[Cadaver]

Alright, its car time again. My current lease it up soon, and now that my kids are older, I need something with functional back seats. And although I prefer coupes, I promised my wife I'd get a sedan if she gave me wide latitude on what I choose. Going for the small to midsize sports-sedan genre (with the exception being the Acura RL, which is larger than the others). Oh, I live in the Northeast-Midatlantic, so rear-drive-only is a no-go. Need FWD or AWD.

My top choices are listed there in the poll. Or please post any other suggestions on similar cars.

[Lateralus]

Buick Lucerne CXS.

[Goldfinger]

You don't need AWD. You'd be amazed what some good snow tires + esp can do. I'd go for a 330i or the M35. But I don't know about the interior quality of the Infinitis, they don't sell them over here. If it's comparable to Nissans then scratch it and take the Lexus.

[OreoCookie]

Well, but Beamers have RWD and they handle much worse in the snow than FWDs. I voted for the Audi quattro, great car and I like the design a lot.

[dav]

g35x
(but i'm partial to infiniti/nissan)

[TailsToo]

Every Honda I have ever had has been amazingly well built, and a great value for the money. I just got a new Acura TL, and I'm very pleased with it! I don't know how the RL compares to the others on your list price wise, but it's hard to go wrong with a Honda.

[euchomai]

I think that BMW is just hot. I know nothing about cars except how they look.

[cjrivera]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie

Well, but Beamers have RWD and they handle much worse in the snow than FWDs. I voted for the Audi quattro, great car and I like the design a lot.

Not if you're willing to change to snow/winter tires every winter. Then they handle very well (using common sense driving), even in the snow.

[Mastrap]

Good snow tires mean that it's highly unlikely that you'll need AWD. I voted for the Audi, but that's only because I like Audis.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by cjrivera

Not if you're willing to change to snow/winter tires every winter. Then they handle very well (using common sense driving), even in the snow.

Not really. I live in Munich which is basically BMW's hometown, so they are quite popular here. It's very close to the mountains and everybody here has winter tires, unless they don't use their car in the winter (some people can afford having a summer car ).

Once you are on your way, driving, that is, they handle just fine. But when you have to start from zero, RWDs can be a pain in the butt. Last time we went skiing, we had to ask friends to pull out a friend's beamer (520i). Typically you have problems either going up steep hills (usually the last mile to your destination) or to get out of parking spots.

[Goldfinger]

Taking of from standstill can be an equal pain with FWD without any traction control. But seriously, snow tires + ESP = easy driving in the snow. I never had problems with it. And of course you have to be carefull. AWD + summer tires sucks as much as RWD with summer tires.

[cjrivera]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie

Not really. I live in Munich which is basically BMW's hometown, so they are quite popular here. It's very close to the mountains and everybody here has winter tires, unless they don't use their car in the winter (some people can afford having a summer car ).

Once you are on your way, driving, that is, they handle just fine. But when you have to start from zero, RWDs can be a pain in the butt. Last time we went skiing, we had to ask friends to pull out a friend's beamer (520i). Typically you have problems either going up steep hills (usually the last mile to your destination) or to get out of parking spots.

That's interesting. I've never had problems with mine in the snow with the winter tires, then again the worst snow I've had to go up against was 5 inches. (My only problem was the front lip acting like a snow plow...).

You're probably getting a lot worse winters (or I'm getting very lucky with my tires....)

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by cjrivera

That's interesting. I've never had problems with mine in the snow with the winter tires, then again the worst snow I've had to go up against was 5 inches. (My only problem was the front lip acting like a snow plow...).

You're probably getting a lot worse winters (or I'm getting very lucky with my tires....)

We've had something like 80 cm (judging from my garden) in the last three days (which is 32 inches).

Some images





Honestly, this is pretty extreme weather for March, but having these kinds of conditions in the mountains or during the winter (and pretty much everybody goes skiing in the winter here) is nothing unusual.

[olePigeon]

How about a station wagon?

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by Goldfinger

Taking of from standstill can be an equal pain with FWD without any traction control. But seriously, snow tires + ESP = easy driving in the snow. I never had problems with it. And of course you have to be carefull. AWD + summer tires sucks as much as RWD with summer tires.

Dude, no offense, but you are from Belgium which share one boarder with the Dutch
(Just joking, stick with me here.)

There are many jokes about the way Dutch drive in Austria, 30 km/h, and all the Bavarians and Austrians are swearing at them (In South Tirol, it's the people from Rome who do that … with summer tires )

As I said, everybody here has winter tires, the police may even forbid you to take certain roads if your car doesn't have winter tires.

BTW, snow is much easier, parking lots and the bottom of little hills are often hell, because there you have the snow on top of a layer of ice.

[sek929]

The Infiniti, just cause it is dead sexy. With the Acura RL in a close second.

All those cars are world-class machines, features and looks are just about your only way of choosing between them.

[dav]

the g35x is a bit roomier than the bmw or audi

BMW 330xi
Front Head Room: 37.4 in.
Front Shoulder Room: 55.4 in.
Rear Head Room: 37.1 in.
Rear Shoulder Room: 55.1 in.
Front Leg Room: 41.5 in.
Rear Leg Room: 34.6 in.
Luggage Capacity: 12 cu. ft.
Maximum Seating: 5

G35x
Front Head Room: 40.1 in.
Front Shoulder Room: 56.4 in.
Rear Head Room: 37.9 in.
Rear Shoulder Room: 55.5 in.
Front Leg Room: 43.6 in.
Rear Leg Room: 33.6 in.
Luggage Capacity: 14.8 cu. ft.
Maximum Seating: 5

A4 quattro
Front Head Room: 38.4 in.
Front Shoulder Room: 55.1 in.
Rear Head Room: 37.2 in.
Rear Shoulder Room: 53.4 in.
Front Leg Room: 41.3 in.
Rear Leg Room: 34.3 in.
Luggage Capacity: 13.4 cu. ft.
Maximum Seating: 5

[hickey]

New Audi RS4. No question about it.

