Personal Driving Impressions: 4 Series, C-Class and CLA, IS/GS, Q50, and TLX
As many of you know, I currently drive a 2012 Audi S5. In the next few months, it's going to be time for me to potentially part ways with it. There's still part of me that wants to keep it, but it's been kind of a love-hate relationship since day one. In order to help me make my decision, I've been busy doing the test-drive rounds and I wanted to share my experiences. This round of drives were all from the same class. Maybe this will help someone make a decision, too. Maybe not. Either way, I thought I'd share.
But first, I want to give my assessment of the S5.
On initial glance, this car is gorgeous (with the original headlight design) and sounds like a sophisticated beast. I've received a tremendous amount of compliments on the looks of the car and revving the engine makes people turn and look. Driving the car is a bit of a bipolar experience. During around-town driving, it feels heavy, laborious, and sloppy. Put it in dynamic mode and run it at high revs, and it puts a cheek-to-cheek grin on my face. Interior design really is top of the class. Material quality is definitely of a very high level for a car in this class, but that's also where it feels like a "gotcha" moment. Amongst the almost 20+ cars I've owned in my lifetime so far, and the various Mercedes and BMWs owned by friends and family, I've honestly never heard so many squeaks and rattles at such a low-mileage point (currently at less than 35k). And all this started and worsened since, literally, day one of ownership. This was only reinforced by the two loaner cars I've driven that both had the same affliction. Also, two separate owners of A7's told me the same thing about their cars. Almost as if it was Audi materials covering VW build quality. However, what I can say is that in the 3 years I've had it, it has not given me one problem (knock on wood). Every once in awhile the MMI will have a hiccup, but will self-fix. Another negative of the car is the paint quality. It mars very easily, with only the slightest effort and that's disappointing for a car of this brand.
Now, I'll provide my assessments of the various cars I've recently test driven.
Acura TLX: Going into this test drive I didn't know what to expect. Though not building "bad" cars, per se, they certainly haven't been lighting the automotive world on fire. Being the Acura loyalist, I wanted them to blow my socks off with this car that they've touted so highly. I test drove both the 2.4 and 3.5 FWD versions. The SH-AWD version wasn't available and won't be for about another month. After test driving both cars, I will say I breathed a sigh of relief. The 2.4L was pretty fun to drive, though it had a good amount of body roll in corners. The transmission felt a bit jumpy like most dual clutch transmissions, despite the torque converter. At the same time it could have just been me getting accustomed to it since driving the BMWs produced the same result. The 3.5L felt smoother and more grown-up, though nose-plow in a fast corner was definitely evident due to the greater weight up front. The drivetrain felt more luxury-oriented, but in Sport+ mode, its personality livened up significantly. The most disappointing part of the TLX was its interior. Granted, it felt very airy and the backseat had plenty of room, which many might appreciate. But I prefer more of a cockpit-like feel. Material quality didn't offend, but it didn't impress either. It's definitely not amongst the best in the segment, but it's also anywhere from $15k to $20k less expensive. And before I forget, the steering in both cars felt very light and somewhat disconnected, even in Sport+ mode. However, both cars maintained their track superbly. Would I own a TLX? I'll have to test drive an SH-AWD to make a final decision. If the two FWD models are any indication, the SH-AWD could convince me into ownership.
Lexus IS and GS: I test drove the IS350 F-Sport and the GS350 F-Sport. Having owned a GS in the past and having a pretty horrific experience with it, I was very hesitant. But, both of these cars are in it to win it...well, mostly. From a steering and handling perspective, no other car I've driven came close for sporty dynamics. Lexus absolutely nailed it in that regard. The interior of the GS was nice, but fairly uninspired. The material quality was very high and it had a great information screen. The IS' interior was nice, too, but there were several disappointing features that gave me pause, namely the information screen and the center console panel with the climate controls. The info screen looked lackluster and its placement seemed awkwardly not in the best sightlines. The panel with the climate controls looks ill-fitted and a bit of an afterthought. I'll also mention that the steering wheel was just ugly. While the interior had a nice cockpit-like feel to it, it also bordered on claustrophobic. However, the possible deal breaker for me, for either car, is the power, or lack thereof. As much as I enjoyed putting this car through turns and enjoying the feeling of unfathomable composure on any road surface, it took a good punch of the pedal to get some enjoyable power out of the 6-cylinder engine. Coming from a torque monster like the S5, it's a difficult thing for me to overlook. I'll also add that the exterior styling for both cars needs improvement. Would I own either the IS350 or GS350? Maybe. As I stated, the performance of the engine is possibly the dealbreaker for me. (Note: after my initial drive of the IS, I thought it was definitely the car for me despite the lack of power. I thought I could do without it. But after driving my friend's IS-F, it really made me realize how underpowered the IS was and that I needed more power!)
Infiniti Q50: I have to say that this car was possibly the most disappointing for me. The looks of the car have truly grown on me, to the point where it might be the most attractive car in the segment. But I think I walked away from my test drive with more negatives than positives. The driving experience of this car may have been the least rewarding of all cars I drove. Granted, I didn't drive the S version, so I'll leave just that little bit of room for a change of impression. Driving with this car with all the lane-departure, collision-prevention doodads turned off, was almost bordering on scary. The steering felt completely disconnected from the car, even in its sportiest mode (and from my understanding, the steering system is the same in the S version). The car consistently drifted from its established line, requiring constant correction. I felt like I couldn't find the power in this car without winding it up like a Honda VTEC, without the pleasurable sounds or experience of revving up a Honda VTEC. The interior was nice enough and better than I thought it would be. But the speed and RPM dials both had a very weird, wing-like design on them that just looked awkward and cheap. It's barely noticeable in photos, but having them right in front of you while driving, they are hard to ignore and I kept thinking, "what the hell are they doing there?". The Q50 had incredible technology, but maybe a bit too much. Would I own a Q50? My immediate answer is no. The G37 used to have a 4-door Z feeling about it, but this one does not (I had a 350Z). I might have to test an S version to be sure.
Mercedes C300 4Matic and CLA250: Talk about impressive. The new C-Class really takes things up a level. The C300 was really a remarkable driving experience. I say this not because it was the sportiest of drives, but it was incredibly smooth and silky, while displaying great abilities in taking corners and transitions. The drivetrain was nicely responsive and the engine did not sound like a 4-cylinder engine and the steering was a perfect balance of comfort and sport. Now, let's talk about the new interior. Just one way to describe it: best in class. The quality and design of this interior is untouchable by anything in showrooms today. That's all that needs to be said about it, really. Even the controversial information screen was placed perfectly and didn't detract from the design at all. The CLA250 also was very impressive. The drivetrain here, too, was responsive and pretty enjoyable. I took a sweeping turn very aggressively and was in complete control and never felt uneasy. The ride quality was good and I didn't notice any harshness that I've read about in reviews. Then again, I wasn't driving in the UK or Detroit. The interior definitely felt a notch or two below the C, but it wasn't a dealbreaker. Would I own either the C300 or CLA250? Yes. I'm still waiting to test drive a C400 first and a CLA45 AMG, also. But both the C300 and CLA250 impressed me enough to seriously consider either for ownership.
BMW 428i Gran Coupe and 435i Coupe: Driving either of these cars was nothing short of impressive. The best way for me to sum up these cars is to describe them as the perfect balance between the pure silkiness of the C-Class and the pure sportiness of the IS, but with typical BMW powertrain prowess. The odd thing about driving these cars is that there was very, very little to distinguish the two from each other. Yes, the 435i obviously had more pull, but the 428i felt like it had an unending reservoir of available power, as well. Both cars cornered almost completely flat when taking pretty aggressive corners and both road with incredible aplomb. Was there a weak link in the driving experience? Yes, the steering. While not as disconnected as the Infiniti, it didn't feel as connected or responsive as the C, and it clearly didn't feel as hard-wired like the IS. However, both cars maintained their lines completely unperturbed, so I still felt a heightened sense of confidence. The weakest point for me was the interior. Without dressing up the interior through the options choices, the entire front dash looks completely unremarkable and pretty mundane. The instrument cluster especially looks like it belongs in an old Jeep Cherokee and the orange lighting is just dated. Outfitting it with M-Sport and Sport Line accents greatly improves things. Would I own either car? The very easy answer to this is yes.
To some degree, I'm a bit disappointed by my findings. Prior to my S5, I've owned primarily Japanese cars. But, as you can see, the Japanese don't offer the complete packages for which am personally looking. Before any of you accuse me of being Euro-biased, I can only offer my personal objective and subjective observations. Why no ATS? Honestly, I have no interest in that car mainly because I do not like its design, inside and out and its performance numbers are average at best. I'm sure it handles like a dream, though, but I want more than that.
Also, you may ask if I'm considering another S5 or another Audi. The short answer is no, not right now. At least not until the new A4 comes out, and that will be all about timing for me.
My next round of test drives will be the 5 series/E Class/CTS/A6 (possibly)/Genesis 5.0 (possibly). I already tested the GS and have no interest in the Q70. I'm debating on the RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD.