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Super-secret car name decoder story

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Old 09-09-04, 09:40 AM
  #1  
Gekko
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Default Super-secret car name decoder story

Super-secret car name decoder story

You know what 'Mustang' means. How about 525i, TL, STS, ES300, 9-2X...
September 9, 2004: 11:04 AM EDT
By Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN/Money staff writer

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Remember when cars had names? Evocative, sometimes powerful, sometimes way off the mark, like Mustang, New Yorker, Bonneville and Capri. They meant something, or at least were easy to remember.

http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/07/pf/a...oder/index.htm
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Old 09-09-04, 10:15 AM
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Default Re: Super-secret car name decoder story

Originally posted by Gekko
Super-secret car name decoder story

You know what 'Mustang' means. How about 525i, TL, STS, ES300, 9-2X...
September 9, 2004: 11:04 AM EDT
By Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN/Money staff writer

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Remember when cars had names? Evocative, sometimes powerful, sometimes way off the mark, like Mustang, New Yorker, Bonneville and Capri. They meant something, or at least were easy to remember.

http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/07/pf/a...oder/index.htm
525i....

5 for BMW mid-sized "5" series.
2.5 for 2.5 liter engine displacement.
i for fuel-injected.

TL

T for Acura sedan series (vs. coupe)
L ........?

STS......Cadillac lingo for Standard Touring Sedan

ES300

ES......?
300 for 3.0 liter engine displacement.

9-2X

9-2 for Saab entry-level series
X for All-Wheel-Drive (infiniti uses the same "X" code for the AWD G35X)
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Old 09-09-04, 10:30 AM
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ES is Economy or Entry-Level Sedan

-Anthony

Last edited by Captain Bone; 09-09-04 at 10:30 AM.
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Old 09-09-04, 11:18 AM
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Too bad they missed Lexus.... My sc400 is definately not a convertible...

Let's take, for example, the Lexus LS 430. The second letter in any Lexus car's name indicates the body style. An S is a sedan, an X is a sport/utility vehicle and a C is a convertible. The 3-digit number is based on the engine size in liters. So the LS 430 has a 4.3 liter engine, and a GS 300 has a 3.0 liter engine.


But other than that, they are close.... Kinda.
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Old 09-09-04, 11:23 AM
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Default Re: Re: Super-secret car name decoder story

STS actually stands for Seville Touring Sedan.

This name had already been created back in the 80s, when the boxy Sevilles were around. The letters STS were imprinted on the aluminum rims.

The STS name did not become this model's sole designation until the early-mid. 90s.

Jon


Originally posted by mmarshall
525i....

5 for BMW mid-sized "5" series.
2.5 for 2.5 liter engine displacement.
i for fuel-injected.

TL

T for Acura sedan series (vs. coupe)
L ........?

STS......Cadillac lingo for Standard Touring Sedan

ES300

ES......?
300 for 3.0 liter engine displacement.

9-2X

9-2 for Saab entry-level series
X for All-Wheel-Drive (infiniti uses the same "X" code for the AWD G35X)
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Old 09-09-04, 11:56 AM
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Originally posted by TeeDub
Too bad they missed Lexus.... My sc400 is definately not a convertible...

Let's take, for example, the Lexus LS 430. The second letter in any Lexus car's name indicates the body style. An S is a sedan, an X is a sport/utility vehicle and a C is a convertible. The 3-digit number is based on the engine size in liters. So the LS 430 has a 4.3 liter engine, and a GS 300 has a 3.0 liter engine.


But other than that, they are close.... Kinda.
could they mean sports coupe?
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Old 09-09-04, 01:07 PM
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Gekko
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I thought:

Lexus
ES = Executive Sedan
LS = Luxury Sedan
SC = Sports Coupe
IS = ? Sedan OR International Sport?
GS = ? Sedan OR Grand Sport?
RX = ? SUV
LX = ? SUV
GX = ? SUV

Acura
TL = Total Luxury
RL = Real Luxury
CL = ?
MDX = ? SUV

Last edited by Gekko; 09-09-04 at 01:09 PM.
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Old 09-09-04, 03:53 PM
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Err just my opinion..but these guys sound like they really have no idea what they are talking about...clueless comes to mind actually.
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Old 09-09-04, 04:45 PM
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squarehat
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Originally posted by Gekko
I thought:

Lexus
ES = Executive Sedan
LS = Luxury Sedan
SC = Sports Coupe
IS = ? Sedan OR International Sport?
GS = ? Sedan OR Grand Sport?
RX = ? SUV
LX = ? SUV
GX = ? SUV

Acura
TL = Total Luxury
RL = Real Luxury
CL = ?
MDX = ? SUV
IS= International Sedan
GS= Grand Sedan

Lexus claims the SUV' designations don't stand for anything, though people have hypothesized the "X" denotes "cross-terrain" or "4x4" and the first letters may stand for "Refined" "Grand" and "Luxury"

Not too familiar with Acura, thought I've heard people claim RL stood for "Replacement Legend"
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Old 09-10-04, 02:41 AM
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Default Re: Re: Re: Super-secret car name decoder story

Originally posted by Baby ///M3
STS actually stands for Seville Touring Sedan.

This name had already been created back in the 80s, when the boxy Sevilles were around. The letters STS were imprinted on the aluminum rims.

The STS name did not become this model's sole designation until the early-mid. 90s.

Jon
Yes, you're right....but I've seen it referred to both ways....Standard and Seville.
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Old 09-10-04, 08:48 AM
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Mercedes
The letters in front of Mercedes car names, like E320, indicate the "class." Sedans are C, for the least expensive, E or S, for the most expensive. SUVs are M or the more exclusive G. Convertibles are, in order of expense, the SLK, CLK and SL.
Ummm ...

Looks like they forgot the CL.

Lexus
The first letter in a Lexus name indicates the relative size and cost of the car. The higher in the alphabet the letter is, the higher the price. For some reason -- a Toyota spokesman wasn't sure why -- the R SUVs are an exception to this particular rule. They are actually the least expensive Lexus SUVs.
Umm ...

The last time I checked the letter "E" comes before "I"

So according to the descrambler the ES should be smaller and less expensive than the IS - neither of which happen to be the case.

The IS starts at least a thousand dollars below the ES which is a larger car in all respects.
___________________________

It is my opinion that any one of us on this forum probably could have authored a better article on the matter.

M.

Last edited by whipimpin; 09-10-04 at 08:50 AM.
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Old 09-10-04, 12:18 PM
  #12  
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Acura
Acura's two- and three-letter combinations mean absolutely nothing. They're just completely made-up combinations of letters.

One exception that rule -- or lack of one -- predates Acura's overall move to letters. When the Acura NSX sports car was in development in the 1980s that name stood for New Sports Experimental.
I almost fell out my seat when I read that. LMAO....

Last edited by LexFather; 09-10-04 at 12:18 PM.
 
Old 09-12-04, 06:41 AM
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Originally posted by squarehat
IS= International Sedan
GS= Grand Sedan

Lexus claims the SUV' designations don't stand for anything, though people have hypothesized the "X" denotes "cross-terrain" or "4x4" and the first letters may stand for "Refined" "Grand" and "Luxury"

Not too familiar with Acura, thought I've heard people claim RL stood for "Replacement Legend"
International....no...i think its individual....
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Old 09-12-04, 11:10 AM
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i never knew that those combinations of letter ever make sense
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Old 09-13-04, 12:18 PM
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not a cookie cutter thing... Acura's letters mean nothing lol. crazy
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