Evelyn Reynolds

From the May 1984 issue of Car and Driver.White. That was its official color: just white. Not Arctic Afternoon White or Win­ter Wonderland Memories White or Albi­on Regal Mist White. Just plain white.The spectrum of the automotive world pertaining to off-road vehicles shines in nu­merous bright, sometimes garish colors, but the Isuzu Trooper II beams out the simple white of well-rounded, do-it-all, natural, clean, healthy vitamin-D sunlight. This is what they call a “ute” in Africa: a utility vehicle. The Land Rover may be considered the prototype. Small ones are a growing phenomenon in America now, with GM, Ford, and Jeep making them and Mitsubishi and, shortly, Toyota importing them. It’s almost a movement, these little do-it-all utes. The big ones have been around for decades—especially Toyota’s Land Cruiser—but there’s suddenly a new wave of them, leaner and neater. More from IsuzuIt’s a fresh automotive breeze. You don’t buy one of these to make the scene in the valet line. They cannot provide the kind of performance that lures you out of bed and onto the Crest Highway before dawn on Sunday. Not one of them, in de­cades to come, is going to be restored for Pebble Beach. But if one of them strays your way, you’ll soon adopt it like a member of the family. And I reckon it will stay adopted; you and your compact utility unit are quite likely to grow gray together. Isuzu has a nice, friendly little utensil go­ing for it here. The firm’s publicists have dubbed this one Isuzu’s “first convertible,” convertible in the sense that it will perform a lot of different tasks, from recreational off-road four-wheeling to playing the sta­tion-wagon role around town to, as they say, touring. Not grand touring, mind you, just touring. Isuzu has chosen a specific marketing position on the utility-vehicle spectrum, and quite a conservative one at that. This is no monster. You have no hope of gnawing down Annapurna with your knobbies. You’re not going to yank stumps or herd caribou with this one. Your neighbor’s kid isn’t going to add six shocks and jack it up seven feet. You won’t see a funny-buggy version winning Baja. But you will jump into the Isuzu Trooper for the supermarket trek when snow has the power lines down. You will throw boots and bags and maybe a pack of Scouts into the thing, and if they’re all muddy, you’ll just chuckle. You’ll be happy to invite the dog into the back to go to the vet (he’d be one of those amiable, hair-in-the-eyes, shaggy, family-type dogs; the Trooper is that sort of vehicle). Lots and lots of fresh­-caught fish and retrieved ducks could ride home with you, causing no distress to the next person to drive it. And you’ll be abso­lutely content to take it to work every day, puffing away on your pipe like a geology professor. The Trooper II is essentially the familiar P’UP (a.k.a. Chevy LUV) pickup. You don’t realize this at first, as the body design is completely different, but almost every­thing under the squarish steel skin—­chassis, suspension, engine, driveline—is either identical or very similar to the short­-wheelbase Isuzu P’UP four-by-four. In­deed, it is being imported as a truck, not a car. That’s why the three-person rear bench seat is a $300 option. Isuzu has cho­sen to pay the 25-percent truck duty in­stead of lumping the approximately 15,000 Troopers they hope to sell this year into their (meager) share of Japan’s “voluntary” import quotas.This is not as new a vehicle as it may ap­pear to U.S. eyes. It’s been on sale since 1981 under various names in various places—Jackaroo in Australia and Chevy Trooper in Guatemala—though with a 1.8-liter engine instead of our emissions-con­trolled 2.0-liter. Why is it “II”? Well, as explained by Paul Geiger, product-development manager at American Isuzu Motors, the “two” desig­nates the truck version. “One” is the auto­mobile version, meaning it has a rear seat as standard as well as certain other fea­tures. America should be getting that as soon as the quotas are de-volunteered. Geiger also points out that our tester is only the first of a regular line his depart­ment is planning. By mid-summer we should be seeing a much more elaborately equipped model. It will have as standard equipment the power steering and air con­ditioning that are extra-cost items on the base version, plus a “decor package” that includes a tach and other gauges, a higher-­performance radio/cassette unit, a center console, and a rear wiper/defogger system. Further down the road, we may see a four-door body style, a five-speed trans­mission (Isuzu currently offers a five-speed only in its 2WD trucks), and a larger engine. Even without all the upcoming goodies, the base Trooper II is a very appealing ute. It may be a little short of power, but that’s about the only significant drawback it shows when you put it through all the paces Isuzu has planned for it in this country. Like the pickup, the Trooper II comes with a choice of gasoline and diesel engines. The gas burner, which we tested, is an Isuzu mainstay, the same 1950cc SOHC unit sold in the P’UP and the Impulse, though in the latter’s fuel-injected installa­tion it pumps out eight more horses.Power is the one mechanical point that may give potential purchasers pause. The gas Trooper’s 82 horsepower at 4600 rpm and 101 pound-feet of torque at 3000 rpm frankly place it toward the lower end of its class’s performance curve, as most of its competi­tors offer another 25 percent or so, at least as an option. The pushrod oil-burner is somewhat more competitive in its field, with its 2238cc, 62 horsepower, and 96 pound-feet of torque. Unhappily, you don’t get 25 percent bet­ter gas mileage to fill in the performance gap when you choose Isuzu. EPA numbers are a rather unimpressive 21 mpg city, 27 mpg highway. C/D observed mileage through several tankfuls (it has a smallish 13.2-gallon capacity, by the way) ranged from 17 to 22 mpg, with a 21-mpg average. That’s merely in the ballpark with other similar four-by-fours.While the engine reminds us of that old laxative slogan “It works without embar­rassing urgency,” the relative anemia is not a serious handicap. The rather tall, boxy vehicle will run down the freeway at about 60 mph in an adequately relaxed manner. It’s quiet enough, too, and only occasional­ly do you wish somebody had installed fifth gear at the bottom of that tall stick since the last time you absent-mindedly tried for it. Aaron Kiley|Car and DriverAt around-town speeds, there is ample acceleration. You’re not going to shut down any Rabbit GTIs, but you can often vanquish people who don’t realize they’re racing. If you’re brutal about your clutch work, you can even chirp a rear tire in first gear. (There is no limited-slip differential.) Off paved roads and even off roads of any kind, the Trooper will cruise along in fine style, even at 7000-foot altitudes. There isn’t enough excess torque to do much in the way of booting the tail out, but we found we were able to churn up any gradient that took our fancy. Power, in other words, was no delimiter of where we wanted to go. The only kind of driving that really starts you thumbing through the turbo-kit cata­logs is a long mountain ascent. This is an exercise that brings back the old VW Microbus days. Remember rowing between third and fourth to try to squeeze just l mph more out of the old girl? It seems to us that the basic Trooper II package would be almost as versatile and useful as the old bus, too. Isuzu has crammed a cavernous volume into a box that’s just slightly larger (in length and width) than that of the Chevrolet S-10 Blaz­er. The rear seat folds and folds again to the point of nearly vanishing, leaving you with a high ceiling and a low, entirely flat load floor. The spare tire lives out­doors. As for access, if the one rear door isn’t wide enough, there’s always the sec­ond, smaller one. The official payload rating is 1222 pounds, and Isuzu claims 70 cubic feet for the cargo volume. In real terms, this turns out to be enough for all of Aaron Kiley’s photo gear plus Larry Griffin’s weekend luggage. Stupendous! Driving the Trooper is a mild pleasure at all times. Like so many Japanese products, this one is laid out in a way that puts one at home immediately. What little instrumen­tation there is is right there ahead, though we must complain about one indicator that’s a little too visible. The blue high­-beam light glares out like a laser during night driving. Bring on the masking tape. Outward visibility is exceptional in all quadrants, which accounts in part for why jaunts around town are so effortless. The other part of that equation is the ease and honesty of all the controls. In finalizing the Chevy S-10 Blazer, it seems as though the engineers deliberately tried to create the ergonomic illusion of a larger, heavier, more powerful vehicle. The Isuzu, by con­trast, is light, almost delicate to operate in every respect. The Trooper’s real claim to fame, how­ever, is not only its functional interior but also its impressive ride. For a four-wheel-­drive vehicle, this is about as plush as it gets, yet there was no hint of the springs being too weak or the shock absorbers too limp. There was no flopping around in the hard­est cornering we attempted. Nor does the Trooper seem to hobbyhorse longitudinal­ly or wobble laterally while running straight on some surfaces, as the S-10 Blaz­er sometimes does. Altogether pleasant. Handling is entirely benign. At the limit, understeer calls a halt to higher cornering speeds on either pavement or dirt. On the latter, engaging the front driveline merely reduces the magnitude of the push without seeming to result in any more speed around the corner. The tires, beefy B.F. Goodrich All-Terrain rubber, worked beautifully on both dirt and pavement, dis­playing no nasty quirks and being next to silent at all times. The primary limitation on cornering, in fact, is the driver’s seat. If you’re spinning doughnuts to the left, all of a sudden you’re going to fall off, laughing like a hyena into the ravine between the seats. . . There’s a lot of value here. At an estimat­ed base price well below $9000, the Troop­er II is bound to become a member of a lot of American families. Arrow pointing downArrow pointing downSpecificationsSpecifications
1984 Isuzu Trooper IIVehicle Type: front-engine, rear/4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 3-door wagon
PRICEAs Tested: $13,199/$9850Options: air conditioning, AM/FM-stereo radio/cassette, power steering, rear seat.
