Car Trends Magazine

Taking weight out of a modern car can be tricky: Crash regulations have necessitated heavier structures, emissions laws have forced additional complexity into vehicles, and amenities have added dozens of electronic control units and untold miles of cable. Many automakers, however, are now experimenting with shedding pounds as a means to maintain performance despite the current trend toward engine downsizing. To illustrate the potential of this approach, Audi engineers set out to create an A5 2.0T...

To fill the gap in the 3-series lineup between the 300-hp 335i and 414-hp M3, BMW is introducing the 2011 335is coupe and convertible. We were unaware that said gap needed to be filled, but we’re told that the 335i is seen in the U.S. as just an ordinary 3-series, and as such, there’s room for something more exotic than a 335i but less outlandish than an M3. Now that we’ve been given the chance to drive the 335is coupe, we’re coming around to accepting this whole gap idea. More Power and a Body...

New sports coupes arrive like summer lightning and depart like uneaten guacamole: ignored, slowly fading to brown, awaiting the inevitable flush. The six-year-old Mazda RX-8 languishes through 2008 with sales the Hubble telescope wouldn’t register: just 2591 units through the end of August. Mazda isn’t giving up, however. The Hiroshima headquarters considers rotary engines integral to its identity, so the RX-8 stays, a place keeper for a future all-new rotary engine currently code-named “16X” and...

The bulk of the Mazda lineup has recently been updated, and the Japanese carmaker will bring its Mazda 5 small minivan in line when it unveils the new 2011 model at the Geneva auto show in early March. The update represents the model’s first major freshening in a while, and the first since going on sale in the U.S. in 2005. The 5, which is known as the Premacy in Japan, takes on styling cues from the Mazda 3 on which it’s based, in particular the smiley-face grille and pronounced fenders. Moving...

The big reveal of the refreshed 2011 Ford Edge will take place in about two weeks at the 2010 Chicago auto show, but why wait—these spy snaps give us a pretty clear idea of what form it will take. Not only that, but this prototype also previews the Sport trim, which should continue to be the sharpest-looking Edge in the drawer. As with its twin, the Lincoln MKX, the angular Edge undergoes a dramatic mid-cycle revamp for 2011, starting with fresh front-end styling that actually has some radius edges....

The arrival of the MKS sedan last year spurred hopes that it might revitalize Ford’s historically uncompetitive luxury brand, helping Lincoln to better compete with Cadillac, Lexus, and other aspirational marques. Most of the hype stemmed from the stunning MKR concept that debuted at the 2007 Detroit auto show; it floated the idea that future Lincolns wouldn’t be dowdy, livery-service specials like the current Town Car.As it turns out, the MKS is indeed light-years beyond that ancient Panther-platformed...

Vehicle Highlights The 2010 Lamborghini Gallardo (guy-YARD-oh) should not see many major changes. This all-wheel-drive exotic should remain the Italian company's entry-level car. The car should come in LP560-4 hardtop and LP560-4 Spyder convertible versions. The Spyder convertible has a power-folding soft top. Lamborghini's Ad Personam program, new last year, should remain available. This program allows personalization of the car with new paint finishes and interior materials. All Gallardos should...

Mid-cycle vehicle updates usually mean new headlights, a reworked bumper, and a fresh set of wheels, but Ford’s been taking the mid-cycle thing a bit further lately. Indeed, while its cars aren’t using all-new platforms or mechanicals, the company’s most recent mid-cycle changes are thorough enough to convince most people that the vehicles are all-new. The 2010 iterations of the Fusion and Mustang went beyond simple sheetmetal restyling to include vast interior improvements and effective engineering...

Please make sure all passengers have their seatbelts securely fastened and their carry-on baggage stowed before taxiing to the nearest motorway. Cross-check all instruments, and make sure the road ahead is clear. Then say, “All call,” like you know what it means. Roll onto the entrance ramp, and squeeze the throttle gently—but with determination—until the pedal is planted firmly to the floor. Roadside objects are hurled aside, and the pavement seemingly narrows as the wailing, awesomely powerful...

Please make sure all passengers have their seatbelts securely fastened and their carry-on baggage stowed before taxiing to the nearest motorway. Cross-check all instruments, and make sure the road ahead is clear. Then say, “All call,” like you know what it means. Roll onto the entrance ramp, and squeeze the throttle gently—but with determination—until the pedal is planted firmly to the floor. Roadside objects are hurled aside, and the pavement seemingly narrows as the wailing, awesomely powerful...

The new Chevrolet Aveo RS concept debuting at the Detroit auto show reveals that GM has something smart and small in the works ready to meet Ford’s much-ballyhooed new Fiestasubcompact.Larger than the current Aveo and donning what Chevy calls a “European hot-hatch look,” the five-door “Borocay Blue” RS show car is intended to appeal to the youth market—or any market, really. It previews the production version of the next Aveo due as a 2011 or 2012 model. Raise the concept’s chin a tad, tone down...

A car has got to be pretty spectacular to win over the curmudgeons here at 1585 Eisenhower Place, especially when familiarity sets in over the course of 40,000 miles. But our Sparkling Graphite Metallic M3 did indeed win us over. For less than $70,000, the M3 bolts from a standstill to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds and turns the quarter-mile in 12.7 seconds at 113 mph. It pulls an exceptional 0.96 g on the skidpad, stops in 147 feet from 70 mph, and reaches a governor-restricted 161 mph. On a racetrack...

Few automobiles have had the sort of longstanding street cred given to Ford’s Mustang GT. But the deference it has enjoyed for much of its four-plus decades has been called into question recently now that recently introduced muscle-machines from Chevy and Dodge have come along with larger, high-tech V-8s. With its comparatively small 4.6-liter V-8 under the hood, the Mustang has had a lot to overcome. Alas, with its lighter weight and charming handling characteristics, the GT still won our most...