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Sedans Maserati Quattroporte Luxury Lounge
21396 messages, Last post on Nov 26, 2009 at 9:00 AM
You are in the Maserati Quattroporte Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: dewey (Jul 04, 2009 8:06 pm) I'll give you some besides iDrive. How about direct injection? VTEC is pretty old, but variable timing and lift on both intake and exhaust valves is new. Automatic stop/start systems. Regenerative braking. Rain sensing wipers. Magnetorheological adaptive dampers. LED headlights and tail lights that last the life of the car. Sequential twin turbos and variable geometry turbos. Tire pressure monitors. Aluminum space frames. Real time traffic updates. The list goes on and on. There are some new innovations like lane departure warning and prevention that are mostly stupid and useless, but blind spot monitors can be useful even if you are actually paying attention to the road and not drifting in and out of your lane. Starting at the end of the '90s, Mercedes seriously dropped the ball in quality. When Top Gear tested a CL65 AMG several years ago, pretty much the most expensive car they made at the time, one of the headlights was out and the drivers seat was broken. I remember seeing literally a dozen lemon law buyback SLs for sale on eBay at any one time, and there were endless owner reports of perpetually broken tops and a host of other problems. They aren't alone though. Remember what Volvos used to be like? An old RWD, straight six Volvo wagon could outlast the sun. They don't make 'em like that anymore. Any Mercedes SUV that came out of their Alabama plant used to fall apart pretty much instantly. They are getting better, unfortunately the same can't be said for VW, Land Rover, or Saab. Audis were pretty terrible from the mid '90s through around 2003, but now they are doing very well. In the latest JD power VDS, they came in above Hyundai and just below Porsche and Honda. Jag did brilliantly, but I suspect they will take a huge hit once the XF is factored in. Toyota and Lexus are sort of holding the line on their stellar reputation for quality and reliability, but it's hard to argue that they are improving. The Camry/ES transmission problems are a serious concern. The V6 Camry was shockingly poor for a new Toyota, and the GS300 AWD was the lowest quality new Lexus model in their history. Supposedly Toyoda has blasted the troops and wants things to improve, but we'll see. They may have reached a plateau, and will only be able to watch while the rest of the industry slowly catches up. |
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Replying to: dewey (Jul 04, 2009 7:30 pm) Heh Heh, I feel like I cannot deny that.  Regards, Jose |
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Replying to: theanimal (Jul 04, 2009 7:16 am) |
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Replying to: lexusguy (Jul 04, 2009 12:25 pm) I know that's why I have been owning a mini fleet of 2 cars for the past 6 years, but since my wife's annexed the IS, I am giving this idea another try. I think the Audi Allroad/Avant (sp) a fantastic looking wagon that I do not mind driving, but it just fell off my list of candidates after reading about its lack off reliability on some forum. I am pretty sure Audi's AWD system is one of the best, however I want one that does not behave like an AWD vehicle when not needed. Another item to observe on a test drive I guess. |
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Replying to: cyclone4 (Jul 04, 2009 5:57 pm)
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Replying to: circlew (Jul 04, 2009 6:28 pm) |
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Replying to: dewey (Jul 04, 2009 7:40 pm) |
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Replying to: 2001gs430 (Jul 05, 2009 5:12 am) No, cargo space isn't a strong suit of the GSh. It has less than a Porsche Boxster. In fact, I struggle to think of any strong suits for that car. Apart from the fact that its based on the standard GS, which is in a grudge match with the RL for the worst car in the segment, the mpg benefit of the hybrid system is entirely canceled out by the extra weight. You're literally paying $10,000 for nothing. You might as well set the money on fire instead of heating your house over the winter. That would save you more money on energy costs than the GSh. If the Germans are out for reliability concerns, I'm afraid that it may be simply impossible to hit every bullet point. The EX35 has Lexus reliability with better than X3 handling, but the packaging is awful. If you actually need the rear seats for anything, the M35x or the FX35 would be better choices. Audi's latest 40/60 Quattro system has largely gotten rid of the old understeer, for fairly neutral handling until you push it to the absolute limit. I will give Infiniti's ATTESA system credit though, since it basically shuts down the front wheels until their needed, it has the most "RWD like" feel of probably any system out there. That of course doesn't necessarily translate to performance. The S4 and even the TL SH-AWD will destroy the G35x on a track thanks to their torque vectoring systems. If you're going to a Toyota dealership to check out a Venza, I would take a look at a RAV4 V6 Sport as well. It's supposed to be the most fun car to drive Toyota makes, it's quick, and the fuel economy is surprisingly good considering the 269hp. I know what you mean about a Toyota hybrid hatchback. I don't understand why Toyota and Honda still have no answer to the Escape hybrid. It would be a no brainer. The GSh on the other hand is brainless.
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I wonder how much money you're willing to spend on this new ride. Plus how large are the items we're talking about, but I assume most sedans won't do. There are quite a few and I believe pretty much all of them have been covered by the others. I'd love to second the A4 but recent price jump in A4 prices keeps me from recommending it to anyone I know now. If we're talking sensibly "large" items I guess a 328xi wagon is a good choice. From what I see so far it's possible to get even 30mpg on this one. However if price isn't an issue then A4 avant is a great choice. Infiniti EX, I totally second that, assuming you like the looks which I admit isn't for everyone. It's not SUV nor CUV, morelike a tall hatchback IMO. However cabin details are far better than G's and it still handles almost like a G. Downside? Ride can get pretty firm. I'm not sure I can recommend Venza. It definitely doesn't handle anywhere near the word fun, heck even RX offer more fun IMO.
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Replying to: m4d_cow (Jul 05, 2009 7:46 am) Yah, I am talking bulky items that do not easy fit the trunk opening of a sedan, or even the rear passenger doors. I have seen a few EXs around, it looks like a mini FX from away, which you either love or hate, nothing in btw IMHO. |
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