The cars that Consumer Guide classifies as premium sporty/performance are at the top of the mountain when it comes to acceleration, handling response, and of course, price. From there, these cars diversify in their missions. Some are pure thrill machines, designed for maximum go with less thought given to passenger comfort. Others are more serene, offering more balanced combinations of performance and luxury.
Depending on your preferences, and how much discretionary income you have, premium sporty/performance cars offer driving experiences quite unlike anything else on the road. Consumer Guide identifies 16 vehicles in this class. New or recently redesigned for 2007 are the Jaguar XK Series, Mercedes-Benz SL-Class, and Volkswagen Eos. The Audi TT and Dodge Viper skip the 2007 model year, but both will return in calendar '07 as 2008 models.
Muscle Bound
American-made premium sporty/performance cars are typically about three things: horsepower, horsepower, and horsepower. Raw Detroit iron holds a special appeal among enthusiasts. Give them big, pushrod V8 or V10 engines (none of this overhead camshaft or four valve-per-cylinder stuff), brutally stiff suspensions, and exhaust notes that will frighten lesser cars off the road.
- The Porsche 911 Carrera GT3 has a 415-horsepower six-cylinder engine. It produces that power from a displacement of only 3.6 liters without the assistance of a turbocharger or supercharger. - The Cadillac XLR is available in a high-performance V model, with a supercharged V8 engine. Its $100,000 price tag makes it the first production Cadillac to carry a six-figure sticker. |
The "base" Corvette pumps out 400 horsepower from its 6.0-liter V8 engine. With an estimated 0-60 mph acceleration time of 4.5 seconds and a starting price of less than $45,000, Corvette is a high-performance bargain in this segment. These virtues, combined with excellent handling and surprising utility make this Chevy a Consumer Guide Best Buy.
For those who really feel the need for speed, Chevy offers the 505-horsepower Corvette Z06. According to Chevy, this super Corvette is capable of running from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds. That puts it among the fastest production vehicles in the world, and in the territory of six-figure price tag cars. The Z06 starts at $64,890.
Maybe the Corvette is too subtle. If that's your view, then Viper's your baby. Instantly recognizable and totally off the wall, this sports car is nearly as exotic as those famous Italian cars that have horses and bulls as their insignias. Dodge skipped model-year 2007 for Viper. At the 2007 Detroit Auto Show, Dodge unveiled a restyled 2008 model. The company made this snake more deadly by increasing the standard V10 engine's displacement to 8.4 liters from 8.1 liters. Horsepower goes up accordingly, to 600 from 510. Dodge says the '08 Viper will accelerate from 0-60 mph in less than four seconds. Coupe and convertible body styles will return.
Grand Touring
If all-out power isn't your thing, there are premium sporty/performance cars that offer more subtle packages. The Cadillac XLR, Chrysler Crossfire, Jaguar XK, Lexus SC 430, and Volvo C70 offer more serene driving experiences while sacrificing little in the way of performance.
The Crossfire and XK are available as hardtop coupes and fabric top convertibles. The XLR, SC 430, and C70 are convertibles equipped with retractable hardtops. The hardtops are a boon for those who live in wet or snowy climates, though in Consumer Guide testing, we have not experienced any leaks with the soft-top models.
SC 430, XK, and XLR use V8 engines. Crossfire uses a V6, and C70 has a turbocharged five cylinder. Crossfire and C70 offer a choice of manual or automatic transmission. All others have a six-speed automatic.
XLR shares some of its basic architecture and is built in the same plant as the Corvette, though the two have different styling, powertrains, and pricing. Crossfire owes much of its engineering to former corporate partner Mercedes-Benz. C70 borrows its underskin design from Volvo's S40 sedans and V50 wagons. The Volvo is also the only entry among these cars with front-wheel drive.
Jaguar's redesigned XK abandons its steel body for an all-aluminum frame. It weighs about 300 lb less than 1997-2006 models. Both the coupe and convertible exhibit strong acceleration, balanced handling, and inviting accommodations for two, at prices that typically undercut comparable German rivals. This British cat earned Consumer Guide's Recommended award.
No matter which one you might choose, you are almost guaranteed exclusivity. These cars are among the flagship models offered by their respective manufacturers. As such, they don't sell very many of them. Consider that Toyota can sell more Camrys in two months than all these cars combined can sell in one year. Then again, you're not likely to get the looks in a Camry than you would in any of these sportsters.
German Delights
If any automakers know about defining premium sporty/performance cars, it's those from Germany. BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche all offer models targeting well-heeled shoppers who want these cars' near-perfect combinations of style, performance, and luxury.
BMW offers several premium sporty/performance cars across a broad range of prices. Available are the two-passenger Z4 coupes and convertibles. All these cars use inline six-cylinder engines, ranging from 215 horsepower in the base 3.0i convertible, to 330 horsepower in the Z4 M coupe and convertible. Any model excels for sporty fun, and that's why it's a Consumer Guide Best Buy.
Also available as a coupe or convertible is the larger BMW 6-Series. The "base" 650i has a 360-horsepower, 4.8-liter V8 engine. These models have a choice of three six-speed transmissions, a manual, automatic, and BMW's Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG). The SMG is basically a manual transmission without a clutch pedal. Shifting is done via a floorshifter or steering wheel paddles. It can also be set to shift like an automatic. If 360 horsepower isn't enough, there's the M6. It has a 500-horsepower V10 engine that teams with a seven-speed SMG.
Elsewhere in Germany, Mercedes-Benz has its own lineup of premium sporty/performance cars. They also make coupes and convertibles, with the latter all using power-folding hardtops. "Base" models are part of the SLK-Class, which are two-passenger convertibles. Stepping up to the CLK-Class gives you a back seat and the option of a hardtop coupe.
SLK models are the V6-powered SLK280 and SLK350, as well as the V8 SLK55, tuned by Mercedes' AMG performance division. The CLK offers the 286-horsepower V6 engine in the base CLK350. The uplevel CLK550 has a 382-horsepower V8. Also tuned by AMG, the CLK63 has a 475-horsepower V8. It's available as a convertible only.
At the top of Mercedes' premium sporty/performance car food chain is the SL-Class. All SLs are two-passenger convertibles. The roster includes the SL550 with a 382-horsepower V8 engine and SL600 with a 510-horsepower turbocharged V12. When AMG gets its hands on an SL, the outcomes are a pair of powerhouses: the supercharged 510-horsepower V8 SL55 and turbocharged 604-horsepower V12 S65. The latter is the most expensive car listed in the Consumer Guide database, with a suggested retail price of $186,000.
Finally, no list of premium sporty/performance cars would be complete without mentioning Porsche. These are some halo vehicles that more than a few people aspire to own.
None of Porsche's cars (the Cayenne SUV doesn't count) have their engines in the front. The Boxster convertible and Cayman coupe are mid-engine. The storied 911's engine goes back further still, all the way to the rear, making the driving experience something few cars, even in this class, can match. For 2007, Porsche revives its glass-roof 911 Targa model.
Boxster, Cayman, and 911 use horizontally opposed 6-cylinder engines, ranging from 245 to 480 horsepower. All have rear-wheel drive, and 911s are available with all-wheel drive. They're available with a special "Sport Chrono" option package that includes a button to adjust engine and chassis controls for high-performance driving. Optional on all 911 models and Boxster and Cayman S models are ceramic composite brakes. They cost more than $8,000, but offer the advantage of high heat resistance and a life expectancy of 300,000 km (186,411 mi).
Adding options makes these pricey cars even more expensive than they already are. Loaded Caymans can easily top $70,000, and the top-line 911 Turbo can exceed $130,000. Very few cars of any stripe, however, have the cachet of the Porsche name, and that means these models should retain a lot of their value at trade-in time. Boxster and Cayman are about as much fun to drive as a 911 but don't cost nearly as much, making them Consumer Guide Recommended picks.
| BMW 6-Series |
| BMW Z4 |
| Cadillac XLR |
| Chevrolet Corvette |
| Chrysler Crossfire |
| Jaguar XK |
| Lexus SC 430 |
| Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class |
| Mercedes-Benz SL-Class |
| Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class |
| Porsche 911 |
| Porsche Boxster and Cayman |
| Volkswagen Eos Volvo C70 |
