INTELLIGENCE. INDEPENDENCE. IRREVERENCE.

Bug Out!
PORSCHE 718 CAYMAN GT4 OUTRUN ANYTHING
THE BEST DRIVING ROADS IN THE U.S.
HOW FAR CAN YOU PUSH A TOYOTA RAV4?
RIDE OUT THE APOCALYPSE IN A SWAT TRUCK
DRIVEN PORSCHE 911 TURBO S / MERCEDES-BENZ CLA250
HONDA CR-V HYBRID / AUDI S7 & S8 / CADILLAC CT4-V
FIND YOUR

CupFone®
FloorLiner™

Whether keeping your eyes on the road or protecting your vehicle from
the elements, we have the high-quality, American-made products that fit.
If it’s not WeatherTech, it’s not worth it.

Auto. Home. Pet. Find your fit.

1-800-441-6287 or 1-630-769-1500
© 2020 MacNeil IP LLC
 Get a GEICO quote for your RV and, in just 15 minutes,
you’ll know how much you could be saving. If you like
what you hear, you can buy your policy right on the
spot. Then let us do the rest while you enjoy your free
time with peace of mind.

geico.com/rv | 1-877-434-2678

Some discounts, coverages, payment plans, and features are not available in all states, in all GEICO companies, or in all situations. GEICO is a registered service mark of Government Employees
Insurance Company, Washington, DC 20076; a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. subsidiary. © 2020 GEICO
VOL. 65, NO. 12
TABLE of CONTENTS JUNE 2020

26
ROAD TEST
2020 Porsche 718
Cayman GT4
Porsche installs a six-
cylinder in the Cayman
and returns what the
current model is missing.
By Jared Gall
32
F E AT U R E
The Car and Driver Bug-Out Guide
Whether you’re fleeing society or the
46
F E AT U R E
The Cars Are
the Stars
A tiny shop in North
Carolina builds
meticulous replicas
58
F E AT U R E
The Fear of Failure
For millions of
Americans living
paycheck to paycheck,
owning a car is both a
miasma of news, you’ll find your escape of iconic movie cars. blessing and a curse.
plan here, with a list of supplies, a rundown By Talon Homer By Jason M. Vaughn
of our favorite U.S. roads, a review of
that $300,000 SWAT truck you’ve been
eyeing, and an off-road test of your
mall-crawler to see just how tough it is.
By the Editors

“WHEN I STOP TO INSPECT THE FRONT END, I EXPECT TO SEE A YARD

SALE OF UNDERBODY TRIM IN MY WAKE. BUT EVERYTHING’S FINE. OKAY, TRD.
RESPECTABLE. NOW LET’S SEE HOW YOU HANDLE SOME MUDDIN’.”
—Ezra Dyer, “Going Where No Crossover Has Gone Before,” page 40
CAR A ND D R IV E R 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
JUNE 2020

COLUMNISTS
6. Sharon Silke Carty
The best medicine.
22. Ezra Dyer
Hell of the sell.
24. Elana Scherr
Lingua franca.

UPFRONT
11. Is This Real Life?
E-racing takes over.
14. Violators Will
Be Ticketed
Fighting disability-
parking-placard fraud.
16. Imitation Games
Inside an $80 million The joyful noise of the commentariat,
driving simulator.
18. Warm Bodies
rebutted sporadically by Ed.
These not-so-new cars
refuse to call it quits.
20. Suck It SHELBY UNCOVERED and with a small, usable, tang on the track anyway,
Gordon Murray revives Kudos to you for the beauti- practical V-8 would do. save $40,000 and enjoy
the fan car. ful March 2020 issue. It just Forget 760 horsepower. I the 392 everywhere else.
might be the most striking just need 390, tops. Ford, —Brooks Fenton
T H E R U N D OW N C/D cover I have seen. take a Fiesta- or Focus-sized Oakley, CA
65. 2021 Porsche —Claude Frank body and put a small-block It’s weird when an argu-
911 Turbo S Denver, CO in it. Same to you, Chevy. ment for a pony car with
Sneaky fast. Two seats are plenty. Then less power sort of makes
68. 2020 Cadillac Yes! It was totally correct I’d buy one. sense, isn’t it?—Ed.
CT4- V to put the Mustang front —James McCracken
Velight. and center on the cover. Twin Lakes, WI As a future Ford Mustang
70. 2020 Honda It is by far the best-look- GT500 owner, I am curious
CR-V Hybrid ing car of the three. You guys tested the wrong about the features and
Better with a battery. —Marek Winiarz Dodge Challenger. Every- amenities I’ll be missing
72. 2020 Kar Tunz Jamul, CA thing you don’t like about the that put it seven points
Lamborghini Urus Redeye goes away with the behind the Dodge and
The golden calf. COMPLAINT DEPT. R/T Scat Pack and its 392. six below the Camaro.
74. 2020 Mercedes- Okay, guys. The Ford Mus- Supercharger whine? Nope. —Jim Bridges
Benz CLA250 4Matic tang Shelby GT500 should Just a big V-8 with a satisfy- Shelby, NC
Star power. have won first place on looks ing bark from the exhaust. There’s a shockingly long
76. 2020 Audi S8 alone [“!!!” March 2020]. Too much power overwhelm- list of features that we
Who’s the boss? The Chevy Camaro looks ing the rear tires? Nope. check for—motorized seat-
77. 2020 Audi S7 like something the man- The 485 horsepower from belt adjustment is on there,
Prestige ager of an auto parts store the 392 is almost perfectly for example. Relative to
Give and take. would park out front with a matched to available trac- the others, the GT500 was
sign that says: “Everything tion. As for the seats, while missing the following: a
E TC . you see on this car can be not ideal for the track, they back seat, navigation, blind-
5. Backfires picked up from aisle six.” shine on the highway, as you spot monitoring, a heated
You pick ponies and —Joe Mac noted. With a car’s sticker steering wheel, heated
designers explain San Francisco, CA price at about $50,000, and cooled seats, wireless
their screens. you can have plenty of fun charging, and memory-
80. What to Buy: These pony cars are all too without breaking the bank. seat settings. That’s just
1979–93 Ford big. Something the size of the Since the Redeye can’t keep some of what accounts
Mustang 5.0. original Camaro or Mustang up with the Camaro and Mus- for the difference—Ed.

CAR A ND D R IV E R ~ J U NE 2020 ~ SI C YOUR DOGS ON US AT: EDI TOR S@CARAND D RIV ER.COM OR JOIN: BACKF IRES.CARAND D RIV ER.COM 5
 Backfires
I just don’t comprehend how
anyone could spend close to
$100K on any of these three cars
that don’t have the performance
or the handling of the C8 Cor-
vette, which starts at $59,995.
The Vette will hit 60 in 2.8 sec-
onds and do the quarter-mile
in 11.2, and that’s with only 495
horses! Just wait for the Z06
and ZR1. The muscle cars will go
back to their mommies crying!
—Corvette Brock
Prescott, AZ
The comparison test had me
thinking what we might have
thought 30 years ago about the
last-place Challenger Redeye run-
ning the quarter in 11.6 seconds,
holding the skidpad at 0.98 g, and
stopping from 70 mph in 153 feet.
Ain’t it great to be alive in 2020?
—Ken Chapman
Advance, NC
I almost fell off the pot when
I read that the GT500 has a
rotary dial to control the auto-
matic transmission. That’s
blasphemous! Carroll Shelby
must be turning in his grave.
—T. Tucker
Bloomfield Hills, MI
Yes, we’d like to think he’s
turning the rotary dial
to drive and then select-
ing manual mode—Ed.
Why do you test three great
pony cars at Willow Springs and
not provide any lap times?
—Jim Campisano
Lithia, FL
We thought we’d wait to see
how these cars match up
at our annual Lightning Lap
test at Virginia International
Raceway, but you’re right;
we probably should have
timed a few of our laps—Ed.
Both left- and right-side hood
struts are visible in the shots
6 JUNE 2020 ~ CAR A N D DRIVER
Editor ’s Let ter
The Best Medicine
s the world grapples with some really heavy questions, we
A
here at Car and Driver face a conundrum of our own. How do
we put together a car magazine, in the midst of a pandemic,
without any cars?
It’s not that we haven’t had access to new cars. We’re
still doing a handful of reviews, but the drives are close to
home, the testing is a bit more difficult to carry out, and our
debates about the merits (and demerits) of each vehicle hap-
pen on Slack and Zoom.
We assembled this issue in April, but we started planning
in February, just as events like the Geneva auto show began falling off the
calendar. We dropped stories and assigned new ones, then the pace of the
crisis quickened. We canceled those new stories and started over again.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that circumstances in the broader world
affect ours. We know many of you come to us for distraction and enter-
tainment, but there are times when it can be really hard to block out what’s
happening in the outside world.
But there will always be a place for lightness and humor. In 1996, in
the middle of a hot, humid July, my 48-year-old dad died suddenly, and
my life imploded. I’ve been thinking about the day of his funeral, which
SIC YOU R DO GS O N U S AT: ED ITORS@ CARANDDRIVER.COM OR JO IN: BACKFIRES.CARANDDRIVER.COM
was awful but also quite lovely. On that sunny summer afternoon, after
the service was over, I sat on my parents’ front lawn surrounded by four of
my favorite people in the world. I don’t remember what we talked about,
but I recall that we laughed. A lot. It was the right medicine for the time.
Ultimately, we hope that the work we do in the magazine and online at
caranddriver.com will remind you that there is life beyond this moment.
And how awesome it will be when
we can finally get back to living that
life. Of course, we will continue to
present you with beautiful cars to
look at and enjoy, and we’ll share
our thoughts on them, much as we
ever have. We hope to drive and test
as many vehicles as possible in the
coming months. Rest assured: It
will always be all about cars (and
SUVs and even trucks) around here,
no matter what.
PHOTO GRAPH BY JE NNY RISHE R
So stick with us. And for the love
of God, wash your hands.
S H A R O N SI L K E C A R T Y
E D I TO R - I N - C H I E F
 Still waiting for your C8 Corvette? Well, build one yourself.
Go to caranddriver.com/papercorvette to learn how.
of the engine bays in the
Camaro and Challenger.
However, none can be seen
in the picture of the Ford’s
engine, which shows what
appears to be a single hood-
prop rod. Please tell me that
for $94,000, Ford doesn’t
have us holding up the hood
with one hand while pulling
the dipstick with the other.
—Derrick Wilburn
Colorado Springs, CO
Wilburn’s keen eye finds
another contributing factor
to the Ford’s low features
and amenities score—Ed.
Unfortunately, we all don’t
drive every day at a desert
racetrack, so the minutiae
on every tech detail may
have been overkill. Having
said that, ignoring the looks
of each vehicle was a grand
failure. At the end of the
day, we could all build a fast,
good-handling Pontiac Vibe,
but we may not be proud
of the way we look in it.
—Bob Wagstaff
Toronto, ON
As a longtime reader of your
magazine, I am appalled by
how much anti-Ford bias
has clouded your publica-
tion. You have continued to
be shamefully and overtly
biased in favor of motorized
Asian rickshaws and GM. You
love Asian cars and SUVs,
but have you not closed
their doors and felt how
flimsy they are? How could
you put the Camaro ahead
ILLUSTRATIO N BY CHRIS PHILPOT
of the Mustang? If you con-
tinue this bias, you will keep
losing the respect of neutral
enthusiasts like myself.
—Judge George E. Khouri
Toronto, ON
You sound quite
neutral, Judge—Ed.
they build. Why not test
something we can afford?
—Roy Wood
West Monroe, LA
You awarded these flagrantly
uneconomical sports coupes
either a nine or a perfect 10
in your objective fuel-econ-
omy scores. Time to update
your algorithm for the 21st
century so gluttonous vehi-
cles like these don’t wind up
on the frugal end of scale.
—Mark Kaplan
Cambridge, MA
Kaplan, the scores are
relative to the vehicles in
the test, not Priuses—Ed.
Been reading Car and Driver
pony-car matchups for
decades and—bam!—there
it is: The Chevy beats the
Ford and Dodge and it’s
100-plus down on horse-
power! Dare I say we’ve
reached the point where the
horsepower in pony cars
is becoming less relevant?
Wait. I need a moment.
—Bob Nocera
Atlanta, GA
Gig work is tough work, even when your shirt
matches your Eclipse and Cheetos of choice.
I read your article regarding
the 40,000-mile evaluation
of the 2019 Volvo XC60,
where it was noted that the
XC hit 40,000 miles sooner
than most long-termers
[March 2020]. That made
me wonder, What car took
the longest time to complete
the same evaluation?
—Paul Bryant
Mount Holly, NC
There was a 2003 Porsche
911 Carrera 4S (996)
that took two years to hit
40,000 miles. Embar-
rassingly, Porsche was
already selling the next-
gen (997) 911 when we
finally wrapped it up. And
a 1999 Volkswagen New
Beetle took 21 months to
cross the finish line—Ed.
TAX TIME
I thoroughly enjoyed the
article by Eric Tingwall
[“What Can Flame Job Do
for You?” March 2020].
He spoke about the cost of
putting gas in the Eclipse.
The IRS has a much more
would just use his business
mileage (the IRS allows 57.5
cents per mile in 2020).
Since it costs him about
$0.15 per mile driven for
gas, he really wins on the
mileage deduction. This
reduces his taxable income.
—Bill Nemeth
Atlanta, GA
RUBBER MATCH
Um, I think the bill is likely
a lot more than just the
$722 for tires [“Academic
Burnout,” March 2020]. How
much for new rear brake
pads, rotors, and probably
calipers and hardware? Were
any items like ABS sensor
wires, brake hoses, and park-
ing-brake cables torn up by
the flailing tire pieces? How
much for all the damage to
fender liners, fender flares,
and bumper covers?
—Michael Melton
Hobbs, NM
We were uncharacteristi-
cally careful not to damage
the Charger or any of the
hardware you mention—Ed.
KRAFTWERK
After reading Daniel Pund
on Porsche’s sensors [“Tin
Ears”] and Jason Fenske on
Mercedes’s E-Active Body
Control system [“Won’t
Catch Me Rollin’”] in the
March issue, I’m reminded
of something an old German
machinist told me years ago:
If Germans had invented
the paper clip, it would
have had 11 moving parts.
—Paul Thornbery
Calgary, AB
7

Backfires
EZ D
Ezra Dyer recently recom-
mended a YouTube video in his
column [“Grand Totaled,” March
2020]. After watching Randy
Trout’s video on supercharger
replacement, I have an idea for
Dyer and his next career move:
If he ever decides to become a
redneck rapper, his name could
be EZ Radyer or maybe EZ Rad.
—Nate Smith
Buffalo, NY
END TIMES
I subscribed because my
14-year-old son has become
very interested in cars. We
have enjoyed your reviews,
but I am disappointed in the
cursing that appears in several
articles. I have to consider
canceling because of it.
—Douglas Falt
Wylie, TX
I’m in the market for a tow
vehicle for my 2007 Cayman S
track car and would appreciate
inclusion of the tow ratings for
the SUVs you review. While
you’re at it, cargo volume is also
worth noting and more relevant
to most readers than the time
it takes to reach 120 mph.
—Eric Suber
Yardley, PA
Think of the 120-mph time
as an indicator of how well
an SUV will tow—Ed.
My wife just bought a Subaru
Outback. Should I divorce her?
—Brian Mayer
Powersville, IA
Just got the January ’69
issue, the one with Dick
Smothers’s column. “Six Econo-
Racers”? Where’s the 442?
—Rick DeFlorio
Somewhere in IN
You ever get one of those
emails from 1969?—Ed.
8 JUNE 2020 ~ CAR A N D DRIVER
READER POLL
The Screen Test: Which design do you prefer?
Nearly
800
Votes
Integrated
93%
BALLOT BOX
Thank you, Backfires readers, for
participating in our great infotainment
poll [March 2020], but really, you can
stop now. Seriously, that’s enough.
Given how passionate some of you
are about this subject, we decided
to dig a little deeper, interviewing an
interior designer from each side of
the screen-integration equation and
asking them to explain themselves.
Here’s what the teams at Mazda,
which uses a “floating” display
atop its dashboard, and Ram, which
crams its big screen into its trucks’
center stacks, have to say—Ed.
THE GEOMANCERS
“Mazda’s HMI (Human Machine
Interface) philosophy is centered
around minimizing driver distrac-
tions” says Matthew Valbuena, one
of the brand’s engineers working on
integrating digital technology. “The
screen placement is about minimiz-
ing visual distractions. We place it
high on the dash so that it’s much
closer to the driver’s natural line of
sight. It minimizes the glance angle.”
How far your eyes have to pan to
see a screen differs between the two
brands’ products. Relative to Ram’s
pickups, Mazda’s vehicles are small
and low. Rams have more dashboard
real estate to work with. “In a truck,
you’re sitting at a little bit more of
Using Shell V-Power® NiTRO®+ Premium Gasolines and diesel fuels appropriately in all Car and Driver
test vehicles ensures the consistency and integrity of our instrumented testing procedures and numbers,
both in the magazine and online.
CUSTOMER SERVICE Call 800-289-9464, email cdbCustServ@CDSFulfillment.com, visit service.
caranddriver.com, or write to Customer Service Dept., Car and Driver, P.O. Box 37870, Boone, IA 50037
for inquiries/requests, changes of mailing or email addresses, subscription orders, payments, etc.
Nonintegrated
7%
an upright-chair height,” says Ryan
Nagode, chief designer for Dodge and
Ram interiors. “The cabin is tall, and
it’s a wide vehicle. Some things that
go into setting up the basic structure
that the screen fits into are larger and
taller in a pickup truck.”
Ram pickups use touchscreens
that have to be within the driver’s
reach. In the latest Mazdas, the
screens are purposely kept out of
reach. “We believe that a remote
input is less distracting,” explains
Valbuena. “I can easily drop my hand
to the knob on the center console
and, just by feel alone, know if I’m
SIC YOU R DO GS O N U S AT: ED ITORS@ CARANDDRIVER.COM OR JO IN: BACKFIRES.CARANDDRIVER.COM
pushing the entertainment button
or the navigation button or adjust-
ing the volume knob. I can take short
glances at the screen to see when I’m
selecting certain elements. But I
don’t have to follow my finger to see
where it is on the screen.”
We’re told that Ram sees its
massive display as a signifier of the
toughness that the brand wants to
project. “We like the fact that it looks
unbreakable,” Nagode says.
As screen tech develops, OEMs
will surely adapt to it. No one appears
to be married to any one design or
tech strategy. What won’t change,
though, is buyers’ desire for technol-
ILLUSTRATIO NS BY PE TE R O UMANSKI
ogy. And wherever the screens are,
they’ll have to evolve to keep up with
that desire. —John Pearley Huffman
PROTECT YOUR
VEHICLE
Side Window Deflector

Cargo/Trunk Liner
Seat Protector

A vehicle is an investment. We’re here to keep yours as pristine as the day you bought it with
the custom-fit, American-made products that protect better than any other.

Auto. Home. Pet. Find your fit.

1-800-441-6287 or 1-630-769-1500
© 2020 MacNeil IP LLC
CRISIS MANAGEMENT

Is This Real Life?

With live events off With four laps left, NASCAR driver Timmy Hill bumped
the schedule, we’re fellow racer William Byron’s car to overtake him and
ready to watch clinch victory at the Pro Invitational Series O’Reilly Auto
zeros and ones race Parts 125. Had this been a normal race, his win would have
around a track. launched a celebration with confetti and mobbing fans. But it
wasn’t a normal race. So instead, for his 674th iRacing victory,
Hill chugged a glass of milk and
chatted online with his friends and
crew chief, all from a homespun sim
racer in the comfort of his house.

ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXAND ER WELLS 11

 CRISIS MANAGEMENT
The coronavirus pandemic has put the
brakes on traditional racing. NASCAR, For-
mula 1, IndyCar, and other series have post-
poned races and, at press time, some were still
weighing whether to scrub the entire season
to comply with government mandates regard-
ing large gatherings. As cancellations stack
up, virtual alternatives have emerged in their
stead, offering not only outlets for fans stuck
at home and hungry for entertainment but also
a glimpse at the future. People who flocked to
Twitch—a streaming platform from which
professional and amateur gamers can broad-
cast their performance in real time for fans all
over the globe to see—discovered that some
well-known racers have been online for a while.
Lando Norris, a McLaren driver in F1, is one
such Twitch regular. He already had a strong fol-
lowing on the platform but has seen a 66 percent
uptick in subscribers to his account during the
first few weeks of the pandemic. He streamed
a game with 107,000 live view-
ers, a personal best and a sign
that fans are still looking for an
F1 fix. “We’ve seen an influx of
new viewers—each time some-
one like Lando or another ath-
lete or team streams,” says Jane
Weedon, Twitch’s head of new
verticals. “It’s exciting to see so
many sports fans discovering
Twitch for the first time.”
12
Chase Elliott (left) and Lando Twitch allows fans to watch
Norris (right) favor large curved professional drivers compete on
screens to create an immersive
experience. Drinking Mountain Dew a console game that viewers may
while racing is strictly optional.already own or can buy for $60.
The Bahrain Virtual Grand Prix
took place in the game F1 2019, which can be played on a PC, PlaySta- NASCAR AND INDYCAR IMAGES BY CHRIS GRAYTHEN/GE TTY IMAGES,
tion 4, or Xbox One. While the professionals and hardcore gamers
often use complex racing seat setups complete with a steering wheel
and pedals [see “Gear Up”], the causal gamer can pick up a controller
and run on the same track as the pros. At least virtually, games like
F1 2019, Forza, and Gran Turismo have leveled the playing field in a
way that other sports-based video games can’t.
GEAR UP
—
Like most hobbies, gaming comes with its own gear.
For racing games, that often means a rig that includes
a seat, pedals, and a steering wheel. You can go the
budget route—we recommend sourcing your seat from a
junkyard Miata—or highbrow. This $650 Porsche 911 GT3
R replica wheel from Fanatec is in the latter category.
It has magnetic actuators in the carbon-fiber-plated
shift paddles, weighs less than five pounds, and is
compatible with multiple gaming platforms. File it on
your taxes as an improvement to your home office.
JUNE 2020 ~ CAR AND DRIV ER
 Even under normal circumstances, professional drivers use these
games to learn the corners and the sequences of tracks. The skills
they pick up can translate to real on-track results. NASCAR driver
Byron got behind the wheel of race cars at the relatively late age of
14. But before that, he was racking up wins in what is the now one of
the top simulation-racing games available, iRacing.
With laser-scanned tracks and a set of proprietary physics-based
models designed to accurately replicate a car’s behavior in various
circumstances, web-based iRacing has become the gold standard for
anyone who wants their at-home racing simulator to feel like the real
thing. It’s what many pro racers train on when they’re not in their
cars, but there’s a higher barrier to entry than in some other games.
It works only on computers running Windows, and nearly everyone
is playing with a steering wheel and pedals rather than a controller.
iRacing is robust enough that NASCAR has hosted virtual races
in the game and broadcast them on television. According to analyt-
ics firm Nielsen, the first such race, which aired March 22 on Fox
Sports 1, drew 903,000 viewers; 255,000 of them hadn’t yet watched
a NASCAR Cup race in 2020. During the second race (which Hill
won), the number of viewers climbed to 1.3 million.
Both NASCAR and F1 are taking advantage of an existing audi-
ence for simulated racing. iRacing runs
When cars collide in a its own championships every year, with
virtual race, each car’s
performance is nega-
hundreds of thousands in prize money
tively impacted based on and a dedicated fan base. And Newzoo,
complex algorithms. a gaming marketing and analytics com-
BUBBA WALLACE PHOTO BY B RIA N LAWDE RMI LK/GETTY IMAGES
pany, says 454 million people were occasional or
frequent esports viewers in 2019 (a figure that
includes viewers of nonracing but still com-
petitive games such as Fortnite and League of
Legends). It projects that number will grow to
518 million this year. That’s a big opportunity
for NASCAR and F1, both of which have seen
declining viewership in recent years.
“At the core of this whole concept, it was
honestly about just trying to provide a rest
for our fans in a very challenging and anxiety-
ridden time in everyone’s life,” says Scott War-
field, NASCAR’s managing director of gaming.
Once races are back up and running and the
rubber that’s melting is real, we don’t expect
NASCAR-sanctioned sim racing to go away.
“We’d be foolish if we didn’t look at some of
these numbers and think about what they could
mean,” Warfield says. —Roberto Baldwin
WHO’S
LAUGHING
NOW?
During lap 11 of a virtual NASCAR race
at Bristol Motor Speedway, drivers
Bubba Wallace and Clint Bowyer
collided in two consecutive corners.
Frustrated and out of damage resets
for his car, Wallace disconnected and
left the race, earning a DQ/DNF in
the event. Then Blue-Emu, one of
Wallace’s real-life sponsors, tweeted
at him, saying, “We’re interested in
drivers, not quitters.” The company
followed up with a gif of Donald
Trump during his Apprentice days.
The message: You’re fired.
13
 RULE OF LAW

Violators Will
Be Ticketed
States and municipalities are
looking for ways to shut down an
active underground market for
disability parking placards.

