Large Vehicles

[Chevy350TPI 12]

Starting in a little while I'll be doing lots of travelling ... all on the highway. Work requires me to travel all over the province, as well as parts of Alberta. CST lift + 40's + tuned 2500HD crew cab does not work well doing the above. I've actually been looking at something like this for the past 2-3 years, but never really had the justification/wallet to go buy one.

Acura TL - 26mpg on the highway; right in the price range; 300hp is nice.

BMW 545i - 26mpg on the highway; a little more expensive; not 100% sure on the front end; 325hp + 6spd works well.

Cadillac CST-V - 25mpg on the highway; 6spd manual + 400hp; again not 100% sold on how it looks, could get used to it if I like it when I drive it; heard of a few unhappy owners.

Honda Accord EX V6 - 30mpg on the highway; sure it may not be as expensive or good looking, but it's fairly powerful and really well priced; and I know it's not going to fall apart within the next 50 years.

MINI Cooper - riiiiight.

This is where it gets interesting with what Mercedes has to offer ...

You've got the CLK500 and E320 (over the E500 because 37mpg with the CDI E320 vs 20mpg with the E500 ... even the non-CDI is still 28mpg). SLK350 is a neat little car. Finally, the C55 AMG - I think I'm pretty sold on it - but of course, I have to drive it first.

Porsche Boxter - Yeah, it's right in there ... but I'm not 50, balding, and retired ... so I don't think so.

Saab 9-5 - Meh. <shrug>

Volvo S80 - Same as the Saab. Nothing special it seems.

Hopefully I can test drive the majority of these in the coming week. I'm already getting excited.

Thoughts and opinions welcome.

[Nikuk 1]

Acura TL - 26mpg on the highway; right in the price range; 300hp is nice.

BMW 545i - 26mpg on the highway; a little more expensive; not 100% sure on the front end; 325hp + 6spd works well.

Honda Accord EX V6 - 30mpg on the highway; sure it may not be as expensive or good looking, but it's fairly powerful and really well priced; and I know it's not going to fall apart within the next 50 years.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

All IMHO:

The Acura TL is a nice looking car with a few decent reviews as far as performance goes. Handles well, has decent mileage (given powertrain), nice interior appointments. Of course, it's an Acura (honda) so it'll rank up there in reliability and resale.

Honda Accords dont tickle my octacles, but are damned fine cars. The owner of our restaurant has an '04. 2door though. Surprising performance, but not fast. Handles well, rides very well. Appropriate interior, great car on the highway (i test drove it for a weekend). Lots of bang for the buck IMExperience. Of course, resale & reliability is there.

Now, If I had the wallet: 545i. I have a love of Bimmers though. So I'll try to be objective. Drawbacks: Expensive to operate, maintenance (when needed it'll be more then the above two). I've read complaints on the interior, as far as doo hickey placement & ease of operation. Though this is the most costly of these three (iirc), it is prolly most liekly to hold its value. I'll venture to say that this choice would give you the longest top notch service as well... but I'm getting mushy here.

$0.02

-Nick

[Acidburn 10]

96 Impala SS

ya... i dunno about the others

[Tirefryr 1,742]

Steve, wouldn't something more adept to your weather suit you? I.E. AWD?

Don't know how long it snows or how much you get up there, but I would be concerned with a RWD in the winter if they are harsh.

I myself prefer a RWD car in the winter, but that is because that's what I had the first 3 years of driving so I am most accustomed to it. I like the AWD cars don't get me wrong, but they are just not for me. Now 4WD is just a pain in the a$$ IMO. I don't like the feel of the front wheels trying to pull and steer me in the direction of the slush or ruts while the rears just go where they want.

[Chevy350TPI 12]

That's another thing that worries me/catches my attention.

I've driven RWD over the mountain passes before and it's ok, so long as the roads are somewhat plowed. A good set of winter tires seems to work well in certain conditions. You're screwed in other conditions up there no matter the vehicle, tires, whatever.

I like AWD. But, I'd rather ease off the gas and take half an hour extra to get there than limit my choices severely.

[JimJ 11]

I've driven RWD over the mountain passes before and it's ok, so long as the roads are somewhat plowed. A good set of winter tires seems to work well in certain conditions. You're screwed in other conditions up there no matter the vehicle, tires, whatever.

