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September 2020 FIRST LOOK
2021 FORD BRONCO
26
Tests & Drives
BRONCO FIRST LOOK
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26 Forward Into the Past 2021 Ford Bronco The new Bronco is more than nostalgia. Jonny Lieberman, Frank Markus
34 Compact Overlander 2021 Ford Bronco Sport A little Ford you could really escape in. Frank Markus ...AND ITS LITTLE BROTHER BRONCO SPORT PLUS OUTRAGEOUS CONVERTIBLES!•LIFE-SIZE HOT WHEELS!
ON THE COVER We’ve been waiting for months, heck, years, but the Ford Bronco is finally here.
38 Champion Gladiator 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave The Mojave trim package goes anywhere and gets there faster. Scott Evans 40 All That Glitters 2020 McLaren 720S Spider vs. 2020 Mercedes-AMG GT R Roadster vs. 2021 Porsche 992 Turbo S Cabriolet Three of the fanciest open-air supercars battle for convertible supremacy. Jonny Lieberman
50 Daily Driver 2020 Ferrari F8 Spider Yes, we mean it. You can (and should) commute in a Ferrari convertible. Scott Evans 52 Starter Kit 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera Why there’s no such thing as a “base” 911. Chris Walton 54 Life Size The real-life crazy cars that inspired the original Hot Wheels. Angus MacKenzie
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40 EST. 1949 VOL. 72 NO. 9
MotorTrend (ISSN 0027-2094) September 2020, Vol. 72, No. 9. Published monthly by TEN: Publishing Media, LLC, 2 Park Avenue, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10016. Copyright© 2020 by TEN: Publishing Media, LLC; All rights reserved. Periodicals Postage Paid at New York, NY, and at additional mailing offices. Subscriptions: U.S. and U.S. Possessions $18 for 12 issues. Canada $30 per year and international orders $42 per year (including surface mail postage). Payment in advance, U.S. funds only. Postmaster: Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 707.4.12.5); NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: send address corrections to: MotorTrend, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235.
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G #86 MTD TEAM EYER RACIN SHANK G G MARIO TD DRIVER S F TRENTARNBACHE HINDM R & AN
2019
YES, THE NSX GT3 EVO IS A DEFENDING IMSA CHAMPION. YES, AGAINST THE WORLD’S BEST SPORTS CARS. YES, WITH THE SAME 3.5-LITER TWIN-TURBO V-6 ENGINE AS OUR PRODUCTION NSX. YES, WE SPRAYED CHAMPAGNE. AND YES, VICTORY TASTED GOOD. BUT NO, WE HAVEN’T TAKEN A DAY OFF SINCE. BECAUSE LAST YEAR’S TROPHIES DON’T MAKE OUR CARS BETTER. RACING DOES. SEE YOU ON THE TRACK. NSX GT3 Evo Race Car shown. ©2020 Acura. Acura, NSX, Precision Crafted Performance, and the stylized “A” logo are registered trademarks of Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
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Driving While Black: A Special Report
Departments & Features 12 Reference Mark Equal protection under the law
MTGARAGE
14 Intake This month’s hot metal 22 Technologue Curing car COVID 24 Interview Josh Gates, host of Expedition Unknown 62 Driving While Black Chronicling a chapter in America’s history on the road, and how such discrimination continues today. Gretchen Sorin
82 The Big Picture The laws of physics
Arrivals BMW 228i • Subaru Outback Updates Toyota RAV4 • Toyota Supra • Volvo S60 Verdict Subaru Ascent
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22 WATCH TOP GEAR AT MOTORTREND.COM/TOPGEAR! More than 200 hours of programming, including 170 episodes of the beloved Top Gear U.K. series, are at MotorTrend.com/topgear. 8 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2020
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NEWS I OPINION I GOSSIP I STUFF
Mark Rechtin
Reference Mark Equal protection under the law
@markrechtin
W
municipal police departments over almost a decade found similar bias. In addition, reports from Illinois in 2013, Missouri in 2017, and other states have shown similar local and regional trends—even when the studies controlled for areas patrolled and crime statistics by race. In July 2016, the lone Black Republican U.S. Senator, Tim Scott of South Carolina, addressed the issue on the floor of Congress: “In the course of one year (in Washington, D.C.), I have been stopped seven times by law enforcement officers. The vast majority of the time I was pulled over for nothing more than driving a new car in the wrong neighborhood or some other reason just as trivial. Imagine the frustration, the irritation, the sense of a loss of dignity that accompanies each of those stops.” In a 2018 interview with National Geographic, Robert F. Smith, a private-equity giant with a net worth of $5 billion, said he has been pulled over “more times than I care to remember.” Gretchen Sorin, esteemed college professor and author of Driving While Black (which we have excerpted starting on page 62), has devoted years to researching the history of Black motoring in America. Her husband, who is white, had been driving their Lexus with winter tires about a month after snowmelt in upstate New York. Never drew a second glance. The first time Gretchen borrowed the car, police pulled her over because of the tires. MotorTrend is not anti-law enforcement. It is necessary as part of civil society. We actively assist the Los Angeles Police and Sheriff ’s Departments, and the El Segundo Police Department, in identifying vehicles used in crimes. We also coordinate with the California Highway Patrol in creating many of our closed-course tests. More than a few of us at MotorTrend have relatives and close friends on the job. We understand the challenges law enforcement faces on a daily basis. Our mission at MotorTrend is to cover the trends in cars and car culture. And if any segment of our society is restricted from enjoying motoring in the same way others can—whatever the segment may be—then we need to have a conversation about it, honestly and openly, to help bring about change. Q
ANDRESR
MONKEYBUSINESSIMAGES
hen MotorTrend first hit newsstands in 1949, discriminatory Jim Crow laws were commonplace in much of America. Although the 1964 Civil Rights Act outlawed segregation, institutional racism toward Black drivers persists in more insidious ways even today. The recent protests following the killing of George Floyd and others show that to be the case. This month, MotorTrend traces the history of Black motorists battling Jim Crow laws. This legalized prejudice banned them from driving in certain towns after sunset and dictated where they could (and couldn’t) lodge, dine, or pump gas. And, terrifyingly, if they got in an accident, which hospitals would treat them. Some of you will read this and say, “Stay out of politics. Stick to cars.” Like it or not, the automotive industry is incontrovertibly linked to politics. Laws passed by politicians dictate what we drive, where we drive, and how fast we drive. But I’d argue this is above politics. This is a human rights issue. In publishing these articles, MotorTrend seeks to educate and raise awareness of a social stain on the American fabric. We hope to challenge presumptions, prompt deep conversations, and bring about constructive action. For whites, a traffic stop is almost always transactional. But the Black experience often carries a menace of tension, harassment, or violence. It’s also not just with the police. Black drivers well know “the look” as they drive through an unfamiliar neighborhood. And most Black Americans clearly recall “the talk” they heard from their parents the day they got their driver’s license. Despite efforts by leaders in government and law enforcement to root out this type of systemic racism, independent studies repeatedly show racial profiling and discrimination continues today. The Stanford Open Policing Project studied more than 200 million traffic stops and found clear indication of racial bias in who was stopped, why they were stopped, and what subsequent interactions occurred. A peer-reviewed study published by Nature Human Behavior of 100 million traffic stops carried out by 21 state patrol agencies and 35
12 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2020
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NEWS I OPINION I GOSSIP I STUFF
Trend 9.20 2021 Acura TLX
A
fter launching the powerful NSX and winning races, Acura is taking the next step on its relaunch as Honda’s performance division. The second-gen Acura TLX ditches almost everything it had before and adds key ingredients to truly compete in the sport sedan segment. And not only is the new TLX going to herald a bolder design language, but Acura also will resurrect the Type S high-performance model. With a standard 2.0-liter turbo for the regular model and a 3.0-liter twin-scroll turbo V-6 for the Type S, Acura is doubling down on emotion. On top of that, the TLX brings a striking new design that borrows lines from the Acura Precision concept and the stunning Type S concept. The TLX’s proportions leap out. The long dash-to-axle dimension (7.8 inches longer than the outgoing model), expansive hood, and short overhangs give this front-drive-based car a rearward stance to emphasize its sportier nature. The wheelbase has been extended by 3.7 inches, to 113.0. The front gets a bolder version of
The Acura TLX comes standard with 18-inch wheels, though we like the look of the 19-inchers. 14 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2020
A prominent knob in the center console (above) easily adjusts drive modes in the Acura TLX. The infotainment screen, however, is still controlled via track pad (below).
FIRST LOOK
TREND I 09.20
Acura’s pentagonal grille (more upright than in the RDX). A new generation of the Jewel Eye headlights, borrowed from the Type S concept, add four LED elements and daytime running lights. The A-Spec sport appearance package continues in the 2021 TLX, adding unique 19-inch Shark Grey wheels, gloss black accents around the body, a rear spoiler, and darker headlights and taillights. The Type S grows from there, adding quad exhaust tubes, a front splitter, and a rear diffuser. All the chrome from the regular car is subbed for matte black accents on the Type S, giving it a sportier look. Following a similar design to the RDX’s interior, the TLX gets a new-look cabin with much-needed improvement. The driver’s seat carries a lower seating position. The center console has been redesigned, with a 10.2-inch screen standing on top of the dash. It’s controlled using a much-maligned track pad that now has a larger hand rest for a more comfortable position. The ELS Studio 3D audio system is another highlight; with its 17 speakers (one more than in the RDX), you probably won’t hear any noise coming from outside. Like with all Acuras these days, instead of having a transmission lever, gears are
selected via an array of buttons. A big knob in the middle of the center console allows the driver to select from four modes—Comfort, Normal, Sport, and Individual. The latter allows the driver to individually adjust the engine response and transmission mapping—and even the suspension stiffness if their TLX is equipped with adaptive dampers. Although the front seats have plenty of space, it’s a different story for rear passengers; headroom and legroom were pretty tight for my 6-foot frame. There are no USB ports for rear passengers, either—only two in the front along with an optional wireless charger. The TLX will be powered by a 2.0-liter turbo engine that produces 272 hp and 280 lb-ft; the new four-banger comes straight from the RDX, and it has also been used in the Honda Civic Type R and Accord. It’s a big increase compared with the outgoing TLX, which is powered by an old 2.4-liter naturally aspirated engine with 206 hp and 182 lb-ft. The Type S, however, will come with a 3.0-liter twin-scroll turbo V-6. Although Acura is tight-lipped on the larger engine’s numbers, we expect power to be in the mid-300s. Even when compared with the shelved 3.5-liter V-6, the 3.0-liter turbo in the Type S should bring a night and day difference. Both the regular TLX and the Type S will share a 10-speed automatic transmission, though the Type S’ gearbox has been tuned for performance driving. The tranny can send all the power to the front wheels or to all four wheels with the optional Super Handling All-Wheel Drive. (All Type S units will come with standard SH-AWD.) Like in the RDX, the system can send up to 70 percent of the torque to the rear axle, and 100 percent of that rear torque can be transferred to the right or left wheel. Under its skin, the TLX rides on an all-new platform. Acura reps say the architecture was specifically developed
to support the performance of the Type S and does not share any parts with other Honda or even Acura products (yet). The most important detail is the upgrade from struts to control arms for the front suspension. Another key element is the 50 percent increase in torsional stiffness, which should improve the ride. Acura says the platform uses 56 percent lightweight materials such as aluminum and high-strength presshardened steel—more than in any other Acura sedan. Learning from the NSX, Acura engineers implemented the same kind of electric-servo power-assisted braking system in the TLX. Acura says the system allowed it to tune the brake pedal force and brake pressure to deliver controlled, firm stopping power. The Type S gets the same setup but with upgraded hardware, which includes four-piston Brembo calipers in the front. As you would expect, all TLXs come equipped with a long list of safety tech, including adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking, under the AcuraWatch name at no extra cost. For 2021, traffic sign recognition and a driver awareness monitor are added to that list, with the latter observing the driver’s behavior and alertness. Expect the 2021 Acura TLX to arrive this fall. Miguel Cortina SEPTEMBER 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 15
NEWS I OPINION I GOSSIP I STUFF PHOTOGRAPHS BY STEVEN PHAM
Intake 2021 Ford F-150 FIRST LOOK
B
elieve it or not, the 2021 Ford F-150 XLT you see here is 92 percent new or revised, including every exterior panel. This is some Porsche 911–grade design evolution right here. Clearly, the unbroken stuff goes unfixed, as engineers instead concentrate on continuing the F-150’s unrelenting march upward in payload and towing capability. Also improved are the ride quality, stability, and interior refinement, all in the name of enabling the truck to better assist its owner in getting various jobs done. Most dimensions, the size and configuration of the three available cabs and boxes, and the powertrains (except for the axed six-speed automatic) are unchanged. Leading the roster of cool improvements is a new PowerBoost hybrid offering, which includes Pro Power Onboard. PowerBoost mates the Explorer Hybrid’s transmission-mounted electric motor and framemounted 1.5-kW-hr battery pack with the F-150’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6. While the Raptor takes a year or so off, this will
serve as the new F-150’s most powerful offering and delivers “12,000-poundsplus” of towing capability, reasonable fuel economy, and a claimed 700-mile driving range. It will be offered on every trim level. The hybrid’s standard Pro Power Onboard system provides a 2.4-kW inverter that delivers 20 amps of 110-volt electricity for powering a job or camp site. Need 30 amps of 220-volt power? Upgrade to the 7.2-kW inverter. Can’t swing the cost of the hybrid? A 2.0-kW 110-volt inverter is offered on all but the base 3.3L V-6 and the diesel. It automatically starts and idles the engine as needed to power your devices. Chassis improvements include frame reinforcements to support widening the track by just under 1 inch, increasing the tow ratings, and accommodating the PowerBoost’s longer transmission and battery mounting. Increased rigidity improves ride, as do better bushings where the cab mounts to the frame, and a switch to monotube shocks on higher-end trim levels. The vacuum brake booster is ditched in favor of electric assist, the rotors and calipers are upgraded to handle the higher tow ratings, and the F-150 gets the Adaptive Steering system from the Super Duty, Edge, and others. This places a motor and gears between the steering wheel and column to reduce the amount of input needed during low-speed maneuvers while also removing the
“nervousness” that quick-ratio steering might otherwise cause at highway speeds. Other new features aimed at getting jobs done easier include a stowable shifter that can fold into the console, allowing the center armrest to flip over forward to form a continuous flat work surface. Need a flat surface you can saw on? With the tailgate step option, you now get an SMC composite tailgate surface that incorporates imperial and metric ruler markings, a place to stand your handheld device while watching that YouTube how-to video, and two recesses for C-clamps to secure your workpiece to the tailgate. A new Trailer Reverse Guidance system joins Pro Trailer Backup Assist; borrowed from Super Duty, it uses cameras and a trailer-mounted yaw sensor to coach a driver while maneuvering manually. Screens are larger in all F-150s, with base trucks getting the 8.0-inch unit that was optional, while a 12.0-inch screen becomes the upgrade, still augmented by hard buttons for audio and climate controls. Two B&O Play audio upgrades are offered, boasting eight or 18 speakers. Sync 4 is standard, as are wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A standard 4G modem permits over-the-air upgrades of most systems. At its launch, Ford will take a page from Tesla’s book by selling a hardware upgrade (higher-quality cameras and new sensors) for later activation of Active Drive Assist, Ford’s answer to Cadillac Super Cruise and Tesla Autopilot. Interior materials are upgraded at all levels. The new Max Recline Seating allows the front and rear seats to fold into a lie-flat bed; in-vehicle napping is available on trim levels from King Ranch up. The redesigned sheetmetal might not launch a dealership stampede on its own, but the thoughtful new features and onboard electrical power might. Stay tuned for more details as we approach the truck’s launch date. Frank Markus
SPECS Price $31,000-$75,000 (est) Layout Front-engine, RWD/4WD, 3-6-pass, 2-, 2+2, or 4-door truck Engine 3.3L/290-hp/265-lb-ft* DOHC 24-valve V-6; 2.7L/325-hp/400-lb-ft* twin-turbo DOHC 24-valve V-6; 5.0L/395-hp/400-lb-ft* DOHC 32-valve V-8; 3.5L/375-hp/470-lb-ft* twinturbo DOHC 24-valve V-6; 3.0L/250-hp/440-lb-ft* turbodiesel DOHC 24-valve V-6; 3.5L/375-hp/470-lb-ft* twin-turbo DOHC 24-valve V-6 plus 47-hp* elec Transmission 10-speed auto Curb Weight 4,550-5,700 lb (mfr) Wheelbase 122.4-163.7 in L x W x H 209.1-243.5 x 79.9 x 75.1-77.3 in 0-60 MPH 5.0-8.0 sec (MT est) EPA Fuel Econ Not yet rated On Sale Fourth quarter 2020 *All power/torque figures estimated
• • • •
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NEWS I OPINION I GOSSIP
Intake
2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 GT350 (10.5-inch front, 11.0 rear), with dark tarnish web-mesh design wheels wearing Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 meats. Also included: unique wheel lip moldings (to cover the larger tires), the GT500’s rear tire spats, and aerodynamic upgrades. The standard front splitter is unique to the Mach 1; it’s larger than the Performance Pack 1 splitter and is paired with the rear spoiler from the Perf Pack 2. A new underbody pan extends 20 inches farther rearward than that of the Mustang GT Performance Pack and features various “underwing features” to improve downforce and assist brake cooling—a first for Mustang. Together with the diffuser, The standard Mach 1 gets specially downforce is improved by 22 percent relatuned MagneRide shocks, a stiffened tive to the GT with Performance Pack 1. steering intermediate shaft, unique Upgrading to the Mach 1 Handling pack electric power steering calibration, stiffer buys an add-on splitter that’s larger than anti-roll bars and front springs, the brake the one on the Perf Pack 2 and trades booster from the Mustang GT Perforthe rear spoiler for the Shelby GT500’s mance Pack 2, firmer rear subframe bush- spoiler/wing with Gurney flap. Ford says ings, and the rear toe links from the Shelby this setup is good for a 150 percent downGT500. Also hailing from the big Shelby: a force bump relative to the GT PP1. rear diffuser and rear-axle cooler. The original 1969–78 Mach 1 models The standard 19-inch “dark tarnish” and the 2003–2004 reboot all telegraphed gray wheels feature a five-spoke design their performance intentions with plenty evocative of the styled steel Magnum 500 of graphic cues (stickers). The 2021 wheels on the original Mach 1. Measuring model will do the same. Also harkening 9.5 inches wide in front and 10.0 in back, to the first-gen Mach 1 is a deep 3-D mesh they’re a half-inch wider than Bullitt’s two-piece upper grille with two round American Racing mag-style wheels. elements that evoke the inboard highThey’re shod in Michelin Pilot Sport 4 beam lamps of the 1969 car. These are tires. The six-piston Brembo front brakes blocked with blanking plates designed from the GT and Bullitt and the Perf Pack’s for easy removal to improve cooling at vented single-piston rear brakes were track-day events. A unique front fascia deemed sufficient for Mach 1 track duty. optimizes airflow to the additional heat Upgrading to the Handling package, exchangers and the brakes. offered only with the Tremec manual Mach 1 customers will be greeted by transmission, buys the basic 20-inch logos on the sill plates, a new instrument wheel/tire specification from the Shelby panel finish that evokes an “engineturned” swirl look called Dark Spindrift, a white cue-ball shifter for the manual transmission, a unique splash screen on the 12.3-inch digital cluster, and a plaque displaying the car’s chassis number. Recaro seats will be optional, and standard seats feature a horizontal accent stripe. Final pricing won’t be announced until closer to the launch next spring, but we expect pricing like Bullitt’s, which starts at $48,900.
