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V O L . 67, N O . 8

35 F E AT U R E

Electrical Storm EVs are about to take off in a major way. We fill you in on what you need to know. By the Editors

TABLE of CONTENTS

APRIL 2022

Blues Brothers The gorgeous Maserati MC20 takes on the Porsche 911 Turbo S in a battle of six-cylinder supercars. By Ezra Dyer

Sports-Sedan Bargains Honda Civic Si vs. Hyundai Elantra N vs. Volkswagen Jetta GLI Autobahn. By Tony Quiroga

Grind Hard and Put Away Wet A salvaged Tesla Model 3 finds a watery grave in the desert. By Jason Stilgebouer

C O M PA R I S O N T E S T

F E AT U R E

36 . R O A D T E S T

2022 Lucid Air Dream Performance Lucid takes a pile of money and creates a cutting-edge EV out of thin air. By Dave VanderWerp

45 . T E S T E D

2022 BMW i4 M50 BMW reimagines the 3-series in electric form. By Dan Edmunds

47 . T E S T E D

“EVEN BETTER THAN THE STRAIGHT-LINE JUICE IS THE AIR’S LITHE AND ORGANIC MOVES WHEN WENDING A WINDING ROAD. WHEN YOU START PUSHING HARD, IT SEEMINGLY SHEDS HALF A TON OF ITS 5282 POUNDS.” —Dave VanderWerp, “Money Shot”

2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line AWD Kia’s new electric crossover’s design is inspired by an Italian sports car. By Jens Meiners

48 . F I R S T D R I V E

2024 Volkswagen ID.Buzz VW reinterprets the ’60s Bus as the battery-powered ID.Buzz. By Mike Duff

CA R AND D RI VE R

JOIN US AS WE ADVENTURE INTO WASHINGTON STATE’S RUGGED WILDERNESS.

JULY 15-16, 2022

YOU’LL ENJOY: // Views of volcanic peaks and the glistening Pacific will serve as backdrop for your adventure, including a drive along the state’s scenic Highway 2. // Get sideways (and then some) at DirtFish, America’s premier rally driving school, followed by a private tour of one of the finest rally car collections on earth. // Drive one of Washington’s most dramatic mountain passes before pit-stopping in Leavenworth, a charming mountain town modeled after a Bavarian mountain village. // Revel in the Pacific Northwest’s rustic and refined cuisine – wild-caught salmon, fresh foraged ingredients, locally distilled whiskeys, and Washington’s world-class wines.

EXPERIENCES.ROADANDTRACK.COM/RALLYU OR SCAN HERE

TABLE OF CONTENTS APRIL 2022

COLUMNISTS 10. Tony Quiroga Paradise found. 22. Ezra Dyer Drive your cars now. 24. Elana Scherr Comfort mode.

UPFRONT 13. Revealed Ford’s new Bronco Raptor has learned a few tricks from the F-150 Raptor. 16. Globe-Trotting Racing a 1956 Porsche 356A on all seven continents. 18. Holey Hell The life and times of a pothole. 20. Then and Now The side-view mirror grows up.

T H E R U N D OW N 68. 2022 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport In search of space to exercise 1578 horses. 72. 2022 Audi S3 Small, sporty, and satisfying. 73. 2022 Lexus LX600 Ultra Luxury A Toyota Land Cruiser by any other name. 74. 2022 Volvo S90 B6 Swedish for limousine. 76. 2022 Ferrari 296GTB A V-6, and a weird one at that, finds its way into Ferrari’s latest sports car.

The joyful noise of the commentariat, rebutted sporadically by Ed. JUDGES CORNER

REV IT

From a Porsche Carrera–, Corvette C7–, seventhgen-GTI-owning faithful 50-plus-year subscriber, congrats on the December 2021 issue. All is forgiven regarding the September issue. Brock, David E., Red Ball Garage, and all former masthead stars—all is well. David Kirchgessler La Verne, CA

The new Corvette Z06 looks awful nice [“Heart Attack,” December 2021]. But I think I’ll hold out for the Z06 hybrid, with 400 horsepower of electric motor in the frunk driving the front wheels. The whole car probably won’t cost any more than the roof scoop of the recently tested Pagani Huayra Roadster BC. Jerry Birchmore Springfield, VA

Had to agree with folks about your September issue. But the December issue more than covered it with reviews of affordable, fun cars as well as cars most of us can only dream of. Good job! Doug Klynstra Hudsonville, MI

Thanks for the cylinder dimensions in your piece on the new Corvette Z06 engine. I now know exactly what size engine I would be getting if I were to purchase this car: a 5.462884049400756-liter

V-8. Also, thanks to my sixth-grade math teacher. Josh Taylor Birmingham, AL Apparently, your math teacher never taught significant figures—Ed.

MISSING SPEED I’m confused by the vehicle selection in the “Fun Run” comparo [December 2021]. Why not include a Camaro or Mustang with a turbocharged four-cylinder and a manual? Both of those start sub-$30K and are closer to the criteria than the $39K Volkswagen GTI. Just food for thought. Chris A. Center Line, MI We did consider including the pony cars, but their

E TC .

CUSTOMER SERVICE Call 800-289-9464, email cdbCustServ@CDSFulfillment.com, visit www.caranddriver.com/service, or write to Customer Service Dept., Car and Driver, P.O. Box 37870, Boone, IA 50037 for inquiries/requests, changes of mailing or email addresses, subscription orders, payments, etc.

7. Backfires A loss in the family, the usual gripes, and trains. 80. What to Buy The Lexus SC300 and SC400, ’90s coupes that are still a bargain.

CAR AND DRIVER® (ISSN 0008-6002), VOL. 67, NO. 8, April 2022, is published monthly, 10 times per year, with combined issues in February/March and July/August, by Hearst, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019, U.S.A. Steven R. Swartz, President & Chief Executive Officer; William R. Hearst III, Chairman; Frank A. Bennack, Jr., Executive Vice Chairman; Debi Chirichella, President, Hearst Magazines Group. Hearst Autos, Inc.: Nick Matarazzo, President & Chief Revenue Officer; Debi Chirichella, Treasurer; Catherine A. Bostron, Secretary. © 2022 by Hearst Autos, Inc. All rights reserved. Trademarks: Car and Driver is a registered trademark of Hearst Autos, Inc. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. Canada Post International Publications mail product (Canadian distribution) sales agreement no. 40012499. Editorial and Advertising Offices: 1585 Eisenhower Place, Ann Arbor, MI 48108. SUBSCRIPTION PRICES United States and possessions: $13.00 for one year; Canada, add $10.00; all other countries, add $24.00. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES Car and Driver will, upon receipt of a complete subscription order, undertake fulfillment of that order so as to provide the first copy for delivery by the U.S. Postal Service or alternate carrier within 4–6 weeks. MAILING LISTS From time to time, we make our subscriber list available to companies who sell goods and services by mail that we believe would interest our readers. If you would rather not receive such offers by postal mail, please send your current mailing label or an exact copy to Mail Preference Service, P.O. Box 37870, Boone, IA 50037. You can also visit preferences.hearstmags.com to manage your preferences and opt out of receiving marketing offers by email. Car and Driver assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. None will be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. Permissions: Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without permission. Back Issues: Back issues are available for purchase in digital format only from your app store of choice. POSTMASTER Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 507.1.5.2); NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES Send address corrections to Car and Driver, P.O. Box 37870, Boone, IA 50037. Printed in the U.S.A.

CAR AND DRIVER ~ APRIL 2022 ~ SIC YOUR DOGS ON US AT: ED ITO RS @CARA ND DRI V ER.COM

Backfires

larger size and greater curb weight make them slightly different animals from the smaller sporty cars we selected—Ed. Why didn’t you include the Mazda CX-30 turbo in your comparison test? What’s wrong with you? Joel Leininger Chapel Hill, NC We didn’t have a Camaro or a Mustang in this test,

so what makes you think we’d include a CX-30?—Ed. Keep doing those big multicar comparisons, will ya?

The affordable-performance shootout omitted one car in the price range that many of us have opted for: a used 2009–12 base Cayman. Other than that, no com-

looked and read like a forreal car magazine. Brava. Bill Meckley Nicholasville, KY Now you want us to consider comparing cars that are no longer in production?—Ed.

OBITUARY

clear, selecting the 2.0liter technically gives you a $500 credit versus the V-6, but the turbo four requires the $2500 eight-speed automatic instead of the standard six-speed manual, a net difference of $2K—Ed.

TRAINING DAY

Political commentator, satirist, and bestselling author P.J. O’Rourke, who we maintain did some of his best work for Car and Driver, died February 15 of complications from lung cancer at age 74. The world is a poorer place. O’Rourke made his name as a contributor to and later editor-in-chief of National Lampoon, the irreverent 1970s humor magazine that helped shape American comedy for decades. Though O’Rourke went on to write for the screen and many other major publications, as well as author more than 20 books, we will always remember him for his car writing. A 1978 piece for Car and Driver, “Sgt. Dynaﬂow’s Last Patrol,” tells the story of a liquor-fueled journey O’Rourke took with an English chum, Humphrey, transporting a sickly 1956 Buick from Florida to California. Two years later, he was in our pages again, this time in a cross-country blast from New Jersey to L.A. in a Ferrari 308GTS. Also in C/D, O’Rourke famously described Porsche 911 Turbos as “ass-engined Nazi slot cars,” and he changed how we see the Hertz counter when he declared in the Lampoon that “nothing handles better than a rented car.” Zingers like those mean we won’t soon forget his biting wit and humor. We’ll miss you, man. —Jamie Kitman

You missed an opportunity. The details of the Audi RS e-tron GT were ﬁne, but you should have posted some performance numbers on the steam locomotive (i.e., zero to 60, braking distance). I’m sure it corners on rails. Mike Fallis Waikoloa, HI

DIRTY DANCING In “Mud and Guts,” you said upgrading from the 285-hp V-6 to the 270-hp turbo 2.0-liter in the Jeep Wrangler Sport costs $2000 [December 2021]. How is losing 15 horses an upgrade? Erich Bogner Keokuk, IA Objectively and subjectively, the turbo 2.0-liter four in the Wrangler works better and is quicker than

“Is charmingly toylike.” Seriously? It’s a good thing you don’t work in the marketing business. Philip Wilcox Tallahassee, FL Yep, we’d get fired the first time someone suggested we buy into the need to pivot from the pain points and toward the game-changing action items on the Internet of Things—Ed. Thank you for the great Ford Bronco articles. Consumers appreciate being informed about things like indexing windows that tear up insulation, dashboards that are in the way of clutch knees, and questionable acceleration. Tom Dans Hamden, CT I can’t tell whether this is sarcasm—Ed.

LOSS COLUMN Thank you for printing ads on the back of your columns. That way I don’t miss anything good when I rip those pages out. Steve Bieber San Diego, CA This isn’t sarcasm—Ed. AP RI L 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIVE R

S IC YO U R D O GS O N U S AT: E DI TOR S @ CA RA N DD R I V E R.CO M P HOTO G RA P H BY M O RGA N S EGAL

P.J. O’Rourke, Humorist, Author, and Car Enthusiast, Dies at 74

Elana Scherr’s piece about chasing the Big Boy reminded me of something John Phillips and Phil Berg might have written 25 years ago [“Fast Track,” December 2021]. If you’ve got to write about electric cars, thanks for making it interesting. Colin Haneman Conshohocken, PA

Editor ’s Let ter

Backfires

RAM INTO 40

DIG DUG Your interesting article on the Catesby Tunnel states that one factor motivating its development was as a lower-cost alternative to the $50,000a-day rental for a traditional wind tunnel [“Tunnel Vision,” December 2021]. However, your article never reveals the daily rental fee for Catesby. Could you please tell me that number? Dan Freudmann Greenville, SC Next time you’re in England, you can rent the tunnel for about $20,000 for a 10-hour shift—Ed. Here’s a question I’ve wanted to ask for a while: Why does the Volkswagen XL1’s styling look like plastic wrap all over the car? Brady Thatcher Anthem, AZ That’s how it stays so fresh—Ed.

REBOUNDING I loved all the annoyed letters you printed with complaints about the September 2021 issue [“Backﬁres,” December 2021]. I’m a white boomer who recognizes that nothing will change for the better unless we recognize that our car ﬁxations exist in a world with actual problems related to race, environment, and capitalism. Not talking about it is the problem. Thanks for having

Paradise found

t age six, I found Car and Driver, or maybe Car and Driver found me. At a supermarket newsstand in suburban Detroit, my life changed when I picked out the June 1981 issue. I asked if I could have it. Sometimes I wonder what my life would look like if the answer had been no. Once home, I pored over spy shots of a C4 Corvette and color photos of the Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer. Most of it might as well have been in Chinese, but there was something there that even a first grader could grasp. The people in that magazine—David E. Davis Jr., Don Sherman, Patrick Bedard, Csaba Csere, Jean Lindamood, Rich Ceppos—were having an insane amount of fun and getting paid for it. Adults playing with full-scale toys and telling stories about them. Life rarely presents loopholes; a job writing about cars is one. I read every issue over and over, committing horsepower numbers and acceleration times to memory. Ed.’s responses in the letters section helped shape my twisted sense of humor. Every month I waited excitedly for the magazine’s arrival to see what the band of maniacs had done to the world. An English degree attained in hopes of landing a car-writing gig and a halfass attempt at getting into medical school brought me to adulthood. Then, thanks to the incredible Eddie Alterman, I got my foot in the door as a motor gopher at Jean (Lindamood) Jennings’s Automobile magazine. When I wasn’t buying toilet paper for the office or vacuuming toenail clippings out of a PT Cruiser, I immersed myself in press kits and back issues. I moved up to scheduling cars. When Alterman left to start a new mag, I took his spot as David E.’s lunch consort. I worked with Sherman, a mischievous genius who loves this place as much as I do. He introduced me to the brilliant Csere, who made my C/D dream come true 18 years ago this month. There have been many offers to go elsewhere, but working alongside giants such as Bedard, Brock Yates, and John Phillips is something only a fool would leave. This magazine has been my world for 41 years, and now I’m editor-in-chief, the keeper of the flame. As such, I promise to occasionally dump gas on that flame to see what happens. We’ve turned a corner—prepare for wide-open throttle.

TO N Y Q U I R O GA E D I TO R - I N - C H I E F

AP RI L 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIVE R

S IC YO U R D O GS O N U S AT: E DI TOR S @ CA RA N DD R I V E R.CO M P HOTO G RA P H BY M IC HA E L S IM A R I

Seriously, Ezra Dyer [“Midlife Pickup,” December 2021]? For a midlife-crisis purchase, you bought a 2003 Dodge (I refuse to call it a Ram) regular-cab short bed with a manual transmission?! For my midlife crisis, I bought a 2012 Mustang GT convertible, Grabber Blue, with 10,500 miles on the odometer. Wanna race? Jim Kramper St. Charles, MO

Editor-in-Chief Tony Quiroga

the nerve to mix social context with the interesting car stories we love. I’m not canceling my subscription, and I look forward to seeing you walk the tightrope of engagement versus banality. Ted G. Minneapolis, MN Fifty-year reader, 40-year subscriber. I’ve seen everything change, but one thing that hasn’t are the letters from kvetchers complaining about what crappy dreck you print and what a disgraceful shanda you’ve become. It’s kind of comforting in a way. Wishing you continued success, whatever that may look like. Bob Gussin Colorado Springs, CO I’d like to apologize for all the nasty letters you received in the December issue. André Max Fortin Sherbrooke, QC I thought it might be your fault, Fortin—Ed. While I didn’t like the September issue either, the fact that you were willing to print letters from readers expressing their disappointment gave me renewed hope for your magazine as well as a few chuckles. M.N. Festus Nappanee, IN I never received your September issue, and I was not happy about that. Then I read all the negative feedback in the December issue. Sounds like it was ﬁlled with crapola articles. Boy, am I glad it got lost in the mail. Tommy Gee Farmington, MI

Executive Editor Ryan White Digital Director Laura Sky Brown BUYER’S GUIDE Deputy Editor Rich Ceppos Senior Editor Drew Dorian • FEATURES Senior Editors Greg Fink, Elana Scherr Staff Editor Austin Irwin • NEWS Senior Editor Joey Capparella Senior Associate Editor Eric Stafford Staff Editor Caleb Miller Social Media Editor Michael Aaron • REVIEWS Deputy Editor Joe Lorio Senior Editors Ezra Dyer, Mike Sutton • TESTING Testing Director Dave VanderWerp Deputy Director K.C. Colwell Technical Editors David Beard, Dan Edmunds Associate Technical Editor Connor Hoffman Road Test Editor Rebecca Hackett Road Warriors Jacob Kurowicki, Christi VanSyckle CREATIVE Director Darin Johnson Consulting Designer Pete Sucheski Staff Photographers Michael Simari, Marc Urbano Photo Assistant Charley M. Ladd • VIDEO Deputy Editor Carlos Lago Producer/Editor Alex Malburg • PRODUCTION Director of Editorial Operations Heather Albano Copy Chief Adrienne Girard Associate Managing Editor Jennifer Misaros Production Manager Juli Burke Copy Editor Chris Langrill Online Production Designer Sarah Larson Online Production Assistant Andrew Berry Editorial Assistant Carlie Cooper CONTRIBUTORS European Editor Mike Duff Contributing Editors Clifford Atiyeh, Brett Berk, Sebastian Blanco, Csaba Csere, Malcolm Gladwell, John Pearley Huffman, Andrew Lawrence, Bruce McCall, Jens Meiners, P.J. O’Rourke, Jonathon Ramsey, Steve Siler, James Tate, John Voelcker Editorial Office 1585 Eisenhower Place, Ann Arbor, MI 48108 PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. Editorial Contributions Unsolicited artwork and manuscripts are not accepted, and publisher assumes no responsibility for return or safety of unsolicited artwork, photographs, or manuscripts. Query letters may be addressed to the cars director.

