Entry Level Luxury Performance Sedans

robr2

roadburner said:

That's just about the same policy I follow. My SA at my BMW dealer is also a CCA member and attends HPDEs in his 1998 M3. I've also built a relationship with one SA at my Mazda dealer. I've also written letters of praise to the corporate offices; in 1996 I even received a personal reply from Vic Doolan, who at that time was the President of BMWNA. It's amazing to see what happens when you are courteous and don't treat the dealer as an adversary...

And as I noted, I don't burn them on surveys. If I have a problem, I speak with them directly. A couple of years ago I had the timing belt done on my Passat. About 30 days later, the thermostat went. It requires just about the same labor time to reach the tstat as to get to the timing belt. I mentioned it to the service manager and he went through my customer history. He noted how much I've spent there, if I was asked if I wanted to change the tstat when they did the timing belt and I'm sure somewhere in there is my CSI report. Viola - 3 hour labor credit.

roadburner

Exactly. The surveys are ridiculous to begin with- anything less than a top mark being considered a failure.

sweendogy

Finally alive again - nice work men. My anger with Acura (don't get me going on Infiniti) is they were so close and they blew it. They had the turbo and shelved it. They had cool names and ofcourse the reliability.  The ILX is basically a TSX gen one reborn - - which is a good thing but the true comp has them beat. I don't have the numbers but my audi dealer has 60 a3s on the lot and 3 of them are the 1.8. Read caranddriver.com for there take and it's not a good read for the ILX. Weight 63% front should be fun on the twists go.

 The dealer experience in reading above posts seems like a big deal- Im about price - how much can I get into and out of a car not which has a latte machine. I would rather not be in a dealer at all- knock on wood I wont be again for anything other than a $300 oil change. bUt I can see @graphic_guy‌ frustration given his unreal experience. I also like the fact he's friends with SweeneyBmw which if I was shopping for a BMW no better place then Sweeney.

stever

If you recently bought a new car and are really appreciating high-tech features you didn't have previously, a reporter wants to hear from you. Please email PR@edmunds.com by Thursday, February 12, 2015 and include your daytime contact information and a few words about your experience.

flightnurse

graphicguy said:

sweendogy said:

@graphic_guy‌ lets not go gaga over dealerships- used cars and service bring in the big bux. The new car dealer is happy you bought the car and now happy to service it -  Let's see how the next dealer listens and responds to the trade in on the caddy.... Maybe you got a bad dealer and a bad car- but the end game is to make money. 

Dealership is the front line of your ownership experience. As the old saying goes..."you only get one chance to make a good first impression".



As far as the Caddy? I'm not expecting the same resale percentage numbers I was used to getting with my Acuras 9which were exemplary). That said, I bought it right ($15K and change dff MSRP). So, I took the good deal up front with getting a great deal instead of on the back end when it comes trade time.

I remember talking about the CTS and how I liked it and you mentioned that you wouldn't step in a Caddy dealer because of how they treated your mother many years prior, but giving you 15K off MSRP changed that for you.... Now if the dealer came back with only 7% off MSRP would you have taken the dealer? But in the end, money talks and did for you... I'm sure anyone would have taken the dealers deal of 15K off a 60K car I'm sure you lease payments are lower then what your TL was. Dealer experience goes only so far, it's nice to go to my BMW dealer and help myself to the coffee bar and pastries, but I'd rather not have to go to the dealership at all.

stickguy

my Acura dealer is perfectly nice. nothing over the top fancy. But, breakfast stuff (donuts), little water bottles, a TV, and a small business area if you want a desk or PC.. Good enough for me, since I go there every 6-7 months when the little wrench comes on, and just drive into the express lane (no appointment) and am done in an hour or less. maybe slightly longer if I was do for extra stuff.

so I don't really need a luxury spa, since most of the time I am there I am checking out the new cars (at Acura or one of the other dealers in the complex), and if the car needed to stay longer, I would just get a loaner and not hang around.

m6user

According to this article, Acura may be bringing back the Type S designation in the form of a turbo 4 cyl producing 300+ hp.  I think that would make the ILX, which it is apparently slated for, more than competitive.  

