doge

Let me ask you this, which other brand has had a better year? Is it lexus with their one new F car or mercedes with 5 new AMG's?

Stormwind

Topgear has been read and watched by the world. Now you know!

Aron9000

Mercedes C-class estate, I wouldn't consider that car within the reach of most families on either side of the Altantic. That is unless they have it priced at half of what that car would be here(which is probably around 50k with the options most people want).

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

agreed. they drool over a c-class wagon which, if available in u.s. (not sure) would sell like month old donuts compared to suvs and cuvs. no top gear, a lot of 'the world' doesn't give a crap about 'estates'.

but i do believe mercedes has the most impressive line-up of any manufacturer, by far.

mmarshall

Actually, with the possible exception of the Subaru Outback and Toyota Venza, the U.S. is one of the few countries of the world that doesn't prefer conventional station-wagons to SUVs.

AmyWilliam

That have nothing to do with having a 'better year'. How many people are going to buy those AMGS?
Lexus definitely had a very impressive year by actually creating two models that would sell. NX and RC 350. Both are highly lauded and have great designs/driving dynamics/road presence.

I think Lexus deserves a lot of credit by actually taking the risk to go an entirely different direction from the direction that got them #1 in luxury sales for 10 straight years. They decided to go the spindle/aggressive look rather than the soft luxury and it actually worked. Mercedes got great performance cars build for the purpose of boosting their AMG image. They also have a very good new C CLASS.But in terms of actual market impact? I think the NX/RC are far more impressive and impactful than the C300. The AMGS are niche models build for a very small segment of buyers. That would be like flexing the even more niche LFA and screaming MB doesn't have a car like that.The C300 is just the next step(albeit an incredible one) of the C Class. The NX and RC are two totally different and new creations made and injected into their respective segments.

TangoRed

I get your point, but:

1. Lexus' spindle look came on the scene in 2013 with the GS350, so that's not really a 2014 achievement
2. The RC is not going to be a volume model, so in terms of market impact it's really not a huge addition.
3. The NX argument is a bit of a wash since Mercedes introduced it's GLA mini-SUV this year

Net, I'd be proud of Lexus too but in reality all they've done is add models to compete with existing German models. No trailblazing was done but the contributions were solid.

tea

i was walking to my car today and as much as i love my 3IS, i miss driving an MB sometimes. something about the solidity feel of a MB that Lexus can't seem to recreate for me.

primecut

iTrader: (1)

The Black Series and AMG GT would like a word with you.

Gojirra99

Black series have crazy hp but they still don't have the best driving dynamics, SL65 AMG black series steering is numb ...
The AMG GT is new, very nice car yes, but the one comparison I saw recently still prefer the Porsche 911 GT3

TangoRed

SL65 is [very] old news and the AMG GT is not a 911 GT3 competitor. More comparable to a Turbo in terms of mission and setup- it's still very DD-able. There is supposed to be a version that will do battle with the GT3 coming in 2016 though.

As are as the Black Series cars are concerned, perhaps you should look at their newest contribution, the SLS Black Series. It has done very well in track tests from magazines like EVO, CAR, Car and Driver, and Motor Trend.

I really hope Lexus jumps on this train (or at least makes plans to) by the end of the decade.

Gojirra99

I still haven't seen any reviews that rates any Mercedes driving dynamics as superior to the best Ferrari and Porsche , and don't have anything that's like the LFA(it is old now but still have unique attributes) .
Mercedes are very competitive yes , but I was replying to the post that claim they are the best . , that's FAR from being proven.

You have to give Mercedes credit for their effort though for offering all these variations of top of the line cars.

TangoRed

True. And they did have something like the LFA called the SLR. It just sucked despite looking cool.

Stormwind

That's a very wide reaching statement. What is the "Best" Ferrari? laFerrari? that's an all out track car it would be amazing on a race track but your driving dynamics would be miserable on a public road. California? It'll be a disaster on a track but you take it onto PCH you'll enjoy it's driving dynamics over any other cars.

There are literally hundreds of reviews, not just SLS or the GT but the regular models that most mortal people gets to buy if you read some them I think you'll agree about the statement of them being the best tends to be true.

primecut

iTrader: (1)

Agreed on the SL65, but you guys are forgetting the CLK63 and the C63 BS though

I picked the CLK over a bunch of other cars (981S, 997C4S, 997TT, F-Type, etc) precisely for its driving dynamics and handling prowess (Well the power doesn't hurt either ). Can't say I've driven a Ferrari nor can I compare it to a GT3, but there are owners out there with extensive experience on all of them and can tell you that the CLK is definitely up there at the top of the food chain.