Evelyn Reynolds

From the October 2008 issue of Car and Driver. Just past the curve in which Bruce McLaren bought it, and right before the corner where Niki Lauda had his face burned off, we ­realize the truth: General Motors must still be mad about our review of the 1980 Olds Omega Brougham. The company is trying to kill us.[editoriallinks id=’e08f5a0c-42fa-410f-bd86-88c124177124′ align=’left’][/editoriallinks]Back in 2004, GM rolled the last steaming clod of asphalt onto its Milford Road Course (MRC), a 2.9-mile handling circuit at the company’s proving grounds an hour northwest of Detroit. The “Lutzring,” as employees have dubbed it in honor of GM’s meat-eating vice-chairman, Robert Lutz, plunges 135 feet from hilltop to trough and was pieced together like bathroom plumbing from some of the more treacherous corners in motor­sports. The 20 elbows, kinks, and blind whoop-de-dos are crowned by the 45-degree banked “Toilet Bowl,” which resembles the Nürburgring’s Karussell and which has already had its guardrails replaced at least twice. Only 16 of GM’s 266,000 employees are permitted to drive the MRC.Naturally, a man-eating track you’ve never seen before is just the place you want to be in a 638-hp Corvette you’ve never driven before.[mediaosvideo align=’center’ embedId=’714d5004-6265-435e-adb3-463b49a4dcbd’ mediaId=’a6844220-2415-458e-95d6-5378caa1279e’ size=’large’][/mediaosvideo]Speaking of Corvettes, our February 2008 cover story on the new supercharged ZR1 all but supplied you with blueprints to build your own. Hoping to squeeze the slavering media like ripe kumquats for more ink, GM invited us to the Lutzring for a brief half-day nibble of the $105,000 ZR1 before the full feast of testing commences this fall. Obviously, the gambit worked. The track’s nefarious reputation notwithstanding, the ZR1 is just the aluminum-frame, carbon-fiber-paneled, balsa-wood-floored Corvette Z06 with afterburners, right? Which means it will be a little vague in the steering and a bit floppy at the apex but basically fun and, above all, safe. Turn up the A/C, tune in the XM, and let the electronics make us heroes on a track where something like 265,984 people dare not tread. [image id=’89264653-8409-429b-8f45-c33073894bbc’ mediaId=’57f7d645-64ef-476c-9300-68d04448a61c’ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]Certainly, the ZR1’s cockpit has the familiar Bat Cave atmosphere of the regular Corvette, except for the manifold-pressure gauge where the voltage meter normally lives. That, and the carbon-fiber hood’s window, which lets you watch the engine twitch in rhythm to the gas pedal. So far, so what? Then, while exiting the pits on our first lap, the ZR1’s 6.2-liter LS9 V-8 suddenly cracked the heavens with a feral wolf call. The accelerative g’s rolled into us like the breakers of a Category Five, and breathing became strangely difficult. Uh-oh.Turn One of the Lutzring starts as a long, seemingly predictable sweeper. Then it kinks inward, then jerks straight, then suddenly cramps in again before lurching up a blind hill that death-drops the car into a ditch. After that you’re tossed over another blind crest with a negative camber pitched to slide the Corvette sideways into next Christmas. Assuming the car doesn’t go airborne. [image id=’5051d418-d6c1-4d81-ba89-6ec57317f84d’ mediaId=’b79be4b7-b03f-4f6f-8ebc-8ad58f848b20′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]In the ensuing Toilet Bowl, there were safety cones—which we scattered, ingesting some and dragging others to the next turn, which looked suspiciously like the patch that claimed Jimmy Clark. Then our first lap got uglier. There were screams. Here’s what we learned: The ZR1 is about as suitable for a Lutzring virgin as an alcohol-fueled Funny Car is for driver’s ed. We also learned that the ZR1’s mufflers are smaller and their flaps slam open earlier than a Z06’s, waking the dead from Milford to Sleetmute. And the LS9’s accelerative violence will be terrifying to anyone who hasn’t saddled up a Tomahawk cruise missile. Many passengers will simply freak out. Even engineers who’ve done thousands of miles in ZR1s stiffened up and went for the handholds when we floored it (okay, maybe it was just us). Exactly 170 pounds heavier than the Z06—most recently, 3180 pounds on our scale—the ZR1, GM claims, will knock big, hairy 10ths off the 505-hp Z06’s times. GM also says the ZR1 will rip to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, to 100 mph in 7.0 seconds, and through the quarter-mile in 11.3 seconds at 131 mph. It’ll go 205 mph and pull 1.05 g on a skidpad. [image id=’01ddacd9-480c-4742-a440-0b4208f88915′ mediaId=’beea841b-0d15-45a2-882a-dd398e02f873′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]We don’t doubt it. Uh-uh. No sir.Vague? Floppy? Here, too, the ZR1 seems to stride past the Z06. To help suck up the steering flex, engineers replaced an aluminum steering-column shaft with a stiffer steel link, a change for all ’09 Corvettes. There are also ZR1-specific bushing changes in the suspension, as well as a new variable-ratio steering rack that enlivens the response.But perhaps the most credit for the ZR1’s feistier helm should go to the Michelin ­Pilot Sport PS2 run-flats. In comparative tire tests during the ZR1’s development, GM engineers say they were “blown away” by the Michelins. We felt a breeze, too. The ZR1’s steering still doesn’t have the leanness or data-bit flow of a Porsche 911’s, but placing and holding the nose where it’s needed is easier and takes less guesswork and prayer. Tail twitch is more control­lable, and the Brembo carbon-ceramic rotors (15.5 inches front, 15.0 rear) and monoblock calipers have the familiar, progressive bite of iron brakes without much danger of fade or shimmy.[image id=’ce6d5cb8-8847-4c02-b34c-ba37ac30ab83′ mediaId=’1130f52a-9751-4120-b85b-bc5db437b8db’ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]On a pizza-pocked public road, the ZR1 rumbles more quietly on its wider tires and shows less body heaving and impact crash than the Z06. An early “Attaboy!” seems in order for the Magnetic Selective Ride Control, the system of fast-as-electrons variable shock absorbers that costs $1995 on the base Corvette, is not available on the Z06, and comes standard on ZR1s. One cool nuance: On hard launches, the computer turns rear rebound to zero to hold the back end down for better traction. Yet, flip as we might, we couldn’t tell much difference between the ZR1’s sport and touring settings.The double-plate clutch is light, just an undetectable few ounces stiffer than the Z06’s, GM confirms. Rollouts and upshifts happen with doughy smoothness. A long throttle pedal puts the Hulk trigger toward the back, so you can cruise lazily in the ZR1 through town returning perhaps 20 mpg. (GM boasts that the ZR1 is the thriftiest 600-hp car on the market, so back off, Greenpeace!)[image id=’29ad536d-b355-4a0f-8528-74b3f0ee0087′ mediaId=’9999dc89-860f-40b2-9f0b-51286f163fce’ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]All this Ferrari-stomping power and Z06-shaming refinement comes in two basic flavors, order code 1ZR for $105,000 (including the $1700 gas-guzzler levy) and the 3ZR for $10,000 more. The latter adds a Bose sound system, navigation, and a leather dash wrap. Chrome wheels ($2000), extra-cost paint ($300 to $750), and Corvette museum delivery ($490) are the only other options. GM figures it can build 1800 copies a year if the current worm-eaten market will take them.A few years ago GM management wondered what a $100,000 Corvette would be like. You have the answer. If only they had thought up a similar trick for the Omega Brougham. Oops.[vehicle type=’specpanel’ vehicle-body-style=” vehicle-make=” vehicle-model=” vehicle-model-category=” vehicle-submodel=” vehicle-year=”][/vehicle]

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From the April 2001 Issue of Car and Driver.This is not your routine Car and Driver comparison test. To just get our hands on these three cars at the same time—Ferrari’s new 360 Spider F1 and an Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Volante and a BMW Z8—we had to go a little out of our way—to Italy. Not just Italy, but to the ancient Grand Prix racetrack at Monza, where we could gather the hard performance numbers without attracting unwanted attention from the carabinieri.

