Description
Contents: Road Tests – BMW Z4 sDrive35i (This retractable-hardtop roadster now has a woman’s touch, but it hasn’t goen soft on us); Acura TL SH-AWD vs. Volkswagen CC 3.6L 4Motion (What constitutes “Sport” is open to interpretation. We do our very best to translate) Features – 5-TO-Drive: Convertibles (Soaking up sun and erasing a multitude of sins, one articulated roof at a time); Long-Term Test (Multitalented, hugely useful and dead reliable, our TRD’d Scion xB will be missed); Owner Survey: Chrysler 300/300C/SRT8 (That thing got a Hemi? Jawoh! Owners chime in about the handsome Daimler Chrysler); How We Test (Procedures revealed and explained; plus a sidebar on Ford’s test driver criteria) Competition – Le Mans Preview 2009 (Shrieking V-12s and diesel V-10s will thunder into the right at the 24 Heures du Mans); Dakar Dominance (Red Bull and Volkswagen take an overall win in the Dakar Rally; much partying ensues) First Drives – Ford Shelby GT500 (Ponying up extra muscle (40 bhp) but not at the expense of refinement or efficiency); Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 Spyder (Is this the first “Category 6” convertible? It can certainly blow by many of its competitors); Audi A5-55 Cabriolet (The death of the cloth convertible has been greatly exaggerated, if Audi has its way) Columns – The Road Again (Fix It Again Tony – Please. Can the merger with Fiat be considered the last temptation of Chrysler?); Ampersand (Nissan 370Z Convertible. The GT-R is quicker, but this drop-top Z offers big thrills for less $$$); Side Glances (The lost art of hitchhiking. Another near-forgotten use for our amazing opposable thumb); Tech Tidbits (What’s a ton of pollutants? Well, Joey, that depends on your temperature, your pressure…); Trackside (Rocketsports returns: Watch out, GT2. Paul Gentilozzi is back with one fast cat); The Podium (Sam Hornish, Jr. Straight talk on turning left in NASCAR, and the upside of downforce in IndyCar); Countersteer (Role Reversal: Toyobaru, Suboyota, whatever, a joint-effort rear-driver will help both companies) Departments – Focal Point; Revved-Up; Your Turn; Speed Zone; Tech Correspondence; Road Test Summary; The Finish Line; PS
Issue: July 2009
Condition: Very Good