Entry Level Luxury Performance Sedans

jagboyxtype · September 2002

Yes, my X-TYPE also has a seatbelt warning light in the dash. Most all cars do. In addition, it chimes at you when you do not have your seatbelt on, and it has sensors in the seats that measure how much the occupant of the seat weighs and more sensors determine how far the occupants are from the dash and steering wheel so that it can calculate how much force to use when firing airbags in the event of a collision. A small amber light in the corner of the wood veneer on the passenger's side lights up and displays whether the occupant there weighs enough for the airbag to be automatically turned on or off, and the seats automatically also turn off the airbags if a baby or childseat is detected.

The warning system in the Mercedes C-Class in that test was a different light from the ones we have in our cars here. Notice that the C-Class had scored a 4-star rating in the test just as all of the other cars in that class did, but because of the addition of another light that said "put on your seatbelt", the car's score was later changed to a 5 to promote more lights that say "put on your seatbelt" to be used in other cars. I'm not saying that the C does not deserve a high rating in crash tests, but its additional star over the other cars in its class is simply because it has an additional light that tells passengers to wear their seatbelts on top of the light on the dash that says to wear your seatbelt. It is not necessarily safer than the other cars because of that light, and so I do not believe that it should have gotten an entire extra star for a light.

You are also wrong about the 3.0 Jaguar engine "pushing" into the cabin in a crash before the 2.5 and 2.0 because they are the same engine blocks but the 3.0 has been drilled-out more to be larger. Also, the engines do not enter the cabins at any time in a crash because the X-TYPE is designed to "drop" its engine when it is in a severe frontal crash. Most modern cars do this. X-TYPE's engines are also mounted horizonatally, so they are not taking up a terrible amount of longitudal space in the engine bay, thus the chances of them penetrating the passenger cabin is slim in comparison to longitudally oriented engines. Again, however, the X-TYPE drops its engine when it has a severe frontal crash, so it never enters the passenger compartment no matter what engine size is used. The argument that a 2.0 FWD X-TYPE would be safer than an AWD larger displacement version is null and void, because the engine does not enter the cabin at any time during any impact.

You really should read the bottom chart of the EuroNCAP page for the X-TYPE:

http://euroncap.com/details.php3?id=car_117_2002

It specifically states that the car is: "Jaguar X-Type 2.0 LHD. Only the FWD X-TYPE is built with the 2.0-litre engine, which again is the same engine block as the 2.5 and 3.0, but not drilled-out as much. All other X-TYPEs are built in AWD configuration. The AWD driveshaft of the AWD X-TYPEs aid in collisions v. the FWD version that is sold alongside them in Europe against 318 and C180.

Mercedes-Benz decided to changed to a V6 from an I6 because they lowered the bonnet of the E-Class between those configurations and could not fit the I-6 under the lowered bonnet, as well as because it may have cost less to produce and it could be used in more vahicles as it had better packaging. That is also the reason for the discontinuation of the E300 diesel, as the diesel engine could not fit under the lowered bonnet that was used when the V6 was introduced (that and because the E300 did not sell well here). The E-Class should have been designed to drop its engine in a crash as well. I've not heard of a modern car being designed so that its engine penetrates the passenger compartment in a collision.

linard · October 2002

While the C-Class did gain an extra star because NCAP changed it's guidelines earlier this year on performance in crashes and safety features provided, the C class did earn it's full 5 stars as it's a very well designed car collision-wise, when I can find the article in which NCAP justified giving the C class an extra star b/c of it's overall performance, I'll paste the link. As the pre 2003 E Class also includes this seatbelt light, your logic would conclude that it too, should receive 5 stars from it's previous 4 when it doesn't.

The fact that car engines are not designed to go into the passenger compartment is obvious, what isn't as obvious is while the X-Type is designed to, as you describe, drop it's engine and driveline components, they will always "push" into the compartment as evidenced by the Insurance Institute's listing of the crash details in which the X-Type exhibited moderate footwell intrusion, between 8 to 12 cm. The best rated C Class, on the other hand, had intrusion measures of 2 to 3 cm. Engineers are constantly trying to limit this phenomenon. While I don't doubt the driveshaft aids in crash test scores, I wasn't trying to prove one way or another, I was speculating on a possible alternative.

