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Luxury Performance Sedans

9978 messages,  Last post on Nov 02, 2009 at 1:30 PM

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

What is this discussion about? Lexus GS 430, Acura RL, BMW 5 Series, Volvo S80, Audi A6, Infiniti M35, Infiniti M45, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Cadillac STS, Sedan


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#3887 of 9978
Re: What is the best LPS? [frisconick] by lexusguy
Sep 08, 2005 (7:53 pm)
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Replying to: frisconick (Sep 08, 2005 10:32 am)

If you're concerned about reliability, get a Lexus GS. It might not be as classy, but it will get you home, every time.
#3888 of 9978
Re: What is the best LPS? [lexusguy] by hendjaz
Sep 08, 2005 (9:05 pm)
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Replying to: lexusguy (Sep 08, 2005 7:53 pm)

"get a Lexus GS"
 
I might do this when the GS 450h comes out next spring. After a short time in our RX 400h, can't wait for what the Lexus hybrid performance approach will do for the GS. Hope it comes out with a bit better performance suspension as the 400h has, with 18" wheels and tires standard. Great torque and accleration on demand may really bring the GS up a couple of notches in the LPS evaluations. Fingers crossed anyway.
#3889 of 9978
Re: What is the best LPS? [hendjaz] by lexusguy
Sep 09, 2005 (1:23 am)
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Replying to: hendjaz (Sep 08, 2005 9:05 pm)

The 450h actually doesnt make a lot of sense to me. If Lexus had made it AWD then yeah, great idea. But its going to be RWD, just like the GS430. Acceleration should similar to the 430. Its supposed to cost more than the GS430, but I dont really see any advantage other than fuel economy. If it was using the 4.3L V8 and HSD to make a 375hp+ GS500h or something like that for $65K or so then that would also make sense, but they arent doing that either. Having both the 430 and the 450h at once seems very redundant. Also, what happens when the 430 is replaced by the 460? Where does the 450h fit then, if its supposed to slot above the 430? I dont understand Lexus' logic with this car.
#3890 of 9978
Re: What is the best LPS? [lexusguy] by bartalk3
Sep 09, 2005 (7:12 am)
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Replying to: lexusguy (Sep 09, 2005 1:23 am)

Lexusguy: when do you figure Lexus will introduce the GS350--next spring, alongside the 450h or next fall, presumably when the 460 debuts? When the 350 comes out, do you think they'll drop the GS300, or continue it, as BMW does with its, say, 525 and 530, etc.?
#3891 of 9978
Re: What is the best LPS? [frisconick] by bigrobnh
Sep 09, 2005 (7:32 am)
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Replying to: frisconick (Sep 08, 2005 10:32 am)

From my own personal experience I would only go with the Benz if the dealership is very close to where you live or work. Better yet, some form of personal reference regarding their service department would also help.
 
My 2001 has had LOTS of problems...I have a stack of service records several inches deep. The thing that is maddening is that it's as if (at the time) they had no quality feedback loop. The w210 version was introduced as something like a '97. That's 4 iterations and it still has had all the same bugs everybody talks abou ton this forum. Luckily, with the approx 12k mile service interval you can just pile up the issues and have them address them when you are in for scheduled maint (as long as the problem isn't severe like a leaking transmission x3 or BAS/ABS failure, etc).
 
My dealership (that I've grown to despise) is a 50+ mile round trip. If it were 5, even after my experience, I'd consider it again. As it is. No way. Bring on the LS460AWD.
 
