I agree that coverage of BMW in the auto mags is often silly. The often-quoted Car and Driver (May, 2005) "sports-luxury" comparison awarded the Infiniti M45 first place, but almost entirely on the basis of rapid acceleration, rather than styling or an anti-iDrive bias. The M45 was put up against the BMW 530i (which meant putting a 335 horse-power Infiniti M model in a drag-strip race against the 225 hp version of the 5-series). Also emphasized was the M's large rear seating space.
Similarly, while Motor Trend's comparison test rated two Japanese cars (Acura and Infiniti) ahead of BMW (third place), there was no Bangle-bashing: "The fifth-generation BMW 5 Series, with its flame-cut flanks and take-no-prisoners suspension, hit the ground running in the 2004 model year. Here's a thoroughbred, the product of decades of setting the benchmark all other automaker's sport sedans aspire to. Just look at the stance, the way the body sits on the chassis, ready to pounce on any opportunity to show its stuff on a challenging stretch of road. The smoothness and flexibility of BMW inline-sixes are legendary, and the 225 horses of the 2979cc engine seem more spirited than their numbers might otherwise suggest. And BMW is one of the only automakers courageous enough to offer a six-speed manual gearbox in a $50,000 sedan."
Also, if a potential buyer was to consult Consumer Reports to compare BMW 5-series, Audi A6, and Mercedes E-class, they would only find the BMW recommended, with the Mercedes and Audi dismissed as unreliable.
So, I don't think the best way to characterize the BMW 5-series sales success is that it is being snapped up by savvy contrarian buyers who are thumbing their noses at CR and at critics of Bangle. BMW simply has the (well-earned) best place in the collective consciousness of buyers with $50,000+ to spend on a car. Mercedes and Audi have been trashed by CR and Mercedes' CEO has had to show up at auto shows promising to improve reliability. And except for Lexus, most buyers in the category targeted by this forum just don't think "Japanese car" when they look for a car with which they identify.
I have the same experience. I have had nine Audis and they were all trouble-free. My current three are without question the best, absolutely no problems or drama. This is what I go by and not what someone thinks they can tell me is correct since I am the one actually experiencing the ownership. So much for surveys.
When you travel by air (such as Boeing 777), the chance that it's going to crash is about 1 in 1 billion (not exact number, but on that order).
Another imagined plane, with a rate of 1 in 1 million, is considered extremely unsafe statistically, even though it is still unlikely to happen to you.
We all make our choices. I would personally choose that extra order of peace of mind, since it doesn't even cost more.
"I have had nine Audis and they were all trouble-free. My current three are without question the best, absolutely no problems or drama. This is what I go by and not what someone thinks they can tell me is correct since I am the one actually experiencing the ownership. So much for surveys."
I think you're correct, but not in the way your wording implies.
You obviously love driving Audis and, having had no trouble with any of your previous Audis, you're strongly, perhaps immutably, inclined to buy more. That all makes sense.
Your ownership experiences, however, would not be a reason for someone else to ignore survey data. The reason to ignore surveys would be that the methods of collecting, analyzing, reporting, or drawing inferences from the data are flawed. And many good arguments have been made on this forum to strongly suggest that CR and JDP reports are flawed, especially in that they suggest to readers that they will regret buying most German cars (since, collectively, German car owners have reported an average of 1.5 problems per vehicle, while Japanese car buyers have only reported 1.2 problems per vehicle -- I made up that approximation -- but it's not far off and I think you'll get what I mean).
To me, the most persuasive part of your message is not "trust me and not surveys when I tell you your Audi will be trouble-free," but rather "hey, if you love what you see and feel when you test-drive an Audi, get it, and don't be dissuaded by surveys for which you cannot get access to the data and so are pretty limited to what the editors and researchers (of CR and JDP reports) tell you that you should think."
On the other hand, as an earlier response (using airplane crash analogy) to your posting suggests, if there was unambiguous data available about car reliability and it showed conclusively that German cars broke down by the side of the road an average of twice a month, while no Japanese car had ever been reported to breakdown, then that would be something to consider.
