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Re: Can't anybody here design a sports sedan?

The European car enthusiasts never cease to amaze me with their talk of "handling" and "spirited driving" and "ultimate driving machines". This is all well and good if you like to know your dealer ship mechanic on a first name basis. I work with a Euro immigrant who says Mercedes is the best car made on the market. Maybe 30 years ago but not now. They are below average in quality as ranked by Consumer Report . In reality Euro cars are no better in quality than the average Detroit car in many cases worse. Notice that they never claim to be of higher quality or fewer breakdowns or have fewer breakdowns but they can never back it up.

Reply to
Ice
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What I would like to REALLY know, is just how much of this "spirited driving" is really taking place before the owner ends up getting nailed for speeding or wreckless driving, has a crash, or seriously damages their high-dollar toy??? The average sports sedan driver that I witness on the nation's highways pretty much babys their expensive car. At least it appears that way to me. How many of these owners are really autocrossing on the weekends??? I don't know about you guys, but I see plenty of c.o.p.s out there just waiting on the side of the road to nail one of these "spirited drivers".

People that aren't satisfied with a car as nice as an IS250/IS350 because of its handling limitations need to purchase a 2-doors sports coupe and get on with their truly "spirited driving".

Happy court dates!

Ron M.

Reply to
Ron M.

Ah the voice of sanity! Truly the spirited driving car does not get driven that way. However, there is a difference in handling between my S Klass Kar and the Kudzu Car from the little Island of the Sunny Flag. When I drive my S Klass, it feels heavier and more substantial than the LS cars. Of course it has to be fixed much more often also. And the seats in this old 96 S 420 just are the best experience I have ever had in any car. I think that is a great part of what the Euro Car owners are talking about.

Reply to
mcbrue

For most people, it's probably just psychological (i.e., the knowledge that they *can* drive crazy if they want to, even though usually don't). How many people really need a V8 engine, or a huge SUV?

Reply to
Ol' Dirty Bastard

Quite a bit of truth in what you say, but not complete truth. Some Euro-brands really are very good in Lexus-style quality/reliability. Jaguar and Porsche come to mind. Others just suck (VW and Merc come to mind). Others are Buick level (BMW comes to mind). The new guy at Merc is setting out to fix things. We'll see.

These things change. Witness the Korean brands who started as trash just a few years back and are now giving Toyota product planners nightmares because of how good they've gotten really fast.

Reply to
nopcbs

No they don't, they just have to get BMW sedan...or even an Infiniti. Hey, it's Lexus that is targeting BMW (and missing), not the Euro-car fans.

My prediction: Lexus will put a manual gear box in the IS350 and they will allow you to turn off the intrusive stability control in future flavors. The latter, in particular, is what is keeping the IS350 from being a credible 330i competitor.

By the way, you don't have to drive illegally fast or irresponsibly to enjoy approaching the limits in a good sports sedan.

Reply to
nopcbs

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