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I would say the variation wouln't be in the manufacturing of the vehicle, but more related to road surface. It's Highly unlikely that any of the automotive press reviews ran these cars down the exact same road surface for testing. The surface of the road is much more indicative of road noise intrusion than manufacturing tolerances or tire selection. The point is, there needs to be an apples to apples comparison.
Agreed. I've mentioned that myself, before, more than once.
Yeah, I'd say for the roads on which I normally drive, there's a noticeable difference between the new ES and old. For the same roads - that's the key. I think the road noise is also less than in my IS. I've noticed that the IS has a wider range of noise levels based on road surface - it's quiet on smooth roads and noticeably louder on bad roads. The ES doesn't seem to be affected by bad roads quite as much.
And for the record, "bad" = having a rough surface.
Probably - profit margins on the SUV entries are likely higher - which would explain the industry shift in that direction...
But yes, the ES, NX, and RX collectively make up a significant portion of US sales.
Even though SUVs seem to be the most popular (crossovers), I feel as though when people think Lexus, they think ES. I think ES, then, Camry. I was corrected here that I should think, Avalon.
Or maybe the new BMW 3. MM said he was considering a 3 in the past (right or am I making this up lol I thought that was said). I think the newest cars are more in touch with what people want, because cars are ultimately in decline, so mfgs. have stepped up.
Or maybe the new BMW 3. MM said he was considering a 3 in the past (right or am I making this up lol I thought that was said). I think the newest cars are more in touch with what people want, because cars are ultimately in decline, so mfgs. have stepped up.
The suspension quality on the new BMW 3 is sharp on runflats which is a sports suspension for german autobahns.
The Lexus ES 350 from Japan has retuned suspension calibrated for Australian roads which are notoriously harsher
than german autobahns. In Australia you life depends on unbreakable reliability. Lexus ES 350 RHD
Even though SUVs seem to be the most popular (crossovers), I feel as though when people think Lexus, they think ES. I think ES, then, Camry. I was corrected here that I should think, Avalon.
An Avalon is a Camry, so I don't know what the big deal is.
Just got a 2019 ES as a loaner and will be taking it on a highway cruise soon. So far I'm pretty impressed with around-town driving. Interior is well laid-out and seemingly good quality.
Pretty good alrounder the 7ES.
May be I just trade my old 4GS for 7ES?
7ES much better NVH.
However the look of that long front overhang constantly annoys me.
MM said he was considering a 3 in the past (right or am I making this up lol I thought that was said).
Yes, you're right, I did like the previous-generation 335i, especially with AWD, but the price (at the time) was more than I cared to spend, some of the dealers were snooty, and there were too many stories of fuel-pump failures leaving one stranded.
An Avalon is a Camry, so I don't know what the big deal is.
The Avalon is not imported to Australia from Japan.
Instead the SL Camry is imported from Japan which is an XSE with XLE wheels plus :
Front seat ventilation
Drivers memory seat function
Power tilt and memory telescopic steering wheel
Rain sensing wipers
Adjustable lumbar support
V6 engine and eight speed with superior power to weight than Avalon Camry SL V6 from Japan
Yes, you're right, I did like the previous-generation 335i, especially with AWD, but the price (at the time) was more than I cared to spend, some of the dealers were snooty, and there were too many stories of fuel-pump failures leaving one stranded.
You don’t seem to be a BMW type of guy. You have a love affair for Buick. Hard to cross shop BMW and Buick. But you got your Lacrosse. I assume you had your eye on it for a long while?
Ps. My sister ditched her leased 3 series, she crossed over into a RAV4. So I guess it’s possible to cross shop a Buick LaCrosse and a BMW 3 series.
I don't care for the present ones, but the older ones had a lot of good points. And, IMO, the ones before Chris Bangle came along were even better yet. Bangle, IMO, screwed up the styling and ergonomics, but not the superb driving dynamics.
You have a love affair for Buick.
Yes and no. I liked the ones I grew up with...and some of the current ones. But I thought that the ones from the late 70s through the 90s, left a lot to be desired...and the Grand National/GNX, which the auto press went Ga-Ga over, was too much of a boy-racer for me. The Verano, an Opel-rebadge, was the first one to bring back build-quality after decades of loss.
But you got your Lacrosse. I assume you had your eye on it for a long while?
I liked the 1Gen Lacrosse...not particularly the 2Gen, which I thought was over-styled, too small for a Buick flagship, and too geeky inside. The 3Gen (the present one), aside from some minor flaws in the design (I covered those in my Owners' Report), was a real winner....especially with 18" wheels.
Hard to cross shop BMW and Buick.
First, at the time, I wasn't directly cross-shopping. The Verano had not yet come out, and Buicks were still a questionable buy from a quality and reliability point of view. Second, I liked the old-generation BMW steering gear and chassis/suspension, particularly in the softer non-M models, gave some of the most remarkable combinations of handling/steering-feel/ride-comfort on the planet. I don't know how the BMW engineers did it, but they somehow were able to work magic in how they tuned the steering and suspension...there was, in fact, some truth to the "Ultimate Driving Machine" commercials. But the snooty dealers and reliability problems of many of their products were deal-breakers......and I didn't particularly like how the dealerships were ran. Unfortunately, when BMW went to the electric steering and reworked the suspension, they took out a lot of that previous magic.....one reason why I haven't wrote a lot about them recently.
That was also at a time before I had retired....I needed something that would go in snow, and the Subaru AWD system sold me on its competence (my brother had owned an Impreza). So....I actually went home with a new Outback.
Ps. My sister ditched her leased 3 series, she crossed over into a RAV4. So I guess it’s possible to cross shop a Buick LaCrosse and a BMW 3 series.
If you remember, I cross-shopped the Lacrosse with its natural competitors.....MKZ, G80, Cadenza, Impala, Avalon, and ES350. The Lacrosse won for three reasons...previous excellent GM dealer-service, the fact that Buicks were reasonably well-built again (I had never forgotten the big Electra I had owned in college), and because it simply (to my tastes) had the best riding and seating comfort.
Why did your sister dump her 3-series? Reliability problems? Or was it RWD and not up to those Canadian winters?
04-04-19, 06:42 AM
I've mentioned that myself, before, more than once.
