Car Reviews

From the Archive: With the help of air suspension, Lincoln’s new Continental becomes the first American land yacht for drivers. More

New seats and infotainment make the 2021 Hyundai Veloster N a nicer compact car, but a newly optional automatic transmission makes it a hotter hot hatch. More

That many of today’s plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) are both the most powerful and fuel-efficient examples within their respective model ranges says a lot about the progress of vehicle electrification. For example, Audi’s updated 2021 Q5 SUV lineup, where the new PHEV variant, the Q5 55 TFSI e, packs the largest power figure, and its balance of performance, fuel efficiency, and luxury place it in a compelling spot in the lineup. Although the sportiest variant remains the SQ5—but only just.
Starting at $52,995, the PHEV version of Audi’s compact luxury crossover slots between the regular $44,395 Q5 45 TFSI and the performance-oriented $53,995 SQ5. Regardless of the powertrain, all 2021 Q5s receive more angular styling for their headlights and front and rear bumpers, as well as an updated grille that’s more cohesive with the brand’s newer models. The net effect ties the Q5’s design elements together better than before, lending it a fresh but not overly aggressive aura when parked at the curb.

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Audi

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Audi introduced the plug-in Q5 last year, which combines a 248-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four with the hybrid’s 141-hp electric motor for a peak output of 362 horses and 369 pound-feet of torque. With a standard seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and Quattro all-wheel drive, Audi says the Q5 PHEV should reach 60 mph in a fleet 5.0 seconds—only 0.3 second slower than the SQ5 with its 349-hp turbo 3.0-liter V-6.
Even with the added 550 pounds of mass of the hybrid’s battery and motor, the Q5 55 TFSI e is quick for its segment. It won’t rearrange your internal organs when you stomp on the accelerator, but it will remind you that instant electric torque is a wonderful thing when used correctly. The Q5 PHEV feels just as at home on the open road as it does around town. Its ride is steady and polished even when the pavement is anything but, and it corners adroitly for its size. But as with most electrified vehicles, you’ll notice its extra weight as the dynamic loads increase.

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Audi

The PHEV’s lithium-ion battery with 11.3 kWh of usable energy nets a 19-mile EPA rating for electric driving. If that seems modest, it’s even more so than it needed to be, as Audi voluntarily lowered its label value from the 29-mile figure the Q5 earned during EPA testing. While in electric mode, the Q5’s already quiet interior becomes noticeably more serene. The battery can be recharged in as little as 2.4 hours via a 240-volt Level 2 charging station, according to Audi, but takes considerably longer if you plug it into a conventional 120-volt wall socket. Compared with the standard Q5’s EPA estimate of 25 mpg combined, the PHEV earns a 27-mpg rating after the battery’s been depleted and 50 MPGe with it in the mix.
Inside, the Q5’s cabin continues to exhibit the exemplary build quality we’ve come to expect from Audi. The updated MIB 3 infotainment system behind the standard 10.1-inch touchscreen is high tech and nicely integrated. But we did notice some latency in its responses to commands, and we’re still acclimating to not having the previous MMI setup’s rotary control knob. Wireless Apple CarPlay is now available, but Android Auto connectivity requires the use of a cord. Higher trims add Audi’s excellent 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit digital gauge display and its ability to sharply render full-width map data. Our main disappointment in the example we drove was the standard eight-way power-adjustable front seats, which we struggled to find a comfortable position in during longer stints behind the wheel.

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Audi

The Q5 55 TFSI e is available with Audi’s typical Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige option packages, with the latter pushing the plug-in’s price to $62,795 with heated and ventilated seats, a head-up display with traffic-sign recognition, and a premium Bang & Olufsen stereo. Audi points out that federal and local tax credits have the potential to significantly lower the PHEV’s entry point, limiting its upcharge over the standard Q5 and making the SQ5 a considerably more expensive proposition. For Q5 shoppers who can make use of its electric range, the plug-in’s solid performance and luxury trappings could strike a just-right balance.