Since the passage of the Americans with

Disabilities Act in 1990, those ubiqui-
tous blue parking permits have allowed driv-
ers with disabilities to park in prime spaces,
often for free and with no time limits. It
didn’t take long for scammers to realize that
disability placards could also be a valuable
commodity for those whose only affliction
is a distaste for following the rules. Across
the country, the rampant illegal use of these
placards makes life even more challenging
for disabled drivers, as it leaves fewer spots
available for those who need them.
The black market for disability placards
exists online as well as on street corners,
and placards can sell for anywhere from $50 to $2600 each. Tif- One proposed solution aims to disincentivize
fany James, communications manager at the Parking Authority abuse by granting free parking only to those with
of Baltimore City, says that before the city got a handle on the disabilities that restrict their ability to use common
situation, “If you needed cash, you could find a car displaying a payment infrastructure (e.g., they can’t insert coins
disability placard, smash the window, grab the placard, and sell into a meter due to a lack of fine motor control or
it for $100.” For the buyer, that permit could be worth $10,000 readily approach a kiosk due to a wheelchair). Under-
a year in free parking in a big city. standing that this would face a lot of pushback from
In the absence of federal standards, states and municipalities the disabled community, advocates suggest that any
are writing their own rules to discourage placard theft, but the revenue earned from this change be invested in safer
regulations are all over the map. Massachusetts, New Mexico, and sidewalks, better curb ramps, and audible devices
South Carolina require ID photos on disability placards. In New at pedestrian crosswalks. They also point out that
Jersey, drivers caught using a placard illegally may be subject to a advancements such as meters that take credit cards
fine of up to $10,000 and 18 months in prison. In Los Angeles, offi- and smartphone parking apps have made paying
cials conduct compliance checks four times a month throughout for parking easier. James says that within a month
the city. Deputy chief of parking enforcement Richard Rea says his of requiring placard holders to pay for parking and
team confiscated 702 fraudulent placards in 2019. And in April of adhere to time limits as part of a 2014 initiative, “Bal-
last year, the city council voted to hit violators with an $1100 fine. timore’s problem dried up.” —Cari Shane

PERMIT POLL
85% 52% 80%
Lack of accessible parking of respondents turned back believe that
has real consequences, as said they when they enforcement
evidenced by the responses had problems were unable of placard
to a national survey of people finding to find an abuse is inad-
with disabilities conducted accessible accessible equate or
in late 2017. parking. spot. nonexistent.

14 ILLUST RAT ION BY DARCY MUENCHRAT H ~ JUNE 2020 ~ CAR AND DRIV ER
PROTECT YOUR SIDE OF THE STORY
The Car and Driver Eye-1 Pro Dash Cam is easy-to-install and features the latest
technology, including 2K Video Resolution and Super Night Vision, WiFi/App and GPS Location.
It’s now easier than ever to Protect Your Side of the Story.

AVAILABLE IN STORE & AT NAPAONLINE.COM

 SIM CITY
—
LIVING IN THE SIMULATION The simulator can show
a diverse range of
environments, including
open two-lane highways and
urban construction zones
populated with computer-
generated tailgaters.

Imitation
Games
We act as the guinea pigs in an
$80 million driving simulator.

At the University of Iowa’s National

Advanced Driving Simulator
(NADS) research center, more than 40
faculty, staff, and students use a 93-ton
moon-lander-looking machine and a
variety of vehicle cabs to study the way
people drive. This test rig—called NADS-1—rides on seven and steering resistance and feedback. Sixteen video
belts (six on the x-axis, one on the y). All in, this costs about projectors display images of different environments on
$80 million, but it allows researchers to perfect today’s auto- the inside walls of the NADS-1. This provides the driver
mated driving tech in a safe, controllable way. with a 360-degree-horizontal, 40-degree-vertical field
The team does some testing on public roads (they’re of view. The platform underneath the rig can reach up to
leading the charge to make rural-road-capable automated 14 mph, and the dome can pitch 25 degrees, spin in nearly
vehicle systems that can detect farm equipment), but that a complete circle, and accelerate at just over 0.60 g, lat-
real-world work validates the 10,000 simulator drives erally or longitudinally, allowing the NADS-1 to scale
logged in the NADS-1. On the day we visited, they were using the movements of a real car into a space the size of two
a seventh-gen Toyota Camry to study how human drivers basketball courts.
interact with Level 3 automation—in particular, how drivers Depending on the simulation, test drivers may sit
respond when the system quits or tells them to take over. inside the rig for hours. “The goal is to study human
Inside the rig, the Camry’s wheels have been removed behavior, not vehicle performance,” says deputy direc-
and the wells stuffed with actuators to replicate body tor Omar Ahmad. The NADS team logs hundreds of data
motions. Motors simulate brake- and accelerator-pedal points, from eye movements to heart rates. Because the
test scenario is repeatable, researchers
are able to directly compare the behav-
ior and responses of different drivers,
THREE’S COMPANY
— which allows engineers to better refine
There are three simulators in the the safety algorithms.
NADS facility: the NADS-1, NADS-2, After a simulation where we had to
and miniSim. The NADS-2 (left) has a
fixed base and a limited field of view. take over from a self-driving system, we
It’s a more cost-effective way to run let loose with the NADS-1 on the (fake)
studies that don’t require the open highway. The graphics are a bit
NADS-1’s motion capabilities, such as
one on night-vision tech. And the dated, but the simulated dynamics are
miniSim is portable; it uses a 42-inch impeccable. Road vibration, wind noise,
display and a partial vehicle cab. perspective, brake dive—it’s all remark-
ably close to real life. —Clifford Atiyeh

16 JUNE 2020 ~ CAR AND DRIV ER

autostacker.com 1-888-977-8225

BUILT-IN WHEELS

The Ultimate Portable Car Lift

MECHANICAL LOCKS

SIMPLE CONTROLS

See it on
YouTube

www.quickjack.com • 1-888-262-3880
© 2020 QuickJack, LLC. QuickJack products are protected by one or more patents.
Warm
Bodies
No matter how bad
the reviews, these
vehicles keep rolling
well past their
expiration dates.

At Car and Driver, we spend most of our time focused on what’s new. But despite our THE WALKING DEAD
love of fresh sheetmetal, some manufacturers continue toiling away at the same —
Even when a car is
old, same old. Why are so many relics still rolling out of factories? Well, you don’t see KFC discontinued, it can
revising its original recipe. If the engineering, design, and tooling costs of a product were sometimes linger in
paid off years ago, and if customers are still putting down money, the savvy businessper- showrooms for years,
as was the case for
son stays the course, even when the vehicle starts to look like an antique. Here are some of these hangers-on:
the longest-lasting examples of that passive strategy. —Annie White

DODGE JOURNEY NISSAN FRONTIER TOYOTA 4RUNNER DODGE GRAND

— — — CARAVAN
The Journey is every- There will be a new Before you get mad, —
where. U.S. sales Frontier on lots know that we love Despite spending DODGE VIPER
of Dodge’s mid-size sometime next year, 4Runners, too. But beaucoup bucks Discontinued in 2017,
five sold in 2019.
ute peaked at more but the fact remains this Toyota is doing developing the
than 106,000 in that you could walk all its rock- and Pacifica, FCA contin-
2016, eight years into a Nissan dealer- mall-crawling with ued to sell the Grand
into its run. And ship today and buy a 11-year-old tech. Caravan—new for the
dealers still moved mid-size truck that If Jeep can build a 2008 model year—for
94,000 Journeys in was introduced when new Wrangler, and budget-conscious
TOYOTA VENZA
2018, even though we thought Howard Mercedes a new people who needed Discontinued in 2015,
the model has seen Dean might be the G-wagen, surely a minivan but not a nine sold in 2019.
minimal improve- next president. And Toyota can build built-in vacuum. And
ments since its yet, the Frontier’s a 4Runner for the it’s no wonder why:
introduction. Dodge many anachronisms modern era. Then FCA sold 26 percent
dropped the V-6 for have done nothing to again, there’s not more Grand Caravans
2020, leaving just slow sales. In 2019, it much incentive to than Pacificas last
one powertrain: a outsold not only the change it: Toyota year. But it looks as
2.4-liter inline-four Titan but also every sold more 4Runners if FCA finally got the Discontinued in 2017,
58 sold in 2019.
with a four-speed SUV in Nissan’s lineup in the U.S. last message. The Dodge
automatic. Yes, not named Rogue—and year than Mitsu- will retire for the
a four-speed. most of its cars, too. bishi did vehicles. 2021 model year.

18 ILLUST RAT ION BY DIEGO PAT IÑO ~ JUNE 2020 ~ CAR AND DRIV ER
Secrets of a Billionaire Revealed
“Price is what you pay; value is what you get. Absolute best price
Whether we’re talking about socks or stocks, I like for a fully-loaded
buying quality merchandise when it is marked down.”
chronograph
— wisdom from the most successful investor of all time with precision
accuracy...
W e’re going to let you in on a secret. Billionaires have billions
because they know value is not increased by an inflated price. They
avoid big name markups, and aren’t swayed by flashy advertising. When
ONLY
you look on their wrist you’ll find a classic timepiece, not a cry for
attention–– because they know true value comes from keeping
more money in their pocket.
$39!
We agree with this thinking wholeheartedly. And, so do
our two-and-a-half million clients. It’s time you got in on
the secret too. The Jet-Setter Chronograph can go up
against the best chronographs in the market, deliver
more accuracy and style than the “luxury” brands,
and all for far, far less. $1,150 is what the Jet-Setter
Chronograph would cost you with nothing more
than a different name on the face.
With over two million timepieces sold (and
counting), we know a thing or two about creating
watches people love. The Jet-Setter Chronograph
gives you what you need to master time and keeps
the superfluous stuff out of the equation. A classic
in the looks department and a stainless steel
power tool of construction, this is all the watch
you need. And, then some.
Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed.
Experience the Jet-Setter Chronograph for 30
days. If you’re not convinced you got excellence
for less, send it back for a refund of the item price.
Time is running out. Now CLIENTS LOVE
that the secret’s out, we STAUER WATCHES…
can’t guarantee this $39
chronograph will stick around ÌÌÌÌÌ
long. Don’t overpay to be “The quality of their
underwhelmed. Put a precision watches is equal to many
chronograph on your wrist for that can go for ten times
just $39 and laugh all the way the price or more.”
to the bank. Call today! — Jeff from McKinney, TX

TAKE 87% OFF INSTANTLY! Limited to

When you use your OFFER CODE the first 1900
Jet-Setter Chronograph $299† responders to
Offer Code Price $39 + S&P Save $260
this ad only.
You must use the offer code to get our special price.
1-800-333-2045 “See a man with a functional chronograph
Rating of A+
watch on his wrist, and it communicates a
Your Offer Code: JCW277-02 spirit of precision.” — AskMen.com®
Please use this code when you order to receive your discount.
Stauer…Afford the Extraordinary.®

• Precision crystal movement • Stainless steel case back & bracelet with deployment buckle • 24 hour military time
• Chronograph minute & small second subdials; seconds hand • Water resistant to 3 ATM • Fits wrists 7" to 9"

Stauer ® 14101 Southcross Drive W., Ste 155, Dept. JCW277-02, Burnsville, Minnesota 55337 www.stauer.com
† Special price only for customers using the offer code versus the price on Stauer.com without your offer code.
 OLD THING BACK

Suck It
Gordon Murray’s F1 successor
is bringing the fan car back
from the dead.
THE NEXT
GENERATION
Tribute bands know the songs,
but it’s the rare Elvis imper- The T.50 takes heavy influence from Murray’s legendary
sonator who earns his own audi- Formula 1 fan car, but the McLaren F1 is its most direct ancestor.
ence. Gordon Murray hopes his Here’s how the new car lines up against the old one.
forthcoming T.50 supercar, inspired
by the McLaren F1 he also designed, McLaren F1 Gordon Murray Automotive T.50
— —
will do just that. The new car will hit Engine: 6.1-liter V-12, 618 hp, Engine: 4.0-liter V-12, 650 hp,
many of the same notes as the origi- 7500-rpm redline 12,100-rpm redline
nal, and Murray says his goal is to Transmission: 6-speed manual Transmission: 6-speed manual
Weight: 2579 lb Weight (mfr’s claim): 2161 lb
build “the last analog supercar.” But Units Produced: 106 Units Planned: 100
we’re most excited about the prom- Base (Inflation Adjusted): $1.4 million Base: $2.6 million
ise of active aerodynamics driven by
the T.50’s 15.7-inch fan.
Murray had already designed a
fan-assisted car. He developed the
BT46B for the Brabham Formula 1
team’s 1978 campaign. It won the
only race in which it was officially entered, the 1978 works to make the downforce-generating rear dif-
Swedish Grand Prix, by a lengthy 34 seconds. Before it fuser more efficient.
could repeat that performance, Brabham’s then boss “Every designer on the planet would love to have a
Bernie Ecclestone, who was angling for power within F1 very aggressive diffuser like this, but the air will just
and wanted to appease angry team owners, withdrew say ‘no thanks,’ so you end up with a pool of stagnant
the BT46B from further competition. air where the diffuser has stalled,” Murray explains.
According to Murray, the T.50’s fan system is consid- The fan sucks this layer of air away from the top
erably more clever than the race car’s. The 48-volt elec- of the diffuser. “Once that is out of the way, the air
tric fan sits at the rear of the car. At about 20 pounds, its has to follow the surface,” Murray says. This design
motor, blades, ducting, and valves weigh less than the allows the T.50 to develop peak downforce at lower
hydraulic actuators required for an active wing. The speeds, the opposite of conventional aerodynam-
fan isn’t powerful enough to create a partial vacuum on ics, giving the car extra bite in corners and lower
the car’s underside the way the BT46B’s did. Instead, it drag on the straights. Air sucked through inlets on
the rear flanks creates what Murray describes as a
virtual longtail. “Drag drops by 10 percent, which
FAN SERVICE is massive,” he says, “and you’re no longer creating
downforce you don’t need.” —Mike Duff
The T.50’s fan is multitalented,
improving downforce and cooling
while also reducing drag and Active Spoiler Flaps
fuel consumption. Six different Ram Air Engine Intake
drive modes determine the control Oil-Cooling Inlet
of the fan and various flaps
and ducts, some of which are
labeled here.
Engine Bay Cooling Outlet

Fan
Diffuser-Control Ducts

Engine Bay Cooling Inlet

Drag-
Reducing
Duct

20 ILLUST RAT ION BY PET E SUCHESKI ~ JUNE 2020 ~ CAR AND DRIV ER
 V1 for 2025 is here!

Meet ValentineOne
®

Generation 2
“It’s about range superiority. I told my
engineers, ‘We want the best radar-
seeking engine this side of the military.’
In fact, we adapted a concept from military
CHIRP radars used to find fainter targets
farther away with higher precision; it’s a SAW
Dispersive Delay Line, . For civilian
users, V1 Gen2 is a breakthrough on range. ”

New LNA technology: The only way to extend range

is to detect ever weaker signals. Think of LNA as a
signal magnifier.
LNA has another benefit—it acts as a one-way
valve, trapping LO output before it escapes V1 Gen2’s
magnesium case. That’s the key to stealth. V1 Gen2
is practically undetectable.
New, and patented, : Detecting more radars adds
exponentially to data flow. jumps the processing
N Much longer range, yet fewer false alarms. rate more than a hundred times, enabling V1 Gen2 to quickly
N All-new and patented circuitry, sort speed-trap radar signals from today’s glut of lane-change
and crash-prevention radars.
powered.
N LNA technology on all bands. Range superiority
LNA’s faint-signal acquisition feeding the high-rate analysis
N Built-in Bluetooth® smartphone connection. of adds up to a breakthrough in radar early warning.
N All-new high-contrast display. The range increase on Ka band is especially dramatic. Our
new K-Verifier weeds out unwanted K alerts.
N V1’s legendary Radar Locator and Bogey
Future upgrades via smartphone
Counter, back by popular demand. V1 Gen2 has a built-in Bluetooth connection for iPhone® and
AndroidTM devices. Our app is free, and future upgrades are
We call it V1 Gen2. You’ll love it. easy via smartphone.

Taking orders now 1-800-331-3030

Valentine One Generation 2 Radar Locator - $499
Carrying Case - $35 | SAVVY®- $69
Plus Shipping | Ohio residents add sales tax Valentine Research, Inc. Ph 513-984-8900
30-Day Money Back Guarantee Department No. YBC Fx 513-984-8976
©2020 VRI

Radar Radar Radar Valentine One Generation 2 is a trademark of Valentine Research, Inc. | SAVVY is a registered
10280 Alliance Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45242
ahead beside behind trademark of Valentine Research, Inc. | Phone is a registered trademark of Apple Inc.
Android is a trademark of Google Inc. | Bluetooth is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc.
Hell of the Sell
Buying a car is fun, so why does selling one have to be such a headache?
“Is this still available?” By the 10th time I fielded
that question, I figured a spam bot was
attacking the Facebook Marketplace listing for my
Benz. But then I discovered that when you’re on
the buyer’s side of the page, the first thing you see
is a button that asks, “Is this still available?” Gee, I
don’t know. There’s an ad for it, and photos, and a
description that begins, “This is definitely for sale.”
You don’t go to a fish market, point at a haddock, and
say, “Is this still available?” But for some reason—an
ironclad commitment to bumbling malevolence?—
Facebook decided that this question is a great ice-
breaker. And I decided to ignore all the people who
asked it. So Facebook deleted my ad and kicked me
off Marketplace. Ignoring dumb questions from
craven idiots must violate its terms of use. Humans
annoying one another is, after all, Facebook’s whole
business model. And yet, Facebook Marketplace is a
digital utopia compared with the geyser of untreated
sewage that is Craigslist.
I actually bought this car on Craigslist last sum-
mer. It was a flawed beauty, a black 1990 300SE with
excellent paint and a dialed-up interior, sitting on
W210 AMG monoblock wheels. Everything worked
except one thing: the engine. The 3.0-liter inline-
six ran, but it made noises suggesting a crankcase
filled with rebar. Harboring delusions of mechanical
prowess, I towed it home and got to work. By which I
mean, I cleaned it up and sat in it and drove it around
Calling all tire kickers, lowballers, and scammers: Dyer is selling this car.
22
my cul-de-sac fantasizing about taking a classic S-class on the
open road. Sometimes, I’d just go out and look at it—it’s cool
to have a Bruno Sacco car in your driveway. Anytime you want,
you can pretend you’re a plastic surgeon in early-’90s Beverly
Hills. Just climb in, pop your collar, and pound the wheel: Your
neighbor, Raoul, just pulled up in a 560SEL. Curse you, Raoul!
But eventually, I admitted that I wasn’t going to tear down
the engine or commission a repower. So I snagged a set of stock
rims, pulled the AMGs—perhaps a plan will materialize for
those—and listed the W126 for $1000. First up, Craigslist.
If it’s been a while since you’ve sold a car on the List of Craig,
it may come as a surprise that posting a listing costs $5. Even this
trivial amount of money incentivizes scamming. It didn’t occur
to me that anyone would try to con me out of my own listing,
which is probably why that happened.
Initially, the responses to the ad followed a familiar trajec-
tory: scam, scam, “Will you take $500?” scam, an earnest note
admiring the car while professing no intention to buy it. Then
the ad got flagged as fraudulent. Sometime thereafter, I got an
email purporting to be from Craigslist, claiming that it needed
my confirmation link to verify that the ad was legit. Yes, the
email address seemed a little funky—it had a hyphen in it—but
it wasn’t a Romanian domain or anything, and real Craigslist
emails tend to come from wildly nonsensical addresses any-
way. So, yeah, I got phished. I didn’t suspect anyone would go
through the trouble of pirating an ad to save five bucks. But the
next day, my Mercedes was replaced by a photo of a 2005 Jeep
Grand Cherokee with an email address pasted across the image.
Classic! What kind of a sucker would fall for that?
I imagined the hilarity of scammers
responding to that ad, an infinity loop
of sketchy claims about bank wires and
cashier’s checks. I reset my password and
bid farewell to Craigslist’s hive of scum.
Meanwhile, over at Facebook, one of my
friends saw the ad before I was banished. He
has a short-wheelbase W126, a diesel with a
ratty interior and a body marred by a deer
strike. He came over to evaluate whether
ILLUSTRATIO N BY BRE TT AFFRUNTI
he could transplant his powertrain into my
car and create one primo machine. A couple
days later, he sent a message: “I’ll take it.”
That was two weeks ago. He has to finish
another project to make room for the 300SE,
and I told him I could wait. The car’s in my
driveway, the cover snugging down on the
three-pointed-star hood ornament. I’m
starting to ask myself: Is this still available?
JUNE 2020 ~ CAR A N D DRIVER
Host DAN ABRAMS and analysts TOM MORRIS JR. and Sergeant SEAN ‘STICKS’ LARKIN
serve as your guides in this new book—taking you on set, sharing their favorite moments from
the show, and offering in-depth insights into the real world of LIVE PD.

