HI, I'M JOHN DAVIS AND THIS IS MOTORWEEK !

JOIN US AS WE CHECK IN ON THE LATEST EVOLUTION OF THE KIA SPORTAGE... PAT GOSS SHOWS US HOW TO DECIPHER THE CODE... ROGER MECCA DOES MORE TIME MACHINE ROAD TRIPPIN IN THE ORIGINAL PONTIAC GTO... AND WE'LL SEE IF WE CAN WEATHER THE STORM OF THE LAMBORGHINI HURACAN SPYDER...

SO COME DRIVE WITH US, NEXT!

CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY MARYLAND PUBLIC TELEVISION.

* Announcer: THIRTY-FIVE YEARS OF MOTORWEEK , TELEVISION'S ORIGINAL AUTOMOTIVE MAGAZINE.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY... "IT'S GOT 430 FOOT UNITS OF BEAST!"

TIRERACK WANTS YOU TO BE SMART WITH YOUR CAR.

THEY CAN HELP YOU CHOOSE THE RIGHT TIRES FOR YOUR VEHICLE...

"OOPS."

TIRERACK.COM.

ROCKAUTO HAS AUTO PARTS FROM HUNDREDS OF MANUFACTURERS, OFFERING A VARIETY OF BRANDS, PRICES AND SPECIFICATIONS.

ROCKAUTO.COM, ALL THE PARTS YOUR CAR WILL EVER NEED.

John: NO VEHICLE TELLS THE KIA STORY BETTER THAN THEIR COMPACT SPORTAGE UTILITY.

ONE OF THEIR FIRST U.S. MODELS, IT STARTED OUT AS A COBBLED TOGETHER, ROUGH AND READY, REAR AND 4-WHEEL DRIVE, MINI UTE.

NOW, IN ITS 4TH GENERATION, IT HAS BECOME A STYLISH, SOPHISTICATED, FEATURE PACKED CROSSOVER.

BUT, WITH ALL THAT CHANGE, HAS PRACTICALLY TAKEN A BACKSEAT IN THE SPORTAGE?

* DESPITE THE IMPRESSIVE PROGRESS THAT THE KIA BRAND HAS HAD IN RECENT YEARS, BIG SUCCESS IN THE COMPACT CROSSOVER RANKS HAS ALLUDED THEM TO THIS POINT.

IT'S STILL LARGELY THE RAV4, CR-V, ROGUE, AND ESCAPE'S DOMAIN.

BUT KIA HOPES TO CHANGE THAT WITH THIS 2017 KIA SPORTAGE.

WE LIKE THE SOPHISTICATED NEW DESIGN, AND AT FIRST WE THOUGHT WE WERE CRAZY FOR SEEING A STRONG PORSCHE MACAN INFLUENCE.

AS IT TURNS OUT, THIS SPORTAGE WAS ACTUALLY DESIGNED IN KIA'S FRANKFURT STUDIO, SO WE'RE NOT SO CRAZY AFTER ALL.

THE FRONT END, WITH ITS PINCHED GRILLE AND HIGH-MOUNTED SLANT-BACK HEADLIGHTS, SEEMS TO SHARE MORE IN COMMON WITH THE CAR SIDE OF KIA THAN BIG BROTHER SORENTO.

BOTH THOSE HEADLIGHTS, AND THE AVAILABLE LED FOG LIGHTS BELOW, ARE MEGA BRIGHT.

AND WE'VE CERTAINLY TAKEN A SHINE TO KIA'S LATEST HANDSOME INTERIOR DESIGNS AS WELL.

THIS PRIMO SX LOOKS FABULOUS.

BUT JUST KEEP IN MIND, LOWER TRIM LEVELS, THOUGH STILL VERY NICE, ARE NOT QUITE THE EYE CANDY THAT THIS ONE IS.

THERE'S A MYRIAD OF CONTROLS, PLUS THE AVAILABLE UVO 8-INCH TOUCHSCREEN; YET, KIA CONTINUES TO DELIVER ALL YOU NEED IN A CLEAN, FLOWING DESIGN; THAT'S ALSO EASY TO IDENTIFY AND USE.

AND WE LIKE THE FACT THAT IN UPPER TRIM LEVELS, WITH THE 4.2 INCH TFT INFO CENTER IN THE GAUGES, YOU GET A CONFIRMATION MESSAGE TO JUST ABOUT EVERY INPUT YOU MAKE.

APPLE CARPLAY AND ANDROID AUTO ARE AVAILABLE ON EX TRIM AND ABOVE.

