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APRIL 2017 MOTORTREND.COM

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April 2017

COVER PHOTOGRAPH By James Lipman EST. 1949 VOL. 69, NO. 4

36 THE TESTS & DRIVES LEFTOVERS COVER STORY

FIGHTING THE SIN OF OMISSION

62 BRUTE SQUAD GOALS 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Raising hell, killing tires, and chasing big numbers. Jonny Lieberman 68 WHEN CONCEPT MEETS REALITY 2018 Lexus LC 500 and LC 500h Lexus’ new coupe points the way forward. Jonny Lieberman

76 A NEW FORCE 2017 Lamborghini Huracán Performante Lamborghini’s new technology reinvents the wing. Jonny Lieberman 80 B6 VS. M6 2016 BMW Alpina B6 xDrive Gran Coupe VS. 2017 BMW M6 Gran Coupe We compare BMW’s two 600-horsepower Gran Coupes. Jason Cammisa

MOTOR TREND (ISSN 0027-2094) April 2017, Vol. 69, No. 4. Published monthly by TEN: The Enthusiast Network, LLC, 261 Madison Ave., 6th Floor, New York, NY 10016-2303. Copyright© 2017 by TEN: The Enthusiast Network Magazines, LLC; All rights reserved. Periodicals Postage Paid at New York, NY, and at additional mailing offices. SUBSCRIPTIONS: U.S. and U.S. Possessions $18 for 12 issues. Canada $30 per year and international orders $42 per year (including surface mail postage). Payment in advance, U.S. funds only. POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 707.4.12.5); NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: send address corrections to: MOTOR TREND, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235.

Contents MOTOR TREND OnDEMAND IS NOW LIVE! FOR MORE THAN 1,000 HOURS OF ORIGINAL AUTOMOTIVE programming, live motorsports, and an extensive historical archive, head to www.motortrendondemand.com.

THE FUTURE OF BEING DRIVEN The Lucid Air, one of the stars of the Consumer Electronics Show, re-envisions the back seat. And so much more.

DEPARTMENTS 14 LOHDOWN What does MT stand for? TREND 20 INTAKE This month’s hot metal. WE SAY Words from our editors. 28 REFERENCE MARK Machine-making machinations 30 TECHNOLOGUE Dry sumpin’ supercars 32 THEY SAY INTERVIEW Mark Fields and Raj Nair, CEO/CTO, Ford 34 YOUR SAY Our readers talk back. 98 THE BIG PICTURE On Trump’s twitchy Twitter fingers

ARRIVAL Toyota Mirai UPDATES Dodge Charger Hellcat, Honda HR-V (EX), Kia Sportage EX, Mazda CX-3 AWD (Grand Touring), Subaru Outback (2.5i Limited) VERDICT Subaru BRZ

C H A S E D O W N Y O U R PA S S I O N .

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The Moral Cost of Dieselgate The opening day of the North American International Auto Show was also the day the FBI arrested former VW emissions manager Oliver Schmidt and subsequently charged him with conspiracy to defraud the United States, defraud customers, and violate the Clean Air Act. The New York Times broke the story, and the news alert on my phone popped up as I stood on the show floor in Detroit. Just steps away from me was VW’s stand, a photo of which the Times used to lead the story, presumably because Schmidt’s mug shot was not yet available. Two days later, federal prosecutors announced charges against five additional executives. VW management at the show was besieged with questions related to the indictments, and the 2017 show debuts and new product offensive were largely forgotten. It was hard not to wince as all of this came crashing down—again—and wonder how VW will ever get past this. Can America forgive and forget? If the letter I received from future Eagle Scout candidate Luke Morretta, a high school sophomore in Bedford, New York, is any indication, forgiveness won’t come soon: I am writing to you as a requirement for my Communications Merit Badge but also to discuss Volkswagen’s Dieselgate. I am a big fan of cars (and your magazine), and my mom owns an affected Volkswagen Touareg TDI. I talked with my parents about the whole issue, and although they were upset at the thought of having their beloved car being bought back, they told me “that’s what happens when you cheat.” I’ve now come to realize the bigger moral picture to this whole scandal, and no matter what happens with the cars, the bottom line is that they cheated. Not once have I ever seen a car article discuss morals and the consequences of wrongdoing. I’ve realized that filling magazine readers’ heads with information basically has no impact on their lives and society. Now, for articles on brand-new cars with new technologies, it is practically impossible to bring that back to the big picture; but on scandals like these, I think it is imperative to impose a deeper message than just the fines that VW is faced with and which executive will be prosecuted. In order for society to progress and for the world to be a better place, magazines like yours must display a care for morals and should display what is right and what is wrong. It would be easy to dismiss Luke’s letter as the well-written but naive musings of a neophyte not yet familiar with how the world works. After all, VW has pled guilty to charges of fraud, obstruction of justice, customs violations, and violations of the Clean Air Act. At last count, it is paying more than $20 billion in fines and settlements of various lawsuits. Top executives have lost their jobs, and a handful might see jail time. VW of America has dropped diesel from its lineup and has no current plans to ever bring it back. Surely these penalties are enough, right? Not to families such as the Morrettas, for which VW’s deception is a deeply personal betrayal. The only thing Luke needs to understand is how right he is to feel outraged and how justified he is to act on these emotions. We pride ourselves on reporting news across the auto industry as squarely and soberly as we can, with no punches pulled but no extra shots delivered. Underscoring what is right and wrong is not our job, but highlighting the consequences of wrongdoing certainly is. We leave moral discussions up to readers, and the passionate ones never fail to deliver. In holding us accountable, readers such as Luke demand honesty from the companies we report on and vehicles we evaluate. After all, MT does not stand for moral turpitude. Q

PHOTO BY JANE NISHIMOTO

For families such as the Morrettas, VW’s deception is a betrayal.

14 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

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NEWS / OPINION / GOSSIP / STUFF

TREND04.17 INTAKE P20

WE SAY P28

THEY SAY P32 INTERVIEW

THIS MONTH’S HOT METAL

WORDS FROM OUR EDITORS

MARK FIELDS AND RAJ NAIR CEO AND CTO, FORD

THE BEST OF DETROIT Words Scott Evans

The North American International Auto Show in Detroit is an institution. But as more technology invades our cars, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, held a week before the Detroit show, has become a must see for car fans. On top of Motor Trend’s exclusives of the all-new Toyota Camry and Kia Stinger in last month’s issue, here are the hottest cars and concepts from Detroit and Vegas.

2018 Ford F-150 Not content with just an all-new 10-speed automatic transmission as an update to the F-150, Ford is plowing ahead with new and improved engines, too. The big news is a 3.0-liter turbodiesel V-6, which is related to the one Ford builds for Jaguar Land Rover. Also new is a 3.3-liter V-6 to replace the old 3.5-liter base engine. It, the 5.0-liter V-8, and the 2.7-liter EcoBoost twin-turbo V-6 now feature both port and direct injection for more power and better efficiency. The 3.5-liter EcoBoost, similarly upgraded for 2017, carries over. Every engine except the base V-6 gets the 10-speed automatic, and every engine gets automatic start/stop. The 2018 trucks also get new grilles, headlights, taillights, and tailgates.

20 MOTOR TREND.COM / APRIL 2017

UPDATED New engines and sheetmetal for the F-150.

2017 DETROIT

04.17 TREND

AUTO SHOW SPECIAL YOUR SAY P34 READERS TALK BACK

AND CES

Volkswagen I.D. Buzz Concept VW has teased us mercilessly with several Microbus concepts over the past 16 years, and we’re still waiting for the real deal. This time, the I.D. Buzz is built on VW’s upcoming electric vehicle architecture, so it looks feasible. Power comes from a 110-kW-hr lithium-ion battery pack under the ﬂoor and drives electric motors at both axles to make a combined 369 hp. Range is estimated anywhere between 200 and 270 miles, and it can take an 80 percent charge in just 30 minutes. Inside, the front seats can rotate in autonomous mode, and the sliding center console offers up an enormous iPad and a table. The rear seat can fold down into a bed, as well. Please, VW.

APRIL 2017 / MOTOR TREND.COM

NEWS / OPINION / GOSSIP / STUFF FF

Intake

TRUCK YEAH Unlike its GMC sibling, the Traverse goes big with a spacious interior.

2018 Chevrolet Traverse Hot on the heels of the downsized GMC Acadia, the full-size Chevrolet Traverse returns with three rows and seating for up to eight. Its new architecture drops a claimed 362 pounds, which should add a bit of pep to the standard 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder (255 hp, 295 lb-ft) and optional 3.6-liter V-6 (305 hp, 260 lb-ft). Both engines drive an all-new nine-speed automatic and feature automatic start/stop. An optional all-wheel-drive system tells you when to engage rather than doing it for you. A longer wheelbase means more interior space, and the second row slides, even with a child seat anchored in. Chevy also added several new trim levels and retained the ability to tow up to 5,000 pounds.

2018 Honda Odyssey

22 MOTOR TREND.COM / MARCH 2017

Following Chryslerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pacifica, Honda has rolled out a redesigned Odyssey on the latest Pilot/Ridgeline platform. Its 3.5-liter V-6 now makes 280 hp (up 32) and drives a nine- or 10-speed automatic, depending on trim level. Inside, Honda adds more sound deadening, a sort of PA system to talk to the third row, and a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hot spot for streaming audio and video to your devices. You can see rear-seat passengers, too, thanks to a camera positioned just behind the front row. Seven-passenger models get Magic Seats, which slide toward the middle to ease third-row entry and also slide fore and aft. A second-row bench seat is optional. The sliding door track is integrated into the window frames, hiding the previous versionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ugly scar.

04.17 TREND

2017 DETROIT

AUTO SHOW SPECIAL

2017 Nissan Rogue Sport To fill out its SUV lineup, Nissan is rebadging Europe’s Qashqai as the Rogue Sport in the U.S. Measuring 12.1 inches shorter overall and 2.3 inches shorter in wheelbase than the Rogue, the Rogue Sport doesn’t offer a third row and loses much of its cargo space. It’s powered by a 141-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 147 lb-ft of torque, and it drives either the front or all four wheels through a CVT. Struts in front and a multilink in the rear make up the suspension. Blind-spot warning, lane keeping, and Siri Eyes Free are available with this attempt to challenge class leaders such as the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4.

Infiniti QX50 Concept Squint just a little, and you’ll see the next-gen Infiniti QX50 hiding beneath the concept car touches. This is technically a concept for the replacement of the ancient QX50 (née EX), but its 2.0-liter variable-compression engine will be the production engine. Infiniti says it’ll be 27 percent more efficient than a similarly powerful V-6. Infiniti isn’t saying whether its advanced driver assistance systems will see production on the QX50 or another model, but they are coming.

2018 Lexus LS 500 The long-awaited long a aited update pdate for Le Lexus’ s’ ﬂagship sed sedan has finally arrived, and it’s traded its naturally aspirated V-8 for a more powerful 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 with 415 hp and 442 lb-ft of torque. A 10-speed automatic powers the rear wheels, and a plug-in hybrid powertrain shared with the LC coupe is on the way. Although slightly larger, Lexus says the new LS is 200 pounds lighter thanks to its new GA-L platform (also shared with LC). Ride and handling are managed by a multilink and control arm suspension with active anti-roll bars, air springs, and optional rear steering. The interior piles on all the latest tech features one would expect in a big luxury sedan.

NEWS / OPINION / GOSSIP

Intake 2017 DETROIT

Audi Q8 Concept

AUTO SHOW

Yes, it’s a concept. But make no mistake, an Audi Q8 is coming to take on the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe, and it’ll look a lot like this. The concept is an e-tron, so it gets a 3.0-liter turbo V-6 with 329 hp and 369 lb-ft and a 134-hp electric motor with 243 lb-ft. Power comes from a 17.9-kW-hr lithium-ion battery good for 37 miles of electric range. Inside, the concept features Audi’s virtual cockpit, touchscreen-only controls, and an augmented reality head-up display, some of which will make their debuts on the new A8 sedan. Shorter in length and wider than the new Q7, the Q8 only seats five. Expect a production model next year.

2017 LAS VEGAS CES

Chrysler Portal Concept

Designed for families and ride sharers of the future, the Portal imagines the potential of the minivan. It’s electric and has a 250-plus mile range from a 100-kWh lithium-ion battery under the ﬂoor, and it can add 150 miles of range in 20 minutes. The six seats get individual climate control, entertainment options, and sound cones so you don’t have to agree on what to listen to. There are also up to 10 docking stations for your devices. The second- and third-row seats slide and stack together or can be removed. SAE Level 3 autonomous driving is standard, and it will have the ability to upgrade to Level 4. Chrysler says it will build a production model similar to the Portal in a few years.

2017 DETROIT AUTO SHOW

Nissan Vmotion 2.0 Concept Purely a styling exercise, the Vmotion 2.0 concept offers a preview of Nissan styling features in the near future. Expect the larger Vmotion grille and thickly creased bodywork to show up on production cars. Threadless, tufted leather and trick aerodynamic inserts in the wheels are also likely. Unfortunately, the most interesting trick, a one-piece carbon-fiber roof support that replaces the traditional A-, B-, and C-pillars, will not make it to production.

Toyota Concept - i

Although visually wild, the Concept-i is really about the AI-based assistant living under the skin. Named Yui (and bearing an uncanny resemblance to HAL 9000), it won’t just be a digital assistant you bark orders at but rather a friend you have conversations with while it handles your social calendar and the driving. Yui also has the ability to project messages onto exterior body panels, welcoming you to the car or notifying the public it’s driving autonomously. It even makes the headlights blink like a cartoon.

2017 LAS VEGAS CES

MUSTANG: 50 YEARS AGO A PASSION WAS IGNITED…

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6 generations of pure muscle

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,“ZIPPO”, , and are registered trademarks in the United States and in many countries. The listed Trademarks are used in the United States under license of ZippMark, Inc. All Zippo lighter decorations are protected by copyright. Zippo Manufacturing Company. All Rights Reserved. 2017

From the premiere “American Muscle 1965” through the killer “King Cobra,” all 6 generations are here on sleek, brushed chrome Zippo® windproof lighters. Proudly made in the USA, each lighter arrives in a Zippo® -branded individual gift box. A custom glass covered display case — a $100 value — is yours for the same low price as a single edition and it comes complete with a sculpted Mustang logo.

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2017 LAS VEGAS CES

Intake

MIKE CONNOR

MTCONFIDENTIAL

Honda Neu-V Concept

Pronounced “new-V,” it’s actually an acronym for New Electric Urban Vehicle. It’s electric, self-driving, and intended for city dwellers who don’t carry much and need parking ﬂexibility. Being autonomous, it can also be rented out to ride-hailing services while the owner isn’t using it (96 percent of the time for privately owned vehicles, according to Honda). HANA, the Honda Automated Network Assistant, uses AI to learn your habits and make friendly recommendations. An electric skateboard in the back gets you the last mile from the parking lot to your destination.

Faraday Future FF 91 Faraday Future might be plagued with money and personnel problems, but that hasn’t stopped it from revealing its first car, the FF 91. The 1,050-hp luxury electric crossover claims to be the world’s quickest (yes, quicker than a Ludicrous Tesla) while alternatively offering a range of 378 miles from its modular 130-kW-hr lithium-ion battery pack below the ﬂoor. An AI-based system learns your preferences and can transfer them to any Faraday vehicle; each car will recognize you based on biometrics such as fingerprints and facial recognition. Naturally, it will offer autonomous driving capability, as well. It’s supposed to go on sale next year, but the factory isn’t built yet.

Lucid Air

Faraday Future has commanded the headlines while Lucid has quietly gone about getting its first car produced. The Air falls somewhere between a midsize and full-size luxury electric sedan and comes with a claimed 1,000 hp from a battery pack that fits in the nooks and crannies of the chassis rather than a ﬂat pack under the ﬂoor. Motors in the front and rear feature integrated transmissions to save space, and the car will go a claimed 400 miles on a charge. With its deep reclining seats, lots of legroom, and autonomous driving capability, it’s built for the rear-seat passengers. When and where it will be built hadn’t been announced as of press time.

BMW i Inside Future Sculpture

26 MOTOR TREND.COM / APRIL 2017

The coming advent of autonomous cars has manufacturers thinking about what we’ll do in them if we’re not driving. BMW went wild with the idea, crafting a minimalist interior with homey touches such as throw blankets and a bookshelf. The sculpture features a holographic interface, which is an upgrade to the company’s gesture control system. It and an AI-based personal assistant handle all in-vehicle functions with as little intrusion as possible.

Hot news out of Affalterbach is that AMG’s hypercar has been green-lit for production. The AMG Project ONE will feature a hybrid powertrain with a reworked version of the 1.6-liter V-6 that powers the world championship– winning Mercedes-AMG F1 car. The V-6 will drive the rear wheels, and electric motors will power the fronts. AMG has confirmed total system output will be north of 1,000 hp, but some sources suggest it could pack as much as 1,300 hp. If you have to ask, you can’t afford one, but insiders say Project ONE is expected to be priced at about $2.5 million. Luxury SUVs are hot sellers right now, and GM is working to ensure Cadillac’s next-gen Escalade is in the game. A long-running internal debate at GM regarding the relative lack of sophistication and refinement from the Escalade’s truck-based underpinnings has resulted in significant upgrades to the chassis and powertrain for the next-gen model. The new Escalade will still roll on a truck-based frame shared with the next-generation T1 full-size pickups, but it will get an independent rear axle along with height-adjustable air suspension. GM’s new 10-speed automatic will be standard, and a new light-duty six-cylinder diesel is also said to be in the works. After agonizing for years whether to kill off Maybach, Daimler’s ultra-luxury brand is making a comeback. Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche has confirmed that the next Maybachs will share mechanical hardware, electrical architecture, and basic structural elements with standard Mercedes models, but the next generation of Mercedes-Maybach will be given unique exterior styling and interiors to differentiate them from their less expensive and less lavishly equipped siblings. Sources say Toyota and BMW plan to join forces again—this time to codevelop an all-new low-cost front-drive vehicle architecture. BMW will use this new architecture for a variety of products, including the the next-gen BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, the BMW X1 SUV, and the all-new Mini due in 2021. No word on which Toyota products will use the architecture, as the recently launched Toyota New Global Architecture has shifted which vehicles will ride on which platforms.

