Car Reviews

Mercedes-Benz’s S-class has long been considered the ultimate luxury sedan, and every generation seemingly introduces new features, gadgets, safety, and technology that eventually trickle down to its other cars. The official debut of the new S-class happens September 2, but we had an early look and ride in a disguised prototype of Benz’s big sedan.

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S-Class Will Have a 3D Cluster and Updated MBUX

We haven’t sat in the Maybach version yet, but the regular model we sampled is quite spacious, the design is welcoming, and everything you touch is soft and supple. Mercedes-Benz is using a new steering wheel with a spherical center that looks particularly good in light colors.
Behind that steering wheel is a large and wide digital screen that displays information, gauges, or maps with impressive clarity. That information is complemented by a vast head-up display that provides the usual information. It also overlays navigation instructions and arrows onto the real world that make it nearly impossible to miss an upcoming turn.

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Mercedes-Benz

There’s a unique feature to the instrument cluster display, too. When the option is specified, the display will change to a three-dimensional view, which enhances readability by prioritizing information. The vehicle monitors the driver’s eyes constantly and can adjust the 3D effect accordingly. When he or she is not monitoring the display, it reverts to a two-dimensional appearance to reduce distraction.
Even though it’s still covered with camouflage, we can deduce that the S-class has the long-hood, long-wheelbase proportions of its predecessor. Under the wraps, we can make out a grille that looks even larger than before. The door handles are flush, like on a Tesla Model S. The tail rises higher than before, and the overall look appears more angular, with a few pronounced creases. An upcoming Mercedes-Maybach version will follow, and we hear rumors that the AMG derivative will, for the first time in an S-class, have a central star in the grille. The coefficient of drag of the S-class depends on the variant, but the best one begins at a claimed 0.22, which beats the Tesla Model S’s 0.24 number.
Equipped with a new and optional all-wheel steering system that can turn the rear wheels an astonishing 10 degrees, the S-class drastically reduces its turning-circle diameter. It can turn with such ease that it entirely takes the stress out of tight parking structures. Piloted by chief engineer Jürgen Weissinger, it maneuvers through a tight course with the ease of a go-kart. For the United States market the need may not have been as urgent, but in Europe’s crowded cities and narrow streets, this option makes driving a large sedan much easier. At higher speeds, the system improves high-speed stability by slightly turning the rear wheels in the same direction as the fronts.

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Mercedes-Benz

The new S-class comes in three wheelbases—short, long, and Maybach. We suspect that, as with the current generation, only long and Maybach will make it stateside. As we previously mentioned, the door handles are Tesla Model S­­­-like and extend electrically when approached with the key. Regular door handles will also be offered for customers who prefer a more traditional approach. A panoramic roof is optional and lighting effects in the ceiling panel are a possibility for future models, especially the Maybach version.
As always, the S-class pushes safety to the next level. A new autonomous driving system is promised, but when and where it will be offered is mostly a question of regulation. There are up to 16 airbags in the S-class, including seatbelt bags and separate airbags extending from behind the front seat. Those airbags will inflate differently when child seats are detected. And when the car detects an imminent side impact, the body can be raised in fractions of a second by more than three inches in order to expose stiffer elements of the structure, something the Audi A8 also does.
The new S-class will be offered with two chassis systems: a single-chamber air suspension and the optional E-Active Body Control, which includes a “curve” function that can lean into corners like a motorcycle. Equipped with E-Active Body Control, the S-class is remarkably quiet, smooth, and soothing.

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Mercedes-Benz

Europe will get all of the powertrain choices, including inline-six diesel engines. American S-classes will offer inline-six gasoline engines as an entry-level option, with a 4.0-liter V-8 step-up option. There will be a plug-in hybrid with around 60 miles of electric range that will pair with the inline-six engine. An AMG version will receive a 600-plus-hp 4.0-liter V-8, while the Maybach will continue to offer an optional 6.0-liter V-12.
If you’re wondering about an EV version, Mercedes-Benz’s model strategy will keep an internal-combustion engine in all S-classes for now. Fully electric models will fall under the EQ branding of which the EQC SUV was the first. Following the C, E, and S names of its sedans, a large electric sedan will be called the EQS. Although not simply an electrified S-class, Mercedes is planning an EQS sedan, which promises to be spacious, overtly futuristic, and is aimed squarely at Tesla. The company showed a concept version at the end of 2019, and we expect to see the production version some time in 2021.
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From the September 1983 issue of Car and Driver.
We’ve been waiting a long time for AMC to get serious. We’ve always known that it had the moxie to build cars that Detroit could not. Trouble was, AMC always seemed to build things Detroit wouldn’t build even if it could. But we’ve remained patient through the years of Gremlins, Pacers, and Eagles—all thoughtful cars cursed by some inner, triple-distilled weirdness—waiting for better times.

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Better times have arrived. We all know what a success the Alliance is, of course, but that’s pretty much a Renault deal. The new downsized Jeep Cherokee, on the other hand, is pretty much an AMC deal—and not only is it the first all-new Jeep in twenty years, it’s probably the best AMC product in twenty years. When we first laid eyes on the production prototypes, in California’s Anza-Borrego Desert, the Cherokee just looked right.
It’s a little hard to get your mind wrapped around the Cherokee’s mission in life, but Jeep tries to help by calling it “SportWagon.” It’s a station wagon with extra-functional overtones, an American car in Oshkosh overalls—part car, part truck. It’s easy to believe the Cherokee was designed in Kenosha and Toledo, because it harks back to America before the Interstates, when it was tough just to get around. The Cherokee can take you to town in the winter or haul a ski boat in the summer. It has four-wheel drive to bust through the snowdrifts in your driveway or muck through the bog on the way to the summer cabin.

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Robin RiggsCar and Driver

Actually, you can get a grip on the Cherokee by thinking of it as Jeep’s version of the S-10 Blazer or the Bronco II. It’s shorter, lower, narrower, and 1000 pounds lighter than its predecessor. You’ll find either a four-cylinder or a V-6 under the hood, a 4wd system under the body, and all the trimmings of a luxury sedan behind the wheel. This combination in the Bronco and the Blazer has already swelled 4wd sales to unexpected levels and has more than doubled the number of women behind the wheel in this class of vehicle.
The Cherokee is not just a Bronco or a Blazer copy, though. Jeep started with a premise different from Chevrolet’s or Ford’s, and its result has come out different as a consequence.
To begin with, the Jeep men decided that the new Cherokee’s 4wd performance could not be compromised. And, indeed, we barged our way through Coyote Canyon with ease, clambering up boulder-strewn inclines, running through narrow, brush-lined tunnels, then over a stream bed, sluing sideway in the sand for grins, all the while with the air conditioning on max and the Mitsubishi radio at full blast. It’s no surprise that the Cherokee should offer Jeep CJ-like performance in its 4wd mode, though, because you’ll find two CJ solid axles underneath. Durability is the bottom line in 4wd, according to Jeep, and the best way to guarantee it is to forget about the cost and the complexity of independent suspensions.

