Car Reviews

From the June 1992 issue of Car and Driver.It’s alive! The Corrado has been gifted with life anew. VW’s pocket GT comes to us revitalized by a heart transplant, dramatically upgraded with a V-6 engine.Designated SLC, for “Sports Luxury Coupe,” the latest Corrado blazes out of the Karmann coachworks, VW’s subcontractor, as a world-class runner from nose to tailpipe. In its pug nose, a free-revving, normally aspirated V-6 sends wholly unexpected power to the front wheels and passes rich sounds back to its outsize exhaust. The previous G60 Corrado buzzed with an overwrought, supercharged four-banger and languished in showrooms. (VW will keep the G60 on sale until it disposes of the 1500 still in stock; meantime, it will begin selling 3500 SLCs targeted for the U.S. during 1992). The blunt G60 had been in need of a new heart for three years, ever since the pointy Diamond-Star coupes appeared. The result of a venture between Mitsubishi and Chrysler, the turbocharged, all-wheel­-drive Eagle Talon (and the near-identical Plymouth Laser and Mitsubishi Eclipse) relegated the less-inspiring G60 to a fifth­-place tie with the Ford Probe GT in a field of eight “Fired-Up Fours” (C/D, April). The SLC now threatens to trounce the class. Look at its basic performance: 0 to 60 mph in 6.4 seconds, the quarter-mile in 15.0 second at 94 mph, and top speed of 141 mph. In short, this Corrado’s talent for speed makes it Germany’s wiseacre speedenheimer of pocket GTs (see sidebar below). It handily outstrips the best of the rest—the Talon/Laser/Eclipse all-wheel­-drive turbos—and flat leaves the old Corrado for dead. The higher the speeds climb, the greater the new Corrado’s advantage. HIGHS: Terrific performance, seats, sounds, and packaging.What this doesn’t relay is the engine’s delight in dishing it out, and that begins from deep within. The 1.8-liter four­banger with supercharger produced 158 hp at 5600 rpm and plenty of cacophonous sturm und drang to go with it, like the back-strasse bleatings of an overage oompah band. The normally aspirated 2.8-liter V-6 in the new Corrado develops 178 hp at 5800 rpm, plus an ecstatic accompaniment that sounds as if it came from the depths and heights of a great symphony orchestra with a feel for pops. It makes you feel as if you’ve tapped into a F1 engine. The four-banger churned out 166 pound-feet of torque at 4000 rpm, whereas the six whirs out 177 pound-feet at 4200 rpm. That may not look like much difference on paper, but out there on pavement, the V-6’s mercuric response allows you to level steep hills a gear or two higher than normal, even to gain rushes of speed in the face of gravity suddenly rendered inconsequential. The Corrado also laterally leapfrogs traffic about as quickly as a frog can snap flies out of midair. Response that feels this snappy in high-gear passing means lightning-like overtaking if you downshift the five-speed a gear or two. (Volkswagen also offers an optional electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission for an extra $795—a bundle for a unit that’s sure to sap the Corrado’s newfound performance and yeeeeeee­hawww! feel, which come “free” at the base price.) The engine does more than run fast and freely. It looks terrific sitting sideways in the power bay under the seashell fanning of its astounding intake runners, and a deeper look reveals the engineering insight that’s gone into it. Volkswagen’s thinking began with a tight idea of what it was after—an extremely narrow V-type engine to allow the use of a single cylinder head, to provide narrow width for packaging and weight distribution, and to deliver exceptionally smooth running characteristics. VW dubs the engine the VR-6, with the “V” representing the configuration and the “R” standing for the German word Reihenmotor; together, VW says, they roughly mean “in-line vee.” This may sound like an engineering impossibility, but VW specified a single overhead cam for each bank of cylinders and only two valves per cylinder. Then the six’s V-angle was squeezed together very tightly—only 15 degrees, whereas common V-6s are designed as bulkier 60- or 90-degree layouts. Thus, Volkswagen’s V-6 can also be fitted (albeit with less power) to Passats, Jettas, and Golfs originally designed only for four-cylinders. Taking up less room than most of its ilk, the six provides added crush space for crashes. Despite the six’s extra cylinders, displacement, and performance, the SLC’s front/rear weight distribution of 60.9/39.1 betters the G60’s 63.6/36.4 distribution. LOWS: Dash and body buzzes.The downside: The SLC weighs 2837 pounds, versus the G60’s 2640 pounds. Blame part of the SLC’s gain on heftier running gear and a fuel tank enlarged to hold 18.5 gallons instead of 14.5. This easily offsets the thirstier six’s effect on cruising range. (The EPA city rating of 20 mpg for the previous model now drops to 18 mpg; despite storming around as fiercely as the six encouraged us to, we managed 20 mpg overall.) The final practical drawback to the SLC is that its bigger tank cuts trunk space from 19 cubic feet to 15—a small loss, as the Talon’s trunk measures a scant 8 cubic feet. Larry Griffin|Car and DriverOverall, whatever you think of its chunkiness—which suggests an updated Scirocco with lots of gym time—the Corrado’s basic packaging borders on brilliant. Its space efficiency shares the tradition evident in the neatly apportioned roominess of VW’s futuristic Passat. Once you lever in over the big bolsters of the Corrado’s velour sport seats, you find plenty of room. VW rightly supposes that a car as fast and agile as the SLC is bought more for driving in than clambering in and out of, and thus deserves solid Recaro-like shaping in its seats. They deliver support for backroad bulleting or long-distance driving. The lint-magnet seats hold you so well that you almost forget the lax tensioning of the motorized shoulder harnesses up front. VW’s split rear seats, unlike those in most pocket GTs, amount to more than watch pockets. Rear passengers who stand six feet or less can sit (upright, even) for 100 miles or more without losing legs due to circulatory blockage. The only pinching the driver perceives is the intrusion of the roof pillars and the motorized rear wing on outward visibility. They make you feel as if you’ve been thrown in San Quentin solitary. VW sneaks in plenty of standard equipment to keep all the perps making time in its SLCs contented: power everything, a premium sound system that sounds far better than VW systems of yore, central locking with one-touch-down windows that also close when the key locks the door, a trip computer, intermittent wipers (programmable over a range of 1.5 to 22 seconds), a rear washer/wiper, an antitheft alarm, and leather covering for the steering wheel and shift knob. There are also a few exterior trim changes: a hood bulge, a reduction from seven grille bars to four, clear turn-signal lenses, and convex BBS wheels mounted by five bolts instead of four.VW changed the transmission’s gear ratios to suit the new engine, replaced the G60’s vague cable-shift mechanism (praise be!) with precise mechanical linkage, and fitted an electronic limited-slip feature that only comes into play on tire­spinning launches. The chassis engineers revised the suspension geometry and tuning to suit the added performance and weight, yet noticeably improved the ride despite wider wheels and tires, bringing the Corrado’s road manners more in line with the new sophistication shown by the powertrain (with the exception of a weak first-gear synchro). The SLC steers with the lightfooted ease that comes from premium engineering and clings to the skidpad right up to 0.84 g. On the road, bumps and pokes of power move it around more than we’d ultimately like. But for a car that runs like Jack the Griz yet rides well, it rarely unsettles itself. It possesses that reassuring German trait we used to call “speed feel.” Its standard ABS brakes stop it from 70 mph in only 175 feet and show little fade even when snubbed hard from much higher speeds. VERDICT: A transformation and a hellacious delight.VW may also offer the V-6 in a lighter, simpler Club Sport Corrado for less money. Our base SLC lists for $22,210, so it runs only $950 more than a comparably equipped yet clearly more pedestrian G60—as in the difference between walking and running. A comparable Talon costs about $20,500, so it’ll undercut the Corrado by about $1700 … a factor right up until the Corrado leaves it sucking exhaust sufficiently toasty to Fahrverg your nugens. CounterpointHere’s the best news for Volkswagen fans since the debut of the original GTI. The new six has transformed the Corrado in an amazing way. Around our test-car sign-out board, what was once “a pretty nice car but” is now “a