ENGINESOHC inline-4, iron block and aluminum headDisplacement: 119 in3, 1950 cm3Power: 82 hp @ 4600 rpmTorque: 101 lb-ft @ 3000 rpm
TRANSMISSION4-speed manual
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: control arms/rigid axleBrakes, F/R: 9.8-in vented disc/10.0-in drumTires: B.F. Goodrich All-TerrainP225/75R-15
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 104.3 inLength: 174.2 inWidth: 65.0 inHeight: 70.1 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 50/44 ft3Cargo Volume: 45 ft3Curb Weight: 3220 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS30 mph: 4.4 sec60 mph: 17.4 sec1/4-Mile: 20.5 sec @ 64 mphTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 12.1 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 18.6 secTop Speed: 85 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 210 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.64 g 
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 21 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMYCombined/City/Highway: 23/21/27 mpg 
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED More

After laboring away under the hood of countless Camrys, Siennas, Highlanders, and many other models, Toyota’s 3.5-liter V-6 is slowly being ushered off stage. In a move common throughout the industry, a turbocharged four is supplanting the naturally aspirated V-6. With the 2023 model year, the Highlander joins the four-cylinder club, but it’s a change that Toyota is making as invisible as possible.With a drop in cylinder count comes a drop in horsepower, now 265 ponies versus 295 before. But the turbocharger delivers a compensating boost in torque, which rises to 310 pound-feet from 263. Still, with 4529 pounds to move, the turbo four strains at times, holding lower gears when a burlier V-6 might confidently upshift. That impression of a hard-working turbo four is born out in our testing of an all-wheel-drive Platinum. The smaller engine’s 7.2-second 60-mph time lags 0.5 behind the number for the all-wheel-drive V-6, and the same was true with a rolling start in our 5-to-60-mph test. Michael Simari|Car and DriverIn the Highlander, the step-up powertrain offering (at a cost of $1400 in most trim levels) is a four-cylinder hybrid. With a total of 243 horsepower, the gas-electric combo nearly matched the acceleration performance of the turbo four in the run to 60 mph. The Highlander hybrid (again with all-wheel drive) was just a tick behind the 2.4T to 60 mph at 7.3 seconds, but it fell further behind in the 50-to-70-mph passing test, taking 5.2 seconds to the turbo four’s 4.7.Make It GrandSo, the 2.4 turbo can’t quite match the V-6 in acceleration but stays (just barely) ahead of the hybrid. The new engine’s drivability, though, is above reproach. The turbo’s boost is smoothly integrated, and response is quite linear for a boosted four. At low speeds on rolling terrain when you’re just grazing the throttle, some turbocharged engines can surge unevenly, but not this one. It helps that Toyota pairs the boosted engine with a well-behaved eight-speed automatic rather than a CVT as in the Subaru Ascent. Additionally, Toyota claims the new engine is good for the same 5000-pound towing capacity as the V-6.HIGHS: Modern infotainment, composed ride, solid braking performance.We just wish the engine sounded happier in its work. Once the engine reaches 3000 rpm or so, the four-banger’s machinations are less than melodious. It quiets right down when cruising, though, and we recorded 68 decibels at a steady 70 mph, marginally better than the V-6.The benefit you’d expect from engine downsizing is improved fuel economy, and the 2023 Highlander’s gas mileage does improve, just not by a lot. With all-wheel drive, the Highlander 2.4T’s EPA estimates are 24 mpg combined, 21 city, and 28 highway, which amounts to just 1 mpg better than the previous V-6 across the board. (The front-wheel-drive version ekes out another 1 mpg in all three measures.) The Highlander hybrid is the real gas-mileage champ, with EPA combined estimates of 35 mpg for all-wheel drive and 36 mpg for front-wheel drive, numbers that lead the field.Aside from the engine swap, the Highlander’s driving experience is largely unchanged. The ride is composed, and the body structure feels solid even when you thwack into a pothole that reveals itself at the last minute. The steering, though, doesn’t feel connected to anything beyond the firewall (and switching to Sport mode doesn’t help, as that only affects the powertrain). We understand this isn’t the type of machine that’s likely to be chosen for Sunday-morning canyon carving, but a better-tuned helm would be welcome even in more mundane commuting, such as when you’re riding close to the concrete barriers in construction-narrowed lanes. Handling is neither particularly sporty nor clumsy—about what you’d expect from a family-size SUV—and skidpad grip at 0.84 g is in line with competitors. Hit the brakes, and the Highlander hauls itself down from 70 mph in 170 feet, a solid performance (although not quite as good as what we recorded with the 2023 Hyundai Palisade).Michael Simari|Car and DriverInside the well-finished cabin, the 2023 model year brings a few tech updates. The Limited and Platinum get a digital instrument cluster, and Toyota’s latest infotainment system makes its debut here. Standard on the Limited and Platinum and optional on the XSE and XLE, the broad, 12.3-inch touchscreen is perched high on the center dash and boasts a lag-free processor and sharp graphics. The volume knob is a far reach, and we miss having a tuning knob, but that’s a fast-disappearing amenity these days. The driver instead interacts with the audio system via the steering-wheel buttons. With so much screen real estate, we’d also like to have the ability to show multiple functions at once, but that’s only possible when using Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, both of which are wireless.Below the screen, the physical climate controls have a good separation of function, making the system easy to use. And below that is a shelf for your phone, which now offers wireless charging (previously the wireless charger was awkwardly located in the console storage box). As before, there’s another handy shelf on the passenger’s side of the dash.Michael Simari|Car and DriverAs in all mid-size SUVs, the Highlander’s second-row captain’s chairs are plenty roomy for adults, and buyers alternately can also choose a middle-row bench seat in four of the six trim levels. The picture is less rosy in the rearmost seat, where the low cushion forces a knees-up seating position, while legroom ranges from tolerable to almost nonexistent, depending on the position of the middle-row seats. And don’t expect to carry much luggage with the third row in use. If you regularly use the third row, there are roomier choices in this segment—the Chevrolet Traverse and the Volkswagen Atlas, to name just two. Toyota clearly is cognizant of this shortcoming, as it’s introducing the longer and roomier Grand Highlander for those who regularly carry a crowd.LOWS: Minuscule fuel-economy gains, a bit less spring in its step, cramped third row. This year’s engine swap hasn’t altered our opinion of the Highlander by a whole lot. The V-6 was a stronger performer, but the turbo four is adequate. The 2.4T gets better mileage, but not much better. We continue to think that the Highlander hybrid, with its stellar gas mileage, is the way to go. And of the Highlander’s plethora of trim levels, all but two of them give you that choice.Arrow pointing downArrow pointing downSpecificationsSpecifications
2023 Toyota Highlander Platinum AWDVehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 7-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $52,560/$54,372Options: Running boards, $599; dashcam, $375; carpeted floor and cargo mats, $358; roof-rack cross bars, $350; door edge guards, $130
ENGINE
Turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, port and direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 146 in3, 2393 cm3Power: 265 hp @ 6000 rpmTorque: 310 lb-ft @ 1700 rpm
TRANSMISSION
8-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/multilinkBrakes, F/R: 13.3-in vented disc/13.3-in discTires: Goodyear Eagle Touring235/55R-20 102V M+S
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 112.2 inLength: 194.9 inWidth: 76.0 inHeight: 68.1 inPassenger Volume, F/M/R: 55/49/31 ft3Cargo Volume, Behind F/M/R: 84/48/16 ft3Curb Weight: 4529 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 7.2 sec1/4-Mile: 15.5 sec @ 92 mph100 mph: 18.5 secResults above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 7.7 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 3.5 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 4.7 secTop Speed (gov ltd): 113 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 170 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.84 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 21 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 24/21/28 mpg
C/D TESTING EXPLAINEDDeputy Editor, Reviews and FeaturesJoe Lorio has been obsessed with cars since his Matchbox days, and he got his first subscription to Car and Driver at age 11. Joe started his career at Automobile Magazine under David E. Davis Jr., and his work has also appeared on websites including Amazon Autos, Autoblog, AutoTrader, Hagerty, Hemmings, KBB, and TrueCar. More

