Avoid Lexus 07 models - killer trannies

You could hear a pin drop when the almighty "mcbrue" addressed his adoring fans with these immortal words:

Holy CRAP! I never knew those dump trucks could break the sound barrier!

Must be that dang high grade diesel fuel they use.

The GS450H uses a CVT, which means it only has ONE shift (from the lower range to the upper range). It does however lag, like you said, between slamming the pedal and it actually taking off. This lag however, is not one second. One second is a long time, the lag is less than that, The ,75 hesitation in acceleration occurs only at the shift point between high and low. In the overall acceleration rating between the GS450h and the BMW 550i, the GS450 had one longer lag whereas the BMW had 5 separate gear changes. Overall, the GS450H's graph passed the 550i's graph.

This will likely NOT be the case with the LS model, since it will use an 8 speed sequential automatic transmission. It will of course have the transmission lag of any normal automatic vehicle, but it won't be any longer than it is for any other make. The GS450 however, does have a bit of a problem (based on reviews only, who knows what you will think when you personally test drive one).

for pointing out the difference between the two trannys. However, what concerns me is that the graph of acceleration for the GS did clearly show the hesitation between each shift and the BMW did not. Again, if the pause is only .75 seconds and the speeding dump truck is coming at

I assume you read this in Motor Trend or Car and Driver or R&T, one of those 3. I get all three magazines, and I know exactly the graph you are referring to. The GS graph showed one hesitation in the acceleration and that was at the CVT shift point. The graph went from its positive slope to a zero slop and right back to a positive slope only at that one point. The BMW graph however went to a zero slope at each normal shift through forward gears. Perhaps you mistook the graph of the GS for the 550. Eitherway, your point is valid about the hesitation. I do not however foresee it happening with the 8 speed LS460 tranny, although nobody can possibly know since it will be the first ever 8 speed transmission.

The current LS430 uses a standard Toyota six speed automatic transmission with VVT-i. It is the same transmission fitted to the 2006 GS430(correct me if I'm wrong here).

with out alot of math, i dont think it matters if you are sitting in a rocket powered sled, your reaction time is what is going to matter if a dump truck cames barreling at you. The moments of a second spent realizing that the truckis headed your way and the decision to step on the accelerator will certainly kill you. but the extra .75 seconds or whatever dont help but i dont believe that is as important as the brains realization and decion making times.

The Lexus GS graph had multiple flat portions in it every time the tranny shifted. The article spoke to that and explained it.

Reaction time vaires. Adding to the delay of the reaction time HURTS your chances of survival. Ask the people who have survived accidents by getting out of the way of an on-coming vehicle whether they would have survived with another 0.75 second of response time. As a matter of fact, if I put my foot to the floor and the car does not take off, I am likely to release it and try it again, sort of pumping it. So the more I think about it, the more fatal this aspect of the Lexus appears. Guess it is time to talk to the boys in Washington and get Lexus banned as a killer car. And also the Toyota if that realy is the same tranny. They should responde more quickly in an election year.

Did the flat portions of the graph indicate ZERO speed or did they indicate the absence of acceleration, i.e., a steady speed?

hahahah, mcbrue, I'm telling you, you read the graph incorrectly. The GS450h does not SHIFT anymore than one time, the graph I put up there is accurate. I have the scanned version from the article now, but this stupid website doesn't allow me to post pictures. Here is the url for the scanned version.

Ray O, the cars started at 30mph with the BMW in 2nd gear. The pedals were then mashed to the floor. The flat portions in the graph of the BMW represented ZERO acceleration (not zero speed), and in fact represented a very slight negative acceleration as the car slows a tiny bit during the shift itself.

Thank you for posting the graph. I suspected that mcbrue mis-interpreted the graph since a CVT does not shift conventionally, and his postings implied that the car does not move or is stalling.

Nah -- McBrue is just a whiny complainer. I've owned a Lexus (LS4xx) since

Lighten up McBrue!

-C

My ES 330 (2005) has the hesitation and lurch, even after that transmission software upgrade. The Service Rep at the dealer told me their loaners and demonstrators have less of it than the one driver cars. Has something to do with the way the transmission learns how you drive. My condition isn't too terrible, but it is there, particularly when you slow down and then step back on the gas without stopping. Seems if you drive real gentle it's not there, but drive moderately or aggressively and it's there sometimes. I get it more in city driving than on the Inter-states. However, there is a slight hesitation at times when you are on the highway and want to accelerate quickly. The Lexus dealer gave me some kind of BS that that's the way the transmission is designed and is supposed to be. Yeah, right! Al

Yes, I've also heard from the national Lexus customer service line that the "transmission operates as designed." I asked whether it was really designed to operate like crap and the CSR idiot repeated the same line. They're trained to give you nothing but that line. Where are the damn lawyers when you need them.

"...where are all the lawyers ..." They have all been out driving their new Lexi so they are in the hospital or morgue - something about not being able to get out of the way of the speeding dumptrucks ...

LOL I think you are way over exaggerating that slushbox lag. It's just the same lag that anyone would get from a standard automatic transmission as it downshifts.

Fighting cases they think they can win.

Think about it. You're a lawyer. You represent one or more Lexus owners complaining that their Lexus hestitates for a fraction of a second before it does 0-60 in less than 8 seconds. What are your chances of a jury awarding damages to your client(s)?

The lawyers need to sue on behalf of some of the dead lexi drivers killed by the trannies not kicking in soon enough to whisk them out of the way.

In order to do that, they'll first have to find such a person that exists outside of your dreams.

So can I sue on behalf of owners who drive relatively slow cars like Cavalier's or Malibu's or Mustangs or my car who wouldn't have a chance in hell of getting out of the way of said "dump truck"?

"mcbrue" quipped:

Name *one* single Lexus owner that's been killed by "trannies not kicking in soon enough".