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NEWS / OPINION / GOSSIP / STUFF

Mark Rechtin REFERENCE MARK

Why the Tesla model isn’t replicable Now that Tesla has successfully (so far) made a proper run of building and selling electric vehicles in mass quantities, there are several nascent alt-fuel automakers promising similar dramatic leaps in technology, product offerings, and sales goals. Among them are Faraday Future and Lucid Motors, and others wait in the wings. If you read Frank Markus’ column last month, you know that 3-D printing could provide low-volume automakers with a lower-cost method of manufacturing parts that would ordinarily require hundreds of millions of dollars in tool and die machines. But those costs are relative in a larger-scale picture. Tesla’s ability to manufacture cars was largely a result of CEO Elon Musk’s fortuitous timing of having capital and leverage when every automaker was slashing costs during the recession. Toyota sold its $800 million New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. factory and much of its tooling to Tesla for just $59 million—whereupon Toyota injected $50 million back into Tesla. Tesla also acquired a $50 million Schuler SMG hydraulic stamping press from a distressed Detroit supplier for $6 million—including shipping. Essentially, Tesla acquired the ability to become a car manufacturer at 2 percent of the sticker price. It didn’t need chunks of startup capital to get going because it had the

28 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

smack into the massive wall of capital required to compete. In 1946, billionaire Henry J. Kaiser announced to the Detroit hierarchy that he was going to spend $50 million (about $620 million in today’s dollars) to launch his own car company, prompting one Detroit curmudgeon to mutter the notorious phrase, “Give the man one white chip,” referring to the smallest bet in poker. The curmudgeon was right, too. Although he made some great cars, Kaiser was continually undercapitalized until he sold the company for a song to Willys-Overland. (For a more thorough recounting of Kaiser’s failure and its lessons, read The Reckoning, by David Halberstam, a classic dissection of the automotive industry.) Even Musk has called out the mindbending complexity of launching a car-manufacturing enterprise. “Making lots of something consistently that’s going to last a long time is extremely hard,” Musk said in a 2014 earnings call. “In fact, it is way harder to make the machine that makes the machine than it is to make the machine in the first place.” Remember, Musk made this statement as Tesla was barely rolling cars off the line. It was three years before Tesla planned to ramp up production by a factor of 10, from 50,000 units a year to 500,000. Even Musk admitted Tesla could still crash out of the business if it doesn’t get its long-term planning straight or if established automakers swallow the EV business. And yes, mass volume is required. Anyone who thinks he or she can win a niche game by spending less to sell a few hundred high-priced, hand-built vehicles a year hasn’t talked to the folks who’ve worked at the myriad failed low-volume exotic car companies. Somehow folks got the idea that building cars was easy, that all these idiots in Detroit just needed a brace of newfangled Silicon Valley thinking. You know, iPhones with wheels. It sounds ever so familiar to Illustration Isabel Espanol Kaiser’s hubris. Q

floundering auto industry at its mercy in negotiations. Those ingredients aren’t present in today’s economy and industry. Today, $1 billion is the penny ante to get into the high-stakes automotive game, and that’s just to get a factory and hire a team. Double that to include R & D costs to create your first platform, lure in a supplier network, pass crash and emissions tests, and design a car people might actually want to buy in volume. There’s also brand-launch marketing expenses and the cost of a retail and service network to sell and service the cars. Then there are the nonmonetary costs, such as Tesla having the advantage of being the first mover in large-scale EV assembly and having an iconoclastic CEO who fans of green cars could cheer for as brand ambassadors. It still takes more than a bucketful of Chinese venture capital to make the magic happen. If one of these upstarts fails, it won’t be the first time a would-be automaker runs

“It is way harder to make the machine that makes the machine than it is to make the machine in the first place.” — Elon Musk

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NEWS / OPINION / GOSSIP / STUFF

Frank Markus TECHNOLOGUE

Sump, dude? The 90-second oil change As a kid, the first car repair I learned was how to change the oil and filter on the family’s trusty ’69 Chevy wagon and ’70 Beetle. My sisters were also taught this skill, and at least one of them still regularly changes her car’s oil. The Castrol division of petro giant BP wants to eliminate this learning curve, along with the associated tools, drop cloths, catch basins, rags, and Lava soap. Instead, Castrol will replace it all with a product called Nexcel. In short, Nexcel integrates an oil filter into a reservoir containing all the oil the vehicle should need for the duration of its oil-change interval. An oil change starts by initiating the procedure on the dash or via OBD port. Then all the engine oil gets pumped into the reservoir, you replace the sealed container of dirty oil and filter with a fresh one, and the oil gets pumped back into the engine. It all takes about 90 seconds, and the filter/reservoir units can be reused about five times and then recycled. Pretty convenient—but who really cares how long an oil change takes? That wasn’t Castrol’s primary motivation. Rather, Nexcel aims to improve the lubrication of today’s increasingly high-strung engines and to clean up the environment. These downsized and highly boosted engines really stress their lubricants, and up until now that lubricant is the one thing engineers haven’t really had control over. After a vehicle leaves the showroom, folks like sis and me are free to economize or make mistakes regarding what brand and grade of oil and filter we select. The sealed Nexcel unit comes prefilled with the manufacturer’s specified oil and filter, and a chip on the reservoir verifies this with an electronic handshake with the engine control computer before the engine will restart. When engineers can be assured their engine will get proper lubrication, tolerances can be made tighter and vital components will require less overengineering. Nexcel also frees filteraccess packaging space below the engine, which can be valuable for close-coupled emissions plumbing. The system has been verified to work under 1.8 g cornering/ braking loads and to withstand 50 g crash 30 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

WET/DRY Aston’s Vulcan is a dry-sump oil system, but Nexcel can work with normal wet sumps and would then be smaller.

Nexcel aims to improve the lubrication of engines and to clean up the environment. forces without leaking. Environmental benefits extend beyond the reduction in driveway spills. Carbon dioxide consumption drops on short trips because the amount of oil the engine must heat up is reduced. Every extra quart of oil in an engine equals about 4 pounds of aluminum or twice as much cast iron that has to be warmed, and fitting a Nexcel allows most engines to circulate 2 fewer quarts of oil—level and quality monitors tell the unit when to meter spare oil from the reservoir into the sump so there’s always enough, Nexcel chief engineer Oliver Taylor says. Another environmental benefit is the ability to filter, clean, and re-refine used oil back to the same grade of lubricant because it always arrives utterly uncontaminated by oils of differing grades or feed stocks (synthetic or petro). Because oil collected at Jiffy Lube and Pep Boys invariably includes a mishmash of oils (perhaps mixed with some steering or brake fluid), 90 percent of it gets reused as heating oil, in asphalt, or in other lower-grade petroleum products. Castrol claims that if every car’s spent oil could be reused as engine oil, more than 50 million barrels of virgin oil would be saved

annually. Because most folks who change their oil perform their math by the quart, not the barrel, that represents 8.4 billion quarts of dead dinosaurs we won’t need to suck out of the earth every year. Parts cost is obviously higher than the dipstick, drain plug, filter mount, and filler cap that Nexcel replaces, but service-cost savings could partially offset this if the cost of a swappable cell can undercut that of an oil change. Nexcel is already in use on the track-only Aston Martin Vulcan dry-sump supercar, but Castrol is working with numerous manufacturers to develop systems that can be shared across multiple vehicles with wet- or dry-sump lubrication. When will regular cars adopt Nexcel? Taylor says the first mainstream road cars will get the technology around the 2020 model year, with mass-market implementation around 2025. Q

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NEWS / OPINION / GOSSIP / STUFF

04 .17 TREND

They Say... Mark Fields and Raj Nair CEO /CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER AND HEAD OF GLOBAL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, FORD

Interview

Ford CEO Mark Fields and chief technical ofﬁcer and global product chief Raj Nair discuss the need to invest in core vehicles and markets while pursuing autonomy and ride-sharing initiatives. The auto industry is worth $2.3 trillion globally, but transportation services are worth $5.4 trillion. Ford wants as big a slice as possible. To do that, it will keep investing in popular trucks, SUVs, and commercial vans, will transform underperforming Lincoln and small cars, and will grow mobility services.

EYES ON THE FUTURE Mark Fields (left) and Raj Nair are working to expand Ford as a broader transportation company.

Did you plan for Trump taking office, and how does that change Ford’s commitment to CAFE? Fields: We looked at the two

candidates, their positions, and what it would mean to our business. When it comes to fuel economy, it is not just the U.S. we have to deal with. We have to engineer our products to meet Chinese regulations and European CO2 emissions. In the U.S., we’ve been clear we are committed to fuel efﬁciency but in a way that preserves customer choice, vehicle affordability, and American jobs. I think we will have an intelligent discussion with the incoming administration to make sure [policy] aligns with the market realities. Was the decision to keep Lincoln MKC in Louisville, Kentucky, instead of moving it to Mexico a business decision or politics? Fields: A combination of both. Some of

the pro-growth policies Trump is laying out can have a positive impact on the economy. The other element was looking at our volumes and seeing what made business sense. We want our plants running at the appropriate rate. With the change, that plant is good. (Editor’s note: Ford later canceled an under-construction plant in Mexico to build the Focus but will still build it at an existing Mexican plant.)

want ﬁnancial success with that product. You’ve got to make sure you have an affordable product for consumers, and at the same time, we need to make a return on that. That’s the simple math. We are moving out one product to bring two products in, which I think will provide a lot of stability for our 3,000 workers. If gas prices are high in 2019, do you have the flexibility to cancel the Bronco if a body-on-frame SUV isn’t what the market demands? Fields: We have a full lineup

of fresh vehicles. … We marry that to a manufacturing footprint that allows us to go where the market goes. In your business plans, you make assumptions of what could happen with the price of a barrel of oil, and we factor that into our plans. How is your 200-mile electric car coming? Nair: We have $4.5 billion we are investing

Why bring back the Ranger now? Fields: We are always looking at

into electriﬁcation. Much of that is to improve range in our current vehicles, and I think we’ll see a range even higher than that current number. (Editor’s note: Ford later announced a 300-mile electric compact SUV will arrive by 2020.)

the industry, consumers, and their preferences. We’ve been clear on what we are doing with Michigan Assembly Plant. We’re moving Focus out because we

For a GT500, could a 600-hp twin-turbo V-6 fit in a Mustang engine compartment? Nair: I’m sure somebody could ﬁnd a way

32 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

to ﬁt a twin-turbo into a Mustang, but we’re pretty happy with the 5.2 V-8 we’ve got in the GT350 now. You need a ZL1 competitor, and that GT350 engine is near the end of its horsepower range. How do you get to that next step? Nair: You know what they say

about internal combustion engines—that they are always at the end of what they can do—and somehow we always ﬁnd a way to do a little bit more. I think we still have a little bit more life in that engine. Would it be a bad idea to compete with a Camaro ZL1 with a V-6? Nair: Some muscle

car buyers have that romantic interest in naturally aspirated V-8s, but I think we’ve shown with our EcoBoost technologies in the F-150 and Ford GT that you can deliver performance and technology, and they appreciate it. How many upset people do you have in the order bank? Nair: We have over 6,500

applications. We accepted around 750. Why not make more? Fields: It is important that when we

say we will have a certain number for exclusivity that we honor that, because the minute we don’t honor it, people will never believe us again. Alisa Priddle

NEWS / OPINION / GOSSIP / STUFF

Your Say...

RUBBER-AND-GLUE COMMENT OF THE MONTH:

“Cutesy whining by spoiled car brats!”

READERS’ THOUGHTS ON PAST ISSUES

OTY oversights? Not quite. Your article covering the SUV of the Year did not have one Jeep, the vehicle that started this segment. Also Land Rover, another top 10. On your recommendation, I ordered a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited with rear-wheel drive, a 2014 model with the trailer towing package. Living in coastal South Carolina, four-wheel drive is not needed. Boats and tagalongs are the norm. This package will tug 7,000 pounds. On the interstate with its 24-gallon gas tank and 26 mpg, it has a range of 500+ miles. Riding on its Mercedes platform, it is nimble, smooth, and quick. My wife is picky and loves it. With all the distracted drivers today, I would pick the Jag! I think my distant relative Brock would agree. You gave him a nice tribute. He was a great guy. I have read your mag for many years, more than I care to remember. I look forward to it. Keep up the good work. MARTIN YATES OKATIE, SOUTH CAROLINA

We got a lot of letters pointing out that one vehicle or another wasn’t in the competition, but none as polite as this one. To answer all those respondents at once: Your favorite vehicle wasn’t included because it didn’t meet the basic qualification of being all-new or significantly revised. If a vehicle is more or less the same as it was last year, we don’t invite it back.—Ed.

Making a statement How could you give the COTY to a vehicle that has the worst braking distance figure of all the vehicles tested? I don’t care if it’s a hover car that runs on auto writers’ hyperbole. If it finishes last in braking, it’s not a technological wonder. Stopping is a big deal! You missed a chance to make an important statement to the industry. RICH KUCHARSKI VIA THE INTERNET

Always remember this isn’t a comparison test of the gathered vehicles. Stopping performance of the Bolt EV’s electric competition ranges from 122 to 133 feet, not counting exotic Teslas and BMWs, hence the Bolt is competitive.—Ed.

Hope for the future I usually do a quick read on articles about electric and hybrid cars, but the Chevy 34 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

Bolt piece in your January issue was very interesting. Good choice for Car of the Year. Never, ever thought I’d say that about an electric car. Maybe there is hope for the future of the automobile. MICHAEL YOUNG WICHITA, KANSAS

We certainly hope so. With more revolutionary vehicles like the Bolt—maybe with better brakes for Rich—the future could be quite nice.—Ed.

Betting man I was disappointed yet not surprised at MT’s choice for COTY. To pass my initial criteria, it has to be able to drive from Houston to Dallas. Fail. Your calculations also depend on a $7,500 federal tax rebate, which means I have to finance this overpriced golf cart through my taxes. So if we look at the as-tested price of all the cars in the competition, the Ford Focus RS and Chevy Bolt EV are about even. I will make a bet with you. You give me a 2016 Ford Focus RS and radar detector, you take the Chevy Bolt EV and

READERS ON LOCATION In the spirit of the cover line, these two competitors keep coming back. Longtime reader CHARLES HICKMAN II of Houston—he’s been a subscriber since his early teens—brought these two Detroit beasts to show off to the lions in Kruger National Park in South Africa. They seem unimpressed with the ponies. Probably just ate.

a Starbuck’s gift card, and we will take a road trip from Houston to Seattle. I’ll buy you dinner at Saltgrass Steak House if you agree to drive the Bolt back to Texas. BRUCE INMAN KATY, TEXAS

Christian Seabaugh says that’s actually a bet he’d take. He has more seat time in the Bolt EV than anyone on staff, and he seems to think he could win. The rest of us, though, just wonder why people hate on EVs for not being able to win the Cannonball Run. Zillions of people never leave their home town, and most who do own two cars. Check our six-way comparison shootout in this issue for more thoughts on the RS.—Ed.

The Bolt is cool, but what about that mid-engine Corvette? The best thing about the Chevy Bolt is that the powertrain can be adapted to power the front wheels of the expected mid-engine Corvette. This will give all-wheel drive, regenerative braking, and a hybrid system similar to the hypercars costing much more. The $7,500 federal tax deduction might also apply. Total hp would be 850 with today’s hardware. Even more interesting would be an AWD turbo V-6 Camaro with the Bolt electric powertrain powering the front wheels. The suspension parts already exist from the Caddy ATS, and the engine would come from the Caddy ATS-V. REESE GRAVES VIA THE INTERNET

We’ll believe a mid-engine hybrid Corvette when we see one. And packaging an electric motor up front with the engine in a Camaro seems ultra-unlikely. But imagining these possibilities is a fun side effect of giant leaps forward like the Bolt.—Ed.

But that body, though The Cadillac CT6: Interior has rickety feel, muscle required to move the shifter, cheap-looking switches, feels nose-heavy, strange surges, clunky one-two shifts, a tweener, infuriatingly complex switch modes, disappointing quality glitches, and the body writes checks the rest of the car can’t cash. And

WRITE US AT 831 S. Douglas St. El Segundo, CA 90245 Email us online at motortrend.com or send an email direct to motortrend@motortrend.com

Do you hate your detector? It was your best friend, now it never shuts up. The good news: New cars have a safety feature, the blind-spot warning system. Many models use K-band radar to “see” nearby cars. The bad news: The onboard K-band turns each of these “seeing” cars into mobile false alarms. A blind-spot system may tag along with you for miles. You’re stuck, not knowing which car to maneuver away from. GPS is no solution. It doesn’t work on mobile falses.

yet, “It pained us how badly we wanted to like the Cadillac CT6.” Well, obviously. JOHN MARKHAM MARION, KENTUCKY

Just like one flaw isn’t enough to hold an otherwise great car back, one strength isn’t enough to push an otherwise disappointing car over the top. The CT6 looks like something we’d love, so we gave it every chance to earn our adoration. But it just never managed to do it. We still love looking at it, though.—Ed.

Why you will love V1 Our special sauce: V1 has Junk-K Fighter, an algorithm that recognizes these mobile false alarms and excludes them. And it’s now built into all new V1s.

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We hear Toyota sold a new Prius to the cat painter.—Ed.

Oops You wrote that the Equinox’s new 2.0-liter “should be certified at 252 hp … down 19 hp from the old V-6” (“Intake,” January). But the old V-6 puts out 301 hp, so it looks like the new 2.0 is down 49 hp.

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There was this guy who used to paint beautiful pictures of cats. Why just cats? Because he was nuts. And as he slipped further into madness, his paintings became strangely stylized and ultimately unrecognizable as cats. This must be what’s going on at Toyota. The Prius started out as a car. A little strange, but it was a car. Early on people waited in long lines to buy one of the most technologically advanced vehicles on the planet. Now all these years later the Prius is even better, yet sales are off significantly. Why? Well, there’s a lot of competition now and all of that, but mainly it’s because the Prius is the most wretched-looking vehicle ever. With each remodel it’s become uglier and uglier, and now it’s barely recognizable as a car. Madmen are walking the halls of Toyota. In your COTY article you didn’t like its “inexplicably strange styling.” You were being inexplicably kind.

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Definitely an error on our part. We’re not sure how 49 became 19. Probably someone reading some chicken scratch—that 4 can look an awful lot like a 1—instead of a calculator, and the rest of us dropped the ball. Good catch! —Ed.

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COVER STORY

the leftovers... Be honest. You can spend a week with one of two cars: the Ford Focus RS or the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R. Or for Europhiles, it’s a decision between a Porsche 911 and a 718 Boxster S. You can’t choose both, but you get to beat on your selection as hard as you like on both a closed road and a racetrack. Chevron is paying for the gas. That Focus RS is a cool hot hatch. But if you’re being honest— really, truly, hand-on-a-holy-book honest—you choose the Shelby.

