Best Sedan Under $40,000?

Automotive.com says so...

Audi Online Site Says Audi Raises the Entry-Level Bar

With an all-new BMW 3-series and Lexus IS around the bend, Audi wasn’t about to wait another few years to update its entry-level A4, which was new in just 2002 and showing few signs of age.

Half-life updates are common, but few are as in-depth as the changes the A4 sees for 2006.

Audi and parent company Volkswagen have been aggressively turning up the heat in the engine room, and both A4 powerplants receive a meaningful boost. The former 1.8-liter turbo gives way to a direct-fuel-injection 2.0 with 200 horsepower, which will eventually make its way down to future Jettas and Passats. At the higher end is Audi’s new direct-injection V6, effortlessly motivating the lightweight A4 with its 255 horsepower.

Following the trend set by the new A6, the 2006 A4 receives the same “Nuvolari” grille – a prominent trapezoidal chrome ring.

The A4 is off to an encouraging start, sweeping away the award for 'Best Sedan Under $40,000' at leading Internet car-buying site Automotive.com.



Homer008Homer008 - 5/27/2005 8:51:28 AM
+1 Boost
I'd easily say it would be an Honda Accord Hybrid for me!


Homer008Homer008 - 5/27/2005 8:51:28 AM
+1 Boost
I'd easily say it would be an Honda Accord Hybrid for me!


Homer008Homer008 - 6/1/2005 6:23:14 PM
+1 Boost
VW are best and nothing else is!
I'm right and everyone else is wrong.



Homer008Homer008 - 6/1/2005 6:23:14 PM
+1 Boost
VW are best and nothing else is!
I'm right and everyone else is wrong.



Homer008Homer008 - 6/2/2005 9:09:43 AM
+1 Boost
Bruce - 5/16/2005 6:26:24 AM
Title: Fact s
Comment: Car and Driver's May Results

Jaguar S-type 4.2 VDP Edition (8th Place)
Highs: Supple ride, smooth powertrain, elegant interior.
Lows: Not that fast, not that roomy, not that young.
The Verdict: Still a charming car for those with subtle sensibilities.


Cadillac STS V-8 (7th Place)
Highs: Punchy motor, plenty of room, friendly ergonomics.
Lows: Polarizing looks, sofa-like seating, relentless understeer.
The Verdict: Tries to pass for European, and almost makes it.

BMW 530i (6th Place)
Highs: Amazing interior space, exemplary chassis calibrations, good balance.

Lows: Weak performance, pigheaded manumatic, quirky cup holders, iDrive.

The Verdict: Still a driver's car.


Audi A6 4.2 Quattro (5th Place)
Highs: Attractive styling, detailed interior, four-wheel traction, good power.

Lows: Controversial nose, overly sensitive throttle and brake responses, a tad sterile.

The Verdict: A paragon of all-season high-performance luxury.

Mercedes-Benz E350 (4th Place)
Highs: Effortless engine torque, great roadgoing poise.

Lows: Overly managed chassis, resists being chucked around.

The Verdict: A good, solid, safe, rewarding car with mainstream attributes.

Lexus GS430 (3rd Place)
Highs: Exquisitely smooth mechanical interface, refined operations, excellent performance.

Lows: Too much sensory deprivation for some.

The Verdict: Almost too subtle for the talking primates who buy cars.

Acura RL (2nd Place)<---Here it is folks!!
Highs: Nimble handling, strong high-rpm thrust, comfy seats and ride, great value.

Lows: Not much low-end torque, wide gear-ratio stack, rear seat could be bigger.

The Verdict: A bit of everything in this artful concoction.

Infiniti M45 Sport (First Place)
Highs: Kick-ass engine, telepathic transmission, athletic chassis, voluminous interior.

Lows: Sport package gives a firm ride, interior décor lacks finesse.

The Verdict: Puts the sports back into sports sedan—with a sledgehammer
Here it is, folks: Infiniti's take-no-prisoners assault on the sports-luxoid segment. More power, more space, more right-now response to the driver's wishes. It's a heady cocktail of rumbling V-8 thrust, clawing big-tire grip, and let's-go chassis exuberance.
What's not to like? For us, hardly anything. Out here at the Lunatic Fringe Café, the customers are all looking for extreme involvement with vehicles that are fast and responsive, cars with tons of grip and tautly cinched ride motions. That's not to say the M45 is incapable of conveying sensitive passengers into town for tea, or whatever, because it can. The 335-hp V-8 has ample torque and abundant civility and will rumble about politely running chores. The five-speed automatic plays along, too, slurring smoothly from one ratio to another as needed.




Homer008Homer008 - 6/2/2005 9:09:43 AM
+1 Boost
Bruce - 5/16/2005 6:26:24 AM
Title: Fact s
Comment: Car and Driver's May Results

Jaguar S-type 4.2 VDP Edition (8th Place)
Highs: Supple ride, smooth powertrain, elegant interior.
Lows: Not that fast, not that roomy, not that young.
The Verdict: Still a charming car for those with subtle sensibilities.


Cadillac STS V-8 (7th Place)
Highs: Punchy motor, plenty of room, friendly ergonomics.
Lows: Polarizing looks, sofa-like seating, relentless understeer.
The Verdict: Tries to pass for European, and almost makes it.

BMW 530i (6th Place)
Highs: Amazing interior space, exemplary chassis calibrations, good balance.

Lows: Weak performance, pigheaded manumatic, quirky cup holders, iDrive.

The Verdict: Still a driver's car.


Audi A6 4.2 Quattro (5th Place)
Highs: Attractive styling, detailed interior, four-wheel traction, good power.

Lows: Controversial nose, overly sensitive throttle and brake responses, a tad sterile.

The Verdict: A paragon of all-season high-performance luxury.

Mercedes-Benz E350 (4th Place)
Highs: Effortless engine torque, great roadgoing poise.

Lows: Overly managed chassis, resists being chucked around.

The Verdict: A good, solid, safe, rewarding car with mainstream attributes.

Lexus GS430 (3rd Place)
Highs: Exquisitely smooth mechanical interface, refined operations, excellent performance.

Lows: Too much sensory deprivation for some.

The Verdict: Almost too subtle for the talking primates who buy cars.

Acura RL (2nd Place)<---Here it is folks!!
Highs: Nimble handling, strong high-rpm thrust, comfy seats and ride, great value.

Lows: Not much low-end torque, wide gear-ratio stack, rear seat could be bigger.

The Verdict: A bit of everything in this artful concoction.

Infiniti M45 Sport (First Place)
Highs: Kick-ass engine, telepathic transmission, athletic chassis, voluminous interior.

Lows: Sport package gives a firm ride, interior décor lacks finesse.

The Verdict: Puts the sports back into sports sedan—with a sledgehammer
Here it is, folks: Infiniti's take-no-prisoners assault on the sports-luxoid segment. More power, more space, more right-now response to the driver's wishes. It's a heady cocktail of rumbling V-8 thrust, clawing big-tire grip, and let's-go chassis exuberance.
What's not to like? For us, hardly anything. Out here at the Lunatic Fringe Café, the customers are all looking for extreme involvement with vehicles that are fast and responsive, cars with tons of grip and tautly cinched ride motions. That's not to say the M45 is incapable of conveying sensitive passengers into town for tea, or whatever, because it can. The 335-hp V-8 has ample torque and abundant civility and will rumble about politely running chores. The five-speed automatic plays along, too, slurring smoothly from one ratio to another as needed.




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