Reviews

From the August 2005 issue of Car and Driver.
The makers of the world’s greatest sports cars probably should not seek alternative employment in stockbrokerage. It seems like every time we get a bumper crop of fabulous new supercars from the purveyors of these highly desirable vehicles, it coincides with a weakening global economy.
Maybe that’s how it works. Ferrari, Aston Martin, and others see a booming economy and immediately set to work on a gloriously indulgent new coupe or convertible, only to have the ticker numbers steadily decline during the car’s development period. By the date of the new car’s introduction, everyone has cashed out of the market and is sitting tight for a new administration to change the picture.

The basis of this comparison was simple. Assemble the latest crop of sub-200K high-powered sports cars, and see how the various flavors titillate the editorial palate.

For the ultra-rich, protected from market vacillations by eight-figure assets, this matters less. Ask Jay Leno, who continues to collect cars with enthusiasm. Or Steve Knappenberger, owner of Porsche Santa Barbara (www.sbautogroup.com), who saved this giant street-racer shootout from certain impossibility when he lent us a Ferrari F430 after our anticipated test car was T-boned at a New Jersey intersection by a driver running a red light. Knappenberger also provided us with a Porsche 911 Turbo S cabrio when the Porsche fleet managers pronounced no test cars were available.
That’s what you call real generosity, folks. Most Ferrari owners don’t permit strangers within spitting distance of their swell cars. This guy let us put his personal silver F430 through all the hard tests we run for comparisons. Ferrari North America and Porsche Cars North America owe him big time, and so do we, so thanks, Steve.
The basis of this comparison was simple. Assemble the latest crop of sub-200K high-powered sports cars, and see how the various flavors titillate the editorial palate. To get an idea of how strong those flavors are in this group, consider the fact that the car with the least horsepower among them is the Porsche 911 Turbo S, with 444.

2011 Supercar Super Test

From the Archive: Ferrari vs. McLaren vs. Porsche

Proceeding alphabetically, the Aston Martin DB9 is the latest addition to Aston’s three-model lineup, flaunting a svelte new shape in aluminum and enjoying thrust from a 449-hp V-12 driving through a six-speed automatic with paddle-operated manual override. Slathered in beautiful leather and wood, the Aston offers the best of classic British opulence at an all-inclusive price of $164,500. But they’re not easy to come by-ordering a DB9 coupe in the U.S. involves a four-month wait, and it’ll be a year for the convertible Volante. Perhaps 600 of a 1500-car worldwide production run will be sold here this year.
The F430 is the newest of Ferrari’s hot-selling mid-engined models, now packing 483 horsepower from a 4.3-liter V-8 and a sleek new shape from the artists at Pininfarina. Although there is some carry-over of basic components from the beloved 360 Modena, the execution has made the F430 feel like something quite special. This car was a new experience for a number of us, and its performance was as startling as its $191,225 as-tested price. Not that you can buy one for that amount.
No test of this kind would be complete without the Ford GT. After all, it emerged victorious in all performance categories in our three-car challenge of January 2004. And almost all the automakers featured here have competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans—the race for which the Ford GT’s progenitor was specifically designed. Were it not for the presence of the Lamborghini Gallardo in this group, this could almost be a rematch. With a potent, supercharged 5.4-liter V-8 doling out 550 horsepower, the Ford GT is pretty much in its own league for its $156,945 price-second lowest in this group.
Anyone owning a Saeco espresso maker will attest to the benefit of a joint German/Italian engineering exercise. You get Italian flavor with German technology, and isn’t that the best of both worlds? Lamborghini’s Gallardo is something like that, with its Audi-sourced body shell (from the A8 plant in Gyor, Hungary) and Italian-tuned engine and chassis. The evolution of the original Gandini-designed wedge concept seen in the Diablo and Murciélago (revised in the Gallardo by Luc Donckerwolke) is pretty flawless in fit and finish, and the 493-hp V-10 trumpets its theme like the horn section at La Scala. And at a base price of $177,600, the Gallardo is, comparatively speaking, an affordable Lambo.
Mercedes’s SL65 AMG is a powerful combination of luxury and horsepower. Call it the rocket-assisted limo in this group. Replete with every luxury gadget in the Mercedes arsenal-including a power convertible hardtop-and weighing in at 4480 pounds as a result, the SL65 shrugs off the mass when its 604-hp twin-turbo V-12 answers the call. Although it is the second-most-expensive car in the group—$189,970, as tested—the AMG-modified SL works just fine as an everyday driver.
Finally, as a perfect example of how the world turns, we have Porsche’s 911 Turbo S cabriolet. A coupe would have suited this comparison better, but a cabrio was all Knappenberger had on hand. Even with an engine upgraded in “S” spec to 444 horsepower as a result of higher turbocharger boost pressure, the venerable Swabian sports car tails this field in output as well as alphabetical placement. The Turbo model still uses the previous-generation body design and interior, but it remains a highly desirable car. For 2005, ceramic-composite brakes are fitted as standard equipment.
That’s the lineup. This is how we rated them.

