CHICAGO, April 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Cars.com, the
premier online resource for buying and selling new and used cars,
has named the BMW 3-Series Sedan the winner of the
Cars.com/USA Today/MotorWeek Sport
Sedan Challenge. The challenge pitted six of the most popular sport
sedans against each other in a series of tests. Cars tested, all
priced at or below $46,000, included
the Acura TL, Audi A4, BMW 3-Series, Cadillac ATS, Mercedes-Benz
C-Class and Volvo S60.
"After completing the challenge, it was easy to see why the
sport sedan class has long been ruled by the BMW. For years, they
have set the bar for other automakers to produce entry-level sport
sedans that are similarly equipped," said Patrick Olsen, Cars.com's editor-in-chief. "This
segment has grown into one of the most popular offerings by luxury
automakers because of their impressive feature set and drivability
at a reasonable price."
Experts from Cars.com, USA
Today, "MotorWeek" and a couple in the market for a sport sedan
tested the six cars for performance, comfort, fuel-efficiency,
features and overall drivability.
Tests included:
- 180-mile drive that covered twisting mountain roads, freeways
and surface streets to test each car for real-world fuel
mileage.
- One day of round-robin driving where each expert drove each car
back-to-back on the same course which included freeways, surface
streets and stop-and-go traffic.
- Track tests, including a road course for handling, tight turns,
acceleration and braking. Additionally, the cars were tested on a
drag strip for zero-to-60, quarter mile time and 60-to-zero
braking.
- One day of in-market shopper testing, where an actual car
shopper went car-to-car judging seating, cargo, feature and
ride-quality.
"Shoppers have a lot of great options to choose from in this
category, but the 3-Series offers an outstanding combination of
performance, fuel efficiency and roominess," said Olsen. "From the
start, we had high hopes for the BMW, and it did not disappoint. As
tougher competition emerges in the sport sedan market, the
long-lived BMW 3-Series continues to remain a force to be reckoned
with in the segment."
To view the full results from the Cars.com Sport Sedan
Challenge, visit blogs.cars.com or click here.
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Cars.com puts millions of car buyers in control of their shopping
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decisions. Launched in June 1998,
Cars.com is a division of Classified Ventures LLC, which is owned
by leading media companies, including A.H.
Belo (NYSE: AHC), Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), The
McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI), Tribune Company and The Washington
Post Company (NYSE: WPO).
SOURCE Cars.com