Automotive Reviews
Posts tagged sport sedan
2003 Cadillac CTS
Jul 20th
Isn’t this exciting? It’s a Cadillac, but not like any Cadillac we’ve ever seen before. At least not on the road, that is. That big, grinning egg-crate grille is instantly recognizable, and yet it’s pushed all the way up to the bumper line as if in parody of itself. The whole car is a conglomeration of flat planes, triangles and sharp edges. Is it a car, or a three-dimensional computer graphic?
This is Cadillac’s future, and it looks pretty cool once you get used to it. The new-for-2003 Cadillac CTS replaces the luxury-sport Catera in the lineup, and is the first car in Cadillac’s stable to showcase the wild design theme that’s characterized Cadillac’s concept cars for the past four years. It’s indicative of Cadillac’s intention to become once again one of the world’s premier automakers. The last corporate makeover in the early 1990s shed the Gothic architecture and chrome and replaced it with competent cars with no visual appeal whatsoever. Cadillac’s maintaining the good vehicle dynamics, but they’re taking design to a new level. Not only can the new CTS compete with sports sedans from Japan and Europe, but you’ll be able to quickly pick it out of the crowd as well.
The flat-planed, “fast-formal” look was introduced two years ago on the Escalade SUV, but this is the first time Cadillac has used it on a car, and the CTS is more radically styled to boot. It’s nothing if not expressive. The CTS bucks current design trends with an emphasis on the tall and narrow rather than a wide, aggressive stance. Parked next to a comparable Audi or Lexus, the CTS’ slab sides, high-mounted taillamps and beltline, and vertical stacked headlights give the impression of a car that’s got its shoulders proudly squared. The grille extends right to the car’s flat face, for a bumper-less look. The hood is a complex series of intersecting planes that’s pleasing both from the curb and the driver’s seat. 16″ or 17″ seven-spoke chrome wheels complete the look. Despite the new design, people who saw the CTS instantly recognized it as a Cadillac, and that was without the benefit of the dinner-plate-sized Caddy badges that grace the Escalade SUV. Expect to become familiar with it, because upcoming new Cadillacs, including the XLR roadster and SRX multi-purpose vehicle, will wear similar faces.
The radical new look continues inside, with a bit less clarity. The riot of planes and shapes is similar, but the varying textures of the dash, control panels and seats make it seem somewhat less harmonious. The wood-on-leather steering wheel doesn’t really fit with the CTS’ radical exterior. It’s a comfortable interior, especially for a day-long roadtrip, but it doesn’t quite reach the level of ultra-modern luxury that it strives for. Seating and wheel position are good for spirited driving, and there’s even a dead pedal. A central display panel houses radio controls, a driver information center and a navigation system on cars so equipped. The CTS’ Cadillac DNA shows in the driver info center, with its propensity to flash messages like “HEADLAMPS RECOMMENDED” and “STABILITY CONTROL ACTIVATED.” While such reminders are welcome, the CTS requires you to find and push a small cancelling button in order to get the display back. It’s an annoying distraction from the business of driving. Also well-intentioned but not well-executed is the use of a small dial instead of the traditional buttons on the steering wheel for volume control. Seems like a great idea, until your fingers brush the dial while you’re making a left turn and you’re treated to a blast of NPR’s “Fresh Air” at 140 decibels.
The CTS jumps on the return-to-rear-wheel-drive bandwagon, with a 220 horsepower 3.2 liter V6 connected to an old-fashioned driveshaft. The rear-drive layout is always best for sporting cars, and the CTS is happy to go play on back roads. The new 3.2 is a revision of Cadillac’s old 3.0 V6, and it’s upgraded with improved combustion chambers and fuel delivery, as well as an ultra-smooth drive-by-wire throttle. The CTS is available with a choice of five-speed manual or automatic transmissions. In the automatic that we drove, power delivery is noticeably less smooth than some of the competition, but at least the V6 sings a good song. A “sport” mode will hold gears for better acceleration. Unobtrusive on the freeway, the CTS is a happy cruiser.
