It was a little while ago, but most models are unchanged. I was looking for a family car that I could drive hard for the next 10 years.
'12 Buick Regal T-type. Wanted to try a GS but this had the same engine. Started being suspicious of everyone praising 2L turbos.
'12 Audi A4 quattro. Suspicions intensify. Couldn't imagine myself being in the backseat for any longer than to reach under the seat to get some change for the meter. The Audi dealer was unsympathetic and after I sat in the A6, he told me the A3 did nothing for tall people in the backseat (I still haven't tried it, but I think he was lying).
'10 Mercedes C300 4matic. Nice car, but not that exciting. Found the ride a bit sharper than expected for a Mercedes. Didn't know at the time that it was starting in second so that probably worked against my impression. Ultimately it came down to cost of ownership.
'12 BMW 335xi: It's a 3 series which is a plus and a minus. The known plusses were dampened by the nanny systems that were keeping our test pilot sales rep on the road. Punching it in a corner to show that it has no effect on the path of the car is an interesting sales tactic. My wife was pissed at the limit cornering and I was disappointed that I could feel the traction control limiting the clumsy throttle input. The known minuses were diminished by the built in maintenance costs but the options system is just a letdown.
The dark horse was the 2008-2010 535xi: I really like this car in rwd form. I don't know anyone with the awd and couldn't find one I liked for sale easily. Ultimately, not a car that I would want to bet on for 10 years though.
The Lexus line (IS/ES/GS) was undone by the new front end, the complexity of the onboard electronics, and for not being that quick for the money. The Infiniti G, which is the natural cross-shop, was done in by looking like a fish.
The TL was definitely a distant second to the 335 in speed and tunability. My personal opinion is that the SH-AWD TL goes around corners both faster and more enjoyably than the 335xi. It also has the interior space and equivalent speed to the 535xi. The price difference would be just about negated with a 1 year old CPO 335 or a 2-3 year old 535.
Think about that for a minute. I sure did.
With some incentives in play, I ended up negotiating my '12 TL down to less that what a 1 year CPO of the exact same model was going for. Probably less than what some people paid for Accords that month. Honda loyalty played a big part too. My mom bought her 2001 TL and I bought my Civic in late 2000 and they're both still going strong.
I didn't even know about the Taurus SHO at the time, but I should have looked into it.