2017 Ford Fusion: Updated and Sport-ified

With 300,000-plus U.S. sales to its credit last year, the Ford Fusion plays a key role in its maker’s plan to rule the auto world. And now, three years into its current generation, Ford has tweaked its mid-size offering to fortify its position against a host of competitors. The key addition is the revived Fusion Sport, which promises to raise a ruckus in suburbs overrun with Camrys thanks to its 325-hp twin-turbo V-6, all-wheel drive, and fortified chassis systems. Meanwhile, all five members of this sedan family receive fresh front fascias, revised interior trim, and significant infotainment upgrades for 2017.

With 10 or so competitors scrambling to stem buyer flight to crossovers, the traditional family sedan has become a hotbed of design and engineering. The bestselling Toyota Camry was refurbished a year ago, the Honda Accord was revamped this year, Nissan treated the 2016 Altima to a heavy facelift, and Chevy’s Malibu is new from tire treads to roof antenna. Ford’s dream is that this Fusion will rise up from its current fourth-place status to wound the mid-size masters.

Three distinct grille designs distinguish Fusion family members. A fashionable shiny-black mesh pattern adorns the $34,350 Sport model. That same motif with a bright chrome finish decorates the new Platinum trim level, which starts at $37,495. S (the entry model costing $22,995), SE, and Titanium Fusions have a five-bar grille that’s essentially a wider version of the 2016 front-end design. While the hood and front-fender sheetmetal is unchanged, LED head- and fog lamps now are standard or optional on Fusions.

The Fusion hybrid ($26,060) and Energi plug-in hybrid ($33,995) powertrains are unchanged save for new regenerative-braking calibrations. The engine lineup for other Fusions is also largely the same, too. A naturally aspirated 2.5-liter inline-four rated at 175 horsepower is the base engine. EcoBoost 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter four-cylinders have new dual-scroll turbochargers. (Expect nearly 200 horsepower for the 1.5 and about 250 for the 2.0-liter when final output ratings are released.) An eight-speed automatic is standard in all nonhybrid Fusions.

The only notable chassis news concerns the firmer damper, anti-roll bar, and spring-rate calibrations engineered for the Fusion Sport. Continuously controlled damping technology shared with the Lincoln MKZ reads an array of sensors every three milliseconds to adjust the shock absorbers within 30 to 50 milliseconds. Fusion chief engineer Bill Strickland calls this a “pothole detection” strategy. While that may be a stretch, these electronic dampers should be capable of nicely balancing comfort and body control. The front brake rotors are significantly larger, and 19-inch wheels wrapped with Goodyear Eagle performance radials are standard Sport fare.

Inside, to clear the way for more accessible cupholders and storage bins, the Fusion’s shift lever has been replaced by a rotating knob, just like the one in the new Ford GT, as a matter of fact. (Thankfully, it does not rise out of hiding for use, à la Jaguar and Land Rover.) An S position in the Sport model calls up a more aggressive shift schedule, which also can be commanded by new wheel-mounted shift paddles. Those handy paddles are available as optional equipment in other trim levels. The Fusion Sport is fitted with firmly bolstered front buckets trimmed with leather and perforated microsuede. Diamond quilting covers the softer Platinum and Titanium seats.

The new Fusion also reinforces its tech arsenal, which now features automatic parking, adaptive cruise control, automatic collision-avoidance braking, lane-keeping assist, lane-departure warning, a drowsy-driver alert, and engine stop-start as standard or optional equipment. Sync 3, which Ford announced late in 2014 as its MyFord Touch replacement, will be a Fusion option. The new system enables Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, 4G LTE, and other essential apps. Siri will help iPhone users retrieve maps and messages should a user prefer not to do touchscreens. Android users will have Google at their disposal for searches, maps, and music.

But wait, there’s more. One app collaborates with the Fusion’s GPS and mileage information to offer access to AAA member services, handy for locating fuel stations and shopping pump prices. A mobile version of the Concur expense-reporting app logs mileage in a journal for expediting expense accounting for business users. Eventseeker finds entertainment goings-on while Cityseeker offers restaurant and nightlife guidance. 4G LTE technology lets the owner locate a parked vehicle, start the engine, read the fuel gauge, and unlock the doors via their smartphone.

Making amends for the rocky Microsoft connectivity era, Ford helped develop open-source software called SmartDeviceLink (SDL), labeling the version it uses AppLink. Toyota recently signed on to this software, and Honda, Subaru, and Mazda are seriously considering its use, according to Ford. The fond hope is that SDL becomes the accepted industry standard for car owners to use their phone apps on the road. At January’s Consumer Electronics Show, Ford’s executive director of connected vehicle services noted, “Customers throughout the industry benefit if everybody speaks one language.” AppLink already has spread globally into some 5 million Ford vehicles, and the expectation is that 28 million will use it by the end of this decade.

