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• Ford Fusion Energi and C-Max Energi: Smarter Than the Average Electric Car

  In Road Tests / By Tom Anderson / 9 May 2013

  

  Some 50 weeks ago, we accepted an invitation from Ford to try out some of its newest and coolest creations on the streets and freeways of Los Angeles County’s South Bay region. We came away from the experience more than a little impressed with not just the hog wild rides like the Mustang GT and SVT Raptor, but also the more sensible rides like the then-new Escape crossover and the remarkably zippy Focus Electric. We could barely believe this was the same company that, a few short years earlier, brought the American motoring public vehicles like the “Did someone ask for MOAR OVALS?” third-gen Taurus and the “Pay no attention to the rest of the world’s Gen 2 Focus behind the curtain” Focus Sedan and Coupe.

  This year’s test drive event picked up more-or-less where the 2012 edition left off, but there were some notable changes this time around. For one, there were no V8s or naturally-aspirated V6s present. And, perhaps not coincidentally, Dearborn sent multiple examples of its two new Energi plug-in hybrid models – the Fusion mid-size sedan and the C-Max wagon/crossover/mini-minivan thingy – for us car journos to try out.

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• Kahn Design Jeep Wrangler CJ300 Summer Collection is Beachy Keen

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 6 May 2013

  

  The Jeep Wrangler is one of the last rough-and-tumble old school SUVs in production. It’s not based on a family sedan chassis fitted with taller springs. It’s offered with a variety of four-wheel-drive systems with low-range transfer cases. And you can fold down the windshield, fold the fabric top (or remove the available hardtop), and even remove the doors for maximum visibility when crawling your way over tricky terrain.

  But what if you love the current JK-series Wrangler – particularly its open-air convertibility – but you want more posh interior and exterior trimmings? Then you get on the horn with the folks at Kahn Design. That crafty band of sport utility vehicle specialists has just the components to get your archetypal Jeep ready for warm weather cruising.

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• Toledo Dangerous: Roadkill’s Freiburger and Finnegan Tempt Fate in a Hot Rod Jeep [Video]

  In Fast Forward / By Tom Anderson / 6 May 2013

  

  One of the hottest shows on MotorTrend’s YouTube channel is Roadkill. Correction: One of the hottest automotive shows on all of YouTube is Roadkill. Every episode is an unscripted, low-budget buddy comedy/road movie, with Hot Rod editors David Freibuger and Mike Finnegan serving as the latter-day, mechanically-inclined Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. You don’t have to love American V8s – or even cars period – to enjoy their shenanigans.

  Case-in-point: This newest episode, which chronicles the guys’ most ambitious/harebrained quest yet. It involves driving a genuine World War II era military Jeep that a previous owner had turned into a Chevy-powered, airbag-suspended street rod from Hot Rod’s suburban L.A. H.Q. to a bar out in the desert near Parker, Arizona. Oh, and most of the Jeep’s vital systems – i.e. brakes, suspension, transmission, etc. – are suspect at best. How can that not lead to great television, er, internet?

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• Coupe Dreams: Low and Slow in a ’65 Buick Riviera [Video]

  In Fast Forward / By Tom Anderson / 26 April 2013

  

  From 1963 to 1999 (though it did take the 1994 model year off), the Buick Riviera served as the brand’s fashion leader, combining snazzy coupe styling with peppy performance (in most cases) and posh interior appointments. We’re partial to some generations more than others, but they’re all distinctive, even compared to other Buicks of the same vintage. We just hope any future Rivieras (assuming they happen) are a bit less distinctive than the two most recent concepts to come out of GM’s Chinese studio.

  Anyway, the first generation Riv (1963 to ’65) arguably remains the most iconic generation of Riviera. And with handsome, European-like styling and torquey Nailhead V8 power, why wouldn’t it be? Okay, maybe you prefer matte black paint, black wire wheels and a slammed stance. In that case, this customize 1965 Riviera has got you covered. Still have an excuse? Well, maybe you’re beyond help. Sorry ‘bout that.

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• Dinosaur Island: MotorTrend Checks out the Cuban Classic Car Scene [Video]

  In Fast Forward / By Tom Anderson / 23 April 2013

  

  At the risk of earning ourselves a promotion to the rank of major buzzkill, no company on earth will ever produce cars like those made by U.S. automakers in the 1950s. Yes, that’s probably a good thing, given all the exponential advancements that have been made to automobiles in the areas of safety, efficiency, cleanliness and performance since then, but there was a whole lot right with American cars of that decade, too. The splashy, aerospace-inspired styling, liberal use of chrome and stainless steel trim and vivid colors inside and out all conspired to make the cars made by our country easily recognizable, a sharp contrast to today’s timid, beige (in both the figurative and literal senses) domestic transportation appliances. It’s a shame, nay, a travesty that the only place left in this country to see befinned Ike Era rides is parked at car shows with a car hop tray (replete with plastic burger, fries and milkshake) on the driver’s door window sill and a toddler-shaped mannequin perched face-first against the front bumper.

  However, there is a place where seeing such cars out in the wild is a routine occurrence: Cuba! Yes, it’s a royal pain in the poo-chute for us gringos to go there (legally, anyway), but MotorTrend editors Arthur St. Antoine and Carlos Lago managed to use their car scribe charms to get the okay from D.C. And what they found when they got there is wall-to-wall awesome: Loads of old steel from the likes of Pontiac, Chevrolet and Ford being kept on the road by their clever and resourceful owners, fantastic architecture in varying states of preservation (or decay), and enough adult beverages and freshly-rolled Cuban stogies to constitute what Charlie Sheen calls “breakfast.” Could someone please remind us why our government hasn’t reconsidered its unfriending of this communist country while, at the same time, it’s doing the diplomatic and economic equivalents of sharing food pictures and cat videos with another?

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• 2014 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Special Edition is a Snazzier Sand Slinger

  In Auto News / By Tom Anderson / 10 April 2013

  

  We drove a bunch of new Ford cars, trucks and crossovers at a press junket last year, and one of the vehicles that impressed us the most was the F-150 SVT Raptor. We found the civilized on-pavement ride, trophy truck exhaust note and overall athleticism to be revelations. We reckon if we had gotten to drive it off road – its natural habitat – we would have fallen head-over-heels in love with it.

  It seems like a lot of American pickup truck buyers are smitten as well, since Ford has sold thousands of these extended cab and crew cab stump jumpers. Just last year it managed to move more than 13,000 of the things, and sales are currently up 14% over this time last year! That’s pretty impressive when you consider the ongoing concerns about fuel prices, the health of the economy and other geopolitical and socioeconomic boogeymen. And to commemorate the commercial success of the Raptor (and the fact that 2014 will be the final year for the current generation model), Ford and SVT have announced the F-150 SVT Raptor Special Edition.

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• Detroit Electric SP:01 Revives the Electric Sports Car

  In Auto News / By Tom Anderson / 4 April 2013

  

  The Tesla Roadster was a milestone car for many reasons. First, it proved that the term “electric sports car” didn’t have to be an oxymoron. Second, it proved that there was a market (albeit a very small one, due to the six-figure price tag) for such a car. And third, it paved the way for Tesla’s next model, the highly-acclaimed Model S. So it’s a bit of a shame that it was discontinued after an abbreviated 2012 model year.

  So that’s the end of the road for production electric sports cars, right? Well, no. Mercedes-Benz will soon start selling an all-electric SLS AMG. But what if you want something lighter, nimbler, and with an open top? Well, there’s a new company with an old name that looks set to cater to your tastes.

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• Clairvoyant Cabs: Tesla Model S Takes on the Citroën DS [Video]

  In Fast Forward / By Tom Anderson / 29 March 2013

  

  When it comes to groundbreaking, hyper-innovative cars, they’re usually high-dollar, low-practicality curiosities. Rarely do you see automakers make radical departures from design and engineering orthodoxy on mainstream models like family sedans. Pushing the envelope too far with these cash cows can have serious consequences.

  This is not to say, however, that there have never been mainstream four-doors that…weren’t. In fact, MotorTrend’s senior features editor Jonny Lieberman brought two of them together for the video seen above: The shockingly futuristic (and predictably French) Citroën DS, and the new, highly-acclaimed Tesla Model S. And though they’re separated by almost six decades (as well as the fact the Citroën runs on gas and the Tesla on electrons), they both had similar missions: Change the public’s idea about what an automobile can be. And from the standpoint of gearheads who appreciate technology and advancement as much as we do the actual driving experience, that’s a very good thing.

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• 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 is a Track Day Titan

  In Auto News / By Tom Anderson / 27 March 2013

  

  A couple years ago, when Chevrolet was fixing to introduce a supercharged, super-capable version of the hit fifth generation Camaro, many motoring pundits figured it would be called the Z28. After all, the “regular” V8 Camaro had already bogarted the SS moniker. But when the sheet finally came off, it turned out it was called the ZL1 (after the aluminum 427 cubic-inch V8 installed in a handful of extra-special order 1969 COPO Camaros). Sometime later, there was word a hardcore track package was in development. Would this be the Z28 revival? Negative, Ghostrider; it’s called the 1LE, an option group available for the manual-trans SS coupe and named for a conceptually similar package offered on late third-gen Z28 and IROC-Z coupes.

  So when word filtered out that Chevrolet would be rolling out the facelifted 2014 Camaro at the New York Auto Show this week, no one expected those three hallowed characters to make an appearance. But maybe that was Chevrolet’s plan all along, for at the end of the brand’s press conference this morning, it rolled out the 2014 Camaro Z/28 (note the old school slash in the name) to a cacophony of gasps, cheers and applause. And like the Z/28s of old, the new Z/28 is designed for attacking a road course with maximum fury.

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• SRT Viper TA Exacts Its Revenge [Video]

  In Fast Forward / By Tom Anderson / 19 March 2013

  

  You don’t want to mess with Ralph Gilles. Oh sure, he may be an accomplished automotive designer and the head of Chrysler’s Street and Racing Technology (SRT) brand. But if you try to besmirch the reputation of him, his coworkers, his company, or the products made by his company well, may Walter Chrysler have mercy on your soul. When Donald Trump parroted presidential hopeful Mitt Romney’s, uh, factually-deficient proclamation that Jeep was moving all of its production to China, Ralphie G made a beeline to the Twitterverse to disseminate his opinion of the reality TV host, provocateur and sometime real estate kingpin.

  While the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1’s defeat of the freshly minted SRT Viper GTS in a recent MotorTrend comparison test wasn’t quite the same genus of trolling as The Donald’s jaw-flappings, Mr. Gilles still found it irksome. So irksome, in fact, that he and the SRT team moved the development of the new Viper TA – as in Time Attack – ahead of schedule. By at least half a year. And when the more hardcore Viper was ready for review by the motoring press, which outlet do you think Ralph called first? (Hint: It wasn’t us. Not that we’re bitter or anything…) As you can see in this video from MT, the results of the TA’s upgrades speak for themselves (with a bit of help from our bud Jonny Lieberman and the magazine’s tame racing driver Randy Pobst).

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