I am not sure about the Audi interior on the current A6. The best interior right now is the 2011 Infiniti M56. Superb interior in that car. I would say the 2011 BMW 5 has second best interior. Benz E third. Audi A6 Furth. Lexus GS Fifth. Cadillac next. Then Volvo.

But how they drive, I can't comment on the 2011 models since I haven't driven them. But sticking to 2010, and assuming V8 cars are in normal spec - no optional suspension systems. Here would be my vote:

1) Lexus GS460
2) Jaguar XF (sublime car, but their cost cutting corners
3) BMW 550i (dated but still a great ride - loses to GS460 because GS is much better looking and has better active suspension and better 8 speed gearbox)
4) Audi A6 4.2 Quattro
5) Infiniti M45
6) Mercedes E550 - all new model but the throttle lag is a killer. You cannot drive that car fast in an urban environment even if it does have 380hp.
7) Cadillac STS V8


Acura, Volvo don't make my list because they are 6-cylinder cars.

 

Hmmm...I'm not sure which Infiniti M I drove, I think it was an 09 or 10 M45 - but I do remember the interior felt cheap in comparison to the GS. It sounds like the 2011's fixed that. Good for them

And most/all BMW interiors just feel "dated" to me, so I agree with your above statement.

 

It's all a matter of opinion. For instance, my brother has a top of the line mid sized Audi, 2006. The interior of that car, in my opinion, makes my 07 GS350 interior look like a Toyota.

Guys, don't take it so seriously...to each it's own!

 

Hmm, not really Audi, they definitely had the 2nd best interior and pretty close to first. A5 is GORGEOUS, same goes with the S4.

 

I'd have to agree that the Audi interior is a step above our GS.
The GS does belong in any discussion of best interiors and best overall sport sedans.
I agree the mags and other so-called raters are unfairly biased against the GS and Lexus in general. That bias completely invalidates their value making their reviews untrustworthy for any car.
It's probably because Toyota and Lexus are on top. If the raters gave the GS their true due, Lexus would completely dominate....and most people don't want that.

 

or maybe it's because the GS is good at everything, best at nothing.

 

That too.............

 

To make matters even more funny only the 5 series offers a manual. Eveything is an auto like the GS.

Then take into account sportier cars are driven by avg/inept drivers and it's a moot point!

 

The GS is very underrated in my opinion. I am more than four years into
it and it has been a great car once we got past the initial glitches with
the rattles and the recalls.

There is a lot of hatred for Lexus in some places (like the Car Chat forum ).

 

I think you hit the nail on the head! I came from a 04 330i BMW. Steering feeling and precision to me were not close! The handling, the sound, the smoothness of that BMW engine and the smoothness of the French built GM auto transmission. But best of all, we picked the car in Munich and was able to cruise at speeds of 120-125 and that little car had the best straight-line stability of all the cars I have owned.

The GS does all of those things, but at a lower level, except for the power band of the smooth engine. Well, after 3 years I'm turning it in next week and getting an ES 350. For the type of driving on the local scene, that's all we need. As straight as our roads are, we do not need a sports sedan. Instead we'll go for comfort and we hope the ES 350 will do the job for us.

 

You guys are all pointing to the fact that magazines are focusing on pure performance figures in their reviews. But you can't blame them for catering their reviews to the demographic that is most likely to read their publication.

An extra 0.1 G's of lateral grip on the skidpad might not be interesting to you, but you have to realize you're not the target audience of the article.

 

I have to disagree. I realize that many of these magazines are produced with the automotive enthusiast in mind. I would have to say that 90% of the people on CL are enthusiasts simply because of our interest in motor sports and our cars-so we are the targeted audience right?

I love the handling of the 5er but I dont think that it is right for these publications to promote a car based solely on performance in this class. The mid-size sport sedan class is not one that is based on performance alone. I would guess that fewer than 2% of the cars in this class see a track with about 40% never even being wrung out on a twisty road. These cars have to have a good balance of reliability, day to day livability, luxury and sport. Given these criteria I have to say that the GS IMO is the class winner.

 

I take issue with your post. I personally hate all Audi interiors. The steering wheel and squarish console don't do it for me. They like to use the 4 post steering wheel on most of their cars and I find it to look very "Pontiac-ish". I also severely dislike the Infinti M interior. The way the center console juts out so abrubtly below the navi screen gives a bizarre appearance to the whole dash. The 2010 BMW 550 dash looks just as pedestrian as the 2005-2009 so I don't really like it. I find it to be quite boring, actually. Benz E-Class is nice, but the GS touch screen beats it.

Sorry, but those are my opinions from test driving all those cars.

 

I don't disagree with you. Your comment is about 2010s. The first part of my post was directed at the 2011 models which you probably haven't driven unless you are an automotive journalist. I saw the 2011 Infiniti M at a design event in Miami, and the 2011 BMW 5 in Detroit.

GS is certainly one of the best as far as cars you can go out and buy today. Pipped maybe by the E-class which is a brand new design.

 

It looks almost the same to me. I don't really hate it, but in my opinion the way the dash protrudes out is the part that fails.