Playboy's Automotive Report

As Cars Have Improved, it's become more difficult to narrow the choices. That's why Playboy has once again assembled a panel of six opinionated automotive mavens (see page 163) to evaluate 1993 cars in a variety of categories. For the third consecutive year, as part of our new-car roundup, we're also presenting Playboy's Car of the Year award. The winner is pictured overleaf. Best Bang for Your Buck: When it comes to getting the most for your driving dollar, the Honda Civic came out ahead. According to Playboy Senior Editor David Stevens, it's "tough and taut, with an in-your-face raspy exhaust and kick-ass acceleration." With a base price of about $8400, "it still sets the gold standard for affordable small cars," said Playboy Contributing Automotive Editor Ken Gross. Champion race-car driver Bobby Rahal agreed, adding, "There is none better. Room, handling and Honda quality; it's the best way to start." James R. Healey, USA Today's auto writer, preferred the Saturn SL. In addition to citing the car's crisp and tight handling, Healey pointed out that Saturn's customer-satisfaction scores are just behind Lexus and Infiniti. Car and Driver columnist Brock Yates liked the Nissan Sentra E: "It may be buck-ugly, but it's a sweet little runner and a hoot in traffic." The Ford Escort also got a nod. "I know it's not sexy," said John Davis, producer of the TV show Motorweek '93, "but when you look at Ford's one-price policy--that is, any of the four Escort bodies for about eleven grand with air conditioning and a stereo--you have to admit it's a great buy." Hottest Pocket Rocket: This race was a tie between Mazda's redesigned MX-6 LS and the Eagle Talon TSi. According to Healey, other cars might outgimmick or outhandle the MX-6 slightly, but none has its "sweetly enduring lines." Stevens agreed: "This is one sexy little runner that's built for comfort and speed--like a chauvinist's idea of the perfect woman." Gross also liked the MX-6, pointing out that Mazda's chief stylist took design cues from several Italian classics, including the Alfa Romeo Sprint Speciale. Davis, Yates and Rahal all chose the Eagle Talon TSi. "It's been around awhile," said Yates, "but in turbo form, the peppy little Talon remains a wonderful driver and a world-class value." Citing automotive history, Davis added, "The first sports cars were crude and unreliable and you wore them like a suit that was too small. That was their charm. Take away the crude, add a reliable turbocharged engine and you have the Eagle Talon TSi." Most Improved Old Model: "The big winner here has to be Volkswagen's Corrado SLC," said Gross. "Adding a V6 engine totally transforms the old four-cylinder Corrado into a Jekyll-and-Hyde street screamer." Davis seconded the motion: "What a difference a V6 heart transplant (text continued on page 162)Automotive Report(continued from page 85) makes." Stevens offered the best compliment: "Who cares if the rear visibility stinks? The born-again Corrado feels like the neat little GT car that Porsche ought to make." Yates liked the Mercedes-Benz 500E, calling it strictly "master race." Healey preferred the BMW 325i, pointing to its benchmark styling and almost-reasonable $30,000 price. Rahal once again picked the Civic, saying that "somehow, Honda keeps making something good even better."

Sexiest Sedan: Edging out the challengers in this highly competitive category was the Mercedes-Benz 500E. "Talk about the ultimate sedan!" said Stevens. "No wonder high-powered German businessmen prefer to hit the autobahn rather than the skies when short-hopping to a meeting." Gross agreed, stating, "The 500E is armed with the SL roadster's big brakes and sporty running gear." The rest of the panel was somewhat divided.. Racer Rahal picked the Mercedes-Benz 600SEL, calling it "the ultimate Panzerwagen." Healey liked the Bentley Turbo R, describing it "as anti-modern as cars get." Yates sided with the Infiniti Q45."The Q looks as if it was styled by the politburo," he said, "but it'san unbelievable engineering package, especially considering its price." Davis advised buying American: "The Cadillac Seville STS with the Northstar engine is everything you could want in a sedan, withpower, technology and comfort to spare."