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Robin RiggsCar and Driver

The Cherokee has more going for it in a 4wd comparison with the Blazer and the Bronco than just solid axles, however. There are two 4wd systems available: Command-Trac and Selec-Trac; Command-Trac, like other 4wd systems, offers part-time 4wd that should be used only in low-traction situations. A vacuum-actuated front-axle engagement enables you to switch from rear-wheel drive to four-wheel drive with a simple yank on a handle mounted on the center console; you can forget about fooling around with locking hubs. Selec-Trac also offers both 2wd and 4wd, but it has a viscous-clutch, limited-slip center differential that permits full-time 4wd use on the highway. Both Command-Trac and Selec-Trac are meant to aid traction. According to Dan Hittler, director of powertrain engineering, the notion that full-time 4wd offers gains in fuel efficiency is strictly theoretical. The supposed benefits of such a system are realized only at peak tire loads, Hittler says, and are therefore not relevant to the average citizen’s driving style.
AMC claims that its rigid axles provide superior dynamic ground clearance, and this was demonstrated quite effectively over the rock-strewn off-road portion of the press introduction. But what about the 200-mile run over paved mountain switchbacks and flat-out desert two-lanes that were also on the dance card? Francois Castaing, a former Renault Formula 1 engineer and now AMC director of vehicle development, was picked to lead the pack, but solid axles seemed a little low-tech for back­road rat racing.

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Robin RiggsCar and Driver

As it turned out, there was no cause for alarm. You can fling the Cherokee at switchbacks and keep all four tires on the ground. It’s tight and responsive, and it cuts smartly for the apexes; it’s flawed only by slow and extraordinarily numb steering. On the Interstate, the Cherokee feels more stable than a Blazer or a Bronco, and the driver is effectively isolated from the small road imperfections that most 4wd vehicles communicate directly to your fillings. On a flat-out run through the desert, the Cherokee bobbed along happily, the suspension both resilient and able to soak up 80-mph charges through the vados of the Anza-Borrego.
Typically, AMC makes up the theoretical difference in ride and handling between independent and solid-axle suspension with plain old hard work. The front axle is mounted with a standard five-link locating system (four trailing links and one Panhard rod), and the suspension works through coil springs, an anti-roll bar, and low-pressure gas shock absorbers. Coil springs for the rear axle would have intruded into the passenger compartment, according to Jeep, so semi-elliptic leaf springs were used instead. Large spring eyes isolate harshness from the body, while an anti­-roll bar and gas shocks handle roll stiffness and damping, respectively. Although the system looks deceptively simple, detail work and tricks with the front driveshaft angle and the steering geometry have largely eliminated the pitch and roll we’ve come to expect in vehicles like the Cherokee.

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Robin RiggsCar and Driver

Much of the handling goodness in the Cherokee comes from a fairly rigid chassis. You can pound it through potholes in town or whoops in the desert, and it forges ahead without a shudder. Jeep has integrated a unit body with full-length frame-like members to save weight and provide a rigid mounting for suspension pieces. The result is a chassis that Jeep engineers claim is nearly three times as stiff in torsion as a Blazer’s body-on-frame construction.
Under the Cherokee’s hood you’ll find either a Chevy 2.8-liter V-6 or AMC’s new 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. With 110 horsepower on tap, the Chevy V-6 performs pretty well through either the five-speed manual or the three-speed automatic (with lockup torque converter) transmissions. We didn’t expect much from the four-cylinder; after all, the four in the Blazer and the Bronco do little more than process gasoline into noise. As it turns out, though, the AMC four feels bloody wonderful. This 2.5-liter turns out 100 horses and an incredibly flat torque curve. Hook up a four-speed, a five­-speed, or an automatic, and you can drive the heck out of it and always feel great. Not only does this engine provide better performance than either the Chevrolet or Ford fours, but it gets better fuel economy, too (according to preliminary EPA estimates).

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Robin RiggsCar and Driver

Although AMC used the tooling from its venerable in-line six-cylinder for the new four, the smaller engine has little in common with the six other than bore centers and some lightweight casting techniques. Computer-aided design cut ten months from the penciling of the new engine, and thoughtful engineering took care of the rest. It’s an over-square, high-compression design, with big valves and a swirl-type combustion chamber. AMC engineers worked diligently on the engine’s breathing as well, which is reflected in the port shape, the large monolithic-type catalyst, and the two-and-a-quarter-inch-diameter exhaust tubing. There’s also some trickery in the engine’s electronic controls. AMC developed a new knock sensor that can retard the ignition of each cylinder individually, a feat that boosts low-rpm torque substantially. Furthermore, this four has been built as a truck engine, with as much as twice the claimed durability of other domestic fours. The new four and the Chevy V-6 are the first AMC engines to be tested on the new 1000-hour durability schedule introduced by Renault (a 250-hour schedule is standard for most domestic engines).
At this point in a test of an AMC product, we usually have to apologize for its funky looks. Not this time. The Cherokee’s cool, crisp lines recall the Range Rover in the way they blend style with the look of utility, each theme complementing the other. Such traditional Jeep licks such as the vertical grille, the squared-off wheel arches, and the general boxiness have been effectively subdued, and yet the Cherokee still has a gritty feeling of character that is missing from the prettified S-10 Blazer and Bronco II truckettes.

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Robin RiggsCar and Driver

When it comes to creature comforts, the Cherokee is more than competitive with the Blazer and the Bronco. It has the longest wheelbase in its class, which means the rear seat can be situated ahead of the rear wheels, permitting three people to sit behind the flight deck. It also means that both the two­-door and the four-door offer better rear-seat ingress and egress than the competition. The rear seat can be folded down to furnish a flat cargo area, which is accessible through the one­-piece fiberglass liftgate, or it can be removed entirely.
Up front, the dash is attractive, the ventilation controls are unified into a workable layout, and the instruments (including a tach) are legible. The seats are molded into a shape derived from Alliance seats, and the seatbelt is supportive and comfortable. The only residual funkiness lies in the seat upholstery and the steering-wheel hub.

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Robin RiggsCar and Driver

Virtually everything about the Cherokee shows a genuine attempt to bring new standards of comfort and performance to this strange class of utility vehicles. Jeep might be the last to unleash its entry into this market, but the caliber of the hardware and the variety of permutations should make its Cherokee a strong contender. The body is available in four exterior trim levels: base, sensible Pioneer, flashy Chief, and, of course, Wagoneer, which is complete with white sidewalls and optional wood-grain exterior trim. There are three interior trim levels: base, Cherokee, and full-power­-option Wagoneer. Then there are the two engines and the three transmissions (the four-speed is available with the four-cylinder only). And don’t forget the two 4wd systems—Command-Trac and Selec-Trac—and the two- and four-­door body styles. To maintain continuity with heavyweight days gone by, an $18,000 Grand Wagoneer has been carried over with V-8 power.
There are a bunch of choices here, most of them good. The subdued Pioneer trim strikes us as best, and we wouldn’t mind having both a two-door with a four-cylinder and a five-speed and a four-door with a V-6 and an automatic. And if you’re going to have 4wd, you ought to have highway capability, so Selec-Trac seems best. Cherokees with fours seem more responsive, if slightly less speedy, than those with V-6s, and they steer better, too. The four-doors understeer more than the two-doors, as the four-cylinder takes about 35 pounds off the front wheels.
Chevrolet, Ford, and Jeep all deserve credit for bringing 4wd vehicles out of the dark ages and making them far more acceptable to citizen drivers. Jeep seems to have considered the possibilities most seriously, though. More than its competitors, Jeep seems to realize that 4wd is not just a cosmetic appliance, no matter how limited its use might be in the life of a vehicle.
Jeep knows that when you need 4wd, you really need it. This appreciation of honest performance, not just the right look, shows throughout the new Cherokee’s design. It’s been a long time coming, of course, but the Cherokee seems well worth the wait.

