Behind the Scenes

It didn't sound like a difficult task: We drove six premium luxury sedans from Los Angeles to Phoenix, where we stayed at the posh Boulders Resort, spent a day flogging the cars over every highway and backroad between Phoenix and Sedona, and then retraced our route the next day, returning to L.A. just in time to enjoy rush-hour traffic.

Who wouldn't want to spend some seat time commanding such amazing cars as the 2004 Audi A8 L, BMW 745i, Jaguar Vanden Plas, Lexus LS 430, Mercedes-Benz S430, and Volkswagen Phaeton V8? Beyond the fun factor, the value of road tests like these is that it gives our editors the opportunity to compare the cars to each other over a variety of road conditions in real-world use that goes beyond the average test drive.

Test tracks are great for obtaining official performance numbers for 0-60-mph, slalom, and braking, but if you really want to know how a car feels, try steering it over bumpy asphalt as desert crosswinds buffet the vehicle around the lane. For added insight, see how it feels to a tired body that has already spent two days driving from dawn to dusk. On the second day, we found a wonderful stretch of backroads that offered uphill twisties and downhill turnies, as well as an assortment of chicanes and straights that allowed us to really wring the performance out of each vehicle. And finally, no braking test compares to the one our drivers performed when a big-rig -- going 50 miles per hour slower than our passing caravan -- pulled out in last-minute lane change.

(Top of page: Our posse of premium sedans looked great staged in front of The Boulders check-in desk -- and occupied nearly all their parking.)



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