And while I may be wrong on the engine block of the 2.0 being different from the 2.5 and the 3.0, I am certain that the E class' hood and front fender structures were lowered as a result of the new engine's newfound underhood space, and not due to the new engines being introduced b/c of the lowered hoodline. This is evidenced by the 99 E320 having the V6 with the prefacelifted hoodline. The discontinuation of the E300 in the U.Ss WAS caused by the low demand for that particular car AND b/c of the structural change. However, that never meant that Mercedes dropped diesels from it's complete linup, in fact, Europe still has the option of a few remarkable diesel E class engines which Mercedes could have introduced here along with the redesigned 2000 E Class.

merc1 · October 2002

Speaking of Mercedes and safety. I think this wrecked S430 says it all:

http://germancarfans.zeroforum.com/zerothread?id=1698

M

merc1 · October 2002

Note how the cabin is completely in tact. Amazing.

M

wishnhigh1 · October 2002

I have seen 3 Mercedes cars in accidents where the cars were totalled, two of which were rollover accidents.

One of the rollover accidents was an S430, and it had a mild cabin protrusion, but nothing serious. The cabin was in perfect shape basically. The other was I believe a 600SEL. This one was extremely important because even though this car had pillarless windows, the roof of the car did not cave in at all, even though the car came to a rest upside down. The guy was still in the car at the time, and he was hanging upside down, with no visual bruises, and a few minor cuts from broken glass.

The third accident was an E320 which was involved in a head on collision with a Camaro, who was racing another Camaro on a 2 lane road. I didnt see the drivers, but I saw the car as it was being towed away, and again, no cabin protrusion at all. The car was completely destroyed up to the point where the footwell started.

Im generally dont praise late model Mercedes', but I will always say glamorous things about them when it comes to safety. In my opinion, they are a few steps above volvo. They also have some of the strongest roof structures short of a 3" thick roll bar.

sphinx99 · October 2002

I'll say it up front, I don't think Edmunds does a consistent job on sedan reviews. I understand the whole "they're in BMW's payroll" thing as well as the "but we're not" thing. This month's letters to the editors & Edmunds' responses make good points on both sides.

Unfortunately, Edmunds does a fabulous job of putting numbers to their words that later can be dug up and compared. I'm specifically looking at the entry level luxury sedan comparos - 2001 where a TL-S edged out a 330i, then 2002 where a 330i wiped the floor with the competition. The idea (and some will agree while others disagree) is that the scores tended to deliberately put BMW above the Acura.

Is this happening? Well, I decided to look at the numbers behind the comparisons to find out. Given identical cars, whereas the two were eventually matched on performance in 2001, now there is a 20 point spread between them in 2002. What, Acura got slower or BMW got faster? Given identical front seat comfort in 2001, now for 2002 BMW front seat comfort is tops while Acura's is bottom. Did the seats actually change, or did the editors of the 2002 review have smaller rumps?

Not that only Acura gets the shaft either. In 2001 BMW got a higher "feature content" rating than the TL-S. In 2002, a 330i with MORE features than the 2001 model only tied the feature content rating than a TL-S with the same features. This in spite of the fact that features the 330i lacked in 2001 (dual zone climate control, indash CD changer) were simply left off the Top 10 features list in 2002, leaving BMW as a vehicle that offers every Top 10 feature as either standard or optional.

Basically, I like the prose of the articles and take away many good things from reading them. When I look at the rankings, though, they seem to be statistically invalid; if, twelve months later, your opinions on identical seats can change that much, then how can you rank these cars based on 1% differences in the final rankings?

In one of the comparos, it was stated that the margin for error was about 0.5%, and any two cars tallying numbers within .5% of each other would be considered tied. I suggest increasing that buffer to 10% in order to account for the startling differences you find between two cars after just one year.