really, really nice car and I’m taking it home tonight no matter how much you beg me, so let go of my leg.”The SLC is a Corrado without rough edges. The six-cylinder engine is potent and sweet—the power delivery is so smooth and effortless you’d swear the throttle was a speed rheostat. The gearbox’s action is now fluid and positive. And the chassis, excellent from the start, feels even better now that it’s not playing against the incessant drone of the G60’s supercharger. Add the Corrado’s distinctive shape—which I’ve always liked—and you have a sports coupe that does just about everything right. The price is a little steep, as it’s always been, but at last the Corrado feels like a car worth paying something extra for. —Arthur St. AntoineThink BMW hatchback. Think reliable Alfa GTV6. Don’t think buzzy overpriced VW with boost lag. On a car that used to trade primarily on its styling, rarity, and Teutonic bank-vault body quality, Volkswagen is finally offering the ultimate sales incentive: 178 thoroughbred racehorses under the hood. The refinement, the performance, and—yes—the price of the quirky, low-volume Corrado are up for 1993, but the $22,210 SLC is a far better bargain than the $20,230 G60 model it replaces.The torquey VR-6 will bark its meaty tires on aggressive first-to-second upshifts and pull strongly to redline in all five gears, singing a Mozart aria all the way. Cruising at 75 mph in fifth, the engine turns a quiet 3500 rpm, from which the SLC accelerates briskly without downshifting to fourth. These characteristics are as rare among its hot-hatch competition as are the Corrado’s adult-sized rear seat and decent luggage compartment. Despite its many strong suits, rarity is likely to remain one of Corrado’s selling points. Fine. So think German Mustang SVO. —Frank MarkusWell, Volkswagen is finally back. And with a vengeance. Not since an NSX was parked in the Hogback Road lot have so many staffers pushed and shoved to get in line for the keys. Saying it goes from 0 to 60 in 6.4 seconds doesn’t in the least describe the sensation of this little red hellion—it’s like saying Van Gogh could paint. Through the gears, its tires chirp in first. In second. In third. And despite all the screwball power from its scorching V-6, it is well grounded, feels solid as a brick, and does not stutter and shudder like some other pocket rockets. The suspension is as stiff as a washboard, as it should be. Styling is apropos of its fierce performance: the car seems to lean forward in the stance of a pit bull poised to pounce. The paint job is Porsche-quality. If there’s a shortcoming, it involves the seats and ergonomics; they remind us of the Scirocco’s somehow ungainly setup for long-legged folks. Getting out is awkward. But getting in is well worth it. —Steve SpenceVW Corrado SLC vs. Eagle Talon TSi AWDThe 0-to-120 times got us: the hot VW, by a dozen seconds, kicks Talon and takes names. The Eagle won our April comparison of “Fired-Up Fours,” but suddenly the 4wd turbo and its Plymouth and Mitsubishi counterparts are no longer the fastest diet-size two­-plus-twos. The new 178-hp Corrado beats the 195-hp Talon in every speed test but one. And at only 2837 pounds, it weighs 343 pounds less than the Eagle. But there’s more to territorial takeovers than high speed and light weight.Styling: The Corrado dresses for dinner but wears the burly-herdsman look. The Talon bulges a bit but still looks to be a bullet Advantage: Talon. Interior: Both are businesslike, but the Talon’s wheel is more likely to hide the gauges. And the Corrado’s dandy seats grasp you much better for hard drives and cruises alike. Advantage: Corrado. Packaging: The Corrado is roomy, even okay in back for adults if you’re not off to Pluto (and the big trunk helps). The Talon’s puckered rear seating feels as if it sucked lemons. Advantage: Corrado. Visibility: The Talon may not be open and airy, but the Corrado’s loom­ing roof pillars and rear wing give you a more closed-off feeling. Advantage: Talon. Controls: The Corrado offers fine shifting, steering, pedal feel, and natural reaches, although you’d have to crow­bar the pedals to ease heel-and-toe downshifts (grownups, don’t try this at home). The Talon’s cable shifter clonks. Advantage: Corrado. Structure: The Corrado gets VW’s normal allotment of dashboard and body buzzes. The Talon feels tighter, but you won’t mistake either for a Benz. Advantage: Talon. Engine: The Talon’s turbo pulls with a vengeance but kicks up a fuss about it. The Corrado’s slick new engine proves that a magic six can beat a turbo four-banger on almost all terms. Advantage: Corrado. Acceleration: However you hammer it, the Corrado puts the motor on the Talon. This VW lives to run. Advantage: Corrado. Braking: Unless bumps upset it, the Corrado stops more easily on all but very slick surfaces. There the Talon’s four-wheel drive provides added stability. Advantage: Corrado. Handling: Your choice of feel—feathery Corrado or Talon heft. You’ll probably drive well in either. The VW carves into corners more gladly, but the Eagle often exits more surely. Advantage: Tie. Marathoning: The Corrado gives comfort, good tracking, a resolute cruise control, and huge distances per fueling, thanks to a big gas tank. The Talon travels well, too, despite its ever-droning exhaust. And it’s got cupholders. Advantage: Tie. Linescore: Corrado 8, Talon 5Not to fudge, but such a tally doesn’t necessarily represent the essence of an outcome. The Talon and the Corrado appeal to us equally. The VW feels livelier, handier, friendlier. Yet we can’t fault the Eagle’s sportiness, heartiness, and four-wheel drive. You could almost let your climate be your guide. Car and DriverSpecificationsSpecifications
1993 Volkswagen Corrado SLCVehicle Type: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door hatchback
PRICEAs Tested: $22,210
ENGINEDOHC 24-valve 2.8-liter V-6, iron block and aluminum head, port fuel injectionDisplacement: 170 in3, 2792 cm3Power: 178 hp @ 5800 rpmTorque: 177 lb-ft @ 4200 rpm 
TRANSMISSION5-speed manual
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/torsion beamBrakes, F/R: 11.0-in vented disc/8.9-in discTires: Continental Sport Contact205/50VR-15
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 97.3 inLength: 159.4 inWidth: 65.9 inHeight: 51.9 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 48/32 ft3Cargo Volume: 15 ft3Curb Weight: 2837 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 6.4 sec100 mph: 17.2 sec1/4-Mile: 15.0 sec @ 94 mph130 mph: 42.6 secRolling Start, 5–60 mph: 6.7 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 8.3 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 8.4 secTop Speed (mfr’s claim): 141 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 175 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.84 g 
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 20 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMYCombined/City/Highway: 19/16/23 mpg 
C/D TESTING EXPLAINEDThis content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

From the January 2023 issue of Car and Driver.When Audi’s e-tron electrified subbrand first appeared, it was on the unremarkable A3 Sportback plug-in hybrid. The first EV to bear the moniker came three years later, when a larger, far more expensive SUV called the Audi e-tron hit the market. That ute’s lack of an alphanumeric model name was confusing, and things didn’t become any clearer with the arrival of the e-tron GT performance sedan. Now comes the Q4 e-tron, and its designation at least helps place it within the greater Audi lineup.HIGHS: Conventionally handsome exterior, upscale and user-friendly interior, largely free of EV weirdness.Larger than a Q3 and tidier in size than a Q5, the Q4 50 e-tron Quattro is a platform-mate of the Volkswagen ID.4. Audi’s design language works well when draped over the shared 108.7-inch wheelbase and 62.3-inch front and 61.5-inch rear track widths, resulting in chunky bulldog styling that looks fetching in SUV form. The result isn’t nearly as handsome on the $2800-pricier Sportback model, but that’s often how it goes with slope-backed SUV derivatives.James Lipman|Car and DriverAs in the all-wheel-drive ID.4, a pair of AC motors that team up to produce 295 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque propel the Audi. Likewise, the same 77.0-kWh lithium-ion battery feeds both SUVs, giving the slightly heavier Q4 Quattro 241 miles of EPA range versus the ID.4’s 251 miles. The Q4 line’s marquee range of 265 miles comes from the 201-hp single-motor rear-wheel-drive version.LOWS: Mechanically identical to its Volkswagen sibling, ho-hum highway range, not as speedy as some rivals.Underway, the Q4 e-tron is no canyon carver, but it feels utterly composed and balanced because of its low center of gravity and near-equal front-to-rear weight distribution. It confidently cruises straight highways with segment-appropriate steering effort, though on-center feel is more authentic with lane centering switched off. The Q4’s 60-mph time of 5.6 seconds feels sprightly in suburbia even if it trails the results from some dual-motor competitors. The 0.2 second it gives away to the Volkswagen stems from the extra 80 pounds our top-drawer Prestige trim was packing.Inside, the Q4 Prestige feels far more upscale than the most expensive ID.4, as it should, considering the Audi’s $7990 price premium. The Q4 does retain some questionable touch-sensitive tomfoolery, but at least it avoids the grossest mistakes of the ID.4. The Audi’s climate controls are standalone physical toggles instead of capacitive-touch panels, and the driver’s window controls consist of four distinct switches instead of the Volkswagen’s irksome single pair that operate both the front and rear windows. Best of all might be the available head-up display, which uses hovering augmented-reality animations to underline vehicles within adaptive-cruise range and point you to the next navigation turn.Bottom line: If you like the idea of the Volkswagen ID.4 but are willing to pay for a more upscale and sumptuous experience, the Audi Q4 e-tron is just the ticket.AudiSpecificationsSpecifications
2022 Audi Q4 e-tron Quattro PrestigeVehicle Type: front- and mid-motor, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $51,095/$60,895Options: Prestige package (adaptive cruise control with lane guidance, head-up display with augmented reality, dual-pane acoustic front side glass, Sonos premium sound, matrix LED headlights, headlight and taillight animation, heated steering wheel with regen paddles, Virtual Cockpit Plus, MMI Navigation Plus, memory for driver’s seat and exterior mirrors, hands-free power tailgate, wireless phone-charging pad), $7600; S-Line Plus package (20-inch 10-spoke aero wheels, S Line exterior, black exterior trim and roof rails, brushed dark-aluminum inlay, front sport seats, top- and bottom-flattened steering wheel), $2200
POWERTRAIN
Front Motor: induction asynchronous AC, 107 hp, 119 lb-ft Rear Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous AC, 201 hp, 229 lb-ft Combined Power: 295 hpCombined Torque: 339 lb-ftBattery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 77.0 kWhOnboard Charger: 11.5 kWPeak DC Fast-Charge Rate: 125 kWTransmissions, F/R: direct-drive
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/multilinkBrakes, F/R: 14.1-in vented disc/11.0-in drumTires: Bridgestone Alenza Sport A/SF: 235/50R-20 104T Extra Load M+S AOR: 255/45R-20 105T Extra Load M+S AO
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 108.7 inLength: 180.7 inWidth: 73.4 inHeight: 64.7 inPassenger Volume: 97 ft3Cargo Volume, Rear Seats Up/Down: 25/53 ft3Curb Weight: 4964 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 5.6 sec1/4-Mile: 14.2 sec @ 98 mph100 mph: 14.9 secResults above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 5.7 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 2.4 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 3.3 secTop Speed (gov ltd): 113 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 177 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.84 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY AND CHARGING
Observed: 93 MPGe75-mph Highway Range: 190 miAverage DC Fast-Charge Rate, 10–90%: 87 kWDC Fast-Charge Time, 10–90%: 44 min
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 95/100/89 MPGeRange: 241 mi
C/D TESTING EXPLAINEDThis content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

For 2023, the dual-motor Polestar 2’s optional Performance package includes more in the way of actual performance. As before, it adds Brembo brakes, adjustable Öhlins dampers, gold seatbelts, and distinct 20-inch wheels, but now it also nets an additional 67 horsepower and 15 pound-feet of torque over the standard dual-motor 2. That brings its totals to 469 horsepower and 502 pound-feet of torque (figures shared with the limited-run BST Edition 270), making the Performance pack–equipped 2 noticeably quicker than its less powerful kin. Related StoriesBooting the right pedal pushes the all-wheel-drive model to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and past the quarter-mile mark after 12.2 seconds, 0.2 and 0.5 ticks, respectively, ahead of a 402-hp Polestar 2 that we tested two years ago. This newfound muscle is not so evident at low speeds, however, with the 2023 car’s acceleration below 30 mph matching that of its less powerful 2021 counterpart. Dip into the two AC motors’ reserves while on the move, and the surplus power propels the 2 forward with formidable force, shaving 0.3 second from both the 5-to-60- and the 50-to-70-mph times and goading the driver to pin the accelerator and delight in the motors’ ample thrust.Marc Urbano|Car and DriverHIGHS: High-speed acceleration, more power as well as more range.Maintain a light right foot, and the EPA rates the dual-motor Polestar 2—with or without the Performance pack—at 100 MPGe combined, an improvement of 11 MPGe over the 2022 car. The 75.0-kWh battery pack is unchanged, but the 2023 model’s added efficiency raises the driving range by 11 miles to 260. Over the course of our test car’s stay, we averaged just 75 MPGe, and in our 75-mph highway range test it managed 210 miles. A dual-motor BMW i4 M50 with 536 horsepower returned 83 MPGe during its stay with us, against an 80-MPGe EPA rating. The Bimmer, also wearing 20-inch wheels, nets an EPA-rated range of 227 miles—33 worse than the Polestar—but went 220 miles on our highway test. The Tesla Model 3 Performance, meanwhile, offers competitive peak output to the 2 with the Performance pack, and yet it nets an EPA combined rating of 113 MPGe combined and an estimated range of 315 miles. Our issue with the Performance package centers on the adjustable Öhlins dampers. While the ride quality in the default Nominal setting struck some as just a little too stiff, things settle down nicely when the dampers are placed in their Comfort setting (others include Comfort Compliant, Rough Road, and Track). Alas, changing the dampers’ settings requires exiting the vehicle and manually adjusting each individual unit. We are not against a little manual labor, but our test car came in at just south of $70,000. Such a luxury vehicle should allow owners to accomplish this task with reasonable ease. This is not the case, though. Adjusting the rear dampers, for instance, involves raising the vehicle and removing multiple plastic nuts that hold the inner fender lining in place. Polestar offers one complimentary damper adjustment within the first year of ownership, after which it charges customers for this service.Marc Urbano|Car and DriverLOWS: Adjusting the dampers is a real PITA, not as efficient as segment leaders.Not all of Polestar’s cash grabs are this egregious. For instance, the automaker is offering owners of qualifying older dual-motor 2s the option to add the updated Performance pack’s power-adding software to their cars as part of an $1195 over-the-air update. That’s more than twice the amount the same lines of code tack on to the package’s price for 2023, which now stickers for $5500, or $500 more than last year. Even so, the update’s fee surely is less than the cost of upgrading from a one- or two-year-old dual-motor Polestar 2 to a 2023 model with the Performance package, which retails for $58,800.SpecificationsSpecifications
2023 Polestar 2 PerformanceVehicle Type: front- and mid -motor, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $58,800/$67,650Options: Plus pack (improved heat pump, panoramic roof, Black Ash wood interior accents, Harman/Kardon stereo system, wireless device charger, heated front seats, steering wheel and wiper blades), $4200; Pilot Pack (parking assist, 360-degree camera, adaptive cruise control, LED headlights, blind-spot information with steering assist, cross-traffic alert, auto-dimming exterior mirrors, LED fog lamps), $3400; Midnight metallic paint, $1250
POWERTRAIN
Front Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous AC Rear Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous ACCombined Power: 469 hpCombined Torque: 502 lb-ftBattery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 75.0 kWhOnboard Charger: 11.0 kWPeak DC Fast-Charge Rate: 155 kWTransmissions: 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 6245/40R-20 99V POL
