*Batman*

The only thing I can think of is the price!

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

a panamera has a tight low slung seating position which his wife might simply find less comfortable than the more traditional GS setup.

natnut

Ahh yes... the old "if it's expensive it must be good!!!!!" argument

Rexus300

iTrader: (1)

And a frumpy ungainly rear 3/4 end. None of my co-workers, friends, or family members regardless of age can stand the cheap front and frumpy rear of the Panemera. I'll take an A7 any day over that.

dseag2

Yes, the A7 is sex on wheels. I considered trading my S5 for one, but there is a long string on Audiworld re: noises in the A7... plus, to get the Bang & Olafsen sound system one must pay $6k over and above the almost $70k for the car. If not, you get a Bose system that has also been panned on the forum.

Strange, Audi is having issues with the A7. My two S5's have been bulletproof. I had one of the first '10 convertibles produced and had no issues. However, since it's an Audi there is always something in the back of my mind that says a window won't go up or the radio will shut off on its own.

Hopefully, with the exception of minor issues and first-year recalls, the GS will be as reliable as past Lexuses have proven to be.

BTW, I saw in the thread that was closed that you traded your '11 5 Series for a new GS. Congrats! I guest that makes us both "conquest customers".

Rexus300

iTrader: (1)

Yep, I got rid of my 1 year old 535i xdrive so we both are previous german car owners who are impressed with the GS. That goes a long way to show how great this car is. The GS makes me smile big time compared to the 5. Now thats something! We have a 2006 Audi A8L and it has 170k miles on it and it is hands down the most reliable car we have had that lasted that long. It rarely ever had a single electronic or other issues. Just simple oil change, brakes, filter, tires, etc changes. Few warranty stuff were sorted out in the beginning.

GS69

http://www.chicagotribune.com/classi...,1672734.story

Rising gas prices brought shoppers back toward fuel-efficient small cars and hybrids, with the hot-selling Toyota Prius — up a staggering 52% in February sales — taking just nine days to turn. The Prius is EPA-rated at up to 51 mpg, but four other cars with 40 mpg or better EPA ratings made this month's Movers list. Just 2 cars, the redesigned BMW 3 Series and Lexus GS, topped the Prius. The Volvo XC90 was the only anomaly. Despite light incentives, shoppers are snapping up the 10-year-old SUV.

Of January's top 10 movers, seven stayed in the mix. The Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne slipped below our minimum transaction threshold, while the Land Rover Range Rover fell to 27 days. That's still better than February's average, which was 39 days to turn — a slowdown from January's 34 days but far less than February 2011's 47 days.

As we reported earlier, Super Bowl ads may have boosted sales for certain automakers. How did they influence the speed at which cars moved off lots? It's hard to tell. Lexus' poorly rated GS commercial didn't slow buyers from snatching up the redesigned sport sedan, but midpack spots for the Chevrolet Sonic hatch and Camaro convertible left those cars, well, in the middle. Well-rated commercials for the Hyundai Veloster and Honda CR-V may have boosted interest — both cars were February Movers — but Fiat's 500 Abarth commercial, rated among the top 10 in USA Today's Ad Meter, did little to hasten the 500's pace. Hatchback versions averaged 91 days to move off dealership lots in February, while the 500C convertible took 99 days.

The 500C was 1 of 4 convertibles on the Losers list — unsurprising, given spring is still more than a week off. Other notable duds include hybrid versions of the Volkswagen Touareg and Infiniti M. Blame low supplies: Cars.com has just 218 M35h and 83 Touareg Hybrid models in national new-car inventory. Too few of them exist, and the ones in stock evidently command little interest.

Movers

2012 BMW 328i sedan: 7 days
2013 Lexus GS 350: 8 days
2012 Toyota Prius: 9 days
2012 Honda CR-V: 10 days
2012 Hyundai Elantra sedan: 10 days
2012 Hyundai Veloster: 10 days
2012 Subaru Impreza hatchback: 10 days
2013 Volvo XC90: 10 days
2012 Honda Pilot: 11 days
2012 Audi Q5: 12 days
2012 BMW X3: 12 days
2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid: 12 days
2012 Toyota 4Runner: 12 days
2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid: 12 days
2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque: 13 days
2012 Subaru Impreza sedan: 13 days
2012 BMW 535i xDrive sedan: 14 days
2012 Kia Soul: 14 days
2012 Toyota RAV4: 14 days

