® M SEPTEMBER 16, 2013 autoweek.com * Vsport models only. © 2013 General Motors. All rights reserved. Cadillac® XTS.® The 2014 XTS with the new 410 HP Twin Turbo* • AWD Standard • Brembo® Front Brakes • Magnetic Ride Control™ • Head-up Display cadillac.com/XTS YOU DON’T START IT. YOU UNLEASH IT. Only at Inside this issue autoweek.com SEPTEMBER 16, 2013 View from the inside Get a dramatic driver’s-eye view of a race-car fire from this in-car camera–amazingly, the driver escaped unharmed. bit.ly/aw_racefire Speaking of hot wheels ... Celebrate your inner kid! Hot WHAT A ‘RUSH’ Wheels hosted a fan fest that included the highest-ever wall track. bit.ly/aw_hotwheels Ron Howard has spent the better part of two years working on “Rush,” the much-anticipated Coolest auction ever? The amazing Lambrecht film about the 1976 Formula One World Champion- Chevrolet auction is nearly ship battle between James Hunt and Niki Lauda. upon us; get the latest on this We have all the details on the film, from conception collection of NOS cars and trucks. bit.ly/lambrecht_update to completion. LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC Inside this issue SEPTEMBER 16, 2013 START DRIVES NASCAR ’STANG SIGHTING ALL THE WRAITH IndyCar We get a good front-end The 2014 Rolls-Royce NHRA view of the ’15 Mustang. Wraith has both throw- Checkered Flag/ BY AUTOWEEK STAFF back and landmark traits. Racing on TV BY J.P. VETTRAINO Audi’s new A8 DEPTS/COLUMNS BMW M4 concept Car Board: ’13 Honda safety tech Lexus LS 600H L, ’14 DUTCH MANDEL News Flash Audi A8 L TDI; car- Porsche, your customers inspired bicycles expect better of you CAR LIFE Autofile: ’12 Ford UNDER THE HOOD WOODWARD, MEET F-150 XLT SuperCrew DENISE MR. CALLUM MCCLUGGAGE Dream Cruising in a COMPETITION Mini minions overtake Jag with Ian Callum. MORE OF THE SAME The City Different BY GRAHAM KOZAK Back from a break, F1 REVVED UP discovers (surprise!) BUT WAIT, Pebble Beach on the Vettel is as dominant as THERE’S MORE ... (really, really) cheap ever. BY ADAM COOPER DRIVES STILL NO. 1 The 2014 Toyota Corolla might not scream “sexy!” to most car enthusiasts, but 40 million people can’t be wrong about its value and dependability. BY J.P. VETTRAINO JOSH SCOTT Autoweek (ISSN 0192-9674), Volume 63 Issue 19, is published every other Monday, at Crain Communications Inc., 1155 Gratiot Ave., Detroit MI 48207-2997. Periodicals postage paid at Detroit, Michigan, and at additional mailing offices. Subscription and Customer Service, (888) 288-6954. Subscription price is $29.95 per year. Postmaster: Send address changes to Autoweek, 1155 Gratiot Ave., Detroit MI 48207-2912. Canadian Post International Publications Mail Product (Canadian Distribution) Sales Agreement No. 40012850, GST No. 136760444. Canadian return address: 4960-2 Walker Road, Windsor, Ontario N9A-6J3. Printed in the USA. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Autoweek welcomes unsolicited manuscripts and photographs but cannot be held responsible for their return. © All contents copyright 2013 by Crain Communications Inc. All rights reserved. Autoweek allows its columnists the fullest latitude in expressing opinions on controversial subjects so its readers will be better informed. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the publication. SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION HOW MUCH DIFFERENCE CAN A TIRE MAKE IN BRAKING? THE MICHELIN® PILOT® SPORT A/S 3 SHOWS HOW CRITCAL A TIRE CAN BE. Can a tire transform the Goodyear.* the braking and overall One of the secrets of the performance of your sports A/S 3 is Michelin’s use of sedan? The answer may Variable Thickness Sipes, not be so obvious even to which serve as a biting edge seasoned car people. Over in wet or icy conditions. The time, we tend to confuse sipes lock together during the limits of our tire’s hard lateral maneuvers for performance with the summer tire-like perfor- limits of the car — until we mance. The A/S 3 also get a chance to compare uses six times the amount tires back to back on the of silica (sand) in the tread test track. compound, which offers That was the opportunity more grip on slippery sur- afforded 24 Autoweek The Pilot Sport A/S 3 is Michelin A/S 3, Goodyear faces. Advisors who drove Michelin’s third generation F1 Eagle Asymmetric All “I never really put that Michelin’s newest ultra-high ultra-high performance all- Season and the Continental much thought into tires — performance all-season tire, season tire. In our last install- Extreme Contact DWS. The that the differences could the Pilot® Sport A/S 3, in a ment we covered how the Cadillacs were equipped be so significant with similar series of exercises