Reviews

From the July 1975 issue of Car and Driver.The “Longer, Lower, Wider” philosophy of car design is up for grabs. Detroit has reluctantly had to give up that approach or suffocate in its own padded bulk—and who should take over the well-used ploy but Toyota, the company we’ve come to know as small-car specialists.As incriminating evidence, we have the 1975 Corolla—long­er, wider and a prime example of Detroit’s old gambit of mod­el maturation. From most standpoints, this new Corolla is a better car: more civilized, roomier, even better looking. But the crime Toyota has committed has to do with the cost of it all—and not just the list price, although that has taken a fat hike as well. What is most worrisome is a generalized soften­ing of the Corolla’s metabolism: In maturity, it has become a substantially slower car.That is especially tragic in the SR-5 version. Here is an arrow from Toyota’s quiver aimed right at the heart of the driving enthusiast. It bristles with a five-on-the-floor (just like a Lotus or Porsche), fat tires, fender flares and enough instru­ments to monitor a space launch. Past Corolla SR-5s left their mark as rare have-your-cake-and-eat-it cars: cheap to buy, fun to drive, and remarkably efficient with fuel.But a lot of the fun is gone for 1975. Even with the old optional 1588-cc four-cylinder engine moved up to standard duty, there is a severe horsepower deficiency. The basic de­sign hasn’t been changed; it’s still a pushrod cross-flow hemi with an aluminum head. The camshaft has lived in the cast-­iron block from inception, and this engine got along just fine with such a handicap. Formerly it was an undisputed over­achiever, strong right up to the redline, pumping out nearly one horsepower per cubic inch in spite of its pushrods. But now it seems old age has set into the Corolla’s hemi. Its health chart lists a horsepower peak down a debilitating 13 hp since the 1973 SR-5, and in the current California version (subject of this test), the atrophy is even worse at 15 hp. The problem stems from the techniques Toyota has stooped to for a clean exhaust. Valve sizes remain the same but intake passages are sized down in the head and intake manifold. In addition, the carburetor’s air-flow rating is down by three percent compared to 1973, so high-speed breathing is off accordingly. Low-speed snap is wilted by a centrifugal spark-advance curve that waits until 5200 rpm to deliver full advance. Exhaust timing has been shifted for more overlap, resulting in a natural EGR (or incoming-charge dilution by spent exhaust gases) for NOx control. A large thermal reactor plenum-type exhaust manifold is new for 1975 for external combustion of pollutants. To feed it with substantial volumes of oxygen, the air pump drive ratio has been geared up. This all combines to sap 12 to 15 hp from the little engine, in which the only change beneficial to power output is a compression ratio bumped from 8.5 to 9.0 to one.Compounding this decline in engine-room productivity is the car’s escalating weight. With a wheelbase longer by 1.4 inches and overall length stretched 1.7 inches, curb weight has increased by 200 pounds since last year. It’s the same obesity that has crept up on most domestic machinery. In the Corolla, the result is a 10-percent weight gain with a softer engine to pull it down the road. Quarter-mile times are off a full second from the SR-5 we tested two years ago, and that makes the Corolla fair game for anything on wheels. You can almost stomach that slowdown if you don’t let yourself notice the SR-5’s five-speed transmission. The basic pleasure of a car like this is meant to be mechanical harmony: an eager power-generator up front matched perfectly to its task by an able driver and their trusty gearbox. The tight ratios of a five-speed are essential to smoothly slice off speed while spiraling down entrance ramps, and with such a small motor you need a constant handful of gears on the exit side to keep the revolutions up for whipping into the straights. But none of this clicks together if the engine is as soft as the ’75 Corolla’s. When you nail it, first gear is reasonably energetic, but as you slide the shifter into second, the fun starts to fade. Above 40, it takes so long for the engine to crawl up its rev range that you aren’t snicking through the gears any more but just sitting back waiting—and hoping to squeeze out a few more rpm. The sagging acceleration curve effectively deflates the Co­rolla’s aggressive character. It’s no longer the scrappy pocket rocket that used to love being driven flat-out. Now it’s a young adult, complete with a few correspondingly more mature apti­tudes. Instead of the old bouncy SR-5 ride, the Corolla now rolls down the freeway with poise. Its response over bumps and dips is smooth and supple—good enough to comfort for­mer owners of big American cars through the trauma of switching to compact transportation. In fact, the Corolla SR-5 now has the capable handling that was the single failing of earlier models. Track width is up two inches in front and 1.6 inches in the rear, and the tires are upgraded one size to 185/70HR-13s. It’s enough to make the Corolla SR-5 the best-handling Toyota ever. Since there is no grinding understeer at the limit (as there is in the Celica), steering effort needed is moderate. You can pitch the SR-5 into a tight bend, get way over your head, let the tail swing wide and hold it there with your foot flat on the throttle. The car hangs on like a racer, its body roll well in check. Since there is plenty of front tire grip left in reserve, you can dive toward the inside for a quick pass if necessary. If the bend is tight enough, inside rear wheel spin limits forward progress to an extent, but this is nowhere near the speed limiter it was in the old narrow-tire Corolla. So if you enter this SR-5 exclu­sively as a downhill racer where tire-smoking torque is not a factor, you should have an even shot at the competition. Part of your unfair advantage will come with late-braking techniques. It’s an easy edge to develop because the Corolla has the finest stopping equipment in its class. Proportioning is adjusted so that the front tires lock first—as they should—and pedal feel through the vacuum boost system is first rate. Good brakes are not only a valuable speed advantage but a comforting safety device as well. If you jump into a turn really over your head, the front disc/rear drum system will haul you down without twitching the tail around or catapulting you off into the hostile wilderness. The blend of performance attributes you get in this new Corolla SR-5—soft acceleration but great handling and brak­ing—means it is no longer the vibrant street-racer it once was. The engine is not a willing partner when you feel like a hard run. But if you work hard and guide the car with a deft hand, keeping the revs in the high range and not losing an ounce of speed to excessive tire scrub or premature braking, the Corol­la can be quick on a twisty road. It’s low on cheap thrills when you stand on the gas, but it can still deliver fun. At least it’s a good deal easier to live with when your needs are strictly transportation. The new body carries its five-mph bumpers without the tacked-on look of last year’s cars, and frivolous trim has been stripped away, leaving the well-propor­tioned body clean and functional. Even the accent items have been given a purpose: The black