C63

Courtesy of Edmunds Inside Line

Everything you need to know about the 2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG is made clear the instant you prod its 451-horsepower V8 engine to life. When the 6.2-liter beast lights off, the engine revs spike in a programmed "look at me" blip before the Merc's idle settles into a deep, throaty burble. Cue the goose bumps.

We haven't yet released the brake or slotted the shift lever into gear, and we're already trying to figure out an angle to finance one of these muscle-bound sport sedans, all $54,625 of it.

But we have to wonder if the 2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG — essentially a hot-rod C-Class

Inspiring Performance
The 90-degree DOHC V8 engine in question displaces 6.2 liters or 379 cubic inches. It has an 11.3:1 compression ratio and variable valve timing. It delivers its 451-hp peak at 6,800 rpm out of a possible 7,200. Torque builds from the basement to a 443 pound-feet peak at 5,000 rpm. That ought to do it.

It's bolted to a seven-speed automatic transmission with three shift modes and two shift paddles on the steering wheel. That adds up to about 12, or something. The traction and stability control systems have three settings, one of which is "Off."

Time to brake-torque this lump to the torque convertor's stall speed and drop the hammer.

The C63 lays rubber through the first three gears — two broad strips of it because our AMG has the limited-slip differential that comes with the optional AMG Performance package.

We're instantly overcome by the strong desire to write, star in and direct a film we'll call, Schutzmann und der Bandit. All we need now is a German analog to Sally Field.

But possible movie investors will want to see numbers. If we restrain ourselves and apply a more delicate touch to the throttle with the three-stage traction control in Sport mode, the tires spin less and the C63 AMG passes through 60 mph in 4.4 seconds on its way to a 12.5-second quarter-mile at 113.7 mph. That ought to keep us clear of old Schutzmann.

It Looks the Part
You won't find a fire-breathing chicken on the hood of our 2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. Instead it has two thin longitudinal protuberances that actually make room for a broad, twin-chamber intake plenum, not the cylinder heads.

A less restrictive front grille allows extra cooling air to penetrate the radiator. The products of combustion and the grumble of the rollicking V8 shoot out the back through quad exhaust outlets and a unique rear valance. Words can't describe the glory that is the C63 AMG's unashamed exhaust note at full boil — or partial boil, for that matter. Or even simmer.

More visually striking are the pronounced front fender flares and broadened front bumper cover. A 1.4-inch-wider front track, revised steering geometry and meatier 235/40R18 Pirelli P Zero front tires are to blame for this. A trio of cooling slits sits just ahead of the tires. No rear fender bulges have been added, but the aft wheelwells are fully stuffed with 255/35R18 rubber.

Individually, none of the visual changes to the C63 AMG are radically different from the last C350 Sport sedan we tested. But their combined effect gives the C63 AMG a suitable dose of much-needed street presence.



Track Addict
The unique C63 AMG front suspension changes have been made to help improve steering precision and tire grip at the front. But with the stiffer sport suspension setup that comes with the optional Performance package, our C63 feels "pushy-loose" on the slalom. It understeers past the first couple of cones before small bumps that other cars barely acknowledge tend to pitch this rock-hard suspension sideways. A cone-free run at 68.6 mph takes some doing.

The C63 tends toward push on the skid pad, too, achieving 0.89g. When we try for more with a little throttle (and the stability control off), the tail slithers out and it all goes sideways in clouds of tire smoke. It'll look great on the big screen, though.

Lapping around the ultrasmooth surface of Spring Mountain Raceway in Pahrump, Nevada, the suspension comes into its own. A strategic lift of the throttle as we enter a corner gets the nose pointed toward the apex. As long as we don't overcook it, it's possible to put the throttle down early. On fast sweepers, the Merc likes to carry a sustained tail-out drift. The stopwatch doesn't say it's fast, but it sure is a riot.

You also get impressive-looking six-piston fixed calipers and two-piece "compound" front rotors (aluminum hub, floating cast-iron rotors) with the Performance package. They're drilled and slotted and ventilated, and it all results in 114-foot stops from 60 mph.

We've seen shorter stops with less flamboyant hardware, but our Merc does weigh 3,993 pounds. While we're lapping, bystanders radio in reports of brake smell, but we don't feel any fade. We back off anyway.

Hard Times
On the street, the optional AMG performance suspension that comes with the Performance package is just too bloody hard. Any sort of imperfection is transmitted in the form of a kidney punch through very aggressively bolstered front seats. There's no subtlety or compliance here.

It would be easy to say "Don't buy the AMG Performance package." After all, the standard AMG suspension worked great on a C63 we drove on the track recently, and it still has the tires, forged aluminum wheels, widened track and other chassis improvements.

But then you'd miss out on things we like about the Performance package (the suede-covered steering wheel) and things we need (the limited-slip differential.) After all, two stripes of burned rubber are always better than one. If the differential was available as a stand-alone option, the choice would be easy.

Actually, the choice is easy for early adopters, because the $3,900 AMG Performance package on our test car isn't available until summer 2008 anyway.

Call It a Production Expense
A front-row seat in a 2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG costs a surprisingly reasonable $54,625. The Steel Grey Metallic paint that helps toughen our test car's look costs $710 more.

Typical C-Class options are available on the C63 AMG. Ours had the same $2,950 Multimedia package that includes navigation (to help Bandit find shortcuts,) Harman Kardon premium audio, a six-disc changer, 30-gigabyte hard drive, Bluetooth and an iPod connection (to deliver the Jerry Reed tunes.)

TeleAid GPS-based emergency assistance ($650) is there if it all goes pear-shaped. Seat heaters and leather seats that go by the name of AMG napa leather upholstery cost another $2,950.

As it sits, our test car's total price is $65,785, although $3,900 of that is the previously mentioned AMG Performance package that isn't for sale initially. At press time, no word on the possibility of a gas-guzzler tax was available. The C63 AMG is rated at 12 mpg city/19 mpg highway, so it might escape the tax.

This all is starting to get expensive, but it still adds up to less than a Corvette Z06. We're not saying the C63 AMG is as fast or as nimble as a Corvette Z06; it isn't. But this four-door sedan connected with us on a visceral level like no other recent Mercedes has.

