blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

BMW 550, Dinan tune it to 500+ HP.

Mr. Burns

It depends, how fast do you want to come back to Lexus? If you want to sprint back, go with a Mercedes. Audi is for a nice jog, and BMW a power walk back to Lexus.

rld14

I can think of a few cars you should consider...

The A6 is an amazing car, my best friend has one. Ifi wasn't 6'3" I'd have one as well (my shin hits the center console).

Look at the Jaguar XF. before anyone makes a reliability remark my 06 XJ8 has been dramatically more reliable and less trouble than my GS350.

I'm in the market to replace my GS, I'm all but sold on the XF, just waiting to get my grubby mits on one for the weekend with the V6 (I need AWD) to make a final decision between that and a used XJ. Enterprise should have 2 in their local fleet next month.

player1

lol, enjoyed reading this. I think Audi looks best exterior wise but for some reason, the interior doesn't feel as snug as the Lexus (and not even the BMW). When I test drove the S4 and A7, there just seems to be a disconnect with the middle console- small armrest, cup holders interspersed, and then kind of big shift ****. In the Lexus, it seems like the interior just flows better. The arm rest is stretched closer to the shift **** so that the driver can have a snug, comfortable feel. Has any one else felt this?

Any previous Audi owners care to chime in?

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

It's a shame there is no V8 offering, cause this is by far my favorite interior in it's class and I would jump the moment I heard word

joshthorsc

I use to own several Lexus' and Toyotas and decided to finally jump ship. Got my first german car, my 2001 M3 cabrio a few years back. Although it's not quite as reliable as japanese cars, the driving experience makes up for it but the maintenance is costly especially if you are looking at a high performance german car.

natnut

Thing is, with the new GS and probably upcoming IS, the Germans no longer have the monopoly on ride, handling and driving experience.

Infiniti might match them in handling and beat them in reliability, Jaguar might match them in both ride and handling but both lose out in refinement and tech.

Genesis might outpower and outfeature them and be more reliable but loses out in refinement, ride and handling.

Lexus perennially beats the Germans in ride, features, refinement and reliability but used to lose out in terms of handling.

NO LONGER. The brand new L10 chassis that Lexus developed that anchors the new GS and upcoming IS has been winning multiple comparisons and head to heads vs the Big 3 Germans .And it's been winning in terms of handling and dynamic capability, previously the sole forte of the Germans. On the other hand, to be honest and not just a fanboy, the Germans have also upped their reliability and are no longer the maintenance nightmares they used to be.

It all boils down to personal preference. What gets me is when fanboys on both sides try to demonize and vilify the opposing brand. BMW and MB fanboys are particularly guilty of that, trying to claim some sort of mysterious "intangible" like "soul" or "history" behind their badge of choice especially when that brand loses out in a comparison test of objective numbers like 0-60, skidpad, slalom time, slalom speed etc. When the truth of the matter is that they're just badgewhoring to some degree or other. Just under a sophisticated cover.

If you are a true blue car enthusiast, you would just judge the car on its current merits and leave the "soul"/"history" bull**** at the door.

mmarshall

A lot of people are never satisfied with the power-level of their vehicles. No matter how much or little they have, they always want more.



Having said that, though, from the list you posted, I think it is hard to beat the sheer looks of the Audi S5 coupe, although, as you yourself have discovered, Lexus reliability can also be hard to beat.

As for the S5, though, we had a CL member here, a couple of years ago (I don't remember his name) with a nice S5 with the old 4.2L V8, bought brand-new, that he decided didn't have enough power for him (the new 2013 S5 has a supercharged V6). He bought it brand-new, decided after less than a year that it didn't have enough power (I thought he was being unreasonable) and ended up taking quite a bath replacing it with a new Cadillac CTS-V and its 556 HP supercharged V8. With a car as good-looking as an S5 (and the 4.2L V8's power-level), I would have just kept it....I thought he was nuts to take that kind of a bath just to put some more power under the hood. In your case, though, you probably wouldn't be taking as much of a bath, as your circumstances are somewhat different, and you aren't dealing with an almost-new-car trade on a brand-new one.

