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I dragged my 21 mo old son (who is already a car fiend) and my very indulging wife to the NE Int'l Auto Show on Saturday. Had the chance to sit in several new vehicles. The following are some thoughts (comparisons are to my 2000 Aero 5 spd).
2005 Infinti G35x - Surprised by how much better the interior is now; center stack is much improved; the rosewood is actually attractive; rear seat leg room is deceivingly big - felt much bigger than the 34" in the specs; horsepower and torque up from 2004 to 280 and 260 (i think); unfortunately, the G35x is not available in the 6 spd manual. Sporty without being flashy. This car will get very serious consideration after the Aero.
2005 Volvo s60R - Interior is overdone IMO; rear seat headroom is disappointing, as is rear-seat legroom; I really like the exterior styling - others may not.
2005 Subaru Legacy GT - I was shocked by how small this thing is. Front seat shoulder room is severely lacking; the controls felt flimsy; love the idea of 250 hp and 250 lb ft and awd, but this one won't do it given the limitations of the interior (rear seat also does not fold flat).
2005 Audi A6 3.2 - Car has really grown, or at least appears to have, and not in a good way. I dislike the new face, also dislike the new rear with the chrome strip across the trunk lid. Interior gets many accolades, but I can't seem to find a comfortable driving position. Price - my G*d - has risen dramatically and I think well-appointed will run at least $50k.
2005 Acura RL - Attractive, but I had no emotional reaction to it. Seems a little compact relative to its competition. Interior was the most handsome of the bunch IMO. Trunk space was small given the short rear overhang, but the rear seats were OK. Also at least $50k. I will think about this one, but it's not a front runner.
2005 MB E320 - What a solid impression. Interior felt very rich. This was my wife's favorite. Maybe when I'm 50.
2005 Volvo s40 t5 awd - A nice little package for not a lot of money. Rear seat was surprisingly roomy for its overall size. Found a good driving position, but the belt line was high, so I felt a little enclosed.
I also heard a rumor from the BMW North America guy that the 2006 530i will be offered with AWD in the summer. 530xi? Apparently there was not enough room in front with the 4.5 litre v-8 to do a 545xi.
posted by 68.163.133...
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