I smell a motoring journalist searching desperately for a unique writing style and lacking the breadth of experience to reach one.

 

As many have stated, he is entitled to an opinion; he is after all, a critic. The manner in which he delivers his opinions is another story and it probably reflects the method by which he deals with people - there is most likely more to his firing than published.

 

"It’s no more a luxury car than a Mustang GT"

And the BMW 330i is???

 

If anything the BMW 330i has the idenity crisis, Its def not a luxury car
and its surely not a high performace car with a close in last class horsepower
rating of only 255 hp....I wonder if the lexus would of handled better , what
then would all of the mag writers have had to complain about then?

 

There are things about the review don't make sense. The stats panel indicates that the price as tested is $35440, which would indicate a stripped car, but in the review he mentions lustrous wood, which only comes with the pricey luxury package.

I'm wondering if these was some kind of shipping spacer inadvertantly left in his springs. Or perhaps he had some ungodly high air pressure in the tires. A car with the luxury package should not have had such a punishing ride.

Beyond that, I have to confess that I enjoyed reading the review. Perhaps it was because I read the Suzuki Tribeca review first. It's obvious that this guy is not a serious reviewer. He's more like a caricturist, using words to grossly exaggerate a cars notable weak and strong points for comedic effect. Taken on that level, it's actually pretty funny.

 

Read his review of the M5 - he didn't even like THAT car that much. So I don't think it's fair too say he is a die-hard German sports car fan. And in the B9 Tribeca review, he compares the styling to female sex organs, and mentions that Subaru's parent company built the planes that bombed Pearl Harbor. How obvious does it have to be that he is NOT a serious automotive journalist? Calm down everybody...

 

[QUOTE= that Subaru's parent company built the planes that bombed Pearl Harbor. ...[/QUOTE]


Damn! not suprised he got fired. that was so stupid of him.
well dont listen to the press! find out which car appeals to you and follow your heart! Personally i dont think you can go wrong either way. hell if you can afford a brand new m3 more power to ya.

 

I think the dude is just mad about life in general. But the Subaru Tribeca review really is on the money. It has to be the ugliest car I've seen in a long time.

 

I have a very good friend who I'm reminded of a great deal when reading these reviews, for two reasons:

1.) He can't have a lukewarm opinion about anything. It's either the BEST THING EVAR or it's THE WORST PILE OF STEAMING $&#! EVER MADE.

2.) Any car made in "der Vaterlands" is automatically top of the line in his estimation. Any car made elsewhere is crap. No, he doesn't need to drive (or even see) the car to be sure.

I've given up trying to even talk to him about cars.

 

Maybe your friend feels that way, but this writer seems to be an equal opportunity offender. He says the Porsche Boxster looks like a suppository, referred to the handling of the Audi S series as "unpleasant", and called the throttle response of the 325iX wagon "a throwback to the bad old days. Your right foot can tap along to the killer tunes without the slightest effect on forward progress.".

 

This is a Lexus forum - give your comments a rest please.

Despite what you think there are tons of people here who are more open minded about other cars than you are about Lexus cars.

 

This is a brilliant evaluation. I've long recognized this style, but saying it's like a caricaturist puts a word to this style that is spot-on.

I'm known for being critical in my own reviews, yet lately I find that my evalutions of ride quality tend to be more positive than those in the press. The MazdaSpeed6 and Grand Cherokee SRT8 are two recent examples. Sometimes I think the road is a factor; some roads upset a specific car more than others because of the tar strip spacing, etc.

What cars have ridden poorly for me? The 350Z, Subaru STI, Saab 9-7X, and previous Acura TL-S. I didn't have any problems with the ride of the IS 350, though.

I do agree with him a bit about the thick rim of the instrument hood. Though I think the solution would be to make it thinner, not cover it with wood. I wouldn't count on either happening, as this is a very expensive part to tool.