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/02/10/acura-ilx-type-s-300-hp-turbo-four/

stickguy

that could make an interesting little buggy.

Michaell

stickguy said:

that could make an interesting little buggy.

Only if they add SH-AWD, then you'd have a Golf R or Focus RS competitor.

graphicguy

sweendogy said:

Finally alive again - nice work men. My anger with Acura (don't get me going on Infiniti) is they were so close and they blew it. They had the turbo and shelved it. They had cool names and ofcourse the reliability.  The ILX is basically a TSX gen one reborn - - which is a good thing but the true comp has them beat. I don't have the numbers but my audi dealer has 60 a3s on the lot and 3 of them are the 1.8. Read caranddriver.com for there take and it's not a good read for the ILX. Weight 63% front should be fun on the twists go.

 The dealer experience in reading above posts seems like a big deal- Im about price - how much can I get into and out of a car not which has a latte machine. I would rather not be in a dealer at all- knock on wood I wont be again for anything other than a $300 oil change. bUt I can see @graphic_guy‌ frustration given his unreal experience. I also like the fact he's friends with SweeneyBmw which if I was shopping for a BMW no better place then Sweeney.

Sween....you and I agree (O.M.G..... . Wife being in an Accord, I'm beginning to see the Honda engineering in a lower priced car vs the Acura counterparts. I drove the TLX. Nice car. Not the same driving experience as the TL-S models or even the SH AWD TL that I had. Admittedly, I like the look of the new one better than the old one, but didn't have an issue with the "beak" look that others did.

Truth told, if Audi had just fixed my S4, I'd still be in the fold. Instead, they lost me. I have to believe I'm smack dab in the wheelhouse of their demographic, too.

Bang for the buck, an S4 is hard to beat.

But, as these things go, every body is stealing from everyone else. My CTS AWD has the trick torque vectoring rear that the Audi Quattro and Acura TL SH AWD have. My CTS has the twin scroll turbo that the BMW 4 cyl has (and more power to boot). Get the V-Sport (last year could be had for high $40s). and you get the 6 cyl with two turbos...wicked fast.

Took a couple of weeks, but once I got used to CUE, I "get it". And, I like it. My understanding is they went through a couple of interim updates to get it to this point, though.

ILX needs that turbo motor. Otherwise, stick with a Civic.

The Civic and Accord are great cars. Are their Acura counterparts worth $X,ooo more? It's not clear cut. So I guess that's pretty telling.

That said, I loved all the Acura I've had. Not sure they shouldn't just go ahead and just be an upscale SUV brand and be done with it. Maybe they're hoping the new NSX will breathe life into their car sales. The ILX and the TLX both need that turbo 4, though. The TLX, in particular, looks like a took a step back going from the sweet 3.7L in the previous gen SH AWD version to the 3.5L in the current car. Not sure what the thought process was there. In the tech dept, where they used to be at the forefront, they're now lagging behind, even with a totally new refresh.

BTW....here's my BMW dealer......http://www.sweeneybmw.com/index.htm


FN....if the prospect of getting $15K+ off a CTS wasn't out there, no way I would have entered the Cadillac showroom. My issues with Cadillac came before the GM "purge". I think the Cadillac dealers had to get into shape or the prospect of GM cutting them became quite real. That was very evident in my experiences with the same dealership 11 years ago, and the experience with them now. Truly, it was a night and day difference.

Drove the ATS. Thought it was a really fun car. A tad small for my tastes (reminded me of the A3, sidewise). Drove the CTS, and had as much fun, only with all the trappings of an E Class, A6, 5 Series......a better suspension than any of those, with better steering, braking, etc. A Cadillac....right? Who'd have thunk it.