FIRST LOOK
R
eplacing the Bullitt for 2021 and effectively replacing the GT350, too, is the reborn Mustang Mach 1. It’s to be the track Mustang for folks who can’t swing the note on a Shelby. As with the again-discontinued Bullitt, Mach 1 gets just one engine choice—the 5.0-liter Coyote V-8. We’re told it’s not identical to the Bullitt’s, though it is rated at the same 480 hp at 7,000 rpm and 420 lb-ft at 4,600 rpm. This one shares its intake manifold, oil filter adapter, and engine-oil cooler with the Shelby GT350. The Bullitt was only offered with a Getrag six-speed manual. The Mach 1 gets the Shelby GT350’s Tremec TR-3160 manual and short-throw shifter along with its auxiliary oil cooler, though the Mustang GT’s twin-disc clutch is used. Mach 1 buyers can also opt for Ford’s terrific 10-speed SelectShift auto, outfitted with an upgraded torque converter and sharper sportshift programming. The manual also gets rev matching for the first time on this Tremac. A second oil-to-air cooler improves cooling by 75 percent.
Frank Markus
TREND I 09.20
REAR VIEW From the MotorTrend Archive ...
FIRST LOOK
2020 Genesis G90
S
ince its debut last fall at the Los Angeles Auto Show, we’ve chronicled the remarkably comprehensive midcycle refresh of Korea’s S-Class, the 2020 Genesis G90. Now, we’ve had an opportunity to slap our test gear on it and take the full measure of its refreshness. Our rear-drive 3.3-liter twin-turbo G90 proved quicker than all four of the G90 3.3Ts we’ve tested to date, hitting 60 mph in 5.1 seconds (0.1–0.3 second quicker) and crossing the quarter mile in 13.7 seconds at 102.8 mph (0.1–0.2 second quicker and 1.7–2.9 mph faster). Sure, all four 2017 and 2018 G90 3.3Ts we’ve run were equipped with the 150-pound HTRAC all-wheel-drive system, but at least one of them weighed slightly less than this 2020 rear-driver. Those acceleration numbers are within a tenth or two of our rear-drive 2017 G90 5.0 tester, suggesting that the bigger engine is primarily required to tug around the 140 extra pounds of engine and “Ultimate” rear-seat fanciness. The brakes also got a refresh, though a quick glance at the specs suggests otherwise. The outside diameters of the rotors are identical, but for 2020, the iron friction rings are mounted to aluminum centers (which were steel) to reduce mass, providing two benefits: Lowering the unsprung mass improves ride, and reducing rotational mass
improves acceleration and braking. The 2020 model did stop from 60 mph in 117 feet. That’s 1–5 feet shorter than every previous G90, and every G90 we’ve ever tested has ridden on the same staggered 19-inch Continental ContiProContact tires, so traction is perfectly comparable. But really, who cares? Cars like this are about effortless, quiet acceleration— not tenths and pink slips. The new G90 delivers this in spades. Ride quality was always a G90 strength, and this “refreshed” version marks a baby step forward here, as well, thanks to more precise internal solenoid valves, new internal rebound springs on the ZF Sachs adaptive dampers, and new rear suspension crossmember bushings that better isolate rear occupants from vibration. The G90 boasts class-leading front seat space, S-Class-trumping rear passenger space, and midpack trunk space. Another luxe feature: all-inclusive pricing with no nickel-and-dime optioning. The G90 starts at $73,195 for the V-6 rear-drive car you see here. Add $2,500 for all-wheel-drive and/or $3,500 for the V-8 and ultimate rear seat gear (12- and 14-way left and right rear seat adjustment with ventilation, memory, and rear-seat entertainment). The only other (no-cost) options are light- or dark-finish wheels and a choice of eight exterior and five interior color schemes. Frank Markus
SPECS Base Price $73,195 Price As Tested $73,195 Layout Front-engine, RWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan Engine 3.3L/365-hp/376-lb-ft twin-turbo DOHC 24-valve V-6 Transmission 8-speed automatic Curb Weight (F/R Dist) 4,720 lb (51/49%) Wheelbase 124.4 in Track, F/R 64.6/64.5 in L x W x H 204.9 x 75.4 x 58.9 in Cargo Volume 15.7 cu ft 0-60 MPH 5.1 sec Quarter Mile 13.7 sec @ 102.8 mph Braking, 60-0 MPH 117 ft Lateral Acceleration 0.85 g (avg) MT Figure Eight 26.1 sec @ 0.72 g (avg) EPA City/Hwy/Comb Econ 17/25/20 mpg Energy Cons, City/Hwy 198/135 kW-hr/100 miles CO2 Emissions, Comb 0.98 lb/mile On Sale Currently
A Mustang Mach 1 was our cover story, but a remarkably wrongheaded, un-bylined editorial on automotive emissions was far more interesting. “Automakers have
done their part,” we wrote, pointing to catalytic converters as “enough” to reduce pollution. With the benefit of 50 years of data, it’s safe to say that it requires more to reduce emissions and prevent further ecological damage.
SEPTEMBER 1990 PRICE: $3.25
SEPTEMBER 2010 PRICE: $4.99
This issue was all about bang for your buck (and we’re sure headaches for our road test crew) with a massive 20-vehicle performance car test including everything from the Chevrolet Beretta and Camaro Z28 to the Mazda RX-7 and Dodge Stealth R/T. The winner? The Toyota MR2 Turbo.
This was our new cars issue. Although the majority of our pages went toward that effort, we also put the new Ford Fiesta up against the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris, and we took the new Cadillac CTS-V Coupe to Germany to square off against the Audi RS 5 and BMW M3 Coupe, with the cars finishing from third to first in that order.
SEPTEMBER 1970 PRICE: $0.50
SEPTEMBER 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 19
NEWS I OPINION I GOSSIP
TREND I 09.20
Intake
MIKE CONNOR
2021 Buick Envision
FIRST LOOK
B
uick launched the Envision in the United States for the 2016 model year, and almost half a decade later, the compact people mover is getting a complete overhaul. The 2021 Buick Envision goes on sale early next year with a more modern interior and a much more compelling exterior design. Buick claims the new Envision is lower and wider than before, and we can definitely see the change in these photos the brand released. The Envision features a wider grille with a more subtle wing element running through the Buick badge. Along with the new grille, the front end sports sharper headlights and bolder creases on the hood. Slimmer taillights are the focal point of a more streamlined rear end design. A new Avenir trim is on the way, promising to bring more upscale touches to the lineup. Expect to see more standard safety features, including currently optional kit such as automatic emergency braking and lane keep assist. Other standard technologies on the 2021 Envision include front pedestrian braking, following distance
20 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2020
indicator, and rear parking sensors. For extra coin, you can get an upgraded automatic parking assist system, blindspot monitoring, a head-up display, front parking sensors, and a 360-degree camera. The current Envision comes exclusively with an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The new model, however, offers a 10.0-inch touchscreen compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Without going into detail on specs, Buick notes the new Envision is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that mates to a nine-speed automatic. The current Envision features a 197-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder that pairs with a six-speed automatic gearbox, while an optional 252-hp turbo 2.0-liter inline-four is available with a nine-speed automatic. As we’ve mentioned in previous reviews, the latter powertrain provides the small crossover with solid acceleration, but its reasonable grunt fails to make the Envision fun to drive. Look for Buick to reveal more information about the 2021 Envision later this year. Kelly Lin
MT CONFIDENTIAL VW Group electric vehicle update: The next all-electric Porsche will be a version of the Macan, due in 2022. That’s because the BEV Macan is likely to be based on VW Group’s existing MEB electric vehicle architecture and not the forthcoming PPE premium electric vehicle platform under development at Porsche and Audi. VW Group has consolidated its EV architectures to just two: MEB, for vehicles up to Audi A4 and VW Passat size, and PPE, to be built in high- and low-floor configurations, for larger premium brand cars and SUVs. As the existing Macan shares its MLB architecture with the current Audi A4, it’s logical to assume MEB would be used for the all-electric version rather than the larger and more expensive PPE. Volkswagen’s MEB-based all-electric ID4 crossover, which is about Macan-sized, is launching as a rear-drive model only. The AWD version, with motors front and rear giving a total of 302 hp and 332 lb-ft—and the configuration Porsche would insist on for an electric Macan—is not expected to arrive until late 2021. As for BMW, rumors out of Munich suggest an all-electric version of the next-gen M5 could be on the road in 2024. The next-gen 5 Series, code-named G60, is scheduled to appear in late 2023 and will be built on BMW’s convergence platform, which allows ICE, PHEV, and BEV vehicles to share a high proportion of components. Sources say the electric M5 could be powered by three 335-hp motors—two at the rear and one at the front—delivering a total system output of just over 1,000 hp, all-wheel drive, and active torque vectoring across the rear axle. BMW is said to be aiming for a 0–60 time of about 2.7 seconds and a 400-plus-mile range. Coronavirus thwarted plans by Croatian electric hypercar builder Rimac to reveal the production version of its 1,888-hp, AWD C_Two hypercar at the Geneva show. The car will instead be revealed later this year—with a new name—and Rimac says it’s on track for the first of 150 cars to be delivered to well-heeled customers in 2021. Four final prototypes have been completed, but a further 13 are said to be required to get the car through all crash testing and certification processes. Rimac has just completed a new production facility in Croatia that will allow the company to build four cars a month.
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NEWS I OPINION I GOSSIP I STUFF
Frank Markus
Technologue Curing Car COVID: Tech solutions to disinfecting shared cars
I
n May 2019, online insurance aggregator NetQuote did a study swabbing vehicle interior touchpoints for bacteria in ride-hailing vehicles, rental cars, and taxis. It then compared those findings against cultures from a toilet seat. (Hint: Maybe don’t read this while eating your lunch.) The results predictably tracked the level of oversight each industry gets: Taxis were 160 times germier than the toilet seat, and ride-hailing vehicles measured 219 times germier than the taxis. We didn’t cover that story at the time, figuring only germaphobes of the Howard Hughes or Howie Mandel ilk would care. But now that we’re all hypersensitized to pathogens, three novel technologies for disinfecting shared vehicles caught my full attention. The best-developed concept hails from Michigan-based supplier GHSP. Called Grenlite, it employs germicidal 254–264-nm-wavelength ultraviolet-C light that destroys nucleic acids (the NA in DNA) to stop the reproductive cycle of microorganisms and pathogens. This has long been used in sanitizing and sterilizing drinking water, hospital rooms, offices, airplanes, etc. UV-C light is invisible and is far more damaging to humans and animals than the UV-A and UV-B light that sunscreen blocks (atmospheric ozone typically filters UV-C), so the space to be disinfected must be empty. Laser, xenon, fluorescent, or LED sources can generate UV-C, but GHSP expects LED will win out in terms of power, mass, cost, and ease of vehicle integration. Today’s fluorescent UV-C lamps and the ballasts that run them draw about 40–60 watts of power per unit, but LED promises to lower total power consumption. GHSP’s Grenlite places high-power broadcast lamps above each seating row with additional low-power lamps focused on high-touch areas. And although a single LED can’t provide ambient and UV-C light, adjacent LEDs in the same fixture can simplify integration. Aftermarket bolt-in Grenlite units currently used in ambulances (priced from $550 each for three or four units required) can require 20 minutes to kill all pathogens; smaller vehicles with integrated systems should require considerably less time (and cost). Onboard sensors inform the system when and how much disinfection is needed and when it’s safe to activate Grenlite. Cloud connectivity permits fleet tracking. GHSP has received an $80,000 grant to install its system in a fleet of autonomous shuttle vehicles in Grand Rapids, Michigan. But UV light only kills pathogens it shines on. What about germs sneezed into the shadows? Ozone gas—that 22 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2020
weird smell you get when a light switch or car battery jumper cable sparks—is an unstable arrangement of three oxygen atoms, where one is eager to hop off and “oxidize” something. When it encounters a virus, that free-radical O atom penetrates the capsid protein shell encasing its genetic material and damages the viral RNA. It wreaks similar havoc on fungi, molds, pesticides, odors, and other potentially harmful substances. Testing recently proved it can neutralize COVID-19. Meanwhile, supplier Magna is launching Puro, a device sized like a big cooler that electrically generates ozone gas and circulates it throughout the space with a fan for a 25- or 45-minute cycle during which an ozone concentration of 100 or 250 parts per million is achieved to decontaminate items like personal protective equipment placed inside. (Sports teams have used ozone to deodorize and sanitize equipment for years.) Magna is now exploring options for scaling up Puro to decontaminate vehicle interiors. Because ozone is a lung irritant, the vehicle must remain closed and vacant during decontamination and long enough afterward for the ozone to decompose into molecular oxygen before use again. Magna Techform is poised to produce 1,100 Puro
devices per week at its Penetanguishene, Ontario plant. Finally, Pratt Miller (of Corvette race-team fame) has a large-area autonomous disinfecting (LaaD) robot currently disinfecting the Gerald R. Ford airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in an overnight time frame. It employs electrostatic spray heads like those used in assembly plant paint shops to atomize negatively charged particles of an FDA-approved disinfecting material. The electrostatic charge causes the particles to cling to and disinfect all surfaces. Such devices could be used to disinfect autonomous shuttles robotically at a central depot while the vehicles are recharging. As I write this, there’s no reliable forecast for when this pandemic will disappear. It’s good to know engineers are working on ways to help us remain safely mobile throughout it. Q
Disinfecting UV-C broadcast lamps shown integrated into a vehicle interior alongside the LED dome or reading lamps. Smaller units aimed at hightouch areas could be integrated with the accent lighting fixtures.
NEWS I OPINION I GOSSIP I STUFF
Interview Host of Discovery Channel’s Expedition Unknown very Wednesday night, Josh Gates takes his fans around the world to investigate the greatest legends and mysteries in history on his show Expedition Unknown. Getting to dig sites, tombs, and lost cities isn’t like taking a vacation, though. The show could just jump straight into the legend, but a big part of its charm is the journey. Traveling deep into the deserts, forests, swamps, and mountains requires cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles, ATVs, helicopters, boats, snowmobiles, and even military vehicles, and that’s all part of the story. Whatever Josh is driving, riding, or piloting, you’ll hear about how good, bad, or just plain odd it is. We got Josh on a video call direct from the set of his new show, Josh Gates Tonight, also known as his spare bedroom.
E
You travel all over the world to investigate all these great legends, and getting there, you drive a lot of pretty cool vehicles. Fair to say you’re a pretty big gearhead? I’m
doing an aspirational, “world’s greatest pools” kind of thing or something, but for us, the journey is the expedition. not like a gearhead in the sense that I’m I think that by showing not just not all that useful under the hood, but I the vehicles, but difficult foods, the am, I would say, a gear enthusiast. I love breakdowns, the flat tires, the challenges, to drive anything; I love to drive cars. I’m it really brings the viewer onto the not good at driving with crazy shifters. expedition. Suddenly, they’re riding I’m an equal-opportunity enthusiast for automobiles, but my New Year’s resolution shotgun. They’re not just at home watching this; they’re a part of it, and I every year is that I’m gonna take a real think the more that you can be real about automotive class because I spend a lot of what’s going on out there, the better it is. time broken down by the side of the road.
In each episode, you start off in your office, then you’re somewhere else in the world and you’re driving some kind of neat car or riding a motorcycle. Was it part of the original plan to feature the journey?
What are the best and worst vehicles you’ve driven for the show? It’s a long list,
and I used to do a series before this where we would almost pick horrible vehicles as a gag, so I’ve driven just about every weird car you can name. For me, cars are, as you That’s always been part of all the shows know, they’re a very personal thing, right? that I’ve done. I’m a big believer in that There are certain models and makes and part of the experience, you know? If you lines on a car that just speak to us. talk to anybody about travel, so much of I love Land Rover Defenders. I love ’em. what they’ll tell you about any trip is the mechanics. How the flight was, what went I love the old Defender 90; it’s my favorite car. I just see one—even the 110—but if wrong, what went right, how they got I just see one of those things parked, I stranded at that train station. One of the things that always struck me just stop in my tracks every time. Uh, as kind of strange about travel-themed TV they are not the most comfortable cars for long-distance expeditions. There’s of is how glossy it all is, which really doesn’t match our experiences. That’s fine if you’re course this great rivalry between people 24 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2020
with the old Defenders and the old Land Cruisers, right, and the Land Cruiser is, hands down—and I know I’m gonna get hate mail for this—it’s a more comfortable car. It is! But the Defender is so sexy. It’s undeniable. It’s just amazing. So my favorite experience is anytime I get behind the wheel of a Defender. You know, old school, stick Defender, and I’m out in some exotic place, I just never feel more free or more excited than that. The bottom is probably, like, those cars that you walk up to and you go, “I’ve never seen this before.” Some Russian, some, like, Bulgarian vehicle from the ’60s that has a crazy stick shift. I’ve had some long days in some of those old Citroëns, those old Meharis, you know, with the crazy shifter that comes out sideways, and the whole car feels like—I mean, the car’s made of plastic, effectively, right? It was, like, late ’60s, ’68, something like that, and they decided, “We should make a car that’s primarily plastic and fabric,” you know? And driving around in those things is, like, you just feel like it’s running on wisps of smoke. It feels like some Jules Verne vehicle. It doesn’t feel real. At the moment, people can only watch Expedition Unknown in reruns, but you have a new live show on Discovery Channel. We started a few weeks ago
making a real short edition of this talk show—it’s called Josh Gates Tonight. We started doing little 10-minute versions of it, and then we did a full-hour version for Earth Day, which was great, and now it’s moving to 9 o’clock on Wednesday nights. I’m gonna be here in my headquarters away from headquarters here in my home office. And we’re having a lot of fun. I think it’s really important in this time when we are all sequestered at home to remember that the spirit of adventure is still alive and that there is this big, wide world out there that is waiting for us. And we’re having a lot of fun talking to explorers and adventurers and really just trying to connect with viewers and, as best we can, take them on a little adventure with us every week from behind this desk. Scott Evans
TREND I 9.20
Your Say... You Guys Really Have a Lot of Thoughts About the April Green Car Issue, Don’t You? At the turn of the last century there was a popular publication: HorseTrend. It was dedicated to all forms of the most popular personal transportation device then available and provided evaluation, testing, comparisons, and gossip concerning breeds of horses, types of wagons, efficiency of buggies, horse racing … coverage of all things horse-related. Then a few horseless buggies began to appear. Few in number, HorseTrend treated them as novelties with little coverage. After all, they couldn’t go as fast or as far as a horse, and they were expensive. No one knew how to fix them, and places where you could buy gasoline to fuel them were few and far between. Clearly they were not worth any serious thought or coverage. Besides the old line, HorseTrend subscribers objected to any coverage that wasn’t about their beloved, traditional horse-based transportation. There were only 8,190 registered cars on the road in 1900, so why bother? But 10 years later there were over 300,000, and the number rose exponentially as automobiles got faster, more reliable, cheaper, more comfortable, and more fun; there was even racing! The editors of HorseTrend listen to their angry old-line, unimaginative readers and supporters and ignored all horseless carriage developments. By 1910 there were more automobiles on the road than horse-drawn vehicles and a few years later HorseTrend, still ignoring automobiles to the end, ceased publication. Those who angrily ignore history, and progress, do so at their own risk. Kim T. Bené Salt Lake City, Utah
WRITE US AT 831 S. Douglas St. El Segundo, CA 90245 Email us online at MotorTrend.com or send an email direct to MotorTrend@MotorTrend.com
Reader on location Mike Tyson famously said, “Everybody has a plan ‘til they get punched in the mouth.” This year has been a lot like that for all of us. Joseph Carestia of New York, New York, had big plans to do a “long-planned loop of America” this year. Instead he decided to “do something useful and volunteer at his local foodbank” during the pandemic. He was kind enough to bring us along to read during a quick break. Thanks for helping out your fellow man, Joseph.
MotorTrend seems to correctly think that EVs are competitive products and that “the democratization of the electric car is finally here.” Great, but if people should be cross-shopping gas and electric cars, then you should include both ICE and EV cars together in future comparison tests (like you did with the BMW 3 Series, Tesla Model 3, and Genesis G70). This is especially true now that we are about to be flooded with dozens of electric vehicles. How about a flagship comparison between the new Escalade and Navigator, and throw in the Rivian R1S, too?