Oh, you'd love RWD if you have no traction and 12 feet of vehicle behind you that wants to go a different place than you want to go And give a nice stiff wind to provide the push...and little gas as ballast...that's why I switched to 265's and BFG's on the van.

Now 4WD is just a pain in the a$$ IMO. I don't like the feel of the front wheels trying to pull and steer me in the direction of the slush or ruts while the rears just go where they want.

two words...locking differentials...

[Aaron Clinton 2,372]

steve I vote for the E320 with the 4Matic, reliability, decent milage, good power, safe sled, the E350 is coming out soon!!

I am hesitant about Audi's so many friends have had reliabilty issues recently,

also I am not sure if the V8 5 series is going to be the best option when you have long streches, but a 530i would be a sweet rig with the manual

if your interested take a look back at the Volvo S40 article I did, I really like that car, the milage is good the space is sweet, and the performance is nice, with the manual and AWD it should fit your needs

[Chevy350TPI 12]

The S40 T5 AWD seems nice. 27mpg on the highway, 6spd, 218hp. Seems well priced, even with the options I'd wanted added on. Any others I should be looking at Aaron?

[Aaron Clinton 2,372]

the TL is very nice, some amazing drive train and a very smooth engine for sure, but I prefer the MB over it, but thats me

the new GS is out, pretty sexy car, but I have not driven it yet,

I am just focusing on something that is going to be able to get through the crappy weather that has great reliability, and is proven while having decent milage

the X-type is a capable car for sure, but I am not sure it will be enough for you on the long hauls across the empty highways, but I am not too sure about the Saab's yet, not sure really how much GM has really helped them out with design of the existing models before the merger

[Supa_c 1]

Some one wanna tell me why the 300C isnt in that list ??

I took a test drive in one...sales man said :

All i ask is that you keep it under 100MPH

So we did

[mrray13 30]

IMHO..the cts-v...easily...wow, that car is sweet. 14.4" brembo's on all four corners, 400hp and 28mpg (or so)..it is so sweet to drive, it's unreal..

of course, where u live steve, i'd consider the subaru wrx...a friend has one...wow, is that car fun! maybe not quite as fancy, but reliable and fast! and extremely reliable AWD...

and u need to give me a link to CTS lift's...i'm getting ready to throw a 6" one on the silverado....

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[Nikuk 1]

I was thinking Scooby Wrx's or Legacy's as well... but didnt want to intrude. LoL

The Legacy sedan is an absolutly great car to drive in dry or snow. Friend has one, loves it.

-Nick

[jntar 15]

Steve,

My choice would be either the E320 or the Caddy.

Have you looked at the new Audi A4 or A6? The A4 Just got a major upgrade in power and the A6 is a nice midsize car with plenty of power. Both are AWD with triptronic optional.

[Supa_c 1]

*cough* 300C*cough*

[jntar 15]

*cough*JUNK*cough*

[Aaron Clinton 2,372]

for me the Caddliac and 300C are not on my list because they are not proven, they are new to market and there are going to be bugs that need to be worked out,

I will never trust anything Chrysler, it may seem flashy and very cool now, but their quality, (and this is with a ton of experience) is very sub par IMO, they skimp in the wrong places, it might have a nice engine, but all it the HEMI is a same old same old V8 with just hemispherical heads, it is a huge marketing scheme,

and with the Caddilac, remember the Catera? it was the Opel sourced RWD mid-sized, the quality and fit and finish on that car was better IMO than the new replacement, and keep in mind I have been to the Opel factory in Germany, and I know they make very decent cars

GM is really pulling the wool over the public's eyes, buy trying to give the apperance of making the CTS and the other up comming versions, a BMW 3 series beater, WRONG, just because you slap a V8 in a mediocre chassis does not mean you made a better car, I will take a lower horse power motor and a better build/engineered/tuned/designed etc. chassis and suspension then a average car with a large motor in it, then it is more on the skills and abilities of the driver and not some goober just slamming his foot to the floor, if it comes to that, but in Steve-o's case, he does not need huge power, milage is a factor that has to be taken seriously

a previous chassis BMW 530i or MB 320 are both well proven cars with excellent engineering, people need to see the over all cost and not the initial cost,

repairs are going to more on the germans, but if your keeping up with the preventative mantince the overall cost will be less when you get better milage, better reliablilty, and much more miles out of the transmission and motor,

sorry for the rant

[Tirefryr 1,742]

two words...locking differentials...

Still not good enough for me. I don't like the 50-50 split of 4WD. I'd prefer an AWD setup where it've varied.

[Tirefryr 1,742]

Denim, I wholly agree with you. Chrylser has an excellent marketing tool in the HEMI, but it's not the performance beast it once was. It never will be. The same or better performance can be found with a more commone combustion chamber. Their designs are very appealing asthetically, yet the quality is not there at all. Unless of course you are speaking of the Viper.

As for the Cadillacs, read up on some Car and Driver, Motor Trend, or Undercar Digest and you'll soon learn they really cannot be compared to their German counterparts in their class. And GM's cheap use of plastic everywhere and poor craftsmanship will wear on you after time.

[Aaron Clinton 2,372]

Denim, I wholly agree with you.  Chrylser has an excellent marketing tool in the HEMI, but it's not the performance beast it once was.  It never will be.  The same or better performance can be found with a more commone combustion chamber.  Their designs are very appealing asthetically, yet the quality is not there at all.  Unless of course you are speaking of the Viper. 

As for the Cadillacs, read up on some Car and Driver, Motor Trend, or Undercar Digest and you'll soon learn they really cannot be compared to their German counterparts in their class.  And GM's cheap use of plastic everywhere and poor craftsmanship will wear on you after time.

:matty:

[Chevy350TPI 12]

Some one wanna tell me why the 300C isnt in that list ??

I took a test drive in one...sales man said :

All i ask is that you keep it under 100MPH

So we did

I'd get the SRT-8 package if anything ... gas mileage won't cut it. I don't think I could picture myself driving one.

[Chevy350TPI 12]

IMHO..the cts-v...easily...wow, that car is sweet. 14.4" brembo's on all four corners, 400hp and 28mpg (or so)..it is so sweet to drive, it's unreal..

of course, where u live steve, i'd consider the subaru wrx...a friend has one...wow, is that car fun! maybe not quite as fancy, but reliable and fast! and extremely reliable AWD...

and u need to give me a link to CTS lift's...i'm getting ready to throw a 6" one on the silverado....

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Hopefully I'll enjoy it when I drive it The CTS-V that is.

www.californiasupertrucks.com

[Chevy350TPI 12]

I was thinking Scooby Wrx's or Legacy's as well... but didnt want to intrude. LoL

The Legacy sedan is an absolutly great car to drive in dry or snow. Friend has one, loves it.

-Nick

The WRX STi would be fun - not too keen on the gas milegae, but it's a rather fun car. And at that price, I could drop a decent amount of work into it both under the hood and interior dress up items.

[Chevy350TPI 12]

Steve,

My choice would be either the E320 or the Caddy.

Have you looked at the new Audi A4 or A6?  The A4 Just got a major upgrade in power and the A6 is a nice midsize car with plenty of power.  Both are AWD with triptronic optional.

I have looked at both the A4 and A6. I'll test drive both as well ... The A6 with the 4.2 and 335hp looks nice. The lines on the side of the body remind me of a newer BMW - especially toward the rear.

[mrray13 30]

aaron and ryan....

i agree with the chrysler comment. i disagree some on the gm.....

without going into a long drawn out arguement, cars are just like car audio. what sounds good to me, sounds like ass to u. while i like the german's..i love the cts-v. will it substain itself like the german's? only time will tell.....but know this..that car is an absolute blast to drive!! the cts-v is a corvette with a back seat!

i honestly don't care what motortrend, car and driver and those folks say..they are mostly import biased anyway. are they that way without some justification? no...the imports have been kicking our asses for years. but we are getting closer and the cts-v is a step in the right direction. does it beat the germans? IMO, yes..but then again, i'd rather have my truck then a cts-v or a 6 series or a mclass....

ryan, u are right about the use of plastic...but in the cts-v, i don't think it's intrusive at all. i love the layout of the car...from outside in, to me, it's too sweet. and best of all, it looks like nothing else out there (see steve's comment about the A6 looking like a beemer)

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[Tirefryr 1,742]

I was merely comparing the car to its German counterparts. Hence the lack of quality comparison.

I won't go any further with that.

As far as it being near a Vette, eh, close, but you can have a Z06 for less money with better performance and looks IMO.

They shouldn't have put the Northstar engine in it.