Distinguished product reviewer Consumer Reports has made the Porsche 911 its “Top Ultra-Performance Car” alongside other high-end sprinters in the market for its first review tests on performance and luxury cars. The 911 garners an “excellent” tag from the reviewers with its optimum acceleration, superior handling and performance braking.
In its October issue, Consumer Reports magazine gave the Porsche 911 a hands-down as it awarded the speedster as “Top Ultra-Performance Car” in its review of the best performance and luxury sports cars.
The Porsche 911 was faced-off against two other high performance cars, the Corvette Z06 and the V10-powered Dodge Viper but the 911 was hailed with an “Excellent” overall score. The Z06 was also given an “Excellent” rating and the Viper followed with a “Very Good” score. But it was the Viper that clocked in the fastest record in CR’s history with 60 mph in only 4.2 seconds.
CR also tested five other luxury sports cars which included Mercedes-Benz SL550, BMW 650i, Jaguar XK, Cadillac XLR and Lexus SC. The SL550 and the BMW 650i were the topnotchers for their category.
CR reportedly had this test to be the most expensive monthly test group in which the Consumers Union, the publisher of the magazine, had spent more that $650,000. Consumers Union stands to be an unbiased institution for it does not accept advertising or free test samples so as not to compromise the interests of the consumer. In the particular test, all vehicles were independently purchased by CR.
CR gave huge raves for the 911. “The 911 wowed us enough with its acceleration, handling, and braking for us to rate it our top sports car,” said Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center Senior Director David Champion. He also said that “The 911 is also easy to drive, but its much less expensive Boxster sibling performed almost as well.”
CR defined the 911 as “the epitome of agility and refinement in sports cars, yet it is relatively practical.” Testing with the 911 Carrera S which have probably cost about $87,520, the 355-hp, 3.8 liter six-cylinder sports car that consumes 20 mpg on premium gasoline won the hearts of the reviewers with its excellent handling and responsive six-speed manual transmission and excellent braking.
The 911 tied with the Viper for having the best brakes in the pool and was said to rank among the best that CR has ever tested with a stopping power from 113 feet after running 60 mph. The 911 also had the fastest speed record for CR’s emergency avoidance maneuver at 59.5 mph.
No comments: