Automobile Magazine Comparo

Just got my May issue of Automobile in the mail today. They have a comparison article of eight Sports Sedans. I do not have a link to the article. Here's some of the comments:

On a midwinter morning with the sunlight shimmering, these cars all have memorable shapes, the automotive equivalent of fine architecture. The BMW 5-series breaks the classic unified automotive form into a collection of fractured surfaces and it's the only car in memory that has inspired mention of a painting by Picaso...the word beauty never enters our converstion about this car. (I have to agree with that).

The BMW 545 is the car everyone identifies with fast driving. Although must enthusiats review this car when it's equiped with the massive wheels and stiff-legged suspension of the pricey sports 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. It feels as if BMW is using all the steering technology to enhance the driving experience without realizing it often isolates from feeling what's going on with the chassis and tires. The BMW 545i is terifically fast, but it suffers from mixed performance that doesn't live up to the price, and so it becomes...the good, the bad, and the ugly,

The winner of this comparo was the Audi A6 4.2, with the Lexus GS430 and the Mercedes E500 right behind.