Ok, ok maybe a Porsche! And if push comes to shove I will accept driving a Ferrari even with its higher mortality rate (a mortality rate that is even higher than a Soviet AH10)
US gallons are 3.78 litres, British imperial gallons are 4.54 litres. Miles and pounds are the same in USA and British systems. Are you saying you were using US gallons when you said you got 50 MPG in a diesel 5 series? That doesn't sound possible, that is what a Smart car gets.
I totally agree that it is not realistic for the M to outsell the 5. Could Infiniti even make that many? Does their factory have the capacity? I think they would have to ramp up production slowly. Then there is the badge issue. Imagine what the sales would be like if BM had made the car we know as the M, and Infiniti had made the car we know as the 5. What chance would Infiniti have to outsell the BMW "5"? I say zero, because that car would have the little blue propeller on it.
In a way it does make sense to compare the M45 and the 530, they are about the same $. Here in Canada (These are all CDN funds, from Infiniti and BMW websites)the M45 MSRP is $66k, the 530 $67.8k. The M35 is $56.4k, would be similar acceleration as the 530, but then the reveiwer would give it points for being $11k less.
Thats exactly what C&D spelled out in their comparo. It wasn't "V8 LPS comparison", it was $55K LPS comparison, and thats all you can get from BMW for $55K. Its not Infiniti's fault that they can offer the M45 for $55K. One could ask whether considering MSRP is relevant in a class of car where almost all sales are leases, but those were the rules.
I've had a love/hate relationship with C&D for nearly 20 years about this! I can remember 300SLs being compared to V12 Jaguars and V8 Cadillacs because of price, yet all the cars being tested were out of the reach of the average consumer. Car and Driver is sometimes so smart to the point where they're stupid, IMO. R&T and MT just puts the cars together the way they should be, well more often than C&D does. What really gets me is that they seem to randomly pick and choose when price matters. In the recent roadster comparo the prices range from 75K to 102K, yet they call it the 100K question. Yeah sure. I'd guess I'd rather see the right cars be compared and have those that are too expensive get knocked on price/value rather than have a car with the right price get creamed because of its powertrain.
Thank you again for the information. And, after re-revising my notes I have to say that, yes , I confused inadvertently the US gallon for an incorrect figure of the British imperial gallon unit.
Correctly recalculated, the consume was 40.9 miles per US gallon.
(Former estimations posted by me here in Edmunds as well as those written in my user profile were rightly calculated in US gallons, however.)
I've been to several BMW driving events, and a recent audi driving event here in chicago.
The audi event was interesting--there was music, fantastic food, reiki, massage, but driving the cars almost seemed to be an afterthought, and you couldn't drive more than two of them. I was really dissapointed, i did want to drive everything.
I have a 2006 A8L and it's an unbelieveable car. I've had it about 6 months and believed it to be the finest car I've ever owned. Leaving a shopping center last week after slightly accelerating, the thing took off full throttle! I found out, that the car will continue accelerating thru full braking! Scared the you know what out of me! I smashed the stop button repeatedly an it finally decelerated. Made a U turn and off it went again...quickly redlined then died. Went to Audi, found nothing...Audi USA took my info and i never heard back from them. Anyone else having a problem?
If you drive using one foot on the break and the other on acelerator, sort of say in a tight situation, just having a slight pressure on the break will retard the acelerator...When you ease your foot off the break entirely the engine then acelerates to where you had the acelerator pushed to, which makes the car surge forward....I have had to really discipline myself and drive with one foot...For some reason if the car is stopped you can simultanesly hold the break and rev the engine....I hope this is some help although your description is a bit different and more serious sounding ...Tony
Shouldn't matter. If the 5 series is as ugly and unreliable as the media make it out to be, people wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole regardless of how attractive the BMW leasing deal is. They should all be buying/leasing the Lexus GS. NOT! :P
No matter how you spin it, the simple truth is more people looking for an LPS pick the 5 series. The numbers say so. Unless Porsche decides to confront the 5 head on, this superiority will continue ad infinitum, IMNSHO.
I don't agree that what's happened is that the media consistently tells people not to buy the BNW 5-series, but the people override them and buy it anyway.
The media's assessment of the BMW 5-series new design actually has been mixed.