Every few years a vehicle seemingly born of a “What the hell, let’s do it!” attitude debuts. That go-for-it approach usually creates track-ready sports cars. Giving design and engineering what they want might not be cost efficient, but with the right people, it can result in something interesting.In this case, the approach created the 2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV. It’s the fraternal twin of the Hummer pickup, and everything from the rear doors forward is identical. An 8.9-inch wheelbase reduction shrinks cargo space relative to the pickup but keeps rear-seat space intact. The wheelbase might be shorter, but let’s provide some perspective: The SUV’s 126.7-inch wheelbase is still vast, coming within half an inch of a 1973 Lincoln Continental’s.GMCThe Hummer pickup weighs 9640 pounds (a weight that required a trip to the truck scales because it was too much for our scales), but GMC claims the SUV isn’t as heavy. Still, you may want to think twice before crossing bridges rated at four tons. The weight loss comes primarily from the SUV’s smaller battery pack. Instead of 24 battery modules, the SUV has just 20 packaged below the floor, and that low-down mass leads to a stable feel. GMC isn’t ready to announce official range numbers (and may never do so because the weighty Hummer EV twins are exempt from EPA testing and labeling requirements), but the estimated 177.3-kWh pack is expected to deliver at least 250 miles.Related StoriesAt a Level 2 hookup, the Hummer SUV can recharge at up to 19.2 kilowatts. Connect to a DC fast-charger—the beer bong of the EV world—and the Hummer will throw back nearly 300 kilowatts, settling at 270 kilowatts for 10 minutes and averaging 180 kilowatts over a 30-minute period. GMC promises a 100-mile gain in range in 14 minutes. Meanwhile, the supplied home cord can deliver up to 7.7 kilowatts when configured with its swappable 240-volt NEMA 14-50 plug end. The Hummer can also share its electricity with EVs in need via an available accessory cable that can flow electrons at a rate of 6.0 kW, donating about 10 miles per hour.That smaller battery pack limits the combined output of the three motors from 1000 horsepower in the pickup to 830 horses here. (A 625-hp two-motor setup will arrive later.) The tri-motor powertrain has a launch-control mode that GMC calls Watts to Freedom or WTF, because, well, WTH. It lowers the SUV’s body by 3.5 inches, prepares the battery, and allows for a claimed 3.5-second rip to 60 mph. Accelerating hard with the suspension in a higher mode squats the rear end and points the nose skyward.Shorn of its body, the structure is built around the battery module with suspension mounting points that attach to unequal-length control arms. Off-road-equipped Hummers get knobby 35-inch tires on 18-inch wheels, while opting for the on-road version earns 22-inch wheels and LT305/55R-22 Goodyear Wrangler Territory all-terrain tires. To increase rear-suspension articulation, which keeps the wheels on the ground over uneven terrain, off-road models ditch the rear anti-roll bar but gain a couple of underbody cameras that can chronicle the abuse suffered by the front and rear tires.GMCNo matter which chassis you select, you get air springs that offer 13.0 inches of adjustable travel and up to 15.9 inches of clearance. All but the base model get four-wheel steering that helps disguise the mass you’re commanding. At slow speeds, the rear end tucks around, giving the SUV a turning circle of 35.4 feet, tighter than a Chevy Bolt EUV’s. At higher speeds, the rear-axle steering stabilizes the handling, though the tires’ grip limits are low. Relax a little, and you’ll discover that GM’s Super Cruise works brilliantly. It’s not an aggressive driver, but it will make lane changes on its own (passing on the left only) and then return to the right lane after completing the pass.Inside, the SUV is nearly identical to the pickup. The cabin is as wide as you’d expect of a Hummer, and the floor is flat. Hard plastics on the lower part of the instrument panel are disappointing in a vehicle this expensive, but there’s a 12.3-inch digital gauge display in front of the driver and a central 13.4-inch touchscreen that either the driver or passenger can use. GMC wisely kept some physical switchgear for climate-control functions and still clearly builds interiors with gloved hands in mind. Unlike in the pickup, the large center screen doesn’t reflect annoyingly in the back glass. Rear-seat space is excellent. The cargo area is big enough for five occupants’ luggage, but the high floor means loading heavy bags requires a heave-ho.GMCThe Hummer EV SUV defies a lot of expectations. It accelerates like a sports car, handles like it’s thousands of pounds lighter, and charms with the improbability of it all. There’s not much on-pavement grip, but it’s capable off-road, and you’ll never have to worry about sucking water into the intake. There’s a lot of weight here, but there’s also a lot of everything. Born of attitude and consequently full of attitude, the Hummer EV SUV left us thoroughly entertained.Arrow pointing downArrow pointing downSpecificationsSpecifications
2024 GMC Hummer SUVVehicle Type: front- and dual-rear-motor, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base: $106,645
POWERTRAIN
Front Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous ACRear Motors: 2 permanent-magnet synchronous ACCombined Power: 830 hpCombined Torque: 1200 lb-ftBattery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 177.3 kWh (C/D est)Onboard Charger: 19.2 kWPeak DC Fast-Charge Rate: 300 kWTransmissions: direct-drive
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 126.7 inLength: 206.7 inWidth: 86.5 inHeight: 77.8 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 72/55 ft3Cargo Volume behind F/R: 82/36 ft3Front Trunk Volume: 11 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 8600 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 3.5 sec100 mph: 9.0 sec1/4-Mile: 12.1 secTop Speed: 106 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST)
Combined/City/Highway: Exempt from EPA testing and labeling; GVWR > 8500 lbRange: Also exempt from labeling, but we estimate 250–280 miEditor-in-ChiefTony Quiroga is an 18-year-veteran Car and Driver editor, writer, and car reviewer and the 19th editor-in-chief for the magazine since its founding in 1955. He has subscribed to Car and Driver since age six. “Growing up, I read every issue of Car and Driver cover to cover, sometimes three or more times. It’s the place I wanted to work since I could read,” Quiroga says. He moved from Automobile Magazine to an associate editor position at Car and Driver in 2004. Over the years, he has held nearly every editorial position in print and digital, edited several special issues, and also helped produce C/D’s early YouTube efforts. He is also the longest-tenured test driver for Lightning Lap, having lapped Virginia International Raceway’s Grand Course more than 2000 times over 12 years. More

From the June 1985 issue of Car and Driver.You can buy your little Bimmers with four doors now!! Okay, so maybe we’re stretch­ing the exclamation point a bit. Two more doors on the 318i and the 325e might be a small news item in the bigger sphere of things automotive, but it’s new that should motivate a few thousand budding young families from the high-rent suburbs to pull their pennies together for the down payment.The point of adding another set of doors to the 3-series is to flesh out the bottom end of a product line that has been growing like Topsy with top-dollar cars. (U.S. cus­tomers can now choose from nine BMW models, up from the four the company of­fered in 1982.) “Plugging the gap between the 3-series and the 5-series was the origi­nal concept behind the 325e and the four-­door,” says Carl Flesher, BMW of North America’s chief product planner. “We wanted a very well-structured price ladder for the U.S. market—gaps between, say, $3000 and $5000.”Perhaps an even stronger push to four doors, says Flesher, is the changing nature of the 3-series customer base. “There are a lot of couples out there who are married, both working, and they’ve been a major source of our sales in the 3-series for quite some time. Many are now either just having their first baby or thinking about it. By introducing this four-door, we think we’ve improved the potential market for people who would like to buy a BMW in that price range but simply need the practicality of a four-door.” More 1980s BMWsBear in mind that the couples Flesher talks about are bringing home the bacon to the tune of $71,800 for 325e customers and $70,500 for 318i buyers. Their mean ages are 35 and 37, respectively, and to­gether they are expected to account for 60 percent of BMW’s total U.S. sales this year. Those are demographics meant to be tend­ed with loving care. It was easy back in the late 1970s: The 320 had only half a dozen competitors. Today, however, BMW counts over 40 rivals in the medium-priced luxury-sports-sedan market. If BMW’s cus­tomers want