2001 Sports Sedan Showdown
From the January 2001 Issue of Car and Driver.
Why be cold when you can conjure up your own warm front? Five speeds or maybe six. Horsepower upwards of 200, or at least close. Tires made for grabbing the pavement, and seats cupped to hold you against the g-force. Then cloak the good stuff in four-door bodywork, just to throw off suspicion. Conspiracy to drive?
“No, sir, officer, just hurrying to get the kids from the 4-H meeting.”
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Sports sedans. It’s a loosely defined category, at the crossroads where fun meets functionality. There’s no DNA test. Trust the seat of your pants. You know ’em when you drive ’em.
You can pay a little, or you can pay a lot. How warm do you want to be? Given the chills of January, let’s pay up. Thirty grand? At least. Thirty-five? We tried to hold it there. But the options have a way of defying gravity.
In any comparison of sports sedans, the first question becomes, “Which BMW?” You can’t fight it. The Munich maker has the reputation, and the cars have the moves, sweet enough to capture two spots on our 2001 10Best list. Moreover, every automaker from around the world, when trying to wedge itself into the sports-sedan class, targets a BMW model. Bimmers are the gold standard.
You might find a stripper 330i in our price range. With its in-line six stroked 5.6 millimeters to 3.0 liters for 2001, it’d be a strong performer. But the idea this time is well-rounded cars, and a 325i, at a base price of $27,560, allows more room for optional equipment.
In our sports-sedan comparisons of recent years, BMWs and Audis usually end up duking it out for the top spots. An Audi A4 Quattro powered by the 2.8-liter, five-valve V-6 would fit our price range—and our driving expectations—just fine.
Thus far, this looks like a roundup of the usual suspects. So where’s the Saab? A 9-3 SE, turbocharged to 205 horsepower at 5500 rpm, is an obvious choice.
Now for the new guys. Lexus put BMW in its crosshairs with its latest model, the IS300. This is a compact four-door measuring within an inch of the BMW 3-series in nearly every dimension. Conveniently, the 3.0-liter six from the larger GS300 was available for immediate transplant, thereby loading a smooth-revving 215-horsepower into the compact’s breech. Said powerplant just happens to be an in-line six. Call it the BMW formula. And call it promising.
New for 2001 is the S60 from Volvo, a pared-down version of Volvo’s big S80 sedan. Talk about family resemblance. Betcha can’t tell them apart without checking the badge on the tail. Volvo is touting the sports-sedan nature of the S60 to all who will listen. Talk flows easily. But one detail grabs our attention. It’s spelled T5, and it indicates a turbocharged five-cylinder engine rated at 247 hp. That’s a megadose of horsepower, far more than in any other compact sports sedan at this price. The T5 outguns the 325i by 63 hp. BMW the underdog? The numbers look overwhelming.
Like Volvo, Mercedes-Benz also keeps reminding us that “sport” was a priority during the design of its new C-class sedan. And it backs up the promise by offering a six-speed manual behind the base engine, a 12-spark-plug, 18-valve V-6 of 2.6 liters rated at 168 horsepower. This is a sleek little four-door with the smooth, muscular look of an Olympic swimmer, only the fluid it was trained to slip through is air. The aerodynamic drag coefficient is 0.27. Take that as a promise of effortless speed.
That makes six sedans: two front-drivers, three sending their power rearward, and one that divvies up its torque among all four of its wheels. Six different propositions pitched to the lusts of the sporting driver. Sure, the calendar says January, but you know how the temperature rises once the scenery starts to blur. Let’s see what these little scooters can do.
Sixth Place: Saab 9-3 SE
This car is getting old. Based on the Saab 900 introduced in 1994, it underwent “more than 1000 improvements” in its transformation to Saab 9-3 in 1999. But this is model year 2001, the competition is better than ever, and this old warrior’s lurchy, stiff-legged stride over the back roads is no longer satisfying. The ride is hard-edged, and when you hurry over the humpy-bumpies, the suspension bottoms, the steering snatches from side to side, and the adventure quotient gets inappropriately high.
Highs: Cockpit’s aroma of leather, the hydraulic rush of turbo torque, lots of useful space inside.
In Saab fashion, the turbo four still delivers the thrust—second best of the bunch to 60 mph (6.8 seconds), second fastest through the quarter (at 93 mph). The boost comes on at relatively low revs with a hydraulic press to your backside. Hang on! You’ll feel the torque steer—a squirmy sort of fishtailing at the front end—even more jiggly over less-than-perfect surfaces. Just a few years back, we downplayed such rudeness as the cost of packing power in a small car. But it’s a front-drive problem. Curious, we think, that the two turbos in this group are attached to the drive systems least able to cope with turbo torque.
