Fifty grand is a lot of money, certainly in a recessionary economy riddled with layoffs, bailouts, furloughs, and pay cuts. In some parts of the country, that kind of cash would not only make for a healthy down payment on a home, it would also cover the entire cost of the home. Yet, when it comes to a premium mid-level sport sedan from a luxury automaker, whether with six- or eight-cylinder power, $50,000 is pretty much the price of entry.
Scan the present offerings -- Acura RL, Audi A6 3.0T, BMW 535i, Cadillac CTS 3.6 DI, Infiniti M35, Jaguar XF 4.2, Lexus GS 350, and Mercedes-Benz E350 -- and the average base price comes out to nearly $49,000, with a high of $52,000 (XF) and a low of $44,650 (CTS). Through September 2009, sales of these nameplates were down 29 percent compared with 2008, but that still translates to nearly 110,000 Americans writing $50,000 checks during those nine months. Recession? That just means S-Class buyers and the like are stepping down to E-Class territory.
To determine which of these eight sport sedans best justifies its premium pricetag, we headed to the formidable and telling roads in Malibu, where our assembly of editors scrutinized, evaluated, and debated the merits (and demerits) of each. Which one had us writing a check we wished we could cover? Click on the following pages to find out. - Ron Kiino
To determine which of these eight sport sedans best justifies its premium pricetag, we headed to the formidable and telling roads in Malibu, where our assembly of editors scrutinized, evaluated, and debated the merits (and demerits) of each. Which one had us writing a check we wished we could cover? Click on the following pages to find out. - Ron Kiino
