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    Porsche 911 Turbo S at the 0-to-150-to-0-MPH Speed Test 2023

    From the December 2023 issue of Car and Driver.0–150–0 mph: 19.3 secondsBase: $233,560 | As-Tested: $253,510Power and Weight: 640 hp • 3691 lb • 5.8 lb/hpTires: Pirelli P Zero PZ4; F: 255/35ZR-20 (93Y) NA1, R: 315/30ZR-21 (105Y) NA1Brakes, F/R: 16.5-in vented, cross-drilled carbon-ceramic disc/15.4-in vented, cross-drilled carbon-ceramic discThe world’s premier business-class rocket ship required less than a half-mile to hit 150 mph and return to a stop. Setup was easy: Select Sport mode, which keeps the active front and rear spoilers in their low-drag position, then hit the Sport Response button to increase the launch-control threshold from 4000 to 5000 rpm. After that, hang on for a four-wheel burnout, followed soon thereafter by the quarter-mile mark (10.5 seconds) and 150 mph (13.5 seconds). The biggest challenge in the Turbo S was nailing 150 without sailing too far into the deeper reaches of the speedometer before hitting the spectacular brakes, which were second only to the GT3 RS and the Dark Horse with a 586-foot stop. The Turbo S was the only car here that had us eyeing our taxiway and thinking, “Forget 150. This damn thing could hit 200 mph here.” So we aired up the tires to their highest-speed pressure setting and confirmed that suspicion, sending the Turbo S to 201 mph with room to spare. What a car. What a machine. And so, thanks to a nail in the tire of a Tesla Model S, the Porsche 911 Turbo S won our Silver Jubilee 0-to-150-to-0-mph contest. But even if we don’t wait 25 years to do this again, it looks highly unlikely that an internal-combustion car could win a race to 150 mph and back ever again. To which we say: Who wants to go to 200?back to 0-150-0 Speed Test 2023Senior EditorEzra Dyer is a Car and Driver senior editor and columnist. He’s now based in North Carolina but still remembers how to turn right. He owns a 2009 GEM e4 and once drove 206 mph. Those facts are mutually exclusive. More

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    Car and Driver’s 0-to-150-to-0 Speed Test 2023

