MotorWeek | Retro Review: '93 V8 Luxury Sedan Comparo

motorWeek is made possible by Rock auto and tire rack contrary to what some might think the folks that spend forty to sixty thousand dollars for a car are some of the most careful shoppers around so in the interest of consumer education we recently assembled six of the world's top v8 luxury sedans for a motor week comparison test yes it's a dirty job but someone has to do it a decade ago any assemblage of v8 luxury sedans would have likely been exclusively American 1993 however the highest caliber in this category have origins from across the world and only one carries the made in the USA label all of our v8 selections cost between forty and sixty thousand dollars today's most hotly-contested price for posh sedans half our group are built in Germany that includes the fifty-six thousand four hundred dollar mercedes-benz 400 the Audi v8 also with a fifty six thousand four hundred dollar base price and the just-released $54,000 BMW 740i from Japan there are two forty five thousand four hundred dollar Infiniti q45 and the ground-breaking forty six thousand six hundred dollar Lexus ls400 while carrying the domestic banner as well as being the price leader of the group is the 40 1990 dollar Cadillac STS but for this test we're going to ignore price at least for now and see which car impressed our staff most in the areas that are important to buyers in this class v8 performance safety and of course driving comfort in alphabetical order our attention first turns to Germany and the Audi v8 when the v8 came on the scene in 1989 it showed the smoother wide stance styling that Audi would eventually introduce to all its cars power was then and remains from an all-aluminum 32-valve v8 that now delivers 276 horsepower delivery however is through all four wheels since the v8 includes outies Quattro system a permanent four-wheel drive this makes wheel spin unthinkable even when it takes only 7.2 seconds to accelerate to 60 miles per hour the Quattro system also helps the Audi v8 fly through quarters with the most secure feeling of the group handling behavior was very predictable however the v8 stiff suspension also gave it the harshest ride of the lot yet there was still quite a bit of nose dive during panic braking anti-lock assisted stops however were otherwise fault free at 115 feet on average from 60 the Audi v8 was among the first to use a sprig of real wood running the width of the - it is welcomed visual relief to an otherwise all business interior virtually everything you could wish for is standard on the v8 including two airbags with belt tensioners and a freon free climate control system seats are hard but heated power adjustments for both driver and passenger the only thing lacking in the rear seat it seems is Headroom the trunk however is plenty big at 15 point 7 cubic feet next up for your inspection the BMW 740i the first v8 BMW and all thirty years the current 7-series body has been around since the 88 model year and it takes a BMW fanatic to distinguish the 740 slightly wider grille the long powerful hood however remains the perfect shape to cover this new 4 liter 32-valve v8 all 272 horsepower reached the rear wheels through a novel five-speed automatic transmission with three shift modes that delivers both talented acceleration and effortless cruising zero to 60 Sprint's at seven point four seconds brought smiles to our faces power delivery is broad and flat and the pro variant v8 makes an almost American ground handling is impressive considering this cars 2 ton weight the v8s reserve power pushes you through tough situations only a flick of the wrist needed for recovery naturally four-wheel antilock brakes are standard and stopped from 60 to 108 feet with no drama inside BMWs penchant for up-to-date safety is clothed in a Teutonic mixture of fine wood and taut leather two airbags are standard as our seat belt tensioners heated front seats are an option we like and the free on free climate control system has separate temperature settings for the two in the front seats front and rear are firm and supportive with excellent long-distance comfort a seventeen point six cubic foot trunk is the group's largest in only its second year the Cadillac STS may be unchanged to the eye but not to the senses under its distinctive sheetmetal lies Cadillacs long-awaited Northstar 32-valve v8 its 4.6 liters pumped out 295 horsepower the group's highest the Rumble that is distinctly American stop on the accelerator of the sts smoothly rockets to 60 and 6.7 seconds half second faster than the nearest challenger traction control is standard Northstar is complemented by a new rear suspension that makes the STS mostly a driver's delight it was never a problem with adhesion but it's front-wheel drive setup makes for nose-heavy somewhat sluggish steering response but speed sensitive dampening provides the STS with an excellent highway ride brakes performed well - but took a little longer to stop from 60 120 feet on average and the other pedal field is nice and firm unusual or car with anti-lock the interior of the sts borrows some of its wood and leather styling from Audi but it is decidedly more luxurious we only wish fit and finish were as outstanding as the quality of materials twin airbags are standard and we do very much like the supportive seats which include vertical movement for the lumbar support seat heaters are an option the trunk in the sts is about average for its class at fourteen point four cubic feet the first Japanese luxury import we'll consider is the Infiniti q45 the robust styling of the q45 has not been nearly as universally praised as its powertrain this 4.5 liter 32-valve v8 exudes 278 horsepower in a manner that is more at home in a muscle car there is sprint from launch to redline and the Q 45 manages to take only 7.2 seconds to pass 60 miles per hour we're pleased that Infiniti has changed its transmission so that full throttle starts now beginning first rather than second gear all that power helps the Infiniti master handling exercises with relative ease although also like a muscle car we did find the tail very lightly loaded in easy to break free there is also a lot of body roll RQ 45s options included four-wheel steering which helps high speed turn is available fully active suspension greatly reduces body roll brakes did their job well we did find that there was a brief moment of real lockup before the ABS kicked in regardless the cue 45 straight 110 foot stops were second only to the 740 odd inside the cue 45 is a most serious car with minimal brightwork mostly from the analog clock and no wood functionality certainly takes precedent over luxury it is also the only car in our test without a passenger side airbag seats are hard sculpted but somewhat short on leg support interior room is about average for its class as is the fourteen point eight cubic feet of trunk space it's been four years since Lexus put the luxury car world on its ear with the LS 400 exterior changes since then have been minor this year a slight change in grille design with the overall shape while never original still very handsome power resonates from a silky-smooth 4 litre v8 also using four cams and 32 valve it produces 250 horsepower rear drive the LS 400 4-speed automatic is a model of refinement but the LS 400 is no slouch at 8.5 seconds from 0 to 60 but with our cars traction control we never saw the Lexus well the LS 400 has stiffer Springs this year but still has the softest suspension of the group while a plus on the highway it was a minus during handling tests not even with steering that was a little vague on center the LS 400 never lost its composure we continue to feel the optional air suspension is unnecessary we also couldn't want four more in braking performance with straight 118-foot stops from 60 like all in our tests for will anti-lock is standard there is less wood on the LS 400 instrument panel than on some others but the interior is still luxurious as well as roomy we also find the 3d style gauges a treat for the eyes 493 a passenger side airbag is new and the air conditioning now also cools without freon seats are very comfortable but Lexus leather looks a little too industrial front seat heaters are an option we found rear seat bottom cushions short on leg support and the trunk space at 13.4 cubic feet was the smallest of the group finally from mercedes-benz the car that has been called their Lexus fighter the 400 II the 400 shares a mid-sized Mercedes look that dates back to the 86 model year and is now a classic what is much newer of course is the 32 bow 4.2 liter v8 borrowed from the s-class it delivers a seamless 268 horsepower is capable of gliding to 60 miles per hour in 7.2 seconds only the Cadillac STS is faster traction control is an option our cars traction control took some of the fun out of handling however limiting power when we wanted more tires can also be larger but we'll still describe the 400 es handling as secure and stable moderate amount of body roll is typical for German sedan mercedes-benz cars always seem to shine in breaking tests 400 ee is no different stops from 60 were short 115 feet with total confidence the interior of the 400 II also gives you confidence despite a dated feel you know this is amore say these bends and that everything is in its place and works flawlessly driver and passenger airbags are standard as our seat belt tensioners the price paid for safety is the lack of a - glovebox the air conditioner is now free on free seats are hard flat and heated the overall feeling inside the 400 a is somewhat tight for its class the trunks fourteen point six cubic feet however is typical so there you have it six expertly engineered answers to the v8 luxury car question which is tops boy a tougher question we have never asked ourselves but we have to admit that we were bowled over by the BMW 740i never before have we seen a single car that so perfectly lived up to the luxury car theme powerful graceful safe and refine next in line is our value King the Cadillac STS already an impressive luxury sedan the addition of Northstar brings Cadillac fully back to world class status and we rate the remaining four as more or less equals Lexus ls400 this Audi v8 mercedes-benz 400 and Infiniti q45 clearly it is hard to go wrong with any in this group we hear rumors that the v8 luxury sedan is an endangered species but then we heard those same rumors twenty years ago there will probably always be room in the automotive world for exceptional combinations of performance and luxury today these six cars have taken all the space that's available

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Id: dDXvXVkfLUo

Length: 12min 43sec (763 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 23 2016