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Sedans Luxury Performance Sedans
10007 messages, Last post on Dec 01, 2009 at 7:40 AM
You are in the Sedans Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: mbbrooks (Sep 26, 2006 7:05 pm)  No question prestige is a factor for most all LPS buyers. I admit that it matters to me as well, and I'd gladly pay more for prestige value alone. If there's any trade off on the M, IMO, that would be it. (Although it's not so strong a factor for me that I'd sacrifice my other desires.) I do note that the car gets a lot of respect and props wherever I go. (Far more than my last Lexus, and more than my CLK) As for style, there's not much to debate here. Personally I love the M's look, but I also love the look of the A-6, and the 5-series. Also, while I'm not too crazy about the E-series, I'd say the CLS beats them all style wise. The CLS-600 was the last car I was considering when I went to the M. That CLS is a great looking car. Pete
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Replying to: pete_l_p (Sep 26, 2006 8:06 pm) 1. Infiniti M45 Sport Highs: Playful spirit, sports-car steering, excellent chassis, lots of room, best buy of the bunch. Lows: Cheesy aluma-look dashboard trim, lane-departure warning system. Verdict: Even without the price advantage, a top-notch, no-excuses player in the luxo-sports-sedan game. 2. BMW 550i Sport Highs: Unerring dynamics, seductively smooth power, superb comfort seats. Lows: Exasperating iDrive, skimpy small-object stowage, clutch-your-heart price. Verdict: A flawless driving machine diminished by pricey options and an infernal device. 3. Mercedes-Benz E550 Sport Highs: Megawatt muscle, understated good looks, seven-speed automatic. Lows: Flaccid handling responses, noisy HVAC system, seven-speed automatic manual mode. Verdict: A superb cross-country ride, but hold the decreasing radii. 4. Lexus GS450h Highs: Uptown interior, user friendly secondary controls, delivers on performance-hybrid promise. Lows: Numb steering, endless cycling of CVT, asthmatic power-train sounds. Verdict: Engineering that's easy to appreciate in a car that's hard to love.
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Replying to: drewsrx (Sep 27, 2006 11:51 am) I have used both MMI and iDrive and the only problem I have with them is that one scrolls down by going clockwise, the other counterclockwise... -Paul
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Replying to: pete_l_p (Sep 26, 2006 8:06 pm) And, I wonder, too, if prestige is a big draw and you are NOT particularly impressed with the car's style, if you grow to like the looks of the car after acquisition? The BMW 5's to this day look like Pontiacs to me. Now, since that may mean I find them gorgeous, or I may find them not so gorgeous, I just wonder were I to have gone with the cat eyed 5 look, if I would have found its look would grow on me. I liked the A6 (my current car) from the side "instantly." I am OK with the rear and went from trout mouth to, "I like it" regarding the front end. I had originally deposited money on an M35X and I do like the rear end of that car to this day. I am not anti the front end, it is just it looks pretty much like the G35, so much so, I often need to do a double take. The Prestige buyer, I am assuming, would never buy either the A6 or the M -- rather they would limit themselves, ?, perhaps to the other two Germans. My father-in-law, of course, still thinks the Cadillac is "the world standard." I have no axe to grind with the STS, and in fact have found it to be very qualified to run with this pack, at least when equipped with the bits that make it handle to its potential. Who am I kidding, with the possible exception of the Lexus, I probably would be pleased and proud to have any of these LPS cars, they just keep getting closer and closer to each other. The Lexus, for whatever reason, can't seem to "get no respect" in terms of its "handling," in that it seems to be called cushy and numb, but neither term seems to be intended to suggest they are meant to be a compliment. Oh wait, how 'bout this: Lexus: Comfortably Numb, with Pink Floyd underneath.
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Replying to: erickpl (Sep 27, 2006 12:09 pm) 1) The great majority of every day controls can be accessed instantly and intuitively from the dashboard, with physical buttons arranged in a very logical layout, and with a very silky feel. (In contrast, the buttons on my CLK, and in the S500 I had, have a really unpleasant feel to them. Many every day items in most LPS's are deeply hidden in the menuing system) Some of you may not like the look of those buttons, and others may agree with me that the whole dash, with its buttons and curved wood (or textured aluminum), looks great. 2) For the less frequently used settings, steering wheel controls allow you navigate and choose from all of the M's menus, while keeping your hands on the wheel. Where they belong, IMO. Pete
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Replying to: markcincinnati (Sep 27, 2006 12:39 pm) What's aggrivating about the way Lexus designs products is that every Lexus has to be "a Lexus" and to the company that seems to mean limited feel, too easy steering, and overly cushy suspensions that get upset when pushed hard. Thats fine in the ES and LS. That doesn't mean every Lexus has to be that way. The Altezza\IS300 proves that Toyota does know how to make a properly sporty car with great steering feel if they really want to. The IS350 was their chance to go toe-to-toe with the 3 series, but they backed down and played it Lexus safe. |
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Replying to: pete_l_p (Sep 27, 2006 12:47 pm) Pete, Your opinions don't seem humble at all.  I think that's what has allowed your comments to catalyze such energetic responses and discussions. It's an ingredient of the whole experience I assume many of us come looking for on these forums.
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Replying to: domenickamarc (Sep 27, 2006 1:52 pm) I humbly apologize for what seems to be a lack of humility. It's really not my intention to antagonize. Are you saying that humility is an ingredient people are looking for on these forums or that energetic discussions are that ingredient? BTW, I did not count you among those making what I referred to as nasty irrelevant attacks. Pete
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Replying to: pete_l_p (Sep 27, 2006 5:55 pm) LOL "Are you saying that humility is an ingredient people are looking for on these forums or that energetic discussions are that ingredient?" Energetic discussions. "BTW, I did not count you among those making what I referred to as nasty irrelevant attacks." I hadn't intended to be attacking and I didn't think you took my remarks as attacks. Domenick
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Group hug time.
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