Autoblog

Motor Trend addresses reader feedback from Best Driver's Car roundup

Jeffrey N. Ross — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 19:30:00 EST

We've already watched the 2012 Best Driver's Car competition from Motor Trend numerous times, and like us, apparently many M/T viewers had questions about the week-long, nine-car comparison. Not wanting to disappoint its audience, the crew got together to enjoy a few pints while reflecting on the experience and respond to viewer questions during an episode of The Downshift.

It sounds like one of the most frequent questions asked was why some cars made the list and others were left out in the cold. First and foremost, the editors wanted to assemble a group of the newest (or significantly updated) most fun-to-drive cars available, but had to do so within the constraints of the automakers' test vehicle fleets. This explains why, for instance, the Subaru BRZ made it in to the final group of nine, while no Ferrari did.

M/T also addressed the age-old question of how and why a non-manual transmission car could be considered a top driver's car. Editors were quick to point out that, with the great automated manual gearboxes used on the Porsche 911, Nissan GT-R and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series Coupe, all that the cars were really missing was a clutch pedal.

Some of the more interesting bits of the conversation included a breakdown of tire and brake replacements required during this massive comparison. We were amazed to find out that only four sets of tires were shredded, but the "surprising amount of brakes" that required replacement definitely made sense for a competition like this at a track like Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Another thing that caught our attention was the amount of negative feedback in regards to the Lamborghini Aventador (which finished dead last) - from the failed brakes to Autoblog-alumnus Jonny Lieberman stating that "it had no business on a racetrack."

From Jonny's praise of the PDK transmission to former Editor-in-chief Angus Mackenzie's vibrant description of the 911's handling, it's easy to see why the Porsche was named M/T's Best Driver's Car for 2012.

As for the list of cars being considered for the 2013 Best Driver's Car, check out the 13-minute video below to see some of the predictions for next year's lineup.

Continue reading Motor Trend addresses reader feedback from Best Driver's Car roundup

Motor Trend addresses reader feedback from Best Driver's Car roundup originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motor Trend returns with The World's Greatest Drag Race

George Kennedy — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 12:44:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Chevrolet, Lamborghini, Nissan

Our old pal Jonny Lieberman gets to have all the fun. The former Autoblog editor now gets to play with multiple supercars at a time for his post at Motor Trend. As part of MT's Best Driver's Car award process, Lieberman and the rest of the magazine's team quarter-mile all of the year's contenders in what they call "The World's Greatest Drag Race." Based on the contenders, we're inclined to agree with their bluster.

While last year's race saw the Nissan GT-R edge out the Ferrari 458 Italia, this year features a few new contenders, including the Lamborghini Aventador and McLaren MP4-12C. Other contestants include the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series, Chevy Camaro ZL1, Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, Subaru BRZ, Jaguar XKR-S and Porsche 911 Carrera S, which - spoiler alert - actually won the Best Driver's Car award this year. Oh, and the updated version of Nissan's GT-R makes a repeat appearance, but no Ferraris are in the field this year.

A special thanks should go out to the Subaru BRZ. It was so far behind the competition that it provided many of the wide-angle shots that captured the whole rest of the field. The straight line is not the forte of a 200-horsepower drift-o-matic, but a fourth place finish in this year's Best Driver's Car competition is a mighty feat for this seemingly outmatched sports car.

The biggest competition in this drag race will be from the new Aventador and the MP4-12C. Do they have enough to take on a new Godzilla? You're just going to have to scroll down to find out. And make sure to stick around for the closing credits to hear each one of these contenders rev their engine in a sweet mechanical symphony.

Continue reading Motor Trend returns with The World's Greatest Drag Race

Motor Trend returns with The World's Greatest Drag Race originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Aug 2012 12:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motor Trend picks its top driver's car of 2012 [w/video]

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Videos

Here's a test of nine cars (see above), only two of which make less than 500 horsepower. Three of these nine cars recorded 0-60 times of less than three seconds, and all the rest but one (the Subaru BRZ), did it in 4.2 or less. Those are impressive stats, to be sure, but huge horsepower figures and stupid-quick acceleration, while certainly amazing in its own way, doesn't necessarily mean the car is a blast to drive - as Motor Trend says, if it were, they'd be testing a bunch of Top Fuel dragsters.

