The Big Test: 2013/2014 Luxury Sport Sedans
Audi S4 vs. BMW 335i xDrive vs. Cadillac ATS4 3.6 vs. Lexus IS 350 AWD vs. Volvo S60 T6
Go ahead. Rank your children in order from worst to best. I'll wait. Not easy, is it? Yet that's the task we've been given for this month's Big Test. Small sport sedans are to automotive journalists what paparazzi are to the Kardashians: We wouldn't exist without them. Flip side of that coin: It's hard to imagine the car world would be so crammed with smallish, sporting, executive rides if it weren't for the four-plus-decade-long chorus of praise we've collectively hurled at BMW and the 3 Series, including the 2002 before it. Hey, they are good. And not only are the Bimmers good, but all the cars competing with the original are pretty sweet as well. And they're getting sweeter all the time.
What do we car-writer types dig so much about sport sedans? Handling prowess is muy importante, as far as we're concerned. Normally, all we'd care about is which one of our five candidates will set your hair on fire the fastest as you whip down a canyon road. However, there are a couple of things working against that particular methodology this month. One is that all five of our players -- Audi S4, BMW 335i xDrive, Cadillac ATS4 3.6, Lexus IS 350 AWD, and Volvo S60 T6 AWD R-Design -- are all-wheel drive. In the case of the Volvo and the Audi, AWD allows them to be in the contest. Lesser-engined versions of both can be had as front-drivers, and the cars are transformed into performance-oriented machines by the addition of four wheels driven. The other factor is that this is our new Big Test, where adult-themed issues such as safety, value, and fuel efficiency are given much more than short shrift. If all you care about is how well the cars drive, read the Ride and Handling section, and you're done.
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