Inside Line's Future Long-Termers Part II

1) Audi S5 (nice eventual replacement for our R8)

2) Kia Soul

3) Suzuki SX4 Sport (we took delivery today)

4) Acura TL SH-AWD

Humm... I guess think that Edmunds could start another blog called, " The cars nobody owns blog"

Are you going to do the turbo upgrade to the SX4?

I think the Kia and Suzuki would be interesting to hear about because it seems no one ever writes anything about them. I also think the Acura would be nice, especially as a way to compare and contrast it with the recently departed Accord.

I think the Audi's kind of dumb, though. It is a very niche vehicle that few people would ever consider. Aside from being beautiful it really doesn't offer anything that isn't already available for less money in the coupe segment. I think a BMW 335d would be more interesting to read about in the entry-lux segment.

I like the SX4 crossover for some reason. It is a tiny car and not really an SUV as they advertise it.
Looks like you got the sedan version though. Go for the turbo!

The TL is a styling exercise in ugliness. Perhaps you can order up a European Honda grille and de-beak the TL to make it less revolting.

I can't wait for the TL 'engine bay' post. All that black plastic cracks me up.

The S5 seems redundant since you already have an A4 Avant. The only difference is body style and engine, and the engine isn't so great for the price. It will get its butt handed to it by a regular 335 (or Edmund's own 135).

The Suzuki and Kia sound cool

But where are the Mazda 6 posts!? I think you guys have too many cars in that fleet.

For the love of all that is holy, please don't get the acura. Overpriced, ugly, and boring. I know why you'd get an s5 though: you just want to drive this sexiness and don't care about anything else =P.

Interested in the soul and a little bit about the SX4, but like the others, I'm not seeing myself getting excited to hear about the S5 or TL. The S5 is very redundant, as you have the A4 and pointless to the blog's valuable information and insight.

How about a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid? That'd be more interesting then some on the list, IMO.

How about a Toyota Venza with the new 2.7 liter 4? I'm curious to see how the vehicle and engine perform day to day.

Do we really need another Audi?

I have a 2009 A5 and I am extremely exited to hear about the S5. But, maybe you guys should have considered not getting the A4 Avant (considering they both have the same interior, technology, etc. But, I will still be interested.

The Soul might be interesting, I am not a Kia person, and most likely, but it may keep me interested.

The Suzuki will be extremely interesting. I don't I ever see Suzuki's anymore. I would like to see their overall quality. I hope you got the free nav they always advertise about.

But, I think the Acura will be boring. The look is obviously not going to grow on anybody, but under that frame, it will be one hell of a car.

I was looking forward to a:

Venza
XC60
Tiguan
XF
Vibe
GLK
Mustang
F150
Ram
Camaro
GENESIS

I saw the Kia Soul at the LA Auto Show and I think there will be some very good posts on that. Otherwise the others feel kind of mediocre in my opinion although I love hearing about any type of car.

I want to read about the SX4, it looks like something exciting might come out of it in the future.

Sigh...

1) Audi S5 - Why not wait for the S4 for the new SC V6? Audi is replacing the V8 with the SC V6 anyways... Also, this is a bit redundent since y'all already have the the A4. Sometimes I serious wonder that if you guys are buying these cars for the sake of long term testing or the editors just want to have fun/fast cars.

2) Kia Soul - I guess... If you must.

3) Suzuki SX4 Sport - Who buy this anyways?

4) Acura TL SH-AWD - I am interested about this one. However, if you guys are actually buying it (unlike taking one from the manufacture) then PLEASE pick a black one and tell the dealer to paint the beak grille black as well (the dealer would be glad to do so, trust me).

Again, no IS F. Sure it's not the M3 but since it is the FIRST EVER super sedan from the FIRST EVER Japanese in-house luxury tuning division I think it deserves a spot in the long term fleet. I know some Edmunds editors don't like this car but in order to be a fair and unbiased publication sometimes personal feelings gotta be put aside. Oh, and for those of you who are going to say "who buy those", apparently the IS F outsold both the M3 sedan and C63 in November according to two Lexus execs:

http://thepassionatepursuit.com/2008/12/05/lexus-ls-f-news/

eh...nothing too exciting there. The S5 is, I guess, but as others said the real news is the new engine in the S4. It sure looks great but beyond that...? And the Soul? It doesn't get any more generic and well...boring. I am slightly intrigued by the Suzuki just because you never hear about them. And the Acura? Are you seriously going to make us look at that awful thing for a whole year? Really? Please don't. And I see you can't be bothered to get a car from Detroit in there. Well I suppose if the government can't be bothered to take some of that money they're giving to the bankers to go on luxury retreats and give it to Detroit, and if the American buyer can't be bothered to get over a bad experience in the 70s to realize American cars are much nicer today, then why should you bother testing one? Maybe to correct the mistaken views of the consumers...or not. The nitpicking of any little fault while dismissing major problems in foreign cars as nothing won't help either. OK so yeah, I guess this list is as good as any other.