36 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

Such was the sacrifice we made when choosing the field for our 2016 Best Driver’s Car test. It was an embarrassment of riches in terms of jealousyinducing vehicular choice. We could not bring ’em all for reasons ranging from available time and manpower to the width of the runway where we film the World’s Greatest Drag Race. Being limited to 12 cars meant that to bring the Fiat 124 Spyder Abarth, we would have to cut the Aston Martin V12 Vantage S. Sorry, Fiat. And so the culling began.

We made some tough decisions, and although I think we cut correctly, we left some cars behind. In the days after the McLaren 570S’ win of our 2016 Best Driver’s Car, we discussed how to get the leftovers together for a separate shootout. Fast-forward a few months, and we found ourselves doing what we love most: pushing great cars as hard as we can on the best roads we can find. We also called upon the services of our race car–driving buddy, Randy Pobst, to set lap times at the Streets of Willow circuit.

THE LEFTOVERS

CONTENDERS 2016 BMW M2 2017 Chevrolet Camaro (2LT) 1LE 2017 Fiat 124 Spider Abarth 2016 Ford Focus RS 2017 Porsche 718 Boxster S 2017 Toyota 86

Words Motor Trend staff Photographs James Lipman

FIGHTING THE SIN OF OMISSION WITH A SECOND PERFORMANCE-CAR SHOOTOUT Meet what we have dubbed the Leftovers: the BMW M2, the Chevrolet Camaro 1LE, the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth, the Ford Focus RS, the Porsche 718 Boxster S, and the Toyota 86. Let’s be clear. These aren’t minor leaguers. They have serious performance chops. And unlike the six-figure price tags affixed to most of the BDC field, most of them have a family-friendly entry fee. The competitive set’s excellence became clear after our testing when the first round of initial voting resulted HOT LAPS Randy Pobst helped on the track once again.

in a four-way tie for first place—and no consistent voting pattern for the silver and bronze, either. Three days of nonstop arguing resulted in our photo finish for first through fourth place. The fifth place car was but a hair behind. It was so close that each vehicle deserved a rebuttal from a dissenting judge. The big takeaway: These are some very serious driver’s cars, and all of them would have handily held their own at Best Driver’s Car. There might be a winner, but it was far from clear-cut. Jonny Lieberman APRIL 2017 / MOTORTREND.COM 37

WEATHER THE STORM Sixth Place: 2016 Ford Focus RS I’m among the minority of Motor Trend staffers from a “real” place. For my Southern California native buds, the sun is a year-round phenomenon, rain is something that happens once a year, and snow might as well be a myth. But growing up as a car enthusiast in New York City, I understood that weather was a certainty, a cloth top was code for “rob me,” and that a true driver’s car has the power and the grip to be enjoyed at your limits rain or shine. That’s the modus operandi of the Ford Focus RS. The Focus RS is fast, grippy, and versatile. It might be disadvantaged in this group by virtue of its curb weight (four doors and five seats add up, after all), but it makes up for it with new-era technical 38 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

RIDING HIGH The Ford's driving position is high up and forward, giving the driver a commanding view of the road ahead.

2016 Ford Focus RS | COVER STORY

The Rebuttal The last time I endured a suspension this harsh in so many environments was a Porsche 996 GT3 RS, but that was forgivable because #racecar. In the softer settings, the RS’ constant vertical upheavals dominate the driving experience so much that it’s hard to focus on what’s good in the RS. The engine is an absolute bulldog. Just imagine the Fiata or 86 with this engine. Am I right? But despite what Christian says, the shifter is notchy—not in a good way—and the clutch is vague and grabby at the same time. The midcorner grip and the way it can put power down out of corners is super impressive. Yet at the same time, I never quite knew where I was in the friction circle. The all-conquering Focus RS is only 0.11 second quicker around the track than the fourth-gen Subaru WRX STI. There’s a single way to get a car like this right, and there are so many ways to get it wrong. I can’t blame Ford for trying. I’m glad it did. It’s been such a long wait for this forbidden Euro fruit, but after tasting it, I think I’ll pass on my next slice, thank you. Chris Walton

The six-speed manual gearbox is the type you shift because it’s so enjoyable to row.

NO SHOW Ford’s sole Los Angeles–area Focus RS was allegedly damaged beyond repair in an accident before delivery. Luckily for us (and you!), we were able to borrow one from a local reader. Thanks again!

wizardry and d old-fashi old-fashioned hion oned e power. power On the former front, the Focus sports a trick torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system, capable of routing nearly all of the engine’s twist to either rear wheel, or none, as needed. In dry and sunny SoCal, that results in a car that bombs into corners at speed, plants itself, and squirts out the apex ready for more. The Ford’s engine is a firecracker, too. Powered by a 2.3-liter turbocharged I-4, the Focus RS has 350 ponies to play with and the most torque of the group at 350 lb-ft. There’s surprisingly little lag from the engine and a ton of midrange torque even when cruising along the

highway in top gear. The six-speed high manual gearbox is nimble and precise; it’s the type of gearbox you shift not because you have to but because the shifter is so enjoyable to row. The engine’s noise is just as important as how it performs. At full chat, the engine sounds like Ken Block’s rally car (probably because it is). Nail a revmatched downshift, and the exhaust crackles like machine gun fire.

With all this grip and an engine that just won’t quit, why didn’t the Focus RS finish higher? As much as I’d like to blame a West Coast conspiracy, the truth is the Focus RS rides worse than a dump truck. Its steering lacks the purity and play of the rest of our group. It’s not a real driver’s car, but the Focus RS is a tremendous performance car and an easy choice for those where weather is a real concern. Christian Seabaugh

QUICK SPECS PRICE AS TESTED $41,370 ENGINE

Turbocharged I-4, alum block/head

DRIVELINE

Front-engine, AWD, 6-speed manual

0-60 MPH

4.8 sec

FIGURE EIGHT

24.6 sec @ 0.75 g (avg) APRIL 2017 / MOTORTREND.COM 39

BEST ENGINE HERE Fifth Place: 2016 BMW M2 “This car is hands down the best BMW made in at least five years, probably more. It’s the first M car in a long time to actually live up to the Ultimate Driving Machine tagline,” features editor Christian Seabaugh says. Others in our test group mirrored the sentiment. Which is why it stunned, irked, and bemused me that the panel voted the Bimmer fifth out of six entries. I would reach for the M2 keys before any others in this pack. It has everything a driver wants: forceful power, reassuring handling, a smooth-enough ride, fantastic seats, interior refinement galore, and intuitive infotainment. Road test editor Chris Walton says the M2 has one of the sweetest engines 40 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

FUNCTIONAL All the BMW controls are intuitive and fall right to hand.

2016 BMW M2 | COVER STORY

The Rebuttal Cars in this test that could easily keep up with the BMW M2 on a winding canyon road include the Toyota 86, the Fiat Spider, and the V-6 Camaro. The car that can leave it for dead: the 718 Boxster. Ask me how I know. I was a little shocked because around town the M2 feels fantastic. But when you push it hard or compare it to other cars, you realize it isn’t as great as you’d hoped. The biggest culprit is the steering. It’s just … dead. There’s no feel whatsoever. This is a problem plaguing modern BMWs. Then there’s the shifter, which initially has the familiar BMW feel, going back to the E46 M3. But this one feels jiggly, and the throws are quite long. “The whole car is rubbery and disconnected, ” senior features editor Jason Cammisa says. And he’s not wrong. The undefeatable rev-matching downshifts also annoyed all of us. We know how to drive stick shift, BMW. We don’t need your help. Going into this competition, I had the M2 picked as the odds-on favorite. After a day spent driving all six contenders, I had it in fifth place. So be it. Jonny Lieberman

So what if ESC is conservatively tuned? It’s still seamless compared to most

ENDLESS POWER The M2’s 365 horsepower is almost as impressive as its 343 lb-ft of torque, which hits almost instantly. Oh, and it laps the Nürburgring in less than eight minutes, so there.

around and d torquee av avai available aila labl blee ev ever everywhere. eryw ywhe here re. There is a mesa of power through the middle gears, so you don’t have to downshift to get a surge of acceleration. Associate editor Scott Evans said the engine was smooth and extremely responsive, and the steering was precise. The M2 is confident and planted when driving at 80 percent of its staggering levels of ability—and that’s the hardest you should be pushing any car on public roads. While driving aggressively around tight bends, the M2’s seats were comfortable yet offered supportive bolstering. Not once did I have to brace myself with my knees to hold myself in place. QUICK SPECS PRICE AS TESTED $54,795 ENGINE

Turbocharged I-6, alum block/head

DRIVELINE 0-60 MPH

Front-engine, RWD, 6-speed manual 4.4 sec

FIGURE EIGHT

24.0 sec @ 0.82 g (avg)

Evans mentioned a lack of steering feel. Ev The gearshift throws and clutch pedal travel are longer than I’d like. But those aren’t reasons to knock this car to fifth place behind the caveman Camaro, poky Toyota, and harsh Porsche (note, you should pronounce it “harsh-uh”). So what if ESC is conservatively tuned? It’s still seamless compared to most systems. The heel-and-toe crowd berated the M2’s automatic rpm blips on stickshift downshifts—but not everyone needs to be Colin Chapman when they sashay

through a mountain pass. Sure, the steering wheel is girthy—if your hands aren’t yuge enough to handle the truth. The M2 was the second-quickest car in Randy Pobst’s race around the Streets of Willow. Even at its wallet-straining 54 large, the Bimmer deserves better than finishing second to last. I voted it first, and if I were to impose an executive (editor) order, that’s where it would have stayed. Mark Rechtin

The Camaro 1LE is such a great handler that you can turn the nannies off with a high degree of confidence.

THE DETUNED INSTRUMENT Fourth Place: 2017 Chevrolet Camaro (2LT) 1LE As soon as I put the V-8-powered version of the Camaro 1LE through the figure-eight test, I knew Chevrolet had accomplished something special. A week later, the rest of the Motor Trend staff verified my impressions by voting that car fourth place out of 12 world-class contenders in our 2016 Best Driver’s Car extravaganza, beating the Dodge Viper ACR and Audi R8 V10 Plus among others. So we were naturally curious how the V-6 version would do. The first thing you need to know about the Camaro 1LE V-6 is that the front end never gives up. Go ahead. Try to force this car to understeer. I’ll wait. The steering itself is also exemplary, especially in Comfort mode, where the adjustable 42 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

CLUNKER The V-6 1LE doesn’t use the sweet transmission found in big brother V-8. Instead, its six-speed manual left us disappointed.

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04 What the car does have is the ability to confidently attack a twisting back road.

weighting seems to be just about right. What’s nice is that you can decouple the steering from the chassis mode. Sport or Track modes are a must for fancy driving, as the stability control is too intrusive if you just leave it in Comfort. The car is such a great handler that you can turn the nannies off with a high degree of confidence. Instead of the Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3 tires that ship with the V-8 version of the 1LE, the V-6 comes on Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 tires. These are still sticky summer tires that feature

plenty of grip. Despite being naturally aspirated, the throaty 3.6-liter V-6 makes a healthy 335 horsepower. Remember when people gasped when V-8s made that number? Disappointingly, though, torque is rated at 284 lb-ft and is the top reason why you should opt for the V-8. Nonetheless, most of us agreed this motor sounded racy for a V-6 at redline. Differences between the V-6 and the V-8 1LE might be more than you (and we) were expecting. The V-6 does not have Magnetic Ride Control shocks, does not possess the aforementioned better tires, does not have the borderline-magic eLSD rearend, and does not have the bigger, upgraded brakes. Because the torque is what it is (low), the V-6 1LE does not have the sweet Tremec T6060 shifter of the V-8 Camaros. The 2-3 shift might be the single worst part of the car, at least in Randy Pobst’s opinion. What it does have, however, is the ability to confidently attack a twisting back road. Despite their long pedal travel, the brakes are stout. If you’re looking for a great-handling sports car, you could do a lot worse. Jonny Lieberman

The Rebuttal The Camaro 1LE is a special car— excuse me, the Camaro SS 1LE is a special car. But the V-6-powered version, despite the 1LE name, is missing a lot of that hardware. Of the SS 1LE gear, the Camaro 2LT 1LE gets none if it; it gets the stock Camaro SS’ suspension and a tallgeared mechanical limited-slip diff. It has less sticky tires, less aggressive Brembo brakes, and a different six-speed manual. The 335 horsepower from a V-6 should put a smile on your face, but it’s mated to a sloppy, slow gearbox with long gear ratios that makes the car feel heavy and lazy. The Camaro’s steering also doesn’t do what the SS 1LE’s does; the front wheels don’t communicate what they’re doing until after the tires give up. The chassis never does the neutral dance through corners that we’ve come to expect from Camaros. The Camaro 2LT 1LE might be great in a world without the V-8 version. But it has its big brother breathing down its neck, and it’s not a lot more money. After all, “You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family.” Christian Seabaugh

QUICK SPECS PRICE AS TESTED $40,690

SURPRISE The “little” Camaro had no problem hanging with the big dogs.

44 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

ENGINE

60-deg V-6, alum block/ heads

DRIVELINE

Front-engine, RWD, 6-speed manual

0-60 MPH

5.0 sec

FIGURE EIGHT

24.5 sec @ 0.78 g (avg)

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With its balance of performance and tire, the 86 allows you to get the most out of the driving experience.

SLOW CAR FAST Third Place: 2017 Toyota 86 Ask anyone: Driving a slow car fast is always more fun than driving a fast car slow. The updated Toyota 86 (née Scion FR-S) is the very embodiment of this idea and the essence of a “momentum car.” Don’t take it from me, though. Listen to what my fellow editors had to say: Jonny Lieberman: “An incredible driver’s car. Anyone who says differently doesn’t really understand cars.” Christian Seabaugh: “This car is the type of car folks buy and immediately begin modifying and tuning. Don’t do it. Stickier tires and power adders will ruin an otherwise sublimely engineered experience.” Jason Cammisa: “This is a total blast and a fantastic sports car in the traditional sense.” Chris Walton: “You can 46 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION Clearly, money spent inside went to the placement and haptics of its controls rather than dress-up pieces.

DRIVE SIDEWAYS Whether you prefer to steer with the throttle or want to win a drift competition, the Toyota 86 is as easy to drive sideways as it is forward.

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03 The tires force you to drive to the best of your ability to maximize cornering speed.

drive this car at its limit all the time and never worry that it’s going to spit you off. That’s what makes this car special—it has no bad habits or pitfalls when it’s being driven hard.” Mark Rechtin: “This car will really get you into drifting.” Randy Pobst: “I didn’t want to quit driving it. Total pure driver’s car.” With its balance of performance and tire, the 86 allows you to get the most out of the driving experience. But it doesn’t do all the work for you. Where other cars here allow you drive with a ham fist and let the tire grip make up for your bad habits, the 86’s

commuter-car tires force you to drive to the best of your ability to maximize cornering speed. Drive sloppily, and you’ll be punished with predictable and avoidable understeer or oversteer. Of course, if you like being loose, the 86 has your back. Oversteer is effectively on demand through tight corners, and it’s progressive, consistent, and easily corrected. A good driver can keep this car right at or just over its limit. The car comes with world-class controls. It employs a bolt-action shifter, pedals aligned for heel-toe downshifting, a linear brake pedal with great feedback, and the best steering feel here. You direct the mechanical ballet from a seat both comfortable for long hauls and bolstered for track duty, and the tires’ audible feedback tells you what they’re doing and how much they have left to give. If you can find a better driving experience for even double the money, buy it. Scott Evans

The Rebuttal With its early onset loss of tire grip, the Toyota 86 can be fun—if you know what you’re doing or have lots of runoff room. But against the rest of this pack, it’s as slow as Christmas at Aunt Trudie's house. The flat-four is far from sonorous; it sounds reedy when pushed. And features editor Christian Seabaugh observed that between 1,700 and 3,000 rpm, there’s just nothing happening. “It has a hard time putting down even tiny amounts of power,” senior features editor Jason Cammisa says. Others found the clutch and gearshift entertaining, but I found the bite point parabolically sudden and the shifter throws too long. You need to come into the corner slowly and in the right gear if you want to get out of it quickly. There is a yawning power gap if you have to short shift the 2-3 transition. And is it the last new car where toggling the turn signal doesn’t generate three blinks? I love driving slow cars fast, but at some point, you must reckon that this car is simply behind the pack. Mark Rechtin

QUICK SPECS PRICE AS TESTED $27,120

48 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

ENGINE

Flat-4, alum block/heads

DRIVELINE

Front-engine, RWD, 6-speed manual

0-60 MPH

6.4 sec

FIGURE EIGHT

26.0 sec @ 0.68 g (avg)

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With the Boxster S’ optional sport exhaust, the engine has texture, a guttural voice, and attitude.

THE FAST TRACK Second Place: 2017 Porsche 718 Boxster S How did the car with the best damping, best steering, best brakes, and just plain ol’ best performances across the board not win this test of performance? Brand bias and vocal minority. I swear I heard somebody say, “Well, of course it’s the best car here. It’s a $90,000 Porsche!” Would it be OK with an Abarth badge on it instead? I can’t dispute a price that includes $23,460 in options, but like our annual Best Driver’s Car contest, that should not matter, either. If we had the $57,000 base 718 Boxster with a manual transmission, it would’ve received more votes than this apex predator. Ppffft. The 718 Boxster’s more powerful, more fuel-efficient four-cylinder turbocharged engine outperforms the old 981’s 50 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

COCKPIT OPULENCE The 718 Boxster S’ interior would be right at home in a 911. Thorough upgrades in materials and equipment elevate its status.

