps—there’s one obnoxious street who cares? What, you were going to
in my neighborhood that’s going to see a new speed-bump speed record as take it to the Friday Night Street Fights
soon as I get my hands on a Ford F-150 SVT Raptor. at your local quarter mile?
All of these small moments of misery are even more infuriating if you’re The Buick LaCrosse is another car
driving a cool car. If you’re sitting in traffic in a Ferrari, you feel like every that smooths out the rough edges of
turn of the crankshaft is a gross waste of performance, like entering the world. It has taken a long time for
Olympic track-and-field gold
medalist Usain Bolt in a potato-sack
race. If you’re driving a Lotus Exige,
you’ll be unable to see the parasites
orbiting the outside of the traffic
circle, and you’ll be that much more
fearful that one of them will punt
you over the guardrail. And there are
the matters of comfort and
utility—although we all imagine
ourselves as Ariel Atom–driving
purists, fetching the groceries with
bugs in our teeth, the soul-crushing
chores of daily driving reward cars
with more mundane priorities.
Executive editor Joe DeMatio tells
me that he recently had a Nissan
GT-R and a Honda Fit in his
driveway and found himself driving

Buick to decide what its brand stands
for, but now we know that Buicks are The Buick LaCrosse smooths out
quiet. The LaCrosse’s interior is so
quiet that you often return to the car to the rough edges of the world. Its
find it infested with monks. It’s so
quiet, the Navy has code-named it Red interior is so quiet that you often
October. It’s so quiet, it told some ninjas
to pipe down. You don’t get mad in a find it infested with monks.
library, and you don’t get mad in a
LaCrosse, either. Driving the LaCrosse
is like having an assistant who tells interior with a flamethrower, but heated steering wheel and a Jaguar
everyone you’re in a meeting. not in a $60,000 Land Rover. V-8. The LR4 even has a nifty
But nothing lowers your blood So you stick to the pavement over-relaxation emergency feature:
pressure like a nice, big, politically and deal with the inevitable if you get so comfortable that you
incorrect, full-size SUV. The Land congestion. However, there’s no lose consciousness (or succumb to
Rover LR4, for instance, is better place to be stuck in traffic gout while driving), your passenger
theoretically exciting if you take it than inside a big Land Rover. You’re can stop the vehicle by pulling and
off-road, but that’s irrelevant because perched high in the treetops in your holding the e-brake lever, which
nobody will take it off-road. Bad things overstuffed club chair, floating will activate the main braking
happen off-road. Even if you don’t along on air suspension, system. In the LR4, even a dead guy
smash your rocker panels or get sand surrounded by leather and wood in the driver’s seat isn’t cause for
in a CV boot or leave your transfer and those inscrutable yet reassuring unseemly shouting or duress.
case out in the woods, you’ll get home off-road knobs. Instead of feeling Boring cars, no. But if you take a
and wonder how you got mud on the road rage, a Land Rover driver is candid look at the kind of driving
headliner and why the dashboard instilled with a feeling of pity for you actually do, you might realize
contains raccoons. That’s fine in a Jeep fellow motorists, those landless that a soothing car is what you
Wrangler, where you can sanitize the peasants who aren’t enjoying a actually need. ■
INK

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I can’t think of an article on any cover of your December issue?
car in recent memory that left The hood appears to have about
me wishing for a design a one-inch tolerance on the left
analysis from Robert (as we look at the picture) and a
Cumberford more than the one two-and-a-half-inch tolerance on
on the Lexus LFA. Not because I the right. I used the word
really wanted to know what the “tolerance.” Feel free to use the
old curmudgeon thought, but word “gap.” Perhaps this
because it would be interesting beautiful beast, while tooling
to know if he has really gone down the backstretch at a mere
blind, as I occasionally think. 202 mph, sucked up a seagull
There was not one photograph through one of those air scoops,
of this car that made me think throwing off the tight fit just a
it looked good. No angle, no skosh. Since I have $800,000
feature, no element that made sitting on my kitchen table
me believe that a stylist had any doing nothing, I thought I
part in the making of this car. might use the cash to pick up
Going blind sight returned and I revisited Honestly, in a $350,000 two of these babies; one for me
I just read Georg Kacher’s the article to see the photos of supercar, this is not a good and one for my wife. Hey!
polite but decidedly lukewarm this glorious machine, I would thing. I can forgive less-than- Maybe I’m being unreasonable.
article about the new Lexus have no doubt been confused stellar looks in the Nissan GT-R; Perhaps it’s a camera-
LFA in the December 2009 about what kind of joke they its bargain price, relative to perspective thing. Still, I’m
issue. Kacher was were playing. $350,000 to much of its competition, makes having second thoughts. Guess
uncharacteristically cautious $400,000?!? Really? It’s just as up for a lot. But this Lexus? I I’ll stick with the Toyota LFA’s
with his praise as well as his ugly as (if not more ugly than) never liked the last couple of little sister, my 2003 Prius.
criticism. It almost seemed as a Nissan GT-R, at several times iterations of the SC series, but Marc Saegaert
if he was worried that he the entry fee. Even Georg this sinks to a whole new level. West Hartford, Connecticut
might offend the proud parent Kacher decided it would be Christian P. Maimone
of a new baby. My stepson best not to talk about such an Fairfax, Virginia Palmetto politics
noticed the real problem the unattractive baby. Put the Jamie Kitman’s article on Bobby
second he retrieved the camouflage back on. Am I the only one to have Hitt [ “BMW’s Fixer,” December]
magazine from the mailbox Dave Voth noticed a cockeyed hood on the was exactly what I have been
with the exclamation, “It’s the via Internet stunning Lexus LFA gracing the looking for—an article about a
new Nissan 370Z!” So, here we
have a new Lexus with Fast and
Furious Z-car styling and
LETTER OF THE MONTH
Nissan GT-R performance (not
a bad thing) wrapped in a
In regard to December’s Vile Gossip: Our esteemed (?) government swindled stockholders out
package that weighs more and
of two huge automobile companies—companies troubled because they overpaid the unions,
costs ten times as much as the
built crap, and ignored their customers—then stupidly gave one of them to an Italian outfit that
Z-car. Nice going, Lexus. No
years ago had to abandon our market because it was troubled, overpaid the unions, built crap,
wonder the praise sounded a
and ignored its customers. Somehow I don’t think this is going to do Chrysler alot of good. What
bit tepid.
does Fiat know today that it didn’t know twenty-five years ago? Does it think that, finally,
Eric Macleod
Americans will buy cars made from recycled orange juice cans with 40,000-rpm model
Battle Creek, Michigan
airplane engines and the half-life of a firecracker? Has it finally figured out how to apply rust
inhibitor? Can it pick a dealer who’s more likely to be around tomorrow than a flimflam man on
If I had suddenly been struck
the run from Interpol? Just remember, folks—the Vega was supposed
temporarily blind and had to
to be an answer to the Beetle, and
resort to having someone read
the Yugo was originally a Fiat.
me the article on the new
Gary Stevensen
Lexus LFA, I would have
Shakopee, Minnesota
imagined a very beautiful car
with aesthetics that match the
Gary gets a special-edition
high level of technical silver-arrow streamliner
achievement. But once my model car from Schylling.

real person involved in the
auto industry. Bobby Hitt is
clearly on the management
Memory Lane
Regarding Ezra Dyer’s
comments about MapQuest
NEVER GET TO SEE, LET
ALONE DRIVE. MAYBE
THAT CHEAPIE STRIPPED-
FREE
Car A/V catalog
side, but he retains enough [Dyer Consequences, DOWN CAR IS ALL
down-to-earth qualities to December]: The first and SOMEONE CAN AFFORD.
separate him from the last time I used MapQuest, I YOU GUYS (I’M BEING
1-800-555-8346 Summer 2009
ble 16 hours a day
masters of the universe and was driving to Lancaster, NICE, AS I HAVE SOME Comprehensive & carin
g tech support availa
keep him relatable. Thank Pennsylvania. The REALLY GOOD NAMES

you for giving us a glimpse directions had me exit the FOR YOUR KIND) North America’s Electron
ics Specialist since 1974
SM
into the South Carolinian highway, take a left, go so SHOULD CONSIDER HOW
BMW experience. I found many blocks down, and YOU BERATE A PRODUCT high-impact
Surround yourself with g-edge
car audio, and put cuttin
tips.
features at your finger
his recollections of the take another left, which led BEFORE YOU PRINT
controversy surrounding right back to the same WHAT A PIECE OF CRAP
BMW’s plant opening highway. The name of that YOU THINK IT IS! I’VE
fascinating. While BMW street? Memory Lane! I kid BEEN IN THE CAR
certainly added a lot of jobs you not! Some programmer BUSINESS ALL MY LIFE We’re thrilled to add
FOCAL high-end car
audio to our lineup.
to the local economy, it also must have been laughing AND HAVE DRIVEN Pages 2 and 31
Over 750 products

inside, over 9,000 at
got a sweetheart deal on the his ass off for adding that ALMOST EVERYTHING crutchfield.com
land. It would have been twist for anyone venturing THAT THE REGULAR
interesting to see some through York. It happened PEOPLE CAN BUY. I HAVE
statistics on the actual to my daughter on her first YET TO DRIVE A
giveaways BMW received trip there, too. JAPANESE OR GERMAN
versus its overall Scott Robb CAR THAT LIVED UP TO
contribution to the area, so Dale City, Virginia ITS PROPAGANDA. YOU
that readers could decide DON’T PAINT A TRUE
Get a dream system
who got the better end of Ezra Dyer’s column was PICTURE OF A VEHICLE for your car -
that deal. truly one of the most WHEN ALL YOU CARE
Paul Russell Laverack enjoyable reads I’ve had in ABOUT IS THE IPOD
Crutchfield can help.
Los Angeles, California a long time. He whisked me CONNECTION AND HOW ■ Huge selection from
away to my own past STIFF THE SUSPENSION IS
Living thirty miles from the adventures (which I OR HOW MANY G’S YOU top brands like Alpine,
BMW plant, I have to put typically embarked on with CAN PULL! JUST STUPID Boston Acoustics,
up with the local media’s no destinations in mind). I KID NONSENSE! OH, AND Kenwood, JL Audio,
pro-BMW stance and the love that he blended YOU ALWAYS FORGET
company’s endless PR. I do themes of family time, the THE UGLY FACTOR! THE
Pioneer, Sony and more
not want to read about it in evolution of man, and the GERMANS AND
a national magazine to disconnect of the auto JAPANESE HAVE YET TO ■ Personalized help from our
which I subscribe. If BMW industry to current DESIGN A NICE-LOOKING experts to find the right
has been so great for South technology. (What do you CAR. THAT’S WHY THE mobile A/V solutions
Carolina, why does this expect when the life cycle GERMANS BOUGHT
state still rank among the of a car is so much greater BRITISH AND ITALIAN for you
worst for education, college than that of consumer CAR COMPANIES. I’LL
costs, per-capita income, electronics?) Thanks for DRIVE MY AMERICAN
health care, violent crime, the short trip down CARS FOREVER!
Call for your free catalog today
unemployment, ad
infinitum? I know all about
memory lane.
Doug Shefsky
Bud Scamardo
via Internet 1-800-219-7353
South Carolina legislators; West Hartford, Connecticut or visit www.crutchfield.com/aut
it doesn’t take much to Excuse our Yiddish
sucker them. Many of the A capital statement Jamie Kitman [NVH,
employees at the BMW I NORMALLY DON’T December] should be more
plant in Spartanburg are WASTE MY TIME careful. It is worse to trash a
contract workers, with few WRITING TO fine old language than it is
benefits. BMW has laid off MAGAZINES, BUT I’VE to trash a fine old car. The
many workers in the past GOT A FEW MINUTES TO word is mishpachah, not
and is just beginning SPARE. YOU KIDS WHO mishpuchah.
replacement hiring— WRITE THESE ARTICLES John Cruse
reportedly contract ARE A BUNCH OF Des Moines, Washington
employees only. SPOILED BRATS. YOU GET
Write: Letters, Automobile Magazine,
Robert Tugwell PAID TO DRIVE VEHICLES 120 E. Liberty, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Belton, South Carolina THAT MOST PEOPLE E-mail: letters@automobilemag.com

Threatening the hybrid establishment.
M IAM I, FLOR I DA
BMW has a problem: The swanky full-blown hybrid system (the oddly nonlinear brake feel, the
South Beach clientele who love the artificial-feeling electric power steering, and the lack of fixed gear
brand’s impractical $70,000 four-seat ratios) are at perfect odds with the Ultimate Driving Machine
trucks (you know, the ones with the 400-hp, virtues that have made BMW so successful.
twin-turbo V-8s) might one day start caring But notice that we also used the word “solution.” The X6 proves
about fuel economy. They might put a that, with some creative engineering, hybrids don’t have to be less
diesel-powered X5 in their polished-marble involving than their combustion-only peers.
driveways if practicality weren’t so ■ To avoid common hybrid pitfalls, the ActiveHybrid X6 uses a few
gosh-darned unappealing. The gas/electric tricks. First, it employs the two-mode hybrid system that BMW
Enter the ActiveHybrid X6, a big X6 uses hardware jointly developed with General Motors, Chrysler, and Mercedes-
shared with GM,
solution to the big dilemma of suddenly Chrysler, and
Benz. Like the other vehicles that use this equipment, the X6 has
environmentally conscious nouveaux Mercedes, but four fixed gear ratios and two continuously variable ranges achieved
riches. We’re using the word “big” because BMW’s integration with planetary gears and two electric motors. While most two-mode
sets the standard
the idea of a BMW hybrid has a big for an engaging applications switch back and forth between fixed and continuously
problem: all of the drawbacks of a hybrid vehicle. variable gear ratios, BMW has programmed the X6’s system to

■
It’s a hybrid, but

will your neighbors
recognize it as
such? Cosmetic
differences
between the
ActiveHybrid and
the gasoline-
powered X6 are
subtle.
The Specs
ON SALE: Now
PRICE: $89,725
ENGINE: 4.4L twin-turbo
V-8/electric hybrid,
480 hp (combined),
575 lb-ft (combined)
BATTERY: Nickel-metal
hydride, 2.4 kWh
DRIVE: 4-wheel
emulate a conventional seven-speed automatic, with an additional outrageous 5688 pounds. A negative side effect of the weight gain is
eighth ratio engaged only during coasting. The fixed gears provide a slightly harsh and bouncy ride.
the odd-numbered ratios while the even ratios come from the The battery pack is located beneath the cargo load floor in a
planetary gears regulated by electric motors. In combination with space usually reserved for an optional spare wheel and tire. Even
the twin-turbo V-8’s flat torque curve, this arrangement delivers an with twenty-inch wheels (standard here), handling suffers a bit.
excellent combination of acceleration and fuel economy. Remember, though, that the X6 is one of the world’s best-handling
BMW’s second trick is to eliminate the strange pedal feel that SUVs to begin with.
can occur when the hybrid’s braking system apportions deceleration The ActiveHybrid’s fuel-economy boost comes at almost no
duties among the electric motors and the brake pads. To this end, cost to the X6’s spectacular straight-line performance, as the
the X6 uses a by-wire system, meaning that the brake pedal is incremental mass is offset by the additional thrust of the electric
essentially just an electric switch. It had us completely fooled—it motors—the engine produces 400 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque, and
feels absolutely no different from any other BMW brake pedal and total system power is 480 hp and 575 lb-ft. BMW says that the
easily gives the X6 the best brake feel of any hybrid on the road. 0-to-60-mph time is one-tenth of a second behind that of the X6
The X6 can shut down its V-8 at speeds up to 37 mph and can xDrive50i, which we clocked at 5.1 seconds.
travel up to 1.6 miles on electric power alone. The system is very Of course, the diesel-powered X5 produces far greater EPA
willing to keep the gasoline engine switched off in city traffic, aiding numbers both in the city and on the highway (19 and 26 mpg,
fuel economy. The EPA highway rating climbs 1 mpg to 19, but the respectively), but it certainly can’t catapult itself to 60 mph in five
city rating jumps from 13 mpg to 17, a 31 percent improvement. seconds. Although the diesel engine might have been a much
There are a few drawbacks, of course: the electronics module on simpler and more economical solution for the X6, nothing says “I
top of the V-8 gives the hood a schnoz that makes the X6 look in now care about the environment” like a hybrid badge. Especially
desperate need of a nose job. The hybrid system adds bulk to an when you’re beating sports cars at the stoplight drags.
already obese vehicle, pushing the ActiveHybrid X6’s weight to an — jason cammisa

DRIVEN
BMW ActiveHybrid 7
Having your cake and eating it, too.
M U N IC H, G E R MANY
Remember when most enthusiasts ■ quickly restarts the engine, and touching the throttle moves the car
decried the imposition of regulations The 7-series hybrid smartly, thanks to the 20-hp, 120-volt electric motor interposed
on emissions, saying that the can’t move under between the crankshaft and the eight-speed automatic transmission.
electric power
government was going to make our cars alone but still The whole system, including the lithium-ion battery pack in the
unsavory, pale shadows of what they had manages a fifteen trunk, adds 250 pounds to the already-hefty 750i, but there’s a fifteen
been? Who would then have predicted that percent increase in percent reduction in fuel consumption and an increase in total power
fuel economy.
we would arrive at today’s state of affairs, from 400 to 455 hp. Torque is up 66 lb-ft, and the heavier
when a luxury limousine like the BMW ActiveHybrid gets to 60 mph three-tenths of a second quicker,
ActiveHybrid 7—to use the official according to BMW. Obviously, there are substantial costs involved,
nomenclature—can accelerate to 60 mph in but an owner can reasonably expect to gain that back at the
five seconds, run to 150 mph before being pump—and in having a clear conscience. BMW expects 45 percent of
artificially restrained, and do it while being hybrid 7s to be sold in the United States. — robert cumberford
both more economical
The Specs and cleaner than its
ON SALE: May
PRICE: $100,000 (est.)
conventional sister?
The 7 Hybrid is a
Techtonics
ENGINE: 4.4L BMW is simultaneously launching two gasoline/
magnificent testament
twin-turbo V-8/electric electric hybrid vehicles that use the same basic
to the abilities of
hybrid, 455 hp twin-turbocharged V-8. The similarities end there:
(combined), 516 lb-ft motivated engineers to
The 7-series has a relatively simple system that is
(combined) attain whatever
referred to as integrated motor assist or as a “mild
BATTERY: Lithium-ion, “impossible” standards
0.8 kWh (est.) hybrid.” The X6 uses a more advanced two-mode hybrid system.
we collectively
DRIVE: Rear-wheel In the 7-series, a 20-hp electric motor sandwiched between the engine and the
demand. Using
transmission provides assistance. It restarts the gas engine when the driver lifts his or her
technologies developed
foot from the brake, contributes supplemental power during acceleration, and charges the
in concert with Mercedes-Benz, BMW has
battery during deceleration. The hybrid 7-series can’t run on electric power alone, and the
made its hybrid not only better
engine is always coupled to the transmission. A low-capacity lithium-ion battery stores
environmentally but actually more pleasant
electricity and powers the motor.
to live with. Early stop-and-start systems
The two-mode hybrid system of the X6, on the other hand, allows for electric-only driving
were terribly disconcerting, but this one is
at city speeds. The complex transmission offers more ways to tap into the motors and the
totally transparent. When you come to a
engine, yielding better efficiency. Although the X6’s battery uses less advanced nickel-metal-
stop, the V-8 shuts off, leaving the cabin
hydride chemistry, the larger pack permits a usable range when driven under electric power.
absolutely silent. Lifting off the brake pedal

Malibu
rises to the top
How Chevy raised the quality, satisfaction,
and mid-size-sedan value standard.
Creating the most attractive sedan in the Accord in the most recent J. D. Power and Associates Initial
mid-size segment was the easy part. The tougher job was Quality Survey. The Chevy Malibu’s improved reliability has
challenging the core attributes—quality, reliability, durability, and earned it the respect of used-car shoppers, even as the Accord and
value—achieved by the best Asian models. After two-plus years the Toyota Camry have lost ground in terms of value retention.
on the market, the answer is in. The Chevy Malibu has risen To beat the old guard, Chevy gave the Malibu the longest
above its introductory acclaim to convince those who matter— wheelbase in the mid-size sedan class for maximum interior and
real owners—that it is the new world-class standard for quality, trunk space. Both of the engines offered—a 2.4-liter four-
all-around satisfaction, and long-lasting value. cylinder and a 3.6-liter V-6—have advanced technology for
Leading consumer authorities have showered the Malibu with excellent power and performance with class-leading gas mileage.
praise, but owner survey results tell an even more convincing While the Honda Accord and the Hyundai Sonata skate by with
story. The Malibu excels in operating cost, occupant protection, five-speed automatic transmissions, the Malibu LT and LTZ
and gas-mileage categories. It earned top marks from nationwide each have a six-speed automatic to enhance both acceleration
consumers in 12 out of 17 reliability areas and topped the Honda and highway fuel efficiency.
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

The Malibu’s contemporary dual-cockpit column, and a split-folding rear backrest are all standard.
design sets an upscale cabin mood. Both metallic and To optimize poise and quietness, Chevy benchmarked
wood-grain accents are offered. Displays for the instruments, luxury sedans that cost twice as much as the Malibu. The
entertainment system, and climate control are backlit with Malibu’s interior was purged of noise and vibration by
soothing blue illumination. Center-console and door-handle tightening the door gaps, adding laminated acoustic glass,
pockets are bathed in direct light for nighttime convenience. lining the wheelhouses with molded composites, and coating
Fastidious attention to detail and luxury-class underbody areas with a spray-on sound deadener.
craftsmanship are evident in every surface you see and Features such as a power adjustment for the front seats’
touch. A large storage bin built into the top of the lumbar support and turn-by-turn navigation assist, previously
instrument panel is the perfect place to stash sunglasses, unheard of in moderately priced sedans, are standard in the
CDs, and parking tickets. The center armrest slides several Malibu. LT and LTZ models are equipped with heated seats.
inches fore and aft to accommodate drivers of every Anyone who thinks they deserve a treat will find salvation
stature. The console and the door panels are cleverly in the Malibu LTZ’s two-tone leather trim with accent piping
configured for beverage containers, cell phones, and pocket and double-stitched seams. Luxurious cloth and sheer suede
change. Dual power outlets, a tilt-and-telescopic steering seat trim are also offered.

While some makers endow their mid-size sedans with the
dynamic personality of an elevator, Chevrolet invested extra engineering
effort to perfect the Malibu’s driving enjoyment. A broad stance,
four-wheel independent suspension with low unsprung weight, and
direct-acting antiroll bars capably manage body motions during
aggressive maneuvers. The variable-assist power rack-and-pinion
steering is tuned for excellent road feel and direct response, and 50-series
touring tires mounted to seventeen- or eighteen-inch steel or spun-cast
aluminum wheels complete the link to the road. The Malibu’s four-wheel
disc brake system is blessed with standard StabiliTrak stability and
antilock controls. Traction control is also standard equipment.
The Malibu’s underhood zest comes from the high-compression-
ratio, DOHC, 4-valves-per-cylinder, and sequential-port-fuel-injection
technology built into both of its engines. The standard Ecotec 2.4-liter
four-cylinder engine delivers strong acceleration and returns
30 to 33 mpg on the highway. The optional 252-horsepower, 3.6-liter
V-6 revs to 7000 rpm while hustling to the head of the pack and still
delivers 20 mpg in combined driving.
Polishing Chevy’s star in the brutally competitive mid-size cosmos
Above: Two-tone leather graces
involved no magic. What it took was an unswerving dedication to
a spacious rear seat that splits
and folds. Below: A one-year world-class design, durability, creature comforts, and driving dynamics.
subscription to OnStar is With more than two years of enthralled customers to its credit, the
standard. The gauges are backlit Malibu is off and running as the new leader of the bow-tie brigade.
in a soothing blue hue. The trunk
holds a generous 15.1 cubic feet.
To see videos of the new Malibu, visit www.automobilemag.com/showcase/chevrolet
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

DRIVEN
Lexus
LS460 Sport
Delightfully immature.
SAN DI EGO
Two decades of impeccably mature behavior have earned
the Lexus LS platinum status with the AARP. But with the
LFA supercar arriving later this year and IS-Fs hassling BMW
3-series mavens, perhaps the moment is right for a Lexus flagship
that doesn’t act its age. Enter the LS460 Sport, a senior Lexus that
drives like the Viagra just kicked in.
Ground-grazing skirts and paddle shifters seemed out of place ■ and an ECO lamp to encourage
on this sedate sedan until a quick blast through upscale San Diego Attention seniors: parsimonious driving.
neighborhoods convinced us that this personality adjustment was paddle shifters We never saw the ECO light flash
have invaded your
long overdue. Available only on the standard-wheelbase, rear- cockpit. The black during our test run, because the eight-
wheel-drive LS, the Sport package adds $6185 to the $65,555 base and tan perforated speed automatic with Sports Direct Shift
price (it also requires opting for the $2080 luxury value package, leather and Control, transplanted from the IS-F, is so
matte-finished ash
which includes navigation, a nineteen-speaker Mark Levinson burl trim are also adept at keeping the vitality bubbling. As
sound system, and XM satellite radio). exclusive to the usual, clicking the right paddle cues
All LS sedans were freshened for 2010 with subtle changes to their sport package. upshifts, and the left tab activates
headlamps, grille, taillamps, bumper fascias, and wheels. The Sport downshifts. The transmission waits
model has its own aggressively textured grille, lower body kit, and patiently for the driver’s prompt even with
nineteen-inch forged-aluminum wheels. Brembo opposed-piston the engine knocking on its 6600-rpm
brakes peer menacingly through the twenty-spoke rims. Thankfully, redline. Gear changes are quick and
we’ve been spared the sport badge and rear spoiler clichés. decisive, and the throttle is judiciously
Inside, a new telematics system available on navigation- blipped to harmonize downshifts.
equipped LS’s provides routing assistance, automatic collision The hyperactive transmission allows the
notification, stolen vehicle recovery, and XM reception. All LS LS’s carryover 380-hp V-8 to sing melodies
cabins are blessed with new metallic accents on the center stack, we never knew were in its repertoire.
more neatly integrated audio controls, active front-seat headrests, Locked in lower gears, this engine clears its

DRIVEN
The Specs
ON SALE: Now
PRICE: $29,990
ENGINE: 3.0L V-6,
230 hp, 215 lb-ft
DRIVE: 4-wheel
throat and belts out high notes like Roy

Orbison at his rockabilly best.
The LS’s 4.6-liter engine uses both port
and direct fuel injection, variable valve
timing, and an 11.8:1 compression ratio to
achieve 16 mpg in city driving and 24 mpg
on the highway, thereby skirting the EPA’s
gas-guzzler wrath. Appropriate clicking of
the shifters delivers 60 mph in 5.4 seconds,
according to Lexus, on the way to a
governed 130-mph top speed.
To teach the LS a few contemporary
dance steps, engineers recalibrated the air
springs, tightened the dampers, and stiffened
the antiroll bars. Give its leather steering
wheel a smart yank and the LS Sport makes
surprisingly athletic moves. The 45-series
tires sink rubber teeth into the pavement,
and both ends move as a coordinated whole,
without a hint of tail wag. Body wallow and
roll are gone, although the electric power
Mitsubishi
steering remains mushy to the touch. The
same gripe applies to the brake pedal, but at
least there’s surplus stopping power now
Outlander GT
that the Brembos are on duty.
In contrast to the boy-racer exterior, the
No preconceptions.
LS460 Sport’s interior shows exquisite taste PALM S PR I NG S, CALI FOR N IA
and tailoring. The firmly bolstered front Sometimes it’s not a bad thing, if you’re an automaker, to have a vehicle in your lineup
buckets and the that’s nearly invisible. Since nobody has any preconceived notions about the car, you
comfortable rear seats can try to reposition it. In the case of the slow-selling Outlander, Mitsubishi hopes to
are trimmed with stretch its appeal beyond the Honda CR-V/Toyota RAV4 class to mix with crossovers like the
delicious black and Subaru Outback. This is a reach, but what does Mitsubishi have to lose?
tan perforated leather. In actuality, although all four trim levels of the Outlander have been face-lifted for 2010,
In place of the glossy only the top-of-the-line GT is gunning for the Outback. It’s armed with a version of the
varnish coating the Lancer Evolution’s Super-All-Wheel-Control system, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and
The Specs
LS kin’s paneling, the shift knob, a 710-watt Rockford Fosgate stereo, HID headlamps, and a sunroof, all as
ON SALE: Now
PRICE: $73,820
Sport edition’s dark standard equipment. The new FUSE hands-free system, also standard, allows you to stream
ENGINE: 4.6L V-8, ash burl has a tasteful music from your phone via the in-dash touch screen.
380 hp, 367 lb-ft matte finish. The 3.0-liter V-6 in the GT and the XLS gets a slight bump in power, from 220 to 230 hp,
DRIVE: Rear-wheel We’re hoping that thanks to an increased compression ratio. Acceleration with the standard six-speed
this LS460 Sport is a automatic is smooth and refined, but the engine feels sluggish when you’re climbing a
preview of coming attractions. The feature grade. The Outlander has a more controlled highway ride than the Outback, although the
entertainment we’d love to see is a Lexus Mitsubishi’s steering feels a bit numb on center.
LS-F powered by a tuned version of the With a starting price of $29,990, the Outlander GT doesn’t make a strong case for itself
600hL’s 5.0-liter V-8 and programmed to against the similarly priced Outback. Then again, the Outlander is better looking and
hound the haughty German sport sedans. provides a third-row seat—albeit a tiny one—in V-6 models. If that’s all it takes to get
— don sherman customers into Mitsubishi showrooms, it’s no bad thing. — mike ofiara

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The auto industry may be coming off VOTE RECIPIENTS
AUDI A3
its worst year in recent memory, but AUDI Q5
AUDI R8
you’d never know it from driving a AUDI S4

AUDI S5
BMW Z4
crop of dozens of new cars, as we just BMW 335d
BMW 7-SERIES
did during our annual All-Stars com- CADILLAC CTS

CHEVROLET CAMARO
CHEVROLET CORVETTE
petition. The level of excellence was CHEVROLET EQUINOX
CHEVROLET MALIBU
high, and the competition was keen— CHEVROLET SILVERADO

DODGE RAM 1500
FERRARI 599GTB FIORANO
so much so that thirty-nine cars [list FORD FLEX
FORD FUSION HYBRID
at right, winners in yellow] received FORD MUSTANG GT

HONDA CIVIC
HYUNDAI GENESIS COUPE
votes for the ten All-Star spots. In the JAGUAR XF/XFR
LINCOLN MKT
end, though, our balloting produced a LOTUS EVORA

MAZDA MX-5 MIATA
MAZDA/MAZDASPEED 3
list of true standouts that span a wide MERCEDES-BENZ C63 AMG
MERCEDES-BENZ G-CLASS
range of the automotive spectrum. MERCEDES-BENZ S-CLASS

MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION
NISSAN CUBE
NISSAN GT-R
NISSAN 370Z
PORSCHE BOXSTER/CAYMAN
PORSCHE 911
SUBARU LEGACY/OUTBACK
SUZUKI KIZASHI
TESLA ROADSTER
VOLVO C30
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREW YEADON

Jaguar XF/XFR

This cat has claws.
■
A
s a brand-new car, the 2009 Jaguar XF earned an All-Star how juvenile the driver, the Jag always transitions to oversteer with a
award for its balance of power, athleticism, and refinement. predictable, controlled grace. At the track, the XFR’s compliant chas-
So when the XF received significant improvements for 2010, sis and quick, positive-feel steering mask the car’s heft and inspire
we naturally had to reward Jaguar for making a good thing even bet- you to drive the 4306-pound sedan like a small sport coupe.
ter. Within fifteen months of launching the car, Jaguar had three Inside, Jaguar brings a wholly modern style to the cabin yet
new V-8 engines for the XF lineup, all displacing 5.0 liters and inject- doesn’t abandon elegance. The aluminum and dark wood accents in
ing fuel directly into the cylinders. In the XF, the new engines make the XFR are softened by rich two-tone leather seats and contrasting
385 and 470 hp, while the most significant addition is a 510-hp, su- stitching along the doors and the dash. Although the seats could use
percharged version for the new XFR performance model. a bit more bolstering for hard driving, the cockpit is otherwise per-
Although no one ever complained about a lack of power in our fectly matched to the XFR’s bipolar proficiency of being both a sports
420-hp Four Seasons 2009 XF Supercharged, the blazing fast XFR is car and a luxury touring sedan. It’s that
easily our favorite cat. Stiffer springs and active dampers conspire to uncompromising practicality and re-
firm up the handling without damaging the ride quality. With stabil- freshed performance that establish the
ity control disabled, the XFR is happy to slide its rear end around cor- Jaguar XF, in all its permutations, as an
ners in response to calculated throttle inputs. Even better, no matter BASE PRICE RANGE: All-Star. — eric tingwall
$52,000–$80,000
ENGINES: 4.2L V-8,
300 hp, 303 lb-ft; 5.0L
V-8, 385 hp, 380 lb-ft;
5.0L supercharged
V-8, 470/510 hp,
424/461 lb-ft

Audi S4
Less is so much more.
■
H
aving finally cemented its place in the top echelon of the
world’s carmakers, Audi shows no signs of letting its guard
down. Instead, it’s getting ready for the twenty-first century’s
post-scarcity, carbon-averse market with a new-for-2010 S4 that ex-
cises the last generation’s 4.2-liter V-8 in favor of a supercharged
3.0-liter V-6. Cheaper than the car it replaces ($46,725 versus
$51,085), the sure-footed, all-wheel-drive S4 takes everything we
like about the Audi A4 upon which it is based—comfort, safety,
and solid build quality—and cranks it up. Although the extro-
verted body kit is more minimal and it’s two cylinders shy of its
antecedent, the losses are merely theoretical. The new S4 is
down just 7 hp and coaxes an impressive 333 hp from its mod-
est displacement, yet torque increases from 302 to 325 lb-ft.
Shedding half a second in the 0-to-60-mph run (5.2 seconds
with a six-speed manual), the S4 also manages to increase
fuel economy. Audi’s new seven-speed dual-clutch S tronic
gearbox, which offers greater smoothness at the price of
some haste off the line, is an appealing option, as is the
Sports Rear Differential, which shifts torque from side
to side, reducing understeer. The spiffy diff option also
buys you Drive Select, a feature that allows the driver
to program settings for the suspension and the steer-
BASE PRICE: $46,725 ing. But our best memories are reserved for the fiery
ENGINE: 3.0L supercharged V-6, V-6 that pulls to its 7000-rpm redline like there’s no
333 hp, 325 lb-ft tomorrow. Quicker, cleaner, thriftier, cheaper.
We’ll take it. — jamie kitman

Chevrolet Camaro
Old-school charm from the new GM.
■
F
ormer General Motors president and CEO Fritz Henderson have opted for
understated matters last fall when he admitted that “2009, its extra grunt). BASE PRICE RANGE: $23,530–$34,595
ENGINES: 3.6L V-6, 304 hp, 273 lb-ft;
in general . . . , has been a year that I’ll be very glad to have “The SS had per-
6.2L V-8, 400/426 hp, 410/420 lb-ft
behind us.” In fact, General Motors Company, as it’s now called, haps the best
has never experienced a darker twelve-month period in its engine roar of
101-year history. Amid all the turmoil, though, there have been any car we had
glimmers of hope. Look no further than the Chevrolet Camaro— at the track,” adds editor-in-chief Jean Jennings.
if you can find one on dealer lots, that is—for proof that GM can On a deeper level, the Camaro proves that a brash, beautiful
build great cars. It’s a smashing sales success and, now, an American car can still hit an emotional chord with the general
Automobile Magazine All-Star. public. “It still gets plenty of stares,” notes road test coordinator
Although the Camaro may appear to be a blast from the past, Mike Ofiara.
it actually embodies many of GM’s most promising changes. The Camaro isn’t perfect. Our wish list includes sharper
Australian engineers at Holden have rightly become the com- handling, a smaller-diameter steering wheel, and a better-
pany’s global go-to team for rear-wheel-drive cars, and the Ca- dressed interior (although we absolutely love the well-bolstered
maro is more athletic and sophisticated for it. Another sign of front seats). Given that the Ford Mustang is already striking
smart thinking is the base Camaro’s direct-injected V-6. It’s back with more horsepower for 2011, Chevy can hardly afford
nearly as powerful as the last generation’s V-8 but gets almost to rest on its laurels. Nonetheless, we can gladly affirm that the
30 mpg on the highway. Of course, we don’t mind the 6.2-liter reborn and, yes, very bitchin’ Camaro is one of our favorite rides
V-8 in the Camaro SS (and neither do customers, most of whom for 2010. — david zenlea

BMW 335d
Our kind of fuel sipper.