Until then, I'm going to stop reading into the numbers and ranking, and concentrate on the prose and photographs. We spend a great deal of effort arguing here about which sedan came in #1 and which one came in #2. If you look at the numbers used to actually rank these vehicles against each other, they fluctuate so wildly from one set of editors to another (you'd think that using a set of editors would even out the fluctuation) so as to make the ranking of these vehicles practically worthless.

Front seat comfort
2001: Acura 83, BMW 83
2002: BMW 9.2, Acura 7.6

Rear seat comfort
2001: BMW 74 Acura 70
2002: Acura 9.2 BMW 5.8

Conclusion: either BMW and Acura received total redesigns in 2002 unbeknownst to all of us, or the editor butt-o-meter does not produce repeatable results.

sweetjeldorado · October 2002

I was noticing how the hood ornament was still standing. :-) Anyhow, all I can say is that Mercedes still rule in crashes.

About seat comfort, my theory is seats are mass produce by suppliers and sometimes maybe precision of making the seats can run off track. Who knows. Probably the reason they were not as comfortable in Acura in 2002 as was in 2001. Don't know how to go about that one.

J "CaddyLac"

merc1 · October 2002

Did you mean the 600SEC Coupe? The reason I'm asking is because you said it had pillarless windows, the sedan (600SEL) has pillars.

M

wishnhigh1 · October 2002

Yeah, I know it was pillarless. I all could conclude for sure was that it was a V12 and it was a pillarless coupe. That V12 looks huge from underneath the car.

linard · October 2002

I can personally vouch for the excellent performance of Benzes in collisions, my mom had a gray market 1981 500 SL that was broadsided at a perfectly 90 degree angle to her car at 40 - 50 miles an hour. She walked away with no serious injuries, just some muscle tension and whiplash. The other car was totalled and although the side of the car was basically crushed in, the passenger compartment's space was maintained. In addition, the door would still open and close normally and she was able to, amazingly, drive it home. I remember how thick the doors on the "Dallas" era SL's were, amazing... Took 30,000 to fix it and even then, it was never the same. We also had a 1987 420 SEL that was rear ended by a Pontiac Bonneville at approx 25 mph and the Pontiac's front was pretty damaged to about the front wheels. Our Benz, on the other hand, suffered little more than scrapes along the length of the bumper, but no structural damage, the bumper wasn't even displaced at all. Just wanted to share with everyone that, after those things happen to you, brand loyalty takes on a whole new meaning...

blueguydotcom · October 2002

Typical german engineering. I was in an 01 golf that a yahoo in a huge pickup broadsided at 40. No intrusion into the passenger compartment at all.

sphinx99 · October 2002

"Just wanted to share with everyone that, after those things happen to you, brand loyalty takes on a whole new meaning..."

Of course, it goes both ways. Many years ago in my first ever car, a 1988 Ford Taurus that I loved to death, I was rear-ended while sitting at a red light by an almost brand new Mercedes E-class. He had some bumper damage and the front hood was a bit bent. In contrast, my Taurus was destroyed--I was slammed into a Buick in front of me, and half the engine bay and almost all of the trunk were completely collapsed. To the dearly departed Taurus's credit, there wasn't any cabin intrusion, and I only bruised my shins, but the car was totaled while the Benz probably picked up a thousand dollars worth of body work. I'll never forget the Mercedes dude getting out of his car and bending over to keenly examine his slightly crunched bumper while I stared at my utterly destroyed car.

On a more positive note, that was the last Ford I ever owned. Whew!

