For that time period, it was excellent. Best V6 in the class. But many OEMs innovated and now, it's not competitive anymore. A B58 BMW turbo engine is reliable, powerful, and consumes less fuel than that V6. In fact, their 4 cylinder cars now make more horsepower and have a ton better gas mileage.

Of course you can get a hybrid engine that has way better gas mileage than any BMW but those are dull as heck to drive. At least BEVs brought us vastly superior response and power to efficiency ratios.

 

There's only so much you can get out of an NA, and I'm not really a fan of turbocharging. I drove a 2018 Honda Civic Si for about year...it was pretty peppy for a 1.5L turbocharged engine, but the power felt so artificial. You had this period of lag...than your shot like a rubber band. The Type R was more linear feeling, but still nothing like an NA V6 or V8. I'm probably end up getting a 4th Gen GSF for myself and replace our 2013 Sienna with a long range EV, so we will have best of both worlds!

 

I did the opposite. We have a long distance hauler in my minivan and the Model 3 Performance is my commuter missile. I drove my friends M340 and found it unresponsive compared to M3P. I can't go back to ICEs for my performance car anymore. I need to save up for that Plaid model

 

Holy cow. You have made your point over and over again….Teslas are cool…but not everyone wants a Tesla EV at this point in time….some people want something else.



Toyota has never claimed they won’t have EVs. They will build cars for whatever make the design is suited for. Even in 2035 they believe 15% of their models worldwide will still be pure ICE.

Apparently last Q2 they unseated GM as the #1 automaker in the US.

I don’t know if I’ll ever buy a EV…so many decades of driving a gas car it really doesn’t matter to me. I don’t think I’d change my lifestyle. We own a house and a condominium and we have 5 cars…be a big change for us

 

Meh. Feels like the LS500. Way late getting here, and will likely be a big disappointment when it does.

No faith in Toyota or Lexus anymore. Once my 430s and my son's RX are done, it's likely the end of the road for Toyota with me. Too little innovation from Toyota, and too many newer, more innovative products from the rest of the automotive world.

 

Lots of people move on from Toyota and Lexus…it will be interesting to hear about your experiences with a different brand.

 

Yay, 10 new electric models. Can't wait.

Oh yeah. Gen 2 IS350 is a rocket, capable of under 5 second 0-60 times. Was among fastest in class then if not the fastest and guess what, they're still on the road today unlike competitors. We had a 2011 IS350 before the LX, thing was ridiculous. Sporty cars, smaller cars, etc. just aren't my thing anymore though. However before we got rid of it I did walk a Civic Type-R (the legit fast, new one) from 90-120. He definitely could not keep up.

 

Fortunately, one of my 430s is a garage queen that only has 23k miles on it, so I'm covered for a while.

 

Hah. My new 4R will likely do 3000km this year…so I think I’m good for 30-40 years. I don’t love the direction of TNGA, I drive my fathers Avalon on occasion and there is things I like but some direction of things I don’t. I really dislike the new Land Cruiser and Corolla sedan is meh. I have a feeling I won’t like the new 4Runner whenever that debuts

 

I hope that won't be the case for you because I know how you love the 4Runner, but it wouldn't surprise me. Toyota just seems to put too much emphasis on bringing in new customers instead of keeping old customer happy. The LS500 is a prime example of that. But, they are growing, so they must be doing something right. Just not what is right for me.

 

So you'd respect them more if they don't bring out EVs ?

5.5 to 60 is slow to you because you drive an electric rocket. 5.5 is fast to the other 90+% of vehicle owners.
And it's more than adequate for 100% of public road driving.

In my 'very slow' LC500 tonight, i found myself going way faster than expected a few times.

 

Right? We put basically nothing on our cars mileage wise. My LX had more miles than I wanted (107k) but I couldn’t pass up $33,500 I got them down to and the condition it’s been in and is in, it may as well have 40k miles. It will be many years before we get to even 150k with it. We don’t drive anywhere. My LS has right at 150k, just getting started. We won’t buy another vehicle for a very, very long time.

The Toyota/Chevy V8s I own will purr as long as they are able.

 

I'd respect them more if they actually followed their rhetoric and not release EVs if they didn't believe in them. Release hydrogen based cars and pump some money into infrastructure and drive the technology you believe in...instead you just follow and release the same things other manufacturers do. At least the other manufacturers are honest and acknowledge that they see EVs as the future. I want Toyota to push the innovation and do something radical, different, progressive. I once saw Lexus as their vehicle for innovation but its hard to see that Lexus right now.

Also, 5.5s is pretty slow for a sports sedan. Its about the same speed as a Honda Accord...sad. Also, I never said your LC500 was "slow"...i just said it wasn't fast

 

I definitely love my 2nd Gen. The gearing is very aggressive, and when you put it in ECT mode and turn off TC, it drifts! From a dig I've taken on several cars and beaten them hands down, including a G35, G37, WRX, GTI, 10th gen Accord Sport 2.0t, Accord Sport V6, Audi S4 2.0t and Veloster N to name a few. I'm pretty sure I can take a Type R from a dig, probably not from a 30 to 70 roll, as that thing pulls all the way to 7,000 rpm. 0 to 60 is exactly 5 seconds. I've linked a video in my signiture doing a run. I will say though that I wouldn't mind owning a 3rd gen, I drove a 2020 F-Sport and it was smooth as butter and had much better handling characteristics as it has adjustable dampers

 

I was once highly skeptical of EV's and saw them as gimmicks. I'm 53 years old so I'm as old school as it gets. In my day AC, electric windows and auto trans was not standard but an option you had to pay extra for. If you were a Toyota, Nissan, VW or Audi buyer the dealer had to search the lot to find an automatic LOL. My first Toyota I ever bought new, a 1994 Tercel didn't even have power steering. What I'm saying is that you should try one out. I'm not saying you should get one, just test drive one. You'll be surprised