Reviews

From the September 1992 issue of Car and Driver.Whoever said “competition improves the breed” (was it Charles Darwin? Charles Barkley? Charlie the Tuna?) perfectly captured the action in today’s mid-size four-door-sedan market. No-quarter competition is breeding a high order of automotive excellence. Our recent family four-door face-off (“Solid-Citizen Sedans,” June 1992) confirmed that this cate­gory’s general level of quality—make that qualities, not just fit and finish—is a won­der to behold. This emphasis on excellence is not accidental, for we find the hot nationwide sale numbers here, with the Honda Accord, the Ford Taurus, and the Toyota Camry topping the charts. HIGHS: Smooth, smooth, smooth, in everything it does. With so much volume in this segment, this fall will see several high-stakes launches of sedans straight into the com­petitive teeth of the Accord-Taurus-Camry troika. Chrysler is betting the foundry on the 1993 LR-platform family sedans, and Nissan hopes the Altima four-door will soar where the Stanza stumbled. Even Mazda, which trades in niche products that emphasize the fun of driving and emo­tional connections with automobiles, still leans on the middle-of-the-road 626 four-­door sedan as its largest seller. Dick Kelley|Car and DriverWith this 626 model, the “feel right” folks at Mazda have completed the makeover of their entire line of cars. The pitch has been to reposition Mazda cars as enjoyable, interesting, and maybe a little off-beat. First came the Miata two-seater—as enjoyable, interesting, and off-beat as new cars get. Then, over little more than a year, came the tiny V-6 MX-3, the sexy 929, the blistering RX-7, and the lovely and graceful MX-6.As with the previous generation (1988–’92), the new 626 sedan shares its strut-suspended, front-drive platform with the Mazda MX-6 and Ford Probe sports coupes. The 102.8-inch wheelbase is unchanged, though the back seat magically grows from squashed in the two-doors to spacious in the four-door. Engine choices are a 2.0-liter four making 118 horsepower (115 in the Probe) for the base 626DX and mid-level LX, and Mazda’s silky 164-hp, 24-valve, 2.5-liter V-6 in the high-line ES.For this test, we specified the lustiest 626 of the bunch, an ES with the five-­speed manual gearbox. Our test car came loaded with a leather interior ($1000), anti-­lock brakes ($800), a sunroof ($750), and a CD player add-on to the AM/FM/cassette sound system ($700). This ran up the tab to a hefty $22,030, from the ES’s opening quote of $18,710. Though it’s not a steal, the 626ES undercuts a similarly equipped Toyota Camry SE (a slightly larger, heavier alternative that is otherwise comparable in concept, packaging, and refinement) by about $2500. Dick Kelley|Car and DriverDespite the added burden caused by all the options, our 626 stepped lightly on the scales: a modest 2894 pounds. Working through the tidy five-speed box, the V-6’s fluid and free-spinning torque delivery can whisk that mass from rest to mile-a-minute cruise in a mere 7.3 seconds, a time that completely outguns any Accord, splits the difference between the Camry SE and the Nissan Maxima SE, and loses only to a Taurus that says “SHO” on its tail. The 626ES’s top speed of 128 mph and its skidpad grip of 0.80 g are also impressive. LOWS: Sheetmetal more like the 929’s might help its visibility.And running hard isn’t even this car’s main event. The 626 is easy and natural to drive smoothly—a quality that takes on greater importance as all cars get better in the big ways. The 24-valve engine gives flexible, ready power. Throttle action feels smooth and positive. Response is immedi­ate, and there is minimal driveline lurch or “cradle rock” as the throttle opens and closes. Clutch takeup is smooth and the shifter gating is friendly. Taut and heavily damped steering—a little weighty, even—gives the driver a positive, deliberate sense of control. The middling-firm suspension reduces rocking in fast transitions and gives a faintly busy, though still comfort­able, freeway ride. The ES is smooth, accurate, almost delicate to control. More Mazda Reviews From the ArchiveLooking hard for vices, we note one characteristic that surfaces in duty the 626ES will rarely encounter: very deter­mined, max-effort flogging down fast and unpredictable looping canyon roads. Entering a corner too hard—one that requires the driver to leap off the power and get on the binders after the car is already well heeled over in the bend—will have the 626 promptly tucking its nose, sloughing its protective understeer, and threatening to get well and truly sideways. A little unwinding the wheel and moderat­ing the brake pedal generally restores order. This action is hardly unknown in front-drive cars, and only the terminally ham-fisted will likely get into trouble. Dick Kelley|Car and DriverVisually, the 626 isn’t as striking as Mazda’s other recent offerings. But echoes of the 929’s voluptuousness resonate in the 626’s greenhouse, C-pillars, and fender line. Inside, some plastic expanses look a bit vast and unbroken, but again, the shapes are pleasant, and the layout and finish are clean and functional. We especially like the open, accessible view out over the 626’s low cowl. The front seatbacks have modest side bolsters that form a broad, shallow wedge, accommodating torsos of most any girth. Trunk capacity and shape are decent, though luggage must fit through a rather shallow opening. VERDICT: Short in length, but long in driving pleasure. Despite its position as a mainstream, mid-size sedan, the 626ES remains true to Mazda’s niche-marketing strategy by offering an unusually generous serving of performance and refinement for the class. In fact, although Mazda denies that its upcoming Amati luxury division will offer a sedan based on the 626 platform, the ES strikes us as exactly the sort of car that could proudly wear an Amati badge. CounterpointThis one literally missed the boat, and I, for one, am sorry Mazda didn’t make it to our “Triple-Throwdown Four-­Door Showdown.” Last month’s con­test for family performance sedans featured the Maxima SE, the Taurus SHO, and the Camry SE. They finished that way, all within two points out of a possible 100—our tightest finish ever. The 626ES would not have shaken it up drastically, but it would have gone fenders-to-flanks with the others, because it, too, glows with the same slightly intemperate blend of hot rod in its heart and cool thinking behind its whole. —Larry GriffinCall it the sports sedan from the chunky, spunky planet of reliable Alfa clones. The Mazda 626ES perfectly captures the driving essence of Italian machinery without the pains of roof­mounted window switches and steering wheels angled to hold a Chicago deep-­dish pizza. The Mazda’s pedals fall to foot for easy heel-and-toe shifting, its engine sings a torquey tune, and its seats cozy up to hindquarters like an old pair of jeans. Mainstream buyers might overlook the 626ES in favor of a retentive Camry or Accord, but at least the Alfisti now have dependable trans­portation. —Martin Padgett Jr.Just last year, the Taurus SHO and the Maxima SE offered the slickest trans­verse V-6 powertrains this side of 25 grand. Then came Toyota’s Camry SE. One drive and you would swear the engine possessed two more cylinders and was mounted fore and aft in an engine-bay-sized vat of Cool Whip.Mazda has worked similar magic with its new 626ES. It offers the same smoothness, refinement, and might as the spacious Camry SE in a slightly cozier package, at a slightly lower tab. Moderately priced, ultra-refined sports sedans now come in two sizes: large and small. —Don SchroederSpecificationsSpecifications