Ah, Monza, home of the Autodromo Nazionale, the oldest Grand Prix track. It still follows the shape of the 1922 original. Some of the corners have been reprofiled, and several chicanes have been added to slow the modern cars, but with almost spooky accuracy it’s the same circuit that has been the scene of 65 Grands Prix. There is a 3.6-mile oval portion of the track that is no longer in use, and it is banked so steeply—38 degrees—that you can’t walk up it. The oval was last used in the Italian Grand Prix of 1961, and it made the times at Monza faster even than at Spa or Reims. The rough concrete banking is still there, quietly decaying as it is slowly reclaimed by nature.This great racing cathedral was also the undoing of drivers Ronnie Peterson, Jochen Rindt, Taffy von Trips (and 14 spectators), and Alberto Ascari, all of whom perished in competition there. You can’t drive this narrow ribbon of blacktop, blasting through famous corners with the exotic names of Lesmo, Curva Grande, Variante Ascari, and Parabolica, or walk the old pits, where director John Frankenheimer filmed part of the ’66 movie Grand Prix, without sensing the ghosts that haunt this place. Most weekends, before the racing season starts in March, it’s open to the public. Bring a car, fork over 50,000 lira ($25), and it’s yours for 30 minutes of glorious driving.After our testing at Monza, we lit out across the straight roads of the Po Plain and down the A26 autostrada that for a while allows a 150-mph cruising speed, then winds through mountains to the port city of Genoa, through tunnel after tunnel running high above the Mediterranean coast. And then we headed inland again, up the twisty Passo della Cisa, where on October 5, 1919, a young Enzo Ferrari finished fourth in class in his first motor-racing event, the Parma-Poggio di Berceto, a local hill-climb, in a 2.3-liter CMN. Add fine food and the constant excitement generated by our convoy of exotics as we passed through villages, and clearly, this was no ordinary comparison.These cars, brilliant in all the great stuff—performance, handling, driving pleasure, and (mostly) styling—deliver almost obscenely poor fuel mileage. In a country where high-octane runs about $5 a gallon, low-to-mid-teens consumption thins your wallet in a hurry. And even if you’re willing to ignore the fuel costs, you can’t begin to explore the twilight zone in any of the trio without putting your license at risk.All three exotics also display an exceptional level of packaging inefficiency. The V-12 Aston Martin weighs well over 4000 pounds. In fact, a 2400-pound Mazda Miata offers pretty much the same alfresco motoring on winding roads and provides the same level of grin factor. And it costs a fraction of the Ferrari 360 Spider F1’s $176,512, including more than 10 grand for the paddle-shift gearbox. Or the Aston’s $159,732 base price, or the BMW’s $134,455, including the gas-guzzler and luxury taxes.And yet we love them all.This is precious metal, the only circa-400-horsepower sporting convertibles on offer to dot.com or old-money millionaires, discounting the soon-to-be-replaced SL600 Mercedes-Benz and the way-over-the-top Bentley Azure. They are, above everything else, automotive indulgences, bought not because the 360 Spider generates marginally more lateral acceleration than the Aston does, but on purely subjective grounds. Hell, at this rarefied level, you buy the Aston simply because none of the neighbors’ garages houses a DB7 Volante. Emotions run high.We immediately discovered, upon gathering them together for their first collective public outing, that these are very different automotive animals, their characters closely mimicking the national personalities of their countries of origin. The Ferrari is excitable, passionate, arousing the body’s every sense. The BMW is beautifully finished, as solid of body as it is strong of engine. The Aston Martin is reserved, tailored, rich in clublike leather and wood, and it spoils the passenger almost as much as the driver.As always, we’ve ranked the combatants and emerged with a clear winner—no prize for guessing, as we were in Italy, after all—but the distinctive personalities of these cars mean they transcend objectivity. We’d perfectly understand why you’d want to buy any one of this gorgeous threesome.
Third Place: Aston Martin DB7 Volante The Aston is the elder statesman of this group. Even though the Vantage V-12 has only been around for two years, the enchantingly curvaceous DB7 dates to 1994.

Highs: British club-room ambiance, hearty V-12, swallows more than one Louis Vuitton suitcase.

The formula is British traditional: front-engined, solidly built, with quality furnishings. That might suggest that the DB7 Vantage Volante is an old person’s car. Not so. As the performance figures show, this convertible has the power and exuberance to run with the best. It is a weighty beast—at 4264 pounds, some 200 pounds heavier than the coupe—but it can still sprint to 60 in five seconds flat, even with an automatic transmission. Top speed is limited to 165 mph. (The Vantage coupe we tested last year is unrestricted and ran 182 mph.)Remember that this mighty 5.9-liter V-12 is effectively two Ford Duratec V-6s, although the aluminum block and heads are produced by Cosworth, which also assembles the Vantage engines. The motor in this Volante felt really strong in our acceleration tests on Monza’s main straight. Its 398 pound-feet topped the torque on hand in the BMW and Ferrari, and it made great music as well as impressive numbers.

Lows: Too bulky to be a hustler, instant posing spoiled by fiddly roof tonneau.

It is the only car here with a conventional automatic transmission—a ZF five-speed, in this case supplemented by Touchtronic, which provides manual shifting via buttons on either side of the steering-wheel spokes. This is a convenient arrangement, but when running to the redline, we found that the transmission responded sluggishly to the button commands, allowing the V-12 to pick up another 300 rpm before the shift was completed.On ordinary roads—if we can call the twists and turns through the Italian hills ordinary—the Aston grips and stops well and handles precisely, but it’s too heavy and bulky to be truly agile. A softer suspension setup than the Vantage coupe’s doesn’t help, resulting in greater body roll and limiting performance in sudden maneuvers such as our lane-change test. The benefit is in ride comfort, which is superior to that of the other cars here.The DB7’s forte is high speed on the highway.

The Verdict: Luxury cruiser with a big punch and old-world opulence.

This is a car that cruises effortlessly at 120 mph while remaining rock steady. It would be our choice of the three for a 1000-mile dash across the European continent, which is what we did, bringing the car from its English homeland to meet its rivals in Italy.Second Place: BMW Z8
True-blue enthusiasts tend to be suspicious of cars that make too much of a fashion statement. There’s always the inkling that the flashy looks are there to distract the discriminating driver from less than perfect mechanical underpinnings.BMW’s Z8 certainly looks sufficiently flamboyant to raise such concerns. Its muscular vintage lines are as rakish as a Borsalino hat, and when you slip behind the wheel, you are transported back in time.

Highs: Silky and effortlessly muscular drivetrain, superb assembly quality, distinctively vintage feel.

That steering wheel, for example, employs spokes built up from steel rods, as in a mid-’50s MG. The dashboard forward of the wheel is bereft of instruments because they all reside in a central pod angled toward the driver. At night, those gauges are illuminated by a yellowish glow that looks as if it were produced by a bulb from Thomas Edison’s day.Yet underneath its sensuous curves and polished chrome accents, the BMW Z8 is impressively modern and sophisticated. The chassis consists of an aluminum space frame, which provides a foundation for the front and rear suspensions, borrowed from BMW’s redoubtable 5- and 7-series sedans. The sculpted body panels are formed from lightweight aluminum.The finished product weighs just under 3500 pounds. That’s a mass that causes no difficulties for the Z8’s 394-hp, 4.9-liter V-8 powertrain, which is transplanted virtually unchanged from the powerful BMW M5 sports sedan. The combination produces enough thrust to light up the rear tires at will, but there’s still sufficient traction to rocket to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and click the quarter-mile traps at 110 mph in 13 seconds flat. That’s as quick as the Ferrari up to 60 mph — and at higher speeds, the Z8 actually pulls ahead! The electronically governed 155-mph top speed comes up in a big hurry.Csere pointed out that “the company isn’t called the Bavarian Motor Works for nothing.” The Z8’s builder could also just as easily be called the Bavarian Clutch and Transmission Works, judging by how smoothly those two driveline components do their jobs. “Not that you need that many shifts,” Winfield said. “It pulls from anywhere on the dial.”The chassis is rigid enough to harness this thrust without any creaks or groans.The suspension also makes good use of its wide and grippy 18-inch Dunlop SP Sport 9000A tires. But despite this firm grasp on the tarmac, most of us felt slightly timid about pushing the Z8 to its limits.”The feel of the car at speed doesn’t impart immense confidence, so you’re not encouraged to let it really hang out,” noted Winfield. Csere suggested that “it doesn’t generate the cornering mastery of the Ferrari.” But Robinson found that the Z8 was “easier to drive quickly immediately than the Ferrari.”We all agreed that the convertible top was perhaps the BMW’s weakest point. With the roof erected, the Z8 was easily the noisiest of the three cars on the highway, with wind roar becoming prominent at 70 mph.

Lows: Excessive wind roar with the top up, excessive wind with the top down, distinctively vintage feel.

Lowering the top is easy enough, requiring only the press of a button on the console. But fitting the tonneau is a two-person job requiring a particularly difficult, and largely invisible, insertion of two retaining fingers into a pair of narrow slots recessed between the two seats.With the tonneau in place, the Z8 looks gorgeous, but airflow in the cockpit is not very well managed. Even with the wind blocker in place between the two headrests, gale-force backdrafts abound. If the day is cold when you put the top down, you will appreciate the powerful seat heaters.These top-down shenanigans are directly related to the Z8’s vintage, upright stance. “You seem to sit on this car, rather than in it.” Several of us who liked the Z8’s vintage fashion statement “loved the interior treatment and finish” and found the steering wheel to be “a work of art.” Hutton complained about the “awful ‘spring’ steering wheel” and “the blank space where I want the rev counter and speedo to be.”

The Verdict: 427 Cobra swagger with modem sophistication.

Robinson summed up the Z8 as “a hugely refined and sophisticated Cobra.” That’s about right, and if that blend appeals to you, the BMW Z8 is very hard to beat.First Place: Ferrari 360 Spider F1
In our September 2000 issue, Ferrari’s 360 Modena F1 coupe took on Aston Martin’s DB7 Vantage and Porsche’s incredible 911 Turbo, and won. But is that any reason to expect a similar victory from Ferrari’s 360 Spider in a contest with these two elegant competitors, given that convertibles are required to fulfill a different set of expectations?Obviously, the answer is yes. Ferrari has somehow taken all the sensory delights from the Modena and transplanted them, undiluted, into the Spider, and then capped the whole deal with a convertible top that proves irreproachable in appearance and operation.

Highs: Exhilarating performance, spine-tingling sounds, sensual tactile feedback, awesome convertibility.

It isn’t just that the one-touch automatic operation deploys and unfurls the top in a spectacular dance of levers, covers, and flaps. It’s also that the car looks great with the top up, and it drives with the solidity and isolation of a coupe.Then, when you consign the top to its lair beneath the gleaming hard tonneau covers—completely concealing its presence under a long rear deck—the loss of a roof profile and its critical C-pillar volume is balanced by such visual details as roll hoops, fins, and a glass engine cover.Equally important, the aerodynamic characteristics of a top-down Spider are extraordinary.Whether it’s due to the long, raked windshield or the little mesh wind blockers you see in the mirror—or a combination of both—the Spider provides a remarkably draft- and buffet-free environment.Climb from the BMW Z8 on a chilly day on a fast autostrada, and the Spider feels like a warm and secluded refuge from the elements. Said C/D’s normally skeptical editor-in-chief: “The 360’s top-down cockpit comfort is unbelievable. At 125 mph, a sheet of paper sitting on the passenger seat doesn’t even flutter.”Plus, you can carry on a conversation without yelling yourself hoarse at speeds that would have you on a Cops episode in the U.S. Better yet, you can dive into one of the many tunnels that enclose Italy’s coastal autostradas, flick the left-side paddle for a two-gear downshift, and let ‘er rip to the redline. This produces a wail like that of an F1 car from the ’70s and even has the guys in other cars laughing like schoolboys.

Lows: Maybe the roll hoops and rear-deck fins would look better if they aligned.

Peter Robinson wrote: “The Ferrari should get 11 out of 10 in the fun category.” He’s right. Everything in the Spider has been crafted to provide maximum fun. The engine rasps, snarls, and howls its way to the 8500-rpm redline, ticking past 100 mph in 11.7 seconds on the way to its redline-limited top speed of 175 mph. The steering wheel thrills with messages from the front wheels and transmits its responses to your hands in genetic code. And the F1 transmission—although requiring some practice to achieve optimal smoothness—allows you to play boy racer without the need for any tricky pedal boogie.Being mid-engined, the Spider turns in with an immediacy that is notably different from the two front-engined cars. Unlike the Z8, which kind of swings the nose around the driver, the Ferrari rotates car and driver in one piece. With excellent road feel, strong brakes, and its mass centralized between the axles, the 360 will corner very hard indeed, offering linear response at the helm until the meaty Pirellis begin to push wide.To keep a driver’s enthusiasm from overreaching his capabilities, the Spider has ASR—a stability program—that steps in to cut the power and selectively apply brakes to control yaw. A sport switch alters the threshold of the stability system while also altering the variable-damping shock menu.

