bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

completely agree, 2005-2010 has been a dark period for lexus, but hopefully things are coming around. the CT interior is terrific, even if the car is small, funky and slow, and the 4GS looks to be stepped up in a bunch of ways, although still horrible wheel fitment. hopefully the new LS, IS, ES, RX blow us all away!

BNR34

iTrader: (1)

Yes Toyota realized their failure and they are fixing it.

Wheel fitment is getting better with every generations, it will get there someday, give it 10 more years.

I sure hope so. I got worry from the disappointment of 05'-10', there is nothing else to buy! I don't want to downgrade to an Acura or Infiniti, Hyundai is close but not there yet. Euros are REALLY good now but I am still afraid to cross over to the dark sides, their electronics, although is hugely improved, is still not up to the Asian standard yet. Anyway I look at it, Lexus is still the sweet spot for me. From the looks of it though, Lexus is turning around.

BNR34

iTrader: (1)

An analogy I have for the Equus is:

Equus is like Walmart and LS460, S550, 750i are like Neiman Marcus and Sax Fifth Avenue.

Where Walmart got everything those highend stores got, clothes, shoes, furnitures, TVs, Stereos.........etc. But everything in Walmart is lower grade and lower quality for a cheaper price.

There is nothing wrong with Walmart, I shop there and I love it. It got everything me or anyone ever need. But don't expect anything fancy or high grade.

BNR34

iTrader: (1)

Also I am comparing my 05' 90k miles LS430 to a brand new zero miles Equus, and the LS430 still feels superior in everyways.

Try to compare the Equus when it is 7 years old with 90k miles, then you will REALLY see the quality differences.

Mr. Burns

With Lexus specifically by 2006 they probably thought the brand was recognized enough that it didn't matter if the products weren't as good relative to their competition as they were in the past. Huge mistake that they're paying for now in sales.

1999-2006 was awful for MB. Decent looking cars but with subpar interiors (for the price) and atrocious quality.

BNR34

iTrader: (1)

That's what I was trying to say, you put it better then I can.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

no kidding. i just worked on a ct a few weeks ago. the car is much better built. i need to work on a few more to tell for sure, but so far things line up much better, materials feel better, and all the clips / crawls are much better thought out and a lot tighter

hahaha come on, at least Target?

BNR34

iTrader: (1)

Hey Walmart aren't bad............ok Target then

That's the impression I got from the Equus, thrifty..........it must be Warren Buffett's new favorite car. But he only drives American brands, so maybe not.

BNR34

iTrader: (1)

The 460 comes with more features and amenities, with a bigger engine and 2 more gears, all that stuff cost money. +inflation. A base LS430 was $55k, base 460 is $65k, not much more. At the high end, a 430 UL was $75k and a fully loaded 460L is $95k, but the 460L got more stuff in it that the 430 UL don't have, TV, DVD player, lazy boy........to name a few.

It is cheaper, but not a good value.

BNR34

iTrader: (1)

Stance is great, I think the presence is great too. Base on pure looks itself, I love how it looks. To me, it looks cooler then the LS460L.

The leather didn't feel thin to me and the quality looks ok. But I have been reading on long term test car that the leather don't age well at all.

BNR34

iTrader: (1)

I drove it for 30 minutes, is long enough for me to feel the car.

Depends on which wheel/tire package you compare. The biggest from each generation actually have the same profile tires, 245/45/18 on the 430 and 245/45/19 on the 460.

Maybe somewhere between a ES350 and GS460. I just think Lexus in general looks pretty high quality. Where the Equus got a low quality feel to it thru out.

I disagreed on the plush, the interior quality is no where near a fully loaded LS460. The seat cushion of the Equus is hard and not enough support. In general the seats just don't feel that great, is not bad, but not great like in a LS. It feels like the seats in the ES350. I found the Equus to be very quiet though, one of the few things that I found on the Equus that is superior to my LS430 is the double laminated windshield. My LS430 UL only got double laminated glass on the side windows, making the windshield the only source of wind noise, which the Equus don't have.

The wood coverage is good. But the appearance and feels of the wood panels are low grade. Again, it got it, but is low grade / low quality.

Yes people love it soft, but no one want it floaty. My UL 430 got air suspension that is just as soft as the Equus, but it doesn't float. The same with just about all full size luxury car, they are all very soft in soft mode, but none of them float.

I guess everyone's point of view is a little different.

Thanks, I try to post when I got something to share.

LexFather

There is so to dispute in here its not even worth refuting. T

bit, again the Equus is not better than anything, its just cheaper and comes across as something from 5-10 years ago. When the LS debuted the Germans ran back to the drawing boards and the bar was raised. That it was cheaper was icing on the cake.

When the Equus is BETTER and Cheaper then it will something.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

true that, and it was 23 years ago! mb and bmw don't worry much about the ls now. hopefully that will change with next ls!

agreed.

Fizzboy7

Good report on an important car. Things like the Equus help improve things from Lexus. It's all good in the longrun.

spwolf

they dont? next thing we will hear they dont care about RX either... thats while they pile on those incentives in the race for #1 spot - the dont care... hah.