Mid-size sedans offer value and luxury
A chauffeur is not required with these driving gems
With many of the features found in more expensive full-size models, the mid-size luxury/sports sedan segment can offer a great deal of relative value.
Especially if you prefer to drive the car instead of being chauffeured around.
Here is a trio of such mid-sizers, each with four-doors, room for five, and the promise of driving fun. Plus, all three come with available traction:
THIRD PLACE: 2012 BMW 528I XDRIVE
Redesigned for 2011, the “big” news this year for BMW’S 5 Series sedan is the introduction of the entry-level four-cylinder 528i model.
On paper, the turbocharged 2.0-litre matches last year’s 3.0L six in horsepower (241), yet betters it in torque (258 to 230 pound-feet), and fuel-economy — obviously this model’s raison d’être.
With a mandatory eight-speed automatic transmission, the all-wheel-drive 528i xdrive is rated at 8.8L/100 km in the city, and 5.9L on the highway. That’s substantially less than the competition here — the Audi A6 3.0 TFSI Quattro and Infiniti M37x, rated at 11.3/12.0 city and 7.4/8.3 highway, respectively.
The hotel and condo complex is dramatically changing the streetscape, says Michael Braun, marketing manager of Shangri-la developer Westcorp. And yet, it will appear to be a “natural coming together over time,” with heritage brick at the corner juxtaposed against a glass tower with its intriguing angles at street level, outdoor café and an extraordinary art installation, “Rising,” slated to be unveiled May 5. “Rising” is also an indicator of the level — and type — of luxury one can expect in both hotel and residences.
For starters, a restaurant will open by Momofuku, founded by celebrity New York chef David Chang. Condo residents can avail themselves of any hotel amenity, including room service from the restaurant, as well as maid service, use of the spa, concierge, valet parking, limousine service, indoor pool, a fitness facility, corporate function rooms and banquet rooms, 40-seat screening room.
The residences, too, are all about luxury, especially the ultimate luxury of space. Condos begin where the hotel leaves off — at floor 17 — and range in size from 818 to 4,808 square feet, with two-level penthouses on the top floors measuring 3,350 square feet.
A refreshing change from normal high-end fare, the 1,833-square-foot model suite is not only large, but airy and open, with the Italian Boffi kitchen as its centre hub, and dining, living and family room areas radiating out from there. This kind of layout affords great flow. Even with sunlight flooding through the floor-to-ceiling windows, it’s easy to imagine a well-attended evening event, city lights twinkling.
It’s also easy to see why the layout and design is such a game changer for the luxury market. Its designer, Anwar Mukhayesh, whose name was put forward by one of Braun’s colleagues, is part of the hip and young The Design Agency. Mukhayesh started with the kitchen — sleek wood cabinets, Miele and Subzero appliances — and designed the spaces around it. It dictated the spaces around, including the dining area which he placed between the kitchen and the double balcony doors so dining would feel like “sitting in an outdoor pavilion.” In like fashion, he selected modern furnishings — a white Saarinen tulip dining room, birch chairs and slim white-lacquer consoles against the wall.
Having two fireplaces also helped determine the seating of gathering spaces — living and family room. One fireplace is on a large support pillar at the end of the kitchen run of cabinetry, facing the windows — this is where Mukhayesh placed the living “room.”
It’s always a little tricky to create living rooms in situations like this with so many windows, Mukhayesh says, because there are no walls to anchor the furnishings. But rather than depend on walls to define space, he used floor lamps, area rugs and furniture. Delving deeper into the suite, and around the “corner” of its L-shaped configuration, Mukhayesh placed the family room. It also has a fireplace and, to further enhance the intimacy, he wallpapered the fireplace wall in a black damask. Although the Shangri-la brand is best known as international modern or minimalist style, Mukhayesh says he incorporated traditional pieces to add the unexpected and to infuse the space with warmth: a tufted oversized leather sofa in the family room; a large button-tufted ottoman; spindle-turned glass legs on the coffee table which rest on a cowhide rug; a cream Barbara Barry-like chair in the living room. While the two bedrooms are meant to be oases away from the public space, one of them plays with small doses of boldness in the same way — a bright blue blanket and two purple pillows are all it takes in a soft grey room. And in the bathroom, a photograph of picnickers on a Mediterranean beach introduces colour into the pale grey and white marble tiled bathroom. Like the block in which the condo is situated, the suite’s juxtaposition of eclectic elements lend a sense of having been there awhile. It’s extravagant for sure, but understated at the same time. The residences, priced from $993,500 to over $9.3 million, for unit sizes of 1,537 to 4,431 square feet, are appealing to a wide variety of buyers — first-timers who work on Bay St, downsizing local couples, international families interested in Toronto’s educational opportunities, Braun says. With 80 per cent of the suites sold, Braun is feeling confident about Toronto’s market and economy, and its ability to support and willingness to embrace luxury hotel/condo projects. The sales centre is at 200 University Avenue, Suite 301, open Monday to Thursday and weekends from noon to 5 p.m., and closed Fridays. Call 416-599-0333, 1-866-599-0333, or go to living shangri-latoronto.com for more information.