It’s a shame Acuras are so dreary. Those guys could build cars. Now they build appliances.

I’d not own a Merc made this century out of warranty.

Subaru’s main drawback is they’re getting more complex yet Subaru still makes them, not Honda. Bummer.

I’m waiting for all my drivetrains to fail so I can go full electric but I’ve got more cars than people so it’ll be a while.

Have you thought about near-future electrics instead of older tech?

 

I've not driven any of the vehicles mentioned in the title except my 2002 WRX, nor any Subaru since my 2008 OBXT. So I'm far out of date on sportyish driving. Hell, My MGA is as sporty as I get, and it still needs engine work... I have driven Deb's 2017 Mazda CX5, which is probably better than any car I've driven. It is definitely better all around than her 2008 Mercedes C300. Daughter's 2019 Toyota RAV4 is pretty similar.

Have you thought about near-future electrics instead of older tech?

As for me, I've gone the opposite route; My 2016 4Runner is 2010 technology, lacks nothing and is extremely reliable. I like reliable these days. Which is why somewhere on the Pacific is my next (and maybe last) non-toy vehicle. A big SUV with a big V8 and nearly 20 year old technology. I don't care about the latest gizmos or 27" screens. I like knobs and buttons. I like to drive rather than be told where I should drive and if someone is too close. I like being responsible for what I do on the road rather than rely on something that might break at any moment. I like having the steering wheel and brake pedal physically attached to their respective equipment rather than routed through a computer. Get 'em before they're gone!

I'm getting old...

 

I'm on the fence with Kia and Hyundai. I see a lot of them, but the ones owned by people I know personally are not exactly beloved. Its always the same general story. Glad it has a long ass warranty.

Thats not to say Subaru is not without fault. The EJ has been a long time thorn in owners sides, as have the CVT's. Id guess the newer FA platform seems to be a step in the right direction for Subaru and the WRX, hopefully that momentum follows through to the STI. If the STI does in fact return for any period of time. They are kind of alone in their class, and that doesn't speak for the longevity of a platform.

I am a bigger fan of BMW than Mercedes. That said, my love of BMW comes down to their i6 engines, and the S85 v10. Everything around those two units is dubious and iffy, hell the S85 is a little dubious itself. Any of that aside, straight driving enjoyment my e60 550i was a dream. It ripped like a compact car and it was a land barge. I miss it, but don't regret selling it.

 

The E21 BMW 315 was a solid car. I think the 1,500 cc engine made over 75HP. The steering wheel was yacht sized and the shift knob was the one with the disk shape. The rear suspension would pirouette the car under any:all circumstances but hey it said BMW on it and you could buy a 320 emblem.

 

SD and XJ,

Two of the folks I'd hoped might chime in. SD, since I think you are across the pond, you bring a different perspective. Smaller engines and other models that did not make our shores. I must say, you have knowledge of some truly quirky vehicles. The cool factor is high. SD, I really understand about not wanting a Benz out of warranty. Either our little 4 pot, which was bought one step up from the base model and doesn't have all of the nannies or my CLS would be sketchy to own without a warranty. Needless to say, having an AWD, DCT, 4 pot boosted to 375HP is cause enough for concern. The CLS with the hybrid assist and nearly every bell and whistle available is some electrical nightmare in waiting.

XJ, we had a 2008 530i and a 2009 335i roadster. The engines were silky smooth. The boosted 335 was a bit concerning. We had an extended warranty on it for the engine and the retractable hard top convertible. The 530 was a lease and turned into another one of the SOs Jaguars (way cool XF with 5.0 liter V8 - banging quick car).

XJ, one of the drivers of my decision on the Benz was the in-line 6. Memory, time and advancement of technology make this last a bit of a questionable statement .....I find the Benz 6 to be even smoother and silkier than the 530i's in-line 6.

Hopefully, someone has some further input on the Genesis and Kia vehicles. Don't throw things at me. In my hood of Audis, Benzes, Lexuses and BMWs with the odd Lincoln or Cadillac, there isn't a single Genesis or Kia luxury vehicle. Some of the younger up and comers (the split in the hood - old f@rts down sizing - us and younger up an comers in their middle house before the McMansion) have some of the Kia SUVs. I just don't know any of them.

 

For my personal car, I don't think the Benz or the Stinger are available with a manual, so no sale. I looked hard at the Genesis Coupe, years ago, before buying the BRZ. My sense of it was, from reviews (sadly I didn't actually drive one), was that it looked Great on paper, but didn't add up to quite the sports car it was supposed to be.

But I'd want to eval that for myself, so I guess I'd want to get behind the wheel of an STI and a Genesis, and see what's what.

The soon-to-be-available 2022 (?) Golf R is supposed to be a nice bit of kit..I have a natural distrust of modern VW's, since a rented Jetta died on the highway and nearly killed me, but it is supposed to be a nice platform.