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 107.7 inLength: 181.3 inWidth: 73.2 inHeight: 58.0 inPassenger Volume: 91 ft3Cargo Volume: 16 ft3Curb Weight: 4714 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 3.9 sec100 mph: 8.9 sec1/4-Mile: 12.2 sec @ 116 mphResults above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 4.0 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 1.5 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 1.9 secTop Speed (gov ltd): 128 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 160 ftBraking, 100–0 mph: 317 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.92 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY AND CHARGING
Observed: 75 MPGe75-mph Highway Range: 210 miAverage DC Fast-Charge Rate, 10–90%: 72 kWDC Fast-Charge Time, 10–90%: 57 min
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 100/105/96 MPGeRange: 260 mi
C/D TESTING EXPLAINEDThis content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

Ask anyone lined up at a courthouse trying to change their name why they’re doing it, and they’ll tell you a name change brings a new chance, a new path, maybe even a new life. Audi’s marketing team is hoping for that effect with its renaming of the e-tron SUV and Sportback for 2024. After five years as e-tron, Audi would like you to call them the Q8 e-tron and the Q8 e-tron Sportback from now on.The Q8 nomenclature is supposed to help buyers understand where the brand’s electric SUV fits in the lineup. Confused customers believed the e-tron was Q5 sized, making its $72K starting price a tough sell. Calling it a Q8 more accurately reflects the e-tron’s size and equipment levels. In the future, all Audi models will have an electric version denoted by “e-tron” appending the gas counterpart’s name.2024 Audi SQ8 e-tron SportbackAudiNew badges aren’t the only changes. To extend the old e-tron’s lackluster range, out goes the previous 86.5-kWh battery pack, and in comes a 106.0-kWh setup that occupies the same space under the floor. Increasing the capacity without a physically larger pack requires cells with more energy density, an improvement brought about by new chemistry. The new car’s EPA-estimated range is not yet available, but Audi expects the highest-range Q8 e-tron to hit 300 miles, far more than the 208 to 226 miles of the outgoing model.To get a roughly 30 percent range bump from a 23 percent battery capacity increase, Audi went to work on the body, reducing the drag from 0.29 to 0.27 for the SUV and from 0.27 to 0.25 for the Sportback. New grille shutters in the nose open only when the battery or the cabin needs to be cooled. Larger spoilers ahead of the front and rear wheels help move the air more efficiently, and in back, a new motor with more windings requires less current but provides the same power output. Favoring that more efficient rear motor in most situations helps stretch the battery’s charge.More on the Audi Q8 e-tron and SQ8 e-tronAudi offers up to 170-kW DC fast-charging capability (up from 150 kW) that can bring this larger battery from 10 to 80 percent in a claimed 31 minutes. The standard onboard AC charger will take in fresh electrons at a rate of up to 11.0 kW, with an optional charger capable of up to 22.0 kW (the most robust AC power supply commonly available today is a 19.2-kW connection). Replenishing an empty battery on the quickest AC connection would take about six hours, and the slower 11-kW hookup will require over 10 hours to take the battery from zero to 100 percent.Going from zero to 60 mph takes far less time. All Q8 e-trons have all-wheel drive, but two powertrains are available in the SUV and the Sportback. Base versions have 402 horsepower from a two-motor setup and take about 5.5 seconds to hit 60 mph, according to Audi’s figures. The 496-hp SQ8 e-tron adds a second rear motor and will effortlessly move to 60 mph in a silent 4.5 seconds. Add the three motors’ horsepower totals and you’ll get 581 horses, but the battery will output only 496 horsepower.2024 Audi Q8 e-tronAudiIn most driving, the Q8 e-tron is amazingly quiet, possibly even quieter than the outgoing Sportback model’s 63 decibels at 70 mph. Not much has changed inside, as the Q8 e-tron keeps the 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and has dual center touchscreens. Seat comfort is excellent, and the interior materials and fits are as good here as in a gas-fed Q8.Revised steering in all versions is quicker and more responsive. Light efforts and air springs programmed to counteract body roll help reduce the apparent mass. In the sportier SQ8 e-tron, the two electric motors in the rear axle can provide torque vectoring to improve nimbleness. You might not ever suspect that each version comes in at about 5700 pounds, give or take 100 or so pounds.Regenerative braking is adjustable with a tap of the steering-wheel-mounted paddles, but it’s not quite aggressive enough for single-foot driving. As in the old e-tron, the braking is entirely by-wire, and there’s no physical connection between the brake pedal and the hydraulics. Hitting the pedal sends a request to a computer that determines whether regen, friction brakes, or a combination of both is best. You’d never know there are zeros and ones on the other side of the brake pedal, since it all works naturally and the tuning blends regenerative braking and the friction brakes invisibly. To prevent the rotors from rusting, the friction brakes are occasionally cycled, keeping things fresh.AudiMore than a mere marketing exercise, the new Q8 e-tron has been tweaked not only for efficiency, but also to make it more fun to drive. Audi wisely kept the ride and sound levels civilized, updated the looks, and bumped up the range. For buyers who are ready for an electric SUV, but not quite ready to swallow the unconventional freakiness of a BMW iX or a Tesla Model anything, Audi is here with an EV for someone who might have purchased a Q8.SpecificationsSpecifications
2024 Audi Q8 e-tron SUV and SportbackVehicle Type: front- and rear-motor, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base: Q8 e-tron, $87,000; Q8 e-tron Sportback, $89,500
POWERTRAIN
Front Motor: asynchronous AC, 184 hp, 228 lb-ftRear Motor: asynchronous AC, 224 hp, 262 lb-ftCombined Power: 402 hpCombined Torque: 490 lb-ftBattery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 106 kWhOnboard Charger: 11.0–22.0 kWPeak DC Fast-Charge Rate: 170 kWTransmissions, F/R: direct-drive
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 115.3 inLength: 193.5 inWidth: 76.3 inHeight: 63.7–64.3 inCargo Volume, F/R: 2/23–25 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 5600 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 5.1 sec1/4-Mile: 13.7 secTop Speed: 124 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST)
Combined/City/Highway: 83–84/82–83/84–85 MPGeRange: 290–300 mi
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2024 Audi SQ8 e-tron SUV and SportbackVehicle Type: single front- and dual rear-motor, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base: SQ8 e-tron, $98,000; SQ8 e-tron Sportback, $100,500
POWERTRAIN
Front Motor: asynchronous AC, 211 hpRear Motors: asynchronous AC, 185 hp eachCombined Power: 496 hpCombined Torque: 718 lb-ftBattery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 106 kWhOnboard Charger: 11.0–22.0 kWPeak DC Fast-Charge Rate: 170 kWTransmissions, F/R: direct-drive
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 115.3 inLength: 193.5 inWidth: 77.8 inHeight: 63.7–64.2 inCargo Volume, F/R: 2/23–25 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 5850 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 4.1 sec100 mph: 10.0 sec1/4-Mile: 12.0 secTop Speed: 130 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST)
Combined/City/Highway: 75–77/73–75/77–80 MPGeRange: 260–270 miThis content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