Thank you for publishing the world’s best automotive content, even in these difficult times. Yeshiya Silverman via email
As the competitiveness of EVs increases, we’ll undoubtably start including them in more comparisons against more traditional gas and diesel vehicles.—Ed.
Oops Scott Evans’ Porsche 917 historic drive was wonderful. I happened to read the 917 story the same day that Le Mans was on … what a great coincidence. But on page 58, how could the photo caption say that the 917 instrumentation included a “water temperature” gauge? Whoever put that in should be banished to riding in the back seat of the awful Toyota C-HR you enjoyed so much! Keith Dolan Brooklyn, New York
Good catch. That gauge is actually the 917’s oil temperature gauge. We’d banish Scott to the back seat of the C-HR, but we’re afraid he may like it too much—Ed.
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FIRST LOOK I 2021 Ford Bronco
WORDS JONNY LIEBERMAN & FRANK MARKUS PHOTOGRAPHS WILLIAM WALKER, STEVEN PHAM, AND MFR
Thunderclouds threaten as our group stands in the middle of Johnson Valley OHV Area, looking at two pre-production 2021 Ford Broncos. One is a Cactus Gray four-door Badlands hardtop, but we can’t take our eyes off the Cyber Orange two-door Black Diamond with the removable roof fully removed. It looks utterly fabulous. A concept car come to life, driven straight off the auto show stand to an off-road paradise known for King of the Hammers. The consensus: Ford is gonna sell a million of these things. The Bronco—especially the papaya-colored small fry—just looks right on.
The iconic grille and fender flares are both easily replaceable as one’s mood and tire needs change.
FORWARD INTO THE PAST
THE NEW BRONCO IS MORE THAN NOSTALGIA. IT DELIVERS THE GOODS. ANYWHERE. SEPTEMBER 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 27
This new truck, available in two- or four-door styles, resembles the old firstgeneration Bronco from the ’60s and ’70s without being slavish. The 2021 Bronco is fresh, futuristic, fun. It looks like a kid’s toy you want to pick up and play with. Size-wise, the two-door is 6.9 inches longer than the equivalent Jeep Wrangler
on a 3.6-inch longer wheelbase, while the four-door is an inch longer on a 2.3-inch shorter wheelbase. The Broncos are 2.1 inches wider and 0.7 inch lower, and they offer similar head- and legroom with more shoulder- and hiproom in the four-door, less in the two-door. Both Fords accommodate more cargo than the Jeeps—3.9–10.6 cubic feet with the seats up and 5.2–26.4 cubes more with them down, four-door to two-door. So the four-doors are close in size; the Bronco two-door is way bigger and roomier. The Bronco offers three trim-specific grilles at launch, and each apes the fullwidth one-piece look of the original. The forward corners of each front fender sprout a “trail sight,” which helps locate the corners for the adventurous off-road driver and also serves as a place to lash canoes or kayaks to the roof. One of the slickest parts of the design
is the arcing bow, a curved black plastic element just in front of the windshield that contains the mirrors. See, unlike the Wrangler, the Bronco’s side-view mirrors are mounted on the body—so when the doors come off, you still have mirrors (and the optional cameras housed in each for spotting front tire placement). But rather than just have them stuck onto the Bronco’s body, Ford design gave the pair a little curved plinth to sit on. The weakest part of the four-door’s design is at the base of the C-pillar, where many surfaces and forms collide. It all looks bunched up. It’s not horrible, but there’s a black plastic triangle just at the trailing edge of the rear window that looks tacked on and cheaper than the rest of the truck. We were assured by Ford PR the previous iteration looked even worse. Not really a confident statement, that. With the roof off, you can see the perimeter halo rollcage, which leaves the entire space open above both rows of seats for panoramic views of Moab. This structure houses curtain airbags and serves as a design element: To provide ample headroom, the roof stands about 6 inches above this, so removing it lends a chopped-top hot rod appearance. Out back, you see exposed hinges on the tailgate, but to simplify door removal Ford chose concealed hinges for the doors. Removing these frameless, mirrorless aluminum doors is a breeze. Simply lower the windows and slip on the protective door bag. Unplug the electrical connection (a spring-loaded door snaps shut to keep the connectors clean), remove one bolt from each hinge, and off they come. One last cool little touch: The rearview camera is mounted on the end of the spare tire carrier. Said carrier is quite long, so even if you fit a fat, aftermarket spare tire and wheel, your camera can still see.
Broncos are offered with a choice of two removable hard tops. The basic one comes molded in body color and features two interlocking sections over the front seats that can be stowed on board in bags like Jeep’s Freedom Top panels. On four-door models, a third large panel above the rear seat opens the entire roof section but doesn’t stow on board. Quarter-turn latches release all these panels. The remaining roof section enclosing the rear cargo area is comparatively small and easy to maneuver, and with it off and all windows lowered, even with the frameless doors installed you get a true “max air” convertible feel.
A second modular hard top gets painted and adds the third rear roof panel for two-doors along with removable rear quarter windows for better airflow with the rear roof section attached. The four-door also offers a soft top, which features a large section over the seats that can be thrown back for a sunroof feel. Its party trick is that the bottom of the rear section lifts up and out of the way to facilitate loading larger items that might not easily fit through the rear window and swing gate. The first step up the price ladder from the unnamed “base” model is Big Bend,
G.O.A.T. Modes In the ’60s when the first Bronco was under development, it was referred to as a GOAT, meaning it could Go Over Any Terrain. Ford has trademarked the term G.O.A.T. Modes, like the big Bronco’s Rock Crawl terrain mode. Integral stays and stops To simplify door removal and thereby encourage more spontaneous open-air driving, the Bronco door hinges incorporate two intermediate-position door stays and the limit stop, so there’s just a single 10mm bolt on each hinge (plus an electrical connection) holding on each door. Similarly, the rear swing gate can stop at 90 degrees or swing open 150 degrees. In the Bag By eliminating the window frames and moving the mirrors to the bodywork, each aluminum door can be fit snugly into a strategically padded bag (with handles) and secured in the cargo area so that owners can set off on a chilly morning with the doors on, pop them off and carry them along in the heat of the day, and resecure the car for the night in a new location. Of course, nothing else will then fit in the back … Trail Sight Tie-Downs Those little metal doodads at the forward corners of
the fenders help the driver judge where the corners are, but they also include two holes and a slot. Most standard bungee-cord S-hooks fit in the holes, and most lashing straps fit in the slots, all of which is to help secure long items being carried on the roof. Each can withstand a 150-pound load. WWII-Inspired Fasteners To distinguish the General Purpose (GP, aka jeep) vehicles built by Ford, many fasteners were marked with an F. The Bronco team has seized on that idea and is marking various fasteners with BRONCO lettering to indicate that accessories have been developed to mount where these fasteners are. Easy-Off Flares Those big rubber fender flares that barely cover the tires are designed for super-easy removal with a series of quarter-turn fasteners—should you find yourself wanting to sling some serious mud or needing to cover larger tires later in your Bronco ownership.
Badlands, Wildtrak, and Sasquatchpackage Broncos get position-sensitive shocks and stabilizer bar disconnect system.
SEPTEMBER 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 29
FIRST LOOK I 2021 Ford Bronco
These show trucks, destined for the canceled New York auto show, feature items that may be offered as accessories, such as bead-lock rims and red-accented trail-sight tie-downs, grille, and interior accents.
which is like an XLT grade. The next three trims have different missions: Outer Banks is a sport/luxury trim, Black Diamond features tough/rugged cues, and Wildtrak has a blacked-out aesthetic with a high-speed desert-running focus. Badlands aims to be the most all-around capable off-roader, and the First Edition is a limited-production (3,500) 2021 model based on Badlands with Wildtrak elements and unique graphics. All come in either body style.
handily besting the Wrangler’s aging 3.6-liter V-6 (at 285 hp and 260 lb-ft). Ford has no answer to Jeep’s 260-hp, 242-lb-ft EcoDiesel V-6. That said, there will be a Raptor version of the Bronco coming in a few years. There are two transmission options: Ford’s version of the 10-speed automatic co-developed with GM or a new Getrag 7MTI550 six-plus-one-speed manual. What’s the plus-one mean? A super-low granny gear that works in either high or low range and gives the
Time for what our editor calls “the specs spew,” so pay attention. The base engine is a 2.3-liter turbo inline-four producing 270 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque, which ties the 2.0-liter turbo Jeep Wrangler for horsepower and beats it (295 lb-ft) in torque. The 2.7-liter twin-turbo V-6 stumps up 310 hp and 400 lb-ft,
transmission a gear ratio spread (first gear divided by seventh) of 11.0, as opposed to the Wrangler six-speed’s 7.1. First gear is located down and to the left, below reverse in a dogleg configuration. That means second through seventh gears function like a normal first through sixth whenever you’re not rock crawling, pulling a heavy boat up a wet ramp, or something similar. The two transfer case options include an electric shift-on-the-fly unit like the F-150’s, offering 2Hi, 4Hi, 4Lo, and neutral. The low-range gearing in this one is 2.72:1. The optional upgraded version with electromechanical shifting adds a full-time 4-Auto mode and comes with a 3.06:1 low range. With this case, the granny gear provides a 95:1 crawl ratio (first x low x axle), according to Ford, besting the manual Wrangler Rubicon’s 84:1. (There hasn’t been a rear-drive Wrangler since 2010, and there’s no plan for a rear-drive Bronco, either.)
The seven-speed transmission includes a class-exclusive dogleg first “granny gear.”
Previewing the next-gen Ranger, the front suspension is by control arms, and the rear gets a live axle with trailing links and a Panhard rod. Coil-over shock units serve at each corner. Ford claims overall suspension travel bests the Wrangler’s by 17 percent in front and 10 percent in the rear. Maximum ground clearance of 11.6 inches tops the best Jeep’s 10.8, and the approach, departure, and breakover angles are also said to be class leading at 43.2, 37.2, and 26.4/29.0 degrees, respectively (four-door/two-door models). Those figures reflect the largest 35-inch (315/70R17) tires, which come standard on Badlands models but are optional on all. Base Broncos get 255/70R16 tires on steel wheels, with various aluminum wheel options wearing 255/75R17, 255/70R18, 265/70R17, or 285/70R18 tires of all-terrain or mud-terrain spec. The most Rubicon-optimized Badlands and Wildtrak variants (and the optional Sasquatch package) on the monster tires get a sophisticated electro-hydraulically actuated front stabilizer bar disconnect system from BWI Group that can disengage while under load. Once disengaged it automatically re-connects at speeds of 20-plus mph, then automatically disengages again when speeds drop sufficiently. These variants also get fancy position-sensitive Bilstein monotube dampers that provide lots of damping for large bumps, far less on small washboard bumps. Their large diameter provides ample oil to remain cool in prolonged higher-speed desert running, evincing some inherent Raptor DNA. SEPTEMBER 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 31
Big 12.0-inch touch screen and 6.5-inch cluster displays will present copious 4WD system info and camera views to help navigate the roughest trails.
Locking differentials are available front and rear, and there’s a Trail Turn Assist function that drags the inside rear brake to tighten the turning radius like on a Toyota Land Cruiser—except that the Bronco’s works at higher speeds. There’s a new feature borrowed from the electric-vehicle world: one-pedal driving. As you lift off the accelerator in off-road modes with a 2.7-liter automatic, the
Given that the Jeep Wrangler is the most accessorized vehicle in the FCA/Mopar arsenal, Ford intends to encourage an equal degree of personalization on its new Bronco icon. So at launch there will be more than 200 available accessories that can be installed at the plant, the dealership, or by the customer. These include tubular doors, roof racks, camping equipment, auxiliary lighting, bead-lock wheels, bikini tops, etc. New accessory grilles are planned, as well, and they’re said to be easily swapped. Ford has gone a bit further in encouraging customization by utilizing special Bronco-branded fasteners throughout the interior and exterior that are designed to be used for attaching accessory items. There are 42 such bolts on the interior and 12 to 18 of them on the exterior (not including the optional modular bumper, which is designed to have numerous things attached to
Standard auxiliary switches include wiring for future lights and accessories.
it). An interior example: Bolts near the center-top of the dash can be used to mount “bring your own device” bars of two lengths. These BYOD bars provide a mounting place for phones, GoPro or other dash cams, etc. Ford also provides a bank of six aux switches at the top-center of the windshield frame, only these switches connect to factory-installed wiring that runs to various places in the car where owners are likely to want to mount lights and other accessories, greatly simplifying their eventual installation. One more fun accessory demonstrated to us: a slide-out tailgate/table that retracts into a new, higher false floor in the cargo area.
2021 Ford Bronco
system applies and will hold the brakes. It’s ideal for novice off-roaders negotiating tricky terrain. Every modern off-roader has terrain modes, and Bronco’s got ’em, but you really only need the Rock Crawl setting. This mode automatically optimizes the differential lockers, stabilizer bar disconnect, and myriad other parameters to remove the guesswork. When rock crawling, the various displays can show vehicle pitch and roll angles, tire pressures, and 360-degree camera views that include a fisheye view of what lies ahead and what’s happening at each front tire. These camera views allow drivers to do without an exterior spotter and verify that the path ahead is safe. The undercarriage is comprehensively armored from the bumper past the first crossmember, with separate shields protecting the anti-roll bar disconnect device, the gas tank, and the transmission.
Screws labeled “BRONCO” mark accessory mount locations and remove body panels.
Top models add further protection for the rear dampers and radius-arm mounts. Rock rails are rated to support the weight of the vehicle at any point and are “sacrificial,” easily replaced if damaged. The tow hooks are rated to support at least the weight of the vehicle, but as for towing via the hitch, Bronco is rated for 3,500 pounds (same as Wrangler).
The Bronco is designed to get wet, muddy, and dusty. A drain hole in each footwell features a quarter-turn plug to facilitate hosing off the rubber-lined floors. Vertically exposed switches like those on the steering wheel and those atop the center stack for the diff locks and bar disconnect are fully covered by a silicone membrane. For those just looking for style, leather and carpet are available, but the marinegrade vinyl upholstery that pairs with the rubber floors looks cooler and more appropriate. Because the doors will often be removed, both the glove box and center console bin feature key locking. Replacing the map pockets on the seat backs (who uses a map?) is a Molle strap system to which all sorts of aftermarket accessories can be attached. The dash features an
PRICE
$32,000-$46,000 (est)
LAYOUT
Front-engine, 4WD, 5-pass, 2- or 4-door SUV
ENGINE
2.3L/270-hp/310-lb-ft turbo DOHC 16-valve I-4; 2.7L/310-hp/400lb-ft twin-turbo V-6
TRANSMISSION
7-speed manual, 10-speed auto
CURB WEIGHT
3,950-4,450 lb (mfr)
WHEELBASE
100.4-116.1 in
LXWXH
173.7-189.4 x 75.9 x 72.9 in
0-60 MPH
5.9-8.0 sec (MT est)
EPA FUEL ECON
Not yet rated
ON SALE
Early 2021
8.0- or 12.0-inch infotainment screen plus a 6.5-inch driver information screen. The new 2021 Ford Bronco is impressive, in both its off-road capability/ technology and design. Quite obviously the Jeep Wrangler is both the 900-pound gorilla and the elephant in the room. But Ford seems to have improved upon several of the Jeep’s shortcomings. True, it’s not 75 years old like the OG jeep. Perhaps most important, it looks better, and for many people design is the ultimate selling point. How often are you going to go off-road, versus how often do you want to have a killer-looking off-roader? Think about it. Ford has. Q SEPTEMBER 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 33
FIRST LOOK I 2021 Ford Bronco Sport
COMPACT
Overlander A LITTLE FORD YOU COULD REALLY ESCAPE IN very Jeep model carries a spark of the original flame kindled by the iconic WWII Willys original. This makes it way easier to sell Jeeps, even the ones that don’t still resemble the primordial jeep. Ford (which incidentally built almost as many original jeeps for the war as Willys) wants in on that action. So it’s reviving its own nostalgic icon—the Bronco— and aiming it squarely at the Wrangler. But only one in four Jeeps sold in the U.S. is a Wrangler, and Ford needs its
E
34 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2020
Bronco-mania to entice a wider audience. Behold the Escape-based Bronco Sport.
Yes, the Bronco Sport shares about 80 percent of its parts with the Escape, not the Bronco pater familias, but the sun never hits most of them. The two trucklets certainly look nothing alike. The 1.5-liter three-cylinder and 2.0-liter four-banger turbo engines and their power ratings carry over from Escape, though torque is downrated slightly for the Bronco Sport
(2 and 5 lb-ft, respectively). The eightspeed automatic transmission carries over, too—with calibration changes—and there are two all-wheel-drive systems: the Escape’s and a torque-vectoring one for the Badlands trim level. The suspension features unique control arms and knuckles that increase the suspension travel and broaden the front and rear track by 0.8 inch, bringing the tires right out even with the bodywork (rendering Bronco Sport unsalable in Europe). Unique springs and special
Only). And among the broader Bronco family, you can expect the Badlands trim to be the most capable off-roader, like Jeep’s Trailhawk or Rubicon variants.
The Escape and Bronco Sport are proportioned very differently. The Bronco Sport is 7.8 inches shorter in length on a wheelbase that’s 1.6 inches smaller, and the vastly boxier stepped “safari roof” towers 4.2 inches above the Escape’s to preserve people and cargo space. This presents a very different command-of-the-road seating position and affords 6 percent more overall passenger space, thanks to surplus headand legroom front and rear. Cargo space shrinks just slightly, to 32.0 cubic feet with the seats up and 65.0 with them down, versus the Escape’s 33.5 and 65.4. As far as trim level packaging goes, the first step above the base model is Big Bend (matching Escape SE), then comes Outer Banks (sporty luxury, with extra body-color trim and the option of a black roof ). At the top is the Badlands model, which can have a black or gray roof treatment. There will also be 2,000 fully loaded Badlands-based First Edition models featuring unique graphics and trim in 2021. All get standard Co-Pilot 360 safety gear, which can be upgraded to include lane centering assist and intelligent active cruise control (which can follow posted speed limits). LED headlamps are standard on all to achieve that vaunted Good rating from the IIHS.
WORDS FRANK MARKUS PHOTOGRAPHS STEVEN PHAM
Even basic models carrying over the Escape’s all-wheel-drive system get passive air cooling for their power takeoff unit, via a scoop built into the aerodynamic underbody tray to keep things cool during prolonged operation in sand and gravel. Top Badlands versions get water cooling for the power takeoff. Note that in
in rock-crawling modes to prevent the kickback such conditions can cause. All of this helps assure the Bronco Sport can deliver the off-road credibility its name, boxy mien, and round headlamps promise. See, if the big Bronco is to be Ford’s Wrangler, then other vehicles borrowing its name also must be able to sling sand 46mm-diameter monotube shocks and climb rocks—just as Jeep’s Trail greatly increase the oil capacity and hence the heat dissipation of these shocks Rated variants of its crossovers also must live up to those expectations. when running fast over rough terrain. Therefore, there will be no front-drive The electric power steering is programmed to match the different drive or low-ground-clearance Bronco Sports—no BINOs (Broncos In Name modes and to provide added damping SEPTEMBER 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 35
2021 Ford Bronco Sport
both cases this PTU can transfer anywhere from zero to 50 percent of available torque to the rear and can disengage for efficiency during freeway cruising. Naturally, there are selectable drive modes, with all Bronco Sports getting Normal, Eco, Sport, Slippery, and Sand settings (select that last one for max drifty fun in the dirt). Badlands models add two more off-road settings: Rock Crawl and Mud and Ruts—each with dedicated brake calibrations to ensure the stability nannies never prevent forward progress. These are Ford’s newly trademarked G.O.A.T. modes (as in, Go Over Any Terrain). As in the big Bronco, engaging these modes activates infotainment screen displays showing differential status, tire pressures, or camera views that can help negotiate tricky trails (at speeds under 15 mph). Trail Control provides off-road “cruise control” (on hill descents and ascents) at speeds up to 20 mph. The versions we inspected even featured a full-size spare tire. Speaking of
PRICE
$27,000-$35,000 (est)
LAYOUT
Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV
ENGINES
1.5L/180-hp/175-lb-ft turbo DOHC 12-valve I-3; 2.0L/245-hp/270-lb-ft turbo DOHC 16-valve I-4
TRANSMISSION
8-speed auto
CURB WEIGHT
3,500-3,650 lb (est)
WHEELBASE
105.1 in
LXWXH
172.7 x 74.3 x 67.9-69.1 in
0-60 MPH
7.0-8.5 sec (MT est)
EPA FUEL ECON
Not yet rated
ON SALE
December 2020
tires, they all have sizable sidewalls. Base vehicles get 17-inch alloy rims wrapped in 225/65R17s. Options include 235/65R17s and, on 1.5-liter models, 225/60R18 with the skinniest available sidewalls.