mesh hood vent exhausts heat from the engine compartment while similar grilles on each rear fender duct interior air out of the car. If you’re after the feisty secret-racer image the SR-5 used to signify, the 1975 edition will not be your kind of car.The real justification for the new body, according to Toyota, is a roomier interior. But the gains are small: an extra inch of elbowroom front and rear, and 1.5 inches of additional front headroom. The latter comes largely through the use of a molded headliner, which unfortunately adds no rear head­room over last year’s car. Somehow, the product planners in Japan also forgot about a hatchback body style for the Corol­la, which may turn out to have been a big mistake in today’s highly competitive little-car market. The instrument panel may be the nicest part of the Corolla package. Toyota has always been the master of the plastic interior. There is no pretense: no attempt to emulate mahogany, engine-turned aluminum or sewn leather. Just straightforward molded plastic. There are no phony seams to waver out of alignment or fake stitching to challenge your detection. From the steering wheel forward, every contour is smoothly cloaked in a molded skin. When automo­tive plastic finally becomes respectable, the SR-5 will be eligible for an industrial design award. Furthermore, the panel is efficient to use. The driver is clearly given top priori­ty: an array of seven dials sweeps be­fore you with the information needed to keep all systems on line. Nothing is hid­den behind the wheel rim, and crucial speed and engine rpm readouts lie directly ahead. Controls are moved off the panel, so you operate the wipers, wind­shield washer and headlights from fin­gertip stalks on the steering column. More Corolla Reviews From the ArchiveAll of this is proof of the careful thought lavished on the new Corolla to make it a good transportation device­—and, of course, primary evidence of the Longer, Lower, Wider philosophy. The LLW reasoning admittedly works well if you focus on the basic Corolla. It starts out as America’s least expensive auto­mobile and also enjoys the distinction of 24-mpg fuel economy (in the Car and Driver Mileage Cycle). Once that bottom line is nailed down, you can afford to yield to the pressures of the LLW theory, which serves to flesh out what might otherwise be stark transport. It does so at a price, though: less fuel economy, compactness and performance.If you’re after the feisty secret-racer image the SR-5 signifies, however, LLW just won’t do. If more room is the plan, there are efficient front-wheel-drive packages. If creeping weight is a prob­lem, there are plastic/aluminum radia­tors, alloy engine blocks, and whole new families of high-strength materials. If old engine designs resist emissions control, there are stratified-charge approaches and Mazda’s rotary record of annual emissions cuts along with performance boosts. Technology, not the LLW stra­tagem, is the ultimate salvation of per­formance cars like the SR-5. SpecificationsSpecifications
1975 Toyota Corolla SR-5Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $3680/$4065Options: air conditioning, $385
ENGINE
inline-4, iron block and aluminum headDisplacement: 97 in3, 1588 cm3Power: 75 hp @ 5800 rpmTorque: 83 lb-ft @ 3800 rpm 
TRANSMISSION5-speed manual
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/rigid axleBrakes, F/R: 9.0-in disc/9.0-in discTires: Bridgestone RD-105185/70HR-13
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 93.3 inLength: 165.2 inWidth: 65.0 inHeight: 53.5 inCurb Weight: 2380 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS30 mph: 3.960 mph: 13.9 sec1/4-Mile: 19.4 sec @ 69 mph90 mph: 51.0 secTop Speed (observed): 90 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 194 ftRoadholding: 0.85 g 
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 24 mpg 
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED More

From the May/June issue of Car and Driver.Engine downsizing in the name of fuel efficiency has been the order of the day for some time, and the Porsche Cayenne S has not been immune to this trend. The burly 4.8-liter V-8 it once offered was displaced by a twin-turbo 3.6-liter V-6 partway through the second generation, and the shrinkage continued with a twin-turbo 2.9-liter V-6 when the third-gen 2019 Cayenne S debuted. Power nevertheless ratcheted up during this progression (as did combined fuel economy), but the S moniker steadily lost mojo and meaning along the way.The 2024 Cayenne S brings all of that to a halt with the return of a V-8. This time it’s a twin- turbo 4.0-liter, a less powerful version of the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid and GT’s V-8, yet it makes a still-hefty 468 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque. That makes this Cayenne S the most powerful to date. But with a rating of 17 mpg combined (15 city/21 highway), it’s also the thirstiest—a bit of EPA backsliding that Porsche found tolerable by planning various E-Hybrid range improvements elsewhere in the Cayenne cavalcade.Our inner child revels in the engine change as the swole V-8 emits the guttural burble and vibratory brap that typically come hours after one consumes the vegetable juice of the same name. The car busts ass at the track too, racing to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, blasting to 100 mph in 10 seconds, and powering through the quarter-mile in 12.4 seconds at 111 mph. Sound registers at 41 decibels at an entertainingly lumpy idle before rising to 77 decibels at full beans and then fading to a 65-decibel background hush during highway cruising, which should allow wee ones to sleep in the back.HIGHS: V-8 sound and fury, improved ride even on 22s, sleeker design. LOWS: V-8 thirst, interior collects fingerprints, coupes should have two doors.VERDICT: A small hit to fuel economy pays dividends everywhere else.The Cayenne also rides more smoothly than before, even though the basic layout of the suspension is unchanged. Porsche’s new dual-adjustable adaptive dampers are standard on even the base model, and 20-inch wheels are the smallest fitment. The bigger news pertains to the larger outer diameter of all Cayenne tires, which now stand approximately 31 inches tall instead of 30 inches. For any given wheel-and-tire combination, raising the aspect ratio increases the sidewall height to improve road isolation, but this also allows for lower tire pressure, which increases the taller sidewall’s ride benefit. Our Cayenne S rolled on optional 22-inch wheels, but the effects of the extra sidewall, lower tire pressure, and optional air springs meant there was no comfort penalty. Road isolation was unexpectedly competent, as the tires smoothed over most cracks as if they were troweling grout into the joints. These were Pirelli P Zero Corsa PZC4 gumballs that were previously kept to the Turbo GT, but they’re now on the S options sheet for just $630 if you’ve already spec’d the 22s. This track-ready rubber delivered 1.03 g’s of lateral stick for our 5108-pound SUV, and it teams up with the bigger front and rear brakes (made possible by the standard 20s) to deliver panic stops of just 152 feet from 70 mph and 310 feet from 100 mph. The fun won’t last long on account of the PZC4s’ paltry 80 treadwear rating, but once they’re used up, you can revert to the standard P Zero PZ4 tires.More on the CayenneAll of the above comes as