Consumer Reports names '17 A4 #1 in the luxury compact class
Lexus Champion
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From: Illinois
Lexus Fanatic
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But that's just it, Och. Except for the M3, the former 3 and 5-series weren't overly-stiff or uncomfortable. In fact, I thought the 335i, in particular, was one of the best combinations of ride and handling I had ever sampled. And the steering wasn't stiff per se....it simply had a excellent tactile feel that was virtually unique. One of the reasons (among several) why I like Buick's Verano is that it offers some (not all) of the older 3-series' road-manners, with German Opel engineering, in a package costing barely half as much.
Last edited by mmarshall; Dec 30, 2016 at 04:18 PM.
But that's just it, Och. Except for the M3, the former 3 and 5-series weren't overly-stiff or uncomfortable. In fact, I thought the 335, in particular, was one of the best combinations of ride and handling I had ever sampled. And the steering wasn't stiff per se....it simply had a excellent tactile feel that was virtually unique. One of the reasons (among several) why I like Buick's Verano is that it offers some (not all) of the older 3-series' road-manners, with German Opel engineering, in a package costing barely half as much.
But it seems that most consumers are looking for a numb, Camry like driving experience - and the new 3 series provides just that.
The pursuit of F
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From: Toronto, Canada
I would have to agree with CR's rating of the A4 at the top and IS in 8th place based on its objective rating methods. Compared to the IS, the A4 is quieter, rides smoother, has better all around visibility, has more tech, is far better in fuel economy, has more interior room, and has more premium interior trim bits.
Pole Position
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I would have to agree with CR's rating of the A4 at the top and IS in 8th place based on its objective rating methods. Compared to the IS, the A4 is quieter, rides smoother, has better all around visibility, has more tech, is far better in fuel economy, has more interior room, and has more premium interior trim bits.
Lexus Champion
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Lexus has stopped trying, wants to cheap out, or plainly sucks in engineering. They're the only car maker that can't seem to figure out how to fit an AWD system without downgrading the transmission or protruding into the driver's legroom. The IS300 AWD's poor rating in this CR ranking is justified IMHO and should be a serious wake-up call to Lexus.
I would have to agree with CR's rating of the A4 at the top and IS in 8th place based on its objective rating methods. Compared to the IS, the A4 is quieter, rides smoother, has better all around visibility, has more tech, is far better in fuel economy, has more interior room, and has more premium interior trim bits.
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The pursuit of F
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From: Toronto, Canada
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From: ON/NY
Lexus has stopped trying, wants to cheap out, or plainly sucks in engineering. They're the only car maker that can't seem to figure out how to fit an AWD system without downgrading the transmission or protruding into the driver's legroom. The IS300 AWD's poor rating in this CR ranking is justified IMHO and should be a serious wake-up call to Lexus.
Lexus has stopped trying, wants to cheap out, or plainly sucks in engineering. They're the only car maker that can't seem to figure out how to fit an AWD system without downgrading the transmission or protruding into the driver's legroom. The IS300 AWD's poor rating in this CR ranking is justified IMHO and should be a serious wake-up call to Lexus.
The pursuit of F
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 8,296
Likes: 303
From: Toronto, Canada
The current Lexus AWD was developed in Japan where the car is right hand drive and does not protrude into the drivers foot. Unfortunately when converted to left hand drive, well, you know the issue. When the time comes to develop an updated AWD, they'll likely consider a more international approach to the infamous 'hump'. We should also see an application for RWD 2.0T models eventually, hence the IS300 AWD is a place holder till then so to speak.
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