Frankly, if I didn't get such a good deal on the CTS, I would have been targeting an IS350 F-Sport, probably this summer. That's a fun car, too. A little on the snug side (and I'm not a big guy).

billyperks4

Well I am a big guy and this 535 fits me perfectly- this thing is a blast in the snow, the TL AWD is good but the Bimmer is GREAT.
- Happy Motoring.

andres3

sweendogy said:

Finally alive again - nice work men. My anger with Acura (don't get me going on Infiniti) is they were so close and they blew it. They had the turbo and shelved it. They had cool names and ofcourse the reliability.  The ILX is basically a TSX gen one reborn - - which is a good thing but the true comp has them beat. I don't have the numbers but my audi dealer has 60 a3s on the lot and 3 of them are the 1.8. Read caranddriver.com for there take and it's not a good read for the ILX. Weight 63% front should be fun on the twists go.

 The dealer experience in reading above posts seems like a big deal- Im about price - how much can I get into and out of a car not which has a latte machine. I would rather not be in a dealer at all- knock on wood I wont be again for anything other than a $300 oil change. bUt I can see @graphic_guy‌ frustration given his unreal experience. I also like the fact he's friends with SweeneyBmw which if I was shopping for a BMW no better place then Sweeney.

LOL @ $300 oil changes. I won't be getting my Audi serviced at the dealership again; it's just too much of a rip off. For your $300 they probably do lube things (joints/hinges, ect.) do a 150 pt. inspection, but in the end, it's just an oil change. I got them to give me 15% off because even at 10% off I felt as I was being ripped off (I originally thought 15K service included a new engine air filter at least; it doesn't!). They are making their maintenance intervals a lot longer it seems.

andres3

At my last HPDE event I won an auction to get more than half off on a Audi S4 3.0 Supercharge tune that takes the S4 to 400+ HP. They couldn't make the tune happen on a Sunday, so it'll happen at my next HPDE event in March. This is a tune that turns the S4 into a M3 killer. Since my car has been pretty much flawless, I think I will go ahead and risk the potential "warranty" issues. It's already a beast; should be fun.

roadburner

I took my Club Sport to my BMW dealer last month for an Oil Service, brake fluid flush, and coolant change and I was only charged $315.

graphicguy

RB.....my BMW dealer keeps sending me "Service Specials" in the mail, even though I no longer own a BMW. They tout that their prices are in line with other national car service places. They say they'll meet or beat any other store on tire prices. And, they're charging $70 for a synthetic oil change, tire rotation and whatever inspections BMW requires.

So, at least they're trying to be competitive.

Even my Caddy dealer offers an oil change, tire rotation and inspection for $40. Won't need that for awhile, though given they're like BMW and offer free service for 4 years.

markcincinnati

andres3 said:

At my last HPDE event I won an auction to get more than half off on a Audi S4 3.0 Supercharge tune that takes the S4 to 400+ HP. They couldn't make the tune happen on a Sunday, so it'll happen at my next HPDE event in March. This is a tune that turns the S4 into a M3 killer. Since my car has been pretty much flawless, I think I will go ahead and risk the potential "warranty" issues. It's already a beast; should be fun.

I have a question (prompted by an article I read about the RS7): Audi, today, uses the DSG transmission on the S4, S5, S6 and S7, for instance. Yet on the RS7 they use the 8-speed Tiptronic. The stated reason is that the currently available DSG can't take the forces generated by the RS7's engine. The article said the S6 was on the cusp of stressing the DSG -- and owners of an S6 were cautioned not to after-market upgrade the HP and torque (which is quite possible with the turbo S6 V8, e.g.).

Can the DSG in the S4 handle the upgrade you are contemplating and have a good long life? If not, what is the cost -- or risk in this upgrade?

