phranksmbz

For those of you who are in the market, which one are you leaning towards or between? (random photos)

2009 - BMW (Facelift) E90



2009 - Audi (New Body) A4/S4



2009 - Lexus (Facelift) ISxxx

2009 - Cadillac CTS



2009 - M benz C Class






For me this is a very hard because with a few mods they all meet my expectations just about.

These were my top 5 options. I know this is a MERCEDES site but im sure some of you are in or have been in the same dilemma. Maybe you have/had other cars in mind, which ones did you or are you choosing from? Share your thoughts here.

lx Raven xl

It really depends on your taste. I like comfort more than a sporty drive. I would prefer C. Even though that does not mean C is not a sporty drive now. get the AMG packet with advance agility package and you get the right feeling.

My bro likes aggressive /sporty driving and for that he bought the 3.

Rest are just fill ups. Audi would never be either my choice or my bro choice.

TRauppius

This is a very subjective assessment for which there is no one correct answer. I have researched and driver all of these cars fairly recently and finally ended up ordering a 2009 C350 via the EDP.

Oneline summaries as follows:

1. BMW - Excellent driving feel and performance, but just a bit too expensive and assessed long term (5 years+) durability concerns. Good looking, but like C Class sport looks better.

2. New A4 - Beautiful interior, exterior just so so, roomier than it looks. Driving has FWD driving feel, even though car is actually AWD; otherwise performance of (non S4) just OK. Not much "status" with Audi though.

3. Lexus IS - 250 is AWD and underpowered, 350 is very lively and handles nicely though lacking "roadfeel" comparable to BMW or MB. Perfect assembly quality and reputation for reliability. Tiny back seat legroom. Its a Toyota....

4. Cadillac CTS - Don't like the styling very much. Actually drives quite nicely, but lacked steering feedback on bumpy roads and under side-to-side transitions on uneven surfaces (too many electronically managed suspension artifacts). High depreciation and low resale increases cost of ownership. Engine sound too muted. Roomy interior and trunk. No "status" at all.

5. C350 - Just adequate power (better than BMW 328i but way behind 335i). Good mechanical sounds (comparable to 328i and better than turbo 335i). Excellent ride and overall chassis composure on both smooth and uneven roads. Good brake feel; not too overboosted. Decent depreciation resale, especially as Euro/$ decays making new model years more expensive. Great assembly quality of Stuttgart built vehicles. Nice paint and overall looks.

For me it came down to close toss-up between a BMW 1 or 3 (actually liked the 128i but the engine was too weak for an auto shifter, 135i just too rough a ride) and the C350W.

amanonfire

Subjective is correct.

Rather have a car that appears to have "status" (its only an entry-level luxury car) and sounds like it has power (its actually underpowered).

How about we try factual rather than subjective:

The new CTS with GM's financing options, is one of the best bangs for the buck.

Lexus in Canada (for our Canadian members) was the first "luxury" brand to reflect US pricing (Mercedes still hasn't), so an IS can be had several $Ks cheaper than the rest, at low Toyota financing.

The A4 and 335i have far more HP than the C350. Even to "subjective" buyers, higher HP numbers are appealing to those that need to keep up with the Jones.

Will617

Pretty good assessments.


BMW - good car, free maintenance, I see millions of them everyday

Caddy - Not my preference at all

lexus - I thought the cockpit was too cramped for me. I am 6' 3"

Audi - I like but the Mrs didn't. She felt it was too boxy

C350 - love at first site and second and third and . . . . . drives better then rest


" You never walk alone "
Liverpool

Derspeed

Which A4 (not S4) has more HP? The 2.0T has 211hp and the V6 has 265hp.

hmc

I actually think Audi interior looks too busy. Don't really like it.

webada

really? as suppose to all the number buttons on the mb? I never understood why you would need dial pads on the dash. IMO, caddy has the most clustered center dash.... way too many buttons around, I was afraid to press any thinking one might just eject me out the roof....

That being said, the dash design on the audi is like the older bmw, with the controls of the center dash tilted to the driver where as the recent trend for dash is opened, streamlined and centered as evident in caddy, mb, bmw and lexus...

so much for "progress"

vnc230

i love new Audi A4/S4 ..the exterior is quite unique with LED tail lights and LED DRL headlights , interior is very sporty .

