NeverColdCall

Well for that matter I drove a 2000 S500 for three years with nary a problem. Now that I've got the 2007 S550 I can say the fit and finish are spectacular. The car definitely feels more solid than it's predecessor, but again, I didn't have any real problems with that car. It had just over 80,000 miles when I got the '07.

I've found that owners of Japanese cars I know *do* have their share of problems, but they'll never admit it in a million years because they like to feel smarter than us. They deny all knowledge of ever having had any repair work on their cars.

Braheem

Pre 2000 I would have NEVER picked a Lexus over a Mercedes I have owned a 220, 140, 140 coupe, 210, 201, 163 AMG, 129, 124 as well as a few others. The day Mercedes builds them like they used to I will be the first to return hopefully the S550 will bring me back

Jayhawk

You neglected to answer my question: "Lexus owner perhaps?"

MB Fanatic

Yes, Braheem has a GS400/430 (old shape) I believe.

Jayhawk

I thought so!

cracker123

it is a dream come true......


I really dont understand why MB dealers dont hold a 2 hour video presentation on the S-Class on all the features the car has.

Germancar1

Well this is only partly true. Yes they have nothing good to say about MBs when it comes to reliability, but, however, when they roadtest a MB they love it. They loved the GL450, previous S430/S500, and they recently picked the SL550 over a bunch of other cars. This is why I think it is still important for MB to try and get on their recommended lists. Hell CR even likes the R-Class, but they won't recommend anything that doesn't meet their reliability standards. Just think of the sales and good press Mercedes would get if they were actually "recommended" by CR? I think the W221 S will get the nod next year, or at least I hope it does. The E should too, but the ML, R and GL can forget it. I read too many gripes about them around here so you know CR has heard the same. The new S on the other hand I don't see how it could miss, the car has been flawless to its owners so far. I mean there isn't one "problem" thread here that I've seen.

M

Germancar1

Actually Jack the recent data was from 2006 owners, not previous years which is why Mercedes raised such a big stink about it. They're basically saying the same thing you're saying, that the 06 models aren't troublesome like the 2000-2002 models were according their own warrantty costs/reports. However in some of the articles I noticed that a lot of the complaints are about brake dust and other seemingly trivial things, not actual I gotta go the "workshop" problems.

The survey you're talking about which measure the previous 3 years is done by JD Powers. The same type of survey from Consumer reports was released this past spring. The one they do in the fall of every year is for current models for the first 90-120 days.

M

Braheem

I thought it was an answer, considering it is no longer pre 2000.

Germancar1

Best looking Lexus I've ever seen in your signature!

M

Nevada Jack

Thanks for the clarification. Still think the concept of JD Powers and others is a poor guide to use for buying a luxury automobile (or any car for that matter.)

Brakes dust and interior smell somehow does not define what buying a $100K car is all about...especially to anyone who has owned a MB with brakes that exceed most other vehicles in stopping the car!

Jayhawk

I have never purchased anything based on CR recommendations! In fact, that is usually the "kiss of death" in my purchasing decisions. I have historically found that their product recommendations (all products) and my own experiences are usually polar opposites. I view their recommendations as contrary indicators for my buying decisions. It is really a screwed-up organization, IMO.

Jayhawk

That is the most convoluted logic I've heard in a long time--even from a Lexus owner...

DaCeptak0n

Thanks to the original poster of this thread

I've forwarded on the info to my pops to convince him into the S550. He's tell hell-bent between the LS460L and Audi A8 4.2L...

Evil Duffman

I agree with the results as well, it would be exactly how i would place them. Just saw a LS 460L on park ave and laughed, compared to the 7 series and S550 around it, it looked cheap and tiny. lol.

Jayhawk

There's a good reason for that! It is cheap and tiny!

Evil Duffman

lol this is true

I always wondered why people were in such awe of them. When a company puts so many crazy and useless gadgets in a car then they have to be covering up for something. I think the japanese car makers are just appealing to Americans stupidity. I mean if a car cant DRIVE itself, then there is no need for it to park itself.

Jayhawk

A very astute observation!

carsinamerica

The LS 460 can drive itself. It's got cameras that track the lane-lines, and it'll hold the car in the middle of the lane without any driver input whatsoever. I LOVE Lexus, but I think that feature is insanely dangerous, especially in the Litigation Capital of the Universive. However, EVERYBODY does the useless gadget thing. Even M-B is not immune.

Nickerz

I'm impressed that MB got 1st place! Obviously Lexus fans won't be...let alone accepting last place.

One thing that bothers me the most is the reasoning of some people (mostly in other car forums I've read). Lexus fans crying foul b/c this particular review suggests it's all about LUXURY and then scores suggest PERFORMANCE is the key factor.

So tell me Lexus fans, when trying to argue how COMFORTABLE and LUXURIOUS the new LS-460L is...tell me how COMFORTABLE and LUXURIOUS you think it will feel being thrown clear through the darn windshield b/c your car couldn't stop in time for the accident up ahead!? Or, maybe you can simply maneuver the car around the accident, right? Nope, again, performance (or lack there of in the Lexus' case) won't allow you to avoid the accident b/c of the poor handling etc.

What good is a BIG BOAT OF A CAR that has all the amenities that Lexus fans are bragging about, if that darn thing can't stop in time to save the lives of everyone it’s carrying!? To take more than 200 feet to stop a car...it would be an OUTRAGE if this car ranked anything other than dead last! It should be disqualified from the review! This is a very serious thing here. Bringing a car to a complete stop within a safe length is VERY important to me. Yet, others however, would try to convince us that sipping champaign from the back seat that fully reclines and has a lot of buttons and gadgets, is more important than coming to a complete and SAFE stop.

Absolutely ridiculous in my opinion!

Nick

Kar don

well if you look both the S550 and LS460 have longer distances than the others, they both have something in common. All season tires.

The lexus has the smallest tire width as well. Slap some wider summer (Z rated) rubber on the lexus, I am sure it will handle better and stop in the 170-180 ft range from 70 mph. You guys are forgetting that stopping distance from that speed is mainly dependent on tires and brake fade... brake fade isn't an issue on that vehicle with the massive rotor size.

I like the S550 more, but the LS460 is a very good vehicle... Outselling the S550 already, big time.

Chucky300

Just wondering where you got that info? Not challenging you - but from my point of view - I live in NY...... and see very few LS460s... but see PLENTY of S550s. Please confirm.

AsianML

V12 man....V12.



Wait. Sh*t. Wrong thread.

Kar don

Oh of course you see more S550s, it has been on sale since January. I'll get some figures for you.

First full month of the LS460 (nov 06): 3,613
First full month of S550 (feb 06): 3,360

Oct 06 S550 sales for comparison: 2500 (approx).

MB Fanatic

Thats great if there are more cheap people out there who cant afford a real luxury car. It just means that our S's will be more exclusive for those who know what a real automobile is.

At the end of the day the Lexus lost fair and square, and as Nickerz pointed out, it cant stop for ****, which reaffirms my test drive results.