hyperion667

excellent rebuttle bro
I'd chip in a few bucks too......
but then again, I do understand being a universal cynic

Quadcammer

simply not worth the time to explain to you why a 212 does not have soul and why your prose is sad and ridiculous.

I'll leave you to your delusions.

Oh, and the reason why I'm so negative is because most of the people on this site have either terrible taste or are lacking in mental fortitude.

El Cid

Whether a car has "soul" or not is pretty much up to the owner and how he/she feels about the car. My E350 has plenty of "soul." So did my RX-7 convertible, 300ZX, Fiat 124 Spyder, etc., etc., but each in its own way.
The purpose of this thread was to compare different peoples evaluations of the new Lexus GS vs. the M-B "E" Class. Can we keep it at that?

El Cid

Have had three cars with leather seats from three different manufacturers. All wore, faded, cracked, etc. no matter how much preservative and cleaner I used on them. MB Tex is superior as far as I'm concerned. True, it does not look like leather (no loose folds) and maybe is not as soft, but that may be the seat itself.
BTW, leather seats are actually just leather seat covers in reality and only on parts of the seats. Rest is vinyl. In fact, some of them are actually coated with (OMG!) - vinyl!
IMO, best seat covers are quality cloth and some manufacturers are now offering upgraded cloth as options.

BenzV12

That's a good point
We don't need this

K-A

Oh, bravo (applauds), very well done. "I don't know why I'm such a crank and it's clearly worth my time to be one.... yet not worth my time to explain why".

So my enjoying a nice design of which I find dynamic, emotive, and full of character (why I think it's full of "soul"), is "sad" ay.... Man, I guess if I was dour and passion-free like yourself, that would be.... happy....?

You remind me of someone I know..... thinks that the world is against him, that everyone else is crazy, wrapped in delusion.... yet he's just one person..... guess what everybody else thinks about him?

Well said, and agreed. Some guys who drive Honda's think their cars have a "soul factor". I think the adjectives you can use to nail down the W212 design make a very compelling case toward its conveyance of "soul" when gauging it VS other cars of this segment, and the nature of this segment. And notice how the crankpots here haven't ONCE conversed about my take on the CARS at hand....

Lol. Thanks. Yes, I always perceived myself to be a helluva pessimist and cynic (I really am), but one thing I've gotten from these boards is that I'm actually kind of an amateur there.

K-A

Oh, and OliverK, you like to talk about people's "mental fortitude" here, and "tackiness", and basic appropriation skills. I doubt I'm much if at all older then you, but let me teach you a little "lesson".

You know what's tacky, what's unintelligent, what's a cheap E-jab that shows ones lack of class, intellect, and "mental fortitude"?

It's actually picking out a line of theirs that's rational and objective from within their oh so angering to you- experience, and bringing their mother of who the experience is mostly gauged from, into it, then writing a scathing comment directed at "her".

Now, I can easily partake in this back and forth, and I still understand these are all just words coming from anonymous screen names. In person our dialects with each other would be extremely different, however.... how do you know that this person's "mother" you're pretending to know didn't have some close calls in the past year? How do you know if or if not this "person" who angers you so was or was not practically visiting his "mother" in what he was terrified was her "death bed" a handful of times within the recent years?

How do you know that this person who's fondness and expression of his automobile of which so WEIRDLY and questionably INFURIATES you- to the point where you'd write something negative about his "mother" (remember, it's all pretend here, none of us *really* know each other), wouldn't be able to decipher real and fake life due to the monumental proportions this subject weighs on his life, and take that to heart?

Fortunately, I can, and no sweat off my back. If I was as lacking in mental fortitude and respect as you are, I'd give your "fake mother" to me a "pretend jab back". But you want to learn how to be "non tacky" on message boards? Leave the pretend "them's fightin" words cheap jabs toward someone's personality, family, etc. out of it, and attack the subject at hand.

ImInPA

Are you delusional? Just because your KIA has Soul in its name does not mean that every other car that does not mention "soul" does not. You are a less than welcome contributor here. Now...go drive your KIA Soul over a cliff and stop driving mommies car to this forum.

K-A

Very good point, PA. In NO way was I suggesting that the W212 has KIA Soul, so you can chill out now, Oliver.