We Have a Hit on Our Hands
Like the Bandit's Firebird Trans Am, the C63 AMG is happiest charging from stoplight to stoplight and running from the law. Sinuous back roads are not its thing. While the 451-hp V8 connects with us on a gut level, so does the too-stiff optional performance suspension. Buy this upgrade only if you plan on track days.

To us, the 2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG is a hoot, which is what the old hot-rod guys would say. Though it lives in a German wrapper, this is classic muscle-car stuff — a big V8 engine with heaps of power and torque to generate speed, not to mention oversteer, brodies and burnouts.

We're serious about the movie. If nothing else, we'll be able to write the car off as a production expense. But Coors isn't German enough. We'll smuggle Jägermeister instead, and Hasselhoff can play the singing truck driver. It'll be a big hit. All we need is a script.
sedan — can possibly deliver the goods in direct proportion to this testosterone-infused exhaust note. There's only one way to find out.

IS-F

Courtesy of Edmunds Inside Line

Rather than shoehorning a 5.0-liter V8 into the nose of an IS 350 and simply calling it the IS 500, Lexus has instead cooked up a far more dedicated sport sedan with its new 2008 Lexus IS-F.

According to Lexus, the "F" in Lexus IS-F is derived from Toyota's initial "Circle-F" designation of 20 years ago for what would become the Lexus brand itself. Circle-F later morphed into Flagship One or F1, which in turn became the internal code for the first Lexus car, the LS 400.

Lexus is using this convoluted pedigree to help explain the importance it attaches to the IS-F. It promises that this and subsequent F-type cars will give Lexus real performance credentials, and it hopes that the F sub-brand will become as synonymous with performance as BMW's M Division and Mercedes-Benz AMG.

Frankly, we would've been just as satisfied with a simple "IS 500" badge and far more subtle exterior styling. But from now on, it's all about the F-word.

F Is for Fury
Regardless of what it means to the luxury carmaker (and how it appears to the serious sport-sedan buyer), the 2008 Lexus IS-F is a serious piece of highly engineered hardware indeed. At its heart, the 5.0-liter V8 (2UR-GSE) comes from a stroked version of the 4.6-liter engine (1UR-FSE) found in the luxo-cruising Lexus LS 460. Now that Yamaha (a frequent collaborator with Toyota for engine projects) has had its way with it, an essentially all-new engine pumps out an impressive 416 horsepower at 6,600 rpm with 371 pound-feet of torque available at 5,200 rpm.

Exclusive to this Lexus V8 are trick cylinder heads with solid lifters and titanium intake valves, plus a water-cooled oil radiator. There's also an oil-scavenge pumping system that keeps the engine supplied with life-sustaining lubricant even in high-G cornering, and even the fuel tank uses an offset pump in a sub-tank for the same reasons.

The engine's lightweight reciprocating mass (said to be half that of other UR engines) combines with variable valve timing to produce a lofty redline of 6,800 rpm.

There's an instantly recognizable pubescent change in the IS-F's voice at 3,600 rpm when the dual-path intake system opens the secondary plumbing (located in the right wheelwell), immersing the passengers in a furious symphony of eight-cylinder baritone.

When you pour the 5.0-liter V8's power through the highly modified eight-speed automatic transmission (from the LS 460), the 3,780-pound IS-F is good for a 4.8-second time to 60 mph on the way to a quarter-mile in 13.2 seconds at 109 mph, and it's still accelerating hard — very hard.

The Competition
Frankly, we expected even better performance from such a good power-to-weight ratio. In our testing, the IS 350 has run to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds and done the quarter-mile in 13.8 seconds at 101.2 mph. Meanwhile, the BMW 335i sedan with an automatic clocks 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and the quarter-mile in 13.4 seconds at 103.9 mph.

And when it comes to BMW's official performance estimates for the 2008 BMW M3 sedan with its 414-hp 4.0-liter V8, the benchmark of 60 mph is supposed to come up in 4.9 seconds. The same stat for the 2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG with its 457-hp, 6.2-liter V8 is less than 4.5 seconds.

We admit we might've left a tenth or two on the IS-F's table, however. As much as we feel that Michelin Pilot PS2 tires are like sticky Lucky Charms, the IS-F's 255mm-wide rear contact patches aren't wide enough to duplicate a magically delicious launch.

That said, the roar of the rev-happy V8 is one of the most lust-worthy we've heard, rivaling the thrilling sound of the 4.2-liter V8 in the Audi RS 4, which also sounds like a flat-bottom drag-racing boat powered by a small-block V8 with open headers.



F Is for Fuji
Though if drag racing isn't quite the IS-F's sort of environment, road racing is. Besides the four other racetracks where camouflaged IS-F mules spent much of their time during testing, the car primarily was developed on Toyota's own Fuji International Speedway. A nice thing, if you can afford it.

What this did for the IS-F is readily evident in the car's ability to hold a line in the corners, the linearity and tractability of the engine's power, and the magnificent proficiency of the transmission's shift action in manual mode.

The brakes are also track-worthy. The fixed Brembo six-piston front calipers feature three different piston diameters and clamp 14.2-inch drilled and vented discs, while two-piston rear calipers squeeze 13.6-inch drilled and vented discs in the back. Sixty-to-zero stopping distances tumbled down with each successive stop with a best of 112 feet. We tired before these fade-resistant brakes did.

Thank You for Smoking
We had a few laps at a local track and can tell the IS-F is no stranger to an apex. We tried all three modes of stability/traction control and found Sport VDIM mode largely unobtrusive. It's pretty permissive and becomes slightly annoyed only if the driver's corner entry or exit is less smooth than Sir Jackie Stewart would recommend.

Still, we couldn't help but enjoy the drive-at-your-own-risk mode with the stability control switched off. When you briefly lift off the throttle pedal midcorner, then whack it wide open, the tail of the car is easily coaxed into a slide. The faux, brake-induced simulation of a limited-slip differential initially fights the slide, but it eventually relinquishes its hold on the tires and two plumes of magnificent white tire smoke finally emerge.

The IS-F's turn-in is breathtakingly quick, as the car takes a confident and very firm set through corners with pretty stubborn understeer on the car's limit. We measured 0.93g on our skid pad.

