How about your benzo?
At the same time I think Mercedes fits in the same category, I love the E63. The time it's not in the shop, it's fast.
Waiting for Lexus to step up and make a GS650 (or whatever) to try and compete in the AMG/BMW "M" groups horsepower.

 

I'm sorry, but you are incorrect. While my Lexus does have "golden bird's eye maple interior wood trim", Toyota's flagship '08 TLC uses "wood grain style trim", see below.

Source: http://www.toyotausa.com/landcruiser/options.html

BTW, I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that the carbon fiber on the dash of my Spyder is fake too

 

I think that he's being sarcastic...see smilie at the end of his sentence. Fit and finish on my G500 is on-par with any Toyota/Lexus.

 

"Fit and finish on my G500 is on-par with any Toyota/Lexus"

Common, be realistic. I understand tastes do differ, but the difference is just too much to ignore. The latest S550/CL550 - yes, on par. But the previous generation, including the current G is using reasonable quality materials but not more than that. Design and fit are average at best. Unless your G is MUCH better than the ones sold here, or the Mercedeses I owned (including the current SL500). IMHO as everything.

 

The G wagon is still made by hand in Austria - therefore it's a cut above the typical robot built Benz when it comes to fit and finish.

 

First off, remember, G's are not made where your SL was made...G manufacturing in Austria is on a different planet than the crap that came out of MB factories in the 1990's and early 2000's. Your old G320 was also quite old...but i would bet that it has stronger parts than what you have now.

The G500 interior is old design...and not very ergonomic as the newer SUVs. The NAVI sucks. The stereo can't hold a candle to the ML systems. However, the materials are very good...yes, there is REAL wood. The doors are covered in leather for the most part. Everywhere you touch in the G500 is soft and NON-scratcheable. Although i off-road, i can simply wipe the cargo area with baby wipes and all the marks are gone. The surfaces throughout the interior is just high quality from top to bottom, left to right. Leather is really thick & tough and double-stitched. BTW, after 48,000 miles, my driver's seat barely shows any crease...this is NOT the case with my brother's LX470 who's leather is creasing like crazy in all directions! The holes in the leather where the stitch goes thru on his LX are stretched.

BTW, the sheetmetal on the G is also thicker than production cars, e.g. Lexus/Toyotas. Hell, just shut the door on the G and you can feel just how good of a "bank vault" it is. You can even hang on the doors and you won't see any deflection in the sheetmetal.

Remember, there is a reason why it weighs 5500 lbs and is SMALLER than an FJ Cruiser...yes, it weighs MORE than the previous Land Cruiser and about the same as LX470, which are both much bigger than G.

 

Yes, I was trying to be very sarcastic. The fit and finish on my E63 is excellent.

No one is denying that Toyota/Lexus makes great cars. But to blindly label other German manufacturers as producing "trash" is just plain ignorant.

BTW Tigmd99, I love the G wagon!

 

It's hard to bag on an E63 when it smokes my GS in everything but the "reliability" contest. The entire AMG line just leaves the competition dusted. I love the fact that the only reason I go to the Lexus dealership is to visit my friend I buy the cars from and the cool Starbucks machine..haha
The E63, the S63/65, the G-wagon (I think that covers about everyone here) are great cars, just don't throw 24's on that G and it's all good
The last few Benz's that friends have has have been nightmares with service. One buddy at work got rid of his 760Li for a GS after he borrowed mine while his BMW was in the shop.

 

Well, although Lexus is still tops, the ES350 owners have not felt the warm cozy feeling of peace of mind.

And so far, i can tell you that i would be shock to have to pay $3000-5000 to repair (non-warranty) my G500...as some (if not most) do on their LX470 before 100,000 miles.

 

i feel your pain on the G500 repair. i also got a 02 G500 a while back, and it gave me all sorts of problems. later i lemoned it and got myself a brand new sl. the g only got 8k miles when i lemoned it after 2 years of ownership.

 

If I was not doing all repair work on my SL myself (i.e. was to go to the dealership) I would have been broke by now. While it is fun to play with it and fix it, at times I feel annoyed, as I have NEVER had to do anything to the LX98 I put 170k on. And the seat leather was still like new when I sold it

 

Yeah, 2002 and 2003 G500s had a lot of electrical issues (1st year MBUSA G500s)...most (if not all) have been resolved by 2004 and up. I think that you misread my post above...i do NOT anticipate spending nearly as much as LX owners have to on non-warranty repairs before 100k miles.

 

BS! Come on, it's not like i don't have a LX in the family. I have seen my brother's seat after 50k miles...it ain't like new! BTW, he doesn't even off-road his much and he drives less than 13 miles a day. I would even bet that your seats on the your LX470 now has more than a few ugly creases!

 

Thai, common, you made me run to the garage to confirm There is no creases on the 06, not a SINGLE one. Need a digital picture as a proof?

You probably could find a few on the 98 if you looked really really hard, on the left bolster. But you had to look REALLY hard. Now, mind you - the sun in BC is next to absent, if that makes a difference Still, on the rear seats - there was not a single one, after 10 years.

Now, how come a have quite a few on the SL? Not ugle yet, as I take care of the leather and use the cleaners/conditioners, but there are a few.

 

sure, a photo of your seats would be nice...how many miles on your '06?