eyescream

I thought the Prius can park itself too?

MDXLuvr

Japenese only option. Too risky in lawsuit happy USA.

protokultur

It will definitely take sales away from S-klasse and 7-series. I'm sure the hardcore snobs will never switch, but the people who are buying S350s and S430s may be tempted by the superior value proposition.

In a more environmentally conscious world, a hybrid luxury sedan might be more socially acceptable than the bloated piles of Escalade-like excess that are the higher end MB and AMG sedans.

PLYRS 3

and you guys call the 7-series ugly....

yuck.

Amer

Despite Lexus raising the bar, Japanese engineering will always be below German engineering. Just driving a Benz or BMW versus a Lexus you can feel why German cars are significantly priced higher. Oh yeah let me put my suit on in case of any

marrenr813

^ ya i dont think so pal, this depends on the car company. This statement is way too vague.

waltk88

I agree that the current Lexus models can't match their BMW or Mercedes counterparts in driver appeal. However, I don't think of the Lexus LS as a driver's car. I'd like to be chauffered in one, and I think the LS would serve this role at least as well as the Mercedes S or BMW 7, while coming in at a significantly lower price point. A friend of mine traded a Mercedes S430 for a Lexus LS430, and raves about the Lexus. He still digs German cars, though. He has a Porsche GT2 parked next to the Lexus.

BPUKiller

"German Engineering" is pure marketing and spouted by people who don't know any better. I'm a guy who has owned a BMW, Mercedes, and Audi. The BMW is a better driver, however most people will not push a car past 50% of the ability. I don't know how reliable my BMW would have been because I sold it after 6 months of ownership. I know my alternator went out two hours after talking the car off the lot. The Mercedes was a soulless boring rocket that broke down every other month and I had a AMG car. I'll never buy another Mercedes again. 1/4 of the post on a Mercedes forum were post about car problems. My Audi S4 blew turbos, clutch went out 2X in 30K miles, along with other little things that should not break in a $45K car. If you are talking luxury, the Lexus has them all beat. The build is so much better than a German car. To get the features of a Lexus in a Euro car you have to spend much more. The feel of the leather, ride, and overall experience in a ES330, loaner cars, is pretty close to that of a S class. That maybe hard to swallow, but it's what I have noticed. Sure a S class has more cachet, but put someone in a blindfold and give them a ride. My other car is a S Type R. Even with 400HP and similar price to my to my LS430, I would take my LS430 over the Jag any day. The difference is huge. The leather in the LS is twice as soft of the Jags. The Jag creeks, bends, and shakes. The LS feels like it is milled from a huge block of steel. The Jag offers 1/2 the features of the LS. You can say I should be comparing my LS to a XJ, however the XJ and S type share interior trim parts and similar features. The only thing the Jag has over the LS is the power. My wife loves the Jag and hates my LS because she says my LS is too boring. I can drive my LS all day and feel pampered and relaxed the whole time. To me that is the definition of a good luxury car.

Sam

medicalstudent

I saw this car in person a few months ago at a carshow. It looks a lot better in person than in pictures. I love BMWs, but this would be one Lexus I would have to seriously consider given looks and price.

NFRs2000NYC

Its easy to engineer products that are fast, that break every day. Making a car that is problem free for 150K miles is a lot harder. German engineering is not superior to Japanese, or American for that matter, in any way shape or form.