My dealer says the S4 is going to have a horsepower and torque boost to keep it ahead of the standard V6T in the 2016 A6 line. It means, to me, that they have resolved the DSG issue; wonder if there is the headroom in the current DSG to take the upgrade is my concern.

sweendogy

M @all - I have to go tru the dealer recipe and confirm but it was 330 bux all in after taxes - no tire rotation and pretty much an oil change and a car wash which after getting 5 feet of snow the very next week did nothing. Yes I feel ripped off- the all road loner was a nice touch and was able to handle the Wegmans run I had to do. Shame on me. Fool me once.

andres3

I guess they figure a lot of Audi owners are made of money and won't shop around.

andres3

markcincinnati said:

andres3 said:

At my last HPDE event I won an auction to get more than half off on a Audi S4 3.0 Supercharge tune that takes the S4 to 400+ HP. They couldn't make the tune happen on a Sunday, so it'll happen at my next HPDE event in March. This is a tune that turns the S4 into a M3 killer. Since my car has been pretty much flawless, I think I will go ahead and risk the potential "warranty" issues. It's already a beast; should be fun.

I have a question (prompted by an article I read about the RS7): Audi, today, uses the DSG transmission on the S4, S5, S6 and S7, for instance. Yet on the RS7 they use the 8-speed Tiptronic. The stated reason is that the currently available DSG can't take the forces generated by the RS7's engine. The article said the S6 was on the cusp of stressing the DSG -- and owners of an S6 were cautioned not to after-market upgrade the HP and torque (which is quite possible with the turbo S6 V8, e.g.).

Can the DSG in the S4 handle the upgrade you are contemplating and have a good long life? If not, what is the cost -- or risk in this upgrade?

My dealer says the S4 is going to have a horsepower and torque boost to keep it ahead of the standard V6T in the 2016 A6 line. It means, to me, that they have resolved the DSG issue; wonder if there is the headroom in the current DSG to take the upgrade is my concern.

I'm not worried about it. When the DSG oil gets too hot, I know the transmission will go into limp mode, that happened late in my A3's life after I had a bunch of mods on that one. Usually happened when you got near the last lap of a session, but it was annoying nonetheless. Given the R8 has switched and upgraded to a dual clutch DSG unit, I think they've resolved any issues with the DSG and power/torque. I'm not too worried about it. I think they know most RS7 buyers aren't planning to track it, so they made it a slushbox transmission.

sweendogy

@andres3 keep us up on that upgrade- I've been debateing doing something as well after hearing about @flightnurse‌ adding extra to the bmw. Would love to know cost and location. 

markcincinnati

"I'm not worried about it. When the DSG oil gets too hot, I know the transmission will go into limp mode, that happened late in my A3's life after I had a bunch of mods on that one. Usually happened when you got near the last lap of a session, but it was annoying nonetheless. Given the R8 has switched and upgraded to a dual clutch DSG unit, I think they've resolved any issues with the DSG and power/torque. I'm not too worried about it. I think they know most RS7 buyers aren't planning to track it, so they made it a slushbox transmission."

I don't know -- and with all due respect, I don't know how you know -- about Audi deciding the RS7 customer would not track the car, hence they (Audi) decided not to use the transmission that they typically tout as the one they reserve for their high performance cars. It is as if their engine technology advanced more quickly than their transmission supplier could keep up with, so they used the 8-speed tip instead of waiting for the DSG to get strong enough to handle the power of the RS7 motor.

I have no problem at all with you upgrading your engine, knowing that the transmission will attempt to protect itself when it is pushed beyond its comfort zone. I don't have the money that it would take to self insure against the risk.

Frankly, I think it would be less costly to get a new "S" with the uprated engine -- when it comes out perhaps as a 2016 -- rather than push the DSG with the upgrade.

Of course, if you upgrade and nothing untoward goes down, well your risk will have been proven to be low.

My experience with "chipping" is perhaps why I am concerned -- I chipped my wife's TT and the power and acceleration were thrilling -- but the damn thing went from being reliable (and I assume durable) to needing constant visits to the dealer for things that seemed to have started coincidentally with the chip's installation.

My wife swore (and I couldn't counter her argument) that all the ills that beset her TT were chip related.

We traded the car in for a newer TT with the FACTORY upgrated engine -- the thing was bullet proof.

