From the May 2005 issue of Car and Driver.
Okay, so that MBA and all the hard work paid off. There’s the renovated farmhouse in the country, the wine cellar that is notable for not housing even one bottle of merlot, and the 1.5 kids in good schools. Naturally, you also need a solid car, one that signals your standing in the community but also proclaims your penchant for practicality. Robber-baron flagships are not called for here.
You want plenty of power, but above all, the car has to be safe. You already know where to go car shopping. Like many of your contemporaries, you’ll direct your attentions to the mid-size luxury-sportsÂ-sedan segment. After all, what speaks the language of the establishment better than a shiny four-door Mercedes, BMW, Audi, or Lexus in the driveway?
In this size class—which includes Mercedes-Benz’s global bread-and-butter moneymaker, the E-class—you are now thoroughly spoiled for choice. These cars are rolling technological showcases, with as much convenience and safety gadgetry as you can shake a checkbook at. Better yet, most of the cars in this class are either brand-new or very recent arrivals.
Ideally, all the cars in this test would have similar engine types. But we wanted a price cap of $55,000 (to make sure Acura’s relatively affordable new V-6-powered RL would qualify), and that restricted us to six-cylinder models from the increasingly costly BMW and Mercedes ranges, too. For Mercedes, that’s not a serious issue, since the company has just slotted its new four-valve 3.5-liter V-6 into the E350. At $50,720, it handily undercuts the V-8-powered E500’s $58,520 base price.
The price cap was not particularly good news for BMW, whose otherwise estimable 530i is only a few months shy of a new 3.0-liter engine invigorated by an extra 30 horsepower. Since it’s a superb vehicle even with the engine we had, more thrust might well have improved this car’s position in our rankings—even at a fairly steep $54,720 as-tested price.
Audi’s new A6 got way more than just a face lift at its recent revision, benefiting from extensive upgrades to its structure and suspension. Our test car featured the company’s 4.2-liter V-8 engine in concert with a six-speed automatic and Quattro allÂ-wheel drive. Even when loaded with a Bose premium stereo, XM satellite radio, the Cold Weather package, 18-inch wheels, and a rear side-airbag option, the Audi shimmied under our $55,000 limbo bar. For many, that’s a compelling deal.
Infiniti just unleashed an all-new M45 sedan that looks as if it could carry the war to the opposition in a big way, with a 335-hp V-8 and serious sport credentials accompanying a reasonable base price. The Sport model that showed up for this gunfight had just one of Infiniti’s big-ticket options on it (the Journey Package Sport, for $1700) and thus rang the register to the tune of $51,860. But it still includes a load of equipment, and we knew before we set foot in this genteel bruiser that it had a sporting chance.
It’s common knowledge that Lexus assembles cars on a just-in-time schedule, so we drove a preproduction GS430 away from its introduction just in time to have it compete in this contest. We picked the most photogenic color available—a metallic gray-green—and got a car with a comprehensive list of amenities—all at a competitive $55,725. Lexus offers a short list of options, among them a pricey Mark Levinson surround-sound stereo, but the standard sound system is not exactly hard on the ears.
In case this was not enough variety, we added a Cadillac STS V-8 and a Jaguar S-Âtype 4.2 VDP Edition to the mix. Compared with the Jag, the year-old STS is virtually a newborn. Our first test of this model ran in the August 2004 issue. A Jag S-type first saw the light of day for model year 2000 and has benefited from some important upgrades since then.
Finally, we invited Volvo to field an S80 T6 Premier, but the company declined. We’d have felt rejected, but let’s face it, eight cars is enough to be getting on with.
Eighth Place: Jaguar S-type 4.2 VDP Edition
Running a six-year-old in a race of yearlings brought with it some unavoidable handicaps, age being the big one. But there have been various upgrade to Jaguar’s S-type over the years, and the new VDP Edition is certainly effective in bringing more of the classic Jaguar ambiance to the S-type’s interior. Deep-Âpile carpeting and burl veneer are among the items included, helping compensate for the $3300 hit the VDP package adds to the bottom line.
HIGHS: Supple ride, smooth powertrain, elegant interior.
LOWS: Not that fast, not that roomy, not that young.
Among the evolutionary upgrades over time have been the adoption of a 4.2-liter version of the V-8 engine, plus a six-speed automatic transmission, dynamic stability control, extra airbags, new seats, and some subtle styling revisions accompanying assembly improvements for better panel fits. Expecting improved durability and refinement, we found the S-type to be fairly hushed at a 70-mph cruise, 1 decibel quieter than the 66-decibel average.