All this supports a greater Bronco Sport narrative of being “adventure ready.” It’s a vehicle you can comfortably and
affordably commute in Monday through Friday before hitting the mountains, bike trails, and campsites on the weekend. But it’s more than drivability; Ford worked hard on packaging. Beefy standard roof rails run nearly the length of the roof and provide ample attachment points. The liftgate glass can be opened separately to allow room for longer items The grocery bag hooks feature spring-loaded retainers to keep items from slipping off. The cargo area floor can be positioned level with the bumper or at a higher level, secreting items below while putting other items within reach of the open rear glass. It can also divide the cargo area vertically. Also, the entire floor and rear seat back surfaces can be covered with the same hose-off rubber material that covers the floor of all but the most basic Bronco Sport (which get carpeting). Available accessories will include rooftop camping tents or a bar to which you can secure the forks of two mountain bikes at the back of the cargo area, with their rear wheels aimed between the seats. There’s a roll-out table surface that emerges over the rear bumper and can support 50 pounds. Two bright, aimable spotlights on the liftgate serve to illuminate this table or the area behind the vehicle. The cargo area features both a 12-volt socket and a 400-watt, 110-volt plug for powering compressors, small TVs, and the like. There’s even a bottle opener inside the rear hatch. And as with the big Bronco, there are Molle system straps mounted to the
YOU CAN COMFORTABLY COMMUTE MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, THEN HIT THE MOUNTAINS. seat backs for attaching gear, though here they’re mounted to zippered seat back pouches that can each conceal a tablet. Finally, on all but the top leathertrimmed models, there’s a hidden compartment under a rear seat cushion measuring roughly 17 x 8 x 4 inches. You could live pretty well out of this SUV. Pricing and fuel economy won’t be shared until closer to the Bronco Sport’s December 2020 on-sale date (a few months ahead of the big Bronco), but we expect a modest premium over similarly equipped Escape AWD models. We haven’t driven it yet, but we’re cautiously optimistic that it might squarely hit a nascent but potentially growing niche of folks looking for an affordable, efficient, roomy, maneuverable SUV that could serve in a pinch as a bug-out overlander. Q
Probably the Badlands model’s biggest off-road upgrade is its all-wheel-drive system—in which the rear differential is replaced with a simple bevel gear driving half-shafts fitted with multiplate clutches that engage drive to each rear wheel. That means that of the 50 percent of engine torque making its way aft, all can be applied to either rear wheel for torque vectoring akin to what you find on Acura SH-AWD and GKN Twinster rear axles. There’s also a reardiff-lock switch like on the big Bronco. Tough 2.8mm-thick steel armoring shields the engine and transmission, the fuel tank, and the vapor recovery canister. The exhaust is also tucked well up out of harm’s way, and there’s 8.7 inches of ground clearance. That’s up from the base Sport’s 7.9 and a match for the Renegade and Cherokee Trailhawk models. Should the Bronco Sport Badlands find itself in a position to accept or provide off-road assistance, there are two open tow hooks front and rear, each capable of withstanding the vehicle’s entire weight or more. The suspension provides 3.9 inches of jounce and 3.5 inches of rebound front and rear—an improvement of about 0.6 and 0.04 inch from Escape/Corsair but dramatically better than what Ford claims to have measured on a Jeep Renegade (3.5/2.3 front, 3.0/3.5 rear).
A dirt-ready interior features rubber floor covering, scrubbable seat fabric, and an aesthetic utterly different from the Escape.
When that jounce travel is exhausted, BWI hydraulic jounce bumpers provide extra cushioning to help facilitate safe, fast desert running. And as a measure of the Bronco Sport’s suspension articulation, its ramp-travel index (RTI—the distance a front wheel can travel up a 20-degree ramp before another wheel comes off the ground, divided by wheelbase and multiplied by 1,000) is 345—20 percent better than the Escape’s and edging out the Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk’s 324, Renegade Trailhawk’s 319, and even the Range Rover Evoque’s 300 (all as measured by Ford). A 30.0-degree approach and 32.5degree departure angle roughly match the Renegade Trailhawk’s, but its ability to ford water to a depth of 23.6 inches soundly beats that Jeep’s 19.0 inches. This is done by locating all electronic control units well above this height or completely sealing them and ensuring robust door sealing. SEPTEMBER 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 37
FIRST DRIVE I 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave
F
orget the Rubicon. The Gladiator Mojave is the best Gladiator, full stop. It will do 90 percent of what the Rubicon will, but the Rubicon can’t do half of what the Mojave can. Here’s why: The Jeep Gladiator was never going to be a great rock crawler, and that’s what the Rubicon is set up to do: scratch and claw its way over anything. The problem is, it has the longest wheelbase of any short-bed truck in its class. Without modifications, the Gladiator is going to drag its belly and potentially high-center on obstacles other trucks would clear. This rock crawling weakness is the Gladiator Mojave’s strength. Long-wheelbase vehicles are inherently more stable when cornering, meaning they’re less likely to oversteer. Although power slides are fun, on a bumpy trail they can easily lead to a tire digging in and flipping the vehicle. Stable is what you want. Ripping down the back entry road into Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle
Area, where the annual King of the Hammers off-road race takes place, the Mojave is eating up the winter-ravaged dirt road. Road graders from the Bureau of Land Management haven’t made it out here yet, and the road bears witness. The long-wheelbase Mojave, bolstered by a slightly wider front track versus the Rubicon and Falken Wildpeak A/T3W tires, doesn’t care. Things are bumpy, sure, but the speed I’m carrying is staggering. Jeep knocked down the low-range ratio on the Mojave to the standard 2.72:1 compared to the Rubicon’s 4.10:1, so it can go faster in four low, but it’s still electronically limited to 45 mph. Four high, however, does not have a limit so far as I can tell. I chickened out at 75 mph on the trail—the nearest hospital is 34 miles away. When MT photographer, Jade Nelson, finally caught up in my long-term Ram 1500 Laramie, I asked him how fast he’d managed in that independent front suspension 4x4. On the smoothest sections, he said, 45 mph. He felt like he was hurting it. That’s about as fast as we managed in the Gladiator Rubicon on the Mojave Road, and it wasn’t pleasant, either. The Gladiator Mojave could’ve gone faster if it had a more reckless driver. That’s on the little stuff, though. In the big holes and moguls, the Ram—and even the Rubicon—had to slow to 20 mph or less to keep from bottoming out the suspension and avoid breaking things. I was hitting them at 45 mph in the Mojave. The only time the Mojave met its limit was on closely spaced moguls, where the peak of one hump is pushing the rear end up and the nose down just as the front
end is about to impact the next hump. It’s about the hardest you can bash a front suspension, and the Mojave’s big Fox shocks and hydraulic bumpstops not only saved the front end but also made the big impacts significantly softer than in any other off-road truck I’ve driven through the same obstacle—Raptor included. If only Jeep had done the same for the rear axle. As one of the Mojave’s few areas with room for improvement, the rear axle comes down harder on its plain old rubber bumpstops than the front, and you can feel it in the cab. It’s not enough to unsettle the truck, but you could go even faster and do so even more comfortably if the rear axle wasn’t getting beat up as badly. The other area is under the hood. The standard
THE MOJAVE J TRIM PACKAGE GOES ANYWHERE AND GETS THERE FASTER WORDS SCOTT EVANS PHOTOGRAPHS JADE NELSON
38 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2020
FIRST DRIVE
Remote reservoirs for the shock absorber oil (cylinder with black tube above) keep the shocks from overheating.
V-6 is powerful enough on paper, but it is hampered by long transmission gears from its eight-speed automatic. It gets the job done fine, but when the truck can handle this much speed off-road, you want to get up to speed fast. Foot flat on the floor, the Mojave gets moving, but you keep thinking how much better it would be if it had Raptor power. Anyone not living in the Southwest—or a similar area—is probably still wondering why they should buy the Mojave over the Rubicon, so let’s lay it out. Yes, the Mojave loses the Rubicon’s selectable front locker and disconnecting front anti-roll bar, but it supplants them with a virtual brakebased front locker and that trick suspension that doesn’t need to disconnect anything. In almost any situation you can get a Gladiator into, the Mojave’s virtual front locker will get you out nearly as well as the Rubicon’s mechanical locker. The Rubicon will never keep up with the Mojave at higher speeds, period.
2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave
Someone get this thing either two more cylinders or two more turbos.
Maybe you can’t go desert racing every weekend where you live. It doesn’t matter. Be it a forest service road, a logging road, an off-road park, or your back 40, you can rip it up in the Mojave in ways you just can’t with any other Gladiator. The extra $245 it’ll cost you over a Rubicon is the best money you’ll spend on a new truck. Yeah, that makes it the most expensive Gladiator. It’s worth it. Q
BASE PRICE
$45,370
LAYOUT
Front-engine, 4WD, 5-pass, 4-door truck
ENGINE
3.6L/285-hp/260-lb-ft DOHC 24-valve V-6
TRANSMISSION
8-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT
5,000 lb (mfr)
WHEELBASE
137.3 in
LXWXH
218.0 x 73.8 x 73.1 in
0-60 MPH
8.5 sec (MT est)
EPA FUEL ECON, CITY/ HWY/COMB
17/22/19 mpg
ENERGY CONSUMPTION, CITY/HWY
198/153 kW-hr/100 miles
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB
1.02 lb/mile
ON SALE
Currently
SEPTEMBER 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 39
COMPARISON I 2020 McLaren 720S Spider vs. 2020 Mercedes-AMG GT R Roadster vs. 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet
The numbers are dazzling, if not staggering: $831,740 worth of open-air supercars. 1,927 horsepower. 1,674 lb-ft of torque.
T
he shapes of these machines, especially in these colors, make children jump and squeal with joy—while most adults wish they weren’t quite so self-conscious so that they could do the same. Because you’re wondering, oh yes, some grownups act like kids around these things (yours truly first and foremost). This trio truly is a collection of rare, exotic beasts. Each one represents a
40 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2020
topless version of its respective company’s near-pinnacle performance car. I say “near” because McLaren just unveiled the 765LT, Mercedes-AMG makes the GT R Pro, and Porsche, well, you just know there will soon be a GT2 RS that makes this car seem like a snail. Plus, all three manufacturers are in the hypercar business, to varying degrees (P1, Senna, Project One, 918 Spyder). The question, then, is, “Why?” Why
would an automaker take a perfectly good supercar and hamstring it by removing rigidity and adding weight? That’s the question you’d ask before you’d spent a few days driving this shimmering trio around some of Southern California’s greatest roads. After doing so, the only question is, “Why the hell not?” I’m going to asterisk this comparison test at this point. First of all, we still can’t test cars, so I don’t have any objective
All That GLITTERS
BIG MONEY, BIGGER POWER, AND HYPERSPEED FUN IN THE SUN WORDS JONNY LIEBERMAN PHOTOGRAPHS WILLIAM WALKER
SEPTEMBER 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 41
numbers to point you to. Sorry. Also, yes, we should have had the McLaren 600LT Spider instead of the 720S Spider, as the former’s base price of $259,000 is much more in line with the other two than the latter’s starting price of (yikes) $317,500. Don’t even think about the as-tested price of (gulp) $372,750. However, there wasn’t a 600LT Spider available. So we took one for the team and grabbed the only convertible Macca had on offer, the 720S Spider. The sacrifices we all make, right? I’d also like to toss out a caveat for the AMG GT R Roadster. It’s old. Say huh? True, the GT R Roadster is only about a year old. I’m talking about the platform itself, which goes back to 2014. However, that’s only the current generation. The C190/R190 (C190 is Mercedes geek-speak for the GT Coupe, R190 means GT Roadster) is actually a modified version of the C197/R197 Gullwing, aka the SLS AMG. That chassis goes back to 2009, and the GT body-in-white is essentially the same structure but with 50mm lopped off the wheelbase. I mention these caveats because the Porsche 992 Turbo S is brandspanking-new. We know AMG will be introducing an all-new GT in the not so distant future. Please don’t read this as me making excuses for the AMG, but more like when the SLS AMG was developed, 19-inch R-compound tires were cutting edge. The Porsche showed up on staggered 20/21s. The persistence of time and all that. Intriguingly, these three roadsters do not follow a set template.
42 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2020
The AMG is front-engine, the McLaren has a mid-mounted engine, and the 911’s mill lives behind the rear wheels. The GT R Roadster uses a racy, modified version of AMG’s 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8, called M178. You can think of it as a dry-sump version of the more ubiquitous M177, which is used in every other AMG with a V-8, including, confusingly, the GT 63. Its 577 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque flow down a carbon-fiber driveshaft to a seven-speed dual-clutch transaxle. The 720S also uses a dry-sumped 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 that makes 710 hp and 568 lb-ft of torque, though there’s one major difference—the McLaren uses a flat-plane crankshaft. Flat-plane V-8s rev quicker, are typically lighter, and make turbocharging (a bit) easier. However, they vibrate much more (there’s no inherent secondary balance like a cross-plane V-8) and tend to be more brittle. Great for race cars, problematic elsewhere. Like the AMG, the McLaren employs a seven-speed dual-clutch transaxle. The Turbo S is different still, with its rear-mounted 3.8-liter twinturbo flat-six producing 640 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. Like the other two, the Porsche has a dual-clutch transaxle for a transmission (a transaxle is just a combination of a transmission and a differential where driven axles exit the case, as opposed to forces being sent down a driveshaft to a differential), with eight forward gears instead of seven like the other two entrants. The
Porsche drives all four wheels, whereas the others are both RWD. The AMG and the Porsche have all-wheel steering, and all the cars have carbon-ceramic brake rotors, but only the Porsche has four seats, even if two of them don’t actually work. As for performance, all are lunaticquick. Let’s look at comparables, as you real estate types love to say. The McLaren 720S coupe hits 60 mph in 2.5 seconds and runs out the back of the quarter mile in a startling 10.1 seconds at a blazing 141.5 mph. That last one is 0.1 second off the AWD 887-hp Porsche 918 Spyder. Again, the 720S is rear-wheel drive. The 991.2 Porsche 911 Turbo S coupe— the previous-generation 911 that this one replaces—also hit 60 mph in 2.5 seconds before flying through the quarter mile in 10.5 seconds with a trap speed of 131.8 mph. (We never tested a 991.1 or 991.2 Turbo S Cabriolet.) The nearly 10-mph difference in trap speeds proves the McLaren makes a lot more juice than that old 580-horsepower Porsche. As Top Gear America co-host Jethro Bovingdon says, “All McLarens make 800 horsepower.”
COMPARISON While the AMG’s adjustable carbonfiber wing signals the GT-R’s supercar abilities, it blocks the best-looking rear end since the Porsche 928.
Also, if the AMG GT R were up against nearly any other competitors, its numbers would appear stellar. Convertibles are usually heavier than their hardtop counterparts. By removing stiffness, you typically need to brace the chassis. Even with a super-stiff carbonfiber tub like McLaren’s, the folding roof bits add additional weight.
The McLaren we tested also weighed 390 pounds less than the porkier Porsche, 3,167 vs. 3,557 pounds. As for the AMG GT R, the coupe version weighs 3,680 pounds, hits 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, and runs the quarter in 11.3 seconds at 129.0 mph. The McLaren and Porsche are two of the quickest cars we’ve ever tested, but the 992 Turbo S will be quicker than the old one, and the Spider version of the 720S will be (a touch) slower.
“I love, love, love the looks of it,” MotorTrend en Español’s Miguel Cortina said in regard to the 720S Spider. He has a point. It’s been more than three years since we first laid eyes on the 720S, and the looks have only improved. It’s the best-looking mid-engine design since the Lamborghini Huracán showed up in 2014. Head of McLaren design Robert Melville and his team pulled off the nearly impossible: The Spider might look even better with the top down. That never happens.
Imagine seeing this trio rolling down the street. The inner child in all of us would be jumping and screaming.
The GT R certainly loses something in roadster form, though I will say there are certain roofless angles that look fabulous. Especially in this outrageous ($9,900) metal-flaked yellow. Best rear end in the business? The answer remains yes. The 911 Turbo S definitely looks worse as a convertible and worse still with the roof stowed, especially in this odd, dull orange. There’s just a pudginess to it that’s absent from the hardtop. Solution? Hey, Porsche, Targa Turbo! Do it. Inside the cars, the tide turns. “I know I’m going to get hate mail,” Cortina said, “but the McLaren’s interior could be better.” I like the inside of the 720S just fine, but I know what he means. There’s a homebrewed feel to the Brit that’s simply absent from the Germans’ cabins. True, there’s a spaceship vibe happening—a spaceship made out of wetsuits. The Porsche, meanwhile, is all business. Well, all that red leather makes it a high-end brothel, but that’s still a business. The controls are minimal and intuitive, and for the first time in Porsche history, the cupholder works about two-thirds of the time. That said, the AMG steals the interior show. As Cortina said, “The interior is really polished—elegant design, fancy air vents, and a lot of cubbies to hold your belongings.” However, the AMG had the worst seats—narrow, with thin padding. SEPTEMBER 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 43
This trait is common to front-engine cars that have the transmission (or in this case, torque tubes) bisecting the cabin. Side-to-side space is at a premium, and the seats pay the price by shrinking. Think of the last couple generations of Corvette or Dodge Viper, RIP. The Porsche had the best seats of the test.
Roof or no roof, all three of these machines are supercars. However, because we’re unable to test or lap cars, we don’t have empirical numbers to guide our anecdotal hands, guts, and brains. As
such, ranking these three comes down to good, old-fashioned feelings—which, when you’re deciding between cars of this ilk, is what it really comes down to anyway. “I got goose bumps as I was driving up the mountain,” Cortina said of the 720S Spider. “This thing is very fast.” Do we call Miguel Captain Obvious? Sometimes. Senior editor Scott Evans added: “We used to call the 911 Turbo S ‘weaponized speed,’ but McLaren has usurped that title. There’s so much motor in this thing. Everything else is clouded out of your brain.” As for my own notes: “Have I ever driven up Angeles Crest quicker? It does 100 mph in third gear. I should clarify that it calmly does the hundo in third.” It’s such a bizarre/unique experience, the ability to go that quick with that much control. You find yourself serenely thinking, “The glass panel above my head starts vibrating at 100 mph, stops at 106 mph, but then resumes shaking with slightly more gusto at 108 mph. I’ll have to investigate. After lunch.” This car just isn’t normal. There are no straights; you’re constantly arriving at corners. As I’ve long said, alien technology for the street. Although perhaps not a spaceship from another world, the AMG Roadster is no slouch. Every time I looked, I was bordering 90 mph. In this company, the car might seem a bit outgunned on paper, but seat of the pants, the power felt competitive. Keeping up with the other two was neither a problem nor an issue. This impression was bolstered by the fact that the GT R Roadster is by far the bestsounding of the trio. The Porsche’s sport exhaust manages to change the sound from two industrialstrength hair dryers to four, but as Evans pointed out, “Even with the exhaust closed, it’s got more of that classic angry sewing machine chatter than it’s had in years.” Sure, but the AMG crushes it, sonically speaking. Puts a hurt on the McLaren, too.
