I looked at the Q5 in Janaury while car shopping, supplies were limited and the dealers weren't discounting them much at all either. Ended up getting a 2010 ES (traded in an '07 ES).

 

Every time an A5 passes by me, I just CANNOT turn away. If I was in the market for a coupe, this would be my first, second and third choice.

 

why are you here if lexus isn't one of your top 3 favorite luxury brands???

 

The A5 is a great looking coupe. I like it and the A4 a lot, but both are hard to justify because of their price. Load one of the FWD I4 models up (mind you they only have 210hp) and the price blows up to be way more than a comparable BMW 3 series (although the 3 series isn't as much of a looker it at least has a 6 cylinder engine and RWD).

 

For the price of the A4 you get a pretty quick sedan with AWD that gets fantastic gas mileage.

 

Reading the original part of the thread back from 07, Mike mentions how they're "talking" about improving quality... now that its 2010.. have they gotten any better? I haven't talked to any Audi owners as of late to see how they new ones are. If it wasn't for that, I'd rock an Audi in a heartbeat.

 

why not? i'm a regular in 9 other boards.. not everyone is lexus homer in this board.

I was a regular here back in 2002-03 when i was driving 01 ES300..

 

Audi is 4th favorite behind Benz, Lexus, BMW, not that that's worth anything.

 

Everyone's opinion matters here.

But....you prefer Benzes to BMW's?

I have a lot of respect for Mercedes safety engineering, their roll/crumple cages, the sheer torque and hand-built precision of the AMG motors, and the well-done suspensions. But, to my senses, there's nothing like a BMW chassis/steering for ultimate driving pleasure, though, in general, I don't think they are necessarily the best daily-drivers, and I probably wouldn't own one.

 

You're rating of Acura is a bit high for me

1) Audi
2) BMW
3) Mercedes/Infiniti
4) Lexus
5) Jaguar and others



99) walking
100) Acura


Why not? Lexus isn't my favorite either, but I do appreciate them for their well-engineered quality and technology (hybrids). I'm here because club lexus car chat is the best car-related discussion board as people here are for the most part, mature and knowledgeable. I'm sure there are lots of non-lexus owners that either post or lurk CL for this reason.

Our 2009 A4 is a year old now and so far we've had absolutely no problems. Yes, Audi still has its issues but lately, more and more Audi owners are experiencing less problems.

 

Yes for sedans. The latest Benz designs are more reliable, with more solid structures, better styling, better interior roominess, better audio and nav systems and better ride quality on so-so pavement, all of which are important attributes for a daily driver (not to mention safety). The steering and handling differences are minor once identifical wheel size/tire selections are made for comparison purposes (which is rarely the case). Neither a BMW or Mercedes handles like a Porsche or has the steering/handling feel of a Porsche.

 

LMFAO LMFAO LMFAO

 

I don't totally agree on the BMW part, but to be honest, I haven't test-driven the entire newer Porsche line-up, so I can't speak for all of their newer models...only part of them, and won't make a brand-wide comparison. I have sampled most (not all) of the newer BMW and Mercedes line-up, at least briefly. I can understand where you are coming from, though, and respect your opinion, to the extent that Porsches are classic, purpose-designed, mid/rear-engine sports cars (except for the Cayenne), where BMWs and Mercedes are front-engined and have different centers of gravity. Still, among sedans/coupes/wagons, there's nothing, IMO, like a BMW non-active steering.

At one time, however, a lot more cars had REAL steering feel...back before the days when power-steering became virtually standard. I had a manual-steer 1984 Mazda sedan that, though FWD, had steering feel as good or beteter than today's BMW's. I was delighted with that car....kept it for 100K miles, which is more than average for me.

 

I like BMW more than Benzes, but I think most people consider MB as the most prestigious luxury car in the world. and usually these people don't care about driving dynamics IMO.

for me only MB that i would take over BMW is probably S class over 7. but i would rather drive 3 over C, 5 over E. not sure about SUV because i hate both.




you know, i completely forgot about Jaguar. i would put them tad below Lexus. i can't really comment on how they drive, but i love their recent exterior a lot. it's very sexy IMO. and interior is gorgeous.

 

M-B is, arguably, the top mass-produced luxury car on the general-prestige scale. But Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and the soon-to-be-discontinued Maybach trump it in the limited-production, money-is-no-object class.

My personal opinion, though, is that the Lexus LS460, overall, is the best modern luxury car I've ever sampled, though even its ride cannot compare with that of the enormous late 60's/70s Lincoln Continental, which was as massive and cloud-like as any car I've driven. In noise isolation and overall refinement, though, like I said, the LS460 is probably the best luxury car I've encountered. The Mercedes S-Class has a silky ride, but the controls/interior layout is a PITA.




Yes, Jag does do nice interiors, and great exterior styling to boot (the XF is arguably the best-looking car in its class), but reliability has been a problem for many years, with a break for only a few years in the early-mid 90s. And Audi, lately, has been catching up to Jag on a lot of interior quality.