Dealers should have the 2017 Fusions in stock by May of this year, except for the hot-rod Sport edition, which arrives by late summer. With five trim levels and six powertrains to its credit, the rejuvenated Fusion offers countless excellent reasons not to join the crossover herd.

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2016 Lamborghini Aventador LP750-4 SV

“Crazy acceleration.”

That’s what we were promised by, of all things, a PowerPoint slide during the presentation of the new 2016 Lamborghini Aventador SV as we geared up for some lap time at Spain’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. It’s not often we see “crazy,” with all it implies, during a press presentation, especially by a company hocking its own product, but there it was.

Lamborghini wasn’t calling the whole car crazy, only the acceleration, but it might as well have been. First off, the SV (which stands for “Superveloce,” or “superfast”) packs the same tune for its V-12 as did the hyperexpensive, only-three-were-sold-to-the-public Veneno. It’s Lambo’s most powerful V-12, and it leverages optimized variable valve timing, a new exhaust system, and a higher redline (now 8500 rpm, up from 8350) to raise output to 740 horsepower at 8400 rpm. Torque remains at the same level as in the non-SV Aventador: 509 lb-ft at 5500 rpm. But while the dorsal-finned Veneno’s calling card was its crazy styling, the Superveloce is intended solely to circle a racetrack as quickly as possible. Which it does, having just lapped the Nürburgring in less than seven minutes. Only a “crazy” car can do that.

Helping matters is the claimed weight loss of 110 pounds. That comes courtesy of composite rear fenders and rocker panels, as well as a manually adjustable carbon-fiber wing and fixed C-pillar aero scoops in place of the electronically actuated wing and scoops on the standard Aventador. There’s also much less sound insulation and carpeting (leaving the sexy carbon-fiber structure largely exposed), plus thinly padded fixed-back carbon-fiber racing seats. Other consequential changes include the fitment of lightweight (and gorgeous) new wheels, lateral strut-type magnetic shocks (a production-car first, says Lamborghini), and variable-ratio steering that reduces lock-to-lock motion, particularly with the drive systems in the most aggressive mode, Corsa.

During our laps on the circuit, the first thing we noticed was the sound, carefully engineered to let in the harmonics of the engine but not the less-desirable transmission chatter. The result is a raw, wicked wail that easily drowned out the directions we were being given over an in-car radio issued by Lamborghini.

Lamborghini test pilota Marco Passerini led us around the track, and he wasn’t shy as a driver (or a person), quickly establishing a rapid pace through Catalunya’s 16 corners. Thanks to the SV’s brilliant Haldex-based all-wheel-drive system and bespoke Pirelli rubber—10 inches wide up front, 14 (!) out back—we didn’t feel the need to be shy, either. Grip is everywhere, and, yes, acceleration is absolutely ballistic. Connecting the turns with full-throttle bursts, we were pinned to the seats; by taking each gear all the way to redline, we regularly saw speeds just below 170 mph at the end of the front straight, usually lifting before the braking point lest we get too up close and personal with Passerini’s (slightly) slower, regular-grade Aventador.

Such explosive acceleration means that corners come up, ahem, super fast. More than once we found ourselves charging into a corner so rapidly we felt sure we were toast, but standing on the massive carbon-ceramic brakes yanked the car down reliably so we could hit our turn-in marks and carve across the apex.

Some credit for the stupefying abilities demonstrated by the car can be issued to the astounding high-speed downforce—up by 170 percent, says Lamborghini—which helps keep those fat Pirellis adhered to the pavement during such pucker-inducing braking. As if to prove the point, we watched the rear of Passerini’s car dance around under full brakes while the rear of our car stayed put.

It took a few corners, however, to get used to the new variable-ratio steering. Between the right-now braking, the proactive magnetic dampers keeping things flat, and the extremely quick steering in Corsa mode, turn-in is so immediate that our first laps included making many minor midcorner corrections. We also toggled between Sport and Corsa modes, finding Sport to be amazing in its own right, but we liked the latter even more once we became acclimated to the steering. Corsa also offers hyperspeed shift times and a more textured ride quality than do the slightly softer Sport and softer-still Strada modes.

