Short drive impression of a late model Corolla vs. older Lexus

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Drove a dealer friend's '18 Corolla up to the auction where he will sell it and so I could pick up and bring home an '07 Lexus LS460 I bought for somebody. 125 miles each way. The Corolla was a lower level model with hubcaps but was still pretty well equipped. Power windows, radar cruise, touch screen with backup camera, even the stay in your lane alert that nudges the wheel if you get too close to the next lane. It had a CVT but felt pretty good. The inside has nice cloth seats and it rode and drove very nice with only 24,000 miles. Wouldn't exactly call it an appliance as some here seem to do.

The Lexus I drove back in has 139,000 miles and is fully loaded as expected. The ride and feel of course is smoother than the Corolla, but not all that much more. An S Mercedes I had of this era feels another another class smoother and more refined than the Lex, although the miles were half and the cylinders were more. Still, it isolates you well from the road such that you can be doing 80-85 without realizing it. The 8 speed transmission felt smooth in a different way compared to a CVT but it made full use of the 380 HP engine. The sticker price was $65K new, but ironically, both cars are about the same value today.
 
My FIL had a used LS 460, probably around that year. I had respect for the big Lex but it was surprisingly cramped inside for as big as it was, and even with the v8 up there couldnt be prodded to get in too much of a hurry. It stretched out long legs on the interstate though. its been interesting to me to watch Lexus interpret their concept of “luxury.” I don’t know much about them, but it seems they made some big leaps between then and the mid 2015s or so.
 
uh; id take ES any day over Corolla; that long wheel base add for a secure yet comfortable ride
 
Drove a dealer friend's '18 Corolla up to the auction where he will sell it and so I could pick up and bring home an '07 Lexus LS460 I bought for somebody. 125 miles each way. The Corolla was a lower level model with hubcaps but was still pretty well equipped. Power windows, radar cruise, touch screen with backup camera, even the stay in your lane alert that nudges the wheel if you get too close to the next lane. It had a CVT but felt pretty good. The inside has nice cloth seats and it rode and drove very nice with only 24,000 miles. Wouldn't exactly call it an appliance as some here seem to do.

The Lexus I drove back in has 139,000 miles and is fully loaded as expected. The ride and feel of course is smoother than the Corolla, but not all that much more. An S Mercedes I had of this era feels another another class smoother and more refined than the Lex, although the miles were half and the cylinders were more. Still, it isolates you well from the road such that you can be doing 80-85 without realizing it. The 8 speed transmission felt smooth in a different way compared to a CVT but it made full use of the 380 HP engine. The sticker price was $65K new, but ironically, both cars are about the same value today.
In that category, S class is name of the game.
 
I had an 07 LS460L and loved the ride of that car. It felt so much more substantial than any new compact car I’ve driven, granted it had 40k miles and not 139k. Was the one you drove equipped with air suspension? I got mine for the residual value after my FIL’s lease was over ($33k) drove it for a year and a half and sold it for $33k on Craigslist. Best factory paint I’ve had on any vehicle.
 

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Lexus changed the game in luxury cars. It made MBZ change their "premium pricing" and improve their car's quality.
Those early Lexi were 400K cars.
This is taught in business schools.

I give you credit for comparing Corollas to Lexi... That's pretty good!
 
Lexus changed the game in luxury cars. It made MBZ change their "premium pricing" and improve their car's quality.
Those early Lexi were 400K cars.
This is taught in business schools.

I give you credit for comparing Corollas to Lexi... That's pretty good!

Yep! Same way an Acura NSX sent Ferrari back to the drawing board. Very good!

By the way, you're referencing the LS400. :)

The ES250 didn't count LOL.
 
I owned a LS460 for five years and put 179,000 miles on it. Great car but oil consumption did me in.

But that 2007 LS460 is now 14 years old, tough to compare it to any 2018 vehicle. And a 2007 LS460 with 140,000 miles probably needs control arms (if they hadn’t been replaced already), they’re a huge trouble spot for those cars. Also, wind noise is a problem with the 2007’s. You have to remember that the 2007 was the first year of the LS460, so that was the year that seemed to have the most issues, compared to a 2010 or something. But great cars, smooth power, quiet, very solid feel and reasonably reliable for a high end luxury car. Honestly miss that car now (now I own a 2016 Avalon, and although it great, it just isn’t the same).
 
I owned a LS460 for five years and put 179,000 miles on it. Great car but oil consumption did me in.

But that 2007 LS460 is now 14 years old, tough to compare it to any 2018 vehicle. And a 2007 LS460 with 140,000 miles probably needs control arms (if they hadn’t been replaced already), they’re a huge trouble spot for those cars. Also, wind noise is a problem with the 2007’s. You have to remember that the 2007 was the first year of the LS460, so that was the year that seemed to have the most issues, compared to a 2010 or something. But great cars, smooth power, quiet, very solid feel and reasonably reliable for a high end luxury car. Honestly miss that car now (now I own a 2016 Avalon, and although it great, it just isn’t the same).

I've thought about how cool it would be to have an LS460 L.

I've seen one on the road.

They do NOT stand out. (They blend in with other cars on the road. No "I'm a German car, ticket me" vibes.)

This another one of those "What 30 cars would I get if I ever struck it rich" list vehicles.
 
I've thought about how cool it would be to have an LS460 L.

I've seen one on the road.

They do NOT stand out. (They blend in with other cars on the road. No "I'm a German car, ticket me" vibes.)

