Evelyn Reynolds

From the June 1991 issue of Car and Driver.In the beginning, hot-rodders lived by the Two Commandments: Thou shalt make it faster, and Thou shalt make it cheaper. Now there’s a third command­ment: Thou shalt make it legal.You can still get away with perfor­mance tinkering if you do it by your lone­some, but modify an engine for money, or even worse, try to sell complete hopped-up cars, and more government agencies than you knew existed will pounce on you as if you were dealing crack. Nonetheless, a trend in making more speed is to become a small-volume man­ufacturer, even though that requires enormous expenditures for testing and development. “Green speed,” as it were, is the way of the 1990s. Enter the Formula Firehawk, available from your Pontiac dealer as the “Regular Production Option B4U.” It is emissions-legal, crash-tested, its parts are un­der warranty, and it’s faster than any­thing you can buy for its $51,989 price. And in many ways, it’s very much like driving a hot rod—wild and woolly. The idea here was to build a car with ZR-1 performance for less than the Cor­vette’s $68,000 price. The ZR-1 perfor­mance is there. The lower price is there, too. But the tradeoff is refinement, or lack thereof. We’ll tell you about that later. The Firehawk is the work of Street Le­gal Performance Inc., a four-year-old company in Toms River, New Jersey, cre­ated by former drag-racer Ed Hamburger. He learned the tricks of the horsepower trade in the 1970s and by selling speed parts to racers. Hamburger’s Oil Pans Inc., a company he started in ’79, lists as customers Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Wal­trip, and 26 other Winston Cup teams. The Firehawk is Hamburger’s first complete car. It’s a Pontiac Firebird For­mula with a new drivetrain, the Firebird’s 1LE showroom-stock racing suspension, wider wheels and tires, plus a few other performance add-ons. SLP proposed selling the Firehawk through Pontiac dealers. Pontiac liked the idea. “It will help the performance image of the Fire­bird,” says Pontiac general manager John Middlebrook. The gates to GM’s mammoth Milford proving grounds were opened to SLP to test and develop prototypes. SLP is planning to build 250 Fire­hawks, starting in June. The finished car won’t appear in Pontiac ads, however, since it’s a deal between SLP and Ponti­ac’s dealers, according to Middlebrook. To order one (the only color is red), drop off a $5000 deposit at your Pontiac dealer. A 5.7-liter Chevy V-8 powers the Firehawk. It is built by General Motors Parts division to SLP’s specifications. These folks assemble the monster mo­tors we told you about in April—300-plus-horsepower Chevy V-8s you can buy and install yourself into classic cars built before the Feds got regulation-hap­py. The Firehawk’s engine consists of a stock block, a forged-steel crankshaft, special connecting rods, and lightweight cast pistons. The engine’s cylinder heads will be shipped to SLP’s headquarters in New Jersey, where they will be ported, and then shipped back to the assembly plant in Flint, Michigan. Completed en­gines will then be shipped to SLP, which will install them in Firebird Formula models. SLP warrants the powertrain, and Pontiac will cover the rest of the car. “If you could take the best parts and build the ultimate Firebird engine, these would be the ones,” says Chuck Jenckes, SLP’s chief engineer. For the port-injected engine, SLP de­signed a free-flowing intake system with two air cleaners—one occupies the space normally meant for the car’s battery, which goes in the trunk. The engine is emissions-legal in 49 states; SLP intends to certify Firehawk engines to California standards after production begins. Engine power is fed through a Cor­vette six-speed transmission and clutch to an aluminum driveshaft (lighter than stock to aid power delivery, says Jenckes). The driveshaft turns a Dana 44 rear end with a one-inch-larger ring gear for durability and special beefed-up axles driving the rear wheels. Stiffer bushings in the rear control arms keep the axle from hopping during maximum acceleration. We were impressed by the engine in our test Firehawk. It will rev to its 6000-rpm redline like a mad turbine, and it feels like it could rev a lot faster were it not for its 6100-rpm rev limiter. An optional package for racers in­cludes the same front brakes you’ll find on a $400,000-plus Ferrari F40. This package is worth about $11,000 of the Firehawk’s price, and includes a roll bar, a lower front end, an aluminum hood, a five-point harness for the driver, and a Recaro seat. Our test car, a devel­opment mule, had everything but the roll bar. “The racetrack is really where the car’s going to be at home. It’s kind of obnox­ious on the street,” says Jenckes. How true. It shook, and it felt unstable most of the way up to its 158-mph top speed. Some of its nervous character is a result of beatings: Our test car had more than 20,000 miles on it, at least half of which were tallied at GM’s test track, says Jenckes. The car felt, shall we say, unrefined on the street. The steering was darty. The Firebird front suspension and steering has trouble, we believe, maintaining control of the Firehawk’s extra-wide 275/40-17 tires. A ZR-1’s front tires are the same size as all four Firehawk tires, but the Corvette doesn’t wander over bumps the way the Firehawk does. GM designed the Corvette to ride on fatter rubber; stock Firebirds ride on nothing larger than 245/50-16 tires. “Its sophistication is not high,” says Pontiac’s Middlebrook, who drove a pro­totype Firehawk last summer, “but brute power is there.” Adds Jenckes: “It’s a broadsword in­stead of a scalpel.” We did our fair share of beating this Firehawk, too. Following our top-speed test on the track, we did repeated full-­throttle starts, at least a dozen in a half­-hour. On our final run, the engine felt just as strong as on our first tire-squealing start. Our best time to 60 mph was 4.6 seconds, and our best quarter-mile run took 13.2 seconds at 107 mph. That’s as quick as the las1 ZR-1 we tested, quicker than the Acura NSX, the Lotus Esprit Turbo SE, and the Ferrari 348ts we tested in September. But those cars won’t dislodge your fillings. This performance comes from an en­gine that started instantly for us one sub­freezing morning. Cold or hot, the mo­tor’s idle is a lumpy but steady 850 rpm. The optional brake rotors are massive, drilled thirteen-inch discs—as big as the wheels on a Honda Civic. Four-piston Brembo calipers grab these discs and haul down the Firehawk from 70 mph to a stop in 164 feet, only nine feet farther than a ZR-1, two feet shorter than a Porsche 911 Turbo. The brakes are tough to modulate—we promptly locked a wheel during our first hard stop. The flat-spotted tire, coupled to the stiff ride of the Firehawk, caused one of our test drivers to comment: “Its sensory level is a close second to riding in an industrial dryer.” The Firehawk is a tough car to ride in. It is noisy and stiff. “Riding in it is the most fun I’ve had since I got thrown on my head by the mechanical bucking bronco at Gilly’s,” one test driver noted. Much of the noise in our test car came from its well-worn Firestone Firehawk tires grumbling on the pavement, and those sounds were transmitted directly to the driver to combine with prodigious amounts of wind noise and body creaks. The six-speed shifted as smoothly as the same ZF unit does in the Corvette. The transmission retains the computer­-forced upshifting used on the Corvette, although it was disabled on this proto­type. That feature and the tall gearing (70 mph in sixth yields 1650 rpm) keeps fuel economy above the EPA’s gas-guz­zler limit. We rarely used sixth—or fifth. Fourth gear at 70 mph keeps the engine at 3300 rpm, ready to roar at a moment’s notice. Related StoriesA half-dozen supercars can outrun the Firehawk. All ride better, but none are cheaper. To match the Firehawk’s 158-mph top speed for less than its $40,995 base price (minus the racing package op­tion), you could attempt to build this car in the privacy of your garage. It would still cost plenty, but you might avoid these astronomical pitfalls: the emissions testing and certifying process ($50,000 minimum); the backward-barrier crash to satisfy the Department of Transporta­tion requirement that the new rear axle hasn’t compromised the car’s structure or fuel-system integrity ($20,000 plus bodywork); the two 200-hour dynamom­eter tests for engine durability (about $10,000 each, plus, says SLP’s Jenckes, another $10,000 for fuel); and one drive­line durability test that includes driving the car over hills and bumps under full throttle ($25,000). A small-volume man­ufacturer like SLP (250 cars per year or less) is spared the EPA’s 50,000-mile emissions durability test, but not much else. The Firehawk succeeds as a 1990s hot rod—it is fast, ferocious, and clean. Still, we’d think about giving up some of its speed for more refined handling and less ruckus on the street. A couple of cheaper cars come to our minds: Nissan’s 300ZX Turbo and Chevy’s Corvette L98. But they’re not hot rods in the viscerally raw, traditional sense. The Firehawk is.SpecificationsSpecifications
1992 Pontiac Formula FirehawkVehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 3-door coupe
PRICEAs Tested: $51,989Options: base Pontiac Firebird Formula Firehawk, $39,999; R option (includes 4-piston Brembo brake calipers, Recaro front seat with 5-point racing harness, roll cage, aluminum hood), $9995; luxury tax, $1999
ENGINEpushrod V-8, iron block and aluminum heads, port fuel injectionDisplacement: 350 in3, 5733 cm3Power: 350 hp @ 5500 rpmTorque: 390 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm 
TRANSMISSION6-speed manual
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: control arms/rigid axleBrakes, F/R: 13.0-in vented, cross-drilled disc/11.7-in vented discTires: Firestone Firehawk SZ275/40ZR-17
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 101.0 inLength: 187.8 inWidth: 72.1 inHeight: 49.8 inPassenger Volume: 53 ft3Trunk Volume: 11 ft3Curb Weight: 3448 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 4.6 sec100 mph: 11.4 sec1/4-Mile: 13.2 sec @ 107 mph130 mph: 22.4 sec150 mph: 42.3 secRolling Start, 5–60 mph: 5.0 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 11.0 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 11.2 secTop Speed: 158 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 164 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.92 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMYObserved: 13 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMYCity/Highway: 16/25 mpg 
