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Luxury Performance Sedans

18283858788201

Comments

  • dpedersen1dpedersen1 Member Posts: 33
    Oh well, I guess I also got lucky in the 10% range. 30K miles and 3 yrs into a 2002 A6 2.7T. car is fun, fast, reliable, great.

    Now trying to find a 2006 A6 with the right packages (Tech + Premium + S-Line) that doesn't have to be ordered from the factory, seems like the country is running out??

    :D
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    Just curious about whether or not an Audi extended warranty policy is worth looking at or are they cost prohibitive? :confuse:
  • kgarykgary Member Posts: 180
    Audi warranty costs about 35% more than the comparable warranty from the AAA. AAA warranty is accepted by my Audi dealer.
  • dadcatdadcat Member Posts: 29
    Someone did mod a "66 Olds to beat a Bentley Continental GT. Jay Leno did the mod which uses a twin turbo 1000+ HP 425 cid engine with rear wheel drive and the front/rear suspension from a C5 Corvette.
  • sdiver68sdiver68 Member Posts: 125
    That was me who mentioned it and yes he did. I figured it was common knowledge among auto enthusiasts that Leno did exactly that and actually targeted the Bentley GT. GM even spent 3 weeks with their engineers at their testing ground to fine tune the suspension and engine, since Leno exhibited the Olds at SEMA.
  • drtraveldrtravel Member Posts: 395
    Anyone know the sales breakdown for the BMW 5-series?

    What percentage of buyers opt for the 525, the 530, and the 545/550.

    Just wondering how much power the typical BMW owner desires.

    Thanks
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    BMW Sales

    The 530i is the clear favorite with 5-Series buyers.

    M
  • jrock65jrock65 Member Posts: 1,371
    2005 YTD (all variants):

    525: 38%
    530: 45%
    545/50: 17%
  • lexusguylexusguy Member Posts: 6,419
    Whats kind of funny is that as much as everybody harps on Acura for not having an 8, very few people would actually buy it if they did, maybe 200-300 people a month at most.
  • deweydewey Member Posts: 5,251
    What is missing in Acura are AWD/RWD sedan platforms(except fot the RL)!

    I am sure a Acura TL AWD would compete quite well with the Audi A4 Quattros.

    What would intrigue me most is a TL AWD sport wagon! That would be an interesting alternative to the Volvo XC70, Audi Avant, MB C Wagon, BMW3, Saab 9-3 wagon.
  • deweydewey Member Posts: 5,251
    Infiniti GT-R site! I guess as time goes by more info will be available.

    http://www.gtrproto.com/
  • tayl0rdtayl0rd Member Posts: 1,926
    ...very few people would actually buy it if they did, maybe 200-300 people a month at most.

    Based on the monthly sales of the RL, that would be a sizeable amount! :blush:
  • lexusguylexusguy Member Posts: 6,419
    I dont see Honda doing any RWD Acuras, other than the next NSX anyway, but I agree, the TL could really use SH-AWD. It has a lot of potential that is never realized because of all the inherent problems of FWD.
  • tayl0rdtayl0rd Member Posts: 1,926
    The rear end looks like a Chevy Cobalt SS.
  • drtraveldrtravel Member Posts: 395
    It would also be interesting to see the breakdown for 6 vs. 8 cylinder sales for the Lexus GS300/430, Infiniti M35/M45, M-B E350/500. Haven't seen these sales figures posted anywhere. I suspect most buyers opt for the 6 although Infiniti's 8 sales might be stronger that the others
  • wale_bate1wale_bate1 Member Posts: 1,982
    It's like the missing manual in the IS350, LG. It isn't the availability, it's the availability! ;)

    I'm with Dewey though. I'd like them to pursue something (small preferably) with the power to the back, so I can put them on my shopping list. They offer some remarkable value, but unfortunately make nothing right now that even remotely interests me.
  • lexusguylexusguy Member Posts: 6,419
    Uh, Chevy ripped off the Skyline, not the other way around. (Would anyone in their right mind copy Chevy's horrendous styling as of late?) Those rear lights are the Skyline's signature. Here's the rear end of a '93 R-33 Skyline GT-R, long before the Cobalt was ever invented.

    image
  • tayl0rdtayl0rd Member Posts: 1,926
    Uh, I know what the Skyline's taillights have always looked like. It doesn't make the prototype look any less like a Chevy Cobalt SS. Especially considering the previous gen. taillights were the same size, but the prototype's lights are staggered sized, like the Chevy Cobalt SS; hence my comment, "The rear end looks like a Chevy Cobalt SS."

