RoshDawg

I'm looking to eventually trade in my Z for a 4 door that can take on DD duties but still be sporty. Here are my thoughts on the cars I drove:

Mercedes GLA 45 AMG
This is truly a fun car. In no way shape or form does it feel like you're driving a sporty crossover. It is in every way shape and form a hot hatch. Felt comparable to an STI with how tossable it was, as well as how juvenile you feel driving it. This is a car you can constantly mash on the throttle and have a fun time.
PROS:
Fun exhaust - by far the best sound to come from a 4 banger - although it's still a 4 banger. You'll laugh and smile when you hear the exhaust, but it doesn't get the same respect as you would from the Macan or M3)
Good size -this is not a family car, but it can be used as one. You will never feel the car is too big. The dimensions are perfect for everyday life - drive coworkers to lunch, make a trip to the mountains, ect. If you have more than 1 kid, you should look elsewhere.
Agile - you can take this car on canyon roads and have a blast. Hell you could have a great time doing autox with this car.
MPG - I'm impressed with the gas mileage I was getting on the first half of my test drive (the calm half). You can easily average 30mpg on the freeway.
CONS:
Cheap interior - it definitely does not feel like a Mercedes inside. I would put it on par with the new VW golf interior. You're definitely paying for performance, not luxury. The Z's interior feels nicer IMO.
Transmission and Lag - it's best to shift in manual mode to keep in the power band where the turbo will spool up. It has super high boost with a low compression ratio, so it has bad lag if you're in too low of a gear. This shouldn't be a reason to turn away though. Just keep it in S and you'll be fine.

E90 M3
Wow this was exciting. White knuckle experience to say the least. The sound from this car is just crazy, and when you're driving it, even at super low speeds (in m mode), it feels like you're driving a monster. I could not relax in this car! When driving fast over uneven terrain, the car really started fighting me and I had to constantly make adjustments and corrections to stay on course. I've never had to stay more focused driving a car fast than I did in this m3. It easily got upset if you weren't driving on perfect Tarmac. But man those 8400rpm shifts are awesome. By far the most memorable car I drove, but for the lack of confidence I had with it, and how unnerving the suspension was, I cant see myself using it as a DD.
Side note, the M4 in person with cloth seats looks fvcking amazing. Way better than pics. Those fenders from the back look awesome.

S4 wtf. The model I drove had a sticker price of 58K. For 4k more you can get a bare bones '15 M3. You have to be insane to spend that kind of money on an S4. The seats were awesome though and it was a very comfy car. I could easily drive cross country with this. to be honest though, I completely forgot the drive. This car is that forgettable. It does everything right, with no fuss, but it will not raise your testosterone. If there is someone out there though, who spent 58k on an S4, I would love to hear your reasoning.

Macan I'm biased. Porsche makes the best cars in the world imo. The Macan is quite simply the best crossover ever to be built. It is however very expensive, and I'm not that into crossovers. Perhaps in some time I will get a used one for the future wife. Perhaps. I prefer hatchbacks or sedans when it comes to needing 4 doors.
I cannot believe they made a crossover that sounds this good. I can't believe they made a turbo that sounds this good! Of course you could only really hear the exhaust note from the outside or with the windows down, but man it was great. And they're gonna make it even better with a sport exhaust option!
The transmission as everyone knows is the best. Handling is as good as you can get for a crossover (although it could be made better with Porsche's dynamic chassis control).
I didn't feel any lag. Everything felt great. Best interior also by far (although s4 wasn't too bad)

If I had to buy one of these, it would be the GLA. I love hot hatches, and unfortunately Subaru stopped making theirs, the golf R looks like a minivan, the future focus RS will probably be too hard core for DD. I will be waiting for a used one to show up on the market since I don't want to pay 60k for a 4 banger, but at that time I may want to save up a bit more for a used '15 m3?

What cars are you guys looking to eventually switch to?

__________________
| EVO X MR | '11 WRX STI | 370Z SPRT | 911 (991) C2S |