TM875, I went and looked at the S60R based on your recommendation. Very cool car, 300 hp, awd, and a quite luxurious interior. Unfortunately, the car comes standard with high performance, extremely low-profile tires that render the car undriveable in the sleet and snow of the winters here. There is a sticker in the window from Volvo saying as much. The salesman himself confirmed that the car is completely undriveable in snow with the stock tires, even with AWD. I don't find it practical to have to 1) shell out additional money for tires for a brand new car, and 2) having to pay every winter to have them mounted, and 3) having to find somewhere to store them when not in use. Oh and yes, I have a family, so thats why I need a 4 door car. I appreciate the suggestion though, I didn't know anything about this car and if I lived in Florida I would seriously consider it.
JumpinJesus, I wonder what model year A4 you and your wife drove. New for 2005 on the A4's is a feature referred to as "servotronic steering assist", which is supposed to adjust the required steering effort based on the speed of the vehicle. In practice, I found it superb...the best steering feel of all the cars I drove. When I first drove it off the lot, the steering was as light as a feather -- you could turn the wheel with 1 finger. I was a bit disappointed at first, because I don't like light steering at highway speed. But once I hit the circular highway on-ramp, something almost magical happened: the steering got progressively firmer as I accelerated, and once I got up to speed, the steering feel was like nothing Ive ever experienced. You could literally feel the road surface through the steering wheel. It's hard to put into words, but it blew me away. You move the steering wheel .00005mm in any direction, and the car responds accordingly. In short, it is as light and pleasant as can be around town, and on the highway it firms up perfectly, imparting a sense of total control of the car while traveling at high speed. A wonderful feature. Ever car should have this steering system. (Thanks for the links, btw. I will check them out tonight. Have fun with your BMW!)
jtk, if your boss says his M is fast and fun to drive, I'll bet he's never driven the G. I too think the G looks much nicer. They call the M a 'luxury sports sedan', but having driven it, I don't see where the 'sport' part applies. Maybe in the price he paid for it???
Spent the evening driving the RL around. Dammit, this is a nice car.
Satellite radio: the cable TV of radio. Awesome. I couldn't believe my ears when, for the first time in my life, I heard someone say "Fuck" loud and clear on a radio talk show.
BMW 330i (How did BMW's get such a bad rap as materialistic status symbols? Damn yuppies. Nevertheless, a Seriously Fun car to drive.)
It's all about the details:
Cup holders that work like this??!?! What was the design team smoking?
Audi A4 3.2
Bathroom in the Audi dealership. Are neon lights really necessary? lol