1993 Mazda 626ESVehicle Type: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $18,710/$22,030Options: leather package (power driver’s seat), $1000; anti-lock brakes, $800; power sunroof, $750; compact-disc player, $700; floor mats, $70
ENGINEDOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injectionDisplacement: 153 in3, 2497 cm3Power: 164 hp @ 5600 rpmTorque: 160 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm 
TRANSMISSION5-speed manual
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/strutsBrakes, F/R: 10.2-in vented disc/10.3-in discTires: Bridgestone Turanza ER30205/55VR-15
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 102.8 inLength: 184.4 inWidth: 68.9 inHeight: 55.1 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 53/42 ft3Trunk Volume: 14 ft3Curb Weight: 2894 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 7.3 sec1/4-Mile: 15.8 sec @ 87 mph100 mph: 22.2 sec120 mph: 44.3 secRolling Start, 5–60 mph: 7.8 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 9.0 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 9.3 secTop Speed: 128 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 189 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.80 g 
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 22 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMYCity/Highway: 21/26 mpg 
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED More

We’ve tested more than 150 electric vehicles, but only three of those faced the rigors of our long-term test. It all started with the 2015 Tesla Model S—the first to complete our full 40,000-mile regimen. That was followed by a 2019 Tesla Model 3. Our latest long-term electric—a Rivian R1T—shows just how far EVs have come. Four motors combine to produce 835 horsepower, wrapped in a striking exterior design and sporting an interior that avoids the cut-rate appearance of other EV offerings. Even if it hadn’t won a 10Best Trucks trophy in 2023, this is a vehicle we want to spend a lot of time in.We spec’d a four-motor model with the medium-size 128.9-kWh battery, mostly because that is what was available, but a two-motor version has since been introduced. Ours also wears 20-inch wheels wrapped in Pirelli Scorpion All-Terrain Elects. This spec is very similar to what we road-tested in the February 2022 issue, only it doesn’t have the off-road protection, a savings of roughly 120 pounds on our scales. But it isn’t as if the R1T is light. At 7054 pounds, it’s the third-heaviest long-term test car on record, behind two heavy-duty diesel pickups.Initial impressions are favorable, with lots of praise going to the truck’s ride—a characteristic that with pickups usually earns derision, not admiration. Thus far, the annoyance of having to dig through multiple menus to find the odometer every time we charge our Red Canyon–painted truck (so we can diligently track energy usage) is the most frustrating part of R1T life. If that remains the case, it should be a relatively uneventful stay for our long-term Riv.But, as senior editor Eric Stafford adeptly pointed out, “Sitting at fast-chargers gives us extra time to find things to nitpick.” The glass roof, for one. Rivian PR once jokingly called it “SPF 1000,” but a sunny 85-degree Michigan day offered more than enough solar gain to heat the cabin; a steel roof would likely boost efficiency and help trim curb weight, but the sum of these gripes still amounts to trifles.In the R1T’s first major outing, associate news editor Caleb Miller took it to the Electric Forest music festival in rural northern Michigan. He learned that the truck is so new, the local constabulary didn’t think to check the gear tunnel for contraband—probably because they didn’t know it existed—which is good since Miller had more than his maximum allotment of hooch. Just think of the R1T as the Millennium Falcon of the auto world. But it wasn’t all good vibes. The portable camp speaker got stuck in its dock, which brings us to the not-so-lovely part of Rivian ownership: service.Rivian’s small footprint in southeast Michigan means there’s just one service location. When we called to get the Bluetooth camp speaker repaired and unstuck, the earliest appointment was three months out. The speaker was one of three things we needed to address, but none of the R1T’s issues prevented us from driving it. Aside from the speaker, the right gear tunnel entrapment release (the same federally mandated opener you find in every new car’s trunk) is not functional, and because of a gaffe in our garage, we can’t commit any settings to the car’s memory. Thankfully, these fixes were covered under warranty.Normally for things like this, we would have them addressed at routine maintenance intervals. But the Rivian maintenance schedule is as real as muffler bearings or blinker fluid. It’s essentially the crockpot of automotive service—set it and forget it. The only recommendation is to rotate the tires every 5000 miles. It’s wild to us, but evidently, to a startup EV manufacturer, a service schedule is an antiquated, unnecessary carryover.Though we haven’t stretched the Rivian’s driving-range potential with any giant road trips yet, there are certainly many planned, especially as the holiday season nears. The charging infrastructure—or lack thereof—hasn’t slowed the Riv’s pace. Credit its smooth driving, comfortable cabin, useful shape, and thoughtful features (gear tunnel, frunk, air compressor) for its popularity. We’ve come to tell enquiring strangers who desire a thoughtful comparison to their half-ton not to think of the R1T as a pickup, but rather to think of it as a really nice vehicle that just happens to be in the shape of a truck. We plan to test the range when towing a variety of trailers, which we already know won’t be great. But it’ll give us plenty of time to hunt for that pesky odometer.Months in Fleet: 5 months Current Mileage: 9896 milesAverage Fuel Economy: 59 MPGe Battery Capacity: 128.9 kWh Observed Driving Range: 250 milesService: $0 Normal Wear: $0 Repair: $0SpecificationsSpecifications
2023 Rivian R1T AdventureVehicle Type: dual front- and dual rear-motor, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door pickup
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $74,800/$94,800Options: Quad-motor all-wheel drive, $8000; large battery pack, $6,000; 20-inch all-terrain tires and dark wheels, $3500; Red Canyon paint, $2500
POWERTRAIN
Front Motors (2): permanent magnet synchronous, 217 hp eachRear Motors (2): permanent magnet synchronous, 219 hp eachCombined Power: 835 hpCombined Torque: 908 lb-ftBattery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 128.9 kWhOnboard Charger: 11.5 kWPeak DC Fast-Charge Rate: 220 kWTransmissions, F/R: direct-drive
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: control arms/multilinkBrakes, F/R: 13.5-in vented disc/12.9-in vented discTires: Pirelli Scorpion Elect All-Terrain Plus275/65R-20 116H M+S 3PMSF RIV
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 135.8 inLength: 217.1 inWidth: 79.3 inHeight: 78.2 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 59/48 ft3Cargo Volume, Frunk/Gear Tunnel/Underbed: 11/12/14 ft3Curb Weight: 7054 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS: NEW
60 mph: 3.1 sec100 mph: 8.4 sec1/4-Mile: 11.7 sec @ 111 mphResults above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec.Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 3.3 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 1.6 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 2.0 secTop Speed (gov ltd): 111 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 179 ftBraking, 100–0 mph: 356 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.80 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY AND CHARGING
