Car Reviews

From the July 2004 issue of Car and Driver.
Lake Tahoe, for those of you who’ve never been there, is solid Subaru country. You see the star-badged four-wheel-drive Subies everywhere you go. At a lunch stop during the company’s 2005 Outback introductory drive, most of the staff admitted to owning one Subaru or another.

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Obviously, the snowy winter climate in the Sierra Nevada predisposes Tahoans to durable, four-wheel-drive vehicles, and interest in the fleet of new Outbacks was wholehearted. And when the faithful learn that the midrange 2.5XT tested here has a 250-hp turbocharged engine-based on the unit in the WRX STi-that shrugs off most of the effects of power-robbing altitude, these folks will be standing in line at the dealerships.
There are three basic levels of the 2005 Outback, starting with the 2.5i and 2.5i Limited. A 168-hp naturally aspirated flat-four engine powers both of these, with the Limited offering a higher level of equipment.
The 2.5XT and 2.5XT Limited are intercooled turbo versions of the flat-four engine, with 250 horsepower on tap.
Most expensive are the top-dog Outback 3.0R and 3.0R sedan, powered by a 3.0-liter flat-six featuring variable intake-valve timing and lift. The 3.0R is also available in L.L.Bean livery and as the VDC Limited (for “vehicle dynamics control,” a system that integrates an all-speed, all-wheel traction-control system with variable-torque all-wheel drive). At about $33,000, it is Subaru’s most expensive Outback.

Highs: Turbo performance, refinement, all-weather versatility.

For 2005, the Outback has a slightly longer wheelbase and is 1.3 inches longer overall. It has a wider track, a lower center of gravity, and weighs less than the previous-generation car, despite being stiffer and stronger. Subaru used aluminum panels for the hood, front bumper assembly, and liftgate to reduce weight as well as decrease mass at the car’s extremities for better handling. In the drive toward centralized mass, even the battery was shifted rearward.
At 3640 pounds, the 2.5XT Limited we tested isn’t exactly svelte, but it isn’t too bad for a fully equipped all-wheel-drive wagon, and it certainly performs and feels like a lighter car. A quarter-mile time of 15.6 seconds at 92 mph isn’t too shabby for a nearly two-ton wagon with an automatic transmission.
The low center of gravity helps quell roll motions and reduce that tippy sensation you often get in heavy SUVs. And thanks to a steering rack bolted securely to the front suspension subframe, what Subaru calls a “cannon mount,” the Outback has very direct responses to the helm. To reduce kickback shock, the rack has an integral shock-damping valve that produces a decent compromise between wheel tremor and feel.

Subaru engineers explained at length that horizontally opposed four-cylinder engines have perfect primary and second-order balance, and the new 2.5-liter engine is indeed amazingly smooth and quiet.

Subaru engineers explained at length that horizontally opposed four-cylinder engines have perfect primary and second-order balance, and the new 2.5-liter engine is indeed amazingly smooth and quiet. The layout boasts other advantages, too, such as a crankshaft that is short and stiff and-since no heavy counterweights are needed -comparatively light.
The engine is short, and its longitudinal location provides a straight shot for the transmission and driveshaft. The new five-speed automatic gearbox looks way long in comparison, but that’s because it also houses the front and center differentials, along with the computer-directed multi-disc clutch mechanism that apportions torque in Subaru’s so-called variable torque-distribution system. (Models with other engine-and-transmission configurations come with different center-differential systems.)
The “symmetrical all-wheel-drive” mechanism—as Subaru calls it—is mostly utterly transparent, but you can sense its variable operation in certain conditions. Because the torque is directed to the axle with the most grip, you can alter the car’s handling characteristics in a corner on a gravel road by adding throttle and having the car transition from understeer to neutral or even mild oversteer simply by staying on the gas. For drivers accustomed to correcting slides, the process can be a little counterintuitive, but you soon become reliant on this useful handling tool.

Lows: Slow transmission kickdown, all-season tires.

We could feel the center diff manipulating torque during skidpad testing, too. In third gear, too low on the tach for serious boost, the Outback would squeal around with the front end pushing fairly resolutely. When we tried it again in second, the rapidly inflating boost levels would have the car up on its toes, ready to rotate.
The fact that the 2.5XT only pulled a fairly unexceptional 0.74 g has more to do with its all-season Bridgestones. The Potenza RE92s are engineered to keep those Lake Tahoe residents slogging through the slush, not for cornering at high speeds. Despite that, the Outback handles well, feeling stable and secure in all circumstances, and summer tires would really optimize its act.
In many ways the Subaru approach is paradoxical. The Outbacks (and Legacy siblings) have the necessary hardware, suspension geometry, and balance to be credible performance cars, but they’re tuned for the middle of the road. Although body-motion control is well restrained, the ride is supple and comfortable. A four-into-one-into-two exhaust system is pleasant-sounding but muted to the point of inaudibility in normal motoring.
Control feedback in the cabin is clear but subtle, and you always get the impression that the cars are trying to please the largest possible audience. Yet lovers of high-performance machinery won’t be disappointed with the 2.5XT’s cockpit, which has the requisite instrumentation tidily presented by electroluminescent white-on-black gauges ringed by dimly glowing red circles. The seats in the 2.5XT are as firm and supportive as the furniture you’d find in reputable German sports sedans.

Another thoughtful feature typical of the Subaru approach is that the rear wiper will automatically switch from intermediate to constant speed when the driver selects reverse gear.

Even the Sportshift override system for the five-speed automatic caters to discerning drivers. Like other systems on the market, a sideways swipe of the console-mounted selector lever pops it over into the manual slot, where forward and backward movements provoke up- and downshifts. As in other cars, buttons on the steering wheel duplicate those selections. But in the Outback, you can thumb one of the buttons and get a response even when the center selector is in the normal drive position.
Thus, if you’re dozing along in drive and suddenly spot a stationary car in your lane and a break in traffic, you can thumb the button for a downshift and scoot into the gap. You could also mash the gas pedal and wait for a downshift, but here you’d find a fairly deliberate pause while the computer thinks about the smoothest way to do that.
The system reverts to normal automatic operation within a few seconds, but it’s nice to have the car standing by for further instruction, and we found ourselves taking advantage of the feature fairly often. Another thoughtful feature typical of the Subaru approach is that the rear wiper will automatically switch from intermediate to constant speed when the driver selects reverse gear. And here’s something for those Lake Tahoe drivers: The outside-temperature gauge flashes when the ambient conditions drop below 37 degrees.
Most of what makes the Outback a convenient and pleasurable vehicle to use is less visible than obvious gadgetry. When they found that the previous brake booster was expanding under pressure, Subaru’s engineers used tie rods (like those holding a kettledrum together) to stop it. The result is a more predictable brake-pedal feel.

The Verdict: High-end image and high performance in one package.

Subarus have always had sashless windows, and the new Outback is no exception. If you ask a Subaru engineer, such as Martyn Harding, why, he’ll answer that it’s better to add that metal to the door-aperture surround, where it forms part of the body’s impact-absorbing cage structure. Not coincidentally, Subaru foresees a five-star rating in all the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s crash tests.
We’re drawn strongly to the idea of a wagon that drives like a good car yet has nearly nine inches of ground clearance (along with pretty respectable approach and departure angles) and a four-wheel-drive system that will scramble up a rock-strewn grade like no leather-lined, quiet, smooth-riding luxury vehicle has a right to. We like that this Subaru is fast and stable on the road without ever suggesting its dual-purpose mechanicals. And we like very much that there is now a turbo Outback. Subarus were always cool. Now more of them are fast, too. That’s progress.