C class would be 2nd choice with classy design , interior is just medium but friendly to use

Caddy looks very manly and bussiness class , beside that interior is seem like bigger than the rest , feel comfortable and warm , dont know much about mileage ( GM is not so economy , you think so .?? )

Lexus IS is crazy sporty inspired ..i didnt like the rear end from revious generation, now i see new facelift, it looks allrite with LED tail lights eh..

the last on my list is E90 , i still cant stand for the bangle butt design , they didnt make it better even with their new facelift, the tail lights are ugly as hell

yxc145

out of the 5

Exterior: I think MB is the prettiest. Caddy is the meanest looking. Audi is conservative, but classy looking. IS is sporty. BMW.. sorry, just ugly.

Interior: Not many comments. Audi is actually not clustered. I have an A6. It's the same set up. IS has the smallest space. Out of the 5, I think MB is the least luxurious. But i don't mind.

Performance/Power: BMW and Caddy take the 1st and 2nd spot. Audi, MB, and IS are ok.

Status symbol: MB is definitely the 1st place, BMW 2nd, Audi and Lexus are both catching up. But since Audi is german, I will give it 3rd place. Caddy is a luxury auto maker, but we live in a materialist world. American auto aren't valued as high as German and Japan.

Price: Lexus is probably the cheapest. But the other 4 are about the same price. I was surprised to find AUDI and CADDY aren't really cheaper than MB and BMW.

Ok, above is my personal opinion.

hmc

E90 exterior is the ugliest. No question about that.
I do like dash layout of of E90 though. Very clean looking.

wblynch

I can't see the big deal over Audi...

I don't have any attraction to the Audi interior at all. The dash reminds me of a late '80s Mustang, a '90s Chevy Tahoe or perhaps a '99 Saturn.

Besides that, I would not have known the Audi is restyled unless someone told me. It looks exactly like the past model.

So whatever... if one likes the Audi then they should buy it and STFU. I'm sure they'll find lots of friends on the Audi forums.

ismeto

I think
new A4 is worst than old one I am not fun of new LED lights . it makes car ugly .

3 with facelift is more good now . exterior nice especially rear design is better than C but inside not good as C and front look is not aggressive lile C over all not fun of bmw .

C is best but need facelift especially on rear design. I am not designer.but I insist rear design is worst part of new C. inside should be replace more quality material -told here 1000s- in euro coming new engines in 010 replacing Kopmpressor to Turbo engines. and all AMG model comes standart 7 speed auto. I am waiting big facelift of W204.


and with Sport Pack C wins for me .

Crisqo

I was on the same boat just a week ago.
Looked at the BMW and Audi...
After going to Mercedes, I went with the C300....
Overall, better value (at least in Canada) you get more for your money...more standard features ....

nyca

the CTS is nice, but the gas pedal is placed too far to the right (IMHO), my knee is mashed against the side of the center stack/tunnel to reach it.

yxc145

wow, you really hate AUDI huh?

webada

that's nothing compared to the guy over at another thread bashing w204.

dieseldoc

Give me the W204

hans007

well i'm assuming there will be a huge preference for mb since were on a benz forum...

but i actually am looking at new cars so heres my 2 cents

e90: everyone and their mom has one (hell my mom has one ) and the refresh honestly the front looks worse than the original. new taillights are a little better. runflats are horrible, especially on sport models the ride really suffers. does have free maintenance, but for what i want (a car with automatic, sport suspension and bluetooth) the e90 is like $5000 more then a C300 vs 328 if you equip them the same (hell you have to pay $800 to get power seats on a 328i, it has manual ones stock). the interior in my opinion is pretty boring. i mean that one line ghetto red LED display on the radio is probably pretty hard to read considering its pretty low. also the cup holders are horrible. This is a great drivers car, but i think all around really isnt the best as far as "normal use"

a4: does look quite nice except i'm not thrilled with the tail. great gas milage on the 2.0 T (well its probably assuming you dont use the turbo, so it may not be as good as the EPA says). great interior materials, though the design isn't too exciting. probably drives fairly well. sadly no dsg on the a4, and its still fwd or fwd biased AWD. that and its a VW so itll be in the shop. i believe this also has runflats which are terrible.