The Jag has a supple ride and a smooth, poised demeanor that many will appreciate. Although the V-8 doesn’t boast as much low-rev grunt as some of the other cars here, it produces a healthy amount of thrust at higher engine speeds and sounds good in the process. Other than a brake pedal that developed longer-than-usual travel during testing, the control relationships work quite well in the Jag. Some found the on-center steering feel a bit vague, but most drivers liked the linear steering response and quiet, unruffled handling at brisk speed.
When the pace picks up on a mountain pass, the Jag is less comfortable with the situation. The steering feels relatively slow, and the car’s otherwise plush ride degenerates into lots of roll, accompanied—if you’re not smooth at the wheel and have the DSC switched off—by a bit of roll oversteer. The venerable J-gate gear selector, too, just can’t hack it against the latest manumatics. Still, the Jag’s skidpad and lane-change performance were pretty good for a car set up principally to favor ride. And despite the tendency of the brakes to overheat and fade, the S-type’s stopping distance from 70 mph was significantly shorter than average.
Although the Jaguar has the most formal roofline of the bunch, interior space is not its strong suit. Rear-seat passengers were particularly vocal about poor armrest location, difficult ingress, limited shoulder room, and general discomfort. “It feels like coach,” said one unhappy occupant.
THE VERDICT: Still a charming car for those with subtle sensibilities.
Logbook entries made it clear that the Jag divides opinion quite strongly. If you like it, you’ll probably like it a lot. Try one and find out.
2005 Jaguar S-type 4.2 VDP Edition
294-hp V-8, 6-speed automatic, 3880 lb
Base/as-tested price: $51,995/$55,295
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 6.4 sec
100 mph: 14.2 sec
1/4 mile: 14.9 @ 96 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 173 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad (stability control disabled/on): 0.89 g/0.86 g
C/D observed fuel economy: 18 mpg
Seventh Place: Cadillac STS V-8
Cadillac’s product-development crew has taken to calibrating its newest cars’ suspensions in Germany on the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife. This paid big dividends on the CTS and CTS-V models, but honestly, it’s difficult imagining the base STS in the same environment. It’s just too soft. There’s an available Sport package, but it puts the STS’s price above $60,000. That’s a pity, because the comfy-riding standard version was somewhat out of place in the hands of our manic testers.
HIGHS: Punchy motor, plenty of room, friendly ergonomics.
LOWS: Polarizing looks, sofa-like seating, relentless understeer.
In the domain of most Cadillac owners, this car is not at all a bad effort. It is roomy, with a good stiff structure and a seriously strong powertrain. The five-speed automatic shifts smoothly and quickly, and the STS gets down the road with real authority. Its zero-to-60-mph dash was beaten by only two others here.
Inside, this sanded-smooth version of Cadillac’s edgy “art and science” origami styling is a lot of space, enough to allow our tallest driver to crank the cushion upward to avoid that sinking sensation. The STS accommodates four or five occupants about as well as the paragon of packaging, the 5-series BMW. To nobody’s surprise, the STS also feels kind of large, with a big wheel and a cavernous sense of space.
The Caddy’s wide, flat seating surfaces fail to hold occupants in place with any real enthusiasm. But then, the soft suspension and the slithery Michelin Energy LX4 tires don’t allow huge amounts of lateral acceleration. At 0.80 g, the Caddy is the least sticky in the group. It beat only the Jag and the overly electronically controlled Lexus in the lane-change maneuver. That was with the StabiliTrak system activated—the STS simply hangs out too far to clear the cones when unsupervised by electronics.
GM’s StabiliTrak can be disabled, but this compensates only slightly for the enduring “push” you get in the mountains, with front tires that rolled over so far during hard cornering their brand names were all but buffed off the sidewalls. Ride motions are reasonably well arrested in our tester that did without the Sport package, but we’d like to see a little more damping.
The soft ride would be more in character if the trappings of luxury were suitably sybaritic. But here our jury found the STS to be a little short of sensual nirvana. The center console was criticized as hard and intrusive, and although frequently sought switches such as the mirror-adjust and lock buttons fell readily to hand, the stereo/function display was castigated as being as bad as iDrive; various setup memories are buried in there and are consequently inaccessible until the car is stopped.
THE VERDICT: Tries to pass for European, and almost makes it.
