High Performance - By Mike Cotsworth
BMW 650i - a really great car…
by Mike Cotsworth ----------- April 20, 2008
What is it that makes a really great car so special ? How is it that a certain car stands out so dramatically from its automotive brethren ? Why do some vehicles engender more automotive lust, create more envy, and command stupendously higher prices ?
Whatever the answers may be to these elusive questions, you know when you encounter one such really great car. Likely you know as soon as you see the vehicle, sitting there quietly, yet emanating automotive personality, dynamic potential and promise of exceptional driving experiences.
The BMW 650i Coupe is one of these really great cars. The 650i is a striking car; the unique styling of recent BMW’s, often controversial on sedan models, is well suited to the big coupe. Long and low, with an aggressive shark-like front end and abbreviated rear deck lid rising to a subtle aerodynamic lip, the 650i has a muscular, no-nonsense presence. Sitting atop 19 inch 5-spoke alloy wheels, with a glass moon roof panel taking up most of the roof area, and a front lighting array featuring the trade-mark BMW eyebrow like corner lights and corona light rims, there is no mistaking the 650 for any other car on the road.
Luxury abounds in the interior, as you would expect from a car with a $89,000 price tag. True to BMW philosophy, the emphasis throughout is on function and efficiency, rather than opulence. Plenty of leather, brushed aluminum trim, mega-watt HD and satellite radio with iPod and USB connectors, voice activated Navigation with Bluetooth, seat heaters, and the aforementioned panoramic moon roof are no surprise. Adaptive cruise control, which automatically maintains a driver-selected distance from a vehicle ahead on the highway, and adaptive headlights that illuminate around corners are welcome safety features. The two coolest options on this BMW, that quickly become necessities rather than luxuries, are a heated steering wheel, and heads-up display that projects speed and other helpful information directly in the drivers line of sight.
Clearly seeing that speed is important in this car, because it is fast ! A silky smooth 360 horsepower, 32 valve, 4.8 liter V-8 provides the power, while every electronic engine management enhancement , braking system, and suspension adjustment that has a three-letter abbreviation keeps the 650i glued to the road and ready to respond. I have often said that even blind-folded I would know I was driving a BMW just by the visceral sensations communicated by the car. Wisely, I have never really tried that, but driving the 650i is that distinctive. Push the Start button, the sound of the exhaust is powerful and purposeful, without being too loud and obnoxious. Engage the clutch and select the first of six gears. Feel the acceleration push you back into the well bolstered sports seat. Turn into the first corner, at almost any speed, and you know you’re driving a BMW. Moreover, not just any BMW, but one of the best of the breed.
No, The BMW 650i is not perfect. The infamous I-Drive is still a pain, and the high-tech chromed cup holder stuck to the side of the console is kind of silly. That having been said, from the driver’s seat, the 650i is a really great car.
Small but mighty Sports Wagons…
by Mike Cotsworth
There they sit , two shinny silver examples of a near perfect blend of economy, practicality, and driving fun. Both compact four-door sport wagons, both powered by sophisticated engines that put out more than 200 horsepower while posting better than 25 mpg. Very similar in many respects, yet with distinctly different automotive personalities.
The Audi A3 is new to American roads, yet has been a popular vehicle in Europe for 10 years. BMW and Mercedes will soon be following Audi to these shores with their premium compact wagons as well. The A3 is available both as a 2.0 liter turbo-charged, front-wheel-drive model with 200 HP, and the “S Line” Quattro with the 3.2 liter, 250 HP, 6 cylinder.
Both A3 models are cute and stylish little critters, with the new cascading Audi grill that extends below the bumper line. Truly a compact wagon at 168 inches long and only 56 inches in height, the A3 nonetheless manages to be quite roomy inside. The interior is all Audi, with plenty of leather, comfortable sport seats, heated of course, large legible aluminum-trimmed gauges that glow a wonderful red color at night, power everything, and a premium multi CD sound system. All five doors close with that reassuring “thud” you expect from a well-built German car.
The FWD 2 liter turbo is a good little driver, with plenty of power and a firm chassis. The A3 is one of the first to combine direct injection with turbo charging in a gas engine. The Direct Shift Gearbox deliver quick and precise shifts from paddle shifters on the steering wheel. There is a little turbo lag, and some annoying torque steer, but the solid little Audi is very satisfying. Not bad for around $35,000.
