My analysis: 2008 Entry-Luxury sport sedan Comparison

Hope u enjoy this analysis as much as I did producing it.

So to start off, this was a comparo performed by Edmunds. The winner was the G35 sport sedan:

http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpcontainers/do/vdp/articleId=123235/pageNumber=1

Well, the reality is, it depends on your priorities, in terms of influencing your decision on what to pic, Right? ...

Btw every car in the test was with an auto.

Now for the fun part, which is that the Editors' Evaluations list had the 335i score #1 in 22 categories...and the G35 only 2...but hey, they own the article, not me.

Just look at this page:

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=123235/pageId=132209

Here's a partial listing of criteria that have nothing to do with performance/drive/feel, which are typically no-brainer BMW dominance territories:

Exterior design: BMW #1

Interior Design: BMW #1

Interior materials: BMW #1

Instrument Panel Layout: BMW #1

Interior Control Tactile Feel: BMW #1

Squeaks and rattles: BMW #1

Panel Fitment and Gaps: BMW #1 (tied)

Visibility: BMW #1

Cargo/trunk space: BMW #1 (tied)

Here's some commentary I picked out from this latest article:

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• (5) C350 Sport: "It drives well, but there's nothing here that makes us want to get behind the wheel for more."

"The Mercedes-Benz C350 Sport reminds you that it's German every second."

• (4) Lexus IS350: "Not one editor who scored this test was able to find the kind of personal connection with the Lexus that they felt behind the wheel of the top-scoring cars." "Put simply, the Lexus is a fast, well-built sedan that lacks the spirit or value of its more engaging counterparts."

"The Lexus IS 350 is ideal for metropolitan commute traffic, when quiet isolation is what you want for most of the day, except for that one challenging off-ramp on the way home from work."

• (3) Cadillac CTS: "The 2008 Cadillac CTS might just be the best car in the GM stable. " "Inside, the CTS is the best-appointed car in the test."

"The Cadillac CTS is hyper-American, better to drive slow than it is to drive fast, yet it has a genuinely terrific down-the-road feel that's great for covering vast distances. "

• (2) BMW 335i: "Behind the wheel, the 335i is the most intuitive and easy-to-drive car here — not to mention the fastest. It's also the most comfortable. And that's a tough combination to beat." " The 335i also brings home the most recommended ratings, which means we would suggest it to a friend over any other car in the test. It even won our lengthy 31-point evaluation, which appraises everything from control feel to cupholder design."

"BMW has learned more from Lexus than we realize, as the 335i's combination of quiet, comfortable resilience with serious speed is what makes this overweight car work so well."

• (1) Infiniti G35 Sport: "Wins this test because it's outstanding to drive and it gives you the most car for your money."

"The Infiniti G35 hands you a great engine, clever chassis concept, big tires and a steering wheel (and not much else), and sometimes that's all you need. "

"The G's five-speed tranny not only responds quickest to the throttle, but also has the sharpest, most aggressive gearchanges (with rev-matched downshifts) of any automatic we've ever driven."

^^^^^^^^ Whoa, wtf? I drove Talal's 07 G35 auto...and Zeid's 07 335 auto...I recall the difference. Err...is the auto in the G37 the exact same? I'll double check this thanksgiving ^_^ Talal how u liking the G37 Coupe?? Much better than the sedan?

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For more in-depth discussion, and a "tad" bit of contradictions to this latest comparison test (*wink*), read their other related articles:

335 vs IS350 http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=120903

335 vs C350 http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=121574

335 vs G35 http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=121462

330 vs A4 http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=106052

330 vs IS350 http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=109021

Obviously in this comparo, for the 335i not to win...the culprit was price. But as with almost everything in life, you gotta pay to play...and you get what you pay for.

As for the IS350, a car with lots of fans who are clamoring to have it dethrown the 3-series...well, allow me to speak to that.

As Edmunds mentioned, it has an excellent powertrain that allows it to cover the 1/4 mile mark at over 100mph. That alone tells you it is a quick car hands-down. And handling figures are right up there close to the bimmer. But unfortunately they reported not one editor out of the 5 of them felt "connected" when driving it. Citing things like "awkward and synthetic steering, soft brake pedal, slow-responding tranny" etc. It gave them the least confidence behind the wheel compared to the competition here. It doesn't encourage you to drive hard, which really hurt its ranking cuz they figure a proper sports sedan SHOULD encourage you to do so, via how it makes you feel behind the wheel.

But as they said, for many buyers, such a characteristic doesn't matter that much to them so it would score more highly.

A loaded 335i here will cost 53K msrp. I am not sure what a loaded IS350 will cost but I am *pretty* sure it is 49K max. And that gets you more toys than the bimmer (even though at 53K the bimmer has a ton of toys, but things like backup camera is not available, for example).

Interestingly, they found the latest NAV systems in the Benz and Caddy to be more refined and cost less, than the Lexus'. Wow. Things have changed from just a few years ago !

Basically they knocked on the Lexus cuz it lacks spirit, soul, a connection it makes the driver feel with the machine, which is something that makes me love BMW's and Porsches so much. Also, since price was a high priority in this test, given their audience, and given that it caused the unanimous favorite-by-a-mile 335i not win the comparo, it also hurt that the Lexus being tested had the highest price, even though the most toys.

End of the day bro the BMW may have a less sexy-to-the-eyes interior and less options, but it's so much better to drive than the IS. At low speed, highway, high speeds, when you're taking turns at any speed, when you're using the brakes, when you quickly summon power, etc. To me, that is worth more than anything (but to a point). Couple that with the fact that the bimmer offers this experience in 4door, 2 door, RWD, AWD, and even wagon formats, it makes the attraction and admiration/respect even higher. They're selling like hotcakes in North America.

Here are the Year-To-Date (2007 calendar year, Jan 1 till Oct, I think) sales of these cars (from the manufacturers):

BMW 3-series 117,968
Infiniti G 59,003
MB C-class 49,882
Lexus IS 45,433
Audi A4/S4 36,330

The C-class sales would "probably" be higher if the redesigned car had been available for the entire year like the others. I know that Benz got over 60,000 orders for the new C-class even before it hit the showroom floor. Infiniti deserves all the success it is getting, an awesome package for the price, and I can't wait to test drive your G37 Tallool ;-) And two huge thumbs up to CADILLAC for making something truly noteworthy...finally.

2008 will be very interesting for the sales figures as the competition has certainly improved. The new Caddy, C-class and soon new A4 hit the streets. Alas, I still think BMW will deservedly crush them. Note that I am aware of Audi's superior sales figures in Europe over BMW, due to deisels, btw...so it's not all world dominance by the big B M and W.