A4, S60 or IS250?

If these alphabets and numbers mean nothing to you, perhaps the pictures below will help.

The Audi A4:

The Volvo S60:

And finally, the Lexus IS250:

If you've not already guessed, I've been car-shopping this afternoon. Yes, car dealerships open on Sunday here - it's a very heathen country. Saturdays and Sundays are usually the busiest days for all car dealerships.

I've narrowed it down to these three. I've also seen the BMW 320i and the Volkwagen Passat but I think it's down to one of these three.

There is, however, an outsider which might could itself onto my current 3-car shortlist. It's an SUV - the Nisaan Murano:

It's got the largest engine of all three cars and it's the cheapest. It's the only Japanese-made car which I'm considering but don't knock it, it got very good reviews on Top Gear. Granted that it was reviewed by James May but as I recall, Clarkson didn't rubbish it either.

Price, is of course, important but it's not going to be the sole determining factor as to which one I finally. Features are quite important as well and the IS250 isn't looking too good from that perspective - all the little features which I now have and I think I can't live without (such as rain sensors and reverse proximity sensors) are not standard on this variant of the IS250 whereas the Murano has a reverse sensor as well as a rear camera. Unfortunately it's not got a rain sensor.

A quiet engine is also something which is quite important to me and in that respect, the IS250 wins hands down (as it does for the highest resale value). The car with the most grunt (engine noise, not power output - it could well be the most under-powered, depending on which variant of the A4 it is - only 90kW+ at max revs) would probably be the Audi A4 but among the current three on the shortlist it is the cheapest but not as cheap as the Murano. The problem with the IS 250 is that it is the smallest in the Lexus family and coupled with the fact that it is a rear-wheel drive car, there is a big hump in the rear which makes the rear passenger seats even more cramped than they already are.

As for the S60, while it is quite good on the extras, I think the pricing strategy needs a re-think as it's priced the same as the C30. Apparently the engine mountings also don't last very long because Swedish environmental laws require quick biodegradable non-metallic parts to be used wherever possible but because the car will operate in the tropics, the lifespan of these materials will be considerably shortened because of the heat and humidity.

I will talk to my colleagues who have Audis and Volvos tomorrow and see what they have to say. I don't think any of them have a Lexus or a Murano.