Ford’s awesome off-roader gains two real doors, drops its base engine, and picks up a few new toys.

We’ve been enamored with the F-150 SVT Raptor ever since Ford unveiled the truck nearly two years ago. The off-road capability, toughness, and all-round bad-ass-ness quickly made the Raptor a C/D favorite. It’s clear we weren’t the only ones, as Ford claims that Raptors stay on dealer forecourts for a quarter of the time standard F-150s linger—just 11 days, compared to more than a month for Ford’s lesser trucks. For 2011, Ford is expanding the Raptor’s appeal by adding a four-door SuperCrew model to the mix.

Keep Reading: 2011 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor SuperCab / SVT Raptor SuperCrew – Official Photos and Info

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Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental.

Right now, traveling anywhere between Mercedes-Benz’s Stuttgart headquarters, the company’s Bremen factory, and its Papenburg test track, you are bound to run into camouflaged M-B prototypes. Just last week, I spotted the next-generation SL, the SLK, and the new B-class. All of them appear to continue in the spirit of the current models. The B-class is once again a compact van with a short hood and high seating position. The SL and SLK keep the current models’ proportions, although the SLK in particular will be a more muscular car. The dashboards will look more angular in the future. All of them will come with LED daytime running lights; the SLK gets horizontal front turn signals, similar to those on the current S-class. And while Mercedes toyed with the idea of switching back to a fabric roof for the SL, the company decided to stick with the folding hardtop, despite its packaging disadvantages.

Mercedes-Benz Viano

Here are two Mercedes models that definitely won’t make it to the U.S.: the just-face-lifted commercial vans Vito and Viano, little brothers of the Sprinter. While the Vito is unabashedly marketed to plumbers and craftsmen, the dressed-up Viano harbors upscale pretenses. This five-year-old van, just like the similarly sized Volkswagen T5, actually tries to compete with car-based minivans such as the Chrysler Town and Country in Europe. But the seating position and the steering-wheel placement betray their true nature. The T5, of course, is actually really nice, with the perfect execution I’ve come to expect from any recent VW. The Vito and Viano, on the other hand, are a far cry from any modern Mercedes car—and the face lift, which brings them visually closer to the R-class, changes little of that. Mercedes transporters were always engineered to different aesthetic and ride standards than the brand’s cars, but they are spacious and durable. If you can afford the gas bill, the top-of-the-line, 254-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 (which drives the rear wheels) is actually fun.

New Ford Ranger and a Small Toyota

Current Thai-built Ford Ranger

The U.S.-market Ford Ranger and the Ranger sold in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere are entirely different trucks. Built in Rayong, Thailand, the rest-of-the-world Ranger is a simple and cheaply built truck; now a replacement is around the corner. Badged as the Ford Ranger and the Mazda BT, the new model will be built from mid-2011 on. Will it come to the U.S when the current model is discontinued? Probably not; even the new, Thai-built model would be a major step down from previous U.S. Rangers.

At the Paris auto show in four weeks, Toyota will launch the Verso-S. One of the smallest microvans, it is powered by a 69-hp, 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine or a 1.3-liter, 97-hp four. It is tiny, but a clear departure from the organic style of the previous Yaris Verso, which was sold in Europe until 2005.

European Thoughts on Lincoln

Following the April 1998 launch of the Lincoln LS, Ford announced that its upscale brand would enter the European market for the 1999 calendar year. The official press picture of the LS (license plate: K-DM 3418) is a special gem of my collection, as Lincoln’s move into Europe subsequently turned out to be little more than the figment of a few executives’ of imaginations. In the following years, other brands in Jac Nasser’s orbit were always more important than Lincoln, and the money that the brand would have needed was channeled into Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Aston Martin—all of which are no longer part of Ford Motor Company.

To be sure, Ford tried to make Lincoln more “European.” These attempts included Richard Parry-Jones’s totally gratuitous technical redesign of the big rear-drivers (Town Car, Grand Marquis, Crown Victoria) for the 2003 model year. The land yachts did become slightly more dynamic, although the change wasn’t called for by the brand’s traditional customers, who—in the eternal words of then-Lincoln designer Gerry McGovern (who is now back at Land Rover)—”will all be dead soon anyway.” What’s more, chassis replacement parts which were typically stored by fleet customers became worthless overnight. To top things off, that new chassis ate up the money that was badly needed for a visual face lift of the Crown Victoria, which was previewed by the Police Interceptor concept at the 2003 New York auto show but never materialized in showrooms.

With the new focus on Lincoln and the fact that every other part of the “Premier Automotive Group” has been sold off or is in the process of being closed down, is there an excuse for Lincoln not to thrive? Expectations are high.

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For a band of special cops in South Africa, every night is dangerous, every traffic stop can be deadly.

The witch doctor scatters the bones onto the dirt floor of a shanty lit only by a candle. The air is close, smelling of burnt sage. Around the witch doctor—he’s called a “sangoma”—are snakeskins and bottles of herbal potions, and he wears a white hat of animal skins and a brightly colored cape. Sitting intently across from him is a young man in a T-shirt, dirty cotton pants, and sneakers. He is about to embark on a highly deadly activity in South Africa—he is going to hijack someone’s car. And so, as most of these thieves do, he consults his ancestors through the sangoma. In a while, the sangoma gives him a packet of reddish-brown herbs, a “muti,” to carry in his pocket, a potion that makes carjackers invisible and protects them against bullets. Reassured, the young man takes the muti and leaves. Unbeknown to him, he is also about to take on the Johannesburg Highway Patrol.

Keep Reading: Carjacker! – Archived Feature

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On Tuesday, we posted an audio recording of a mystery car’s exhaust note. To hear it again, click play above. We sort of gave this one away by running through all eight gears. That, combined with a (sometimes) thundering V-8, can only mean one thing: it was a Lexus IS F.

Like that sound? Download the MP3 and quiz your friends, make your own ringtone, or just lull yourself to sleep with sweet, sweet vehicular ear candy.

2010 Lexus IS F Exhaust MP3 (Right-click to Save As…)

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Chevy’s middleweight Corvette makes for a hugely capable convertible.

Currently in its sixth generation as America’s sports car, the Chevrolet Corvette bristles with track-bred performance, unmistakable design, and everyday comforts. Although it hasn’t been entirely modernized—leaf springs, anyone?—General Motors has whittled away at the car’s rough edges for well over half a century, resulting in one of the best all-around performance cars for the money.

Keep Reading: 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Convertible – Short Take Road Test

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Taking newfound civility to the fringes of civilization.

Don’t be alarmed if you think the 2011 Dodge Durango looks a lot like a stretched Jeep Grand Cherokee with a crosshair grille, because that’s essentially what it is. While the underpinnings are largely shared, Dodge tells us that the Durango is more focused on hauling people—it has three rows to the Grand Cherokee’s two—than crawling over rocks. And so while Jeep boasts about off-road capability, Dodge will play up the crossovery-ness and on-road performance of the Durango.

Keep Reading: 2011 Dodge Durango – Official Photos and Info

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Hyundai will use the Paris auto show to debut the ix20, a sketch of which appears above. The company describes it as a B-segment MPV, meaning it will likely be similar to the Chevrolet Orlando that also will bow in Paris.

The ix20 is touted to combine engaging driving dynamics with the practicality of a minivan, although the sketch reminds us more of a small crossover. Like the new Hyundai Tucson, the ix20 was styled and designed in Rüsselsheim, Germany.

Additionally, Hyundai’s stand will show off an updated iteration of the i10 subcompact. It’s said to be more competitive and feature a new, highly efficient 1.0-liter engine that produces just 99 grams of CO2 emissions per kilometer.

We’ll have more details live from the Paris show at the end of this month. Neither the ix20 nor the i10 are planned for sale in the U.S.

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The designers from Tilke GmbH have unveiled their design for the new Formula 1 racetrack set to be built near Austin, Texas. The location is scheduled to host F1 races from 2012 through 2021 and will be the first purpose-built Grand Prix circuit in the U.S.

The course runs counterclockwise and is 3.4 miles long, with 20 corners and a total elevation change of 133 feet. The designers say the layout lets spectators watch multiple turns from one location and enjoy views of downtown Austin. We’re looking forward to seeing the finished track, which will hopefully be ready for racing about two years from now.

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The unveiling of the 2011 Dodge Durango gave us an unexpected look at a new Dodge logo design. This image of the Durango’s steering wheel reveals a shield-shaped chrome emblem, with the word “Dodge” centered inside a crosshair design. It’s a change from the old ram’s head logo (pictured below) that used to mark all Dodge products; that design is now exclusive to Chrysler’s Ram Truck division. Outside, the Durango doesn’t wear the new emblem anywhere and instead gets block-letter “Dodge” emblems on the grille and liftgate.

Here’s where it gets tricky: the steering-wheel emblem is not that of the Dodge brand. As we reported in May, the Dodge brand’s new logo features chrome block lettering with two red hash marks. So far, that has been used only for marketing and not on any vehicles.

A Dodge spokesman couldn’t comment on whether the new shield-and-cross design from the Durango’s wheel will be seen on other vehicles. Our guess is that it probably will feature on the steering wheels of other products, and we wouldn’t be surprised if it replaced the ram’s head that we recently spotted on the 2011 Charger.

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When it comes to turbochargers, two isn’t necessarily better than one.

What Is It?

Remember, this is Car and Driver you’re reading. You know exactly what the BMW 335i sedan is. It’s one of the best sports sedans on the market, with a perfect balance of supple ride and superb handling. For 2011, BMW dropped the N54 twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six and replaced it with the N55 single-turbo 3.0-liter. With direct fuel injection, a twin-scroll turbocharger, and BMW’s Valvetronic variable-valve-lift system—the N54 covered its turbo and direct-injection bases, but lacked Valvetronic—the new engine bests its predecessor’s EPA-estimated fuel economy, 19 mpg city and 28 highway versus 17 and 26, respectively. Power remains the same: 300 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque. Peak horsepower still arrives at 5800 rpm, but the new motor delivers its torque punch at 1200 rpm, 200 revs earlier than the old one.

Keep Reading: 2011 BMW 335i Sedan – Quick Test

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