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED More

The original WRX TR launched in 2006 as a stripped-down, minimalist trim aimed at buyers who planned to start modding their cars the day they got home from the dealership. The moniker stood for “Tuner Ready,” and the TR went without a rear spoiler, fog lights, or a fancy stereo. Why include a nice sound system that’ll immediately be replaced by a sweet Pioneer OEL head unit with a swimming-dolphin display and a Rockford amp bridged down to about a quarter-ohm? (Not that we built something exactly like that, ever.) The 2024 Subaru WRX TR takes a different approach—it’s definitely not stripped down, and more like an STI-lite. As a consequence, nobody is really sure what “TR” now stands for. Totally Rad? Tire Roaster? Theodore Roosevelt? As Teddy might’ve said, walk softly and carry big stick into those braking zones.And brakes are the TR’s major upgrade, hulking Brembos with six-piston calipers up front and two-piston fixed calipers at the rear, animated by a larger master cylinder (an improvement that applies to all manual-transmission 2024 WRXs). The 13.4-inch front rotors are an inch larger in diameter than the standard WRX fare, and the 12.8-inch cross-drilled rear rotors gain 1.4 inches on the standard brakes. Lest there be any confusion over your WRX’s stopping power, the calipers are painted a searing red.The TR can also be identified by its unique 19-inch wheels, which are an inch larger to accommodate the boffo brakes and look vaguely like they were pulled from a Lamborghini Urus. Those wheels are wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza S007 tires, which are new to the WRX. Springs and dampers are about 5 percent stiffer, and the power steering is tuned for more feedback. Inside, the TR gets Ultrasuede-trimmed Recaro seats, making it the only manual-transmission WRX available with those chairs. Ah, yes—the TR is available only with a six-speed manual transmission. In a weight-saving (and cost-offsetting) nod to its parsimonious predecessor, the TR doesn’t have a sunroof. Subaru says that even with its big brakes, the sunroof delete means that the TR weighs within a couple pounds of a manual-transmission WRX Limited.Subaru introduced the WRX TR in Sicily, on the roads that made up the original Targa Florio circuit. What does Subaru have to do with a race that ended in 1977? Well, the Targa Florio became the Targa Florio Rally, which was part of the European Rally Championship from 1984 to 2011. And Subarus won that twice, in 1995 and 1999, so the WRX’s ancestors put down some victorious rubber on these roads—some of which can still be seen. You’ll be braking into a corner and notice the outside lane on your left streaked with skid marks, evidence of rally cars setting up to dive-bomb the apex. As public roads go, the ones that made up the Targa Florio are a lot like a track—a track designed by M.C. Escher.And during our drive, it was pure WRX weather, which is to say: bad. Cold and rainy, the pavement was so slick that even walking downhill was an invitation to join a Sicilian blooper reel. The WRX TR uses the same 271-hp 2.4-liter H-4 as other WRX models, and even without additional power it was easy to spin all four tires off the line. We’d presume those brakes and the stickier 245/35R-19 Potenzas will help improve the WRX’s Lightning Lap time, but on these roads anything more than a gentle prod at the brake pedal would cue the ABS. And whatever the Sicilian word for “runoff area” is, it must translate as “into the ocean.” Most corners are bordered by sturdy guardrail, and you’re happy to see it. Still, this being a WRX, it was easy to drive faster than everyone else on the road—all-wheel-drive turbocharged rally rockets aren’t easily discouraged by rain, midcorner bumps, or the occasional section where the pavement went missing entirely. Given that the local drivers, like their rally counterparts, tend to set up for corners on the wrong side of the road, we were glad for the WRX’s quick reflexes. And glad that we didn’t personally investigate the crashworthiness of its floorpan and rear suspension, which were strengthened for 2024. All WRXs also get Subaru’s EyeSight driver-assist system, which was previously unavailable on manual-transmission cars. In Sicily, the lane-detection system was disabled, on the grounds that there were no lanes to detect.WRX fans, ourselves included, are still disappointed that there’s no WRX STI, but the TR is a worthwhile step in that direction. And at $42,775, it’s surely priced lower than a hypothetical 2024 WRX STI would be—and lower than that $45,335 WRX GT, the current flagship of the range. Still, we can’t help but gaze back longingly at the not-so-distant year of 2021, when you could walk into your Subaru dealership with $38,170 and drive out with a 305-hp WRX STI. Related StoriesThe current WRX is a better car in a lot of ways, but it’s easy to imagine how much fun it would be with the 2.4-liter pumping out, oh, another 50 horsepower. Then again, as we’ve found before, there are plenty of firms that are willing to help make a WRX go faster. Maybe TR no longer stands for “Tuner Ready,” but that doesn’t mean it’s not true.SpecificationsSpecifications
2024 Subaru WRX TRVehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE
Base: $42,775
ENGINE
Turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve flat-4, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 146 in3, 2387 cm3Power: 271 hp @ 5600 rpmTorque: 258 lb-ft @ 2000 rpm
TRANSMISSION
6-speed manual
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 105.1 inLength: 183.8 inWidth: 71.9 inHeight: 57.8 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 56/42 ft3Trunk Volume: 13 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 3450 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 5.5 sec100 mph: 13.7 sec1/4-Mile: 13.9 secTop Speed: 145 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST)
Combined/City/Highway: 22/19/26 mpgEzra Dyer is a Car and Driver senior editor and columnist. He’s now based in North Carolina but still remembers how to turn right. He owns a 2009 GEM e4 and once drove 206 mph. Those facts are mutually exclusive. More

In the Floriopoli pit garages, along the route of Sicily’s Targa Florio road race, there’s a roughly translated warning from the mayor to the residents of a local town. Dating to the race’s early days—which correspond to the invention of cars themselves—it reads, “Listen, listen. Tomorrow there is the car races. Keep inside the house children, dogs, pigs, and chickens. Who dies, dies because of their own fault, and the mayor does not take the responsibility!” We don’t know if a similar warning went out before we showed up with the 2024 Subaru BRZ tS, but we didn’t see any chickens.Like Le Mans, the Targa Florio temporarily repurposed local roads as a racetrack. Unlike Le Mans, each lap included more than 2000 corners, most of them diabolical. If you’re looking for blind, off-camber, downhill, decreasing-radius, bumpy, wet, gravel-strewn corners, you might find all of that in a single left-hander in Sicily. Into this crucible Subaru threw the BRZ tS, which includes choice upgrades to the brakes and dampers. To paraphrase a certain mayor, whoever slides off a mountain, slides off because of their own fault, and the Subaru does not take the responsibility!Although the tS doesn’t receive any additional horsepower, its 228 was more than enough for the sodden Sicilian backroads that comprise the Targa Florio route. The tS does get upgraded brakes—fixed four-piston Brembo calipers up front, two-piston at the rear, both squeezing upsize rotors—and we imagine they’ll help improve the BRZ’s Lightning Lap showing. Their gold-painted calipers will provide a flex on any standard-issue Toyota GR86 you might encounter. (The GR86 Performance package, though, is the BRZ tS equivalent, with the same Brembos.)More important on the bumpy goat paths of rural Sicily, though, were the tS’s STI-tuned Hitachi dampers. The front dampers include variable valving to limberly accommodate high-frequency washboard while remaining general-purpose firm. It’s a purely passive system, but one that allows the tS to absorb surprisingly harsh impacts. The rear dampers have single-stage valving, and you can tell the difference when the front end gallops smartly over a heave in the pavement and then the rear end does a little mule kick over the same bump.Aesthetically, the BRZ tS is defined by the dark-gray-metallic finish on its 18-inch wheels (like the Limited, shod with 215/40R-18 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 summer tires) and tS-specific grille and trunk badging. It also gets a subtle red BRZ logo at the corner of the headlights and black paint on the mirrors and roof antenna. Inside, there’s a prominent blue stripe on the seats, and the red starter button wears a slightly disingenuous STI logo. (There’s another STI logo on the instrument cluster too.) Dash trim is blacked out, and the seats are upholstered in black Ultrasuede. Like all 2024 BRZs, the tS is fitted with the EyeSight driver-assist system, which was previously available only on automatic-transmission cars because Subaru wasn’t sure how to handle potential manual-transmission stalling problems when the car brakes on its own. The solution? Well, it’ll stall. But better to stall and not hit something, goes the logic. In keeping with its mission, the tS is manual only.If the BRZ tS isn’t a full-send STI product, neither does it command a full STI upcharge. The tS costs $2650 more than a manual-transmission Limited, for a range-topping $36,465. That still seems like a bargain for one of our favorite sports cars, a 10Best winner in any form. It would have been nice if the roads dried out and we could’ve leaned on those big Brembos a little more, but the snotty weather helped remind us why we love this car in the first place, with the tail sliding benignly through second-gear corners as the flat-four chattered toward its 7000-rpm horsepower peak. The Targa Florio was last run in 1977, but behind the wheel of the right kind of car, you might imagine you were there. Watch out for those chickens.More on the BRZSpecificationsSpecifications