Biggest Kick to Drive: For the second year in a row, the Dodge Viper RT/10 was the winner when it came to fun behind the wheel. As Yates put it, "The Viper has enough torque to tear down the World Trade Center and enough rubber to landa 747." Stevens said, "You'd have to be in a coma not to be charmed by this snake." Davis said that "even if the bureaucrats made twenty-five miles per hour the national speed limit, I would still itch to own a Viper." Gross recalled the day he drove one on Los Angeles' twisty Mulholland Drive, "ambushing several Corvettes in the process." Healey was irritated by the exhaustnoise from the V-10 engine, "but otherwise you'd have to wear a driving suit and a helmet to have more raw-kid fun than you get from driving the Dodge rocket sled." Rahal, our lone dissenter, chose the Acura NSX, claiming it combines performance, handling and braking in a civilized package.

Sexiest Car for Your Girlfriend: Most of the panelists voted for last year's Playboy's Car of the Year, the Lexus SC 400 and its sibling, the SC 300. "This coupe has everything that I'd hope my girlfriend would have," said Davis. "A great shape and lots of brains." Rahal called it "all class," with Healey adding adjectives such as "supple, sensuous, gorgeous, fast, elegant--even reliable" to the mix. "We gave Corinna Harney, our 1992 Playmate of the Year, a Lexus SC 300," Stevens said. "If your girlfriend looks half as good in it as Corinna does, she--or you--should spring for the same car." Yates offered a few alternatives, depending on who's footing the bill: "If she's buying, the Mercedes-Benz 500SL is the hands-down winner. If you are, try to get away with the Honda Prelude, with a Lexus SC 300 as the final offer." Gross' preference: a Mercedes-Benz 300CE Cabriolet. "In the unlikely event of a rollover," he explained, "the 300CE's rear headrests pop up like a roll bar.

"Best Car to Drive Past Your Ex-Wife's House: Yates didn't mince words: "Take an AM General Humvee in full camouflage and make sure the machine gun is loaded." Stevens also chose a Humvee, with "cutoff pipes and Rebecca De Mornay in cutoff shorts riding shotgun." On a more cautious note, Gross said, "If negotiations are still in progress, drive a Yugo." Healey concurred, "Take something nondescript and untraceable, like a stolen Chevy Cavalier." Davis offered a cunning alternative: Drive a Toyota Tercel ("The best small car ever made, yet it costs little to own") and keepyoursecond car ("the Ferrari 512 TR") a secret. "I'd choose a Lamborghini Diablo,"said Rahal. "It isn't reasonable, but she wasn't, either."

Ultimate Convertible: As with last year, the Mercedes-Benz 500SL and the new V-12 600SL won most of our panel's praise. "If price is no object," said Gross, "nothing tops Mercedes-Benz' SL roadsters. These elegant two-seaters marry sports-car performance with every luxury imaginable. And their classic good looks will endure for years." Healey agreed, calling the 500SL "fast, nimble, attractive, impossible to afford--everything you need." Yates added, "The 500SL turns heads everywhere except Rodeo Drive. It's fast, flashy and fiendishly expensive." Stevens had just returned from driving the 600SL and he commented that the 12-cylinder roadster was a thumbs-up winner on Orange County's Ortega Highway. "Just popping the top draws a crowd." Rahal concurred, "To operate the top is worth the price of admission. The 500SL represents German engineering at its best." Davis liked the new 600SL and said, "This is a car that screams 'I've made it, and thanks to all the little people out there.' "

Best of the Homeboys: "There's never been a better time to buy American," said Gross, "and three of the best reasons are the Dodge Intrepid, the Eagle Vision and the Chrysler Concorde. These sleek front-wheel-drive LH sedans are to 1993 what Ford's Taurus was in its introductory year--a major leap forward." In Stevens' words, "Chrysler finally got it right. These new models aren't just wanna-be real cars, they're the right stuff." Healey said, "Chrysler's LH trio and the longer luxury version, the New Yorker, due out in March, set new standards of convenience, value and performance for the domestic industry--and for more than a few imports as well." Davis agreed: "Inside, the only clue it's a Chrysler is the shape of the stereo." Yates liked the LHs, too, but added, "Ford's SHO will show well any place in the world, including the German autobahns, and the Jeep Grand Cherokees are also in the hunt." Said Rahal, "Cadillac is back. With the North-star engine, the Seville STS is the best the domestics can offer."