YES, THERE ARE STILL SOME HARD PLASTICS AROUND, BUT THEY ARE NOT TOUCH POINTS, AND THEY SEEM TO BLEND IN WELL WITH THE SOFT ONES.

STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS ALSO RATE VERY GOOD, AND THE WHEEL ITSELF HAS A BEEFY EUROPEAN LOOK AND FEEL TO IT.

THERE'S BOTH GOOD ROOM, AND ADEQUATE SEAT COMFORT UP FRONT FOR ADULTS, AND AN INCREASE IN SIZE ALLOWS FOR ADDITIONAL SPACE FOR THE REAR SEAT PASSENGERS TOO.

THOUGH CARGO SPACE STILL COMES UP SHORT COMPARED TO SEGMENT KINGS RAV4 AND CR-V AT 30.7 CUBIC-FEET WITH REAR SEAT BACKS UP; 60.1 WITH THEM FOLDED.

THIS SPORTAGE IS BASED ON A NEW CHASSIS THAT IS NOTABLY STIFFER, SO ROAD FEEL IS PROPORTIONALLY MORE SOLID, AND EASILY MORE AGILE FEELING THAN ITS MAIN RIVALS.

IS THAT THE MACAN'S INFLUENCE AGAIN?

BUT'S IT'S VERY KIA UNDER THE HOOD.

BASE IS A 181 HORSEPOWER 2.4 LITER I4.

UPGRADE IS A 2.0 LITER TURBO-4 WITH 240 HORSEPOWER AND 260 POUND-FEET OF TORQUE.

NATURALLY, WE MUCH PREFER THE TURBO, AS IT HAS MORE THAN ADEQUATE POWER FOR MOVING THE LARGER SORRENTO, THUS MAKING THIS THING FEEL LIKE A ROCKET; A REALLY SMOOTH ONE AT THAT.

OF COURSE, YOU DO PAY A PENALTY IN FUEL ECONOMY.

GOVERNMENT FUEL ECONOMY RATINGS FOR AN ALL-WHEEL DRIVE TURBO ARE 20-CITY, 23-HIGHWAY, AND 21-COMBINED, WHICH WE MATCHED PERFECTLY WITH OUR MILEAGE LOOP.

SO, THERE'S A GOOD ENERGY IMPACT SCORE OF 15.7 BARRELS OF OIL USED AND 7.0 TONS OF CO2 EMITTED YEARLY.

BOTH ENGINES CONNECT TO A 6-SPEED AUTOMATIC, IN FRONT OR ALL-WHEEL DRIVE.

KIA'S MAGNA DYNAMAX AWD SYSTEM PLACES AS MUCH PRIORITY ON IMPROVED HANDLING AS IT DOES GETTING YOU THROUGH SLICK CONDITIONS.

AND IT CLEARLY FEELS VERY NIMBLE THROUGH THE CONES; STEERING IS ALSO MORE PRECISE THAN LAST YEAR, YET STILL NUMB.

BUT EVEN WITH THE IMPROVED CAPABILITIES, BACKGROUND ELECTRONIC NANNIES BECOME FOREGROUND FUN-STOPPERS ALL TOO SOON.

THAT ALL-WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM ALSO PROVIDED GREAT GRIP AT LAUNCH, WITH ZERO WHEEL SPIN AND ONLY SOME MINOR TURBO LAG.

WE HIT 60 IN A NICE 7.1 SECONDS.

SHIFTS, HOWEVER ARE SLUGGISH; NOT TOO BAD, BUT THEY HINDERED THE TRUE POTENTIAL OF THIS ENGINE, TAKING US 15.4 SECONDS TO COMPLETE THE QUARTER MILE AT 91 MILES PER HOUR.

ON THE OTHER HAND, A 110 FOOT AVERAGE STOPPING DISTANCE FROM 60 IS QUITE GOOD.

A SLIGHT INCREASE IN BASE PRICING PUTS A NEW SPORTAGE LX AT $23,885.

ALL-WHEEL DRIVE ADDS $1,500 MORE.

DESPITE ITS CONTINUED REFINEMENT OVER THE YEARS, THE FACT THAT THE SPORTAGE HAS BEEN UNABLE TO BECOME A MAJOR PLAYER IN THE COMPACT CROSSOVER SEGMENT IS DUE MORE TO THE HIGH VOLUME OF STIFF COMPETITION THAN TO ANY SHORTFALLS.

REGARDLESS, THERE'S NOT MUCH ABOUT THE 2017 KIA SPORTAGE THAT'S ROUGH ANYMORE, AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE 4TH TIME'S READY TO BE THE CHARM!

