The 2013 Cadillac ATS, rising off a rigid rear-wheel-drive (RWD) platform with pliable independent suspension components pinned above every wheel, also carries a goosy turbocharged engine (one of 3 powertrain choices) which translates all of its considerable torque through a malleable but definitely un-Cadillac-like six-speed manual gearbox. Read More »
2013 Audi A4's 4-in-line engine, with turbocharger and intercooler plus Audi's remarkable FSI (fuel straight injection) technology applied, feels vigorous and quick, drawing on the full force of the plant's production of 211 hp peaking between 4300 and 6000 rpm plus 258 lb-ft of torque spread across a broad band from 1500 to 4200 rpm. Read More »
A corkscrew road ripping over Appalachian foothills in Pennsylvania works like a Formula One course to challenge both driver and car in tests we devised to sample the aggressive character of a sporty new sedan by Acura. Read More »
This is a car that, particularly when fitted with the bigger of its two V6 engines, feels like it could come from Munich or Stuttgart. It's firm and engaging, with power sent to the rear wheels like any proper sports sedan, and a steering and suspension system that work together to transmit tiny vibrations to the driver — the kind of vibrations that the rest of the Lexus lineup works so hard to filter out Read More »
The effort to control NVH inside the Verano is labeled by Buick marketeers as Quiet Tuning. It represents a sense of refinement akin to a premium luxury car yet Buick's smallest sedan brings sticker prices pitched below $28,000. Looking sleek in a stylish design drawn with taut lines and keen edgework, the Verano carries a direct-injection Ecotec four-cylinder engine and mounts exacting mechanical hardware on a rigid front-wheel-drive platform with the tight suspension control of a Teutonic touring car. Read More »
Our test car -- the Lexus IS 350 with F Sport trim -- looks like a high-strung rally car, ove-rsized wheels pegged at the corners and a contoured body characterized by the low arching profile, flat side panels and a blunt prow and tail with scant overhangs. It behaves like a road-hugging German touring sedan, a taut suspension tuned to allow tires to dance around curvy mountain corners on the narrow and snaky Arkansas 5 as a powerful V6 engine pushes tall torque to the rear rollers. Read More »
