Porsche Boxster S (2019)
While not the quickest Porsche model available, what the Boxster S trades in raw power it makes up for in pure cool factor. The Boxster S is reminiscent of the 914 in design, being a two-seat, topless, mid-engine rear-wheel drive sportscar. The similarities end there. For 2010 we saw the introduction of direct injection, electronic handling refinements, and possibly the coolest cup holders ever. Fully equipped, its best 0-60 time is right around five seconds. In its 鈥淪鈥?badging, the Boxster is propelled by a naturally aspirated 3.4-liter, flat-six that produces 310 horsepower and is mated to a six-speed gearbox. As an option, the seven-speed Doppelkupplungegetribe gets the shifting done for you using dual clutches. Don鈥檛 ask us how to pronounce that, but it keeps the Boxster S engaged in two gears at any one time, providing seamless, ultra smooth acceleration. With features like this, it鈥檚 little wonder the Boxster S is such a popular choice for Porsche fans.
Years ago, you really had one choice when it came to a safe cars - Volvo. Nobody else had the reputation for safety they did. Mercedes-Benz formed its own department for safety development 65 years ago, headed by Austrian engineer Bela Barenyi. That department became a hotbed of innovation for the carmaker. Those features demonstrate that Mercedes-Benz is really the source of modern automobile safety. They pioneered over 2,500 car safety inventions. In 2003, Mercedes introduced the PRE-SAFE system in some of its cars, which took Mercedes safety to another level. The system is designed to sense that an accident is imminent. When it does, the system swings into action to protect the driver and passengers. The simplest example is tightening the seat belts for extra protection, but that's only one step the system takes. The system is based on the concept that a panic stop, skid or rapid evasive maneuver signals an impending collision. At that point, the PRE-SAFE system prepares the vehicle for impact, and prepares various aspects of the passenger cabin to be a safety cocoon.
Seat belts tighten, headrests adjust automatically to help minimize neck injuries, windows and sunroofs close, seat air cushions inflate to keep passengers snugly in place. The Mercedes safety engineers even help protect kids. Their Automatic Child Seat Recognition (ACSR) system senses when a child safety seat is installed in the front passenger seat, and turns off the airbag. Mercedes has essentially created a real-life super car that lives up to the science fiction images we have seen on movie screens. The effect is drivers who walk away from accidents remarkably unhurt. In 2005, a report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety declared the Mercedes E-Class to be the car with the best occupant safety in the U.S. Mercedes makes a car that is easy to drive. There's no substitute for driver decisions and judgment in avoiding accidents. But what happens when the driver is not at fault? Accidents happen, even when we're driving safely and defensively.
As car enthusiasts, most of us can be forgiven for forgetting about BMW鈥檚 only roadster, the Z4. It鈥檚 easily the oldest car in its segment, a segment dominated by brand-spanking new cars like the Porsche 718 Boxster and Audi TT. Both of those aforementioned competitors are far newer, packed with better technology and are fresh in our mind. I recently needed to travel from south New Jersey up to New York State, a solid three hour drive each way. To serve as my steed for the journey, as well as the week following, the kind folks at BMW were kind enough to provide me with a Valencia Orange BMW Z4 sDrive28i with a six-speed manual. I鈥檒l be completely honest, when I first saw it, I had forgotten what it looked like and was surprised that BMW still had one to loan out. 鈥淢an, this thing鈥檚 ancient.鈥?I thought to myself, walking up to the bright orange roadster.