OUR SUCCESS STORY THIS WEEK TAKES US TO WEST SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA WHERE TRUCKERS ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF A NEW, CLEAN ENERGY, LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS FUELING STATION.

IT'S ONE OF ONLY TWO REGIONAL LNG STATIONS DESIGNED FOR HEAVY DUTY, CLASS 7 & 8 TRACTOR TRAILERS.

STATIONS HAVE WIDER ACCESS, A LARGER TURNAROUND PAD, WITH TWO FUELING LANES THAT CAN BE INCREASED TO FOUR.

THE STATION CAN ALSO BE UPGRADED TO ADD CNG, AND IF DEMAND WARRANTS, A SECOND LNG HOLDING TANK.

AREA HAULERS ARE SLOWLY BUT SURELY MAKING THE SWITCH TO THE CLEANER BURNING FUEL SUPPORTING THE NEED FOR MORE LNG STATIONS.

Jeff Wittenberger: SACRAMENTO HAS BEEN, REALLY, AN EARLY ADOPTER FOR NATURAL GAS TRUCKS.

A LOT OF THE COUNTY AND CITY OF SACRAMENTO'S VEHICLES ARE RUNNING ON NATURAL GAS.

SO, IT'S REALLY NOTHING NEW HERE.

WHAT'S NEW IS THE INTRODUCTION TO THE HEAVY DUTY, OVER THE ROAD, REGIONAL HAUL TRUCKING MARKET.

John: WITH NATURAL GAS BEING AN ABUNDANT, DOMESTICALLY PRODUCED FUEL, CLEAN ENERGY BELIEVES THEIR INVESTMENT IN AMERICA'S NATURAL GAS HIGHWAY WILL PAY BIG DIVIDENDS FOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TRUCKERS.

GERMANY IS KNOWN FOR ITS PERFORMANCE SEDANS, ITALY FOR ITS EXOTIC SPORTS CARS AND ENGLAND FOR THE ROADSTER.

WELL, THE AMERICAN AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY IS CERTAINLY FAMOUS FOR ONE THING: AND THAT"S RED, WHITE, AND BLUE, V-8 MUSCLE CARS.

AS OUR OWN ROGER MECCA DISCOVERED, THE IDEA BEHIND ONE EARLY MUSCLE MACHINE IS QUITE A STORY, AND LIKE ALL GOOD CAR TALES, IT DIDN'T BEGIN IN A BOARDROOM, BUT IN A GARAGE.

Roger Mecca: IF THERE'S ONE GENRE OF AUTOMOBILE THAT AMERICA IS SYNONYMOUS WITH, IT'S THE MUSCLE CAR.

SINCE THEY ROARED ONTO THE SCENE IN THE 1960s, MANY AMERICAN CAR FANS HAVE TURNED THEIR NOSES UP AT THE RACY IMPORTS FROM EUROPE, AND JAPAN, IN FAVOR OF SMALL BLOCK V8s FROM DETROIT.

AND IF YOU'RE LIKE MOST OF THEM, WHEN YOU THINK OF A CLASSIC AMERICAN MUSCLE CAR, IMAGES OF MUSTANGS, CAMAROS, AND CHALLENGERS INSTANTLY COME TO MIND.

BUT IT WASN'T THE MUSTANG, OR THE CAMARO, OR THE CHALLENGER, THAT BROUGHT ABOUT THE MUSCLE CAR ERA, IT WAS THIS: THE PONTIAC GTO.

AND FOR AN ENTIRE GENERATION OF GEAR HEADS, IT WAS THE ONLY CAR TO HAVE.

CHIP MILLER IS THE CO-OWNER OF EUROSTAR AUTO GALLERY IN COCKEYSVILLE, MARYLAND, DEALING IN VINTAGE AND EXOTIC AUTOMOBILES.

HE'S ALSO ONE OF THE GTO'S BIGGEST FANS.

Chip Miller: IT WAS JUST BEAUTIFUL IN EVERY SENSE.

THE RUMBLE, THE EXHAUST NOTE WAS SPECTACULAR.

SOMETHING THAT, I DON'T THINK ANYBODY REALLY HAD MASTERED QUITE AS WELL AS PONTIAC HAD WHEN THEY BROUGHT THAT CAR OUT.

Roger: IT'S ACTUALLY A MIRACLE THE GTO WAS BUILT AT ALL.

BACK IN 1963, GENERAL MOTORS DECLARED THEY WEREN'T GOING TO GET INVOLVED IN AUTO RACING ANYMORE.

