Note: What follows are my thoughts on cars that I have driven in my search for a new vehicle. I'm hoping to focus on how cars would react in real, Houston conditions. Not whether they have "tech" or how sporty they are or what their 0-60 time may be (although I will discuss those things). I hope that you come away from this with a better idea how a car would be in everyday conditions, not around a test track. What follows is my opinion, and my opinion only. I have not received any compensation or influence in writing this other than my own impressions on each vehicle. Your mileage may (and will) vary. Finally, the following should not be considered either an offer, or advice, on whether YOU should buy a particular car or not. Go out and make your own decisions.
Part 1: The KIA Optima
Part 2: The Dodge Dart
Part 3: The Toyota Camry
Part 4: The Mercedes CLA 250
When searching for a car there are always quite a few that don't make the grade. After all, despite the fact that your intention is to take everything out for a test drive you do eventually get tired of the constant high-pressure and (at times) downright rude treatment by car dealers. Since it's impossible to write full reviews of all the cars, I've decided to do a summary post of some cars there that I felt didn't warrant further consideration after my first look-see. Since I didn't spend any time driving these cars (although I did at least sit in most of them to get a feel for the interior) I don't think it's fair to rate them or say too much about how they drive.
Acura ILX: When Toyota created Lexus they designed the cars under that badge to be among the best engineered and built cars they could possibly make. Acura's have never quite reached that level and feel more like Hondas with just enough baubles to allow them to charge extra. I took a peek at the ILX but didn't feel it was a serious contender for many of the reasons I didn't go with the Mercedes Benz CLA 250. It seems a little pricey for what you get and, if you want the standard options, it becomes fairly expensive. I also worried about build quality and have a latent distrust of any 4-door sedan marketed as "sporty". Although Edmunds.com states the ride is pretty good it also knocked the ILX for a dodgy transmission and cheap feeling interior. If I'm paying a premium price, I don't want to think that the company has designed something on a budget.
Chevrolet Malibu: The car that always has the non-automotive press buzzing but fails to awe the automotive community. The Malibu reminds me of the American Camry, a car that's just kind of there. Add to the fact that I'm not a fan of GM and you have a car that I'm just inclined to ignore. It's also bone ugly. When I buy a car I plan on owning it for a while, I just couldn't see myself happy in a Malibu.
Audi A3 - Starting at $30,000 it's really just a Jetta with 4WD and nicer 'stuff' tacked onto the chassis. When you start to add amenities the price of this can really start to climb. The question for Audi's is always the same (to me): How much more than a similarly equipped Volkswagen are you willing to pay for what is basically badge prestige?
Mercedes C-Class - With the introduction of the CLA it appears that Mercedes has upped the price about $8K but made no improvements to the product. Yes, they put in a bigger base model engine (the C 250 has gone the way of the dodo and the C is now the bottom of the range) but properly equipped this car is going to cost nearly double any non-luxury badged car with similar equipment. There was a time, in the past, that Mercedes purchase made sense because they were head and shoulders above everyone in terms of reliability. That's not so much the case today on the C & CLA.
Nissan Altima - Actually, I was intending to test drive an Altima but when I went to AutoNation Nissan in Katy we walked around the lot for 45 minutes without a dealer in sight. I'd driven one a few years back however and wasn't impressed with the value for money, or the CVT transmission they use.
Mitsubishi Lancer - The only Mitsubishi that I like is the EVO, which they no longer make. That said, if you wanted to get into budget rally racing I would recommend finding a second-hand Outlander to strip down and retrofit allowing you to have a lot of fun for the money.
Infiniti Q40 - First off, it's not an attractive looking car. Secondly, I have difficulty paying this price for what is basically an Altima with nicer stuff added to it. Again, properly equipped this car is going to get pricey.
Lexus IS - Except for the front grill it's a pretty thing. I would also feel constantly like I overpaid for a sporty Toyota Avalon.
BMW 3 Series - Price wise, the base model 3 Series is actually OK. The problem is that when you start trying to equip it in a similar manner as the non-luxury badges it gets very pricey. Behind Mercedes, I've always had a soft spot for Bavarian Motor Works and when I drove a 528i as a rental on a business trip (No, I didn't pay that rate, it was given to me because they were out of intermediate cars) I thought it might be the best road car I've ever driven. The problem with the 3-series is that it won't be near as good as the 5-series that I drove but I'll still be paying a premium.
If you're noticing a trend from me on luxury badged cars you would be correct, especially at the lower end of the range. I said at the beginning of this that I'm not a believer in badge prestige. I also am shopping for what amounts to a commuter car so paying a premium to keep up with the Joneses doesn't make sense to me. This doesn't mean that these are bad cars. In fact, I think the Mercedes C-300, the BMW 3-series and the Audi A3 are very good cars. I think the Lexus IS and the Infiniti Q 40 are good cars as well. I just can't justify the extra expense that would be required to purchase one.
You might feel differently about this and, I should note, I think that is wonderful. If everyone had the same taste in cars as I we would all drive the same thing and that would be boring. I didn't want to purchase any of these cars, but I'm not advocating that you shouldn't have the choice to do so.
After this I'm down to basically 3 cars:
1. Ford Fusion
2. Subaru Legacy
3. Volkswagen Jetta
I did purchase one of these three and you won't be surprised to find out it was the highest rated on my list.
