this thread reminds me of a number of others...

davyjordi, you've already decided on the s4.
congrats.

 

I love the S4, that is the car I really wanted before I got the M340 because of how nice the interior was. There is nothing wrong with it but when my wife and I both drove all the cars in its class, it didn't shine like I was hoping it would. All in all, to me its a great choice but wanted you to at least look at, and drive, some of the competition before you buy.

 

SHUSH

i know, i may have already decided. i wish that there were more options that i liked but i know i'm picky.

honestly i don't even know if i'm going to buy the car only because of the lack of other options. i know that if we can wait a year or two there will be more offerings but we would be better off right now with two cars.

i have to test drive now and be super inspector gadget while doing so to make sure that i make the right decision.

i would honestly consider the new g70 but who knows when that's arriving. it's a great looking car.

 

i will try to find something else to drive. i don't want another bmw in my stable - the interiors just don't match the quality of other marques unless you buy like the 7 series which i guess i could buy, but used at like two years old because they depreciate crazy fast.

 

BMW interiors are as good as their competition IMO. The challenge, which you have also seen with Audi, is that most of the off the lot cars are plain black with very few if any interior upgrades. With BMW interior upgrades do make a massive difference. Unfortunately it boils down to you having to pay to play. But the right colors and right upgrades make a big difference.

 

I was going to say it'd be the S4 for me, so glad to see you've picked it

And no, it's not just because I seem to be a fan of most cars from VW AG that I have driven. I really do like the idea of the S4 at least. It seems like a whole class above something like the CLA, though there is something interesting about the A-class and CLA nowadays. They don't seem cheap like the old CLA (probably in part due to the fact that LEDs are standard now).

BMW interiors are good. Maybe the main issue with them is that they're a bit plain-looking. Quality-wise, they seem great at least in terms of where I've been. However, I do like the Audi interiors a bit more, outside of the excessive amounts of glossy surfaces in, say, the new A7 for example.

 

S4 is a great car, nothing to hate there. I would look at an S5 Sportback though, the fact that it looks larger IMO is why its more attractive...

Having sat in the A Class and the CLA, those cars are not on the same planet as an S4.

 

I'd also guess because of the more versatile hatchback design?

Totally agree. Mercedes tends to short-change their customers on American-market entry-level models.

 

That doesnt really do anything for me.

 

i think that's it - bmw interiors are plain, at least within the compact luxury sports sedan segment. you have to go up several levels in order to find something decent.

even with the x2 m35i that i have now, i had to pay for the sports seats or else i'd be stuck with the standard seats, making the interior even more boring than it is now.

and yes, the s4 is leagues above the cla, although that said, the cla is able to hold its own now and i think it has to do with build quality and materials used. the a class i haven't been in.

i am taking a break from internet searching and emailing. audi south coast just had the nerve to tell me that i needed to have my credit run in order to keep the car until friday. as if. sedans aren't selling, especially sports sedans. suvs and cuvs are and the stupid salesman knows it more than anyone. i told him no, that i fully expect the car to not sell as it's been sitting on the dealership for quite a while now and if miraculously it does sell, then i'll just move on to a different dealer. he didn't respond.

 

Obviously varies by dealer and market, but I've bought cars from my local BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes, Porsche and Lexus dealers over the last few years and the one dealer that has consistently been the most frustrating to work with, by quite a big margin, with has been my closest Audi dealer. I have always liked Audi vehicles. It's just much easier in my experience to buy a competitor in my market. I'm not talking price inflexibility either, it's the same kind of annoying stuff you experienced.

 

We sat in very different CLAs lol

 

lol , no, but did you ever sit in the previous gen??? the previous generation was horrible. that said, i've only been in the amg cla 35 and not the cla 250 base. the materials are leagues better this gen compared to last.

 

so far the audi dealerships in socal are playing kinda hard to get. like, they are playing games whereas the first few truecar searches that i made unfortunately and annoyingly gave my phone number out and boy, the mb dealerships will not give up. i have my phone on silent and can see it lighting up from mb dealerships in san diego county all the way up to orange county. super willing to negotiate, "we will offer you our best price on (insert either the amg cla 35 or the amg c 43) and i haven't actually spoken with any of them but they continue to leave more and more desperate voicemail messages.

lexus dealerships are pretty easy to deal with. too bad the 'new' IS is terrible.

 

I did, and the new one is much better but still nothing compared to the other cars you're considering.