AND SINCE PONTIAC WAS THE PERFORMANCE BRAND OF GM, THEY HAD TO FIGURE OUT SOMETHING ELSE TO DO!

WHAT THEY DID, WAS FIND A LOOPHOLE.

IT TURNED OUT THE REGULATIONS HANDED DOWN FROM THE BOSSES ONLY APPLIED TO DISTINCT MODELS, NOT VARIATIONS OR SPECIAL OPTIONS PACKAGES.

SO, THE ENGINEERS AT PONTIAC GOT CLEVER WITH THE DESIGN OF A CAR ALREADY IN PRODUCTION, THE NEW MID-SIZE TEMPEST WHICH WAS SET TO DEBUT IN 1964.

SO, THE STORY GOES THAT BILL CANON, WHO WAS AN ENGINEER FOR PONTIAC, WAS TALKING TO JOHN DELOREAN, YES, THAT SAME DELOREAN, WHO WAS THE CHIEF ENGINEER FOR PONTIAC.

AND THEY'RE LOOKING AT A PONTIAC TEMPEST.

ALL OF A SUDDEN, BILL TURNS TO JOHN AND SAYS, "YOU KNOW, IN ABOUT 30 MINUTES I COULD TAKE OUT THIS LOUSY 326 AND PUT IN A 389."

JOHN GAVE HIM THE GO AHEAD AND IN A WEEK THE GTO PROTOTYPE WAS BURNING RUBBER DOWN A RACETRACK.

AND THAT'S IT.

THAT IS HOW THE LEGENDARY GTO WAS BORN.

NO FANCY BOARD MEETINGS, NO MARKETING GURUS, NO FOCUS GROUPS OR HOURS OF RESEARCH LOOKING AT DEMOGRAPHICS.

JUST A COUPLE OF GEARHEADS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO PACK MORE HORSEPOWER INTO SOMETHING WITH 4-WHEELS WITHOUT THE BOSS FINDING OUT!

SO WHAT'S IT LIKE TO DRIVE A VINTAGE GTO.

WELL, THIS IS A 45 YEAR OLD MUSCLE CAR AND THAT MEANS ITS GOT DRUM BRAKES, VERY LIGHT STEERING, AND WEIGHS ABOUT 5-TONS AND THE SUSPENSION IS A LITTLE BOUNCY.

ALL OF THAT ADDS UP TO A CAR THAT DOES NOT LIKE TO BE GOING AROUND CORNERS TOO FAST.

BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S NOT FUN TO DRIVE.

YOU SEE, THIS CAR WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE A TIGHT-TWISTING ROADSTER.

IT WAS BUILT TO CRUISE, AND GLIDE DOWN THE HIGHWAY, AND WHEN NEEDED, FLY DOWN MAIN STREET WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN.

AND OF COURSE, THERE'S MY FAVORITE PART, THE SOUND!

DEPENDING ON THE VARIATION AND YEAR, HORSEPOWER WILL BE BETWEEN 350, AND 380, YOU'LL REACH 60 MILES PER HOUR IN ROUGHLY 6-SECONDS AND TOP SPEED WILL BE IN THE 140 RANGE.

SO WHILE, THE PERFORMANCE IS TAME BY TODAY'S STANDARDS, THE PRESENCE OF THE GTO JUST SEEMS TO INCREASE WITH EACH PASSING MILE.

Chip: ALL THE WAY AROUND, FROM EVERY IMAGINABLE ANGLE, THE CAR SAYS, "LOOK OUT, I'M HERE."

IT MAKES A STATEMENT, AND I THINK THAT'S WHY IT'S ENDURED, JUST LIKE A GOOD ROCK BAND HAS.

YOU KNOW WHEN THE MUSIC'S CLASSIC AND IT'S GOOD, IT LASTS.

Roger: SO BY NOW, YOU PROBABLY WANT TO FULFILL YOUR CHILDHOOD DREAM OF OWNING A GTO.

WELL, YOU'RE IN LUCK.

BECAUSE THEY MADE SO MANY OF THEM OVER THE YEARS, YOU CAN HAVE A REALLY NICE EXAMPLE, JUST LIKE THIS, FOR UNDER $40,000.

SADLY, AS WE ALL KNOW, PONTIAC AND THE GTO NAME ARE GONE.

BUT THE SPIRIT, FUN, AND SHEER JOY OF DRIVING LIVE ON IN THIS BEAUTY, THE ONE CAR WE CAN THANK FOR DELIVERING AMERICAN MUSCLE.