Back in the pits, we exited the car with a sort of wonder and appreciation for the world—the violence and rawness of the experience had us feeling like we’d had multiple near-death experiences in the span of 10 minutes. Even after multiple sessions, our internal dialogue remained the same: First: “I’m alive.” Second: “What an awesome car.” Third: “My brain might explode, that was so incredible.”

As is the case with most sports cars, lower mass means better performance. Lower mass also usually means more money, and in Lamborghini terms, the cost is precisely $88,400 more than the non-SV model. Bespoke treatments will jack up the price even more, and only 600 SVs will be built. According to several Lamborghini officials present—including CEO Stephan Winkelmann—a future Aventador SV roadster is “possible.” Wink. Nod. Grin. Got it. Figure on a price point about $50K higher, and about 100 pounds of weight added back in. Might that make it slower? It could. Would it still be crazy? You’re damn skippy.

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2016 Ferrari F12tdf

To build its latest red-blooded creation, Ferrari first ruined a perfectly good car. In transforming the sure-footed F12berlinetta grand tourer into the fast-and-loose, apex-hounding F12tdf, Ferrari engineers deconstructed the stability that’s inherent in the F12’s long wheelbase, its substantial weight, and its high polar moment of inertia relative to mid-engined cars. The front tires grew in width from 255 millimeters to 285 millimeters, an aggressive alignment boosted turn-in and lateral grip, and—with no change to the rear tire width—a fickle, oversteering monster was born. One Ferrari chassis engineer described the team’s work bluntly: “First, we screwed up the car.”

With the chassis suitably squirrelly, engineers applied the brand’s first use of rear-wheel steering to dial in just enough stability to make the car manageable and predictable. Ferrari calls the resulting package Passo Corto Virtuale, or virtual short wheelbase, and it shrinks the F12tdf’s 107.1-inch wheelbase and 3600-pound curb weight to Miata-like sensations. Okay, maybe the F12tdf doesn’t drive quite that small and nimble, but it more than compensates with the uncanny precision that $490,000 buys.

Virtual Short Wheelbase, Real-World Awesome

The F12tdf worms its way into your psyche with delicate, light steering that is direct, immediate, and unforgiving. Spin the steering wheel too fast or too far and the rear responds just the same, rotating too fast or too far. Get it right, though, and the car darts where you look with the rear tires faithfully following the front end in a tight, tidy arc. It’s ironic that the steering feels like the most special of the F12tdf’s specialties, because while Ferrari massaged the F12’s engine, transmission, suspension, brakes, and aerodynamics for the F12tdf program, the hydraulically assisted steering system is the one component left unchanged.

The electric motors that steer the rear wheels at up to two degrees in either direction come from ZF, but Ferrari engineers performed all of the software calibration to ensure the system works in harmony with the electronically controlled limited-slip differential, the magnetorheological shocks, the traction control, and the stability control. As you click the steering-wheel-mountedmanettino drive-mode selector from Sport mode to Race to CT Off (traction control off), the car’s agility swells. Neutral is the wrong word, though, because neutral implies a car that can be provoked to understeer as readily as it oversteers. The F12tdf’s front tires only plow when you do something truly stupid.

Modern rear-wheel-steering systems, including those in the big-dog Porsche 911s, typically countersteer relative to the front wheels at low speeds to improve agility and steer in the same direction for greater stability at elevated velocities. Ferrari claims its adaptation doesn’t need to countersteer the rear wheels; the natural behavior of the car is sufficiently agile. Instead, the Italians need only the enhanced stability to keep the tail from overtaking the front of the car in corners.

Ferrari’s previous track special, the aptly named 458 Speciale, can turn any driver into a hero with its beautiful balance and unflappable cool. That mid-engined car’s reactions will flatter you into believing your every move is a flawless execution of vehicle-dynamics theory. The F12tdf is far less forgiving. It demands more focus, more skill, and more respect. In return, it delivers honest fun that is both uncommon and uncanny in a car with this much power and this much grip.

Oh, Did We Mention the 769-hp V-12?

Think of it as a testament to just how alive and intoxicating the chassis is that it’s taken some 550 words to get around to the 6.3-liter V-12, because the drama of unleashing all 769 horsepower is man’s greatest tribute to the internal-combustion engine. At full throttle, it bellows like a thousand angelic trumpets ushering you into car-guy heaven as the revs wind up like a crotch rocket’s.

The F12tdf musters an additional 39 horsepower and 11 lb-ft of torque over the standard F12 with the help of a new air-filter box, revised intake plumbing, and a larger throttle body. Solid lifters replace hydraulic tappets. The resulting weight reduction allows Ferrari to add more valve lift to the intake-cam profile and to raise the rev limiter from 8700 rpm to 8900 rpm. Variable-length intake runners use telescoping trumpets within the intake plenum to shrink or stretch the runner length for optimized airflow. In the F12tdf, Ferrari uses just two distinct positions—short and long—but future cars may take advantage of the fact that the position of the trumpets is continuously variable between the boundary conditions.