Specifications

SPECIFICATIONS
1983 Jeep Cherokee
VEHICLE TYPEFront-engine, rear-/4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 3- or 5-door wagon
PRICE AS TESTED (C/D EST)$10,000
ENGINESPushrod 8-valve 2.5-liter inline-4, 100 hp; pushrod 12-valve 2.8-liter V-6, 110 hp
TRANSMISSION4-speed manual, 5-speed manual, or 3-speed automatic
DIMENSIONSWheelbase: 101.4 inLength: 165.3 inCurb weight (C/D est): 2900­–3450 lb

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The most obvious thing about the Polestar 2 is that it’s not obvious. To anyone. You’d think that an electric car no one’s seen before from a brand that almost no one’s heard of might elicit some curiosity on the part of the general public. But no. Not in grocery store parking lots. Not at stoplights. Not anywhere. The 2 we drove for 10 days blended in with the horde of chunky SUVs clogging our roads just like any Toyota, Ford, or Honda. This is probably not the reaction that Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath was expecting when he touted the new car’s minimalistic Scandinavian design at its global reveal some 18 months ago.

HIGHS: Fast and athletic, gorgeous vegan interior, intuitive infotainment by Google.

Polestar, Volvo’s former AMG-like hot-rod division, has pivoted to electric-vehicle manufacturing. The all-electric 2 follows the stunning limited-run Polestar 1 plug-in hybrid, and it is thoughtfully engineered, well crafted, fun to drive, and lovely to be in. Unfortunately, its anonymous looks don’t promise any of that; you have to climb aboard and use it to appreciate its quiet gifts.

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

Polestar 2’s Google Infotainment Is a Revolution

Polestar 2 Gets Price Cut, Arrives This Summer

We did exactly that with a preproduction launch-edition model. In a move similar to Tesla marketing strategy, Polestar will initially sell only the high-priced heavily equipped version of its new car. A more basic model will follow. The 2 goes on sale in September, with the company taking orders over the internet. A handful of dealers, or “Polestar Spaces,” located in major U.S. cities will manage delivery and service of the cars. (At the time of publishing, only a few exist.)
Big Battery, Big Torque
All launch-edition 2s will be powered by two motors—one front, one mid-mounted—that together produce 408 horsepower and 487 pound-feet of torque. They’re juiced by a 78.0-kWh battery pack located below the cabin floor. The company claims you can recharge a dead battery to 80 percent in 40 minutes at a public fast charger. It predicts an EPA-estimated range “approaching the middle 200s,” which is about mid-pack for today’s EVs and far short of the best—the Tesla Model S Long Range Plus, which can go 402 miles on a charge.

LOWS: You must open the hood to adjust the dampers, nondescript styling that doesn’t conform to SUV or sedan canon.

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

The 2’s standard interior adheres to the car’s environmentally friendly mission. It’s vegan—meaning no animal products were used in producing it—though leather is an option. Launch-edition equipment includes a glass roof, an extensive suite of active-safety gear, and a variety of niceties ranging from a Harman/Kardon audio system to a phone-as-a-key app to heated wiper blades. Priced at $61,200, the 2 costs several thousand dollars more than our well-optioned long-term Tesla Model 3 Long Range test car. Polestar isn’t shy about targeting the Model 3 as the 2’s direct competition. And unlike the Model 3, the 2 is still eligible for the full $7500 federal tax credit.

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

However, Polestar has not entirely forsaken its roots as Volvo’s hot-rod shop. Witness our test car’s optional $5000 Performance package, which consists of aggressive springs and anti-roll bars, race-inspired Öhlins adjustable dampers, Brembo front brakes, and gummy 245/40R-20 Continental SportContact 6 summer tires on lightweight forged aluminum wheels (all-seasons on 19s are standard). Oh, and let’s not forget the gold-painted brake calipers, gold seatbelts, and—ahem—gold valve-stem caps. These gilded highlights are intended to signify that this is the enthusiast’s model.
Scandinavian by Design
The 2 is roughly the size of a Ford Escape—except in height, where it sits eight inches lower. As a result, it looks like it can’t make up its mind about whether it wants to be a squat four-door SUV or a taller-than-average fastback sedan. But if you can get past the awkward generic sheetmetal, the experience inside is altogether different: It’s a designer interior that’s both simple and simply gorgeous. And did we mention it’s vegan? Polestar’s WeaveTech—a handsome basketweave cloth partially made of recycled materials—covers much of the cabin, including a swath across the instrument panel. Other rich-looking textiles inspired by techy athletic wear are used as well. The cabin is decently roomy, too. Four six-footers can ride comfortably.

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

The designer’s touch can be seen throughout: in the delicate HVAC vents, in the sculpted shifter, in the intriguing interior materials, in the low-gloss black ash veneer trim on the dash and center console. There are few buttons or switches; most functions are handled through the central 11.2-inch touchscreen dominating the dashboard. Driver info is delivered via a 12.3-inch instrument-cluster screen. The interior looks decluttered, as if Marie Kondo had gone through it before production started. And if you can’t tell, it brings us joy.
Hey, Google
That same desire for simple, low-stress design solutions led Polestar to collaborate with Google on the 2’s infotainment system. The 2 is the first car to use Google’s Android Automotive operating system, which provides ready access to Google Maps, the Google Assistant, and the Google Play Store. The car’s touchscreen operates just like a phone’s, and the Polestar system can operate independently of your phone if you want it to. You’ll have to set it up with a separate Google account in order to make that happen, though. (Our test car didn’t have its own account.) Alternatively, you can connect to your existing Google account through either the car’s touchscreen or your smartphone. Polestar says the 2’s system is compatible with iPhones as well as Android-powered devices.

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

Google’s natural-voice recognition capability worked as faultlessly in the 2 as it does on a phone: When we asked Google for nearby charging stations, it responded instantly with a map dotted with places to re-juice. The interface is simple and intuitive to operate, with crisp, easily readable graphics. And as with your phone, the system accepts over-the-air updates, both for the Android Automotive OS and the car’s other software needs.
Thankfully, the 2 is more than a just a cellphone on wheels. Polestar has made it equally intuitive to drive. As in a Tesla, you just plunk down into the driver’s seat and go; there’s no start button. Like other powerful EVs, it’s quick, ripping to 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds. (Our long-term Model 3 does that sprint in 4.0 seconds, at least since we updated it earlier this year.) And the deep well of torque available at the slightest flex of your right foot makes the 2 feel even quicker than it is.

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

Athletic as Well as Quick
The powertrain splits the motor’s torque between the axles based on available traction. There are three levels of regenerative braking, the strongest of which will bring the car to a stop when you lift off the accelerator, enabling comfortable one-pedal driving. The car steers crisply—though without a shred of feedback—and circulated our skidpad with 0.90 g of grip. The Brembos are firm and responsive, bringing the 2 to halt from 70 mph in a sports-sedan-like 157 feet. The 2 is equally confident attacking squirmy two-lanes or arrowing down interstates in a way that puts us in mind of the impressive Mercedes-AMG GLC43 Coupe. With the Öhlins in their middle setting, the ride was firm but not brutal. However, the fact that you have to get out of the car to adjust those dampers is preposterous for a luxury performance vehicle. Other manufacturers handle that electronically from the cockpit.
What’s more, the 2 might be even better without the Öhlins, in base-suspension form. We were able to sample a second 2 without the Performance package and found that it loses little of its sporty personality yet rides better. It’ll also likely have a touch longer driving range on its standard all-season rubber.

