**I pulled this from anotehr site post**

Ranking of all "upscale sedans" recently tested by CR, all automatics, with MSRP:

Excellent:
1. Acura TL, $33,670
2. Lexus IS250, $33,734
3. Lexus ES330, $35,715

Very Good:
4. BMW 325i, $36,720
5. Acura TSX, $29,760
6. Audi A4 2.0T, $35,855
7. Lincoln Zephyr, $32,250
8. Cadillac CTS 2.8, $35,275
9. Mercedes-Benz C230, $34,255
10. Infiniti G35, $34,960
11. Jaguar X-Type, $39,120
12. Saab 9-3 2.0T, $31,615
13. Saab 9-5 Arc (2004), $38,865

Good:
14. Volvo S60 2.5T, $34,980


Detail of most recently reviewed vehicles:

Lexus IS250:
Acceleration: 4/5, 7.7 seconds to 60
Transmission: 5/5
Routine Handling: 4/5
Emergency Handling: 4/5
Braking: 5/5
Fuel Economy: 3/5 (24 mpg)
Headlights: 1/5
Ride: 3/5
Noise: 4/5
Driving Position: 4/5
Access: 4/5
Controls and Displays: 5/5
Fit and Finish: 5/5
Trunk: 2/5
Front Seat Comfort: 5/5
Rear Seat Comfort: 1/5

BMW 325i:
Acceleration: 4/5, 7.4 seconds to 60
Transmission: 5/5
Routine Handling: 5/5
Emergency Handling: 4/5
Braking: 4/5
Fuel Economy: 3/5 (24 mpg)
Headlights: 2/5
Ride: 4/5
Noise: 4/5
Driving Position: 4/5
Access: 4/5
Controls and Displays: 3/5
Fit and Finish: 5/5
Trunk: 2/5
Front Seat Comfort: 5/5
Rear Seat Comfort: 2/5

Audi A4 2.0T:
Acceleration: 4/5, 8.3 seconds to 60
Transmission: 4/5
Routine Handling: 4/5
Emergency Handling: 4/5
Braking: 5/5
Fuel Economy: 3/5 (23 mpg)
Ride: 4/5
Noise: 3/5
Driving Position: 4/5
Access: 4/5
Controls and Displays: 4/5
Fit and Finish: 5/5
Trunk: 3/5
Front Seat Comfort: 5/5
Rear Seat Comfort: 2/5

Lincoln Zephyr:
Acceleration: 4/5, 8.0 seconds to 60
Transmission: 5/5
Routine Handling: 4/5
Emergency Handling: 3/5
Braking: 4/5
Fuel Economy: 2/5 (20 mpg)
Headlights: 1/5
Ride: 4/5
Noise: 4/5
Driving Position: 4/5
Access: 4/5
Controls and Displays: 4/5
Fit and Finish: 4/5
Trunk: 3/5
Front Seat Comfort: 4/5
Rear Seat Comfort: 4/5

Cadillac CTS 2.8:
Acceleration: 4/5, 8.5 seconds to 60
Transmission: 5/5
Routine Handling: 5/5
Emergency Handling: 4/5
Braking: 5/5
Fuel Economy: 2/5 (19 mpg)
Headlights: 1/5
Ride: 4/5
Noise: 4/5
Driving Position: 4/5
Access: 4/5
Controls and Displays: 4/5
Fit and Finish: 4/5
Trunk: 3/5
Front Seat Comfort: 5/5
Rear Seat Comfort: 3/5

Mercedes-Benz C230:
Acceleration: 4/5, 8.5 seconds to 60
Transmission: 4/5
Routine Handling: 5/5
Emergency Handling: 4/5
Braking: 5/5
Fuel Economy: 3/5 (22 mpg)
Headlights: 1/5
Ride: 4/5
Noise: 4/5
Driving Position: 4/5
Access: 4/5
Controls and Displays: 3/5
Fit and Finish: 5/5
Trunk: 2/5
Front Seat Comfort: 5/5
Rear Seat Comfort: 3/5

Saab 9-3 2.0T:
Acceleration: 4/5, 8.0 seconds to 60
Transmission: 4/5
Routine Handling: 4/5
Emergency Handling: 4/5
Braking: 5/5
Fuel Economy: 3/5 (23 mpg)
Headlights: 3/5
Ride: 3/5
Noise: 3/5
Driving Position: 4/5
Access: 4/5
Controls and Displays: 3/5
Fit and Finish: 4/5
Trunk: 3/5
Front Seat Comfort: 4/5
Rear Seat Comfort: 2/5


There isn't much more data than this available yet (the full reviews won't be published for another month yet, for the May 2006 issue), but ask if you want some more info, it might be out there.

 

Acura winning this generic segment makes sense. Why? Because rather than make one entry level car that's supposed to blandly fit both the molds of sports and entry-level luxury, Lexus makes one of each. While this may not win these worthless awards, I believe Lexus's approach is much better.

 

Why were the 330i and IS350 excluded? Too expensive?

 

Most likely. I'm pretty happy though, considering I only paid $1500 more than the IS250 lists for for my IS350 w/sport pkg

 

thats strange tho because the Saab and Jaguar are in there and they are more expensive

 

I too am very happy with what I see for the IS.

 

i hate my tl i dunno what they are talking about... problems problems problems

 

lol this could be a fun thread, but let's keep it civil

Why is 24 MPG only a 3/5? What the hell is a 5/5?

 

24mpg sucks man. Under CAFE passenger cars must average 27.5mpg. So 24mpg is below mandatory standards for cars. We are so used to hearing about guzzlers that get 15mpg that 24mpg actually sounds good. But it's not. Not when Civics and Camrys are getting 40 and 35mpg, respectively, on the highway.

CAFE requires all cars a manufacturer makes to average 27.5mpg, so all Toyota cars (Yaris's through LS430s) must average 27.5mpg to avoid Federal fines. SUVs and Trucks have their own rating, so don't affect cars.

 

I have always felt that Acura TL has been near the top for our car segment because it is probably the best bang for the buck of any of the cars. It has its problems but for the $$$, you cant beat it. If it had the AWD-sh system in it, I bet it would be #1 on all comparo's.

 

The IS250's headlights are that bad? Must be the standard ones.

 

now THAT was a little disturbing. I dont know why they were rated so low.

 

I have the stardard ones, and don't find them to be that bad. They are clearly not HID but I find them to be much better then my '98 A4's which were pretty bad.

 

Generally it seems, unless the car is a Honda or gets 56 miles per gallon, consumer reports doesn't like it.
If the automobile under review hits any of these categories:
is a truck, or has a V8 engine, a SUV, and made in the USA , they slam the candidate pretty hard.

I caught on to their game back in the eighties. Sort of like Dateline on NBC. skew the results as they see fit. They are kinda like that ingrown hair on the back of your neck, very irritating

 

My 2005 TL is a piece of garbage. My parents baught it for me because I needed a "beater" for college and it's just that. I can't believe CR ranked the TL higher than the IS.