S60 vs G35 vs Acura TL 3.2

[pkallis]

Fellow listers,

Some advice please:

In the universe of choices for a medium sized luxury sedan, our decision
has become more complex, after looking at and test driving a G35 sedan
yesterday. It's a pretty tempting car, snazzy on the styling and
interior appointments, fast as hell (over 90 mph on the test drive),
good handling and roomy.

However, the other two cars, the S60 and the Acura TL are equally
tempting. So far, the advantages of the S60 are proven reliability and
longevity (my '96 850 has over 274,000 miles on it with NO major
problems - essentially the same engine as the S60 non-turbo), good
handling, utility, nice dash and interior layout and size, good resale
value, classical and pleasing styling and safety features.

The Acura does everything right, but does not have the Volvo's or the
Infiniti's dash layout, has unknown (to me) reliability, but just about
everything else is just fine.

The Infiniti sure has some panache to it - so much snazz that you almost
feel guilty about it.

Price is a consideration, but it's still a tough choice and I don't want
emotion to leak into this decision.

Given your collective experiences, what are your views?

Thanks....


PS. We do NOT want to use premium grade fuel.

 

[Rob Guenther]

All three of those care recommend premium. It's bad for an engine designed
to run on premium to run regular, if the sensor dies to adjust the timing
you can really mess up the motor if it starts knocking.

I like the Volvo the best, the Acura is really nice too, and probably less
money to maintain.

The G35 has a garbage (cheaply made) interior, tho it looks flashy and
"nice" (not to me)... It's actually quite cheap in there. The whole car
doesn't appeal to me, everyone seems to have it, and the styling isn't
timeless enough for my tastes.

 

[Steve S]

We have the S60 N/A - premium (91 octane or above) is recommended, and
makes a noticable difference on performance especially and mileage
compared to regular. Complaints with the S60 - this car shrunk down
to a compact compared to the midsized S70. That combined with the
styling (i.e. aero sloping) of the back has made the rear seat area a
very bad design if you need any functionality out of it. I have had
850 as loaners twice - although the S60 is more nimble, you will be
disappointed in the size compared to your current 850. I.e., the
utility of the S60 is less. As far as resale, we are looking to get
rid of the S60, but are completely shocked at how awful resale is -
that is why we have been dragging our feet some. Would suggest
seriously considering your other 2 choices.

 

[John Horner]

The Acura does everything right, but does not have the Volvo's or the
Infiniti's dash layout, has unknown (to me) reliability, but just about
everything else is just fine.

All published reports (CR, etc.) put Acura very high on the reliability
scale, so I would not worry about that.

All three are good vehicles. Buy the one you like the best!

John

 

[John Horner]

How important is back seat room? I found the S60 especially small in the
back seat as compared to our 850.

Volvo seemed to shrink the interior 1/2 size in going from the 850 to the
S60 and they also really shrunk the engine compartment. As someone who does
my own work, the tight fit of the S60 engine compartment bothers me.

John

 

[Benjamin Smith]

How important is back seat room? I found the S60 especially small in the
back seat as compared to our 850.

That's the major problem with the car. The back seat is terribly small,
I'd rather have the car less pretty on the outside and functional on the
inside. I also don't like that Volvo has abandoned tight turning
circles. The old 240s had very tight turning circles, the 700/900s were
also tight and only slightly larger, the front drive 850s/s70s increased
it about a foot, still acceptable. However, the front drivers have
horribly wide turning circles. Maybe it is time to dump transverse
engines, if that's what is accounting for these horrid turning circles.

Volvo seemed to shrink the interior 1/2 size in going from the 850 to the
S60 and they also really shrunk the engine compartment. As someone who does
my own work, the tight fit of the S60 engine compartment bothers me.

Volvo needs to get back to making cars functional inside. The pretty
exteriors are nice, but shouldn't compromised the cars as much as they
do. I'm unimpressed with the starkness of the new s40s and some of the
downscale materials inside, however its back seat is larger than the s60
(but seats are nowhere near as plush and comfortable). I want better
visibility from Volvo, a back seat in all the midsized cars at least as
large as the v70 (which isn't that great). The s80s back seat space is
superb. It also has better visibility. The oldest car in the Volvo line
is the most comfortable. However, the SUV, the xc90 is also superb
inside, with good visibility and a simple interior that works and feels
premium.

Ben