lexforlife

iTrader: (7)

doug i agree the m5 is the ultimate driving machine /experience ... it has a bal that cannot be matched

chuckb

computer controlled clutch does that mean no torque converter and complete lock up trans(ie manual trans) when in every gear?

rominl

iTrader: (4)

no tc, it's a complete manual. just like the current m3 with smg. it's a realy clutch, but the computer engage and disengage for you. no human can shift that fast. and say when you down shift, it blips the gas for you. cool stuff

rominl

iTrader: (4)

same here, m3 and m5, ultimate driving machines, they are for real, i love them

Ex540guy

Interesting thread.

My 540/6 was a blast to drive. It was stock except for Dinan rims (which are actually Fiskes), Dinan chip, and Dinan intake. The GS is quicker, but the BMW handled way better. It also had better brakes. The GS has better ergos. The BMW had a better sound system. I also liked its HVAC, and the computer play toy on the dash. However, where the Lexus trumps the BMW big time is...

Reliability, reliability, reliability. The BMW was so expensive to maintain, and it broke so often, I was scared to drive it. What's going to go out today? Air bag sensor? $300. Cruise control servo? $750. Steering box getting loose? $2,200. Plastic thermostat housing every 10K miles? Motor mounts every 40K? I could go on. It was insane. Fortunately, warranty covered everything, but warranty doesn't get you to work, and it eventually expires. Knowing that my Toyota/Lexus is always going to start, and never let me down, is a huge plus. Lastly, as I do virtually all of my own maintenance, another plus is that the Lexus is just way easier to work on.

That's my .02

Pete, aka Ex540Guy

chuckb

that does sound cool. do only M's have that and is it strong/reliable?

rominl

iTrader: (4)

m3 was the first one to have, and now the 5 series? the m power cars will have it for sure

i heard that the next 3 series will have it as well?

i think durig the smg (first version) they had some problems. but smg II has been great so far on the m3. good stuff i say

Kevin Wyum

You guys are too used to driving boats to remember what sports cars are like, and yes I drove it. I don't deny it was a fun car to drive but it wasn't in the same league as my RX7, given it's not stock but even in stock trim they'll out handle an M5 for FAR less money. No it's not apples to apples but that's my point, one is a sports car purpose built for that and the other is a luxury sport car that didn't hit the mark on the luxury. For less money you can have two cars, each of which does its respective job better than the M5, instead of trying to do everything in one package and mucking it up. I think the bulk of yearning people have for an M5 is the perceived yuppy status that is primarily a function of the cars price tag. Leasing has made it pretty funny now days with all the people that can't actually afford the cars they drive, they can just afford to soak up the steep depriciation of the first few years.

I should include that the RX7's are probably on par with the BMW's on build quality : ) That's not a compliment to either.

Kevin

P.S. I love my 430. I have no desire for any other car to fill that function of back and forth to work, day in day out.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

dunno, comparing the rx7 with the m5 i think that's a pretty off comparison. to me comparing the 3 series and the gs430 is already off, so let alone the rx7 with m5. for sure the rx7 is going to handle soooo much better..... if you want to talk about pure handling sport car, you bring the rx7, porsche, those are the cars in the group

but for a full size sedan, you can't deny the ability of the m5. that's how i would put it

HKS_GS430

with m5 u can go out to dine in it, yet still have been at the track early in the day with the same car, its classy yet a monster when u need it to be.plus u can can cruise all day around time with your boys and not get tired of being in that car, totoally in a different league

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

I believe you can get the SMG trans on the E46 330 as well. Although it doesn't have all the sport option levels as the M3. I think Ferrari was the first to put SMG types transmissions in production cars right? Anyway, true F1 technology in consumer cars Well, not as good or as fast as F1, but still the same concept. If I recall correctly, the current F1 transmission can preset the gear. For example, if you are going down the straight in 6th gear and need to exit in 3rd, you can hit the paddle shifter 3X consecutively and the trans will not jump to 3rd, but progress down to 3rd though 5th, 4th, then 3rd as the RPMs allow. That way when you can preset the gear then concentrate on breaking and your race line. With the production SMG trannies like in the BMW, I don't think you can do that but it will just not respond to the shift if your revs are too high. I'm not 100% sure though. To be honest, as a long time driver of manual cars, I really like SMG.

TLW

Pete

i do all my own maintenance also

i was just curious why is the BMw hard to work on ??

i was considering an older one to drive to work ..an old 3 series or something ..

but just curious as to why its easier to work on a lexus

Hameed

Rom, I think you misunderstood just a tad what Kevin was trying to say.

He said comparing an RX7 to an M5 is not an apples to apples comparison :

I tend to agree with Kevin because I think what he is trying to say is that an M5 (and I love M5's), is not a true sports car as in a track sports car like the RX7 or an M3. Why? Simply because the M5 is a much heavier car. Just that - the weight factor. It's the same for a GS400. It is a heavy car and heavy does not = awesome track car. Plain and simple. Ofcourse the M5/540/GS400 make up for that in the non sporty aspect of the equation - can seat 4 adults comfortably and can also be taken to a track, but will not show it's tail lights to the real sports cars (the RX7's, M3's etc), in the twisties.

That's how I see it anyway.

I have a friend who has a 330i that he tracks and he always talks about the 540's and M5's that come out to the track and how he can easily beat them in the corners, but then they catch up on the straights. The reason is obvious - the 330i just handles better in the twisties mainly because of its weight (I am not saying all light cars handle better than heavy cars, but specifically referring to the 330i here).

Anyway, I think we have bashed this sport/luxury aspect of the 540/GS400 way too much and we all need to get a life, group hug and move on!

Both cars (540 and GS400) are awesome cars and I know a lot of people on here would rather have a 540 than a GS400 if the reliability was not sub par on the Bimmer. Why? The common consensus is that the Bimmer is better in the "sport" department.

bmgs400

Make a Lexus more BMW like are you crazy!
I had a choice between a 540i and Gs400. Good research led to a no brainer' choice...GS400 hands down the best car in its class. Better support for mods...which we all like.

I had an RX7 a while back...damn fun car to drive. My 92' 3000GT VR4 was more fun

Kevin Wyum

So there's no confusion, when I mention RX7 I am only talking about 3rd gens (93,94,95 in the US).