John: IF YOU READ ROAD & TRACK MAGAZINE OR FOLLOW FORMULA 1 RACING ON TELEVISION, YOU'VE NO DOUBT READ, HEARD, AND SEEN THE WORK OF SAM POSEY.

WHERE THE WRITER MEETS THE ROAD IS A MUST READ COLLECTION OF HIS WORKS FROM THOSE OUTLETS, AS WELL AS MANY OTHERS, FROM THE LAST 40 YEARS.

NO STRANGER TO THE TRACK HIMSELF, SAM'S 20 YEAR RACING CAREER INCLUDED STARTS IN BOTH THE INDY 500, AND 24 HOURS OF LE MANS.

WHETHER IT'S FROM THAT EXPERIENCE, OR JUST HIS WAY WITH WORDS, FEW PEOPLE DO A BETTER JOB OF ACTUALLY PUTTING YOU IN A RACE CAR, AND REALLY GIVING YOU A SENSE OF WHAT TOP DRIVERS GO THROUGH WHEN THEY STRAP IN AND LAY IT ALL ON THE LINE, WEEK IN AND WEEK OUT ON A RACE TRACK.

PAT GOSS ALWAYS DOES HIS BEST TO DECODE COMMON CAR CARE ISSUES.

SO LET'S SEE WHAT CYPHER HE SOLVES THIS WEEK!

Pat Goss: A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAN BE A ROYAL PAIN.

AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO THINK YOU CAN GO OUT, AND BUY A SCAN TOOL, WHETHER IT'S A BASIC ONE OR A PROFESSIONAL ONE, AND THAT YOU'RE GOING TO READ CODES, AND REPLACE A PART, AND SOLVE A PROBLEM... WELL, YOU MAY BE IN FOR A BIG SURPRISE.

YOU SEE, CODES DON'T ACTUALLY TELL YOU WHAT TO REPLACE.

THAT NOTION COMES FROM DEALERSHIP TECHNICIANS, AND SO ON, WHO ARE BOUND BY THE MANUFACTURER TO DO IT THAT WAY.

SEE, MANUFACTURERS DON'T LIKE TO PAY FOR DIAGNOSTIC TIME, SO THEY TELL THEIR TECHS IN MOST CASES TO READ THE CODE AND REPLACE THE PART THAT'S DESCRIBED IN THAT CODE.

WELL FOR YOU, THAT DOESN'T WORK BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS.

THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT YOU READ THE CODES, THEN YOU GO TO A SERVICE MANUAL, AND FOR EACH CODE, THERE IS A MATCHING TEST PROCEDURE.

IN OTHER WORDS, IF WE HAD SAY A CODE PO300, WELL FOR PO300, WHICH IS A RANDOM MISFIRE CODE, YOU HAVE TEST PO300.

AND THAT TEST WILL GO THROUGH ALL OF THE STEPS TO ISOLATE EACH ONE OF THE THINGS THAT COULD CAUSE THAT CODE.

AND BY PROCESS OF ELIMINATION WHAT YOU WIND UP WITH IS THE REAL PART.

NOW, IF YOU'RE JUST GOING TO READ CODES AND REPLACE PARTS, THERE'S A BETTER WAY TO GO ABOUT IT.

AND THAT IS TO BUY YOURSELF A MAGIC EIGHT BALL, ASK IT WHAT THE ANSWER IS.

BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BE CHEAPER THAN THE SCANNER.

AND YOU'RE PROBABLY GOING TO GET SIMILAR RESULTS.

AND IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR COMMENT, DROP ME A LINE, RIGHT HERE AT MOTORWEEK .

John: PILOTING OUR 2016 HONDA PILOT 3-ROW CROSSOVER OVER THE LAST 5-MONTHS HAS BEEN THE TYPICAL HONDA EXPERIENCE; ROOMY AND WORRY-FREE, ALTHOUGH NOT TYPICALLY EXCITING.

NO PROBLEMS TO REPORT, AND OVER THE LAST 2,300 MILES SINCE WE LAST CHECKED IN, WE'VE PACKED IN A FEW ROAD TRIPS, AND FOUND NEAR FULL-SIZE SUV CARGO SPACE FOR HAULING, YET AGILE MID-SIZE SEDAN LIKE HANDLING.

AND IMPRESSIVE FUEL ECONOMY WITH THE 3.5 LITER V6 WITH ITS 9-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, NOW AVERAGING 22.8 MILES PER GALLON.

WE'VE SEEN 28 DURING HIGHWAY CRUISING.

OUR ONLY WISH SO FAR IS FOR A LITTLE MORE PADDING IN THE FRONT SEATS.

