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outside my window giving me the finger. WiLLiaM Peterson GarlaNd, texas
My brain still reeling, I accept four above three, but only in math. BoB shaW JacksoNville, florida SarcaSm SeizureS
Ho-hum, another supercar comparo [“Street Cars Named Desire,” November 2009]. Now, an article on all the classic cars behind them in the lead photo taken in Ypsilanti, Michigan, that would have been interesting! Mike Pedersen North Berwick, MaiNe
Wow! A Corvette beat a Mustang in “The Battle for America’s Best Sports Car!” How many times has that happened? Umpteen? Isn’t that in the news category of “Dog Bites Man”? Next month, why don’t you test the same two cars in “The Battle for America’s Best Pony Car!” Just a wild guess, but I bet the Mustang wins that one. Lee WiLLiaMs GleNdale, califorNia
That’s sarcasm, isn’t it? “Dog Bites Man”—that was the tip-off, right? But not as subtle as this next guy—Ed. BmW GreaSed!
Sweet merciful crap!!! The Audi S4 beat your beloved BMW 335i in a comparison test [November 2009]? How is this possible? Were you guys high on something? I think I see Jesus
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f ebrua ry 2 010
Your comparison spilled some ink to explain why the two cars are comparable in cost despite the inflated as-tested price of the Audi S4. Unfortunately, it appears that Audi has pulled a fast one because the Drive Select system isn’t available on the base S4. One can get the sport differential on the base S4, but to get the full electronic suspension package, a buyer must step up to the Prestige trim level. The leastexpensive S4 with Drive Select is nearly $57K. That price overlaps with the M3’s. CarL FriddLe houstoN, texas
The base S4 is indeed available with the Drive Select package, including the trick diff, all for $50,675. Audi expects to sell most S4s for about $50,000, right where a fairly loaded 335i lands and $6975 less than the base M3 sedan, which has a V-8 (and 81 more horses than the Audi). We could have compared our loaded test car against a base M3, but we thought it wiser to match it with the very comparably priced and spec’d—mechanically speaking—335i—Ed.
I take issue with your assertion that the “additional weight, extra body roll, and inferior weight balance of a four-wheeldrive 335i hinder the overall performance.” Check out www. fastestlaps.com, where you will find that, of 480 vehicles tested by Auto Zeitung (a German enthusiast publication) on its test track, the ’08 335xi AWD sedan ranks 50th (lap time of 1:43.1). The 335i rear-drive coupe ranks 89th (1:45.8). I understand that conditions could have been different, but 2.7 seconds is an eternity, especially on a short track such as this.
The Mercedes SLS looks like someone put a Miata hardtop on it and the car was then rearended. Compared with a Dodge Viper, the SLS is 150 pounds heavier; is down 40 horsepower and 80 pound-feet of torque; gets worse gas mileage; has much smaller tires; has a lower top speed; and is slower from 0 to 60, in the quarter-mile, and around the Nürburgring. It also costs two and a half times as much. Please explain why I’m supposed to want one.
derek kaznoski MartiNsBurG, west virGiNia
Is it just me, or do I remember seeing Vipers being used as the test-bed cars leading up to this ugly duckling? The 2011 SLS AMG started development life as a super-Viper while Mercedes still owned Chrysler. The proportions, the aerodynamics, the cooling passages, and the drivetrain format are all based almost entirely on the Viper’s— just supercar-ized. The least Mercedes could do is give the Viper development team a shout out for getting them started!
dullWinG
It took me most of the Mercedes SLS article [“Flight of the Gullwing,” November 2009] to realize why I was so underwhelmed by what should be a fantastic gullwing recreation: the color. Why would the Mercedes marketing folk subject their prized possession to Cash-for-Clunker Grand Caravan red instead of draping it in a more Germanic (and historic) shade of Mercedes silver? In that red, the car simply doesn’t compute. Joe Veto lake villa, illiNois
OK, is silver any better? —Ed.
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