CONTENTS

April 2019
COVER STORY

The Big Test Compact SUVs

30
Tests & Drives
30 The New Normal
Big Test: Compact SUVs Why buy a family 66 Illicit EV 2020 Mercedes-Benz
sedan when the new generation of compact EQC 400 Prototype
crossovers is this good? Christian Seabaugh We drive the EQC 400 like we stole it.
52 Sweetheart 2020 Ford Explorer Because we kinda did. Jonny Lieberman
ON THE COVER The sixth-gen Explorer gets a new rear-drive 70 Trading Places Superbike vs. Sports Car
We test eight
of the hottest platform, adds a hybrid and performance ST. What happens when you put a motorcycle ace
vehicles in the Alisa Priddle into a fast car on a racetrack ... and drop a
compact SUV
segment. 58 Perpetual Expectations sports car hot shoe onto a superbike? Zack Courts
Photo: 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera As the 911 ever was, 80 Ditch Your Car Full-Time Ride Share
Robin Trajano so shall the 911 ever be—but better. Scott Evans Is it worth it to rely on ride-hailing for all your
62 How Much Audi Can a Porsche Take? transport needs? Harry Campbell
2019 Porsche Cayenne The third-gen
Cayenne borrows heavily from its VW Group
brethren. Jonny Lieberman

58 70
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4 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019

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MotorTrend Newsletter Sign up at MotorTrend.com/Newsletter

16
Departments
14 Lohdown How soon is now?
FIRST LOOK
Ford promises cornering to match 700-plus horsepower
and 600 lb-ft in the 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500.

MTGARAGE
16 Intake This month’s hot metal
26 Reference Mark Sharing is caring
27 Technologue Medi-cars: Taking “onboard
diagnostics” to a new level
28 Interview Marc Lichte, Head of Design, Audi AG Arrival Acura RDX
Updates BMW X3 • Chrysler Pacifica • Kia Stinger
29 Your Say Our readers talk back
Land Rover Range Rover Velar
98 The Big Picture Zero, hero Volkswagen Atlas • Verdict Audi A4
92
98

28
MOTORTREND.COM IS LIVE! For more than 1,000 hours of original automotive programming,
live motorsports, and an extensive historical archive, head to MotorTrend.com today!
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Add roadside assistance for less
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TREND 04.19
INTAKE P16 WE SAY P26 THEY SAY P28 INTERVIEW YOUR SAY P29
THIS MONTH’S WORDS FROM MARC LICHTE READERS
HOT METAL OUR EDITORS HEAD OF DESIGN, AUDI AG TALK BACK

SNAKEBITE
2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
I
t’s the biggest snake yet.
Literally. When the 2020
Ford Mustang Shelby
GT500 goes on sale in the
fall, you won’t miss it. The
satin-finish snake up front, on
the back, and on the sides has
grown substantially. It’s fitting
for the new GT500, which Ford
promises will be the quickest
and best handling to date.
Under the hood is a hand-
built 5.2-liter supercharged
cross-plane V-8, as opposed
to the 526-hp, 429-lb-ft

FIRST LOOK
Ford promises cornering to
match 700+ horsepower
PHOTOS: STEVEN PHAM

16 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019

The killer snake logo figures
prominently on the Shelby
GT500, including on the
steering wheel and seats.
The Recaros are optional.
5.2-liter naturally aspirated
flat-plane-crank in the
GT350. The blower’s 2.7-liter
displacement is more than
half that of the engine, for
crying out loud.
Coping with in-cylinder
pressures of more than 2,000
psi required longer, stronger
cylinder head bolts, stiffer
valve springs, hardened valve
seats, and structural ribbing
on the cylinder block. To
handle all this torque coming
from forced-induction
supercharging, the GT500
has a new Tremec twin-
clutch seven-speed automatic
transmission from the GT
supercar. There will be no
manual for 2020. Somewhat
weirdly, the gearshifter is a
rotary design.
The Shelby GT500 is built for
speed with elements like a
front dive plane splitter and
an adjustable rear wing.
Engineers tell us the GT500
will easily exceed 700 hp and
600 lb-ft of torque, but Ford is
not releasing exact numbers
yet. Engineers will continue to
work on squeezing out every
bit of power until the car goes
on sale this fall.
The car will do 0–60 mph
in about 3.5 seconds and
the quarter mile in less than
11 seconds. It’s so much
quicker than the GT350
that it needs hood pins to
keep the massively vented
composite hood locked down,
chief Mustang engineer Carl
Widmann said.
Air rushing into the gigantic
central grille passes through
the intercooler circuit’s radi-
ator, then through the A/C
condenser, then through the
engine radiator. An auxiliary
side-mounted engine coolant
radiator gets first crack at
the cool air on the passenger
side, and a matching radiator
on the driver side cools the
engine oil. The twin-clutch
transmission gets a small,
horizontally placed radiator
that grabs air off the splitter
below the main radiator stack.
There’s 50 percent more
airflow than in the GT350.
Although the engine
numbers are impressive, this
time around, “it has to not
only go straight but also turn,”
Widmann said. “It has to take
the power in the corner and
put it down on a track.” Every-
thing had to be engineered
to achieve and handle the big
performance numbers. To
reduce front-end lift from
all that air entering, there’s
a giant vent in the hood—it’s
the largest hood scoop louver
Ford has ever made. A rain
tray attaches underneath it
to keep the engine pristine,
but you need to remove it
for track work. A new oil
pan design will keep more
oil in the sump in the turns.
Connecting the strut towers
for ultimate handling stability
while clearing the gigantic
supercharger is the job of a
computer-optimized piece of
magnesium sculpture.
The 16.5-inch two-piece
front rotors of the Brembo
brakes are said to be the
largest on any domestic sports
coupe. Among production
vehicles, they’re not far from
the Lamborghini Urus’ 17.3-
inch rotors. Ford didn’t set out
to break any records; it just
happened. The steel rotors
(on aluminum centers) boast
20 percent more swept area
than on the GT350 rotors.
Carbon-ceramic rotors aren’t
offered because the steel
rotors have no thermal fade
issues and the (also very
pricey) carbon-fiber wheels
are an even better way to
reduce unsprung mass.
The front fenders are also
made of composite and are
widened considerably to
accommodate the wider tires,
but the rear quarters are
unchanged, allowing the tires
to peek out a bit (one of many
things that make it impossible
to homologate the GT500 for
Europe or Japan).
In back are four 5-inch
exhaust tips and a base spoiler;
it gets a Gurney flap if you
opt for the Handling package,
which also adds strut mounts
that allow for camber adjust-
ment. The Carbon Fiber Track
package gets an adjustable
carbon-fiber GT4 track wing
to create rear downforce and
integrated dive plane splitter
wickers in front to reduce lift.
All GT500s have electronically
adjustable MagneRide shocks,
and base and Track Pack cars
have different internal tuning.
“Mustang is a lifestyle
brand,” said Jim Owens, North
American Ford Performance
manager, who worked for
Carroll Shelby for four years.
He said Shelby declared, at the
2013 Los Angeles Auto Show,
that the ’13 Shelby GT500 was
his favorite. Owens is certain
if Shelby were still alive, he
would choose the 2020 model.
Alisa Priddle and Frank Markus
APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 17
 NEWS I OPINION I GOSSIP I STUFF
Intake
CES 2019
Holoride's virtual reality game
for back-seat passengers.
C
ES is the tech show,
but as our vehicles
become more sophis-
ticated, it’s become a must-see
auto show, as well. With 170
exhibitors showing automo-
tive products, it’s easy to pick
up on key trends. This year it’s
all about how you will or won’t
interact with the outside
world in the near and distant
future—especially when cars
start driving themselves.
The Near Future
Holoride
A startup co-founded by Audi
Electronics Venture GmbH
(an Audi subsidiary) inte-
grates virtual reality headsets
in the rear seat with data from
the car, turning an A3 E-Tron
hatchback into a real-world
amusement park ride.
It works like this: Marvel
Studios created a custom
game featuring Guardians of
the Galaxy’s Rocket Raccoon
flying a spaceship through an
asteroid field, and it’s played
through VR headsets in the
back seat. The headsets are
wired into the car so that when
the car accelerates, brakes, or
turns, the same happens in the
18 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019
game. Holoride says the tech-
nology could also be applied
to movies and TV shows.
Because your eyes are seeing
what your inner ear is feeling,
the company says it shouldn’t
cause motion sickness.
Audi demonstrated the
tech by putting the car on a
racetrack with a professional
driver, but it’s intended to
work on the streets. Audi
hopes to bring Holoride’s VR
games to market in the next
three years.
WayRay
An augmented reality proto-
type, installed on a Genesis
G80, projects 3-D images
onto the road ahead—such as
arrows to indicate the corner
where you’re meant to turn
and markers showing the loca-
tions of gas stations.
The future of
in-car entertainment
WayRay says it’s close to a
system that can use the entire
windshield as a see-through
augmented reality screen.
To keep a driver from getting
distracted, an eye tracking
system would monitor where
the driver is looking and only
display information there. It
can also show the driver and
passenger different images,
so while the passenger might
see a windshield full of
information, the driver will
only see important driving
information—at least until
cars become autonomous.
WayRay is working to
shrink its technology to fit
in the top of the door card,
projecting images onto the
side windows, and it’s even
working on ways to retrofit
the technology to older
vehicles. WayRay says the
side-window technology is
just three years away; the
windshield technology could
be even closer.
WayRay's augmented
reality tech projects
helpful info on your
windshield, and Valeo's
offers you a view
"through" your trailer.
Valeo
Valeo is working on see-
through technology, too, but to
a different end. Pickup trucks
from the big three players,
Chevrolet, Ford, and Ram,
all offer trailering packages
with the ability to install a
rearview camera on the back
of your trailer so you can still
see behind you. It’s handy, but
the perspective is off. Valeo’s
Invisible Trailer software
uses input from the truck’s
360-degree camera system to
figure out what the perspec-
tive ought to be and blends the
trailer camera with the truck’s
rearview camera. As a result,
the trailer is simply edited out
of the rearview image, allowing
you to see “through” it.
ConnectedTravel
This company has partnered
with Honda to bring more of
your smartphone functions
into the dash and reduce
distractions without impinging
on your connected life. For
example, by linking your
GrubHub account, you can
place an order for the usual
and pay with a saved card. If
you pull into a gas station with
smart pumps, you can select
your pump and pay from the
infotainment system without
reaching for your wallet.
If you’re in the mood for
something new, it’ll help you
find a restaurant, give you
directions, and help you find
parking. The system works
through both the touchscreen
and voice commands and will
learn your preferences and
habits as you go so it can be
more helpful in the future.
A tablet-based app for the
kids in the back seat is coming
later. Simple games are loosely
connected to what the car is
doing—e.g., if the car is moving
forward, your character moves
forward. By completing tasks
in the games, users earn
points that can be redeemed
in a marketplace for things
like gift cards and discounts
at major retailers. The
points and rewards are free
monetarily, but the retailers
are betting your anonymized
data and brand loyalty will be
worth more in the long run.
Audi
Audi’s idea for making the
car part of the entertainment
experience only works while
parked. Using a number
of systems on an A8, Audi
and Marvel designed an
experience wherein the car’s
seats, active suspension,
ventilation, and lighting
systems act in concert with
an action movie. The only
additional equipment needed,
Audi says, are vibrating
motors in the seats and a
dedicated computer to control
and coordinate the vehicle’s
responses to the movie.
The Future Future
Intel
Intel’s idea was similar to
Holoride’s but without the
headsets. Instead, it removed
the second-row seats from
a new BMW X5 and put a
pop-up big-screen TV right
behind the front row. You sit in
the third row and enjoy inter-
active media en route to your
destination. (Conceptually, the
vehicle is autonomous.)
Once underway, the screen
rises and projectors mounted
in the headliner extend the
image to the side windows
for a surround-view experi-
ence. Intel partnered with DC
Comics for a Batman theme.
The vehicle is branded with
Wayne Enterprises logos,
and your digital assistant
is none other than Alfred
Pennyworth, Batman’s butler.
Comic book–styled moving
images of Gotham City streets
are projected on the side
windows.
DC and Intel designed a
custom digital comic book
reader that projects panels
from a Batman comic on
the screen and allows you to
flip through it with BMW’s
gesture controls while
coordinated music plays. The
system also displays movies
using both the screen and the
windows.
Along the way, a tablet
between the seats displays
a map with your position,
route, ETA, and illustrations
of everything the autonomous
car can see around itself. You
can also bring up the vehicle’s
exterior cameras to see what’s
happening in the real world.
Scott Evans
APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 19
NEWS I OPINION I GOSSIP I STUFF

Intake
2019 Byton M-Byte
The car’s name is a riff on the
computer data term for a reason

T
he Byton isn’t just
another 0–60 electric
railgun. While the
680-hp Tesla Model S P100D,
1,000-hp Lucid Air, and the
754-hp Rivian R1T will all
bazooka onto on-ramps, the
Byton’s standard configura-
tion—with a modest 272 hp
rear motor and 71-kW-hr
battery (250-mile range)—will
be merely “quick.”
Its “fast” version adds a
front 204-hp motor that’s just
a shortened (cheaper) version
of a rear one, and it can travel
a Tesla-like 325 miles on its
95-kW-hr battery pack. But
even then, its combined 476
hp won’t raise one eyebrow
among performance wonks.
Although Tesla has some-
times crowed in its quarterly
reports about MotorTrend’s
blistering Model S 0–60
times, Byton president Daniel
Kirchert tepidly defended his
car’s performance, saying it’s
“not a lame duck.”
Underwhelming? It’s
intentional, one leg of a
three-legged stool of foun-
dational design bets, each
totally dependent on the other
two. Think about it: If a car
is geofenced Level 3 autono-
mous, everyone inside is also
usually a passenger, meaning
the drivetrain really needs
no more than chauffeur-
level performance. All that
supercar-level horsepower is
a waste of money better spent
on the user’s digital experi-
ence and autonomy tech.
Last year I pilgrimaged to
the opening of Byton’s Santa
Clara office, where 150 people
were focused on developing
The Screen. At 48 inches
wide—spanning A-pillar to
A-pillar—and 10 inches tall,
The Screen has the usable
surface area of more than 24
iPhone Xs. The glowing heart
of the car, it’s the precious
centerpiece that Byton isn’t
outsourcing like its drive-
train or automation, and it’s
designed to be replaceable as
screen technology improves.
While screen size matters,
though, what matters most is
what’s on it.
Directed by the Byton oper-
ating system, called Byton
Life, the digital world being
cooked up inside borders
on the fantastical. Climb in
the cockpit, and cameras on
the dash identify you and
everybody else while your
phone and heart-rate data
syncs to the car. Blended with
your seat-measured weight,
health tips might appear: For
instance, after setting a nav
destination, the system might
ask if you’d like to park a half
mile away to get a needed

BEHOLD, THE SCREEN: THE 48-INCH

GLOWING HEART OF THE CAR.

The Byton is absolutely flush with screens.

In addition to the main screen, which
stretches from A-pillar to A-pillar, it also
features an 8.0-inch touchpad on the
center console and another 7.0-inch
touchpad on the steering wheel.

20 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019

The 191-inch-long vehicle
exudes sleekness with features
such as a hidden antenna and
disappearing door handles.
walk. The digital instrument
display moves up and down
on the screen when you adjust
the steering wheel—there are
plenty of extra pixels.
On the highway in Level
3, the Faurecia-supplied
front seats can each swivel 12
degrees toward each other for
easier chatting. To instruct
the giant screen, the driver
has a 7.0-inch touchpad on
the steering wheel itself; no,
the screen doesn’t turn with
the wheel. (Byton calls the
steering wheel an engineering
feat all its own, given the
airbag.) The front passenger
has an 8.0-inch touchpad in
the center console, and both
can just finger-point to spots
on the screen using its gesture
recognition. What about
hand-bounce over bumps?
Accelerometers compensate
and predict where you’re
pointing.
If you and a friend sepa-
rately ask Alexa to play your
individual music, it recognizes
whose voice is whose. Do you
like steak but your passenger
is into seafood? Asking for
a lunch recommendation
results in places that serve
both. Abe Chen, who leads
Byton’s digital technology
department, described
another example: “Let’s say
you drop your kid off every
day at school and then go to
Starbucks. The car recognizes
your coffee appetite and
suggests an interesting alter-
native nearby.” To enable this,
the M-Byte will be the first car
to have full connectivity on
the go via multiple antennas
and 5G preparation.
Creeped out by all this
connectedness? Chen under-
stands. At Apple, he created
its worldwide new-product
security team; he was Tesla’s
director of information and
product security; and in 2017,
his group bested 75 other
teams to win DEF CON’s
Car Hacking Village Capture
the Flag competition. CEO
Carsten Breitfeld calls the
Byton “mobility’s smartphone
moment.”
During this year’s Los
Angeles Auto Show, I stood in
the chill night air outside the
mostly deserted convention
center waiting my turn to ride
in an M-Byte prototype.
The car was a cobbled-
together mule that snare-
drummed over the street’s
ripples and snapped Buddy
Rich rim shots over the
potholes. In actuality, its
screen graphics were just a
quickly monotonous video
loop. So I sat back and just
stared as the streets of down-
town L.A. slowly reeled by me.
Ahead are two illuminated
worlds. Looking up, the still-
glowing neon office towers
slowly slid past each other
like giant playing cards. Left
and right, people prowled the
dirty sidewalks beneath the
renovated Depression-era
masonry lofts. Some paused to
consider a restaurant I don’t
know, or crowded around
a club or gallery that might
be fun. Cocooned in this car,
I’m abstracted from them.
Like watching aquarium fish
through the thick glass.
I stared at the other illu-
minated world in front of
me—the panoramic Byton
screen that’s still looping its
same graphics. In a matter
of months this could be the
portal through that barrier,
merging me to them, those
places, that world out there.
Recently, I called the Tesla
Model 3 the Automobile 2.0.
Maybe the Byton is what the
post-automobile will look
like. It’s not about driving. It’s
about living. Kim Reynolds
APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 21
NEWS I OPINION I GOSSIP I STUFF

REAR VIEW
From the Motor Trend
Intake Archive ...

FIRST LOOK

2020 Volkswagen Passat with the Ford

Bronco, Jeep CJ,
and International
Family sedan gets new sheetmetal and engine APRIL 1969
Harvester
Scout, it was a
PRICE: $0.50 beloved drop-top

F
or all VW’s talk about the 2020 features include adaptive cruise control This cover just makes off-roader. Now
Passat midsize sedan being a full and lane keep and parking steering assist. us wistful. That the Blazer is back,
redesign, it stays on the old plat- In addition to four trim levels—which handsome truck on but unfortunately
form. Only the Chinese-market Passat will add heated rear seats, leather seats, our April ’69 cover it seems like it’s in
moves to the MQB platform—yet another adaptive front lights, and a Fender audio is the first-ever name only, thanks
sign that China is the dominant market system in various combinations—a Chevrolet Blazer. to its crossover
Designed to compete underpinnings.
car companies cater to these days. Also, launch-only Limited model will push the
given that sedan sales in America are in luxe factor when the new Passat arrives
the tank, you can’t fault VW for saving this summer.
a bit of capital investment from the Under the hood, the 2.0-liter turbo
product development budget. remains with the same 174 hp, though
Instead, VW is loading up the 2020 torque jumps by 23 lb-ft to 207. A six-
Passat with standard features, such as speed automatic is the lone transmission
17-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, full LED choice. Although the 110.4-inch wheel-
lighting, and Apple CarPlay/Android base stays the same, overall length jumps
Auto/MirrorLink compatibility. 1.7 inches to 193.6 inches.
Standard safety features include a VW’s press materials describe the
blind-spot monitor, rear traffic alert, body shape as “coupelike,” but while its
and front traffic assist with pedestrian shape may be a bit more dynamic, calling
monitoring and autonomous emergency it coupelike might be a stretch once you
braking. Optional driver-assistance see past the roofline’s descent into the
rear deck. Rather, the Passat’s beefy front
end and prominent grille make the car’s
approach seem blunt instead of sleek.
APRIL 1989 APRIL 2009
The Passat’s interior layout, details, and PRICE: $2.75 PRICE: $4.99
To celebrate our April 2009’s cover
fit-and-finish fall into the same realm as 40th year, we went to the coming
that of the Atlas, which means it will be dedicated this Chevrolet Camaro
midpack in the midsize sedan segment in cover to the “Top Z/28. “The new
terms of the “wow” factor. But if you’re 10 Sports Cars of Z/28 is basically
looking for anything new here, it’s pretty All Time.” Among done,” our sources
our picks: Alfa said, but GM, then
much what you’ve come to expect.
Romeo 1600 Giulia in the thick of the
The Passat will offer a six-year, 72,000- Spider, C4 Corvette Great Recession,
mile warranty. Mark Rechtin convertible, Ferrari wasn’t able to
250 GT SWB, release it until
SPECS Base Price $25,000 (est) Vehicle Layout Front-engine, FWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan Jaguar XK-120, 2012, when it hit
Engine 2.0L/174-hp/207-lb-ft turbo DOHC 16-valve inline-four Transmission 6-speed Shelby Cobra, and the streets as the
automatic Wheelbase 110.4 in L x W x H 193.6 x 72.0 x 58.0 in On Sale in U.S. Summer 2019 Triumph TR3A. Camaro ZL1.

22 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019

 TREND I 04.19
The Signature trim’s Nappa leather seats
feel great, but it’s easy to mistake their dark
brown color for black. As we noted in our
CX-5 verdict, the crossover’s seats could be
more comfortable. The CX-5’s interior knobs
turn with a tactilely satisfying slick motion.

2019 Mazda CX-5 Turbo
It’s all about you FIRST TEST
T
o the delight of lead-
footed enthusiasts,
the 2019 Mazda CX-5
now offers a more powerful
turbo-four engine option.
The 227–250-hp 2.5T engine
(output depends on whether
you use regular or premium
fuel) adds to the charm of the
CX-5, already the most stylish
crossover in its class.
If you’re aghast at how
a CX-5 could possibly hit
$39,030, know that the engine
upgrade is only available with
all-wheel drive, and even
then, only on Grand Touring
Reserve and Signature trims
that have more content than
the 187-hp CX-5’s lower trims.
Trying to convince your
spouse the turbo is worth
it? Note that the 2.5T’s GT
Reserve is only $1,800 more
than a comparably equipped
base-engine GT model.
Or you can just get in the
CX-5 2.5T and step on the gas.
You don’t need to be a
professional driver to feel the
difference between the stan-
dard 2019 CX-5 and its turbo
cousin … but if you were, you’d
record 0–60 acceleration in
just 6.4 seconds, impressive
in its class and a noticeable
upgrade over a CX-5 2.5 AWD
we tested at 8.3 seconds. (Our
CX-5 Turbo was tested with
premium fuel.)
Brake pedal feel was a
bit soft, but we otherwise
appreciated that the Mazda
had good body control and
stopped straight from 60 mph
in 125 feet, or about the same
as non-turbo trims. Similar
performance between turbo
and naturale also applied to
MotorTrend’s figure-eight
course, which evaluates
braking, cornering, accel-
eration, and the transitions
between them. Mazda’s
restrictive stability control
system clearly prevented
us from exploring the turbo
version’s performance. Too
bad. On the street, the CX-5
feels light on its feet, though
its suspension combined with
19-inch wheels may be a tad
too firm for some.
The turbo also lags the class
leaders in fuel economy, with
an EPA-rated 22/27 mpg city/
highway. Thing is, the CX-5
2.5T’s extra power and torque
will tempt you every time
you get behind the wheel, so
you may not achieve the EPA
estimates in the real world.
Our CX-5 Signature also
justified its $39,030 as-tested
price with a surround-view
camera system that proved
useful despite the center
screen’s small size. Even if you
save $2,020 by choosing the
2.5T’s GT Reserve trim, the
model still comes with a few
upscale features, including
ventilated front seats and
power-folding mirrors.
If acceleration is more
important than interior room
and fuel economy, feel free to
enjoy the CX-5 2.5T. Zach Gale
PROMOTION
New products for
your vehicle from
RockAuto.com
OE Fluids
The days of pouring
10W-30 into everything
are long gone. Rock
Auto now carries the
OE-specification motor oil
and fluids (transmission,
brake, steering, coolant,
gear oil, injector cleaner,
DEF, etc) that your newer
vehicle needs.
Brake Line Kits
Rock Auto now offers
AGS EZ-Fit hydraulic brake
line kits for many trucks
and SUVs. Made from
nickel–copper alloy that’s
tougher than traditional
steel, these kits do not
require cutting and flaring
and can be installed 65
percent faster.

