"A Taste Of Lexus" Review...
10-22-06, 06:51 PM
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"A Taste Of Lexus" Review...
...I posted this over on the ES 350 forum but I thought you guys might be interested too.
...Well, I just got home from a wonderfully stimulating afternoon of gawking at and driving cars.
Here's some of my thoughts.
First off, Lexus did a wonderful job and had enough cars that the lines to drive them weren't excessively long. The entire affair was handled with polish and class. Kudos to Lexus for an entertaining and informative afternoon.
Lexus LS 460 - Very much the "big brother" to our car. Nice but not drop dead "holy cow, I can't believe it" nice. Very fast, nicely balanced and pretty flat through s-curves. On the negative side, the throttle is still very non linear with small changes corresponding to either no change in power or massive "throw you back in the seat" acceleration; the brakes, too were very notchy and "grabby" with small moduations in pressure causing unpredictable and overly aggressive braking. All in all the drivetrain was a major dissappointment in it's lack of harmony and linkage. As this is clearly present in our cars (the ES) one begins to think that Lexus just can't get engines and tranny's to link together properly.
M-B S 550 - WOW!!! Both inside and out, this car radiates class and elegance. Literally everything about it pretty much screams "in this car you have reached the pinnacle of automotive sophistication and refinement." Everything looks like quality and radiates good taste. Awesome, simply awesome. The engine is incredibly torquey (sp?) and it feels like the ability to accelerate is limitless. Power delivery is entirely linear with the degree to which the accelerator is pressed and there is no hesitation whatsoever when you push the gas pedal. Power delivery is immediate with your right foot, the accelerator pedal and the drivetrain all feeling as if they are governed by one mind. Very impressive! The transmission is as smooth as fresh butter and you never feel any shift points at all. On the negative side, the car is heavy and the front end doesn't respond to rapid direction changes as nimbly as the Lexus. There is very little body lean, however and the car maintains a nice neutral posture thru s-curves. The steering is positively awful. The steering wheel is too big and feels like a Mack truck it's so heavily weighted. All this comes at a price (what doesn't?). $86k is what you'll need to bring one of these home.
BMW 750 - This is one seriously ugly car. And you know what? It gets even worse (if that's possible) when you get in. The interior looks cheap and as if it's ergonomics (I admittedly use the term loosely) were designed by a psychotic, retarded person. Buttons and ***** are strewn everywhere with little or no apparent planning. The button to adjust seat position is mindlessly placed on the side of the center stack by your right knee. Buttons are everywhere and you don't even want to get me started on the mind nubbingly dumb-assed "I-Drive" system. It's all a design and ergonomic nightmare. Chris Bangle should be shot for the exterior but whoever "designed" (again, I use the term loosely as this thing doesn't appear so much designed as thrown into some cosmic blender and put together based on whatever spilled out) the interior should be given to Saddam Hussein's kids (if they were still alive, but I guess you get my point). Now onto something a bit more pleasant. The car drives like a dream. As with the M-B, there is total harmony between the engine, transmission and accelerator pedal. Power delivery is immediate and the thing is a rocket ship. There is essentially no body lean and it handles like a slot car. Pretty impressive for a 4500 lb. vehicle. There is simply nothing bad to say about the driving dynamics of this champ. If you could get by it's "Ugly Betty" appearance and hideous interior, this is a killer car. And a steal at "only" $74k.
Lexus SC 430 - Ughhh! Who buys this thing? It looks like an upside down bathtub. It's proportions are all wrong and it's cramped inside. It's not terribly fast and it handles like a Cunard ocean liner. I simply don't know what to say. This baby is just a joke.
