The Artist

wow cool..evo gave it 4.5 thats major..cause evo loves good handling

HighestOfHigh

Yes, I agree. I think a new engine is needed.

HighestOfHigh

The C-class and 3 series are actually tied for the first time ever.

Who will break the tie.

bum-man

Me! No need to guess which I voted for.

HighestOfHigh

Lol...Bum-Man you voted for the 3 series? I'm shocked! Why?

Thought you choice would have been...

bum-man

Voted for C actually, guess it changed since yesterday.

Benzboi_inoz

Well

Ahem....I broke the tie...

I voted C Class Benz (W204) as my overall (No 1) pick.

Reason; exterior design which to my eyes combines sportiness, flair, and elegance at the same time. The so called Agility control damping, let alone the optional so called 'Advanced Agility Control' offers perhaps the best blend of both excellent ride quality, combined with top tier handling and vehicle dynamics of any vehicle here - usually a very difficult balance to achieve.

Further the development miles have been the greatest of any model in Mercedes history, so the promise of bank vault quality and reliablity is very high. Which is an area where the German motor industry generally needs to lift its game IMHO.

No 2 I would put as the Lexus IS250. Reason: overall quality is very high, the fit and finish of things like shut lines and panel gaps is peerless; Lexus must have perhaps the most advanced manufacturing tooling of any car maker on the planet to achieve the assembly line tolerances of manufacturer that they do, and do so consistently.

The customer service and backup is generally recognised in the motor industry as being best worlds practice. Styling is elegant and modern, albeit perhaps a bit anodyne. It is a very fine thing to drive, albeit a bit uninspiring. I dislike the metalised plastic in the centre console personally.

The value for money of the product is outstanding and is a lesson to the Germans IMHO.

No 3 for me would be the Audi: Reason - overall quality is regarded as being the best of the German big 'three' and the quatro system is a real plus. If it were front wheel drive model only, then I would put it behind any of the other RWD vehicles as regards overall vehicle dynamics.

They are beautifully made and finished, and very nice to drive, albeit to my mind lacking the comfort of a Benz, or quite the sportiness of a BMW.

No 4 for me would be the BMW 3 series. Reason: The most sporty drive here I would think (I've driven most of the BMW range, but not infinity, cadillac, or Lincoln) and certainly in inline six form, almost certainly one of THE great all time classic engines in the automotive world. But in my part of the world, sportiness whilst it still sells, its becomming more and more irrelevant in terms of how you can use it on public roads, with speeding being seen as an criminal offence, and speed cameras on near every intersection, and a 3 kph tolerance.

Hence, in real world terms, the advantage of the BMW in driving dynamics is a bit negated IMHO due to real world road, traffic, and enforcement measures. On the negative side, BMW insist on fitting all their cars with runflat tyres, which on ideal roads confer great, neutral and fun handling, and on indifferent ones, create a ride that is abominable IME.

Certainly a local magazine in a comparison test of a 550i v's E500 v's Calais (Holden) noted that the ride was so poor that it was inducing motion sickness not only in the passengers, but the driver as well.

No 5 would be the Acura TL: Reason: Honda (Acura) quality is amongst the very best in the world, as are their naturally aspirated engines. I personally like the look of the car, both inside and out. Only the front wheel drive configuration would mark it down for me, from a driving enthusiast point of view.

The rest I will group together, as I have not seen, let alone driven an Cadillac CTS, Lincoln MKZ, or Infiniti G35, as they are not sold here. However, on the basis of photos the Infiniti quite impresses me as regards the exterior, the interior I am a little ambivalent about.

However I do not personally like the Interiors of the Cadillac or Lincoln at all, judging from the photos. A combination of what looks like fake plastic wood, and silver plastic is pretty unpleasant to my eyes, whilst I understand and respect that others may like it.

Thats about it; hope you didn't mind the analysis..

Now, I bet someone will just come along and vote for the 3 series, and create a tie again...lol

Best Regards

John...

BMW_Dude

Great post John!

Karma for you!

Matt

Can't say i agree with this. An abominable ride----seems a bit dramatic, dont you think? Part of what makes the three series chassis the best in its class is its ability to cope with undulations while remaining true to its line. According to automobile mag-the 3er won the 2006 car of the year because of its ability to attain composure over these inconsistencies. Its not simply a tightened go-cart chassis. Sure its firm-but abominable over less than adequate roads-uuuhhhh no! Additionally, in most of the world-handling plays an important role-especially when it comes to accident avoidence and coping with less than perfect weather conditions.

If sportiness is irrevelant, why would you even look at this segment??? I mean, arent these sports sedans?-most of these cars including the Benz, lexus, and infiniti define their most imporatant attribute in handling-thats why the great majority of these competitors are rwd-and not fwd.. and thats why people buy them over a corolla and accord. So to say that handling is irrevelant makes me question whether your opinion has any validation at all. Handling and driving is what makes us, car fans, tick-how are you an enthusiast if you dont consider that as an important attribute-if cars are simply tools to get from a to b then why are you here? Or more importantly, if cars are just a status symbol-like the mercedes-get yourself a rolex and save a few grand...

siko

Top 5:

1. 335i
2. 335i
3. 335i
4. 335i
5. Other 3er