Shorter gear ratios throughout the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transaxle are augmented with quicker shift times. We project a 2.8-second blast to 60 mph on the way to a 10.8-second assault on the quarter-mile. The always-on nature of the big-displacement, naturally aspirated 12-cylinder engine demands a delicate right foot on corner exit, but the pedal obliges with long, linear travel. When it’s time to reverse thrust, a brake pedal with just as much fidelity activates a carbon-ceramic braking system borrowed from the LaFerrari hypercar.

Lighter, But Still Luxurious

Ferrari intends the F12tdf to be a car that owners will drive to the track, at the track, and back home from the track. But in readying the F12 for regular track service, the suspension has lost some suppleness. Even with the dampers set to their more compliant mode, the F12tdf skims over humps in the road like a skipped rock. In city driving, the F1 dual-clutch transmission isn’t as velvety as Porsche’s or McLaren’s gearboxes, particularly in off-throttle downshifts. Overall, though, the F12tdf remains a civilized road car. While lighter microsuede replaces leather and carpets have been removed altogether, Ferrari still fits a radio, navigation, and air conditioning.

Ferrari stripped a total of 243 pounds from the F12. A chunk of that weight comes from reducing the amount of glass on the car by tapering the rear window and shrinking the rear-quarter windows until the transparent section is no larger than an iPhone. Carbon fiber is now used for the door skins inside and out, plus the front and rear fascias. And while the rest of the body panels are still aluminum, the roof and the A-pillars are the only pieces that carry over from the F12. The bevy of dive planes, spats, and spoilers increase downforce to more than 500 pounds at 124 mph. While they’re added for functional purposes, the cooling and aerodynamic changes also create something visually striking. The righteous louvered fenders bulging around the rear tires are both an homage to classic Ferraris and a carnal suggestion of what the car is capable of. Ferrari may have taken one step backward to start work on the F12tdf, but its finished product is miles ahead of the F12 in driving excitement.

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2016 Jaguar XF

When this Jaguar XF arrives in the States next year, no one will ask, “Is that the new Jag?” But the 2016 XF is entirely new, it just doesn’t look as new as it is. When the XFfirst debuted in late 2007, it broke Jaguar sedans away from the old-world aesthetic they’d been mining since the 1960s. Gone were the four round headlights, the lavish chrome, and the slavish devotion to the British firm’s heyday. It was the new Jaguar. We were so smitten by the XF’s design and dynamics that we put it on our 10Best list in 2009. As the first modern Jaguar you could drive without looking like you’d borrowed your great uncle’s car, its rejection of retro design made it possible for the rest of the Jaguar lineup to shake some of the design vestiges of the 1950s and ’60s. But as the XF enters its second generation, it has emerged looking a lot like its predecessor, which is now an old Jaguar.

Even if it doesn’t advance Jaguar design like its predecessor, the 2016 XF is still a damn good sequel. Its shape retains the aggression you expect of a brand named after a predatory cat. The XF isn’t likely to become the avatar of the gray-haired, but rather the gray-templed. Despite looking like the old XF, no sheetmetal is shared. “A few screws are all that we kept,” says Mike Bradley, senior launch manager. Put old and new next to each other and the new car’s nose appears more blunt, the side glass more upright, and the tail longer. The added length is simply a visual trick, though, as the XF is about the same size as before. The new platform offers two inches of extra wheelbase, but the car is a fraction of an inch shorter overall and lower. In the wind tunnel, the new car’s body is more slippery, boasting a claimed 0.26 Cd to the old car’s 0.29.

Aluminum Everywhere

Look underneath the bodywork, and it’s likely you’ll be eyeing a piece of aluminum. The XF’s aging Ford architecture that dated back to the Lincoln LS and the baroque Jaguar S-type is dead and buried. Aside from the doors, the trunklid, and the rear floorpan, the XF’s architecture is made up of bonded and riveted aluminum castings, extrusions, and stampings. The new platform is shared with the smaller XE, but according to Jaguar, only 20 percent of the XF is shared with the XE. What we find curious is that the doors and trunklid are steel. Saving weight by making door skins and trunklids out of aluminum is a relatively easy and obvious way to shave pounds. So why are the doors and trunklid steel? “It’s done to improve weight distribution,” says Bradley.