In conclusion: Mercedes sedans are notable not only for their defense, but for their offense as well. If I were looking to take out Dodge Neon drivers, literally, I'd pick a S500 as my instrument of mayhem. If you're looking to drive while combing your hair, talking on the cell phone and changing radio stations at the same time, but do not want to sit in a Ford Expedition, then an E-class may be for you!

dzuba · October 2002

Am I correct in hearing there have been some recent problems with the tranny's on these cars. Am comparing them between the 530, and GS 300!! Any idea on a manual?

kdshapiro · October 2002

dzuba - the word on the street is yes. But I also heard that the stock market is about to rocket away and buy some good dot com stocks.:)

Trying to ferret out the truth as whatever the truth is very difficult. Although some people say yes, Consumer Reports highly recommends this auto.

cybersol · October 2002

About two percent of honda's five speed manumatic transmissions have failed, according to detriot news. Honda issued a recall for these transmissions:

http://www.edmunds.com/news/regularnews/articles/75418/article.html.

The recall doesn't affect most recent 2003 TLs so supposedly it has been fixed in production.

kdshapiro · October 2002

2 percent amounts to 1.2 million cars. They do sell a lot of cars.

ccotenj · October 2002

they may sell a lot, but i don't think they sell 51 million tl-s' a year...

-Chris

bimmer3i · October 2002

The way I understand it is that they will send extended warranty to ALL owners who purchased the car model with questionable part (that's the 1.2 million). The 2% I believe is the approximate percentage of 1.2M cars reported to have problems (approximately 12,000 cars).

ccotenj · October 2002

i misinterpreted where the 1.2 million number came from... oops!

-Chris

bimmer3i · October 2002

24,000 cars not 12,000.

cybersol · October 2002

Ah, this reminds me of word problems in math class long ago...

Yeah, the 2% was the estimated number of these autos with actual transmission failures. The 1.2 million is the number of autos that have the potential to be affected in the future and thus get an extended warranty. Also, the cars affected span up to 3 years of production.

You guys want to try another word problem?

richard52 · October 2002

From everything I've read the percentage of affected trannys is 1.6%. So how many cars is that??

bimmer3i · October 2002

... is about 19,200 cars

richard52 · October 2002

J D Power & [non-permissible content removed]. gives the TL it's highest rating for long term reliability as does Consumer Reports. Transmission problems don't seem to be showing up in their research. Is this problem overstated or is their research flawed?

sphinx99 · October 2002

It's definitely not overstated. There have been widespread reports and complaints about all of the affected vehicles for a long time, within the Honda/Acura community. It's nice to see the cars getting coverage finally. Although I know a lot of Honda Prelude owners who are upset that the recall/fix wasn't extended to '97-99 owners who (to my knowledge) were the first group of Sequential Sportshift owners to start having their transmissions die on them.

dzuba · October 2002

I am in outside sales driving 30-35K miles per year. My major concerns in a car are Ride, comfort, luxury, and Reliability, then they are style, sportiness, etc..... - anyone out there driving a TL-S 30,000 miles a year, and if so - how has the car held up. My 98 Maxima GLE is flawless!!!

cybersol · October 2002

I think that Honda willingness to extend the tranny warranties demonstrates their commitment to customers. If they still have not fixed all the transmission problems, then I'm sure they will continue to try. I see your concerns, though because the extended warranties only covered 100K miles.

As a Nissan Maxima owner, have you considered the Infiniti G35 Sedan from Nissan's luxury division? If so, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on the relative merits of it and the Acura TL-S.

ruski · October 2002

I don't think Honda issued any recalls for the tranny. At least none of the TL owners have heard of such.

However the problem is real. I myself had a tranny failure at 6,100 miles. Right when I entered a busy highway from a full stop, pushed the gas pedal, the engine revved into the redline and the car barely moved forward. Add the view of a couple of semis in the rearview mirror to all the excitement.

The dealer replaced the tranny. It only took a couple of weeks to order the new one. During that time I had pleasure of driving a rental Dodge Stratus.

Some people have had multiple tranny failures.

Check the Acura TL and Acura CL forums for more info:

http://www.acura-tl.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=34

http://www.acura-cl.com/forums

ccotenj · October 2002

ooo... that must have been exciting....

what happened to your gtp?

-Chris

ruski · October 2002

GTP lease ended in December 2001.

Wife got an RX300 instead.

weijietang · November 2002

Audi A4, the model with memory seats and mirrors has a malfunction. As a selling point, the two remote keys can be assigned to two different seat and mirror positions, so if husband or wife open the car with their keys, the seat and mirror can restore to his/hers position. The bug is the right mirror can not be restored.

