KING

iTrader: (1)

+1


I sat in all of the new models today at the Portland DUB show, except for the LFA of course.

Let me tell you nothing felt like the 430, comfortable, relaxing wise. The 430 is just up and above and beyond all these new designs.

And what's the deal with all the new push start buttons being almost hanged up to the windshields?!

I don't know how much time was put into the 430 X 460 design, but the 430 folks put their heart and soul and they raised the bar very high. That's why everything coming out of Lexus is just not as what you expect it to be.

Every new LS we raise our hopes up for something better, but I don't think we will be getting that in the near future.
If they make the new cars with same mindset the 430 was made, I think Mercs and BMW's will just collapse.

They will bow to the Lex.

aypues

Cool. I meant modern day cars though. They removed that feature on the 460 and no one else is making them now.

aypues

Totally agree. The LS needs to refocus on besting the S Class, the global luxury car benchmark. The new S550 is amazing....it will be almost impossible to top I think. I'm considering getting one in 2-3 yrs when theyve depreciated quite a bit.

Tmhender82

I don't feel as if it's obsolete! I get asked all the time about my car, and I have people say they thought it was a Mercedes!
As to the comment about it not having speed? My car can out do any car at the stoplight!! My husband won't consider purchasing a car with no get up and go!!
I rode in my sister's Cadillac the other day and I couldn't believe how loud it sounded!! I could hear road noise, and the car itself isn't as quiet as you would expect from a luxury car! We actually almost purchased the same car before test driving my Lexus. Let me just say how happy I am to have waited!!

Bob04

Yep.

And if they are going to get risky, I'd rather see them go down the path of an electric/hybrid luxury car. Go back to a smaller displacement V8 that is quieter and less complicated, and add electric motors with a big Lithium Ion battery that could deliver the smooth, quiet power that is hard to match with a internal combustion engine. Make the exterior updated, but forget to stupid big wheels that deliver a harsh ride. Make the interior to the of the 430, with common gizmos like nav and Bluetooth and a fantastic sound system, but forget all that stupid crap like trying to read my body temperature. Focus on what a luxury car should do well, and forget about the sport sedan bullcrap.

Basically a Lexus version of the Tesla Model S, but with an IC engine to get rid of the range anxiety. Maybe more similar to the setup of the Chevy Volt. It doesn't have to have the big range of the Tesla, but enough juice to keep it EV during 0-60 acceleration or around town, but with an engine to allow long range interstate travel. I think a car like that would redefine the big luxury car market.

Jabberwock

Lexus going after the sports sedan market is fine for smaller sized cars. But for the flagship Lexus should concentrate on three focus areas in this order to build market share in luxury sedan market - 1) build quality and reliability, 2) creating industry leading super intuitive ergonomics, 3) advanced state of the art automated driving and safety system capabilities. I think the current use of technology in cars is a nightmare - ergonomics have no standardization and some GUI designs are actually so cumbersome as to be dangerous to use while driving. If Lexus produced a breakthrough in this area it could be huge advantage.

This won't appeal to everyone but for folks that want an alternative to MB and BMW and that have the budget for super quality cars Lexus is a good alternative. .

Bob04

For me, the allure of the LS430 basically came down to 3 things:

1. Build Quality
2. Reliability
3. Ultra Smooth/Quiet Ride

Take away any of those 3, and the car no longer works for me. The problem is, there's not many alternatives. No other car in the full size luxury car market, including the 460, does those 3 things as well as the 430.

Tom57

I don't understand anyone trying to compare the LS430 to any 2007 or newer model year vehicle, claiming the LS electronics don't match up. Muscle cars of the 60's and early 70's (before new government standards for fuel economy) aren't held to such decades-long comparisons of subsequent model year cars. The technology revolution was just beginning to find its way into cars when the 3rd generation LS was in design and engineering. And, with the newest vehicle technology in cars today, there are credible reports that the vehicle computers can be hacked just like any personal, business or government computers are everyday. I'm getting another - my 3rd - LS430 soon, planning to skip the entire 460 series of LS in hopes that Lexus finds their way again in the next 8 - 10 years.

BCrews

In some respects- absolutely, in other respects- not at all. I just took my 430UL in to the dealer for scheduled maintenance, and I got a brand new ES350 for a loaner...I had NO IDEA Lexus base grades came so stripped down. Vynl seats - not heated- not perforated no backing camera no nav, the only "luxury" feature was satelite radio. I played with the Eco/Normal/Sport setting and all settings were still a far rougher ride, nosier engine, more wind noise in the cabin than my 10+year old car. The new ES had more body sway and felt barely any more responsive than my car in NORMAL mode, I never drive with sport and pwr activated in my own car. I hear the new Camry and Avalon have an even sportier ride... but I'd like to try them to see myself.

That said- I think Mercedes does a great job of differentiation of the S class line with plenty of packages and starting base prices for each of the 4 grades... Lexus should go back to this method wtih the 460 and 460L both in hybrid assisted models (like the 600H) - but I'm still not sure they could ever demand 200k+ for a super performance luxury tier LS like the S65 AMG. http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/vehicles/class/class-S

I don't need the L or a hybrid powertrain, I only hope they keep packages so the smaller car still can get all the bells n whistles in the future like massaging seats and accent lighting. I do think there's a market that appreciates the minimum grade LS offers, the best built, quietest, safest smoothest in the Lexus lineup- it'd be nice to see a base model offered at a LOWER price point than the 460 boated up to - although I do see on edmunds the average price paid for a LS460 is 10k LESS than msrp- so maybe if older unused stock is available- then perhaps this isn't needed so much.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

You should use the options here and there. If anything, to make sure they don't sit too long in the same position. Sport mode on our air suspension just firms things up a little. Helps with body roll and cornering. Power mode just increases throttle response and changes a few attributes of when and how the transmission shifts. At least once every month cycle the suspension to high mode let it adjust, take a few min, and then put it back to normal. Believe it or not it's not good for components to sit unused for long periods of time.

BCrews

I did turn them on a time or two when I 1st got the car- was hard for me to tell how much a difference they made, but the car was so new to me at the time I really didn't have a "baseline" of comparison.

Interesting thought- but I don't want the air compressor to go out prematurely- and when it does- I'm going to coilovers anyway. I just had the auto tilting steering wheel turned off for the same reason- I have no problem getting in and out of the car- and don't want to replace this part due to unnecessary use.

aypues

I don't think putting it in High mode once a month will do anything to prolong the life of the compressor. It is working every time you start the car to raise, lower, and level the ride - higher at low speeds and lower at freeway speeds.

AlexusAnja

There is always something "newer" or "fresher" no matter age of car. What do new cars have that are CRITICAL that we are missing on our vehicles? Most are more "stupid" things for drivers with bad habits or bad attention. No matter what technology, you can't design in something to make up for bad driving. Blind spot monitor, find it.useful at.time but the light more distracting than anything. Rear quarter monitor, if you don't drive and look, you'll back up too fast and still get t'd. Sleep monitor, if you drive that tired, you'll hit something before the monitor warns you. The only must haves I feel are nav, parking sensors, and rear view camera. Got them all, enough for me with the Ls430.

LuxuryGS3

iTrader: (12)

I agree 99%. The last 1% is a disagreement because we don't have built in bluetooth for music from our iPhones/Androids. That is the ONLY thing I loved about the newer cars.

JffGRY706

has a very nice cassette player