Head to Head: 2010 Cadillac CTS-V vs. 2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG

First into the cage: the BMW M5 (MT, July 2009). Result: Cadillac CTS-V emerges victorious, leaving the aging Munich Mauler pummeled and bloodied. Next arrives the newly supercharged Jaguar XFR (MT, October 2009), all swagger and panache and Savile Row suavity. Outcome: CTS-V rips the English aspirant’s neatly pressed ascot to shreds. It’s at this point Cadillac's engineering team smirks a little. Now comes Round Three -- and the Caddy's biggest threat yet: the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, a thundering, leather-wrapped cruise missile we’ve already dubbed the best AMG sedan to date. Pull up a seat. This one could get ugly.

The E63 represents the "biggest threat" as it's the car best-equipped to confront the mighty, twice-victorious CTS-V. The M5 is, as noted, a dated design (a new, more potent edition is due in early 2011); it's fast, but in our comparo didn't display the handling moves necessary to trump the Cadillac. The Jag likewise proved quick, but likewise failed to surmount Motown's monster -- largely due to tricky limit handling and a poor performance-for-dollar ratio. The big Benz, though, is all-new and cutting-edge. What's more, AMG has so thoroughly reworked the underlying E-Class, you'd barely recognize it. The Benz and the Caddy each sport a 6.2-liter V-8 displacing within a few cubic centimeters of each other's. The Cadillac's dishes up a delectable performance paté, force-feeding air via supercharger to yield a sensational, class-topping 556 horsepower at 6100 rpm (you'd expect nothing less from an engine that's a sibling to the Corvette ZR1's LS9). In contrast, the AMG's mill breathes air at whatever pressure Mother Nature is exhaling, yet this handbuilt, twin-cam, 32-valve beauty still romps with 518 horses at 6800 rpm -- 11 horsepower more than in the previous version (the revised V-8 is also 12 percent more fuel-efficient). Charging side by side, the two sedans sound like a pair of dueling T-Rexes, though the naturally aspirated E63 rocks the earth with particular ferocity -- especially during full-throttle upshifts, which it delivers like bazooka blasts.

High Performance, Extreme Quality Are The Norm At BMW

Once portrayed as a small town, Woodland Hill is nothing like that. It is a busy suburban area of Los Angeles. Sitting northeast of Calabasas and Tarzana, it is an exclusive community for the wealthy. It is a place where quality and luxury definitely are important. Manicured lawns, majestic homes, and luxury cars are the staple of this small area. Of course there is no greater luxury than a BMW. At Woodland Hills BMW, cars, SUVs, and motorcycles are the norm.

Because of the luxuriousness and quality of this car, it fits in well in a city like Woodland Hills. BMW stands for Bavarian Motor Works. They are an automobile maker that is based in Germany. They have been producing luxury vehicles since 1913. BMW is also a world renowned manufacturer of motorcycles. They produce these under two brands; BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna.

For the motorsports enthusiast, BMW makes cars and motorcycles just for you. The company has been a proud sponsor of motorsports and car racing since it began building motorcycles. It is the proud sponsor of two races; the Formula BMW and the Kumho BMW Championship. Its world class and super fast motorcycles have won the Superbike World Championship and the Dakar Rally. Besides motorcycle racing, the BMW brand has been found in car races all over the world. In fact, BMW cars have won 20 Formula One Grand Prix races. BMW cars are also found in Sports Car races and Touring car races and have been successful there as well.

There are many reasons people give for wanting a BMW. Besides being a great looking car, it is the best manufactured vehicle in the industry. This car can be driven wherever your heart desires. That is what is unique about its manufacturing and design. From driving on the highways of Los Angeles to the mountainous curves on the valley, this car is made to withstand any kind of driving you can think of.

Every year, BMW manufactures well over two million cars, SUVs, and motorcycles. There may not be a single person in this world who would not like to own a BMW at least once in their lifetime. Many people dream of owning this car. But it is not a car for the average person, especially since there is nothing average about a BMW. It is a special car to be driven by a unique individual.

This car is built to last forever. There are hundreds of car makers but BMW stands alone when it comes to ingenuity. Their repertoire includes all ranges of vehicles from convertibles to station wagons, executive sedans to sport utility vehicles. However, their most popular car is the M series. This car defined an entirely new market for the company. This is an actual race ready car with an award wining V-8 engine that you will not find in standard BMWs. No matter what kind of BMW you choose, you are sure to get an amazing vehicle that will suit all of your needs.