The Verdict: Worth selling the house for.

Thus, Ferrari’s electronics protect the inexpert driver and cater to the expert at the same time. When you add this contemporary technical sophistication to a car that offers a surprising amount of passenger space, decent ergonomics, fairly generous room in the front trunk and behind the seats for luggage, plus peerless visual and tactile delights, you end up with a car that is paradoxically versatile and charismatic. As Hutton noted: “The surprising thing is that it is the most extreme car, yet it’s also, in many ways, the easiest to use.” Putting it another way, that means we have a winner on our hands.

Specifications

Specifications
2000 Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Volante
VEHICLE TYPE
Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2+2-passenger, 2-door convertible
PRICE AS TESTED
$159,732 (base price: $170,137)
ENGINE TYPE
DOHC 48-valve V-12, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injectionDisplacement
 362 in3, 5935 cm3
Power
 414 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque
 398 lb-ft @ 5000 rpm
TRANSMISSION
5-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension (F/R): control arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar/control arm, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Brakes (F/R): vented, cross-drilled disc/vented disc
Tires (F, R): Bridgestone S-02, 245/40ZR-18, 265/35ZR-18
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 102.0 in
Length: 183.7 in
Width: 72.0 in
Height: 49.6 in
Passenger volume: 68 ft3
Cargo volume: 5.0 ft3
Curb weight: 4264 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 5.0 sec
100 mph: 11.9 sec
130 mph: 21.6 sec
Street start, 5–60 mph: 5.5 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 2.9 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 3.7 sec
¼-mile: 13.6 sec @ 106 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 165 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 175 ft
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 15 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
City/highway: 11/18 mpg
— 
2001 BMW Z8
VEHICLE TYPE
Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door convertible
PRICE AS TESTED $134,455 (base price: $134,455)
ENGINE TYPE
DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injectionDisplacement
302 in3, 4941 cm3
Power
394 hp @ 6600 rpm
Torque
368 lb-ft @ 3800 rpm
TRANSMISSION
6-speed manual
CHASSIS
Suspension (F/R): control arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar/control arm, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Brakes (F/R): vented disc/vented disc
Tires (F,R): Dunlop SP Sport 9000A, 245/45WR-18 96Y, 275/40WR-18 99Y
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 98.6 in
Length: 173.2 in
Width: 72.0 in
Height: 51.9 in
Passenger volume: 51 ft3
Cargo volume: 5.0 ft3
Curb weight: 3494 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 4.6 sec
100 mph: 10.9 sec
130 mph: 19.2 sec
Street start, 5–60 mph: 4.9 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 6.9 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 5.8 sec
¼-mile: 13.0 sec @ 110 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 155 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 164 ft
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 13 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
City/highway: 13/21 mpg
—
2001 Ferrari 360 Spider F1
VEHICLE TYPE
Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door convertible
PRICE AS TESTED $134,455 (base price: $134,455)
ENGINE TYPE
DOHC 40-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injectionDisplacement
219 in3, 3586 cm3
Power
395 hp @ 8500 rpm
Torque
275 lb-ft @ 4750 rpm
TRANSMISSION
6-speed manual
CHASSIS
Suspension (F/R): control arms, coil springs, adjustable shocks, anti-roll bar/control arm, adjustable shocks, anti-roll barBrakes (F/R): vented disc/vented disc
Tires (F,R): Pirelli P Zero Asimmetrico, 215/45ZR-18 89Y, 275/40ZR-18 99Y
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 102.3 in
Length: 176.3 in
Width: 75.7 in
Height: 48.6 in
Passenger volume: 52 ft3
Cargo volume: 7.0 ft3
Curb weight: 3424 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 4.6 sec
100 mph: 11.7 sec
130 mph: 21.9 sec
Street start, 5–60 mph: 5.3 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 7.4 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 7.8 sec
¼-mile: 13.2 sec @ 106 mph
Top speed (redline limited): 175 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 175 ft
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 12 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
City/highway: 10/16 mpg

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From the January 2005 issue of Car and Driver.As we floored the accelerator in the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, there was a brief snap of wheelspin before the electronic stability control stepped in to balance the sudden tidal wave of torque against the grip of the car’s 295/30ZR-19 rear Michelins. After that it was just a matter of listening to the deep staccato beat of the 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 hurtling the SLR down the relatively short runway at Malmsheim, near Stuttgart (where Mercedes organized this performance test for American magazines), and then tapping the shift button on the steering wheel each time the tach reached for its 7000-rpm redline.

Do that with any degree of proficiency, and you are rewarded with 0-to-60-mph sprints in just 3.6 seconds. The quarter-mile is dispatched in 11.6 seconds at 125 mph, and even that result might improve on a warmer surface. C/D’s test session was the last of four and took place in the late afternoon, when October temperatures were on the decline.Skilled testers can equal the launch performance of the SLR’s stability-control system (ESP in Mercedes-speak) by switching to its second, less intrusive position and finessing the gas pedal for traction, but they can’t beat it. In the normal ESP mode, you have very effective launch control, and since the SLR has 575 pound-feet of torque from 3250 rpm, that system is worth its weight in gold-plated connectors. It was also reassuring to know that the huge ceramic brake rotors and equally substantial calipers would quickly slough off speed at the end of each 130-mph run on the relatively short Malmsheim airstrip.
Dig into the loud pedal any time out on the road, and you’ll be gob-smacked by the sheer ferocity of the AMG engine’s response. It might involve a downshift to do it, but a big dig at the throttle produces the kind of thrust that had everyone in our group shaking their heads in awe. Just check out our 30-to-50 and 50-to-70 times, which at 1.7 and 2.4 seconds are the best pair of top-gear acceleration times we’ve ever recorded for a production car.

HIGHS: Dazzling speed, ubiquitous torque, everyday versatility.

In any situation other than a dry day on a straight road, a deep prod at the throttle will likely be answered by the activities of both engine and electronic watchdogs. The engine wants to give its all while the electronic systems are trying to save your life. Even then, we had a couple of occasions in traffic when a stab at the pedal produced a brief twitch of the tail.That explains why Mercedes will not allow the ESP to be switched off completely. In fact, while we were pondering this strategy during a break at the test session, someone asked why one even needs 617 horsepower in a street-going car. The answer came from another writer: “To reach 207 mph.”

Exactly. If a company with a long motorsports history wants to flaunt its heritage in a car that evokes both the 300SLR of old and the Formula 1 McLaren of right now, it needs to breech the 200-mph mark in the same way Ferrari’s Enzo does. To push a big car like the SLR through an increasingly resistant atmosphere to the 200-mph mark-particularly when it has a flat bottom, front and rear diffusers, and a tail spoiler designed to provide downforce at speed-you need big horsepower.Mercedes performance partner AMG knows where to find it. AMG knows how to package it, too. Looking at a fully dressed AMG SLR engine, one can readily appreciate the unit’s compact size. The 5.4-liter V-8 in the SLR wears single-overhead-cam three-valve heads that are remarkably compact. The twin-screw blower resides in the valley between the cylinder banks, where it takes up very little space. A dry-sump lubrication system allows the V-8 to be housed lower than with a conventional oil pan.

