Ask the Car People.SM


Entry Level Luxury Performance Sedans

16087 messages,  Last post on May 09, 2013 at 9:32 AM

You are in the Sedans Forum.

What is this discussion about? BMW 3 Series, Infiniti G37, Acura TL, Lexus IS 350, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Cadillac CTS, Volvo S60, Audi A4, Acura TSX, Car Comparisons, Sedan

Messages Page 201 of 1609

#1999 of 16087 My car's faults, plus G35 impressions by tlong

Apr 10, 2004 (10:38 pm)

I have a 1998 A4 2.8 (I know, previous model). Things I don't like about it:
- A bit too small, especially back seat w/kids
- Climate control fan is too noisy and not enough AC for the fan speed
- Not enough low end torque with 4WD
 
Things I like about the Audi:
- interior quality
- steering is impeccable
- Bose is excellent
- Shifter and clutch like butter
 
I drove a G35 6MT a few months ago for curiosity. Great engine and steering. Things I didn't like:
- Interior is only fair after having an Audi
- Steering - I drove about 70 mph around a sweeping freeway interchange ramp. There's a spot where the pavement changes and there's a 1/2-1 inch elevation difference. When I hit it in the G35 the steering wheel wanted to jerk out of my hand - THAT'S the sort of real-world handling I DON'T like! I tried the same spot and speed later in my A4 and there was virtually no 'kick' in the steering wheel. In conclusion, the interior and this steering behavior were enough to rule out the G35 for me.
 
I'm now looking at the TL. I drove an automatic and liked it quite a bit. I'm going to go check out the 6MT.

#2000 of 16087 by fedlawman

Apr 10, 2004 (10:48 pm)

Is this the first post of the next millenium?

#2001 of 16087 by fedlawman

Apr 10, 2004 (10:51 pm)

Or is it this one?

#2002 of 16087 Re: G35 impressions [tlong #1999] by kahunah

Apr 10, 2004 (11:24 pm)

Replying to: tlong (Apr 10, 2004 10:38 pm)
What size tires and wheels does your A4 have?

#2003 of 16087 Re: Re: G35 impressions [tlong #1999] [kahunah #2002] by tlong

Apr 11, 2004 (12:16 am)

Replying to: kahunah (Apr 10, 2004 11:24 pm)
I have the sport package and the tire size is 205/55 ZR 16. I originally had the Dunlop SP8000's. I then switched to Bridgestone Potenza RE940's, which I actually like less. They are very firm and noisier than the Dunlops (both Z-rated).
 
Clarification on my previous post: I liked the steering FEEL of the G35, but when hitting bumps while in a turn at high crusing speed (moderate amount of lateral G's), the steering jerked quite readily, while my A4 does not do that. Yet the A4 retains an excellent road feel, as does the G35.

#2004 of 16087 fedlawman by raher

Apr 11, 2004 (12:54 am)

Yes, I know the road from Mt. Vernon to Fairhaven. I have relatives in B'Ham and go there a lot. I live in Maltby just off of highway 9. I wouldn't recommend spirited driving on the road from Mt. Vernon to Fairhaven as there is a lot of slow traffic. As for bicycles..I am a cyclist myself so I appreciate anyone who looks out for me !

#2005 of 16087 by danny1878

Apr 11, 2004 (1:02 am)

As you cruise down the highway, passing all the slower cars and enjoying the view, you smile and think to youself...this is one great road car!
 
I know how you feel too kahunah, like you own the road.
 
I dont go over speed limit thou, but I like it when someone try to test the car's acceleration, and they usually slow down(after they got the message), as I will too if they dont. (I know you know this)
 
Now I really enjoy turning on/off onto Ram but I always limit myself not to do that at night (I need to see the road clearly). Be safe is more important. Nothing can make me more happier than being inside this Car.

#2006 of 16087 tlong by dhanley

Apr 12, 2004 (10:21 am)

I know exactly what you're talking about. It seems to me that that's part of the "german car" specialness. They provide good feedback while not exhibiting many of the foibles other performance cars posess. If all we want is leather, gadgets and lots of HP, we all have to feel bad about the $33K 5.7L GTO. In the end, arguing that one luxury car bests another based on HP/$ is like telling me that _I_ should prefer brick cheese to brie because it's more cheese per dollar.
 
But, on topic, the best road trip i took for pure driving fun was driving from santa fe to taos. There's two routes, both gorgeous. Once, leaving taos there was a row of 20 cars all bumper to bumper climbing uphill at 25mph. I knew i'd never be able to pass the entire caravan on the windy road ahead. So i dropped to second, and passed 25 cars on a long uphill, redlining third at the end. It paid off; there was hardly any other cars on the road following that, and the twisties were great fun.
 
dave

#2007 of 16087 Re: [blueguydotcom #1975] by bosoxin04

Apr 12, 2004 (10:59 am)

Replying to: blueguydotcom (Apr 09, 2004 2:10 pm)
Tramlining seems to correlate strongly with tire tread patterns as well -- see any on-line tire store reviews of similarly sized high performance tires.
 
My own view is that FWD vs. RWD is not a factor in tramlining -- it's tire-related.
 
As for torque-steer in the TL, I've experienced a little bit of it in my two week old automatic (off-the-line, as others have noted), but it hasn't been problematic. Car and Driver has noted that torque steer is far more bothersome in the manual.

#2008 of 16087 please help.... by cjs2002

Apr 12, 2004 (12:59 pm)

Its come down to the wire... with in the next 3 weeks now I plan on getting a new vehicle.. yet I've narrowed it down to these two cars. The Acura TL (w/o nav) and MB C class... there are things I like on both cars and things I dislike.. and I've come to the point where I don't know what else to do now... in my opinion the TLs interior is better than the Cs... but well the MB has some nice features like Tele Aid,maint minder (which tl has too but the mb is more indepth) and rain sensing winshield wipers and auto up and down for all for windows... yet the TL has the surround sound a first for cars... so what would you guys suggest anything else I should try and figure out between these two cars.... I'm thinkin there pretty much equal... only thing that bothers me about the mercedes really is that the C230 sport sedan is kinda underpowerd which can be remadeed by getting the manny (which I'm still learning how to drive) please help

Messages Page 201 of 1609

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement