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Sedans Luxury Lounge
21488 messages, Last post on Dec 03, 2009 at 6:09 AM
You are in the Sedans Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: ljflx (Mar 28, 2009 4:58 pm) I agree - the thing I miss the most about the Lexus is the touch screen interface, especially for the NAV system. But I sure don't miss the legal screen that required a touch of the "I Agree" button on my '05 LS. And the handling of the S is really superior to my LS. And I think your 460L is almost as big as the S550 (maybe an inch smaller?). So you're probably well-adapted by now to the size increase over your old LS. It's really interesting to see people now so willing to cross over between the German vs. Japanese manufacturers. We've come a long way from the oac vs. Merc wars, haven't we? I now have 2 Lexi and 3 MBs in the family fleet. And I still would love to hear designman's opinion on the new 7 series....
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Replying to: ljflx (Mar 28, 2009 7:59 pm) Len, I'm glad to see you are interested in the Prius yourself. Other than Dewey, I've been one of the most obvious supporters of the Prius on this board. In many ways, it goes against the grain of every car I've ever owned, yet it is a technological marvel that I can't help from being impressed with. As, I've posted before, I truly hope that Dewey gets one. For me, it's still too early to consider one. We still have the BMW 135i, Jaguar Vanden Plas, Ford Escape Limited Hybrid, and the Acura MDX. No room for a Prius just yet. TM
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Replying to: garyh1 (Mar 28, 2009 9:28 pm) Gary, That statement reminds me of some of the huge arguments that used to go on here. I can remember making the case for driving dynamics and superior handling, but there were some here that just didn't "get it". Now, we have you and Len driving Mercedes Benz as well as Lexus, and you both have praised and appreciated the Mercedes' handling. To quote the late Jackie Gleason... "How sweet it is!"  And I still would love to hear designman's opinion on the new 7 series.... OMG, yes... that would be a real treat. TM |
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Replying to: tagman (Mar 28, 2009 9:41 pm) If you recall Tag, I was always in the middle of those arguments, since I drove MBs (and before that BMW) for years before I got the LS in 10/04. And I went for the LS because of its "value proposition" and even more importantly the reliability issue that has recently driven dewey crazy with his bimmer. The W211 E-class and the W220 S-class were just not well-made cars compared to the Lexus LS430, even if they drove wonderfully. My LS was never as good a handler as my older MBs, but it was "good enough" for me given its much superior reliability to the then-current MBs. Hearing Len talk about his satisfaction with his 460L and seeing recent reports on MB's much-improved reliability, clearly the lines are coming closer together. And that's great for all luxury car buyers.
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Replying to: garyh1 (Mar 28, 2009 10:30 pm) You typcially had a balanced perspective, as I also recall... and I see that you haven't lost it. I think it is terrific, however, to see you in a "new" Mercedes S-Class. What a terrific car. I have maintained that the S-Class is king of the hill in its category and at a tad over $60K for all that you acquired, you have really hit a grand slam. Personally, I think it is good to see so many of us with combinations of German and Japanese cars. I currently have vehicles from Germany, Great Britain, Japan, and USA. There are things I can appreciate about all of them, but the handling goes to the Germans. The reliability goes to Jaguar...  LOL!!! TM |
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Get ready to experience Honda's ad campaign for the new Insight. Here's one of the first commercials we can expect to see. It may not seem like it, but the focus is actually on affordability. I didn't check to see which agency is responsible for the ad, but from my perspective, I don't think the ad is as powerful as it could have been, and I'd have to say Honda didn't get their money's worth. Of course, it is early to make a complete determination, as I would expect that the ad campaign should have follow-up ads that evolve the message further within the same theme. I certainly hope so. link title TM |
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Replying to: garyh1 (Mar 28, 2009 10:30 pm) I drove the S550 in November when I took the GL. I also had a 2007 for the better part of a day. In both cases I loved the S but in 2007 I couldn't pull the trigger because reliabilty still scared me. My perspective is that both cars have dream rides and MB has now equalled Lexus in ride and quietness while offering superior handling. With the earlier models I thought the S sacrificed a little of both to get that achievement. But Lexus has also stepped up the handling too though they just won't make this a car the sport mags will ever love because they don't see it as that. MB, with improving the ride and quietness (not that the old car didn't have a great ride, they just took it up in quality) looks like it's also there as ultimately the preferred handling of the mags gets you nowhere in sales in this class. In fact folks I know around here that have the cars gave no consideration at all to the 7 or A8 and disregarded any mag opinions and simply went by past experience or respected opinions of friends. So these cars are becoming more of a mirror image of each other every year with Lexus finally offering AWD and the longer wheel base. Both are great and if the S reliability is there I may take one on the next lease, especially if it is a new body style I like. Today I would be equally satisfied in either car. Size is same as far as I'm concerned. So it comes down to the better Lexus nav and easier controls plus it's flawless nature vs the S improving (but not yet proven) reliability and superior handling. I'd give the S better styling but both cars are flashy (in a conservative way) and beautiful to my eyes. |
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Replying to: clembo (Mar 28, 2009 2:13 am) I agree. While I've lost interest in the full-lux class as a whole, if I were buying in that class, it wouldn't be a 7. I just don't think that area is really BMW's forte. Their best cars are the small ones focused on performance and handling. I would either take my chances with a Quattroporte automatic, or wait for the upcoming D4 Audi A8 (most likely the latter).
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Replying to: garyh1 (Mar 28, 2009 10:30 pm) Indeed, the lines are beginning to blur. In very general terms, Japanese cars seem to be getting better to drive (with Infiniti leading the charge), and while they still lead, reliability in some cases is not as good as it used to be. German cars are getting more reliable, though of course the occasional lemon still gets through. Feature and weight creep has also made some German cars duller to drive than earlier generations. The brands to watch in the future will be Infiniti, with their hybrid G and M, and upcoming Q flagship which has apparently gotten the green light, and Audi, with their proposed radical weight loss plan. Jag's next few years should also be very interesting. |
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Replying to: tagman (Mar 28, 2009 9:34 pm) As I have already stated weeks ago, I also think the new Prius is awesome. I would have loved it if my wife had decided on the Prius. But she is obsessed with AWD and we are instead going with the RX450h.
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