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02 It’s quicker than every 911 Carrera, save for the most recent 991.2 Carrera S.

atmospheric flat-six. It doesn’t sound like a 911 because, imagine this, it is not a 911. With our Boxster S’ optional sport exhaust, the engine has texture, a guttural voice, and attitude usually reserved for V-8 cars and V-twin motorcycles. It reminds me of the my first ride in an owner-massaged 914 in the ’70s. It was bored out and had a giant Weber, headers, and minimal mufflers. That car, like this 718, had a genuine personality. Reserve your judgment and trolling until you drive or merely hear one under load. Other so-called criticisms seemed

to miss the point of this car. “It understeered if you drove near the car’s limits,” Jonny Lieberman says. Apparently, he wants oversteer while pulling a testtopping 1.03 g. Added Mark Rechtin: “This car urges you to test your limits because it knows that you would have to be a certifiable moron to exceed its capabilities.” To that I say it’s not nice to call Jonny names. Also, this surplus capability is the direct result of decades of endurance racing experience, engineering, and victories. Then we put the tires on the track. It beat the pants off the other contestants. More impressively, it’s quicker than every 911 Carrera (993, 996, 991, 991.2) save for the most recent 991.2 Carrera S. Its lap time also beat a 2014 Audi R8 V10, 2011 Ferrari 458 Italia, 2014 Jaguar XKR-S GT, and 2015 BMW M4. Take it from the road test editor: Porsche wouldn’t dare release a new car if it didn’t outperform the car it replaces. This 2017 Porsche Boxster S got my first-place vote and is a winner in my book. Chris Walton

The Rebuttal The ease and fluidity with which the 718 Boxster S ingests a winding road is staggering. You’d need to drive it at reckless speeds to raise your pulse. I say it’s a demerit, but I can accept that some people find excitement in capability. But I can’t defend the Boxster’s engine. The 2.5-liter flat-four makes stunning amounts of power, but Porsche must have relaxed its internal NVH standards to get it to pass muster. I can’t think of a recent engine, bar the Mitsubishi Mirage’s threecylinder, that sounds or feels worse. At low revs, the boxer has auditory hints of a WRX STI—if that engine contained ill-fitting pistons made of leaded glass. By 3,000 rpm, the mechanical drone is reminiscent of a 1980s five-cylinder diesel, just without the cool staccato thrum. Near redline, there’s more racket and white noise but not a hint of music. This would be disappointing if this coarse four hadn’t replaced an ultrasmooth flat-six that was one of the most aurally scintillating engines. But it did, and that’s just not right. Jason Cammisa

QUICK SPECS PRICE AS TESTED $92,910

BACK ROADS Lap times were only part of the evaluation. Roads like this helped us sort the finishing order. 52 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

ENGINE

Turbocharged ﬂat-4, alum block/heads

DRIVELINE

Mid-engine, RWD, 7-speed twin-clutch auto

0-60 MPH

3.7 sec

FIGURE EIGHT

23.5 sec @ 0.86 g (avg)

In this group, the Fiat 124 Abarth had the least powerful engine, but it was also the undisputed king of back-road perma-grin.

ALL ABOUT SMILE POWER First Place: 2017 Fiat 124 Spider Abarth When it comes to cars, we all have our preferences. We could argue about the relative merits of a turbo engine’s midrange torque versus a naturally aspirated engine’s instant response. Or whether steering precision is more important than feedback at the wheel. But there’s one thing that you can’t argue with: the power of a smile. In this group, the Fiat 124 Abarth had the least powerful engine, but it was also the king of back-road perma-grin. The top-down motoring is enjoyable, but the Fiat is also willing to give it all. To wit: In its driver’s seat, I followed the BMW M2, being pushed to its absolute limit by back-road demon Scott Evans (the guy who hated the Fiat.) 54 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

SEEING RED The Abarth has a sportier tachometer, but it only has 4 additional horsepower over the base Fiat 124.

2017 Fiat 124 Spider Abarth | COVER STORY

The Rebuttal The Fiata only comes alive when you’re hurtling down a back road, caning the car for everything it’s worth. Even then, there are pitfalls. That laggy turbo engine is happy to bog down exiting a tight corner if you let the revs drop below 3,000. Don’t forget to short shift—the acceleration falls off above 5,000 rpm. That is a really small neighborhood. And keep the radio volume up, too, because the engine never sounds all that good. Where’s the pop and snarl of the 500 Abarth? Where’s the attitude? The tires complain a lot, too. You’ll also want to watch for bumps in the road because despite the Fiat having less body roll than the Miata, you’ll occasionally land on its bump stops. When you do, be prepared to duck because the seat is higher than the Mazda’s. Even an averageheight driver’s hair touches the roof. Remember those caveats because the Fiata is not very forgiving of mistakes. Drive it the wrong way, and it’s all big understeers and not-fun oversteers. You drive on its terms, or the fun goes away. Scott Evans

ZERO STEER Body roll with the front wheels pointed straight? Yup, the Fiata is a neutral handler. More so than the Miata and with far better-controlled body roll.

Not once in 30 miles of tight, twisty road could he, in the 365-hp M2, pull away from me in the 164-hp Fiat. This isn’t because Evans isn’t a fast driver (he is), because the BMW isn’t quicker (it is), or because it doesn’t handle better (it does.) The Fiat kept up with a much more capable car because it earns its driver’s trust. That meant I could turn off its overly intrusive stability control and throw it into every corner without fear. The Abarth keels over with far less body roll than its assembly line cousin, the Mazda Miata, then pitches its rear end 15 degrees sideways and just hangs on forever. Corner after corner, I had

the throttle back on the floor before Evans’ M2 had even finished settling into the turn. At car-chase speeds, the 1.4-liter Fiat’s normally infuriating turbo lag wasn’t an issue. All I noticed was its prodigious grip, indefatigable brakes, flawless chassis balance, quick steering,

and precise shifter. Oh, and that my face hurt from smiling for so long. If the Mazda Miata had this suspension when it launched last year, there’s a fair chance it would have won both Best Driver’s Car and Car of the Year. Similarly, if the Abarth had the Miata’s charismatic and quick-responding naturally aspirated engine, I’d have awarded it every trophy we give, including SUV of the Year and Person of the Year. Flawed though the single-cam, port-injected Fiat engine is, it’s bolted inside a chassis incredible enough that as a whole sports car, it beat some very serious competitors. Just please don’t look at my smile and think I’m joking. This Abarth is no laughing matter. Jason Cammisa

QUICK SPECS PRICE AS TESTED $29,190 ENGINE

Turbocharged I-4, iron block/alum head

DRIVELINE

Front-engine, RWD, 6-speed manual

0-60 MPH

6.5 sec

FIGURE EIGHT

25.8 sec @ 0.70 g (avg) APRIL 2017 / MOTORTREND.COM 55

2016 BMW M2

2017 Chevrolet Camaro (2LT) 1LE

2017 Fiat 124 Spider Abarth

DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT ENGINE TYPE VALVETRAIN DISPLACEMENT COMPRESSION RATIO POWER (SAE NET) TORQUE (SAE NET) REDLINE WEIGHT TO POWER TRANSMISSION AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO

Front-engine, RWD Turbocharged I-6, alum block/head DOHC, 4 valves/cyl Twin-scroll 181.8 cu in/2,979cc NOT Twin10.2:1 Turbo 365 hp @ 6,500 rpm 343 lb- @ 1,400 rpm* 7,000 rpm 9.4 lb/hp 6-speed manual 3.46:1/2.93:1

Front-engine, RWD 60-deg V-6, alum block/heads DOHC, 4 valves/cyl 222.7 cu in/3,649cc 11.5:1 335 hp @ 6,800 rpm** 284 lb- @ 5,300 rpm** 7,000 rpm 10.5 lb/hp 6-speed manual al 3.27:1/2.61:1 Mechanic

Front-engine, RWD Turbocharged I-4, iron block/alum head

SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR

Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar

Control arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar

STEERING RATIO TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK BRAKES, F; R

15.0:1 Biggest Brakes 2.3 15.0-in vented, drilled, 2-pc disc; 14.6-in vented, drilled, 2-pc disc, ABS 9.0 x 19-in; 10.0 x 19-in forged aluminum 245/35ZR19 93Y; 265/35ZR19 98Y Michelin Pilot Super Sport

12.1:1-15.1:1 2.5 12.6-in vented disc; 12.4-in vented disc, ABS 8.5 x 20-in; 9.5 x 20-in forged aluminum 245/40ZR20 95Y; 275/35ZR20 98Y Goodyear Eagle Asymmetric 3

15.5:1 2.7 11.0-in vented disc; 11.0-in disc, ABS

106.0 in 62.2/63.0 in 176.2 x 73.0 x 55.5 in 38.4 3,440 lb 52/48% 4 40.1/36.5 in 41.5/33.0 in 54.4/53.4 in 13.8 cu

110.7 in 62.5/63.7 in 188.3 x 74.7 x 53.1 in 38.1 Longest 3,514 lb 52/48% 4 38.5/33.5 in 42.6/29.9 in 55.0/50.4 in 9.1 cu

1.8 sec 2.7 3.5 4.4 5.8 7.2 8.9 11.1 15.2 2.1 13.1 sec @ 106.8 mph 106 1.01 g (avg) 24.0 sec @ 0.82 g (avg) 84.27 sec 2,300 rpm

1.9 sec

2.1 sec

2.9 3.8 5.0 6.6 8.4 10.3 13.2 17.2 2.4 13.7 sec @ 101.7 mph 105 1.01 g (avg) 24.5 sec @ 0.78 g (avg) 85.19 sec 1,800 rpm

3.3 4.6 6.5 8.4 11.1 14.0 17.6 22.0 3.5 14.9 sec @ 92.6 mph 108 0.92 g (avg) 25.8 sec @ 0.70 g (avg) 89.05 sec 2,500 rpm

$52,695 $54,795 Yes/Yes Dual front, front side, f/r curtain, front knee 4 yrs/50,000 miles 4 yrs/50,000 miles 4 yrs/Unlimited miles

$37,395 $40,690 Yes/Yes Dual front, front side, f/r curtain, front knee

$29,190 $29,190 Yes/Yes Dual front, front side

3 yrs/36,000 miles 5 yrs/60,000 miles 5 yrs/100,000 miles

4 yrs/50,000 miles 4 yrs/50,000 miles 4 yrs/Unlimited miles

13.7 gal Not tested 18/26/21 mpg 187/130 kW-hrs/100 miles 0.93 lb/mile Unleaded premium

19.0 gal Not tested 16/28/20 mpg 211/120 kW-hrs/100 miles 0.98 lb/mile Unleaded regular

11.9 gal 30.4/43.4/35.1 mpg 26/35/30 mpg 130/96 kW-hrs/100 miles 0.66 lb/mile Unleaded premium

POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS

WHEELS, F; R TIRES, F; R

SOHC, 4 valves/cyl 83.5 cu in/1,368cc 9.8:1

L.S.D.

164 hp @ 5,500 rpm 184 lb- @ 3,200 rpm 6,500 rpm 15.0 lb/hp 6-speed manual 3.45:1/2.91:1

No wonder it feels labored

7.0 x 17-in cast aluminum 205/45R17 84W Bridgestone Potenza RE050A

DIMENSIONS

WHEELBASE TRACK, F/R LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT TURNING CIRCLE CURB WEIGHT WEIGHT DIST, F/R SEATING CAPACITY HEADROOM, F/R LEGROOM, F/R SHOULDER ROOM, F/R CARGO VOLUME

and Widest

90.9 in 58.9/59.1 in 159.6 x 68.5 x 48.5 in 30.8 2,464 lb 54/46% 2 37.4/- in 43.1/- in

∞

Or “ in” with top down

52.1/- in 4.9 cu

TEST DATA

ACCELERATION TO MPH 0-30 0-40 0-50 0-60 0-70 0-80 0-90 We’ve 0-100 added a new stat! 0-100-0 PASSING, 45-65 MPH QUARTER MILE BRAKING, 60-0 MPH LATERAL ACCELERATION MT FIGURE EIGHT 1.6-MI ROAD COURSE LAP TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH CONSUMER INFO

BASE PRICE PRICE AS TESTED STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL AIRBAGS BASIC WARRANTY POWERTRAIN WARRANTY ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE FUEL CAPACITY REAL MPG, CITY/HWY/COMB

EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB RECOMMENDED FUEL

Wow!

The only one here 56 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

*369 lb-ft @ 1,450-4,750 in overboost **SAE certified ***Michelin Pilot Super Sport for track lap

THE LEFTOVERS

2016 Ford Focus RS

2017 Porsche 718 Boxster S

2017 Toyota 86

Front-engine, AWD Turbocharged I-4, alum block/head

Mid-engine, RWD Turbocharged ﬂat-4, alum block/heads

Front-engine, RWD Flat-4, alum block/heads

DOHC, 4 valves/cyl 138.0 cu in/2,261cc 9.4:1

DOHC, 4 valves/cyl 152.4 cu in/2,497cc 9.5:1

DOHC, 4 valves/cyl 121.9 cu in/1,998cc 12.5:1

350 hp @ 6,000 rpm 350 lb- @ 3,200 rpm 6,500 rpm 9.9 lb/hp 6-speed manual 4.06:1 (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th); 2.95:1 (5th, 6th, R)/2.77:1

350 hp @ 6,500 rpm 309 lb- @ 1,900 rpm 7,400 rpm 9.0 lb/hp 7-speed twin-clutch auto 3.62:1/2.24:1

205 hp @ 7,000 rpm 156 lb- @ 6,400 rpm 7,500 rpm 13.4 lb/hp 6-speed manual 4.30:1/3.30:1

Struts, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar

Struts, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; struts, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar

Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar

15.0:1 2.0 13.8-in vented disc; 11.9-in vented disc, ABS

12.5:1-15.5:1 2.5 13.0-in vented, drilled disc; 11.8-in vented, drilled disc, ABS

13.1:1 2.5 11.6-in vented disc; 11.4-in vented disc, ABS

8.0 x 19-in forged aluminum 235/35ZR19 91Y Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2***

8.0 x 20-in; 10.0 x 20-in forged aluminum 235/35ZR20 88Y; 265/35ZR20 95Y Pirelli P Zero N1

7.0 x 17-in cast aluminum 215/45R17 87W Michelin Primacy HP

104.3 in 60.9/60.0 in 171.7 x 74.1 x 58.0 in 39.4 3,456 lb 59/41% 5 38.3/38.0 in 43.1/33.2 in

97.4 in 59.6/60.6 in 172.4 x 70.9 x 50.4 in 36.0 3,160 lb 44/56% 2 39.1/- in 42.2/- in

101.2 in 59.8/60.6 in 166.7 x 69.9 x 50.6 in 36.1 2,753 lb 55/45% 4 37.1/35.0 in 41.9/29.9 in

55.6/52.6 in 19.9 cu

51.3/- in 5.3 (front), 4.4 (rear) cu

Two Output Shafts

Most Seats + Most Cargo

9.7 Total

“hachi-roku” in Japanese (86mm bore x 86mm stroke)

54.5/51.7 in 6.9 cu

1.6 sec

1.4 sec

2.5 3.5 4.8 6.6 8.4 10.9 13.8 18.2 2.8 13.6 sec @ 99.3 mph 110 1.02 g (avg) 24.6 sec @ 0.75 g (avg) 86.01 sec*** 2,250 rpm

2.0 2.8 3.7 4.8 6.0 7.5 9.3 13.1 1.9 12.2 sec @ 112.6 mph 99 1.03 g (avg) 23.5 sec @ 0.86 g (avg) 81.87 sec 1,700 rpm

3.4 4.7 6.4 8.4 10.7 13.5 16.7 21.1 3.3 14.9 sec @ 94.6 mph 116 0.91 g (avg) 26.0 sec @ 0.68 g (avg) 90.36 sec 2,750 rpm

$36,995 $41,370 Yes/Yes Dual front, front side, f/r curtain, driver knee

$69,450 $92,910 Yes/Yes Dual front, side, head, knee

$27,120 $27,120 Yes/Yes Dual front, front side, f/r curtain

3 yrs/36,000 miles 5 yrs/60,000 miles 5 yrs/60,000 miles

4 yrs/50,000 miles 4 yrs/50,000 miles 4 yrs/50,000 miles

3 yrs/36,000 miles 5 yrs/60,000 miles 2 yrs/25,000 miles

13.7 gal Not tested 19/25/22 mpg 177/135 kW-hrs/100 miles 0.91 lb/mile Unleaded premium

16.9 gal 22.2/39.6/27.7 mpg 21/28/24 mpg 160/120 kW-hrs/100 miles 0.82 lb/mile Unleaded premium

Crazy Quick for RWD

Killed the EPA est!

2.3 sec

Fun-PerDollar Winner!

13.2 gal 27.8/37.0/31.3 mpg 21/28/24 mpg 160/120 kW-hrs/100 miles 0.82 lb/mile Unleaded premium

Watching Randy work his magic from up close is more than a master class in racing. It’s a privilege.

RIDING WITH RANDY GET BEHIND THE WHEEL WITH OUR RACER You don’t need us to tell you, but we’re going to anyway: Randy Pobst is a helluva driver. Since 1977, Randy has been a pro racer, racking up multiple World Challenge GT championships and more than 70 race wins, including class victories at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. Randy is our resident hot shoe when we need someone to wring out every last ounce of performance from fastflying contestants in Best Driver’s Car (and as seen here with the cars that didn’t make the cut then). Watching Randy work his magic from up close is more than a master class in racing. It’s a privilege that only a lucky few get to enjoy. Until now, that is. Behind The Wheel, a new limited-run series on Motor Trend OnDemand, puts you, ahem, behind the wheel with Randy as he thrashes some of the world’s fastest and most exciting sports cars and supercars on the track. This season features him thundering around Buttonwillow in a Lamborghini Huracán, plunging down Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s corkscrew in a Ford Shelby GT350R, and of course lapping our Leftovers around the Streets of Willow Springs. Each episode gives you a driver’s view of Randy’s blistering hot lap with real-time track mapping and telemetry data. Behind the Wheel will air each Tuesday, only on Motor Trend OnDemand. Christian Seabaugh

MOTORTREND.COM 57

HOT LAP | The Leftovers

The Restless Rest Toyota 86 To paraphrase Richard III: “My kingdom for a few more horses!” An absence of grunt means the 86 leisurely clips the apexes. From Turns 5 through 7, Randy doesn’t even lift. This is the slowest great-handling car on the market. Fiat 124 Abarth Neck and neck with the Toyota, the Fiat’s more advantageous gearing spits the Spider ahead in Turns 3 and 4. However, there’s a notably large precautionary lift-throttle at Turn 10. Ford Focus RS The feisty Focus must be wondering, “How did I lose to the Camaro?” The Ford is faster along straights and matches the Camaro everywhere else—except Turn 11, where it brakes late and accelerates even later. Chevrolet Camaro 1LE The Camaro is solid. Its max speeds aren’t the highest, but it sticks like hot tar in the corners. Randy barely lifts his right foot through the fast and hairy Turn 10. BMW M2 With the second-best lap time— thanks to its straight-line speed—the M2 might have taken it to the Porsche were it not for its struggles in Turns 6 and 7. Seriously slow shifts at higher speeds were a bummer. Porsche 718 Boxster S The Porsche simply spanks the Streets. The BMW’s speed occasionally matches or exceeds the Porsche’s, but at no time is the M2 ahead on the track. The Porsche screams through the esses from Turns 3 through 7. Kim Reynolds 718 1.24 g Camaro 1.18 g M2 1.14 g Focus 1.14 g 124 1.12 g 86 1.08 g

Focus 0.99 g 718 0.93 g 86 0.78 g M2 0.77 g Camaro 0.76 g 124 0.76 g

718 1.25 g Camaro 1.23 g M2 1.19 g Focus 1.18 g 124 1.13 g 86 1.12 g

HAT TIP This invaluable infographic didn’t selfgenerate. Testing director Kim Reynolds crunched the data and designed the map.