Specifications

SPECIFICATIONS
2005 Subaru Outback 2.5XT Limited
VEHICLE TYPE Front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 5-door wagon
PRICE AS TESTED $32,470
ENGINE TYPE Turbocharged and intercooled flat-4, aluminum block and headsDisplacement: 150 cu in, 2457ccPower (SAE net): 250 bhp @ 6000 rpmTorque (SAE net): 250 lb-ft @ 3600 rpm
TRANSMISSION 5-speed automatic with manumatic shifting
DIMENSIONSWheelbase: 105.1 inLength: 188.7 inWidth: 69.7 inHeight: 61.6 inCurb weight: 3640 lb
C/D-TEST RESULTS Zero to 60 mph: 7.1 secZero to 100 mph: 19.2 secZero to 120 mph: 32.0 secStreet start, 5-60 mph: 7.8 secStanding ¼-mile: 15.6 sec @ 92 mphTop speed (governor limited): 130 mphBraking, 70-0 mph @ impending lockup: 204 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.74 g
FUEL ECONOMYEPA fuel economy city/highway driving: 19/24 mpgC/D-observed: 19 mpg

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Bill DelaneyCar and Driver

From the August 2004 issue of Car and Driver.
The blended DNA of Daimler-Benz and Chrysler Corporation produced its first offspring in 2003, and hairdressers rejoiced. The Crossfire is just the kind of florid prêt-à-porter that appeals to people in the look-good business. To be sure, the Crossfire does look good.

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The car’s name is also an unintentional pun about DaimlerChrysler; in the days since the 1998 merger, executives have been regularly mowed down by crossfire between Stuttgart and Detroit. The latest forced exit was Chrysler Group COO Wolfgang Bernhard, crossfired in May for being too vocal about problems at Mercedes and resisting a plan to spend $7 billion bailing out Mitsubishi.

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Bill DelaneyCar and Driver

Maybe he thought the money should be used to induce more people to buy Crossfires. As of May 1, according to trade magazine Automotive News, enough of the torpedo-tailed coupes were sitting in stock that the Karmann factory in Osnabrück, Germany, could go on a five-month lunch break before Chrysler dealers would run short. The company believes the magic laxative may be pulling the base price below $30,000 for 2005 by yanking out some standard features such as heated seats.
Meanwhile, the dandy-dressed Crossfire, which shares both skeleton and muscle with the first-generation Mercedes-Benz SLK roadster, is the first Chrysler product to attain the performance-enhancing SRT label, heretofore bestowed only on Dodges.

Highs: Looks sweet on the street, supercharger dispels past power complaints, new legs love track work.

The “street and racing technology” shtick—adding more horsepower, bigger tires, and big attitude—has already been done to a few Dodges, notably, the Ram SRT-10 and Neon-based SRT-4 (all Vipers carry an SRT-10 badge). Buyers who prefer a quick quarter-mile served with essence of tire smoke have approved of the 500-hp pickup and 230-hp subcompact (in fact, various Mopar bolt-on kits will bump the SRT-4’s horsepower all the way to 300). These first vehicles have given the SRT moniker a reputation for delivering the real deal. Anticipation runs high for the SRT versions of the Chrysler 300C sedan and Dodge Magnum wagon, now only months away, we are advised.
While we wait, the Crossfire SRT-6 will blaze into dealerships this June as both the $45,695 automatic coupe pictured here and a $49,995 automatic convertible. Criminally, no manual is offered in the SRT-6.
We have written that the base Crossfire has eye-snaring looks and pleasing handling but an engine at least 50 horsepower short of the boiling point. The SRT mods are substantial, as is the price increase. From base Crossfire coupe to SRT-6 coupe, the extra $11,200 buys first and foremost an intercooled supercharger that wrenches another 115 horses from the 3.2-liter, 18-valve V-6. Blown, the V-6 makes 330 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, a twistability increase of 81 pound-feet. And there are only 109 more pounds of curb weight (3220 in all) for the coupe to haul.

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Bill DelaneyCar and Driver

Shorn of its decorative plastic sombrero, this Mercedes engine would look more familiar. It rolls out of the AMG handicraft shop in Affalterbach, Germany, and previously found work in the SLK32 AMG and C32 AMG. Both of those models have since gone to V-8s, and Mercedes has developed a new 268-hp, twin-cam, four-valve naturally aspirated V-6 for its 2005 SLK350 ( C/D, June 2004). So the Crossfire SRT-6 is the last customer of a very nice hand-me-down.
There’s been considerable pumping up of the Crossfire’s suspension as well. The spring rates have been stiffened almost 50 percent in the front and 42 percent in the rear, and jounce and rebound rates in the shocks have been firmed up to match. The front brake rotors grow 1.2 inches to 13.0, and the rear discs go vented and get another 0.9 inch of diameter.

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Bill DelaneyCar and Driver

There’s more zoot in the Crossfire’s ’40s-streamline styling with special-to-SRT wheels, 18 inches in front, 19 in the rear. The spoke count in the wheels has been upped from seven to 15. Peeking over the rims is the thin trace of the new low-profile Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 multicompound summer rubber (Continental all-season tires are an option). You’ll find a jack and a can of tire sealer, but no spare.
The square jaw gets a bit squarer with a revised front-bumper fascia. Replacing the base car’s motorized rear spoiler is a fixed wing that wraps around the fastback and is etched with the same boat-deck dimples as the hood. It clutters the tail and raises a question: If the base Crossfire’s deploying spoiler provides enough stability for its 151-mph top speed, why does the SRT need a gaudy whale fluke to go 154?

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Bill DelaneyCar and Driver

The cockpit gets by with minimal changes, including a 200-mph speedo and Alcantara pseudo-suede trim on the buckets that is embroidered with an SRT-6 logo. Hence, a few complaints about the Crossfire cabin remain, including over-the-shoulder blind spots, a tight cabin for six-footers, no steering-wheel rake adjustment, and a dinky eight-cubic-foot trunk with nothing to tie down the goods.

Lows: Vision-blurring ride, no manual available, blind spots will hide a Scenicruiser.

The Japanese-made IHI supercharger does whack time off the Crossfire’s track numbers in big chunks. A 60-mph run now swiffs by in 5.1 seconds, a 1.4-second improvement over a six-speed manual Crossfire we tested in 2003. That car ran the quarter in 14.8 seconds at 96 mph. The SRT-6 posts a 13.5-second quarter, steaming through the trap at 107 mph. Whether it’s the next green light down the avenue or the gap between two rigs guarding the freeway merge lane, “up there” is “right here” much sooner in an SRT-6.
Even so, polite manners govern the powertrain. The throttle response and the automatic gear selections are smoothly keyed to your pedal inputs. If you like, pilot the SRT-6 all day without ever getting into the fat end of the power–let the Starbucks get cold in the one cup holder, and it won’t slosh if you’re careful.
More thrust doesn’t equate to more noise, either. The decibel measurements at idle and wide-open-throttle, 46 and 78, respectively, are not low by luxury-car standards, but they are virtually identical to those of the base Crossfire. A supercharger that is felt but not heard runs on sophisticated engineering.

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Bill Delaney

Fancy multilink arrangements in the wheel wells strike a contrast to a medieval recirculating-ball steering box that deadens wheel feedback from the driver. The base Crossfire is no lubberly pig, but the SRT deckhands have pulled in any slack and reprogrammed the stability-control software to tolerate more friskiness. Some fast lapping at Southern California’s Willow Springs track proved that the SRT-6 is screwed down tight. Speedy steering reflexes, stable footing through the corners, and dependable reserves of grip from the monster tires (0.90 at the skidpad, about the same as the base car fitted with an older model of Pilot Sports) caused corner speeds to climb well past our expectations. Braking distances likewise shrank.
Clamped into full ABS, the four discs supply a stop from 70 mph in 157 feet, a few feet shorter than the base Crossfire. Better yet, the brake-pedal swing is packed with adjustability, and it fades little, even with torturous use.

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Bill DelaneyCar and Driver

We love cars that handle, but so much suspension resistance on such a short wheelbase means trouble. The SRT-6 hops its way up sectioned concrete freeways like a malfunctioning lowrider. It crashes heavily on railroad grades and fraying pavement. It shivers over the minutest cuts and crevices, the stout tire sidewalls transmitting all their energy through the stiff springs and into the rigid body. What works on track day makes life miserable every other day.
And there the SRT-6 creates a conundrum. No doubt Chrysler’s hot-rod group has extracted a serious performance car from a fashion accessory. But with no manual transmission available and a reputation as a too-cute coupe, the Crossfire may never appeal to hard-cores who live for the next apex, especially when it’s priced in Corvette and BMW M3 territory. And the Crossfire’s current constituency may never put up with having their pompadours viciously rattled with every trip down the driveway.

The Verdict: Everything we wished for and some things we wish we hadn’t.

Car magazines may howl, but Chrysler—having fixed the power deficit and added better brakes and styling—should rethink the SRT-6’s suspension and relax it for easier boulevard work. True, the company expects to build only a couple thousand SRT-6s a year. But the corporate crossfire may be a little less deadly if this model actually sells.
COUNTERPOINT
The local Mercedes salesmen must be doing a slow burn now that the SRT-6 version of the Crossfire is going to hit the streets. The Crossfire has always been rakishly good-looking, with taut, sporty handling, but it needed more power under the hood to make it truly exciting. That’s all been fixed by the supercharger and its extra 115 horsepower. The sales guys at the Chrysler store now have a great-looking coupe, or convertible, that runs like a sprinter and costs two to six grand less than the Benz products. One word of advice to Chrysler: Lose the big wing on the back. It’s tacky-looking, and it only muddles the Crossfire’s sleek and elegant profile. —André Idzikowski
Cult-car alert! Twenty years from now, the SRT-6 will be one of those scarce machines that will command a prominent location at concours across the country. Just consider its exotic concept-car-derived styling, its Mercedes-based mechanical bones, and its outstanding acceleration, handling, and braking. Unfortunately, although the SRT-6’s performance neatly splits the difference between a 350Z and a Corvette C5, its sticker price is near the Vette’s. Furthermore, this performance comes only with an automatic gearbox. Customers attracted to this feature will not likely appreciate the SRT’s firm ride. In other words, the SRT-6 is destined to be a rare bird. —Csaba Csere
I want to know what happened to the 19 horsepower that didn’t make the jump over to Chrysler’s SRT-6. Just because the engine isn’t in a Mercedes, it automatically has to lose power? I remember fondly the closely related full-powered, 349-hp SLK32 AMG, primarily because it was scary fast. The SRT-6’s 330 horsepower is nothing to sneeze at, but stomp on the accelerator through the kickdown switch, and it just doesn’t fly at other cars’ rear ends the way the SLK32 did. Perhaps it was the larger wheels, or the green engine in our test car, but with the rest of the vehicle so uncompromised, you don’t expect to make any concessions. —Tony Quiroga

Specifications

SPECIFICATIONS
2004 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6
VEHICLE TYPE Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 3-door coupe
PRICE AS TESTED$45,695
ENGINE TYPESupercharged and intercooled V-6,aluminum block and headsDisplacement: 195 cu in, 3199ccPower (SAE net): 330 bhp @ 6100 rpmTorque (SAE net): 310 lb-ft @ 3500 rpm
TRANSMISSION 5-speed automatic with manumatic shifting
DIMENSIONSWheelbase: 94.5 inLength: 159.8 inWidth: 69.5 inHeight: 51.5 inCurb weight: 3220 lb
C/D-TEST RESULTS Zero to 60 mph: 5.1 secZero to 100 mph: 12.4 secStreet start, 5-60 mph: 5.5 secStanding ¼-mile: 13.5 sec @ 107 mphTop speed (governor limited): 154 mphBraking, 70-0 mph @ impending lockup: 157 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.90 g
FUEL ECONOMYEPA fuel economy city/highway driving : 17/25 mpgC/D-observed: 19 mpg

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

In just the second year of the latest generation, Porsche already offers the 911 in 14 varieties, which is about halfway to where it will probably end up once they’ve rolled out every possible iteration. The latest mutation of 911 DNA spawns the 2021 911 Targa, which features a power-retractable targa panel, but it isn’t a full-on convertible. It does, however, cost just as much as the cabriolet, thus raising sound questions about the point of this roof reengineering exercise. To which the answer is: Don’t overthink this. We’ve got a new 911 Targa 4, and seemingly the whole back end of the car pops off to hide a little piece of roof. And if you don’t think that’s cool, you’re welcome to peruse one of the many other 911s or just go down to the nearest pond and yell at the ducks.

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The Targa’s top operates just as it did on the previous generation: The rear window cantilevers back as the top folds itself and tucks behind the rear seats, the glass then returning home on a 19-second round trip. On the previous Targa, it was possible to pop the top and smash that pricey piece of formed glassed into a brick wall or the Cayenne parked in the garage. In the newest generation, if the parking sensors detect any threats within 1.6 feet, the top will halt its disappearing act and alert the driver to the imminent danger. The Targa bar comes standard in silver and can be optioned in black. And be sure to keep this latest edition rubber side down or the two magnesium bars fitted to keep the targa panel taut would likely create a dazzling sparkler show.

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

The Targa is propelled by a familiar powertrain, a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter flat-six mated to Porsche’s magnificent eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Starting at $120,650, the Targa 4 cranks out 379 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque. Upgrading to the 4S will run an additional $15,900 but bumps the power output to 443 horses and 390 pound-feet. Sadly, the Targa is only offered with all-wheel drive, but there’s a little morsel of redemption. As with the other S variants, a seven-speed manual transmission is offered as a no-cost option. The do-it-yourself gearbox replaces the electronically controlled limited-slip differential with a conventional limited-slip unit and includes the otherwise optional Sport Chrono package, which adds drive modes and dynamic engine mounts. Curious how the Targa will perform? Check out these tests of the Carrera S, Carrera S with the manual, Carrera 4, Carrera 4S and Carrera S Cabriolet.

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

Because it’s a Porsche, a plethora of performance goodies and dress-up items are available à la carte. The German-spec Targa 4S we drove had all the fixings, which, at $181,840, inflated the sticker price into capital-T 911 Turbo range. A 911 is beautiful to drive at any price point, but the Targa 4S’s extra performance gear certainly didn’t disappoint. The adaptive dampers (standard on both models) adeptly smooth the wrinkled pavement of old country roads, and the steering operates with impeccable precision and provides useful feedback. The brake pedal is perfect, and the optional carbon-ceramic rotors are unbothered by any abuse you can throw at them. The active anti-roll bars paired with rear-axle steering (both only available on the 4S) seemingly grant the Targa cornering superpowers and the driver instantaneous confidence. If launch-control starts don’t induce belly laughs, keep doing them until they do. The car won’t mind.
Of course, even a $180,000 Targa comes with a few caveats. The 911 coupes are stiffer than the convertibles, and the Targa feels a little more like the latter. The structure trembles a touch more over high-frequency washboard, and the tremors are amplified through the steering column. With the top peeled back and the wind deflector deployed from windscreen frame, there’s a bit of booming wind buffeting that occurs around 50 mph. And then there’s the additional mass. This loaded Targa 4S tipped the scales at hefty 3765 pounds, nearly 250 pounds more than the last Carrera 4S coupe we tested.

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

But all of those quibbles are rooted in logic, and the Targa is, at its core, an illogical machine. Sun worshippers are better off with a 911 Cabriolet; track rats will want a coupe. With so many models in the lineup, every 911 has a particular, focused mission—except this one. The Targa is the 911 that comes closest to whimsy. It’s here just for fun, to present an overly complex solution to a simple problem, and to deliver a throwback open-air experience without the hassle. If you don’t get it, don’t get it. The Targa and its audience will find each other, just as they always have.

