Originally Posted by jrock65

That's the slowest time for the M45 that I've seen. Even slow-*** Edmunds got a faster time than C&D. That doesn't happen often.

R&T (02/05): 5.3s
C&D (02/05): 5.6s
Edmunds (02/05): 5.7s
MT (05/05): 5.7s
R&T (06/05): 5.3s


Anyways, I'm a bit surprised that the M45 won, even though it was the slowest in this comparo. Usually, when it wins, the review says, "The M45 blazed by everyone, yada, yada, yada..." So it must have had other things going for it.

Originally Posted by spwolf

I read the article... it seems to me that they liked GS450h just fine, just not as sports car (which it isnt, although i wished they got one with A-S-S).

Originally Posted by LexArazzo

So the GS450h they tested was not equipped with the option suspension **** that should make it handle better eh, that's an excuse ah for some reason, Lexus never provide cars with the sportiest set-up to these mags, this or wrong tires etc. as we've seen in the past. Maybe they realize the car is not going to win in any case because of it's hybrid powertrain & CVT, & it's not as sporty as the rest . . .

I am not a sports sedan person, especially for a mid-size sedan, I would always prefer a smaller coupe for sports, but out of the bunch, if I have to buy one myself my pick would be :

1. M45 sport - great value, practicality of a large car, still don't like the rear end. Interior(dash) looks busy to some, but I like it just fine. Ride is stiff which is a compromise to achieve it's handling, chassis not as balanced as the BMW & the steering still not the same, but overall, I would still pick it over the BMW easy.

2. E550 - still looks good despite the oldest, love the torque/hp & the interior design.

I won't even rank the other 2 since I haven't driven the GS450h, but I am not ready for hybrids yet, but I applaud their efforts.

As for the 550i, it's a non-starter for me since I dislike it's design inside & out. As for it's fun factor, I can go elsewhere for the real ultimate driving machine( not BMW ). If I really needed a 4 door sports sedan, I would get a 335i over the 550i, the new 3 series backseats are more spacious than the previous & good enough for most purpose for me.

Originally Posted by Och

Well, anybody that thought the GS450h would win this comparo is nuts. This car is more of a tech-toy for Lexus, more of a technology show than a real contender. It doesn't have a big V8 like the other three, and the added power of the electric motor, along with the handling, is sacrificed by the weight of the batteries.

Never the less, it is faster than M45, and it handles and brakes on par with E55. It also costs less than E550 and 550. Now, I'm not saying it should've won the comparison, but M45 didn't deserve the 1st spot by any means. Its the slowest out of the bunch, doesnt handle as well as 5 series. Sure this is the cheapest car of the bunch, but a corolla is even cheaper.

That being said, I think the E550 deserves the first spot. This is the car to have. Crapload ot torque, great looks, best interior. This is what people are looking for in this price class. And that slight disadvantage in handling isnt going to be felt on street/highway driving, plus you dont buy a car like this for handling anyway.

The 2nd place belongs to the 550, although in my opinion these a HUGE gap between the E550 and 550. The 550 is fugly outside and out, but never the less it delivers blazing acceleration, not too far off the E55, and has the best handling, although it compromises ride comfort. Certainly not my cup of tea, but there are plenty of folks that it appeals to.

M45 deserves the third place. Its a nice car, with good looking interior, decent handling and accelearation, but it is a generation behind. It only launched a year ago, but it's already aged. Not enough power by todays standards, 5 speed auto doesn't cut it, with tiny sheet metal and cheap paint jobs it's just not in the same class. But of course it has an appealing price, but it appeals to a "value buyer".

The GS450h belong in the 4th place of course. It's a cool car to play around with, show it off to the ladies, and brag to your friends, but to own one? Not thanks, its too unpractical. However, in all honesty if it wasn't for the limited trunk space, I would put it ahead of the M45. And the current GS430 IMO is ahead of the M45, but its missing that extra TQ/HP to get ahead of the 550 and E550. But GS460 might change it.

Originally Posted by bitkahuna

Maybe Lexus wants to lose the comparos to keep insurance down. Yeah, that's it.

Originally Posted by Hypnotik

Aged and a generation behind? Please get over yourself. If that were the case, then it would have been last in the comparison. If you look up the comparos the m35 or m45 are in, you'll see that this car has won almost every comparo simply because it is a great car. Some car mags have also stated that the m45 handles better than the 5.

Originally Posted by GFerg

No problem. But it has already been covered.

An entire 7 pages too.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ghlight=GS450h

Originally Posted by bitkahuna

A GS460 will be faster than the GS430 and GS450h but without some suspension and steering changes to corral all that power it's going to be borderline unsafe.