Comments on: LA Times: Lexus has “emotional appeal of a public golf course”

By: J.A.N.E.

J.A.N.E. — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 21:49:49 +0000

I’ve said that from the start as well.Excellent robots from superbly efficient,uh,former rice paddy teeming throngs.

By: Akkam’s Razor

Akkam’s Razor — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 12:27:45 +0000

[...] LA Times: Lexus has “emotional appeal of a public golf course” Finally, someone says what I’ve long maintained – Japanese cars are boring. (tags: Japanese automobiles boring appliances) [...]

By: 1c3d0g

1c3d0g — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 21:14:07 +0000

Not really. He’s got it back-asswards.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 15:03:43 +0000

^ Next to a Cadillac, I’d say he’s correct.

By: 1c3d0g

1c3d0g — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 11:58:59 +0000

“At least Lexus is smooth, quiet and refined Toyota”

Bahahaha! Who are you kidding, boy?

By: BR

BR — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 03:00:39 +0000

I’m 21……and while Fleetwood’s may be old fogey mobiles all around, all it would need is the suspension from the early 90’s Imapala SS and a Northstar ‘V’ series big block to blow this barge back to the east coast country club it came from

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 01:03:45 +0000

You must be very old BR. Fogeys would rather own a Cadillac, not youngins. I’m old too, but I’ll never be caught dead in a Caddy unless its a Hearse. Caddy is just an overpriced Chevrolet. At least Lexus is smooth, quiet and refined Toyota

By: BR

BR — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 21:45:57 +0000

I’d rather be caught in a Cadillac DTS…….or even a 93′-96′ Fleetwood

By: The Client

The Client — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 17:43:41 +0000

Anyone who has seen pics up next to a BMW 7 Series can see the cars look identical from the side. Once again, Toyota trying to copy what BMW has already perfected.

By: Danny

Danny — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 16:12:52 +0000

All luxury barges are boring and chock full of silly gadgets and gizmos. They are not a passionate automobile.

By: DMH250

DMH250 — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 15:41:46 +0000

I suspect that the Lexus will have a nicer interior than the S Class. The S Class interior (especially around the instrument panel) is about as smooth as a mid-80’s Malibu, ordered for a municipality. Having said that though, if I purchase a car North of $70G’s, it better generate some excitement, otherwise why bother!

By: Car Guy

Car Guy — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 14:48:14 +0000

This auto-parking system only confirms that Lexus does not make cars for people who are into the driving experience. It is marketing hype just like the Lexus badge. It is technology for the sake of technology. Their products may give goose bumps to crash test dummies (check out the ES350 commercial), but how about products that cause goose bumps in humans!

By: Fatstrat

Fatstrat — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 14:32:34 +0000

Quality is there, passion is not. Perfect cars for some people, not for me. It’s not an insult, just the way i see it.

By: matt

matt — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 14:20:34 +0000

mmmmmmm……..I think I’ll have an S-Class, thank you very much.

By: 1c3d0g

1c3d0g — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 14:08:36 +0000

Ouch. I’m pretty sure that won’t sit right with BMW850, but I’ll let him speak for himself.

By: Ricardo Head

Ricardo Head — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 13:51:17 +0000

If I want to be anally raped I’ll buy a BMW or Benz.

By: 1c3d0g

1c3d0g — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 13:06:35 +0000

BMW850/Ricardo Head: and you both need to be anally raped for messing with the dog.

By: JRobUSC

JRobUSC — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 12:10:33 +0000

Renton, Automobile Magazine dyno’d the 335i and found it was actually producing more like 350hp and 360lb-ft. 0-60 in 4.9 seconds, 13.6 sec 1/4 mile.

By: Renton

Renton — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 11:33:23 +0000

Jon–”Renton? “Screw the STI”?
You were so on board just a little while ago. What gives?”

I still love he STI, its just I never knew the 335i sedan would be out so soon. My current lease is up in November, and the car will avaiable. I even ordered my exact car yesterday.

This could be an all time great car. 300hp and 300 lb/ft.

By: Veda

Veda — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 11:23:48 +0000

Alex, at least I’ve owned a Fiat, Citroen, Renault, Peugeot, and Holden in the past… I agree about the stereotype thing. They should just keep quiet until they’ve actually test driven the car themselves. Comments on aesthetics are so meaningless so they should not be mentioned either. The only thing that matters are real sales numbers… afterall the point of any business is to make $.

By: jtg

jtg — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 05:26:42 +0000

Don’t any of you guys read Car and Driver? The LS 460 is slower than expected, 0-60 in 6 seconds. It takes 209ft to stop, 30ft longer than the current LS430. Car and Driver kind of bashed its handling. The styling is pure camry. I have seen two of them on the highway, here in the Northeast. It has a bad version of a bangle butt.

By: BoT

BoT — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 05:16:24 +0000

I’ve driven a Skoda.

By: alex

alex — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 04:47:42 +0000

I still don’t understand how you people on this board can judge a car and know EVERYTHING about it just by some pictures and popular opinion. It hasn’t even been RELEASED!!! It’s just like looking at someone and applying every single stereotype and bias against a person without even asking their name and getting to know them. You guys are going off of assumptions, few of which are substantiated by reliable facts, and are forming an opinion before experiencing it for yourself. But that’s the problem. I’m willing to bet 95% of you have never even driven any of these cars you seem to know everything about.

By: Jon

Jon — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 03:18:44 +0000

Renton? “Screw the STI”?
You were so on board just a little while ago. What gives?

By: Ricardo Head

Ricardo Head — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 03:10:24 +0000

Yes. Very small.

By: Veda

Veda — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 01:27:54 +0000

“Typical Toyota, a boring mundane car for boring mundane people.”

Be careful on that “mundane” word as they are driven as operation vehicles for top executives at some of the biggest oil and telecommunication US companies. Of course, they also have a MB or BMW in their garages. Anyway, the whole point of the LS is certainly not emotion inducing rage but silent luxury which is parallel to the Toyota Crown, the late king of business suite.

By: V'duv Kux Klan

V'duv Kux Klan — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 23:59:26 +0000

http://www.mx.autocosmos.com/contenidos/videos.asp i found this page and looks like the 2007 Honda CRV is already for sale in Mexico

By: Asher

Asher — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 23:53:43 +0000

The LLN excerpt is far more negative than the overall article if you read the whole linked story(reveals LLNs own bias). In fact, it sounds like a sweet car with typical Lexus drawbacks. Dan Neil seems objective and praises build quality, materials, smooth and quietness etc and disses exterior appearance and “passion” factor. It definitely was never meant to appeal to enthusiasts and the LWB version back seat is very Maybach-like. I definitely wouldnt mind sitting back there and being chauffeured around all day…now which one of you will be my Driver?? lol

By: bayrider

bayrider — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 23:37:23 +0000

You think Lexus would have made their most luxurious car not look like a Camry on steroids?

By: British_Rover

British_Rover — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 23:24:53 +0000

I will reserve final judgment till I drive one myself after taking one in trade but this does not surpise me. The only lexus I have ever driven that had a little bit of soul in it was the original IS300 and even that was not so great as so few were not avaliable with a manual. The GS400 was pretty good too but not as exciting as the IS300.

The new IS series cars don’t do much and neither do the GS series.

By: Ferg

Ferg — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 22:38:39 +0000

A car doesn’t need to give me a boner when I look at it. Apparently, Mr. Neil requires such a reaction in his pants. I think Lexus has definitely taken the LS to a level far beyond that of the out-going car, which was already very nice to look at. At this time, no other car in the LS’s class offers the reclining rear seat, and when it comes to businessmen who already get driven to work, that’s going to be a huge selling point.

Let’s face it, Bimmers are God-awful fugly, Benzes have suffered far too many electronics failures in recent years, and Caddy’s are cheap GM garbage with leather interiors. Toyota builds rock-solid vehicles, and outside of enthusiasts, not too many buyers worry about their car having ‘emotion’.

By: Brandon

Brandon — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 22:29:19 +0000

Is the notion that the new Lexus lacks emotion a new notion when it comes to Lexus? These are the same criticisms that were voiced with the original 1989/90 Lexus LS400. Sure it was an excellent salvo fired at established European marques, however, there was no denying that MB S-Class of the day, the then current BMW 7-Series, and the Jaguar XJ6 all had more emotional appeal. Luckily, for Lexus, they’ve never relied on selling cars based on notion of emotional appeal. After all, Lexus is Toyota – they sell their cars based the fact their excellent. well engineered cars – and with or without emotion, this Lexus will outsell all of its competition.

By: organic mutant

organic mutant — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 22:27:38 +0000

if it had a blue and white propeller on the hood… oh wait, you’ve heard this one before.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 21:52:54 +0000

If it was the same car with a BMW Badge on the car, people might drool over it, but all the reviews would say “We’re scratching our heads here… a BMW that drives like… well… a Lexus?!”

Sorry, but there’s way more at work here than badges.

If I wanted a $70K-85K luxury car, the S550 would undoubtedly top my list, with the short-wheelbase 750i a very close second because of it’s still-unmatched-by-another-huge-car-dynamics, cheaper price, and what I think is a cleaner look.

By: Renton

Renton — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 21:37:09 +0000

If it said BMW on the hood, it would be a different machine altogether. This Lexus does its designed perpose very, very well.

BMWs do their job very well. 2 completely diffrent cars, these two are.

I just ordered a new 335i Sedan. Screw the STI.

The 335i sedans will be here at the end of October. 335xi in March