There is a bit more steel hidden away in the XF. For example, behind the stamped B-pillar is a high-strength-steel insert that bolsters rigidity and improves side-impact crashworthiness. A cast-magnesium crossbar hides behind the instrument panel and another cast-magnesium piece ties together the front structure. In all, the XF’s unibody is said to consist of 75 percent aluminum and be 28 percent more rigid. In all-wheel-drive V-6 guise, the car will weigh 265 pounds less than before, which would put it at about 4150 pounds. (The last supercharged AWD XF we weighed came in at 4385.)

Powering Up

When the XF goes on sale next year, the available engine will be the current XF’s 3.0-liter supercharged V-6. In base versions, the 60-degree V-6 again inhales from a twin-vortex supercharger, has its thirst slaked via direct fuel injection, and turns out 340 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque. This model, dubbed the XF 35t, will start at $52,895, a price drop of about $5000 from last year’s V-6 XF.

A 380-hp version of the same V-6 (as seen in the F-type) will be available, too. The extra power is due to zeros and ones and not any physical differences—the engine is mechanically identical to the 340-horse version. Jaguar didn’t reveal what the 380-hp option will cost in the 35t, but the sportier XF S with the higher-output six will start at $63,695. All-wheel drive will be optional. The rear-biased all-wheel-drive system is similar to its predecessor and can send power forward on demand, but the transfer case now has a chain drive instead of gears. Quiet operation is said to be the major advantage of the chain, but it’s also 16 percent lighter and 10 percent more efficient.

Moving Out

Over the road, the XF is quiet, even with the 2.0-liter turbo-diesel that Jaguar had us sample first. A cold start did make us think that it might be powered by a vibrating iPhone, but once warm and on the road its NVH lessened considerably. This diesel is part of Jaguar’s in-house-engineered Ingenium engine family. When the diesel arrives in the States in the middle of 2016, it will have 180 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque and may surpass 40 mpg on the highway. Jaguar hasn’t announced pricing for the diesel, but it did promise that it will start at less than $50,000.

We also experienced the supercharged V-6s that will go on sale first. We drove both rear- and all-wheel-drive versions in the 380-hp tune. Equipped with a balance shaft, the V-6 doesn’t make much noise, even as it spins right past its 6000-rpm redline and hits its governor near 7000 rpm. There’s a mellow rumble from the engine but no supercharger whine. The eight-speed automatic transmission snaps off shifts quickly and with ease. In Jaguar’s estimation, an all-wheel-drive 380-hp V-6 will run from zero to 60 mph in 5.0 seconds; we figure it’ll be a bit quicker. In our last test of a 340-hp 2015 XF with AWD, we managed a zero-to-60 time of 5.3 seconds. When asked about the possibility of V-8 versions, Jaguar reps smirked, but they aren’t ready to confirm anything.

Some of what the XF shares with the new XE is in the chassis. The independent rear suspension, made mostly of aluminum, comes from the XE. In front, the double wishbone is an adapted version of what’s in the F-type. Two suspension setups will be offered, a standard version with conventional shocks and an optional one with electronic shocks that can adjust damping on their own or via driver input. The roads in Spain where we sampled the cars are glassy smooth, the country apparently having spent its last Euro on road construction, so it’s difficult to judge the ride quality. On these roads the XF is taut but never harsh. Body control is excellent and the XF drives smaller and feels lighter than the German cars in its class.

The electric power steering comes across as light, but it imparts a sense of liveliness. While our European-market test cars were equipped with summer tires, American versions will get all-season rubber that likely will reduce grip and steering feel, but we’ll have to wait and see. It is theoretically possible to order summer tires for the XF, but Jaguar reps tell us it’ll be a special-order situation.

Inside the Shell

Like the exterior, the interior of the XF is a modernization of the themes established by its predecessor. The air vents still open like miniature garage doors; the gear selector is still a small dial that rises when you push the start button. In the center of the instrument panel is a large touch screen that features Jaguar’s latest infotainment system, InControl. On the standard version, phone, audio, and navigation functions, as well as the home screen, have a button for quick access. Once within the system though, there are no redundant controls, so you have to tap the screen to enter a point of interest into the navigation system or tune in a radio station. Response time is good, but it would take some getting used to before we were comfortable using it in traffic. Below the big touch screen are actual buttons that manage the climate-control system. We’d rather have volume and tuning knobs than HVAC buttons. Some audio functions can be controlled via the steering-wheel buttons, but we adjust the radio far more often than the climate control.

