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Porsche 911 rated top sports car</h5>
Sep 1, 2006, 12:45 GMT
YONKERS, NY, United States (UPI) --
The Porsche 911 is the top high-performance sports car, with superior acceleration, handling and braking, Consumer Reports says.
The magazine, known for publishing reviews and comparisons of consumer products and services based on reporting and results from its in-house testing laboratory, said the 911 beat the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, the Dodge Viper and 11 other high-performance luxury sports cars.
The prices of the cars ranged from $45,545 for a Lotus Elise to $105,855 for a Mercedes-Benz SL550, CNN said.
The scoring system used for the cars was different from what the magazine generally uses for sedans and minivans, said David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports` Auto Test Center.
While the scoring was still heavily weighted toward safety, including emergency handling, factors like acceleration were given more importance than, for instance, trunk space, Champion said.
The magazine, published by the non-profit Consumer`s Union, anonymously purchased all the vehicles it tested from retail auto dealers.
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A while back, we had heard that there are a few dedicated car guys within the hallowed halls of Consumer Reports. At the time, we were a bit surprised, but now that they've rated the Porsche 911 as the 'Top Ultra-Performance Car,' their gear-head cred may have just been confirmed.
The vehicles tested in the performance arena included the Corvette Z06, Dodge Viper and the aforementioned 911. Those coupes, along with a BMW 650i, Cadillac XLR, Jaguar XK, Lexus SC430 and an M-B SL550, made up the magazine's first foray into the world of luxury sports cars.
This inaugural exam of high-end motoring proved to be the most expensive yet for the magazine. As we're sure you're aware, C.R. doesn't accept any press vehicles for evaluation, so they purchase their test subjects on the open market, just as any other car buyer would. The total for all vehicles came in at over $650,000.
The 911 was rated by C.R.'s wonks as 'excellent' overall, just barely nudging out the Z06, which also received an 'excellent' score. The Viper, brought up the rear with a 'very good' rating, although it had the distinction of being the fastest vehicle to sprint to 60 MPH in Consumer Reports' history (4.2 seconds, if you didn't already have it firmly implanted in your cortex).
Interestingly, of all the vehicles rated in the test, only the Lexus SC430 received the 'recommended' designation, due to a lack of reliability information on the rest of the models.
Follow the 'read' link for a synopsis or wait until September 5th, when Consumer Reports hits newsstands everywhere.
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CONSUMER REPORTS RATES PORSCHE 911 BEST IN TESTS OF EIGHT ULTRA-PERFORMANCE & LUXURY
SPORTS CARS
911 squeaks past
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 for top overall rating in group; Monthly group is most expensive ever purchased for testing by CR
YONKERS, NY — In Consumer Reports’ first-ever tests of ultra-performance and luxury sports cars, the Porsche 911 edged past the
Corvette Z06 to become the top-rated vehicle with an “Excellent” overall score.
The 911 was tested against two other ultra-performance
cars, the Z06 and the V10-powered Dodge Viper, for the October issue of Consumer Reports. The Z06 also earned an “Excellent” score while the Viper posted a “Very Good” score.
Consumer Reports also tested five high-end, luxury sports cars: the Mercedes-Benz SL550, BMW 650i, Jaguar XK, Cadillac XLR, and Lexus
SC. The SL550 and BMW 650i coupe posted the highest overall scores among those vehicles.
This is the most expensive monthly test group ever purchased by Consumer Reports, costing in excess of $650,000. Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, accepts no outside advertising, no free test samples, and has no agenda other than the interests of the consumer.
“The 911 wowed us enough with its acceleration, handling, and braking for us to rate it our top sports car,” said David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center. “The 911 is also easy to drive, but its much less expensive Boxster sibling performed almost as well.” Here are some highlights from this month’s test group:
• The Viper SRT is the fastest car ever tested by Consumer Reports, with a 0-60 time of 4.2 seconds.
• The 911’s brakes rank among the best ever tested by CR. It tied with the Viper for the shortest dry stops in this group, stopping from 60 mph in just 113 feet.
• The 911 posted the highest speed on record through CR’s emergency avoidance maneuver, at 59.5 mph.
• The SL550 is the single most expensive car Consumer Reports has ever tested, with a base price of $94,800. As tested, the car carried a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of $105,855.
Full tests and ratings of the sports car group appear in the October issue of Consumer Reports, which goes on sale Tuesday, September 5. The complete report is also available to subscribers of
www.ConsumerReports.org.
Featuring a special section on autos, the October issue also includes a story on new and notable vehicles for 2007 and 2008, a special report on ethanol, ratings of popularly-sized auto batteries, and an auto-test extra report on the Mercedes-Benz CLS500.
Consumer Reports can only recommend the Lexus SC430 from this group of vehicles. CR is unable to recommend any of the other vehicles in this month’s tests because it does not have sufficient reliability information on most of them. (Relatively few of these high-end models are sold each year.) The magazine only recommends vehicles that have performed well in its tests, have at least average predicted reliability based on CR’s Annual Car Reliability Survey of its own subscribers, and performed at least adequately if crash-tested or included in a government rollover test.
The distinctive 911 is the epitome of agility and refinement in sports cars, yet it is relatively practical. The 911 Carrera S ($87,520 Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price as tested) is powered by a 355-hp, 3.8-liter horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine that delivers excellent acceleration and a respectable 20 mpg on premium gasoline. Its six-speed manual transmission is easy to shift and has close ratios for responsive performance. Handling is the 911’s forte. The steering is very precise with excellent feedback. The brakes rank among the best CR has ever tested.
The Z06 Corvette was very impressive with awesome acceleration and stable, well-balanced handling. At the track, it holds its own against the Porsche 911 and Dodge Viper, though handling is less precise than the 911. The Z06 ($76,730 MSRP as tested), is equipped with a great-sounding, 505-hp, 7.0-liter V8 engine that gives it effortless acceleration at any time. It comes with a six-speed manual transmission that helps provide blazing acceleration or quiet, economical cruising. The brakes are impressive and powerful.
In the luxury car category, the Mercedes SL nicely blends sportiness and luxury. It is comfortable and luxurious, but feels almost as fast and agile as some ultra-performance sports cars. The SL550 ($105,855 MSRP as tested) is propelled by a 382-hp, 5.5-liter V8 engine that delivers impressive acceleration—and a muted but muscular hum from the tailpipe. The new 7-speed automatic transmission is very good. But it occasionally delays downshifts or bumps abruptly into gear. Brakes bring very short stops in both wet and dry conditions.
Consumer Reports is one of the most trusted sources for information and advice on consumer products and services. It conducts the most comprehensive auto-test program of any U.S. publication or Website; the magazine’s auto experts have decades of experience in driving, testing, and reporting on cars. To subscribe to Consumer Reports, call 1-800-234-1645. Information and articles from the magazine can be accessed online at
www.ConsumerReports.org.
Edited by - mpollard on 09/01/2006 08:05:55 AM
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