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Car and Driver

5th Place (tie): Aston Martin DB9
This new car from Aston Martin is a peculiar mix of gentility and macho manliness. Endowed with a sculpted aluminum shape that stops the masses in their tracks and a silky 5.9-liter V-12 that snarls like a vintage Le Mans racer, the car has street presence in spades.
It also has an interior that is as carefully tailored as a Savile Row suit, with flawless leather hides, lovely contours, and handsome wood accents. With 449 horsepower on tap and a broad torque delivery, the Aston DB9 feels like a very fast car—until you get to the drag strip and find these other guys lined up, too. Then, the DB9’s 13.2-second quarter-mile is about a second off the pace.

HIGHS: Gorgeous bodywork, torquey V-12, elegant interior.

Will the stalwart pillars of the community who aspire to these cars care about that? Probably not. The Aston will strafe the fast lane with the best of them. And if you restrain your street-racer instincts a little in the mountains, the DB9 also makes a pleasing high-speed tourer. But it doesn’t like being hurried in the twisties, and it works best with a smooth, deliberate driving demeanor.
Chassis calibrations seemed a bit paradoxical to us, with relatively high spring rates producing a fairly gnarly ride, yet there was noticeable roll gain in corners. Every participating editor noted the car felt heavy and a bit ponderous. Even so, it beat the stability-control-managed AMG SL65 in our lane-change test, despite the slowest lap time at the Streets of Willow, 0.6 second behind the Porsche.
The controls seem unusually heavy for a car of this caliber, with a steering wheel that was hard to pull off-center and was always resistant to quick inputs. Ditto the brake pedal, which was wooden in feel and took considerable pressure to produce strong retardation. Although the six-speed automatic transmission did a fair job of emulating a paddle-shift manual—with a taut step-off and snappy upshifts courtesy of its tight torque converter and quick lockup—the transmission fluid overheated several times in hot conditions when driven hard, flashing a warning light and defaulting to higher gears, where it ignored requests from the paddles.

LOWS: Knotty ride, feeble A/C, easily overheated transmission.

As one editor noted, on its own, this car feels great. It’s the fast company it kept in this test that highlighted its shortcomings.
In aesthetic terms, the DB9 is a delight. It surrounds the occupants with a sense of well-being and privilege. But we did find a few ergonomic contradictions. For one, the tachometer needle rotates in a counterclockwise direction. Also, although the pushbutton transmission selectors mounted high on the dash were easy to see and use, many of the secondary switches are small pushbuttons in the silver-tone center console. The tiny white pictographs and script are extremely hard to see against the silver background and certainly will be so for the bifocaled, middle-aged clientele we believe are the likely customers for this car.

THE VERDICT: A beautiful car for a mature James Bond.

Our final complaint was about the air conditioning, which struggled to provide a comfortable ambience in the admittedly hot conditions of our test and then would quit temporarily when the engine temperature began to climb. Perhaps these are signs that we were asking too much of this neoclassic chunk of British tradition. If we’d driven like gentlemen, maybe none of this would have happened.
2005 Aston Martin DB9 GT449-hp V-8, 6-speed automatic, 4040 lbBase/as-tested price: $164,500/$164,500C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 4.8 sec1/4 mile: 13.2 @ 111 mphBraking, 70­–0 mph: 168 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.90 gC/D observed fuel economy: 12 mpg

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5th Place (tie): Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG
Anyone driving the SL65 for the first time will report back—probably with big eyes—that the thing accelerates as if it had a military ramjet in the back. But the real story with this car is that it is intended as a high-speed luxury convertible capable of hauling you and your luggage to your vacation home in comfort and relative quiet.
The thrust available from this 604-hp monster with 738 pound-feet of torque is its calling card, and it helps the SL65 keep up with nimbler cars in the mountains, where its 4480-pound weight starts working against it. The Benz isn’t particularly ill-mannered in the hills, understand, it just won’t be jammed into corners. Even with the active roll-control system switched to sport, the SL65’s large mass produces understeer, and the driver is soon admonished by the electronic stability program (ESP) to back off. As boss Csere noted, the rule here is: slow in, fast out.

HIGHS: God’s own engine, high comfort and equipment levels, convenient convertible top.

You can tighten the line during moderately fast cornering by simply giving the Benz some gas. Our editors quibbled about steering quality in this car, but most felt that although the effort was light, the mechanism produced accurate results. In character with the rest of the car, refinement takes precedence over involvement.

Even counting the downshift that greets a big prod at the pedal, a 2.3-second 50-to-70-mph time speaks of being able to pass anything, anytime.

Nonetheless, the car’s skidpad performance was respectable at 0.92 g, as was its lane-change speed of 69.1 mph—faster than the Porsche 911 Turbo S, despite the fact that the ESP cannot be disabled entirely. Or perhaps because of it. The integration of the various electronic systems has been meticulously engineered to save overly enthusiastic drivers from themselves.
The sound the V-12 makes as it comes on boost is an extraordinary blend of mechanical and pneumatic acoustics—a giant, percussive whoosh as the engine pins you back in your seat between 2000 rpm and the 6000 redline, in every gear. Check out the passing-acceleration figures. Even counting the downshift that greets a big prod at the pedal, a 2.3-second 50-to-70-mph time speaks of being able to pass anything, anytime.

LOWS: Substantial heft, substantial price, substantial appetite for fuel.

Ironically, our acceleration results are slower than expected, even though the car meets the factory claims for zero-to-60 times. That may be due to the intense heat (over 90 degrees) at our desert test site, where repeated runs had the car’s coolant gauge reaching the top of its scale, whereupon the engine computer cuts boost and probably retards ignition spark, too, for good measure. That slows the SL65 right down.
It did the same thing at the Streets of Willow, where we could record only one lap before an identical situation arose. One look under the hood suggests an explanation. There’s a tightly packed cluster of hot plumbing under there, and engine-bay airflow is clearly not up to the task of scavenging it. Still, we can’t think of anywhere you could use full power for long periods of time in this car in normal circumstances. Except maybe on the autobahn, where high-speed airflow would doubtlessly cure the problem.

THE VERDICT: The most comfortable high-speed tourer in the bunch.

Where the SL65 stood apart from the others was in the quiet, smooth way it goes about its business. The others get in your face. This one plays it cool.
2005 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG604-hp V-12, 5-speed automatic, 4480 lbBase/as-tested price: $185,820/$189,970C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 4.2 sec1/4 mile: 12.1 @ 120 mphBraking, 70­–0 mph: 177 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.92 gC/D observed fuel economy: 12 mpg

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Car and Driver

4th Place: Porsche 911 Turbo S
This 911 Turbo S may not be the fastest car in the group (with the second-highest power-to-weight ratio after the Aston), but it does boast a convertible top that has been wind-tunnel-tested to 210 mph. That’s comforting in a car that builds speed with the determination this car shows. Despite having the lowest horsepower in this test, the Porsche’s zero-to-60-mph time of 4.0 seconds was second quickest. It would probably have been even faster were it not for the serious rear-wheel hop that occurs just about at the point of maximum hookup.
A concerted high-intensity thrust in each gear is achieved without any fuss and is accompanied by a roar like a jet on full afterburner, with an overlay of that resonant exhaust blare so familiar from 40 years’ worth of racing 911s. Surprisingly, the Turbo S is the third-heaviest car here, due in part to its all-wheel-drive system and steel bodywork. But it never feels anything other than fast and responsive.

HIGHS: Exciting power delivery, intimate interior, everyday practicality.

Another surprise: The Porsche felt quite lively and communicative. We remember the car’s being almost sterile in comparison to a Ferrari 360 Modena it competed against in an earlier engagement. Perhaps it’s just the passage of years, but the somewhat jiggly ride and tendency to dart off-course at high speed contradicted our earlier impressions. True to Swabian form, the Porsche has taut, well-damped controls and responds best to deliberate inputs.
The proximity of the windshield and the short nose with its prominent fender bulges lend the driver a pleasant sense of intimacy with the car, and even if the dashboard retains that old blob-on-a-log design, its textures and color scheme have been vastly improved. Without the handsome new classmates in this group, the Porsche might seem to be all any enthusiast could wish for.

LOWS: Dated design, busy ride, slightly untrustworthy chassis.

But there are the inevitable shortcomings of a rear-engine design. We ran the Turbo S through our lane-change test several times with the Porsche Stability Management (PSM) switched on. Once we’d established a baseline, we switched it off. One run with the system off was enough. Although the 911’s handling is much improved these days, especially with all-wheel drive, physics cannot be denied. We could almost match the PSM-conducted runs without electronic supervision, but the car felt spooky. Porsche pro driver Hurley Haywood might have done significantly better, but he wasn’t around at the time.
Similarly, when we ran timed laps at the Streets, we discovered that the car bobs and pitches a fair amount, preferring a slow-in, fast-out cornering strategy. Because the car is set up to quell oversteer, getting back on the power too early causes the 911 to simply push wide.
The best thing about the Porsche is its everyday driving virtues. There are no fussy frills here. The car starts with a key rather than a button — albeit the key slot is left of the wheel—and it performs much like a regular car. You don’t worry about driveway ramps. You can see out the back. There’s enough space for tall drivers, and getting in and out isn’t a limbo dance.

THE VERDICT: Still a solid purchase for the Porsche faithful.

Best of all, in this company the 911 Turbo S seems almost cheap.
2005 Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet444-hp flat-6, 6-speed manual, 3840 lbBase/as-tested price: $143,695/$147,435C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 4.0 sec1/4 mile: 12.1 @ 117 mphBraking, 70­–0 mph: 166 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.94 gC/D observed fuel economy: 14 mpg

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3rd Place: Ford GT
Don’t think you can go about your business in a Ford GT and not be noticed. Trust us, you will spend a lot of time acknowledging the gestures of approval from people on the road. Clearly, they like the car, and so do we. After all, what’s not to like about 550 horsepower in an artful recreation of Eric Broadley’s classic design?
This is particularly true when it accommodates drivers of all sizes—helped by a tilting and telescoping steering wheel—and can be driven easily at the first attempt. The idea of a two-seat supercar with 500 pound-feet of torque can be intimidating. The reality is a friendly car with good throttle response, a clutch with a wide span of engagement, and a shifter that moves obediently at your bidding. The whole entity is almost as easy to drive as a Focus.

HIGHS: Immense thrust, unshakable grip, head-turning looks, great value, easy to drive.

Simple to drive it may be; it is still a 200-plus-mph car with massive potential. Respect is in order here, even though the Ford showed no evil-handling tendencies anywhere. At the car’s limit of adhesion it would transition benignly into a four-wheel drift, as long as nothing abrupt was done to the throttle or steering. This neutrality helped the GT narrowly edge the Ferrari in the lane-change and track-lapping tests, despite its fractionally lower skidpad number.
Not surprisingly, the Ford was quickest in a straight line in every measured test other than the top-gear intermediates (due to its high gearing and the fact that two other cars here had automatics). It reached 150 mph in 19.1 seconds, beating the 604-hp SL65 by 1.4 seconds.
Although not wanting for power, the Ford could use a little more sound insulation. Or not, depending on your idea of what a sports car should be. The tires transmit a fair bit of road noise into the cabin, banging quite loudly on pavement breaks and drumming vociferously over ripples. Big impacts make their way through the steering column, too, and there’s nearly always a prominent wind gush at the windows. This may have something to do with the way air is angled out of the radiator ducts up front to miss the windshield, done deliberately to improve aerodynamic performance.

LOWS: A hard and noisy ride wind roar, occasionally tricky ingress, no stash space.

On the fast mountain roads of our test route, the GT was magnificent, steering keenly to corner apexes, holding its line with determination, and offering up boatloads of reassuring communication to the driver. Thrust out of corners is naturally copious, even in relatively high gears, so you don’t constantly scramble for the right ratio. Just as well—the brake pedal was too high for dependable heel-and-toe work in the hills. At the track, heavier and more frequent brake applications had the pedal sinking to a useful height for that technique.
You sit low in the Ford, almost buried behind the windshield, and the thick A-pillar (necessary to compensate for roof rigidity lost due to the door cutouts) obstructs the view of shorter drivers. The side mirrors are small and high, and rear vision is a real problem while backing up. Also, when glancing over your shoulder, reflections in the divider glass produce spooky distractions.

THE VERDICT: A skillful roadgoing reincarnation of a classic sports racer.

These are minor beefs. The Ford GT is all about the essence of a sports car, and this GT is essentially good.
2005 Ford GT550-hp V-8, 6-speed manual, 3520 lbBase/as-tested price: $143,345/$156,945C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 3.6 sec1/4 mile: 12.0 @ 123 mphBraking, 70­–0 mph: 173 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.94 gC/D observed fuel economy: 12 mpg

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2nd Place: Lamborghini Gallardo
At 8000 rpm in the Lamborghini Gallardo, the exhaust broadcasts a magnificent V-10 fanfare. Where the Aston Martin utters a quintessential staccato bark, the Gallardo trumpets a mostly unbroken timbre. Only occasionally do you hear a warble something like that of the old five-cylinder Audi Quattro rally car.
The sound is entirely in line with the car’s amazing visual presence, which is a wholly updated evolution of the unique Lamborghini look and is pretty spectacular in the pearlescent yellow you see here. Forget about going unnoticed by police and public alike. This is the extrovert’s exotic.

HIGHS: Exotic street presence, great V-10 exhaust note, flexible power delivery.

Convenient for the extrovert, then, that the Gallardo works so well as actual transportation. Conventional doors gape wide to provide access, and although the seats are low, reasonably limber drivers and passengers should have no problem getting in. Space is an issue only for very tall drivers, particularly with the manual-transmission model (the so-called e-gear paddle-shift system is a $10,000 option), where you need room to dance on the pedals.

Although the steering might have a more stolidly Germanic feel than the Italian name might suggest, the Gallardo prompted plenty of praise for its precision and weighting once we took to the mountains.

The manual shifter lives in a metal maze in classic tradition and suffers from the clackety-clack action shared by most of those mechanisms. But selections are reasonably quick and positive after a little practice. Acceleration testing brings out the worst of the system and resulted in the death of the clutch after one too many slipped-clutch starts. Thus, our test data are from an e-gear model tested in ’04.

LOWS: A little cramped for beanpoles, stolid control feel, clunky gated gearshift.

Blame that dead clutch on an otherwise excellent all-wheel-drive system that operates transparently to optimize traction and stabilize handling. Lamborghini says the Gallardo is tuned for initial understeer followed by neutral handling characteristics, and none of us would gainsay that. Although the steering might have a more stolidly Germanic feel than the Italian name might suggest, the Gallardo prompted plenty of praise for its precision and weighting once we took to the mountains.
With less communication than the Ford or Ferrari, the Lambo’s stability during high-speed cornering was more a matter of trust than sensory assurance, but it still made excellent time on our mini-Targa Florio, handicapped more by the visual impediment its A-pillars present to drivers than its handling limitations. Equipped with a variable-volume intake tract as well as variable valve timing, the 5.0-liter V-10 has an excellent torque spread, providing strong thrust throughout the rev range. It is pure aural indulgence to spin the V-10 to its 8100-rpm redline.
This car is not really about practicality. The seats are a little hard for long-distance work, and there’s not much luggage space. But the climate control and other mechanisms are straight out of an Audi and are thus pretty dependable. In fact, the whole package seems durable and well put together. Apart from when backing up—when most of these cars are not in their element—all-around visibility is good for a vehicle with these proportions.

THE VERDICT: An eye magnet for those who must be seen.

It always comes back to the look of this car, but with that great V-10, modern assembly techniques, and all the updated technology, there’s no doubt this is the best Lamborghini ever.
2005 Lamborghini Gallardo493-hp V-10, 6-speed automatic, 3520 lbBase/as-tested price: $177,600/$181,350C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 4.1 sec1/4 mile: 12.4 @ 118 mphBraking, 70­–0 mph: 158 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 1.00 gC/D observed fuel economy: 10 mpg

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1st Place: Ferrari F430
Even in the exalted company this car shared during our search for the perfect sports-car environment, a drive in the F430 was a transcendental experience. This is surely the most interactive high-performance car on the road right now, combining vivid acceleration, sensational engine sounds, razor-sharp steering, and lucid feedback in one charismatic package.
Having driven the 360 Modena variants, we expected the F430 to be good, but all of us were flat blown away by how good it is. From the moment you turn the red-fobbed key and thumb the red wheel-mounted start button, the pleasure trip starts. There’s a whoop from the flat-crank V-8 as it bursts into vigorous life, then a hearty throb as it settles to an idle.

HIGHS: Superb mix of dynamic brilliance, scintillating character surprising versatility.

From as little as 2500 rpm, the Ferrari surges forward with real urgency, gaining revs fast until it is seeking the 8500-rpm redline with a long, loud snarl. If you fail to shift in time, the F430 does it for you with a fast, firm gear swap, and right at redline.
The F1 paddle-shift system is much improved over the previous generation, both in speed and smoothness, but full-throttle shifts are still fast and occasionally abrupt. You can find some back-and-forth driveline shuffle, too, at moderate speeds if you’re tentative with the controls.
The car feels light and stiff, and it responds quickly and accurately to movements at the steering wheel. Although firmly suspended, the Ferrari’s chassis damps sharp edges off most bumps, and it keeps the ride flat and devoid of all but small body movements. You hear and feel big bumps as single, muted impacts with no reverberation.

LOWS: Price, unavailability, annoying beeps.

Out on the fabulous mountain roads we found near Knappenberger’s dealership, the F430 was a sheer delight, turning in like a kart, clinging to the line (at 0.96 g) with a clearly transmitted sense of what the contact patches are doing, and blasting out on a clean burst of sound, the V-8 yelling like a modern inline-four sport bike in full voice.
It’s hard to explain exactly how well the Ferrari is integrated. It’s like a perfectly fitted glove. It goes where you merely suggest it go. It encourages faster corner entries than you would have anticipated, and it builds the driver’s confidence, with some initial understeer giving way to a touch of throttle-induced oversteer at corner exits. That the interior is a pleasantly arranged space with plenty of room and a natural driving position is just sauce on the pudding. The F430 even swallows a fair bit of luggage.

THE VERDICT: If e had the money, we’d buy one.

Because U.S.-bound F430s are not equipped with Euro-spec launch control, our car was put through its paces with a normal launch, using comparatively low revs as the clutch engaged. So our 60-mph and quarter-mile figures are not as quick as those of the car tested in Italy by tech editor Aaron Robinson in January. The F430 is still scary fast and utterly seductive. The only quibbles were about its styling, and nobody liked the imperative warning beeps. Other than that, our judgment was unanimous: This is the world’s most desirable sports car, bar none.
2005 Ferrari F430483-hp V-8, 6-speed automatic, 3380 lbBase/as-tested price: $180,785/$191,225C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 4.1 sec1/4 mile: 12.5 @ 116 mphBraking, 70­–0 mph: 162 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: .96 gC/D observed fuel economy: 11 mpg
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Mercedes-Benz’s S-class has long been considered the ultimate luxury sedan, and every generation seemingly introduces new features, gadgets, safety, and technology that eventually trickle down to its other cars. The official debut of the new S-class happens September 2, but we had an early look and ride in a disguised prototype of Benz’s big sedan.

Mercedes Adds Rear Airbags to 2021 S-Class

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

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

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

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Mercedes-Benz

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

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

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

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Robin RiggsCar and Driver

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

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Robin RiggsCar and Driver

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

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Robin RiggsCar and Driver

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

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Robin RiggsCar and Driver

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

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Robin RiggsCar and Driver

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

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Robin RiggsCar and Driver

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

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Robin RiggsCar and Driver

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

Specifications

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

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

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

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

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

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

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

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

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

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

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

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

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

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

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

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

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

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

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

Specifications

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

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

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

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

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2021 Audi A4 Allroad

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

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Marc UrbanoCar and Driver

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

Specifications

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

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