Och

iTrader: (3)

I test drove the 335, and I loved the way it drove... and I would've probably leased one if the interior wasn't so disappointing.

And with the Acura RL you get more than what you see. Truly an amazing car, you should test drive one.

LexFather

Acura Rl interior is okay to me, I never felt blown away by it. Same with the 3, nice doors but the dash leaves me scratching my head. BMWs never were known for interiors anyway, they have always been behind Audi, Lexus, Benz. They are known for their sport first, which does trump those other brands.

Terrapin

Not sure where this thread is going but would make the following comments: C&D, like pretty much all car mags cater to "enthusiasts" whom they suppose all want to read about "performance" cars, first and foremost. Even if the stated purpose of any given car is something other than "performance", they tend to rate them mostly on that loose definition. They like the handling of the Insight more than the Prius hence the Insight "wins". I read the article and they do laud all the Prius features but in the end mark it down mainly due to a perception that it handles worse than the Insight and has a "rubbery feel". Is this true? Probably, but most of us buy cars for reasons other than just "performance". The Insight, for instance, is a typical Honda featuring deafening road noise. That by itself would eliminate it for me.
As for the 3 series, it is a great car. Period. It is designed to be a first class sports sedan. It is, and has been for many years. It is not for everyone, but most manufacturers would love to have it in their line up.
Like most auto mags, I find C&D entertaining to read in some ways, and worth ignoring in others. I would never buy a car solely on their "gotta have it" factor (pure BS) or their evaluation. It is one source and only one. People reading it should keep that in mind.

The G Man

Well said terrapin, read C&D for its entertainment value, but do not use it as a reference when buying a new car like you would with JD power or consumer report.

Amini9

I dont see how that looks better then the 3 series.

BMW has used that leather for a while (the grain look) and I think it looks great. Sure Lexus has smooth leather, but they're competitors, they cant have the same stuff in their cars, otherwise one would be criticized for copying the other company.

The 'gaps' that create dust central aren't that big that they would get grime in it... If you take care of your car, grime wouldn't be in the little 'gaps'

FKL

I'm not sure what you are looking for, possibly trying to justify why you didn't buy a 3-Series, but the points you bring up are, for me, not really very persuasive. The dash/center console having huge gaps? Where? There aren't any. The leather not being as smooth as the one in your Lexus? A different grain of [real] leather doesn't mean "cheap". Ever been in a Mercedes-Benz S550? The door handle being separated from the speaker? What? The only thing I know is that the door design is yes, more inspired the plain one from the Acura RL, which has the distinct Japanese way of having a manual lock above the grab handle at a time when all the Germans have moved to electronic automated variants (see Audi). Ditto on the cheesy "all auto" descriptor on top of the ugly looking power window switches. The conservative design of the RLs door themselves, with that underwhelming color combination lend to a generally boring design in my opinion. Harping on a non-electric tilting steering wheel is moot - not many offer this in this segment beyond the IS and G, so that doesn't equate to "cheap" build quality.

Possibly the most laughable and cheap bit in the Acura RL (beyond the light doors, chintzy plastics under the center console, and dime-store plastic controller) are those matte plastic grab handles and locks that is clearly illustrated in your photos. Yeah, let's talk build quality - the piece in the 3-Series is solid anodized aluminum. The notion that the 3-Series has a "cheap" interior, is way off base in my opinion, after spending LOTS of time dissecting the interior. The design is not for everyone, but the quality is obviously there. Anyone who says the interior is "cheap" and "flimbsy" is off base, in my opinion.

ffpowerLN

iTrader: (1)

3er doesn't have cheap interior, as matter of fact material-wise it's one of the best in the class, above the A4 and C-class.

As for the electric tilting steering, just because the Germans don't offer it doesn't make it "moot". Why can't you give credit when credit is due?

FKL

1) I cannot believe we agree. I think the a4 and 3-series both use very high quality materials. Different design languages though

2) It is a detractor no doubt, but as far as assessing materials quality based on the lack of an electronic steering wheel...well, you can't. Lack of a certain feature doesn't make the materials that are already there cheap. And I certainly like the feature in your IS and the G, in fact, it is one of the best features in their interiors IMO.

ffpowerLN

iTrader: (1)

FKL, I want to give you something to look into, whether or not you'll look into it is completely up to you...

If you have a chance, go check out the LOWER PART of the door panels and both sides of the center console of every car in the entry luxury class. Let us know which one has the hard plastic and which one is soft.

Make sure you push down hard to get the complete picture on the material type.

The G Man

The 3 series' interior is about average in its price range, its not the material, its the design, its just too plain and feels un-welcoming. I can tell you guys that dollar for dollar, the A4 and the IS have much better material.

LexFather

Okay so here is complete proof of their bias toward Lexus/Toyota.

Some said that the HS got that crappy message b/c "its not an enthusiast car". Okay, understood, good point.

So what about the LFA then? Surely it will get a text?

WRONG WRONG WRONG

So now that kills the arguement that C&D is interested in only enthusiast news.

To make them more biased the LAST text was this
C&D
Infiniti will build its own all-electric vehicle, likely based on the upcoming Nissan Leaf.

The one before that
Kia unveils the 2011 Cadenza, a handsome mid-size sedan to replace the oddly styled Amanti.

Now lets see here, they find the time to tell about those two vehicles but not the LFA? They diss the HS but make no mention of dissing the Leaf for being "oddly styled".

What journalistic garbage.

lamar411

Just because YOU think the LFA deserves a text doesnt mean C&D thinks it does. Maybe you will get one soon.. C&D employees are not sitting in there offices, sending texts about cars that have just been approved for production, if you can remember did you get a text about the ZR1 or GT-R?

LexFather

I didn't sign up then. I find it interesting they are texting me about vehicles no one is talking about and omits one that WOULD garner peoples interest.

Again, the reasoning was C&D likes enthusiast cars. So here is a SUPER enthusiast car and I get some news about an Infiniti Leaf electric car that may come?

Och

iTrader: (3)

Even on non car forums people are talking about LFA!

azstinger1

Car and Driver has seemed to have gown away from its roots. My dad used to tell me how he used to love C&D because it actually was written for a driver not just a buyer. I went to my local library and read through a bunch of their old articles and they are still truly insightful. How to load/unload suspension when doing hard cornering, heel and toe down shifting, etc.. Car and driver is now more car and buyer. If they would go back to their roots I think it would be a much better magazine. Personally I'm a pretty big fan of Autoweek. I think they do a pretty good job.