Car Reviews

From the September 2023 issue of Car and Driver.Having options is a great thing. Succession or Ted Lasso tonight? Nikes or Skechers to the office today? French fries or a side salad with lunch? BMW is now offering buyers of its all-new max-luxe 7-series sedan an intriguing choice: Gas or electric? With either, the rest of the menu is the same. BMW isn’t the only carmaker building internal-combustion and battery-powered vehicles on the same platform; Ford, Genesis, and Volvo are doing it too. BMW is, however, the first in the upper-crust luxury-sedan space to try it. The 7-series competes with the Mercedes-Benz S-class, but BMW’s rival puts its lozenge-shaped EQS EV on bespoke underpinnings. BMW’s twofer strategy offers the opportunity for a different kind of comparison test: pitting a car against itself. We gathered the gas-fired 760i xDrive and the electric i7 xDrive60 and drove them back to back in hopes of revealing whether one of those propulsion systems better supports the 7-series’ luxury mission. The 760i and the i7 are a natural match for this platform comparison. The 760i’s S68 twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 and the i7’s pair of current-excited AC synchronous motors spin up an identical 536 horses. (The other gas model in the 7-series lineup, the six-cylinder 740i, puts out 375 horsepower.) Torque output is within four pound-feet of each other too. Serendipity. The gas and electric 7s hide their true identities beneath a cloak of virtually identical bodywork. Hint: If you don’t see exhaust tips, it’s the EV. Their mirror-image cabins are a haven of peace, haute design, and plush materials. Climb behind the wheel of either, and you’ll feel like your net worth just shot up faster than a SpaceX rocket. It’s a long scroll down the list of standard equipment, as it should be with cars that start at these prices—$117,395 for the 760i and $120,295 for the i7. From the super-soft leather covering almost every surface and the glass control knobs to the 655-watt Bowers & Wilkins audio system with its delicately hewn metal speaker grilles, every detail is beautifully executed.Greg Pajo|Car and DriverGreg Pajo|Car and DriverThat’s just the start. The 7-series offers a tempting menu of decadent, labor-saving, and driver-assist side dishes. Both of our test cars had enough delectable extras to rival a Rolls-Royce. The good stuff included massaging front and rear seats, a reclining “lounge” right-rear passenger’s seat with a fold-out footrest, automatic doors that power themselves open and closed at the touch of a button (yes, just like on a Rolls), a 31.3-inch fold-down rear screen for streaming entertainment, and an even more powerful Bowers & Wilkins sound system with 36 speakers. All in, their as-tested stickers were close, at $151,845 for the 760i and $151,995 for the i7. Of course, it’s what burbles and hums underneath this master-of-the-universe extravagance that distinguishes these doppelgängers. While the 760i’s front-engine all-wheel-drive layout is thoroughly conventional, the i7 snuggles its flat, 4.3-inch-high, 101.7-kWh battery under the cabin. Getting it to fit required raising the cabin floor slightly, which BMW says reduces rear leg-room by a half-inch—not that you can tell. It’s like a limo back there, essentially identical to the 760i, with enough room for a six-foot human to stretch out fully in the reclining lounge seat once the front passenger’s chair dutifully motors forward. The i7’s raised floorpan reduces trunk space slightly, from 19 cubic feet to 18, and there’s no frunk to make up for the loss.While virtually everything you can see and touch is interchangeable between the gas and electric 7s, their defining personality traits reveal themselves on the road. Where the i7 whooshes, the 760i thrums. The i7 accelerates silently and seamlessly, its progress uninterrupted by a transmission shifting gears. The 760i moves out with the V-8’s expensive-sounding music as a constant, if muted, presence. The gas car’s eight-speed automatic goes almost unnoticed. The V-8 rips too, hurling the 5317-pound 760i to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 11.9 seconds at 117 mph—numbers that are almost dead-on with the new M2’s. The i7 weighs 6084 pounds—batteries are heavy—so it’s no surprise that its straight-line sprints lag behind the 760i’s. The i7, too, benefits from all-wheel-drive traction, and with a 60-mph time of 4.4 seconds and a 12.7-second quarter-mile at 114 mph, it’s plenty quick enough to cause passengers to spill their champagne. Performance numbers aside, the i7’s dead-quiet, smooth-as-melting-Häagen-Dazs demeanor wowed us. “If you told someone there was a Rolls-Royce V-12 up front,” said executive editor K.C. Colwell, “they would believe you.” Electric propulsion feels like a perfect fit with the 7-series’ mission of separate-me-from-reality luxury. Greg Pajo|Car and DriverGreg Pajo|Car and DriverThe i7 has the 760i’s moves too, despite carrying 767 more pounds. Our cars wore optional 21-inch summer rubber and had active anti-roll bars. These BMWs proved nimble for such big boats and close in terms of braking distance and skidpad grip, but they’re not sports sedans. Their air-spring suspensions are tuned for isolation and total comfort rather than back-road shenanigans, and they do a convincing job of repaving even the worst roads. Stress-free convenience is a luxury too, and there’s no question that a car you can fill up anytime, anywhere, with gasoline is easier to live with than one that needs plugging in. Score one for the 760i. But the i7 delivers enough miles between charges to mitigate range anxiety. On our 75-mph highway range test, the electric Bimmer was good for 310 miles, beating its EPA estimate by two miles—though that’s still 40 miles short of what a Mercedes-Benz EQS580 4Matic delivered in our testing. Recharging at home won’t be particularly quick. The i7’s 11.0-kW onboard charger will take the big battery from zero to 100 percent on a Level 2 charger in 10.5 hours, according to BMW. In our DC fast-charge test, conducted at a 350-kW charging station, the i7’s battery level went from 10 to 90 percent in 47 minutes at an average of 102 kilowatts with a peak charging rate of 194 kilowatts. The EQS580 and the Tesla Model S Plaid fast-charge their batteries quicker. We probably don’t need to remind you, but there’s nothing luxurious about a longer wait.Greg Pajo|Car and DriverGreg Pajo|Car and DriverBoth the 760i xDrive and the i7 xDrive60 are elegant, plush, and poised. But one of them is better at the luxury sedan’s core mission of isolating passengers from noise, vibration, and harshness. The hushed powertrain of the i7 puts it closer than its gas sibling to that sensory-deprivation-tank ideal. Yet if you plan on taking cross-country road trips, the 760i would be your no-stress travel companion. You could make the same journeys in an i7, but that would require more planning and a little luck, given the spotty state of America’s charging infrastructure. Stay mainly within 150 miles of home, though, and the creamy, dreamy i7 xDrive60 is the 7-series to have. As options go, that’s an easy one.Arrow pointing downArrow pointing downSpecificationsSpecifications
2023 BMW 760i xDriveVehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $117,395/$151,845 Options: Rear Executive Lounge Seating (reclining seat and footrest, Executive Lounge rear console, BMW Theater Screen), $7250; BMW Individual Composition (Alcantara headliner), $5450; Bowers & Wilkins sound system, $4800; Executive package (automatic doors, crystal headlights, front massaging seats), $3700; Autobahn package (Active Comfort Drive w/ preview, active roll stabilization), $3600; Luxury Rear Seating package (multifunction rear seats, rear massaging seats), $3000; Driving Assistance Pro package (Active Driving Assistant Pro, Highway Assistant), $2100; 21-inch M Aerodynamic Jet Black wheels, $1300; Climate Comfort laminated glass, $1300; M Sport Professional package, $950; Parking Assistance package (Parking Assistant Professional, surround view w/ 3D view), $900; interior camera, $100 
ENGINE
twin-turbocharged DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 268 in3, 4395 cm3Power: 536 hp @ 6500 rpmTorque: 553 lb-ft @ 1800 rpm
TRANSMISSION
8-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: multilink, air springs, active anti-roll bar/multilink, air springs, active anti-roll barBrakes, F/R: 15.6-in vented disc/15.7-in vented discTires: Pirelli P Zero PZ4F: 255/40R-21 (102Y) PNCS ★R: 285/35R-21 (105Y) ★
