JD23

Did the A4 you drove have the sport package? I might be considering the A4 along with a few other cars in the future, but "Camry like" steering doesn't sound appealing.

dom

I think it did, as did my buddy. I was hoping for a 3rd confirmation.

Only 3? We were in and out of every car. I personally drove 6 cars and rode with a friend who drove 5. I noticed people were being selective with what they were choosing and had to stand and wait. We jumped into whatever was available.

katmai

Yes, the engine pings. When I'm cruising at 35 there's no need to have it in a lower gear unless I want to step on it. 2000-2500 rpm should be enough to maintain speed on a level road at 35. If I accelerate even the slightest, it'll ping until I bump it down a gear and the rpm is about 3k, at which time the engine is either too loud to hear the pinging or its not pinging. That was just an example. Pretty much anytime I'm driving on local roads around 30-40-ish and 2000-2500 rpm, it pings. Its loud enough to hear by anyone in the car, including the back seat. Its not getting any worse but it slowly got louder to where it is now from about 1k miles.

Yes the sunroof is off, to the point that it was leaking. Its not leaking now, still just sits low in the roof but its adjusted to the max...but that wasn't the "defect". I walked out to my car one day and the front seal had a 1/2 inch raised hump in it about 4 inches long. VERY obvious. The front seal also folded up against the metal when it was tilted (which I was told by the manufacturer that its not supposed to). They said its a bonding defect. The rear leaked because the panel was too far forward and wasn't sealing well in the back. I never open my moonroof but every time I cleaned my car, the inside gutters looked like I left the panel open in the rain.

5 speakers have been replaced...they went out one by one. All four doors and one rear shelf. I believe they're the same part #.

5thTo2nd

don't quote me on that though--I'm no automotive journalist....It's just something that was pretty obvious to me and it seems to be a common complaint. I think they have an option of drive-select or something like that which allows you to modify the driving feel. again, could be wrong about that so you might want to double-check.

dom, I guess I lucked out with my group of non-picky people. Everyone just hopped into whatever car was available next in line.

TMQ

Bimmer MTs are different from Acura/Honda's. Every manufacturer's MTs will be somewhat different. It just takes time to get used to. And it takes good techniques.

check this technique out: http://www.shortshifter.com/techniques2.htm
Works well for Bimmers.

And if you want to buy a bimmer for performance, you'd better buy a manual. BMW's slushbox is often criticized by BMW enthusiasts. Just borrow a few issues of Roundel and read Techtalk. Also, the manuals are much more reliable. The slushboxes are mysteries that are hard to maintain.

BMWs are certainly more expensive to buy and maintain. I think everyone knows this. Whether you buy one or not depends on your priority. Just like a Corolla serves a purpose, the bimmers serve some too.

TMQ

The A4 I tested had the S line package (which includes the sport package), but since it does not have the DriveSelect, the steering won't be any different.

Go try one yourself and do some highway cruise.

A4 design is terrific. If you had to have AWD, I think it's worth taking a look.

It seems TSX V6 tech price will be similar to TL SHAWD (without Tech). I think that's a bit too much.

Breako

Current BMWs have shite reliability.

TMQ

You can't really rate the "current" cars for reliability because they haven't been around long enough.

Just like the JD Power IQS results.

JD23

You're correct. The best way to evaluate reliability is to look at reliability for cars produced during the 2002-2004 period and extrapolate that to the present. Obviously, this method is imperfect because some companies may have changed their manufacturing methods and quality control during the past few years, but it is better than evaluating the reliability of cars that have been on the road for a short period.

Breako

The current BMW 3 series were introduced in 2005. There's been plenty of time to reach the reasonable conclusion that they're shit.

TMQ

Current 3 series start MY 2006. What data do you have? Don't tell me it's your neighbor that's complaining about something in his car.

Breako

That's the same standard that's used here to find the TSX wanting.

Dainslef

The problems reported have been infrequent, relatively minor and many of those issues have apparently fixed prior to the end of '09 model year's production cycle. I don't think anyone should avoid a new TSX on account of initial quality concerns.