Glad to hear about the SX4 and the Soul. Good to see something different.

I'd ask if the SX4 is a diesel but that's too much to ask for. Read a great review of the Suzuki in a Vancouver newspaper and was impressed (5.8 Litres/100km (40 mpg US) during the test).

I'd been hoping that you guys would get a Soul- I think they're pretty neat, and it'll be good to see how it stacks up to the (old) Fit. Looking at pictures of the S5 will be good- ya'll take good pictures and it's soooo pretty! I'm not too excited about the new TL (who is?), but I guess it is a fairly important model. And I fear that the SX4 will probably have about 5,000 miles on it by the time it's year is up. But, when was the last time ya'll did a full-on luxury sedan? I think it'd be great to see a new 7-Series in the fleet, since they just came out with one and all, and the S-Class is already a few years into it's model cycle.

hope you guys would ditch the acura.

To all those who question's Edmunds decision to take in a SX4, consider this:

It is the cheapest car on the market that has AWD.
It has similar room and storage capacity as a Honda Fit.
It is more of a car than both the Aveo5 and a Yaris.
It comes with a superb warranty.
It comes with a boatload of safety features.
It looks better than the Aveo5 and Yaris.

Good choice Edmunds. I look forward to reading about it's term in your fleet. It's a car I was interested in buying at one time. I like it a lot.

louiswei, it is pointless to have any Lexus as a long term test car, because it stays perfect forever, so there is absolutely nothing to report, forever. That is why no one ever have any Lexus for long term test. Either R&T or C&D got a IS-F as a long termer, they never got anything to report on it except "it continue to be excellent".

no USA lovin???

sandcountry360 is right. Edmunds, get an ultra-luxury sedan! Whether it's the LS460 or the new 7-Series, please get one! The LS600HL might be fun.

lazyhater, I'll take that as a compliment to Lexus I guess...

Well, the reason I mention the IS F is because it is the most un-Lexus-like Lexus ever so I am curious to see how well it can perform as a daily driver.

MT has the IS F as a long-termer. At least you're living up to your handle. :o)

Motor Trend Long-Term Lexus IS F:
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/oneyear/112_0901_2008_lexus_isf_update_2/index.html

But you are correct that Road & Track has one, too! So you weren't completely lazy. Although your use of "or" implies you were to lazy to verify whether it was R&T or C/D that had the car.

Road and Track Long-Term Lexus IS F:
http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=4&article_id=7062

should have waited for next's year's TL, with the 6MT.

the Genesis! you guys were MADE to pick apart a car like that...

bkochuk, I guess you didn't read Scott's original post (ignore the Mazda MAZDA6 s Grand Touring photo).

http://blogs.edmunds.com/roadtests/2008/11/inside-lines-future-long-termers.html

And Edmunds/IL better do this with the SX4! :o)

http://www.suzukisport.com/wrc/images/wp/08/WP0812-2_1024x768.jpg

Screw the S5. Bring in the Genesis.

2009 Honda Fit. Oh, wait, you haven't officially retired the old one yet.

I really don't think the TL and S5 are nearly as important to test as the Jaguar XF (its spelling out Jaguar's whole new design to direction for crying out loud) and Hyundai's Genesis (shouldn't need explaining). I could potentially pardon the Genesis just because you guys had an Azera at one point ;)

I think the TL doesn't deserve to be a long-termer in Inside-Line. Its one of the ugliest cars on the road today.

How about a 370z?? I'd love to see it in the IL garage.

Yeah, I'm not too excited about any of those cars, especially the TL- horrible design. I think there are a lot of other more interesting cars out there that would bring people to your site and keep your sponsors happy. Please, just do a reader poll and then buy those cars (if possible) Thanks

What, not another Evo? How about a white one?

Kia Soul - very interested to read about this car. It seems like it may fill the shoes of what the Scion xB used to be.

Suzuki SX4 Sport - extremely excited. Suzuki makes some quality products (bikes, motors, etc) so it will be nice to see if their cars are worth considering. From what I've seen so far, the SX4 is a nice looking little vehicle

Acura TL SH-AWD - I thought it would grow on me, or maybe even just become a little less offensive looking.....but I think this vehicle is just hideous in my books. I also hate the name "super handling all wheel drive" - I know each proprietary system has its own name (ie xDrive), but SH-AWD sounds so stupid, lol. This is a very superficial rant, but I just can't take it seriously haha.

What I would like to see:

Cobalt SS
MINI Clubman
Hyundai Genesis
GM/Ford Hybrid - whether it be the Malibu, Vue, Escape, whatever.

Thanks for sharing the car choices with us. These are entertaining debates.

I think you need fewer American cars in the fleet. I was told in the past that the LT fleet was mostly imports because American cars a) werent interesting enough to add and b)American cars were rarely all new.

And yet we get the SX4 and Soul. The S5 isnt dull but its a small volume, expensive car that is going to do exactly what we think it will do. Everyone will praise its styling and power and ignore its high price tag. You already have the A4 so something else should take that slot.

I agree that the Fusion Hybrid MUST be added to the fleet. Its a game changing car.

Is there some adversion to having as many different makes in the fleet as possible? Why do we have to double up on so many brands?

One more vehicle I forgot to request - Jaguar XF. I would LOVE to read about this vehicle. I think its an interesting alternative to the standard lux/sport sedans out there. And, despite Ford's meddling, I've always been a Jaguar fan and inside I am so happy to see an attractive Jag model again.

I think you should add some luxury segment diesels to your fleet. As some have already mentioned it would be good to read how you'll find the wonderful Biturbo diesels of BMW, a 335d or X5 xDrive35d. Or the powerful CDI engines of Mercedes, now with the BLUETEC system.

The people have spoken. No S5, you're getting an XF!

I think people would be more interested in an older, performance Audi. We all know they look great, and I'm sure they do alright during the warranty period. What concerns most potential buyers, I think, is massive, repeating, out-of-warranty repair bills and shop time. At least, that's what I worry about when I read the user reviews on Edmund's for just about any Audi ever made. Most of us can't afford to drop 6k when a transmission or engine goes out at 52k miles.

Sure the gas is cheap now but if I am a betting man I say it's going to go back up soon. With that in mind, why doesn't Edmunds IL get the followings:

BMW 335d (to replace the C300)
Lexus HS250h (when it comes out)
Ford Fusion Hybrid (to replace the Aura)

One American, one Japanese and one German.

IL seems schizophrenic. They post articles about saving the US auto industry, but can't be bothered with considering US products for their test fleet.

gossard267, I fully agree and that makes me think an out-of-warranty RS4 should be a very good choice to replace the E46 M3.

A used Porsche, please. So many other brands have been evaluated - no Porsches yet.

What about a Subaru that people actually drive, like a Forester?

How about a Corolla? Is it as bad as car nuts say it is, or as good as car unnuts say it is?

Have all your employees try to sign up to lease the Mini-E and Honda FCX Clarity. Edmunds could foot the lease and write about it.

Corolla! This is a joke right?

Well, if it's a XRS with manual tranny then I guess... But even with that a Corolla is pushing it. We all know that every single post will be like:

"This car continues to run smoothly but is boring as heck".

I'm especially looking forward to the TL. A long term test for the editors to share some real life experience with it then the 6speedMT comes out and I will be in one. I do agree the long term test ends pretty short for cars like Acura. I buy cars to rack up hard driving miles. I want to know how well they hold up to the neighborhood of 125k. For those interested, my '06 TL has 67K on it, with nothing but oil changes, and 3 sets of tires - great milage still, great performance, and not so much as a burned out bulb.

As far as looks go, one passed me on the highway today and my wife so impressed before she realized it was the beak car I showed her pictures of...I got my approval to buy today. We caught up to it at a gas station down the highway, the owner had more than one person approach them with compliments while fueling (not including me).

Regarding the Detroit brands, they need to prove quality, and if they themselves believed it, they'd be delivering one of every model to your garage - heck everyone knows they got a little inventory laying around. The thing is, they know it wont lead to more sales, cause the poor reliability will be exposed on almost all of thier offerings.

Americans still build quality vehicles, they call them Honda, Acura, and Toyota.

You mean like the Toyota Tundra with its failed camshafts, transmission, and tailgate? The Toyota that would have set the recall record last year if VW hadn't swooped in and swiped it? Thegripper, you're so ill-informed and closed minded it is sickening. They've proved their quality for years now, and people like you won't hear it because what, 30 years ago you had a bad experience? And so now any flaw in an import is just a fluke or nothing of consequence, but that same flaw in a domestic is proof that the car is crap right? The quality and reliability gap is gone, but fanboys like you are too stubborn to realize it.

"IL seems schizophrenic. They post articles about saving the US auto industry, but can't be bothered with considering US products for their test fleet."

Good point. And they want boring imports that wont even sell like the SX4. Who cares about any Suzuki model? At least the TL has performance and technology.

No more new Audis. Lets spread the love around. I'd much rather see the Fusion than an S5. I would also like to see a Vue 2 mode hybrid.