Really?
http://www.zimbio.com/Car+news/artic...BRANDS+AMERICA

Most recently it was Mercedes, but BMW had its turn.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...022315594.html

 

BMW 5 Series for me.

Don't really like Infiniti much... I also looked at the options and equipment, and the BMW 5 Series gives more choices of options.

 

If I were leasing, I'd go with the BMW.

If I were buying and needed to drive the car a solid 10 years, 120,000 miles with minimal maintenance costs, I'd get the Infiniti.

The comparison tests rarely take into account the ownership experience post-warranty period... (though personally I think I will roll the dice sometime in the future and attempt to own a German luxury car longer than a lease term)

And personally, I would skip the V8 in both cars; the 535i and M37 are plenty powerful enough and you can pocket some serious savings.

 

...and to that end:

I've not read similar comments re: the 911 Turbo.

.....but hopefully they've worked that out in the current production run. 'Comfort Mode' really shouldn't be a misnomer.

 

Read better your own links....Lexus so far has been the largest...BMW is catching up...it had a few months where actually outpaced Lexus....we will see year end totals....I already told you one of the largest reasons BMW is the largest luxury automaker worldwide....huge smaller diesel models sales in Europe and excellent growth in China

 

I take you never rode on a 911.....what do you expect froma car capable ot outpacing a Carrera GT (at a fraction of the price)? Puffy ride?? Get real...Take a ride on a 911 RS, the only 911 that can get up there with the GT-R at the Ring and see how comfy it is on small bumps....

As far as I'm concerned I regard car magazines at the same level of comic books....

 

i love the new 5, also the m56. it'll be really hard for me to decide on one. definitely would wanna take each home for a day

 

Lexus is popular in the US, but not all that popular in China.

BMW though... They are everywhere. They've got nothing on Audi (who's got nothing on Buick, but it's debatable whether or not they are actually "luxury" in China) though.

There were so many A6 L 2.0Ts when I was in Shanghai over the summer that after a few days they didn't even stick out to me anymore.

I did see an older woman walk around with an Acura backpack and that caught my eye; the whole time I was there I didn't see a single Acura.

 

You got it exactly right.

Japanese luxury cars in China is a huge cultural issue...Chinese people hold a huge resentment (historical reasons) against Japanese people...if they have the option they will skip products from the land of Rising Sun...
Even VW does very well in China for this reason.

 

fixed

 

 

Hey Saintor, I think the BMW is ugly as shit looking inside and out compared the M57 does that make it so?

I think making statements about styling is way too subjective. Some people hate how the GT-R looks, some love it. Hell we have people on here who actually like the way new Acura's look *gasp*.

I will say that I would think for the money the BMW is way more likely to leave me stranded with a huge repair bill post warranty and that is reason enough not to drop 70k of hard earned money on a car like that.

 

I had saintor and saturno on my ignore list even before this thread... Take from that what you will.

I also wouldn't mind either one but I'd take a CTS-V over any of them as well. Love the new M and 5-series though.

 

 

on the first paragraph.

On the second, both are nice cars but personally I like the 550i over the Infiniti. BMW still have a edge (which has narrowed over the past decade) in engineering in knowing how to hone and craft the engineering in their cars to truely make them more fun to drive. You can't put it in spec sheets but this comes up in comparisons over and over. I haven't driven either of these cars but the last gen M and 5 I drove, the 5 clearly superior in fun to drive.

Still gotta wonder what's up with the persistent weight gain at BMW, and how come they deliver a sport package with run-flat tires?

 

This.

The V would bury both, and probably be as reliable as the M.

 

I think I'd go CTS-V over either of these as well but the interiors of both BMW and Infiniti are far superior to the Caddy's. That could definitely be a reason to take either over the CTS-V....

 

I don't see how this is better than the Caddy.

 

^^ I personally think the interior of the new caddies, esp. the CTS-V, is much better than any current bimmers, audis, MBs. for $60K+, you get a stitched dash and a beautiful, symmetrical, high-tech layout without the curves and angles like the bimmers, audis, MBs. would $60K get you that in a bimmer, audi, or MB?

 

I find almost all of the bimmer interiors to be plain and unattractive at best.

The M is a beautiful nice interior though.

The V is just about a perfect blend of beauty and brawn.

 

And you miss the point again. Lexus/Toyota has been offering in various markets including Europe the IS for almost a decade now - with 4 cyl. small engines (2.0 and 2.2 diesels too). Result; sales were relatively poor. It is NOT just because they weren't available. Lexus didn't grow in some markets because there was not enough demand.

So how did you know that I was posting? You are lying and go screw yourself.

 

I sat in both and still think the 5er interior is amazing. That picture above doesnt do it justice, plus its beige. Ew.

CTS-V aint shabby either though but its still an interior from a entry luxury CTS. Which for the record i think its great for $35k+ car. I dont consider the interior to be in the same class as the 5er though.

Yes, CTS interior blows away the current 3series/M3 interior. See no biased here.

 

The Diesel offering from Lexus and Toyota (well from all Jap brands pretty much) is negligible compared to the European brands....very few choices and not top of the line when it comes to power and technical refinement...they simply did not invest money in that technology and that did hurt them enormously over there where diesel cars nowadays outpace gasoline cars....BMW, on the other side, builds the absolutely best car diesel engines in the world, they are amazingly powerful and with incredible fuel economy (but some not very reliable, many models tend to blow up turbochargers fairly easily).

I give you an example....where the Lexus IS offers only one diesel engine (and definitely not the best in its class), the 3 Series has 6 or 7 of them with different trim levels!! The Germans have a much more segmented offering that fits very well in the European market...Japanese lineups are much much smaller.

Do not worry about that guy and his Legend2TL sidekick (and few others that always come out of the woods)....contrary to them I did really put them on my ignore list, their messages (if we can call them that) take too much precious real estate space on my monitor...I suggest you doing the same...I learned that the only way to enjoyable and intelligent discussions on Acurazine is to use that feature generously in order to sort the wheat from the chaff.

I love the nicely crafted cabin of the CTS (way ahead of the 5 Series design wise) even if the finishing is stil not up there...I would have seriously considered one...it's just too early from the "crap on wheels" GM era...I will wait 8-10 years and make sure that this is not another false start.....

 

8-10 years?!?! You take a lot for granted.

The CTS-V is here today. I'm betting it's more reliable than most anything in it's price range. It performs better than almost anything on the road within reason...and certainly for $68 - $70K

Remember, tomorrow is promised to no one.

 

I got burned badly from American cars (reliability wise)...how they say...."once bitten twice shy"....I'm not a quick turn-over type of car owner..I tend to keep them for at least 5 years...


The CTS-V is bloody fantastic.....I test drove one....pure adrenaline...too bad they do not offer an AWD version.....


Still I would wait at least the next generation to see if GM stick to its guns....besides, I'm still not in the market for a 70K car....my upper limit was the 535i I cross shopped when I got my TL....

 

 

Coming from someone who posts

"Not only that....define "drives better"....I did chew more 3 and 5 series that I care of remembering on twisty (often wet) roads with my 6 speed Maxima SE.....and some of them were close to becoming part of the corn field scenery trying...."

and

"And what is wrong with Datsun anyway?? The Z were great sports car (at some point they were selling more of them in Nordamerica than the 911 with not a lot of difference in price) and the C series (240, 260, 280) were very good luxury sedans almost unknown in Nordamerica."

that means nothing, esspecially when new 911's have typically always been ~2X what a 240/260/280Z cost for the same model year when they came out. You've proven your character and knowledge already.

 

Audi does it like no other

 

Agreed. Not to dull. Not to complicated. Simply classy.

 

I would take a CTS-V or E550 over these two.

5 Series Exterior > M Exterior

M Interior > 5 Series Interior

 

I've sat in the cts-v and it is very nice indeed but the infiniti and BMW interiors just feel so much more expensive. The clock in all cts's is very cheap looking as is the shiny black plastic and the blue digital climate control displays. Like I said, I personally would have a cts-v over either but the interiors are not at the same level IMO.

 

Acura.

 

 

BWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAA both of pics made me laugh