Specifications

Specifications
2021 Porsche 911 Targa 4/4S
VEHICLE TYPE rear-engine, all-wheel-drive, 2+2-passenger, 2-door targa
BASE PRICE 4, $120,650; 4S, $135,550
ENGINES twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve 3.0-liter flat-6, 379 hp, 331 lb-ft; twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve 3.0-liter flat-6, 443 hp, 390 lb-ft
TRANSMISSION 7-speed manual, 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 98.5 inLength: 177.9 inWidth: 72.9 inHeight: 51.1–51.2 inCargo volume: 5 ft3Curb weight (C/D est): 3650–3750 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST) 60 mph: 3.0–3.8 sec100 mph: 7.3–8.6 sec1/4 mile: 11.3–12.0 secTop speed: 179–188 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST) Combined/city/highway: 19–20/17–18/23–24 mpg

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From the May 1998 issue of Car and Driver.
Okay, we know the prices of these two cars are too far apart—more than 30 grand apart—to be con­sidered equal rivals in a comparison test. But let’s face it, these two have been fighting it out on the track for decades, and they have enough in common that they’re clearly on the same mission.
For one thing, both are high-perfor­mance sports cars that are sufficiently practical to be driven on a daily basis. That’s not something you can really say of a Lamborghini Diablo, or even a Dodge Viper. The Corvette and the Porsche 911 also share a long motorsports heritage, which in turn has allowed them to incorporate meaningful performance, handling, and durability tweaks.

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DAVID DEWHURSTCar and Driver

From previous performance testing, we knew the two cars were right on top of each other in the numbers game. Add to that the giant tires, brakes, and high-output engines that these cars share, and it’s obvious they have a common purpose, and a common appeal.
Of course, the differences are equally profound. The Porsche is a steel monocoque car with a flat-six engine mounted in the rear, and the Corvette is a fiberglass car with a V-8 engine carried up front. But the most important differences between the two remain the vast $29,677 base-price disparity and the strong partisan support each car enjoys. That’s what makes it unlikely that they’ll be cross-shopped by the same intended buyers. Frankly, Porsche fans probably wouldn’t want to be seen dead in a Corvette, and bow-tie fans probably see the Porsche as a snob’s sports car. But despite this wide divergence of price and sentiment, we wanted to know how they compare.

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DAVID DEWHURSTCar and Driver

Second Place: Porsche 911 Carrera
Yeah, it finished second, but let’s get this straight. The 911 is almost certainly the better car of the two in absolute terms. It enjoys a better overall perception of assembly quality and integrity. Its steering has clearer on-center feel (the Vette’s is a little vague), and its weighting is just about a perfect compromise for high-speed work. The Porsche’s engine has a broad spread of power, thanks to the VarioCam valve-timing system and variable-volume intake plumbing, and it has an exhaust note at 7000 rpm that will prickle your neck hairs faster than a werewolf’s howl at full moon.

Highs: Super quality, magnificent performance, razor-sharp responses.

Developing 296 horsepower, the 911 rips off 0-to-60-mph sprints from a standstill in less than five seconds and runs the quarter in only 13.5 sec­onds, beating the Corvette, though narrowly, in the process. It also circulates the skidpad slightly quicker, posting a neck-straining 0.93 g (the Vette scored a close 0.90 g).
In Don Schroeder’s hot little hands, the 911 lapped the tortuous Streets of Willow at California’s Willow Springs raceway some 0.9 second faster on its best lap than did the Corvette. According to his notes, the 911 feels lighter, more responsive, and more nimble on the track than the Corvette. Some of that is certainly due to a wheelbase that is 12 inches shorter and a curb weight 180 pounds less than the Vette’s, while the rest has something to do with careful chassis tuning. How­ever, the 911 also understeers with some determination on the Streets and requires a quick off/on throttle procedure to get the tail out. But in our emergency-lane-change ma­neuver, the 911’s tail end did step out slightly. It was quickly subdued with a dab of steering, and the 911 was still 1 mph quicker in this test than the Corvette. It seems safe to say that given this car’s enormous grip, these are not maneuvers most owners will need to learn.

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DAVID DEWHURSTCar and Driver

As we’d expect from a 911, the brakes are strong and fade-free, with a beautifully readable pedal. Stops from 70 mph require just 170 feet—three less than in the heavier Corvette, which also wears substantially larger tires.

Lows: Questionable interior design, narrow seats, high price.

As expected, the Porsche is an extreme example of a solidly built car, with con­trols and pedals that operate with palpable precision and no discernible slop. Its sounds and functions are sophisticated and expensive, and the only vice we noted was a clutch that reacted to the snap shifting necessary in acceleration testing with a slow reengagement. We also think that gearshifts with the new cable-shift mechanism feel deliberate rather than fluid. And until it warms up after a cold start, it’s actu­ally quite balky.

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DAVID DEWHURSTCar and Driver

On the road, the Porsche has a ride cal­ibrated for high-speed work, so it’s a little firm on uneven pavement at moderate speeds. Still, it’s a good compromise, and the cabin is fairly quiet, particularly on smooth roads. However, the tires are very texture sensitive and roar quite loudly on certain coarse surfaces.
Inside the car, you’re surrounded by expensive leather and molded surfaces, but we’re not sure that the combination of gray, charcoal, and fine-crackle platinum is as timeless a design as the original 911’s is. The ergonomics are better, that’s for sure, with an interior layout as rational as in any modern car. Broad-shouldered pas­sengers will find the seat backrests a little narrow. It’s odd not having a real glove box, but there’s plenty of stash space in the doors, and the luggage space provided by the fold-down rear seatbacks and the decent-sized front trunk compartment aren’t bad.

The Verdict: Nice, if you have the cash.

We prefer the combination of manual fore-and-aft seat adjustment with power recline to the system in the Corvette, which is the other way around. Drivers are more likely to want to modify their backrest position while driving at speed, so that’s the control to electrify. Although the Corvette has a longer list of equipment, the Porsche offers side airbags and rear seats, however vestigial, which are not available in the Vette. All in all, the new 911 is a worthy successor to its illustrious forebear. But it’s so much pricier than the Corvette.

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DAVID DEWHURSTCar and Driver

First Place: Chevrolet Corvette
The fable of the hare and the tortoise makes the point that you don’t have to be fastest to win a race, and so it is here. We found the Corvette’s combination of speed, handling, and driving pleasure to be enough—at its much lower price—to put the big Yank up front at the polls.

Highs: Powerful drivetrain, balanced chassis, fun to drive.

Actually, from about 100 mph, the Corvette is in front anyway. Although we couldn’t get it to launch as hard as the Porsche, or run the quarter as quickly, its brawny 5.7-liter LS1 V-8 moves it past the Porsche at the 100-mph mark, and it keeps pulling away from there. It reaches 120 mph a half-second sooner than the 911 and 150 mph 3.6 seconds sooner.
The Corvette enjoys other advantages, too. Its optional three-position variable-damping suspension provides a softer ride on the highway than does the nonad­justable 911 undercarriage, although it does add $1695 to the cost of the Vette and has to be switched to its firmest setting for high-speed work anyway, where the car rides about the same as the Porsche. Still, you have that choice.

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DAVID DEWHURSTCar and Driver

The seats are bigger in the Corvette and seem about as supportive, but we are annoyed by a passenger-seat backrest that flops forward during hard braking when it’s not occupied. Ironically, the Corvette’s interior design is now quite European and does not venture into the realm of ques­tionable aesthetics like the Porsche’s does, thus scoring a hit despite cheesy touches such as the crude ashtray-cover molding.
With a lower seating position than in the Porsche, the Corvette feels quite sporting, yet it’s still fairly easy to get into and out of. The analog instruments are as tidy and easy to read but more versatile in that they adjust between English and metric units, and the Vette has a standard-equipment driver-information center.

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DAVID DEWHURSTCar and Driver

Although the steering may not be as crisp as the 911’s, the Corvette is nonethe­less a bundle of fun to drive, with loads of grip, fairly neutral handling, predictable responses, and power oversteer just about anytime you want it. It may have gotten around the Streets almost a second slower than the Porsche, but the Vette can blast onto the straight with its tail sliding wide and with the driver wearing an even wider grin.

Lows: A few cheap touches.

It has more torque than the 911 and cranks out that famous V-8 thunder when wound up. You’re always aware of its size—we had to throw out some of our quickest runs in the lane change because a rear tire had run over a cone. It wasn’t because the car was sliding so badly, but because you kind of forget how broad in the beam this sucker is.
In other departments, too, the Vette isn’t as tightly laced as the Porsche. Its body-motion control isn’t as good, and the controls are a tiny bit more woolly to the touch. But only a tiny bit. And the levels of refinement in this latest-generation car—an area that would have instantly disqualified the previous Vette—are good enough to keep it in the hunt.
Sure, the Corvette is bigger than the Porsche, and it feels it. But there’s little handicap suffered because of it. Just look how close all the test figures are. Then look at the size of the trunk.

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DAVID DEWHURSTCar and Driver

The Chevy has slower responses to the wheel, but it doesn’t push as badly as the Porsche. Its neutrality is a little offset by grip that isn’t quite as prodigious as the other car’s but is nonetheless good enough to generate lots of cornering force.
It’s also fast. So fast that the right-side window was sucked away from its seal and right past the tab intended to hold it in as we approached the Vette’s top speed of 171 mph. If you run 170 mph fairly often, this could be a problem. In the Porsche, the frameless windows retract automati­cally as you shut the door, then seal tight for any speed—any speed, that is, up to 169 mph. But that stuff costs money.

The Verdict: The best Corvette ever, and better value than a 911.

At the end of the day, we concluded that, yes, the Porsche has been immacu­lately engineered and is better able to assume the 911 mantle than we’d origi­nally thought. But the Corvette is now a truly great sports car, and the fine nuances of quality and control that make the Porsche a better car do not, in our book, add up to more than 30 grand. As a result, the Corvette wins.

Specifications

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From the September 1986 Issue of Car and Driver.

Just pulling up to Richard Templer’s driveway is enough to send quivers of anticipation up and down this reporter’s spine. Ordinary suburban houses don’t have wrought-iron gates standing guard against the riffraff. Ferrari dealer Rick Mancuso gives the 400i’s urgent horn a toot, and the formidable barrier parts by remote control.

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As we idle up the curving drive, we imagine Robin Leach’s voice-over, thick with champagne and caviar, describing the scene: “This magnificent home, set in an exclusive northwest-Chicago suburb, was built six years ago by Richard and Diane Templer. In one of its many garages sits an American-spec Ferrari Testarossa, and we’ve been invited to borrow the fabulous redhead and drive it to our heart’s content.
“This will be something more than a road test. Please buckle up for a brush with enchantment. And stay tuned as we explore a special place where your every automotive fantasy can be fulfilled, in this installment of . . . ”
This is the real version of “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” Real cars. Real people. Real money. We are about to take a peek behind the Greenback Curtain. We’ll soon see what kind of man owns a 100-grand Ferrari Testarossa.

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CAR AND DRIVER AND THE MANUFACTURER

Before we can ring the bell, the big front door swings open and a trim man in his early forties invites us inside. A couple of kids hover nearby. Richard Templer’s attire suggests that he realized partway through dressing this morning that he wouldn’t be going to the office today. The sleeves of his striped shirt are rolled up, his black dress pants sport fresh creases, and his black loafers are shined for success. A pinkie ring containing a diamond the size of a marble adorns his left hand, and a thin gold chain loops around his neck.
Inside, the V-shaped house seems even larger and more breathtaking than it first appeared. The living room arches three stories skyward. The center of the house is dominated by a four-sided fireplace, its brick chimney towering like a missile ready for liftoff. The rear of the Templers’ residence, mostly glass, looks out on a wooded four-acre back yard. Yes, sports fans, there are people who live like this who never get their names in the papers.

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We settle into a couple of designer sofas in one corner of the sunken living room. Templer and Mancuso joke easily. “Rick and I have worked some creative financing together,” says Templer. It’s apparent from the grain of his speech that he came up the hard way. “Hey, Rick, how about that time you kept calling and calling me about that Mondial?” he teases. “You finally got me down there, even though I didn’t want it.”
“And then you bought it, didn’t you?” counters Mancuso.
“Yeah, yeah.”

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CAR AND DRIVER AND THE MANUFACTURER

“You know,” says Mancuso seriously, “Dick has gotten into racing. He sponsored me recently in a Camel Light IMSA car at Sebring.”
The Templers’ daughter, eleven-year-old Jennifer, plops down on the couch and leans warmly into Daddy. “Paul hit me,” she whimpers.
“He did? What’d you do to him?” he asks, putting his arm around her.
“Nothing.” Just then Mom intervenes. Diane Templer, dressed in khaki shorts and a matching blouse with the collar turned up, is very young and very chic.
“How about some croissants?” she offers. “You better. I just made them.”
Over coffee and pastry in the large kitchen, Templer tells us how he came to be a Testarossa owner. “I was always a car nut, but I never owned anything exotic until 1979. I didn’t get my first good car until I got out of the service in 1968. It was a Pontiac Firebird 400. For a while I had a 1976 Corvette that I put a 454 in and drag-raced. I hardly ever completed a full quarter-mile without something breaking.” He and Mancuso both laugh.
Seven years ago, Templer got the Ferrari bug. “I saw one on TV one night and I suddenly wanted it. My first one was a 308. I’ve had a few other exoticars since. Let’s see. I had a couple of Maserati Quattroportes. The paint was bad on both of them—it got all crazed—so I got out of them. That was some catastrophe. I had a 928, and I liked it quite a bit. I also had a Mondial—very nice car, but it was a two-valve, and those were really slow. And then I had the Boxer. Real nice piece.” The Boxer was traded in at Mancuso’s classy Ferrari store, Lake Forest Sports Cars, on the Testarossa you see prancing across these pages.

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CAR AND DRIVER AND THE MANUFACTURER

Templer’s other passion is thoroughbred horses. “I love to play them and just to be around them,” he says. He owns a stable of twelve that race in Chicago and in Florida. “They produce a pretty steady profit,” he adds proudly.
Apparently, everything that Richard Templer touches turns to profit. About all he reveals about his past is that he learned the ropes in his father’s appliance-delivery company as a kid. Today, his ample income is derived from four sources: a truck-trailer leasing enterprise, a warehousing-and-distribution company, a trucking business, and a small company that packages real-estate deals.
Before we leave with Templer and his toy for the drive to our Ann Arbor offices, we ask him to show us the rest of his fleet—but we have to press him. “You already saw the Bronco out front?” he asks. “The rest of them are really just a bunch of beaters.”
In the three-car garage, all he has is a black Mercedes-Benz 500SEC with the full AMG treatment and “Miami Vice” blackout windows. And Diane’s Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit. And a Mercedes 560SL roadster for sunny days. Conspicuous consumption is clearly not an issue in the Templer household.

Specifications

VEHICLE TYPE: mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE AS TESTED: $98,665 (base price: $94,000)
ENGINE TYPE: DOHC flat-12, aluminum block and heads
Displacement: 302 cu in, 4943 ccPower: 380 hp @ 5750 rpmTorque: 354 lb-ft @ 4500 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 5-speed manual
DIMENSIONS:Wheelbase: 100.4 inLength: 176.6 inWidth: 77.8 in Height: 44.5 inCurb weight: 3766 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS:Zero to 60 mph: 5.0 secZero to 100 mph: 12.0 secZero to 130 mph: 22.0 secTop gear, 30-50 mph: 7.6 secTop gear, 50-70 mph: 7.8 secStanding ¼-mile: 13.3 sec @ 107 mphTop speed: 176 mphBraking, 70-0 mph: 210 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.87 g
FUEL ECONOMY:EPA city/highway: 10/15 mpgC/D observed: 14 mpg

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From the June 2005 issue of Car and Driver.
Chrysler’s 300C SRT8 is the car we thought the American auto industry would not build again. After the muscle-car era, U.S. automakers relinquished the high-performance family-sedan formula to the Germans (who added refinement but charged elitist prices) and Japanese (who charged a little less than the Germans but somehow sterilized the whole thing).