less acrobatic access to that back seat, then that’s just what BMW will give them. Richard George|Car and DriverThis doesn’t mean that the back seat is any roomier than before, mind you. The space between the front and back seats is still just the perfect size to keep your brief­case from bouncing around as you play on your favorite freeway test ramps. But that narrow slot that grips your valise is none­theless roomy enough for forward-point­ing feet and ankles, because BMW cleverly carved a chunk out of each front seatback to accommodate knees and lower appendages. It’s cozy back there—not exactly comfy, but cozy. In fact, nothing much about the 325e has changed with the addition of two doors. It’s a straightforward deal: You pay an extra $135 on top of the base $20,970, and you get four door handles. Oh, yes: And while you gain two doors, you lose the extra-nice steering wheel and the hard-charging driv­er’s seat that are standard issue in the two­-door 325e. Instead, the family-style model gets the more subdued wheel and seat from the 318i. As you might expect, the 55-pound pen­alty for the extra door hardware causes nary a blip in the 325e’s performance. We hooked our four-door test car up to the technoid department’s life-support sys­tems and measured performance nearly identical to that of the two-door 325e we wrung out last summer (C/D, June 1984). From 0 to 60 mph, the four-door was a scant 0.8 second lower than the two-door, and the four-door took only 0.3 second longer to leg a quarter-mile.There is at least a perceptible difference, however, in how the 1985 325e’s electron­ics wake up on a wintry-Michigan morning: They are wide awake and rarin’ to go with a twist of the ignition key, thanks to the addi­tion of electric heating to the oxygen sen­sor, which needs the chill taken off before it can go about the business of monitoring the engine’s air-fuel ratio. Also, new adaptive logic in the Digital Motor Electronics computer, which controls both fuel injec­tion and ignition, makes the computer a lot smarter about detecting certain character­istic quirks of the exhaust-oxygen sensor. BMW customers who are ready for only a baby step up the Bavarian ladder can now move into an identically skinned four-door 318i, with four cylinders in lieu of six, and save $4000. Although the 318i doesn’t of­fer the 325e’s standard onboard comput­er, cruise control (new for 1985), sunroof, and stereo system, it does not skimp on the basic equipment. Buyers of the lesser mod­el will be treated to electric locks and win­dows (both standard equipment now), full instrumentation, air conditioning, and power side mirrors. Four doors, electric windows, and mod­erately refined electronics—all in all, not big news, but still good news for the family-­oriented fans of Munich’s spirited mounts. And the number of fans here is growing: BMW has enjoyed record U.S. sales in each of the past eleven years. (No other Europe­an carmaker, it says, can make such a claim.) BMW is confident that when the year-end receipts are tallied, 1985 will be another boom year. For those of you who have been waiting for the real news, Flesher counsels patience. “If it appears that we are slowing down in terms of innovation, we are not,” he promises. “It’s just that the BMW of the future is a much more difficult car to bring into being than the ones of the past. The level of technical and engineering sophisti­cation is extremely high. “Within the corporation, there’s a great deal of pride in terms of innovation and creativity. When these engineers tackle a problem, they want to make a step forward that is discernible. Frankly, that’s getting more difficult.” Come on, Carl, we say. How about that famed BMW ingenuity? “We’ve got some serious stuff coming,” Flesher promises with a smile. “It just keeps getting better.” We’ll be ready with the exclamation points.Arrow pointing downArrow pointing downSpecificationsSpecifications
1985 BMW 325eVehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $21,500/$22,290Options: leather upholstery, $790.
ENGINESOHC inline-6, iron block and aluminum headDisplacement: 164 in3, 2693 cm3Power: 121 hp @ 4250 rpmTorque: 170 lb-ft @ 3250 rpm 
TRANSMISSION[S]5-speed manual
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/trailing armsBrakes, F/R: 10.2-in vented disc/10.2-in discTires: Michelin MX V195/60HR-14
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 101.2 inLength: 176.8 inWidth: 64.8 inHeight: 54.3 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 45/37 ft3Trunk Volume: 14 ft3Curb Weight: 2770 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS30 MPH: 2.6 sec60 mph: 9.2 sec1/4-Mile: 16.6 sec @ 82 mph100 mph: 31.0 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 14.6 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 16.0 secTop Speed: 114 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 203 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.78 g 
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 23 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMYCity/Highway: 21/28 mpg 
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED More

The Dodge Hornet R/T has a PowerShot mode that delivers an extra 30 horsepower for 15 seconds. It has functional hood scoops and Koni dampers. Its in-house tuner parts will be branded with the old GLH moniker for “Goes Like Hell.” The first TV spot for the Hornet is based on the premise that its arrival is an apocalyptic event that terrifies the world. This is what happens when the company that builds 700-plus-hp Hellcats is tasked with building a vehicle to compete against, you know, the Honda CR-V. “What else did Dodge do,” you ask, “name one of the paint colors after a strain of weed?” Yes: Acapulco Gold. If Dodge hasn’t yet licensed Beavis and Butt-Head as spokesmen, we don’t know what the advertising team is waiting for.The base $31,590 Hornet GT arrives first, as a 2023 model. It packs a turbocharged 2.0-liter four that makes 268 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, hooked to a nine-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel-drive system that can send up to 50 percent of the torque to the rear axle. It hits 60 mph in a claimed 6.5 seconds and tops out at 140 mph, two important facts to remember when you’re making your choice at the Avis counter. A Track Pack is available on any trim and includes 20-inch wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 tires, four-piston fixed Brembo front brake calipers, Alcantara-upholstered seats, and electronically controlled dampers. If you find the “red crust” motif of the Alcantara seats too subtle, red leather upholstery is available in Plus trims. DodgeThe R/T, which will debut as a 2024 model, gets a 177-hp turbocharged 1.3-liter inline-four and a six-speed automatic teamed with a 121-hp electric motor driving the rear axle. Pull both steering-column-mounted shift paddles to activate PowerShot, and the combined output rises to 288 horsepower and 383 pound-feet. When PowerShot is available, a white icon that looks like a turbocharger with a lightning bolt shooting through it appears on the instrument cluster. Push down through a detent deep in the accelerator’s travel, and the icon turns green. From that point, the Hornet delivers its extra oomph for 15 seconds, which would be long enough to obliterate the speed limit anywhere in the country. After a 15-second timeout to cool down, the system is ready for another run down the strip.Related StoriesDodge claims that PowerShot shaves 1.5 seconds from the 60-mph sprint, dropping it to 5.6 seconds. Under normal circumstances, then, the $41,590 R/T isn’t as quick as the base model—which makes sense, since even with PowerShot engaged, the GT has a better power-to-weight ratio than the R/T. But the R/T does offer surprisingly lively handling despite its claimed 4140-pound curb weight, in part thanks to a favorable front-to-rear weight distribution. Dodge claims that the R/T will generate 0.90 g of grip on the skidpad, compared to 0.87 g for the GT.Even without PowerShot in effect, the Hornet R/T’s exhaust sounds surprisingly belligerent. In fact, we jotted down, “good attention to detail making the fake exhaust noise come from the rear speakers,” before getting out of the car and realizing that the Hornet’s throaty burble isn’t fake at all. There’s no active muffler bypass, but neither is the R/T exhaust tiresome—it tends to announce itself at around 1600 rpm, which is where it settles on a cold start, and then fade out at idle or higher rpm. Of course, you can also totally silence the exhaust by selecting EV mode, and the Hornet is certainly viable as an around-town EV, providing around 30 miles of electric range from its 12.0-kWh battery. (Twin to the Alfa Romeo Tonale and built in Italy, the Hornet doesn’t qualify for the federal EV tax credit for buyers, but some customers who lease one may be eligible for a $7500 credit.) Hitting the highway might diminish that range, but the EV-mode Hornet—which, like its SRT Challenger brethren, is rear-wheel drive—can certainly keep up, hitting 84 mph before the gas engine fires up. In Sport mode, the R/T will also quickly replenish the battery. We’re looking forward to lining it up against a Toyota RAV4 Prime.DodgeWhile the R/T will likely garner most of the attention, we’re guessing the GT will account for most of the sales volume. So it’s nice that Dodge doesn’t hoard the good stuff, like the Track Pack, for the flagship model. At the launch, Dodge also displayed a pair of Hornets outfitted with Direct Connection (read: factory aftermarket) parts, including plenty of GLH graphics that shout out to the old Dodge Omni GLH. The Direct Connection Hornet parts aren’t purely cosmetic—there’ll be a Stage 1 kit for the GT’s engine that increases horsepower and a lowering kit that should improve handling, in keeping with the Dodge GLH spirit. Or, we should say, the Dodge gestalt, since the Dodge Spirit was something else entirely. So, to the question of, “What will Dodge build when it can’t build supercharged V-8s?” we have our first answer. The Hemis may be on their way out, but the party isn’t over yet.DodgeArrow pointing downArrow pointing downSpecificationsSpecifications
2023 Dodge Hornet GT/2024 Dodge Hornet R/TVehicle Type: front-engine or front-engine and rear-motor; all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base: Trim GT, $31,590; R/T, $41,590
POWERTRAINS
turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve 2.0-liter inline-4, 268 hp, 295 lb-ft; turbocharged and intercooled SOHC 16-valve 1.3-liter inline-4, 177 hp, 199 lb-ft + 2 AC or motors, 44 and 121 hp, 39 and 184 lb-ft (combined output: 288 hp, 383 lb-ft; 12.0-kWh lithium-ion battery pack; 7.4-kW onboard charger)Transmissions: 9-speed automatic, F/R: 6-speed automatic/direct-drive

DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 103.8 inLength: 178.3 inWidth: 72.5Height: 63.0–63.8 inPassenger Volume, F/R: TK–TK ft3Cargo Volume, Behind F/R: 51–55/23–27 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 3750–4150 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 5.6–6.5 sec1/4-Mile: 14.3–15.1 secTop Speed: 128–140 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (GT)
Combined/City/Highway: 24/21/29 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (R/T, C/D EST)
Combined/City/Highway: 26/23/29 mpgCombined Gasoline + Electricity: 60 MPGeEV Range: 30 miSenior EditorEzra Dyer is a Car and Driver senior editor and columnist. He’s now based in North Carolina but still remembers how to turn right. He owns a 2009 GEM e4 and once drove 206 mph. Those facts are mutually exclusive. More

Stomping on an EV’s go pedal never gets old. We’re addicted to the thrill of instant thrust, which gets even harder to resist when it can be amplified at any time. That’s why the 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70 needs a warning label that reads: Boost mode can be habit-forming and may cause bouts of spontaneous acceleration.Hit the Boost button at the bottom of the electric GV70’s steering wheel, and the dual motors’ peak output jumps from 429 to 483 horsepower for up to 10 seconds. That window is wide enough to dart past other drivers dilly-dallying on the highway. It’s also great for generating giggles but bad for preserving the 77.4-kWh battery’s state of charge, as we recently found out on the freeways and roads around Atlanta. GenesisThe Electrified GV70 is the third electric model Genesis has launched in the last year, joining the smaller GV60 SUV and the Electrified G80 sedan. The trio is currently sold in 15 states, with Louisiana, Texas, and Wisconsin recently joining the ranks as availability continues to expand.Overdosing on OverboostThe Electrified GV70 isn’t a performance-oriented model, but it’s arguably more fun to drive than the gas-powered GV70 3.5T Sport Prestige. While they look almost identical, you can identify the new electric version by its closed-off grille (with a hidden opening to access the charge port), as well as specific 20-inch wheels and restyled bumpers. It also lacks tailpipes, instead emitting strange humming sounds to alert pedestrians of its presence.More on the Electrified GV70While this GV70 is an electrified copy of its gas-fed siblings, from behind the wheel, we discovered electric means more athletic. The EV shares Michelin Primacy Tour A/S all-season tires with the 3.5T, and its floor-mounted battery pack lowers the center of gravity, adding a dash of extra stability. The brake pedal isn’t always reassuring, though—a byproduct of poor blending between friction and regenerative brakes. The Electrified GV70 makes up for that miscue with its 483-hp punch. Genesis says there’s no limit to how many times the overboost function can be triggered; the fun is only done when the battery runs out. Drive like we did (for a while) down south and plan on calling a tow truck before reaching the Genesis’s estimated range of 236 miles. That figure is notably lower than the Tesla Model Y (up to 330 miles) but higher than the Lexus RZ (196 or 220 miles, depending on wheel size). It’s also one mile better than the EPA-estimated range for the 2023 Genesis GV60 Performance, with which it shares its all-wheel-drive powertrain.Intoxicated by the exciting takeoffs it allows, we were gratuitous with Boost mode at the start of the drive but sobered up as we watched the Electrified GV70’s indicated range dive at an alarming rate. Hooking up to an 800-volt DC fast-charger can restore roughly 60 miles in five minutes or take the battery from 10 to 80 percent in 18 minutes, a feat we’ve already verified ourselves with a GV60. Unfortunately, Genesis’s curated driving route didn’t include any charging stops, so we had to fight the urge to keep hitting the Boost button and floor it.A more relaxed right foot also ended our wrestling match with the electric GV70’s steering wheel, which was riddled with torque steer during Boost mode’s hard launches. Our focus on conserving electrons instead had us toggling through four brake-regen settings while using the steering-wheel-mounted paddles. The strongest option provided comfortable one-pedal driving, but we could barely differentiate between the middle two.GenesisWorth It to Pass on Gas?Compared with its gasoline counterparts, the Electrified GV70 has a stiffer structure and additional sound deadening, both of which improve on what was an already serene cabin environment. It might even be too quiet because there was nothing to drown out the wind noise we noticed coming from the A-pillars at highway speeds.Inside, there’s almost nothing that differentiates this Genesis as an EV, aside from the menus in its digital gauge cluster and wide infotainment display. We also wish Genesis would add wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto—the fact that they still require a cord is a bummer.Thankfully, opting for the EV doesn’t require too many sacrifices. Interior and cargo space are virtually identical between ICE and electric, with the latter measure coming out to 29 cubic feet behind the rear seats for both. The two GV70 variants also have the same 3500-pound tow rating, but any trailering will substantially diminish range. The EV also has vehicle-to-load capability, so it can double as a small generator and supply up to 1.9 kW to power ancillary devices. The Electrified GV70 is the first Genesis model to be built in America and not in South Korea. Since it’s an SUV that starts under $80K and is assembled at Hyundai’s factory in Montgomery, Alabama, it qualifies currently for the full $7500 federal tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act. However, that discount could drop to $3750, depending on the government’s pending battery-sourcing rules. The federal kickback is another reason to choose the Electrified GV70 over the extremely similar GV60 Performance, which is all but identical to the GV70 in price, size, and powertrain. Genesis tells us that the funkier-looking GV60 is meant to appeal to those already interested in an EV, while the GV70 will do a better job convincing the ICE crowd.Before incentives, the Electrified GV70 starts at $67,550 for the Advanced trim level. We drove the fancier $74,350 Prestige model, which adds a 3-D digital gauge cluster with a head-up display, nappa leather, heated rear seats, an upgraded Lexicon stereo, and more. Due to production limitations, Genesis will only offer four grayscale paint colors to start (we dig the lone matte finish).GenesisNeither Electrified GV70 is a great value, especially compared with the sub-$45K four-cylinder model. Things look different when the 375-hp twin-turbo V-6 gets involved. The V-6 version begins at around $56K, and opting for the fancy Sport Prestige trim adds nearly $10K to the bottom line, thrusting it into the EV’s (pre-tax-credit) price bracket.The fuel-sipping GV70 is already one of our favorites, evidenced by its spot on our list of the 10Best Trucks and SUVs for 2023. We’ll need to spend more time with the new electric version before bestowing equal praise. Still, its unexpectedly fun personality helps its odds, and anything that makes us giggle without gas gets extra kudos.Arrow pointing downArrow pointing downSpecificationsSpecifications
2023 Genesis Electrified GV70Vehicle Type: front- and rear-motor, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base: $67,550
POWERTRAIN
Front Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous ACRear Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous ACCombined Power: 483 hpCombined Torque: 516 lb-ftBattery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 77.4 kWhOnboard Charger: 10.9 kWPeak DC Fast-Charge Rate: 240 kWTransmissions, F/R: direct-drive
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 113.2 inLength: 185.6 inWidth: 75.2 inHeight: 64.2 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 55/46 ft3Cargo Volume, Behind F/R: 57/29 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 5000 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 3.8 sec100 mph: 9.4 sec1/4-Mile: 12.3 secTop Speed: 151 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 91/98/83 MPGeRange: 236 miSenior EditorEric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si. More

Sedans are a dying breed in America. Last year, cars of all kinds comprised only 21 percent of sales. That doesn’t bode well for one of our favorite vehicles—the sports sedan. Even at BMW, home of the sports sedan, cars represented just 34 percent of sales in 2022. Ten years earlier, they were 30 percentage points higher. And the 3-series, the car that we have long regarded as the core of the BMW brand, hasn’t been the sales leader since 2018. Either the X3 or the X5—or both of them—has outsold these compacts, even combined with the 4-series.So it’s gratifying to see that BMW is still making a strong effort to keep these models up-to-date and competitive. For 2023, the 3-series, four years into its latest generation, has received its Life Cycle Impulse (LCI)—BMW-speak for a mid-cycle refresh.The LCI models carry subtle aesthetic differences. The headlights are slimmer and simpler, with twin, inverted L-shaped daytime running lights in each light. The lower air intake appears larger due to a blacked-out upper portion, and the corner air inlets are simpler and clear. Mercifully, the 3-series has been spared the vertical-nostril look. The rear bumpers are now more sculpted, and the black exterior trim is now standard. The M340i also gets trapezoidal tailpipes and a standard, subtle rear spoiler. Overall, the new model retains excellent proportions and looks good.More on the 3-seriesInside, the most obvious change is BMW’s Curved Display, which houses a 12.3-inch screen for the instrument cluster and a 14.9-inch touchscreen for the iDrive 8 infotainment system, the latest version on offer. That screen is a lot larger than the 10.3-inch one in the earlier 3-series, but it comes with a price. Instead of a long strip of physical switches, the 13 HVAC buttons below the center register are now gone, as are the audio controls and radio presets. Now there’s just a single strip comprising two audio and two defroster buttons—and a welcomed volume knob. Turning on your seat heater requires a couple of actions to get to the right screen, or a voice command—either of which is slower and more cumbersome than simply pressing a hard switch.Another big change is the loss of the gear lever, replaced by a recessed toggle. Both mechanisms work in similar fashions in electronically controlled transmissions, but there’s definitely something more aesthetically satisfying about a proper lever, especially since there seems to be no storage or cupholder benefit from the toggle design. At least there are two well-positioned steering-wheel paddles for manual shifting.HIGHS: Mighty quick, plenty of fun on the right roads, impressive highway fuel economy.The eight-speed automatic transmission controlled by this shifter remains the excellent ZF 8HP, enhanced by the 48-volt hybrid system that’s spreading through the BMW lineup. A starter-generator connected to the engine’s crankshaft and residing in the transmission housing provides as much as 147 pound-feet of torque but only about 13 horsepower to supplement the combustion engine. Electrical power comes from a small 48-volt battery under the trunk floor, where the previous 12-volt battery was mounted.This electrified gearbox shifts intelligently and seamlessly and seems to summon the perfect gear for every driving condition. The transmission offers three different shift schedules matching the car’s Comfort, Sport, and Sport+ modes, as well as full manual control using the paddles. As we prefer, the transmission does not upshift at redline when in manual mode.Michael Simari|Car and DriverThe transmission’s job is made easier by being coupled with BMW’s superb B58 turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six. Despite the new hybrid components, peak power and torque—382 horsepower at 5800 to 6500 rpm and 369 pound-feet of torque between 1800 and 5000 revs—are unchanged from earlier nonhybrid iterations. That thrust is delivered very smoothly and without a discordant note.The performance of our all-wheel-drive test car is similar to that of the earlier rear-drive cars we’ve tested. With additional traction, the xDrive model launches harder and hits 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, a tenth quicker than our long-term, rear-drive M340i. And it covers the quarter-mile in 12.2 seconds at 112 mph, a tenth quicker but 3 mph slower than before. As speeds increase, this M340i’s acceleration deficit increases thanks to the extra 160 pounds imposed by the all-wheel drive and hybrid-system hardware. By 130 mph, which arrives in 17.0 seconds flat, the xDrive is about a second in arrears of its rear-drive sibling. Still, this car easily keeps up with a Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing.In normal driving, this M340i feels very quick and effortlessly muscular. The combination of the turbocharged engine, the excellent transmission, and the hybrid system provides seamless power. Turbo lag is essentially nonexistent unless you floor the throttle from a dead stop. Under that circumstance, you’ll wait a good second before the powertrain musters full thrust. Fortunately, there’s enough motive force, even off boost, that you don’t notice this in most driving.Our lead feet only averaged 19 mpg in the Bimmer, but our 75-mph highway average was an excellent 33 mpg. We suspect that most owners will get mileage into the mid-20s, which aligns with EPA estimates for combined city and highway driving. It doesn’t hurt that this generation of 3-series has a drag coefficient of 0.27 and isn’t punching an SUV-sized hole in the atmosphere.LOWS: Not our favorite steering, stiff ride even in Comfort mode, where’d all the buttons go?Unfortunately, the M340i’s chassis doesn’t quite measure up to its powertrain. The peak capabilities are excellent, with 0.95 g of cornering grip and a stopping distance of 155 feet from 70 mph. But the steering has a poor sense of on-center and an inconsistent effort during cornering, perhaps attributed to the variable-ratio steering rack that’s standard on all 340s. Brake feel isn’t much better, with deceleration being more proportional to pedal travel than pedal effort.That said, you can cover ground very rapidly on winding roads. The steering might not feel great, but it’s accurate, the brakes are powerful and fade-free, and body control is good, even with the suspension in Comfort mode.Of course, the point of a sports sedan is to provide joy in the mountains and also be practical for workaday tasks. In that role, the M340i imposes a few penalties. Even in Comfort, the suspension is surprisingly stiff and jiggly, and Sport is way too much for regular use. High tire pressures play a part here, with the summer tires asking for 44 psi for speeds over 100 mph. Airing down to 39 psi for under 100 mph marginally improves the ride.Though we measured a 70-mph sound level of only 68 dBA, our car sounded louder than that. Otherwise, it was very comfortable with excellent seats and decent interior space, though interior volume is not much different than the older E90-generation 3-series, despite a body some seven inches longer. It will hold four average-size adults, if the ones in the rear don’t want to cross their legs. All we’d ask is a steering column that could adjust about an inch lower than it currently does.Overall, it’s hard to argue with the BMW M340i’s objective performance. It’s extremely quick, pretty comfortable, and it easily devours challenging mountain roads. But it is perhaps too eager to embrace the half-baked future. We’d happily trade its ambient light show for an instrument cluster with round gauges and enough dimming so that it doesn’t glare on an empty country road. We’d exchange the toggle for a genuine shift lever, preferably controlling a modern manual transmission—even if it cost a few mpg. More buttons on the dashboard and fewer icons on the display might encourage us to concentrate on our driving more than our electronics. But in an age when the future promises a sea of electric-powered SUVs, we are grateful for still having such a powerful and capable sports sedan. Even with a few flaws.Arrow pointing downArrow pointing downSpecificationsSpecifications