    It's a simple and distinct observation. No harm, no foul. :sick:

    And Chevy didn't rip off the Skyline. The Impala has the same design taillights as the Cobalt.
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    TayIOrd, I've read your posts along the way and you have indicated some interest in the RL but mostly gave your reasons for not liking the car...and the back seat room is OK with you now because your friends are afraid to ride with you. OK. :blush: I've read some of your postings in here and bottom line it's hard to put you on a car. Under $60,000 what car out there would be the one that you would zero in on and have to have. (Your Bio says you own a 2005 Mustang and an older Chrysler) Just curious? :surprise:
  • lexusguylexusguy Member Posts: 6,419
    "Especially considering the previous gen. taillights were the same size"

    Not true. The R-34 generation introduced the staggered size tail lamps, the new car is just continuing that theme. Trust me, I know Skylines :)

    image
  • lovemyclklovemyclk Member Posts: 351
    Don't believe the Skyline came in a 4-door config! This thing looks like the 17 year-old down the street got a hold of Daddy's Altima :D
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    "The rear end looks like a Chevy Cobalt SS."

    Sorry, TayIOrd Not even close my man! :shades:

    Infiniti GT-R Pictures- http://www.edmunds.com/future/2007/infiniti/gtr/100486033/photos.html

    Cobalt SS Pictures-- http://www.tuningnews.net/news/040405a/chevrolet-cobalt-ss.php
  • markcincinnatimarkcincinnati Member Posts: 5,343
    . . .OK, so "looks like" might be too strong a statement. But, the front end of the BMW 5, to my eye, has the Pontiac "cat eye" look. Now, this probably is either offensive or a compliment based on how "the eye of the beholder" takes to the look of one versus the other. Pontiac had the look, the front end look that is evident in the BMW 5 series before BMW.

    So, if you can accept or at least grant that I see a lineage or "family ties" between the two -- even if you personally don't agree -- you may then understand when I lament the look of the 5 series, especially as being derivative, unimaginative and more than "from the same side of the family" as a far less heralded line of automobiles.

    Just to carry the theme started by: "The rear end looks like a Chevy Cobalt SS."

    Eye of the beholder, eye of the beholder, I say. :shades:
  • sdiver68sdiver68 Member Posts: 125
    And if you squint and ignore the badging, to me, the Hyundai XGS looks very much familial to many Mercedes models. :surprise:
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    I agree with your point....and your comparison of the BMW 5 series cat eye look...resembling Pontiac. Needless to say it wasn't even necessary to include "Just to carry the theme started by: The Rear end looks like a Chevy Cobalt SS" because that comparison was so far OFF it wasn't even funny. correction....it was so far off it WAS funny!!
  • lovemyclklovemyclk Member Posts: 351
    Well, the GT-R in the Edmonds link is a testing mule based on the Infinity G35 Coupe, hence the non-circular tail lights and different "look" than the Cobalt. BTW, I find the Infinity Coupe to be one of the nicer designs to ever come out of Japan... if only I could offer some advice on the interior!
  • bjbird2bjbird2 Member Posts: 647
    Wow! The Infiniti G-35R is drop-dead gorgeous! That's the most exiting design I've seen in a long time. The round tailights are much better than any of the chevy attempts, including the Corvette.

    http://www.gtrproto.com/
  • wale_bate1wale_bate1 Member Posts: 1,982
    Are you guys looking at the same pictures I am?
    image
    I realize it's pretty subjective, but I'm really missing the drop-dead gorgeous part!

    image

    I think there are an awful lot of forced elements all jockeying for position on an uneven and incoherent field!

    But that's just me...
  • bjbird2bjbird2 Member Posts: 647
    I guess you could say the same thing about Chris Bangle's BMWs. That seems to be the look of the future, and it hasn't hurt BMW sales. In a year or two after you get accustomed to it, you'll probably love it.
    It looks fast standing still, a striking design, with forward motion.
  • wale_bate1wale_bate1 Member Posts: 1,982
    I kind of see it the other way, bjbird2 (because I'm a contrarian of course ;) ), each successive release from the world of Bangle is more subdued than the last, which to me indicates the quest for a new idiom (hard edges, surface faceting and forced cutlines) went just a tad too far (as new design so often does), and now the pendulum is starting back the other way. I can't go there with you, but I'm good with you going there and loving it!

    Semi-related note: I passed a CTS this morning. The concept looks very dated to me now, and well into needing a refreshing. Bets on when the General will go for any serious sheetmetal revisions there?
  • lexusguylexusguy Member Posts: 6,419
    "Don't believe the Skyline came in a 4-door config! This thing looks like the 17 year-old down the street got a hold of Daddy's Altima".

    Of course it did. What do you think the G35 sedan is called in Japan? They dont have the Infiniti badge there. The GT-R is like what the M3 is to the 3 series.

    image
  • bjbird2bjbird2 Member Posts: 647
    As nice as the CTS was, American designs don't seem to hold up over time. They don't age very gracefully. A classic example is the first generation Taurus, which picked up some design cues from the Audi 5000. The Audi still looks good, the Taurus didn't hold up over time. The classic European designs hold up very well, and I think the new Infinitis will also look good over time.
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    "I think there are an awful lot of forced elements all jockeying for position on an uneven and incoherent field!"

    Yes...Deloreanesque, Citroen Roofed, Celicated, untamed Mustang. :surprise:
  • docnukemdocnukem Member Posts: 485
    "Celicated" sounds painful. Is that something that happens when you ride untamed Mustangs?
  • lexusguylexusguy Member Posts: 6,419
    I agree. That makes me wonder how long Chrysler will be able to stay in the black. They're all high fiving in the halls at Auburn Hills over the 300C, but how long before the novelty is over?
  • sdiver68sdiver68 Member Posts: 125
    340HP, M-B E series based chasis and suspension, for ~$30K well equipped, or go to the 425HP and true king of the road qualifications for less than $40K!

    My guess is the "novelty" will last quite awhile.
  • sdiver68sdiver68 Member Posts: 125
    As I was driving down the highway to work yesterday morning in my M45 Sport, a newer 745i merged in front of me, and I thought to myself what does the 7 series offer that the Infiniti M45 does not? So, naturally I decided to look up size statistics, since the M and 5-series are considered direct competitors. Here is what I found, measurements in inches unless stated otherwise, and pulled straight from Edmunds.com, and listed in order of size:

    Length: 7-198.4 M-192.6 5-191.1 OK the 7 is much longer, fair enough.
    Width: 7-74.9 5-72.7 M-70.8 And both BMW's are much wider overall.
    Front Shoulder Room: 7-59.3 M-58.2 5-57.3 Apparently the BMW's extra width is Bangle body styling
    Front Head Room: M-39.6 7-39.2 5-37.7 Hmmm, looks like Infiniti is catering to the NBA set.
    Front Leg Room: M-44.2 5-41.5 7-41.3 I guess the chauffeur does not get to stretch out much in the 7....
    Rear Shoulder Room: 7-58.7 5-57.2 M-56.9 BMW is catering to the back seat NFL crowd!
    Rear Head Room: 7-38.5 M-37.8 5-37 7 Series still catering to back seaters.
    Rear Leg Room: M-37.3 7-37.2 5-36 Interesting and not what I expected...
    Maximum Cargo: 7-18cf M-14.9cf 5-14cf 7 Series driver gets to pack the full sized golf bag.
    Curb Weight: 5-3472 7-4486 M-3832 lbs- Different engines and configurations change this up to ~200 lbs.

    Overall, I would say the M slots right between the 7 and 5 size wise.
  • designmandesignman Member Posts: 2,129
    Good post, Diver. My impression of the M was always that it came off more as a bigger lux barge and a little out of the class in this thread. I guess this is good for a lot of people. I tend to like them smaller for performance reasons but the M sure did put up the numbers in this category.
  • deweydewey Member Posts: 5,251
    I'd like them to pursue something (small preferably) with the power to the back,

    http://www.japanesecarfans.com/news.cfm/newsid/2051005.002/honda/1.html

    Wale,

    maybe a future Acura/Honda may not have power from ther rear but there is a good possibility that it will be equipped with SH-AWD. The Honda Sports 4 Concept currently exhibited in the Tokyo Auto Show may reveal something about the future of Acuras and Hondas. If that is the case, then expect a wider range of Honda/Acura SH-AWD sedans and hopefully wagons.

