High End Luxury Cars

24700 messages, Last post on Dec 01, 2009 at 12:24 PM

You are in the Sedans Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens

What is this discussion about? Audi A8, BMW 7 Series, Jaguar XJ-Series, Lexus LS 460, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Volkswagen Phaeton, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes-Benz CL-Class, Sedan

Let's try to define this forum as being limited to luxury performance vehicles where the mainstream version in a typical configuration has an MSRP of at least $60k.

A luxury vehicle with a base price of $59k qualifies because it would typically be bought with some additional equipment, bringing the MSRP over $60k.

Vehicles like the E, 5, A6, M, or GS, even if available in certain versions over $60k, don't qualify because they are cars from companies that have higher end cars in their lineups.

Outline

Messages Page 1477 of 2471: 1; ...; 1474; 1475; 1476; 1477; 1478; 1479; 1480; ...; 2471; Prev; Next; Last

#14753 of 24700 Re: I don't know! [drfill] by oac Apr 12, 2006 (5:21 pm)
Replying to: drfill (Apr 12, 2006 5:04 pm) MB and BMW execs scurrying to attend a meeting about this new LS600hL... That sayz something, buddy.... Its still a full year away before this car gets here, so plenty of time to improve, refine, copy, remake, engineer, compete, etc.. any adjective that fits. This is a car the competition will copy, and I know how that word is a bad word around here, so I say that with all trepidation Replies to this message: merc1 (Apr 12, 2006 8:29 pm)
#14754 of 24700 Hybrid MPG by houdini1 Apr 12, 2006 (6:44 pm)
My neighbors wife drives a RX400H. She drives basically to and from work so it is virtually all city type driving. In the 8 months she has had this auto she is averaging 22 mpg. They were expecting 30 mpg. My point being that in some of these larger hybrids the real world mpg is not always as advertised. Replies to this message: ljflx (Apr 12, 2006 7:10 pm) tagman (Apr 12, 2006 7:52 pm) houdini1 (Apr 13, 2006 5:32 am) syswei (Apr 13, 2006 5:54 am)
#14755 of 24700 Re: Hybrid MPG [houdini1] by ljflx Apr 12, 2006 (7:10 pm)
Replying to: houdini1 (Apr 12, 2006 6:44 pm) I know one person that has the RX hybrid and they average 30mpg and well into the 30's on pure city driving. They love the power of the RX with this hybrid though and this is their third gen RX. It's not just about mpg anyway - it's about the power. You pay 4-8K more for a more powerful engine and a hybrid is a more powerful engine. The whole return on investment arguement holds no water with me if you are getting all that extra power. You jump 10-12K if you leap from an S430 to an S500 and you get some extra options and 30 more horses. All of a sudden a hybrid that is fully optioned out plus adds the same 30+ horses has to sell on ROI. It's $8-10K more because it's a lot more car. Replies to this message: tagman (Apr 12, 2006 7:52 pm) houdini1 (Apr 13, 2006 5:32 am) syswei (Apr 13, 2006 5:54 am)
#14756 of 24700 NY Times by ljflx Apr 12, 2006 (7:13 pm)
That linked NY Times article puts a $125K estimated price on the LS600H. But from what I've been told it's more in the $100-105K range. Misprint or does the Times really know something?? Well I'll see what I can find out. I'll be at the auto show twice now - once on business and once with family and friends.
#14757 of 24700 Re: Hybrid MPG [ljflx] by tagman Apr 12, 2006 (7:52 pm)
Replying to: ljflx (Apr 12, 2006 7:10 pm) It's not just about mpg anyway - it's about the power. You pay 4-8K more for a more powerful engine and a hybrid is a more powerful engine. The whole return on investment arguement holds no water with me if you are getting all that extra power. ljflx, well said. In the same analogy . . . people have paid a premium for ICE displacement upgrades for years, opting for more power and paying for it, without any benefit to fuel efficiency . . . heck, traditionally we've all ended up with hungrier engines if we wanted more power. We literally paid more for the privilege of burning more fuel. This LS hybrid is different. You get more power AND greater fuel efficiency. Do the math any way you want to. That sounds like a winning formula to me. ljflx, you said you are on TWO lists, not just one. Which two? TagMan