An InTouch Pro system with greater functionality will be optional. The Pro version features a larger screen that doesn’t have buttons, but the main screen can be personalized so that the functions you use most are immediately accessible. Opting for InTouch Pro also replaces the mechanical gauges in the cluster with a large configurable TFT screen that can display a large map from the navigation system, and it can show several different gauges that mimic mechanical gauges. Switch the car to Dynamic mode and the speedo and tachometer trade places, with the tach taking center stage.

In-car Wi-Fi will be available and the XF also will feature an app that allows the owner to monitor their car’s mileage, whereabouts, and fuel level. The app will also allow you to start the car, set the interior temperature, turn on the heated or cooled seats, and lock and unlock the doors. Tesla and other manufacturers have offered these capabilities for a couple of years, but they’re new to Jaguar.

Without a formal comparison test, and without driving the finalized U.S. version, we’re not quite ready to lock in the XF’s position in the mid-size luxury-sedan segment. But we can say that the new XF feels more lithe, involving, and playful than the usual suspects from Germany (the Audi A6, BMW 5-series, and the Mercedes-Benz E-class). While it isn’t as aggressive as the sports-car-aping Cadillac CTS Vsport, and its primary controls lack the dogged alertness of the Cadillac’s, it’s not far off. It does have a more pleasing interior than the CTS, and the Jag's supercharged V-6 is smoother than, if not as powerful as, the American car’s twin-turbo six. But this is just the first version of the new XF. Sportier and more powerful versions are undoubtedly on the drawing board.

For other Jaguar's car's you can find it jaguar.

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Tesla Model S P90D

Tesla’s product architect, Elon Musk, must have been watching a Mel Brooks marathon on TNT when he picked “Ludicrous Speed,” straight out of Spaceballs, as the tag for the fastest acceleration mode in his Model S P90D. And indeed, one must have balls from outer space to fully exploit this car’s launch performance. To sort heroic acts from hype, we ran this electric missile through our test gantlet with, shall we say, shocking results.

Cutting to the chase, it’s the first production car with four doors to crack the 3.0-second zero-to-60-mph barrier, doing it in 2.8 seconds. In 30-to-50-mph passing acceleration, it trumps the Tesla Roadster Sport’s all-time record run of 1.5 seconds, also by two-tenths of a second. The P90D’s 11.1-second, 121-mph quarter-mile run, achieved with no hint of tire smoke or exhaust ruckus, merits VIP parking at NHRA headquarters. The Model S P85D in Insane mode, formerly the quickest Tesla, was a half-second slower to 60 and 0.7 second and 7 mph poki­er in the quarter-mile.

Due care is necessary to achieve these results. Options that add ballast, including the Model S’s huge sunroof, rear-facing seats, and second battery charger, must be avoided. It’s a $38,000 upgrade from a base Model S 70 rear-drive version to obtain the most-potent electric motors, the four-wheel drive, and the long-range 90-kWh battery pack. Then add the $10,000 ­Ludicrous Speed option to enable the on-demand disappearing services. A full ­cardiac work-up is recommended for ­anyone interested in experiencing Tesla’s ­latest abuse of common sense.

Maximum acceleration is available only when the battery’s state of charge is above 95 percent and “max battery perform­ance mode” is set on the control screen. When we test, we average two acceleration runs in opposite directions to eliminate wind and grade effects. Normally that’s no issue, but because the Model S’s performance deteriorates with heat build-up in the battery pack, controllers, wiring, and electric motors, pausing at least three minutes between acceleration runs is necessary.

This Tesla’s exploitation of Newtonian physics tops anything you’re likely to encounter this side of an amusement park or the Navy’s flight school. Nailing the right pedal vents a massive torque gush, and weird, wonderful, and addictive bursts of dopamine flood your brain’s pleasure center when this tsunami sloshes the juice in your inner ear.

GOLLY G’s

Checking our data bank for outliers, we found this Tesla ranks fourth among five cars capable of averaging more than 1.0 g during the first second of acceleration:

Porsche 911 Turbo S ................................. 1.25
Lamborghini Huracán LP610-4 ................ 1.19
Porsche 918 Spyder .................................. 1.14
Tesla Model S P90D .................................. 1.12
Audi R8 V-10 Plus ...................................... 1.08

And we’d add an honorable mention for the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 at 0.95 g.

That’s the beauty of chambering 713 pound-feet of torque into a four-wheel-driver weighing 4842 pounds. Sir Isaac didn’t lie when he told you great things are possible without bending or bruising his second law of motion. You hope the rush lasts to orbital escape velocity but, alas, it soon peters out. Roll alongside a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat at 40 mph, for example, and the Mopar beats the Tesla to 150 mph by more than six seconds.

