6f6v6ce3

NEW CHEVY MALIBU VS. THE ESTABLISHMENT

HOLD ON TO YOUR SPLEEN! IT’S . . .

MUNICH’S MINIATURE MONSTER

PLUS AND A SIX-SPEED MANUAL IS STANDARD!

ALL-NEW CADILLAC CT6 DRIVEN:

in this issue 003

050

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COMPARISON TEST

CALIFORNIA DREAMING Chevrolet Malibu LT, Honda Accord Sport, Mazda 6 i Touring, Toyota Camry SE.

by Aaron Robinson

F E AT U R E S

042

068

CAR MEETS ROAD

FEATURE

BMW M2 We take the hot new coupe to Death Valley and put the hammer down.

by Tony Quiroga

GROWING THE SUPER GOLD FUTURE Meet the Silicon Valley messiah who is taking the car back to the garden.

by John Pearley 5bÜZN[

058 ROAD TEST

CADILLAC CT6 PLATINUM AWD The sports sedan that’s cleverly disguised as a luxury car.

Of 7RÜ @NONaV[V

064 PROTOTYPE DRIVE

JAGUAR F-PACE The ritualistic beating of yet another mule.

Of :VXR 1bÜ

075 LONG-TERM TEST

SOME LIKE IT ROUGH The fourthgeneration Subaru WRX is better on pavement than ever before. But it doesn’t forsake its rally-car rawness.

by Eric Tingwall

ON THE COVER The BMW M2 is not a red Mustang. ]U\a\T_N]Uf Of Greg Pajo

004

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in this issue

COLU M NS

EDDIE ALTERMAN Detroit Coupe City.

026

092

JOHN PHILLIPS That’s how the Mercedes bends.

TESTED 2015 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION FINAL EDITION This is the end, not-so beautiful friend.

007 caranddriver.com

015

090 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE DUNE Mad Max: Sesame Street.

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030 AARON ROBINSON My next toy will have a barf bag.

ETC.

032 EZRA DYER Envying the blind faith of the brand-loyal.

034 PETER MANSO Why do racers vote Republican?

U PF RON T

088

006 BACKFIRES Red cars, fat hookers, and a ripping meditation on human folly.

096 ROAD-TEST DIGEST

015

104

REVEAL OF THE MONTH

WHAT WE’D DO DIFFERENTLY Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage.

BUICK AVISTA The rear-drive Detroit-show concept faces judgment day.

020 SIT, STAY, CORNER We ask the experts: Why do dogs love cars?

022 INFOGRAPHIC

THE PRICE OF POWER Mapping out who gives you the most optional ponies per dollar.

ON THE W EB FIRST DRIVE

2017 SMART FORTWO CABRIOLET You could see yourself driving one. Not an April Fools’ joke.

CARandDRIVER.com/ 2017FortwoCabrio INSTRUMENTED TEST

024 THIS IS NOT A MADE-UP NUMBER A look into advisory cornering speeds.

092

DRIV ELINES

085 BUICK CASCADA The company’s new marketing campaign is a decent car, too.

088 TESTED MERCEDESAMG G65 It’s like how much more absurd could this be?

And the answer is none.

None more absurd.

2016 RAM 3500 DIESEL CREW CAB 4X4 The quintessential workahaulic pickup truck, now with an earth-shaking 900 pound-feet of torque.

CARandDRIVER.com/ 2016Ram3500 FIRST DRIVE

2016 ASTON MARTIN DB9 GT Will Aston ever let the long-serving DB9 go gentle into that good night? Hardly.

CARandDRIVER.com/ 2016AstonDB9

Keep Your No-Ticket New Year’s Resolution

Power. Precision. 360° Protection.

EscortRadar.com/Max360 800.588.4554 Radar + Laser Detectors ©2016 ESCORT

5440 West Chester Road

West Chester OH 45069

Department: CARDVR

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ACCORDING TO YOU

Your January 10Best issue is the UVTUYVTUa \S Zf ZNTNgV[R fRN_ N P\b_`R ON[^bRa N[Q 6 `Nc\_ RcR_f OVaR ?RNQV[T Va NYdNf` ZNXR` ZR dN[a a\ Obf \[R \S aUR PN_` N[Q YN`a fRN_ 6 QVQ' N ORNbaVSbY OYNPX `Ve `]RRQ `Ve PfYV[QR_ 5\[QN .PP\_Q P\b]R 6a V` QR¼[VaRYf N` f\b `NVQ ²ORaaR_ aUN[ Va UN` a\ OR ³ TOM DENNISON FAIRFIELD, CONNECTICUT

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RED EYE

\[ aUR U\\Q a\dN_Q aUR YRSa =Yb` aUR AR`YN Q\R`[μa YV[R b] dVaU aUR 3\_Q N[Q aUR _R`a \S aUR PN_` N_R NYY Na QVßR_R[a N[TYR` N` dRYY 1VQ `\ZR\[R `]VXR aUR RTT[\T Qb_V[T aUR U\YVQNf ]N_af, SNEEZY BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK

QRSR[`R \S aUR PU\`R[ dV[[R_` KERRY SCHUMACHER COLUMBIA, MISSOURI

Well, you bought it—Ed.

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GARY CAPPS OSKALOOSA, IOWA

AL RIBSKIS CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

What you’re seeing is an optical illusion caused by living in a tiny cottage and working in a nearby mine—Ed.

JAMES S. BIGGS WASHINGTON, D.C.

Turn to page 050 if you guys really want to freak out—Ed.

ALLEN HICKS MEDFORD, OREGON

6μZ V[ a\aNY NdR \S aU\`R 0NQVYYNP R[TV[RR_` ZR[aV\[RQ V[ aUR 0A@ C`]\_aμ` /R`a P\cR_NTR .[ \VY P\\YR_ dVYY VZ]NPa _RYVNOVYVaf N[Q Qb_NOVYVaf, D\d DU\ d\bYQ UNcR aU\bTUa, 6μYY `YRR] `\ ZbPU ORaaR_ NSaR_ _RNQV[T aUNa V[ QR]aU N[NYf`V` PETE BAUER VERO BEACH, FLORIDA ENGINEERING 201

=YRN`R Re]YNV[ a\ ZR U\d Tb[ Q_VYYV[T N P_N[X`UNSa [\a \[Yf `UNcR` ZN`` Oba _RYVRcR` P_N[XPN`R ]_R``b_R N` `aNaRQ V[

2g_N 1fR_μ` 7N[bN_f # N_aVPYR ²3\_Q :b`aN[T @URYOf 4A " 4A " ? ³ 6 PN[μa dNVa a\ OR R[YVTUaR[RQ JOHN VITALICH SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

The rise and fall of the pistons causes ZNW\_ ]_R``b_R »bPabNaV\[` V[`VQR the crankcase. This, in turn, results in windage losses as the crank and rods move through the maelstrom. One means of reducing this loss is to gun-drill the center of the crank, allowing the pressure rise under one pair of pistons to bleed past the main bearing webs into the next bay. The net result is more power—Ed.

I L LU S T R AT I O N S BY B R E T T A F F R U N T I

ENGINEERING 101

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editor’s letter

You’d think that, with oil dipping below $30 a barrel and insatiable consumer demand for vehicles that are ever larger, ever taller, and ever more stuffed, piñata-like, with electronic candy, the world’s automakers would’ve used January’s North American International Auto Show to display nothing but scaleddown Freightliners.

While it is true that there was a smattering of new and conceptual trucks, cross\cR_` N[Q @BC` \[ aUR `aN[Q` Na 1Ra_\Va aURV_ [bZOR_` V[ [\ dNf _R½RPaRQ aUR public’s current ute-buying frenzy. With the exception of the Kia Telluride, a beautiful and blocky love child of the Volvo XC90 and Mercedes-Benz GLS, it was plain that carmakers’ passions don’t run to the crossover. Their wallets, sure.

But their hearts?

6[`aRNQ aUR PN_ZNXR_ VQ V` ¼eNaRQ \[ aUR ad\ Q\\_ aUR P\b]z VS f\bμ_R SRRYing Frenchy, that sleekest of automotive forms, the worst-selling of all car types.

A two-door is long enough to allow designers to resolve their linework, trim enough to eradicate visions of hour-long commutes. It is the perfect screen, then, on which to project dreams. @\ _NaUR_ aUN[ b`V[T aURV_ _RPR[a ½b`U[R`` a\ O\_R showgoers with yet another bigger box, carmakers indulged fantasy. And, to paraphrase the great Bard of the West, I ain’t mad at them, for this gave us the 9Reb` 90" aUR 6[¼[VaV ># \b_ P\cR_μ` /:D : and my favorite, the powerful yet elegant Buick Avista [page 015], a coupe that owes a bit of its mien to the Tesla Model S and the Jaguar F-type. Buick seemed to be saying: “Yeah, we know people still think we’re the guys with the bad toupees. But we’re not going to change anyone’s mind with that Envision over there.”

Eddie Alterman EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

NEW PERSPECTIVE ON THE ROAD by Derek Powell Modern technology is a wonderful thing. It’s enabled today’s cars to be smarter, safer, and more SbRY R¦PVR[a F\b X[\d dUNa else technology is good for? More horsepower. Better handling. All those little zeroes and ones, conspiring to exponentially ratchet up the fun quotient.

.[Q dUR[ aUR dRRXR[Q N__VcR` and the road calls out, it’s time to put all that technology to good use. Which is why currently my windows are down, the breeze is

windows are down, the breeze is streaming in as the scenery sings past and \h WP]Sb PaT ½a\[h ^] cWT fWTT[ streaming in as the scenery sings ]N`a N[Q Zf UN[Q` N_R ¼_ZYf \[ the wheel. A corner looms ahead N[Q 6μZ \[ aUR O_NXR` `Y\dV[T aUR `]RRQ abPXV[T V[a\ aUR P\_[R_ PYV]]V[T aUR N]Re N[Q ONPX \[ aUR TN` 1Nd[ V` O_RNXV[T \cR_ aUR Santa Monica Mountains and as 6 P_R`a \cR_ N _V`R 6μZ a_RNaRQ a\ N `]RPaNPbYN_ # QRT_RR cVRd \S aUR ocean below me and downtown LA V[ aUR QV`aN[PR . OV[N_f Rß\_a dVaU N `]RPaNPbYN_ N[NY\T ]Nf\ß TURN FOR MORE

Sic your dogs on us at: editors@caranddriver.com or join: backfires.caranddriver.com

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backfires

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

GOLF ROUNDS

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The 1.8T’s manual transmission isn’t rated to handle 199 pound-feet of torque, so VW limits those cars to 184 pound-feet for durability—Ed.

@U\PXRQ a\ `RR aUR 4\YS \[ f\b_ /R`a YV`a 5\d PN[ f\b _RdN_Q C\YX`dNTR[ S\_ YfV[T a\ Va` Pb`a\ZR_` N[Q ]baaV[T Na _V`X aUR URNYaU \S aUR ]bOYVP Na YN_TR, .YY V[ aUR V[aR_R`a \S dV[[V[T ZN_XRa `UN_R @\ ZN[f \aUR_ T_RNa PN_` N[Q PN_ P\Z]N[VR` QR`R_cRQ _RP\T[VaV\[ 6 Q\ ORYVRcR aUV` NY`\ aN_[V`UR` C/D’` O_N[Q <aUR_dV`R f\bμ_R N T_RNa ZNTNgV[R N[Q 6μZ `\__f a\ `RR f\b_ /R`a YV`a Y\`R Va` Yb`aR_ TONY BARNARD WHISTLER, BRITISH COLUMBIA BEST OF TIMES

6 NZ UNcV[T a_\bOYR _RNQV[T f\b_ /R`a V``bR 6aμ` [\a Zf _RNQV[T `XVYY` Oba aUR ]NTR YNf\ba 6a Ub_a` Zf RfR` ;\aUV[T TbVQR` Zf RfR` V[a\ N[f \S aUR d_VaV[T

Eddie Alterman

DEPUTY EDITOR Daniel Pund EXECUTIVE EDITOR Aaron Robinson MANAGING EDITOR Mike Fazioli FEATURES EDITOR Jeff Sabatini TECHNICAL EDITORS K.C. Colwell, Eric Tingwall COPY CHIEF Carolyn Pavia-Rauchman EDITOR, MONTANA DESK John Phillips STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Marc Urbano EUROPEAN EDITOR Mike Duff CAROLINAS EDITOR Ezra Dyer CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Clifford Atiyeh, Csaba Csere, Fred M.H. Gregory, John Pearley Huffman, Davey G. Johnson, Peter Manso, Bruce McCall, P.J. O’Rourke, Tony Swan, James Tate, Kevin A. Wilson, Dweezil Zappa EDITORIAL OFFICE

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Darin Johnson TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Don Sherman DESIGN DIRECTOR Nathan Schroeder SENIOR EDITORS Tony Quiroga, Jared Gall ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITOR Juli Burke COPY EDITOR Jennifer Harrington ASSOCIATE DESIGNER Jennifer Choi OFFICE AND INVOICE MANAGER Susan Mathews ROAD WARRIORS Zeb Sadiq, David Beard

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS

Mark Bramley, Bryan Christie Design, Jim Fets, Robert Kerian, Aaron Kiley, James Lipman, Charlie Magee, Sean McCabe, Chris Philpot, Roy Ritchie, John Roe, Michael Simari

1585 Eisenhower Place, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108 ————

PUBLISHED BY HEARST COMMUNICATIONS, INC. 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 deputy editor.

AUR NR`aURaVP` Wb`a ZNXR ZR dN[a a\ PY\`R aUR ZNTNgV[R @\__f 6 X[\d Vaμ` UN_`U Oba 6 d\[μa OR NOYR a\ _R[Rd Zf `bO`P_V]aV\[ VS aUV` XRR]` b] RICHARD TOMA EDMONTON, ALBERTA

Okay, noted, but have you checked your carbon-monoxide detector recently?—Ed.

D\d 9V`a` N_R b`bNYYf [\aUV[T Z\_R aUN[ ZVYQYf R[aR_aNV[V[T YNaR [VTUa AC S\QQR_ \_ V[ f\b_ PN`R N ZVYQYf R[aR_aNV[V[T dNf a\ ¼YY aUR `aN_a \S aUR fRN_ V``bR dUR[ [\a ZbPU Nba\Z\aVcR V` T\V[T \[ /\f dN` 6 d_\[T AUR dNf f\b QVQ /R`a aUV` fRN_

BEST LETTER “Candidates for the Rework Lot” in your 10Best issue was a aR__V¼P SRNab_R 7\U[ =UVYYV]`μ` P\ZZR[a aUNa aUR :R_PRQR` .:4 0# @ V` ²/VT QV_af Sb[ but so are fat hookers” raises a P\b]YR \S ^bR`aV\[` 5\d d\bYQ UR X[\d aUNa, DUNa XV[Q \S _R`RN_PU V` C/D P\[QbPaV[T, D.S. HOLMES SOUTH HILL, WASHINGTON

dN` N T_RNa PUN[TR±cR_f V[S\_ZNaVcR N[Q V[aR_R`aV[T DRYY Q\[R BOB CANORRO EAST SYRACUSE, NEW YORK POTENT QUOTABLES

A\ ORaaR_ N]]_RPVNaR :R_PRQR` .:4μ` 0# @ H²0N[QVQNaR` S\_ aUR ?Rd\_X 9\a ³ 7N[bN_f #J dVYY C/D OR ]bOYV`UV[T N _RcVRd \S 7\U[μ` Re]R_VR[PR` dVaU ²SNa U\\XR_`³, E. McDONALD PLAINFIELD, VERMONT

6μZ Pb_V\b` VS 1NcRf 4 7\U[`\[ P\bYQ OR `R_V\b` S\_ N Z\ZR[a N[Q Re]YNV[ ReNPaYf dUNa UR ZRN[` dUR[ UR P\ZZR[a` aUNa aUR 0URc_\YRa 0\_cRaaR @aV[T_Nf ²T\R` YVXR `aV[X Oba `aV[X` YVXR ]YN`aVP ³ 6 dN` b[QR_ aUR VZ]_R``V\[ aUNa aUR 0\_cRaaR V[aR_V\_ UN` P\ZR N Y\[T dNf 5R PN[μa OR _RSR__V[T a\ aUR PN_μ` ]R_S\_ZN[PR JEFF PORRELLO GREEN VALLEY, ARIZONA

It’s not a dig on the interior design or quality. He means it literally smells like plastic when you’re sitting in the car—Ed. ACK, ACK, ACURA

.PP\_QV[T a\ .N_\[ ?\OV[`\[ aUR $ .Pb_N ;@E H²:NaUYRaR ³ 7N[bN_f #J UN` N [V[R `]RRQ TRN_O\e YVXR aUR =\_`PUR & % @]fQR_ Obaa_R``R` YVXR aUR [Rd 3\_Q 4A ½b`U T_NO `aVPX` YVXR N[ .`a\[ :N_aV[ NYZ\`a aUR `NZR ZRNa` N` aUR =\_`PUR & 4A N[Q aUR O_NV[ \S N

Sic your dogs on us at: editors@caranddriver.com or join: backfires.caranddriver.com

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009

NEW PERSPECTIVE ON THE ALL-NEW 2016 CHEVY MALIBU

coxswain on a rowing team. Is there anything Honda-ish about the NSX? Oh, there it is . . . a cluster of what looks like Honda Fit exhaust pipes.

JOHN CASSIDY POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK

Having owned both a 2000 and a 2003 model-year NSX, and after reading about the new “NSX” in the January issue, it’s very apparent to me that this car is an NSX in name only. Honda needs to ditch the battery pack, drop 600 pounds, V[aR[`VSf aUR b`R \S PN_O\[ ¼OR_ composite throughout the chassis, add an actual VTEC head to the engine— along with titanium connecting rods, which it avoided in an obvious costsaving measure—increase the redline to 8500 rpm, and sell the car for $99K. Remove the Acura Power Rangers–style grille and people would be lining up at dealerships to buy one. Acura used to stand for engines like the iconic C32B, C30A, B18C—legendary designs with engineering oversight from Formula 1 veterans. Now it just tries to sell bloated cars with dated designs that generate less excitement than Lawrence Welk songs at a high-school prom.

PETE MITCHELL SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA FAULTY TOWERS

Daniel Pund’s comparison of the BMW X6 M and Mercedes-AMG GLE63 S coupe [“The Tale of the Two Towers,” January 2016] adroitly juggles bitterly satirical commentary with appropriately absurd metaphors. Car and Driver is again becoming a ripping meditation on human folly. Never change.

PATRICK HARVILL RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA UP IN SMOKE

Eddie Alterman’s statement in his Editor’s Letter in the January 2016 issue was sooo funny! I had a great laugh upon reading “the sweet spot between the country-clubbing C300 and the sealclubbing C63.” Thank you, I enjoyed reading that very much.

CLEVELAND NORTON JR. SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

The Bongtoke GLT is an excellent vehicle and would have smoked any of the cars on your 10Best list if you hadn’t weeded it out right at the start. The only reason you

placement on the wheel. A small ARPU[\Y\Tf a\QNf V` QR¼[VaRYf N but thoughtful detail that supports big, big win. Not so long ago, 1.5 attentive driving. liters was unheard of in a midsize The sun climbs over the car. But it works really nicely in the mountain range and its light bounces 2016 Malibu. With 163hp on tap, the \ß aUR =NPV¼P <PRN[ `]N_XYf Malibu has more than enough punch and sultry. I pull over at the next a\ [NcVTNaR a_N¦P =b`U aUR T\ ]RQNY \cR_Y\\X @RY¼R aVZR down and there’s even a bit of shove

<[ aUR ReaR_V\_ aUR :NYVOb in the driver’s seat. is dressed in stylish duds, skipping AUR `Ve `]RRQ Nba\ZNaVP UN` [VPRYf the drama and spaced gears, keeping going for a more the light little motor in T_\d[ b] Y\\X :\`a the powerband and on new cars have gaping boost as the revs climb, TURN-IN IS grilles that look like fall, and climb again as SHARP AND angry, hungry sea the speed increases. 1.5 creatures. But the liters might be small, PRECISE, AND Malibu’s design is but it’s mighty.

ONCE YOU’RE clean and elegant, That lightness pays DEEP IN THE TURN, trading aggression for \ß V[ aUR PN_μ` ONYN[PR IT MAINTAINS assertion. There’s an and handling. At nearly A NEUTRAL eager sophistication 300 pounds lighter to be found in the than its predecessor, BALANCE front end, as if the Malibu sports it’s looking forward to a newfound agility. the drive rather than Ab_[ V[ V` `UN_] N[Q wanting to devour everything in its precise, and once you’re deep in the path. turn, it maintains a neutral balance What technology taketh away, with surprisingly little understeer. technology also giveth in the The car stays planted and predictable, form of a powerful engine and calmly arcing through the turn with impressive handling. As I hop back impressive momentum. in the Malibu and head back down As the wheel straightens out the hill to civilization, I marvel at 6 [\aVPR aUNa aUR dV]R_ N[Q ab_[ what has been accomplished. Here’s signal stalks are situated precisely at a midsize car that loves to be driven.

10 and 2, encouraging proper hand

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THE FULL PERSPECTIVE ENTHUSIASTS CAN FEEL CONFIDENT RECOMMENDING THE 2016 CHEVY MALIBU. HERE ARE A FEW REASONS: When Chevrolet designed the Malibu for 2016, changes went well beyond cosmetic. From a new lineup of engines to a wealth of available options, this is a car that welcomes driver involvement. And although “fun to drive” can mean QVß R_R[a aUV[T` a\ QVß R_R[a ]R\]YR aURfμ_R NYY ON`RQ \[ aUR `NZR Sb[QNZR[aNY` 6aμ` N[ V[aRT_NaRQ P\ZOV[NaV\[ \S RYRZR[a` aUNa V[`]V_R P\[¼ QR[PR ORUV[Q aUR dURRY V[ RcR_f QV_RPaV\[ .[Q \ß R_V[T N[ 2=. R`aVZNaRQ $ :=4 UVTUdNf S\_ aUR " ab_O\ N[Q b] a\ N 4: R`aVZNaRQ !% :=4 PVaf1 for the Hybrid, those fun drives can last even longer.

Of course, only one person can drive at a time, so for those long road trips with friends \_ XVQ` aUR NcNVYNOYR ObVYa V[ !4 9A22 delivers sweet, sweet internet for passengers a\ N a\aNY \S $ QRcVPR` Na \[PR

:NYVOb NY`\ \ß R_` SRNab_R` a\ ]ba RcR[ Z\_R RfR` \[ aUR _\NQ a\ URY] aUR Q_VcR_ 9N[R 8RR] .``V`a TVcR` N URNQ` b] VS aUR PN_ `aN_a` a\ Q_VSa N[Q PN[ RcR[ TbVQR f\b ONPX V[a\ aUR YN[R ?RN_ 0_\`` A_N¦ P .YR_a URY]` a\ XRR] N[ RfR \ba S\_ aUV[T` ORUV[Q f\b .[Q V[ aUR RcR[a f\b R[P\b[aR_ N Q_VcR_ SN_ YR`` R[aUb`VN`aVP 3\_dN_Q 0\YYV`V\[ .YR_a PN[ `\b[Q \ß VS aUV[T` TRa a\\ PY\`R S\_ P\ZS\_a b] NURNQ @NSRaf SRNab_R` N_R [\ `bO`aVabaR S\_ aUR Q_VcR_μ` _R`]\[`VOVYVaf a\ \]R_NaR aUR cRUVPYR V[ N `NSR ZN[[R_ AUR Q_VcR_ `U\bYQ _RZNV[ NaaR[aVcR a\ a_N¦ P `b__\b[QV[T` N[Q _\NQ P\[QVaV\[` Na NYY aVZR` ?RNQ aUR cRUVPYRμ` \d[R_μ` manual for more important safety information.

<[R \S aUR XRf aRPU UVTUYVTUa` V` aUR NcNVYNOVYVaf \S .[Q_\VQ .ba\ N[Q .]]YR 0N_=YNf compatibility, opening up a whole new world of connectivity right from the dashboard. :b`VP ZN]` N[Q aRea` N_R NYY NcNVYNOYR `\ f\b PN[ ¼ _R b] N ]YNfYV`a PUN_a N P\b_`R N[Q aRYY RcR_f\[R f\bμYY OR ONPX YNaR_

WHILE “FUN TO DRIVE” CAN MEAN DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE, THEY’RE ALL BASED ON THE SAME FUNDAMENTALS. IT’S AN INTEGRATED COMBINATION OF ELEMENTS STHAT INSPIRE CONFIDENCE BEHIND THE WHEEL IN EVERY DIRECTION.

1. Based on GM testing. Official EPA estimates not yet available. 2. Requires a compatible mobile device, active OnStar service and data plan. 4G LTE service available in select markets.

Visit onstar.com for coverage map, details and system limitations. 3. Vehicle user interface is a product of Apple or Google and its terms and privacy statements apply. Requires compatible smartphone and data plan rates apply. Apple CarPlay is a trademark of Apple Inc. iPhone is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Android Auto is not currently available on 2016 Malibu with optional 8-inch diagonal MyLink display. 4. Always use safety belts and child restraints. Children are safer when properly secured in a rear seat in the appropriate child restraint. See the Owner’s Manual for more information. 5. EPA-estimated MPG city/highway 27/37 on 1.5L and GM-estimated MPG city/highway 45/48 on Malibu Hybrid.

6. Visit onstar.com for coverage map, details and system limitations. Services vary by model and conditions. 7. Requires Chevrolet MyLink with 8-inch diagonal display.

EFFICIENT POWER Make every mile count. Two brand-new engines provide exceptional fuel efficiency5 as well as impressive power, while active grill shutters route the air with aerodynamic finesse.

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Malibu is the first midsized car with available built-in 4G LTE2, delivering highspeed internet over Wi-Fi with the ability to connect up to seven devices at once.

BUILT-IN 4G LTE

IT’S A LOOKER

Form meets function with sophisticated, tailored styling.

The exterior sheetmetal sports crisp, sharp lines, while the interior offers clever design and thoughtful touches.

PROTECTION FROM EVERY ANGLE • A high-strength steel safety cage increases structural integrity to provide impressive protection in the event of an impact.

• Malibu can instantly contact available OnStar6 to transmit essential information, such as airbag deployment and precise location info using GPS technology.

For more information visit allnewchevymalibu.com

• Available Lane Keep Assist warns you when you’re unintentionally drifting from your lane, and can even gently guide you back between the markers.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICHARD TAMAYO

Malibu elevates safety to a whole new level with 360-degree sensors that measure the severity of the impact and adjust the inflation of the airbags4.

<

<

10 AIR BAGS

• Available Teen Driver7 technology mutes audio when seatbelts aren’t worn and gives audible and visual warnings when the Malibu is traveling over predetermined speeds.

PUBLISHER AND CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER

Felix DiFilippo ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Jason Nikic EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GROUP MARKETING Lisa Boyars EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DIGITAL ADVERTISING SALES

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I have to take a nap.

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ALFA BITS

Amanda Luginbill, Cameron Kiersch

The Alfa Romeo 4C is an experience, a throwback, and yet a renaissance spitting in the eye of BMWs and other sporty and blah “driver’s cars” [“We Sometimes Disagree,” January 2016]. It is the HarleyDavidson of the car world. I bonded with 7\U[ =UVYYV]` S\_ aUR ¼_`a aVZR NSaR_ reading his column. He is a thinker and the brightest automotive columnist I have ever read.

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I am always entertained by John Phillips’s writings. You should keep him around.

CAMERON KORZ SOUTH JERSEY, NEW JERSEY

We keep him on a preserve in Montana—Ed. EMAILS FROM THE EDGE

In the latest issue you ran three letters S_\Z @RNaaYR H/NPX¼_R` 7N[bN_f #J Here is another one.

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015

SCRUTINEERING

0 4 . 2 016

¿ H A B L A E S PA Ñ O L ?

AVISTAR — The verb “avistar” means “to catch

upfront

sight of ” or “to glimpse” in Spanish. Americans know it as part of the Terminator’s sendoff for T-1000. Depending on context, “hasta la vista” can either mean “bye” or “until we meet again.”

edited by J A R E D G A L L

C REASES IN TH E HOOD BEAR A STRONG RESEM BL ANC E TO THOSE ON TH E REC ENTLY INTRODUC ED 2017 BUIC K L AC ROSSE .

DIM PLES WITH IN TH E TAILLIGHT LENSES ARE ON LY VISIBLE FROM C ERTAIN ANGLES .

