Buy/Drive/Burn: 2014 Midsize Luxury Sedan Shootout
Today’s edition of Buy/Drive/Burn was generated by a discussion over at the TTAC Slack room. The conversation turned to sporty midsize luxury sedans from 2014, and one staff member regarded one of these choices with a “meh.”
Let’s see how you feel about them.
BMW 528i
The sixth-generation 5 Series (known as F10) debuted for the 2011 model year, as BMW expanded beyond the usual sedan and wagon variants and into a third utility liftback style known as Gran Turismo. Engines of four, six, or eight cylinders were available depending on market, as well as turbo options and a couple of diesels. Today’s selection is the North American base model for 2014, the 528i. Contrary to BMW’s past lives, the “28” here actually means a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four. It produces 240 horsepower, all of which are sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic. $49,500.
Lexus GS350
The Lexus GS entered its fourth generation for the 2012 model year, riding atop a new variation of the N platform used for its prior generation. Unlike the BMW, the GS was (and is) solely a sedan. For 2014, only one engine powered the GS — a 3.5-liter 2GR-FSE V6. Uplevel trim variants added all-wheel drive to the mix, and the range topped out at the AWD GS450h. Today’s base model GS350 pairs 306 horsepower with an eight-speed automatic. $47,700
Cadillac CTS
Cadillac’s CTS was new for 2014, as a new, angular version replaced its more upright predecessor. For the first time, engines of four cylinders were offered alongside the six- and eight-pot versions. The coupe and wagon variants of the second-generation CTS faded from view at this point. Still, they continued selling alongside the sedan in their old guises for 2014 before being discontinued, which means in 2014 there were 12 different trim trees for the CTS. Today’s selection is a 3.6L Luxury, which features GM’s ubiquitous 3.6-liter V6. With 321 horsepower, the CTS is the most powerful car on offer today. Like the other two, it uses an eight-speed automatic to sort out the power. $53,700.
Which sedan gets the Buy?
[Images: Lexus, BMW, GM]
Interested in lots of cars and their various historical contexts. Started writing articles for TTAC in late 2016, when my first posts were QOTDs. From there I started a few new series like Rare Rides, Buy/Drive/Burn, Abandoned History, and most recently Rare Rides Icons. Operating from a home base in Cincinnati, Ohio, a relative auto journalist dead zone. Many of my articles are prompted by something I'll see on social media that sparks my interest and causes me to research. Finding articles and information from the early days of the internet and beyond that covers the little details lost to time: trim packages, color and wheel choices, interior fabrics. Beyond those, I'm fascinated by automotive industry experiments, both failures and successes. Lately I've taken an interest in AI, and generating "what if" type images for car models long dead. Reincarnating a modern Toyota Paseo, Lincoln Mark IX, or Isuzu Trooper through a text prompt is fun. Fun to post them on Twitter too, and watch people overreact. To that end, the social media I use most is Twitter, @CoreyLewis86. I also contribute pieces for Forbes Wheels and Forbes Home.
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Now if you want a BMW without the timing chains made of cheese N20 turbo four... The 2011 F10 had the old N52 Straight six. The last of the great BMW NA motors. I have one and it has been great. Know nothing about the other cars so BMW wins for me!!!
Exactly! Burn the BMW because it is the awful 4 cylinder turbo 528i! If it were the 535i it would jump to the front of the pack.