SPECS 2019 Mazda CX-5 AWD Signature: Base Price/Tested Price $37,885/$39,030 Vehicle Layout Front
engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV Engine 2.5L/227-hp*/310-lb-ft turbo DOHC 16-valve I-4 Transmission
6-speed automatic Curb Weight (Dist F/R) 3,791 lb (59/41%) L x W x H 179.1 x 72.5 x 65.3 in 0-60 MPH 6.4 sec
Quarter Mile 14.9 sec @ 93.6 mph EPA City/Hwy Fuel Econ 22/27 Energy Consumption, City/Hwy 153/125
kW-hr/100 miles CO2 Emissions, Combined 0.81 lb/mile *250 hp w/ premium
APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 23
NEWS I OPINION I GOSSIP I STUFF
Intake
2020 Kia Telluride
Going Bigger: Kia’s largest
crossover arrives later this year
S
lotting above the
Sorento, the Kia
Telluride saw minimal
changes on its journey from
concept to New York Fashion
Week prototype to its Detroit
auto show production debut.
The Telluride will be the
largest vehicle in Kia’s lineup,
featuring seating for up to
eight passengers.
Riding on the same
platform as the recently
revealed Hyundai Palisade,
the 2020 Telluride will come
24 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019
FIRST LOOK
with an Atkinson-cycle
3.8-liter V-6 good for 291 hp
and 262 lb-ft of torque paired
to an eight-speed automatic
transmission. Front-wheel
drive comes standard, and all-
wheel drive with a lock feature
and Snow mode is optional.
The Telluride is rated to tow
up to 5,000 pounds and will be
available with a self-leveling
rear suspension on the EX and
SX grades.
Five driving modes—
Smart, Eco, Sport, Snow, and
trend
Comfort—can be selected to
change how the all-wheel-
drive system distributes
power. Eco and Smart both
commit 100 percent to the
front wheels; Sport mode
sends the most power to the
rear axle but is still front-
biased at 65 percent front and
35 percent rear.
Inside, Kia’s minimalist
interior design language gets
mixed with new cues like grab
handles on the center console,
which give the impression
of off-road capability even
though most Tellurides won’t
venture off the pavement.
The crossover will be offered
with a long list of features,
including Kia’s UVO3 info-
tainment system with an
optional 10.3-inch touch-
screen, a 10-speaker Harman
Kardon audio system, up to six
USB ports, heated and venti-
lated first- and second-row
seats, Nappa leather uphol-
stery, and Apple CarPlay and
Android Auto integration.
Kia’s Drive Wise driver-
assistance suite will also be
offered and includes adap-
tive cruise control, forward
collision warning, front and
rear automatic emergency
braking, pedestrian detection,
lane keeping assist, blind-spot
monitoring, and rear cross-
traffic alert.
Kia will introduce a number
of new features, including
a quiet mode for the audio
system (it cuts audio in the
second and third rows) and
Driver Talk, a system that
allows front passengers to
speak to those in the back via
a microphone. Lane Follow
Assist, which is only active
when the adaptive cruise
control system is on, helps
keep the Telluride centered in
its lane. Blind-spot collision
avoidance uses a camera and
the brakes to bring the vehicle
back to its original location
if an object is detected while
making a lane change.
The Telluride will be built
at Kia’s West Point, Georgia,
assembly plant. Pricing will be
announced closer to launch
later this year. Stefan Ogbac

2019 Nissan Leaf Plus
Nissan’s EV gets uprated battery pack
N
issan’s big redesign of its Leaf
landed with a lithium thud. Sure,
it emerged from its insectoid
cocoon wearing admirably handsome
new clothes and drove with a lot more
polish. But the goodness was short-
circuited by its 150-mile range—better
than before but a wild shortfall compared
to the more expensive Chevrolet Bolt’s
already whopping 238 miles.
The fix? A new variant with a bigger
battery, more power, distinguishing exte-
rior details, and the promise of eventual
vehicle-to-grid, two-way energy flow
from its battery. This is a fast-moving
technology—the Hyundai Kona Electric
now touts a 258-mile range. But finally,
there’s a Leaf that’s solidly in the game.
Nissan’s long-range version of the
Leaf, with an EPA-estimated 226 miles,
provides a 40 percent range increase
from the regular Leaf. This increase
comes thanks to a new 62-kW-hr battery
pack. Although it has a greater energy
density and increased storage capacity,
the new battery is almost the same
physical size and configuration as the
standard battery.
Nissan says power output has
increased to 215 hp, about a 45 percent
increase over the current model’s 147
hp. Torque goes up from 236 lb-ft to
MIKE CONNOR
MT CONFIDENTIAL
250 lb-ft. Top speed also increases by 10
percent, and Nissan says acceleration
from 50 to 75 mph is 13 percent quicker.
Nissan has optimized the e-Pedal
feature to accommodate the new model’s
additional power and increased mass.
E-Pedal adds strong regenerative
braking, allowing drivers to start, accel-
erate, and decelerate by modulating the
accelerator pedal.
Expect the new model, via a 100-kW
quick charger, to achieve similar charging
times to the regular Leaf with a 50-kW
(DC) fast charger. That should mean up
to an 80 percent recharge in 40 minutes.
Opting for the long-range model doesn’t
change the battery warranty of eight
years or 100,000 miles.
The new model gets an 8.0-inch display
with an updated nav system that links to
your smartphone. Customers can also
now update apps, maps, and firmware
over the air with the touch of a button.
In the U.S. and Canada, the new model
will be sold under the Leaf Plus Series
moniker. Other markets will call it the
Leaf e+. Trim levels will include S Plus,
SV Plus, and SL Plus.
The long-range Leaf goes on sale in the
U.S. this spring, so expect pricing to be
announced soon.
Kelly Pleskot
FIRST LOOK
TREND I 04.19
Sources out of Dearborn say the
rear-drive architecture for the new
Lincoln Aviator and Ford Explorer SUVs
was originally intended for a flagship
Lincoln sedan. The SUV programs were
baked into the project to help make
the sedan’s financials pencil—like how
Ferdinand Piëch used the VW Phaeton
to help pay for the Bentley Continental
GT. But as demand for conventional
four-doors continued to evaporate,
Lincoln boss Joy Falotico killed the
sedan. Instead, the platform will now
reportedly be used to underpin a
Mustang crossover, a lineup of perfor-
mance SUVs with Mustang-inspired
four-door coupe styling along with
engine and power variants equal to all
but the most extreme Shelby models.
GM engineers are putting the
finishing touches on the mid-engine
C8 Corvette, one version of which is
rumored have a 4.6-liter twin-turbo
flat-plane-crank V-8 based on the
quad-cam 32-valve engine that
debuted in the Cadillac CT6 last
year. Output is said to be north of
700 hp. The engine’s hot-vee turbo
setup makes it easier to package
than a Chevy small-block with turbos
mounted on either side of the block.
There will also be a naturally aspirated
small-block-powered C8, likely to
produce between 500 and 600 hp.
The C8 means the end of the road for
a front-engine, rear-drive Corvette,
though GM is wondering whether
the existing C7 could be reworked
and repositioned as an entry-level
Corvette—less expensive and less
powerful than the C8 but still good-
looking and fun. Think how Porsche has
positioned 718 against the 911.
As announced at the Detroit show,
the next-gen VW Amarok pickup
will share powertrain, electrical, and
chassis hardware with the next-gen
Ranger and will be developed by
Ford. This doesn’t mean the next-gen
Amarok is coming to America, though.
Local VW execs say it’s not likely as it
would struggle in what has become
a crowded segment. VW has teased
the Atlas-based Tanoak pickup as
a possibility for America, but it’s far
from clear whether it will ever go into
production. One of the project’s stum-
bling blocks is figuring out how to take
a $30,000 SUV and turn it into a pickup
that’s profitable at $20,000.
APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 25

We Say...
Medi-Cars: Taking “onboard
diagnostics” to a new level
A 
n Israeli startup called MDGo could put a real
dent in the ambulance-chasing business if its
bid to leverage deep learning and biomechanical
modeling succeeds in turning cars into triage
doctors.
The idea is elegantly simple: Use information gathered
by a vehicle’s multiaxis accelerometers and other sensors
during an accident in order to help predict the injuries
inflicted on the occupants, and share this data with first
responders so they’re prepared to provide precisely
the care needed. For example, the data could be used to
immediately dispatch a medevac unit instead of waiting
for an ambulance to arrive, assess, and then summon
medevac. MDGo claims that—for survivable accidents—
such tailored care and time savings could improve
victims’ long-term outlook for mortality and morbidity
(chronic pain/side effects) by as much as 44 percent.
MDGo co-founder and CEO Itay Bengad’s trauma ward
experience in medical school exposed him to many crash
victims who received insufficient or incorrect care at
the scene and/or en route to the hospital. This got him
wondering whether technology aboard vehicles, coupled
with crash-structure information and biomechanical
modeling of the human body, could accurately and
instantly predict injuries suffered by accident victims.
Since its January 2017 founding, the company has been
obtaining and analyzing crash-test information from the
open databases of crash-test authorities like NHTSA,
IIHS, and Europe’s NCAP—covering five government-
mandated crash test scenarios. To this, MDGo has added
finite-element simulations of vehicles involved in many
more scenarios, some of which the company verified by
conducting its own crash tests.
Each prediction model involves 22 million elements.
The company has obtained finite-element models of
11 actual vehicles; the rest have been derived in-house,
using open-source structure data to which MDGo adds
its own safety equipment modeling. The company
also investigated 10,000 crash tests and simulations in
development of its own biomechanical occupant dummy
model. The predictions also appear to be valid for male
or female occupants (the weight of which modern cars
sense and record for the model to use in the prediction).
This research has confirmed that vehicles of similar
size, type, weight, and configuration can share a
simulation model and yield reasonable injury prediction
results. As such, it will never be necessary to obtain
actual finite-element models of every vehicle. A handful
of comprehensive models for each vehicle category is
sufficient. And all such models will be forever evolving.
Each of the tens of thousands of crashes that happen
each day can inform a massive database, noting slightly
4.19 I TREND
Frank Markus
TECHNOLOGUE
new or different crash scenarios, against which actual
reports of occupant injuries can potentially tweak the
prediction model.
MDGo is currently assessing real-world crash data
from a pilot program running in Israel since mid-2018.
In at least 120 cases, telematics data were received from
vehicles for which an appropriate model was available.
In these cases, the data was received, analyzed within 8
seconds, and transmitted to the nearest pertinent trauma
experts and medical facilities via a smartphone app.
Comparing predictions against actual trauma reported by
the nation’s sole ambulance/EMS service, Magen David
Adom, reveals an impressive 92 percent accuracy rate.
All work conducted so far simply involves today’s suite
of vehicle sensors. But over the next few years, MDGo
looks to further enrich its data—and perhaps provide
drivers and passengers with instant health checkups as
they drive. That’s when the next generation of sensors
begins rolling out, including facial recognition cameras
and biometric devices that detect responses like heart
rate, respiration, and pupil dilation.
The public benefits of MDGo’s technology are obvious.
But the company’s business case is based on the savings
and services it can provide to insurance companies—so
they are the target customers. Turns out those crash-
prediction models are also great at predicting vehicle
damage, providing an instant repair estimate. Knowing
exactly what happened in any accident—or saving the
expense of determining (and perhaps litigating) what
happened—promises to return about 25 percent to an
insurance company’s bottom line, perhaps at the expense
of those ambulance chasers. Q
APRIL 2019 / MOTORTREND.COM 27
NEWS I OPINION I GOSSIP I STUFF
They Say...
Marc Lichte
arc Lichte is the auto designer
M from central casting: sharply
tailored suit, expensive watch,
improbable hair. Born in the town
of Arnsberg, Germany, just outside
Dortmund, he joined Volkswagen
AG in 1996 as a junior designer while
completing his degree in transportation
design at Pforzheim University. Lichte
has worked for VW Group ever since,
becoming head of exterior design for
Volkswagen, working on the fifth-, sixth-,
and seventh-gen Golfs, the Passat and
Arteon sedans, and the Touareg SUV,
among others. He moved to his current
role as head of design for Audi in early
2014. MotorTrend caught up with Lichte
just prior to the reveal of the Audi E-Tron
GT concept in Los Angeles.
The A8 and Q8 were the first production
Audis designed on your watch. What do
they tell us about the future direction of
Audi design? We will clearly differentiate
between A and Q. This is very important.
Visually from a long distance, you need to
know whether you have an A8 coming or
a Q8. Also, Quattro is not only a badge for
28 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019
Head of Design, Audi AG
us; it’s a proportion. We will stress all four ones. You are right, the SUV segment is
wheels. The body is narrow in between
the wheels, and then we will create really
strong muscles, the same at the front and
growing, but there are still many people
who want to have a sporty car, so we will
also have really sporty, low-floor battery
at the back. This is Quattro proportion. electric cars. And I want to have the
lowest, because doing a low-floor battery
The E-Tron GT concept seems to take the electric vehicle is a big challenge. Not
design language in a slightly different everybody is able to do a car like this.
direction—away from the sharp edges The E-Tron GT concept is a teaser for a
we’ve come to expect from Audi. whole family. There will be cars like this
The C5 (1997–2004) A6 was very round; in other segments, I can promise you.
roundness is part of our DNA. But for the The cars are already done.
first time we are combining this round-
ness with some sharp lines. That’s what So even though traditional sedans are
makes this car very new. This is our next going away, if you like cars rather than
evolution in our design language. The SUVs, they are actually going to get
production E-Tron GT will have 21-inch sportier with electric powertrains?
wheels, regular door handles and exterior Exactly, because you can have a lower
mirrors, but otherwise it will look like [hood], you need bigger wheels, and
this. The platform is 100 percent Porsche, you need a wider track to integrate the
shared with the Taycan, but none of it battery pack. You end up with really
is visible to the customer. The E-Tron good proportions.
GT will have a different driving feel and
character to the Porsche, which is easy You seem genuinely excited about the
to do in a digital world, and of course the E-Tron GT. Is this a highlight car for you?
interior and exterior design is different. This is definitely my masterpiece, my
highlight. I never get a chance to do a
Do you get a lot more design freedom car like this. Michael Mauer at Porsche
with an electric vehicle—because of its always does cars like
more compact powertrain—than with an this. I didn’t have the
internal combustion engine vehicle? chance until now.
No. A battery electric package simply Angus MacKenzie
enables different proportions. The Jaguar
I-Pace looks modern and visionary about
this, but honestly speaking, moving the
A-pillar so far forward doesn’t make
sense on an electric vehicle because it
means the glass area becomes bigger.
More glass means the car will get hotter
inside, and you don’t want that on a
battery electric vehicle because it makes
the air conditioning work harder. Plus,
I like the proportions of
the E-Tron GT concept.
You can say, yeah, it
looks old-fashioned. No,
for me, this is sexy.
The auto market is turning away from
sedans, embracing SUVs. Does a sporty
four-door electric car make sense?
We will have more battery electric SUVs
like E-Tron in the future. There will
be smaller ones. There will be bigger

Your Say...
A glimpse of our
autonomous future
After reading and subscribing to this
magazine for over 50 years, I’ve finally
found something to write you guys about.
I’ve been involved with technology
in the marine business for almost 40
years. We all joke that the days of points,
condensers, and carburetors are long
gone; just like current cars, you’re not
going to diagnose a boat today without
a laptop.
Reading Angus MacKenzie’s article
regarding autonomous vehicles, and the
scenario when the computer has to decide
whether to hit the biker or the Volvo is
thought-provoking. My decision would be
based on whether my wife and grandchil-
dren were in the car with me.
Angus also brings up a great point: If
there’s any litigation, does it become the
responsibility of the manufacturer, the
tech that wrote the code, or the law that
legalized autonomous vehicles?
Keep up the great work!
Vince Campbell
Long Island, New York
The ethical dilemma Angus MacKenzie
presents is an interesting (and realistic)
variation on the traditionally posed
paradox. In terms of the design of the
accident-avoidance algorithm, since the
programmer cannot know the full context
of the critical event ahead of time, is there
a reasonable option other than designing
the program to minimize the risk to the
car’s own occupants?
In terms of the abstract dilemma,
shouldn’t the person who made the
conscious decision to expose himself to
increased risk by riding the motorcycle in
traffic play a principal part in the alloca-
tion of responsibility?
David Kafka
via email
Angus MacKenzie just addressed one
of my biggest fears about swinging a leg
over my BMW K 1300 GT. If autonomous
vehicles either can’t detect a motorcycle
or are programmed to respond as if colli-
sion with a motorcyclist is the preferred
option in accident avoidance, my days
are numbered.
David Fernandez
via email
4.19 I TREND
Readers Respond to Past Issues
Mr. MacKenzie presented a hypothet-
ical traffic accident and then asked who
was responsible. Ignoring all the hoopla
over automation, simple traffic law says
two drivers share the responsibility. First,
the driver of the truck is primarily respon-
sible for the accident by failing to properly
tie down the large, heavy object. Second,
the “you” in the accident shares respon-
sibility for failing to control your vehicle.
Reader on location You should have been driving such that
This month’s reader on location, you were able to stop in your lane before
James Stewart, writes to us from Las hitting the large, heavy object.
Vegas, Nevada. “Hello, MT! I’ve owned
Automation aids the driver, but the
both a Scion FR-S and BMW M235i,
driver is still responsible.
and your car reviews for those cars
Bob Turner
greatly impacted my decision-making.
Phoenix, Arizona
During a recent weekend trip in Las
Vegas, I rented a Lamborghini Huracán
Well said, Bob. We can’t help but compare
and drove it to Red Rock Canyon. The the situation to an airliner on autopilot—
nice winding roads and scenic views autopilot eases the workload, but the pilot
made for a perfect driving experience I is ultimately responsible for the aircraft, its
will never forget. I look forward to future safety, and the safety of those surrounding
exciting content from the MotorTrend it. But if an autonomous car lacks a steering
crew! Keep up the amazing work!“ wheel or brakes, then the burden of respon-
sibility shifts … to whom?—Ed.
Trust ...V1 earns it one ambush at a time.
Glenna R.,
Dallas, TX
“Love the arrows! Where’s
the radar? They tell me Ahead
every time. A detector
without the arrows is like Beside
a car without headlights.
” Behind
www.valentine1.com
Call toll-free 1-800-331-3030
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THE NEW
NORMAL

WORDS: CHRISTIAN SEABAUGH

PHOTOGRAPHS: ROBIN TRAJANO

WHY BUY A FAMILY SEDAN WHEN THE NEW

GENERATION OF COMPACT CROSSOVERS IS THIS GOOD?
30 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019
 COVER STORY

COMPACT SUVS

The lineup
2 8 6 4 1 3 5
1 Chevrolet Equinox AWD LT ................. $34,330
2 Honda CR-V AWD (EX-L) ..................... $32,145
3 Hyundai Tucson HTRAC (Ultimate) .....$34,120
4 Jeep Cherokee 4x4 Latitude (Plus) ... $34,720
5 Mazda CX-5 AWD (Grand Touring) ....$32,760
6 Nissan Rogue SV AWD ........................ $32,820
7 7 Subaru Forester Limited ........................$31,770
8 Toyota RAV4 Adventure ...................... $38,865
APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 31
COVER STORY

I
t’s hardly a news flash if you’ve been
paying attention: Over the past decade,
American families have dumped their
family sedans for compact SUVs.
Such a transformation in automotive
preferences is nearly unprecedented: Car-
based compact crossovers have become
the best-selling passenger vehicles in the
United States—second only to full-size
pickups—and odds are you and/or most of
your neighbors have one in the driveway.
We did a comparison test of this
grouping just a few short years ago,
but because this red-hot segment is so
competitive, many of the players have
undergone significant changes of late.
To keep your knowledge up to date as far
as who makes the best small SUV right
now, we have assembled the eight most
important compact crossovers on the
market. Who lays claim to bragging rights
this time around?
The Pack
There’s a lot of pressure on the newest
entry in our group, the 2019 Toyota RAV4,
especially as it replaces the best-selling
passenger vehicle in the United States.
(The outgoing RAV4 uprooted the
Camry’s decade-plus reign of dominance.)
Our Adventure trim signifies the ongoing
shift Toyota is making with its best-seller.
Its stylish sheetmetal is matched by a
colorful cabin that’s more than tones and
textures—it also reveals attention to detail.
With a 203-hp 2.5-liter I-4 paired with
an eight-speed automatic, it has the most
powerful standard engine in this group. On
paper, there’s a lot going right here.
A partial testament to the power of
low-APR loans, the Nissan Rogue is hot
on the Toyota’s heels in the sales race.
The 2019 Rogue SV is aging rather well.
There’s still enough to like about this

ACCELERATION TO MPH 2019 Chevrolet Equinox Honda CR-V Hyundai Tucson

0-30 2.9 sec 2.8 sec 2.9 sec
0-40 4.5 4.0 4.5
0-50 6.4 5.6 6.4
0-60 8.7 7.6 8.8
0-70 11.7 10.0 11.9
0-80 15.2 13.1 15.2
0-90 — 16.9 —
0-100 — — —
PASSING, 45-65 MPH 4.8 3.9 4.9
QUARTER MILE 16.7 sec @ 83.1 mph 15.9 sec @ 87.7 mph 16.7 sec @ 84.1 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 120 ft 118 ft 118 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.78 g (avg) WORST 0.83 g (avg) BEST 0.82 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT 28.1 sec @ 0.59 g (avg) 27.5 sec @ 0.61 g (avg) 27.6 sec @ 0.60 g (avg)
TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH 2,100 rpm 1,600 rpm 1,800 rpm

32 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019


scrappy crossover, such as its cushy,
roomy back seat and innovative cargo
hold. Like the Toyota, the Rogue is moti-
vated by a 2.5-liter I-4, this one making
just 170 hp and paired with a CVT.
The Honda CR-V is not only Honda’s
best-selling vehicle but was also our
2018 SUV of the Year. We crowned this
spacious crossover because it does so
much so well, from its intelligently
designed interior and segment-best
driver-assist technology to its excep-
tional road manners. Our 2019 CR-V
EX-L tester features the optional 1.5-liter
turbocharged mill that so charmed us
when it won its honors. With all this new
sheetmetal present, does it still have what
it takes to win a Big Test?
The recently refreshed 2019 Jeep
Cherokee is hungry to eat into the Japa-
nese Three’s sales. With a new nose and
tail, a crash diet, and a revvy new optional
powertrain borrowed from the fantastic
Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio, Jeep
hopes the Cherkoee Latitude can make
up for its ninth-place finish last time.
Compact SUVs I THE BIG TEST
Rivaling the Jeep in the off-road
credibility department is the
redesigned-for-2019 Subaru Forester.
The Forester (the Limited trim in our
test) moves to a modular platform with
refreshed sheetmetal, a roomier cabin,
and all-wheel drive for those harsh
northern winters.
The last time we Big Tested this
segment, the Hyundai Tucson earned
a surprising third-place finish. With a
little more powertrain refinement, we
said Hyundai could have won the whole

MANY IN THIS RED-HOT SEGMENT HAVE

UNDERGONE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES.
WHO LAYS CLAIM TO BRAGGING RIGHTS?

