Small Wonders in a Big Year 2006

2006 was a year when the auto industry’s split personality widened into a chasm. While many companies patted themselves on the back for their environmental efforts, the green they were seeing was the money to be made by cramming weapons-grade horsepower into performance-tuned cars.

Now, I like blistering acceleration as much as anyone who went to high school in the muscle-car era. But as benchmarks keep rising — 400 horses, once almost unimaginable, seem quaint when Mercedes alone offered four models with 600-plus — one has to wonder how the horsepower race will play out.

In the interim, enthusiasts can surround themselves with the best toys ever, and environmentalists can take heart in a revival of small, sensible cars like the Nissan Versa and Honda Fit. Both made my list of favorite new vehicles.

Some worthy candidates did not, partly because they delivered exactly what they promised, and therefore lacked any element of surprise.

Solid, quiet and refined, the new Toyota Camry oozes quality, but after all these years that is hardly a man-bites-dog bulletin. The Mercedes-Benz S550 is a technological tour de force, and it may be the best luxury sedan on the market, but I expected no less for $105,045.

On the other hand, the Jaguar XK beloved by most auto writers struck me as a bit of a cold fish. (Maybe it’s the car’s catfish-mouth grille.) And laugh if you want over my inclusion of a Buick: maybe it’s a result of advancing age, but I found the Lucerne noteworthy just because it is a mainstream General Motors car capable of competing with no excuses against strong foreign competitors.

Here are my 2006 picks:1. PORSCHE CAYMAN S ($70,895 as tested) More than a hardtop version of the Boxster roadster, the Cayman may be the best-balanced sports car on the planet. Yes, it handles so nimbly and effortlessly that it makes any driver feel like Fernando Alonso. But the Cayman delights in other ways, too: a driving position that’s perfect; controls that feel Swiss-watch precise; ample cargo space (thanks to trunks front and rear); even respectable gas mileage. If you drive one, you’ll want one.

2. AUDI RS 4 ($68,820) Of course, it would be absurd to pay this kind of money for what is, at its core, a $30,000 A4 compact sedan. But once you’ve sampled the RS 4’s explosive acceleration, keen reflexes and Dentu-Grip adhesion, it’s easy to rationalize the steep tab.

3. TOYOTA FJ CRUISER ($28,565) What, your S.U.V. doesn’t have an inclinometer? This reinterpretation of the classic FJ Land Cruiser is more about fashion than thrashin’, but it’s a thoroughly comfortable, enjoyable way to go retro. Look out, Jeep.

4. MERCEDES-BENZ GL450 ($68,075) Just when it seemed there was nothing more to say about oversized, overpriced luxury S.U.V.’s, Mercedes stretched its M-Class and made a breakthrough. The GL rides and handles like a nice sedan, and its third-row seat doesn’t treat adults like inmates. For those who truly need this much truck, nothing else comes close.

5. DODGE CHARGER SRT8 ($43,505) The Chrysler 300 still reigns as the king of full-size sedans, but its newer, sportier Dodge cousin deserves the limelight, too. Like the 300 (and the reborn Mustang), the Hemi-powered Charger is as red, white and blue as Old Glory, recapturing many of the attributes — assertive styling, rumbling exhaust, stretch-out comfort — that made Detroit the world’s Motor City.

6. NISSAN VERSA ($17,205) Based on the Renault Mégane, this is the closest thing to a French car you’ll find at an American dealership, and it’s worth a toast of Veuve Clicquot. A half-size larger than rivals like the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris, the Versa is roomier than you’d expect. It also handles better than your basic econobox and has scored well in crash tests. For a lot of small families, it may be all the car they need.

7. ACURA MDX ($48,465) Since the first version arrived as a 2001 model, the MDX has been one of the best car-based crossover sport utilities. Thoroughly redesigned for 2007 with a big leap in power and performance, it is better in every way (including an ultra low emissions rating).

8. SATURN SKY ($26,150) Imperfect but endearing, the second of G.M.’s roadsters looks more grown-up and feels more refined than the Pontiac Solstice that preceded it. A sportier Red Line version adds to the appeal of the Sky, which is giving long-gone customers a reason to give G.M. another try — and giving the long-neglected Saturn division a ray of hope.

9. HONDA FIT ($15,200) Leave it to Honda to build a tiny car with large ambitions. With smaller dimensions but higher base prices than its main rivals, the Fit stakes a claim on the high end of the minicar market. To drive home the point, you even get paddle shifters with the Sport package.10. BUICK LUCERNE ($33,295) This large front-drive sedan may not set industry standards, but is understated, quiet and refined, and it does everything pretty well. Not only is the Lucerne the best Buick in years — the V-8 version rolls on a powertrain borrowed from the Cadillac DTS — you don’t have to be a septuagenarian to like it.

Coming Up Short

All was not rosy in the showroom in 2006. A few cars and trucks missed the mark, including, in my view, the following:

1. JEEP COMPASS ($22,855) The powertrain is unrefined, the styling is other-worldly and the very concept of this not-trail-rated Jeep runs counter to the rugged qualities that the Chrysler division has long claimed as its own. The Compass seems like a sellout — and not in terms of its sales numbers.

2. DODGE CALIBER ($23,935) Here’s a Compass wearing different, more agreeable clothes. The wagon body is practical and, compared with the Jeep’s weird styling, fairly appealing. The available features include lighted cupholders and party-friendly flip-down speakers in the hatch. But the engine and transmission in my test car felt just as crude as the Compass’ and the interior materials screamed “Cheap!” Dodge might benefit from spending some time looking over the Kia Sportage or Hyundai Tucson, which are both much more appealing.

3. FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC ($33,330) While I find the latest version of the Explorer S.U.V. fairly agreeable, the pickup version seems crude and plasticky in comparison. Before Ford tries to do another new-wave truck, somebody in Dearborn should spend some time with the Honda Ridgeline, an oddball pickup that really works.

4. CADILLAC STS-V ($77,090) If I had to pick just one Detroit-brand vehicle on which to spend my own money, chances are I’d choose the rip-roaring Cadillac CTS-V, a worthy competitor to some very good German sport sedans. In comparison, the jazzed-up version of the CTS’s big brother, the STS, seems unexceptional. Yes, the supercharged Northstar V-8 is blazingly fast. Yes, the car’s cosmetic makeover (big wheels, mesh grille) looks cool. And, yes, the interior has been upgraded. But the STS-V’s handling can’t begin to match the Germans, and the window sticker raises expectations that the car fails to meet.

5. BMW M6 ($106,690) Not many years ago, I’d have been hard pressed to name a BMW that didn’t thrill me. Now, too often, they just irritate me — with silly chimes, inscrutable controls, quirky turn signals, intrusive “active” steering. To that, the M6 adds a sequential manual gearbox that makes most any driver feel like a fool. I’ll concede that the M6 is a robot-perfect performance machine capable of feats that seem to defy the laws of physics. Yet it may also be the most soulless BMW yet.