Well here’s part 2 of my favorite unsung flagship sedans, a celebration of the large, pricey and awesome land barges that we
all love!
This is it, the big Volvo! The flagship offering from one of my top 2 favorite Swedish brands is both
technically and design wise… well, older than all the other Volvos
currently on the market. However, I
would also like to point out that when it first debuted it was a pretty awesome
car. It had style combined with good
functionality. It came standard with a
straight-six (the only one in my group of favorites) and at different times had
a V8 option and/or a turbocharged straight-six.
You can also get it with AWD, giving its owner sure-footed safety in all
sorts of weather conditions.
The biggest benefit of owning a Volvo is that there probably isn’t another car that you will most
likely survive a crash in. Nor will you
likely find a more comfortable seat. In
fact, it’s a well known fact that those guys that lie on beds-of-nails can only
endure it because they are able to trick their sub-conscious into believing
they are sitting in an S80. True story.
Well this one is a bit of a mystery to me. I’m not including it because I know much
about it, but rather because I have been told so much about it by people that have
either owned them or spent considerable time in them – which isn’t as many
people as I’m making it sound. We’re
talking probably 3 total. But they raved about
it and I’ve liked every Infiniti I’ve driven, so here it is.
And really, what’s not to like?
It’s a big, luxurious sedan that handles well and has a powerful V8 driving the rear wheels. This is the formula used with great success
by the likes of BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar. Add to that some superior Japanese build quality and you’ve got
yourself a winner. Apparently the
automotive press agreed with that and the reviews for the Q45 were very
favorable. However, people just didn’t buy
them. Some say it’s because of the
lackluster exterior design, others because at the time the Infiniti brand didn’t
have the same prestige it enjoys now.
Likely a combination of the two holds the key to the car’s lack of
success. Luckily, with the passing of
the Q45 we were treated to the M45... a good trade off by any measure.
Well that’s it for now. Feel free to post about some of the big boats
you’re fond of in the comments section below!
Oh, one more thing! Tomorrow I’m off to my first car auction. I don’t plan on buying anything (the wife
gave me permission to spend up to $100 - whoopee!), but I will be taking some mental notes
about my experience, so expect a report to show up here on the pages of
Automophiliac in the near future.
TTFN
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