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

Which brings us to the inevitable EV question: How far will it go? The official EPA range isn’t out yet, but we do have an indication of what to expect after putting one through our real-world highway-range test. The 2’s 190-mile result puts it in league with everything from Audi e-trons to Chevy Bolts but behind the last Tesla Model 3 Long Range we tested, which hung tough for 230 miles against an EPA rating of 310 miles.
The 2’s range might not set any new bars, nor will its styling draw envious glances, but we like Polestar’s approach of maximum minimalism nonetheless. The Polestar 2’s clean interior design, athletic driving demeanor, and intuitive infotainment system make for a chill EV that’s low stress to operate and easy to live with. Polestar’s second car might not shout “Look at me!” but it definitely deserves to be noticed.

Specifications

Specifications
2021 Polestar 2
VEHICLE TYPE front- and mid-motor, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback
PRICE AS TESTED $67,400 (base price: $61,200)
POWERTRAIN 2 permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors, 204 hp (each), 243 lb-ft (each); 78.0-kWh lithium-ion battery pack; combined output, 408 hp, 487 lb-ft
TRANSMISSION 1-speed direct-drive
CHASSIS Suspension (F/R): struts/multilinkBrakes (F/R): 14.8-in vented, cross-drilled disc/13.4-in vented, cross-drilled discTires: Continental SportContact 6, 245/40R-20 99V POL
DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 107.7 inLength: 181.3 inWidth: 73.2 inHeight: 58.0 inCargo volume: 16 ft3Passenger volume: 96 ft3Curb weight: 4714 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 4.1 sec100 mph: 10.5 secRolling start, 5–60 mph: 4.3 secTop gear, 30–50 mph: 1.6 secTop gear, 50–70 mph: 2.2 sec1/4 mile: 12.7 sec @ 109 mphTop speed (governor limited): 125 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 157 ftBraking, 100–0 mph: 323 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.90 gStanding-start accel times omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
C/D FUEL ECONOMY Observed: 67 MPGe75-mph highway driving: 79 MPGeHighway range: 190 miles
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D est) Combined/city/highway: 130/135/125 MPGeRange: 230 mi

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

The idea is enticing: Escape to an island and forget about the world’s troubles for a moment. But as we board a ferry to just such a place—Beaver Island in Lake Michigan—we start to wonder if the escape is worth the trouble of getting there. We’ve already driven four hours north to Charlevoix, and now we’ll spend another two on a 32-mile boat ride that costs $32.50 per person. Should’ve brought a book.
We paid $105 to have the good people of Beaver Island Boat Company load our 2020 Audi A6 Allroad onto the ferry, too. This car is a sort of fantasy come to life. It’s an example of the rare European station wagon that has made the leap from forbidden fruit to fully realized and federalized vehicle for sale at U.S. dealerships. But that doesn’t mean it’ll be a commodity.
Indeed, this Allroad is the only wagon among the vehicles in the hull (we’re definitely not counting the Dodge Journey). And it’ll be an uncommon sight in the U.S., as we don’t expect Audi will sell more than a few thousand per year here. But curiously enough, the Allroad is part of a trend—albeit one with niche appeal.

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

HIGHS: It’s a wagon, sublime ride quality, nails the Allroad aesthetic.

Posh wagons like this are experiencing a small resurgence in America. Some of them are festooned with bits of plastic body cladding and adjustable-height suspensions cribbed from SUVs, but we know a true wagon when we see one. Volvo has the V60 and V90; Mercedes, the E-class; Jaguar, the XF Sportbrake; and Porsche—yes, even Porsche—has the Panamera Sport Turismo. But Audi outdoes them all, offering two sizes of wagon (the A4 and A6) like Volvo as well as a high-perform­ance variant (the 591-hp RS6 Avant) like Mercedes and Porsche. American wagon shoppers—at least those with disposable income—now find themselves in the unlikely position of being spoiled for choice.
Beaver Island is home to about 600 year-round residents, and even when tourism picks up in the summer, the only time you’ll see anything resembling a crowd is when the ferry docks and lets off passengers. Waiting to disembark, we’re transfixed by the seemingly chor­eographed movements of the ferry’s personnel as they unload all manner of vehicles—bicycles, construction equipment, massive box trucks. Finally, our Soho Brown Allroad departs the vessel, and we set out to see what this small rock in the middle of a lake has to offer.

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Audi won’t sell an A6 Avant in the U.S., but it will paint the Allroad’s plastic cladding to match the body for $1000, and that’s pretty much the same thing.
Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

“The A6’s brown paint and gray wheel-arch cladding blend beautifully with the vivid-green trees, bright-blue water, and rich-tan sand that make up the Beaver Island landscape.”

Beaver Island, which occupies 55 square miles of the lake, has about 100 miles of road. But few of these routes look anything like what we regularly drive on back home, and some of them stretch the definition of “road.” For instance, on the map, Gull Harbor Drive appears to be a beautiful waterfront byway on the northeast tip of the island. It is not, as we find out when we stubbornly press past “Road Closed” signs only to realize that this narrow dirt path simply disappears into the crystal-clear water of the lake. So we head toward the other end of the island on King’s Highway—one of the few paved roads—and hit dirt as we begin along East Side Drive. We select the car’s Allroad driving mode, which raises the body 1.2 inches via the standard air springs. (There’s also an additional 0.6-inch lift available below 22 mph.)

LOWS: Subdued V-6, gearbox clunkiness at low speed, double touchscreen distraction.

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

Truthfully, we could probably traverse any of the island’s well-maintained dirt roads just fine in an A6 sedan. But isn’t it more fitting to go exploring in this subtly rugged wagon? This is the sort of light adventuring that Allroads are intended for, and the A6’s brown paint and gray wheel-arch cladding blend beautifully with the vivid-green trees, bright-blue water, and rich-tan sand that make up the Beaver Island landscape. The air-spring setup provides a gloriously smooth ride, keeping passengers comfortable over washboard sections of road.
The Allroad’s elevated ride height, revised suspension setup, and long-roof bodywork aft of the B-pillar are the only meaningful differences from the A6 sedan. The two are otherwise mechanically identical and powered by the same turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6, which makes 335 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque and utilizes an unobtrusive 48-volt hybrid system. A seven-speed dual-clutch automatic is standard, as is Audi’s Quattro with Ultra all-wheel-drive system, which features a rear-axle decoupling function to improve fuel economy. It seems to do the trick. Back on paved interstate, the Allroad achieves a remarkable 34 mpg on our 75-mph highway fuel-economy loop.

Illustration by Chris PhilpotCar and Driver

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2021 Audi A4 Allroad

At the test track, the A6 wagon runs to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds and completes the quarter-mile in 13.8 seconds at 102 mph. That makes it a half-second slower in both metrics than the 2019 A6 sedan that’s 155 pounds lighter. On the northern end of the island, prominent 25-mph speed-limit signs have us moving at a slower pace, although we see no posted limits in the more remote areas to the south. There the V-6 propels the Allroad with an easy sensation of power, but the engine note is so flat and distant, we find ourselves missing the cabin-filling character of Audi’s old supercharged V-6. The dual-clutch transmission shifts quickly and smoothly but exhibits just enough clumsiness at low speeds to make us wonder why Audi doesn’t use ZF’s peerless eight-speed automatic here, as it does in the Q7 SUV with this engine.
Audi’s dual-touchscreen infotainment setup is another questionable decision. We aren’t overly concerned with the diversion of operating the touch-sensitive climate controls on quiet Beaver Island, where the roads are mostly empty. But back in the hustle and bustle of normal life, we prefer Audi’s old, less distracting MMI setup, which used satisfyingly tactile buttons and knobs on the dash and an intuitive rotary controller on the console.