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COMPARISON
Even with a flat-plane crank, the McLaren’s twin turbos muffle the engine. I’ve been saying this for years, but only AMG seems to be able to make turbocharged motors sound mean and spiteful. With the roof lowered, the engine’s roar and the exhaust’s crackle are that much better. Why are you buying a convertible over a coupe in the first place? For the visceral experience. The AMG is dramatic, but its 7,000-rpm redline is too low. Please raise it to at least 8,000 rpm, thank you. As for the 992 Turbo S, this is something new. Something totally different. “This is not the 911 Turbo I remember,” Evans said. “That was a Grand Touring car but not a Porsche GT in the Weissach sense of the term. This Turbo S is a Porsche GT car. It’s just missing the number.” Hard to argue, especially when said Turbo S is equipped with the PASM Sport suspension that was developed by Porsche’s racing division in Weissach. “The Turbo S is a beast to drive,” Cortina said. Beast is a good word, as the Turbo S’ forward thrust is animalistic. Its 640 horsepower will grab all the headlines, but it’s that torque figure—590 lb-ft of the good stuff—combined with the traction of all-wheel drive that makes this Porsche such a monster.
46 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2020
The McLaren is shockingly quick in a straight line, but the Porsche is gobsmackingly quick everywhere—especially blasting, clawing, scraping its way out of corners. I think going A to B on a twisting road, the 911 is quicker than the 720S. One perennial knock on the AMG GT R coupe is that the rear suspension is comically stiff. Like the Chevy Camaro ZL1 1LE, the dampers are of the spoolvalve variety and supplied by Multimatic. Long story short, spool-valve dampers work wonders on buttery-smooth racing tarmacs then beat your lower back with a 10-pound hammer on real, actual roads. Both the GT R Coupe and big dog Camaro ride atrociously. My big worry going into this comparison was exactly that. I’m not sure if it’s the added weight over the rear of the GT R Roadster or if AMG actually retuned the dampers, but the softtop’s ride is much, much better. Whenever I’m asked about Modern supercars have to look like a pretty good-sized mortgage on the inside, too.
the GT R coupe, I immediately dismiss it and say instead, check out the GT C coupe. You lose 27 horsepower but gain everything else. Here? I’d recommend the GT R Roadster over the GT C version. However, the GT R’s handling was the least confidence-inspiring of the three. “The steering is too quick,” Cortina said. “You have to trust the car and turn just as you’re entering the corner. The hood feels humongous.” Evans added that it “feels like you’re sitting on the rear axle and the front of the car turns before you do.” Does this mean the GT R handles poorly? No, it’s just an odd sensation. Once you learn to trust it, I’d argue it handles about as well as the other two. It’s just not the most satisfying way to drive. I appreciate how efficient the GT R’s steering is, but it’s too juiced. Evans again: “The Porsche required a flex of the arms to steer. This requires a twitch.” I suspect much of this is due to AMG’s
aggressive rear-steering setup. Years ago, on a prototype drive of the GT C, I asked then-AMG boss Tobias Moers (in May, he was named the new CEO of Aston Martin) the difference between his all-wheel-steering system and Porsche’s. Basically, Porsche uses one electric motor for both wheels, and AMG uses two. AMG therefore can steer the rear wheels a degree or so farther. This strategy works in terms of getting the GT R around corners—but it just feels off. The McLaren also has some feel issues. “This is the only one of the three that gave me sweaty palms,” Evans said. “The steering is a blessing and a curse. At speed, it almost feels like a manual rack, it has so much kickback. It’s wonderful, but like a manual rack, things get interesting when you brake. The 720S tramlines and moves around. The front tires never quite feel like they’ve got enough contact patch for the amount of stopping power the brakes are making. You have to be on top of the steering at all times.” I concur; the steering is beautiful. That said, the 720S is one of the last cars on sale that fills me with terror. A Koenigsegg is another. The steering is perfectly weighted and requires low inputs. Grip is good, though the car mostly grips via the rear tires. The fronts are a touch busier. Those front tires have been and remain a relatively skinny 245 width. I’m still waiting for McLaren to do the right thing and give this car some proper tires. The new 765LT will come on race-compound rubber, but McLaren should at least make the P Zero Trofeo R tires an option on the 720S. Like the McLaren, the Porsche is also on standard Pirelli P Zeros (the AMG is on R-compound Michelin Sport Cup 2s), but there was not a single complaint about the way the 911 handled. Cortina was nearly speechless, stammering, “The 911 truly delivers on every front.” Evans was a bit more talkative: “You don’t have to manhandle it. Just be firm. Driving this car reminds me of target practice. Every motion is a squeeze. Control your breathing then squeeze the throttle. Squeeze the brakes. Squeeze the muscles in your forearms. Hit the target.” I climbed into the Porsche thinking there’s no way on earth either German had a chance against the maniac Brit. They’d both be outclassed. However, during my run up the mountain in the Turbo S, I realized that it’s just as quick as the 720S and inspires about three times the confidence.
That’s the key. Within a half mile I knew everything about the car and just started flinging it. The McLaren takes a few miles for you to build yourself up to take advantage of its true potential. I’m not sure if I ever would get to the point of trusting the AMG the way I do the Turbo S, mostly due to the GT R’s steering. Is this another win for another Porsche? Yeah, sorry. It’s true. If you recall the 1997 film The Devil’s Advocate, Al Pacino’s Satan is lecturing Keanu Reeves about what’s wrong with the latter’s “Florida stud” persona: “Look at me—underestimated from day one. You’d never think I was a master of the universe, now, would you?” That’s this Porsche. Staring at the three, the Turbo S is a wallflower, especially in that (awful) shade of orange. The 720S is one of history’s wildest-looking supercars (I find it bloody sexy), and the AMG is equal parts muscular and stunning. I think the Porsche would be the last kid picked for kickball. But as Pacino says of his devilish character, “They don’t see me coming.” We sure didn’t with this Turbo S. Q
First Place: 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet An upset win if there ever was one. Porsche is more unrelenting than ever. The new Turbo S picks up where the GT2 RS left off.
Second Place: 2020 McLaren 720S Spider A cruise missile with four wheels. Pure exotica. 720S Spider customers will no doubt crave a 911 Turbo S for daily-driving duties.
Third Place: 2020 Mercedes-AMG GT R Roadster Down on power but high on charm, this AMG most likely beats all convertibles on earth save for these two rivals.
I THINK GOING A TO B ON A TWISTING ROAD, THE 911 IS QUICKER THAN THE 720S.
2020 McLaren 720S Spider
2020 Mercedes-AMG GT R Roadster
WINNER 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet
TRANSMISSION
Mid-engine, RWD Twin-turbo 90-deg V-8, alum block/heads DOHC, 4 valves/cyl 243.7 cu in/3,994cc 8.7:1 710 hp @ 7,500 rpm 568 lb-ft @ 5,500 rpm 7,500 rpm 4.6 lb/hp 2.6 sec (MT est) 7-speed twin-clutch auto
Front-engine, RWD Twin-turbo 90-deg V-8, alum block/heads DOHC, 4 valves/cyl 243.0 cu in/3,982cc 9.5:1 577 hp @ 6,250 rpm 516 lb-ft @ 2,100 rpm 7,000 rpm 6.5 lb/hp 3.5 sec (MT est) 7-speed twin-clutch auto
Rear-engine, AWD Twin-turbo flat-6, alum block/head DOHC, 4 valves/cyl 228.6 cu in/3,745cc 8.7:1 640 hp @ 6,750 rpm 590 lb-ft @ 2,500 rpm 7,200 rpm 5.9 lb/hp 2.4 sec (MT est) 8-speed twin-clutch auto
AXLE/FINAL DRIVE RATIO
3.31:1/2.27:1
3.88:1/2.68:1
3.33:1/2.03:1 (front), 3.02:1/1.84:1 (rear)
SUSPENSION, F;R
Control arms, coil springs, adj interconnected shocks, hydraulic anti-roll and downforce resist; control arms, coil springs, adj interconnected shocks, hydraulic anti-roll and downforce resist
Control arms, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; control arms, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar
Struts, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; struts, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar
STEERING RATIO
15.2:1
12.7:1
12.5-14.1:1
TURNS LOCK TO LOCK
2.5
1.9
2.5
BRAKES, F; R
15.4-in vented, drilled, carbon15.4-in vented, drilled, carbonceramic disc, 15.0-in vented, drilled, ceramic disc; 14.2-in vented, drilled, carbon-ceramic disc, ABS carbon-ceramic disc, ABS
16.5-in vented, drilled, carbon-ceramic disc; 15.4-in vented, drilled, carbonceramic disc, ABS
WHEELS, F; R
9.0 x 19-in; 11.0 x 20-in, forged aluminum
10.0 x 19-in; 12.0 x 20-in, forged aluminum
9.5 x 20-in; 12.0 x 21-in forged aluminum
TIRES
245/35R19 93Y; 305/30R20 103Y Pirelli P Zero Corsa MC
275/35R19 100Y; 325/30R20 106Y Michelin Pilot Super Sport Cup 2 MO
255/35R20 97Y; 315/30R21 105Y, Pirelli P Zero NA1
WHEELBASE
105.1 in
103.5 in
96.5 in
TRACK, F/R
SHOULDER ROOM
65.9/64.2 in 178.9 x 76.0 x 47.1 in 39.7 ft 3,250 lb (MT est) 42/58% (MT est) 2 37.5 in 42.4 in 51.2 in
66.7/66.2 in 179.7 x 78.6 x 49.4 in 37.6 ft 3,750 lb (MT est) 47/53% (MT est) 2 38.0 in 43.5 in 58.4 in
62.4/63.0 in 178.6 x 74.9 x 50.8 in 35.8 ft 3,800 lb (MT est) 40/60% (MT est) 2+2 37.9/32.5 in 42.2/27.2 in 52.6/47.9 in
CARGO VOLUME
Front: 5.3 cu ft/rear: 2.0 cu ft
5.8 cu ft
Front: 4.5 cu ft/rear seats folded: 9.3 cu ft
PRICE AS TESTED
$317,500 $372,750
$191,745 $216,240
$217,650 $236,120
STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL
Yes/yes
Yes/yes
Yes/yes
AIRBAGS
6: Dual front, side/head, knee
8: Dual front, side, head, knee
6: Dual front, side/head, knee
BASIC WARRANTY
3 years/Unlimited miles
4 years/50,000 miles
4 years/50,000 miles
POWERTRAIN WARRANTY
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB
3 years/Unlimited miles 3 years/Unlimited miles 19.0 gal 15/22/18 mpg 225/153 kW-hr/100 miles 1.11 lb/mile
4 years/50,000 miles 4 years/50,000 miles 19.8 gal 15/20/17 mpg 225/169 kW-hr/100 miles 1.15 lb/mile
4 years/50,000 miles 4 years/50,000 miles 17.6 gal 20/25/22 mpg (MT est) 169/135 kW-hr/100 miles (est) 0.88 lb/mile (est)
RECOMMENDED FUEL
Unleaded premium
Unleaded premium
Unleaded premium
COMPARISON POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT ENGINE TYPE POWER (SAE NET) TORQUE (SAE NET) WEIGHT TO POWER TRANSMISSION AXLE/FINAL DRIVE RATIO SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR WEIGHT TO POWER 0-60 MPH
DIMENSIONS
LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT TURNING CIRCLE CURB WEIGHT WEIGHT DIST, F/R SEATING CAPACITY HEADROOM LEGROOM
CONSUMER INFO BASE PRICE
ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE BATTERY CAPACITY EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY
• • • •
ORDER NOW
FIRST DRIVE I 2020 Ferrari F8 Spider
I
f you care about lap times, you don’t buy a convertible. So if you’re going to buy a convertible Ferrari, why not treat it like a GT car and just enjoy the drive? The motors and hinges and reinforcements that allow you to choose your level of enclosure add weight, but in this case, it’s a relatively meaningless 44 pounds. Meaningless because this car makes 710 horsepower and 569 lb-ft of torque. If we assume, for a moment, it weighs 44 pounds more than the coupe model we drove recently, it still weighs less than 3,600 pounds. All this to say the pop top has effectively zero impact on performance. I don’t really care, but racers would. Every ounce counts on the track. Convertible buyers are not burdened with such concerns. Freed from constructs about what a car is for and where it belongs, you can simply enjoy it. The when and where don’t matter, so why not anytime and anywhere? Enjoy it you shall, because there’s no way not to enjoy 710 hp. Ferrari’s trick boost control system continues to do a magical job making a twin-turbocharged engine feel naturally aspirated, with a
It has cupholders, so there’s no excuse not to daily it. Don’t bother with the race seats, though. You’re not going to the track.
gloriously linear power delivery that just keeps building and building until the steering wheel–mounted warning lights begin to flash. Now, you need those lights more than ever, because although Ferrari may have made a turbocharged V-8 sound more melodic than most, it lacks the drama, and you’ll run straight into the rev limiter if you’re shifting by sound. And you should shift. Not because you need to, but because you enjoy driving.
YES, WE MEAN IT. YOU CAN (AND SHOULD) COMMUTE IN A FERRARI CONVERTIBLE. OTT EVANS WORDS SC S PH PHOTOGRA DAL AN RENZ DIMA
50 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2020
The fact that the car would turn a quicker lap time shifting itself is as irrelevant as the weight gain. Ferrari even gives you an incentive: The gear changes are noticeably sharper when you pull them yourself, as if you were slamming gears on a manual. The smile bestowed by the drivetrain won’t be erased by the brakes, something the 488 always had trouble demonstrating. Even when it won Best Driver’s Car in 2017, the 488 GTB was blemished by
brakes that lacked bite, to put it mildly. “Stand on them like you’re trying to break the pedal off,” I said in my review at the time. By contrast, the F8’s brake feel is substantially better than the 488’s. It’s not perfect. You need to take a cue from that prancing horse eyeballing you from the center of the steering wheel and put your hoof in it. Ferrari still needs to buy a 911 Turbo S and reverse-engineer its braking system; in the meantime, this evolution makes the car so much more enjoyable to drive fast. How much you’ll enjoy driving fast will entirely depend on how you position the manettino control knob on the steering wheel. Sport mode will save you from yourself with enough of a knuckle slap to let you know you messed up. Race mode dons a cloak of invisibility, hiding its corrections and adjustments so shrewdly you’d swear it wasn’t doing anything. You really believe the car is that poised, has that much grip, that you’re that good of a driver and everything is falling perfectly in place. Purists will balk, but when the lies are this good, I say lie to me. They are grand lies indeed, as you’ll find out if you switch it to CT Off or ESC Off. Turn the wheel and
2020 Ferrari F8 Spider
Ferrari calls it the manettino. I call it diala-drift; every click to the right lets you get more sideways until you’re on your own.
goose the throttle, and you’ll see what happens when you play fast and loose with a 710-hp mid-engine supercar. If you’re doing this all with the roof down, as you should be, you’ll notice a few other things. For one, it’s a damn good convertible. The little targalike roof flips over and stows on top of the engine, under a cover of streamliner humps. Ferrari has done a magnificent job of controlling airflow in the cabin— certainly better than McLaren has done with its similarly priced and powered 720S Spider. Unlike with the carbontubbed McLaren, though, you will notice a bit of cowl shake in the aluminum-tubbed Ferrari, the only giveaway from a chassis that traces its design back to the 458 of a decade ago. None of that factors into why you should daily-drive your Ferrari, though. That comes from the second-most important of the myriad steering wheel controls: Bumpy Road mode. The magnetorheological shock absorbers have the unmatched ability (sorry, McLaren) to switch from a sporty or racy ride to one comfortable enough for the daily commute. The ride smoothed and the transmission shifting itself, the only thing that could make it a better GT car would be a slightly wider frunk space that would allow a standard-sized carry-on bag to lie
BASE PRICE
$302,500
LAYOUT
Mid-engine, RWD, 2-pass, 2-door convertible
ENGINE
3.9L/710-hp/568-lb-ft twin-turbo DOHC 32-valve V-8
TRANSMISSION
7-speed twin-clutch auto
CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST%)
3,600 lbs (MT est)
WHEELBASE
104.3 in
LXWXH
181.5 x 77.9 x 47.5
0-60 MPH
2.7 sec (MT est)
EPA FUEL ECON
15/19/16 mpg (est)
RECOMMENDED FUEL
Premium 225/177 kW-hr/ 100 miles (est)
ENERGY CONSUMPTION, CITY/HWY CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB ON SALE
1.17 lb/mile (est) Currently
flat instead of at an angle, maximizing available cargo space when you go away for the weekend. Get away? Won’t that put a lot of miles on the car? Yeah, that’s the point. Just like you wouldn’t care about lap times when buying a convertible, so too should you refuse to care about the odometer. All supercars beg to be driven, not stored, and convertibles like the F8 Spider give you every reason, excuse, and encouragement to do so. Q (Editor’s Note: The Ferrari arrived too late to compete in the comparison test on the previous pages.) SEPTEMBER 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 51
FIRST DRIVE I 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera
Starter Kit A
s my garage door went up and the morning light bathed the car’s taut and cohesive curves, I said to myself, “This would never get old.” Instead of hopping right into the 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera, I paused to reflect on how simple, restrained, and unmistakable the Carrera coupe’s form is—yet how much thought and work went into its shape. All those compound curves, one flowing into another, positive and negative spaces, and there isn’t a single flat surface. There’s no bolt-on “jewelry,” no character lines or sheetmetal creases. The whole car is a jewel and gesture in and of itself. Name another car with so few design details that looks as good. There isn’t a bad angle. It’s sculpture you can drive. The 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera is the eighth (or 992) generation 911, and of those, we’ve now driven three variants: the Carrera S that won our 2019 Best Driver’s Car competition, the Carrera 4S for those who would benefit from all-wheel drive, and the incomprehensibly great Turbo S that rightly leaps into supercar territory. 52 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2020
Naturally, each has a related but distinct personality. So where does this so-called “base” 911 land in terms of character and driving experience? Say you are limited by budget to only just afford the bottom-trim 911. Is it worth it? Simply put, it is perhaps the most cohesive sports car of the bunch, the Goldilocks “juuust right” 911—at least that we’ve driven so far. The way it drives can best be described as “pure.” The driver
Although we have a couple gripes with the 992’s interior, there’s no doubt its modernization is an overall success.
Words Chris Walton Photographs Darren Martin
isn’t in awe of the engine; it’s just back there, ready and willing. Unlike the 640-hp Turbo S, with its tremendous power and athleticism, I found myself using more of the power more of the time, keeping the revs above the magical 5,000-rpm zone where the engine’s torque hands the duties of acceleration to horsepower. The standard steel brakes are progressive and easy to predict and thus modulate.
The “entry-level” 992 911 Carrera is every bit the well-rounded sports car you dreamed it would be.
The variable-ratio steering wasn’t as muted as I found in the Carrera 4S or as magical as that of the Turbo S, which gets model-specific hardware. Driving the base model 911 is a holistic experience; you drive the entire car. I did not trade off between acceleration, braking, and cornering. Instead, I blended them all within the 911’s impressive performance envelope. The palpable chassis rigidity, how well the dampers work, the trusty brakes, the telepathic steering, and the tractable engine and brilliant PDK transmission all work in concert to provide an intimate and ultimately fulfilling driving experience. It’s supremely competent.
