Nostalgia is intoxicating in a way. Certainly cars are not immune; You can hardly venture into an enthusiast-oriented corner of the Internet without hearing stories about how “they don’t make them like they used to.” That’s correct. Case in point: the E90 M3. A roaring naturally aspirated V8 engine with 8,400 rpm. Manual transmission on request. Rear wheel drive only. It’s a formula we’ll never see again, for more nuanced reasons than we care to elaborate on at this point.
But opinions are free – have you ever wondered what happens when you actually line up the vintage cars and the new school? Luckily we have Jason Cammisa to help us. In his latest video, he breaks down the best sports sedans of 2008 to see if they can compete with the current (questionable) king of the segment: the unlikely Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing. Is a 414 hp V8 enough to make up for almost 20 years of technological progress in traction and chassis technology?
The best sports sedans of 2008 in the range
There’s no doubt that the E90 M3 and its S65 engine are forces to be reckoned with. But Cammisa also brought with her some equally formidable rivals. First up is the second-generation Audi RS4, which famously touted a 4.2-liter V8 that reached a truly delicious 8,250 rpm. In fact, the RS4 had the highest redline of any cross-plane crank V8 engine ever at the time. The resulting 420 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque were just icing on the cake; The Audi’s rear-biased all-wheel drive, sophisticated suspension geometry and overall appealing design make the car the epitome of a sports sedan.
Of course, we can’t have a real performance car shootout with BMW and Audi without Mercedes-Benz being there. And they do: The W204 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG debuted in 2008 with a great 6.2-liter V8 with 451 hp. It’s the only car equipped with an automatic transmission – perhaps a criticism in this particular area. Like the BMW, it has a great exhaust note (probably even more so if we’re being completely unbiased), and it’s rear-wheel drive. It is also quicker than the other two cars from zero to 60 miles per hour, completing the sprint in just under four seconds.
The modern muscle
You’ve seen (or, more likely, already known about) the old school. Meet the new one, the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing. No V8 here; Instead, there is a twin-turbo V6 under the hood. But with 472 horsepower and 445 pound-feet of torque, it makes more than any other car here. It can reach a top speed of more than 300 km/h, achieve zero to 60 km/h speeds that rival the Benz, and even touts a self-controlling transmission. But no car is perfect.
As if channeling an entire subreddit, Cammisa claims, “As far as what’s special, the old cars have it.” He complains about the whistled engine noise – and even mourns the presence of the powerful V6, claiming that it would be “game over” for the old cars if there was a V8 under the hood. After a quick overview of ownership – and reviewing the car’s reviews at the time – Camissa decides on a winner. He praises the Audi’s rarity and design. The Benz becomes best in class when it comes to steering and general “hooliganism”. The E90 BMW M3? You just have to watch and find out.
