SW17LS

What I do is adjust the drivers seat for me, and then get in the back and see if I can cross my legs. Not a chance in the GS lol, but the ES, LS430 and 460 I can.

Yeah the rougher idle is because of the timing chain and the direct injection. The new LS is smoother, but it doesn't idle as smooth or as quietly as the 400 or 430 for the same reasons.

That is absolutely true. The LS gets phenomenal mileage. I get combined about 23 in the GS, highway I get 27 tops. In my 2010 ES I could get 30 on the highway.

Have you driven the new Genesis? Its bigger than the old one, and I was really impressed with it...way moreso than I expected to be.

R Z

I drove an 05 LS430 up until October of this year. Really enjoyed that car. I traded it and cash for an 08 LS460, and for me, it's absolutely awesome. While I gave up my ML sound in the 430 for premium sound in the 460, I got the deal I wanted without breaking my bank. Car rides as nice or nicer and has way more options, short of storage spots. It was the perfect transition for me. Perhaps you should give them another try.

Coulter

Sorry, but I've got to call you on that.

The Fit is the smallest car Honda makes for the US market, here's a pic of the backseat



Here's a pic of the ES350 backseat



It's not even close, the ES350 is much bigger

airchomper

That's a good test. I'm 6'4" so the driver's seat reflects that. And I just look for tolerable leg room. The SWB LS460 doesn't have it. The ES350 barely has the legroom I look for, but the headroom is a little disappointing as well.

Whenever I see a shooting star, I wish "Please make a long wheel base GS". I think a long wheel base GS would be the perfect car. Especially if they put the new 2.0t in it. And maybe an 8-speed with the AWD system.

I think it has way more to do with the engine design and mounts. Direct injection actually makes for a smoother (but noisier) idle. The engine revs out so well I just know that it's tuned to run rather than idle. It's a pretty peaky engine, and I wish I knew more about it. But engine tuning is full of trade-offs, and the decisions that make the engine so crisp at high revs have a cost at idle. But I've heard that the GR can make more power than the UZ from people who take engine tuning seriously. So that corroborates my conception that the engine is made to run out.


Sounds like I should! But the only thing Hyundai "wows" me with is price. But I don't buy new cars. I have a workshop, a can-do attitude, and a crippling desire to get a good deal. Every Hyundai I've ever worked on has struck me as mechanically inferior to its Japanese classmates.



And Coulter, regarding the ES350 vs the Fit's leg room.

I was talking about the 2015 Fit which has a few more inches of rear seat leg room than the Fit you conveniently pictured.

Edmunds lists the front/rear seat leg room as
ES350: 41.9/40.0 inches
Honda Fit: 41.4/39.5 inches
LS430: 44 inches / 37.6 inches

But somehow, when I sit behind my driver's seat configuration, I have the most room in the LS430, the second most in the Fit, and the least in the ES350.

I agree that the ES350 has more cabin space than the fit, and I agree that the picture of the ES350 reflects the room accurately. However, you don't know the way I set up the driver's seat in the different cars. I sit farther back in the ES350 because the windows are smaller and I want to have the most amount of window space in my field of vision. I hate it when my hair rubs against the headliner so I recline a bit more. And the steering wheel doesn't telescope out enough.

This infringes on the rear seat room.

In the Fit, I can sit relatively high up, and move the seat more forward so I can modulate the clutch pedal more accurately. And the LS430 has so much leg room up front, I can move my seat up accordingly. And it's very easy to see out of the LS430 so any comfortable seating arrangement works from a visibility perspective.

And somehow, these factors contribute to more rear seat room in the Fit and LS than the ES if I were driving.

The Fit is the smallest car, but it's a miracle of packaging. I personally have way more room in a Fit than a Civic and feel more comfortable in a Fit than an Accord. Blame my height but these are facts to me. If you'd ever like to go to visit the dealers with me and see for yourself, please shoot me a private message next time your in Minnesota - we'll have a blast.

SW17LS

Yes, a LWB GS would be perfect. I drove the new Infiniti Q70L, which is basically that, a LWB version of their M/Q70 sedan. Space was perfect, but the ride and drive was lacking in refinement compared to the GS.

I was underwhelmed by it until I drove it. I'm not kidding when I said that had I been in a position to I would have traded the GS for the new Genesis on the spot.

The numbers don't tell you much, its really something you need to try in person I agree. For instance, according to the numbers my GS has more rear legroom than my previous 2010 ES, and I can promise you its distinctly the opposite.

doodoo

iTrader: (8)

So end of the day, my mom got a 2011 cpo s550 with amg sport package. I am kind of jealous, she isn't worried about the repairs because of the cpo warranty. Mercedes depreciates so fast it is scary. But the car itself is very nice. Hopefully it doesn't give her too many problems. Id pick an s550 anyday over a GS or an LS, only thing is reliability. Lets see how long it lasts

vipmikey

From cars in my family from 2010 S550s to 2006+ Lexuses, nothing compares to how my 2002 LS430 handles IMHO.

BNR34

iTrader: (1)

Yes I agree, the Equus is the car that feel the closest to a LS430

SW17LS

I'm actually planning on driving a new Equus shortly. Its hard to find a dealer that is also an Equus certified dealer.

AlexusAnja

Wait..how is rear legroom measured that LS430 has 37 and Fit has 39 inches? Is it with front seats totally forward? I can't imagine the Fit having more room.

BradTank

There's obviously some sort of misprint with those figures, there's just no way a Fit has more room.

Why on Earth would Honda make their cheapest compact have more rear legroom than their Acura flagship models? It's just common sense that it's not true.

Maybe the more upright seating position is more comfortable for some people, but it doesn't have more room.


Here's a pic with passengers in a Honda Fit, is someone really going to tell me with a straight face this has more rear room than a Lexus LS?

BNR34

iTrader: (1)

The Fit is a tall box, there is more room vertically

BNR34

iTrader: (1)

It drive and feel pretty much like a LS430, with the overall feel of the material a little lower in grade. But is pretty much there.

When my LS430 retired on me and the LS460 is not up to the level where I like it to be, the Equus is on the top 5 of my list.

BNR34

iTrader: (1)

I haven't driven my LS430 for like 5 days, I got back into it today, I love this car so much

AJT123

Totally agreed that the LS430 is stunningly well built.

Ever sit in a new ES and close the door? Feels/sounds like a 90s Ford Taurus, as opposed to the bank vault :Thud: you hear/feel when closing the door on the LS430.

I like the new Lexus lineup but nothing I've driven on loaner even comes remotely close to the solidity and build quality of my 430..