From the August 1992 issue of Car and Driver.
Like giddy car thieves, we slip into Ohio with three hot four-doors. But these cars are hot from horsepower, not heisting. Each is a family sedan but also a carouser incognito. For three days, we mean to pass more than the time—a few dozen cars and a few hundred miles per day, summarily displaced to the rear, will do just fine.
To this end, we bring Ford’s Taurus SHO, slightly restyled but still the perennial powerhouse in a category it invented in 1988. We also bring two polished contestants from Nissan and Toyota. The first is the latest upgraded Maxima, which packs more punch and precision into an existing design. The second fresh entry is a Camry—this one a sporting version of Toyota’s new sedan that has previously pleased us in both the thrifty four-cylinder LE and the sumptuous six-cylinder XLE forms.
The potent models of the Maxima and the Camry both wear SE badges. This typecasting on the deck lids tells you that each takes invigorating power for its front wheels from a sophisticated V-6. Like the SHO powerplant, both V-6s displace 3.0 liters and whir with double overhead cams and four valves per cylinder. Also like the SHO, each SE wears a firmer suspension than lesser versions, plus grippier tires, aero add-ons, leather trim for shifter and wheel, and snugger seats covered in leather or, better yet, a nappy fabric with the grip of Velcro.
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The last time we got caught in a feud among trick family four-doors was in the March 1991 comparo of the Dodge Spirit R/T, the Chevrolet Lumina 234, and Ford’s Taurus SHO—“Yankee Clippers,” we called them, because they were all American, all quick. The Dodge was easily the fastest—but lacking art and style, it finished third. The runner-up Chevy delivered good value but suffered from lackluster execution. The best of answers was still the Ford that started it all.
Now our latest four-door face-off arrows across the Ohio Valley in loose formation, homing on the most delectably dodgy roads in the eastern U.S. They’re tucked into southeastern Ohio in a wedge shaped like a piece of pie. Its point lies at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, near Mansfield; the slice spreads east-southeast to the Ohio River and south to Marietta, the curve of the waterway representing the crust. This “pie” contains roads that good cars gobble up but lesser ones choke on.
We already know the SHO may hack a little, but it won’t choke. When Ford introduced its gonzo Super High Output Taurus, the Dearborn automaker led the way with the planet’s only moderately priced large-size sports sedan. The SHO’s muscle came from a Yamaha-built, 220-hp, DOHC, 3.0-liter V-6, complete with a racy intake system and four valves per cylinder. Aided by a beefed-up suspension, the V-6 was able to take the Taurus to 141 mph—and straight into a new performance category.
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At its introduction, the Taurus SHO beckoned enthusiasts with an under-$20,000 base price. That figure has crept beyond $24,000 in the intervening years, but we still rated the SHO as the class leader as recently as last September, when we compared it with the Nissan Maxima SE, the winner of our $25,000 imported sports-sedan test.
Since that time, however, the Nissan has received a 30-hp injection and appropriate suspension changes. And Toyota has introduced the sporty SE version of its capable new Camry. In typical Japanese fashion, their base prices undercut the SHO’s: about $2500 less for the Nissan and almost $5000 less for the Toyota. However, if you outfit all three to roughly the same equipment levels, the price gap narrows. As tested, the hotsy-totsy Taurus costs $25,849, versus $23,960 for the circus Maxima and $23,628 for the carnival Camry.
Our question is whether their added performance content makes them competitive with Ford’s acknowledged road rocket of family sedans. Or if they perhaps leapfrog smartly ahead of it.
Here’s how they landed:
3rd Place: Toyota Camry SE
Handsomely built in Georgetown, Kentucky, the new SE is promoted as “the sportiest Camry model ever offered by Toyota.” Before you snort at the minimal distinction that might infer, be aware that the next Camry you come up behind may be an SE fully able to keep you there. It may even pull away. Although it turns out to be the least quick of our three test cars, its 7.5-second 0-to-60 time undercuts plenty of wannabe clippers, Yankee and otherwise. The SE sports the same 185-hp rating as other six-cylinder Camrys but a final-drive ratio shortened from 3.62:1 to 3.93:1. So the SE pulls more strongly. Fifth gear allows it to pull all the way to 133 mph. That’s the lowest top speed of the three, but it comes easily.
