Pure vehicle, no maintenance, no money

[kmooney4]

Here's an interesting thought... if you could be given any of the following for free (no taxes or payments, totally free) AND not have to worry about maintenance at all, which would you pick?

Genesis - G70 3.3T
Audi - S4
BMW - 340i
Infiniti - Q50 Red Sport
Cadillac - ATS (not the "V" but the 3.6L performance engine of the base ATS; it makes 335 HP)
Mercedes - C43 AMG

This is based purely on driving and has no basis on pricing, reliability, maintenance cost, etc... What do you think truly the best driver of all these cars is?

 

[Beefer]

What about the S5 Sportback. Slightly different shape...but still 4 doors?

 

[kmooney4]

What about the S5 Sportback. Slightly different shape...but still 4 doors?

Thought about it... isn't that more in line with the Stinger, BMW 4 Series, and G80... in terms of size?

 

[Beefer]

Thought about it... isn't that more in line with the Stinger, BMW 4 Series, and G80... in terms of size?

Definitely not the G80...and not the Stinger. Probably the 4 series. The S4/S5/S5 Sportback are all pretty much the same...with number of doors and the rear shape being the difference.

 

[Buckdes]

I did choose the c43 but ONLY if it has the performance exhaust, without the exhaust i would have to rethink, i know i am biased but i honestly prfer the G70 exterior look above everything on the list, nice little pole though, also to note on the comments above i will say without a google search that the 4 series is actually shorter than the G70

 

[Edmguy]

I went with the C43, but if the S5 sportback was there I would have gone with it just because I think it is so damn sexy. Drives good too.

And speaking of the C43, have you guys seen the 2019 update? 12.3" screen for the IP and 10.2ish" screen for the nav. Looks impressive. Definitely doesn't affect driving, but one of the few areas the G70 is lacking.

*edit* I also just want to add that even though I would go with the S5 or C43 over the G70, it is not really that they are better driving cars, but they both offer more of a complete package and don't feel like there was as much cost cutting as on the G70. G70 is right there on the driving part (most important part for me personally) and has huge value (also important for me as I put a lot of km on the car each year) but it is just missing a bit that if money was no object I would go with Audi or MB. It is definitely better than the 3 series, even if the price is the same and I am a former BMW fanboy.

 

[Beefer]

I selected the S4...but really it would be the S5 Sportback as well for me. Yes...sexy as hell. Mini S7...how can you go wrong ?

 

[kmooney4]

I went with the C43, but if the S5 sportback was there I would have gone with it just because I think it is so damn sexy. Drives good too.

And speaking of the C43, have you guys seen the 2019 update? 12.3" screen for the IP and 10.2ish" screen for the nav. Looks impressive. Definitely doesn't affect driving, but one of the few areas the G70 is lacking.

I wanted to stick to one offering from each brand for what is the CLOSEST competitor to the G70.

The interior of the new C43 is so sick.....

 

[kmooney4]

I personally find the interior of the G70 to be refined and classy without too many bells and whistles driving the price up... just what I'm looking for

 

[Beefer]

I personally find the interior of the G70 to be refined and classy without too many bells and whistles driving the price up... just what I'm looking for

If only it had an MMI (Audi) type system. My wife has a Pilot with the touchscreen...and constantly having to reach out...look at it...and control it drives me nuts. Yeah...there's a few controls on the steering wheel...but still.

Curious why they didn't do that. All the big players have control of their systems with a "no look" philosophy.

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[kmooney4]

If only it had an MMI (Audi) type system. My wife has a Pilot with the touchscreen...and constantly having to reach out...look at it...and control it drives me nuts. Yeah...there's a few controls on the steering wheel...but still.

Curious why they didn't do that. All the big players have control of their systems with a "no look" philosophy.

Mazda does too... my buddy just a bought a CX5 and it has a rotary dial for controlling the infotainment.

Not a deal breaker for me by any means though... getting a car that drives the way this one does with all the safety tech and everything else makes it worth not having little details like that

 

[BlancaGenny]

The Infiniti is compelling. I like them. I crossed shopped it with the Genesis but went with Pearl. If the Q50 stays in production for a few more years, or something comes along and they rename it, that'll be at the top of my list along with the unicorn Chevy SS.

 

[GenesisYEG]

Probably still the G70 because of how it drives. It is luxurious enough and has the features that the Germans have but I love the aesthetic and more importantly the driving dynamics, especially more than the nose-heavy Audis (I don't really like how most Audis drive other than the R8). The C43 AMG would be close especially with the performance exhaust. ATS is too small. Q50 RS has too sluggish of a tranny. 340i xDrive is all right but isn't as sharp as what I would want.

 

[Gen127]

C43...

 

[Edmguy]

I feel like pointing out that when I was test driving vehicles, the Q50 red sport was the biggest disappointment of all. Horrible handling, tech and transmission. It really felt like the ~5 year old car it is. Desperately needs to be updated.

And my kids response was "Dad, there are no heated seats back here or usb! We aren't animals!" lol

 

[Beefer]

Not to cause any trouble...but I think the C43 is hideous. Preferred the older model. I'd take the G70 over it any day.

 

[kmooney4]

Not to cause any trouble...but I think the C43 is hideous. Preferred the older model. I'd take the G70 over it any day.

I agree... I don't like the way MB has gone with their entry level designs. Too "bubbly and round" for me... I prefer cleaner cut lines like the G70 and Audis have. I will say this though: the MB A-class does look pretty nice. AND the interior on it is very nice to me, very refined and clean cut and that 20-something-inch ultra wide gauge cluster/infotainment screen is incredibly aesthetically pleasing too IMO

 

[canucklehead604]

C43...

^ once i saw that driver reach for those hipster driving gloves this video lost all credibility.

that C43 is pretty sweet, with a killer powertrain and sound. taking the costs for purchase (with the required options) and reliability/maintenance does it a lot of favors for this fantasy poll...

 

[kmooney4]

^ once i saw that driver reach for those hipster driving gloves this video lost all credibility.

that C43 is pretty sweet, with a killer powertrain and sound. taking the costs for purchase (with the required options) and reliability/maintenance does it a lot of favors for this fantasy poll...

And that's the point of this pole... the results are basically what I expected them to be. Maybe I was expecting a few 3 Series votes, but this is pretty much on par with what was to be expected. Now when you throw in price, reliability, etc... I think we can all agree that the G70 is the obvious bang-for-your-buck choice.

 

[canucklehead604]

And that's the point of this pole... the results are basically what I expected them to be. Maybe I was expecting a few 3 Series votes, but this is pretty much on par with what was to be expected. Now when you throw in price, reliability, etc... I think we can all agree that the G70 is the obvious bang-for-your-buck choice.

^ agreed. odd that there's no love for the 340i, but maybe the 2019 model will remedy the dynamic woes of the current F30 model. the S4 is hanging on, but far behind. the ATS non-V is no surprise to see with 0 votes.

while the Q50 is aging, the incentives that are typically available nearing year end make it a bargain. i routinely see up to $10k off MSRP in my area. while it's missing some tech, the RS is a lot of car for the money once incentives are factored. infiniti also has a great warranty which beats Genesis (although no free maintenance). for the purposes of this pole, however, it loses without question.