INHOCJP

It's pretty obvious that C&D has a strong bias towards BMW. I can't remember the last time a 3 or 5 series lost a comparison test. However, Lexus doesn't help itself in these tests though...I think in the last C&D comp. test, the GS430 Lexus sent came w/ 16 inch wheels.

JimB

Thanks, but I'm looking for "newer" reports of the '01 and up GS300/430. Preferably, '03, followed by '02, and so on. I'd like a detailed report on the Lexus alone. The comparos seem to gloss over a lot of the details

Jim

LexFather

Oh, sorry. I have not seen any. In any mag

Car and Driver
Autombile
EVO
CAR
Top Speed
Road and Track
Sports Car International
Motor Trend

I get all of these.

whitels

Lexus will be hard pressed to win these comparos. Check the editors' last names-- they're mostly from Europe! If not that, then it must be something else.

That's the reason why the Passat finished ahead of the GS! I have long shelved the idea of reading them!

Just my .02 and not intended to elicit further discussions.

TheOfficeBoy

In it's debut year, the 98+ GS series won the Motor Trend Car of the Year.

And for one of the shootouts, Lexus gave the mag(forget which) a GS430 with 16 inch wheels, which lowered the skidpad & slalom numbers (finished 3rd).

And most of the mags (C&D most blatantly) seem to be on BMW's payroll... Oh well, I'm just glad that despite this, the Lexus line consistently does well.

fever

Damn straight. Poll BMW, Lexus and Mercedes owners and it's a whole different story.

KKelly

I guess they are actually on Infiniti's payroll because they just picked the G35 over the 330i. And a post above says the GS300 came in first in a test, so Lexus must be sliding them some money.

LexFather

Hey, remember in comparos, they look for the sportiest usually. Funny but most of the people who read the magazine own Camrys and Accords. BMW is the sportiest most of the time, so they usually win. But honestly

LX 470 picked in Motor Trend and Car and Driver, the best SUV (luxury) bar none.
GX 470 just got 2nd
LS 430 was 2nd to the S 430
LS 400 was 1st, then 2nd (to a 740 with sport kit)
ES 300 won it's comparo back in 1998
GS 400 picked in Motor Trend the best sports sedan (Caddy vs the world, the GS was like 48k)
GS series Car and Driver 10 Best for 3 years
SC series Automobile Coupe winner for 6 years
SC interior chosen by Automobile (1997) as the finest cockpit in any car.
IS 300 beat the 3 and C in Road and Track
Nakamichi soundsystem chosen as the best in any car
Now Mark Levinson

And like I said, we at least finish 3rd. Not bad for a bland car.

doug_999

Wow - must disagree. Having owned a 540ia and a GS430 I can tell you that C&D is right on the money with their rankings (and yep, I would have leased an A6 4.2 instead of my GS if the lease payments were close (they were $150 apart).

Might just be my style but like I said, I sure do think their rankings tend to be right on the money.

and as for value, I would rate the 540 and the GS basically the same - the 540 is a much more solid car and to me, that is worth the extra money.

KILLERGS4

The GX 470 lost to a 2004 model VW. What is 2004 model doing in the comparison test!? This car is not even available to the public.

shakazulu

Dealers in my area are taking orders for the VW and are saying it will be here in few months (I want to say march but I wasn't really paying much attention to the rep at that point) not much more of a wait then people are getting on GX's now.

dipstick

I haven't owned one, but drove about 5-6 BMW 540i sport models when I was shopping. Some of them overnights or for whole day, so I had a chance to really get a fair impression. I have to agree with the car magazines that this is (price and reliability no object) the best sports sedan. With the basic mods that CL drivers do to our GSs, the Lexus is imho just about equal to the 540i. If I could afford the wasted time and cost of having the BMW in the shop, I might own one, but reliability and long term repair cost is important to me. The GS430 is the best sports sedan in the world FOR ME. I love the car with the L-Tuned suspension and haven't even got my new sways installed yet. I don't envy the 540i owners, in fact, I think the GS styling is much more individual and classy. Car magazine write-ups always favor the sportier cars and newer cars. So what? Buy/drive what YOU like!

doug_999

dipstick
Seriously, check out Consumer Reports on the 5-series. They really aren't in the shop like everyone thinks. I owned a 3-series and a 5-series. The 3-Series did need a new clutch at 10K but other than that was perfect. The 5-series went to the dealer twice - once at 15.5K miles for an oil change and once at 33K miles when the lease was up. Most reliable car I have ever owned (ok, the silly cup holders broke too but I never had them fixed cause they didn't do anything anyway!).

My GS430 on the other hand will go back for its second time in two months, my wife's RX300 has left her stranded and various lights (tail lights, dome light, etc) go out for months at a time and then turn themselves back on. Oh and her radio gets static out of one of the speakers - but only when it is not at a Lexus dealer.

As someone on the board once said, one person's experiences are not representative of the whole, but for my money, my next car will be a BMW. In 37 more months that is.