Jeep Cherokee Mazda CX-5 Nissan Rogue Subaru Forester Toyota RAV4
2.4 sec 2.7 sec 3.2 sec 3.2 sec 3.0 sec
3.5 4.3 4.9 4.6 4.7
5.0 6.0 7.0 6.3 6.4
6.6 BEST 8.3 9.5 WORST 8.3 8.5
8.9 11.0 12.6 10.9 11.4
11.4 14.6 16.5 14.1 14.7
15.1 — — — 18.6
— — — — —
3.5 4.5 5.1 4.1 4.5
15.2 sec @ 90.3 mph 16.4 sec @ 83.7 mph 17.2 sec @ 81.5 mph 16.5 sec @ 86.2 mph 16.6 sec @ 85.2 mph
125 ft 123 ft 119 ft 117 ft BEST 126 ft WORST
0.80 g (avg) 0.79 g (avg) 0.81 g (avg) 0.82 g (avg) 0.81 g (avg)
27.1 sec @ 0.62 g (avg) 27.8 sec @ 0.59 g (avg) 28.0 sec @ 0.59 g (avg) 27.3 sec @ 0.63 g (avg) 27.5 sec @ 0.62 g (avg)
1,350 rpm 2,050 rpm 1,700 rpm 1,700 rpm 2,200 rpm

APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 33

shebang. The Korean automaker has by the Grand Touring) has long been a
appeared to take that lesson to heart, fan favorite for its focus on rewarding the
replacing its jerky twin-clutch transmis- driver rather than being a mere schlep-
sion with a six-speed auto last year. Our ping appliance.
2019 Tucson Ultimate tester has a 181-hp Having shrunk in size to make room for
2.4-liter I-4 bolted to its new six-speed. the Blazer, the 2019 Chevrolet Equinox
Although its sales numbers don’t back LT also moved to smaller, more efficient
it up, the Mazda CX-5 (represented here engines—such as our tester’s 170-hp
1.5-liter turbo-four mated to a six-speed
Chevrolet Equinox automatic transmission.
HEADROOM, F/R 38.2/36.9 in We asked Ford for an Escape, but
LEGROOM, F/R 40.9/39.7 in Blue Oval PR said none was available for
testing. Not much has changed for the
SHOULDER ROOM, F/R 57.2/55.5 in
Escape since it finished sixth last time
CARGO VOLUME BEH F/R ROWS 63.5/29.9 cu ft
around, though, so finishing anywhere
CURB WEIGHT 3,566 lb
but near the bottom was unlikely.
WEIGHT DIST, F/R 56/44%
To level the playing field, our eight
TURNING CIRCLE 37.4 ft competitors were equipped as similarly
GROUND CLEARANCE 7.9 in as possible. All came with all-wheel drive.
APPROACH/DEPART ANGLE 19.0/24.2 deg Seven of our eight testers stickered for
$34,000 or less—save for the RAV4,
which carries an eye-watering $38,865
window sticker. We’ll keep that price in
mind in our final ranking.
Our Big Tests are more about daily
living than tearing up the track. As such,
the winner has to be practical, and it
must balance boring stuff like value, cost
of ownership, safety, and efficiency. Still,
it has to be rewarding to drive and own.
Performance, Ride, and Handling
The reason most family haulers get such
a bad rap is because they’ve typically
handled about as well as a box truck,
rode like they were suspended from wet
noodles, and had about as much power as
a Bird scooter. Thankfully, most auto-
makers nowadays realize they’ve got a lot
to lose by cheaping out on dynamics.

LAYOUT AWD, 5-PASSENGER SUV

65.4”

62.2” 62.2” 107.3”

72.6” 183.1”
34 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019

No doubt about it, the athlete of the horsepower is midpack, but its four-pot
group is the Mazda CX-5. There’s such a has a sporty snarl to it, and it rewards
sense of purity and playfulness in the way drivers who keep their foot buried in
the CX-5 goes down the road. “Every time the throttle. The six-speed automatic,
you get in a Mazda, you can feel that it shifting quickly and unafraid to hold
was made by drivers, for drivers,” features gears, doesn’t feel as old as it is.
editor Scott Evans said. Powered by its The CX-5 is even more fun if your
standard 187-hp 2.5-liter I-4, the Mazda’s commute involves carving up a good back
road—or in our case, coastal California.
Honda CR-V But there’s a trade-off to the Mazda’s
HEADROOM, F/R 37.8/38.3 in spirited performance and delicate,
LEGROOM, F/R 41.3/40.4 in communicative steering. “Busy ride,”
SHOULDER ROOM, F/R
executive editor Mark Rechtin called
57.9/55.6 in
it. “You feel every little pebble, and the
CARGO VOLUME BEH F/R ROWS 75.8/37.6 cu ft
deeper impacts definitely get transferred
CURB WEIGHT 3,487 lb
to your spine.”
WEIGHT DIST, F/R 57/43%
If the CX-5 is the canyon carver of
TURNING CIRCLE 37.4 ft the bunch, the Jeep Cherokee is the
GROUND CLEARANCE 8.2 in drag racer. Unsurprisingly, given its
APPROACH/DEPART ANGLE 20.8/24.8 deg nearly 70-hp advantage over the next
LAYOUT AWD, 5-PASSENGER SUV
66.5”
62.9” 63.5”
73.0”
Compact SUVs I THE BIG TEST
most powerful competitor, the RAV4,
the Cherokee is the quickest crossover
in our group. “What an engine!” senior
production editor Zach Gale said. Jeep’s
infamous nine-speed automatic appears
to be cured of most of its ills with this
update, too. Shifts are generally smooth
and decisive, though a few editors noted
some bad behavior and clunkiness in
heavy L.A. traffic and in parking lots.
The Cherokee’s ride and handling
balance is best described as charming.
Despite being built—like all others
here—on a compact sedan platform, the
Jeep feels remarkably trucklike. Its ride
is stiff but not punishing, and steering
is slow; that isn’t exactly rewarding, but
rarely do these family CUVs provide the
same satisfaction through turns that the
Mazda does.
104.7”
180.6”
APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 35
 The Honda CR-V does come pretty Normally we aren’t fans of the drony feel
close, though. Its 190-hp turbo-four of continuously variable transmissions,
has just a hint of turbo lag, but it feels but this is one terrific CVT.
powerful no matter what you throw at Honda also nailed the fine balancing
it. The CR-V’s engine punches above act between a supple ride and relatively
its weight and is just as happy loafing sporty handling. “I want to call out the
around town as it is passing that slow ride and handling balance because it’s
Prius camped out in the left lane. just that good,” Evans said. “They really
nailed it here.”
Hyundai Tucson The Jeep, Honda, and Mazda all
HEADROOM, F/R 39.6/39.2 in comfortably assert their personalities
LEGROOM, F/R 41.5/38.2 in on the road, but the Hyundai Tucson
SHOULDER ROOM, F/R 57.1/55.5 in
is a bit of a wallflower. The Tucson is
CARGO VOLUME BEH F/R ROWS 61.9/31.0 cu ft
happy to work hard but would prefer
if you just take it easy. Its powertrain
CURB WEIGHT 3,633 lb
feels more than competent in the flow of
WEIGHT DIST, F/R 58/42%
traffic, its automatic smoothly shunting
TURNING CIRCLE 34.9 ft from gear to gear, but the engine starts
GROUND CLEARANCE 6.4 in sounding thrashy when pushed. Its
APPROACH/DEPART ANGLE 17.9/24.5 deg ride and handling behavior is similarly
inoffensive. “The Tucson took a set in
turns quite predictably and generally
exhibited little or no bad behavior,” tech-
nical director Frank Markus said.
The Tucson may be a bit forgettable,
but the Subaru Forester isn’t—and
not for the reasons you’d want it to be.
Subarus have traditionally had a utili-
tarian charm going for them—they’ve
been a bit underpowered, but they
typically ride and handle wonderfully.
The big new Forester maintains its
underpowered tendencies to a fault;
unfortunately, it doesn’t deliver on the
ride or handling qualities we expect from
Subaru. “I’m pretty fed up with the ride
after 20 minutes,” Rechtin said. He’s
not alone. The Forester galumphs down
the road like an old Cadillac, even the
smallest of bumps making the Subaru

LAYOUT AWD, 5-PASSENGER SUV

64.8”

63.3” 63.8” 105.1”

72.8” 176.4”
36 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019

porpoise on its bump stops. If a member poky—and that was with just an editor
of your family is prone to carsickness, flying solo.
move along. The Subie’s gravelly 2.5-liter The RAV4 is another new model that’s
flat-four makes what should be a suffi- disappointing on the road. The old model
cient 182 hp, and it is aided around town was never a segment performance leader,
by aggressive CVT tuning. But under but we’re nonetheless pretty bummed
acceleration off the line and in passing that Toyota’s engineers didn’t appear to
maneuvers, the Forester is just plain do as much work as its designers. Despite
all its horsepower, the Toyota’s new
Jeep Cherokee engine seems outmatched. The buzzy
HEADROOM, F/R 37.9/38.5 in engine “feels like it’s straining when you
LEGROOM, F/R 41.1/40.3 in ask for modest acceleration, and after
SHOULDER ROOM, F/R 57.6/55.1 in
every rough upshift, the engine seems to
be struggling to keep the momentum,”
CARGO VOLUME BEH F/R ROWS 54.7/27.6 cu ft
Evans said. The RAV4’s ride quality is
CURB WEIGHT 3,981 lb
bottom of the pack, too, with lots of head
WEIGHT DIST, F/R 59/41%
toss, gut jiggle, and a fair amount of roll
TURNING CIRCLE 37.7 ft through corners. We expected better.
GROUND CLEARANCE 7.9 in The Toyota at least has company. The
APPROACH/DEPART ANGLE 18.9/25.0 deg Equinox shares a lot of the RAV4’s poorer
LAYOUT AWD, 5-PASSENGER SUV
66.2”
62.7” 63.1”
73.2”
Compact SUVs I THE BIG TEST
qualities. The Chevy’s turbo engine
proved as noisy as the RAV4’s and about
as poky when pushed, too. The Equinox’s
engine does have one thing going for it,
though—it has the smoothest stop/start
system of the group. The Chevy’s ride and
handling is just as irritating as its accel-
eration, routinely plowing and pushing
through corners. “Saying the steering is
vague is an understatement,” Rechtin
said. “You sort of aim in a general direc-
tion and make about 100 course correc-
tions throughout the corner.”
After piloting a Rogue for a year as part
of our long-term test program, I have
a soft spot for Nissan’s crossover. But
nostalgia can’t cover up the cavities on
this long-in-the-tooth model. First the
good—the Nissan’s powertrain is gener-
ally strong, even if it’s noisy and prone to
106.6”
183.1”
APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 37
COVER STORY I Compact SUVs
2019 Chevrolet Equinox AWD LT
2019 Honda CR-V AWD (EX-L)
the dreaded CVT drone. But the Nissan
falters in its ride and handling experi-
ence. Where others have evolved, the
Rogue is sloppy in anything but a straight
line. Steering is heavy and unresponsive,
and once the Rogue does respond to your
input, it hunkers over like a sailboat that
just crossed the wind.
Cockpit and Cabin
What’s inside can be just as important
as how a family crossover drives. And
38 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019
despite the similar footprints, there’s a
clear difference in philosophies at play
here. Some seek to maximize space for
people, others for cargo, while a couple
focus purely on aesthetics at the cost of
functionality.
The Honda CR-V is a packaging
marvel, no getting around it. How Honda
managed to cram that much usable space
in one of the smallest physical pack-
ages defies logic. By the numbers, the
CR-V leads in both cargo volume and
Many things frustrate us about the Chevrolet
Equinox’s cabin. One easily overlooked
but important “feature” is that it’s the
only vehicle here where you have to press
a button to engage all-wheel drive. The
button, located just forward of the gearshift,
is hard to see or tell if it's engaged.
Honda’s interior makes masterful use of
space. We weren’t all fans of the CR-V’s
gearshift, reminiscent of a minivan, but
there’s no denying how much real estate it
frees up for cupholders and cubbies.
rear passenger space, and it’s near tops
in front passenger space, too. Numbers
sometimes lie, but Honda’s don’t. “The
rear seat has tons of space,” 6-foot-4
“Stilts” Gale said.
Aside from space, the CR-V really
delivers in the experience. All materials
are pleasing to the touch, and the mix of
colors and textures provides an open-
air feel. The Honda’s multiple cubbies,
cupholders, and USB outlets throughout
the cabin and massive center console

2019 Hyundai Tucson HTRAC (Ultimate)
2019 Jeep Cherokee 4x4 Latitude (Plus)
with a sliding lid all win points. The
CR-V’s biggest miss? Its infotainment
system. Honda helpfully brought back
a volume knob for the 2017 model year,
but the system is as arduous as going
to the DMV. Thankfully, Apple CarPlay
compatibility means you can mostly
avoid Honda’s unresponsive, cluttered,
and laggy native infotainment software.
The Subaru Forester provides a
thoughtfully designed cabin. Swing the
wide-opening doors, and you’ll find a
utilitarian but high-quality space with
an interesting mix of colors, textures,
and materials. “It feels like you’re getting
your money’s worth,” Rechtin said.
When it comes to design and features,
the Subaru also scored high marks for its
twin infotainment displays on the center
stack. The Forester’s cabin is especially
roomy with a spacious back seat and
cargo area and a yawning rear hatch. Its
fishbowl-like greenhouse is perfect to
take in the sights of a national park.
Compact SUVs I THE BIG TEST
Props to Hyundai—the two-tone Tucson
feels open and airy, and it looks rather
premium, too. We especially like Hyundai’s
infotainment system for how responsive
and easy it is to use.
We can’t imagine Jeep saved much
money with the small infotainment display,
especially considering the separate set
of tooling required. The baby screen and
button blanks were a huge bummer.
Like the Honda and Subaru, the
Equinox is spacious—but that’s where the
similarities end. The Japanese entries
delighted us with their inherent quality,
which isn’t the case with the Chevy.
“Everything about this Equinox screams
rental car,” Markus said. “The cloth seats,
the hard plastic everywhere you look—
the only thing that doesn’t scream rental
car is the $34,330 price tag.” He was just
getting teed up: “Actually this interior is
kind of the worst of both worlds; they’ve
APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 39
COVER STORY I Compact SUVs
2019 Mazda CX-5 AWD (Grand Touring)
2019 Nissan Rogue SV AWD
spent the money on soft materials, but
they gave them a grain and gloss level
that looks cheap.” The only saving graces
are the Chevy’s intuitive infotainment
system and its back-seat package, which
has great legroom thanks to its flat floor.
Grotty interior quality is also the bane
of the Nissan Rogue—calling to mind
a subway car, with a hodgepodge of
seemingly random plastics throughout.
Nissan’s infotainment system has the
resolution of a closed-circuit security
40 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019
camera and is about as user-friendly as
one, too. The Rogue’s plasticky flat-
bottom steering wheel took flak (“Why
does it have a flat-bottom steering wheel
if it’s not sporty at all?” associate online
editor Kelly Pleskot asked), as did the
eight inscrutable buttons placed near the
driver’s left kneecap.
But even a Rogue deserves redemp-
tion. The seats, both front and back, were
generally comfortable, and we like the
second row’s ability to slide fore and aft,
Mazda's prices are mainstream, but its
cabins are premium. More than any other
vehicle here, the CX-5 does a convincing
impersonation of a luxury vehicle, especially
the interior fit, finish, and materials.
Look really closely at the 8 o'clock position
on the Rogue’s steering wheel. See that
bank of buttons on the lower portion of the
dash? Yeah, those are about as easy to use
while driving as it was for you to find ’em.
helping bring little ones and pets closer
to the front seat while boosting cargo
space. Nissan’s innovative Divide-N-
Hide cargo system is also a versatile and
useful storage solution.
The Jeep Cherokee left us feeling
cold, too. True, the Cherokee’s cabin was
significantly updated for the 2019 model
year, but it will take more than its $34,720
as-tested price tag to reap most of those
benefits. The most obvious issue is front
and center. Gale blanched at the obvious

2019 Subaru Forester Limited
2019 Toyota RAV4 Adventure
cost-cutting of the tiny standard info-
tainment screen and the three obviously
blanked buttons directly beneath. The
Jeep suffers from an overall lack of space,
whether it’s the shortage of usable storage
cubbies for your keys or phone or the
cramped back seat. Fortunately, the cargo
hatch opening is now wider than before.
Meanwhile, Toyota went fun and
funky: “Great interior design, mix of
materials, and ergonomics on the RAV4,”
associate road test editor Erick Ayapana
said. Gale agreed: “These geometric
patterns on the seats, in the cargo
area, and the Qi wireless charging are
fantastic. That, along with the Adventure
trim’s multicolor seat stripes, makes this
trim’s design feel special.” Look past the
Adventure-exclusive trim, though, and
the Toyota falls down a few pegs. Head-
room up front is pinched, and legroom
in back is noticeably worst in class. The
cargo area is also of limited practical use
with the rear seats folded—they don’t
Compact SUVs I THE BIG TEST
We love the airy feel of the Forester's
cabin. Our biggest nitpick is that the
controls used for that neat screen on top of
the dash are on the left side of the steering
wheel, and confusingly, the controls for the
instrument cluster are on the right.
The Toyota RAV4’s cabin is tight on space,
but the design is excellent. In addition to
the orange accents and big knurled knobs,
we really like the cellphone-sized cubbies
built into the dashboard.
fold flat and have hard plastic bulbs at
either corner that’ll ensure your stuff
doesn’t lie flat, either.
While others went playful, Mazda
impressed us with its maturity. The
driver-focused CX-5 Grand Touring
is merely a Lexus badge away from
bougieing its way out of this comparison
test. “Mazda has a much more upscale
look and feel inside; all materials seem
classier,” Markus said. The cabin—
finished in a faux zebra-grained wood,
APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 41
contrast-stitched leather, satin accents, back, most editors found the rear seats primarily with carting around your
and revamped high-resolution displays— to be tight. family. Remarkably, all eight of our cross-
is sure to make you feel good about your The Hyundai Tucson also looks overs performed well on both NHTSA
purchase each and every day. From a premium. The black and tan palette and IIHS tests. Only fractions of a point
practicality standpoint, there’s room gives the cabin an elegant and open feel, separate the bottom of the pack from the
for improvement. Storage space for and all of the controls are thoughtfully first-place CX-5.
keys, phones, a stick of gum—let alone arranged. “Hyundai remains a leader When it comes to technologies that
drinks—is at a premium up front. In in infotainment,” Evans said. “Its user help you avoid an accident in the first
interface is friendlier and cleaner than place, the CR-V was especially notable
Mazda CX-5 anyone else’s, and you still get all the here. It features driver-assist technolo-
HEADROOM, F/R 39.3/39.0 in redundant buttons you need.” Although gies such as radar cruise control, forward
LEGROOM, F/R 41.0/39.6 in the Tucson’s interior looks rich, it doesn’t collision alert, and lane keep assist
SHOULDER ROOM, F/R 57.1/54.8 in
always feel it; some of the switchgear to not only help make your ride safer
CARGO VOLUME BEH F/R ROWS
feels brittle and cheap, and we’re no fans but also reduce the driver’s workload.
59.6/30.9 cu ft
of the scratchy plastics on the doors and “The CR-V’s lane centering and related
CURB WEIGHT 3,694 lb
backs of the rear seats. systems perform more smoothly and
WEIGHT DIST, F/R 57/43%
consistently than any other in this
TURNING CIRCLE 36.0 ft Safety group,” Evans said.
GROUND CLEARANCE 7.5 in Safety is important in any segment but The Rogue’s poor performance is simi-
APPROACH/DEPART ANGLE 17.0/20.0 deg especially so when a vehicle is tasked larly notable. Despite featuring Nissan’s

LAYOUT AWD, 5-PASSENGER SUV

65.3”

62.8” 62.8” 106.2”

72.5” 179.1”
42 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019
 Compact SUVs I THE BIG TEST

lauded ProPilot Assist semi-autonomous showed seeing lines on both sides but
suite, the system in this particular Rogue then veered into the right lane, almost
didn’t behave as well as the same system into a cop, who then pulled me over.”
in the Altima and other newer vehicles. Traffic stop be damned, at least the
Markus found that out the hard way: Rogue’s system worked in optimal
“The lane keep assist system works fine freeway conditions—neither the Chevy
some of the time, but while driving on nor the Jeep had any active driver-assist
a boulevard with a curb on my left, it technologies. On the Equinox, radar
cruise control and associated systems are
Nissan Rogue only available on the top-line Premier
HEADROOM, F/R 39.5/36.6 in model, and on the Cherokee, Jeep’s
LEGROOM, F/R 43.0/37.9 in active safety systems become available
SHOULDER ROOM, F/R 56.6/55.9 in
on the midlevel Limited model.
CARGO VOLUME BEH F/R ROWS 70.0/39.3 cu ft
Value and Cost of Ownership
CURB WEIGHT 3,666 lb
There are different methods to deter-
WEIGHT DIST, F/R 57/43%
mine value. If you’re seeking the
TURNING CIRCLE 37.6 ft rock-bottom price, it’s difficult to beat
GROUND CLEARANCE 8.4 in our Subaru Forester Limited tester.
APPROACH/DEPART ANGLE 17.4/25.0 deg At $31,770 as tested, it’s not only the
cheapest SUV in our group ( just edging
out the Honda CR-V) but also among the
best equipped, with standard features
such as all-wheel drive, automatic A/C,
advanced driver-assist technologies, and a
panoramic moonroof.
If we expand our perspective beyond
the showroom floor, to IntelliChoice’s five-
year cost of ownership analysis (see page
47), we find that the Forester is again tops
here, with the CR-V hot on its heels.
Conclusion
At the end of a whirlwind week of testing,
the reasons why so many Americans
are moving from sedans to crossovers
really becomes clear. In a world where
the budgets of middle-class families are
being pinched, these compact crossovers
are a practical way to have much of the

LAYOUT AWD, 5-PASSENGER SUV

66.5”

62.8” 62.8” 106.5”