Get it into the twisties and the CTS will understeer controllably when pushed through corners. Did Cadillac learn some tuning tricks from its brief racing stint last year? It’s possible that they did. Our test car featured a $3500 “Luxury Sport” package which added cool stuff like load-leveling shocks, StabiliTrak stability control and larger wheels. The fully independent suspension grips well thanks to its anti-roll bars and the optional V-rated tires, but its reactions to sudden inputs are a bit slow. Of course, that means on smooth roads, the CTS rides arguably smoother than a BMW or an Audi, too. There’s more “luxury” than “sport” in the ride.
Front and side airbags are along for the ride, naturally. High-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps and four-wheel disc brakes with an antilock feature are also standard equipment, as is GM’s OnStar emergency assistance system. Considering the starting price of $29,350, that’s a pretty good deal indeed. However, checking too many of the option boxes will quickly send the price close to $40,000.
The CTS is going to need all of the standard surprise-and-delight features it can get. It’s not a poor performer by any stretch, but the premium sports sedan category contains lots of Wonderful Cars. Overall, the CTS is a Very Nice Car, so it’s ultimately overshadowed. But: I’d recommend it over several larger rides, including Infiniti I35, Lexus ES300 and Lincoln LS six-cylinder, and a mid-pack finish among the CTS’ competition means that if Cadillac’s new style is to your liking, you’ll love the CTS.
Specifications:
All specs are for the 2003 Cadillac CTS, which we tested.
Length: 190.1 in.
Width: 70.6 in.
Height: 56.7 in.
Wheelbase: 113.4 in.
Curb weight: 3568 lb.
Cargo space: 12.8 cu.ft.
Base price: $29,350
Price as tested: $36,465
Engine: 3.2 liter DOHC V6
Drivetrain: five-speed automatic transmission, rear-wheel drive
Horsepower: 220 @ 6000
Torque: 218 @ 3400
Fuel capacity: 17.5 gal.
Est. mileage: 18/26
2002 Audi A4
Jul 20th
The best thing about big, fantastically expensive, high-tech cars is that the cool stuff almost always eventually trickles down into cars the rest of us can afford.
Take the Audi A6, for instance. With its smooth-as-an-egg, futuristic styling, powerful twin-turbocharged engine, and luxurious interior appointments it’s a dream car for any fan of sports-luxury sedans. Unfortunately, the starting price is about $40,000, and things head upward from there. Yipes.
Now, the looks and the lifestyle offered by the Audi A6 are available in its little brother, the A4. Totally redesigned for 2002, the A4 is a perfect, small-scale clone of the marvelous A6. It’s longer and wider, with a luxurious, A6-like interior and a high-technology, ultra-efficient “multitronic” continuously variable transmission (CVT) as an option. Better yet, the base price is under $22,000.
The A4′s new show-car styling mimics the curvy look of the A6 and TT both inside and out. The closely-cut door panels and fenders seem to have been milled from a single piece of metal, with details like the headlamps and door handles merely flaws in the original material polished for greater effect. The overturned-bathtub look is quickly becoming an Audi signature, and it looks as good on the small A4 as it does on big brother A6.
Inside, a low-slung seating position and upscale materials dominate. The interior of the A4 is more conventional than the exterior, but no less classy. The gauges are ringed in brushed aluminum, just like on the A6 and showy TT coupe. Controls for the radio and climate control have a carved-in look, thanks to Audi’s tight building tolerances. Owing to its sporty side, the seats are harder and elbow room a bit tighter than in spiritual competitors from BMW and Mercedes. When compared to the Lexus IS300 and Volvo S40, however, the A4 is sized just right. The steering wheel is fat, the better to control the A4 with when the going gets twisty.
A hidden innovation and the A4′s official ticket to the Technology Club is the drivetrain. The all-wheel drive quattro model returns, and on front-wheel drive A4s, Audi has made the multitronic CVT an option. Used sporadically in economy cars, the multitronic system is the CVT’s first appearance in a more expensive mainstream vehicle. The CVT’s claim to fame is its lack of gears, in the traditional sense. Instead of a series of gears, the CVT uses a pair of flexible belts, which can move closer together or farther apart to create an infinite number of “gears.” This allows the transmission to optimize gear ratios for maximum fuel economy, while still offering smooth power delivery. Phenomenally smooth, in fact. With the CVT there’s almost no feeling of the automatic transmission’s “shifting” as we know it. On the road there’s no difference from a standard autobox, except for the improved smoothness. The A4 is also equipped with a Tiptronic manual selector. Changes between the six preselected gearings are grease-slick as well. Our test car was equipped with a 1.8 liter turbocharged four-cylinder, which at 170 horsepower was of course no slowpoke. We noticed just a hint of torque steer when the going got urgent, but apart from that the A4 was well behaved. Both the 1.8 liter engine and the optional 220-horse 3.0 liter V6 meet ultra-low emissions vehicle (ULEV) requirements. Both engines also feature five valve per cylinder technology and variable valvetrains, to improve breathing. The result is a broad torque band. Additionally, the engine’s adaptability allows the A4 to run on any octane level. Since many competitors require premium gasoline only, it’s a significant innovation.
It’s ready to tackle the turns as well. The suspension is aluminum-intensive, for lightness and added responsiveness. The four-link front suspension and trapezoidal-link rear both use many aluminum components, reducing overall weight. The rear suspension is also self-tracking, to further enhance its reflexes. It’s almost race car-quick. The A4 feels a bit stiff on regular roads. It’s far from uncomfortable, but drivers more accustomed to the softer ride to be found in Acuras and Lexuses may be put off by the Audi’s businesslike road feel. The A4 has a taut feeling, like a really comfortable shoe that’s not quite broken in yet.
The A4 is available in four trim levels, with four-cylinder and six cylinder engines and a two-wheel drive and quattro version of each. Our test vehicle was a two-wheel drive four-cylinder and featured Audi’s typically lavish complement of standard equipment, including anti-lock brakes with Brake Assist, headlight washers, cruise control and heated mirrors. It was optioned up with a sunroof, heated seats, and a “sport” package which added 17″ wheels and a stiffer suspension. The grand totat was $29,950, which puts it right in the middle of the A4′s $24,000-$33,000 price range. Considering the A4′s high level of star quality and lavish appointments–and the notoriously steep pricing of its competition from BMW and Mercedes–that’s quite a bargain.
Specifications:
All specs are for the 2002 Audi A4 1.8 CVT, which we tested.
Length: 179.0 in.
Width: 69.5 in.
Height: 56.2 in.
Wheelbase: 104.3 in.
Curb weight: 3252 lb.
Cargo space: 13.4 cu.ft.
Base price: $26,050
Price as tested: $29,950
Engine: 1.8 liter DOHC turbocharged 4 cylinder
Drivetrain: continuously variable transmission, front-wheel drive
Horsepower: 170 @ 5900
Torque: 166 @ 1950-5000
Fuel capacity: 18.5 gal.
Fuel economy: 20/29
2001 Jaguar S-Type
Jul 8th
We approached the 2001 Jaguar S-Type with a healthy dose of skepticism, because a lot of other reviewers have used words like “sublime,” “refined” and “sophisticated” to describe it. This set off our Rhetoric Alarms; a lot of car folk pay too much lip service to Jaguar, Mercedes, and Porsche thanks to the heritage of these makes, and not necessarily because of the quality of the current product. Personally, we’d never met a Jaguar before, so we had no reason to be moved by its Jaguarness.
We drove it, and can confidently, objectively report that that the new S-Type is sublime, refined, and sophisticated. It’s not rhetoric.
A lot of people weren’t convinced that Jaguar had truly been revived by Ford Motor Company until the S-Type hit showrooms in mid-1999. With styling heavily inspired by classic Jaguars, the all-new midsize Jag was an instant hit. The fact that they didn’t fall apart (as Jaguars throughout the 1980s were known to do) was a big bonus, too. For 2001 the S-Type gains a reverse-sensing parking aid, and Low Emission Vehicle (LEV) status.
The S-Type’s styling sets it apart from the luxury crowd instantly, and that’s not an easy thing to do. It’s unabashedly inspired by the famed Jaguar 3.8 S-type of the early ’60s, with quad round headlamps and a narrow oval grille. The hood is contoured to match the headlights, and Jaguar’s trademark “leaper” cat hood ornament is prominent. The 16″ wheels that are standard on the 3.0 S-Type fill the wells nicely. A character line running from front to rear mimics the shape of the classic S-type as it slopes to a gently tapered rear end. It’s a pleasing car to look at.
The elegance carries through to the interior. The dash and steering wheel are accented with birds-eye maple wood. There’s plenty of elbow room, but the S-Type feels very snug and confidential inside–interestingly, without a cockpit-style dashboard. A U-shaped center panel keeps the S-Type’s ancillary controls within easy reach, although the small forest of buttons takes some getting used to. An optional navigation system is housed in the dash; its screen was replaced by a handy storage drawer in our test car. A voice-activated control system operates the climate control, stereo, and cell phones, and learns to recognize the owner’s voice. The shifter gate is also U-shaped, another Jaguar trademark. Visibility to the rear can be a bit tight, thanks to the narrow window back there, but the view out the front, with the charming hood ornament just in sight, is captivating enough that you’ll rarely notice.
We were truly won over after getting the S-Type on the road, though. It’s a heavy car (almost two tons), but with 240 horsepower on tap from a 3.0 liter V6, our S-Type 3.0 L test car moved with authority. True to the car’s mission in life, though, it didn’t mind just cruising, either. Few cars can handle such power without a constant sense of urgency, but the morning drive in an S-Type feels more like a restful break at a quiet coffee shop than a commute. Electronic throttle control and variable valve timing give allow the S-Type to respond smoothly or forcefully, depending on what’s needed. A five-speed automatic transmission handles shifting details seamlessly. For the shamelessly aggressive, the more powerful S-Type 4.0 offers a 281 horsepower 32-valve V8, and a sportier suspension.
Should the need for speed arise, the S-Type is up to the challenge. An all-aluminum, fully independent double-wishbone suspension at all four corners is used instead of the more common MacPherson strut setup. The S-Type is taut and controlled when the road gets twisty, and the handling is confidence-inspiring. It’s just as smooth while attacking curves as it is on a glass-flat freeway, too. All-speed traction control and antilock brakes are standard equipment. Jaguar’s optional Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system is also included; it detects when the car’s path of travel has deviated from the intended direction, as in a skid, and uses the brakes to help straighten the car.
Befitting its luxury status, the S-Type’s list of standard equipment is generous. Dual-zone air conditioning, leather interior, a full-size, parking assist, matched spare tire, and front and side airbags are included in the $43,655 base price. The 4.0 L adds a premium sound system and a moonroof to the basic equipment list. To make the S-Type the envy of any gadget-hound, the navigation system, voice activated controls, rain-sensing wipers, DSC, heated seats, and a computer-aided active suspension can be added to the list.
We rarely approach a car with a chip on our shoulder,–but it’s a refreshing surprise to have it knocked off with authority when we do. The Jaguar S-Type is such a car, capable of winning over even the most hardened cynics with a short drive. Be careful–it’ll spoil you.
Specifications:
All specs are for the 2001 Jaguar S-Type 3.0 L, which we tested.
Length: 191.3 in.
Width: 71.6 in.
Height: 55.7 in.
Wheelbase: 114.5 in.
Curb weight: 3816 lb.
Cargo space: 13.1 cu.ft.
Base price: $43,655
Price as tested: $44,250
Engine: 3.0 liter 24 valve DOHC V6
Drivetrain: five-speed automatic, rear wheel drive
Horsepower: 240 @ 6800
Torque: 221 @ 4500
Fuel capacity: 18.4 gal.
Est. mileage: 18/25