[BMWM3DREAM]

Well I've driven a lot of cars this past year and all of them were disappointing

Lexus HS - sucked

Mercedes ML 350 - was okay for a car that size, smooth, decent power delivery

IS 250 - not very good, feels cheap, seats too soft

Lexus ES 350 - smooth, decent drive but the car felt so artifical, one of the worst cars I've driven

Cadillac CTS - major disappointment, seats were good, cabin is decent, drive is lackluster, power delivery is decent, handling is poor, cheap feeling when driving

Cadillac STS - sucked, way too heavy, boring interior, I thought a Cadillac would be better

BMW 328i sedan - Without the sports package, the car feels kind of like a lexus but more solid, feels like night and day compared to my 335i coupe

[BFD99]

2007 Audi S4 - 6 Speed, Black leather, nice car, ran decent, felt like the stock exhaust was stopping it up though.
2012 Lexus IS350 Sport - Nice car, nice interior, ran decent, just didn't have that wow factor for me.
2010 BMW 135i - non sport, red with tan interior, tiptronic, made me want a 135i, just not in that color or in an auto. Really blew me away on the test drive. I walked away wanting this car badly. My main reason for getting one. LOL

[BMWM3DREAM]

Mercedes E 350 or E 550? Anyone?

[Q4P]

Originally Posted by Bmoney2K4

Mercedes E 350 or E 550? Anyone?

would a 2010 CLS550 work? Nice car, looks great, beautiful mercedes benz V8 which is the same that is used in the E550 and S550. Unortunately, it is an old man's cars and it tells you that as soon as you get in it. Air suspension is very soft and the interior is way too plush for my tastes. Gives you that somewhat "disconnected feeling" that large sedans provide. Fit and finish is excellent and acceleration is certainly solid for such a large vehicle. Navigation is garbage, it is the same unit that was used in the previous gen E-class based off DVD's, it couldn't find earth even if it tried.

verdict - if I was older, I'd certainly buy one, the new one is even better from what I hear

[saeyedoc]

Test drove the new CLS550 last weekend, great engine, handles well for a big car, beautiful interior, good tech. Good value for the $$.
Also recently:
2012 S4: fast, handles well, liked it alot
2010 Panamera V6- nice interior, handles like a much smaller car, needs more power
2012 Jaguar XF- not impressed, nice interior, too soft for my tastes

[dargloss02]

I havent driven anything cool like the rest of yall, but I found a Ferrari F40 at a restaurant and took a picture of myself motioning my key to the door like it was my car. Thats all i got.

[saeyedoc]

This past weekend:
2011 IS-F: nice car, very fast, great engine sound over 4k, nice interior.
2012 IS-350, regular and F-line- decent power, but too soft
2009 M3 Coupe- now we're talking, great handling, power and luxury, I think we have a winner
2012 Infiniti M- wife couldn't get past the looks, never test drove it.

[Memphis1]

2012 RR Evoque
2012 Porsche carrera gts
2012 MB C-63 coupe (matte gray) WOW!!!
2012 BMW 650i coupe
2012 audi a6
waiting for the 2013 lexus GS350

looking to get something new... otherwise i really don't test drive this much

[CJ421]

Originally Posted by Memphis1

2012 RR Evoque
2012 Porsche carrera gts
2012 MB C-63 coupe (matte gray) WOW!!!
2012 BMW 650i coupe
2012 audi a6
waiting for the 2013 lexus GS350

looking to get something new... otherwise i really don't test drive this much

Nice list. How was the 650i? Have you driven a 3 series and can offer some comparisons?

[BMWM3DREAM]

Originally Posted by Memphis1

2012 RR Evoque
2012 Porsche carrera gts
2012 MB C-63 coupe (matte gray) WOW!!!
2012 BMW 650i coupe
2012 audi a6
waiting for the 2013 lexus GS350

looking to get something new... otherwise i really don't test drive this much

Yeah, C63 looks like a beast but I'd definitely pick a slightly more used E63, current body, of course.

[graider]

Originally Posted by Memphis1

2012 RR Evoque
2012 Porsche carrera gts
2012 MB C-63 coupe (matte gray) WOW!!!
2012 BMW 650i coupe
2012 audi a6
waiting for the 2013 lexus GS350

looking to get something new... otherwise i really don't test drive this much

sheesh, atleast describe your experience on each one.

[eamon]

Too many to list
Favorites:
1) CAYMAN S (have yet to drive a 911)
2) M5 and M6. Actually liked it better than the m3, guess this is because I'm not worried about tracking, but I drive very spiritedly.
3) C63 AMG. Awesome.
4) Corvette

The Cayman and Corvette were the most fun to drive of every car I've driven, but I just could not pick which one my favorite is between these 3 overall.