. R EV EA L OF TH E MONTH

Hasta Avista BUICK’S DETROIT-SHOW CONCEPT FACES JUDGMENT DAY.

by Jared Gall IT’S THE R A R E auto executive who is content with sales ¼Tb_R` /ba 1b[PN[ .YQ_RQ aUR URNQ \S /bVPX N[Q 4:0 `RRZ` P\ZS\_aNOYR VS [\a P\Z]YNPR[a /bVPX `Ra Va` aUV_Q `a_NVTUa TY\ONY _RP\_Q V[ " dVaU Z\_R aUN[ ZVYYV\[ `NYR` 6a ]YN[` a\ YNb[PU `RcR[ [Rd ]_\QbPa` Of % dVaU aUR P\Z]NPa 2[cV`V\[ P_\``\cR_ N[Q 0N`PNQN P\[cR_aVOYR `Ra a\ T\ \[ `NYR VZZV[R[aYf H`RR ]NTR %" S\_ \b_ 0N`PNQN ¼_`a Q_VcRJ ²=R\]YR S\_TRa ³ .YQ_RQ `Nf` ²aUNa dR \ba`RYY .bQV V[ aUR B @ DR \ba`RYY 6[¼[VaV N[Q .Pb_N DR \ba`RYY 9V[P\Y[ ³ photography by ROY RITCHIE

6[QRRQ /bVPX ORNa 0NQVYYNP Of [RN_Yf " `NYR` YN`a fRN_ 6aμ` aUR S\b_aU OR`a`RYYV[T ]_RZVbZ O_N[Q V[ aUR B @ F\b ZVTUa [\a P\[`VQR_ /bVPX N ]_RZVbZ O_N[Q Oba 4:μ` NPP\b[aN[a` Z\`a PR_aNV[Yf Q\ .[Q /bVPX NPUVRcRQ aUNa ZN_X dVaU Wb`a ¼cR cRUVPYR` V[ Va` YV[Rb] N dRR S_NPaV\[ \S aUR [bZOR_ /:D :R_PRQR` N[Q 9Reb` QR]Y\f a\ aNXR aUR a\] aU_RR `]\a` DVaU aUR 2[cV`V\[ VQRNYYf ]YNPRQ a\ aNXR N OVT OVaR \ba \S aUR b[Va TN] ORadRR[ /bVPX N[Q aUV_Q ]YNPR 9Reb` .YQ_RQ `Nf` UV` O_N[Q ²UN` RN_[RQ N UNY\ PN_ ³ AUR .cV`aN P\[PR]a P\bYQ OR Va

M ETALLIC POWDER-BLUE BRAKE CALIPERS N IC ELY COM PLEM ENT TH E BUIC K’S DEEP -BLUE BODY.

016

.

upfront

0 4 . 2 016

. REV EAL OF TH E MONTH

GM design chief Ed Welburn likens the Avista to the

WE SUGGEST BUIC K MAKE IT A SHOOTING BRAKE AN D JOIN TH E FERRARI FF IN TH E C LOWN -SHOE C L ASS .

TH E CARBON FI BER ON TH E FRONT AN D REAR VAL ANC ES GETS ITS SI LVERY LUSTER FROM A WEAVE OF TITANIUM .

Never mind that Buick’s lineup is composed exclusively of front- and four-wheeldrive models; the Avista sends its power to the rear axle. Company representatives tell us that, as a concept, the Avista isn’t built on a particular platform. But they must want us to know they’re lying, because they also tell us it has a 110.7-inch wheelbase. Its front-track width is 63.0 inches; the rear, 62.9. Those stats exactly describe the Chevy Camaro SS. So it’s not hard to guess where a production Avista might dig up its bones. On the concept, 20-inch wheels hide massive carbon-ceramic discs at all four corners and are wrapped in 285/30 Pirelli P Zeros up front and 305/30s in the rear. .[Q `V[PR aUR 0NZN_\ @@ \ßR_` ZNT[Ra\rheological shocks, the Avista has them, too, though their tuning would certainly be tweaked for a Buick.

turbocharged V-6. This one’s more modern and powerful, though. Borrowed from the Cadillac CT6, the twin-turbo DOHC 3.0-liter has cylinder deactivation and makes 400 horsepower. We were

STYLING GM design boss Ed Welburn says the Avista’s sheetmetal “really shows how important proportions are.” It’s an exceptionally clean and uncluttered design, with a low nose, short overhangs, and a rear window so gently sloped that it nearly makes the car a hatchback. That long backlight, along with the airy, B-pillarless greenhouse,

pulls the visual weight of the Avista rearward, emphasizing the driven wheels.

Even if the Avista never sees production, expect certain elements, such as the inverted-swoosh head- and taillights, to V[½bR[PR b]P\ZV[T /bVPX` .[Q [\aVPR the Avista’s tri-shield insignia. It, along with the one on the 2017 LaCrosse, returns the badge to its red-silver-and-blue past.

AS FAR AS CONC EPTS GO, TH E AVISTA IS FI RM LY GROUNDED IN REALIT Y. TH E B-PI LL ARLESS ROOF IS TH E MOST FAR-FETC H ED ASPECT OF TH E DESIGN , BUT I F M ERC EDES-BENZ AN D BENTLEY CAN DO IT, SURELY BUIC K COULD, TOO.

BUIC K TELLS US TH E QUILTING ON TH E SEATS WAS INSPIRED BY WAVES PI LING UP ON AN D REC EDING FROM TH E SHORE .

]b_V¼PNaV\[ N[Q N_\ZNaUR_N]f PROSPECTS

`R[`R aUNa aUR O\`` ZN[ Q\R` a\\

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B R A I N I AC S

020

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upfront

. B E L LY RU B S

0 4 . 2 016 caranddriver.com

A L A BA M A , THIS AUTHOR’S HUSK Y, will jump into

Domestic dogs’ brains are hard-wired to bond with their owners. Levels of the feel-good hormone oxytocin rise in both human and pooch when maintaining eye contact.

0N[V[R 0\T[VaV\[ 0R[aR_ `Nf` aUR dV[Q OYN`a ZNf OR N `\_a \S `R[`\_f \cR_Y\NQ ²6aμ` aUR R^bVcNYR[a \S dNaPUV[T N[ V[P_RQible movie or reading the latest issue of Car and Driver ³ UR `Nf` dVaU N YVaaYR P\NPUV[T ²AUR_Rμ` `\ ZbPU V[S\_ZNaV\[ aURfμ_R aNXV[T V[ Vaμ` Wb`a ´DU\N μ AUR[ NTNV[ aUR `VZ]YR_ Re]YN[NaV\[ P\bYQ OR aUNa Va Wb`a feels good. And it could also be both.”

AUR O_RRgR V` Wb`a ]N_a \S Va UR `Nf` ²6[ Z\`a ]YNPR` dUR_R f\b ¼[Q d\YcR` a\QNf aURf UNcR a\ _N[TR ]_Raaf SN_ AURfμcR Rc\YcRQ a\ T\ ]YNPR` AURf YVXRYf R[W\f T\V[T ]YNPR` 6aμ` [\a T\V[T a\ Q\ ZbPU T\\Q VS f\bμ_R `RYRPaRQ a\ [\a R[W\f aUNa aUV[T f\b [RRQ a\ Q\ a\ `b_cVcR ³ 5N_R `Nf` Vaμ` ]\``VOYR Q\T` X[\d aUR PN_ V` T\V[T `\ZRdUR_R ²N [Rd ]YNPR a\ Re]Y\_R and there might be other dogs there.” At aUR cR_f YRN`a UR `Nf` ²Q\T` N``\PVNaR aUR PN_ dVaU N T\\Q \baP\ZR' ´DUR[ 6 TRa V[ aUV` aUV[T T\\Q aUV[T` UN]]R[ μ .a aUR Z\`a aURf b[QR_`aN[Q aUNa aURfμ_R T\V[T `\ZRdUR_R ³ <S P\b_`R [\a NYY Q\T` N_R aUR `NZR N[Q \b_ Q\T` d\bYQ NQQ' ²FRNU `b_R Q\P Oba dUNa UN]]R[RQ a\ Zf ONYY`,³ :\`a \S NYY UR `Nf` Q\T` N_R ]NPX N[VZNY` `\PVNY N[VZNY` /ba Q\ZR`aVPNaV\[ UN` adRNXRQ aUR S\_ZbYN ²6S f\b TVcR Q\T` a choice between being with a person or dVaU \aUR_ Q\T` Q\T` ]_RSR_ a\ OR dVaU ]R\]YR ³ 5N_R `Nf` ²AURfμ_R aUR Z\`a `bPPR``SbY ZNZZNY` OR`VQR` UbZN[` V[ aUR UV`a\_f \S aUR ]YN[Ra ³ UR continues. “The trust bond with humans has been a huge boon to the domesticated wolves who live with us. Dogs have evolved to be TR[Vb`R` Na aNXV[T NQcN[aNTR \S aUR UbZN[ a\\Y ³ 6aμ` Q\T`μ QR`V_R a\ OR dVaU b` aUNa ZNXR` aURZ RNTR_ Q_VcV[T P\Z]N[V\[` ²:f TbR`` V` aUNa aURf d\bYQ[μa [RPR``N_VYf R[W\f _VQV[T V[ N[ Nba\[\Z\b` PN_ ³ `Nf` 5N_R 6[ \aUR_ d\_Q` Q\T` Y\cR PN_` ORPNb`R aURf Y\cR b` AUR_Rμ` [\ NPP\b[aV[T S\_ aN`aR

a truck bed before the tailgate is even down. Another `aNßR_μ` ;Rd¼R QN[PR` N_\b[Q N` VS UR_ ]Nd` dR_R V[ N S_fV[T ]N[ N[Q _b[` V[ PV_PYR` dUR[ `UR URN_` aUR d\_Q ²_VQR ³ <[Yf Q\T` `RRZ a\ Y\cR PN_` N` ZbPU N` UbZN[` AUR_Rμ` YVaaYR \_ [\ `PVR[PR V[cR`aVTNaV[T dUf `\ dR V[cVaRQ aUR Re]R_a` a\ `]RPbYNaR 1\T` Re]R_VR[PR aUR d\_YQ Z\_R aU_\bTU `PR[a aUN[ `VTUa DUR_R N UbZN[μ` [\`R UN` b] a\ " ZVYYV\[ \YSNPa\_f _RPR]a\_` N Q\Tμ` PN[ UNcR b] a\ ZVYYV\[ ;\ d\[QR_ aURf YVXR a\ `aVPX aURV_ `[\\a` \ba aUR dV[Q\d N[Q V[a\ aUR dV[Q ²6μZ [\a SCOOBY DOS AND DON’TS `b_R aURfμ_R TRaaV[T N UVTU ]R_ `R ³ `Nf` 1_ :RYV``N /NV[ N cRaR_V[N_VN[ Na aUR PET SMART B[VcR_`Vaf \S 0NYVS\_[VN 1NcV` dU\ Not all dogs love riding in cars, and UC researches animal behavior and welfare.

Davis’s Dr. Bain advises not forcing rides on ²/ba aURf N_R TRaaV[T N Y\a \S V[]ba Na them. During long trips, she suggests considering higher speed.” an anti-nausea drug for dogs, though they can have a sedating effect. Also, like human 1_ /_VN[ 5N_R N``\PVNaR ]_\SR``\_ \S beings, dogs are safest in a carrier or belted in. If your dog likes to stick his head out a Rc\YbaV\[N_f N[aU_\]\Y\Tf Na 1bXR B[Vwindow (as hers does), she suggests using the child-safety lockout to make sure he cR_`Vaf N[Q aUR S\b[QR_ \S aUR 1bXR

won’t operate the window while stepping on a switch. Finally, things can get in dogs’ eyes, so she recommends goggles for dogs, such as Doggles (shop.doggles.com). illustration by KAKO

022

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upfront

. HORSE CENTS

0 4 . 2 016 70 0

$93

caranddriver.com

$123 $105

THE STEEPER, THE CHEAPER —

600

$123

L ARGER POWER GAINS AN D SMALLER PRIC E PREM IUMS BOTH INC REASE TH E SLOPE IN OUR C HART. SO TH E BEST VALUES ARE REPRESENTED BY TH E STEEPEST LIN ES .

$150

$165 $159 $208

$184

$110

$137

500 $67

$101

HORSEPOWER

$236

$135

$115 $104 $59

$77

11

21

$88

$272

$61

$374

$127

$137

$95

$147

$170

$99

400

$292 $291

$308 $71 CHEAPEST ADDITIONAL POWER

$151

$172

$98 $119

$88

22 15

$25

$115

$62

$43

$104

12

10

$125

$95 23

$29

9

1.

Audi A3 1.8T: 170, $31,825 2.0T: 220, $35,125, $66 S3: 292, $43,425, $95

2.

Audi A8 3.0T: 333, $82,425 4.0T: 450, $91,425, $77 W-12: 500, $140,125, $346 S8 Plus: 605, $115,825, $123

3.

Audi TT: 220, $43,825 TTS: 292, $52,825, $125

4.

Bentley Continental GT V-8: 500, $201,225 V-8 S: 521, $213,425, $581 W-12: 582, $217,325, $196 Speed: 626, $242,125, $325

5.

BMW 228i: 240, $33,845 M235i: 320, $45,145, $141 M2: 365, $52,695, $151

$187

$59 5

$66

18 17 6

*

3

ALL DOLL AR- PER- H P CALCUL ATIONS ARE REL ATIVE TO TH E POWER AN D PRIC E OF TH E BASE MODEL .

19

$163

27

Model: Power, Base Price , etc. Model: Power, Price, $ Per additional HP*

7

$105

$141

$69

$385 24

14

200

2

26

$150

$348

20

$230

$141 300

16

8

1

13

15 0 0

PRICE, $

25

1 0,0 0 0

5 0,0 0 0

1 0 0,0 0 0

023

The Price of Power MAPPING OUT WHO GIVES YOU THE MOST OPTIONAL PONIES PER DOLLAR. by Jared Gall

$325

$760

$196

$372 $393 $469 PRICIEST ADDITIONAL POWER

$301

$1015

$393 $346

$1289

$611

$581

4

$377

“A LWAYS GET THE BIG ENGINE” your grandpa used to say, typically while unwrapping

a Werther’s Original candy and shouting at The Price is Right as it gave away yet another economy model. But in these days of 300-hp four-bangers, is there still value in choosing the bigger engine? ¶ Certainly the answer depends on the car and the carmaker. And so we busied ourselves with the infographic adjacent, an overview of which automaker’s optional horsepower is the cheapest. ¶ We began by compiling the prices and outputs of a selection of available performance vehicles. In the interest of simplifying what is still not a simple data set, we counted only trim levels and optional engines, ignoring performance-enhancing exhausts and other stand-alone power bumps. Then we minimized redundancies whenever two or more body styles share a common platform and engine and, still faced with more cars aUN[ dR P\bYQ ¼a \[ aUR`R ]NTR` ]N_RQ \b_ YV`a a\ aUR PN_` dR consider the most interesting. So the next time you feel the urge to shout at the television, you’ll be armed with real data.

6.

BMW 428i: 240, $42,845 435i: 300, $49,145, $105 M4: 425, $66,395, $127

7.

BMW Gran Coupe 640i: 315, $80,495 650i: 445, $91,895, $88 M6: 560, $119,495, $159 Alpina B6: 600, $123,195, $150

8.

9.

12.

Dodge Challenger SXT: 305, $27,990 R/T: 375, $32,990, $71 Scat Pack: 485, $39,990, $67 SRT Hellcat: 707, $65,190, $93

13.

Ford Focus 2.0-liter: 160, $19,890 ST: 252, $25,300, $59 RS: 350, $36,605, $88

Cadillac ATS 2.5: 202, $34,210 2.0 Turbo: 272, $36,240, $29 3.6: 333, $42,335, $62 ATS-V: 464, $61,460, $104

14.

Cadillac CTS 2.0 Turbo: 268, $47,050 3.6: 335, $54,775, $115 Vsport: 420, $61,445, $95 CTS-V: 640, $85,990, $105

15.

Ford Mustang V-6: 300, $25,045 EcoBoost: 310, $26,545, $150 GT: 435, $33,295, $61 GT350: 526, $49,995, $110

18.

Mercedes-Benz C300: 241, $39,875 C450 AMG: 362, $51,725, $98 AMG C63: 469, $66,175, $115 AMG C63 S: 503, $75,875, $137

19.

Mercedes-Benz CLA250: 208, $32,975 24.

CLA45 AMG: 355, $50,425, $119

20.

Mercedes-Benz CLS400: 329, $67,825 CLS550: 402, $75,025, $99 AMG CLS63 S: 577, $108,725, $165

21.

Mercedes-Benz S550: 449, $96,575 S600: 523, $171,675, $1015 Maybach S600: 523, $191,975, $1289 AMG S63: 577, $144,175, $372 AMG S65: 621, $227,275, $760

Jaguar F-type: 340, $65,995 F-type S: 380, $78,295, $308 F-type R: 550, $104,595, $184 22.

10.

Chevrolet Camaro 2.0 Turbo: 275, $26,695 V-6: 335, $28,190, $25 SS: 455, $37,295, $59

11.

Chevrolet Corvette Stingray: 455, $56,395 Z06: 650, $80,395, $123

15 0,0 0 0

16.

Jaguar XJ: 340, $75,395 Supercharged: 470, $92,995, $135 XJR: 550, $118,995, $208

17.

Lexus RC200t: 241, $40,935 RC300: 255, $43,550, $187 RC350: 306, $43,720, $43 RC F: 467, $63,745, $101

Porsche 911 Carrera: 350, $85,295 S: 400, $99,895, $292 GTS: 430, $115,195, $374 GT3: 475, $132,395, $377 GT3 RS: 500, $176,895, $611 Turbo: 520, $152,095, $393 Turbo S: 560, $183,695, $469

2 0 0,0 0 0

23.

Porsche Cayman: 275, $53,595 S: 325, $65,095, $230 GTS: 340, $76,195, $348 GT4: 385, $85,595, $291 Porsche Panamera V-6: 310, $79,095 S: 420, $94,195, $137 S E-hybrid: 416, $97,095, $170 GTS: 440, $114,395, $272 Turbo: 520, $142,295, $301 Turbo S: 570, $181,295, $393

25.

Subaru Impreza: 148, $19,090 WRX: 268, $27,390, $69 WRX STI: 305, $35,490, $104

26.

Tesla Model S 70: 315, $71,200 70D: 328, $76,200, $385 85: 373, $81,200, $172 85D: 417, $86,200, $147 P85D: 463, $106,200, $236

27.

Volkswagen Golf TSI: 170, $19,315 GTI: 210, $25,815, $163 Golf R: 292, $36,470, $141

2 5 0,0 0 0

R OA DWO R K A H E A D

024

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upfront

. B A D A DV I C E

0 4 . 2 016 caranddriver.com

This Is Not a Made-Up Number* A LOOK INTO ADVISORY CORNERING SPEEDS. by Eric Tingwall POP QUIZ: The yellow dia-

mond-shaped sign on the side of the road says you should take the upcoming curve at 35 mph. At what speed can you actually travel through the bend?

45 mph? 55? Can you double it?

Depends on the car, right? It’s no surprise that the suggested speeds through curves fall well below what the average /:D PN[ ZN[NTR A_N¦P R[TV[RR_` design for trucks, inclement road conditions, inept drivers, and ambulance-chasing lawyers, not P Zero–shod sports coupes. But it also depends on the curve, and how reasonable that suggested speed actually is. We looked into how recommended cornering speeds are set, and we found a mishmash of malleable procedures

that are inconsistently applied. That’s why a 45-mph curve in Happyland, Oklahoma, often looks nothing like a 45-mph bend on SoCal’s Angeles Crest Highway. To no one’s surprise, research indicates that these curve advisory speeds are among the most disregarded signs on the road.

Even as the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has formalized its procedures in recent years, there’s still wide latitude for how state, county, and municipal agencies determine the curve advisory speeds on the roads they manage. The FHWA’s 35-page guidance document, pubYV`URQ V[ \ßR_` `N[PaV\[RQ ZRaU\Q` that fall into the three following fundamental categories, but engineers aren’t obligated to abide by them.

Finally, Congress Gets Something Right. (Sort Of.) In a fleeting moment of governmental competence, America’s elected officials approved a five-year, $305 billion road-funding plan this past December. The sensible, bipartisan action is known as the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. No transportation bill in the past decade has covered more than two years.

The bulk of the FAST Act money— $207 billion—will be distributed to states for road and bridge improvements, where the stability of a five-year plan could encourage local authorities to take on more ambitious, longer-term infrastructure programs. But it doesn’t provide much headroom for growth. The Department of Transportation contends that the 11-percent increase in spending from 2016 through 2021, primarily intended to offset inflation, isn’t enough to reduce congestion or keep pace with technology. The Obama administration had originally proposed a 45-percent increase.

As usual, finding the money that legislators have decided to spend remains a problem. Rising fuel efficiency means gas-tax revenues are falling and the Highway Trust Fund, which will pay for most of the FAST Act, already runs a deficit of $16 billion per year. With oil currently at unimaginable lows, it’s difficult to envision a better time to raise the gas tax or at the very least to index it to inflation. The current federal tax of 18.4 cents per gallon has been unchanged since 1993. The good news is that the FAST Act contains a provision to increase road funding in the unlikely event that our nation’s legislators grow a spine between now and 2021. Any additional revenue brought in to the Highway Trust Fund will automatically be authorized for highway spending. —ET

*Except when it is a made-up number.

photography by CHARLIE MAGEE

DIRECT

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S=

15R (0.112 – 0.00066V + 0.000091V2 + B/100) 1 + 0.00136R

DESIGN

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S = CURVE SPEED, MPH R = RADIUS OF CURVE, FEET V = AVERAGE TRUCK SPEED ON STRAIGHT LEADING INTO CURVE, MPH B = BANKING OF CURVE, PERCENT

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026

.

upfront

. T H E COLU M N ISTS

0 4 . 2 016 caranddriver.com

by John Phillips T H AT ’ S H OW T H E M E R C E D E S B E N D S .

I was reading U.S. motor-vehicle crash statistics on New Year’s Day—because that’s the kind of three-ring monkeyyammering festival of excitement my life has become—when 6 dN` ½\\_RQ Of ad\ SNPa` 3V_`a 6 UNQ ZV`]YNPRQ Zf Q_V[X \[Yf a\ ¼[Q Va ORV[T P\[`bZRQ Of Zf % ]\b[Q PNa ARQQf ?\\`RcRYa @RP\[Q B @ Q_VcR_` P_N`U N]]_\eVZNaRYf " # ZVYYV\[ aVZR` ]R_ fRN_ 4VcR[ \b_ ]\]bYNaV\[ \S ZVYYV\[ aUNa ZRN[` $ ]R_PR[a \S \b_ [bZOR_ N]]N_R[aYf _R^bV_R Sb_aUR_ eye-hand coordination or English-reading skills or cautionary aNYR` NO\ba QdRYYV[T V[ <μ0YRN_fμ` b[aVY YN`a PNYY dUVPU V` N[\aUR_ dNf a\ Y\`R f\b_ Q_V[X <S P\b_`R 6μcR X[\d[ S\YX` dU\ P_N`U ZbYaV]YR aVZR` ]R_ fRN_±aUR /b`PU O_\aUR_` S\_ V[`aN[PR \_ N[f ;39 ]YNfR_ Na NYY±dUVPU ZRN[` aUNa `aNaV`aVPNYYf SRdR_ \S b` N_R NPabNYYf QRc\aRQ a\ Q_VcV[T SRRa ONPXdN_Q aU_\bTU N S_bVa `aN[Q \[ /\PN CV`aN /\bYRcN_Q /ba 6 ZRN[ `R_V\b`Yf S\YX` VS " # ZVYYV\[ \S b` P_N`URQ `Nf \b_ 2N`f 0YVZOR_ `aNV_ YVSa` aUR_RμQ OR 4\Qμ` \d[ 0\[T_R``V\[NY URN_V[T PUNV_RQ Of 0YN_R[PR 1VaY\d N[Q aU_RR /N_ON_f N]R` DUNaμ` Z\_R aUR P_N`UR` dR_R ZR_RYf aU\`R _R]\_aRQ a\ ]\YVPR dUR_RN` Z\`a N_R[μa <[R R`aVZNaR V[ SNPa `bTTR`a` dR ZNf OR P_N`Uing 16 million times per year, and ]\``VOYf Z\_R VS 7b`aV[ /VROR_ _R[a` N[\aUR_ 9NZO\_TUV[V .Z 6 d_\[T UR_R \_ `U\bYQ RcR_f O\Qf `U\] V[ America be creating a new class of OVYYV\[NV_R`, 6 `ab]VQYf `abQVRQ Q_NSaV[T V[ UVTU `PU\\Y dUR[ 6 `U\bYQ UNcR `abQVRQ aUR ZV_NPhillips, shown here practicing defensive driving.

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It’s the ride ;,!; 1!ħ '89W When the sun meets the horizon and there’s nothing in front of you except the open road. That’s the only way to live. '; 3;38$@$£' -29<8!2$' ;3&!@W

Motorcycle geico.com | 1-800-442-9253 | /RFDO 2IĆ FH

Some discounts, coverages, payment plans and features are not available in all states or all GEICO companies. GEICO is a registered service mark of Government Employees Insurance Company, Washington, D.C. 20076; a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. subsidiary. Motorcycle and ATV coverages are underwritten by GEICO Indemnity Company. © 2016 GEICO

030

.

upfront

. T H E COLU M N ISTS

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P_N`URQ fRa .SaR_ YN[QV[T 6 aUV[T Oba RNPU \aUR_ N[Q aUR a\dR_ N[Q aUR ZRPUN[VP` QV` UNQ T\[R \cR_ a\ 2XOR_Tμ` UN[ TN_ dUR_R N` b`bNY N P_\dQ dN` R[W\fV[T NOYRQ aURZ RcR_f [VTUa a\ ]_RcR[a ½fNdNf QRSRPaV\[` . [bZOR_ \S ;N[PUN[T` N[Q FNX` YVcR Na Zf Y\PNY NV_]\_a N[Q S_\YVP V[ aUR `XVR` N` aUR AVTR_ @^bNQ_\[ ½fV[T aRNZ \cR_½fV[T ]\`a ½VTUa YVONaV\[` 6 dN` `VaaV[T aUR_R ]N_NQR` N[Q \aUR_ PVcVP RcR[a` N[Q `]R[QV[T @Nab_QNf` V[ Z\PX Q\T¼TUa` dVaU RNPU \aUR_ aNYXV[T a\ \[R \S aUR \YQ ½VTUa YV[R _Na` .` N XVQ 6 `\ZRaVZR` a\\X O_RNX` S_\Z Q_NdV[T CRPa\_` dVaU ]\YVPR `a_\OR` N[Q NO\ba U\d YR``\[` b`RQ a\ P\`a " N[ P_N`URQ Af__RYY 3 PN_` a\ Q_Nd 0R``[N` N[Q =V]R_` 6 ½V]]RQ aU_\bTU Zf P\]f \S Flying U\b_ V[PYbQV[T aUR ]YN[R dUR[ \[R YRT \S ZNTNgV[Rμ` TbVQR a\ aUR &$% Z\QRY` `\ ZN[f aVZR` aUNa aUR P\cR_ SRYY \ß Oba 6 ]ba NYY aUNa Zf ]YN`aVP PUNV_ `U\a NdNf dVaU N Y\bQ NdNf dUR[ 6 T\a Zf SN_ Z\_R NaaNV[NOYR Q_VcR_μ` YVPR[`R ²P_NPX ³ N[Q 6 ]Yb[TRQ a\ aUR ½\\_ 6 b[aN[ TYRQ Zf`RYS S_\Z aUR d_RPXNTR NPPR]aRQ 3YN`U S\_dN_Q ReNPaYf fRN_`( 6 [\d YVcR NO\ba ZV[baR` S_\Z 2XOR_Tμ` NV_]\_a . \[R \S aUR `RcR_NY ]_\ßR_RQ Pb]` \S PNOR_ P\b]YR \S Z\[aU` NT\ 6 a\\X N[ V[a_\QbPa\_f YR``\[ V[ N @YV[T XVa ]YN[R N `dVSa N[Q R¦ PVR[a YVaaYR `]N__\d OR`a QR`P_VORQ N` N :NgQN :E " :VNaN dVaU dV[T` 6 Q\[μa X[\d ZbPU [Ra N[Q aReaRQ ONPX' ²7b`a QVQ ³ 0 4 . 2 016

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032

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upfront

. T H E COLU M N ISTS

0 4 . 2 016 caranddriver.com

by Ezra Dyer E N V Y I N G T H E B L I N D FA I T H O F T H E B R A N D - L OYA L .

I wish I had an allegiance. I wish I were a Chevy guy or a Ford

guy or an anything-in-particular guy. I wish I cared enough to join a club, or at least procure a decal depicting a mischievous Calvin urinating on the logo of a despised rival. But where cars are concerned, I’m an omnivore, a gigolo sidling up to whatever slab of metal begs my attention. I wish it were otherwise, because the loyalists have it easy. If you’ve got a tattoo of a Camaro—which I’ve seen—then chances are you’re going to be pretty pumped about buying a Camaro, regardless of whether Ford rolls out a GT350. Life is simpler when Calvin pees away all the decisions.