■
C
an we have a bit of fanfare, please?
The BMW 335d is the most impor-
tant car this year to get lost in the
crowd. While the 335i and the M3 always
show up in comparison tests, the 335d is
an outlier—because, really, what would
you compare it with? There’s no other car
that combines performance and fuel econ-
omy at this level. Sure, there are many cars
that do 0 to 60 mph in six seconds, but they
don’t get 36 mpg on the highway. There
are cars that match the 335d’s fuel econ-
omy, but they don’t top out at 149 mph.
From behind the wheel, the 335d feels even
faster than its numbers suggest, because
the diesel six cranks out more torque than
a 6.2-liter Corvette—425 lb-ft. And despite
the diesel’s weight penalty (220 pounds
more than a 335i automatic), the car main-
tains a 51/49 front/rear weight distribu-
tion, which means that the 3-series’ sweet
rear-wheel-drive handling survives intact.
Most diesels, even high-output modern
ones, dispense their power in a sudden burst
of thrust, followed by a pause for an upshift.
Not this one. The 335d pulls hard all the
way to its 4200-rpm power peak, and its
standard automatic transmission grabs the
next gear so quickly that an acceleration
run is a relentless shove until you let off the
gas (er, diesel). So the 335d is game for hard
driving when you’re in the mood, but it can
also return subcompactlike fuel economy.
And, in one of the coolest tax laws ever, the
U.S. government will give you a $900 tax
credit to buy this twin-turbo BMW.
If BMW built a unique-bodied hybrid
that returned the numbers that the 335d
does, it would be a huge sensation. But be-
cause the 335d looks like a normal 3-series
(itself a perennial All-Star, by the way) and
doesn’t wear a hybrid badge, we already
tend to take its achievements for granted.
We shouldn’t. — ezra dyer
BASE PRICE: $44,725

ENGINE: 3.0L twin-turbo diesel I-6,
265 hp, 425 lb-ft

Dodge Ram 1500
From meathead to egghead.

■
T
he pickup market is among the most stagnant and resistant storage compartments. Apparently also questioning the notion that
to change of any segment in the automotive arena. So when a noisy truck is somehow acceptable where a noisy car is not, Dodge
a new pickup has the fortitude to question established prac- created a Ram that is astonishingly quiet to drive (although we are
tices, it deserves to be recognized. The new half-ton Dodge Ram is glad to still hear the Hemi V-8’s distinct bur-
that truck. ble at start-up). In the suddenly competitive
Cutting against the unquestioned trend of ever-more-ludicrous domain of interiors, the Ram sets the stan- BASE PRICE
towing figures, towering “in-your-face” grilles, and absurdly jacked- dard by living up to the radical idea that the RANGE:
up ride heights, Dodge engineers stepped back from the mindless cabin of a $40,000 truck should be as nice as $21,510–$43,550
ENGINES: 3.7L V-6,
braggadocio to create a vehicle that actually works smarter. Throw- that of a $40,000 car. 215 hp, 235 lb-ft;
ing out years of accepted wisdom, they scrapped the antediluvian In all these changes, the Ram often had 4.7L V-8, 310 hp,
leaf springs in favor of a well-located coil-sprung rear axle, dramati- to go not just against its competitors, but 330 lb-ft; 5.7L V-8,
cally improving the pickup’s ride quality. They retreated from the also its own history. It surely was not easy. 390 hp, 407 lb-ft
cartoonish styling and instead shaped their truck in the wind tun- The Dodge Ram has gone from meathead
nel, and consequently it uses less fuel. They also at long last addressed to egghead, adding brains to its brawn. As a
the issue of covered, secure cargo storage—which other makers of result, it surges to the front of the pack as
full-size trucks had consigned their buyers to add themselves or do the most livable yet still highly capable big
without—and created the hugely innovative RamBox in-bedside pickup in the land. — joe lorio

Now with more muscle.
■
Ford Flex
I
n its debut year, we were so taken by the Ford Flex’s classically mounted shift paddles makes quick sprints from 80 to 100 mph only
contemporary style and refined functionality that we named it a a finger click away. To get the most out of all this muscle, Ford added
2009 All-Star, calling it a “class act among people movers.” For all-wheel drive and then stiffened the springs, increased the damp-
2010, Ford has equipped the Flex with its much-anticipated EcoBoost ing rates, and lowered the ride height, making the already-buttoned-
engine, thereby addressing the Flex’s only weakness—power—and down Flex one of the best-handling full-size crossovers on the mar-
effectively transforming it from a well-rounded family hauler into a ket. Of course, the addition of the EcoBoost engine does nothing to
large sport wagon. The 355-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 uses direct injection and diminish the Flex’s attractive mutation of
two small turbochargers to provide effortless, V-8-like acceleration modern and traditional styling cues or its BASE PRICE RANGE:
while matching the fuel economy of the all-wheel-drive, normally knack for handily carrying cargo and trans- $29,325–$43,635
aspirated Flex. Unlike many turbos that are lazy down low, the pair porting up to seven people in supreme com- ENGINES: 3.5L V-6,
in the Flex spool up quickly—all 350 lb-ft of torque is available at fort. Instead, Ford’s EcoBoost serves only to 262 hp, 248 lb-ft; 3.5L
twin-turbocharged V-6,
1500 rpm—making the Flex an adept urban runabout as well as a ca- elevate the Flex’s uniqueness in a market
355 hp, 350 lb-ft
pable, medium-duty tow vehicle. And because the EcoBoost’s torque brimming with compromised, look-alike
curve is flat, a well-timed downshift using the steering-wheel- utility vehicles. — jennifer misaros

BMW Z4
Come see the softer side of the Z4.

■
B
MW has finally acknowledged what Sears re-
alized two decades ago: sometimes you need
to embrace your softer side. Doing so allowed
BMW to perform a small miracle on the company’s
droptop two-seater. You see, the previous Z4 was a
little rough and gruff, a little unsophisticated, and
undeniably masculine. The red beauty you see here
was treated to a mild testosterone-reduction program
after BMW took a good look at its customers’ needs.
The Z4 is no longer gunning straight for the Porsche
Boxster—and the Bimmer is better for it.
The BMW Z4 was designed by two very talented
women, and when compared with the car’s predeces-
sor, the fairer sex’s soft touch is palpable from every
angle. Trading racetrack readiness for everyday ele-
gance hasn’t hurt the Z4 one bit. In fact, it’s become a
better car in every way. Just as you can still buy hulky
power tools at the not-so-softer side of Sears, you can
still get your power fix in the Z4: 60 mph is yours in
five to six seconds, depending on what powertrain
combination you choose. Normally aspirated or
turbocharged; stick shift, automatic, or dual-clutch—
they’re all smooth, sonorous, and seriously quick.
And they’re best savored with the top down. This
time around, rather than offering both coupe and
roadster models, the Z4 is available one way: with
a retractable hard top. Sure, the racing junkies
moaned—this longer, heavier Z4 won’t become a
track-day favorite—but we, and we suspect roadster
buyers, heaved a sigh of relief. The benefits are a less
claustrophobic and more expensive-feeling cabin
with a much improved view out, vastly more total
trunk space, and better all-weather usability.
The interior design is a marvel of simplicity and
elegance and carries with it the first sign of warmth
from BMW in quite some time. The sheetmetal is at
once sexy, sultry, and supremely muscular—gor-
geous enough, in fact, to make it a close contender
for our Design of the Year award. The Z4 is expen-
sive, but it finally looks as though it deserves to be.
Just as much as it deserves to be a 2010 Automobile
Magazine All-Star. — jason cammisa
BASE PRICE RANGE: $46,575–$52,475

ENGINES: 3.0L I-6, 255 hp, 220 lb-ft; 3.0L
twin-turbocharged I-6, 300 hp, 300 lb-ft

Ford Fusion Hybrid
Exceptionally ordinary.
■
I
t’s just a car, an ordinary every-
day family driver, nothing spe-
cial. Except that it is special,
very special indeed. Quietly, Ford
has put a car on the road that es-
sentially enlists Toyota hybrid
technology but uses it more clev-
erly than the originating com-
pany did, giving us a sedan that
burns even less fuel than the
Camry Hybrid over an identical
route. And it does it without oblig-
ing drivers, whether they want to
or not, to make a statement with
special aerodynamic styling like
Toyota’s Prius or Honda’s Insight.
With its particularly well-pro-
grammed continuously variable
transmission, the Fusion steps off
smartly. It is definitely not a per-
formance machine, but neither
does it feel hobbled or inadequate
for daily driving, which is quite
impressive when you consider its
3700-pound-plus weight. If you
are gentle with your right foot,
the car moves off silently, with-
out engaging the 156-hp, 2.5-liter
four-cylinder engine. When the
engine does start, the transition
from all-electric to mixed drive is
as smooth and unobtrusive as
anyone could wish.
The Fusion’s party trick is LCD Perhaps the best part of the
color screens on both sides of the Fusion Hybrid experience is that
speedometer. With four modes of there isn’t much of anything,
data presentation selectable by apart from those screens, to tell
the driver, these reveal all you you that you’re in anything other
want to know about how you’re than a nice, comfortable, regular
driving and how much fuel you’re car that anyone can drive with-
using as you go. If you are “good,” out the least reflection. Its very
i.e., don’t waste fuel, a green vine ordinariness is what makes it an
graphic begins to grow at the ex- Automobile Magazine All-Star.
treme right side of the cluster. — robert cumberford
BASE PRICE: $28,350

ENGINE: 2.5L I-4 electric/hybrid, 191 hp (combined)
BATTERY: Nickel-metal hydride, 1.4 kWh

Mazda 3
Entry-level excellence or raw raciness.
■
A
few cars conceal their inner beauty be-
neath unbecoming skin. Others are gor-
geous on the outside and troubled on the
inside. The Mazda 3 and its feisty Mazdaspeed 3
alter ego are so tickled with themselves that they
greet the world with a fender-to-fender grin. Slip
behind the Joker mask, and you’ll struggle to sti-
fle your own smirk. With three engines and five
trim levels, the 3 accounts for nearly half of Maz-
da’s U.S. sales. One of its most alluring charms is
its handy size: the base four-door notchback is a
large compact, while the hatchback that under-
lies the more powerful and better outfitted edi-
tions is, according to the EPA, a small mid-size car.
Vitality is what sets all Mazda 3s apart from
the entry-level herd. Building on past success, the
new 2010 version brings a stiffer unibody, a
firmer suspension, tauter steering, revised seats,
and one larger engine to the party.
Our fave is the Mazdaspeed 3, which carries
on the original’s rough and ready ways and is
blessed with far more power and speed than any
$24,000 car deserves. Rabid torque steer is this
brand’s gift to enthusiasts who perpetually whine
for more driver involvement. As the hottest pis-
tol in Mazda’s arsenal, the Speed 3 handily out-
guns the BMW 128i, the Hyundai Genesis coupe,
and the Mini Cooper S. The psychedelic uphol-
stery, red and blue cabin illumination, LCD boost
gauge, and optional mini navigation screen con-
spire to keep the entertainment level at a fever
pitch. In a car world gone mad with obsessive
levels of poise and refinement, the Mazdaspeed 3
is a refreshing throwback to the days of half-
baked fun. — don sherman
BASE PRICE RANGE:

$15,795–$23,945
ENGINES: 2.0L I-4, 148 hp,
135 lb-ft; 2.5L I-4, 167 hp, 168 lb-ft;
2.3L turbo I-4, 263 hp, 280 lb-ft

Porsche Boxster/Cayman
Twin peaks.
■
T
he Porsche Boxster roadster and its
hardtop sibling, the Cayman, are as
close as you can come to the perfect
everyday sports car. Fits like a glove? Check.
Drives like a dream? Check. Powerful enough
to get you into trouble? Check. Agile enough
to get you out of it? Check.
Approaching redline, the flat-six engine
howls like a race car screaming through the
Fuchsröhre at the Nordschleife. The brakes
produce stopping power that stretches your
neck more effectively than a chiropractor.
The flawlessly weighted steering is so precise
that it seems to be laser-guided. In addition to
a satisfying six-speed manual, Porsche also of-
fers a splendid seven-speed PDK dual-clutch
automatic that swaps cogs seamlessly—a
good thing because the counterintuitive steer-
ing-wheel shift buttons guarantee that frus-
trated newcomers will find themselves search-
ing for the correct gear. The lively mid-engine
chassis is a marvel of modern engineering, so
that droptop Boxsters feel as rigid as coupes
and Caymans feel like they’re ready to roll
onto pregrid. The power numbers—255 hp in
the base Boxster to 320 ponies for the top-of-
the-line Cayman S—don’t sound overwhelm-
ing. But that’s the point. This isn’t a beast
that’s been toned down for popular consump-
tion or an econobox that’s been tarted up with
performance parts. It’s a solid, grown-up, well-
thought-out thoroughbred that dances rings
around the bloated Cayenne and Panamera,
and although this sounds like heresy, it em-
bodies Porsche’s core verities even more au-
thentically than the venerable 911. Prices start
at about $50,000, with fully optioned models
climbing to $70K and beyond. Cheap? No. A
bargain? Well, they say a rich man has to pass
through the eye of a needle to enter heaven.
But all he’s got to do to achieve sports car nir-
vana is buy a Cayman S. — preston lerner
BASE PRICE RANGE: $48,550–$62,450

ENGINES: 2.9L flat-6, 255/265 hp, 214/221
lb-ft; 3.4L flat-6, 310/320 hp, 266/273 lb-ft

What Matters to You?
Today, America needs fresh leadership to lead us
as a nation out of this economic crisis. Leadership
must come not only from our political leaders but
also from the average citizen. The exporting of
American jobs is a trend that must be stopped and
reversed. When I walk into my local hardware
store, I typically find 85% of the goods for sale
are manufactured 7,000 miles away. Recognizable
American brands have been forced by shortsighted
management and buyers at large national chains to
build factories overseas just to save a lousy $.50
on a tape measure. To these ruthless buyers, it is
all about the money. Rarely are product quality,
the political system, human rights, animal rights
and environmental costs to the planet considered,
not to mention the cost to our society of exporting
not only jobs, but an entire factory!
At MacNeil Automotive, we are doing our part
for the American economy and for our 300 million
fellow citizens and neighbors. My philosophy is
that if my neighbor doesn’t have a job, sooner or
later I won’t have a job either. For example, we
used to have our All-Weather Floor Mats
manufactured in England by a company that used
antiquated, inefficient equipment. They made a
decent floor mat for us, but we thought we could
build a better floor mat for our customers using
modern American technology, American raw
materials and skilled American workers. So
in 2007 we transferred all of our floor mat manu-
facturing back to the United States. Today, we
build the best fitting, highest quality automotive
floor mats in the world, right here in America.
Our machine shop is equipped with 17 CNC
machining centers including four 4 axis mills
and one 5 axis mill that produce between 30 to 50
injection and thermoforming molds per month.
We have one shift of highly skilled American
Journeymen toolmakers and apprentices, but our
machines run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
There is not a more efficient tool and mold
making operation in the world - and guess what,
it’s right here in America.
©2009 MacNeil Automotive Products Limited