part of a mid-cycle facelift that gives all new Cayennes updated front and rear end caps that bring sleek Taycan design language to the head- and taillamps. The structural sheetmetal is all carryover, but Porsche has subtly altered the shape of the hatch frame and the glass within it. In our Coupe, the standard panoramic glass roof gracefully blends into the reshaped hatch glass as if it were one continuous piece, with the spoiler neatly concealing the break at the upper hinge point. The result is a very attractive look we couldn’t appreciate during an earlier drive of a camouflaged prototype.The Taycan influences continue inside, where a curved instrument display sits next to a center touchscreen, which sits next to a piece of trim or an optional screen for the passenger. Dedicated physical climate controls and hand-adjustable HVAC vents are two welcome changes. The prominent central touchscreen is largely the home of the infotainment system, with only lesser-used vehicle settings buried within. For a touchscreen-based setup, it strikes a good balance, but the 911 may represent a better mix of new and old thinking. On the other hand, this Cayenne has a V-8. SpecificationsSpecifications
2024 Porsche Cayenne S CoupeVehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 4-door hatchback
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $103,750/$133,720Options: Black/Bordeaux red leather seat and interior trim, $4180; Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control, $3590; Sport exhaust system with dark bronze tailpipes), $3220; 22-inch SportDesign Wheels, $3180; Arctic Grey paint, $3150; adaptive air suspension, $2390; 18-way adaptive front sport seats with memory, $1710; surround view with active parking, $1620; Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus, $1500; adaptive cruise control, $1420; rear axle steering, $1280; Exclusive Design taillights, $1140; ultra-high performance tires; $630; front and rear heated seats, $530; ambient lightning, $430
ENGINEtwin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 244 in3, 3996 cm3Power: 468 hp @ 6000 rpmTorque: 442 lb-ft @ 2000 rpm 
TRANSMISSION8-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: multilink/multilinkBrakes, F/R: 16.1-in vented disc/14.1-in vented discPirelli P Zero Corsa PZC4F: 285/40R-22 (110Y) Extra Load NC0R: 315/35R-22 (111Y) Extra Load NC0
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 114.0 inLength: 194.1 inWidth: 78.6 inHeight: 66.1 inCurb Weight: 5108 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 3.9 sec100 mph: 10.0 sec1/4-Mile: 12.4 sec @ 111 mph130 mph: 18.4 secResults above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec.Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 5.0 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 2.8 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 3.5 secTop Speed (mfr claim): 169 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 152 ftBraking, 100–0 mph: 310 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 1.03 g 
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 17 mpg 
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 17/15/21 mpg 
C/D TESTING EXPLAINEDDan 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 June 1989 issue of Car and Driver.The lap of luxury is especially cushy in Eagle’s latest Premier ES, the Limited. No bad thing, because the ES—new last year—remains one of the best-behaved sedans on the road. Alas, due to the ac­claim heaped upon Ford’s Taurus/Sable and the rapture piled high onto the road­puckering Taurus SHO, the Premier ES remains an underground delight buried in the sales charts. The Limited wears standard ES bodywork covered exclu­sively in startling ultrawhite, putting on a far-flashier show. This Eagle also takes heart from mechanical and interior refinements that enhance its natural-born coordination, livability, and likability.Likability figures high in the ES’s ris­ing stock here at C/D. We find everybody voicing, almost word for word, the same first thought: “I like it.” We like its steering, tracking, han­dling, ride, comfort, and all-around per­formance. We like Ford’s Taurus and Sa­ble, too, but their quirks are beginning to nip away at their likability. Their steering feels numb and artificial. They don’t brake with silky linearity. Their engines need smoothing—especially at high rpm. Ford had its better idea—modern aerosedans—first among domestic mak­ers, but amid record profits it’s been slow to update its brainchildren. Car and DriverThe boxy Premier looks less futuristic than the oval Fords (though it sports a comparable drag figure). It also checks in as something of a half-breed orphan. Created by Renault and American Mo­tors, developed in Europe and America, and built in Canada, the Eagle was adopt­ed by Chrysler when it bought out the Franco-American partnership. In a lucky twist, the Premier turned out to be by far the best sedan among Chrysler’s other­wise ordinary four-doors. Chrysler realized its luck, and now it’s made the ES more noteworthy. Certainly the exterior has become more noticeable. In one fell swoop of paint and plastics, the ES comes up whit­er than midday sun in the Sahara. Follow­ing the monochromatic trend set by AMG, Germany’s speed king among Mercedes tuners, Eagle even finishes the ES’s alloy wheels in white. Their starkness highlights an increase in diameter from fourteen to fifteen inches. The wheel width remains 6.0 inches, but this ES Limited’s wheel wells pack 205/60HR-15 Goodyear Eagle GT+4s. Compared with the regular ES’s 205/70HR-14 Eagle GT+4s, the slim 60-series 205s—still good for low drag and good tracking­—squat down for added responsiveness. These lower-profile Eagles fly right: cor­nering power soars from 0.75 to 0.81 g, yet without the flap of high drama. Noth­ing to it. Amazingly, the compliant ride provided by the ES’s cunningly beefed front coil-sprung struts, rear torsion-bar-­supported trailing arms, and anti-roll bars reveals an absence of added harshness but improved bump absorption. Car and DriverPotential customers who walked out of Eagle showrooms without buying a Pre­mier often cited the lack of leather uphol­stery. We prefer cloth for hard driving (no slippery sliding, and it’s considerably comfier when hot or cold), but leather now comes standard in the Limited—and it looks absolutely great. Not so the Eagle’s plastic dash and console. They glare inexpensively amid the mostly classy fitting—classy, but smooched with the French kiss of Gallic design. The instrument layout is fine, the seats facing it are roomy and receptive, and patience will one day allow your fin­gers to tamper effectively with the con­trol pods perched behind the wheel. But you’ll never forget that you’re in an angle-edged, Franco-filed interior. More Eagle Reviews From the ArchiveThe ES’s Renault-built 3.0-liter V-6, humming through a four-speed auto­matic transmission wisely revised for smoother shifting, makes 150 hp. That’s obviously not enough to imitate the Yamaha-built, 220-hp SHO V-6. The Ea­gle runs from 0 to 60 mph in 9.5 seconds, nearly three seconds slower than the Taurus SHO. Due to lesser Eagles’ lesser tires, a top-speed cutoff steps in abruptly at 109 mph. (Remembering the old ES’s 126-mph top end, our Doctor Dragway, Mr. Bissoon-Dath, says the new model’s initials must stand for “Extra Speed” Limited.) Braking feel remains good. Thanks to better balance, stops from 70 mph shrink from 218 to 195 feet. We’d be happier, of course, if the stops were shorter still.The Taurus SHO, potent and hard­-edged, and the ES Limited, polished and refined, wear prices within a grand or two of each other. Each offers clear virtues, confusing our instincts. But if the choice were between their less expensive sib­lings, the Premier ES and the Taurus LX, we might be inclined to chance the wings of a promising Eagle rather than the horns of a half-bullish Ford. SpecificationsSpecifications