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME WE'VE SAID GOODBYE TO A MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER SPORT IN AS MANY YEARS.

THIS 2015 MODEL EASILY WITHSTOOD DAILY WEAR, AND TEAR OVER ITS 12 MONTHS, AND 16,623 MILES WITH US.

FINAL FUEL ECONOMY CHECKS IN AT 26.7 MILES PER GALLON FROM THE 168 HORSEPOWER 2.4 LITER I4.

AND OUR COMMENT BOOK HAS FILLED WITH SIMILAR SENTIMENTS AS BEFORE: A FORGIVENESS FOR THE CHEAP INTERIOR, AND HARD PLASTICS, AND AN APPRECIATION FOR THE WORKHORSE ATTITUDE, AND IT'S NO NONSENSE APPROACH TO DRIVING.

ARE THERE NICER CROSSOVERS OUT THERE FOR THE MONEY?

ABSOLUTELY.

BUT IN A TIME WHEN IT SEEMS EVERYTHING IS GETTING MORE AND MORE COMPLICATED, THERE'S A LOT TO BE SAID FOR THE MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER SPORT'S SIMPLICITY.

THIS 2016 TOYOTA TACOMA IS A WELCOMED ADDITION TO OUR LONG-TERM FLEET.

EVERYONE KNOWS HOW HANDY IT IS TO HAVE A TRUCK AROUND, SO STAY TUNED OVER THE SUMMER TO FIND OUT ALL THAT WE GET INTO WITH TOYOTA'S MID-SIZE PICKUP.

STARTING NEXT TIME, ALONG WITH THE MAZDA MX-5 ON OUR NEXT MOTORWEEK LONG-TERM ROAD REST UPDATE!

* ...FROM ITS SHORT, BULLDOG NOSE, TO ITS TALL, AND AIRY CABIN, THE 1997 KIA SPORTAGE LOOKS READY TO TAKE ON ALL COMERS, BOTH ON THE ROAD AND OFF.

STANDARD 15 INCH WHEELS, A GENEROUS 7.9 INCHES OF GROUND CLEARANCE, THAT'S MORE THAN A FORD EXPLORER AND A GENERAL TOUGH LADDER TYPE FRAME MAKE IT A RUGGED OFF-ROAD COMPANION... John: YOLANDA VAZQUEZ HAS A MOTOR NEWS UPDATE, SO HERE SHE IS WITH THE LATEST.

Yolanda Vazquez: MOST PEOPLE ASSOCIATE THE JD POWER NAME WITH CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEYS ON VEHICLES AND OTHER PRODUCTS, BUT THIS YEAR MARKS THE 20TH ANNUAL VEHICLE SATISFACTION AWARDS FROM AUTOPACIFIC, A MARKETING AND CONSULTING FIRM THAT SURVEYS OVER 65,000 NEW VEHICLE OWNERS AROUND THE U.S. AND IT'S BASED ON 50 MEASURED ASPECTS FROM THE 2015 AND 2016 MODEL YEAR VEHICLES.

THINGS LIKE STYLE, COMFORT, PERFORMANCE, AND FUEL ECONOMY.

THIS YEAR, THE CADILLAC ESCALADE, FULL-SIZE SUV, EARNED THE HIGHEST SCORE EVER IN AUTOPACIFIC'S 20 YEARS OF TESTING.

THE VEHICLE WAS ALSO NAMED THE OVERALL WINNER, TAKING HOME THE PRESIDENT'S AWARD.

GM DID WELL IN OTHER CATEGORIES AS THE CHEVROLET CORVETTE TOOK THE SPORTS CAR HONOR...

WHILE, THE GMC SIERRA 1500 EARNED THE AWARD AMONG LIGHT DUTY PICKUPS...

THE HYUNDAI TUCSON WON FOR COMPACT CROSSOVERS... AND THE KIA OPTIMA RANKED HIGHEST FOR MID-SIZE CARS...

THE SURVEY ALSO MEASURES BRANDS AS A WHOLE, AND AMONG THE PREMIUM PLAYERS, TESLA RANKED THE HIGHEST...

THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE COMPANY NARROWLY EDGED OUT CADILLAC AND LEXUS...

AMONG NON-LUXURY, OR POPULAR BRANDS AS THEY'RE CLASSIFIED, KIA TOPPED ALL OTHERS, OUTSCORING 2ND PLACE GMC BY A FAIRLY WIDE MARGIN.

FOLLOWED BY HONDA, SUBARU, HYUNDAI, AND CHRYSLER.