The bug makes this big selling point useless since you need to push the button to restore the position anyway. And it is a potancial danger since you are easily ignore the right mirror until you are on the road. Then try to push the button on the door.

I struggled with this problem for my new 2002 A4 3.0 for nearly 1 year, talk to dealer, AudiUSA and AudiUSA field rep many times. About half year ago, the field rep let me stop complaining and tell me it will be fixed in 2003 model. But now, it turned out it still not functional in 2003 model and I was told they just do not think it will be fixed and I should treated it as work per design.

It is horrible for Audi not to fix such an apparent problem for such a long time, and looks like there is no way certain level of decision-maker can hear customers voice.

Sylvia · November 2002

A reporter is looking for consumers who have bought an entry-luxury car - under $30k (e.g. BMW 3, Mercedes c-coupe, Jag X-type, Audi a4, etc) in the last year. Ideally buyers who were new to the luxury brands, to talk about how they like their cars and why they bought them.

The $30k isn't a hard and fast rule, though it
would be nice.

Please contact jfallon@edmunds.com if interested.

Thanks!

cjs2002 · September 2003

Actually I'm looking into getting a car in this class (again). I'm thinking that my top cars are the G, the X type, and the C230 sedan. I like all three but I'm having trouble making a final decision...please help

r22549 · September 2003

I'm thinking one factor worth considering is where you live. If it snows where you live the X type is where you want to be. Have you driven any of them..?...

riez · September 2003

cjs2002... What are your criteria? What is important to you? Are you looking more for luxury or for performance? Do you need AWD? Do you want RWD? Do you want automatic or manual transmission? What is your price range?

I'd strongly recommend you do a ton of research and a lot of test driving. Start with the "acknowledged" leader in this segment: the BMW 3 Series. Then expand out to those cars that meet your needs, criteria, and price.

Short list of cars you should consider:

BMW 325i and 330i
Lexus IS300
Infiniti G35
MB C-class
Jaguar X-type
Lincoln LS
Cadillac CTS
Audi A4
VW Passat
Acura 3.2TL
Acura TSX
Saab 9-3
Volvo S40 and S60

ruski · September 2003

also check out Chrysler 300M, especially the Special version.

cjs2002 · September 2003

well I've started researching many of these vehicles... actually I've been researching them... and for starters I detest bmw 3 series... there are too many of them and I feel that they are priced too high for what you get... as for lux vers sport... I'm sortta torn... I'm thinking I'd like a little more refinement but I doo need to have some get up and go to the car since I drive mostly highway... as for conditions... well I live near cleveland ohio... and winters on some days can suck horribly but not nearly as bad as in the direct snowbelt like clevland. I've had a RWD ford explorer in the winter and find drivin just fine so I don't think that a RWD car will be much different... I like the Jag X type but the 2.5 is rather underpowered when matched with an auto... and for info I dont do manuals never learned how too... tryin to see if I can get a deal on a base 3.0 S type and go from there... I just took a drive in a 04 CTS and like the power of that car just fine... but the interior seem rather plasticky.... I drove the G and find that yeah while I'll admit to it having some cheap looking parts it balances out nicer than the CTS... I also drove a MB230 sedan and like that as well but just have some concerns... for one its the smallest or at least feals the smallest when you compare them all...so I don't know... and oh yeah don't like Audi's either... lol... sorry... they just don't appeal to me... not for the price...we'll post more info latter thankx for all the help I really appriciate it... and one last question... driving in winter isn't so bad with a RWD car as long as you have snow tires... I mean if its horrible blizzard conditions I don't go out anyways.. I just wanted your comments on it

riez · September 2003

cjs2002... Since you'll only go automatic transmission, I would NOT recommend the following combinations as they are sluggish in comparison to alternatives within the marque or the up-engined model:

325i auto (esp. heavier AWD version)
TSX auto (uses small 2.4L I4 that needs high RPMs for power)
A4 1.8t auto (esp. heavier AWD version)
X-type 2.5 auto (made heavier by standard AWD)
MB C230 (esp. heavier AWD version)

Noticed you left one car off your comments: Lexus IS300. You should take one for a spin. My wife loves her IS300 automatic.

