INSIDE LINE

Audi A4 vs. Ford SVT Contour vs. Infiniti G20

Comparison

Audi A4 vs. Ford SVT Contour vs. Infiniti G20

Cars for Getting Your Ya-yas Out

    0 Ratings

    We had houseguests a few weekends ago. Our houseguests brought their two-year old son with them. During this visit, it became apparent to my wife and I that we may never have children. Kids are hard work, and we don't like to work that hard when we're at home. We realized what hard work it must be when we watched our formerly fun-loving friends fall into a stupor at 10:00 P.M. after a day of chasing their little boy around. Now, these are good parents, and their son is a good boy, but at the end of the day, they looked as beat as a one-armed mason on the Great Wall of China repair crew. It seems that two-year olds have a predilection for waking up at obscene hours, watching Disney movies incessantly, eating things called fruit leathers, and occasionally running around madly, shrieking and waving their arms like a speed-crazed banshee.

    Despite urgings to the contrary, I could not help but laugh when our friends' son engaged in the speed-crazed banshee routine. Our friends have a term for this frenzied motion; they call it "getting your ya-yas out." Apparently, children have gobs of pent-up energy that can only be released by racing hither and yon for several minutes. It actually looks quite therapeutic. After he would finish, our friend's son would happily sit down, pop in Beauty and the Beast for the five- or six-hundredth time, and sing along happily with Belle and Mrs. Pots. Maybe if adults got their ya-yas out more often this world wouldn't be such a crazy place. Imagine, you come home from work, change into your play clothes, run around the yard for five or ten minutes flapping your arms like a bird, pretending to be a steam roller, whatever. When you're finally pooped, you grab a juice box and some rolled-up fruit, plop down on your favorite rug, and wait for the Disney animators to whisk you into a world of singing clocks and dancing candlesticks.

    Can't remember what it's like to play airplane? Afraid that running around and flapping your arms might result in a nasty sprain or, worse, cardiac arrest? Never fear. We've devised a way for you to release those ya-yas without looking like too much of an idiot and without exposing yourself to undue risk. To make sure it works, we took three of the most highly touted sub-30K sedans on a workout that left our drivers totally ya-ya-free.

    In our quest for the perfect ya-ya remedy, we came up with three prescriptions. One is for a mild case of ya-yas, maybe the sort that you would have on a Sunday afternoon. The next can be seen as a kind of ya-ya inoculation. Taken daily, this could keep the ya-yas from ever being a problem again. The third is the equivalent of Tylenol 3 with Codeine. This cure should knock any ya-yas out of your system for a solid week.

    Comparison

    Third Place - Infiniti G20

    The mild ya-ya remedy came to us in the form of the all-new Infiniti G20 sedan. According to the commercials, this car was born in Japan and educated in Europe before coming to America. The born in Japan part we understand; the G20 we tested had excellent build quality and an overall feel of craftsmanship that was missing from our American entrant. The European part we also get; the G20 had a supple suspension that allowed it to hold the road well during aggressive driving. What the commercial failed to mention is that the G20 was afflicted with a protein deficiency while on its transcontinental journey. The G20 has come to American shores with no muscle whatsoever. This Infiniti has a four-cylinder DOHC motor that makes 140 horsepower and 132 foot-pounds of torque; by far the lowest of any vehicle we tested. We praised this engine when we first experienced it in the 200SX SE-R, but the power deficit felt insurmountable for whoever was following in the G20 during this comparo.

    We felt that the Infiniti's best attribute was its handling characteristics. The little G felt smaller than the A4 and the Contour, giving drivers greater confidence to squirt through openings in traffic and along narrow two-lane roads. The G20's steering is precise, but the car's shifter took some getting used to because it is so tall and ungainly. The brakes in the G20 are quite good, always bringing this lightweight car to a safe stop.

    We like the G20's exterior styling, but thought that the interior left something to be desired. The shiny plastic on the center stack felt too cheap for a car that poses as a near-luxury contender, and the comfort level is not far above Nissan's entry-level Sentra. As one of our evaluators put it, "Nice car, but it lacks power and seems to be a couple of years behind the competition."

    Comparison

    Second Place - Audi A4 1.8T

    The Audi A4 is the perfect medicine for ya-ya prevention. In fact, Audi may even want to use the snappy slogan, "An Audi a day keeps the ya-yas away." (Note to Audi: You read it here first. Please send all royalties directly to me.) Although this A4 doesn't have the cornering ability of the G20 or the raw power of the Contour SVT, it is a near-perfect blend of sport and sedan. The A4 is powered by a 150-horsepower DOHC turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine. Peak torque is rated at 155 foot-pounds, and although it doesn't reach maximum thrust until a lofty 4800 rpm, this car pulls from a stop with authority. A downside to this engine is that is too easy to bump the rev limiter during spirited driving -- the A4 pulls strongly right up to its redline.

    We expected to love the Audi's cornering ability, certain that the Quattro all-wheel drive system would give the A4 a distinct advantage in the twisties. Alas, this was not the case. Our tester wore loafers not running shoes, and while comfortable for daily wear, the A4's tires didn't offer the grip necessary to keep the A4 from slipping too close to the double yellow on certain parts of Mulholland Drive. Fortunately, the P255/R16 tires, along with the fully independent suspension, provided a comfortable ride around town and were capable in all but the most demanding driving conditions.

    Audi won the sedan part of this sport sedan test with flying colors. The A4 is comfortable and attractive; we feel it's the gold standard among entry-luxury vehicles. Rich materials, large windows, comfortable seats, and wide-opening doors made the A4 our choice for the perfect daily driver. With a grippier set of tires, the A4 probably would have won this comparo.

    Winner: Ford SVT Contour

    Comparison

    Winner - Ford SVT Contour

    A triple-dose of fun, the ya-ya expunging Ford SVT Contour is the perfect remedy for those who have too much pent-up anxiety and energy. The SVT's high-revving 195-horsepower DOHC V6 engine, slick-shifting manual transmission, and sport-tuned suspension allowed our drivers to experience the same level of excitement that a kid must feel when he finds out that he can spin around in a circle until getting too dizzy to remain upright. While we don't recommend spinning the SVT in a circle until toppling over, we do recommend finding the curviest road your stomach can handle, and racing toward it with youthful abandon.

    The SVT Contour is simply the best handling front-wheel drive sedan sold in this country. The SVT's tires and suspension produce prodigious grip, allowing drivers of this Ford to pick a line and hold it through turns that would humble lesser cars. The Contour also has a communicative quick-ratio steering setup that allows drivers to change direction quickly and accurately. The SVT's shifter snicks into each gear eagerly, saving drivers from having to hunt through sloppy detents, thus optimizing an already impressive power delivery.

    The heart of the SVT's dominance of this sport sedan showdown must be attributed to the car's awesome engine. The 2.5-liter unit found in the belly of this beast differs greatly from the workaday motor found in the standard SE V6 thanks to extrude-hone polished ports and a lighter flywheel. The result is a quicker revving engine that makes 24-more horsepower.

    Despite the fun we had in the Contour, it did not walk away from the competition as much as we would have expected given its extra horsepower. Introduced in 1995, the Contour is showing its age with its uninspired exterior design and ghastly interior ergonomics. The SVT's poorly positioned stereo controls with small buttons, hard-to-locate power seat adjusters, and ugly purplish-blue leather interior were almost enough to force our editors into handing the golden keychain to the Audi A4. Credit Ford's in-house skunkworks, Special Vehicle Team, with saving the day for the Blue Oval. The SVT Contour won nearly every handling category on each tester's scorecard.

    So, the Ford wins. Before you Infiniti and Audi fans out there flame the editors who made this decision, consider this. The SVT Contour we tested came with the same level of equipment found in the Audi and the Infiniti, yet it cost $1,000 less than the Infiniti and a whopping $4,700 less than the Audi, while having two more cylinders that create considerably more power. Maybe the stereo controls are a bit small; maybe the leather seats are a funny color. When it's time to get your ya-yas out, nothing else can touch the SVT.

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