Observed: 59 MPGe75-mph Highway Range: 250 milesAverage DC Fast-Charge Rate, 10–90%: 115 kWDC Fast-Charge Time, 10–90%: 59 min
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 64/69/60 MPGeRange: 289 mi
WARRANTY
5 years/60,000 miles bumper to bumper8 years/175,000 miles powertrain and battery8 years/Unlimited miles corrosion protection
C/D TESTING EXPLAINEDExecutive EditorK.C. Colwell is Car and Driver’s executive editor, who covers new cars and technology with a keen eye for automotive nonsense and with what he considers to be great car sense, which is a humblebrag. On his first day at C/D in 2004, he was given the keys to a Porsche 911 by someone who didn’t even know if he had a driver’s license. He also is one of the drivers who set fast laps at C/D’s annual Lightning Lap track test. More

Early predictions that the move to electrification would be delivered exclusively by tall, lumpy crossovers and SUVs are being confounded—happily—by the laws of aerodynamics. EV buyers will still have plenty of tall vehicles from which to choose, but the desire to maximize range means there will also be plenty of lower, sleeker models to carry us into the new era. Cars like Volkswagen’s new electric flagship, the ID.7.The ID.7 isn’t actually a sedan, as its cargo hold is accessed via a liftgate rather than a trunk lid. But it looks like a low, coupe-ish three-box, in the manner of the Audi A7. And it passes through the air more efficiently than the ID.4 crossover. Volkswagen quotes an impressively slick drag coefficient as low as 0.23 Cd. Underneath, the ID.7 uses the same MEB platform that underpins its smaller sibling while getting various technical upgrades, including Volkswagen’s new, more powerful APP550 motor. This is the same unit that will be in the range-topping ID.4 next year. In the rear-drive ID.7 we drove in France, the single motor makes 282 horsepower and 402 pound-feet of torque. This powertrain will be sold alongside a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive version (with a still undisclosed power output) when the ID.7 goes on sale stateside in the second half of 2024.The ID.7 is taller and longer than the outgoing Arteon, but we can still see a family resemblance thanks to the new car’s coupe-ish roofline and broad-shouldered stance. At 195.3 inches in length, the ID.7 is 3.8 inches longer than the old sedan, and the exterior dimensions have translated into an impressively spacious cabin both front and rear. Full-size adults can sit fore and aft without either row needing to compromise on kneeroom. Kids may be less happy, with the high beltline denying smaller occupants a view out. They can gaze skyward, though, thanks to an optional panoramic glass roof, which can be electronically changed from opaque to clear. Not that the ID.7 interior feels limo-luxurious. As with the ID.4, there are lots of dark plastics and some hard, scratchy surfaces low down, although the materials grow plusher in areas that are likely to be frequently touched. Our Euro-market car also had a strange pattern on the plastic trim of the doors that made them look badly scratched, although when the car is running, they illuminate from the inside with switchable colors. The ID.7 takes the same minimalist approach to switchgear as other recent Volkswagens, using a touch-sensitive control ledge beneath the central screen for HVAC and audio functions instead of physical controls. (At least it’s now illuminated in the dark.) It also persists with the ID.4’s penny-pinching electric window switches on the driver’s door—there is only one for each side, meaning you have to separately select the rear windows if you want the switch to operate them. Volkswagen hasn’t totally ignored criticism of its user interface system, with the ID.7 pioneering a new 15.0-inch touchscreen and a revised system to make operation more instinctive. There’s now a row of shortcut icons at the top of the display to simplify the transition between different functions, and seat heating and ventilation also get permanent spots at the base of the screen, making them nearly as easy to operate as they would be with one of those old-fashioned buttons. Sadly, the ID.7’s Travel Assist enhanced cruise control was short on smarts. It now incorporates an active lane-change function, allowing a driver to order the car to pass on the highway by activating the appropriate turn signal. On a French autoroute, this function was more miss than hit, the system sometimes working as intended but frequently just braking to lumber along behind the slower vehicle with its blinker on, even when the next lane was completely clear. Some new tech did impress. The ID.7 we drove boasted an augmented-reality system, in effect an extra-large head-up display capable of projecting directional arrows at intersections or at freeway splits with the ability to give advance warning of speed-limit changes. This did work well.The basics seem well sorted, and the ID.7 rides and handles well. The steering has an artificial weight and an absence of true feedback in all of the different drive modes, but it delivers proportionate responses, and the ID.7 feels stable when asked to change direction at highway speeds. Pushed harder in tight corners, the car’s weight becomes obvious—the single-motor version is 4788 pounds, according to VW—but grip fades progressively, and the cornering line can be tightened using the accelerator, although the stability control prevents outright oversteer. At lower speeds, the ID.7 is impressively maneuverable for something so long, with an excellent 35.8-foot turning circle despite the lack of rear-wheel steering. Comfort is another virtue. Ride quality and body control both feel good, although the car we drove had adaptive dampers that will be an option in the U.S. In addition to the regular Comfort and Sport modes, these allow for no fewer than 15 stages of stiffness in the Individual setting, which surely seems like overkill. Cruising refinement is excellent, the cabin quiet all the way to the 112-mph speed limiter that we suspect few buyers will ever reach. Like in most EVs, acceleration is strong low down but fades as the car reaches highway speeds. Volkswagen claims a 6.5-second 62-mph time, and we anticipate the dual-motor version taking at least a second off that.Related StoriesAt launch, all versions of the ID.7 will come with a 77.0-kWh battery pack, which supports DC fast-charging at rates of up to 175 kilowatts. This gives the rear-drive version 386 miles of range under Europe’s WLTP testing protocol—meaning it should be around 300 miles via EPA methodology. A larger 86.0-kWh pack will be offered later. There is no official word on U.S. pricing yet, but we expect the rear-drive version to start around $50,000.The ID.7 is as much a Volkswagen as it is an EV. That is to say, it’s refined and rational rather than replete with emotional appeal. Some of the tech could use some fine-tuning, but VW has time to make some tweaks before the ID.7 reaches our shores next year. SpecificationsSpecifications
2025 Volkswagen ID.7Vehicle Type: rear-motor, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback
PRICE (C/D EST)
Base: $50,000
POWERTRAIN
Motor: permanent-magnet ACPower: 282 hpTorque: 402 lb-ft Battery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 77.0 kWhOnboard Charger: 11.0 kWPeak DC Fast-Charge Rate: 175 kWTransmission: direct-drive
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 117.0 inLength: 195.3 inWidth: 73.3 inHeight: 60.5 inCargoVolume, Behind F/R: 56/19 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 4800 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 6.3 sec1/4-Mile: 14.5 secTop Speed: 112 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST)