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On occasion, the home industry was good for the affordable yet unrefined eye-opener that temporarily salved our pain—to name a few, the Buick Grand National and GNX, the Chevrolet Impala SS, and the Ford Taurus SHO. Those vehicles offered performance and price but lacked the refinement of the import brands. For 2004, Cadillac gave us the 400-hp CTS-V that matched the performance and refinement of the über-sedans, but at $51,485, GM charges fully for it.
What makes the SRT8 version of Chrysler’s 300C exceptional is that it’s the first sedan from anyone, anywhere, to combine the refinement and performance of the pricey supersedans with a sticker of $42,095, no incentive necessary. It’s something the U.S. auto industry should have done long ago, but it was worth the wait.

Highs: Performance shames that of most sports cars, $42,095 base price, machine-gun exhaust note, Porsche-grade stopping distances, room for five.

Without the 10Best-winning 340-hp 300C, which probably wouldn’t have gestated in its current form had it not been for the Mercedes merger, SRT (Street and Racing Technology) director Dan Knott would not have had such a superb starting point on which to perform the modifications necessary to make the car into something worthy of SRT badging. For those whose free time is completely taken up by reruns of VH1’s Strange Love, the SRT division of Chrysler and Dodge is akin to Mercedes-Benz’s AMG and BMW’s M division in that they take regular production cars and up the ante until they have about 50 more horsepower than you’d expect.
In the case of the 300C SRT8, the enhanced engine makes 425 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque from a bored-out, high-compression-ratio 6.1-liter version of the corporate 5.7-liter Hemi V-8. Tricks such as variable valve timing or a multistage intake manifold are not present. New stuff includes just a single hot camshaft sitting in the block, 16 lightened valves, and a forged crankshaft that allows the large V-8 to spin to a melodic 6400 rpm. The torque peak arrives at 4800 rpm. That may sound high for an engine this big, but the copious displacement means enough torque is available off idle to put the limited-slip differential to good use. Compared with the 5.7-liter it’s based on, the 6.1-liter feels sportier and, oddly, smaller because of its penchant for high revs.
An eager five-speed automatic modified by SRT provides immediate upshifts and downshifts and is a terrific partner to the 6.1-liter. Full-throttle shifts at the redline are accompanied by an explosive sonic boom from the exhaust. Back off the throttle, and the sound becomes mellow and unobtrusive. At 70 mph we measured 69 dBA of noise, but you don’t hear the engine as much as you hear the wind rushing around the brick-like body and the hum of the wide tires. Following the logic of AMG’s offerings, the German automaker’s American operations do not offer a clutch pedal. Manual transmissions in sedans this large and with this much power somehow feel out of place and too often suffer from high efforts that make them difficult to drive smoothly.

KEVIN WING

The SRT8 is a big sedan with 56 cubic feet of front passenger space and 51 in the rear. It isn’t light at 4212 pounds, but at just below 10 pounds per horsepower the SRT8 will bust through 60 mph in 4.7 seconds on its way to a 13.2-second quarter-mile at 109 mph. If the SRT8 had been included in the “Executive Adrenalators” comparison [ C/D, November 2004], it would have been less expensive and offered more sheetmetal and its acceleration would have been at the top of the heap. The SRT8’s ungoverned top speed of 173 mph also would have placed it on top and is especially startling when you consider the block-like drag coefficient of 0.36 and the garage-door-sized frontal area of 25.8 square feet. Better yet, the SRT8 outpaces the ungoverned CTS-V by 12 mph and all AMG products (which are governed at 155 mph) by 18 mph. Academic for sure, but if you paid more for those other cars, you’d definitely want the bragging rights.
The weight of the SRT8 is also effectively hidden by suspension changes that lower and stiffen the chassis. Striking 20-inch wheels that look nearly big enough to double as turbofan blades on a Boeing 777-200LR are wrapped by uncompromised Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires that adhere to the skidpad to the tune of 0.89 g. For those who don’t want to buy new wheels and snow tires (you’d have to buy new wheels if you wanted snows, since a 20-inch snow tire doesn’t exist at the moment), Chrysler will equip the SRT8 with all-season Goodyear RS-As that might have a better chance of getting you out of a snowy driveway. The tire sizes are staggered—smaller 245/45R-20 fronts and slightly larger 255/45R-20 rears—and on a dry, tight handling course there is some initial understeer, but it’s easily canceled by a quick crack of the throttle. Steering feel isn’t quite as award-worthy as the rest of the chassis. The power-assisted rack-and-pinion setup is predictable and never surprises, but it lacks the feedback you want in a car so willing to defy centripetal forces.

Lows: Acres of gray plastic inside, choppy bad-road ride, spongy brake-pedal feel.

Standard on the SRT8 is a specially tuned stability-control system that allows for more slipping and sliding than the regular 300C’s more intrusive system. As with Mercedes products, pushing the stability button on the dash doesn’t completely disable the control system, but you’ll be permitted even more freedom before the system finally intervenes. With the button pushed, hanging the tail out for those Dukes of Hazzard moments is as easy as cranking the steering wheel and matting the accelerator— Yee-haw!
The Duke boys might appreciate the stiff ride of the SRT8, but if you’re looking for a supple ride, the regular-strength 300C may be more your speed. In the SRT version you and your passengers will experience more bucking than Travolta did in Urban Cowboy. The dubs, the low-profile tires, and the firmer suspension increase the grip but degrade the ride over less than glassy pavement. Fortunately, even the harshest impacts don’t elicit quivers from the unyielding unibody. The strong structure imparts the SRT8 with a feeling of refinement and serenity that rivals that of sedans from das Vaterland.
The brakes are also up there with the finest from the autobahn nation. Stops from 70 mph take only 162 feet of real estate, and these brakes do so over and over again with no sign of fade. The front rotors measure 14.2 inches, and the rears are 13.8 inches tall, with four-piston calipers doing the clamping at every corner. Despite the SRT8’s remarkable braking performance at the track, after the car returned from testing, the brake-pedal feel became a bit spongy, requiring more travel than we like before biting down.

KEVIN WING

What doesn’t quite measure up to more expensive sedans is the interior of the SRT8. On the plus side there are new pseudo-suede and leather front seats that look like Viper seats let out between the bolsters. The chairs are supportive, and the wider size will fit big-and-tall shoppers with ease. An easy-to-use optional navigation system kept us from getting lost whenever we became disoriented by the SRT8’s acceleration. The nav system is part of a $1965 package that includes an upgraded and crisp-sounding stereo with Sirius satellite radio. Metallic trim adorns the center console and doors, but it doesn’t change the plastic-filled cabin to the extent that the rest of the modifications alter the character of the car. Some might call the interior understated, and it is certainly not an unpleasant place to spend time—it’s just a bit dull in light of the stellar performance.

The Verdict: AMG-like performance, Mercedes-like refinement—at a Chrysler price.