Furthermore, all of our CNC mills are manufac-
tured in Oxnard, CA by Haas. Our 1,000 ton
injection molding machines are made in Bolton,
Ontario of American and Canadian components.
Our thermoforming machinery is made in Carol
Stream, IL. The raw steel and aluminum billets
which make up our tooling are sourced from
American steel and aluminum mills such as Vista
Metals in Fontana, CA. The raw materials that
make up our All-Weather Floor Mats, FloorLiners,
Cargo Liners and Mud Flaps are manufactured in
Bellevue OH, Arlington TX, Wichita KS and
Jasper TN. Our forklifts are made in Columbus IN
and Greene NY. Our warehouse racking is
manufactured in Tatamy PA.
At MacNeil Automotive, we are also very aware
of sustainability and our responsibility to the
environment. We are proactive in controlling waste
and recycling all of the unused raw materials
from the manufacture of our tooling and products
including: aluminum, steel, rubber, TPO, TPE,
paper and cardboard.
As you can see, we are as dedicated to designing,
developing and manufacturing the finest automo-
tive accessories for our consumer and OEM
clients as we are passionate about supporting the
American economy, preserving the American
industrial infrastructure, and keeping the “money”
in our family, a family of 300 million people
from all over America.
Life is simple; be good to your fellow man, be
kind to animals and the environment, and place
building a quality product, supporting your
country and your fellow American worker before
profit. And, one last thing - let’s all do our best
to balance family time with work time as our
children are the future of America.
Sincerely,
David MacNeil, Founder/CEO

dmacneil@macneil.com
Specialists in Original Equipment and

Aftermarket Automotive Accessories

es— Benz SL
c ed S AM
er
One
M
l o o k, an
d
By Ja you’ll f
o
G
Cam rget the
son
misa SLR
.
hronologically
and alphabetically, the
2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
is a direct follow-up to the SLR, the
supercar that was the offspring of a
seven-year fling between Mercedes and
McLaren. In reality, however, the SLS is the
Mercedes that’s supposed to make you forget
about the SLR and hark back five decades to the
magical 300SL Gullwing. One look—from any an-
gle—at an SLS with the doors ajar is akin to being slipped
a dose of Rohypnol. Memories of the SLR simply fade away.
Given that the Gullwing is such a prominent icon in the annals
of automotive history, Mercedes wasn’t going to trust just anyone—
including, or perhaps especially, McLaren—with the development of its
new flagship. So AMG, formerly an independent aftermarket tuner and more
recently Mercedes-Benz’s in-house skunk works, was tapped to do the job.
Let a performance division develop a front-engine car, and the handling-
obsessed engineers will shove the engine as far back as possible. The resulting
SLS has its V-8 mounted so far rearward under the pornographically long hood
that it looks as though you could fit another V-8 ahead of it. A carbon-fiber
driveshaft weighing only 10.3 pounds connects the engine to a rear-mounted
transaxle. And that’s the only carbon fiber you’ll find—whereas the SLR McLaren
unibody was made of the stuff, AMG chose to construct the SLS out of aluminum,
a first for a modern Mercedes. Not only is the SLS some 200 pounds lighter than
the SLR, the material choice no doubt helped keep expenses down: the SLS costs
half what the SLR did. And, of course, the SLS does the one parlor trick that no SLR
could ever do: open its doors straight up. (That thud you just heard was the SLR’s
resale value hitting the ground.)
However, the SLS has a slight problem right out of the box: it isn’t pretty. Its
face looks like that of a wide-mouth bass. The rear window is reminiscent of the
Buick Reatta, and the truncated rear recalls the Acura CL. Luckily, people over five
feet tall will smack their heads on the bottom of the gull-wing door getting into
or out of the SLS, and perhaps the optical-nerve degeneration from repeated head
trauma will help SLS owners grow to love the way their Gullwings look.
Actually, all it should take is for
them to fire up the 6.2-liter V-8.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
BASE PRICE $200,000 (est.)
Powertrain
ENGINE 32-valve DOHC V-8
DISPLACEMENT 6.2 liters (379 cu in)
HORSEPOWER 563 hp @ 6800 rpm
TORQUE 479 lb-ft @ 4750 rpm
TRANSMISSION TYPE 7-speed dual-clutch
automatic
DRIVE Rear-wheel
Chassis
STEERING Power rack-and-pinion
SUSPENSION, FRONT Control arms, coil springs
SUSPENSION, REAR Control arms, coil springs
BRAKES Vented discs, ABS
TIRES Continental ContiSportContact 5P
TIRE SIZE F, R 265/35YR-19, 295/30YR-20
Measurements
L x W x H 182.6 x 76.3 x 49.7 in
WHEELBASE 105.5 in
TRACK F/R 66.2/65.0 in
WEIGHT 3573 lb
FUEL MILEAGE 13/20 mpg (est.)
The aluminum-bodied SLS is not only

lighter than the carbon-fiber SLR McLaren,
it will also cost less than half as much. Oh,
and did you see the doors?

“Low weight
and high power:
this combination
is one of the ten
commandments of
super-sports-car
engineering.”
— Volker Mornhinweg,
chairman of Mercedes-AMG
The now-familiar engine has been reworked to pro- unit found in the Ferrari California—isn’t quite robust
duce 563 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque, a bit more than it de- enough to deal with it all. The M159, like other 6.2s, is
livers in other Mercedes AMG models. Impressively, the relatively soft below 4000 rpm, and coupled with the no-
V-8, which has been modified enough to earn its own ticeable torque restriction in first gear, the SLS doesn’t
code-name (M159, in place of the regular 6.2’s M156 des- exactly explode off the line.
ignation), achieves this output without direct injection. Mercedes claims that the SLS will race to 60 mph in
As the successor to the 300SL Gullwing, the world’s first 3.7 seconds (and continue to 197 mph), so you can imag-
direct-injected production car, this would have been a ine how brutally fast it is once the engine is allowed to
convenient time to fit the technology to AMG’s V-8. But run free. As in every other application, AMG’s V-8 is the
instead, AMG relied on more conventional tuner tactics Tasmanian Devil of the automotive industry: snarling,
to coax more power from its engine: a revised intake popping, and barking while spinning up dust clouds and
(with eight 11.4-inch by 2.0-inch velocity stacks), equal- terrorizing anyone within earshot. The old-school, big-
length exhaust headers, and forged rather than cast pis- block mechanical cacophony coming through the fire-
tons shave more than a pound off the reciprocating mass. wall is no match for the guttural basso profundo explod-
The horsepower bump winds up being big enough to ing from the exhaust pipes—more satanic than melodic,
earn the M159 the crown of the world’s most powerful it’s impressive more by virtue of volume than pitch. It’s
normally aspirated production V-8. completely insane.
And in fact, it’s enough grunt to cause some prob- It’s also rather insane how small the cockpit is. Get-
lems at the other end of the driveshaft: for transmission ting into the SLS isn’t as difficult as you might expect—
durability reasons, the engine isn’t permitted to produce assuming you shook off the head injury and remem-
full power in the first two gears. It seems that the Getrag- bered to reach up and pull down the door before belting
sourced dual-clutch transaxle—the same seven-speed up—but once inside, space is at a premium. Legroom is

Can a drive have
an afterglow?
Introducing the bigger, better, redesigned 2010 Legacy. A mid-size sedan with
Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive to grip the road. A SUBARU BOXER® engine gives you
a lower center of gravity for unmatched balance. Add 31 mpg,* and you get one unique
sense of satisfaction. Feel the love. Love. It’s what makes a Subaru, a Subaru.
Legacy.® Well-equipped at $19,995†
*EPA fuel estimates for 2010 Subaru Legacy 2.5i with CVT up to 31 hwy. Actual mileage may vary. †MSRP excludes destination and
delivery charges, tax, title and registration fees. Dealer sets actual price. Legacy 2.5i Limited pictured with optional moonroof has an MSRP of $25,990.

1954–1957
Mercedes-Benz
300SL Gullwing
PRODUCTION: 1400 (including 29 aluminum-
bodied vehicles)
PRICE WHEN NEW: $7463 (in 1955)
VALUE TODAY: $500,000–$650,000 (about
three times as much for aluminum-bodied cars)
FAMOUS ORIGINAL OWNERS: Luigi Chinetti,
Tony Curtis, Clark Gable, King Hussein of Jordan,
Richard Teague, Rob Walker, Frank Lloyd Wright
FAMOUS CURRENT OWNERS: Ralph Lauren,
Jay Leno, Claude Picasso, Peter Sachs,
S. Robson Walton
“Not only is the 300SL Gullwing legendary today, it was also

very special when it was new. Consider the car in the
perspective of its time, in light of its contemporaries in 1954.
The 300SL coupe had dry-sump lubrication, direct fuel
injection, a tubular spaceframe chassis, independent
suspension, impeccable build quality, a very comfortable
interior, and, of course, a beautiful and dynamic design,
which clearly has stood the test of time.”
— Paul Russell, Paul Russell and Company
granted by the power seats, but the seatback cants for- Unfortunately, it
ward as the seat moves back, so tall drivers have to lean is also clear that the
forward with their heads against the roof in order to transmission is the
have enough legroom to drive comfortably. weak point of the
The switchgear is familiar Mercedes, although the driving experience. AMG engineers warned that our pre-
silver-backed gauges look a little boy-racerish for a car in production prototypes were running transmission soft-
this price league. The materials are first-rate, of course, ware a full release generation behind that of the cars that
but the interior isn’t any more special than, say, a regular will make their way to Mercedes showrooms in May.
Mercedes-Benz SL. A substantial support member hang- The gearbox’s numerous issues—slow response, reluc-
ing from the center of the roof exacerbates feelings of tance to downshift, and occasional harsh shifts—will be
claustrophobia. We’re told that the trunk will hold two resolved, officials promise.
golf bags, but the SLS isn’t exactly a cargo hauler. Cabin None of this will be an issue when the all-electric SLS
storage is limited to a small center-console binnacle and debuts in 2013. AMG is proud of the fact that the chassis
a tiny glove box whose door is so flimsy it belongs in a was developed from the get-go to accommodate batteries
Tata Nano. in the center tunnel. Lithium-ion batteries with an en-
Not that you’ll care about the glove-box door once ergy capacity of 48 kWh are slated to power four electric
you put your foot to the floor, because dynamically, the motors that will produce a combined 392 kW (526 hp)
SLS is a masterpiece. The suspension, with unequal- and 649 lb-ft of torque.
length control arms at all four corners, provides a com- We also expect roadster and Black Series variants of
fortable ride without the assistance of air springs, active the SLS, the latter possibly with a twin-turbocharged V-8
dampers, or other trickery. At the same time, it allows with monumental horsepower. To be honest, though,
almost zero body motion, even on the track. Turn-in is AMG has already done a phenomenal job of making a
immediate, and balance is brilliant—ask for any amount very fast, very capable supercar, and the SLS doesn’t need
of oversteer, and this two-seater will happily oblige. The more power or better handling. What it needs is a little
steering is quick and accurate, and the brakes (whose op- injection of special—a glamoured-up interior and a face-
tional carbon-composite front rotors are bigger than the lift would go a long way.
@
wheels on the original Gullwing) are instantly respon- Then again, the SLS’s gull-wing doors do perform a
sive and eternally fade-resistant. The SLS doesn’t feel like parlor trick that no other new car can pull off. For that
a lightweight—perhaps due to that enormous hood in reason alone, the SLS AMG receives a permanent entry Find yourself
front of you—but as a driver, you get the sense that all of in automotive history books right next to the 300SL wanting more? Go to
its mass is low to the ground and concentrated well be- Gullwing. And for half the price of the SLR McLaren, automobilemag.com
tween the axles. that’s pretty cool. Wait, SLR? What SLR? ■ for more photos.


With its
all-new
458
ITALIA,
Ferrari
takes the
mid-engine
exotic game
T
HERE DIDN’T SEEM TO
to an even
higher level. be a lot more that Ferrari
could do with its V-8 berli-
By Joe DeMatio
Photography by netta lineup. Over the past decade, the
Mark Bramley
cars got better and better, further ce-
menting Ferrari’s role as the producer
of the world’s most desirable sports
cars. The startlingly good 360 Modena began it all back in 1999, and
each successive iteration of the mid-engine masterpiece from Ma-
ranello raised the bar: The 360 Challenge Stradale. The F430. The 430
Scuderia. And, most recently, the hyperfocused Scuderia Spider 16M.
These cars became the backbone of Ferrari’s resurgence by translating
the automaker’s hard-fought Formula 1 racing expertise into products
that tantalized auto enthusiasts everywhere, rewarded the lucky few
who owned them, and strengthened the ethereal aura around the
brand. Ferrari created the gold standard in sports cars, a lineup that
competitors as varied as the Ford GT, the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, the
Lamborghini Gallardo, the Porsche 911 GT3, and the Aston Martin V8
Vantage sought to assail. But in the tussle for sports car supremacy,
Ferrari always managed to end up at the top of the heap.

With leadership comes responsibility, but it ishing 562 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque and redlines
also can bring vulnerability. When it came time
The Italia won’t at a lofty 9000 rpm. By comparison, Lamborghini
to replace the F430, would Ferrari succumb to be offered with a gets 552 hp out of its 5.2-liter V-10. The 458 Ital-
success, throw up its collective hands, and de- manual gearbox. ia’s V-8 is a further derivation of the F136 family
cide that a mild refresh would do? After all, if of Ferrari V-8s from the F430 and the California,
any automaker today were to unveil a car that is
Instead, it gets a all of which have 104-mm bore centers and 92- or
as good as the F430 was five years ago, the car seven-speed dual- 94-mm bores. Ferrari primarily varies displace-
would be declared a champion. Ferrari could clutch auto. Purists ments by changing the length of the stroke.
easily have simply tweaked the F430, slapped on In a nod toward market reality, the 458 Italia
a new skin and a new nameplate, and still filled can howl all they will not be offered with a manual transmission.
its order books for a five-year run. This plan of want, but the people Instead, it gets a seven-speed dual-clutch auto-
action must have been tempting for a small car- matic supplied by Getrag and configured for this
maker that was already busy developing a class-
who actually buy application. Purists can howl all they want, but
leading V-12 GT flagship, the 599GTB Fiorano; Ferraris have voted. the people who actually buy Ferraris have voted:
an all-new convertible, the California; and a mid- the take rate for traditional manuals has been
cycle repositioning of its two-plus-two, the 612 Scaglietti, not to men- just this side of zero. The 458 also gets a new, faster-responding ver-
tion running a Formula 1 racing team and supplying engines to Alfa sion of the electronic limited-slip differential that debuted on the
Romeo and Maserati. F430. And in what we can only conclude is an offensive maneuver
To be sure, with the 458 Italia, which goes on sale here this sum- against burgeoning competitors, Ferrari made the 458 Italia’s carbon-
mer, Ferrari has not reinvented the automobile. At about 3300 pounds, ceramic brake system standard—as with all of its U.S. models—
the 458 is light but not particularly so. The wheelbase is a couple of rather than charging the price of a bathroom remodel for them. Fer-
inches longer than the F430’s, but the overhangs are slightly shorter rari also uses a technique it calls Pre-Fill to activate the pistons in the
and the cabin is marginally longer. The car still, of course, uses an in- brake calipers whenever electronic sensors detect that the driver is
ternal-combustion engine that burns gasoline at a prodigious rate, al- decelerating. The F430 had a similar system, but it was mechanically
though Ferrari says that emissions rival the California’s for the com- controlled, and the pads actually came into light contact with the
pany’s lowest ever. Yet what an engine it is. The 4.5-liter flat-crank, discs, which added drag.
direct-injected V-8 (Techtonics sidebar, page 74) produces an aston- In the eternal quest to shed pounds wherever possible, Ferrari’s

SUSPENSION DECOUPLING Divorces the MANETTINO Ferrari’s signature
dampers from any electronic controls “little hand” directs the complex
selected via the manettino, offering THE STALKLESS STEERING COLUMN electronics that control vehicle dynamics.
improved “filtering” of the road surface, Ferrari’s latest steering wheel The 458 Italia’s predecessor, the F430,
should the driver choose. looks even more like the ones in had an “ice” setting that’s now gone.
HEADLAMPS This little switch not only its Formula 1 racing cars than The CT-off setting deactivates traction
turns on the headlamps but also any of those in the past. No stalks control but maintains a degree of stability
operates the high/low-beam function. means that it’s easier for the control. The various manettino
TURN SIGNALS This is the most unusual driver to grasp the shift paddles, parameters can be displayed on the screen
part of the steering wheel. Most owners which are fixed to the steering to the left of the yellow tachometer.
will likely take some time getting column behind the wheel. WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER
accustomed to it. Self-explanatory.
structural engineers borrowed techniques from the aeronautical in- colored leather on the seats, the upper dash, and the door panels in
dustry for the 458’s aluminum-spaceframe construction and alumi- our test car was classic Ferrari, taut and beautifully stitched yet sup-
num bodywork. A new alloy allowed them to make the roof, doors, ple and rich to the hand; the seats themselves are firm and support-
and hood panels a wispy 1.0-mm (0.04-inch) thick, and a new die- ive. Hides also stretch across the engine-compartment wall’s padded
casting process was employed for the door frames. panel and the adjoining parcel shelf behind the seats, which is big
Ferrari’s own developments from racing informed the aerody- enough for a couple of briefcases. (The front trunk is surprisingly ca-
namic design of the 458, starting with the front winglets in the lower pacious, at 8.1 cubic feet.)
air dams, which deflect nearly an inch at speeds above 125 mph to The driver faces the usual huge central tachometer, with the
generate downforce and channel air to the front-mounted radiators. 9000-rpm redline clearly labeled. It’s flanked by two digital display
The small vents just inboard from the headlight clusters admit air, screens. When you enter the car, the left screen says “458 Italia” and
which then exits through vents near the front wheels to create the right one says “Ferrari.” Very cool. Once you’re underway, the
downforce. The large apertures aft of the side windows are the source right screen defaults to an analog-style image of a speedometer but
of air for the engine, while the ducts ahead of the rear wheels direct also is used for the navigation system and the radio, while the left
air into the glass-covered engine compartment. Intakes at the top screen’s role is to provide details of the dynamic parameters con-
rear of the car serve to cool the clutch and gearbox heat exchangers trolled by the manettino, to show a lap timer, or to display tempera-
near the left and right taillights, respectively. The horsepower rating ture gauges and the like. There’s no center stack but instead an oddly
is actually a bit misleading: at extremely high speeds, Ferrari ac- shaped protrusion from the upper dash, canted toward the driver,
knowledges that the ram-air effect contributes about 5 hp to the en- with a volume knob and a control knob for the right-hand screen. If
gine’s 562-hp total output. it sounds confusing, it is, but Ferrari claims that it’s all part of mak-
The 458 Italia’s cabin is a mixture of old and new. The caramel- ing the 458’s cabin intensely driver-focused. “In the 458,” says chief

