Ferrari F430

Even in the exalted company this car shared during our search for the perfect sports-car environment, a drive in the F430 was a transcendental experience. This is surely the most interactive high-performance car on the road right now, combining vivid acceleration, sensational engine sounds, razor-sharp steering, and lucid feedback in one charismatic package.
Having driven the 360 Modena variants, we expected the F430 to be good, but all of us were flat blown away by how good it is. From the moment you turn the red-fobbed key and thumb the red wheel-mounted start button, the pleasure trip starts. There's a whoop from the flat-crank V-8 as it bursts into vigorous life, then a hearty throb as it settles to an idle.
From as little as 2500 rpm, the Ferrari surges forward with real urgency, gaining revs fast until it is seeking the 8500-rpm redline with a long, loud snarl. If you fail to shift in time, the F430 does it for you with a fast, firm gear swap, and right at redline.
The F1 paddle-shift system is much improved over the previous generation, both in speed and smoothness, but full-throttle shifts are still fast and occasionally abrupt. You can find some back-and-forth driveline shuffle, too, at moderate speeds if you're tentative with the controls.
The car feels light and stiff, and it responds quickly and accurately to movements at the steering wheel. Although firmly suspended, the Ferrari's chassis damps sharp edges off most bumps, and it keeps the ride flat and devoid of all but small body movements. You hear and feel big bumps as single, muted impacts with no reverberation.
Out on the fabulous mountain roads we found near Knappenberger's dealership, the F430 was a sheer delight, turning in like a kart, clinging to the line (at 0.96 g) with a clearly transmitted sense of what the contact patches are doing, and blasting out on a clean burst of sound, the V-8 yelling like a modern inline-four sport bike in full voice.
It's hard to explain exactly how well the Ferrari is integrated. It's like a perfectly fitted glove. It goes where you merely suggest it go. It encourages faster corner entries than you would have anticipated, and it builds the driver's confidence, with some initial understeer giving way to a touch of throttle-induced oversteer at corner exits. That the interior is a pleasantly arranged space with plenty of room and a natural driving position is just sauce on the pudding. The F430 even swallows a fair bit of luggage

Lamborghini Gallardo

At 8000 rpm in the Lamborghini Gallardo, the exhaust broadcasts a magnificent V-10 fanfare. Where the Aston Martin utters a quintessential staccato bark, the Gallardo trumpets a mostly unbroken timbre. Only occasionally do you hear a warble something like that of the old five-cylinder Audi Quattro rally car.
The sound is entirely in line with the car's amazing visual presence, which is a wholly updated evolution of the unique Lamborghini look and is pretty spectacular in the pearlescent yellow you see here. Forget about going unnoticed by police and public alike. This is the extrovert's exotic.
Convenient for the extrovert, then, that the Gallardo works so well as actual transportation. Conventional doors gape wide to provide access, and although the seats are low, reasonably limber drivers and passengers should have no problem getting in. Space is an issue only for very tall drivers, particularly with the manual-transmission model (the so-called e-gear paddle-shift system is a $10,000 option), where you need room to dance on the pedals.
The manual shifter lives in a metal maze in classic tradition and suffers from the clackety-clack action shared by most of those mechanisms. But selections are reasonably quick and positive after a little practice. Acceleration testing brings out the worst of the system and resulted in the death of the clutch after one too many slipped-clutch starts. Thus, our test data are from an e-gear model tested in '04.
Blame that dead clutch on an otherwise excellent all-wheel-drive system that operates transparently to optimize traction and stabilize handling. Lamborghini says the Gallardo is tuned for initial understeer followed by neutral handling characteristics, and none of us would gainsay that. Although the steering might have a more stolidly Germanic feel than the Italian name might suggest, the Gallardo prompted plenty of praise for its precision and weighting once we took to the mountains.
With less communication than the Ford or Ferrari, the Lambo's stability during high-speed cornering was more a matter of trust than sensory assurance, but it still made excellent time on our mini-Targa Florio, handicapped more by the visual impediment its A-pillars present to drivers than its handling limitations. Equipped with a variable-volume intake tract as well as variable valve timing, the 5.0-liter V-10 has an excellent torque spread, providing strong thrust throughout the rev range. It is pure aural indulgence to spin the V-10 to its 8100-rpm redline.

Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet

This 911 Turbo S may not be the fastest car in the group (with the second-highest power-to-weight ratio after the Aston), but it does boast a convertible top that has been wind-tunnel-tested to 210 mph. That's comforting in a car that builds speed with the determination this car shows. Despite having the lowest horsepower in this test, the Porsche's 0-to-60-mph time of 4.0 seconds was second quickest. It would probably have been even faster were it not for the serious rear-wheel hop that occurs just about at the point of maximum hookup.
A concerted high-intensity thrust in each gear is achieved without any fuss and is accompanied by a roar like a jet on full afterburner, with an overlay of that resonant exhaust blare so familiar from 40 years' worth of racing 911s. Surprisingly, the Turbo S is the third-heaviest car here, due in part to its all-wheel-drive system and steel bodywork. But it never feels anything other than fast and responsive.
Another surprise: The Porsche felt quite lively and communicative. We remember the car's being almost sterile in comparison to a Ferrari 360 Modena it competed against in an earlier engagement. Perhaps it's just the passage of years, but the somewhat jiggly ride and tendency to dart off-course at high speed contradicted our earlier impressions. True to Swabian form, the Porsche has taut, well-damped controls and responds best to deliberate inputs.
The proximity of the windshield and the short nose with its prominent fender bulges lend the driver a pleasant sense of intimacy with the car, and even if the dashboard retains that old blob-on-a-log design, its textures and color scheme have been vastly improved. Without the handsome new classmates in this group, the Porsche might seem to be all any enthusiast could wish for.
But there are the inevitable shortcomings of a rear-engine design. We ran the Turbo S through our lane-change test several times with the Porsche Stability Management (PSM) switched on. Once we'd established a baseline, we switched it off. One run with the system off was enough. Although the 911's handling is much improved these days, especially with all-wheel drive, physics cannot be denied. We could almost match the PSM-conducted runs without electronic supervision, but the car felt spooky. Porsche pro driver Hurley Haywood might have done significantly better, but he wasn't around at the time.

Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG

Anyone driving the SL65 for the first time will report back — probably with big eyes — that the thing accelerates as if it had a military ramjet in the back. But the real story with this car is that it is intended as a high-speed luxury convertible capable of hauling you and your luggage to your vacation home in comfort and relative quiet.
The thrust available from this 604-hp monster with 738 pound-feet of torque is its calling card, and it helps the SL65 keep up with nimbler cars in the mountains, where its 4480-pound weight starts working against it. The Benz isn't particularly ill-mannered in the hills, understand, it just won't be jammed into corners. Even with the active roll-control system switched to sport, the SL65's large mass produces understeer, and the driver is soon admonished by the electronic stability program (ESP) to back off. As boss Csere noted, the rule here is: slow in, fast out.
You can tighten the line during moderately fast cornering by simply giving the Benz some gas. Our editors quibbled about steering quality in this car, but most felt that although the effort was light, the mechanism produced accurate results. In character with the rest of the car, refinement takes precedence over involvement.
Nonetheless, the car's skidpad performance was respectable at 0.92 g, as was its lane-change speed of 69.1 mph — faster than the Porsche 911 Turbo S, despite the fact that the ESP cannot be disabled entirely. Or perhaps because of it. The integration of the various electronic systems has been meticulously engineered to save overly enthusiastic drivers from themselves.
The sound the V-12 makes as it comes on boost is an extraordinary blend of mechanical and pneumatic acoustics — a giant, percussive whoosh as the engine pins you back in your seat between 2000 rpm and the 6000 redline, in every gear. Check out the passing-acceleration figures. Even counting the downshift that greets a big prod at the pedal, a 2.3-second 50-to-70-mph time speaks of being able to pass anything, anytime.
Ironically, our acceleration results are slower than expected, even though the car meets the factory claims for 0-to-60 times. That may be due to the intense heat (over 90 degrees) at our desert test site, where repeated runs had the car's coolant gauge reaching the top of its scale, whereupon the engine computer cuts boost and probably retards ignition spark, too, for good measure. That slows the SL65 right down

2005 Porsche 911 Carrera

The 911's classic, time-weathered shape has never looked better. The wider fenders give a beefy, more purposeful look that complements the silhouette. And the packaging benefits of the rear-engine layout are as handy as ever. For the first time, the 911 is longer than the Corvette. And the Porsche, at least, still has room for a couple of kids in the back seats.
So when it comes to handling, which is better, an engine in front or in back? For racing, the answer is neither—the mid-engine design is clearly better, as demonstrated by every purpose-built race car. But what about street cars that offer at least some practicality?
We're not going to answer that one because, well, there is no simple answer. Here, both of these cars are fantastic curve carvers. On the street, though, the nod goes to the 911.
We never found a patch of road that gave us even a whiff of that "Oh, %#$@!" feeling that precedes some type of midcorner correction or wheel sawing. Editor-at-large Pat Bedard calls this "path accuracy." At speed, how accurately can you place the car? With the 911, the answer is in fractions of an inch; with the Vette, it's in inches. This feeling likely is why the 911 went through the cones of our lane-change test 1.1 mph faster than the Vette. You can plant this car anywhere

2006 Ford Fusion SEL V-6

As an indicator of how competitive this class is, second, third, and fourth places are within six points on a 0-to-250 scale. And when the math was finished, the new Ford had edged out the Hyundai and Toyota for second place.
Ford thinks the Fusion looks best in black, inside and out, and it busied itself to find an example in time for this test. For sure, black contrasts strongly with the massive chrome grille and glittery headlight arrays cut into the front corners of the bodywork.
Inside, the Fusion is no less distinctive. Whereas all the others relied on fake-wood trim, the Fusion has high-gloss black plastic panels contrasting with the exceptionally coarse-grained dash and other interior panels. Heavy oatmeal-colored stitching kept the seats from being all black. After establishing the theme of glittering chrome outside, and carrying it inside to the door handles, shifter, and console trim, we expected to see it continued into the instrument cluster in the form of bright bezels around the dials. Instead, we found frosty gray paint; turns out the chrome goes to the up-priced Mercury Milan.
Ford obviously tried to design the front sheetmetal so it could be assembled with loose tolerances and, therefore, low manufacturing cost. Very sensible, we think, but it should be done in a way that escapes the customer's notice. From certain angles, our test car's hood gap was so wide it looked to be unlatched. All around the car, the Fusion's panel gaps are wider than those of the comparison cars. And like the Hyundai, it's not good at smoothing the parting lines on molded parts. "Fit and finish" is the Fusion's weakest rating category.
Most of the test drivers liked this car's controllability and the way they fit inside. It feels heavy in motion, very stable and deliberate. Road grip topped the others at 0.83 g. There were complaints, however, about the high level of road noise from a variety of sources, and particularly from tire impacts. Ride comfort is midpack, behind that of the Honda and Toyota.
The Fusion was alone in the group in having six speeds in its automatic, although you wouldn't know it from the "D" and "L" choices on the shifter. A few drivers reported some hunting between fifth and sixth gears at freeway speeds. More disturbing was the occasional jerky snatch into first gear at parking-lot speeds.
Inside, the front seats drew favorable reviews for their firmness and good positioning. The Ford, however, was the only one with a power option that moves just the seat position; backrest angle is changed with an ordinary manual lever. We also thought the turn-signal lever was oddly positioned; it angles up toward 10 o'clock. The HVAC controls, down near the tunnel, are very difficult to see, as are the steering-wheel buttons.

2006 Toyota Camry XLE V-6

The Camry has held its benchmark status into its fifth year; we'll be talking about its replacement this time in '06. But age, by itself, didn't sink this Toyota in our rankings. Longtime readers know we respect Toyota's buttoned-down quality and thorough execution. That said, the Camry is also a singularly unemotional machine. Consider: Whereas the others all show bright dual exhausts under their bumpers, the Camry has a single unadorned pipe.
The steering responds politely, the accelerator takes a good poke to call up horsepower, the brakes expect your foot to travel a bit before the retardation starts in earnest, and the ride is relatively soft, smoothing the road and making it seem far away. These are the attributes of a superior transportation appliance. The automatic resists part-throttle downshifts, which probably helps fuel economy but also makes the car feel slow-witted in traffic. The word "responsive" just doesn't come up in any appraisal of this car.
In acceleration, the Camry fell behind the others, although its 7.6-second run to 60 was barely behind the Fusion's 7.4. It finished last through the quarter-mile at 15.9 seconds and 89 mph, compared with 15.7 and 91 for the Ford, third best.
Cornering grip was also lowest at 0.77 g, surely attributable in part to the choice of Michelin Energy tires; they specialize in fuel economy and squeals of protest when pushed. They corner with large, loose, unfun slip angles.
The Camry scores better on the hospitality checklist. The front buckets are wide and unconfining, a virtue for all but the sport seekers. And the rear-seat accommodations are by far the best of the group, with excellent footroom for the 13s worn by one of our test drivers and no complaints up top from the staffer with the big hair. The bench, with fold-down center armrest, has the most supportive shape. There's a feeling of surface plushness in the padding, too, which suggests that the Camry is a class above the others.
We give high marks to the dashboard design, too. All the instruments and controls are high where you can see them easily with just a slight shift of your gaze down from the road. The shape is clean, the materials are classy, decorations are nonexistent. Every gesture is made to count. There is no clutter. The long, graceful instrument pointers emerge from behind black dots in the centers of the dials. The dots are so perfectly black they disappear, leaving all your attention for the needles and numbers