72.4” 184.5”
APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 43
COVER STORY I Compact SUVs
FrankenSUV
MOTORTREND CREATES THE ULTIMATE COMPACT CROSSOVER
Although this Big Test rightly
ranks the entrants in the
compact SUV segment, each
vehicle that participated had
some winning traits that
stood out from all the rest.
Which got the test judges
thinking: What if someone
took the very best elements
from our tested vehicles and
mashed them into a single,
perfect crossover? Well, likely
it would cost well north of 40
grand and be impossible from
an engineering standpoint.
But we can dream, can’t we?
Behold, the MotorTrend
FrankenSUV.
Exterior Design:
Mazda CX-5
The Mazda has no competition
in this aspect. It easily wins the
“Look back over your shoulder
and smile” contest. Lexus and
Acura designers should take
note of what suave elegance
looks like.
Engine:
Jeep Cherokee
Almost every vehicle in this
class is about miles per dollar
and savings at the pump. Sure,
some accelerate accept-
ably, but only the Cherokee’s
optional 270-hp 2.0-liter
direct-injection turbo-four
delivers true thrills.
44 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019
Handling: Mazda CX-5
You get married, have a kid ...
so buh-bye sports car fun. With
the CX-5, you get a semblance
of driving exhilaration. It’s a
jittery, baby-waking ride, but
the trade-off is best-in-class
handling by a country mile.
Ride: Honda CR-V
With some compact SUVs,
driving over a city’s lumps
and bumps is a molar-rattling
affair. The Honda CR-V’s
suspension is supple and
well damped regarding both
up-and-down impacts and
side-to-side sway.
Brakes: Subaru Forester
The most confident stopper.
Short pedal travel, good feed-
back, great bite.
Advanced Driver Aids:
Honda CR-V
The CR-V has the best lane
keeping, adaptive cruise
control, and other assist tech.
It rivals systems from Mercedes
and Tesla yet comes standard
on nearly every trim level.
Fuel Economy: Honda CR-V
Honda has cracked the magic
code that gives the CR-V
peppy performance and great
fuel economy.
Interior Design/
Craftsmanship:
Toyota RAV4
Great attention to detail,
upscale styling, and colorful
accents, which look and
feel special in a bland sea
of sameness.
Packaging: Honda CR-V
Small outside, huge inside.
Honda’s team always finds
more space for people and
cargo than any other brand.
Visibility: Subaru Forester
An expansive, low-sitting front
windshield, well-placed driver
hip-point, and side windows
that rival those of a school bus
give the Forester almost zero
blind spots.
Front Seats:
Jeep Cherokee
Plush like your favorite recliner
yet reinforced so it doesn’t feel
saggy, with firm side bolstering
for cornering and adjustable
four-way lumbar support for
those long drives.
Second-Row Seats:
Nissan Rogue
Rare in this class, the Rogue’s
rear seats slide fore and aft,
good for either passenger
legroom or bringing baby/Fido
nearer to the front seat occu-
pants. Only Nissan attaches
the middle belt to the seat, too.
Seat Back Pockets:
Subaru Forester
Only Subaru offers three
distinct pockets on each of the
front seat backs. They’re sized
to accommodate a laptop, a
tablet, and a phone.
Spare Tire:
Toyota RAV4
The RAV4 looks ready for off-
roading—and really is ready for
it, with the biggest mini spare,
at T165/9018, larger than the
Jeep’s T165/80D17.
Rearview Camera:
Chevrolet Equinox
The Equinox’s rearview camera
and 8.0-inch touchscreen
resolution make what’s
behind you look mighty
important. Has 4K resolution
come to reverse cams?
Two-Screen Infotainment
System: Subaru Forester
Should you display naviga-
tion or song title details?
Subaru’s answer is “yes.” Great
functionality.
Infotainment Software:
Hyundai/Chevrolet (tie)
Hyundai’s system has long
been one of the most intuitive
on the market, but Chevy’s
shines for its responsiveness,
intuitive layout, and crystal-
clear graphics.
Extra Features:
Hyundai Tucson
The Hyundai Tucson astounds
with its exceptional feature
content. On the $34,120
Ultimate AWD model, 18-inch
wheels, a panoramic sunroof, a
surround-view camera system,
powered/heated/ventilated
front leather seats, heated
rear outboard seats, a stellar
safety suite, and a thumping
315-watt Infinity stereo are
all included. Plus, of course, a
five-year/60,000-mile basic
warranty.
 Compact SUVs I THE BIG TEST

functionality of a two-car household with category. Nearly every judge ranked it
just a single vehicle. last. Its infotainment system and its
Even so, some are better buys than generally roomy cabin were pluses, but
others. And there are sizable gaps that’s about where the positives end.
between those vehicles we recommend It’s true that there are really no “bad”
and those we do not. vehicles for sale anymore, but there are
It’s safe to say that the 1.5-liter some wildly uncompetitive ones. The
Chevrolet Equinox LT falls into the latter Chevrolet Equinox LT fits that bill.
Although we were quick to put the
Subaru Forester Equinox out to pasture, we were more
HEADROOM, F/R 40.2/37.7 in reluctant doing so to the seventh-place
LEGROOM, F/R 43.3/39.4 in Jeep Cherokee Latitude. There are
SHOULDER ROOM, F/R 58.2/57.2 in many compromises to be found in the
CARGO VOLUME BEH F/R ROWS 70.9/33.0 cu ft Cherokee at this price point—its bare-
CURB WEIGHT 3,531 lb
bones interior and lack of advanced
safety tech chief among them—but
WEIGHT DIST, F/R 57/43%
there’s a certain charm and performance
TURNING CIRCLE 34.8 ft
credibility to the Cherokee that’s lacking
GROUND CLEARANCE 8.7 in
in most of the segment. And if you’re
APPROACH/DEPART ANGLE 22.9/24.6 deg
planning to take your compact CUV
off-roading, bump the Cherokee to the
top of your list.
The Nissan Rogue SV sits ahead of the
Jeep by the slimmest of margins; its high
feature content, comfortable seats, and
quality packaging help it edge out the
Americans. Still, there’s no overlooking
its aging underpinnings, unreliable
driver-assist systems, and an infotain-
ment system that feels more RadioShack
than Apple Store.
It’s hard to overstate just how wide
of a gulf separates our top five finishers
from the back of the pack—and the gap
between fifth through second place is so
tight that a single vote change could have
significantly altered our finishing order.
In other words, it’s hard to go wrong
with the rest of our field. Put it down to
personal preference.

LAYOUT AWD, 5-PASSENGER SUV

67.5”

61.6” 61.8” 105.1”

71.5” 182.1”
APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 45
COVER STORY I Compact SUVs

There should be no shame at Hyundai still lacks the cabin refinement and vibe, and it’s an outstanding value. But
about its fifth-place Tucson Ultimate. driving experience details that the class its underpowered engine and poorly
A solid all-around SUV, the Tucson is leaders have. controlled ride will have you doubting
stylish and upscale, with a comfort- Fourth place goes to the Toyota RAV4 your purchase decision even as you count
able cabin that’ll leave you feeling good Adventure. At first glance, the new RAV4 the money you saved.
about your purchase long after the new is a massive upgrade over the old one. Always the bridesmaid, never the
car smell wears off. But despite its fairly For starters, it’s been cohesively and bride—this seems to be where the Mazda
extensive midcycle refresh, the Tucson fabulously designed both inside and CX-5 Grand Touring finds itself. It’s no
out, sporting the look of a reimagined secret we love the CX-5. Quite simply,
Toyota RAV4 FJ Cruiser. But the Toyota team missed no other vehicle in this group focuses on
HEADROOM, F/M/R 37.7/37.7 in out on some key points it normally exciting and delighting the driver more
LEGROOM, F/M/R 41.0/37.8 in nails. An unimpressive powertrain, rear than the Mazda does. Its exterior look
SHOULDER ROOM, F/M/R 57.8/56.4 in
doors that don’t open very wide, rear
seats that don’t fold flat, and an overall
CARGO VOLUME BEH 1/2/3 ROWS 69.8/37.0 cu ft
cramped cabin negate many of its design
CURB WEIGHT 3,640 lb
advantages.
WEIGHT DIST, F/R 57/43%
Like the RAV4, our third-place finisher
TURNING CIRCLE 37.4 ft shows promise but falls short. The
GROUND CLEARANCE 8.6 in Subaru Forester scores incredibly high
APPROACH/DEPART ANGLE 19.0/21.0 deg in its general appearance and design

LAYOUT AWD, 5-PASSENGER SUV

68.5”

62.6” 63.3” 105.9”

73.4” 180.9”
46 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019
 Compact SUVs I THE BIG TEST

Customers certainly aren’t spoiled for choice

in this segment. Aside from the eight CUVs
present, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Kia, Mitsubishi, and
Volkswagen also offer affordable compact CUVs.

IntelliChoice Data
IntelliChoice data is based on five years of ownership at 14,000 miles driven per year. Target purchase price includes destination
and average applicable state taxes applied to a transaction price between invoice and retail, based on applicable incentives.

RANK: 8 RANK: 2 RANK: 6 RANK: 5

Chevrolet Equinox Honda CR-V Hyundai Tucson Jeep Cherokee
C H O O S E Y O U R C A R W I S E LY

AVG STATE FEES $457 $452 $463 $465

DEPRECIATION $19,904 (55%) $16,740 (49%) $19,020 (52%) $18,375 (52%)
FINANCING $3,906 $3,713 $3,934 $3,859
INSURANCE $6,529 $6,210 $6,842 $6,881
FUEL $7,475 $6,851 $8,747 $8,251
MAINTENANCE $3,072 $2,105 $2,226 $2,177
REPAIRS $807 $757 $209 $884
5-YEAR COST OF OWNERSHIP $42,150 $36,829 $41,442 $40,892
INTELLICHOICE $36,017 $34,228 $36,273 $35,586
TARGET PURCHASE PRICE

RANK: 3 RANK: 4 RANK: 1 RANK: 7

Mazda CX-5 Nissan Rogue Subaru Forester Toyota RAV4

AVG STATE FEES $463 $454 $461 $502

DEPRECIATION $17,295 (49%) $18,421 (53%) $15,232 (46%) $19,621 (47%)
FINANCING $3,790 $3,735 $3,598 $4,518
INSURANCE $6,892 $6,782 $6,500 $6,956
FUEL $7,614 $7,216 $6,970 $7,098
MAINTENANCE $2,044 $2,838 $2,711 $2,369
REPAIRS $788 $699 $756 $759
5-YEAR COST OF OWNERSHIP $38,885 $40,145 $36,227 $41,823
INTELLICHOICE $34,950 $34,444 $33,186 $41,666
TARGET PURCHASE PRICE

APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 47

COVER STORY I Compact SUVs
Chevrolet Honda CR-V
is sharp, its interior design is elegant, Equinox AWD LT AWD (EX-L)
and its driving feel is precise. If you put
THE BIG
TEST
driving ahead of functionality, this is the
crossover for you. But this is a Big Test,
and as such the CX-5 gives up ground in
key areas, falling short on overall pack-
aging, passenger space, and cargo room
POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS
to our winner.
I’m sure you’ve done the math by now— DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT Front-engine, AWD Front-engine, AWD
our winner is the Honda CR-V EX-L. It ENGINE TYPE Turbocharged I-4, Turbocharged I-4, alum
seems that no matter what challenge alum block/head block/head
we throw at the fifth-generation CR-V, VALVETRAIN DOHC, 4 valves/cyl DOHC, 4 valves/cyl
it excels. In the past, it has vanquished DISPLACEMENT 90.9 cu in/1,490cc 91.4 cu in/1,498cc
both the CX-5 and new RAV4 in stand- COMPRESSION RATIO 10.0:1 10.3:1
alone comparison tests, and it beat out 23 POWER (SAE NET) 170 hp @ 5,600 rpm* 190 hp @ 5,600 rpm
other SUVs to earn our SUV of the Year TORQUE (SAE NET) 203 lb-ft @ 2,500 rpm* 179 lb-ft @ 2,000 rpm
award in 2018. Now with the whole of REDLINE Not indicated (6,500- 6,500 rpm
rpm fuel shutoff)
its competitive set assembled, the CR-V
WEIGHT TO POWER 21.0 lb/hp 18.4 lb/hp
shines again. No crossover provides a
better overall balance than the Honda. TRANSMISSION 6-speed automatic Cont variable auto
It’s fun to drive yet still comfortable. It’s AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO 3.87:1/2.86:1 5.64:1/2.28:1
quick yet efficient. It’s affordable yet still SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR Struts, coil springs, Struts, coil springs, anti-
anti-roll bar; multilink, roll bar; multilink, coil
well equipped. And it’s compact outside coil springs, anti-roll bar springs, anti-roll bar
and spacious inside. The Honda CR-V is STEERING RATIO 17.0:1 12.3:1
not only the best in this segment, but its TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK 2.7 2.3
crossover appeal should also put it on the BRAKES, F; R 11.8-in vented disc; 11.1-in vented disc;
short list of anyone shopping for a new 11.3-in disc, ABS 10.2-in disc, ABS
family ride of any shape or size. With a WHEELS 7.0 x 17-in cast aluminum 7.5 x 18-in cast
CR-V this good, it’s easy to see why the aluminum
sedan is on its way out. Q TIRES 225/65R17 102H (M+S) 235/60R18 103H (M+S)
Bridgestone Ecopia H/L Bridgestone Ecopia H/L
422 Plus 422 Plus
1ST Honda CR-V
The start-up chime should be DJ CONSUMER INFO
Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win.” BASE PRICE $29,995 $32,145
PRICE AS TESTED $34,330 $32,145
2ND Mazda CX-5 STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL Yes/Yes Yes/Yes
Best driver’s crossover, with sharp design AIRBAGS 6: Dual front, front side, 6: Dual front, front side,
f/r curtain f/r curtain
inside and out.
BASIC WARRANTY 3 years/36,000 miles 3 years/36,000 miles
3RD Subaru Forester POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 5 years/60,000 miles 5 years/60,000 miles
Fix the suspension and give it some
ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 5 years/60,000 miles 3 years/36,000 miles
horsepower. Then we’ll talk.
FUEL CAPACITY 15.6 gal 14.0 gal
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON 25/30/27 mpg 27/33/29 mpg
4TH Toyota RAV4
ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY 135/112 kW-hr/100 mi 125/102 kW-hr/100 mi
Great design, underwhelming chassis
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 0.72 lb/mile 0.66 lb/mile
and powertrain.
RECOMMENDED FUEL Unleaded regular Unleaded regular

5TH Hyundai Tucson

A mild update away from
top-three contention. Again.

6TH Nissan Rogue WINNER

Great back seat and cargo package
but falls short on quality and refinement.

7TH Jeep Cherokee

All the charm of a puppy but with all the
drawbacks, too.

8TH Chevrolet Equinox

Feels like it was designed to be rented,
not owned.

48 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019


Hyundai Tucson
HTRAC (Ultimate)
Front-engine, AWD
I-4, alum block/head
DOHC, 4 valves/cyl
144.0 cu in/2,360cc
11.3:1
181 hp @ 6,000 rpm
175 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm
6,500 rpm
20.1 lb/hp
6-speed automatic
3.20:1/2.47:1
Struts, coil springs,
anti-roll bar; multilink,
coil springs, anti-roll bar
14.4:1
2.7
12.0-in vented disc;
11.9-in disc, ABS
7.0 x 18-in, cast
aluminum
225/55R18 98V (M+S)
Michelin Primacy
Tour A/S
$33,995
$34,120
Yes/Yes
6: Dual front, front
side, f/r curtain
5 years/60,000 miles
10 years/100,000 miles
5 years/unlimited miles
16.4 gal
21/26/23 mpg
160/130 kW-hr/100 mi
0.84 lb/mile
Unleaded regular
Of note: Our CR-V EX-L was damaged
in an accident prior to this photoshoot.
A CR-V Touring is pictured in its place.
Jeep Cherokee
4x4 Latitude
(Plus)
Front-engine, AWD
Turbocharged I-4, alum
block/head
DOHC, 4 valves/cyl
121.7 cu in/1,995cc
10.0:1
270 hp @ 5,250 rpm
295 lb-ft @ 3,000 rpm
5,600 rpm
14.7 lb/hp
9-speed automatic
3.73:1/1.79:1
Struts, coil springs,
anti-roll bar; multilink,
coil springs, anti-roll bar
15.2:1
2.4
13.0-in vented disc;
12.6-in disc, ABS
7.0 x 17-in cast
aluminum
225/65R17 102T (M+S) 225/55R19 99V (M+S)
Firestone Destination LE2 Toyo A36
$28,035
$34,720
Yes/Yes
6: Dual front, front side,
f/r curtain
3 years/36,000 miles
5 years/60,000 miles
5 years/60,000 miles
15.9 gal
21/29/24 mpg
160/116 kW-hr/100 mi
0.81 lb/mile
Unleaded premium
Mazda CX-5 AWD
(Grand Touring)
Front-engine, AWD
I-4, alum block/head
DOHC, 4 valves/cyl
151.9 cu in/2,488cc
13.0:1
187 hp @ 6,000 rpm
186 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm
6,500 rpm
19.8 lb/hp
6-speed automatic
4.62:1/2.77:1
Struts, coil springs,
anti-roll bar; multilink,
coil springs, anti-roll bar
15.5:1
2.7
11.7-in vented disc;
11.9-in disc, ABS
7.0 x 19-in cast
aluminum
$32,440
$32,760
Yes/Yes
6: Dual front, front side,
f/r curtain
3 years/36,000 miles
5 years/60,000 miles
3 years/36,000 miles
15.3 gal
24/30/26 mpg
140/112 kW-hr/100 mi
0.74 lb/mile
Unleaded regular
Nissan Rogue
SV AWD
Front-engine, AWD
I-4, alum block/head
DOHC, 4 valves/cyl
151.9 cu in/2,488cc
10.0:1
170 hp @ 6,000 rpm
175 lb-ft @ 4,400 rpm
6,200 rpm
21.6 lb/hp
Cont variable auto
6.39:1/2.41:1
Struts, coil springs,
anti-roll bar; multilink,
coil springs, anti-roll bar
17.1:1
3.0
11.7-in vented disc;
11.5-in vented disc, ABS
7.0 x 18-in cast
aluminum
225/60R18 100H (M+S)
Falken Ziex ZE001 A/S
$28,615
$32,820
Yes/Yes
6: Dual front, front side,
f/r curtain
3 years/36,000 miles
5 years/60,000 miles
3 years/36,000 miles
14.5 gal
25/32/27 mpg
135/105 kW-hr/100 mi
0.70 lb/mile
Unleaded regular
Subaru Forester
Limited
Front-engine, AWD
Flat-4, alum block/
heads
DOHC, 4 valves/cyl
152.5 cu in/2,498cc
12.0:1
182 hp @ 5,800 rpm
176 lb-ft @ 4,400 rpm
6,000 rpm
19.4 lb/hp
Cont variable auto
3.70:1/2.06:1
Struts, coil springs,
anti-roll bar; multilink,
coil springs, anti-roll bar
13.5:1
2.7
11.6-in vented disc;
10.8-in vented disc, ABS
7.0 x 18-in cast
aluminum
225/55R18 98H (M+S)
Falken Ziex ZE001 A/S
$31,770
$31,770
Yes/Yes
7: Dual front, front side,
f/r curtain, driver knee
3 years/36,000 miles
5 years/60,000 miles
3 years/36,000 miles
16.6 gal
26/33/29 mpg
130/102 kW-hr/100 mi
0.67 lb/mile
Unleaded regular
APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 49
Toyota RAV4
Adventure
Front-engine, AWD
I-4, alum block/head
DOHC, 4 valves/cyl
151.8 cu in/2,487cc
13.0:1
203 hp @ 6,600 rpm
184 lb-ft @ 5,000 rpm
6,750 rpm
17.9 lb/hp
8-speed automatic
3.18:1/2.14:1
Struts, coil springs,
anti-roll bar; multilink,
coil springs, anti-roll bar
14.4:1
2.7
12.0-in vented, disc;
11.1-in disc, ABS
7.5 x 19-in cast
aluminum
235/55R19 101V (M+S)
Yokohama Avid GT
$33,945
$38,865
Yes/Yes
8: Dual front, front side,
f/r curtain, driver knee,
passenger thigh
3 years/36,000 miles
5 years/60,000 miles
2 years/25,000 miles
14.5 gal
26/33/29 mpg
130/102 kW-hr/100 mi
0.67 lb/mile
Unleaded regular
*SAE certified
FIRST LOOK I 2020 Ford Explorer
WORDS: ALISA PRIDDLE
W 
PHOTOS: STEVEN PHAM
e’ve seen many flavors of Ford
Explorer over the years. It’s
been a trucky, body-on-frame
SUV and a stretched car-based
crossover with roots that trace
back to Volvo. It has also shown flashes of
pure Ford DNA.
The common thread—no matter how
it was engineered, what it looked like, or
how it was critically received—has been
its status as an American sweetheart.
Ford has sold 7.7 million Explorers since
that first one rolled off the line in 1990,
and there are still 3.6 million of them on
the road today.
The Explorer helped define the SUV
segment and is one of the automaker’s
best-known nameplates. It’s the center-
piece of a utility lineup that has grown
around it. Above it is the Expedition, a
massive body-on-frame SUV. Below it
is a growing list of smaller crossovers,
including, in descending size, the Edge,
Escape, and EcoSport.
The Explorer, however, was in
desperate need of its own redo. For 2020,
the three-row family utility vehicle gets
the complete overhaul while adding a
Hybrid and an ST performance model
when it goes on sale in June.
In 1991, Ford countered Jeep’s
Cherokee with its own four-door
SUV; it became a best-seller.
52 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019
Rear-Drive Roots
The sixth-generation Explorer moves screen with the updated Sync 3 infotain-
from a front-drive car platform to Ford’s ment interface. Explorer loyalists will be
long-awaited all-new rear-drive architec- surprised to see the new rotary gearshift
ture, which also underpins the Lincoln and addition of an electric parking brake.
Aviator—both of which are assembled in No SUV has an easy-to-access third
Chicago. All-wheel drive is available on row, but the Explorer eases the clamber
all trim levels. and crawl with a wider step to get in, and
The clean-sheet redesign makes overall a single button folds and slides the second
improvement possible. The Explorer row. Power third-row seats fold flat.
takes on a leaner and meaner look with All three rows have adjustable climate
a wider stance. The short front overhang control, and all rear seats have child seat
performs double duty: improving sight- anchor points. Up front is a heated and
lines for off-roading and increasing cabin cooled eight-way adjustable seat with
room for on-roading. five massage settings. The steering wheel
The rear-drive orientation should can also be heated. Acoustic glass and
make for improved handling. The base active noise cancellation help occupants
powertrain is Ford’s 2.3-liter turbo- converse, and there’s a dual-pane sunroof
charged I-4 generating 300 hp and 310 on top-level trims for those who want to
lb-ft mated to a 10-speed automatic look up and tune out.
transmission. The top-end Platinum gets As for your stuff, the cargo area lip
the 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-6, good keeps items from rolling out, and dividers
for 365 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque. chop up the space. The reversible cargo
The Explorer boasts class-leading cover is carpeted on one side; use the
front- and middle-row space, while the rubber side when stashing muddy gear.
third row’s tight width costs it volume
(and the third seat belt that most rivals
offer). Cargo space is greatly improved
but trails that of the Chevy Traverse and
VW Atlas. We’re happy to report that the
old problem of feeling squished against
the center console while needing longer
arms to reach the door has been resolved,
with everything properly placed now.
Once inside you can’t miss the new
customizable 12.3-inch digital cluster
(standard on ST), which changes the
graphics with the six drive modes—seven
if you have all-wheel drive and the
advanced terrain management system,
which adds a snow/sand mode. Nor can
you miss the standard 8.0-inch touch-
screen or optional 10.1-inch capacitive

Towing capacity with the V-6 increases
to 5,600 pounds from a maximum of
5,000 in the outgoing model. With the
I-4 and towing package it can still tow up
to 5,300 pounds, quite a hike from the
previous 3,000 pounds.
Pricing has not been announced, but
Ford executives promise the base model
will only increase $400, which would put
the 2020 model at $33,860. Hopefully
XLT and Limited benefit from the same
pricing discipline.
54 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019
The seats fold flat and the floor will fit
4-foot-wide sheet goods, but curiously the
third row is deemed too narrow for three.
More power, more economy
The Explorer ST replaces the Sport trim
and ups the ante with help from the
Ford Performance team. The EcoBoost
V-6 was tweaked to produce 400 hp and
415 lb-ft of torque. “It will be the fastest
SUV under $60,000,” said Scott Slimak,
Explorer vehicle engineering manager.
A Sport package adds 21-inch wheels,
sport tuning of the electric brake boost,
larger brake rotors, improved pad
compound, and upsized calipers (though
their basic two-piston-front, one-piston-
rear sliding design is retained).
The performance-tuned 10-speed
will deliver quicker shift points in Sport
mode; other changes include enhanced
engine sound and a more responsive
throttle and steering.
The ST is distinguished by its black
mesh grille, side trim, and roof rails;
quad exhaust tips; and ST badging. It has
unique dampers, shocks, and springs as
part of the specially tuned suspension
with aluminum shock towers. Some
upgrades are included in the ST Street
and Track packages, both of which have
the 21-inch wheels and red brake calipers.
The 2020 model is 200 pounds lighter,
which should help with fuel economy, and
there’s now a hybrid option. It’s the first
new hybrid for the Ford brand in six years
Sinister black trim, big 21-inch
wheels, red calipers, and quad
exhaust outlets distinguish the
400-hp, 415-lb-ft ST model.