For maximum pleasure, step up to the 3.2 liter S-Line Quattro. Same neat transmission, same Audi quality and comfort, but with wonderful AWD and gobs of torque and power ! Very fast, quick shifts, and a great exhaust note, this car has a lot of presence and doesn’t feel small. Getting pretty pricey at $38,000, but for that you do get dual sun roofs…
The Subaru WRX has been around for a few years, and keeps getting better. Originally brought to market as a thinly disguised street version of the all-conquering Rally race car, the WRX has always been long on awesome handling and prodigious power. Now with 230 HP of turbo-charged power in a 3200 vehicle tied to full time AWD, the WRX is one of those cars you can’t drive without a big grin on your face ! The all leather Limited Sports Wagon model combines all these driving jollies in a practical little 5-door wagon. Redesigned for 2006, with a more aggressive look and the new Subaru grill work, the WRX Wagon is a beauty. Built around the economy-car Impreza, the WRX is not as solid or substantial feeling as is the Audi A3. It is, however, plenty comfortable with heated sports seats, excellent Subaru ergonomics, side airbags, power moonroof, and a 6-CD stereo.
The real joy of the WRX comes when gripping the fat leather steering wheel, looking out over the hood with that huge power scoop, resting your feet on the drilled alloy pedals, holding the 5-speed shifter, and contemplating the surge of power and g-forces about to come. This can all be yours for $27,000, a price some $10,000 less than the Audi A3. Ah yes, decisions, decisions…
BMW 335i Convertible – The Ultimate Road Trip Machine
by Mike Cotsworth
Let’s say that you have someplace you want to go, and that place is about 1000 miles away. Common wisdom says take a plane, airport hassles and security checkpoints notwithstanding. You could take the train. Comfortable and relaxed yes, but your route is somewhat limited, you really do have go where they laid the tracks. Why not follow in the footsteps of hormonally motivated college students and wood-sided station wagon family vacationers and make it a ROAD TRIP.
With that decision made, two important choices remain. What route to take, and what vehicle to drive ? Our destination is Virginia City, Nevada; perhaps the West’s most famous gold and silver boom town, now authentic Ghost Town, outside Reno. The most direct route is via Interstate 80. OK, that’s how we’ll get there, since we do have an arrival deadline, and we’ll inevitably be late getting away.
For the return leg, however, we will choose the automotive equivalent of the old Cruise Ship “POSH” itinerary. You know, Port Out, Starboard Home. The plan is to avoid those multi-lane blue lines on the map, the Interstates, and travel instead on the more interesting and scenic two-lane black and red lines.
Happily, we have the state of the art Ultimate Driving Machine as our means of conveyance, a 2007 BMW 335i Twin Turbo Retractable Hardtop coupe. Boasting both the Premium and Sport packages, thus loaded with nearly $10,000 of options on top of the already very well equipped $49,000 MSRP, this beauty will get us there and back in style. The silky-smooth 3.0 six cylinder engine is turbocharged for the first time in the 335, and mated to a quick shifting automanual transmission it delivers 300 horsepower in a seamless rush of acceleration. Thanks to those twin turbos, the car is as frisky over twisty 7500 foot mountain passes as it is on the flat desert floor.
Equipped with a multitude of electronic gizmos, including Dynamic Stability Control, Dynamic Traction Control, Speed Sensitive Variable-assist power steering, Brake Fade Compensation, and
Automatic Brake Drying, the 335i is an ideal high speed GT, built for no speed limit European Autobahns. The spectacular 400 mile stretch of US Highway 50 across Nevada and western Utah allows us to sample the car’s prowess, with several hours of triple speed cruising. Dubbed the Loneliest Road in America, Highway 50 has beautiful scenery and very little traffic. Comfortably secured in the quiet leather cockpit of the 335i, confident in the flawless handling and superb brakes of the BMW, we adjust our speed with the handy Cruise Control lever on the steering wheel, up and down by 5 mph with a simple click, or by a single mph with a gentle touch. At an average speed of over 85 mph, we register nearly 30 mpg. Along the way, we do learn that hitting a low flying bird at 120 mph does leave a nasty smear on the windshield.
Prolonged 100+ mph driving is best done with the fully lined and insulated hard top in place. For more leisurely open air touring, a push of the button folds the top and rear glass window completely down into the trunk. You do lose over half of the trunk’s volume, but the disappearing hard top is an engineering marvel.
The 335i Convertible is the ideal vehicle for a cross country road trip, or for most any drive you may have in mind. Thank you, BMW, for the Ultimate Driving Experience.
Chrysler 300C SRT 8 – Factory Hot Rod…
by Mike Cotsworth
The Concept of the Hot Rod is pretty simple. Take a “regular car”, one that is a pretty decent vehicle to start with, then shoehorn in an obscenely huge engine. Tweak the suspension and brakes to handle all that new power. Add a few interior and exterior styling elements to let the world know that this car is now something special. Wha-la, a Hot Rod is born.
Hot Rods use to be the domain of backyard mechanics and fanatical gear-heads building after-market creations. Every now and then, some closet enthusiasts at a mainstream auto manufacture manage to sneak their own factory Hot Rod past the bean counters and into production.
The Chrysler 300C SRT 8 is most certainly a bona fide Hot Rod. The imposing 300C sedan, with its huge vertical front grill and bold styling, is already a winner for Chrysler. Equipped with either a thoroughly adequate 250 Horse Power V6, or the wonderful 340 HP Hemi V8, and available in either Rear Wheel Drive or All Wheel Drive configuration, the 300C is a great car. Check the “SRT 8” box on the order form, and the fun really begins. That “regular” 5.7 liter Hemi gets replaced with a 6.1 liter version, pumping out an impressive 425 HP and 420 foot pounds of torque. The deep rumbling exhaust note gives but a hint of all that wonderful power. 20 inch bright aluminum wheels and subtle SRT badges identify this as more than your everyday 300C.
Inside, grippy suede inserts in the supportive leather seats help hold you in place when ordering up all that Hemi power. The 300C interior is already a delight, with big round white gauges, a fat leather steering wheel, and functional, intuitive controls. The optional moonroof, rear DVD entertainment system, and 322 watt stereo, with 100 watt subwoofer, complete the interior environment. The ride is firm, almost rough, but appropriate for the character of this car. Handling is quite good. Especially for a full sized sedan weighing over 4000 pounds. The SRT 8 is one of those wonderful cars that has awesome performance potential, yet is still happy puttering around town as an everyday driver.
It may be true, that at 14 to 20 miles per gallon, and a sticker price of $47,500, the SRT 8 may not be ideal as an everyday driver. But viewed as two cars for the price of one, it could be seen as a real bargain. The 300C works just fine as a comfortable business sedan, a five-passenger commuter, or a roomy grocery-getter. All the while, lurking behind those 20 inch wheels and dual chrome-tipped exhausts, is the Hot Rod SRT 8. When the mood moves you, this is the perfect car for rumbling around town, looking for people to drag race with at stop lights.
The Chrysler 300C SRT 8 is a big, powerful, totally enjoyable car. It is also a testament to that fact that when a major domestic car maker applies their creativity and resources, they can build a practical yet exciting vehicle. Well done, Chrysler.
Jaguar S-Type “R” – The Perfect Car…?
by Mike Cotsworth
There are a lot of fine automobiles out there. Whether you see your vehicle as simply utilitarian transportation, or as a source of fun and excitement, or an outward manifestation of your unique personality, we are all fortunate to have a wide selection of automotive alternatives.
Given differences in personal preference, and the wide range of functions that we demand of our vehicles, is it possible to find the perfect automobile? Perhaps there is not one perfect automobile for all people and all situations, but how about a car that does what it does so well that it can only be described as “perfect”. Such a car is the 2006 Jaguar S-Type R model.
In Jaguar nomenclature, the “R” designation is reserved for those special cars that get the high-performance, racing heritage treatment. Like “M” model BMW’s, “S” Audi’s, and “AMG” Mercedes, the “R” Jaguars are the cream of the crop. The S-Type R model gets a 400 Horse Power Supercharged engine, Jaguar’s highly responsive “CATS” active suspension, huge brakes with bright red calipers, and a distinctive wire mesh grill. Aerodynamic body side moldings, a discrete rear spoiler, big chrome dual exhausts, and that bold “R” badging proclaim the car’s performance capabilities.
The R model Jaguar that came to visit me for a week was a gorgeous candy apple red. You gotta love a bright red car, especially one with a big chrome “leaping cat” on the hood. The S-Type is a svelte, curvaceous sedan with styling cues reminiscent of the great Jaguar sedan of the 50’s and 60’s. The interior is what you would expect from a Jaguar, replete with supple leather and rich Birdseye Maple grain-matched woods. The front seats are supportive and comfortable. The back seat is roomy and well appointed for three passengers. The main instruments are large, easy to read round gauges with elegant vintage lettering. An intuitive and user-friendly navigation system and 320 watt sound system help to remind you this is a thoroughly modern machine.