Even though they are considered to be the manufactures of the best car in the industry, BMW is a company that cares about the environment. They have been praised for their environmental responsibility and are members of the United States EPA (Environment Protection Agency). They are working extremely hard to reduce their impact on the environment today. They have been manufacturing vehicles that emit less pollution and are in the process of producing electric and hybrid vehicles.

The Saleen S320E Mustang

Saleen is one of North America's premiere specialty vehicle manufacturer. They are well known for the incredible Mustangs that they deliver to consumers. Each and every vehicle that they produce is one that many of us would love to get our hands on because of the craftsmanship, performance, and power that is put into it.

The 2008 S320E Mustang has been equipped with a 302 cubin inch engine that was specially made by Saleen and has been augmented with a patented Saleen twin screw and intercooler supercharger. With this engine the S320 can produce 620 horsepower and 600 pound-ft of torque.

"We believe that we are in the process of creating a legendary new car. It's thrilling," says Saleen President and CEO, Paul Wilbur. "It seemed to make sense that as we go into our 25th Anniversary as a manufacturer in North America that we make our best and most powerful car yet."

This new model - which has also been given the name "Extreme" - has been built with a number of high quality performance parts that reveal to consumers the race engineering heritage that they are known for. The unique engine that is placed inside the car is a forged crankshaft with forged connecting rods and forged pistons that have been blueprinted individually. It is also built with 5 axis CNC aluminum cylinder heads, high performance camshafts, and high flow fuel injectors.

Each one of the parts work together simultaneously with the Saleen twin screw supercharger. It is connected to a 6 speed manual transmission and Max grip rear differential - which allows it to reach from 0 to 60 mph in less then 4 seconds.

"This place represents a kind of automotive "mecca" for me. We are making limited volume, performance vehicles for people who really love cars, by people who really love cars. I cannot think of a better place to put my 35 years of OEM engineering history to work," says Vice Chairman and Chief Technical Officer Chris Theodore. Chris Theodore is also known as the father of the Ford GT. "Now I am helping build great Saleen cars in the same factory that I architected for the legendary Ford GT."

"This is the best motor that we have ever done," says Powertrain Engineering lead Rob Simons. "We have really benefited from having Chris [Theodore] around. He brings perspective and experience to the company unlike anything that we have known prior."

In order to get the best performance out of the this Saleen Mustang the engineering team used a standard 20 inch, 5 spoke forged aluminum allow wheels that are wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero Rosso tires. But in order to have large amounts of power added to the car you must be able to control it. Otherwise we would be all over the road with it. To have the type of control that we need engineers equipped the Extreme with a Saleen Racecraft suspension and a second generation, brand new Watts Link system that will help the driver stay in control of the vehicle when taking sharp corners.

The chassis system has been rounded by upgraded 4 wheel disc brakes and ABS and traction control. The performance brake system features 15 inch vented, slotted rotors, with 6 piston calipers in the front and 11.8 inch rear vented discs with single piston calipers in the back.

Nissan R35 GTR

The Nissan GTR has always been a vehicle that stands for extreme performance. What most people don't realize when they think about this machine is that it has always been a well rounded type of performance car. The new R35 GTR has been injected with the same DNA as the previous R32, R33, and R34 models. This means that the car will have extreme performance and also practicality to meet the demands of anyone's lifestyle. Nissan describes the new R35 GTR as a multi-performance sports car meaning that it's not just another fast car with all the right numbers that look great in magazines.

The main question about the R35 GTR would be, "Is it a super car?" The fact that this question has been brought up makes me happy to see that people realize there is more to a super car than just the numbers generated from performance tests. When I think of a super car or at least what a super car has been up until now would be something that is fast, stimulating, violent, loud, and visually attractive on an extreme level. The GTR without a doubt is fast, and not just in a straight line. This vehicle took out top level Porsche models and also gave the lightened Gallardo a run for its money on Tsukuba circuit in Japan. It also clocks one of the best times on Germany's Nurburgring for a production car which is a better reference than a tight circuit like Tsukuba. With these accomplishments it can be said that the GTR has great power, braking, and cornering abilities that either match or rival cars that are considered super cars.

It's as fast as a super car, but that's not enough. My opinion is that it doesn't fall short of being called one, it just falls somewhere else. A super car is just a category, it doesn't necessarily mean better. The R35 is better than a super car, but the things that make it better would be the only reasons why someone would rather not buy it. It's a useful machine, meaning that it can get you to work in any condition and can be driven all year round through any rain or snowstorm. It has space for passengers and luggage. It's quiet enough to drive down the street at 2am without the neighbors hating you. It rounded and can visually fit in with the rest of the cars on the road, especially 350zs and G35s. These are all great qualities, but not the types of traits that the type of person that will buy such an item is looking for. Most people that are in the market for a vehicle like this are looking for one thing and one thing only, extravagance, both in the looks, and the driving characteristics of the car.

The fact that most of this machine's testing was done on the Nurburgring says a lot about it. Nurburgring is a demanding circuit that requires a car to be setup to be both fast and safe simultaneously. The ideal car at this circuit would be something that makes the driver feel safe while clocking amazing times. One lap around this course in a real super car would make most people have a heart attack before they got halfway through, but in this car anyone can do a few laps in a row without shaking too much while traveling at the same speeds. The R35 is a perfect ultra high performance street car designed for the average driver. Certain pro racing drivers like Keiichi Tsuchiya drove this car and did not like that fact that it had so many computers that take away control from the driver, saying that the car felt "unnatural" at its limits. What a pro doesn't realize is that the average driver that doesn't practice on the track daily is happy to return some driver control responsibilities back to the car so he or she doesn't have to worry while they rush to work or have some fun of winding roads during their weekend off.

Even though the R35 is not a super car, it is still something different that sends a positive message to people about the advancement in automobiles. Sure it's not raw enough to be a pure sports car like the NSX R or Porsche GT3 that are designed for driving enthusiasts that want to be stimulated, but I believe that Nissan wanted to show the world what they are capable of doing in terms of drivability technology with this car. Pure sports cars are generally fast because they are stiff, lightweight, and responsive, much like racing cars driven by professionals off the streets. The GTR weighs almost 2 tons meaning that the secrets to its speed are not so simple. The R35 can be considered to be a beast with manners that was built to appeal to everyone. It may be a little too cheap for the status driven upper class and a little too pricey for the current 350z, Evo, and STI owners. A car's price says a lot about it and for only $80K, I would say that it should be higher to match the lower numbers that it generated during its performance tests.

Aspiring Automotive Journalist: Nick Zema (22)
Senior at SUNY Farmingdale
Soon receiving a B.A. for Automotive Engineering/Automotive Management

Right now I am living in New Jersey and going to school in Long Island to attain my degree in order to get my foot in the door to the automotive industry, where I aspire to land something in publication. I have worked at a Bicycle Shop here in NJ as a service manager for 6 years. I have recently been attending track events, auto crosses, and Time Attack Competitions on the weekends driving my Nissan 240

Tips to Help Improve Your Car Audio System Dramatically

Car audio components are being improved each passing day to upgrade sound systems. If one does not opt for these improved components, then one might just be living in the past. These improved components add greater functionality to your car audio system.

These components are speakers, subwoofers, tweeters, amplifiers, ipod adapters and more. All these add another dimension to your audio system. You have the option of settling for your factory installed system, however, aftermarket systems are massively superior to factory systems. But that's by the way.

To take your car audio to another level, you'll need to add new speakers, upgrade your receiver, add tweeters, add an amplifier, install vibration dampers like dynamat, install bass blockers on your full-range component speakers, add equalizers and other signal processors -- the list goes on...

Adding new speakers to your audio system will alter your setup most dramatically (if done right). This is because your speakers are the most important units in your car audio set up. Also know that you need to add such that will fit your vehicle. This will prevent sound inbalance or damage to your audio system. What you install is what you get. If you install old age-stricken stuff, then you get old age-stricken sound.

Adding tweeters to your sound system improves your listening experience. A tweeter takes care of those sizzling highs that cannot be catered for by regular speakers. A crossover will help make your output stage a lot better.

Upgrading your receivers will ensure better sound and less distortion. This could include adding additional music sources like a portable DVD, a satellite radio tuner and more; through an auxiliary input.

You also need vibration dampers. Dynamats absorb the vibration caused by your car speakers and road noise. When these vibrations are absorbed, you can conveniently hear the music that comes out of your sound system without background noise.

If you're in for the best sound, you'll need to add a bass blocker. Installing bass blockers on your full range component speakers simply help to block the bass frequencies that your speakers cannot handle. They are installed on your speaker's wire. This helps remove distortion from your music.

Other steps you could take to improve your car audio output include making sure your subwoofers and speakers are in phase, changing the position or enclosure style of your subwoofer and avoiding extreme bass control boost.

Your subwoofers and speakers wired in phase helps give more balance to your sound. Make sure the positive and the negative sides are wired accordingly at both the receiver and the speakers.

Changing the enclosure style of your subwoofer actually depends on the type of bass sound you prefer. Some prefer a boomy bass; others prefer a low frequency bass. The position of your subwoofer will determine that.

Avoiding extreme bass control boost and turning up your volume instead will give less distortion to your signals.

Implement these and your car audio will never remain the same.