Specifications

Specifications
2021 Audi Q5 55 TFSI e
VEHICLE TYPE front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
BASE PRICE $52,995
POWERTRAIN turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve 2.0-liter inline-4, 248 hp, 273 lb-ft; permanent-magnet DC motor, 141 hp, 258 lb-ft; combined output, 362 hp, 369 lb-ft; 11.3-kWh lithium-ion battery pack
TRANSMISSION 7-speed dual-clutch automatic
DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 111.0 inLength: 184.3 inWidth: 74.5 inHeight: 65.3 inPassenger volume: 99–103 ft3Cargo volume: 26 ft3Curb weight (C/D est): 4650 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST) 60 mph: 5.0 sec1/4 mile: 13.7 secTop speed: 130 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY Combined/city/highway: 25/29/27 mpgCombined gasoline+electricity: 50 MPGeEV range: 19 miles

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Fast and mature, the Golf R sits above the GTI in the Volkswagen Golf hierarchy. The first R Golf, the R32, arrived in the United States in 2004 and featured a 3.2-liter narrow-angle V-6. The name changed to Golf R in the sixth generation, when it lost the silky six in favor of a high-output, turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four. The upcoming eighth-generation Golf is now getting the R treatment. It and the GTI will be the only Golf models sold in the U.S. We drove the new R in Germany where it’ll go on sale soon, but Americans will have to wait until the third quarter of 2021 to see them here.

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The familiar turbocharged 2.0-liter four now makes 315 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, up from 288 horsepower and 280 pound-feet. With the dual-clutch automatic, expect to see 60-mph times in the low- to mid-fours. True believers will select the six-speed manual transmission, which will only be available in North America. The quickest prior generation dual-clutch Golf R we tested hit 60 mph in 4.5 seconds with the manual clipping a 4.8-second time. The turbo four’s power delivery isn’t explosive, but it is consistently strong and relentless, and turbo lag is barely noticeable.

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Volkswagen

In normal mode, the dual-clutch automatic transmission is eager to get into the highest gear to save fuel. Switch to Race mode and the transmission becomes aggressive, downshifting under braking and holding gears to redline. Like the GTI, the engine’s actual sound is amplified by a diaphragm connected to the intake and fed into the cabin. The sound is pleasant and adjustable should you want to silence it. A quick release of the accelerator leads to a delightfully boisterous crackle from the exhaust.
The Golf R’s chassis and all-wheel drive are supremely capable in bringing the power to the road. Turn-in is precise and sharp, and the handling is neutral up to the lofty limits. Our German-specs car was fitted with the optional Performance Package that adds two extra drive modes that we enjoyed thoroughly. Special mode is designed to conform with the specific challenges of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife and is a great setting for any back road. It sharpens the throttle, livens up the gearbox’s responses but dials back the aggression of the adaptive dampers. The second mode is a Drift mode, which sets up the all-wheel-drive system and stability control to allow for some delightful oversteer. You can also switch off stability control entirely.

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Volkswagen

The new Golf only comes as a four-door, and as we’ve already seen the redesign is evolutionary. It’s a very practical shape. There is ample room for passengers in front and in the rear, and the cargo area is SUV-like. The interior represents a big upgrade over the previous generation. VW’s engineers and designers have managed to hide their cost-cutting, and the visible surfaces still appear better than most of the Golf’s competitors. The driver is surrounded by decidedly futuristic digital instruments and capacitive switches. Hopefully, VW will set the pedals properly in manual versions. A six-speed GTI we recently drove had a brake-pedal position that made heel-and-toe downshifts virtually impossible.
The Golf R remains a refined small car with the practicality of a hatch and the soul of a sports car. As with the previous generation, the Golf R remains a Subaru WRX STI and Civic Type R competitor, but it offers more day-to-day refinement in a mature design. What the Golf R gives up in track-day fun it more than makes up for on your commute.

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Volkswagen

Specifications

SPECIFICATIONS
2021 Volkswagen Golf R
VEHICLE TYPEfront-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback
BASE PRICE (C/D EST)$44,000
ENGINE TYPEturbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, iron block and aluminum head, direct fuel injectionDisplacement121 in3, 1984 cm3Power315 hpTorque310 lb-ft @ 2100 rpm
TRANSMISSION6-speed manual, 7-speed dual-clutch automatic
DIMENSIONSWheelbase: 103.5 inLength: 168.9 inWidth: 70.4 inHeight: 57.4 inCurb weight (C/D est): 3400–3450 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)60 mph: 4.3–4.6 sec100 mph: 11.5–11.9 sec1/4-mile: 12.8–13.1 secTop speed: 155 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST)Combined/city/highway: 24–26/21–23/29–30 mpg

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Carrol Shelby’s Mustangs have come a long way since bib overalls. More

From the Archive: They blur fence posts—Acura TSX, Audi A4, Subaru Legacy, and Volvo S40—not the numbers on the gas pump. More

From the July 1984 issue of Car and Driver.

James Bond would feel right at home in a BMW M635CSi. Emergencies in the Balkans would be in easy reach of the motorway-gobbling big coupe. Those Alpine-switchback games of tag with the sinister forces of SPECTRE would be easy sport for the BMW’s acceleration and handling, even with a full complement of Q’s death-dealing devices in the ample trunk. More critical yet to 007 than mere life and death, the Bavarian coupe has the proper blend of racy lines and understated elegance for whisking luscious double agents away from the baccarat tables of Monte Carlo.

