Article Comments - Comparison Test: 2007-2008 Sport Sedans

475 messages, Last post on Jul 25, 2008 at 4:41 PM

You are in the Sedans Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens

What is this discussion about? Cadillac CTS, BMW 3 Series, Infiniti G35, Mercedes-Benz 350-Class, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Car Comparisons, Sedan

Comparison Test: 2007-2008 Sport Sedans - This is exactly why we gathered this group of sport sedans. That is, to find out if the 2008 Cadillac CTS, 2007 Infiniti G35 Sport, 2008 Lexus IS 350 or 2008 Mercedes-Benz C350 Sport can topple the Bavarian champ — the 2007 BMW 335i. In the spirit of the segment, each car in the test is outfitted with sport package hardware — usually a stiffer suspension and bigger wheels and tires — and an automatic transmission. (more)

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#40 of 475 Re: I like the G Sport but..... [hondacura4] by louiswei Nov 05, 2007 (3:32 pm)
Replying to: hondacura4 (Nov 05, 2007 3:22 pm) none of the other cars offer that FREE MAINTENCE for 4 years or 50K as that in itself is hard to overlook. Agree that free maintenance BMW is offering is hard to overlook since no other cars in this segment (maybe MB does this but I am not sure) come with this. However, come to think of it, 4 years/50K miles for a BMW means 3 (at most 4) oil changes and probably 1 tune up. How much does BMW dealers charge for oil change now? Replies to this message: drtravel (Nov 05, 2007 3:51 pm) lovemyclk (Nov 05, 2007 8:12 pm) 2001gs430 (Nov 06, 2007 5:17 am) strangeman (Nov 20, 2007 11:58 am) circlew (Nov 20, 2007 12:12 pm) louiswei (Nov 20, 2007 12:27 pm) kdshapiro (Nov 20, 2007 12:44 pm) louiswei (Nov 20, 2007 12:51 pm) and 5 more... drtravel (Nov 20, 2007 6:48 pm)
#41 of 475 Re: I like the G Sport but..... [louiswei] by drtravel Nov 05, 2007 (3:51 pm)
Replying to: louiswei (Nov 05, 2007 3:32 pm) Agree that free maintenance BMW is offering is hard to overlook since no other cars in this segment (maybe MB does this but I am not sure) come with this. However, come to think of it, 4 years/50K miles for a BMW means 3 (at most 4) oil changes and probably 1 tune up. How much does BMW dealers charge for oil change now? Also includes brakes and the "option" of upgrading your service (better oil etc.). Getting an appointment is sometimes harder than non-free maintenance because the service department makes more on customer paid service plus they might not have a loaner. Not that I've been through this or know any BMW mechanics - NOT! Both BMW and MB (especially MB) also give you the opportunity to spend some quality time in their service departments fixing warranty repairs. It's free except for their premium cafes and my time.
#42 of 475 Re: You get what you pay for... [ashguy22] by drtravel Nov 05, 2007 (3:57 pm)
Replying to: ashguy22 (Nov 05, 2007 12:57 pm) all I say is you do get what you pay for! If you want the "best" Sport Sedan for under $50k, 335i is the one! What if I want the best sports sedan for under $39K? I'm guessing that maybe a $50K car should probably be better than a $50K car!? There's only so much I'm willing to spend for that badge.
#43 of 475 Re: Impressive comments... [kdshapiro] by drtravel Nov 05, 2007 (4:04 pm)
Replying to: kdshapiro (Nov 04, 2007 5:28 pm) Shouldn't reliability be a factor also? The psychology involved in purchasing these cars is exceedingly important. The American buying public has a far different perception of these makes which dictates their purchase decisions. This perception has little to do with on-the-edge performance. Now keep in mind I'm not talking about the extremely knowledgeable Edmund's forum authors! I'm referring to the average Joe (and Joanne) who buys a large majority of these cars. Replies to this message: kdshapiro (Nov 06, 2007 4:46 am) drtravel (Nov 06, 2007 8:54 am) kdshapiro (Nov 06, 2007 10:49 am) and 1 more...
#44 of 475 It's a G37, not G35! by matts2000 Nov 05, 2007 (4:48 pm)
I love both cars, but the GT-R is coming! Replies to this message: habitat1 (Nov 06, 2007 5:11 am) circlew (Nov 06, 2007 5:47 am) skarie (Nov 06, 2007 9:11 am) habitat1 (Nov 06, 2007 10:00 am) and 2 more...