2024 Subaru BRZ tSVehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE
Base: $36,465
ENGINE
DOHC 16-valve flat-4, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 146 in3, 2387 cm3Power: 228 hp @ 7000 rpmTorque: 184 lb-ft @ 3700 rpm
TRANSMISSION
6-speed manual
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 101.4 inLength: 167.9 inWidth: 69.9 inHeight: 51.6 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 48/30 ft3Cargo Volume: 6 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 2850 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 5.4 sec100 mph: 13.3 sec1/4-Mile: 13.9 secTop Speed: 140 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST)
Combined/City/Highway: 22/20/27 mpgEzra Dyer is a Car and Driver senior editor and columnist. He’s now based in North Carolina but still remembers how to turn right. He owns a 2009 GEM e4 and once drove 206 mph. Those facts are mutually exclusive. More

Honda’s TrailSport badge started as pure cowboy cosplay, adding visual flair but little else to the automaker’s two-row mid-size SUV. In our test of a 2022 Passport TrailSport, we felt it fell short of the mark and could stand to pack some true off-road credentials. Honda decided to remedy that for 2024 with some hardware changes, namely to the suspension and tires, and the results show that Honda was able to make these changes without sullying the Passport’s primary mission of reliable family drayage.That 2022 Passport TrailSport we tested rode on 18-inch 245/60R-18 Firestone Destination LE2 all-season tires—fine shoes for mall-crawling, sure, but not exactly built for whipping down muddy ruts. Now, the TrailSport comes standard with same-sized General Grabber A/T Sport all-terrain tires, sporting some chunky treads. A brief foray into the dirt reveals plenty of traction, but how do they fare in more commonly occurring scenarios? Quite well, actually. Our ears pick up some extra tire noise at low speeds, and we can hear a little extra slap over expansion joints and the like, but the Generals don’t exhibit tramlining on grooved pavement, and the noise level at highway speeds sounds about even with the 2022 model. But you can’t have it all, folks; when we get the Passport onto our 300-foot skidpad, we expect grip levels to decrease compared to the all-seasons. Something’s gotta give. While the tires will be a big help in the dirt, they aren’t alone. Honda also made tweaks to the Passport TrailSport’s suspension. Specifically, both the springs and passive dampers have been retuned for the dirt, and the anti-roll bars promise more articulation. We weren’t able to spend much time off-road, but the time that was spent there revealed more capability than before. Softening everything up and adding articulation can help when you’re off the beaten path, but it has the possibility of turning the on-road ride quality into Victorian orphan gruel. That is thankfully not the case here, as the Passport retains good body control in daily driving scenarios, leaning more cushy than mushy.Since its inception, the Passport has offered gobs of cargo space and a very livable cabin, but Honda decided to throw a little love in that direction as well. The old center console has been swapped out for a larger one. A big armrest hinges upward to reveal enough space to throw a purse or a small shopping bag, while the wireless device charger ahead of the shift buttons changes orientations, making room for another small tchotchke tray. A front USB-C port will make for zippier charging too. The display scheme doesn’t change: The TrailSport’s partial-digital gauge cluster and 8.0-inch center touchscreen are still tilted toward the sunroof for some reason.We regret to inform you that Honda’s slick new dual-overhead-cam V-6 has not made its way down from the Pilot (yet). The Passport makes do with the same 3.5-liter single-cam VTEC V-6 as before, making the same 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, which gets routed to all four wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission. There isn’t a whole lot of oomph in the lower half of the tachometer, but if you wring it out, you’ll get treated to some fun VTEC cam-profile crossover sounds. The 2022 Passport TrailSport required 6.0 seconds to reach 60 mph in our hands, and the 2024 model should perform similarly. The 2024 Honda Passport TrailSport starts at $45,875, and its $900 year-over-year price bump seems appropriate given all the new kit thrown in. But if you still want to ramp up the window dressing, Honda will oblige. Honda Performance Development packages will add black 18-inch alloy wheels, black lug nuts, taillight accents, and a different grille for $2250—or $2800 if you also want fender flares. Our example included a dealer-installed oil-pan protector, but we still wish a suspension lift was offered for even more capability.More on the Honda PassportWhether you want to play dress up or not, the TrailSport’s honest-to-goodness off-road-friendly additions should give owners the confidence to venture a little farther from the parking lot without feeling like the daily experience has been compromised in the process.SpecificationsSpecifications
2024 Honda Passport TrailSportVehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base: $45,875
ENGINE
SOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 212 in3, 3471 cm3Power: 280 hp @ 6000 rpmTorque: 262 lb-ft @ 4700 rpm
TRANSMISSION
9-speed automatic
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 110.9 inLength: 189.1 inWidth: 78.6 inHeight: 72.2 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 58/57 ft3Cargo Volume, Behind F/R: 78/41 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 4250 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 6.0 sec1/4-Mile: 14.6 secTop Speed: 115 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 21/19/24 mpgCars are Andrew Krok’s jam, along with boysenberry. After graduating with a degree in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2009, Andrew cut his teeth writing freelance magazine features, and now he has a decade of full-time review experience under his belt. A Chicagoan by birth, he has been a Detroit resident since 2015. Maybe one day he’ll do something about that half-finished engineering degree. More

From the November 1995 issue of Car and Driver.The Angeles Crest Highway is a favorite haunt of L.A.’s crazed sport motorcyclists, and as I wound the Ferrari F355 Spider through one looping uphill right-hander, a Honda CBR600 F3 whizzed by the other way, cranked over so far that there was just about an inch of clearance between its footpeg and the asphalt. HIGHS: Orgiastic sound effects, alfresco motoring, unsurpassed profiling presence.I was not trying that hard. At $139,091, the Ferrari is almost worth more than my house, and there was no protective metal over my head in the event of a tumble off one of the many reducing-radius bends bounded by little more than thin air. But I was running some of the sweeping curves at 90 or more, reveling in the accuracy and elo­quence of the steering and the tenacity of the Pirelli P-Zeros. Best of all, though, was the serenade of engine noises issuing from just behind my head.These melodies vary from a deep, resonant rumble at idle, to a flutelike tone in midrange, on to a healthy brasswind bellow at full bore. There’s an unusual harmonic at small-throttle open­ings—particularly noticeable in slow traffic—where the engine note drops momentarily into a deep grumbling overrun resembling the tones produced by the bass pedals of a Hammond organ. The engine’s acoustic repertoire is so heroic that Ferrari does not even fit a radio to the F355 Spider as standard equipment. The boisterous sound effects, which are largely undiluted by the minimally insulated fabric top, pro­duce sound-level readings at full throttle of 89 dBA, compared with 84 for the coupe. Of course, it isn’t just for the engine note that one buys a convertible. it’s for the wind-in-the-hair experience, or per­haps to be seen in. Either way, the Fer­rari does the job well. The top mechanism is compact and simple. To doff the top, you simply unlatch the two attachment claws from the windshield header with a single handle, raise the front of the top until the car beeps at you, then nick a switch. That triggers a sequence that first pushes the seats forward six inches to provide clearance—disconcerting for those of us more than six feet tall—then powers the top down into a furled bundle behind the cabin, then returns the seats to their orig­inal positions. You have to get out to fit a fabric boot that snaps over the accor­dioned top to tidy the effect. Then away you go. The car works well as a convertible. Additional structural bracing (it accounts for most of the 110-pound weight gain) has made the body shell commendably stiff, so there’s negligible shivering or jiggling to be found in the steering column, cowl, or windshield frame. And the aerodynamics are surpris­ingly good. Perhaps because of the wind­shield’s extreme rake, there’s hardly any wind buffeting. Nor is there much of that reverse draft you normally experience in choptop coupes. It’s so good that I could wear a baseball cap at speeds up to 100 mph without losing it to the slipstream. With the side glass down, the passing air produces an appreciable gush of sound, but it’s free of annoying fluctuations, and tur­bulence inside is so low that you can keep a map in your lap. LOWS: Cost of ownership. The Spider’s dynamic capabilities nearly equal those of the coupe that has earned accolades in two previous C/D tests. The 375-hp 40-valve V-8 hurls the Spider to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 13.4 seconds at 106 mph. That’s a couple of tenths down on the coupe, probably due more to a rel­atively green engine than to the small weight increase. In any case, the numbers don’t describe the sensation you get as the engine shrieks to 8500 rpm in every gear, or the rising urgency of the acceleration as the tach needle swings