The Taurus pulls strongest in general, the Camry weakest (a relative term), and the Maxima runs in the middle. But each runs stronger than the others in certain gears at certain speeds. All three cars’ braking and skidpad performances prove remarkably similar. Each turns in well but is not great in the stopping and limitcornering events.
The Camry’s V-6 feels the smoothest but also sounds the most decibel-deadened, a disappointment in this rev-happy market. However, Toyota has upgraded the Camry’s running gear to handle harder running, with stiffer spring rates, bushings, anti-roll bars, and shock damping, as well as V-rated tires. Quicker power steering cuts arm motion and response time, and optional anti-lock circuitry help the standard four-wheel disc brakes in emergency stops.
As a reality check, see our “Editors’ Ratings” chart below. The Camry, showing no weaknesses, scored well in each category—all 8s and 9s and a 10 for fit and finish—the only “perfect” mark in any category for any of the cars. The look, feel, and quality of Toyota’s interior contributed greatly. The SE’s sport seats are less aggressively shaped than, say, most German sport seats, but they wear grippy fabric that helps compensate. A widely adjustable driving position sets almost anyone within easy reach of the controls.
HIGHS: Nice to look at, lovely to drive.
LOWS: Less than truly quick.
VERDICT: At long last, a Camry for enthusiasts.
None of these sporty sedans will short you on tunes, either from the engine bay or the sound system. Toyota has concentrated on producing an all-around piece of work that proves the days of nondescript, square Camrys are long gone.
2nd Place: Ford Taurus SHO
The king is down—but not, by God, down on power. The SHO’s 0-to-60 blast takes only 6.4 seconds. Alas, its bristling power makes its steering waggle with torque steer. The SHO keeps reminding us that it was born yesterday. Compared with its two newer competitors, the SHO’s controls and road manners are beginning to feel unsophisticated. The controls that we found reassuringly firm a few years ago now seem simply heavy. The SHO is less able to handle tricky roads than its smooth-road test results suggest. You must get mean enough with it to keep it in line, never letting its mass and nonlinear behavior get ahead of you. This year brings higher-rate springs, an increase in anti-rollbar diameters, and increased caster settings all around. The SHO remains at its best in fast, open country.
Ford stretched the Taurus for 1992, 3.8 inches in overall length and 2.5 inches at the rear, adding another cubic foot of trunk space. (The designers also further rounded off the corners that first made rounded bodyware hot in Detroit.)
As a result, the Taurus is roomy enough front and back to carry five adults all around. Ford redesigned the instrument panel for better use of the gauges and controls, and it helps. The driver’s seat is ultra-adjustable, especially its torso bolsters. Sometimes, though, getting the seat reset after it has been moved is tough because there are so many adjustments.
But you’ll want a proper reach to the controls because they're not always the most cooperative. Each feels slightly out of whack with the others. Although the old cable shift linkage has been swapped for rod-type mechanism, it still lacks precision. The SHO simply lacks the aura of greater refinement offered by its two rivals.
HIGHS: Spacious shuttle stands ever ready for horizontal blastoffs.
LOWS: Not happy on rough roads, wrestling-match control efforts.
VERDICT: Good for, ah, brisk family life, playing Fangio for goggle-eyed spouse.
Still, the SHO remains the hot tip for ripping along on wide open roads where you can unleash it to best effect. And despite feeling big and unruly on tighter back roads, it’s nowhere near ready for retirement.
1st Place: Nissan Maxima SE
Welcome to the all-around winner of the great Car and Driver Triple-Throwdown Four-Door Showdown.
It’s ironic, though, that the Nissan that looked quite modern only months ago now begins to look dated. Maybe it’s because the rounder Camry has rolled out its restrained yet “right” styling. The Maxima’s special SE trim with body-color grille gives a certain boxy look to its nose.
But the Maxima certainly doesn’t feel obtuse from behind the wheel. The SE romps from 0-to-60 in seven seconds flat and fails to match the SHO’s 141-mph top
speed by only 4 mph. Its braking and roadholding figures wind up within a hairsplit of the others, and they all tied at 20 mpg on our rollercoastering Ohio trip.