Best Sports Utility: "The Range Rover County LWB [long wheelbase] is arguably the world's best sports utility," said Gross. "Its extended midsection, upgraded two-hundred-horsepower V8, electronic air suspension and traction control put it in a class by itself." Stevens agreed with Gross' pick: "Any car that goes into the 'kneel mode' for you to enter gets my vote." Davis liked the Land Rover Defender 110, calling it "the true global ideal of an off-road vehicle. Under those flat aluminum body panels is a surprisingly modern machine with a fuel injected V8 and coil spring suspension. It may look like a tank, but it drives like a 1968 Cadillac." Rahal went with the Toyota Land Cruiser: "It's the ultimate urban assault vehicle." Healey and Yates, however, voted for the Jeep Grand Cherokee. "Chrysler kept it a real off-road machine," said Healey, "yet the Grand Cherokee actually performs better on-road than some of its supposedly more luxurious rivals." With its new V8 engine, Yates added, "the Jeep Grand Cherokee is Michael Jordan playing against PS 18."

Car We'd Like to Kiss Goodbye:General Motors caught all the flak here. Said Stevens, "Its 'doorstop' minivans are terrible. Whoever designed them must have really been into Buster Crabbe's Flash Gordon movies back in the Thirties." Gross agreed: "The auto press called the GM vans the dustbusters. They were ungainly, underpowered, awkward to drive and no match for the class-leading Chryslers." Davis and Healey hated the new GM J-Cars. "Pontiac's latest Grand Am has to be the ugliest car since the AMC Pacer," Healey said. "It looks as if it was created by a stylist on Quaaludes experiencing a coffee jag. "Davis picked on the standard, single-cam, Quad 4--powered Buick Skylark. "If only that engine made more power than noise," he said. Yates and Rahal singled out Chevy's pudgy Caprice, with the former calling it "an egregious statement of excess" and the latter claiming that it resembled "a Fifties styling exercise that should have stayed there."

That does it. Our panel of experts has gone on record again. But this year, there's at least one common thread to their voting. With a few correctable exceptions, they believe Detroit is building its best cars ever. A pitched battle for still more market share with Japanese car makers is in full cry. Even the Europeans are getting the message. They're finally cutting prices and tailoring their cars for American tastes. For readers seeking new wheels, your choices have never been better.

Playboy's Car of the Year

Playboys Pick of the Pack

--Playboy's Panel of Judges--

John Davis: As the producer and host of PBS's weekly automotive series Motor-week '93, Davis provides 4 million-plus television viewers with the latest in new-car information. But automobiles are not all work for this award-wining journalist. He has owned vintage Mustangs, a Corvette and a De Tomaso Pantera.

Ken Gross: As we went to press, Gross, Playboy's Contributing Automotive Editor, had just returned from Belgium, where he previewed the new Ferrari 456 Gt. The Belgian assignment was a typical one for this free-lance auto writer, who spends more than 75 percent of his time on the road pursuing dream machines.

James R. Healey: A newspaper journalist for more than two decades, Healey has covered everything from entertainment news to presidental campaign politics. Currently, he serves as the auto writer for USA Today, reaching more than 6 million readers with his automobile industry updates and reviews of new cars.

Bobby Rahal: After entering his first race at 17, Rahal went on to become one of the top drivers in the Indy Car racing series. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1982 and has won the Indianapolis 500 and three PPG Indy Car World Series Championships. To date, his victories total 24. But not for long, he says.

David Stevens: The hottest new electronic products, the best wines and liquors, fine food, great gadgets, exciting travel destinations and the world's sexiest automobiles-- that's the turf covered by Stevens, a 27-year Playboy veteran and our Modern Living Senior Editor in charge of the material stuff men love.

Brock Yates: A seasoned print and broadcast journalist/celebrity, Yates is an editor at large and featured columnist for both Car and Driver and Boating Magazine. He co-hosts the cable series American Sports Cavalcade and has authored several books, including a biography of the legendary automaker Enzo Ferrari.