ItsJ2

which car do you guys think would win in 0-60 and in 1/4 miles ??

both stock

LOH

I smoked one. He asked if I had a CLK55.

LOH

I smoked one. He asked if I had a CLK55. It was an impromptu freeway race so I don't have hard numbers.

Pffelan

not sure what a 400 is (assume 4 litre gs?)

but ive yet to lose to a gs430 over here in the uk... and you would assume a 4.3 was fater than a 4?

do people under the age of 50 buy lexus in the US them?

J Lucas

The gs430 and the gs400 are faster than the clk 430. The gs has more hp and tq i believe . They are just a little faster though, they have o -60 times of like 5.8 compared to our 6.1

fubar

Bad trade-off

fubar

LOH

Most magazines data indicate the GS faster than the CLK430 but I consider them to be very close. My stock 430 easily pulled away from this particular GS (I don't remember if it was a 430 or 400). As my car is debadged he asked if it was an AMG and I could not tell a lie and misrepresent a true CLK55.

From lexus.com and mbusa.com
GS430 --3715lbs 300hp 325lb-ft
CLK430--3323lbs 275hp 295lb-ft

That gives a power-to-weight ratio of 12.383 for the GS and 12.084 for the CLK. There are many variables that play a role but that particular day, my car vs. his, I was the one out front smiling.

mmgrad

Does it seem odd, that the Lexus GS increased the displacement from 4.0 to 4.3, yet there is not HP gains, only 15ft-lbs torque... where most engine changes result in more hp & torque (like MB)???

GS400 3693lbs 300hp 310 ft-lbs
GS430 3715lbs 300hp 325 ft-lbs

CLK430 3323lbs 275hp 295 ft-lbs
CLK500 3585lbs 302hp 339 ft-lbs

xyzpl

Pffelan, yes people under 50 do buy Lexus here. I am under 50 and bought a 1999 LS400.

Loved it, full of Luxury, super quite, good power, but the only thing was, it was soooo boring to drive....

no excitment at all...

But most people under 50 buys GS430 and IS300's here. I was in my " I need a big family sedan but have no family or girl friend" phase...

1SICKLEX

I've only had a chance to race 2 CLK 430s and beat both. It wasn't like I beat them by 8 car lengths. 1 was from a stop light and I was ahead a car length by 60 and pulling ahead until we stopped at about 85. He hung with me pretty good going from lane to lane.The other guy, we were on the freeway and we both hit it at 80mph and he was behind about 3 car lengths when we stopped at 120mph.

Well, the GS 400's fastest 0-60 time was 0-60 in 5.5 in Edmunds and 5.7 in Car & Driver and is a sub 6 second car. The GS 430 does the time under 6 seconds as well. True the torque is only up 15lbs but the peak HP and torque dropped 1000 RPM so it's more useful. I have never seen a time of under 6 seconds for the CLK 430. THe GS 400 has E-shift (I can shift my gears from 2-5 from the steering wheel) and the GS 430 does not.

Back in 1998 the GS 400 was the fastest accelerating automatic sedan and for a normally aspirated car, is still among the quickest (no match for the new AMG cars).

Both cars are outstanding cars.

mmgrad

Yeah, the GS is a pretty quick car... for the size and price... but it is somewhat boring. Plus, that car is as common as a honda... and the trunk size in that car is rediculous!

nickm

I see the numbers are in favor of the Lexus but I beat a couple of them by at least half a car length, especially once my car reaches 60mph, then it's unstopable.

LOH

In defense of my beloved 430, road and track tested a GS400 in the 12-99 issue (no thorough subsequent test of the GS430 to my knowledge) and recorded the 1/4 mile in 14.5sec @ 87.0mph. In the 1999 R&T Sports & GT Cars, for the CLK430 they recorded 14.5sec @ 99.5mph.

In my opinion this offers much more information than a simple 0-60mph time. That's a HUGE difference in trap speed and suggests that the CLK would be pulling away from the GS rapidly even though at the end of the 1/4 they may be very close.

1SICKLEX

Boring? This is the premier Japanese sports car. It's beat the E430 in every comparison because it was sportier. Most magazines call it the 540s equal. Common? Your kidding me. The trunk size is 14+ cubic feet.Unstopable. A E55 is unstopable. Not our cars. Motor Trend got a 13.9 1/4 mile in the GS 430. I will check all my magazines for info. I know the cars have similar acceleration numbers.

J Lucas

I believe in terms of acceleration the order goes

540i (manual)
gs430/400
540
clk430

I was told the speedshift really doesnt affect accerlation AT ALL. Its just fun to play with and have more control during cornering.

1SICKLEX

J Lucas is on the money.

SoCalCLK

Wait a minute. If the Premier Jap Brand is So Damn Exciting, why aren't you on THAT Board...Did you get confused with searching under 'Toyota' or 'Lexus'? Toyotas are Toyotas All over the world except Here in America, where a simple NAME change is all it takes to create the PERCEPTION and NOT REALITY of an Economy car that is now supposed to play the in the league of Mercedes-Benz.
Toyotas are GREAT APPLIANCES, kind of like a Maytag, something that performs without fail, but HAS NO SOUL.
Let's Also not forget that LEXUS, Like INFINITI, which makes a Sportier product between the two, was created in 1989 to IMITATE......MERCEDES-BENZ. Not BMW or AUDI or JAGUAR. In fact that initial LS400 was a sad imitation. But hey, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Let's see: the 'speed' rankings, BMW 540 6-speed first, etc...Who cares!? If that were the case All Of us would be buying BMW 540s or AUDI RS-6s, but that's not the case now is it!
If it were, all Lexuses would look and act like BMWs and not MBZs. The best part about everytime LEXUS comes out with a 'new' model is to figure out WHAT TOYOTA MODEL it REALLY IS!! HA!
The bottom line is that Technical Data and 0-60 figures will never matter so long as prestige, looks, handling, comfort, features and colors are a part of cars. If the least 0-60 for the least amount of cash were all that matters we would all be driving Chevy small blocks or Honda Civics on Nitrous. I have been there, done that.
Mercedes-Benz, without a doubt, is the premier luxury brand that has spawned imitiation in countless ways (Dealership behaviour, Model design, etc.) and all others continue to follow.
Hey, to each his own. But don't come and throw your monkey-*** 0-60 figures and EXPECT me to believe for a second that a Toyota or that PLAYED-OUT BMW 540 (I prefer an Audi) is better than my Benz. If the category were All-Wheel drive and Luxury, then AUDI would be us all hands down as Quattro is the best 4-wheel drive system in the luxury segment.

J Lucas

WOOOOOOOO take it easy there buddy. If you scroll back to the very first post which is what this thread is about he simply and flat out asks which one is faster 0-60 and in 1/4 mile. I don't know what spawned you to run off at the jibs but relax. We all know what we make and what we drive. Despite lexus being a division of toyota. They still make excellent cars for the value and to some people there is no line drawn between which is the top luxury maker. Some would rather flat out have a lexus than a merc.
We are all happy with what we drive, no need to try and bash the other one.

1SICKLEX

SoCalCLK, what a terrible arguement. I mean, we are talking facts and which car is faster. Your talking subjectively and very opinionated. I won't entertain you too much, for instance in Germany, Mercedes Benz is actually like GM over there, with E-class diesal taxi-cabs, A-class vans etc and while Mercedes still offers 4-cyliner cars, Lexus never has. You see, we being Americans are so into name brands, that is is ridiculous. I won't even begin to name the stuff that we purchase that is of average quality (cough cough Bose for example cough cough) but because of the NAME, or the BRAND we purchase it. Mercedes Benz and BMW have done an OUTSTANDING job with their brand here. They only sell their premium models here, not their entry level or average cars. They learned (take the 318s for example) that we won't buy them.
Your stuck on prestige. Cool. You like your car with it's "Prestige" and I like mine without it. I guess I don't worry about such things. Hell, I have no badges on my car anyway. But to say a 55k GS 400 built to the specifications of a 55k car by the most reliable car maker in the world with the lowest tolerance for error is a POS because it's really a "Toyota" means I never want you working for my company. I see now, your very insecure with yourself and your purchase. No one is putting the CLK down. In 430 trim, I think it is an outstanding looking car, I prefer it to the new CLK 500. It's high re-sale value supports this. Seems you hate BMW too. Sigh.

SoCalCLK

Thanks for the feedback. Good point on the European climate of MBZ cars. I admit I kind of went off earlier, but hey- I'm new here!
All I'm saying is that I am not on the Lexus site, posting *****, hell I don't even know how to find one- because I don't own one. I'm on MBworld, because I have an MBZ, just like I was on Audiworld when I had my 00 Audi S4 and on the Bimmer sites when I had my 95 M3!
By the way I DON'T Hate BMW. Please don't Assume. I am opinionated about BMW, because I have Owned the M3 and found the Audi S4 a much, much better version of the car than the M3. With a Twin-turbo engine, built-in intercoolers and oil coolers and 6-Speed tranny with Quattro, it was a thrill to drive.
BTW, how do you think the Audi A6 compares to the 540 and GS400? In 2000 Car and Driver rated it the #1 Car for under $40,000- beating the 5-series (2nd place) and the Lexus (5th Place). Just a thought.

AolHoward

CLK 430 !!

Pffelan

i totally dispute the lexus claims..


uk autocar gives the gs430 280bhp same as a clk...so unless euro spec lexi (?) are different the claims on here are somewhat optomistic...

hinhin7

I am hoping the CLK430 wins. If not, probably the 0-60 figure would differ only around 2 or 3 tenth of a sec.

J Lucas

UK auto car is wrong, every other mag and lexus themselves rates the hp at 300. Just because you have a clk430 doesnt mean you have to be ignorant about other cars in the same class.
The gs is just a faster car, i have a clk 430 and its just true.just give it up.

LOH

Ladies and gentlemen, I realize opinions are like a$$holes but a couple things need to be taken into consideration here. This question CLK430 vs GS400, who wins? cannot be answered with a simple CLK or GS. You just can't make "blanket" statements like that with respect to cars and their performance. The only way a definitive answer can be determined is at a track, CLK vs. GS under the same conditions and even then the results are only good for those particular cars at that particular instant and no longer. You could probably race two identically equiped CLKs under identical conditions (from driver weight to fuel load and a million other variables) and you would probably get the whole spectrum of results. It's not uncommon for a magazine to get results for a car and test a mechanically identical car at a later date and get acceleration times different by several tenths of a second. This despite most reputable magazines using standardized procedures including correction factors for altitude, temperature, humidity, etc.

To say that one source is wrong because every other source you've come across states the opposite would be risky, not fair and suggests bias and impartiality in one's opinion. In the UK the GS430 is rated at 279bhp and 308lb/ft per lexus.co.uk. Cars for different international markets commonly have different specs including curb weight, bhp/torque, gearing, all of which impact a car's performance. For the record, although I don't care for the way the GS looks, I think it's an impressive machine that demands and deserves my respect. As I said earlier, I believe that performance between the two is very close. In my limited experience, I've never lost to a GS in an impromptu "race" on the street. That doesn't mean there isn't a stock GS out there that can beat my car, I just haven't come across one.