Car and Driver - 10 Terrific New Sedans for 1992 (ES 300 content)
08-03-09, 07:56 PM
#2
Lexus Test Driver
nice article...of course the BMW wins...they ALWAYS win
the ES300 is definitly superior to any car in the field...i always did like the legend tho
also, what idiot thinks a J30 or a 929 are attractive?
the 92 ES300 still looks good today...the before mentioned 2 look very very dated
the ES300 is definitly superior to any car in the field...i always did like the legend tho
also, what idiot thinks a J30 or a 929 are attractive?
the 92 ES300 still looks good today...the before mentioned 2 look very very dated
Last edited by 03 ES; 08-03-09 at 08:13 PM.
08-03-09, 08:24 PM
#3
Lexus Test Driver
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Heck yea! Awesome find, definitely a must have in this forum! 
Gotta love how the ES is the car with the most curves and luxury out of the whole lot. Just goes to show how far Lexus would go to whoop the competition.
Also the 9000CD, 960 and J30 were absolute jokes, should have been a top 5 list.
Gotta love how the ES is the car with the most curves and luxury out of the whole lot. Just goes to show how far Lexus would go to whoop the competition.
Also the 9000CD, 960 and J30 were absolute jokes, should have been a top 5 list.
08-03-09, 09:01 PM
#4
Lexus Test Driver
That was a good little read! I don't know how the 3 BMW back then got in 1st... the exterior is just not nice. Having recently been in a 3, in comparison I can see why when actually sitting in the vehicle, you could rate it above the ES. Still wouldn't go with the 3 back in the day. With todays models, yes.
08-04-09, 08:03 AM
#6
Wow! What a FIND! Thank you for posting this up!!!
I've gotta go back through my C&D archive now and find this and set it out.
I love this car.
Oh, and speaking as someone ALIVE at the time (compared to you early 90s fetuses
):
), but there's something so tight seeing them look as they did when they came fresh outta the factory.
I've gotta go back through my C&D archive now and find this and set it out.
I love this car.
Oh, and speaking as someone ALIVE at the time (compared to you early 90s fetuses
): The smoothly-engineered look of the luxury MAZDA (the 90s public said "WTH?!? A luxury Mazda?!?) with a nicely appointed interior, and ...
the almost-unprecedented, but better-executed abbreviated trunk design of the J30 combined with its smooth look -
These cars were hawt back then. If you look back through my library of car mags and books from the time, the manufacturers, mainly the metric manufacturers, were mastering smooth and rounded sheetmetal with tight tolerances (remember the ES commercial with the marble rolling around the ES without falling in the gaps? Well, you can watch it on YouTube). We'd just never seen anything like that tight-consistently gapped smooth design before then. It's hard to understand with only retrospect, I know.
And IMHO, the Legend, J30 and 929 looks stand the test of time far better than the Saab and Bonneville. And the Legend...ahhhh...the Legend.
Back to what really matters...Seeing the ES all clean and "stock-ish" there makes me wanna sport another stock suspension, wheels and tires. Sure, she can corner now 'til your toes curl and you lose lunch (it's happened with enthusiastic passengers begging for curves on the country twisties here the almost-unprecedented, but better-executed abbreviated trunk design of the J30 combined with its smooth look -
These cars were hawt back then. If you look back through my library of car mags and books from the time, the manufacturers, mainly the metric manufacturers, were mastering smooth and rounded sheetmetal with tight tolerances (remember the ES commercial with the marble rolling around the ES without falling in the gaps? Well, you can watch it on YouTube). We'd just never seen anything like that tight-consistently gapped smooth design before then. It's hard to understand with only retrospect, I know.
And IMHO, the Legend, J30 and 929 looks stand the test of time far better than the Saab and Bonneville. And the Legend...ahhhh...the Legend.
), but there's something so tight seeing them look as they did when they came fresh outta the factory.
Last edited by Slooooooow; 08-04-09 at 08:19 AM.
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08-04-09, 03:49 PM
#9
Lexus Test Driver
Wow! What a FIND! Thank you for posting this up!!!
I've gotta go back through my C&D archive now and find this and set it out.
I love this car.
Oh, and speaking as someone ALIVE at the time (compared to you early 90s fetuses):
), but there's something so tight seeing them look as they did when they came fresh outta the factory.
I've gotta go back through my C&D archive now and find this and set it out.
I love this car.
Oh, and speaking as someone ALIVE at the time (compared to you early 90s fetuses
): The smoothly-engineered look of the luxury MAZDA (the 90s public said "WTH?!? A luxury Mazda?!?) with a nicely appointed interior, and ...
the almost-unprecedented, but better-executed abbreviated trunk design of the J30 combined with its smooth look -
These cars were hawt back then. If you look back through my library of car mags and books from the time, the manufacturers, mainly the metric manufacturers, were mastering smooth and rounded sheetmetal with tight tolerances (remember the ES commercial with the marble rolling around the ES without falling in the gaps? Well, you can watch it on YouTube). We'd just never seen anything like that tight-consistently gapped smooth design before then. It's hard to understand with only retrospect, I know.
And IMHO, the Legend, J30 and 929 looks stand the test of time far better than the Saab and Bonneville. And the Legend...ahhhh...the Legend.
Back to what really matters...Seeing the ES all clean and "stock-ish" there makes me wanna sport another stock suspension, wheels and tires. Sure, she can corner now 'til your toes curl and you lose lunch (it's happened with enthusiastic passengers begging for curves on the country twisties here the almost-unprecedented, but better-executed abbreviated trunk design of the J30 combined with its smooth look -
These cars were hawt back then. If you look back through my library of car mags and books from the time, the manufacturers, mainly the metric manufacturers, were mastering smooth and rounded sheetmetal with tight tolerances (remember the ES commercial with the marble rolling around the ES without falling in the gaps? Well, you can watch it on YouTube). We'd just never seen anything like that tight-consistently gapped smooth design before then. It's hard to understand with only retrospect, I know.
And IMHO, the Legend, J30 and 929 looks stand the test of time far better than the Saab and Bonneville. And the Legend...ahhhh...the Legend.
), but there's something so tight seeing them look as they did when they came fresh outta the factory.i always hated the styling of both of those cars myself...as far as infinitis go the only older infiniti id get is a q45 from the 99-00 era....the new infinitis are a vast improvement over past ones, and the same goes for mazdas too.
the saab 9000 isnt very attractive either...im a big fan of its replacement, the 9-5 though...that is a very very attractive car with impressive performance (especially with the 250hp turbo AERO models)
as a side note, a friend of mine had one of those bonneville SSEi's and i was always impressed with how powerful that car was
08-07-09, 03:29 AM
#10
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The bonneville really was a fine car surprisingly, and cavernous inside. My father had a 94' SSEI with the five stars instead of the body color goofy *** wheels. Really the only GM I've ever driven and kinda liked, crazy options for the time too, Heads up display, steering wheel radio controls, etc... The 929 is the ugliest 4 door I can think of honestly, the infinity too. Always hated the styling of both of those cars in particular lol.
08-12-09, 07:58 PM
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Great read! I just bought a 92 ES300 with 101k on it for my nephew. He just got his learners permit and this will be his first car. I've driven it about 150 miles now and I love this thing! I'd really like to see C/D do a retrospective look at the same cars now and re-rate them based on longevity, reliability, how well the styling has held up, etc. Might be interesting to see what, if any changes there would be in the ratings. (I bet the Beemer wouldn't be in first place)