DaimlerChrysler must certainly recognize the greatness and appeal of the 300C SRT8 as it will soon be joined by SRT8 versions of the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Charger and Magnum. Right now, the only other car selling in the low 40s that approaches the joy we get from the Chrysler is the lightweight, uncompromised Lotus Elise. Obviously, the two cars couldn’t be more different. So why do we want both of them in our garage so badly? Because in both cases a Ferrari-like devotion to driver happiness is the reason they exist, and no one does it as well for the money.
Counterpoint
You can call the 300C SRT8 a poor man’s Mercedes E55 AMG or a four-door Dodge Viper, but I just call it impressive. With a base price of about 42 large, the SRT8 runs right with a Cadillac CTS- V (about 10 grand more) and not too far behind a Corvette. Chrysler has built a true four-door American muscle car here—for pity’s sake, it’s a 4212-pound brick that can hit 173 mph! Perhaps more impressive is that from 70 to 0, it halts those two-plus tons in a fade-free 162 feet. This thing can stop and go better than LeBron. And it’s got mad street cred, thanks to jet-fan dubs, Bentley-esque styling, and a lowered stance. As Chick Hearn used to say, “Slam dunk!” —Ron Kiino
The folks at Chrysler’s SRT had better be careful. I doubt their German bosses paid much attention when the econobox Neon was turbocharged to within an inch of its life or when a Dodge Ram pickup truck was endowed with 500 horses. But now SRT has struck on something a bit dearer to those bosses’ hearts—the Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG. At 4.7 seconds, the 300C SRT8 is just 0.4 second slower to 60 mph. However, the SRT8 outstops the E55 by 11 feet from 70 mph and outgrips it on the skidpad. The SRT8 is also more involving to drive and less like a tool for speed. One last detail: It costs $40,000 less than the Benz. Uh-oh. —Dave VanderWerp
What a brute. The steering is nothing if not manly. The ride quality is just this side of Fred Flintstone. The interior décor is distinctly austere for a $42,095 car. I mutter about these demerits as I rumble around Michigan’s battered byways. Then I tramp on the gas, and— vroom!—a half-mile disappears before a sense of license preservation sets in. I repeated this process regularly during my travels with the SRT8 and emerged with the same conclusion every time: Horsepower is good. More horsepower is better. Not to mention habit-forming. As a child of the muscle-car era, I suppose I subscribe to the foregoing more than most. But I also suppose no one is immune. —Tony Swan

Specifications

SPECIFICATIONS
2006 Chrysler 300C SRT8
VEHICLE TYPEFront-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE AS TESTED$45,450
ENGINE TYPEPushrod 16-valve V-8, iron block and aluminum heads, port/direct/port and direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 370 in3, 6059 cm3Power: 425 hp @ 6200 rpmTorque: 420 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm
TRANSMISSION5-speed automatic
CHASSISSuspension (F/R): multilink/multilinkBrakes (F/R): 14.2-in vented disc/13.8-in vented discTires: Goodyer Eagle F1 Supercar, F: 245/45ZR-20 99Y R:255/45ZR-20 101Y
DIMENSIONSWheelbase: 120.0 inLength: 196.8 inWidth: 74.1 inHeight: 57.9 inPassenger volume: 107 ft3Trunk volume: 16 ft3Curb weight: 4212 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 4.7 sec100 mph: 11.2 sec130 mph: 20.0 secRolling start, 5–60 mph: 4.9 secTop gear, 30–50 mph: 2.7 secTop gear, 50–70 mph: 3.0 sec1/4 mile: 13.2 sec @ 109 mphTop speed (redline limited): 173 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 162 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.89 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMYObserved: 14 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMYCombined/city/highway: 16/14/20 mpg

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From the September 2004 issue of Car and Driver.
How much Altima is too much? Nissan dares to find out with the Altima SE-R, cranking up the butch by adding 10 horsepower, a rigid suspension, and forged 18-inch wheels wearing super-stick summer tires. The Altima 3.5SE with 250 horsepower is pleasantly sweet; the Altima SE-R wants to be two Hershey bars washed down with a Coke. Hope you like Nissan’s brand of sugar buzz.

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The Altima SE-R keeps company with the 270-hp Acura TL and 303-hp Pontiac Grand Prix GXP as one of a new generation of sedans whose power languishes in a front-drive cage. Bury the SE-R’s rubber-studded aluminum gas pedal, and the weight leans on the wrong set of tires, the right set of tires making smoke and painting stripes instead of providing traction. The steering wheel develops an urge-albeit less fervent than in some amped-up front-drivers-to seek out the nearest ditch.
Granted, the SE-R’s output, 260 horses and 251 pound-feet of torque, won’t be remembered as a turning point at a time when it takes 500 horsepower to make a headline. But the SE-R lunges down the drag strip, putting 60 mph behind it in 6.1 seconds, rattling off a quarter-mile in 14.8 seconds at 97 mph. The 12.6-inch front discs and 11.5-inch rears bring it to a halt from 70 mph in 168 feet, and double-D soles get it around the skidpad pulling 0.86 g. That’s fairly rabid for a family car carrying 3380 pounds and a $29,930 base price. It is 0.2 second slower to 60 than the last 3.5SE we tested, but the SE-R also picked up 160 pounds.

When squirting bend to bend under less-than-woolly throttle, the SE-R’s steering is delicate and precise.

We said the SE-R is a sugar buzz. Take it to a picture-postcard road to unlock its best flavors. There, the 225/45 Bridgestone Potenza S-03 tires and hewn-from-oak suspension provide real cornering grip, a fierce turn-in response, and tight body control. When squirting bend to bend under less-than-woolly throttle, the SE-R’s steering is delicate and precise. Scribe your corner lines as steadily as your hands can hold the wheel.
Changing gears is a long hand wave, thanks to the tall shifter, but the beanpole slides through its gates tightly if not with the sharpest and most satisfying metal-to-metal feel. This Altima wants to set your best lap time and just might if it had a limited-slip differential to plug all its power into the road. Instead, it relies on an optional $800 electronic traction-control system to suppress wheelspin, which isn’t quite the same thing.
The 350Z cockpit has been reprised in the SE-R with three gauge nacelles, largely ornamental, parked on the center console: oil pressure, charge-system volts, and least useful of all, a twitching pointer indicating instantaneous fuel consumption represents the data points to be gleaned by turning your head 30 degrees to the right. You won’t very often, not until the car hits 100,000 miles and charge voltage becomes a worry.

It doesn’t take many days behind the SE-R’s wheel to develop a detailed mental map of every pothole, frost heave, and pavement fissure in your town.

Nissan offers four exterior colors: gray, silver, red, and black. The bolstered front buckets flare with an embroidered SE-R logo and your choice of red or gray perforated leather accents down the center and matching topstitching. As with the Z, the driver’s seat bulges with a sort of codpiece between your legs. No explanation or diagrams are given to explain its supportive function. Sound gushes from a standard Bose eight-speaker system with a six-CD changer.
Nissan keeps it reserved on the outside. The raciest feature, aside from the blocky chin fascia, modest rump wing, and twin exhaust cans emitting a hearty snore reminiscent of the Z, is the snowflake-pattern 18-inch wheels. The spokes are forged aluminum rather than die-cast—it says so right on the rim—presumably lending extra strength. They need it, because the stiff, 45-series Bridgestones transmit bump energy to the suspension the way a bat transmits Johnny Damon’s swing into a baseball. It doesn’t take many days behind the SE-R’s wheel to develop a detailed mental map of every pothole, frost heave, and pavement fissure in your town.
There are no eurekas! in the SE-R. It offers a more traditional ride-versus-handling trade-off than magazine favs such as the Acura TSX, which seems to do better combining both. The SE-R does offer big V-6 performance in a clean, nicely appointed, and commodious package that will entertain people who like to play. No more Altima is required.

Specifications

SPECIFICATIONS
2005 Nissan Altima SE-R
VEHICLE TYPEFront-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE AS TESTED$30,890 (base price: $29,930)
ENGINE TYPE DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injectionDisplacement: 213 cu in, 3498ccPower (SAE net): 260 bhp @ 6000 rpmTorque (SAE net): 251 lb-ft @ 3600 rpm
TRANSMISSION6-speed manual
DIMENSIONSWheelbase: 110.2 inLength: 192.5 inWidth: 70.4 inHeight: 57.4 inCurb weight: 3380 lb
C/D TEST RESULTSZero to 60 mph: 6.1 secZero to 100 mph: 15.8 secZero to 120 mph: 25.1 secStreet start, 5-60 mph: 6.4 secStanding ¼-mile: 14.8 sec @ 97 mphTop speed (governor limited): 141 mphBraking, 70-0 mph: 168 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.86 g
FUEL ECONOMYEPA fuel economy, city driving: 20 mpgC/D-observed fuel economy: 19 mpg 

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From the August 1989 Issue of Car and Driver.
Nissan should rename itself “the Phoenix Motor Corporation.” Like the wondrous bird of ancient legend, the Japanese automaker has burned the weary persona of its past and arisen from the ashes bold, revitalized, and supremely competitive. Consider the sleek new 240SX, the rejuvenated Maxima, the daring Axxess minivan—all proof of Nissan’s newfound talent and awareness. Or scan these pages and drink in the most convincing evidence of all: the breathtaking, all-new 300ZX.

