[LMK5]

I've done this type of thing before and if you like cars, they're great. Yesterday I did another one and had a chance to drive and evaluate 4 cars, one of which was a base 2014 328i. The other 3 were the Toyota Avalon, Acura TLX, and the redesigned Nissan Maxima. The infotainment systems were not evaluated. All test cars except the BMW had V6 engines, and all the cars had selectable comfort and sport driving options.

Toyota Avalon

The Avalon was the surprise of the group. It had a nice balance of luxury and sportiness in the ride. It's very roomy and the materials quality is top notch. Unfortunately I don't care for the rear exterior design and the interior has this dreadful plastichrome strip that bounces light into the driver's face. Additionally, the infotainment screen is mounted low and canted slightly upward, making glare a constant issue. The car is also larger than I would like.

Nissan Maxima

The Maxima, like most Nissans, had a great interior design. Too bad I just couldn't get comfortable in the seat, much like the 2013 Altima I had. The new design also has a raked roof which decreases rear visibility and the boomerang headlights and taillights are not my style. The V6 performed well but the CVT will not be to everyone's liking.

Acura TLX FWD

The V6 TLX was disappointing. I love the exterior--understated, elegant, and right-sized. But the interior was very bland. Like all Honda products it seems, there's way too much grey plastic around. Just no color or flash to break up the monotony. The cabin just had a cheap feel to it. As a matter of fact, the only hint at luxury was the sparse use of some wood trim. I will say that the driver's seat was quite comfortable, but the rear seat was a different story. Yes, when seated behind the driver or front passenger there was plenty of room, but when I moved to the middle rear seat my head was pushing into the headliner (I'm 6 ft.). The 328i will easily accommodate me in that position.

The second disappointment was when they asked me to accelerate hard from 30-65MPH. It seemed that it took the transmission forever to downshift, making this maneuver a possible danger to the driver. Interestingly, there was no such lag when accelerating uphill. Clearly they have some transmission reprogramming to do at Acura. BTW, I was shocked when I saw that this car had 290HP. It just didn't have the responsiveness or power that the N26 engine has.

BMW 328i

The base 2014 328i was driven last, and lots of things shone through at the outset. First, the interior design and quality was, in my mind, clearly superior to the other cars. When you see the aluminum touches, the burl wood trim, and the interior components, the surroundings immediately felt higher quality and more upscale. The superiority of the iDrive screen was immediately apparent--richer graphics yes, but it was driven home to me that the position of the screen is a key to its superiority. The fact that it sits at eye level, is canted toward the driver, and has a more vertical stance makes it far safer to use and also makes it almost impervious to the glare that diminished the other systems.

Once I hit the gas, the responsiveness of the N26 immediately showed it's dominance over the other test cars, even though the BMW was the only 4 cyclinder and had less horsepower than the rest. The sound, passing power, and transmisson behavior were all first place finishers in my book, and once we were on the twisties, the 328i felt the most nimble. The difference between comfort and sport options were also most apparent in this car.

The only area that was sub-par for the 328i was the climate control system. Clearly you have to set the temperature dial to a lower temperature to get the same cooling effect as the other vehicles, something I knew before the test drive.

Summary

My first reaction after testing the 4 cars was that I felt better about my decision to acquire the 328i. I felt that it had the best balance between, size, utility, styling, luxury, and performance. It was also the most expensive car in the test at $43,300. I was also surprised that the TLX did not present itself as a clear alternative to the BMW. Sure it's cheaper, but I really thought it would compete more closely than it did. The Toyota Avalon presented a tremendous value at 35k. For a buyer whose after luxury, space, a great ride, legendary reliability, and is willing to forego the badge, this is a tempting choice, but you gotta be OK with that interior plastichrome and those rear taillights.

[otay]

Thanks for the info. Who sponsored the event?

[LMK5]

Originally Posted by otay

Thanks for the info. Who sponsored the event?

That's something they never tell you. What I can say is that my guess was that it was BMW. The reason I say this is because everyone drove the Avalon, TLX, and Maxima in no particular order. No one even saw the BMW until they were finished with the other 3 cars. They clearly wanted the BMW evaluated last.

This evaluation also showed pricing of all the cars. My feeling is that the evaluators want to see how many people are willing to pay the price premium for the BMW over the other candidates.

[spuntyb]

I like it. Thanks for the write-up. The Acura part is fairly accurate for a lot of cars on the road with bloated HP numbers. Not surprising at all!

[LMK5]

Originally Posted by spuntyb

I like it. Thanks for the write-up. The Acura part is fairly accurate for a lot of cars on the road with bloated HP numbers. Not surprising at all!

I was expecting much more punch from the TLX. The transmission programming didn't help matters much.

[bri1042]

I've read a lot of unhappy notes about the 9-speed in the V6 TLX. It's sad because I really like the 7-speed DCT in my SO's I4 TLX. Unless the 7-speed can't take the torque from the V6, I don't get why Acura bothered with two transmissions.

[otay]

I had a 2003 TL Type-S and a 2008 TL. The 2003 Type-S was great...shoulda kept it. It's kinda sad that Acura can't get their shit together.

[newoldbeemer]

Geez. An Avalon? They might as well have picked a civic and a corolla instead.

Aren't a4, c250 and q40 more logical choices to pit the 328i against?

[r3amir]

If they had a new C300, which has a better interior, might have given great competition to 328i😌

[nicknaz]

sounds like fun! Did you have to sign up somewhere to be considered for this?

[FC4]

The fact that the 3-Series was included in a comparison among an Avalon, Maxima, and TLX speaks volumes. It's tough to really call it a winner, here.

[Bassthe1st]

I once had the last gen Maxima for 3 days and I can tell you this, it really felt like it was only worth half as much as my 328i.

[CHCCubs]

Originally Posted by FC4

The fact that the 3-Series was included in a comparison among an Avalon, Maxima, and TLX speaks volumes. It's tough to really call it a winner, here.

Have to agree. The TLX I could see being somewhat of a competitor and a car that might be cross-shopped against a 3 series, but not really the other two. Something along the lines of a C-Class, A4, ATS, Q50, etc would make more sense.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by newoldbeemer

Geez. An Avalon? They might as well have picked a civic and a corolla instead.

Sadly this is the market BMW is targeting now

[fecurtis]

Originally Posted by otay

I had a 2003 TL Type-S and a 2008 TL. The 2003 Type-S was great...shoulda kept it. It's kinda sad that Acura can't get their shit together.

You owned the last great car Acura ever made.

If I were offered to go to that event I'd be scratching my head with the cars to compare the BMW with. I mean a Maxima and an Avalon????

[Jimminez]

But of course it is a completely unbiased opinion though right, you already owning a 2014 328i.

[RoundelM3]

...and all the other "competitors" are FWD, so that is a major factor right away. I could never own a FWD car again, no matter how "luxurious" or "sporty" it is.

Has anyone seen that Ford commercial where this lady, who drove the Fusion, says "the all-wheel drive was incredible - I felt SO secure!". I'd wager that if she hadn't been told it was "all-wheel drive" (front-biased AWD at that), she'd have had no clue where the power was delivered. And what exactly does she mean by "secure"?

Sadly, most car buyers today are clueless. Enthusiasts who understand automotive technology are becoming very rare. I took a co-worker for a ride in my previous tuned E92 and broke the rear tires loose a couple of times. He couldn't understand how that was possible, and when I told him it was RWD, he stated "I thought all cars were FWD". He was 38 years old at the time and drove a VW Passat (which I'm surprised wasn't part of the OP's comparison).

[LMK5]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

sounds like fun! Did you have to sign up somewhere to be considered for this?

No. I'm not sure how they get the names, but the first time I was called was after I bought my 2013 Altima. Now I seem to get calls for these types of evaluations 2-3 times per year.