Available now on

SEE THE SHOW

I
FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS
AT 9PM EST
 El ana scherr
Lingua Franca
I’m Elana, the new columnist, and I wanna talk about cars.
I need an icebreaker. Not the Russian Arktika-
class variant, not that I don’t want a 75,000-
hp ship capable of busting through 16 feet of solid
ice, but where would I put it? My neighbors already
look askance at the oil stains in my driveway. Also, I
don’t think I could get away with nuclear reactors.
I need the other kind of icebreaker, the one for
parties where you have to talk to strangers but
nobody’s drunk yet. Well, some of you might be, but
for those who aren’t, I’m going to lean on the experts
in long-distance communication.
I was launched the same year NASA sent the Voy-
ager spacecraft in search of extraterrestrial life, so
let’s look to them for tips on making new friends.
Voyager’s goal was to map the outer regions and
then leave our solar system, carrying a “Hello from
the children of planet Earth” into the vastness of
space. Voyager’s recorded message included animal
sounds, photographs, and greetings in 55 different
languages. Since my grasp of whale song is rusty,
I’ll attempt initial contact in our shared language
of cars owned, cars driven, and cars much desired.
My first car was a Chevrolet Impala. It was gold,
it was missing an axle, and I found it in the sandbox
at the park. My mom drove a ’68 Impala, at that point
already an outlier amid 1980s station wagons and
brand-new minivans, and I was delighted to find a
miniature version. “This car is important enough to
be recreated,” it said to me. “Cars can be important.”
ON FIRST CARS
“My first car was a
Chevrolet Impala. It was
gold, it was missing an
axle, and I found it in the
sandbox at the park.”
24
Despite my early interest in car collecting, I didn’t get a
license or a real car until my senior year of college, when I had
to buy the latter to practice for the former. I ended up with a 1973
Plymouth Duster, and my roommate used to have to move it for
me on street-cleaning days, since I was still working on my par-
allel-parking skills. When your first car is an old car, you learn
some wrenching as well as safe following distances, so I found
myself collecting a small tool kit along with my learner’s permit.
There are only two ways to go with a classic car. You either
grow weary of pegged temp gauges and monthly mechanic visits
or you find satisfaction in learning bolt sizes and tool names and
fall in love with the community you find at car shows and race-
tracks and among early-morning canyon adventurers. I worked
for several years in shops, both car and motorcycle, and started
to expand my interests from classic muscle cars to classic cars in
general. And then to any combination of wheels, engine, motor,
rubber band, and peroxide rocket. If it moves, I probably like it.
I wasn’t the worst with a wrench, but my tendency to nap
under a car during oil changes meant flat-rate mechanic work
was a poor long-term career choice. If only there were a job that
combined my desire to learn how things work and my mediocre
talent for doing those things myself and that would allow me
to share the delightful stories of people who build and race and
design and create the cars we love. We’ll come back to that.
The Duster was followed by a Challenger, then a better Chal-
lenger, then a truck, then an Opel GT, and most recently, an ’81
Pontiac Trans Am. “What is your normal car?” people often ask
at this point. Uh, yeah, I don’t have one. Between my husband
and me, we have a dozen vehicles; of them, only two are fuel
injected, and those are 30-year-old diesels.
Lest you think us Luddites—only he
is—I’m a big fan of A/C and Apple CarPlay
and I get my tech fix driving and reviewing
cars for publications like this one. Remem-
ber that desire I had for a job where I could
celebrate people’s engineering skills and get
paid to do things like sleep on a Viper wing?
Turns out there is one with exactly that
description, and sometimes, if you work at
ILLUSTRATIO N BY BRE TT AFFRUNTI
it, it turns into a C/D column where you can
try to explain how you got here and what
you plan to do now that you’ve arrived. I
come in peace, everybody. I want to tell you
about a world of wonders, technological
marvels, great moments in history, and the
people and places along the way. For now, I’ll
take a page out of NASA’s book and simply
say, “Hello. Hi. Hey. Greetings.”
JUNE 2020 ~ CAR A N D DRIVER
NO MATTER WHAT THE DAY BRINGS
Designed to fit a man’s body,
Depend® Guards and Shields
are built to protect.
Comfortable protection
for leaks big or small

Cup-like shape to fit

a man's body

Unnoticeable protection
that fits in your underwear

Get a coupon at Depend.com

THE ONLY THING STRONGER THAN US, IS YOU.

®/™ Trademarks of Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. or its affiliates. © KCWW
26 JUNE 2020 ~ CAR A N D DRIVER
 Porsche installs a six-cylinder
in the Cayman and returns what
the current model is missing.
~
By Jared Gall
Photography by Marc Urbano

27
In a turbocharged
world, the 718 Cayman
GT4 is a naturally
aspirated breath of
fresh air. Its 4.0-liter
flat-six bristles with
personality.

28

Emotion is often collateral damage to
the grind of technological progress.
We’re not implying that cars have
feelings—at least we wouldn’t say it
publicly, because that’s a fast track to
a padded room—but the best cars stir
emotion in their drivers.
But damn it, even though they can
spin at more than 100,000 rpm, turbos
aren’t great at stirring emotion. The way
they square off (and, yes, loft) torque
curves and muddy exhaust notes tends
to homogenize something so import-
ant to vehicular identity. Rather than
engines having the distinct character
of an inline-four, a flat-six, or a V-8, tur-
bos have a way of reducing the critical
specifications to just torque output.
They push cars away from individual
personalities and toward conformity.
So when you hear the Porsche 718
Cayman GT4’s naturally aspirated
flat-six howling toward 8000 rpm, you
find yourself taking a deep, refreshing
breath. The hairs on the back of your
neck stand up, goose bumps trickle
down your spine, and—thanks to the
dynamic powertrain mounts that firm
up when the car is pushed—the frenetic
vibrations of the 4.0-liter behind your
back course through the car. This thing
around you feels alive.
The flat-six at the heart of this car,
while it displaces 4.0 liters like the one in
the temporally discontinued 911 GT3, is
not at all related to that engine. Instead,
it is a naturally aspirated development of
the twin-turbocharged family that pow-
ers the 911. Porsche did a lot more than
just pull off the snails before shoving it
into the 718, though. Increases in bore
and stroke swell displacement by a liter,
and the heads, manifolds, crank, and
other internals are new. Cylinder deacti-
vation shuts down one bank under light
load, alternating banks every 20 seconds
CAR A ND D R IV E R ~ J U NE 2020
to balance wear. Does it work? Can ones linking it to other GT Porsches.
you feel it? On the highway, the acti- If you think of this as a GT3 chassis
vation sounds a bit like an exhaust transplanted into Porsche’s mid-
leak, which led us to reflexively dis- engine car, you’re not too far off.
able it by deactivating the stop-start The front axle is shared between the
system at startup. This comes with GT3 and GT4, as are many compo-
the added joy of listening to a natu- nents of the rear suspension.
rally aspirated flat-six’s raspy idle. A stock 718 Cayman is far from
The 4.0 reaches its 414-hp peak a donk, but the GT4 sits 1.0 inch
at 7600 rpm and makes 309 pound- lower on a stiffer suspension. That
feet of torque at 5000 rpm, hitting and its more aggressive front fascia
the rev limiter at 8100 rpm. That’s and manually adjustable wing give
an increase of 49 horses over the it an awesome predatory look—
most powerful four-pot Cayman fitting for something named after a
and no gain of torque, but there’s member of the alligator family. It’s
a world of difference between four not just for the sake of appearance,
turbocharged cylinders spinning either. The aero package on this car
a crankshaft and six cylinders is good for 50 percent more down-
breathing atmospheric pressure force than the last-gen GT4 but with
unencumbered by turbo plumbing. virtually no effect on drag. Much of
The brute force of turbochargers is the credit goes to the redesigned
undeniable, but the linear crescendo muffler that opened up space for a
of output and the shriek of the six functional diffuser, which contrib-
are vastly more engaging. There’s utes about 30 percent of the down-
finer control here than in most force on the rear axle.
turbo cars, with palpable differ- The GT4 moves like a predator,
ences between squeezing and stab- too. All the lowering and stiffen-
bing the accelerator. ing results in a car with reflexes so
The engine differences, though, quick, it might as well be part of
only toe into the gulf between the your central nervous system. The
GT4 and the rest of the 718 fam- steering reacts to the tiniest finger
ily. The bits separating this most flex and facilitates unprecedented
extreme example from other Box- intimacy with the road. The pave-
sters and Caymans are the same ment confides in you about that
Counterpoints
With the 992, Porsche continued the 911’s pivot
from a sports car just comfortable enough for
everyday life to a grand tourer that does a believable
impression of a sports car. That leaves the 718 line to
carry on the old 911’s ethos, and boy, does this GT4 do just that.
The GT4 achieves its greatness by channeling its great-grand-
dad, the 997 GT3. Both cars feature 400ish-hp flat-six engines
that rev past 8000 rpm, a manual trans, and all the tactile
feel one might ever want. Four wheels and an engine doesn’t
get better than this. Certainly not for $100K. —K.C. Colwell
The GT4 oozes driver involvement and tickles all
the right senses, plus a few awkward ones. The
one-piece bucket seats look racy and do their job,
but they’re only good for daily use if your commute
passes through Sebring or Lime Rock. The seatback angle
doesn’t adjust, and the aggressive thigh bolsters require acro-
batics before you can settle into the seat. Drop in too early
and the rigid thigh support delivers a surprise prostate exam.
Plus, the $5900 pocketed by not optioning the race seats will
be money well spent on tires and track days. —David Beard
29

Plus Wide-open channels of communication from every primary
control, the sound and feel of 8000 rpm. Minus [This space
intentionally left blank.] Equals Tachometers typically report
engine rpm, but the GT4’s takes the car’s pulse.
overloaded gravel truck that went
by last March and the harsh freeze-
thaw cycle in the spring of ’13.
But the GT4 bends that world
to its will, its Michelin Pilot Sport
Cup 2s clinging to the road like an
alligator to its prey in a death roll.
Increasingly, the industry is produc-
ing cars that can’t be fully exploited
on public roads—cars that need a
racetrack. We’d set that threshold at
about 500 horsepower, not because
it’s all about acceleration, but
because cars with limits that high
tend to have similar outputs. But the
GT4 made us reconsider that scale.
It’s not just power. It’s the ratio of
weight to power, and each of this
Cayman’s 414 horses is responsible
for just 7.6 pounds. For reference, a
526-hp Ford Mustang Shelby GT350
has 7.3 pounds per horsepower.
30
But the meathead Mustang can’t
even keep up with this svelte GT4
in a straight line. The Cayman hits
60 in 3.7 seconds, shortly after the
shift into second gear. And whereas
11-second quarter-miles were once
solely the domain of the all-wheel-
drive 911 Turbo, this rear-driver
trips the lights in 11.9 at 120 mph.
Its handling limits are even less
street-friendly, as a 1.10-g skidpad
performance equates to doubling or
even tripling recommended speeds
on freeway cloverleafs. A 148-foot
stop from 70 mph corresponds to
thoracic bruising and significant
next-day neck pain.
More than anything else, the
$5900 Full Bucket seats seem to
exist to facilitate such bruising.
They will be instruments of tor-
ture for most people and best left
to Instagram “fitness models” and
other masochists. After just a couple
hours in them, our toes started to go
numb and our hips felt as if they’d been
hammered with a meat tenderizer. A
mild panic that we were never going to
be comfortable again set in. If you see a
GT4 parked on the side of the road and
the owner walking, it’s not necessarily
because the car’s out of gas. The driver
might just need a break.
But the GT4 is otherwise something
you’ll want to binge. That steering is
just the beginning. Every primary con-
trol is a lesson in perfection. If there’s
an automotive engineer active today
developing anything—anything, any
model, any type of vehicle—who hasn’t
driven a 718, then that person doesn’t
really understand what good is. That’s
how perfect this car is. The clutch pedal
alone is an experience richer than you’ll
get from most vehicles in their totality.
The sole of your foot detects the grain-
ing on the disc as you let the pedal out.
And there are few, if any, better shift
levers on the market. The weight, the
certainty of its movements, the spac-
ing of the throws—it’s the pinnacle of
automotive evolution. As far as manual
transmissions are concerned, it’s time
now for a rapture—or a meteor strike.
The GT4 is not the Cayman for
everyone. Depending on road condi-
tions where you live, its ride may be
too harsh as a daily driver. The GT4 is
not happy merely puttering about. On
the highway, the Michelins thrum and
reverberate over impacts, the exhaust
drones, and the engine whirs behind
your head. The steering requires con-
stant attention, and even small ruts
and bumps jostle occupants. Under
part throttle, there’s a little vibration
through the structure from the engine.
The whole car is just so taut, so tightly
strung. But this is not a negative. It’s a
reminder of what a real, raw experience
you’re having. Because that’s what this
is: an experience. The Cayman GT4 feels
alive. Heck, it’s more alive than most
people—certainly more alive than the
ones who don’t love dogs. It makes you
want to call someone you haven’t spo-
ken with in too long and tell them you
love them. And then get them in the
passenger’s seat and go do something
extremely dumb and illegal. Get carried
away. That’s what emotional beings do,
and it’s what emotional cars encourage.
JUNE 2020 ~ CAR A N D DRIVER
2020 PORSCHE 9K
SHIFTS Gearing

718 CAYMAN GT4 8K

TOP SPEED

7K
Price
$118,600
As Tested .......................
Base ................................................................ $100,550
6K

7
5K .2 .7 1 .1 24 .
14 :1/ 17 95:1/ 2 . 8 1:1/

.1
Vehicle Type: mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive,

.3
RPM

1 : 1 /6
1 / 0

/ 10
2-passenger, 2-door hatchback 1: 1 .1 3 0.
4K 1 .4

5:1
3.3
Options: Porsche Ceramic Carbon Brakes,

1 .9
$8000; Full Bucket seats, $5900; navigation 3K 1 2 3 4 5 6
with Porsche Connect, $2320; dual-zone
climate control, $770; auto-dimming mirrors, Ratio/MPH per 1000 RPM
2K
$700; Apple CarPlay, $360
Audio System: satellite radio; 11.0-GB media 1K
storage; minijack, USB, SD-card, and Bluetooth-
audio inputs; Apple CarPlay interface; 8 speakers 0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200
Engine MPH
flat-6, aluminum block and heads
Bore x Stroke ....... 4.02 x 3.21 in, 102.0 x 81.5 mm electronically controlled dampers, 3-position
Displacement .............................. 244 in3, 3996 cm3 anti-roll bar TEST RESULTS
Compression Ratio ........................................... 13.0:1 R: ind; strut located by 1 trailing link, 1 lateral
Fuel Delivery: direct injection link, and a toe-control link per side; 2 coil
Valve Gear: double overhead cams, 4 valves springs per side; 2-position electronically Acceleration
per cylinder, variable intake- and exhaust-valve controlled dampers; 3-position anti-roll bar 20.4
150
timing, cylinder deactivation
Redline/Fuel Cutoff ..................... 8100/8100 rpm Brakes 14.0
Power ............................................ 414 hp @ 7600 rpm F: 16.1 x 1.4-in vented, cross-drilled carbon- 130
Torque ..................................... 309 lb-ft @ 5000 rpm ceramic disc, 6-piston fixed caliper 120 1/4-MILE
R: 15.4 x 1.3-in vented, cross-drilled 11.9
Drivetrain carbon-ceramic disc, 4-piston fixed caliper
Transmission: 6-speed manual Stability Control: fully defeatable, 100

MPH
Final-Drive Ratio ................... 3.89:1, helical-gear competition mode 8.3
limited-slip differential
Wheels and Tires
Chassis Wheel Size ............... F: 8.5 x 20 in R: 11.0 x 20 in
60
unit construction Wheel Construction: cast aluminum
Body Material: steel and aluminum stampings Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 F: 245/ 3.7
35ZR-20 (95Y) N1 R: 295/30ZR-20 (101Y) N1
Steering 30
rack-and-pinion with variable ratio and Exterior Dimensions 0 22
variable electric power assist Wheelbase .......................................................... 97.8 in 1.5 SEC
Ratio ................................................................ 17.1–13.2:1 L/W/H .............................................. 175.5/70.9/50.0 in
Turns Lock-to-Lock ............................................ 2.6 Track, F/R ................................................. 60.6/60.4 in Rollout, 1 ft ................................................ 0.3
Turning Circle Curb-to-Curb .................. 37.5 ft Ground Clearance ............................................. 3.2 in Rolling Start, 5–60 mph ....................... 4.3
Top Gear, 30–50 mph .......................... 6.6
Suspension Interior Dimensions Top Gear, 50–70 mph .......................... 6.4
F: ind, strut located by 1 diagonal link and Passenger Volume ........................................... 49 ft3 Top Speed (mfr’s claim) ........... 188 mph
1 lateral link, coil springs, 2-position Cargo Volume, F/R ........................................ 5/10 ft3
Handling
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad ........ 1.10 g
COMPETITORS Understeer ...................................... minimal
BASE,*
Braking
CU

$ x 1000
The GT4’s greatness isn’t found in an
RB

70–0 mph .............................................. 148 ft

WE

Excel sheet, but here are a few

65

IG

100–0 mph ............................................. 281 ft

HT

numbers for perspective.

,L
B

Weight
TIO ILE

85
11.
SE N,
RA - M

0
C

Curb ...................................................... 3149 lb

LE 1/4

Chevrolet
0 0

Per Horsepower ................................. 7.6 lb

11.

31

Camaro ZL1 1LE

CE

105
4

WEIGHT TO POWER,
AC

Distribution, F/R .................. 44.0/56.0%

00

650-hp 6.2-L V-8,

11.

34

Center-of-Gravity Height ........... 19.0 in

8

10-sp auto
125

00

LB PER HP
12

37

Chevrolet Fuel
.2

Corvette Stingray Z51

00

Capacity ............................................. 16.9 gal

40

2.8 3.4 4.0 4.6

495-hp 6.2-L V-8, Octane ......................................................... 93
8-sp auto
ACCELERATION, SEC
60-MPH

9.0 8.0 7.0 6.0

Porsche 718 EPA Fuel Economy (C/D est)
3
15

Cayman GT4 Comb/City/Hwy .................. 22/19/26 mpg

305

1.0
7

414-hp 4.0-L flat-6,

14

C/D Fuel Economy

1.0

6-sp man
1

ID G,
290
14

Observed ............................................. 15 mpg

G SK DIN

Porsche 911
-
D, FT OL
1.1

Carrera S
5

PA 00- DH

Interior Sound Level

13

3 OA
275

443-hp 3.0-L flat-6,

R
1.2

Idle ....................................................... 58 dBA

0

8-sp auto
70 RAK

Full Throttle ...................................... 93 dBA

B
–0 IN

260
-M G,

70-mph Cruising ............................. 77 dBA

PH FT

*Includes performance-
enhancing options. 100–0-MPH
BRAKING, FT

T EST E D BY K.C. CO LW E L L I N C H ELSEA , MI 31


THE
— Car and Driver —
BUG-OUT
GUIDE
Let’s say you need to flee civilization,
or maybe just outrun the miasma of
cable news and social media. Either way,
when it’s time to bug out, a vehicle
is your ticket to escape from reality.
It really doesn’t matter what you drive; Car
and Driver’s favorite U.S. roads deliver the
same mind-focusing curves and breath-
taking panoramas whether you’re at the
wheel of a Porsche or a Buick. Find the
one nearest to home—or farthest from
it—and leave everything else behind.
Dealing with a heavy situation? The
Alpine Armoring Pit-Bull VX, driven on
page 36, will make your neighbor’s Ford
F-150 Raptor seem like a Huffy if it comes
time to ride out the apocalypse.
“But wait!” you shout, tripping over
the sweatpants around your ankles as you
jump up from your porcelain throne. “You
claimed it doesn’t matter what I drive!”
True. For that story, turn to page 40,
where Ezra Dyer tails a Jeep Wrangler
Rubicon through a gnarly trail of obstacles
in a Toyota RAV4. Need to get off the grid?
Your crossover can likely carry you farther
than you’d normally push it. But if things
were normal, you wouldn’t be bugging out.
FOLD
Ready to go? Read on and escape.
32 ~ J U N E 2 02 0 ~ C A R A N D D R I V E R
JUST
DRIVE
Car and Driver’s favorite
roads in the U.S. are perfect
places to RUN AWAY FROM
a chaotic and noisy world.
T
he instinct to explore must
be hardwired into the human
subconscious, like breathing
or finding the open container
of cookie dough ice cream at
two in the morning. As our
personal worlds shrink to the immediate vicin-
ity around our homes, there has never been a
better time to go for a Sunday drive. Or a Mon-
day, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or
Saturday drive.
To spark your next travel adventure, we’ve
assembled nine of our favorite roads from across
this beautiful country. Some of them are bound
to be out of reach for many. Even the closest one
to you may be hours away. But we promise that
every one of these roads is worth the drive.
BANNING-IDYLLWILD PANORAMIC HIGHWAY
California Route 243 starts just off I-10
in the town of Banning and races into the
clouds and on to the resort village of Idyllwild.
It’s outrageous. Outrageous because it clings
to mountainsides for much of its 25-mile climb
to 6200 feet. Outrageous because the pave-
ment wriggles and bucks in a torrent of lumpy
switchbacks, many with clear sightlines that
allow you to push hard. Outrageous because
traffic is almost nonexistent and stunning
panoramas of the San Jacinto Mountains
abound. Cadillac’s engineering team drove
Route 243 to tune the ATS in 2011. Flogging
preproduction ATSs up and down the road
against a pair of BMW 3-series conjured
memories of a similar escapade the engineers
conducted on a German forest road called the
Nürburgring. Heard of it?
MOKI DUGWAY
PHOTO GRAPH BY JIM FETS
Not all great roads are paved. The Moki Dugway
on Utah Route 261, just north of Mexican Hat,
is one example. About three miles long with
a 1000-foot climb and 10 percent grades, this
gravel and dirt road has more than its share of
switchbacks and not an inch of blacktop. And
while the Dugway might be slow going (the
I L LU ST R AT I O N S BY P E T E R O U M A N S K I
CORONADO TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY
The section of U.S. Route 191 in Arizona known as the Coronado
Trail Scenic Byway is not for the faint of heart. It traverses thou-
sands of vertical feet over about 120 miles, and there aren’t
always guardrails to protect you from the cliffs. You’ll pass a
wildlife preserve, see an open-pit copper mine, and drive
through several corners with 10-mph speed limits that, for once,
we suggest you observe. A 2.8-mile stretch of road at Four Bar
Mesa is the only place straight enough for you to punch the gas.
The rest of the trail is a mix of twists and turns.

33
speed limit is 15 mph), the views are unbeatable.
From your perch atop the red sandstone cliffs, you
can see across miles of Utah desert that’s almost
indistinguishable from the more famous Mon-
ument Valley. Check the forecast before you go:
This road is impassable in wet weather.
ANGELES CREST HIGHWAY
Angeles Crest Highway took 27 years to carve into
the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles.
The result is . . . overwhelming. It feels like a lab-
yrinth as you turn onto the road, which is full of
distractions and corners that roll in like waves.
FOLD
an uphill left with a disruptive midcorner bump.
Don’t panic. Let us be your guide. Eyes up, inhale
on corner entry, hold your breath as the tires
load, let the chassis balance itself, then exhale as
you pick up the throttle and unwind the steering
wheel. All other thoughts are set adrift. If this
sounds like meditation, that’s because it is. A road
that gets you to meditate: How L.A. is that?
HOCKING HILLS
The Midwest is short on great driving roads. But
angle toward southeastern Ohio, near Hocking
Hills State Park, and the undulating pavement of

Here’s a tight one, then a big sweeper, followed by Ohio Routes 664, 374, and 56 weaves through the

CHEROHALA SKYWAY
The Tail of the Dragon, some of most celebrated pavement
east of the Mississippi, runs a too-short 11 miles and gets all
the attention, but the Appalachian region is full of roads that
are just as good. Just south of the Dragon, Cherohala
Skyway stretches nearly four times as many miles through
the mountains—and there’s less traffic.
The Cherohala draws its name from the Cherokee and
Nantahala national forests it winds through. Heading west
from Robbinsville, North Carolina, the switchbacks start five
miles in. Over and over, the road curls away from the moun-
PHOTO GRAPH BY MARC URBANO

tainside just long enough to provide glimpses of the valleys

below before pinching back on 20-mph hairpins. As you near
Tennessee, the curves come quicker. The road widens, the
turns open up, and there’s more runway to gain and maintain
speed. In the right car, even 43 miles feels too short. Just
remember: The road ends but the mountains don’t.

3 4 ~ J U N E 2 02 0 ~ C A R A N D D R I V E R
 SURVIVAL SKILL N o. 1
surrounding forested hillsides as if it were
purpose-built for pleasure cruises. The three CHANGE A TIRE
roads form a 13-mile loop with big elevation
changes, blind crests, and increasing- and
—
We’re not talking about bolting on the spare.
decreasing-radius bends. The scenery can be This is how you replace your worn rubber in a world
gorgeous. Runoff room is minimal. Agility, without Discount Tire. Note: It’s a lot
good steering feel, and decent suspension harder if you’re rolling on low-profile tires.
compliance are all precious commodities
here. It’s a playground for a Mazda Miata but
Loosen the lugs, opposite from where
a bit less fun in a muscle car. And watch out
for weekend traffic at Old Man’s Cave.
1 jack up the vehicle, you’re prying is in the
and remove the wheel. wheel’s drop center
(i.e., the small-diameter
AU SABLE POINT TRAIL section of the wheel’s
Bleed the air from
The dearth of great driving roads in the mid-
dle of the country is partly due to topography
2 the tire. With the barrel). Kneeling on the
tire lying flat, slide it tire will help. Repeat the
(there isn’t any) and partly because so much
under the car so the process for the second
of the land was split up into square parcels as
sidewall is beneath the bead, pulling it over the
people pushed west during the 19th century.
sturdiest low point of same side of the wheel.
For good driving, go where the farmers didn’t
the underbody. Lower
go. We suggest H-58, a.k.a. Au Sable Point
the jack. The car’s To install the
Trail in northern Michigan. There are broad
corners and serpentine curves. The trail
weight will push the 4 replacement,
tire bead off its seat. reverse step three,
meanders through a forest that’s lush and
Raise the car and repeat using the crowbar to
green in the summer and fiery red and gold in
the process, spinning force the new tire over
the fall. The speed limit isn’t high, but there’s
the wheel each time the wheel. Lubricate the
no one around to take notice if you push it.
until the bead is free. beads (WD-40 works
Flip the wheel over and well) to make it easier.
DELAWARE RIVER repeat on the other
New York City can be stifling. Some 9 million
bead. Pro tip: Place a With the tire on the
people live within its 303 square miles, and
if you’re among them, you’re likely too close
wood block or a brick 5 rim, shoot a few
between the vehicle and squirts of an explosive
to someone else right now. But head upstate
the tire to focus the aerosol into the tire
over the George Washington Bridge and
weight on the bead. cavity. Ignite this from a
you’ll find a spiderweb of twisty, lightly traf-
safe distance—the flame
ficked roads. New York Route 97, which leads
Insert a crowbar should be farther from
you from Port Jervis to Hancock, is a partic-
ular favorite. It winds hundreds of feet above
3 and a long-shaft you than just at the end
screwdriver between of your fingers. There
the Delaware River, matching the curves of
the tire and the rim. Pry will be an explosion.
the waterway and the rock wall it’s carved
the bead to the outside
into, providing beautiful views of the wild
of the wheel with the You’re still alive?
Catskills. It’ll make you forget that the
J train even exists.
crowbar and hold it 6 Congrats! Check
there with the screw- the tire pressure and
driver as you work your adjust if necessary.
CARD SOUND ROAD way around. Make sure Refit the wheel to the
The drive from Miami to Key West is
that the bead directly vehicle and drive.
famous—famously boring, that is. That’s
why you should hang a left in Florida City
and follow Card Sound Road over to North
Key Largo. A few miles into the marsh, you’ll
come to Alabama Jacks—long may it last—a
legendary restaurant and bar nestled near
the base of the Card Sound Bridge. From
there, it’s a straight (read: unexciting) shot
across the water, but the peak of that tow-
ering bridge gives you the most expansive
views of the Keys, and the stretch of road on
the far side wends through the mangroves in
a sequence of blind corners. The Card Sound
toll costs $1.54, the best money you’ll spend
FOLD

in Florida this side of feline-park admission.

 ROLLING
FORTRESS
The Alpine Armoring Pit-Bull VX
can take a grenade. Just
don’t ask it to take a corner.
—
By Ezra Dyer
Photography by Andi Hedrick

Y
our pilot stole your plane. So much
for flying to New Zealand. To say you
should have seen it coming is inaccu-
rate: You did see it coming, because
you plan for all eventualities. So when
it was time to escape the city, your decision tree was
decidedly more bountiful than most. Scratch the
Gulfstream G650 to Auckland; head instead to your
converted missile silo in upstate New York, hun-
ker down, and spend a few years sipping your way
through the wine cellar until something like civiliza-
tion is reestablished. But first, you have to get there.
Fortunately, your Alpine Armoring Pit-Bull
is just the thing for a road trip through the apoc-
alypse. An armored personnel carrier built on a
FOLD
the Pit-Bull is normally sold to police departments,
militaries, and foreign governments. But Alpine
will also sell it to private buyers who can afford the
$250,000 base price, which is a bargain for a bullet-
proof 10-passenger SUV. Of course, that’s before
you add up the options.
You’d probably want all the stuff that comes on
the $298,000 VX model. Take, for instance, the
hydraulic battering ram on the front bumper: You
can use that to breach a door or wall or whatever else
needs ramming, lending new meaning to the term
“drive-through.” Once you’ve made your entrance,

previous-generation Ford F-550 4x4 chassis cab, you can greet your new friends by deploying a tear

3 6 ~ J U N E 2 02 0 ~ C A R A N D D R I V E R
 PROMOTION LIST PRICE
$699
DRIVER'S SEAT
THE

85% OFF
NOW ONLY
$99 PLUS S&H

YOU SAVE
$600

PLASMACAM® ROBOTIC
PLASMA CUTTING
MACHINE
PlasmaCAM, Inc specializes in CNC
plasma cutting systems that are operated
from your personal computer and use a
hand-held plasma torch to quickly and
accurately cut shapes out of metal. The
easy to use software lets you design and
cut any project imaginable. You can easily
fabricate custom parts and metal art.
Increase the capabilities of your shop or
start an at home metal hobby business. Model Shown:
See the machine in action by requesting a Valiant Black
demonstration video today. & Rose Gold

Call 719-676-2700 or go to
www.plasmacam.com.

promotions / products / experience

VALIANT, IT’s NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED.

Subscribe ‘The Valiant’ is our Latest masterpiece here at Daniel
to R&T CREW Steiger. It’s what we feel is the perfect combination
of suave sophistication and rugged vintage looks. The
Magazine rectangular solid stainless steel case gives a streamlined
look before being plated with your choice of rich
Also available in Two-Tone Steel &
Brown Leather

and your car-loving

kid WILL RECEIVE
SIX ISSUES A YEAR FILLED
WITH fun features, an unlimited 5 year movement warranty, 30 day money
STEM-Inspired stories,
back guarantee, for piece of mind, and are dispatched
games, and more!
in magnificent presentation case’s. Choose from ‘The
Valiant’ rose gold and black or The Valiant Steel &
Brown leather for only $99 plus S&H.
ONLY
$25
ORDER NOW TOLL FREE 24/7
ON 1-800 733 8463 AND
QUOTE PROMO CODE: CD25VA
Or order online at
www.timepiecesusa.com/cd25va
And ENTER promo code CD25VA
Use Promo Code to take 85% OFF
INSTANTLY!

You must use code to receive your special

M
SUBSCRIBE NOW AT RTCREW.CO price!
OR CALL 800-554-4898
Timepieces International Inc, 10701 NW 140th Street, Suite 1, Hialeah Gardens, Florida,
 The Pit-Bull VX plays both defense
and offense with its gun turret,
hydraulic battering ram, and armor
that can withstand a grenade.

the numbers
Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear/4-wheel-drive, 10-passenger,
5-door armored personnel carrier • Base: $298,000 • Engine:
turbocharged and intercooled pushrod 32-valve 6.7-liter diesel
V-8, 330 hp, 750 lb-ft • Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Dimensions, Wheelbase: 140.9 in • L/W/H: 239.0/97.6/100.0 in
Curb Weight: 19,750 lb • Performance (C/D est), 60 mph: 20.0
sec • 1/4-Mile: eventually • Top Speed: 80 mph

gas canister from the dispenser at the end of the

ram. Look, you’re not looting a Starbucks. You’re
making sure the Starbucks is clear of looters! You’ll
leave money for the dozen bags of Komodo Dragon
Blend you’re grabbing. Not that money means any-
thing now, but it’s the thought that counts.
Should any roadside bandits pick a fight, they’ll
need some fairly heavy artillery to slow down the
Pit-Bull—especially one with the VX’s reinforced
armor, rated to stop a .50 BMG round and with-
stand a grenade. Or 20 kilograms of TNT. Wrapped
around the 20-inch wheels, the 41-inch Continental
off-road tires have run-flat functionality. And since,
as everyone knows, offense is the best defense, Pit-Bull doesn’t avoid traffic; traffic avoids the Pit-
there are seven-inch gun ports built into the doors Bull. There are very few rules now, but everyone
and rear quarters, plus one in the rooftop turret. seems to understand that one.
That turret spins 360 degrees and its roof flips up, From the driver’s seat, the Ford Super Duty dash
so you can use it as a shield. As always, watch out for looks familiar. The Power Stroke 6.7-liter diesel is
flanking maneuvers. also old and in a milder state of tune than you’d
The Pit-Bull VX isn’t quite as agile as your find in current pickups. Its 330 horsepower and
armored Mercedes-AMG G63, a stock-looking 750 pound-feet of torque are up against, oh, 19,750
Alpine product that—like the brand’s Escalades, pounds or so of armored truck. The VX moves out
S-classes, and Camrys—blends in with traffic. Or like an F-350 towing a large boat, determined and
at least did, back when there was traffic. Now that inexorable. And as with that setup, you can do 80
the roads are empty, save for marauders and pos- mph but probably shouldn’t. For one, going that fast
ses, you can let the Pit-Bull stretch its legs a little. might dent your fuel economy, which typically runs
You just want to be mindful that the VX’s center of about 8 or 9 mpg. No big deal, though. Fuel stations
gravity feels like it’s about halfway to the moon, so are out of commission, but you can siphon diesel
even with the slow steering and huge anti-roll bars, from the locomotives at the train yard.
a quick tug of the wheel can make you feel as if you’re Maybe one day trains will run again, but in the
pole-vaulting on the deck of a Bering Sea crab boat. meantime the roads are owned by anyone with the
Fortunately, there’s really no need for emergency foresight to invest in a SWAT truck. Probably should
FOLD

steering maneuvers when you’re driving this. The have invested in a pilot’s license, too.

3 8 ~ J U N E 2 02 0 ~ C A R A N D D R I V E R
 SURVIVAL SKILL N o. 2
FOL D
To siphon fuel from a
SIPHON FUEL 1 modern vehicle,
— you’ll need a semirigid
tube to make it past the
Whatever you do, don’t drink the fuel.
internal valve. PEX or
That should be easy, because the best way
to siphon it involves blowing
polyethylene tubing
works well. Insert a
10-foot-long, quarter- or
half-inch-diameter piece
into the filler neck until
it bottoms out. If it
catches as it’s inserted,
rotate the tube as you
push. Blow into the tube
to confirm that the end
is submerged. You
should feel backpressure
in your mouth and hear
bubbling from the tank.
Place the free end of the
tube in a jerrycan that’s
The Bug-Out Trunk
You may be familiar with the idea of a bug-out bag: a • A Schrader-valve bike
backpack or duffel filled with essential medications, pump, which works on
clothes, firearms (if you are so inclined), food, and car tires, too, though it
other necessities. But if you’re really fleeing a hairy takes longer
situation, wouldn’t you take your car? So why limit • A tire-pressure gauge
yourself to a backpack? Assemble the following in a • An atlas and a compass
corner of your garage so you can toss it all into the • A four-foot piece of
trunk at a moment’s notice and ensure that your car pipe to slide over a
continues to serve you long into the apocalypse. ratchet handle to act as
a breaker bar
• A selection of sockets • Duct tape and WD-40 • A spare tire and a jack
and wrenches (these do-alls may (if your car doesn’t
• Persuasion tools become the bullion of already have them)
(hammers, Vise-Grips, apocalyptic currency, • A hand-operated pump
pliers, pry bars) so pack multiples) and tubing to transfer
• A voltmeter, wire strip- • A tire-patch kit and a fuel quicker than
pers, and electrical tape few cans of Fix-A-Flat siphoning
positioned lower than
the fuel tank you are
siphoning from.
Insert half of an
2 18-inch-long tube
into the filler neck
alongside the other tube.
Wrap a rag or
3 plastic bag around
the tubes and stuff it
into the top of the filler
neck to create an
airtight seal.
Blow into the short
4 tube until fuel
comes out the long line.
Fuel will continue to flow
after you stop blowing.
• An LED flashlight and a
headlamp
• Compatible recharge-
able batteries and a
solar-powered charger
• A come-along plus
snatch straps
• A compact shovel
• 300 feet of paracord
• Five quarts of engine oil
• A five-gallon gas can
• Five-gallon buckets, as
many as you need to
store everything on
this list, plus one that
can be filled with
drinking water
 GOING

I
FOL D
magine a rugged trail leading to a
wind-swept mountaintop. A small
crossover pulls up to the summit
WHERE NO and its driver steps out and inhales
the crisp mountain air. Ah! Now this

CROSSOVER is why you bought one with all-wheel

drive: adventure. Then the director
yells, “Cut!” and everyone climbs
HAS GONE into the helicopter that airlifted
the ute to this spot. And sure, we all

BEFORE know that’s how it got there, but that’s okay. Suspen-
sion of disbelief allows millions of Americans to buy
the cars they really need dressed as the trucks they
If you had to go off-road in think they want. Just get in the Kia Sportage and
your family crossover, how far don’t harsh my mood board, Chet.
Could you get? To find out, But let’s say you wanted—or needed—to make
the cosplay real and steer your family crossover
we head into the wild with a into a mud bog, a sand pit, or a pond. Can a faux off-
Toyota RAV4 TRD Off-Road, plus roader’s performance remotely match the promise
a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited of its attitude? Or will you end up on an unsched-
Rubicon, just in case. uled hike, contemplating man’s hubris, the trees
disturbed only by the force of your profanity? We
— grabbed a Toyota RAV4 and decided to find out.
By Ezra Dyer Now, the RAV4 in question is a TRD Off-Road
Photography by Marc Urbano model. But lest you think this Toyota was made for

4 0 ~ J U N E 2 02 0 ~ C A R A N D D R I V E R
 FOL D
the desert-racing grounds of Baja, consider that it
has no place to attach a tow strap. No tow hooks, not
even a screw-in eye hook. So although it does have
some TRD-specific equipment—Falken Wildpeak
A/T Trail all-terrain tires, TRD-tuned dampers—
it seems as if Toyota didn’t think this all the way
through. Because when you go off-road, you get
stuck. That’s how you know you’re trying.
And where we’re going—a vast off-roading
park in North Carolina—anything can get stuck.
There’s thick mud that’ll pull the boots off your feet,
whooped-up Mint 400 high-speed sections, steep
climbs, and sharp break-overs. Ever see a silodrome,
one of those circular stunt tracks on vertical walls?
Imagine one made out of sand. Back off the throt-
tle and it’s like tossing your crossover to the sarlacc
from Return of the Jedi.
My expectations are low. The RAV4 has decent
ground clearance—8.6 inches—but no low range
or locking differentials. Its all-wheel-drive system,
dubbed Dynamic Torque Vectoring All-Wheel
Drive with Rear Driveline Disconnect, can send
a maximum of 50 percent of the engine’s torque
rearward. That’s fine, because that’s what a locked
center diff would do, but the “disconnect” part has
us concerned. What if it decides to disconnect while
we’re headlight deep in a pond? Hold that thought.
For a body-on-frame counterpoint, we also
brought a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. The
Rubicon has live axles, a two-speed transfer case,
locking diffs front and rear, and a front anti-roll bar
that you can electronically disconnect. Our think-
ing is, if we have a recovery vehicle like this on hand,
perhaps we won’t need it. Plus, the Wrangler will be
a frame of reference for ultimate off-road badassery.
The RAV4 is not expected to hang.
First up, some light calisthenics: the Baja rhythm
section. Let’s test those red springs, twin-tube
dampers, and TRD bump stops. The undulations
vary in both wavelength and amplitude. Drive at
maybe 8 mph and you settle into a jaunty bounce,
trotting across the ruts. But go a little faster and
the suspension starts running out of travel, until
the front end is cycling through max droop and full
compression as the chin spoiler detonates showers
of sand across the front end. Whoa, RAVVY!
Now, I’m not confusing the twee Toyota with a
Chevy Colorado ZR2, but it actually handles some
wheels-up action with reasonable aplomb once I
remove the Styrofoam-encased jack that’s crashing
41

around under the rear floor. When I stop to inspect
the front end, I expect to see a yard sale of under-
body trim in my wake. But everything’s fine. Okay,
TRD. Respectable. Now let’s see how you handle
some muddin’.
As a veteran of this brand of off-road idiocy, I
understand the value of pre-mudding preparedness.
First, I pull on my hip waders. Then I grab my tow
strap. I plan to hook it up now, before the plunge,
and shut the length of it in the cargo hold until it’s
needed. That way I won’t be fumbling around in the
cold black soup searching for the tow hook.
Except there is no tow hook. So I crawl under the
Toyota and hook the strap’s claw to a hole in the rear
subframe and cross my fingers that the Jeep doesn’t
perform an unscheduled differential-ectomy when
I need a tow.
The Wrangler is first into the muck, its torquey
turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four spinning those
big BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2s and immedi-
ately enameling its Hellayella paint with a chocolate
candy shell. I observe the lines and the depths, and I
FOLD
figure my tow strap will be getting its first workout
4 2 ~ J U N E 2 02 0 ~ C A R A N D D R I V E R
If Toyota calls it TRD
Off-Road, then we’re
obligated to drive
it into the deepest
puddles and thickest
mud we can find.
Jeep could build a
Wrangler Pottery Barn
Edition and we’d still
treat it like this.
momentarily. In the RAV4, I direct stability control
to take a break, engage Sport mode, and manually
select first gear. The TRD Off-Road has a Mud &
Sand mode on its terrain selector, but I’ve got my
own terrain selector: my right foot. If I start to get
stuck, I’ll select more throttle.
In mud, as with sand, you want to go aggressive
from the start. Momentum is your ally. So it goes for
the RAV4, which digs in its Falkens and hounds the
Rubicon around the wallow, even playfully hanging
out its tail. The TRD Off-Road, like the Adventure
and Limited flavors of RAV4, uses clutches in its rear
diff for a torque-vectoring effect, and you can feel
it working, adding agility in the slop. But enough is
enough. It’s time to get stuck. So I aim straight for
one of the deepest holes and auger in.
The bottom, somewhere under the inky water,
drops off sharply on the driver’s side. I feel the RAV4
heel over as the underbody drags on the soft earth
and the front tire disappears entirely underwater.
That’s it: I’m mired. If I roll down my window, I
could dangle my fingers in the sludge. Guess I’ll just
have to hope the door seals hold while I crawl out the
passenger’s side.
But first, let’s try reverse. Just to be sure. The
TRD’s 203-hp 2.5-liter inline-four grumbles and lugs,
the tires spinning fruitlessly. But then: movement.
The Toyota begins inching backward, slowly at first
and then gaining speed as the tires find traction. I’m
out. Apparently, the RAV4’s backup plan is to back up.
All right, unibody Houdini, on to the pond.
Again, the Jeep goes first. Taking a line not far
 Manufacturers Coupon Expires 12/31/2022

Get Back in the CAR620

3.00
When you buy

Driver Seat
with
$ OFF ONE 2 fl. oz bottle
Find in the
diabetic care aisle

Frankincense & Myrrh®

NEUROPATHY
NEUROPATHY

Retailer: Wise Consumer Products Co. will reimburse you

for the face value of this coupon plus $0.08 handling
provided you and the consumer have complied with the
terms of this offer. Invoices proving purchase of sufficient
stock to cover presented coupons must be shown upon
request. Any other application may constitute fraud.
Coupon void where prohibited, taxed or restricted.
Consumer must pay any sales tax. Cash value 1/100¢.
Reproduction of this coupon is expressly prohibited.
Mail to: Dept. Wise CPC, PO Box 42400,
Blue Ash, OH 45242.
081543900-190093

Available at:

NEUROPATHY
Fast relief from pain, numbness, weakness and INDEPENDENT PHARMACIES

tingling with NO SIDE EFFECTS. GUARANTEED! www.frankincensemyrrh.com

 Splash enough mud on
a Wrangler and a RAV4
and you can hardly
tell them apart. Or at
least that’s how the
guy at the carwash
sees them: both too
hard core for his
suburban operation.
from shore, our enthusiastic Rubicon driver gets a
tidy bow wave pulsing out ahead of the bumper. It’s
deep but managea—oh, there goes the front end.
About halfway across, water surges over the Jeep’s
headlights, sluicing across the hood. This might be
a sensible time to grab reverse, but it is flank speed
ahead for the good ship JL, which casually paws its
way up the opposite bank, cleaner than when it went
in. That’s one way to save money on a carwash.
There’s no way the RAV4 could take that route,
but the Jeep did serve as a sounding line, showing me
where not to go. So I splash in and start tracing arcs,
farther from shore each time. I can’t really judge the
depth until the parking-distance warning system
alerts me of water that’s up to the forward-looking
camera, just under the Toyota badge on the grille.
From the rear, a muted burble confirms that the
exhaust is underwater, too. Still, I’m not stuck.
But when I circle around for another pass, the TRD
can’t climb the banking. It feels like the rear end is
no longer in the game, an impression confirmed by a
gauge-cluster message warning that I’ve overheated
the all-wheel-drive system and we’re now rolling
front-wheel drive only. Which presents a dilemma,
FOLD
because if I open a door to retrieve the tow strap,
4 4 ~ J U N E 2 02 0 ~ C A R A N D D R I V E R
2020 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon
As Driven: $56,935 • Base: $43,690 • Engine: turbocharged
and intercooled DOHC 16-valve 2.0-liter inline-4, 270 hp, 295 lb-ft
Transmission: 8-speed automatic • Driven Wheels: rear/all
4-Wheel-Drive System: part time with electronically locking
front and rear differentials and a two-speed transfer case
Suspension, F: live axle located by four leading links and a
Panhard rod, coil springs, electronically disconnecting anti-roll
bar R: live axle located by four trailing links and a Panhard rod,
coil springs, anti-roll bar • Tires: BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2
LT285/70R-17 116/113Q M+S • Curb Weight: 4650 lb • Performance
(C/D est), 60 mph: 7.1 sec • 1/4-Mile: 15.8 sec • Top Speed: 100
mph • EPA Fuel Economy, Comb/City/Hwy: 21/21/22 mpg
Width: 73.8 in
73.6 in
10.8 in 30.0 in
43.9° 22.6° 37.0°
118.4 in
188.4 in
2020 Toyota RAV4 TRD Off-Road
As Driven: $41,880 • Base: $36,400 • Engine: DOHC 16-valve
2.5-liter inline-4, 203 hp, 184 lb-ft • Transmission: 8-speed
automatic • Driven Wheels: all • All-Wheel-Drive System: full
time with automatic rear-axle engagement and open front and
rear differentials • Suspension, F: ind, strut located by a control
arm, coil springs, anti-roll bar R: ind; 1 trailing arm, 2 lateral links,
PROFILE ILLUSTRATIO NS BY PE TE SUCHESKI
and a toe-control link per side; coil springs; anti-roll bar
Tires: Falken Wildpeak A/T Trail 01A 225/60R-18 100H M+S
Curb Weight: 3700 lb • Performance (C/D est), 60 mph: 8.0 sec
1/4-Mile: 16.2 sec • Top Speed: 120 mph • EPA Fuel Economy,
Comb/City/Hwy: 27/25/32 mpg
Width: 73.4 in
68.6 in
8.6 in
19.0° 21.0°
105.9 in
181.5 in
 SURVIVAL SKILL N o. 3

HOT-WIRE A CAR
—
If you’re trying to hot-wire something built more
than a few years into the 21st century, forget about
it. If you’ve got a really old vehicle with coil ignition
and without a steering-column lock, all you need to
do is run a wire from the positive battery terminal to
the positive side of the coil and cross the poles of
the starter solenoid with something metal. This
step-by-step guide will help you hot-wire any of the
tens of millions of vehicles in between.

