Comparison Tests
* Thomas Hobson (circa 1544-1630) was an innkeeper and stagecoach driver in Cambridge, England, who rented horses to students at the university and forced them to take the one nearest the stable door, regardless of its age or condition. Hence, "Hobson's choice" was no choice at all.
Talk about an insane situation. Normally in comparison tests, our ace team of power pundits quickly culls the wheat from the chaff, leaving a relatively limited candidacy for the overall victory. Potential winners often include an Acura or a BMW-presuming they are included in the starting lineup. But what happens if these two champions go head-to-head, with no other contenders, leaving our aforementioned pettifoggers to lay down a simple verdict? Win or lose. A thumbs up or down for a pair of brands that have dominated our 10Best balloting like no others except Acura's parent, Honda.
Be reminded that since 1990 the Acuras and the BMWs have been 1000-pound gorillas in 10Best. BMWs of various iterations have won 18 times over that time span, and Acura has been victorious six times (although if parent Honda is included, the total rises to an impressive 28). Suffice it to say that the products from Munich and Hamamatsu/Marysville, Ohio, rank among our all-time favorites. And based on their booming sales, U.S. consumers concur.
The original plans for this test involved Volvo and Saab, both of which offered entries in this class of mid-priced, four-place, manual-gearbox sporty two-doors. Then Volvo announced that its front-drive C70 hardtop was headed for the big scrap yard in the sky, and Saab followed shortly thereafter, passing the word that its aging 9-3 Viggen would also disappear from showrooms. That left us with a pair of entries: the BMW 330Ci, which is a well-known favorite among this staff, having won 10Best honors for the past two years; and a major challenger from Acura, the 3.2CL Type-S, with a new, very slick six-speed tranny.
Although the two rivals appear similar in size, weight, and potential performance, one major discrepancy leapt off the specification sheets: The price on the dreaded Monroney sticker for the Bimmer was $7448 more than for the Acura ($33,180 versus $40,628). If we determined that the BMW was the more appealing of the two, how would we transmit this opinion without being accused of shameless shilling and toadyism on behalf of the Bavarian Motor Works?
The seven-large number loomed ominously as our small team loaded up and headed south toward our favored stomping grounds in rural Ohio. The mission was to determine if a master of technology and legendary performance (Acura/Honda) could knock off the icon of crazed, unfettered enthusiast motoring (you know who). After three days of lashing these worthies through the hills and hummocks of the Buckeye State, we faced the same dilemma as when we started: how to pick a winner. As the following will reveal, both machines are massively appealing, and both possess excellent performance, nimble handling, superb quality, and enough visceral mojo to raise the pulses of even the wild and crazy guys at Consumer Reports.
We hope the results speak for themselves, as controversial as they might seem at first glance. Surely, ol' Tom Hobson would understand.
