* Honda Legend , 3.5-litre, 296 bhp, 5 speed automatic, SH-AWD

*Audi A6, 3.2-litre, 255 bhp, 6-speed automatic, Quattro

Honda Legend

Legend looks a bit too pedestrian to be considered an upscale car. In fact, we came across many conservative people who thought the car looked great, but were shocked to hear that it cost twice as much as a basic Accord. Big 17-inch alloys, twin exhaust tips, HID headlights and LED tails don't do enough to spruce up the bland styling.
But the interior is a different prospect altogether. The cabin design is so unique and trendsetting that it feels like stepping into a more flamboyant car. The dashboard and doors all feature substantial curves and beautiful finishing touches. All cabin materials are high-quality, and most upper surfaces are soft to the touch.
On paper, the solidly-built Legend is littered with gadgets such as turning headlights, navigation, Bluetooth phone and a reverse camera. However, we never noticed the magic headlights, the navigation system did not respond to inputs on our tester, the Bluetooth phone was locked out by the nav system, and the reverse camera has no lines to show the width of our car so we still had to use the mirrors to aid parking.
The V6 engine is somewhat of a weak point for the Legend. While it boasts an impressive 296 hp at 6,200 rpm from only 3.5 litres of displacement, its 351 Nm of peak torque at a high 5,000 rpm means the car feels lethargic at low revs.
Flooring the throttle only results in a sleepy takeoff until higher rpm levels are reached, at which point the car flies. The super-quiet engine is aided by a five-speed automatic with decent paddle-shift functionality, although manual shifting sometimes results in engine stutters at lower gears. We managed a 0-to-100 kph run of 8.2 seconds at best, with traction control off.
Even then, there is no wheelspin because the excellent all-wheel-drive system, dubbed "Super-Handling All-Wheel-Drive" by Honda, kills all wheelspin and allocates power perfectly among the four wheels, as indicated by a little LCD displaying power distribution for each wheel. And this isn't even the real function of the SH-AWD system.

Audi A6

Audi drivers in particular go nuts trying to catch a glimpse of the new sedan and its controversial single-frame grille. As we stop to buy the obligatory toll sticker on the freeway to Austria, five occupants of an A6 Avant swarm out, then fire more questions at us than a trained salesperson could answer. The response during the three-day drive is positive, occasionally even enthusiastic. Thanks to clever advance publicity from the Pikes Peak, Nuvolari, and Le Mans show cars, Audi's future family face is met with almost unanimous approval.
We opted to try the new 3.1-liter gasoline direct-injection V-6 that delivers 252 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque, an improvement of 32 horsepower and 22 pound-feet over last year's 3.0-liter unit.
At the top end of the range, there's a 330-horsepower, 4.2-liter V-8 Quattro Tiptronic. Waiting in the wings is an awesome V-10, which is expected to deliver 420 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque. Borrowed from the Lamborghini Gallardo, the brawny ten-cylinder will power the sporty S6, and now the new RS6 V10, with 572 bhp.
The A6 3.2 Quattro isn't the fastest car in its class, but its performance is certainly respectable. Audi says it will accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in 7.1 seconds, and it tops out at an electronically limited 155 mph. On the highway, you relish the splendid isolation, the magic carpet ride at 100-plus mph, and the lack of wind, engine, or road noise. The six-speed Tiptronic is an absolute delight. It picks up revs with vigor, doesn't lose much momentum while changing up, and shifts smoothly, except in the busier sport mode. The communication among throttle, engine, and autobox yields prompt and well-balanced shifts instead of rushing or delaying them.


This is some crash tests...So you decide, where do you feel more safe ?

Mazda3 MPS vs. Audi S3

* Audi S3 , 2.0-litre FSI, 261 bhp, six speed manual( optional : seven speed S tonic twin-clutch)

* Mazda3 MPS, 2.3-litre, 260hp, 6-speed manual

Audi S3

Apart from the silver mirrors, a deeper front bumper and a rear diffuser, you would be hard-pressed to pick it out among a line of standard A3s. Even the 18-inch alloys blend in, with only the large S3-embossed brake calipers adding extra presence.

The interior is just as understated. The S3 logos pop up again: this time on the gearlever, steering wheel and rev counter. There are also heavily bolstered front seats and aluminium trim for the pedals, but that's about your lot for sporty extras. The cabin is, however, beautifully put together.
Once on the move, this is a very fast three-door. While it shares the VW Golf GTI's 2.0-litre FSI powerplant, the engine has been tuned to produce a thumping 261bhp. Performance is blistering - 0-62mph takes 5.7 seconds, and the top speed is limited to 155mph. Acceleration is strongest above 4,000rpm. Yet, the rest of the driving experience doesn't match up.

