Originally Posted by Rudy' date='Apr 7 2005, 05:02 PM

This month's Automobile (May 2005) did a similar comparison with the Acura RL, Audi A6 4.2 Quattro, BMW 545i (no sport pkg), Cadillac STS, Infiniti M45, Jaguar S-type 4.2, Lexus GS430, and Mercedes-Benz E500.

Here's what they said about the 545i:
[quote name='Automobile Magazine' date=' May 2005']The BMW 545i is the car that everyone identifies with fast driving.? Although most
enthusiasts review this car only when it?s equipped with the massive wheels and
stiff-legged suspension of the pricey sport package, we?ve decided to try out the civilian
version at a more affordable price.? We?re sorry we did.? The V-8 is wickedly strong, and
the engine seems able to unleash a thunderclap of power at any rpm.? The trouble is that
it?s hard to get a handle on it.? The effort of the variable-ratio active steering goes light
once you move the steering off center, and the chassis floats just as the front end heels
over.? Gillies says, ?It feels as if BMW is using all this steering technology to enhance the
driving experience without realizing it often isolates you from feeling what?s going on with
the chassis and tires.?

Originally Posted by Automobile Magazine' date=' May 2005

Sorting out the winners from the losers in a comparison of sedans like these calls for
excellence across the spectrum.? We want a completely premium driving experience, and
we don?t want to make any hard choices about comfort, practicality, or price.? We want it
all, and we?re not ashamed to ask for it.

The Acura RL is the most virtuous car here, but, as Lerner notes, ?It?s still in the
near-luxury class, without the grunt or gravitas to compete with its rivals.?? The BMW
545i is terrifically fast, but it suffers from a mixed performance that doesn?t live up to the
price, and so it becomes what Lerner describes as ?the good, the bad, and the ugly.?? The
Cadillac STS?s disappointments are amplified by its stratospheric price, with $19,000 in
options.? The Infiniti M45 promises much, but, as Lerner says, ?The standards have
changed since the Infiniti planners benchmarked the M45.?? The jaguar S-type
unexpectedly wins us over, proving to be a great car for daily driving, but it still needs to
shine a little brighter in quality before it becomes an elite ride.

For us, the Mercedes-Benz E500 is certainly of the elite.? As Gillies says, ?After a strange
hiatus, we have a Benz that feels the way a Benz should.? It?s solid, planted, and poised,
and it doesn?t make any excuses for being a German luxury car.?? We rate the Lexus
GS430 just a notch higher than the Mercedes, because it maintains its standard of
extraordinary refinement in a package that drives with captivating enthusiasm.? ?The GS
should finally get Lexus the respect it deserves,? says Lerner, ?because it competes with
the European marques in terms of emotion, ?lan, and prestige.

We are surprised that our three days of driving have brought us to see the Audi A6 4.2
Quattro as the right car to drive.? We?ve grown accustomed to thinking of any Audi as a
nearly-there car, but the A6 delivers such extraordinary satisfaction in every aspect of
driving that we find it irresistible.? Gillies says, ?It is both beautiful and bang up-to-date,
proving that being at the cutting edge doesn?t mean missing the mark.? It feels bored at 80
mph.?? Johnson notes, ?It isn?t a superstar in any single category, but it possesses such a
high level of excellence in all areas that it deserves the gold medal.?? Sherman says simply,
?I would happily live with it.?