[Talewinds]

I did a GM sponsored event like the BMW event BGCarrera describes above. The lineup was
Volvo XC90
ML(something)
Infiniti QX
Acura MDX
Lexus GX?
Chevy Trailblazer (loaded)
and a few other.

The test was sad in a way because this was GM's attempt to show that their cars are great, but people's observations went quite contrary to that idea. The Trailblazer was SO subpar, just such a blatantly cheap piece of schit.

I know the new Merc ML is a terrific car, much improved over the W163, however, that earlier model was designed from the beginning to be the "poor man's" Mercedes, and the engineering and build quality screamed it (just look at the size of the tri-star on the grill for evidence). Unfortunately, around here it has become synonymous with the ghetto "I gots mine" philosophy, which is, find the cheapest cost of entry into a brand and flaunt it. The ML320, 318i, 525, C220, X-Type, Infiniti G20,etc.

I like the Volvo very much. I've always like the exterior proportions, and everything on the interior seemed right and made of very agreeable materials and placement. Of all the ones driven this is the one I would buy (only because I will probably never buy an Acura, see below).

The surprise of the test was the Acura MDX. It would be tough to describe how much better this car was than EVERYTHING else in the test. It handled SO much better, no doubt because it was the most car-based of the group. It accelerated so much better, braked so much better, and as good as the Volvo interior was the MDX was as close to perfection as I could imagine. The materials were superior, and the ergonomics superb. If you'd buy a Honda (I won't), and would consider piloting a car shaped somewhat like a jellybean, it was a huge surprise to discover how incredibly good the MDX was.