1989 Eagle Premier ES LimitedVehicle Type: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $19,181/$19,631
ENGINESOHC V-6, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injectionDisplacement: 182 in3, 2975 cm3Power: 150 hp @ 5000 rpm 
TRANSMISSION4-speed automatic 
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 106.0 inLength: 192.8 inCurb Weight: 3156 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 9.5 sec1/4-Mile: 17.2 sec @ 82 mph100 mph: 28.1 secTop Speed: 109 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 195 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.81 g 
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 18 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMYCity: 18 mpg 
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED More

Much has been said about the death and rebirth of the Toyota Land Cruiser, which left the U.S. market after the 2020–21 Heritage Edition. But it was all a ruse, a necessary step in a model realignment that Toyota’s North American arm had planned all along. Instead of moving in lockstep with the rest of the world to the new 300-series Cruiser chassis, Toyota Motor North America hit pause and waited until the closely related 250-series chassis was ready. From what we now know and have experienced, the collective internet hand-wringing over the move to the so-called Land Cruiser Prado configuration (as it is known worldwide) is woefully misplaced. The new 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser is the best Land Cruiser in years because of this change.Massively Downsized PricesFor proof, all you need do is look at the Lexus LX600, a bloated and expensive six-figure behemoth (the base model you’ll never see is $93,915; all other trims exceed $100,000) that is the Lexus interpretation of the global 300-series Land Cruiser. A similar fate would have defined the Land Cruiser if it had adopted the 300-series and succeeded a model that already had a base price of $87,030 back in 2021. Instead, the 2024 Land Cruiser represents a change the faithful have been demanding. It has tidier dimensions and an attainable price of just $57,345 for the base 1958 model (so-named for the nameplate’s North American debut year), while the nicely equipped volume-selling Land Cruiser grade is a reasonable $63,345. The First Edition, a limited-time-only model with exclusive bits, will set eager beavers back $76,345.But is it really a Land Cruiser? Absolutely, not least because it, the LX600, and the Lexus GX are all built on the same TNGA-F chassis. And when we say same, we mean the same. The trio all share a wheelbase of 112.2 inches. Their control arm front and live axle located by four link and panhard rear suspension layouts match, and their track widths differ by mere tenths of an inch due to styling- and tire clearance-driven variations in wheel offset, not some underlying mechanical difference. All of them have full-time four-wheel drive with a lockable Torsen center differential that essentially turns pavement-friendly all-wheel drive into off-road-ready four-wheel drive at the press of a button. Basically, their differences have more to do with the powertrains within and the body above than the chassis below.Downsized but RightsizedAmong the three, the Land Cruiser is by far the shortest from nose to tail, with a 193.8-inch length that is 6.8 inches stubbier than the LX and 3.3 inches shorter than the GX. Much of this is due to a shorter front overhang, which delivers an approach angle of 32 degrees instead of the GX’s middling 26 degrees. Meanwhile, the LX scores a pitiful 21 degrees that precludes it from further mention.Measuring 77.9 inches wide, the Land Cruiser closely parallels the others. But the TLC and GX share a basic 250-series body styling that is markedly narrower than the LX/300-series at the doors, which makes for easier entry in parking lots and garages. Their hoods and front fenders are sculpted to offer better forward visibility, and the door side glass is cut low to enhance the downward view to the side. Combine this with an upright driving position, and you get a commanding view of road and trail alike, with enough head clearance inside to keep your pith helmet on, if that’s your jam.The Land Cruiser is strictly a two-row, five-passenger machine. That’s not a consequence of moving to the 250-series body, because you can get a three-row GX. Aside from general cost reduction and the desire to appeal to active off-roaders, there’s a practical reason that’s surprisingly related to what’s under the hood.Torquiest and Most Efficient Land CruiserThe Land Cruiser does not use the twin-turbocharged 3.4-liter V-6 found in the LX and GX, nor does it employ their 10-speed automatic. Instead, it’s powered by Toyota’s i-Force Max hybrid powertrain, consisting of a turbocharged 2.4-liter inline-four with a potent electric motor sandwiched between it and a conventional eight-speed automatic. A Tacoma TRD Off-Road with the 278-hp turbo four sans electric boost impressed us mightily, but the added Max e-motor cranks the Cruiser’s output up to 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet—the latter representing more torque than any prior North American Land Cruiser. It’s the same engine that powers the TRD Pro and Trailhunter Tacomas, and the abundant torque was on full display as we barreled up freeway off-ramps or sauntered up steep off-road climbs that might’ve needed the torque multiplication of low range in prior years but didn’t here.If you’re thinking the i-Force Max makes the new Cruiser some kind of ersatz Prius, think again. The Max is not like a two-motor Toyota hybrid designed to maximize fuel economy. Instead, it’s engineered to bolster output. That said, fuel economy will improve any time you can recapture energy while slowing and redeploy it later because the electric motor’s supplemental power is paid out even if you’re taking it easy. As a result, the new Land Cruiser is EPA rated to deliver 23 mpg combined (22 city/25 highway), a massive 64 percent improvement over the old 5.7-liter V-8’s 14 mpg combined rating.We expect the new Cruiser to be a few tenths behind the 6.2-second 60-mph acceleration time we measured on the GX550 because the GX’s output pips it with 349 horses and 479 pound-feet—and that’s with the GX being about 100 pounds heavier. The powertrain and other differences do take a bite out of maximum towing capacity, however, where the comparatively fleeting effects of the hybrid system limits towing to 6000 pounds on the Cruiser, while the pure internal-combustion GX can manage nearly 9100 pounds.All of this links back to why the Land Cruiser doesn’t have a third row and isn’t likely to grow one unless Toyota fits a different engine. The nickel-metal hydride battery pack that collects and redeploys energy is mounted under the cargo floor. The load floor is a couple of inches higher than a