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 126.6 inLength: 212.2 inWidth: 76.8 inHeight: 60.8 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 58/54 ft3Trunk Volume: 19 ft3Curb Weight: 5317 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 3.5 sec100 mph: 8.6 sec1/4-Mile: 11.9 sec @ 117 mph130 mph: 14.7 secResults above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec.Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 4.7 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 2.5 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 3.0 secTop Speed (gov ltd): 156 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 160 ftBraking, 100–0 mph: 331 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.89 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 20 mpg75-mph Highway Driving: 30 mpg75-mph Highway Range: 580 mi
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 21/18/26 mpg
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2023 BMW i7 xDrive60Vehicle Type: front- and rear-motor, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $120,295/$151,995 Options: Rear Executive Lounge Seating (reclining seat and footrest, executive lounge rear console, BMW Theater Screen), $7250; Executive package (active comfort drive w/ preview, automatic doors, crystal headlights, front massaging seats, active-roll stabilization), $6550; BMW Individual Composition (Alcantara headliner), $5450; Bowers & Wilkins sounds system, $4800; Driving Assistance Pro package (Active Driving Assistance Pro, Highway Assistant) $2100; 21-inch aerodynamic wheels, $1300; climate comfort laminated glass, $1300; Parking Assistance package (Parking Assistant Professional, surround view w/ 3D view), $1250; Smoke White Full Merino leather, $1000;  Luxury Rear Seating package (rear massaging seats), $600; interior camera, $100 
POWERTRAIN
Front Motor: current-excited synchronous AC, 255 hp, 269 lb-ft Rear Motor: current-excited synchronous AC, 308 hp, 280 lb-ft Combined Power: 536 hpCombined Torque: 549 lb-ftBattery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 101.7 kWhOnboard Charger: 11.0 kWPeak DC Fast-Charge Rate: 195 kWTransmissions: direct-drive
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: multilink, air springs, active anti-roll-bar/multilink, air-springs, active anti roll barBrakes, F/R: 14.7-in vented disc/14.6-in vented discTires: Pirelli P Zero PZ4F: 255/40R-21 (102Y) PNCS ★R: 285/35R-21 (105Y) ★
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 126.6 inLength: 212.2 inWidth: 76.8 inHeight: 60.8 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 58/54 ft3Trunk Volume: 18 ft3Curb Weight: 6084 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 4.4 sec100 mph: 9.8 sec1/4-Mile: 12.7 sec @ 114 mph130 mph: 18.4 secResults above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 4.6 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 1.8 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 2.5 secTop Speed (gov ltd): 150 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 162 ftBraking, 100–0 mph: 331 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.92 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY AND CHARGING
Observed: 73 MPGe75-mph Highway Driving: 94 MPGe75-mph Highway Range: 310 miAverage DC Fast-Charge Rate, 10–90%: 102 kWDC Fast-Charge Time, 10–90%: 47 min
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 87/85/89 MPGeRange: 310 mi
C/D TESTING EXPLAINEDDirector, Buyer’s GuideRich Ceppos has evaluated automobiles and automotive technology during a career that has encompassed 10 years at General Motors, two stints at Car and Driver totaling 19 years, and thousands of miles logged in racing cars. He was in music school when he realized what he really wanted to do in life and, somehow, it’s worked out. In between his two C/D postings he served as executive editor of Automobile Magazine; was an executive vice president at Campbell Marketing & Communications; worked in GM’s product-development area; and became publisher of Autoweek. He has raced continuously since college, held SCCA and IMSA pro racing licenses, and has competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona. He currently ministers to a 1999 Miata and a 1965 Corvette convertible and appreciates that none of his younger colleagues have yet uttered “Okay, Boomer” when he tells one of his stories about the crazy old days at C/D. More

It seems like every mainstream SUV now offers a rugged-looking off-road variant. With its redesigned 2023 Pilot, Honda beefed up the TrailSport trim, giving this version of the three-row crossover additional equipment to enhance its off-pavement capabilities. But what if you’re not tackling trails? What if you’re just shuttling kids around, hauling cargo, and taking road trips? Then you might choose the Honda Pilot Elite. We tested that model to see how the normcore version differs from its tough-guy sibling.HIGHS: Well-packaged interior, unruffled ride, better fuel economy than the TrailSport.What we found is that it doesn’t—at least not by much. And that’s kind of surprising. Typically, we see that a mainstream model will beat the off-road specialist in several key areas, owing to more pavement-oriented tires and a more street-friendly suspension. We’d expect lower noise, better fuel economy, more cornering grip, and possibly a shorter braking distance. We saw some of these trends with the Ford Explorer Timberline and the Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek as compared with their mainstream counterparts. But—with one major exception—results for the Pilot TrailSport were not surpassed by those of the Pilot Elite.All Pilots use a 3.5-liter V-6, which is heavily revised this year—switching from a single-overhead-cam setup to dual overhead cams—but sees only a token 5-hp increase to 285 horsepower. The naturally aspirated engine’s peak 262 lb-ft of torque arrives at 5000 rpm, so you need to rev this V-6 harder than most turbocharged engines. The Elite was 0.3 ticks behind the TrailSport in both the sprint to 60 mph (7.2 seconds) and the quarter-mile (15.7 seconds at 90 mph), and the Elite also ran 0.2 behind its brawnier sibling in the 50-to-70-mph passing acceleration test. Moreover, all of these results are toward the back of the class when looking at rival three-rows.This powertrain may not be an acceleration champ, but it need not make any apologies for its drivability, with silky tip-in. The smooth-shifting transmission doesn’t hesitate to shuffle through the 10 available forward ratios, keeping the engine from lugging up hills.All-wheel drive is standard on the Elite, as it is on the TrailSport (all other trims come standard with front-wheel drive). According to the EPA, the Pilot Elite’s 19-mpg city rating is 1 mpg better than the TrailSport’s, and the 25-mpg highway estimate is 2 mpg better than the more off-road-oriented model. We found the difference to be greater in our 75-mph highway fuel-economy test, however, where the Pilot Elite returned 27 mpg to the TrailSport’s 22 mpg. That’s about where the Elite superiority ended, though. It recorded the same, somewhat disappointing 189-foot stop from 70 mph, and it held no advantage on the skidpad, with a 0.84-g result lagging the TrailSport’s 0.85 g. Granted, that cornering grip is good for this segment, as the all-wheel-drive Pilot’s rear axle can apportion torque from side to side to aid agility. Too bad the numb, overboosted steering provides no incentive to explore that capability and also has little sense of on-center when you’re cruising down the highway.In such a scenario, you might engage Honda’s standard lane-keeping assist, which works well, even if it’s twitchier than a smooth human driver would be. The system does require a hand on the wheel but can be used independently of the adaptive cruise control. Adding to the road-trip bliss, the suspension does an excellent job of sopping up broken pavement, transmitting with minimal disturbance to the cabin, and yet ride motions are well controlled.LOWS: Numb steering, long 70-mph stopping distance, top trim could be fancier.Whereas the TrailSport dials up the ride height by 1.0 inch for extra ground clearance, other Pilots are slightly easier to climb into. All have easy access to the standard third row, as one push button scoots and tilts the second-row seat out of the way for access to the rearmost bench. Climb back there, and you discover it’s roomy enough for an average-size adult, provided the middle row isn’t set all the way back. It likely won’t be, since the second row is very spacious and also features a