2023 BMW M340i xDriveVehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $59,395/$70,020Options: Cooling and High-Performance Tire package (summers tires, additional oil cooler, more powerful cooling fan), $2400; Black leather with blue stitching, $1500; Premium package (heated steering wheel and front seats), $1350; Harman/Kardon stereo, $875; Shadowline package (extended Shadowline trim, M Sport brakes, LED lights), $850; Parking Assistance package (surround view cameras, parking sensors), $700; Driving Assistance package (lane departure warning, active blind-spot detection), $700; Melbourne Red Metallic paint, $650; adaptive suspension, $550; Sensatec dashboard, $350; remote engine start, $300; BMW M 50 Years emblems, $200 
ENGINE
turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve inline-6, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 183 in3, 2998 cm3Power: 382 hp @ 6500 rpmTorque: 369 lb-ft @ 1800 rpm
TRANSMISSION
8-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/multilinkBrakes, F/R: 13.7-in vented disc/13.6-in vented discTires: Michelin Pilot Sport 4SF: 225/40R-19 93Y ★R: 255/35R-19 96Y ★
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 112.2 inLength: 185.9 inWidth: 71.9 inHeight: 56.7 inPassenger Volume: 95 ft3Trunk Volume: 17 ft3Curb Weight: 3988 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 3.7 sec100 mph: 9.5 sec1/4-Mile: 12.2 sec @ 112 mph130 mph: 17.0 secResults above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 4.5 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 2.4 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 3.0 secTop Speed (gov ltd): 150 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 157 ftBraking, 100–0 mph: 310 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.95 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 19 mpg75-mph Highway Driving: 33 mpg75-mph Highway Range: 510 mi
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 26/23/32 mpg
C/D TESTING EXPLAINEDContributing EditorCsaba Csere joined Car and Driver in 1980 and never really left. After serving as Technical Editor and Director, he was Editor-in-Chief from 1993 until his retirement from active duty in 2008. He continues to dabble in automotive journalism and LeMons racing, as well as ministering to his 1965 Jaguar E-type, 2017 Porsche 911, and trio of motorcycles—when not skiing or hiking near his home in Colorado.  More

From the August 1986 issue of Car and Driver.With one fell swoop, the wizards of Wolfsburg have transformed the ho-hum VW Scirocco from an also-ran into a supercoupe to be reckoned with. The prin­cipal element in this metamorphosis is a new twin-cam, sixteen-valve, four-cylinder engine, producing 123 horsepower and 120 pounds-feet of torque. This power­plant so strongly stimulates the Scirocco that it can now keep up with any of its com­petitors. Bring on your valiant V-6, your twin-cam, multivalve whiz-bang, your tur­bo tornado. This VW—the fastest and most powerful machine ever to wear those initials in America—is ready for all comers.The Scirocco 16V, as it’s called, gobbles up the miles with the best of them. To go fast, you simply wind the new motor into its brilliant upper register. The 16V’s engine—which will also be fitted to VW’s GTI and Jetta GLI models early in the 1987 model year—motivates the Scirocco from rest to 60 mph in eight seconds flat and through the quarter-mile in 15.9 sec­onds at 87 mph. This strong performance continues even in the upper gears, with 100 mph arriving in 24.6 seconds—and the 16V still has another 24 mph to go be­fore it tops out at 6350 rpm in fifth gear. At that point, the engine is more than 500 rpm past its power peak, which indicates the sheer breadth of the 16V’s pumped-up horsepower curve. The sixteen-valve Scirocco has enough punch to rocket by lazy dawdlers on a two-­lane road, accelerate up a short ramp to freeway speed, or provide as much plea­sure going up a mountain road as the eight-valve Scirocco can provide going down one. And although most of the addi­tional power is concentrated above 4000 rpm, the 123-hp engine is no less willing at any speed than the 90-hp, single-cam, eight-valve motor that powers the base Scirocco. The 16V’s acceleration times in top gear bear this out: The high-output en­gine pushes the Scirocco from 30 to 50 mph in 10.6 seconds and from 50 to 70 mph in 11.3 seconds without any hesita­tion, fuss, or protest. In fact, we could discern absolutely no penalty or loss of refinement as a result of the additional 33 horsepower. The new engine starts easily, idles smoothly, and displays exemplary drivability even when cold. And it revs like a kitchen blender. The Scirocco’s new engine isn’t particularly quiet, and it takes on a very purposeful note near its redline, but its only really irri­tating trait is that its power is interrupted by a rev limiter at 7000 rpm, 200 revs be­low the forbidden zone. Two hundred rpm doesn’t matter one way or another in terms of acceleration, but it’s always frus­trating not to be able to kiss the redline with the tachometer needle—particularly when an engine revs as seductively as this one does. To help the Scirocco absorb its power increase graciously, VW engineers made several judicious modifications to the 16V’s running gear. The clutch and the gearbox have both been strengthened, though the gear ratios are largely un­changed (fifth gear has been lowered, from 0.89 to 0.91:1). The 16V’s footprint is larger than the standard Scirocco’s, with 185/60HR-14 tires mounted on six-inch­-wide aluminum rims. To cope with the ex­tra speed potential, the brakes have addi­tional capacity: The vented front rotors have been enlarged, and the rear drums have been replaced by solid discs. A new brace ties together the structure around the front-control-arm pivots to reduce de­flection. All four springs and shocks have been recalibrated, and the nose has been lowered 0.4 inch. Finally, the rear anti-roll bar has been enlarged from 0.8 to 1.0 inch in diameter. Thanks to these changes, the Scirocco copes easily with its newfound thrust. The low-profile tires have little problem putting the power to the ground, even around tight corners, and no torque ef­fects find their way to the driver through the power-assisted steering. From behind the wheel, the 16V feels like exactly what it is: a much more energetic Scirocco. Won­derfully precise steering helps you to posi­tion the car right where you want it while faithfully informing you of the front tires’ traction. The recalibrated suspension has been thoughtfully dialed in to achieve an excellent handling balance. An overenthu­siastic right foot can overpower the front tires and bring on understeer, but lifting off restores front-end traction immediate­ly and bends the Scirocco into the turn.This fine balance combines with the 16V’s larger, stickier tires to generate more grip than any previous Scirocco has enjoyed. We measured 0.79 g on the skid­pad, and the 16V’s ease of control makes most of its cornering traction usable on the street. The four-wheel discs also feel pow­erful and progressive, though they do tend toward early rear lockup. We measured a respectable 196-foot stopping distance from 70 mph. Performance improvements aside, the 16V offers no real advantages over the standard Scirocco—but it hardly needs to. If you can live with the fact that the current Scirocco body style offers minimal rear-seat space, you’ll find that it provides a friendly driving atmosphere indeed. The seats are well bolstered for good lateral support during long hours behind the wheel. The steering wheel and the shift le­ver are in the proper positions for serious driving—although the orientation of the brake and gas pedals could be improved for better heel-and-toe operation. We have no complaints with the Scirocco’s supple ride and rattle-free composure, both of which contribute to comfort on ex­tended journeys. For a sporty two-plus­-two, the Scirocco is a very practical car. More on the VW SciroccoIt has never been a particularly flashy one, however, and that’s been a major shortcoming to some sports-coupe shop­pers. In this regard, the 16V is a modest step in the aggressive direction, as it’s equipped with flared fenders, sill mold­ings, a front spoiler, and a rear apron. These add-on panels, along with the bumpers and mirrors, are all painted the color of the body, which on the 16V is re­stricted to silver, red, or black. The 14.0-inch wheels are also a new design for Volkswagen, featuring flush faces with teardrop-shaped openings around their circumferences. These updates serve nice­ly to differentiate the 16V model, without being as heavy-handed as the spoiler pack­age offered on California Sciroccos a few years ago. The 16V is still a thoroughly fa­miliar shape, however, and we suspect that few people will be drawn into Volkswagen showrooms by its looks alone. What should draw customers in droves is the 16V’s sticker price. At $11,980, the quickest VW in history undercuts such competitors as the Toyota Celica GT-S and the Mazda 626GT by about a thou­sand dollars and the Honda Prelude Si by about two grand. The 16V certainly has the performance and road manners to compete with such cars. And though it has fewer creature comforts on its options list, it counters with the cachet of its European design heritage—a unique advantage in this class. The European design influence is ap­parent in the Scirocco’s clean and unclut­tered interior and exterior styling. It also comes across in the Scirocco’s pursuit of efficiency