Publisher and Chief Revenue Officer Felix DiFilippo Vice President, Sales Cameron Albergo • NEW YORK Group Sales Director Kyle Taylor Senior Sales Director Joe Pennacchio Sales Director Shannon Rigby Sales Manager Richard Panciocco Assistant Keierra Wiltshire • CHICAGO Sales Director Rick Bisbee • DETROIT Group Sales Director Samantha Shanahan Sales Directors Tom Allen, Deb Michael Sales Manager Chris Caldwell Assistant Toni Starrs • LOS ANGELES Senior Sales Directors Lisa LaCasse, Lori Mertz, Susie Miller, Anne Rethmeyer Sales Director Molly Jolls HEARST DIRECT MEDIA Vice President Christine Hall Sales Manager Celia Mollica ADMINISTRATION Advertising Services Director Regina Wall PRODUCTION Manager Chris Hertwig CIRCULATION Vice President, Strategy and Business Management Rick Day Published by Hearst 300 W. 57th Street, New York, NY 10019 President & Chief Executive Officer Steven R. Swartz Chairman William R. Hearst III Executive Vice Chairman Frank A. Bennack, Jr. President, Hearst Magazines Group Debi Chirichella

Using Shell V-Power® NiTRO®+ Premium Gasolines and diesel fuels appropriately in Car and Driver test vehicles ensures the consistency and integrity of our instrumented testing procedures and numbers, both in the magazine and online.

CUSTOMER SERVICE Call 800-289-9464, email cdbCustServ@ CDSFulfillment.com, visit www.CarandDriver.com/ service, or write to Customer Service Dept., Car and Driver, P.O. Box 37870, Boone, IA 50037 for inquiries/requests, changes of mailing or email addresses, subscription orders, payments, etc. PERMISSIONS Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without permission. To order digital back issues, go to your favorite app store. Car and Driver© is a registered trademark of Hearst Autos, Inc. Copyright 2022, Hearst Autos, Inc. All rights reserved.

HEARST AUTOS, INC. President & Chief Revenue Officer Nick Matarazzo Treasurer Debi Chirichella Secretary Catherine A. Bostron Chief Brand Officer Eddie Alterman Chief Marketing Officer Michelle Panzer Director of Audience Development and Content Strategy Sharon Silke Carty Executive Director of Finance Paul Neumaier PUBLISHING CONSULTANTS Gilbert C. Maurer, Mark F. Miller INTERNATIONAL EDITIONS Brazil, China, Greece, Spain

I’m a longtime reader who is satisﬁed with the stories that appear in your magazine. I will continue my subscription. And to all the complainers: If you don’t like this magazine, then ﬁnd another one. Go ahead, try. You won’t be happy no matter what. Stephen Mirkin North Hollywood, CA I am writing with advice for the whiny little bitches who write in to rip the mag and demand a cancellation. That’s just like people who write on Facebook that they are quitting Facebook. Shut up. Cancel. Nobody cares. Use your refunded money to get some therapy. There, that felt good. John the Builder University Place, WA

I’m happy that issues like September 2021 brought fresh info and perspectives to readers who likely wouldn’t seek them out. And the push against it is a reminder that more needs to be done to level the playing ﬁeld—heck, push for equity—in the automotive world and in society. Keep up the great work. Trevor Green San Francisco, CA

ED. DEFENDERS I’ve subscribed to C/D for over 30 years, and in that time I’ve bought four cars. I’m clearly here for Ed.’s responses and “longtime subscribers” who never noticed the humor in them. Brian B. Oakland, CA

If it weren’t for Backﬁres, I would cancel my subscription to your once-great magazine. Steve Clinton Orange, CA

SHORT ENDS I’ve been contrarian my entire life. I am a cranky stick-in-the-mud. There was talk of sending me away as a child. Fentanyl can be taken in larger doses than my personality. I can ruin any pizza. Where the hell can I get me one of them EVs? Sean Sweaney Smyrna, TN First C/D editor to show up at my house with a manual 911 gets doughnuts! Your Mom Where all mothers come from Mommy?—Ed.

LIVE THE DRIVE. JOIN THE CLUB.

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Evolution Ford’s new Bronco Raptor learns a few tricks from the F-150 Raptor. JURASSIC PARK’S GENETIC ENGINEERS have got nothing on Ford’s engineers. The Blue

Oval skunkworks have managed to combine a Bronco and a Raptor into a vicious, high-jumping, rock-eating off-road package that may make zoological sense only to Pegasus believers but is just what off-road buffs have been asking for. Like all great blockbusters, the Bronco Raptor will arrive in the summer. Prices start at $71,490—electric fences and Jeff Goldblum not included.

By Connor Hoffman CA R AND D RI VE R ~ AP R IL 2022 ~ PHOTOG RAP HY BY JO H N RO E

TIME TO SIZE UP

BRONCO Height: 73.0 in Width: 75.9 in

BRONCO RAPTOR Height: 77.8 in Width: 85.7 in

F-150 RAPTOR * Height: 79.8 in Width: 86.6 in

REL ATIVE SIZE — Forget porridge— Goldilocks can have her pick of off-road Fords, from the base Bronco to the towering F-150 Raptor. A Ranger Raptor is coming next year. What will they Raptorize next? How about a Mustang Raptor?

AP RI L 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIVE R

I LLU ST RAT IO N S BY P E T E S U CH ES K I

The Ford Bronco already gives off beastly vibes. To bulk up to monster Bronco Raptor proportions, its front and rear track were increased by a respective 8.2 and 8.6 inches, necessitating the bulging fender flares that look like SunSetter awnings. The extra girth makes the Bronco Raptor 85.7 inches across, wide enough for the amber marker lights required on vehicles over 80 inches broad. The big Bronco has a Dana 44 differential between a control-arm suspension in the front and a Dana 50 live axle in the rear. Both represent upgrades over the base version and feature 4.70:1 gears and locking differentials. Rounding out the package are standard 37-inch BFGoodrich all-terrain tires— meaning the Bronco Raptor comes from the dealer ready for crawling, desert running, and flying, just as expected from a vehicle named for a horse/bird/dino/fighter jet.

I CO N S BY M A RT IN L AKS M A N

STANDARD MEATS The Bronco Raptor skips the 35-inchers standard on the F-150 Raptor and goes straight to a set of 37-inch BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tires. Ford considered both options, but testing in places such as Johnson Valley and Borrego Springs, California, showed that the larger tire was the better fit for the Bronco Raptor. The extra ride height increases the Bronco Raptor’s approach angle by 4.0 degrees. To support the 95-pound wheel-andtire package, the spare-tire carrier on the swing door is made of magnesium under an aluminum exoskeleton.

* Measurements based on 35-inch tires.

HAPPY L ANDINGS The Bronco Raptor uses 3.1-inch-diameter positionsensitive Fox dampers with remote reservoirs in the rear, much like the F-150 Raptor. Both use coil springs at all four corners, but tuning inputs and valving were adjusted for the Bronco. Compared with the base model, wheel travel increases 60 percent in the front and 40 percent in the rear thanks to stronger shock mounts featuring a large central bushing and Ford Performance control arms that have a small bend to clear the body. Additional bump stops help cushion landings after you go airborne.

Corral all the animals associated with this high-performance off-roader, and you have a horse, a raptor, a fox, a goat (for the G.O.A.T. modes), and a wart hog (the internal code name Ford used for the Bronco Raptor). That’s enough to start a petting zoo. But we wouldn’t suggest petting a raptor, or, for that matter, a wart hog.

G L O B E -T R O T T I N G ~ By Derek Powell

Around the World in 356 Days Renée Brinkerhoff started rally racing at age 57 with an ambitious goal: to race a 1956 Porsche 356A on every continent. Neither vehicle nor destination daunted chief mechanic Simon Redhead. Here’s how Valkyrie Racing conquered the globe.

4 2000 mi

8500 mi

1 5 2200 mi

3100 mi

3 2 6

1: 2017 North America Brinkerhoff’s first race in the 356 was La Carrera Panamericana in 2013. Two years later, a crash sidelined her ambitions. After spending 2016 rebuilding and upgrading the car, she kicked off Project 356 World Rally Tour the next year by returning to Mexico and winning her class.

2: 2018 Australia Unable to pre-run at Targa Tasmania, Brinkerhoff had to keep speeds down. While that frustrated her, the slower pace likely made Redhead’s job easier. “We had no problems there, mechanically,” he says. Again Brinkerhoff claimed a podium spot, second in her class.

Twin-carb 150-hp 2.0-liter flat-four from a Porsche 914.

Rear tracks limit speed to 25 mph.

1200 mi

356 mi

3: 2018 South America Peru’s Caminos del Inca rally proved to be one of the most challenging. The 356 cleared customs, but the spare parts didn’t. Then the engine struggled in the thin mountain air. Overheating issues claimed the flat-four but didn’t faze Redhead: “We changed the engine and continued on.”

4: 2019 Asia, Europe Starting in Beijing, the Peking to Paris rally stretched 8500 miles over 36 days. After the mechanical gods smote another engine, a replacement air-cooled flat-four was flown in. It arrived in St. Petersburg, Russia, in four suitcases, requiring assembly for Brinkerhoff to finish the race.

5: 2019 Africa The rough terrain of the East African Safari Classic called for different dampers, more ground clearance, and chassis reinforcements to improve durability. Big bumps in Kenya bent several steering arms over the nine-day rally, but the 356 still made it to the finish line.

6: 2021 Antarctica Without a sanctioned race, Brinkerhoff set out to drive 356 snowy miles on her most difficult continent yet. The 356 went track-and-ski, the carbs needed multiple chilly rebuilds, and frozen filters wreaked havoc on power. But the little Porsche conquered the polar ice.

A crevasse bar protects against car-swallowing ice fissures (typical mod).

now $129

H O L E Y H E L L ~ By Benjamin Hunting

TH I N GS FALL APART

Pavement cracks, allowing water to seep through and soften the road base.

THE SECRET LIFE OF POTHOLES

In colder climates, the freeze/thaw cycle leads to the formation of an “ice lens” below the surface. It expands and contracts, pushing upward on the asphalt. In warmer areas, the pumping action of traffic moves water in and out of the cracks, washing out finer materials.

The surface blows out or collapses. The pavement washes away, and a pothole lurks in its place.

The Breakup

What makes good roads go bad, and why are they so hard to fix? The world around us is crumbling, but nothing faster, it seems, than the pavement on our commutes. “We don’t have to settle for potholes,” says Larry Galehouse, founder of the National Center for Pavement Preservation. The group encourages earlier sealing of cracks, before weather and trafﬁc create costly canyons on Main Street. AAA has reported that annually, vehicle damage from potholes costs Americans about $3 billion, equivalent to a stack of dollar bills stretching nearly 204 miles into the sky.

The same study revealed that the average pothole repair bill comes in at $300— a sum well below the average American car-insurance deductible of $500, putting you on the hook to pay out of pocket.

The most common victims of pothole carnage are tires. Hitting a deep one at speed can also crack a wheel, damage a suspension, rip off cooling or fuel lines, or take out low-hanging bodywork or an exhaust.

Roadwork is dangerous and time-consuming, so maintenance crews use the ultraquick “throw and go” method of dumping a shovelful of patch material into the hole. It might last a few days or weeks before traffic and weather flush it out.

Sealing pavement cracks is a cheap and easy preventive measure. But unless it’s done quickly, the entire cycle repeats until the road surface requires major, and costly, rehabilitation.

I LLUST RATIO NS BY CA RL WIEN S ~ AP RI L 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIV ER

REGISTRATION OPEN SOON!

OCTOBER 2022

A ﬁne autumnal tour through the Northeast celebrating Road & Track Performance Car of the Year ﬁnalists

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T H E N A N D N OW by Elana Scherr

PART NUMBER: 87940-0C690

Dimensions: 7.0 x 18.0 x 8.3 in Mirror Area: 29 in2 Weight: 7.2 lb Features: power adjustment, memory positioning, side-view camera, defrost (body-color cap sold separately) Cost: $1613

Mirror, Mirror . . . The earliest cars didn’t come with mirrors, which weren’t so essential on two-lane streets. After the 1956 Federal Highway Act, roads gained lanes, and mirrors gained popularity. The ﬁrst automotive mirror is widely credited to driver Ray Harroun, who attached one to his winning car at the inaugural Indy 500 in 1911. The side mirror may have come from engineer Elmer Berger, who applied for a patent on his Cop-Spotter door mirror in 1921. Once race-car technology, today’s modern mirror comes standard and is a power-folding, lane-watching, self-defogging marvel. And, like the vehicles it’s attached to, it’s bigger than it used to be.

PART NUMBER: 87910-35901

Dimensions: 4.0 x 4.4 x 6.0 in Mirror Area: 9 in2 Weight: 0.7 lb Features: Well, it swivels Cost: $248, on eBay

2022 Toyota Tundra Introduced in 1999, the Tundra was Toyota’s first full-size truck in the States. It was sized even fuller for 2007, and some of us wondered then whether it was too big. Little did we know, it wasn’t done growing. The 2022 Tundra TRD Pro pictured here is 81.6 inches wide and 233.6 inches long—that’s 4.9 inches longer than 2007’s

1965 Toyota Stout The Stout was the first Toyota pickup sold in the U.S., but it here, Toyota sold four. The Stout had fender-mounted looking glass in its native Japan. It came to the U.S. before late-’60s federal mirror requirements, so restored trucks tend to use a variety of stock and aftermarket pieces.

PHOTOGRAPH Y BY GREG PA J O ~ APRIL 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIVER

GIVE YOUR RIDE A

MAKEOVER

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EZR A DY ER

Drive Your Cars Now

There are people who buy toys only to set them on a shelf and stare at them, but that isn’t any fun. If you’ve got a vehicle you love, get it on the road.

he other day a friend texted me a

photo of an odometer reading 100,000.0 miles. Big deal, you’re thinking—these days 100,000 miles is basically the break-in period. But this one was notable because the odometer belongs to a 2017 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350, bought new in January 2018 and pressed into service as possibly the only long-haul commuter car in the Southeast with an 8250-rpm redline and a ﬂat-plane crank. Its owner, Meares Heustess, ran a waste-collection business and used the GT350 to visit ofﬁces around South Carolina, with the occasional detour to Tail of the Dragon, racking up big miles on a car many owners deem too precious to actually drive. “I didn’t plan on driving it that much, but I just fell in love with it,” he tells me. “It’s the only car I’ve ever had that every day when I walk up to it, I think, ‘This is a stunning car.’ The cold start in the morning is a great way to start your day.” This guy is doing it right.

As for those of you with great cars wrapped in plastic in a climate-controlled storage facility, you deserve to be publicly shamed for your wretched mileage parsimony, your pointless automotive hoarding in the service of . . . what? Eternal perfection? Financial reward? You think a Buick GNX makes a nice conversation piece in your spotless garage? It probably does! But you should still drive it. The time-warp car is a cliché on the auction circuit. So some chud bought an IROC Camaro new in 1985 and just stared at it till he died, and now it will sell for $50,000? Big deal. These lofty no-mileage sale prices almost never represent an actual financial win. But besides that, museum cars are just sad: Here’s a fun car that never had any fun. My IROC had 125,000 miles by the time I sold it, and that one lived the life a Camaro was meant to live—blue lights ever in the rearview mirror, the dulcet tones of Warrant rattling the back-window louvers, tires perpetually fried to the verge of racing-slick status. It is my belief that every time-capsule Camaro should be given to a 16-year-old who drives at least 15,000 miles per year. My proposal is pending with the Gates Foundation. “But Ez, aren’t some cars just too rare and valuable to risk out there on public roads?” Shut it, Cameron’s dad from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. I spent one college spring break with my friend Shezad’s aunt and uncle in Florida. The first time their garage door opened, my eyeballs fell out of my head. There were three Lamborghinis (Diablo, Countach, and LM002), a Ferrari Testarossa, a Bentley Turbo R. But the car that really obsessed me was the Ferrari F40. Shezad’s uncle, Dr. Nasir Khalidi, drove it on a 27-mile loop on the weeks he didn’t drive it to Sebring, eventually putting about 11,000 miles on it. Toward the end of the week, he gave me a ride in the F40. A 110-mph trip up an on-ramp helped erase the notion that any car could be too rarefied to thrash as its makers intended. And while regular drives can reveal latent problems, not driving your cars can be just as bad. Dr. Khalidi died a few years ago, and the F40 is now in the hands of his son, Naveed—or more accurately, in the hands of the local dealer, where it is in pieces, getting a thorough tuneup. “They’re telling me I should have driven it more regularly,” Naveed says. Which is his plan, once it’s back in action. I’ve offered to help, because that’s the kind of guy I am. Heustess’s GT350 has barely cooled down over the past four years, and it has only needed an evaporator, tires, and new batteries for the key fob. I ask if maybe he’s thought about counting those 100,000 trouble-free Shelby miles as a win, cashing in his chips, and getting something less high-strung. “Shit, it’s a Mustang,” he says. “I’m gonna drive it.” I LLU ST RAT I ON BY DE RE K BACON ~ A PRI L 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIV ER

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ELANA SCHERR

Comfort Mode

Recent drives have us ruminating on heated seats and warm memories. There’s more to how we feel in a car than just what we feel from the road.