against Pilot Sport A/S 3 proved to with GPS devices that mea- tire brands,” said Autoweek the best summer and all- be quicker than competitive sured braking distances and Advisor, Sam AiHajjar of season tires from the summer tires on a high- g-forces. The Michelins Birmingham, Mich. “Going likes of Pirelli, Bridgestone, speed autocross and road equaled or beat competitors through corners and han- Continental and Goodyear. course. in dry braking, averaging a dling wet conditions, there (Autoweek Advisors are pas- This time, the Pilot Sport wet stopping distance from were variations as much as sionate about the car world A/S 3 went up against the 60 mph of 126.9 ft. and a 9 feet. That’s a difference and are offered a first chance industry’s best all-season dry stopping distance of between life and death.” to participate in Autoweek tires in wet and dry braking 101.6 ft. This compares to There’s much more events. If you are interested exercises. Autoweek 135.8 and 107.4 ft. respec- to learn about the in becoming an Autoweek Advisors drove Cadillac CTS tively for the Continental Pilot Sport A/S 3 at Advisor, visit autoweek.com) sedans equipped with the and 130.3 and 101.5 ft. for bit.ly/aw_psas3showdown. *These numbers were generated under certain ambient conditions and are not necessarily repeatable given weather and track variables Copyright © 2013 Michelin North America, Inc. All rights reserved. The Michelin Man is a registered trademark owned by Michelin North America, Inc. TRUTH & BEAUTY // MOVE OVER, GOLDEN GATE // The next time you’re in the Bay Area, chances are, if the fog has lifted, you’ll see this new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, a self-anchored suspension (SAS) tower that took nearly 12 years and an estimated $6.4 billion to build. When completed, it will be the world’s tallest SAS tower. Photo by Getty Images THE EXTREMELY NEW ACURA.COM/MDX Learn more at Acura.com or by calling 1-800-To-Acura. ©2013 Acura. Acura and MDX are registered trademarks of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. START FORD’S BIGGEST NEWS next year is surely the new- for-2015 Mustang, launched to CAUGHT! help the Blue Oval celebrate the HERE’S THE 2015 MUSTANG famed pony car’s 50th anniver- sary. Here’s the best look we’ve seen yet of its face. And rest as- sured, there are big changes com- ing: As we’ve been reporting for months, the new ’Stang (it will be about the same size as today’s car) could look more like the Evos concept Ford showed at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show; and it looks like the sixth-gen Mustang will get independent rear suspen- sion and will be offered with tur- bocharging—or EcoBoost, in Fordspeak—for the first time since the ’80s SVO Mustang. Look for both turbo-fours (Automotive News says it could produce something like 300 hp) and -sixes, along with the expected V8s. We’re thinking production will KGP PHOTOGRAPHY begin summer 2014. d wheelbase 3.0-liter’s 4,034- looks a little more aggressive. AUDI LAUNCHES NEW A8 pound curb weight, best in The interior includes optional class for all-wheel-drive models. ventilation and massage for the n AT THE UPCOMING liter V8 developing 520 hp. The body (509 pounds) is front seats, and individual exec- Frankfurt motor show, Audi Europe will get a 385-hp 4.2- mostly aluminum. Length, utive-style rear seats are option- will unveil its new A8. Audi liter TDI clean diesel and a hy- wheelbase and height are un- al on the A8 and A8 L. Buyers says it will have more powerful brid, but there are no U.S. plans changed on regular models, can also choose from various engines, lighter-weight con- for those cars at this time. All while the A8 L will be 5.12 assistance systems. The new struction, new assistance sys- A8s come standard with an inches longer. A8 design Audi A8 is scheduled to arrive tems and Matrix LED headlight eight-speed Tiptronic transmis- changes include a more expres- here in 2015. technology. Final powertrain sion and, of course, quattro all- sive grille and sculptured hood. Prices will be announced details will come closer to the wheel drive. Audi also offers an The lower edge of the head- closer to launch. We estimate 2015 launch, but for now it optional sport differential for the lights is straighter than before. a range between $76,000 and looks like U.S. versions will rear axle. The sport diff is stan- Overall, the car’s front end $137,000. d have the supercharged 3.0-liter dard in the S8 and the Euro- V6 (310 hp), the twin-turbo 4.0- market A8 4.2 TDI. liter V8 (435 hp), the 3.0 TDI Audi says the A8 will put the clean diesel (258 hp) and the German automaker among the mighty 6.3-liter W12 (500 hp).