test driver Raffaele De Simone, in explaining Truth is, it’s easy to feel like a hero in the
the layout, “the driver takes the main role, 458 Italia no matter where the manettino is
whereas the California is to share with an- pointing. On the climb through the Apennine
other person.” Indeed. About all a passenger foothills south of Maranello, the 458 Italia re-
could possibly operate are the climate con- veals a level of performance and driving plea-
trols, which are accessible and logical. sure that is extraordinary. First, the steering is
The big, easy-to-grab steering-column- exceedingly well-tuned: Light effort but per-
mounted paddles flank a racing-style, flat-bot- fectly weighted. Perfectly precise. Perfectly
tomed steering wheel with a dizzying array of communicative. Pivoting the 458 through a
controls mounted on it. In addition to the red hairpin corner will make you grin, shout, or
starter button, you’ve got the manettino do both. You know exactly where you’re plac-
switch, the high/low-beam switch for the ing the car at all times. It takes only the most
headlights, the windshield-wiper controls, minute steering input to produce a corre-
and, believe it or not, push buttons for the sponding movement in the front wheels. It’s
turn signals. Those definitely take some get- hard to overstate the level of driver confi-
ting used to. There are no steering-column dence that the 458’s supercommunicative
stalks whatsoever. steering provides.
The starting process is familiar: turn the The 458 Italia’s structural rigidity, bril-
key, hit the red starter button, and the V-8 liantly tuned suspension (control arms in
springs to life with a metallic rasp. It’s in- front, multilink setup at the rear), and fantas-
stantly identifiable as a Ferrari eight-cylinder. Ferrari 458 Italia tic brakes also play a part in allowing a compe-
As was the case with all recent Ferraris with BASE PRICE $225,000 (est.) tent driver to storm along narrow, undulating
the F1 automated-manual transmission, you two-lane mountain roads with a nonchalance
Powertrain
put your foot on the brake and pull back on ENGINE 32-valve DOHC V-8
that borders on insane. The engine and the
both paddles to select neutral. To choose the DISPLACEMENT 4.5 liters (275 cu in) gearbox work together so intuitively that it’s
automatic mode, push the large button la- HORSEPOWER 562 hp @ 9000 rpm very difficult to find yourself without exactly
beled Auto in the console astride the center TORQUE 398 lb-ft @ 6000 rpm the right amount of power on tap, no matter
TRANSMISSION TYPE 7-speed
tunnel (next to it is R for reverse, and to the your speed, your gear, or your steering angle.
dual-clutch automatic
left of that is the button for the standard DRIVE Rear-wheel Even in automatic mode, the transmission
launch control). Or simply pull back on the holds the gears to redline. Approach a corner,
right paddle to select first gear; the left paddle Chassis and the gearbox seems to know that you are
is solely for downshifting. STEERING Power rack-and-pinion going to decelerate before you even lift your
SUSPENSION, FRONT Control arms,
Such light and delicate actions, these flicks coil springs
foot from the gas pedal, seamlessly slamming
of your fingers, but they produce such potent SUSPENSION, REAR Multilink, down a gear or two before you even start steer-
and violent reactions. In first gear, the 458 coil springs ing into the curve. The responsiveness from
leaps forward with the frenetic energy of a BRAKES Vented carbon-ceramic the engine at all points in the rev band, and
discs, ABS
Ducati MotoGP bike as the engine races to- the way the exhaust cycles from one tonal
TIRES Michelin Pilot Sport K1
ward its redline. Will it be your pinky or your TIRE SIZE F, R 235/35YR-20, quality to another, are major touch points in
index finger that, in the blink of an eye, makes 295/35YR-20 the Ferrari experience. Under normal driving
contact again with the paddle? It doesn’t mat- conditions (is there such a thing in a Ferrari?),
ter: now you’re in second gear, and the greens Measurements bypass valves in the mufflers close, but when
L x W x H 178.2 x 76.3 x 47.8 in
and browns of the Emilia-Romagna autumn WHEELBASE 104.3 in
you dip into the throttle, the engine’s ECU
are blurring the side windows. Another digit TRACK F/R 65.8/63.2 in opens the valves and switches the exhaust
relaxes its grip; another flick; another gear, in- WEIGHT 3274 lb gases to the two outer tailpipes, for a rich, big,
stantly obtained; and the ripping and shatter- FUEL MILEAGE 13/18 mpg (est.) boomy bass beat. Delicious.
0–62 MPH 3.4 sec (per manufacturer)
ing of the V-8 resumes as the tach needle The 458’s competence unsurprisingly ex-
TOP SPEED 202 mph (per manufacturer)
swings upward again. tends to the racetrack. At Ferrari’s Fiorano cir-
The manettino is in Sport, the default mode. cuit, test driver De Simone is a supreme mas-
You enter a very tight left-hander a bit too ter. In his hands, the 458 has the grace of a
fast, and the front wheels crab a bit. Let’s try ballerina and the power of an Olympic
the next position, Race mode, which widens the stability control net sprinter, even as De Simone describes each corner to his passenger,
to allow more oversteer. All of the manettino settings have been reen- adding the endearing “-ah” suffix to each English noun. But even a
gineered, and the “little hand” now controls an even more complex hapless journalist whose previous Fiorano forays have been ego
array of dynamic parameters than in the F430, including the F1-Trac bruisers finds the 458 to, once again, make him feel like a hero.
traction control; stability control; ABS; and the E-Diff3. All you really We, admittedly, did not expect the 458 Italia to raise the bar sig-
need worry about is which of the five available settings to twist the nificantly, but after our first drive, we can confidently tell you that
little red knob to: the low-traction one in slippery conditions; Sport Ferrari did not succumb, or compromise, or ride on past glories. In-
for everyday driving; and Race when you’re feeling a bit randy. The stead, it innovated, it rethought, and it continued to adapt lessons
final two manettino positions, CT-off and CST-off, are best reserved for from the racetrack to the street. In so doing, Ferrari has positioned
track use. CT-off, according to Ferrari, “allows oversteer right to the the 458 very effectively against an onslaught of new competitors try-
edge of the car’s limits,” while CST-off deactivates both traction and ing to dethrone it, specifically the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and the
stability control for hero drivers. upcoming McLaren MP4-12C. Yes, the latest Ferrari is that good. ■

Ferrari 458 Italia DESIGN ANALYSIS
E
very Ferrari is special, but not every one is a visual delight. In the early years, when all Ferraris were one-offs,
there were some real clunkers, including a round-grille model so ugly that Enzo himself refused to let it back
into the factory. As Fiat expanded production to thousands exactly alike, there was a tendency to play it safe, re-
iterating cues and clues that had worked before, viz the California GT. With the Italia, the wheel has turned, and
once again originality, beauty, and excitement are synonymous with the hallowed name, to the delight both of Ferrari
buyers and those who can only dream of owning one. — robert cumberford
1 This horse on a 3 This small air 5 These crisp 6 The taillights

stick is a outlet is new and joggles on the are visible even
curiosity, but it reminiscent roof (top and from far in front, 5
puts the of prototype bottom photos) a positive safety 6
prancing-horse racing cars. are also elegant factor.
insignia nicely and add
front and center. 4 Also new is this definition.
look from
2 This subtle Pininfarina, with
crease is elegant LED turn signals 4
and adds and running
definition to lights.
the quite short
front end.
2
3
7 This “running board”

protects the undercut body
sides from debris thrown by
the front wheels.
5 5
8 Placing the characteristic
“Enzo” lamps well outboard
emphasizes the width of
the lower body and the
tightness of the bubble upper
structure.
9 There are plenty of outlets

8
for the heat generated by the
high-output V-8, very nicely 10
composed on the rear face of
the body.
7
10 The badge is nice but
completely unnecessary; this 11
shape couldn’t be anything
but a Ferrari. 9
11 Hard edges give taut

definition to all the body
surfaces, making the car look
muscular and purposeful.

TECHTONICS
Prancing horsepower.
hile most high-performance carmakers seem hell-bent
W
eight intake trumpets are three butterfly valves that open on cue,
for boosting—supercharged or turbocharged engines— providing five different interconnection modes to maximize
Ferrari has so far remained true to the traditional high-rpm volumetric efficiency and torque throughout the rpm range.
path to maximum power. The 458 Italia’s new 4.5-liter V-8 delivers To minimize friction, piston skirts have a graphite coating, the
562 hp at its sky-high 9000-rpm redline. The resulting 125 hp/liter hydraulic tappets are clad with a diamondlike carbon material, and
specific output is a record for normally aspirated production engines. cam lobes are ground to an ultrasmooth surface finish.
Advanced features previously implemented by the 430 Scuderia The dry-sump lubrication system has five pumps engineered for
include variable intake and exhaust valve timing, dual-mode muffling, minimal parasitic losses. Two pumps return oil from the heads and
and spark-gap ionization-current detonation control. The 2900-psi the cam-drive chambers, two scavenge the crankcase, and one
direct fuel injection introduced on the California’s 4.3-liter V-8 variable-output pump maintains a steady 87-psi lubrication
continues here with two squirts of fuel per combustion cycle to pressure. The twin scavenge pumps create a vacuum that reduces
maximize low-rpm torque. crankshaft windage losses from more than 3 hp in the F430 to less
The importance of breathing to this new V-8’s vitality is evident in than 1 hp here.
the amount of space devoted to air induction—roughly twice the Further to its credit, this new 4.5-liter V-8 is not only more flexible
height needed to accommodate core rotating and reciprocating and powerful than the 4.3-liter engine it replaces, it also consumes
components. Between the two large plenum chambers feeding the 13 percent less fuel, according to Ferrari. — Don Sherman
@ Find yourself
wanting more? Go to
automobilemag.com
for more photos.

Three $135,000 German
renegades attack the formerly
Wild West with 500 horses
apiece. One is saintlike in its
goodness, one is bad to the
bone, and one isn’t pretty but
is blindingly fast.
By Jason Cammisa // Photography by Andrew Yeadon
T
HE HISTORY BOOKS WOULD HAVE YOU BELIEVE
that the West was once a wild place. But if you’re braving
the sweltering California desert and happen upon a little
town called Palm Springs, you’d never know it. The dusty
bandits, merciless bounty hunters, and untamed renegades are
long gone, replaced by air-conditioned cafés, opulent galleries, and
swanky day spas. The only weapons in use are those rumbling under
the hoods of the many exotic and classic cars cruising the boulevard.
The desert people clearly favor Cadillacs over Caterhams, though—
luxury rules the West now.
The BMW 760Li, the Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG, and the Porsche
Panamera Turbo each enter the saloon with at least 500 horses of
firepower tucked away beneath a façade of formality. They look be-
nign enough, but when the dust starts flying, there are few steeds
that can match their speed. They may all hail from Germany, but
there’s something distinctly Wild West about these three sedans.
And so we took them to Palm Springs, their natural habitat, for a
gunslinging showdown.
The idea that a luxury sedan should be able to dice with a sports
car is a relatively new one. Acceleration is relatively easy to achieve—
just add more engine—but getting a big, cushy, heavy car to dance

LOCATION COURTESY OF ANDY LINSKY, WINDERMERE REAL ESTATE

through the corners like a light sports car
isn’t. And the very essence of a sports car—
the lovely sounds, the tight body control,
the connected steering—is exactly the op-
posite of a luxury sedan. Or so you’d think.
Thanks to computer-controlled suspen-
sions, brilliant engineering, and colossal
powertrains, these three Germans break
all the rules. They’re do-everything ma-
chines—large, gilded cruisers with first-
class interiors and all the latest techno-
gizmos, and yet they can pull off sports car
moves with almost no penalty to comfort.
On the surface, the BMW, the Mercedes,
and the Porsche are very similar: They cost
the same. They’re all similarly powerful—
and have so much brute force at their dis-
posal that they start out in second gear un-
less you request otherwise. And yet, in the
details, they couldn’t be more different.
760Li
the V-12 is barely audible from either inside or outside the car.
THE GOOD The 7 also does a good job masking its length. The V-12-powered
You could describe the BMW 760Li as angelic. If ever 7-series is available in long-wheelbase form only—there’s enough
there was a divine luxury sedan, this would be it. room between its front and rear wheels for a Smart ForTwo, with
twenty inches to spare. Back-seat passengers are so far away that
It may not be the most visually stunning car in the world, but they seem as if they’re in a different zip code—even the tallest pas-
nothing about the 7-series’ design will offend you, either. In fact, the sengers can’t reach the front seatbacks. To keep the 7 maneuverable,
7-series seems as though it were designed to be the least offensive car it comes standard with Integral Active Steering, which both varies
on the planet. That’s really no surprise: BMW certainly knew where the steering ratio and angles the rear wheels. Turn-in is sharp, and
it stood as far as the last 7-series was concerned—its design and user the computers keep the effective steering ratio quick, so the 7 drives
interface generated almost ceaseless commentary. And although its smaller than it is. Unfortunately, experience with other 7-series
creators denied any and all wrongdoing, they obviously listened very models without active steering has shown us that the system is re-
closely, because they addressed every complaint. In stark contrast to sponsible for numbing much of the feedback coming through the
its predecessor, the new 7-series is subtle and understated in every BMW’s steering wheel.
way. Except, of course, for its exceptional performance. And to be honest, there’s not much feedback to the driver coming
With a curb weight of more than 5000 pounds, the 760Li is no from the rest of the car, either. Despite unmatched handling balance
lightweight, but a number of factors conspire to hide that mass. First (in this test or against just about any other sedan on the road), perfect
among them is the absolutely ludicrous thrust provided by the brake action, and a telepathic eight-speed automatic transmission,
6.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-12 under the hood. At peak, 535 horses the 7-series is more of a high-speed limo than a back-road stormer.
trample the pavement, but far more impressive than what this en- Admittedly, there is no “M” badge on this 7, and BMW makes no
gine does at its pinnacle is what it can sustain: 550 lb-ft of torque claim that the 760Li is the sports car of the 7-series lineup, but it does
available from 1500 rpm all the way to 5000 rpm. That means warp- say “The Ultimate Driving Machine” right on the window sticker.
speed acceleration is easily available with a twitch of a right toe; no And the car certainly delivers the goods—just in a much quieter,
big downshifts needed, no big revs required. And no notice given— more restrained manner than, say, the Mercedes.

S63 AMG
THE BAD a car in which to suffer a big crash, it’d be this Benz. The S63 weighs
With a howling V-8, a great chassis, and a fabulous cabin, about the same as the BMW but feels a ton heavier from behind the
the S63 AMG is the S-class you don’t mess with. wheel. Not because of any lack of cornering ability—no, no, this crazed
steed beats the Bimmer in the twisties—but because of how solid and
The S63 AMG isn’t the quickest S-class in a straight line. That honor massive it feels. From the way the slow steering refuses to self-center at
goes to the S65 AMG, which, like the BMW, has a 6.0-liter twin-turbo low speeds to the way the turn signals sound (a loud, crisp click of a
V-12. But that S-class costs another $70,000, and its aging SOHC engine relay, not some computer-generated chime), everything fools you into
suffers from lots of turbo lag, an embarrassingly low redline, and is thinking the S-class is as heavy as a tank.
paired with a timid five-speed automatic. For every point the V-12 S65 The dashboard has precious few buttons, but those it does have
gains in speed over the S63, it loses three in involvement. look and feel rich. The cabin creates a feeling of elegance and occa-
The S63 is all about the 7200-rpm V-8 under its hood—6.2 liters of sion that the BMW’s can’t match. Active Body Control gives a supple
normally aspirated brute force bolted to a seven-speed automatic ride that the BMW can’t equal, either. And when asked to perform
that shifts so fast that it squeals the fan belt. And the trump card is luxo-limo duty, the Merc is the back-seat champion. The BMW wins
the noise this V-8 makes—wearing no turbochargers to muffle the on paper with more head- and legroom, but in the real world, the
exhaust, it needs to be revved, and it rewards with a demonic wail S63’s bench is more comfortable, and it affords a better view out.
that bellows across the desert floor. The 760Li can’t be heard from the The S-class is getting on in years—it was updated for 2010, but
next lane, but you can hear the S63 from a mile away. the basic car dates to 2007, and some of its electronic systems lag be-
And if you do, chances are that it’ll be catching up to you soon. hind the BMW’s. Both cars are rolling electronics showcases with
The S63 might be the slowest of this trio according to the stopwatch, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, automatic high
but when you charge up and down mountain roads, the S63’s active beams, and night-vision aids, but the BMW’s systems work slightly
suspension shows off with minimal body roll, pitch, or dive. Super- better. BMW’s iDrive controller is also a bit easier to use than
cars wish they had body control like this. Midcorner bumps? Who Mercedes-Benz’s aging Comand interface. Meanwhile, the Porsche,
cares?! Midcorner speed bumps wouldn’t even faze this Mercedes. which is the newest of the three, has about a gazillion buttons on the
Nor, you might surmise, would a midcorner tree. If you had to pick dash, just like Mercedes and BMW used to.