This story is, with a nod to Charles Dickens, a tale of two transmissions: a six-speed manual and a 10-speed automatic. They’re both available in the 10Best-winning Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing. As we’re constantly promoting the joy of shifting your own gears—the engagement of gear engagement—and carping about cars that should offer manuals but don’t, this particular sports sedan caused us a rare moment of self-reflection. Are we right in our hidebound belief that, like clothes making the man or woman, a manual gearbox makes the car? Could an all-around brilliant performance sedan like the CT4-V Blackwing be nearly as lust-worthy with an automatic as with a DIY gearbox? We ordered up an automatic CT4-V Blackwing to explore this knotty emotional conundrum.We already know the manual-transmission CT4-V Blackwing like an old friend; we have one for a long-term test and have put more than 10,000 miles on it. That’s a lot of shifting and clutching, and we regret none of it. The Blackwing’s six-speed manual is one of the best, reminiscent of the sweet units bolted into various BMW 3-series models through the years. The Caddy’s gearbox has the same direct, well-oiled feel and solid shift linkage, which makes it a pleasure to row. The clutch-pedal takeup is intuitive and perfectly weighted. And of course, the manual transmission is at work in one of the world’s best sports sedans. HIGHS: One of the two best sports sedans on the market (the other is a Caddy too).Same for the Blackwing automatic. The CT4-V Blackwing is, aside from its 10-speed automatic gearbox, virtually identical to the manual model. It has the same 3.6 liters of twin-turbocharged V-6 muscle under the hood churning out 472 horsepower and 445 pound-feet of torque. For the record, manual-transmission Blackwings get lightweight titanium connecting rods to help their V-6s spin up faster, but it’s not a difference you can feel from behind the wheel. The important performance equipment is otherwise identical, starting with rear-wheel drive (AWD is not available) and including sticky summer tires—255/35ZR-18 front and 275/35ZR-18 rear Michelin Pilot Sport 4S’s—plus big Brembo brakes and adaptive magnetorheological dampers. There are a dizzying number of ways to fine-tune the ride, handling, and traction control between the four drive modes, two customizable modes, and five steps in the Performance Traction Management system. No matter the transmission, though, the CT4-V BW is a virtuoso both on the road and on a racecourse. More on the CT4-V BlackwingOur $84,715 automatic tester had more options on it than our long-term car. Beyond the $2275 extra for the automatic, getting the auto forces $900 for additional driver-assist tech. Our car also had the performance data and video recorder setup ($1600) and a Technology pack that included an air ionizer and head-up display ($725). But the only extra that could potentially affect performance—beyond the automatic, of course—was the Carbon Fiber 1 package ($6150), which slaps a bigger spoiler on the trunk lid and adds a splitter, dive planes, and front-wheel air deflectors to the front fascia. This car also had the cosmetic Carbon Fiber 2 package ($4450) that adds carbon rocker-panel skirts and a rear valence extension.Michael Simari|Car and DriverThese aerodynamic helpers no doubt increase downforce at higher speeds, but they also almost certainly increase drag, which we think showed up in the performance results. Even with its extra equipment, though, the 3904-pound automatic car weighed just 25 pounds more than the manual model, which means that weight differences were hardly a factor at the test track. LOWS: Cramped rear seat, uninspired interior design, doesn’t get the credit it deserves. Over the years, our instrumented testing has consistently shown that automatic-equipped models almost always outperform their otherwise-identical manual-transmission siblings. This Blackwing automatic did too, but the gap wasn’t as large as we would have predicted. Against the clock, the automatic snaps off a 4.0-second 60-mph time; the manual hangs close at 4.1 seconds. The automatic shoots ahead from there, reaching 100 mph in 9.4 seconds to the manual’s 9.9 seconds. But then the manual begins to close the gap, trailing the automatic’s 12.4-second quarter-mile time by just 0.2 second, with both cars traveling an identical 114 mph. By 130 mph it’s a dead heat, with both cars taking 17.2 seconds to get there. That’s probably a result of the automatic car’s additional aerodynamic drag working against it as speeds rise into the triple digits. Differences in gearing may have also played a part. But the numbers don’t lie: The two transmissions deliver near-identical performance. There’s not much difference in fuel economy either. Automatic CT4-V Blackwings ring up EPA ratings of 16 mpg city/24 mpg highway, while manual cars come in exactly 1 mile per gallon less in both measures. Not that a single mile per gallon matters when you’re piloting a 472-hp sedan with a manufacturer-claimed top speed of 189 mph. Michael Simari|Car and DriverFar more important than the automatic’s minuscule advantages in 60-mph acceleration or fuel economy is how it drives. Its transmission might have 10 speeds, but you’d never know it given how unobtrusively it steps through them in normal driving. Thankfully, it never lets the engine lug into the lazy, close-to-idle zone, and it’s ready with instant multi-gear downshifts when you press even halfway into the throttle. Drop your right foot quickly at any speed and the Caddy blasts off; quick passes on two-lanes or zipping through holes in traffic is effortless. When you want to play Lewis Hamilton, flick the gearbox into manual mode and the 10-speed responds quickly to the paddles’ calls for upshifts and downshifts. It can’t match the lightning shift speed of the best dual-clutch automatics, but it’s not far off. In a way, the automatic expands this car’s already expansive bandwidth. You can be lazy and shift-averse at in-town speeds and in the bumper-to-bumper rush-hour crawl, and then enjoy gear-swapping, paddle-shifting fun when you want to play back-road hero. The CT4-V Blackwing is so accomplished that it would take a pretty awful automatic to change our mind about its high-wattage brilliance. But stepping back into our manual-transmission long-termer quickly reminded us of the reason we worship at the Church of the Holy Stick Shift: the connection between driver and car. You feel the engine’s vibrations through the shift lever. You have to pay greater attention to traffic and anticipate what gear you’ll need next, so you’re more integral to the process of driving, more involved and in control. And there’s a wonderful sense of mastery to driving a manual gearbox adroitly, executing well-coordinated upshifts and smooth, rev-matched, heel-and-toe downshifts—without the help of electronic rev-matching. You don’t need to be banging gears and trying to yank the shift lever out of the floor; you can enjoy the manual’s involvement at any speed.VERDICT: A great automatic, but give us our CT4-V Blackwing with the manual.All of this leads to one simple conclusion: We’d still love the CT4-V Blackwing if it came only with an automatic transmission. But we love it more with a manual. SpecificationsSpecifications
2023 Cadillac CT4-V BlackwingVehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $61,890/$84,715Options: Carbon Fiber 1 package (carbon-fiber front splitter, wheel deflectors, dive planes, rear spoiler), $6150; Jet Black leather upholstery with Jet Black accents, $4900; Carbon Fiber 2 package (carbon-fiber rocker extensions and rear-fascia diffuser), $4450; 10-speed automatic transmission, $2275; performance data and video recorder, $1600; Driver Assist package (adaptive cruise control, front and rear automatic emergency braking), $900; Technology package (air ionizer and head-up display), $725; Argent Silver Metallic paint, $625; 18-inch aluminum wheels with satin graphite finish, $600; Climate package (heated and ventilated front seats with massage, heated steering wheel) $600
ENGINE
twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 218 in3, 3564 cm3Power: 472 hp @ 5750 rpmTorque: 445 lb-ft @ 3500 rpm
TRANSMISSION
10-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/multilinkBrakes, F/R: 15.0-in vented disc/13.4-in vented discTires: Michelin Pilot Sport 4SF: 255/35ZR-18 (94Y) TPC Spec 3164R: 275/35ZR-18 (99Y) TPC Spec 3165
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 109.3 inLength: 187.6 inWidth: 71.5 inHeight: 56.0 inPassenger Volume: 90 ft3Trunk Volume: 11 ft3Curb Weight: 3904 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 4.0 sec100 mph: 9.4 sec1/4-Mile: 12.4 sec @ 114 mph130 mph: 17.2 secResults above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 4.4 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 2.2 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 2.6 secTop Speed (mfr’s claim): 189 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 158 ftBraking, 100–0 mph: 303 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 1.04 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 15 mpg75-mph Highway Driving: 25 mpg75-mph Highway Range: 430 mi
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 19/16/24 mpg
C/D TESTING EXPLAINEDThis content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

From the April 1992 issue of Car and Driver.Pssssssst! Hey, buddy. Yeah. you with the alligator attache. Drooling over that Mercedes-Benz 500E but can’t quite swing $87,365? Think you could come up with $60,195? Yes? Do we have the Mercedes for you. This one’s called the 400E. Okay—in many ways it’s clearly the 500E’s little brother. But in many ways it’s nearly the 500E’s equal. Let us fill you in. Like the 500E, the 400E is new for 1992. And, like the 500E, Mercedes created it by dropping one of its V-8 engines into a 300-class body. That V-8, in the 400E’s case, is the 32-valve 4.2-liter unit that’s offered in Mercedes’ baronial S-class cars. This may not be the lionhearted 500E engine, but it’s strong: 268 horsepower at 5700 rpm and 295 pound-feet of torque at 3900. You might miss some power if you’ve driven a 500E—the 400E doesn’t strain at the leash like its burly brother—but if you haven’t, you probably won’t. Even with “only” 268 horsepower, the 400E nails the sprint to 60 mph in just 6.8 seconds. It runs with ease to its top end of 147 mph. Its engine makes impassioned sounds. And the four-speed automatic clicks off the shifts at the same 6000-rpm redline as the 500E. The same symphony, in other words—just played at a slower tempo.Aaron Kiley|Car and DriverThis barely tamed ferocity is housed in a package that’s considerably more restrained than the 500E’s. Though the 400E’s subskin pieces have been beefed up to handle the increased power of the V-8, the bodywork is unchanged. Indeed, the only external differences between the 400E and its six-cylinder 300E sibling are its alloy wheels and the badge on its tail. Which makes the 400E the obvious choice for devotees of stealth motoring. Once inside. you’d be hard-pressed to tell the 400E from the 500E. Excellent leather seats are standard, as are an automatic climate-control sys­tem, dual air bags, and beautifully finished burl-walnut trim. Our test car was plumped up with such options as heated front seats, Mercedes’ ASR traction-control system, and a trunk-­mounted CD changer—bringing the total tab to $65,360. That price is sure to elicit an “ouch” or two—especially with Lexus and lnfiniti offering superb sedans for about two-thirds as much. That said, how­ever, let us add that there is still nothing like sitting at the helm of a Mercedes­-Benz. The steering demands firm pressure on the wheel but rewards you with precise turn-in and fluid response.This is a conspicuously substantial automobile. You feel the 400E’s 3826 pounds—not in sluggish performance, but in the heft of the doors and the firmness of the seats and the solidity of the body at speed over harsh pavement. Combined with the dual air bags, the standard ABS, and the well-fitting, adjustable seatbelts, this solidity makes the 400E an especially reassuring car to ride in.This is a heavy-effort car, too. The steering demands firm pressure on the wheel but rewards you with precise turn-in and fluid response. The con­trols—the turn-signal lever, the head­lamp knob, the climate-control switches—”thunk” from position to position. The throttle pedal is tightly sprung but smooth in its action. You’d think this car’s parts were filled with molasses. Which is why the 4.2-liter V-8 is such a wonder in this body: the 400E is anything but molasses-slow. The V-8’s torque adds light feet to the 400E’s mass. Around-town punch is abundant, though the transmission—annoy­ingly—prefers to start in second gear unless the throttle is prodded sternly. And cruising is effortless, with loads of passing power in reserve at almost any speed. The 400E is not as dazzling as the 500E. But it’s good enough to make you wonder if more performance is really worth $27,170.SpecificationsSpecifications
1992 Mercedes-Benz 400EVehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $60,195/$65,360
ENGINEDOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injectionDisplacement: 256 in3, 4196 cm3Power: 268 hp @ 5700 rpmTorque: 295 lb-ft @ 3900 rpm 
TRANSMISSION4-speed automatic 
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 110.2 inLength: 187.2 inWidth: 68.5 inHeight: 56.3 inCurb Weight: 3826 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 6.8 sec1/4-Mile: 15.2 sec @ 95 mph100 mph: 16.9 sec130 mph: 31.8 secRolling Start, 5–60 mph: 6.8 secTop Speed: 147 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 173 ftRoadholding, 235-ft Skidpad: 0.74 g 
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 17 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 16/15/20 mpg 
C/D TESTING EXPLAINEDThis content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

From the April 1992 issue of Car and Driver.When you’re talking about sports sedans, there are fast ones and faster ones and really, really fast ones. And then there is the Magnum Force. Behold three of the highest-performance production four-doors the world has ever seen. Magnum power. Magnum status. And, yes, Magnum stickers. That all three were created in Germany should come as no surprise: only the land of the unlimited-speed autobahn could even conceive of building sports sedans as explosive and exclusive as these. We are talking about .44-caliber performance here. Would 0 to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds tingle your brain tissue? That’s from the slowest member of the trio. And there’s more. Mighty brakes. Asphalt­-ripping grip. And—oh yes—shameless luxury. As performance-oriented as they are, these limited-production wonders don’t skimp on the niceties. Leather is standard in all three. So is automatic climate control. And premium-quality audio. And power everything. And if you want more (a trunk-mounted CD changer, perhaps?) you can order that, too.Aaron Kiley|Car and DriverCould these high-octane phenoms possibly offer anything else? How about enough room to carry four adults and their luggage?Now would be a good time to pause and catch your breath. The first of the Magnum four-doors was BMW’s M5, a 5-series sedan tweaked into a 256-horsepower beast by the maker’s esteemed Motorsport division. The M5 first appeared in 1985 and arrived in the U.S. two years later—to rave reviews. BMW then unleashed a new M5 for the 1991 model year, this one based on the all-new 5-series and sporting even more displacement and power. With minor changes, that is the car that continues into 1992. Having watched aftermarket tuners such as AMG successfully vitalize its products for years, Mercedes-Benz has launched a factory-backed parry for 1992: the 500E. Assembled by Porsche for Mercedes, the 500E is a 300E sedan ignited with a heart of fire: the same 32-valve 5.0-liter aluminum V-8 engine developed for the 500SL sports car. The 500E backs up this awesome powerplant with an extra-beefy suspension. And huge wheels and tires. And flared body panels. The result? A shape that’s refined but audacious—even a grandmother could tell that this is a 300E that’s been spending time in the Nautilus room. We gathered the Magnum Force together, strapped on the test equipment, and let the computer record the amazing numbers.The most recent arrival is Audi’s hot new S4, a 100 sedan fortified with the maker’s Quattro four-wheel-drive system, a sport suspension, a host of exterior and interior alterations, and an upgraded version of Audi’s turbocharged and intercooled, 20-valve, 2.2-liter inline five-cylinder engine. The car pictured here is an early-production example, obtained through our connections. If what you’ve read so far makes you scream “comparison test,” you’re right with us. We gathered the Magnum Force together, strapped on the test equipment, and let the computer record the amazing numbers. To these hard facts we mixed in our subjective impressions, gleaned from a combination of highway cruising, hard twisty-road running, and around-town stopping-and-going. But, hey, you know the drill. Let’s get to the results.3rd Place: Audi S4As much as any sedan can, Audi’s new S4 reminds us of a fine business jet. Not just because of its slick looks and gauge-filled cockpit, but also because of the way it involves the driver in the mission of the machine.Though built on the shortest wheelbase of the group—105.8 inches—the S4 is the longest and widest member of the Magnum Force. But it feels the smallest. You don’t climb aboard this car, you slip it on. It takes a lurch to slide under the air­bag-equipped steering wheel, but once settled you find that your legs and arms have plenty of room and that the driving position is nearly ideal. HIGHS: Exquisite cockpit, svelte skin, all-weather proficiency. LOWS: Fade-prone brakes, sluggish response. VERDICT: The high-tech Magnum sedan, quick and full of flair.There’s a jet-like intimacy to the S4 cockpit. The numerous instruments (the main dials are white with black markings) are arrayed in a tight group around the driver; no reaching is required. The door­sills are high. The materials—a beautiful combination of leather, soft plastic, and wood—look both rich and subdued. Yet the cocoon-like ambiance created by the cabin’s gentle curves and appealing hues is merely an illusion: the S4 boasts plenty of space up front and the most rear-seat legroom of the trio. Like a responsive jet, the S4 feels hard­wired to its driver—this is not an isolated, laid-back-touring sort of car. Engaging the clutch and shifting the five-speed transmission requires concentration for smooth results. The steering channels the road surface directly to the driver’s hands, and there is lots of kickback over rough surfaces—more than some drivers may want. The suspension is equally immediate in the messages it broadcasts to the driver’s pants seat.The S4’s 2.2-liter turbo five makes impressive power for its size—227 horsepower at 5900 rpm—and it winds to its redline with the growling, turbine-like whine we’ve grown accustomed to hearing from Audi fives. The engine delivers inspiring performance—a dash from 0 to 60 mph takes just 6.1 seconds. Yet the other two Magnum sedans are much quicker, thanks to their larger, more powerful engines. And the S4’s top speed is limited by a governor to only 127 mph. (Without the limiter, Audi claims, the S4 can climb to about 150 mph.) Extracting the most from this car can be work. Though peak torque comes at a low 1950 rpm, the 258-pound-foot maximum is less than the others offer. Moreover, the turbo lag, though minimal, delays the effect of this thrust, which translates into lots of shifting around town. The logbook also notes that the brakes—despite being able to stop the car from 70 mph in only 171 feet—suffered from severe fade during our energetic road drives. The S4 is easily the most affordable member of the Magnum Force: Audi estimates that the car will start at about $45,500 when it reaches dealerships. And the S4 has much to recommend it, including a gorgeous cabin, sparkling performance, and the all-weather traction of Audi’s Quattro system. But against its big­-bore competition, this low-flying jet is simply outgunned.1992 Audi S4227-hp turbocharged inline-5, 5-speed manual, 3893 lbBase/as-tested price: $45,500/$45,500 (est.)C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 6.1 sec1/4 mile: 14.9 sec @ 94 mphBraking, 70­-0 mph: 171 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.85 gC/D observed fuel economy: 16 mpg2nd Place: Mercedes-Benz 500ENo way the 500E is going to be out­gunned. No sir. Everything about this machine is Magnum impressive.Beginning with the power. The 32-valve 5.0-liter V-8 engine pours out 322 horsepower and 354 pound­-feet of torque. Even with 3927 pounds in tow, that kind of muscle translates into speed you can feel in your bones. Feeding its power to the rear wheels via the standard four-speed automatic, the 500E hurtles to 60 mph in just 5.5 seconds, blows through the quarter-mile in 14.1 seconds at 101 mph, and charges all the way to an electronically limited top speed of 156 mph. That’s enough performance to keep the 500E nipping at the heels of an LT1 Corvette.HIGHS: Stunning speed, lively chassis, tank-like construction. LOWS: Stratospheric sticker.VERDICT: For those who can afford it, a supersedan of awesome ability.But the 500E is ever so much more composed than the Chevy. The body is as solid as a battleship. The chassis never ruffles. The engine is relaxed at high speeds. The cabin is hushed at cruise. As a result, 100 mph feels like 70. This thing devours miles.It also devours twisty roads like a car half its size. The 500E’s steering, smooth and accurate, is among the finest we’ve ever experienced, making it easy to position the car just so. The suspension is balanced and neutral and—in concert with the fat Michelin MXM tires—delivers up to 0.85 g of grip. (It could be even grippier than that, except that the standard ASR traction-control system kicks in annoyingly whenever the driver attempts to steer the rear end with the throttle.) And, oooohhh, does this car have brakes. It screeches to a halt from 70 mph in just 166 feet—putting it in sports-car territory. And it does it time after time with no fade. Yet the 500E only reveals its supercar status when you ask it to flex its muscles. Driven sedately, it’s as composed and refined as any other Benz. In fact, it’s damned good at going slow: The V-8 purrs at idle, there’s plenty of torque for moving smartly away from stoplights (though the automatic prefers to start in second gear), and the ride is reasonably supple. Certainly there are few interior clues to the 500E’s prowess. The cabin is roomy and handsome—if a bit more austere than the S4 cockpit. Leather is everywhere, and wood trim is used generously. The seats are firm and expertly shaped. Dual air bags are standard, as are heated front seats and a nifty, electrically controlled rear sunshade. We had a few criticisms regarding the controls—the awkward radio buttons, mostly—but overall the 500E’s interior is hard to fault. So if the 500E does everything so well, you ask, how did it get edged out of first place? There is but one blemish in the 500E experience: the price of admission. The base price is $87,365. Our test car, outfitted with the optional trunk-mounted CD changer, totaled $88,685. (Read our test of the lesser but still impressive 400E.)That’s pocket change compared with the stickers of such aftermarket-activated Benzes as the AMG Hammer. But viewed in any other light—especially next to our victor—the 500E’s price tag is monstrous. Even by Magnum standards.1992 Mercedes-Benz 500E322-hp V-8, 4-speed automatic, 3927 lbBase/as-tested price: $87,365/$88,685C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 5.5 sec1/4 mile: 14.1 sec @ 101 mphBraking, 70­-0 mph: 166 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.85 gC/D observed fuel economy: 15 mpg1st Place: BMW M5The M5 is a seriously sporting machine. You know that the moment you turn the key. The 3.5-liter inline six fires off and immediately settles into a lumpy idle—not rough, mind you, but with just enough burps and gurgles to let you know that there’s something different about this engine. You blip the throttle. Instantly the rev needle spins upward and the engine note rises to a silky whine. Your neck hairs straighten as the goose flesh spreads down your arms. The engine’s warm now. Clutch in, slip the meaty five-speed shifter into first. Ease the clutch out. And nail the throttle. Hoooleee sssshhhhh…!HIGHS: Stirring sound, graceful gearbox, phenomenal performance.LOWS: Impassive interior, weird wheels.VERDICT: The enthusiast’s sports sedan—swift, spirited, and soulful.Welcome to sports-sedan heaven. As one of our testers wrote, “If this engine doesn’t stir your blood, call the coroner.” The M5 is all about this powerplant—a 310-horsepower, normally aspirated wonder. In the cockpit, its sound is immediate and omnipresent—at idle, when whirring at 3000 rpm, when screaming at the 7250-rpm redline. It begs your right foot to lunge for the floor.Good things happen when your foot obeys that plea. Zero to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds. The quarter-mile in 14.3 seconds at 99 mph. A top speed of 156 mph (electronically governed). All accompanied by that stirring, sexy, satiny song.The M5 is happiest when you give it the spurs. Around town, the clutch feels heavy and engages abruptly. The brakes grab at the touch of the pedal. The engine lopes along in boredom. And then you find yourself on a clear country road. Suddenly, the M5 comes into its own. The clutch and the shifter, so heavy in the city, work seamlessly at speed. The brakes, cooled by strange fan-blade wheels that make the low-profile seventeen-inch tires look like whitewalls, display perfect feel and unfailing power. And the chassis can do no wrong. You’ll note that the M5 posted the group’s highest slalom speed by a wide margin. We could mention chassis balance and roll control and steering response here, but let’s just say this: many of the world’s “sports” cars would be hard-pressed to keep up with this four-door sedan on a challenging road. The M5’s driving environment is as serious as its personality. Though the cabin is trimmed in leather and outfitted with every imaginable convenience, some of our drivers found it somewhat cold and spartan. Certainly, the dour shades in our test car’s cockpit did nothing to warm our dispositions. Of course, you don’t buy a sports sedan—a serious sports sedan, that is—for its dashboard decorations. The M5 delivers the important goods: a great drivetrain, fantastic brakes, a confidence-inspiring chassis, and a stalwart personality. Base sticker is $64,430. The optional heated seats in our test car added another $330. That’s a lot of dough for a car. But it seems a fair price for a Magnum sedan that’s guaranteed to blow you away. 1992 BMW M5310-hp inline-6, 5-speed manual, 3800 lbBase/as-tested price: $64,430/$64,760C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 5.6 sec1/4 mile: 14.3 sec @ 99 mphBraking, 70­-0 mph: 169 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.82 gC/D observed fuel economy: 16 mpgThis content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

Over the years, driving a Toyota Prius was a rolling admission that you’d be willing to sacrifice everything on the altar of maximum fuel economy. Power and performance were axed, which makes some sense. Still, no previous Prius could crack even the lowly 10-second barrier to 60 mph. The list of forsaken attributes also included attractive styling, good driver ergonomics, and the barest modicum of handling prowess. The Prius has always been a one-trick pony that lacked actual ponies.More on the New PriusThat ends now—except for the part where the 2023 Toyota Prius generates stellar fuel economy. In fact, Toyota estimates it’s even better at this core mission. How does 57 mpg combined (57 city/56 highway) grab you? That’s for the LE with front-wheel drive and 17-inch wheels—the L Eco model is history. The XLE and Limited front-wheel-drive models are good for 52 combined (52 city/52 highway) on their standard 19-inch rolling stock. The first thing that stands out is how desirable the new Prius looks, words we have never typed before. This came about because chief engineer Satoki Oya, newly assigned to the fifth-generation Prius program, pursued a “love at first sight” approach. He allowed the designers “the freedom to do what they want,” in stark contrast to what he termed the “relentless pursuit of aerodynamic efficiency” that produced the prior weird-mobiles.This led to a 2023 Prius that is longer (1.1 inches), lower (1.6 inches), and wider (0.9 inch). But its stance is even more dramatic than those numbers suggest. New 17- and 19-inch wheels are shod with two-inch-taller tires, and those wheel assemblies are shoved nearer the corners thanks to a track width that’s broader by a whopping 2.3 inches up front and two inches out back. Meanwhile, the wheelbase is a full two inches longer.Beyond that, the apex of the peaked roofline has been pulled back so the hood flows gracefully into the windshield and roof. This styling decision was made despite a worsened drag coefficient of 0.27, versus last year’s 0.24. But the effect is softened because drag is the product of Cd and frontal area, and the latter has shrunk owing to the car’s substantially lower height. Cargo space is down a bit, though, with the LE offering 24 cubic feet, and the XLE and Limited good for 20 cubic feet. Rearward visibility takes a small hit too, owing to the loss of the hatch’s vertical glass panel.Acceleration Leaves the Old Car (Far) BehindInvisible changes under the skin are arguably more transformative. The internal-combustion engine is now a 2.0-liter inline-four that generates 150 horsepower instead of a 1.8-liter unit good for just 96 ponies. The permanent-magnet synchronous traction motor—made more compact because it features six magnets per pole rather than three—is now good for 111 horsepower instead of 71 horses. This year’s combined output at full whack is 194 horsepower instead of just 121 horsepower, a 60 percent increase.HIGHS: Actual look-at-me styling, deft handling, no longer a moving chicane.All-wheel-drive models get a new permanent-magnet rear motor good for 40 horsepower; the previous induction motor wrangled just 7 feeble ponies. This greatly expands the range of speeds and conditions under which rear-drive can be deployed and, unlike last year, allows for a slight AWD peak-horsepower advantage: 2 horses more, for 196, to be precise. Every trim from LE to Limited can now be had with all-wheel drive, and the AWD LE enjoys the biggest year-over-year fuel-economy gain: 54 mpg combined, up from 49 mpg. Marc Urbano|Car and DriverIn our front-drive Limited test car, this newfound power leads to transformative performance—or simply “performance,” in the case of a Prius. The dash to 60 mph on a short freeway merge now takes a breezy 7.1 seconds instead of a wheezy 10.5 ticks. The 50-to-70-mph romp when passing consumes 5.0 seconds instead of 7.1 seconds. And for those who judge against the quarter-mile, the new car’s 15.5-second, 92-mph effort is a full 2.3 seconds quicker and 13 mph faster than before.Improved Handling and BrakingThe new car’s lower height and broader stance also eliminate the feeling that it’s up on tiptoes. This is enhanced by Oya-san’s desire to extend his “performance worthy of the design” ethos to chassis tuning. The largely similar front strut and rear multilink suspension has been massaged with handling in mind, featuring KYB dampers with an internal check valve that closes when subjected to lateral forces to firm up damping in corners. Indeed, there’s far less body lean than before, and the new Prius flows gracefully through corners. Filtered through the contact patch of 195/50R-19 Michelin Primacy All Season tires, our tests reveal a healthy 0.87 g of cornering grip. The ride is nicely buttoned down over most pavement irregularities, even with the XLE and Limited’s low-profile 19-inch rubber.The front and rear brakes are larger, and the booster employs a hydraulic pump instead of vacuum assist to improve feel. That brake pedal feel remains consistent as the computer toggles between regenerative and friction braking, rectifying a longstanding Prius bugaboo. Stops from 70 mph take just 171 feet.Improved Interior ErgonomicsThe swoopy roofline does reduce headroom by 1.4 inches up front and one inch in back, though. The extra wheelbase helps, allowing 0.9 inch more front legroom and an added 1.4 inches behind. That changes the driving position to one that’s far more agreeable and less upright. Adjusting the steering wheel does feel odd though because at first, it seems like the wheel must be in your lap to see the instruments. That’s mostly an illusion, as the steering column cover is uniquely styled to blend into the dash. There’s actually decent thigh clearance beneath the rim, and the Toyota logo on the horn pad points at your chin, not your sternum.Marc Urbano|Car and DriverThat the wheel affects the instruments is new territory for the Prius, as they are now (finally) dead ahead of the driver, not lollygagging off to starboard. It’s a straightforward display, too, and the controls on the steering-wheel spokes make it easy to peruse the screen. The familiar Prius shifter remains, but it somehow feels more logical and intuitive now that it juts straight up from the console close at hand instead of protruding from the dash at arm’s length.LOWS: Reduced cargo space, pinched rear visibility, loss of headroom.The central touchscreen is an 8.0-inch display on the LE, but a generous 12.3-inch unit is optional on the XLE and standard on the Limited. Wireless smartphone mirroring is standard. Just below the screen, the physical HVAC toggles and buttons operate with perfect logic, and a phone charging slot sits alongside the shifter, with a clever clamping action that holds your phone securely. A second phone tray sits ahead of the shifter, and six USB-C jacks are sprinkled throughout the cabin.The completely reimagined Prius will go on sale this January. The base price is higher because the base L Eco model is no more, but the front-drive LE’s starting figure of $28,545 is only about $1100 more than last year. An XLE is $31,990, and the Limited commands $35,560. Add $1400 to any of the above if you want all-wheel drive. From where we sit, the new car’s small extra spend is absolutely worth it, because you get all the fuel economy of before without having to sacrifice good looks, reasonable performance, a dash of driving fun, or your dignity.SpecificationsSpecifications
2023 Toyota Prius LimitedVehicle Type: front-engine, front-motor, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback
PRICEBase/As Tested: $35,560/$35,560Options: none
POWERTRAINDOHC 16-valve 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle inline-4, 150 hp, 139 lb-ft + 2 AC motors (combined output: 194 hp; 0.9-kWh lithium-ion battery pack)Transmission: continuously variable automatic
CHASSISSuspension, F/R: struts/multilink Brakes, F/R: 11.1-in vented disc/11.0-in discTires: Michelin Primacy All Season195/50R-19 88H M+S
DIMENSIONSWheelbase: 108.3 inLength: 181.1 inWidth: 70.2 inHeight: 56.3 inPassenger Volume: 91 ft3Cargo Volume: 20 ft3Curb Weight: 3199 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 7.1 sec1/4-Mile: 15.5 sec @ 92 mph100 mph: 18.8 secResults above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 8.1 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 4.0 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 5.0 secTop Speed (gov ltd): 115 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 171 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.87 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMYObserved: 45 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (MFR’S EST)Combined/City/Highway: 52/52/52 mpg
C/D TESTING EXPLAINEDThis content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More