Yet a supremely competent Porsche 911 is superior to many other sports cars. And sure, the $15,900 more costly Carrera S’ same 3.0L twin-turbo flat-six is tuned to produce 64 more horses, but you would hardly notice or miss them. In the base Carrera, you’ll find that 379 horsepower and 331 lb-ft of torque is plenty thrilling. Combine that with the bargain-priced $2,720 Sport Chrono package, which adds, among other things, dynamic engine mounts, a sportier shift protocol, a drive mode switch on the steering wheel, and a true launch control system that still amazes. With this singular option, the base 911 is all the sports car you’ll ever need or want. Throw in the $2,950 Sport Exhaust system with a loud button, and the car will sound the way it feels to drive. The first Porsche 911 I ever drove was a limited-run 1997 Turbo S—the last of the air-cooled-engine era but the first 911 Turbo to have permanent all-wheel drive, derived from the legendary 959. The mightiest 3.6-liter twin-turbo Turbo S made 424 horsepower, and with a six-speed manual (all three pedals hinged on the floor!), it achieved a then-mindboggling 3.6-second 0–60 time. The rear-drive 2020 911 Carrera, equipped with its eight-speed twinclutch automated manual and launch control will match or even beat yesteryear’s top-dog 911 Turbo to 60 mph. So, yeah. We’d say it’s quick. And as advanced as the 1997 Turbo S was, the 2020 911 Carrera is technologically 23 Porscheyears down the road. Our test model Carrera coupe started at $98,750, but adding in a leather-trimmed interior, ventilated adaptive sport seats, lane change assist, 20/21-inch front/rear wheels, and the aforementioned Sport Exhaust and Sport Chrono packages brought our as-tested price to $116,110. So not exactly bargain basement, but also not a stripped-down package.
SIMPLY PUT, THIS IS PERHAPS THE MOST COHESIVE SPORTS CAR.
Our two favorite 911 Carrera options: Sport Chrono and Sport Exhaust.
Will you get bored driving a basemodel 911? Well, sure, it’s difficult to read the fuel gauge without straining your neck, and the stubby gearshift toggle is unsettling, but there’s no doubt that piloting a 911—even a base model—is a sublime experience for an enthusiast. Certainly, there are quicker, more expensive, and flashier 911s. But the base 911 might be the most satisfying everyday driver and the best excuse to head for the hills. This ain’t no consolation prize. It’s the prize you greet every morning in the garage, every evening on the way home from work, and twice on Sunday. Q 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera BASE PRICE
$98,750
LAYOUT
Rear-engine, RWD, 2+2-pass, 2-door coupe
ENGINE
3.0L/379-hp/331-lb-ft twinturbo DOHC 24-valve flat-6
TRANSMISSION
8-speed twin-clutch auto
CURB WEIGHT
3,400 lb (MT est)
WHEELBASE
96.5 in
LXWXH
177.9 x 72.9 x 51.1 in
0-60 MPH
3.6 sec (MT est)
EPA FUEL ECON
18/24/20 mpg
ENERGY CONSUMPTION, CITY/HWY
187/140 kW-hr/ 100 miles
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB
0.96 lb/mile
ON SALE
Currently
THE REAL-LIFE CRAZY CARS THAT INSPIRED THE ORIGINAL HOT WHEELS WORDS ANGUS MACKENZIE PHOTOGRAPHS PETERSEN ARCHIVE
PHOTO: POVI PULLINEN
I
f you’re a subscriber to the MotorTrend app, over the past few weeks you may have seen our new original series, Hot Wheels Life Size, in which NASCAR and NHRA racer Nicole Lyons gets behind the wheel of—er—life-size versions of some of Hot Wheels’ wackiest toy cars, including Twin Mill, Bone Shaker, and the Darth Vader car. But back in the 1960s, when Mattel was creating the original Hot Wheels models, they did it the other way around with
54 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2020
cars like the Custom Camaro based on actual vehicles. What makes the Original 16 lineup of Hot Wheels launched in 1968 both groundbreaking and fascinating, though, is that even the ones that look crazy enough to have sprung straight from the febrile imagination of a toy designer are based on actual life-size cars. So here they are, the real-life crazy cars from the 1960s that inspired some of Hot Wheels’ iconic Original 16.
The real-life Deora was built by Detroit customizers Mike and Larry Alexander and based on the homely Dodge A100 forward-control pickup launched in 1964. The radical cab-forward design was the work of GM designer and custom car enthusiast Harry Bentley Bradley. There were no doors. Entry to the slammed cabin was via the front; the hinged windshield— from a 1960 Ford—and custom lower panel move to provide access. The 225-cubic-inch slant-six engine was moved rearward 15 inches, making it almost mid-engine, and the radiator and gas tank moved to the pickup bed and are covered with a hard, fixed tonneau. Although the Deora project was officially sponsored by Chrysler, which leased it to tour auto shows in 1967 and 1968, it featured a surprising number of Ford parts. The rear window was from a 1960 Ford sedan, the side exhaust vents were
1964-1/2 Mustang taillight bezels, and the ingenious taillights, hidden under a wood veneer panel across the rear and only visible when reflected in the angled chrome strip underneath, were sequential turn signal units from a Thunderbird. The Deora won nine trophies, including the coveted Ridler Award, at the 1967 Detroit Autorama, by which time designer Bradley had left GM to join (of all places) Mattel, where he designed the Hot Wheels Original 16. It’s a door, Jim, but not as we know it. Entry to the Deora’s cabin involved opening the electrically powered windshield and swiveling the front panel. The steering wheel was mounted on a movable strut to allow access.
The full-size Twin Mill looks extreme on the road today. But 1960s rod and custom car builders regularly built full-size vehicles that were just as imaginatively over-the-top. SEPTEMBER 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 55
FEATURE
The bubble-top Silhouette was perhaps the most futuristic-looking of the Original 16 Hot Wheels lineup. But it was in fact based on a real-life custom hot rod of the same name built in Monterey, California, by Kansas-born customizer Bill Cushenberry in 1962. He created the edgy, minimalist, scratch-built bodywork—said to have been sketched by industrial designer and custom car creator Don Varner—from hand-hammered 20-gauge steel. Underneath, the Silhouette rolled on a shortened 1956 Buick chassis, and it was initially powered by a Buick nailhead V-8, swapped in 1966 for a 427 Ford. The hinged front half of the two-part acrylic bubble top could be raised via an electric
The automobile as art? Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s 1961 creation, the Beatnik Bandit, makes the case. One of the more eccentric members of the Southern California automotive counterculture in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Roth was as much an artist and cartoonist as a car builder, known for his illustrations of slavering monsters driving customs and hot rods. Like other Roth cars—Outlaw, Mysterion, Orbitron, Road Agent—there’s a cartoonish feel to the Beatnik Bandit, which appeared in 1961 and was said to have been inspired by a sketch that appeared in Rod & Custom magazine. The Beatnik Bandit was built on a shortened Oldsmobile chassis and powered by an Oldsmobile V-8 fitted with a GMC 4-71 supercharger. Like Silhouette, the Beatnik Bandit has an acrylic bubble top, a leitmotif of extreme 1960s show rods, though this one is one piece. Unlike Silhouette, 56 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2020
motor for access to a sci-fi cabin with instruments mounted in a central pod structure and a steering control made from chrome-plated steel that looked like it should be guiding a spaceship. Cushenberry entered the car in the 1963 Oakland Roadster Show, where it won the Tournament of Fame award. As outrageous as it looked, the Silhouette was a driver; a 1966 film produced by MotorTrend founder Bob Petersen includes 90 seconds of it being driven by TV star Lloyd Bridges. Silhouette was reportedly stolen in 1983 and has not been seen since.
however, the bodywork is all handcrafted fiberglass. GM’s revolutionary Firebird III concept had pioneered the idea of joystick control in 1958, and Roth built his own version with something that looked like a chrome-plated shovel handle sprouting out of the transmission tunnel to control acceleration, braking, and steering. Restored to original condition, the Beatnik Bandit is now owned by L.A. car dealer and Roth enthusiast Beau Boeckmann.
FEATURE
Its real name was the King T, and when completed in 1964, it was regarded as a landmark Model T–based hot rod. Owned by Don Tognotti, it was built in Los Angeles by Tognotti and Gene Winfield, who fabricated a custom tubular steel frame to support a 1914 Model T Ford body originally purchased for $300. Conceived as a show car from the outset, King T was powered by a lightly modded 265-cube small-block from a 1955 Chevy, driving through an early GM Hydramatic transmission controlled using the vintage
Model T spark advance and retard levers mounted on the steering column. What made King T stand out—apart from Winfield’s eye-popping Lavender Pearl paint job—was its chrome-plated independent rear suspension, complete with inboard-mounted Airheart disc
brakes. Designed and fabricated by California race car builder Walt Reiff, it used the center section of a 1955 Chevy back axle and driveshafts from a GMC truck—each shortened 4 feet. King T won the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award at the 1964 Oakland Roadster Show and was the subject of a popular 1/25th scale plastic model kit four years before it became one of the Hot Wheels Original 16. Restored to its original 1964 spec—with Winfield giving it a fresh paintjob—King T sold at auction in 2010 for almost $86,000.
With this car the name of the Hot Wheels version is a little snappier than that of the 1963 original, the Car Craft Dream Rod. The Dream Rod started as a project by the staff of MotorTrend stablemate Car Craft to imagine their ultimate hot rod. Drawings of the car appeared in the October 1961 issue of the magazine, and in 1963, hot rod and custom car show promoter Bob Larivee commissioned Silhouette builder Bill Cushenberry to turn those drawings into a real car. And what a car, with parts rummaged from all over the place.
Cushenberry started with the frame from a 1952 Jowett Jupiter, an obscure British sports car built from 1950 to 1954 and powered by a 1.5-liter flat-four engine. The front fenders and doors came from a 1960 Pontiac, the upper rear quarter panels from a 1960 Corvair, the windshield and roof from a 1953 Studebaker, and the rear
window from a 1957 Borgward Isabella. Inside was a 1958 Mercury dash, and the powerplant was a 289 Ford V-8. The Dream Rod was remodeled in 1966 and renamed the Tiger Shark, but in 2008 it was restored to its original specification.
POVI PULLINEN
Big Dreams. Life-size vehicles. Now on the app. IN EVERY EPISODE OF LIFE SIZE, streaming on the MotorTrend app, professional race car driver and builder Nicole Lyons explores some of the real-world, full-scale versions of vehicles from the Hot Wheels Garage of Legends. Lyons not only tells the stories behind the unique designs of each vehicle but also gets to do something many people only dream of doing— take them for a test drive. The opening episode, “Bone Shaker,” details the 425-horsepower, open-roof, skull-grilled, spinal-column-shifted 1932 Ford
hot rod that epitomizes what people love about both Hot Wheels and homemade cars. Next comes “Twin Mill” (pictured), the first car that Hot Wheel commissioned to make life size. Twin Mill has two engines, two superchargers, and zero visibility. After highlighting all the full-size Twin Mill attributes, Lyons takes the temperamental dual-engine behemoth on a test drive through the desert where things get … smoky. After that, we get inside the Life Size cars that performed
a six-story loop and record corkscrew jump and take them for a spin with Tanner Foust. Then we meet Hot Wheels designer Brendon Vetusky, who radically modified a 1967 Pontiac Firebird that became a 1:64-scale Hot Wheels car, as well as a modern-era reprise of the Deora concept with famed designer Chip Foose. Finally, Darth Vader’s personal car makes an appearance. Wait, what? You can only see it if you watch it on the MotorTrend app. With six Life Size episodes
Nicole Lyons and the Twin Mill.
already available for viewing, signing up for the MotorTrend app means you can binge this and other shows—including NASCAR All In, Roadkill, Engine Masters, Dirt Every Day, Autobiography, Wheeler Dealers, and Texas Metal. Q
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FEATURE I Driving While Black
DRIVING WHILE BLACK
WORDS GRETCHEN SORIN PHOTOGRAPHS PETERSEN ARCHIVE, GETTY IMAGES, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, AUTHOR’S COLLECTION
CHRONICLING A CHAPTER IN ROAD, AND HOW SUCH DISCRI
G
reen Book—the Oscar-winning Hollywood movie loosely based on the life of African American virtuoso pianist Don Shirley and his white driver and bodyguard, Frank “Tony Lip” Vallelonga— introduced white filmgoers to The Negro Motorist Green Book, one of several travel guides used by Black families and business travelers in the Jim Crow era. Many white audiences were startled by the idea that Black Americans driving a car in the supposedly
civilized postwar United States could be fraught with racial hazards, from dealing with surly gas station attendants and cruel restaurant hostesses to encountering angry mobs and hostile law officers. To help Black motorists navigate these potential dangers, The Green Book provided a state-by-state listing of restaurants, tourist homes, hotels and motels, night clubs, and other businesses and attractions that welcomed Black patronage.
Chuck Berry and his beloved Cadillac. Despite stereotypes, Black consumers bought Cadillacs at the same rate as whites.
DANNY CLINCH PHOTOGRAPHED FOR ESQUIRE/CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES
62 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2020
The Green Book and other travel guides would help Black motorists find friendly hotels, service stations, nightclubs, barbershops, and restaurants along their journey.
In fact, publisher Victor Hugo Green had long hoped improved race relations would make his guides obsolete; with the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, many Black Americans were hopeful that would be the case. (The Green Book ceased publication two years later.) But in the 1990s, a new phrase entered the American lexicon—“Driving While Black”—revealing that the danger, harassment, and even violence while operating a car on the road in the United States had not faded into memory. The legacy of this history even into the present day means that driving a car remains for Black Americans a potentially life-threatening activity, especially when it comes to police traffic stops. We should see these dismal events not simply as a legacy of slavery and racism but also as the continuation of restrictions on mobility that Black Americans faced from the start. Throughout history, Black Americans have had a complicated relationship with law enforcement and with the American road. Yet the Black experience is about a journey from slavery to freedom over a very contested road—both literal and symbolic. And the automobile plays an essential role in understanding the key place of the freedom of mobility in a democracy and in race relations today. The ability to travel freely without restrictions is a basic right of a free society that holds special meaning for Black Americans. A legacy of involuntary travel from slave days, evolving into legal prohibitions on everyday movements, confinement within certain neighborhoods, and exclusion by law from traveling within particular communities even into the 20th century, makes the right to come and go as you please an essential component of civil rights. The automobile enabled this mobility, making self-directed travel a possibility when travel by bus and train could lead to humiliating or even life-threatening encounters. On buses Black travelers and commuters faced rude (and often gun-toting) bus drivers who made sure they sat in the back of buses or stood so that white passengers had comfortable places to sit. Sometimes Black riders had to pay for the ride up front and were told by the driver to enter the bus by the rear door—only to have the bus pull away as they walked to the back door. Trains also separated travelers by race. Less clean, less comfortable, and more crowded accommodations almost always defined these segregated railroad cars. A 1939 Seaboard Coast Line timetable for the New York-to-Miami route described comfortable, “reclining, deluxe seats” in the main coaches. But the promotion cautioned Black American passengers
that the “Colored Coach [is] not Air-Conditioned.” Bathrooms were often cleaned less frequently in the “colored” coach (if they were cleaned at all), and Black travelers complained of dirty and threadbare seats. Passengers traveling south might secure a regular or first-class seat in Chicago, Detroit, New York, or Newark, only to be asked to move to the “colored” car once the train crossed that symbolic Mason–Dixon Line. The ready availability of the automobile, beginning in the first half of the 20th century, held distinct importance and promise. The car poked a finger in the eye of those who wanted to see the continuation of the separate, unequal public-transportation facilities. At least, that is how some Black car owners saw their defiance of Jim Crow facilities. Black motorists sought out reliable cars, for fear of being stranded in an area that wouldn’t provide them essential services.
SEPTEMBER 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 63
FEATURE I Driving While Black
The automobile represented the ability to take charge of one’s own destiny, to secure an aspect of life over which one had seemingly total control. Cars also offered a measure of safety to the driver and passengers. Parents traveling with children in a car could more adequately protect their offspring from the verbal and psychological battering that could accompany a ride on a public conveyance. It was a racial shield. Owning a car also demonstrated Black success in a nation where such aspirations were often thwarted.
Above: Black families often traveled with all the supplies they might need because hotels, markets, and restaurants would not serve them. Below: Musicians often traveled through the night after gigs for lack of lodging.
With a growing Black middle class, more and more Black Americans could purchase automobiles, and they used their cars and their consumer dollars not merely to vacation—though they did do that—but also as weapons against segregation. Even many who were not in the middle class found ways to buy higher-quality cars, since they were often barred, by law and custom, from securing mortgages and buying houses. But even as upwardly mobile Black Americans embraced the automobile, the fear of unpleasant or even violent encounters left many Black drivers continuously on edge. This situation was not relegated to the Deep South, either. Dixie border states like Virginia and Indiana, as well as seemingly progressive states, including New Jersey, Connecticut, and Ohio, still harbored pockets of racism toward Black people. The Rocky Mountain states and the Southwest were often desolate to Black travelers seeking food and accommodations. To navigate safely, Black families devised many strategies, both individually and through group action. They carried detailed maps and itineraries. They carefully watched the faces of the people they encountered, looking for any indication of hostility. They bypassed specific communities reputed to be “sundown towns” (communities that insisted Black people leave before sunset) and places that had reputations for being particularly hostile.
Hampton House in Miami, Florida, featured 50 elegant rooms and a tropical courtyard, enabling the Black middle class to enjoy the same luxury accommodations that attracted white tourists.
The automobile supported travel for Black Americans in private, comfortable circumstances. But it also required new thinking and habits, which included very particular criteria in selecting a car. Selecting the perfect car is a challenge for every American family, but the calculus was far different for Black Americans. Black buying power, vehicle selection, and even driving practices were all sharply determined by discrimination. Black families had very specific needs that would never occur to white Americans. Horsepower and size mattered, not for showing off but for giving Black American drivers the ability to escape from being stopped or harassed by white citizens eager to take the law into their own hands. For example, NAACP Field Secretary Medgar Evers selected the large, imposing Oldsmobile Rocket 88 for his excursions—not only for its power to avoid ambush and getting pushed off the road but also because his 6-foot-4 frame could stretch out on its wide seats to sleep, if necessary. (He certainly was not welcome at most hotels.) Black families of the era exhibited a fondness for large, roomy, reliable Buicks. A Buick was not inexpensive; at the time, in fact, it ranked among the most prestigious brands. In 1946, a Roadmaster, one of the costliest Buick models, had a list price of $2,110. Of course, many Black families drove Fords or Chevys, the most economical choices. “Compact cars do not have as much appeal to Negroes as they do in the general market,” commented an article in The Chicago Defender. However, the belief that Negroes bought flashy cars was an invidious stereotype; Black Americans purchased Cadillacs in the same proportion as white Americans—3 percent. Black drivers also preferred big cars to transport supplies that white travelers might never consider carrying; the hazards of the road resulted in drivers stocking their cars liberally with provisions to drive straight through to a destination, only stopping as necessary for gasoline. Blankets and pillows might be needed for sleeping in the car. Sheets could serve as privacy partitions. Baskets overflowed with
Above: Motels sprang up to serve Black tourists that hotels would not host. Below, the author as a child (at right).
sandwiches and jugs of water and iced tea—because even the restaurants that deigned to serve Black Americans often made them wait out back or served them tainted or spoiled food. Drivers carried extra water for the radiator and sometimes a can of gasoline, in case they could not find a service station that would serve Black travelers. Extra fan belts and a can or two of oil might also be carried. Lots of maps and guides outlining routes through the countryside precluded the need to ask for directions. SEPTEMBER 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 65
FEATURE I Driving While Black
If you needed a bathroom along the road and the gas stations barred you from their restrooms because of the color of your skin, a large old coffee can could serve as a makeshift toilet in an emergency. (Standard Oil’s Esso brand was an outlier in allowing Black patrons to use the same toilet facilities as whites.)
