Audi RS6 Avant

Audi RS6 Avant - The engine is based on the ones in the S6 and S8 sport sedans, but has been redeveloped with the twin turbos to ensure a constant stream of power over a broad engine speed range. In fact, the peak torque number is available from 1,500 to 6,250 rpm.

The RS6 Avant uses a six-speed tiptronic transmission that Audi says achieves 'exceptionally short shift times.' When foot finally goes to throttle, the RS6 Avant can move from 0-69 mph in just 4.6 seconds and has an electronically-limited top speed of 155 mph.

In its basic setting, the Quattro all-wheel drive sends 60 percent of its power to the rear wheels and 40 percent to the front, giving the RS6 more sporty handling characteristics thanks to this rear-biased setup. The vehicle has a fully independent suspension that also leans far more toward the sporty side of things, while still giving passengers plenty of comfort for long journeys, Audi says.

A car with this kind of power needs equally powerful brakes, and Audi has things covered here as well. When drivers opt for the 20-inch wheels (19-inch come standard), they will also get ceramic brakes that have a 16.5-inch diameter at the front and 14.0-inches in the rear.

Though this obviously can be a very aggressive car on the road, Audi didn't want it to look the part. Though the front of the car features large air intakes, they're purely for function, the company says. It also has the same aluminum-look single-frame grille used on all vehicles in the RS family. The rear features an equally functional rear spoiler, wide, flared wheel arches and oval exhaust pipes. The wagon comes with the choice of three colours that are exclusive to the RS6 (Sepang blue, Monza silver, Monterrey green).

The RS6 is as much a sport car as it is a utility vehicle, with heated seats, Bose sound system, and 1,660 litres of cargo space.

2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI

2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI - By striving for “transcendental-like driving performance,” Subaru and its hooligan laboratory, Subaru Tecnica International, are out to win one heart only, the one behind the STI’s wheel. As usual, they’re doing a fine job.

The base Impreza redesign for 2008 signaled the start of the power ratcheting and name stacking. First there were the 170-hp $17,640 Subaru Impreza and the 224-hp $24,995 Subaru Impreza WRX. Now there’s the 305-hp $35,640 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, which goes on sale about the time you read this.

A word about STI prices. The ’07 STI—sedan only—went to its rest with a $34,120 base price that included the soaring wing and gold-painted 17-inch BBS wheels. Alas, a dollar buys less of everything these days. The ’08 STI, a wagon only and equipped with 12 more horsepower, no additional torque, and way more buttons, asks for $35,640. Another $2000 is demanded for the look-at-me 18-inch BBS wheels and accompanying fog lights. Navigation runs $1800, but you have to cop the wheels first to get it. The loaded total: $39,440.

You’d expect to pay a handling tax for all this livability, and the STI does roll a bit more through corners and kowtow slightly deeper when beckoned by the earnest Brembos, which halt it from 70 mph in a curt 159 feet. Plus, the STI has quick but rather lifeless steering for managing the early onset understeer that seems inevitable with a 58.3-percent front weight bias and all-wheel drive. Tire scrub speaks more clearly to the ears than the palms.

Still, the gas jockey’s bona fides are there: 0.93 g on the skidpad, 5.1 seconds through the 60-mph trap, and 13.6 seconds at the quarter-mile. The old STI was quicker, but only by a few bee’s-wing beats. The power, the curb weight, and the gear ratios are virtually identical, although the new STI’s fatter tires allow less wheelspin during its violent launches, one likely reason it adds a couple of 10ths in the 60-mph sprint.

As before, the STI is a small car densely packed with parts. Strategically placed reinforcements of high-strength steel at the windshield pillars and around the tailgate help the hollow wagon body resist flex engendered by the suspension stiffening. Punched out fenders package the STI’s larger wheels and wider track, up 1.5 inches in front from the base WRX, 1.7 inches in back. Everything but the aluminum hood, which shakes noticeably in the wind, is rendered in steel. The new sheetmetal muscle does wonders for the base wagon’s Walter Mitty profile.

The nitride-hardened crank is carry-over from the earlier STI, and the deeper-webbed rods and the forged pistons are new part numbers, says Mori. An IHI-sourced single-scroll turbo peaks at 14.7 psi of boost, 2.8 psi higher than in the WRX. Variable timing mechanisms adjust the intake and exhaust cams with a tune aimed at a flatter torque curve. The increase from 293 horsepower in the old STI to 305 is mainly due to the larger intercooler and higher-volume exhaust silencer and lower-restriction catalyst, according to Mori. The torque peak of 290 pound-feet has not changed from last year’s, but it does occur 400 rpm sooner (4000 rpm). A lower redline (6700 rpm instead of 7000) is the only negative.