general store on your roof is never pretty.) The Panamera Turbo’s
four-wheel-drive system means it’ll go places, in bad weather condi-
THE UGLY tions, when the remaining two would be relegated to the stable.
The Porsche Panamera Turbo wasn’t designed to be pretty. It Because it wasn’t conceived as a luxury sedan first, the Panamera
was designed to be the performance superstar of luxury sedans. falls short of the other two Germans in cushy creature comfort. The
seats are, relatively speaking, hard and narrow. The interior is dressed
Porsche lists a bunch of objectives in the press materials for the in high-quality materials but lacks the glamour of the Mercedes or
Panamera but doesn’t once mention elegance, style, or grace. No, the the plushness of the BMW. The instrument cluster houses concen-
Panamera isn’t supposed to be comely—it’s meant to be fast as hell, tric round gauges, and one pod is a circular LCD screen that can dis-
surprisingly efficient, and very, very practical. play any number of things, including a full-color map. It’s très cool—
And it is all of those things. First, look at the data panel on page 82 and enough to make up for any other interior shortcoming.
for some unbelievable test results. The Porsche reaches 60 mph in 3.5 In normal driving conditions, the Panamera isn’t quite as supple
seconds and pulls almost 1 g on the skid pad. Its top speed is 188 mph. as the other luxury sedans. Despite Porsche’s adaptive suspension,
These are among the most impressive figures we’ve ever printed—and the ride is a bit busy—although body control is outstanding—and
certainly the best numbers from any car with four doors, a huge trunk, road noise creeps in where it’s absent from the BMW and the Merc.
and a spacious, well-appointed cabin. Where the other two cars post Of course, unlike those heavy beasts, the Porsche doesn’t have dou-
sports car numbers, the Panamera posts supercar numbers. ble-glazed windows, and surely some of that weight savings comes
In that precious data panel, the Turbo wins every single category, from less sound-deadening material. The optional Burmester sound
including the best results in EPA fuel economy testing. These are es- system, however, is among the best we’ve ever heard in an automo-
pecially laudable achievements given that the Panamera is Porsche’s bile—it turns ordinary music into what sounds like a live perfor-
first-ever sedan. mance in a recording studio. Road noise? Who cares?
The Panamera is a very different machine from the two other Around town, the dual-clutch transmission can be slightly
sharpshooters in this gunfight. First of all, it wasn’t initially designed clumsy off the line, slipping the clutch a bit more than we’d like. It
as a luxury tourer and then retrofitted with serious power, suspen- can occasionally become confused, too, but never more so than the
sion, and brakes. As such, it’s much shorter and lighter than the other driver, who’s forced to cope with steering-wheel-mounted shift pad-
cars, but it still offers a back seat large enough for a long trip. And un- dles apparently designed by someone who wasn’t born with normal
like in the other two cars, that back seat can fold down and play dead. hands. On the highway, the Panamera loafs along in seventh gear,
The Panamera’s hunchback hatchback may not be beautiful, but it’ll whose ratio is longer than any Mexican standoff. At 70 mph, there’s
swallow cargo that would need to be strapped onto the roof of the zero engine noise—the twin-turbo V-8 is practically asleep, turning
BMW and the Mercedes. (And hauling your wares home from the just 1600 rpm. And, as you can imagine, fuel economy is suitably im-

Panamera
pressive—the EPA rates the Panamera at 23 mpg on the highway, far as bragging rights. Numbers can be misleading, anyway—sure, the
better than its rivals in this test. Panamera is the fastest to 60 mph, but some of that advantage is due
Of course, that kind of mileage is achievable only if you’re well- to the way it launches from a stop. In real-world driving, the BMW is
behaved. And why would you ever act in such a way in a turbo- effectively as fast. Case in point, the 30-to-70-mph passing number:
charged Porsche? Let’s get back to that 3.5-second 0-to-60-mph run— The Porsche’s scorching 3.6-second result was achieved in Sport Plus
this feat is accomplished thanks to the combination of several mode, which keeps the engine revs up high, ready to pounce at any
factors, not the least of which is the traction afforded by all-wheel moment (undermining any fuel-economy advantage, by the way).
drive. The BMW and the Benz light up their rear tires and will lay Put the Panamera in “D” and floor it, and the result is identical to the
yards and yards of rubber—even on those rare occasions when you’re BMW’s—something we verified by lining up the two cars at 30 mph,
not trying to. Second, the Panamera’s transmission has a very short racing them side-by-side, and watching them both cross the 100-mph
first gear (which yields 29 mph in first gear at redline, compared with mark together.
39 and 43 mph in the BMW and the Mercedes, respectively), and it But it’s not as if the owners of these cars will be drag racing on the
will, at your request, perform a 4800-rpm clutch dump. way home from their Palm Springs boutiques. Betcha you’ll never
At full throttle, the Panamera is almost Nissan GT-R–ish in its see a Panamera Turbo doing launch-control hole-shots at the quar-
lack of drama. The engine’s noise isn’t particularly pleasant, since ter-mile track, an S63 exercising its way around a road course, or a
the turbo whoosh easily overwhelms the V-8 music, upshifts are co- 760Li doing burnouts behind the neighborhood high school. Num-
pious and practically impalpable, and the four-wheel-drive system is bers are but one piece of this pie—these cars are about so much more
tuned for traction, not tail-out antics. than that.
From behind the Panamera’s wheel, the experience is decidedly Someone who is laying out $135,000—or about $150,000, as our
not Boxster, Cayman, or 911—it’s about capability, not communica- test cars were equipped—for this type of vehicle wants a grand sedan
tion. The steering is quick and perfectly accurate, although it’s not that gives the feeling of being in a sports car. Titillating sounds, bru-
particularly talkative; the brakes are powerful but with no better feel tal acceleration, and the feel of quick responses are far more impor-
than the other cars. Cornering grip, though, is unbelievable, and the tant than quarter-mile times and peak lateral g’s. These buyers aren’t
Panamera feels light on its feet but unrelentingly buttoned-down, willing to sacrifice any comfort for that performance, and if that’s
even as it transitions into moderate understeer as you cross its lim- the game we’re playing, it’s the bad guy who wins this time. The Mer-
its—limits so high that we doubt most drivers will ever reach them cedes-Benz S63 AMG is the most versatile actor in this film—it plays
on the street. the most comfortable cross-continent cruiser, dresses up as the most
A point which brings us back to the gunfight at hand. Even glamorous luxury sedan, and does the best impression of a sports car,
though the Porsche unquestionably dominates in the numbers de- replete with a sound track to scare off even the toughest gunslingers
partment, we wonder what purpose those numbers serve other than in the West. ■

BMW 760Li MERCEDES-BENZ S63 AMG PORSCHE PANAMERA TURBO
Price (base/as tested) $139,125/$154,925 Price (base/as tested) $137,425/$148,575 Price (base/as tested) $133,575/$146,720
ENGINE 48-valve DOHC twin-turbo V-12 ENGINE 32-valve DOHC V-8 ENGINE 32-valve DOHC twin-turbo V-8
POWERTRAIN
DISPLACEMENT 6.0 liters (364 cu in) DISPLACEMENT 6.2 liters (379 cu in) DISPLACEMENT 4.8 liters (293 cu in)
HORSEPOWER 535 hp @ 5250 rpm HORSEPOWER 518 hp @ 6800 rpm HORSEPOWER 500 hp @ 6000 rpm
TORQUE 550 lb-ft @ 1500 rpm TORQUE 465 lb-ft @ 5200 rpm TORQUE 516 lb-ft @ 2250 rpm
TRANSMISSION 8-speed automatic TRANSMISSION 7-speed automatic TRANSMISSION 7-speed dual-clutch automatic
DRIVE Rear-wheel DRIVE Rear-wheel DRIVE 4-wheel
STEERING Power-assisted rack-and-pinion STEERING Power-assisted rack-and-pinion STEERING Power-assisted rack-and-pinion

SUSPENSION, FRONT Control arms, coil springs SUSPENSION, FRONT Multilink, coil springs and SUSPENSION, FRONT Control arms, coil springs
SUSPENSION, REAR Multilink, coil springs hydraulic cylinders SUSPENSION, REAR Multilink, coil springs
CHASSIS
BRAKES Vented discs, ABS SUSPENSION, REAR Multilink, coil springs and BRAKES Vented discs, ABS
TIRES Goodyear Excellence hydraulic cylinders TIRES Michelin Pilot Sport PS2
TIRE SIZE F, R 245/40YR-20, 275/35YR-20 BRAKES Vented discs, ABS TIRE SIZE F, R 255/45YR-19, 285/40YR-19
TIRES Continental Sport Contact 2
TIRE SIZE F, R 255/35YR-20, 275/35YR-20
L x W x H 205.3 x 74.9 x 58.3 in L x W x H 206.5 x 73.7 x 58.0 in L x W x H 195.6 x 76.0 x 55.8 in

WHEELBASE 126.4 in WHEELBASE 124.6 in WHEELBASE 115.0 in
SPECS
TRACK F/R 63.4/65.0 in TRACK F/R 63.0/63.2 in TRACK F/R 65.2/64.8 in

WEIGHT 5150 lb WEIGHT 4960 lb WEIGHT 4422 lb
EPA MILEAGE 13/19 mpg EPA MILEAGE 11/18 mpg EPA MILEAGE 15/23 mpg
0–60 MPH 4.8 sec 0–60 MPH 4.8 sec 0–60 MPH 3.5 sec
TEST RESULTS
1/4–MILE 13.1 sec @ 113 mph 1/4–MILE 13.5 sec @ 108 mph 1/4–MILE 11.8 sec @ 120 mph
@ For video of hot

car-on-car action, go to
automobilemag.com
30–70 MPH PASSING 4.6 sec
SPEED IN GEARS 39/59/88/110/142/
147/140/140 mph
CORNERING L/R 0.89/0.86 g
70–0 MPH BRAKING 161 ft
SPEED IN GEARS 43/65/97/136/155/
156/150 mph
SPEED IN GEARS 29/52/85/125/170/
188/170 mph

Lim Ex
ite trem
dA e
va ly
ila
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by EZ RA DYER photography by MIKE MA L YSZ KO

You might live next door to the Nürburgring, but that doesn’t mean you
can take a lap whenever the fancy strikes. But what if you built your own
track where you could drive as much as you want, whenever you want, in
your own automotive Disney World? That’s the dream, right there.
With your own track, you could round up some buddies and rally track. When life gives you gravel pits, make rally track–ade.
hold your own time trials. Design your own corners. Tinker with I arrive at the property armed with the following equipment: a
your car and see if you can make it quicker—all on your own terms, chain saw; a 13-hp, Honda-powered brush cutter; a diesel Bobcat skid-
on your own schedule. But that fantasy is beyond the means of just steer loader; and a pair of hedge clippers. Of these items, I have experi-
about everybody, because it takes a rare wealthy lunatic to embark ence using the hedge clippers. But I just assume that I’ll be able to mas-
on construction of a race circuit. Unless, that is, the circuit in ques- ter the array of dangerous power equipment on hand. I mean, what is
tion is a rally stage. a chain saw except a two-stroke gas motor connected to a blur of whir-
Building a road course is hard. You need all sorts of permits and ring knives? And a Bobcat is simply a two-ton, four-wheel-drive steel
engineers and heavy equipment and pavement. To build a rally exoskeleton with an articulating hydraulic bucket, no steering wheel,
track, you need only a forest and a naive belief that you can build a and a penchant for pulling wheelies. I’m sure I’ll figure it out.
dirt road simply by removing a few trees. As luck would have it, I My brother, Graham, agreed to help, and we walk out onto the
have access to some woods—thirty acres of them, up in Maine. trails to see what we’re up against. We learned how to drive out here
When my parents moved there in 1979, the place was idyllic. Now, in a 1982 Subaru GL 4WD, when I was eleven years old and Graham
there’s a giant gravel pit across the street. was nine. We didn’t know it at the time, but we were pint-size rally
My parents don’t live there anymore; they’ve had the property on drivers back then. As our comfort level increased, we started going
and off the market for years. I get the idea that they don’t really want faster, until our parents strolled through the woods one day and no-
to sell it, because inevitably the next owner will follow the example ticed that all the trails’ corners were getting torn up. It’s a statement
of the neighbors and promptly despoil the terrain with excavators of what annoying children we must’ve been that our parents handed
and dump trucks. I have a better idea: repurpose the land for a noble us the keys to an actual car just to get us out of their hair.
cause, use it as raw material to sculpt a stirring piece of artwork—a The old GL didn’t last long in our hands—in protest of its fate, it

Above: The center diff
is locked in safe
understeer mode, but
that doesn’t stop the
dirt from flying.
Opposite, from left: The
chain saw thankfully
was used only on tree
limbs. Building the
jump with the Bobcat.
gradually lost power until it would start but refused to move—so it’s thing fundamentally appealing about rearranging the landscape
been about twenty years since anyone drove a car out here. In the with a bucket loader. But there’s a bit of a learning curve. My initial
meantime, nature’s been busy. Two decades of persistent photosyn- stint in the driver’s seat is a neck-snapping procession of jerky move-
thesis have obliterated the trails I used to drive. And my goal isn’t ments as I learn to manipulate the controls. My first project is to
simply to hack out a rutted four-by-four trail. I want a smooth road cover a narrow rock that juts up out of the trail in the perfect posi-
with fun corners. And a jump. We definitely need a jump. tion to decimate a suspension arm. The rock is adjacent to a steep
First, I walk the path that I intend to use for the course, which I banking, so I use the Bobcat to scoop earth from the hill and cover
dub Forest Stage 3. (Why stage three? Because it sounds cool and im- the rock. When I’m done, the rock is covered, the trail is widened,
plies that there are two other, undoubtedly less dangerous, stages.) and we have our first piece of terrain that actually looks like a road.
It’s all a mess, with felled trees crisscrossing the trail and thick un- Now all we need is a rally car. Luckily, I’ve coerced Subaru into
derbrush crowding in from both directions. I reach out to shove a loaning me a set of wheels. A fellow named Aaron from Vermont
rotten tree out of the way, and a sapling snaps back and whips me SportsCar arrives with a trailer containing a piece of cargo that is
across the eyeball. My contact lens is sliced in half. Great. I’ve nearly about to elevate our level of silliness by nine or ten notches. He low-
lacerated my cornea, and I haven’t even fired up the chain saw yet.
Mother nature, it seems, is not happy to see me.
Graham and I decide that he’ll run the brush cutter while I clear
the larger trees with the chain saw. I’m terrified of the chain saw. The
owners’ manual cautions that there’s a part of the chain called the
“kickback zone,” and if you touch that part to a tree, the chain saw
will probably plow halfway through your femoral artery before the
motor hydrolocks on your gushing blood. So I grip the chain saw like
it’s a rabid raccoon, keeping it as far away from my body as possible.
And yet, it’s an awesome tool. Trail-obstructing trees are obliter-
ated in a cloud of sawdust and noise. Branches that crowd the path
are surgically removed. I even get low and flatten out a few stumps
that look like they could imperil a rally-car tire. It turns out that I
needn’t have worried about those. Because tree stumps, I soon learn,
are no match for an angry Bobcat.
The Bobcat is like a Tonka toy scaled up for adults. It’s an incred-
ible machine—a grader, an earthmover, a stump-digger that’s able to
turn on its own axis and crush anything in its path. There’s some-

Full race suit and
intercom helmet:
check. Ludicrous
Scandinavian rally
names: check. STI with
fake Hollywood roof
scoop: check.
THE JUMP LOOKED MODEST

