That Lexus looks exactly like the current ES330. The front end also reminds me of a Camry, which also reminds me of the ES330. People looking for this type of car do not want anything bland. Look at the competition. G35, CTS, TL, 3-series, etc. All of these cars are very bold, orginal designs(especially the CTS ) I'm sure it will sell more than the IS300, but with that styling, it wouldn't suprise me if it didn't meet their sales goal.

On another note, Toyota might have a sporty car again. If you think GM enthusiasts have it bad, go look at those poor Celica, MR2, and Supra fans, who don't have ANYTHING even remotely sporty to buy.

 

I think you're losing sight of the fact that CTS's 3.6 liter HFV6 is mediocre in both horsepower and torque compared to the best Japanese competition.

Your Honda S2000 example should how little you know about where the industry is going. Honda is moving away from 8000rpm screamers and towards turbocharging. The S2000's engine is derived from unit that was found in the long dead Honda Prelude, the S2000 is its sole application and the S2000 is going bye-bye before too long.




You don't have "proof," or even a clue, do you? The IS350 is premiering at Geneva on March 3rd and the "power bump" will be in the neighborhood of nearly 100 horsepower. Considering that the detuned 3.5 liter in the Avalon makes 280 horsepower, it isn't as big a "power bump" as you'd think


If you don't find the CTS-V's drivetrain "crude" for a $52,000 car, then you have very low standards.



1. By definition "premium fuel" 91 octane and up.

2. Every modern car that requires premium fuel also has a knock sensor, so if you put "regular" in the tank, you wouldn't have to worry about doing any damage - only decreased performance and fuel economy.




I somehow doubt that the Lexus IS350 will lose 60 horsepower by the time it comes to the USA. That would mean that the Lexus would be making 15 horsepower less than the Toyota Avalon. It ain't happening.



The thinking behind the Vortec Inline was entirely faulty. There no market demand for inline-6s and inline-5s as replacements for V6s and V8s.

The "High Value" family should never have happened to begin with. I could care less if its a "cheap engine to build."

Oh, and what up with the "$100 oil change" nonsense. Everyone knows that synthetic oil cost more, but you can potentially triple the mileage between oil changes.









The BMW E90 330i will have roughly 255 horsepower. The Lexus IS350 will have somewhere near 315 horsepower. Enough said.





I have no proof that you aren't a "bitter man (or child) trying to play with things he doesnt fully understand, and saying things that arent true."

 

This is true because a BMW is a BMW and a Lexus is an expensive Toyota. Once again, your point?

 

Lexus wants to make a step into the hi-performance arena... they have to as they have zero reputation there at the present.

I'm more interested in the management shakeup at Toyota with another Toyoda family member hooking up on the board, and the wholesale walking papers much of the upper management has received this month.

Mr Watanabe, who will take over as president, is a very good bean counter. Reported to be very good at cost cutting and supply management, I'm sure we will see what this leads to.


Okuda is still chairman. I suppose one might see this change as bold to keep things lively, or a smackdown to keep under management quite scared.

 

So Honda is just going to make FWD economy cars and extremely light duty trucks & SUVs, sounds about right.

On point two do you think that a person that buys a premium luxury car will cheap out on $.10 a gallon in their 'performance' sedan.

 

redzed, you have no credibility with this board. It doesn't suprise me that nobody believes you.

 

The S2000 was always a stand-alone product, and didn't have much to do wit the rest of the Honda range - just like the NSX.

I was just responding to someone who apparently had never heard of a knock sensor. Personally, I don't think many luxury car buyers will use low octane fuel, but you never know.

 

My point is that BMW can't touch Lexus when it comes to reliability, which was never very important because cars like the IS300 didn't have any performance credibility. Compared to the outgoing E46 3-series, the Lexus IS300 always felt undersized, dull and underpowered. (The IS300's lack of acceleration was strange because there shouldn't have been much difference between the 215 horsepower Lexus and a 225 horsepower BMW 330i. For some reason, BMW always manages to get the most out of fairly modest stated outputs.)

The IS350 is product that can potential put Lexus on an equal footing with BMW in the near-luxury market. Assuming that the IS350 can combine IS300 pricing levels (low $30Ks) with Infiniti G35 levels of spaciousness and can retain traditional Lexus levels of refinement, this could easily be the best car in the 3-series segment.

 

One product can give a company a reputation for producing performance cars. Lexus has produced cars with top-notch reliability and durability from day one (a position that's far more favorable than Chrysler's before the introduction of the Chrysler 300C). Now that Toyota is finally pulling ahead on the powertrain side of the equation, and between the new 3.5 liter V6 and the upcoming 5.0 liter V8, Lexus has the raw material to pull ahead of BMW in performance credibility.

 

One product can help get folks interested but one or two products won't establish reputation. Chrysler has some performance heritage and we shouldn't forget that HEMI is an equity name based on 426 bigblock history, not smallblock badging.

I don't see BMW having powertrain reputation issues. Not everything they sell here is a big performer, but some intangibles play into their cars popularity. BMW's problems are styling based and some degree of their customer base is put off by the techno gadgetry some of the releases have been equipped with of late.

The lower range BMW's don't sell on high performance actually realized. Aside from the M series, the 3 isn't a stormer. 3's are good handlers, no mistake. They just aren't selling based on horsepower or roadtest numbers. Lexus has a long way to go to bump BMW in the engine department. BMW has proved over and over their ability to produce a powerhouse powerplant when needed. The 4 cylinder F1 turbo motor from 1980 was well over 1000hp output as but one little example.

I think Lexus needs something a bit more exciting designwise to appeal to that market. The have the money to take a shot, that's for certain.

 

People say that Buick is bland in the styling department....

I don't see how Lexus styling is any better... they are the yawners of the luxury world.

 

They 2 brands have similar appeal to their present customers. Luxo and incognito styling prescence.

 

I'd say that the LaCrosse and Lucerne have proven that Buick has gone from "bland" to a strange sort of "import copycat" school of design.


The Lexus brand was never about styling. It was all about world class reliability, top drawer resale values and excellent dealer service. Now Lexus is adding class leading power to the mix.

 

I'd say the Lexus customer base could be described as "middle-aged and affluent" whereas the target Buick buyer is "elderly and on a fixed income."

 

I would agree with all that except the back handed "fixed income" statement.

It's no secret that Buick has one of the oldest, if not the oldest average buyer in the business right now.

But saying they are on a "fixed income" is nonsense. If this were the case, they'd either be buying a cheaper car than a Buick, or buying a used car... everyone, no matter how much or how little they make, needs to live within their means.