By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
You might not get that from one commercial, but one commercial does not define 6 years of marketing for that car. Base C is even called "luxury", not sport, while even doing a simple google of IS250 first finds (from L itself) "The Lexus IS series combines outstanding performance with optimum luxury". Even the most boring model, trying hard to be everything as the underdog we should all appreciate, I guess.
BMW put the base suspension on all of them.
Audi cheated a little and showed off its Dynamic suspension package in their own event.
No matter, the Audi and Bimmer stood out at both events.
A similar, simple search of the C Luxury (from Benz itself) "Engineered specifically for performance driving ..."
No need to read beyond that.
How did you put it?
Even the most boring model, trying hard to be everything as the underdog we should all appreciate, I guess.
You'll come up with some excuse, just like you did for the gift bow on the ML advertisement. :sick:
Fact: Mercedes commits all those same sins. You just judge them with a double standard.
Old People in 1957 Eldorado Brougham
'Star' is great in the only a husband could convince his superstar wife to be featured in it as a big Beotch.
OK. So Bridgestone has a good sense of humor.
The late actor Paul Newman was a race car driver in the SCCA series. He raced in events until about 73. He also was a partner with Carl Haas in building race cars. Haas still around is well up in years and building race cars. Of course there is Roger Penske, probably somewhere in his 70's still very active as race car builder.
I'd love to see a link to that claim from MB - kind of hard to believe that would be said about the "luxury" variant when it would be aimed at the "sport" model. I won't hold my breath. If anything, it's a mistake aimed at the other model variant.
When the ML is presented with a bow to an expensive irresponsible materialist in a widely panned commercial that equates consumerism with love, then they can be compared as apples and oranges. Until then, someone is grasping at straws when someone else dares to critique the supposed underdog. Stop it with the red herrings.
Fact: Lexus commits the sin of boredom more than any other. You just can't admit it, as the brand is still the "underdog". If you like em so much, go buy one - but you won't, because they are too dull even for you.
Funny ad and cool car, those Broughams are handsome beasts.
link title
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
From what I know about Aniker, he isn't a real designer, but a nut who somehow made money on nightclubs in Switzerland - maybe like a Swiss version of The Donald, with similar class and taste. Would look right at home in Moscow, on the Arabian Peninsula, or maybe even in the new China.
http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/vehicles/class/class-C
Then click C250 Luxury. Or direct link here:
http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/vehicles/model/class-C/model-C250W
If anything, it's a mistake aimed at the other model variant.
One might give Lexus the same latitude, if they were not biased that is. :P
Ueli needs to be shot!
Actually, give him some eye glasses first.
Then shoot him.
Hard to give someone the benefit of the doubt when they've cursed us with some of the beigest products and some detestable commercials for years
"AGILITY CONTROL suspension"
Sounds like you not only admit, but also embrace, your pro-German bias.
Suspension won't matter much with a boring engine and transmission...
"Engineered specifically for performance driving, AGILITY CONTROL automatically adjusts the individual shock absorbers based on the road surface and the driver's current driving style. Valving inside each shock absorber automatically firms up during stronger body motions for sharper handling feedback and stability, and reduces the damping rates during gentler motions for a smoother, more composed ride. "
Yes, those are high performance claims indeed.
And what is your bias? Don't claim you have none.
It's actually kind of funny to see you justify why it's OK for M-B to do the same things Lexus does, try to find technicalities.
It's entertaining, keep it up!
My biases? AWD for traction, be it any decent system, and yes that includes 4Matic.
It's just too bad that a lot of brands (both Lexus and M-B are guilty of this) raise and soften the suspension on AWD models, perhaps so that those in snowy climates have more clearance.
Another bias of mine is high tech/efficiency balance over brute force. I'm not talking hybrid, I'm talking GDI, turbo, diesels, etc. over an 8 liter V10.
Actually Dodge is building a V10 that's even bigger than that because apparently 8 liters was not enough. :sick:
My personal favorite:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_wh44LRHLw
Howdy, Ma'am!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh4foxTgIU0
* Audi used non-OEM studded tires and had a cable attached to the car. They claim it got up on its own, but that's pretty difficult to verify, you either take their word for it or you don't.