Back straight speed 718 114.4 mph M2 113.8 mph Focus 108.4 mph Camaro 106.7 mph 124 101.4 mph 86 100.4 mph

Camaro 1.25 g 718 1.13 g M2 1.09 g Focus 1.09 g 124 1.07 g 86 0.98 g

9 M2 1.00 g 718 0.98 g Camaro 0.92 g Focus 0.92 g 86 0.78 g 124 0.75 g

Camaro 1.05 g 718 1.05 g M2 1.02 g 124 0.98 g Focus 0.93 g 86 0.81 g

Camaro 1.00 g 124 0.97 g 86 0.95 g 718 0.94 g Focus 0.92 g M2 0.88 g

3 Dots represent vehicle positions at 8.19-second intervals

11 13

14 Front straight speed 718 104.8 mph M2 100.8 mph Focus 99.3 mph Camaro 95.7 mph 124 91.4 mph 86 91.3 mph

Streets of Willow Rosamond, California Track Length: 1.55 miles

Cornering

PORSCHE 718 BOXSTER S BMW M2

BEST LAP TIMES

Camaro 1.07 g 718 1.07 g M2 1.06 g Focus 1.03 g 86 1.00 g 124 0.98 g

Braking

1:21.87

CHEVROLET CAMARO 1LE

1:24.27 1:25.19

58 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

FORD FOCUS RS

FIAT 124 ABARTH

TOYOTA 86

1:26.01 1:29.05 1:30.36

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O.Z. Rally Racing 18

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Hurst Dazzler 20x8.5 shown

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O.Z. Ultraleggera HLT 19 20

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FIRST TEST | 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 The Bugatti Veyron quite famously came complete with 10 heat exchangers. That 1,001-horsepower projection of Ferdinand Piëch’s ego made so much heat it needed 10 coolers to keep it from boiling. The 650-hp 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has 11. Such is the extreme nature of the latest, probably greatest, and without question most powerful street-legal Camaro the Bow Tie has ever sold to the public. Unlike the obvious competition (looking at you, Hellcat), the ZL1 isn’t simply extreme for extreme’s sake. The Camaro team gave the sixth-generation Camaro all flavors of performance enhancers for a reason. Three reasons, actually: Camaro boss Al Oppenheiser wanted the ZL1 to be the best ponycar on the drag strip, on a canyon road, and on the racetrack. Chevy is marketing these three objectives in the parlance of our times as #ZL1triplethreat. That’s no small task. But luckily for Oppenheiser, he had the right platform, the right team of engineers, and the right parts bin to make an attempt at glory. For instance, even though horsepower is up by 70 ponies compared to the last-generation ZL1,

62 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

weight is down by 169 pounds, driven in large part by the Alpha platform, which also underpins the Caddy ATS and CTS families. The front fenders on the ZL1 are flared more than on other Camaros in order to accommodate the 285-width Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3 tires, which are shared with the SS 1LE. Of course, there’s also the matter of the miniature atomic device of an engine. It’s called the LT4, and its most familiar iteration is the 650-hp, 650 lb-ft drysump version found in the Corvette Z06. A slightly detuned 640-hp, 630 lb-ft wet-sump version sits under the hood of the Cadillac CTS-V. All three versions are 6.2-liter direct-injected V-8s with a top-mounted 1.7-liter intercooled supercharger. Here’s the part Chevrolet doesn’t want me to say: In the Z06, the LT4 has cooling issues. The mighty Corvette’s heart heat soaks or overheats. Remember those 11 heat exchangers? The Camaro ZL1 will not overheat. Even after six sets of rear tires in four days—not joking—the thunderous V-8 never so much as simmered. Two of those 11 heat exchangers are actually the intercoolers that straddle the supercharger.

COOLER No matter what we did, we saw no signs of overheating with the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1’s version of the LT4 V-8. Please note: We tried.

RAISING HELL, KILLING TIRES, AND CHASING BIG NUMBERS

Words Jonny Lieberman Photographs Robin Trajano

APRIL 2017 / MOTORTREND.COM 63

FIRST TEST | 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 They are redesigned and repositioned for ZL1 duty. It’s also important to note that the ZL1 version of the LT4 makes exactly as much power and torque as the Z06’s. In the past, the ’Vette would have to (officially, at least) make the most power. These days, the Camaro is free to be as strong as can be. Also of great interest is the debut of GM’s 10-speed automatic transmission. Co-developed to a point with Ford, Chevy’s hopped-up Camaro version gets unique gearing, valving, and control software. Gears one through six are very tightly spaced, seventh is direct, and eight through 10 are for highway cruising. Should you opt for the six-speed manual version of the ZL1, the feds are going to hit you with a $1,300 gas guzzler tax. The EPA jury is still out on the numbers for the auto, but there’s a chance that because of those three overdrive gears, 10-speed ZL1s might only get hit with a $1,000 tax—or nothing at all. Meaning that the 10-speed slushbox might just go from a $1,595 option to a $295 one. That said, I’m still betting on the $1,000 tax. When the old 580-hp ZL1 made its debut in 2012, it was soon beaten in a straight line by the 662-hp 2013 Shelby GT500. That Shelby and its long gears hit 60 mph in 3.5 seconds (in first gear) and rocketed down the quarter mile in 11.6 seconds at 125.7 mph. The old ZL1 got to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and ran the quarter mile in 12.2 seconds at 116.6 mph. Chevy said the 2017 10-speed ZL1 needs 3.5 seconds to 60 and runs the quarter in 11.4 seconds at 127.0 mph. Luckily for you, we have a test team, and we were able to verify the 3.5 seconds to 60 mph claim. However, in the quarter mile, the best

SAME STORY There’s very little to differentiate the ZL1’s interior from its lesser siblings. Might we suggest barbed wire. Or crocodiles. 64 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

road test editor Chris Walton could get was 11.5 seconds at 125.0 miles per hour. Why the discrepancy? We’re chalking it up to California’s 91-octane premium gasoline versus the 93-octane good stuff in Michigan. Yes, Virginia, the 650-hp Camaro requires premium. Still, 11.5 seconds in the quarter mile is quicker than both the Shelby bogey and the Dodge Challenger Hellcat, which needs 11.7 seconds at 125.4 mph. A time of 11.5 seconds in the quarter mile beats a hell of a lot of supercars, too. The ZL1 isn’t just quick in a straight line. The monstrous Chevy also excels on our figure-eight handling circuit, where it laid down an elite time of 23.1 seconds. For context, the 1LE Camaro, the BMW M4 GTS, and the Shelby GT350R all took 23.3 seconds. A time of 23.1 seconds ties the nearly two-ton Camaro with the 3,353-pound 2017 Porsche 911 Carrera S with all-wheel steering. Speaking of Porsche, the quickest figure-eight lap we’ve ever recorded was laid down by the 918 Spyder: 22.2 seconds. So this Camaro is less than 1 second off the best there is. The GT500 needs 24.2 seconds, whereas the two-door Hellcat needs 24.7 seconds. The ZL1 needs only 96 feet to stop from 60 mph. Anything less than 100 feet should be considered excellent. Since I drove it in July, I’ve described the Camaro SS 1LE as one of the besthandling cars on sale—we gave it fourth place at last year’s Best Driver’s Car. There’s a strong temptation to think of the ZL1 as a 1LE with an extra 195 hp. However, all that auxiliary cooling and the addition of nearly 200 pounds from the engine saps the ZL1 of the 1LE’s grace and fluidity. As a result, the ZL1 doesn’t dance like a ballerina. Instead, it hits like

The quarter-million-dollar McLaren 650S Spider got beat by a Camaro. What a beast of a machine. DRAG-RACING COPO CAMARO RETURNS With the success of the NHRA drag racing–prepped COPO Camaro program for the lastgeneration Camaro, there was little doubt it would carry on with the new car. As expected, an all-new COPO Camaro was launched in 2016, and it’s now been updated for 2017. Being so new, the revisions are small but noticeable: smoked taillight lenses from Chevrolet’s accessory catalog, black Bow Tie badges, and exportmarket headlights without the LED daytime running

lights or HID lights, which save weight. Three engines are offered, each tailored to an NHRA Stock Eliminator or Super Stock class. They include a 410-hp 6.2-liter V-8, a 470-hp 7.0-liter V-8, and a 580-hp 5.7-liter supercharged V-8. Each drives an ATI three-speed automatic and a coil-sprung live rear axle. All COPOs come with an NHRAapproved rollcage, wheelie bars, and an optional parachute. As in previous years, only 69 will be built in honor of the original 1969 COPO Camaros. Scott Evans

POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS

DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT ENGINE TYPE

Front-engine, RWD Supercharged 90-deg V-8, alum block/heads

VALVETRAIN DISPLACEMENT COMPRESSION RATIO POWER (SAE NET) TORQUE (SAE NET) REDLINE WEIGHT TO POWER TRANSMISSION AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO

OHV, 2 valves/cyl 376.0 cu in/6,162cc 10.0:1 650 hp @ 6,400 rpm 650 lb- @ 3,600 rpm 6,500 rpm 6.0 lb/hp 10-speed automatic 2.85:1/1.81:1 Struts, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar 11.1:1-15.1:1 2.3 15.4-in vented, 2-pc disc; 14.4-in vented, 2-pc disc, ABS 10.0 x 20-in; 11.0 x 20-in forged aluminum

SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR

STEERING RATIO TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK BRAKES, F; R WHEELS, F; R

a heavyweight boxer holding a horseshoe. Would the Shelby GT500 or Hellcat be able to keep up? No way. This thing flies. Those Goodyears are remarkable, and the Camaro team did a wondrous job with the ZL1’s rear end, both lowering the roll center and making the familial electronic limited-slip differential work better here than in any other application. This baby is a drift machine. Also, the rear wheels have no problem putting down all the LT4’s power. I tried several Performance Traction modes (Wet, Sport 1, Sport 2, Race), but I quickly realized the ZL1 is so capable that turning off all nannies was the optimum way to roll. Don’t just take it from me. “In the aggressive driving modes, such as Sport and Track, the throttle actually opens more slowly to get more control,” our on-call pro racer, Randy Pobst, says. “That’s necessary when the tires are near the cornering limit.” We often have the manufacturers’ engineers out to watch us lap their cars. Sometimes they even listen to us— especially Randy (see page 71 for more about Randy’s other side job). “Chevy engineers gave me credit for suggesting

that,” he says. “And I think it’s fantastic. I have long believed that a more aggressive throttle opening in sport modes is a bad idea because it makes the driver less smooth. I am flattered.” At the big track at Willow Springs Raceway, we had him lap an SS 1LE, a ZL1 with a six-speed manual, and a ZL1 with the 10-speed auto. The 1LE ran a 1:28.29. That’s a great lap, especially when you consider that time is 0.1 second ahead of the previous-gen Z/28. Next up was the ZL1 with a manual. That ran a blistering 1:26.16, besting the 2017 Corvette Grand Sport (1:26.28), a 2016 Mercedes-AMG GT S (1:27.04), a 2015 Porsche Turbo S (1:27.17), and a 2017 McLaren 570S prototype (1:27.21). Impressed yet? Next up was the ZL1 with the automatic. Randy only managed a time of 1:26.48. That beats all those European sports cars but is slower than the manual ZL1. To be fair, Randy felt the tires’ pressures weren’t set correctly and that the abuse meted out through Turn 8 was heating the driver’s side front too much, causing understeer through Turn 9. It should be quicker. Randy worked with some Chevy engineers and kept adjusting tire pressures and lapping. The result? An unofficial time of 1:25.87, recorded on the ZL1’s optional Performance Data Recorder. A McLaren 650S Spider does a 1:25.88. The quarter-million-dollar McLaren got beat by a Camaro. Our test team didn’t run the numbers, so we have to asterisk Randy’s lap. You’re not supposed to mention Chevy’s other sports car in the same breath as the flagship. But that unofficial ZL1 time is the eighth-best lap we’ve ever seen around Big Willow and is less than a second behind the best we’ve seen from the Z06 (1:25.00). What a world. More important, what a beast of a machine. Q

2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

TIRES, F; R

DIMENSIONS WHEELBASE TRACK, F/R LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT TURNING CIRCLE CURB WEIGHT WEIGHT DIST, F/R SEATING CAPACITY HEADROOM, F/R LEGROOM, F/R SHOULDER ROOM, F/R CARGO VOLUME TEST DATA ACCELERATION TO MPH 0-30 0-40 0-50 0-60 0-70 0-80 0-90 0-100 0-100-0 PASSING, 45-65 MPH QUARTER MILE BRAKING, 60-0 MPH LATERAL ACCELERATION MT FIGURE EIGHT 2.4-MI ROAD COURSE LAP TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH CONSUMER INFO BASE PRICE PRICE AS TESTED STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL AIRBAGS

BASIC WARRANTY POWERTRAIN WARRANTY ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE FUEL CAPACITY EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB RECOMMENDED FUEL

285/30ZR20 95Y SL; 305/30ZR20 99Y SL Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3 110.7 in 63.4/62.6 in 188.3 x 74.7 x 52.4 in 38.4 3,926 lb 54/46% 4 38.5/33.5 in 43.9/29.9 in 55.0/50.4 in 9.1 cu

1.6 sec 2.2 2.7 3.5 4.3 5.2 6.2 7.4 11.1 New MT Stat! 1.4 11.5 sec @ 125.0 mph 96 1.07 g (avg) 23.1 sec @ 0.91 g (avg) 86.48 sec 1,400 rpm $63,435 $67,425 Yes/Yes Dual front, front side, f/r curtain, front knee 3 yrs/36,000 miles 5 yrs/60,000 miles 5 yrs/100,000 miles 19.0 gal 13/21/16 mpg (est) 259/160 kW-hrs/100 miles (est) 1.24 lb/mile (est) Unleaded premium

APRIL 2017 / MOTORTREND.COM 65

SUPER COUPON

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FIRST DRIVE | 2018 Lexus LC 500/LC 500h

LEXUSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; NEW COUPE POINTS THE WAY FORWARD

WHEN CONCEPT MEETS REALITY 68 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

Words Jonny Lieberman

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED Toyota and Lexus boss Akio Toyoda has decreed that his companies’ products will no longer look boring. The LC 500 is case in point in yellow.

The Lexus brand thundered onto the automotive scene nearly 30 years ago with the LS 400 flagship sedan, which sniped the German brands with the concept of affordable, reliable luxury. But it was the first Lexus coupe that announced the brand possessed style and panache. The stunning 1992 SC 400 was born of its Newport Beach, California, design studio, which gained inspiration for its concept model by pouring gloppy plaster into balloons and seeing how they jiggled and wobbled. The resulting coupe was a sleek, stealthy sensation. We named it our Import Car of the Year. However, the follow-up coupe that arrived in 2001 was the portly, stubby SC 430, a vehicle few under the age of 65 ever coveted. When it quietly went out of production in 2010, no one noticed or even cared. That seemed to be it for big four-seat Lexus coupes. Then, at the 2012 Detroit auto show, Lexus showed the radical LC-LF concept car—and what I saw looked like a Braun electric shaver. I remember standing on the stage, staring at the concept, and thinking there was no way Lexus would ever build the thing. Well, here it is. And unlike most concept cars, which get neutered between auto show stage and the street, the LC 500 has kept much of its original design. To pay further compliment to the design, once again penned in Newport Beach, the production version looks as unhinged as the concept. I was excited when I climbed into an early build of the production LC 500h outside the Gran Melia Colón Hotel in Seville, Spain. To my eyes, Lexus’ design language is upsetting; the new look is both extreme and weird for the sake of being different. It’s just too much. That said, I understand that some people love it. I’ll admit the LC is—despite what appear to be blackened tears pouring from the tiny headlamps—the best execution of the spindle-grille design to date. Especially when viewed from the hard side. The proportions—long nose, short deck, low to the ground—are fabulous. Do I love it? No, but you might.

As the exteriors of Lexus products have grown more frenzied and polarizing, the interiors have become absolutely fabulous. This trend started with the innards of the LFA supercar and has continued through the new IS. It very well might have reached its zenith here in the LC. The quality of the leather, the Alcantara, the metal work, the overall design—it all reminded me of the best I’ve seen from Italy. Also of note, the passenger seat is the best seat in the house. Lexus claims it went through 50 seats to get the thrones just right, and it shows. The LC is the first Lexus to ride on the brand’s GA-L platform. That’s short for Global Architecture-Luxury, which will underpin the next generation of frontengine, rear-drive Lexuses. The GA-L employs a mix of materials, including several grades of high-strength steel, aluminum, CFRP, and even fiberglass in the trunklid. The suspension componentry is pretty slick, specifically the work chief engineer Koji Sato and his team put in to keep the hood as low as it is in the LC-LF show car. The coolest feature has to be the split upper control arm. Basically, two halves of an A-arm share a common knuckle via double ball joints. The end result is a stiff, rigid chassis with a low center of gravity, two of the basic ingredients for great handling.