[BMWM3DREAM]

Can anyone else write a review of any cars they've driven recently?

[Arben72]

2010 s550- I got to drive it around the dealers parking lot due to my age, ended up buying it. Very soft and blends in with other cars surprisingly well.
2011 s550- Didn't feel special over the 2010 and was the exact same thing so we passed up on it.
2012 s550- 429 hp and 510 ft/lb of torque. Need I say more.
2011 c63- Loved everything about the car, except the brake feel absolutely killed it for me.
I never personally drove a e9x m3 before buying it due to the fact that the only dealer that lets me test drive cars never had it in stock.

[Turbo>NA]

2009 m3: great dd. overall weak for me. It felt only a bit faster then my old 335i.

2012 s4: great overall car, great interior and drive response. Still lacks balancing on turns. Great sound system.

2006 s/c M3 (500hp). Fun car, great noise. Style is out dated, but great track toy.

2008 997 carrera s: great car, harsh for speed bumps and pot holes.

[Notion-Za]

2012 Subaru STI - Loved it but a bit pricey for what it is
2011 Audi TT RS - Awesome sound, comfortable, fun to drive, understeer
2012 Porsche Boxster S - Well balanced, dual intanke cones sound awesome, PDK is amazing, Options are a joke with pricing, Once you loose it you will see your ass
2011 Bmw 640i vert - Comfortable, enjoyable but no real feeling
2012 Mercedes C63 amg - Half the price of the car is for that engine and the sound of it is just out of this world, Save money for tyres because it slides like a beast.

Not test drives but given the keys to:

'08 F430 - One day when im big... Not as fast as you think but the driving experience is the best I have ever had
'08 Lamborghini Gallardo - That V10 sounds awesome, Hard seats, dead steering, awkwardly placed pedals, annoying that the flappy padels don't move with the steering wheel
'11 Camaro SS (locally supercharged, privately imported) - Custom exhaust displaced an amazing V8 rumble, Engine felt a little lazy, dead steering, dead clutch, drifting machine.

[Greenkirby21]

I can list shitty cars I've gotten from dealership when i was under 21 and wasn't allowed a BMW loaner.

1) 2012 Ford Focus - Pretty good car. Reminded me of my VW rabbit I had in 2008. Steering was good, brakes were good. It was the sedan version which I think looks hideous. Also, I don't like the center console on that car.

2) 2012 Ford Explorer Black Edition - I was upgraded cars by enterprise after waiting so long because they had no regular cars to rent out. To be honest this car was not bad and was a good SUV. I was surprised by the sticker price, but overall the experience was good. The cool stuff I enjoyed was the radio(sony system that looked very ipodish) and the speedometer was one of the newer ones that use a LCD screen and display lots of info(like the new 5 series ones).

Since it was an SUV, the riding was of course not the best .

3) 2011 Chevy Impala Limited? I think I can't really remember. Car felt long, steering felt crap. This car has 300 hp and I floored it and it didn't feel fast compared to my 128i. Probably because it was FWD.

4) 2011 Toyota Corolla.
The steering wheel felt SOOOOO lose, like it wiggled and crap. The BMW steering wheel feels super firm compared to this and when turning it felt so fake like I was turning the wheel but I couldn't feel the car do anything.

Also, the car had 60k miles, the interior looked like someone split a drink on it. I almost rear ended the car in front of me because the brakes were so bad. If you slam on the brakes you can definitely tell the car has bad stopping power because of the drums in the rear. Under heavy braking you feel the rear come loose a bit.

My GF has this car, and I have driven hers, and it wasn't nearly as bad as the loaner I got. I feel like enterprise gave me a car where the brakes haven't been checked or anything -_-

5) 2011 VW Tiguan base model. 200 hp engine from the GTI. Was a pretty good car. Just felt like a normal crossover. Engine was much more quiet though, and also its FWD SUV and it didn't like it too much if I floored it. Interior was crap compared to the GTI or even the 25k this is worth. For a 2011 model, it has the exact same radio as my 2008 vw rabbit did. I wasn't expecting it from a 25k car.

[wisesoul]

Originally Posted by Notion-Za

2012 Subaru STI - Loved it but a bit pricey for what it is
2011 Audi TT RS - Awesome sound, comfortable, fun to drive, understeer
2012 Porsche Boxster S - Well balanced, dual intanke cones sound awesome, PDK is amazing, Options are a joke with pricing, Once you loose it you will see your ass
2011 Bmw 640i vert - Comfortable, enjoyable but no real feeling
2012 Mercedes C63 amg - Half the price of the car is for that engine and the sound of it is just out of this world, Save money for tyres because it slides like a beast.

Not test drives but given the keys to:

'08 F430 - One day when im big... Not as fast as you think but the driving experience is the best I have ever had
'08 Lamborghini Gallardo - That V10 sounds awesome, Hard seats, dead steering, awkwardly placed pedals, annoying that the flappy padels don't move with the steering wheel
'11 Camaro SS (locally supercharged, privately imported) - Custom exhaust displaced an amazing V8 rumble, Engine felt a little lazy, dead steering, dead clutch, drifting machine.

You were able to experience understeer on the TT-RS during a test drive? I've read that the limits are pretty high for that car to understeer

[MisterSkiMask]

I test drove a 2013 Audi S4 today, I barely consider it a test drive, the car had no gas (computer showing 0 miles to empty). My major concern with a car these days is the transmission and power delivery.

Generally speaking, I have not been a big fan of the flappy paddle gear box. I had an E60 M5 and did not particularly like SMG around town, it was/is great on the highway. I have also tested a Panamera Turbo of course with PDK (it was a much better 'here are the keys' test drive). Now that I think of it, I have test driven an M3 and 135i to test their flappy paddles.

Thoughts:
I think the S4s DSG is programmed the best of any that I have driven. With the others, when you take your foot off the brake the car is still waiting for you to do something before it reacts, to me it feels confused and hesitant and then it reacts (and in some cases over-reacts). When you take your foot off of the brake in the S4 the clutch starts to take up and you start to move forward, it feels much more like a traditional automatic and like it knows what it is supposed to do. They are all fantastic at speed and on the freeway.

Power delivery: I would like to spend more time with it, but I liked the way the S4 made power. It is very smooth and builds in a linear fashion (which is my second favorite). The M5's V-10 has kind of screwed me up, I love the somewhat peaky nature of a screaming N/A engine its more exciting. I also had a 335i N54 auto, I didn't love the way it made power (not 'tuned' it was wifes dd) a little jerky off idle and runs out of breath up top. The S4 behaves more like a N/A then the 335 or the P-Turbo for that matter. One other thing, (again this may be the M5's fault) the S4 seems to run out of tach quickly, and when I wanted a downshift it was unwilling (maybe it would have caused an over-rev) or unable grant my request.

The thing that bumps me the most about the S4 is the variable assist of the power steering. At low speed it is so light and artificial it doesn't feel like the steering wheel is connected to anything, at speed it didn't seem to bother me, but like I said very short test drive.

I will test drive the new 335i or perhaps xi when it comes out, but for the first time in my life I am leaning toward the Audi (I have had more BMW's then any other car), but I don't like the direction that BMW is heading in these days, I suspect that I would like the Panamera GTS best of all but due to another recent large purchase it wouldn't be prudent for me to spend that kind of money this time around.

[Notion-Za]

Originally Posted by wisesoul

You were able to experience understeer on the TT-RS during a test drive? I've read that the limits are pretty high for that car to understeer

Let me restate that. Quattro. It handles like a beast but you definitely feel a difference compared to rwd.

[BMWM3DREAM]

Does anyone have any more reviews?

[Jonny954]

Alright...

1) Mercedes E350 (current) - Drive it every other day since my mother's car but yea lacks power basically when used to a 335i, very, very comfortable and a nice ride. Roomy and good finish, nice styling as well. Steering is way to soft, you can steer easily with just one finger. Brakes are ok, but lack the feel my bmw has.

2) Mercedes CL600 (current) - What a beautiful car, looots of power from the V12, but a little on the heavy side. Comfortable ride, very quick, especially above 50+ mph. All the luxury one wants and a crazy price tag lol. Steering felt pretty decent and good brakes. Accelerator had a good feel.

3) Camaro SS - good styling, good torque but felt slow...cheap interior, pedal feel was alright, nice sound but very poor visibility.

4) Cadillac CTS - disappointing overall. Cheap quality, bad pedal and steering feel.

5) Chevy Impala - It was a rental car in NV, and oh boy this was probably the worst car I have ever driven. Cloth seats which felt like grandma's couch, cheap interior, no power (base engine), terrible pedal feel and brakes. Same goes for steering. One thing however, the ride was very soft which I guess can be counted as positive lol.

6) Lexus Is250 - Bmw drive event....power was ok, interior ok, overall it felt like a copy of a mercedes....

7) Mercedes c250 - Nice interior, cool std steering wheel, brakes were not bad, pedal feel pretty good, acceleration felt faster than it actually was. Needs more power...

Can't think of any other ones right now, but I'm still waiting to take my father's panamera 4s for a spin hehe