EKaru

Car and Driver - 2007 Luxury Car Comparo

1. Mercedes S550
2. Audi A8
3. BMW 750i
4. Jaguar XJ Super V8
5. Lexus LS460 L

This is how they placed two years ago in C&D:

1. Lexus LS430
2. Jaguar XJ8
3. BMW 745i
4. Audi A8L
5. Volkswagen Phaeton
6. Mercedes S430

NeverColdCall

Wow, nice! I remember reading the test two years ago and I was annoyed that they used an S430. The lack of acceleration is why it placed last.

The Jag XJ Super V8 is a sweet car, the dealer nearby had one in the showroom that I looked at. It's beautifully appointed. However I have to guess the handling wasn't there so it got stuck below the 7-Series. It's fast though, with the supercharged XJR engine.

The Lexus is rightfully in last place. It seems they're always trying to play catch-up and with the German cars where they are, this time it's too little too late.

EKaru

The S550 is well deserving of first place but it doesn't make sense as to why the Lexus placed last.. Lexus had finished first in at least 3 C&D luxury car comparisons, including the last one...
Eric...

Musikmann

Thank you, and I'm really glad to see this list. I have said, time and time again, that I don't care what the Consumer's Reports rating are, I pay a lot more attention to magazines like Car & Driver and Road & Track. IMO, they are the pros when it comes to cars - but if I want a new toaster, I'll read CR

Musikmann

I agree with you. The only thing I can think of is the new 460 engine and/or a first year's model. Maybe even Lexus can release a new car before it's fully tested(?)

AsianML

Whoa! Didn't really expect that.

NeverColdCall

Well, with the possible exception of the Phaeton, I don't see how Lexus would surpass any of those cars. In the previous C&D comparison it won largely based on price (which is why the S500 was excluded; that was a sub-$80k test). Take price out of the equation and the Lexus has no advantages over the others, except maybe the Phaeton due to reliability issues. I'm guessing the Phaeton beat out Lexus due to the beautiful interior on that car compared to Lexus' plasticy interior

EKaru

I started a thread on another forum regarding what I found annoying about the LS460:
http://my.is/forums/showthread.php?t=312926

Eric....

Jayhawk

That makes perfect sense to me. Thanks for posting! I know they measure different things, but I hate the way CR always trashes the Mercedes in their reviews. I sometimes wonder if they don't have an anti-MB bias...

EKaru

Something's definitely weird though....The Audi A8 for example is virtually unchanged since its debut (04' model year) and then it jumps a place over the 7-series, which got an engine upgrade and styling improvements since the last comparison..... I'm happy with the results, but WTF is C&D smoking these days?

Eric....
this is a link to the previous comparison:
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...ans-page7.html

Chucky300

oh wow!@ I NEVER would have thought about that. THE ONLY difference i believe is the front grill is the new "corp. grill"
MAYBE a few minor TINY touch ups inside but pretty much the same everything................ good pick up! I luv car people that really know their stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EKaru

Granted, some of the pics are of the flagship models (e.g. 760, A8 W12) but here are some photos of the competition:







BMW 7-series:



Jaguar XJ-series


Lexus LS


Audi A8

AsianML

The SWB S-Class doesn't look too bad!

Chucky300

I HATE the LS460............... that car is terribly UGLY. I like all the others though.

Jayhawk

I agree. They are still just expensive Toyota's--no matter what anyone says!! U-G-L-Y-Y-Y...

vraa

Car and Driver is good to read, but that's about it.
You can't honestly expect those guys to give you the final opinion on a car. They don't live with them.

I'd trust you to tell me about your S550 than some expert who drives cars back to back to back because you've lived with it. You know the ins and outs. You know why you picked the S550, while the other guy can just give you his comparisons but nothing more.

carsinamerica

It's an interesting set of results, to be sure.

BMW loses out because of that cursed iDrive. It was a good idea, but the execution is lacking -- sometimes you just need buttons. C/D also disliked the interior. However, it's still the best-handling of the bunch, and stayed right with the S550 for acceleration honours.

An interesting quote about the LS 460 L, though: they concluded that the Lexus was the best choice for rear-seat passengers, because of the effective climate control, seat adjustments, and sound/video systems. I just want to know what the hell is wrong with the LS's brakes. 204 feet from 70?! That's wretched. It's got 13.1"/12.4" vented discs, so what's wrong here? I'm a Lexus fan, and the strengths C/D noted (quieting, audio system, smoothness) are exactly what I want in a lux car, but the braking system has to be re-done if Lexus wants this flagship to have credibility. They should bring back the Euro-tuned suspension option, as well, for those who want handling, since Lexus has been talking up this new LS's sportiness.

vraa

I was reading through "The Lexus Story" and I remember something along the lines in a Roll Royce (at the time, early 90's late 80's) if you pushed the brakes hard enough, they'd push back because it was an emphasis on smoothness.

Could Lexus be doing the same thing? Are the brakes just not catching?
This is really sad because braking is a safety issue.

Germancar1

This is a suprise. I would have guessed 2nd place for the LS, but not last.

Oh boy is this one going to be talked about on various boards around the world! Gotta wait and see what Motor Trend and Road and Track say.

The Lexus costs 93K, only 10K less than the Benz, uh for that money 10K is nothing and people will go with the Benz.

Lexus seem to have forgotten that price was one of their big advantages, take that away and you don't have anything else that the other cars don't have, until you get into reliability and dealer service, which don't matter in a comparo to see on a given afternoon.

I'm willing to be that Lexus' sales don't go off the charts either. Instead of 4K a month they'll do more like 3.2K, still more than the S though.

M

kenstudios

Lexus pulled last for the simple fact that although there's a design change, look closely at the interior. Very similar layout to the present LS430. Buttons are still large and blunt, Navi system used looks similar to the previous generation.

Nevada Jack

I have not read the article yet but glad to see they finally got it right..


Funny to hear all Lexi fans scorning C&D where in the past the reports were all so well done and MB was scorned. I agree that all these articles and reports are not the best source of feedback but forums like this and others tell the true story more. Based on that feedback I have seen the S550 at the top does not surprise me...

04S430

Right on! Feeling better and better about my choice of replacing my S430 with an S550.

Jayhawk

Jack, I've been wondering about your sig: Did you park on a golf course or is that PhotoShopped-in? It's a great pic regardless!

Nevada Jack

Good old PS to put the S550 in the center of the soccer field Jay...Funny while shooting some pics of the car, I turned and thought a couple of snaps of the mountains and nice full trees might come out nice. The combination really worked out great. Thanks.

TeutonicCarFan

I would put the Super V8 ahead of the BMW, there is just something about that damned british sedan that tickles me in the right spot. It just exudes class and luxury, esp. the portfolio edition and the Diamler edition with all its upgrades. The BMW just doesn't do it for me I see them a lot and are in them and I think they need to redesign again before they lose a lot of customers (more).

LS...Don't get me started, I will just say it is the Sealy posturpedic of the lux cars (READ: makes me go to sleep)