70 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

2018 Lexus LC 500/LC 500h BASE PRICE VEHICLE LAYOUT

$92,000-$96,510 Front-engine, RWD, 4-pass, 2-door coupe

ENGINES

3.5L/295-hp/257-lb- DOHC 24-valve V-6 plus 2 electric motors, 354 hp comb; 5.0L/471-hp/398lb- DOHC 32-valve V-8

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The LC has one good powertrain and one great one. The good is the multistage hybrid system that powers the LC 500h. It’s different from the 3.5-liter V-6 hybrids in the RX and GS by dint of using a lithium battery instead of nickel–metal hydride. Also, the redline has been raised from 6,000 to 6,600 rpm, and the V-6 kicks out 295 hp. When combined with a pair of electric motors, total system output is 354 hp. They call it a multistage hybrid because the motors are connected by a planetary gearset as in most Toyota/ Lexus Hybrid Synergy Drive systems. In this case, though, there’s a conventional

four-speed automatic bolted to the end of it, and the V-6 can either drive through the HSD or send power directly to the four-speed gearset. The electric motors can add power to various gears, too, the end result of which is a virtual 10-speed transmission. This hybrid system feels way sportier than any other CVT-style hybrid I’ve driven. The LC 500h feels like a V-6-powered coupe, not at all like a hybrid. Instead of just going for efficiency, Sato and his team went for an emotional powertrain, too. The great powertrain is the LC 500’s 471-hp 5.0-liter V-8 mated to a brandnew 10-speed auto. Lexus says the new 10-speed weighs less than the eight-speed it replaces, and it shifts much harder than any Lexus gearbox I’ve ever been around. In a way, Lexus is carving a niche for the LC as a mini-Lamborghini (yes, really) because of its refusal to abandon natural aspiration. The V-8’s soundtrack is just awesome, and unlike the LC 500h, the engine’s natural sound is piped into the cabin via a tube. More important, the exhaust sounds mean and growly. Curiously, there are no visual differences between the 500 and the 500h. Both have a plethora of performance options that you should opt for if you’re at all enthusiastic about driving. Chiefly, the carbon-fiber roof and adjustable rear wing, which come bundled, the limitedslip differential, and rear-wheel steering. But how do the two cars drive? Very well, I’m happy to report. Especially because the cars are much heavier than they felt. Lexus says the V-8 weighs about 4,300 pounds, whereas the hybrid weighs about 4,450 pounds. The steering feel was excellent on both cars, and they seemed eager to change direction, most notably just off center. On the road, well below either car’s limit, there was no hint of understeer. The front end felt stiff, planted, and well-tuned. On the racetrack both cars showed a tendency toward understeer, with the V-8 being the worse offender.

ALMOST FLAWLESS The interior on the Lexus LC 500 is among the best out there, but the navigation and infotainment is still a decade behind the competition.

LONG TIME COMING Chief engineer Koji Sato and Randy Pobst discuss some fine-tuning details of a late prototype LC 500. A benchmark competitor lurks in the background.

INSIDE THE LC’S DEVELOPMENT Of the many gearhead delights I pursue here at Motor Trend, perhaps my favorite is communicating with the people who design and tune an automaker’s best driver’s cars. Lexus invited me four times to give feedback and test LC and LC hybrid prototype mules. The first vehicle was a Frankencar built within the body of an existing Lexus. We drove the car on an autocross course in Pasadena, California. The engine was powerful and refined, but the transmission was crude, an early version. The same was true of the

suspension. Lexus demonstrates its bravery when it allows us to peek at unfinished projects. It’s like visiting a movie diva before hair and makeup. Latter versions obviously gained in refinement. We were coached to ignore the rough edges and focus on the drivetrain, handling, and brakes. Questions came after I stopped and downloaded opinions about what stuck out to me. Nondisclosure agreements limit details I can share, but I will

leak that I noticed extremely quick responses in steering and braking and a compliant ride. Chief engineer Koji Sato wanted a high level of handling beyond what Lexus has been doing. We had competitors to compare against each time. I referenced the competitors and where they excelled (or not) against the LC. We discussed the ride/handling compromise, and I pushed the latter, of course. Several engineers rode with me on hot laps and seemed to enjoy

Counterintuitively, the LC 500h also felt the more balanced of the two, especially on the track. Credit better weight distribution, mostly because of the heavy battery, which sits behind the rear seats. The V-8 was much quicker, sounded better, and shifted better. Plus, it was more fun to drive, specifically when equipped with rear-wheel steering. On the road, the LC 500 was the better driver’s car. That said, I have two gripes. First, both cars need more brakes, especially the V-8. I was getting above 140 mph on the straight, and I cooked them

it, much to my surprise. While driving hard, I pointed out specific behaviors: a bump stop, a slow shift, a chassis vibration. The new 10-speed gearbox was a focus, and I tasted its maturity in each revision. With so many gears to choose from, I emphasized the importance of the downshift speed. The Lexus engineers followed up by asking about shift-paddle behavior. The Lexus team circled around after my drive in the latest version, their attention quiet and rapt. I blushed, humbled in their presence. Who am I to tell them what to do? Well, I know the feeling. That’s why they are empowering me. Having a tiny part in this development is the realization of a life-long dream. Randy Pobst

just slowing down for Turn 1. Second, the throttle pedal kickdown requires more effort and travel than on other cars. Big coupes that shout, “I’m a hedge fund manager!” don’t occupy a large market segment, but Lexus feels the LC has the mojo to move about 5,000 units per year. Pricing starts at $92,000, and the competitive set is priced from $80,000 to $120,000. We’re still waiting on confirmation of the not-so-secret V-8 LC F, which we should start seeing next year. Most important, the first iteration of the GA-L platform proves Lexus’ future is strong. Q APRIL 2017 / MOTORTREND.COM 71

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PRAISEWORTHY Lamborghini calls it Aerodynamica Lamborghini Attiva—ALA for short—but really it’s a hollow rear wing that smartly, actively creates aero vectoring.

A NEW FORCE The most fascinating aspect of the new Lamborghini Huracán Performante isn’t its increased power, new tires, reworked suspension, or improved ABS system. It isn’t its recalculated stability and traction control programs, upgraded transmission, or decreased weight, either. The part of the Performante that’s going to excite supercar lovers the most is ALA. That’s short for Aerodynamica Lamborghini Attiva, an entirely new way to do active aerodynamics. But first, the basics. Power is up! And that’s always a good thing. Especially when your garden variety Huracán is capable of producing “only” 602

Words Jonny Lieberman

2018 Lamborghini Huracán Performante | FIRST DRIVE

LAMBORGHINI’S NEW TECHNOLOGY REINVENTS THE WING hp and 413 lb-ft of torque from its 5.2-liter naturally aspirated V-10. For Performante duty, the engine gets new intake and exhaust camshafts, an air intake borrowed from the Super Trofeo Huracán, and a new exhaust system. The result is 25 to 40 more hp and an additional 30 lb-ft of torque. The seven-speed dual-clutch transmission has also been

re-optimized. The last time we tested a Huracán, it hit 60 mph in 2.8 seconds. Expect the Performante to be quicker. Weight is down by about 90 pounds, thanks in part to that new exhaust system, which cuts nearly 25 pounds. The rest of the weight loss is due to increased use of forged carbon fiber composite, or Forged Carbon (FC) as Lamborghini would like

PROUD PAPA Lamborghini R & D capo Maurizio Reggiani points out exactly what makes ALA tick.

you to call it. The largest piece of FC on the Performante is the rear wing, where the bulk of the ALA magic happens. The suspension has been massively reworked. The Huracán with fixed dampers had brilliant handling. To be blunt, our long-term Huracán with magnetic dampers did not. That car pushed and understeered, and it felt a bit mushy. It simply wasn’t as sweet. It’s important to remember that the Huracán was Lamborghini’s first use of magnetorheological shocks. The Aventador Superveloce was their second effort, and based on that alone, my mind was at ease. The Performante represents something of a third draft, and the results are stellar. APRIL 2017 / MOTORTREND.COM 77

Taken as a whole, the Huracán Performante is a major step forward in performance. What’s different? To start, the shocks have been retuned to deal with the fastacting active aero gear and as a result are much stiffer. The springs and anti-roll bars provide 10 percent more vertical stiffness and 15 percent more roll stiffness. The adjustable steering has been revamped, though most of the changes are in Corsa mode. The Performante also gets newly developed Pirelli P Zero Corsas. This caused the all-wheel-drive system to be reprogrammed and the ABS system to be reworked. All the bushings are about 50 percent stiffer to cope with the stickier tires, as well. Brake pedal feel is also improved. Finally, because the Performante is more stable than the regular Huracán, ESC is less intrusive. Then there’s ALA, for which you can thank Antonio Torluccio, Lamborghini’s head of aerodynamics and previously

78 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

an engineer on both the V-10 and V-12 programs. Torluccio describes ALA as a smarter way to do active aero. Think about traditional active aero, such as on the Bugatti Veyron or Lamborghini’s own Centenario. Typically you have a large wing on some hydraulic struts. Based on conditions, the struts change the wing’s position. It works, but there are two drawbacks. One is speed, as most hydraulically adjustable wings need about a second to move fully from one position to another. The second is weight, as hydraulic fluid is heavy. Rather than moving a large part around, ALA uses electric motors to open and close small flaps that control airflow through the hollow wing and the big uprights that support it. An outlet on the underside of the wing allows the air to exit, and the flaps can open to reduce drag and close to increase downforce. Either flap can close in 0.2 second to create aero vectoring, as well. Lamborghini says ALA works between 43 and 193 mph. Any faster than that, and you don’t want to be turning the steering wheel. I asked if they looked into putting aero vectoring on the front axle. Torluccio told me they did, but there was no advantage. It works quite brilliantly, if the 14 laps I did around Italy’s Imola circuit in a camouflaged prototype are any indication. If you were to ask whether my experience was from ALA alone

or if the improved power, tires, ABS, weight reduction, and suspension all played their parts, I couldn’t honestly say. Taken as a whole, however, the Performante is a major step forward in performance. For instance, I was able to squeal a tire or two (and induce a big, dumb grin on my face) all the way around Imola’s awesome Acqua Minerale corner in the regular Huracán. In the Performante? No smiling. If anything, my face was showing nothing but fear as a result of the high velocities I was hitting. The Performante was much more accurate and precise, albeit a different sort of fun. High-speed braking in the normal Huracán is, well, too exciting. We’ve long thought the ABS programming was a little funky. Combine that with the squishy shocks, and you get a car that wiggles around too much. That’s something you sure don’t want when you’re coming down from 170 mph, the indicated top speed you’ll see on Imola’s frightening front straight at the top of sixth gear. In the Performante? No drama whatsoever. On that narrowing front straight in the regular Huracán, I had visions of my own mortality. In the Performante, I had lucid dreams of catching the instructor—a Formula 3 winner, no less. Like all aero cars, going faster to improve handling is a counterintuitive proposition. I needed a few laps to calibrate my brain. On my final two laps in the Performante, my friend climbed into the passenger seat of the instructor’s Huracán, which had been upgraded to the high-performance Pirellis because of the chase vehicle’s athleticism. The instructor himself was such a stereotypical Italian race car driver that I assumed he was swiping right on Tinder while I gave chase. I asked my friend to report back to me how hard the guy was actually driving. After two laps where I

Understanding ALA How Lamborghini advanced the art of aero Remember those wild Jim Hall Chaparral 2 racers with the jumbo movable wings in back? And the 2Js with the sucker fans? The Huracán Performante is attempting to achieve similar variable-downforce effects via clever routing of the air flowing through, under, and over the car and by one-upping the Chaparrals with side-to-side downforce vectoring at the rear. Most of the air that enters the primary inlet in the front goes straight through the radiators, but a pair of motorized flaps along the bottom of this airflow passage can divert 5 to 10 percent under the car to reduce drag. Closing the flaps creates a suction that increases front downforce (and drag). The wing in back is fixed at the high angle of attack one would specify for a serious track weapon.

But as speeds increase to the point where serious downforce and drag are generated, airflow is once again harnessed to alter the wing’s behavior. A pair of air inlet ducts forward of the wing send air into channels in the wing support struts to a plenum along the bottom of the wing. This directs air out through a slim line of vents along the lowest point of the wing. Flaps control airflow into these ducts, and when they are open, they have the effect of stalling the wing—making it all but stop producing downforce. A wing stalls when the boundary layer separates from the lowpressure side of the wing so that the pressure difference can no longer produce lift (or downforce when it’s mounted upside down on a Lambo). The father of modern aerodynamics, Ludwig Prandtl,

discovered that blowing lightly pressurized air out of a wing can induce this boundary-layer separation. That’s what the air flowing up into this wing does—stalls the wing to lower drag. By controlling the airflow through the left and right halves of the wing separately in a turn, the car can concentrate downforce on the inboard rear tire to improve cornering performance. (A side note on the wing: It’s an engineering marvel in itself. The wing and struts are a single piece of forged carbon fiber. The air outlet vent plenums are separate pieces.) The flaps are controlled differently in Strada, Sport, and Corsa modes. For on-road Strada operation, all flaps open at 43 mph to minimize drag; the front shuts at 193 mph to enhance stability. In Sport the flaps all close again at

112 mph, the rears opening at 193 for V-max drag reduction. In Corsa, between 43 and 193 mph the flaps open and close as needed to maximize braking, cornering power, and straight-line acceleration. With patents pending, Lamborghini won’t divulge how much actual downforce is generated at what speeds but says the difference is 10 to 20 percent of the natural front and rear downforce balance. That balance is closely matched to the static weight distribution, so as the flaps move, the downforce balance isn’t dramatically altered. Frank Markus

FOLLOW THE ARROW The green arrow opens the duct to allow air to stall the wing; red closes it to maximize the natural downforce.

2018 Lamborghini Huracán Performante

gave it my all, I was happy to hear my buddy say, “Yeah, he was driving pretty hard.” There you have it. The Huracán Performante has such high levels of performance that mere mortals can feel as if they know what they’re doing on an old F1 track. As I climbed out of the car, I said to Reggiani, “I don’t know why you let bad drivers like me drive such good cars.” He just smiled and shook his head. One last thing: The Performante went very quickly around the Nürburgring Nordschleife. How fast?

Well, Lamborghini’s own Aventador Superveloce set a time of 6 minutes, 59.73 seconds. The only production car to ever circumnavigate more quickly is the Porsche 918 Spyder, which laid down an ice-cold 6:57.00. The Huracán Performante? Lambo isn’t saying, no matter how many times I ask, but I heard mutterings of “six-fifty-two-somethingsomething.” That would shatter the Porsche’s record. We’ll find out for sure when Lamborghini pulls the wraps off the Performante in March at the Geneva International Motor Show. Q

BASE PRICE VEHICLE LAYOUT

$350,000 (est) Mid-engine, AWD, 2-pass, 2-door coupe

ENGINE

5.2L/635-hp (est)/ 443-lb- DOHC 40-valve V-10

TRANSMISSION CURB WEIGHT WHEELBASE LXWXH 0-60 MPH EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON ENERGY CONSUMPTION, CITY/HWY

7-speed twin-clutch auto 3,400 lb (est) 103.1 in 175.6 x 75.7 x 45.9 in 2.7 sec (MT est) 14/20/16 mpg (est) 241/169 kW-hrs/ 100 miles (est)

CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB ON SALE IN U.S.

1.20 lb/mile (est) Fall 2017

APRIL 2017 / MOTORTREND.COM 79

COMPARISON | 2016 BMW Alpina B6 xDrive Gran Coupe VS. 2017 BMW M6 Gran Coupe

DEVILâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DETAILS They wear the same 6 Series Gran Coupe body, but the Alpina B6 (green) and BMW M6 (white) offer very different driving experiences. 80 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

BROTHER FROM ANOTHER MOTHER: WE COMPARE BMW’S TWO IN-HOUSE 600-HP GRAN COUPES

Words Jason Cammisa Photographs Brian Brantley

Every car is defined by a series of trade-offs and decisions that achieve one goal at the expense of others. The BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe itself defines compromise—emphasizing style over function. We just can’t decide which of its two performance derivatives we like better. The M6 and Alpina B6 are both

available from BMW dealerships with full factory warranties and wear the same sexy body. They have different engines, but both are twin-turbo V-8s that crank out 600 tarmac-tearing horsepower. Even their base prices are similar, a mere $3,400 apart. That’s a rounding error at their six-figure price points. APRIL 2017 / MOTORTREND.COM 81

LOOK CLOSELY You’ll spot a number of differences, including the shifter, wheel, gauges, and badge.

Despite the apparent similarities, these two BMWs are the products of different compromises. Everyone knows what an M car is. You expect the M6 Gran Coupe to pummel any racetrack, dominate any back road, and obliterate everything on the autobahn. But what’s an Alpina B6? For starters, it isn’t a tuner car. At least no more so than the M6. Alpina is no fly-by-night organization, having celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2015—a milestone M won’t hit until 2022. We’ll forgive you if you’ve never heard of Alpina. After all, the company prides itself on exclusivity, and that means not selling tens of thousands of cars every year. But you need to pay attention going forward because (spoiler alert) the Alpina B6 is a better car than the M6. But it took head-to-head testing to figure this out. THE CASE FOR M Decades of automotive history have forged a clear idea of what an M car should be. M originally stood for Motorsport, so a car wearing its badge will trade some of BMW’s trademark comfort for performance. An M car

will have a high-revving engine, rearwheel drive, and immediate handling. It should have a manual transmission where possible, and if not, at least no torque converter. It should be lightweight to foster nimble handling, and although its high price will make it appeal to every attorney trudging through Beverly Hills, it should feel most at home on a lonely mountain road. The M6 is mostly faithful to that recipe. It has a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, rear-wheel drive, and a relatively high-revving V-8 with an ingenious crossover exhaust manifold, which replicates the firing order of a flat-plane-crank V-8 to keep its two twin-scroll turbos on the boil. Think of that trick as the turbo-era counterpart to one of M’s oldest hallmarks: independent throttle butterflies for each cylinder. The M6’s rear subframe is rigidly mounted to its body to sharpen rear-axle response. Our M6 tester included the Competition package, which further stiffens the M6’s already stout springs, dampers, and anti-roll bars. It then

substitutes even tauter suspension bushings and swaps in a steering rack with a faster ratio than the regular M car’s. It wears 20-inch wheels with aggressive Pirelli P Zero tires (Michelin Pilot Super Sports for routine track testing) and has optional carbon-ceramic brakes. In other words, think M with even more attitude and less weight. In concert with other lightweighting, the M6 tipped our scales at 4,397 pounds. That’d be a lot were it not for the 600 hyperactive horses hiding under the scalloped hood. As those numbers indicate, the M6 is a gloriously fast car—once the rear tires hook up. Or, we should say, if. This is not a given. When this 4.4-liter V-8 went into production, it was the most powerful production M engine ever. Yet BMW boasted that the new generation of turbo M cars would continue the BMW M tradition of engineering a chassis that is faster than the engine. That’s a load of horsepower manure. With 600 ponies assaulting the rear wheels, the M6 can barely move out of a parking spot without breaking rear-wheel

Despite apparent similarities, these two are the products of different compromises.

