Today's big sedans offer big performance

Let's take a moment to check out some lap times (clocked at Grattan Raceway here in Michigan) that have been published in Car And Driver in the past two months:

Chevrolet Z06 - 1:26.00
Dodge Viper coupe - 1:27.50
BMW M5 - 1:31.25
Mercedes CLS55 AMG - 1:32.55
Dodge Charger SRT8 - 1:32.65
Cadillac STS-V - 1.33.55
Mazda MX-5 - 1:36.14
Pontiac Solstice - 1:37.35

Suggest to the average "enthusiast" that a Caddy would be able to leave a Miata in the dust around a twisty and difficult race course, and there'd be a lot of laughter and an instant drop in the perceived reliability of the source of information. I think it's clear from the data, however, that barge owners have no reason to hold their heads in shame.

And, yeah, that time for the Charger SRT8 does indeed point towards it being the best all-around performance deal on the market, and not just a straight-line specialist (as I'm sure some would like to think).