IS: the is250 is super slow. the back seat effectively is for people with no legs. theres no head room (i'm 5'11 and if you drive one with a sunroof you are right there) and not roomy in general. the is350 is fast, but it has no pedal feel . the steering is electric so it has no feedback. it is however super reliable, and the is250 gets great gas milage.

CTS: its like 3900 pounds. is a very large car compared to the rest. i've never driven one, so i dont know how it drives. not really too bad a choice. not the best gas milage.

C class: this is the one im consideirng most. it looks great exterior wise. gas milage is not so great given the power. is however rwd (which is better than say anything from acura, or the audi). has a decent but not fantastic interior (some stuff seems cheap like the hvac knobs). probably "average" reliability. bluetooth and sunroof and power seats are standard. like all the germans you have to pay for metallic paint which i think is BS. amazingly is one of the cheaper ones for what i want (bluetooth, power seats, sunroof, sports suspension and wheels, automatic). reliability might be iffy, if you base it on the w203's rep, but seems to be ok now at least so far from internet reports.

GDawgC220

Quattro (TorSen) has been 50:50 split until recently it went to 40/60 (f:r) starting in 2006 with the RS4 and S4s and now standard across the line...never has it been FWD bias.

FrankW

this is just my opinion on these cars

E90: pre-facelift actually looks better with the white/smoked turn signal taillight. The facelift is ugly all the way around. 335i performance is far beyond any thing else in it's class. 330hp in reality since most dyno at 270whp. Interior isn't as sporty as the last generation, but better made than the last. new IDrive will have better user interface for 2009. overall a sports car with a sedan wrapping. standard features are horrible, but once options are added the price also soars.

B8 A4: the new car looks great from every angle. the interior with recent Audi trend looks to be top notch in quality and finish. all the buttons around the shifter looks confusing tho. Performance wise it is in the middle of the pack. It's not going to stand out, but it won't let you down. 2.0T is very torquey. The LED eyeline is killer attractive. The Quattro system beats the X-drive as well as 4-matic. the Audi MMI is said to be most easy to use between BMW, Audi and MB.

CTS: unlike most American cars this is a very solidly built car both in performance and handling based on reviews (saw it in person and sat it in, but did not test drive one). The advantage of it is that it is probably the roomiest other than the A4. Interior is still filled with hard plastic tho. The hard edge design can be a little too aggressive. The price range is about the same as the IS350

IS: The fit and finish is top notch, but some material used on the dash still feels cheap. The steering feel is not as good as BMW or MB or recent Audis. Performance from the IS350 is very good. Interior space is smallest of the group however. The IS250 however does not feel like the horsepower rating suggested. unlike other cars in the group the interior is a little dull.

C: The C350 is the under performer of the group with the lowest rating in HP for the top line model although still hold it's own with the improved steering response and feedback from the previous generation. The interior is solid, but does look somewhat cheap due to the material gives off a shine under the sun. The two tone interior soften some of these feel. Interior space is not much different than the w203 it replaced. The exterior offers the best package without the extra $$.

If I have to rank it 3=C>A4>IS>CTS. If you are wondering why I have the C350 then. it's because it's simply too good of a deal to pass up.

phranksmbz

LOL man i love reading everyones 2 cents.

I respect everyones decision and i know it comes down to what "you" want besides we all have different stories.

All of these cars have patential and could also use a few changes to meet personal interests/needs. I know i left some cars out i.e. g37 sedan/chrysler 300/acura TL, feel free to add them in if you would even consider.
Agian im open to hear everyones thoughts.

Here's my story, Im coming from a rear wheel drive w203 c320 benz and i live where it snows like 9 months of the year. I wish so bad that i could have a winter car and a summer car but for now i cant. So its best to consider an all wheel drive, and im on a time frame (buy by end of Oct) due to not wanting to buy another set of snow/studded tires and driving another winter with rear wheel drive. Here's what i was looking for:

-Interior-

Leather, interface to be simple but clean. comfort access, roomy, bluetooth, ipod adapter, nav., memory seats, heated seats, panoramic view is a plus, good stereo system w/ hd radio, fold down seats, rear/side shade, electronic everything, and so forth.

-exterior-

HID, adapt. headlights, headlight washers, dist. park control, rear cam would be nice, auto winshild whipers, projector fogs, folding mirrors i could use. Everything else is pretty much body design.

-performance-

I wanted a car that does 0-60 under 6 seconds, a good suspension, handles well and all wheel drive so this already narrowed my options to 09 335XI/S4.

The C300/IS250 = Not bad cars at all, but performance wise in these models, lets face it, its too slow. I would consider both of these if they made a C350 4matic and IS350 AWD but not in America. Benz = better ext. / Lex = better int. C350 > ISxx

The 335XI is hands down best performance all around (is, was, and prob. always will be), I was dissapointed in this facelift on some parts of the exterior. Im sure with mods this can be fixed , However I want something a bit more roomier but overall i wasnt impressed with the exterior style. Im wanting a new "09" and even though i like the previous version i wont be going backwards.

The S4 on the other hand is more "my style" Im hearing great things about the handling with the 09's. I would consider this but with my luck it wont be available till sometime next year (Q1/Q2). My thoughts on this? I like most of what they did to this version, Interior is different but sleek vs. past models. Tails are kind of ugly but i have to see it in real life. So basicly i had to X this out. S4 > E90

In the end supprisingly i went with the 09 CTS 3.6 DI. I been doing a lot of research and everything down to a test drive impressed me. I think that a lot of people are bi'est towards Cadillac but when MotorTrend gave it car of the year (2008), it was for a reason. Before these improvements i never paid Cadillac no mind and therefore was never under my radar. There are a good amount of things that i wish this car had (this goes with any car in this class) but very few that i would change.

It drives smooth, plus with a few mods, it will meet my 0-60 in less then 6 seconds but i guess that goes with every car. Also im not a big fan of the OEM grille but i can change that too.

If i was'nt to get an all wheel drive, this all would be a different story.

This thread isnt just about me its about all of us. Share your story past or present.

hans007

its still a transverse engine, so the weight balance will never be there which was my point. sorry i meant "based" and not "biased".

I know from reading acura reviews that the whole "FWD based AWD" is something they get dinged on a lot so I dont understand why no one ever brings this up about a4s or a6s. its still going to be more nose heavy than most rwd logitudinal platforms regardless of awd. I guess if you lived in somewhere that it snowed it might be a good thing.

The a4 moved the engine back more for the b8 platform so the balance isn't as bad as the older ones, but its still not in the ideal location because in the end its still based on a fwd platform since the 2.0 t fwd is the same platform. the 2008 models were 59/41 for quattor models, and i think its even more slanted towards the front on fwd a4s. Its supposed to be better on the b8 A4s but I cant find the numbers. 3 series is like nearly 50/50 and the w204 is 52/48. I mean the b8 is a fwd/awd platform. I would not think it would be a as fun no matter what they put on it because of the front of the car plowing into corners.

TRauppius

I think hans007 was referring to the forward weight bias of the A4. It still understeers at the limits and just...FEELS... like a front driver, especially at initial cornering turn-in under throttle.

GDawgC220

A4s have never had traverse engines. All A4s (and A6s) have been longitudinal which mean Quattro TorSen system. Traverse engines that use Haldex, if equipped, which is FWD based and bias. The only traverse engines in the Audi line up is the A3 and TT. Every other model is longitudinal which is 40:60 split or 50:50 split TorSen, depending on model.

The A4 is not based on a FWD platform, I'm not sure where you got that information from. Since '95 when it was introduced, the A4 has been on a MLP, modular longitudinal platform. You are able to get the A4 in FWD though with the longitudinal engine. Maybe you're thinking of the A3 which shares the platform with the GTI, which is a FWD platform.

The weight distribution is 55/45 compared to the previous 59/41. The front wheels were moved forward and engine more back to be less nose heavy, which shows when I drove it around the track. Much more toss able and very little plowing compared to previous generations.