YO-EL

Downsizing wife from Acura RL..

What say ye, given similar lease terms from all the above?

Performance wise, the Infinity gets the nod, but the Audi A4 & the Lexus IS are really nice cars..

Acura wants big $3k down, as does Infinity..
Lexus & Audi are just drive offs.

All leases are $399/month

Z0Sick6

Personally id go for the g35x awp coupe..

if your talking sedans..

the new audi a4. You live in PA, get her awd screw the TL (besides the new TL is the size of the RL - its not really a downsize)

The a4 has more room than the is250 (is250 is small) and the g35 is great powerwise but the audi interior is much nicer.

Dueysan

The new Acura TL styling is too much for me to take....the bucktooth Transformer look ruins it. If you want a car that can honestly carry 4 adults in it on occasion your only two choices are the TL or the A4....so I vote A4. If rear seating is not an issue the G37 Sedan is a very nice drivers car...I do not own but have test driven a couple, but it is small inside...as is the Lexus IS series.

pdd000

how about the cadillac cts 3.6

JLC629

I had a G35x, nice car. I would go Lexus or Audi and keep the $3k.

MVR 155

I have owned 4 Acuras over the past 10 years and would love to buy another, however I can not stand the new design of the TL...... its just ugly to me. I have to drive clients around so I do need a car with a back seat that can accomodate adults. I will most likely be purchasing a 2010+ S4 in about 12-14 months from now, its a tad smaller than the TL but is still OK (was just at the Chicago Auto show this past week and checked the rear seating with my brother and friends I was with). I really like the look of the IS but its just too tight inside and the 350 is not availible with AWD. The Infiniti offers some good bang for the buck but to me is ugly as well and even though the interior is better than before its still inferior to all of the other cars in your list.

My vote goes to the Audi

Dave68

I'd stay away from the Audi unless you don't mind making trips to the dealership often. The 05s had major problems with:
engine cooling
fuel system
electrical
climate system
body hardware
power equipment and
minor engine issues

Not having to keep the car past the lease is a plus, but having to bring the car in often can be a real pain.

MVR 155

Dave.... we friggin get it.... you hate German cars, he is looking to lease a new car.... NOT A 2005!!!! The car will be fully warrantied and it sounds like they turn them in when the lease is done so there is absolutely nothing to worry about. God you need to give it a rest... any time Audi, Benz, Bimmer or VW is mentioned you have to go on and on about how horrible they are, I have countless friends and family that have owned German cars (and still do), my wife had a 2002 Jetta 1.8 turbo and not one of them has/had been "plagued with these issues you ramble about. Our Jetta had a coolant level sensor that had to be replaced.... only issue in 50,000 miles and my brothers Audi had a coil pack go out at 65,000 miles, sister in laws ML320 was trouble free its whole life (traded at ~60,000 miles), one of my buddies has owned 5 VW's and the only issue he had was the rear diff on his R32 which he pounded the living $hit out of and that broke at nearly 70,000 miles and something minor with a transmission sensor in an 2002 Jette he owned, another friend with an A4 just had a fuel pump take a crap at 80,000 miles...... bottom line is I see no issues above and beyond what any car has. Put down the consumer report (since they are Honda and Toyota nut swingers)

Dave68

Obviously, you guys don't get it, since you keep recommending poor-reliability cars.

Neither Consumer Reports nor I am biased. They report what hundreds of thousands of owners tell them and I forward that data to prospective buyers. The newer A4s seem to have improved so maybe a 2010 will hold out for three years.

The A4s have historically had many problems so to me, that is good to know. Let's look at Porsche: The Boxter is fairly reliable, but the Cayenne is horrible. That's what I would tell anyone who asks - no bias included.

BSheppard

I have owned a few of these cars and am also in the market for a DD for the wife. We have owned a G35 coupe 6sp manual and a TL. Both were good cars and high quality. We drove an IS350 the otherday and both liked it a lot. More fun than we expected after a short drive in a 325 6sp manual that was not much fun at all. The only thing we did not like about the Lexus was the Auto only tranny. I have nothing to say about the A4 since I have not owned one or driven in the past few years. We have just sold a Lexus GS (the V8)and are also down sizing but are also looking at smaler cars like the GTI.

YO-EL

Boiling down to the Infinity G37X

Z0Sick6

genesis sedan?

It is an amazing vehicle for the price. Buddy has 1 and it is awesome. I would go for that

Todd157k

I have an 07 IS250 auto, and a 04 G35 coupe (and a few others..lol). If you want a 4 door, I'd vote towards the Lexus. My only complaint is NO exhaust sounds.. nothing.. nada.. zilch. If you want a coupe, the G35/37 hands down. One of the best sports/all around cars I've ever owned (and I'm up to 40 somethin' cars now over the years)

Dave68

.....any more info as to why you like the IS250 over the G35?

BSheppard

I also like the IS over the G. The G35 I owend was a little rough around the edges compared to other cars in that class I have owned. Not bad compared to the BMW's but a good bit behind the Lexus. The engine was rough at higher RPMs and the interior was more Altama than Q45. I bought the G over the IS because I could get the manual 6speed but if an auto is your thing the Lexus has it beat in my opinion.

MVR 155

Not to get too sidetracked but I had to post this for Dave since he puts sooooo much faith in the Consumer reports, this is a car that he constantly rips on calling it a POS all of the time..... yes its a german car Dave

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/...p_picks/4.html

stic5

You are right about Audis... junk. That really doesn't factor in as much with a lease though.

Also, Consumer Reports is extremely biased, and their knowledge of cars is very low. I literally laugh everytime I read anything they write about cars.

Dave68

The VW Golf, GTI, Rabbit (you pick) has been reliable only for the last two years or so (that is why it is recommended). Traditionally, Rabbits started falling apart far sooner, so yes, VW has improved the non-turbo version somewhat.

But you forgot to show everyone what the overall most reliable vehicle is:

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/...cks/index.html

Dave68

Consumer Reports doesn't have to know much about reliability. They simply gather data from thousands of subscribers and then present that data in a readable format.

Reliability does factor in when leasing if you'd rather not have to bring the car in more often than just for maintenance. I lose at least 2 hours of my time every time I have to bring a car in. In the almost 5 years of owning the Rx400h, I've not had to bring the car in for unscheduled work even once. The C5, on the other hand, was a whole "nuther" ball game!

stic5

Rx400s are certainly well built vehicles, but I can say the same about all of the american cars I've owned (1 new Camaro, 1 used Camaro, 1 used Caddy Catera, 1 Cobalt SS, my wife's Grand Cherokee, my C6 vette). No unscheduled service except for 2 occations with my old Cobalt SS, and both of those were caused by my abuse of the car in auto-x and HPDEs since it was a lease and I didn't care. Plus I never had my accelerator stick. Okay sorry, low blow

I just don't believe the info I read in Consumer Reports. It usually goes against all personal experience I've had. Either they are biased or their surveys are flawed. Plus, it's very hard to do an effective survey and article on a subject you know little about... and they know nothing about cars. They make that painfully obvious whenever they try to get technical.