This another one of those "What 30 cars would I get if I ever struck it rich" list vehicles.
They’re nice cars, excellent highway drivers. They drive like an airplane on the highway. Not super fun like a S-class or BMW, but just a different car. I loved mine. Never one single check engine light or electrical problem in all those miles I drove it.
 
I've thought about how cool it would be to have an LS460 L.

I've seen one on the road.

They do NOT stand out. (They blend in with other cars on the road. No "I'm a German car, ticket me" vibes.)

This another one of those "What 30 cars would I get if I ever struck it rich" list vehicles.
I enjoy the same with the GS. unless you pay particular attention to the front bumper, it’s sort of a cross between an accord and a Camry with minimal distinguishing features. It doesnt announce itself. I’m good with that.
 
I enjoy the same with the GS. unless you pay particular attention to the front bumper, it’s sort of a cross between an accord and a Camry with minimal distinguishing features. It doesnt announce itself. I’m good with that.

I'm going to have to post the VinWiki video where the record-setting disguised his E63 AMG (?) and made it look kind of like a 2000s Honda Accord from the back.

It worked..
 
The first gen LS400 was set up to be floaty boaty like the contemporary american sedan, they knew what buyers wanted. The S-Class before 1999 had a very unremarkable ride, not soft not firm just average, but they were the preferred option worldwide because they ride the same no matter what kind of crappy road you were driving on. You feel like you’re crushing the road in front of you.

Runflats and large wheels certainly make a really nice ride harder to achieve.
 
My 2008 E-350 also stickered for $65k. Basically when I was looking, the Lexus models didn't have as many options as Mercedes and to me, if you're going to get a luxury car, you mind as well have some luxury features otherwise what's the point of buying one? Oh yeah, to many people just the name. German cars seem to offer more value than Japanese makes in the used market. The perception that the Japanese are more reliable forces the used car prices up higher than comparable German models. New, maybe a toss up.

They do NOT stand out. (They blend in with other cars on the road. No "I'm a German car, ticket me" vibes.)

In the 6+ years I've had both, I only got stopped once for doing 40 in a 30 but pretty much everyone did that speed, only got a warning.

If you want a beater luxury car, I'd say the 2008-2009 E class is a decent buy, earlier model had various issues but mostly were fixed by 2008. Some like the 2006 with the bad balance shaft and the 2003 with the bad radiators that destroyed the transmission were disasters, you just have to know what years to buy. Wait a few more years and they'll probably come down to 3-5k.
 
My 2008 E-350 also stickered for $65k. Basically when I was looking, the Lexus models didn't have as many options as Mercedes and to me, if you're going to get a luxury car, you mind as well have some luxury features otherwise what's the point of buying one? Oh yeah, to many people just the name. German cars seem to offer more value than Japanese makes in the used market. The perception that the Japanese are more reliable forces the used car prices up higher than comparable German models. New, maybe a toss up.



In the 6+ years I've had both, I only got stopped once for doing 40 in a 30 but pretty much everyone did that speed, only got a warning.

If you want a beater luxury car, I'd say the 2008-2009 E class is a decent buy, earlier model had various issues but mostly were fixed by 2008. Some like the 2006 with the bad balance shaft and the 2003 with the bad radiators that destroyed the transmission were disasters, you just have to know what years to buy. Wait a few more years and they'll probably come down to 3-5k.
A $65,000 dollar Lexus LS460 was the base model - they would spec up over $100,000...I think upwards to $120,000 for the long wheelbase hybrid.

But this is what typically would be available for a gas engine long wheel base LS460 (priced at around $90-$95k).

Heated and cooled seats. Heated wheel. Mark Levinson sound system with 21 speakers. Puddle lights, soft close doors all around, air ride, self parking, reclining rear seats, automatic rear sun shades, AWD, backup camera, front and rear sensors system, wood trim interior soft leather all around, direct and port injected and the first mass produced totally bullet proof 8-speed transmission. The only thing i can think of that it didn’t have was heads up display.

A $65,000 base model, would still give you all of that^^^, but without the stereo, air ride, reclining seats, self parking, and AWD.

The car was engineered ahead of its time...self parking car in 2007? With port and direct injection, mounted to an 8-speed transmission?

I don’t think an E-Class is in the same category, now an S-Class or BMW 750 or Audi A8? Ok, and I’d say all of those cars are more fun to drive, and look better inside and out. But that LS460 was pretty darn loaded for its day and very reliable. IMO
 
How about headlamp washers, pano roofs, keyless go, active curve illumination and power trunk closers? For that price, it was probably closer to an S class. Then you get stuff like 4 zone climate control, rear heated seats etc. Heated and cooled seats were standard on an E-550. Didn't have that as an option on an E-350.
 
How about headlamp washers, pano roofs, keyless go, active curve illumination and power trunk closers? For that price, it was probably closer to an S class. Then you get stuff like 4 zone climate control, rear heated seats etc. Heated and cooled seats were standard on an E-550. Didn't have that as an option on an E-350.
Yes, headlamp washers, keyless go, turning headlamps, rear heated seats, power trunk closer, 4 zone climate control...all standard in the base model LS460. Pano roof, no. But the sunroof was enormous.

The LS460 was built to takeover the S-Class and BMW 750. It was a great car, but it never came close to taking over the S-Class. And they did try...they spent 6 months just developing the “thunk” of the door being closed. They tried thinking of everything, but they forgot excitement and style, I guess.
 
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