just had a birthday, and I think my war-

ranty expired, because the very next day I hurt my back doing something so basic that I don’t even remember what it was. Did I yawn too vigorously? Raise too heavy an eyebrow? My friends over 40 tell me this is normal aging, and I should get used to it. Thanks, I hate it. Spoiled as I was in my former, unbroken body, I never paid much attention to the finer details of ride quality in a car. I mean, I did my job of declaring certain cars to be firmer and more skull rattling than others, but it didn’t matter to me personally. I’ve ridden through Baja in a ’57 Chevy. I daily-drove a Viper for six months. I’ve gone to dinner in the back seat of a Porsche GT3. “A GT3 doesn’t have a back seat,” you’re saying. Yes, I’m aware. Suddenly I’m less flexible and less smug, and I’m paying more attention to why vehicles feel good. The cars I most want to spend time in surprise me. It’s about more than just jounce and rebound. The Bentley Bentayga S, with its

massaging seats and multiple suspension modes, is a spa on wheels. Yet the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392, whose closest analogue to a massage function is how quickly you drive it over a rutted dirt road, offers its own sort of comfort: the reassurance that any obstacle in your path is just a throttle application away from being a former obstacle. So what makes a car comfortable? Is it all in the spine, or is it in the mind? Asking the internet for a “comfort expert” returns links to HVAC installation and repair. Certainly, a car that is too hot or too cold is a misery, and heated and ventilated seats are one of my favorite modern innovations. However, I don’t think the key to comfort is keeping one’s bum at the right temperature. Speaking of rump roast, my next search autofilled “comfort food,” leading me to Martha Stewart’s website, which suggests that comfort foods are soothing not so much because of an ingredient, but because of the memories associated with them. It isn’t the salt and noodles of mac and cheese that bring peace—it’s the subliminal recollections of childhood happiness. This is true for cars as well. Consider that common party question, “What’s your favorite seatbelt?” Personally, I’d describe the GM lap belt I grew up with. Any car with that heavy black buckle and metallic-blue center release makes me feel small and (perhaps ironically) safe. Safety is a part of comfort. Although as I recently wrestled with the lane-keeping function of a Mustang Mach-E and struggled to find the “off” option in a menu, I thought of another element of comfort: familiarity. It doesn’t matter how clever a semi-autonomous option is, or how heated a seat is, if you can’t locate the controls to turn it off. Comfort, then, is not just lumbar support but also emotional support. A comfortable person is happy and vice versa. Meik Wiking, founder of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen and author of several books, writes that Danes are among the happiest people on earth thanks to their dedication to a particular coziness they call “hygge.” Like all joys, hygge is not easily defined, but Wiking says it tends to be found by candle- or firelight, wrapped in knitted blankets, and scented like hot apple cider. By that logic, the Hyundai Elantra N [see “Sports-Sedan Bargains,” page 54], with its crackling-fireplace sound effect, is very hygge, despite a chassis as stiff as a Britisher’s upper lip. I’d agree, but not because of the fireplace—it’s the warm hug of familiarity and confidence. The simplicity of a six-speed manual, a cheerful (and quick) powerplant, and needle-sharp handling made it as comfortable as the Bentley to me, although my chiropractor might disagree. Now I just need a 12-volt slow cooker full of mac and cheese. ILLUSTRATI ON BY DI LEK BAYK ARA ~ APRIL 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIVER

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Maserati’s stage-setting mid-engine MC20 meets Porsche’s apex-predator 911, the Turbo S Lightweight. By Ezra Dyer Photography by Greg Pajo

APRI L 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIVER

ers 27

The debut of a mid-engine supercar is always an event worth commemorating. Roll out a new car with a gnarly engine mounted somewhere just ahead of the rear wheels, and we’ll be scouring Google Maps for twisty roads quicker than you can say “The C8 Corvette democratized this whole category.” So when Maserati unveiled the 2022 MC20, we couldn’t let the occasion pass without smashing a ﬁgurative champagne bottle over the prow. By which we mean bring an MC20 to the most glorious, desolate roads we could ﬁnd and see how it stacks up against the 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S Lightweight. “But,” you cry, as your blood pressure skyrockets and your dog runs away, “the Porsche 911 Turbo S is not mid-engined! I reject this premise!” Well, we’re sorry,

but the 911 Turbo S resists easy categorization. Life is messy—sometimes two cars compete for the same customers, but one has its engine behind the rear wheels and the other just ahead of them. That difference aside, both the MC20 and the 911 Turbo S Lightweight use 600-plus-hp turbocharged six-cylinders and eight-speed dual-clutch automatics, and their base prices are close to each other. Plus, if you’re going to compare a new Maserati to anything, you may as well pit it against the reigning king of exotic-adjacent performance for going on 47 years. The MC20 would seem a worthy challenger. With Ferrari cast out of the Stellantis empire, Maserati is the conglomerate’s Italian crown jewel, and it intends to start acting the part. To that end, the MC20 gets its own new engine, the Nettuno V-6—3.0 liters, 621 horsepower, and unique to Maserati. Its Italian bona ﬁdes run from the carbon tub (Dallara) to the seats (Sabelt) and even the sound system (Sonus Faber). Maserati’s Viale Ciro Menotti factory in Modena can build only six or

seven cars per day; you will never see a screaming lease deal on an MC20. This is a new model, sure, but it’s primarily a declaration of intent. The 911 Turbo is in its fifth decade of continuous development. This 992-generation S Lightweight embraces a few tricks from the GT3—lightweight aluminosilicate glass, rear-seat delete, fixed carbon-fiber buckets—to drop 89 pounds, making its 640-hp flatsix feel that much more ferocious. Which, you know, is exactly what it needed. To find out whether the MC20 is ready to take on the 911 Turbo S (and thus, the world), we staged both cars on the California coast north of Los Angeles and headed up into the hills and high desert for a few days of Route 33’s blind corners, big climbs, and long, desolate straights. Turbos huffed, tarmac was tattooed with rubber, conclusions were reached. Will you be surprised?

Maserati MC20 Plus Striking looks, surprisingly comfy cabin, 207.6 horsepower per liter. Minus Performance numbers don’t match price, V-6 blat. Equals A giant step forward for Maserati that would be even better with a little more power and less weight.

2nd Place: Maserati MC20 We wanted the MC20 to win. It’s the more interesting car and the unlikely underdog. The jaded denizens of Los Angeles, who’ve all seen three Veyrons and a Pagani by lunchtime, pull alongside to throw a thumbs-up. Kids linger in crosswalks to gawk. The valet will leave it right out front like a head on a trident, warning pretenders in lesser machines to head to the public garage down the street. And in the case of the Maserati MC20, almost everything else is a lesser machine. Plenty of cars claim to deliver a racecar experience, but the MC20 really makes you feel like you’ve strapped into a Le Mans Prototype, from the theatrics of the dihedral doors to the view from the driver’s seat— the rooﬂine encroaching like the visor of your helmet, a single wiper sweeping the

windshield. The rearview mirror can show a video feed from a rear-mounted camera, which is nice, because the actual mirror somehow manages to capture the reflections off the rear glass, hence what’s in front of you rather than behind. Digging into the throttle unleashes an auditory tsunami from the rear half of the car as the 3.0-liter V-6 sets about generating a staggering 207.6 horsepower per liter. Maserati’s new engine uses a novel (and patented) prechamber ignition with its own spark plug. At steady throttle, you hear what sounds like detonation, as if you caught a batch of 82 octane at the last fuel stop. But wind it up and that angry gurgle gives way to animated screes and chirps and huffy exhales from the turbochargers overlaid with a bass blat from the exhaust. It’s not the most dulcet harmony, but it’s certainly original. And the power is there. Cue up launch control and the MC20 fights wheelspin on its way to a 3.2-second time to 60 mph and an 11.0-second quarter-mile at 131 mph. If those numbers don’t seem as otherworldly as expected from a carbon-fiber waif with 621 horses, blame off-the-line traction and weight. Maserati may say that the MC20 weighs less than 3307 pounds, but our scales showed 3757 pounds—200 more than the all-wheel-drive 911 Turbo S Lightweight. If you take launch control out of the equation, the MC20 and 911 are within a tenth of a second of each other in our rolling-start 5-to60-, 30-to-50-, and 50-to-70-mph passing

2022 Maserati MC20 Base/As Tested $215,995/$260,045 Dimensions Wheelbase Length/Width/Height Track, F/R Passenger Volume Cargo Volume

106.3 in 183.8/77.4/48.1 in 66.2/64.9 in 48 ft 3 5 ft 3

Powertrain Engine twin-turbocharged DOHC 24-valve V-6 183 in3 (2992 cm3) Power, hp @ rpm 621 @ 7500 Torque, lb-ft @ rpm 538 @ 3000 Redline/Fuel Cutoff 8000/8000 rpm lb per hp 6.0 Driveline Transmission 8-speed dual-clutch automatic Driven Wheels rear

The dry-sump Nettuno 621-hp V-6 sits low in the MC20’s engine bay. The optional front-end lift system means you won’t scrape against the towering incline of the Taco Bell drive-through.

tests. Think of what the MC20 could do if it were as trim as Maserati claims. On Route 33’s lumpy apexes, we were glad that suspension can be adjusted independently from drivetrain. Select Sport mode and you get sharp throttle response and a throaty bark from the exhaust, yet you can still dial up the most compliant suspension setting—perfect for real-world roads. But the Brembo brake calipers and carbonceramic rotors don’t really get working until the pedal nears the end of its travel. That makes for easy brake modulation in relaxed driving but doesn’t instill conﬁdence when you’re going hot into a blind corner bounded by guardrail and blue sky. It is a brake-bywire system, so carefully selected ones and zeros could improve the feel. The Maserati’s cabin drew praise for its all-day-comfortable seats and apparent absence of Stellantis hand-me-downs. Trunks front and rear enable road-trip aspirations, though the frunk is about the size of a glovebox and used as such (the owner’s manual lives there). Even though Maserati’s sales goals are modest, the MC20’s appeal is broad. It can relax and do a reasonable impersonation of practical transportation, then spit ﬂames and bash your head into the seat when that’s what you want. We love what this car says about Maserati and its newfound ambition. But it’ll need to keep striving to catch the 911 Turbo S.

Chassis Suspension F: multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar R: multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar Brakes F: 15.5-in vented, crossdrilled ceramic disc R: 14.7-in vented, crossdrilled ceramic disc Stability Control fully defeatable, competition mode, launch control Tires Bridgestone Potenza Sport F: 245/35ZR-20 (95Y) MGT R: 305/30ZR-20 (103Y) MGT TEST RESULTS Acceleration 30 mph 60 mph 100 mph 150 mph 1/4-Mile @ mph

Rolling Start, 5–60 mph Top Gear, 30–50 mph Top Gear, 50–70 mph Top Speed

1.4 sec 3.2 sec 6.5 sec 15.4 sec 11.0 sec @ 131 Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec. 3.7 sec 2.0 sec 2.4 sec 202 mph (mfr’s claim)

Chassis Braking, 70–0 mph 149 ft Braking, 100–0 mph 291 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad 1.08 g Weight Curb 3757 lb Distribution, F/R 41.0/59.0% Fuel Capacity/Octane 18.9 gal/91 EPA Comb/City/Hwy 18/15/25 mpg C/D 400-mi Trip 14 mpg Sound Level Idle/Full Throttle 51/86 dBA 70-mph Cruise 73 dBA

TESTED BY DAVI D B EA RD I N CA LI FORNI A CIT Y, CA

2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S Lightweight $215,190/$223,230 96.5 in 178.6/74.8/50.8 in 62.3/63.0 in 49 ft3 14 ft3 twin-turbocharged DOHC 24-valve flat-6 229 in3 (3746 cm3) 640 @ 6750 590 @ 2500 7000/7300 rpm 5.6 8-speed dual-clutch automatic all F: struts, coil springs, active anti-roll bar R: multilink, coil springs, active anti-roll bar F: 16.5-in vented, crossdrilled ceramic disc R: 15.4-in vented, crossdrilled ceramic disc fully defeatable, competition mode, launch control Pirelli P Zero PZ4 F: 255/35ZR-20 (93Y) NA1 R: 315/30ZR-21 (105Y) NA1

0.8 sec 2.1 sec 5.1 sec 12.0 sec 9.9 sec @ 138 Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec. 3.6 sec 2.1 sec 2.4 sec 205 mph (mfr’s claim)

139 ft 279 ft 1.14 g 3557 lb 38.3/61.7% 17.6 gal/93 17/15/20 mpg 14 mpg 53/94 dBA 72 dBA

Porsche 911 Turbo S Plus It’ll dust just about everything, kind of practical, looks like other 911s. Minus Costs $223,230, looks like other 911s. Equals Your perception of speed will be permanently recalibrated.

1st Place: Porsche 911 Turbo S Look, numbers aren’t everything. But the 911 Turbo S generates some of the most superlative digits we’ve ever seen. It gets to 30 mph in 0.8 second, hits 60 mph in 2.1 seconds, and dispatches the quarter-mile in 9.9 seconds at 138 mph. It pulls 1.14 g’s on the skidpad and outbrakes the MC20 from both 70 and 100 mph. One moment you’re stopped; 12.0 seconds later you’re doing 150 mph. That sounds like hyperbole, but it’s an actual stat. On the third day of our test, a driver who began the day in the Porsche climbed into the Maserati and asked, “Is something wrong with the MC20? It doesn’t feel as fast

as it did yesterday.” Technical editor David Beard replied, “There’s nothing wrong with it. Your butt dyno just got recalibrated by the Turbo S.” He was right. The 911 Turbo S lives on its own planet, one with different rules and different gravity. And yet, this is no humorless automaton built solely to impress the VBox testing equipment. On a road like Route 33, it’s alive—involving, incredibly rapid, and benign all at once. You feel like you can climb in and immediately access 95 percent of its performance potential, which in most cases translates to “the quickest thing on the road, anywhere.” Compared with the pillbox Maserati, the Porsche has a panoramic forward view, its slender A-pillars framing the fenders and letting you know precisely where you’re placing those front wheels. You can choose your own gears if you want to, but chances are the dual-clutch automatic has already selected the ideal ratio on its own, leaving you free to sight down to the next corner and apply as much throttle as you dare. This car is about having it both ways: The short wheelbase makes it nimble, while the rear-axle steering makes it stable. Sport Plus mode deploys a pavementscraping chin spoiler; however, you can retract that and lift the front end in case you want to pull onto the shoulder to rip a U-turn and go for round two on a choice AP RI L 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIVE R

set of sweepers. The fixed-back carbon-fiber seats are as snug as an iron maiden yet somehow comfortable for hours. Between the front trunk and the rear cargo area (where a 911’s rear seats normally reside), there’s plenty of room for your stuff. And in the rare air of supercars, the 911 Turbo S even qualifies as a good deal—its as-tested price of $223,230 undercuts the MC20’s by $36,815. The main knock on the Turbo S is that its relatively everyday looks don’t match the exoticism of its performance (and, okay, its price). The doors swing open in a conventional manner, like a Honda’s. There’s no GT3-style aerodynamic weaponry on display. The shape is the shape of more than a million 911s before it. Nobody acknowledges you, let alone congratulates you, at gas stations or in L.A. traffic. But that’s also a big part of the appeal. This isn’t a machine you take to Cars & Coffee to bask in reflected adulation. It’s one you drive right past that, up into the hills, to revel in speed and handling that seems scarcely plausible. If you want to unbind the shackles of gravity, forget a ticket to space. We’ve got your ride right here.

8 8 0 20 77 9 10 0 17 73

20 1 10 9 10 50 15 4 10 8 9 46

20 10 10 10 8 58 18 9 6 9 9 51

*These objective scores are calculated from the vehicles’ dimensions, capacities, rebates and extras, and/or test results.

GRAND TOTAL

FUN TO DRIVE

Experience

SUBTOTAL

RIDE

8 9 5 10 9 9 8 2 9 9

HANDLING

1. Porsche 911 Turbo S 2. Maserati MC20

BRAKE FEEL

STEERING FEEL

PERFORMANCE*

SUBTOTAL

Chassis

AS-TESTED PRICE*

SUBTOTAL

REBATES/EXTRAS*

TRANSMISSION

EXTERIOR STYLING

ENGINE NVH

INTERIOR STYLING

FUEL ECONOMY*

FIT AND FINISH

FLEXIBILITY*

FEATURES/AMENITIES*

1/4-MILE ACCELERATION*

CARGO SPACE*

Powertrain

ERGONOMICS

Maximum points available

FINAL RESULTS

Vehicle

DRIVER COMFORT

If the current rate of shrinkage continues, the next 911 might have no shift nub at all. A typical large pizza tops out at about 16 inches; the 911’s front rotors are 16.5.

230

25 210 22 192

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A look at the EVs you can buy now and the ones that are coming soon.

VANS

CARS

PICKUPS

SUVs/ CROSSOVERS SPORTY CARS

ELECTRIC INFOGRA PHI C BY N ICOLAS RA PP

STORM WITH MORE AND MORE ELECTRIC VEHICLES ARRIVING EVERY YEAR, WE OFFER THIS SECTION TO HELP YOU MAKE SENSE OF THE LATEST AND GREATEST AND MAYBE EVEN BECOME AN EV EXPERT.

MONEY SHOT

LUCID CREATES A CUTTING-EDGE CAR OUT OF THIN AIR AND GIVES US A RARE LOOK AT JUST HOW EXPENSIVE IT IS TO DO SO.

By Dave VanderWerp Photography by Mark Urbano

hen the numbers get too large, our little brains struggle to contextualize. We realize that vehicle development and manufacturing, along with building out a nationwide distribution and dealer network, burns money at a rate that makes trust-fund millionaires look like they’re living paycheck to paycheck. But what does it actually take to start with nothing and end up with a 1111-hp electric luxury sedan? Let’s put it this way: If you stuffed $100 bills into 55-gallon oil barrels, you’d need nearly 300 barrels to contain the $5 billion that Lucid Motors has spent thus far. The cliché that a venture like this is a moonshot is fitting. Actually, it could be many moonshots, as this sum would more than pay for both Bezos’s and Branson’s rockets combined. The fact that billionaires generally choose space programs over high-volume production cars as pet projects should tell you something. Founded in 2007 as Atieva, a battery-pack maker, Lucid is now beginning the tough task of making good on its vehicle investment. Adding to the monumental cost of the Air sedan is that the company chose to develop everything from the battery pack and electric motors to the headlights and power electronics. Of course, much of the effort also applies to other models in the works, such as the Air-based Gravity, an SUV coming in a year or so, and about a billion of the investment is sunk into a greenfield plant in southern Arizona. If EV buyers are seeking engineering excellence, demand should be high, as the Air shoots to the front of the pack in terms of power, range, and charging speed. The company started putting Air sedans into driveways in late 2021. Initial models range from the $140,500 Grand Touring to the top-of-the-line $170,500 Dream, with horsepower figures from 800 to 1111

and EPA range from 451 to 520 miles. But the lineup will soon expand downward [see “Adding Machines,” page 41]. All the vehicles will be propelled by one or two of Lucid’s amazingly compact electric-motor assemblies [see “Wound Up,” page 39]. They’re powered via battery modules in 300-cell groupings at a heady 900 volts. The Air Dream Performance pack holds 118.0 kilowatt-hours. We tested Lucid’s range superiority by pointing the raked windshield of the Air Dream Performance south on a 372-mile route from the company’s Bay Area headquarters to the seaside town of Torrance in California’s Southland. Counterintuitively, perhaps, we chose the model with the lowest EPA range (451 miles), wooed instead by its four-digit horsepower. The long drive gave us time to take in the Air’s interior. In front of the driver is a large, curved screen reminiscent of the Porsche Taycan’s. The cabin is adorned with top-notch materials even past where people usually look— fabric extends all the way under the steering column. Curved door panels heighten the perception of spaciousness. The back seat has plenty of legroom and is set low to allow sufﬁcient headroom under the squished rooﬂine.

