GS 400 vs BMW 540

In that very same market comes the new Acura RL, interestingly enough.

I'd go for the GS if you want a more luxurious car and a more troublefree car. But if you want to drive the car at all aggressively, the BMW is the car you want. It's also available with a manual tranny.

- Mark

Good point on the manual transmission.

But keep in mind that Honda, who has always made their cars sportier than not, is probably playing that card pretty heavily with the RL.

I'm assuming you're refering to older models as both of these cars which have now changed engine displacement and thus name badges. I have 2000 GS400....love this car; beautiful interior, excellent sound system, more powerfull, faster, and better braking than the 540....not to mention about 4x more reliable(Consumer Reports). However, the ride is softer than the 540 (but not by much), but with this you lose much of the precision and control the 540 possess on twisty roads, along with its aggressive handling which produces superior slalom scores---the lexus has down right slopy handling for a luxury sport sedan. But,I could not get over the spartan interior of the BMW, and loved the speed and reliablity of the lexus(85k and no trouble thus far). hope this helps Jay

George,

For what it's worth I'll share my feelings on this. And I'll qualify it by stating I've never owned a Bimmer 540. But I did own a BMW 5 series (535) for several years and now drive a GS 400 (both auto drive, no special handling package, etc.). I purchased both used from the same small dealer who sells luxury models (both were first time lease releases with about

55-58,000 miles on the clock). The BMW in the handling department was superior, and I believe BMW is the best handling sedan short of spending a TON of money. But the GS 400 handles almost as well. The GS is smooth and powerful (which I'm sure the 540 would be also), but I'm saying all this to get to this point: the BMW line is plagued with many repairs and cost where the Lexus is virtually fault free. I became quite close to my independent BMW repair man (used to race Bimmers around Miami area) due to the many visits I made for repair. I saw the same BMW's (and other German makes and Volvo) around his shop for several years, so I know my car wasn't a particularly bad lemon - others had the same repair problems. When I bought my Lexus I suggested maybe he would take on the Lexus line for repairs. He jokingly, but I believe seriously too, said if he depended on Lexus repair for his living he would go broke, as they don't break much. Was good for me to hear anyway.

If your primary objective is handling and sportiness I would venture the BMW would be the choice, just based on BMW's stellar reputation for handling. But if you're looking at the overall picture of sport, handling, acceleration, braking and quality of construction and freedom of repairs, the Lexus would be my choice.

I'm more of a pragmatic, older driver (61 years) so I like a mix of sport/dependability. I hope this is helpful in some way.

Harold Williams

Better preformance, nicer interior, better looking exterior. I looked at both and chose the GS400 a few years ago. Only the M5 is quicker, and too expensive.

looked at

I looked at both vehicles when I bought my 2001 540i with 6spd. And the BMW handles like no other. The GS was soft and didn't have the feel I wanted. Both interiors were nice and spacious.

But then I was looking for more of a performance sedan and the BMW was it. I've owned it now for 3 years with 60K on it and the only repairs I've had to do on it have been general maintenance items.

But here in the upper midwest you do need snow tires for the 540i. And you don't for the GS. That set me back a good grand. I didn't want to drive around on steel rims so I purchased a nice package from tirerack. Delivered mounted and balanced right to my door. HTH

Curtis

2001 BMW 540i 6spd 2001 Corvette 6spd