Luxury Lounge

borno

Now that we have the car, what do you all think about mileage on used ones and colors? Saw quite a variety of used vehicles from 40K @ high $40s up to 15K for high $50s. Obviously I would only buy an Audi certified vehicle.

I don't think I could do a Black exterior, and I have had silver and greys that get boring. I like the white, or would consider the darker blue that came in 09. Interiors are limited. The silver is too light and will show wear and dirt, Grey is rare, Black is common and most likely the probable choice.

Will probably wait for a end of year deal, or mid-winter, eventhough they don't deal too much on these. 2010s are selling for sticker. I do like the led introduced in 09 and would love to have the new hard drive based nav, etc., but can't justify the $$. There should be more used vehicles turning up as time goes.

Any other thoughts??
Thanks for all the help!!

borno

Just read that the new 3.0T does 0-60 in 5.9, S6 only slighly better at 5.7, really thinking to look for agreesive lease or slighlty used A6, 4.2. After all, it's still meant to be a family sedan. I have my 01M3converible, with hardtop, to tool aroung in if necessary. Considered leasing, but that's really not me. I also think 2010s have a new optional sport suspension option.

Now too really cloud things. I'd love to consider European delivery!! Everything I've read points to a great experience. Doesn't save you a ton, but pretty much covers your flight costs.

Sorry too be all over the place, but you understand...thanks again!!!!!!!

Pavarotti

The best looking, best handling, best interior, best value of luxo sedans in its class.

In addition, new Jaguar's reliability is far superior to MB, BMW and Audi.

The Cat strikes Back!!! PURRRRRRRR

lexusguy

Just read that the new 3.0T does 0-60 in 5.9, S6 only slighly better at 5.7, really thinking to look for agreesive lease or slighlty used A6, 4.2.

The S6 is much quicker than 5.7. That's what Edmunds reported, but they also reported 7.9 seconds for the 3.2 and 7.1 seconds for the 4.2 back when the A6 was first reviewed, about half a second slow in both cases. The S6 will do 60 in five flat, possibly less. The 3.0T and the FSI V8 introduced for '07 are in the high 5s, so there would have to be something seriously wrong with the S6 for it not be any faster than that.

As for a used A6, I'd recommend a certified '07 4.2 S-line. Most will have black interiors, but gray isn't unheard of. It's the beige that's impossible to find in S-line guise, though they do exist. I never liked the beige in the C6 car anyway, the yellow wood is just too ugly. The beige in the C5 car with the red wood was much more attractive.

If you'd like to go on a trip to Ingolstadt anyway to see the Audi history museum and whatnot, the ED program can make sense. Otherwise its not really worth it.

Pavarotti

all this talk/obsession about specs and numbers is meaningless to me. I am more interested in pedigree and heritage... which leaves only MB and Jaguar. To me Jaguar is the classier choice.

borno

Honestly, I drove an 09 E550, 4matic with the AMG pkg, did not love it, kind of heavy with no road feel. Could never drive a MB. Haven't driven a Jag, but wouldn't consider it, no AWD. What are they waiting for?

Karen_S

Has your impression of Toyota/Lexus changed since the company began suffering a wave of bad publicity? A reporter would like to hear from you by Friday, November 20, 2009. Please respond to jfallon@edmunds.com with your brief opinion and the make/model vehicle you currently drive.

Pavarotti

I own a 1998 Toyota Avalon and that car has been very reliable and gets 30 mpg on freeway/25 city. The recent recall affects only late models and I only buy 5-7 year old used cars. So it doesn't affect me at all. Another car I own is a '98 Jaguar XK8, also running flawlessly. It's $80k when new, but $10k when I bought it. Sweet deal

oldcem

I'm a Jaguar Fan as well. I'm on my third one. Had 2 of the AWD X-Types, and, now an 06 S-Type 4.2 VDP. The thing is built like a tank, gets great fuel economy, and scoots like an old musclecar.

Regards:
Oldengineer

reality2

It is always interesting how someone who really has no experience with a specific make, in this case Audi, is trying to teach someone who has owned 12 Audis about Audi and their reliablity. Currently, I owe 3 Audis including a five year old A8L W12, a three year old S6, and a one year old TT. All have been extremely reliable. I beat up my TT and drive it hard. It has over 24,000 miles and is only 1.3 years old. Not one single issue with car. Even the brake pads and rotors (considering LA traffic) are still perfect. The S6 is solid like a tank as is the W12. My other Audis have been just as good having only one 2002 A4 that needed the coils replaced. I think one does protest too much if one puts down a brand because they are bias towards another make. Plus Audi has been scoring very well in quality surveys over the last several years beating its German couterparts easily.

m4d_cow

I'm not sure about pricing, but as for color choices, I personally love the combination of black exterior with black/white interior. That is, if you don't mind cleaning the white leather regularly. Alas, the white interior is really hard to find though...
Oh and if you're pretty adventurous, check out Sprint Blue exterior, my favorite Audi color after the now dead Denim Blue.

m4d_cow

Well, contrary to the old time believes, post 2000 Audis have very reliable engines. It's the electrical glitches that cause problems. People can say whatever they want, but service records and mechanics don't lie. Add a salesman who confirmed this, then I believe that's the truth.
As for engine problems whatsoever, like I said earlier, many Americans have one huge issue with cars: they don't take care of it. They think just bringing the car to the shop when the check engine light or service light come on will result in flawless ride. Yeah, right....

@Pavarotti:
Well, we all have our preferrences. To me heritage is meaningless if the car isn't good enough. I want quality, performance, and comfort. Jag made a great XJ, but the new model is ugly inside out. The XF, while looking more like a Lexus, is a worthy car IMO.

jimbres

It is always interesting how someone who really has no experience with a specific make, in this case Audi, is trying to teach someone who has owned 12 Audis about Audi and their reliablity

Easy, big fella. Calm down. I'm not trying to teach you anything. OK?

I did have an Audi at one time, & it was simply awful - easily the worst car I've ever owned. (My wife refers to it fondly as "Hitler's Revenge".) After that ghastly experience, there was no way that I'd own a 2nd Audi - let alone 12. My wife would have left me. It was that bad.

If you contracted a really nasty case of food poisoning at a particular restaurant, would you go back & let the kitchen take another shot at you?

Still, enough years have passed that I might consider an Audi the next time I go into the market, which won't be until 2011 at the earliest. I'll do my best to be open minded. Fair enough?

m4d_cow

Just out of curiosity, I tried checking Edmunds for the pricing for a 3y.o MB CLS CPO. With all the same options I checked before earlier this year, Edmunds ended up quoting $45k for the car. That's pretty high above what I got earlier this year for the same car, same options, which came out costing barely above $40k according to Edmunds.

Question is: How about in real life situations? Have the prices shot up just like Edmunds indicated or is it still the same? Because if it is then it's easy to negotiate far below Edmunds tmv. Any ideas?

jlbl

Here there is a nice collection of oldies that deserves to be watched. Luxury at its best.

Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2008

(Tony, my friend, you can practice your Spanish, and LG refresh once more time his Como memories!)

Regards,
Jose

anthonyp

Hola Jose

Well thanks for the enjoyable pictures....I was just thinking I have saved a fortune by not having a garage and there will be some inheritance for the descendants.....It has gotten cold here in S C so the Spanish practice hopefully will come in handy when I get to Miami---the land of sun and warmth... and nice Spanish speaking people , people who know how to live ..... Tony

texases

Watch and weep:
Oops!

rockshocka1

Hey Tony!

I agree with the pics Jose provided were great, but have to respectively disagree with it being cold here in Chaz. Long sleeve shirt weather? Sure. But not enough chill to have a decent oyster roast yet. ;-)

Are you sticking with your plan to fly to Miami now, or will you stretch the A8's legs again?

