Motor Trend - USA (2020-06)

2021 DS 9

Intake

JUNE 1990

PRICE: $ 2.

We had the exclu-

sive first test of

the turbocharged

1991 Mercury Capri

XR 2 30 years ago.

Perhaps more

relevant, though,

is our deep dive on

Chevy’s “super-

secret” Camaros.

The Camaro 1LE

spec was discov-

ered by a Chevy

dealer perusing the

order book. Three

decades later,

the Camaro 1LE

package lives up to

the original.

JUNE 2010

PRICE: $4.

The legendary “five-

oh” V-8 returned

to the Mustang a

decade ago with

the 41 2 -hp Coyote

engine, and the

Mustang also got

a hot new 3 0 5-hp

3.7-liter V-6. The

V-6 wouldn’t last

long, having been

made obsolete

by a similarly

powerful 2 .3-liter

turbocharged I-4,

but the mighty

Coyote V-8 is still

available in the

Mustang GT.

JUNE 1970

PRICE: $ 0 .5 0

We’re sure this will

make you chuckle:

50 years ago, we

lifted “GM’s security

blanket” surrounding

the mid-engine

Corvette. We wrote

that Chev y, in order

to challenge the

Ford-backed De

Tomaso Pantera,

was testing a mid-

engine Corvette,

using a trans-

verse-mounted

Oldsmobile Toro-

nado V-8 behind

the driver’s seat.

Of course, it took

half a century

before the mid-

engine Corvette,

our 2020 Car of the

Year, finally saw

the light of day.

From the MotorTrend

Archive ...

REAR VIEW

NEWSI OPINIONI GOSSIP

P

olestar is still finding

its feet as a brand, but

with backing from

Volvo and Geely, it doesn’t

need a ton of time to get up

to speed. Witness its latest

concept, the Tesla-aping

Precept.

Mostly a styling exer-

cise, the concept’s most

important feature is the

pod on the leading edge of

its otherwise all-glass roof.

Containing a lidar sensor,

it’s part of an autonomous

driving sensor suite that

marks the brand’s foray

into self-driving. Polestar

has kept quiet on that

front, as well as about the

Precept’s powertrain. We

expect it’s based on the

all-electric Polestar 2,

which has a 78-kW-hr

battery under the floor

good for 275 miles.

Ask Polestar, and the

real story is the sustain-

able interior. The interior

panels and seat backs are

made from a flax-based

composite that’s 50 percent

lighter. The seat covers

are made from 3-D knitted

plastic made from recycled

bottles, with the bolsters

and headrests made from

recycled cork vinyl. The

carpets are made in part

from recycled fishing nets.

Setting it all off are a 12.5-

inch digital instrument

screen and a 15.0-inch info-

tainment touchscreen.

Polestar hasn’t said

whether the Precept is a

preview of an upcoming

sedan, but it could follow

the Polestar 2 four-door

coupe and Polestar 3 SUV

into production.

Why waste your time with

a French luxury sedan

we don’t get in America?

Because someday soon, we

just might if PSA Peugeot

Citroën re-enters the

market like it’s promised

to. The DS 9 luxury sedan

wouldn’t be the worst foot

to put forward.

It certainly has all the

tricks. Citroën’s famous

ride quality is present

thanks to an adaptive

suspension that scans

the road and prepares for

bumps and holes. Heated,

cooled, and massaging

seats are on board, as

are the expected suite of

driver aids.

Acoustic glass keeps

things quiet while you

poke at the massive info-

tainment screen. Nappa

leather and Alcantara are

de rigueur, and the DS 9’s

controls are finished in

Clous de Paris guillochage,

the signature pattern of

French watchmakers.

A 225-hp engine is

standard, but the DS 9

sets itself apart with three

plug-in hybrid models,

ranging from 225 to 360

hp. With the Peugeot

brand slated to lead the

group’s return to America

in the next few years, we

won’t likely see this DS 9

here, but it’s nice to know

what we have to look

forward to.

Polestar Precept Concept