HIGHS: SUPREMELY CLEVER ENGINEERING, RANGE AND CHARGING LEADERSHIP, FRESH DESIGN. LOWS: SUPREMELY EXPENSIVE, SOME TEETHING GREMLINS, NOT AS FUN TO DRIVE AS THE PORSCHE TAYCAN. VERDICT: A LEADOFF HOMER.

Running at 75 mph down I-5, through the ﬂatness of the Central Valley, we were feeling good about our range, although a “Next gas on freeway 35 miles” sign made us wonder how far the nearest EV fast-charging station might be. All was going swimmingly until we hit the Tejon Pass, a climb into the mountains known to locals as the Grapevine. With about 90 miles to go to our destination, the battery lost 8 percent of its charge in the 12-mile climb from 1200 to 4100 feet. Luckily, we made up for it on the descent. In the downhill section, we went nine miles for each 1 percent of the battery’s charge— about three times our overall average. After 369 miles, the battery went to an indicated zero percent, leaving three high-stress miles to go. Each mile felt like a hundred, with sweating induced not only by mounting anxiety, but also by the climate control shutting Our Lucid’s Santa Monica interior down when the charge has dark gray got too low. But we front buckets and made it, using 82 perlight gray rear seats. The hues cent of the Air’s EPA are inspired by the range running mostly SoCal beach at highway speeds—a town’s earlymorning light. solid showing.

Wound Up During our test to fast-charge the battery from 10 to 90 percent, we saw a peak rate of 297 kilowatts. In that test, the Lucid took but three minutes to get to 20 percent state of charge, an extremely impressive initial leap. With an overall average rate of 137 kilowatts, the Air beats the Tesla Model S Plaid, the next best that we’ve tested, by more than 10 kilowatts. With the cruising behind us, we increasingly dipped into the spectacular shove provided by the Air Dream Performance’s 1111 horsepower. Its 10.1-second quarter-mile betters the Taycan Turbo S and every other electric four-door short of the Model S Plaid. Lucid representatives are, of course, quick to say that the Air isn’t really the brand’s answer to the Plaid; the engineers have designed the rear subframe to accommodate two motors in back, creating a three-motor configuration that would provide a theoretical horsepower number nearing 2000, should a battery be able to output the juice. While we’re talking Plaid, it’s notable that the Air has none of the Tesla’s nerve-racking high-speed wandering and is unerringly stable all the way to its 173-mph top speed, a figure that also beats any other EV we’ve maxed out. Its stability is not surprising given that Lucid’s head aerodynamicist is Jean-Charles Monnet, who previously optimized the winglets on Sebastian Vettel’s championship Red Bull Formula 1 car and worked to make the body slippery and the rear diffuser functional. But we did experience one aerodynamic hiccup: Up near the Air’s top speed, the wheels flung a halfdozen glossy plastic aerodynamic inserts high into the air like an exploding pinwheel. Were they not seated properly? Possibly, but what are the odds that

The Air’s new motor design proves that details matter. Lucid’s motors use hairpin windings that are as pretty as bent copper gets. The windings fold over themselves in a multilayered weave, eliminating joints that would need to be welded together. To keep the motor cool, pinhole channels shoot an ATF-like oil directly onto the windings. In the middle of the motor lives a tiny differential. Lucid’s motor uses less than half the copper that’s in a Model 3 motor while offering 56 percent more power.

Slip Slidin’ Away To get the most out of every kilowatt-hour of energy in the battery, Lucid’s designers and engineers employed a few clever tricks. A low roof height (0.6 inch lower than the Model S Plaid) decreases the Air’s frontal area. Twin passages on the outside edge of the hood channel air up and over the car. The underside of the battery pack rises roughly a half-inch from its midpoint to the back and, with the help of small end plates on the sides, directs air just so to the rear diffuser. When maximum cooling is required, air accelerates through patented front air inlets into twin vortexes to be evenly distributed over the radiator. It all combines for a claimed 0.20 coefficient of drag (on 19-inch wheels) and zero lift at top speed. The Air requires 12 to 25 percent less power to maintain highway speeds than the Tesla Model S. The efficiency gains and a 19 percent larger battery add up to more range. On 19-inch wheels the Air Dream Performance enjoys a 471-mile EPA-estimated range, while a Model S Plaid on 19s does 396 miles. The 520-mile EPA range of the Air Dream Range is 28 percent more than the Model S’s 405 miles.

The clamshell trunklid has late’30s Buick vibes and opens to a huge 32-cubic-foot cargo area.

three of four wheels were misassembled? Autobahn drivers, beware. Even better than the straight-line juice is the Air’s lithe and organic moves when wending a winding road. When you start pushing hard, it seemingly sheds half a ton of its 5282 pounds. But the fun terminates in steady-state understeer. We do appreciate the ability to dial back the stability control, creating the possibility of big, lurid tailslides. Maximum cornering of 0.92 g and stopping from 70 mph in 163 feet are behind the best, likely a trade-off for efficiency. While the Air doesn’t drive with the verve of a Porsche Taycan Turbo S, its combined efficiency rating is a whopping 59 percent better. Ride quality is luxury-sedan good, but the bobbing of the 21-inch wheels resonates through the structure. We found the adaptive dampers a touch too floaty in the default setting and a bit overdamped in more aggressive modes. There are a few rough edges. The transition from regen to power when easing into the go pedal is abrupt, and the brake pedal takes a long push to get to the disc brakes. At this price, the exterior panel fits are not as tight as they should be. We also experienced small electronic glitches—sluggish screen-response time, pop-out door handles that sometimes resisted our advances—that are a software update away from resolution, according to Lucid. It’s nevertheless remarkable that Lucid could pull off such a compelling car in its first go—no matter how many barrels of cash it burned to get there. AP RI L 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIVE R

2022 LUCID AIR DREAM EDITION PERFORMANCE

Price

$170,500

As Tested ..................... Base ................................................................ $170,500 Vehicle Type: front- and rear-motor, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan Options: none Infotainment: 12.6-in and 12.5-in touchscreens; 4.3-in rear-seat touchscreen; 1 USB (for power only), 1 USB-C (for power only), and Bluetooth inputs; 14 speakers

Motors 2 permanent-magnet synchronous AC Combined Power .............................................. 1111 hp Combined Torque ...................................... 1025 lb-ft

Battery Pack liquid-cooled lithium-ion Cell Count/Construction ........ 6600/cylindrical Usable Capacity ......................................... 118.0 kWh Onboard Charger ............................................ 19.2 kW

Drivetrain Transmissions, F/R: direct-drives Final-Drive Ratio .............................................. 7.06:1 All-Wheel-Drive System: full time GEAR 1

RATIO

MPH PER 1000 RPM

......... 7.06 ......... 11.5 ............... 173 mph (15,000)

Chassis aluminum spaceframe with a rubber-isolated rear subframe Body Material: aluminum stampings, composite

Acceleration

16.1

170 13.7

10.1

142

11.7

1/4-MILE

9.9 8.4 7.2

5.3

100

6.1

4.5 3.8 3.2

2.6

Steering

rack-and-pinion with variable ratio and electric power assist Ratio ....................................................................... 13.0:1 Turns Lock-to-Lock ............................................ 2.2 Turning Circle Curb-to-Curb .................. 39.3 ft

2.2 1.7 30

1.2

SEC

Suspension

Results in graph omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec.

F: ind, 2 lateral links and 2 diagonal links per side, coil springs, electronically controlled dampers, anti-roll bar R: ind; 1 control arm, 1 lateral link, and a toe-control link per side; coil springs; electronically controlled dampers; anti-roll bar

Rolling Start, 5–60 mph ............ 3.0 sec Top Gear, 30–50 mph ................. 1.2 sec Top Gear, 50–70 mph ................. 1.2 sec Top Speed (gov ltd) ................. 173 mph

Brakes F: 15.0 x 1.5-in vented disc, 6-piston fixed caliper R: 14.8 x 1.2-in vented disc, 4-piston fixed caliper Stability Control: partially defeatable, launch control

Handling Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad ..... 0.92 g Understeer: excessive

Braking 70–0 mph ........................................ 163 ft 100–0 mph ...................................... 326 ft Fade: none

Wheels and Tires

Weight

Wheels: forged aluminum F: 8.5 x 21 in R: 9.5 x 21 in Tires: Pirelli P Zero PZ4 Elect PNCS F: HL245/ 35R-21 99Y LM1 R: HL265/35R-21 103Y LM1

Curb ................................................. 5282 lb Per Horsepower ............................. 4.8 lb Distribution, F/R ................. 50.3/49.7%

Dimensions

MAX SPEED IN GEAR (rpm)

TEST RESULTS

MPH

Lucid calls its onboard charging unit the Wunderbox, because it handles AC charging (Levels 1 and 2, up to 19.2 kilowatts) as well as DC fast-charging (up to 300 kilowatts), and the box will also eventually be able to send 19.2 kilowatts of power to another EV or your home. With so much power flowing through it, there’s no wonder why it has its own coolant circuit.

Wheelbase ......................................................... 116.5 in Length ................................................................. 195.9 in Width ...................................................................... 76.2 in Height .................................................................... 55.7 in Front Track ........................................................ 65.7 in Rear Track .......................................................... 65.6 in Ground Clearance ............................................ 5.4 in Passenger Volume, F/R .......................... 60/43 ft3 Cargo Volume ..................................................... 32 ft3

C/D Fuel Economy Observed .................................... 82 MPGe

EPA Fuel Economy Comb/City/Hwy ........... 111/110/111 MPGe Range ........................................... 451 miles

Interior Sound Level Idle .................................................... 29 dBA Full Throttle .................................. 66 dBA 70-mph Cruising ......................... 63 dBA

TESTED BY DAV E VAN D ER WE R P IN CA L I FOR NI A CI T Y, CA

ADDING MACHINES

In addition to the $170,500 Dream we tested, Lucid plans on launching three less expensive versions of the Air by the end of the year, giving customers a choice of three battery sizes, two drivetrain configurations, and five power levels. MODEL Air Pure Air Touring Air Grand Touring Air Dream Edition Range Air Dream Edition Performance

BASE PRICE $78,900 $96,500 $140,500 $170,500 $170,500

POWER 480 hp 620 hp 800 hp 933 hp 1111 hp

DRIVELINE RWD (AWD opt) AWD AWD AWD AWD

BATTERY 88.0 kWh (C/D est) 88.0 kWh (C/D est) 112.0 kWh 118.0 kWh 118.0 kWh

MAX EPA RANGE 406 mi (mfr est) 406 mi (mfr est) 516 mi 520 mi 471 mi

MOTORAMA

ELECTRIC MOTORS HAVE ONLY ONE MOVING PART, BUT A LOOK INTO THE THREE TYPES AND HOW EACH WORKS PROVES THEY ARE FAR FROM SIMPLE DEVICES.

EV motor housings contain water jackets and may also have various inverters, converters, and other power electronics attached that control the motors.

Stators, such as this one from BMW’s new i4, are usually made of steel and house interconnected loops of parallel windings.

By Dan Edmunds

The rotor inside a motor has lobes that may or may not contain rare-earth magnets. This is your crankshaft, petrol-heads.

Automobile lovers have been steeped

in the language of the internalcombustion engine for so long that the inexorable switch to electriﬁcation requires a tune-up of our knowledge base. Many of us are familiar with the suck-squeeze-bang-blow rhythm of the four-cycle engine that powers the majority of today’s daily drivers, while the snowmobilers and outboard enthusiasts among us can probably explain the inner workings of a twostroke. A few nerds may even have a handle on the epitrochoidal machinations of the Wankel rotary, but the average gearhead’s experience with electric motors might just begin and end with the last time their starter conked out. All types of electric-vehicle motors share two major parts. The stator is the motor’s stationary outer shell, whose housing is mounted to the chassis like an engine block. The rotor is the lone rotating element and is analogous to a crankshaft in that it feeds torque out through the transmission and onto a differential. All three major EV motor types use three-

phase alternating current to set up a rotating magnetic ﬁeld (RMF, see below), the frequency and power of which are controlled by the power electronics that respond to the accelerator. Stators contain numerous parallel slots stuffed with interconnected loops of copper windings. These can be bulky looms of round copper wire or tidy hairpin-shaped copper insertions with square cross-sections that increase both ﬁll density and direct wire-to-wire contact within the grooves. Denser windings improve torque capability, and tidier interlacing at the ends amounts to less bulk and a smaller overall package. Batteries are direct-current (DC) devices, so an EV’s power electronics include a DC-AC inverter to provide the stator with the AC 120°

Phase a

120°

Phase B a

Phase C a

B C

Alternating current rises and falls in a sinusoidal wave, and having three such waves clocked 120 degrees apart sets up a rotating magnetic field (RMF). AP RI L 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIVER

Wankel analogy. In the asynchronous category we have induction motors, while the synchronous group contains permanent-magnet and current-excited motors. Induction motors have been around since the 19th century. Here the rotor contains longitudinal laminations or bars of conductive material, most often copper but sometimes aluminum. The stator’s RMF induces a current in these laminations, which in turn creates an electromagnetic field (EMF) that begins to rotate within the stator’s RMF. Induction motors are known as asynchronous motors because the induced EMF and the rotating torque that comes with it can exist only when the rotor’s speed EV 101 lags behind the RMF. Such motors are common because they have no need for rare-earth magnets and are relatively Most EVs rely on a cheap to manufacture, but they can be direct-drive (singleharder to cool at sustained high loads ratio) unit to step down and are inherently less efficient at low the rotating speed speeds. between the motor and As the name implies, the rotors in the wheels. Like permanent-magnet motors possess internal-combustion their own magnetism. No power is engines, electric motors needed to create the rotor’s magnetic are most efficient at low field, making them far more efficient rpm and higher load. at low speed. Such rotors also turn in While an electric car lock-step with the stator’s RMF, makmight enjoy an accepting them synchronous. But there are able driving range with problems with simply wrapping a rotor a single gear, heavier with surface-mounted magnets. This pickups and SUVs current necessary to create the allrequires larger magnets, for one, and designed to pull trailers important variable RMF. But it’s worth keeping a rotor together at high speed will increase range with pointing out that these electric motors becomes more difficult as things get a multi-speed transmisare also generators, which means that heavier. But the bigger problem is the sion at highway speed. wheels will back-drive the rotor within so-called “back EMF” at high speeds, Today only the Audi the stator to induce an RMF in the other in which a reverse-induced electroe-tron GT and Porsche direction that feeds power back through magnetic magnetic field adds drag that Taycan use a two-speed the now AC-DC converter to send power limits top-end power and creates excess transmission. Multi-gear into the battery. This process, known heat that can damage the magnets. (spin) losses and develTo combat this, most EV permanentas regenerative braking, creates drag opment costs are that slows the vehicle. Regen is not only magnet motors feature internally reasons why EVs with central to extending an electric car’s mounted permanent magnets (IPM) more than one gear are range, it’s pretty much the whole ball of that are slid in pairs into lengthwise uncommon, but we wax when it comes to highly efficient V-shaped slots arrayed in multiple lobes predict that will change. just under the surface of the rotor’s iron hybrids because lots of regen improves core. The slots keep the IPMs secure at the EPA fuel-economy numbers. But in the real world, regen is less efficient than high speed, but the deliberately shaped coasting, which avoids the losses each time the energy areas between the magnets create a reluctance torque. Magnets are either attracted to or repelled by other magnets, passes through the motor and converter when harvestbut ordinary reluctance, the force that sticks a magnet to ing kinetic energy. The motor types can be broken down by fundamena toolbox, attracts the lobes of the iron rotor to the RMF. tal rotor differences that represent entirely different IPMs do the work at lower speeds, and the reluctance torque takes over at high speeds. Lest you think this is new, the ways of turning the stator’s RMF into actual rotary motion. These differences are stark enough, in fact, that Prius uses them. they do justice to our original four-cycle, two-cycle, and The final type of motor didn’t exist in EVs until recently

One and Done

because conventional wisdom held that brushless motors, which describes the motors above, were the only viable option for an electric vehicle. BMW recently bucked this trend by fitting brushed current-excited AC synchronous motors to the new i4 and iX. This type’s rotor interacts with the stator’s RMF exactly the same as a permanent-magnet rotor, but the rotor lacks permanent magnets. Instead, it features six broad copper lobes energized with DC battery power to create the necessary EMF. Pulling this off takes slip rings and spring-loaded brushes on the rotor shaft, which has led others to avoid this approach over concerns about brush wear and its associated dust. Will brush wear be an issue here? That remains to be seen, but we doubt it. The brush array is sequestered in an isolated compartment, with a removable cover enabling easy access. The lack of permanent magnets avoids the issues of rising rare-earth costs and the environmental impact of mining. This scheme also makes it possible to vary the strength of the rotor’s magnetic field, which enables further optimization. Still, power is required to energize this rotor, making these motors less efficient, notably at low speeds when the energy needed to create the field represents a greater percentage of the total consumption. The appearance of the current-excited AC synchronous motor is so recent in the short history of EVs that it illustrates just how early we are in the development curve. There’s abundant room for fresh ideas, and there have already been major pivots, not least including Tesla’s move away from the induction-motor concept that is the basis for its own brand name and logo and toward permanent-magnet synchronous motors. And we’re barely a decade into the modern EV era—we’re just getting started.

