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Sports Cars
Winner: Nissan 350Z
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Why it won:
It has tons of power, a rock solid body, tenacious grip, and powerful
brakes. It's not like other current and previous Japanese sports cars and
sport coupes which tended to be, well, boring. The 350Z's 287 horsepower 3.5
litre twin cam V6 engine has lots of torque, and it's rather noisy and
unrefined at certain speeds. Its suspension is unapologizingly firm, and its
quick steering requires the driver to stay alert.
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The standard six-speed manual is precise, quick and quiet.
350Z feels like a smaller, tighter version of the Corvette Z06
rather than like, say, the old Toyota Supra turbo. The 350Z has more of a
raw performance feel that's more like American sports cars -
though not quite as rough.
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Sedans
Winner: Honda Accord
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Why it won:
It comes standard with a new five-speed manual transmission - smaller,
lighter, smoother-shifting than before. A new five-speed auto is the one-up
choice. The V6 has only a five-speed auto, shared with Acura CL coupe and TL sedan.
A high-performance variant of the Accord coupe, coming in early 2003, will
offer a six-speed manual. Despite its apparent bulk, the car feels very
nimble. Honda has even specified large tires - by their standards,
anyway - so the fancy
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suspension can show itself off to best advantage. The body is
27 percent stiffer in torsion, surpassing the BMW 3-Series, Audi A4 and
Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
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Luxury cars
Winner: Cadillac CTS
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Why it won:
CTS doesn't look like your traditional Cadillac and it doesn't drive like
one, either. Under the hood is a new longitudinally-mounted 3.2 litre V6
with four-valves-per cylinder that pumps out 220 horsepower. For the first
time in more than 50 years, you can buy a Cadillac with a manual
transmission. And it's a beaut! The luxury sport model adds automatic load
levelling to the rear suspension along with StabiliTrak stability
enhancement.
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