You misunderstood because of how I used the term "competitors", basic arcitechture makes them comparable because they are large RWD V8 sedans by the most general of terms. As I mentioned before, class, refinement, quality, assembly and pedigree are the differentiating factors hence they compete in different classes. The reason you see the equus being compared to LS's and 7-Series in some tests is because of the above "general" factors that apply to these three vehicles including similar feature content, that's where the line stops. So every car is comparable, whether it is direct or indirect depends on vehcile taxonomy.

The Equus / LS door comparison proves my point. The two cars wouldn't be viewed next to each other if they didnt share some similar attribute. Of course further inspection of door quality and build reveals one is vastly superior and hence non competitive with the lesser.

 

 

if Lexus LS400 was a Toyota LS400 then it might have been a less hit. people would've just said 'it just a toyota' even though how great the car really was.

 

Ok...well I was using competitors in the traditional sense. As in, cars in a group that are intended to be cross shipped with each other. I'm not sure why you'd use the term otherwise.

 

I'm no badge snob :

If it drives well, has a nice interior, isn't a PITA to maintain, and undercuts the competition pricing wise, I'll give it serious consideration.

 

this is equus door panel



i don't see anything wrong with it for a 60k car.

remember equus is significantly cheaper than LS. of course it won't be as good as LS

 

Hahaa I totally forgot about the Equus!

But yeah even if you compare both Flagships the LS is easily superior just by looking at the photos. I'm sure in person the LS would extend the lead even further.

Lexus has its own design elements. Something Hyundai still does not have. Looking at their cars there's Mercedes, Audi, BMW, Lexus in there. Enough

--Besides if EQUUS wanted to destroy the market like how the LS400 done than Hyundai should have made the EQUUS to be something truly superior. Just like the LS400. But that wasn't the case. Which is why Hyundai is still not a tip tier brand.

 

comparably equipped i think lexus costs near $25k more. so it really is not a fair fight. and we won't be able to see 2nd gen equus for another 2 years. current gen is already too dated.

 

Double standards? The LS400 was far cheaper than the W126 S-class yet it annihilated it.

 

I think MB, BMW and Audi have raised the bar tremendously in the last five or so years. They have evolved so much that everyone else is left far behind in the dust. Lexus is certainly not at the same level as German big three anymore, and I'm not even sure they can ever catch up. They are just way too slow to bring out innovations.

With that being said, Hauindai is the last thing for Lexus to worry about. They need to be cutting edge to be taken seriously, not another runner up like infiniti/acura.

 

LS400 wasn't just cheaper, it was better, more modern, with more features, etc. It was basically comparable to the next gen S class that followed 2 years later.

The Haiundai is just cheaper.

 

Not sure what this has to do with anything outside mentioning Lexus is getting trounced.. lol

True but believe it or not the LS sold so well and at the time BMW/Benz etc had much smaller volume that Lexus passed them in sales with basically one model. Crazy right. The Germans than retaliated and took back the IMPORT sales crown (I believe Lincoln/Caddy were #1/#2) and we know Lexus had it for the 2000s.



To play your game if it WAS a Toyota, it still would have been well received in reviews since that does not change the car's merits (if one is unbiased). Toyota was and is still considered one of the most respected brands and had a huge following ready to move up from the Cressida.

"What if" doesn't come into play since Toyota did put in the money, research, development, engineering to make the Lexus brand which has turned into one of the most revered and best selling today.

 

that was 20+ years ago. different era, different economy. and by then s class was a dinosaur. it woke up the industry for sure.

 

Just the headlight from the new S class excites me ten times more than this whole new genesis. Take that for what its worth.

 

still behind the germans IMO as far as prestige goes. LS400 was great, and it made germans better for sure. competition is good.

right now competition is as fierce as ever been and it's gonna be tough for any new comer to come up with something better than S class. IMO, that's impossible. new S class looks like it can easily compete against phantom & bentley.