news & features July-August 2016 Equipment Driving shoes ........................................................................5 Performance Dodge-SRT-Viper at Bondurant A ....................................10 Buy an SRT, Hellcat or Viper, and you know you’ve arrived. When Dodge sends you to Bondurant, it just gets better. By Joe Sage New Vehicle Introduction 2017 Jaguar F-PACE B ......................................................16 Jaguar enters the SUV realm with its most affordable model ever, aiming to triple sales. By Sue Mead Vehicle Impression 2016 Kia Optima SX Turbo .................................................19 Road Trip Bisbee and Colossal Cave C ............................................20 We discover some new surprises above and below ground in southeastern Arizona. By Tyson Hugie New Vehicle Introduction 2017 Fiat 124 Spider D.......................................................22 Fiat is significantly broadening its North American presence, by taking the perfect sports car and making it better. By Joe Sage Good Deeds Ford dealers “Fill an F-150” with water ............................26 Salvation Army program provides life-sustaining water to those in need, and Ford delivers. By Jennifer Johnson Special Events Auction results, upcoming concours and shows............27 Vehicle Impression 2016 Jeep® Renegade Sport 4x4 ......................................29 Motorsports Red Bull Global Rallycross at Wild Horse Pass E .........30 We join Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross as they defend their GRC trophy starting with this season opener. By Joe Sage Vehicle Impression 2016 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible R-Line SEL ...........35 New Vehicle Introduction 2017 Ford Fusion F............................................................36 Ford’s hot-selling entry in this hottest-selling of segments gains several new advantages for 2017. By Joe Sage ARIZONARIDERMAGAZINE Motorcycle news and highlights ......................................38 AMA Pro Flat Track at Turf Paradise, plus bike and event news. Vehicle Impression 2016 Ram 1500 Rebel Crew Cab 4x4.................................41 Vehicle Impression 2016 Kia Sedona SXL .........................................................43 ARIZONABOATERMAGAZINE Boating and watersports highlights..................................45 Mercedes-AMG Cigarette Racing, Land Rover BAR racing, and advice on getting the correct fuel for your boat this summer. Vehicle Impression 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road 4x4 Double Cab.......47 Travel / Business Port of San Diego G ...........................................................48 We take a tour of bustling waterfront activities on the business side of one of Arizona’s most popular destinations. By Jan Wagner Vehicle Impression 2016 Buick Cascada Premium 1SP Convertible ..............51 Vehicle Event Texas Auto Roundup: Car/Family Car of the Year H.......52 We drive 50 vehicles at Texas Motor Speedway, voting 15 winners including Car and Family Car of the year. By Joe Sage Vehicle Impression 2016 Honda Accord Touring V6 .........................................55 Vehicle Impression 2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited............................................57 Vehicle Impression 2017 Kia Sportage SX Turbo FWD.....................................59 departments ■ FROM THE PUBLISHER....................................4 ■ AUTOMOTIVE NEWS UPDATE ...........................6 ■ DESTINATION TRAVEL & EVENTS ..................14 ■ THE INSIDE TRACK: BRIEFS & RUMORS ........60 ■ UPCOMING FEATURES ...................................62 COVER: We navigate off-road at Bartlett Lake in the 2016 Ram 1500 Rebel Crew Cab 4x4, an award-winning truck masterfully modified for more extreme duty, while losing not one iota of its original-spec fuel economy, towing capacity, utility or durability in the process. Photo: Joe Sage. START YOUR ENGINES : FROM THE PUBLISHER MAGAZINE lways an adventure! In this issue, the rubber hits the road (or the dirt) at many A speeds, in many conditions, behind the wheel of many vehicles. To push 50 cars PUBLISHER / EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Joe Sage and crossovers to their limits—the better to gauge their performance in normal use—we CONTRIBUTING WRITERS / PHOTOGRAPHERS: fly to Texas Motor Speedway for the award-granting Texas Auto Roundup. After doing hot Becky Antioco Kristin Barclay Randall Bohl Nick Calderone Jason Fogelson Tyson Hugie laps there with Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross champion Scott Speed, we met Speed Jennifer Johnson Christina Lawrie Sue Mead and his team again in Phoenix, where they do things most mere mortals only dream JP Molnar Brian J Nelson Vincent Nguyen about, airborne in their 600-hp lightweight rally cars