Automobile Magazine did what you claim "the media" does: "The BMW 5-series breaks the classic unified automotive form into a collection of fractured surfaces, and it's the only car in our memory that has inspired mention of a painting by Picasso. But, as in so many discussions of cubism, the word beauty never enters our conversation about this car."
But Motor Trend told got readers excited about the 530i with: "The fifth-generation BMW 5 Series, with its flame-cut flanks and take-no-prisoners suspension, hit the ground running in the 2004 model year. Here's a thoroughbred, the product of decades of setting the benchmark all other automaker's sport sedans aspire to. Just look at the stance, the way the body sits on the chassis, ready to pounce on any opportunity to show its stuff on a challenging stretch of road."
As for reliability ratings, I partially agree with you.
CR currently dismisses all German cars as unreliable. But in JDP's press release of their 2006 initial quality survey, they said: "Brands with the fewest defects and malfunctions include BMW, Chrysler, Hyundai, Lexus, Porsche and Toyota."
In so far, as consumers are ignoring CR, well maybe, but it's just as possible that many buyers who want German cars are not going to seriously consider Japanese cars, so they'll be influenced to buy a BMW by CR's comparisons among German cars, and there CR claims the BMW 5-series will be more reliable than the Audi A6 and the Mercedes E-series.
So, I think there's a fair amount of support in the media for people who want a German LPS to buy the one that has long been established in their minds as the best one to drive and now is routinely assessed as more reliable than other German LPS cars.
Leaving a shopping center last week after slightly accelerating, the thing took off full throttle! I found out, that the car will continue accelerating thru full braking!
Strong though the engine of the A8L may well be, it ain't no match for the brakes of the A8L. Said another way, if you were really braking, even if the engine was at full throttle, your car would have stopped rather quickly.
My bet is that you thought you had your foot on the brake when you were really mashing the throttle instead.
Agreed. There aren't any cars out there whose (stock) engine can overpower its brakes, unless the brakes are in need of service. And even then, they would have to be near a condition of literally failing to work at all.
People who express satisfaction for Bose automotive systems sometimes use the disclaimer, "but I'm not an audiophile so I don't know if are really good." I personally perceive a high percentage of the anti-Bose folks as people who proclaim themselves to be audiophiles. The problem is that latter camp sometimes dismisses the Bose option without having heard the specific system under discussion.
To both camps, I can only say, "if you like it, it's good."
the brakes will ALWAYS beat the engine. After the idiotic "unintended acceleration" claims years ago that almost ended Audis existence in the U.S. Car and Driver and many other organizations tested the Audi 5000 mercilessly. They concluded that there were NO, repeat NO, circumstances in which the engine could overpower the brakes. They also concluded that the reason the cars were accelerating was that people had their foot on the gas and thought it was on the brake. I have no idea what caused the situation you described, but I seriously doubt that you had your foot off the gas and on the brakes and they could not stop the car.
People who express satisfaction for Bose automotive systems sometimes use the disclaimer, "but I'm not an audiophile so I don't know if are really good." I personally perceive a high percentage of the anti-Bose folks as people who proclaim themselves to be audiophiles. The problem is that latter camp sometimes dismisses the Bose option without having heard the specific system under discussion.
As I've said in the past, car stereos is the one area where I think Bose has done some very good work, and it seems that the most recent Infiniti\Bose collabs are the best of the lot. The top level Infiniti M stereo is easily a match for Lexus\ML, Volvo\Dynaudio, or Acura\ELS, and it seems as if the system in the new G will be as good if not better.
The reason why Bose car audio can be so good is exactly the same reason that holds back the home products. Priorities. The Bose engineers working with Infiniti have the exact same goals as the Mark Levinson engineers. Make the system sound as good as it possibly can. You don't have to worry about making a cutesy system with plenty of WAF when you're making a car stereo.
I have been reading nothing but raves about the upgraded optional Bose 11 speaker, 7 channel digital amp. system in the Porsche Cayman S. I don't know how one can hear it effectively given the loudness of the engine. Seems like a complete disconnect between Bose home and car audio.
My 13 speaker Bose system is "good to very good" -- it is NOT as good as the Infiniti M's w/Technology Package, but I cannot imagine what would posses me to pony up $8K for Audi's B&O system after hearing the M's.
