Lexus GS or BMW 5 Series?

I currently drive a 2005 MB E320. I owned the current version of the BMW 5 series previously, but the style kind of reverse grew on me, and I ended up trading it in because I regretted the purchase. Now it is new car time again, and I am torn between the Lexus GS and the Bimmer. Now the style looks OK to me. I am no great fan of the Lexus styling either, but these seem to be the go-to cars in the range my firm is looking at. Audi would be in play, but the nearest service location is an hour away from my home. Any thoughts? I love the way the 5 series drove, but the Lexus is pretty luxurious. I know that folks will say it's comparing apples and oranges, but I'd just like to get some general thoughts about which car they'd choose.

My father jsut got the '09 GS after having an '06 and my mother has the IS250, so we've had them several times. We also test drove the 5 series, MB E350 and Audi A6 and the Q35... our overall thoughts were this..


The Mercedes, BMW and Audi were definitely more similar to each other the the Lexus. They're all sort of the German hard riding performance cars, in which case BMW has the most performance, Mercedes is a bit more luxury and personally I liked the Audi, but we had the same problem, no nearby service stations.

In the end we did and have chosen Lexus again and again because of the excellent service, better prices, and it's much on the luxury side of a car. If performance is your thing then I'd lean more towards BMW, but if you don't really care for the hard ride and want more of the softer side (although the Lexus gs450? has got some umph) then Lexus. Another consideration is price... I believe the GS has come down about 10K and they're low rates right now. Also consider resale value.

As for my personal choice... I find the Lexus a little boring, although they've gotten much better over the years, but I also found the BMW to be a bit, well sort of sparse. Then again, I found the lexus to be a little cluttered with too many buttons and nobs.
If you want the performance, also consider revved up lower lines like the BMW M3, Mercedies C63, the Lexus IsF, or Audi S5...


Edit - I'll also add that we test drove the infinity m35 but it just sounded like an underpowered low-torqued set engine and the overal styling was pretty boring. The g37 is a real looker, haven't driven one though.
As for the Cadillac option mentioned below, i really can't comment as we avoided most of the american cars in general. Other options might be
Acura RL, the Lincoln MkZ? and the Cadillacs...

I'd also highly suggest test driving several options, and especially under non-normal conditions, like at night. I find night driving often reveals many important but overlooked factors.

I'd definately take the 5 series over the Lexus. My dad used to have a 545i and it was a great car. The only complaint was that it was one of the first with the tiptronic so it wasnt overly smooth.

Maybe it's just me but I really dont like the look of the Lexus at all.

Just for s and g's, go test drive an Infinit M35/45. Come back and post your opinion. Infiniti has a way of bridging the gap between the Uber-Vagons and the Geisha-maidens. I have a 2005 Q45. If and when Infiniti brings back the mothership, I will buy another.

I personally love BMW and wouldn't want to ever be behind the wheel of a Lexus. If you don't feel this way maybe Bimmers aren't for you because they sure aren't the most comfortable.

Originally Posted by Hany

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I personally love BMW and wouldn't want to ever be behind the wheel of a Lexus. If you don't feel this way maybe Bimmers aren't for you because they sure aren't the most comfortable.

+1

you need to drive them and you'll know the answer pretty quickly.. Toyota has done a good job marketing the Lexus as a luxury car, but at the end of the day, its not a performance luxury car. For that, you need to go to BMW.

I have an S55 and a 08 Cts-4. I personally prefer the new CTS-V. You might want to look at it!

How much money are you willing to spend? If you are looking to buy a new GS or 5 series I would not...if it has to be new I look into the '10 E-Class but between a 5 series and a GS I would choose the Lexus.

You can pick up a M5 or Audi S6 (with the Lamborghini engine) that is only a couple of years old for less than $50k or you could get an Audi A8 for even less than that.

Lexus because I don't do German.

^ I am not trolling here, but doesn't Audi share some parts with VW? Urban legend?

Originally Posted by gnatty8

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^ I am not trolling here, but doesn't Audi share some parts with VW? Urban legend?

Audi is the high end VW, like Lexus is to Toyota, Infiniti to Nissan. Porsche is also a VW product. As far as sharing parts, they do share chassis and almost all German made cars share OEMs, for instance, ZF for transmissions, Bilstein and Boge for shocks, Bosch for electronics and motors, etc. The new 335i has a Mitsubishi turbocharger for that matter, so I'm not sure what you're getting at with your question.

Originally Posted by lbcgav

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Audi is the high end VW, like Lexus is to Toyota, Infiniti to Nissan. Porsche is also a VW product. As far as sharing parts, they do share chassis and almost all German made cars share OEMs, for instance, ZF for transmissions, Bilstein and Boge for shocks, Bosch for electronics and motors, etc. The new 335i has a Mitsubishi turbocharger for that matter, so I'm not sure what you're getting at with your question.

You are reading too much into my question, I was just curious if this were true.. I realized VW was parent to Audi, but never knew if the Audi = VW parts was urban myth. I think you have the Porsche connection backwards; I am fairly certain it is Porsche that owns majority stake in VW..

Porsche is not a VW product. The Cayenne had shared development with the Toureg, and there may be future collaborations, but there isn't any platform sharing with their cars as Audi and VW do.

--Andre

Originally Posted by gnatty8

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You are reading too much into my question, I was just curious if this were true.. I realized VW was parent to Audi, but never knew if the Audi = VW parts was urban myth. I think you have the Porsche connection backwards; I am fairly certain it is Porsche that owns majority stake in VW..

Got ya. Sorry about that. I did not know Porsche owned VW, I always thought it was the other way around.

The choice for me would be BMW. They are great cars. Lexus is nice, but I don't feel it's on par with the handling and overall performance of BMW.