The STI driver can let computers run the subsystems or he can take full control. Subaru supplies dials and buttons to vary the stability-control intervention, throttle response, and center differential, each requiring thorough perusal of the owner’s manual to fully understand. Our brief will be brief:

The stability control has three modes: on, sport with higher tolerance for sideways drift, and off. A throttle control called SI-DRIVE also has three settings: the default sport mode, sport sharp, which speeds up throttle response, and intelligent, which Subaru says is designed for economical commuting and which slows the throttle and cuts peak horsepower by 20 percent and peak torque by about 10 percent. It doesn’t sound very intelligent to us, but neither does a subcompact car with an observed fuel-suck rate of 16 mpg while premium shadows four bucks a gallon. (Some post-flog fill-ups yielded 11 mpg, and highway cruises at saner speeds in intelligent mode saw thrift reach as high as 23 mpg.)

The driver can sideline the computer entirely and manually select from six differential settings. They range from full lockup to nearly full open with its subsequent rear bias. Basically, the full-lockup, front-bias setting makes the car harder to rotate while adding heft to the steering. This is the high-traction, low-fun option for dirt. Rear-end slip for acing paved corners only happens with the diff set to part or minimal lockup.

Multiply out the STI’s pushbutton dingleberries, and there are 81 possible combinations. Only a tush as highly calibrated as Subaru rally-team driver Petter Solberg’s could tell them all apart. Around configuration number 57, we realized that, no matter what, the new STI serves up much the same track experience as the old STI.

2008 BMW 535xi

2008 BMW 535xi - But the performance of this versatile power module is even more impressive hitched to a bigger buggy, such as the all-wheel-drive version of the 2008 BMW 5-series sedan. The 535xi's numbers may not seem quite as newsworthy-until you consider its mass: 4042 pounds, 485 more pounds than the coupe in our November '06 test (and about 250 more pounds than the rear-drive 535i, per BMW). The 535xi was further handicapped, albeit only slightly, by the six-speed Steptronic automatic.

No surprise that the coupe was quicker: 0 to 60 in 4.9 seconds, the quarter-mile in 13.6 at 105 mph. The 535xi got to 60 in 5.4 and did the quarter in 14.0 seconds at 102. But consider how the 535xi stacks up against the 550i with its 360-hp, 4.8-liter V-8, as tested last year [“Faster Horses,” November 2006]. The 535xi is only 0.2 second slower to 60 mph and actually 0.2 quicker in 50-to-70-mph blasts. The 535xi is helped by a shorter final drive, but the real key is torque that ramps up early and stays ramped up for a long time. If you're not in a big hurry, it's fast enough and saves some seven grand (nine for the rear-drive 535i) versus the 550i.

Nevertheless, despite the gizmology overlay, these sedans continue to deliver a level of competence, comfort, and response that sets the pace in their class.

2008 Mercedes-Benz GL550

2008 Mercedes-Benz GL550 - Using the same delicious 5.5-liter V-8 that has wormed its way across the Mercedes-Benz lineup—here it makes 382 horsepower and 391 pound-feet of torque; it’s also found in the CLS550, E550, S550, and you-get-the-idea 550—this latest GL has some serious balls in its basket. This is one fast SUV. How does a best-in-class 5.9 seconds to 60 mph sound? If you’re still not impressed, consider that this mastodon-sized piece of hardware weighs in at a whopping 5569 pounds, roughly equivalent to the weight of the piles of gold bullion it requires to afford the $82,415 as-tested price.

And looking at the GL is something you’ll actually want to do now, what with the standard AMG body kit. Whereas lesser GLs look a bit tipsy, nouveau riche, and just sort of ugly, the GL550 really looks the part. Those AMG-inscribed wheels? They’re 21-inchers, wrapped in low-pro 295-40 rubber. The rest of the dress-up kit includes side sills, running boards, new exhaust outlets, and some seriously boss fender flares.

Dynamically, the GL550 is pretty good, too. There’s still a touch too much squat under hard acceleration and brake dive, but those are easily mitigated by popping the standard Airmatic suspension into sport mode. (As in every other Airmatic-equipped Benz, sport mode is comfortable enough for all but the roughest sections of bombed-out pavement while returning adequately agile handling.) The suspension does a pretty good job in all modes of quelling any wheel crash you might get from those heavy, oversized shoes, too, but the smaller 18-inch wheels of the more inexpensive GLs allow for a cushier and more buttoned-down experience.

We’ve never taken to the typical Mercedes steering sensation—it always feels as if road feel were being delivered to you on a tiny pillow by a tiny butler—but there is good precision and heft to the wheel. The seven-speed automatic is fantastic in full auto mode, with smooth, nearly seamless up- and downshifts, but the transmission gnome that controls the button-actuated shifts needs to drink some Red Bull, as it takes a while for anything to happen.

Standard equipment includes, well, almost everything, but if you’d like to get more specific, here’s an abridged list of what’s tossed in: a rearview camera, heated rear seats, a power sunroof, power rear quarter-windows, a power steering column, and a top-spec Harman/Kardon stereo system. The only options on the GL550 are things such as a cargo-area box, rear-seat entertainment, keyless ignition, and a trailer hitch. The last option we heartily recommend. We towed a little bit with our test vehicle, and we can say that it tugged like a champ, although we admittedly didn’t really get anywhere near its 7500-pound limit.

Those guys will gladly pay the massive premium, some $24,000 over the diesel and $21,000 more than the GL450, which makes just 47 fewer horses. To be fair, much of the GL550’s cost is tied up in standard equipment that is optional on the other GLs, and Mercedes is happy to offer the much more reasonable GL320 or GL450 to folks who don’t like crappy fuel mileage or flashy body kits. The GL550 is fast and stylish and screams exclusivity. Sounds like it should be wearing an AMG badge on the liftgate instead of the wheels, doesn’t it?

2008 Lexus IS F

2008 Lexus IS F - This first F (there’ll be more Lexus models with the F treatment soon, most likely) is a V-8–powered sledgehammer that rockets to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds—fleeter by 0.1 second than the new M3—has a 172-mph speed governor, and generates 0.92 g on the skidpad. It also keeps us grinning through hard track laps, even though the frequent fill-ups of premium were inhaled by street driving at the rate of 16 mpg. We’ll have to wait until March, 2008, when the IS F goes on sale at an expected price around $59,000 to see how many buyers are interested in a wicked-performing Lexus.

Developed in cooperation with Yamaha, the IS F’s engine, or the 2UR-GSE as Toyota calls the 416-hp variant of the 389-hp 5.0-liter V-8 found in the LS600h hybrid, sans hybrid gear, is peakier, actually losing 17 pound-feet of torque on the operating table as the changes pushed the horsepower and torque peak higher up the revs. Solid lifters and titanium intake valves with 10 percent more lift reside in new higher-flow cylinder heads. At full throttle above 3400 rpm, a barn door in the box snaps open with vacuum released from a small reservoir, and the unleashed induction noise is raw and thrilling.

At leisure speeds, the air is hushed, Lexus-like, with just a distant snort from the engine and the extra thrum of the fat summer Michelins disturbing the peace. Given the low profile of the rubber mounted to the 19-inch forged aluminum rims, the ride is tightly controlled but commendably mellow. The ride-and-handling balance is perhaps the IS F’s biggest achievement. It makes allowances for road fissures and drops the body into holes with cushioned lurches.

The all-important sport button also perks up throttle response and relaxes the stability-control system to allow some controlled tail-out action. Lexus also allows you to shut the system completely off, but the shutdown can only be called for while at full stop. Brembo-sourced front calipers on broad cross-drilled rotors deliver solid braking but with a soft pedal.

The muted interior, the slightly watery controls, the heavy price tag; the IS F is at core a Lexus with extra muscle, not as raw as the BMW M3 or Mercedes C63 AMG. The next steps for F may decide if the performance sub-brand thrives or is only a brief experiment.

2008 Chevrolet Corvette

2008 Chevrolet Corvette - It’s an annoying trait. Although a Corvette can be driven at ludicrously high speeds around a racetrack—an ’07 Vette outran an Audi R8 and Porsche 911 Turbo in our second-annual Lightning Lap runoff at Virginia International Raceway [August 2007]—it can make even experienced drivers nervous on a challenging public road. The Porsche 911, for instance, may not be as quick on the track as a Vette, but it’s far more satisfying because it imparts the same level of confidence that one gets from driving a Mazda Miata.

Our hope was that, with the “improved steering feel,” the Vette would now be as user-friendly as it is fast. To help discover if this were the case, we brought along a 2007 model for comparison.

We drove the old car first and immediately were reminded of the numb steering we’d noticed before. The effort is light at parking-lot speeds but then abruptly gets heavier with no apparent benefit as the speed rises. When driving through a turn at moderate speeds, the steering is heavy enough to give the impression that the car is working hard, when in fact it’s not.

Most of the curvy roads near our offices have broken pavement and are bumpy—this is Michigan, after all, a place where blacktop is beaten up by the weather and a shrinking state budget. These bumps, especially when they’re in the middle of a turn, still present a problem for the Vette. The car will skip sideways, which makes drivers understandably nervous.

Even so, we found ourselves driving through the turns 5 to 10 mph faster in the new car than in the old. Because both cars had the same unchanged-for-2008 Z51 suspension package that includes larger brakes, shorter gear ratios, and a stiffer suspension, we didn’t expect such a dramatic difference. We even rechecked the pressures in the Goodyear tires to make sure they hadn’t been overinflated, which would make the new Vette jumpy over the bumps, but they were all at the factory-recommended setting of 30 psi. Clearly, then, the changes have made a huge improvement in the Chevy’s handling.

Since there were no changes to the brakes or tires, the skidpad and braking measurements remain about the same as the old car’s. The Vette requires 161 feet to stop from 70 mph and grips the pavement to the tune of 0.95 g, both stellar results.

Potential buyers should definitely pop for the $1195 optional exhaust system. This freer-flowing system uncorks another six horsepower, thanks to a vacuum-operated butterfly valve that opens at 2850 rpm, but more important, it gives the Corvette the raucous roar it deserves.

We also recommend the new, optional upgraded interior. It unfortunately comes wrapped in the 4LT group that includes side airbags, a power-telescoping steering wheel, a Bose stereo and CD changer, and heated seats, so it’s pricey at $8005. But the stitched leather that covers the dash and door panels gives the interior a much more expensive look than the base model’s.

Other changes for ’08 include new wheels—the only exterior difference—and a standard auxiliary input for the radio. The best things about the Corvette remain, however: It’s comfortable, with its surprisingly compliant ride, excellent automatic climate control, and light clutch effort that’s now complemented by a shifter that glides relatively easily into gear. (The engineers redesigned the shift linkage for lighter, more direct throws.) The Vette is one of those sports cars that you wouldn’t hesitate to drive daily. It even has a roomy 22-cubic-foot rear cargo area.

2008 Audi TT 3.2 Quattro Roadster

2008 Audi TT 3.2 Quattro Roadster - For 2008, the TT—still largely based on the latest Golf platform, but with extensive use of aluminum throughout—has gotten an overtly sporty makeover, starting with a crisper, chiseled evolution away from its rounded-sheetmetal roots. That philosophy also carries over into steering that’s quicker to react (although it doesn’t offer much feedback), deeply sculpted seats, and a far stiffer structure. Audi isn’t shy about this, having tuned the TT’s suspension in a way that introduces you to each and every pothole.

The makeover worked: In our June $35,000 coupe comparo [“Four of a Kind”], a TT 2.0T finished second to a Mazda RX-8, and we said the Audi “performs like a proper sports car.”

The fully automated clothtop is a model of simplicity, as it folds neatly behind the seats in just 12 seconds. Even better is a power-operated wind blocker that noticeably reduces top-down turbulence in the cabin. That cabin, by the way, is extremely well finished—with beautiful gauges, top-notch brushed-aluminum trim, and an R8-like flat-bottomed steering wheel—but lacks the thoughtful design of the original.

The new demeanor is backed by a credible 0.91-g skidpad run. Although some lift-throttle oversteer can be induced, the TT is still fighting a front-drive layout with front-heavy weight distribution. Combine bumps with turns, and the TT gets flustered.

All S tronic–equipped TTs now come with launch control, which, in this case, brings engine revs to 3200 rpm and then dumps the clutch with a satisfying squawk from the front tires. Above 4000 rpm, the iron-block V-6 snarls with an athletic rasp absent in other cars with this engine. However, getting to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 14.5 at 95 mph is nothing to get excited about in this class, and it’s just 0.1 second quicker in the quarter than the 2.0T coupe from the comparo.

Which brings us to the problem that inevitably emerges when scrutinizing VW/Audi products with these two engine choices: We can’t justify stepping up to the 3.2, no matter how much more standard equipment it includes. The 3.2 roadster (with S tronic) starts at $46,675, which is more than the better-in-every-way (except looks, perhaps) Porsche Boxster. Meanwhile, the 3.2’s performance isn’t hugely better than a 2.0T roadster’s, and the extra 300 or so pounds make the 3.2 feel much heavier and less willing.