#45 of 475 Re: I like the G Sport but..... [louiswei] by lovemyclk Nov 05, 2007 (8:12 pm)
Replying to: louiswei (Nov 05, 2007 3:32 pm) If you drive like you enjoy the experience, good chance BMW will do a full brake job as well! Not exactly inexpensive, as they recommend pads & rotors on the sport pkg.
#46 of 475 Re: Impressive comments... [drtravel] by kdshapiro Nov 06, 2007 (4:46 am)
Replying to: drtravel (Nov 05, 2007 4:04 pm) "Shouldn't reliability be a factor also? The psychology involved in purchasing these cars is exceedingly important. The American buying public has a far different perception of these makes which dictates their purchase decisions. This perception has little to do with on-the-edge performance." What is your perception of the American buying public's perception of these vehicles. Most peoples opinions are influenced by what they see, experience and read. Replies to this message: drtravel (Nov 06, 2007 8:54 am) kdshapiro (Nov 06, 2007 10:49 am) drtravel (Nov 06, 2007 6:58 pm)
#47 of 475 Re: It's a G37, not G35! [matts2000] by habitat1 Nov 06, 2007 (5:11 am)
Replying to: matts2000 (Nov 05, 2007 4:48 pm) I love both cars, but the GT-R is coming! "Sedan" = 4 doors. G37 and GT-R don't qualify. And while we are off topic, I see that the GT-R is closer to my former Isuzu Trooper in weight than it is to my current 911 or previous 4 door Maxima. IMO, Nissan's 350Z is a grossly overweight and underwhelming sports car in the $30k range. They should fix that before trying to tackle the serious/exotic level with a nearly 2 ton, Mattel Toy inspired obese behemouth. Is anybody around that remembers the 240Z? That was a true ground-up winner of a sports car for its day. Now you just have high-HP, low-IQ muscleheads in charge. Replies to this message: circlew (Nov 06, 2007 5:47 am) skarie (Nov 06, 2007 9:11 am) habitat1 (Nov 06, 2007 10:00 am) skarie (Nov 06, 2007 11:37 am) and 1 more...
#48 of 475 Re: I like the G Sport but..... [louiswei] by 2001gs430 Nov 06, 2007 (5:17 am)
Replying to: louiswei (Nov 05, 2007 3:32 pm) Lexus Canada has the exact same maintenance program to match BMW starting this year. It does not worth much, but I think it would prevent Lexus service advisors from adding extras to the scheduled services for the first 4 years/50k miles. That was another deciding factor helping me to switch from the 328i.
#49 of 475 Re: Not "slushy" any more [drewsrx] by habitat1 Nov 06, 2007 (5:38 am)
Replying to: drewsrx (Nov 05, 2007 1:58 pm) You can do every one of those things with these new manumatics, especially in the G35 which will not change gears automatically in DS mode and rev-matches on downshifts. I think you are giving a lot of credit to manumatics where it isn't due. "Rev matching" on downshifts doesn't mean phoohey when there is still a noticable overall engagement hesitation on downshifts. That's the case with the SLK55 I drove last week - do you want to suggest something better I should try? And I may not be the best at articulating this, but I have never found even the better SMG's (M3) to give me the feel and direct control that I want and enjoy. I'm no Tiger Woods. But I'll go out on the course, play from the tips and take my score. It sounds like some folks would rather cart an "Iron Byron" robot onto the course to hit the ball for them. That's fine, and they might score pretty well, but that's simply not a "sport" by my definition. It takes every ounce of technology that Ferrari can muster to get an F1 SMG transmissioned 430 to nearly match the performance of their 430 6-speed manual. That's a transmission that costs about $10,000. Nothing that BMW, Mercedes/AMG, Infiniti or even Porsche currently has even comes close. So I respectfully submit that when we are comparing "sport" sedans or sports cars, the less expensive, but human controlled manual transmission is still the standard that should be used. If somebody then wants to replace "sport" with the "convenience" of a manumatic, that's their perogative. P.S. See my previous post about the GT-R. As a two ton 2-seater, it should not be used for validating anything, IMO. Replies to this message: drewsrx (Nov 07, 2007 1:05 pm)