GX’s as a result, and cargo space behind the rear seat is down accordingly. The hybrid system does allow for a 2400-watt 120-volt outlet back there, though, while the GX’s tops out at 400 watts.Running Gear Differences Favor ModdingEven the cheapest 1958 model has an electronically controlled rear differential lock, Downhill Assist, and Crawl Control, items that are only available on the Overtrail version of the GX. All Cruisers likewise roll on standard 18-inch wheels and tires with a healthy amount of sidewall. The 1958 wears 245/70R-18 tires that stand some 32 inches tall, while the Land Cruiser and First Edition grades have 265/70R-18 tires that amount to 33 inches tall. You can get 20-inch rolling stock on the Land Cruiser grade if you must, but intentionally taking away sidewall and paying $1240 for the privilege seems out of character here. Compared to the GX, certain suspension differences put the Land Cruiser in a favorable light if you squint hard enough. The dampers on the $69,250 GX550 Overtrail (the closest parallel to the $63,345 Land Cruiser) are fancy Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS) units, whereas the Land Cruiser uses simple passive dampers. The Cruiser’s ride is generally well composed on this hardware, yet those looking to mod their Cruiser’s suspension won’t waste money by tossing them aside (and won’t have AVS malfunction lights to deal with).Likewise, the Overtrail’s impressive E-KDSS anti-roll bar defeat mechanism system doesn’t appear on the Land Cruiser, which uses a push-button front anti-roll bar disconnect instead. Standard on the Land Cruiser and First Edition models but not available on the 1958, it’s a simpler and potentially more robust alternative that absolutely keeps the price down. Prior KDSS systems always came with concerns over how much of a lift kit they could tolerate, but that’s not an issue here. What this change means for maximum articulation isn’t yet clear, but we will measure that as soon as we get one for a full workup.Interior DifferencesInside, the Land Cruiser’s dash and driver environs are made of slightly less sumptuous materials than the GX’s, but they still look attractive. Most of the switchgear is similar in location and operation, but everything is styled and positioned slightly differently—this is not parts-bin stuff. The main infotainment screen on the Land Cruiser and First Edition trims measures 12.3 inches (1958 gets an 8.0-inch screen) and has less screen height than the GX’s 14.0-inch setup, but the viewable area for things like maps and smartphone mirroring is essentially the same. In fact, the reduced screen space is a boon for the Land Cruiser, whose climate controls are physical buttons and knobs set below the air vents instead of the largely virtual GX switchgear that occupies the lower edge of the Lexus’s screen.The Land Cruiser has six USB ports to the GX’s four, and the Cruiser and First Edition grades have dual-color fog lights (switchable between white and amber) instead of the single-hue ones, power tilt and telescopic steering instead of manual, and driver’s seat memory. The GX Overtrail doesn’t get that stuff unless you spring for the far more expensive Overtrail+. The 1958 Land Cruiser doesn’t have those upgrades either, but that’s to be expected for a base model with manual cloth seats (that are quite comfortable, by the way.)More on the Land CruiserIn short, the Land Cruiser isn’t as sumptuous as the GX, but its tidier dimensions and more focused hardware equate to more off-road potential and an attainable price. First owners are far more likely to use it as intended because it didn’t cost an arm and a leg to start with. That was, after all, the whole point of reconstituting the Land Cruiser, which arguably lost the plot years ago. The reset represented by the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser sets things right. SpecificationsSpecifications
2024 Toyota Land CruiserVehicle Type: front-engine, mid-motor, 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Land Cruiser 1958, $57,345; Land Cruiser, $63,345; First Edition, $76,345
POWERTRAIN
turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve 2.4-liter inline-4, 278 hp, 317 lb-ft + AC motor, 48 hp, 184 lb-ft (combined output: 326 hp, 465 lb-ft; 1.4 nickel-metal hydride battery pack [C/D est])Transmission: 8-speed automatic 
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 112.2 inLength: 193.8 inWidth: 77.9 inHeight: 76.1 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 59/50 ft3Cargo Volume: 38 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 5450 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 6.6 sec1/4-Mile: 15.1 secTop Speed: 105 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 23/22/25 mpgDan 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

The tanned, gray-haired local in the current-gen BMW X4 M40i lead car is a veteran of this Autodrome de Miramas circuit in France and joined the BMW proving-ground team back in 1995. Even though the wiry professional test driver must know every single curb of this track, he and his crossover coupe didn’t stand a chance against the big, bad, camo’d 2025 X3 M50 filling his rearview mirror (BMW is dropping the “i” from the model names of its gas-powered vehicles going forward, only using that letter for its EVs). “It’s not just the extra 35 horsepower that’s giving him a hard time,” said the grinning Matthias Richter, the young vehicle dynamics project engineer strapped into the passenger seat of our prototype X3 M50. “The new model fields an extensively revised chassis, more precise and communicative steering, and a selectively beefed-up body structure for much improved handling and more tenacious cornering grip.” Playing catch and release hasn’t been this much fun in a long time.First launched in 2003 and initially built by Magna in Graz, Austria, the X3 quickly became BMW’s bestselling model and has racked up over 3.5 million deliveries to date globally. The fourth-generation version, which comes on stream in October 2024 in the U.S., will continue to be assembled in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Still based on the familiar CLAR WE platform, the new X3 is to be offered alongside the fully electric iX3 that’s derived from the brand-new Neue Klasse architecture. We understand that the first versions to go on sale in the U.S. are the four-cylinder X3 xDrive30 rated at around 280 horsepower and the six-cylinder M50 good for approximately 390 horsepower. In addition to the hybrid-assisted gasoline engines, BMW will offer the upgraded xDrive30e plug-in hybrid believed to peak at a combined 300 horsepower. BMWLonger, wider, lower, and more slippery (with a coefficient of drag of 0.27), the new SUV is also roomier than its predecessor. Developed during the COVID-19 pandemic when the world almost ground to a complete halt, the X3 was significantly decontented in a rush move to curb costs. Accordingly, the interior of the lesser models looks drab and somber in its materials and generic displays, with a pair of quirky touch sliders popping up in the door panels. On the credit side, we must thank the designers for keeping the intuitive iDrive controller, which went missing in the latest X1 and X2. The driver-assist systems have learned a bunch of new comfort- and safety-enhancing tricks. Among them are automated lane change, active lane guidance, adaptive cruise