07-15-2013, 11:02 AM | #1 |
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Motor Trend: 335i xDrive reviewed versus S4, ATS, IS350, S60
Featured on BIMMERPOST.com 5th Place: Volvo S60 While safe and competent, the Volvo failed to get anyone's pulse racing. The competition remains extremely strong and a refresh is coming soon. 4th Place: Cadillac ATS Without question, the best driving car here, but last or near last in every other category. Cadillac has a great starting point, but it needs to finish the job. 3rd Place: Lexus IS 350 A solid value and welcome refresh. We'd love to see an F Sport with AWD, but Lexus doesn't build it. Also, the front of this car is too homely for it to place any higher. 2nd Place: Audi S4 Muscular, brutish, and confidence-inspiring, the S4 is let down by its age and a slightly underwhelming driving experience. Still, what an impressive athlete. 1st Place: BMW 335i xdrive Featuring the best combination of everything, the latest 3 Series just doesn't have any glaring flaws. It's still the master of the segment it created. Conclusion: This was a remarkably difficult decision to make, as all the contenders are good cars. Somehow, and I'm not totally sure how, the Volvo sank like a rock to the bottom. Is it bad? Not at all, but aside from safety it stood out in no single area. The Cadillac outshone everyone else in one single category: Ride and handling. In terms of smiles produced and fun to drive, no other car was even close. But as right as Cadillac got the ATS' chassis, it dropped the ball elsewhere, especially in CUE. The Audi, while faster than it needs to be, is starting to feel a bit long in the tooth. We've seen the interior; we're getting bored with the styling; and we're totally indifferent at this point to its numb steering and FWD bias. As Angus MacKenzie often states, RWD is the proper way to build a car. Despite how bone-deep ugly it is on the outside, the little Lexus surprised us all. From its handsome and comfortable interior to its better-than-expected handling to its value and low cost of ownership, the IS 350 was full of surprises. All that said, bring on the F Sport. This leaves the BMW and its combination of luxury, comfort, and curb appeal. There's a reason every other car in the segment is measured against the 3 Series. Even with AWD, it remains the benchmark.
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07-15-2013, 11:49 AM | #3 |
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0-60 in 4.4 for the 335i xDrive....wow
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07-15-2013, 11:50 AM | #4 |
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One of my favorite quotes would have to be this one:
Ayapana said the BMW "has the best interior of the bunch" and called the seating position "perfect." Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...#ixzz2Z8Lw4ndZ The truth cannot lie
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07-15-2013, 12:00 PM | #5 |
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3rd Place: Lexus IS 350
A solid value and welcome refresh. We'd love to see an F Sport with AWD, but Lexus doesn't build it. Also, the front of this car is too homely for it to place any higher. USA and CANADA does have fsport and AWD models. what gives? |
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07-15-2013, 12:05 PM | #6 |
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Scratch that...still impressive, but just realized the test car has the PPK...
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07-15-2013, 12:07 PM | #7 |
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07-15-2013, 12:24 PM | #8 |
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Another thing to note. Fuel efficiency may not be accurate now with the PPK.
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07-15-2013, 12:27 PM | #9 | |
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It's not unlike manufacturers to delay the AWD variant for a few months or a year when it's a new chassis, even for BMW. |
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07-15-2013, 12:33 PM | #10 | |
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If I had RWD, I would probaby be getting better mileage too.
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07-15-2013, 12:35 PM | #11 |
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When the F30 came out for MY12, both the 328 and 335 were RWD only but only had like a 6 month run before MY13 came out with xdrive
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07-15-2013, 12:41 PM | #12 |
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this is the same MPPK x drive 335i they had tested earlier - hence the blazing results...
what's funny is I don't ever remember the Audi S4 (which hasn't changed in several years) pulling sub 4.5s 0-60 times, but now they're acting like it's been doing that all along.
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07-15-2013, 12:52 PM | #14 |
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I mean the AWD IS can get Fsport with it. Motortrend is saying you can't?
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07-15-2013, 12:56 PM | #15 | |
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07-15-2013, 01:11 PM | #17 |
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07-15-2013, 01:12 PM | #18 | |
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They were really impressed the way the ATS drives.
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07-15-2013, 01:23 PM | #19 | |
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Kind of unfair that the BMW had the M Perf Brakes and MPPK. I wonder if the other cars came w/ the same type of performance goodies? It's not really a realistic comparison...especially since they aren't even options presented on the configurator. |
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07-15-2013, 01:29 PM | #20 | |
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07-15-2013, 01:51 PM | #21 |
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Since they copied the E46 it does not come as a surprise, but its not a well rounded car. For the same money I would argue the 328i is better, similar straight line numbers and given the 328i is lighter, would probably decimate the ATS 3.6 on the track.
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07-15-2013, 01:54 PM | #22 | |
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If I was in the market for a new car, these reviews would just serve as an objective measure and you'd really need to read between the lines and test drive them yourself. The final "order" doesn't really mean much if the context varies from your own. My personal opinion is some of these cars are developed more for the smaller engine segment (328/A4/ATS 2.0) so their "big engine" variant is not necessarily up to snuff. Trying to compare the n55/3.0 TFSI with those NA 3.6 V6's isn't really fair...the FI engines are just sooooo much torquier and since these aren't high revving engines, the S4/335 feel much faster around town...so my personal ordering is {S4, 335} >>>> S60 > ATS > IS350 |
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