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Sedans Luxury Lounge
21357 messages, Last post on Nov 24, 2009 at 4:28 AM
You are in the Sedans Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: circlew (Jul 04, 2009 6:28 pm) |
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Replying to: dewey (Jul 04, 2009 7:40 pm) |
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Replying to: 2001gs430 (Jul 05, 2009 5:12 am) No, cargo space isn't a strong suit of the GSh. It has less than a Porsche Boxster. In fact, I struggle to think of any strong suits for that car. Apart from the fact that its based on the standard GS, which is in a grudge match with the RL for the worst car in the segment, the mpg benefit of the hybrid system is entirely canceled out by the extra weight. You're literally paying $10,000 for nothing. You might as well set the money on fire instead of heating your house over the winter. That would save you more money on energy costs than the GSh. If the Germans are out for reliability concerns, I'm afraid that it may be simply impossible to hit every bullet point. The EX35 has Lexus reliability with better than X3 handling, but the packaging is awful. If you actually need the rear seats for anything, the M35x or the FX35 would be better choices. Audi's latest 40/60 Quattro system has largely gotten rid of the old understeer, for fairly neutral handling until you push it to the absolute limit. I will give Infiniti's ATTESA system credit though, since it basically shuts down the front wheels until their needed, it has the most "RWD like" feel of probably any system out there. That of course doesn't necessarily translate to performance. The S4 and even the TL SH-AWD will destroy the G35x on a track thanks to their torque vectoring systems. If you're going to a Toyota dealership to check out a Venza, I would take a look at a RAV4 V6 Sport as well. It's supposed to be the most fun car to drive Toyota makes, it's quick, and the fuel economy is surprisingly good considering the 269hp. I know what you mean about a Toyota hybrid hatchback. I don't understand why Toyota and Honda still have no answer to the Escape hybrid. It would be a no brainer. The GSh on the other hand is brainless.
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I wonder how much money you're willing to spend on this new ride. Plus how large are the items we're talking about, but I assume most sedans won't do. There are quite a few and I believe pretty much all of them have been covered by the others. I'd love to second the A4 but recent price jump in A4 prices keeps me from recommending it to anyone I know now. If we're talking sensibly "large" items I guess a 328xi wagon is a good choice. From what I see so far it's possible to get even 30mpg on this one. However if price isn't an issue then A4 avant is a great choice. Infiniti EX, I totally second that, assuming you like the looks which I admit isn't for everyone. It's not SUV nor CUV, morelike a tall hatchback IMO. However cabin details are far better than G's and it still handles almost like a G. Downside? Ride can get pretty firm. I'm not sure I can recommend Venza. It definitely doesn't handle anywhere near the word fun, heck even RX offer more fun IMO.
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Replying to: m4d_cow (Jul 05, 2009 7:46 am) Yah, I am talking bulky items that do not easy fit the trunk opening of a sedan, or even the rear passenger doors. I have seen a few EXs around, it looks like a mini FX from away, which you either love or hate, nothing in btw IMHO. |
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Replying to: m4d_cow (Jul 05, 2009 7:46 am) Yeah I would think in that class, the Mazda CX-7 and the Nissan Murano would blow away the Venza in the fun department, and both are probably worth a look. Just curious, why no Subarus? The Outback V6 wagon is one of the best on the market, and there's no reliability concern there. It's also much cheaper than the A4 and 3 wagons.
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Replying to: lexusguy (Jul 05, 2009 6:44 am) Nissan has promised that the EX will get more rear legroom for 2010, although I wouldn't get too excited about this until the new cars actually hit the showrooms later this year & we can park our butts in the back seats & see for ourselves. Will the EX also get the 7-speed transmission that's now standard in the G? I haven't heard yet. |
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Replying to: lexusguy (Jul 05, 2009 8:27 am) I went over to Infiniti website to check the specs on the EX. I liked every thing I read except for the ladder style option package pricing i.e. to get one package require another. |
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Replying to: lexusguy (Jul 05, 2009 6:44 am) The obvious one is the Honda CR-V... but after the whipping Honda took with their Accord hybrid, they are probably a little timid... although I really expect we will see a hybrid or diesel version of the CR-V at some point in the near future. Toyota's original Highlander could have evolved in that direction, as it was a reasonable size, IMO, but they decided to make it much bigger. I still think the Highlander is a very good choice, however. When it comes to larger vehicles, like SUVs, I question the Honda IMA system... I suspect that Toyota's system is more capable and better engineered. The Honda IMA system just assists the engine, and the engine never completely disengages, while the Toyota system is a more genuine hybrid in that the engine completely disengages and the vehicle is more capable of running on electric alone. The differences in the systems is quite possibly the reason that Toyota has been building the Lexus RX hybrid and the Highlander hybrid for quite some time now while Honda is still trying to figure out how to play catch up. If I was going to buy a hybrid SUV again, I would have to say that the Ford Escape hybrid is pretty good, but I bought it due to my daughter's desires. I personally might be more inclined to consider the Toyota Highlander hybrid. TM |
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Replying to: lexusguy (Jul 04, 2009 7:43 pm) I think I'm gonna have to say that you're biased. The RX450 has the fuel economy, the AWD (kind of) and the space, but that's it. Every review I've read has described it as the Blandtastic 4(50). 0-60 in less than 7? Nope. Nimble, IS style handling? Uh, no. The A4 Avant can blow through the cones at 70mph, and hold .86g on the skidpad. The RX450 trundles through at 58mph, and can hold .76g. I'm sure feedback, on-center feel, and proper weighting in cornering from the wheel is also el-zilcho. It may be more exciting than the last one, but that's like saying that French Vanilla ice cream is more exciting than Vanilla icre cream. LG, have you test driven the RH450h yet? After you do so, I will welcome your honest opinion. Given the criteria that 2001gs430 has stipulated, I do not believe there is a car out there that would be a better fit for this criteria. I am not sure that the RX450h can go from 0-60 in less than 7 seconds (I think it is rated at 7.2, but I could be wrong). If not, who cares? The acceleration is more than good enough. Also, I think that the styling is nice. It does have some subtle differences from that of the RX350. For example, the front grill is wavy and looks sharper. The handling is much better than the previous generation, it is very quiet, very comfortable, and the steering smooth. Here is something else to chew on. We just flew back from Seattle a few hours ago. I could not resist. I took it for a nice test drive of about 30 miles around the city. The environmental conditions were ideal with temperatures in the mid to high 70's and fairly low humidity for this area this time of year. The AC was off. Guess what I got for gas mileage? You will not, so I will tell you....46.4 mpg. I was traveling at between 30 and 50 mph most of the time, but I did have to stop at numerous traffic lights. I'm sure that in the real world, (turning the power off for stops to grocery store, etc., very hot or very cold) the mileage will not be this awesome, but I am very impressed with what I have seen on this test. I had it on the ECO mode and I tried to follow the common sense rules of driving to save fuel. BTW, the HUD (Heads Up Display) is fantastic now that I know how it operates. I love the navigation guidance on the HUD. Also, there is NO doubt about it. The voice recognition system on this new generation is SO much better than the previous one. I paired my G1 phone on the system quickly. While I was driving I thought I would try to place a call to my son in Seattle solely by voice recognition. I went through the process and said "dial by number". I announced the number rather quickly and it worked flawlessly. There was no way I could have done this with the previous system on the first try. Sometimes, I could not do this at all on the RX400h. Everything about the RX450h is far superior to the RX400h.
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