As summer approaches it is once again time to get your bling-on with a brand new luxury sedan. But with so many to choose from, how are you supposed to know which ones are functional, and which are just that… bling. Alan Dean and Vince Bucciachio from BrandIntel.com offer their insight through their 2008 Consumer Voice Awards.

The first obvious point to mention upon looking at the results of BrandIntel’s research is that luxury sedan manufacturers in general are doing their job. The sentiments consumers had for this group of vehicles was fairly satisfactory for the most part. Another important point to come out of this is the return of the American made vehicle as a standard of quality.

For a long time now, the American consumer has been driven towards imports as the standard of quality and value for their money. Well, step aside BMW, Volvo, Audi, and Acura… we have a new king on the streets and it is American made!

Overall Bread-Winner — Cadillac CTS

Consumer Comments: “The newly redesigned Cadillac CTS can compete with many higher-end imports.” Consumers have been particularly impressed with the quality and performance of GM’s new 3.6 liter (DI) Direct Injection V-6 engine available now in North America.

The new 3.6 is capable of 304 horsepower, which easily rivals the Ford Mustang’s 4.6 liter (3-valve) V-8, which only puts out 300. The standard 3.6 liter Cadillac engine has 258 horsepower, which is plenty of low end grunt for the average consumer. The base engine also has an optional (AWD) All-Wheel-Drive transmission for their automatics.

Share of Consumer Discussion — 38%

Sentiment — 3.9

Consumers Like — Exterior Styling, Interior Styling, Quality, Value, and Performance

Consumers Dislike — Front Grille, Cadillac Image, and low Fuel Economy

Most Significant Rival — Lexus IS

Consumers believe that the Lexus IS offers a great build quality and is one of the most reliable vehicles in the luxury sedan segment. Consumers particularly love its “spacious trunk”. But on that same coin, consumers complained about its “ cramped rear seating”. As with most things in life, if you make something better, you are probably making something worse somewhere else.

Do you want trunk space or seating space? You can’t have it all unless you are talking about the 20 foot long Rolls Royce Phantom, which tilts the scales at 6,300 lbs and tilts your wallet even further beyond entry-level and directly into bankruptcy with its $350,000 price tag.

The overall most popular and liked vehicles among consumers in the Entry-Level Luxury car segment:

10^th Place— Chrysler 300 3% popularity, medium sentiment

9^th Place— Saab 9-3 5% popularity, high sentiment

8^th Place— Infinity G35 7% popularity, high sentiment

7^th Place— Mercedes C-Class 8% popularity, high sentiment

6^th Place— BMW 3-Series 10% popularity, high sentiment

5^th Place— Audi A4 10% popularity, high sentiment

4^th Place— Volvo S60 2% popularity, very high sentiment

3^rd Place— Acura TL 5% popularity, very high sentiment

2^nd Place— Lexus IS 6% popularity, very high sentiment

1^st Place— Cadillac CTS 38% popularity, very high sentiment

Some folks are indeed calling the new Audi R8 the best sports car of the year and while there may be many who would disagree with this call, there is just no denying its 0 to 60 in 4.5 seconds time (with a German engineer at the helm), or 3.9 seconds (with a Motor Trends professional driver at the controls). its 317 lb balanced torque curve that gives way to 420 bhp at a screaming 7800 rpm. Its LeManns winning heritage. Its estimated top speed of around 190 mph, or how about its mid chassis engine set-up that easily rivals the Porsche 911.

Any way you look at it, Audi has a winner on its hands, which is nice to see after the TT was such a disappointment for most. With what could be best described as a Volkswagen Beetle on a sugar high, the meager 1.8 turbo TT was no more than a 1.8 liter 4-cylinder with a K04 turbo. As we approach the new decade of Audi sports car, we can’t help to notice that they have taken the cue of so many other sports cars of today and are using engines that fit the old motto, “There is no replacement for displacement.”

The Audi R8 has a very healthy 254 cubic inch V-8 with a more complex FSI injection system. The FSI system is a beautifully designed system that includes four valves per cylinder and instead of injecting fuel into the intake ports, it injects it directly into the cylinders themselves. When done properly, this combination has been shown to translate into more torque, more horsepower, and a lower fuel consumption. Sounds like a dream come true, and in many ways… it is.

The interior of the R8 is a mixture of luxury and race car convenience. A tight six speed coupled with the traditional paddle shifter on the steering wheel offer the driver complete control of their driving experience. With all of this praise you would think that the R8 could do not wrong, but as in many dreams that we have, there is an element of nightmare somewhere in the mix.

For one, the R8 has absolutely very little room. Some would even say that there is barely enough room for the driver in many ways. Let’s just say that a diet of fast food would not be conducive to a comfortable relationship with your new Audi. Once you get yourself snuggly fit in the cockpit, forget about bringing much anything else with you. Another drawback with the compact size is the lack of visibility around the car, especially the rear, but what else could you expect from a V-8 mid engined car, besides speed & exhilaration… yup, that’s just about it!

When it really comes down to it, no matter how good the economy, or what price we have to pay; what many of us really want is a car that performs well. In some instances we not only want a car that performs well, but also performs better than just about every other car on the road. It is a soccer mom eat soccer mom world out there and when we have appointments to make and kids sporting events to get to, we need a vehicle that is capable of the task.

To make it easy on you, we are going to headline the best performers out there for each manufacturer… but we are not only going to headline the best and fastest, we are also going to break it down to the “best for your buck”.

We can’t all spend $100,000 plus for a car… and those of us who can’t, deserve to have some fun too.

Let’s Begin:

Acura

By far the best performer here is going to be your 2009 Acura NSX, which is perceived to be capable of 0-60 in 3.5 seconds and has a rather beastly 550 horsepower V-10 to command its 3,000lb curb weight. But at $150,000 a pop, this is definitely not be for everyone.

The 2007 Acura TL (Type S) with a $38,000 base price, 6 second 0-60 time, and a happy 286 horsepower engine, would be your best bet for the buck in the current Acura line-up.

Audi

Between the R8 or the RS6, you really can’t go wrong. The 2008 R8 features a 420 hp engine capable of rocketing from 0-60 in 4.3 seconds. It also however caries a price tag of $109,000. The 2008 RS6 has a beautiful twin turbo V-10 that is capable of a 4.2 0-60 second time using its 550 horsepower 5.2 liter engine. Best of all it also features a slightly decreased price of $95,000 in comparison.

But if you are really looking for the best bang for buck, you can’t beat Audi’s 2008 TT-RS for $60,000, featuring a 365 horsepower motor that can do 0-60 in just under 5 seconds.

BMW

The BMW M3 may be good, but if you really like to go fast the BMW M6 should be your German tool of choice. With a price tag of around $98,000, you could be rocketing from 0-60 in 4.2 seconds, and this is all with a 500 horsepower V-10.

If money has you limited, then the BMW Z2 M roadster is not too much of a downgrade on speed, with its 0-60 in 4.9 seconds. It is however a noticeable downgrade from price, with its reachable $39,000 price tag.

(…to be continued)