135 wins Drive performance car of the year

[cargeek]

I just noticed the 135 won the 2009 Drive Performance car of the year.

[cargeek]

From drive .com.au


As one of the most expensive DCOTY categories, the upper echelon performance car bunch was also one of the most diverse facing the judges.

With some wildly varying price points and racially different products, it was crucial, as with every DCOTY category, to judge each car against the official criteria rather than against each other.

But when you did that, the big-dollar performance cars started to shake themselves out into an identifiable order.

One car that never threatened to hide its true colours was the HSV GTS.

Using a relatively simple, but devastatingly effective, principle, the GTS is an honest effort and one that will appeal to a lot of Australian car-buyers.

With 6.2 litres of V8 and now 325kW of power with HSV's latest upgrade, the GTS is an impressive performer in a straight line and its natural environment is a flowing back road where the enormous torque and footprint can come into their own.

It's less happy in tight stuff, however, and it's here that the HSV's weight (about 1800kg) starts to catch up with it.

Combine that with a recalcitrant gearshift, that dreaded Commodore A-pillar blind spot and patchy interior and the big Aussie loses some points.

Nissan's GT-R could never be accused of having a plain interior with its plethora of display choices and arcade-game feel, but if anything, it's too far the other way.

But that's the GT-R for you: extreme in every department.

The twin-turbocharged V6 cranks out a mighty 357kW to give the Nissan true supercar performance and acceleration and handling that is unbeaten in this company.

But while the latest car to bear the Godzilla tag would be a consummate track-day car, on the road it's less happy.

The clutchless manual gearbox that allows lightning-quick shifts can also feel a bit clunky and clumsy when you're just trickling around at low speed.

There's also more or less zero rear-seat legroom and a few of our judges found the multi-function dashboard a distraction rather than an asset.


But without a doubt, the Nissan's biggest problem as a road car is the unyielding ride and intrusive road noise on those 20-inch wheels and tyres.

It bangs and crashes into potholes and over ripples in the road and even cat's-eyes become major NVH issues in the GT-R's cabin.

While it's not exactly a plush-riding car, Audi's S4 is still a softer compromise than the Nissan.

But more than that, the S4 really is a bit of an all-rounder.

The supercharged V6 engine gives the S4 performance that is shaded only by the GT-R and there's always plenty of urge on tap no matter where you happen to be in the rev-range (245kW is not to be sneezed at, after all).

Part of that is thanks to the clever seven-speed transmission which keeps the engine on the boil but also serves up a gear ratio for absolutely every occasion.

The shift quality is also a highlight regardless of the driving style and underlines the fact that the Audi can be used sedately or aggressively, and perform brilliantly in both disciplines.

Our only complaint with the gearbox is that it can't be completely manually over-ridden. Yes, there's a manual mode but when the gearbox disagrees with the driver's input, it takes over and spoils an otherwise perfect scenario.

Perhaps the S4's biggest trump card is its practicality.

It can seat five in comfort and - slightly gruff ride aside - it's comfortable over long distances.

It's also a pretty subtle presentation so it's not a car to attract undue attention.

But get it on a challenging road and you'll soon find that very few cars indeed exhibit the same level of front-to-rear balance or the unruffled poise of the S4.

But then poise and balance are two words that could have been invented to describe our winner in this category, the BMW 135i.

With a silky but potent twin-turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine, the BMW has one of the most charismatic powerplants around at any money.

The conventional manual contains six forward ratios and a light, accurate clutch action and, for those who value the driving experience, there's really no substitute for this level of involvement,.

The same goes for the handling which is supple but beautifully controlled yet also sure and rewarding thanks to the 135i's rear-wheel drive.

If it all sounds a bit old-fashioned, it shouldn't because the BMW is still very much an up-to-the-minute drive that just happens to ooze entertainment.

There are cars that are faster than the 135i, cars that handle better, and even performance cars that are cheaper.

But there's really nothing that combines the BMW's generous abilities with its undeniable charms and at such a price.

A worthy winner. Again.

[Jeef Beef]

Yep, twice in a row ^^

[Zuzu]

[takahashi]

Have we done something right???

Remember I asked you guys to vote for it and guess what happen? LOL

[BBK]

Great to see it! Thanks for letting us know

[bobbynoway]

Im glad I voted. Never a doubt, well just a little, good thing they judged on performance and not looks because that S4 is sexy.

[aus135i]

135 FTW

[jkho]

HPFP wasn't taken into account huh ?

[123D-M]

Must have been my vote that pushed it over the edge

[Guran]

What are you lot talking about? DCOTY isn't a popularity vote. The winners are chosen by the judges. Yes they have a "peoples choice" category ... but the win for the 135i had nothing to do with votes from you.

[Taymaishu]

Originally Posted by Guran

What are you lot talking about? DCOTY isn't a popularity vote. The winners are chosen by the judges. Yes they have a "peoples choice" category ... but the win for the 135i had nothing to do with votes from you.

[d3syd]

so we now await the results of the peoples' choice awards.....

[d3syd]

Just saw the peoples choice award results:

1st Prius
2nd Faclon
3rd Golf GTI
4th MAzda 3

..... (cracked windscreens and HPFP faiulures asisde), they don't know what they are missing out on ;-)

[alik01]

Originally Posted by d3syd

Just saw the peoples choice award results:

1st Prius
2nd Faclon
3rd Golf GTI
4th MAzda 3

..... (cracked windscreens and HPFP faiulures asisde), they don't know what they are missing out on ;-)

the people have no idea!

[jksgoh]

The failings of a democracy, another pretentious knob wins again

[bfi2906]

WHAT? A prius

Does that actually qualify as a motor vehicle?

Here's a piece of useless information I got from a work colleague, who has a Masters degree in electrical engineering, and an MBA.

Disclaimer: this is what I was told, I cannot attest to it's accuracy.

When you factor in ALL elements that contribute to calculating the lifetime "eco-footprint" of a car - which includes how much is made from recycled material, and how much can be recycled, and how much is not able to be recycled at the end of the cars life, fuel consumption, etc, etc, etc..... (Apparently it's a very complete and complex formulation). A Prius has a similar profile to a V8 Commodore - largely due to the battery having a finite life, and it not being very "eco-friendly" at its end of life.

[BrokenVert]

It was the token american's vote that made the difference.

[takahashi]

Originally Posted by BrokenVert

It was the token american's vote that made the difference.

Thank you .

[Totti]

LOL Broken