Large cars were also perceived as safer in car accidents, particularly dangerous events for Black Americans. Hospitals and healthcare were segregated; during the 1940s and 1950s only 200 Black hospitals nationwide served the entire Black population of more than 15 million people. Dozens of stories document the unnecessary injuries and deaths of Black Americans in
accidents as a result of neglect and hospital segregation under Jim Crow. Some colleges even refused to send their students to athletic competitions for fear that they might not return alive if they happened to be in an accident while traveling. In 1947, when the coach and six members of the Clark College track team were seriously injured in an automobile accident, an ambulance transported them 14 miles to a hospital in Manchester, Tennessee. Refused admission on the pretext that the hospital was at capacity, the ambulance conveyed the two most seriously injured students 30 miles farther to the University of the South Hospital in Sewanee, Tennessee, which offered first aid but then sent them on their way. Finally, Donelson, a private Black hospital in Nashville, 50 miles from the site of the accident, provided the necessary treatment. Automobile accidents claimed the lives of quite a few musicians and entertainers who typically traveled late at night after their performances. The great blues singer Bessie Smith, Tommy Gaither of The Orioles, jazz musician Leon “Chu” Berry, and vocalist Trevor Bacon were among the Black entertainers who died during the first half of the 20th century as a result of automobile accidents and the challenge of finding hospital care. What’s more, ambulances for white hospitals often refused to transport Black patients, and some states would not allow on-scene care to a Black victim until after the white injuries were tended to. As a grim result, many Black funeral homes used ambulances that could serve double duty as hearses.
Despite the dangers of automobile travel for Black Americans, motor vehicles had a particularly positive impact on civil rights. The automobile made the Civil Rights Movement possible. “The key to the movement was a key to an automobile … the key to a damn good automobile,” proclaimed the Black newspaper, the Pittsburgh Courier. The success of the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott made famous by Rosa Parks came largely from the purchase of a small fleet of station wagons that picked up anyone in need of a ride and drove them to their destinations. Black cab drivers picked up walkers and charged them only 10 cents, the same cost of a bus ride. These “private taxis,” along with the station wagons and private cars that did not charge passengers, starved the bus system of revenue until public officials relented and eliminated segregation on the buses. The extent to which the boycott crippled the city’s bus lines was not known until 2018, when a cache of documents and record books surfaced in the attic of James H. Bagley, manager of the Montgomery City Lines Company. Losing Black patrons cost the bus company 69 percent of its revenue—demonstrating the power of the Black working- and middle-class consumer. The automobile proved to be essential for more than boycotts. Cars transported voter registration teams throughout the South to ensure the right to 66 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2020
A circulation sales pitch from Green Book publisher Victor Hugo Green, encouraging hotels to buy extra copies of his guide to hand out as promotional gifts to travelers.
–PITTSBURGH COURIER
FEATURE I Driving While Black
Advertisements within Victor Hugo Green’s Green Book often featured photographs of proprietors to prove they were Black-owned businesses. Savvy business owners would use pictures taken with civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
vote for every citizen. Cars facilitated civil rights in a segregated world in which the participants needed the ability to travel to different cities quickly and safely. Black cabbies also were not permitted to pick up passengers at many airports (depending on state and local laws), and many taxis were “whites only,” leaving Black travelers stranded curbside. This dilemma made the “Fly and Rent Club” an essential part of any civil rights action. The rental car made transportation to and from the airport convenient and proved to be an essential part of travel for Dr. Martin Luther King, other civil rights leaders, and Black corporate executives during those fraught times.
Although there continue to be disparities between Black American life and white life, Black travelers today generally do not worry about being lynched by white mobs or being turned away from hotels simply because of skin color. For the most part, driving into “unknown” communities is less dangerous today than it was a half century ago—though the recent murder of Ahmaud Arbery for jogging in a white neighborhood is a frightening reminder of the desire of some white Americans to control the mobility of Black Americans. 68 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2020
In recent years, the ubiquitous cell phone camera, as well as a significant body of university research on traffic stops throughout the country (such as the Stanford Open Policing Project, involving the study of more than 200 million traffic stops), have proven that racial bias has continued in its application by police. The unjust treatment of Black Americans by the authorities, and the resulting fear of the police, goes back much further than Jim Crow. It began with slave patrols that moved through communities at night looking for fugitive slaves and seeking to prevent
Hairdresser Vernell Allen (above) arrives in Atlantic City, where Black tourists could enjoy a resort experience. Below: This banner on Main Street in Greenville, Texas, frightened many Black travelers.
revolts. With the end of slavery, these legal patrols continued as illegal vigilante groups often sanctioned by the police. Perhaps the most egregious example was Bull Connor, who gained national attention in the 1960s as a vocal segregationist. He became the nation’s bestknown “law enforcement” officer in 1961, when he ordered men with fire hoses and police dogs to attack lawful civil rights demonstrators. He also enabled the Ku Klux Klan to commit murder with impunity in Birmingham, Alabama. Nor was this just a Southern phenomenon. Black Americans and the police clashed during the social upheavals of the 1960s in northern cities and on the West Coast: New York, Newark, Detroit, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Baltimore. Current restrictions on African American mobility contribute to ongoing deep divisions between Black people and white people about their views of law enforcement. In a 2019 Pew study, 87 percent of Black Americans believed that Black people are treated less fairly by the justice system, but only 61 percent of white Americans agreed. Similarly, a 2016 study revealed a huge disparity between Black and white Americans in their beliefs about the treatment of Black citizens by law enforcement officers, with Black Americans far more
mistrustful of police officers and far more convinced that police officers are inclined to use excessive force, and rarely are held accountable, when dealing with people of color. The shooting of Philando Castile in his car in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, on July 6, 2016; 15-year-old Jordan Edwards, a passenger in a car leaving a party in Dallas on April 29, 2017; and the killing of George Floyd, pulled from his car after being accused of passing a counterfeit bill at a convenience store on May 25, 2020, are frightening reminders that Black lives remain captives to history. If nothing else, perhaps the recent demonstrations that have rocked the country in the last months will force this dialogue. Q
Although Black drivers viewed their car as a safe environment, sometimes angry mobs would confront them in small towns. In this 1956 photograph, a Black motorist passes through Clinton, Tennessee.
The Author Dr. Gretchen Sorin is a distinguished professor and director of the Cooperstown Graduate Program in Museum Studies at SUNY Oneonta. She is the author of Driving While Black: African American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights, available at Bookshop.org. A documentary of the same name is scheduled to debut on PBS this October.
SEPTEMBER 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 69
RACING WHILE BLACK
WORDS MARK RECHTIN PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF WILLY T RIBBS
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illy T. Ribbs isn’t a household name outside of racing circles. But he should be. During the 1980s, he was one of the fastest damn drivers around any racetrack, be it an oval, road course, or circuit. Ribbs had all the necessary items to become a world-renowned racer—except for the color of his skin. After showing great promise at age 22 in becoming British Formula Ford “Star Of Tomorrow” champion, Ribbs
Making friends early: Willy T. Ribbs at a young age, poses with Phil Hill (left) and future employer Dan Gurney.
found progress in American racing to be slow going. Despite sponsors turning their backs and some pit crews slowwalking mechanical improvements or slow-talking communication, Ribbs still found a way to win races and contend for championships in Trans-Am and IMSA series racing. His only shot at the big time was qualifying for the 1991 and 1993 Indianapolis 500—the latter of which he finished despite inferior machinery.
Known for a strong personality and not backing down from confrontation, Ribbs is the subject of the movie Uppity, which is now available for streaming on Netflix. He spoke with MotorTrend on June 16, five days before a noose was reported in Bubba Wallace’s garage at Talladega. When you raced in the South, did it feel like you were walking into something you knew would be racist? I would say it
depends on the time and the place and the day. I definitely had rivals, right? I had rivals, and I knew there was race involved. I have to tell you, I needed that. Bobby Unser told me, “There’s not a lot of drivers that could have done and handled what you do. I know, because I heard what people were saying.” That was fuel for me. You could have allowed it to affect your driving. I think it was intimidating. A lot
of people hold on to their myth of themselves as supremacist. That’s a dream that they don’t want to wake up from, and they were getting woken up. My No. 1 concern was whether I was on a level playing field mechanically. I didn’t give a damn what anybody thought about me. I knew they weren’t going to do anything physically ’cause they would’ve got their ass kicked. But the technical side, I was always concerned about that. Someone could be inside the team who’s turning the screws the wrong way. When you were trying to qualify for Indy the first time, could you tell some mechanics were slow-walking improvements to your car? That was in 1985; I was
just practicing and testing to get myself prepared for qualifying. The crew chief, he never spoke one word to me. Indy … is dangerous. If there’s any miscommunication and you don’t know what’s going on, you’re going to have a crash. What were some of the additional difficulties you faced in terms of trying to get sponsors as a Black race-car driver?
There were really no meetings. If there was any No. 1 obstacle, it was corporate America turning their back. They didn’t even care if I could win or not, because I was winning. That was probably the most disappointing part of my career. You also got a chance to test for Formula 1 (for the Olivetti team) in 1985. There was
no racism involved in that. Bernie Ecclestone wanted me in Formula 1. Even though I was fast enough to be on the team, the sponsor was Italian, the drivers were Italian, and that’s what they wanted. Obviously there were some champions of your talent, the guys who only cared that you were fast and you were going to win races … Well, Dan Gurney, probably No. 1.
He went to Toyota and told them, “I want Willy T. He can win, but he also doesn’t back away from controversy. He doesn’t turn another cheek.” Nowadays it would be perfectly acceptable for me to step up
One of Ribbs’ strongest backers in his career was film and racing legend Paul Newman.
and defend myself. Well, not then. Dan made it so it was all business. Who else backed you? Bernie Ecclestone
was a big supporter. And if it wasn’t for Jim Trueman, I would not have made it into the sport. There was Paul Newman. And Bill Cosby. Despite what’s happened with Bill since then, if it wasn’t for Bill, I would’ve never been in Indy 500. You would’ve thought that sponsors would’ve said, “Wow, we ought to be part of his team.” Well, you know what’s sad is
the many billions of dollars that people of color were putting into their bank. But it was a one-way street. And it had
nothing to do with controversy, because I had never been in trouble with the law. Ever. There was no embarrassment that I could have brought to them, other than standing up for myself. I would not do anything different. Have you ever encountered any sort of Driving While Black situations? I know
there’s some that will stop me for driving while Black. There’s some that are legitimately stopping me, but I’m not going to be mad at them. I get it. But in a lot of situations with Black drivers and law enforcement, the person in the car is being cool and it still doesn’t seem to matter. I grew up shooting on the ranch.
I understand how to handle a gun very well. And the thought behind pulling
the trigger. Nobody should be shot in the back, unarmed. I know there’s splitsecond decisions that are necessary when it comes to confrontation. However, a lot of those boys in law enforcement, they should not be allowed to handle a gun. If the first instinct is to reach for the gun when you’re not being threatened, there’s something wrong with your head. When you see Lewis Hamilton and the success he has on the track, do you ever think, “That could have been me?”
My mother always said to me, “William, you were born 25 years too soon.” I’m (Lewis’) guest every year at Grand Prix here in COTA in Texas. We talk about the times I went through and the times he’s going through now. My message every time is, “You must stay tough. And you must be true to yourself if you’re going to take a stand.” He’s out front of all the race drivers on the planet right now; he is lead guy on Black Lives Matter and the George Floyd murder. He has every right to stand up and say, “This is wrong.” What advice would you give to aspiring Black race-car drivers? I tell these kids,
“You’ve got to stay clean. Don’t give anyone a reason to turn you down in the first place,” because, they’ll flip it and say, “Well, you got in trouble doing this,” instead of maybe the real reason of your skin color. So I tell these kids, stay clean, stay professional, learn as much as you can from the technical side, because the technical side knows no color. I say, “Learn. Don’t wish.” Wishing is for blowing out candles. Q The full-length interview with Willy T. Ribbs is available at MotorTrend.com. SEPTEMBER 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 71
Updates on our long-term fleet
MT Arrival: Subaru Outback TX EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ 23/30/26 mpg
“Subaru hasn't offered a turbocharged Outback since 2009. We have a year to test out the new one.” Zach Gale Base Price $35,905 As Tested $37,995
y epiphanic Outback moment happened in a very ordinary restaurant parking lot. When the server delivering our food asked what type of car I was driving, I couldn’t bring myself to say SUV. Because no matter how rugged Subaru makes the Outback look, no matter how many inches of ground clearance it has (8.7), this is an SUV-ified wagon.
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For the next 12 months, a turbocharged Subaru Outback is ours to commute, run errands, and adventure with. Will the charm of this 2020 SUV of the Year finalist sway us, or will it spend time in and out of the dealership, as our Ascent did? Join us as we daily-drive Subaru’s bestseller, experiencing the turbo Outback in the never-beforeoffered Onyx trim.
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For a Subaru not wearing a WRX badge, the Outback Onyx is quick. With a 0–60 time of just over 6 seconds, the Outback Onyx moves with more authority than any Outback MotorTrend has ever tested. That’s thanks to a 2.4-liter turbocharged flatfour producing 260 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque. The 2.4T engine under the hood of the Onyx and two other trims has another fantastic bonus: significantly increased EPA-rated fuel economy (23/30 mpg city/ highway versus the 2019 3.6R’s 20/27) and more than 70 additional miles of driving range. For drivers interested in the Outback’s unique appeal but turned off by a base 2.5 engine we’ve described as “gutless,” this could be a real option. Regardless of which engine you choose, the Outback offers great value if you compare it to two-row midsize SUVs. Although the Onyx does add a few cool visual upgrades (black exterior details and
two-tone water-repellent seats), think of it more as the least expensive way to get that 2.4T engine. Like all Outbacks, our 2020 Onyx uses a CVT automatic and standard AWD. For about $36,000, the Onyx already includes the 2.4T engine as well as an 11.6-inch touchscreen, a power liftgate, a full-size spare tire, dual-function X-Mode, two 2.1-amp USB ports front and rear, LED headlights, and the knowledge that you’ve picked something different than every other SUV on the block. Well, unless your neighbor also owns an Outback.
ARRIVAL BMW 228i
VERDICT CHRYSLER PACIFICA
MERCEDES-BENZ GLE 450
RAM 1500 LARAMIE
GENESIS G70
HYUNDAI KONA
JEEP WRANGLER
SUBARU ASCENT VERDICT
SUBARU OUTBACK ARRIVAL
TOYOTA RAV4 UPDATE
Have questions about the interior or anything else on our 2020 Outback 2.4T? Let me know @zachgale on Instagram.
We opted for the only package Subaru offers on the Outback Onyx, which adds a moonroof, a TomTom-based built-in navigation system, and reverse automatic emergency braking. Finished in the classic-Subaru Autumn Green Metallic color, our $37,995 Outback looks good. By going for the turbocharged engine instead of the 182-hp base engine at this price point, however, we miss out on steering-responsive headlights, a driver’s seat-bottom cushion extension, ventilated front seats (in addition to the Onyx’s heated function), power-folding side mirrors, and Nappa leather seats. Then again, maybe we won’t miss fancy leather seats after experiencing the Onyxspecific StarTex upholstery. In a time when a few SUVs are offered without AWD
available at any price, it’s ironic that a lifted AWD wagon with easy-to-use retractable crossbars exemplifies one of the original purposes of SUVs: high functionality with some space for people and their stuff. Yet the Outback’s promise is more than that; this Subaru marries capability with comfort. I’ve already appreciated the abundance of soft surfaces almost everywhere I can touch or dig my elbows, and certain potholes in my neighborhood feel like mere road imperfections. Depending on how you define it, 2021 may be the year you don’t need two full hands to count the number of new wagons for sale in the U.S. The Outback’s otherness and value have been part of the model’s success from the beginning, and we can’t wait to find out if it still has that Subaru magic.
SPECS Vehicle Layout Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV Engine 2.4L/260-hp/277-lb-ft turbo DOHC 16-valve flat-4 Transmission Cont variable auto Curb Weight (F/R Dist) 3,900 lb (MT est) 0-60 MPH 6.1 sec (MT est) EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ 23/30/26 mpg Energy Cons, City/Hwy 147/112 kW-hr/100 miles CO2 Emissions, Comb 0.75 lb/mile
Height 63.9”
Width 73.0”
Wheelbase 108.1” Length 191.3”
KIA SOUL
MAZDA3
TOYOTA SUPRA UPDATE
VOLVO S60 UPDATE
Toyota RAV4 vs. RAV4 Hybrid Service life: 7 mo/11,429 mi • Avg Fuel Econ: 27.3 mpg
“It’s difficult to compare vehicles without driving them back to back. So that’s what we did.” Kelly Lin Avg CO2 0.71 lb/mi Energy cons 125 kW-hr/100 mi Unresolved problems None Maintenance cost $0 Normal-wear cost $0 Base price $29,945 As tested $31,509 EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ 25/33/28 mpg Real MPG 29.2 mpg comb he only way to really get to know a car is to compare it to something else. So for a week, I swapped my RAV4 for a RAV4 Hybrid in an experiment that proved rather revealing. If I had to sum it up, the RAV4 Hybrid felt like the overachieving sibling that doesn’t get its fair share of attention. That said, both models have their own sets of advantages and disadvantages. Although it makes only 16 more horsepower, the RAV4 Hybrid is almost a full second quicker to 60 mph than our long-term RAV4. Instead of taking 8 seconds to reach 60, the hybrid does the deed in 7.1 seconds. Overall, the RAV4 Hybrid feels better off the line. The hybrid moves quickly and effortlessly, while the regular model suffers from a gravelly engine quality and more acceleration lag. The RAV4 Hybrid also boasts a significant fuel economy advantage, topping out at 40 mpg as opposed to 30 mpg. In terms of price, the RAV4 Hybrid carries a $2,400
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premium over a regular RAV4 on a comparable trim level. But keep in mind that hybrid models come standard with AWD while regular models come standard with FWD. If you compare hybrid models to regular AWD models of a comparable trim level, the hybrids are only $1,000 more expensive. Notably, passenger and cargo space are the same whether you opt for the RAV4 or RAV4 Hybrid. The gas-only RAV4 benefits from a wider selection of trim levels. For example, if you want the outdoor-ready Adventure or TRD Off-Road model, your only option is the gas model. Although not particularly quick, the RAV4 offers adequate acceleration. For those willing to spend a little more, the RAV4 Hybrid is a good choice because of its noticeably smoother powertrain and much better fuel economy. An XSE variant is unique to the hybrid model, featuring a special exterior with black accents as well as a “sport-tuned” suspension.