Combined/City/Highway: 113/120/105 MPGeRange: 300 miSenior European CorrespondentOur man on the other side of the pond, Mike Duff lives in Britain but reports from across Europe, sometimes beyond. He has previously held staff roles on U.K. titles including CAR, Autocar, and evo, but his own automotive tastes tend toward the Germanic: he owns both a troublesome 987-generation Porsche Cayman S and a Mercedes 190E 2.5-16. More

From the December 1993 issue of Car and Driver.Perhaps what they say is true—that it’s impossible to be all things to all people—but this 325i Convertible misses on only one key point: at $40,175, it’ll never be cheap. Apart from that, BMW seems to have put check marks in more boxes than you could expect for any single car. It can be a sunny convertible, it can be a weather­tight hardtop, it can be a versatile cargo hauler, and all the while it earns style points as it goes. For convenience of dropping the top, this car is tough to beat. Loosen the header latch with a single fold-up-and-turn of a handle over the inside mirror. With the same hand, push up the leading edge of the roof about eight inches. Then press a rocker switch on the console in the open-sesame direction. All the windows automatically drop a few inches, the rear accordions up around its C-pillar pivot, the rear deck for­ward of the trunk lid yawns open, the top itself collapses into the yawn, and the deck drops back into place, leaving nothing but blue sky overhead and tidy lines below.HIGHS: EZ convertibility, clever rollover protection, stylish looks.True, this isn’t quite the fully auto­mated disappearing act you would find on the Mercedes-Benz SL, but the nuisance jobs—­those that would require the driver to leave the seat—are handled with élan. What lit­tle manual labor is left adds to the pleasure because the latching mechanism works so smoothly and the efforts required are light indeed. Ken Hanna|Car and DriverAfter the first top-down ballet, in the euphoria of the moment, it’s tempting to conduct an award ceremony in the cere­brum and bestow on BMW some prize for new achievements in convertibility. But history records that Ford accomplished a similar feat in 1957 with the Skyliner—20,766 examples sold that year—and did it with a hard roof.Despite the wonderful convertibility of this car, BMW’s approach to the better ragtop is less a matter of automation and more along the lines of attachments that can be sold at a nice markup. If, for those snowy months, you want a snug interior and a hard rear window (instead of the soft top’s wavy plastic), a nifty, 64-pound alu­minum roof is available for about $4000. If you’d like a less drafty cockpit when the top is down, a wind-deflector accessory can be yours for $405. It includes a ton­neau for the rear-seat area and an aluminum-framed net to erect behind the front seats. Actually, the front-seat area is reasonably draft-free in its standard form. In back, hang on to your hat. With only nine cubic feet of capacity, the 325i Convertible’s trunk is consider­ably smaller than the coupe’s (14 cubic feet). To help in schlepping what won’t fit inside, BMW promises a special roof-rack option for the soft top, but its load capacity and price were unavailable at press time.Ken Hanna|Car and DriverFor rollover protection, a reinforced windshield frame is standard equipment. If you want more, a $1390 option adds two just-in-time roll bars to the shelf behind the rear-seat head restraints, on each side of the rear-window blower defroster. If a sensor detects an impending upset, the roll bars are released, fired upward by springs to a height 10 inches above the headrests, and latched into place, all in 0.3 second. Apparently, no impending upsets were detected during our test. LOWS: Shaky body, reluctant engine response if you let the revs drop.This convertible, by its nature, is less flingable than the coupe on which it’s based. You feel the extra pounds—3400 compared with 3087 for the last coupe we tested. The engine seems to work more, and at revs below 3500 it doesn’t respond sharply to the throttle. The body shakes noticeably; as is typical of convertibles, you feel the coachwork flex as you bite into turns. And the convertible is always a step or two behind the coupe. Acceleration to 60 requires 7.3 seconds, compared with 6.5 for the lighter coupe. Quarter-mile speed is 88 mph, down from the coupe’s 92 mph. The convertible does have road grip, though. The optional sport package ($600) brought handsome wire-lace alloy wheels and notably round-shouldered, low-profile Michelin Pilot HX 225/55VR-15 tires. Skidpad cornering was 0.84 g, much improved over the 0.79 g of the last coupe we tested (on Pirelli P600 205/60HR-15s). Understeer is minimal, and the steering stays responsive near the limits. The extra grip served well in the braking test, too, contributing to 173-foot stops from 70 mph, three feet shorter than the coupe’s stops. Ken Hanna|Car and DriverAs you would expect at this price, the details are nicely finished. For example, the driver’s left-foot rest is a substantial platform completely covered and color­-matched to the kick panel beside it. The beige and tan combination of this interior was particularly agreeable to the eye. The ears have it easy, too, on top-up trips. The soft top has an inner liner that adds one more barrier against the roar of semis in the adjoining freeway lane. BMW has gone to extra trouble to seal the side win­dows against the top, often a source of air­-rush noise in convertibles. As you open a door, the power window drops slightly, then pushes up against the seal after the door is closed. In a particularly thoughtful gesture for a convertible, the central-lock­ing system works on the glovebox, too. More BMW 3-series Reviews From the ArchiveNuisances remain, though. You’ll have to turn off your radar detector because the lighter socket stays live when you pull the key. And you’ll have to turn on the key to see the electronic odometer, a bother for those who log fuel fills. If you’ve been scanning the photos as you read and thinking this car looks dif­ferent—and, somehow, better—than you would have expected of a 325i coupe with a roofendectomy, we won’t leave you wondering. The rear deck is lower. The stepped shoulder on the coupe’s rear quar­ter panel is missing on the convertible, leaving a nicely rounded form. VERDICT: Satisfying rather than stirring.If this factoid wins you something in a trivia contest, we get half, okay? CounterpointsDo me a favor, folks, and ignore Sally Struthers. Send me your money instead. Your donation will go to a good cause—filling my garage. Give generously, because my wish list includes some seriously expensive machinery. Like this 325i Convertible. With all the flavor from the roofed car (perfect steering and brakes, a zippy inline-six, industrial styling as only the Germans can do) and one of the simplest top mechanisms around, BMW’s convertible is a thoroughly polished gem. Operators are standing by. Won’t you please help? —Martin Padgett Jr.I love convertibles in general, and I love the 325i. Marry these entities to make a 325i Convertible, though, and something is lost. Make that gained: The soft top and structural reinforcements add a 300-plus-pound burden to the athletic 3-series. It’s as if Mom and Dad were riding in the car with you at all times. The extra weight has a calming effect and takes away the crisp edge to the 2.5-liter six-cylinder that’s so endearing in the coupes and four-doors. Nothing, of course, that BMW’s DOHC aluminum V-8 couldn’t fix in a jiffy. —Don SchroederIf cars (like groceries) required freshness dating, you can bet this latest BMW 325i Convertible would carry a label promising freshness for decades. Which is not to say that 20 years down the road your Bimmer should still smell new-car fresh (though it could). It’s more a pledge that after two decades of motoring, this perfectly proportioned convertible will hold up to aesthetic scrutiny in much the same way the lovely 1957 BMW 507 Roadster does today. Now that’s freshness guaranteed! —Jeffrey DworkinSpecificationsSpecifications