flat floor.Though the 2023 Pilot is nearly four inches longer than its predecessor, it’s still far from the biggest in its competitive set, and it certainly does not feel as massive from behind the wheel as, say, the Volkswagen Atlas or the Chevrolet Traverse. The pillars haven’t become super beefy, and the Pilot affords its pilot a decent view out. There’s also a multiview camera system that’s exclusive to the Elite and the TrailSport. Related StoriesThe new model’s extra length pays dividends in cargo space—we fit six carry-on-bag-sized boxes behind the third row. There’s also a fairly large bay under the floor, big enough to stow the removable center section of the second-row bench. (Some Pilots, with second-row captain’s chairs, have a smaller underfloor bay.)The driver enjoys a fairly straightforward interface, outside of the push-button shifting (which Honda has abandoned in the latest Accord), and we appreciate the physical climate controls. The 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system in the upper trims has wireless phone mirroring, although in our experience, Android Auto wouldn’t always pair wirelessly. The head-up display is an Elite exclusive, as is the screen-based instrument cluster.Console stowage is fairly typical, though it’s supplemented by a shelf in front of the front-seat passenger. The $53,755 Elite is the very fanciest Pilot, and our test vehicle had no-cost two-tone brown and black leather. The design and materials are pleasant enough, but there’s nothing here to worry the Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy.VERDICT: Either Pilot takes you on much the same journey.So, it turns out that either Honda Pilot variant delivers much the same experience. The pavement-focused version has a material advantage in fuel economy over the off-road model, but that’s about the extent of it. Choose your flight path accordingly.Arrow pointing downArrow pointing downSpecificationsSpecifications
2023 Honda Pilot EliteVehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 8-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $53,755/$53,755
ENGINE
DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 212 in3, 3471 cm3Power: 285 hp @ 6100 rpmTorque: 262 lb-ft @ 5000 rpm
TRANSMISSION
10-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/multilinkBrakes, F/R: 13.8-in vented disc/13.0-in discTires: Bridgestone Alenza Sport A/S255/50R-20 105H M+S
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 113.8 inLength: 199.9 inWidth: 78.5 inHeight: 71.0 inPassenger Volume, F/M/R: 57/57/40 ft3Cargo Volume, behind F/M/R: 87/49/19 ft3Curb Weight: 4670 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 7.2 sec1/4-Mile: 15.7 sec @ 90 mph100 mph: 20.1 secResults above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 7.6 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 4.1 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 5.4 secTop Speed (gov ltd): 112 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 189 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.84 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 20 mpg75-mph Highway Driving: 27 mpg75-mph Highway Range: 490 mi
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 21/19/25 mpg
C/D TESTING EXPLAINEDDeputy Editor, Reviews and FeaturesJoe Lorio has been obsessed with cars since his Matchbox days, and he got his first subscription to Car and Driver at age 11. Joe started his career at Automobile Magazine under David E. Davis Jr., and his work has also appeared on websites including Amazon Autos, Autoblog, AutoTrader, Hagerty, Hemmings, KBB, and TrueCar. More

From the November 1997 issue of Car and Driver.Since its debut in Paris in 1975, the Giugiaro-penned Esprit, among the world’s supercars, has always been something of a red-headed stepchild. Not for its wedge­-of-Colby shape—which to­day, frankly, is beginning to look a little moldy—but for its four-cylinder engine. In Club Supercar, the price of admis­sion has always been at least twice that many pistons, though a turbo’d six might pass muster if it hailed from Stuttgart. Twenty-two years into the Esprit’s life, Lotus has finally fitted this cuneiform conun­drum with an alloy powerplant of appro­priate snootiness: four camshafts, 32 valves, eight cylinders, two Garrett T25 turbochargers, and a flat-plane crankshaft. Get all that hardware whirring harmo­niously and it whips up 350 horsepower—50 more than the raucous 2.2-liter four-­banger produced in the old Esprit S4S.More Lotus Reviews From the ArchiveOf course, flat cranks are prone to drone and emit hard­-edged metallic thrashing noises that are—and this must be a coincidence—remark­ably like the noises emanating from Lotus’s peaky old K­-car–ish 2.2. With the throttle wide open, the new V-8 con­jures 89 dBA of cacophony, which is within an aural hair of matching the trucklike din inside a Dodge Viper GTS.Partly because of the turbos, the V-8’s response isn’t particu­larly Viperish, either. Sub-3000-rpm torque—the sort of grunt you’d like while tootling around corners in second gear—is largely AWOL. In fact, the V-8 disap­points on almost every count until you’re really cuffing it hard, running to the 6900-rpm redline in each gear (where the vibra­tion, incidentally, sets interior trim bits to buzzing in sympathy). Which is also when you notice the countryside beginning to blur past in dizzying spurts, like an 8mm home movie that has vaulted its sprockets.Though the new V-8 may not sound Ferrari-esque, it certainly inspires the Esprit to supercar velocities. Sixty mph now manifests in a spine-straightening 4.1 seconds—three-tenths quicker than the old four-cylinder Esprit S4S and seven-tenths sooner than the still-older Esprit Turbo SE. In fact, that 0-to-60 time places this Lotus only a tenth of a second behind a Viper GTS, which, of course, has the advantage of two more cylinders and 100 extra horse­power. The Esprit V-8 decimates the quarter-mile in 12.7 seconds at 112 mph—three-tenths and 4 mph better than the old S4S. And it rushes to 150 mph 10.3 sec­onds sooner than the S4S, placing this Lotus only one second shy of the 0-to-150-mph time of, say, a Ferrari F355. HIGHS: Sheer velocity, as in 0 to 60 in 4.1 seconds and a 173-mph top speed.Top speed is up, too, from the S4S’s 162 mph to a more provocative 173 mph, which comes with the V-8 bawling and fuming at 6100 rpm. Running at that clip around our standard four-mile high-­banked oval, the Esprit was stable—not exactly a rock, but as confidently planted as a CS Corvette running at a like speed. What’s more, the Esprit V-8 would have logged even quicker results were its shifter not so diabolical. The linkage is stiff and imprecise and undergoes as many jerks and seizures between throws as Mark Fidrych. At random intervals, we were locked out of first and reverse. Helping not at all is a heavy clutch—with abrupt takeup in the last inch of travel, plus suf­ficient driveline windup that you soon learn never to jump too quickly out of the throttle lest you snap your passenger’s head. Around town, the Esprit resists being driven smoothly. Whether it’s the fault of the new 18-inch Michelin rear tires we can’t say, but this Esprit steered less confidently than previous examples. Although the steering is generally progressive and nicely weighted, it is hesitant to self-center and is not altogether diligent about seeking straight ahead, a nuisance on bumpy inter­states. Of course, what Lotuses do best is handle. Fortunately, the new V-8 increases the Esprit’s weight by only 98 pounds and exaggerates its rear bias by a mere two per­cent. Skidpad grip hangs steady at a tendon-popping 0.94 g, same as the S4S, same as a Porsche 911 Turbo S. Pitch this Esprit hard into an on-ramp and it’s as flat and vice-free as an Iowa councilman. In sharper turns, a steady throttle will induce benign understeer; provoke the pedal and you’ll trigger a couple of don’t-tread-on-me warning twitches, but the car remains less likely to swap ends than an Acura NSX. LOWS: Heavy clutch, balky shifter, thrashy idle, cramped cockpit.The ride is acceptable by current supercar standards, but if you live near truly rough roads, beware: The suspension condones approximately one inch of supple flex before the dampers stiffen into solid-steel I-beams. Fortunately, the narrow seats are comfortable for four-hour stints, though the skinny footwells taper inward so that the driver’s left foot has nowhere to rest except atop—sometimes behind—the clutch. The Esprit’s Brembo calipers—as big as individual loaves of pumpernickel—­look and act like racing