Head 2 Head

- Season 5

(2014)

Jonny Lieberman looks at a type of car that Germany does better than anyone else: the Super Sedan. The Porsche Panamera Turbo has long been one of Motor Trend's favorites. Massive, ferocious, surprisingly nimble, and if your checkbook's got the overhead, totally luxurious. But don't discount Audi. Ever since the S8 showed up, Audi has shocked the car world by making such a big car so dang fast. The only thing that could even compete was the Panamera Turbo. The RS7 comes with an even more powerful version of the familiar 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 -- 560 horsepower to be...

Jonny Lieberman gets his hands on the all-new, 2015 Subaru WRX, as well as one of Motor Trend's favorite pocket rockets, the Ford Focus ST. Each car costs about $30,000, sports a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with similar power outputs, and features a 6-speed manual transmission. The Subaru of course features a sporty version of the brand's "symmetrical AWD" while the Focus makes due with just the front wheels driven. However, since it first appeared, the Focus ST has wowed the Motor Trend staff with ability to dance around corners and, generally, not ...

Jonny Lieberman sets out to discover which German hot-rod-personal-luxury-coupe is the best you can get. The 507 Coupe is the last iteration of the W204 C63. With the exception of the very limited-run Black Series, it's the best C63 that AMG has ever done.

Jonny Lieberman travels to Barber Motorsports Park for a head to head matchup with the brand new Chevy Camaro Z/28 and a well known heavyweight, the Nissan GT-R. But not just any GT-R, the 2014 Track Edition which packs a 545 hp twin-turbo V-6, a 6-speed dual clutch transmission, sticky Dunlop tires and AWD traction into a car without rear seats. The Z/28, by way of contrast, features a massive 7.0-liter naturally-aspirated V-8, a 6-speed manual transmission, and tail-out RWD.

Fast, small German cars are back with a vengeance on this episode of Head 2 Head. Join host Jonny Lieberman as he compares and contrasts the Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG with the brand new BMW M235i. Mercedes and BMW have had small car rivalries like this in the past, most notably the Benz's 190E 2.3-16 versus Bimmer's E30 M3. Fast forward three decades, and times have changed.

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class has ruled the luxury roost since it created the segment decades ago. However, Elon Musk's revolutionary Tesla Model S has single handedly disrupted the established luxury paradigm and has recently outsold the mighty S-Class. What's most amazing is that the Model S doesn't use a drop of gas. The S-Class does, but it rewrites the luxury car playbook in other ways. So which $125K big lux whip is best?

The 550-horsepower Jaguar F-Type Coupe R and 430-horsepower Porsche 911 50th Anniversary Edition both have carbon ceramic brakes, active dampers, and active differentials, and both are rear-drive. Both are intent on making driving enjoyable and rewarding. But which one does it best?

The Motor Trend long-term 2014 Jaguar F-Type V6 S faces-off against the 2014 Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG in an all-out fight to figure out which small luxury roadster is the best to live with. The F-Type sports a righteous 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 making 375 hp and 339 lb-ft of torque, and the SLK55 AMG packs a big 5.5-liter V-8 sending out 413 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque. Despite the big disparity in cylinders and displacement, the two drop-tops match up incredibly evenly. Which will come out on top?

The 1960's were the defining decade of the modern era. From the Cuban Missile Crisis, to the assassinations of JFK, RFK and MLK, to the hippie counter culture, to a man standing on the moon, few ten-year spans in history have seen as much tumult. Fewer still have seen as many awesome cars. On this episode we look at two of the most important cars from the 1960's: a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427 Tri-Power and a 1968 Porsche 911L.

Carlos Lago pits the Chevrolet Camaro SS against the new Ford Mustang GT. Not only are both packing around 430 horsepower, but they both have the most aggressive handling packages available with their respective performance packs. These cars have been going at it for longer than some of you watching have been alive, and they've never been better.

Carlos Lago pits two rear-drive luxury coupes - the 2015 BMW M4 and the 2015 Lexus RC-F - against each other in a battle for tire-smoking glory. Also, we find out which one is faster and more fun to drive by visiting the instrumented test track, the winding road course at Hyundai's Proving Ground, and Streets of Willow racetrack with pro driver Randy Pobst. Has Lexus built a sports coupe with performance on par with BMW's M Division?

Carlos Lago hosts a face-off between the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 and Porsche 911 GT3. Both cars are bred for track performance and driver's satisfaction, each packing high-revving, dry-sump engines, carbon ceramic brakes, and big wings. The huge price disparity makes this an odd pairing, but after considering each car's hardcore focus on performance, we couldn't resist the idea of getting them together. The Camaro makes more power, but the Porsche's lighter.