Category: Luxury

Performance:

• Acceleration 0 to 60: 4.1 sec
• Braking 60 to 0: 111
• Quarter Mile: 12.2 sec
• Slalom: 66.3 mph
• Skid-pad: 0.90 g

What you are looking at, is the most powerful production sedan in the world. The end. Period. This car has the balls to take on the likes of Porsche Carreras from the 2012 model, and win. All while weighing 5200 lbs with rear drive.

For me an Audi S8 is and has always been the ultimate expression of the all-weather solution to finding the perfect full-size executive sedan with huge power and decent handling. However, in past years with only 450 horsepower (Yes, for 2013 there will be a new S8 with over 520 horsepower), it seemed slightly undernourished when paired with a dynamic chassis that could easily handle more power. The S65 easily has adequate power to match it’s chassis’ integrity and, if you don’t have the need for 4-wheel drive, is a tremendous and even more astonishing to drive alternative to the S8.

The 2007 S65 has 604 horsepower. Even though 2007 was the first year for this particular model, this car has remained the most powerful production sedan into the 2012 model year (trumping the next most powerful Bentley Flying Spur Speed by 4 horsepower). That is tremendous for any car of any price. Not only is it more powerful than all of it’s rivals (including that Bentley), but it is faster than virtually all of the European luxo-barges, and most definitely more dynamic in handling thanks to it’s AMG-tuned suspension. If you want handling and space, buy the Audi S8. If you want handling, space and the ability to leave all other limos in the dust, S65 is the way to go. Just remember that with the Merc, you should avoid unleashing all of that power on wet tarmac with only rear-drive. (Please Mercedes! Make this car with 4-Matic for the northeast climate!)

Performance

• Acceleration 0 to 60: 5.9 sec
• Braking 60 to 0: 110 ft
• Quarter Mile: 14.7 sec
• Slalom: 66.5 mph
• Skidpad: 0.91 g

Electric cars have not allways been very successful, with the global dominance of the internal combustion engine, it isn’t hard to see why. However, as gas prices rise and eco-awareness has recently become evermore prominant, more and more car manufacturers are producing electric powered vehicles.

Now I’m sure the performance minded enthusiast will say, “That electric car can’t keep up with a normal four door GT carlike a Panemera S or a BMW Gran Coupe.” Now yes, that is a correct statement, but the Fisker Karma isn’t that far off on performance. No one should ever underestimate this car off the line, it’s acceleration numbers are very impressive at 6.0 seconds to 60 mph. It does fall off slightly due to it’s low top speed, when it goes through the quarter mile at less than 95 mph, but through 80 mph it is very quick.

However, while the idea of the Fisker Karma is a great one, the sad part (as is with any small car maker like Fisker) is that much of the interior ergonomics and interfaces are confusing and non-fluid in operation. This lack of conherence between all the elements of the Karma, like it’s completely screwed-up and unfathomable Navigation/Radio head-unit and poor-at-best reliability with it’s engine electronics, caused Consumer Reports to rank the Fisker Karma at the very bottom of it’s list for long-term reliability. Shame, this car should’ve been great, but until Fisker works the kinks out, it can’t ever be.

Performance:

• Acceleration 0 to 60: 4.8 sec
• Braking 60 to 0: 108 feet
• Quarter Mile: 13.4 sec
• Slalom: TBD
• Skidpad: 0.90 g

Ian Fleming may have portrayed Agent 007 as an Aston Martin fan, but the character from the 1950s novels actually drove a Bentley Continental, and for the 2012 model year, here comes a freshened version with updated styling and even more speed than ever before. Okay, maybe this car is not the absolute fastest convertible money can buy, (a 2013 Mercedes SL550 will make this luxury yacht look like a tugboat in a dash through the quarter mile) but that’s not really the point of what the GTC is all about.

Even with its 567 horsepower 6.0 liter W12 engine, this car will do 4.8 sec to 60 mph (Bentley estimates 4.5 sec, but Motortrend recently recorded 4.8). “Huh?” you might say, “But what about all that power…”. Well this car is that slow because it weighs 5558 lbs.!! So, with a curb weight that would make Peter Griffin feel thin, this car is not going to win over the heart of a hard-core performance minded enthusiast, if you are, than go buy a BMW M3 or something. The engineers over at Bentley Motors Limited put this much weight in the GTC, for one reason; ride comfort. When driven fast, the GTC feels like a 200 mph bullet train belting across the Japanese landscape, it’s that tank-like.

Sure the acceleration wouldn’t be impressive in an M3, but in a 5500 lb-plus convertible, it is astounding. The Continental’s weight and power, combined with very clever suspension (which is also adjustable) makes it a car with a bi-polar personality. Similar to the SL63 recently submitted; this car manages to coddle it’s occupants from point A to point B, in absolute comfort while getting there fast, just not as fast as the SL63. In the end it doesn’t matter who’s faster than who, because at the end of the day, YOU are in a Bentley driving in absolute comfort and THEY are not.