There was a time when Lexus finished 1st or 2nd in all comparos...they were the benchmark PERIOD....this has changed the last few years. LS is now a last place finisher and Hyundai makes a better GS. Motortrend call the ES a Walmart of cars.

 

IMO

Lexus shouldn't delete the SC. Redesign it with a longer wheel base and more agressive look, standard staggered setup, optional V10, V12. Also quoted from "pagemaker" Lexus needs to move the ES to RWD. A true luxury car is not FWD.

The 4LS looks good but not enough competing with BMW's 7 and Merc's S5

 

The LS460 is the 2007 World Car of the Year chosen by a panel of dozens of auto journalists from all over the world, including many from Europe. The coupe version of the S-class, the Mercedes CL-class, which has everything the S-class sedan have and more, was also a finalist in that competition that year, but did not even made the top three.

So what if some magazine like C & D see it fit to test a pre-production LS equipped with crappy tires against the properly equipped competitors and ranked it last in it's publication ? Its just an opinion from a a very small group of writers known for their narrow emphasis on certain things and bias, & of course all reviewers have their own emphasis and bias and thus different opinions about the cars.
Thus in Consumer Reports, they score the LS way above the S-class and others in the same class in points, with very different emphasis and points of views of course. So what you said above were not facts but just opinions of you and some others, not a representation of many. The current LS did win it's share of accolades, just not everything, and that's a fact.

And BTW, please everyone, stop posting and replying to personal references, or posts will be removed from this point on.

 

I don't see S-Class in the list here. http://www.wcoty.com/2007/results.asp

Of course the LS wins the award...the 7 Series, S-Class, and Audi 8 are not even in the test.

A CL is not a S-Class. Peroid. Also, what kind rediculous test ranks the LS460 in the same test as the Mini....common..the World Car of the Year is bogus.

 

It is a 2-door version of the S-class, with all it's technology plus ABC as standard(option for the S-class) like the 3-series coupe is the 2-door version of the sedan(yesthey don't share body panels)It's been there for years, and the new S-class was in the previous year's World Car of the Year competition and lost to the 3-series(again, didn't made the top three)

The 3-series & Audi A6 also won in previous years, so it's very legit if you look at their panels of judges. Magazines like C& D and motortrend pick all variants of cars (coupes, sedans, convertible, etc.) in their ten best and Car of the year competition, that's bogus too I guess. I actually think they are all kinda bogus based on their own bias and emphasis. I posted these facts just to say that the LS did win some of these competition among all of these "bogus" competitions & comparisons, if that's what you are basing your opinions on.

 

Then, as I said previously, there would be nothing in the performance luxury sedan segment. The GS fills a crucial gap between the ES and LS.
I don't think the Genesis even comes close to the GS...the interior is a joke (only plus points are leather and space, but the controls look like they are from a really cheap car). The exterior is almost there, but major negative points for basically being a Mercedes copy. The performance on the other hand, is not even close unless you get the V8 option. Even with the V8, the Genesis is slower, has worse fuel consumption, and has worse handling.
So which tests have proven this? I have yet to read one...the only conclusion I have seen is it "wins" due to being much cheaper.

 

There are at least a few things you said that I really disagree.

Canning the SC430 simply because some of us think it's ugly and not selling well is like saying the M6 convertible, XLR-V, and SLR need to be axed from BMW's, Cadillac's and Mercedes' lineups. There are plenty of manufacturers out there who purposely produce low volume, high price models as the company halo cars. And there will always be people who buy these cars to differentiate themselves from those who prefer the high volume, less expensive models.

The SC430 may not be a performance-oriented model as the ones aforementioned. And it doesn't have to be. There are people out there who don't prioritize their car's ability to make turns at 80mph and get up to the freeway speed in less than 5 seconds.

I for one, only bought a Lexus because of the SC430 and SC400. I am sure there are plenty of others who share the same view as well. The IS-C is nice but no thanks. Being faster, more nimble and having a newer face don't mean that it has a better pedigree. And I particularly don't like the notion of getting into a supermarket parking lot just to see at least 20 shoppers driving the same car as I do. If Lexus stops making the SC then I am heading back to the European car makers for my next convertible.

Even if I have to digress to a Lexus sedan, I would have considered the GS instead of its smaller variant. I don't mean to offend the IS owners, but I simply think its design philosophy is not to appeal to people who are older than their mid-30s. If Mercedes has added a CLS model alongside the E class and BMW's contemplating the same thing, it would be extremely foolish for Lexus to do the opposite by getting rid of the GS.

A CL IS essentially a coupe version of the S class. MB just designed them differently on the outside for marketing purposes. I own a CL and have test driven other S class cars as well. As a matter of fact, the sticker price of the CL is consistently more expensive than a comparable S class because other than being a two-door coupe, the CL has everything that the S class offers.

Jon