brakes. They work better as friction builds. At first, pedal effort is high, but if you’re willing to flatten a Florsheim to engage the new Kelsey-Hayes ABS, you can dispose of 70 mph in only 165 feet. That’s not far off our supercar standard of 151 feet, set by a 911 Turbo S. Discriminating pedestrians still go berserk when they spy an Esprit, and they often guess at a sticker price twice the reality. Our car looked notably fetching and malevolent in Bat Masterson black, a shade that helps camouflage the tack-on wheel-well flares. Alas, peering out of an Esprit is still akin to peeking through a gun slit in a dark bunker, so you won’t see many passersby gesturing an appreciative thumbs up. You also won’t see concrete parking stanchions, one of which smote our test car’s wing a concussive lick. It’s nice that Lotus is holding the line on the Esprit’s price. The V-8’s base, including a $1300 guzzler tax (but before luxury tax), is $81,620. Compare that with the $80,645 sticker on the 1990 Turbo SE and you can see that the asking price, over the past seven years, has risen negligibly. Of course, the car has looked the same all those years, too. But that may not matter. Only 155 Esprit V-8s are earmarked for U.S. buyers this year. Heck, if you were to gather every Esprit ever built, you’d have only 9383 of the things—about the number of Explorers that Ford produced in one week last July. VERDICT: Though the V-8 places the Esprit foursquare in supercardom, the rest of the vehicle is showing its 22-year age.That this is the best-assembled and fastest Esprit in the model’s 22-year his­tory is undisputed. The paint on our raven bombshell, for instance, was the best we’ve seen on any Lotus. But the Esprit’s bizarre ergonomics—just try to operate the Alpine stereo, we dare you—plus its pan­cake-flat windscreen and its archaic archi­tecture conspire to advertise this car’s age a little too freely. We can’t help wondering what Lotus’s engineers, given the fiscal wherewithal, might accomplish given a clean sheet of foolscap. Arrow pointing downArrow pointing downSpecificationsSpecifications
1998 Lotus Esprit V-8Vehicle Type: mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $85,270/$85,270
ENGINEtwin-turbocharged DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injectionDisplacement: 214 in3, 3504 cm3Power: 350 hp @ 6500 rpmTorque: 295 lb-ft @ 4250 rpm 
TRANSMISSION5-speed manual
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: control arms/multilinkBrakes, F/R: 11.7-in vented disc/7.9-in vented discTires: Michelin Pilot SXF: 235/40ZR-17R: 285/35ZR-18
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 96.0 inLength: 172.0 inWidth: 73.5 inHeight: 45.3 inPassenger Volume: 49 ft3Trunk Volume: 8 ft3Curb Weight: 3067 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 4.1 sec100 mph: 10.2 sec1/4-Mile: 12.7 sec @ 112 mph130 mph: 18.6 sec150 mph: 29.7 secRolling Start, 5–60 mph: 5.4 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 8.4 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 6.7 secTop Speed (drag ltd): 173 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 165 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.94 g 
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 14 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMYCity/Highway: 15/23 mpg 
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED More

Lucid’s lead chassis engineer punched me in the face. It wasn’t on purpose. I’d asked David Lickfold to video the speedometer while I tried the launch control in the 2024 Air Sapphire, and even knowing what to expect, he couldn’t fight the forces of physics. The phone hit my cheekbone with a hard crack, and the rest of the video is just me laughing and Lickfold apologizing. It earned me an afternoon with an ice pack, but it’s a heck of a way to demonstrate the acceleration of Lucid Motors’ supersedan. The Air MaxFrom the get-go, Lucid knew it wanted to offer an all-out version of the Air. The Air Sapphire aims to establish Sapphire as a performance subbrand, like AMG or SVR, that could find its way to future models, such as the upcoming Lucid Gravity SUV. This was quite an engineering ask. Even one of the most laid-back of Lucid’s cars, the dual-motor Air Pure, will get to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, which is already high-performance territory for most machines. The Lucid team had to not only make Sapphire stand out with unheard-of performance numbers but also give it daily drivability. They didn’t hold back. The three-motor Air Sapphire has 1234 peak horsepower, which is unleashed in its Track mode, and 1430 lb-ft of torque. It also has bragworthy claims of a top speed of 205 mph and a 0-to-60 time of 1.9 seconds, quick enough to knock the wind out of your chest and imprint your face on a phone screen. Our test drive was more of a teaser—full testing and track time will come later this year, although we already ran a Sapphire development prototype around Virginia International Raceway. There were enough turns and straightaways on our quick jaunt to get some sense of how madcap bonkers the Sapphire is. Not only will it slam your head back fast enough to emboss the Lucid bear logos from the headrest in the back of your skull, but it also turns and, thankfully, brakes, like a car half its size and weight. There’s a lot of wizardry going on under the Sapphire’s peaceful midnight-blue metalflake to make it go and stop like it does. Everything from the traction-control system to the suspension knuckles have been tweaked or, in some cases, completely redesigned with massive horsepower management in mind. Lucid Air Sapphire DesignThe Sapphire’s exterior isn’t race-car shouty like some of its winged and tunneled GT competitors. “I think we’re all big fans of what I would call ‘high performance under the radar,'” said Derek Jenkins, senior VP of design for Lucid. Don’t look for a big swan-neck wing or hollowed-out body panels. If you want to spot the Sapphire, note the extended front splitter etched with the Sapphire name and the taller rear ducktail for improved stability at high speed. The Sapphire also does away with the glass canopy roof, replacing it with aluminum, which weighs less and lowers the center of gravity. The whole car sits lower on larger, wider wheels and tires, 20 inches in the front and 21 in the rear, both wrapped in a just-for-Sapphire Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tire that uses a firmer compound in the center and a stickier rubber for the shoulders to optimize grip in the corners and traction in a straight line. The wheels are an open-spoke design specific to Sapphire and come with optional carbon-fiber aero covers. Although who would want to hide those massive carbon-ceramic rotors? They look like small planets orbiting behind the wheels—16.5-inch rotors with 10-piston calipers in the front and 15.4-inch rotors with four-piston calipers in the rear. Lickfold says that the team tested several variants of rotor before choosing discs from U.K.-based Surface Transforms, a company that specializes in carbon-ceramic made from longer strands of fiber for better thermal management. If you’re going to make a street car that runs a 9.0-second quarter-mile time, it’s a good feature if it can slow down at the finish line. Repeatedly. Inside, the Sapphire retains the large screen and minimalist layout of other Lucid Air models but adds bolstering to the front seats and some sporty flourishes, such as blue stitching on the dark-gray Alcantara seats and door panels. The same material covers the headliner, which would make the interior a dark, mousey cave in a smaller car, but looks lush in the Lucid’s large cabin. Unlike some high-performance variants, Lucid decided against de-contenting the interior for weight savings, so the sport seats still offer heating, ventilation, and massage functions. The rear seat remains fully padded for passengers. Jenkins says that while there are growing numbers of EV track clubs, the majority of buyers for the Sapphire are looking for a daily flex, not an all-out racer, so maintaining comfort and utility was crucial to a successful design. The Sapphire’s Engineering ChangesThe majority of changes in the Sapphire are really under the Sapphire, in its third motor, retuned suspension, and unnervingly quick chassis software. With one motor up front and two in the rear, the Sapphire needed to be able to control power delivery both front to rear and, in the back, left to right. Putting down more than 1000 horsepower, even to wide, sticky tires, requires ultraquick adjustments. Chassis engineer Lickfold says the available vendor-supplied traction-control systems could react every 20 milliseconds. The Sapphire’s in-house central vehicle control unit measures and responds in one millisecond. “It’s faster than humans can perceive,” he said, right before instructing me to floor the car in the apex of a left-hand turn. I did, and there was barely a chirp as the big sedan leaped forward into the appropriate lane. It’s unnatural. Drive this car for a few weeks, and it would be hard to go back to anything else again. Related StoriesThe new software isn’t just for terrifying passengers on corner exit. It can also be used to adjust the Sapphire’s handling characteristics, slowing or speeding the rear wheels independently of each other to mimic the sedate turning radius of a long luxury car or the sharp reactions of a rear-wheel-drive V-8 in a short-wheelbase vehicle. In addition to the existing models’ Smooth and Swift drive modes, there’s a Sapphire mode that feeds in more of the available 1234 horses, and a Track mode that relaxes the traction management and tightens up steering and suspension. Track mode opens a sub-menu that includes Dragstrip, Hot Lap, and Endurance programs, which condition the battery and energy management to offer the most for a short time, or enough to go a longer session. Think of them as Qualifying and Track Day settings. Air Sapphire Range and PriceWith such a short stint behind the wheel, we barely put a dent in the Sapphire’s promised 427 miles of range. The Sapphire uses a 118.0-kWh battery, and with a 900-volt architecture, it should be able to recharge at rates up to 300 kW at a DC fast-charger. The Sapphire is on sale now, with a starting price of $250,575, and deliveries should begin in September 2023. In the EV horsepower wars, Lucid may have just thrown a knockout punch. Arrow pointing downArrow pointing downSpecificationsSpecifications
2024 Lucid Air SapphireVehicle Type: front- and rear-motor, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE
Base: $250,575
POWERTRAIN
Front Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous ACRear Motors: 2 permanent-magnet synchronous ACCombined Power: 1234 hpCombined Torque: 1430 lb-ftBattery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 118.0 kWhOnboard Charger: 19.2 kWPeak DC Fast-Charge Rate: 300 kWTransmissions, F/R: direct-drive
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 116.5 inLength: 197.5 inWidth: 78.5 inHeight: 55.4 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 61/45 ft3Cargo Volume: 32 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 5400 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 1.9 sec100 mph: 3.8 sec1/4-Mile: 9.0 secTop Speed: 205 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST)
Combined/City/Highway: 105/104/105 MPGeRange: 427 miSenior Editor, FeaturesLike a sleeper agent activated late in the game, Elana Scherr didn’t know her calling at a young age. Like many girls, she planned to be a vet-astronaut-artist, and came closest to that last one by attending UCLA art school. She painted images of cars, but did not own one. Elana reluctantly got a driver’s license at age 21 and discovered that she not only loved cars and wanted to drive them, but that other people loved cars and wanted to read about them, which meant somebody had to write about them. Since receiving activation codes, Elana has written for numerous car magazines and websites, covering classics, car culture, technology, motorsports, and new-car reviews.     More

Lotus is rightly proud of the chassis-tuning expertise that has created so many fine roadgoing sports cars over the decades. Yet the British company has long been agnostic when it comes to the question of where it gets its engines. The list of previous suppliers includes Ford, Renault, GM, Rover, Honda, and Toyota. Now that list has a new addition: Mercedes-AMG, which builds the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that powers the entry-level 2024 Lotus Emira.This is the M139 engine that is used in models including the CLA45 and GLA45, although Lotus is getting a lower state of tune. In the Emira hierarchy, it sits below the existing V-6—which uses a supercharged 3.5-liter engine from Toyota—but the gap in performance (also in price) between the two variants is small. The four-cylinder makes 360 horsepower, while the V-6 has 400 ponies, and the smaller engine produces slightly more torque—317 lb-ft versus 310. According to Lotus’s own claims, the 2.0-liter’s 4.3-second 60-mph time is just a tenth behind the V-6’s. Complicating that comparison is the fact that the two engines don’t share a transmission. The V-6 has a standard six-speed manual and the option of a six-speed torque-converter automatic. The four-cylinder is paired solely with the eight-speed dual-clutch automatic that’s familiar from transverse-mounted AMG powertrains. The mass of the new gearbox means the four-cylinder is barely lighter than the six, with Lotus claiming a 3187-pound curb weight for the 2.0-liter car and 3212 pounds for the 3.5. The company says a new cast-aluminum rear subframe is responsible for 26 pounds of weight reduction—or one pound less than the difference. Despite their proximity on paper, this second Emira variant possesses a very different personality. The AMG engine has huge muscle but feels less sophisticated than the supercharged V-6. At low rpm, there is noticeable turbo lag, and even at higher revs, it takes a couple of beats for boost to build in response to sudden accelerator inputs. The inline-four is also louder than the V-6, with an exhaust note that turns gravelly at higher speeds and wider throttle openings, overlaid by plenty of induction noise and whistle from the turbocharger. All of this adds to the excitement, if not the sense of refinement. When we first drove the V-6 Emira, we reckoned that its engine lacked character. The inline-four may well have too much. As in its Mercedes applications, the dual-clutch gearbox shifts quickly and near seamlessly, changing gears much more quickly than is possible with the V-6’s manual (we have yet to experience the six-cylinder’s torque-converter auto). In drive, the gearbox alters its shifting strategy according to which of the Emira’s dynamic modes is selected. But even in the softest Tour setting, the system kicks down aggressively under modest throttle increases, presumably to help spin up the turbo. Sport mode brings an even more aggressive algorithm and a flat-out refusal to upshift into the tallest gears even when cruising. (And with eighth gear pulling 1500 rpm at an indicated 65 mph, the tallest gear is very tall.)Fortunately, manual gear selection is simple and enjoyable, with pleasingly solid-feeling metal shift paddles behind the steering wheel. When the gearbox’s electronic brain anticipates a shift, gearchanges are delivered almost seamlessly—shifting up when accelerating or down when braking. But we did notice foibles. It was easy to hit the rev limiter when upshifting at the prompt of the digital dashboard’s upshift warning, as if the display were lagging slightly. The transmission also often grew confused when asked to deliver multiple upshifts or downshifts close together, with a pause that was often long enough to trigger a second request and greater confusion. The main gear selector always defaults to a central position and requires double inputs to change gear. In drive, pushing it forward first engages neutral; a second push forward is needed to get into reverse. Going from reverse to drive is the same two-stage process, which was mildly irritating.When we finally get to run numbers on both variants, we would be unsurprised to discover that the four-cylinder is the quickest Emira, thanks to both its ultraquick transmission and a launch-control function. To activate launch control in Sport or Track modes, left-foot brake from a standstill, floor the accelerator, and release the brake to launch the car. Lotus says the four-cylinder Emira has a top speed of 171 mph, which is 9 mph in arrears of the V-6. Given the similarities in output, that claim may have more to do with marketing than engineering reality. The rest of the 2.0-liter’s driving experience remains similar to that of the V-6, delivering the sort of dynamic purity Lotus is most famous for. The Emira uses electrohydraulic steering rather than full electrical assistance and employs passive rather than adaptive dampers. Buyers of the First Edition car will be able to select from two different chassis tunes: the firmer Sport or the softer Tour. Our sample car was a Sport riding on the optional track-biased Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires in place of the standard Goodyear Eagle F1s. On Lotus’s Hethel test track, the combination was brilliant, delivering huge grip and minimal understeer. Lotus engineers are rightly proud of the stability-control tuning that has been jointly developed with Bosch. In the Sport mode, the system allows significant rear-end slip before intervention, yet still steps in before a slide turns into a spin. Unlike the V-6, the four-cylinder Emira doesn’t get a limited-slip differential, but it never felt short of traction or discipline even at circuit speeds. But most of our experience took place on normal U.K. roads, where we were soon wishing for the softer Tour chassis. The Sport setup feels very firm in the real world, impressively maintaining order over high-speed ridges and compressions but with ride quality becoming harsh at lower speeds over poor surfaces. Rougher roads also resulted in lots of steering kickback, the trade-off for the high-definition feedback offered by the hydraulic assistance. Given the pliancy that has characterized many of our favorite Lotus models over the years, the Sport chassis feels a little too uncompromising. Much else is worthy of praise. The Emira’s cabin is far classier than that of any earlier Lotus sports car, with quality materials and a nice-looking central display in addition to Volvo-sourced switchgear. The audio system is powerful and impressively crisp by sports-car standards, and the Emira’s seats stayed comfortable after several hours behind the wheel. Luggage space is scant, with a tiny four-cubic-foot compartment behind the engine plus a modest amount of space behind the seats. There is no front luggage compartment, although it looks as if there should be space for one, as there is in the Porsche 718 Cayman.More on the Lotus EmiraMention of the Emira’s most obvious rival brings us to the question of money. In truth, choosing the four-cylinder Lotus will not save much over the V-6. In the U.S., the fully loaded First Edition, as driven here, is set to cost $99,900 before the as-yet-undetermined destination cost is added; the corresponding V-6 First Edition is priced at $105,400. Both are significantly more expensive than an equivalent Porsche 718—those being the $81,950 Cayman S and the $96,850 Cayman GTS 4.0. A base Emira 2.0-liter will follow. We don’t know how much cheaper it will be, but will certainly cost more than the $77,100 we reported back in 2021, before production delays pushed back the Emira’s U.S. launch date. We can also anticipate more powerful four-cylinder versions to follow, with Lotus insiders admitting that the AMG engine will ultimately become the sole Emira powerplant. Arrow pointing downArrow pointing downSpecificationsSpecifications
2024 Lotus Emira i4Vehicle Type: mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE (C/D EST)
Base, $90,000; First Edition, $102,000
ENGINE
turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 122 in3, 1991 cm3Power: 360 hp @ 6600 rpmTorque: 317 lb-ft @ 3000 rpm
TRANSMISSION
8-speed dual-clutch automatic
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 101.4 inLength: 173.7 inWidth: 74.6 inHeight: 48.3 inPassenger Volume: 46 ft3Trunk Volume: 4 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 3300 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 4.2 sec100 mph: 10.4 sec1/4-Mile: 12.8 secTop Speed: 171 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST)
Combined/City/Highway: 21/18/27 mpgSenior European CorrespondentRoad & Track’s man on the other side of the pond, Mike Duff lives in Britain but reports from across Europe, sometimes beyond.
He has previously held staff roles on UK titles including CAR, Autocar and evo, but his own automotive tastes tend towards the Germanic, owning both a troublesome 987-generation Porsche Cayman S and a Mercedes 190E 2.5-16. More

On paper, the Porsche 718 Spyder RS is a Cayman GT4 RS without a roof and without a wing, though it is hardly without. While it lacks the rollover protection desired for a racetrack and the downforce needed to increase apex speed, the Spyder RS has more driver engagement than an Army Surplus has OD green. But it’s light on fatigue because it also rides well.Will it excel on a racetrack, as implied by the RS suffix—for rennsport, German for motor racing? Absolutely. But Andreas Preuninger and his team, those responsible for all Porsche’s GT cars, didn’t even attempt a Nürburgring lap time. Which, if you ask us, is a little weird because even the Panamera and the Cayenne have laps on record.Less weight, more moneyThe result might very well be peak road car. With the 4.0-liter’s intake inches away from your left ear, every trip to 9000 rpm puts you in a valvetrain trance that’s only broken by the unwavering brakes. Iron rotors are standard, but opt for the carbon-ceramic stoppers ($8000) if unsprung and rotating mass are top concerns. The ceramic rotors save about 40 pounds, and once you’re there you might as well go for the magnesium wheels ($15,640) that shave another 22 pounds. But to get the wheels, you also have to check the box for the Weissach package ($14,730 with the required interior upgrades). The Weissach package is mainly an appearance kit consisting of exposed carbon-fiber components that are otherwise painted, a faux-suede dash, and a tiny carbon lip on the duck-like spoiler. Tacking nearly $40,000 onto a $163,650 Boxster that isn’t supposed to see track duty seems excessive unless you have a fetish for exposed carbon fiber. But we don’t judge.To make this Spyder RS extra harmonious with public roads, the GT team did something it has never done with an RS car: reduce spring rates. Compared to the GT4 RS, they’re down by 55 percent in front and 43 percent in the rear. There’s no wing, no underbody strakes, and a 2.0-inch shorter front splitter. The Spyder RS also rides 0.2 inch higher. But the engine is the same 493-hp 4.0-liter with individual throttle bodies (that’s one per cylinder) and dry-sump lubrication. A seven-speed dual-clutch is the sole transmission. Considering that Porsche emphasizes this being a road car, a manual would have made more sense, but we’re told there isn’t a row-your-own gearbox available that can spin fast enough, that has enough torque capacity, and that will fit. The upside to the PDK is unflappable launch control. Porsche says the Spyder RS will hit 60 in 3.2 seconds, but we got 2.8 out of a GT4 RS, a number we fully expect the roofless model to compete with. In fact, most of the acceleration numbers will be similar. The Spyder RS is just 11 pounds lighter than the GT4 RS, per Porsche.Cropped TopFor those wanting to explore the upper limits of the Spyder’s speed, know that the 191-mph top speed is with the roof removed. Porsche says not to exceed 122 mph when the roof is in place—although calling the 18-pound top a roof is like calling a three-ounce poncho a jacket. The two-piece design is an assemble-it-yourself affair. If you’re versed in the Spyder ways, it can be done solo in under two minutes. Despite its loin-cloth appearance, the top functions more like modern compression shorts. It has a tension cable that eliminates buffeting. And you can run it without the rear glass portion, like a bikini top on a Jeep CJ7. It’s not as convenient as the manual Miata-like roof in the standard Spyder, though Porsche claims it to be 17 pounds lighter.Hammer on this car on a two-lane to reveal the magic. It isn’t just the more supple ride bestowed by softer springs. Despite the on-road focus, the suspension is devoid of rubber bushings—it’s all ball joints. There’s no downforce (or lift). It’s a neutral-lift car, so the steering doesn’t have that extra heft even when you’re going at a good clip. When the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s load up in corners, it’s as if each unit of mechanical grip (the standard unit for this is “Bibendums,” or it should be) comes through the wheel, so much so that you can tell if the road stripers used Benjamin Moore or Sherwin-Williams.Related StoriesEvery car enthusiast should experience a modern Porsche GT car—we gush over them for good reason. Porsche says this is the last new 718 model with an internal-combustion engine, and we predict these GT cars will go down in history as the high point before electrification drains fun from the fleet. And with its on-road focus, the Spyder RS further distinguishes itself in a field of RS track-day specials.Arrow pointing downArrow pointing downSpecificationsSpecifications
2024 Porsche 718 Spyder RSVehicle Type: mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door convertible
PRICE
Base: $163,650
ENGINE
DOHC 24-valve flat-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 244 in3, 3996 cm3Power: 493 hp @ 8400 rpmTorque: 331 lb-ft @ 6250 rpm
TRANSMISSION
7-speed dual-clutch automatic
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 97.7 inLength: 174.0 inWidth: 71.8 inHeight: 49.3 inPassenger Volume: 49 ft3Trunk Volume: 4 ft3Front-Trunk Volume: 5 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 3150–3200 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 2.9 sec100 mph: 6.9 sec1/4-Mile: 11.3 secTop Speed: 191 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST)
Combined/City/Highway: 16/15/19 mpgExecutive EditorK.C. Colwell is Car and Driver’s executive editor, who covers new cars and technology with a keen eye for automotive nonsense and with what he considers to be great car sense, which is a humblebrag. On his first day at C/D in 2004, he was given the keys to a Porsche 911 by someone who didn’t even know if he had a driver’s license. He also is one of the drivers who set fast laps at C/D’s annual Lightning Lap track test. More

From the April 1995 issue of Car and Driver.If you crave a refined German sedan but have prayed for a price cut as deep as the Mariana Trench, salvation may be yours. Audi calls it the A6. Ours had Audi’s famed Quattro four-wheel-drive system, now attractively packaged as a stand-alone feature costing only $1500 over front drive. All told, our test car wore a base price of less than $33,000 delivered—a savings of $12,000 compared with the 100CS Quattro it replaces.The A6 badge tells us this is Audi’s “big” (okay, upper mid-size) sedan with the “small” engine. The 2.8-liter V-6 offers only single overhead cams, two valves per cylinder, and a modest 172 hp. For landed gentry requiring a substantially larger and more excitable herd of ponies, Audi’s alu­minum A8 with a 295-hp 4.2-liter V-8 may soon thunder over with a top speed of 155 mph and a price of, oooh, $70,000.More A6 Reviews From the ArchiveIn the early 1980s, the forebear of the A6 arrived as the slick 5000. The first digit stood for its five-cylinder engine, though the car was revered for its primary inno­vation, which was adding “aero” to the dynamics of a sedan. (Alas, in the late ’80s, Audis with automatic transmissions were wrongly accused of “unintended acceler­ation” by addled folk who just could not seem to drive and push pedals at the same time, hitting throttle instead of brake.)Audi, facing rivals with newer and less pricey models, has polished its products and pared prices. It’s done that with increased productivity and by juggling fea­tures. Along with standard power steering, air conditioning, and cruise control, base A6s get dual front airbags, anti-lock brakes, an adjustable steering wheel, power for the locks, windows, sunroof, and driver’s seat, plus rear defroster and wiper. So the A6 is substantially less expensive than the old 100CS Quattro, which admittedly came with more stan­dard luxury features.HIGHS: Handsomized aero envelope, blissful controls and manners, and added comforts despite a reduced price.Audi’s improvements look and feel more than sheetmetal deep. Sort of like liposuction and aerobics that zing the body electric but never buzz your bones. Begin­ning with the wedgy hood, fresh fold-over nose, aero lights, blended trim and bumpers in body color, and subtle fender flares, the body wears a brawnier yet slicker look—tricky to pull off.The ellipsoid headlights show Audi’s enlightenment. To cut drag, fog lights are fitted in the sleek headlight housings. The headlights are uniformly white. The low-beams have a crisp upper cutoff. High-beam coverage is now so vast and vivid that drivers coming up to pass often slow sharply when you switch to dim as they go on by, an eye-opening reminder that they’re probably overdriving their lights.For drivers who want a hand in the power delivery, Audi offers a choice between a four-speed automatic or the five-speed manual gearbox that we tested—and loved. Its feathery clutch and shifter make it as effortless as a deft automatic, just as good at flowing away from stoplights and slipping through city traffic and along interstates. Its buttery heel-and-toe action for matching revs while simulta­neously braking and downshift­ing makes it just as good for swooping along sinuous byways.To look at the V-6, you’d think it was a big-block V-8. It wears blocky cosmetic trim of the sort BMW popularized on its motorcycle and sports­-sedan engines. If the V-6 ran as big as it looks, Audi wouldn’t need the V-8. But Audi promotes its smooth V-6 for fuel economy. It averaged 20 mpg despite our throttle abuse, and even then provided a comfortable 400-mile range from the 21.1-gallon tank. LOWS: Unadventurous engine output, somber interior decor, lackluster stereo.The A6 Quattro, partly burdened by its extra driveline components, weighed 3627 pounds. Hampered by its innate reluctance to break the tires loose—its best feature on slithery roads—it turned in a modest 0-to-60-mph run of 8.3 seconds. Yet we blasted to a governor-limited peak of 127 mph (enough to make us wonder what it would do with two little turbos).Audi’s four-wheel discs and ABS pro­duce good braking feel, but all-out stops from 70 mph required a mediocre 191 feet. The A6’s all-independent suspension han­dles almost everything well, and the all­-weather treads of the smallish Goodyear Eagle GAs produce a reasonable 0.79 g on the skidpad. This sizable sedan can also turn in a circle of less than 35 feet, and its longish tail provides a 17-cubic-foot trunk that also contains a pass-through to the rear seat with a watertight ski bootie.The cabin looks surprisingly darker than we’ve come to expect from the warmer, lighter colors glowing within most recent Audis. Then again, maybe the more somber leather and wood suit the deep metallic green of its shell, which shows the best part of its reflective spectrum in soft sunlight. The sweeping dash­board and sizable console are triumphs of efficiency, and the seats are fine for cruis­ing and supportive enough for brisk romps. Footroom in the rear cabin, however, is still cut short by the front buckets’ low-­hanging position-adjustment motors. The A6’s optional sound system is a cooperative effort between Audi and Bose, which may not live up to much fanfare once you’ve heard it through the speakers. Because it costs $620 and the CD changer in the trunk adds another $790, you may want to listen before you leap at bumping the bottom line that much. Optional leather seats added another $1460, and a $1000 package of comfort and convenience items (see specs) plus associated luxury tax helped bloat the total to just under $37,000. That’s considerably more than the rela­tively low base price. But at this level of sophistication, the A6 Quattro’s talents qualify it as blissfully cost-effective.The Quattro issues a year-around invite to propel yourself almost anywhere far away because it’s prone to keeping its feet planted—a help to drivers who know what they’re doing, and a godsend for those who don’t but would like to hang around long enough to learn. VERDICT: To pronounce it benign is not to label it a vitamin, but its V-6 could use a few.If the beefy A6 looks less, um, “B9” than its predecessor, it is very benign in the way it drives. That’s a high compli­ment for a sleek sedan that, presuming you have a feel for subtle dynamics, is also a real sweetie to drive.Arrow pointing downArrow pointing downSpecificationsSpecifications
1995 Audi A6 QuattroVehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $32,545/$36,802Options: leather seats, $1460; comfort and convenience package (power passenger’s seat, memory driver’s seat, remote locking, glass sunroof), $1000; CD changer, $790; Bose sound system, $620; luxury tax on options, $387
ENGINEDOHC 24-valve V-6, iron block and aluminum heads, port fuel injectionDisplacement: 169 in3, 2771 cm3Power: 172 hp @ 5500 rpmTorque: 184 lb-ft @ 3000 rpm 
TRANSMISSION5-speed manual
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: multilink/control armBrakes, F/R: 11.3-in vented disc/9.6-in discTires: Goodyear Eagle GA195/65HR-15
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 105.8 inLength: 192.6 inWidth: 70.2 inHeight: 56.6 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 51/43 ft3Trunk Volume: 17 ft3Curb Weight: 3627 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 8.3 sec1/4-Mile: XX.X sec @ XXX mph100 mph: 24.0 sec120 mph: 43.1 secRolling Start, 5–60 mph: 8.9 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 11.1 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 10.2 secTop Speed (gov ltd): 127 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 191 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.79 g 
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 20 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMYCity/Highway: 18/24 mpg 
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED More

From the April 2000 issue of Car and Driver.Have we got a deal for you: Write out a nice check for $100,300 and send it to the British manufacturer of this beauty, and he’ll send you the car all wrapped in a big shipping box—only there’s no engine.We hear you right now saying, “Great. That’s worse than those $75,000 Mustangs.” Wait, don’t throw the magazine across the room—you’re not going to believe this. After you’ve invested, oh, another $40,000 or so for an engine and transmission, you’re going to own a car that is quicker than the latest Porsche Turbo, any showroom Ferrari, even the fearsome Dodge Viper. To be fair, unlike the other cars, which are real cars, this British import is more a race car tuned for the streets since there are no airbags and there’s minuscule luggage space and it’s tricky to get into.The car, called the Ultima GTR, hails from the fertile race-car turf of Britain, the land where McLaren, Reynard, Williams, and Van Diemen build race cars that win with remarkable regularity. Lee Noble, a freelance car designer, designed and built the first Ultima in 1983 for a British kit­-car racing series. It used many Renault parts, including a 270-horsepower V-6 engine mounted amidships. It was a suc­cess at the track, so Noble went on to sell 40 race cars before 1988, when he updated it. One of the 13 new models was pur­chased for about $25,000 by a civil engi­neer named Ted Marlow.A weekend racer, Marlow did what most race-car owners do—he customized the Ultima to his liking. He swapped the V-6 for a 440-hp Chevy small-block V-8. In 1992, after four years of modifying and perfecting his car, Marlow, then 44, pur­chased Noble’s enterprise. His goal was to turn the Ultima into a civilized street car yet retain its prowess on the track. The pro­ject took 18 months. Marlow replaced the Renault parts with Ultima-specific units. He farmed out some bits and pieces but did most of the work himself. The brakes, for example, were designed by the well­-known firm AP Racing. Since 1995, Marlow’s small factory in Hinckley, England, has turned out about 200 Ultimas. And this year, in faraway California, a retired marketing executive named Mike Mullin has begun selling Ultima GTRs from his Costa Mesa shop. As an engineless kit car, the Ultima bypasses federal regulations. Once it’s in the States, Mullin will install whatever engine you wish to pay for, but currently, he has two options—an aftermarket small-block Chevy V-8 or a current-production LS1 V-8 from a C5 Corvette. Both engines use a late-model Porsche 911 transmission and differential. The small-block engine and the 911 transaxle cost $38,000; the LS1 engine with transaxle costs $42,000.If, however, you live in a state with strict emissions laws and annual smog tests—California, for one—you need the LS1 V-8. The beauty of its installation is that the stock engine-control system, the catalysts, and the OBD II diagnostics remain unchanged. The LS1 engine in the car we tested felt perfect. Pumping out 345 hp, the alu­minum V-8 is a proven, trouble-free, instantly responding gem. Our Ultima GTR weighed just 2314 pounds, so the Vette engine practically lifts the front wheels off the ground at full throttle. Zero to 60 mph flashes by in 3.3 seconds. It’ll hit 100 mph in 8.4 seconds, and that’s quicker than any current production car we’ve tested—it even outruns Warren Mosler’s Raptor, the other street-legal Group C wannabe. (But remember that the nearly $160,000 Raptor has passed federal crash standards, a feat the Ultima GTR has not attempted since it is, technically, a kit car.) At more than 150 mph, which comes in 26.3 seconds from standstill, the Ultima’s high-drag shape and optional $3700 rear wing slow things down a bit, but nonetheless, the 157-mph top speed occurs at the 6000-rpm redline in fifth gear. The car felt solid and didn’t play sen­sitive even once during our tough perfor­mance testing. And, there’s a 12-month warranty. There is nothing kit-carish about it in reality. Most kit cars borrow heavily from existing vehicles. Not so with the GTR. Other than the engine, transmission, and lights, it’s virtually all original.In England, race shops dot the countryside, and it’s apparent that skilled fabricators with talented hands have turned out this car. The fiberglass body of our test car had not a ripple across its curvy flanks. Every weld of the steel-­tube frame displayed nearly perfect beads. The doors didn’t hint of binding, and the interior displayed impeccable fit and finish. The Ultima’s suspension employs unequal-length control arms all around and big vented, cross-drilled disc brakes that performed without fade. We experienced some early rear lockup that lengthened the stopping distance from 70 to 0 mph to 199 feet, but Mullin said some brake tuning would shorten that distance quite a bit. Considering how well the car hooked up under acceleration and the excellent 0.98-g lateral-acceleration figure, we know the Ultima has plenty of grip. Scorching performance is all well and good on the track. The real test comes on public roads, and that’s where the Ultima really surprised us. The ride is certainly firm, and yes, we did drive the car on smooth California roads. But even when we could see a nasty patch of road ahead and braced ourselves for some kidney upset, the unpleasantness never came. On the highway, the Ultima didn’t wander a bit. Since Mullin retained the cats and muffler that come with the LS1 engine, the loudest noise we heard was some wind roar. Overall, the ride is acceptable and nonpunishing. The low ride height made us fear driveway ramps and parking lots, but the short overhangs prevented the front end from scraping. More Supercar Reviews from the ArchiveWe wouldn’t call the Ultima GTR a grocery getter, simply because it’s a bit difficult to get into and out of. You won’t need a gymnast’s license to obtain entry, but the wide, tall sill and the low seat will give pause to consider how you’re going to get in. Our test car came with the optional $2050 safety cage, which pro­vided some handholds for entry. Once in, you’re blessed with a low, snail’s-eye view of the road, a small steering wheel, a metal shifter emerging directly from the floor, and room for anyone as long as they are not much taller than six feet two. The interior is refreshingly simple, with five plain white gauges logically placed. The climate controls are another matter, however, since they’re under the dash and require memorization to use. Despite the large glass area, the $3100 optional A/C worked well, as did the heater (another $1000). For kicks, we took a few laps on a race­track and couldn’t believe how confident the Ultima GTR made us feel. It is simply a well-engineered and well-built car. In every corner, straight, and braking zone, our test car was rock solid, with absolutely no twitchiness despite our prodigious speeds. We could gush on forever, but the bottom line is we’d sacrifice plenty for a day of track time in the GTR. At $152,150, there are numerous cars that’ll give you a thrill, but we have to put the Ultima GTR in with the top five cars that push all the right auto-enthu­siast buttons. As of this writing, it’s been two months since we drove it, and we’re still smiling.Arrow pointing downArrow pointing downSpecificationsSpecifications
2000 Ultima GTRVehicle Type: mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $138,300/$152,150
ENGINEpushrod 16-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injectionDisplacement: 346 in3, 5663 cm3Power: 345 hp @ 5600 rpmTorque: 350 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm 
TRANSMISSION5-speed manual 
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 100.0 inLength: 162.0 inCurb Weight: 2314 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 3.3 sec100 mph: 8.4 sec1/4-Mile: 11.9 sec @ 117 mph150 mph: 26.3 secRolling Start, 5–60 mph: 3.9 secTop Speed (redline ltd): 157 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 199 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.98 g  
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED More