As many of you may remember I did a number of test drives a while back. I test drove the C300 4Matic, CLA250, IS 350 F-Sport, GS 350 F-Sport, A6, Genesis, Q50, TLX 2.4L/3.5L, and 428i and 435i. I already drove an S5 and have driven the A4 in the past. Though I haven't really been on here much, I've had a couple of people ask me for a follow-up so here it is.
My final decision was the 435i Gran Coupe with M-Sport Package. At the end of the day, this car proved to be the best all-around product, offering the ideal mix of sportiness, luxury, solidity, and design. In direct comparison to the S5, the 435i GC dances while the S5 grooved. The GC is light on its feet with an incredibly capable chassis, while still providing an incredibly smooth ride. Where the S5 felt heavy and laborious, the GC feels ready to play. On the flip side, where the S5 felt extremely solid and planted, the GC would feel the opposite, primarily in heavy braking and tracking a lane on the highway. Part of this could be due to the GC's run-flat tires and smaller front tires (both of which I will remedy shortly), as its backend always feels completely composed and unperturbed. Comparing the engines of the 435i vs the S5, I'd say there's nothing between them. I love them both, but because the GC is almost 300lbs lighter, the 435i just feels that much more responsive. I would say the biggest disappointment is the GC's steering. Putting in Sport mode improves things a bit, but there's still a lot of room for improvement. The silver lining is that you gain such confidence in the chassis that the steering feel, or lack thereof, becomes somewhat an afterthought.
The GC's iDrive took a bit of getting used to and isn't quite as intuitive as the MMI in the Audi, but once you get used to it it's fine. The quality of the interior is absolutely top notch, certainly comparable to the S5. The instrument cluster still looks a little downmarket, even with the "enhanced instrument cluster" from the M-Sport package, but I do have the HUD.
I would say the BIGGEST difference, for me, between the 435i GC and my previous S5 is the fact that I cannot wait to get into my GC and drive it. Whether I'm going slow and crawling through traffic, taking a trip to the grocery store, blasting through curvy roads, or flying down the highway, I truly just love driving this car and I can't wait to get in it and just drive. I honestly have to say that, as much as I grew to love driving the S5 at 8/10 and above, I was never excited about driving it below that. There was always just a sense of heaviness about it. No two-door coupe of this size/length should weigh 2 tons. The absolute nail in the coffin in this comparison of driving characteristics occurred tonight. There is a stretch of residential road where traversing it is almost like driving through a mile-long slalom. Going down this road, the S5 felt like Jerome Bettis - heavy, powerful, and completely composed. The GC felt like Terrell Owens - fast, lithe, and spirited.
Because of how much I immediately love my new car, this makes me pretty suspect of publications that have rated any car above it, especially since I've driven almost every car in the category. To me, it is the best all-around car in this category right now. I think the S4 is right up there, but its styling is too conservative for me.
Why didn't I test the ATS and CTS? I don't like the design of the ATS, inside and out, and the CTS was just too large for me, as was the A6 which, to me, tied for the best engine I tested. The Genesis was a bit large, underpowered, but a very capable car. If Hyundai built a 3-Series-sized sedan below the Genesis, with the same powertrain and chassis, it would be an amazing contender. And I really wanted to test the C450, but the timing just wouldn't allow that to happen since it hasn't been introduced yet.