Thanks! Does it mean anything that Volvo is owned by Ford? Shared engine/tech/chassis?

We don't like the Maxima.

Please don't bring up any AWD discussion to this thread.

 

Number 1 is Porsche, I believe.

 

Oh, really? I guess you were talking about regular street driving when you said this:

and this:

Yeah, you must've been talking about boulevard cruising.

 

Too late...you already started the AWD discussion in your very first post:

 

Nice. You're quite the Speed Racer.

 

The S40 shares a lot of parts with the Mazda 3 and the european Focus.

As far as I know, the S60 is pretty much its own car; Ford didn't integrate too much into Volvo, and vice versa.

Since you are considering the FX, what are your thoughts on the Cayanne and MDX? What about the Infiniti M? Acura RL?

 

Wow can we please just get back to suggesting cars for hadokenuh? I really didn't to add my thoughts previously but I'll just share my experience. I don't know the technical aspects of AWD cornering, but from my experience of actually owning the TL SH-AWD for over a year I can only describe the "cornering" as being more "comfortable" when you apply the gas. Let me explain through a test I did. Going through a corner at a decent speed without applying gas, I felt the body roll and I had to turn the wheel more in order to stay in my lane (guessing this is understeer?). Going through the same corner at the same speed (but this time applying a little throttle as I entered the corner), it "felt" like car was literally pushing me into the direction I'm turning into smoothly without me having to adjust my steering to stay in the lane. I felt a lot more "planted" during this turn vs no application of throttle. I don't claim that this AWD system is better than other systems (I've never driven my brother's EVO X to the limit). This is just my experience with SH-AWD and notice these observations are all based on "feeling".

 

Scion was 1
Porsche 2
Acura 3
Honda 4

 

Ford sold Volvo last year.

 

CR has them #8 overall. The S60 is listed as new, so no ratings on this version. Must be the redesign after the Chinese took over.

They gave it a rating of 77/100, which is lower in the Compact Sports Sedan group. The C300, A4 and Saab are the only ones lower.

 

What doesn't she like about the Hyundai?

 

I see. I don't think Ford is that bad. I would rate Ford above GM, Chrysler, and German automakers. We'll give the S60 a shot.

We've looked at MDX. It's a great SUV with 3rd row seat. We think it looks too mainstream and not stand out from the crowd. Plus, it's due for a re-design pretty soon. We didn't test drive it though.

To me the RL is not worth the premium. Plus I think the TL looks even better than the current RL.

Infiniti M - Although we have not test driven the car, we've sat on it and really like the new interior. The seats are super comfortable and everything is perfect. It looks better in photos than in person though. Another thing is the car looks best with sport package and 20" wheels but I suspect the ride is going to suffer. But we'll test drive it nonetheless. Thanks for reminding me.

About the Cayenne - we have not thought about it. Can we get one relatively equipped for about 50K? I am sort of worried about owning a Porsche and its expensive repairs. Perhaps we are just not there yet. We can probably buy it but we may not be able to afford the "true cost to own". Plus owning a Porsche may give people the wrong impression.

Because it is still a Hyundai (her words). I know it's customers' perception and we can talk about this all day long, but at the end of the day, we don't feel like paying $40K for a Hyundai.


That is exactly my feeling with the TL SH-AWD. That is what I meant in my first and second posts. Thanks for elaborating it.

So... MSCA:
Seriously man? You come here and talk about AWD and racing cr*p which no-one cares. All I was saying was I could tell the difference in corners with the AWD system which tharbemiko later explained it better. So chill out dude, you don't have to win everything.

 

If you're looking at a Cayanne, it would be a used one. Porsche traditionally has been pretty damn reliable, but when something does go wrong, it's pricey.

Also, keep in mind the M hybrid is due next year, and it's getting some great reviews/previews.

 

I think the Volvo S80 platform underlies a lot of Ford models. IIRC, the Taurus, the Taurus X (gone), the Edge, the Flex and the new Explorer. So probably 30% of Ford's non F-150 volume is Volvo based.

 

IMHO, a Bently is not a Volkswagen, an Infiniti is not a Nissan, but, a Hyundai is a Hyundai. I think they should have split to Hyundai / Genesis, maybe they will some day... until then...