IS-SV

Too bad it's too ugly, too fuel-inefficent, too overweight, too overpriced, too marginal in terms of reliability, too rapidly depreciating to have much success. The competition and BMW offers vehicles with equal roadability/handling/braking for less money and they are not nearly as ugly.

Properly optioned domestic full size pickup trucks are much better suited and have greater tree stump pulling torque, should the need arise, lol.

This is not the sort of vehicle the leading US luxury brand like Lexus should be in a hurry to copy, it would not generate the kind of incremental sales to justify it.

<VENOM>

I've seen one, completely blacked out with black 20 somethings on it, looks fantastic but still, I hope BMW is just rolling these out in limited numbers, Im also sure these probably make awesome used car purchases, but that will be awhile

RXSF

yes that photoshop is quite good. I think it would be a great idea to make a hybrid wagon so that you dont compromise trunk space.

-J-P-L-

Thank God.

I have yet to see a Gran Turismo. Almost forgot it existed.

The sales numbers must be laughable.

JessePS

I honestly don't see why someone would get a 5 GT when they can get the X6.

mmarshall

Apples and oranges. The X6 is an SUV, although, of course, a BMW-ized one.
The 550 GT is a totally different vehicle....though marketed as a 550, it is essentially a redone 7-series (on the 7's platform), with the twin-turbo V8 from the 750, and, like the Lexus LS460/IS-F, an 8-speed automatic. To be fair, I have not (yet) driven an X6, but it would be hard to believe it drives as well as the 550 GT.

mmarshall

If you feel it's ugly....fine, that's subjective. I think it's a little awkward-looking in back myself...though not what I'd call fugly or butt-ugly. Overweight? Yes, it's heavy.....but it has the power, chassis, and brakes to deal with that weight. Reliability and Depreciation are both probably too early to forecast.....it hasn't been on the market long enough to measure either, though BMW electrical gremlins are well-known. Still, just from the price alone, I don't expect it to be a particularly big-seller.



2500/3500-series pick-ups, even with their massive torque, simply don't drive like BMWs.....they are workhorses, not driving machines.

Fizzboy7

I also find it ungainly. The back end and roofline turns a slick car into a truck and it's odd. Anytime you mix these two catagories, you are asking for trouble. I still believe a car should look like a car and a truck should look like a truck.
As far as Lexus saying no to this, they are not so easily left off the hook. The new CT blurs the catagories and I predict it too will suffer the same sale's challenges as the GT does. Hatchbacks and wagons traditionally sell poorly in America because the masses view them as economy cars and cheap. This is thanks in part to fifteen years of junky US hactchback offerings dating from 1970-1985.

un4given

Lexus should be cautious and not go in just because the competition if going in. Look at the Mercedes RL class, huge mistake.

Lexus has taken some chances lately and some of them have gone well and some have not gone as well. The HS250 was a bit of mistake and is not selling well while the competition didn\'t exactly follow Lexus with what they did with the LS hybrid instead opted to use the hybrid tech as upcoming entry in the flagship.

As for the IS-f, a pretty decent Lexus version of BMW\'s M line.

IS-SV

Yes, agreed, slow seller in the making, none of the above makes this ugly BMW one it's better products. Overpriced, overweight and ugly are hardly the keys to success. Reliabiilty and depreciation can be forecast easily enough, and expectations even at this early stage are not good. Yes whatever, you call it an ugly butt, others call it butt-ugly.

You were the one that mentioned tree stump pulling torque, an activity that has nothing to do with normal BMW usage. Again the Big 3 make domestic trucks better suited to that activity, in fact they would outperform any BMW for those kind of ranching duties.

IS-SV

Back on topic, agreed, good business decision by Toyota/Lexus.

I've seen these Grand Turismo's only at car shows and collecting dust at BMW dealers.

encore888

No need for a half-wagon/hatch thing, but Lexus could use a GS and IS wagon for Europe.

MannyRCF

So ugly...not sure who or why you would buy this