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Sedans Lexus LS 460/460L Lexus LS 460/LS 460L Styling Impressions
3321 messages, Last post on Apr 22, 2007 at 12:29 PM
You are in the Lexus LS 460/460L Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: topspin628 (Aug 13, 2006 6:57 pm) Both. While Toyota can be credited with performance know-how, they are not pioneers or leaders in the field. Particularly with regards to a performance sedan, which is what we are talking about here. BMW and Mercedes are much further ahead in the area of performance as is relates to a sedan vehicle. The second half of the answer is about the cost . . . and performance, especially as it is enhanced, comes at a cost. The initial engineering comes at a cost, and then the implementation of that engineering has additional costs associated with it. Consider the cost of the AMG or M variants. Of course, these are extreme examples, but they make the point. As performance is enhanced, a cost can generally be associated with it. Personally, I think that the typical LS buyer is not as concerned with enhanced performance. The standard ride of the LS is good enough for most LS buyers. It is, afterall, a luxury vehicle, and there are other vehicles out there for those that want the driving dynamics AND luxury all in the same car. The success of the LS's "soft" ride is testimony to that, IMO. TagMan |
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It's funny, but a lot of people in these chat rooms talk about sporty drive, road feel, and overall driving dynamics. Now say Lexus sells 15,000 LS460s in the coming year. Of those 15,000, how many do you think were people who chatted on this site or other's like it? I guess my question is, are these desires for a sportier feel felt by most LS drivers, or are they just felt by the car enthusiasts who take the time to chat on different sites. If you look at demographics, the older generations (50+) are not as prevalent on these websites as the younger generation(20-40s). Now, the LS's target audience is definitely people in their 40s but mostly people in the 50+ range, considering those are the people who can spend 60-70K on a car. On a side note, my dad (50+), who drives a 3.5RL was forced to drive my 2004 TL, and said he couldn't stand the ride. He said he felt the road way too much, and preferred the comfort and loftier ride of the 3.5RL. So, the question comes down to, are these the people who Lexus is targeting w/ the LS? Are the people on these sites who are complaining about sportiness on an 80K car the actual target audience? In my opinion...I don't think so, but I could be wrong. It won't be the first time...
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Replying to: atlas7 (Aug 11, 2006 4:43 pm)
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Replying to: uvawahoo (Aug 13, 2006 7:33 pm) Read my post 2306, last paragraph. I think the answer is pretty clear. Most LS buyers are quite content with the ride of the LS, and rightly so. Performance enthusiasts are a large group, however, but not the primary demographic target for the LS. TagMan |
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Replying to: tagman (Aug 13, 2006 5:07 pm) Actually yes, for 2 weeks. Then, I ordered one. But that was before I ran into the LS. After driving that, and noting that there were 13 defects in the new S-Class that needed fixing, and 0 in the Lexus, I cancelled the S and bought the LS the same day. I do freely admit, however, that the S-Class was more fun to drive, more comfortable, and more stylish, inside and out. The Navigation was awful though, and as I said, lots was wrong with the Demo I drove. Not impressive. I'll give up the little extra fun for the reliability and lower price.
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Replying to: uvawahoo (Aug 13, 2006 7:33 pm) |
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Replying to: nvbanker (Aug 13, 2006 8:48 pm) I had a similar experience with the last gen S Class. I went for a test drive and just before we left the dealership, I tried to tilt the steering wheel down and it would not go. The salesman said that there was a problem with a fuse. Then the windows wouldn't operate properly. I couldn't believe that this was in an 80K car. That car drove so great and looked so good to me that I still almost pulled the trigger but then, like you, I drove the Lexus and my "brain" took over. That said, I think that cars are emotional purchases and in the end you should get the one that delivers more on that emotion since even if you have a few problems, the vast majority of the time you will be driving what you like and will enjoy it. I go back to my wife's BMW X5 which twice had electronic malfunctions that required it to be towed. Terrible right? But you know what? It's her favorite vehicle of all time. That's because for the other 99.99999% of the time, she loved the way it drove. With the LS, Lexus delivers astonishing reliability and quality but is somewhat devoid of emotional attachment. I've had mine for 2 years and I can't say anything bad about it. Nor can I rave about how enjoyable it is. It does what it says it will do and does it every time. It just does not "stir one's sole". Just my opinion.
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With it's new look, greater size, greater power, new features, and new pricing, it seem Lexus' goal is to start to aggressively challenge German-intenders to find a better car, or a smarter buy. Lexus' demos should change significantly from now on, as this won't be mistaken for a "Big Toyota" anymore. This will be "The Best Lexus Ever"!  The Germans will have a much tougher sell on their hands. DrFill
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Replying to: drfill (Aug 14, 2006 6:57 am) Let's see if they can improve on the driving dynamics and depart a bit from their softer "American roots". It will be interesting. |
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