IF THERE'S ANY TAKEAWAY FROM AUTOPACIFIC'S SURVEY, IT'S THAT CUSTOMERS CLEARLY FIND SATISFACTION DIFFERS VASTLY FROM SALES NUMBERS AND MARKETING HYPE.

AND THAT'S IT FOR THIS WEEK'S MOTORNEWS.

John: USUALLY, WHEN YOU HEAR A HURRICANE IS A COMIN', YOU HEAD INDOORS AND BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES.

BUT WHEN YOU'RE TALKING THE LAMBORGHINI HURACAN, YOU WANT TO GET OUT INTO THE ELEMENTS AND FULLY ENJOY IT.

AND NOW, WITH THE LP 610-4 SPYDER, YOU CAN ENJOY THOSE ELEMENTS MORE THAN EVER.

* THE ITALIANS MUST BE TRUE SUN WORSHIPPERS, AS WITH JUST ABOUT EVERY EXOTIC ITALIAN HARDTOP THAT COMES OUR WAY, IT'S QUICKLY FOLLOWED BY A SOFT TOP VERSION.

THAT'S JUST FINE BY US, AS A NEW CONVERTIBLE SUPERCAR IS REASON ENOUGH TO SEEK MORE SEAT TIME; CARS LIKE THIS 2016 LAMBORGHINI HURACAN LP 610-4 SPYDER.

A CAR THAT IS NOT REALLY ABOUT THE SUN YOU SEEK, BUT RATHER ALL THE ATTENTION YOU'LL GET ROLLING UP IN THIS STUNNING, OPEN COCKPIT ULTRA HIGH PERFORMER.

THE TOPLESS VERSION OF THE HURACAN COUPE, THE ENTRY LEVEL LAMBO IF YOU WILL, AND CHASSIS MATE OF THE AUDI R8.

NOW, IT'S HARD TO CALL ANY CAR WITH A 610 HORSEPOWER V10 ENTRY LEVEL.

IT'S DECA-CYLINDERED, 5.2 LITER MID-MOUNTED POWERPLANT STILL FULLY ON DISPLAY UNDER THE REAR HATCH, AND EXPOSED TO THE ELEMENTS IN ALL ITS NATURALLY ASPIRATED GLORY.

POWER NUMBERS ARE EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE COUPE WHICH MEANS THERE'S 413 POUND-FEET OF TORQUE ON TAP.

ALL-WHEEL DRIVE IS STANDARD.

WHAT'LL IT DO?

WELL, IN A STRAIGHT LINE, IT'S EASY TO LAUNCH, WITH ONLY A MODEST HESITATION BEFORE FULL POWER COMES RUSHING ON, USHERING US TO 60 IN 3.3 SECONDS.

KEEPING THINGS IN SPORT MODE AND LETTING THE 7-SPEED DUAL CLUTCH TRANS SHIFT FOR ITSELF PROVED TO BE THE BEST TACTIC, AS IT HAULED US TO THE END OF THE QUARTER MILE IN 11.2 SECONDS AT 131 MILES PER HOUR.

AS FOR TAKING TURNS, WELL AT ROEBLING ROAD RACEWAY NEAR SAVANNAH, GEORGIA; THIS HURACAN RIFLES THROUGH TWO MILES OF CORNERS WITH DEADLY PRECISION, NEVER BREAKING A SWEAT.

STEERING IS QUICK, AND DIRECT, AND THE CAR SEEMS TO ANTICIPATE YOUR INPUTS; NEVER GETTING CAUGHT OFF GUARD, NO MATTER HOW CLUMSY THE DRIVER.

BUT AS FUN AND CAPABLE AS IT IS THROUGH TURNS, BLASTING DOWN THE STRAIGHT IS THE BEST EXPERIENCE FOR ALL OF THE SENSES, WITH THAT ENGINE WAILING AWAY BEHIND YOU, AND SHIFTS HITTING HARD WITH BRUTAL DIRECTION.

AS EXPECTED, ABOUT 250 POUNDS OF WEIGHT HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE CHASSIS' HYBRID MIX OF ALUMINUM AND CARBON-FIBER, BUT YOU WON'T NOTICE IT.

IF THERE'S ANY COMPLAINT TO BE HAD, IT'S THAT MUCH LIKE THE R8, IT'S SO EASY TO DRIVE FAST, THAT AFTER YOU PULL INTO THE PITS, THERE'S LITTLE SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT, LIKE YOU'VE JUST FEARLESSLY SLAYED THE DRAGON AND LIVED TO TELL ABOUT.