Regards,
BigRob.
#3892 of 9978
2006 Lexus GS300 regular vs super by airlinephoto
Sep 09, 2005 (7:38 am)
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I've been putting in super since day one, now at a bit over 5,000 miles I am trying regular for the first time with a fillup yesterday- after 40 miles, no noticeable difference. See the below. I use my car primarily to commute to the office, no racing or any type of high performance driving.
==========
  
• How thirsty? GS 300 RWD is rated 22 miles per gallon in town, 30 on the highway. GS 300 AWD is 21/27. GS 430 is 18/25. Premium fuel is necessary to get advertised power. Regular is OK but cuts horsepower 2% to 6%, Lexus says.
#3893 of 9978
What do Germans know that we don't? by markcincinnati
Sep 09, 2005 (8:28 am)
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I'll be in Munich later this month (Oktoberfest, don't you know?) -- and it will be perhaps my 20th visit to Germany. I almost always wander into a couple of car retail outlets whilst I'm "in country."
 
I have found that -- based on MSRP -- Audis and BMWs and Mercedes retail prices are closer THERE than they are here.
 
Earlier this year, I moaned and groaned about the lease price differential between an A6 and a 530. The 530 was (and remains) more from the MSRP perspective. Then -- 7 months ago perhaps -- the lease per month on a thousands more 530 was over $100 less than an A6.
 
Subvented leases, bumped residuals, etc etc etc aside, at MSRP, the BMW 530 and the Audi A6 3.2 shows the Audi at a several thousand dollar advantage IF you option them as closely as possible. The disparity widens if you attempt to configure "option identical" Audi A6 3.2's vs BMW 530ix's.
 
Yet, when you go to Germany and price cars, the prices are closer together -- depending on how you look at it, Audis cost more or BMWs cost less.
 
Go with this for just a second. Politics aside, Germans and Americans are "modern" countries. We have similar access to information and products. And, we have similar wealth that would allow us to acquire LPS cars with an eye toward preference rather than mono-vision favoring the least cost product.
 
So. . .I saw this:
 
LPS sales (for August) numbers for Germany:
 
Total LPS cars sold: 15,723
 
Audi A6 = 5,739
Merc E = 5,601
BMW 5 = 2,749
The rest = 1,634
 
The rest = Lexus, Jaguar, Saab, Volvo and a cast of plaster.
 
In the US Audi or Acura seem to fight tooth and nail to see who can be last on the list.
 
Using the basic rules of price's ability to effect demand, wouldn't you think that since Audis are closer in cost to their German cousins IN GERMANY than they are here, that Audi would be at even a greater disadvantage over its rivals?
 
Once again, I wonder how much of Merc and BMW's market penetration and performance is due to the number of retail outlets?
 
Who knows how many Audi, BMW and Mercedes dealers there are in the US?
 
Inquiring pea brains want to know.
#3894 of 9978
Re: What do Germans know that we don't? [markcincinnati] by jrock65
Sep 09, 2005 (9:51 am)
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Replying to: markcincinnati (Sep 09, 2005 8:28 am)

Do you know the YTD sales of those cars in Germany?
 
More than # of dealers (although I suspect this has to do with it to an extent), I honestly think that it has more to do with "brand" image in the US.
 
1) Americans LOVE luxury brand names. MB and BMW has a much higher status cachet in the US relative to Audi.
 
2) MB and BMW, relatively speaking, do not have the brand status in Germany that they have in the US. In Germany, people probably don't differentiate THAT much between Audi, BMW and MB in terms of status. All three makers sell a LOT of decontented, downmarket cars in Europe, like the A class, etc.
 
3) The A6 is the newest model out of the 5 and the E. Domestic (in this case German) shoppers tend to go for the "newest" thing out.
 
4) I would think that because of adverse weather conditions in Germany, the fact that most A6's are Quattro gives it an advantage over the 5 and the E, most of which are RWD.
 
just my 2 cents
#3895 of 9978
Re: What do Germans know that we don't? [jrock65] by kdshapiro
Sep 09, 2005 (9:57 am)
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Replying to: jrock65 (Sep 09, 2005 9:51 am)

"MB and BMW, relatively speaking, do not have the brand status in Germany that they have in the US."
 
I believe you're right. Surprisingly they have that brand status in Japan.

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