Yesterday, Sunday, I had the privilege of driving some of the finest automobiles on the road today. The lineup of the vehicles I drove included: the Lexus LS430, Benz S430, Cadillac STS, Cadillac DeVille, Jaguar S-type, BMW 540, Benz C320, and Lincoln LS. There were other vehicles there, such as the Escalade, Navigator, et al, however, I didn't have enough time to test drive them all. It's a 2-hour event with a mob of potential test drivers. Each line took 10-15 minutes before I was able to hop into another vehicle.

None of the cars were equipped with any type of sport suspensions. I was very disappointed. I also didn't understand why the Lexus GS430, the Infinity Q45 or the BMW 740 were not part of the test group. I wish I were able to drive the Q - I haven't test driven the new Q yet. I did drive the 740, as my friend owns one. Now for my impressions..

LS430 - OMG. Can you say QUIET? With all 4 windows rolled down and the sunroof retracted you CANNOT hear the engine at idle. You CAN however hear yourself thinking. You cannot feel the car vibrating either. The driver in front of me thought the car wasn't running and tried to start the engine. The shocking fact is that the car remained quiet throughout the whole test drive. Excellent engine response. Great tranny. This particular model wasn't equipped with the NAV screen nor the ML sound system. Bummer. But it impressed me the MOST of all the cars I've driven that day. It also felt the most solid of them all. It would have easily been my top choice was I to purchase a car that day. The only reservation I have for this vehicle is external styling. Looks too "tall." Too Avalon-like (which I despise).


S430 - Wow. Styling inside and out, comfort, luxury.. You name it. Great car. It, as most of the other cars there exhibited massive body roll, dip, and dive. But it was smooth as a baby's back. Excellent dash. Way too many buttons around the console though, with cryptic markings. I didn't get a chance to talk to it, since voice recognition wasn't installed on this particular model. Overall, an excellent car. Very stylish. I love the look of the new S. Most pricey out of the group at 70K.

MBW 540. Good power. Razor-sharp steering, but hard - meaning, it wasn't as buttery as any of the other cars. It took effort to turn. However it was very rewarding. The car went exactly where you told it to go. The transmission on the other hand was just awful. Throttle response was WAY too delayed. As the Lexus lunged forward immediately after slamming the gas, the 540 took it's time before deciding to apply power. I was very disappointed. When I drove my friend's 540 6-speed, it felt a LOT better. I was able to control his car very precisely. This tranny was a no no.

Cadillac Deville - huge, smooth, quiet, engine powerful but not very responsive. Rolled and dipped like a bison. Great for an old man. I'll pass.

Cadillac STS - powerful engine. Suspension way too soft for a car that's trying to be sporty. Noisy interior. Felt unimpressive.

Jaguar S-type. Nice. A little underpowered. Soft. I'd place it right behind the Benz S430. Gorgeous exterior. This car stands out the most of all the vehicles. It's just beautiful.

Benz C320 - great for the money. Felt more powerful than I expected. Lame tranny - it actually might have been broken, exhibiting a very late throttle response. Considering the amount of abuse that these cars take over three days, I wasn't surprised.

Lincoln LS - it was the best car in the 30 grand category. Nice exterior, great looks and nice large wheels. Strong V8. Cheap-feeling interior though.

IMO the Lexus LS430 was the winner. No Q though. I am yet to drive that fine automobile. Great event. I'm a car enthusiast and a hard driver. I'd recommend an event such as this to anyone who's a car nut.

 

I drove a Q45 recently. Temperature in the high 80's, climate control still struggling to achieve cool-down after 20 minutes. This alone is enough for me to reject the car.

Instruments tough to read. Instrument panel styling left me cold.

Performance & handling just OK.

Acceptably quiet, but no Lexus.

A lot of gadgetry, but the overall vehicle didn't seem very well integrated ... several impressive pieces, but an unimpressive package. The name "Packard" comes to mind.

 

Man I go to drive the LS 430 and that was the most smoothest ride i have ever had, VERY quiet. If I was older and not into going realy fast that would have been my car.