Final Vote For "Best Car 2006"

YSSMAN · Dec 20, 2006

Well the vote came down to four this time guys, three Germans and one American that has a German accent. You nominated, you voted, and now it is down to the final four.

- Audi RS4
- BMW 335i
- Porsche 997 GT3
- Saturn Aura

Votes are simple, so lets do it.

---

I'm still going with the Saturn. It is a pretty important car here in America despite the fact it is an over-glorified Opel Vectra, but either way, still important. The low price, high build quality, and decent fuel economy makes it a winner on so many levels, the only thing I can see toping it at least in terms of American cars is the Fusion, as that too is a great model.

Vote as you wish, you have three days...

SlipZtrEm · Dec 20, 2006

I'm going to have to give this a think, but for me it's down to the Audi and BMW. Oddly enough for sort of opposite reasons; Audi proves they can build a sporty high-revver, not to mention the RS4's rear-biased handling and attention to weight gain, and then BMW's return to turbo power, suitably high-tech and bringing a whole new aspect to modern Bimmers. I foresee this engine becoming incredibly popular, and unlike the Audi, in "normal" models.

The Porsche seems too "more of the same" to me, despite the insane power levels. As for the Aura; I won't deny it's an important car for Saturn (and even GM), but important =/= best. The three qualities you listed could be tacked onto the Sonata and it wouldn't seem out of place

. I agree about the Fusion, so it's funny that the two important American cars this year are infact not American!

YSSMAN · Dec 20, 2006

...Well they are "American" enough to make a difference I suppose. Although the Fusion certainly is a Mazda 6 with protein, Ford has done a good job in hiding it. The Saturn on the other hand, well, GM isn't afraid to say that it is a Vectra with an extended wheelbase. Thats good, IMO, as they are basically saying that the Germans designed it, thus it must be a good car.

But both have been re-worked enough where they can be considered "American," and added to that, they are built in America... Well, the Aura is. The Fusion is screwed together down in Mexico...

kikie · Dec 20, 2006

Well I am a Porsche fan, so the 997 GT3.

Appie · Dec 20, 2006

I voted for the BMW because i love it

Jim Prower · Dec 20, 2006

And (no suprise) the GT3 is winning.

I voted Saturn...no denying it's significance.

Poverty · Dec 20, 2006

saturn aura :lol:

Dont think the 335i belongs here, its basically just the current fastest 3er. Nothing special there.

GT3 RS for the win easily. Easily the best car in its class.

Dave A · Dec 20, 2006

I agree with Poverty on the 335i. If the BMW 3-seires was the vote then that would get my vote hand down (it's not for the valid reason of coming out last year), the 335i as a model on it's own is quite possibly the least important car in the last.

The Porsche 997 GT3 is certainly a step forwards in terms of performance, but it will do little overall to increase Porsche as a brand. As good as the 997 GT3 is, if it hadn't been as good or if it had been betterr, Porsche would still be in the same position they are.

The Audi RS4, I think this falls into pretty much the same boat as the GT3, it's a great car but overall it will have very little impact.

My vote goes to the Saturn Aura, it's the only car on that list that will have any notable impact on it's market, it is a step in the right direction for GM and it is an affordable car.

Pebb · Dec 20, 2006

While on the subject of these awards, can we have some more awards, like Top Gear and Fifth Gear does, including some funny ones. Anyway I voted for the RS4.

JCE · Dec 21, 2006

RS4. No contest. You can stuff a family and a ton of stuff in it, get decent enough MPG, and by the way...it is quite fast...even with all the aformentioned stuff in it.

niky · Dec 21, 2006

I may have been the one who nominated the RS4, but my vote goes to the BMW.

Granted, the RS4, despite not looking it, represents a sea change in Audi... marking the point where Audi either finds its mojo and gets all-out sporty, or serving as one of the few bright lights of driving enthusiasm in Audi's long history. They seem to be following up some of the RS4's brio in the TT, but it's not all there with the rest of the range, sadly.... R8's don't count... :lol:

The Porsche? I'd have voted... but it's more of an evolution than a revolution from Porsche. Sad the Cayman gets the shaft (power-wise, development-wise) just so Porsche can strut the 911 for a few more years. Hell, yes, I'd love to own/drive/drool-on one, but again... just plain old evolution...