LOWS: Controversial styling, ocean-front price, unavailability.

Even the side-pipe exhaust system, with its vertical mufflers, helps keep the mass centralized. The engine sits comfortably amidships, well behind the front axle line, and contributes to the car’s nearly perfect weight distribution. That lends the SLR some special handling benefits, including a front end that hangs on well after you expect understeer and a chassis that accepts additional steering lock in mid-bend without complaint. Indeed, the SLR pulls an impressive 0.97 g on the skidpad, despite tires that appear to be, at least on paper, less generous than what Dodge might apply to a mere 500-hp car.
Turns out the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 hoops specially constructed for this car work exceptionally well, given their rain-or-shine duty brief. The car does not offer particularly strong feedback at slow to middling speeds, but it steps up the information flow when it begins to work hard, lending confidence to the driver for further dynamic exploration. The only problem here is that you’re already traveling at high speed when the car comes truly alive in your hands.Don’t be misled. The SLR has less of the syrupy layer than most normal Benzes exhibit. Its steering is much more direct, as are throttle response and all ride sensations. But the ride is pretty cushy as 200-mph supercars go, and there is a thin gasket of luxury between mechanicals and nerve endings, all of which was intentional. The car, we were told repeatedly, was always envisioned as a fast GT. And that would explain the generous trunk space compared with other cars of the genre, the three interior storage compartments, the automatic climate control, the high-end stereo system, and the custom-fit leather seats. (Cushions of various thicknesses are fixed to the carbon-fiber seat shells to tailor each owner’s fit to this $455,500 rocket.)
Therein lies the great paradox. Mercedes has tried to balance the SLR somewhere between all-out supercar and civilized grand tourer. This within a swoopy carbon-fiber monocoque chassis that has an unequal-length control-arm suspension at all corners, gullwing doors, an active rear airbrake/spoiler, side-pipe exhausts, and an engine that expresses power with every revolution. Yet all these sporty flourishes are in combination with an automatic transmission, various and sundry luxury trappings, and a substantial 3858-pound curb weight.Clearly, this is a vehicle intended for a flexible role. Luckily for us (and owners with the means), technology allows car designers a lot of leeway these days, enabling less compromise than was possible just a few years ago. A smooth ride and precise handling are no longer mutually exclusive; nor are creature comforts and high power. You can indeed have your cake and eat it, too.
This particular slice of cake has been very carefully baked. According to Le Mans winner Klaus Ludwig, one example of meticulous development is that the windshield wipers on the SLR work at 200 mph. Just what one might be doing at 200 mph in the rain is anyone’s guess, but it’s nice to know that this limited-production GT has had all its systems thoroughly checked out. At a price that verges on half-a-million bucks–and an output of just 3500 SLRs over the next seven years–we expect nothing less.

THE VERDICT: A classic in the making.

Specifications

SPECIFICATIONS
2005 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
VEHICLE TYPEfront-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE AS TESTED$455,500 (base price: $455,500)
ENGINE TYPEsupercharged and intercooled SOHC 24-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injectionDisplacement332 in3, 5439 cm3Power617 hp @ 6500 rpmTorque575 lb-ft @ 3250 rpm
TRANSMISSION5-speed automatic
CHASSISSuspension (F/R): control arms/control armsBrakes (F/R): 14.6-in vented, cross-drilled ceramic disc/14.2-in vented, cross-drilled ceramic discTires: Michelin Pilot Sport PS2, F: 245/35ZR-19 96Y R: 295/30ZR-19 100Y
DIMENSIONSWheelbase: 106.3 in Length: 183.3 in Width: 75.1 in  Height: 49.6 in Passenger volume: 45 ft3 Trunk volume: 10 ft3 Curb weight: 3858 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 3.6 sec100 mph: 7.9 sec130 mph: 12.5 secRolling start, 5–60 mph: 3.8 secTop gear, 30–50 mph: 1.7 secTop gear, 50–70 mph: 2.4 sec1/4 mile: 11.6 sec @ 125 mphTop speed (redline limited, mfr’s claim): 207 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 161 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.97 g
EPA FUEL ECONOMYCombined/city/highway: 15/13/18 mpg
c/d testing explained

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From the April 2005 issue of Car and Driver.Sadly, such cars as Nissan’s estimable 350Z suffer from the flavor-of-the-month syndrome. Because the Z-car lives in a specialized novelty niche in the marketplace, it’s prone to being displaced by the next hot new sporty coupe to come along. Somewhere in the sports-car netherworld is a collection of shirts lost in similar ventures.

Thus, to maintain a vehicle’s sporty allure, you have to keep updating it in some meaningful way. That’s exactly what Nissan has been doing by creating submodels of the basic 350Z concept. The Performance, Enthusiast, Touring, Track, and roadster models all cater to subniches within the realm of wannabe Z-car owners. And now—not entirely to the surprise of industry analysts—comes the 35th Anniversary Edition.It is top dog among Z-cars, with more power, more equipment, brighter colors, and a heftier price. At $36,660, it’s quite a stretch from the entry-level 350Z, which is just $27,060 out the door. That’s nearly 10 grand more for essentially the same car, but the anniversary model does have some compelling reasons for a buyer to drag out the extra dough. One is the 300-hp engine found only in the anniversary and 2005 Track models. That’s a healthy bump up from the base 350Z’s 287 horsepower, even if it is accompanied by a reduction in peak torque—14 pound-feet—to 260.Big deal. The 3.5-liter VQ V-6 has always had so much grunt that drivers of manual versions often burn the clutches by overslipping them when pulling away. There’s still so much torque available in the anniversary car that sixth gear is ample for most highway passing maneuvers. Everyday driving can be accomplished using the venerable old-fart technique of shifting from first to third to fifth. And with that in mind, we’ll happily trade a little torque for some extra horsepower and the extended rev range that comes with it. (This tach redlines at 7000 rpm instead of the 6600 rpm of the base model.)The power increase was achieved through changes to the camshaft profiles, adoption of stronger valve springs as well as variable exhaust-valve timing, and installation of upgraded pistons, rods, and crank pulley. It doesn’t sound like much, but the extra 400 rpm gives you a longer stretch in gears on tight and twisty roads and makes short tracks a bit easier to negotiate.

