2006 AJAC COTY:
Best New Sports & Performance Car
over $50,000
November 9, 2006 - Story and photos by John LeBlanc

Niagara Falls, Ontario – First Place: BMW 335i Coupé $56,800* – When I totaled my scores based on what a car zealot values—ergonomics, visibility, throttle response, engine smoothness/refinement, transmission/drivetrain, steering, handling, and braking—the Audi RS4 and BMW 335i Coupé ended up in a dead heat. Subjectively, however, the rear-drive, four-seat Bimmer gets the nod. It was simply easier to drive quickly around the COTY test track. The new, twin-turbo 300 horsepower, 300 pound-feet of torque 3.0-litre straight-six engine has grunt everywhere. The BMW has greater tactility at the helm than the all-wheel-drive Audi, and a driver’s seat that’s nearly perfect. Like the Audi, the BMW scored well with awesome brakes, and neutral handling (of the 20 odd cars I took to the track, the 335i was the least affected at the limit with the e-nannies turned off). Nits to pick? Without the M3’s limited slip differential, the inside wheels squeal like baby pigs in tight turns, the outside rear mirrors are too small, and although the new 335i posts M3-like performance numbers, subjectively, it’s not as sharp at the limit. Whatever. Because even implementing COTY’s wide-ranging criteria, I still ranked the 335i as best in this category.

Second Place: Audi RS4  $94,200* – There’s no getting around it: the new RS4 is an animal wrapped up in (relatively) understated, four-door sheet metal. All the driver’s inputs—steering, throttle response from the 420 h.p., 317 lb.-ft. of torque 4.2-litre V8, handling and braking—they all scream, “I’m alive!!” To make this 1,795-kilogram, five-seat sedan dance, Audi employs a new dynamic ride control system that reduces roll and pitch by diagonally linking opposed shocks. On the track, along with the rear-biased all-wheel-drive, it enables the nose heavy Audi to be neutral at its relatively high limits. Even with ESP on, you can drift the RS4 through corners with little intervention or drama. With so much grip, the RS4 really needs more supportive seats, but the rest of the cockpit is typical Audi: meticulously put together and efficient in use. Subjectively, the whooping V8 is an aural delight; without looking, everyone knew when the RS4 took to the Niagara Falls airport track. The six-speed manual is accurate, but it doesn’t have the finer, tactile qualities of the 335i’s gearshift, and clutch take-up in the RS4 can be soft and vague. Minor details, indeed. Because if you need a four-door, five-seat all-weather driving weapon, the RS4 has no competitors.

Third Place: BMW M Coupé $71,600* – The hardtop version of BMW’s M Roadster creates a philosophical question: What is a sports and performance car? Others here put up similar track numbers, but the rear-drive, two-seat M Coupé represents the classic sports car motif: i.e., it can be a bitch to drive at times; it’s hard to get in and out of; it’s hard to see out of, especially through the gun slit of a back window; and on the road, it was the worst riding car of this trio. But once you’re in, sitting inches from the ground, there’s no doubt you’re in a real sports car. Whereas the 335i needs turbos, and the RS4 needs extra displacement, the M Coupe’s 330 h.p., 262 lb-ft of torque 3.2-litre straight-six cylinder mill from the M3 delivers “right now” responses—through the first three of the six available gears, it’s simply explosive. Braking is equally impressive with BMW M's high-performance brake system. Slicing through the slalom, body roll is negligible, and at-the-limit handling favours oversteer. Objectively, the BMW makes little sense. But driving purists will love this car for its raw nature.

Others: Audi S6 ($107,440), Lexus GS450H ($122,700), Ford Shelby GT 500 ($52,099).

* All prices as tested.

- John LeBlanc, Publisher, www.straight-six.com