mmarshall

Like it or not, though, BMW fans, for years, did actually have something legitimate to crow about (and I'm being objective here....I'm not a Bimmer-phile or fan-boy myself.) Among regular production cars, it was hard to beat BMW's chassis/suspension/steering engineering.....it was pretty much in a class by itself, with maybe the exception of a couple of Porsche models. That's why BMWs, for years, regularly swept the auto-enthusiast magazine comparison tests like clockwork, though that is now starting to change as some newer Chris Bangle-influenced BMW designs and I-Drive have turned off some of the former BMW faithful.....and other auto companies (particularly Audi) are catching up in their driving-dynamics.

Kira X

iTrader: (24)

The 550i and S5 get my vote. I've seen a few 550i's running around and they are so cool. As much as I like the new GS, the 550i has it beat. The S5 is very nice too.

rld14

Two of the brands that have been dominant in my family over the years have been BMW and Jaguar. There absolutely is, or with BMW was, a difference. My XJ8 is no faster than my GS, it might even be a little slower. But when I have to go to Vermont and it isn't snowing, I take the Jag. I've also taken my beat up E38 740iL and my E28 M5 up there. These cars are all MUCH more fun and engaging to drive than the GS. The GS seems content to cruise up the thruway at 75 and doesn't seem to enjoy being pushed around curves. The XJ is like the devil on your shoulder whispering into your ear to "get on it". The M5 is in its own class, its an oversized go kart.

Sadly a drive of a current shape 5 series was disheartening, the new electric power steering simply sucks. BMW has lost the plot and its a sad day when a BMW has lousy steering feel

I bought a Lexus because I wanted a very reliable AWD car that I wouldn't have to worry about. Turns out its been the least reliable car I have ever owned and my "ownership experience" has been terrible so ill never buy another one. I was going to get a new GS, but after reaching into my pocket to help pay for an engine I'm done.

I've driven the new GS, its better. But drive one and then drive an XF, there's a substantial difference, the Jag is far more responsive and engaging. Stats on paper are one thing, its the subjective qualities that make quite a difference. Which is why a well sorted Porsche 356 is more fun to drive than a modern 911, even if the 356 can't outrun a Grand Caravan.

natnut

Hmm.

I just test drove the XF with the new 3.0 supercharged V6 and it was not any more "engaging" or "responsive" than the new GS.

Though the new supercharged V6 has great low end torque and it is one of the best driving sedans I've encountered. But significantly better than the new GS? meh. It's more of a wash really. Comes down to individual preference.

The XF has a nice organic old school analog feel to it especially in the steering but the GS is definitely more nimble and tossable through the corners and feels like a smaller car especially when equipped with DRS (rear steering.) In terms of interior, the new facelifted XF is pretty nice especially the leather but the tech/nav is definitely 1 generation behind.

In terms of driving/handling, I would put GS = XF > A6 slightly behind > 5 series > Infiniti M

Will be interesting to see the facelifted XF's slalom and skipad

rld14

It's the steering feel that does it for me. Lets face it, these days the limit of something like an Altima are above what a sane driver is likely to be able to extract on the streets. I've done some very rough calculating, my GS can enter corners that I know at the same speeds as the Jaguar and exit speeds are about the same. The brakes are also comparable based on what I can tell. The jaguar is just so much more communicative while its doing it, the GS feels like a PS3 controller.

The numb lexus steering is something that I despise about my car. After 60-70 miles of twisty road the Lexus generally has me annoyed. It's not a bad car, it just feels... Synthetic.

Mr. Burns

Perhaps you would feel the same way about the Jag but for different reasons.

natnut

We're talking at cross purposes. You're talking about your 3rd generaton GS which I agree leaves a lot desired in terms of handling and feel.

I felt no such numbness with the current 4th generation GS. Fact of the matter is, that's been the current consensus on the new GS : that it has made a quantum leap in handling, so much so that where previously it had lagged the field, it is now class-leading .