Losers

2012 BMW X6 M: 114 days
2012 BMW 650i convertible: 111 days
2012 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid: 104 days
2012 Porsche 911 convertible*: 104 days
2012 Fiat 500C convertible: 99 days
2012 Infiniti M35h hybrid: 98 days
2012 BMW 135i convertible: 96 days
2012 Infiniti EX35: 93 days
2012 Fiat 500 hatchback: 91 days
2012 Nissan NV cargo van: 89 days

Cars.com Picks

2012 Volvo S60: 51 days
2012 Ford Mustang coupe: 53 days
2012 Cadillac CTS sedan: 60 days
2012 Dodge Durango: 60 days
2012 Mazda CX-9: 64 days
2012 Nissan Altima sedan: 72 days
2012 Mazda3 sedan: 76 days

*We should note the Porsche 911 includes the outgoing car (the 997, to Porsche enthusiasts) and redesigned (991) versions among its 2012 models. It's hard to quantify just how many 997s are slowing the car's sales pace, but either way, the 911 ranks at the bottom.

About the Lists

The Movers and Losers list reports the average number of days it takes to sell models from the day they arrive on the lot until the final paperwork is signed by a buyer. This is not a days-of-inventory list like you may find on other websites. We're now focusing on only 2012 and, where available, 2013 model years.

For Movers, we only list vehicles that pass a certain threshold of sales in order to weed out limited editions, ultra-high-performance cars and others that might skew the numbers or otherwise inaccurately portray popularity. For Losers, we have removed any threshold to reflect 2011 models that may have the greatest incentives.

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

I'm another person who just cannot stomach the exterior of the Panamera. Of course, I have tremendous respect for it's performance capabilities and engineering achievements, but I am no fan of the exterior.

Similarly, I do not care for the A7, which, IMO, looks like the byproduct of a one night stand between a Chrysler Crossfire and an A4.

In terms of design alone, I'd be inclined to go with the GS over either of those even despite its performance deficiencies.

mordecai

So they ARE flyin' out the door! But somewhat expected for first month. It will be interesting to see this stat in the next few months!

DrChill

Sorry it has taken so long for me to answer. The reason is simple-the Panamera has terrible visibility and a huge blind spot. I even put an extra wide view adjustable mirror on the outside mirrors which helped, but even when I drove it I had to check three times before changing lanes because the side and rear visibility is so awful. Additionally, the PDK transmission wasn't smooth driving when starting from a stop.

Other areas where GS350 surpasses the Panamera: Superior seat comfort in front but especially in the rear seats, ease of driving, visibilty, sound quality of base stereo system, NAV ease of use, Lexus Enform, huge video display, clarity or rear camera.

What made me switch was that despite the fact that we loved the look of the Panny, my wife continually complained about it. It drives like a large car and is very wide. I borrowed my father in law's 2013 GS F sport for the weekend and my wife loved it. After driving it all day, I asked her if we could get out of our lease 16 months into a 36 mo lease without it costing anything, would she want to get one of these. After sleeping on the idea, she said to see what I could get for it. Since Carmax paid my father in law $7000 over his lease buyout on his 2009 GS350 with 15,000 miles(and over $5000 more than JM Lexus offered), I went to Carmax too. The purchase price of my Panamera new was $79,000 (MSRP 84,500) and lease buyout was $65,000-they offered me $71,000 and wrote me a check for $6000 to take the car. It was a no brainer.

We are loving the new GS. Since we are both in our late 40's and reasonably fit, there were no issues with seat position or ease of entry/exit on the Porsche. The F sport seats are just far more comfortable for a performance luxury car. No matter what you do to it, the Panamera is just that. It is really not a true sports car. It's a large performance luxury sedan.


One other huge benefit. With the GS Fsport MSRP $56,442, 23 payments of $742/mo taxes included costs me $530 less per month that the Panny. The $6000 from Carmax covers 8 payments and the first month was free ( cap cost was paid with multiple coupons/rebates/conquest dolllars). So figure 15 payments of $742 got me out of a Panamera and into a 2013 GS F Sport for 24 months.

kssod

saw a SFP with Cab interior AWD F-Sport, at Classic Lexus, Mentor Oh, very nice.

natnut

Thank you! It's real world feedback from longterm owners like you that paint a better picture than 30min test-drives or magazine reviews ever could.

caddyowner

Speaking of flying out the door - the GS I test drove this afternoon was sold this evening (not to me).

js619858

Panemera are not that nice on the outside for me. Love the new GS in white! Saw one in Orange County and with those LED's, the car is just too nice in the rear view mirror.

Rexus300

iTrader: (1)

It wasn't me was it??? If so, me culpa.