Top Ten Production Cars
Nissan GT-R
Before Nissan introduced the GT-R here in Tokyo, a short video of the new sports car was played on the big screen. The video lasted just 7:38.54. This is how long it took to show footage of the new GT-R completing one lap of the famed Nürburgring circuit in Germany. With a time slotted between a Porsche Carrera GT and the exotic Pagani Zonda, the GT-R has landed squarely in supercar territory. And the specs and stats further reinforce the new GT-R's supercar status. With 480 horses on tap, this sleek sports car can reach 62 mph in just 3.6 seconds on its way to a top speed approaching 200 mph. With a high-tech all-wheel-drive system and great looks to match the performance, the GT-R is a hit right out of the box.
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
So the appearance is no surprise, after so many almost-ready concepts at previous shows, but all that design “evolution” seems to have paid off. The Evolution looks as aggressive as ever but this time, beneath the tea-tray spoiler, flared wheel arches, air scoops and bulges, there’s a charismatic and handsome family sedan. And in this respect, at least, it steals a march on its Subaru archrival. Technically it’s a step up too, with a quick-change twin clutch transmission, a new integrated traction control and vehicle stability system with fulltime all-wheel drive (Super-All Wheel Control), a new 2.0-liter engine with aluminum block and twin-scroll turbo and a lower center of gravity. It’s still a bruiser but this time it’s got a smarter suit.
Yamaha Tesseract
Is it a bike or is it a car? This four-wheeled Yamaha concept has independent suspension on each wheel allowing the rider to lean into corners as if on a two-wheeled bike. Tesseract is powered by a V-twin liquid-cooled hybrid gas-electric engine. According to the Chief Engineer Hagiwaran Takahide, it will be going into production for sale across global markets.
Jaguar XF
We’d seen it in Frankfurt, but in a show where premium newcomers are thin on the ground, it’s still a standout on its second appearance — as Jaguar needs it to be, because for better or worse, the XF is their gateway to the future. Happily, the reaction says that if that was dependant on the car alone, “better” would probably be the answer because the Tokyo crowds gathered around it again and admired it just like in Frankfurt. As it had to be, the XF is the car that finally stops the doubters saying that Jaguar styling remains stuck in the retro groove, without losing the ones who think that heritage is still a core of the brand. Add what we confidently expect to be very impressive driving dynamics and you have a car that just has to make the short list.
Bentley Brooklands
You can’t have a list of favorites without at least one that makes a virtue of excess, and while Bentley would never use that ever-so-slightly negative word, the Brooklands is a car that definitely doesn’t say low-profile. This is the modern face of old-school Bentley. The “big” cars, powered by the magnificent 6.75-liter pushrod-valve V8, that have been wafting Bentleys around in considerable style for almost 50 years now but is still far from being a dinosaur. In 1959, launched with a weight-to-power ratio of just 2.7 lb/hp, the V8 had the highest specific output of any engine in the world. Forty-eight years later, the Brooklands, with 530-horsepower and almost 775 lb-ft of torque has the most power this engine has ever had. It gives the kind of relentless and refined performance that defined the great Bentleys from the start and defines them still. A car that says you really don’t have anything left to prove.
Audi RS 6 Avant
Who would have thought that one of the most powerful production cars at the Tokyo Motor Show would be a wagon. Boasting more horsepower than a Ferrari F430, Porsche 911 Turbo or a Lamborghini Gallardo, the RS 6 Avant is truly a wolf in family-car clothing. Under the skin of this luxury cargo hauler is a twin-turbocharged V10 engine that puts out an incredible 571 horsepower (426 kW). With 480 lb-ft (650 NM) of torque on tap at just 1500 rpm, the RS 6 Avant can take you and your groceries to 62 mph (100 km/h) in a mere 4.6 seconds, making it the perfect vehicle for a quick — very quick — trip to the market.
BMW M3 Sedan
Maybe it’s an obvious choice, and yes, we’ve already seen the coupe, but the M3 is still a benchmark. That’s not so surprising when you consider what’s on offer in this package: It can carry five people and lots of luggage in comfort yet it’s capable of 0-62 mph in 4.9 seconds. And it’s unlikely to be less poised and enjoyable to drive, or reliable, than its much admired predecessors. But while it’s clearly not going soft, this M3 is perhaps the most subtly styled yet — even though most of the panels are different from the standard 3-series, it almost blends into the background on BMW’s well-stocked stand. Speak softly and carry a big stick.
Porsche 911 GT2
There are no more slow 911s than there are skinny Sumo wrestlers, but if you want to depart the Makahuri Messe as quickly as is decent on the road, your car of choice should be the Porsche 911 GT2. It is the latest in the apparently unstoppable line of 911s, and the most powerful and fastest production model yet. We know this to be true partly because we have already driven it, and seen more than 190 mph (305 kph) on a damp autobahn with just a bit too much traffic for comfort, and experienced acceleration from a standstill to that latter figure that would make an astronaut weep. We have experienced staggering cornering power, awesomely effective brakes and enough 911 character to make this a true member of the family. And if you need to know more, try this: 530 horsepower, a top speed of more than 200 mph, 0-62 mph in 3.7 seconds, 0-100 mph in less than eight seconds and the ability to lap the Nurburgring Nordschliefe faster than Porsche’s Carrera GT supercar.
Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG
Alongside the Audi A4 and BMW 3-Series, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class is a rather less obvious base for the hardcore street-rocket treatment, but don’t be deceived — when the C-Class breathes fire, it really breathes fire. And even in the company of the latest, V8-powered versions of the RS 4 and M3, the C63 AMG is loaded for bear. Sure, the others are impressive — a 4.0-liter V8 for the BMW, 4.2 liters under the Audi’s hood, and 420 horsepower pushing both along the asphalt, but those are numbers the C63 AMG will laugh out loud at. Its awesome V8 will see your RS 4’s 4.2 liters and raise it by 2.1 (that’s 50 percent) to the 6.3 that gives the C63 its badge. And it will snigger gently at your 420 horses with its 514, even before you start to factor in its monumental 465 lb-ft (630 Nm) torque peak. So step aside puny earthlings, this is a compact performance sedan from another planet, the planet AMG. Catch it if you can.
MINI Clubman
MINI’s eccentric, fun-loving character works the world over, Japan included. Sharing its forebear’s name, the MINI Clubman is a modern version of the original “estate” MINI. It goes on sale in Japan next spring. New Clubman’s version of the original’s characteristic twin side-hinged rear doors is very smart, but the “Club” side door is less convincing. Fitted only on the right, it’s tiny, opens backwards and won’t operate separately from the front door. (There’s no Club door on the left because the fuel filler is in the way.) It’s a nice idea but hardly seems worth the added complexity, weight and cost. Maybe it crosses that fine line between quirkiness and design overkill, but there’s enough that’s right with this car to make up for it.