NOW, UNLIKE SOME SPYDER'S WITH FLIMSY TAKE OFF TOPS, THE HURACAN'S FOLDS QUICKLY INTO A REAR COMPARTMENT WITH THE PUSH OF A BUTTON JUST LIKE A NORMAL CONVERTIBLE SHOULD.

TOP DOWN, THE MOST NOTICEABLE ADDITIONS ARE THE FAIRING'S THAT FLOW OUT OF THE HEADRESTS, ADDING A UNIQUE LOOK, ESPECIALLY FROM THE REAR, BUT THEY ALSO REDUCE TURBULENCE IN THE COCKPIT.

THE REAR AIR INTAKES AND SURFACES ABOVE THE BACK WHEELS HAVE ALSO BEEN TWEAKED.

WITH TOP UP, THE LOOK IS CERTAINLY DIFFERENT THAN THE COUPE, BUT NOT ENOUGH TO KEEP IT FROM BEING RECOGNIZABLE AS A HURACAN.

STILL LOW AND WIDE AND FULL OF ANGLES, STILL AWESOME LOOKING NO MATTER WHICH ANGLE YOU'RE LOOKING AT IT FROM.

THINGS INSIDE ARE STILL DESIGNED MORE FOR COMPACT ITALIANS THAN FULL-SIZE AMERICANS, AND THE CLOTH TOP SEEMS TO HAVE LESSENED HEADROOM COMPARED TO THE COUPE.

BUT ONCE YOU GET SETTLED, IT'S A FABULOUS AND FAIRLY COMFORTABLE PLACE TO GO ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS.

AND IF YOUR BUSINESS IS CRUISING THE STRIP, THE HURACAN SPYDER IS A MORE THAN WORTHY COMPANION; AS STREET RIDE IS PLENTY SMOOTH.

AND OF COURSE, WITH THE TOP DOWN EVERYONE CAN CATCH A BETTER GLIMPSE OF WHO'S BEHIND THE WHEEL.

AUTO STOP/START HAS BEEN ADDED TO ALL HURACAN'S FOR '16 MODEL YEAR, HELPING FUEL ECONOMY SOMEWHAT.

THOSE GOVERNMENT FUEL ECONOMY RATINGS ARE 14-CITY, 20-HIGHWAY, AND 16-COMBINED.

THE OPEN AIR HURACAN EXPERIENCE STARTS AT $267,545; OR ABOUT 25-GRAND MORE THAN THE COUPE.

AND WITH THAT HURACAN COUPE HELPING LAMBORGHINI HIT RECORD SALES NUMBERS; IT'S A "NO-BRAINER" THAT THIS "NO-ROOFER" WILL HELP KEEP THINGS ON THE UPSWING FOR THE BRAND.

AS THE 2016 LAMBORGHINI HURACAN LP 610-4 SPYDER IS A WINDBLOWN WINNER THAT WILL KEEP SHAKING THINGS UP IN THE EXOTIC SPORTS CAR ARENA.

WELL, THAT'S OUR SHOW, I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT.

NOW, FOR MORE MOTORWEEK WHY NOT CHECK OUT OUR PODCAST AS WELL AS COMPLETE EPISODES AT PBS.ORG/MOTORWEEK.

AND I HOPE YOU'LL JOIN US NEXT TIME, AND SEE HOW HIGH WE CAN FLY IN THE TESLA MODEL X CROSSOVER.

THEN IT'S A TRACK ATTACK IN THE MCLAREN 570 S. UNTIL THEN, I'M JOHN DAVIS; WE'LL SEE YOU RIGHT HERE ON MOTORWEEK .

Announcer: TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MOTORWEEK , TELEVISION'S ORIGINAL AUTOMOTIVE MAGAZINE, VISIT PBS.ORG/MOTORWEEK.

MOTORWEEK HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO YOU BY... "IT'S GOT 430 FOOT UNITS OF BEAST!"

TIRERACK WANTS YOU TO BE SMART WITH YOUR CAR.

THEY CAN HELP YOU CHOOSE THE RIGHT TIRES FOR YOUR VEHICLE...

"OOPS."

TIRERACK.COM.

ROCKAUTO HAS AUTO PARTS FROM HUNDREDS OF MANUFACTURERS, OFFERING A VARIETY OF BRANDS, PRICES AND SPECIFICATIONS.

ROCKAUTO.COM, ALL THE PARTS YOUR CAR WILL EVER NEED.

Announcer: THIS PROGRAM WAS PRODUCED BY MARYLAND PUBLIC TELEVISION, WHICH IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS CONTENT.

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