High End Luxury Cars

24697 messages, Last post on Nov 28, 2009 at 3:09 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

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#20531 of 24697 Re: My taste of Lexus experience [dhamilton] by lexusguy Oct 28, 2006 (7:31 pm)
Replying to: dhamilton (Oct 28, 2006 6:32 pm) First up The IS 350. Upon climbing in to the cabin and driving it about 150 yards to the starting line, I was very impressed with the cabin fit and finish. Very well done and comfortable. When given the OK I accelerated hard, and then braked for the first corner and the realization hit me that this car is a hilarious joke as a sports sedan IMO. It is unfortunate that the IS350 is not would it could've\should've been. The IS300 had razor sharp steering and a very good chassis that just needed some tweaking to solve the problem of it getting unsettled during at the limit manuvering. Unfortunately it was styled for teenagers (by a teenager, actually) and had a very anemic and very old powerplant. In the process of redesigning it for adults, they solved the power issue but forgot to keep all of the things that worked.
#20532 of 24697 Re: footwell [dhamilton] by hpowders Oct 28, 2006 (7:37 pm)
Replying to: dhamilton (Oct 28, 2006 7:31 pm) No problem. I will check out the inside of the LS at Thursday's auto show.
#20533 of 24697 Re: GS AWD [lexusguy] by hpowders Oct 28, 2006 (7:41 pm)
Replying to: lexusguy (Oct 28, 2006 7:12 pm) I seem to recall an Automobile Mag. comparo among AWD luxury sedans in which the A6 quattro won. I can't seem to find it anywhere. I may have burned that issue trying to keep warm last winter.
#20534 of 24697 B-Hemi by drfill Oct 28, 2006 (9:02 pm)
Earlier in the year, Toyota's Vice-President of NA Trucks said this was a move to instill no doubt that this engine will bring down even the mighty 5.7L HEMI. Ironically, they have the same displacement. But Dodge has something up there sleeve with the 6.1L 420hp HEMI that is going into the '07 Rams as top dog. Pretty much went without sayin' that the 6.1 will be in the Ram soon enough. I, personally, would wait for the Next Ram to do so. I would expect less HP, 'round 400, but more torque! Regarding the IS, the old interior was a bad joke, except for the pop-up NAV, which was worth buying just for the effect. The old chassis was quite good, and Lexus seems more than happy to throw out the baby with the bathwater, since the baby had a lotta funk! When I drive the IS350 tomorrow I expect a fast car, with strong brakes, with something very wrong with the steering, but high handling limits, if feeling somewhat disconnected. I think a drive in the 7 is mandatory, just so I can gauge the LS handling vs. the Top Gun. Is the LS well behind the 7, and slightly behind the S? I doubt the design parameters were for German level handling. But the Touring Pkg, maybe? We'll see if the self-parking works. I'm sure they have a test area for this feature, no? The IS seems made for bragging rights, not alley fights. It is beautiful, and super fast. But it flies in the face of Tag's Lexus vs. BMW argument. I doubt I will find a BMW alternative tomorrow. It's agenda may be more style than personality. If nothing else, Lexus has proven that they can make bold, stylish cars. And they already were close to unstoppable. Maybe a driver's car will come next generation? DrFill Replies to this message: tagman (Oct 28, 2006 9:30 pm) lexusguy (Oct 28, 2006 10:40 pm)
#20535 of 24697 Re: B-Hemi [drfill] by tagman Oct 28, 2006 (9:30 pm)
Replying to: drfill (Oct 28, 2006 9:02 pm) When I drive the IS350 tomorrow I expect a fast car, with strong brakes, with something very wrong with the steering, but high handling limits, if feeling somewhat disconnected. The IS seems made for bragging rights, not alley fights. It is beautiful, and super fast. But it flies in the face of Tag's Lexus vs. BMW argument. I doubt I will find a BMW alternative tomorrow. It's agenda may be more style than personality. Between you and dhamilton's post, the IS is sounding a bit lukewarm. Here's what dhamilton posted about the IS: ...the realization hit me that this car is a hilarious joke as a sports sedan IMO. The steering is beyond words artificial, and the chassis under steers like Dick Cheaney has accidental shootings on hunting excursions. I won't waste any more words on this joke of a car. Can it be that bad? I can't wait for your feedback on the IS, Doc, just to see how different your opinion might be than dhamilton's opinion is. It might illuminate how different reviewers can write such different reviews on the exact same car . . . or . . . maybe you will agree with dhamilton! I want to know the outcome on this one. TagMan
#20536 of 24697 Re: B-Hemi [drfill] by lexusguy Oct 28, 2006 (10:40 pm)
Replying to: drfill (Oct 28, 2006 9:02 pm) Regarding the IS, the old interior was a bad joke, except for the pop-up NAV, which was worth buying just for the effect. It could've been such a good car, too. The problem was Lexus took the Toyota Altezza, replaced the badge, and went "done!". Thats fine for cars like the Aristo (GS) and Soarer (SC), but the Altezza just wasn't an upmarket car. If Lexus had instead used the Altezza platform to make a car with Lexus level body design and interior quality (think Camry\ES), and used the Supra twin turbos on the old 3.0L inline, 300hp would be no problem at all. That would've been a fabulous car, and probably would've given the G35 a very tough fight, instead of handing Acura and Infiniti sales on a silver platter. Why dont I work at Lexus?
#20537 of 24697 Re: My taste of Lexus experience [dhamilton] by syswei Oct 29, 2006 (2:10 am)
Replying to: dhamilton (Oct 28, 2006 6:32 pm) Thanks for your post. Always interesting to hear people's views.
#20538 of 24697 taste of Lexus by syswei Oct 29, 2006 (2:14 am)
Those who are signed up but still haven't gone yet should remember to set your LS460s to "sport" mode. The switch is on the console, not far from the shifter. Dhamilton, I assume yours was set that way? Replies to this message: hpowders (Oct 29, 2006 3:58 am)
#20539 of 24697 Re: taste of Lexus [syswei] by hpowders Oct 29, 2006 (3:58 am)
Replying to: syswei (Oct 29, 2006 2:14 am) Thanks. I will remember that.
#20540 of 24697 LS460 commercial by syswei Oct 29, 2006 (4:07 am)
I don't care much for the auto-parking feature, but this is a nice commercial: commercial Actually the only LS460 spot I've seen, since I don't watch much TV. Hope the other ads get posted on the web, if anyone else finds one, please post a link. Of course, more user intervention is required to park than is suggested by the commercial, but that's typical of ads I guess.