Saturn Aura? Limited market. Good for you mainland Yankees, as it shows GM is getting serious about being a global carmaker, but... just not relevant enough.

The BMW 335 marks a shift in directions for BMW... once proud to strut their jewel-like naturally aspirated gasoline plants, they're embracing turbocharging again, as a viable means of providing more power and more fun with better efficiency than before. It's not just a turbo engine... it's a mating of a well-engineered naturally aspirated lump with modern VGT turbo technology... giving you the best of both worlds.

And it's a hoot and a half... that's got to count. It gets my vote.

Wolfe · Dec 21, 2006

I voted for the 335i, naturally, but I won't really mind if it doesn't win -- all four cars are German. :lol:

I gotta say that I don't really understand why the Aura is on there, though. Opels simply aren't on the same level as BMWs, Audis, or Porsches.

kikie · Dec 21, 2006

What's so special about the 335i???

Leonidae · Dec 21, 2006

Audi, because the rest of the lot just spins wheels in snow.

Jay · Dec 21, 2006

kikie
What's so special about the 335i???

Well this for starters.

Cap'n Jack · Dec 21, 2006

I thought alot of people voted for the RS4, but it was just Dunc. :lol:

I voted for the 997 GT3, I just love that car. Infact, I have it as my desktop wallpaper.

Jim Prower · Dec 21, 2006

VIPERGTSR01
Well this for starters.

That's a new engine. not a new car.

The Coupe, arguably, could be considered a new car, but the 335i Sedan is not a new car.

Poverty · Dec 21, 2006

People are only voting for the BMW because they have gone back to the turbo. Quite frankly the engine isnt special on a world scale, its just special because BMW used to rave on about being NA that people are for some reason voting for it.

Jim Prower · Dec 21, 2006

People might as well be voting for it as the next 2JZ-GTE/RB26DETT.

Poverty · Dec 21, 2006

but its not. It would cost alot more tp get big power out of the BMW unit than it did with the japanese. Completely different objectives when the engines were designed.

Wolfe · Dec 22, 2006

kikie
What's so special about the 335i???

I'll give you my reasons:

- It's about as quick as the RS4 in a straight line yet significantly more fuel-efficient, cheaper, and more attractive (except for the front end of the coupe, or the rear end of the sedan).

- It isn't as fast as the 997 GT3, but it's far more practical (obviously) and costs less than half as much money. Although it wouldn't fit in quite as well as the GT3, the 335i doesn't feel out-of-place on a track.

- It isn't as cheap as the Aura, but it's just as fuel-efficient, faster, much more sporty, and has about the same interior/trunk space, making it just as good of a daily driver. The 335i is also better-built. (Honestly, though, I have to give the Aura credit in the styling department. I've always liked how modern Opels look.)

The 335i walks a fine line between daily usability and performance, as the 3-series has always done. With its turbochargers, however, it's able to edge closer to the performance side without sacrificing the other half.

Poverty
People are only voting for the BMW because they have gone back to the turbo. Quite frankly the engine isnt special on a world scale, its just special because BMW used to rave on about being NA that people are for some reason voting for it.

The engine is special because as niky said, the turbochargers work together with an engine that's already good without them, instead of serving as a crutch for lack-luster engine design as others have sometimes done (I won't name any names).

niky · Dec 22, 2006

Hmmm... forgot to note: The RS4 does represent a tectonic shift for Audi... as they're finally picking up the fascination Honda and BMW have had for so long with high specific hp per displacement. I was kinda miffed, actually, that they didn't get the nod at the international engine awards...

But I do believe that the future is where Audi has always been, and where BMW is headed now... turbo. The new VGT and direct injection systems have revolutionized diesels... here's to hoping that they'll do the same for gasoline powerplants.

