Tested: Eight-Way 2005 Luxury Sports Sedan Showdown

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Shallow_wanderer@reddit

They went so far downhill after 2013 - the Q60 was basically the last gasp of that brand

If they were smart they'd take the 400Z platform and build another FX35 on top of that

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Those S type Jags and Merc E class were even more ugly than I remember. Those things really aged the worst. The Acura RL still looks great. I think we should give some respect to BMW for basically creating the groundworks for an interior layout we see in just about every single car being made today.

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Onionsteak@reddit

I had almost forgotten there was a moment when Infiniti made world beating products, almost spat out my coffee seeing the M45 in first place

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clickstops@reddit

M45 is still underrated.

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Pinecone@reddit

Don't forget the M56 with its V8. Rare though

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BTTWchungus@reddit

I wish they kept the classy styling of the 2002-2003 models

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clickstops@reddit

Yeah they were a really unique design. I dig them.

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thelastlugnut@reddit

I’ve had a CL search set for a 2003-2004 M45 for over three years in my major west coast city. Only one hit, a year ago, and it was a 200k beater. Someday I’ll have one of these… and an FX45 and QX45 to match it. ;)

https://imgur.com/a/d37TTlX

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wtfthisisntreddit@reddit

Plenty of M35s for sale around me, the M45 is a bit harder to come across but not impossible (usually in rough shape). I've also seen a few Nissan Fuga's for sale here (the jdm equivalent of the M35/45) those are usually in much better condition

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lifegoeson2702@reddit (OP)

Such a cool car! Still has plenty of modern features found in today’s luxury cars such as speakers in the seats, ventilated seats & adaptive cruise!

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mbbzzz@reddit

Infiniti really used to be a competitive company across their whole lineup.

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k_dubious@reddit

The FX was basically a Macan years before the Macan was a thing.

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Nyexx@reddit

Reliability was good too.

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Clintman@reddit

2005 Jaguar S-type 4.2 VDP Edition

100 mph: 14.2 sec

1/4 mile: 14.9 @ 96 mph

I got super high last night, so admittedly I'm a bit mentally disable this morning, but that doesn't make sense. How can a car be 0.7 seconds quicker to 100mph than to 96mph? I mean, presumably they did several runs and posted the quickest times for each measurement. But the quicker 0-100mph run seems like it'd be the quickest through the 1/4 mile too, no?

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ducky21@reddit

All these retrospectives are just OCR'd magazine scans. Almost certainly an uncaught error.

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Seref15@reddit

Acura has been a confused brand for 20 years

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F1_Geek@reddit

The good old days when Lexus was seen as an establishment manufacturer... oh how much they have slipped in recent years with management not seeming to give a damn about this brand...

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justaboss101@reddit

Lexus has slipped? They've had a few engine issues with the V6, sure, but beyond that, their sales are as good as ever and it's not like their cars feel cheap or anything.

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F1_Geek@reddit

There's a ton of internal political problems going on with Lexus being neglected as a result.

Look no further than the new ES.

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justaboss101@reddit

Other than it being ugly as sin, what's wrong with the new ES? It seems like the perfect Uber black, which is the exact role the old one served anyway.

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JustThall@reddit

Every time I see jaguar s-type this song plays in my head https://youtu.be/C3lWwBslWqg?si=dDhCXRDsLoE2qnrU

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Compy222@reddit

The Lexus GS remains a hidden gem used. Particularly the later 350 cars.

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deleted_by_reddit@reddit

[removed]

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clickstops@reddit

Nissan + Infiniti were awesome in 2005.

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beamdriver@reddit

Sic transit gloria mundi

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Vesploogie@reddit

They are relevant to what’s being tested, as these were all sold as the product for the person looking for sporty all the things.

I agree with you though. I had a W211, their lows of it not being great on the track or feeling like they were fighting the electronics are just dumb. It’s a comfortable car that will never leave you without confidence on the highway, using track cornering standards to judge any of these cars is pushing it.

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Fit_Equivalent3610@reddit

for the average midsized sedan buyer,

That person buys a Camry, or maybe an Accord if they feel spicy. This test is regarding "luxury sports sedans" and those factors are definitely relevant to this category imo.

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analytical_rex25@reddit

I really like this era of executive sedans. V8, under 2 tons, great build quality, still analogue, etc. even the size of them, imo, is the perfect size for an executive sedan.

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mpthrapp@reddit

I just bought an '03 745Li and I gotta say I agree. It's smooth as butter, has wild tech features for its time (including a BMW branded Motorola Razr), and still pretty fast.

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8rings_86k@reddit

Are you worried at all about reliability?

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mpthrapp@reddit

Normally I would be, but it's only got 70k on it and was owned by an older collector who has incredibly extensive service records on it.

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Lamborghini4616@reddit

I'd say they aren't given they bought an old 7 series

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biciklanto@reddit

I'll still die on the hill that the E39 M5 is the best sports sedan ever made. The size, the motor, the intuitive interior, the design — it's all just about perfect.

The E38 750i gets a special shout-out as an amazing executive sedan.

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_galaga_@reddit

E28 M5 for me with that extra dash of nostalgia/‘80s Teutonic angular vibe. I test drove an E39 540i manual a long time ago, tho, and it was a really nice package.

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Vesploogie@reddit

Someday my future disposable income will go back into another W211. I thought this comment was quite funny;

“The fact that it’s also dynamically stable, fast, comfortable, and safe doesn’t hurt. Nor does its sterling image or stellar resale value.”

Stellar resale value. I bought an 05 E500 4MATIC in 2015, 75k miles, no issues, full maintenance history, for $10k. It had its original bill of sale with it: $65k. I put 50k wonderful miles on it until the suspension exploded. Best car ever.

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deleted_by_reddit@reddit

[removed]

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AutoModerator@reddit

No rage bait, memes, trolling, copypasta, or low-quality joke posts or comments.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.