Now, an upgrade, a factory upgrade to the one I have -- perhaps for $995, would possibly have merit.
I listen to Sirius a lot, but I also listen to a lot of Books on CD -- the extra fidelity while nice, has little financial value with my listening habits.
I applaud the constant move upscale, but the M's Bose system and the system that was, in 2005 at least, in the Acura (w/DVD audio) fantastic.
Seems like a complete disconnect between Bose home and car audio.
Unsurprisingly, Bose's previous efforts to compete directly with traditional speaker companies such as the 701 and 801 have all been killed off, probably because they were awful. For whatever reason though, the 901s are still made. Considering the age of their design, the production cost is probably almost nil, so that could explain it.
Perhaps the GS 450h should be added to this forum for discussion since Lexus is obviously making a move on the P end of the spectrum, and with their usual subsidy of "green" vehicles.
At the very least, it would give the AWD version some actual guts. Hopefully they'll keep the variable-ratio steering and all of the other VDIM "upgrades" away from the 350.
The GS irrelevant? I don't know, I thought it was starting to come along a little stronger, and the GS350 should only help bolster its position.
HP alone doesn't suddenly transform the car, and aside from handling, my disappointment with the car has more to do with the interior and trunk room than anything else. Things that even 300 hp can't fix, unfortunately.
But, assuming gas mileage remains similar, which I expect it will, Lexus will have quite the efficient LPS there, even if it is a little short on the P.
My local dealer claims the GS350 will be available mid-August.
Ok. I just wanted to see what YOU were comparing it to (everyone is different, it seems). I won't get into the bench racing part of it until the mags start to compare them and real numbers are available.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
... from time to time. Sometime these real sports cars are driven to dinner or the office at 40mph.
I am fine that you cannot accept the idea of good audio in a real sports car. Your believe and preferences are as valid as mine.
My view: These types of cars aren't always used exclusively on the track. Plus, the Cayman S isn't THAT loud (we've had one in the lab many times) when you're just tooting around town. Back when I had an NSX-T to drive, there were times when the audio system was really nice to have, and other times when it was completely irrelevant.
One of the recent LPS's is selling a premium audio system that provides exterior-noise canceling in the same way that contemporary headphones do (some fancy digital signal processing). Does anyone know whether this is a trend or whether it is a curiosity? The technology makes such sense I'd like to see it in most LPS's within a few years.
There has been research that demonstrated replacing the muffler with a pipe and a speaker wired in to cancel the noise. No backpressure, or some minimum as required for the engine. It hasn't made it to production that I'm aware of. Basically, you could cancel all exhaust noise entirely if your processor was designed properly. Several cars (and not in theLPS class) have used this to save some weight (my guess). In the early 90's, Blaupunkt (sp?) announced an add-on amp that was said to perform this function on any car. I saw it at an auto show in England. I looked for it later, and I don't think they ended up producing it.
As processors become cheaper and faster, it becomes more feasible, but for something like replacing the muffler - you'd go from inaudible to open straight pipe if you blew the fuse or the amplifier. I think that may be the main reason they haven't used it. At least with a regular muffler, you usually get a heads up that the thing is about to fail.
Comments
Similarly, while Motor Trend's comparison test rated two Japanese cars (Acura and Infiniti) ahead of BMW (third place), there was no Bangle-bashing: "The fifth-generation BMW 5 Series, with its flame-cut flanks and take-no-prisoners suspension, hit the ground running in the 2004 model year. Here's a thoroughbred, the product of decades of setting the benchmark all other automaker's sport sedans aspire to. Just look at the stance, the way the body sits on the chassis, ready to pounce on any opportunity to show its stuff on a challenging stretch of road. The smoothness and flexibility of BMW inline-sixes are legendary, and the 225 horses of the 2979cc engine seem more spirited than their numbers might otherwise suggest. And BMW is one of the only automakers courageous enough to offer a six-speed manual gearbox in a $50,000 sedan."
Also, if a potential buyer was to consult Consumer Reports to compare BMW 5-series, Audi A6, and Mercedes E-class, they would only find the BMW recommended, with the Mercedes and Audi dismissed as unreliable.