That's a remake of the original, with aired 25 years earlier.
Still one of my favorites, though.
I think soft suspension is very much a growing demand in NA as roads crumble. I can see the need for the higher ground clearance - Lexus and MB don't make AWD for sport, they make it for snowy climates.
I like tech too, esp direct injection, which is one reason you don't see me mocking Hyundai tech - they are forcing the mainstream to keep modernizing.
So you have no brand preferences at all? A Brilliance, Hyundai, Toyota, Subie, MB, Audi, Bentley are all equal if the price is the same?
It handles ... like a Lexus.
Maybe you'll understand me now.
Brands? All things being equal I'd still pick Subaru among the mainstream and probably Audi for luxury (all things being equal means equal reliability).
Both brands pitch AWD for performance, not just for bad weather.
Edit: a major criteria for me - both offer many manual transmission options, too.
Hyper luxury? Bentley uses AWD, right?
Hyper performance? Probably Nissan GT-R, for the giant killing launch control and the mere bang-for-the-buck.
So you do have brand loyalties. ool.
Most higher end cars have AWD available now, even the LS finally got it. I don't think you are going to get a manual Audi higher than an A5 (and I am not sure how much it exists there).
Well, sort of.
We've never bought the same brand twice in a row.
I'm all over the map. Ford, Datsun, Chevy, Ford, Subaru, Mazda, Toyota, Mazda, Subaru.
Almost (!) got 2 Mazdas in a row. Phew. That was a close one.
Even then the first one was used. Also, the 2nd Subaru was for the wifey, and the first Ford was used. So I have actually never bought the same brand twice (new).
I guess no to loyalty, then.
That means I'll have to shift to another brand for the next car.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
And about the windshield issues, I agree. Is glass weaker now than in the past, too? Seems every time I take a highway trip, especially in the rain, I get a tiny chip. No dings or cracks, but the chips are adding up.
The Jeep Cherokee was antique and trucky, plus my dad's fell apart, so no way. The Zook/Chevy Tracker was narrow and weak, and had zero appeal. Wasn't much else in the class at the time. Ford had not launched the Escape yet, and when they did they had funny recalls with steering wheels falling off and wheel studs breaking off. I prefer for the wheels to stay on the vehicle, thanks.
Edmunds Live event (in 2000) actually had to park their Escapes, so I wasn't even able to sample it.
Forester won on merit, and was my first new Japanese car, actually.
Got a used NA Miata, no explanation necessary. You can't exactly daily drive an old Alfa or MG.
My first top got old and cracked, so I replaced it. Then the 2nd top was vandalized. I was done with soft tops, but I still wanted a roadster.
I actually looked at the Solistice but the top system was just LOL bad, you had to get out of the car to take the top down and it ate up the entire trunk. Worst top design in history!
Tried a G6 convertible but structure was creaky and weak. Also tried PT Cruiser (don't ask). Rented a Sebring and it also had one single good feature, a big back seat. Did not drive a Solara due to reading posts from biased people like you that convinced me it would be way too soft.
So my one bias that prevented a test drive was against Toyota. Ironic, eh?
VW Eos dropped off my list when I read the VW threads and found it was the least-respected German car among fans of German cars.
The Volvo C70 cost too much new, and I wasn't buying a Volvo out of warranty after friends dropped 4 figures at a time to fix little broken things like sensors. Never mind big things.
So I got a new Miata. 2nd choice was "keeping the old Miata". There was no #2. I would not have turned down an SLK320 manual, but they're rare and I wanted a new car.
Then came time for a minivan. Dodge was still selling the old GC at the time, the rear windows didn't even open. Simply not a contender.
I drove the Kia but that was still the old Kia. Overweight, old engine tech, horrible gas mileage, pre-Schreyer design. If I was poor a $19k base model was acceptable. Good thing I'm not poor.
FWIW I loved Kia's concept for a replacement. Let's see their next van.
So it was Honda vs. Toyota. The whole family went, Toyota won 3 to 1, one of the kids preferred the Honda, everyone else voted Sienna.
In each case it was purely based on merit, 3 different brands. The Sienna is made in the USA, but that wasn't really a factor, to be honest.
And to come full circle and get us back on topic, I bought mine before the popular Swagger Wagon commercial went viral, now at 10 million hits and counting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql-N3F1FhW4
http://jalopnik.com/5730015/kia-kv7-thats-a-van-baby
I'm not a big fan of the new Sienna (cost cutting) and can't bare to look at the new Ody. Dodge still needs work on the interior but they're getting there. Quest is a bit off for me, especially the SUV-like interior. People buy minivans for the minivan interior, why give that one primary advantage up?
So if my van were totalled today, I do not really have a 1st choice. Hopefully Kia will step up.
That Kia concept irks me just because the real thing will be so far away that it will be a disappointment. The first Sedona was a dumpy KDM looking thing and the replacement isn't the best thing either...with an actual designer on the payroll now, the new one has to be better.
I liked the "Camry family" commercials with the dorks better. :shades: ...swagger wagon gets hits probably because half of this dumbed down society looks at the words "swag" and "swagger" like they are gold.
Vans aren't very exciting, except for what do you 9 months or so before you need one, at least. LOL
That Kia's a neat design, and sure the gull wings will fly (away) and we'll get sliding doors, but that boxy shape is both interesting and practical.
Toss in DI (hey, even the Rio gets it) and the corporate 8 speed auto and it sure looks like it could win best in class.
Chrysler has the powertrain but they need a full redesign pronto.
Toyota needs to re-content.
Honda needs ... eyeglasses for everyone on the design team.
Nissan needs normalcy.
That's a heavy price to pay for some fun, 18 years of driving a bus :shades:
Boxy shape, like a Ford Flex?
Honda needs a diet.
I think Nissan's strategy is "different for the sake of being different". Should be their slogan.
Not that it's in your price zone but the top on the Boxter Sypder would qualify as worst top design.
Pass.
I have the bus and a Miata. Could not combine both, and find the 8 seater sporty folding hard top roadster.
Oddly enough, Nissan tried with the Cross Cabrio!
Hey, I like the Flex! It's like a Maxi Cooper S. If the EcoBoost models weren't $40 grand plus I'd test drive one.
Remember the Top Gear crew made a cabrio out an Espace...just don't go through car washes or over about 50 :shades:
Flex might be another used buy - they seem to end up in a lot of fleets, so resale can't be too strong. Cross Cabrio will also end up being cheap due to zero demand and questionable proportions.
Jag had a great commercial 1-2 years ago for a very nice new sedan that had a married(?)couple in the car enjoying driving fast and sanely on public roads without the stupid sideways driving.
Let me guess; your real name is Joan Claybrook, yes?
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
A couple good comments there:
"People, seriously? The reason these commercials is so nauseating is because they're so artificial, not because you get jealous when you watch it..."
"Could part of the reason be the heavy frequency in which the Lexus commercials run? It seems that every commercial break has a Lexus ad right now. It's not that I disagree with the concept so much as that I'm getting annoyed by seeing the ad a thousand times per day."
"Listen to the music. It's annoying isn't it? Well, Team One put thought into that as well, I guarantee you. In music theory circles, it's called "the minor third," which is the distance of the interval between each of the first 4 notes of Lexus' annoying commercial tune. We all know it. We've heard it on the playground in school at one point or another, in some sing-songy, taunting form or another: "Nah nah nah nah!" or "Nanny nanny boo boo, stick your head in..." Well, you know. Yep, even the commercial's music itself is meant to stir the envious child in us all...and annoy the heck out us!"
And the best one:
"Ads-meh. Lexus owners are the most anger-inducing drivers on the road. I see a Lexus, I get away from it (if I can get around it going 25 in a 35mph zone...)"
:shades:
They were pricey back then. Had not depreciated enough. The lesser models would've given me HPFP issues.
The guy I coach with has a Flex, I like it. Maroon with a white roof, IIRC.
The article mentions the tacky Audi LED display that I criticized earlier. And let's not forget Benz uses a bow as well. Bow = gift, no way around it. It's more subtle. Or sneaky, depending upon your biases. :P
All these ads are lame, materialistic, insensitive. No exceptions.
Unless what you really want is a Ram dually.