<p>Wrong about the relevancy. Many of us have had experience with many different car brands and have reasons for the OP to consider brands not already on the short list. Given a choice I say “none of the above”, the OP family can do better than those. Opinions, of course- that’s the forum. Personally I think the 3 choices are for perceived prestige, not vehicle quality.</p>
<p>BSEagle,
Thank you for devoting your attention to my posts, but I do not have any questions, OP does. You are free to continue replying to mine, but it will not change anything for OP.</p>
<p>We’ve had several Audis – S4, RS4, now Q5 – very happy with all of them; same with a '99 MB C43. Can’t beat the C class for turning radius. Never owned a BMW.</p>
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<p>Auto enthusiasts consider the ES350 a snore to drive (FWD, spft, floaty ride w/ a lot of body roll) and that it is basically a nicer reskinned Camry.</p>
<p>As for BMW, Mercedes and Audi, it all depends.</p>
<p>For the compact segment, the 3 Series is still the one to beat for driving dynamics, but for those who don’t see that as a primary concern, the A4 and C Class are good choices (Mercedes just refreshed the C Class and have given it a better interior; before, it was a bit “chinzy” for its price-range).</p>
<p>For the mid-size segment, it’s a pretty hefty price-raise (unless one happens to find a real good lease deal).</p>
<p>All 3 are good choices - the current 5 Series is less sporty and more like a smaller 7 Series and Audi just redid the A6.</p>
<p>As for reliability, many drivers lease b/c they rather just get another one before the warranty expires, but generally OK, but not great.</p>
<p>I’m thinking OP’s husband leasing budget will be able to ge him a fairly loaded 3 Series, C Class, A4 or a 5 Series, A6 or E Class w/ the base engine (decent power, but really not enough to go “fast”).</p>
<p>If something like the 3 Series is too small for his needs (wanting more rear passenger leg-room, etc.), I would look into the Hyundai Genesis 5.0 R-Spec.</p>
<p>For basically the same price, get a RWD mid-size (interior space actually matches that of the 7 Series) w/ a V8 that pushes out 429HP; also has a Lexicon audio system that is one of the best.</p>
<p>^Yes, my H. loves his Lexus (I do not know which one, but it is a smallest one).
But I just love the way Audi drives, I do not know about other concerns, they might be coming since we cannot replace our cars for at least 4 more years. We do not lease.</p>