As beautiful and elegant as the S-Type certainly is, the driving experience is what really impresses. This car is very comfortable and effortless as your luxurious everyday driver. The ride is ultra smooth, the speed sensitive steering light and responsive, the 6 speed transmission quick yet imperceptible. When the mood moves you, however, the wonderful dual personality of the R Model comes to light.
Hit the throttle pedal hard and the whine of the supercharger matches the exhilarating rush of acceleration. This cat screams ! The onrush of power is smooth and steady, the car always retains it’s composure and stability. You feel supremely secure and in control. The ride firms up as speed increases, there is no body roll as you slice through the curves. The Dynamic Stability Control and Active Suspension do their job quietly in the background. Apply the brakes, and they bring the speed down right now, smoothly with no fuss or bother. The S-Type R is a delight to drive, whether cruising around town, or hitting triple digits on the freeway on-ramp.
With a sticker price of $63,000, the Jaguar S-Type R may not be the perfect car for every one. As a superb motorcar that does everything a driver could ask for, it is pretty darn close to perfect.
Lexus IS F – factory Hot Rod…
by Mike Cotsworth
Imagine for a moment that you are Lexus, the upscale brand from Toyota, with a well-earned reputation for building high quality luxury vehicles. Now you want to go in a new direction, challenge the most elite cars from your European competitors, and launch a car that is outside the usual Lexus brand image. The car is more than a bit outlandish, so you need a venue that is equally surprising and over the top.
Lake Las Vegas is perfect. Who would expect a man-made lake, surrounded by Italian-style villas, palm trees, and a reproduction of the Ponte Vecchio, in the middle of the Nevada desert !? Likewise, who would expect Lexus to build an all out high-performance Hot Rod?
Does 481 Horse Power driven through an 8-speed manually-shifted transmission sound like a Hot Rod ? Are drilled and ventilated discs fitted with Brembo brakes, forged-alloy BBS wheels, and 4 well-bolstered bucket seats usual Lexus fare? The soon to be released IS F is the first “F car” from Lexus, the first in a line, we are being told, of low production, high-performance cars aiming to compete with M cars from BMW, S and RS from Audi, and AMG from Mercedes.
The IS F is a good start. The 5.0 liter V8 with numerous internal hi-po components and sport tuned electronics is more powerful, Lexus claims, than the new V8 BMW M3. Put the transmission in M for manual mode, and you can run through 7 up-shifts as fast as you can pull the paddle shifters. Lexus boosts the gear changes come in a tenth of a second, faster than a Ferrari F430.
Moreover, in the manual mode, shifts from gears 2 through 8 are directly controlled by the driver, just like in a car with a clutch pedal. It all happens so fast that Lexus thoughtfully added an audible beep telling you when to shift, just before the rev limiter kicks in. Naturally, the super quick downshifts are accompanied by a cool sounding throttle blip to match engine speed and keep the shifts as smooth as possible.
If the jolt of a full throttle .1second shift is too much for you, leave the tranny in Auto and the shifts are imperceptible, revs stay low, and the fire-breathing IS F becomes a civilized sports sedan getting upwards on 23 MPG. This dual nature is as evident to the ear as it is to the seat of the pants. At idle the engine is Lexus quiet, almost like a well oiled sewing machine; bury your right foot, however, and the roar begins, amplified at 3600 RPM when an acoustically designed baffle opens and the car screams like a 60’s muscle car.
The IS F looks as good as it goes. Special front fascia, flared fenders, aero panels, and rear spoiler differentiate it from the “normal” IS models. The engineer told me that the four stacked exhaust diffusers, which look really sharp, are in fact functional, designed to eliminate loss of downforce from exhaust gases at the car’s 170 MPH top speed. The interior is sporty yet classy, with blue lighted gauges, beautiful burnished aluminum, and those wonderful sports seats.
The ride is uncharacteristically harsh, a compromise to deliver totally flat cornering and high-speed handling. All is forgiven, at least for this driver, when powering through brutally quick shifts on the beep tone, then grabbing the powerful brakes as warnings about radar toting Nevada rangers are recalled. The IS F will be in showrooms by this Spring, base priced, but very well equipped, at $56,000.