As plenty of studies indicate, satisfaction becomes elusive when you’re confronted by too many options. Like, back on aUR S_\[aVR_ aUR_R dR_R NO\ba ¼cR ]R\]YR `\ f\b ZN__VRQ f\b_ P\b`V[ N[Q T\a \[ dVaU aUR business of deciding whether to hire a ferry or try to ford the river (my knowledge of frontier life is mostly informed by the 1980s computer game The Oregon Trail). Now there’s Tinder, you can go out on a date every night, and nobody’s happy. Or so I hear. When single friends show me their Tinder accounts, I furrow my brow, jab at the screen, and say: “You meet lady in phone? How she get out?!” and aUR[ _b[ \ß V[a\ aUR d\\Q` a\ scour rotten logs for insects to eat.

While I have no way to prove it, I suspect that die-hard brand loyalty was more common before the V[aR_[Ra N__VcRQ a\ QV`]R[`R V[¼[VaR inventory and instant criticism.

For instance, when I was a kid, my grandfather never drove anything but Cadillacs, even though he probably knew they were mediocre. He once precipitating another encounter with the contested a speeding ticket by arguing that law. He escaped with a warning, possibly his 1985 Seville couldn’t physically attain because a Florida cop was mildly amused the speed he was clocked at unless he had a by a senior citizen redlining his Seville running start from the top of a mountain down PGA Boulevard. three states over. The judge threw out the My grandfather stuck with Cadillac ticket, validating the bold “My Car Is Real long enough to witness the company go from building sadly underpowered cars to Slow” defense. building terrifyingly overpowered ones.

That ’85 Seville sailed along on a relaxed 135 horsepower, so his subsequent His Northstar STS attempted, with vary’91 STS felt like a Yenko Camaro by coming degrees of success, to route 300 horseparison. I was riding in back when he dempower through the front tires. By then I onstrated the new hopped-up 4.9-liter V-8, was old enough to drive it, and I remember

“As plenty of studies indicate, satisfaction becomes elusive when you’re confronted by too many options.”

UV` NQZ\[VaV\[ aUR ¼_`a aVZR 6 ½\\_RQ Va a\ merge onto the highway: Keep both hands on the wheel. It was good advice, because I think STS stood for Severe Torque Steer.

Still, did the guy ever lament that he didn’t buy a BMW or a Jag or a Lexus, cars he would’ve loved? No, because as far as he was concerned, they didn’t exist. He was a Cadillac guy, and that was that.

I, on the other hand, have absolutely no loyalty to anyone. My driveway is a meritocracy, the result of research, of methodical winnowing, the distillation of carefully weighted priorities. It takes me forever to buy a car, and even then the wander-eye doesn’t stop. It’s a form of torment, really.

I wish I could be like my sister-in-law, who occasionally solicits my opinion on potential vehicle purchases. Giving her advice is easy, because she drives a 2005 Chevy Suburban and will only consider replacing it with another Suburban. So she emails me a listing and I say: “Yep, that sure is a Suburban! Looks good to me.” When she ultimately pulls the trigger, I’m thinking that she’ll go with the Suburban.

As for the rest of us, I wondered whether we’d be happier if Sergio Marchionne merged away our automotive options. So I got in touch with Barry Schwartz, a professor at Swarthmore College and author of The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less. Schwartz is an expert on the stresses caused by an overabundance of choices, so I wanted to know whether he thought brand loyalty might be a form of psychological defense for car buyers, a shortcut to circumvent endless deliberations and buyer’s remorse.

“There’s no question that brand loyalty makes car buying easier,” Schwartz says. “It reduces the choice problem quite considerably.

And people give up pretty little, given how high quality almost all cars are these days.” True enough.

And how does Schwartz pick a car? “I’ve been driving a Toyota Camry since 1986,” he says. “Car choosing takes about a half-hour. I will, however, be buying a Prius this summer.”

Well, that’s a safe bet, too. Just pick the Prius or the Prius c or the Prius v. And if it’s aUR ¼_`a \[R Va Wb`a T\a _RQR`VT[RQ `\ aUR " N[Q # N_R QVßR_R[a PN_` ;\d f\b_ 2015 had a plug-in model . . . speaking of which, that Chevy Volt is sweet. And have you seen the lease prices on BMW i3s?

I don’t know, Professor. I don’t say this very often, but maybe you should just stick with the Camry.

Introducing the new V1 V1 rarely changes on the outside.

Can you spot what’s new?

Can you spot the difference?

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쑺 sharing with auxiliary devices.

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Can you spot the difference?

쑺 Longer range: warning distance increased on Ka-band.

The first V1 detail you see—the Radar Locator: It’s a Valentine One invention. Where’s the radar?

Or laser? A red arrow points to the source.

Can you spot the difference? 쑺 Laser warning redesigned to

But you can’t see “Continuous Improvement.”

We don’t do model changes. Instead, when we have a new trick, it goes into V1 immediately.

New LED display identifies each

All new components inside. Over the years, our engineers have made 26 major performance revs inside V1. In effect, they’ve changed everything.

We want our customers to get our very best ideas as soon as we can build them.

Our newest trick we call Junk-K Fighter. Like most of V1’s improvement, you can’t see it. It’s a software algorithm that recognizes unthreatening K-band alerts and preemptively excludes them. You won’t hear a thing. Our customers call it a breakthrough.

Can you spot the difference?

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Radar Behind

Junk-K Fighter is built into every new V1.

Can we build one for you?

Answer: Nope, Junk-K Fighter is a software algorithm.

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feature—the Radar Locator.

**Answer: Nope, but V1 owners sure know it’s there.

© 2016 VRI

www.valentine1.com

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034

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upfront

. GU E ST COLU M N IST

0 4 . 2 016 caranddriver.com

by Peter Manso W H Y D O R AC E R S VO T E R E P U B L I C A N ?

In this wacky election cycle of ours, I’m being asked by some

of my academic neighbors here in Berkeley to generalize on how racers vote. My answer is simple: The majority of car peo]YR R`]RPVNYYf _NPR_` N_R _VTUaVR` .` RcVQR[PR 6 ]_\ßR_ ?VPUN_Q 0UVYQ_R`` N[Q UV` fRN_` \S `R_cV[T \[ aUR ;?.μ` O\N_Q \S QV_RPa\_`( ?\TR_ =R[`XR N` \[R \S aUR P\b[a_fμ` UR_PbYRN[ OVT Z\[Rf P\[a_VOba\_` a\ ?R]bOYVPN[ ]_R`VQR[aVNY PN[QVQNaR`( and “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, who years back ran as a candidate for Florida’s 5th Congressional District, calling for the FBI to “turn up the heat” on any American failing to espouse ]Na_V\aVP ORYVRS` AUR ^bR`aV\[ \S N _NPR_μ` 4<= N¦[Vaf V` [\a “if” so much as “why,” and the answer is that conservative politics mirror who and what these guys really are.

DUNaμ` aUR QVßR_R[PR ORadRR[ N YVOR_NY N[Q N P\[`R_cNaVcR, 3\_ aUR ^bVPX N[Q RN`f answer we must go to John Locke and Edmund Burke, the two 17th- and 18th-century English philosophers who cemented the left-right distinction for all of modern times. The YVOR_NY ]R_ 9\PXR ORYVRcR` V[ aUR ]R_SRPaVOVYVaf \S ZN[XV[Q dUR_RN` /b_XRμ` ²?R½RPaV\[` \[ aUR ?Rc\YbaV\[ V[ 3_N[PR ³ N bestselling pamphlet when published in 1790, preached human limitation and the doggedness of original sin. For the conservative, government is suspect. To the liberal, society should be improved through human intelligence, which is the seed of all human progress.

Conservativism sees human beings N` OR`aVNY N[Q `RY¼`U( ]R\]YR N_R basically competitive, as well as unequal in their abilities or value to society, and those who contribute AUR_R UNcR ORR[ RePR]aV\[` .f_a\[ more deserve greater rewards. The wellintentioned collectivism of the liberal, the Senna gave huge sums to Brazil’s poor, and conservative argues, only deprives society =NbY ;RdZN[μ` PUN_VaVR` N[Q `b]]\_a \S of its vitality and inhibits the achievement Eugene McCarthy and George McGovern that comes with individualism. put him on the left. But the racer’s task, 9V`aR[ a\ ?VPUN_Q =Raaf' ²AUR ZNW\_Vaf ¼_`a N[Q S\_RZ\`a V` a\ aR`a UVZ`RYS 5R V` of the people I associate with are conservanot a normal person, no 9-to-5’er with the tive because they make their own decisecurity of dental insurance, but a selfsions on what to do on the race car, when to NO`\_ORQ `RYS R[ZR`URQ ¼Tb_R 5V` W\O V` make pit stops. They’re very individual to live on the edge and do so unrelentingly, people. . . . City people wind up more liberal with the knowledge that there can be a very because they’re depending on somebody to steep price to pay for failure. own their house or clean the streets.”

Today’s top drivers are, to a one, rich,

“He is not a normal person, no 9-to-5’er with the security of dental insurance, but a self-absorbed, self-enmeshed figure.”

N[Q aUR ?R]bOYVPN[` N_R aUR ]N_af \S ]_\]erty. But leave the money aside and what we’re talking about is a life of tension, for racers pursue perfection in a world con`a_NV[RQ Of YVZVa` =N_NQ\e V` aURV_ ZVQQYR name. Though most of these guys would never admit it, they do toss and turn at night, playing and replaying an endless ¼YZ`a_V] \S aUR N]]_\NPU a\ 2Nb ?\bTR Na Spa-Francorchamps, say, or scenes of yetuntried drafting moves at Daytona or Charlotte. Like co-dependents trapped in longtime marriages, many, I have found in talking to racers for the past 40 years, may ¼[Q aURZ`RYcR` Ub__VRQYf ]U\[V[T P_Rd chiefs or team engineers at 2:00 a.m., wanting to brainstorm on how to make their cars go faster. Formula 1, IndyCar, ;.@0.?( Va ZNXR` [\ QVßR_R[PR What a professional racer does is hard.

The cozy, copacetic myth of “teamsmanship” fostered by money-minded sponsors ONPXRQ b] Of N dRYY YbO_VPNaRQ =? N]]N_Ntus is bullshit. The driver is alone. Forget the spotters, the radio bud implanted in his RN_ aUR P\Z]baR_ Re]R_a` V[ aUR ]Va`( V[`VQR that car, he is in a vacuum, with only his feet on the pedals, chasing this strangest of ]NaU` a\ SbY¼YYZR[a URμ` PU\`R[ N` UV` YVSRμ` work. Like many an artist, he’s driven, and it’s not hard to see that racing drivers are simply too focused, too self-centered to spend much time thinking about homelessness, racism, unemployment, or the unbalanced economy. “It’s me and me alone” is the mantra. /f QR¼[VaV\[ PUNZ]V\[` N_R brilliant, but a champion is nothing if not a prodigy of focus and will. @V_ 7NPXVR @aRdN_a Re]YNV[RQ a\ me years ago that “to completely master this machine, to be able to aRYY Va ReNPaYf dUNa f\b dN[a Va a\ Q\ and to drive yourself along with the machine to the very limit that only you yourself can determine, why, this requires a tremendous amount of honesty—honesty in your own personality and your belief in who you are and how good you are.”

Who do you hear most clearly here, 0YV[a\[ \_ A_bZ] 0_bg /b`U 0\ , 6aμ` been said that no one with a heart can resist being a liberal, and that no one who has a brain can avoid being a conservative. But the answer for a racer, I think, is obvious.

Peter Manso, a fallen-away academic, has written a number of books, including Pulitzer Prize–nominated bios of Marlon Brando and Norman Mailer, and Faster! his account of Sir Jackie Stewart’s 1970 season.

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042

.

car meets road

WE TAKE THE NEW BMW M2 TO DEATH VALLEY AND PUT THE HAMMER DOWN.

by Tony Quiroga —

photography by GREG PAJO

043

044

.

car meets road

045

Albert Hammond sang it best: “It never rains in California, but girl, don’t they warn ya; it pours, man, it pours.”

A winter storm is pounding Southern California, and wouldn’t you know it? Its arrival perfectly coincides with our week with the new BMW M2. What luck. It pours, man, it pours.

To beat the storm, we’re headed east in the hope that the Sierra Nevada’s prodigious rain shadow will keep us dry. Three hours northeast of Los Angeles is Olancha, a tiny settlement with a population of 192. We pull into an abandoned diner to consider our options. It’s still raining out here, but the forecast is dry for Day Two of M2, so we make plans to settle in nearby Ridgecrest for the night.

Olancha sits at the origin of the eastern segment of California State Route 190, the road to Death Valley. A C/D favorite, 190 starts out as lonesome straightaways and CinemaScope cV`aN` `RRZV[TYf ]bYYRQ S_\Z aUR ¼YZ Vanishing Point. Blue mountains capped with snow sur_\b[Q b` <ß a\ aUR `\baU N_R Qb[R` . ]NPX \S coyotes eyes the M2, and a clear view of the road ahead stretches for miles. Despite this, 190 is not exactly an American autobahn. A few years ago, our deputy editor learned that four¼Tb_R YR``\[ S_\Z N[ 6[f\ 0\b[af `UR_Vß L.A.’s drought-parched reservoirs are ORTV[[V[T a\ ¼YY Oba N` U\]RQ S\_ dRμ_R `aNfing dry in the desert rain shadow. After spending some of the morning on surrounding roads, dR cR[ab_R ONPX a\ & a\ ¼[Q Va N` `YVPX N[Q glazed as a Krispy Kreme original. The M2 bucks underneath us, its wide Michelin Pilot Super Sports singing over the coarse, 40-grit asphalt. Knowing a ticket for 100 mph has $1000 consequences, we keep the speed blasts brief. Fortunately, the road is barely traveled in the winter months. We count eight cars in the ¼_`a U\b_ \S Q_VcV[T 6[ aUR `bZZR_ aUR QR`R_a heat brings tourists and police patrols. Still, we

046 0 4 . 2 016 caranddriver.com

delay probing the 164-mph top speed till we reach the test track, even though the M2 is stable at that speed.

There’s a lot of big-brother M4 under the M2, and the regular 2-series’ diminutive body swells to cover the wider parts.

From certain angles, the M2 appears to UNcR aUR ZbZ]` AUR YVZVaRQ `YV] QVßR_R[tial, the forged 19-inch wheels, and most of the aluminum suspension components are shared with the M4, but the M2 has its own dampers, springs, and slightly narrower aV_R` 9VXR aUR :!μ` Va` cR_f `aVß `Rab] dVYY WVTTYR f\b_ ½NOOf OVa` AUR_Rμ` [\a `\ ZbPU N` a quiver from the structure, however. A plate added to the front end cinches the alreadytight 2-series structure even tighter.

After a couple of hours, sunlight dries the road and we head into the roughly 15-mile section of 190 that carves through the Panamint Range and into Death Valley National Park. Through the mountain pass, the M2 acts exactly like an M4. There’s dogged grip from the Michelins—actually, 0.99 g worth of easily used stick, says the skidpad. The brakes are pulled straight from the M4, and that means four-piston calipers in front and two-piston units in the rear clamp iron rotors pinned to aluminum hats. Pedal bite is excellent, and the brakes actually became stronger after repeated stops from 70 mph in testing.

We pass Father Crowley Vista Point, named for John J. Crowley, an Irish priest who served the area in the 1920s and ’30s.

Crowley fought the city of Los Angeles for

Naturally Deserted

A mix of long straights and tight corners that cut over the Panamint Range, California Route 190 pairs well with the M2’s turbocharged horsepower and nimble handling. In the summer, high temperatures and chalk-powder scenery bring in their share of tourists. But the winter temps can fall below zero, so visitors are sparse and the road is empty. Father Crowley Vista Point is worth a stop for the mountain views and the chance to see Navy F/A-18s in training as they blast through the valley.

190 190

FATHER CROWLEY VISTA POINT

DE ATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK N 190

190

190

PANAMINT SPRINGS OL ANCHA LOS ANGELE S

car meets road

Much of the M2’s chassis is lifted directly from the M4, but the tires are slightly narrower and the dampers aren’t electronically adjustable.

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car meets road

0 4 . 2 016

BMW M2 As solid, powerful, and fun as its bulldog looks imply. _ Limited steering feel, synthesized engine sounds. = Skip the M4 and go straight to the M2, collect $14,000. +

caranddriver.com

the area’s water rights when a parched L.A. diverted the Owens River in 1913. By 1926, L.A. had sucked Owens Lake dry. A oncefertile valley became a windblown dust bowl, and Crowley became known as the Padre of the desert.

We’re driving like hell through the good Padre’s parish. The M2’s six-speed manual slides into gear on short throws, and the ’box brilliantly matches engine revs on downshifts. A seven-speed dual-clutch automatic is optional, but we’re enamored with the manual. For a stubborn heel-toe believer, it takes a while to get used to not having to tap the throttle while braking for a corner. If f\b dN[a a\ OYV] S\_ f\b_`RYS aUR _Rc ZNaPUV[T `dVaPUR` \ß dUR[ you deactivate stability control.

Not that downshifting is entirely necessary. The M2’s turboPUN_TRQ YVaR_ UN` \PPV]VaNY ½NaaR[V[T aU_b`a S_\Z NO\ba rpm to the 7000-rpm redline. An overboost feature bumps the torque peak from 343 pound-feet to 369, and the torque curve draws a wide plateau from 1450 to 4750 rpm. Turbo response is immediate, and the R[TV[R V` `RRZV[TYf b[NßRPaRQ Of aUR !&"# foot altitude at Towne Pass. An outgrowth of the N55 line of turbocharged inlinesixes, the M2’s 365-hp engine shares its

pistons, crank bearings, and redlinesmooching spirit with the M4’s S55 engine.

In runs to 60 mph, the M2’s 4.2-second time is 0.7 second quicker than a manual M235i and only a tenth slower than the sixspeed M4. By 100 mph, the gap widens to a `RP\[Q N[Q aUR_Rμ` N ! $ `RP\[Q QVßR_R[PR to 150 mph between the M2 and the M4.

It’s loud inside, with 89 decibels of what sounds like a V-8 throbbing through the stereo speakers at full throttle. Set the cruise at 80 mph and there’s a deep and everpresent hum in your ears. At 70, it produces an economy-car-like 72 decibels. What we’d really like to hear is the turbine snarl of the M2’s inline-six under pressure, instead of the automotive equivalent of Muzak.

As in the M4, the information coming through the light steering is distant and SNV[a AUR Rß\_a ObVYQ` V[ `]\_a Z\QR Oba aUR_Rμ` [\ ]_\T_R``VcR _V`R V[ Rß\_a dUR[

BMW M2 SPECI FIC ATIONS PRICE AS TESTED ......................................... $53,245 BASE ................................................. $52,695 VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive,

4-passenger, 2-door coupe OPTIONS: Long Beach Blue Metallic paint, $550 STANDARD: power windows and locks, remote

locking, cruise control, tilting-and-telescoping steering wheel AUDIO SYSTEM: satellite radio; CD player;

minijack, USB, and Bluetooth-audio inputs; 12 speakers ENGINE

turbocharged and intercooled inline-6, aluminum block and head BORE X STROKE ... 3.31 x 3.52 in, 84.0 x 89.6 mm DISPLACEMENT .................... 182 cu in, 2979 cc COMPRESSION RATIO .............................. 10.2:1 FUEL DELIVERY SYSTEM ........... direct injection TURBOCHARGER ..................... BorgWarner B03 MAXIMUM BOOST PRESSURE ................ 14.5 psi VALVE GEAR: double overhead cams, 4 valves per cylinder, hydraulic lash adjusters, variable intakeand exhaust-valve timing and intake-valve lift REDLINE/FUEL CUTOFF ........... 7000/7300 rpm POWER ............................. 365 hp @ 6500 rpm TORQUE .......................... 369 lb-ft @ 1450 rpm DRIVETRAIN TRANSMISSION ........................ 6-speed manual FINAL-DRIVE RATIO ................ 3.46:1, limited slip GEAR 1 2 3 4 5 6

........ ........ ........ ........ ........ ........

RATIO

MPH PER 1000 RPM

MAX SPEED IN GEAR (rpm)

4.11 .........

2.32 .......

1.54 ........

1.18 .........

1.00 ........

0.85 .......

5.2 ...........

9.3 ...........

14.0 ..........

18.3 ..........

21.5 ..........

25.4 .........

38 mph (7300) 68 mph (7300) 102 mph (7300) 134 mph (7300) 157 mph (7300) 164 mph (6450)

CHASSIS

unit construction BODY MATERIAL: steel and aluminum stampings STEERING

rack-and-pinion with variable electric power assist

RATIO ..................................................... 15.0:1 TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK ................................ 2.3 TURNING CIRCLE CURB-TO-CURB .......... 38.4 ft SUSPENSION F: ind, strut located by 1 diagonal link and 1 lateral

link, coil springs, anti-roll bar

EXTERIOR DIMENSIONS WHEELBASE .................................... 106.0 in LENGTH .......................................... 176.2 in WIDTH ............................................... 73.0 in HEIGHT ............................................ 55.5 in FRONT TRACK .................................. 62.2 in REAR TRACK .................................... 63.0 in GROUND CLEARANCE ......................... 4.8 in INTERIOR DIMENSIONS SAE VOLUME ................. F: 52 cu ft R: 37 cu ft TRUNK ............................................. 14 cu ft

R: ind; 2 diagonal links, 2 lateral links, and a toe-

control link per side; coil springs; anti-roll bar BRAKES F: 15.0 x 1.2-in vented, cross-drilled disc R: 14.6 x 0.9-in vented, cross-drilled disc STABILITY CONTROL .... fully defeatable, traction

off, competition mode WHEELS AND TIRES WHEEL SIZE/CONSTRUCTION

......... F: 9.0 x 19 in R: 10.0 x 19 in/ forged aluminum TIRES ....................... Michelin Pilot Super Sport F: 245/35R-19 93Y R: 265/35R-19 98Y

N O TA B L E HIGHLIGHTS The M2’s engine is a so-called top-output variant of the older N55 found in most BMWs and not the newer, modular B-series nor a Motorsport “S” engine. The pistons, rings, main bearing shells, and closed-deck block design are, however, borrowed from the M3/M4’s S55 inline-six.

049 turning into a corner. Too often the car is The M2’s turbo six a virtually laggripping hard—or worse yet, slipping— freeissource of power. while the steering tells you nothing. It’s best Lighter than the M4, 365-hp M2 is to ignore the paltry information coming the nearly a match for its through the steering wheel and trust in the 425-hp big brother. chassis, as the handling is spectacular. It’s O\aU ]YNfSbY N[Q `RPb_R N[Q aUR ¼_Z `b`]R[`V\[ `aVaPUR` aUR ! " pound M2 to the road. And yet, more than once we found ourselves daydreaming about the perfectly weighted and honest steering of a Porsche Cayman.

On the eastern edge of the mountain pass is the Panamint @]_V[T` ?R`\_aμ` TN` `aNaV\[ dUR_R N TNYY\[ \S ]_RZVbZ P\`a` " & 6[ ZVYR` \S Q_VcV[T aUR : NcR_NTRQ Z]T AUNa QV]` V[a\ aUR aRR[` aU\bTU dUR[ _b[[V[T SN`a \cR_ UVTUdNf & aUR `R_VR`μ YVaaYR $ TNYY\[ aN[X RZ]afV[T V[ `U\_a \_QR_ 6[ NO\ba ad\ U\b_` \S Q_VcV[T ONPX N[Q S\_aU \cR_ aUR Z\b[aNV[` dRμcR Ob_[RQ aU_\bTU UNYS N aN[X 6a dVYY OR R[\bTU S\_ N _b[ V[a\ 1RNaU CNYYRf N[Q ONPX a\ aUR ZV[V[T a\d[ \S A_\[N dVaU\ba ObfV[T N[f " TN` 9\[T `a_NVTUa` \[ aUR cNYYRf ½\\_ ab_[ V[a\ Y\[T UVTU `]RRQ

`dRR]R_` \cR_ aUR Z\b[aNV[ N[Q V[a\ 1RNaU CNYYRf <b_ NaaR[aV\[ QVcR_a` a\ aUR : μ` V[aR_V\_ AUR PNOV[ V` `aN[QN_Q `R_VR` SN_R Q_R``RQ b] dVaU : `]RPV¼P TNbTR` N[Q NPPR[aRQ dVaU N [NXRQ PN_ O\[ ¼OR_ YVXR dRNcR AUR_R V` `\ZR `P_NaPUf `UV[f ]YN`aVP ORadRR[ the seats, but it’s mostly out of sight. Our preproduction example has us manually adjusting the seats and the fan speeds; production versions will have power seats and automatic climate control. <[ aUR`R Q_Nd[ \ba R``R` aU\bTUa` _RRY ONPX a\ aUR YNaR `R_VR` : aUR : μ` ]_RQRPR``\_ . `Xb[Xd\_X` ]_\WRPa aUR `R_VR` : Y\\XRQ YVXR N `R_VR` Q\[R Of 7N]N[R`R =\_`PUR Z\[`aR_¼R_ ?.B5 DRYa /R_T_Vß Oba Va UNQ N `Z\\aU N[Q `a_\[T `Ve ONYN[PRQ UN[ QYV[T a\[` \S _R¼[RZR[a N[Q _VTVQVaf N[Q ]R_SRPa `aRR_V[T PYN_Vaf 6a dN` YVXR N /:Dμ` T_RNaR`a UVa` NYObZ 9bPXf ObfR_` ^bVPXYf `[N]]RQ b] aUR YVZVaRQ _b[ \S $! PN_` The M2 is a modern BMW, which means the steering is a bit _RZ\cRQ N[Q aUR `aR_R\ ]YNf` R[TV[R `\b[Q` /ba Va UN` aUR Y\\X VS [\a aUR V__R]_R``VOYR `\bY \S aUR `R_VR` : 6aμ` N `U_b[XR[ :!

O\aU V[ `VgR N[Q ]_VPR .[ :! `aN_a` Na ## #&" N[Q aUR : P\`a` " #&" 4Ra aUR : N[Q `NcR aUR ! S\_ N _NV[f QNf

COM PETITORS

CAR AND DRIVER TEST RESULTS ACCEL ERATIO N

BRA K I N G, 70-TO -ZE R O M P H

ZERO TO

FIRST STOP ................................... 167 ft SHORTEST STOP ....................... 159 ft LONGEST STOP ............................ 167 ft FADE RATING ................................ NONE

E N G I N E P H OTO G R A P H C O U R T E SY O F B M W

SECONDS 30 MPH .............................................. 1.8 40 MPH ............................................. 2.6 50 MPH ............................................. 3.4 60 MPH ....................................... 4.2 70 MPH ............................................. 5.5 80 MPH ............................................. 6.7 90 MPH .............................................. 8.1 100 MPH .................................... 10.0 110 MPH ............................................. 12.1 120 MPH .......................................... 14.5 130 MPH .......................................... 18.0 140 MPH .......................................... 22. 2 150 MPH .......................................... 27.0 ROLLING START, 5–60 MPH .......... 4.7 TOP GEAR, 30–50 MPH .................. 5.7 TOP GEAR, 50–70 MPH ................. 4.7 1/4-MILE ............. 12.7 sec @ 113 mph TOP SPEED (GOV LTD) .............. 164 mph

TEST NOTES: Easy to launch. Rev to 2100 rpm, release the clutch, and go.

Hooks up well for a car with this much torque. Quick shifts into second gear include a crunch, but the M2 never failed to engage. Long cool-downs ensured that the engine remained in overboost mode.

FUEL CAPACITY .................................. 13.7 gal OCTANE ................. 93 (recommended) EPA CITY/HWY ....... 18/26 mpg (C/D est) C/D OBSERVED .................... 20 mpg

TEST NOTES: The pedal is not overly stiff, but after a bit of travel the big brakes bite hard. At normal speeds, it’s easy to brake quickly and smoothly.

Stopping distances improved as the brakes and tires warmed up. Zero drama, even after slowing from 150 many times.

H A N DLI N G ROADHOLDING, 300-FT-DIA SKIDPAD .............. 0.99 g UNDERSTEER ......................... MINIMAL TEST NOTES: Clings to the skidpad tenaciously; exploiting the abundant grip is easy. Front pushes gradually and recovers immediately with a slow lift of the throttle. The rear end will start drifting if provoked by big throttle inputs.

Steering feel is lacking.

W E I GH T CURB ........................................... 3415 lb PER HORSEPOWER ...................... 9.4 lb DISTRIBUTION .......... F: 51.7% R: 48.3% TOWING CAPACITY ........................... 0 lb

AUDI TTS (2.0-L I-4, 292 HP, 6-SP AUTO) BMW M2 (3.0-L I-6, 365 HP, 6-SP MAN) FORD MUSTANG SHELBY GT350 (5.2-L V-8, 526 HP, 6-SP MAN) PORSCHE CAYMAN (2.7-L FLAT-6, 275 HP, 6-SP MAN) CURRENT BASE PRICE dollars x 1000 Includes freight and performance options.

M2 TTS CAYMAN GT350 52

IDLE ............................................. 51 dBA FULL THROTTLE ...................... 89 dBA 70-MPH CRUISING .................... 72 dBA

56

58

70–0 BRAKING feet CAYMAN GT350 TTS M2 148

151

154

157

160

ACCEL ERAT ION 0–60 & 1/4-mile, seconds GT350 M2 TTS CAYMAN 4

5

6

12

13

14

ROADHOL DING 300-foot skidpad, g CAYMAN M2 GT350 TTS 0.98

INTERIOR SOUND LEVEL

54

0.99

1.00

1.01

1.02

1.03

C A L I F O R N I A CAN THE NEW MALIBU FIND SOME REAL ESTATE AMONG THE BEST MID-SIZE SEDANS?

CHEVROLET MALIBU LT PRICE > $27,940 POWER > 163 hp TORQUE > 184 lb-ft WEIGHT > 3159 lb C/D OBSERVED MPG > 23

0 5 0

COMPARO

BY AARON ROBINSON

/

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHARLIE MAGEE

D R E A M I N G TOYOTA CAMRY SE PRICE > $27,075 POWER > 178 hp TORQUE > 170 lb-ft WEIGHT > 3297 lb C/D OBSERVED MPG > 23

HONDA ACCORD SPORT

MAZDA 6 i TOURING

PRICE > $26,900 POWER > 189 hp TORQUE > 182 lb-ft WEIGHT > 3356 lb C/D OBSERVED MPG > 23

PRICE > $26,130 POWER > 184 hp TORQUE > 185 lb-ft WEIGHT > 3227 lb C/D OBSERVED MPG > 25

LET’S START THE PROCEEDINGS WITH A COUPLE OF TOASTS. First, here’s to the ancient Chumash Indians, the name of whose little creekside California hamlet of Humaliwo got boiled down by the tongues of the conquering Spanish into the word Malibu.

And here’s to the widow Rhoda May Knight Rindge, or May to her friends. The last owner of the 17,000-acre Rancho Malibu, she battled the burgeoning Los Angeles County to stop its plans for N P\N`aNY _\NQ aU_\bTU UR_ ]_\]R_af /ba ONPX V[ & & 9 . T\a dUNa 9 . dN[aRQ N[Q aUR =NPV¼P Coast Highway was born as the Roosevelt Highway. Luckily, Rindge did not live to see the banks of her beloved Malibu Creek developed with outlets for Starbucks and Yogasmoga. Nor, indeed, did she live to see the mid-size Chevy Chevelle that took the rancho’s name in 1964.

Why all the fuss over Malibu in this test of four mid-size sedans?

No particular reason, except that we decided to take the new Malibu and its most formidable competitors to Rindge’s old, sunny seaside homestead, where the miles of good road are today outnumbered only by the suntanned utopians carrying their teacup Maltipoos.

Radically redesigned this year, the Chevy Maltipoo, er, Malibu has its name written on the front doors in widely spaced movie-theatermarquis letters, as if a David Lean epic is about to open. To keep the prices real, we opted for the base engines on all the cars in this test.

0 5 1

052

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comparo

0 4 . 2 016

While the others here have conventionally breathing four-cylinder R[TV[R` QV`]YNPV[T ! a\ " YVaR_` aUR :NYVOb T\R` ab_O\ _VTUa \ß the bat with a blown 1.5-liter. Our LT is a couple of steps up from the bottom, and as equipped is the most expensive car here at $27,940.

5\dRcR_ X[\PX \ß aUR " `b[_\\S aUNa dR \]R[RQ Wb`a \[PR a\ make sure it did open, and the Malibu would be the second-cheapest car in this test.

We’re always extolling the Honda Accord, and its near-perennial status as a 10Best winner ensures its place in this test as the high castle for everyone else to throw rocks at. The version to buy is the Sport manual, but as this is a slush-only test, we took this opportunity to live for a while with the optional continuously variable transmission. A CVT is as far as you can possibly get from a manual unless your car has hydrostatic drive. The Accord doesn’t, Oba Va Q\R` \ßR_ N @R[`V[T ]NPXNTR dVaU N Ob[PU \S N[aV P\YYV`V\[ systems that add a grand to the price. Even so, at $26,900, this Accord Sport represents the second-lowest price.

Mazda’s 6 is always a sales underdog, a brand-B pick that is still built in Japan and still living in the shadows of giants. More than seven Toyota Camrys get sold for every Mazda 6. But the 6 is a former comparo winner and 10Best awardee. If the Malibu is to earn space on the zestier side of the family-car menu, it’s the 6 that it will have to contend with. The current 6 debuted in 2014 but got an update for 2016 that includes a fancier interior. Of the three trim levels available, our Touring is the middle one, with a 184-hp 2.5liter four and a six-speed automatic. Our sleek test car arrived with Wb`a \[R \]aV\[' @\bY ?RQ ]NV[a And speaking of the big C, here comes the sales champ, natty in a swish blue robe and rolling on 18-inch aluminum wheels with

MA ZDA’S 6 IS ALWAYS A SALES UNDERDOG, A BRAND-B PICK THAT IS STILL BUILT IN JAPAN AND STILL LIVING IN THE SHADOWS OF GIANTS. MORE THAN SEVEN TOYOTA CAMRYS GET SOLD FOR EVERY MAZDA 6.

CHEVROLET MALIBU LT

VEHICLE

BASE PRICE $25,895 PRICE AS TESTED $27,940

HONDA ACCORD SPORT

MAZDA 6 i TOURING

TOYOTA CAMRY SE

$25,100 $26,900

$24,780 $26,130

$24,675 $27,075

192.5 inches 72.8 inches 57.7 inches 109.3 inches 62.4 inches 62.7 inches F: 56 cubic feet R: 47 cubic feet 16 cubic feet

191.5 inches 72.4 inches 57.1 inches 111.4 inches 62.8 inches 62.4 inches F: 54 cubic feet R: 46 cubic feet 15 cubic feet

190.9 inches 71.7 inches 57.9 inches 109.3 inches 62.4 inches 62.0 inches F: 53 cubic feet R: 48 cubic feet 15 cubic feet

DOHC 16-valve inline-4 144 cu in (2356 cc)

DOHC 16-valve Atkinson-capable inline-4 152 cu in (2488 cc) 184 @ 5700 185 @ 3250 6500/6250 rpm 17.5

DOHC 16-valve inline-4 152 cu in (2494 cc) 178 @ 6000 170 @ 4100 6300/6300 rpm 18.5

3.24

6-speed automatic front 1 3.55/5.7/36 2 2.02/10.0/63 3 1.45/14.0/88 4 1.00/20.3/127 5 0.71/28.7/135 6 0.60/33.9/118 3.81

6-speed automatic front 1 3.30/6.2/39 2 1.90/10.8/68 3 1.42/14.5/91 4 1.00/20.6/112 5 0.71/28.9/112 6 0.61/33.9/112 3.63

F: struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar R: multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar F: 12.3-inch vented disc R: 11.1-inch disc fully defeatable

F: struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar R: multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar F: 11.7-inch vented disc R: 10.9-inch disc fully defeatable

DIMENSIONS

193.8 inches 73.0 inches 57.7 inches 111.4 inches 62.6 inches 62.5 inches F: 56 cubic feet R: 47 cubic feet TRUNK 16 cubic feet

LENGTH WIDTH HEIGHT WHEELBASE FRONT TRACK REAR TRACK INTERIOR VOLUME

POWERTRAIN ENGINE

POWER HP @ RPM TORQUE LB-FT @ RPM REDLINE/FUEL CUTOFF LB PER HP

turbocharged DOHC 16-valve inline-4 91 cu in (1490 cc) 163 @ 5600 184 @ 2000 6500/6600 rpm 19.4

189 @ 6400 182 @ 3900 6800/6800 rpm 17.8

DRIVELINE

6-speed automatic front 1 4.58/5.2/34 2 2.96/8.0/53 3 1.91/12.5/83 4 1.45/16.4/108 5 1.00/23.8/130 6 0.75/31.7/130 AXLE RATIO:1 3.23

TRANSMISSION DRIVEN WHEELS GEAR RATIO:1/ MPH PER 1000 RPM/ MAX MPH

CVT front LOW 2.65/8.9/61 HIGH 0.41/58.1/127

CHASSIS F: struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar R: multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar BRAKES F: 11.8-inch vented disc R: 11.3-inch disc STABILITY CONTROL fully defeatable, traction off TIRES Goodyear Assurance P225/55R-17 95H M+S

Continental ContiProContact 235/40R-19 96V M+S

F: struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar R: struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar F: 11.7-inch vented disc R: 11.0-inch disc fully defeatable, traction off Dunlop Michelin SP Sport 5000 Primacy MXM4 P225/45R-19 92W M+S P225/45R-18 91V M+S

2.7 sec 8.0 sec 24.7 sec 32.8 sec 16.4 sec @ 85

3.1 sec 7.6 sec 20.1 sec 25.6 sec 16.0 sec @ 91

2.6 sec 7.3 sec 20.9 sec 27.3 sec 15.8 sec @ 89

2.9 sec 8.0 sec 22.4 sec 29.1 sec 16.2 sec @ 88

8.9 sec 4.9 sec 5.9 sec 130 mph (gov ltd, mfr’s claim)

7.6 sec 3.9 sec 5.0 sec 127 mph (gov ltd)

7.5 sec 3.6 sec 4.8 sec 135 mph (gov ltd)

8.3 sec 4.6 sec 5.6 sec 112 mph (gov ltd)

171 feet

173 feet

177 feet

180 feet

0.86 g 39.4 mph

0.87 g 39.4 mph

0.87 g 39.5 mph

0.83 g 40.2 mph

3159 pounds 61.6/38.4

3356 pounds 60.1/39.9

3227 pounds 58.9/41.1

3297 pounds 61.6/38.4

13.0 gallons 87 octane 27/37 mpg 23 mpg

17.2 gallons 87 octane 26/35 mpg 23 mpg

16.4 gallons 87 octane 26/38 mpg 25 mpg

17.0 gallons 87 octane 25/35 mpg 23 mpg

42 dBA 71 dBA 65 dBA

41 dBA 74 dBA 67 dBA

42 dBA 76 dBA 67 dBA

SUSPENSION

C/D TEST RESULTS ACCELERATION

0–30 MPH 0–60 MPH 0–100 MPH 0–110 MPH 1/4-MILE @ MPH ROLLING START, 5–60 MPH TOP GEAR, 30–50 MPH TOP GEAR, 50–70 MPH TOP SPEED CHASSIS

BRAKING, 70–0 MPH ROADHOLDING, 300-FT-DIA SKIDPAD 610-FT SLALOM WEIGHT

CURB %FRONT/%REAR FUEL

TANK RATING EPA CITY/HWY C/D 350-MILE TRIP SOUND LEVEL

IDLE FULL THROTTLE 70-MPH CRUISE

tested by TONY QUIROGA in California City, California

black accents. This Lawrence Welk of Toyota Camrys—ouch, okay, maybe this Lady Gaga of Camrys—is an SE, with the wheels, Blue Streak Metallic paint, and blue seats and blue-glowing gauges (you gotta really like blue) that are all tossed in with the $1875 Special Edition package. If you don’t fancy blue, pearl white is also available. Our one option, an entertainment-andnavigation suite, costs $525.

Thus, the Malibu must contend with two market TVN[a` V[ aUR .PP\_Q N[Q 0NZ_f N[Q N YRSa ¼RYQ PUNYlenger in the 6. The hugely competitive mid-size segment is home to scores of other entries. But we’ve bypassed the Sweet 16 and gone straight to the Final Four. Some of the slighted competitors will get a chance in the future to face the winner of this comparo, so we’d better get on with the business of picking one.

054 It doesn’t matter if Toyota covers it in bright-blue paint and bright-blue seat inserts and bright-blue interior trim.

Underneath, all Camrys are beige.

bottom of nearly all the objective tests, a very mild 2.5-liter four straining at the yoke of the second-heaviest car to produce an 8.0-second 60-mph time. We deemed the structure the weakest of the group, the ride a bit clomping, and the vibrations through aUR ½\\_ N[Q `aRR_V[T P\YbZ[ [\a N` dRYY damped as in the others.

On the road, the six-speed often hunted for the best gear to keep its four pots boiling, making the Camry feel busy and underpowered. Steering through the canyons 4 . T OYO TA C A M R Y S E and around the El Niño–initiated rock It’s not news that we diverge from the slides that the locals call Rindge’s Revenge, mainstream. The Toyota Camry is the big- the Camry felt less eager to play than the box store of automobiles, a place you go for others. We were surprised only that the predictable convenience and value but not Toyota delivered the best slalom time, a passion or excitement. The new wrapper testament to the chassis’ inherent stability the Camry got for 2015 is handsome b[QR_ ¼_R The Camry has its merits, obviously. enough, in the same way that a redesigned McDonald’s is now clean, modThe steering weight was ern, and pleasant. However, the deemed “perfect,” and the quiet Camry’s blue interior electron- T O Y O T A car was described as “perfectly ica and blue paint, so sparkly C A M R Y S E ¼[R³ V[ N Uf]\aURaVPNY d\_YQ dVaU ZRaNY ½NXR N` a\ _RZV[Q + WELL EQUIPPED FOR where competitors don’t exist. us of the Schwinn Sting-Ray THE MONEY, BEST BACK We appreciated getting a sunbanana seats of our long-gone SEAT WITH TWO OR THREE, roof at a price almost a thouyouth, don’t enliven the car PERFECT FOR FANS OF THE sand less than the Chevy’s. And our keisters judged the back much or change its standing as COLOR BLUE. seat the most comfortable for a perfect purchase for the — BORINGEST OF THE both two and three adults, with BORING TO DRIVE, BACK ardently anonymous.

Driving the Camry, it’s easy SEATS DON’T FOLD a pleasing angle to the rear seatto convince yourself that NEARLY FLAT, SMALL back and miles of leg- and kneeroom. Pop the trunklid and Toyota has lost interest, TUNNEL TO THE TRUNK, it rises partway on its springs to despite real evidence that boss BUSY TRANSMISSION. dRYP\ZR f\b_ `abß b[YVXR aUR Akio Toyoda loves and under- = CRUISING HIGH ON ITS Honda or Mazda, which have stands automotive perform- REPUTATION BUT NOT lazy lids that, once popped, just ance. It landed at or near the MUCH ELSE.

YVR aUR_R YVXR QRNQ ¼`U 5\dRcR_ aUR A\ f\aNμ` _RN_ `RNa` Q\[μa S\YQ N[fdUR_R [RN_ ½Na N` aUR \aUR_ PN_`μ Q\ 5R_Rμ` N PN`R dUR_R N O\_V[T PN_ P\`a` NO\ba aUR `NZR N` Z\_R V[aR_R`aV[T PN_` DUNa Q\R` Va `Nf NO\ba f\b VS f\b PU\\`R aUR S\_ZR_,

3 . H O N DA A C C O R D S P O R T 9VXR aUR 0NZ_f aUR .PP\_Q V` [\a ½N`Uf AUR [Rd @]\_a a_VZ Q\R`[μa URY] aUR NdX dN_Q `afYV[T dVaU Va` ]YN`aVP PYNQQV[T \[ aUR _\PXR_` N[Q \cR_`VgRQ & V[PU dURRY` dUVPU ZNXR aUR _VQR ¼_ZR_ aUN[ Va `U\bYQ OR .Y`\ [\a URY]V[T V` aUV` fRN_μ` _RS_R`U dUVPU `YNaUR_RQ \[ PU_\ZR UVaUR_ N[Q f\[ Styling is a subjective matter, so you might a\ ZNXR aUR .PP\_Q Y\\X N` VS Vaμ` dRN_V[T like the Accord’s design more than we do.

Well, that’s fine. But we have yet to meet QVNZ\[Q` a\ Va` W\O Na aUR 1:C <[PR ORUV[Q aUR dURRY f\b PN[μa URY] anyone who likes cars and also likes CVTs. Oba S\_TVcR aUR .PP\_Q S\_ N[f `afYV[T `aNVQ [R`` AUR YVTUa N[Q YV[RN_ `aRR_V[T N[Q aUR ]R_ U\b_ P\ZZbaV[T f\b ZNf S\_TRa f\b P\\Y _R`a_NV[RQ O\Qf P\[a_\Y N_R `]\_a` UNcR N 0CA aU\bTU V[ RcR_f \aUR_ `VabNaV\[ `RQN[ d\_aUf ZNXV[T aUR PN_ SRRY " f\bμYY d\[QR_ dUf 5\[QN S\_ZR_Yf aUR ]\b[Q` YVTUaR_ aUN[ Va V` 2cR[ ¼aaRQ dVaU ZNR`a_\ \S V[aR_[NY P\ZOb`aV\[ [\d ]_\ aUR &` aUR `a_bPab_R Z\`aYf V[UNYR` aUR QbPR` PN_` aUNa Z\N[ @\ZR aUV[T` f\b dV`U 5\[QN d\bYQ ¼e ObZ]` aUR `b`]R[`V\[ [RcR_ ORa_NfV[T N UN_Q RQTR \_ UN_`U[R`` ORf\[Q `bPU N` aUR NO`R[PR \S N[ ReaR_ dUNa f\bμQ Re]RPa dVaU [NY a_b[X _RYRN`R 9VXRdV`R ! `R_VR` aV_R` AUR O_NXR` H O N D A V[`aRNQ \S aUR [RdR_ Nba\ Y\PX V[T ]b`U a\ \]R[ SbRY Q\\_` YVXR _R`]\[Q dRYY N[Q aUR ]\dR_ V` A C C O R D aUR :NYVObμ` aUR SbRY Q\\_ Zb`a R[\bTU a\ QRYVcR_ aUR `RP\[Q S P O R T ^bVPXR`a ^bN_aR_ ZVYR Na # `RP + DELIGHTFUL STEERING, `aVYY OR _RYRN`RQ Of N ½\\_ YRcR_ \[Q` ½Na ²AUR_Rμ` N `]V_Va BMW-LIKE BODY CONTROL, .[Q aUR_Rμ` [\ QVTVaNY `]RRQ QV` UR_R ³ d_\aR `R[V\_ RQVa\_ A\[f 360-DEGREE VISIBILITY. ]YNf NZ\[T aUR cN_V\b` Sb[P >bV_\TN `\ZRaUV[T aUNa V` — HOMELY-LOOKING IN aV\[` \S aUR a_V] P\Z]baR_ AUR `\_RYf YNPXV[T V[ ZN[f PN_` THIS CROWD, CVT NO .PP\_Q ZNXR` f\b _RNYVgR aUNa BUENO, NO OUTSIDE cfV[T S\_ `RQN[ Pb`a\ZR_` N[ V[Qb`a_f _RaUV[X \S aUR \YQ 6[`VQR aUR .PP\_Qμ` ]_NPaV TRUNK RELEASE. ad\ QVNY V[`a_bZR[a PYb`aR_ V` PNY RaU\` R^bNaR` a\ N Y\d `Ra = A 10BEST STALWART Y\[T \cR_QbR QN`U N[Q SbYY PV_PYR cV`VOVYVaf THAT CAN BE OPTIONED 6aμ` `aVYY \[R \S \b_ QN_YV[T` N[Q dR Y\cR aUR .PP\_Q 7b`a [\a AUR `RNa `]\[TV[R`` RN_[RQ TO REDUCED LEVELS OF aUV` ]N_aVPbYN_ .PP\_Q ]_NV`R S\_ ORV[T Wb`a _VTUa S\_ EXCELLENCE. Y\[T aR_Z P\ZS\_a O\aU S_\[a N[Q ONPX N[Q aUR V[aR_V\_ ZNaR_VNY` dR_R YNbQRQ S\_ QV`TbV`V[T N[f PURN][R`` aU\bTU \]V[V\[` `]YVa \[ aUR ZbaRQ OVa` \S SNbe PN_O\[ ¼OR_ @\ZR aU\bTUa Va UN[Q `\ZR N[Q N]]_\]_VNaR S_\Z N P\Z]N[f aUNa \[PR ]\dR_RQ .f_a\[ @R[[N dUVYR \aUR_` \OWRPaRQ a\ aUR SNXR_f AUR RQVa\_` b[VaRQ V[ aURV_ QV`YVXR \S aUR 0CA /f \b_ SbRY PN_Q` dUVPU _NaRQ NYY aUR PN_` Na Z]T RePR]a S\_ aUR aU_VSaf :NgQN dUVPU NPUVRcRQ " aUR 0CA \ßR_` [\ SbRY RP\[\Zf OR[R¼a 1\[μa ORYVRcR b`, 0URPX aUR 2=. _NaV[T` dUR_R aUR .PP\_Q _NaR` \[Yf ZVQ]NPX .Y`\ Va S\_PR` aUR R[TV[R a\ NYaR_[NaR P\[`aN[aYf ORadRR[ [RN_ `VYR[PR N[Q N YNO\_RQ Z\N[ N` aUR a_N[`ZV``V\[ `RRX` Wb`a aUR _VTUa _NaV\ S\_ aUR `VabNaV\[ DR X[\d `aR] TRN_ a_N[`ZV``V\[` N_R \YQ `PU\\Y Oba aURf d\_X 4_N[aRQ V[ V[PUR`

056

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2 . C H E V R O L E T M A L I B U LT We timidly approached the new Malibu like abused alley dogs. Can we trust what we’re seeing? Should we like it this much? In the end, we surrendered to its charms. The Malibu has its issues, but overall, it wags our tails.

First, there isn’t a bad line on it. The proportions are lovely, with a long, 111.4inch wheelbase (identical to the alsocomely Mazda) and a rear-set cabin that slopes alluringly into the trunk. Most frontdrive cars have at least one bad, bunchedup angle because the machinery packs the The Chevy is not overly sporty like the Mazda but neither is it somnolent like the Toyota. Instead, it strikes a nice middle ground with a quiet cabin and alert steering.

nose and creates overhang or the hoodline an outside button that works whenever the is a bit too high. Not the Malibu. And not, car is unlocked, and the popped trunklid surprisingly, on the standard 17-inch leaps to almost fully vertical. wheels, which somehow look just right Some astute people also sorted out the while also greatly improving the ride over chassis. The Malibu steers with alertness and tackles cornering chores with enthusithe optional 19s we tested it on last year.

The interior shows careful attention. asm. The rigid structure makes it feel well The back seat is spacious, and the tunnel to built, and the little 1.5-liter is a quiet tugthe trunk, pinched down to smaller aper- boat motor, as the interior sound measuretures in both the Accord and Camry, is ZR[a` NaaR`a 6S [\a ReNPaYf N ¼_RONYY aUR enormous. Yet, somehow, the Malibu is engine works exceedingly well with the sixO\aU \[R \S aUR `aVßR`a O\QVR` V[ aUR aR`a speed, one of those old-school step-gear and the lightest car here, weighing just 3159 trannies that is pretty much perfect. pounds even with turbo plumbAll cars have at least some ing and the optional sunroof. cheap plastic, but Chevy still CHEVROLET isn’t good at hiding it. Whereas An aluminum hood helps. others use a shallow technical The comfortable interior M A L I B U L T grain that reduces the plastic to shows a touch of Citroën weird- + LOOKS LIKE MIDDLE ness in the unusual swab of AMERICA’S AUDI A7, GREAT black shadow, Malibu displays its cheapness loud and proud. diamond-pattern cloth wrap- STEERING, THE QUIETEST ping the big touchscreen. Small ENGINE, THE BEST BRAKES Other demerits: The tap-shift button on the gear selector bonuses—such as the umbrella IN THE TEST. cubby in the front-door pockets, — SOME CHEAP PLASTIC, proved clumsy; the A-pillars are auto-down windows on all four SMALL FUEL TANK, a bit too wide for comfort; and doors, and the superlong reach USELESS TAP-SHIFT, GIANT its gas tank, which only holds 13 of the steering telescope—prove A-PILLARS. gallons, could be bigger. that someone was sweating the = WATCH OUT: GM HAS Even so, Chevrolet now sells a legit contender in this class. details. The Malibu’s trunk FINALLY PUT ON ITS DRYP\ZR ONPX a\ aUR ¼TUa O\f` mechanism is the best: There’s THINKING CAP.

057

F I N A L R E S U LT S

RANK

1 2 3 4 u

SE ry m Ca ort p ta yo rd S To o c LT Ac bu i a al nd Ho let M ring ro ou e ev 6 i T ilabl va Ch da ts a az oin M mp

im ax

M

VEHICLE

The 6 is the quickest, most fuel-efficient, most fun-todrive, and least-expensive car here.

That constitutes a win right there.

1 . M A Z DA 6 i T O U R I N G

MAZDA 6 i TOURING + JUST GORGEOUS, STEERING AND SUSPENSION WANT TO PLAY, SPORT MODE BRINGS OUT ITS INNER F1 CAR, FINELY FINISHED. — TIRE NOISE, LONG BRAKE-PEDAL TRAVEL, STEERING TELESCOPE IS A BIT STINGY. = A LOOKER AND A RUNNER AT A LOW PRICE.

Does it cost any more to build a beautiful car? Mazda says no and delivers the 6 as proof. It was our design favorite both inside and out, despite being the least-expensive car in the test with the second-lowest base price. Unlike the Accord or the Malibu, this is a car that belongs on 19-inch wheels, and a driverfocused cabin revamped this year with better materials— okay, it’s “leatherette”—looks upscale no matter where the eyes wander.

Compare it with the Malibu: Unlike Chevy, Mazda keeps the PURN] `abß Y\d N[Q \ba \S `VTUa hiding the console edges, for example, under overlapping pieces of top-stitched leatherette; the 6’s parcel shelf is a bonded material with a technical pattern, compared with the industrial mouse fur in the Malibu; the 6’s dash screen is aUR \[Yf \[R UR_R dVaU N ¼[TR_tip control knob between the seats, as in fancy German cars, though it’s somewhat wasted unless you get navigation with all the trimmings. :NgQN TRa` aUR ON`VP` _VTUa dVaU ½Na S\YQV[T _RN_ seats and a wide opening for the 15-cubic-foot trunk. It’s the only car to give both auto-up and -down at all four windows. And no car here laps up a curve like the 6, with aUR SRV`aVR`a `aRR_V[T N[Q aUR ½NaaR`a O\Qf Z\aV\[ AUR 2.5-liter slammed home the quickest drag-strip times as well as an observed fuel economy 2 mpg higher than the others. Running quotidian chores, it purrs quietly, and the transmission is all but invisible unless you push the sport button. Seemingly programmed by Mazda’s unemployed ex–Le Mans team, it makes the 6 hellbent

9 8 3 4 5 8 9 9 9 0 20 84

9 9 4 5 5 10 8 9 9 0 19 87

9 7 4 5 5 9 8 7 6 0 19 79

8 8 5 5 5 9 7 6 7 0 19 79

20 5 10 7 9 51

17 3 8 10 8 46

19 5 8 8 5 45

18 4 8 7 7 44

60

19 9 8 9 8 53

19 8 10 9 10 56

20 9 8 10 9 56

18 7 7 7 8 47

FUN TO DRIVE 25

22

18

20

13

DRIVER COMFORT 10 ERGONOMICS 10 REAR-SEAT COMFORT 5 REAR-SEAT SPACE* 5 TRUNK SPACE* 5 FEATURES/AMENITIES* 10 FIT AND FINISH 10 INTERIOR STYLING 10 EXTERIOR STYLING 10 REBATES/EXTRAS* 5 AS-TESTED PRICE* 20

SUBTOTAL

100

POWERTRAIN 1/4-MILE ACCELERATION* 20 FLEXIBILITY* 5 FUEL ECONOMY* 10 ENGINE NVH 10 TRANSMISSION 10

SUBTOTAL

55

CHASSIS PERFORMANCE* 20 STEERING FEEL 10 BRAKE FEEL 10 HANDLING 10 RIDE 10

SUBTOTAL

EXPERIENCE

GRAND TOTAL

240

210 207 200 183

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

for lap times, holding gears longer and executing rapid¼_R Q\d[`UVSa` b[QR_ O_NXV[T @\ZR Q_VcR_` d\bYQ[μa have minded a middling, “sorta sport” setting, but Mazda is an all-in company.

As is often the case with Mazda, the downside is PNOV[ [\V`R AV_R aU_bZ N[Q aUdNPX N_R aUR Z\`a ]_\nounced in this machine, partly due to the 19-inch rims wearing 168-mph-rated Dunlop tires. We would trade some of the 129-pound weight savings over the quieter .PP\_Q S\_ Z\_R V[`bYNaV\[ AUR Y\[T QRNQ g\[R V[ aUR brake pedal seemed out of place in a chassis that is so PN]NOYR R`]RPVNYYf [Rea a\ aUR :NYVObμ` ¼_Z OV[QR_` and the steering wheel doesn’t telescope as far as the \aUR_` ZRN[V[T aNYYR_ S\YX ZNf `bßR_ @\ aUR # ZNf [\a OR S\_ RcR_f\[R Oba Va V` QR¼[VaRYf the family car for families that enjoy driving.

058

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road test

Double

059

Agent THE SPORTS SEDAN THAT’S CLEVERLY DISGUISED AS A LUXURY CAR.

by Jeff Sabatini photography by Charlie Magee

CADILLAC CT6 PLATINUM AWD

060

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road test

If the CT6 were truly Cadillac’s new flagship, Va ZVTUa dRYY ½f N ON[[R_

of surrender. Because by any reasonable accounting, the CT6 is not a direct competitor to the big German luxury barges. But that’s okay.

9VXR aUR ¼_`a ad\ TR[R_NaV\[` \S 0A@ `RQN[` aUR 0A# V` `\ZRaUV[T of an in-betweener, bigger than the mid-size class but less replete than the luxury full-sizers. It covers roughly the same dimensions as the short-wheelbase 7-series that BMW doesn’t sell here. But for just $54,490—about what you’d pay for another BMW, a nicely appointed 3-series—you can get into a base CT6 with a 265-hp turbo 2.0-liter, as Cadillac tries to manage the high-wire act of balancing sales volume with prestige.

A sharper sword in the form of a twin-turbo V-8 has been pledged to the CT6, and hints \S N[ RcR[ YN_TR_ N[Q Z\_R ZNWR`aVP 0NQVYYNP ObVYa \ß aUR `NZR [Rd ]YNaS\_Z P\[aV[bR a\ circulate. But for now, this is it: A handsome four-door with a four, a six, and a turbocharged six that acquits itself well as a sports sedan that just happens to have a bigger back seat and ¼cR Z\_R V[PUR` \S P\__R`]\[QV[T YRT_\\Z aUN[ aUR 0A@ 6a dVYY certainly sit atop GM’s luxury throne for now; the Platinum-spec car we drove carried a sticker north of $88,000.

While the CTS is underpinned by the steel Alpha platform it `UN_R` dVaU aUR .A@ N[Q 0URc_\YRa 0NZN_\ aUR 0A# V` aUR ¼_`a vehicle to ride on GM’s Omega platform, which is about two-thirds aluminum with the last sliver of pie stamped in steel. At 4371 pounds, our test car weighs just 11 more than the last aluminumintensive Audi A8L to hit our scales. The aluminum in the CT6 is mostly situated at the ends of the car, including 13 separate castings aUNa 0NQVYYNP `Nf` ZNXR Va `aVßR_ aUN[ aUR 0A@ AUR SR__\b` ZRaNY V` P\[PR[a_NaRQ V[ aUR ZVQ`RPaV\[ N[Q V[ aUR . N[Q / ]VYYN_` ½\\_ and bulkheads. Cadillac says this arrangement makes the cabin less resonant, allowing it to use less sound insulation, which reduces overall weight compared with the same body-in-white built

entirely out of aluminum. Our measurements show the Cadillac to be quieter than a BMW 7-series or Mercedes-Benz S-class.

The new structure also allowed Cadillac’s designers to lower the car’s long hood.

Most modern sedans have waist-high fenders and noses, but you can actually lean back and sit on the prow of this one, even when it’s shod with 20-inch wheels.

Any chassis engineer will tell you that `a_bPab_NY `aVß[R`` V` XRf a\ \]aVZNY `b`pension tuning. But maybe Cadillac aimed Cadillacs still look best when they’re low and long. The CT6’s elegant exterior design is seasoned with just a hint of sporty spice.

061

a little high on the spring and damper rates.

The car charges into corners and pulls 0.86 g on our skidpad. It feels very well planted on mountain switchbacks and high-speed sweepers. Indeed, it drives much like its smaller sibling despite having an extra 7.8 inches of wheelbase. Yet its ride only approaches plush on good roads, and after a few hours of feeling every ripple on the notso-good ones, we might be willing to trade the CT6’s magnetorheological dampers for air springs and conventional dampers.

Our four-wheel-drive test car (reardrive is available only with the 2.0-liter) was equipped with the Active Chassis package, which includes those high-tech shocks as well as a rear-steering system that can pivot the rear wheels up to 3.50 degrees (to shorten the turning radius) or add 2.75 degrees in phase with the fronts (to help foster that planted feeling at speed). The CT6’s four-wheel-drive system biases 60 percent of the torque rearward in standard tour mode, which gets bumped up to 80 percent when you select sport mode via a button on the center console. (There’s also a third mode for winter, which splits the power equally.) The system does not, however, perform any side-to-side torque vectoring, nor do the brakes assist cornering.

Cadillac CT6 Platinum AWD + Drives like a CTS, looks like a big CTS, has a back seat like a Sixty Special. _ Nobody buys the CTS, lacks top-tier luxury-sedan _R¼[RZR[a = Manages a\ ]bYY \ß autodom’s toughest trick: making a big car feel agile.

Our test car had its standard all-season tires upgraded to 20-inch 245/40 Pirelli P Zeros. Cadillac has not yet priced this optional summer-tire package, but we were assured that it will be NcNVYNOYR YNaR_ V[ aUR fRN_ DR PN[ PR_aNV[Yf P_RQVa aUR aV_R ¼aZR[a with producing stellar 152-foot stops from 70 mph. The brakes are impressive in the real world, too, with strong initial bite from the S\b_ ]V`a\[ /_RZO\ PNYV]R_` N[Q N ¼_Z ]RQNY aUNa V` NYdNf` RN`f to modulate.

DR QVQ UNcR aUR \]]\_ab[Vaf a\ O_VR½f Q_VcR N[\aUR_ 0A# \[ aUR NYY `RN`\[ aV_R` dUVPU ]_\QbPRQ N `VT[V¼PN[a _RQbPaV\[ V[ front-end grip and increased understeer compared with the CTS. The Pirellis go a long way toward making the CT6 feel like its `ZNYYR_ `VOYV[T AUR `aRR_V[T Rß\_a V` dRVTUaf V[ `]\_a Z\QR N[Q while the CT6 lacks the exemplary steering feedback of the CTS, its tuning seems appropriate to the car’s size.

The CT6 gets a new engine, a turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 that makes 404 horsepower and delivers 400 pound-feet of torque. It has a similar wail to the turbo 3.6 in the CTS Vsport and packs R[\bTU ]b[PU a\ Q\ gR_\ a\ # Z]U V[ ¼cR `RP\[Q` ½Na 6aμ` ^bVPX enough, yet it might be even quicker. With a pair of turbochargers, a clutch responsible for routing torque to the front wheels, and eight speeds in its automatic transmission, there are quite a few moving parts in the CT6’s drivetrain, and we occasionally found the computers groggy in their synchronization calculations. The throttle response can lag from a standing start and at low speeds, particularly when the car is in tour mode. Cadillac admitted that the CT6’s transmission calibration is a work in progress; this is a relatively new GM-built eight-speed automatic, the same basic gearbox used in the Chevrolet Corvette, rather than the Aisin unit that Cadillac uses in the CTS Vsport.

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The gauges and the image on the rearview mirror are computer simulations made to look like a mirror reflection and gauges.

The CT6’s interior reinforces the kinship to the CTS, with a similar design theme using layered materials; it is a bit too busy for our taste. Our test car features not \[R Oba ad\ QVßR_R[a d\\Q T_NV[` \[ Va` QN`UO\N_Q AU_RR QVßR_R[a P\Y\_` \S leather cover various surfaces in the car, including a curious swath of perforated material that surrounds the infotainment screen and resembles seat leather. Even as Cadillac’s exterior-design team seems to have nailed simple elegance, its interior people continue to try too hard.

At least the CUE system is improved, less from the addition of the new consoleZ\b[aRQ a\bPU]NQ aUN[ N _RP\[¼Tb_RQ Obaa\[ ¼RYQ S\_ aUR 5C.0 `f`aRZ AUR instrumentation in our test car was fully digital, with electronic displays replicating

CADILLAC CT6 3.0L TURBO PLATINUM AWD SPECI FIC ATIONS PRICE AS TESTED (est) .................................. $89,000 BASE ................................................. $88,460

............... full time with automatic front-axle engagement

4-WHEEL-DRIVE SYSTEM GEAR

RATIO

MPH PER 1000 RPM

MAX SPEED IN GEAR (rpm)

4.56 .......

2.97 .......

2.08 .......

1.69 ........

1.27 ........

1.00 ........

0.85 ......

0.65 .......

5.4 ...........

8.2 ...........

11.8 ...........

14.5 ..........

19.3 ..........

24.5 .........

28.8 .........

37.6 ..........

35 mph (6500) 53 mph (6500) 77 mph (6500) 94 mph (6500) 125 mph (6500) 155 mph (6500) 155 mph (5400) 155 mph (4100)

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive,

5-passenger, 4-door sedan

1

OPTIONS: Pirelli P Zero summer tires STANDARD: power windows, seats, locks, and

2

sunroof; remote locking; cruise control; tiltingand-telescoping steering wheel AUDIO SYSTEM: satellite radio; CD player; DVD entertainment; media storage; minijack, 4 USB, media-card, and Bluetooth-audio inputs; Apple CarPlay and Android Auto interfaces; 34 speakers

4

ENGINE

twin-turbocharged and intercooled Miller-capable V-6, aluminum block and heads BORE X STROKE ... 3.39 x 3.38 in, 86.0 x 85.8 mm DISPLACEMENT .................... 182 cu in, 2990 cc COMPRESSION RATIO ............................... 9.8:1 FUEL DELIVERY SYSTEM ........... direct injection TURBOCHARGERS ................... Mitsubishi TD04 MAXIMUM BOOST PRESSURE ................ 18.0 psi VALVE GEAR: double overhead cams, 4 valves per cylinder, hydraulic lash adjusters, variable intakeand exhaust-valve timing REDLINE/FUEL CUTOFF ........... 6000/6500 rpm POWER ............................. 404 hp @ 5700 rpm TORQUE ......................... 400 lb-ft @ 2500 rpm DRIVETRAIN TRANSMISSION

.................... 8-speed automatic with manual shifting mode FINAL-DRIVE RATIO ................................. 3.27:1

3

5 6 7 8

........ ........ ........ ........ ........ ........ ....... ........

EXTERIOR DIMENSIONS WHEELBASE .................................... 122.4 in LENGTH .......................................... 204.1 in WIDTH ............................................... 74.0 in HEIGHT ............................................ 58.0 in FRONT TRACK .................................. 63.4 in REAR TRACK .................................... 64.0 in GROUND CLEARANCE ......................... 5.6 in INTERIOR DIMENSIONS SAE VOLUME ................ F: 58 cu ft R: 50 cu ft TRUNK ............................................. 15 cu ft

CHASSIS

unit construction with a rubber-isolated rear subframe BODY MATERIAL: steel and aluminum stampings STEERING

rack-and-pinion with variable ratio and variable electric power assist RATIO .............................................. 16.3–14.6:1 TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK ................................ 2.3 TURNING CIRCLE CURB-TO-CURB ............. 37.1 ft

BRAKES F: 13.6 x 1.2-in vented disc R: 12.4 x 0.9-in vented disc STABILITY CONTROL ................ fully defeatable,

traction off WHEELS AND TIRES WHEEL SIZE/CONSTRUCTION TIRES

......... 8.5 x 20 in/ cast aluminum ............ Pirelli P Zero, 245/40ZR-20 (99Y)

SUSPENSION F: ind; 1 control arm, 1 diagonal link, and 1

lateral link per side; coil springs; 3-position cockpit-adjustable electronically controlled magnetorheological dampers; anti-roll bar R: ind; 2 diagonal links, 2 lateral links, and a tie rod per side; coil springs; 3-position cockpit-adjustable electronically controlled magnetorheological dampers; anti-roll bar

N O TA B L E H I G H L I G H T S Cadillac claims a 200-pound weight savings achieved by using 13 aluminum die castings in the unibody that’s clad with aluminum exterior panels. These parts are joined with laser welds, self-piercing rivets, and adhesives.

The CT6’s twin-turbo V-6, though, weighs 33 pounds more than a 415-hp LS3 V-8.

063

analog gauges and allowing for some user customization as in other Cadillacs (a lesser trim level has real analog gauges). Another screen is built into the rearview mirror. Flip what seems like an old-fashioned lever you’d use to dim the glare of bright lights and the ZV__\_ `dVaPUR` a\ N dVQR UVTU QR¼[VaV\[ video image of what’s behind you, fed by a rear camera. It’s a novel trick, and while the Panavision-style view is undeniably useful,

Cadillac is not eager to advertise it, but the designer responsible for the CT6’s headlight clusters is an incurable Alice Cooper fan.

aUR ]_\eVZVaf \S aUR ZV__\_ ZNXR` Va QV¦cult to adjust your focus. The angle is wide enough that, to process its full resolution, the mirror begs to be moved a few inches farther from your eyes.

The CT6 puts up good-enough numOR_` a\ ]ba ]YR[af \S a_N¦P V[ aUNa _RN_

camera lens, and from a brand-building perspective, this big sedan continues with 0NQVYYNPμ` ]_NPaVPR \S \ßR_V[T aUR OR`a handling luxury cars in the business. In fact, the CT6 completes Cadillac’s trio of small, medium, and large sedans that now occupy the same space BMW did 15 years ago, delivering a consistent design with smart engineering and excellent dynamics in three sizes. We quite obviously liked that approach then, and we’re glad to see Cadillac pursuing it now, in the face of all evidence that the crossover-consumed public has little appetite for it.

In 2015, Cadillac actually posted better numbers for the old, front-drive XTS than for the CTS, moving 3600 more of these jumbo mobility scooters than it did of our 10Best winner. If the front-driver, still popular as a livery car, weren’t selling so well, Cadillac would happily cancel it in favor of the CT6. Yes, our Platinum test car’s pricing is a bit dear, yet the end of Old Cadillac still needs to happen. On Cadillac’s long, quite possibly endless march back to relevance among buyers at the sharp end of the marXRa aUR 0A# V` N P\[¼QR[a `aR] S\_dN_Q

COM PETITORS

CAR AND DRIVER TEST RESULTS ACCEL ERATIO N

BRA K I N G, 70-TO -ZE R O M P H

ZERO TO

FIRST STOP .................................. 162 ft SHORTEST STOP ....................... 152 ft LONGEST STOP ............................ 162 ft FADE RATING ................................ NONE

SECONDS 30 MPH .............................................. 1.7 40 MPH ............................................. 2.7 50 MPH ............................................. 3.8 60 MPH ....................................... 5.0 70 MPH ............................................. 6.3 80 MPH ............................................. 7.9 90 MPH ............................................. 9.9 100 MPH .................................... 12.2 110 MPH ............................................ 14.7 120 MPH ........................................... 18.1 130 MPH .......................................... 22.0 140 MPH .......................................... 26.6 ROLLING START, 5–60 MPH .......... 6.7 TOP GEAR, 30–50 MPH .................. 3.1 TOP GEAR, 50–70 MPH ................. 3.5 1/4-MILE ........... 13.5 sec @ 105 mph TOP SPEED (GOV LTD, C/D EST) ... 155 mph

TEST NOTES: There’s major turbo lag in the rolling 5–60 run. Stomp the accelerator and not much happens; the V-6 takes its sweet time building boost and rpm. Holding the engine against the brake mitigates lag by allowing the engine to build boost before the launch.

TEST NOTES: Firm and satisfying pedal feel. Six successive stops from 70 mph didn’t faze the CT6’s brakes at all; decelerating from 140 mph was taken in stride and without any smoky drama.

Brake dive, the propensity of the nose to sink under braking, is well controlled.

H A N DLI N G ROADHOLDING, 300-FT-DIA SKIDPAD .............. 0.86 g UNDERSTEER ..................... MODERATE TEST NOTES: Impressive body control, but with less bite than the smaller CTS. Steering feedback at the limit is similarly diminished. Progressive understeer is most apparent on the skidpad, despite the rear-wheel steering compensating for the inherent push.

AUDI A8L (3.0-LITER V-6, 333 HP, 8-SP AUTO) BMW 750i xDRIVE (4.4-LITER V-8, 445 HP, 8-SP AUTO) CADILLAC CT6 PLATINUM AWD (3.0-LITER V-6, 404 HP, 8-SP AUTO) LEXUS LS460L AWD (4.6-LITER V-8, 386 HP, 8-SP AUTO) CURRENT BASE PRICE dollars x 1000 Includes freight and performance options.

A8L LS460L AWD CT6 AWD (est) 750i xDRIVE 70

FUEL

CURB ............................................ 4371 lb PER HORSEPOWER .................... 10.8 lb DISTRIBUTION .......... F: 52.9% R: 47.1% TOWING CAPACITY ........................... 0 lb

CAPACITY .................................. 19.2 gal OCTANE ............................. 91 required EPA CITY/HWY ..... 18/26 mpg (mfr’s est) C/D OBSERVED ..................... 17 mpg

INTERIOR SOUND LEVEL IDLE ........................................... 49 dBA FULL THROTTLE ....................... 73 dBA 70-MPH CRUISING ................... 64 dBA

100

CT6 AWD 750i xDRIVE LS460L AWD A8L 150

160

170

180

ACCEL ERAT ION 0–60 & 1/4-mile, seconds 750i xDRIVE CT6 AWD A8L LS460L AWD 5

6

13

14

15

FUEL ECONOMY EPA combined mpg A8L CT6 AWD (est) 750i xDRIVE LS460L AWD 17

tested by TONY QUIROGA in California City, California

90

70–0 BRAKING feet

4

W EIGHT

80

18

19

20

21

22

064

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feature

JAGUAR F-PACE PROTOTYPE DRIVE

by MIKE DUFF Jaguar Land Rover’s test facility near Arjeplog in northern Sweden is only 35 miles south of the Arctic Circle, and in the winter, every surface of this place is covered in either snow or ice. Or, in the case of the 300-foot-diameter circle on the frozen lake around which we’re drifting a prototype F-Pace, a combination of both. Although it’s barely past noon, the sun hangs just above the horizon and is

about to disappear, and the outside temperature is a bracing –22 degrees Fahrenheit. Yet this supercharged V-6 F-Pace seems entirely happy to slide around V[QR¼[VaRYf aUR PNOV[ `aNfV[T dN_Z N[Q the well-mannered chassis politely declining every invitation to spin out.

This despite the provocation of a pinnedopen throttle and the deactivation of every dynamic aid.

It’s a memorable introduction, and Vaμ` SNV_ a\ `Nf aUNa \b_ ¼_`a Re]R_VR[PR with the F-Pace is highly positive. But

after a day in various prototypes, many questions remained, at best, partially answered, and not due to any enforced restrictions or signed-in-blood nondisclosure agreements. Rather, it’s because we can only report how the F-Pace deals with various types of slick surfaces.

Because while JLR’s Revi Test Center has nearly 40 miles of tracks and courses, most of them are built on the surface of a frozen lake. Not a single yard of today’s driving route is formed from anything other than frozen water.

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SPECI FIC ATIONS

0 4 . 2 016 caranddriver.com

The circuits include a three-quarter-mile course in the shape of Jaguar’s “leaper” mascot that’s been marked out exclusively for our visit. Cute.

We expect that, when driven on a dry road, the F-Pace will manifest some steering feel. In Sweden, however, combining winter tires and a surface with a friction P\R¦PVR[a [\ UVTUR_ aUN[ ObaaR_ \[ YV[\leum means the steering displayed all the feedback and resistance of an early 1980s arcade racing game. Similarly, we can extrapolate little from the way it rode over Revi’s glassy-smooth surfaces. Also, we didn’t get to experience the brakes under anything beyond the juddering retardation of a full ABS deployment. What we can con¼_Z aU\bTU V` aUNa aUR 3 =NPR SRRY` RePVaing in a way that very few of its rivals do.

Actually, just one of its competitors.

FR` =\_`PUR `U\bYQ OR cR_f ½NaaR_RQ and the Jaguar development team admits as much. The Macan came to market after F-Pace engineering was already well underway, and that Porsche led Jag to the uncomfortable realization that it was good enough a\ RßRPaVcRYf _R`Ra aUR `RTZR[aμ` OR[PUmarks. Jaguar was originally targeting the BMW X3, but the Macan forced it to pause the F-Pace program for several months while it retuned the suspension, adding ¼_ZR_ `]_V[T` N[Q N[aV _\YY ON_` 6aμ` NY`\ when, according to the development team, the F-Pace went from being a run-of-themill premium SUV to what’s actually a very sporty crossover.

Not that such a modest delay means much in the overall scheme of things. The F-Pace could be charitably described as a decade behind the rest of the luxury-ute segment. Jaguar’s partnership with an existing and highly successful SUV specialist (the LR of JLR) gives some excuse for such tardiness, but probably not much consolation to those dealers who have been trying to sell the company’s existing lineup to people who really want one of those `]Vßf [Rd Ybeb_f P_\``\cR_` A\ TRa NdNf with being this late to a party, you have to either sneak in very quietly or make a grand entrance.

Describing the F-Pace as the jacked-upwagon version of the newly introduced XF would not be entirely unfair. The two sit on the same mostly aluminum platform and share large amounts of sub-surface structure. Jaguar admits that, from the B-pillars forward, the body-in-white of both vehicles is largely the same, although the F-Pace gets a new front subframe for its longer-travel front suspension. Power will come from the usual suspects, with U.S. F-Paces mostly getting the 380-hp 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 we experienced in Sweden as well as a downtuned 340-hp version. We also had a turn in the Euro-spec 3.0-liter V-6 diesel.

Four-cylinder gas and diesel engines will follow, though the U.S. won’t see the gas four, and some markets will have the options of rear-drive and manual gearboxes.

U.S. F-Paces are likely to be exclusively available with Jaguar’s four-wheel-drive

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback BASE PRICE ..................... $41,985–$70,695 ENGINES: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve 2.0-liter diesel inline-4, 180 hp, 318 lb-ft; supercharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve 3.0-liter V-6, 340 or 380 hp, 332 lb-ft TRANSMISSION: 8-speed automatic with manual shifting mode DIMENSIONS

WHEELBASE .................................. 113.1 in LENGTH ....................................... 186.3 in WIDTH .......................................... 76.2 in HEIGHT ................................. 65.0–65.6 in PASSENGER VOLUME ................... 96 cu ft CARGO VOLUME ........................... 34 cu ft CURB WEIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4150–4200 lb PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)

ZERO TO 60 MPH ..................... 4.9–7.8 sec ZERO TO 100 MPH ................. 11.9–20.0 sec 1/4-MILE ................................ 13.6–15.8 sec TOP SPEED ............................ 129–155 mph FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST)

EPA CITY/HWY ................. 18–23/26–30 mpg

system (beefed up from its XF and F-type N]]YVPNaV\[` dVaU N OVTTR_ S_\[a QVßR_R[aVNY and an eight-speed automatic.

Other mechanical components are familiar and appreciated, including the front control-arm suspension and the multilink rear axle, which are both closely related to those in the XE and XF. Jaguar claims a respectable 8.4 inches of ground clearance, but the F-Pace does without air springs and only the top-spec versions have adjustable dampers. Variable-ratio electrically assisted power steering is standard.

Ian Callum, Jaguar’s design director, doesn’t really do straight lines, and the F-Pace is as curvaceous as any of his sports cars. Still, the partial disguise worn by the prototype versions we drove served to emphasize how fundamentally wagon-y the F-Pace’s lines and dimensions are. Callum’s enthusiasm for big wheels is equally wellknown, and the production F-Pace will be available on up to 22-inch rims. Despite wearing Continental winter tires, the prototypes we drove were still packing 20-inch aluminum wheels.

With temperatures cold enough to freeze nasal hair in seconds, we didn’t linger to admire the exterior design. We did, however, take positive note of the F-type-ish taillights and rear deck. The cabin feels like an XF’s on stilts—the switchgear and design ethos are clearly shared between the two. The fat center console is home to Jaguar’s familiar rotary gear selector, with high-spec versions getting both a TFT instrument pack and a vast, 10.2-inch touchscreen in the center of the QN`UO\N_Q @dRQR[ _RcRNY` \[R ½Nd' AUR thick door-panel trim and low-mounted air cR[a` ZNXR Va QV¦PbYa a\ XRR] aUR `VQR dV[dows frost-free in these Arctic conditions.

Despite having being warned that these are

067

Above: Here’s the V-6 diesel we won’t get.

Right: The 10.2-inch InControl Touch Pro is the larger of two new navigation interfaces.

working prototype vehicles, everything felt ¼[V`URQ a\ N[ VZ]_R``VcRYf UVTU `aN[QN_Q DVaU N[ NOb[QN[PR \S ]\dR_ N[Q YVZVaRQ T_V] a\ N]]Yf Va aUR_Rμ` ]YR[af \S \]]\_ab[Vaf a\ Re]R_VR[PR N UN[QYV[T ONYN[PR aUNaμ` N` OR[VT[ N` \[R \S 0UN_YR` 1VPXR[`μ` Z\_R Ncb[PbYN_ PUN_NPaR_` .` V[ 7NTbN_μ` ReV`aV[T S\b_ dURRY Q_VcR_` Z\`a \ba]ba URNQ` _RN_dN_Q b[aVY N fNd `R[`\_ QRaRPa` `YV] Na dUVPU ]\V[a a\_^bR V` QVcR_aRQ a\ aUR ]YN[aRQ R[Q a\ URY] ]bYY aUR PN_ ONPX \[a\ f\b_ V[aR[QRQ YV[R <_ Na YRN`a `\ZRaUV[T PY\`R_ a\ f\b_ V[aR[QRQ YV[R <[ VPR N[Q V[ aUR Z\_R NTT_R``VcR Q_VcV[T Z\QR` aUR_Rμ` N QV`aV[Pa ]Nb`R ORS\_R aUR S_\[a NeYR `aR]` V[ a\ Q\ Va` OVa( RcR[ V[ aUR QRSNbYa [\_ZNY Z\QR aUR _RN_ R[Q dVYY `YVQR `YVTUaYf @dVaPUV[T a\ Qf[NZVP Z\QR \_ ab_[V[T aUR `aNOVYVaf P\[a_\Y Q\d[ \_ \ß ]_\QbPR` ]_\T_R``VcRYf Z\_R \S aUV` ]\dR_ \[ \cR_`aRR_ dVaU aUR YNPX \S N Y\PXV[T QVßR_R[aVNY UNcV[T

YVaaYR RßRPa \[ aUR 3 =NPRμ` NOVYVaf a\ U\YQ WNb[af N[TYR` S\_ VZ]_R``VcR QV`aN[PR` <[ dUNaμ` YVaR_NYYf aUR ONPX `a_NVTUa \S aUR YRN]R_ `UN]RQ P\b_`R aUR_Rμ` R[\bTU _\\Z a\ P\[¼_Z aUNa RcR[ NSaR_ ObVYQV[T b] a\ N[ V[QVPNaRQ $" Z]U aUR 3 =NPR dVaU Va` `aNOVYVaf P\[a_\Y `f`aRZ `dVaPURQ \ß V` `aVYY UN]]VYf N[Q ]_RQVPaNOYf PYNdV[T Va` dNf `VQRdNf` Q\d[ aUR `a_NVTUa .YY \S dUVPU V` Sb[ Oba \[Yf _RYRcN[a S\_ aU\`R dU\ NaaRZ]a Rea_RZR NPa` \S Q_VcV[T UR_\VP` V[ aUR dRa \_ \[ VPR .[Q Vaμ` NPabNYYf dUR[ Vaμ` V[ aUR PNbaV\b` .QN]aVcR @b_SNPR ?R`]\[`R .Q@? Z\QR aUNa aUR 3 =NPR VZ]_R``R` Z\`a 7NTbN_μ` PUN``V` aRNZ QRcRY\]RQ .Q@? N `f`aRZ aUNa _R]YNPR` dV[aR_ Z\QR N[Q aNXR` V[]ba S_\Z cN_V\b` `R[`\_` a\ d\_X \ba N]]_\eVZNaR T_V] YRcRY` \[ Y\d NQUR`V\[ `b_SNPR` ORS\_R f\b RcR[ ab_[ aUR `aRR_V[T dURRY±N[Q aUR[ URY]` f\b ZNXR aUR OR`a \S aUNa `VabNaV\[ AUR_Rμ` [\[R \S aUR NQ_R[NYV[R `]VXV[T `YV] \S aUR ]b[PUVR_ Z\QR` N[Q aU_\aaYR _R`]\[`R `YNPXR[` R[\bTU a\ ZNXR f\b SRRY N` VS N YR[TaU \S RYN`aVP UN` ORR[ `YV]]RQ V[a\ aUR ZRPUN[V`Z /ba aUR `f`aRZ d\_X` ^bVRaYf a\ ZV[VZVgR b[QR_`aRR_ N[Q `Z\\aU NPPRYR_NaV\[ dVaU\ba \OcV\b` V[aR_cR[aV\[ 6aμ` N[ RT\ OY\d a\ _RNYVgR aUNa dRμ_R ]_NPaVPNYYf

N` ^bVPX N_\b[Q aUR adV`aVR_ P\b_`R` dVaU aUR 3 =NPR V[ aUV` Z\`a PNbaV\b` `RaaV[T AUR `b]R_PUN_TRQ C # QR`R_cR` ]_NV`R a\\ ]bYYV[T `a_\[TYf N[Q QRYVcR_V[T YV[RN_ _R`]\[`R` ]_Raaf ZbPU aU_\bTU\ba Va` O_\NQ ]\dR_ ON[Q AUR C # QVR`RY NYaU\bTU SN_ a\_^bVR_ SRRY` ]RNXf Of P\Z]N_V`\[ N[Q UN` N SN_ Z\_R V[Qb`a_VNY `\b[Qa_NPX `\ dR d\[μa ZV`` Va ZbPU AUR RVTUa `]RRQ TRN_O\e `UVSa` PYRN[Yf N[Q V[ Qf[NZVP Z\QR V[aRYYVTR[aYf b[QR_ UN_Q b`R dVaU aUR NOVYVaf a\ \cR__VQR `UVSa Y\TVP cVN ]NQQYR` ORUV[Q aUR `aRR_V[T dURRY 2cR[ `dVaPUV[T ORadRR[ TRN_` dUVYR Q_VSaV[T b[QR_ SbYY ]\dR_ V`[μa N[ V``bR AUR 3 =NPR UN` N[\aUR_ YR`` RePVaV[T dRN]\[ a\ b`R NTNV[`a aUR :NPN[' ]_NPaVPNYVaf AUR _RN_ `RNa V` [\aVPRNOYf YN_TR_ aUN[ aUR =\_`PURμ` N[Q YbTTNTR c\YbZR V` [RN_Yf adVPR N` YN_TR AUR`R aUV[T` ZNaaR_ Na YRN`a N` ZbPU N` aUR NOVYVaf a\ T\ `VQRdNf` \[ N S_\gR[ YNXR 3\_ N cRUVPYR aUNa dRμcR ORR[ a\YQ ZN_X` N _NQVPNY QR]N_ab_R S\_ aUR Nba\ZNXR_ aUR 3 =NPR SRRY` _RN``b_V[TYf 7NTbN_ YVXR N[Q NaUYRaVP b] PY\`R .[Q dUVYR aUR_R N_R `aVYY ZN[f b[N[`dR_RQ ^bR`aV\[` V[PYbQV[T dUf dR UNcR dNVaRQ `\ Y\[T S\_ N P_\``\cR_ aUR ZN_XRa UN` ORR[ PYNZ\_V[T S\_ aUR ¼_`a VZ]_R``V\[` N_R RePRYYR[a

068

feature .

GROWING THE SUPER GOLD FUTURE 069

MEET THE SILICON VALLEY MESSIAH WHO IS TAKING THE CAR BACK TO THE GARDEN.

by JOHN PEARLEY HUFFMAN photography by SCOTT G. TOEPFER

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feature

THE RIPE, GOLDEN APRICOT

fit perfectly in my palm. “That’s the future of the automobile in your hand,” says Nygârd Lünd. “Didn’t think it would feel fuzzy, did you?”

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P H OTO G R A P H BY S I D D F I N C H

070

071 talking to anyone else, so I’m not sure why Lünd was panicked about him in their online databases. But Lünd has been in Silicon Valley me hearing anything. We walk to a back patio that overlooks a large for more than 25 years, a naturalized American citizen since 1992. greenhouse and an orchard, where he motions for me to pick the 5V` dRNYaU ZNT[V¼RQ dVaU Y\d XRf Oba ]_R`PVR[a V[cR`aZR[a` UR UN` also built a network of friends in places high and low who help protect aluminum buds out of my ears. I introduce myself.

“I’ll call you Pearley!” he chortles a little. I’m okay with that, his privacy.

Lünd is hardly the only mogul who has bought up his own neighsince it’s my name. “I’m Nygârd.”

He looks me up and down before stating: “I guess you’re about borhood to ensure privacy. But he’s the only one who has turned as good as anyone to tell the world what we’ve been working on those accumulated houses into a top-secret, leading-edge research-and-development facility, with each home dedicated to here. It’s totally badass. I swear, you’re going to love this shit.”

I’m trained not to embrace shit too quickly. But I’ve also been one particular engineering discipline. Each also houses many of the engineers. “To our left is design and taught to seek out the badass. ergonomics,” Carmichael points out, while According to a June 1992 article in Lünd ducks into one of the structures. “All Wired, Nygârd Lünd emigrated from Norway in 1987 to attend the computer-science the powertrain engineers are on our right. program at the University of Illinois at We’re doing nothing but computational ½bVQ Qf[NZVP` aU_RR Q\\_` Q\d[ NP_\`` aUR Urbana-Champaign. He soon found himself at the center of what would become the street. The supercomputer in there is so World Wide Web, counting among his powerful that it’s cooled by an air-condipeers one Marc Andreessen, who would cotioning system that takes up most of the QRcRY\] :\`NVP aUR ¼_`a V[aR_[Ra O_\d`R_ house next door.”

9 [Q dN` V[`a_bZR[aNY V[ QR¼[V[T aUR Carmichael mentions that most of the heat-exchanger components in the cooling early parameters of the internet. As a student, he served as a kind of modern Thomas house came from the Seattle Kingdome A. Watson to Tim Berners-Lee’s Alexander before it was imploded back in 2000. When I ask, shocked, whether than means they’ve Graham Bell in creating the “404 Not been working on this project in secret for Found” error message that you see whenmore than 15 years, Carmichael pastes on ever you hit an internet dead-end. Lünd another of his strange facial expressions won’t say whether every 404 error makes and says, “Remind me to make sure Nygârd him a little richer, but he also won’t deny it.

Carmichael pulls his boss’s left ear down shows you his orchids.” to his level and whispers into it. “He tells me LÜND IS HARDLY Lünd rejoins us and resumes explaining I shouldn’t show you anything that we don’t UV` P_RNaV\[ ²6a Y\\X` YVXR PN_O\[ ¼OR_ Oba THE ONLY MOGUL WHO have secure intellectual property rights to,” it’s more like a carbon-reinforced siliconHAS BOUGHT UP Lünd explains. “And that’s a lot. But I’ve still glass extrusion. To oversimplify, I put some HIS OW N T\a ]YR[af a\ `U\d \ß ³ sand and carbon in one end of a machine NEIGHBORHOOD TO With that he walks me through the back and out through a die comes a warm, thin ENSURE PRIVACY. door of the garage. When the lights go on, sheet of tacky stock. It’s kind of like a highBUT HE’S THE ONLY tensile-strength Frito. The sheets can be what’s before me is an advanced version of ONE WHO HAS TURNED layered and pressed into practically any what I saw being unloaded at the Honda THOSE HOUSES proving grounds. It’s made of a milk-chocoshape. Plus it doesn’t need paint, and it INTO A LEADING-EDGE late-colored carbon-and-silicon ceramic deforms in a controlled, predictable way. So RESEARCHit’s great in crashes. And you can wax it with and sits atop four 22-inch composite AND-DEVELOPMENT wheels. And there is no windshield, nor any olive oil. Swear to God. It shines right up.”

FACILITY. windows. “I’m bummed we’re still using They tell me a Chinese factory is makwheels,” Lünd explains. “We’ve changed V[T Z\[\P\^bR abO` \ba \S aUR `abß _VTUa everything else, but as long as it’s on wheels it still looks like a car. [\d 6a V` N` YVTUa N` PN_O\[ ¼OR_ RN`VR_ a\ d\_X dVaU aUN[ NYbZVnum, and cheaper than steel. “We can stack them up like Dixie cups :\`aYf /ba dUNa RY`R P\bYQ dR Q\±QR`VT[ N ½fV[T PN_,³ Except that this is just a mock-up, I am told. “But it’s logical and ship out of Shanghai to anywhere,” says Lünd. “We won’t have for it to look like this,” says Lünd. For the moment, he’s calling it an assembly plant per se, but a dispersed production model. BringFrançoise after his favorite French singer. “I’m sure we’ll end up V[T V[ aUR OR`a `abß S_\Z N_\b[Q aUR d\_YQ N[Q N``RZOYV[T Va [RN_ naming it something stupid like the FTA-390 or EI-EI-O,” he says. where the end-user resides.”

“The market fairly demands it.” Lünd tells me he was going to call The Françoise is electric, with a motor inside each wheel, and it the Prunus, but decided that would be kind of stupid. “So for now, an organic lattice-over-substrate power-storage system that leaps it’s Françoise,” he says. beyond lithium-ion batteries or whatever else LG is brewing up in its labs. “Every ion is my friend,” Lünd avows. “It’s almost a matter of willing each subatomic particle to do what you want. I haven’t SI NCE T H AT SHORT A RT ICLE I N W IR ED, nothing has been gotten past the laws of physics yet. But I’m getting pretty close.” d_VaaR[ NO\ba 9 [Q dUVPU V` N` UR dN[a` Va a\ OR 5R YVXRYf ^bNYV¼R` DVaU aUNa UR aNXR` N ¼`aSbY \S ]V`aNPUV\` \ba \S \[R _\OR ]\PXRa N[Q for the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans, but he says he has gone cracks open a couple and pops them in his mouth. He puts the to great lengths to ensure “they keep overlooking me.” Neither the empty shells in the other pocket.

Wall Street Journal nor the New York Times shows anything about ²FRNU aUNaμ` SN`PV[NaV[T ³ 6 `Nf ²/ba U\d Q\ f\b `RR \ba \S Va,³

072

.

feature

0 4 . 2 016 caranddriver.com

“Oh, you’re going to dig this,” he gushes.

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• W H E N T H E T I R E S G E T W O R N A N D T H E WA R R A N T Y R U N S O U T, T H AT ’ S W H E R E W E C O M E I N . C / D I S YO U R S O U R C E F O R T H E 4 0 , 0 0 0 - M I L E E VA L U AT I O N . •

L O N G -T E R M T E S T — 2015 SUBARU WRX PREMIUM —

The fourth-generation Subaru WRX is better on pavement than ever before. But it doesn’t forsake its rally-car rawness. by Eric Tingwall

075 075

It was a fitting send-off. Michigan’s

YNaR UVaaV[T dV[aR_ ¼[NYYf `]VYYRQ N P\b]YR \S V[PUR` \S `[\d \[ aUR 1RPRZOR_ QNf aUNa \b_ " @bON_b D?Eμ` \Q\ZRaR_ _\YYRQ ]N`a !

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photography by ANDREW TRAHAN

076

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long-term test

its predecessors. So we were comforted by U\d \b_ ¼[NY `VQRdNf` ½V[T V[ aUR _NYYf V[`]V_RQ S\b_ Q\\_ ]_\cR` aUNa RcR[ N` Va T_\d` Z\_R PVcVYVgRQ \[ aUR _\NQ aUR D?E _RZNV[` a_bR a\ aUR PUN_NPaR_ aUNa ZNXR` Va QV`aV[PaVcR DR ORTN[ \b_ D?E _R[QRgc\b` V[ YNaR 7bYf ! dVaU N =_RZVbZ Z\QRY ]NV[aRQ 9VTUa[V[T ?RQ @bON_b UNQ _NaaYRQ aUR SNVaUSbY Of N[[\b[PV[T aUNa aUR_R d\bYQ[μa OR N UNaPUONPX O\Qf S\_ aUR S\b_aU TR[R_N aV\[ D?E N[Q aUNa N P\[aV[b\b`Yf cN_VNOYR Nba\ZNaVP a_N[`ZV``V\[ d\bYQ OR \ßR_RQ DR `aRR_RQ PYRN_ \S aUR YNaaR_ P\[a_\cR_`f Of R^bV]]V[T \b_ `RQN[ dVaU N a_NQVaV\[NY `Ve `]RRQ ZN[bNY AUR ZVQ YRcRY =_RZVbZ a_VZ NQQRQ URNaRQ S_\[a `RNa` N[Q ReaR_V\_ ZV__\_` N `b[_\\S S\T YVTUa` N[Q aUR `bO aYR`a _RN_ `]\VYR_ RcR_ a\ T_NPR N D?E <b_ \[Yf \]aV\[ dN` N [NcVTNaV\[ `f`aRZ ]NV_RQ dVaU N [V[R `]RNXR_ 5N_ZN[ 8N_ Q\[ NbQV\ `f`aRZ DUVYR aUR dV[Q\d `aVPXR_ _RNQ & \b_ D?E [RcR_ SRYa aUNa _VPU \[ aUR V[`VQR

=R_ @bON_b a_NQVaV\[ aUR ]YN`aVP V[Qb`a_fμ` UN_QR`a N[Q TY\``VR`a `abß TRa` V[`aNYYRQ ObVYQV[T \[ N QR`VT[ aURZR aUNaμ` OR`a QR`P_VORQ N` TR[R_VP AUNaμ` Wb`a N ^bVOOYR P\Z]N_RQ dVaU aUR b`RYR`` V[S\aNV[ZR[a `f`aRZ aU\bTU 6a` aV[f a\bPU`P_RR[ Oba a\[` P_f]aVP ZR[b N__N[TRZR[a` N[Q ]Ve RYNaRQ T_N]UVP` N[aNT\[VgRQ RcR_f Q_VcR_ dU\ a\\X aUR dURRY AUR_Rμ` NY`\ [\ RcV QR[PR aUNa N[f\[R \[ \b_ `aNß `bPPR``SbYYf b`RQ aUR [NcVTNaV\[ `f`aRZ a\ a_NcRY S_\Z ]\V[a . a\ / @bON_b UN` NY_RNQf NQQ_R``RQ aUV` S\_ # dVaU N [Rd URNQ b[Va aUNa O_V[T` [\_ZNYYf `VgRQ Obaa\[` N ab[V[T X[\O N[Q T_N]UVP` aUNa N_R Na YRN`a Z\_R % aUN[ &&% 0\ZS\_aNOYR `RNa` N[ RePRYYR[a Q_VcV[T ]\`VaV\[ N[Q N `PbY]aRQ `aRR_V[T dURRY _RcRNY @bON_bμ` ]_V\_VaVR` dVaU aUV` PN_ 6aμ` VZ]\_aN[a a\ b[QR_`aN[Q aUNa f\b N_R[μa ObfV[T Ybeb_f \_ RcR[ P\ZZ\[ Z\QR_[ P\[cR[VR[PR` dVaU N D?E <b_ PN_ [\aNOYf Driving a winter-tire-shod WRX on the snow is one of life’s big pleasures. Our WRX wore the excellent Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 model.

YNPXRQ aU_RR OYV[X ab_[ `VT[NY` Nba\ZNaVP URNQYVTUa` N[Q N a_b[X _RYRN`R \[ aUR \ba `VQR \S aUR PN_ 6[`aRNQ f\bμ_R ObfV[T N ]R_ZN[R[a `RN `\[ ]N`` a\ N _\dQf T_V[ V[QbPV[T aU_VYY _VQR 1R`]VaR aUR NQ\]aV\[ \S RYRPa_VP ]\dR_ `aRR_V[T aUR SRRY UN` VZ]_\cRQ AUR cNTbR \[ PR[aR_ `Y\] \S ]_V\_ D?E` V` T\[R N[Q N [Rd O_NXR ON`RQ a\_^bR cRPa\_V[T `PURZR XRR]` b[QR_`aRR_ V[ PURPX DR dVa[R``RQ & T \S YNaR_NY T_V] \[ aUR `XVQ]NQ N[Q VZ]R_ab_ONOYR O\Qf P\[a_\Y RcR_fdUR_R dR Q_\cR AUR D?Eμ` `U\_a a_NcRY `b`]R[`V\[ V` ¼_Z R[\bTU aUNa f\b P\bYQ _RNQ /_NVYYR dVaU Va fRa aUR `aNß dN` QVcVQRQ \[ aUR PN_μ` _VQR ^bNYVaf @\ZR Q_VcR_` ]_NV`RQ aUR ]_\ T_R``VcR QNZ]V[T aUNa QbYY` UN_`U VZ]NPa` dUVYR aUR [Nf`NfR_` N_TbRQ aUNa aUR _VQR dN` `VZ]Yf a\\ Ob`f ?\bTU RQTR` N_R N D?E UNYYZN_X @\ZR \d[R_` ZVTUa RcR[ N_TbR aUNa aURfμ_R ]Yb`R` AURf PR_aNV[Yf ]YNPR aUR D?Eμ` ]N_af O\f VZNTR V[ `aN_X P\[a_N`a dVaU aUR `a_NVa YNPRQ C\YX`dNTR[ 4A6 /ba UN_Q ]YN`aVP` N[Q N Y\bQ PNOV[ N_R a_VcVNY `NP_V

2015 SUBARU WRX PREMIUM SPECI FIC ATIONS VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive,

5-passenger, 4-door sedan

PRICE AS TESTED ......................... $31,290 BASE PRICE ................................. $29,290 ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled

DOHC 16-valve flat-4, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection DISPLACEMENT ............... 122 cu in, 1998 cc POWER ....................... 268 hp @ 5600 rpm TORQUE .................... 258 lb-ft @ 2000 rpm TRANSMISSION ................. 6-speed manual WHEELBASE ................................. 104.3 in LENGTH ....................................... 180.9 in WIDTH ........................................... 70.7 in HEIGHT .......................................... 58.1 in PASSENGER VOLUME .................... 93 cu ft CARGO VOLUME ............................ 12 cu ft CURB WEIGHT ............................... 3339 lb WARRANTY

3 years/36,000 miles bumper to bumper 5 years/60,000 miles powertrain 5 years/unlimited miles corrosion protection 3 years/36,000 miles roadside assistance MODEL-YEAR CHANGES 2016: Subaru’s Starlink infotainment system

replaces the old, clumsy unit. Lane-keeping assistance, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert are optional. Premium and Limited models now come with 18-inch wheels.

¼PR` S\_ aUV` P\ZOV[NaV\[ \S PURN] ]\dR_ S\b_ dURRY Q_VcR N[Q WbcR[VYR Sb[ ANXR aUR T_bß #% U] ½Na S\b_ N` N[ ReNZ]YR AUR QV_RPa V[WRPaRQ R[TV[R TN_ TYR` Va` dNf a\ _RQYV[R N[Q T_\N[` Na UVTU dNf `]RRQ` fRa Va` ]R_S\_ZN[PR RN`VYf P\Z]R[`NaR` S\_ N[f N[Q NYY ;C5 `V[` DR NcR_NTRQ " Z]T Qb_V[T \b_ aR`a ORNaV[T aUR 2=. P\ZOV[RQ ¼Tb_R Of \[R 6S f\b PN[ `a\ZNPU aUR aU\bTUa \S N _RQYV[R PYbaPU Q_\] aUR D?E dVYY PUN_TR a\ # Z]U V[ " `RP\[Q` 6aμ` aUR PY\`R`a SNP`VZVYR \S N =\_`PUR & Ab_O\ S\_ YR`` aUN[ `Ve ¼Tb_R` AU\`R UN_Q YNb[PUR` ZVTUa Re]YNV[ dUf \b_ D?Eμ` PYbaPU ORTN[ `YV]]V[T Na ! ## ZVYR` <_ ZNfOR aUR PYbaPUμ` RN_Yf ReVa dN`

077 C/D T E ST R E SU LTS PERFORMANCE NEW 40,000 ZERO TO 60 MPH .......................... 5.0 sec .......... 5.0 sec ZERO TO 100 MPH ............................. 13.4 sec ............. 14.1 sec ZERO TO 130 MPH ............................ 26.5 sec ........... 29.7 sec ROLLING START, 5–60 MPH ........................................... 6.4 sec ............. 6.5 sec 1/4-MILE ........................................ 13.7 sec ......... 13.8 sec @ 101 mph @ 99 mph BRAKING, 70–0 MPH ............................ 157 ft ................ 161 ft ROADHOLDING, 300-FT-DIA SKIDPAD ........................... 0.91 g .............. 0.90 g TOP SPEED (GOVERNOR LIMITED) .................................... 144 mph EPA FUEL ECONOMY, CITY/HWY ............................. 21/28 mpg C/D-OBSERVED FUEL ECONOMY .......................... 25 mpg UNSCHEDULED OIL ADDITIONS ...................................... 0 qt OPERATING COSTS (FOR 40,000 MILES) SERVICE (6 SCHEDULED, 2 UNSCHEDULED) ............................. $697 NORMAL WEAR .................................................................. $0 REPAIR ............................................................................... $0 GASOLINE (@ $2.97 PER GALLON) ....................................... $4749 NON WARRANTY REPAIRS REPLACE CLUTCH .......................................................... $300 DAMAGE AND DESTRUCTION REPLACE LEFT-REAR TIRE ............................................. $175 REPLACE WHEEL STUDS AND LUG NUTS ......................... $18 REPLACE TPMS SENSOR ................................................. $125 LIFE EXPECTANCIES (ESTIMATED FROM 40,000-MILE TEST) TIRES .................................................................. 60,000 miles FRONT BRAKE PADS ........................................... 90,000 miles REAR BRAKE PADS ............................................. 50,000 miles WHAT BITS AND PIECES COST HEADLAMP .................................................................... $360 ENGINE AIR FILTER .......................................................... $26 OIL FILTER .......................................................................... $9 WHEEL ........................................................................... $360 TIRE ................................................................................. $159 WIPER BLADES (LEFT/RIGHT) ....................................... $30/$20 FRONT BRAKE PADS ........................................................ $85

RANTS AND RAVES STEVE SILER

High-speed California two-lanes such as State Route 198 bring out this car’s rallying spirit like no other venue.

TONY QUIROGA

I hate this heavy clutch and the limited engagement travel. It’s not at all L.A.–friendly.

ERIK JOHNSON

I love where this sits in terms of refinement. It has just enough rough edges left to give the impression of a barely tamed animal.

JEFF SABATINI

The WRX is a fourwheel-drive beer bong. I’m happy to have outgrown its appeal, but I still have a fondness for what it represents— eating ramen noodles all week to be able to afford going out on the weekend.

AARON ROBINSON

The ratios are widely spaced in the lower gears, so it’s hard to shift fast and be smooth.

DON SHERMAN

What this ride lacks in radiated prestige it more than makes up in fun to drive.

TONY QUIROGA

Just picked up the WRX after its new clutch. The pedal effort is reduced by more than 50 percent. What a relief.

RUSTY BLACKWELL

You can feel every single millimeter of height variance in the road.

MIKE SUTTON

The stereo system’s head unit is a slow, confounding, and frustrating piece of crap.

JENNIFER HARRINGTON

Maybe I’m just too used to driving stuff like the Corvette and the Cayman, but I find the ride to be quite tolerable, actually.

BURN RUBBER. DON’T BREATHE IT.

078

.

long-term test

0 4 . 2 016 caranddriver.com

the result of a manufacturing defect.

2VaUR_ dNf aUR S_VPaV\[ QV`P dN` _R]YNPRQ under partial warranty, leaving us to kick V[ \S aUR a\aNY OVYY 6a d\bYQ OR aUR `V[TYR `VT[V¼PN[a `R_cVPR V[PVQR[a V[ \b_ D?Eμ` $ Z\[aU `aNf Smaller snafus included a burned-out headlight bulb, replaced under warranty Na % ZVYR` N[Q N [NVY aUNa S\_PRQ b` to prematurely replace a tire. Features RQVa\_ 7Rß @NONaV[V Y\PXRQ UVZ`RYS \ba \S the car twice, while it was running, possibly saying more about Sabatini than the Subaru.

We also snapped three wheel studs, cracked two lug nuts, and broke a wheel’s pressure-monitoring sensor in the course of swapping between winter and summer _bOOR_ V[ \b_ ½RQTYV[T V[ U\b`R aV_R `U\] Deep Discount Tire. While we own full responsibility for the busted tire-pressure sensor, we always thread lug nuts by hand and tighten them with a torque wrench.

The three studs were damaged at various times as we dismounted wheels, revealing mangled threads that indicated the nuts The turbocharged 2.0-liter provides an impressive surge of power once on boost, and it returns unexpectedly good economy.

NEW

YOUR CAR’S INTERIOR IS NO PLACE FOR DIRTY AIR. A K&N ® Cabin Air Filter can make sure of it, helping trap the pollutants and allergens you don’t want to breathe. And it’s washable and reusable, so your wallet breathes a lot easier, too. Order yours online or stop by AutoZone today.

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weren’t seating properly. Comforting our conscience further, the man behind our local Subaru parts counter acknowledged that broken studs weren’t uncommon.

Both before and after the clutch replacement, drivers logged concerns that our D?E dN` QV¦PbYa a\ Q_VcR `Z\\aUYf 2QVtors called attention to the abrupt clutch take-up, a touchy throttle, a small dose of turbo lag, and excessive driveline lash.

Those traits are most apparent in city driving, where modest throttle application is ZRa dVaU N dUVß \S YNT S\YY\dRQ Of N Q_NZNaVP `b_TR \S aU_b`a 6aμ` N` VS P\[¼[RQ Of a_N¦P N[Q Y\d `]RRQ YVZVa` aUR D?E O_V`tles with pent-up energy and teenage angst.

We’d prescribe a more linear throttle mapping as the initial therapy.

DR d\bYQ[μa U\dRcR_ _RP\ZZR[Q ¼eing every one of the WRX’s quirks. A nicer interior would be a luxury; a quieter cabin would make the car more livable; and, fortunately, Subaru has already addressed the OVTTR`a ½Nd \S aUR " Z\QRY dVaU aUR [Rd infotainment unit. But we don’t want to imagine a WRX so civilized that it balks at gravel roads.

The WRX’s more charming imperfections—such as the notchy shifter, the ONdQf R[TV[R N[Q aUR ½V[af `b`pension—are exactly why it stands out in the sport-compact segment. The greatest crime against the WRX would be to _R¼[R Va V[a\ N Obaa\[RQ b] P\Zmuter, severing the connection to its rally roots and turning it into just another small car.

FLEET FILES

2015 MAZDA 3 S 29,16 3 MILES 31 OBSERVED MPG

M A Z DA P H OTO G R A P H BY J O H N P H I L L I P S , M I N I P H OTO G R A P H BY M I C H A E L S I M A R I

Last July, we sent the 3 out to visit Uncle John Phillips in Montana. Every fall, when he migrates back to Ann Arbor for a week, Phillips takes a fresh long-termer home with him.

This time, smitten with the luxurious microhatch, he sneaked it away for a second fling. He loved it so much that we only finally recovered the 3 in November. Those two round trips from Michigan to Montana helped the car pile on some 11,000 miles in just four months. A pole in an Ann Arbor coffee-shop parking lot helped it accumulate a $1423 body-shop bill.

Subtract that cost, though, and our service tab has yet to break $300.

2014 MINI COOPER S HARDTOP 38, 332 MILES 30 OBSERVED MPG

When we last checked in, our Mini was coming off a three-month bender during which it spent more than half its time at the dealership for, among other things, repair of an oil leak and prematurely worn suspension bits. In the months since, it’s been more reliable, though not without fault.

The lumbar-adjustment knob fell off, and the upper-glovebox lid is stuck in limbo, refusing to open or fully close.

It’s hard to look past the quality woes, but if we squint, there’s a hearty engine, deft handling, and a cabin that’s easier to live with than those of previous Minis.

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drivelines we test ’em F I R S T

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THIS MONTH

MERCEDES-AMG G65 / VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE DUNE / 2015 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION FINAL EDITION

. CON V ERTI BLE

BUICK CASCADA Buick’s new marketing campaign is a decent car, too.

by Jared Gall The stretch of Florida State Road A1A that island-hops S_\Z :VNZV a\ 8Rf DR`a V` ½Na N[Q straight, the speed limit almost never exceeding 45 mph. Passing zones are rare; A1A is a lousy place to evaluate a car. But if you’re Buick and you want to conscript a bunch of unwitting writers into a guerrilla marketing campaign for your new convertible, the A1A is a savvy place to stage a group drive.

Florida is, not surprisingly, one of the biggest convertible markets in the U.S.

The Cascada might be heavy and slow, but its structure is stout and it’s well suited to trundling down by the seaside.

(the others being California, New Jersey, New York, and Texas). Buick is big in the Midwest and China and that’s about it.

Company executives readily admit that the Cascada is as much about garnering attention and getting people into showrooms as it is about sales. Which is good, because the sales potential is seriously limited. Even if Buick could match every last sale of the old Chrysler 200 convert-

ible, Volkswagen Eos, and Volvo C70 combined, it’d be looking at just 15,000 or so units per year. For perspective, Buick’s slowest-selling model last year was the Regal, of which it sold 19,504. So the Cascada is not a volume play.

