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#16317 of 24723 Re: Doc [blkhemi] by oac

Jun 13, 2006 (4:38 pm)

Replying to: blkhemi (Jun 13, 2006 2:49 pm)

"First you have a $63k SUV that is at least a decade old. Then there's a supposed hard-top crusiser that looks cartoonish without any provacative looks whatsoever(which also commands 60k), a midsize BMW 5-Series fighter that has lost the battle before it started."
 
Ouch !!! I own that SUV and tho' dated, its still plenty nice. Every day I drive that truck I get lots of compliments. Old, yes... but what a great truck it remains. As to the SC, I am no fan but at only 13 days on dealer lot before it gets sold, its a winner for Lexus. The new GS came earlier than anticipated, with old carryover motors (4.3L V8), and a new but underpowered 245HP V6. Certainly Lexus looks to amend these with the GS350 and the GS450h. As to beating a 5-series, Lexus is NOT a performance-inclined company, thus far. Their forte is luxury, refinement, solid build quality and reliability. Infiniti comes close to matching BMW in the handling and performance areas, and so far are doing a heck of a job. But where is Infiniti in the large luxury sedan class ? Methinks the HELM plays to Lexus' strength, that is why it was easy for the LS to assume the #1 sales crown within such a relatively small timeline.
 
And now, the company is marching in the right path. With cars like the new ES350 and IS350(but still no 6-speed(yet), which are great entries, the company can finally put up a good fight. Late? A decade and half.
 
Lexus or Toyota can certainly put MTs in their cars. After the 2002 release of the IS300 5-MT, with no appreciable uptick in sales or interest, Lexus was wise to stick to its strength in the gen-2 release... The new IS350, even with a slushbox, outruns any in its class. BTW, do I not tote around town in a 6-MT Matrix ? That little buzzy car is fun to drive, and its all Toyota drivetrain and with a Yamaha motor rated at 100hp/L of displacement, and priced under $20K !!! What a deal ! Designman, take note: not all Lexophiles drive around in snoozemobiles... Sorry I digress
 
A decade and a half, is all Lexus' history compared to the 100+ for MB, Audi and others... What do you expect ? Perfection ??? For its short lifespan, Lexus has achieved a level unheard of in automotive history. And the sky is the limit. The ES killed off every competition in its path. Ditto the RX, setting the bar for what a luxury car-based SUV should be. The LX continues its remarkable run on a solid LC platform, old as it is.... These are Lexus winners anyway you slice it....
 
Talking of late to the party, how late was BMW and Audi to the SUV party ? How late are they to the hybrid party ? How late are they to the 8-speed tranny party ? How late are they to creating an ergonomic cupholder in their lux cruisers ? How late are they to simple, touchscreen DVD-based Nav ? Oh, don't tell me these things are unimportant, cos they are, otherwise MB, BMW and Audi won't have these in their cars as well.
 
Doc put it best: how high does Toyota/Lexus want to go before pissing off our politicians in DC ? That, I submit, is Lexus/Toyota's achilles' heel !

Replies to this message:

• designman (Jun 13, 2006 5:18 pm)
  • oac (Jun 13, 2006 5:26 pm)
• merc1 (Jun 13, 2006 11:39 pm)

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#16318 of 24723 Re: Wow, Hemi! How many backhanded compliments is that? [pat] by tagman

Jun 13, 2006 (4:39 pm)

Replying to: pat (Jun 13, 2006 4:37 pm)

There is no point in arguing with him about it.
  
How about we just move on?
 
Gotcha, boss. Just trying to keep the peace, but heck, that's your job, isn't it?
 
TagMan

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#16322 of 24723 Re: New Mercedes CL class [lexusguy] by oac

Jun 13, 2006 (4:56 pm)

Replying to: lexusguy (Jun 13, 2006 1:01 pm)

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#16324 of 24723 Re: New Mercedes CL class [lexusguy] by docnukem

Jun 13, 2006 (5:07 pm)

Replying to: lexusguy (Jun 13, 2006 1:01 pm)

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#16325 of 24723 Re: Doc [oac] by designman

Jun 13, 2006 (5:18 pm)

Replying to: oac (Jun 13, 2006 4:38 pm)

Designman, take note: not all Lexophiles drive around in snoozemobiles...
 
Oac, your lead-footed testimony has been well noted. Now permit me edit that statement so it accurately applies to your case…
 
Not all Lexophiles drive as if they are in snoozemobiles.
 

Replies to this message:

• oac (Jun 13, 2006 5:26 pm)

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#16326 of 24723 Re: Doc [designman] by oac

Jun 13, 2006 (5:26 pm)

Replying to: designman (Jun 13, 2006 5:18 pm)

Thanks, Designman.... My lead foot is killing me tho'. My Trix should be doing 25+ mpg, but I get barely 22mpg. Go figure ! In contrast, my LS mileage has increased from 18mpg to 20.2mpg, for a 9-yr-old car. Not bad, eh ? Don't even ask how the LX470 does in mpg... Not worth mentioning.