Three picks for the road
These vehicles top the AutoShow shopping list if cash were no object
OK, so here’s a question that’s really hard for a car guy to answer: Which cars on display at the 2018 Canadian International AutoShow would I buy if money were no object? There are a lot of great cars on the market, which makes being selective really difficult.
Some would be easy to eliminate because they don’t suit my lifestyle, or because I’m not wild about the styling or performance. But even whittling down the field that way would still leave me with a huge shopping list.
And I’m not the kind of guy seeking to spend a fortune storing cars somewhere — even if I were super rich.
So, with that in mind, I’m going to pick three. Three works because it enables me to cover off all seasons, plus it lets me pick vehicles to suit specific roles: practical, comfortable, fun to drive, etc.
Admittedly, it’d be fun to just pick three six-figure supercars and be done with it, but I like to think even if I became wealthy, I wouldn’t take complete leave of my senses — reason would still exist in my rich-guy mind. (Of note: I have driven all of these cars within the last 12 months.)
OK, here we go.
Car 1: Nothing but fun
Audi TT RS Base MSRP: $72,900 I love the Audi TT RS. I’d drive it every day if I could, and thanks to Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive system and a good set of winter tires, it’s not a leap. Even in Canada.
The latest entry from the Audi Sport high-performance division is simply sublime: sexy, powerful and oh so fast. Built on the same platform as the RS 3 sedan, the TT RS is powered by a 2.5-litre turbocharged inline five-cylinder engine that cranks out 400 horsepower and 354 lb.-ft. of torque mated to a seven-speed S tronic (dual-clutch) automatic transmission and the aforemen- tioned quattro all-wheel drive.
Not surprisingly, the TT RS is bad fast: zero to 100 kilometres per hour in 3.7 seconds with a top speed of 250 km/h. An optional sport package ($1,750 extra) boosts that number to 280 km/h. All that performance comes wrapped in a beautiful design that has aged well since the first-generation TT debuted in 1998.
Sure, other cars might have more brand cachet but the TT RS was the car I had the most fun driving over the past year, and it’s easily on my favourite-drive list of all time.
It combines outstanding performance, cutting-edge technology (including Audi’s gorgeous virtual cockpit display), and a striking, distinctive design. Oh, and it doesn’t cost a fortune. Hard to do better than that.
Car 2: The daily driver
Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 Base MSRP: $52,695 The Infiniti Q50 is a quietly impressive sports sedan. It might not carry the same cachet as some of its rivals, but acquits itself quite well, especially in Red Sport 400 form.
The range-topping Q50 gets all of Infiniti’s best stuff, including a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 that produces 400 horsepower and 350 lb-ft. of torque, wider front air intakes, unique 19-inch wheels, and red painted brake calipers among other features.
For 2018, Infiniti has also given the Q50 a mild interior and exterior styling update, to provide a greater differentiation among models on the outside and a more refined interior on the inside.
The touch points, a nice mix of red-stitched leather, softer and stiffer plastics and metallic accents, look great and give the Q50 a rich, but not ostentatious look and feel.
On the road, the Q50 Red Sport is fast, quiet and comfortable in all of its six available driving modes (standard, eco, sport, sport+, snow and individual). The muted growl emitted from the 3.0L twin-turbo V6 is especially pleasing under acceleration in sport and sport+.
Infiniti engineers have done a fine job of letting just enough exhaust sound into the cabin to remind you that you’re indeed driving a sport sedan. Well done.
Car 3: Captain utility
Ford F-150 Raptor Base MSRP: $69,049 Full disclosure: I’m not a truck guy. I appreciate their utility, but most are completely wasted on daily runs to the office and grocery store. No one needs a truck for that stuff. That said, I’ve driven a number of trucks over the years and I can appreciate why so many like driving them: good visibility, excellent utility and ease of entry and exit.
The Ford F-150 Raptor has all of these going for it, wrapped in a readyfor-the-zombie-apocalypse offroad-ready exterior.
Part of the Ford Performance division, the Mad Max- style off-roader was all new for 2017 and is now part of the current F-150 family in terms of design, all-aluminum body construction and powertrain.
As such, it is now powered by a 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6 (450 hp / 510 lb-ft.) mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission.
As one can imagine it’s an absolute blast to drive off-road, less so on regular roads and it can be nightmare to park. Oh, and it’s thirsty, too.
But it’s also great for hauling and towing stuff, it has a very roomy interior and has a surprising amount of advanced technology. And for a truck, it’s a real head-turner.
There are more practical trucks out there, but none are as much fun.