So, I don't think the best way to characterize the BMW 5-series sales success is that it is being snapped up by savvy contrarian buyers who are thumbing their noses at CR and at critics of Bangle. BMW simply has the (well-earned) best place in the collective consciousness of buyers with $50,000+ to spend on a car. Mercedes and Audi have been trashed by CR and Mercedes' CEO has had to show up at auto shows promising to improve reliability. And except for Lexus, most buyers in the category targeted by this forum just don't think "Japanese car" when they look for a car with which they identify.
When you travel by air (such as Boeing 777), the chance that it's going to crash is about 1 in 1 billion (not exact number, but on that order).
Another imagined plane, with a rate of 1 in 1 million, is considered extremely unsafe statistically, even though it is still unlikely to happen to you.
We all make our choices. I would personally choose that extra order of peace of mind, since it doesn't even cost more.
I think you're correct, but not in the way your wording implies.
You obviously love driving Audis and, having had no trouble with any of your previous Audis, you're strongly, perhaps immutably, inclined to buy more. That all makes sense.
Your ownership experiences, however, would not be a reason for someone else to ignore survey data. The reason to ignore surveys would be that the methods of collecting, analyzing, reporting, or drawing inferences from the data are flawed. And many good arguments have been made on this forum to strongly suggest that CR and JDP reports are flawed, especially in that they suggest to readers that they will regret buying most German cars (since, collectively, German car owners have reported an average of 1.5 problems per vehicle, while Japanese car buyers have only reported 1.2 problems per vehicle -- I made up that approximation -- but it's not far off and I think you'll get what I mean).
To me, the most persuasive part of your message is not "trust me and not surveys when I tell you your Audi will be trouble-free," but rather "hey, if you love what you see and feel when you test-drive an Audi, get it, and don't be dissuaded by surveys for which you cannot get access to the data and so are pretty limited to what the editors and researchers (of CR and JDP reports) tell you that you should think."
On the other hand, as an earlier response (using airplane crash analogy) to your posting suggests, if there was unambiguous data available about car reliability and it showed conclusively that German cars broke down by the side of the road an average of twice a month, while no Japanese car had ever been reported to breakdown, then that would be something to consider.
As I arrive safely and unscratched at the airport I would choose to drive off with either a BMW or Audi versus any other car. :P
As I arrive safely at the airport I would choose to drive off from the airport with either a BMW or Audi versus any other car.
Not even a Porsche? :surprise:
M
Correctly recalculated, the consume was 40.9 miles per US gallon.
(Former estimations posted by me here in Edmunds as well as those written in my user profile were rightly calculated in US gallons, however.)
Regards,
Jose
The audi event was interesting--there was music, fantastic food, reiki, massage, but driving the cars almost seemed to be an afterthought, and you couldn't drive more than two of them. I was really dissapointed, i did want to drive everything.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
They should all be buying/leasing the Lexus GS. NOT! :P
No matter how you spin it, the simple truth is more people looking for an LPS pick the 5 series.
The numbers say so.
Unless Porsche decides to confront the 5 head on, this superiority will continue ad infinitum, IMNSHO.
The media's assessment of the BMW 5-series new design actually has been mixed.
Automobile Magazine did what you claim "the media" does: "The BMW 5-series breaks the classic unified automotive form into a collection of fractured surfaces, and it's the only car in our memory that has inspired mention of a painting by Picasso. But, as in so many discussions of cubism, the word beauty never enters our conversation about this car."
But Motor Trend told got readers excited about the 530i with: "The fifth-generation BMW 5 Series, with its flame-cut flanks and take-no-prisoners suspension, hit the ground running in the 2004 model year. Here's a thoroughbred, the product of decades of setting the benchmark all other automaker's sport sedans aspire to. Just look at the stance, the way the body sits on the chassis, ready to pounce on any opportunity to show its stuff on a challenging stretch of road."
As for reliability ratings, I partially agree with you.
CR currently dismisses all German cars as unreliable. But in JDP's press release of their 2006 initial quality survey, they said: "Brands with the fewest defects and malfunctions include BMW, Chrysler, Hyundai, Lexus, Porsche and Toyota."
