Germany, famous for its high-speed road network, is the perfect playground for average cars that go fast. The Autobahn is why their vehicles used to be seen as over-engineered pieces of tech.
Of course, nowadays, these companies are more about expensive options and heavy SUVs that can't even hit 250 km/h. But we're still not at the point where it's all downhill. The future where slow EVs clog up the roads is thankfully at least a decade off.
Likewise, Swedish automaker Volvo used to have bulletproof Autobahn cruisers. And their inline-6 or V8 engines often found their way into supercars. But nowadays, everything has a 2-liter turbo. Also, the company recently announced that all its cars would be electronically limited to 180 km/h (112 mph) to promote safety.
Regardless, the V90 T6 R-Design rolls out the factory with a 2-liter supercharged and turbocharged engine making 310 HP and 400 Nm for a 0 to 100 km/h time of 6.1 seconds. Ignore the stuff in the video about it being FWD, as all T6s have AWD and an 8-speed automatic, not that traction is an issue at this speed. In fact, the car might have a little faster if lighter.
Its pursuer is the M135i, a hatchback version of the M235i Coupe you get in America, featuring the same 3-liter turbo engine. European specs read as follows: 0 to 100km/h in 4.9 seconds, 320 HP and 450 Nm. It's also lighter by over 350 kilos, being compact and 2-wheel-drive.
The Autobahn chase feels like a really strange form of courtship. Do you know how Toothless the dragon tries to dance and impress his lady in the latest trailers? Yeah, like that. Maybe we've had too much drag racing, but when two cars compete, one is supposed to pass the other. But here, the M135i, which is superior, never sticks its neck out.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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