    From the December 2023 issue of Car and Driver.Every so often, we get the notion to resurrect a story concept from long ago and produce a modern follow-up. For a variety of reasons, this often doesn’t work out—we figure out that Ferrari 250GTOs have gotten too expensive to huck around Laguna Seca, or John Phillips is banned from Tibet, and that puts the kibosh on that. But every now and then, we page through a favorite story in the vast Car and Driver archives, ask ourselves, “Could we do that again?” and come up with no good reason why not. Such was the case with our August 1998 story that pitted tuner cars in a race to 150 mph and back to a stop—an unforgiving and indubitably entertaining test of horsepower and braking acumen. We billed the test as defining “a new performance standard for the coming millennium” and then never did it again. Hey, stuff comes up. In our defense, it is difficult to find real estate suitable for 150-mph exploits, and our 1998 venue—Chrysler’s Chelsea, Michigan, proving grounds, where we still test—wasn’t going to work for these particular hijinks. Back in the day, we used its 2.2-mile straightaway, but the only one we have access to now is 1.5 miles. That sounds like a lot until you’re doing 145 mph in a Honda Civic, staring at the speedometer creeping up digit by digit as you cover about two-thirds of a football field every second. To find a suitable stretch of asphalt, we had to secure our tray tables and taxi to Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport, about three hours north of Detroit.If you’ve never heard of Oscoda, that’s probably because you’re not a Cold War bomber pilot or part of a current DHL or Kalitta Air cargo crew. Oscoda was once a base for nuclear-armed B-52s to set off on round-the-clock trips to the Arctic Circle—just in case the Soviets got rowdy—but now it’s mainly a cargo depot and maintenance destination. Oscoda also has a freshly paved 2.2-mile taxiway. Airport manager Jamie Downes advised that even though we’d be off the main runway, we shouldn’t wander too close to the Kalitta Air 747s running engine tests down beyond our starting line. “Did you see the MythBusters where they put cars behind a jet and throttled it up?” he asked. “They shot that here. The only vehicle that didn’t get blown away by the jet wash was a 57,000-pound plow.” We don’t have anything that weighs 57,000 pounds. Not even the Bentley Bentayga.Yes, our 150-mph roster includes SUVs, which would have been unthinkable last time. So would including a stock Civic, although we brought one of those—the Type R, of course—along with its Korean antagonist, the Hyundai Elantra N, but not a Toyota GR Corolla, as it maxes out at 144 mph. Representing attainable German speed, Volkswagen sent a Golf R, and representing half-attainable and half-German speed, Toyota furnished a GR Supra 3.0. That car seemed a natural foil to the Ford Mustang Dark Horse, our lone thundering American pony car (we asked for a Dodge Demon 170, but no luck). Beyond the Mustang, prices got mighty fancy, with the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing dicing with the Bentley Continental GT Speed in a battle of large-format autobahn dominators. At the top of the food chain, Porsche fielded a 911 GT3 RS and a 911 Turbo S, and Chevy countered with a Corvette Z06.To break up the internal-combustion hegemony, the Kia EV6 GT flew the flag for electric vehicles everywhere. It wasn’t supposed to be the only EV, but the Tesla Model S Plaid we’d rented caught a nail in a tire the day we were heading to Oscoda, and we couldn’t get a replacement in time for testing. We did, however, run it later at our usual test venue since the straightaway there is long enough for a car that hits the required speed in a quarter-mile, and we ran a Lucid Air Sapphire on the straightaway at Virginia International Raceway. The results don’t count for the official scoreboard, but they were certainly enlightening [see “Heroic Electrics,” below].A note about our results: They’re more like lap times than our typical performance figures. We didn’t subtract the initial one-foot rollout or apply any correction for ambient conditions, and the results are simply the best run, not an average of passes in both directions or a merging of acceleration and braking segments from different runs. All of the foregoing, and the fact that Ocsoda’s fresh asphalt isn’t nearly as grippy as the concrete from our usual test venue, means that the 60-mph and quarter-mile times from this test aren’t comparable to other test results.As for our methodology, you might wonder how we attained precisely 150 mph before hitting the brakes. Answer: That was part of the challenge. Drivers had to eyeball the VBox display on the dash and attempt to max out at precisely 150 mph, which was easier in some cars than in others. At 145 mph, the 911 Turbo S was still scrolling numbers like Satan’s slot machine, while the less powerful cars aided precision.View PhotosThis image shows the field arranged in accurate relative finishing position, with the 911 Turbo S in front coming to a stop 1.1 miles sooner than the Civic Type R.Michael Simari|Car and DriverIn all but the slowest couple of vehicles, drivers would ideally initiate braking (as recorded by a trigger affixed to the pedal) at a hair under 150 mph. Then there is a fraction of a second as the pedal strokes down, hydraulic fluid pulses through the lines, calipers squeeze, and rotors begin transforming kinetic energy to heat. And that sliver of latency is the window for the car to clear the buck-fifty hurdle before initiating its brutal trip back to a stop. Judging that lag was its own black art, but if a driver actually saw 150 mph on the VBox display before braking—with the left foot in cars with an automatic transmission to save time—then that was probably too late. Some of the faster cars gained a half-mile per hour or more before the brakes took over. And, of course, if the Vmax speed was under 150 mph, the run did not count.Indeed, for a seemingly simple exercise, a lot can go awry. You can duff the launch, brake too early, or brake too late. Maybe the car gives a wiggle while hauling down and strays onto the dust at the edge of the lane. Perhaps you forget to turn off the air conditioning or fail to set the car in its most advantageous launch or aero mode. The preflight checklist differs from an Elantra N to a Z06 to a 911 Turbo S. But they all have one thing in common, both with one another and with those tuner cars from a quarter-century ago: Visiting 150 mph is always a thrill, even if you only stay there for a moment.The ContendersBase: $44,890As-Tested: $45,345315 hp • 3183 lb • 10.1 lb/hpread moreBase: $34,015As-Tested: $34,015276 hp • 3196 lb • 11.6 lb/hpread moreBase: $47,405As-Tested: $47,405315 hp • 3419 lb • 10.9 lb/hpread moreBase: $234,250As-Tested: $302,910542 hp • 5432 lb • 10.0 lb/hpread moreBase: $62,925As-Tested: $63,100576 hp • 4815 lb • 8.4 lb/hpread moreBase: $58,745As-Tested: $60,365382 hp • 3376 lb • 8.8 lb/hpread moreBase: $67,155As-Tested: $74,500500 hp • 4025 lb • 8.1 lb/hpread moreBase: $312,155As-Tested: $376,025650 hp • 5045 lb • 7.8 lb/hpread moreBase: $99,765As-Tested: $107,225668 hp • 4243 lb • 6.4 lb/hpread moreBase: $287,380As-Tested: $301,420518 hp • 3207 lb • 6.2 lb/hpread moreBase: $144,280As-Tested: $167,605670 hp • 3672 lb • 5.5 lb/hpread moreBase: $233,560As-Tested: $253,510640 hp • 3691 lb • 5.8 lb/hpread moreCar and Driver0–150–0 mph: 52.7 secondsFlat-earthers might change their beliefs after watching the Civic Type R complete its trip to 150 mph, which requires so much pavement—8389 feet of it—that the white Honda seemed to disappear over the horizon. In the time it took for the GT3 RS to make two runs, the Civic was busy completing a single pass down in the here-be-dragons territory of the Oscoda airport map.read the full story0–150–0 mph: 47.0 secondsAs our own