In so far, as consumers are ignoring CR, well maybe, but it's just as possible that many buyers who want German cars are not going to seriously consider Japanese cars, so they'll be influenced to buy a BMW by CR's comparisons among German cars, and there CR claims the BMW 5-series will be more reliable than the Audi A6 and the Mercedes E-series.
So, I think there's a fair amount of support in the media for people who want a German LPS to buy the one that has long been established in their minds as the best one to drive and now is routinely assessed as more reliable than other German LPS cars.
Strong though the engine of the A8L may well be, it ain't no match for the brakes of the A8L. Said another way, if you were really braking, even if the engine was at full throttle, your car would have stopped rather quickly.
My bet is that you thought you had your foot on the brake when you were really mashing the throttle instead.
Best Regards,
Shipo
To both camps, I can only say, "if you like it, it's good."
Some interesting reading for y'all.
http://stereophile.com/news/071706infiniti/
John Feng
As I've said in the past, car stereos is the one area where I think Bose has done some very good work, and it seems that the most recent Infiniti\Bose collabs are the best of the lot. The top level Infiniti M stereo is easily a match for Lexus\ML, Volvo\Dynaudio, or Acura\ELS, and it seems as if the system in the new G will be as good if not better.
The reason why Bose car audio can be so good is exactly the same reason that holds back the home products. Priorities. The Bose engineers working with Infiniti have the exact same goals as the Mark Levinson engineers. Make the system sound as good as it possibly can. You don't have to worry about making a cutesy system with plenty of WAF when you're making a car stereo.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I don't know how one can hear it effectively given the loudness of the engine.
Seems like a complete disconnect between Bose home and car audio.
Now, an upgrade, a factory upgrade to the one I have -- perhaps for $995, would possibly have merit.
I listen to Sirius a lot, but I also listen to a lot of Books on CD -- the extra fidelity while nice, has little financial value with my listening habits.
I applaud the constant move upscale, but the M's Bose system and the system that was, in 2005 at least, in the Acura (w/DVD audio) fantastic.
Unsurprisingly, Bose's previous efforts to compete directly with traditional speaker companies such as the 701 and 801 have all been killed off, probably because they were awful. For whatever reason though, the 901s are still made. Considering the age of their design, the production cost is probably almost nil, so that could explain it.
The 2007 GS350 will have 303 hp and 274 torque.
The V6 GS will go from slowest-in-class to fastest-in-class. I'd expect a mag to get 5.6s or so.
No word on a GS460.
Unlikely.
I HOPE there is a move to increase the P, but horsepower alone is not going to make it so.
Well, they're either going to release it at the same time, or kill off the GS V8 entirely. Theres no way the 350 and 430 will co-exist.
Well, they do co-exist in Japan.
HP alone doesn't suddenly transform the car, and aside from handling, my disappointment with the car has more to do with the interior and trunk room than anything else. Things that even 300 hp can't fix, unfortunately.
But, assuming gas mileage remains similar, which I expect it will, Lexus will have quite the efficient LPS there, even if it is a little short on the P.
My local dealer claims the GS350 will be available mid-August.
2024 Audi Q8 e-tron - 2017 911 C4S - 2025 BRZ - 2023 A6 Allroad - 2024 Genesis GV60 - 2019 Cayman
Just exactly what class is that again?
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
GS350
M35
530i
E350
RL
A6 3.2
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
No official confirmation, but I don't see why not, seeing as how there is a GS350 AWD on sale in Japan.
link title
The test report of the 535d I saw on British TV was impressive to say the least.
Of course, Mercedes has some fine TD cars too -- hope these choices soon become OUR choices.
I am fine that you cannot accept the idea of good audio in a real sports car. Your believe and preferences are as valid as mine.
My view: These types of cars aren't always used exclusively on the track. Plus, the Cayman S isn't THAT loud (we've had one in the lab many times) when you're just tooting around town. Back when I had an NSX-T to drive, there were times when the audio system was really nice to have, and other times when it was completely irrelevant.
Feng
As processors become cheaper and faster, it becomes more feasible, but for something like replacing the muffler - you'd go from inaudible to open straight pipe if you blew the fuse or the amplifier. I think that may be the main reason they haven't used it. At least with a regular muffler, you usually get a heads up that the thing is about to fail.