I avoid planes as much as I can these days because it's almost certain somebody with angry pig strain or some other bug will be spewing germs.

As bad as our roads have become, along with pockets of bad traffic & drivers, I prefer the open road if the trip is a one day affair.

cdnpinhead

I prefer the open road if the trip is a one day affair.

Couldn't agree more. Even on business trips I'll fly to a somewhat central location & drive wherever else I need to be. Boston-Montreal-Hartford provides nice driving any time of the year and last week when I did Columbus-Indy-Cleveland-Indy, that was fine too. Much better than the agony of today's airports and 95% full planes.

Kirstie_H

A reporter is looking to speak to a recent buyer of a new Audi vehicle over the past year and get comments on why they chose their vehicle over a Mercedes, BMW or Lexus. Please send your daytime phone number and the car you purchased to ctalati@edmunds.com by Tuesday, November 17, 2009.

Thanks,
Chintan
Corporate Communications
Edmunds.com

anthonyp

Hi Phil
Now that it has warmed back up---mid sixties for you that are not here--and it is not raining, I`m happy....A really cold day without wind is fine for the roast and it needs to be that way to keep the gnats away

I`m going to take the direct flight to Miami on the 22nd and usher in the service, which I hope will be a huge success, then drive down after Christmas.....Three to four hour trip is plenty long enough for me----and eight to nine hours ---no matter what type of car--is miserable...I have found that I can leave here and drive to New Smer na Beach , which is past Daytona, and spend the night at Riverside which is a sort of old hotel (for Florida) which has an interesting ambience....and a good resturant with it..God it is miserable just to get to I95 from Chas. and that in itself is enough to make me just stop writing this Tony

blckislandguy

As a dedicated car nut, I subscribe to Roundel, the house organ of the BWMCCA. Fascinating publication. Heavy, heavy on tech issues. Amazingly, the more I read Roundel, the more surprised I am at how well BMW does in the US. The cars seem to have chronic problems to include an overabundance of plastic components in the cooling system which necessitates almost a mandatory water pump change after say 60K; the run-flat tires coupled with the Tire Pressure Monitoring System are a nightmare and if you mount winter wheels that do not have TPMS, the much hated iDrive won't work; speaking of wheels the optional larger wheels bend like pretzels on our roads and require constant balancing; the automatic trannys have 'issues' and can't be successfully rebuilt in the aftermarket so you are stuck buying a factory reman transmission for mega bucks; the 745i ran so poorly that they had secret extended factory warrantys out to 150,000 miles and the later 750i cars are so darn complicated that a 2007 750i has a resale price according to Edmunds fully 10K less than an S550 (45K for a 750i CPO vs the S550's 55K), etc. etc.

If the BMW owner (or isn't it really,"lessor"?) demographic was an enthusiast who enjoyed his 2002, 318 or even a 3 series with a stick shift I could understand it. But the people who I see driving Bimmers tend to be ambitious people who are on their way up the social ladder and see themselves as younger and more athletic than their cohorts in Mercedes, not car enthusiasts.

Man, these guys know how to market!

rockshocka1

But the people who I see driving Bimmers tend to be ambitious people who are on their way up the social ladder and see themselves as younger and more athletic than their cohorts in Mercedes, not car enthusiasts.

Man, these guys know how to market!

Absolutely! & IMO they have done more over the last several years to target the demographic of 'new money' than the others & has paid off. Why not tap a well with known reserves?

I do believe Audi is chipping away as the 'it' car for the fashionistas recently though, based on their slow but steady growth in market share for luxury car sales here in the US & my totally unscientific research of who I see driving what in my area.

Your mentioning of Roundel reminded me of Audi magazine & how silly it is to me (Audi, not Roundel). Nothing too technical found in these pages. Recently got the new issue in the mail & the cover story is "Tom Brady in motion with the Audi S4, with a big mug shot of Tom on the cover.

The meat of the story? They liken the S4 to the QB position, kinda sort of, & ask Brady 1/2 dozen of questions that have nothing to do with the S4 whatsoever. It appears Audi & Brady met at a charity event to print a puff piece. This magazine is more suited to being a free mag on an airplane.

cdnpinhead

"As a dedicated car nut, I subscribe to Roundel, the house organ of the BWMCCA."

As do I. It's become clear that the Roundel cohort has absolutely nothing to do with the crowd that acquires (that includes leasing) today's BMWs. The people who drive new BMWs could give a rip less about RFTs, dipsticks, too much electronics or all the other things that many of the Roundel crowd complains about. I'm just discussing 3-series -- 5 and higher have to deal with iDrive.

Yet the cars continue to be sold or leased, and the enthusiasts continue to discuss older cars that they're upgrading or otherside enjoying.

Two distinct groups -- one buys this stuff and the other one enjoys it "properly." It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out over the next 5-10 years.

I didn't buy one a couple of years ago, after having saved and otherwise looked forward to doing so for several years. I'm confident no one at BMW gives a rip. However, if I had been able to, it'd have been fun to deal with the Roundel people as an equal, rather than a wannabe.

blckislandguy

"Why not tap a well with known reserves?"

Rockshocka, the people I see driving leased Bimmers are not the social equivalent of a deep well with known reserves. Au contraire. They remind me of the 200K a year laid off bank president profiled in a WSJ article last week: nowhere to go but down.

I suspect that the Tahoe/Suburban crowd have deeper pockets. (About 20 years ago the Suburban buyer had the highest income of all GM buyers including Caddy. The rationale was that a Suburban buyer had lots of toys such as boats and horses to move around. This may still be true.)

m4d_cow

I agree, a lot of people I know are starting to see Audis as fashion statement vs. BMW and MB's status seekers.

On an unrelated note, I just visited Jakarta's import dealer specializing in American cars. My eyes elmost popped out reading the price list. Check this out:
Latest products:
"Cadillac Escalade Platinum, Hollywood luxury car - $200k"
"Cadillac SRX sports luxury SUV - $81k"
"Mustang Shelby GT, limited production - $120k (order only)"
"Chrysler 300c luxury muscle sedan - $150k" (what the heck...)
"Hummer H2 luxury SUV (luxury???) - $150k"
"Camaro SS Bumblebee edition - $200k, order only"
"Pontiac Solstice GXP, limited stock (yeah right) - $60k"
All prices in US$ only, call XXX-XXXX for more information.
:surprise:

What's even more ridiculous is you can get a Range Rover for $170k here, 30k cheaper than the darn Escalade. Can't wait to return to US and end this insanity :P

Pavarotti

i have a doctor friend in Indonesia who says he could never afford to buy a new or used benz at his salary. he's a top specialist in his field and would probably make 300k/yr in the u.s. So on his last visit here he rented a benz c350 for a couple of days and had a blast! :-D

m4d_cow

That's understandable. I recently found out that doctors in this country apparently aren't paid as much as they are in US, nowhere near, unless you work for a big/famous hospital. An independent top specialist normally makes around $40-50k a year, a sum that's considered huge here....

Not to mention, a C350 costs an eye watering $90k (no kidding), and that's minus sunroof and heated seats (sure they dont need it here, but it makes the sticker price even more shocking).

What's dumber, the company gave me a v6 Camry here, which according to Toyota of Indonesia, costs...uh... $55k... :sick:

tayl0rd

all this talk/obsession about specs and numbers is meaningless to me. I am more interested in pedigree and heritage... which leaves only MB and Jaguar. ...