control with traffic light recognition, and various collision-avoidance measures complete with brake intervention. The new X3 also can switch from ultimate driving to ultimate parking machine. How about taking a front-row seat in your favorite street café before hitting a button on the My BMW App, which automatically moves this family-size SUV in the designated curbside space? The system can also memorize and repeat up to 10 different complex parking maneuvers, such as backing out of a super-tight underground garage. All the driver needs to do is brake, accelerate, and marvel at the technological progress. On the open road, the car uses a mix of short- and long-range radars, as well as four 3-D cameras to create a permanent 360-degree scan that covers cross traffic, cycle lanes, oncoming vehicles, and objects approaching from behind. BMWAfter that extensive but passive lesson in the new X3’s capabilities, we’re back at the wheel ready for an encore. Although some sources claim that the new X3 M50 will get a last-minute power boost to 421 horsepower, other channels suggest that the output will be kept below 400 horses because there is an unconfirmed X3 M Competition (codenamed G97) looming in the background. Outright performance, however, is not the main thrust here. The key improvements were made to the steering and the suspension. There are three variants to choose from: base, Sport, and M Sport. All three can be paired with VDC, which is BMW-speak for variable damper control. Unlike the X1 and X2, the VDC-equipped X3 actually offers two clearly different calibrations: Comfort and Sport. The same dual-mode philosophy was applied to the steering but thankfully not to the brakes. Matching these set-ups are various trim levels, as well as four wheel and tire sizes, which include for the first time extra-wide 22-inchers. In the steering department, BMW replaced the traditional dual-pinion layout with a brand-new so-called axially parallel design (APA) that’s claimed to advance handling and response. Supporting the trick steering are the wider rear track, a more rigid body structure, stiffer anti-roll bar attachments, revised pivot bearings, beefed-up control-arm mounts, and an uprated front axle geometry with more camber. “It’s a scalable system, tailor-made to match different axle loads,” explains Stefan Gress from the vehicle dynamics team. “Benefits include improved directional stability, more turn-in grip, and reduced understeer all the way to the limit. The new steering literally puts the road in the driver’s hands.” For cost reasons and to protect the more profitable X5, the smaller X won’t be available with air suspension or rear-wheel steering. We take to the track one last time in the M50 xDrive before hitting the open road in the slower but more frugal PHEV. The outer loop of the pan-flat single-track Miramas handling section is mainly second-, third-, and fourth-gear turf. Devoid of runoff areas, the ancient sun-bleached tarmac dotted with a few freshly surfaced sections here and there leaves zero room for error. Only at the very end of the vast site, where a small off-road section is tucked away behind unkempt shrubbery, does the course go up and down a couple of times before curling back past the old pig farm and a block of stables. Instead of leaving all systems in Sport, we switch the steering into Comfort, and DSC Off is only one more nudge away. This gives us a bit of extra drama at the exit of the slow corners and also allows a more playful attitude through the long 70-mph bends where the electronic rear diff permits a broader scope of sidesteps.BMWWe next set off on a tour of the Miramas hinterlands in the xDrive30e PHEV. While the previous version was rated at 292 horsepower and had an electric range of only 28 miles, insiders are predicting a minor increase to 300 horses for the latest one, while the zero-emission range is expected to increase to 60 miles thanks to a bigger battery. Although this is by no means a light vehicle, the combustion engine and the e-motor provide commendable verve and stamina. As long as the state of charge does not drop below 10 percent, there is always enough ballsy instant torque on tap for one more pedal-to-the-metal passing maneuver. Going all out is a challenge on the bumpy and winding ancient mountain roads with their sudden corners and blind crests. Dampers in Sport? No. For maximum compliance and control, Comfort is the only option. The steering also feels less erratic and better connected in Comfort. The PHEV is shod with Goodyears (255/45R-20 front, 285/40R-20 rear) featuring marginally softer sidewalls and a less extreme rubber compound for smoother breakaway characteristics and a less harsh response to ridges and potholes. Thus equipped, the X3 does a remarkable job soaking up bumps, balancing along crumbling hard shoulders, and straddling all sorts of evil speed bumps. Downsides? The e-motor occasionally doesn’t fill the turbo hole, the steering feedback is at times not quite as clear and linear as expected, and the brakes need a fast and firm foot to reel in the substantial 4500 pounds of mass and momentum. All in all, however, the new X3 feels more mature, grown-up, and dynamically classier. BMWIf our prototype drive is anything to go by, the fourth generation of the most popular BMW globally does a convincing job defending its traditional middle-ground position against the sportier and even more entertaining Porsche Macan and the more relaxed and somewhat cushier Mercedes-Benz GLC.Although I was born the only son of an ornithologist and a postal clerk, it was clear from the beginning that birdwatching and stamp collecting were not my thing. Had I known that God wanted me to grow to 6’8″, I also would have ruled out anything to do with cars, which are to blame for a couple of slipped discs, a torn ligament, and that stupid stooped posture behind the wheel. While working as a keeper in the Aberdeen Zoo, smuggling cheap cigarettes from Yugoslavia to Germany, and an embarrassing interlude with an amateur drama group also failed to yield fulfillment, driving and writing about cars became a much better option. And it still is now, many years later, as I approach my 70th birthday. I love every aspect of my job except long-haul travel on lousy airlines, and I hope it shows. More

