Quote:
Originally Posted by lemming
drove a 335i (step), G35 (auto) and a CTS 3.6DI (auto) today.
the 335i was pricey, but nice. didn't come with jacksh*t as standard equipment which irritated me. interior was the worst of the group, IMO. engine is probably the most fun of the three. brake feel was great. steering feel was so-so.
the G35 had so-so steering feel. brakes felt good. even with an upgraded interior and the lowest price (by far) --the car still blah'd me.
the CTS was the biggest surprise. i really enjoyed driving it. the 3.6DI has a lot more midrange power than i would have thought, esp. having driven the 335i in the same day. great steering feel and this was the CTSx. brake pedal was excellent. interior was, by far, the nicest.
just thoughts --GMO/S means the CTS 3.6DI 6sp (with obligatory LSD), full leather, sunroof and lots of other niceties is below the G35.
|
Those are the three that I've also tested and had similar comments on after testing them. When I ranked them, the G35 fell way behind. The 335 was a close second to the CTS -- basically the horrible interior kept it behind, even though it has a better powertrain than the CTS (not that the CTS is bad, just that the 335 is soooo good). The CTS was the overall best car -- best interior, best exterior design, 2nd best powertrain.
I had my 530 in the shop yesterday -- and I upgraded my loaner to a new CTS (the dealer uses Hertz for loaners). It had the DI engine, base suspension, and a the "luxury" package with heated/cooled seats, sunroof, keyless start. I really liked it -- it was great in traffic, nice mid-range grunt, very stable, and absolutely no rattles (it had 5k rental car miles on it).
I've decided to keep the E39 for about another year, but I've essentially decided that an '09 CTS will be my next car.