Go ahead and give
lip service to performance, value, quiet and whatever else you like, but a very large
component of the goodness of these cars is rooted in their emotional impact. If you are
going to invest 50 to 70 grand in a car, every penny of that had better be paying big
enjoyment. The best one out of the group was the Audi, followed by the elegant Jaguar in
style. In all, through, there’s not a loser in the bunch. All five cars look the part
of this class, projecting an aura of affluence wherever they go. |
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The
Cadillac looks heavier and less graceful than their predecessors do. It
also has a strong presence, too, manufactured to a large extent by Cadillac’s
subtantial marketing efforts to position it as a world class luxury. |
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The
Lexus and Infiniti break no daring stylistic ground,
though both look clean and tasteful. But I like the big greenhouse look of the Lexus over
the Infiniti’s more compact roofline. Lexus makes up considerable ground with a
well-earned golden aura of quality and value known far and wide. But the lighter tones and
more open feeling of the Lexus instrument panel to the dark, somewhat paramilitary look of
the Audi’s button-intensive dash. |
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The
Jaguar however has a romantic look and a historic brand image that make
it the standout in this field. Nothing else even comes close. Jaguar’s has a minor
stumble because of its less-than lavish looking audio controls and plain instrument faces.
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Audi’s
position as that of other German luxury carmaker, the A8 may be less likely to dazzle the
man on the street like the Jaguar. This, in spite of the fact that the A8 can hardly be
faulted in performance respects. Both Audi and Lexus impress the buyers with the close,
accurate fit of their exterior body panels and their carefully crafted interior details. |
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All five
cars have leather-line interiors accented with real wood with the exception of the
Infiniti’s old growth polystyrene panels. All these subtle factors and many more
combine to create a car’s overall impression of luxury and quality. On that count,
the Lexus LS 400 comes across as the best made car here. The Audi too, is strong in this
respect, trailed closely by the jaguar and Infiniti. The Cadillac is far, far from being a
penalty box, but is falls short of being the class act of this class.
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