PACKAGING
MASTERPIECE
How the 2020 Ford
Explorer Gained
Interior Space by
Switching to RWD
ver since Sir Alec Issigonis
E launched his miraculous
Mini, popular wisdom
holds that a sideways engine
and front drive is the surest-fire
way to maximize interior volume
in a given footprint.
But Bill Gubing, chief
project engineer for the 2020
Ford Explorer, claims that
switching away from transverse
front-drive architecture to a
longitudinal rear-drive setup
allowed his team to unlock
additional interior space in the
new Explorer.
It turns out the real problem
with the old Explorer’s
architecture (its roots tracing all
the way back to the 1998 Volvo
S80) was that it started out as a
low-ground-clearance sedan.
That meant the entire drivetrain
went up as the body was raised
to provide the SUV-appropriate
ride height. Then, as the vehicle
size and mass increased on the
journey from flagship sedan
to three-row crossover (and to
meet evolving crash standards
like small-overlap frontal),
providing sufficient structure
and crumple space kept
adding to the front overhang.
Big outside, small inside is
hardly a winning strategy.
Starting from scratch to
design a three-row SUV
architecture employing
the latest techniques and
materials—like the high-
pressure die-cast aluminum
front strut towers and
hydroformed, curved front
crash rails—helped shave
200 pounds from the vehicle.
Eliminating the requirement
for the front-wheel driveshafts
to be positioned behind the
engine allowed the entire
2020 Ford Explorer I FIRST LOOK
powertrain to be positioned
lower in the vehicle (and in
a frontal crash, it can ride
down and back under the
occupants).
All this allowed the front
wheels to move forward by
much of the 6-inch wheelbase
stretch, getting the wheelwells
out of the interior. It also
reduced the crush space
required in front of the engine,
further enhancing the popular
“wheels to the corners” look
and allowing the hoodline to
come down to improve forward
visibility. This configuration
also opened up some space
APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 55
Love or hate the
freestanding touch-
screen, it’s easy to
see and reach and
seems to strike a
great balance of
physical buttons
and knobs and
on-screen controls.
beside the engine for the HVAC
equipment, freeing up even
more interior space.
By the numbers, the front and
middle rows lose a bit of head-
and legroom, respectively,
but remain roomiest in class.
In the third row there’s at least
an inch less legroom than the
previous model, the VW Atlas,
or the Chevy Traverse offer,
and shoulder and hip room
give up 2.9 and 7.6 inches to
the Traverse. Perhaps the two
adults that fit in a Ford will
be comfier than three in the
Chevy’s third row?
Frank Markus
FIRST LOOK
EXPLORING HISTORY
he original 1991 model
(2006–2010) struggled to
survive the famine despite
improvements to make it
hardier.
Ford reinvented the 2011
Explorer as a crossover,
following the successful path
of its Japanese competitors. It
used the Taurus car platform,
which traced its roots to Volvo's
architecture for the aging
S80. The lighter Explorer had
Brochure images
depicted the original a 3.5-liter V-6 and optional
Explorer supporting 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo-
outdoorsy hobbies. charged engine—no more V-8s.
The ground shift resulted in
consuming that Ford ignored about a 30 percent increase in
and peppering Explorer owners
at the gas station with ques-
tions about what they like and
dislike about their Explorer.
With an all-new architecture to
work with, Ford didn’t want to
squander this opportunity.
For instance, for 2020 there’s
a full array of driver-assist
technologies to steer, stop
(even after a collision), speed
up, reverse safely, switch to
high-beams, park with the
push of a button, and set the
adaptive speed control to
obey changing speed limits—or
consistently stay a set speed

T year Explorer, a Ranger-

based family hauler,
largely ruled the segment for
two decades. The second-
generation 1995 Explorer was
still based on the Ranger but
with a more refined ride and
rounder lines. Mercury added
the Mountaineer in 1997. The
third generation (2002–2005)
provided a new take on the
body-on-frame SUV with an
independent rear suspension
and third-row seats.
At the Explorer’s peak in
2000, Ford sold 445,000
units. Its popularity was so
other vehicles like the Taurus
sedan, which was relegated
to rental car status. (Sound
familiar?) However, a massive
recall involving Firestone tires
that were mostly installed on
Explorers hurt Ford’s brand
equity severely.
That recall, higher gas
prices that torpedoed the
SUV segment, and consumers
gravitating to the new breed
of car-based crossovers
from Japan pushed Explorer
sales to a low of 52,000 units
during the Great Recession of
2009. The fourth-gen Explorer
fuel efficiency. Sales rose.
The 2016 model was
refreshed and added the
Platinum trim with a 365-hp,
350-lb-ft 3.5-liter turbo-
charged V-6, and a new
270-hp, 300-lb-ft 2.3-liter
turbocharged four-cylinder
engine from the Mustang
became the base powertrain.
Sales perked up a bit, but last
year’s mark of 227,732 units is a
long way from the glory years.
In prepping the new model,
engineers and marketing execs
spent a lot of time in customer
clinics, visiting families at home,
above the limit. A washer keeps
the rear camera clean. A side
wind mitigation system detects
wind pushing against the
vehicle and applies brakes on
one side to counteract. A seat
belt monitoring system lets you
confirm that each occupant is
buckled up and chimes if a belt
releases during the drive.
The Explorer has been the
segment leader much of its life,
and Ford is hoping its newest
creation can once again top
the charts in a space that is
exploding with new name-
plates. Alisa Priddle

and the launchpad for plans to electrify would not confirm that. Speaking of 2020 Ford Explorer
virtually everything going forward. which, the motor is packaged between BASE PRICE $34,000-$58,000 (est)
In the Limited Hybrid trim, the the engine and the transmission’s torque
VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, RWD/AWD
3.3-liter V-6 hybrid produces 318 hp converter so it can drive in electric-only 6-7-pass, 4-door SUV
and 336 lb-ft of torque and is mated to a mode for short distances—such as when
ENGINES 2.3L/300-hp/310-lb-ft
modular 10-speed that shares 90 percent sneaking home after curfew.
turbocharged DOHC
of its parts with the non-hybrid transmis- The liquid-cooled battery pack resides 16-valve I-4; 3.3L/318-
sion. We suspect the engine is equipped under the floor beneath the front seat and hp/336-lb-ft/24-valve
to run in Atkinson-cycle mode, but Ford second-row footwell on the passenger V-6 plus electric motor,
side. Its capacity is just 1.5 kW-hr, which 318 hp/336 lb-ft comb;
3.0L/365-400-hp/380-
it can deliver at a max rate of 35 kW (47
415-lb-ft twin-turbo
hp). Electric-only propulsion is not the DOHC 24-valve V-6
point of the system, though. It’s to deliver
TRANSMISSION 10-speed automatic
no-compromise efficiency, a range of up
CURB WEIGHT 4,350-5,000 lb (mfr)
to 500 miles, and improved acceleration.
And despite being a hybrid, it can tow WHEELBASE 119.1 in
5,000 pounds, which is 1,500 pounds 198.8-199.3 x 78.9 x
LXWXH
more than the tow rating of the rival 69.9-70.2 in
Toyota Highlander Hybrid. 0-60 MPH 5.5-7.8 sec (MT est)
No mileage figures are available. For EPA CITY/HWY/
COMB FUEL ECON
Not yet rated
comparison, the Highlander Hybrid gets
ON SALE IN U.S. June 2019
29–30/27–28 mpg city/highway. Q
56 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019
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FIRST DRIVE I 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera

I 
t’s cold. That worst kind of cold. The
biting, penetrating cold you feel
in your bones. It’s mid-morning at
Circuit Ricardo Tormo inland of
Valencia, Spain, and all of 40 degrees.
The sun’s been up only an hour, and it’s
cloudy. I’m not worried about the air
temperature, though. I’m worried about rain-sleet-snowstorm in the mountains
the track temperature. The tire tempera- halfway between L.A. and Santa Barbara.
ture I can fix on the warm-up laps. The The Corvette was nearly undriveable; the
track, though, that’s on nature. Porsche didn’t even seem to notice the
I might have known I needn’t worry. conditions.
Eight years ago, Jonny Lieberman and So it was familiar ground when I finally
I absconded from the last Porsche 911 put rubber to racetrack the better part of a
launch in Los Angeles with a Carrera S decade later. The new Porsche 911, referred
and a Corvette Grand Sport and to by its 992 internal designation among
quickly found ourselves in a freak those in the know, is no more troubled
by cold weather than its predecessor, the
WORDS: SCOTT EVANS

AS THE 911
EVER WAS,
SO SHALL THE
911 EVER BE—
BUT BETTER

Porsche, internally, doesn’t

consider any car without a
“GT” badge to be a track car,
but don’t let that stop you from
tracking a Carrera if the mood
strikes you. It won’t disappoint.

58 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019


991. I would be among the first outsiders
in the world to drive the latest 911 as it’s
meant to be driven, and the thought of
being the first to put one in a tire wall
gnawed at the back of my mind.
The warm-up laps were encouraging.
The surface wasn’t as skatey as I’d feared.
Still, the question percolated of what
would happen with me piloting 443 hp
through this rear-engine sports car at the
limit, where the only margin of error left
FIRST DRIVE
is the runoff. Two hot laps put my mind at
ease. By the fourth, I was sure I was just
as wrong to be worried about the 992 in
the cold and damp as I was about the 991.
To be short: Weather doesn’t matter.
Don’t tell that to the people in
Stuttgart, though. They expended quite
an effort developing a Wet mode that can
sense water on the road by the spray from
the wheels and, when selected, apply
its safety-oriented algorithms with the
APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 59
FIRST DRIVE I 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera
authority and conviction of a riled-up
Southern Baptist preacher. Yes, when
there’s standing water on the road, the
911’s computers can prevent even the
biggest fool from lunching his car.
For us lesser fools, it’s a crutch on
which we need not lean. The new 911 has
grip. All of it. All the time, it seems. When
it doesn’t, it has predictability. The great
folly of 911s is conversely their greatest
strength: They always behave exactly the
way you expect them to.
In the distant past, rude behavior was
far, far easier to provoke than it is today,
but the result was the same. Trail-brake
and turn in too sharply? Lift off the
throttle too abruptly with too much
steering angle? Yes, the rear of the car will
try to take the lead. What makes modern
911s, and especially this new one, so great
is the friendly nature of their oversteer.
Whatever Isaac Newton may have to
say, new 911s don’t want to go backward
into the wall unless you really make no
effort to stop them from doing so. When
60 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019
they start to go, you remember that old
driver-school chestnut and turn into the
skid. Even if everything you know about
controlling oversteer comes from a Ken
Block video, you’ll be able to stop a 911
from doing a 180. And really, it’s only a
situation you’ll be facing if you turn the
entire electronic safety net off in some
pre-emptive stroke of confidence.
The same rules of predictability and
vehicle management apply, albeit with
much less drama, to understeer. If it
happens, you will know damn well why;
fixing it is instinctual if you remember
anything at all about car control from
driving school.
This predictability, and the confi-
dence it naturally engenders, is to me
the hallmark of a driver’s car. Knowing
from the first set of corners how a car will
behave is what makes a great car easy to
drive. Knowing where the limit is, when
it’s approaching, and the surefire way to
fix things once you’ve gotten them wrong
puts the mind at ease. This reassurance
allows you to drive a car as hard as the
mood strikes you, even if it’s otherwise
unfamiliar. This is what the 911 possesses.
But you know that already. If you’ve
read anything about a 911 in the past
decade (and as a reader of this magazine
you surely have), you know the 911 in
all guises is a fantastic and fantastically
capable sports car that ingratiates itself
with overwhelming confidence whether it
has 400 horsepower or 700.
I knew it on that racetrack, even if
my amygdala had temporarily hijacked
my certainty in that knowledge. Trail-
braking into the Turn 2 hairpin and
rolling as hard as the adjective allows into
the throttle, keeping that same throttle
pinned under the bridge and through the
kink of the back straight, then standing
on the brake pedal with still a bit of angle
in the steering wheel, the 911 reminded
me it was just as disinclined to meet the
wall as I was.
In fact, understeer and oversteer are
as much coaches to the 911 driver as
they are deterrents. If you’ve managed
to provoke either ailment, it was for one
of two reasons: Either you meant to, or
you got greedy. When you didn’t mean to,
you know as you enter the corner you’ve
carried too much speed, braked too late,
turned in too early or too late, turned too
aggressively, or gotten too deep into the
throttle too early. Your knuckles propor-
tionately rapped, you promise yourself
you’ll get it right the next lap.
Of all 911s, the Carrera is among the
least likely to ever see a track from
anywhere but the parking lot. That it
can be so rewarding on a closed course,
though, is an important factor in the
 FIRST DRIVE

confidence you have in the car on the
street. Assaulting the mountain roads of 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S/4S
southeastern Spain, or wherever you live,
BASE PRICE $114,550-$121,850
the 911 behaves no differently. Indeed,
VEHICLE LAYOUT Rear-engine, RWD/
you’re far more likely to induce its AWD, 2+2-pass,
particular brand of driver coaching, espe- 2-door coupe
cially with poor road surfaces and corners ENGINE
3.0L/443-hp/390-lb-ft
designed with the path of least construc- twin-turbo DOHC
tion resistance (and not the racing line) in 24-valve flat-6
mind. Even with the electronic minders
TRANSMISSION 8-speed
fully engaged and commensurate with twin-clutch auto
the drive mode you’ve selected, you’ll test
CURB WEIGHT
3,400-3,500 lb
the limits of the car and its tires in a way (mfr est)
that’s utterly rewarding without posing WHEELBASE 96.5 in
an undue risk to yourself or anyone else.
LXWXH
177.9-178.4 x 72.9 x
It’s the response in the steering, the 50.8-51.2 in
quick ratio that rarely asks you to move 0-60 MPH 3.2-3.5 sec (mfr est)
your hands around the wheel, and the
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB 22-23/29-30/25-26
tenacious grip from the nose despite FUEL ECON mpg (MT est)
its inherent lightness. It’s the ever-
ENERGY CONSUMPTION, 147-153/112-116
improving feel in that electrically assisted CITY/HWY kW-hr/100 miles (est)
wheel that translates the road surface to
CO2 EMISSIONS,
your tactile senses. It’s the response from COMB
0.75-0.79 lb/mile (est)
the engine—its torque curve moved up ON SALE IN U.S. Summer 2019
both in numbers and revs, its horsepower
curve just a little steeper on its climb to fading. Yet if you still find yourself
a loftier peak, combining to make the insufficiently stimulated, there’s always
engine feel less obviously turbocharged the stability control’s sport setting, in
(noises not withstanding) and more practice nothing more than a more
linear. It’s the response from the brakes, liberal tolerance for slip angle ahead of
an unmistakable correlation between intervention.
pedal pressure and travel and the braking No matter how it drives, this new 911
force returned, never changing, never
is not a perfect car. It has at least one
glaring flaw, and it’s right in front of
your face. Porsche elected to replace 80
percent of its instrument cluster with
a pair of 7.0-inch wing screens flanking
the analog tachometer, the evaluation
of which would be purely subjective had
Porsche not arranged the digital gauges
in such a way that a full 40 percent of
them—that is, two of the five gauges—
are almost completely obscured by the
steering wheel rim.
On the left side, it’s uncritical informa-
tion like time and outside temperature,
but on the right, it’s engine temperature
and the fuel gauge. Criticality of data
aside, it’s unfathomable how an oversight
like this made it to production. That
there’s a curiously large amount of wasted
space on the center console behind the
dainty, Braun shaver–inspired shift lever
is a triviality by comparison.
If a few specific interior ergonomics
issues are the sole points of contention
I have with the new 911, it says as much
about the car as everything else I’ve
written. Take a moment to remind
yourself this is the base model with
performance options. Just imagine
what’ll happen when Porsche puts the
letters “GT” on one. Q

Porsche is making
a big deal about the
dash layout change
from vertically aligned
to horizontally, but
the real news is the
functional cupholder. APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 61
FIRST TEST I 2019 Porsche Cayenne
T 
he first-generation Porsche
Cayenne—you remember, the
vehicle that purists said would be the
death knell for Stuttgart—rode on
a platform engineered by Porsche,
and it was incredible. Honest-to-goodness
sporty handling and mountain goat–like
off-road ability. The similar-vintage
first-generation Volkswagen Touareg was
built on the same platform, and I can’t
remember driving a machine that felt
more overengineered. Like, the parking
brake pedal had a damper on it! Porsche
also built the platform for the second-gen
Cayenne, an SUV we liked so much that
we named it our 2011 SUV of the Year.
However, the third-generation Porsche
Cayenne arriving this year is built on the
Volkswagen Group’s MLB Evo platform,
same as the Audi A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, Q5,
Q7, and Q8, as well as the VW Touareg
(and China-only Phideon sedan), Bentley
Bentayga, and Lamborghini Urus. My
question then: What’s so Porsche about it?
Certainly not the powertrain. Audi’s
3.0-liter single-turbo V-6, good for 335
horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque,
powers the base Cayenne. What’s more,
that motor is mated to a ZF eight-speed
automatic, curiously the only tradi-
tional torque-converter automatic
Porsche sells. The 911, Boxster, Cayman,
Panamera, and even the Audi MLB-
platformed Macan all use a version of
Porsche’s own PDK dual-clutch transmis-
sions (though the Macan uses an Audi
S tronic gearbox).
Porsche states that it decided to go
with a “real” automatic because it’s
better for towing. I’ll call BS on that; the
new Cayenne uses the eight-speed auto
because all the other SUVs built on MLB
Evo use the ZF eight-speed. In other
words, there’s no dual-clutch transmission
that would fit. Case closed. A “hang-on
transfer case” shuttles power to the front
axle, but don’t let that nomenclature lead
you to expect low-range gearing.
The new Cayenne features grille shut-
ters that close for increased fuel economy
and open when extra cooling is needed.
62 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019
All Cayennes now have staggered wheels;
this base SUV has 285-section fronts and
fatty-fat 315 rears. I find that impressive.
Porsche claims the body-in-white
is 47 percent aluminum and that the
third-gen Cayenne should weigh 4,377
pounds, less than the vehicle it replaces.
Well, we weighed one, and it clocked in
at 4,676, just about 300 pounds more
than Porsche claims. We never weighed a
second-generation base Cayenne; we did
weigh a second-gen Cayenne S, though
(4,876 pounds), and the previous S had a
V-8. The new Cayenne S features another
Audi engine, the 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-6,
the same as in the most excellent RS 5.
Point being, despite Porsche’s weight-
saving efforts (like a lithium-ion starter
battery that’s 22 pounds lighter than
before), the Cayenne is big-boned.
Big-priced, too. The Moonlight Blue
Metallic ($800, please and thank you)
Cayenne we tested has a base price of
$66,750. Not crazy but certainly on the
THE
high end of the price spectrum. The
Volkswagen Group will probably mark
THIRD-GEN
me for death (or at least overcook my CAYENNE
BORROWS
next rib-eye) for pointing this out, but the
Audi Q7 3.0T—which is, again, the same
HEAVILY
platform—starts at $60,945. But the Audi
has a third row and essentially the same
power (329 hp versus the Porsche’s 335;
325 lb-ft of torque versus 332), plus what FROM ITS
I consider to be a nicer interior. As this
Cayenne is optioned—and there are seven VW GROUP
options—the price swells to $81,650.
One of those options is the $4,160 BRETHREN
adaptive air suspension, which includes
Porsche Active Suspension Management
(PASM). I initially assumed this would be
a must-have feature, as Porsche’s three-
chamber air springs promise a plusher
ride in Comfort and a sportier ride in
Sport; PASM even gives you a second
sporty mode, Sport Plus, which makes
things even stiffer and racier.
That may all be true, but I drove a
Cayenne with the standard steel springs
and dampers, and I thought that version
had a sweeter ride. I even liked the
handling better over the damp, twisting,
 2019 Porsche Cayenne I FIRST TEST

HOW
MUCH
AUDI
CAN A
PORSCHE
TAKE?
WORDS: JONNY LIEBERMAN

APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 63

FIRST TEST
climbing, plunging, and redwood-lined
roads of Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino
counties—the location in the heart
of Northern California wine country
Porsche picked to launch the new
Cayenne. I found the air suspenders
to be a bit vague in Comfort and a bit
artificial feeling in the aggressive modes.
The other problem for Porsche is that
Mercedes just launched the new GLE—a
direct competitor—and that SUV’s fast-
acting hydraulic E-Active Body Control
damping system is a game changer.
However, I do recommend taking the
money you would have spent on the
air springs and spending it instead on
Porsche’s new PSCB brakes (Porsche
Surface Coated Brakes). Porsche takes
the massive (16.3 inches up front) rotors
from the PCCBs (the carbon-ceramic
stoppers) and makes them from steel
but coats them with tungsten carbide.
This not only helps with stopping power
but—working with special new pads—also
keeps the wheels clean.
A little-known fact in the car biz is
that on all those initial quality surveys,
German carmakers are routinely dinged
for brake dust. (They also used to be hit
for their single, central door-lock button,
but they “fixed” that.) Porsche claims the
coated steel brakes cut down on brake
dust by 90 percent.
I don’t care about that (wash your
64 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019
a Porsche, ain’t it? At $3,490, the PSCBs
2019 Porsche Cayenne
are cheaper than the air suspension, as
BASE PRICE $66,750 well as the (gulp) $9,080 carbon brakes.
PRICE AS TESTED $81,650 Cheaper to replace, too.
VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, AWD, At this point you might be wondering
5-pass, 4-door SUV what I was thinking after I drove the 2019
ENGINE 3.0L/335-hp/ Cayenne down to Los Angeles. There’s no
332-lb-ft turbo fatal flaw, but I was having an awful hard
DOHC 24-valve V-6 time understanding what’s so Porsche
TRANSMISSION 8-speed automatic about it. Why not just call it the Audi Q6?
CURB WEIGHT 4,676 lb (56/44%) Then we took the Cayenne to the test
(F/R DIST) track, and, well, now I get it. After several
WHEELBASE 113.9 in laps around our figure eight, MotorTrend
LXWXH 193.6 x 78.0 x 66.7 in ride and handling guru Kim Reynolds
0-60 MPH 5.1 sec recorded a best time of 25 seconds flat.
QUARTER MILE 13.7 sec @ 100.7 mph To give you some perspective, that’s as
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 105 ft quick as a current Volkswagen GTI, a 2011
LATERAL 0.95 g (avg) Cayenne Turbo, a 2009 911 Carrera S, and
ACCELERATION
MT FIGURE EIGHT 25.0 sec @ 0.74 g (avg)
a 2007 Cayman. Impressive, no?
Porsche claims that with the Sport
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB
FUEL ECON
19/23/21 mpg Chrono package, the 2019 Cayenne
ENERGY CONS, 177/147 kW-hr/ will hit 60 mph in 5.6 seconds. Our hot
CITY/HWY 100 miles shoe Chris Walton did the deed in 5.1
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 0.94 lb/mile seconds before running through the
quarter mile in 13.7 seconds at 100.7
car, slob), but I do care about how the mph, the same as both a Honda Civic
10-piston calipers feel grabbing those Type R and a Subaru WRX. That’s good
big, fat stoppers: in a word, excellent. In a company for a heavy crossover. Stop-
couple more: Compared to the standard ping from 60 mph happened in 105 feet,
brakes, the PSCBs feel three times as which is outstanding. And we tested with
effective, and the majority of the stop- stock brakes! Oh yeah, that platform-
ping action is concentrated in the top of sharing Audi Q7? It does 0 to 60 mph
the pedal, just how I like it. Too racy for in 5.4 seconds, the quarter mile in 14.0
parking at the mall? Probably, but hey, it’s seconds, 60 to 0 mph in 121 feet, and our
figure eight in 26.4 seconds. The Porsche
Cayenne dusts it.
No, these are not crazy numbers, but
they’re quite good for a base midsize SUV.
Need more oomph? Porsche’s model line
has you much more than covered.
In the “final” summary, Porsche may
have just nailed its target audience by
building a nice-looking, comfy-riding,
practical, spacious SUV with a seriously
desirable badge. Plus, when your know-it-
all car guy or gal friend says, “It’s just an
Audi,” you can rest assured in the knowl-
edge that, as Han Solo so prophetically
said, “She’s got it where it counts.” Or you
can just floor it and crank the wheel. Q
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C
ircle back to six years ago when 11
MotorTrend judges unanimously
voted the then-brand-new Tesla
Model S the 2013 Car of the Year.
Were we nervous? Yeah, sure,
of course. Tesla what? Elon who? I
remember asking the group if anyone had
publicly or privately ever said that the
Model S was vaporware. Ten hands shot
up, with the other judge stating that his
mother taught him to say nothing when
he had nothing nice to say.
Tesla has had many ups and downs
since then, with CEO-mascot Elon Musk’s
Trumpian Tweets piling on the damage
that “manufacturing hell” has wrought.
Still, paraphrasing what I said back in
September 2012, I’ll never bet against a
billionaire who docked his rocket ship
with the International Space Station the
week before his electric luxury sedan won
Car of the Year. Consider that Tesla has
accounted for 4.6 percent of all vehicles
sold in California during Q3 of 2018—and
California has more citizens than Canada.
The rest of the industry is finally waking
up to Tesla’s success—and waking up
quick. Chevrolet did an incredible job
with the Bolt EV (our 2017 Car of the
Year), but sales are down significantly—
GM makes more profit emphasizing
trucks, and with cheap gas, most folks are
shopping Tahoes instead of Bolts anyway.
I also believe that people (currently)
interested in electric cars aren’t inter-
ested in Chevy badges. Premium vehicles
that come across as premium—like all
three Teslas but unlike the slow-selling
BMW i3—are what these customers want.
To wit, Jaguar just
launched the hand-
some I-Pace while
Audi is gearing up
66 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019
Senior features editor
Jonny Lieberman looks
on as a Mercedes
engineer explains how
his team adapted an
internal combustion
platform for a totally
electric SUV.
to deliver two EVs—the E-Tron SUV WE DRIVE
and E-Tron GT. Porsche’s gorgeous
though unfortunately named Taycan
THE EQC
is right around the corner. As is the
EQC 400, the first of 10 offerings from
400 LIKE WE
Mercedes-Benz’s new EQ subbrand. STOLE IT.
BECAUSE WE
Europe will be able to buy the electric
Benz come June. Americans will have to
KINDA DID.
wait until January 2020.
To break down the nomenclature a
bit, for the time being, all fully electric
Mercedes will be known as EQs. I predict
this convention won’t last long, as it gets
in the way of the brand’s other names. For
instance, the EQC 400 is clearly an SUV.
In fact, it’s built on the same production
line as the GLC. Now, GL is Mercedes-
speak for SUV (GL being an abbreviation
of Geländewagen, or “cross-country
vehicle”), and the GLC is the SUV that’s
roughly analogous in shape and price to
the C-Class. That’s where the C in GLC
comes from. So what happens when
Mercedes launches an electric C-Class
sedan? EQC is already taken. Anyhow,
for now, the first all-electric SUV from
Mercedes will be known as the EQC
400. The 400 stands for a 400-kilometer
battery range (back to that in a minute).
The 400 could (almost) stand for
horses, as together the front and rear
electric motors generate 408 of them.
The front motor is slightly smaller, has
five windings, and is slightly less powerful
than the rear, which features seven
windings. That’s how Mercedes EQ is
doing rear-wheel bias. Torque is pretty
healthy, too, at 564 lb-ft combined.
EQ engineer Bastian Schult tells me
that 0–60 mph will happen in 4.9 seconds.
You might think with all that power, the
EQC 400 might be a touch quicker. Thing
is, this compact SUV weighs right around
 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 Prototype I FIRST DRIVE

WORDS: JONNY LIEBERMAN PHOTOGRAPHS: MORGAN SEGAL

EV

APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 67


5,400 pounds. That’s heavy. The last
Mercedes GLC 300 we weighed came
in at 4,006 pounds. Why so hefty? The
80-kW-hr battery pack along with its
accompanying crash structure clocks in
at 1,430 pounds. Sure, there’s no internal
combustion engine, but there are the
two motors, along with all the affiliated
liquid cooling for both the motors and
the battery. For the sake of comparison,
the last Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor
Performance we tested weighed 4,078
pounds and hit 60 mph in 3.3 seconds. In
terms of SUVs, the Tesla Model X sits at
5,516 pounds, though it is a larger vehicle
than the EQC 400.
The 400-kilometer range is based on
Europe’s new, more realistic test proce-
dure. If you do a straight conversion, the
range comes out to 249 miles. However,
you can’t just do a straight conversion.
Schult estimates that the EQC 400 will be
EPA certified at 220 miles. For proof, he
points out that the day before I showed
up, he’d hypermiled it for 228 miles and
had 7 percent remaining on the battery.
That would come out to about 220 miles
in normal driving. That’s not class-
leading, but anything over 200 miles
works in the real world. Charge times are
what we’ve grown accustomed to, with
68 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019
the battery charging to 80 percent in 40
minutes on a Level 3 DC fast charger.
Outside, Mercedes has created a new
front end for the EQ family. To my eyes
there’s something vaguely Japanese
about the underbite headlight surround.
It could be the sharp corners coming off
each “eye,” almost like a JDM minivan
you’d see prowling the streets of Tokyo.
It’s a decent design but not one I’d go
with to launch a brand—subbrand or not.
Unlike many electric cars, the grille is still
in residence and fully functional, as it’s
used to cool what’s under the hood.
Compared to the GLC, the EQC is 4
inches longer, and all the extra length goes
rearward to give the electric crossover
a more coupelike appearance. The hard
side is definitely the best angle. The rear is
solid and well executed if not a bit deriva-
tive. Everybody seems to be doing the
solid taillight bar these days, especially
Porsche. Inside, Mercedes did a nice job of
keeping familiar Benz controls but mixing
them with some EQ-specific flourishes.
The bronze air vents and the silver
cooling fins on either side of the passenger
compartment stand out the most.
What’s the EQC 400 like to drive?
That’s the multibillion-dollar question,
isn’t it? Here’s the funny part—and I
could write a comedy sketch routine
based on the frequency with which this
happens to me: The American PR people
promise I can drive it; the Germans
feel different. After much international
drama, I essentially stole the thing when
the Germans weren’t paying attention.
The EQC feels quite powerful, even
in Normal mode. There are four driving
modes: Normal, Sport, Eco, and something
called Max, which you switch into when
range anxiety hits and you simply need
to reach that charger. The EQC is also
nearly silent—quieter than other electric
vehicles. Ever since the Tesla Roadster, a
characteristic of electric propulsion has
been a whirring, Star Wars–like noise.
Mercedes has mounted both motors via
subframes to the vehicle via huge rubber
mounts that effectively eliminate that
noise. All you hear is wind and tire patter.
A production EQC 400 should be even
quieter than this prototype. For one thing,
it’s getting thicker glass.
The ride quality is good—something I
experienced from the passenger seat—
though from behind the wheel you are
acutely aware of just how heavy the
EQC is. There’s a plodding feeling to the
vehicle, like it’s simply crushing what
lies beneath. That’s not necessarily a bad
thing, but it’s very unexpected in such a
small package. All that battery weight is
down low, and as a result this Mercedes
hugs the road.
During my illicit drive, it was raining,
yet the EQC 400 felt sure-footed. Planted,
even. I barely had a chance to play with
the four brake regen modes before I
received a particularly nasty phone call
ordering me back to base camp. Note that
the EQC 400 defaults to Auto regen mode,
which uses map data, radar data, and the
stereo cameras to “intelligently” set the
amount of regeneration. You pull the left
paddle for more, the right one for less.
The EQC 400 has the range, size, luxury,
performance, and, perhaps most impor-
tant, the badge that early adopters of
all-electric transportation seem to crave.
True, it’s not a ground-up electric vehicle
and therefore has some shortcomings—
like a motor where you might expect a
frunk—but none that is fatal.
Moreover, when this Mercedes hits the
market, its only direct competition will
be Audi and Jaguar. The upcoming Tesla
Model Y crossover hasn’t been officially
announced (talk about a poorly kept
secret), and despite rumors of a mid-2020
introduction, like all new Tesla models, I’ll
believe it when I drive it. The electrifica-
tion of the automobile remains inevitable,
and the EQC shows that Mercedes-Benz
will be part of the revolution. Q
2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 Prototype I FIRST DRIVE

Existing Mercedes-Benz
customers making the jump to
electrification will feel right at
home. Folks new to the brand
will find a luxurious cabin kitted
out with cool bronzed air vents.

APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 69

FEATURE I Superbike vs. sports car

70 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019

 TRADING
PLACES
MOTORCYCLE ACE
INTO A FAST CAR ON
A RACETRACK …
AND DROP A SPORTS
CAR HOT SHOE ONTO
A SUPERBIKE?

WORDS: ZACK COURTS

PHOTOGRAPHS: BRANDON LIM

I 
f there’s one major difference between motorcycles
and cars—aside from the weather protection—it
might be the mystique that swirls around actually
piloting a bike. With a bit of dexterity training, a
decent internal gyroscope, and a trip to the DMV,
anyone can obtain a license to ride a motorbike. But
few of us do. And fewer still learn the skills to ride one
well, and at speed.
Still, every handful of years a car magazine asks the
question that has been barstool fodder for more than a
century: Car or bike—which one is faster?
Now, before you start penning a furious letter to
MotorTrend, know that I’m a lifelong motorcyclist,
here to tell you that …

cars are faster.
There, I said it. Cars have more horsepower, more
tire grip, and more technology. It’s time we two-
wheelers admitted it.
If anything, cars might be too good—so immensely
safe and capable that improving a lap time might
simply be a function of dollars spent rather than hours
trained. Certainly from the perspective of someone
who has spent a lifetime wheelieing, sliding, crashing,
and otherwise “training” himself to extract the most
performance out of a motorcycle, it seems awfully
simple to drive a car quickly.
Even a car enthusiast like yourself might have
wondered, can anyone do it? More to the point: Is it
easy enough that good motorcycle racers who have
never driven a fast car around a racetrack could get in
and match their own motorcycle lap time? And if so,
how expensive would the car need to be? These are
questions that only a juvenile mind can ask and mature
adults can answer. That is to say, I had help.
The representative we chose for motorcycling was
Yamaha’s 2019 YZF-R1M, a 998cc (1.0 liter in car speak)
inline-four that cranks out about 200 horsepower. The
up-spec “M” package rings in at $22,999, adding self-
adjusting Öhlins suspension, carbon bodywork, and a
Zack Courts was executive editor of Motorcyclist and is
half of the two-headed MotorTrend On Demand hydra
that is Throttle Out (along with Ari Henning). Zack is one
of the premier two-wheelers in the business. He scraped
countless knee pucks in more than a decade of racing
and has been riding on two wheels for over 25 years.
GPS data tracker. Sure, there are bikes that make more
power, weigh less, cost more, and have been updated
more recently. We chose the R1M because it is the
quintessential state-of-the-art superbike that’s well
balanced and supremely easy to ride.
After zipping and buckling the customary safety gear,
it was time to wrap my brain around the East Track
at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. Just outside
Phoenix, this track probably won’t be on the Formula
1 calendar anytime soon, to be honest, but it’s a fairly
smooth 1.25-mile circuit with just enough variance in
10 turns to keep you working hard. The R1 was as potent
and obedient as I remembered, and in a matter of a few
sessions we had a benchmark lap time: 58.2 seconds.
For the sake of easing me into automotive waters
and keeping Mr. Editor Loh’s stress headaches to a
minimum, my four-wheeled track baptism began in
Mazda’s venerable Miata. If you MX-5 owners felt your
spidey-sense tingling when reading the R1M specs,

APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 71

FEATURE I Superbike vs. sports cars

that’s because the horsepower and price numbers are

surprisingly close. Sure, the Miata feels slow compared
Two-wheel track time
to a superbike, but pitching it around Wild Horse left Randy tries his luck on Yamaha’s rocket
me with the impression that there are two types of riving a car is a sensual
people in the world: those who want a Miata and those
who have never driven one.
The six-speed manual worked well but was clunky
D experience. That’s
the main reason we
love it. Driving a car quickly
compared to the R1’s sequential tranny and clutchless geometrically magnifies that
shifting. A helpful colleague explained how to heel- sensation.
toe, but it didn’t matter. I couldn’t do it, and I didn’t Riding a motorcycle further
feel as connected to the machine or to the road as I had increases the environmental
on the bike. That was especially true in the handful of intimacy between man
sections where the track transitions from right to left and machine. And riding a
and vice versa. Keeping the car’s chassis stable wasn’t motorcycle quickly leans the
as intuitive; it’s not like moving your butt to a different sensual needle all the way into
place in the seat will help the machine corner the way the red zone. two wheels under you this time,
it does on a motorcycle. Luckily, when I screwed up, it And here I am, sitting on a buddy. Two tippy, slippy wheels.
just meant a spinout, and the car was ready for more. Yamaha YZF-R1M, one of the Although I live and love auto-
The Miata was tire-squealing fun like I’ve never had. very insanely fastest, world- mobiles, the very first motorized
I could have lapped until the tank was empty, but I was beating sportbikes that Toyota vehicle I owned was a Tecumseh
parched from laughing, and my times had leveled off at Corolla money can buy. I’m lawnmower-powered steel
1:10.3. A cool 12 seconds is a lot of ground to make up, decked out in Alpinestars gear frame-and-forked minibike
but if any car was going to close the gap in power-to- that makes me look and feel (thanks, Dad). But even as a
weight ratio, Chevy’s Corvette Z06 was a good choice. like a MotoGP knee and elbow wide-eyed teen, I never desired
Blazed across the dash, a not so subtle reminder of the and shoulder dragger, about to or pursued racing a motorcycle.
horsepower and torque figures: 650 of each. make a lifelong bucket list dream Therein lies the clue to the real
Folks who caught wind of this experiment warned me come true—thanks to Zack and differences between bikes and
that the ’Vette would be unruly or otherwise difficult. Ari and the gang at Throttle Out. cars: risk, pain, and mortal peril.
Life isn’t just good right now. I looked at the motorcycle
It’s fabulous. As I look through situation and realized I was
Throttle Out director
the visor of my full-face helmet gonna injure my body at some
Spenser Robert applies
the classic triangle wing, and down the main straight point. There’s a reason the
for stability and humility. at Arizona’s Wild Horse Pass racing saying is “when you
Motorsports Park, my whole crash,” not “if you crash.” And
body tingles inside the leathers. the consequences on a motor-
My conscious mind, meanwhile, cycle are obviously more severe
pulls back hard on the reins when compared to being inside
of my subconscious urge to the confines of a safety cage of
be on pace with the hardcore a car. It’s pretty much the same
motorcycle duo. reason I only played football for
Easy, Randy. I know you want real for just one eighth-grade
it bad, but this isn’t your natural year: It hurt. Driving a car fast
track domain. There are only actually alleviates pain. The

72 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019

WE HUMANS NEED
RISK TO SURVIVE—
SOME MORE
THAN OTHERS.

focus it draws from me makes
the whole rest of the world go
away. On the bike, on track, I
found the specter of pain to be
clear and present.
With cars or bikes, track
drivers have a less developed
survival gene than the normal
populace. With bikes, it’s
practically nonexistent. So why
do we want it so badly that
we will put our well-being on
the line? Because with the risk
comes reward. Studies have
shown that we humans need
risk to survive—some more
than others, I’ll grant you. My
sensible sister-in-law thinks I’m
nuts. In my world, it’s normal.
But the Yamaha isn’t my
world. Layered in abrasion-
resistant and armored mate-
rials, I ease the R1M onto the
track. “Don’t crash this thing”
is heavy on my mind, yet only
self-inflicted. Zack and Ari wave
me on with a cheery, “Have a
great time!” They are even more
cool in person than on video.
The Yam has 200 horsepower
at almost 450 pounds. That’s
like 1,658 hp in your 3,680-
pound Mercedes-AMG GT R.
Thankfully, loads of electronic
controls are a comfort in my
mind, like the wheelie control
that carries the front wheel just
inches off the ground when I
grab a fistful of throttle.
The R1M rips so hard that
my hands feel weak from just
hanging on. I know this is wrong,
to strangle the bars tightly while
riding, but I have a genuine fear
of the thing shooting right out of
my grip. Scenery blurs instantly.
The pre-warmed tires feel sooo
sticky, but the geometry and
narrow clip-on-style bars feel
awkward in slow hairpins.
The opposite of the AMG, the
bike is easy and confidence-
inspiring in the high-speed
corners and clumsy in the tight
ones. Or is it me? Probably. But
I much prefer the fast ones,
where the bike takes a strong
set. At low speeds, it feels kind
of like it wants the ground. The
guys warned me to brake early,
but the Yam seems to stop
well—the greatest challenge
being to not overuse the rear
brake, which is barely tickling
the ground anyway as the front
forks dive toward the tarmac.
But the whole thrilling time,
I’m intensely aware of the close
proximity of the pavement and
the speed at which it’s rushing
by. This sensation is nonexis-
tent while coddled safely in
the womb of the AMG. The risk
changes everything.
In the end, I feel I’ve taken
the circuit at break-my-neck
speed. I tell myself I must have
come close to the 57.6-second
laps I set in the GT R or within
shouting distance of Zack’s
time on the Yamaha. But the
stopwatch tells no lies. My best
time: just a whisper over 1:09.
Randy Pobst
WATCH the full-length Throttle
Out video of Zack and Randy at
MotorTrendOnDemand.com

Somehow nothing
makes more sense
at a track than
to talk with your
hands—a fun
similarity between
cars and bikes.

APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 73

 THE PROBLEM WITH THE CAR BEING
SO DAMNED GOOD AT EVERYTHING
WAS MY BRAIN HAVING TO KEEP UP.

The Miata hauls 12.8 pounds per

horsepower, while the R1 carries 2.2.
The Z06 checks in at 5.4 pounds
per pony—closer, but still some 145
percent up from the motorcycle.