If you are considering the Cadillac CTS, you should also look at the Lincoln LS6. Lincoln dealers are really discounting these fine cars. Most CTS' I've seen at two local Cadillac dealers tend to be loaded up with $5-7K worth of options. Hard to find one near $30K.

If you want powerful car and don't mind FWD, you might consider Acura 3.2TL, Infiniti I35, Nissan Maxima SE, or Nissan Altima 3.5SE.

Jag S-type is not normally considered "near luxury". Thinking its base price starts in the low $40,000s and quickly moves up with options. If you can afford this, you might consider BMW 5 Series (525i or 530i) or Lexus GS300.

ruski · September 2003

have you looked at 300M yet? They are very nice. I drove one for 3 years (lease) and it was great. I still miss it. 300M is not a 0-60 sprinter, but it is quite powerful. And it turns very well. A lot of space inside. Nice luxury touches.

crazybabydoc · September 2003

I'm glad you have decided to buy something other than a 3-series. I find it easier to do head to head than try to compare groups.

G35 vs C240 (best budget RWD from across a pond)
04CTS vs 03LS8 (best America has to offer)
03I35/Max vs O3TL-S (best FWD on a budget)
04TL vs 04 9-5 (best FWD)
04 S60R vs X-type 3.0 (not sure there's any real AWD competition under 40k)

Some of these autos (03 TLs, LS8, I35) are great bargains (compared to original list) but it's no deal if you are unsatisfied.

cjs2002 · September 2003

just a thought ... the MB that I'm talking about is the C 230 kompressor sedan... its different than the 240... but has more HP... I don't know what to do, sorry but the IS to me seems like a cheap camry with a lexus logo... feal free to add more info and lend a hand I appriciate it all....

riez · September 2003

cjs2002... You wrote, "but the IS to me seems like a cheap [C]amry with a [L]exus logo." There is no comparison between these two entirely different platforms.

Are you confusing the IS300 with the ES300/330? The ES is FWD V6 and based on the Camry platform. The IS300 is RWD I6 based on the Toyota Altezza. The IS can be had with manual and automatic transmissions. The IS300 also has a SportCross touring (station wagon) version.

ruski · September 2003

IS could use some more HP. Interior is kind of weird for my taste around the gauges.

ES does look like Camry (it is basically a Camry). Actually the ES body looks a bit bloated, with too much overhang on the sides.

cjs2002 · September 2003

sorry about the comparison I know they aren't the same... I was just comparing them to show what I thought of them... I've never liked the IS lexus... now as to the ES300 and 330 I like but they are out of my pricerange... especially when equiped the same as the others I've been looking at. thank you for your help though... I'm slowly narrowing down my car choices... I started with a list of nearly 20+ and cut it down. as for the 300M, they are ok but well nothing against chrysler (yeah its spelled wrong) but I've heard that the drive trains and transmitions in the 300Ms are terrible... but maybe that was just when they first came out ... I don't know... but those stories just turned me off to that car. as for a 5 series bmw... well I love that car... esspecally the new desighn... yet I don't think I can lease one... or well I don't know if I could or couldn't ... I have no idea as to how well they lease... my max payment is 300 and then thers another 250 from parents on top of that but I'd rather not have a 450 - 500 $ lease payment but I don't know... any suggestions... ?any one know what a 5 series or even a base MB E class leases for? just wondering thank you all very much

riez · September 2003

cjs2002... You have me thoroughly confused. Are you in the under $40,000 range or not?

At post #198 you wrote, "tryin to see if I can get a deal on a base [Jaguar] 3.0 S type and go from there." The Jaguar S-type competes with Audi A6, BMW 5 Series, and MB E-class.