Ironically, the extra power and range didn’t do much at the test track–producing a slower 0-to-60-mph time, 5.8 seconds, than that of our last 350Z Touring (5.7). Nor was the quarter-mile time shorter, just equaling the Touring’s at 14.3 seconds, but this had a lot to do with the state of the desert test facilities after big winter storms. Grip was in short supply.If you opt for an automatic transmission, you’ll get neither the extra power nor the extended rev range, but you will get a matched-rev downshift program when utilizing the manumatic mode that is now included on all 2005 350Zs. It makes performance driving more enjoyable.Naturally, you’ll want to let everyone know your 350Z is a special edition, so the anniversary car wears some cool kit.Our car was resplendent in Ultra Yellow, and those capital letters don’t begin to emphasize just how yellow this paint is. Think tiny dab of French’s mustard in a vat of Ferrari “Fly Yellow,” and you’re just about there. The anniversary model also comes in Silverstone and Super Black, which are bound to be eye-catching.Unique 18-inch alloy wheels of an exceedingly pleasing design adorn the fender wells of this car, and through them you can clearly see the big Brembo calipers and rotors that share space with them. There’s a unique chin spoiler, but if it’s any different from the usual 350Z fare, it was too subtle for our Ultra Yellow-blinded eyes to detect. However, after donning Ray-Bans, we did notice the exclusive badging just ahead of the doors. Like all 2005 350Zs, the 35th Anniversary Edition (we wish the name were shorter) features a tire-pressure-monitoring system, heated wider-view side mirrors, and a seat-cushion height adjustment. The optional navigation system now has a faster processor for 2005. You can also get a trick two-tone black-and-tan leather seat, but not with the Ultra Yellow paint. Show some restraint, you shameless extrovert. Even in a 300-hp, bright-yellow chick magnet you need to leave something to the imagination.

Specifications

SPECIFICATIONS2005 Nissan 350Z 35th Anniversary EditionVEHICLE TYPE front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 3-door coupe
PRICE AS TESTED $37,160 (base price: $36,660)
ENGINE TYPE DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injectionDisplacement: 213 in3, 3498 cm3Power (SAE net): 300 bhp @ 6400 rpmTorque (SAE net): 260 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm

TRANSMISSION 6-speed manual
DIMENSIONSWheelbase: 104.3 in Length: 169.4 in Width: 71.5 in Height: 51.9 inCurb weight: 3360 lb
PERFORMANCEZero to 60 mph: 5.8 secStanding 1/4-mile: 14.3 sec @ 101 mphBraking, 70-0 mph: 167 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.88 g
FUEL ECONOMYEPA fuel economy, city driving: 20 mpgC/D observed fuel economy: 22 mpg

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The rally-car spotter’s guide saved in our mental database is flush with images of Subaru Imprezas, Audi Quattros, and Ford Cosworths—race cars synonymous with getting air over a backwoods roller, carrying triple-digit speeds through a tunnel of trees, and turbos whooshing with brapipipbrappinganti-lag flames firing from the exhaust. But a Toyota Prius rally car? Error 404: File not found. Before we go further, don’t confuse this Prius with the aero-equipped freakazoid and factory-backed Toyota Gazoo Racing Yaris World Rally Challenge (WRC) racer or the Yaris GR set to compete in the Australian Rally Challenge. The Prius Rally is an after-hours project car created by three Michigan-based Toyota engineers tasked with pushing the hybrid hatchback to dirty heights. Adapting a stock Toyota for rallying is nothing new for this team. Their previous dirt-spewing creation was a Corolla iM rally car.
To create the Prius Rally, the team selected the all-wheel-drive Prius AWD-e. From there they gutted the interior and transformed the cockpit into a safe space by welding in a FIA-spec roll cage, bolting in Sparco racing seats with five-point harnesses, and replacing all the windows with lightweight plexiglass. The exterior remains largely unchanged, the exception being some LED lights, a tow hook, skid plates, and a roof scoop. The scoop is mostly for looks; the Rally retains the Prius’s air-conditioning system to keep the pilot and navigator comfortable and also the 1.3-kWh nickel-metal hydride battery pack cool and happy. To endure the thrashing it would receive running a rally stage, the team modified the Rally’s suspension. Since the Prius is built on Toyota’s New Global Architecture (TNGA) which is shared with many vehicles, there are abundant suspension components that will bolt right on. The team settled on RAV4 TRD dampers on the front and rear axles with Camry and Avalon TRD springs, respectively. The combo adds 0.7 inch of ground clearance. To keep the suspension from bottoming out on impacts, an additional half of a bump stop was added at each corner. To allow the suspension to work more independently, the stock anti-roll bars were removed at both ends.
A Prius AWD-e might be out of place on a wet and slick rally-cross course in a limestone parking lot, but the Rally-tuned fuel miser feels at home here. The suspension works and dulls impacts over undulated surfaces rather than crashing through them. There’s a surprising amount of surefootedness even when the rear unloads while transitioning from corner to corner. The team deemed the standard 15-inch wheels were tough enough for off-road duty and fitted them with medium-compound Cooper Rally rubber. Yanking a few fuses disabled the anti-lock braking and stability-control systems, enabling the rare opportunity to throw a Prius into a corner with a Scandinavian flick. Sadly, the handbrake was removed, but the engineering team envisions eventually using the regenerative braking from the rear motor to assist directional changes. Dive hard onto the brakes while adding a quick right-left input into the steering wheel and the Prius Rally will go into an epic slide. The Cooper tires toss up dirt and rocks that ping off the bare sheetmetal like a hailstorm in a mobile-home community. Making a Prius go fast in the dirt is like going fast in Mazda Miata on a road course: Maintain speed at all costs. The Prius Rally’s stock powertrain is far from inspiring. The hybrid powertrain up front generates 121 horsepower while the rear motor pumps out a puny seven horsepower and removes itself from the party above 40 mph. In a previous test, a stock Prius AWD-e crawled to 60 mph in not-so-racy 10.7 seconds. Add some dense soil and slow corner exits to the equation and the Prius Rally is simply overwhelmed, like a tired animal mired in quicksand.

Toyota

The lack of power is something the team plans to address, and the TNGA platform offers options. The lovely 302-hp powertrain found in the RAV4 Prime seems like a no-brainer, or at least its larger battery pack and 53-hp rear motor. But first, the team needs to figure out where the American Rally Association (ARA) will classify their creation. To date, the Prius has competed in one event, but because a hybrid rally car is uncharted territory—WRC is going hybrid in 2022—they were only allowed to run in the untimed exhibition class. With BMX superstar and X Games gold-medalist Jamie Bestwick behind the wheel, the team says the car performed reliably, which made for boring pit stops. After each stage, nothing required mending, it barely used any fuel, and only consumables such as tires and brake pads needed to be replaced. The work done to create the Prius Rally has transformed an otherwise dull appliance into a deeply entertaining experience. The team hopes to compete in more races and add more power in the coming months. And while more power can’t come soon enough, the Rally is less about what the car is than what it could be. We’ll happily come back for whatever it becomes.

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The Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm is a car that is more about the past than it is about the future. It’s a gas-burning, fender-flared winged beast of a sports sedan whose origins can be traced back to the 1960s. Back then, Alfa’s racing engineers slimmed down the weight of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT, upgraded its engine considerably, and anointed their creation the Giulia GTA. One of the most successful touring cars of its time, the GTA had everyday life and checkered-flag greatness baked in.

Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo engineers recently applied the spirit of that GTA, which stands for Gran Turismo Alleggerita, the final word meaning lightened in Italian, to the Giulia Quadrifoglio. The GTA cut a claimed 220 pounds while adding various aerodynamic aids. To drop the pounds, the doors are aluminum and the drive shaft, hood, roof, front bumpers, and wheel-arch extensions at the front and rear are carbon fiber. New engine electronics, higher boost pressure, and an Akrapovic titanium exhaust system tickled out 533 horsepower from the twin-turbo 2.9-liter V-6, 28 horses more than the standard Quadrifoglio. Only 500 of the Giulia GTA will be made, and included in that short run is the even more extreme GTAm, a race-ready and street-legal version that ditches its rear seat to shed another 55 pounds compared to the GTA.In place of the GTAm’s back seat is a roll cage, helmet rack, and fire extinguisher. The rear windows are made of lightweight polycarbonate. The carbon-fiber racing bucket seats only move fore and aft, but there’s plenty of Alcantara trim and carbon-fiber bits to take in. Fabric loops replace the interior door handles, a very Porsche touch.

Alfa Romeo

Our test car offers a choice between a full harness and a three-point seatbelt. On the street we reach for the regular belts. Like a Ferrari, the GTAm engine starts with the push of a steering-wheel-mounted start button. The V-6 engine roars, much more aggressively than in the Quadrifoglio, before falling to a stable idle. Pedestrian heads swivel, other drivers glance into their rearview mirror in response to the new exhaust system that ends in the center of the carbon-fiber diffuser. A conversation with your passenger is pretty much impossible. Companionship in this car is about the GTAm and the driver, not another person. It makes us wonder if the weight savings actually came from completely removing all of the sound insulation.The claimed weight reduction would put the GTAm at about 3600 pounds, comparing to previous Giulia Quadrifoglios we’ve tested with our own scales, and the twin-turbo six pushes it forward like hell. Alfa says the launch-control programming for the ZF eight-speed automatic transmission will call up 60 mph 0.2 second quicker than in the Giulia Quadrifoglio, which would put the GTAm at 3.3 seconds.

Alfa Romeo

Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires (265/30R-20 front and 285/30R-20 rear) practically weld the GTAm to the asphalt. Alfa boasts that the GTA and GTAm are the only production sedans in the world to wear wheels with center-lock hubs. The inch-wider track at the front and nearly two inches wider at the rear helps ensure outstanding directional and cornering stability. Stiffer springs, shock absorbers, and suspension bushings contribute to a coarse and firm but still acceptable ride. The sharp steering is a delight and allows extreme precision in corners, which the GTAm negotiates with unerring ease and without a whiff of body roll. Select the Race driving mode and the rear end will playfully step wide when accelerating hard out of corners. Switch off stability control entirely and the GTAm will go into entertaining drifts that are easy to control. At higher speeds, drivers can safely rely on the aerodynamic improvements on the GTAm. Alfa Romeo’s Formula 1 partner, Sauber, developed the parts in the wind tunnel, and Kimi Räikkönen from Alfa F1 Team Orlen fine-tuned them. The changes increase the downforce of the significantly lightened body and foster high-speed stability. The larger and manually adjustable front splitter on the GTAm and the huge rear wing—both made of carbon fiber—are not just to distinguish it from the GTA.

Alfa Romeo

Despite its racetrack prowess, the four-door two-seater Giulia GTAm can justifiably be considered workable for the street provided you can accept its shortcomings in refinement. The upside is a car that challenges and rewards a commitment to driving. Despite being inspired by times that are long behind us, the Giulia GTAm is a fully modern piece down to its infotainment system. An 8.8-inch touchscreen controls includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The usual driver aids are present, including attention assist, but if you’re not paying attention while driving this car, you probably shouldn’t be on the road. Bring money. The GTAm starts at roughly $225,000 in Europe with the slightly less-extreme GTA costing $6000 less. Extras like a fireproof racing suit, a helmet with a GTA design, gloves, racing shoes, and a car cover help make up for the painfully high price, but not really. That’s a pretty tough sell against a Porsche 911 GT3. Then again, we don’t have the choice, as it’s only available in Europe.

Specifications

Specifications
2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAmVehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE
Base (Europe): $225,000
ENGINE
twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
injectionDisplacement: 176 in3, 2891 cm3Power: 533 hp @ 6500 rpmTorque: 443 lb-ft @ 2500 rpm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 111.0 inLength: 183.8 inWidth: 75.7 inHeight: 55.0 inPassenger Volume (C/D est): 53 ft3Trunk Volume (C/D est): 13 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 3600 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 3.3 sec100 mph: 7.7 sec1/4-Mile: 11.5 sec
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST)
Combined/City/Highway: 19/16/23 mpg

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The all-new 2022 Volkswagen Taos is the product of a familiar pattern in the car business. As a particular vehicle segment grows in popularity (in this case, crossovers), manufacturers tend to enlarge and differentiate their entries to make room for new models that fill the newly created gaps in their lineup. With VW’s range of SUVs in the United States swelling to include the compact Tiguan, mid-size Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport, and the electric ID.4 (sort of an SUV, we guess), a vacancy opened up in the increasingly popular subcompact space, among the likes of the Jeep Compass, Kia Seltos, and Subaru Crosstrek. It also helps that VW won’t be offering Americans a regular TSI version of its latest Golf hatchback, which we’re still sore about. At least the Taos is a compelling little crossover on most fronts.

“Little” is sort of misleading, though, as the Taos is one of the larger players in its class. Its MQB-based architecture rests atop a wheelbase of either 105.6 inches for the all-wheel-drive variant or 105.9 inches for the front-driver. It has a huge back seat for a subcompact SUV, and its capacious and easily accessible cargo hold can swallow 25 cubic feet of stuff behind the rear seats (28 cubes if you forgo all-wheel drive). On the road, if you don’t know to look for its distinguishing design cues—a broad LED lightbar that connects the standard LED headlights plus chrome TAOS lettering on the rear liftgate—you can easily mistake it for a (slightly) larger Tiguan. VW says the name Taos refers to the rugged, picturesque town in New Mexico. We didn’t go there for our drive, but we did traverse our local Michigan haunts in both of the vehicle’s primary configurations.

Volkswagen

Powering the Taos is a new 1.5-liter version of the EA211 turbocharged inline-four—a 1.4-liter EA211 is found in the Jetta sedan. Aided by the boost of a variable-geometry turbocharger, the engine purrs willingly to its 6000-rpm redline and produces a respectable-if-not-quite-spirited 158 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, the latter from just 1750 rpm. That’s less grunt than you’ll get from a top-spec 175-hp Seltos 1.6T or a 250-hp Mazda CX-30 Turbo, but it’s perfectly adequate for casually merging onto highways. Standard front-wheel-drive models pair the turbo-four with a conventional eight-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel-drive versions get a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, which VW calls a direct-shift gearbox (DSG). The company says this split allowed it to focus both on greater fuel efficiency with the eight-speed and a sportier driving character with the dual clutch. Indeed, the front-driver is the fuel miser’s choice, earning an EPA combined estimate of 31 mpg, versus 28 mpg for all-wheel-drive models. But the DSG isn’t as convincing in its role as a sporty transmission. While its shifts are generally quick and well-coordinated at speed, it lacks the eight-speed’s unobtrusive smoothness, being relatively clumsy around town and under quick on-off-on throttle applications. Only all-wheel-drive variants get a drive-mode selector with Normal, Eco, Sport, and Individual settings, but even in its most aggressive mode the dual clutch hesitates between upshifts when accelerating briskly. There are no steering-wheel paddle shifters, so we mostly let the DSG pick its own gears rather than use the shifter’s sluggish manual gate.