By a small margin, this Saab ranked highest in back-seat room. It has just a bit more space for three across. Still, if you habitually carry that many, we’d advise a bigger car. None of these cars can accommodate three adults in back for any distance. The Saab’s five-door hatchback layout also topped the others’ for cargo-hauling flexibility.
Lows: Torque steer, truculent handling on unsmooth roads, wind roar from closed sunroof. It’s a rough rider, too.
At 196 feet to stop from 70 mph, this Saab ranked last in braking, and it was fifth of six on the skidpad at 0.77 g. Part of the deficit can be attributed to the all-season tires (the Mercedes wore them as well), which give up dry-weather grip in exchange for better winter traction.
The Verdict: The geezer of the group, with lots of memories, not much future.
The cockpit is welcoming with its rush-of-leather aroma, but it lacks the intimacy we look for in a sports sedan. The shifter is vagu—”ropy” in the parlance of one test driver. The seat is rather flat, the console is low, and the door panels are plain, tending toward the featureless. You have the sense of a big room with a lofty ceiling. It has all become very familiar over the years since 1994. We have the sense of an old friend who hasn’t learned anything in too long.
2001 Saab 9-3 SE205-hp inline-4, 5-speed manual, 3427 lbBase/as-tested price: $33,170/$34,015C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 6.8 sec100 mph: 17.8 mph1/4 mile: 15.4 @ 93 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 196 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.77 gC/D observed fuel economy: 23 mpg
Fifth Place: Mercedes-Benz C240
Here’s a new friend whose greatest mistake was poor preparation for the meeting. We’ll shoulder a share of the blame. We were unable to find a C240 with the optional Sport package, which includes stiffer springs, high-control shocks, and lower-profile 225/50R-16 tires (205/55R-16s are standard) to improve handling, plus numerous appearance details. So we invited a six-speed (not available with the 3.2-liter V-6) C240 with a typical array of luxo options. After all, DaimlerChrysler keeps saying that “sport” was baked into this new model from day one.
Highs: Plush leather interior, low wind noise, aero-slipper styling.
Well, not that we could notice. The demeanor is mild and luxurious, just right for painless transit: good isolation of road noise, very little ride harshness, even less wind roar. But where’s the muscle toning? The body rises and falls on the suspension, long excursions up and down, all the time up and down. Steering inputs are followed by quick, tippy roll angles. The moves are way too nautical for a sports sedan.
The Sport package should eliminate those complaints. But we have more. The clutch engages abruptly. The brakes have a long, squishy entry followed by powerful retardation, all taking place with too little change in pedal effort. About half our drivers disliked the steering feel as well; the buildup of steering effort, and motion at the wheel rim, fail to produce the expected change in path. You steer, rethink the result, and steer again. So the C240 feels uncoordinated, uncooperative. There’s no reward for driving here.
Lows: Abrupt clutch, uncooperative brakes, flabby chassis muscles, tach cowers in shadowy of the cluster.
Two more driver complaints: The aero-optimized outside mirrors are small and oddly angled, and the tachometer has the size and commanding presence more typical of a gas gauge.
The passengers get a much better deal. The interior is rich and plush and beautifully colored in pastels. The leather has just the right puckers and gathers. The seats are firmly supportive but not hard. Comfort and space in back nearly matched the Saab’s, and topped all the others.
The Verdict: A compact luxury sedan in compact-luxury-sedan clothes.
All in all, we’re left with the feeling of a passenger car, not a driver’s car.
2001 Mercedes-Benz C240168-hp V-6, 6-speed manual, 3389 lbBase/as-tested price: $30,595/$35,560C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 8.8 sec100 mph: 23.8 mph1/4 mile: 16.7 @ 85 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 183 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.76 gC/D observed fuel economy: 23 mpg
Fourth Place: Volvo S60 T5
Two hundred forty-seven horses and not a shy one among them. This Volvo pours out the power. It makes the others get small in its mirrors as it rushes to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds, quickest in the group. The quarter-mile comes up in 15.1 seconds at 96 mph — also quickest. That’s 0.3 second and 3 mph quicker than the next-best Saab. Top speed, with the horses held back by the governor, is 129 mph.
Highs: Three bags full of horsepower, cushy cockpit, frosted metal sculpture on display in the interior.
These heroic numbers are the work of a high-pressure turbocharged and intercooled 2.3-liter five-cylinder engine (those seeking moderation can opt for a different turbo: a low-pressure system sans intercooler rated at 197 horsepower).