The sales potential may be limited, but so is the investment; the Cascada is _RNYYf N[ <]RY dVaU N QVßR_R[a Y\T\ 1\[μa feel cheated, though. Regal and Verano buyers apparently don’t, and they’re more or less cruising around in Opel Insignias and Astras, respectively. The Cascada shares much of its structure with the Verano but has a longer wheelON`R _RV[S\_PRQ . ]VYYN_` `aVßR_ _\PXR_` substantial underbody bracing, and a foraV¼RQ _RN_ ObYXURNQ .YY aUNa NQQVaV\[NY steel yields a convertible that doesn’t so much tip the scales as it clanks down,

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OR[QV[T aUR ORNZ N[Q ½V[TV[T `\ZR ad\ a\[` \S P\b[aR_dRVTUa` NP_\`` aUR TN_NTR 3\b_ aU\b`N[Q ]\b[Q` V` `\ZR `R_V\b` ZN`` S\_ N PN_ aUV` `VgR AUR CR_N[\ Na Wb`a N[ V[PU `U\_aR_ N[Q N[ V[PU [N__\dR_ V` _\bTUYf !" ]\b[Q` YVTUaR_ AUR 0N`PNQN V` [RN_Yf N` URNcf N` aUR /:D :! P\[cR_aVOYR dUVPU UN` N ObYXf S\YQV[T UN_Qa\] N[Q N ab_O\PUN_TRQ `Ve PfYV[QR_ /ba UR_Rμ` N `R[aR[PR dRμcR [RcR_ d_VaaR[ ORS\_R' AUR /bVPX V` [\aNOYf `aVßR_ aUN[ aUR /:D .YY aUNa O_NPV[T ]Nf` \ß dVaU YVZVaRQ ½ReV[T N[Q gR_\ P\dY `UNXR AUR 0N`PNQN b`R` 4:μ` 5V=R_ @a_ba `b`]R[`V\[ b] S_\[a N[Q N a\_`V\[ ORNZ dVaU

DNaaμ` YV[XNTR Y\PNaV[T aUR _RN_ A\_`V\[ ORNZ` N_R[μa [\aRQ S\_ R[NOYV[T RePR]aV\[NY UN[QYV[T Oba aURf N_R P\Z]NPa dUVPU ZNaaR_` V[ N P\[cR_aVOYR dUR_R a_b[X `]NPR V` NY_RNQf P_\dQRQ S_\Z NO\cR Of a\] `a\dNTR .[Q /bVPXμ` R[TV[RR_` QVQ N P\ZZR[QNOYR W\O \S ab[V[T aUR 0N`PNQNμ` _VQR 6[ aUR # \_ `\ ZVYR` S_\Z 8Rf DR`a a\ :VNZV . . UN` ZNfOR RVTUa ab_[` ZNXV[T Va` `RYRPaV\[ N` N Q_VcR _\baR `RRZ YVXR N[ \OcV\b` QRSR[`VcR Z\cR \[ /bVPXμ` ]N_a /ba aU_\bTU Q\TTRQ N[Q \O[\eV\b` YN[R PUN[TV[T N[Q NTT_R``VcR QR]N_ab_R` S_\Z aUR ZNV[ UVTUdNf dR QRQbPRQ aUNa aUR

SPECI FIC ATIONS VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheeldrive, 4-passenger, 2-door convertible BASE PRICE ............................ $33,990 ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, iron block and aluminum head, direct fuel injection DISPLACEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 cu in, 1598 cc POWER .................... 200 hp @ 5500 rpm TORQUE ................. 221 lb-ft @ 2200 rpm TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with manual shifting mode DIMENSIONS

WHEELBASE ............................. 106.1 in LENGTH ................................... 184.9 in WIDTH ...................................... 72.4 in HEIGHT .................................... 56.8 in PASSENGER VOLUME ............... 82 cu ft TRUNK VOLUME .................... 10–13 cu ft CURB WEIGHT ......................... 4000 lb PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)

ZERO TO 60 MPH ..................... 8.4 sec ZERO TO 100 MPH .................. 24.2 sec 1/4-MILE .................................. 16.3 sec TOP SPEED ............................. 125 mph FUEL ECONOMY

EPA CITY/HWY ..................... 20/27 mpg

`b`]R[`V\[ V` T_NaVSfV[TYf ¼_Z a\ N QRT_RR aUNa V` `YVTUaYf _V`Xf TVcR[ /bVPX Pb`a\ZR_`μ a_NQVaV\[NY ]_RSR_R[PR` AUR 0N`PNQN _\YY` YVaaYR N[Q Va` _NPX Z\b[aRQ RYRPa_VP ]\dR_ `aRR_V[T V` ]YRN`N[aYf URNcf N[Q ^bVPX DUVYR aUR O_NXR ]RQNY V` Zb`UVR_ aUN[ dRμQ ]_RSR_ Vaμ` ]_\T_R``VcR N[Q RN`f a\ Z\QbYNaR 6S aUR V[aR[`RYf U\_Vg\[aNY Q_VcR Y\PNaV\[ dN` V[ SNPa N QRSR[`VcR ]YNf Va dN` Z\_R YVXRYf PU\`R[ a\ P\[PRNY aUR R[TV[Rμ` QR¼PVR[PVR` [\a aU\`R \S aUR PUN``V` .` dVaU Z\`a Z\QRY` \[ aUR 0\[aV[R[a <]RYμ` 0N`PNQN \ßR_` N ]N[\]Yf \S ]\dR_a_NV[` /bVPX a\\X \[Yf aUR OVTTR`a TN`\YV[R \[R N # YVaR_ ab_O\PUN_TRQ S\b_ dVaU N[ V_\[ OY\PX N[Q NYbZV[bZ URNQ AUR[ 4: WbVPRQ Va Sb_aUR_ `\ aUNa Va ZNXR` U\_`R]\dR_ N[Q ]\b[Q SRRa \S a\_^bR V[ aUR " `RP\[Q \cR_O\\`a Z\QR \_ $ ]\b[Q SRRa \aUR_dV`R

In blue, the Cascada looks like a broken robin’s egg. Still, it’s far more attractive than the old Chrysler 200 convertible.

Twenty pounds per horsepower is a _NaV\ f\b d\[μa ¼[Q N[fdUR_R \ba`VQR \S the heavy-duty-pickup realm, and the Cascada accelerates like a diesel dualie.

With this car’s estimated 8.4-second plod to 60 mph and the little Encore SUV’s 9.3 seconds, Buick might have the slowest lineup of any brand in the U.S. If slow, though, the 1.6 is perfectly smooth, and the soundtrack is never strained. A sixspeed automatic is the only transmission choice, and it is likewise relaxed as it goes about its shifting.

Maybe the Keys weren’t misdirection `\ ZbPU N` N[ N¦_ZNaV\[ AU_VYY` ZNf OR a pipe dream in the Cascada, even if buyers are unlikely to care. This convertible excels on island time. Load up, drop the top, hang an arm over the door, and relax.

The cloth top lowers in 17 seconds and rises in 19, with no latches or releases to pull. And it’ll do so up to 31 mph, your N]]_\eVZNaR P_bV`V[T `]RRQ \[ `VT[V¼PN[a portions of A1A and fast enough for a speeding ticket in a school zone.

The interior is decently roomy for four adults. A smart system aids rear-seat comfort: Pull the release on the seatback, and the front seats motor forward. Return

the seatback to its locked position, and it motors back. But when it touches the occupant’s knees, it stops and scoots forward an inch or so to leave a little wiggle room. In front, the contrast-stitched leather dashtop and door panels impart a rich ambience. And, as in pricey German two-doors, robo-arms power forward to hand front-seat occupants their shoulder belts when they close the doors, while pyrotechnic roll bars deploy from behind the rear seats if the Cascada detects imminent inversion.

The Cascada will come in two trim choices: all or nothing.

There’s a Premium and a base and no extra-cost options other than paint colors. But even nothV[T V[PYbQR` N Y\a \S `abß 3\_ $33,990, the base model comes with heated power driver’s and front-passenger’s seats, a heated steering wheel, navigation, dualzone climate control, and HID headlights and LED taillights. At $36,990, the Premium adds forward-collision alert, lane-departure warning, automatic wipers, and wheel choices.

Driving along the touristinfested A1A, we couldn’t help but think how well suited the

Cascada would be to the auto industry’s deepest shame: rental duty. But Buick is refreshingly candid about that possibility.

The point of the Cascada is to get new potential customers interested in Buick.

The brand is not too uptight about how that encounter happens. Getting people to notice your product, that’s marketing. And so is the Cascada. But with more power and in a place with some curves, it could be a rather good car, too.

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. T YC O O N T R A NSPORT

MERCEDES-AMG G65 Watching G63 owners deflate after they notice the “V12 Biturbo” badge on the flank of your ute.

A $3000 pair of blue jeans. by Daniel Pund TESTED

Even in a world with no shortage of ridiculousness, the Mercedes-AMG G65, a three-ton miliaN_f cRUVPYR P_NZZRQ a\ \cR_½\dV[T dVaU a 621-hp V-12 and quilted leather, stands tall as an exemplar of absurdity.

Give Mercedes its due for this accomplishment. What other entity could muster the resolve to produce a consumer product quite so insane? If Chrysler decided to cram a Hellcat V-8 into the nose of a Wrangler, well, that might come close.

But even Chrysler, which once produced the Plymouth Prowler, isn’t quite that nuts. The other car companies aren’t even in the game.

In fact, the G65’s only real competition for the title of “Most Absurd of All the Vehicles” are other versions of the G-class.

G63 AMG 6x6, anyone? /VgN__R N` aUV` `aVPX NeYR ½Na dV[Qshield nuclear brick may be, it is a vehicle

that does actually exist, one that has been for sale in other markets (notably China, the Middle East, and Russia) for a few years already. There are hundreds of these things elephant-dancing around the world right now. It has proven relatively popular where sold, even if sometimes it appeals to aU\`R S\_ dU\Z a_N¦P V` N[ V[P\[cR[VR[PR as well as an occupation. Somehow, it’s only now that America’s Centurion Card superusers are getting the chance to plop down a probably depressingly small amount of their wealth on this, the most exclusive Mercedes troop carrier.

So, we’ve now driven it and tested it and stared at it blankly for quite some time and can report that it is indeed a V-12– powered G-class.

The V-12 in question is the twin-turbocharged, three-valve-per-cylinder unit that’s been available in S-class coupes and sedans and the SL convertible for years. It

makes 738 pound-feet of torque. As with the other Mercedes V-12 models, the G65’s engine is mated to a seven-speed automatic. And, also like the other V-12 models, it costs more than $200,000.

Unlike the S-classes and the SL powered by this engine, the G65 is available with a chrome brush guard and glowing Alien Green paint.

Our vehicle showed up in a decidedly more tasteful Mystic Brown Metallic color.

We’ll leave it to your aesthetic leanings to decide whether the “highly polished” 21-inch wheels are tasteful. They are wrapped with 295/40 Continental CrossContact ultra-high-performance all-season tires. These might be simultaneously the most overstressed and understressed tires on any passenger vehicle in the world.

The 6067-pound G65 can manage only 0.58 g on the skidpad. Your dad’s Plymouth We’re not sure why Mercedes didn’t just polish the whole vehicle. Take care to avoid scuffing the chrome brush guard with brush.

SPECI FIC ATIONS VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door tycoon transport PRICE AS TESTED ................... $221,925 BASE PRICE ........................... $218,825 ENGINE TYPE: twin-turbocharged and intercooled SOHC 36-valve V-12, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection DISPLACEMENT . . . . . . . . . 365 cu in, 5980 cc POWER ..................... 621 hp @ 5300 rpm TORQUE ................ 738 lb-ft @ 2300 rpm TRANSMISSION: 7-speed automatic with manual shifting mode DIMENSIONS

WHEELBASE ............................. 112.2 in LENGTH ................................... 187.5 in WIDTH ...................................... 73.0 in HEIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............. 76.3 in PASSENGER VOLUME .............. 124 cu ft CARGO VOLUME . . . . . . . . . . . ............ 40 cu ft CURB WEIGHT .......................... 6067 lb CENTER-OF-GRAVITY HEIGHT .... 29.0 in

C/D T E ST R E SU LTS ZERO TO 60 MPH ..................... 5.1 sec ZERO TO 100 MPH . . . . . . . . . ............ 12.2 sec ZERO TO 140 MPH ...................... 28.1 sec ROLLING START, 5–60 MPH .......... 5.6 sec 1/4-MILE ................. 13.6 sec @ 105 mph TOP SPEED (governor limited) ........ 140 mph BRAKING, 70–0 MPH ..................... 165 ft ROADHOLDING, 300-FT-DIA SKIDPAD* ................. 0.58 g FUEL ECONOMY

EPA CITY/HWY ........................ 11/13 mpg C/D OBSERVED . . . . . . . . . . . . ............ 10 mpg *Stability-control inhibited.

TEST NOTES: With the engine’s size and location, the G65’s near–50-50 distribution is remarkable. Stability control curtails cornering speed before it gets interesting.

Volare could probably have done that. The problem is not the tires; the insanely low ¼Tb_R V` aUR SNbYa \S aUR Uf]R_NPaVcR `aNOVYity-control system. Well, it’s actually the SNbYa \S aUR baR Va`RYS AUV` V` N $# V[PU aNYY cRUVPYR _VQV[T \[ N "& V[PU dVQR a_NPX 0\XR O\aaYR` P\_[R_ dVaU T_RNaR_ [Nab_NY `aNOVYVaf 5R[PR aUR 4#"μ` `aNOVYVaf P\[a_\Y UN` ORR[ TVcR[ N YRcRY \S NbaU\_Vaf that would make even Nurse Ratched envious. “We do not impose certain rules and _R`a_VPaV\[` \[ f\b dVaU\ba N T_RNa QRNY \S aU\bTUa NO\ba aURV_ aUR_N]RbaVP cNYbR ³ the system repeatedly says. <[ aUR _\NQ aUR aUV[T SRRY` ORaaR_ aUN[ aUR [bZOR_` `bTTR`a 0\[`VQR_V[T aUNa aUV` aU_RR a\[ PbOR PN__VR` Va` dRVTUa UVTUR_ aUN[ Wb`a NO\ba N[f \aUR_ cRUVPYR dRμcR RcR_ aR`aRQ V[PYbQV[T N & " 3\_Q :\QRY A :R_PRQR` UN` Q\[R N ¼[R W\O YVZVaV[T O\Qf _\YY 6a `U\bYQ OR aR__VSfV[T to drive this with verve, but it’s not. Just X[\d aUNa aUR URNcf `aRR_V[T V` P\ZVPNYYf `Y\d N[Q baaR_Yf dVaU\ba SRRY AUR Re]N[`VcR QRNQ g\[R Na aUR PR[aR_ \S aUR `aRR_V[T URY]` ]_RcR[a XVPXONPX S_\Z Ub_aV[T f\b_ aUbZO` Qb_V[T aUR \ß _\NQV[T RePb_`V\[` aUV` cRUVPYR V` [\ Y\[TR_ R^bV]]RQ a\ aNXR photography by JIM FETS

The three rocker switches on the center `aNPX S\_ aUR aU_RR Y\PXV[T QVßR_R[aVNY` P\ZR dVaU aURV_ \d[ dN_[V[T `aVPXR_ aUNa ZVTUa N` dRYY `Nf' ²9\\X f\b Q\[μa [RRQ a\ X[\d dUNa aUR`R N_R S\_ 7b`a Z\cR NY\[T ³ AUR Q\d[`VQR \S aUR NPabNYYf `\_aN XV[QN QRPR[a O\Qf P\[a_\Y V` aUNa aUR 4#" PYbZ]` N[Q O\b[Q` NY\[T \[ PU\]]f ]NcRZR[a N` VS Va UNQ ad\ `\YVQ NeYR` N[Q RePR]aV\[NYYf YN_TR URNcf dURRY` /ba VS dR UNcR[μa ZR[aV\[RQ Va RN_YVR_ aUR 4#" UN` N C R[TV[R 6a Q\R`[μa UNcR N` aU_VYYV[T N[ ReUNb`a [\aR N` aUR 4# μ` adV[ ab_O\PUN_TRQ " " YVaR_ C % dUVPU Of aUR `\b[Q \S Va PNZR S_\Z 4\Qμ` ]R_`\[NY 0VTN_RaaR O\Na 6a RZVa` _NaUR_ N Y\d ]VaPURQ UbZ ;RVaUR_ V` aUR 4#" N` ^bVPX N` aUR $% YR`` Re]R[`VcR 4# AUR C °]\dR_RQ 4 a_NVY` aUR C %°Z\aVcNaRQ \[R Of N SRd aR[aU` \S N `RP\[Q a\ # Z]U " a\ ! % N[Q N SRd aR[aU` V[ aUR ^bN_aR_ ZVYR # `RP\[Q` a\ /ba aUNaμ` `aVYY ]_Raaf QN_[ ^bVPX S\_ N cRUVPYR aUR `UN]R \S N[ \baObVYQV[T .[Q Va dVYY ]\dR_ \[ a\ N T\cR_[RQ ! Z]U VS P\Zmon sense doesn’t convince f\b a\ ONPX \ß Na N[faUV[T NO\cR So what’s the point? Beats us. But we will say that we understand that the appeal \S aUR 4#" \_ N[f 4 PYN`` Z\QRY UN` [\aUV[T dUNa`\ever to do with reason or ease \S b`R \_ P\ZS\_a \_ NOVYVaf \_ RcR[ ]R_S\_ZN[PR 6a P\ZR` S_\Z \d[V[T N `]\_a baR aUNa

The side-exit exhaust will limit off-road adventures—or at least make them more expensive. The engine bay won’t hold a V-16.

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VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE DUNE Mad Max: Sesame Street. by Eric Tingwall Volkswagen wants all of us to remember the good ol’ days.

You know, anytime prior to September 2015, when the EPA dropped its NOx hammer on the company’s heavy-breathing diesels. In fact, VW would like nothing more than to guide you all the way back to the 1960s, when the pollution was hazier N[Q aUR Y\cR ½\dRQ S_RRYf /RadRR[ Va` latest Microbus-inspired concept—an allelectric mea culpa PNYYRQ aUR /B11 R± N[Q aUV` [Rd /RRaYR 1b[R CD N]]RN_` eager to tap the nostalgia ATM again.

AUR /RRaYR 1b[R N ZVQ YRcRY a_VZ V[ special-edition guise, is meant to evoke /NWN /bT` aU\`R Z\QV¼RQ Af]R /RRaYR` that began roaming the desert in the late 1960s. They could be anything from a _RP_RNaV\[NY Qb[R ObTTf a\ N O\[N ¼QR class-11 desert racer, and while there dN`[μa N `V[TYR OYbR]_V[a N /NWN /bT dN` instantly recognizable by its trimmedback bodywork and swollen tires. /ba aUR_Rμ` N _RN`\[ aUV` aU_\dONPX V` PNYYRQ /RRaYR 1b[R N[Q [\a /RRaYR /NWN Two reasons, actually: Compared with `aN[QN_Q /RRaYR` aUR S_\[a Q_VcR 1b[Rμ` _RN_ a_NPX T_\d` Wb`a V[PU dVQR_ N[Q Va` `b`]R[`V\[ YVSa` aUR ½\\_ Wb`a ! V[PU Note that Volkswagen left off the word “buggy” after “Dune.” Mechanical changes from your basic Beetle 1.8T are slight indeed.

UVTUR_ AUNaμ` aUR ReaR[a \S aUR 1b[Rμ` ZRPUN[VPNY PUN[TR` /RNPUR` dVYY [\a OR V[cNQRQ `N[Q Qb[R` dVYY [\a OR WbZ]RQ and deserts will not be skimmed.

We deviated from VW’s prescribed pavement-only route down a gravelly access road and made it 50 yards before a Q_NV[NTR TbYYf aU_RNaR[RQ a\ aRN_ \ß aUR PN_μ` S_\[a SN`PVN DUVYR aUR 1b[Rμ` S_\[a and rear clips give the false impression that the car is equipped with skid plates, we resisted the temptation to call VolksdNTR[μ` OYbß AUR 1b[R V` N PN_ ]YNfV[T Q_R`` b] N[Q

SPECI FIC ATIONS VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, frontwheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door coupe or convertible BASE PRICE (est) ............ $24,815–$30,000 ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, iron block and aluminum head, direct fuel injection DISPLACEMENT ............ 110 cu in, 1798 cc POWER .................... 170 hp @ 4800 rpm TORQUE ................. 184 lb-ft @ 1500 rpm TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with manual shifting mode DIMENSIONS

WHEELBASE ............................ 100.0 in LENGTH ................................... 168.7 in WIDTH ....................................... 71.7 in HEIGHT .............................. 58.6–59.1 in PASSENGER VOLUME .......... 81–85 cu ft TRUNK VOLUME ..................... 7–15 cu ft CURB WEIGHT .................. 3050–3250 lb PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)

ZERO TO 60 MPH .................. 7.4–7.6 sec ZERO TO 100 MPH ............. 21.0–21.2 sec 1/4-MILE ............................ 15.7–15.9 sec TOP SPEED ............................. 125 mph FUEL ECONOMY

EPA CITY/HWY ..................... 25/34 mpg

angling for a starring role in Mad Max: Sesame Street. It will sell on its black wheelN_PU ReaR[`V\[` N[Q aUR Y\[T ½Na `]\VYR_ that appears to be inspired by that other German icon, the one that still has a rear R[TV[R AUR 1b[R S\YY\d` aUR same formula that turns an Audi wagon into an Allroad, or a Volvo dNT\[ V[a\ N 0_\`` 0\b[a_f /ba at least those vehicles have fourdURRY Q_VcR AUR 1b[R ReV`a` because we live in a time when automakers believe everything can and should be a crossover.

It may be disingenuous, but the 1b[R V` [\a N ONQ PN_ 6a` cV_abR` are the same as those of any other /RRaYR :N``VcR `YNO` \S TYN`` ZNXR for an airy cabin and excellent outward visibility. It steers with ]_RPV`V\[ N[Q _VQR` ¼_ZYf Oba with control—typical VW traits.

You can choose between coupe or convertible and black, white, or Sandstorm Yellow paint, but you always get a turbocharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder and a six-speed automatic. Our only serious beef: The brake pedal requires an b[b`bNYYf ¼_Z N[Q Y\[T ]_R`` ORS\_R aUR binders bite hard. ?NaUR_ aUN[ N /NWN /bT aUR 1b[R follows in the recent footsteps of VW `]RPVNY RQVaV\[` `bPU N` aUR /RRaYR 1R[VZ the Fender Edition, and the Classic. That gives us an idea for the next model. If C\YX`dNTR[ PN[μa ¼Tb_R \ba U\d a\ `RYY ab_O\ QVR`RY PN_` V[ aUR B @ NTNV[ ZNfOR it can pay tribute to those torque-rich, UVTU Z]T TY\_f QNf` dVaU aUR /RRaYR 1VR`RY Edition, powered by a zero-emission battery-electric powertrain, of course.

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2015 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION FINAL EDITION Quick reflexes, slamming power, glorious heritage. Slop-bucket build quality, punitive ride, throwback technology. by John Pearley Huffman TESTED

The Lancer Evolution Final Edition is a compact sedan that costs nearly $40,000 and has no navigation system or backup camera. The sole USB port is hidden in the glove compartment as an afterthought. Most of the plastic panels look as if they were blow-molded by an asthmatic, the switchgear actively discourages switching, and leaving a bowling ball loose in the trunk will complete the structure’s imitation of a spray-paint rattle can. There’s a lot to loathe about this, the last Evo that’s ever likely to be.

And then there’s so much to love.

The turbocharged 2.0-liter four is rated at 303 horsepower, delivers colossal mid-range torque, and sounds as if it’s con`bZV[T N _NPP\\[ 2NPU \S aUR ¼cR S\_dN_Q gears engages with the certainty of a guilY\aV[R N[Q aUR \cR_Q_VcR ¼SaU TRN_ Q\R`[μa slow the engine down much for freeway driving thanks to the supershort 4.69:1 ¼[NY Q_VcR _NaV\ AUR \[Yf dNf aUR UfQ_Nb-

lically assisted power steering could be more engaging is if the driver held the tierod ends in his bare hands. This is a fullimmersion automobile; the driver can practically drown in its mechanical frenzy.

Like so many great cars before it, the Evo is awesome because it’s a race car.

Mitsubishi, consistently confused about what it wants to be, at one time decided to embrace rallying as a path to corporate clarity. And in 1987 it built the four-wheeldrive, turbocharged Galant VR-4 sedan to go hunting. The iron-block 4G63 2.0-liter engine and its accompanying four-wheeldrive system were freakishly brilliant, but the Galant was too large to dominate World Rally Championship. So, in 1992, :Va`bOV`UV `abßRQ aUR 4NYN[a C? !μ` driveline into the smaller, agonizingly \_QV[N_f 9N[PR_ `RQN[ a\ P_RNaR aUR ¼_`a Evo—the Evolution I. Though it was sold only in Japan, the ¼_`a 2c\ dN` a\\ T\\Q S\_ Va` YRTR[Q a\ `aNf

The Evo leaves this world the same way it came in: with a chintzy interior and enough performance to forgive all that’s missing.

on the archipelago. With 247 horsepower and a massive intercooler crammed into its nose, it went on sale shortly after magazines like Sport Compact Car were hitting newsstands in America. It was the scalded-cat, twerp-monster answer to the aging, muscle-car orthodoxy of the early 1990s. It was an anti-style four-door box to crave—from afar, unattainable—and people born after Woodward’s heyday could claim it as the center of their performance universe. It was a profane digit aimed at Camaros, Mustangs, Chevelles, and Chargers. photography by SEAN C. RICE

For more than 100 years, Shell has been harnessing science, engineering, and technology to pioneer the world’s most innovative gasoline. For nearly half a century, BMW M has been building world class automobiles by merging engineering with cutting edge technologies. Today, this shared passion has brought these two great brands together in a unique relationship – one that is constantly striving to bring you the best automotive and fuel technologies. Get the full story at www.shell.us/vpower The official fuel of Car and Driver.

A Shared Passion for Performance

European Model Shown

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SPECI FIC ATIONS VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan PRICE AS TESTED ................... $38,805 BASE PRICE ............................ $38,805 ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, port fuel injection DISPLACEMENT ............ 122 cu in, 1998 cc POWER .................... 303 hp @ 6500 rpm TORQUE ................ 305 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm TRANSMISSION: 5-speed manual

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DIMENSIONS

WHEELBASE ............................ 104.3 in LENGTH .................................... 177.0 in WIDTH ....................................... 71.3 in HEIGHT .................................... 58.3 in PASSENGER VOLUME ............... 95 cu ft TRUNK VOLUME ......................... 7 cu ft CURB WEIGHT ........................... 3517 lb

C/D T E ST R E SU LTS ZERO TO 60 MPH ..................... 4.4 sec ZERO TO 100 MPH ...................... 11.9 sec ZERO TO 130 MPH ..................... 24.4 sec ROLLING START, 5–60 MPH . . . . . . . . . . 6.0 sec 1/4-MILE ................. 13.3 sec @ 104 mph TOP SPEED (redline limited) ........... 146 mph BRAKING, 70–0 MPH ...................... 163 ft ROADHOLDING, 300-FT-DIA SKIDPAD ................... 0.93 g FUEL ECONOMY

As American car freaks made do with the mechanically similar Diamond-Star (Chrysler, Dodge, Eagle, Mitsubishi, and Plymouth) coupes and turning the Honda Civic quick, the Evo legend grew. By the time the Evo II appeared in 1993, the 4G63T was snorting out 256 horsepower, climbing to 266 in 1995 with the Evo III. Then there was this Finnish guy named Tommi.

Mitsubishi’s factory Ralliart team had developed the Evo into a near-perfect rally weapon, with Tommi Mäkinen as the trigger. With an insane instinct for car control, Mäkinen used a series of Evo IIIs, IVs, Vs, and VIs to win the WRC drivers’ championship for four straight years, 1996 through 1999. Mäkinen could turn an Evo V[ ZVQ ½VTUa PN_\Z \ß OR_Z` YVXR ]\\Y table balls, and gain speed as his cars disintegrated around him. Now the Evo YRTR[Q dN` S\_aV¼RQ dVaU NPUVRcRZR[a Mitsubishi only won the manufacturers’ championship in 1998, but the Evo seemed to be charting an exciting course for the company’s future.

As the 21st century arrived, the Evo legend was massive, and dozens were sneaking into America through importers.

2cR[ :Va`bOV`UV ¼[NYYf T\a Va aU_\bTU Va` thick commercial skull that Americans had an Evo appetite. So in 2003, Mitsu donated several Evo VIIs for Paul Walker to drive in 2 Fast 2 Furious N[Q ¼[NYYf PR_aV¼RQ aUR 2c\ C666 S\_ `NYR V[ .ZR_VPN With its 271-hp 4G63T, the Evo VIII was raw, brutal, and punishing in the best possible way. “The Evo is not without its shortcomings—it’s just that none of them

EPA CITY/HWY ....................... 17/23 mpg C/D OBSERVED ........................ 17 mpg

TEST NOTES: Best acceleration achieved with lots of rpm and clutch slip. Reaching the cornering limit is easy because the front tires run out of grip well in advance of the rears.

diminishes the ability to have fun in the car,” wrote junior writing drone Daniel Pund in C/Dμ` ¼_`a P\Z]N_\ ORadRR[ aUR Evo and its perennial archenemy, the Subaru Impreza WRX STi [June 2003].

Through all the microsliced variations of Evo that Mitsu has served since then— RS, MR, GSR, SE, and various FQs—the character of the car has remained intact.

It’s still a car built with more snot than a diphtheria epidemic, that generates analog sensations rather than digital simulations, that is stinky-rotten fast.

The Final Edition plays like a best-of compilation. Based on the current Evolution X GSR, the hood, front fenders, and roof are aluminum, and the 2.0-liter 4B11 turbocharged four has been pumped up 12 horsepower to 303. The only transmis`V\[ V` aUNa ^bNV[a ¼cR `]RRQ AUR S_\[a seats aren’t Recaros, which says it all. The suspension features Eibach springs and Bilstein shocks, and those are big Brembo brakes behind each 18-inch Enkei wheel.

