Auto Trends

2007 Ford F-150 Roush (Stage 3)

While there will be plenty of people who disagree with this claim (it is only a truck after all), the problem with the Roush F-150, is its bark is much worse than its bite. By the word “bark” we are referring to its $16,000 over the factory $33,000 price tag, loud supercharger whine, fake hood scoop, giant truck bed whale tail spoiler, and those infamous dual race stripes.

Its “bite” is approximately 445 horsepower, 500 ft-lbs torque, 0 to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds, and the quarter-mile in 14.9 seconds. Not BAD numbers by most standards, but there is still a slew of non-supercharged vehicles that could hand it its tailpipe, such as the Dodge SRT-10, or even worse, the V-6 Toyota Camry.

Yes, the Roush Stage 3 can take you just about anywhere you would need to go in plenty of time, haul a nice load of cow dung from one side of the farm to the next, but it looks more like it belongs on the track… but its performance on the other hand is just not track worthy. Cool looking truck… it’s just not as fast as it looks!

2004 Smart Roadster

With just one engine available on this beast, the three-cylinder turbocharged 698cc (cubic “centimeter”), you should already know the kind of performance you are in for. Strap yourself in tight, as the standard Smart Roadster came stock in its base form with 80 fire breathing ponies. The manufacturer outwardly admits the car is not fast, but adds that it is still a lot of fun to drive.

Okay, define “fun to drive”. Yes, it can squeeze around corners, move forward when you press the accelerator, and stop when you press the brake. On certain scenarios, it can even overtake (pass) another vehicle, such as if you have enough prior notice and a really big downward hill on your side.

If you are the kind of person who likes the top rated models, the Smart Roadster claimed it had something even more performance oriented for you, the potent Brabus tuned version. The Brabus boosted the Smart’s base horsepower a whooping 20 bhp. In other words, this high performance model could actually pass another Le Car or Ford Pinto without even blowing a head gasket.

The car is “green”, which we give it kudos for. It is cheap to drive, both in gas and insurance (doesn’t move fast enough for insurance companies to gouge it). The car just looks a whole lot faster than it can back-up, which unfortunately classifies it amongst our cool cars… embarrassing performance pack!