Car and Driver - USA (2019-10)

86

New Cars for 20 20

. CHARTING THE CHANGES. CAR AND DRIVER. OCT/2019

Polestar

—

1: Volvo’s new subbrand,

Polestar, is announcing itself

to the world with this sharply

styled plug-in-hybrid coupe.

While it’s loosely based on

the Volvo S90 sedan, the 1

has a shorter wheelbase and

a more potent powertrain.

A turbo- and supercharged

2.0-liter inline-four combines

with an electric motor to drive

the front axle. Along with two

111-hp electric motors in the

rear, this setup makes for a

total of 600 horsepower and

738 pound-feet of torque. The

claimed electric-only range is

93 miles. Pricing will start just

above $155,000; there will also

be a subscription-type lease

service available. U.S. deliver-

ies will begin sometime later

this year or early next, but the

first 500 cars are already sold,

so prepare to wait.

of the existing Sentra, the
Sylphy-based version should
look like a reasonably sleek
tiny Altima. Nissan hasn’t
said much about it, but we’re
guessing it will get the 141-hp
2.0-liter four-cylinder from the
Rogue Sport and either a six-
speed manual or a CVT.
—
Titan: Nissan will cease pro-
duction of the Titan XD diesel
in December. This is ahead of a
mild facelift for the Titan line,
which will also see the death of
the regular-cab versions.
—
Versa: See review, page 58.
—
Minor trim changes: Kicks,
Leaf, Rogue Sport
Unchanged: 370Z, Altima,
Armada, Frontier, Maxima,
Murano, NV, NV200, Path-
finder, Rogue
Dead: 370Z roadster, Rogue
hybrid, Versa Note

Otherwise, the traditional

Cayenne has no major

changes.

—

Macan: A new Macan Turbo is

coming, powered by the same

twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V-6

found in the Cayenne S and

Panamera 4S. In the Macan

Turbo, we expect the engine

will make 434 horsepower. A

GTS will arrive next year as

well, with output somewhere

between the 348-hp S trim

and the Turbo’s 434.

—

Taycan: See review, page 38.

—

Minor trim changes:

Panamera

Ram

—

1500: There’s a strong possi-

bility that Ram will stop selling

the last-gen model, labeled

Classic. A diesel version joins

the lineup.

—

Minor trim changes: HD

Unchanged: ProMaster,

ProMaster City

Rolls-Royce

—

Unchanged: Cullinan, Dawn,

Ghost, Phantom, Wraith

Polestar 2: The second model to arrive from

Volvo’s EV brand will be this more practically

minded electric hatchback. Positioned against the

Tesla Model 3, the 2 is a tallish four-door with a 78.0-

kWh lithium-ion battery pack and an electric motor

on each axle producing a total of 402 horsepower and

487 pound-feet of torque. The claimed driving range

on a single charge is 275 miles. The Launch Edition

will start at about $63,000 when it arrives in July.

Porsche

—

911: If you’ve missed that the

911 is new for 2020, possibly

you still think rear-engined

cars are evil-handling works

of the devil and that a mid-

engined Corvette is a new idea.

The 443-hp Carrera S and

4S coupes rolled out of the

factory first, followed shortly

after by the cabriolets. The

Carrera coupe and cabriolet

will be the next to arrive, with

the all-wheel-drive versions on

their heels. Base 911s use the

same twin-turbocharged 3.0-

liter flat-six as the S versions,

albeit with different turbos

to crank out 379 horsepower

and 331 pound-feet of torque.

They get smaller staggered

wheels (19s up front and 20s

in back versus 20s and 21s on

S models) and slightly smaller

brake rotors. Base coupes

open at $98,750, and cabrio-

lets at $111,550.

Expect to see a new 911

Turbo and a more powerful

Turbo S later in 2020 as 2021

models. The outgoing Turbo

and Turbo S produced 540 and

580 horsepower, respectively,

so it seems likely that the new

Turbo S will break the 600-hp

barrier. Possibly the $200,000

barrier, too. If purity of the 911

experience is still your thing

(we get it), then it’s the 992

GT3 you’ll be interested in. We

hope to see that by the end of

2020 or in early 2021. Fear not,

fans of the naturally aspirated

engine; it will be powered by

the same 502-hp 4.0-liter

flat-six that powers today’s

911 Speedster.

—

Cayenne: Because every

luxury SUV now needs a coupe

variant, Porsche has added

one to the Cayenne lineup.

Five trims are available: the

335-hp base version, the

434-hp S coupe, the 541-hp

Turbo coupe, the 455 E-Hybrid

coupe, and the 670-hp Turbo S

E-Hybrid coupe. That bonkers

hybrid powertrain also goes

into the regular Cayenne.

DEAD: SMART

Smart’s parent company,

Mercedes-Benz, is finally

giving up on trying to

sell half a car for the

price of a full one. Good-

night, little one.

Subaru

—

Legacy: Subaru’s mid-size

sedan is new, riding on the

same modular platform that

underpins most of the brand’s

models. The look is evolu-

tionary, and the base 2.5-liter

flat-four gains seven ponies,