Photo Hunt, EV Edition

All electric motors share a very similar core design. Note the V-shaped notches in the permanent-magnet machine’s rotor (below top) that house rare-earth

PERMANENT-MAGNET MOTOR

INDUCTION MOTOR

Storage Wars What the future holds for EV batteries. Every battery maker is working to improve energy density (the amount of electricity stored in their batteries). But until there is a dramatic breakthrough, the vast majority of the EVs coming to market in the next five years, and perhaps through 2030, will be powered by variations on the two types of lithium-ion cells already for sale. The first kind uses cobalt, nickel, manganese, and aluminum in its cathode, or positive electrode. The proportions of each element vary, with the goal of reducing the amount of pricey, high-demand cobalt while continuing to boost energy density and power output. GM’s new Ultium NMCA cells, for example, use 70 percent less cobalt, increasing the proportion of nickel and aluminum. The second cell type for EVs of the 2020s will use lithium iron-phosphate (LiFP) cathodes. Long a favorite of Chinese battery makers, LiFP cells cost less, use abundant minerals, and are less fireprone under extreme conditions. Ten years of improvements in their energy density have made them practical for use in the lowest-range and least expensive EVs. Tesla uses them in low-end versions of the Model 3, and it’s worth noting that Teslas fitted with LiFP cells charge to 100 percent every time, suggesting that Tesla has more confidence in the longevity and durability of the cells to survive full charges. On the other side, heavy research is going into advances in anodes, or negative electrodes. The hope is

that a switch to carbon composites or even silicon will boost energy density up to 10 times that of today’s graphite anodes. The breakthrough most EV makers are hoping for is the solid-state cell, named for its solid electrolyte, or the conductive material between cathode and anode that is typically liquid or polymer in today’s cells. Solid-state cells are expected to be more energy-dense, safer, and ultimately perhaps the favored choice. But we won’t see them in production cars until at least 2025, and even then only in expensive, low-volume models. Toyota is putting a large effort into making solidstate cells practical for high-volume production. The automaker says its first vehicle with solid-state cells will launch by middecade. Hybrid vehicles, with smaller batteries made at higher volumes, will likely get them first. Solid-state cells face big hurdles in material-cost reduction, setting up production lines, and boosting their advantages so that their price is competitive with older, better-known cells that have benefited from years of refinement and economies of scale. One challenge for solidstate cells: extending their lifespan to several thousand full discharge cycles, an obvious EV prerequisite. Meanwhile, every automaker has committed billions of dollars to creating dedicated cell-fabrication sites, often near assembly plants for the cars they will power. In January, GM announced a third joint-venture plant with longtime cell partner LG, with the new site in Lansing, Michigan, joining production facilities in Lordstown, Ohio, and Spring Hill, Tennessee. —John Voelcker

B W

BRUSH WITH HIGHS: M3-GRADE ACCELERATION, LIVELY HANDLING, HATCHBACK PRACTICALITY. LOWS: A LACK OF STEERING FEEL, NOT AS EFFICIENT AS LESSER VERSIONS.

GREATNESS

P HOTO G RA P H BY J ESS ICA LY N N WA LK E R

It had to happen. BMW ﬁnally focused

its EV development in a direction that should appeal to brand loyalists and certain wistful Tesla Model 3 defectors alike, building an electric 4-series Gran Coupe called the i4. It’s as close as we’re likely to get to an electric 3-series, which is okay because the name i3 was previously assigned to an IKEA-inspired pod that no one could kärlek. Besides, the Gran Coupe is a better electriﬁcation candidate because it has four doors and a hatchback that doesn’t look like one until you pop the hatch and see the glass go up. Its longer rooﬂine is a boon to rear-passenger space and cargo access, which is important because the single-motor, rear-drive i4 eDrive40 has enough EPA range (301 miles) and fast enough DC fastcharging capability (200 kilowatts) for road trips. The dual-motor, all-wheel-drive i4 M50 offers 227 miles of range, which was more than enough for us to journey to our favorite mountains and thrash some apexes. The M50 uses unique brushed currentexcited synchronous motors [see “Motorama,” page 42]; their combined output of 536 horsepower and

2022 BMW i4 M50

586 pound-feet produces immense direct-drive acceleration that sends it lunging between corners. Short straights are dispatched in a blink thanks to 30-to-50- and 50-to-70mph passing times of 1.5 and 2.0 seconds, respectively. Its standingstart ﬁgures are equally impressive, with 60 mph taking just 3.3 seconds and the quarter-mile 11.7 seconds at 120 mph. That’s BMW M3 Competition territory. The M50’s front tires are narrower than the M3’s, which may explain why measured grip was “only” 0.97 g. Better to blame this battery-powered sled’s 5063-pound curb weight, which outweighs our manual-equipped M3 long-termer by 1274 pounds. The extra mass resides beneath the ﬂoor, making it easy for the well-tuned adaptive suspension to quell body roll. There’s nary a whiff of understeer, and the M50 bends accurately into corners despite indistinct feedback. The mechanical brakes are plenty powerful, too, but you’ll generally use them less (and later) because lift-accelerator regen is quite strong when it’s enabled. The M50 is an agreeable daily driver, and our overall consumption

of 83 MPGe over 483 miles of mountain, suburban, and freeway driving exceeded the EPA rating of 80 MPGe. Considering its near-M3 levels of performance and base price of $66,895, the M50 indicates that BMW is ﬁnally in the EV game for real. —D.E.

the numbers Vehicle Type: front- and rear-motor, all-wheeldrive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback Base/As Tested ...................... $66,895/$76,670 Motors: 2 synchronous AC, 255 and 308 hp, 269 and 295 lb-ft Combined Power .................................................. 536 hp Combined Torque ............................................ 586 lb-ft Battery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 81.5 kWh Transmissions: direct-drives Dimensions • Wheelbase ........................................................... 112.4 in • L/W/H ............................................... 188.5/72.9/57.0 in • Curb Weight ....................................................... 5063 lb

test RESULTS 60 mph ..................................................................... 3.3 sec 100 mph .................................................................. 8.0 sec 1/4-Mile ............................................. 11.7 sec @ 120 mph Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec. Rolling Start, 5–60 mph .................................. 3.5 sec Top Speed (gov ltd) .......................................... 127 mph Braking, 70–0 mph ................................................ 154 ft Braking, 100–0 mph ............................................. 308 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad .......................... 0.97 g C/D Fuel Economy • Observed .......................................................... 83 MPGe EPA Fuel Economy • Comb/City/Hwy ............................... 80/79/80 MPGe • Range .................................................................... 227 mi

Can Your EV Power Your House? Ford’s F-150 Lightning keeps the lights on. To combat electric-power interruptions,

a new solution taps into the batteries in electric cars and trucks. All EVs have enough energy storage to theoretically power a home for several days. The trick is transferring the electrical energy from an EV into useful home AC power. Most EVs accept electrical power only through their charge ports. A handful can output power [see below], but Ford is one of the few that has introduced the components to make powering a home possible. The upcoming F-150 Lightning and its Intelligent Backup Power capability will allow owners to keep the lights on at home. Even with the standard 98.0-kWh battery, the Lightning’s battery capacity is more than seven $10,500 Tesla Powerwalls, a common home battery. Look at it this way: At $41,699, a base Lightning costs 43 percent less than seven Tesla batteries, and you

get a truck for free. The Lightning can pump as much as 9.6 kilowatts into your home, which is plenty during a power failure. Plugging a Lightning into your home requires the 19.2-kW Ford Charge Station Pro, which comes standard on extended-range models and costs extra on base models. No pricing yet, but we would guess that the Charge Station Pro will cost about $2000. You also need the Home Integration System. This sophisticated power electronics box takes the high-current DC from the Charge Station Pro and converts it into usable AC power. It connects between your utility power meter and your main power panel and disconnects your house from the power grid whenever it’s in use. The price for this hasn’t been set either, but we’d guess at least $3000. Finally, you’ll need an electrician to install these two pieces of

hardware, including the control and 80-amp power wiring between them. Depending on your garage and house layout, this cost will vary widely, but it’s hard to see how any installation would cost less than $1000. To ease this process, Ford has partnered with Sunrun, a nationwide solar-system installer. Sunrun can also add solar panels to the installation to stretch how long the system can power your house and maintain the charge in your Lightning’s battery. Our estimate of $6000-plus for the overall system is not out of line with the cost of installing a wholehouse backup generator. Depending on how much electricity you use, even the Lightning’s standard-range battery could power your house for about three days, according to Ford. And unlike most portable generators, it’s quiet. Just remember that if you drive your truck, your backup power will go with it. —Csaba Csere

Plug It In, Plug It In Electric cars are beginning to gain the ability to send energy out of their charge ports. Using onboard energy to power accessories, charge another EV, or provide backup power to a house has been dubbed “vehicle to load,” or V2L. John Halliwell, chair of the SAE J1772 (the standardized charging connector) task force, says he “[doesn’t] see J1772 applying limits to power export outside the connector rating limits.” That means EVs could theoretically share AC power at up to 19.2 kilowatts (kW) and DC power at as high as 350 kW, assuming the vehicle has the onboard electronics to handle it. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 can send out 1.9 kW of 120-volt AC power through a special connector with a single outlet on it, while the Lucid Air can charge another EV at up to 10 kW using the included travel-charging cable. Using an EV to power a tailgate party or rescue a stranded EV is one thing, but keeping your house’s lights on during a power outage is more complicated than running an extension cord. —D.V.

AP RI L 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIVE R

STRATOSPHERIC 2022 KIA EV6

HIGHS: HIGH-QUALITY INTERIOR, FASTCHARGING CAPABILITY, LIGHT ON ITS FEET. LOWS: TINY FRUNK, COSTS MORE THAN THE CLOSELY RELATED HYUNDAI IONIQ 5.

The GT-Line AWD’s 320 horses and 446 pound-feet 5 and Genesis GV60, Kia’s EV6 has its own unique look. of torque make for immediate accelerator response, and there’s enough oomph to keep the power rush going. We Credit design chief Luc Donckerwolke, who placed his measured a 4.5-second sprint to 60 mph. The steering is team in a remote location in Bavaria and left them with a model of the Lancia Stratos for inspiration. precise, there’s little body roll, and roadholding is good The EV6 offers three powertrains: Light models come with 0.86 g of stick. This car feels lighter than its 4647pound curb weight. The brakes are strong and easy to with a 58.0-kWh battery and a 167-hp rear motor, Wind and GT-Line models get a 77.4-kWh batmodulate, with regen-braking force tery and a 225-hp rear motor, and the adjusted via steering-wheel paddles. the numbers And we noticed zero squeaks and rattles all-wheel-drive Wind and GT-Line— Vehicle Type: front- and rear-motor, allin the quiet cabin. the latter is the version we tested—add wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon The EPA-estimated range from the a front motor for 320 total horsepower. Base/As Tested ......... $57,115/$58,105 bigger battery with all-wheel drive is (A 576-hp GT arrives later.) Motor: 2 permanent-magnet synchronous AC Approach the EV6 and the door han274 miles. Ditch the all-wheel drive Combined Power .............................. 320 hp dles extend automatically. Kia calls the and the estimate jumps to 310 miles. Combined Torque ........................ 446 lb-ft EV6 a crossover, but you enter it like a The smaller battery nets 232 miles. The Battery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 77.4 kWh low-riding car. Although the wheelbase 800-volt architecture and 350-kW DC Transmissions: direct-drives is 3.9 inches shorter than the Ioniq 5’s, fast-charging capability allow for speedy Dimensions recharging; Kia promises that the batit’s still long given its overall length, • Wheelbase ....................................... 114.2 in • L/W/H .......................... 184.8/74.4/60.8 in tery can be replenished from 10 to 80 creating generous interior space. The • Curb Weight ................................... 4647 lb percent in under 18 minutes. frunk, though, at less than 1 cubic foot, Pricing starts at $42,115, with the is little more than a tackle box. test RESULTS GT-Line opening at $52,415; adding the The interior features comfortable second motor to the GT-Line increases seats upholstered in grippy microfiber, 60 mph ................................................ 4.5 sec 100 mph ............................................. 12.8 sec the price by $4700. Even in an increasand a floating center console houses 1/4-Mile ....................... 13.3 sec @ 103 mph ingly crowded field, the EV6 is an the start/stop button, round gear selecResults above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec. attractive proposition. It combines the tor, and wireless charging pad. A twoRolling Start, 5–60 mph .............. 4.7 sec spoke steering wheel and two screens sit performance of a Tesla Model 3 with Top Speed (gov ltd) ...................... 118 mph Braking, 70–0 mph ............................ 169 ft in front of the driver. We’re not fans of superior build quality, and it’s more Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad ..... 0.86 g the infotainment menu structure or the attractive than the VW ID.4 or Audi Q4 EPA Fuel Economy spaceship-mimicking artificial sound, e-tron. Maybe more EV design teams • Comb/City/Hwy ......... 105/116/94 MPGe • Range ................................................ 274 mi should hole up in Bavaria. —Jens Meiners but at least that can be turned off.

P HOTO G RA P H BY M A RC U R BA N O

Born from the Imagine concept and kin to the Hyundai Ioniq

CATCH THE B

THE 2024 ID.BUZZ IS VW’S EV REINTERPRETATION OF THE ’60S MICROBUS. By Mike Duff Photography by James Lipman

APRI L 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIVER

We’re not always keen to drive prototypes, yet

there was no way we’d pass up the chance to try the Volkswagen ID.Buzz, even if it’s the Europe-spec version that will launch ﬁrst. Like the Euro version shown here, our Buzz will be built on the MEB platform that underpins the ID.4, but the U.S. model is still two years out. The rear-engine VW Vanagon retired in 1991, and while the front-drive Eurovan ﬁlled the van-sized hole in the lineup almost immediately, it just wasn’t the same. Then, in 2017, Volkswagen showed off the ID.Buzz concept, giving us time to grow our hair long. The prototype we’re driving is a panel van with a bulkhead behind the front seats. The U.S. probably won’t get the panel van; our ID.Buzz will be larger and feature three rows of seats. How much longer the American-bound one will be remains to be seen, but the European ID.Buzz rides on a 117.6-inch wheelbase and is 185.5 inches long. The U.S. version will also have a bigger battery pack than the prototype’s 77.0-kWh unit.

Excited anticipation is justiﬁed. The ID.Buzz’s shape and interior dimensions prove how adaptable an architecture can be when there’s no need to accommodate a bulky, upright engine and transmission. The height of the battery pack raises the ﬂoor slightly, but otherwise the interior volume feels more vast than the van’s modest length would suggest. The prototype has the entry-level powertrain, a single 201-hp electric motor shared with the ID.4 that drives the rear axle. A dual-motor, all-wheel-drive version with the front and rear motors from the ID.4 and about 295 horsepower will also be offered. Despite the modest-for-an-EV output, the ID.Buzz would easily leave any of its air-cooled ancestors in the dust. It steps briskly off the line with gentle pedal inputs, but it’s no rocket ship. We’d estimate a 60-mph time of less than nine seconds, but not by much. Acceleration trails off quickly, and the 90-mph limit takes a long time to arrive. At 75 mph, though, the ID.Buzz feels happy—something nobody ever said of the Vanagon or its predecessors.

EV 101

Electrical Architect To maximize fastcharging speeds, some new EVs operate at 800 volts, double the norm. The higher voltage has the added benefit of reducing the size and weight of the wiring, but it complicates matters elsewhere. DC fastcharging stations don’t all run on the same voltage, and for a vehicle to use them, its electronics—voltage converters, inverters, and chargers—must be able to accept the voltage or step voltage up or down as needed. Initially, high-voltagerated vehicle architecture wasn’t common, so automakers, such as Porsche, that went that route had to pay higher development and supply costs. But as more manufacturers adopt 800 volts as the norm, the cost will drop and the tech will spread.

An Old Bus Quits Smoking EV West electrifies a vintage Bus for the modern hippie. It has 21 windows but is still tough to see out of. The driving position is an enforced slouch, and the front crush zone is two stamped headlight buckets reinforced by tibias and fibulas. The suspension teeters along as if it had been tuned by Christian Louboutin. And yet, it’s a ton of two-tone fun that’s decently quick. It’s a 1966 Volkswagen Type 2 electrified by EV West. Inside EV West’s shop in San Marcos, California, old-car zapifications are in various stages of progress. Outside, the parking lot is full of wrecked Teslas being rehabilitated or

mined for parts. This is a place where electric dreams, nostalgia, and lithium ions are soldered into drivable things. Write a big check and EV West will put batteries into any toy. Born in 1950, the Type 2 is a metal box built atop Type 1 Beetle pieces. None other than Ferdinand Porsche set the basic suspension design back in the 1930s. It’s not archaic, it’s Pleistocene. That means diabolical swing axles in back and a weird torsionarm system in front. The manual recirculating-ball steering and drum brakes aren’t much good either. Plus, this Bus rides on narrow 165R-15 Coker Classic tires. Set handling expectations accordingly. In place of the original 53-hp air-cooled ﬂat-four, EV West has plopped in a NetGain HyPer9 electric motor rated at 120 horsepower and 173 pound-feet of torque. Six scavenged Tesla battery modules

feed it electricity. The stock four-speed manual transmission is retained. Arms out across the flat steering wheel, the driver hunkers down so as not to stare directly at the windshield header. There’s no reason to ever use first gear, and the clutch is superfluous once a gear is selected. EV West says the electric transformation added about 200 pounds, and the Bus kind of hustles, for better or worse. Bus stops require intentionality and concentration.