In compensation for the mechanical mayhem and coccyx-slapping ride, the Final Edition is the quickest Evo we’ve ever tested, running to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. Launching takes a commitment to clutch abuse and faith that 245/40R-18

Yokohama Advan tires stick as tenaciously in a straight line as they do in corners.

This is an exceptionally easy and satisfying car to go ridiculously fast in. There’s always power available, the steering is instinctive and quick, and the brakes keep working no matter how much abuse is thrown their way. But it’s utterly antisocial. It’s a great car that’s easy to hate.

The Evo X has been around since 2007, Oba Vaμ` aUV` ¼[NY \[R aUNa O_V[T` ONPX aUR charisma of its 4G63T-powered ancestors.

Mitsubishi has imported 1600 of these ¼[NY 2c\` N[Q aU\bTU aURfμ_R " Z\Qels, plenty linger on dealer lots.

Ultimately, the Evo FE is a throwback to 2003, back to when I was writing for Sport Compact Car and Wi-Fi networks weren’t how we communicated with cars.

But Sport Compact Car died in 2009, the generation that grew up worshipping the Evo is buying kid haulers now, and Mitsubishi has followed the crossover herd with the Outlander and Outlander Sport. @\ZR \S aUR 2c\μ` TYNZ\b_ d\_R \ß due to Mitsubishi’s own inattention. But mostly it’s the nature of life: The adolescent obsessions of a generation fade as it inevitably ages into adult responsibilities.

And that sucks.

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roadtest digest HIGHLIGHTS MOST EXPENSIVE Porsche 918 Spyder $875,175

LEAST EXPENSIVE Chevrolet Spark $15,895

HIGHEST TOP SPEED Porsche 918 Spyder 214 mph*

LOWEST TOP SPEED Smart Fortwo ED Cabriolet 78 mph

QUICKEST 0–60 MPH Porsche 918 Spyder 2.2 sec

SLOWEST 0–60 MPH Ram ProMaster 1500 13.4 sec

QUICKEST 1/4-MILE Porsche 918 Spyder 9.8 sec

SLOWEST 1/4-MILE Ram ProMaster 1500 19.7 sec

SHORTEST STOPPING DISTANCE Chevrolet Corvette Z06 128 feet

LONGEST STOPPING DISTANCE GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali 4x4 217 feet

MOST GRIP Chevrolet Corvette Z06 1.19 g

LEAST GRIP Mercedes-AMG G65 0.58 g

BEST FUEL ECONOMY BMW i3 137/111 city/hwy MPGe

WORST FUEL ECONOMY Mercedes-AMG G65 11/13 city/hwy mpg ACCELERATION: Elapsed times from zero to 60 mph and through a quarter-mile distance. Tests are run in two directions and corrected to standard atmospheric conditions. The test vehicle is loaded with driver, full tank of fuel, and about 10 pounds of test equipment. To take full advantage of the power and traction available in manual-transmission cars, wheelspin and clutch slip are used. All upshifts are lift-throttle with the clutch disengaged, and the engine’s redline is not exceeded. With automatictransmission cars, brake torquing is used to produce the best results and alternative shift points are investigated. Performance is measured using Racelogic VBOX GPS-based equipment.

TOP SPEED: Maximum speed achieved without exceeding the engine’s redline. The published figure is an average of two top-speed runs in opposite directions to cancel the effects of wind and grade.

BRAKING, 70-0 MPH: We report the second-shortest stopping distance from 70 mph from a total of six stops. Speed and distance are measured using the VBOX, triggered by a pressure switch on the brake pedal so that the vehicle’s response characteristics are reflected in the results.

ROADHOLDING: The maximum lateral acceleration possible during cornering. The published figure is the average of one complete lap in each direction around a 200- or 300-foot-diameter skidpad.

EPA CITY/HIGHWAY FUEL ECONOMY: The fuel consumption measured in government laboratory tests.

MODEL (MONTH TESTED) ACURA ILX A-SPEC (8/15) ALFA ROMEO 4C (11/14) ASTON MARTIN VANQUISH (7/13) AUDI ALLROAD QUATTRO (6/14) AUDI A3 CABRIOLET 1.8T (4/15) AUDI A3 1.8T (11/14) AUDI A4 2.0T QUATTRO (5/12) AUDI A6 3.0T (12/13) AUDI A8L 4.0T (5/13) AUDI Q7 3.0T (3/16) AUDI RS5 (11/12) AUDI S3 (9/14) AUDI S5 (5/15) AUDI S8 (4/13) AUDI TTS (3/16) BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GTC V-8 (12/12) BMW i3 (9/14) BMW i8 (3/15) BMW M3 (8/15) BMW M4 (8/14) BMW M6 GRAN COUPE (10/13) BMW X1 xDRIVE28i (3/16) BMW X3 xDRIVE28i (3/13) BMW X5 xDRIVE35i (3/16) BMW X6 M (1/16) BMW 228i (6/14) BMW 328i xDRIVE SPORTS WAGON (6/14) BMW 340i (2/16) BMW 428i GRAN COUPE (12/14) BMW 435i (4/14) BMW 535i xDRIVE (12/13) BMW 750i xDRIVE (12/15) BUICK ENCORE (4/13) CADILLAC ATS COUPE 3.6 (5/15) CADILLAC ATS 3.6 (6/13) CADILLAC ATS-V (8/15) CADILLAC CTS-V (9/15) CADILLAC ELR (2/14) CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (12/15) CHEVROLET CAMARO SS 1LE (12/14) CHEVROLET CAMARO Z/28 (5/14) CHEVROLET COLORADO LT CREW CAB 4WD (11/15) CHEVROLET CORVETTE STINGRAY CONV. (6/14) CHEVROLET CORVETTE STINGRAY Z51 (2/16) CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 (1/15) CHEVROLET CRUZE 2.0TD (9/13) CHEVROLET IMPALA LT 2.5 (11/13) CHEVROLET MALIBU PREMIER (1/16) CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 HIGH COUNTRY (2/15) CHEVROLET SONIC RS (7/13) CHEVROLET SPARK (8/13) CHEVROLET SS MANUAL (2/15) CHEVROLET TAHOE LTZ (1/15) CHEVROLET TRAX LT AWD (9/15) CHEVROLET VOLT PREMIER (10/15) CHRYSLER 200S V-6 AWD (9/14) DODGE CHALLENGER R/T SCAT PACK (12/14) DODGE CHARGER SRT HELLCAT (2/15) FERRARI CALIFORNIA T (6/15) FERRARI 458 ITALIA (9/11) FIAT 500 ABARTH (7/14) FORD ESCAPE SEL 4WD (9/12) FORD EXPEDITION PLATINUM (1/15) FORD FIESTA ST (7/14) FORD FOCUS ST (12/12) FORD F-150 PLATINUM 3.5L ECOBOOST 4WD (2/15) FORD F-150 XLT SUPERCAB 2.7 ECOBOOST 4X4 (5/15) FORD MUSTANG ECOBOOST (4/15) FORD MUSTANG GT (12/15) FORD MUSTANG SHELBY GT350 (2/16) FORD TRANSIT 150 POWER STROKE (10/15) GMC SIERRA 2500HD DENALI 4X4 CREW CAB (8/14) HONDA ACCORD EX-L V-6 COUPE (4/13) HONDA CIVIC TOURING (12/15) HONDA CR-V TOURING AWD (1/15) HONDA FIT EX (7/14) HONDA HR-V EX-L AWD (9/15) HONDA ODYSSEY ELITE (3/15) HONDA PILOT ELITE AWD (8/15) HYUNDAI GENESIS 5.0 (9/14) HYUNDAI SONATA SPORT (1/15) HYUNDAI TUCSON LIMITED AWD (9/12) INFINITI Q50S 3.7 (7/14) JAGUAR F-TYPE R COUPE (6/15) JAGUAR F-TYPE V-8 S (6/14)

PRICE AS TESTED $

0-60/ 1/4-MILE sec

TOP SPEED mph

BRAKING 70-0 MPH feet

ROADHOLDING g

35,810 68,495 303,635 48,745 42,195 36,645 43,075 62,745 107,645 72,875 77,320 41,995* 59,325 125,995 59,100 225,740 51,175 148,250 84,325 80,325 145,155 45,920 52,345 68,270 114,795 38,225 47,775 58,420 52,300 57,225 67,600 129,245 31,530 52,315 49,185 73,655 95,290 82,135 47,480 41,880 76,150 38,720 76,725 70,830 97,595 25,810 34,795 34,285 56,485 20,995 15,895 47,640 65,430 25,540 40,500 32,775 39,490 69,965 268,761 332,032 25,995 33,630 64,365 25,390 28,170 61,520 42,805 38,585 43,070 56,970 42,180 64,630 33,140 26,500* 33,600 18,225 26,720 45,480 47,300 55,700 23,985 27,420 50,955 110,845 100,370

6.6/15.2 4.1/12.8 4.1/12.3 6.3/14.9 7.2/15.7 6.5/15.2 5.6/14.4 5.6/14.0 3.9/12.4 5.5/14.2 4.4/12.8 4.4/12.9 4.5/13.1 3.6/11.9 4.2/12.8 4.2/12.7 6.5/15.3 3.6/12.1 3.8/12.2 3.9/12.1 3.5/11.7 6.4/14.9 6.2/14.8 5.8/14.5 3.7/12.1 4.9/13.7 5.8/14.3 4.8/13.3 5.5/14.2 5.2/13.7 5.3/13.9 4.4/12.8 9.3/17.1 5.6/14.1 5.6/14.2 3.9/12.1 3.6/11.8 8.1/16.5 3.9/12.3 4.5/12.9 4.4/12.7 7.6/15.9 3.7/12.1 3.9/12.2 3.0/11.1 8.0/16.3 8.7/16.8 6.1/14.7 5.7/14.3 8.1/16.3 11.2/18.3 4.6/13.0 6.7/15.2 9.8/17.5 7.8/16.1 6.0/14.5 4.4/12.9 3.4/11.4 3.3/11.3 3.0/11.0 7.0/15.7 9.1/16.9 6.4/15.0 6.7/15.1 6.3/14.8 5.6/14.4 5.7/14.3 5.5/13.9 4.4/13.0 4.3/12.5 10.6/17.9 7.4/15.9 5.5/14.1 6.8/15.3 8.2/16.6 8.0/16.2 9.3/17.4 7.7/15.9 6.1/14.8 5.0/13.6 7.9/16.2 8.8/17.0 4.9/13.5 3.4/11.7 3.7/12.0

133 159 183 128 130 129 128 129 131 128 178 155* 153 155 155 187 92 155 163 155* 190* 129 127 127 160 153 128 155 156 155 127 155 116 149 152 185* 200* 107 165* 156 172* 99 185* 181 185* 125 132 156 99 124 109 160* 114 115 101 121 176 204 196 210* 129 117 113 143 148 107 104 148 164 175* 98 97 125 126 120 118 117 120 114 145 132 110 144 186* 171

184 144 155 161 166 162 166 171 169 166 158 160 167 156 157 175 163 166 150 151 144 180 180 178 152 161 165 159 162 170 172 161 175 157 163 154 149 173 147 145 155 197 141 149 128 180 168 167 186 163 176 159 180 169 181 186 151 153 162 146 195 174 170 172 164 179 174 157 157 171 184 217 169 178 171 178 170 178 180 167 165 180 156 137 147

0.83 1.00 0.95 0.87 0.86 0.92 0.88 0.88 0.86 0.85 0.96 — 0.90 0.90 0.98 0.85 0.78 0.93 0.97 0.98 — 0.87 0.86 0.79 1.01 0.86 0.86 0.91 0.89 0.90 0.86 0.88 0.82 0.94 0.91 1.02 0.98 0.84 0.98 1.01 — 0.73 1.00 1.05 1.19 0.81 0.84 0.87 0.73 0.84 0.79 0.97 0.79 0.72 0.80 0.80 0.91 0.94 0.95 1.01 0.82 0.81 0.78 0.87 0.93 0.75 — 0.98 0.94 1.00 0.60 0.71 0.86 0.82 0.76 0.79 0.84 0.77 0.80 0.86 0.84 0.77 0.95 1.00 0.96

EPA CITY/HWY mpg

25/36 24/34 13/19 20/27 24/35 23/33 21/29 18/27 16/26 19/25 16/23 23/31 18/28 15/26 23/27 14/24 137/111† 28/29/76‡ 17/24 17/24 14/20 22/32 21/28 18/24 14/19 23/36 22/33 20/30 23/34 20/30 20/29 16/25 25/33 18/28 19/28 16/24 14/20* 32/38* 16/26* 16/24 14/19 17/24 16/28 17/29 13/21 27/46 21/31 22/32 15/21 27/34 32/38 15/21 16/22 24/31 43/42/106‡ 18/29 14/23 13/22 16/23 12/18 28/34 22/30 15/20 26/35 23/32 17/23 18/23 22/31 15/25 14/21 — — 21/32 32/42* 26/33 29/37 27/32 19/28 19/26 15/23 24/35 21/28 20/29 15/23 16/23

NEW FROM THE GRAND MASTER OF ADVENTURE

CLIVE MODEL (MONTH TESTED)

PRICE AS TESTED $

JAGUAR XE S (8/15) JEEP CHEROKEE LIMITED 4X4 (4/14) JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE ECODIESEL 4X4 (6/13) JEEP RENEGADE LATITUDE 4X4 (9/15) JEEP WRANGLER WILLYS (7/14) KIA FORTE EX (6/14) KIA OPTIMA LX 1.6T (2/16) KIA SEDONA SXL (3/15) KIA SOUL + (9/15) KIA SPORTAGE EX AWD (9/12) LAMBORGHINI HURACÁN LP610-4 (9/14) LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER EVOQUE (3/13) LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER SPORT HSE (3/16) LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER SPORT SVR (11/15) LEXUS IS350 F SPORT (6/13) LEXUS RC F (12/14) LEXUS RC350 F SPORT (5/15) LINCOLN MKX RESERVE AWD (11/15) MASERATI GHIBLI S Q4 (5/14) MAZDA CX-3 TOURING AWD (9/15) MAZDA CX-5 GRAND TOURING AWD (6/13) MAZDA MX-5 MIATA CLUB (8/15) MAZDA MX-5 MIATA GT AUTOMATIC (3/16) MAZDA 3 i TOURING (6/14) MCLAREN MP4-12C (9/11) MCLAREN 650S SPIDER (6/15) MERCEDES-AMG C63 S (8/15) MERCEDES-AMG GLE63 S COUPE (1/16) MERCEDES-AMG GT S (6/15) MERCEDES-AMG G65 (4/16) MERCEDES-BENZ CLA250 (12/13) MERCEDES-BENZ C450 AMG (1/16) MERCEDES-BENZ E350 (12/13) MERCEDES-BENZ GLA45 AMG (1/15) MERCEDES-BENZ GLK250 BLUETEC (10/13) MERCEDES-BENZ GL63 AMG (2/13) MERCEDES-BENZ SLS AMG BLACK (1/14) MERCEDES-BENZ S63 AMG 4MATIC (8/14) MERCEDES-BENZ S550 (11/13) MERCEDES-MAYBACH S600 (4/15) MINI COOPER HARDTOP (12/14) MINI COOPER S HARDTOP (7/14) NISSAN GT-R NISMO (4/15) NISSAN LEAF SL (3/14) NISSAN MAXIMA SR (9/15) NISSAN SENTRA SL 1.8 (12/12) NISSAN TITAN XD PLATINUM RESERVE (2/16) PORSCHE BOXSTER S (9/12) PORSCHE CAYENNE GTS (4/13) PORSCHE CAYMAN (11/14) PORSCHE CAYMAN GT4 (11/15) PORSCHE MACAN S (6/15) PORSCHE MACAN TURBO (12/14) PORSCHE 911 CARRERA GTS (6/15) PORSCHE 911 CARRERA S (11/13) PORSCHE 911 CARRERA S CABRIOLET (5/13) PORSCHE 911 GT3 (11/13) PORSCHE 911 TURBO S (4/15) PORSCHE 918 SPYDER (8/14) RAM PROMASTER 1500 ECODIESEL (10/15) RAM 1500 LARAMIE LONGHORN LTD 4X4 (2/15) SCION FR-S (10/12) SCION iM (11/15) SMART FORTWO ED CABRIOLET (3/14) SRT VIPER GTS (2/13) SUBARU FORESTER 2.5i TOURING (6/13) SUBARU WRX (9/14) TESLA MODEL S P90D (2/16) TESLA MODEL S SIGNATURE PERFORMANCE (1/13) TOYOTA AVALON XLE (7/13) TOYOTA CAMRY XSE V-6 (2/15) TOYOTA COROLLA S (6/14) TOYOTA MIRAI (9/15) TOYOTA PRIUS TWO ECO (3/16) TOYOTA SIENNA LIMITED (3/15) TOYOTA TACOMA TRD OFF-ROAD DBLE CAB 4X4 (11/15) TOYOTA TUNDRA PLATINUM 4X4 CREWMAX (2/15) VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE GSR (4/14) VOLKSWAGEN GOLF R (5/15) VOLKSWAGEN GOLF TSI (11/14) VOLKSWAGEN GTI (9/14) VOLKSWAGEN JETTA SE (6/14) VOLVO S60 T6 DRIVE-E (9/14) VOLVO V60 T6 AWD R-DESIGN (6/14) VOLVO XC90 T6 AWD INSCRIPTION (3/16) *ESTIMATED †MPGe ‡EPA COMBINED MPGe

57,000* 37,525 56,990 26,360 30,980 20,300 24,815 43,295 24,750 30,150 256,745* 56,795 87,281 124,540 49,000* 76,065 54,405 63,275 100,140 25,500 31,890 33,320 32,090 23,235 303,690* 351,935 91,585 118,610 151,075 221,925 35,855 65,555 63,490 67,695 50,995 130,000* 296,950 168,285 113,815 199,500* 30,400 27,595 151,880 36,910 38,945 23,420 60,000* 85,410 137,195 70,345 104,815 62,230 104,440 138,750 148,245 136,430 142,265 195,175 875,175 37,590 57,810 25,092 19,255 30,040 140,990 33,220 29,290 134,200 109,600 36,549 35,768 22,870 58,325 25,930 48,035 37,665 49,820 30,850 39,910 26,775 28,305 22,635 47,925 50,475 67,055

0-60/ 1/4-MILE sec

TOP SPEED mph

BRAKING 70-0 MPH feet

ROADHOLDING g

4.5/13.1 6.9/15.3 8.0/16.1 9.1/17.0 6.6/15.3 7.3/15.6 7.3/15.8 7.4/15.8 8.5/16.7 9.3/17.3 2.5/10.4 6.6/15.1 5.9/14.5 4.3/12.8 5.6/14.0 4.3/12.8 6.0/14.5 6.0/14.5 4.7/13.4 8.1/16.3 7.6/15.8 5.9/14.6 6.4/15.1 7.6/15.9 2.9/10.7 2.8/10.5 3.9/12.2 3.9/12.5 3.0/11.2 5.1/13.6 6.3/14.9 4.5/13.1 6.0/14.6 4.2/12.8 8.1/16.2 4.8/13.2 3.2/11.2 3.8/12.2 4.9/13.4 4.7/13.1 7.3/15.8 6.8/15.1 2.9/11.0 10.2/17.7 5.9/14.4 9.2/17.2 9.2/17.0 4.4/12.9 5.5/13.9 5.3/13.9 4.1/12.3 4.6/13.3 4.2/12.9 3.6/11.9 4.0/12.4 4.3/12.7 3.0/11.2 2.5/10.6 2.2/9.8 13.4/19.7 7.4/15.7 6.4/14.9 8.6/16.8 9.8/17.5 3.2/11.5 8.6/16.7 5.1/13.8 2.8/11.1 4.6/13.3 6.1/14.5 5.8/14.3 9.5/17.4 9.4/17.2 9.4/17.2 7.6/15.8 8.1/16.2 6.7/15.3 6.0/14.8 4.5/13.2 7.7/15.9 5.8/14.4 7.3/15.5 5.4/14.0 5.0/13.6 6.0/14.6

155* 119 119 114 99 138 134 122 116 110 202* 133 130* 144 143* 171 146 133 175 120 123 129 125* 133 205* 207 180* 160* 193* 140 133 131 133 158 129 156 196* 187 132 130 132 146* 191 94 135* 118 106 176 156 165 183* 156 164 189* 188* 187* 195* 198* 214* 101 107 136 112 78 206* 122 144 155 134 127 126 111 108 115 113 110* 108 127 153 124 124 126 131 132 132

151 166 184 181 210 160 185 167 167 179 144 165 176 179 177 154 178 171 155 181 166 158 158 167 145 155 147 159 141 165 160 160 175 151 185 162 151 155 171 167 169 191 152 180 168 172 192 147 151 148 151 186 150 136 147 149 135 145 142 201 199 166 176 190 146 166 159 159 160 178 178 180 194 175 180 195 189 165 157 173 163 166 193 177 167

0.96 0.79 0.72 0.74 0.60 0.86 0.83 0.81 0.78 0.79 1.01 0.83 0.78 0.87 0.85 0.95 0.85 0.82 0.91 0.81 0.81 0.90 0.90 0.82 1.02 1.07 0.98 0.95 1.05 0.58 0.90 0.93 0.83 0.96 0.80 0.84 0.98 0.93 0.87 0.88 0.86 0.84 1.02 0.80 0.87 0.81 0.74 0.99 0.95 1.03 1.01 0.82 0.89 1.06 1.06 1.03 1.12 1.07 1.10 0.60 0.71 0.96 0.80 0.76 1.02 0.78 0.92 0.90 0.91 0.82 0.81 0.82 — 0.84 0.78 0.64 0.71 0.89 0.94 0.85 0.91 0.86 0.86 0.84 0.84

EPA CITY/HWY mpg

22/30* 19/27 21/28 21/29 17/21 24/36 28/39 17/22 23/31 21/28 14/20 20/28 17/23 14/19 19/28 16/25 19/28 17/24 15/25 27/32 24/30 27/34 27/36 30/41 15/22 16/22 18/25 14/18 16/24* 11/13 26/38 21/29 21/30 23/29 24/33 13/17 13/17 15/23 17/25 12/20* 30/42 25/38 16/23 129/102† 22/30 30/39 — 20/28 15/21 21/30 18/23 17/23 17/23 19/26 19/27 19/27 15/20 17/24 20/24 — 15/21 23/30 27/36 122/93† 12/19 24/32 21/28 89/98† 88/90† 21/31 21/31 29/37 67/67† 58/53* 18/25 18/23 13/17 21/30 23/30 26/37 25/34 25/36 24/35 19/28 20/25

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JAMIE HYNEMAN AND ADAM SAVAGE

Were there automotive myths too tough to test?

There was one we walked away from. It involved a tanker truck full of liquid oxygen. It’s one thing if something’s dangerous, and another if it’s unpredictably so. What do you do VS Va Q\R`[μa d\_X, DUNa UN]]R[` VS aUV` ]b_R \efTR[ TN``R` \ß N[Q Q_VSa` \cR_ N [RN_Of S_RRdNf, 1\ NYY aUR PN_` aNXR \ß Na " Z]U, <_ Q\ aURf Wb`a Ob_`a V[a\ ½NZR`, F\b UNcR a\ aUV[X aU_\bTU aUNa `\_a \S `abß AS: /NPXdN_Q` =\_`PUR dN` _RNYYf QV¦PbYa AUR ZfaU dN` aUNa some cars were more aerodynamic going backwards. We bought N PURN] & % N[Q ]bYYRQ aUR O\Qf \ß aUR ½\\_]N[ N[Q `]b[ Va 6a was the toughest car I’ve had to drive. But we were able to prove aUNa Va dN`[μa Z\_R R¦PVR[a T\V[T ONPXdN_Q` _NaUR_ aUN[ forwards.

C/D: Was there a car you felt guilty wrecking?

AS: I personally felt it was hardest to cut into a Toyota Corona.

But for every single car we’ve destroyed on the show, there’s a fan club that has angrily written to us and said, “How dare you ruin this wonderful example of a great car.”

JH: There have been a couple that were—arguably—collectors’ cars. The most expensive cars we’ve ended up buying are Chevy Impalas. We destroyed one, two, three . . . four classic Impalas.

6 aNXR aUNa ONPX Vaμ` ¼cR DR Wb`a QR`a_\fRQ \[R S\_ N[ R]V`\QR that hasn’t aired yet.

C/D: Is being famous worth the hassle?

AS: One hundred percent. There are tiny inconveniences. Like it’s hard for me to go to a Best Buy and just browse. But the feedback I get is incredible, and it’s paid for a really nice life for me. I don’t begrudge it at all.

JH: AUNaμ` ^bR`aV\[NOYR F\b Q\ TRa `]RPVNY a_RNaZR[a 6 PN[ PNYY people up I want access to and get them on the phone. And we’re treated with a great deal of respect. It’s seductive, though, and you get into a mode where the celebrity is a goal unto itself. And I have ethical issues with that.

C/D: Did you guys have a laserlike focus on becoming the kings of basic cable?

JH: The only reason I ended up here is that, as a small Ob`V[R``]R_`\[ _b[[V[T Zf \d[ RßRPa` P\Z]N[f 6 d\bYQ aNXR on anything I had access to, to pay my rent. It was a good call. .[Q dRμcR ORR[ `U\\aV[T aUR `U\d S\_ ! dRRX` N fRN_ S\_ aUR past 14 years.

C/D: It’s been 14 seasons. Are you exhausted?

JH: FRNU ]_Raaf ZbPU 6μZ RePVaRQ aUNa [\d 6 PN[ Nß\_Q a\ TRa away from the damn cameras. I’ve got two major engineering ]_\WRPa` 6μZ ]b`UV[T S\_dN_Q <[R V` N `UV] S\_ aUR <¦PR \S Naval Research. The other project is a system I devised to deal dVaU aUR`R OVT ¼_R` aUNa N_R ]\]]V[T b] V[ aUR DR`a 6a V[c\YcR` giant robotic tanks of water.

C/D: JH:

Are you ever jealous of Top Gear?

That deal they made with Amazon is pretty friggin’ sweet.

C/D: Are you happy to be done with MythBusters?

AS: No, I’m not happy to see it end. Having a behemoth like MythBusters \[ \b_ ONPX UN` ORR[ V[aR[`R @\ 6 QR¼[VaRYf Y\\X forward to a greater amount of time and space to stretch my legs.

That being said, I’ve gone through all the stages of grief.

JH: Oh, yeah.

C/D: What’s next for you?

JH: One of the things I’m likely to start building in my shop is a cRUVPYR dUR_RV[ RNPU dURRY UN` ON`VPNYYf N ½VTUa `VZbYNa\_ ON`R N` its suspension. It’s known as a hexapod; it’s basically a tripod but each leg is two pistons. So you have six axes of freedom on it. This will be something that can not only do what lowriders do, but shorten or extend its wheelbase and jump forwards, backwards, \_ S_\Z \[R `VQR a\ aUR \aUR_ 6[ N[ \ß _\NQ `VabNaV\[ Va P\bYQ OR rolling at speed toward a ravine and then leap across it.

AS: I’m also pitching new shows. And Jamie and I sold a scripted `U\d a\ 0/@ 6aμ` NO\ba N P\b]YR \S `]RPVNY RßRPa` Tbf` ON`RQ \[ us, who get hired by the CIA. C/D: 6` aUR_R N[faUV[T f\b³Q UNcR Q\[R QVÜR_R[aYf, AS: ;\ :\`a `U\d` YVXR \b_` Q\[μa TRa a\ `Nf T\\QOfR N[Q ¼YZ N ¼[NY `RN`\[ YRa NY\[R N ¼[NY R]V`\QR :VXR ?\dR QVQ[μa TRa aUNa I’m really grateful to get to put this show to bed on top.

JH: AUR_R N_R N Y\a \S aUV[T` aUNa 6μQ Q\ QVßR_R[aYf /ba 6 PN[μa imagine being more fortunate than I have been.

C/D: AS:

—john pearley huffman

CAR AND DRIVER © Volume 61, Issue 10, (ISSN 0008-6002) is published 12 times a year by Hearst Communications, Inc., 300 West 57th Street, New York, New York 10019 U.S.A. Frank A. Bennack, Jr., Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Board; Steven R. Swartz, President; Catherine A. Bostron, Secretary. Hearst Magazines Division: David Carey, President; John A. Rohan, Jr., Senior Vice President, Finance. © 2016 by Hearst Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Car and Driver is a registered trademark of Hearst Communications, Inc. Periodicals postage paid at N.Y., N.Y., and additional entry post offices. Canada Post International Publications mail product (Canadian distribution) sales agreement 40012499. Editorial and Advertising Offices: 300 West 57th Street, New York, New York 10019-5239 SUBSCRIPTION PRICES U.S. and possessions: $13.00 for one year. Canada and all other countries: $29.94 for one year. 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 Postal Service or alternate carrier within 4–6 weeks.

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