SEPTEMBER 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 73
MT GARAGE
Arrival: 2020 BMW 228i xDrive Gran Coupe EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ 23/30/26 mpg
“Will we warm up to the oddball 2 Series Gran Coupe? Only one way to find out.” Stefan Ogbac Base Price $38,495 As Tested $48,495
hat is it? Who’s going to buy this thing? Why does it exist? Those are just some of the questions people asked (from a safe distance) about the 2020 BMW 228i xDrive Gran Coupe. With the MercedesBenz CLA-Class as its only direct luxury-class competitor, the 2020 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe is a niche model. For that reason, we don’t blame consumers for asking so many questions about this oddball sedan or not knowing BMW even offers such a model. Slotting below the legendary 3 Series, the 2020 BMW 2
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Series Gran Coupe is the smallest sedan in the German automaker’s lineup. As BMW’s newest entry-level car, the 2 Series Gran Coupe has been tasked with luring new consumers—particularly younger ones—into the brand. That means the 2 Series Gran Coupe must compete with other luxury-badged subcompact cars and fully loaded mainstream models priced around $30,000 to $40,000, making its job that much tougher. You won’t mistake the 2 Series Gran Coupe for anything else—even in a
SPECS Vehicle Layout Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan Engine 2.0L/228-hp/258-lb-ft turbo DOHC 16-valve I-4 Transmission 8-speed automatic Curb Weight 3,550 (mfr) 0-60 MPH 6.0 sec (mfr est) EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ 23/33/27 mpg Energy Cons, City/Hwy 147/102 kW-hr/100 miles CO2 Emissions, Comb 0.73 lb/mile
Height 55.9”
Width 70.9”
Wheelbase 105.1” Length 178.5”
74 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2020
crowded parking lot. The exterior design was a point of contention during its 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show debut and remains the baby Bimmer’s most controversial aspect well into 2020. Like other BMW Gran Coupe models, the 2 Series Gran Coupe has a swoopy roofline. The compact dimensions and low-slung profile result in an oddly short decklid that suggests there might be a liftgate out back. (There is not.) You also get an X2-like mug complete with oversized kidney grilles that look like they could shred you to pieces. In a surprise move, BMW gave the 2 Series Gran Coupe a generous list of standard equipment. That includes LED headlights, Apple CarPlay integration (Android Auto is promised in late 2020), 10-way power adjustable front seats, and the Active Driving Assistant suite, which bundles together lane departure warning, blind-spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert, forward collision warning, and front automatic emergency braking. Our long-termer also came with extras such as embedded navigation, tasty chocolate brown two-tone leather upholstery, two 10.3-inch displays, 18-inch wheels, and
adaptive LED headlights. You can also get adaptive cruise control, an automatic self-parking system, and a 16-speaker Harman Kardon surround sound system, but our example didn’t come with those features. The 2020 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe is the first FWD-based BMW sedan in the U.S., sharing the same UKL2 platform as the X1, X2, and Mini’s Countryman crossover. Although all 2 Series Gran Coupe models in the U.S. have all-wheel drive, the car operates mainly in frontdrive mode, sending up to 50 percent of torque to the rear
wheels only when you need extra traction. Our long-term 228i Gran Coupe also has the M Sport package, adding an M Sport suspension and special steering calibration. The 2.0-liter turbo I-4 makes 228 hp and 258 lb-ft, as it does in the 2’s BMW siblings. The EPA rates fuel economy at 23/33 mpg city/ highway with the standard eight-speed automatic transmission. We’ll be putting the car through MotorTrend’s rigorous performance testing and EQUA Real MPG evaluation to verify its fuel economy once we’re past the 1,200-mile recommended break-in period. We’re looking forward to spending more time with BMW’s new small sedan. The car’s niche yet entrylevel positioning piques our interest, and we want to see how this formula fares in
The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe has the tech to lure younger consumers. But will that be enough?
today’s ever-changing automotive environment. Will the 2020 2 Series Gran Coupe live up to the BMW badge adorning its hood, or will it divide opinions like the X1 and X2? Is the 2 Series Gran Coupe a better option than a base 3 Series? Will we find answers to the questions that people asked us about the car? We have a year to do all that. Along the way, we hope to find some surprises, too, so stay tuned.
MT GARAGE
Toyota Supra Service life: 3 mo/1,769 miles • Avg Fuel Econ: 27.1 mpg
“Our evaluations have been hindered by stay-at-home orders, but early on, we’ve experienced a mixed bag of delight and disappointment.” Chris Walton
The Supra comfortably holds six shopping bags. And there’s no way for these bags to slide around and spill.
Avg CO2 0.72 lb/mi Energy cons 125 kW-hr/100 mi Unresolved problems Dash light dimmer switch Maintenance cost $0 Normal-wear cost $0 Base price $54,945 As tested $56,565 EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ: 24/31/26 mpg s fate would have it, we took delivery of our long-term 2020 Toyota Supra at the moment we all went into lockdown. This means that since then, we’ve logged no commuter miles and no road trips, and only 300 miles have been added to its odometer. I have some observations nonetheless.
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With so few on the road, the Supra still elicits questions as if it were a Ferrari. “Is that the new Supra? How do you like it? Is it fast?” The $56,565 Supra has a celebrity status that outshines its actual place in the automotive landscape. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced this from such a readily available car. Even the Honda Civic Type R didn’t receive this amount of attention. Each trip to the grocery store, gas station, or take-out restaurant turned into a Q&A with masked car enthusiasts. The Supra really is the celebrity it deserves to be. Since its arrival and thanks to largely open roads, our Supra has main-
76 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2020
I’ve already mentioned how dim the instrument panel and central display are, but the problem seems to be more inherent than previously thought. The car’s dimmer switch is inoperable; it doesn’t change the illumination of the dashboard at all. We’ll ask Toyota to address this on the car’s first visit for service in the future. tained an average 27 mpg, slightly better than the EPA’s 26 mpg combined rating. We still haven’t tested this Supra, but it feels as potent as the last one we tested, which ran from 0 to 60 in just 3.9 seconds. It’s as fast as it looks, maybe faster. I still love the hatchback’s ability to accommodate half a dozen shopping bags. Yes, I wish it had an external hatch release or bumper-kick protocol, but the reasonably tight quarters mean the bags stay essentially where they were placed.
Honestly, driving the Supra is a mixed bag of emotions and enthusiasm. I love how capable and quick it is, yet I’m not in love with it. The rear suspension in particular isn’t optimal. The rebound damping is too abrupt. The initial impact is well damped, but the resulting hop thereafter is not. Apparently, this shortcoming was addressed for 2021. According to features editor Christian Seabaugh, Toyota has retuned the chassis and damper tuning, among other things: “The end goal of these not-insignificant changes, Toyota says, was to ‘increase roll resistance and improve cornering stability.’” We’ll keep you updated.
Volvo S60 Service life: 8 mo/16,361 miles • Avg Fuel Econ: 24.6 mpg
“Closing in on 20,000 miles, the S60 has visited the dealer three times, yet we haven’t spent a single dime getting it serviced.” Miguel Cortina
Other than a minor sound coming from the sunroof and two engine lights, we haven’t experienced any issues.
Avg CO2 0.79 lb/mi Energy cons 135 kW-hr/100 mi Unresolved problems None Maintenance cost $0 Normal-wear cost $0 Base price $40,300 As tested $50,630 EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ 21/32/25 mpg Real MPG 22.9 mpg comb
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t’s been about eight months since we got the keys to our Volvo S60, and we’ve spent some good moments with it. We’ve done a couple of crosscounty trips—from Detroit to Los Angeles last summer and from Los Angeles to Houston and back in the winter—and it has been a comfortable cruiser. After driving over 16,000 miles, we’ve visited the dealer three times, including twice after the check engine light came on. In late October, just as we passed 9,000 miles, we visited our South Bay Volvo dealer in response to said check engine light. The code indicated there was a problem with the evaporative-emissions pipes, which had to be replaced. The dealer had the parts on hand, and the S60 was ready in a few hours. The 10,000mile service was also completed during this time, which saved us another visit. Unfortunately, in late February the check engine light came back on, and another visit to South Bay Volvo found it to be the same issue as before—the evaporative-emissions pipes were damaged. Our service adviser told us he had the parts in stock and that it would take less than two hours to get the S60 back. We waited at the dealer and, as promised, drove away after 90 minutes. In late April, after the maintenance light came on, we visited the dealer a During our road trip to Texas, we enjoyed the S60’s comfortable ride and premium cabin.
third time—this time for a scheduled service. I told the service adviser the sunroof was making a weird noise when closing, as if it was getting jammed. This is the same panoramic sunroof our own Alisa Priddle installed a year ago, so I know who to blame. The adviser said I should schedule a separate appointment to address the problem, as the dealer only had two mechanics working given the national emergency. Although the sunroof issue couldn’t be addressed, the dealership repaired a safety recall that affected the automatic emergency braking system. All in all, the S60 was ready in less than two hours. As with all new Volvos, all scheduled maintenance for the first three years or 36,000 miles is free, and the first three services (at 10,000, 20,000, and 30,000 miles) are also complimentary. So, although we’ve visited the dealer three times in less than a year, we haven’t spent a dime.
MT GARAGE Subaru's largest vehicle offers lots of room for passengers and gear, with comfortable seats and easy access to the third row.
Verdict: 2019 Subaru Ascent “It’s difficult to evaluate a vehicle when it spends so much time at the dealership. When the Ascent works, it’s a quality SUV.” Alisa Priddle Base price $39,970 As tested $43,551
Service life 16 mo/22,490 mi Avg Econ/CO2 20.9 mpg/0.93 lb/mi was excited to spend a full year with Subaru’s largest crossover, the three-row Ascent, which rides on the same new global architecture as the rest of a strong lineup. I had been the first journalist in North America to drive a prototype of the eight-passenger vehicle during development. I spent a day tooling around a curvy route in Michigan, pleased with the ride capabilities that had me increasing my speed as my confidence in the handling built. My impressions were validated when I drove a Toyota Highlander on the same loop and had to cut my speed to keep it on the road and the body roll to a minimum. We took possession of a 2019 Ascent Limited on October 24, 2018, with 15 miles on the odometer. It left on a dreary Monday in March, after almost 17 months and 22,526 miles. Yes, we
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SPECS Options 7-Passenger Tech package ($2,950: Starlink nav, panoramic moonroof, premium sound); Trailer hitch ($499); All-weather floormats ($132) Problem Areas Body electronics Maintenance cost $0 (oil change, inspection, tire rotation) Normal-Wear Cost $1,707.77 (windshield replacement, body work) 3-Year Residual Value* $33,800 Recalls None *IntelliChoice data; assumes 42,000 miles at the end of three years
can do rudimentary math. That is more than a one-year loan. But the vehicle experienced an extraordinary number of ailments and spent months at the dealership. So this is a sordid tale of a potentially solid vehicle that had an unimaginable series of things go wrong.
My long-term loan started with much promise: an Ascent Limited in Cinnamon Brown Pearl with a cream and black interior and supportive leather seats that take the fatigue out of long trips. The Ascent was the first Subaru to get the new 2.4-liter direct-injection turbocharged flat-four engine. With 260 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque, it provided ample power, helping the Ascent run the quarter mile in 15.2 seconds, better than a Volkswagen Atlas and Toyota Highlander with V-6s under their hoods. The continuously variable transmission mimics eight gear shifts, so many won’t even know it is a CVT. Standard paddles allow downshifting for engine braking, and they worked well on a long hill in northern Michigan. The four-corner independent suspension proved it was up to the challenges of rough Michigan roads. Our seven-passenger model had captain’s chairs in the second row. The interior is wide and spacious with plenty
of room for passengers and their gear. All seats recline, and the second-row sliding mechanism is smooth and easy to work. Grab handles on the top of the captain’s chairs aid access to the third row. Base price for our Limited is $39,970—competitive with the segment—and we bumped that up to $43,551 with a $2,950 options package (including a Harman Kardon stereo upgrade), $132 all-weather floor liners, and a $499 trailer hitch. There are power outlets, Wi-Fi, eight USB ports, and ledges for phones, and it’s compatible and easy to pair with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Unfortunately, the system does not recognize a second iPhone in another USB jack. The only alternative is to plug the second device into an auxiliary jack. Having the lone 12-volt socket mounted deep in the cubby above the center console makes it difficult to install and use a 110-volt inverter for powering a laptop. The best cockpits place another 12-volt socket somewhere more accessible and/or include a 110-volt outlet that negates the need for the inverter.
The Ascent can tow 5,000 pounds, and with the $499 trailer hitch I had no problem using it to launch a fishing boat. Trailer stability assist kept trailer sway to a minimum, but there is no trailer assist for backing up. Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system was barely challenged launching the boat, so we took the Ascent to an off-road park for a workout. Hill Descent and X-Mode reduced wheel slip, and with 8.7 inches of ground clearance, the Ascent drove up, over, or through all the obstacles, including some steep hills and boulders.
The Eyesight driver assist system with dual cameras let us down. First it was the annoying beep as the vehicle’s eyes locked on cars and obstacles. After we turned the sound off, I could better appreciate its
2019 Subaru Ascent Limited DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT
Front-engine, AWD
ENGINE TYPE
Turbocharged flat-4, alum block/heads DOHC, 4 valves/cyl 145.7 cu in/2,387cc
VALVETRAIN DISPLACEMENT POWER (SAE NET)
10.6:1 260 hp @ 5,600rpm
TORQUE (SAE NET)
277 lb-ft @ 2,000 rpm
REDLINE TRANSMISSION
6,000 rpm 17.8 lb/hp Cont variable auto
AXLE/FINAL DRIVE RATIO
4.44:1/2.08:1
SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR
Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; control arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar
STEERING RATIO
13.5:1 2.6 13.1-in vented disc; 13.0-in vented disc, ABS 7.5 x 20-in cast aluminum
COMPRESSION RATIO
ability to keep me a safe distance from the car ahead and centered in the lane, even with hands off the wheel for short stints. But in heavy rain, fog, or snow, when you need it most, EyeSight goes blind and shuts down, taking adaptive cruise control with it. Our Ascent was unusually troublesome—not what we usually associate with a Subaru. We’ve run through the issues in prior updates so won’t repeat them all here, but a quick summary: A chipped windshield led to a full windshield replacement, which may have triggered a cascading list of ailments. Several error codes lit up the dashboard; EyeSight and the passenger airbag were disabled, the transmission fluid and check engine lights were on, and the sunroof stopped working. The body integrated unit was replaced, a damaged connector to EyeSight required a new roof wiring harness, and a blown fuse was replaced. The rip-ups left their mark. The driver’s seat belt was no longer height-adjustable, and trim covering the wiring in the A-pillar fell off. All were fixed under warranty. The Subaru was at the dealership for months. After we got it back, the door lock acted up a couple times, and once the car would not restart after being turned off to gas up. But the final month was bug-free, and the vehicle left with very little dirt or wear and tear. Although Subaru incurred thousands of dollars in warranty repairs, our costs totaled $1,707.77 for the new windshield and body work and zero in actual maintenance. That compares with our 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, which incurred $167.69 in maintenance; the 2017 Mazda CX-9 Touring, which had $322.35 in maintenance but $476.35 in total expenses; a 2016 Honda Pilot that racked up $378.62; and the 2018 Dodge Durango 4 R/T at a mere $77.90. The Ascent’s bones and powertrain are good. However, the automaker needs to make sure every vehicle off the line is perfect, or else even the legions of loyal buyers will be nervous about buying an otherwise strong entry in the three-row SUV segment.
WEIGHT TO POWER
TURNS LOCK TO LOCK BRAKES, F; R
WHEELS TIRES
Preferred Axle Packs Centric Premium Rotors + Posi Quiet Pads
245/50R20 102H (M+S) Falken Ziex ZE001 A/S
DIMENSIONS WHEELBASE TRACK, F/R LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT GROUND CLEARANCE APPRCH/DEPART ANGLE TURNING CIRCLE CURB WEIGHT WEIGHT DIST, F/R TOWING CAPACITY SEATING CAPACITY HEADROOM, F/M/R LEGROOM, F/M/R SHOULDER ROOM, F/M/R CARGO VOLUME BEH F/M/R
113.8 in 64.4/64.2 in 196.8 x 76.0 x 71.6 in 8.7 in 17.6/21.8 deg 38.0 ft 4,626 lb 53/47% 5,000 lb 7
40.1/38.7/36.3 in 42.2/38.6/31.7 in 61.1/60.3/57.2 in 86.0/47.0/17.6 cu ft
Select Sport Axle Packs* Select Sport Drilled/Slotted Rotors *For Street Use Only + Street Select Pads
TEST DATA ACCELERATION TO MPH 0-30 0-40 0-50 0-60 0-70 0-80 0-90 0-100 PASSING, 45-65 MPH QUARTER MILE BRAKING, 60-0 MPH LATERAL ACCELERATION MT FIGURE EIGHT TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH
CONSUMER INFO BASE PRICE PRICE AS TESTED
2.3 sec 3.6 4.9 6.9 9.0 11.8 15.1 19.3 3.7 15.2 sec @ 90.5 mph 114 ft 0.78 g (avg) Not tested 1,450 rpm
Truck and SUV Pads Increased stopping power while towing, hauling or when using larger than stock wheel and tire packages.
More to see at www.tirerack.com/stoptech
$39,970 $43,551
STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL Yes/Yes
BASIC WARRANTY
7: Dual front, front side, f/r curtain, driver knee 3 years/36,000 miles
POWERTRAIN WARRANTY
5 years/60,000 miles
ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE
3 years/36,000 miles 19.3 gal
AIRBAGS
FUEL CAPACITY
ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY
20/26/22 mpg 169/130 kW-hr/100 miles
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB
0.87 lb/mile
RECOMMENDED FUEL
Unleaded regular
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON
FAST FREE SHIPPING on All Orders Over $50 www.tirerack.com/freeshipping
888-372-8473 ©2020 Tire Rack
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NEWS I OPINION I GOSSIP I STUFF
Angus MacKenzie
The Big Picture
The Laws of Physics Why sim racing can never be as hard as the real thing
“A
mini car crash at every corner.” That’s how Mark Webber, nine-time grand prix winner, describes the battering a driver’s body takes at the wheel of a modern Formula 1 car. Why? Physics. Take Turn 13, the first part of the right-left flick onto pit straight at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, where Webber finished in the top five in each of his past three races there with Red Bull Racing. Every lap he’d mash the brake pedal, applying 275 pounds of force through his left foot for just a fraction over 2 seconds, to slow the car from 210 mph to 80 mph in just 400 feet. The rate of deceleration? About 5 g. To your body, that’s like driving your car into a wall at 10 mph. Every lap. For 70 laps. I thought about this as I watched the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual on MotorTrend. This digital reimagining of one of the world’s greatest motorsport events was deeply impressive: 200 drivers, including real-world Formula 1 champions and Le Mans winners, located in 37 countries, and racing 50 photo-real virtual cars on a photo-real virtual reconstruction of the iconic 8.5-mile Circuit de la Sarthe. They raced through a virtual night, managed virtual fuel consumption and virtual tire degradation. And when they had a virtual crash, they were virtually out of the race. The GTE class featured virtual versions of the Chevy Corvette C7.R, the Ferrari 488 GTE, the Aston Martin Vantage GTE, and Porsche’s 911 RSR. Meanwhile, the LMP class cars were virtual representations of the French-built Oreca 07 LMP2 racer, which in real life weighs 2,050 pounds and is powered by a 4.2-liter naturally aspirated V-8 developing just over 600 hp. Overshadowed by the faster LMP1 prototypes and not as visually differentiated as the GTEs, the real-life LMP2 cars have generally been regarded as a supporting act at Le Mans. This year, though, they were the main event, and utterly fascinating to watch. Although the same, the virtual Orecas were not identical. The software allowed race engineers to alter suspension settings, downforce levels, and gear ratios,
82 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2020
just like on the real cars. For engineers used to setting up real cars, this was a unique challenge—they were optimizing against cleverly programmed software, not the more subtly capricious combinations of ambient temperature and wind direction and moisture in the real world. Even so, it’s fair to say that in terms of the machinery, the 30-car LMP field was the most closely matched ever to start at Le Mans. The biggest variable was therefore the drivers, which meant it was possible to meaningfully compare the performance of the best simulation racers against top real-world drivers. The quickest of the sim specialists were faster than the quickest real-world drivers, Finnish sim racer Aleksi Uusi-Jaakkola clocking a 3:23.672 lap late in the race, 1.9 seconds better than the best lap from Fernando Alonso. But the two-time F1 world champion shouldn’t hang up his helmet just yet. Racing is precision geometry, at warp speed. You need intense concentration and heightened situational awareness, lightning-quick reactions and calm control, focus and confidence and commitment, making sure your braking and steering inputs, your throttle applications, and your gear shifts are consistently at or near the limit while you place your car on precisely the right part of the track. Lap after lap after lap. Now, imagine doing all that while pulling 6 g through a long, fast sweeper, holding your breath and tensing your core like a fighter pilot, your head effectively weighing 55 pounds, your internal organs all squished to one side. Or while braking so hard your tear ducts secrete and splash on your visor. Meanwhile, cockpit temperatures breach 130 degrees and cause you to lose up to 9 pounds in fluids during a race, reducing your brain function by as much as 40 percent. And do all this while ignoring thoughts of one’s fragile mortality should any action be performed incorrectly by a split second. Don’t get me wrong—the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual showed top-level sim racing can be interesting and engaging. But it’s nowhere near as hard as the real thing. And never will be. Q
With much of the racing world on hold, virtual events have popped up in their place. The product has potential, but it can never replace the real thing.
