yes.. but they are different kind of SUVs.

what is the point of making Land Cruiser hard as a rock? It is never going to be sporty... in fact, probably too hard right now as it is... I had LC200 as company car. Old Prado was floppy but new one is harder... to me old and floppy was better.

They are SUVs for cruising around and enjoying it for what it is... not trying to make tall suv sports car and losing your teeth when you go over the bumps (remembering my recent ride in Touareg).

 

I can agree that vehicles can drive better but I am not holding my breathe for Porshe beating Toyota SUVs..

 

Doesn't this fit right in with the rest of the Toyota line up? Corolla, Camry, Avalon? These may be great quality, reliable cars, but ....snooze.... Isn't boring the Toyota standard?

 

Was. They're lineup is becoming more and more sporty. Have you driven the new Avalon? It's not longer the lazy boy couch on wheels. FRS, 3ISx50, 4GS? Granted, the SUV lineup hasn't been shaken up yet. However, The Rav4 has been spruced up a bit. The Tacoma and Tundra both have sport packages. Just give Toyota some time to spread their new found vigor into their complete lineup

 

yes i have and it's only slightly less sleep inducing than ambien.

about as sporty as my refrigerator.

 

Yeah but...... some recent Toyotas haven't exactly been "bulletproof" in terms of reliability. Kinda kills the whole thing when the car is boring AND it's not that reliable.

Torn in the reverse direction with BMWs these days. You're willing to deal with the reliability and maintenance issues because they're so good to drive. But the new ones have lost their edge and don't feel like anything special, and they're still going to be reliability/maintenance nightmares....

I'm searching for a new car manufacturer to buy from. Not sure where I'm headed next.

 

Curious to know your front runners

 

You lost me when you said the 4Runner drives like an LS. If anything, the current 4Runner has gotten too much criticism for being too truckish. I don't agree with that, but it's out there.

 

the heck if I know....

The key thing, especially when it comes to luxury cars, is that I have to like a car enough and get enough enjoyment from driving it to want to spend $40-60k on one. And it can't just be looks or "the badge" either, there has to be substance. Love the brakes in our BMWs. They're incredible, but those are gone on the new ones. Love the steering, but that's gone in favor of EPS. Sweet inline-6 base engine? Nope, buzzy 4-banger. Have to step all the way up into a $50k car just to get the classic Inline-6 now. F all that. I seriously don't know. I've read here that the Cadillacs are great to drive. Audi or Benz? We'll most likely be flipping both of our Bimmers to CPOs so plenty of time to figure it out. Basic 320i with Sport package is appealing also. Still a nice car to drive with plenty of power, but minus the premium price. Tough call between that and a loaded Honda Accord. CPO last gen luxury cars would all be great choices too. Lots of good ones out there.

I have lots of other interests and money pits. Needed to get the whole luxury car and Bimmer thing out of our systems before they "ruined" them like this. I could probably drop down to a Honda Accord or Mazda6 and be pretty happy. And if I'm not spending tons of money on a car, my other money pits can get more attention. Heck, screw it all. My wife's old 2002 Toyota Highlander that we still have is a perfectly good car. Just needs minor A/C work and it's good to go for another 100k miles. Drives awesome, steering is great, seats are incredible, port injection, no turbo, "post-sludge issue" 1MZ engine, solid as a rock.

 

Lexus Nx will be amazing

 

Kind of in the same boat as you (just with fewer and older cars ) I would like to get a Lexus, but there isn't anything that appeals to me right now. I like the GS, but I'd like a hybrid or a diesel with AWD next and the GS doesn't come with an AWD option. The Q50 didn't do it for me, I can't stand the BMW gauges, and I don't like any of the interiors on the mid-tier Mercedes (E and down). That leaves me with Audi, and while I really do like the A6 TDI, long term reliability is still a concern for me.

When I got my IS, I was excited for the car long before I picked it up and there just isn't anything out there that is all that exciting right now

 

I can understand all that. There is no perfect car, you just have to find the one that is most appealing to ones self.

I plan to either replace my current or in addition to my IS within two years enough time to figure if the GS-F is the right fit. Otherwise I'm all over the board with the new Mazda3, Mazda6 Diesel, MKC, Mustang, 550i. They all have potential to my needs. Thankfully I have nothing but time

 

Unfortunately, you're right. While improving the overall finish and look of the interior plushness on the new Avalon (it's Lexus-grade now in plushness), they have notably downgraded the quality of the interior/exterior hardware and (unnecessarily, IMO) stiffened up the ride.

BTW, IMO, the Avalon, though noticeably stiffened for the latest version, has not had a true lazy-boy soft ride since the original 1Gen version back in the 1990s.

 

Have you driven the 5th gen 4Runner in comparison to the 4th gen?

 

sounds like the OP wants aSUV that handles like a car. Not going to happen unless you pay a lot more.