WHEN I WAS STANDING
ATOP IT, BUT FROM INSIDE
THE CAR, HEADING UP THE
HILL, IT LOOKS LIKE A
HORIZON-BLOTTING RAMP
TO OUTER SPACE.
ers the door and backs out a silver and black Subaru Impreza WRX ually than make it too Red Bull X Games Xtreme right away. Rally-
STI fitted with high-profile dirt tires and, as required by Subaru In- ing is only fun when your car’s not broken in half.
sane Rally Car tradition, gold wheels. The interior is gutted. There’s a With the most important part of the track in place, I apply driver
red roll cage and a spare wheel and tire mounted where the back and navigator ID decals to the Subaru. And with the heroic Scandi-
seats should be. Aaron explains that the roll cage shouldn’t be navian team of E. Dyerssson and G. Dyerhämäläinen occupying the
trusted, since it’s just a cosmetic piece installed for this car’s former front seats, you know this car will surely be sideways in those rare
role as a star in Fast & Furious. The film connection is also why this moments when the wheels are touching the ground. Graham and I
particular STI wears a deep, ground-hugging, aftermarket chin don bright blue Subaru firesuits and open-face rally helmets, and I
spoiler. That could be trouble out on Forest Stage 3. feel almost ready to give postrace interviews laced with Norwegian
Inside the car, every idiot light is blazing. The STI’s SI-Drive sys- profanity and punctuated by straight pulls off a bottle of Svedka.
tem isn’t working, and the center differential is locked in a “safe” I fire up the STI to take a practice lap. “This seems kind of famil-
mode instead of offering its usual adjustability. The exhaust periodi- iar, huh?” Graham says. Indeed, we’ve been buckled into a Subaru
cally coughs blue smoke. The emergency brake has all the grip of hatchback out here before. This one just has, oh, more than four
Larry King on a Teflon chin-up bar. If cars could talk, this one would times the horsepower. The Subaru boxer four-cylinder has enjoyed
probably say, “Please fill my crankcase with sodium silicate and stop severe horsepower inflation since the ’80s.
the madness.” Sorry, STI. No rest for the weary, I suppose, because The course layout is basically a sprawling figure eight, with
tomorrow you’ll begin your new career as a rally car. plenty of elevation change and a nice straightaway connecting to an
The next morning, we arrive early, excited to groom our creation uphill right-hander that leads into a tunnel of foliage. At the end of
into a mini World Rally Championship proving ground. My first that tunnel: the jump.
priority, naturally, is to build a jump. Since I’ve never built a jump, The jump looked modest when I was standing atop it, but from
I’m not sure how steep or tall to make it, so I just keep adding buck- inside the car, heading up the hill, it looks like a horizon-blotting
ets of dirt with the Bobcat until it seems about right. I want to get air, ramp to outer space. Surely, though, that must be an optical illusion,
but I don’t want to punch the front struts up through the hood when so I grab second gear and hit it at about 35 mph.
I land. That said, my jump looks weak. But better to build it up grad- The Subaru explodes out of the forest, all four wheels clear of

mother earth, and touches down about twenty feet beyond the
launch point. That was a little bigger than I’d anticipated. And actu-
ally, just about right—big enough for excitement, small enough that
it won’t break the car. Hopefully.
I park the Subaru and get back in the Bobcat to refine the track. A
couple laps later, I’ve removed the crown from the road, eliminating
the ruts and dispensing with the shorn-off saplings that were grab-
bing the bottom of the car. While I’m at it, I widen a few corners,
bulldozing stumps into oblivion and dragging the bucket in reverse
to smooth my handiwork. I get so lost in my Bobcat projects that
Mike, the photographer, wanders down to the far reaches of the
course—where I’m digging stumps and making “Vroom, broom!”
noises with my mouth—to remind me that I might want to get back
to driving, you know, the car.
Good point. It’s time to go hot. Some parts of the track are too
THE TRACK ALLOWS ONLY
narrow and need more tinkering, but others are exactly as I’d envi- FIRST- AND SECOND-GEAR
sioned. For example, after landing the jump, there’s a gravel right-
hander that’s wide enough to get some serious sideways action, fol-
SPEEDS, BUT WHEN YOU’RE
lowed by another right-hander and a downhill left. With a little DOING 50 MPH WITH TREES
more excavation, there could be some speedier sections, but as it WHIZZING PAST YOUR
stands, it’s all first and second gear. Then again, when you’re doing
45 or 50 mph with trees whizzing past your ears, you don’t feel like
EARS, YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE
you’re going slow. In fact, when I stop to take a break, my hands are YOU’RE GOING SLOW.
shaking from the adrenaline. This is usually the point where, at
every other track I’ve been on, someone tells me to get out of the car. can’t figure out why. But it so happens that, back in 1988, Graham
Here, there’s nobody to stop me. drifted off the trail and hit a tree with our Subaru GL, taking out the
It turns out that sometimes I need somebody to stop me. After passenger-side headlight and folding the fender back onto the tire.
launching off the jump, I spin the car around and try to stop to talk to Then, as now, I got a pry bar, pulled the sheetmetal off the rubber,
Mike. Instead, I sail right past him, grinding to a halt against an em- and called it a day. Listen, Simba, while I tell you of the Circle of
bankment. The brakes are AWOL. Inside the car, it feels like the ABS is Fender Benders.
having an argument with itself, with the calipers and rotors paralyzed All told, I spent $530 to rent the Bobcat and the brush cutter. Gra-
by indecision. Maybe rocks got into the brakes, or maybe the smaller ham was compensated with beer and cheeseburgers. I don’t know the
rotors on this car (to allow the fifteen-inch gravel wheels) confused value of the land, but when my parents bought it in 1979, it cost less
the ABS sensors somehow. At any rate, I write off the incident as a one- than the Subaru that I restyled today. So if you, like me, will never
time aberration, because immediately afterward, the brakes return to have a factory ride or a super-platinum membership at the Monticello
normal. And they stay that way right until my final lap. Motor Club, despair not. With some cheap land, a little elbow grease,
Coming down the straightaway, I hit the brakes to set up the car and a basic familiarity with chain saws, you could have a track of your
for the right-hander. But the phantom ABS gremlin is back. The very own. It’s no Goodwood, but these are pretty good woods. ■
pedal pulses, but I don’t slow down. I
switch to Plan B—try to steer around
the corner—but the car is going too
fast, and I understeer wide. Right into a
tree. The passenger-side headlight caves
in, and the fender wrinkles with a sick-
ening crunch. Crap. Hack drivers al-
ways blame the car for their mistakes,
but I really did lose the brakes! Really.
Honest. No, seriously.
The resilient Subaru still drives, al-
beit with a plaintive new whine from
the power-steering pump. I pry the
fender back into an approximation of
its regular shape and consider taking a
few more laps, but my better judgment
belatedly kicks in. Brakes are impor-
tant. I shouldn’t drive without them.
And yet, I’m having so much fun that I
ponder ideas like, “What if I just went Top: Rubbin’ trees is
slow and used the emergency brake? racin’. Bottom: The
That sort of works.” It’s clearly time to hard-used STI throws
dirt and bluish exhaust
park the car and hang up the Nomex. on its way up a hill.
Usually when you get déjà vu, you

Mazda 2
Piquing our interest
before its U.S. arrival.
W
e liked the new
Mazda 2 from the
moment it was
announced. The
idea of sharply
reducing weight and
aerodynamic drag while increasing power
synced perfectly with our automotive
philosophy. In our November 2008 “Cars
We Need Now” issue, we called the smallest
Mazda “a car that ought to be available for
our market.” We backed up our belief in its
virtues by putting an example in our Four
Seasons fleet. Since it wasn’t yet available in
the United States (it’s coming this summer),
we asked Mazda Europe to loan us a 1.5-liter
four-door hatchback with the sport package
in France. The twin-cam four-cylinder
pumps out 102 hp and, over our test period,
managed a respectable 32 mpg despite most
of our use being in low-speed urban traffic.
France’s 81-mph motorway speed limit,
which is severely enforced these days,
presented absolutely no challenge to the
car. Accelerate as quickly as possible—it’s
not impressive, with 0 to 60 mph taking ten
seconds or so—set the precise electronic
cruise control, sit back knowing that the car
will maintain that velocity whatever the
terrain, and enjoy the ride. The Mazda 2 was
completely free of wind noise, the engine
sound was certainly present but not at all
unpleasant in its harmonies, and there was
a reassuring sense of solidity to the
ensemble that deteriorated not a whit in
our year with the poisonous yellow hatch.
We made quite a few motorway trips
with the 2. It went back and forth from
Paris to the Dordogne in southwest France
numerous times, trekked east across the
90 AUTOMOBILE | FEBRUARY 2010 PHOTOGRAPHY BY TIM ANDREW

Four Seasons Wrap-up
....
Nimble, short, and
lively, the Mazda 2
was a perfect
European city car.

Massif Central to Geneva—once with two
couples and their luggage for a three-day
stay—and easily tackled an all-day run to
Turin, Italy, to visit legendary car designer
Marcello Gandini. Despite the 2’s low
weight, it didn’t bounce around
unpleasantly on the rough roads that
abound in rural France, and on smooth
ones, it was as comfortable as many much
bigger and more cosseting machines.
Martin Swig, organizer of the California
Mille and a dedicated small-car aficionado,
remarked on that after a back-road drive,
saying the car “is quick-witted, stable, quiet
enough (and the noises you do hear sound
good), and it invites spirited driving.”
With the sport package, we got a
leather-covered wheel for the electric
power steering, but that was about the only
luxurious aspect to the interior, which was
mostly finished in hard plastic. The
cloth-covered seats were comfortable
enough, but the driver’s seat presented the
single most annoying aspect of the vehicle.
It could be manually regulated in height by
just one inch, during which it translated
fore and aft by an inch and three-quarters.
That’s fine, but to make the change—
which was absolutely necessary when the
two principal drivers varied in height by
....
eleven inches—took thirty-two strokes of
Controls on the
the not-particularly-light manual lever on
the outboard side of the cushion. This was
steering wheel are
practical and
Genealogy
evocative of more Mazda hasn’t offered a nimble new 2—the 2008
especially aggravating because in typical expensive cars, but subcompact in the United World Car of the Year—
small French cars, it takes just one move of the cabin’s
excessive gray States since the commenced in mid-2007
a similar lever for the seat to spring up to
plastic looked mid-1990s, when it and surpassed 100,000
its top position. ultracheap. discontinued the 82-hp units within eight months.
Luggage room is Also, the weird
glove-box lid was 323, but the company has After two years of denying
limited, but the
Pros & Cons hard to live with. developed a strong global any plans for U.S. sales,
trunk accepts a
+ Ideal in the city presence with the Mazda 2. Mazda announced at last
full-size hard
+ Very good on highways The first generation, known December’s Los Angeles
+ Cheap to run, maintain suitcase and a
variously as the 121 or the auto show that it would
– Hard plastics in the cabin regulation carry-on
– Fiddly seat-height adjuster
Demio (which it’s still indeed start importing
bag easily enough.
– Limited luggage space the 2, although only in
Lift-over height is
four-door-hatchback form
excessive,
with the larger 1.5-liter
gasoline four-cylinder, as in
our Four Seasons car. When
it goes on sale late this
called in Japan), debuted in
1996 as a high-roof
hatchback. Despite the
car’s success—more than a
million were built in two
generations through
2006—Mazda took a summer, the 2 will face off
different route with the against several new entrants
current 2, downsizing the in the subcompact market,
car by more than an inch including the Ford Fiesta
and some 200 pounds. (its platform mate) and the
Production for the sleek, Volkswagen Polo.

Four Seasons Wrap-up
PRICES &
EQUIPMENT
Base price
$18,800*
Price as tested
$20,450*
Standard
equipment
ABS; air-
conditioning;
keyless entry;
power front
windows, mirrors,
and door locks;
front, side, and
side curtain air
bags
Our options
Metallic paint,
$500*;
sport package
(automatic
climate control,
automatic
headlights,
rain-sensing
windshield
wipers, trip
computer, power
rear windows,
cruise control,
sixteen-inch
aluminum
wheels, foglights,
.... presumably to allow adequate structure in leather-wrapped
Aerodynamics
2008 Mazda 2 are exceptional the transverse panel below the sill, but for steering wheel
ordinary grocery runs it was fine. In general, and shift knob,
for so short a car,
Overview aided by an front and rear
body quality is well above the class average, spoilers), $1150*
BODY STYLE 4-door hatchback add-on spoiler to
ACCOMMODATION 5 passengers lengthen the roof with tight fits and doors that close with a
CONSTRUCTION Steel unibody profile. Side quiet click, no slamming needed. The service
treatment is a *Rounded prices
Powertrain cliché, but the
history was simple: there was nothing to do
ENGINE 16-valve DOHC I-4 converted from
high taillights are during 16,576 miles. Everything worked
DISPLACEMENT 1.5 liters (91 cu in) euros, before
a safety plus. every time; nothing broke.
HORSEPOWER 102 hp @ 6000 rpm 19.6% French
TORQUE 101 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm Up to now, there’s been no alternative to sales tax
TRANSMISSION TYPE 5-speed manual the slick-shifting five-speed manual
DRIVE Front-wheel gearbox for European-market 2s, but a
Chassis four-speed automatic will be offered to suit
STEERING Power rack-and-pinion
American preferences. In that case, a bit
LOCK-TO-LOCK 2.7 turns
TURNING CIRCLE 32.2 ft more displacement would be welcome, but
SUSPENSION, FRONT Strut-type, coil springs for normal commuting and travel, the
SUSPENSION, REAR Torsion beam, coil springs specification of our Four Seasons car was
BRAKES F/R Vented discs/drums, ABS
TIRES Toyo Proxes R31 highly satisfactory. Web producer Evan
TIRE SIZE 195/45VR-16 McCausland used the Mazda 2 during the
Measurements 2009 Geneva motor show, and he
HEADROOM F/R 39.5/37.8 in concluded, “I’ve not seen a small car so
LEGROOM F/R 42.0/34.8 in refined both about town and on the
SHOULDER ROOM F/R 52.8/50.2 in
LXWXH 153.3 x 66.7 x 58.1 in expressway,” which confirms our original
WHEELBASE 98.0 in appreciation. The 2’s very modern design is
TRACK F/R 57.7/57.3 in likely to create new enthusiasm for capable
WEIGHT 2117 lb
CARGO CAPACITY 8.8/16.6 cu ft
small cars, much like the far more
(rear seats up/down) expensive Mini has done. With its lively
FUEL CAPACITY 11.3 gal responsiveness, high fun-to-drive quotient,
EST. FUEL RANGE 375 miles
and low running costs, the Mazda 2 is a
FUEL GRADE 91 octane
great car for tough times.
— robert cumberford

Four Seasons Logbook
Audi Q5
This small ute is a
big deal for Audi.
T
he luxury compact
crossover market was
elbow-bumpingly
crowded long before
Audi brought us the Q5
in 2009, but perhaps that
was a good thing. As a late arrival, Audi
was well aware of its rivals. Against the
Mercedes-Benz GLK350 and the Volvo
XC60 in a comparison test last April, we
gave the gold to the Audi. Buyers have
also taken to the Q5, making it Audi’s THE SPECS
second-best-selling vehicle in America. PRICE: $45,225 Audi Drive Select,
The Q5 comes in only one flavor, with
a 270-hp, direct-injected V-6; a six-speed
ENGINE: 3.2L V-6
POWER: 270 hp
which allows for
adjustments to
Notes
TORQUE: 243 lb-ft
automatic; and all-wheel drive for a base steering, engine, 189 miles “The Q5 is perfectly
price of $38,175. Audi does, however, offer transmission, and suspension settings. comfortable in town and absolutely
plenty of additional equipment across its Although the fleet at Automobile confident when working hard,” pens
three trim levels. Our ibis white Premium Magazine often contains several hot cars, associate editor Eric Tingwall.
Plus Q5 includes a panoramic sunroof, it’s the practical vehicles that typically 854 “I’m a bit tired of carmakers
heated front seats, a power liftgate, xenon accumulate the most miles. Reasonable filling every perceived gap in their
headlamps, Bluetooth, and an iPod space for four, a well-appointed cabin, a lineups,” gripes copy editor Rusty
connection. An extra $3000 adds a 40-gig manageable size, and capable performance Blackwell. “But in a downsizing-
A. J. MUELLER
hard drive, navigation, and a backup make the compact Audi a prime candidate happy world, the Q5 makes more
camera. We did without a blind-spot to be a popular ride. We’ll see if the Q5 lives sense than the larger Q7.”
warning system, keyless ignition, and up to its potential.
Fleet Updates
BMW 750Li Honda Fit Hyundai Genesis 4.6

25,762 miles Rather than driving, 19,235 miles “The built-in navi is a nice 24,044 miles “I’ll bet the Genesis has
executive editor Joe DeMatio chose to idea, but it prices the Fit into a tougher done more good for Hyundai’s image
ride in style to a wedding in Kentucky. segment. Plus, it isn’t nearly as good as than any amount of advertising,” opines
“Rear-seat comfort is, predictably, some of the more affordable senior Web editor Phil Floraday, who
splendid,” he reports. Unfortunately for aftermarket systems I’ve used,” grouses drove it to Chicago. “It’s easy to look at
him, his chauffeur was West Coast editor assistant editor David Zenlea. the car, touch its interior materials, and
Jason Cammisa, who couldn’t resist 21,281 “I love getting into the Fit after a see how much the brand has improved.”
drifting the big sedan around an exit late night at work,” says Blackwell. “You 25,568 “I hadn’t driven the Genesis in a
ramp. “Chassis balance is spot-on, and can drive it hard enough to keep yourself while but had no problem remembering
the information coming through the alert and entertained without blatantly how to use its intuitive nav system,”
steering wheel is astounding,” he gushes. disobeying traffic laws.” notes senior editor Joe Lorio.
■ For more Four Seasons fleet updates, go to Automobilemag.com


Collectible Classic
De Tomaso Mangusta
1967–71 An exotic from one of the lesser-known Italian masters.
D
e Tomaso Mangusta is not the first answer most is fairly easy, mostly because of the narrow doorsills. The Mangusta
people give when asked to name a late-1960s uses a backbone frame, so, in the cockpit area, its structure is
Italian GT. But in terms of street presence and raw concentrated at the center of the car, where the frame rails reside
sex appeal, this lesser-known exotic gives away under the massive console. The longitudinally mounted V-8 engine
nothing to its more widely recognized sits ahead of the rear axle, which means the passenger compartment
contemporaries from Ferrari, Lamborghini, and is located far forward. Driver and passenger must angle their legs
Maserati. Seen today, this Giorgetto Giugiaro masterpiece looks like toward the center of the car, due to the substantial intrusion of the
a long-forgotten Hot Wheels car sprung to life. Upon its debut at the front wheel wells. And the steeply raked windshield comes all the
Turin auto show in 1966, its impact was even more dramatic. way up to your forehead, or so it seems. The wide, low cockpit is
“I remember the first time I saw one,” says Bob Tucker, a decked out in padded leather, and the flat dashboard is littered with
now-retired professor of architecture who owned a Mangusta back businesslike, round gauges and a long row of toggle switches.
in the day. “I thought it was the biggest point of departure for When Tucker keys the engine to life, however, the sound isn’t
automobile design up to that time.” Tucker had a keen eye for one of Italian exotica but the rumble of an American muscle car.
cars—he owned Alfa Romeos and Ferraris as well. As it turned out, That’s because a humble Ford V-8 powers the Mangusta; the
though, the Mangusta, with its mid-mounted Ford V-8 and tricky
handling, was too much of a personal departure for Tucker, and he
didn’t hang onto it for very long before returning to Alfas.
Still, the Mangusta stayed around long enough to make a searing
impression on the consciousness of Tucker’s elementary-school-
aged son, Roman. “I never forgot the looks of that thing,” he says.
Like his father, the younger Tucker today is deeply into Alfas (he
vintage races and restores them) and also likes Ferraris (he has a
512BB and a Testarossa)—but unlike his dad, Roman has kept his
Mangusta, a stunning gray example that he purchased in 1996.
As I stand next to it, the car seems impossibly low—it’s a scant
forty-three inches tall—and the purity of the design is
uncompromised. And, in fact, the cars weren’t modified to meet U.S.
federal safety standards of the day, and a sticker inside the front trunk
warns of that fact. Despite the low roof and the severe tumblehome—
because of which the door glass can retract only halfway—getting in
96 AUTOMOBILE | FEBRUARY 2010 PHOTOGRAPHY BY A. J. MUELLER