Though the steering action is as precise as any rack-and-pinion can deliver, the artificially heavy effort of the two-mode, electric power assist (a 42V system) still cannot communicate as much information about the contact patches of the front tires as other sport sedans we've driven. Even so, the IS-F weaves its way to an exhilarating 70.2-mph slalom run where oversteer becomes the limiting factor. Credit the car's weight distribution of 54 percent front/46 percent rear.

F Is for Fast
Automatic transmissions are slow-acting, power-sapping, indirect hindrances between an engine and a driver's will, right? Yet the IS-F's eight-speed Sport Direct Shift automatic transmission (AA80E) obliterates this notion with an entirely novel — and we think industry-changing — control system.

While the hardware again has its foundation in the transmission of the LS sedan, lightweight yet robust internals plus a complete rewiring of the transmission's brain have produced an entirely new definition of an automatic transmission. In manual mode, it comes as close to instant shifting as anything we've driven.

When manual mode (shifted via steering-column paddles or the console-mounted gearlever) is selected, upshift times drop from a Lexus IS 350's typical 1.3 seconds (0.7 second to initiate plus 0.6 second to change ratios) to a mere 0.3 second (0.2 second to initiate plus 0.1 second to shift). We also appreciate the perfectly timed tone that reminds you to shift just before you hit the rev limiter in each gear.

The gloriously quick downshifts (with matched revs) sound as if the car has a true sequential gearbox. It's unbelievable. The only other transmission that comes close to such quick, driver-friendly action is the dual-clutch DSG gearbox like the one in an Audi A3, or perhaps the latest $9,000, Formula 1-style automated sequential manual like that in the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.

When it's in Drive, the transmission behaves much like a traditional automatic with the personality and torque-converter lock-up habits of the latest BMW StepTronic, but with two or three too many gears from which to choose. The mundane cut-and-thrust of everyday traffic produces frequent shifting among the eight ratios and it takes some getting used to.

F Is for Freeway Hop
While the kind of on-track schooling the IS-F has received is generally a good performance-tuning practice that tends to breed more performance-capable vehicles, it doesn't always make for a livable car.

The IS-F short-travel suspension rides taut and firm like a racecar's — all the time. Without driver-adjustable suspension, freeway overpasses that are usually registered by the seat of your pants as a gentle, rolling hop become spine-compressing jolts. Consider yourself warned.

Generation Gap
What do you think of when you hear "Lexus"? Maybe it's not performance. Initial quality studies, customer satisfaction ratings and a luxury-car benchmark with a reputation for reliability are more like it, and that's why the median age of a Lexus buyer is older than any of its competition among performance-oriented brands.

The way Lexus sees it, all those WRX and Evo owners are getting older, have increased their earning potential and shortly will be looking for cars that satisfy their inner enthusiasts while avoiding the boy-racer stigma. So the IS-F is the right thing to do for the future of Lexus.

The 416-hp 2008 Lexus IS-F also intends to take a preemptive bite out of the high-performance compact-sedan pie currently sized up by the forthcoming BMW M3 sedan and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG.

The price of the 2008 Lexus IS-F might make it persuasive. Though the official numbers won't be announced for a bit, Lexus says our estimate of $59,900 isn't "embarrassingly inaccurate," so we used the current IS 350's optional $2,550 navigation system price to calculate this IS-F's $62,540 as-tested price.

The F-Word
If it seems that our enthusiasm for the IS-F is mixed, you're right. While we can appreciate all the work that went into this performance-minded, track-worthy Lexus, we're more than a little put off by its harsh ride on the street. Is this truly a usable high-performance car, or just a car for extreme profiling?

There's also something about the gimmicky styling. The most telling trace of disingenuousness can be found in those stacked quad exhaust "resonators," as Lexus describes them. We discovered that not one of the chromed ovals is directly plumbed to the muffler and are instead part of the rear fascia. They're there just for looks.

There's too much of this car that reminds us of the supersonic jet-powered sports cars we all used to draw on our denim binders back in third grade.

F Is for Future
Yet there's a whole lot more invested in this notion of a high-performance Lexus than the ill-fated "L Tune" kits for the first-generation IS, which were little more than stiffer suspensions, tacked-on body parts and loud exhaust systems.

Depending on its success, Lexus says the IS-F is but the first in a series of F-division vehicles, with the next obvious, though not confirmed, candidate being the GS-F.

We applaud the effort and support Lexus' path down this road, but we hope they spend a little more time on city streets and a little less time on race tracks.

RS4

Courtesy of Edmunds Inside Line

If the engine is the soul of every car, then the 2007 Audi RS 4 has more character under its hood than most performance cars possess from tip to tailpipe. With 4.2 liters of direct-injected aluminum fury, its V8 makes 420 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque, and revs to an unbelievable 8,250 rpm.

Now that's some soul. And it's all forward of the front axle.

Defying physics
Any V8, even an aluminum V8, hanging forward of the front axle should do awful things to any car's handling. But in the RS 4, it doesn't.

Just like Porsche, Audi seems to have thwarted both mechanics and inertia with the RS 4. Audi engineers are saddled with this less-than-ideal design constraint in every model utilizing a longitudinal engine layout. Still, we drove it harder than any socially responsible owner ever will, fully expecting a hard lesson in Newtonian physics. It never happened.

The RS 4 is a composed master of winding roads. Confidence and grip from the front tires are superb, balance is good and steering feel, at speed, is better than any Audi we've ever driven. Audi's Servotronic steering increases pressure to the steering rack based on vehicle and steering speed. The ratio is almost Evo quick at 13.1:1 but feels far calmer on the road than the feline reactions of the Mitsubishi. There's something very German about the steering — probably thanks to proprietary bushings that locate the rack. It lacks the texture and resolution of the sharpest systems, but offers more than enough feedback and response during hard cornering to go very, very quickly.

The RS 4's character is very different from, say, a BMW M3, which is lighter. In an M3 the chassis and road connect via the driver. The result is an experience that can only be had with less weight and fewer mechanical interruptions. The RS 4 is probably quicker on most roads, but don't expect M3 levels of involvement from a car that's only 19 pounds shy of two full tons.