around to where the serious power lives. Nor does lateral acceleration of 0.96 g explain the communicative nature of the steering and the chassis. The Spider goes from neutral handling (with a remarkably supple ride) at cruising speeds to a lively tendency toward rotation near the limits of adhesion. When the pace picks up, the front end begins to wiggle under hard braking and to produce quick lateral twitches in hard corners as the tires traverse surface irreg­ularities. The back end begins to move around in hard cor­ners too, eventually running wide at the limit. All of this is relayed to the driver in clear fashion, and the car is very respon­sive to changes in throttle position and weight transfer. It’s this animated dialogue between driver and car that makes the Spider such an entertaining partner in the moun­tains, where the driver’s confidence is enhanced by a progressive and readable dynamic shift as the car approaches its limits. Loads of grip and bags of brakes don’t hurt either. And now that Ferraris have air conditioning that can be counted on and build quality that seems to improve with every new iteration, the appeal of the prancing horse is stronger than ever. Only two small glitches: a blown cig­arette-lighter fuse—no big deal—and a windshield-washer mechanism that dumped fluid into the ventilation system, producing clouds of alcohol vapor in the cabin but nothing on the windshield. A quick visit to the dealer would put that right, but it reminds us that handbuilt exotics will always have quirks. It was unthinkable just a few years ago that Ferraris could ever become daily com­muters, but this generation of F355s comes close. So long as you take care to avoid bottoming the low-slung, long-overhang nose on driveways and gutters, the F355 is tame enough to run to the office every day. Assisted steering makes the car much easier to drive at low speed, and the throttle stiction we grumbled about on earlier F355s is reduced in the Spider, allowing us to drive smoothly with minimal con­centration. More Ferrari F355 Reviews From the ArchiveThe traditional gated six-speed shifter remains fairly notchy and mechanical, but you can drive almost seamlessly if you pay attention. And although you wouldn’t expect it from a car with an 8500-rpm red­line, the F355 has more low-end grunt than a Porsche 911, giving it good around-town flexibility. VERDICT: A Ferrari even more desirable in ragtop form. Most amazing of all was that the luggage compartment in the Spider’s nose swallowed my square Samsonite as if tailor-made for it. Okay, people don’t buy Fer­raris for their practicality, but as long as a bit of creature comfort doesn’t hurt the visual appeal or the mechanical aesthetics or the knock-’em-dead status value of the marque, it’s fine with us. Now, if they could just do something about the price. . . .SpecificationsSpecifications
1996 Ferrari F355 SpiderVehicle Type: mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door convertible
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $139,091/$139,091
ENGINEDOHC 40-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injectionDisplacement: 213 in3, 3496 cm3Power: 375 hp @ 8250 rpmTorque: 268 lb-ft @ 6000 rpm 
TRANSMISSION
6-speed manual
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: control arms/control armsBrakes, F/R: 11.8-in vented disc/12.2-in vented discTires: Pirelli P-ZeroF: 225/40ZR-18R: 265/40ZR-18
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 96.5 inLength: 167.3 inWidth: 74.8 inHeight: 46.1 inPassenger Volume: 47 ft3Trunk Volume: 8 ft3Curb Weight: 3380 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 4.8 sec100 mph: 12.0 sec1/4-Mile: 13.4 sec @ 106 mph130 mph: 21.5 sec150 mph: 35.7 secRolling Start, 5–60 mph: 6.1 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 8.5 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 9.0 secTop Speed (redline ltd): 179 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 166 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.96 g 
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 15 mpg 
EPA FUEL ECONOMYCity/Highway: 10/15 mpg 
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED More

From the January 1996 issue of Car and Driver.As new-model excitement goes, pickup trucks used to rank right down there with trailer hitches. Trucks usually don’t evolve as often or as radically as cars, and the good ol’ pickup always seemed stuck in Darwin’s waiting room. The raging popularity of full-size trucks for personal use has begun to affect that theorem, underscored by the imme­diate acceptance of the wild Dodge Ram. Ford is aiming at twin targets with this evolution: the hardcore truck buyer who wants the F150 for work and the personal-­use driver who may want a truck simply because it isn’t a car. In fact, the sleek new styling, which seems starkly aerodynamic against the flying-brick look of the old truck, and many comfort and convenience features were designed to appeal strongly to women drivers.Fact is, the best-selling vehicle in America is . . . the good ol’ pickup truck, Ford’s full-size F-series. Ford sold 698,418 F-series pickups in the model year ending last September 30. That turned out to be only 45,190 fewer than the combined sales of the two best-selling cars in Amer­ica, the Ford Taurus and Honda Accord, and 180,508 more than Chevrolet’s pickups, the C/K-series. Ford’s F-series has been the best­-selling vehicle for 14 consecutive model ­years. This status weighed heavily on program engineers over the past five years and four million miles that they’ve been developing the all-new 1997 F150. Ken Gross|Car and DriverFord reportedly is betting more than $2 billion that its new mainstay—which is longer, taller, and wider than the pickup it replaces—will be a big hit with the truck crowd. If it isn’t, the reason won’t be that there wasn’t enough beef in the stew. Reg­ular-length and SuperCab models will be offered in trim levels: base, XL, XLT, and Lariat, which is the new top-of-the-line luxury level. Short and long bed lengths will be offered, and all SuperCabs will come standard with a new passenger-side third door. Four-by-four and rear-drive versions will both be available, of course, along with “Styleside” and “Flareside” cargo boxes. F250 and F350 models, Crew Cabs, and “Dualies” will follow in a year, but for now they remain available in the old 1996 body style. Base power comes from a 4.2-liter ver­sion of the Windstar’s split-port induction V-6, making 205 hp. Then comes the “Triton” family of modular engines, including two V-8s—a 210-hp 4.6-liter and a 235-hp 5.4-liter—and a 6.8-liter V-10. These engines will be the first in any full-size American truck to offer overhead cams, aluminum heads, and a 100,000-mile tuneup interval. The big V-8, the V-10, and the 7.3-liter “Power Stroke” diesel will not be available until next year. Five-speed manual and electronically con­trolled four-speed automatic transmissions will be offered.The most earnest off­-roaders will have a menu of optional heavy-duty compo­nentry from which to choose, including pro­tective skidplates, heavier-duty shocks, and higher-rate springs.Gone after 17 years is Ford’s “Twin I-Beam” front suspension, famed for ruggedness but often derided for poor on-­road ride quality. It was designed in an era when the pickup had to be tough above all other considerations. Today’s personal-use owners want a carlike ride, and they’ll get it here. A new unequal-length control-arm suspension (with forged lower arms and coil springs for 4x2s, cast lower arms and torsion bars for 4x4s) takes to the highway with the comfort of a Taurus, yet still improves on the climbing and poor-road capability of the old F150. Additionally, the suspension permits the engine to be installed deeper in the chassis, facilitating a lower hoodline and better forward vision for the driver.Both 4x2s and 4x4s use a rear suspension with a solid axle and leaf springs designed to maintain efficient load-carrying. Ford claims the standard payload of 2435 pounds for a base 4×2 will be best in class. The most earnest off­-roaders will have a menu of optional heavy-duty compo­nentry from which to choose, including pro­tective skidplates, heavier-duty shocks, and higher-rate springs. Sixteen-inch wheels and tires come standard, but 4x4s offer optional 17-inchers. All F150s will be armed with standard rear-wheel anti­lock brakes. Four-wheel ABS is an option. The F150’s third door on extended­-cab models is a study in simple utility. Open the passenger-side door and there’s a flat handle like that in the rear door of any large van. Pull it and the third door opens to a full-length folding bench seat. Ford mounts the front shoulder belt to the top of the cab, unlike Chevy’s mountings to its full-size truck’s seats, but the Ford belt doesn’t impede entry. Legroom and headroom back there are no worse than in most four-door sedans. Interior room in regular cabs is also improved, now providing an additional five inches of storage behind the seats that wasn’t there in the old truck.Ken Gross|Car and DriverDual airbags are standard equipment, a first among full-size pickups. Another first is the positive-action key that can shut off the passenger airbag at times when a rear-­facing infant safety seat is in use. A dash light illuminates to remind you the bag is off—this is important because the bag can only be turned back on with the key. Noise and vibration levels are down from previous trucks, and visibility is up: the windshield is now 25 percent larger. The old-style F150 will be sold as a ’96 model alongside the new ’97 beginning this month, giving customers a chance to do side-by-side comparos of features and design—and price. Though the new truck isn’t priced at this writing, we can estimate it will be at least 3–5 percent more expen­sive than the ’96 F150, which ranges from a base of $14,765 for a workman’s-grade model with a V-6 to more than $26,000 for a loaded-up luxo V-8 Eddie Bauer. Can Ford’s new cowboy corral a passel of new truck aficionados? Without a doubt, that’s the very question Chevy is asking. SpecificationsSpecifications
1997 Ford F150Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear- or rear/4-wheel-drive, 3–6-passenger, 2–3-door pickup
PRICE
Base: $15,500-$21,000 (est.)
