Volvo 850 T-5R wagon

148 MPHCadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe & Seville Touring SedanWith a black uniform and ten-shun posture, the pilot of the photo helicopter appeared straight out of a military recruitment poster. I had felt joy as he hovered alongside the Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe (ETC); knowing the Eldo enjoys a terminal velocity advantage of almost 50 mph over the copter, I understood it would quickly be "Adios, my friend." Of cars costing less than $50,000, only the Volvo 850 T-5R can transport five people to a higher top speed than the Eldorado Touring Coupe and its Seville Touring Sedan sibling, which share the four-cam all-aluminum 4.6-liter/300-horsepower Northstar V-8. The wind must think the pair is identical, as they both recorded 148-mph top speeds. At that pace, the STS was more composed than the ETC, the former's firmer suspension better tackling the undulating desert road. The STS' Driver Information Center provided this nugget: The average speed for the three-mile sprint was 122 mph, well above the top speed of the photo helicopter.

152 MPHVolvo 850 T-5R wagonIf you need to transport five people and garage-load of stuff at 150 mph, the Volvo 850 T-5R wagon is your only choice for under $50,000. Or under $40,000, for that matter. You can even bring along the pets as you run 152 mph away from that bursting dam or puking nuke plant. (We're fairly certain the T-5R will top 150 with five people aboard; it did with two, and weight has a comparatively small impact on top speed.) The Volvo's boxy shape apparently slips through the air better than many seemingly sleeker shapes, such as the 250-horsepower Lexus SC 400, because the T-5R's turbocharged 2.3-liter five-cylinder is rated at but 240 horses. Either that or Swedish dynamometers are pessimistic. Regardless, the Volvo offered a secure ride on its way to coming within 1 mph of the highest top speed we've recorded with a front-driver-the very same 850 T-5R we tested in May's Euro-sedan comparo.