Wow. No purer example of a brand/label chaser exists! :surprise: :surprise:

reality2

Not to knock Jaguar, but it has lacked "pedigree" for couple of decades. It has been the butt of jokes in this "new" luxury landscape. Good luck with that. If one was to measure true "pedigree", I would consider sustainability as a brand over a long period of time and actual contributions to automotive progress and technology as a better distinction. Although there alot of "pedigrees" out there clinging to their past, I really see only the Germans and the Italians at this time as having this sensation and emotional pull. Jaguar has no real automotive success in the last twenty years. They have no current motor sport history to speak of and are in no position to challenge BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz on the race track yet alone in the showroom or in engineering. One can never forget the great Grand Prix battles between Audi (Auto Union) and Mercedes-Benz in the pre WWII Europe with the involvement of Herr Porsche in many of the designs. Audi and Mercedes-Benz have been racing since 1900 in some form or another. Now, that is pedigree.

lexusguy

Good luck with that. If one was to measure true "pedigree", I would consider sustainability as a brand over a long period of time and actual contributions to automotive progress and technology as a better distinction. Although there alot of "pedigrees" out there clinging to their past, I really see only the Germans and the Italians at this time as having this sensation and emotional pull.


Jaguar's heyday was in the '50s and '60s, with cars like the XK series and the Mark II sedan. M-B was struggling to get back on their feet, and Audi and BMW were far from the titans they are today. Jag peaked with the E-type, and when production ended, Jag's decline began. While Mercedes and BMW replaced Cadillac and Lincoln as the luxury brands to aspire to in North America, Jag became a sad ward of the state, and then floundered under Ford mismanagement.

In recent years Jag has made some remarkable accomplishments considering their financing mostly comes from scrounging under the couch cushions. Their aluminum platform is a hugely impressive achievement, every bit the equal of Audi Space Frame technology. Jag's latest diesel engines and the new 5.0L V8 are also competitive with the world's best.

Jag's heritage and pedigree at this point is questionable, but I think that has little to do with how well they will do in the market. Ferrari has the most heritage and racing pedigree in the world, and yet Lamborghini is able to compete with basically no heritage and absolutely no racing pedigree. It's down to product, and the same applies to Jag.

Maserati's history goes back much farther than Ferrari's, but they threw all of it away with horrible cars produced under Citroen and Chrysler ownership. Nobody who buys a Gran Turismo or a Quattroporte today cares about Mille Miglia wins in the '50s.

Jag will live or die on product, which is the case for pretty much every brand in the industry.

Pavarotti

frankly i would not give more than a grain of salt to a lecture about "pedigree", coming from a 'Lexus' guy.

jlbl

frankly i would not give more than a grain of salt to a lecture about "pedigree", coming from a 'Lexus' guy.



Frankly you should do a little reading of LG's posts in this thread since 2004 before qualifying so impertinently his opinions.

With all due respect,
Jose

lexusguy

frankly i would not give more than a grain of salt to a lecture about "pedigree", coming from a 'Lexus' guy.

That's my feeling on where they are as a brand, you can take it or leave it. I've had Jag convertibles since 1998, and I currently own an '07 XK. As far as reliability is concerned, my XJ-S was pretty bad, and each of my three XKs was a significant improvement over the car they replaced. That said, I put only a few thousand miles a year on the cars.

Your statement that "new Jag's reliability is far superior to BMW, Audi, and Mercedes" is simply not correct. As far as I know quality on the XKs is still good, but the XF has been an absolute disaster. I came close to buying an XF Supercharged, and at this point I'm glad I didn't. My S6 has been superb.

The "lexusguy" tag is a leftover from my days of LS430 ownership. At this point I own an Audi (very soon to be two Audis as a Q5 is about to replace my wife's X3) and the XK. Everybody on the board simply knows me as "LG", so there's no real reason to change the name, despite the fact that I've pretty much completely lost interest in Lexus and their products. If they can do a GS in the future that isn't cramped and boring, maybe I'll give them another look.

The new XJ doesn't do it for me. The front end is the only distinctive part of the design, and even that is just sort of a super sized and slightly improved version of the XF's design. I liked the side profile the first time I saw it on the A6. The rear end is just nothingness, it could've been pulled from a Kia. The blacked out C-pillars with the chrome window surrounds that point out exactly the area they were trying to cover up is just total idiocy. The GT-R gets blacked out pillars right, the XJ gets them very, very wrong.

The interior is just awful, it looks like some kind of spaceship concept from the 1970s. I'm curious to see what happens with the F-type which is supposedly back on, and I remain interested in Jag convertibles mostly because I dislike the BMW 6 and the SL so much. Whether Jag will be around 10 years from now pretty much depends on the patience of Ratan Tata. If he decides to dump the brand, its curtains at that point.

sanjaysdca

I think you should go back and read about LG's knowledge depth from wide ranging topics from cameras to TV to speakers and ofcourse CARS.

I think we all respects his knowledge...

tagman

frankly i would not give more than a grain of salt to a lecture about "pedigree", coming from a 'Lexus' guy.

I will return here for this post.

LG has posted 6,742 posts over a span of over 5 1/2 years.

Quite the contrary, Pavarotti... you have posted a whopping grand total of 15 posts during only 10 months.

LG is one of the most knowledgable contiributors here. Period. Do a little homework before you put your foot in your mouth like that.

That said, since you have previously expressed your enthusiasm for Jaguar, I will add that in addition to my current 2008 BMW 135i convertible, I still own a 2005 Jaguar XJ Vanden Plas, which has been one of the most terrific trouble-free cars I have ever owned.

TM

Kirstie_H

This discussion isn't about other members - it's about luxury vehicles. If you don't respect another member's opinion simply because of the brand he/she prefers, then please just ignore it rather than making snide remarks about that member. Thank you.

(I just replied to the last message in this particular thread... intended for all, not one.)

borno

wow, so back to the business of luxury vehicles.
i'm still struggling as well, between the S6 and a cayenne gts.
Lg, what year is your S6? i'm an audi/bimmer guy, but the gts gets my blood boiling! plus, the deals on the 09, with a stick,pano roof and porsche's chassis control really make it resemble a sedan. I'm kind of stuck on getting a stick.
I have an M3 conv., with a stick, so I get a fix, but try to drive it sparingly(I don't know why). I know that these super cars/trucks have more sport tuned auto trannies, but nothing like a stick.

I'm back and forth, cause I could benefit from the 'truck aspects", but don't want to own a truck. I do occasional towing, and kayak/cycling.

I also keep my cars a looong time as i said before, my 00 A6 has 126K, but needs cats($$). what am I missing. I know it's apples and oranges, but I lean towards the truck for it's multi personalities, and great deals. Just heard that the 2011 will be a substantial cosmetic redesign, and be a little smaller than the current version. it's already small enough to me.

great forums when we stay on topic, too bad things get personal, thanks in advance for any comments, ideas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lexusguy

i'm still struggling as well, between the S6 and a cayenne gts.
Lg, what year is your S6?

Mine is an '08, all black. It's a mean looking machine. The 2010 car gets 3G MMI, but otherwise very little has changed other than the taillights. The big shift will be with the C7 S6, which is likely to be powered by a twin turbo V8. It'll be on the front-midship platform, and will have the QuattroSport dif as on the S4 and S5.

clembo

I would get the S6, not only is it a great ride but the Cayanne is overpriced - hence the large discounts, it also has wierd styling. The S6 is a unique way to enjoy the ride - hook yourself up to one. Rent a truck the few times that you need to tow.

reality2

Agreed. I would get the S6 as well. Mine is about 3 years old (2007 model), and I still make excuses to take it out for ride. Very solid.

dewey

the people I see driving leased Bimmers are not the social equivalent of a deep well with known reserves. Au contraire. They remind me of the 200K a year laid off bank president profiled in a WSJ article last week: nowhere to go but down.

BINGO! That's me.

At least that was me until July 15th 2009 when I sold my BMW 335i. Except my financial ruin was not due to a lost banking career but due to massive traffic violation tickets.