Although it may be lacking in venerable Kia Soul, it does have a lil' soul to give of its own.

hyperion667

ImInPA

I have been thinking about what gives a car "soul". I am not even sure if I know what that means exactly. I do believe that a more imprtant aspect of a vehicle is "heritage". I think that the soul of a vehicle cannot be separated from its heritage. The "soul" of Mercedes Benz is derived from a heritage of building exemplary luxury sedans, not white knuckled g-force shredding carving tools. The soul of MB is luxury and comfort. I defy anyone to say that MB is lacking heritage or soul for that matter.

jmatero

A car has a soul when you talk to it.

When you sit behind the wheel of ANY vehicle and you find yourself saying:

"C'mon... You can do it!!!" vs "This car can't handle that"

Or just after avoiding an accident, petting the instrument cluster hood and saying "good job" vs. clutching the wheel and saying "man, I almost got killed".

Your car has a "soul" when you humanize it, and connect with it emotionally. It has a soul when, as you sell it or trade it in, you find yourself needing to say "goodbye" for closure. A brand can certainly highlight lineage and pedigree, but can't control whether a car has a "soul". That is something only a driver can do.

My first car was a 1981 Plymouth Reliant, stripped, 4 speed on the floor, manual brakes and steering. A hand me down from my father. When I sold it to my neighbor to purchase my first new car, I actually had a tear in my eye. It had soul.

My Mom's daily driver was a 1973 Ford LTD Country Squire. She called her "Old Betsy". When it woundn't start right away on cold mornings, Mom wouldn't say "Stupid car! Just start!!!!". She smiled and said "c'mon Betsy... I know it's cold... You can do it.... C'mon... There you go... I knew you wouldn't let me down!" It had soul.

I rented a Prius recently on a trip to Dallas for two days. It was all they had left. I put close to 500 miles on that car... Drove in all conditions and even ate in it. I felt nothing. Zero. It was an appliance to me. Yet, my neighbor talks to his Prius like my Mom did to her Ford. He washes it at least twice a week, is out there with a clay bar on weekends, parks and looks back over and over again. His Prius has soul.

I test drove two cars this past Sunday. A new 328i and a new 550i. I bonded with the 328 almost instantly. Grinned ear to ear the whole time, actually said "wow, I want to take you home", and looked back at her as I walked away. Plenty of soul. I got out of the 550i and felt ZERO. It was fast, but I felt absolutely ZERO connection. Two days later and I'm wondering who bought that 328i and how it's being broken in. I could care less about the 550i.

Just my 2cents.

RobbieRob

Well said Brother. The car in the movie, "Christine", definitely had some soul...lol

ImInPA

j...I haven't spoken to cars that way since Hot Wheels. Now, Hot Wheels had soul and definitely spoke to me. I mean, what's not to love in a gravity powered car that can do triple loops (providing your parents heard you in time for Christmas and got you the triple loop section of track). For me, I can honestly say that no car ever spoke to me the way the Hot Wheels rendition of the Mako Shark did. I guess I am doomed to a life of automotive disappointments, as no car could ever have the soul of the "Shark". Be sure to scroll down through the link below to see the amazing attention to detail and the available window tint options. While the actual engine specs were never published by Mattel, I remember the hp figures to be somewhere in the neighborhood of a gazillion (measured at the crank) and over a thousand ft-tons of torque. If that doesn't screem "SOUL!!!" to you, I give up.

http://onlineredlineguide.com/OtherR..._Corvette.html

platinumsc

I thought this forum was for adults.

These pointless arguments over which car or brand is better is just well, pointless. Both Lexus and Benz make nice cars. Both have their strengths and weaknesses and that's where individual tastes come in. But why the unsolvable debate of which is better?

Personally, I am not a fan of the new GS looks but anyone who says the car's interior or performance are poor is clearly not being objective. Period. But I know this is a Mercedes forum so I wouldn't argue with any fanboy about their beloved automotive desire.

Both are great cars. The need for infantile arguments is, well, infantile.

BenzV12

:naug hty:








Excuse me , you have good point but I just wanted to end some arguments and cast some humor instead .
Another good thing on the MBs are these don't have fake exhaust tips as other makes

K-A

Good thing that anybody reading this thread would notice nobody in their right mind hammered on the GS's interior or performance. Personal preference is just that, therefore the GS's interior and drive may not "speak" to everybody more-so than car "X" will, but those two points are objectively very strong points toward the car.

ImInPA

lol.....ok....I'll bite. Not to leave any stone unturned.....the GS interior sucks and it drives like a camry.

I couldn't resist.

K-A

Nice! This thread needed more spicing up!

I got one.... you know what "GS" stands for? "Granny Sport".

(waiting till someone fires back with "E" standing for "Elder")