ENGINEpushrod 4.2-liter V-6; SOHC 4.6-liter V-8Power: 205–210 hp
TRANSMISSION5-speed manual; 4-speed automatic
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 119.9–157.4 inLength: 202.2–240.9 inWidth: 78.4–79.5 inCurb Weight (C/D est): 3850–4650 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 8.5–10.5 sec1/4-Mile: 16.5–18.0 sec
EPA FUEL ECONOMYCity: 14–16 mpg  More

There once was a time when sport trucks roamed the streets. The lineage dates to the ’60s when Chevrolet first planted powerful big blocks under the hoods of its pickups. The 1990s brought the wild GMC Syclone, an all-wheel-drive truck decades ahead of its time that could beat a Ferrari 348ts in straight-line acceleration. The movement would also spawn the full-size Chevrolet Silverado 454SS and Ford SVT F-150 Lightning, which were all displacement and not much more. The Dodge Viper’s V-10 and a manual gearbox blessed the Ram 1500 SRT-10. Highs: 700 horsepower, great fit and finish, backed by a warranty.Though some viewed the single-cab sport truck (the SRT-10 was also offered in four-door configuration) as a dumb concept, it was a purposeful thing. It was the perfect solution for those who wanted a relatively quick ride but needed a truck bed to load a motorcycle or use for other light-duty work. Something that could provide greater functionality than a Mustang or a Camaro—and of course, massive burnouts.And then one day, the sport truck was gone. Chevrolet’s performance truck effort never amounted to much. The SRT-10 faded away after just three years of production. Ford abandoned the Lightning nameplate, and to much dismay from enthusiasts, revived it as an electric pickup. Toyota kept the dream alive, sort of, with a factory supercharger kit for the previous-generation Tundra that took it to 504 hp.Today, sport trucks come one way: desert-pounding, whoop-de-do-bouncing, long suspension—travel, knobby tire—equipped off-road machines branded with ZR2, TRD, Raptor, or TRX badges. Sure, they’re stupid quick in their most powerful forms, but none are available in a single-cab configuration, nor are they optimized for street driving. For those who yearn for the sport trucks of yore, the Ford Performance department now offers a solution: the FP700 package. What Is the FP700 Package?The FP700 isn’t a model that rolls off the production line. Instead, it’s a kit you can purchase from the parts counter to transform any 2021 or newer Ford F-150 equipped with the 400-hp 5.0-liter V-8 into a 700-hp monster. The torque also rises from 410 to 590 pound-feet. Included in the $12,350 package is a Whipple 3.0-liter supercharger, an intercooler, an engine-calibration tool, and all the necessary hoses and hardware to bring that glorious horsepower to life. Appearance wise, the FP700 also includes Ford Performance fender vents, floor mats, and bedside graphics. There’s also a new grille, a rocker panel aero delete, a lowering kit for the rear to level out the ride height, and 22-inch wheels cribbed from the Ford Expedition Stealth Performance. Tires are not included. If Ford’s dress-up package doesn’t suit your palate, you can buy the supercharger kit on its own for $9500. Spend a day bolting on the extra 300 horsepower with your ASE-certified buddy or ship your truck off to the local Ford dealer for the install, and the engine is warrantied for three years or 36,000 miles. Driving the FP700 F-150While Ford could’ve opted to install its blower on something off-road focused such as the F-150 Tremor, building a 700-hp truck that costs substantially less than the equally powerful F-150 Raptor R probably was seen as unwise. Instead, and in a throwback to the days of performance pickups, the FP700 we tested was installed in a rear-wheel-drive, single-cab, short-bed F-150.As with anything with 700 horsepower, getting eyes on the engine is a must. A look under the hood reveals a super-clean supercharger package. The fit and finish is impeccable and looks like it came off the production line, perhaps even better. The 5.0-liter V-8, exhaling through a $1585 Ford Performance exhaust, crackles to life with a 44-decibel idle. It’s really the only indicator this F-150 means business. The 87-decibel scream at wide-open-throttle speaks loudly too. Keep the stock exhaust, and the FP700 would be the ultimate sleeper.Senior editor Ezra Dyer opined that a 700-hp Ford pickup delivering all its muscle through the rear tires could be labeled the F-150 Frightening. With 40.7 percent of the 4576-pound curb weight over the rear end, getting the not-racy-whatsoever 275/50R-22 General Grabber HTS 60 all-season tires to hook up should be challenging. But on the street and at the track, the FP700 was a sweetheart. Lows: 700 horsepower doesn’t come cheap, top speed is limited to 105 mph.Credit much of the drivability to the optional electronically locking rear differential with 3.31:1 gearing. Compared to the 3.73 ring-and-pinion offering, this setup enables long gearing and the ability to lug the engine at lower rpm before using the full sweep of the tachometer. First gear stretches out to 41 mph, and second doesn’t stop until 64 mph. Avoid turning the Generals into a pile of dust off the line, and 60 mph arrives in 4.2 seconds. The quarter-mile shows up in 12.4 seconds at 112 mph—however, it could be way quicker. Technically, the top speed is governed at 105 mph, for warranty reasons. Presumably to keep the driveshaft from puking out its internals like Timmy on the Tilt-a-Whirl. It takes nearly 950 feet for the FP700 to reach 105 mph in the fourth of the 10-speed transmission’s cogs and well before the coveted 1320-foot quarter-mile mark. A programming glitch allowed our test truck to power its way to 120 mph, albeit in a reduced power state. With a higher-speed limiter, the blown F-150 has the potential to be the quickest truck we’ve ever run through the quarter-mile. A brief internet search indicates the aftermarket world hasn’t cracked the latest electrical architecture that controls the newest F-150s, so 105 mph might be it for now. Related StoriesWithout any chassis or braking system modifications, the FP700 delivers a compliant ride just like any production F-150. The General Grabbers clung to the skidpad at 0.81 g, and stops from 70 mph required 195 feet, about what we expect from a stock setup. Verdict: A great package to modify your truck with little downside.The roided-out F-150 would make for one fantastic daily driver. In terms of fuel, it’ll guzzle when prompted, but when driven conservatively, we observed 23 mpg on our 200-mile highway loop. The era of the sport truck may be behind us, but Ford’s à la carte offering to build one your way is a refreshing reminder of when these beasts lived.SpecificationsSpecifications
2022 Ford F-150 XLT FP700Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 3-passenger, 2-door pickup
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $43,295/$63,067Options: FP700 Black Edition kit (3.0-liter Whipple supercharger, 22-inch wheels, rear lowering kit, gloss black front grille, bedside graphics, tailgate lettering, rocker panel aero delete, Ford Performance floor mats), $12,350; Equipment Group 301A Mild (Trailer Tow package, leather-wrapped steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen, keyless entry), $2180; Ford Performance exhaust, $1585; 22-inch General Grabber HTS 60 tires, $932; 360-degree camera, $765; Ford Co-Pilot360 Assist 2.0 (rain-sensing wipers, forward parking assist, adaptive cruise), $750; spray-in bedliner, $595; electronically controlled locking rear differential with 3.31:1 axle ratio, $420; remote start system, $195
ENGINE
supercharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port and direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 307 in3, 5038 cm3Power: 700 hp @ 6500 rpmTorque: 590 lb-ft @ 5000 rpm
TRANSMISSION
10-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: control arms/live axleBrakes, F/R: 13.8-in vented disc/13.2-in vented discTires: General Grabber HTS 60275/50R-22 115T M+S 
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 122.8 inLength: 209.1 inWidth: 79.9 inHeight: 75.6 inPassenger Volume: 69 ft3Curb Weight: 4576 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 4.2 sec100 mph: 8.6 sec1/4-Mile: 12.4 sec @ 112 mphResults above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 4.5 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 2.4 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 2.8 secTop Speed (gov ltd): 120 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 195 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.81 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 14 mpg75-mph Highway Driving: 23 mpg75-mph Highway Range: 520 mi