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Such images seem incongruent with the BMW coupes we know in America. Our 6-series cars never got their full share of the sporting legacy left by their 2800 and 3.0CS forebears. They had the misfortune to arrive in our market just when most European manufacturers were inclined to neglect performance in the wake of American safety and regulations. Recent examples are much improved, but the early image has been hard to shed. In Europe, however, with such versions as the bespoilered, 218-bhp, 140-mph 635CSi on the scene, the situation is quite different. BMW works hard to maintain a sporting image in the home market, its latest move being the introduction of the M635CSi at last fall’s Frankfurt show.
The “M” stands for “Motorsport,” the branch of BMW that spawned the legendary M1. This new M-coupe perpetuates the bloodline with an updated version of the mighty six-cylinder M1 engine, complete with a twin-cam, four-valve, pent-roof combustion-chambered head; a big-bore, short-stroke version of the 3.5-liter block; a tuned intake system with six individual throttles; and a sensuous bundle of six intertwined exhaust headers. The mechanical fuel injection of the M1’s big six has been replaced by a Bosch Motronic system, which controls the spark timing and the electronic injectors with far greater precision. This has allowed the compression ratio to be bumped from 9.0 to 10.5:1. As a result, the new engine develops 286 bhp at 6500 rpm, up by 9 bhp from the original and 251 pounds-feet of torque at 4000 rpm, a peak 12 pounds-feet higher and 1000 rpm earlier than the original. Fuel economy is about 15 percent poorer than the two-valve 635CSi’s, but most of the difference is due to much shorter gearing (3.73 versus 3.07 final-drive ratio).

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In addition to the new powertrain, the M-coupe gets low-profile 220/55VR-390 Michelin TRX tires on new modular aluminum wheels, a firmer suspension, and beefier front disk brakes. The only interior alterations are a pair of firm and supportive sport seats and a Motorsport steering wheel. Outside, the M-coupe is distinguished by leading and trailing M-badges and a slightly deeper front spoiler.
BMW claims a top speed of 158 mph and a six-second zero-to-sixty time for the M-coupe—figures we weren’t able to verify with proper testing, since we drove the car only in Europe. We can say, though, that the big coupe easily kept up with a 231-bhp Porsche 911 Carrera on the straights at Hockenheim raceway. Another convincing demonstration took place on the Côte d’Azur, where we blew off a Honda 750 motorcycle in the serious local stoplight grand prix.
BMW hasn’t quite forgotten low-speed manners in its quest for performance. The race-derived engine can claw for its 7000-rpm redline one moment, then murmur along contentedly at 1000 rpm in top gear the next. In either case, the engine is refined in sound and feel. One can sense the motor’s efforts, but never any strain.

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Such broad sophistication is not offered by the M-car’s suspension. It’s definitely locked into the high-speed mode, becoming smooth and supple only when kilometers are being devoured. Low speeds don’t really generate any serious harshness, but neither is the suspension particularly absorbent. On the other hand, there’s never any bobbing, weaving, or instability at any speed. The limit handling is unusually forgiving for a BMW, with slight understeer controllably giving way to oversteer as the throttle is lifted.
Sad to say, but BMW will probably never bring this M-coupe to America. Its combination of impeccable breeding, faultless manners, and upper-crust demeanor, concealing a core of sinewy strength and barely controlled energy, has a more narrow appeal in America than in Europe. Americans tend to be more single-purpose in their automotive desires, preferring to leave James Bond cars in movies.

Specifications

SPECIFICATIONS
1984 BMW 635CSi
VEHICLE TYPE front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door sedan
PRICE AS TESTED (Germany) $31,459 (estimated)
ENGINE TYPE 6-in-line, iron block and aluminum head, Bosch Motronic fuel injectedDisplacement 211 cu in, 3453 ccPower (DIN) 286 hp @ 6500 rpm
TRANSMISSION 5-speed
DIMENSIONSWheelbase: 103.3 inLength: 187.2 inCurb weight: 3300 lbs
MANUFACTURER’S PERFORMANCE RATINGSZero to 62 mph: 6.4 secTop speed: 158 mph
FUEL ECONOMY (European cycle)European city cycle: 14 mpgSteady 56 mph: 29 mpgSteady 75 mph: 23 mpg

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From the September 2006 issue of Car and Driver.
Disappointment is invariably related to expectations. The higher they are, the greater the likelihood the object of those expectations won’t quite measure up. Do you hear Shelby GT500 convertible disappointment impending? You do. But let us hasten to add that these aren’t major disappointments. In fact, for the most part, we simply want to, shall we say, square GT500 expectations with reality.