We won't need complicated systems like on the Volkswagen twincharger... it'll be back to an engine and a turbo, again... hopefully, with the merging of high revving engines to turbos, we can get the fuel economy benefits (like Wolfe mentioned... the RS4, in many reports I've read, is quite a gas hog) of traditionally high-revving low displacement engines, along with the power afforded by turbocharging... as well as the better torque curve given by the VGT systems.

But, yeah... it's not just about the engine... it's also the car. The 3-series is a major advance over the previous gen E46, and the new Coupe bodyshell is good enough to alleviate my sense of loss at the death of the M3... :lol:

kikie · Dec 22, 2006

Reading all this about the BMW 335i, I think I'm going to give this car a better look. I don't like the styling of the new BMW (in general), sedan.

Wolfe · Dec 22, 2006

As much as I love high-revving naturally-aspirated engines, I have to agree with you, niky. The turbocharger will only become more useful, more efficient, and more widespread. I'm actually still a bit disappointed that BMW jumped on the bandwagon, so to speak, but I cannot deny that the 335i is a great car, and a sign that we can expect some truly great engines from BMW in the coming years.

Oh, and the mileage I found for the RS4 was 14/20. Not extraordinarily bad for a sporty car (the M5 does pretty poorly itself, so I'd be a hypocrite if I said the RS4 was a naughty gas-guzzler

), but still quite far away from the 335i's 20/30.

Jim Prower · Dec 22, 2006

Wolfe
I'll give you my reasons:

- It's about as quick as the RS4 in a straight line yet significantly more fuel-efficient, cheaper, and more attractive (except for the front end of the coupe, or the rear end of the sedan).

- It isn't as fast as the 997 GT3, but it's far more practical (obviously) and costs less than half as much money. Although it wouldn't fit in quite as well as the GT3, the 335i doesn't feel out-of-place on a track.

- It isn't as cheap as the Aura, but it's just as fuel-efficient, faster, much more sporty, and has about the same interior/trunk space, making it just as good of a daily driver. The 335i is also better-built. (Honestly, though, I have to give the Aura credit in the styling department. I've always liked how modern Opels look.)

The 335i walks a fine line between daily usability and performance, as the 3-series has always done. With its turbochargers, however, it's able to edge closer to the performance side without sacrificing the other half.

The engine is special because as niky said, the turbochargers work together with an engine that's already good without them, instead of serving as a crutch for lack-luster engine design as others have sometimes done (I won't name any names).

But it's the same 3-series that was introduced last year.

Tornado · Dec 22, 2006

Jim Prower
But it's the same 3-series that was introduced last year.

Just as the 911 GT3 was the same Porsche 911 that was introduced last year. And the Audi RS4 is the same A4 that was released two years ago.
It is hypocritical to call out the BMW for being the same car with a new engine when the same can be applied to the Audi and the Porsche.

Jim Prower · Dec 22, 2006

Not like I voted for those anyway. I understand that they're the same 'ol cars, just as I suppose that the Aura is really the same Vectra that's been sold in Europe for some time.

so, we really have no all-new cars.

Tornado · Dec 22, 2006

Jim Prower
I understand that they're the same 'ol cars, just as I suppose that the Aura is really the same Vectra that's been sold in Europe for some time.

so, we really have no all-new cars.

Exactly.

Jim Prower · Dec 22, 2006

RE-do?

EDIT: Actually, Strike that. Normally, car magazines also allow significantly updated models in.

The RS4 and 997 GT3 have had a very thurough work-through. each has significant updates to the chassis, engine, and whatnot. the Aura, even, could be considered significantly updated, since it's in a new market, with a new name, where it's never been before.

335i, a new engine.

Perhaps if we left the sedan out, and only had the coupe, this would irk me less.

Eric. · Dec 22, 2006

I voted for the Saturn for the same reasons the other guys did.

Final Vote For "Best Car 2006"

Final Vote for "Best Car 2006"

Audi RS4

BMW 335i

Porsche 997 GT3

Saturn Aura

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