It’s getting harder and harder to find high performance sedans and wagons with sticks. Despite the paucity, we’ve managed to find these six stealth fighters that will get you where you want to go with the minimal amount of interruptions of the wrong kind.
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| BMW M5 After a too long hiatus, the ultimate Q-ship is back with a yummy 500
h.p./384 lb.-ft. of torque vee-ten. For now, the only tranny is a new
seven-speed sequential manual gearbox with multiple ratio settings.
BMW’s active steering has been ditched for a mechanically variable
ratio that changes depending on which of the three shock settings
chosen. A technical tour de force from a company that sometimes can
make the nice folks at NASA look like a knitting bee.
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New for 2006: The king has returned! |
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| Audi S4 Avant You may have noticed the new Audi corporate shnoz, or the more subtle
quad exhaust pipes in lieu of the previous generation’s duals. But what
Audi hasn’t messed with is the 340 h.p./302 lb.-ft. of torque 4.2-litre
vee-eight. Or the aggressive, yet compliant ride and handling. And of
course, you still get a functional, five-passenger sports wagon with
typical Audi world-class interior. If you think wagons are nerdy, the
equally stealthy S4 sedan works just as nicely as a Q-ship
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New for 2006: See above (duh!) |
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| Cadillac CTS-V One of Cadillac V Series’ claimed “Five Second” cars, the CTS-V gets to
96 km/h in that time primarily because of a 400 h.p./395 lb.-ft. of
torque 6.0-litre vee-eight and six-speed stick that is more commonly
found in a ‘Vette. The rear-drive chassis was honed on what is becoming
The General’s favourite proving ground: the Nürburgring.
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New for 2006: Whoopeee! Power sunroof now standard |
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| BMW 530Xi Touring M Sport Package With less weight, better fuel economy, quicker to 100 km/h
acceleration, shorter braking distances and more cornering grip, any
wonder why you would pick an X5 over this equally commodious wagon?
Combine the Touring’s sweet 225 h.p./220 lb.-ft. of torque 3.0-litre
straight-six with the M Sport Package, highlighted by sport seats and
18-inch rubber, and this is one stealthy family wagon.
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New for 2006: Everything we love in a 5, and more |
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| Volvo V70 R Cooking Volvo wagons may be ubiquitous, but the hot rod Rs are as rare
as, well, a fast Volvo. As before, Volvo's pulling out all the tech
tricks with AWD, driver-adjustable traction/stability controls and
dynamically variable suspension bits. Oh, and a 300 h.p./295 lb.-ft. of
torque, 2.5-litre blown straight-five is a nice trick too. Not as
connected to the road as the cars above, but this is one fast mutha' of
a Volvo.
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New for 2006: Six-speed manumatic, but you aren’t interested in that |
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| Saab 9-5 Sportcombi Sportcombi must be Saab for wagon. Or Q-ship. I dunno. But for ’06
there are new exterior looks, cockpit details, upgraded chassis
suspension and one model instead of three. There’s still only a
2.3-litre four, but at 260 h.p./ 258 lb.-ft. of torque, it’s the most
guts in a Saab ever. If you're looking for a non-Teutonic alternative,
this is a well-built Euro-wagon with comfortable interiors, smart
highway manners and a bit of a bargain to boot.
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New for 2006: Extended life |
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2006 Sport Compacts
2006 Sports Coupes
2006 Sports Sedans
2006 Roadsters
2006 Sports Cars
2006 Q-ships
2005 Sports Compacts
2005 Sports Coupes
2005 Sports Sedans
2005 Sports Cars <$70k
2005 Sports Cars >$70k
2005 Q-ships
2005 Anti-Cute-Utes
2004 Compacts
2004 Sports Compacts
2004 Sports Coupes
2004 Sports Sedans
2004 Anti-SUVs
2004 Sports/GT Cars
2004 Q-ships
