Description
Contents: New Car Fix ’06 (Want a magazine load of the new-car smarts? Well, you’re in the right place with our guide that contains information, photos and specifications of every 2006 car that’s sold in the U.S.. Also, place your vote in our Reader’s Choice polls for Best Car and Dream Car, and find a wealth of opinions in our High Tech/Why Tech rankings of the latest electronic safety and convenience aids. Acura, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Bugatti, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ferrari, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jaguar, KIA, Lamborghini, Lexus, Lincoln, Lotus, Maserati, Maybach, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mercury, Mini, Mitsubishi, Morgan, Mosler, Nissan, Panoz, Pontiac, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Saab, Saleen, Saturn, Scion, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo Road Tests – Pontiac Solstice (Five years ago, if we predicted GM would have an affordable rear-drive 2-seat roadster that would directly compete with the Miata, you’d probably chuckle. Turns out Pontiac has the last laugh); Mazda MX-5 Miata (The task: reinvent a hugely successful reinvention of the classic British roadster. The result: the 3rd generation Mazda MX-5 Miata that’s quicker, roomier, only a bit heavier and still a blast to drive); Lexus IS 350 (Toyota’s upmarket outlet creates a sports sedan that drives like a junior GS. This is excellent news if you crave high style and pampering; not so good if you’re looking for a BMW 3 series competitor) First Drives – Honda Civic Si (So long, frumpy tall-boy body and short-of-inspirational engine. Hello, rakish new coupe with a high-revving 197-bhp 2.0-liter. It’s a Civic worthy of the Si badge, in both acceleration and handling); Ford Fusion (Five bars on your cellphone means a strong signal; on the Fusion’s nose, they indicate Ford’s powerful new look. A rewarding chassis and smooth V-6 also bode well for this Taurus replacement) Features – Chevrolet Corvette Z06: Driven, Tested, Analyzed (Three days, two tracks and one 505-bhp Corvette. We drive it through Eau Rouge, test it later at GM’s proving ground and scrutinize every component through cutaway drawings) Columns – On The Road: The Best Car I’ve Ever Owned (Everyone has fond memories of their favorite 4-wheeled friend. To that end, we’ve collected some great reminiscences from friends, racers, a comedian, an architect and a captain of industry); Ampersand: Jag Sharpens Its Claws With The XK (Ian Callum’s latest cat, on the prowl in the first official photos. Plus, two fascinating future versions of the Miata, gut-wrenching Galiados and Porsche’s modern 4-door 928, the Panamera); Side Glances: The Fabulous ’50s (The 1950s weren’t all that great…or were they? Taste in home furnishings might have been at a low ebb, but consider the Stratocaster, the Super Constellation, Brigette Bardot and the author’s own Cadillac); Sport: Deja Vu At Le Mans (History, as it often does, repeats itself. Obvious is the Audi R8’s fifth win at La Sarthe, less so is that the winning ADT Championship Racing entry is the first U.S.-based team to win since Gurney/Foyt in 1967); Pole Position: Formula (G)One (Is the sand in the hourglass running out for Formula 1 racing in America? The Michelin tire fiasco that turned the U.S. GP into a 6-car procession certainly didn’t help matters. Amends must be made, and soon) Departments – Your Turn; People, Places & Things; Road Test Summary; Technical Correspondence; Finish Line; Time & Place; PS
Issue: October 2005
Condition: Very Good