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Sedans Luxury Performance Sedans
10007 messages, Last post on Dec 01, 2009 at 7:40 AM
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Replying to: houdini1 (Mar 30, 2009 11:54 am) Consumer Reports used to rank TL and RL at the top of their categories, but no longer. See April issue. TL may be good with a few bugs worked out and new front end, but RL needs a complete new design and mission statement.
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Replying to: carolinabob (Mar 31, 2009 12:40 pm) What a blast to drive.
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Replying to: pg48477 (Mar 31, 2009 6:15 pm) Great choice, the 535i is a fantastic car, definitely my favorite car in the segment. I picked up a 535xi last summer. After driving all the cars in the segment (except the Jag XF, but I'm not really a Jag fan) I easily picked the 535xi which I was fairly confident I was going to pick when I started. The M35x, although the 2nd best performer I drove (really enjoyed driving it), is still slightly behind the 535 in terms of performance, the build quality was also lacking on the inside, in addition to a lack of split folding rear seats (kinda important to me, gives a huge increase in practicality), and not so great gas mileage. Nice, but it needs a bit more personality and a sexier exterior design. A6 has a sleek and modern look, still has a nice interior (except for strange omission of auto steering wheel adjustment unless they changed that) and costs a bit less than the 535xi (only the A6 V6 version); but definitely exhibited more body roll in the corners than the 535xi and weaker overall performance with dull steering. The 535's engine is simply awesome, its a twin-turbo inline 6, with stronger performance than Audi's V8, and better fuel economy. And the cost advantage for the Audi only comes with the A6's V6 engine. The RL was a definite no-go; for about the same price as a Infiniti M35x, the M35x's performance is better, in addition to being more spacious. And compared to the 535xi it was quite a bit behind. At least it has a price advantage. MB E Class, forget about it, a joke, and it costs more than the 535, at least the Lexus has a price argument. Lexus GS350, sorry, no way. Its steering is numb compared to the 535xi, noticeably more body roll in the corners, and headroom seemed to be an issue. I don't really need to go into any more about it because for me if the performance is not there than the other stuff doesn't matter. For others though, this may not matter as much. Lexus and Mercedes Benz don't make cars that fit my idea of enjoyable driving. The 535 is a true sports sedan and I certainly can't say that about the GS350. The iDrive, while it could be a bit more intuitive, is not that bad, and is not a deal breaker by any stretch. In fact I don't mind it at all. And no, the cup holders were not even a consideration, haha. This is an honest opinion, no bias, if Lexus made a GS model like their own IS-F against the 535xi, then it would far more difficult. Although the 535 has sharp handling, excellent road feel, fantastic engine performance and efficiency, I must also mention that the ride quality is excellent. Here's how I would rate the top 3: 1st. BMW 535i (xi) (what can I say? I'll sum it up with this; Edmunds Inside Line went as far as saying the "nearly perfect sedan", and I can 2nd that) 2nd. Infiniti M35 (drives better than the A6 in my opinion with more communicative steering, but the engine is a bit unrefined and thus can be annoying loud, not Porsche loud, which is a good loud, and also doesn't do great on gas b/c of this, and isn't as sexy and its interior is not as nice as the A6. But the fact is the M35 performs better than the A6. Which car you like is better may depend on which brand you like and which aspects of a car are most important to you) 3rd. Audi A6 3.0 TFSI (better looking than the M35 and has better interior build quality, and also has split folding rear seats, imp for some, me included. New engine is also more refined than the Infiniti. Handling is not quite as good as the M35 but hopefully Audi will add an S-line pk, and with it, cornering will improve.) 4th. Acura RL; Decent job w/ the exterior redesign (still too much going on though) but it still lags behind the M35 in performance, for the same price (msrp at least) I could go into even more details but here it is summed up in 1 simple sentence. If you want to drive, get the BMW...and I love to drive.
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I've heard that the noise inside can get loud in the M35. That's to bad for that car. Also something else, the BMW and M35 are RWD. That also sets them apart from the Audi and TL.
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Replying to: mobiusf1 (Apr 01, 2009 2:42 am) http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=122205
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Replying to: vavavavolvo (Apr 01, 2009 4:53 pm)
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Replying to: addams (Apr 01, 2009 5:20 am) On your other point; the M35 and 535i have AWD models as well, the M35x and the 535i xDrive. |
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Replying to: mobiusf1 (Apr 01, 2009 2:42 am) Very good write up on the various current mid-sizers. I agree with almost all of your points, but I've never been a fan of the current 5. I really liked the old 540i Sport and the old M5, but the current 5 just leaves me cold. Curious, were the A6 models you tested equipped with the sport/S-line package? The standard suspension setup on the A6 has always been a bit dull, but it's much better with the sport suspension. Prior to '09, neither A6 engine choice was great. The 3.2 was underpowered, and the 4.2's weight over the nose dulled the responses and still wasn't amazingly quick. The S-line package is gone, but the 3.0T offers a 19" Sport package which makes it more competitive with the M35 and 5 series. You can also finally get a power tilt/telescope steering wheel if you opt for the Prestige version. The next generation 5 series will face stiff competition from the upcoming M37, which will have as much as 350hp, a much nicer interior, and hopefully improved NVAH. Audi's next gen A6 will move to their new modular platform, and will offer much better balance, and a sportier feel with Audi Drive Select. Lexus, Mercedes, and Acura seem to offer little threat at this point.
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Replying to: vavavavolvo (Apr 01, 2009 4:53 pm) The current 5 did reasonably well in EuroNCAP's side impact test. It's not the best car in the segment for safety, but it's not what I would call an unsafe car. Also, the 5 can easily out handle and perhaps more importantly, out brake the RL. Honda brakes are almost universally bad. So the 5 is more likely to avoid accidents in the first place. |
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