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Sedans Acura TL Audi A4 vs Acura TL vs Volvo S60 vs VW Passat
88 messages, Last post on Aug 09, 2009 at 3:31 PM
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Replying to: rjlaero (Aug 09, 2005 7:46 am) Audi is not always more expensive than VW or Volvo or anything Japanese? What are you talking about? There are plenty of Japanese cars more expensive than A4s and A6s (Acura RL is very close in price to the A6 for instance). There are plenty of VW's more expensive than A3's or A4s, think Toureg and Phaeton, and the Passat and A4s overlap at certain price points. I agree calling the A4 junk is ridiculous, calling any of these cars junk is ridiculous. They all are resonably well engineered and built cars. Overall I may find Audi best, followed by Volvo, but you can make an argument for Acura as well. Passat is in a different market segment, but I think it is tops of the family sedans and like it over Accord, Camry, Altima, and others.
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Replying to: benjamins (Sep 09, 2005 3:39 pm) |
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Replying to: benjamins (Sep 09, 2005 3:39 pm) Passat or Ford = Volvo, are patently ridiculous. I drove a Passat 2.0 and an A4 2.0 today. These cars are nothing alike. The Passat interior is pleasant but it has a broad dash and somewhat bland design of a family car. It is though a very nice family car and the engine is smooth and responsive. The transmission is also very smooth. The brakes seemed poor. The Audi interior is far superior in that the dash design, plastics, leather, and seat design are all much more high quality than the VW. The Audi interior has that spartan lux and sporty look/feel that Audi has had at least since the Audi 100 that I drove 23 years ago. But the real difference is in the acceleration and shifting. The CVT is flawless and the A4 is much quicker than the Passat at most speeds and appears to have much more low end torque. I have a Saab turbo and until this A4, I have not seen anything beat the Saab 2.0 turbo. The A4 was louder than the Passat, which bothered me. I also drove an S40, a great little car with excellent acceleration very close to the new A4 turbo. But the ride is poor and its roof line makes vision diffiicult for me (6-3). I have driven the TSX and the TL. I love the TSX as it is crisp, quick and handles lightly. You do have to rev it (like most VTEC engines). The TL is simply too luxury oriented for me. I really don't think of it as a sporty car. It is fast but does not feel nimble at all. It feels similar to the S60 I have ridden in but not driven.
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Replying to: edwardsf (Sep 11, 2005 11:51 pm) BTW, the Audi gets 24/32 and the Passat gets 22/31. Is that difference just from weight?
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Replying to: edwardsf (Sep 12, 2005 11:51 am) Volvos are fun cars. If I was in the market for a compact car, it would've easily been the S40 T5. I'm in the mid-sized market, and if the S60 came with a 6 MT, I would've considered it. I'm one of those who've said the Passat interior is similar to Audi, and I base that on personal experience, and stand by that comment with one qualification: I base my view on personal experience with a 2001.5 Passat and a 2002 Audi A6. The seats are the same - stitching, stuffing, etc. The gauges and center-stack controls are the same. I could believe that the A4 is firmer riding than the Passat, but do not believe the A6 is firmer. Audi is clearly sportier, but the Passat interior is very well-done and Audi-like. You said "The even bigger difference between the A4 2.0 and the Passat 2.0 was the handling" Of course the A4 handles better! The Jetta with a sport package probably handles better, too, since the Passat is bigger. The Passat handles more like the A6 b/c it's mroe similar in size to the A6. At least back in '01.5, what Passat did was take a car body similar to the A6, and put in an A4 engine (either the smaller one or the v6 one which was smaller than the v6 in the A6). Because of the larger size, the Passat is less sporty than the A4. Because of the smaller engine, the Passat is less sporty than the A6. Still kicks the crap out of the competition!!!! In my mind, it's unfare to compare the A4 and BMW3 series with "competitors" such as the G35, TL and the cars mentioned in this forum. Don't get me wrong, I'm the 1st person to say that you have to compare what you might buy. If it's an apples to oranges comparison, then you need to decide whether you want an apple or an orange. Anyway, all I'm saying is I understand the comparisions b/c of price, but I think that if you're talking about handling and sportiness (and not $$$) the TL, G35, S60, etc should be compared to the A6 and 5-series. Of course, the 5-series might handle better than the G35 and TL, but that's still what the comparison should be. Regarding a prior comment that the Passsat handles like a TL, I could agree. I think the TL is a stiffer ride (I have the 6MT w/ summer tires), but I also think I'm at my comfort-limit with the TL. I thought the Passat handled well, as did the S40 (though that is based on a short test-drive in which my main realization was that a compact car was too small for me).
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Replying to: taxesquire (Sep 12, 2005 12:14 pm) Comparos should be: A4, 3 series, S40 T5, Mazaspeed 6, IS, C230, TSX, 9-3 5 series, E series, A6, M45, S60, TL, 9-5, GS300, Passat, Mazda 6, Altima SER, Maxima, I have no clue what to do with the G35 as that round shift plate is too ugly for anything.
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Replying to: edwardsf (Sep 13, 2005 2:56 pm) I think it should be broken up as follows: 530 & below (525?); TL; G35; S60; 9-5 530 & above (545?); A6; M; GS300; RL; S60T5(?) I'm not knowledgable with Saab or Mercedes
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Replying to: taxesquire (Sep 13, 2005 4:39 pm) |
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Well I been car shopping for almost 2 long months now, test driving everything I come across and wasn't getting that "I gotta get this car" feeling but I was saving the Acura TL, Volvo S40 awd, 06 Audi A4 quattro, and the Lexus IS250 awd for last cause I kind of figured I wouldnt get that feeling until getting to the main part of my test drive list. I'm currently in Alaska so the rwd 350 was out but when I get stationed back in the lower 48 that is what I want. So anyway test drove the Volvo still nothing. Drove the Acura which was my favorite all around before driving it for the way its packaged but didnt care for it after driving it, it just seemed "heavy" dont ask me what that means. So just yesterday I went to Audi and test drove a 06 2.0 A4 and absolutely loved it it was actually the longest test drive I had ever been on. It was so much fun to drive, loved the way it looks, and feels just so solid and So needless to say all that plus the audi 2 yr leasing special going on right now I opted to not wait for the Lexus 250 and jump on the Audi. I only had to wait 1 more month to drive the Lexus but they wouldnt be able to beat the leasing offer anyway so its Audi for me at least for the next 2 yrs.. Thank you for everyones discussions and opinions on all the vehicles it really helped me narrow thing s down and zone in on which had over all everything I wanted. in case you want to know 06 A4 2.0 quattro auto, premium, technology 2, sunroof pkg,cold weather, ocean blue pearl/plat leath 1080- due at lease inception 435- a month Guess I'll see you all in about 23 months when its time for another vehicle
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Replying to: quest3 (Sep 13, 2005 9:00 pm) 
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