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Luxury Performance Sedans

10339 messages,  Last post on May 30, 2013 at 3:26 PM

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What is this discussion about? Lexus GS 430, Acura RL, BMW 5 Series, Volvo S80, Audi A6, Infiniti M35, Infiniti M45, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Cadillac STS, Sedan

Messages Page 796 of 1035

#7948 of 10339 Re: Each Brand's Central Vision [bw45sport] by sfcharlie

Jul 29, 2006 (8:40 am)

Replying to: bw45sport (Jul 29, 2006 1:26 am)
Alas, while the car can perform as well or better than any of its peers, the owner can't tell everyone that my car has the newest engine technology. Good reason to slink away in shame.
 
OK ... I was off on a hyperbolic tear ... your sensitivity has grounded me again, though.
 
My point was not that I feel deprived of the opportunity to carry schematics of the engine and show them to people on the Amtrak to MIT. My point was that, whether you resonante with this or not, there is pleasure in the feel of certain engine/tranny combos. Sinply getting a dragster response is not the one that lights my fire. Also, the 12-year-oldness manifests itself not in owner's inability to have letters printed on car that read "latest technology; eat your heart out", but manifests itself in very high rpms being required to get to the engine's torque (you're at 3000 rpm crusing at 75 on the highway) which, in turn, means you're buying the kick-butt acceleration with 17 mpg for 275 HP, rather than having it built-in through contemporary engineering. There are 350 HP V8s that only gulp 17 mpg. And it's not the money. It's the overall sense of what (I realize as I drive the car) the drivetrain is doing with the gas to create the impressive dragstrip times.
 
None of this, as has been said many times here, has any implication for anyone else for whom that car provides exactly what they love in a driving experience.
 
I realize it's unusual for an owner of a car to be a negative voice about the car on one of these forums, but it's just a variation on people who have only test-driven a certain car and write volumes about how its soul compares to the soul of some other machine.
 
On the M35 versus BMW 5-series forum, another voice popped up yesterday saying the same thing, just not going-off the way I did yesterday: "I went from a 2002 540 to an 06 M35x, and while the M is a very nice car, it doesn't come close the driving pleasure of the BMW. I will admit that perhaps I should have looked at the M45 sport, but unfortunately I didn't. I also got significantly better mileage with the V8 BMW than the V6 Infiniti. Oh well, it's only a 2 yr lease." And, no, I didn't pay someone to post that.

#7949 of 10339 Re: The GT-R [dewey] by designman

Jul 29, 2006 (10:24 am)

Replying to: dewey (Jul 29, 2006 8:33 am)
Dewey, I totally agree with you. Performance cars are judged on the performance GOODS, period.

#7950 of 10339 Re: Two questions [cdnpinhead] by designman

Jul 29, 2006 (10:28 am)

Replying to: cdnpinhead (Jul 28, 2006 5:27 pm)
If someone really carries on about a road they love, I’ll mark it in my atlas every time. It seems that I end up everywhere, sooner or later.
 
Cdnpinhead, have you heard of the Tail of the Dragon in Tennessee and North Carolina (mostly Tennessee)? If not, you might want to put it at the top of your list. I drool at the thought of driving this road.
 
http://bridger.us/mini/files/R&T_June_2006%20_TOTD.pdf
 
http://www.tailofthedragon.com/

#7951 of 10339 Re: The GT-R [designman] by lexusguy

Jul 29, 2006 (7:01 pm)

Replying to: designman (Jul 29, 2006 10:24 am)
Dewey, I totally agree with you. Performance cars are judged on the performance GOODS, period.
 
Perhaps. What would've happened if the NSX had been the Honda NSX here, as it is in the rest of the world? Would anyone in the US buy a $90K+ Honda? At around $30K, I think the S2000 could work with either a Honda or an Acura badge on it. Asking $65-75K though for a Nissan could be a mistake in the states. This is the most badge concious automarket in the world. The Infiniti badge was created just for us. The rest of the world is happy with Nissan Skylines and Fugas.
 
On the other hand, Americans know the Skyline GT-R best from Gran Turismo, as a Nissan. That worked for the WRX and Evo, and it could also work for the new GT-R.

#7952 of 10339 Re: The GT-R [lexusguy] by markcincinnati

Jul 29, 2006 (9:05 pm)

Replying to: lexusguy (Jul 29, 2006 7:01 pm)
There are issues with the analogy, I grant, but again I say the name "Phaeton."

#7953 of 10339 Re: Each Brand's Central Vision [sfcharlie] by reality2

Jul 29, 2006 (9:43 pm)

Replying to: sfcharlie (Jul 28, 2006 5:01 pm)
Actually, Audi's 2.0 4 and 4.2 8 won Ward's Best Automotive engines in its classes. So, to say BMW builds better engines is again more perception than reality as it the case with all of BMW.

#7954 of 10339 Re: The GT-R [lexusguy] by tagman

Jul 29, 2006 (10:33 pm)

Replying to: lexusguy (Jul 29, 2006 7:01 pm)
Asking $65-75K though for a Nissan could be a mistake in the states.
 
Really? Larger dealer network, greater exposure and more brand recognition.
 
If the production GT-R lives up to its potential, and is TRULY awesome and inspiring, people will gladly accept and pay for it as a Nissan, IMO. I agree with Dewey and Designman on this one. It's more about the CAR.
 
TagMan

#7955 of 10339 Re: Each Brand's Central Vision [reality2] by sfcharlie

Jul 29, 2006 (11:25 pm)

Replying to: reality2 (Jul 29, 2006 9:43 pm)
Actually, Audi's 2.0 4 and 4.2 8 won Ward's Best Automotive engines in its classes. So, to say BMW builds better engines is again more perception than reality as it the case with all of BMW.
 
I agree. In fact, that was my point. BMW does a great job of promoting its engine developments, to the point where a couple of auto mags accompanied reviews of the new 3-series with extensive coverage of the new engines, to an extent I haven't seen them do with other (even) German engines. In general, German brands all put a lot of money into pushing for cutting-edge balance of power and efficiency. Wards said about the Audi V6: "Audi's engine wizards prove high performance doesn't have to come at the expense of reasonable fuel economy." And about the V8 (even before FSI was added) --my favorite engine, in terms of performance (especially performance points per gas dollar): This engine is a virtual dynamo. It's the smallest-displacement V-8 in what we broadly define as the "premium V-8 class" of less than 5L - yet it's the most powerful. Its deeper beauty is its game-stopping flexibility and throttle response, always ready to unleash a torrent of power from idle to redline.

#7956 of 10339 Re: Two questions [designman] by cdnpinhead

Jul 30, 2006 (4:06 am)

Replying to: designman (Jul 29, 2006 10:28 am)
Excellent!
 
Thank you very much.

#7957 of 10339 Re: The GT-R [designman] by merc1

Jul 30, 2006 (10:53 am)

Replying to: designman (Jul 29, 2006 10:24 am)
Oh I have no doubt the car will be a hit for Nissan as the Corvette is for Chevy, my point was that if Nissan is serious about sharpening Infiniti's image with luxury/performance car buyers then it should have an Infiniti here. I agree that the car will be a judged on what it can do and not the badge. How else would a mere "Chevy" be able to compete with cars that cost 3xs as much.
 
M

Messages Page 796 of 1035

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