Lexus GS 450h - OK, I'm on record as saying that I despise the hatchback appearance of the GS and I stick to that. And the interior is cramped. I couldn't car less about any dimensions that Lexus publishes that say that this is as roomy (or roomier) than the ES...it's not! You feel confined and claustrophobic. It's interior is quite spartan, perhaps taking its lead from it's target demographic, the BMW 5 Series. It's instrumentation is very nice, however and thankfully there are just enough buttons and ***** to control everything that needs to be controlled on a regular basis. You say you want power? Well, let me tell you, have you come to the right place! If the BMW 750 is a rocket ship (and it is), this thing is an anti-missile missle. This thing is frighteningly fast. This must be what driving a Ferrari is like (well, maybe not quite, but close). In very unLexus-like fashion, power delivery is pretty much immediate and the car feels like it could take off with another millimeter or two of accelerator travel. The chassis is as flat as a carpenter's level and it handles s-curves with complete composure and confidence. This thing is like driving a go cart at a carnival. Except it's much bigger, has a roof and goes a whole lot faster. Oh, and it costs just a little more too ($62k). The brakes are a little notchy in reassuringly Lexus-like fashion (what's the problem here guys, you can get this right...you really need to work on this..."Relentless Pursuit of Perfection" huh?...well you have some work to do here) and you have to be very careful modulating them or they grab way too hard, a characteristic seen on just about every Lexus vehicle. If Lexus wants to know how to do brakes right, they should just copy whatever M-B is doing because, let me tell you, they have it dead solid perfect.
OK, end of rant, er, I meant review.
Flame away!
...Well, I just got home from a wonderfully stimulating afternoon of gawking at and driving cars.
Here's some of my thoughts.
First off, Lexus did a wonderful job and had enough cars that the lines to drive them weren't excessively long. The entire affair was handled with polish and class. Kudos to Lexus for an entertaining and informative afternoon.
Lexus LS 460 - Very much the "big brother" to our car. Nice but not drop dead "holy cow, I can't believe it" nice. Very fast, nicely balanced and pretty flat through s-curves. On the negative side, the throttle is still very non linear with small changes corresponding to either no change in power or massive "throw you back in the seat" acceleration; the brakes, too were very notchy and "grabby" with small moduations in pressure causing unpredictable and overly aggressive braking. All in all the drivetrain was a major dissappointment in it's lack of harmony and linkage. As this is clearly present in our cars (the ES) one begins to think that Lexus just can't get engines and tranny's to link together properly.
M-B S 550 - WOW!!! Both inside and out, this car radiates class and elegance. Literally everything about it pretty much screams "in this car you have reached the pinnacle of automotive sophistication and refinement." Everything looks like quality and radiates good taste. Awesome, simply awesome. The engine is incredibly torquey (sp?) and it feels like the ability to accelerate is limitless. Power delivery is entirely linear with the degree to which the accelerator is pressed and there is no hesitation whatsoever when you push the gas pedal. Power delivery is immediate with your right foot, the accelerator pedal and the drivetrain all feeling as if they are governed by one mind. Very impressive! The transmission is as smooth as fresh butter and you never feel any shift points at all. On the negative side, the car is heavy and the front end doesn't respond to rapid direction changes as nimbly as the Lexus. There is very little body lean, however and the car maintains a nice neutral posture thru s-curves. The steering is positively awful. The steering wheel is too big and feels like a Mack truck it's so heavily weighted. All this comes at a price (what doesn't?). $86k is what you'll need to bring one of these home.
BMW 750 - This is one seriously ugly car. And you know what? It gets even worse (if that's possible) when you get in. The interior looks cheap and as if it's ergonomics (I admittedly use the term loosely) were designed by a psychotic, retarded person. Buttons and ***** are strewn everywhere with little or no apparent planning. The button to adjust seat position is mindlessly placed on the side of the center stack by your right knee. Buttons are everywhere and you don't even want to get me started on the mind nubbingly dumb-assed "I-Drive" system. It's all a design and ergonomic nightmare. Chris Bangle should be shot for the exterior but whoever "designed" (again, I use the term loosely as this thing doesn't appear so much designed as thrown into some cosmic blender and put together based on whatever spilled out) the interior should be given to Saddam Hussein's kids (if they were still alive, but I guess you get my point). Now onto something a bit more pleasant. The car drives like a dream. As with the M-B, there is total harmony between the engine, transmission and accelerator pedal. Power delivery is immediate and the thing is a rocket ship. There is essentially no body lean and it handles like a slot car. Pretty impressive for a 4500 lb. vehicle. There is simply nothing bad to say about the driving dynamics of this champ. If you could get by it's "Ugly Betty" appearance and hideous interior, this is a killer car. And a steal at "only" $74k.
Lexus SC 430 - Ughhh! Who buys this thing? It looks like an upside down bathtub. It's proportions are all wrong and it's cramped inside. It's not terribly fast and it handles like a Cunard ocean liner. I simply don't know what to say. This baby is just a joke.
Lexus GS 450h - OK, I'm on record as saying that I despise the hatchback appearance of the GS and I stick to that. And the interior is cramped. I couldn't car less about any dimensions that Lexus publishes that say that this is as roomy (or roomier) than the ES...it's not! You feel confined and claustrophobic. It's interior is quite spartan, perhaps taking its lead from it's target demographic, the BMW 5 Series. It's instrumentation is very nice, however and thankfully there are just enough buttons and ***** to control everything that needs to be controlled on a regular basis. You say you want power? Well, let me tell you, have you come to the right place! If the BMW 750 is a rocket ship (and it is), this thing is an anti-missile missle. This thing is frighteningly fast. This must be what driving a Ferrari is like (well, maybe not quite, but close). In very unLexus-like fashion, power delivery is pretty much immediate and the car feels like it could take off with another millimeter or two of accelerator travel. The chassis is as flat as a carpenter's level and it handles s-curves with complete composure and confidence. This thing is like driving a go cart at a carnival. Except it's much bigger, has a roof and goes a whole lot faster. Oh, and it costs just a little more too ($62k). The brakes are a little notchy in reassuringly Lexus-like fashion (what's the problem here guys, you can get this right...you really need to work on this..."Relentless Pursuit of Perfection" huh?...well you have some work to do here) and you have to be very careful modulating them or they grab way too hard, a characteristic seen on just about every Lexus vehicle. If Lexus wants to know how to do brakes right, they should just copy whatever M-B is doing because, let me tell you, they have it dead solid perfect.
OK, end of rant, er, I meant review.
Flame away!
10-22-06, 07:17 PM
#2
At the Dallas taste on Saturday there was not much of a line up to drive the LS460 but it was too short a drive for me to make any conclusions save that the long wheel base version is very smooth and quiet but had over assisted power steering. No lines for the RX350. Very long lines for the IS350 and GS450h. The lines were longer for the SC430 than the LS460! Food was ample and of decent quality if you did not want to wait 30" for a 1 minute drive.
10-22-06, 08:26 PM
#3
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Lexus LS 460 - Very much the "big brother" to our car. Nice but not drop dead "holy cow, I can't believe it" nice. Very fast, nicely balanced and pretty flat through s-curves. On the negative side, the throttle is still very non linear with small changes corresponding to either no change in power or massive "throw you back in the seat" acceleration; the brakes, too were very notchy and "grabby" with small moduations in pressure causing unpredictable and overly aggressive braking. All in all the drivetrain was a major dissappointment in it's lack of harmony and linkage. As this is clearly present in our cars (the ES) one begins to think that Lexus just can't get engines and tranny's to link together properly.
M-B S 550 - WOW!!! ...
BMW 750 - This is one seriously ugly car. And you know what? It gets even worse (if that's possible) when you get in. The interior looks cheap and as if it's ergonomics (I admittedly use the term loosely) were designed by a psychotic, retarded person. ...
Lexus SC 430 - Ughhh! Who buys this thing? It looks like an upside down bathtub. It's proportions are all wrong and it's cramped inside. It's not terribly fast and it handles like a Cunard ocean liner. I simply don't know what to say. This baby is just a joke.
Lexus GS 450h - ... I couldn't car less about any dimensions that Lexus publishes that say that this is as roomy (or roomier) than the ES...it's not!
And how about that 7cu.ft trunk. 
10-22-06, 08:59 PM
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***M-B S 550 - WOW!!! ...
Interesting - so I take it you preferred this to the new LS?***
Right now, if I had to select between those three without regard to the price I'd probably take the S 550. The LS is a pleasant enough car but it's styling is derivitive and its quirky throttle response and inability to harmoniously link the engine and drivetrain are real turnoffs. The interior is nice enough but it just looks to me like the ES' big brother. Now that's not a bad thing, it's just not viscerally stirring. Both the exterior and interior of the S 550 are strikingly original and just radiate class. Hard to quantify or operationalize but you know it when you see it. That huge steering wheel is god-awful and the steering effort will have many running back to their gyms to pump some iron. I can only hope that purchasers of this otherwise awesome car would get used to it's truck like steering.
Regarding the notchiness in the brakes, I'd love to write it off to a one car anomaly. Sadly, as this characteristic is shared by pretty much every Lexus out there that I have driven (ES300, ES350, GS300, LS460, SC430 and GS450h) I have to conclude that this, like the throttle hesitation and lack of linearity, is an area where Lexus still has some homework to do.
It's too bad too, because, absent the lack of harmony in the drivetrain and the notchy brakes, the new LS is a very impressive car. Sadly, those factors are simply too central to what driving is all about to be overlooked or swept under the rug. The German offerings manage to get these things right and I can't imagine that there's any legitimate reason that Lexus can't (or shouldn't).
Interesting - so I take it you preferred this to the new LS?***
Right now, if I had to select between those three without regard to the price I'd probably take the S 550. The LS is a pleasant enough car but it's styling is derivitive and its quirky throttle response and inability to harmoniously link the engine and drivetrain are real turnoffs. The interior is nice enough but it just looks to me like the ES' big brother. Now that's not a bad thing, it's just not viscerally stirring. Both the exterior and interior of the S 550 are strikingly original and just radiate class. Hard to quantify or operationalize but you know it when you see it. That huge steering wheel is god-awful and the steering effort will have many running back to their gyms to pump some iron. I can only hope that purchasers of this otherwise awesome car would get used to it's truck like steering.
Regarding the notchiness in the brakes, I'd love to write it off to a one car anomaly. Sadly, as this characteristic is shared by pretty much every Lexus out there that I have driven (ES300, ES350, GS300, LS460, SC430 and GS450h) I have to conclude that this, like the throttle hesitation and lack of linearity, is an area where Lexus still has some homework to do.
It's too bad too, because, absent the lack of harmony in the drivetrain and the notchy brakes, the new LS is a very impressive car. Sadly, those factors are simply too central to what driving is all about to be overlooked or swept under the rug. The German offerings manage to get these things right and I can't imagine that there's any legitimate reason that Lexus can't (or shouldn't).
Last edited by PsychDoc; 10-23-06 at 06:11 AM.
10-23-06, 06:24 AM
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Excellent reviews...thanks. I wish I had some flames for you, but...
The 7 really does drive well, but the interior layout just makes me scratch my head.
I disagree about the steering on the S500, I like the effort level. The steering wheel is indeed huge. The S500 feels more solid and is quieter than the new LS, especially over rough pavement. The S500 is nowhere near as involving to drive as the 750i, though.
One thing neither the 7 nor the S500 have (at least in my area) is a pleasant service experience. Here, I think the Lexii shine, at least from what I've heard. Oh, and let's not forget reliability.
Thanks again for a review that was both fun to read and informative. Warning to you, though. If you are at a party and see Chris Bangle walking towards you.... RUN.
The 7 really does drive well, but the interior layout just makes me scratch my head.
I disagree about the steering on the S500, I like the effort level. The steering wheel is indeed huge. The S500 feels more solid and is quieter than the new LS, especially over rough pavement. The S500 is nowhere near as involving to drive as the 750i, though.
One thing neither the 7 nor the S500 have (at least in my area) is a pleasant service experience. Here, I think the Lexii shine, at least from what I've heard. Oh, and let's not forget reliability.
Thanks again for a review that was both fun to read and informative. Warning to you, though. If you are at a party and see Chris Bangle walking towards you.... RUN.
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