C/D TESTING EXPLAINEDDavid Beard studies and reviews automotive related things and pushes fossil-fuel and electric-powered stuff to their limits. His passion for the Ford Pinto began at his conception, which took place in a Pinto. More

From the September 1992 issue of Car and Driver.Life in the car-testing business does not get any easier. Par­ticularly when the staff of this magazine sets out to compare no fewer than ten sedans that cost about $30,000. What’s worse, the ten we selected aren’t even all the cars that fall into this price bracket. But they are ten of the best (and we have included all of the new entries in the class). No manufac­turer is building bad $30,000 cars. At that price, every maker can afford to fill its products with plenty of style, tech­nology, and performance. Still, some are invariably better than others. Not one of the cars in this test is a loser. Not one of them, if you bought it and drove it, would cripple your quality of life. View PhotosJeffrey Dworin and Susan Smith Jeanes|Car and DriverThe two Swedish entries are cases in point. Both the Saab 9000CD and the Volvo 960 seem a bit dated when compared with the newer platforms in this group, but a Waterman fountain pen can be considered dated, and so can a Rolex watch. Excellence has a long life. Nabisco Shredded Wheat is older than anyone reading this maga­zine, and it is anything but an inferior product. Some of the newer cars were less than perfect as well. A lengthy workout of the imagination is required to con­sider the Mitsubishi Diamante LS a five-passenger car. But how many of us travel in groups of five? Likewise, one or two of the cars—the Volvo and the Mazda 929 come to mind—seem to lack fire in the belly, although they have quite acceptable performance and are anything but unpleasant. The Audi 100S and the BMW 325i were, as we’ve come to expect, consummate driver’s cars. One could, with ease, raise ques­tions about the Pontiac SSEi’s exterior treatment. Its basic body shape is as pleasing as they come, but we felt that the outside add-ons make the car seem too zoomy for what the industry terms, not altogether attractively, the “near­-luxury segment.” (”Hey, Marge! It’s about time we moved out of our middle-specialty car and into the near-­luxury class!”) The Lexus ES300’s styling seems almost too quiet—as does the Acura Legend L’s, but the Mazda 929 and the Infiniti J30 display unquestionable luxury-level looks. The SSEi does, however, demonstrate that General Motors can build a world-class driveline. View PhotosJeffrey Dworin and Susan Smith Jeanes|Car and DriverFinally, adding to the judging diffi­culty, some of the cars, including the Audi and the BMW, can be considered sports sedans—this despite all the cars, including this pair, having four-speed automatic transmissions. Most of the others lean toward the luxury-car per­sona. So, what you’re getting from us is the answer to this question: “What are my choices if I have about $30,000 to spend on a quality sedan?” Not the answer to “What’s the best ‘near-lux­ury’ car?” or “What’s the best sports sedan?”We drove the cars from Ann Arbor, via Interstate and back roads, to upstate New York, where Brock Yates lives in pastoral splendor near the village of Wyoming. Brock’s wife, Pam, has been a leading light in transforming Wyoming from a sleepy crossroads into a destination well worth a visit. It now contains two inns, the excellent Village Restaurant, the don’t-miss Cannonball Run Pub, a group of inter­esting shops, and Pam’s own spectacular Christmas shop in the restored firehouse (whose tower was once climbed by Teddy Roosevelt). Once there, we drove the cars on two 16-­mile loops for two days, recording our thoughts after each turn at the wheel. The cars had previously undergone C/D’s rigorous controlled testing at the Chrysler proving grounds. That’s what we did and how we did it; here’s what we found. View PhotosJeffrey Dworin and Susan Smith Jeanes|Car and Driver9th Place (tie): Saab 9000CD At one point in our past, the Saab 9000 made our 10Best Cars list for four con­secutive years. But that was the Turbo model, which has steadily increased in price to the point where it missed the cut for this test by a few thousand dollars. As noted, the Saab is beginning to feel dated, or more accurately, look dated, especially where the dash and interior are concerned. Also, the wind noise it gener­ates exceeds current standards.HIGHS: Supple ride, direct steering, roomy interior, comfortable seats.LOWS: Short on power, dated feel. VERDICT: A fine long-range cruiser that’s losing ground to more modern competitors.At an observed 24 miles per gallon, the Saab edged the Volvo and the BMW for fuel-economy honors. It did this, of course, with the only four-cylinder engine in the group, a 16-valve 2.3-liter producing 150 horse­power, down a full 22 horsepower from the next most powerful. View PhotosJeffrey Dworin and Susan Smith Jeanes|Car and DriverAgreement was univer­sal about the four-cylinder handicap. The engine ran smoothly at speed but seemed a tad coarse at idle. All of us wished for more power. Yet the Saab remains rewarding enough for both long-range cruising and occasional workouts on curvy concourses.One tester, nailing the Saab’s on-road personality, wrote: ‘”It reminds me of a Swedish version of a big Citroën—truly supple but controlled ride atop a chassis that could be from a rally sedan. Terrific steering that’s direct and precise . . . and terrific seats.”We placed—or stuffed in some cases—three C/D testers in each sedan’s rear com­partment to evaluate space and comfort. The Saab’s back seat ranked second-highest in both comfort and pace for three abreast. Several writers also com­mented favorably on the driving position. 1992 Saab 9000CD150-hp inline-4, 4-speed automatic, 3204 lbBase/as-tested price: $31,529/$31,529C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 10.4 sec1/4-mile: 17.8 sec @ 78 mph100 mph: 32.6 sec120 mph: N/ABraking, 70­–0 mph: 185 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.81 g C/D observed fuel economy: 24 mpgView PhotosJeffrey Dworin and Susan Smith Jeanes|Car and Driver9th Place (tie): Volvo 960 Anyone who’s ever gone near a good neighborhood has seen evidence that people of means love Volvos. Solid, safe, dependable, respectable, and even fashion­able are words that proud Volvo owners use to convince their neighbors that they ought to have one, too. In that world the Volvo 960 fits right in. And speaking of fits, two adults fit into the Volvo’s spa­cious rear with reasonable comfort, three with lightly less.HIGHS: Solidity, driving position. LOWS: Big sticker, heavy feel, bulky exterior. VERDICT: Unexciting, dated, but socially acceptable luxury transport.There is good news and bad news on the performance front. The powerful (201 horsepower) in-line six moved the Volvo more than adequately in normal operation, and the car did surprisingly well under the pressure of vigorous driving. But, as one of our panel wrote, “Here is another car that will hustle if you force the issue, but it seems supremely unhappy doing so and responds grudgingly.” The test results sup­port this perception: Its 0.73 g on the skid­pad was the worst in the ten-car field, and its 56.9-mph speed in the lane change fell midpack.View PhotosJeffrey Dworin and Susan Smith Jeanes|Car and DriverHeavy feel has long been part of the Volvo person­ality, a characteristic that some Volvo devotees doubtless find comforting but most of us find unappealing. You must keep in mind our habit, right or wrong, of giving spirited performance a high prior­ity. The Volvo, by the way, was not the heaviest car in the test group. Of all the car’s important mechanical components, the Volvo’s brakes received the highest marks—and tied with the Saab for second-best overall.1992 Volvo 960201-hp inline-6, 4-speed automatic, 3515 lbBase/as-tested price: $34,959/$34,959C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 8.4 sec1/4-mile: 16.7 sec @ 86 mph100 mph: 24.8 sec120 mph: 44.8 secBraking, 70–0 mph: 182 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.73 gC/D observed fuel economy: 23 mpgView PhotosJeffrey Dworin and Susan Smith Jeanes|Car and Driver8th Place: Mitsubishi Diamante LSMitsubishi, which has given us two stunning sports cars in the Eclipse and the 3000GT, moved into the upscale­-sedan market with its Diamante, a car that our Patrick Bedard called “the sort of quiet, comfy, gadget-rich four-door that the upscale Detroit brands have always regarded as their exclusive franchise.” HIGHS: Smooth, quiet, well-built feel. LOWS: Gimmicky dash, bland styling, tight back seat. VERDICT: An unemotional execution of a boulevard cruiser.Indeed, the Diamante is well equipped in every sense, but so were its colleagues in our test. It held its own in most categories of the editors’ ratings but trailed by a point or two in some that we feel are quite important: fun to drive, handling, styling, and ergo­nomics. This last category requires expla­nation: It’s not that the Diamante’s controls are badly located, but just that there seem to be an overwhelming number of knobs, switches, and gizmos, prompting one tester to write, “Help! I can’t find the button for the margarita machine!”But everything worked, and the sound system did its job commendably. View PhotosJeffrey Dworin and Susan Smith Jeanes|Car and DriverOn the road, the Diamante LS was smooth and quiet, even with its adjustable suspen­sion set on Sport. The steering feel tends toward the numb side, but as a highway cruiser, the Diamante pleases.The transmission shifts slickly and with assurance, and the 202-horsepower V-6 is terrific at highway speeds. The Diamante’s 0-to-60-mph time of 8.8 seconds put it in the bottom half of the group, however.At $30,866 as tested, the Diamante was one of the least expensive cars in our aggregation, but that wasn’t enough to overcome the tough competition. 1992 Mitsubishi Diamante LS202-hp V-6, 4-speed automatic, 3668 lbBase/as-tested price: $26,082/$30,886C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 8.8 sec1/4-mile: 16.8 sec @ 86 mph100 mph: 24.0 sec120 mph: 44.3 secBraking, 70­–0 mph: 194 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.76 gC/D observed fuel economy: 20 mpgView PhotosJeffrey Dworin and Susan Smith Jeanes|Car and Driver6th Place (tie): Mazda 929 Those of us who have attended new-car introductions numbering in the hundreds will forever recall the evening in California when a Mazda executive pulled off the car cover on his company’s newest offering. It looked so good that the assembly of auto writers actually emitted a rare audi­ble “Ahhhhh!” The 929’s styling, inside and out, was rated outstand­ing by the editors in this test, and understandably so. It would be difficult to imag­ine a more handsome exte­rior, and the only negative comment about the interior was a wish that it had a glove compartment accompanying its passen­ger-side air bag, such as the Pontiac SSEi offers. View PhotosJeffrey Dworin and Susan Smith Jeanes|Car and DriverThe 195-horsepower V-6 ran smoothly and quietly unless pushed quite hard, at which point it produced some harsh sounds. The engine and transmission combined to pro­duce what one writer called “possibly the smoothest, most refined drivetrain here.” At speed on a smooth road, it’s almost flawless. The 929’s handling was its only weak point—and here again, consider the qual­ity of the competition. The car seemed far more at home in our city-driving cycle and on the freeway than it did when pressed hard on winding roads, though at least one editor felt that the steering seemed heavier than desirable at low speeds (most thought it was just fine, though lacking somewhat in road feel). If looks had been the determining fac­tor in picking a winner, the Mazda 929 would have won going away. But looks weren’t, and it didn’t. 1992 Mazda 929195-hp V-6, 4-speed automatic, 3682 lbBase/as-tested price: $28,850/$32,695C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 8.5 sec1/4-mile: 16.6 sec @ 84 mph100 mph: 24.0 sec120 mph: 49.0 secBraking, 70­–0 mph: 180 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.79 gC/D observed fuel economy: 19 mpgView PhotosJeffrey Dworin and Susan Smith Jeanes|Car and Driver6th Place (tie): Pontiac Bonneville SSEiThe best evidence that the domestic automaker can capably compete in the world of $30,000 sedans can be found at GM’s “Excitement” division: Pontiac. The first time one of us drove a new Bonne­ville, he said, “I could own this car.” That’s impressive when you consider that we drive as many as 180 cars a year. HIGHS: Great driveline, roominess, gutsy engine. LOWS: Complicated seat adjustments, boy-racer styling. VERDICT: A full-featured, fine­-driving car that’s overly made-up.We found two unfortunate aspects of the SSEi that we simply could not explain away. These were its hyper-zoomy exte­rior add-ons—body cladding and rear­-deck spoiler—and the electric seat adjustments. The plain-Jane exterior of the Bonneville SSE is far more tasteful, and we wish that model offered the SSEi’s excellent drivetrain—and it is just that, excellent. However well intentioned, the seat controls are too compli­cated. The chances of achieving the same driving position twice are just about nonexistent. “Some attention to the arts of subtlety and simplicity could benefit the Pontiac guys,” wrote one tester in the SSEi notebook. View PhotosJeffrey Dworin and Susan Smith Jeanes|Car and DriverOur highest ratings for rear-seat capacity and comfort went to the SSEi. It and the slightly smaller Saab were, by a large margin, the roomiest cars in the test. The SSEi also performed bet­ter than average in the han­dling categories. It was the quickest off the line, at 7.3 seconds to 60 mph, though one of us commented, “The engine is smooth, but all of its power comes off-the-line. Once under way, its performance seems midpack.” The SSEi tied with the Lexus for most luxury features (which was not a subjective rat­ing; the features were listed and compared among the cars). It was also rated as the best value by the C/D jury. All told, not a bad show at all by Pontiac.1992 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi205-hp supercharged V-6, 4-speed automatic, 3667 lbBase/as-tested price: $28,600/$29,795C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 7.3 sec1/4-mile: 15.9 sec @ 87 mph100 mph: 22.5 sec120 mph: 40.4 secBraking, 70­–0 mph: 197 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.78 gC/D observed fuel economy: 20 mpgView PhotosJeffrey Dworin and Susan Smith Jeanes|Car and Driver5th Place: Acura Legend LWith the Legend, Acura invented the near-luxury car, and it remains the import sales leader in the category. The Legend proved once and for all that a great many owners of low-priced Japanese cars—and other shoppers as well—would accept the idea of a car built in Japan that was luxurious and priced accordingly.The Acura Legend is a classy car to own, an easy car to drive, an excellent example of automaking, but not as exciting as its gutsy performance would lead you to expect.In this test, the Legend L finished midpack in styling. Although it’s sleek and beauti­fully painted, and it displays evi­dence of careful fitting and finishing, it just does not do much for the adrenal glands when you look at it. View PhotosJeffrey Dworin and Susan Smith Jeanes|Car and DriverThe interior was off-putting to some writers because of what was deemed strange-looking wood­grain, but the majority found it comfort­able, tasteful, and logical. We accordingly rated the Legend high in ergonomic excel­lence. No engine scored higher than the Acura Legend’s 200-horsepower V-6, a finely tuned, finely executed power source that, for finesse, holds its own against any similar V-6 designs on the market. The transmission was acceptable, but these components did not combine with the soft suspension to produce a handling epiphany. “On twisty, tight roads,” wrote one of our number, “this car is out of its element. It feels like the limousine of the bunch. The car is not happy under the whip. It does have lots of suspension travel, but I wish that travel were more aggressively damped.” Translation: a town car for the luxury-minded.1992 Acura Legend L200-hp V-6, 4-speed automatic, 3496 lbBase/as-tested price: $33,350/$33,460C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 7.4 sec1/4-mile: 16.0 sec @ 89 mph100 mph: 20.6 sec120 mph: 40.9 secBraking, 70–0 mph: 208 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.76 gC/D observed fuel economy: 22 mpgView PhotosJeffrey Dworin and Susan Smith Jeanes|Car and Driver4th Place: Infiniti J30 It’s hard for a four-door sedan to stand out visually, but the Infiniti J30 does it as surely as a gazelle at a zebra derby. Inevitably described as looking more like a Jaguar than a Jaguar, its looks are another gift from the talented Jerry Hirshberg, a GM defector, and