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Hmmm, if you turn down the notch on luxury, but still ask for a reliable and smooth car, IMO I think the new Avalons are really solid cars. They are reliable as a camry is, smooth and very close to the LS430 in cabin quietness. But they don't have as much bells and whistles as the LS does.
They have some neat gadgets, but you don't buy an Avalon to be fancy shmancy.
Another car that comes to mind would be the Honda Legend, or as the way they are represented in the U.S, the Acura 3.5RL. The car drives sooooo much like the LS430, and even the dashboard gauges look somewhat similar. And it is also a reliable and smooth car. But this car was discontinued in 2004.
But nothing perfects those 3 categories like the LS430.
I'd really like to see whether you could put the Toyota Crown Royal suspension on a Lexus GS - that'd be a really soft car.
If the LS430 disappeared tomorrow, I'd think about a Camry/Avalon/Es300h hybrid or an LS460. I like the idea of saving gas in a Prius, but not enough to actually buy one. I guess I'd also consider the Acura RL. And frankly, I also really like the Corolla Eco - it's a smart car: It's got bluetooth audio and can get over 50 mpg on the freeway. Oh la la. The most recent Corolla really stepped it up in leg room - if you're skinny, it works as well as the LS430. But if you're fat, the extra width of the LS430 is great.
The Genesis seems interesting but my last hyundai was a hunk of junk. I'd hate to think about how much stuff would/could break in a Genesis.
But my next car will definitely be Japanese. My whole workshop is really set up for Japanese vehicles - my tools are overwhelmingly metric, all my brake grease is silicone, my screw drivers are JIS, and even things like my thread/bolt checkers are metric, and my coolant is silicate free.
This may sound random, but I was thinking about a Ford Raptor as a second car. I hear it's comfortable for being a truck. Does anyone have experience?
Raptor, no. FX4, yes.
I picked up a used one this summer. It's a totally loaded 2012 F150. Honestly I don't think there's an option it doesn't have.
Compared to my 05 LS, the F150 has much BETTER heated & cooled front seats, has much much much BETTER nav & voice command & bluetooth, has SUPERIOR ground clearance (lol) , has SIMILAR acceleration. (3.5L TwinTurbo EcoBoost engine), although the F150 has WORSE fuel economy. (Routine/mixed 50%highway/50% suburban I'm averaging 18.5mpg) I've been wanting to race the LS vs the F150 from a stop/redlight to ~75mph safely, somewhere/somehow.
If you think the LS has lots of legroom in the front and rear, the F150 (Crew Cab) has even MORE legroom. I'm very happy with the purchase, although I opted to add a 'catchcan' since Ford didn't properly design the crankcase/evap/PCV/breather properly & functionally to the turbo-charged engine! (if interested, search "Ecoboost Catchcan" on Youtube)
Before anyone flames me, I know it's not really 'fair' to compare our 200x Lexus to a 201x Ford, but the question came up, so relax.
Thanks for the write up! I think Modern Trucks can be very nice, definitely nicer than the bench seat, manual transmission, weak A/C trucks that my dad had growing up.
Although I haven't yet encountered a truck that's as quiet or as smooth-riding as our cars, they get closer every redesign. But they better be good if they're going to ask 60 for a half ton truck!
And crew cab trucks might be the only vehicles on the road with a more spacious passenger cabin than a full size luxury sedan.
And the ecoboost catch can is a great tip! I've been kind of interested in an ecoboost AWD lincoln (I like the deal much more than the car). I'm surprised Ford bungled it from the factory - the catch can couldn't have added much to the B.O.M, and they certainly charge enough for the trucks to be able to put some good components in it but the stock design can lead to serious problems.
If you ever chip it, I'd recommend cleaning out the intercooler. My friend's Evo Lancer has the same issue - weak catchcan so oil gets into places it shouldn't and one of the places was the intercooler - it really reduces the effectiveness of the intercooler.
Lastly, I think the F150 is a bit faster than the 04-06 LS430s - the F150 ecoboost does a 5.6 second 0-60. And I think the 04-06s are 6 second flat 0-60s, but it'd be interesting to find the speed where the LS accelerates harder - the powerful engine and slipperiness makes it easy for the LS to build speed.
I think it's interesting to see what attracts people to the LS. Some people like the space, some like the reliability, some like the gizmos, some like the ride. It's a real testament to these cars that they're still relevant 10-15 years after they've been built.
12-10-15, 04:21 PM