    I think there is a good possibility of seeing a future TSX SH-AWD sedan/wagon in North America. My hope is for a TSX SH-AWD wagon on our shores and I dont think that would be a pipe dream since a TSX wagon already exists in Europe (pardon me for being a bit off topic from the upper strata of theLPS category)
  • jrock65jrock65 Member Posts: 1,371
    Base MSRP went up from $49,100 to $49,300. The CMBS, ACC, Run-flats package is an extra $3800 ($53,100 total).

    Add $615 for destination.

    http://www.acura.com/bap/bap_step1a.asp?FEATURE=T&MODULE=RL&SERIES=16&YEAR=2006&MODEL=KB16- 56KXW
  • bdr127bdr127 Member Posts: 950
    OK, so "looks like" might be too strong a statement. But, the front end of the BMW 5, to my eye, has the Pontiac "cat eye" look. Now, this probably is either offensive or a compliment based on how "the eye of the beholder" takes to the look of one versus the other. Pontiac had the look, the front end look that is evident in the BMW 5 series before BMW.

    I'm not trying to be argumentative, but what Pontiac do you think looks like the E60? I've been looking at pictures, and I can't figure out which car you're comparing.....
  • wale_bate1wale_bate1 Member Posts: 1,982
    "Overall, I would say the M slots right between the 7 and 5 size wise..."

    Apparently, that's part of the business plan at Nissan, IMO. The G is much more a 5 competitor based on size, but plays in the 3's pricing territory. I drove behind a Maxima the other day; the thing is massive.

    "Supersize Me" must have been the brainchild of the Nissan desgin staff, I'm thinkin'... :(
  • tayl0rdtayl0rd Member Posts: 1,926
    Under $60,000 what car out there would be the one that you would zero in on and have to have.

    Under $60K? Hmm... That's a tough one. The top two contendors are the '06 Infiniti M45 Sport and the '05+ Audi A6 4.2 (w/ the Sport package which was this " " close to being in my garage instead of the ones in there now). Had I not gone to hear that Mustang GT... :blush:

    As far as having an "older" Chrysler, I don't think anybody would call it "old." It's only an '02.

    But, yeah, it's hard to pin a car on me because I like to keep my options WIDE open. I want the most car for the money I want to spend.
  • tayl0rdtayl0rd Member Posts: 1,926
    Sorry, TayIOrd Not even close my man!

    jjacura, you're looking at the wrong pictures. Go to the link that was referenced.

    Reading further down, I see you're the only one looking at the wrong pictures. Now THAT'S funny! :P
  • msu79gt82msu79gt82 Member Posts: 541
    Base MSRP went up from $49,100 to $49,300. The CMBS, ACC, Run-flats package is an extra $3800 ($53,100 total). Add $615 for destination.

    Add another $495 for the Rear-Camera and the '06 RL will MSRP for $54,210 :surprise:

    Compare that to the fully loaded M35x (Premium, FSS) at $54,570.
    Note that this exceeds the RL equipment list (Premium includes rear DVD w/ rear heated and reclining seats).

    What was Acura thinking? :confuse: Or perhaps they weren't :blush:
  • tayl0rdtayl0rd Member Posts: 1,926
    image

    Looks Cobalt SS-ish to me. ;) With some Ferrari F430 in the lower fascia/exhaust thrown in for good measure.
  • lexusguylexusguy Member Posts: 6,419
    Still not seeing the Chevy. What I see is a very nice step ahead of where the R-34 GTR was. Also, anyone driving a GT-R wouldnt have to look at Cobalt tail lamps for very long :)
  • tayl0rdtayl0rd Member Posts: 1,926
    image
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    Ha Ha,,,no Doc...just my vain attempt to bring the Celica like side contour lines into the overall initial feeling I had looking at Wales pictures. You are right come to think of it. Sounds Painful. :sick:
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    Right you are, lovmyclk spotted that right away....I apparently Googled into Edmunds pictures of the testing mule based on the Infinity G35 coupe. which incidently is very nice. However, lookin at your posts 4408 and 4410 there is reason to give you a glimmer of credence my man.

    Now That's really funny! ;)
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