the Nissan Design works in California. HIGHS: Brave styling, smooth performance, fine ergonomics. LOWS: None, other than price. VERDICT: A finely turned-out road car that polarizes onlookers.The Infiniti J30 looks almost as good inside as it does outside, with the major complaint being its lack of a telescoping steering wheel, which would have made the attainment of the perfect driving posi­tion easier. View PhotosJeffrey Dworin and Susan Smith Jeanes|Car and DriverBut perfect or not, when the driver drives, he feels good about it. Here’s what one of us wrote: “Nice power, albeit a bit loud, wonderful balance with great steering feel and poise. It gathers great speed with­out seeming to sweat, and I found myself going 5 mph faster in this car than in the others.” All this happens at the behest of a 210-hp V-6 that, as another of us said, “sends you down the road as if you were in a 90-mph cocoon.” It stopped less impressively—though it had excellent pedal feel—taking 207 feet to get from 70 mph to a standstill, one foot less than the Acura, which was the worst in the group.The J30 got its highest marks in the ergonomics and luxury-features categories and its lowest in braking and value. It was the second-costliest vehicle in the bunch, exceeded only by the Volvo, and its back seat was somewhat tight for two persons, downright snug for a trio. Overall, the J30 finished fourth, not bad for this group. You’ll be seeing more and more of these cars. Count on it.1992 Infiniti J30210-hp V-6, 4-speed automatic, 3560 lbBase/as-tested price: $33,740/$33,740C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 8.3 sec1/4-mile: 16.5 sec @ 86 mph100 mph: 23.3 sec120 mph: 38.0 secBraking, 70­–0 mph: 207 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.78 gC/D observed fuel economy: 22 mpgView PhotosJeffrey Dworin and Susan Smith Jeanes|Car and Driver3rd Place: Audi 100S Since the Audi Fox of the 1970s, Audis have found an enthusiastic audi­ence at this magazine. The German automaker’s cars have been interesting, innovative, and best of all, fun to drive. The 100S, new for the 1992 model year, continues Audi’s tradition of making driver’s cars. HIGHS: Wonderful fun to drive, lean and aggressive feel. LOWS: Harsh ride on city streets, transmission not the smoothest.VERDICT: Useful, tasteful, and competent for any length of trip.Despite its SOHC design and less horsepower than most of its fellow competitors, the 172-hp V-6 performed well and quietly. The transmission wasn’t as smooth as many of the others, though. We would prefer a manual transmission with this engine, but an automatic was a condition of our test. A 100CS—with a five-speed gearbox—is in our long-term test fleet, and it has proved to be outstand­ing for everything from ski trips to long highway runs. View PhotosJeffrey Dworin and Susan Smith Jeanes|Car and DriverThe car’s telescoping wheel allows it to be tailored to just about any size of driver, and the seats are predictably firm, though one tester swore the driver seat moved slightly under hard driving on the twisties. The rear seat is com­fortable and sup­portive, and it is adequate for three of our whoppers.Another of our writers noted that the Audi had stiff braking (though its 191-foot stopping distance from 70 mph was good), and added that the steering lacked what he considered enough feel. The ride was slightly on the stiff side in town, where it seemed to go out of its way to notice pavement strips, but the handling more than made up for that small quibble. The 100S finished third, leaving no question that Audi continues to make driving rewards a top priority. 1992 Audi 100S172-hp V-6, 4-speed automatic, 3405 lbBase/as-tested price: $30,336/$32,222C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 8.9 sec1/4-mile: 17.0 sec @ 82 mph100 mph: 27.0 sec120 mph: 66.4 secBraking, 70–0 mph: 191 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.80 gC/D observed fuel economy: 22 mpgView PhotosJeffrey Dworin and Susan Smith Jeanes|Car and Driver2nd Place: Lexus ES300 Here is the little brother to the LS400, a car that swept the U.S. luxury market with the effectiveness of an industrial-strength Hoover. But don’t emphasize the word “little.” This car is big in power and big in heart. If you don’t have large dollars to spend on a luxurious car, here’s an excellent call. HIGHS: Smoothness, price, surprising handling, surprising luxury. LOWS: Smallish rear doors, sunroof’s encroachment on headroom. VERDICT: Big in power, adept in handling, and an ergonomic masterpiece.Not only is the ES300 luxurious, but its as-tested price of $31,506 also represents good value in this crowded cate­gory. That price brings you a full array of luxury features—in fact, the ES300 and SSEi were the only cars to earn rat­ings of “10” in the luxury-features col­umn. View PhotosJeffrey Dworin and Susan Smith Jeanes|Car and DriverHappily, the ES300 turns out to be a stimulating companion on the road. Any road. First, it’s smooth—so smooth that one of the testers said of the transverse engine layout, “This setup should be proof to all car manufacturers that drivetrain smooth­ness, at idle or anywhere else, does not require a fore-and-aft engine layout.” Handling was the biggest surprise that the ES300 gave us. Not that it was the best-handling car in the group, but that it was so much better than you would expect from a car as thoroughly luxurious as this one. It will not disappoint the demanding driver. Inside, the car is nothing less than an ergonomic masterpiece. Every last knob and control is in the right place, does the right thing, and even looks right. Having said all that, we point once again to the stiff competition. It’s that good, but it finished second.1992 Lexus ES300185-hp V-6, 4-speed automatic, 3522 lbBase/as-tested price: $27,850/$31,506C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 8.2 sec1/4-mile: 16.5 sec @ 86 mph100 mph: 23.6 sec120 mph: 46.6 secBraking, 70­–0 mph: 194 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.78 gC/D observed fuel economy: 22 mpgView PhotosJeffrey Dworin and Susan Smith Jeanes|Car and Driver1st Place: BMW 325i We won’t mince words: The auto­maker who brought you the phrase “Ultimate Driving Experience” has done it again. Though far more a sport sedan than a “near-luxury” car, the BMW 325i wins our comparison test. But would you really expect us to fall for all-luxury when we could have some luxury plus great driving fun? HIGHS: Elegant styling, Germanic crispness and strength, superior handling.LOWS: Rear-seat room, interior that looks more durable than rich. VERDICT: A stunning example of what a great driver’s car should be.Start with an exterior that finished at the top of our styling gauge, though it’s anything but a design breakthrough. Like so many things that BMW does, the body is a pleasure to gaze upon and just damn well executed. The same goes for the sur­prisingly likable 189-horsepower in-line six-cylinder.The 325i’s win is a tribute, unquestion­ably, to its driving capabilities. It is, after all, a four-door linear descendent of the 2002 and, as such, could be questioned for being here. But, as we pointed out earlier, it’s in our sedan price group and it’s stir­ring to drive, so here it is. View PhotosJeffrey Dworin and Susan Smith Jeanes|Car and DriverThe BMW’s crisp, Germanic character was touched on by a writer who said, “Its vault-like feel just isn’t there in the other cars.” The only serious cavil with the understated and handsomely turned out leather interior was—not surprisingly—­the rear seat, which is not bad for two per­sons but very cramped for three. The front seats and the driving position were excellent, and the car’s stiff structure in no way hurts its comfort.The 325i’s on-­the-road charac­ter, which is also undeni­ably German, was described this way by one tester: “The chassis stays very well planted on everything, offer­ing ideal stability and responsiveness. The steering is beautiful, the brakes are precise and linear, and I just love it.” So did we all. 1992 BMW 325i189-hp inline-6, 4-speed automatic, 3128 lbBase/as-tested price: $28,365/$32,167C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 8.4 sec1/4-mile: 16.5 sec @ 87 mph100 mph: 21.8 sec120 mph: 41.5 secBraking, 70­–0 mph: 174 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.83 gC/D observed fuel economy: 23 mpgWilliam Jeanes is a former editor-in-chief and publisher of Car and Driver. He and his wife, Susan, a former art director at Car and Driver, are now living in Madison, Mississippi. More