BMW 2006 3 Series

The 2006 BMW 325i and BMW 330i sedans comprise the fifth-generation of a car that created a concept, or at least cemented that concept indelibly in the buying public's awareness. For 40 years the 3 Series had delivered a special mix of sporting performance, practicality and European luxury in a compact package. It's the car that defines "sport sedan," and the benchmark every luxury car maker from Acura to Volvo aims at when it develops a sport sedan or a smaller luxury sedan. Above all, the 3 Series is a driver's car: accelerating, turning and stopping with remarkable agility and balance, without seriously compromising comfort or common sense. Finally, the 3 Series has embodied consistent product character and values, defining what has become one of the most respected brands among automobile enthusiasts. Given mixed reviews following the launch of BMW's current 5 and 7 Series sedans, anticipation for the 2006 3 Series might be exceeded only by the potential for disappointment.

As consumers we certainly are not disappointed, but as enthusiast drivers we're pensive about the 2006 325i and 330i sedans. At their core these remain true sport sedans, but their sporting heart is a bit more difficult to find.

If we characterized the new 330i with one word, it might be "stuff," even if BMW would prefer "technology." Technology is everywhere in this compact sedan, some of it first-in-class and some not previously applied in any BMW. The 2006 BMW 3 Series offers Active Steering that actually turns the front wheels without driver intervention, not to mention 150-mile run-flat tires, turning bi-xenon headlights and an optional i-Drive interface inside. It's the first car in its class to offer radar-managed active cruise control, and even the standard cruise control will automatically apply the brakes if the 3 picks up too much speed going down a hill.

Technology is not a bad thing, mind you. The 3 Series accounts for 40 percent of BMW's sales worldwide and BMW is a high-tech brand. The car buying public expects technology in its products. Yet after a good test drive we're left to wonder how much technology is appropriate in a 3 Series, and at what point it detracts from the car's original pureness of purpose.

For this year at least, buyers have the unique opportunity of comparing the new with the old. The tires-up overhaul for 2006, including new exterior styling and interiors, more powerful engines, all six-speed transmissions and redesigned suspension, applies only to the 3 Series sedans. Coupes and convertibles are still available, but for now they are built on the previous-generation 3 Series platform, and are more closely related to the 2005 models.

Make no mistake. The 2006 BMW 325i and 330i sedans accelerate more quickly, stop shorter and turn with more lateral grip than the 2005 models. They are roomier, with more standard and optional equipment and more sophisticated electronic controls. For entry-luxury market shoppers who put a premium on driving satisfaction, the BMW 3 Series remains the place to start. We simply recommend that you compare these cars with and without all the new stuff.

Mercedes SLR McLaren

Six-hundred-and-twenty-six horsepower is to Mercedes-Benz what the amp that "goes to 11" is to Spinal Tap. The German maker has so many cars that go to nine or 10, you almost have to wonder about the reason for the SLR (Sport, Light, Racing) McLaren.

AMG's 5.4-liter supercharged SL55 V-8 as well as the SL600 twin-turbo V-12 are rated at 493 horsepower, with the SL55 making 516 pound-feet and the V-12, 590. And the upcoming SL65 AMG's 6.5-liter twin-turbo V-12 ups horsepower to 612. The SLR, assembled only in left-hand-drive versions by McLaren in Woking, England, retunes the SL55 supercharged V-8 to 626 horsepower and 575 pound-feet.

Is that extra thrust worth three times the price of the SL55, which only takes another 0.6 second or so to reach 60 mph? That's too rational a question for this car. The point (besides to link itself with McLaren, a decade after archrival BMW did) is to shave a half-ton-plus off those heavy-metal Benzes with a high-tech carbon-fiber body. Ninety-five percent of the body structure is carbon fiber, and curb weight is 3733 pounds. The SLR is the closest thing to a Formula One McLaren Mercedes MP4 you can buy. Or, as Mercedes says, the SLR "easily keeps pace with a roadgoing race car," while carrying a couple of golf bags in its trunk.

That dual nature is confusing. The car's styling is, to use a euphemism, controversial. Its long dash-to-axle distance, low two-seat cabin, short rear deck, and F1-inspired nose trades good looks for functional style. Other details, like the scissors-style doors (a practical reference to the legendary 300SLR Uhlenhaut coupe's gullwings), single-piece carbon-fiber bucket-seat shell, and pop-up rear-deck spoiler/airbrake, suggest something that might require an F1 pilot's license to drive smoothly--until you get behind the wheel, flip up a cover on the gearshift knob to press the starter button, and shift it into drive. A five-speed electronically controlled automatic, with TouchShift, is the only transmission available.

Acura TL

Acura TL is a midsize, front-wheel-drive, four-door sedan powered by a 3.2-liter V6 engine. Acura offers the TL in only one trim level ($32,900). Nearly every luxury feature comes standard and there are few options.

For 2006, the horsepower numbers have been revised downward due to a new testing procedure used by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Although the engine offers the same performance as last year, the revised horsepower and torque numbers are 256 horsepower and 233 pound-feet, respectively.

TL buyers choose between two transmissions: five-speed automatic or six-speed manual; the cost is the same. Included with the manual transmission is a limited-slip differential, Brembo four-piston front brake calipers and larger front brake rotors. Leather is standard and trims the seats and door panels and wraps the shift knob and steering wheel. Also standard: the DVD/CD/cassette/AM/FM/XM Satellite Radio system with DVD-Audio 5.1. Hands-free, wireless, cellular telephone capability employing Bluetooth technology is built in. The TL comes with dual-zone, dual-mode automatic air conditioning with micron filter, power everything, xenon high-intensity discharge headlights, green-tinted glass and a long list of other features.

The optional navigation system ($2,000) is bundled with 3D Solar Sensing Climate Control. High-performance tires are optional ($200) with the six-speed manual transmission only.

Safety features: seat-mounted side-impact airbags and full-cabin side curtain airbags are standard. The side-impact airbag sensors note the seat occupant's height and position to minimize potential injury to out-of-place and smaller-stature individuals. Frontal airbags are dual-stage and dual-threshold, meaning they deploy at different rates depending on the severity of the crash and whether the front seat occupants are belted in. A weight sensor incorporated in the front passenger seat senses if the total weight on the seat is less than 65 pounds (the weight of a small child or a car seat); if it is, the passenger airbag won't deploy in a crash. On the driver's side, a position sensor activates a more gentle dual-stage airbag mode if the seat is within half an inch of the most forward position. If the seat is farther than a half inch from the forward position, the airbag deploys in either single or dual-stage mode based on the severity of the collision. LATCH child seat anchors are included.

Active safety features include anti-lock brakes (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist and Vehicle Stability Assist electronic stability control. A tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS) notifies the driver if tire pressure sinks to dangerous levels.

Mercedes SLR McLaren

The most impressive are the power ratings. The SLR's AMG-developed engine, hand-assembled by a single engineer, is a supercharged 5.5-liter V8 churning out 626 horsepower and 575 lb.-ft. of torque, the latter available across a flat band between 3,250 and 5,000 rpm. Every SLR McLaren engine sports a plaque signed by the engineer who assembled it. If that doesn't astound your friends, perhaps this will - the V8 possesses enough kinetic energy to move the 3,732-pound carbon fiber-bodied coupe from zero to 60 mph in a mere 3.8 seconds. Top speed is over 207 mph; the usual European 155-mph limit has been waived, since the SLR will be assembled by its F1 racing partner McLaren in England and not on a Mercedes-Benz production line.

Distributing the SLR's impressive power to the rear wheels is a five-speed automatic transmission that offers three settings: Comfort, Sport or Manual. Should you choose Manual mode, three more settings (Sport, SuperSport and Race) offer you exacting control over the gears. As the pinnacle of Mercedes-Benz technology, the SLR is not to be regarded as a mere straight-line muscle car; it was bred as a racecar, and its undercarriage is constructed accordingly. For example, exhaust pipes on each side of the car allow the Mercedes SLR to have a completely smooth undercarriage for greater aerodynamic efficiency. Double wishbone suspension components are located at all four corners, the geometry allowing for a slight negative camber for the best traction during high speed maneuvering. Stopping the vehicle are super-lightweight carbon-fiber ceramic 14-inch disc brakes that are heat resistant to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, allowing the SLR to halt from 62 mph in a scant 114 feet. Aiding deceleration is an adaptive rear spoiler that flips up when the brakes are pressed at over 60 mph, providing extra downforce. Physics geeks, rejoice.

Attending to your well being are a slew of safety nannies, including a tire pressure monitor, stability control, six airbags and even a BabySmart feature. Furthermore, the SLR McLaren is composed almost exclusively of carbon fiber composite, which serves well the aeronautics industry with its incredible strength and ultra-light mass - it's weight is claimed to be half that of steel but it's possessed with the ability to absorb four or five times more energy than traditional automotive body materials.

Unlike a typical racecar, however, you'll find civilized fare inside the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, with leather upholstery covering most surfaces including the dashboard. Carbon and metallic accents brighten the interior, including an aluminum center panel embossed with the letters SLR and covering the controls for the Bose audio system.

And looks? Well, let's just say that with its shapely hood, two-seater cab-rearward body design and gullwing doors, it's even more beguiling than the sexy Mercedes-Benz SL500. McLaren will produce 500 SLRs annually for seven years, and the waiting list is reportedly full through the middle of the decade, so don't get your hopes set high on owning one anytime soon. It will be the rarefied few, including Jay Leno who is the first North American customer for the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, who will be driving this technological marvel.