The 2024 Aston Martin DB12 Volante can pop the decklid and deploy its eight-layer top in just 16 seconds at speeds up to 31 mph, which is useful if your planned open-cabin Malibu day trip takes you right into stormy weather. The Pacific Ocean was iron gray, but the Volante was ocean blue (Caribbean Blue on the order sheet), and with a heated steering wheel and heated seats in leather the color of a white-sand shore, we made our own warm, beachy weather as we outran the rain up the California coastline. Like the DB12 coupe, the convertible is a big machine. That’s big in the good way, like in song lyrics describing desirable partners or restaurant adverts promoting new burgers. The Volante is thick and juicy, a high-calorie treat. After the first anxiety-provoking seconds behind the wheel, mostly focused on not scraping the 21-inch Y-spoke wheels against the stone curbs leaving the hotel parking lot, we adjusted to the Aston’s size. Despite its wide hood and curvy flanks, it’s not difficult to sense where the edges are, and the result is a car that feels hefty, but pleasantly so, like a Montblanc fountain pen. There’s nothing like putting the pedal down while the top is down, and the Volante’s AMG-sourced twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 rewards with both vigorous acceleration and a predatory roar that grows hungrier with changes in drive mode. The Volante offers four stages of electronic stability control and five drive modes, from the soft GT mode to Sport (our preferred roadgoing setting), Sport Plus (a little lumpy for casual driving), Individual, and Wet (which we didn’t use, despite our drive being very). While the DB12 does not currently offer a V-12, and fans of the higher cylinder count may miss its distinctive croon, the V-8 in the Volante sounds amazing. It also gets a bump in power thanks to bigger turbos, new cam profiles, and better cooling, resulting in 671 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. Aston says it will race to 60 mph a tick slower than the roughly 250-pound-lighter coupe—we expect 3.4 seconds—and top out at 202 mph, a speed at which you’ll probably want (and need) the top up. Click through the gears with the aluminum paddles behind the thick-rimmed steering wheel, or let the ZF eight-speed automatic handle shifting duties, which it will with snappy downshifts and high-revving upshifts. We found the shifts well timed during more aggressive driving but almost comically vigorous at part-throttle acceleration, where the DB12 kicks down and digs in with the enthusiasm of a sled dog in harness. There’s no need for it, as the Aston is plenty torquey even in higher gears. Changes to both coupe and Volante from the DB11 include a shorter final drive ratio for more response where you need it. An electronic rear differential keeps both rear tires in the game. Somewhat rare for a big grand tourer, the DB12 is still rear-wheel drive with no parlor tricks such as rear-wheel steering. We didn’t miss it. Even on the narrow roads in the Malibu hills, the Aston stayed tucked in its lane. We won’t say it drove like a smaller car, because it didn’t, but there’s a particular charm to a heavyweight who can dance. Some credit for the Volante’s stable cornering is no doubt due to its bonded aluminum chassis with stiffened mounting points for the rear suspension and additional cross bracing, while new adaptive dampers and retuned rear springs smooth out bumps and potholes. Electric power steering responds quickly to directional input and offers just enough heft to match the car. Michelin Pilot Sport S5 summer tires got a workout during our wet drive, but the Volante slid just a fun amount as we navigated fallen rocks in the hills. Our test car had the carbon-ceramic disc brakes (a $14,500 option), plus bronze calipers (an additional $1800). That’s a pricey add-on, but they save nearly 60 pounds of unsprung weight over the standard rotors, and they slowed our go with authority. Back on the main road, and in a rare spot of sunshine, we had a chance to admire the cabin. Aston offers an incredible amount of customization. Its configurator will have you comparing accent stitches in a rainbow of color combos. Our car’s cream and navy leather with dark wood trim gave the Volante a yacht-like swagger that matched its powerboat driving characteristics. The Volante is available with a more aggressive carbon-fiber performance seat option, but why ruin the perfect cruiser with stiff seating? The standard seats not only look and smell great, with their diamond-stitched leather design and gentle bolsters, they’re also well padded with standard heating and available ventilation—must-haves for open-weather driving. The rear seats are for belongings, not beloveds. Related StoriesAston’s big news for both coupe and convertible DB12 is a new infotainment system. No longer a Mercedes hand-me-down, the 10.3-inch touchscreen houses Aston Martin’s first in-house software. It has some cool tricks, like a split-screen display and a rotatable camera view. The gauge cluster is digital, changes color with drive mode selection, and is virtually impossible to see with the top down. Convertible problems. Back in the touchscreen, smartphone mirroring is wireless, and there’s a charging pad tucked under the sweeping console so you can put your phone there and forget it for three days. Knurled metal switchgear includes hard buttons for things like exhaust sound, stereo volume for the optional Bowers & Wilkins 15-speaker system, and climate control. At $268,086 to start and $342,586 for our car (with options), there’s nothing budget-friendly about the DB12, but if you want a cheap convertible, pick up an ex-rental Mustang. The Volante is for a buyer who wants a say in every detail, with a drive experience that blends heritage coachbuilding with just the right amount of modern convenience. SpecificationsSpecifications
2024 Aston Martin DB12 VolanteVehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2+2-passenger, 2-door convertible
PRICE
Base: $268,086
ENGINE
twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 243 in3, 3982 cm3Power: 671 hp @ 6000 rpmTorque: 590 lb-ft @ 2750 rpm
TRANSMISSION
8-speed automatic
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 110.4 inLength: 186.0 inWidth: 78.0 inHeight: 51.0 inTrunk Volume: 9 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 4150 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 3.4 sec100 mph: 7.7 sec1/4-Mile: 11.3 secTop Speed: 202 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST)
Combined/City/Highway: 17/15/22 mpgLike a sleeper agent activated late in the game, Elana Scherr didn’t know her calling at a young age. Like many girls, she planned to be a vet-astronaut-artist, and came closest to that last one by attending UCLA art school. She painted images of cars, but did not own one. Elana reluctantly got a driver’s license at age 21 and discovered that she not only loved cars and wanted to drive them, but that other people loved cars and wanted to read about them, which meant somebody had to write about them. Since receiving activation codes, Elana has written for numerous car magazines and websites, covering classics, car culture, technology, motorsports, and new-car reviews. In 2020, she received a Best Feature award from the Motor Press Guild for the C/D story “A Drive through Classic Americana in a Polestar 2.”  In 2023, her Car and Driver feature story More