This EV conversion runs about $55,000 beyond the near-six-ﬁgure value of this perfectly restored beauty. (EV West also has conversion kits with less powerful motors starting at $7598, not including battery or installation.) The range, says EV West, is about 95 miles—great for a family day trip to the beach or taking guests around the manse. With this much power, the Type 2 is about at its mechanical limits. It’s also totally adorable. —John Pearley Huffman AP RI L 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIVE R

P HOTO G RA P H BY J ESS ICA LY N N WA LK E R

Few would expect sports-car athleticism from the ID.Buzz, but the prototype’s chassis responded well when pushed. Britain’s numerous roundabouts are a great place to learn about understeer or, in this case, the ID.Buzz’s surprising resistance to it. Even in tight, greasy corners there were few clues to the rear-motor, rear-drive design,

with the stability control intervening to minimize lost traction. Nor was the front end quick to surrender grip, sticking determinedly to a chosen line despite the winter tires VW ﬁtted. The powertrain’s near silence wasn’t surprising, but the continued quiet as speeds rose was unexpected. Panel vans are often noisy given their size and lack of sound insulation, but the ID.Buzz stayed hushed with only slight wind noise And it’s just a box when cruising. What initially felt of Bus. Slab sides like inconsistent regenerative brakand wheels at the corners create a ing turned out to be the ID.Buzz whole lot of automatically varying the level to interior space. adapt speed for approaching restrictions or intersections. Ride quality also impressed considering the commercialgrade chassis tuning, although there’s a slight ﬂoatiness over bigger undulations that might be calmed with some payload aboard. The ride quality likely was helped by the prototype’s 18-inch wheels, the smallest available (sizes up to 21 inches will be offered).

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Charging into the Future

Pro starts at $41,669 and comes with all-wheel drive and four doors. The closest gas model is the F-150 XL SuperCrew 4WD with a short bed, which costs $42,905. That base version has a 290-hp 3.3-liter V-6 engine with 265 pound-feet of torque, which pales in comparison with the base Lightning’s 426-hp and 775-lb-ft two-motor powertrain.

CARGO VAN

BrightDrop EV600 No tape deck Interior design is modern means Deadand bright with sprinklings heads will have of color and an airy feel to leave the ’77 Fox Theatre, throughout. A large central Atlanta, bootleg touchscreen appeared to cassette behind. be running the same infotainment software that’s in the ID.4. Hopefully, VW updates the obtuse and frustrating system before the ID.Buzz reaches production. VW has yet to certify the ID.Buzz’s range in the U.S. or the EU, but we expect the American version to carry a range of at least 250 miles. VW also hasn’t speciﬁed how quickly the Buzz will charge its battery, saying only that rapid DC charging will be supported (the ID.4 can fast-charge up to 125 kilowatts). It’s said the ID.Buzz will feature plug-and-charge technology that allows EVs to be recognized by charging stations, eliminating the need for cards or apps. The original VW Bus’s hippie cred makes the new one a deserved recipient of an EV powertrain. Volkswagen did attempt a battery-powered Bus back in 1972, using 21.6 kilowatt-hours’ worth of lead-acid batteries. With 42 horsepower and a top speed of 46 mph, it was unacceptably slow even for a Bus. That prototype didn’t deserve to make production, but the ID.Buzz certainly does. We’re jonesing for the ﬁnished version.

General Motors is selling electric cargo vans to fleet operators through BrightDrop, its commercial-EV subsidiary. The EV600 is arriving first, with a smaller EV410 set to follow. Pricing hasn’t been announced, but BrightDrop says switching from diesel vans can save money thanks to the EVs’ greater efficiency and lower maintenance costs. Walmart and FedEx have already ordered vehicles.

COMPACT SUV

Chevrolet Equinox EV The current entries in the EV compact-crossover space carry base prices over $40,000, making them far more costly than gas-powered models such as the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, which start below $30K. With the new Equinox EV, arriving in 2023 at a base price around $30,000, Chevy is targeting the heart of that market to compete with the big internal-combustion players.

FULL-SIZE PICKUP

Ford F-150 Lightning Today’s pickups can be optioned like a Mercedes S-class, so it’s surprising that Ford plans to sell a relatively affordable worktruck version of the new F-150 Lightning. The base Lightning

COMPACT LUXURY SUV

Audi Q4 e-tron Under the skin of the Audi Q4 e-tron are the underpinnings and powertrain of Volkswagen’s ID.4. To make it an Audi, the interior and exterior have been redesigned to be more in line with the luxury brand’s image. But the Q4 e-tron starts at just $45,095, only a few thousand more than the VW and just $700 more than the similar-size gas-powered Q5’s base price. The base Q4 e-tron is rear-wheel drive (the only other rear-drive Audi is the V-10-powered R8 supercar); the more powerful dual-motor all-wheel-drive model starts at $51,095.

MUSCLE CAR

Dodge eMuscle Dodge has begun beating the drum about its upcoming electric muscle car, which should arrive in a couple of years. Teasers have included video of a Challenger-shaped vehicle doing a four-wheel burnout. This so-called eMuscle vehicle may or may not be graced with a Hellcat badge, but it definitely won’t have a supercharged V-8. Stellantis has a few new EV platforms that its brands will use, which may allow Dodge to keep pricing near the V-8 Challengers and Chargers we know and (sometimes) love. If not, it’ll take a Vin Diesel–sanctioned quarter-mile battle to convince the muscle-car faithful to make the switch to battery power. AP RI L 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIVE R

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THE AFFORDABLESPORTS-SEDAN SEGMENT ISN’T FOR EVERYONE,

AP RI L 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIVER

BY TONY QUIROGA PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARC URBANO

BUT IT’S DEFINITELY FOR US

Decades ago, meals looked very different. People would

scarf down something called creamed chipped beef, then, without missing a beat, mix canned tuna with Jell-O to create a tuna mold. Considered creative in their time, these dishes would be made today only to test gag reﬂexes. Time has changed our roads, too, and cars have always been subjected to the same sort of daring experimentation and fashion (which explains the rise and fall of the AMC Pacer and the Chrysler PT Cruiser). Extolling the virtues of hotted-up economy cars ﬁtted with manual transmissions to nonenthusiasts can feel like trying to encourage someone to taste the chipped beef. No matter how hard we try, many folks will never even consider driving these cars. Compact sports sedans are so much fun, we plead. Just try the six-speed manual—you’ll love it. You’ll be able to corner harder than you ever have before. “Uh, no thanks,” they’ll demur as they politely step back. Sure, it’s their loss, but every time we fail, another dull, CVTequipped crossover leaves a dealership.

Although the Volkswagen falls short of the Honda and the Hyundai in terms of interior volume numbers, its cabin feels more spacious. The GLI’s Pure Gray nonmetallic paint looks Lamborghiniworthy but is only $295 (Lambo would probably charge $5000).

The three sports sedans we’ve gathered for this sampler platter are for daring palates. The Honda Civic Si, the Hyundai Elantra N, and the Volkswagen Jetta GLI all are spicy versions of otherwise perfectly sensible transportation. Replete with ﬂavor and fun that might be too much for some buyers, each follows a slightly different recipe. But they share the same key ingredients: a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, front-wheel drive, four doors, three pedals, and six speeds. Merely knowing they exist is a litmus test for car enthusiasm. To write a check for one is to understand that for about $30,000 you can own a car that handles and performs at a level far beyond the workaday norm. To ﬁnd our favorite, we turned to the roads that traverse

the San Gabriel Mountains in California, where we ate up corners, worked shifters, and generally savored the things these cars do well while recognizing that driving them this hard would make most people sick. In the end, we found the one we’d order. 3rd Place: 2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI A segment forefather, a 2020 and 2021 10Best winner, and the victor in this segment’s last comparison test, the Jetta GLI continues to be what it’s been since 1983: a GTI with a trunk. The refreshed GLI enters 2022 with new bumpers and a redesigned grille, but other changes are less savory. The GLI now comes only in loaded Autobahn trim that sees its base price rise from $27,340 to $31,990, and summer performance tires are off the menu. We probably don’t have to tell you about the importance of tires or that a call to Tire Rack will correct the situation, but we will anyway. The wrong tires

APRI L 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIVER

2022 Honda Civic Si Base/As Tested $28,315/$28,910 Dimensions Wheelbase Length/Width/Height Track, F/R Passenger Volume, F/R Trunk Volume

107.7 in 184.0/70.9/55.5 in 60.5/61.7 in 52/44 ft 3 14 ft3

Powertrain Engine turbocharged DOHC 16-valve inline-4 91 in3 (1498 cm3) Power, hp @ rpm 200 @ 6000 Torque, lb-ft @ rpm 192 @ 1800 Redline/Fuel Cutoff 6500/6600 rpm lb per hp 14.7 Driveline Transmission 6-speed manual Driven Wheels front Final-Drive Ratio:1 4.35

Volkswagen Jetta GLI Highs: Willing and happy engine, secure handling, civilized ride. Lows: All-season tires, longthrow shifter, seats lack lateral support. Verdict: Someone traded sportiness for reﬁnement and features.

Chassis Suspension F: struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar R: multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar Brakes F: 12.3-in vented disc R: 11.1-in disc Stability Control partially defeatable

Tires Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 235/40R-18 95Y TEST RESULTS Acceleration 0–30 mph 0–60 mph 0–100 mph 0–120 mph 1/4-Mile @ mph

Rolling Start, 5–60 mph Top Gear, 30–50 mph Top Gear, 50–70 mph Top Speed

2.5 sec 6.7 sec 16.4 sec 26.2 sec 15.0 sec @ 95 Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec. 7.6 sec 9.2 sec 8.2 sec 135 mph (C/D est)

Chassis Braking, 70–0 mph 156 ft Braking, 100–0 mph 312 ft Roadholding, 300–ft Skidpad 0.97 g Weight Curb 2940 lb Distribution, F/R 60.5/39.5% Fuel Capacity/Octane 12.4 gal/91 EPA Comb/City/Hwy 31/27/37 mpg C/D 350-mi Trip 26 mpg Sound Level Idle/Full Throttle 39/80 dBA 70–mph Cruise 70 dBA

2022 Hyundai Elantra N

2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Autobahn

$32,945/$33,345

$31,990/ $32,980

107.1 in 184.1/71.9/55.7 in 62.4/62.2 in 55/46 ft3 14 ft3

105.6 in 186.9/70.8/57.9 in 60.5/60.7 in 51/43 ft 3 14 ft3

turbocharged DOHC 16-valve inline-4 122 in3 (1998 cm3) 276 @ 6000 289 @ 2100 6700/6700 rpm 11.6

turbocharged DOHC 16-valve inline-4 121 in3 (1984 cm3) 228 @ 5000 258 @ 1500 7000/6750 rpm 14.3

6-speed manual front 4.15/3.18*

6-speed manual front 3.24/2.62†

F: struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar R: multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar F: 14.2-in vented disc R: 12.4-in vented disc fully defeatable, competition mode, launch control Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 245/35ZR-19 (93Y) HN

F: struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar R: multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar F: 13.4-in vented disc R: 11.8-in vented disc traction off, competition mode

2.1 sec 5.1 sec 12.5 sec 18.5 sec 13.8 sec @ 105 Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec. 6.1 sec 10.2 sec 7.2 sec 155 mph (C/D est)

2.5 sec 6.1 sec 14.6 sec 21.1 sec 14.6 sec @ 100 Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec. 7.3 sec 12.3 sec 8.4 sec 126 mph (gov ltd)

154 ft 305 ft

174 ft 355 ft

0.99 g

0.86 g

3190 lb 62.7/37.3%

3266 lb 58.2/41.8%

12.4 gal/91 25/22/31 mpg 24 mpg

13.2 gal/91 30/26/37 mpg 27 mpg

45/79 dBA 69 dBA

41/78 dBA 69 dBA

Hankook Kinergy GT 225/45R-18 91H M+S

*The first ratio is for gears 1 and 2. The second is for 3–6. †The first ratio is for gears 1–4. The second is for 5 and 6.

TESTED BY TONY QU I ROGA IN CA LIFO RN I A C IT Y, CA

Honda Civic Si Highs: Grips and

handles like a sports car, never having to brake for corners, the joy of shifting it. Lows: Engine needs more kick, brakes go soft if worked hard. Verdict: Honda nails the value and handling parts, but a sweet gearbox can’t make up for a bland engine. can ruin the mood faster than serving hamand-bananas hollandaise on a dinner date. Tires affect every part of the experience and ding the GLI’s objective performance numbers. Compared with a 2020 GLI wearing summer sneakers, skidpad grip falls from 0.91 g to 0.86, and it takes 12 more feet to stop from 70 mph and 30 more feet to stop from 100 mph. Despite the relatively low-grip rubber, the GLI retains its secure sense of control and will still put on a canyon-road clinic if pressed. It’s a squealfilled lesson, but finding and using all the grip is accessible and easy. Next to the other two, the GLI behaves like a larger car. Perhaps it’s the giant (and heavy) sunroof that’s now standard or the slightly softer suspension tuning. The benefit is a quieter and better ride and a comfortable rear seat that’s roomier than its measurements would indicate. The luxury car of the group, the GLI comes with heated and ventilated power front seats, leather upholstery, dual-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, and a punchy Beats audio system. Interior quality is still a sticking point, but unlike the new GTI, the GLI has a volume knob, and it retains the old GTI’s superb steering wheel. Volkswagen’s terrific turbocharged 2.0liter inline-four is the 228-hp version from last year’s GTI. It’s willing and free revving. Boost arrives quickly, and provided you don’t have the engine’s sound settings in immature modes, the four’s machinations remain at arm’s length. Step into the Jetta after driving the Civic, and the VW’s shift throws can feel long and disconnected; one

driver likened them to something you’d expect in a Setra bus. Still, we didn’t miss any shifts, and the gearbox will swallow fast shifts without hiccups. In addition to the summer rubber, the other bit of GTI missing in the GLI are the hatchback’s seats. GLI chairs come from the Jetta SEL Premium, and they lack the lateral bolstering found in the Honda and the Hyundai. Few things tell you more about how seriously a car takes performance than its tires and seats. 2nd Place: 2022 Honda Civic Si Seeing a new Civic Si on the road reveals a lot about the driver. First, they can drive a manual—every new Si has a do-it-yourself gearbox. Start talking about automatics in front of a Honda salesperson and they’ll usher you over to a Civic Sport, with less power and without the Si’s firm suspension. Your loss. Summer tires—you want the Summer tires—add $200 to the Civic Si’s $28,315 base price. Our test car arrived dressed in $395 Blazing Orange Pearl paint, which glows like a carrot-filled aspic. Redesigned last year, the new Civic is a solid little citizen that won’t jiggle like gelatin. In this car, however, horsepower is down by five since the last Si. The 200-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter is the least powerful in this group, and 60 mph comes up in a slowestin-test 6.7 seconds. Stirring the six-speed manual, though, is a delight despite the shifter being a couple inches farther forward than you’d expect. The engine is smooth and will growl at high rpm, but it hangs on to revs and lacks the punchy character and AP RI L 2022 ~ CA R A N D D RIVE R

liveliness of the fours in the Hyundai and the VW. It feels essentially like what it is: a regular Civic’s engine with 20 extra horsepower. Honda makes up for the engine-room deﬁciency with a secure, lively, and playful chassis that is a joy all the way up to the 0.97-g limit. The ﬁrm ride is an entirely acceptable tradeoff for the thrilling handling. Deft and light, the Si sneaks in under 3000 pounds. While the Civic is a tenth of an inch wider than the Jetta, tight roll control and effortless, natural directional changes make it seem a foot narrower. The steering could be more informative, but if your goal is to maintain a speed and never

brake for corners, the Si is a great friend. Brake hard and often, as we do in our testing, and the heat will trigger a brake warning light and a soggy pedal. Take some time to cool the brakes and you’ll notice a fuss-free instrument panel with clear digital gauges that mimic analog dials. The large touchscreen protruding from the dashboard responds quickly. Honda thoughtfully includes a volume knob, so life is good. The front seats

The Si’s shifter snicks into gear with the lubricated precision of Civics past, but we found it set a little too far forward. Row it and the impression is that the neutral plane is where you’d expect gears 1, 3, and 5 to live.

The best seats in the test feature illuminated N logos reminiscent of BMW’s lit-up M logos. The shifter lacks the mechanical bite of the Honda’s, but we never missed a gear or beat the synchros.

have excellent lateral support, although one of our testers complained of glute soreness after only an hour or so. Rear-seat space felt a little tighter than in the other two, but it’s plenty comfortable in back for two adults. If value and handling hold primary appeal, the Civic Si is a great choice. If you’re looking for a bit more ﬁrepower, the other two sedans are worth the spend. 1st Place: 2022 Hyundai Elantra N The name Elantra N might sound like pimento loaf to some buyers, but to us it describes a tasty blend that pairs sedan practicality with the outrageous and joyous ﬂavors of Hyundai’s slightly crazy and deeply wonderful Veloster N. New for 2022, the Elantra N is the latest car from the Korean carmaker’s sporty N subbrand. It comes with a six-speed manual or a

seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. Prices open at $32,945 for the manual version, to which we added Performance Blue paint for $400. The auto is a $1500 option, but consider the slick six-speed a must-have. Driving the Hyundai banishes any thoughts that “Elantra sports sedan” is an oxymoron. From the moment you start the engine, it feels alive, eager, and confident. A 276-hp turbocharged four brilliantly puts the power down through the front tires, taking the Hyundai to 60 in 5.1 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 13.5 seconds at 105 mph. A firm (sometimes a bit too firm) suspension and an electronically controlled limited-slip differential make the most of the standard Hyundai-spec Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires. A look at the scoring reveals that Hyundai nearly ran the table on both objective and subjective performance scores, proving it’s not just a numbers car. Bend it into a few corners and by the third one you’re comfortable using all 0.99 g of grip. Every component works together to get you to go faster.

1. Hyundai Elantra N 2. Honda Civic Si 3. VW Jetta GLI

9 8 4 5 5 8 8 8 7 1 17 80 9 8 4 4 5 5 9 9 8 0 20 81 8 7 5 4 5 10 7 7 7 1 17 78

20 3 7 9 8 47 14 3 9 8 9 43 16 2 10 9 7 44

20 8 9 9 7 53 19 7 8 8 8 50 15 8 8 7 8 46

GRAND TOTAL

FUN TO DRIVE

Experience

SUBTOTAL

RIDE

HANDLING

20 100

BRAKE FEEL

AS-TESTED PRICE*

STEERING FEEL

REBATES/EXTRAS*

PERFORMANCE*

EXTERIOR STYLING

Chassis

INTERIOR STYLING

SUBTOTAL

FIT AND FINISH

TRANSMISSION

FEATURES/AMENITIES*

ENGINE NVH

CARGO SPACE*

FUEL ECONOMY*

REAR-SEAT SPACE*

FLEXIBILITY*

REAR-SEAT COMFORT

At least you can’t screw things up too badly. Changes in engine response and rev matching are subtle. Moving up through the steering settings backs off the assist without affecting the quick rack’s steady feedback, so cycle through and ﬁnd a favorite. Changing the diff’s setting has a greater impact on the steering, since the diff’s aggressiveness will tug at the wheel more as the car bites harder into corners. And it eats corners by the mouthful. Think the front tires are about to start sliding? Get on the power and the differential works to tighten your line. All the fun comes with a spacious cabin, hold-me-tight seats, and a price only slightly higher than the others. This is a breakthrough car that will make people take the N brand seriously. It has the ﬂavors we love and left us with a chipped-beef-eating grin.

1/4-MILE ACCELERATION*

ERGONOMICS

SUBTOTAL

DRIVER COMFORT

Maximum points available

Vehicle

FINAL RESULTS

Powertrain

Like those in BMW’s M division, N engineers present the driver with a dizzying array of adjustability. Start with the engine volume—there are ﬁve settings for the Active Sound Design system and three exhaust modes. Even in the most extreme TCR mode (named after Hyundai’s TCR race car), the rumbles and zings sound authentic, even if it’s a computer blowing the kazoo. The snap-crackle-pops coming from the tailpipe are real, but we’d leave the exhaust in its tamest mode. The louder ones have all the subtlety of a kid with a snare drum. Beyond the three suspension adjustments, there are also three for steering, engine response, rev matching, and stability control, plus two differential settings. And don’t forget about the adjustable rpm in launch-control mode.

Hyundai Elantra N Highs: Classleading acceleration and handling, most fun to drive, hold-metight seats. Lows: Endless settings, occasional ride harshness. Verdict: The letter N elevates the Elantra to the sports-sedan A-list.

240

21 201 18 192 17 185

*These objective scores are calculated from the vehicles’ dimensions, capacities, rebates and extras, and/or test results.

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AP RI L 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIVE R

GRIND HARD AND PU T AWAY WE T A T E A M O F Y O U T U B E R S TA K E S A N O F F - R O A D - M O D I F I E D S A LVA G E D T E S L A D O W N T H E M O J AV E R O A D . STO RY AN D PH OTO G RAPHY BY JASO N STILG EBO U ER

he Mojave Road is a 147-mile off-road route that starts at the Colorado River just south of Laughlin, Nevada, and ends near the Cajon Pass in California. Historically, beginning in late-prehistoric times, its trails represented a trade route connecting inland and coastal Native American tribes. Later it became a path along the westward expansion, a challenging desert crossing. Today it’s a popular off-road route, one we attempted to travel in a home-built, safari-style Tesla Model 3. We felt like pioneers—though we might’ve been better off in a covered wagon. Ethan Schlussler and Edwin Olding run Top: “Who’s the Grind Hard Plumbing Co., a gearhead colU-boat commander?” Below: lective with a popular YouTube channel Rooftop tent was featuring their zany mechanical projects. an optimistic The off-road Tesla started as a salvaged addition. Right: Schlussler 2020 Model 3 Dual Motor Long Range with ponders a fix. front-end damage. The guys documented the process of getting it running—with help from Tesla guru Rich Benoit—in a series of videos. The short version: They cut off part of the damaged front structure, replaced the plastic bumpers with steel tubes, mounted a 12,000-pound-capacity winch, relocated the heat exchangers to the frunk, cut out a section of the hood, installed aftermarket lighting, raised the ride height by two inches, removed the front anti-roll bar, added frontwheel spacers, and ﬁtted Falken Wildpeak A/T3W tires—all under the watchful gaze of a life-size Elon Musk cardboard cutout.

Rock sliders were added for extra protection, and the rear bumper and part of the rear floor were removed for a better departure angle. A floor patch was made from an old street sign reading “Road maintenance ends.” Fitting. The National Park Service recommends giving yourself three days to travel the Mojave Road from start to finish. We weren’t planning to take on the entire pass, but we figured we’d do an overnight or two along the way. Since the Model 3’s roof is entirely glass, mounting a tent required some engineering. Schlussler and Olding fashioned a roof rack into the structure and attached a Go Fast Campers tent. While a tent would carve into the Tesla’s range on the highway, the big tires and added mass were more of a concern on the trail. Before the modifications, the car’s EPA range was 322

ETHAN AND EDWIN’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURES

miles, and as we set out into the desstructions run the gamut. Their work ert, we had no real idea how far we’d includes other overpowered go-karts get. But we did have an idea to flathiding under plastic Power Wheels tow it behind our support AEV Jeep bodies (left), and they also mess Gladiator for an hour on the dry lake with cars, trucks, snowmobiles, and bed to try to add some charge. And motorcycles. One project culminated that might have worked—if we had in a lawn-care product powered by a made it that far. Toyota-sourced 2JZ inline-six—a lawn The sun rose on our first day. mower with the heart of a Supra. Then Building wild and silly vehicles is Our planned route was simple: We there was a Wankel-powered tricycle arguably the forte of Ethan Schlussler would start near Afton Canyon just made for drifting. They also converted and Edwin Olding. The Idaho-based outside Barstow, California, head an old BMW 3-series coupe into an duo behind Grind Hard Plumbing Co. toward Laughlin, and run the trail off-road-ready pickup truck (right). kicked off their YouTube channel in in reverse, from west to east. The Better yet, the guys happily hoon on late 2017 and have been documenting Mojave Road consists of bumpy their custom creations and film their their crazy creations ever since. While straights comfortably navigated antics. That special brand of vehicular Schlussler and Olding initially gained at 45 mph, rock obstacles to crawl wackiness has earned Grind Hard fame for their 70-mph Barbie-themed over, and water crossings. With Plumbing Co. more than 1.3 million Power Wheels Ford Mustang powered almost 500 horsepower, all-wheel YouTube subscribers. —Greg Fink by a dirt-bike engine, the buds’ condrive, and the added ground clearance, the Tesla easily handled the terrain. “The ride quality in this Large-rock crawling did, however, require some accessory helpthing is shockingly good,” Schlussler said. ers. We were able to get up and over using traction boards—this After we aired down the tires to 20 psi, it had obstacle necessitated locking the Gladiator’s front differential. We no trouble even in the sand, its ample power spent most of the morning in Afton Canyon and had gone a total of sending up magnificent sandy roostertails. The Tesla also held its own when it came to the 10 miles when we got to the large water crossing. In the summer the rocky wash, ably keeping up with the Gladiator. Mojave Road can be totally dry, but in the winter the water crossings We were impressed by how well it performed can be deep enough to make it impassable. Schlussler was confident off-road, given the limited modifications to the the water would be no threat to the Tesla, and he made it through Model 3 suspension. with no issues. So he decided to do it again. He took the second crossing faster, and the bow wave rose over the hood. The Tesla made it across, then lost all power and shut off. The car sat there, dripping and steaming. Schlussler looked at the bright side: “What’s impressive, and convenient, is that we at least made it all the way out of the water before it died.” Initially, we figured the main safety fuse blew—it’s intended to act as an automatic kill switch for the car’s high-voltage system in the event of an accident or, uh, flooding. Later, we found a water-soaked main power module, which was what shut us down. So we found the water-fording limits of a lifted Tesla Model 3, and we were surprised by its competence on dry land. By no means was it a practical off-roader, and this wasn’t even a good idea. But it was not a complete failure, and it was wildly entertaining when it worked. Feeling a bit foolish but still high on the morning’s fun, we towed out the Tesla with the Jeep and headed home. Maybe if we put the Tesla in a bowl of rice, everything will be okay.

THE RUNDOWN An expert look at the newest and most important vehicles this month. Page 76: Don’t call it a Dino. The new 296GTB is V-6 powered, but it’s a full-fledged Ferrari.

2 02 2 B U G AT T I C H I R O N S U P E R S P O R T ~ BY T O N Y Q U I R O G A

The Last Time Money can’t buy more time on earth, but it will buy a

$3,825,000 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport. And while 1578 horsepower won’t extend your expiration date, accelerating hard in a Super Sport crams a hell of a lot of living into a short amount of time. You see, the Super Sport’s four new turbochargers compress not only air, but also time. Take, for example, the amount the Chiron Super Sport takes to get to 200 mph. Those 14.8 seconds squeeze in a month’s worth of terror, joy, and comedy.

Your life does flash in front of you the first time you floor the Chiron’s accelerator and unleash the W-16’s gasfired hell on the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. Launch control brings the engine to about 2500 rpm, allowing the Super Sport to build some boost before takeoff. If 2500 rpm seems low, consider that the 8.0-liter reactor behind your head makes 562 horsepower at that speed and is already producing peak torque of 1180 pound-feet. Let go of the Chiron’s leash, and your spine gets hit with 1.5 g’s of leather

P HOTOGRAPHY BY M ARC U R BAN O ~ APRIL 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIVER

I LLU STRAT IO N BY MA RTI N LA KS M A N

Highs: Quickest car we’ve ever tested, probing its lofty limits is easy, 16 cylinders (16!). Lows: The letters we’ll get complaining about the price, an era coming to a close.

—Guy Fieri

—Lorenzo, age 11

—Archer, age 7

backrest while a disorienting fuzziness engulfs you. Traction is critical to acceleration, but even an all-wheel-drive system with massive Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires (which are X-rayed at the factory to ensure they’re up to near-300mph speeds) can’t contain the Chiron’s power. All four tires break loose and tag the pavement. Even after it hooks up, the Bugatti doesn’t let up much. At 60 mph, you’re still accelerating harder than gravity. Between 160 and 170 mph, the car accelerates with about 0.4 g of force. Hold the accelerator to the floor for 9.1 seconds and you’ll see 161 mph, a new C/D test record. The half-mile mark passes a mere 5.0 seconds later at 197 mph. At 18.5 seconds, the three-quarter mark goes by at 217 mph. With the wind at its back (we average runs in two directions), the Super Sport hit 222 mph in less than 0.8 mile. Running out of room on the proving ground’s roughly 1.2-mile straight quickly becomes a concern, despite the strength of the giant carbon-ceramic brakes. What kind of speeds could we find with a bit more space? A pencil line drawn in the Mojave sand, Avenue A outside Rosamond, California, appears to be auditioning for a John Ford Western. Discovered by former editor-in-chief Csaba Csere in the 1980s after the section of Sierra Highway previously used for testing became too busy, the road remains lonesome. Ruler straight and mostly devoid of houses, cars, and humans, this spot served as an unofficial test site for years. You can see for miles in each direction, so it’s the perfect place for finding out how fast a car can

go. Returning seemed like an appropriate way to mark the end of the Chiron era, even if we’re not here to run. Things have changed a bit. The six-mile portion formerly used for straight-line testing now skirts the edge of a solar farm on the north side of the road. In the right light, the farm’s mirrored panels shimmer like a sequined dress. Employees regularly rumble by in a Ford F-150, making speed runs impossible. Back in the ’80s, C/D testers befriended the Dennis family, some of the only nearby residents. Possibly starved for entertainment or curious about the cars zooming past, they’d stop by to chat and check out the vehicles. In exchange for their looking the other way as a Porsche 911 Turbo or a Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 ripped by, testers would bring food and drinks, then stay for dinner. We’re not so sure that the solar farm would be as magnanimous if a Bugatti stormed by at Indy 500– qualifying speeds. Governed to 273 mph, the Super Sport gets the carbon-ﬁber bodywork of the 300-mph Chiron Super Sport 300+. A longer tail, the most obvious difference, gives the car a lower, almost lithe look. Cheese-grater-like perforations on the front fenders nod to the Bugatti EB110 Super Sport of the 1990s. Engine tuning and the new turbos are responsible for the 99-hp improvement over the base Chiron, and the redline rises from 6500 to 7100 rpm. The changes sound minor, but the W-16 is now more melodious. The 88-decibel sound it puts out at full whack is deeper and richer. Of course, the Chiron runs through

In a drag race among three of the quickest cars we’ve tested, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale and Tesla Model S Plaid lead after 2.0 seconds (when the SF90 reaches 60 mph). The 1578-hp Bugatti takes a big lead by 4.1 seconds, when it’s going 100 mph. 2.0 SEC AFTER START FERRARI

TESLA

30 ft

BUGATTI

37 ft

THE RUNDOWN

4.1 SEC

9.1 SEC (BUGATTI REACHES 1/4-MILE)

43 ft

84 ft

39 ft

63 ft

AP RI L 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIV ER

the first couple of gears so fast—100 mph passes in just 4.1 seconds—that you only hear it start to work beyond 100 mph. A 1578-hp engine will make anything, even the 4587-pound Super Sport, seem as light as a Mazda Miata. But remarkably, the Chiron loves to turn. Light and fluid steering, a carbon-fiber structure that’s unfazed

the numbers Vehicle Type: mid-engine, all-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe Base/As Tested ... $3,825,000/$4,301,450 Engine: quad-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 64-valve W-16, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection Displacement ........................ 488 in3, 7993 cm3 Power .................................... 1578 hp @ 7100 rpm Torque ............................... 1180 lb-ft @ 2250 rpm Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic Dimensions • Wheelbase ................................................ 106.7 in • L/W/H ..................................... 186.3/80.2/47.7 in • Curb Weight ............................................. 4587 lb

I N FO G RA P HI C BY N ICO L AS RA P P

test RESULTS 60 mph ........................................................... 2.2 sec 100 mph .......................................................... 4.1 sec 130 mph .......................................................... 6.1 sec 150 mph ........................................................ 8.0 sec 1/4-Mile ..................................... 9.1 sec @ 161 mph 170 mph ........................................................ 10.1 sec 200 mph ...................................................... 14.8 sec Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec. Rolling Start, 5–60 mph ........................ 3.2 sec Top Speed (mfr’s claim) ...................... 273 mph Braking, 70–0 mph ...................................... 159 ft Braking, 100–0 mph ................................... 306 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad ................ 1.05 g EPA Fuel Economy • Comb/City/Hwy .............................. 9/8/11 mpg

by everything short of an off-road trail, and 1.05 g’s of grip on the skidpad make for a multimillion-dollar car that’s as at home in the canyons as it is ﬂossing outside Nobu. Get a little stupid with the throttle in the middle of a corner and the engine’s tectonic energy will send you slip-sliding. As the rear end begins to rotate and wants to overtake the front, you become conscious of the mass of the giant engine and gearbox. The handling is neither snappy nor threatening, which sounds odd considering you’re cornering at over 1.00 g in something as heavy as a Ford Explorer. It’s yet another way the Bugatti makes the insane seem sane. Though we beg for more time, this version of the Chiron will be the last, a parting shot before electric motors join in on the fun. What comes next will probably outperform our $4,301,450-as-tested Chiron, but there’s something captivating about an unapologetic nonhybrid 16-cylinder engine with 64 valves and four turbos. There’s no denying the next version will better answer the question of how to go really, really fast. But doing things the hard way— the old way, the slightly stupid way—is something we’ll remember about both the Chiron Super Sport and testing on Avenue A.

At $56,000, the Chiron’s black anodized interior trim costs as much as a BMW M340i, which seems like a deal compared with the $222,500 Blue Royal Carbon exterior color.

the numbers Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan Base/As Tested ............. $46,895/$56,840 Engine: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, iron block and aluminum head, direct fuel injection Displacement ........................... 121 in3, 1984 cm3 Power .................................... 306 hp @ 5450 rpm Torque ............................... 295 lb-ft @ 3000 rpm Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic Dimensions • Wheelbase ................................................ 103.6 in • L/W/H ...................................... 177.3/55.7/71.5 in • Curb Weight ............................................. 3573 lb

test RESULTS

2 02 2 AU D I S 3 ~ BY J O E L O R I O

Small, Sporty, Satisfying Highs: Sharply dressed, energetic acceleration, compliant ride. Lows: Snug back seat, infotainment woes, the VW Golf R exists. They may be out of fashion these days, but lower, smaller automobiles are

inherently more responsive and rewarding. As proof, we offer the latest Audi S3. For 2022, Audi enhances its small sports sedan with more power, sharper looks, and a reworked cabin. Sizewise, the S3 recalls the B5-generation Audi S4. Like that car, the S3 has simple styling with a hint of aggression. It’s also better proportioned than entry-level sedans from Mercedes and BMW. The all-wheel-drive S3 is Audi’s least expensive S model. Yet it’s plenty quick, ripping to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds, a 0.2-second improvement over its predecessor. The S3 wrings 306 horsepower from its turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four—105 more than the A3. There’s 295 pound-feet of torque, another big jump over the A3, which has 221. A seven-speed dualclutch automatic delivers snappy shifts and smooth, lurch-free engagement. In Dynamic mode, a characterful cabin noise comes courtesy of a Soundaktor, a firewall-mounted noisemaker that mimics engine sound. EPA numbers improve to 23/32 mpg city/highway, and in our 75-mph highway fuel-economy test, the S3 tied the feds’ highway estimate. The S3 rides 0.4 inch lower than the A3 on its sport-tuned suspension, and our test car added adaptive dampers. Even with 35-series tires wrapping 19-inch wheels, ride quality outshines that of the BMW M235i and the Mercedes CLA35—and the S3’s platform-mate, the Volkswagen Golf R. However, the S3 lacks the torque-vectoring rear axle that gives the Golf R remarkable balance in corners. On the skidpad, the S3 understeers resolutely, though it doesn’t lack for grip at 0.96 g. On the street, the car is more rewarding. Steering effort is neither too heavy in Dynamic mode nor too light in Comfort. Although not particularly tactile, the helm offers precision that imparts confidence—essential for passing lane-weaving dawdlers on New York’s narrow and winding Taconic Parkway. Vented disc brakes and Bridgestone Potenza S005 summer tires haul the S3 down from 70 mph in a tidy 151 feet. The cabin has an aggressively angular design and is a snug fit in the rear, just tolerable for a six-footer. The pilot

THE RUNDOWN

60 mph ........................................................... 4.3 sec 100 mph ........................................................ 11.0 sec 1/4-Mile ................................. 12.9 sec @ 108 mph 130 mph ....................................................... 20.1 sec 150 mph ....................................................... 31.8 sec Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec. Rolling Start, 5–60 mph ........................ 5.2 sec Top Speed (C/D est) .............................. 155 mph Braking, 70–0 mph ....................................... 151 ft Braking, 100–0 mph .................................. 309 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad ............... 0.96 g C/D Fuel Economy • Observed .................................................. 25 mpg • 75-mph Hwy Driving ............................ 32 mpg • Hwy Range ................................................ 460 mi EPA Fuel Economy • Comb/City/Hwy ........................ 27/23/32 mpg

enjoys an excellent driving position in the high-back bucket seat. The optional 12.3inch digital cluster is highly conﬁgurable (an upgrade from a 10.3-inch unit), while a 10.1-inch center touchscreen is now integrated into the dash. Sadly, an iPod-style inset wheel replaces the volume knob, and the lack of a tuning knob makes us long for the old car’s rotary controller. The S3 starts at $46,895, about the same as a Golf R. The Volkswagen has more power, sharper handling, and a manual transmission. Maybe, though, you prefer the S3’s upscale styling, superior ride, and less odious driver interface. Either way, good (driving) things come in small packages.

AP RI L 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIVE R

2 02 2 L E X U S L X6 0 0 U LT R A L U X U R Y ~ BY DA N E D M U N D S

Solo Truck Highs: Strong engine, smooth ride, wider appeal without abandoning Land Cruiser roots. Lows: Sticker shock at the fuel pump, top model has only four seats and a staggering price.

The 2022 Lexus LX emerges from

its fresh redesign carrying more weight on its shoulders. The Toyota Land Cruiser’s fancy sidekick now ﬂies solo in the U.S. market, so it must satisfy a wider audience. The new LX600 lineup ranges from the $88,245 ﬁve-seat base model offering zero options to the Ultra Luxury model we tested, a $127,345 four-seat version with second-row recliners. In between are Premium, F Sport, and Luxury trims with a power-folding third row instead of the previous jump seats. In the new design, body-onframe construction returns, with the LX now on the TNGA-F platform that also underpins the new Tundra and Sequoia. While the 112.2-inch wheelbase length is unchanged, both tracks are an inch wider. The chassis features control arms in front and a live rear axle located by four links and a Panhard rod. The LX’s driving position is less bolt upright than before, and seats can be powered lower. Enhancing the crossover feel are an easier-toreach shifter and console. A dualscreen infotainment setup has a 12.3-inch upper display (with audio, navigation, and wireless phone mirroring) and a 7.0-inch lower one

(for HVAC and off-road controls). Oft-used climate adjustments have physical controls. Overall, this is one of the simpler Lexus interfaces. We’re fans of the twin-turbo 3.4-liter V-6, which has 409 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque, topping the outgoing V-8 by 26 ponies and 76 poundfeet. The V-6 pulls hard. With foot to the ﬂoor, 60 mph comes in 6.1 seconds, which is exactly one second quicker than the last LX570 we tested. Improved tip-in eliminates the old powertrain’s initial lurching. Gearchanges are smooth, with no excess shifting from the 10-speed automatic. The EPA combined estimate of 19 mpg isn’t great but trounces the outgoing LX570’s dismal 14 mpg. Towing capacity, at 8000 pounds, is also higher. Underway, the new electrically assisted power steering feels far less trucklike, and in corners, the top-heavy initial roll is history. Our Ultra Luxury test vehicle delivered a smooth, quiet, and settled ride. We sampled other trims as well. The F Sport—which gets a sporttuned suspension with adaptive dampers, progressive-rate rear springs, and a rear anti-roll bar, along with a Torsen limited-slip

CAR AND DRIVER ~ APRIL 2022 ~ PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSICA LYNN WALKER

rear differential (all LXs have a locking Torsen center diff)—felt lighter on its feet. However, its ride tended toward harshness on the more frost-damaged roads we encountered. The Premium lacks the adjustable-height suspension (a hydraulic system, not air springs) optional in higher trims but does offer no-cost 18-inch wheels and tires. The extra sidewall made for a more comfortable ride on Forest Service dirt roads. This variety never existed in the LX lineup before. The new LX600 is also clearly eons ahead of the model it replaces, which ought to allow it to comfortably shoulder its new burden.

the numbers Vehicle Type: front-engine, 4-wheeldrive, 4-passenger, 4-door wagon Base/As Tested .... $127,345/$127,345 Engine: twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, port and direct fuel injection Displacement ............... 210 in3, 3445 cm3 Power .......................... 409 hp @ 5200 rpm Torque ..................... 479 lb-ft @ 2000 rpm Transmission: 10-speed automatic Dimensions • Wheelbase ....................................... 112.2 in • L/W/H ......................... 200.6/78.4/74.6 in • Curb Weight .................................... 5901 lb

test RESULTS 60 mph .................................................. 6.1 sec 1/4-Mile ......................... 14.6 sec @ 98 mph 100 mph ............................................. 15.7 sec 130 mph ............................................. 31.4 sec Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.4 sec. Rolling Start, 5–60 mph ............. 6.6 sec Top Speed (mfr’s claim) ............ 130 mph Braking, 70–0 mph ........................... 194 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad ...... 0.73 g C/D Fuel Economy • Observed ......................................... 17 mpg EPA Fuel Economy • Comb/City/Hwy ................ 19/17/22 mpg

THE RUNDOWN

2 02 2 VO LVO S 9 0 B 6 ~ BY G R E G F I N K

the numbers

Back-Seat Driver Highs: Roomy rear seat, stunning style, torque-rich engine. Lows: Half-baked infotainment system, ride quality

diminished on rough roads, slower than its predecessor.

Volvo ought to include a chauffeur’s cap with every S90, because the sedan

fills the void left by once-beloved livery vehicles such as the Cadillac DeVille and the Lincoln Town Car. Although the svelte Swede forgoes the stodgy styling of those discontinued American sedans, the Volvo feels like a kindred spirit to both. Credit its rear passenger compartment’s nearly full-size accommodations and a base price ($53,895) that’s in line with mid-size luxury sedans. That said, the Volvo’s back seat lacks the grandiose luxury typical of a stretch job. Save for its capaciousness (its rear legroom bests full-size models from Genesis and Lexus by 2.6 and 1.5 inches, respectively), as well as controls that allow the right-rear passenger to move the front passenger’s seat, the amenities are rather conventional. Reclining rear seatbacks aren’t available, although massaging seats are an option on the top-tier Inscription trim. No doubt, the S90 is far livelier to drive than any DeVille or Town Car. Under the hood is the latest variant of Volvo’s 2.0-liter inline-four powertrain, dubbed B6. Unlike the 316-hp T6, which incorporated a turbocharger and a mechanically driven supercharger, the B6 has a turbo, an electrically driven supercharger, and a 48-volt hybrid system. The B6’s 21-hp deficit made itself known at the track, as the 4303pound Volvo needed 6.4 seconds to hit 60 mph—0.6 second longer than the last S90 T6 we tested. In the real world, though, the B6’s plentiful torque and responsive eight-speed automatic offer enough grunt for any driver to hustle from one fare to another with little fear of tardiness. The S90 drives smaller than its 200.1-inch length. Thank the car’s quick and direct steering and its chassis composure, even if our S90 R-Design, equipped with adaptive dampers, rear air springs, and 20-inch all-season rubber, suffered from a somewhat flinty ride over pockmarked pavement. The leather-lined interior remains Volvo’s new Android-based infotainment syslargely the same tem took the brunt of our ire. Short of its Google as before. The Maps–based navigation and Google Assistant voiceinfotainment gave us fits. recognition tools, the setup struck us as no better—

THE RUNDOWN

Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan Base/As Tested .............. $53,895/$65,450 Engine: turbocharged, supercharged, and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4; aluminum block and head; direct fuel injection Displacement .......................... 120 in3, 1969 cm3 Power .................................... 295 hp @ 5400 rpm Torque ................................. 310 lb-ft @ 2100 rpm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Dimensions • Wheelbase ................................................ 120.5 in • L/W/H ...................................... 200.1/74.4/57.1 in • Curb Weight ............................................. 4303 lb

test RESULTS 60 mph ........................................................... 6.4 sec 1/4-Mile ................................... 14.8 sec @ 94 mph 100 mph ....................................................... 16.8 sec Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec. Rolling Start, 5–60 mph ........................ 7.2 sec Top Speed (gov ltd) ................................ 113 mph Braking, 70–0 mph ...................................... 165 ft C/D Fuel Economy • Observed ................................................... 21 mpg • 75-mph Hwy Driving ............................ 29 mpg • Hwy Range ................................................ 460 mi EPA Fuel Economy • Comb/City/Hwy ......................... 26/23/31 mpg

and in some ways worse—than the previous one. We know Volvo plans to ﬁx some of our gripes via over-the-air updates (including adding Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility), but we question the decision to release the system in its current state. If you’re using a 2022 Volvo S90 to pick up and drop off riders, a stellar navigation setup is perhaps what matters most. Of course, Volvo wants the big S90 to appeal to a broader base of consumers, and for many, the car’s aggravating infotainment system may overshadow its unique and handsome design, high-quality cabin materials, and comfortable rear seat.

P HOTOGRAPHY BY M ARC U R BAN O ~ APRIL 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIVER

Northern Italy | September 5-12, 2022 AN EPIC EIGHT-DAY TOUR OF NORTHERN ITALY AND ITS MOST ICONIC MOTORCAR MAKERS

Join Road & Track as we embark on an intimate exploration of the northern Italian cities—from Maranello to Monza—where the passion, speed, artistry, and ingenuity of Italian car culture was born. + Trace the history of legendary innovators Zagato, Pagani, Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini as we go behind the scenes at their studios and meet with contemporary designers. + Visit renowned factories, from the small but extraordinary manufacturer of Pagani’s exclusive Zonda line to the sleek modern production process for Maserati. + Explore Maranello, home to Ferrari, and view some of the world’s most elegant and powerful road and racing machines. + Attend the Italian Grand Prix as the grand ﬁnale and watch F1 cars racing around the world-famous track at Monza. Che bello!

LEARN MORE AT

experiences.roadandtrack.com. Call 855-445-0230 or email reservations@academic-travel.com to make a reservation.

LIVE THE DRIVE.

all systems go, the 296GTB hits every bit as hard as its 819 horsepower suggests. Acceleration is wicked, and we estimate launch control will deliver a 2.9-second 60-mph time and a quarter-mile in the nines. On spectacular Spanish mountain roads, the 296GTB This plug-in supercar combines V-6 power with shod with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires exhibits colossal electric assistance to devastating effect. grip and is a delight to push hard. On the tight, dusty Monteblanco circuit near Seville, another GTB wearing track-oriented Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires sticks even harder but remains friendly as we breach its lofty limBy now it’s obvious that the machines have won, so bow down its. Switch off traction control and go drifting as Ferrari’s to our new robot master, the Ferrari 296GTB. It’s a hybrid, Side Slip Control system works to automatically manage it’s an EV (at times), and it has a panoply of driver aids. Yet the slip angle, making it easier to hold a lurid drift. this Ferrari offers a driving experience nearly as pure and Brake, turn, and deploy the enormous power; the driver assists don’t diminish the visceral feedback and excitement. uncorrupted as what you get from a Formula Ford. Located amidships is Ferrari’s ﬁrst roadgoing V-6 since The steering uses electric power assistance, yet it reports the 246GT Dino. Two turbochargers on everything from surface changes sit within the cylinder banks, in a V to traction status. The weighting and splayed out to 120 degrees. Each turbo responses of the electrically boosted the numbers boosts three cylinders, their potency brakes feel true and untainted. The Vehicle Type: mid-engine, by-wire system can help tuck the front evinced by the 3.0-liter engine’s 654 mid-motor, rear-wheel-drive, horsepower, claimed to be the highest end into corners by clamping individ2-passenger, 2-door coupe per-liter output in a current producual brakes. Base ............................ $322,986 Powertrain: twin-turbocharged A spacious two-seat cabin is a comtion car. A 164-hp axial-ﬂux motor and intercooled DOHC 24-valve fortable place to spend hours, and nestles between the V-6 and the 3.0-liter V-6, 654 hp, 546 lb-ft + AC there’s respectable luggage capacity eight-speed dual-clutch automatic motor, 164 hp, 232 lb-ft (combined output: 819 hp, 546 lb-ft; 6.0-kWh up front. Complaints are limited to transmission. On electric power, the lithium-ion battery pack) Ferrari can go only up to 84 mph. The small annoyances, such as the clumsy Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch battery pack, with 6.0 kilowatt-hours infotainment system and the plethora automatic Dimensions of usable capacity, is good for an estiof switches on the steering wheel. • Wheelbase ........................... 102.4 in mated EPA range of 10 miles. The 296GTB stands as proof that • L/W/H ................... 179.7/77.1/46.7 in Ferrari engineers called the new hybridization and increasing tech in • Curb Weight ......................... 3700 lb Performance (C/D est) engine the piccolo V-12, and it does a a sports car can be done right. Ferrari • 60 mph ................................... 2.9 sec decent impression of a dozen cylinders has taken huge effort to make some• 100 mph ................................. 5.7 sec when revved to its 8500-rpm limiter. thing so complex act and feel so sim• 1/4-Mile .................................. 9.7 sec • Top Speed .......................... 205 mph The electric motor’s instant response ple, a digital supercar that manages EPA Fuel Economy ( C/D est) obviates turbo lag. As boost arrives, to provide an analog experience. The • Comb/City/Hwy .... 20/18/22 mpg Ferrari dials back the motor’s contri296GTB is both technically advanced • Comb Gas + Electric ..... 60 MPGe • EV Range ................................... 10 mi bution for linear power delivery. With and as thrilling as any other Ferrari. 2 02 2 F E R R A R I 2 9 6 G T B ~ BY M I K E D U F F

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WHAT TO BUY: LEXUS SC300, SC400 Following the debut of Lexus in 1989, Toyota’s luxury brand sent the SC300 and SC400 sports coupes to dealers for the 1992 model year. Sleek and refined, the two-doors made an impact—an SC landed on our 10Best list from 1992 until 1995. Built through the 2000 model year, first-gen SCs have flown under the radar for decades. But with increasing interest in ’90s vehicles, particularly Japanese cars, these Lexus coupes should soon rise in value. —James Tate RECENT SALES

1992 Lexus SC300 5-speed (November 2021) $27,800 53,000 miles 1998 Lexus SC300 (February 2021) $8300

PROBLEM AREAS

Common issues include cracked dash vents, broken window regulators, dead LCD displays and gauge-cluster lights, and worn lower control-arm bushings and lower ball joints. More serious problems include powersteering pump leaks that can damage the alternator and cracks in the coolant overflow reservoir. Ideally, service records will reveal the age of the timing belt, water pump, and power-steering pump.

89,000 miles

1992 Lexus SC400 (March 2021) $26,000 18,000 miles

1996 LEXUS SC400

From Bring a Trailer.

1992 LEXUS SC400 250-HP 4.0-LITER V-8, 3694 LB

ENGINE

The SC400 uses the Lexus LS400’s 1UZ-FE 4.0-liter V-8, rated at 250 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. With shorter gearing and 246 fewer pounds of mass than the LS, the SC400 managed a zero-to-60mph time of 6.7 seconds, 1.2 seconds better than the sedan. The 1997 SC400 added 10 horsepower, and the 1998 gained even more power (reaching 290 horses) and an extra gear (now a five-speed automatic). Toyota fans will recognize the SC300’s 2JZ-GE 225-hp inline-six as being shared with the Supra. The most

crucial difference between the SC300 and SC400 isn’t just the engine: Only the SC300 offered a manual transmission, and only through 1997. The SC also shares a platform with the fourth-gen Supra. Supras have shot up in value, especially the 320-hp twin-turbo version. For years, the more refined and luxurious SC, specifically the SC300 with the five-speed manual, was the cheap alternative to a naturally aspirated Supra. But with only around 4000 manual-equipped SC300s ever made, they’re now easily the most expensive SC.

Test Results • 60 mph .............................................. 6.7 sec • 1/4-Mile ....................... 15.2 sec @ 90 mph • 100 mph .......................................... 17.6 sec • Top Speed ...................................... 145 mph • Braking, 70–0 mph .......................... 185 ft • Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad ..... 0.86 g From C/D, October 1991. Acceleration times adhere to our old rollout rule of 3 mph.

VALUE

The market for SC coupes is growing. A decade ago, good SCs were just a few thousand dollars; these days the price range for cars in good condition is $7000 to $15,000, with some outliers at both ends of the spectrum. Being the rarest-spec model, any SC300 with the five-speed manual transmission will command a higher price. As with any used car, factor in maintenance costs and aim to buy the best example possible.

“It is difficult to imagine making the SC400 better.” —J O H N P H I L L I P S , C / D, F E B RUA RY 1 9 93

PH OTO GRA PH BY J OH N ROE ~ A PRI L 2022 ~ CAR AN D DRIVER