Compared with the Saab, the Volvo is less ornery in its handling. Torque steer is relatively tame, and the suspension almost never bottoms. As in the Benz, there’s lots of up and down in the suspension motions, and lots of roll angle, but the S60 has more damping, which gives better control. Road adhesion is quite good, in the top half of the group at 0.81 g, but the subjective impression heads in a different direction. On a trip through the twisties, understeer dominates, accompanied by the thought that ride comfort and noise isolation—not athletic ability are the S60’s strong points.
Lows: Touchy brakes, edgy clutch, five-cylinder thrum when the boost comes up.
The interior makes a strong statement. All eyes immediately zero in on the “space ball” shifter centered in the console, a large ball-and-socket pivot sprouting a lever, rendered in a frosty finish that looks too cold to touch without mittens. The door-latch handles are carved from the same mystery metal. Simulated walrus hide covers the dash. The large speedometer and tach dials have beveled edges in the manner of those black Porsche chronographs. And the seats have a plush surface feel that makes the S60 seem five grand more expensive than all others in the group, the result, we think, of a thin layer of cushy foam beneath the leather cover. In back, the cushion is deeply contoured and shaped superbly for two passengers, but space is no better than in the Audi/ BMW/Lexus bunch, which, by a small fraction, ranks equally at the bottom half of the group.
The Verdict: As sports sedans go, this is a small smile, not a big grin.
The S60 is a powerful tourer, but never a frisky one.
2001 Volvo S60 T5247-hp inline-5, 5-speed manual, 3410 lbBase/as-tested price: $32,375/$35,675C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 6.6 sec100 mph: 16.3 mph1/4 mile: 15.1 @ 96 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 172 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.81 gC/D observed fuel economy: 25 mpg
Third Place: Lexus IS300
Of the six contestants, this spunky Lexus is the one that keeps digging us in the ribs and saying, “Let’s play.” There’s an irrepressible spirit here, with a switchblade quickness that’s the essence of motoring sport.
Highs: Silken powertrain, eager control responses, spunky style, holding power of the grippy suede seats.
There’s also the five-speed automatic as the only choice for now. It’s a slick execution, fully automatic, or you can select the manual mode, thereby activating two sets of upshift-and-downshift buttons on the steering wheel’s horizontal spokes, one set for each hand. Still, it’s an automatic, and that puts the lid on all hopes for a high finish in a C/D sports-sedan runoff.
The IS300 is a small box of a car with its sheetmetal drawn tightly over fat Goodyear Eagle GS-D 215/45ZR-17 tires. The tall wheels, silvery taillights, and big-bore exhaust pipe add a West Coast swagger. Inside, the beltline is low, letting in lots of light and a great view. The door sills, pedals, and left-foot rest are finished in brushed metal — racing style! — punctuated with rubber buttons to keep your shoes from slipping off. The firm buckets have plenty of contour to keep you from sliding around, and the suede inserts finish off the job, gripping your backside like Velcro. Whereas the Volvo and the Benz feel plush inside, the Lexus is thinly padded, with its coverings tightly stretched over the essentials. The steering and the suspension pick up the theme. Everything about this car is pulled taut.
Lows: Automatic only transmission, too much texture noise from tires, chrono-style speedometer difficult to read.
Responses are instantaneous. No slack. The steering cuts quickly; we rated it best of all. The brakes respond right now. Body roll is minimal, and the tires read the road, with a bit more noise and ride harshness than you’d expect of a Lexus.
Skidpad adhesion, at 0.82 g, is second best behind the BMW, with dependable understeer. Braking performance tops all others’ at 164 feet from 70 mph. Acceleration is just a tick behind the group’s average at 7.6 seconds to 60 mph, held back by the automatic. Top speed is 142 mph, just 2 mph short of the high mark set by the Saab.
The Verdict: Born to frolic.
Numbers, though, don’t capture this car. But we can paint its portrait with one seldom-used word. Think frolicsome. Because that’s how this Lexus thinks.
2001 Lexus IS300215-hp inline-6, 5-speed automatic, 3392 lbBase/as-tested price: $30,995/$34,635C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 7.6 sec100 mph: 20.0 mph1/4 mile: 15.8 @ 89 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 164 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.82 gC/D observed fuel economy: 22 mpg
Second Place: Audi A4 2.8 Quattro
Thinking of a vacation for your eyes? Give ’em a week inside this A4. They’ll come back rested and inspired. The cockpit appointments are so perfectly shaped. The leather is so richly colored, gray with a hint of coffee, and just the right wrinkles at the seams, like the handiwork of Bottega Veneta. And the wood — your living room should have such furniture.
Highs: Cleanly chiseled exterior, richly appointed cockpit, composed handling at all times.
The driving position fits, too, like a suit from Savile Row, thanks to instant tailoring by the power seat and the tilt-tele column. Best of all, the bucket is firm enough, and cupped enough, to hold you in the heat of the chase.
This is a confident car, confident enough to shun the spoilers and add-on gestures that shout “Sport!” at the younger set. But the car feels sporty. The ride has a hard edge to it. There’s lots of impact and texture noise up from the tires. Ride motions are quick. You feel connected to the road. The controls play along, communicating, always reassuring that you have control.
The confidence stays with you over the back roads. You feel just enough push as you enter turns that you don’t worry about the tail coming around. The balance turns broadly neutral the rest of the way through. The Audi hangs on, shrugging off the sudden changes in throttle position that upset others. Thank the all-wheel-drive system for such imperturbability. It’s all so composed, so meant to happen, the spirited driving in this car.
Lows: Sharpish ride with lots of tire noise, engine coarse at high revs, brakes fade.
Performance, in all the tests, ranks at the middle of the pack. Acceleration fades a bit toward the high end—0 to 100 mph takes 20.8 seconds, behind all but the Benz. Top speed is governed at 130 mph.
The V-6 is, frankly, unstimulating, delivering reasonable torque in the midrange and fretful notes when pushed to the 6200-rpm redline. The shift lever is short and the motions are slick, although this car, unlike all other A4s we’ve driven, had an awkward clutch engagement very high in the pedal travel. We also noticed some fade in the brake test, but pedal feel otherwise was up to the Audi’s standard of easy controllability.
The Verdict: Good-looking, easy to talk to, likes to dance.
While your eyes are vacationing in an A4, the driver in you will be charmed as well.
2001 A4 2.8 Quattro190-hp V-6, 5-speed manual, 3382 lbBase/as-tested price: $31,540/$36,110C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 7.4 sec100 mph: 20.8 mph1/4 mile: 15.8 @ 89 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 181 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.80 gC/D observed fuel economy: 23 mpg
First Place: BMW 325i
Water runs downhill. And another BMW rises to the top of a sporting-car test.
The pleasures of this car flow almost entirely toward the driver, not the passengers, from an epicenter located near the midpoint between the clutch and the gear lever. The clutch hooks up like velvet, right where you think it should. The shift lever stirs cream. The right pedal tapers up the power, so easy and natural to control. You make smooth, expert shifts the first time you drive. Yeah, we’re earlobe deep in talent here at C/D, but this BMW never stops flattering.
Highs: The joy of five-speeding, vibration-free power, harsh-free ride, fumble-free handling.
And that’s the story of its handling, too. This car flows over the back roads, like a liquid following the contours of the road. Instantly, you’re a great driver. Up-and-down suspension motions are so perfectly damped they almost escape notice. Body roll is controlled, a liquid that never sloshes. Pour it on. You have a stable platform from which to give your best. And the steering, the brakes, and the clutch and shifter convey your messages to the machinery exactly as you intend them.
Lows: Low-aspiration interior appointments, bare-bones equipment list, seat adjuster awkward for heavy drivers.
You could get the wrong idea from the $30,110 price of this car, lowest of the bunch. Despite our plan for well-rounded machines, this BMW is, in fact, a stripper 325i with only a sunroof and the Sport package, the latter being a critical contributor to this car’s winning ways. It includes grippy 225/45WR-17 “summer” tires on eight-inch-wide rims, a stiffer “sport suspension,” and a set of front buckets with excellent lateral support — on manual-adjust tracks. A lot of sport per dollar, nothing for luxury. No cruise control. The seats are covered in vinyl.
In a sports-sedan comparison, it’s a winning formula. Road grip is excellent, measuring 0.86 g on the skidpad, yet the ride is pleasing, too. Braking fell behind that of the Lexus by only three feet. Acceleration hangs into the top half of the group, but only just barely. Engine sound, a smooth hum, is always present, particularly at interstate speeds. It’s accompanied by wind roar that is louder than average. Torque is a bit weak, lower for 2001 than for last year, reduced in exchange for 14 extra horsepower, up to 184 now.
The Verdict: Pours itself down back roads like liquid poetry.
Less torque, more reason to work the lever. This car loves that kind of work.
2001 BMW 325i184-hp inline-6, 5-speed manual, 3248 lbBase/as-tested price: $27,560/$30,110C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 7.0 sec100 mph: 19.9 mph1/4 mile: 15.4 @ 90 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 167 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.86 gC/D observed fuel economy: 25 mpg
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