gogo_vs

Like Atlanta A6 already said, it is a good article but I do not agree with the final results. There is no way the E350 is better the BMW. Here are my subjective rankings:

1. Audi A6
2. BMW 535ix
3. Cadillac CTS
4. Mercedes E350

SmokingTires

I read the article yesterday. A6 was praised for being a better rounded car. Strong acceleration, great tranny, best roadholding, classic beauty, gorgeous interior. The demerits were spongy break pedal and not super-communicative steering (but better than BMW and MB).

Caddy was hailed as the new BMW. It had the best handling, best steering, shortest stopping distance (by 20 ft) which was in the Porsche Cayman territory, lightest car and most fun to drive. It lost some points for some engine harshness in full throttle acceleration and over-done interior. From reading the article, it feels that the Caddy should've won (I don't necessarily think that, but the editor's comments were leading up to that).

BMW really shouldn't have placed 4th. I don't think it's behind MB in my opinion. MB is the Buick of the group (no offense to the new Buicks, which are surprisingly well engineered, since they share the same platform with the Caddy). So, I only disagree with the 3rd and 4th place, not really 1st and 2nd.

Nor surprising for an Audi to take the top spot, but kudos to Caddy for a dramatic turnaround.

in2dwww

Perhaps C&D is hedging for long-term reliability as well? I've lived through horror stories on MB and BMW expenses, but they were nothing compared to the rumors of self-destructive Caddilacs at 100k miles.

SmokingTires

From reading C&D over many years I never noticed they cared an iota about the reliability of cars. That's why BMWs were always rated at the top there and never knocked down for reliability issues, no matter how widespread.

You guys should really go read www.bimmerfest.com forums for F10(current 5-er). The owners are soooooooo hurt. Accusing C&D that "checks from BMW stopped coming" and they punish the Beemer to "I never cared for C&D opinion" to all competitors are ugly have terrible design. It's so funny to read all that. But it's true, not many dispute A6's top spot. They are mostly furious about MB and Caddy placing higher.

luv2sleep

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? There's no one perfect car in this category but if it were up to me, the ranking would be:
1) A6
2) 535
3) E350
4) Cadi

I've considered the 535 but really couldn't get past its looks. The E350 is something that my wife would drive (not very exciting). As for the Cadi... not really into them. Only GM product I'd pay my hard earned $$$ would be the new vette.

salvadorik

I could not agree with this more!

Mike_L

I couldn't disagree more. The Caddy is clearly a better car than either the BMW or Benz. Its not an attractive car, but its a better car. The Audi and Caddy are obviously battling for spots one and two, with BMW and Benz playing for the 3rd and 4th spots.

Maverick61

I have not read the article, but I cross shopped most of these (except the Cadillac - too many horror stories about reliability) and I would have it

1) A6
2) E350
3) 535
4) Cadi

I actually liked the MB. And I previously owned two 5 series Bimmers and had never considered a Benz. But to me the E350 is a better car for the money than the 535

atlanta A6

Wait until they test the CTS-V with 420 HP!

iBetterDoNow

There are CTS v-sport and CTS-V. V-sport has 420HP and V will have more. Last time I checked.