Teh Car Blogz

Among the most hotly contested “premium” markets is that for “mid-sized” luxury sedans. The mid-size luxury sedan has always been the dominant “image car” market, and is a hotbed for new technology and unique design. Because there are so many manufacturers fighting for a relatively small amount of dollars (compared to, say, the market for compact-sized economy cars), manufacturers really need to put every last ounce of their expertise and know-how into their products, as well as trying as hard as they can to adequately differentiate their product without alienating their core clientele. Oh, and these cars have to do EVERYTHING right - when your vehicles sell in the $50,000+ range to people with real jobs aiming at the upper end of their automotive budget, it can be hard to convince people they NEED that car. They need to be classy, they need to perform well, they need to be comfortable, and they need to have that “something special” to get people to sign on the dotted line.

For the longest time, there have been two main players in this field - the Mercedes E-class, and the BMW 5-series. The E-class was the Yin to the 5-series’ Yang - classic luxury and sedate lines verses taught suspension and BMW’s trademark minimalism. Of course, this market has expanded greatly in the last few years and things aren’t so cut and dry. So where does Infiniti’s M lineup fit into this equation? Well, that’s what we’re here to find out.

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Since it’s introduction in 1996, the Audi A4 has been a key player in the entry-level luxury car market. For a while, Audi was merely happy playing second-fiddle to BMW’s sublime 3-series. That’s not a bad market position to be in, when you’re just coming off of a massive PR scare involving 5000’s that like to run people over of their own accord. Well, actually, mainly due to driver error. But that’s another story for another day.

But with the introduction of the updated (B6 chassis) A4 in 2002, Audi went after the big dog full-force. The new A4 was larger, more refined, more luxurious, and faster - including the 4.2L V8-powered S4.

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BMW’s 3-series cars (sedans, coupes, wagons, and convertibles) have long been well-known by the public and well-loved by the media for being the best at what they do - delivering a perfectly balanced mix of performance, luxury, quality, and class. The 3-series has been on Car and Driver’s 10 Best list for at least as long as I’ve been alive, and with good reason. They’re simply fantastic cars. The 3-series has inspired innumerable replicas and wanna-be’s, but very rarely do they ever come close to dethroning the immortal 3 from it’s spot at the top. Since the debut of the E30-generation 3-series in 1982, BMW’s small star has been the one to beat - and only recently have competitors started to come close. Small luxury sedans from Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Infiniti, Lexus, Cadillac, Jaguar, Saab, Volvo, Lincoln, Subaru, Acura and many others I can’t even remember have tried to beat the 3-series at it’s own game, and most have failed in one way or another. Acura TL - too front wheel drive. Infiniti G35 - too loud and unrefined. Mercedes C-class - too boring. Lexus IS - not enough power, too boring. Cadillac CTS - too big, heavy, and American. Ditto the Lincoln LS. While this competition has produced some truly great cars, what it’s ended up producing is some even greater 3-series.

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