THE SPECS
ENGINE: 5.0L
OHV V-8, 230 hp,
310 lb-ft
TRANSMISSION:
5-speed manual
DRIVE: Rear-wheel
SUSPENSION,
FRONT: Control
arms, coil springs
SUSPENSION,
REAR: Multilink,
coil springs
BRAKES: Discs
WEIGHT: 3000 lb
(est.)
THE INFO
Years produced
1967–1971
Number produced
401
Value today
$65,000–$95,000
Why buy?
Knockout looks
from the pen of the
302-cubic-inch engine, topped with a master, Giorgetto
four-barrel carburetor, may not have a Giugiaro, at the
European pedigree, but it’s certainly simple height of his
and reliable. It’s also easy to work on, unless design powers.
For someone who
the task is changing the accessory-drive wants a late-’60s
belt—the engine is snug up against the Italian GT, the
firewall, so it’s best to remove the seats and layout uses no rubber parts—and the ride is Mangusta is an
the console to perform that operation. fairly decent. The spotty autumn sunshine out-of-the-
mainstream
The Ford V-8’s 310 lb-ft of torque, begins to bake us under the huge, nearly
choice. It’s a
however, effortlessly moves this flyweight horizontal windshield, so Tucker switches mid-engine exotic
two-seater (which tips the scales at 3000 on the air-conditioning (which was standard without the
pounds, give or take). Tucker happily equipment). This really is a comfortable sky-high tune-up
.... bills or the need of
demonstrates on the quiet country roads highway cruiser, and Tucker has driven it to
Impossibly low an old-world
around his Michigan home, running the headlights, racetracks as far as Watkins Glen in New mechanic to keep
Mangusta up to an indicated 100 mph or nonexistent York and Road America in Wisconsin. it running, thanks
bumpers, and a
better several times, as our photographer rakishly sloped
“People go crazy when they see it,” he to its dead-simple
and his assistant struggle to catch up. greenhouse—the says, which is understandable, given the American V-8. That
Mangusta’s design said, however,
Then it’s my turn. The driver’s seat offers car’s style and its rarity. Only 401 were built,
made little much of this car is
little adjustment, so either you fit or you concession to and it’s estimated that about half survive. mechanically
don’t. Luckily, I do. The turning circle is practicality. Cabin U.S. importation ended in 1971, when fragile, chiefly the
wide, and there’s essentially no visibility out details include a De Tomaso’s federal-standards exemption transaxle. Prices
wood-and-leather had been a
the back. I roll onto the throttle and the car steering wheel, a expired. De Tomaso followed with the
veritable bargain
powers ahead, quickly blurring the trees, gated shifter, and Pantera, which was sold by Lincoln-Mercury
toggle switches. compared with the
barns, and mailboxes. The clutch is stiff, but Butterfly doors
dealers, but that car doesn’t have quite the Mangusta’s
the shifter moves easily through its access the engine design purity of the Mangusta. It’s true that contemporaries
chromed gate—but the fact is, you hardly bay and a small De Tomaso was a small operation and the but recently have
luggage become less so.
need to use it, given the V-8’s torque and the compartment. cars were not the most thoroughly
close spacing of the gearbox’s five ratios. engineered. But the Ford V-8 is certainly
Tucker warns me that the car’s handling robust, and Tucker claims that his
is tricky: it pushes at first, then the back can Mangusta has been reliable. Really, though,
snap out suddenly and is somewhat hard to if you want reliable, get a Toyota Camry.
catch because of the slow-geared steering. I The Mangusta is something else entirely. It’s
don’t have a chance to confirm his a macho vision of the future from an era
assessment, since the roads are mostly when designers were still unconstrained,
arrow-straight. But I certainly can hear the and it’s every bit as striking today as when it
suspension working—the control-arm was introduced. — joe lorio

SPOTLIGHT
1969 Mercedes-
Benz 600 Pullman
Landaulet
SOLD AT $523,446 RM Auctions
SN WDB100.015.12.001129. Black over red Battersea Park, London, England, October 28, 2009
leather. 6.3-liter V-8; four-speed automatic.
One of fifty-nine Pullman Landaulets (rear-
by Dave Kinney
opening roof section). A daunting restoration
1. 1969 Morris Interestingly, this Customized 3. 1956 AC Aceca
project, with lots of dented panels and many
Minor 1000 Morris appeared to with shark gills, Bristol
missing pieces. Windows stuck in various
Traveller sell at a price that plexiglass roof SOLD AT $121,514
positions do not bode well. The weathered
SOLD AT $12,151 would be appropriate panels, and lots SN BE571
interior is no better, with an odor that can
SN MAWSD on both sides of the of chrome. Good Black over gray
charitably be described as musky and musty.
1247082 Atlantic. Lots of fun, paint, excellent leather. 120-hp,
Green with ash plus a distinctive brightwork. 1971-cc in-line six;
THE STORY BEHIND THE SALE
wood framing style and shape for Brushed-metal four-speed manual.
From 1963 to 1981, the 600 was the top
over green vinyl. not too much cash. dash, worn seats. Very nice paint
Mercedes, much like today’s Maybach. It
48-hp, 1098-cc Nicknamed “Mentley over well-prepared
came in long-wheelbase (Pullman) and short-
four-cylinder; four- 2. 1983 Bentley Insanne.” To say body panels. Very
wheelbase versions. Also known as the Grosser
speed manual Mulsanne Turbo that this is a specialty good chrome. Clean
Mercedes, the 5800-pound, seven-passenger
transmission. Good SOLD AT $20,564 vehicle with a limited under the hood.
Pullman limo cost $25,582 in 1968, nearly four
older paint. Joint SN SCBZSOT market would be an Interior appears
times as much as a 280SL convertible.
separation and OXDCH07064 understatement, but original and has
The 600 was also famously and fabulously
what could be filler Blue over it looked kind of cool plenty of patina.
complicated, with fuel injection, vacuum
in the wood trim. cream leather. in its own outrageous The AC Aceca is
central locking for the doors and the trunk,
Good brightwork. 328-hp, 6.7-liter way. The sale price the coupe version of
and two separate HVAC systems. The cars
Correct but ill- turbocharged seems fair, since some the AC Ace. Bristol
were also infamous for their hydraulics, which
fitting seat covers, V-8; three-speed recommissioning is refers to the engine,
powered many of the features that would have
decent dash. automatic. needed. which is based on the
been electrically operated in other vehicles.
The Landaulet’s presale estimate was
$65,000 to $100,000, and many in attendance
thought that to be overly ambitious. The
astounding sale price was more than five times
the upper estimate. And the restoration will
likely cost much more. Time will tell whether
this portends a commensurate rise in the
value of five-passenger models and
non-Landaulet Pullmans.
1 2

Auctions
prewar BMW 328’s Silver and brown
powerplant; it ended over brown leather.
up in British hands 180-hp (est.),
as part of reparations 452-cubic-inch V-16;
after World War II. three-speed manual.
This car was the A very high-quality
first Aceca equipped restoration. Paint
with a Bristol engine, has aged but is still
which is more of an very good. Excellent
4 5
interesting fact than a chrome. The trunk
value-adding feature. and the canvas
The selling price was spare-tire covers are
right where expected. discolored and worn.
The V-16 Cadillac
4. 1991 Ferrari debuted in December
Testarossa 1929, just as the
SOLD AT $51,410 Great Depression
SN ZFFAA17C started to take hold.
000091236 Production soldiered
Red over cream on, however, all the 6 7
leather. 380-hp, way through 1940.
4.9-liter flat-12; five- A total of 4386 were
speed manual. All built—just a handful
paint is very good. in this open body
Minor scuffing on style. This car suffers
the windshield. from only one major
Mismatched tires. negative: its color
Light wear on the scheme is outdated.
driver’s seat only; all Even so, this Cadillac
else is excellent. could bring an 8 9
Conventional wisdom additional $100,000
says the values of after some light ATS (Automobili Silver over black 8. 1970 Dodge 9. 1929 Alfa
Testarossas will reconditioning. Turismo Sport, SpA) leather. 380-hp, Challenger R/T Romeo 6C 1750
stay low because made its debut at 6.0-liter V-8; four- SE coupe Gran Sport
of pressure from 6. 1963 ATS 2500 the 1963 Geneva speed automatic. SOLD AT $46,736 roadster
other, more modern GT coupe motor show. With A steel-bodied SN JH29N0B SOLD AT $887,989
Ferrari V-12 models. SOLD AT $523,446 its exotic styling, full custom by 213080 SN 0312940
The wedge-shaped, SN 2004 the mid-engine Mercedes-Benz’s Sublime green with Red over tan leather.
cheese-slicer styling is Red over black sports car caused in-house tuner, black vinyl top over 85-hp, 1752-cc
evocative of the 1980s, Connolly leather. quite a sensation. AMG. Excellent paint black vinyl interior. in-line six; four-
but don’t forget—the 300-hp, 3.0-liter Unfortunately, only and chrome. The 335-hp, 383-cubic- speed manual
1980s is now officially V-8; five-speed eight cars were interior is custom inch V-8; three- transmission.
a long time ago. manual. Excellent completed; as with as well. Very much speed automatic Flawless paint,
paint, chrome, and many start-ups, upgraded to a transmission. A excellent chrome
BEST BUY trim. Overall a very the dreams were modern-car look. well-done older and trim. The seat
5. 1931 Cadillac nice and pleasing bigger than the bank One of eleven built, restoration that’s leather shows a
Series 452A V-16 restoration. account. Had you including five for now starting to age. light patina.
roadster With a design by been looking to buy an the royal family This Dodge is far Alfa Romeo has
SOLD AT Franco Scaglione ATS, this might have of Brunei. Said to from practical in the an outstanding
$420,626 and coachwork been your only chance have cost nearly United Kingdom, history of building
SN 703165 by Allemano, the for quite some time. €1 million in 2006. where gasoline great automobiles,
This price was well All mechanicals are costs nearly $7 per and that history is
below the estimate updated; under the gallon and roads epitomized by this
and might just be skin, this car has little are substantially 6C 1750 GS roadster
market correct. in common with the narrower than those with coachwork by
original Gullwing. in North America. Carrozzeria Sport
7. 1954 Mercedes- The intense bidding But you’re not likely to in Milan. The catalog
Benz 300SL on this car should be pass another sublime- picture doesn’t do
Gullwing interpreted as interest green Challenger this car justice. Even
SOLD AT $785,169 from a number of driving through the at almost $900,000,
SN 1980404 places. Expensive, but streets of London. The this Alfa was
3 500066 worth it. price seems fair. appropriately priced.

INK
But the list of All-Stars winners is
the real eye-opener. On it: five
European cars, four American models,
and one lone Japanese winner, the
Mazda 3/Mazdaspeed 3. Ford and
BMW won two All-Stars each.
There was no unanimous winner
among the ten, but the Ford Fusion
Hybrid blew away all comers except
for the combined Porsche Cayman/
Boxster vote. The Ford Flex won a
sophomore All-Star award (thanks in
great part to its newly available
twin-turbo EcoBoost engine), and the
Chevy Camaro made a strong showing
after losing the 2010 Automobile of
the Year award to the Volkswagen GTI
EN YEARS AGO, WE strode confidently into the new in our January issue. The Dodge Ram,
millennium, naming the Ford Focus our Automobile of the the best vehicle currently available
Year, the CEO of Ford our Man of the Year, and the Audi TT from the revamped Chrysler, also
our Design of the Year. The Honda Insight’s new hybrid vaulted into the top ten. Beating out
powertrain—remember, they beat Toyota to America?— two of the best-selling vehicles in
won our technology trophy. It’s pretty cool that, as we told America—the Ford F-150 and the
you last month, we again found our Man of the Year Chevy Silverado—must feel especially
■
running the Ford Motor Company, while the 2010 sweet to newly minted Ram brand
They might not
Technology of the Year honors lithium-ion batteries, the have made our
president and CEO Fred Diaz.
power source of choice for hybrid and electric vehicles. list of 2010 Of course, we included our fair
We recently drove our All-Star candidates during a rainy fall week on All-Stars, but the share of rubber-burners among the
BMW 7-series, the
Michigan roads and a racetrack to save dough, just like we did ten years ago. Audi S5, and the winners, but I’m proud to say that we
But unlike in 2000, the rest of our little world is pretty much upside down. Mercedes-Benz resisted the temptation to select only
In 2000, we chose thirteen All-Stars in specific categories, and if one of C63 AMG have vehicles that produce a testosterone
won the editor-in-
them hadn’t been Best Pickup, there wouldn’t have been a single winner chief’s heart—and rush. Instead, our All-Stars were
from Detroit. As it was, the Japanese took Best Minivan, Small and Large her votes. awarded to a diverse selection of cars,
SUV, and only one car category. Germany completing our perfect stable of
blitzkrieged the rest. We also let readers vote All-Star rides for 2010.
and, while their choices varied from ours, they I encourage you to study the list of
also gave out eight All-Star trophies to European All-Star vote-getters on page 43. All of
vehicles (seven Germans and one Ferrari), one to them received at least one vote from
an American pickup, and four to the Japanese. an editor who felt they belonged on
The worm has turned. We dumped the our list of the best cars you can buy in
categories a few years ago. No more endless America. You shouldn’t discount the
nitpicking. At the end of all the driving and left-behinds, especially the five on my
fussing and fulminating, we pick ten vehicles own ballot that didn’t win. (Yes, only
we’d like to own. The Germans have not so half of my 2010 dream garage made
much lost their edge as they’ve been swarmed by the cut. No, I am not bitter that
fierce, hungry global competition, including the executive editor Joe DeMatio had nine
newly focused, postapocalyptic domestic car All-Star winners on his ballot.)
industry, which is hell-bent on winning—or to The cars I voted for that didn’t
die trying. make the final cut include the utterly
The seventeen editors who cast All-Star votes stunning Audi R8 supercar, our 2008
did so for some thirty-nine different vehicles, and Automobile (and Design) of the Year.
the results were no longer so lopsided: seventeen My favorite luxury sedan, the
European models got votes, including two Brits exquisite BMW 7-series. The
and one Swede, while Detroit beat out the Asians handsome, spacious, and economical
(including one Korean vehicle) twelve to ten. In Chevy Malibu. The Mercedes-Benz
a blaze of glory, only Chevrolet equaled Audi C63 AMG, a heart-stopping work of
with five vote-getting models. Ford came in third staggering audaciousness. And the
with four models (including the Lincoln MKT) Audi S5 coupe, a spirited beauty with
receiving votes. Then came BMW, Mercedes, and a drop-dead interior.
Nissan tying with three each. There, I feel better. ■

WE GAVE IT MORE IDEAS PER SQUARE INCH.
BECAUSE MORE IS WHAT WE DO.
Standard Rear-
Vision Camera
System displays
what’s behind MultiFlex
your vehicle. seat creates
more rear
leg room or
Available
cargo space.
power liftgate
programmable
Available
to stop at
chrome accents
selected height.
and many bold
GMC design
highlights.
EPA-estimated
32 hwy mpg,
better than any
hybrid SUV
or crossover.
It’s equipped with the StabiliTrak stability enhancement system and has a four-wheel independent suspension. It has a refined
interior and seating for five adults. And it has an efficient 2.4L direct-injection engine.* In fact, it does everything bigger
SUVs can do, and one thing they can’t: offer an EPA-estimated 32 hwy mpg. We gave it more ideas per square inch. Because
more is what we do. INTRODUCING THE ALL-NEW TERRAIN. THE SMALLER SUV, FROM GMC. WE ARE PROFESSIONAL GRADE.
*EPA-estimated mpg (FWD) 22 city/32 hwy. ©2010 General Motors. All rights reserved. GMC® GMC logo® MultiFlex® StabiliTrak® TerrainTM WE ARE PROFESSIONAL GRADE®

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Features :: February 2010

4 AUTOMOBILE | FEBRUARY 2010

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–10– 32 BMW ACTIVEHYBRID X6

Americans really fall for? Delightfully immature.

96 exotic animal 90 mazda 2 preview

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of pint-size pod cars.

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Nissan Land Glider

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YRIAD INTRIGUING TECHNOLOGICAL

. . . AND THE 6-SERIES WILL GAIN A FOUR-DOOR COUPE

GIVEN THE HYPERCOMPETITIVE, HYPERIMITATIVE

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THE ALL-NE W 2010

THE CADILLAC OF CROSSOVERS

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PEAK SPEEDS REACHED DURING NARDO EVENT

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FEBRUARY 2010 | AUTOMOBILEMAG.COM 15

16 AUTOMOBILE | FEBRUARY 2010 ILLUSTRATION BY TIM MARRS

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18 AUTOMOBILE | FEBRUARY 2010

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ISSAN’S LEAF IS understandable. It wouldn’t be a good idea

in Tokyo last October, Nissan’s

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FEBRUARY 2010 | AUTOMOBILEMAG.COM 21

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24 AUTOMOBILE | FEBRUARY 2010 ILLUSTRATION BY TIM MARRS

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26 AUTOMOBILE | FEBRUARY 2010 ILLUSTRATION BY TIM MARRS

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MOTOR TREND CERTIFIED ADVANTAGE pre-owned vehicles

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Here’s your chance.

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keep him relatable. Thank Pennsylvania. The REALLY GOOD NAMES

Over 750 products

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It’s a hybrid, but

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

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