With the RS 4, Audi has created a near perfect ride/handling trade-off. Part of the magic is Dynamic Ride Control, which links diagonally opposite front and rear dampers with a gas-charged reservoir. The mechanical system allows more compliance when front and rear dampers are compressed at the same time, ensuring a comfortable highway ride with minimal compromise during performance driving.

The soul
The RS 4's 4.2-liter V8 shares only its bore, stroke, power steering and water pump with the S4 engine. Direct injection mandated new cylinder heads, yielding a 12.5:1 compression ratio. Both the intake and exhaust cams are given 40 degrees of valve timing control.

Pushing the "S" button mounted on the dashboard further excites the RS 4's soul. It quickens throttle response and opens additional valves in the mufflers and intake to allow anyone within earshot to appreciate its 8,250-rpm salute.

Even at low rpm the V8 is eager and provides ample motivation. Ninety percent of the engine's torque is available from 2,250 to 7,600 rpm. This flexible power delivery gives the car its unique character. It's virtually impossible to catch the engine off guard regardless of gear selection, but it never has the brick-to-the-kidneys punch of a large-displacement V8 either.

Wind the V8 to the end of its range and it'll stir your soul with an anthem of German-engineered combustion thunder. The last 2,000 rpm seems to go on forever and makes the RS 4 more flexible than any car in its class. It's Porsche 911 performance with Audi A4 practicality. It will change the way you think about driving fast. Even coming out of slow corners we found ourselves comfortably up a gear from many cars we've driven over the same roads.

Part of that cornering speed is thanks to the RS 4's quattro all-wheel-drive system. Audi updated the RS 4's center differential switching from a viscous unit to a Torsen differential with a 40/60 rear-biased torque split. A six-speed manual transmission backs up the all-wheel drive.



Serious stoppers
Further expanding the RS 4's performance repertoire are massive 14.4-inch front rotors with fixed eight-piston calipers. The system's strength is in its ability to invisibly turn massive speed into heat without drama. It will, without a reduction in performance, slow the car from 130 to 70 mph time after time. NACA brake ducts in the underbody reduce brake rotor temperatures by 170 degrees at speed.

Under heavy braking we found the RS 4 slightly nervous, which was disconcerting at high speeds. This behavior is likely the only perceptible result of the undeniable effect of physics, given the RS 4's engine position. Its front tires bear 59 percent of its weight in static conditions. Increase that burden with some massive weight transfer, add in the effects of aerodynamic forces and driver reaction and squirminess is the result. It's not a deal breaker, but it will wake you up if you must slow down quickly.

The massive brakes conspire with the RS 4's sticky Michelins to haul the car from 60 to zero in only 107 feet and exhibited zero fade during our testing. In fact, as their temperature rose on consecutive runs, braking distances decreased — the mark of the truly high-performance system. Pedal feel isn't as solid as we would like, but it is as stubbornly consistent as any racecar we've driven.

Tall order
Stephan Reil, director of technical development at quattro GmbH (Audi's performance tuning division), is the man largely responsible for the RS 4's driving character. He told us Audi benchmarked cars like the M3 CSL and Porsche 911 Carrera 4S when developing the RS 4.

He wouldn't tell us which one was fastest around the Nürburgring — a little matter of political correctness he claimed — but he did say that the RS 4 was capable of lapping the famous circuit in the very low 8-minute range.

Reil's biggest goal was that RS 4 drivers be able to feel the character of the car, which is the real reason the stability control can be fully disabled by holding the ESP button down for 3 seconds. Push it once and it simply disables traction control. Hold it down and you assume full responsibility for the RS 4's dynamics. We like full responsibility in a car this capable.

The look, the feel
Adding some sex to all that stomp are the most bulging, glorious fender flares this side of a Renault R5 Turbo. They're necessary to cover a track width 1.5 inches wider up front and 1.9 inches wider in the rear than the S4. Given the rear fender change, Audi's stylists saw fit to carve in the most brilliantly integrated rear deck lid spoiler ever devised. It adds a touch of functional class to the car's hindquarters, and in combination with the flares, makes the RS 4 look like it can deliver the business its engine promises.

The split seven-spoke wheels measure 19-by-9 inches and do an appropriate job filling the fenders with 255/35-19 Michelin Pilot Sport tires. The RS 4 sits 1.1 inches lower than a standard A4 as well.

There's no confusing the RS 4's interior with that of the standard A4. Silk napa leather lines all the seating surfaces, and the heavily bolstered front seats are embossed with the RS 4 logo. Carbon-fiber trim accents the dashboard, door panels, center console and ashtray doors front and rear.

Serious go
At the track the RS 4 proves its mettle, launching from zero to 60 in just 4.7 brain-cell-punishing seconds. The quarter-mile disappears in 13.2 seconds at 106.8 mph.

The shifter and clutch take-up don't have the near perfect feel achieved by the BMW 3 Series or the quick-action of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution's controls, but they aren't cause for complaint either. Luckily, with such a spectacularly flexible power plant, you don't have to use them as often as you would in either of those cars.

Through the slalom the RS 4 again defied conventional thinking by demonstrating an almost unthinkable ability to go where it was pointed. Its 70.6-mph slalom speed ranks it second fastest among every sedan we've ever tested. Mitsubishi's iconic Evo holds the record only 0.1 mph faster at 70.7 mph. Lateral grip was also stellar at 0.90g, with at-the-limit balance tending toward mild understeer with reasonable adjustability.

You get what you pay for
All that performance doesn't come cheap. Our test car, which was fully loaded with the $4,700 premium package and rear side airbags ($350), stickered for $73,870 including destination fees and the mandatory $2,100 gas-guzzler tax.

There's no denying $70 grand is a lot of green for any car, even one this capable. But there's little doubt that the RS 4's biggest competition, the upcoming BMW M3, will cost about the same and make similar power. It might not be cheap, but it's hard to put a price tag on soul.

M3

Courtesy of Edmunds Inside Line

You can never really have too much of a good thing.

Just look at the 2008 BMW M3 Sedan. Introduced as a coupe only six months ago, now it has two more doors and added trunk space to boot. All this without any compromise in performance.

That's what we said to ourselves as the speedometer swung to an indicated 175 mph on the autobahn in Germany this week. And there was another 1,000 rpm to go on the tachometer before the rev limiter could be expected to kick in.

No compromise.

It's the Bavarian Motor Works
No matter how many doors the 2008 BMW M3 Sedan might have, an M3 always begins with its engine. The power of the DOHC 4.0-liter V8 in the 2008 BMW M3 Sedan is simply electrifying. It makes 414 horsepower at 8,300 rpm and 295 pound-feet of torque at 3,900 rpm.

Just as important, everything about this engine is an engineering marvel. It's a mix of aluminum alloys that weighs just 445 pounds (33 pounds less than the last M3's inline-6). Eight individual throttle butterflies for the cylinders combine with a very tall 12.0:1 compression ratio to deliver incredibly crisp throttle response, while the engine is capable of spinning its 44-pound crankshaft to 8,400 rpm, the highest rpm of any BMW production engine.

And believe us, the performance this 4.0-liter V8 gives to the M3 sedan is equally electrifying. BMW claims the 3,638-pound M3 sedan almost matches the M3 coupe in acceleration to 100 km/h (62 mph) with a 4.9-second run, just 0.1 second slower than the 3,573-pound two-door. The top speed is nominally limited to 155 mph, but some fiddling with the engine management system will let the speed swell appreciably. We saw an indicated 175 mph during one determined autobahn run.

This, of course, is not the first time the M3 has been given the sedan treatment. That distinction rests with the second-generation model produced in four-door guise from 1996-'98, which was a notable success in the U.S. As it happens, BMW did not follow it up in the third-generation M3 because of structural differences in front-end architecture between the E46 sedan and coupe.

The new M3 sedan is not the last of the models of the current M3, though. With the arrival of an M3 convertible just around the corner and talk of a wagon version later in the model cycle as well, there will be no shortage of M3s to tempt us.



Spot the M3 Sedan
As we've seen in the past, BMW's revered M division doesn't do things by half measures. This is fully reflected in the distinctive styling of the new M3 sedan. Rather than simply adopt the standard 3 Series sedan body for its latest model, it has concocted its very own unique version using the front-end styling treatment from the 3 Series coupe, including the kidney-shape grille, headlights, heavily contoured aluminum hood and boldly flared front fenders.

As a result, you get a car that mirrors the aggressive good looks of the M3 coupe right back to the A-pillars. From there on, though, the car receives the taller greenhouse, four doors and higher trunk of the familiar 3 Series sedan.

Added to this are all the usual M3 styling accoutrements, including a deep front fascia featuring sizable air ducts to feed the engine bay, a signature chrome vent in the front fenders, heavily chiseled rocker sills and an extended rear valance that incorporates an aero diffuser element and four prominent chromed tailpipes — all of which provide the M3 sedan with just the right touch of visual differentiation from the lesser 3 Series sedans.

The most notable clue to the exalted performance of this 3 Series sedan is its complement of visually arresting wheels and tires. These 18-inch cast-aluminum wheels feature 8.5-inch rims in front that carry 245/40R18 tires, while the 9.5-inch rear rims are fitted with 265/40R18 rubber.

Six Speeds Now, Seven Speeds Later
Still, you can forget the styling. The hardware that lies beneath is what really counts, because the M3 sedan's mechanical specification makes it virtually a carbon copy of the M3 coupe.

The centerpiece, of course, is M division's compelling new 4.0-liter V8. It is as sweet and soulful an engine as BMW has ever built, with linear, electriclike throttle response, big flexibility through the midrange and a wonderfully seamless delivery all the way up to its soaring redline.

The weak link, if it can be described in such a way, is the standard close-ratio six-speed manual gearbox. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with the action of the Getrag-built unit. The action is crisp and precise, although the throws are a little long to reduce shift effort and there's an awkward gate for 1st gear that requires a dogleg shift. Yet you can't help wondering whether this car would be quicker with an automated sequential gearbox.

And by this we don't mean the former M3's SMG transmission. BMW has just announced its new M double-clutch seven-speed transmission, which incorporates no fewer than 11 internal shift programs — five in automatic Drive mode and four in manual-shift Sport mode. This the first dual-clutch transmission designed to withstand engine speeds of up to 9,000 rpm, and BMW promises both utterly smooth shifts and an improvement in fuel efficiency.

The transmission is slated as an option for the M3 coupe, sedan and convertible. It makes each car 0.2 second quicker to 100 km/h (62 mph)

It's Actually Useful
Up to this point, we could well be talking about the M3 coupe. But the M3 sedan adds another dimension to prospective ownership that will undoubtedly make it a popular choice among those with real-world considerations: practicality.

While the coupe is capable of seating four in relative comfort, the sedan will take five at a pinch. Its rear doors also ease entry and exit to the rear, a crucial consideration for anyone who has ever fumbled with the three-point harness on a child seat (and in the dark, and maybe it's raining besides).

You can even bring more stuff along with you, as the M3 sedan affords 17.0 cubic feet of luggage capacity, although this is just a single cubic foot more than the M3 coupe.

There's a price to be paid in weight, yet the sedan is surprisingly only 55 pounds heavier than the coupe, tipping the scales at 3,638 pounds. Much of the weight increase comes from the decision to substitute a conventional roof for the coupe's carbon-fiber piece. The high cost of tooling just didn't seem warranted in light of smaller production numbers, BMW tells us.

The M Way of Driving
Not that any of this makes a whole lot of difference. On the road you can caress the M3 sedan through the controls just as you do the M3 coupe and it responds with the same deftness. There is beautiful weighting of the steering, brakes and clutch — all of which have been integrated electronically to work in delicious harmony. The driving position might be a touch higher and the windshield angle more upright, but the same responsive actions still greet the driver.

The sedan's rear-wheel-drive chassis has the same dimensions as the coupe, including the wheelbase, and it handles with similar poise and grips with similar ferocity. Its high-speed stability is staggering, allowing you to push up to big speeds with great confidence.

The nominal damping feels a little spongy given the level of performance on hand, but thanks to the adaptive nature of the dampers you can dial up a further two levels of stiffness. Leave it in Sport and you can't help but marvel at the tautness inherent in the body structure as you carve through corners at the sort of speed no four-door really has a right to.

Start looking for the handling limits and you discover there's a touch of understeer at the entry to corners, but we suspect it is only because the rear seems so well settled. BMW's remarkable M differential proportions torque to each rear wheel depending on the circumstances, and indeed the M3 is as complex as a Formula 1 car in the way the electronics adapt it for every change in driving style or road environment. In fact, you can dial it in for your own personal preferences with the MDrive control on the steering wheel.

The Line Starts Here
The 2008 BMW M3 Sedan is priced at $54,575, while the 2008 BMW M3 Coupe is priced higher at $57,275. Vehicles are scheduled to become available in March.

The M3 sedan allows you to go about your day-to-day business without having to give up the pure performance that is inherent in the M character. The M3 coupe might be slightly more focused, but it cannot provide the same level of practicality. As we said, you can never have too much of a good thing.

AUDI RS6

After being with us for 12 months and the best part of 30,000 miles, Audi's RS6 had become a much-loved member of the Metcalfe family

Courtesy of EVO Magazine

Text: Harry Metcalfe / Photos: Chris Rutter

November 2009

	The RS6 was best defined by the way it accelerated, but it wasn’t a one-trick pony – it was genuinely usable too

I’ve always preferred estates to saloons, so the mix of an estate body with a monstrous, turbocharged V10 got my attention straight away – as did the pulverising acceleration made possible by that engine. Overtakes were incredibly easy, over almost before the driver of the target car had noticed anything had happened, and the unabated lunge for the horizon became horribly addictive. All that performance was so easily accessible too, thanks to one of the best automatic gearboxes in existence. With the gear selector in Sport, the auto shifts were so well judged that I rarely bothered to change gear manually using the paddles on the back of the steering wheel. Downshifts were accompanied by a perfectly programmed blip of revs, while full-bore upshifts brought a thwack! from the exhaust that sounded almost like an anti-lag device.

But while the RS6 was best defined by the way it accelerated, it wasn’t a one-trick pony – it was genuinely usable too. The sat-nav was a peach for starters, displaying traffic jams and re-routing you accordingly. Then there was the Bluetooth, which was a doddle to set up, and the reception on the (optional) digital TV was as clear as I get at home.

Another screen on the MMI (Audi’s answer to iDrive) allowed the chassis set-up to be changed between three different modes to suit the journey you were undertaking at the time. Sport was almost unbearable on UK roads, so it mostly stayed in Dynamic, although Comfort was the preferred option if I had passengers on board. The Recaro seats deserve a special mention here too, for being both extremely supportive and extremely comfortable, making long journeys a pleasure.

For such a big car, space did look pretty tight when you opened the driver’s door and saw the fat sill and bulging transmission tunnel eating into the footwell and serving as a reminder of all the beefy mechanical bits hidden just behind the bodywork. That said, you soon forgot once you were installed behind the wheel, and, importantly, the load area in the RS6 was simply enormous. We found it could swallow three bikes at once, plus riders, making it almost a match for the family Range Rover in boot bragging rights. But then the RS6 does measure 5 metres in length, which is some 200mm longer than a Porsche Cayenne, for example.

So if the current RS6 is big, easy to live with and stupidly fast, why hasn’t it sold as well as the previous generation RS6 did? I think it’s partly down to timing. With hindsight, the middle of 2008 was not the best time to launch a 572bhp, 18mpg über estate costing close to £80K. Early press reports didn’t help either, as most reported that it was overweight and not much fun to drive. But after living with one for a year I have to disagree. The only time the weight made itself felt was when really pressing on, when braking sometimes took slightly longer than expected. As for the dynamics, well, of the few RS6 owners I know, two have an Enzo parked alongside in the garage, another a Maserati Birdcage, and a fourth has his own race circuit, so perhaps RS6 buyers aren’t looking for ultimate driving thrills from their Audi, just a discreet way to travel very, very quickly, and for that the RS6 is brilliant. Way better than the M5 estate, for example, which is handicapped by its dreadful gearbox and torque-light V10.

Today you can pick up a new RS6 for around £65K, as Audi recently released a number of unsold cars onto the market. Unfortunately this killed residuals in the process, but at least the running costs were much lower than I expected. OK, fuel consumption never rose much above 20mpg on a run, but the service intervals were lengthy and tyres lasted for over 16,000 miles. Pity that the paint had started to flake off three of the wheels by the time the car left us, as otherwise the build quality was impossible to fault too.

Overall, then, the RS6 was a fantastic family express, one I would happily have run until the wheels dropped off, though it would probably be me who expired first! It’s going to take some car to fill its place.

BMW M5

Courtesy of Road and Track

The tach steadily marches up past 7000 rpm, 7100, 7200... When it reaches 7400, the speed limiter quietly steps in and holds us comfortably, almost leisurely, at 155 mph. Freed of its electronic tethers, the 2006 BMW M5 would be capable of supercar numbers, topping out at nearly 200 mph. This, from a midsize sedan with four doors and none of the wings, scoops, flares or carbon-fiber bits normally associated with such vision-blurring speed.

How does the M5 do it? How else? Horsepower: 507 to be exact, generated by a silky-smooth 5.0-liter V-10 that loves to rev (redline is 8200 rpm) and, when combined with BMW's third-generation 7-speed sequential M gearbox (SMG), serves up instant acceleration with the flick of a steering-wheel-mounted paddle. Yet like the V-8-powered car it replaces, this fourth-generation M5 effortlessly blends sports-car performance with commuter-car comfort.

Naturally, as the only sedan on earth to feature a V-10 and a 7-speed sequential transmission, much attention focuses on the M5's high-tech powertrain. As well it should because they work exceedingly well together. The 90-degree V-10 is a clean-sheet design, engineered specifically for this car (and the forthcoming M6) and not based on any existing BMW powerplant, including the BMW Formula 1 engine. It's also normally aspirated, unlike the competing Audi RS 6 and Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG powerplants, meaning it generates power through high engine rpm and its 10 cylinders rather than turbos or superchargers.

Accomplishing such output without forced induction is no small feat, requiring some sophisticated engineering, especially in a V-10 that revs so freely. Like the M3, the M5's engine employs individual throttle valves for each of its 10 cylinders. They're tied to an electronically controlled throttle-by-wire system that ensures immediate response and adjusts each throttle butterfly individually in as little as 120 milliseconds. This works in concert with BMW's bi-VANOS variable valve timing for seamless power delivery anywhere in the rev range. To cope with the extreme heat and combustion pressure associated with high-rpm loads, the crankcase utilizes a racing-derived bedplate design that integrates cast-iron inserts into the aluminum casing for improved stiffness.

Also helping produce those 507 horses and 384 lb.-ft. of torque is enough computing power to put an M5 on the moon. The ECU alone contains three 32-bit processors that perform a staggering 200 million calculations per second, controlling anything and everything related to engine performance. This includes, among other things, the throttle valves, bi-VANOS, fuel mixture, emissions and spark. Plus it acts as the central portal for all information traveling between the engine and smaller control units managing systems like SMG, Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), ABS and Electronic Damper Control (EDC). An added benefit of all this computerized wizardry is the console-mounted Power button, which serves up three settings: P400 for just 400 bhp, P500 for the M5's full 507 bhp or P500 Sport for 507 bhp accompanied by noticeably quicker throttle response.

The other half of the M5's 1-2 powertrain punch is the new, third-generation SMG. Like the V-10, this 7-speed unit, which is the only transmission available, is all new and built just for this engine. As such, it's not hampered by the limitations of converting an existing manual gearbox to SMG (as is the case with the current system), allowing engineers to optimize it for faster, smoother sequential operation without sacrificing automatic mode driveability. Like the M3, the M5's SMG offers drivers 11 different Drivelogic shift profiles to choose from (six in manual, five in automatic) based on how aggressive or sedate they like their shifts.

Some die-hard manual fans may take issue with the M5's SMG-only status, but after some time behind the wheel, only the most stubborn will miss the clutch pedal. The performance of this latest iteration has been improved significantly, delivering 20 percent faster upshifts during hard acceleration, while also smoothing out shifts at lower speeds or in stop-and-go traffic. Gone is the occasionally unpredictable behavior in automatic mode, replaced by noticeably smoother clutch engagement regardless of engine revs. And for Formula 1 wannabes, all downshifts are accompanied by perfectly synchronized throttle blips in both manual and automatic modes.

Better still, the SMG also features Launch Control, a no-brainer electronic aid that does a better job of launching the M5 from a standstill than any human could. Activation requires that SMG be in its most sporting position (S6) with DSC off and the console-mounted gearshift lever held in the forward position. From there, all it takes is pushing the gas pedal to the floor, letting the system hold engine revs at 4000, then releasing the gear shift. What happens next is pure computer-controlled bliss as the rear tires spin just enough to ensure optimal traction, the SMG shifts automatically at precisely the right revs and the M5 rockets away. Using Launch Control, expect 0-60-mph times somewhere in the neighborhood of 4.5 seconds and the quarter-mile around 13 flat.

Move to the open road and the M5's V-10/SMG combo really comes into its own, easily disposing of any stretch requiring serious acceleration. The SMG's ultra-quick shifts make it a breeze to choose gears, ensuring the rev-happy engine is always generating maximum thrust. Run up through the gears out of a slow corner and the engine pulls with a smoothness that easily rivals the current M5's engine, arguably one of the finest V-8s around. Compared with competitors like the supercharged Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG and turbocharged Audi RS 6, the M5 gives up a measure of torque, but between the snappier shifts and the intoxicating V-10 exhaust note, BMW's latest delivers a decidedly sportier driving experience.

This more sporting nature certainly owes much to the engine and gearbox, but neither would be worth the aluminum they're cast from if they weren't bolted to a highly competent chassis. In the case of the M5, electronically controlled shocks and 3-mode DSC get the job done, helping keep the chassis sorted and delivering a wide range of driver-adjustable damping settings to choose from. The shocks have three EDC modes (comfort, normal, sport), which determine the electronic damping parameters in which the suspension will operate. In all three settings, the shocks continuously adapt to changing surface conditions and chassis loads, but can also be more narrowly focused if softer (comfort) or firmer (sport) performance is desired.

Also helping maintain control are huge ABS-assisted 14.7-in. front and 14.6-in. rear vented/cross-drilled rotors that confidently slow the M5 all day long. DSC is equally accommodating, offering full yaw-control functionality, none at all, or better still, M Dynamic Mode (MDM), a sport-tuned setting for aggressive driving that steps in only when the car is really out of shape. Driven in any of these modes, the M5 exhibits excellent poise and a surprising willingness to be tossed around. It's by no means light on its feet, weighing in at more than 4000 lb., but at the same time, the steering and chassis remain highly communicative, telling the driver what the car is doing and how it likes to be driven.

With so many individual power, suspension, SMG and yaw-control settings to chose from, it could take quite a few button pushes to switch from a comfortable commuter configuration to a more aggressive back road or racetrack setup. Not so with the M5's steering-wheel-mounted MDrive button, which allows the driver to instantly switch to personalized settings for power, EDC, SMG, DSC and the optional head-up display. It's as simple as storing individual preferences in the MDrive memory (accessed through iDrive), then pushing the MDrive button to activate the customized setup.

Mechanicals aside, the M5 further distinguishes itself with subtle styling touches that differ from the standard 5 Series just enough to communicate its more sporting intent. The front fascia has been massaged for better high-speed aerodynamics and improved brake/engine cooling, a re-sculpted rear end now sports four exhausts and the fenders have all been flared slightly to accommodate the larger 19-in. double-spoke wheels. And like the M3, M-specific mirrors and a pair of side gills adorn the M5's flanks.

Inside, not too much differs from the standard 5 Series. M-specific leather surfaces and trim accent the interior for a slightly sportier feel. The speedometer and tachometer are new (black dials, white numerals, chrome rings) with the tach featuring a yellow-to-red oil temp-dictated rev limit similar to the previous M5. The biggest news in the cockpit is availability of an optional head-up display which, in addition to showing standard vehicle information, can also be configured to act like a race car's shift light that turns color, then flashes as redline is reached.

Sadly, we won't see the M5 on North American shores until late 2005 at the earliest, so get your order in now and be prepared to pay close to $90K for the privilege. This puts the sticker price nearly 20 grand more than the previous model, but given its significant improvements in both performance and driveability, it's hard not to want one anyway.

With its fourth-generation M5, BMW not only vaults back to the top of the super-sedan ranks, but also proves that ultra-high technology and driving excitement can indeed coexist in the same vehicle. Few, if any, cars have the wealth of electronics helping them get down the road, while at the same time proving equally entertaining to drive. The M5 does just that, wrapping sports-car performance in a sedan body, then letting the driver decide which of the two it really is.

Porsche Panamera turbo

Courtesy of Road and Track

Evolve or die. That was pretty much the rallying cry of the Galápagos iguana, and it has also served Porsche well.

Because while some touchstones remain sacred at the Zuffen

hausen-based automaker (the 911's distinctive silhouette and rear-mounted flat-6 engine, for example), there have been deviations that seemed downright blasphemous at the time but made sense upon reflection. For instance, the 924'swater-cooled, front-mounted engine (an Audi engine no less). The use of coil springs instead of torsion bars (first seen in production on the 914, but only for the rear suspension). Building a...gasp!...sport-utility vehicle (in a time of dire financial woes, the Cayenne saved Porsche's corporate bacon).

And now a 4-door Porsche grand tourer, five if you count the hatch?

Well, the Panamera seemed the next logical step into expanding the Porsche lineup, diversifying to become more things to more people. Rest assured, Porsche faithful, because our Panamera Turbo test car still goes like stink, grips like a frightened tabby at mid-pant leg and does the Porsche name proud...dynamically, at least.

Which brings us to that large, conspicuous elephant in the room, the Panamera's styling. To a person, we can't embrace the Panamera's ungainly roof and the awkward slope of its hatch; we draw the line at uneasy acceptance. Yet that's what makes its downright roomy rear seating and cargo areas possible. To fully appreciate the Panamera, sit back there first in the well-bolstered, high-headrest seats separated by the leather-wrapped, veneer-trimmed center console that extends the full length of the interior. Our highly optioned test car makes the experience sweeter still, with full climate controls for each person and 8-way electric seat adjustments.

Of course you'll want to be up front, treating your lucky passengers to a thrill ride courtesy of the bi-turbo 4.8-liter 4-cam V-8. A derivative of the Cayenne's all-aluminum powerplant, the 500-bhp engine bolts to a 7-speed twin-clutch PDK transmission; power is then apportioned to all four wheels via an electronically co

ntrolled multiplate clutch. The front final drive unit bolts directly to the side of the engine, its lateral driveshaft passing through a forward channel of the block. This approach, plus the slender pan of what Porsche calls an integrated dry sump oiling system, allows the engine to sit lower in the chassis.

The upshot of all this horsepower and traction? Maybe we should say "hole shot," as our tester ripped off a giddy blast of 3.4 seconds to 60 mph and laid down a scorched-earth quarter-mile time of 11.7 sec. at 118.0 mph — essentially 911 Turbo numbers. It's accomplished with the Sport Chrono Package that incorporates launch control and briefly allows extra boost: 567 lb.-ft. between 3000–4000 rpm, up from 516 lb.-ft.

On the road, it's best to have a long, deserted highway to let the Panamera Turbo reel in the horizon. Here, you can savor the quick buildup of boost followed by an ever-strengthening shove in the shoulder blades...the powerband's iron will shows no signs of weakening at the 6600-rpm redline. The level of shifting/handling aggression is easily selected with the Sport and Sport Plus buttons on the center console, and the shock valving button will cycle through three modes that affect both the valving and spring rate of the standard adaptive air suspension. Sport Plus (only on the Sport Chrono Package) is the choice for serious canyon-road work,

as a single press will halve the air volume of each spring, stiffen the shock valving, lower the car 25 mm and set the retractable 3-piece rear spoiler at its most aggressive setting of 10 degrees. And, with our Panamera's optional PDCC (Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control), the anti-roll bars can actively couple and decouple, resulting in an almost complete lack of body roll when cornering hard.

And the Panamera seems to revel in cornering, its steering accurate and light and the chassis' composure nearly unflappable, helped by excellent tires (Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s, size 255/40ZR-20 front, 295/35ZR-20 rear) on optional 20-in. RS Spyder Design wheels. Overcook a corner's entry, and understeer is benign and mild; radical weight transfer to the front can result in the rear stepping out controllably, with a small squeeze of the throttle gathering things up nicely. It's unusual (and unexpectedly fun!) to have a car this size rotate a little with lift throttle. The PSM stability control isn't fully defeatable, but intervenes smoothly and at a high threshold.

With the kinetic energy of this sizable mass moving at up to 188 mph, huge brakes are de rigueur, and the big multi-piston aluminum monoblocks have the right stuff, clamping down on chunky 2-piece rotors with aluminum hats and iron friction rings. Braking distances were quite good, but we did notice a little pedal softness with repeated high-speed stops. While we don't envision track day outings in a Panamera Turbo (someone in the Porsche Club of America will prove me wrong!), there is an optional upgrade to the fabled PCCB carbon-ceramic system, with its trademark yellow-painted calipers.

Regardless of use, there's much to like in the driver's quarters, with a familiar instrument cluster of five overlapping dials (tach dead center), premium leatherwork, wonderfully supportive seats with inserts of perforated hide and touches of brightwork that stand out...for instance, each air vent resides in a nacelle-like metal housing.

The grabber, though, is the high, wide center console lined with endless rows of buttons. It's not as bad as it might seem at first, as they're all arranged logically (vehicle dynamic functions, mirror-image groupings for driver/passenger climate controls, etc.) and we respect Porsche's philosophy of having dedicated hard controls for things instead of having to scroll through tedious sets of menus. The driving position is pure Porsche, the fat-rimmed 3-spoke wheel practically begs to be grabbed, and just looking at the familiar peaks of the front fenders brings a Pavlovian warmth to the driving pleasure centers of our brains.

So how much pent-up demand is there for a $133,000, 188-mph 4-seat grand tourer? Porsche will soon find out, and will certainly sell more of the base Panamera S ($89,800) and Panamera 4S ($93,800) models. Any way you look at it, the Panamera moves Porsche — quickly — in a new and uncharted direction. If past performance is any indication, this ridiculously fleet if unusually styled 4-door should be a resounding success.