Amazing but when I was younger I preferred the Q45 to the LS. I thought it looked sportier, I liked the interior better and the face with no grill appealed to me.

Its AMAZING to think today the Q45 is discontinued and the LS is best selling in class and now has a 600h L 118k loaded model.

Amazing how the LS has progressed and still is arguably the best sedan you can buy!! Crazy to think the Q45 never sold well at all and still tarnishes the brand.

 

Thx for posting this!!! Automobile Magazine had some interesting writeups back then. Also, that LS 400 $35,000 base MSRP didn't last too long. Add this to the collection of original LS articles...I remember reading quite a few back then. I preferred the LS 400 then and still do now.

 

I loved the old Q,and actually always wanted one. The LS just won my heart from the first day that it popped up on the scene and I was determined to own on; and now I do. The Q is one car tho, that I most definately miss.

 

I wish that a lot of today's cars had the interior build quality that those two did. Today's cars simply have too much cheap, thin plastic inside with imitation silver paint and wobbly *****/hardware. In my reviews, I note the cars that don't....the ones that still give you your money's worth inside.

 

Me too! The first Q is saw modded, tinted, chrome door handles, lowered with chrome AZEV rims

I never paid attention to Lexus esp. the cheesy ES250. My first exposure was 1st Gen GS-no shift shock
After that, I was sold

 

I preferred the Q45 too. I loved the Q45 when it first came out. It was a beautiful design to me and unlike anything on the road, especially the rear end. I remember sitting in one at a auto show and loved the interior and the whole car, there were alot of people that were impressed with it. I read about it in a few magazines and all the features it had and the power and performance was pretty impressive and it was a real alternative to a BMW. I wanted one for awhile. Around 280hp for a v8 sedan in 1989/90 was very impressive considering what other cars were putting out in its class. Unfortunately the Q45 and Infiniti was marred by a hideous and awful marketing campaign that featured sticks, rocks, and trees and Jonathan Price's voice instead of showing the actual car and people were wondering what the hell is this commercial about but were not very intrigued. The marketing was so bad that even Saturday Night Live made fun of the commercial and had a Infiniti toilet in which they made fun of the marketing, it was pretty funny from what I remember. I think the awful marketing campaign is one of the main reasons the original Q45 never caught on as it was a fantastic car.

I liked the original LS400 too but not as much as the Q45 which just made me drool everytime I saw one, same with the 300zxtt. Lexus played it safe with the LS400 and smartly did not mess around with an odd artsy marketing campaign. The LS400 was also heavily aimed more at the luxurious Mercedes S class which was very popular and was most likely the better vehicle to shoot for instead of a sportier BMW.

 

Those thin plastics are lighter than the heavier and more sturdier rubber type plastics of the older cars

 

I always hated the grill-less look of the Q45. It did not look like a luxury
car to me.

The LS really was a spectacular value back in the day...

 

+1

i prefer LS400 over Q45
a much more elegant look proper for a luxury sedan

 

i've always wondered about the cooling on that car without the grille.

i hardly see that car on the road anymore, while old LS's are everywhere

 

Some of it has to do with sales numbers. THe LS outsold the Q45 4 to 1 initially and never looked back.

I did hate the name "Q". I mean I think of Q and I think of the worst letter in the alphabet....

I want to say you could get BBS wheels with the Touring model.

 

I adore the LS400. To me it is the original Lexus and will always be the best LS ever for me. I do remember the original Infiniti Q45 but to be honest the Q has never spoken to me. Infiniti seemed to think that playing the value card would guarantee sales. Um, no. The Q might have been great value and a good performer but it definitely lacked elegance and class. In all honesty Lexus did a much better job of distinguishing the LS400 from the JDM Toyota Celsior while the Infiniti Q45 looks like a high-end Nissan with some slight exterior modifications designed to make it look "high class". A great car, but to me the LS400 just owns it over and over again.

I'm torn between the LS400 and the Mercedes W126 S class. Both superb cars and without a doubt the best cars in this class during that time. It's amazing the W126 held up so well against the LS in reviews considering it was released in 1979 (if I remember correctly) - which meant engineering and design works from the 1970s! This is one reason why I like it so much, plus its timeless design. Clearly, it looks more stately, elegant and classy than the LS400. The LS400 in turn looks more futuristic and sportier (admittedly it has little classiness in its design from my perspective). Give me an LS400 and a 560SEL and my dream garage is complete!

 

It's amazing how dreadfully dated the Q45 looked, even when it was new, and it looks so old now, whereas the LS400 still has a certain timeless classic style to it - both inside and out.