And what a wonderful description of the millions of BMW drivers worldwide. Highly inaccurate but despite that quite wonderful.
Your descriptions are so good that if I ever becomes notorious enough to hit the Guiness Book of World Records for traffic violation then I will definitely hire you as my biography author.But then again maybe not since I am currently having difficulties with my Prius in terms of reaching speed limits. Going over speed limits would be far too ambitious

borno

so, did i mention the deal on the gts...stickers for 92.5, available for 77k, maybe even better. Nowhere is the other idea, found a 2010'used' bmw 535xi, with a stick on line. car listed for 66, sold for 61, was on line for 49, missed it by one day, then it turns up at a bmw dealer certified, asking 56. I called on it nd offered 50, that would be a good alternative to the used S6??

I know your wondering why this 2010 is available, but i'm thinking after 3 months and 6K, the guy either lost his job, didn't want the stick, or was afraid of the mileage overage on the lease turnin.

What do you all think, I already have the sports car(m3), and this 2010 certified will have a 5.5year warrantee left vs the 3year typical of a used 07 S6. both would run around 50k

I do like the hard drive based nav no available, and the updated led taillights on the 5.

Going crazy and must decide soooon.

circlew

Get the S-6 and a used Grand Cherokee for towing.

Regards,
OW

circlew

Not a bad refresh.



Regards,
OW

dewey

Answer: Audi S6

A Cayenne and a BMW 535xi just does not compare

The above may sound like an echo here since th S6 has been the answer from every single forum member here who has made a suugestion to you.

Pardon my lack of originality.

I am more of an Audi S4 type myself but unfortunately the 2010 model is not negotiable in terms of getting good deals. At least that was my experience with two Audi dealerships here in Toronto. I am a patient man and I will wait a year or so until pricing becomes more flexible. I am in no rush (at least that`s what I keep on telling myself every hour or so).

dewey

The hybrid versions of the MB S Class, the BMW 7 series and X6 and ofcourse the Lexus LS reminds me of my father`s electronic Quartz-like battery poweredOmega watch from the 1970s. Batteries combined with either luxury Swiss watches or luxury car marques go as well together as oil and water. The Green message behind these gas consuming mega ton hybrid vehicles are quite preposterous and self evident.

My Prius is the real McCoy in terms of hybrid cars. Sort of like Seiko and Casio Quartz watches were the real McCoy of battery powered watches.

After the failure of the hybrid Benzes and BMWs you will soon be reading advertizemnets among luxury car makers boasting that they do not have any hybrid models whatsoever.

Sort of like the Swiss watch maker Hublot in the 1980s when their super successful advertisement slogan consisted of this:

Hulbot never had a Quartz watch and there never will be one .

After that most Swiss watch makers had avoided batteries since batteries did not have any snob appeal at all. Expect the same from luxury auto makers.

tagman

After the failure of the hybrid Benzes and BMWs you will soon be reading advertizemnets among luxury car makers boasting that they do not have any hybrid models whatsoever.

Must disagree.

Market research shows that Americans want hybrids, but want them in cars that feel familiar and good to them. It's about the product. Looking beyond the successful Prius and Civic hybrids, the market research is further proven by the sales success of the Ford Escape Hybrid and the Ford Fusion Hybrid. More hybrids are on the way, and again, it is ultimately all about the product.

If the luxury carmakers put out a decent hybrid product, it will sell. Americans are already poised and ready to purchase good hybrid products, and that includes future hybrids from BMW, Audi, and Mercedes Benz, as well as Lexus.

BTW, every time I see the new G3 Prius, I want one. Hard to believe!

TM

borno

AGreed, audis are awesome, but just read the first drive report in motor trend on the next 5. much more than a refresh, it looks amazing, loaded with advance technology. Like yourself, i'm inclined to wait a bit.

lexusguy

I called on it nd offered 50, that would be a good alternative to the used S6??

No. The only 5 I find remotely appealing is the 550i Sport. The 535xi gets the bland standard front end, bland wheels, and bland suspension. The S6 is the opposite of that.

A certified S6 (which is the only kind you should buy) will be under warranty until 2013 or 100K, which is more than plenty.