 

Ray, it is good to see you post. Mercedes does not make any vehicle with a manual transmission that I can name. Some of the AMGs come with DCTs (the AMG 45 has a 7 speed DCT). I don't know about the Stinger. The one I drove had the auto. That isn't surprising as it was sitting on the dealers lot. The whole Genesis brand is intriguing to me. I'm not there yet. But I like what I've been reading. That doesn't necessarily translate into a blissful ownership experience, though. Ray, I share your fear of VW products. I've had a couple of friends who had a few too many issues with their Golf Rs.

Steve, I applaud your back to basics motif. As I have aged, I have grown to appreciate drivers' aids. I don't want to rely on them. Goodness knows that I have spent a good bit of time in either HPDE or drivers' academies working on honing my drivers' skills. However, the comfort of a 360 degree camera when trying to park without knocking off a $2K front canard or splitter is comforting. Same as backing out (I try to always back in, but there are lapses) of a tight parking space. The cross traffic alert system is a nice safety net. Unfortunately, the back/neck doesn't rotate as freely or as far as it used to.

 

Ha "back to basics", I'm resto-modding a basket case '75 Bug, so..yeah, about as basic as it gets.

 

My memories of my '69 Bug are less than stellar. Great snow car. It would go places in foul weather. Heater was a .... well they said it had a heater. You needed an ice scraper inside the car.

True story: I took my driver's test (1971) in a two seated VW pickup. That is a vehicle that I wish I still had.

 

One of the cars my gf test drove had that lane thing. It was really strange. It felt hyper active and kept pushing the car around the lane.

 

I have an active interest in the Genesis G70 over it’s sister car the Stinger. It has a more dialed in suspension and better brake/steering performance & feel based on all the reviews. Plus it’s smaller and lighter. Yes, please.

 

Jay, if you can get any more information .... Let's just say that I or the SO are prepared to do something car stupid again. We both have all the reservations about the name. Nothing to base that on, just a bit of a skepticism. We have a long track record of making bad car decisions (OK - clarification - we both will trade / buy cars often). Either one of the Benzes are up for a bad decision (yes, I really like them both. The SO has an itchy check book).

 

We absolutely love our Stelvio. It already passed the road trip test. Round trip from MI to CO. Superbly comfortable. Quick. Compliant. Handles like a hot hatch. Some weirdness/quirks...? Sure. What car doesn’t anymore? My list of cars is at about 20-25 though. Who knows what I’ll end up with...
I look at everything from MPG to 5 year cost of ownership to insurance to OTD cost to 0-60mph to slalom Gs. I’m picky and impulsive at the same time.

 

Got bored today actually. Was looking at Supras for shits n giggles. Got pretty high on the idea of a 2.0 version. Then I went back to a car I keep going back to. So...I’m test driving an M240i on Saturday. It’s basically a luxury Supra w/ the same motor more or less. I look forward to a 6 cylinder again. We’ll see what happens.

 

Back from Shreveport. I-49 is still not smooth. Still, in response to some aggravation from trucks (one of them a logging truck) and an @$$hole in a big jacked-up pickup truck wanting to climb in my back seat (in a portion that runs through Mexico), I let the in-line 6 eat. The 9 speed slush box was quick (enough) to kick down to 4th. 500+ pound feet of torque does get thing moving. The rest is a turbine like pull that remains truly unruffled to 7,000 RPMs; again and again as it steps through the gears. The rest was steady state cruising at the 75MPH speed limit (plus fudge factor). The Redline 360C was barking often. The crowd sourcing on the App was lively, too. Bottom line is that the 6 pot was butter smooth. The ride quality is very, very good. Gas mileage was 26MPG on the entire trip and 29MPG on the run coming home (3 days of city driving thrown into this average).

Our last BMW was the 335i hard top convertible. That morphed into a SUV and then my Subaru WRX. I like the way the Supra looks. My old (sold his house) neighbor had a M240. He was a doctor. I was the bad neighbor. He often joked with me about the cold start on the ZL1. That's how I became friends with my neighbor on the other side. He had just started to settle in when I cranked off the ZL1. He came over to find out if it was a Z06 or a ZL1. He had just sold his Z06. I can easily see why there is a pull to the M240. Stupid question: Does the new one have that butt ugly front grill thing treatment?

 

Thanks! Pretty geeked. Always wanted an inline 6.

 

It was in Road & Track or one of those car magazines, decades ago (yea, when you actually bought car magazines). It was a car comparison test and BMW was one of the cars. The writer's line, BMW's jewel like in-line 6 cylinder engine, has always stuck with me. Great cars are dangerous. They can lead to an addiction that drains your bank account, causes relationship stress (yes, I've been told: Its me or the car more than once... I shoulda kept the car every time) and can lead to associations with other questionable types.

 

Hey, I still get car magazines monthly!!