Csaba Csere pointed out in 1998, overcoming aerodynamic drag at 150 mph requires 3.38 times as much power as it does at 100 mph. That’s why Bonneville land-speed cars all look more like the sleek Elantra than the big-winged Civic, and it’s surely one reason why the Elantra N pulled ahead of the Civic by more than five seconds at 150 mph despite its 39-hp deficit.read the full story0–150–0 mph: 40.2 secondsAfter the tricky, tire-frying clutch drops of the Civic and the Elantra, launching the automatic, all-wheel-drive Golf R was as routine as clocking in for your shift at the 150-mph factory. One driver noted, “Put it in Special mode that’s labeled Nürburgring, push on the gas, push on the brake, rev it up, and it goes.”read the full story0–150–0 mph: 32.8 secondsReaching 150 mph in the Bentayga was no big deal. There’s no launch control, so you just brake-torque its conventional eight-speed automatic and go, bracing for a violent one-two upshift. The 542-hp twin-turbocharged V-8 is healthy enough to dispel most W-12 FOMO, muscling the bodacious SUV to 150 mph in 25.7 seconds.read the full story0–150–0 mph: 31.2 secondsOn a recon run, without the complete array of test equipment active, the EV6 notched a 30.8-second pass, which would have put it ahead of the Supra. Alas, without the granular data, the score from the Russian judge got tossed, and the EV6 officially finished 0.1 second behind the Supra.read the full story0–150–0 mph: 31.1 secondsAlthough this test doesn’t involve much lingering at triple-digit speeds, some cars spend enough time there to reveal foibles. And in the Supra’s case, the low-speed agility that makes it such fun on a twisty road manifests as unsettling jitters at high speeds.read the full story0–150–0 mph: 29.7 secondsWe’ve driven a lot of 5.0-liter Mustangs, so launching the Dark Horse was a familiar exercise: Be patient with the throttle, get it rolling, then go wide open. Get it hooked up, and 60 mph arrives in 4.3 seconds, which is normal Mustang stuff, really. It’s pretty much all as expected until you hit the brakes and your eyeballs get sucked out of your head.read the full story0–150–0 mph: 24.8 secondsThe GT Speed messes with your mind because you expect it to be quick—it’s got “Speed” right there on the badge—but it’s hard to fathom how 5045 pounds can launch like this. The Speed uses an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission that enables real-deal launch control, with a 5000-rpm clutch drop lobbing the twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W-12’s 650 horsepower and 664 pound-feet down to the pavement like a grenade over a wall.read the full story0–150–0 mph: 24.7 secondsWith 6.2 liters of supercharged V-8 crammed into the Caddy’s engine bay, power-robbing heat soak was the primary obstacle to a quick run. Well, that and traction—Oscoda’s fresh pavement posed a challenge for our more muscular rear-drivers.We kept dialing down launch control—all the way down to 1300 rpm—and there was still a whole lot of torque modulation going on all the way through first gear. But the Caddy’s 668 horsepower asserted itself at high speed with the fourth-quickest 150-mph time, and its trackworthy brakes shrugged off that speed in 664 feet and felt like they’d be happy to keep doing so all day long. read the full story0–150–0 mph: 24.4 secondsThe GT3 RS wasn’t the quickest car of the test, but it sure sounded like it. When the GT3 RS headed for the starting line—pausing for a launch-control start or two to warm up the tires—airport workers lined up at the fence to watch. It was always a worthy spectacle, the GT3 chattering at 6500 rpm before shrieking off the line and kissing 9000 rpm while sounding like the devil’s dirt bike.read the full story0–150–0 mph: 22.5 secondsThe Z06 is a road-course car, not a drag racer. But its performance here proved that it’s game to trip the beam at your nearest staging lights, cracking off an 11.3-second quarter-mile. The Z06’s launch control is manually adjustable, but we got the best times in auto mode, letting the car learn the surface and adjust its aggression accordingly. read the full story0–150–0 mph: 19.3 secondsThe world’s premier business-class rocket ship required less than a half-mile to hit 150 mph and return to a stop. Setup was easy: Select Sport mode, which keeps the active front and rear spoilers in their low-drag position, then hit the Sport Response button to increase the launch-control threshold from 4000 to 5000 rpm. After that, hang on for a four-wheel burnout, followed soon thereafter by the quarter-mile mark (10.5 seconds) and 150 mph (13.5 seconds).read the full story Heroic ElectricsThe 0-to-150-to-0 leaderboard of the future seems destined to be battery powered.When our rented Tesla Model S Plaid showed up with a nail in its tire, we attempted to overnight a replacement tire. But Tesla-spec rubber is hard to come by, and the 1020-hp Model S couldn’t make it to Oscoda in time. Instead, we ran it the next week at our regular test venue. Because of the different track surfaces, we’re not including the Tesla in our official results. A further disappointment is that we couldn’t get a Plaid with the $20,000 Track package that offers upgraded wheels, tires, and carbon-ceramic brake rotors; our test car was on the base 19-inch Pirelli P Zero PZ4s.Since we were already adding asterisks, when we found ourselves at Virginia International Raceway with a 1234-hp Lucid Air Sapphire, we figured we might as well make a few 0-to-150-to-0 passes. Obviously, VIR introduces yet another incomparable surface, and its straightaways are far from test-track flat.Nevertheless, both megapowerful EVs ran more than three seconds quicker than the Porsche 911 Turbo S. As expected, the EVs’ advantage is in acceleration. The Plaid gets to 150 mph in 9.7 seconds and the Sapphire a second quicker still, putting them 3.8 and 4.7 seconds, respectively, ahead of the Porsche. That edge more than offsets their stopping distances, which were, thanks to their hefty curb weights, roughly 100 feet longer, hurting their overall times by less than a second. Very unofficially, the Sapphire’s time of 15.5 seconds beat the Plaid’s 16.2-second time. —Dave VanderWerpMoving the Goal PostBefore gasoline lost its lead, the 0-to-100-to-0 test was the benchmark of measuring a vehicle’s ability to accelerate and decelerate in one swift pass. In 1960, Aston Martin claimed the DB4GT did the deed in 24 seconds. Today it would likely be trampled by the average three-row SUV.In 1965, Carroll Shelby boasted that his 485-hp Cobra 427 could do it in 14.5 seconds. Engineer, Shelby test driver, and racer Ken Miles was said to have done it in 13.8. For its time, the accomplishment seemed unfathomable; however, analyzing our test numbers gives it some legs. When we tested the 2529-pound Cobra 427, it got to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds and arrived at 100 in 8.8. It covered the quarter-mile in 12.2 seconds at 118 mph—that’s quicker than a Mustang Dark Horse. But without anti-lock brakes, stopping the Cobra 427 would require a master’s in threshold braking.To compare the ’60s metal with modern machines, we ran the Porsche 911 Turbo S through the 0-to-100-to-0 wringer. It needed just 9.7 seconds to complete the task. The Cobra paved the way for a more strenuous test, which is why we added 50 mph in the 1990s. At 150 mph, overcoming aerodynamic drag requires 3.38 times as much horsepower as it does at 100, and the brakes must dissipate 2.25 times the energy. With today’s active aero, huge brakes, and massive horsepower numbers—and the fact that a Honda Civic can reach 150 mph—perhaps it’s time to add another 50 mph. —David BeardSenior EditorEzra Dyer is a Car and Driver senior editor and columnist. He’s now based in North Carolina but still remembers how to turn right. He owns a 2009 GEM e4 and once drove 206 mph. Those facts are mutually exclusive. More