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

We’re a bit disappointed to find that we have cell service on much of the island. Connecting to the Allroad’s in-car Wi-Fi network feels wrong in a place like this, but there’s a certain level of connectivity you expect in a vehicle starting at $66,895. Our nicely optioned Prestige model—which has such luxuries as heated and ventilated front seats, a head-up display, and soft-close doors—stickers for $72,910. That’s enough to net you a nice plot of land on Beaver Island, if not a small rustic cabin.
Most people won’t ever consider either of these peculiar purchases, though. Just because you know the island exists doesn’t mean you’ll go there, and just because station wagons like the A6 Allroad are available in the U.S. doesn’t mean people will buy them. But maybe that’s the point. An A6 Allroad wouldn’t seem nearly as desirable if you saw one on every corner, and Beaver Island wouldn’t feel so fantastically secluded if it were overrun with tourists. These sorts of hidden gems are undeniably special, but don’t spread the word too widely. And if you do take a trip to Beaver Island, remember to bring along a good book for the ferry ride.

Specifications

Specifications
2020 Audi A6 Allroad
VEHICLE TYPE front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE AS TESTED $72,910 (base price: $66,895)
ENGINE TYPE turbocharged and intercooled V-6, aluminum block and headsDisplacement 183 in3, 2995 cm3Power 335 hp @ 6100 rpmTorque 369 lb-ft @ 1400 rpm
TRANSMISSION 7-speed dual-clutch automatic
CHASSIS Suspension (F/R): multilink/multilinkBrakes (F/R): 14.8-in vented disc/13.0-in vented discTires: Continental ProContact TX, 245/45R-20 103H M+S AO
DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 115.2 inLength: 194.9 inWidth: 74.9 inHeight: 58.9 inPassenger volume: 101 ft3Cargo volume: 30 ft3Curb weight: 4500 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 5.2 sec100 mph: 13.3 sec120 mph: 20.2 secRolling start, 5–60 mph: 5.8 secTop gear, 30–50 mph: 3.0 secTop gear, 50–70 mph: 3.9 sec1/4 mile: 13.8 sec @ 102 mphTop speed (governor limited): 129 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 172 ftBraking, 100–0 mph: 352 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.83 gStanding-start accel times omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
C/D FUEL ECONOMY Observed: 22 mpg75-mph highway driving: 34 mpgHighway range: 650 miles
EPA FUEL ECONOMY Combined/city/highway: 22/20/26 mpg More

A new GTI is still a year away and VW isn’t ready to let us drive it, so we call shotgun to get an early look at the eighth generation of the iconic hot hatch. More

From the February 1993 Issue of Car and Driver.
Never mind that the term “pony car” has been around for 29 years—probably inspired by the secretary’s Mustang featured in advertising back then. The expression is icky enough to clog the printer, not to mention the editorial arteries, so we intend to avoid it.

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Besides, the three cars assembled on these pages—the Camaro Z28, the Firebird Formula, and the Mustang Cobra—have nothing in common with the secretary’s anything. These are full-house performers, optioned for that one-in-ten buyer who wants all the go and grip the catalog offers. Ford will build only 5000 Mustang Cobras. GM reckons only ten-to-twelve percent of buyers will opt for the package that includes the extremely high performance Z-rated 50-series tires, performance gearing (3.23 instead of 2.73), and 150-mph speedometer. If, after hearing of this non-pony intent, you still can’t shake the equine metaphor, then think of this group as the war horses.
These war horses remind us of what the class stood for in its first decade of life, beginning with the Mustang’s 1964 intro. The secretaries’ rides, with their skinny tires and in-line-six engines, were everywhere, and Chevrolet followed as soon as it could with a similarly cute and thrifty Camaro. We looked right past them in traffic, searching for the relatively few that were packing the go-fast options. It was these few that inspired SCCA’s Trans-Am series—in its early days, some of the best door-slammer racing that ever was.

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AARON KILEYCar and Driver

These few powerful versions repre­sented a new reach for Detroit, a thrust in the direction of sports-car speed. The mus­cle-car intermediates were faster in a straight line. The war horses were meant to be Euro fast, fast when the lines weren’t straight, fast on roads where a demanding, discerning driver could enjoy a well-balanced machine.
Model-year 1993 does, in fact, finish out the third decade of this American class of sporting cars—29 years of Mustangs and Mustang emulators (bow heads here in a moment of silence for the Barracuda, Challenger, and Javelin comrades that fell along the way and for the Cougar that grew up to be too bulky and mature to entertain war-like thoughts). America 29 years after Mustang Job No. 1 is a very different place, with a much richer selection of sporting cars. Now, in addition to the American interpretations of Euro fast, we have interpretations from afar—Corrados, Eclipses, Preludes, Probes, and others that weren’t even dreamed of back then. So our expectations now are based on a true international standard.

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AARON KILEYCar and Driver

More international than domestic, in fact, because Detroit’s efforts in recent years have been pretty much simmering along on pilot light—no new cars and no new tricks. But the burner is on high again for 1993. The Camaro and Firebird are all-new and as provocative as sheetmetal Madonnas. Over in Dearborn, Ford has enlisted its most enthusiastic car guys (and at least one car gal) into the Special Vehicle Team. Their job: inject enough hormones into the Mustang so that Ford dares to call it Cobra.
What’s become of the fast American after all this time? We can hardly wait to find out.
Comparison-test stations, everyone!

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AARON KILEYCar and Driver

Third Place: Ford Mustang Cobra
Ford promised that the Cobra wouldn’t be a rocky-riding, ill-tempered hot rod that only a go-fast addict could love. And Ford lived up to its word. This car is quick but relaxed, an unusually gentle war horse.
The Mustang body is old, first intro­duced in 1979, yet the Cobra seems less of another time than of another place. You sit upright inside, surrounded by black cloth and vinyl, looking out through a windshield that’s relatively vertical. The mood is BMW.

HIGHS: Charming chunkiness, V-8 swagger, user-friendliness.

Except that there is one inescapable and thoroughly wonderful detail—the sound of a good old American V-8 work­ing happily under the hood. The V-8 is really the signature of this class of sporting car, the burble of the exhaust, the smooth­ness of the frequent power pulses, the right-now torque of big displacement. And the Cobra’s engine is as sweet as they come. This is a special powerplant just for this car, retaining the bore and stroke of the usual Mustang 4.9-liter V-8 but upgraded with larger ports and valves, new roller rocker arms, and better-flowing intake manifolding, injectors, and tubing headers. Output is up by 30 horsepower with no noticeable loss of flexibility. It’s as happy pottering around town as any Mustang in memory.

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AARON KILEYCar and Driver

And its good-natured demeanor remains at full power, too. It pulls to its 5800-rpm redline playing musical sounds all the way. Acceleration, particularly in top gear, is a bit behind the others, as you might expect from its smaller displace­ment. But with quarter-mile performance of 14.3 seconds at 98 mph, this is a strong horse.
Ford told us early that the Cobra sus­pension would be calibrated for road driv­ing rather than skidpad numbers, an unusual emphasis given Detroit’s wide-tire-and-stiff-shock approach to handling. And, in fact, the changes from the Mustang GT are generally in the softening direction. Rear springs are substantially softer, as is the front anti-roll bar, and the shocks have reduced resis­tance to very high-speed suspension motions. The idea is to let the suspension move more freely and provide more gradual changes in tire loading.

LOWS: Wind noise, shiny plastic interior, loose suspension at speed.

Don’t disturb the tires when they’re working, in other words. And these are extremely capable tires: 245/45 Z-rated Goodyear Eagles mounted on 7.5-by-17-inch alloy wheels.
If you parachuted into the cockpit and therefore had no idea of the tires, you probably wouldn’t guess the Cobra was a high-performance car from the way it normally behaves. The ride is loose, floaty, and rather disconnected in its feeling on undulating blacktop. Yet the grip is there, 0.85 g on the skidpad.
For all-out, roadcourse performance, this car falls behind the other two, although it easily outruns the Probe GT class of front-drive coupes (December 1992). At its limits, though, it takes more driver skill than all of the others. This is an old and relatively unsophisticated chassis, and it needs very smooth, confident con­trol inputs as you approach the limits.

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AARON KILEYCar and Driver

Otherwise, you get untidy transitions from strong understeer to tail out that make the car wider than one lane. And you’re left on your own for late braking into turns because there is no ABS to cover for you if you lock a wheel. The suspension’s soft­ness may be off-putting for the unconfi­dent driver too, because this car never gives the hard, quick, direct response of the usual performance car.

The Verdict: A fast car that’s not uptight about it.

That’s a plus, or a minus, depending upon your expectations. This is one of America’s quickest production cars at the moment, with a fine engine and most of the equipment you’d expect of such a car, including full instruments on the panel and enough lateral support in the seat to be slightly better than the GM cars for hard driving. But it goes about daily driving in a relaxed, accommodating way that’s defi­nitely out of character for a war horse. If pushing the limits is less important to you than everyday manners, you might rate the Mustang Cobra well above our third-place positioning.
1993 Ford Mustang Cobra235-hp V-8, 5-speed automatic, 3248 lbBase/as-tested price: $19,990/$20,529 (est.)C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 5.6 sec1/4 mile: 14.3 @ 98 mphBraking, 70­–0 mph: 181 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.85 gC/D observed fuel economy: 20 mpg

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AARON KILEYCar and Driver

Second Place: Pontiac Firebird Formula
What you see is what you get with Pontiac’s version of this GM F-body, and what you can’t see is mostly identical to the Camaro. For powertrain, exhaust sound, and chassis tuning, they are tuned identically.
Yet the Firebird was unanimously behind in our balloting, in part because its styling produces real, functional differences—for example, the Firebird dash-top padding rolls off more toward the driver than the Camaro’s, and in the process makes greater reflections on the wind­shield.

HIGHS: Voluptuous body, V-8 libido, solid construction.

There were differences of driving feel too, caused, we think—or more accurately, allowed—by production tolerances. The Firebird came out on the less desirable side of tolerances in several instances. For example, steering feel on very fast sweepers. Imagine a bend in a two-lane road that can be taken at 90 mph with very low lat­eral forces. Skidpad numbers and understeer-oversteer balance are unimportant here, far outweighed by the sort of steering accuracy that enables you to keep confi­dently within your lane. For jobs like this where the small cornering forces caused little buildup of steering effort, the Firebird tended to make unwelcome lateral shifts on its own with no change in steering-wheel position. At speed on narrow rural roads, it felt to be a very “wide” car.

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AARON KILEYCar and Driver

All three of the war horses have tires of aggressively low profile. They’re excellent for very high-performance handling—on the skidpad and on the racetrack—but they’re a mixed benefit on the road. They ride hard, although suspension engineers are learning to tune out harshness: the Camaro and the Firebird have taut control of body motions, yet manage to soften the bumps’ sharp edges to an amazing degree. These tires also tend to self-steer over grooves and troughs in the road so minor that you can’t even see them. And they respond incredibly quickly to steering inputs, with the effect that the transition from straight path to curve often seems too quick—a problem exaggerated by the fast-ratio steering standard on Camaros and Firebirds with V-8 engines. This tire quickness remains, even as lateral force builds toward the adhesion limits. Higher-profile tires lose their quickness much more obviously, thereby signaling their limits. Approaching the limits with the tires in this test requires more driver exper­tise to avoid surprises.

LOWS: Interstate exhaust drone, weak lateral support in seats, reflections on windshield.

All of this should be taken as a com­mentary on the nature of high-performance cars today rather than a criticism of these cars. To get the big performance numbers these war horses deliver, low-profile tires are absolutely necessary. The behavioral quirks that come along with the perfor­mance capability are simply part of the personality.
Do you want the numbers enough to put up with the car? Every potential war­horse buyer should ask himself that ques­tion. Because the Camaro Z28 and Firebird Formula optioned with the 50-series tires as tested here really aren’t just sexy shapes with rumpity-rump exhausts. These are high-performance specialists.
To some degree, these are young men’s cars, too. Young men need strong flavors and loud noises to know they’re having a good time. Take exhaust sound, for exam­ple. Both the Camaro and the Firebird make a V-8 rumble that becomes intense on the Interstate. We don’t know exactly at what age this becomes a damn nuisance, but our guess is that anyone beyond his mid-thirties will wish for something else after just a few mile markers.

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AARON KILEYCar and Driver

And yet much of this car can be appreciated by drivers of any age. The six-speed shifts beautifully, and the LT1 V-8, borrowed from the Corvette but burdened with a more restrictive exhaust, is a thrill producer. Track performance is excellent—0 to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds, top speed of 152 mph, and 0.89 g on the skidpad.
Because of an engine oiling problem, we did not run the Firebird much on the roadcourse, but the machinery is the same as that of the Camaro, so its perfor­mance should be the same within close tolerances.

The Verdict: A sexy American given to even sexier poses.

The seats definitely aren’t up to the car’s track performance. Lateral support is inadequate for the car’s handling, and we thought the lumbar support—not adjustable—was too prominent. This par­ticular car carried few options, hence its low estimated as-tested price of $18,600. The Formula’s standard driver’s-seat track has an additional adjustment (beyond the usual fore-and-aft and backrest angle) that allows the cushion to be raised in front for more thigh support. This is a thoughtful addition, but it still leaves the driving posi­tion lower than some drivers will prefer.
With its lean equipment list, though, this Formula shows how much perfor­mance you can get today for the buck.
1993 Pontiac Firebird Formula275-hp V-8, 6-speed automatic, 3434 lbBase/as-tested price: $18,000/$18,600 (est.)C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 5.5 sec1/4 mile: 14.2 @ 99 mphBraking, 70­–0 mph: 172 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.89 gC/D observed fuel economy: 20 mpg

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AARON KILEYCar and Driver

First Place: Chevrolet Camaro Z28
This car demonstrates how good the new F-body can be when everything is right. We found the sealing of the side windows excellent at speed. Control efforts were agreeable. The body structure is amazingly solid compared with the pre­vious generation, an improvement that gives a quality feel by elimi­nating creaks and squeaks. And any 3452-pound car that clears the quarter-mile in 14.0 seconds at 100 mph and circles the skidpad at 0.92 g is a tremendous performer.

HIGHS: Tastefully rakish shape, V-8 beat and V-8 go, low wind noise.

We like the Camaro’s look better than the Firebird’s, too. The rear spoiler has been deftly inte­grated into the rear quarters. The instrument panel also presents itself in a particularly agreeable way, although the high-level vents over the cluster are assertively goofy and the bright yellow switch-and-gauge markings, instead of the traditional white, suggest a styling depart­ment trying too hard to be different.
Some of the Camaro’s appeal is right down at the basic bad-boy level, too. Around town, the exhaust sound is a per­fect replay of our high-school ideal, snarling at full power, popping and snap­ping on the overrun. The grin it brings is involuntary, and it is wide. We’ve grown up enough to judge it too loud on the Interstate though—way too loud.

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AARON KILEYCar and Driver

This car seemed a bit more comfortable than the Firebird. It has a leather-wrapped wheel, nicer to the touch than the Formula’s plastic rim, and the seat has a less intrusive lumbar support. But much of the difference has to do with the optional four-way power seat that allowed each of us to tailor his own driving position.

LOWS: Interstate exhaust drone, gotta-be-different yellow instrument markings.

Criticism of the driving environment was similarly subjective—the horizontal seam around the ball-shaped, leather-wrapped shift knob was deemed too prominent, for example. And there is another nagging concern that applies to the Firebird as well. The streamlined exte­rior shape is achieved in part by including steeply sloping glass front and rear. The slope contributes to an exciting cockpit feel, but there’s a price—you must look at the world through reflections on the glass. The slope multiplies the vision loss due to the normal accumulation of bugs and road scum, too. The Camaro’s dash-top shape, and its nearly black interior, minimized the reflections in our test car. But as dust accumulates on the dash and as pits, abra­sions, and clouds accumulate on the glass with age, these cars will lose some of the driving fun. We notice, too, the appear­ance of aerodynamic slipperiness is not backed up by the wind tunnel—the Camaro’s drag coefficient is 0.34.

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AARON KILEYCar and Driver

The performance numbers produced by this car are outstanding, and its roadcourse behavior when approaching the limits is quite good by today’s standards, with pre­dictable transitions from understeer to tail out. The standard-equipment ABS gives good stability under braking, too.

The Verdict: A sexy American.

Just as a .44 Magnum is harder to han­dle than a .22, so is this class of car much more demanding of driver skill than the Probe GT class of front-drivers. In moving up the g-force scale from one to the other, it’s easy to see why we call these the war horses—getting the most out of them is serious business. Serious fun, too.
1993 Chevrolet Camaro Z28275-hp V-8, 6-speed automatic, 3452 lbBase/as-tested price: $18,000/$21,000 (est.)C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 5.3 sec1/4 mile: 14.0 @ 100 mphBraking, 70­–0 mph: 165 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.92 gC/D observed fuel economy: 20 mpg
Chronicles of Immoderation
This magazine has always embraced immoderation because that’s what car enthusiasm—any kind of enthusiasm, for that matter—is all about. And over the years, this pony-car class has been a smorgasbord of immoderate machines.
Turn back to the “Z/28 Camaro vs. `Tunnel Port’ Mustang” comparison test in July 1968. SCCA’s Trans-Am series was terrific racing then, a fac­tory-car showdown with Mustang and Camaro as the top guns. For equipment to be legal on the track, the rules said, it had to be sold for the street. Of course the best stuff never was. But the facto­ries could hardly admit—certainly not to a national magazine—they were rac­ing cheaters. So the editor got copies of the SCCA homologation papers and ordered one each thundering Mustang and Camaro just like the factories said anybody could buy. And on the intended week, they came!
The 302 Mustang had intake ports so big they were tunneled around the pushrods, hence the term “tunnel port.” Plus the first set of 60-series tires I’d ever seen-70-series was then the state of the art. The Camaro had a two-four-barrel crossram intake manifold that every Chevy street racer would have risked a felony indictment for.
The performance of this pair ruined us for showroom cars for about two years after. The 3480-pound Camaro ran the quarter in 13.8 seconds at 107 mph, compared with 14.0 at 106 mph for the Mustang. Horsepower in those days was way ahead of the tires, as you can see from the weak ETs.
As primitive as the tires were, they were way ahead of knowledge about handling. Fords in general, and Mustangs in particular, were notorious for understeer, which surprises me even now because Ford’s Dearborn handling track has a series of constant-radius corners that ruthlessly expose an under-steering car. I remember a 1969-model 428 Cobra Jet Mustang that pushed its front tires so hard I could see a plume of smoke stream up past the passenger-side window from the right-front tire. It was common in those days to scuff the front tires clear down the sidewall to midpoint on the letters and barely knock the corners off the rear tread.
The first pony car, actually the first Detroiter in my memory, that didn’t understeer ferociously (the Corvair aside, of course) was the midyear 1970 Firebird Trans Am. It had a beefy rear anti-roll bar (amazing technology in those days) and a torquey, 400-cube engine. The tail could be flicked out with a tickle of the gas or a flick of its black, fat-rimmed Formula 1 style steering wheel. All other Detroiters then had skinny, shiny plastic rims. The Trans Am’s rim was self-skinned plas­tic foam, not leather, but it wasn’t slip­pery. And it looked right for a serious performance car.
In recent years, Pontiac has made a point of telling people it builds excitement. With that Trans Am, no words were necessary.
In those days, every performance-oriented Pontiac we tested came through Jim Wangers at Pontiac’s ad agency, and they all had tweaked engines. Our first test Trans Am ran 14.1 seconds and 103 mph in the quar­ter. It was really fun for me—never mind that no reader ever got one that good—and I had given up on ever driving the pulse-revving equal of it.
That was before this issue. I promise you, the new F-body is world-class immoderate. —PB
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Michael SimariCar and Driver

Up until this May, the Lexus flagship was a literal ship. The Lexus LY650 yacht measured more than 65 feet long, made up to 2700 horsepower, and cost nearly $4 million—until economic uncertainty torpedoed the project.
The $102,025 LC500 convertible is no yacht, but its fabric top folds in 15 seconds at speeds up to 31 mph, and that’s kind of the same thing. The sun on your face and the wind in your hair feel just as fresh whether you’re a billionaire sunbathing in the French Riviera or a mere millionaire headed to the lake house for the weekend.

2019 Lexus LC500 Coupe Gets Even Squishier

The Big Show: 2018 Lexus LC500 Tested

Although it weighs a resolute 4500 pounds, we wouldn’t call the LC500 a barge. It’s more like a classic Chris-Craft for the road with a tight two-plus-two cockpit that looks out over a long and graceful bow. Pin the right pedal, and the LC500 moves like a boat rising on plane. The naturally aspirated 471-hp V-8 exhibits a brief lull as the tach winds up; it feels like a feature that adds to the theatrics rather than a flaw. The 5.0-liter emits a hearty growl down low that builds into a full-throated blare above 6000 rpm, sounding every bit as suggestive as a Jaguar F-type but without the tawdry pops and crackles.

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Michael SimariCar and Driver

Figure on a zero-to-60-mph run in the mid-four-second range and cornering grip closer to 0.90 g than 1.00 g. That’s just quick enough and sticky enough for a car that’s best enjoyed at a brisk pace, not an aggressive one. This is the kind of car you can drive while wearing Crocs and not feel like you should be taking it more seriously. It is easy to place through a fast sweeper and demonstrates admirable body control on rough pavement. Unlike the $93,975 coupe version, there’s some quiver and quake in the softtop LC500’s steering wheel that’s borne from structural flex rather than road feel, but this Lexus otherwise feels solid. The ride perfectly straddles the line between firm and soft, with only the largest heaves and cracks in the road causing the LC to hammer on its optional $2650 forged 21-inch wheels (20s are standard).
There are better choices in this arena for driving fast. The Porsche 911 and the F-type top the list. The LC500 lands right in the sweet spot where you expect a two-door Lexus to be. There’s a clear connection to the brand’s cushy sedans and SUVs in the supple leather, the immaculate detailing, and the sheer size of the thing. Yet the LC500 is also a celebration of soulful, naturally aspirated engines and the joy of open-air driving. It stirs emotions in ways that BMW’s number-generating machines don’t, and that’s exactly how it should be.

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Michael SimariCar and Driver

The only thing watering down the experience is Lexus’s unfathomable infotainment system. It uses a trackpad, which is a bad starting place, and gets worse by burying several key functions deep in the menu structure, such as the heated seat controls. On several screens within the 10.3-inch display, you navigate between virtual controls with left and right swipes while up and down flicks toggle whatever setting you happen to be hovering over. You might think you’ve felt rage before, but have you ever accidentally turned on the ventilated passenger’s seat while trying to turn on the heated driver’s seat—for the third time in two days?
If you can make it past this small detail that’s a major nuisance, the LC500 convertible is a refreshing alternative to six-figure cars that are wrapped up in performance numbers. The LC places the emphasis on the experience: the sound of eight cylinders uncorked, the feel and smell of lush leather, and the sight of that sculpted body that looks as if it were cast in a single mold. We’d like more of this, please, throughout the Lexus lineup and the greater industry.

Specifications

Specifications
2021 Lexus LC500 Convertible
VEHICLE TYPE front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2+2-passenger, 2-door convertible
BASE PRICE $102,025
ENGINE TYPE DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port and direct fuel injectionDisplacement 303 in3, 4969 cm3Power 471 hp @ 7100 rpmTorque 398 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm
TRANSMISSION 10-speed manual automatic
DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 113.0 inLength: 187.4 inWidth: 75.6 inHeight: 53.2 inPassenger volume: 75 ft3Cargo volume: 3 ft3Curb weight (C/D est): 4500 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST) 60 mph: 4.7 sec100 mph: 10.6 sec1/4 mile: 13.1 secTop speed: 168 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST) Combined/city/highway: 18/15/25 mpg

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It’s a year of big debuts for the German auto industry, including a rare overhaul for the Mercedes-Benz S-class. While that Benz will undoubtedly go all-out on luxury, the refreshed Porsche Panamera sharpens its focus on performance. Sure, there are some comfort and convenience upgrades, but who cares about Apple CarPlay when there’s a 630-hp Turbo S? And that’s not even the most powerful Panamera in the quiver.
We had the chance to explore the revised Panamera’s talents when we joined Thomas Friemuth, vice president for the Panamera product line, and a couple of his top engineers for a late round of testing in the Black Forest mountains southwest of Stuttgart.

Tested: 2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid

Tested: Porsche Panamera GTS Is All About the V-8

We couldn’t see the 2021 model’s visual changes, which were hidden under mild camouflage, but we know they’ll be modest. There’s a distinct lower front end for the Turbo S, and the rear end receives slight updates. The taillights now run uninterrupted across the width of the Panamera’s posterior, and the Porsche lettering is three-dimensional. All models receive the Sport Design package, previously an option, which essentially brings more aggressive lower body cladding. Three new wheel designs and two new exterior colors complete the revisions to the Panamera’s exterior.

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Porsche

Inside, the changes are equally subtle. The new steering wheel emphasizes the family resemblance with the 911, and there are some fresh choices in the realm of wood decor. The shift paddles feel solid and expensive, though we’re glad that—unlike on the 911—it’s still possible to manually select gears with a console-mounted shifter that works intuitively: Pull backwards to upshift, push forward to downshift. It took Porsche a long time to reverse that pattern, so we feel obliged to commend them for tacitly admitting that they were once wrong about something.
On the technology front, Porsche upgraded its infotainment system to include new connectivity functions such as Apple CarPlay. Voice recognition is improved, the system is faster, and the central screen features a higher resolution. We still have a few gripes. We’d like a more flexible display in front of the driver, perhaps one inspired by the Taycan, and it wouldn’t hurt if the Sport Chrono clock would kindly disappear at the touch of a button—or at least just not look like such a highbrow afterthought.

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The changes to the Panamera’s powertrain are more significant than the cosmetic and interior tweaks. The entry-level 3.0-liter V-6 makes way for a 2.9-liter V-6, rated at the same 330 horsepower. It is closely related to the engine in the Panamera 4S, which retains the same displacement but could receive a power boost to 450 horsepower. Above that, there’s the Panamera GTS with a detuned version of the Panamera Turbo’s 4.0-liter V-8. The GTS receives a power boost from 453 to 473 horsepower.
Meanwhile, the Panamera Turbo, previously rated at 550 horsepower, disappears to make way for the enthusiast’s ultimate Panamera: the Turbo S, which packs a lofty 620 horsepower. This move required a number of changes to the engine’s inner workings. The pistons and crankshaft are upgraded to withstand the boost from larger turbochargers, and new injectors deliver more fuel. Even the spark plugs are unique. It’s a considerable investment that delivers significantly improved performance.
And then there’s the expanded hybrid lineup, which includes a new mid-level version, the Panamera 4S E-Hybrid. That car slots between the entry-level Panamera 4 Hybrid and the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid. All of them receive a 17.9-kWh battery in place of the old 14.1-kWh pack, leading to about 30 percent more fully electric range (which should in turn bump the EPA-rated electric range to 18 miles). The two lesser models are based on the 2.9-liter V-6, while the Turbo S E-Hybrid continues to be based on the 4.0-liter V-8.

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The entry-level hybrid will remain close to its current 462 horsepower output, and the new Panamera 4S E-Hybrid will be rated at 552 horsepower. The Turbo S E-Hybrid gets an upgrade from the previous 680 horsepower and will now crack the 700-horsepower barrier, although Porsche hasn’t yet finalized the exact output. However, unlike on the non-hybrid Turbo S, its V-8 remains largely unchanged. So, we think the enthusiast’s choice is clear: Give us the Turbo S, without the heavy hybrid technology.
All engines are mated to an ultra-quick eight-speed dual-clutch automatic, and all-wheel drive is standard everywhere except for the base model. During our driving, we found that a case can be made for each engine in the lineup, but the hybrids make the biggest leap from the 2020 models, now feeling more natural and offering more aggressive responses in the sportier modes.
Porsche’s engineers also paid attention to the Panamera’s chassis, with refinements to the adaptive dampers and 48-volt active anti-roll systems. The optional air suspension is retuned for noticeably better comfort in the more docile settings, befitting a car that—despite its low silhouette—offers rear-seat space that approaches 7-series, A8, and S-class territory, especially in the long-wheelbase version.

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On the other end of the settings, the Panamera has become even more aggressive in its performance modes, no doubt in response to new competitors such as the four-door AMG GT and the BMW M8 Gran Coupe. This sports sedan was never lacking in performance, but the changes to the chassis systems, combined with noticeably more precise steering, should ensure it remains dynamically competitive with the best the competition can offer.
Charging through the sparsely traveled roads of the Northern Black Forest, the Panamera feels incredibly nimble and agile. No other car in its class can be positioned with such precision in both tight and fast corners. The stability control system, depending on the setting, allows for a lot of fun before it kicks in. There’ve been times, on luxury-car launches, when a route that included tight roads only served to expose a car’s shortcomings. In the Panamera, roads like that highlight its superior dynamic capabilities.
Porsche will continue to offer the Panamera with a choice of three bodies: regular, long-wheelbase Executive, and Sport Turismo wagon. While development on the next generation has already started, the current car will be with us for the next few years. Despite the proliferation of slinky German four-doors, the Panamera remains a unique proposition, marrying luxury-sedan comfort with sports-car poise. We’ll see it unmasked in late August.
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