True, these are mainly niggling complaints, but they add up. The car’s keyless ignition system honks at you annoyingly if you leave the fob in the vehicle. The pullÂ-type door handles operate electric latches, so there’s a brief instant of nothing before the lock pops. The STS’s power-adjustable steering column moves too fast, zooming past the sweet spot you’re looking for. The STS is agonizingly close to meeting the challenge of the best, but we think the sensibilities of its makers could use a little fine-tuning.
2005 Cadillac STS V-8
320-hp V-8, 5-speed automatic, 3980 lb
Base/as-tested price: $47,720/$50,890
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 6.0 sec
100 mph: 14.5 sec
1/4 mile: 14.5 @ 100 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 190 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad (stability control disabled/on): 0.80 g/0.79 g
C/D observed fuel economy: 17 mpg
Sixth Place: BMW 530i
Sixth out of eight entries? How could this happen to the perennial C/D benchmark? Blame the engine. Although it would probably seem just fine to your average suburbanite, the inline-six feels wimpy at 5200 feet on mountain roads in the hands of incorrigible power junkies. The 530i’s timed sprints to 60 mph and through the quarter-mile were the slowest in the group, even if its acceleration and brassy exhaust wail mostly make you feel pretty good.
HIGHS: Amazing interior space, exemplary chassis calibrations, good balance.
LOWS: Weak performance, pig-headed manumatic, quirky cup holders, iDrive.
To compound the power shortfall, the manumatic six-speed in our test car, which shifts opposite the direction in most other systems, resisted our inputs with pigÂheaded obduracy, particularly on the tight Streets of Willow road course, where it would simply ignore requests. Other times it would shift without being asked. So, an extreme track tool the 530i is not. But it’s a fine road car, with good ride-and-Âhandling characteristics and excellent balance.
This was the lightest car of the group and felt it, turning responsively, understeering progressively at the limit, and tucking in obediently when we lifted off the throttle midcorner. Has BMW recalibrated its active-steering system, or have we just become sensitized to it? Whatever the answer, this car had steering with the bionic sense of BMWs of old. Although there were a couple of queries about darty behavior on the highway, the steering felt mainly natural to our hands, even when it dialed up super-quick response during slow U-turns.
The car’s interior was described variously as an old-fashioned German coal bin or the W Hotel of the group—chic, cold, and modern. Even though BMW has pulled some audio and ventilation controls out of the iDrive’s convoluted clutches, we still uniformly despise the system. Other ergonomic glitches exist, too. Some controls have small script that is hard to read in the generally muted light, especially by bifocaled geezers.
Most driver liked the seats and the overall driving experience. The car garnered high marks in the passenger comfort realm, too, underscoring the great packaging job BMW has done with the 5-series interior. The dash has a somewhat controversial double-hump profile to house the instruments and navigation display, and some people might find the look unusual.
THE VERDICT: Still a driver’s car.
Then again, the exterior styling of the car will probably repel conservative customers before they even crack a door. One thing is certain: If we could have stretched another few grand to get the V-8 model, we might be telling a very different story.
2005 BMW 530i
225-hp inline-6, 5-speed automatic, 3640 lb
Base/as-tested price: $46,095/$54,720
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 6.9 sec
100 mph: 18.0 sec
1/4 mile: 15.3 @ 93 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 176 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad (stability control disabled/on): 0.82 g/0.77 g
C/D observed fuel economy: 20 mpg
Fifth Place: Audi A6 4.2 Quattro
Remember the Audi Advantage? It might apply here. After all, the A6 offers a stout V-8 engine in an all-wheel-drive chassis, elegant coachwork, a comprehensive list of gadgets, a great Bose surroundÂ-sound system, and a comfortably large interior—all under the price threshold for this comparison.
HIGHS: Attractive styling, detailed interior, four-wheel traction, good power.
LOWS: Controversial nose, overly sensitive throttle and brake responses, a tad sterile.
The result was a logbook full of praise for the vehicle, with a few faint misgivings. So how did it place fifth? Read on, and you’ll find out how good a car has to be to beat this lineup, and how relative the values are that seduce a buyer into any particular car.
It’s easy to see how one might fall for the Audi. Apart from the contentious grille styling, which probably works better on the smaller A4 than it does on the A6, the body is a study in subtle angle and contours. It is sculpted with creases and planes that really pop in the golden light of sunset.