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Based on our July comparison test, pitting a Shelby GT500 coupe against a Corvette, we’d already relaxed our performance expectations for the convertible, even before it rolled into our parking lot. For example, since our GT500 test coupe wasn’t any quicker than the old SVT Mustang Cobra, there was no reason to believe the convertible, weighing in 112 pounds heavier at 4008, would do any better. And it did not, thus fulfilling our slightly diminished expectations, although we found that in this area our expectations hadn’t been diminished quite enough. At 4.8 seconds to 60 mph, the convertible was 0.3 second slower than the coupe, which ain’t really slow, but the disparity was progressive. The convertible was 0.8 second slower to 100 mph — 11.1 versus 10.3 — and also slower through the quarter-mile: 13.4 seconds at 108 mph versus 12.9 at 112. This is more than we expected for a 112-pound difference, and we think our test car’s supercharged 5.4-liter V-8 was a tad soft, a suspicion enhanced by a nasty ticking noise coming from the engine. Exhaust leak? Or…?
In addition to softer acceleration, we were also prepared for higher ambient noise levels — a normal consequence of traditional softtops. But in this scoring category we were pleasantly surprised. There’s wind noise, yes, but this is a high-quality top that does a better-than-average job of damping buffeting and roar. The biggest source of interior racket came from the Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires and the suspension — all of it related to what was going on underfoot. On pavement cross-hatched with expansion joints and/or patching, every seam was tangible to the occupants, as both noise and thumping. The suspension bushings seem to be made of granite.

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Similarly, the tires are pavement sensitive, quiet on smooth asphalt, singing at unpleasant frequencies on various concrete compounds. But for all that, the convertible’s decibel readings were quieter than the coupe’s at idle, quieter at wide-open throttle, and identical at a 70-mph cruise.
We have mixed reactions here to the absence of the Shelby stripes on this convertible — they’re a dealer option. We judged the stripes as a “low” in our July test, but we are not unanimous on that score, and it’s fair to say the Shelby doesn’t really have much curbside charisma without them. Along these lines, we also think the SVT people could have taken more pains with this car’s interior. Aside from a couple of badges, there’s not much that sets the Shelby apart from its Mustang GT counterparts, and it’s pretty plain considering the car’s price. And speaking of price, we’re already hearing tales of dealers asking $15,000 to $20,000 over the MSRP. Ford has no real control over this, and the sad part is these gougers will probably get their markups.
In all the foregoing, we don’t perceive really serious disappointments. But there is one element that’s impossible to rationalize: a rubbery chassis. It doesn’t take much of a bump to provoke shudders in this GT500’s structure, regrettable in an ordinary convertible, unacceptable in one with performance aspirations. This trait was a big surprise, since we gave the Mustang GT convertible high marks for chassis rigidity. Could the extra power, higher (by 335 pounds) curb weight, and heftier forward weight bias account for this? Could be.

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However, we suspect that none of our reservations is going to matter to prospective owners. And in fact, there’s much to rejoice in here. The six-speed gearbox is a wonderful device to manipulate, the steering is quick and communicative, braking performance is strong, the seats are supportive and long-haul comfortable, and supercharger whine adds an enjoyable audible element to full-throttle acceleration.
Beyond that, there’s no question that these cars will be instant collectibles. That alone makes this Shelby another winner, whatever expectations we may entertain.

Specifications

SPECIFICATIONS
2007 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Convertible
VEHICLE TYPE front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door convertible
PRICE AS TESTED $51,000 (base price: $47,800)
ENGINE TYPE supercharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve V-8, iron block and aluminum heads, port fuel injectionDisplacement 330 in3, 5411 cm3Power 500 bhp @ 6000 rpmTorque 480 lb-ft @ 4500 rpm
TRANSMISSION6-speed manual
DIMENSIONSWheelbase: 107.1 inLength: 188.0 inWidth: 73.9 inHeight: 55.7 inCurb weight: 4008 lb
C/D TEST RESULTSZero to 60 mph: 4.8 secZero to 100 mph: 11.1 secZero to 130 mph: 20.6 secStreet start, 5-60 mph: 5.4 secStanding ¼-mile: 13.4 sec @ 108 mphTop speed (governor limited): 155 mphBraking, 70-0 mph: 170 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.86 g
FUEL ECONOMYEPA city (C/D est): 15 mpgC/D observed: 17 mpg

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