Your picks: the five best-engineered cars on sale today?

I have to second the VW Phaeton: The level of detail regarding the smallest parts of this thing are staggering as if VW tried to ensure the car would anticipate your actions before you did them.

Examples:
Move the front seats back/forward, for example and the shoulder belt anchor rises/lowers anticipating a taller or shorter occupant.
The front seatbelts have two retractors, a stronger one that keeps the belt taut when unfastened, and a weaker one that provides greater comfort when worn
If you move the seat high enough, the headrest will retract to prevent it from hitting the headliner
If you have a dead starting battery, you can easily start the car w/out needing a jump by turning the key all the way back and trying again
On models with the power trunk lid, when the trunk is open, the latch retracts to prevent you from bumping your head on it

More interesting facts/hidden features here: http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?2408650-Hidden-Features
 
i gotta totally disagree on the element, i mean really, would you wanna be seen in one? really? and the prious, c'mon man. i get 30-35 mpg highway in a 5.7 liter pretty highly modded ls1. why in the h would i buy a prious? ever seen what a motorcycle gets? i used to get 80 mpg on my suzuki thumper (city). i wanna get cash savings on gas milage if i'm compromising my power (and sound) of my rumbling v8. to date i have seen no strong arguements to change to a smaller engine. or to change to a smaller engine over engine management in a larger v8 (v4, v6, based on needs). its about style and fun, with a mind to fuel economy. at least in my mind..
 
^At least you used punctuations.
The element might not be the prettiest of cars but it is very well thought out in practicality and useability.
Also, the Prius certainly isn't among my favorite cars, but if all you do is commute around town doing short distances (and here in Europe a lot of people do) I can see a use for it, and it will provide better fuel economy than any other ICE car in that situation.

Personally I'm a fan of small(er) displacement + forced induction because it is a very good compromise between fuel economy and performance (e.g. 1.4 TFSI from VW, 1.4 Tjet from Fiat and also the 3 liter diesel in the Alpina D3 although that isn't really a small displacement)
 
orange99z28 said:
why in the h would i buy a prious? ever seen what a motorcycle gets?
Click to expand...

Well according to the official figures, a CB400SF gets 30km/L at a steady 60km/h while the Prius gets 30-35.5km/L in 10/15mode (combined cycle), depending on spec. So yeah, a bike gets worse mileage, and I can support that claim because I own a CB400SF and have driven a Prius.
 
1. Veyron (obviously)
2. Nissan GTR (for the weight, it feels seriously light! there has got to be a lot of voodoo to that AWD system)
3. F458
4. Phaeton
5. Golf GT Twincharger (turbo and supercharger to get 2.0li power out of a 1.4li while providing better economy than a 1.6)
 
You wont believe my first choice, actually I do not believe it really myself but:

1. BMW 5-series GT
%7BB883A6DA-30D0-465E-9424-D70AFA2A1324%7DPicture.jpg


Yes I know it is hidious as a Pavians butt, basicly it looks like a lowered down X6, but actually from the inside, it's guite a very nice place to be, and features nice some touches.

2. Mercedes-Benz CLS
2012_Mercedes_Benz_CLS.jpg


Say what you want, but I think it looks brilliant! :) Shame that they canceled the Shooting Break.

3. Ford Focus RS
FordFocusRS3.jpg


I guess I dont need to explain. ;)

4. Mercedes-Benz SLS
mercedes-benz-sls-amg-2-1.jpg


Not only is it gorgious, classy and beautifully put together, also its excacly what I'm missing, since the Porsche 928 died, V8 in the front, gearbox in the back! I would love to drive one someday! :)

and finally...
5. Caterham Super 7
Caterham_r500_2010_1.jpg


Caterham really should rethink their plan to drop the good old simple Lotus, for an other new construction.
 
I read a fairly long article about the Mclaren MP4 whatever-whatever. It is definitely, indisputably worthy of being one of the best engineered cars of all time. Not a single detail on that car was allowed to be designed by convention. It is an engineering masterpiece.

Also, the amount of Engineering in this bit of kit is pretty mind-blowing:
2011-ford-super-duty.jpg


For those that don't know. the Ford Superduty King Ranch Edition (as pictured, I believe) is like a Mercedes S class here in Texas. No embellishment at all. Shouldn't be surprising though.
 
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