Summary: good luck and godspeed with your upgrade. I'll just wait for the factory to offer up an amped up S car without any post OEM help.

qbrozen

My experience with my modded 135i has also soured me on reprogramming.

graphicguy

Got the performance package from my BMW dealer on my 335 coupe. Bumped HP and Torque about 10%. Dealer did it. No problems. All under BMW warranty.

roadburner

I installed a Dinan chip in my M6 and a Turner/Conforti chip in my Club Sport. I installed the Hypertech flash/tune in my Mazdaspeed 3(netting me an extra 50 lb-ft of torque over a wide spread of the powerband. The Club Sport now has 140k on it- no issues, even though it sees the track at least once a year. The MS3 149k on the clock with no issues as well.
My only concern regarding a tune would be warranty coverage on a newer car - most ECUs now have a flash counter. In my experience, if you go with a company that has experience with the engine/platform you should be good to go...

flightnurse

burgertuning.com/N20_BMW_performance_Tuner.html total cost is $385/tax and shipping, no problems at all. Many people on Bimmerfest has this and again report no problems...

circlew

I need a new ride since my daughter turns 17 and we play musical cars. I looked at a '13 G37S sedan (RB-Approved Right Wheel Drive and 6MT). It has 20.2K miles for $28.2K. Still has 2 years on the BtoB warranty.

It's not a bimmer or an audi but seems like a nice value. Any comments well received!

roadburner

I've looked at the Sport model more than once. They are very nice cars.

qbrozen

flightnurse said:

burgertuning.com/N20_BMW_performance_Tuner.html total cost is $385/tax and shipping, no problems at all. Many people on Bimmerfest has this and again report no problems...

burger is what i used on my 135i. Was the tune responsible for the problems? I don't know for sure. Could be the car would have had all its problems anyway. I can tell you the car would go into limp mode far far easier when the tune was turned on.

circlew

Thanks, RB.

flightnurse

qbrozen said:

flightnurse said:

burgertuning.com/N20_BMW_performance_Tuner.html total cost is $385/tax and shipping, no problems at all. Many people on Bimmerfest has this and again report no problems...

burger is what i used on my 135i. Was the tune responsible for the problems? I don't know for sure. Could be the car would have had all its problems anyway. I can tell you the car would go into limp mode far far easier when the tune was turned on.

You are the only person I have heard who had this problem, so far I have not had this problem or others on bimmerfest..

andres3

sweendogy said:

@andres3 keep us up on that upgrade- I've been debateing doing something as well after hearing about @flightnurse‌ adding extra to the bmw. Would love to know cost and location. 

It's not going to happen until March 20-22 as that's the weekend there's a track event and the shop sponsor to the club will be at the track event again. They are located far from me in Bakersfield, CA; so meeting up at the track weekend to do the tune works best. Since I won a huge discount, I'm going with them and REVO. I'll let you know how it passes the butt dyno test. I think it normally costs $1,100.

andres3

markcincinnati said:

"I'm not worried about it. When the DSG oil gets too hot, I know the transmission will go into limp mode, that happened late in my A3's life after I had a bunch of mods on that one. Usually happened when you got near the last lap of a session, but it was annoying nonetheless. Given the R8 has switched and upgraded to a dual clutch DSG unit, I think they've resolved any issues with the DSG and power/torque. I'm not too worried about it. I think they know most RS7 buyers aren't planning to track it, so they made it a slushbox transmission."

I don't know -- and with all due respect, I don't know how you know -- about Audi deciding the RS7 customer would not track the car, hence they (Audi) decided not to use the transmission that they typically tout as the one they reserve for their high performance cars. It is as if their engine technology advanced more quickly than their transmission supplier could keep up with, so they used the 8-speed tip instead of waiting for the DSG to get strong enough to handle the power of the RS7 motor.

I have no problem at all with you upgrading your engine, knowing that the transmission will attempt to protect itself when it is pushed beyond its comfort zone. I don't have the money that it would take to self insure against the risk.