From the March 1975 issue of Car and Driver.Nobody can be indifferent to the new Porsche Carrera after they’ve driven it. Stand on the gas in second gear and you’ll use up a week’s quota of adrenaline in one burst. Just the smell of the interior is enough to overcome most leather fet­ishists. So the 1975 Carrera is a com­manding package, whether you are in­clined to think the Porsche blueprint was handed down on stone tablets or if you are more of the persuasion that it’s a Su­per Beetle honed to a razor edge. There are, of course, changes in the Porsche lineup for 1975. The choices have been culled down to two models: the 911S and the Carrera. Both share the same 157-hp (152 hp in California), 2.7-liter six, which is down 10 hp from last year’s 911S engine and up 14 hp from the old base engine. A four-speed transmission is standard on the 911, the five-speed is standard on the Carrera and the Sportomatic is optional on both. Other standard equipment for both mod­els includes front and rear sway bars, tinted glass and intermittent wipers.An extra $1900 over the base 911S gets you the Carrera in all of its radiant splendor. The wider wheels (7.0 inches in front and 8.0 behind, compared to 6.0 all around for the 911S) are functional, as are the wider low-profile tires on the rear and the flared fenders to accommo­date them. The aerodynamic aids (chin spoiler in front and the whale-tail on the rear lid) should be steadying influences at extra-legal speeds. And fog lamps will help you keep the pace when the ceiling is low. The rest—leather seats, velour carpet and Carrera side lettering—is cosmetic. Or labor-saving in the case of the electric windows (coupe only). So much for the specifications. You also notice a few differences as a driver. Acceleration is about the same as last year’s plain 911 due to the reduced horsepower of the new S engine and about 100 pounds of additional weight in the car—partially attributable to the new rear bumper. There is also a slight shift toward the rear in weight distribution, but this is not readily apparent in handling. Skidpad cornering ability (at 0.80 g) shows no change from last year’s Carr­era despite the extra inch of wheel width in the new model, but there does seem to be a minor improvement in road­-course behavior. The tail has learned its place a bit better and it’s less inclined to sneak out when you lift off the power at the approach of a turn. Still, the differ­ence is small. The new Porsches remain Porsches and must be driven according­ly. More power means more understeer, watch out for lift-throttle oversteer and be careful when you try to brake hard and turn hard at the same time. Apart from that, everything is rosy. If you are up on your Porsches, you will also notice that the gear ratios have once again been reshuffled so that all five speeds are effectively longer than before and there is a bigger gap be­tween first and second. The engine now sounds less frantic at cruising speeds and the interior is one dBA quieter at 70 mph than the 1974 model. Unfortunate­ly, the same old balky shift linkage con­tinues without relief. No two Porsches are alike in this regard: Some are ac­ceptably good; others, like our test Carr­era, frustrate nearly every shift. The machinery seems to bind up as you pull into gear. You must be careful or risk a graunch—which is to say you must shift slowly, which in turn is altogether out of character for this kind of automobile. Because when you get right down to cases, the new Carrera is maybe the world’s best tearing-around car. In ac­celeration, it’s got every new U.S.-legal automobile covered, including the Cor­vette. Punch the gas and it squirts. And it’s a specialist at hanging lefts and rights through the cityscape. A combina­tion Godzilla and weasel just waiting to be turned loose. But at times it’s unnecessarily hairy. Send it up an undulating blacktop at about twice the legal limit and you’d bet­ter hang on. The steering wheel twists against your grip as the front suspension geometry fights itself on every bump; as a result, your path is a series of side­ways lurches. No other car would dare act that way, but this is merely another chapter in the Porsche mystique. It’s what makes Porsches fun. It’s like driv­ing a half-wild car. You don’t dare relax; the Carrera is too nervous and twitchy (although it is admittedly tamer than the 911S of three years ago). If you want to sit back and take it easy, get a Buick or a Ferrari or something sensible like that. Porsches are for car junkies in the ad­vanced stages. It also must be remembered that Porsches are in the advanced stages themselves and, when you consider their mechanical heritage, it’s little won­der that the Carrera is a hairy car. It is the superest Super Beetle of them all. Take a look at the layout: MacPherson front suspension, semi-trailing arms in back, the engine hung out behind the rear wheels and all with a bug-shaped body draped over top. The difference is not in concept but in degree. The Carr­era is a Super Beetle optimized for per­formance, which makes it as intriguing from an engineering point of view as it is to drive. The performance is considerable: 0.80 g cornering, 0.83 g braking and enough power to urge you through the quarter mile in less than 15 seconds. And as a companion to all of this is the half-wild demeanor of a rear-engine car that makes you reluctant to take your hands off the wheel for fear it will do something rash. The truth is that enthu­siasts—be they parachute jumpers or pi­lots or drivers—are usually taken more by the quirks and the demands of their machinery than by simple sophistication. After all, sophistication does not require involvement; quirks do. And no group is more involved with its cars than Porsche drivers. Still, technology marches on. The Beetle and the Porsche 911 are now alone on what was once a highly fash­ionable island of rear-engine cars—and even these two have evacuation plans. Porsche’s escape centers about a front-engine, water-cooled V-8. With the company’s engineering expertise, it should be a sophisticated and fantastic automobile when it arrives. Yet it’s hard to imagine the new car offering more to be enthusiastic about than the Carrera. It could be more powerful—but since the Carrera is already the quickest new car around, little is to be gained here. And every step toward a conventional layout will mute the Porsche personality which, as it is known today, emanates entirely from the air-cooled rear engine. All of which tends to make today’s Carrera highly attractive to those who are susceptible to it. And Porsche, through the magic of a price cut, has done its part. Like Detroit’s price roll­backs, it’s hard to know what the Porsche cut is really worth. A long list of optional equipment for which Porsche charged exorbitant prices (mandatory rear spoiler, $285; tinted glass, $190; intermittent wipers, $25, etc.) have now been made standard equipment. This extra value is at least partially offset by a new engine that does not contain all of the premium parts of the old 911S. But the bottom line on the window sticker—­the figure that counts—is about $1000 less. Now you can buy a Carrera just like our test car for only $14,410. More 911 Reviews From the ArchiveOr you can shake your head in amaze­ment and walk on by. But the point is that nowhere else can you buy this sort of high-powered, hair-trigger sports car at any price.SpecificationsSpecifications
1975 Porsche 911 CarreraVehicle Type: rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2+2-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $13,575/$14,410Options: special paint, $330; AM/FM stereo tape player, $240; speakers, $165
ENGINEair-cooled flat-6, magnesium block and aluminum heads, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 164 in3, 2687 cm3Power: 157 hp @ 5800 rpmTorque: 166 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm 
TRANSMISSION5-speed manual
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/semi-trailing armsBrakes, F/R: 9.0-in vented disc/9.6-in vented discTires: Dunlop SP Sport SuperF: 185/70VR-15R: 215/60VR-15
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 89.4 inLength: 168.9 inWidth: 65.0 inHeight: 52.0 inCurb Weight: 2576 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 6.2 sec90 mph: 14.0 sec1/4-Mile: 14.9 sec @ 92 mphTop Speed (observed): 132 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 196 ftRoadholding: 0.83 g  
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED More