I think I've settled on the TL. I now have an ES and, while it's a nice enough vehicle that has been entirely reliable thoughout my three years of ownership, it's a snooze to drive. I really want something a bit sportier. So I looked at and drove the G37 and it's a rocket ship. Huge power but a very cramped and noisy cockpit. It's 69" width really comes through on the interior space. And the rear seat isn't good for anything but groceries. I'm a huge fan of a great nav system and it's nav screen is nowhere near up to the clarity and resolution of that which is found in the TL. A fair price though.
The C-Class is a nice handling car but, again, it's small and terribly over priced for what you're getting (must be something with that 3 pointed star). I hate the M-B instrumentation and controls. Totally nonintuitive. And again, like all German nav systems, it's archaic.
So that brings me to the Acura TL. In size and appointments it's in the same league as the 5 series the A6 or the E-class but it's priced almost $20k cheaper. It has an amazing array of technology (real time weather and traffic, a built in hard drive that you can copy CD's over to, full ipod integration, etc) a SOTA nav system and ultra high resolution screen, xenon headlights, keyless entry and keyless start. All in a package that's really far more comperable to the true mid sized sports sedans. Many people hate it's nose, but thyen I recall the outcry when Chris Bangle had his way with the entire BMW lineup. And the hue and cry when the Cadillac CTS came out? Wow. Yet both manufacturers have seen huge sales increases.
And, while the TL is not as fast as the G37, it does have a 280 hp engine that'll do 0-60 in almost 6 seconds flat.
Have any of you been in the market for this class of car?
If so, what has been your thinking?
Thanks in advance for any advice/feedback.