Comparison: Lexus LS 600hL/Jaguar Super V8/Mercedes-Benz S550/Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT

Motor Trend assembled some super saloons in their latest ultra-luxury sedan comparison test, pitting the Lexus LS 600hL against the Jaguar Super V8, Mercedes S550 & Maserati Quattroporte Sport. The LS 600hL didn’t have a great showing, at least in the driving department: The all-wheel-drive Lexus exhibited pigheaded understeer in most corners, often attended by …

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Kevin · November 12th, 2007

Comparison: Lexus LS600h vs. Audi A8

Right out the gate, the Audi A8 had a very significant advantage over the Lexus LS 600h in Autoweek’s recent comparison test — After all, the A8 is £20,000 cheaper than the LS 600h, and £20,000 is a steep hill to climb: More crucially, while the low 219g/km emissions are very impressive, it’s hard to …

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Kevin · November 11th, 2007

Video Comparison of the Lexus IS-F, BMW M3 & Audi RS4

Coming from an automotive marketing company that counts Lexus as a client, this AMCI video comparing the IS-F with the BMW M3 and Audi RS4 does seem more than a little bias, but that doesn’t stop it from being a great watch: To be fair, test driver Dave Sherman doesn’t proclaim the IS-F the king, …

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Kevin · November 9th, 2007

Edmunds Sport Sedan Comparison Test

Edmunds has posted up a comparison test of 2007-2008 sports sedans, pitting the 2007 Lexus IS 350 and Infiniti G35 Sport against 2008 models of the Cadillac CTS, Mercedes C350 Sport and BMW 335i. How did Lexus fare? Fourth place: Not one editor who scored this test was able to find the kind of personal …

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Kevin · November 5th, 2007

Edmunds Comparison: Lexus IS-F vs. Audi RS4

Edmunds has pitted the Lexus IS-F against the Audi RS4, and in what might be the first published IS-F comparison test. The results, unfortunately, were not pretty, as this is a fairly one-sided affair, with the RS4 pulling far ahead of the IS-F in every category. Their conclusion really says it all: The 2009 Lexus …

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Kevin · October 28th, 2007

Comparison: Lexus LS 600h vs. Mercedes S420 CDI vs. BMW 745d

I would have thought that Auto Motor Und Sport’s comparison test of the Lexus LS 460 vs. Volkswagen Phaeton would be hard to beat in terms of bias, but they’ve outdone themselves, their comparison of the Lexus LS 600h vs. BMW 745d vs. Mercedes S420 CDI is a absolute gem. Posted on Autospies, the bulk …

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Kevin · October 3rd, 2007

Comparison: 2008 Lexus IS 250 vs. 2008 Mercedes C200k

British car mag Auto Express has pitted the Lexus IS 250 against the Europe-only C200K version of the new Mercedes C-Class, with the Mercedes coming up with the win: The IS’s V6 has more character than the C-Class’s four-cylinder engine, but isn’t any pacier, unless pushed hard. The IS250 costs more in SE-L trim, too, …

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Kevin · October 3rd, 2007

Consumer Reports Comparison: The Lexus LS 460L vs. The Mercedes S550

In their November issue, Consumer Reports has compared the Lexus LS 460L and Mercedes S550, which the LS 460L handily won, scoring 99/100 versus 86/100 for the S550. While I certainly wouldn’t argue with the outcome of their comparison, I think Consumer Reports has gone off the deep-end, listen to this logic: The Lexus LS …

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Kevin · October 2nd, 2007

Comparison: Lexus LS 460 vs. Volkswagen Phaeton

A member of German Car Zone was nice enough to translate an article from German car magazine Auto Motor Und Sport pitting the Volkswagen Phaeton against the Lexus LS 460. (The full text appears on Autospies, if you don’t feel like signing up for GCZ account.) Now, whether it’s a case of German bias or …

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Kevin · July 26th, 2007

Hyundai’s Veracruz vs. RX 350 Commercial

Hyundai has taken Motor Trend’s rather irksome comparison of the new Veracruz and the Lexus RX350 and ran with it, producing this cute but flawed commercial: Now, Hyundai can’t be faulted for wanting to draw attention to the Motor Trend results, but is it really a smart idea to celebrate the copycat styling of the …

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Kevin · July 21st, 2007

Top Gear Comparison: Lexus SC 430 vs. Hyundai Tiburon

I can’t say that the SC 430 is my favorite car in Lexus’ lineup, but Top Gear took it one step further, declaring it “the worst car on sale today”. When comparing it to the Hyundai Tiburon, it was hardly even a contest: “Dreadful”. “Horrible”. “Charmless”. I’m honestly surprised the host didn’t drive the SC …

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Kevin · June 23rd, 2007

Comparison: 2008 Lexus RX 350 vs. 2007 Hyundai Veracruz Limited AWD

It should be common knowledge that the Lexus RX 350 and the Hyundai Veracruz Limited are in different classes, bought by different people for different reasons, but that didn’t stop Motortrend from comparing the two vehicles in their latest issue. Let me save you the farce, the Veracruz is declared the winner of the two, …

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Kevin · June 21st, 2007

Comparison: Lexus IS 350 vs. BMW 330i

It’s now almost two years old, but I’ve seen few comparisons as detailed as Autoweb’s head-to-head showdown between the 2006 BMW 330i and the 2006 Lexus IS 350. No stone is left unturned as they pit the two cars against each other, comparing them in convenience, design, comfort, and driving. The results couldn’t be considered …

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Kevin · June 10th, 2007

The LS 600h vs. the LS 460: Is the hybrid really worth the extra money?

Bruce McCulloch over at Autosavant asked the question “Does the 600h really offer any true advantage over the lesser LS460?” and came away with a resounding “NO!” Let’s summarize his major points: The 600h costs $35,000USD more than a similarly equipped 460. People buying a car in this price range ($100,000USD +) don’t really care …

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Kevin · June 5th, 2007

Comparison: 2007 Lexus IS350 vs. 2007 BMW 335i

Edmunds has published a head-to-head battle of the 2007 IS350 vs. the BMW 335i, and while the results are fairly predictable (Shock! The 3-series wins again), a point must be made that the test itself was skewed in favor of Bavaria. With performance being the main point of the comparison, the 335i was equipped with …

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Kevin · May 31st, 2007