No, the point of throwing together these nine cars was to find out which is the magazine's Best Driver's Car of 2012. As you might imagine, a lot of instrumented testing goes into the equation, but perhaps the most important pieces of information come from the pilots behind the wheel. Again, to quote Motor Trend, "picking the Best Driver's Car, while fun, takes a great deal of time, thought, sweat, and vicious arguing."

Sound like fun? Instead of spoiling the results, we'll direct you to the video pasted below and the accompanying article here.

Continue reading Motor Trend picks its top driver's car of 2012 [w/video]

Motor Trend picks its top driver's car of 2012 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motor Trend picks their Best Driver's Car of 2011

Zach Bowman — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:58:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Etc., Videos

It's been a long while since the guys at Motor Trend went through the trouble of picking the best driver's car, and for good reason. In order to pull off an actual test with any merit, the publication would need to wrangle some of the most impressive pieces of automotive engineering together on the same track on the same day. When we're talking about vehicles like the Lexus LFA, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, Lotus Evora, Ferrari 458 Italia and the like, that can be a daunting feat, even for a rag of MT's swagger.

The stars aligned, however, and the crew managed to collect the hardware above as well as heathens like the Nissan GT-R, Porsche 911 GT3 RS, Porsche Cayman R, Audi R8 GT, Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Z07 and the Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca. All told, the collection was worth more than $1.5 million, and Motor Trend took the time to put them all through a battery of grueling performance tests before handing over the keys to a pro driver for a few quick laps at Laguna Seca. Rough times, guys.

The decision-making process has been split into three parts, and Part 1 is after the jump. Enjoy.

Continue reading Motor Trend picks their Best Driver's Car of 2011

Motor Trend picks their Best Driver's Car of 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Motor Trend's Best Driver's Car Competition offers a few surprises

Chris Shunk — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Videos

Click above to watch the video after the jump

Over the years, our favorite magazines have had some spectacular comparison tests, with scores of test data and page after page of subjective text. Motor Trend has practically made a living with comparisons, and its newest feature pits 10 hot rides against one another to see which is the best driver's car. MT used tons of data, added subjective feedback from staff members and included track time at Laguna Seca with pro driver Randy Pobst.

If you receive Motor Trend at home or you check in over at its website, you've probably read the extensive article, but the magazine also produced a 14 minute video hosted by Editor at Large Arthur St. Antoine. Hit the jump to watch the video for yourself. It's chock full of beautiful footage, 638 horsepower supercars drifting around and tire-ripping burnouts. How much more can you ask for?

[Source: YouTube via Motor Trend]

Continue reading VIDEO: Motor Trend's Best Driver's Car Competition offers a few surprises

VIDEO: Motor Trend's Best Driver's Car Competition offers a few surprises originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motor Trend gets all techy, picks their top 10 favorite driver's cars

Jonny Lieberman — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:29:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Sedan, Performance, Etc.

In a truly heroic effort that's not only daunting in scope but utterly jealousy-inducing in execution, the hot shoes at Motor Trend have once again teamed up with pro-racer and 24 Hours of Daytona winner Randy Pobst to put ten of the hottest performance cars currently on sale up against each other at Laguna Seca to determine which is best. Last year, the winner was given the title of "Best Handling Car," though this year they are switching the name to "Best Driver's Car." That works.

Without getting too much into the metrics they used (it's an eighteen page article), MT went with a combination of outright speed, braking performance, lateral acceleration data and subjective seat of the pants driving impressions (plus Pobst's excellent feedback) to rank all ten cars in order. Without giving away the winner, we will say that we enthusiastically agree with their findings.

Cases in point: Chevy Camaro SS is dead last. The BMW 135i is second to dead last. The world-beating Corvette ZR1 ends up one place behind the truly superlative Shelby GT500 and the uber 'Stang isn't even the top American car. Meanwhile, the plucky little Mazda MX-5 Miata finishes higher up than all the cars we just mentioned -- including the mystery Yank tank. In fact, the only gripe we have is that last year's third place car -- the Mazda RX-8 R3 - wasn't brought back for a second go round. No one's perfect. That said, you should consider this article a must read. We have, twice.

[Source: Motor Trend]

Motor Trend gets all techy, picks their top 10 favorite driver's cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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