Frustrating Ferrari, bold Bimmer
PETER BLEAKNEY FOR THE TORONTO STAR
By tweaking the intake and exhaust systems, and increasing the compression ratio, Ferrari has liberated an extra 20 horses over the base car (510 hp) and fattened up the mid-range torque curve.
The Best: BMW 335d Touring
Topping the list of press vehicles that impressed me the most this year is the BMW 335d Touring I sampled in Germany.
The BMW 3 Series has been, and remains, the benchmark of rear-wheel drive sport sedans. Spend any time behind the wheel of a 3 Series and you'll see what all the fuss is about: beautifully integrated controls, silken straight-six engines and a mystical blend of sporting dynamics and ride comfort.
So what's the big deal with this Touring model?
The small "d" on the badge indicates the presence of BMW's most advanced diesel engine – a highly technical sequential twin-turbo all-aluminum 3.0L straight-six that imbues this wagon with astounding grunt, parsimonious fuel consumption and squeaky-clean exhaust, thanks to urea injection and a "self-cleaning" particulate filter.
The numbers are impressive: 286 hp, 427 lb.-ft. of torque, 6.7 L/100 km on the European cycle and Tier II/Bin 5 emissions compliance.
Equally impressive was the way this six-speed manumatic-equipped wagon effortlessly blasted along the autobahn at, ahem, well over 200 km/h and joyously negotiated the smooth winding roads of the Bavarian countryside.
The smoothness and linear torque delivery of this powerplant is something to behold. The only real giveaway to its diesel-ness is the 5000 r.p.m. redline. There's no odour and no clatter.
This engine is coming our way in a few (as yet unspecified) BMW models later in 2008. Yes, you'll be paying a premium for the latest in diesel tech, but for me, this tidy sport wagon with the freight train grunt and enviro-friendly disposition hit all the right buttons.
The Worst: Ferrari 430 Scuderia
The 2008 Ferrari 430 Scuderia was the worst car I drove this year? Have I lost what remains of my dwindling assemblage of marbles? Let me explain:
Its bottom line is well north of $300,000
It has no radio or carpets
It only seats two
It gets lousy mileage
Rearward visibility sucks
It looks so damned sexy, impure thoughts are irrepressible
With a zero-to-100 km/h time of less than 3.6 seconds, the car would be impounded before I left my driveway
I stay awake at night, haunted by the near obscene noise of that 510 hp 4302 cc V8 while my fingers involuntarily flick away at imaginary F1 shift paddles
Never again will I experience the explosive acceleration, the uncanny balance of the chassis, the precision of its controls and the car's surprising user-friendly disposition
Even if my lottery numbers came in, this Maranello missile is essentially unavailable to a not-in-the-Ferrari-fraternity outsider like myself
That's why the 430 Scuderia gets my vote. I've been ruined.
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