82 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

traction. Senior features editor Jonny Lieberman joked that the perpetually blinking traction-control light in the M6 must be trying to flash out Ultimate Driving Machine in Morse code. You’re more likely to get struck by lightning than launch an M6 properly from a stop. Our testing team, after much swearing, frustration, and tire smoke, managed a blazing 4.0-second run to 60 mph. Shortly thereafter, the M6 screamed through the quarter mile at 120.9 mph. And it’s not just a straight-line performer, either. The big BMW clung to the skidpad at 0.97 g and circled the figure eight in 24.3 seconds, nearly sports car numbers. THE CASE FOR ALPINA Guess what car produces similar numbers? Yep, the other 600-hp Gran Coupe. The Alpina B6, also wearing Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, generated a skosh less grip (0.96 g), so it requires another 0.2 second to round the figure eight. But let’s talk about acceleration for a second or two. Or actually for 3.3 seconds. That’s how long it takes the all-wheeldrive Alpina B6 Gran Coupe to hurl itself to 60 mph. It accomplishes this with no wheelspin and no talent required from the driver other than introducing the right pedal to the carpet. It helps that it has so much more torque than its rival. The B6’s quarter-mile performance (11.8 seconds at 116.6 mph) is impressive, but the M6 is only fourtenths behind, and because it’s traveling 4.3 mph faster, the M6 is catching up. Indeed, if you line the two up for a rolling highway-speed drag race, the M6 will walk away. That’s because of several factors. First, the Alpina V-8 doesn’t respond as quickly; its exhaust manifolds are of

WHAT’S NEXT FOR M? “We are repeatedly asked whether M and Alpina are competitors,” says Frank van Meel, president of M GmbH. “We regard Alpina as a strategic partner. … [Its] focus is on exclusiveness, individualization, and long-distance travel comfort.” The distinctions are carefully managed, with BMW, M, and Alpina working together to determine which Alpina models are developed. But when Alpina cars beat M cars in comparisons, it’s reasonable to ask whether M is building the right sort of performance BMWs. Its focus on performance and dynamics has been shaped by its role as BMW’s race shop. BMW has refused to build an M7 version of the 7 Series sedan or an M8 version of the 8 Series coupe, but its reasoning looked inconsistent when it rolled out the lumbering X5 M and X6 M SUVs. The M brand has also expanded to include M Performance kits and the M Sport appearance packages. Van Meel said there was “no blinking” when considering the menacing next-gen M5’s crucial mission. Needless to say, it’s a beast. Will it be enough to resurrect the purity of M? That’s yet to be determined. Angus MacKenzie and Erick Ayapana

GOT YOU COVERED The two 4.4-liter V-8s share a foundation and 600-hp output, but with different turbos and exhaust routing, they deliver power differently.

the conventional variety, and each of its turbos receives exhaust gases through just one scroll. Second, the B6 weighs 354 pounds more than the M6, in part due to that all-wheel-drive system, which robs some of the power going to the ground. As does its torque-converter automatic, which shifts noticeably less quickly than the M6’s dual-clutch transmission. Which is more useful in the real world: the ability to out-accelerate a city bus off the line or out-dragging a 600-hp sedan from 75 to 150 mph? Sorry, but we don’t have an autobahn in America, so the highspeed stuff falls into the bragging rights category. The Alpina’s trade-offs are more appropriate for the real world. That wouldn’t be the case if the M6 weren’t overwhelmed by its own power. But it is, and that’s where it’s held back by the M-brand history, which dictates that the M6 needs rear-wheel drive and more power than other 6 Series Gran Coupes. The Alpina B6 isn’t saddled with any of that history. In addition to the realworld plus of having four driven wheels, it benefits from a medley of other trade-offs that make it a better road car. The B6’s ZF-sourced eight-speed torque-converter

2016 BMW Alpina B6 xDrive Gran Coupe

POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS

Front-engine, AWD

DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT

2017 BMW M6 Gran Coupe (Competition Pkg) Front-engine, RWD

ENGINE TYPE VALVETRAIN DISPLACEMENT COMPRESSION RATIO POWER (SAE NET) TORQUE (SAE NET) REDLINE WEIGHT TO POWER TRANSMISSION AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR

Twin-turbo 90-deg V-8, alum block/heads DOHC, 4 valves/cyl 268.2 cu in/4,395cc 10.0:1 600 hp @ 6,250 rpm 516 lb- @ 1,500 rpm 7,200 rpm 7.3 lb/hp 7-speed twin-clutch automatic 3.15:1/2.12:1

18.7:1 3.0 14.7-in vented disc; 14.6-in vented disc, ABS

STEERING RATIO TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK BRAKES, F; R

12.7:1 2.6 16.1-in vented, drilled carbon-ceramic disc; 15.6-in vented drilled carbonceramic disc, ABS

8.5 x 20-in; 10.0 x 20-in forged aluminum

WHEELS, F; R

Twin-turbo 90-deg V-8, alum block/heads DOHC, 4 valves/cyl 268.2 cu in/4,395cc 10.0:1 600 hp @ 6,000 rpm 590 lb- @ 3,500 rpm 6,800 rpm 7.9 lb/hp 8-speed automatic 2.81:1/1.88:1 Control arms, coil springs, adj shocks, adj anti-roll bar; multi-link, coil springs, adj shocks, adj anti-roll bar

TIRES, F; R

255/35ZR20 (97Y); 295/30ZR20 (101Y) Michelin Pilot Super Sport

Control arms, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multi-link, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar

9.5 x 20-in; 10.5 x 20-in forged aluminum 265/35ZR20 (99Y); 295/30ZR20 (101Y) Michelin Pilot Super Sport*

DIMENSIONS

116.9 in 62.8/63.9 in 197.1 x 74.6 x 54.8 in 39.4 4,751 lb 53/47% 5 40.1/37.0 in 42.1/35.3 in 56.7/54.6 in

WHEELBASE TRACK, F/R LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT TURNING CIRCLE CURB WEIGHT WEIGHT DIST, F/R SEATING CAPACITY HEADROOM, F/R LEGROOM, F/R SHOULDER ROOM, F/R CARGO VOLUME

13.0 cu

116.7 in 64.2/63.5 in 197.5 x 74.8 x 54.9 in 41.0 4,397 lb 52/48% 5 40.6/37.0 in 42.1/35.3 in 56.7/54.6 in 16.2 cu

TEST DATA

1.3 sec 1.9 2.5 3.3 4.3 5.5 6.8 8.4 1.6 11.8 sec @ 116.6 mph 108 0.96 g (avg) 24.5 sec @ 0.81 g (avg) 92.89 sec 1,400 rpm

ACCELERATION TO MPH 0-30 0-40 0-50 0-60 0-70 0-80 0-90 0-100 PASSING, 45-65 MPH QUARTER MILE BRAKING, 60-0 MPH LATERAL ACCELERATION MT FIGURE EIGHT 2.42-MI ROAD COURSE LAP TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH

1.8 sec 2.5 3.2 4.0 4.9 6.1 7.3 8.6 1.6 12.2 sec @ 120.9 mph 102 0.97 g (avg) 24.3 sec @ 0.82 g (avg) 90.66 sec* 1,550 rpm

CONSUMER INFO

$123,195 BASE PRICE $135,495 PRICE AS TESTED Yes/Yes STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL Dual front, front side, AIRBAGS f/r curtain, front knee 4 yrs/50,000 miles BASIC WARRANTY 4 yrs/50,000 miles POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 4 yrs/Unlimited miles ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 18.5 gal FUEL CAPACITY 15/24/18 mpg EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON 225/140 kW-hrs/100 miles 1.08 lb/mile Unleaded premium

ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB RECOMMENDED FUEL

84 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

$119,795 $154,855 Yes/Yes Dual front, front side, f/r curtain, front knee 4 yrs/50,000 miles 4 yrs/50,000 miles 4 yrs/Unlimited miles 21.1 gal 14/20/16 mpg 241/169 kW-hrs/100 miles 1.20 lb/mile Unleaded premium

*Pirelli P Zero for road course

transmission is far smoother in everyday driving than the M6’s clumsy dual-clutch unit. Its hydraulically assisted steering is light and communicative, unlike the M6, whose steering was apparently tuned by marketing people who think sporty means heavy. The M6’s three driverselectable levels of power steering assist are equivalent to the system being low on fluid, completely out of fluid, or, in its sportiest mode, just plain broken. A harsh judgment but a true one. The Alpina’s rear subframe is isolated from the chassis with bushings, and as such its occupants experience less road and impact noise. Although the Alpina has the same-size 20-inch wheels, its ride is far suppler than the M6’s. It soaks up bumps that have the M car bouncing. Its steering ratio is far slower (18.7:1 versus 12.7:1), but the Alpina setup offers better on-center communication. It dances in your hands the way good BMW steering used to. The M6, by comparison, is mute on center, allowing the car to tramline to truck grooves, pavement seams, and the gravitational pull of Neptune. THE VERDICT The trade-off—there’s always a trade-off—is that above eighttenths, the Alpina’s front end goes soft and gooey, where the M6’s is far more rigid and accurate. That’s mostly irrelevant; should you approach the limit in the M6, you’ll accidentally press the accelerator pedal four millimeters too far and wind up in a slide. Unwanted poweron sideways escapades are common in the M6, and they happen quickly. The M6 even spooked Randy Pobst as he attempted to set a fast lap around Willow Springs International Raceway. He persevered and was able to lap the M6 2.2 seconds faster than the B6. But then Pobst did the unthinkable: He preferred the slower car. Why? The M6’s hastened lap times come at the expense of predictability. Pobst preferred the B6’s progressive demeanor, even on the track. There is one place where the M6 comes out well ahead. Its start/stop system is, thanks to the dual-clutch automatic, far smoother and less intrusive. But that’s a lonely win. Overall, the M6’s motorsport emphasis just doesn’t work with a car this hefty. At least not as well as how Alpina has engineered its compromises. The Alpina is tuned for reality, and it’s the better 6 Series Gran Coupe in normal driving, in aggressive back-road driving, and even on the track. Cars like these are never going to be raced, so lap times don’t matter. But the experience does, and there, the Alpina is the clear winner. Q

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CHEVROLET CAMARO SS

Words Motor Trend Editors

ARRIVAL 2016 Toyota Mirai Kelly Pleskot “Driving a hydrogen car every day presents a unique opportunity to collect key data and learn from a rapidly evolving fueling infrastructure.” EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 67/67/67 MPG-E BASE PRICE $58,335 PRICE AS TESTED $58,335 Here it is: the first hydrogen car to grace the Motor Trend Garage. For the next several months, we’ll learn what it’s like to drive and live with a hydrogen vehicle. We’ve learned a few things already, such as not to panic when the fueling nozzle freezes onto the car’s receptacle at the hydrogen pump. Oh, and that the Mirai can outrun a Prius. The Toyota Mirai is the first vehicle of its kind to be available for retail sale in the U.S. It’s currently only sold in eight dealerships across California, and only 1,034 copies were delivered during all of 2016. Its competitors can only be leased; even the upcoming 2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell will only be available by lease initially. How does the Mirai work? In a fuel cell stack, catalytic materials help hydrogen gas combine with 86 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

oxygen in the air in an electrochemical reaction that releases electricity. This powers a 151-hp electric motor driving the vehicle, with help from a nickel– metal hydride buffer battery. Range in the Mirai is more than in an electric vehicle but not as much as you’d expect in a traditional gas-powered model. The EPA estimates 312 miles on a single fill-up of hydrogen. We haven’t been able to achieve anything near that projected range, but that’s something we’ll explore in future updates. Priced at $58,335, the four-seater Mirai comes well-appointed. Our model, painted in Elemental Silver, features LED headlights and taillights as well as 17-inch alloy wheels and rain-sensing windshield wipers. Inside, carbon-fiber accents seem to pay homage to the large investment Toyota has made in carbon fiber, including the looms that create the Mirai’s carbon-fiber hydrogen tanks. Cabin controls rely mostly on touch; a 7.0-inch touchscreen complements unique touch points on the lower center console for climate settings

and heated seats. Other standard features on our model include keyless entry and push-button start, comfortable SofTex synthetic leather seats, a rearview camera, navigation, lane departure alert, blind-spot monitoring with rear-cross traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, and a pre-collision system with automatic emergency braking. Once we took stock of our new Mirai, we dragged it to the track. The Mirai completed the 0–60-mph run in 8.6 seconds, beating a 2016 Prius Four Touring we tested at 9.7 seconds. And it torches the 2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell, which lumbered its way to 60 mph in 11.3 seconds. The Mirai is about as quick as a Camry XSE 2.5, which we’ve clocked going to 60 mph in 8.5 seconds.

An avant-garde cabin layout helps distinguish the Mirai from other Toyota products.

CHEVROLET COLORADO Z71 DURAMAX

UPDATE DODGE CHARGER SRT HELLCAT

MAZDA MX-5 MIATA CLUB

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HONDA CIVIC TOURING

UPDATE HONDA HR-V EX

MINI COOPER S CLUBMAN ALL4

NISSAN TITAN XD PRO-4X DIESEL

HONDA PILOT AWD ELITE

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SUBARU OUTBACK 2.5i UPDATE

TOYOTA MIRAI ARRIVAL

UPDATE KIA SPORTAGE EX AWD

LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER SPORT HSE TD6

VOLKSWAGEN GOLF SPORTWAGEN 1.8T

VOLVO XC90 AWD

RIDE ALONG FOR UPDATES ON OUR LONG -TERM FLEET

PAUL LAGUETTE

60.4”

SPECS 2016 Toyota Mirai Fuel Cell

109.4

71.5”

CO2 emissions 0.00 lb/mile*

8.6

” 192.5

”

MT figure eight 28.3 sec @ 0.58 g (avg)

16.7 sec @ 81.2 mph 129 ft

0-60 mph Quarter mile

Braking distance, 60-0 mph

Vehicle Layout Front-engine, FWD, 4-pass, 4-door sedan Engine 151-hp/247-lb-ft AC electric motor Transmission 1-speed automatic Lateral Acceleration 0.78 g (avg) Curb Weight (F/R Dist) 4,072 lb (58/42%) Energy Cons, City/Hwy 50/50 kW-hrs/100 miles (gas equiv) *At vehicle

To our dismay, the Mirai’s brakes don’t exactly bite when you press on the pedal. Instead, you hear a sound that resembles a deflating noise, and the Mirai takes its time coming to a stop. It took the Mirai 129 feet to stop from 60 mph in our tests. That compares poorly with new Prius hybrids, which we’ve recorded stopping between 115 and 119 feet. Overall, I have enjoyed driving the Mirai quite a bit; it’s spirited in the city, and visibility is fantastic thanks to the low and expansive windows. Of course, there’s much more to this story than the vehicle. During the course of our loan, we expect the hydrogen landscape to change considerably; new fueling stations are just coming online, and new competitors are starting to emerge. In the next update, I’ll discuss range and refueling in the Mirai.

Be patient. You might have to wait a bit before removing the nozzle if it’s stuck.

2016 Honda HR-V (EX) Robin Trajano “I wish my long-term HR-V had Honda’s 1.5-liter turbo engine. That would make this thing a riot!”

My beloved Sedona was recently returned to Kia after our year-long loan, and it was time for me to move on to another ride. Our HR-V opened up, so associate road test editor Benson Kong asked me to be its new chaperone. I wanted something a bit more fun to replace the minivan. A small, nimble CUV with a manual sounded like fun, so I accepted. First impressions: I like the design of the interior, but I think some parts of the interior look and feel a bit cheap. I took it to dinner with my girlfriend the first night I got it and asked how she liked my new long-termer. She was quite pleased at first sight but was quickly disappointed by the interior. I assured her it’s because it stickers for only $22,000. “Oh, all right. At least it isn’t trying too hard,” she responded backhandedly. The dash looks spartan, and things such as the fabric door panel inserts are not pleasing. I guess they’re better than just full plastic. It’s a bit slow. Not as slow with a manual (1 second quicker than the CVT), but the bigger, heftier Sedona minivan would smoke it in a straight line. You also really need to wind out the motor to get any kind of forward momentum. I wouldn’t usually mind doing that with a nice manual, but the motor itself is a bit thrashy and loud. You don’t get a lot of road noise, but a good

Service life / 5 mo/8,205 mi Avg CO2 / 0.60 lb/mi Energy cons / 104 kW-hrs/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $97.02 (oil change, inspection, tire rotation) Normal-wear cost / $0 Base price / $22,045 As tested / $22,407

REAL MPG FUEL ECON 32.4 MPG comb. amount of engine noise seeps into the cabin. Freeway merging and cruising elicits annoying engine buzz. And about that transmission: It’s a typical Honda manual shifter, so the transmission itself is great. What I can’t stand is the plasticky sound it makes on every shift. It sounds like something out of a kid’s building blocks set, which makes the car feel even cheaper. Other than those initial complaints, it’s still a nice little SUV. Although it’s a bit cheap in places, the design of the interior is nice, and from what I can recall, it rides nicer than a Honda Fit. They share the same platform, but a higher ride height and fatter tires on the HR-V give it a nicer ride. It should be great for pothole-riddled Los Angeles roads.

The HR-V interior is a bit on the plasticky side, but the Magic Seats live up to their name.

APRIL 2017 / MOTORTREND.COM 87

LONG-TERM TEST | Updates

2017 Kia Sportage EX AWD Zach Gale “Fun fact on automotive progress: Our 2017 Sportage reaches 60 in 9.0 seconds, a full 3.0 seconds quicker than a 1999 model we tested.” Updating a car can involve a new set of wheels or all-weather floormats, but what’s crazy about some newer cars is that owners without any special automotive knowledge can add a useful feature to their car by following simple directions from the automaker. That’s what happened to our 2017 Kia Sportage, which now has Apple CarPlay thanks to a few easy steps and one quiet drive home. The Sportage’s infotainment system is already good, but Apple CarPlay (and the available Android Auto) has advantages. When I found out that Kia

Service life / 4 mo/8,879 mi Avg CO2 / 0.86 lb/mi Energy cons / 149 kW-hrs/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $63.02 (oil change, inspection, tire rotation) Normal-wear cost / $0 Base price / $27,895 As tested / $32,595

REAL MPG FUEL ECON 22.6 MPG comb. and Hyundai were offering a software update that owners could perform themselves, I got started. My car’s upgrade involved following the automaker’s set of directions with the SD card, removing it from the car, and downloading an update from my computer. The only sacrifice came with my drive home that day, which involved listening to music from my iPhone speaker while the car’s infotainment system updated. It took about 40 minutes.