SPECS 2019 Yamaha 2019 Mazda 2019 Chevrolet 2018 Mercedes-

YZF-R1M MX-5 (Club) Corvette Z06 (Z07) AMG GT R
BASE PRICE $22,999 $30,485 $89,985 $157,995
PRICE AS TESTED $22,999 $35,975 $107,200 $195,945
VEHICLE LAYOUT Mid-engine, RWD, Front-engine, RWD, Front-engine, RWD, Front-engine, RWD,
2-pass motorcycle 2-pass, 2-door convertible 2-pass, 2-door hatchback 2-pass, 2-door hatchback
ENGINE 1.0L/200-hp/83-lb-ft 2.0L/181-hp/151-lb-ft 6.2L/650-hp/650-lb-ft super- 4.0L/577-hp/516-lb-ft twin-
DOHC 16-valve I-4 DOHC 16-valve I-4 charged OHV 16-valve V-8 turbo DOHC 32-valve V-8
TRANSMISSION 6-speed sequential manual 6-speed manual 7-speed manual 7-speed twin-clutch auto
CURB WEIGHT
(F/R DIST) 444 lb (N/A%) 2,318 lb (52/48%) 3,527 lb (50/50%) 3,680 lb (48/52%)
WHEELBASE 55.3 in 90.9 in 106.7 in 103.5 in
LXWXH 80.9 x 27.2 x 45.3 in 154.1 x 68.3 x 48.8 in 176.9 x 77.4 x 48.6 in 179.2 x 79.0 x 50.6 in
0-60 MPH 2.6 sec* 5.7 sec 3.3 sec 3.4 sec
QUARTER MILE 9.8 sec @ 149.9 mph* 14.4 sec @ 95.5 mph 11.4 sec @ 124.4 mph 11.3 sec @ 129.0 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 126 ft* 112 ft 91 ft 95 ft
*Cycle World

AMG GT R lets you
dial in traction.
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is seriously athletic. There’s nothing like carbon-
ceramic brakes and contact patches the size of Utah.
The feeling of pushing your foot down and spurring
650 horses is special, and the Z06 will forever be the
machine that showed me the light.
Happily, my heel-toe incompetence was solved by
the Corvette’s nifty “rev-match” tech. It may be a high-
calorie acoustic snack on the street, and purists may
hate it, but rev-match was genuinely useful to me on
the track. As viciously fast as the Z06 proved to be, it
didn’t get me to the promised land of the Yamaha’s
58-second lap times. A 59.7 was the best I could muster.
That left only the Mercedes AMG GT R and the ques-
tion of whether adding about $100,000 to the MSRP
could gain me a second and a half.
The Mercedes being painted a matte-metallic shade
of money is about as on point as any color scheme.
There’s simply no backing away from the opulence.
Similar to the Z06, the GT R’s interior feels sunken and
weaponized with buttons—like being in the imagined
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DITCH
YOUR
CAR
WORDS: HARRY CAMPBELL

80 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019

 Full-Time Ride Share I FEATURE

M
atthew Stoudt has always been a new-car kind
of guy, but when the lease on his BMW 3 Series
Matthew Stoudt was
was coming to an end in 2014, he started doing stunned at the cost
some math. He had just sold his company, so difference between car
he no longer needed to commute to an office. ownership and relying
solely on Lyft and
Even though he lived in Los Angeles, a traditionally Uber for transport.
car-centric city, the calculations in his Excel spread-
sheet told him he might be able to ditch his car in favor
of ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft and actually
save some money.
His Bimmer returned, Stoudt started taking Uber
and Lyft everywhere. Within a week, he was hooked.
“I loved the freedom of it,” he said. “Not having to
worry about going to get gas, not having to worry about
parking, not having to worry about having a cocktail at
night. So it really became freedom for me, being able to
call up my fleet of drivers anytime that I wanted.”
Stoudt admits it wasn’t easy to give up his car, and
for many other car-loving Americans, driving is an
ingrained part of the culture. Vehicle ownership
peaked in 2006 at 0.786 per person then dipped during
the recession, but it has steadily returned to nearly its
peak, according to a report by University of Michigan
researcher Michael Sivak. But alternative transporta-
tion services like Uber and Lyft are trying to change
that philosophy of personal car ownership.
According to a Pew Research Center study in fall
2018, 36 percent of U.S. adults said they had used a PHOTO: ROBIN TRAJANO
ride-hailing service such as Uber or Lyft, up from 15
percent of Americans just three years before. But like
most trends borne of coastal environs, those who ride-
hail tend to be younger, wealthier, and better educated,
according to Pew data.
As someone who has driven for Uber and Lyft since
the early days, I’ve been amazed to see the meteoric
rise firsthand.
But it’s the actual number of rides happening on first casualty in this ongoing saga. The real market
these platforms that may shock you. Ubiquitous Uber share for these companies will come when they can get
recently completed its 10 billionth trip, and second- consumers to stop driving their personal cars entirely,
place Lyft just completed its first billion. There appears as that would potentially mean casual customers
to be no slowdown in sight. Uber and Lyft have raised becoming super users like Stoudt.
billions of dollars in investor capital, and both are “If only 4 percent of consumers are using ride-share
preparing for 2019 IPOs that could value them as highly weekly, there’s still huge room for growth in getting
as $120 billion and $30 billion, respectively. Uber and consumers to rely on ride-share as one of their primary
Lyft are also investing in other modes of transporta- modes of transportation,” Dmitry Shevelenko, an
tion, such as shared bikes and scooters. Getting you to adviser to leading mobility companies and former head
take that first trip may be just the tip of the iceberg. of business development at Uber, told MotorTrend.
“Riders take more trips with each subsequent
Fighting for Rides month since their very first Uber trip. So from a long-
Uber launched in 2013 with the slogan “Everyone’s term growth point of view, ride-share companies
private driver,” but its first real competitor was the taxi benefit from getting as many customers started on
industry. Modern taxis have been around for more than their journey of more and more trips each month,”
a century, but within just a few years Uber and Lyft had Shevelenko added. He has a point: Transportation is a
overtaken them in market presence in key cities. $2 trillion market in the U.S. alone, according to Lyft
The reasons for the spectacular rise data, so the opportunity is huge.
vary, but it was clear that Uber and Car companies know the future of mobility is
Lyft offered a superior experience to changing, but the timeline remains a question. Slower
taxis with the ability to hail a ride via car sales are forecast, but could customers already be
an app, pay via credit card, and rate ditching their cars for ride-hailing services? Lyft and
your driver. But taxis were only the Uber sure seem to think so.
APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 81
 “WE ARE ON THE BRINK OF A MASSIVE
SHIFT IN PERSONAL TRANSPORTATION,
MOVING AWAY FROM OWNERSHIP.”
Lyft has always held a more utopian view of the
ride-hailing world. In its early days, the company even
encouraged passengers to sit up front and fist-bump
drivers when they got into the car. But a recent promo-
tion called Ditch Your Car took this a step further and
Lyft co-founder
John Zimmer has offered passengers transportation credit if they were
predicted the end willing park their personal vehicles for a month and
of car ownership
in major cities
use a mix of transportation options—including public
within a decade. transportation, bikeshare, Zipcar, and, of course, Lyft.
“We are on the brink of a massive shift in personal
transportation, moving away from ownership and into
transportation as a service,” Lyft co-founder and presi-
dent John Zimmer said. “Ditch Your Car is an exten-
sion of the mission we’ve been committed to for over
a decade.”
The program was available in 35 cities. More than
130,000 customers submitted applications, of which
just 2,000 were selected to participate. Obviously,
free transportation is a compelling giveaway, but the
results were also promising. According to Lyft, during
the challenge:
49 percent of participants used multiple modes of
transportation to reach their final destinations (e.g.,
bicycle for part of the journey and public transport for
the remaining part);
82 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019
PHOTO: ROBIN TRAJANO
35 percent reported they’re very likely to combine
multiple modes of transportation for their commute
to work;
53 percent reported to love ride-hailing, but only 23
percent said they loved their household car;
68 percent said that they experienced less stress;
54 percent said their lives were easier during the
challenge; and perhaps most important …
57 percent said they intended to use their car less
following the challenge.
Granted, this is a small sample size, derived from
a cohort of hardcore early adopters of Lyft’s brand
philosophy. But the participants could also be seen
as brand ambassadors and influencers who could
persuade a much larger population to follow their lead.
Traverse the touristy areas of almost any major
American city these days, and you’ll likely see a large
number of e-scooters and e-bikes being ridden, with
many more parked ready and waiting for use. Compa-
nies such as Bird and Lime have raised hundreds of
millions of dollars, and many are referring to them as
Rideshare 2.0.
Bird and Lime weren’t around when Stoudt
decided to ditch his car. But in the past year, these
new modes of transportation have perhaps made the
 Full-Time Ride Share I FEATURE

no-car argument more compelling because they’re

even cheaper than UberX or Uber’s carpool service,
UberPool. Additionally, in 2018, Uber purchased e-bike
company Jump, and both Lyft and Uber have recently
followed in Bird’s footsteps by launching e-scooters in
many U.S. cities.
For those looking to forgo car ownership, there are
multiple modes and price points. Shorter one-person
trips are better served by scooters and bikes, while
Uber and Lyft handle longer multipassenger trips.
According to Shevelenko, “while ride-share may
still be too expensive as a complete alternative to car
ownership, when users combine ride-share, scooters/
bikes, on-demand car rental, and public transit, the
reasons to keep their cars, which on average sit empty
95 percent of the time, will dwindle.”

Is It a Smart Financial NYC DAILY TRIPS: TAXI, UBER, and LYFT

Move to Ditch Your Car? 600k
For Stoudt, ditching his car was an interesting experi-
ment at first, but the cost savings ended up being the 500k
real bonus. “I looked at my credit card bills for the last
400k
TRIPS PER DAY

July 31, 2018

year, layered in all my vehicle costs (such as gas, lease
Uber: 453,201
payments, insurance, depreciation, and annual miles 300k trips per day
driven), and did the math,” he said. “Assuming you use
UberX for all your trips, it would end up being a third 200k
of the cost.”
100k
As the saying goes, your mileage may vary. And when
Stoudt’s wife had their second child, car ownership 0
became necessary again for practical reasons. July Jan July Jan July Jan July
If you’re considering making the jump, here are '15 '16 '16 '17 '17 '18 '18
several important factors to consider:
Commute time: Generally, the shorter your Taxi Uber Lyft Source: toddwschneider.com
commute, the better value you’ll get from ride-hailing
or alternative mobility services (bikes and scooters).
Cost of your car: If you drive a luxury vehicle, that A comparison of costs for the various
will likely tilt the scales in favor of ride-hailing services. modes on a typical 2-mile trip:
But you never know what kind of car you’ll hire. BMW
fans might be put off by the Nissan Versa curbside. UBERX UBERPOOL BIRD SCOOTER LIME BIKE
City makeup: Ride-hailing is most prevalent in large PASSENGERS 1-4 1-2* 1 1
metropolitan cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco,
PRICING $0.24 per Variable: $1 unlock + $1 unlock +
New York, and Boston, so your options for getting
minute, $1.06 30-60 percent $0.15/min $0.15/min
around will be better than in, say, Cedar Rapids. per mile,$2.30 off UberX price to ride to ride
service fee
Ride-Hailing Geography FINAL COST $7.40 $2.96 - $4.44 $2.80 $2.80
Ride-hailing is still finding its way outside metropoles.
*per client
About 45 percent of urban residents have used the
service, as have 40 percent of suburban residents. But
rural penetration is only 19 percent, as “lower popu-
lation density, long travel distance, and relatively
low incentives for drivers” hamper reasons for usage,
according to Pew.
Over my own five-year ride-hailing driving career
here in Los Angeles, it’s been eye-opening to see how
many passengers now rely on these services for all their
transportation needs. In 2014, it was just a passenger
here and there. These days it seems like every time I
drive, I meet at least one person who doesn’t own a car
anymore. As ride-hailing services have become more
prevalent and more reliable, more people are looking
to make the switch.
The federal mileage reimbursement rate for 2019 is

APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 83

FEATURE I Full-Time Ride Share
58 cents per mile, and this is a good starting point to
compare the cost of owning a vehicle versus mobility
services. If you’re driving a fancy luxury vehicle, your
cost might be higher, but if you got a great deal on a
lightly used Prius, the cost will be much lower. For one
local Prius driver, the total cost per mile of driving his
2013 model was less than 20 cents.
In 2018, AAA’s average cost to own and operate a new
vehicle was $8,849 per year; that figure is calculated
based on the cost of fuel, maintenance, repairs, insur-
ance, license and registration, taxes, depreciation, and
loan interest. That figure might sound like a lot, but
depending on the length of your commute, it could
come out way ahead or well below ride-hail services.
In Los Angeles, for example, a typical commute could
be from Santa Monica to Downtown L.A., a distance
of approximately 16 miles. That ride on Uber or Lyft
would cost about $26. Assuming an each-way commute,
five days a week, and 48 weeks a year, the total cost for
hailing a ride every day to work would be $12,480. So in
this scenario, driving your own vehicle comes out ahead.
But if your commute is shorter, say from Santa
Monica to Beverly Hills (approximately half the
distance), your ride-hail cost would only be $6,240—or
$2,609 less per year than owning a car.
This isn’t a perfect comparison, however, because
not all trips are commuting to and from work, and
surge pricing (the cost to hail a ride increases when
drivers are in high demand) can affect the bottom line.
But you can mitigate that by opting for shared rides or
using apps such as Bellhop to compare prices in real
time to ensure you’re getting the cheapest ride.
But whether you rely solely on ride-hailing services
or a mix of mobility options in the future, the macro
THE MACRO TREND IS THAT THE COST OF THESE NEW
TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES IS GOING DOWN.
84 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019
trend is that the cost of these new transportation
alternatives is going down.
The Sacrifices of Carless Life
Even if the finances pencil out, there are still some
downsides to not owning a car—things that Uber and
Lyft might not be able to help with. For Stoudt, one of
the main negatives was that he lost the control he was
accustomed to when behind the wheel. “The No. 1 nega-
tive is when you’re late for somewhere and you feel like
you gotta get there, it can be frustrating if the driver is
slow, even if they’re driving completely legally,” he said.
“You can’t sit there and complain about it since they’re
following the law, but since you don’t have agency, it
just leads to anxiety and some frustration.”
That links to the matter of quality control. Uber and
Author Harry
Lyft currently have more than 1 million drivers in the Campbell is the
United States, but the consistency of the passenger author of The
Rideshare Guide
experience can be a mixed bag, depending on the and founder of
quality of the car and the skill of the driver. High turn- The Rideshare
over among drivers means most drivers don’t stick Guy website,
which offers
around. A recent Uber study found that 68 percent of resources for
drivers quit within six months. aspiring Uber
Profitability is another issue for both Uber and Lyft. and Lyft drivers.
Although they’re both slated to issue massive IPOs in
2019, the losses they’ve racked up have been staggering;
Uber has lost nearly $2 billion in the most recent two
fiscal quarters. There are only two options for the
company to stem losses: Pay drivers less or charge
riders more. If Wall Street pushes ride-hailing compa-
nies to prioritize profits over growth, there’s a chance
that the cost of riding could increase, and owning your
own car might not be such a bad deal anymore. Q
Julie Walmsley contributed to this report.
PHOTO: JADE NELSON
EXTRA I Electra Meccanica Solo
The Last Mile … on Three Wheels
Electra’s Solo: The latest ‘mobility solution’
erry Kroll, Electra Meccanica’s
J fast-talking CEO, describes his Solo
electric-powered single-seater as
“a Disney ride that escaped.”
Having driven an early-build version for
about 20 minutes around L.A.’s South Bay, I
am unsure if that’s a good thing.
Covered motorcycles are hardly new.
The Corbin Sparrow fluttered for about a
decade before going bust a few years back.
Europhiles will recall the crazy-leaning
Carver from Holland and the sleek Peraves
MonoRacer from the Czech Republic. But
while the Euro-cycles exude technology
and cool, the Solo gives more of an amuse-
ment park vibe—but less Disney than an
abandoned theme park in rural New Jersey.
As I contort myself into the Solo’s
cramped cabin—there’s barely enough door
opening space for a 6-footer to swing in his
knees—I am confronted by a steering wheel
as opposed to motorcycle handlebars.
After fastening the three-point seat belt,
I turn the ignition key to illuminate a digital
screen with graphics akin to an Atari. A CD
player is mounted in the dash, giving it a
further retro touch. The turn signal lever
feels ripped from a Malaise Era GM sedan—
cheap to the touch and sticky in actuation.
Choosing reverse or drive is actuated by a
left-to-right flip-switch; reverse activates a
rearview camera with crisp clarity.
Pulling away, the electric motor whirrs
and chirps in the Jetsons style. Getting
away from a stop sign is slower than we’ve
become accustomed to from electric cars;
it picks up the pace at about 25 mph, with
a claimed 0–60 of 8.0 seconds, which feels
about right. Top speed is a good-enough
82 mph. Kroll claims the Solo’s 17.3-kW-hr
lithium-ion battery pack has a 100-mile
range and a three-hour, 220-volt charging
time, neither of which I had time to verify.
This version of the Solo lacks power
steering and power brakes—to purportedly
be upgraded along with some interior bits
in future models. Photos of a future-build
interior also show some upgrades consis-
tent with a current base-model econobox.
As equipped, steering is a chore, and
brake pedal feel is similar to stepping on
a brick. There is no regenerative braking,
nor will there be. Steering feel is all over
the place, at times darty yet completely
vague. The suspension travel is short, and
minor impacts jar my lumbar harshly. Any
offset bump sharply unsettles the Solo’s
rickety three-legged barstool stability.
As the cabin warms up in the wintry
Los Angeles sun, I roll down the windows.
The ensuing wind noise is louder than one
would experience on a motorcycle wearing
a helmet without earplugs. There’s no air
conditioning in this model, but I flip on the
fan, which emits a musty odor evocative of
a urinal cake.
2019 Electra Meccanica Solo
BASE PRICE $15,500
VEHICLE LAYOUT Rear-motor, RWD,
1-pass, 2-door
cyclecar
MOTOR 82-hp/128-lb-ft AC
Synchronous
TRANSMISSION 1-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT 1,500 lb (mfr)
WHEELBASE 80.5 in
LXWXH 122.0 x 52.0 x 53.0 in
0-60 MPH 8.0 sec (mfr est)
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB Not rated
FUEL ECON
ON SALE IN U.S. Currently
As I meander my way around the South
Bay, I notice several people gawking at this
unusual vehicle, but it’s hard to tell if they
are pointing in an awestruck, “Wow, that is
so cool,” way or more laughingly, like, “That
goofball is driving an electric banana.”
Initially, I don’t feel any more vulnerable
than I would in a Miata. Kroll claims the Solo
is safe, but knowing that it’s categorized as
a motorcycle by regulators—and therefore
doesn’t need to pass passenger-vehicle
crash tests—is not encouraging. This proves
true when an adjacent BMW swings too
wide in a two-lane left turn and I’m staring
straight at the Bimmer’s kidney grille, mere
inches from the Solo’s composite shell. The
low-slung Solo lacks the zip, maneuver-
ability, and elevated 360-degree outward
visibility of a proper motorcycle, and as
such, I was a sitting duck. Had the BMW
driver not course corrected, I would have
been punted into the shoulder.
The Solo comes with a two-year
warranty, along with a five-year warranty
for the battery pack. The first produc-
tion units are built in Vancouver, British
Columbia. But series production will come
from the Zongshen Industrial Group,
located in Chongqing, China, according to
Electra documents filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission. Kroll hopes to
sell 5,000 Solos by the end of 2019.
And he could just do it. A covered single-
seater, priced at $15,500, is an intriguing
proposition to folks fed up with commuting
and urban parking hassles, especially if
it gets you carpool lane access. But this
early-build Solo shows a vehicle in dire
need of some finishing school. We look
forward to testing the updated versions
coming from China. Mark Rechtin
APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 85
 ARRIVAL
ACURA RDX

Ride along for updates on our long-term fleet

MT

Only A-Spec models are

offered with racy, bright red
seats, but our RDX sticks
with an all-black interior.

ARRIVAL: 2019 Acura RDX A-Spec

REAL MPG CITY/HWY/COMB Fuel Econ: price. The rear seats don’t but we’re looking forward
19.4/30.9/23.3 mpg recline, but there’s still room to evaluating how well the
to stretch out. The RDX’s system works on a daily basis.
“So much space! Not many sub-$50,000
luxury crossovers can match the RDX for people space doesn’t require The same goes for the
cargo and passenger room.” Zach Gale sacrificing stuff space, and I’m powertrain. Like the first-gen
thankful for the crossover’s model, the new RDX is turbo-
sizable cargo area and under- charged, but our long-termer
Base price $46,495 As tested $46,895 floor storage compartment. boasts twice as many forward
The Acura’s most contro- gears. A 10-speed automatic
cura’s new best-seller model’s forgettable compe- versial feature is also stan- pairs to a version of the same
A has become a risk-
taker. With a more
tence. Attracting new buyers
to the brand may require
dard. A touchpad controls
the 10.2-inch infotainment
2.0-liter turbo-four offered in
the Honda Accord. The RDX’s
emotional design and divisive just such an approach, and screen mounted at the top of version puts out 272 hp and
infotainment system, the 2019 the RDX unapologetically every RDX’s dash. Users who 280 lb-ft of torque and emits a
RDX will dumbfound those makes a statement. With a insist on touchscreens may be guttural engine note when you
accustomed to the previous bright red 2019 RDX A-Spec frustrated by the touchpad, step on it.
long-termer, we’ll have a year
to determine whether we like
what the Acura has to say.
The RDX’s extraordinary
value story makes a good first
impression. Even $38,295
base models include LED
headlights, a panoramic
moonroof, a package of active
safety tech, and interior
spaciousness you won’t find
on some competitors at any
88 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019
 UPDATE
ALFA ROMEO UPDATE CHRYSLER DODGE FORD HONDA CIVIC HONDA INFINITI
GIULIA BMW X3 PACIFICA DURANGO F-150 TYPE R CR-V LX Q60S

INFINITI KIA KIA LAND ROVER RAM 2500 SUBARU VOLKSWAGEN VOLVO
QX50 NIRO STINGER RANGE ROVER POWER WAGON CROSSTREK ATLAS XC60
UPDATE VELAR UPDATE
UPDATE

Our A-Spec model doesn’t that torque shifting to either

add extra power, but it does rear wheel depending on
sport enormous 4.0-inch conditions. Blind-spot and
exhaust tips. Not excited yet? rear cross-traffic monitoring
The A-Spec is also the only as well as front and rear
2019 RDX to come with dark parking sensors are standard
20-inch wheels wrapped in on the Tech, A-Spec, and
wider and lower-profile tires Advance models.
than you’ll find on the other To top it off, the $400
three trims rolling on 19s. Performance Red Pearl paint 2018 BMW X3 M40i
Other upgrades, such as the contributes to our well-
black trim around the grille, equipped RDX ’s $46,895 Service life:
side windows, and lights, add price. It’s a ton of money for a 2 mo/2,788 mi • Avg Fuel Econ: 19.8 mpg
more visual pop in person two-row crossover, but spec
“I just got upgraded to the fast,
than can be appreciated in out a few RDX competitors sexy, techie, and farty BMW X3!
photographs. with similar equipment, and I’m excited.” Robin Trajano
Functionally, A-Spec you’ll start to see that price in
premium features include a different light. Avg CO2 0.98 lb/mi Energy cons 169 kW-hr/100 mi
ventilation for the heated Through the new RDX, Unresolved problems None Maintenance cost $0
front seats, which are already Acura hopes you’ll begin to Normal-wear cost $0 Base price $55,295 As-tested $68,670
standard on the base car, perceive the brand differently,
suedelike trim on the seats too. The 2019 model seeks to all me immature, but I features. Which makes me
and dash, and a 16-speaker
sound system that even has
speakers on the ceiling.
banish the idea that Acura’s
compact luxury CUV will stir
no more emotion than a well-
C like cars that are loud,
fast, eye-catching,
and generally obnoxious. After
question Brian’s choice to
switch even more. I guess that
loud exhaust really bothered
For $2,000, we opted for built premium toaster. And spending a year piloting our him. I, on the other hand, love
the latest version of Acura’s with our RDX A-Spec long- long-term CX-5, the plan was it, especially in Sport or Sport
Super Handling All-Wheel termer, we have 12 months to take the reins of a BMW Plus mode when it burbles and
Drive system, which can send to see whether passion and X2, which is none of those backfires on overrun.
70 percent of engine torque rational considerations can things. Every time I laid eyes Some think it’s out of place
to the rear wheels, with all of coexist peacefully in one car. on Brian Vance’s X3 M40i, the coming from the back end
X2’s bigger, angrier brother, I of a practical SUV, but I like
2019 Acura RDX SH-AWD A-Spec couldn’t help but jokingly offer that surprising aspect. It’s like
Vehicle Layout Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV a switcheroo—especially when when you find out your college
Engine 2.0L/272-hp/280-lb-ft turbo DOHC 16-valve I-4 I heard him grumbling about math professor can burp the
Transmission 10-speed automatic Curb Weight (F/R Dist) 3,967 the X3’s loud exhaust possibly alphabet. Uncharacteristic,
lb (58/42%) Wheelbase 108.3 in L x W x H 186.8 x 74.8 x 65.7 in
annoying his neighbors. but it shows the person has a
0-60 MPH 6.4 sec Quarter Mile 14.8 sec @ 94.7 mph
Braking, 60-0 MPH 116 ft Lateral Acceleration 0.81 g (avg) To my surprise, he actually fun side.
MT Figure Eight 27.6 sec @ 0.61 g (avg) Energy Cons, City/Hwy seemed interested. After a Speaking of fun, we have
160/130 kW-hr/100 miles CO2 Emissions, Comb 0.83 lb/mile weeklong test drive, he liked yet to take the X3 to the track
EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ 21/27/23 mpg the X2 enough to swap. This to do our standard testing, but
made me very excited. (My X2 my butt-dyno is expecting it to
arrival story will appear in the be true to BMW’s claim of 4.6
Height 66.0” coming months, followed by seconds to 60 mph. It’s decep-
updates from Brian.) tively quick, thanks in part to
My first X3 impressions are all the smooth power delivery
positive. It’s definitely hand- of the B58, the turbocharged
some, especially in Phytonic inline-six that it shares with
Blue Metallic. The interior much of BMW’s lineup. It’s the
is also a welcome upgrade successor to the venerable N55
from the X2. It’s much more and feels just as buttery. I’ll
PAUL LAGUETTE

luxurious, and I’m loving all report on what our test team
h 18 6.1” the tech and convenience learns in the next update.
L engt
Width 74 .7 APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 89
”
UPDATES I LONG-TERM TEST My son isn’t old enough to fully
appreciate rear screens yet,
but features like this ensure the
2018 Chrysler Pacifica Pacifica can grow with him.

of minutes before we leave. is the Stow ‘n Go second row.

Service life:
2 mo/3,150 mi • Avg Fuel Econ: 18.7 mpg
“Most four-door vehicles these days
are fit for baby duty, but having
sliding doors makes getting a baby
seat in so much easier.” Alex Nishimoto
Avg CO2 1.04 lb/mi Energy cons 177 kW-hr/100 mi
Unresolved problems None Maintenance cost $0
Normal-wear cost $0 Base price $45,440 As-tested $48,430
couple months into I love the Pacifica Limited’s
Starting the car remotely can
make a big difference in how
the cabin feels when you get
in, and I’m sure my son appre-
ciates not being sweatier than
he needs to be.
I can see remote start being
even handier in places that
have actual weather. Chrysler
also offers a subscription-
based Uconnect app that
does the same thing, but so
far I haven’t gotten around to
pairing it with the van.
Although the van is usually
cool after a few minutes idling
with the A/C on, it seems only
the front vents activate with
remote start. The rear zone
There have been at least two
occasions when Kai needed
his diaper (and everything else
he was wearing) changed in
the car. I could have changed
him on the seat, but I didn’t
want to risk getting the leather
upholstery, um, messy. Folding
one of the seats down into
the floor creates a flat surface
that’s perfect for laying down a
changing pad and doing what
a dad’s gotta do.
You could also fold down the
rear bench, but the cargo area
would need to be empty first,
as the seat stows in the well
where your stroller and other
items would normally go.

A our yearlong loan,

I can see why the
minivan is a perennial parental
favorite. Occasionally, I’ll get
a different vehicle for the
weekend, and I usually end up
missing the baby-friendliness
of the Chrysler Pacifica.
standard remote start feature.
We enjoy a mild climate here in
Southern California, but it does
get hot every now and then.
On those days I love that I can
start the car from inside the
house to give the air condi-
tioning a head start a couple
A/C doesn’t power on until
you get in the car and push
the ignition button. It’s a minor
grievance, but it would be nice
to have more airflow in the
back before clicking in my son.
Another feature that has
proven unexpectedly useful
I plan to cycle through
some minivan alternatives in
the coming months to see if a
large crossover would be just
as easy to live with, but so far
the Pacifica’s practicality has
outweighed any stigma that
comes with driving it.

2018 Range Rover Velar

Service life:
7 mo/16,615 mi • Avg Fuel Econ: 19.8 mpg
“Eco mode saves about 1 mpg. Then
again, my lead-footed driving habits
work against it.” Mark Rechtin
Avg CO2 0.98 lb/mi Energy cons 170 kW-hr/100 mi
Unresolved problems None Maintenance cost $282.79
(1-oil change, inspection) Normal-wear cost $0
Base price $70,595 As-tested $76,041
ith the latest climate-change consensus coming from
The Velar's display screen provides a choice of six drive modes.
To assuage my guilt, I have started experimenting with Eco
drive mode. I’d say that 90 percent of the time, Eco mode is suffi-
cient for my needs. Having the computer cut the engine to save
fuel also crimps the air conditioner’s cooling abilities, but that’s a
minor inconvenience. Over the course of a couple tanks of gas, I
found Eco mode improves economy by 1 mpg. Every little bit helps.
We’ve already grimaced over the clunky infotainment interface.
The system’s user experience also leaves something to be desired,
as senior copy editor Jesse Bishop discovered on a 3,000-mile
run from L.A. to Washington state with his new bride.
When playing audiobooks through his phone and also using

W 13 U.S. government agencies, I must admit to a bit of

shame when I embark on my solo commute in the Velar.
I mean, it’s a beautiful, graceful vehicle with an impressive
5.7-second 0–60 time ideal for darting through traffic, and its
posh interior gets me to the office (or home) feeling none the
worse for wear. Its 18/24 EPA mpg (and our EQUA MPG testing
outperforming EPA estimates at 20.7/27.5 mpg) ain’t half bad for
a 4,547-pound vehicle with “R Dynamic” in its name, either.
onboard navigation, the system didn’t pause while reading out
directions, meaning potentially missing out on vital passages.
There have also been a couple occasions that the infotainment
system freezes or merely goes black. If you want it to work, you
have to reboot the system by turning off the Velar, waiting about
10 seconds, and starting it up again.
Yeah, yeah, #FirstWorldProblems, but it points out that Land
Rover’s telematics team has some catch-up to play.

90 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019

 Push that collision MT GARAGE
alert button, folks.
I crashed for science
2018 Kia Stinger GT so you won’t have to.

Kia Stinger GT for a few In the third update, back

weeks to compare it to our
20,000-plus-mile warhorse.
Turned out, the crash was a
good thing. No, really!
The single worst thing about
our long-termer is the trans-
mission lever. The car pops
into neutral constantly. Pull the
Service life: handle back toward drive too
7 mo/12,929 mi • Avg Fuel Econ: 20.1 mpg aggressively, and bam, you’re
in neutral. It’s so bad that I
“Kia officials blame our Stinger’s called Kia. I was assured the
issues on its pre-production status, bum shifter is because our car
and I believe them. And yes, I’m
is an early-build Stinger. To
getting soft.” Jonny Lieberman
Kia’s point, the Stinger still has
Avg CO2 0.97 lb/mi Energy cons 169 kW-hr/100 mi
Unresolved problems None Maintenance cost $83.57 (oil a decal from the car’s launch.
change, inspection, tire rotation) Normal-wear cost $0 This red GT is definitely one of
Base price $50,100 As-tested $50,100 the first to come off the line.
Now, if the transmission lever
ne or two of you miles of home. In my case, 200 were a model-wide defect,
when this Kia “belonged” to
Alex Nishimoto, he complained
of a rattle in the driver-side
window. He took it in for
service, and the tech “lubri-
cated” the window seals.
Well, the problem still persists.
I can report, however, that
the replacement Stinger GT
made no such noise. The nice
PR person at Kia assured me
that the rattle was due to our
car being a pre-pro, and I am
(sigh) once again choosing to
believe the party line.
One more difference
between the two cars: The
crash victim is a RWD Stinger
GT. The replacement car
turned out to be AWD. Unless

O might be surprised by
this: I’m not perfect.
Which is why on a clear, sunny
Saturday afternoon, I backed
“my” long-term Kia Stinger GT
into the neighbor’s Kia. Most
accidents happen within 2
feet. Accidents happen, cars
can be repaired, insurance
exists for a reason.
More important to you is
that the “incident” afforded
me the chance to get into
a different (though still red)
then the short-term replace-
ment car would suffer from the
same ill, right? The short-term
Stinger GT had no such trou-
bles. Moreover, I spent a bunch
of time trying to reproduce the
flaw, but I couldn’t.
you absolutely need all-wheel
drive, buy the rear-driver.
Everything about the Stinger—
its sportiness, the joy of just
driving around—is better. More
so than you might think.
Good thing I crashed it, eh?

2018 Volkswagen Atlas

The cargo
area is truly
cavernous with
the second
and third rows
folded. It has
so much room
that I could
store someone
else’s family.

Service life:
2 mo/5,845 mi • Avg Fuel Econ: 18.1 mpg
“Tire killer! With 266 lb-ft of torque
going to the front two wheels, these
tires are not long for this world.”
William Walker
Avg CO2 1.07 lb/mi Energy cons 187 kW-hr/100 mi
Unresolved problems None Maintenance cost $0
Normal-wear cost $0 Base price $36,165 As-tested $38,265
he light goes green. The front tires jump, chirp as they
in Southern California, you really have to let the Atlas begin to
roll without giving it any throttle input in order to mitigate tire
slippage. I would hesitate to drive in wetter, colder climates that
could see snow or ice without replacing its current 245/60R18
Continental CrossContact LX Sport tires.
The front-end traction is not the only driving characteristic
that reduces my confidence in the Atlas’s overall handling. Like a
4,200-pound Great Dane puppy, it bounds places, full of unnec-
essary movements and unsure of how to control its enormous
extremities. My commute includes a section of rough coastal
road, and once the bumps, drops, twists, and turns start, I never

T lose traction, then settle as I pull away from the line. Such
has been my experience with the Volkswagen Atlas. And
before you jump to conclusions and assume I’m gunning it at
every stoplight, let me assure you that I am not being overly
aggressive in my acceleration. Unfortunately, our V-6-equipped
brute is not equipped with the $1,800 optional 4Motion
all-wheel-drive system, which means the entirety of the 266 lb-ft
is directed forward overwhelming the limits of the front tires. And
that’s when the ground is dry. When it rains, luckily a rare event
feel like the Atlas settles until I get back to a smooth, level road.
Despite the Atlas’ shortcomings, it has become a favorite of
our video crew. It provides ample room to store their stuff and still
have space to work on the road. With two USB ports servicing
the front passengers, two in the second row, and one 12-volt plug
per row, it has plenty of power options to support the needs of
front and middle passengers. A 110-volt outlet and USB ports for
the third row are absent, which keeps the Atlas from joining the
true family hauler ranks alongside minivans and full-size SUVs.

APRIL 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 91

MT GARAGE I LONG-TERM TEST
VERDICT: 2017 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro
“The Audi A4 isn’t as
much fun as the Car
of the Year–winning
Giulia or G70, but it
still deserves a spot
on your list.”
Zach Gale
Base price $40,350 As tested $52,325
Service life: 12 mo/19,419 mi
Avg Econ 25.1 mpg
he Audi A4 never shouts—it quietly
T works its magic until you start
questioning choices other auto-
makers make with their compact luxury
sport sedans. A year spent living with the
2017 Audi A4 solidified our feeling that
it’s one of the best cars in its class.
Of course, when you spend that much
time with a car, you also notice what
doesn’t work well. The A4’s seat belt
chime is too loud, the rear defroster quits
too early, I don’t like the upward-tilting
exterior door handles, and the twin-
clutch automatic transmission could be
smoother in low-speed driving. Those are
92 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019
relatively minor issues when you realize
that every car you’re considering has
something you won’t like.
With the A4, you must decide how
much soul you’re willing to sacrifice for
all-around everyday excellence. The Audi
isn’t as fun to drive as the Alfa Romeo
Giulia, our 2018 Car of the Year. Some
feel the Alfa is more fun to look at, too,
but I disagree. The Alfa is attractive, but
the Audi’s understated looks will age well.
So the impressively capable Audi
isn’t as entertaining as the Giulia or
the Genesis G70 (our 2019 Car of the
Year), but you’re in for a great commute.
Because let’s face it: That’s where you’ll
drive this car most of the time. A number
of smart details occasionally made me
nod my head in appreciation. The A4’s
8.3-inch infotainment screen is ideally
placed at the very top of the dash and is
canted toward the driver.
Then there’s the superb 12.3-inch
Virtual Cockpit digital instrument
cluster, which is distinguished from other
similar systems not by its use of Google
Earth—which is cool but pricey after the
The process of accessing some settings
menus isn’t intuitive at first, but the
system and MMI control knob are easy
to use after a little practice. I’m going to
miss the A4’s adaptive cruise control; in
use and customizability, it’s one of the
best systems I’ve experienced so far.
trial period ends. Instead, I like the inter-
face and how easily you can switch views
using steering wheel controls. Whether
you want a full-screen map view or a
more traditional display of a tachometer
and speedometer with music or drive info
in the middle, the Audi gets most details
right. Three suggestions: I wish the car
could show album covers when I’m using
Apple CarPlay, I want a tire pressure
monitoring system that displays PSI at
each tire, and it’d be cool if I could change
the color of the “A4” that appears in one
of the full-screen display modes.
Other interior pluses include an
ambient lighting system that offers
multiple colors and allows you to color
part of the interior in one color and
the rest of the car’s interior lighting
in another complementing hue.
Unfortunately, though, the illuminated
white line at the bottom of the front doors
doesn’t play along. Also, the A4 has one
of the best turn-up-the-volume controls
in the industry, with a roller-type control
on the steering wheel and an easy-to-find
volume knob at the base of the center
console between the driver and front
passenger. Over time, I even came to
appreciate the engine auto stop/start
2017 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro
Options Prestige package ($8,600:
18-inch wheels, Bang & Olufsen sound
system, Audi advance key, LED headlights,
top-view camera, head-up display, Virtual
Cockpit); Driver Assistance package
($1,800: Adaptive cruise control, active
lane keep assist, high-beam assist, traffic
sign recognition); Adaptive damping
suspension ($1,000); metallic paint ($575)
Problem Areas None
Maintenance Cost $561.36 (2-oil change,
inspection) Normal-Wear Cost $0
3-Year Residual Value* $34,900 (67%)
Recalls None
*IntelliChoice data; assumes
42,000 miles at the end of three years
COLLECTING
Part 1 The Bruce Meyer Collection

WINNING NUMBERS
The First, The Fastest, The Famous
EXHIBITION OPENING FEB 22, 2019

9LVLWpetersen.org/never-lift
6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90036
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2017 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro VERDICT I LONG-TERM TEST
DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT Front-engine, AWD
Turbocharged I-4, iron
ENGINE TYPE
block/alum head
VALVETRAIN DOHC, 4 valves/cyl
DISPLACEMENT 121.1 cu in/1,984cc
COMPRESSION RATIO 9.6:1
POWER (SAE NET) 252 hp @ 5,000 rpm
TORQUE (SAE NET) 273 lb-ft @ 1,600 rpm
REDLINE 6,750 rpm
WEIGHT TO POWER 14.5 lb/hp
TRANSMISSION 7-speed twin-clutch auto
AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO 4.23:1/1.63:1
SUSPENSION, Multilink, coil springs,
FRONT; REAR adj shocks, anti-roll bar;
multilink, coil springs,
adj shocks, anti-roll bar
STEERING RATIO 15.9:1
TURNS LOCK TO LOCK 2.8
system, but not for its smoothness. In Volvo) include additional complimentary
BRAKES, F; R 13.3-in vented disc; fact, the engine awakens with a notice- service visits. As for the car’s retained
13.0-in vented disc, ABS
able and unfortunate shake. I kept the value, IntelliChoice estimates our A4
WHEELS 8.0 x 18 in cast aluminum
feature on because under the right condi- would be worth an impressive 67 percent
245/40R18 97H (M+S)
TIRES tions, the car can turn the engine off for of its original $52,325 MSRP after three
Pirelli Cinturato P7
DIMENSIONS more than a minute—perfect for making years and 42,000 miles, holding its value
WHEELBASE 111.0 in the most of our long-termer’s 19-speaker, better than the less expensive Acura and
TRACK, F/R 61.9/61.2 in 755-watt sound system at long red lights. Mercedes and also slightly above our
LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT 186.1 x 72.5 x 56.2 in Were I ordering an A4, I wouldn’t 2017 BMW 530i long-termer.
TURNING CIRCLE 38.1 ft pick the Atlas Beige interior color of our My personal choice for an A4 would be
CURB WEIGHT 3,645 lb
long-termer, and not just because Nougat a top Prestige-trimmed all-wheel-drive
WEIGHT DIST, F/R 56/44%
Brown looks great. The beige seats on our model. The less powerful front-drive A4
SEATING CAPACITY 5
HEADROOM, F/R 38.9/37.4 in
A4 don’t hide dirt well, and the standard Ultra’s responses at low speeds aren’t
LEGROOM, F/R 41.3/35.7 in seats on our car don’t provide as much smooth, and our all-wheel-drive A4 is
SHOULDER ROOM, F/R 55.9/54.5 in side bolstering as I’d like. I would get the already so quick I couldn’t justify the
CARGO VOLUME 13.0 cu ft available sport seats, after making sure pricier and more powerful S4. As for
TEST DATA that the sport suspension with which the Prestige trim—like the midlevel
ACCELERATION TO MPH they’re bundled isn’t too uncomfortable. Premium Plus, it includes chrome
0-30 1.8 sec During our 19,419 miles with the A4, exterior trim that accentuates the arched
0-40 2.7 we had a few issues. The biggest one was side-window shape that has defined Audi
0-50 3.9 when the car couldn’t reliably recog- sedans for over two decades.
0-60 5.2 nize phones that were compatible with The top trim also includes Audi’s great
0-70 6.9 Apple CarPlay. A total of $2,839.99 of adaptive cruise control. After turning
0-80 9.1 warranty cost later, the control module off the lane keeping assist system, which
0-90 11.6 that connects with the phone through fails to center the car in its lane at low
0-100 14.5 the USB outlets was replaced to fix the speeds, I sometimes let the adaptive
PASSING, 45-65 MPH 2.8
system. The back of the center console cruise ease my evening commute. Some
QUARTER MILE 14.0 sec @ 98.2 mph
armrest—which has a lid that adjusts systems are too rough as they come to
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 126 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.84 g (avg)
up and down and front to back—started a stop or take off, but Audi’s system has
MT FIGURE EIGHT 26.3 sec @ 0.69 g (avg) to warp, and that was replaced with a settings for distance and aggressiveness.
TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH 1,300 rpm warranty cost of $103. We also replaced I’m more prone to motion sickness than
CONSUMER INFO all four tires before we would have the average driver, and for me, this is the
BASE PRICE $40,350 liked. Right before a trip up the coast difference between usability and perma-
PRICE AS TESTED $52,325 of California, we noticed one tire had a nently turning off the tech.
STABILITY/TRACTION bubble on the sidewall, so two tires were Really, though, I wouldn’t choose an
CONTROL
Yes/Yes
replaced. Just a couple weeks later, a nail A4 at all. My choice would be a beautiful
AIRBAGS 10: Dual front, f/r side, in another tire caused enough damage A5 Sportback, the four-door hatchback
f/r curtain, front knee that we had to replace that one, as well. that slips all of the A4’s many advantages
BASIC WARRANTY 4 years/50,000 miles
The A4 cost $561.36 to service; Audi into a sexier shape. If I’m making the
POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 4 years/50,000 miles
throws in the first scheduled mainte- emotionally charged decision of paying
ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 4 years/Unlimited miles
nance. For comparison, our $46,140 $50,000 to $60,000 for a car that’s more
FUEL CAPACITY 15.3 gal
2015 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 cost cramped inside than a Civic, I’m treating
REAL MPG, CITY/HWY/COMB 22.1/35.2/26.5 mpg
$181.18 over 18,525 miles. Our $36,420 myself to the more exclusive silhouette.
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON 24/31/27 mpg
ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY 140/109 kW-hr/100 miles
2015 Acura TLX 2.4 required $235.40 For those who aren’t interested in that
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 0.73 lb/mile of services over 18,915 miles. As you hatchback, a year in the Audi reaffirmed
RECOMMENDED FUEL Unleaded premium compare prices of various cars you’re our belief that despite its drawbacks, the
considering, keep in mind that some A4 is one of the most well-rounded and
automakers (BMW, Jaguar, Genesis, recommendable cars in its class. Q
94 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019
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OPINION
The Big Picture
Hero, Zero
The extraordinary rise and fall of Carlos Ghosn
J 
anuary 2003. I’m talking with a senior auto
industry analyst about Carlos Ghosn. “If it was
announced Ghosn was about to take the top job at
Ford,” he muses, “it would add $10 billion to the
value of the company.” He pauses just long enough
to ponder a pile of greenbacks larger than the GDP of
several small Caribbean countries, then delivers the
punchline: “Overnight ...”
Ghosn became the auto industry’s $10 billion man for
one simple reason: He had saved Nissan. In 1999, Japan’s
second-largest automaker had been a basket case. Its
share of the Japanese market had been shrinking for
26 years, and only two or three of the 48 vehicles it built
were profitable. Buckling under $20 billion of debt and
teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, Nissan
had been humiliatingly forced to seek an alli-
ance with Renault to survive.
For Renault boss Louis Schweitzer, Ghosn
was the logical choice to take on what many
believed was a near-impossible task. A
Brazilian-born Lebanese, Ghosn graduated
as an engineer from France’s elite École Poly-
technique before joining tiremaker Michelin
in 1978 and jumping to Renault in 1996. A
bristling, bustling ball of energy with a hair-
trigger intellect and an outsider’s disdain for establish-
ment norms, Ghosn was the change agent Nissan needed.
He was appointed chief operating officer in June 1999.
Once in Tokyo, “le cost killer” wasted no time shooting
sacred cows. “When I joined Nissan,” Ghosn said in
2003, “everyone explained its weakness by the state of
the yen, the collapse of the bubble economy, etcetera.
I said that was baloney. The problem with Nissan was
inside Nissan. When you start looking outside for
excuses, that’s when you’re in trouble.”
Ghosn ignored the arcana of Japanese business
98 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2019
Angus MacKenzie
etiquette, shaking hands with every employee he met,
making English the company’s official language, and
brazenly poaching Shiro Nakamura from Isuzu to be
Nissan’s new design chief. He dismantled entrenched
internal fiefdoms by installing cross-functional manage-
ment teams that cut across the traditionally compart-
mentalized engineering, finance, sales, marketing, and
manufacturing departments.
It worked. In the year after Ghosn’s arrival, Nissan
posted a $2.7 billion profit, a stunning $10 billion turn-
around on the previous year. By 2003, Nissan’s costs had
been slashed 20 percent, debt was rapidly shrinking, and
the company’s 10.6 percent operating margin was second
only to that of Porsche—long regarded the industry’s most
efficient money machine. Nissan’s savior was
a hero in Japan: In 2002, Big Comic Superior,
a manga magazine that sold a half-million
copies to the salarymen who crammed Tokyo’s
commuter trains every day, ran a six-part series
called “The True Life of Carlos Ghosn.”
Made Nissan CEO in 2001, Ghosn succeeded
Schweitzer as CEO of Renault in 2005 to
become the first exec to run two separate
automakers. By 2009 he was chairman of both,
as well, and by 2016, after Nissan acquired 34
percent of troubled Mitsubishi, he headed an alliance
that built more than 10 million vehicles a year.
January 2019. Carlos Ghosn is languishing in a Japa-
nese jail cell, accused of financial misconduct. Whether
Ghosn is guilty is for the courts to decide, but what’s
striking is how ruthlessly the company he saved engi-
neered his fall from grace. Hiroto Saikawa, who took over
the Nissan CEO role in April 2017, personally revealed
the allegations of misconduct after Ghosn’s surprise
arrest—even though difficult questions could be asked
of him, and of the Nissan board, as to how they were
unaware of their chairman’s financial arrangements and
how Nissan reported those arrangements to regulators.
But consider this: Saikawa and the Nissan board
vehemently oppose Ghosn’s plan to turn the Renault–
Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance into a full-fledged merger.
They believe Renault is now the weaker automaker
and fear a merger would permanently cede control to
foreigners, allowing the plunder of Nissan’s $10.7 billion
cash reserve. Against this background, the Ghosn affair
looks more like a messy palace coup than the search for
a smoking gun. One source close to events confirms
Saikawa may not survive the scandal. But, this source
said, the Nissan CEO doesn’t care: “In Japan he’ll be
regarded as a hero.”
How times change. Q
Ed. Note As we went to press, Carlos Ghosn
resigned as chairman and CEO of Renault.