1994 BMW 325i ConvertibleVehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2+2-passenger, 2-door convertible
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $40,175/$43,657Options: rollover-protection system, $1390; inclement-weather package (limited-slip differential, heated mirrors, and heated front seats), $755; sport package (includes sport seats, cross-laced wheels, 225/55Vr-15 tires), $600; onboard computer, $420; luxury tax on options, $317
ENGINEDOHC 24-valve inline-6, iron block and aluminum head, port fuel injectionDisplacement: 152 in3, 2494 cm3Power: 189 hp @ 5900 rpmTorque: 181 lb-ft @ 4200 rpm 
TRANSMISSION5-speed manual
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: control arms/multilinkBrakes, F/R: 11.3-in vented disc/11.0-in discTires: Michelin Pilot HX225/55VR-15
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 106.3 inLength: 174.5 inWidth: 67.3 inHeight: 53.1 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 48/26 ft3Trunk Volume: 9 ft3Curb Weight: 3400 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 7.3 sec1/4-Mile: 15.9 sec @ 88 mph100 mph: 21.2 secRolling Start, 5–60 mph: 8.3 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 11.4 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 11.7 secTop Speed (gov ltd): 127 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 173 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.84 g 
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 24 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMYCity/Highway: 19/27 mpg 
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED More

From the November 2023 issue of Car and Driver.Grabbing hold of a thin-rimmed, leather-wrapped steering wheel reads luxury in much the same way thick-rimmed wheels connote sportiness. Not many modern vehicles have thin-rimmed steering wheels, but the Buick Envista does, and it sends a subtle message that this inexpensive car’s mission is to provide luxury.The Envista is Buick’s new entry-level model, slotting in just below the Encore GX. But you wouldn’t know it’s the least expensive Buick by looking at it. It’s nearly a foot longer than the Encore GX and rides on a 106.3-inch wheelbase, 4.1 inches longer than the Encore’s. The package results in 97 cubic feet of passenger volume. Rear-seat legroom is ample, and the flat floor gives a sense of spaciousness. The sloping roofline is a nod to current design trends—fortunately, rear-seat headroom isn’t affected, and there’s a big 21 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seat—and lends the Envista a presence that belies the base model’s $23,495 price.HIGHS: Refined road manners, spacious interior, low starting price. Even at $31,430 as tested, our top-trim Envista Avenir feels like a value. The structure is solid and never shudders in response to big suspension impacts. The ride is supple without any sign of floatiness. And it’s quiet, registering a luxury-car-like 68 decibels at 70 mph, although an occasional rattle from the hatch disrupted the peace. The driver faces two screens: an 8.0-inch digital cluster and an 11.0-inch touchscreen that responds reliably, enjoys an easy-to-decipher menu structure, and has phone-mirroring capability. There’s plenty of hard plastic inside, and the carpet is economy-car grade, but the swooping design on the instrument panel and attractive textures mask some of the cost cutting. Leather is standard on the Avenir, as are six-way power seats that easily adjust into an ideal driving position. Overall, it’s a pleasant place to sit.Steering accuracy through that thin-rimmed wheel is excellent, and the effort and weighting are natural and better than some pricier SUVs from premium brands. There’s poise and confidence in how the Envista drives around town and on the freeway. This all sounds pretty great, right? At this price, there must be a catch. And there is: The Envista has just 137 horsepower.LOWS: Some evidence of accounting in the interior, but mostly the Envista just needs more horsepower.All Envistas drive their front wheels with GM’s corporate turbo 1.2-liter, a three-cylinder job with 162 pound-feet of torque. Sound deadening and noise cancellation keep the little three’s ministrations largely hidden. Even at full whack, the engine never shouts louder than 71 decibels, which is good because silence is golden but also because this engine works very hard to accelerate the 3124-pound Envista to speeds beyond 50 mph. The powertrain’s low-end torque and short gearing bring up 50 mph in an acceptable 6.7 seconds. Going faster requires more patience. A run to 60 takes 9.3 seconds, and the quarter-mile is a sleepy 17.0 seconds at 80 mph. Related StoriesSince we constantly had to spin that little engine to its redline through the first three of the six-speed’s gears to create meaningful acceleration, we fell well short of the EPA estimates of 28 mpg city and 32 mpg highway with our 25-mpg overall average. But we matched the 32-mpg figure on our 75-mph highway loop.VERDICT: A compelling value proposition, so long as you’re never in a hurry.The Envista is poised, refined, and a good value starting at under $30,000. Aside from a few quibbles about interior materials, there’s nothing here that another 70 horsepower wouldn’t fix. SpecificationsSpecifications
2024 Buick Envista AvenirVehicle Type: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $29,695/$31,430Options: moonroof, $795; Advanced Safety package (rear cross-traffic alert, heated and power adjustable exterior mirrors, lane-change alert, adaptive cruise control, intermittent rain-sensing wipers), $795; rear park assist, $145
ENGINE
Turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 12-valve inline-3, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 73 in3, 1199 cm3Power: 137 hp @ 5000 rpmTorque: 162 lb-ft @ 2500 rpm
TRANSMISSION
6-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/torsion beamBrakes, F/R: 11.8-in vented disc/11.3-in discTires: Continental ProContact TX245/45R-19 M+S TPC Spec 3178
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 106.3 inLength: 182.6 inWidth: 71.5 inHeight: 61.3 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 54/46 ft3Cargo Volume, Behind F/R: 42/21 ft3Curb Weight: 3124 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 9.3 sec1/4-Mile: 17.0 sec @ 80 mph100 mph: 32.3 sec110 mph: 45.5 secResults above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 10.1 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 4.5 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 6.1 secTop Speed (gov ltd): 112 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 183 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.83 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 25 mpg75-mph Highway Driving: 32 mpg75-mph Highway Range: 420 mi
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 30/28/32 mpg
C/D TESTING EXPLAINEDEditor-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 January 1991 issue of Car and Driver.Remember Renault’s weird and won­derful RS Turbo, the little rally rat that car­ried a lusty powerplant where the back seat used to be? Mid-engined, box-­fendered, fast and twitchy, the RS Turbo was officially a homologation special for rally competition. History will probably record it as the first econobox on steroids. A new car called the Shogun is from the same school of personal rapid transit.The Shogun is the aftermarket work of a company called Special Editions, of Up­land, California. Special Editions has tak­en a mild-mannered Festiva and put a Taurus SHO engine and gearbox be­tween its rear wheels. It plans to build 250 of them. We went for an exclusive drive in a proof-of-concept prototype to take a close look at this intriguing project. The principals at Special Editions bring some motor moxie to the table. There’s Rick Titus (son of the late Jerry Titus, 1967 Trans-Am champion), a driver­-consultant-journalist who won the SCCA’s 1987 Escort Endurance SS/GT crown. Then there’s Chuck Beck, whose engineering-fabrication credentials range from the Ford GT40 program in the sixties to today’s Vintage 550 Spyder, a Porsche replicar he builds. Similarly, the Shogun’s mechanical foundations come well recommended. The Festiva is a sturdy, nicely made econ­omy car. The SHO V-6 engine (220 hp, 24 valves) is perhaps the sweetest high-per­formance engine fitted to an American automobile today. Beck and Titus gutted the Festiva’s interior and cut away the floorpan and inner fenders in the back. Riding in a steel-tube subframe, the com­plete SHO powerteam—along with half­-shafts, vented disc brakes, and strut/coil­-spring suspension from the front of the Taurus—nestles in behind the two Recaro front seats. Front suspension and brakes are also Taurus SHO pieces, and the Shogun keeps the Festiva’s rack­-and-pinion steering. Giant fiberglass fender bulges cover serious-duty Goodyear S-compound ZR tires and BBS wheels: 20S/50ZR-15s on 8.0-inch rims in front, 245/45ZR-16s on 9.5-inchers in back. A safety cell carries fifteen gallons of fuel in the Festiva’s now-vacated front compartment, and a deeply cut-out hood vents the large radia­tor. Fully wet, this car weighs 2560 pounds: 43 percent of it up front, 57 percent in the rear. The Shogun is not a car for everyone. It’s a unique, sharp-reacting little terror that weeds out the general public with its demeanor and its anticipated $47,500 base price.Although our drive confirmed the Sho­gun’s performance potential (we mea­sured a 0 to 60 time of 5.4 seconds), much work remains to turn the Shogun into a civilized—or at least mildly tamed—roadgoing automobile. The pro­totype’s exhaust system was unmuffled, the throttle and shift linkage needed fur­ther development, and some minor re­contouring of the rear-fender bulges was under discussion. Most critically, the car’s handling was just starting to be sorted, with attenti0n zeroing in on adjustments and componentry to make the Taurus front end function properly as a rear sus­pension. Of course, with the outsized power and weight of that engine sitting in the back of a tiny, 91.0-inch-wheelbase car, the beast will be darty and eager to change direc­tion no matter how the chassis is tuned.But that’s the whole point. The Shogun is not a car for everyone. It’s a unique, sharp-reacting little terror that weeds out the general public with its demeanor and its anticipated $47,500 base price. All that will be left will be 250 hot-eyed enthusi­asts who simply must own the fastest, craziest shoe box in town.SpecificationsSpecifications
1991 Special Editions ShogunVehicle Type: mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 3-door coupe
PRICEAs Tested: $47,500
ENGINEDOHC 24-valve V-6, iron block and aluminum heads, port fuel injectionDisplacement: 182 in3, 2986 cm3Power: 220 hp @ 6000 rpm 
TRANSMISSION5-speed manual 
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 91.0 inLength: 144.0 inCurb Weight: 2560 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 5.4 sec1/4-Mile: 14.3 sec @ 96 mph100 mph: 17.3 secTop Speed: 128 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 208 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.86 g  
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED More

Tell your significant other you’re bringing home a quarter-million-dollar Bentley Bentayga Azure, and certain expectations come to the fore. Before it arrives, the very idea of gliding around in a stately and sumptuous ultra-luxe machine sets plans into motion. Where shall we dine? Would it be presumptuous to invite the couple down the street? Shall we make a day of it?When the chariot rolls into the drive, the fact that the Bentayga is an SUV may or may not trigger the merest whiff of disappointment. If it does, such trifles are easily brushed aside by the rational realization that SUVs are saving the grand old marques because they’re popular and practical, two automotive characteristics that are, it would seem, just as important to the upper crust as they are to the hoi polloi. But the arriving machine’s dark Tungsten paint, 22-inch black-painted wheels, and blacked-out trim robs it of further allure.HIGHS: Sumptuous interior, moves out smartly, rated EV range is easy to replicate.”So, it’s a murdered-out Bentley truck. Ah. Perhaps we should drive thru In-N-Out instead. And then we can visit 7-Eleven for one of those ghastly hashtag photographs.”James Lipman|Car and DriverInside, the sumptuous and aromatic leather interior claws back some of the deficit. Well-padded seats face a leather dashboard that features pipe-organ air vent controls and inserts trimmed with Fiddleback Eucalyptus veneer. Press the engine start button and then . . . a rather ordinary (but properly muted) mechanical note seeps into the cabin. That’s because this is not the throaty 542-hp twin-turbo V-8 powerplant of the Bentayga S, but is instead a 335-hp turbocharged V-6 that gets boosted to 456 polo ponies by a rear-axle-mounted electric motor.This powertrain gets good fuel economy, you point out. It’s good for an EPA-rated 20 mpg combined instead of the 2023 V-8’s 17 mpg. In fact, even though Bentley calls it the Bentayga Hybrid, it’s actually a plug-in hybrid with a 14.3-kWh plug-in battery that gives it 23 miles of estimated all-electric range.The RealityThe thing is, we wouldn’t call 23 miles of range sufficient to get through a weekday on electricity alone. It does readily achieve this rating, however. In seven full charge and discharge cycles of random mixed driving, we averaged 28 miles. Not bad, but talk to us again when the rated range is something like 40 miles. That may come to pass if and when Bentley gets the 2024 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid’s larger 22.0-kWh battery. For now, the Bentayga uses the old Cayenne’s hand-me-down 14.3-kWh setup.On gasoline alone, however, the Bentayga also impressed. We couldn’t run a formal 75-mph test, but we averaged 23 mpg on gasoline alone over a 1454-mile span of mixed driving that included a freeway run from LA to Sonoma wine country to drive the Lucid Air Sapphire. That it could make that run and still stand a chance of getting through the week under electric power alone says much about the practical benefits of a PHEV. Bentley should lean into that more.For all that, the Bentayga Hybrid is no slug. It gets to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and finishes the quarter-mile in 13.0 seconds at 107 mph. Bentley says top speed is 83 mph on electricity alone, but we coaxed it to 87 mph. But the EV mode isn’t steadfastly persistent below this point, because the engine comes to life whenever you mash the gas, which results in the full 456-hp wallop of urgency shoving you down the road.As for the thirstier V-8-powered Bentayga S, it has 86 more horsepower and weighs 229 pounds less, so it’s no surprise it’s a full second quicker off the line, achieving 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and polishing off the quarter-mile in 12.0 seconds. But its passing time advantage isn’t nearly as stark. Sure, its 2.6 seconds from 30 to 50 mph and 3.2 seconds from 50 to 70 mph is quicker, but only by a couple of tenths, because the hybrid’s rear-mounted electric motor doesn’t have to wait for a transmission to kick down.Ordinary DrivingPerhaps the biggest letdown is the Bentayga Hybrid’s ride comfort, which is not the butter-smooth Bentley experience you’re imagining. We’re not asking for a complete isolation chamber, but our Bentayga’s bordering-on-harsh ride was far less polished than it should be. We couldn’t help noticing that the track-tuned Lucid Air Sapphire rode far more smoothly than the Bentayga had on the trip up.The Bentayga corners well enough. Active anti-roll bars help it to generate 0.86 g of grip on the skidpad, which understandably trails the lighter Bentayga S’s 0.88 g on the same 22-inch 285/40R-22 Pirelli P Zero summer tires. The same physics-induced difference carries over to braking, where the lighter Bentayga S stops from 70 mph in 165 feet versus the hybrid’s 168 feet. Likewise, the S stops from 100 mph in 331 feet, while the hybrid trails a wee bit at 339 feet. Both utilize the same iron-rotor brake system, but the heavier hybrid was stinking, smoking, and exhibiting excessive pedal travel at the end of our test regimen.LOWS: Ride comfort is ordinary, unsatisfying brake feel, rated EV range isn’t remarkable. Thing is, the hybrid doesn’t rely on these friction brakes near as much in daily driving, as the regenerative braking afforded by its electric motor contributes a fair bit in the name of recapturing energy around town. The system is largely triggered by the brake pedal and is blended by software, but the programming lacks polish, resulting in somewhat vague and inconsistent brake feel. More Bentley BabbleIt’s all in the NaimOne of the Bentley extravagances that really works is the optional Naim premium audio system, which delivers exquisite sound through no less than 20 speakers that are backed up by 1780 watts of amplification. Turn the music down while cruising blithely at 70 mph and you’ll enjoy 62 decibels of background hush whether you’re running on gasoline or electrons. Stereo on or off, the audio environment absolutely lives up to Bentley expectations.In the end, the Bentley name brings with it a set of wide-ranging expectations that the Bentayga Hybrid doesn’t quite live up to. The implied ride smoothness and poise isn’t quite there, and the drive experience doesn’t feel exceptional when rolling down the road. The hybrid’s powertrain certainly feels quick enough and is comparatively thrifty in practice, but we find it odd that its plug-in part-time EV nature is largely hidden behind a plain hybrid badge. In more ways than one, the Bentley Bentayga Hybrid misses the marque. But the Double-Doubles were delicious.VERDICT: Drives far more ordinary than expected considering its extraordinary quarter-million-dollar price tag. SpecificationsSpecifications
2023 Bentley Bentayga Azure HybridVehicle Type: front-engine, rear-motor, rear/all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $234,450/$273,095Options: Naim 1780-watt 20-speaker premium audio, $9150; Tungsten metallic paint, $6405; Bentayga blackline trim, $5875; front paint protection film, $4280; 22-inch black-painted five-spoke directional wheels, $3695; Dark Fiddleback Eucalyptus wood veneer, $2995; upper cabin leather, $1555; rear privacy glass, $1335; LED welcome lamps, $1140; space-saving spare wheel, $780; self-leveling wheel badges, $615; Bentley charging dock, $470; contrast overmat carpet binding, $350
POWERTRAIN
turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve 3.0-liter V-6, 335 hp, 332 lb-ft + AC motor, 134 hp, 295 lb-ft (combined output: 456 hp, 516 lb-ft; 14.3-kWh lithium-ion battery pack; 7.2-kW onboard charger)Transmissions, F/R: 8-speed automatic/direct-drive
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: multilink/multilinkBrakes, F/R: 15.8-in vented disc/15.0-in vented discTires: Pirelli P Zero285/40ZR-22 (110Y) Extra Load B1
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 117.9 inLength: 201.8 inWidth: 79.1 inHeight: 67.3 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 54/52 ft3Cargo Volume, Behind F/R: 62/17 ft3Curb Weight: 5668 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 4.5 sec100 mph: 11.2 sec1/4-Mile: 13.0 sec @ 107 mph130 mph: 20.2 secResults above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 5.4 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 2.8 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 3.5 secTop Speed (gov ltd): 158 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 168 ftBraking, 100–0 mph: 339 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.86 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed Gasoline: 23 mpgObserved Gasoline + Electricity: 25 MPGePercentage of Miles Driven on Electricity: 13
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 20/18/24 mpgCombined Gasoline + Electricity: 47 MPGeEV Range: 23 mi
C/D TESTING EXPLAINEDTechnical EditorDan Edmunds was born into the world of automobiles, but not how you might think. His father was a retired racing driver who opened Autoresearch, a race-car-building shop, where Dan cut his teeth as a metal fabricator. Engineering school followed, then SCCA Showroom Stock racing, and that combination landed him suspension development jobs at two different automakers. His writing career began when he was picked up by Edmunds.com (no relation) to build a testing department. More

From the August 1993 issue of Car and Driver.Bart McLellan, the product­ planning chief of Dodge Truck, wishes the launch of a new full­-size pickup could be like that line in the movie Field of Dreams. The one that goes: “If you build it, they will come.” But this is real life, and McLel­lan understands that Dodge will have to overcome fierce brand loyalty in the light-truck business if it is to meet its optimistic sales target of 160,000 trucks. Small as that number may seem when compared with the sales of mar­ket titans Ford and Chevrolet, it is twice Dodge’s current market share. The doubling of current sales may seem a tall order, but McLellan and the other members of the T300 light-truck engineering team have high hopes. Their strategy to break the GM and Ford stranglehold on the pickup mar­ket began with targeting all the areas of truck ownership and operation that would make the new Ram a class leader. Then they systematically set out to meet those objectives. They defined their targets by recruiting 100 employees as a jury and having them evaluate a number of current vehicles (including some high-­end luxury cars) to establish 400 detail objectives for the new truck. The jury was then called back to monitor progress at various intervals during the development process. The broad aim of the Dodge team included better ride and handling, comfort, convenience, and safety, plus increased storage, hauling, and towing capacities. They also wanted to improve passenger space and to provide switch and control tactile qualities like those of a good pas­senger car. Equally important, the T300 needed an appearance that would be instantly recognizable. Because of that prerequisite, an initial styling presentation was rejected by Chrysler president Bob Lutz, who asked the artists to be more radical in their approach. So chief designer Trevor Creed went looking for inspiration in trucks of the past and found the Power Wagon, a 1950s Dodge pickup with a distinctive front end. Creed echoed the high vertical grille and dropped fender-line motif in his T300 concept truck, the LRT, and then put it on show to test public reaction. Lutz was emphatic about