BMW or Lexus

[detaildoc]

Ok, so a good friend of mine wants to buy a new car and has narrowed down his choices to either a 5 series BMW or a Lexus ES350 or GS350. My choice is the Lexus (either one), but that is because I prefer luxury and comfort and a smooth quite ride (especially when having to commute) over performance and a hard suspension. Here is my argument in a nutshell: BMW if you love to drive and you like performance, but IMO you sacrifice comfort and luxury (especially in the inside). Lexus if you prefer luxury and comfort, but you sacrifice performance (though the GS performs well, but not like the BMW). Lexus also has superior reliability to BMW. Personally, I don't need to be making risky sharp turns at 65 mph in a 50k+ vehicle. So, let's help my friend decide. What do you guys think?

Just to clarify, the 5 series he is considering is the 528i.

[BigAl3]

in the long run i would go with the Lexus...

[SilvaBimma]

BMW = True Driving

Lexus = Trouble Free.... easy driving...

[Mark77]

BMWs are pretty reliable, much better than Audi or MB. What do you base the comment on ? JDPower? And the 5series is comfortable as well and fun to drive.

[mysteryan]

BMW = Less standard features. You add all the features the GS has standard and the 5 ends up A LOT more. Even leather cost more, they give you leatherette. Adaptive headlights, homelink, etc all cost extra on the 5 whereas the GS is standard. The 5 has a crappy looking interior IMO (most BMWs do), but their exteriors are really nice. I'm sure the 5 is funner and sportier to drive. Where as the Lexus tends to be quiet, numb, but comfortable.

[itb76]

As stated above, it depends on what you want from your car. Are YOU (actually your friend in this case) a BMW person or a Lexus person? I'm a BMW guy, so that's what I'll get next. Won't even look at anything else. I drive fast all the time. But if a smooth, quiet ride and the ultimate in reliability are at the top of your list, you're a Lexus person.

[Accumulator]

I can't really cast a vote for somebody else's decision as, IMO, it depends on the driver. My wife and I would vote BMW, but that's just *us* and most of our friends would be happier with the Lexus. NO question the Lexus would be a more trouble-free ownership experience, but I think he'd just have to drive them all and then make his decision.

If he doesn't appreciate the higher abilities of the BMW, then the Lexus would be a no-brainer choice. If he finds the Lexus' limits during his test drive (heh heh, imagine face of Lexus salesman ) then he'll want the Bimmer and there won't be any question in his mind about the choice.

*MOST* people really just want a good appliance that gets them around, so I'd bet on his taking the Lexus.

[12thMan]

I just bought a BMW 3-series and was also looking at the IS briefly. For me the decision was a no brainier after test driving both of them. But the performance and road feel are very important to me.

Several others have already said this, but I'll put it another way. If you want to be connected to the road when you're driving get the BMW, if you want to be insulated from it get the Lexus. I would also add that I don't think there's a lot of difference in terms of the luxuriousness of either vehicle, both makes are impeccably finished out and the cabins are both quite comfortable.

[jpochile]

Well here is the Lexus IS F . It is BMW fast but has the luxury of Lexus . You get both worlds. Here is the write up from one of the car magazines :

2008 Lexus IS F - Short Take Road Test
Fuji's Firebomb: New IS F is fast, fun, and in many ways quite familiar.


October 2007

Why the letter "F" in the new V-8-powered, 416-horsepower Lexus IS F? Simple: Toyota's luxury brand and the letter F have a long history. In the mid-1980s, the Lexus luxury division was then just a classified notepad document codenamed "Circle F." The first Lexus LS400 of 1989 was known internally as the "F1" or "Flagship." And the stylized Fs on the 2008 IS F are drawn, it's said, to mimic a few hairpin turns of Toyota's Higashi-Fuji test track.



This first F (there'll be more Lexus models with the F treatment soon, most likely) is a V-8-powered sledgehammer that rockets to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds—fleeter by 0.1 second than the new M3—has a 172-mph speed governor, and generates 0.92 g on the skidpad. It also keeps us grinning through hard track laps, even though the frequent fill-ups of premium were inhaled by street driving at the rate of 16 mpg. We'll have to wait until March, 2008, when the IS F goes on sale at an expected price around $59,000 to see how many buyers are interested in a wicked-performing Lexus.

Developed in cooperation with Yamaha, the IS F's engine, or the 2UR-GSE as Toyota calls the 416-hp variant of the 389-hp 5.0-liter V-8 found in the LS600h hybrid, sans hybrid gear, is peakier, actually losing 17 pound-feet of torque on the operating table as the changes pushed the horsepower and torque peak higher up the revs. Solid lifters and titanium intake valves with 10 percent more lift reside in new higher-flow cylinder heads. At full throttle above 3400 rpm, a barn door in the box snaps open with vacuum released from a small reservoir, and the unleashed induction noise is raw and thrilling.








Cheers , Jean Paul

[iamwiz82]

Lexus just doesn't have any personality. It's a Toyota thing, and I have owned and enjoyed Toyota. They were good cars, but didn't inspire me the way BMW does. I never get tired of just running to Home Depot in mine. Everyday is an adventure

[bigfish528]

I myself on a daily commute go for the Lexus ES350 for comfort and quiet because I noticed if you had a long or trouble filled day nothing beats driving in a smooth quiet car with the Mark Levinson radio playing. BMW on the other hand I know many people love them but the ride is a little to harsh for a true luxury vehicle.

[suki22]

Originally Posted by SilvaBimma

BMW = True Driving

Lexus = Trouble Free.... easy driving...

^^^^