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Braking News

With 302 horses at your disposal, you'd think that stopping the 2002 Mercedes SL500 convertible would be an issue. Not so.

The car features the first brake-by-wire system. Hit the brakes and a computer begins slowing you within a fraction of a second. The system also determines which wheels have the most traction and applies the brakes accordingly to prevent a skid.

And just in case it pulls a Windows 98 on you, hydraulics act as a backup. Available next spring; price not set.

Formula Green

Making Formula One racing "greener" may be as much a marketing decision as a policy of corporate responsibility. But according to F1 officials, there's another reason to do so. The series has been moving further out of sync with the technical direction of the passenger car industry, which increasingly has fuel economy on the brain. F1 was always intended to be a bellwether, not a rogue element. That's one reason why, beginning in 2009 Formula One racing will introduce a hybrid-drive system into the series. If you want a sneak preview of how a hybrid setup might work in a racing application, keep an eye on how well one oddly named race car performs in next month's 24 Hours of Nürburgring endurance challenge in Germany next month.

PS Technology Quotient: 39 (out of 50)

Powertrain: 9
Road Manners: 8
Safety: 7
Electronics: 8
Design: 7

If you want to push the 2002 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 -- and this car begs to be pushed -- I suggest taking it home. Not your home; its home: Bavaria, where the original Porsche was conceived and hundreds of miles of wide open, speed-limit-free autobahn now lie. Simply point toward the Alps, slide into the left lane, and go.