the love-it-or-leave-it aspect of contentious styling. He reasoned it would provide a strong incen­tive for sales, even if the love-hate ratio was 20/80. Clinics have since elicited responses more like 50/50, so this may turn out to have been a smart gamble. Our only real regret is that a front-end treatment with a chrome grille-surround has been selected for most of the models. We pre­fer the matte-argent surround with black grillework that we saw on one of the trucks. Fortunately, our preference will be available on some models, and spokesmen say that body-color grilles are also on the way. Before tackling the interior, chief designer Trevor Creed looked at pho­tographs of pickup-truck cabs to see how owners customized them. As a result, he has incorporated the trucking world’s first “center high-mounted cupholders,” which pop out of the dash above the radio. The rest of the interior layout combines carlike aesthetics and truck functionality with the elegant simplicity we’ve come to expect of Creed’s work these days. The premise is that even tough truckers like stylish sur­roundings, an idea Creed says was con­firmed by research. In response to another perceived customer requirement, Creed’s team endowed the new truck range with an unusually large cab. In addition to enough room for C/D’s tallest truck driver, there is space behind the seats for what Dodge calls cab­-back storage. The rear bulkhead incorpo­rates special hooks that will mount cus­tom-made nets, pockets, and racks. The extra space has also enabled Dodge to relax the seatback angle on the regular bench seat by a few degrees (to 21 degrees of rake), but the real hot wrinkle in the new truck is a novel 40/20/40-split front seat that allows individual adjustments and uti­lizes the middle seatback as a fold-down storage box. Even in the bed, where you hardly expect innovations, there are a couple of handy features. In addition to the usual stake pockets (those holes in the top rim of the box), there are low-level tie-downs and clever tamped-in bulkhead dividers for wooden crossmembers, so that loads can be compartmentalized vertically and horizontally. Starting this fall, Dodge will offer reg­ular-cab versions of all three payload ranges (half-ton, three-quarter-ton, and one-ton payloads), designated as 1500, 2500, and 3500 models in long- and short-­bed form , with either rear- or four-wheel drive. The available engines will be a base 3.9-liter V-6, a 5.2-liter V-8, a 5.9-liter V-8 in light- and heavy-duty spec, and a 5.9-liter six-cylinder Cummins turbo-­diesel. The “iron-Viper” 8.0-liter V-10 will be available by January 1994. Cab­-chassis versions will roll off the line in November of this year, and club-cab production is expected to start by June 1994. Dodge will leave the four-door crew-cab market to Ford and Chevy.To cover the enormous spread of appli­cations, there are five transmissions in the catalog. All of the trucks will come with a five-speed manual as standard equipment, with four-speed automatics available as options. The manuals are supplied by New Venture Gear and come in light-duty, heavy-duty, and extra-heavy-duty (for the Cummins diesel engine and the V-10, both of which produce 400-plus pound-feet of torque). The automatics are Kokomo devices in light- and heavy-duty configurations. Four-wheel drive is handled, as usual, by transfer cases, which are synchronized for shifting-on-the-fly. The heavy-duty trans­fer cases include power-take-off provi­sions, even (for the first time) on auto­matic-transmission 4wd models. We drove a range of prototype trucks, with manual and automatic transmissions, and found the powertrains highly satisfac­tory. The manual-transmission trucks have a shifter that feels light and fluid, with smooth engagement, and the autoboxes (being electronically controlled) were any­thing but agricultural in the way they swapped ratios. The V-6 was absent from the lineup, but we tried the 5.9-liter V-8 with both types of gearbox and were pleased with the power delivery, the low noise levels, and the effective isolation.Even in a 4wd Ram, the ride has been finessed beyond what you might think possible in a truck designed for hard work. The rigid rear axle was given eight-inch -longer leaf springs for a compliant ride. The front end uses a rigid axle with double-leading links and a Panhard rod, a setup much like that found on the smooth­-riding Jeep Grand Cherokee. Rear-drive trucks get a double-control-arm front end, and the ride here is even better. But softer does not mean weaker, says executive engineer Craig Winn. “The trucks have accumulated four million miles of testing. We’ve run the durability course at such high speed that we bent frames.” More ram reviews from the archiveSome of the brutal testing was neces­sary because this will be the first truck to come equipped with an airbag. Due to the severe operating conditions trucks find themselves in, the airbag sensor calibra­tion had to be absolutely foolproof. Says Craig Winn: “We wanted to be sure there would be no inadvertent deployments, so we rammed curbs, dropped wheels into potholes, and ran snowplows into sand­banks. As well as two airbag bumper sen­sors, we have a ‘safing’ sensor on the tun­nel to ensure the bag only goes off in a real accident.” Although fine-tuning was still in progress when we drove the T300s, our demo trucks had clearly lost the numb, squashy, and vague control feel that might have been acceptable in yesterday’s trucks. When we tried the turbo-diesel, we found not only a responsive and torquey power­train (with substantially reduced diesel clatter), but accurate and damped steering feel as well. The brake pedal (on all models) was just a tiny bit of squish short of decent feel. We also drove the V-10 truck and discovered a delightfully smooth, massively strong powertrain. And, as in all the others, the driver’s environment felt safely isolated from noise or vibration. From a real working truck driver’s per­spective, the important thing about the new Ram series is that it offers the highest GCW (gross combined weight, the sum of payload and towing capacities) of any full­-size truck on the market. The trucks also meet new 1994 safety standards, which demand center high-mounted stoplights, compliance with roof-crush standards, and side-intrusion protection. And with what we’ve experienced in driving them, the new Rams look set to deliver on the promise of space and comfort as well as in the arena of ride and handling. Obviously, our limited access to the trucks only tells part of the story. With the mind-boggling multiplicity of chassis, engines, transmissions, axles, wheelbases, and bed and cab sizes that make up a full­-size pickup-truck range, the new Ram’s potential has yet to be measured in real­-world terms. However, Chrysler’s recent performance and our limited experience with the new Dodge trucks suggest that the new Ram is close to where the company wants it to be. And that’s on the Field of Dreams Come True. Where, if you build it right, they do come. And then they leave—in one of your trucks. SpecificationsSpecifications
1994 Dodge RamVehicle Type: front-engine, rear- or 4-wheel-drive, 3-passenger, 2-door truck
PRICE
Estimated Base: $15,000–$26,000
AVAILABLE ENGINES
3.9-liter V-6, 175 hp, 230 lb-ft; 5.2-liter V-8. 220 hp, 300 lb-ft; 5.9-liter V-8, 230 hp, 330 lb-ft; 5.9-liter turbo­charged and intercooled diesel 6-in­line, 160–175 hp, 400–420 lb-ft; 8.0-liter V-10, 300 hp, 450 lb-ft Displacement: 318 in3, 5210 cm3Power: 230 hp @ 4800 rpm
TRANSMISSIONS
5-speed manual, 4-speed automatic
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 118.7–134.7 inLength: 204.0–224.3 inCurb Weight: 3800–6200 lb

C/D TESTING EXPLAINED More