2016 Subaru Outback (2.5i Limited) Chris Clonts “With considerable highway driving, the Outback’s decent mpg and its 18.5-gallon tank regularly allow it to go 400-plus miles between fill-ups.” We usually strive to put 20,000 miles on vehicles in our long-term fleet before we hand them back. The Outback is approaching 26,000. The vehicle is great on longer drives. It’s easy to find a good long-term seating position, and the power-adjustable seats include effective lumbar support. It’s admirably quiet between 60 and 75 mph on the freeway. The only thing creating noise is the rhythmic sound of expansion joints. Those joints can be slightly confusing for the Outback’s suspension, sometimes resulting in a

88 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

Service life / 14 mo/25,347 mi Avg CO2 / 0.72 lb/mi Energy cons / 126 kW-hrs/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $0 (3-oil change, inspection; 1-tire rotation) Normal-wear cost / $0 Base price / $31,545 As tested / $34,989

REAL MPG FUEL ECON 26.8 MPG comb. bucking feeling. But the suspension deals so well with other imperfections, especially the potholes and cracks of L.A.’s urban zones, that I wouldn’t want to address it and compromise what’s good. For some reason on one trip back to L.A., the left front tire was low, which I found out thanks to the pressure monitors. I stopped at Vincent Chevron in West Covina. They have a schmancy air machine that hits a target psi selected by the user. I double-

Yeah, I’m also looking at the beautiful 1913 Craftsman house (in Pasadena, California), but the 2017 Kia Sportage is decently attractive, too. The biggest advantage of Apple CarPlay (and that of Android Auto) is for cars without an integrated navigation system, such as our long-term 2016 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen. Suddenly, you have navigation, and it’s linked to your phone. In the Kia’s case, I exchange the in-car unit’s helpful speed-limit display for CarPlay’s ability to track what’s already on my phone. If I left open an address on the Maps app of my iPhone, once I plug in the phone to the car, the system makes it easy for me to pull up that address and get directions. Apple CarPlay also makes text messaging much safer and easier. When a message comes in, the system can read the message aloud and, with voice command, compose a response message while you’re driving. And as a huge bonus, on the Sportage, the system is displayed on a big 8.0-inch screen, which is canted toward the driver and mounted at the top of the dash.

Despite a crisp infotainment system, the Subaru Outback’s system is still subject to an unfortunate glare. checked the pressure after using the machine. It was lockstep accurate with my digital tire gauge. I’ve written that the harsh throttle tip-in seems hard to master even after driving the Outback a while, and I’m not the only staffer to notice. “You’re not fooling me, Subaru,” senior production editor Zach Gale said. “After spending more than a week with our 2016 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited, the overly aggressive initial throttle response can be irritating, and it doesn’t make me think of the car as quicker than it really is. Please at least adjust the initial throttle response.” Subaru just introduced Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. One other infotainment-related thing that could be improved is the driver’s view of the touchscreen. It isn’t skewed toward the driver. It doesn’t render the system less usable, but it does create an odd glare. It’d be optimal to have the center stack slightly angled in the mold of Kia, Volkswagen, and some other manufacturers.

Updates | LONG-TERM TEST

2016 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Jonny Lieberman “In my wildest dreams, I never thought I’d have a 707-horsepower daily driver. Obviously, I need to get wilder dreams.”

The automatic version of the Corvette Grand Sport is the quicker version of Chevy’s latest two-seat sports car. Imagine my disappointment, then, when I laid into the accelerator and felt nothing. Where’s the torque? I’m not talking about empirical facts, as the GS ’Vette is indeed quick. Quicker than its manual counterpart, too: 0–60 mph in 3.6 seconds, quarter mile in 12.0 seconds at 116.6 mph. No, I’m talking feel. Why didn’t the Chevy knock my socks off? Because prior to driving the Chevrolet, I’d gotten a burrito in our long-term Charger Hellcat.

Service life / 9 mo/18,047 mi Avg CO2 / 1.31 lb/mi Energy cons / 228 kW-hrs/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $158 (2-oil change, inspection) Normal-wear cost / $2,114 (2 sets Pirelli P Zero tires, mount and balance) Base price / $68,640 As tested / $73,725

AVG MPG FUEL ECON 14.8 MPG comb. As your inner 12-year-old can tell you, driving the Hellcat—any Hellcat—is a never-ending struggle to not do a burnout. That’s your eternal debate: to light ’em up just for fun or not? I suppose it’s fast, looks good, and all that other stuff (the AC seats blow cold), but when you get to the ecstatic truth of what Dodge’s 707-horsepower monster is all about, there’s nothing there besides burying your right foot and killing tires.

2016 Mazda CX-3 AWD (Grand Touring) Benson Kong “Number of choices on the @tire_rack website for the CX-3 Grand Touring’s odd 215/50R18 tire size: three. And two are winter tires.” It took 36 days, but the 2016 Mazda CX-3 is back in action. As reported in the preceding long-term update, the CX-3 was blindsided by a Cadillac Escalade and down for the count with injuries to the driver-side rear. To expedite the repair, insurance claim forms were quickly filled out. The CUV was then deposited at the body shop the next day. The CX-3 was sitting and queuing up for most of those 36 days. The much-dreaded insurance claim processing was the first hurdle. That took two weeks. The mending of the damaged door and

Service life / 12 mo/28,926 mi Avg CO2 / 0.72 lb/mi Energy cons / 125 kW-hrs/100 mi Unresolved problems / None Maintenance cost / $252.49 (3-oil change, inspection, tire rotation) Normal-wear cost / $137.10 (AC system check and recharge) Base price / $27,120 As tested / $29,990

REAL MPG FUEL ECON 27.0 MPG comb. rear quarter-panel didn’t take as long. But because the CX-3 is a fairly new vehicle, it was more of a challenge than normal to get a replacement 18-inch wheel for the Grand Touring trim and a specific seal for the body. Thankfully, there was apparently no harm done to the suspension. The Mazda would not track straight after the accident, and with the afflicted rear corner now set to the proper alignment spec it drives as straight as ever.

I had a doubt or two about the red interior at first. As the months have sailed by, all my doubts have been erased. I love it. Do I do burnouts all day, every day? Of course not—even though nothing would make me happier than to scrap another rear pair of 20-inch Pirelli P Zeros while sitting in L.A. traffic. I can’t afford to do that, either in terms of tires or citations from the California Highway Patrol. The thought, desire, and instinct to do so are ever-present. Going right foot down on a Hellcat’s gas pedal is one of the automotive kingdom’s vices. Feeling the full fury of that screaming supercharged Hemi is an intoxicant. Going from the Hellcat to lesser powertrains— the whole point of the Hellcat is that they’re all lesser—is like giving a junkie a couple Tylenol. The other stuff doesn’t cut it. It’s not so much withdrawals when you climb into another car as it is a feeling that there’s an awful lack. The good news is that eventually Dodge will call and request its Hellcat back. My muscle memory will start to fade, and butt-kicking cars like the Corvette Grand Sport will feel potent once again. Or is that bad news?

The CX-3 received a new wheel after it got nicked up good. The tire, however, was salvaged. While en route to Motor Trend headquarters from the body shop, I started sweating. I typically have the air-conditioning on throughout the year. The climate-control fan was on the auto setting, and the temperature selected was to my liking. Yet warm air was all that blew out. I put the temperature down to 60 degrees, hit the cabin recirculation button, maxed out the fan speed, and crossed my fingers. With an unrefreshing tepid breeze wafting over me, I guided the CX-3 to a dealership. In my heightened state of awareness from the accident, I was convinced that something had gone horribly wrong. My most recent effort with recharging an AC system was on a full-size SUV assembled in the 1990s (with a relatively low number of miles for the vintage), so I was amazed that the long-term CX-3 with fewer than 30,000 miles had run out of AC refrigerant. It cost $120 to double-check the system for leaks (all clear there) and to replenish with $17.10 worth of R134a. At least it only took a day.

APRIL 2017 / MOTORTREND.COM 89

LONG-TERM TEST | Verdict

2016 Subaru BRZ Carlos Lago “Months later, I’m still surprised just how much sports car you get with the BRZ—acceleration notwithstanding.”

So ends the stay of the second long-term Subaru BRZ we’ve had in our fleet. What can we say? We like these inexpensive sport coupes. I came into this BRZ’s life late in its stay with us, but bonding with it happened quickly. Rory Jurnecka called his 2013 silver Limited “Burrzz.” I settled on the somewhat clunky but no less satisfying SuBlueRu. The Series.HyperBlue designation added a black and, um, Hyper Blue exterior and interior motif as well as some Alcantara to the seats. What else is special? Not much beyond exclusivity; only 500 exist. The paint attracted plenty of attention, both good and bad, while I cared for the car. I liked the exterior color combination but found it disap-

90 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

Service life / 15 mo / 19,741 mi Base price / $26,190 Options / Series.HyperBlue package ($2,295: black wheels, exterior badges, side mirror caps; Hyper Blue paint, interior accents and stitching) Price as tested / $28,485 Avg fuel econ/CO2 / 27.1 mpg / 0.72 lb/mi Problem areas / None Maintenance cost / $0 (3-oil change, inspection, tire rotation) Normal-wear cost/ $0 3-year residual value*/ $15,100 / $16,500 Recalls / None

REAL MPG CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 28.1/34.9/30.8 MPG *IntelliChoice trade-in/retail (at 42,000 miles)

pointing having to explain how it and exclusivity were the sole upgrades. On the flipside, our car was roughly the same price as a Limited BRZ at an as-tested $28,485. At 19,741 miles, our BRZ didn’t cover as much distance as most in our long-term fleet. We like to see at least 20,000 miles over a year of ownership. Part of this has to do with how close I live to the office, but it’s mostly because we opted for more comfortable cars when faced with a long-distance drive. Why? Although the BRZ offers the rear-drive handling balance we pine for, it does so at the expense of ride and comfort. The cabin admits plenty of road and tire noise, and the suspension tells you of every bump on the choppy city streets and freeways we have in Los Angeles. It’s easy to overlook these standard-fare sports car criticisms with excuses such as how engaging the car is to drive and how great the engine feels. But this is growing more difficult with the BRZ. The 200 horsepower from its 2.0-liter flat-four should be plenty, but enjoyable acceleration always seems one shift too far away. The gearing feels too tall,

2016 Subaru BRZ (Series.HyperBlue) POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS

The BRZ does its center console right with an array of easily legible and simple switches. No touch-sensitive nonsense here.

Front-engine, RWD Flat-4, alum block/heads DOHC, 4 valves/cyl 121.9 cu in/1,998cc 12.5:1 200 hp @ 7,000 rpm 151 lb- @ 6,400 rpm 7,400 rpm 13.8 lb/hp 6-speed manual

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The back seat exists in name alone for an adult but has plenty of space for little ones and luggage. and the flat spot in power delivery from 3,000 to 5,000 rpm amplifies the sensation. (A shorter final drive in 2017 models might help.) Further, although we admire the volume of the engine sound under hard acceleration, its coarseness doesn’t make you want to work the gas pedal harder in the way naturally aspirated four-cylinder engines from Honda and Mazda might. We’ve accepted the engine’s character for the benefits its compactness brings to the rest of the car, such as how its short height allows a lower hood and center of gravity. But now similarly priced cars offer more powerful and engaging powertrains. The BRZ easily remains the best-handling car in its class and, in a vacuum, the most fun to drive. I routinely drove with traction and stability control switched off because limit handling was so easily controlled and accessed. Sadly, the reality of daily commuting diminished the fun. Especially when trucks and SUVs can out-accelerate our flashy blue BRZ on freeway on-ramps. Outside of the occasional ego bruising, our ownership was mostly problem-free. We noticed early wear on the left bolster on the driver’s seat, and Bluetooth connectivity was hit or miss. Sometimes the car would stream Bluetooth audio immediately, and sometimes it would take 15 minutes before connecting. Sometimes it didn’t happen at all. The infotainment display screen was easy to navigate, but we longed for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionality.

DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT ENGINE TYPE VALVETRAIN DISPLACEMENT COMPRESSION RATIO POWER (SAE NET) TORQUE (SAE NET) REDLINE WEIGHT TO POWER TRANSMISSION AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR

4.10:1/3.14:1 Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar

DIMENSIONS

Although the BRZ’s Bluetooth system handled phone calls without issue, audio streaming was erratic. Our BRZ visited the dealership for the usual oil- and filter-change service three times. Most important, Subaru’s free scheduled maintenance for the first two years or 24,000 miles of ownership put the total cost of ownership at $0. Toyota offers the same for the 86, but Mazda Miata, Volkswagen GTI, or Ford Focus ST owners don’t get such luxury. We spent $184.87 on maintaining our 2015 GTI long-termer for a year. You’re only paying for gas with the BRZ, and that’s a good thing. Our car exceeded its 25-mpg combined EPA fuel economy rating, averaging 27.1 mpg over 12 months. It went even higher during Emissions Analytics’ Real MPG testing, returning 30.8 mpg combined. Jurnecka concluded his verdict in 2014 by saying, “For those raised on the concept of small, nimble sports cars that emphasize handling and driver involvement over sheer speed, this is one of the best cars on the market at any price.” Our experience has shown us that little has changed since then. The BRZ still delivers best-in-class handling at some expense of livability and comfort. And although similar compact sports cars have grown faster and are now offering greater functionality, the BRZ’s handling balance cannot be matched by any of them. And for many of us, that’s more than enough. Q

The BRZ easily remains the best-handling car in its class.

WHEELBASE TRACK, F/R LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT TURNING CIRCLE CURB WEIGHT WEIGHT DIST, F/R SEATING CAPACITY HEADROOM, F/R LEGROOM, F/R SHOULDER ROOM, F/R CARGO VOLUME

101.2 in 59.8/60.6 in 166.7 x 69.9 x 50.6 in 35.4 2,763 lb 55/45% 4 37.1/35.0 in 41.9/29.9 in 53.1/45.3 in 6.9 cu

TEST DATA ACCELERATION TO MPH

0-30 0-40 0-50 0-60 0-70 0-80 0-90 PASSING, 45-65 MPH QUARTER MILE BRAKING, 60-0 MPH LATERAL ACCELERATION MT FIGURE EIGHT TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH

2.4 sec 3.6 5.1 6.8 9.0 11.4 14.6 3.6 15.3 sec @ 92.3 mph 114 0.91 g (avg) 26.1 sec @ 0.68 g (avg) 2,600 rpm 1,600 rpm

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STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL AIRBAGS BASIC WARRANTY POWERTRAIN WARRANTY ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE FUEL CAPACITY EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY

Yes/yes Dual front, front side, f/r curtain 3 yrs/36,000 miles 5 yrs/60,000 miles 3 yrs/36,000 miles 13.2 gal 21/29/24 mpg 160/116 kW-hrs/100 miles

0.81 lb/mile CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB REAL MPG, CITY/HWY/COMB 28.1/34.9/30.8 mpg Unleaded premium RECOMMENDED FUEL

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Angus MacKenzie

The Big Picture GLOBAL MOTORS In 1953 newly elected President Dwight D. Eisenhower nominated GM CEO Charles “Engine Charlie” Wilson as secretary of defense. When asked during his confirmation hearings whether he could ever make a decision that would adversely affect his old employer, Wilson said he could but added he could not conceive of such a situation “because for years I thought what was good for our country was good for General Motors, and vice versa.” Back in 1953, the auto industry marched lockstep with the national interest, and not just in the U.S. A homegrown auto industry was de rigueur for any country wanting to join the wealthy nations club. No more. In the 64 years since Engine Charlie’s controversial confirmation hearings (his reluctance to sell his GM stock, worth $22.6 million in today’s dollars, alarmed senators), the auto industry has gone global. GM now makes and sells more Buicks in China than it does in the U.S. Toyotas are made in Texas, Hondas in Ohio, Mercedes-Benzes in Alabama, BMWs in South Carolina, and Volkswagens in Tennessee. And everyone is flocking to Mexico. An international web of suppliers makes components for them. Ford Motor Company became the most vertically integrated automaker on the planet by making every single piece of its cars in giant factories such as the legendary River Rouge plant near Detroit. It now has more than 100,000 different parts made by 1,200 major suppliers in 60 countries.

98 MOTORTREND.COM / APRIL 2017

IT’S GOOD FOR THE AUTO BUSINESS. IS IT STILL GOOD FOR AMERICA?

Chevy’s Bow Tie might still make America’s heart beat a li le faster, and Germans might still regard Audi’s Vorsprung durch Technik more a statement of fact than an advertising tagline, but behind the so ly echoing nationalism of badge and brand is a business model that spans the planet. This makes the anti-globalization sentiment that helped put Donald Trump in the White House a major headache for industry leaders. The issue is not ideology. Make no mistake, automakers are run by pragmatic, hard-nosed business leaders who understand the need to work with politicians of all persuasions. No, what everyone from GM boss Mary Barra to Daimler’s Dieter Zetsche to Toyota scion Akio Toyoda is trying to ﬁgure out is how to convince President Trump that their globalized businesses are not a threat to America’s national interests. Trump’s twitchy Twi er ﬁngers have already called out Ford, GM, and Toyota for building cars in Mexico and then selling them in the U.S., implying it costs jobs in America. Ford’s Mark Fields subsequently announced that plans for a $1.6 billion investment in a new plant in Mexico to expand Focus production had been shelved

Back in ’53, the industry marched lockstep with national interest.

in favor of a $700 million makeover of Flat Rock, Michigan, where he said the company would build a new generation of hybrid, electric, and autonomous vehicles. But Japan’s finance minister, Taro Aso, bluntly defended Toyota’s Mexico strategy. “It’s questionable whether the new U.S. president has a grasp of how many vehicles Toyota builds in the U.S.,” he told a reporter for Britain’s Financial Times. Aso-san might have a point. Last year, Toyota built more than 1.3 million vehicles in the U.S., spread across 10 model lines and 14 manufacturing plants. It buys components made in 15 states, and, according to American Automobile Labeling Act figures, the Camry built in Georgetown, Kentucky, has more U.S.made parts than a Ford F-150. True, the profits from Toyota’s U.S. operations go back to Japan. But Toyota says it has invested almost $22 billion in the U.S. over the past 59 years, has created 365,000 jobs, and plans to spend another $10 billion here in the next five years. And complaining about where the profits go is nonsense when GM shareholders are making a buck on Buicks built and sold in China. One senior U.S. auto industry executive, speaking off the record at the Detroit auto show, said he believes once President Trump understands the complexity of today’s globalized auto industry and its real value to the U.S economy, the populist Twi er trash talk will go away. “We actually have more in common than differences,” he said, referencing Trump’s o stated desire to have a strong U.S. economy with less regulation and lower taxes—all stuff automakers love to hear from politicians. Time will tell if he’s right. Q

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR The global nature of the auto industry is on full display at the Geneva auto show.

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