Mazdaspeed 6 – plenty of Zoom Zoom…
by Mike Cotsworth
Mazda is making some really great cars these days. Their “Zoom Zoom” company slogan plays itself out throughout the model line, with well designed, sporty offering in most every segment.
Who else offers not one, but two full blooded sports cars in its model lineup ? The beloved Miata roadster is now badged as the MX-5, with more power and new good looks. At the other end of the sports car spectrum, only from Mazda can you drive off in a four-door, four-seater GT with a smooth and powerful Rotary engine. The RX-8 is as stylishly unique as it is nimble and fun to drive.
Even the company’s entry level, economy car manifests the Zoom Zoom philosophy. The popular Mazda 3, in both sedan and hatchback configuration, has more style and sporty personality than any other car in its class. Mazda’s new Crossover vehicle, the CX-7 promises more of the same.
In the most important market segment, the mid-sized family sedan, the impressive Mazda 6 offers a very attractive alternative to the plain-vanilla Accords and Camrys. Mazda sales are up this year, as consumers recognize that they can indeed buy a dependable Japanese car that still has style and verve.
Not for the masses, however, is the super sporty Mazdaspeed 6. Taking a clue perhaps from German automakers, Mazda decided to punctuate their Zoom Zoom statement with a limited-production high-performance version of their everyday sedan. The Mazdaspeed 6 is to the Mazda 6 as the BMW M5 is to the 5-series.
Order up your Mazdaspeed 6, for just north of $30,000, and hold on. Under the hood resides a turbo-charged and intercooled all-aluminum 2.3 liter 4-cylinder engine putting out 274 horsepower. Mate all that power to a short-throw 6-speed transmission and full time All Wheel Drive , a track tuned suspension with increased spring rates, stiffer shock absorbers, and larger stabilizer bars. The result is a quick and taunt handling car with race car characteristics.
Good looking, too. Aero spoilers front and rear, dual exhausts, 18 inch alloy wheels, and an impressive display of no less than 4 separate lights in each wrap-around headlight lens. The outside grabs your attention, but the real fun awaits on the inside.
Slide into the comfy and supportive black and white heated leather sport seats; turn the little knob where the key would go, if you needed a key, which you don’t, since the car detects the ‘smart key” in your pocket or purse; grip the small three-spoke leather covered steering wheel, with audio and cruise control buttons stationed at 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock where they belong ; settle your feet on the alloy covered pedals ideally positioned for heel and toe downshifting; check out the well designed center instrument stack and the informative red LED display above the dash. You are ready – snick the shifter into first gear, release the firm clutch, feel the AWD grabbing at the road, and off you go. In the Mazdaspeed 6, Zoom Zoom is more than an advertising slogan…
Porsche C4S Targa – a Porsche for all Seasons…
by Mike Cotsworth
Not too long ago I was lamenting the twist of Fate that brought a flashy Porsche Carrera Cabriolet to me during a December blizzard. Despite the less than ideal driving conditions, I was impressed how well that Porsche handled the snowy conditions.
As if to reinforce that impression, and be darned sure that the message gets through loud and clear, the Automotive Powers That Be bestowed another new Porsche upon me, in this instance, just in time for a February snow storm. The Porsche C4S model that graced my driveway is particularly well suited to the wintry conditions, being a Carrera 4, given that the 4 in the designation signifies 4-wheel-drive, more specifically full-time All Wheel Drive.
Not just a Carrera 4 mind you, but a Carrera 4S . The S no doubt means Sport, but it could just as well stand for Stupendous, or Super, or Sexy. With the S configuration you get an awesome 355 Horsepower, 3.8 liter boxer engine, High Performance exhaust manifolds ending in quad tail pipes, Porsche’s Active Suspension Management system, and huge 13 inch vented brake rotors with bright red brake calipers behind 19 inch sport alloy wheels. Imagine those many horses driving all four wheels, with 11 inches of 30-series high-performance snow tires gripping the road, even a slick road, and you’ll get some sense of why the C4S might just be the perfect winter ride.
But wait, there’s more. This bright blue supercar is also an ultra rare Targa model. Porsche’s newest version of the Targa concept consists of an all glass roof that slides back under the rear window to allow complete open-air topless driving. You might call it the ultimate sun roof design. Lest the plush, full-leather interior become too bright, a power sun shade can be deployed. While one could nit-pick that vision out the very bottom of the rear window is obstructed a bit when the Targa top is open, the mechanism does open and close quickly and quietly, and when open there is remarkably little wind noise or buffeting. Of course, that’s what you would expect from a well engineered, $109,000 German sports car.
The message that is being clearly delivered by the C4S is that a Porsche is in fact a fully functional, relatively practical, vehicle for every day use in any weather condition, albeit a rather expensive daily driver. During its visit with me, the C4S got horribly dirty from slush and road grime, the wheel wells filled with snow, and the windshield wipers and washers worked overtime. Yet the car never missed a beat. It started effortlessly in sub-zero temperatures, the quad exhaust pipes uttering a snarling raspy note. The heated seats quickly warmed the backside, while heaters and defrosters efficiently cleared all the windows . Program the user friendly navigation system, fire up the 289 watt stereo, flip on the auto-leveling Bi-Xenon headlights, activate the front and rear fog lights, engage the firm clutch pedal, put it into the first of 6 gears, and confidently initiate launch.
The AWD system in the C4S is totally seamless, and totally competent. No matter what the conditions, the car never faltered, slipped, or skidded. It just plain goes, and goes very quickly. The sound of the exhaust at speed is melodic, the brakes will rip the fillings from your teeth, and a week of heavy-footed driving yielded almost 20 MPG. Yea, a Porsche is a great every day car, and the C4S Targa is a great Porsche.
A lifelong automotive enthusiast, Mike Cotsworth owns Car Connections, Ltd., an Automotive Consulting company based in Parker. Mike provides a personalized buying service to help individuals save time and money when buying or leasing a new or used vehicle. Contact him at 303-841-0478 or carguy@carconnections.com.
Subaru Legacy GT Spec B Sedan – you can have it all…
by Mike Cotsworth
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could combine the reliability, longevity, economy and build quality of a Japanese Honda or Toyota with the performance, luxury, technology and sportiness of German BMW or Audi ?
Good news, there is such a car. Picture this, a 4 door sedan built by a manufacture renown for sturdy, bullet-proof cars that regularly see 250,000 plus miles. A car that can be serviced, if need be, by most any local Import repair shop, gets nearly 30 miles per gallon from its four cylinder engine,, and has full time All Wheel Drive for safety and all weather traction. This same practical family sedan also happens to be turbo-charged, handles like a race car with tricked-out Bilstein sports suspension, has every electronic drivers aid from Traction Control and Stability Control to adjustable suspension settings, and sports grounds-effect body skirts, dual chrome exhausts and a functional hood scoop.
But wait, there’s more. Front, side, and side-curtain airbags standard, for maximum passenger and driver safety. Touch screen GPS Navigation system with graphic read-outs for acceleration, MPG, MPH, all system status, and even a calculator, also standard equipment. Power moonroof for letting the sunshine in, killer stereo with in-dash 6 CD and satellite radio for acoustic pleasures, and heated, power sports seats with gorgeous Dusk Blue Alcantara suede seats to keep your butt comfy and securely in the seat. All that’s standard too, as is wood trim, easy to read white-lettered gauges that glow red at night, and leather steering wheel with cruise control and audio control buttons.
Now the bad news. This wonderful vehicle is only available in very limited numbers, and comes in only one color, a stunning Diamond Gray Metallic. Appropriate to its sporty nature, it offers no wimpy automatic transmission, a smooth shifting 6-speed manual is your only option. The sticker price of $35,000 seems a relative bargain for this much automobile, but is a big number for a Subaru.
That’s right, this mighty machine is a Subaru. Perhaps the ultimate Subaru, the Legacy GT Spec B Sedan is to the mid-sized Legacy model line-up what the WRX STi is to the compact Impreza line. Both of these high performance Subaru’s prove that AWD is not just for getting around in snow, and that a practical, well built Japanese sedan can have a potent alter-ego. The Spec B sedan has all the comfort, roominess, and safety of the standard Legacy 4-door sedan, but goes like stink ! The Turbo rush is dramatic, it’s hard to believe it’s only a 4 cylinder.
Driving the Spec B is pure delight. The grippy sports seats hold you tight, the fat leather steering wheel and Momo shift knob give a sturdy feel of command, and the alloy covered pedals invite the dance of the drive. The SI-Drive button on the console allows three different suspension and performance settings, with a cool graphic display for each. Docile and fuel efficient around town, or powerful, stable and responsive when driven hard, the Spec B GT really does it all. Yes, you really can have everything in one car, but you better get in line…
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