WHYUMAD

If you're looking for a luxury car of this size then there's really no reason to look into the "fun" factor of the car. I'm 21 & switching from a GT500 that's highly modified which would have a fun factor off the charts you could say, versus this boring old business man's car. If you are looking for something sportier, faster, etc. & almost the same size as this or the 7 series then I'd say go with the GS or a 5 series (preferably an M5). Once you get up to an executive sized car like this, when you want performance from it that fits hand in hand with the luxury factor of the car then you're looking to spend alot more money (i.e. Bentley, Rolls Royce, M5s, S600, etc.). If you're looking to stay in the price range of the LS & 7 series then I'd recommend the LS over the 7 series because I drove a 7 series many times & they are nice & over-luxurious you can say, but they also have a tendency to overheat alot & they also like to break alot like Mercedes. Lexus is the safe bet & also it retains it's value alot better than a BMW or Mercedes.

LexFather

Welcome to CL.

I think the LS sport is your best bet, a blend of BMW sport with typical Lexus qualities. It cannot be had in LWB form. It did very well in comparos.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/co...s-ls-460-sport

adamls2

Ls460>740&750...

Kira X

iTrader: (24)

This has been an interesting debate. I rode in a 745i a few months ago and it was one of the nicest cars I've ever been in. I liked it a lot.

I checked out the LS460 a few months ago and I wasn't that impressed by it. It was a little on the boring side, but I prefer the way the LS looks over the current BMW sedans.

I would probably go with an LS460L though. There's something I like about it more than the current 7 series BMW. You can't go wrong with either of them.

Maurice

I would go for the Beemer. I went from an '07 LS to a '10 750i. I have no issues with the 750i at all. Service and handling superb. An my car has had no reliability isues whatsoever in 15 months

sholaesq

I'm actually from planet earth. Again, I am talking from experience. I have owned 2 545i cars. One was totaled at 55 k miles, the latest one has 72k miles on it and I have never had or heard of that problem.

If you go to bimmerfest, that issue is not discussed to the extent that you guys discuss the spring valve problem here. Now when BMW has a well known problem, they take care of it satisfactorily and give you a loaner just like Lexus.

As for trading in my 545i, it will never happen. I am planing an European delivery trip for my 2012 550i in January. My wife drives a Lexus which I love, I just can't drive it everyday

mrphelps01

I have the LS 460 Sport and, aside from the revised looks, I don't find it sporty at all. It floats a lot, does not corner flat and the steering is way too indirect. To me, improving the steering ratio would be the single biggest change Lexus could make to improve the sportiness of the vehicle.

And, to respond to an earlier post, luxury and "fun to drive" are not mutually exclusive.

bsl888

To be fair, the valve spring problem occurs to 0.2% of the vehicles, but Lexus stepped up and decided to replace the valve springs which is a costly recall. Of course Toyota/Lexus is overly cautious at the moment.

LexFather

Completely agree with steering feel, Lexus rarely gets that right (IS 300 was the best to me)

stanatl

I have one of the first 2010 Sports off the boat and I think that the two things they could do to improve the driveabiltiy would be to imrove the suspension and the drivers seat. While the suspension (in Sport mode) is certainly tighter than the standard LS, it still leaves a lot to be desired. I actually think that the suspension seems to be getting "looser" the longer I have the car (Lexus insists that the air suspension settings are still in spec. but I have real doubts). The seat gives virtually no lateral support in spirited driving in the twisties and is a relative disgrace compared to the BMW (I had a 550i sport) and MB sport seats.

CKasting

I had an X5. First and last BMW. Car was powerful and drove well, seats were cardboard...but the main reason I will never own a BMW again because our local dealer staff were a bunch of tools. Especially the service writer with the french cuffs and cuff links. Are you kidding me?

LiveWire

Really? Those guys always are fun to make fun of, right to their face!! LoL


I've been thinking of getting rid of my Titan to get an X5 48 or a Cayenne S. Dont really haul things in my bed enough or as much as I used t. I mostly tow now, would like the added luxury and comfort of a luxury SUV. I just wish Lexus made a nice one. If they could make one on the Sequoia platform that would be nice. I think the GX is decent but nothing new and the LX is just plain ugly. Although the Sequoia already costs $60K++, if they made a lex variant it would probably impede on the LX's territory. Or if they could offer the sequoia with Lex warranty and customer service (loaner etc.) that would be a decent deal.

DaveZmeyr

I'm newer to Lexus but I've owned a few BMWs (2x 740i & 1x X5). Personally I think BMWs have more Cache' and probably a little fresher styling. I do agree with one of the posters that the line between the 5 and 7 is blurring -- it's getting hard to tell the difference without a double take. Feature wise I believe both cars are fairly comparable -- excepting that BMW costs about $30k more for a fully loaded model, but I would say the Lexus is about the ride and the BMW is more about the Drive. BMWs are definitely more fun in a sporty way, whereas Lexus is more fun in a comfort way -- so a lot of it is personal preference. I would however say that BMW has a crappy record on maintenance, there's always something that either needs to be fixed (scheduled) or that goes wrong. Generally it's always been pretty minor but you don't want to own one of these puppies out of warranty, the simplest of repairs cost hundreds of dollars (and it's all, franky, fluff). You also need to go to the dealer for EVERYTHING. From replacing a window to oil, some light somewhere will come on or some error message will appear (window not initialized... huh???) that will require a dealer visit. For me that was kind of the final straw, while I prefer my Lexus dealer I hated my BMW dealer -- they were slow, insulting and more often than not I got a new scratch when I picked up my car that hadn't been there. Once my car was at end of warranty the cost for the most basic of items was absolultey rididulous, yet you had to go there.

dlin95123

In 2001, I was in the same situation: choosing between a BMW 740 and a Lexus LS. I test drove the Lexus and it was so boring. So I got a brand new 740i then. Note that I came from a highly modified Corvette with supercharger. I had (and still have) the urge to feel connected to the road. The BMW 740 with Sports Package was the only 4-door sedan, among the cars I test drove then, that made me feel excited.

I really enjoyed the BMW while it was not in the shop. I owned the car for 8 years, and it was on the 3rd transmission and 2nd rear differential when I sold it. There were many leaking hoses and failed electric components. I was stranded at least 6-7 times during the 8 years of ownership. It was a sad story as I am an engineer and the car was well maintained.

My wife has a 2010 Lexus ES350. It is boring too. Its drive is similar to other Lexus I have driven. Believe it or not, I traded the BMW for a Mitsubishi Evo X in 2009. It is a lot of fun, even though it is too noisy and rough for me. But these two cars have been very reliable so far. None of my previous cars (Mustang, Firebird, Corvette, Grand Cherokee, BMW740) came close in term of reliability even when new.

Honestly, I don't know which car to get next that has performance, comfort, luxury, and reliability all in one package.