[mindwaves]

Of the above contenders, I would choose M35 > 330xi > RL > G35 > anything else left on the list

[wdlove]

I vote for a Volvo. A very safe car. Has a special steel frame that can take ten times it's weight. Has a good maintenance record. Recommended by Consumer Reports.

[Cadaver]

I'm surprised more haven't voted for the Acura RL. Its actually quite a nice car... bigger than I'm used to, but it didn't feel that way when I drove it. And its the only Acura I'm interested in (something I just don't like about the TL).

I've driven so far, in this order:
Acura RL
Infiniti G35x
Infiniti M35x
Lexus IS250 AWD
BWM 330xi

Haven't driven the 2006 A4, but a friend has a 2004, so I'm somewhat familiar with the car.

My impressions...

G35x: Very nice. Really not much wrong with it, but the least nice interior of the group (though they're all still very nice). Handles reasonably well. Plenty of horsepower/torque. Plenty of "bells-n-wistles" like GPS, Bluetooth, 6-disc changer, sat. radio, etc. Very reasonable price.

M35x: Essentially the same engine as the G35x, just moving a wider, longer, heavier car. Much, much nicer interior than the G35. I think its too fat, though - just not "me."

Acura RL: Very, very nice ride. Smooth, but solid road feel. Not as sporty as the others in the curves. Again, plenty of high-tech features. And I expect it'll have typical (as in, fantastic) Honda reliability. I think I like a more spirited handling car, however.

Lexus IS250: Nice interior (nicer than the Infiniti G35). Very good, tight handling. Slow engine. Oh, did I mention this car is slow? No? Its pathetic. Not Ford Fiesta slow, but c'mon.... Toyota needs to add another hamster under the hood. For a car this price, I shouldn't have to get out and push. The AWD models have a annoying bulge into the footwell near the gas pedal from the added machinery that the RWD models do not. I think this would be kind of bothersome to have for the next three years. On top of that, at least according to this one dealer, is that supply is constrained, and getting one with exactly the equipment, color, etc., I want will be tough unless I'm willing to wait 2+ months. Nope. And they're selling them for sticker. Little to no discount. The IS350 has a much better 300+HP engine, but is RWD only, and my preference is to have something that'll do well in the snow. I live outside Philadelphia, and we don't get plowed that well.

Audi A4: Just don't like the interior. Bothers me for some reason. And the S4 or RS4 are over the price limit. The S4 has $56,000 sticker w/ premium package, XM radio and GPS. Yikes!

BMW: The last one I've driven so far. I drove both a 325xi and a 330xi. Nothing wrong with the 325xi at all. More powerful than its 215HP would suggest. The 330xi, however... well... lets just say there's a reason why BMW has the reputation it does. Handles freaking amazingly well. Tight, responsive, and zero body roll. The engine (255HP) felt every bit as fast as the Infiniti (280HP) - which to say is fast enough for me. By far the nicest, most true drive of the bunch. By far. By far. The BMW, however, has the fewest "toys." A car with a the GPS/iDrive is a little harder to come by, and adding it brings it to nearly the price of the Acura RL.

Bottom line:
(1) BMW 330xi
(2) Infiniti G35x
(3) Acura RL
(4) BMW 325xi

I prefer the BMW 330xi significantly to the others, but loaded-up its pretty expensive, especially compared with a similarly equipped G35x... just check out bmwusa.com. My #2 is the G35x, and a close third is the Acura RL, but again, its bigger than I typically like to drive (the RL is noticeably larger than a Honda Accord).

/end long winded post.
//still don't know what to do... and the wife is laughing at me.

[Buckaroo]

Toyota Prius

[Ratm]

Originally Posted by euchomai

I think that BMW is just hot. I know nothing about cars except how they look.

You and me both....I'm getting the 325i in a few months!!! oOo baby! :shakeshisbooty:




p.s. everyone and their mother now seem to have the G35 :blah:

[macroy]

Well.. my sig will tell you which Make I like ... but realistically, I think Japanese cars have better reliability. While the german ones give you 4/40 warranty, I think in the long run, the Japanese cars are still cheaper to maintain. You can find a honda/toyota specialist pretty much anywhere. BMW shops are out there too.. but they tend to still be kinda expensive since there are less of them (less competition). Although this may not matter if you're leasing....

Oh - and iDrive... um... AVOID at all costs. We were sitting in the 330 waiting for our turn (drove it at M school), it was on the climate control settings... we just wanted to find a good radio station to listen too.. 10 min later.. we had the heat on full blast on a 70 degree day.. and couldn't turn it off... never found our way to the radio station.

Somone mentioned that you see G35's everywhere.. well.. I'm willing to bet you'll see 3's everywhere too by fall. Just look at all the E46's out there. 3's have been the best selling cars in their class for a long time.. and I don't see that going away anytime soon.

Not sure if its still offered.. but before I got the M - I actually looked at the Volvo S60R. I was actually quite impressed. 300HP, AWD I believe.... Give it a shot.

Just my .02.