Then at post #205 you write, "now as to the [Lexus] ES300 and [BMW] 330[i] I like but they are out of my price range." How can these two cars, that are less expensive than a Jaguar S-type, be out of your price range?

If you can buy or lease a Jaguar S-type, you could certainly buy or lease an ES300 or 330i.

Then you also write, "I have no idea as to how well they lease... my max payment is [$]300 and then there is another [$]250 from parents on top of that but I'd rather not have a [$]450 - 500$ lease payment but I don't know."

What you can afford to lease is way different than what you can buy. You should check out the various lease deals. Jaguar X-type leases heavily subsidized. Seen some inexpensive rates with 3 Series.

ruski · September 2003

I had a 300M for 3 years and - no problems. I'd say that most 300M drivers that I know of have not had any problems, especially with the drivetrain.

I leased a 2002 Acura TL-S and the tranny failed after 6,100 miles. Go figure.

cjs2002 · September 2003

lol sorry for the confusion... everything I'm looking at is based on how it will lease... and yeah I'm leasing what ever car I may get then... so I know my max payment is about 500 for a lease mind you... not a buy. I just wanted to know if,... at least I'm pretty shir that the X, the G35 and the C230 all lease for under 500 but i don't know about say a E class... I hope I don't confuse you... what I'm trying to get at is that if stepping into say a E class isn't much more expensive than getting a C in terms of lease payments then would it be better to lease an E over the C... I don't know... I'm not the one who handles the money factor and negotiations... my father negotiates it to with in my budgette and then I just pay it no questions asked...lol... sounds dumb but oh well.. yeah my main cars that I'm looking at I'd half to say is below the 35K range... actually below the 33K sticker range cause then my father can negotiate the final prices... once again sorry for anyconfussion I'm just rateling off possibilities befor I make the final plunge into buying ... wait let me correct that ... leasing my own car... thank you all

riez · September 2003

cjs2002... Not sure what to make. Pulled up your profile: "The car I am shopping for is a 2003 Nissan Altima. And the car I own now is a 1992 Buick LeSabre."

Huge difference between an Altima and an E-class. Even bigger difference between nearly every car we've talked about an a LeSabre.

Let me know what you end up buying. Best thing for you to do is serious test driving. And crunch your lease deal numbers.

cyberpmg · September 2003

I've been really pleased with the A4 with Quattro (AWD). I have the 3.0 with the Tiptronic (automatic) transmission and live and work in the Cleveland area. The 1.8T is a nice car, but the weight tends to make it sluggish. It can be improved with aftermarket performance products (chip, exhaust, etc.), but would bring you up in price to the 3.0.

The A4 3.0 has one of the nicest interiors around. I also do mostly highway driving, and the interior combined with the performance handling makes this a pleasureable ride. In winter, the Quattro system really shines. I've been able to drive through some nasty snowstorms over the past 2 years, and I've always felt under control wherever I was going.

Audi also has a 4 year / 50,000 mile service program that covers all service at no cost to you. With that along with the 4 year / 50,000 mile warranty, all you'll spend is for gas and tires (if needed). With the 2004 models now appearing on the lots, you can make a good deal on any remaining 2003s.

Just some insight from a fellow Cleveland driver!

Good luck in your decision.

vipbarr · September 2003

I had many problems with my G35 sedan, but the brake pads/rotor problem tops them all. I was due for front brakes. Quite early IMO but that is another story. The service representative told me, that my rotors are warped and I need to pay to replace the rotors. According to many sources (dealers and Infiniti customer service), most of the G35 require rotor replacement in addition to costly brake job. Infiniti knows about the problem and IS NOT paying for the rotors. Be prepared to buy yourself a new set of rotors for every brake job. And you will need this quite often, to the delight of your local dealer. Unfortunately, I was one of the early victims and did not expect that the car will be so bug ridden as it is. I would never buy this POS knowing what I know not, but is too late. It is by far the worst car I ever had. For 16 months I have been to a dealer 12 times. Let prospective buyers be aware.

Entry Level Luxury Performance Sedans

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles