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Comments
Actually made decision on Avalon over GS300, because of the quality of the interior. The wood wheel offered by Avalon and not available on the GS300 was the difference. Nav is not of importance in my decision. Picture above is for the GS400 which beats avalon, but is a much higher price car.
That has to be for major service, not some simple maintenance like an oil change?
And probably for service you pay for, not warranty work?
wco81: they come to pick up your car for anything, regular services, oil changes, etc.
With a 270 HP(+/-?), 5 SP auto, a luxury new Interier, A limited version will cost the same or more than the ES330. Just a example, Avalon will have laser cruiser control and ES does not.
Of course, when the new ES come out, price and feature will be both upgraded and re-adjust the balance between Toyota and Lexus. But before that, you do have a higher grade Toyota than a entry level Lexus.
One clarification: Someone said that the Avalon and the ES330 ride the same platform. Not quite; they are both Camry based, but the current Avalon still rides the previous Camry platform, which ran from 92-01, spanning two generations of Camry/ES. The current ES/Camry has significantly enhanced rigidity and design compared to the 92-01, though Im not sure if it technically qualifies as all-new.
~alpha
~alpha
Hey, nothing in life is really ever free!
Bill
Heck, 6.7 is only 3 tenths quicker than a $24,000 Accord LX V6, and indeed, power/torque for the price was a gripe of the C/D editors.
My point- I care less about the hp/torque numbers than I do about the actual performance portfolio, and I'd imagine many might feel similarly. So before putting the GS300 at a disadvantage, lets see what kind of performance the vehicle posts.
~alpha
In reality however, the 6.7s is class leading among V6 automatic sedans in its class. The 530i, E320, A6 3.2, GS300, and STS V6 are all low 7 sec cars. In fact, I guess the RL is the first car in its class (V6 auto luxury performance sedans) to break 7 seconds, especially impressive since it is AWD. AWD usually adds about .2 to .3 seconds.
In any case, Lexus's decision to go with a 245 hp GS300 doesn't surprise me. Toyota has never been into the horsepower wars. Most of their cars are near the bottom in terms of power... yet they sell like hotcakes.
With the GS300, they're going the 530i route: a light, gas-efficient 6-cylinder that should be good for handling and weight distribution.
OTOH, its reasonable to expect that the next GS430, with the same 300 hp engine that is available now (and the same hp rating as the RL), but with a more agressive 6 sp transmission... will need sub 6 to hit 60.
~alpha
Lexus might be able to make their cars go fast without all the horses.
In a 5-60 street start the extra weight of the AWD system usually makes the car slower. However, in a 0-60 mid-high rpm launch the AWD usually improves (or at least matches) 2wd times due to the increased traction of having four tires putting power to the road. (Assuming stock tires on both cars
RL has impressive interior, but its exterior has nothing to set it apart from Hondas. I thought I'd get more excited about A6 than I was. I was least impressed by STS. It's full of cheap hard plastic. They make sure it's not in places where your hands normally would touch, but your knees certainly would. And boy, did I ever notice!
The STS's interior problem is partly materials, but its also the design. Its completely uninspired. There's more to a nice interior than just using some wood and some leather. It has to fit together in a sleek and cohesive package. The GS430 got that part right, and the M45 absolutely hit the bullseye in that department. Its the best Nissan interior I can ever remember. The STS just seems like they threw some parts together without any thought...just like pretty much ever other GM interior.
Still called Aristo over there? Or are they now marketing the Lexus brand in Japan?
sorter: 3.0L in a performnace sedan and a 3.5L in a family car just doesn't sound right.
It doesn't make sense when you have a 270hp V6 and still try to sell a 300hp V8 either.
Once again, the IS, GS is aiming at BMW mainly.
Caddy is making a big push in Europe and Asia with STS, so are Lexus and Infiniti. From what I can see it's not going to be very successful. The exterior is nothing special, the interior's kind of cheap. Toyota & Nissan have rep and track record overseas compared to GM.
"Once again, the IS, GS is aiming at BMW mainly."
In US, everyone's aiming at BMW. But do you know that in Germany, A8 is considered superior to S-class and 7er technologically? Things probably will change when new S comes along. And Audi outsells BMW in every European country except Britain?
Personally, I think Lexus has had and will have more success going after MB. Chasing BMW, that's Infiniti thing!
I agree that Lexus' archrival has always been and will continue to be Mercedes-Benz, not BMW. LS vs. S, GS vs. E, RX vs. ML. Their sole BMW fighter was IS300, and we all know how well that turned out. My guess is the new IS is still going to retain most of the original's fun factor.. but become more C320 or A4 than 330i.
On an unrelated note, what do you guys think of the bulge in the headlight? This is also conspicuous on the FX as well. Kinda gives the car a bug-eyed look... I don't think I like it.