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    Bentley Continental GT Speed at the 0-to-150-to-0-MPH Speed Test 2023

    From the December 2023 issue of Car and Driver.0–150–0 mph: 24.8 secondsBase: $312,155 | As-Tested: $376,025Power and Weight: 650 hp • 5045 lb • 7.8 lb/hpTires: Pirelli P Zero PZ4; F: 275/35ZR-22 (104Y) B, R: 315/30ZR-22 (107Y) BBrakes, F/R: 17.3-in vented, cross-drilled carbon-ceramic disc/16.1-in vented, cross-drilled carbon-ceramic discThe GT Speed messes with your mind because you expect it to be quick—it’s got “Speed” right there on the badge—but it’s hard to fathom how 5045 pounds can launch like this. The Speed uses an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission that enables real-deal launch control, with a 5000-rpm clutch drop lobbing the twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W-12’s 650 horsepower and 664 pound-feet down to the pavement like a grenade over a wall. All four tires bark their complaint at launch, and the CGT is still pulling extremely hard at 150 mph, which is attained just 18.1 seconds after leaving the line, behind only the Turbo S and the Z06. From there, 10-piston front brakes (and four-piston rear) clamp carbon-ceramic rotors to stop the CGT in 680 feet, which isn’t particularly impressive until you consider the immensity of the thing. If the Dark Horse is characterized by brakes over engine, the GT Speed is the opposite, defined by its strange and charismatic powerplant. A logbook note summed it up: “W-12, you will be missed.”Senior EditorEzra Dyer is a Car and Driver senior editor and columnist. He’s now based in North Carolina but still remembers how to turn right. He owns a 2009 GEM e4 and once drove 206 mph. Those facts are mutually exclusive. More

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    Porsche 911 GT3 RS at the 0-to-150-to-0-MPH Speed Test 2023

    From the December 2023 issue of Car and Driver.0–150–0 mph: 24.4 secondsBase: $287,380 | As-Tested: $301,420Power and Weight: 518 hp • 3207 lb • 6.2 lb/hpTires: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R Connect; F: 275/35ZR-20 (102Y) N0, R: 335/30ZR-21 (109Y) N0Brakes, F/R: 16.1-in vented, cross-drilled carbon-ceramic disc/ 15.0-in vented, cross-drilled carbon-ceramic discThe GT3 RS wasn’t the quickest car of the test, but it sure sounded like it. When the GT3 RS headed for the starting line—pausing for a launch-control start or two to warm up the tires—airport workers lined up at the fence to watch. It was always a worthy spectacle, the GT3 chattering at 6500 rpm before shrieking off the line and kissing 9000 rpm while sounding like the devil’s dirt bike. Unlike the Cadillac’s multifaceted, adjustable launch control, the GT3 RS’s is unwilling to learn and unable to be adjusted (perhaps that’s a window into differing corporate philosophies). Just easing onto the throttle without launch control was about as quick on the less grippy Oscoda surface. Despite active aerodynamics that switch to a low-downforce mode when the GT3 is pointing straight and accelerating, the Porsche was slower to 150 mph than both the GT Speed and the Blackwing—which, we know, is a ridiculous thing to point out about a car that is, after all, powered by a naturally aspirated six-cylinder. When it’s time to hit the brakes, the GT3 RS practically garrotes its driver with the seatbelt, stopping in 5.2 seconds and 514 feet. The brakes grab so hard that it’s disorienting— you think you must be stopped, but then the clock is still running for another second or so, your frame of reference for deceleration utterly scrambled. Imagine these brakes with the 911 Turbo’s engine. . . . Hey, we think we might be onto something there. Maybe it could be called “GT2 RS.” If you get something like that together, Porsche, let us know. We might not wait 25 years to do this again.back to 0-150-0 Speed Test 2023Senior EditorEzra Dyer is a Car and Driver senior editor and columnist. He’s now based in North Carolina but still remembers how to turn right. He owns a 2009 GEM e4 and once drove 206 mph. Those facts are mutually exclusive. More

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    Bentley Bentayga S at the 0-to-150-to-0-MPH Speed Test 2023

    From the December 2023 issue of Car and Driver.0–150–0 mph: 32.8 secondsBase: $234,250 | As-Tested: $302,910Power and Weight: 542 hp • 5432 lb • 10.0 lb/hpTires: Pirelli P Zero, 285/40ZR-22 (110Y) B1Brakes, F/R: 15.7-in vented disc/15.0-in vented discReaching 150 mph in the Bentayga was no big deal. There’s no launch control, so you just brake-torque its conventional eight-speed automatic and go, bracing for a violent one-two upshift. The 542-hp twin-turbocharged V-8 is healthy enough to dispel most W-12 FOMO, muscling the bodacious SUV to 150 mph in 25.7 seconds. That’s when the drama starts, because despite its respectable braking stat—694 feet—the Bentayga was manifestly unhappy about shedding that much speed in one ferocious stop. One Bentayga driver returned from a run and said, “It goes like hell and smells nice until the leather scent is overwhelmed by brake bouquet. It does a wiggle under braking, and the brakes start chattering. Not a terrible time, but it wasn’t happy about it! I’m really surprised this doesn’t have carbon-ceramics.”Don’t get us wrong, we’re impressed. In horsepower terms, stopping the Bentley in 6.5 seconds equates to an average of 1143 horsepower. But the Bentayga hauling down from 150 mph is like Nikola Jokić playing basketball—it’s possible to excel at something while letting everyone know you don’t enjoy doing it.back to 0-150-0 Speed Test 2023Senior EditorEzra Dyer is a Car and Driver senior editor and columnist. He’s now based in North Carolina but still remembers how to turn right. He owns a 2009 GEM e4 and once drove 206 mph. Those facts are mutually exclusive. More

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    Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing at the 0-to-150-to-0-MPH Speed Test 2023

    From the December 2023 issue of Car and Driver.0–150–0 mph: 24.7 secondsBase: $99,765 | As-Tested: $107,225Power and Weight: 668 hp • 4243 lb • 6.4 lb/hpTires: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S; F: 275/35ZR-19 (100Y) TPC, R: 305/30ZR-19 (102Y) TPCBrakes, F/R: 15.7-in vented disc/14.7-in vented discWith 6.2 liters of supercharged V-8 crammed into the Caddy’s engine bay, power-robbing heat soak was the primary obstacle to a quick run. Well, that and traction—Oscoda’s fresh pavement posed a challenge for our more muscular rear-drivers.We kept dialing down launch control—all the way down to 1300 rpm—and there was still a whole lot of torque modulation going on all the way through first gear. But the Caddy’s 668 horsepower asserted itself at high speed with the fourth-quickest 150-mph time, and its trackworthy brakes shrugged off that speed in 664 feet and felt like they’d be happy to keep doing so all day long. The Blackwing didn’t beat the GT3 RS, but the fact that it got within 0.3 second confirms its stature as one of the ultimate sports sedans ever built.back to 0-150-0 Speed Test 2023Senior EditorEzra Dyer is a Car and Driver senior editor and columnist. He’s now based in North Carolina but still remembers how to turn right. He owns a 2009 GEM e4 and once drove 206 mph. Those facts are mutually exclusive. More

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    2024 Audi SQ8 e-tron Hits a Triple with Tri-Motor Powertrain

    Despite a stocky build of five feet 10 and 268 pounds, former Major League Baseball star Pablo Sandoval was surprisingly agile in his heyday. The beloved infielder helped the San Francisco Giants win three World Series between 2010 and 2014, having already earned the nickname “Kung Fu Panda” after leaping gracefully around a catcher to avoid a tag in a 2008 game, his finesse defying his portly frame.The same could be said about the three-plus-ton 2024 Audi SQ8 e-tron. Stretching 193.5 inches long and 77.8 inches wide, the SQ8 e-tron—formerly known as the e-tron S—is nearly as lengthy as Audi’s mid-size A6 sedan while measuring substantially wider and taller. And yet, up in the mountains outside Los Angeles, this luxury performance SUV displayed some mass-defying athleticism.While not a fully fledged RS model, the SQ8 e-tron is the highest-performing variant of Audi’s largest electric luxury SUV. Three induction AC electric motors—one on the front axle and two at the rear—produce a combined 496 horsepower and 718 pound-feet of torque, 94 ponies and 228 pound-feet more than the standard Q8 e-tron. Audi estimates a 60-mph sprint of 4.2 seconds—certainly not slow but not as blisteringly quick as other performance-minded EVs either.The real highlight comes in the corners. The electric Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive system is rear-biased, and the two aft-mounted motors employ electric torque vectoring to give the SQ8 e-tron its unexpected agility. The system can send additional torque to the outside wheel while simultaneously braking the inside, adjusting as needed every five milliseconds. The result is sharp turn-in when attacking curves, and we could feel the motors quickly redistributing torque as needed, helping us carry more speed through the turns. The way the rear end can squirm under power adds a level of excitement that instantly separates the SQ8 from the comfort-focused Q8 e-tron. This engaging character is emphasized by a new 14.6:1 steering ratio introduced across all Q8 e-tron variants, providing a response that’s quick but not darty. In Comfort mode, steering weight is minimal, and while Dynamic mode dials in more heft, the SQ8’s helm never feels particularly heavy. It isn’t the most communicative steering in the business, but there is a touch of delicacy to the SQ8 e-tron’s controls that helps this brute feel lighter and smaller than it is.The SQ8 is further distinguished from its more pedestrian sibling through its suspension and chassis, with substantially firmer bushings, stiffer anti-roll bars, and revised damper tuning. These upgrades mitigate body roll, the SQ8 remaining impressively flat around corners no matter how hard we pushed. The standard air springs deftly soak up midcorner bumps, keeping the SQ8 stable. Handling also improves thanks to a 1.4-inch wider track that sits under bulging fender flares, making this the only non-RS Audi to sport a widebody look.The combination of optional 22-inch wheels shod in summer tires and a ride tuned for spirited driving, however, means the occasional harsh impact jolts the cabin. Comfort mode keeps the suspension fairly compliant around town, but this isn’t the smoothest-riding luxury SUV. For those in search of a middle ground between this and the regular Q8 e-tron, the SQ8’s standard 20-inch wheels and all-season rubber should soften the ride (and boost efficiency) at the expense of some handling prowess.Crucially, considering the SQ8’s mass, the brakes are strong, with six-piston calipers and 15.7-inch rotors up front and single-piston calipers with 13.8-inch rotors in the rear. Pedal feel is firm and consistent, smoothly blending regeneration and friction while putting some competitors’ squishy, inconsistent stoppers to shame. However, the three regenerative braking modes do not allow for full one-pedal driving, which would’ve been welcome when we returned to L.A.’s clogged streets. In addition to a new name, the 2024 SQ8 e-tron picks up a bigger battery, trading the old 86.5-kWh unit for a new 106.0-kWh pack. Improved battery chemistry and more efficient packaging allows Audi to fit that bigger battery into the same-size compartment. EPA-estimated range for the Sportback rises from 212 miles to 253. When fitted with 22-inch wheels and summer tires, as our example was, range drops to 218 miles, but that’s still a substantial increase over the 185-mile rating from a similarly equipped 2023 e-tron S Sportback. The SQ8 e-tron’s revised aerodynamics not only contribute to its longer range but also improve the SUV’s looks. The front bumper’s new curtains direct air around the front wheels, while spoilers underneath help mitigate turbulence from the wheels. A sleeker grille incorporates active shutters, while the flat underbody is adorned with golf-ball-style dimples that improve aerodynamic efficiency further. Thanks in part to its newfound slipperiness, the SQ8 e-tron is incredibly silent inside, even as an unusual Los Angeles rainstorm pelted the steel and aluminum bodywork. Minimal wind noise creeps into the cabin at highway speeds, that serenity only pausing briefly for the occasional suspension thump over broken pavement.The cabin is largely the same as the outgoing e-tron S, with a mix of leather and suede accented by brushed silver brightwork. The rear seat is spacious, and despite the sloping roofline of the Sportback model we drove, headroom didn’t feel compromised. The climate controls live in a secondary screen, and while we prefer physical controls for some functions, Audi’s display is crisp, well laid out, and intuitive.More on the Audi Q8 and SQ8The 2024 SQ8 e-tron doesn’t represent a massive overhaul for Audi’s largest EV, but the automaker honed the electric crossover into a more usable daily driver while maintaining its sporting character. The SQ8 may not be cheap, but the surprising sprightliness and dynamic connection afforded by its tri-motor setup leaves us excited for the future of electric performance cars.SpecificationsSpecifications
    2024 Audi SQ8 e-tronVehicle Type: front- and rear-motor, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback or wagon
    PRICE
    Base: SQ8 e-tron, $90,995; SQ8 Sportback e-tron, $93,795
    POWERTRAIN
    Front Motor: induction AC, 210 hpRear Motors: 2 induction AC, 185 hp eachCombined Power: 496 hpCombined Torque: 718 lb-ftBattery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 106.0 kWhOnboard Charger: 9.6 or 19.2 kWPeak DC Fast-Charge Rate: 170 kWTransmissions, F/R: direct-drive
    DIMENSIONS
    Wheelbase: 115.1 inLength: 193.5 inWidth: 77.8 inHeight: 65.0–65.5 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 53/49–50 ft3Cargo Volume, Behind F/R: 55–56/27–29 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 6350 lb
    PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
    60 mph: 4.5 sec100 mph: 12.5 sec1/4-Mile: 13.1 secTop Speed: 130 mph
    EPA FUEL ECONOMY
    Combined/City/Highway: 63–73/62–72/63–75 MPGeRange: 218–253 miAssociate News EditorCaleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan. More