An interesting consolation race would be to see whether the Hellcat or the P90D would be the first to deplete its fuel supply. For now, we are satisfied in the knowledge that this is the quickest production four-door ever conceived.

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2016 Nissan Altima

There’s an interesting phenomenon that happens in Olympic competition, wherein silver medalists tend to feel less satisfied with their accomplishment than those who win bronze. Call it the “second place is just the first loser” principle, but runners-up are seemingly tormented by not winning, whereas those finishing third are more likely to recognize the accomplishment of beating nearly everyone in the world.

It’s that attitude that informs the fifth-generation Nissan Altima, which has had a lock on third place in mid-size-sedan sales since it was introduced in summer 2012. Confident in the Altima’s near-universal appeal, Nissan’s mid-life-cycle refresh for 2016 is concerned more with reinforcing the car’s desirability than amending weaknesses. After all, moving over a million units of any automobile is an accomplishment.

More in the Family

The most obvious updates to the new Altima come in its new front and rear fascias, which now resemble those of the Murano and the new Maxima. Fresh head- and taillights necessitated sheetmetal changes to the hood, fenders, and trunk, making this more of an overhaul than is usual in the industry. The look certainly works to give the Altima a more current family resemblance, although this styling language still seems awkward to our eyes. Especially if there’s a Mazda 6 parked nearby.

Updates are less apparent inside, but Nissan has applied some of the same patterned plastic trim that first debuted in the Murano. The Altima-specific design looks something like fossilized leaves preserved in amber, and it’s bound to frustrate owners in the way it seems dirty when it catches the light just so. But the cabin remains a quiet and comfortable place to while away a commute, thanks to improved insulation and acoustic laminated glass. Some road noise does filter through, but an improved version of Nissan’s continuously variable transmission no longer drones away at high rpm. The so-called “D-step” CVT, borrowed from the Murano and Maxima, instead behaves like a traditional automatic, dropping revs to emulate an upshift.

Engines carry over from last year, although the 2.5-liter four-cylinder gets some small efficiency tweaks including a bump in compression ratio from 10.0:1 to 10.3:1. Horsepower and torque are unchanged at 182 and 180 lb-ft, respectively, as is the coarse groan of the ancient engine whenever it’s really pushed. But combined with underbody panels, active grille shutters, and the fuel-sipping transmission, the tweaked four-cylinder allows the Altima to achieve a 1-mpg gain in highway fuel-economy testing. Nissan says the car will carry EPA ratings of 39 mpg on the highway, 27 mpg in the city, and 31 combined.

Enter the SR

The evergreen VQ V-6 with 3.5 liters of displacement and 270 horsepower returns (with a CVT, natch), even as Nissan expects it to account for only six percent of sales. That’s actually twice the volume in the outgoing car; Nissan’s projections are based on the introduction of a new SR trim. This is largely a handling package, although SR cars will get some mild aesthetic enhancements including a small spoiler and unique interior trim.

our-cylinder SR models sit in the middle of the pricing range, starting at $25,295, and a V-6 Altima in SR trim will set you back $28,215. The base price for the Altima is up $200 from last year, to $23,325, while increases on other trims can add as much as $740 to the MSRP.

Sadly enough, Nissan didn’t have any V-6 cars of any trim level available to drive at its launch event, but we did get to try out the four-cylinder SR and came away encouraged. Being saddled with an old engine and a CVT, Nissan’s engineers were constrained in what they could do to make a sportier Altima. Taking that into consideration, the SR comes off as well as can be imagined.

Nissan tells us the standard Altima has slightly stiffer rear springs that reduce body roll a bit from last year, yet the SR improves on this with thicker tubular anti-roll bars and a unique damper calibration. In the front, the standard Altima’s 22.2-mm bar is replaced with one that is 24.2 mm in diameter, and in the rear a 26.5-mm bar replaces the standard 22-mm one, changes that Nissan says reduce body roll by 21 percent. The revisions to the suspension also help the Altima’s brake-based torque-vectoring system better assist the car in turning. We can expect an oddly specific 12.5-percent improvement in grip once we get the Altima SR out on the skidpad, says Nissan.

The Altima’s electrohydraulic power steering has been reprogrammed across the lineup for a weightier feel and a bit more feedback, and on the street the SR feels poised and well-planted. Add its standard 18-inch wheels and column-mounted shift paddles to exercise a bit of control over the CVT, and the SR is certainly the most appealing Altima, even if it falls short of being a true mainstream sports sedan. Whether or not it remains third in the sales race, the updated Altima should leave its legions of buyers satisfied.

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2016 Infiniti QX60 Gets a Nip and a Tuck (That's the FWD-Based, Three-Row One)

Infiniti was early to the luxury-crossover party with its FX (now known as the QX70), an aggressive, rear-drive-based offering that boasted lots of style and performance but not much practicality. As distinctive as it was—and still is—the FX/QX70 was destined to remain a niche player. Seeking to move into the heart of the family-friendly market, Infiniti launched the JX for 2013—and then changed its name to QX60 for 2014. The more commodious, three-row entry sits in a sweet spot in the market, but unlike Infiniti’s other SUV models, it has a close kin in U.S. Nissan showrooms, the Pathfinder. Three years on, the QX60 is getting a mid-cycle update to help keep it in the hunt against newer competitors such as the Acura MDX and the Volvo XC90.

That update consists mostly of refinements, with a smidgen of new styling thrown in. Taking the latter first, we see a new, more rounded front-end design with new headlights (bixenon with LED daytime running lights) and a new grille. A larger Infiniti logo sits smack in the middle of the mesh grillework, and the lower fascia has been redesigned, as well, and incorporates LED fog lights. At the rear, the taillights, hatch, and bumper have been tweaked. There also are new wheel designs.

Refinements are concentrated in the area of NVH and driving demeanor. To quell NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness), Infiniti has added acoustic side glass and retuned the engine mounts. To inject some life into the experience behind the wheel, the company has revised the suspension with new springs and dampers, promising reduced body roll with improved ride quality at the same time. A quicker steering ratio should make for livelier response to inputs.

Powertrains remain as before, with Nissan’s long-serving 3.5-liter VQ V-6 sitting transversely under the hood, attached to a CVT. Output is 265 horsepower and 248 lb-ft of torque. A hybrid powertrain also is available. It pairs a supercharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder with an electric motor. In total, the gas-electric system musters 250 horsepower and 243 lb-ft. Either powertrain can be ordered with front- or all-wheel drive. The QX60 is sold in a single trim level, but a total of seven option packages—some of them new for 2016—allow buyers a degree of customization.

In all, it’s a modest update, but that may be all that’s needed given the number of buyers flowing into this segment. After all, sales of the QX60 are up more than 20 percent this year.

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Volkswagen Polo GTI review - can it compete with the Fiesta ST?

Volkswagen’s new Polo GTi is a big step up from the car it replaces, and not just because it is no longer hampered by the 1.4-litre twincharged engine and DSG-only gearbox. However, the bar wasn’t exactly set that high to start with and ultimately the new Polo GTi is a good Polo rather than an exceptional hot hatch. 

It’s biggest failing is that it doesn’t feel genuinely quick, with a flat performance delivery and a chassis that is capable rather than captivating. If VW could hand the Polo GTi over to the same engineers responsible for the Golf R then the baby GTi may finally be in a position to challenge the class leaders.

There have been three generations of Polo GTI before and, before that, the borderline bonkers supercharged G40 - but none has guarded its Golf GTI-aping calibrations quite so preciously as this one.

Volkswagen must be hoping that attention to detail pays off because, up to now, its 'baby' GTI hasn't been a hit with British drivers, accounting for roughly two percent of Polo sales in the UK, whereast the full-size GTI currently ratchets up a much healthier 15 percent of Golf purchases. By aligning the pair more closely, this hotter Polo GTI's share of sales should improve.

By cloning the Golf GTI and resizing it with the subtlest of iPad finger swipes, Volkswagen has turned the Polo GTI into a very good car, but a Fiesta ST is still a more engaging hot hatch - David Vivian, contributing editor.

The Sport Performance Kit is worth the investment as it can add a bit of extra spark to the less than exciting engine. It's also worth upgrading to the Discover Pro sat nav on the options sheet, as it's very good indeed.

Performance and 0-62 time > On paper, the Polo GTI is amongst the fastest hot hatches. But on the road it lacks any sense of urgency. 

Ride and handling > The Polo is planted, offering ample grip with no sharp surprises. But this solid handling also restricts fun, as the Polo would rather hold its line than dance around underneath you. 

Engine and gearbox > The engine's lack of urgency translates into a fairly tame feeling powertrain. Though acceleration is strong, the way power delivery peaks through the mid-range ensures the Polo GTI feels like a standard hatch with poke rather than an out-and-out hot hatch. 

Prices, specs and rivals > Many rivals undercut the GTI for price, but the VW's build quality is second-to-none.  

Interior and tech > The car's touchscreen is also amongst the very best in class, though screen graphics look a little dated. 

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