mmarshall

Good points, Bob. Unfortunately, I think we've also seen some of the same arrogance lately from the product-planners at Lincoln (and to a lesser extent from Cadillac), who knowingly dumped the Town Car and DTS, thereby alienating many of their traditonal buyers, without providing true alternatives.

bruce van

Audi LED lights are icing in the cake. Their cars sell, IMHO, because they are beautifully designed. There are plenty of Audis on the road that don't upgrade to the LED package.

Now that everyones got LED, they still are doing gangbusters.

natnut

I know. But as a product rating agency purportedly reviewing products purely from the viewpoint of a consumer and not as a glorified paid advertisement for car companies, it's rare that CR seemed so out of touch with the tastes of the average luxury car buyer.

According to CR's review/rating, luxury car buyers ought to be beating a path to Infiniti showrooms to get their M37s but the M37 has been soundly rejected by luxury car buyers if sales are anything to go by. In fact, it's only the Acura RL/RLX that's saving the M37 from the embarrassment of being the bottom feeder in terms of midsize luxury car sales.

LexBob2

I suppose they let buyers make up their own minds on what to buy after reading up on them. Again, it's just the Road Test scores and not sales related. That's another matter. If you look at other segments the cars near the top aren't necessarily sales leaders either. Large Sedans for example 1. Impala 2. Genesis 3. Avalon 4. Chrysler 300 5. Maxima.

LexFather

I think they tested a non sport model which seems to be a better car than the sport one Infiniti offers which is why it scored so well.

Blackraven

One thing is for sure:
Their P-AWS system was supposed to enhance their front wheel drive application.........on paper

Thing is: It was good *in theory* BUT fails upon execution

BRING BACK THE STANDARD SH-AWD DRIVETRAIN SYSTEM!!!

mmarshall

AWS worked better 20 years ago, back in the early 90s, on top-level versions of cars like the Dodge Stealth Turbo and Mitsubishi 3000 GT VR-4, because those cars were classic sports cars that had a much lower center of gravity and were better-balanced in their front-rear weight distribution than a nose-heavy, higher-stance FWD sedan like the RLX. On a car like the RLX, it is of very little value at most. That's also why Mazda stopped offering it as an option on some of their sedans long ago.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Paws and Rear wheel steer remind me of GM's Quadrasteer from 2002-2005 by Delphi

SteVTEC

Car & Driver once gave the Acura RSX Type-S the win in a comparison where it got its *** thoroughly whooped in every possible performance category because "Acura sounds cooler" and an Acura logo "looks better parked in your driveway". Oh and it was "easier to live with" and "had better cupholders". Mind you this was a sport-compact comparison for boy racers where you'd think performance would be top priority, but nevermind. If those are the kind of reviews that you want then that's what the big auto rags provide. Consumer Reports doesn't rate the badge or brand prestige or image or logos, or consider what driving the car might say about you. Those are all extremely biased and subjective things that actual human beings weigh into their purchase decisions, but not CR. They review and rate just the cars as is. They're not supposed to be "in touch" with people's biases, by definition of providing unbiased automotive reviews.

natnut

I'm not ******* CR's attempt to be free from being influenced by vested interests. The fact that they buy their own test cars is admirable enough.

However, that doesn't mean that their ratings can't be influenced by the individual tester's own biases and perceptions.

Case in point : I'm struggling to wrap my head around the M37 being a CR top pick when my own personal test drive left me feeling that the M37S I drove was the very definition of mediocrity.

Wasn't a bad car but the individual components while looking good on paper just didn't mesh well together as a whole to translate into a compelling experience.

And it seems like the market agrees with me. It's sales aren't even respectable or in the same ballpark as its rivals on that CR shortlist.

SteVTEC

Is it truly a mediocre car or do you just have very fine tastes? CR tests and sees just about everything.

Unlike some others here who run their mouths off on things they know nothing about, I can't comment on the M37 other than that the biggest reason I wouldn't buy the car is because I think it's hideously ugly. The new Q50 on the other hand is a total looker. Love it! Personal biases like that are highly influential in car buying decisions, and are not considered in CR's evals.

I did happen to just score a test drive in a Hyundai Genesis rental. The biggest thing I noticed about it was how unsettled the ride became over less than smooth roads. I checked the CR review of the Genesis, and sure enough that was one of the big things they noted. No way I could buy that car. My wife and my kids all have weak inner ears and definitely need cars that ride well. I was more or less in agreement with the rest of their review too. I thought the V6 was so powerful that you wouldn't even really need the V8 (check), thought that the steering was nicely weighted but lacked much feedback (check). I thought they did a great job of making the interior super quiet, but thought I was hearing tire and/or suspension noise? Why quiet the cabin down so much like they did but not go the last mile and get everything to match? CR noted that, too. (check).

The Genesis is a pretty darned good car and is rated excellent, but I didn't care for it. I know that I'm obviously spoiled by our BMWs and their attention to fine detail such that everything. I'm pretty sure some of the BMWs rank lower than the Hyundais in CR's ratings, but the BMWs might fall short in other areas that I don't care about nearly as much. The driving experience is so good, at least in our now older models, that it makes you forget about some of their shortcomings. Like reliability. Our X5d has been flawless (knock on wood), but my 335i has had a few relatively minor issues. But its still never left me stranded like my stupid RAV4 did!

LexBob2

Then you disagree with their report. Nothing wrong with that. It's not my cup of tea either.

In this case the fact the M37 doesn't sell well is Infiniti's problem not the magazine's.

mmarshall

AWS helped tight-quarter parking and manuverability a little on those large, bulky trucks, but actually did little for handling on the road.