Remove the trim one power to the

1 around the ignition body control module
switch and locate the and the other to the
I’ll be having a very unpleasant conversation bundle of wires con- electronic one.
regarding flood-damage deductibles. So I wait. nected to the switch.
Identify the
If the all-wheel-drive system is overheated, sit-
ting in this frigid bath ought to restore its chill.
2 Identify the wires 5 starter wire(s).
And within a minute, it does. The TRD ambles that bring power If there are two, cut
out of the drink, unscathed once again. to the switch from them, strip back the
What follows is a series of increasingly ill- the battery. They’ll insulation, and touch
advised exploits, each one preceded by my con- generally be larger them together just
fident declaration that this time we’re really in diameter than the long enough to start
gonna get impossibly stuck. I pitch the RAV4 up other wires in this the engine. If there’s
onto a steep break-over that seems to guarantee bundle. (What? You only one, cut the wire,
a high-center scenario, but it just drags its belly didn’t do any research strip the end, and
and keeps going. I drop into the sarlacc pit and on this model to figure touch it to one of your
the RAV4’s rear end slides down toward certain out what colors the two powered circuits.
doom. But I punch the throttle and the little important wires are?) Wrap the end(s) to
Toyota that could crabs back up onto the wall, prevent accidental
Identify the wires contact as you drive.
where torque-vectoring theatrics hold harm at
bay. On a wide trail, I ignore a bypass through 3 for the body and
electronic control If there’s a steer-
the trees and ford another menacing water haz-
ard, tailing the Wrangler. modules. They, too, 6 ing-column lock,
This, I didn’t expect. I figured most of the should be thick wires. you’ll have to break
RAV4’s day would be spent on the end of a strap, it. Do you have a long
Strip the insu- pipe to wedge into the
the Jeep disabusing the Toyota of its off-road
delusions one obstacle at a time. Instead, the 4 lation from the spokes and crank on
RAV4 proved that it can actually survive some two power wires and the steering wheel?
seriously dumb off-pavement exploits. Sure, the two control-mod- No? Well, then that’s a
all-terrain tires help a ton—we would not expect
a lower trim’s highway-focused rubber to pro-
vide the necessary traction for my antics. Never-
theless, this thing is legit. Yeah, I could’ve gotten
stuck if I had followed the Jeep into the deepest
slop, and I would have destroyed the vehicle in
the process. In this case, it turns out the cross-
over off-road fantasy is pretty real.
On the way home, I pull into an automatic
carwash, the Wrangler right behind me. As I’m
choosing a wash, the attendant rushes out. “You
can’t go through here!” he yells. “This thing’s
too muddy. You’ll break the carwash. You have
to find a place with pressure washers that can
handle 4x4s.” I steer into the exit lane leading to
the parking lot, annoyed but also kind of proud.
FOLD

Yep. Gotta find a place that can handle 4x4s.

45
 THE CARS ARE THE STARS

IN RURAL NORTH CAROLINA, A SMALL ,

UNASSUMING SHOP BUILDS
ME TICULOUS REPLICAS OF ICONIC
MOVIE CARS.
By Talon Homer
Photography by Marc Urbano

46 J UNE 2020 ~ CAR A ND D RIVER

THIS IS
HEAV Y
—
The first of
Razorfly’s vehicle
transformations,
this Back to the
Future DeLorean
DMC-12 follows
the movie car
to a T with
one notable
exception. Can
you spot it?

47
S ome 2300 miles due east
of Hollywood and a meta-
phorical world away from
the silver screen sits Whit-
tier, North Carolina. In the
heart of the Great Smoky
Mountains, this town with
fewer than 6000 residents
is surrounded by natural
beauty as rich as any movie backdrop. That it
could pass for a small-town set doesn’t make
it any less surprising when you come upon a
humble residential garage here that makes
replicas of Tinseltown’s most famous cars.
That shop, Razorfly Studios, has built a
cast of pop-culture icons that includes the
Back to the Future DeLorean DMC-12, the
Dodge Monaco from The Blues Brothers, and
a trio of Jurassic Park SUVs. An AMC Pacer
that’s in the works soon will be fitted with
flame decals, a killer sound system, and a functional licorice events. From Washington, D.C., to Atlanta, movie
dispenser, exactly like the one found in Wayne’s World. A Jeep fans line up to pose beneath the DeLorean’s gull-
J10 pickup is due to get a RadioShack’s worth of electronics in wing doors and catch a glimpse of the flux capacitor.
a nod to the movie Twister. A third in-progress project involves The business is a labor of love for Mark, who
a jet engine and tall black tail fins. Three guesses what that is. inherited a passion for building model cars from
Razorfly’s recreations are so accurate, they look as if they his father. Although he studied automotive courses
were built on a Hollywood budget rather than in a 25-by-55-foot in college, Mark launched a career wiring home
garage with no lift. The shop brings to life stories most of us theaters and security systems. He began making
have experienced only in theaters and from our couches, worlds props and costumes from his favorite sci-fi series as
where cars are as memorable as the main characters. a hobby in the 2000s. As he toured East Coast comic
The studio is run by the husband and conventions, Mark’s passion for building models
wife team of Mark and Angela Zoran. Mark grew in scale until it was 1:1. “I always wanted some-
handles the bulk of the wiring, paint, and thing life-size,” Mark says. “Something real.”
TIME FLIES
— fabrication for the cars, whereas Angela His first vehicle replica was Doc Brown’s time
The clocks are set focuses on the costuming side of the oper- machine. He bought his stainless-steel wedge from
to movie-relevant ation. While the company has sold a few of a used-car dealer in 2011. The car didn’t run very well
dates. Remember
Part II, with the its turnkey replicas for prices ranging from but was in otherwise clean condition, and the dealer
hoverboards and less than $20,000 to as much as $50,000, took a trade on Mark’s old Jeep (plus a couple grand).
Mr. Fusion trash- the heart of Razorfly’s business follows Mark spent a year fixing it up and amassing the
powered reactor?
That’s what 2015 the convention circuit. The shop rents its parts required to convert the DMC-12 into a Back
should have been. vehicles to numerous sci-fi and pop-culture to the Future replica and another two years driving

48 JUNE 2020 ~ CAR A N D DRIVER

it around to get comfortable with the car’s lack of
rearward visibility. At that point, in November 2014,
he took it into the garage and spent the next four
months completing the DeLorean’s transformation.
As is the case with all his replicas, Mark endeav-
ored to make his time machine as close to the movie
car as possible, either sourcing the exact hardware
the film studio used or making resin castings of the
original parts. Helicopter engine-intake hoses and
sizable industrial capacitors adorn the DeLorean’s
engine cover, while the cockpit is packed with func-
tioning LED displays. The switch that turns on the
STAR CARS
time machine’s electronics is made from the same —
battery-terminal brush that the movie car had. The Top left: No guaran-
base of the Mr. Fusion reactor is cast from a 1960s tee that the trans-
parent roof is T. rex
missile-guidance hard drive, while the top piece is resistant. Top: Party
a plastic 1980s coffee grinder. A double-bell Bulova on, Wayne. Fender
alarm clock from the ’30s sits atop the dashboard, flames still to come.
Above: That’s a
the same as you see in the movies. Canadian air-raid
Other aspects were designed from scratch, siren on top of the
including the giant welded aluminum tail vents and Bluesmobile, same as
the movie car’s. Left:
the blue exterior lights powered by a second battery [Jurassic Park theme
installed in the car’s spare-tire well. The signatures plays in your head.]
of some of the movies’ actors—Christopher Loyd,
Lea Thompson, and James Tolkan—grace the inside
of the frunklid. To get those, Mark had to carry the
unwieldy stainless-steel panel across a crowded few buddies—strips them down, rebuilds the major mechani-
Dragon Con floor. Mark notes there is plenty of cal components, and removes any rust. Paint is either refreshed
space left for Michael J. Fox to add his name. or resprayed to match the color of the car’s on-screen counter-
The DeLorean that launched Razorfly’s vehicle- part, and any major seat-restoration work is farmed out to a local
replica arm of the business and the nearly dozen upholstery shop. Then the modifications begin. The tasks range
vehicles that followed pay painstaking homage to from installing simple elements such as light bars and stereo
American pop culture. Every vehicle undergoes a equipment to making complex body and cabin changes.
monthslong build process that starts with finding Razorfly’s handiwork is most evident in its three custom
a relatively complete donor car—all of which, so Jurassic Park trucks. Two Jeep Wranglers, designated numbers
far, have been decades old. Then, a small team of 18 and 29 like in the film, bear relatively straightforward mod-
part-time mechanics—consisting of Mark and a ifications. The shop outfitted both vehicles with film-accurate

49
winches, CB antennas, and light bars. The
standard Sand Beige Low Gloss exteriors
have also been augmented with door decals
and a red “JP” livery.
The alterations required to recreate
a Jurassic Park Ford Explorer were more
extensive. It got similar off-road mods as
the Jeeps as well as a full custom interior.
Mark installed early-’90s CRT screens into
the front and rear console to play either the
Jurassic Park tour video or clips from the
movie itself. The Ford also has subwoof-
ers beneath each rear seat to give the film’s
action-packed moments an even bigger
kick. Look up and you’ll see that they’ve cut
away the steel roof, replacing it with a clear
plexiglass dome so you can better peer at a
Tyrannosaurus rex towering overhead. The
Explorer, within the film’s narrative, was an
automated vehicle, designed by the park’s
creator. To sell this idea, the shop installed
security camera equipment on the SUV’s
exterior and removed the gauge cluster. In
the interest of keeping things street legal,
though, a digital Summit Racing gauge dis-
play can be plugged in when needed.
Razorfly’s Blues Brothers clone even has the back
story to match the movie. In the film, the title characters
use a decommissioned Dodge Monaco cop car in a race
against time to play a couple gigs and save their child-
hood orphanage. Fittingly, the Monaco that Razorfly
owns is also a retired cruiser; it may even have been part
of an Illinois-based police department’s fleet. (Mark
found it near Chicago, complete with the requisite steel
bull bar.) After picking the Dodge up, the shop had to
50
Through a Different Lens
Mexico-based artist Felix Hernandez captures the larger-than-life
personas of iconic movie and TV cars in his images of surprisingly
small replicas. He starts by photographing 1:18 model cars that he’s
augmented with similarly scaled-down special effects. A rotary
cutting tool against a metal rod showers a DeLorean in sparks,
while cigarette smoke blown over the General Lee becomes a cloud
of dust. Hernandez then manipulates and layers the photos digi-
tally, blurring reality and fantasy into moody, dreamlike tableaux.
His portfolio can be seen at hernandezdreamphography.com.
first address the rust born from many Midwestern winters.
They made sure the car was structurally sound but kept
the overlying body panels as ratty as purchased. Screen-
accurate details include a missing D in the Dodge badge on
the tail and rattle-can black paint covering the police decals.
The shop also doctored a replica of the massive loudspeaker
that gets installed on the car’s roof.
The Dodge’s engine deviates from its inspiration in the
name of power. Engine builder Dave Heitz of Advanced
Transmissions bored the 440 big-block, upped the com-
pression, and installed a Mopar Six Pack
camshaft. Mark says the engine now makes
around 450 horsepower. All we can confirm
is that the car rips effortless donuts.
Mark is not one to keep his life-size
toys packed away. He drives them to the
local grocery store and to shows hundreds
of miles—and even oceans—away. Most
notably, a 1970s Camaro and a Saleen-kitted
Mustang made up as Bumblebee and Barri-
cade from the first Transformers movie now
reside in the Movie Cars Central museum
in Paris. Razorfly’s nonvehicular props have
appeared on a sci-fi series that earned an
International Academy of Web Television
award for best costume design in 2014, and
Mark dreams of someday creating original
custom cars for the big screen.
Razorfly’s story is now in the hands of
a Hollywood production company, which
is pitching networks on a TV series that
would chronicle the process of finding old
cars and building them into rolling movie
memorabilia. If it’s greenlighted, it’ll put
these movie stars back on the screen.
JUNE 2020 ~ CAR A N D DRIVER
 Looking forward to things is
half the pleasure of them.
— L. M . M O NT G O M ERY

A HIGH-OCTANE, HIGH-STYLE
DRIVING ADVENTURE THROUGH
CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY

New date:
M ARCH 3 -6, 2 021
NORTH ER N CAL IF O RNIA
Rescheduled from June 17-20, 2020

LEARN MORE AND APPLY AT

EXP ER I ENCES . R OA DA ND T R ACK . CO M
S PA C E I S L I M I T E D

@ R OA DA ND T R ACK _ EXP ER I ENCES

I N PART NERSH IP WIT H

SUPPO RT ING
 THE WAY
TIRE BUYING ™
SHOULD BE.

FAST FREE SHIPPING on All Orders Over $50*

DO IT YOURSELF
We do all the work on our end. Your INCLUDED AT NO CHARGE
Tire & Wheel Package arrives mounted,
State-of-the-art scratch free mounting
balanced and ready for installation.
Hunter Road Force GSP9700 balancing

TRY OUR TIRE DECISION GUIDE

THE RIGHT TIRES IN TWO MINUTES OR LESS
Tell us your vehicle and answer a few simple questions.
We’ll narrow it all down to the top tire for you.
www.tirerack.com/tdg

©2020 Tire Rack M-F 8am-8pm EST

800-981-3782 SAT 9am-4pm EST FAST FREE SHIPPING
ON ORDERS OVER $50 *tirerack.com/freeshipping
 + 75 GET
$
AN ADDED BONUS OF UP TO
BACK
ON A SET OF
FOUR SELECT
GOODYEAR ®TIRES.*

125 MORE
WHEN YOU
USE THE GOODYEAR ®
CREDIT CARD.*

Offer Valid April 1 - June 30, 2020

Rebate with
Base Rebate Goodyear®
Eligible Tire Lines* Amount Credit Card

Eagle® Exhilarate® $75 $200

Eagle F1 SuperCar Family
® ® $75 $150
Assurance® ComforTred® Touring, Assurance® MaxLifeTM, Assurance®
WeatherReady®, Eagle® F1 Family, Eagle® Sport All-Season, Wrangler® All-Terrain
Adventure with Kevlar® , Wrangler® Fortitude HT (excludes C-Type) $50 $ 100
Assurance® All-Season, Wrangler® TrailRunner AT $25 $50

EAGLE EXHILARATE ® ®

For drivers of modern muscle cars, performance sedans,

and sports coupes who want a tire that delivers handling,
acceleration and braking traction that lives up to their
vehicle’s performance in dry and wet conditions, in
addition to light snow capability.

ASSURANCE MAXLIFE ® TM

Designed to deliver a combination of civilized

on-road manners, capable traction in all seasons,
plus impressive longevity. Semi-closed shoulders
help provide confident handling and resist
irregular wear for a satisfying drive throughout
the tire’s life.

See www.tirerack.com/specials for complete details and rebate form.

Rebate paid in the form of a Goodyear Prepaid Mastercard®. This Prepaid Card is issued by Sunrise Banks N.A., Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Mastercard International Incorporated. Mastercard is a registered
trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated. This Prepaid Card may be used everywhere Mastercard debit cards are accepted. Registration, activation, acceptance, or use of this Prepaid Card constitutes ac-
ceptance of the terms and conditions stated in the Prepaid Card Agreement. Prepaid Cards will not have cash access, expire after 6 months, and other terms, conditions, and fees may apply. See Prepaid Card for details.
Additional terms and conditions apply.
*Get up to $75 back by online or mail-in rebate on a qualifying purchase of a set of 4 select Goodyear tires with any form of payment method. Plus get an added rebate of up to $125 more when the purchase is made on the
Goodyear Credit Card. Subject to credit approval. Rebate amount varies depending on select tires purchased. Above rebates are on a set of four tires. If your vehicle requires six tires, rebates are available on a prorated basis for
the two additional tires. The prorated rebate amount, per additional tire, is 25% of the rebate amount listed above. The minimum purchase is a set of four tires and the maximum purchase is six tires per invoice.

©2020 Tire Rack

800-981-3782 M-F 8am-8pm EST
SAT 9am-4pm EST FAST FREE SHIPPING
ON ORDERS OVER $50 tirerack.com/freeshipping
 18 19 20

FAST FREE SHIPPING on All Orders Over $50*

OZ Alleggerita HLT OZ Hyper GT HLT OZ Indy HLT OZ Leggera HLT OZ Ultraleggera HLT OZ Rally Racing ASA GT15
16 17 18 17 18 19 20 18 19 20 17 18 19 20 21 19 20 17 18 19 18 19 20

Sparco Assetto Gara Sparco DRS Sparco FF-1 Sparco FF-1 17 Sparco Pro Corsa Sparco Terra Bremmer Kraft BR17
15 16 17 18 19 17 18 15 17 17 18 15 16 17 18 17 18 19

What About TPMS?

We can assist you in
selecting wheels that
are compatible with your
vehicle’s sensors. We also
offer an extra set of sensors
for all TPMS systems, so your tire
and wheel package can arrive with
sensors already installed. Enkei Perf. Storm Enkei Perf. Victory Enkei Tuning Raijin Enkei Tuning TS-V Enkei Tuning TSR-X
17 18 20 18 19 20 18 17 18 18

Locking Wheel
Nuts/Bolts
Function like regular
lug nuts/bolts, but require a special
key tool (included) for installation
and removal. Starting at $1695
www.tirerack.com/mcgard Enkei Racing RPF1 Sport Tuning T24 Sport Tuning T8-2 LP Aventure LP5 LP Aventure LP7
15 16 17 18 17 18 19 15 16 17 18 19 20 17 17 18

©2020 Tire Rack M-F 8am-8pm EST

800-981-3782 SAT 9am-4pm EST FAST FREE SHIPPING
ON ORDERS OVER $50 *tirerack.com/freeshipping
 Grand Touring All-Season
Luxury Cars, Family Sedans, Coupes, Crossovers and Minivans
Developed to deliver premium comfort plus confident all-season

the tire cut through standing water, while lateral notches and wide grooves
evacuate water from the footprint. Straight sipes in the shoulders and zigzag
sipes in the center ribs create biting edges to improve traction in snow and
on ice, and the full depth tread pattern helps maintain performance longer
into the tire’s life.

Ultra High Performance All-Season On-/Off-Road All-Terrain

Sports Cars, Coupes and Performance Sedans
Developed for drivers looking for high-speed capability
and predictable handling combined with all-season
mobility, even in light snow. The asymmetric tread
pattern is optimized to deliver confident handling and
impressive braking in dry or wet conditions, in addition
to minimizing airborne noise for quiet operation.
Pickup Trucks, Jeeps and SUVs
Developed for drivers who want enhanced off-road capability
when they need it, but don’t want to sacrifice comfort and
on-road performance to get it. The balanced, on-/off-road
tread design features large, independent tread blocks with
deep lateral notches and sipes to provide grip on soft or
slippery surfaces and in light snow.

Shop by vehicle at www.tirerack.com/bridgestone

©2020 Tire Rack M-F 8am-8pm EST

800-981-3782 SAT 9am-4pm EST FAST FREE SHIPPING
ON ORDERS OVER $50 tirerack.com/freeshipping

Ultra High Performance All-Season
The ADVAN Sport A/S+ is the new flagship tire in Yokohama’s Ultra
High Performance All-Season lineup. The updated, high-performance
compound features increased silica content and utilizes a proprietary
mixing process that focuses on enhanced wet traction. The
asymmetric tread design includes large, outboard shoulder
blocks for responsive handling and lateral grip, while
Streaming Z-Grooves and Serpentine Grooves
improve traction in light snow.
Grand Touring All-Season
Designed to deliver a quiet and luxurious ride
combined with an athletic feel, in addition
to sure-footed traction in wet and wintry
conditions. Angled grooves and wide, lateral
notches help evacuate water from the contact
patch to resist hydroplaning, and high sipe
density in the shoulders and inboard rib create
biting edges for grip on slippery surfaces.

Max Performance Summer*

Built to be the pinnacle of performance, the ADVAN
Apex V601 is engineered to deliver maximum
grip, precision handling, and a quiet ride. 3+1
Circumferential Grooves are designed to provide
optimal performance in dry or wet conditions,
and the wide, outboard rib maximizes contact
with the road for impressive lateral traction.
* Like all summer tires, the ADVAN Apex™ is not intended to be
driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice.

Shop by Vehicle at

www.tirerack.com/yokohama

©2020 Tire Rack

800-981-3782 M-F 8am-8pm EST
SAT 9am-4pm EST FAST FREE SHIPPING
ON ORDERS OVER $50 tirerack.com/freeshipping
 Get A

Tire Rack Prepaid Mastercard® when you purchase

a set of four Kumho tires shown below.
Exclusive Offer Valid May 1-31, 2020

MAX PERFORMANCE SUMMER

Emphasizing handling, steering response and
high-speed stability, the Ecsta PS91 features a Formula
3 racing-derived Silica and Carbon Black tread
compound enhanced with Max Grip Performance Resin
and molded into an aggressive, asymmetric pattern.

ULTRA HIGH PERFORMANCE ALL-SEASON

Designed to combine responsive handling with all-season
capability, the high-stiffness compound improves
handling performance, while high-grip resins in the tread
rubber further aid wet and dry traction. Variable Pitch
Sequence Technology helps minimize noise to meet the
requirements of demanding drivers.

CROSSOVER/SUV TOURING ALL-SEASON

The Crugen HP71 is designed for drivers who want refinement and
comfort in addition to reliable all-season traction. The symmetric
tread pattern is optimized to provide a quiet and comfortable ride,
while notched intermediate ribs and sipes in the independent tread
blocks aid traction in wet and wintry conditions.

*For complete offer details, visit www.tirerack.com/specials . Tires must be purchased from Tire Rack’s in-stock inventory
between 12:00 a.m. EDT May 1, 2020, and 11:59 p.m. EDT May 31, 2020. Offer not valid if tires are returned.
Prepaid Mastercard is given to you as a reward, refund or rebate and no money has been paid by you for the card. Card is issued by
MetaBank®, N.A, Member FDIC, pursuant to license from Mastercard International Incorporated. Mastercard is a registered
trademark, and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated. No cash access or recurring payments.
Card valid for up to 6 months; unused funds will forfeit after the valid thru date. Card terms and expiration apply.
©2020 Tire Rack
800-981-3782 M-F 8am-8pm EST
SAT 9am-4pm EST FAST FREE SHIPPING
ON ORDERS OVER $50 tirerack.com/freeshipping
the
fe ar
of
failure
58 JUNE 2020 ~ CAR A N D DRIVER
 MILLIONS OF AMERICANS
DON’T HAVE ENOUGH IN SAVINGS
TO COVER A CAR REPAIR.
THEY ALSO HAVE CARS REGULARLY
IN NEED OF REPAIR. WHAT’S IT LIKE
WHEN YOUR CAR IS A
BLESSING AND A CURSE?

JASON M. VAUGHN
TELLS THE STORY OF OLIVER,
HIS FAMILY’S 260,000-MILE SUBARU.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY
BLAKE GORDON

59
TURNING THE KEY HAS
BECOME AN ACT OF FAITH.
AS THE ENGINE GRUMBLES
TO LIFE ON THIS FINE
SOUTHWEST COLORADO
MORNING, THE YELLOW
CHECK-ENGINE LIGHT
COMES ON, AS IT HAS
EVERY DAY FOR THE PAST
FOUR YEARS, AND
THE SAME QUESTIONS
SWIRL IN MY MIND.
Is this the day that tiny head-gasket leak turns into a gusher?
Is this the day the catalytic converter chokes closed for
good? Is this the day that one speck of sand too many works
its way into that cracked CV-joint boot, causing it to seize up
at some bend in the road and send me spinning into a ravine,
not to be discovered until spring?
I baselessly reassure myself that everything is going to be
fine and pull onto a narrow Montezuma County back road,
headed to the nearest “big” city, Cortez, for supplies. It’s a
40-mile round trip. The concern now is less about my car’s
specific ailments than the overriding reality that if I break
down on one of the more desolate stretches of this road, I
likely won’t be able to find a usable cell signal, much less any-
where to get help for my car.
I intimately know everything wrong with this car. I feel
the squishy brakes and the engine straining to get up a hill,
and I hear the ominous grinding sounds coming from under
the right-front wheel well. But I can’t afford to do anything
to ward off those looming disasters.
And I’m not the only one. There are a lot of folks in this
predicament. According to a survey conducted by the Fed-
60
eral Reserve in 2018, 27 percent of participants claimed
they would be unable to cover a surprise $400 expense
without borrowing money or selling something, and
12 percent said they couldn’t come up with that amount
at all. And according to a study by Bankrate, an online
financial services company, 28 percent of U.S. adults
have no emergency savings. Those numbers become
especially alarming when you consider that the price of
a car repair—which by nature tends to be a surprise—is
typically between $500 and $600, according to AAA.
Finally, consider that at 11.8 years old, the average
age of the 278 million vehicles on American highways
has never been higher: According to research firm IHS
Markit, that figure is up nearly 4 percent from just five
years ago. One reason for this may be that modern cars
are simply built better and last longer than before. Just
as likely is the possibility that many Americans—in a
time of stagnant wages combined with soaring con-
sumer debt and a high cost of living—can’t afford to
replace their old beaters. Or if they can get another vehi-
cle, they’re only able to replace it with another beater.
It’s never been more expensive to buy and operate a new
vehicle in the U.S. than it is today. Per AAA, the aver-
age annual cost of owning a new small SUV—based on
15,000 miles driven and taking into account financing,
repairs, maintenance, fuel, insurance, depreciation,
and licensing and registration fees—is nearly $8400, a
prohibitive amount for many.
There are now a lot of high-mileage cars being driven
by people for whom even a minor repair bill could be
ruinous. It’s a great and horrible irony that in a society
where so many working-class people are forced to rely
on their vehicles to get to work, the last thing most of us
can seem to afford is a working vehicle.
JUNE 2020 ~ CAR A N D DRIVER

My wife bought our white 2004 Subaru
Impreza Outback Sport wagon new as a birth-
day gift for herself. By all measures, it has been
a brilliant vehicle. It’s been steady and reliable
on every surface one could encounter—rain,
snow, ice, mud, sand, bare rock, and everything
in between—and in temperatures ranging
from 20 below zero to 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
And except for a tornado-wrecked hood and a
couple dead batteries over the course of its life,
the Subie has always started and safely delivered
us wherever we needed to be. We even gave it a
name, Oliver, because, yes, we watched that one
episode of Top Gear just like everyone else.
The author’s 2004 In this case, though, the name fits.
Subaru was purchased Oliver’s grille and headlights form
new as a birthday gift.
Now showing 260,000 a dopey, endearing grin, and he has
miles, the reliable always loved to play in the snow and
Impreza Outback mud, just like a big happy dog. Back
Sport is the gift that
keeps on giving. when our financial state was better,
I daydreamed of turning Oliver into
some weird off-road rally car that could
somehow also be a daily driver. But now he’s pushing 260,000 miles.
And thanks to too many lean years of unemployment or underem-
ployment—last summer, my wife and I were both laid off from our
respective and not very lucrative jobs on the same day—we can’t
afford to keep up on his current maintenance, much less fix all the
stuff we’ve put off.
Which hurts, because my wife and I courted each other, went on
our honeymoon, attended weddings and funerals, moved multiple
times, brought our newborn son home, and had adventures from
Florida to California in Oliver. He’s as beloved a part of our family
as any pet. Entropy catches up to everything at some point, but I
genuinely believe that with some care, Oliver has another 100,000
miles in him. Of course, sentimentality is often the first sacrifice
when you’re broke. We’ll probably need another 100,000 miles out
of Oliver whether we can properly care for him or not.
Despite the popular notion that poor people are poor because
they’re “bad” with money, most poor people I know actually have a
grossly underappreciated knack for budgeting the little money they
do have down to the penny. We can stretch a dollar in ways that many
middle-class consumers could likely never imagine. But that also
means we have to make choices that middle-class consumers will
likely never have to face. Even a $30 oil change can be a bridge too
far when you know that same $30, with a little creativity, can buy
enough groceries to last our family of three for a week. Or it could
make the difference when it comes to being able to pay our rent on
time. Or it could mean new school clothes, another present under
the Christmas tree for our young son, or simply another tank of gas
to keep us limping along. Thirty dollars is a hell of a lot of money
when that’s all you’ve got.
It’s a subject that Linda Tirado knows all too well. In her 2014
book, Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America, Tirado describes
the often perilous existence she and many other Americans face on a
daily basis: the soul-numbing, low-wage
jobs that can disappear in a heartbeat;
the endless string of plain, gritty apart-
ments with bugs, balky appliances, and
shady landlords; the brutal truth of how
quickly even those basic things can van-
ish when you lose your only means of
transportation.
In one chapter, Tirado details how
her pickup truck was impounded after
she admittedly—but unknowingly—
parked it illegally. “I was 19 and from
Cedar City, Utah,” she says now with a
laugh. “I didn’t know how cities worked!
Where I came from, nobody got towed
unless they got in a wreck or were pulled
over for a DUI or something.”
She writes that when she called
the towing company, she was told she
owed a couple hundred dollars for the
61
impound fee. What she wasn’t told was
that in the interim until her next pay-
day, when she might be able to pay that
fee, she would also be charged a couple
hundred dollars a day in storage fees.
When she went to retrieve her truck,
she was presented with a bill for over
$1000—nearly three times her pay-
check. The tow company told her that it
would hold the truck for a few months to
give her some time to come up with the
mounting storage fees, but then it could
sell it at auction. Should that happen, it
would give her any of the proceeds from
the sale after deducting its fees, if there
was anything left.
In the end, she lost her truck and, Owning an old car on a shoe-
along with it, her and her husband’s only string budget means learning
to wrench whether you want to
realistic means to get to work on time. or not. YouTube, parts-store
The couple soon lost their jobs. Not long clerks, and strangers are the
after that, they lost their apartment. best free help you can find.
One of the hardest ironies of all for
the working poor is the often unspo-
ken truth that in America, you usually have to already have
money to even get an opportunity to make money. And sim-
ply moving someplace with better jobs and higher pay isn’t
really an option when you’re broke.
Improved public transportation would probably help
take some of the pressure off the working poor. It’s difficult
to imagine the nightmarish perpetual traffic jam New York
City would become without its flawed but vital subway sys-
tem. But outside of major cities, public transportation is, at
62
best, spotty. And for great swaths
of small towns and rural areas, it’s
completely nonexistent.
The problem is often one of dis-
tance and population. For example,
getting our son to and from school
adds up to 80 miles, and we do that
four days a week. It takes around seven hours to drive
from Cortez to Denver—a seven-hour drive from New
York City could get you to Cleveland, Ohio.
Effective public transportation is difficult—if not
impossible—to create when you’re planning usable daily
routes in a sprawling place like Montezuma County,
which is roughly one quarter the size of New Jersey.
It’s also almost impossible to pay for when the entire
population of the area numbers less than that of most
Brooklyn neighborhoods.
Tirado says that she’s often been required to take a
long and hazardous hike to get to work or to go grocery
shopping. She says that people in the West might have
a difficult time imagining the population density in the
East, but people in the East seem to have no concept of
the distances involved out west.
“It blew my mind when I first went to New York,”
Tirado says. “I was like, ‘You mean you can just take
the train and they run everywhere? What are you peo-
ple bitching about?’ When I moved to Chicago, people
would tell me that the buses there suck. I was like, ‘Why?
Because they’re a few minutes late sometimes? Do you
know what a miracle it is that you can just step outside of
your house, walk a block, and then just stand there and a
bus will pick you up?’ ”
To keep Oliver running on schedule, I’ve taught
myself some basic maintenance and repairs using only
YouTube instructional videos and a collection of ran-
dom tools I’ve accumulated over the years. I know how
to decipher an engine-code reader. I can install new
brake pads, change the oil, replace spark plugs, change
headlight bulbs, and do many other minor tweaks.
Admittedly, those “fixes” sometimes have more than
a twinge of desperation to them. I once found a bottle of
some sort of oily goop that promised to “flush out cata-
lytic converters” for $25 at a local auto parts store. Oliver
had begun sputtering and stalling frequently, especially
JUNE 2020 ~ CAR A N D DRIVER
OWNING A CAR
IS EXPENSIVE.
IN THE U.S.,
NOT OWNING ONE
IS EVEN MORE
EXPENSIVE.
Decades of policies that made driving
easier in the U.S. also made not driving
harder. Governments built and widened
roads, cities surrounded development
with parking, and low gas prices made
operating a vehicle fairly affordable.
Because of this, those who could buy a
car did, and in turn, cities allocated more
space to accommodate those vehicles. In
Phoenix, for instance, 36 percent of land
area is devoted to either roads or
parking. In Los Angeles, it’s 41 percent.
With a society built around cars, a
vehicle is essentially required to earn a
living and enjoy a high quality of life. With
few exceptions, such as in Manhattan, the
inverse is also true: If you don’t drive, it is
harder to get ahead and stay there.
According to a 2018 survey, 8.7 percent of
U.S. households have no access to a car.
The economic differences between those
with and those without cars is stark. From
1969 to 2013, the inflation-adjusted
median household income of Americans
with access to a car rose from $55,000 to
$62,000 while the incomes of those
without one fell from $26,000 to $17,000.
In 1960, the likelihood that a household
would be in poverty was about the same
whether or not its members had a vehicle.
Today, carless households are 75 percent
more likely to be in poverty than those
with access to a vehicle.
We’ve all heard stories about co-
workers chipping in to buy a car for a
colleague who would otherwise walk
hours to work each day. These aren’t
simply feel-good stories of human resil-
ience. Rather, they’re evidence of how
important cars are to everyday people.
American cities offer public transit as a
bare-bones service in many cases, but
automobiles are widely viewed as a
luxury rather than critical infrastructure.
These attitudes are starting to
change, however. One intriguing concept
is universal basic mobility (UBM), which
promotes the use of existing and
emerging transportation options to
ensure that everyone can get where they
need to go. In urban areas, UBM could be
implemented as a monthly stipend for
transit, bike-sharing services, and
ride-hailing networks. In the country, it
could mean Uber credits, more buses, and
even subsidized car-sharing. This solution
may be hard to realize, but providing
access to transportation may just be the
best thing we can do to help struggling
communities. —David A. King

$80,000 $70,646 90%

$70,000 80%

70% AS PERSONAL VEHICLES BECAME

$60,000
COMMON THROUGH THE ’50S AND ’60S,
$62,187 60%
$50,000 TRANSPORTATION BECAME A LARGER
$54,992 NO PART OF AMERICANS’ EXPENSES.
DATA 50%
$40,000
$26,492 40%
$30,000
30%
$20,000
20%
$10,000 10%
$17,237
$0 0%
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

MEDIAN INCOME (NO CAR) MEDIAN INCOME (HAS A CAR) HOUSEHOLD INCOME SPENT ON TRANSPORTATION HOUSEHOLDS WITH NO VEHICLES

after fill-ups or when the engine was cold, and I knew after
consulting a mechanic that Oliver’s catalytic converter
wasn’t long for this world. I asked the clerk if the stuff worked,
and he gave a suspiciously enthusiastic “Shoot yeah!”
So, with time running out and looking with despair at
a potentially disastrous bill for a new catalytic converter,
I invested the $25 and gave the cleaner a try. Oliver hasn’t
sputtered or stalled in a while, which is a good sign. But I
have no clue if the additive actually did anything to lengthen
the life of the catalytic converter or if it instead damaged
some other expensive part I’ve yet to discover even exists. I
guess that’s just another leap of faith, too.
Last fall, we got a second vehicle to take some of the
pressure off Oliver: a new Mazda CX-3—a very generous
gift from my father who was worried about our ability to
safely haul our son around out here. Adding another vehi-
cle to our insurance was a hard pill to swallow, but the CX-3
has roughly 250,000 fewer miles on it than Oliver. The
Mazda doesn’t have a name, though.
It’s hard to get that youthful sentimentality back once
you’ve come face to face with real-world realities. When
you can’t count on your car, you’re often forced to count
on other people. Out here in the West’s vast open spaces,
that’s actually somewhat comforting. You aren’t really
as alone as it seems when the engine rattles. If you’re
clearly in distress on the side of the road (provided that
road isn’t too far out of the way), eventually some decent
soul will stop to help with water, jumper cables, a can of
gas, or a ride back to town. Sometimes you’ll even get a
helpful “Ah, now, here’s your problem . . .”
Because when you live in a place where the distances
are great and the money is short, you understand that
there but for the grace of God—or whatever cosmic
force holds dominion over head gaskets—go you.

63
 A P P LY N O W !

FALL FOLIAGE AT ITS FINEST

Navigate the Northeast with the editors of Road & Track and
enjoy fall foliage through a sequence of curated routes through the
Hudson Valley, the Catskills, and the Berkshire Mountains.

Compete for the Hudson Honors Second Annual Awards by

autocrossing at historic Lime Rock Park, and experience hot laps
in 2021 Performance Car of the Year finalists.

Immerse yourself in a journey of extraordinary excursions—including

pit stops at Hillrock Distillery, the spa at Miraval, and more!

APPLY AT
EXP ER I ENCES . R OA DA ND T R ACK . CO M
S PA C E I S L I M I T E D

@ R OA DA ND T R ACK _ EXP ER I ENCES

THE RUNDOWN
An expert look at the newest and most important vehicles this month.
For those who think a stock
Urus is staid, check out this bull
with more bling, page 72.
Swollen with boost,
the Turbo S stretches
1.9 inches wider than a
911 Carrera. Porsche
calls the new engine
a 3.8-liter. We did the
math: It’s a 3.7.
2 02 1 P O R S C H E 9 1 1 T U R B O S ~ BY T O N Y Q U I R O G A
Sneaky Fast
The new 640-hp 911 Turbo S does what 911 Turbos
have always done, only better and quicker.
It’s happened before, but it’s been awhile. You see, C/D test
drivers tend to acclimate to hard acceleration. Seat time in
Teslas, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and AMGs will do that. Our
inner ears take so much violent g-force abuse that even the
monstrously quick begins to feel perfectly normal.
Just over the Los Angeles River, east of Hollywood,
there’s a two-lane straight about an eighth of a mile long that
CAR A ND D R IV E R ~ J U NE 2020 ~ P H OTOG RA P H Y BY JESSI CA LYN N WA LKER
feeds a left-right ramp that enters California Route 2.
The 2 heads up the mountain toward the Angeles Crest
Highway. If the ramp is empty, you get a couple seconds
at full throttle as you dash toward the banking. In most
cars, navigating that takes a light dab of the brakes while
downshifting before turning into the ramp and merging
with authority. On the short straight, we hit the accel-
erator on our 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S and then glance
down at its speedometer. We are going 94 mph.
A few thoughts crash the moment. Beginning with:
This is a German-market 911 and someone must have
forgotten to change the digital speedo from kilometers
to miles per hour, because there’s just no way. Then: No,
wait. It’s not a mistake. These are mile readings, and
they’re about 30 mph higher than anticipated.
Like we said, we’ve had this happen before. But that
was over a decade ago, and we were in a Bugatti Veyron.
65
 If we’d read the materials Porsche had sent us, instead the last-gen GT2 RS. There’s really nothing like turbo lag
of just getting in and driving, we might have been bet- happening here. Even in its weakest moments, this engine
ter prepared. Here’s what we should have known: The is a blink away from burying your shoulder blades into the
new Turbo S has 640 horsepower and 590 pound-feet seatback. Punch it and, even through the turbos, you hear
of torque, improvements of 60 and 37, respectively, over the mechanical grit, bellow, and rasp of a flat-six.
the last generation. Those bumps come from a heavily We need to slow down. At least a little. The Turbo S comes
revised version of the flat-six that shares its basic archi- standard with 16.5-inch carbon-ceramic rotors clamped by
tecture with the 3.0-liter in the Carrera and Carrera S. 10-piston calipers in front (up from 16.1-inch discs and six-
A shorter stroke than in the 991 Turbo’s 3.8 relegates pot pinchers), and a hard pedal drops the speedometer to
this 992 engine to 3.7-liter status, but there’s more than reasonable numbers in an instant.
enough boost—22.5 pounds’ worth—to make up for the The capital-T Turbo versions of the 911 have always been
dip in displacement. The intercoolers are 14 percent the widebody, no-neck punks of the 911 world. The new-gen-
larger and are fed ambient air more eration Turbo’s 62.3-inch front track is
efficiently than before, through the 1.7 inches greater than the previous car’s.
scoops in the rear fenders and by the numbers In back, where the 315/30ZR-21 Pirelli
two large vents in the decklid. And Vehicle Type: rear-engine, all-wheel- P Zero PZ4s live, the body is 1.9 inches
the intercoolers do a better job of drive, 2+2-passenger, 2-door coupe wider than a regular 911’s.
chilling the pressurized air created Base .............................. $204,850 When it’s time to turn onto the ramp,
Engine: twin-turbocharged and
by the turbochargers. intercooled DOHC 24-valve flat-6, the Turbo’s wide stance cuts and holds
The new turbos are larger than aluminum block and heads, direct hard. No drama, just cling. Ease into that
before and are now mirror images fuel injection left-to-right transition and, whoa, that
3
Displacement ...... 229 in , 3746 cm 3
of each other in the interest of pro- Power .................. 640 hp @ 6750 rpm Civic trundling along in the right lane
ducing equal and quicker responses. Torque ............. 590 lb-ft @ 2500 rpm looks scared. Unfortunately, we didn’t
Each is bolted to a cast exhaust man- Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch get to perform instrumented testing, but
automatic
ifold inspired by the ones used in Dimensions we do know that your passengers will be
• Wheelbase .............................. 96.5 in
• L/W/H ........ 178.5/74.8/50.9–51.3 in
• Curb Weight .......................... 3700 lb
Performance (C/D est)
• 60 mph .................................... 2.5 sec
• 100 mph ................................... 6.1 sec
• 1/4-Mile ................................. 10.5 sec
• Top Speed ............................ 205 mph
EPA Fuel Economy (C/D est)
• Comb/City/Hwy ....... 19/16/23 mpg

66 THE RUNDOWN
 begging for mercy well before you approach
the car’s handling limits.
Our 911 arrived with the optional PASM
Sport suspension that drops the car 0.4 inch
on stiffer springs and recalibrates the adap-
tive dampers. On certain bumps, the chas-
sis shoots us out of the saddle like a rodeo
bull. Yee-haw-ouch. And that happened in
Normal mode, not in the more unyielding
Sport or Sport Plus. Yet in the canyons, the
Turbo S doesn’t feel abusive. It simply flows
from corner to corner, the rear-wheel steer-
ing working its magic, the dampers keep-
ing everything grounded, and the gearbox
selecting the right gear before turn-in.
As in the last 911 Turbo, there’s no man-
ual option. While having that connection
Doing its best Dodge with this engine would bring tears of joy to
Neon impression, the the air-cooled faithful, it might be hard to
911 Turbo S says, “Hi.”
Porsche builds the grab the shifter with the Turbo’s accelera-
friendliest-looking tion flinging you back. Every Turbo S comes
640-hp sports car in a with an eight-speed dual-clutch auto, allow-
world full of pissed-off
performance cars. ing you to keep your hands on the wheel.
This automatic does have a playful side.
To engage playtime, switch the knob on the
steering wheel to Sport Plus, which enables launch control. Hold the
brake with your left foot and press the accelerator with your right
until the engine revs to 5000 rpm. Look as far down the road as you
can before releasing the brake. Turbo models get reinforced clutches
with additional discs to cope with the extra engine. There’s a certain
brutality as the blast of an engine turned up to 170.8 horsepower per
liter cranks through the drivetrain and into the road. Tires screech.
Passengers screech. Maybe you even screech. At least a little.
We can hear the lawyers now: Do you suffer from heart, back,
or neck trouble or have to take medication for high-blood pressure?
Have you or a loved one been exposed to a Porsche 911 Turbo S? If so,
call this number. Except Porsche probably has better lawyers than
most amusement parks. Sign here, here, and initial there. Have fun.
Porsche claims the Turbo S will bring you to 60 mph in 2.6 sec-
onds. Its numbers are generally conservative—lawyers again—and
we’d guess we could take a tenth or two off that time. But it’s not that
initial acceleration that is shocking. Inner-ear toughness and years of
911 Turbos have skewed our cilia and expectations. What surprises us
is how the acceleration just doesn’t let up. There’s an empty freeway
ahead. We glance at the speedometer, smile, and dream of an empty
autobahn in the summertime. Oops. Back on the brakes.

CA R AND DRIV ER ~ JUNE 2020 67

2 02 0 C A D I L L A C C T4 -V ~ BY J A R E D G A L L
the numbers

Velight Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear- or all-

wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
Base ...................... $45,490–$46,590
The Cadillac CT4-V loses nearly a third of its predecessor’s Engine: turbocharged and intercooled
horsepower and is, in many ways, better for it. DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block
and head, direct fuel injection
Displacement ................ 166 in3, 2727 cm3
Power ........................... 325 hp @ 5500 rpm
Torque ..................... 380 lb-ft @ 2000 rpm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
The decades following your centennial are an unusual time for teenage self- Dimensions
discovery, but that’s exactly where Cadillac finds itself. Multiple reinven- • Wheelbase ...................................... 109.3 in
tions in recent years and regular product reengineerings have brought about • L/W/H ........................... 187.2/71.5/56.0 in
• Curb Weight ....................... 3650–3800 lb
dramatic model repositioning as well. The CTS went from being a tweener Performance (C/D est)
betwixt established luxury segments as defined by the BMW 3- and 5-series • 60 mph ...................................... 4.9–5.1 sec
and Mercedes C- and E-classes to being a direct competitor to the 5 and E and • 100 mph ................................. 11.6–11.8 sec
• 1/4-Mile ................................. 13.4–13.6 sec
then back to being a tweener and now called the CT5. (Follow that?) And the • Top Speed ..................................... 165 mph
brand’s headquarters moved from Detroit to New York City and back. EPA Fuel Economy
The ATS’s transition into the CT4 has been less dramatic, with the vehicle • Comb/City/Hwy ....... 23/20/28–29 mpg
retaining even its wheelbase, but Cadillac’s reinvention of the V label worn
by this example is perhaps the most jarring of all.
Where the ATS-V packed a 464-hp twin-turbo
V-6, the CT4-V has a four-cylinder. Yes, it’s tur-
bocharged and, at 2.7 liters, it’s a beefy four. But
325 horsepower is a sad drop from 464.
It hurts less if you think of the CT4-V (and its
CT5-V stablemate) as a V-lite. Which is no bad
thing, as the CT4-V accomplishes the miracu-
lous feat of making an ATS-V feel oversprung.
This car is vastly more compliant and friendly,
engaging and playful without making you regret
it two hours into the drive. The steering is quick
and nicely weighted, and the firm, progressive
brake pedal is among the best you’ll find this side
of $100,000. GM’s chassis-development team is
one of the underappreciated success stories of
the last decade, its primary benefactors being

68 THE RUNDOWN PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL SIMARI ~ JUN E 2020 ~ CAR A N D DRIV ER


Cadillacs, the Corvette, the Camaro,
and—oddly enough—GM’s pickups.
Speaking of pickups, Chevy’s
Silverado donated its engine to the
CT4-V. Once upon a time, that would
have meant an iron-block 454 doing
unthinkable things to the CT4-V’s
claim of 50/50 weight distribution—
and probably would have necessitated
box flares on the front fenders. But in
2020, it means an inline-four with an
aluminum block and head and a trick
turbo [see “A Matter of Millimeters”].
This engine joins the Bentley Mul-
sanne’s 6.8-liter in the growing club
of gas engines with nominally higher
peak torque than horsepower.
With a 380-lb-ft peak between
2000 and 4000 rpm and a redline at
6000, the 2.7 feels good and strong,
and smooth at part throttle. At higher
speeds and in higher gears—there are
a lot of those with a 10-speed auto—
the engine’s flattening output above
5000 rpm becomes more apparent. In
those gears, you find yourself manu-
ally short-shifting to keep things mov-
ing. It’s easy to be caught off guard by a
strip of collapsed pavement over a cul-
vert or when approaching a railroad
crossing a bit faster than intended,
especially on the sort of bumpy two-
lanes you find around central Mich-
igan farmlands. There, an avenue is
sometimes—surprise!—dirt, and the
CT4-V’s more compliant suspension
masks greater speeds.
The trans calibration seems a little
off in Tour mode, displaying inconsis-
tent shift behaviors such as revs that
sometimes climb mid-shift and other
times don’t. But in Sport, gearchanges
happen so fast that there’s no time for
them to be slurred. The way the Caddy
automatically engages the aggressive
shift map in the right kind of driving
and the wide-open-throttle shifts in
this mode and are pleasant remind-
ers that this Hydra-Matic 10-speed
is related to the one offered in the
Camaro ZL1 track marauder.
The CT4’s downsides have noth-
ing to do with it being a V or not. The
cramped interior carries over from
the ATS, and while we love the deep
maroon of the $1000 Sangria interior,
that it’s just on the seats, console, and
a few bits of trim makes it feel like an
afterthought, rather than the better
realized (and more spacious) interiors
of competitors like the BMW 3-series,
Genesis G70, and Volvo S60.
But even as an unofficial V-lite, the
CT4-V delivers driving pleasure that
few others in the class do. And don’t
get too down on the power; Cadillac
will rectify that with a new model
above this one, likely powered by a
version of the same twin-turbo six
its predecessor had. We’re not yet
sold on the name change—some-
how, “CT4” sounds even less alluring
than “ATS”—but it’s looking as if the
recasting of V is going to be just fine.
A MATTER
OF MILLIMETERS
—
The CT4-V’s dual-volute
turbo (a volute is a
spiral-shaped object)
operates on the same
premise as the more
common twin-scroll
turbo. Each design uses
two ducts in the turbine
housing to separate
the exhaust gases from
certain cylinders. This
separation allows the
exhaust pulses to arrive
at the turbine with
more energy, which
improves response time.
In a twin-scroll,
the ducts combine just
before reaching the
turbine, allowing a small
amount of the exhaust
and pulse energy to
leak into the opposite
channel. In a dual-volute
design, the two ducts
feed the turbine from
opposite sides, deliver-
ing more energy to the
turbo. The gaps between
the turbine wheel and the
ducts in the CT4-V’s turbo
measure just one millime-
ter (0.04 inch). The same
gap in a twin-scroll turbo
is typically five times
greater. —Eric Tingwall
69
 the numbers
Vehicle Type: front-motor, front-engine,
all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door
wagon
Base ....................................... $28,870
Powertrain: permanent-magnet
synchronous AC motor, 181 hp, 232 lb-ft;
DOHC 16-valve 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle
inline-4, 143 hp, 129 lb-ft; combined
system, 212 hp, 232 lb-ft; 1.4-kWh
lithium-ion battery pack
Transmission: single-speed direct-drive
Dimensions
• Wheelbase ...................................... 104.7 in
• L/W/H ........................... 182.1/73.0/66.5 in
• Curb Weight ................................... 3700 lb
Performance (C/D est)
• 60 mph ............................................. 7.6 sec
2 02 0 H O N DA C R -V H Y B R I D ~ BY S C O T T O L D H A M • 1/4-Mile .......................................... 15.9 sec
• Top Speed ...................................... 115 mph
EPA Fuel Economy

Better with a Battery • Comb/City/Hwy ............. 38/40/35 mpg

Hybridization finally comes to the CR-V, making Honda’s

best-seller even better to drive. highway cruising) or works in collabora-
tion with the drive motor (e.g., for max
acceleration). The juice generated by
the engine is sent to that motor to move
It’s surprising that Honda is only now the CR-V, but it can also be diverted to
THE COMPETITION
introducing a hybrid version of the charge the modestly sized battery.
CR-V in the U.S., a full 15 years after There is an electric-only mode, but
Ford Escape SE Sport
the hybrid Ford Escape’s debut and Hybrid AWD range is limited to a mile or two.
23 years after the first CR-V went Honda CR-V Hybrid LX AWD The hybrid system’s operation is
on sale. Currently, Honda’s hybrid Kia Niro LXS smooth, quiet, and unobtrusive. Engine
Toyota RAV4 Hybrid LE AWD
lineup consists of three sedans: the drone is kept to a minimum, even at full
Insight, Accord Hybrid, and Clarity Base, $ throttle. Compared with the base car,
Plug-In. All together, just 59,000 of 31,010 the hybrid’s extra power and added
them were sold here last year. But 28,870 responsiveness improve the driving
27,110
now that the top-selling CR-V joins 29,470 experience, and the electric motor’s
them, we have no doubt it’ll quickly torque makes it feel livelier. That’s espe-
take Honda’s hybrid sales crown. EPA Combined, mpg cially true in Sport mode, as the power-
With its refinement, competitive 40 train quickly reacts to small accelerator
38
pricing, and decent EPA fuel econ- 49 inputs. Maximum acceleration feels
omy, it’s out to prove good things 40 about the same as it does in the regu-
come to those who wait 23 years. lar model—the last CR-V we tested hit
Passenger Volume, ft3
This CR-V uses the same power- 60 mph in 7.6 seconds—but the hybrid
101
train as the hybrid Accord but with a 105 is punchier around town. And of course,
few tweaks to smooth its operation. 100 there’s an argument to be made for effi-
It consists of a 1.4-kWh lithium-ion 99 ciency: EPA fuel-economy estimates
battery, an Atkinson-cycle 2.0-liter Cargo Volume, ft3 jump from 27 mpg city and 32 highway
inline-four, and two motor-gener- 31 to 40 and 35, respectively.
ators, only one of which helps with 33 The hybrid hardware adds about
propulsion. The setup is good for 19 200 pounds to the CR-V’s curb weight,
38
a combined 212 horses. Unlike the so Honda firmed up the suspension,
Accord, though, this hybrid comes giving the ute a substantial feel on the
with standard all-wheel drive. road. It showed exceptional stability
This model could be considered a performance ver- and secure and capable manners on Arizona’s wavy two-
sion since it makes more power than the base CR-V, lanes, its ride always compliant.
which has a 190-hp turbo 1.5-liter four. In the hybrid, Just 7 percent of Hondas sold worldwide in 2018 were
Honda primarily uses the 2.0-liter to generate electric- electrified, but the company expects that will grow to 15
ity. There are a few conditions when a clutch engages percent by 2030. We can only hope all its future hybrids
and the four-pot takes over (e.g., under low load: think and electric vehicles are as good as this CR-V.

70 THE RUNDOWN JUNE 2020 ~ CAR A N D DRIVER

 Let’s not
Party
Meet up
Bro-hug
Defy

Let’s
Stay put
Binge watch
Video-happy-hour
Save lives
Visit coronavirus.gov for the latest tips and information from the CDC.

#AloneTogether

TOGETHER, WE CAN HELP SLOW THE SPREAD.

Out: gold chains.
In: 23-inch gold
wheels. The Kar
Tunz Urus sits half
an inch lower than
stock, and its V-8 is
juiced to a claimed
725 horsepower.

2 02 0 K A R T U N Z L A M B O R G H I N I U R U S ~ BY S C O T T O L D H A Mrenamed the company OpenFlash Perform-

ance and has since dialed up the Ferrari 458

The Golden Calf Italia, several motorcycles, and twin-turbo

3.5-liter V-6-powered Ford F-150s. This is
the first Urus he’s uncorked.
Highs: Quickest SUV we’ve ever tested, simple yet effective
Pathak says his tuning increased the
mods, maintains stock refinement and drivability. Lows: Gold
output of the Lambo’s twin-turbo 4.0-liter
wheels can be seen from Mars, modifications void factory
V-8 from 641 horsepower at 6000 rpm
warranty, should be called the LM003 or maybe just Cheat-ah.
and 627 pound-feet of torque at 2250 rpm
to 725 horses and 750 pound-feet. There
are no hardware changes under the hood.
Boost from the two turbochargers is up,
We don’t have the sex appeal of Adrienne Barbeau climb- and Pathak tweaked the fuel and ignition maps. “We’re at
ing out of a Lamborghini Countach [Speak for yourself, the limit of the hardware and California’s 91-octane fuel,” he
Oldham—Ed.]. Even if we did, we left our skintight span- says. “To add more power, we would have to start changing
dex jumpsuits back at the hotel. But we are hauling ass turbos, downpipes, and cylinder heads.”
through the California desert in a black Lamborghini, Kar Tunz performed other modifications. A louder and
specifically Robert Patel’s modified 2020 Lamborghini lighter Novitec exhaust system with a crossover pipe hangs
Urus. It all feels very Cannonball Run. under the car, the tips of which are powder-coated satin
Patel has owned Kar Tunz since 2015, establishing black. The team also fitted Ghost Motorsports’ self-named
the Pleasanton, California, shop as a one-stop Bay Area lowering links, which dropped the SUV about a half-inch.
go-to for performance, appearance, and tech upgrades. And they sprayed the faux diffuser, side skirts, grille, fender
“We work on anything and can do anything. Whatever flares, and brake calipers black.
the customer wants,” he says. “We do a lot of Raptors, Then there are this Urus’s $8800 23-inch forged
911s, Audis, Corvettes, McLarens. Muscle cars, too. wheels, which are perhaps the goldest set since the ancient
Right now, we’re working on a 1969 Camaro.” Mesopotamians began using the material for decoration.
Although Kar Tunz performed most of the mod- Lamborghini offers rims in this size, but these have a differ-
ifications on the Lambo, the owner of OpenFlash ent offset, which pushes them outward for a more aggres-
Performance, Shiv Pathak, is the one who upped the sive look. And according to Patel, they are a little lighter,
SUV’s power. We’ve known Pathak since 2003, when too. The Pirelli P Zero PZ4 tires, 285/35ZR-23s in front and
he brought a quick and refined Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 325/30ZR-23s at the rear, are the factory fitment. Patel says
VIII to our four-cylinder supertuner challenge. His he has $277,904 in the Lambo, including $243,596 for the
Vishnu Performance Systems company quickly estab- factory Urus. OpenFlash’s engine tune is a serious value
lished a reputation for its ability to crank up power and at $2495. For reference, that’s about $650 less than what
torque levels without sacrificing drivability. In 2014, he Lamborghini charges for electric Comfort seats.

72 THE RUNDOWN PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES LIPMAN ~ JUNE 2020 ~ CAR AND DRIV ER
 the numbers
Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive,
5-passenger, 4-door wagon
Base*/As Tested ......... $234,102/$277,904
Engine: twin-turbocharged and intercooled
DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and
heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement ........................ 244 in3, 3996 cm3
Power (mfr’s claim) .......... 725 hp @ 5700 rpm
Torque (mfr’s claim) .... 750 lb-ft @ 3500 rpm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Dimensions
• Wheelbase ................................................. 118.2 in
• L/W/H .................................... 201.3/79.4/64.0 in
• Curb Weight .............................................. 5140 lb

test RESULTS
Rollout, 1 ft ................................................. 0.3 sec
60 mph ........................................................... 2.7 sec
100 mph ........................................................ 6.8 sec
130 mph ....................................................... 12.0 sec Kar Tunz’s mods
150 mph ........................................................ 17.5 sec aren’t just about
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph ........................ 4.2 sec making numbers and
1/4-Mile ................................. 10.9 sec @ 125 mph attracting attention.
Braking, 70–0 mph ..................................... 150 ft The company did
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad ................ 1.04 g an impressive job
retaining drivability on
par with a stock Urus.

With its launch-control system acti-

vated, the Urus leaps off the line and clears
60 mph in 2.7 seconds. The quarter-mile
hits in a blistering 10.9 seconds at 125 mph.
That makes it not only the quickest SUV we’ve ever tested,
beating the stock Lamborghini by 0.4 second in both meas-
ures, but it’s quicker to 60 mph than a Porsche 911 Carrera S
and dusts a mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette at the drag strip.
Keep your foot down and the 5140-pound SUV beats the fac-
tory Urus to 150 mph by nearly two seconds.
Patel’s suspension tweaks and other modifications
don’t improve the Lamborghini’s handling or braking
performance at the test track, but they haven’t hurt any-
thing, either. With its massive tires, all-wheel drive, and
torque-vectoring rear differential, the Urus produced
1.04 g’s of grip on the skidpad and stopped from 70 mph in
150 feet, basically matching the stock version’s results.
Most importantly, none of the modifications have com-
promised the Urus’s practicality or easy-driving nature.
It’s significantly louder than the unmodified ute at idle
and maintains a strong growl at wide-open throttle, but
it’s far from obnoxious or aggravating. The noise level
inside at a 70-mph cruise remains a pleasant 65 decibels.
The V-8’s power delivery and throttle response, even at
more than 3000 feet of elevation, are also as good as
anything from Lamborghini, as is the SUV’s ride quality.
The Urus’s air springs shrug off the lowering kit as if it
weren’t even there. And you could still race this Lambor-
ghini from sea to shining sea in complete comfort. Even
in a spandex jumpsuit.
Kar Tunz, kartunz.com; Open Flash Performance, openflashtablet.com

LAMBOR

2019 Lamborghini Curb Weight, lb

Urus Stock Tuned
Base: $203,995
As Tested:

$243,377 5314 5140

0–60 mph, sec 1/4-Mile, sec @ mph 0–150 mph, sec
2020 Kar Tunz Stock
Lamborghini Urus 3.1
Base: $234,102* 11.3 @ 121
As Tested: 19.4
Tuned
$277,904 2.7
10.9 @ 125
17.5

*Includes performance-enhancing options. 73


2 02 0 M E R C E D E S - B E N Z C L A 2 5 0
~ BY E Z R A DY E R
Star Power
Highs: Inexpensive to start
(for a Benz), highbrow interior,
stocked with high-tech gadgets.
Lows: Options quickly inflate
the price, engine and transmis-
sion would rather not rush.
When the Mercedes CLA-class debuted
in 2013, the debate was whether it
would be accepted as a real Benz.
Based on our experience with the
second generation, that question
has been answered. Unless you’re
traversing the type of gruesome
locale where the citizenry is well
drilled on the model hierarchy at
Mercedes, you’ll find the public
is generally impressed with the
CLA250. Then again, when a vehi-
cle with a star on its nose costs
more than $50K, as our test car did,
maybe there wasn’t ever much rea-
son to wonder if it’s a real Mercedes.
Our richly bedecked all-wheel-
drive CLA250 began at $39,645.
From the outside, it can be hard to
distinguish the new model from its
predecessor. But inside, it’s all the
latest. Feeling achy during a long
drive? Activate the seat kinematics,
which occasionally adjust the seat
so you’re not sitting too long in one
position. Or try the exercise coach,
which talks you through activities
you can do while driving (e.g., roll
that shoulder but keep your hands
74 THE RUNDOWN
on the wheel). More than most cars,
the CLA250 cares about preventing
deep vein thrombosis.
If you use the MBUX infotain-
ment system’s virtual assistant, you
might also convince yourself that it
cares about you. Imbued with just
a touch of AI, the assistant under-
stands natural speech and makes
inferences. Bored? It’s easy to get
her cracking wise about BMW or
German engineers. Yes, really.
While you can order the CLA250
with AMG-branded frippery, the
turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four,
making 221 horses at 5800 rpm, is
certainly not an AMG piece. As that
sub-6000-rpm power peak implies,
this is a car that likes to loaf along on
its 258 pound-feet of torque rather
than race to redline. The CLA’s
6.1-second run from 5 to 60 mph—a
half-second longer than its 60-mph
time—reflects the fact that it takes
the turbo and the seven-speed dual-
clutch automatic a beat to get roll-
ing, but it’s certainly not the laggiest
thing we’ve tested, either.
If you want a truly hot CLA, look
at the Mercedes-AMG CLA35 or
CLA45 [see “The CLA Trio”]. This
version is on a different mission: It
seeks to broaden Benz’s base with-
out diminishing its brand prestige
(otherwise known as “pulling a
Jaguar X-type”). And at that, it
succeeds better than the original,
offering high design and plenty of
tech to buyers who neither know
nor care whether their engine is
mounted north-south or east-west.
Some C-class drivers may still look
down on the CLA, but they’re not
looking very far now.
PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL SIMARI ~ JUN E 2020 ~ CAR A ND DRIV ER
the numbers
Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-
drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
Base/As Tested ...... $39,645/$52,830
Engine: turbocharged and intercooled
DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block
and head, direct fuel injection
Displacement ................. 122 in3, 1991 cm3
Power ............................ 221 hp @ 5800 rpm
Torque ...................... 258 lb-ft @ 1800 rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch
automatic
Dimensions
• Wheelbase ...................................... 107.4 in
• L/W/H .......................... 184.6/72.0/56.7 in
• Curb Weight ................................... 3535 lb
test RESULTS
Rollout, 1 ft ....................................... 0.3 sec
60 mph ................................................ 5.6 sec
100 mph ............................................. 15.0 sec
130 mph ............................................ 30.3 sec
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph ............... 6.1 sec
1/4-Mile ......................... 14.2 sec @ 97 mph
Top Speed (gov ltd) ..................... 130 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph ........................... 166 ft
EPA Fuel Economy
• Comb/City/Hwy .............. 27/23/33 mpg
C/D Fuel Economy
• Observed ......................................... 21 mpg
• 75-mph Hwy Driving .................. 33 mpg
• Hwy Range ...................................... 430 mi
The CLA Trio
The CLA-class welcomed a new
member to the family for 2020.
Sitting between the CLA250 and
the AMG CLA45 is the AMG CLA35.
Each is powered by a turbo-
charged 2.0-liter inline-four, but
the performance differences are
significant. Of the top models,
the 35 gets an “AMG-enhanced”
engine while the 45 gets the
complete hand-built treatment.
CLA250 4Matic
AMG CLA35 4Matic
AMG CLA45 4Matic
Base, $
39,645
47,895
55,095
Horsepower
221
302
382
Torque, lb-ft
258
295
354
60 mph, sec
5.6
4.5 (est)
3.8 (est)
 ! SUPER COUPON
W SAVE 81% O
N

20%
P

1,000+ Stores Nationwide • HarborFreight.com O C

O
U

4-IN-1 SCREWDRIVER
SUPER COUPON AVAILABLE IN
4 COLORS
W S
U
P
E
R
•
•
Soft-grip handle
Stores bits

WOW!
• 2 slotted
Customer Rating • 2 Phillips head
RAPID PUMP® 3 TON STEEL
¢
PROFESSIONAL DUTY LOW PROFILE
74
OFF
FLOOR JACK
• Lifts from 3-1/4" to 20"
• Weighs 79 lbs.

NOW $ LIMIT 3
Customer Rating
ANY
SINGLE

$ ITEM 39631/69470 COMPARE TO

3
$ 97
*31091116
31091116
*
ITEM*

COMPARE TO 61988 shown HDX MODEL: 120SD12D Limit 1 coupon per customer per day. Save 20% on any 1 item purchased. *Cannot
be used with other discount, coupon or any of the following items or brands: Inside
OMEGA NOW Track Club membership, Extended Service Plan, gift card, open box item, 3 day

SAVE AVAILABLE
*31095370 * *31100684 * Parking Lot Sale item, compressors, floor jacks, safes, storage cabinets, chests or
$
349 99 carts, trailers, welders, Admiral, Ames, Atlas, Bauer, Central Machinery, Cobra,
IN BLUE 31100684 CoverPro, Daytona, Diamondback, Earthquake, Fischer, Hercules, Icon, Jupiter, Lynxx,
$
MODEL: 29038 230 ITEM 56643, 64240, 64780, 64784
31095370
LIMIT 1 - Coupon valid through 7/12/20*
Coupon valid through 7/12/20*
Poulan, Predator, Tailgator, Viking, Vulcan, Zurich. Not valid on prior purchases.
Non-transferable. Original coupon must be presented. Valid through 7/12/20.

SUPER COUPON SUPER COUPON SUPER COUPON SUPER COUPON

40" x 72" 56" x 22" DOUBLE BANK Customer Rating
MECHANICS GLOVES 2500 PSI, 2.4 GPM, 4 HP (160 CC)
MOVING EXTRA DEEP CABINET YOUR CHOICE AVAIL. IN SM, GAS POWERED PRESSURE WASHER
BLANKET • 21,500 cu. in. OF 6 COLORS MED, LG, XL, XXL Customer Rating
of storage
Customer Rating Customer Rating 99
NOW
99 NOW
$279
$
$659 COMPARE TO
SAVE 66%
COMPARE TO
$499 COMPARE TO
CHAMPION
32999
SAVE 60% $ 99 NOW
SNAP-ON VALEO
COMPARE TO
9
$ 98 4 99
$ $
3,745 14
$ 99
$ 49
5
POWER
EQUIPMENT
SAVE
PRATT RETAIL
SPECIALTIES MODEL: HDMOVBLAN $3 ITEM 64864, 56111,
MODEL: KRA5311FPBO MODEL: 25521
ITEM 62434, 62426, 62433, 62432,
$
341 53
$
ITEM 69504/62336/47262 shown
64458, 56110,
64165, 56112 SAVE $3,085 62429, 64179, 62428, 64178 shown MODEL: 100382 61 ITEM 62201
*31102724
31102724
* *31103826
31103826
* *31104960
31104960
* *31109207
31109207
*
LIMIT 4 - Coupon valid through 7/12/20* LIMIT 1 - Coupon valid through 7/12/20* LIMIT 4 - Coupon valid through 7/12/20* LIMIT 1 - Coupon valid through 7/12/20*

SUPER SUPER COUPON SUPER COUPON ® SUPER COUPON

COUPON
Customer Rating 2000 WATT SUPER QUIET 390 LUMEN 20v LITHIUM-ION Customer Rating AUTOMATIC
INVERTER GENERATOR MAGNETIC SLIM BAR 1/2" EXTREME TORQUE BATTERY FLOAT
• 12 hour run time LED WORK LIGHT IMPACT WRENCH KITS YOUR CHOICE99 CHARGER

269 $229
Customer Rating 1/2" ANVIL Customer Rating
$ 99
NOW ITEM 63537/64195
W
7999 $N2O699 $ 99
9 NOW
13 63852 shown
-1/
$ 4 2"
2" EXTENDED ANVIL
ITEM 64349
SAVE
$ $
529 99
$
499 3999 ITEM 56248/56329/63958 shown
COMPARE TO
SNAP-ON ITEM 69594/69955/64284/42292 shown
$499
COMPARE TO $
1,009 COMPARE TO $
5512 SAVE
$
724 85
SAVE
$
Includes
battery and COMPARE TO $
3041 SAVE
ITEM 62523 HONDA MODEL: EU2000i ASTRO 51%
MODEL: 40SL
MODEL: CT8850PDB,
CTB8185BK, CTC720 494 charger.
SCHUMACHER ELECTRIC 83%
MODEL: SC1

*31124641
31124641
* *31132167
31132167
* *31133622
31133622
* *31149160
31149160
*
LIMIT 1 - Coupon valid through 7/12/20* LIMIT 2 - Coupon valid through 7/12/20* LIMIT 1 - Coupon valid through 7/12/20* LIMIT 4 - Coupon valid through 7/12/20*

SUPER SUPER
COUPON COUPON SUPER COUPON
3 PIECE TITANIUM Customer Rating
4 PIECE ANTI-FATIGUE Customer Rating
1500 LB. CAPACITY FOAM MAT SET OBD2 CODE READER WITH
STEP BIT SET VEHICLE DOLLIES • Each pad measures 25" x 25" ABS/SRS/FixAssist® ZR13
• 28 unique hole sizes
• 1/4" hex shank 2 PIECE SET Customer Rating
Customer Rating NOW
$ 99 NOW 99
13 99 $6 $1 49
9 9
$8 SAVE
55% $ 99
8 SAVE $
COMPARE TO
IRWIN SAVE
COMPARE TO NOW
99 COMPARE TO
$
188 17999
ROUGHNECK
SAVE 65%
5499 $39
NORSK
$ COMPARE TO
$
5998
MODEL: 15504PKSM
85%
ITEM 69087/60379/91616 shown
$
89 99
MODEL: 27918
ITEM 40187/61607/62389
94635 shown
19
$ 99
MODEL: 001119346
Snap-on
BLUE-POINT
$
338
MODEL: EECR3A
ITEM
63806
*31157471
31157471
* *31158570
31158570
* *31161157
31161157
* *31166285
31166285
*
LIMIT 4 - Coupon valid through 7/12/20* LIMIT 2 - Coupon valid through 7/12/20* LIMIT 4 - Coupon valid through 7/12/20* LIMIT 1 - Coupon valid through 7/12/20*

SUPER SUPER Customer Rating

COUPON SUPER COUPON SUPER COUPON
COUPON
2000 LB. CAPACITY 6" SELF-VACUUMING Customer Rating 8 GALLON, 150 PSI 12v LED MAGNETIC Customer Rating
FOLDABLE PALM AIR SANDER OIL-FREE AIR COMPRESSOR TOWING LIGHT KIT
ENGINE STAND • Air delivery: 4.1 SCFM @ 90 PSI
Customer Rating
9
NOW
NOW
99 $1 1 99
9 $229
99 $1 9 $
3499
SAVE $1 09 $
$
13799
$
110
$ 99 2999 ITEM 56269/64294 shown
COMPARE TO
BLAZER
COMPARE TO
STRONGWAY
$
21999
MODEL: 47032
134
ITEM 69521/69522 shown
COMPARE TO $
POWERMATE MODEL: 0240181CT
5999 SAVE
66%
ITEM 60628
98895 shown
COMPARE TO
KOBALT
$
159 SAVE
$
MODEL: 300841 39 ITEM 64282 SAVE 46%
$
42 65
MODEL: C7300

*31167881
31167881
* *31179893
31179893
* *31195263
31195263
* *31206712
31206712
*
LIMIT 1 - Coupon valid through 7/12/20* LIMIT 3 - Coupon valid through 7/12/20* LIMIT 1 - Coupon valid through 7/12/20* LIMIT 3 - Coupon valid through 7/12/20*

At Harbor Freight Tools, the “Compare to” price means that the specified comparison, which is an item with the same or similar function, was
*Original coupon only. No use on prior purchases after 30 days from original purchase or without original receipt. Valid through 7/12/20. advertised for sale at or above the “Compare to” price by another national retailer in the U.S. within the past 90 days. Prices advertised by others
may vary by location. No other meaning of “Compare to” should be implied. For more information, go to HarborFreight.com or see store associate.
2 02 0 AU D I S 8 ~ BY E L A N A S C H E R R the numbers
Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive,

The Grateful V-8 5-passenger, 4-door sedan

Highs: Effortlessly powerful V-8, beautifully finished cockpit,
high-tech chassis hardware helps it drive smaller than it is.
Lows: Easily mistaken for an A8, priced for upper management.
You can’t immediately tell the status of the folks sitting in a 2020 Audi S8.
Even in this big executive sedan, it’s not a safe assumption that it’s the
boss in the back seat. The smart boss would be behind the wheel.
What is it about a big fast car that is so empowering? Does it engender
a sense of invincibility, or tap into the notion that might makes right?
Whatever it is, it’s unquestionably satisfying to floor a 563-hp sedan and
feel 5256 pounds’ worth of quilted, massaging seats and carbon-fiber-
inlaid door panels hunker down and move forward with minimal lag or
drama. The S8’s twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 shoots the car to 60 mph in
just 3.2 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 11.6 seconds at 119 mph.
Even without the $9900 carbon-ceramic brake rotors, this big boy
comes to a stop from 70 mph in 162 feet with zero signs of fade. If we
spent our time on the autobahn repeatedly blasting up to and back down
from the claimed 155-mph top speed, we might want the optional brakes,
but here in speed-limit world, the standard iron rotors are enough. Fitted
with $1200 21-inch wheels and 265/35R-21 Pirelli P Zero PZ4 summer
tires (20-inchers are standard), the two-and-a-half-
ton S8 clings to the skidpad with 0.94 g of grip.
Off the track, the S8 is a pleasure to drive. With
590 pound-feet on tap, it accelerates with the effort-
lessness of a torque-rich muscle car. Shifts from its
eight-speed automatic are elegantly sorted. And
while its bulk and sheer size don’t allow it to handle
quite the way a lithe sports sedan does, this Audi
moves through traffic like a fullback who majored
in dance. One secret to the S8’s graceful on-road
behavior is its standard rear-wheel steering and
its active suspension that “reads” the road and can
Base/As Tested ............ $131,795/$148,045
Engine: twin-turbocharged and intercooled
DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and
heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement ........................ 244 in3, 3996 cm3
Power ..................................... 563 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque ............................... 590 lb-ft @ 2000 rpm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Dimensions
• Wheelbase ................................................ 123.2 in
• L/W/H ................................... 209.0/76.6/58.6 in
• Curb Weight ............................................. 5256 lb
test RESULTS
Rollout, 1 ft ................................................. 0.3 sec
60 mph ........................................................... 3.2 sec
100 mph .......................................................... 8.1 sec
130 mph ....................................................... 13.9 sec
150 mph ...................................................... 20.7 sec
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph ........................ 4.6 sec
1/4-Mile ................................... 11.6 sec @ 119 mph
Top Speed (mfr’s claim) ...................... 155 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph ...................................... 162 ft
Roadholding,
300-ft Skidpad ........................................... 0.94 g
EPA Fuel Economy
• Comb/City/Hwy .......................... 16/13/22 mpg
C/D Fuel Economy
• Observed ................................................... 12 mpg

S8 PHOTOG RAPHY BY JESSICA LYNN WALKER, S7 PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL SIMARI

even tilt the car into corners. You can’t always feel
it happening from the driver’s seat. What you can
feel, though, is the car’s unerring stability and ease
at high speeds. You also notice its undisturbed ride.
The S8’s most attention-grabbing design piece is
the massive hexagonal grille, which could be kindly
described as giving the car the look of an art-deco
steam engine. The rest of the body is sleek, straight,
and tightly creased. Our car lacked the $1800 Black
Optic package, which tones down the brightwork
with darkened trim and wheels. It also did without
the $500 red brake calipers. No big loss there.
For all the tech at play in the $131,795 Audi, what’s
remarkable is how seamlessly the systems work to
create a serene yet sporty experience. Behind the
noise-insulating glass and ample sound deadening,
there’s not a whisper from the outside. And despite
its limo-like size, the S8 combines the driving
engagement of a smaller, sportier car with the grunt
of a big-engine performance sedan. Sit this one out,
James. We’ll be driving ourselves home today.

76 THE RUNDOWN JUNE 2020 ~ CAR A N D DRIVER

 The electric components don’t
increase peak horsepower, but they
do add to the overall weight. Tip-
ping the scales at 4640 pounds, the
new S7 outbeefs its predecessor by
132 pounds. The eight-speed auto-
matic’s shifts aren’t as snappy as the
competition’s nor as crisp as those
made by the seven-speed dual-
clutch it replaces, and it shows. The
S7 runs a 4.1-second 60-mph dash,
0.3 second slower than the old car.
Though some personality and
acceleration are lost, the honest
driving dynamics remain. The
2 02 0 AU D I S 7 P R E S T I G E ~ the numbers ride quality on the optional coil
BY DAV I D B E A R D
Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel- springs—part of a $4350 S Sport
drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback ensemble—is on the firmer side of
An 8-to-6 Shift Base/As Tested ..... $90,495/$101,340
Engine: twin-turbocharged, super-
charged, and intercooled DOHC 24-valve
the spectrum, and our car’s $1000
21-inch wheels do little to dull sharp
Highs: Rewarding to drive at V-6; aluminum block and heads; direct impacts. Easier-riding air springs
the limit, strong brakes. fuel injection and 20-inchers are standard.
Displacement ............... 177 in3, 2894 cm3
Lows: Packed on some pounds, Power ........................... 444 hp @ 6700 rpm The portly S7 is eager to hustle,
not as quick as the old V-8 model. Torque ...................... 443 lb-ft @ 1900 rpm though. The four-wheel steering
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Dimensions coupled with the torque-vector-
• Wheelbase ....................................... 115.3 in ing rear differential of the S Sport
• L/W/H ........................... 196.0/75.1/55.8 in package makes the S7 feel like a
• Curb Weight .................................. 4640 lb
Less is more, or so they say. But they rear-drive car even though all four
are not us. After sitting out a season, test RESULTS wheels are driven. And it’ll stop with
the inconspicuous Audi S7 returns the best of ’em. Massive 15.7-inch
Rollout, 1 ft ....................................... 0.2 sec
to the roster wrapped in sharper 60 mph .................................................. 4.1 sec front rotors clamped by six-piston
sheetmetal, overflowing with tech, 100 mph ............................................... 9.9 sec calipers bring the S7 to a halt from
and sporting two fewer cylinders. 130 mph ............................................. 17.6 sec 70 mph in a heady 151 feet.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph ............. 4.8 sec
We take issue with that last bit. 1/4-Mile ........................ 12.5 sec @ 112 mph The downsized powertrain does
We like V-8s and the music their Top Speed (mfr’s claim) ............ 155 mph offer one consolation: efficiency.
Braking, 70–0 mph ............................. 151 ft
pistons mosh to. When we first EPA Fuel Economy The EPA says the new S7 will return
learned of the downsized engine, • Comb/City/Hwy .............. 22/18/28 mpg 22 mpg in combined driving, 4 mpg
it seemed like Audi was trying to C/D Fuel Economy better than the previous one. Oh,
• Observed ......................................... 16 mpg
convince us we’d really enjoy a Hall • 75-mph Hwy Driving .................. 28 mpg and the V-8-powered luxo-hatch
& Oates concert instead of the Rage • Hwy Range ...................................... 540 mi
Against the Machine banger we’d
come to expect. No thanks.
The new twin-turbocharged and
supercharged 2.9-liter six replaces JUICED
the fiery growl of the old twin-turbo Audi’s 48-volt electric supercharger is plumbed
4.0-liter with a more flatulent note. between the two turbos and the single air-to-
liquid intercooler. The goal is to eliminate lag,
Its 444-hp rating is down six from a fundamental byproduct of turbocharging.
the former V-8’s, but peak torque The unit idles at 5000 rpm and can quickly
swells by 37 pound-feet, to 443. A spin up to 70,000 rpm, generating boost
while the turbos work their way to a maximum
48-volt motor-generator smooths 21.5 psi. Once the turbos are up to speed,
auto stop-start operation while the the liquid-cooled supercharger returns to
electric supercharger rouses throt- idle. Audi says the system adds 22 pounds.
tle response [see “Juiced”].

CUSTOMER SERVICE Call 800-289-9464, email cdbCustServ@CDSFulfillment.com, visit service.caranddriver.com, or write to Customer Service Dept., Car and Driver, P.O. Box 37870,
Boone, IA 50037 for inquiries/requests, changes of mailing or email addresses, subscription orders, payments, etc.
CAR AND DRIVER® (ISSN 0008-6002), VOL. 65, NO. 12, June 2020, is published monthly, 12 times per year, by Hearst, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019, U.S.A. Steven R. Swartz, President & Chief Executive Officer; William R.
Hearst III, Chairman; Frank A. Bennack, Jr., Executive Vice Chairman; Troy Young, President, Hearst Magazines. Hearst Autos, Inc.: Matt Sanchez, Chief Executive Officer; Nick Matarazzo, President & Chief Revenue Officer; Debi Chirichella,
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer; Catherine A. Bostron, Secretary. © 2020 by Hearst Autos, Inc. All rights reserved. Trademarks: Car and Driver is a registered trademark of Hearst Autos, Inc. Periodicals
postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. Canada Post International Publications mail product (Canadian distribution) sales agreement no. 40012499. Editorial and Advertising Offices: 1585 Eisenhower Place, Ann Arbor, MI
48108. SUBSCRIPTION PRICES United States and possessions: $13.00 for one year; Canada, add $10.00; all other countries, add $24.00. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES Car and Driver will, upon receipt of a complete subscription order, undertake
fulfillment of that order so as to provide the first copy for delivery by the U.S. Postal Service or alternate carrier within 4–6 weeks. MAILING LISTS From time to time, we make our subscriber list available to companies who sell goods and
services by mail that we believe would interest our readers. If you would rather not receive such offers by postal mail, please send your current mailing label or an exact copy to Mail Preference Service, P.O. Box 37870, Boone, IA 50037.
You can also visit preferences.hearstmags.com to manage your preferences and opt out of receiving marketing offers by email. Car and Driver assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. None will be returned unless accompanied by
a self-addressed stamped envelope. Permissions: Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without permission. Back Issues: Back issues are available for purchase in digital format only from your app store of choice.
POSTMASTER Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 507.1.5.2); NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES Send address corrections to Car and Driver, P.O. Box 37870, Boone, IA 50037. Printed in the U.S.A.
 Bad to the Bone
Full tang stainless steel blade with natural
bone handle —now ONLY $79!

I f you’re on the hunt for a knife

that combines impeccable EXCLUSIVE
craftsmanship with a sense of
wonder, the $79 Huntsman Blade FREE
Stauer® 8x21
is the trophy you’re looking for. Compact
The blade is full tang, meaning Binoculars
it doesn’t stop at the handle but -a $99 value-
extends to the length of the grip with purchase of
for the ultimate in strength. The Huntsman Blade
blade is made from 420 surgical
steel, famed for its sharpness and
its resistance to corrosion.
The handle is made from genuine
212-649-4204,

natural bone, and features

212-767-5711
9am-5pm EST

you to respect and connect with the natural world.

This fusion of substance and style can garner a high
price tag out in the marketplace. In fact, we found
212-649-4204,or

full tang, stainless steel blades with bone handles

212-649-4201

in excess of $2,000. Well, that won’t cut it around

here. We have mastered the hunt for the best deal,
and in turn pass the spoils on to our customers.
But we don’t stop there. While supplies last,
we’ll include a pair of $99 8x21 power compact
binoculars and a genuine leather sheath FREE when
you purchase the Huntsman Blade.
Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. Feel the
knife in your hands, wear it on your hip, inspect the
impeccable craftsmanship. If you don’t feel like we
cut you a fair deal, send it back within 30 days for a
complete refund of the item price.
Limited Reserves. A deal like this won’t last long.
We have only 1120 Huntsman Blades for this ad
only. Don’t let this beauty slip through your fingers.
Call today!
Huntsman Blade $249* ÌÌÌÌÌ
Offer Code Price Only $79 + S&P “The feel of this
knife is unbelievable...
1-800-333-2045 this is an incredibly
Your Insider Offer Code: HUK164-01 fine instrument.”
You must use the insider offer code to get our special price. — H., Arvada, CO

Stauer ® 14101 Southcross Drive W., Ste 155, Dept. HUK164-01

Burnsville, Minnesota 55337 www.stauer.com
*Discount is only for customers who use the offer code versus the
Not shown
listed original Stauer.com price.
actual size.
California residents please call 1-800-333-2045 regarding
Proposition 65 regulations before purchasing this product. Rating of A+
• 12” overall length; 6 ¹⁄2” stainless steel full tang blade • Genuine bone handle
with brass hand guard & bolsters • Includes genuine leather sheath
 212-649-4204,
212-649-4201 or
NO MORE MESSY GARAGE FLOOR! SAVE YOUR TIRES! PREVENT FLAT SPOTS
Clean Park® Garage Mat Tire Saver™

CARS • TRUCKS • SUVs • MOTORHOMES • RVs • TRAILERS • CAMPERS 9am-5pm

212-649-4204,
EST
No weight limit: Cradles tires
Catches every drop of mud, slush & grime won’t crush or crack 13-40” tall
Available in a variety of sizes & thicknesses Ramp on both sides
Up to a 3-Year Warranty Comes in
10-year warranty
10”, 15” & 30” widths
KEEP YOUR GARAGE CLEAN AND DRY BECAUSE YOUR MAN CAVE DESERVES THE BEST

Tsunami Seal ® RoughTex®

Diamond Deck® Flooring
GIVE THE
GIFT OF STYLE
TOP TO BOTTOM: Ridged Bracelet in Sterling
Silver, $650; Beaded Tiger’s Eye Bracelet in
Sterling Silver, $400; Woven Brown Leather Creates a barrier against water, leaves, dirt and snow
and Stainless Steel Bracelet, $175. Saves energy
Keeps out insects, snakes and rodents
Works for all types of doors Pewter Charcoal Black

800.992.2018 | www.YourGaragePro.com
WHAT TO BUY: 1979–93 FORD MUSTANG 5.0
The Fox-body Mustang, produced from 1979 to 1993, enjoyed a long and success-
PROBLEM AREAS
ful run and earned three 10Best trophies. Over the years, Ford offered a range of
power options, but the lustiest models wore “5.0” regalia. Which, as the name Any Rust Belt car deserves a close
implies, meant that when you popped the hood, you’d find a . . . 4.9-liter V-8. At underbody inspection, especially at
least the cars’ performance could back up the marketing embellishment, lead- the base of the strut towers. The
ing Ford back to pony-car credibility after the Mustang II debacle of the ’70s. Fox-body platform wasn’t known for
The Fox-body models, particularly the minimalist LX trims, aged well and still stiffness, so if a car has been driven
deliver an entertaining shove in the back. They were built by the millions, so hard, the body may be deformed.
despite their appeal, a plentiful supply keeps prices reasonable. —Ezra Dyer The torque boxes (where the rear
suspension links mount to the body)
can bend or crack. Consider getting
ENGINE VALUE
torque-box reinforcements and
The 4.9–liter—or in cubic-inch parlance, The LX notchback, one of the cheapest additional bracing to keep the car
the 302—really rounded into form in trims during the Fox-body’s tenure, has from wringing its body like a wet
1985, hitting 210 horsepower with a become one of the most expensive. It towel. But a Mustang 5.0—particu-
four-barrel carb. By 1987, the fuel- is lighter and stiffer than the hatch and larly one with the BorgWarner T-5
injected Windsor V-8 made 225 horses thus prized by speed freaks. (The notch- manual—is a rugged machine as long
and 300 pound-feet of torque. But then back 5.0 was also the basis for the as horsepower remains stock. Or at
Ford lowered those ratings to 205 and police-issue SSP.) You can get a drivable least within the realm of reason.
280, respectively, in 1993, giving rise to car for under $5K, but it’ll take closer to
conspiracy theories that the engine was $10K if you want one that’ll really comple-
1989 FORD MUSTANG LX 5.0
either overrated in its 225-horse heyday ment the mint condition of your letter 225-HP 4.9-LITER V-8, 3187 LB
or else sandbagged to provide some jacket. Between $10K and $20K, a car’s
Test Results*
distance from the 235-hp Cobra. In any trim or body style doesn’t matter as • 60 mph ��������������������������������������������� 6�2 sec
case, from 1987 on, performance was much as condition and mileage. Low on • 100 mph ������������������������������������������ 16�7 sec
pretty consistent. We clocked a 1987 GT funds? Look for the “four-headlight” cars • 1/4-Mile ����������������������� 14�8 sec @ 95 mph
• Top Speed �������������������������������������� 141 mph
at 14.7 seconds in the quarter-mile; a from the early years. They’re not as quick • Braking, 70–0 mph ������������������������� 177 ft
1993 Cobra ran a 14.3. as later cars, but that’s easily fixed. • Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad ��� 0�84 g
*From C/D, July 1989.
Acceleration times using 3-mph rollout, not
our current rollout standard of 1 foot.
1982 FORD
MUSTANG GT

RECENT SALES

1991 Ford Mustang GT 5.0 (3/22/20, ebay.com)

$9000
123,000 miles “You could fall
1987 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 SSP (2/20/20, bringatrailer.com)
$13,750
for this car for its
95,000 miles
1987 Ford Mustang GT 5.0 (3/20/20, bringatrailer.com)
engine alone.”
$14,000 — RI CH CE P P O S , C / D, J U N E 1 9 8 7
47,000 miles

80 J UNE 2020 ~ CAR A ND D RIVER

 A bi-monthly
SUBSCRIPTION BOX
& MAGAZINE FOR
car-loving KIDS!

6+ items
& activities
in each
box!

SUBSCRIBE AT RTCREW.COM
OR CALL 800-554-4898