Responses and aural effects from the alloy V-8 are hard to fault, with perhaps just the abrupt throttle tip-in strategy marring an otherwise aesthetically rewarding experience. The A6’s steering has some heft at the rim, a distinct departure from early Servotronic systems, and it aims the Audi with pleasing accuracy. Flick the gear selector over into the Tiptronic slot, and the lever summon shifts with immediate effect. It’s a pity it will still kick down if you boot the accelerator. Until then, you’d have sworn you had complete control. But it’s nice that it always tells you which gear you’re in, whether in auto or Tip mode.
Although the brake pedal suffers similar overeagerness at low speeds and a light touch, the sensations get easier to read as the speed picks up. In our lane-change test, the A6 was slightly quicker with stability control turned on, trimming yaw with selective brake applications. Sure, we could get the car through the gates faster on our own, but we’d go through sideways, killing cones as we went.
On the sinuous Streets of Willow, the Audi seemed plagued with understeer, but it felt better balanced in the mountains, turning in keenly and understeering mainly if you got on the gas too early and too hard. Even then, a brief throttle lift would swing the nose back onto the desired arc.
THE VERDICT: A paragon of all-season high-performance luxury.
With seating set up better for long-distance support than track work, the Audi’s interior is extremely inviting. Rear-seat occupants find a fair amount of space but complain of a lack of support and of armrests that are situated too far forward. All our voters found Audi’s MMI infotainment more intuitive than BMW’s iDrive, but most still questioned its need. Nonetheless with so few critical flaws apparent in this car, it’s hard to see how you’d ever regret buying one.
2005 Audi A6 4.2 Quattro
335-hp V-8, 6-speed automatic, 4260 lb
Base/as-tested price: $51,220/$54,670
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 6.4 sec
100 mph: 15.7 sec
1/4 mile: 14.9 @ 97 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 185 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad (stability control disabled/on): 0.82 g/0.79 g
C/D observed fuel economy: 17 mpg
Fourth Place: Mercedes-Benz E350
Can it be that AMG DNA is beginning to pollinate Mercedes-Benz products like runaway Roundup-resistant soybeans? Sure feels like it in this E350. The ride is firm, and the rack-and-pinion steering holds the car securely on course, reading back with firm authority. A torquey V-6 murmurs comfortably in the engine compartment, pulling strongly from low revs when called on, but revving eagerly if you insist.
HIGHS: Effortless engine torque, great roadgoing poise.
LOWS: Overly managed chassis, resists being chucked around.
Bump the seven-speed gear selector to one side or the other, and it’s suddenly servile to your wishes, but not totally servile—it still knows better than you in certain circumstances. So does the brake pedal, which refers your requests to HAL before putting them into action.
That’s the core of this car. It’s for people who want a certain amount of feedback some of the time but mostly just want the car to get on with the job of conveying them in relative comfort, serenity, and safety. Keep the Benz in the sweet spot, and it’s a sweet piece.
It can be a headstrong puppy. In the lane-change test, the Electronic Stability Program can’t be completely disabled and confounds any driver familiar with this exercise by waiting just long enough for the wheels to break away before pounding various brake actuators. Meanwhile, said driver has anticipated the vehicle response and is dialing in his own corrections. The two work wretchedly at cross-purposes, yet the result is still fifth fastest of the group.
The ESP is much more in rhythm on the track, but the Benz doesn’t care to play here either, resisting being muscled into turns and resolutely inhibiting the rotation that this chassis is dying to deliver. Below the threshold of electronic intervention, you can feel that the basic chassis calibrations are sound, but you can’t access them, owing to the electronic watchdogs.
Inside the car you find the usual taut Teutonic leather and dark moldings, but the contoured dashboard (almost voluptuous by Benz standards) and veneer accent warm this Benz more than ever before, and even the interactive COMAND display seems easier to use now that the market is replete with similar systems. Of course, at this price point, the buttons mainly remind you of what you don’t have. SAT? No. NAV? Nope. TEL? Nein. MAP? Fuhgedaboudit!
THE VERDICT: A good, solid, safe, rewarding car with mainstream attributes.
You’d think there’s enough criticism of the car to prohibit this fourth-place finish, but one has to take into account the indefinable sense of integration and unity you get with the E350. The fact that it’s also dynamically stable, fast, comfortable, and safe doesn’t hurt. Nor does its sterling image or stellar resale value. It’s a mature car for a mature owner. So grow up.
2005 Mercedes-Benz E350
268-hp V-6, 7-speed automatic, 3820 lb
Base/as-tested price: $50,720/$53,010
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 6.3 sec
100 mph: 15.8 sec
1/4 mile: 14.7 @ 96 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 182 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad (stability control disabled/on): 0.82 g/0.79 g
C/D observed fuel economy: 20 mpg
Third Place: Lexus GS430
The 2006 GS is the first Lexus to embody so-called L-Finesse design elements from the LF-S and LF-C show concepts. As such, its appearance is probably more restrained than later models will be. Yet it is an important step away from the derivative shapes based on Mercedes-Benz design cues we’ve seen on Lexus models in the past. Judge for yourself, but we found the more we looked at it, the better we liked it.
HIGHS: Exquisitely smooth mechanical interface, refined operations, excellent performance.
LOWS: Too much sensory deprivation for some.
The GS430 we tested has all the technology found in its rivals but adds a new system that senses an impending crash and prepares all safety systems while applying the brakes. It also features the vehicle-dynamics integrated management system, or VDIM.
In the usual Lexus way, most of this stuff is invisible to the driver, apart from the car’s brake-by-wire system, that is, which has a rather detached feel similar to that of Mercedes models. The brakes are big and strong, though, and we found heavy braking easier to modulate than it is at lower speeds, when the brakes can be a little grabby.
Other than that, the GS430 is delightful to drive, rewarding its owner with a quiet and velvety power delivery in demure use, and with a muted snarl and a quick 5.7-second sprint to 60 mph when spurred on. There might be a little more road roar and small vertical body displacements on pitted parkways than we’d expected, but the GS430’s demeanor in most circumstance is as smooth and isolated as it gets in a 3880-pound chunk of steel and aluminum.
Despite the supple ride, there is discipline in the chassis. An adaptive damping system and keen steering help the Lexus hurry through the canyons at speeds most people would not attempt. However, the VDIM, which monitors and controls the steering, brakes, electronic throttle, and traction control, can’t be switched off, and it assumes control in fairly intrusive fashion. For example, it interprets quick braking as an emergency maneuver and goes to full brake assist. That can screw up a carefully plotted corner entry.
Sliding the car around is also out of the question, but you adapt to the system by driving as close to the VDIM’s threshold as you can. Although the Lexus might spoil your fun in the canyons, it will also spoil you rotten with the superb tactile quality of all its surfaces and controls. It has interesting solutions to ergonomic issues. One is a retractable panel that hides secondary control switches until you need them. Another is the row of flush-mounted buttons that flank the center display. Lexus product planners made one thing clear; no iDrive, thanks.
THE VERDICT: Almost too subtle for the talking primates who buy cars.
Comfortable in front and back, the GS cossets you in every way, and any control realism filtered out by its various electronic butlers is refunded as a truly novel aesthetic experience. If that’s your priority, this is your car.
2006 Lexus GS430
300-hp V-8, 6-speed automatic, 3880 lb
Base/as-tested price: $51,775/$55,725
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 5.7 sec
100 mph: 15.0 sec
1/4 mile: 14.4 @ 98 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 182 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad (stability control disabled/on): –/0.85 g
C/D observed fuel economy: 17 mpg
Second Place: Acura RL
The Acura RL misses the top slot in this test mainly because of the company’s habitual restraint. Acura engineers could have made the RL bigger but instead made it smaller (retaining much of the previous model’s interior volume). They could have gone to a V-8, but they used a VTEC V-6. They could have changed to rear-wheel drive but chose to adapt a front-drive platform to a novel all-wheel-drive system known as SH-AWD, which can shift torque fore-and-aft for traction and side to side to generate extra yaw for cornering.
HIGHS: Nimble handling, strong high-rpm thrust, comfy seats and ride, great value.
LOWS: Not much low-end torque, wide gear-ratio stack, rear seat could be bigger.
The outcome is a remarkably sensible luxury sports sedan for owners who mostly use the front seats. (For occasional use there is passable space in the back seat, where Acura has used padding to stagger the center position, reducing shoulder overlap.) Front-passenger comfort is excellent, with some of the best seats in the class.
Everything on the RL is standard, including keyless operation and navigation with traffic-condition updates via XM satellite radio—also standard, but you pay the monthly charges. The RL has swiveling headlights, a Bose surroundÂ-sound DVD stereo, a tire-pressure monitor, and a power sunroof and power rearÂ-window shade.
Many of the items that arrive with your RL at the $49,470 asking price are expensive options on most of the other cars featured here. Remember, the steering-wheel-Âmounted paddles for shifting the five-speed manumatic are unique in the group. There is 300 horsepower on tap here, even if it is called forth way up the tachometer dial, and it arrives accompanied by a stirring six-cylinder snarl. At lower speeds the engine is quiet and surprisingly smooth.
As in most Acura products, the steering is deliciously slick and direct, and the car handles with aplomb at speed. We discovered a spooky tank-slapping boogie in the emergency lane change with the vehicle stability assist switched off, but we achieved a faster run (and far less dramatic oscillations) with the system on, the way most owners would likely leave it. The RL demonstrated its user-friendly calibrations to great effect in the mountains, where the SH-AWD offers up predictable understeer while the readable brake pedal delivers strong stable retardation.
The car’s interior is one of the tidiest layouts in the group, with a beautiful veneer “boomerang” across the dash and a rational organization of the fairly numerous buttons and switches. The navigation controls are simple and intuitive, with voice activation and voice confirmation, enabling you to select items without looking away from the road.
THE VERDICT: A bit of everything in this artful concoction.
It’s an exceedingly well-integrated vehicle, and when you add legendary Acura quality and resale value, second place sounds like a perfectly reasonable outcome.
2005 Acura RL
300-hp V-6, 5-speed automatic, 4000 lb
Base/as-tested price: $49,470/$49,470
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 6.6 sec
100 mph: 16.8 sec
1/4 mile: 15.1 @ 95 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 176 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad (stability control disabled/on): 0.86/0.85 g
C/D observed fuel economy: 17 mpg
First Place: Infiniti M45 Sport
Here it is, folks: Infiniti’s take-no-prisoners assault on the sports-luxoid segment. More power, more space, more right-now response to the driver’s wishes. It’s a heady cocktail of rumbling V-8 thrust, clawing big-tire grip, and let’s-go chassis exuberance.
HIGHS: Kick-ass engine, telepathic transmission, athletic chassis, voluminous interior.
LOWS: Sport package gives a firm ride, interior décor lacks finesse.
What’s not to like? For us, hardly anything. Out here at the Lunatic Fringe Cafe, the customers are all looking for extreme involvement with vehicles that are fast and responsive, cars with tons of grip and tautly cinched ride motions. That’s not to say the M45 is incapable of conveying sensitive passengers into town for tea, or whatever, because it can. The 335-hp V-8 has ample torque and abundant civility and will rumble about politely running chores. The five-speed automatic plays along, too, slurring smoothly from one ratio to another as needed.
True, the Sport model has taut underpinnings and low-profile tires and responds to rough surfaces with more jiggling and thumping than were found on most of the other rigs here. But according to the car’s logbook, it’s well within the bounds of most people’s expectation even for long trips. As far as creature comfort goes, the M45 has all the bells and whistles—at least with the Journey Package Sport, as our tester was equipped—including a great sound system, comfortable ventilated seats, and enough interior space to suit passengers of all sizes.
Among a ream of reverential jottings, the logbook identified the center-console panel as the least-liked aspect of the car. Noted one editor, “The mass of buttons combined with the pseudo-iDrive knob seems a bit much for a car without even a nav system.” Ouch! Harsh words for a design that does serve a nav system if so specified, but true enough in most of our eyes. If we wanted an ATM inside a car, we’d go pull one out of a wall.
Luckily for Infiniti, the M45 is all about the driving experience. This car aced everything in the lane-change and skidpad tests, helped no doubt by its 19-inch high-Âperformance summer tires—real tires, someone called them—as well as by it wonderfully linear steering, crafty chassis geometries, and tightly constrained suspension. Then it spanked everything at the track. All this for just $51,860, Jack.
But that’s not the only reason this car won. Sports-car performance isn’t enough, on its own, to carry the day. And it isn’t that easy to incorporate hot-rod performance with the cultivated personality necessary in this genteel vehicle segment. That the M45 can combine the crazy laughter of a sports fiend with the discreet charm of the bourgeoisie to the extent it has is good reason for it to stand at the top of the heap.
THE VERDICT: Puts the sports back into sports sedan—with a sledge-hammer.
The M45 rocks. Game over.
2005 Infiniti M45 Sport
335-hp V-8, 5-speed automatic, 4000 lb
Base/as-tested price: $50,160/$51,860
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 5.5 sec
100 mph: 14.2 sec
1/4 mile: 14.2 @ 100 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 168 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad (stability control disabled/on): 0.89/0.86 g
C/D observed fuel economy: 16 mpg
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