While the quattro drivetrain provides plenty of grip - especially when pulling out of slow corners - there is precious little involvement. This is due mainly to the steering, which is not only too light, but also lacks feedback.

This, combined with the Audi's firm suspension, makes it hard to keep the S3 on a consistent line through bends - constant correction is needed.

BMW's similarly priced 130i is far more rewarding and fun to drive. In day-to-day motoring, the S3 is safe and predictable - but it is not especially exciting. The Golf GTI offers far more for the keen driver to enjoy. There is little compensation in terms of comfort, either, with the S3's suspension struggling to cope with B-road bumps and undulations.

Mazda3 MPS

With 256bhp it was the most powerful front-wheel drive hatch you could buy, if not the best to drive or look at. Now it’s back with an aggressive restyle, plus a whopping extra…sorry, old habits and all that. No, it’s back with exactly the same 256bhp and 280lb ft torque, the same 155mph top speed and the same 6.1sec 0-62mph dash.
There’s revised power steering, sportier shocks and springs, a beefier bodyshell that ups torsional stiffness by 41%, while torque steer is better-quelled by clever electronics to modulate torque delivery, plus a limited slip diff and taller gearing.

Watching the old MPS whizz past was much like watching wallpaper paste dry on a wet winter Sunday – it was drab with a capital Zzz. The new car is far more eye-catching with pronounced bumpers, a chunky rear spoiler and sideskirts plus an Impreza-style bonnet scoop. In fact, it looks quite a lot like an Impreza – elegantly brutal from some angles, plain old gawky from others.

The 2.3-litre turbo four is tractable from very low revs, but the real thrust is delayed to 2600rpm, at which point you get a proper kick in the back. Post-5000rpm it’s a little breathless, but generally the ratios are well judged to land you back in the powerband.
On dry major roads you won’t be unduly troubled by torque steer, even if you do notice it’s there. But take to the back roads and the curse of powerful front drivers is ever-present as the MPS weaves and locks onto camber changes.

BMW Z4 35 vs. Nissan 370Z

* BMW Z4 35i , 3.0-litre, 302 bhp, seven-speed double-clutch

* Nissan 370Z, 3.7-litre, 332hp, seven-speed automatic

BMW Z4 35i

With, or with out, wind in your hair, the Z4 showed an advantage even before we set off thanks to its storage space. Although, roof up, its boot is only slightly more capacious than the SLK’s (310 litres plays 300), the small shelf behind the seats in the cabin (something the SLK lacks) proved ideal as an overflow, so everything we needed for a week in north Wales fitted in – waterproofs, walking boots, camera kit,
self-catering gubbins, a kite, the lot.

Once in Wales, the BM’s twin-turbo 3-litre six made light work of steep gradients (with 295lb ft from a mere 1300rpm, who needs an auto ’box?) and showed impressive levels of economy (28.6mpg average for the week). Meanwhile, the default setting for the adaptive suspension was perfect for cruising around and taking in the views (roof down, natch), and the sportier options were just the ticket for a couple of swift laps of the evo Triangle, where the 302bhp engine got to show the other side of its character.


In short, the Z4 did everything asked of it without fuss. Perhaps that’s why not once all week did I wish I was in a different car, Z4 rival or otherwise. I’m impressed.

Nissan 370Z

The 370Z is shorter, wider and 32kg lighter than its predecessor, and efforts to make it look a little less as if it had been fired down the road from the barrel of a gun have elicited a shape which is marginally fussier and not, to my eye, quite as pleasing. The two seater's couture looks to have been simply melted into place over the engineering hard points, with lashings of shark added to the sharp end. The ubiquitous and increasingly frantic quest for head- and tail-lamp cluster styling novelty continues apace here, the headlamps peeling far back up the bonnet like the eyelids of a man trapped on the wing of a jumbo jet during take-off.

Under the bonnet, a 3.7-litre V6 delivers 326bhp and 269lb ft of torque to the rear wheels via either six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic transmissions, the latter being a first in a Z car. Thus armed, the 370Z will yell from 0-62mph in 5.3 seconds, and on to a governed top speed of 155mph.

And yell it does, for Nissan has somehow contrived to make this gruff power plant sound less than sweet. Perhaps it'll loosen up over time, but there's an underlying harshness about the unit, reminiscent of inadequate lubrication, and too much vibration through gear lever and pedals as the revs build.

An absurdly suburban launch driving route precludes further, detailed impressions, but it is clear from a short foray that, though something of a blunt instrument, the 370Z delivers in the context of its key tenet; maximum bang for your bucks

Personaly, i would chose...:)