Frankly, I think it would be less costly to get a new "S" with the uprated engine -- when it comes out perhaps as a 2016 -- rather than push the DSG with the upgrade.

Of course, if you upgrade and nothing untoward goes down, well your risk will have been proven to be low.

My experience with "chipping" is perhaps why I am concerned -- I chipped my wife's TT and the power and acceleration were thrilling -- but the damn thing went from being reliable (and I assume durable) to needing constant visits to the dealer for things that seemed to have started coincidentally with the chip's installation.

My wife swore (and I couldn't counter her argument) that all the ills that beset her TT were chip related.

We traded the car in for a newer TT with the FACTORY upgrated engine -- the thing was bullet proof.

Summary: good luck and godspeed with your upgrade. I'll just wait for the factory to offer up an amped up S car without any post OEM help.


My A3 mods did the opposite of souring me on mods. If anything though, I felt they over advertised the power improvements , or at least overstated them, didn't pass the butt dyno.

I can understand being soured to tuning if you've had issues in the past. However, if the car was old, maybe it was just due to have those same failures anyway? Also, what kind of tune (company?) was it. I got Unitronics with the A3, and part of their sales spiel is that they tune it with OEM like reliability and durability in mind. Of course, my S4 tune will be Revo, so new territory. I find the Audi components to be over engineered so that they can handle these tunes with ease if done right.

qbrozen

flightnurse said:

qbrozen said:

flightnurse said:

burgertuning.com/N20_BMW_performance_Tuner.html total cost is $385/tax and shipping, no problems at all. Many people on Bimmerfest has this and again report no problems...

burger is what i used on my 135i. Was the tune responsible for the problems? I don't know for sure. Could be the car would have had all its problems anyway. I can tell you the car would go into limp mode far far easier when the tune was turned on.

You are the only person I have heard who had this problem, so far I have not had this problem or others on bimmerfest..

I remember coming across a couple of others reporting limp issues with the tune, but then they'd get quickly ganged up on and disappear. I did not see anybody else going through sensors like mine was, though. The reliability issues are why I did not have that car very long.

graphicguy

Interesting.....
http://www.motorweek.org/reviews/drivers_choice_awards/#/best-of-the-year

sweendogy

@graphicguy - I find them lists really interestin-dodge charger on the list kind of ahead scratcher here. 

roadburner

My wife's work sled was drafted for snowplow duty today(along with my MS3). Every 2-3 hours I drove one or the other up or down my 1500' driveway to keep the snow knocked down. The Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25 tires worked a treat, as the Brits would say; on the first run a few drifts were higher than the fog lamps.

stickguy

seems like that would have been natural duty for the Wrangler. Guess you wanted to do it in comfort.

roadburner

The Wrangler went out first because I wanted to make sure that there were no trees down or other problems. The MS3 was the real snow excavator, it was the least competent due to the lower rid height and the fact that it is running UHP all season tires- the Wrangler and 3er both sport winter rubber.

graphicguy

CTS4 did great. Standard All Seasons did a good job. Other folks on the road, especially in SUVs? Some, not so good. Saw a few off the side of the road.

graphicguy

sweendogy said:

@graphicguy - I find them lists really interestin-dodge charger on the list kind of ahead scratcher here. 

Yeah...I see where you're coming from. But, there are some here at Edmunds who have gone out and bought one for the same reasons they list.

Not a Chryco fan myself. But, I haven't been in one for a long time. I think the last one was a Chrysler 200 as a rental...the previous generation to boot. Totally forgettable car.

qbrozen

Well, why I usually am left confused by such a list is the breakout of the categories. So the Charger is a sport sedan? Really? Not quite the classification I would give it. On top of that, why are Luxo Sedans mutually exclusive from Sport Sedans? And same goes with Family Sedan. So the Charger isn't a Family Sedan?? Its just all so convoluted so they can list whatever they want. They decide they want to mention a particular car, so they make up yet another category for it. Note the 3 choices for Best Dream Machine. Why can't there be 1 winner there? And why were they too lazy in that instance to not make up 3 separate categories for them? "Best Dream Machine AWD Coupe-like Sedan," "Best Hybrid German Coupe Over $100k," and "Best Italian Hybrid Supercar." There ya go.

andres3

roadburner said:

My wife's work sled was drafted for snowplow duty today(along with my MS3). Every 2-3 hours I drove one or the other up or down my 1500' driveway to keep the snow knocked down. The Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25 tires worked a treat, as the Brits would say; on the first run a few drifts were higher than the fog lamps.

I'm jealous you guys in the snow get to have fun like this guy:

http://youtu.be/avSxOvJnE68

Lowered S4 being the snow plow is great.

robr2

What a DB. Former BMW driver I guess.

It was a foot of light, fluffy snow. My 2005 FWD Passat did that last week - multiple times.

ab348

No snow fun here. The storm was Sunday - started out with about 8-10" of snow, then changed to rain for an hour or so, then about 2 hours of freezing rain with a flash freeze as temps plummeted. The result of it all was that everything had 1"-2" of ice on pavement/sidewalks under the snow crust. I didn't even try to drive anywhere until today after 2 days of clearing efforts around the house. The roads here are atrocious. Even main routes aren't all down to bare pavement since there is caked ice stuck to the pavement in areas that is really hazardous. Side streets are still mostly all ice since it has been too cold for road salt to do much. Add to that all the snowbanks from previous storms making roads narrow, with many merge lanes on expressways simply not there. I'm not going anywhere over the next few days because it is still too risky.

laurasdada

Annual Father/Son ski trip to Sunday River in Maine this week. Left a day earlier than planned as predictions of blizzard conditions Sunday morning. So, drove through some blizzard conditions Saturday night! The XF was a rock star, AWD/All Seasons tracked steady and true. Stopped for dinner in York, pulled up restaurants on the Nav, told son to pick one. I guess I missed the turn as we found ourselves driving through residential, one lane (due to snow) roads that hadn't been plowed recently. So, probably 6+" snow, no problem for the XF! Used the rear foglight, oversight on Jag's part, no front fogs... One hour dinner, 2+" new snow on top of the car! But, light and fluffy.

Woke up Sunday expecting a plethora of fresh powder to ski...and nothing. It didn't snow the entire four days we were there. The wind did howl mightily, though. Kept lifts closed, so 3 days of skiing turned into more like 1.5. Probably good for me, skied trees and bumps. I ain't 16 like my son. Oh, my achin' back!

flightnurse

Just saw my first F Type Jag, it was the sport model R type, nice sounding exhuast tone

sweendogy

I run '18 winter spt dunlops - they have done the job thus far in the great white north east. Amazing how much snow = 90 inches in a month. The car kills it in light snow and is fun to get a little sideways. Im afraid to hit the gas when the snow gets deeper or at night. The video above I have seen before highlights Quattro but also brute force of a beast tuned car - if you had a 500 hp subi it would do the same in similar snow. The car being lower then a normal a4 I'm afraid to push it as those foglights can be expensive to replace↔️

markcincinnati

Check out the new Road and Track for an unabashed love letter to the new Audi S3.

Whatever comes next for the S4 and S5 just have to be incredible. The S3 would not make me swoon -- too crude and rude. But the next gen S4, S5 and SQ5 should be a treat!

nyccarguy

What's with the Q50? people over on the "prices paid" and "lease questions" boards seem to be getting them at substantial discounts (not like @graphicguy & @qbrozen). They seem to be leasing in the $400 - $450 per month range. Cheap for a $50K ELLPS.

graphicguy

nyccarguy said:

What's with the Q50? people over on the "prices paid" and "lease questions" boards seem to be getting them at substantial discounts (not like @graphicguy & @qbrozen). They seem to be leasing in the $400 - $450 per month range. Cheap for a $50K ELLPS.

Hmmmmm....maybe Infiniti is throwing some support money at their leases?