through light weight. At 2380 pounds, the 16V is lighter than any of its competitors, which helps it make the most of its 123 bhp. The lack of excess bulk also ensures good fuel efficiency and enables the 16V to do without ultrawide wheels and tires, which sometimes adversely af­fect steering feel. Only in aerodynamics is the Scirocco an efficiency laggard. At 0.38, its drag coefficient definitely shows the car’s age. New sheetmetal is about a year away. In the meantime, the Scirocco will hang in there as it has for years, but with a more energetic outlook on life. The 16V label is this car’s ticket from the back of the pack to the thick of the supercoupe battle. If you’re in the mood for an enthralling engine, pur­poseful bodywork, and an attractive price, look no further. Technical HighlightsWe were beginning to think that Volkswagen’s sixteen-valve engine might never see production. First shown in a Scirocco at the 1983 Frankfurt Auto Show, it was scheduled to go into pro­duction in early 1984. That its debut slipped two years suggests serious difficulties with its development. VW has fi­nally revealed what the engineers were up to all this time: a very straightforward design, but one that required the solu­tion of a major problem.The 16V’s cast-iron block, including its bore and stroke dimensions, crank­shaft, and connecting rods, was bor­rowed from the current GTI engine. A nozzle has been fitted to the base of each cylinder to supply a cooling spray of oil to the underside of the piston when a certain oil pressure is exceeded; but ex­cept for the enlarged oil pump needed to meet the additional flow require­ments, little has changed in the bottom end of the engine.The 16V’s cylinder head is all-new, of course, but its design is quite conven­tional. The aluminum casting houses four valves per cylinder around a cen­trally located spark plug, with a 25-degree included angle between the in­take and exhaust valves. This narrow angle minimizes the width of the head and creates a very compact cylinder-head cavity, which promotes rapid, knock-free combustion. The valves are activated by double overhead camshafts via hydraulic valve adjusters. Several features have been incorporated to ensure the durabil­ity of the new head: sodium-filled ex­haust valves, wear-resistant sintered valve seats, and positive rotators for both the intake and the exhaust valves. The spark plugs have three ground elec­trodes to maximize their life.All of these features are relatively con­ventional and caused no real develop­mental problems. The cam drive, how­ever, produced plenty of headaches. The original design employed a cog belt to drive the exhaust cam, which in turn drove the intake cam via a set of gears. This approach was chosen because the sixteen-valve engine had to meet the space restrictions of several different Volkswagen models, and there was not enough room for the two large sprock­ets needed to drive both cams directly by the belt.The gear-drive design was strong and durable, but it was also noisy. A great deal of time was devoted to experiment­ing with various combinations of tooth profiles, split-gear systems, and sound insulation, but none of these measures made the design acceptably quiet. Final­ly, the engineers at Wolfsburg scrapped the idea and adopted a roller-chain drive between the two camshafts, similar to the design Porsche uses in the 928S en­gine. This arrangement met both the packaging and the aural requirements.The time needed to resolve the cam-­drive problems was put to good use im­proving the engine’s flexibility. The original prototype had excellent peak output, but its torque curve was a bit on the narrow side. By carefully tuning the intake-manifold design, including a re­duction of the runner diameter from 2.0 to 1.7 inches, the engineers were able to boost peak torque from 118 to 120 pounds-feet. Peak power was held at 123 horsepower, but the engine now has a broad­er torque curve than it originally did, de­veloping 114 or more pound-feet of torque from 3000 to 6000 rpm.The results speak for themselves. The Scirocco 16V was a long time in coming, but the development effort finally paid off with an impressive engine. —CCCounterpointI made an ass of myself driving to work today in the Scirocco 16V. I went way too fast between the clots of sleepy morning commuters, even though my radar detector was on the blink. Whoo­eee! Coming through, please.Any car that lets the adolescent rat­tling around inside of me out for a while has got to be good. Adding eight more Vs to the Scirocco’s old 8V engine is just what Doktor Feelgood ordered. You’d blast this motor up to the rev limiter just to hear the brutal music made by all those ponies struggling to get out. The rest of the remake is none too shabby, either. The 16V is pure, unbri­dled enthusiasm. It looks every bit the part—and such a deal! But there is a price. This car requires commitment from its driver. There are quieter engines and more supple sus­pensions living in other showrooms. Be prepared for a car that always lets you know it’s there, like a good soldier waiting for the call.Oh, and one other thing. Make mine red. —Rich CepposBack in the dreary days of 1976, Car and Driver tested a bunch of underachievers in search of the fastest American-made machine of the time. A pickup truck was the surprise fourth-place finisher (out of five contenders), and a Corvette beat a Dodge Dart to win top-speed honors by a scant 2.7 mph. We’ve made some progress in the last decade, and there’s no better proof than the Scirocco 16V. Its go-stop-and-turn report card is with­in spitting distance of the 1976 Cor­vette’s. It costs a little more than the heavy Chevy of ten years ago, but fuel economy is up by 50 percent. Thanks to its high-tech cylinder head, this rejuvenated VW gets by quite nicely with half the Corvette’s allotment of cylinders. Yes, the Scirocco is a fine example of modern engineering, but by no means is it the ultimate end. The powerful engine needs a lesson in poise. The designers need to strip away the spoilers and sill covers and go to work on this car’s basic shape. Corvettes of the mid-seventies were pretty horrible machines in many respects, but they did have sex appeal­—and that’s a lesson lost on the Scirocco 16V. —Don Sherman When the crisp, original-recipe Scirocco romped off to be “replaced” by the heavy-handed second-generation mod­el, the line stopped making me grin. Worse for VW, buyers flooded other showrooms in search of more exciting coupes. Giugiaro, who penned the original Scirocco, drew up a dazzling de­sign for the second, but VW demurred to its own dull-design committee and saw Isuzu snap up the Italian look for its Impulse. The Scirocco’s sales slum­bered. No show, no go, no dough. The 16V takes care of the “go”: Good scoot is in abundant supply. I also like the cheery lightness breathed into the power steering; it’s almost enough to bring back my missing grin. I wish the chassis didn’t discombobulate at high speed over bad pavement, though, and I’d like more headroom, more spread­room, better aerodynamics, and, most important, less stuffy styling. But what I really wish is that VW had started off the sixteen-valver’s life in America by hatching this mini-marvel in the already splendid GTI. I’d be grin­ning all the way over the shortcut to the dealer and laughing all the way over the long way home. —Larry GriffinArrow pointing downArrow pointing downSpecificationsSpecifications
1986 Volkswagen Scirocco 16VVehicle Type: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 2+2-passenger, 3-door coupe
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $12,300/$13,885Options: air conditioning, $750; power package (windows and locks), $445; AM/FM-stereo radio cassette, $390.
ENGINEDOHC 16-valve inline-4, iron block and aluminum head, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 109 in3, 1780 cm3Power: 123 hp @ 5800 rpmTorque: 120 lb-ft @ 4250 rpm 
TRANSMISSION5-speed manual
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/torsion beamBrakes, F/R: 10.1-in vented disc/9.4-in discTires: Michelin MXV185/60HR-14
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 94.5 inLength: 165.7 inWidth: 64.8 inHeight: 51.4 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 47/27 ft3Trunk Volume: 19 ft3Curb Weight: 2380 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS30 mph: 2.7 sec60 mph: 8.0 sec1/4-Mile: 15.9 sec @ 87 mph100 mph: 24.6 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 10.6 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 11.3 secTop Speed: 124 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 196 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.79 g 
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 23 mpg 
EPA FUEL ECONOMYCity/Highway: 23/28 mpg 
C/D TESTING EXPLAINEDContributing EditorCsaba Csere joined Car and Driver in 1980 and never really left. After serving as Technical Editor and Director, he was Editor-in-Chief from 1993 until his retirement from active duty in 2008. He continues to dabble in automotive journalism and LeMons racing, as well as ministering to his 1965 Jaguar E-type, 2017 Porsche 911, and trio of motorcycles—when not skiing or hiking near his home in Colorado.  More