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This is not the flabby, disco-poseur’s 300ZX of old. That tawdry beast is gone, laid to rest in a special graveyard reserved for stretch slacks, musk colognes, and slap-on chest hair. In its place is a car created by designers who understand design, engineers who grasp the needs and wants of enthusiasts, and, perhaps most important, management with the guts and the savvy not to stand in the way of its creative corps. New from the ground up, the new 300ZX is, quite simply, one of the most alluring cars to appear on the United States market in years.
But that’s obvious, isn’t it? Let your eyes wander over the Z’s sensuous form for a moment. The shape is lean, low, and provocative—and, unlike the previous edition, it’s restrained and sophisticated. This is not a flashy, boy racer’s strutmobile. Some viewers say the nose (which houses new flush headlights instead of the old model’s pop-up units) looks heavy, and others find the overall shape derivative and unoriginal. But we aren’t among the naysayers. The new 300ZX is stunning in the metal, a beautiful and exciting car that looks exotic without being quirky. That Nissan designed the car entirely in-house is further proof that it is a company with the resources and audacity to push bold programs into production.

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At present, Nissan offers the new Z only in naturally aspirated form; a twin-turbo version will appear this fall. Two body styles are available: the two-seater pictured here and a slightly longer two-plus-two. Both are shorter, wider, and lower than their respective predecessors. And both body styles are available in the U.S. only with T-tops. The Z’s T-roof is one of the best we’ve ever encountered—tight, leak-free, and easy to remove—but we’re still bewildered and bothered by Nissan’s decision not to offer the even-more-solid Japanese-market fixed-roof coupe in the States.
Under the new Z’s T-roof glass sits perhaps the most beautiful and efficient cockpit in the sports-car kingdom. The instrument panel blends seductive curves and handsome materials. The gauges are clear, conspicuous analog dials. Ancillary controls nestle on easy-to-reach pods surrounding the wheel. The steering wheel itself is a meaty three spoke design that feels hefty and reassuring in your palms. The leather-wrapped shifter sits close at hand. Tasteful fabric trims the doors, the console, and the dash. And the seats are deeply sculptured, easy to adjust, and extremely comfortable. (Our test car’s thrones were covered in optional leather—part of a $1000 option package—but natty-looking cloth seats are standard.) Trust us: sports-car cockpits don’t get any better than this.
We still have a couple of gripes, though. The first concerns the optional automatic climate control system. Designed to be a set-and-forget unit, this system instead behaves as a set-and-reset-and-override-and-get-annoyed unit. It offers only two manual fan speeds, and there is no way to channel the airflow where you want it. Although we didn’t have a chance to try the standard, manual climate-control system, which offers four fan speeds and five options for air routing, it should be far more accommodating.

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We also have a few complaints about the optional Bose sound system. We don’t claim to be audio experts, but we agree as a group that this system, like some other Bose units we’ve sampled, sounds undistinguished. And it has no fade or balance controls whatsoever, obviously implying that Bose knows better than the users of its systems how these parameters should be set. Happily, there is an easy solution to both of our cockpit gripes: skip the optional electronic power package. You’ll give up the heated rear-view mirrors and the power controls for the driver’s seat, but you’ll bypass the automatic climate-control system and the Bose stereo—and save $1600.
Enough talk of sound systems and cabin accouterments. You want to know the serious stuff, the power and the glory, the fury and the dust.
The power is provided by a version of Nissan’s fine 60-degree 3.0-liter V-6, but it’s been so thoroughly reworked that you wouldn’t recognize it. The new engine sports twin cams, 24 valves, pent roof combustion chambers with centrally located spark plugs, electronic fuel injection, new intake and exhaust manifolds, and a variable intake-valve-timing system for improved performance throughout the rev band. Horsepower is up to 222 at 6400 rpm—more than in last year’s Turbo—and torque is increased to 198 pound-feet at 4800 rpm.
The power flows to the rear wheels via a short-throw five-speed manual transmission (a four-speed automatic is available as an option) and a viscous limited-slip differential. Does it ever flow. The 300ZX storms from zero to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds and rips through the quarter-mile in 15.0 seconds at 93 mph. It doesn’t feel that quick: the engine always sounds smooth and unstrained, even when tearing up to its 7000-rpm redline. And the big, solid body (the Z weighs s 3341 pounds) insulates the cabin from the furor. In fifth gear, the engine winds to 6100 rpm—good for 143 mph. That means that only a handful of dedicated competitors can outgun the new 300ZX. (Fewer still will measure up to the 300-hp twin-turbo edition when it arrives.)
A new suspension puts that performance to good use. Each front corner sports unequal-length control arms and an additional articulating hub. At the back is a four-element multilink design based on the rear-suspension layout found in Nissan’s 240SX. Coil springs are used all around, and an anti-roll bar is fitted to each end.

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Thanks to clever tuning, this suspension combines stability, control, and a reasonably compliant ride. Shod with 225/5OVR-16 Michelin Sport XGTV tires mounted on attractive 16-inch alloy wheels, the Z turned in an outstanding 0.86-g skidpad performance. As you reach the limit the front tires slide first, but the rear end can be coaxed out with a sudden move on or off the throttle, making the Z easy to balance through turns. The fat Michelins offer progressive, predictable handling characteristics, but on some surfaces they howl out enough road noise to scare a Peterbilt pilot.
Beefy four-wheel vented disc brakes with four-piston front calipers and standard ABS stop the Z from 70 mph in 171 feet. We observed no signs of fade during repeated hard trials.
The test track numbers tell you plenty about the new 300ZX, but they don’t tell you nearly enough. Good as it looks to a stopwatch, the 300ZX is even more impressive from behind the wheel. No spec page figures, for instance, could describe the smooth, satisfying feel of the Z’s new variable assist electronic power-steering system. Nor could a bar graph express the sheer pleasure of running the stubby five-speed shifter up through the gears. Nor do we know of any data sheet that is able to convey the stirring sound of the 300ZX’s 24-valve V-6 in full-throttle crescendo.

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And so we arrive at the bottom line. The new 300ZX is not an entry-level GT. The base two-seater wears a $27,300 sticker, and our fully optioned test car carried a $30,160 price tag. But consider the returns on that investment:
1. We can think of no other car that offers more style and sculptured, buttoned-down beauty for the money. The established automotive objects d’art—the Italian exotics—start at twice the price.
2. The 300ZX offers standard amenities galore, decent luggage space, superb seats, and a cabin with an appeal quotient that is second to none.
3. Even the naturally aspirated Z has enough brawn and handling prowess to hold most of the competition at bay. Granted, the 300ZX’s profile reads “performance GT” not “bare-bones sports car,” but only the most dedicated sportsters will be able to defeat it in a straight fight.
4. Our 300ZX test car emitted nary a squeak or rattle during its extended stay with us. And past experience with other Nissans has convinced us that this car will stay tight and trouble-free for the long haul.
Or look at it this way: $30,160 is an awfully small price to pay for a phoenix missile you guide yourself.

Specifications

1990 Nissan 300ZX
VEHICLE TYPE Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE AS TESTED $30,160
ENGINE TYPEV-6, iron block and aluminum headsDisplacement: 181 cu in, 2960ccPower: 222 hp @ 6400 rpmTorque: 198 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm
TRANSMISSION 5-speed manual
DIMENSIONSWheelbase: 96.5 inLength: 169.5 inWidth: 70.5 inHeight: 49.2 inCurb weight: 3341 lb
C/D TEST RESULTSZero to 60 mph: 6.7 secZero to 100 mph: 18.6 secStanding ¼-mile: 15.0 sec @ 93 mphTop speed: 143 mphBraking, 70-0 mph: 171 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.86 g
FUEL ECONOMY:EPA city/highway: 18/24 mpgC/D observed: 17 mpg

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More