Volkswagen

The other significant difference between the two drivelines is the rear suspension. The front-wheel-drive Taos features a torsion beam at the rear, while the all-wheel-drive model employs a multilink setup. This is why there are two wheelbase lengths. The multilink’s greater composure and more substantial feel make the all-wheel-drive Taos our clear choice. Though the all-wheel-drive Taos adds a claimed 255 pounds of additional mass, its more sophisticated suspension fosters greater driver confidence by bringing better body control. Braking ability feels adequate and is controlled via an easy-to-modulate pedal, despite some mushiness in the first inch or so or travel. Both examples we drove had 18-inch wheels (17s are standard, 19s are optional) wrapped with all-season tires. With decent ride comfort and tolerable levels of road noise, road isolation is about on par for a vehicle that starts at $24,190. Just don’t expect Golf levels of agility from the Taos’s extra girth and higher center of gravity.From the low liftover height of its cargo floor to its rear climate-control vents to its ability to easily accommodate six-plus-footers front and rear, the Taos’s interior is highlighted by its functionality. This subcompact feels solidly built, and material quality is mostly commensurate with its price, although the hard, shiny plastic dashtop panel looks chintzy, especially in the top-spec SEL models that go for more than $30,000. While not boldly inspired, the Tao’s cabin does benefit from contoured trim pieces and contrasting colors that lend it some character. Soft-touch materials are soft enough and well placed, and there’s VW’s familiar and nicely thick-rimmed steering wheel. Seating choices include cloth upholstery for base models, leather at the top of the range, and a leatherette/cloth combo with grippy inserts for mid-level SE trims. All offer good comfort and excellent visibility.

Volkswagen

At 72.5 inches, the Taos is actually a hair wider than the one-size-up Tiguan and feels similarly spacious in terms of elbow space. Unlike the Tiguan, there’s no available third row of seats. Base models get an 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster and a 6.5-inch center touchscreen, with the displays in higher trims increasing to 10.3 and 8.0 inches, respectively. We like that the Taos sticks with VW’s more familiar infotainment system rather than adopting the newer, less-intuitive version in the ID.4 that we’re still warming up to. Ambient lighting, automatic headlights, and VW’s App Connect smartphone integration system all are standard.Additional microprocessors, the general shortage of which VW says won’t affect the Taos’s first deliveries in June, control the IQ.Drive bundle of active-safety features: stop-and-go adaptive cruise control with semi-automated assistance, active blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist, automatic forward-collision warning, and emergency braking. IQ.Drive is a $895 to $995 option on lesser S and SE trims and standard on the top SEL. Notable extras include a heated steering wheel, a panoramic sunroof, and a yet-to-be-released Basecamp appearance package that will add a touch of off-road flair.

Volkswagen

Coincidentally, the starter S model’s competitive $24,190 base price is the same as that of the outgoing Golf hatchback that the Taos more or less replaces. Budget $28,440 for the SE trim and a somewhat substantial $32,685 for the SEL, plus another $1450 to $2045 if you want all-wheel drive. Depending on the configuration, those prices position the Taos awfully close to certain versions of the grander Tiguan, which starts at $26,440. Yet, considering the Taos’s generous packaging and strong roster of equipment, potential Tiguan buyers won’t have to sacrifice much if they step down to this new lower rung in the brand’s model range. The Taos isn’t the fun-to-drive substitute for the Golf that we’d prefer, but it does make a solid anchor for VW’s SUV lineup.

Specifications

Specifications
2022 Volkswagen TaosVehicle Type: front-engine, front- or all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base: S, $24,190; SE, $28,440; SEL, $32,685
ENGINE
turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 91 in3, 1498 cm3Power: 158 hp @ 5500 rpmTorque: 184 lb-ft @ 1750 rpm
Transmissions: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic, 8-speed automatic
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 105.6–105.9 inLength: 175.8 inWidth: 72.5 inHeight: 64.4–64.6 inPassenger Volume: 99 ft3Cargo Volume: 25–28 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 3200–3450 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 7.8–8.1 sec1/4-Mile: 16.1–16.5 secTop Speed: 120 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 28–31/25–28/32–36 mpg

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Specifications
2021 Genesis G80 3.5T
Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE
$60,145/$66,645Options: Prestige package, $6000, Saville Silver, $500
ENGINE
twin-turbocharged DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 212 in3, 3470 cm3Power: 375 hp @ 5800 rpmTorque: 391 lb-ft @ 1300 rpm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: multilink/multilinkBrakes, F/R: 14.2-in vented disc/13.6-in vented discTires: Pirelli P Zero All SeasonF: 245/40R-20 99W M+S GOER: 275/35R-20 102W M+S GOE
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 118.5 inLength: 196.7 inWidth: 75.8 inHeight: 57.7 inPassenger Volume: 104 ft3Trunk Volume: 13 ft3Curb Weight: 4321 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 4.9 sec100 mph: 11.8 sec1/4-Mile: 13.4 sec @ 106 mph120 mph: 17.4 secResults above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 5.7 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 2.9 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 3.6 secTop Speed (C/D est): 155 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 174 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.87 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 25 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 22/19/27 mpg
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2021 Mercedes-Benz E450 4MaticVehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $63,050/$75,390Options: Premium package, $2300, Driver Assistance package, $1950, AIR BODY CONTROL air suspension, $1900, Nut Brown/Black leather, $1620, Acoustic Comfort package, $1100, panorama roof, $1000, 19-inch AMG 10-spoke wheels, $1000, Graphite Gray metallic paint, $720, augmented video for navigation, $350, MBUX interior assistant, $200, Inductive wireless charging with NFC pairing, $200, $100 credit for missing standard hands-free access (-$100)
ENGINE
turbocharged DOHC 24-valve inline-6, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 183 in3, 3000 cm3Power: 362 hp @ 6100 rpmTorque: 369 lb-ft @ 1600 rpm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: multilink/multilinkBrakes, F/R: 14.2-in vented, cross-drilled disc/14.2-in vented discTires: Goodyear Eagle Sport All-Season RunonflatF: 245/40R-19 98H M+S MOExtended ★ RSCR: 245/40R-19 98H M+S MOExtended ★ RSC
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 115.7 inLength: 194.3 inWidth: 73.7 inHeight: 57.8 inPassenger Volume: 97 ft3Trunk Volume: 13 ft3Curb Weight: 4318 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 4.3 sec100 mph: 11.0 sec1/4-Mile: 12.9 sec @ 108 mph120 mph: 16.5 secResults above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 5.2 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 2.8 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 3.6 secTop Speed (gov ltd): 129 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 195 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.84 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 27 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 26/23/30 mpg
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED More