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I’m fairly critical of cars that manufacturers cobble together in a hurry and charge more for whether they be body on frame SUVs, sedan-based coupes, hardtop based convertibles, or the new strain of ‘four door coupes’ (e.g. MB CLS, BMW X6, VW Passat CC) if only because the consumer seems to be getting a raw deal when paying a premium for what is in many ways an inferior, more compromised car.

But as this quote reminds us, in some cases such cars are a second chance for a carmaker to make right a previous attempt. And if I take off my cynic’s cap for a moment, you have to applaud anything that leads to more choice for the consumer and fewer dull, ‘me-too’ cars on the road.

The whole idea seems an extravagant folly, a marketing indulgence of almost Phaeton-like magnitude. But then the regular Passat, while a competent car, is hardly an object of desire. The CC offers a chance of one-upmanship sufficient, maybe, to secure a purchase instead of passing the Passat by. [The resulting car offers] Mercedes indulgence at a sensible price – evo

(As an aside, note a comment that applies to the standard Passat and most front drive sedans in general):

Best version? Not the V6 3.6 4Motion, which feels too heavy and clunky. It’s the entry-level 1.8 TSI with 158bhp, a crisp, punchy engine powering an agile, comfortable car. Less is more here, too.

today’s engineers understand they are designing cars that have to be appreciated at different levels, that the straightforward goal of pure performance is no longer practical in an era when cars can easily be designed that are faster than you can reasonably drive them on the road. We see the focus of design shifting to the experience of performance… Even Ferrari tunes its exhaust to sound racy — at the expense of power. – Sam Posey, Road & Track

The C30 feels busy over small bumps, and the big tyres on those handsome 18in rims feed a surprising level of noise into the cockpit on anything less than very smooth asphalt, which is a shame. I’d happily trade a little of the handling’s edge for smoother progress, especially as the soft throttle action and long gearing (over 100mph in third) give the C30 a leisurely gait. A car that looks so different – inside and out – to the fast-hatch herd should have the confidence to follow its own dynamic agenda too. – evo

In an age when advertising and moviemaking’s flooded with computer generated work and even more flooded feature lists, the commercial ‘M3 Revolution’ was a revelation.

You can see the spot – and how they made it – here.

Today I had to correct a field of experts that claimed that an adaptive suspension increased active safety. Not your self proclaimed armchair expert but one charging a sum with a number of zeros behind a 1 – 6 to be exact.

I disagreed, and minutes later – coincidentally – stumbled across one of many examples.

Mercedes limited chassis revisions to a light retuning of the adjustable Airmatic suspension system and a 10-percent quicker steering ratio. The results are a very heavy sedan that feels a little lighter on its feet. Still, this sport sedan is not as athletic as its rivals. Its test track performance numbers …are very good, but not great. Both the 550i and A6 4.2 S-Line outhandle and outstop the E550, but the more relaxed ride and handling compromise of the Mercedes feels better at anything short of the most fevered pace. Even in the stiffest of its three suspension settings, the Mercedes is sprung more softly than the BMW or the Audi, putting a higher premium on a smooth ride than ultimate agility. – Edmunds

(In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s not the hardware, it’s the software – or more specifically how it’s written…)

It’s always amazed me that the big three don’t send more of the cars that do so well elsewhere to the U.S. Think about how well the Contour, the G8, the Catera, the Focus, the new Vue and Astra drove/drive.

Here’s another example of a car that could redeem the U.S. auto industry. (Don’t hold your breath).

The best-driving workaday hatch you can buy is a Ford Focus. Fact. So what happens if you take a Focus platform, enlarge it in track, wheelbase and the height of the body it carries, and insert an extra, Haldex clutch-controlled drive to the rear wheels? You get a Ford Kuga… it steers and handles like no other compact SUV I can recall. The steering is crisp, consistent and natural (providing you don’t switch it to heavy, stodgy ‘Sport’ or anaesthetic ‘Comfort’), there’s little roll and yet the ride is smooth, calm and composed. It’s a bit of a miracle, frankly. – evo

UPDATE: Angus Mackenzie’s blog entry after first driving the X6 is a great read and can be found here.

ORIGINAL POST

“Perfectly pointless.” After taking the X6 xDrive 35i home for a night, that’s how editor-in-chief MacKenzie summarizes the X6. It’s a damning critique of BMW’s latest as a flawless execution of a worst-of-both-worlds concept: sport-coupe practicality with SUV-like handling… While you don’t exactly flop and flail about in the BMW, there’s… a feeling of sitting on top of the car, rather than in it, especially as it leans into corners. Reynolds was ultimately displeased by this driving machine: “The X6 wobbles, shudders, plows at the limit-and does so much damage to BMW’s reputation for building fine driving automobiles, it’s almost obscene… “They’ve missed the target with the X6,” he continues. “It’s ungainly and awkward to drive.” the X6 tends to toss people around… Kiino sums it up: “Unless I really wanted one of the X6’s new engines or was completely smitten by the styling, I can’t figure out why would I buy the X6 over the X5. It’s basically the same car-just less practical and more expensive.”...Slaves to fashion will look no further than this boulevard strutting beauty queen. Shame she doesn’t drive as good as she looks. – Motor Trend

Hard to say whether it was a matter of the chassis not being happy with the needlessly large 20” wheels or that the XDrive with Dynamic Performance Control doesn’t wake up fast enough for quick 5000lbs and sitting this high is going to feel sporty but never sporting.

Actually as a fan of cars in BMW’s past, it’s hard to say what BMW was thinking other to point to this:

says Vance, “I guarantee that for the first six months they’re on sale, the X6 will be the hottest ride in L.A.!”

So has VW produced nothing more than a shameless and superficial CLS knock-off? That’ll be the widespread public reaction. But you can’t really blame VW. The Passat is a worthy-but-dull saloon, just as the E-class is. Benz’s makeover into the CLS sprinkled some showroom fairy-dust onto the range, and the Passat’s CC transformation looks likely to be just as successful. And the CC’s mission is exactly the same as the CLS’s. Neither replaces any existing car. They just give a slinkier choice to anyone needing four doors and four seats but not wanting the staid profile of a saloon… In fact, the CC wasn’t even going to be badged a Passat to begin with. Then they thought about calling it Passat Coupe, but the American dealers objected: “That ain’t no coupe, sir – it’s got too many doors.” So we ended up with CC which stands for ‘comfort coupe’ not, as every other manufacturer uses the abbreviation ‘coupe cabrio’. – Top Gear

The [TSX is] not necessarily an easy car to drive, however: there are several blind spots (the rear windscreen is shallow and strangely angled… and the new dashboard layout is confusing and over-complex. The driver is faced with banks of switches, LEDs, dials within dials, display screens, electronic gauges and levers – it’s a case of information overload. – 4car

the Maxima still doesn’t feel quite like a sports sedan; it’s more of a sporty sedan. It feels huge, which is good for comfortable riding but is a bit of a downer for spirited driving… looking across the cabin can feel like you’re sitting in a Hummer H2. The steering is quick, building effort nicely off center, albeit disconcertingly light and nervous at first, But feel is faint, never more than a whisper from the bottom of a deep well. The sporty mindset means a stiff suspension for the Maxima… but one that also means a less than serene ride over broken pavement. And our tester wasn’t even equipped with the Sport package, which adds stiffer dampers and a thicker stabilizer bar. We’d be wary of tightening these suspenders any more, as the Maxima is respectably agile for a large, front-wheel-drive sedan, and further stiffening seems unnecessary… Sports sedan? Not really. Sporty sedan? Yes. Although we’d ask for more communicative steering and a smoother ride… – Car and Driver