#14758 of 24700 stevekilburn???? What???? by tagman Apr 12, 2006 (8:02 pm)
Replying to: stevekilburn (Apr 12, 2006 4:36 pm) I think it's been very clear that I have not engaged in any argument . . . and I'm quite sure that the other posters would back me up on that. There must be some major misunderstanding or mix-up, cause I don't have a clue what you're talking about. Gosh, the more I look at this LS600hL, the more I like it. TagMan
#14759 of 24700 Re: Australian press release LS600h [blkhemi] by merc1 Apr 12, 2006 (8:21 pm)
Replying to: blkhemi (Apr 12, 2006 2:35 pm) Yeah but the Corvette does weigh a lot less like you stated and it has a manual. Does it still have the 2-3 skip feature or whatever gears it was? I think we didn't see 500hp because at that point the MPG would have made the whole exercise pointless, IMO. M
#14760 of 24700 Re: Australian press release LS600h [oac] by merc1 Apr 12, 2006 (8:26 pm)
Replying to: oac (Apr 12, 2006 4:31 pm) Impressive yes, but not the second coming the automobile as predicted here so many times. As an alternative to the S550 and 750Li I can see why, but compared to the 760 and especially S600 this car still won't have the power to compete, especially with the 510hp S600. Dr Fill hasn't said a word and both the LS600h and LS460 threads on the future boards are very quiet. I sense a great letdown among a lot of Lexolites. M Replies to this message: oac (Apr 12, 2006 8:53 pm) merc1 (Apr 12, 2006 9:06 pm) oac (Apr 12, 2006 9:23 pm) and 3 more...
#14761 of 24700 Re: I don't know! [oac] by merc1 Apr 12, 2006 (8:29 pm)
Replying to: oac (Apr 12, 2006 5:21 pm) I knew you'd go for the NY Times hype. Like running to a meeting today is going to produce a result and a year isn't enough time for MB/BMW to change their hybrid plans to compete directly with (or copy) the LS600h anyway. Do you really think car executives from MB/BMW would actually be seen physically running beause of a Lexus, no matter how awed/shocked/worried they were about the car? It isn't as if they can do anything about it in a meeting at the auto show. M
#14762 of 24700 Re: Initial impression [ljflx] by merc1 Apr 12, 2006 (8:38 pm)
Replying to: ljflx (Apr 12, 2006 1:35 pm) I'm not sure what exactly you have against diesels, but they'll have a following in the market right along with hybrids. Hybrids are more popular because people are being fooled by the MPG estimates on the window stickers, but then reality sets in when they don't make the same numbers or even get close. There hasn't even been a real diesel push yet in the U.S. by any of the German luxury brands and Mercedes doesn't even advertise the E320 CDI that much because they aren't yet able to sell it in NY or Cali which are two of their biggest markets. If all the hurdles are cleared and a 50 state diesel is possible MB, BMW and Audi will sell diesels in good numbers. I know Mercedes will, wanna place a gentleman's bet on it? The only hybrid that I know of that is in constant demand is the Prius all the others seem to range from ok to not selling well. I still don't see the point of a GS450h when the GS460 is going to cost likely less with more power. To have a GS450h to save a few gallons of gass with a much smaller trunk than the already too small trunk of the GS430? Doesn't really make sense to me. Then there is the fact that Lexus will only sell 2K units a year, hardly enough for any other luxury maker to take the GS450h seriously. Now the LS600h may be a different story, but the S600 obviously has nothing worry about nor does the 760Li, but the LS600h does make an interesting alternative to the S550/750Li. M Replies to this message: oac (Apr 12, 2006 9:14 pm) merc1 (Apr 12, 2006 9:19 pm) tagman (Apr 12, 2006 9:40 pm) merc1 (Apr 12, 2006 10:12 pm) hpowders (Apr 13, 2006 12:14 am) syswei (Apr 13, 2006 3:34 am)