In addition to the sheer numbers, the Maxima offers such blessings a basically better seat with easier adjustments for form-fitting them, and black-on-white gauges that reverse contrast at night. Its suspension copes very gracefully with the SE model’s 30-hp bonus, thanks, in part, to a viscous limited-slip differential that helps keep the front wheels from getting into too much of a torquey tug of war. And the hearty engine comes on cam in entertaining steps, purring, humming, or howling all the way, exulting in its playtime exploits.
Between the chassis, the engine, and the cabin fitted together aft of that blocky nose, the Maxima pulls itself together—by a hair—as the best compromise among this high-powered stampede of three semi-supersedans.
But none of these sporting sedans can be be smooched with the kiss of “dearth”—not one of the three comes up short. Each proves adept at claiming its own corner of the performance envelope: the Ford is the fastest, the Toyota the slickest, and the Nissan the happiest compromise. The Maxima, however, wins because it’s the best marriage of Taurus-like power with Camry-like sophistication.
HIGHS: Downright happy in town, outright ecstatic in the boondocks.
LOWS: Doesn’t really look the high-speed part.
VERDICT: The best compromise at the price.
How skinny was the Maxima’s advantage? When the overall voting ended, two points separated the high and low scores.
That’s the closest finish in C/D history.
Specifications
Specifications
1992 Ford Taurus SHO
Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 6-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $24,262/$25,849
ENGINE
DOHC 24-valve V-6, iron block and aluminum heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 182 in3, 2986 cm3
Power: 220 hp @ 6200 rpm
Torque: 200 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm
TRANSMISSION
5-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/multilink
Brakes, F/R: vented disc/vented disc
Tires: Goodyear Eagle GT +4 M+S
P215/60VR-16
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 106.0 in
Length: 192.0 in
Width: 71.2 in
Height: 54.1 in
Passenger Volume, F/M/R: 53/47 ft3
Trunk Volume: 18 ft3
Curb Weight: 3437 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 6.4 sec
1/4-Mile: 15.1 sec @ 93 mph
100 mph: 17.8 sec
120 mph: 29.4 sec
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 7.1 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 11.4 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 11.4 sec
Top Speed: 141 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 181 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.81 g
Interior Sound
Idle: 49 dBA
Full Throttle: 81 dBA
70-mph Cruising: 73 dBA
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 20 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
City/Highway: 18/26 mpg
--
1992 Nissan Maxima SE
Vehicle Type: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $21,790/$23,960
ENGINE
DOHC 24-valve V-6, iron block and aluminum heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 181 in3, 2960 cm3
Power: 190 hp @ 5600 rpm
Torque: 190 lb-ft @ 400 rpm
TRANSMISSION
5-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/multilink
Brakes, F/R: vented disc/disc
Tires: Yokohama A344
P205/65VR-15
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 104.3 in
Length: 187.6 in
Width: 69.3 in
Height: 55.1 in
Passenger Volume, F/R: 57/39 ft3
Trunk Volume: 15 ft3
Curb Weight: 3238 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 7.0 sec
1/4-Mile: 15.5 sec @ 91 mph
100 mph: 19.9 sec
120 mph: 34.2 sec
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 7.5 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 8.9 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 9.4 sec
Top Speed: 137 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 183 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.78 g
Interior Sound
Idle: 44 dBA
Full Throttle: 77 dBA
70-mph Cruising: 72 dBA
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 20 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
City/Highway: 21/26 mpg
--
1992 Toyota Camry SE
Vehicle Type: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $18,823/$23,628
ENGINE
DOHC 24-valve V-6, iron block and aluminum heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 180 in3, 2959 cm3
Power: 185 bhp @ 5200 rpm
Torque: 195 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm
TRANSMISSION
5-speed manual
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/multilink
Brakes, F/R: vented disc/disc
Tires: Bridgestone Potenza RE88
P205/65VR-15
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 103.1 in
Length: 187.8 in
Width: 69.7 in
Height: 55.1 in
Passenger Volume, F/R: 55/42 ft3
Trunk Volume: 15 ft3
Curb Weight: 3278 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 7.5 sec
1/4-Mile: 15.9 sec @ 88 mph
100 mph: 22.0 sec
120 mph: 42.4 sec
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 7.7 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 9.4 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 9.9 sec
Top Speed: 133 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 180 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.79 g
Interior Sound
Idle: 41 dBA
Full Throttle: 76 dBA
70-mph Cruising: 71 dBA
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 20 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
City/Highway: 19/26 mpg