at the Red Bull GRC. We also spent Doris Ong Brenda Priddy Tim and Kristin Sharp Cathy Smith Jan Wagner Kevin A Wilson a day at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, where mere mortals do push the envelope—in Challenger Hellcat, Charger Hellcat and Viper—for free, in fact, ARIZONA DRIVER MAGAZINE PO Box 13387, Scottsdale AZ 85267 if they have recently bought or leased an SRT. If two wheels are more your speed, check Advertising: 480-948-0200 Viper tomorrow, like me—with my normal Piloti honors out the results of AMA Flat Track racing at Turf Paradise in our Arizona Rider pages. www.arizonadrivermagazine.com Get a grip shoes you have to be very careful be cause • facebook.com/ArizonaDriverMagazine 24 Hours of Le Mans At a more sedate pace, we take a road trip to Bisbee and discover Colossal Cave with • twitter.com/ArizonaDriver nybody who starts getting more serious the shoes slide on the pedals, and this is very, with special edition Tyson Hugie, and get a look at the bustling Port of San Diego with Jan Wagner. • instagram.com/ArizonaDriver Aabout driving has soon found them- very dangerous because sometimes what New vehicle launches take us to Southern California twice—once for the compelling ARIZONA DRIVER MAGAZINE IS A MEMBER OF: selves contemplating driving shoes. you want is to push the gas pedal for speed, iloti has a new multi-year part ner - IMPA: International Motor Press Association new Fiat 124 Spider, a thoroughly modern return of a classic from 50 years prior, and MAMA: Midwest Automotive Media Association Some driving shoes are specialized for and what happens is your shoes slide, and P ship with one of the world’s oldest once for the new Ford Fusion—while Sue Mead flies to the exotic deserts and shores MPG: Motor Press Guild track use, the kind you would wear only then. you have no speed. And maybe the guy who and most prestigious automotive en - NWAPA: Northwest Automotive Press Association of Montenegro to drive Jaguar’s first foray into utilities, the F-PACE. PAPA: Phoenix Automotive Press Association Others are more multipurpose, some even is behind you hits you. You know, it isn't worth dur ance races. In 2017, Piloti (Ital ian Ford makes a splash hauling water for the annual Salvation Army effort to keep those RMAP: Rocky Mountain Automotive Press dressy. Tradeoffs may cen ter around price or having the wrong shoes. The shoes for racing for “driver”) will debut 24 Hours of Le in need fully hydrated, as reported by Jennifer Johnson, and Piloti makes a splash TAWA: Texas Auto Writers Association utility, or both. (See sidebar on Piloti lineup.) are shoes for racing. Use. Your. Shoes. Mans special edition driving shoes, WAJ: Western Automotive Journalists returning to the market—with a special commemorative edition on PUBLISHED BIMONTHLY BY ADZONE ARIZONA LLC Two questions commonly asked by newer “Because racing shoes are like a punch, de signed for fans, driving enthusiasts the way. Race driver Emilio J Lezcano gives us tips on racing shoes Arizona Driver Magazine, Arizona Rider Magazine, drivers thinking about their first driving shoes you know, they grab. They form a good combi- and lovers of the culture epitomized by Arizona Flyer Magazine and Arizona Boater Magazine are [a] wheth er driving shoes will really make nation with the metal of the pedals. Your shoes this event. The partnership was coor- and on how to get your head properly in gear for the track. are registered tradenames of AdZone Arizona LLC. Enjoy the ride. a difference, and [b] whether they might dis- have a grip, so when you brake or when you dinated by IMG, exclusive licensing All contents © AdZone Arizona LLC and Arizona Driver Joe Sage Magazine. All rights reserved. Any scanning, down load - rupt your existing style, habits and form if you push the gas pedal, your foot is right there, no agency for Automobile Club de l’Ouest Publisher/ Executive Editor ing and/or physical or electronic sharing of any part of suddenly change over. We posed these ques- slipping, which is important. That's basically (ACO), organizers of the race. this publication without prior written permission of the tions to accomplished race driver Emilio J it. I recommend that you use it. Use it!” The race runs on the Circuit des 24 Photo: Brenda Priddy pub lisher constitutes theft of intellectual property. Lezcano over dinner before a recent track Q: When we get in the car tomorrow and Heures du Mans in Le Mans, France— event. His take: we've never worn them before, will it feel dif- with a mix of closed public roads and “Racing is one thing and having a good ferent? or will it feel just normal but better? a specialist racing circuit, designed to time is another thing. When you drive the “No, better! better!” ■ balance speed with a car’s ability to endure 24 hours of racing—and is broad cast in more than 190 countries.