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    From the Archive: We Test the World’s Hottest Tuner Cars from 0–150–0 MPH

    From the August 1998 issue of Car and Driver.”Last year, observed and timed by the Motor Industry Research Association, Reg Parnell demonstrated the ability of the DB4GT to go from 0 to 100 mph and back to 0 again in 24 seconds.” —Car and Driver, June 1961That sentence, which appeared 37 years ago in our report on the Aston Martin DB4GT, may not have been the first time that anyone ever quoted a 0-to-100-to-0 clocking, but it does establish the era in which this unique performance yardstick became popular.By measuring a car’s stopping power as well as its sheer acceleration, it was a straight-line test more acceptable to the sports-car world than the conventional, single-dimensional quarter-mile drag race. In 1965, Carroll Shelby took a shot at this test and claimed that his 427 Cobra did it in an astonishing 13.8 seconds—with Shelby driver Ken Miles at the wheel.Others have continued to rely on this three-decades-old measure of performance, even as modern cars have become incomparably more powerful and capable than their Sixties counterparts. Now, with a new millennium in sight and numerous modified cars capable of topping 200 mph no farther away than your checkbook, we resolved to bring this historical measure of straight-line performance up to date with current technology and leave the 0-to-100-to-0 test to those mired in the past.So we’ve simply added another 50 miles an hour to the moment when the C/D test driver removes his foot from the car’s accelerator and stomps on the brake pedal. Although raising the test speed from 100 to 150 mph seems like a simple 50-percent increase, its effects are profound. For one thing, overcoming the aerodynamic drag at 150 mph requires 3.38 times as much power as it does at 100 mph. Therefore, whereas acceleration at two-digit speeds is primarily determined by a vehicle’s power-to-weight ratio, acceleration above 120 mph is limited more by the power-to-aerodynamic-drag ratio—the factor that also limits a vehicle’s top speed.Raising the peak speed from 100 to 150 mph also means that the brakes must dissipate 2.25 times as much energy while bringing the car to a complete stop. Moreover, it’s done in one massive thermal jolt that’s about twice as time-consuming as that produced by a stop from 100 mph.To measure this performance, we employed our usual Datron DLS-1 optical fifth wheel coupled to an AEP-4 data logger. This is the most accurate test gear on the market, with roughly one-quarter the error margin found in radar-gun-based testing schemes. Besides, most commercial radar guns don’t have sufficient range to conduct this test.Our senior technical editor, Don Schroeder, was the test pilot. He was instructed to make sure that each and every run would exceed 150 mph because we would be accepting no near misses. Nor would we permit a piecing together of a car’s best 0-to-150 acceleration time with its best 150-to-0 braking performance from a different run.Tests were conducted on the 2.23-mile-long north-south straightaway at the Chrysler proving grounds in Chelsea, Michigan. Schroeder was to devote his first pass down the track to determining the best launch procedure, shifting strategy, and braking technique. That was followed by a cool-down run, and then the real thing: a full-speed 0-to-150-to-0 blast for the numbers. Since the vehicles that we rounded up could complete the test in about a mile, Schroeder followed each run with a three-mile cool-down. That’s how long it took to go to the end of the straight and return to the starting point.Car and DriverWe performed two runs in each direction and averaged the faster run each way. Those cars that were tricky to launch, shift, or stop without locking up wheels suffered the consequences. Anti-lock brakes were a major benefit because they allowed Schroeder to switch instantly from mashing the accelerator to full braking.We collected two groups of cars. The more pulse-quickening collection consisted of modified, street-legal cars from seven of the most respected tuners in the country, with power outputs ranging from 450 to 640 horsepower and brakes and handling to match.To avoid the remote possibility that any of our highly competitive entrants might deign to set up a one-trick special biased for this 0-to-150-to-0 test, a day earlier we wrung out the aftermarket cars on country roads and rated each one’s real-world drivability with one to five stars, five being the best.We also rounded up a group of seven fast factory-stock cars to establish some baseline numbers for this test. Finally, as if 15 cars were not enough to handle, we brought along a video crew from Speedvision, the cable racing network, to record this historic, high-speed flailing. The eye-opening results were to make their debut on Speedvision at 8 p.m. on Friday, July 10. For detailed results and specifications, keep reading. 42.5 seconds Kenny Brown didn’t build a specialized drag-strip burner. His Mustang 289RS Cobra is a thorough reworking of a stock Mustang Cobra to produce what he calls “a car that not only is very fast, but also makes the driver feel confident.”Brown starts with the Cobra’s aluminum double-overhead-cam V-8 and bores it out to 289 cubic inches. New pistons and rings are attached to stock connecting rods. A high-capacity oil pan and a windage tray improve oil management. The engine is balanced and blueprinted to exact dimensional tolerances for maximum performance. A high-flow cat-back exhaust reduces back pressure. Finally, a Vortech centrifugal supercharger is fitted, which operates at 11 psi of maximum boost. The result is an impressive 450 horsepower at 6550 rpm and 400 pound-feet of torque at 5500 rpm.read the full story27.4 secondsIn the six years since the debut of the production Dodge Viper, John Hennessey has become the best-known tuner for those who want to make their already muscular snakes even more venomous. Not only does Hennessey provide a full line of go-fast components, but he also produces complete packages of coordinated upgrades. For this test, he provided the most volatile of these—the Venom 600GTS.The Venom makes 602 horsepower at 5700 rpm. This output is achieved through ported and polished heads equipped with oversized stainless-steel valves and a heavy-duty valvetrain activated by a hotter camshaft, a ported and polished intake manifold with oversized throttle bodies, and stainless-steel headers. To take full advantage of this deep breathing, the Venom 600 engine gets 10.5:1 high-compression forged pistons on forged-steel connecting rods bolted to a stroker crankshaft, which increases displacement from 7990 to 8423cc.read the full story23.3 seconds For this 0-to-150-to-0 battle, a call to Lingenfelter Performance Engineering in Decatur, Indiana, was a natural. That’s because John Lingenfelter never fails to return our phone calls, no matter how harebrained our scheme. We’ve also road-tested nine of the highly modified GM cars he’s turned out in the past nine years. They’ve all been well prepared, easily drivable, and brutally fast.LPE is best known for modifying Corvettes, so no one was surprised when LPE project engineer Jason Haines showed up for our test in a bright-red 1994 ZR-1, borrowed from a Florida customer. Under its hood was what the Decatur gang calls its 415-cid LT5 package. Its ZR-1 V-8 is upgraded with steel cylinder liners to allow for the enlarged four-inch bores. Custom pistons and rods, a stroker crankshaft, and ported and polished heads with a custom valvetrain and a larger throttle body complete the package. Displacement grows from 5.7 to 6.8 liters. This surgery costs $33,900, which includes B&B exhausts and yields 620 of a total of 640 hp and 510 pound-feet of torque. This contestant had stainless-steel valves and an enlarged and polished intake manifold, which added $3500 and 20 horsepower. It also had a 3.73:1 axle ratio, a larger radiator, a single-mass flywheel, and silicone coolant hoses, which added another $2354. The front brakes are LPE/Alcon 13.5-inch-diameter slotted rotors with four-piston calipers. The $3889 spent on these binders included carbon-metallic pads fitted all around.read the full story 28.8 seconds Any Car and Driver super-speedfest would be incomplete without one of Hartmut Feyhl’s German jato sleds. Feyhl, formerly of super-tuner AMG in Germany and now owner of Florida-based RENNTech Performance Tuning, raises the modification of Mercedes-Benzes to a high art form. His cars are blindingly fast, rock-solid reliable, and aesthetically exquisite. They are aristocratic hot rods.We tested this SLR7.4 when it was fresh out of open-engine surgery in March 1997. The operation bored and stroked the V-12 from its original 6.0 liters to 7.4 and greatly enhanced its ability to breathe, with an enlarged and polished intake manifold and bigger valves. The engine mods are worth $50,000 and are warranted for two years. A mellifluous high-flow RENNTech exhaust adds 10 grand. Another $5000 beefs up the transmission and adds a super-duty radiator and auxiliary coolers for the engine oil and transmission fluid. The bottom line: 585 hp at 6000 rpm; 601 pound-feet at 4000 rpm (up from 389 and 420). A $10,000 Torsen differential with a 2.82:1 ratio ensures equitable distribution of that immense torque.read the full story31.1 seconds Of all the Mustang modifiers featured here, only Saleen Performance is recognized by the federal government as a specialty-vehicle manufacturer. What sets Saleen apart from other modifiers is the fact that each of the company’s seven models (the S281 and S351 coupe and convertible, the S281 Speedster, the SR, and the Saleen Explorer) is built to a particular set of specifications. The cars are developed and certified for emissions durability and then sold and serviced as new cars through select Ford dealers. As such, our S351 was subject to a $3000 gas-guzzler tax and $1679 worth of luxury tax, both of which can be avoided with the other tuners by modifying a six-month-old car. But, company president Steve Saleen argues, his cars are more durable and offer stronger resale value. The Saleen parts added to the stock Mustang are warranted for 12 months and 12,000 miles, and the Ford parts retain their original warranty.Okay, so what’s it got? Our S351 model is powered by a Ford SVO iron-block 351-cubic-inch V-8, dressed with Saleen pistons, rods, crank, heads, intake, and cam, and pressurized by a centrifugal Speedlab supercharger by Vortech. The resultant motor pumps out 495 horses at 5700 rpm and 490 pound-feet of torque at 3500 rpm.read the full story26.1 seconds Let’s establish right up front that our Steeda Q test car is a race car. It was fresh from the Nevada Open Road Challenge—a flat-out race on rural Nevada roads—where it averaged 175 mph over the race’s 90-mile-long course. Steeda Autosports also brought along an emissions-legal street car, the Steeda 4.6 2V, powered by a 340-hp, 4.6-liter SOHC supercharged V-8. After a pleasant day of driving this car around, its supercharger inlet hose refused to remain attached for the test session, so it dropped out of the 0-to-150-to-0 competition.Street-legal versions of the Steeda Q are available, with and without supercharged engines. The basic Q package sells for $12,000. Like the Saleen S351, the Steeda Q uses a Ford SVO 351 engine, equipped with an SVO GT40 intake manifold and a 65mm throttle body, SVO cylinder heads, Ford Motorsport headers, and a high-flow exhaust (our race car lacked catalysts). The suspension gets Tokico five-position adjustable shocks and a host of Steeda parts. These include sport springs, anti-roll bars, caster and camber plates, a shock-tower brace, and offset lower-control-arm bushings in front and upper and lower arms in the rear. The brakes are Ford Cobra R issue using carbon-metallic pads. A Steeda hood and rear wing, a high-capacity aluminum radiator, and forged 9.0-by-17-inch SSR wheels shod in Michelin Pilot SX tires round out the Q package. A Vortech supercharger making 10 psi of boost added another $6000 to our car and brought the horsepower to 550 at 5200 rpm, with a peak torque of 535 pound-feet at 5000 revs. The safety cage, the racing seats, and the belts rang up $2000 more, bringing the total to $20,000.read the full story30.1 seconds The promotional material put out by Super Viper Systems, Inc. (SVSi), is loaded with accounts of its many victories at Viper-club drag and road races. We expected the SVSi RT/10 to be little more than a barely civilized race car. Its raucous exhaust and nonfunctional air conditioning did little to disabuse this impression. Ron Misjak, who owns Super Viper Systems, seemed to provide an explanation when he mentioned that this particular car was used by his son for track events.But once behind its wheel, we were surprised to find a machine that was completely at home in the real world. Its 579-hp engine idles as smoothly as a stocker’s and is compliant throughout the rev range. The ride is civilized, and the car tracks and steers beautifully. In some respects, it’s more civilized on the road than a stock RT/10 roadster. But a somewhat balky shifter, the, uh, prominent exhaust note, and the racing seat and harness earned the SVSi a two-star drivability rating.read the full storyConclusionAlthough some cars suffered mechanical wounds during our two-day flog, at the end of our tests at the track, Chrysler’s straightaway was neither littered with twisted connecting rods and fractured brake rotors, nor lubricated with engine oil or coolant. This was especially satisfying because every one of the modified machines was a streetable car in keeping with our rules. They were all shod with genuine street tires (rather exotic ones in some cases), muffled by silencers that will not attract unsympathetic gendarmes, and fitted with reasonably supple suspensions. As we had suspected, aerodynamics and gearing helped several cars improve their finishing order substantially between 100 mph and 150 mph during the acceleration portion of the test. We were also pleased to see that although every entrant delivered decent braking performance, the stopping time from 150 mph did make the critical difference in at least two contests—the Steeda versus the Hennessey and the RENNTech versus the SVSi. Finally, the convincing overall victory by the Lingenfelter ZR-1 confirms that speed contests are still subject to the laws of physics. After all, this ZR-1 had the most powerful engine, the lightest weight, and the least aerodynamic drag of all the tuners. Combined with its anti-lock brakes, it proved unbeatable. At least until next time.It’s No Joy RideSo, what’s it feel like—and sound like—to rocket one of these pricey tuner sleds to 150 miles an hour? And, we hear you asking, what happens when you slam on the brakes at that blurry speed?As the test driver, I can answer those questions, but bear in mind that these tests aren’t the joy rides they might appear to be. With all the tasks the driver faces, there’s not much time for thrills.In launching a car from a standstill, wheelspin can work to your advantage, but you must keep tight control of it with powerful cars like these. Some cars, like the Hennessey Venom, were a cinch to launch. Give it throttle until the tach shows 1400 rpm, then release the clutch pedal as quickly as possible while flooring it, and you’re banged forward with a smooth shove that doesn’t let up until the redline. Other cars are more complicated. With the Steeda Mustang, for example, it’s a delicate exercise of balancing throttle pressure with clutch engagement to prevent the tires from going up in smoke.There isn’t much time to get it right. Bog the engine without enough wheelspin, or send the tires up in smoke, or linger too long at the starting gate, and the engine builds too much heat to generate full power.Once you’re off, that first shift comes up quickly. You want to shift as closely to the redline as possible, but if you hit the rev limiter, your run is toast. Shift as quickly as the gearbox will permit, and the speedo needle continues its climb with just the slightest interruption. Get it wrong—for example, when the synchros or an H-pattern blocks a shift—and the gearbox lets go with a hideous crunching of gears that goes way past “grinding a pound.” And your run is, again, toast. After the second-to-third-gear shift, the hardest part is behind you—the tires have finished their snake dance and are finally glued to the tarmac, and upcoming shifts aren’t as critical. This is when powerful cars feel at their best. If there’s any thrill in 0 to 150, it’s during these next few seconds. Even after eight years, the thrust from powerful cars like these still makes me giddy, and you can savor the roar of the engine before consequent wind noise starts to drown out the symphony. You must listen closely to that symphony, analyzing it for signs of excessive detonation, while always keeping an eye on the tachometer and other vital signs.Up around 130 and 140 mph, there’s a lot to distract you. The wind shrieks around the windshield pillars, and the steering starts losing precision, requiring more correction. This is something to think about when you’re about to slam on the brakes, with just a few feet between the car and the weeds and who knows what.Above 140, a mental checklist flashes in my mind: Steer the car over the center line. Move left foot over the brake pedal or over the clutch. Does this car have ABS? Brace the steering wheel. Watch the digits for 149 (the speedometer has a delay of a mile or so per hour). Watch the readout with one eye: 147.3 . . . 148.2 . . . 148.8 . . . Brake! And concentrate!At that moment, you have to get the clutch in instantly—if not, the engine will keep the car from slowing down quickly. You also have to keep the car heading straight down the track—the weight transfer to the front wheels under hard braking makes all but a couple of the cars in this supertest squirm nervously. The Vipers don’t have anti-lock brakes, so while you’re hard on the pedal, you have to watch for the slightest shift in the chassis that tells you a tire is locking up. Braking hard at 150 is unlikely to provoke a spin. But you never forget that at this speed, any off-track excursion would put your neck at serious risk, not to mention the car.It feels like a hot seat behind the wheel, but not because the air conditioning is turned off. You’re also on stage, with a big audience—this one included Speedvision and antsy owners who’d like their cars to perform well. And you have just four shots to get it right. Any mistakes you make will be obvious to everyone, and recorded on videotape forever.Some joy ride. —Don SchroederContributing EditorCsaba Csere joined Car and Driver in 1980 and never really left. After serving as Technical Editor and Director, he was Editor-in-Chief from 1993 until his retirement from active duty in 2008. He continues to dabble in automotive journalism and LeMons racing, as well as ministering to his 1965 Jaguar E-type, 2017 Porsche 911, and trio of motorcycles—when not skiing or hiking near his home in Colorado.  More