Last Call for Horsepower By EZRA DYER

December 28, 2008
Last Call for Horsepower By EZRA DYER

LAST Jan. 3, Porsche sent out a news release with this upbeat headline: Porsche Reports Best-Ever Annual Sales in U.S. — Fourth Consecutive Record Sales Year.

And that was it for good news in 2008.

But there is reason for optimism, believe it or not. Business may be bleak now, but the car industry is on the cusp of historic changes. Skeptics can point to dead-ends like the General Motors EV1 and say the auto industry is always on the verge of a revolution that never comes, but that attitude diminishes the significance of this moment.

Until 2008, there was never a production electric car with the range of the Tesla Roadster. (Never mind its teething problems.) We’ve never had a fuel-cell car so abjectly normal — in terms of range, performance and production-readiness — as the Honda FCX Clarity, which Honda is offering for lease in California. Before 2008, we never had an American plug-in hybrid so close to production — if only General Motors survives long enough to see it through.

There’s even hope for the internal-combustion engine. At the introduction of the Bentley Flying Spur Speed — perhaps the last place you’d expect a discussion of alternative energy — the company’s head of engineering, Ulrich Eichhorn, proffered a dose of optimism about biofuels.

Bentley is working with energy companies to develop advanced biofuels — in what was probablya first, a Bentley press document included the words “intensively farmed algae.”

Don’t get mad that I love overpowered cars like the Corvette ZR1. If Corvette profits help to develop the Volt, that’s 638 horsepower deployed for the common good. And if some of my picks are not the most efficient cars out there, perhaps that means more money for hard-working algae farmers. After 2008, not much would surprise me.

1. NISSAN GT-R This was the most-hyped sports car in recent memory, and it actually delivers on its promise: Porsche 911 Turbo performance for base-911 money. To my mind, the fact that it doesn’t wear a fancy nameplate adds to its appeal.

2. MERCEDES-BENZ ML320 BLUETEC

Here’s a heavy four-wheel-drive luxury S.U.V. that is E.P.A.-rated at 24 m.p.g. on the highway and in reality will do about 26. Its diesel V-6 lends itself well to S.U.V. duty, with mammoth low-end power. (It will tow 7,200 pounds.) I also like that it’s not plastered with decals proclaiming its virtue — just a few small Bluetec badges.

3. DODGE CHALLENGER R/T I wasn’t particularly interested in the Challenger before I had a chance to drive it. But the 6-speed manual transmission endows this car with a riotously fun, burnout-happy personality. It may be a dinosaur, but it’s an endearing dinosaur.

4. LOTUS EXIGE S 240 This is probably the most focused car on the road. Whenever there was a choice to be made during the Exige’s gestation, Lotus made driving pleasure a priority and subjugated everything else. It’s a strong flavor, not for everyone, and that’s why I like it.

5. CHEVROLET CORVETTE ZR1 Here’s a ZR1 party trick: rolling along in second gear at 45 m.p.h., slam the throttle down. The power arrives so suddenly it will actually chirp the tires, no clutch-drop needed. The pushrod V-8, it seems, has some life left in it.

6. PONTIAC G8 I searched Pontiac’s Web site for a price quote on a 2008 G8 GT, a sharply tailored, 361-horsepower rear-drive performance sedan. The result was an improbably precise $25,044.46. But wait, there was a disclosure: “Red Tag price may be even less.” Instead of the Volt, Rick Wagoner should have taken a G8 to Congress and challenged the legislators to find a better deal for 25 grand.

7. BMW 135I I know, I know — you can get a larger 335i for not too much more money. Thanks, but I’ll take the car that’s lighter and costs less. With a 300-horsepower twin-turbo 6-cylinder, the 135i gives you performance about on par with a previous-generation M3.

8. AUDI RS4 CABRIOLET This is my current answer to the question, “If you could only have one car for everything, what would it be?” With the RS4 Cab, you get seating for four, a decent trunk, all-wheel-drive for the winter, a convertible top for the summer and, oh, yes — the same 420-horsepower V-8 engine that’s in the exotic R8.

Didn’t Make the Cut

1. HONDA FIT I respect the Fit — an inexpensive little car with an inordinately well-done interior — it’s just strange to me that Honda dealers can’t keep them on the lot. A Hyundai Elantra GLS offers 21 more horsepower, more passenger room, the same highway mileage and a lower price. So is everyone abuzz about the Elantra? No.

2. BMW X6 In 20 years, the X6 will either be considered a daring, iconic design that sent S.U.V.’s in a completely new direction, or it will be a weirdo outlier embraced by only the most hard-core BMW fanatics. I have absolutely no idea which way it’s heading.

3. MITSUBISHI EVO MR I thought the last Evo was euphoric to drive but silly to look at. I mean, shark teeth on the roof? The latest MR looks taut and purposeful — the big wing notwithstanding — but the motor’s newfound refinement is sort of sad. There’s less turbo lag, but the old Evo’s giant wallop of boost was part of the fun. The good news is that the new motor is still extremely tunable, so 400 horsepower and a crude wallop of boost is just a few minor modifications away.

4. FORD FLEX The Flex competes with minivans, so it needs some dynamic advantage over those vans — like, say, a turbocharged direct-injection V-6. Ford’s EcoBoost V-6 is on the way, and when it arrives, the Flex will have the muscle to match its provocative styling.

Not in My Garage

1. CADILLAC ESCALADE HYBRID It has the same powertrain as the GMC Yukon and Chevy Tahoe hybrids, both of which are nearly as luxurious and cost much less. So why not just get one of those instead? The Escalade Hybrid is like the Lexus LS 600h L hybrid — technically impressive, but somehow cynical.

2. ACURA TL I’ll admit that avant-garde auto design usually goes over my head at first. I thought the current BMW 5 Series was atrocious when it came out, but now I’m used to it. Same with the elongated Audi corporate grille. But the new TL looks like an evil Transformer robot sent to enslave the human race. In two years, I’ll probably like it.

3. SCION XB I personally think the xB looks like a Fisher-Price version of a Brinks truck, but when a friend asked me to recommend a car for his neighbor’s 16-year-old skateboarder son, I found myself endorsing Scion’s strange cube. At least I know when a car is not aimed at me.

4. SMART FORTWO If you live in a city and there are dedicated parking spots for the Smart (or you are allowed to piggyback two into one spot), it’s not completely pointless. Otherwise, I fail to see the point.