[QUOTE=zishan]
Uh... First of all, there's no such thing as GS330 to begin with, its GS300, but thats not whats important.

The RL does indeed compete with LS430; they are both rather large luxury cars with boaty handling, excessive wood trim and high price tag. It might compete somewhat with GS300, but I would say it competes with ES300 moreso than GS300. In fact, ES300 and current RL are a perfect match.

As far as the TL goes, it competes with G35, and somewhat with IS300, although TSX is much more of a competition to IS300 than TL is. TL also competes against ES300, although only God knows why would anyone cross shop TL with ES300 - there's a world of difference between these cars, price tag is the only similarity. However, the direct Lexus competitor to TL is the GS300; it too has more or less sporty ride, high revving engine, good handling, similar size and similar price tag. Don't take my word for it, go to any lexus forum, clublexus.com for example and see how many discussions there are concerning GS300 vs TL.

 

Similar price tag? So when is $32k (with leather and HID) similar to $39k (with cloth seats and without HID)? :ugh:

 

You're totally disregarding pricing, but whatever.

A look at a few prices. Just a note, Lexus has base pricing but then every model has a certain level of minimum option package which must be ordered and Infiniti generally includes a lower level of standard equipment.

Acura TL - $32,650
Acura 3.5RL - $45,600

Infiniti G35 Sedan - $30,690 ($33,890 comparably equipped)
Infiniti M45 - $43,840 ($44,840 comparably equipped)
Infiniti Q45 - $52,990

Lexus ES330 - $31,725 ($34,549 w/ minimum required package)
Lexus GS300 - $38,725 ($41,019 w/ minimum required package)
Lexus GS430 - $47,825 ($52,224 w/ minimum required package)
Lexus LS430 - $55,325 ($56,924 w/ minimum required package)

Let's connect the dots, shall we?

Clearly the TL, G35 and ES330 are in the same bracket.

The RL is closest in price to the M45 and neatly bisects the two GS models.

The Q45 comes in about the same as the smaller GS430 and close to the LS430, however both the Q and LS are much larger cars and can be optioned up with a bunch of high end stuff.

A word on size: yes, the RL is just a hair smaller than the LS430. However given the vast differences in engine (I'm talking the current model), driveline layout, and price, I wouldn't really call them competitors.

Of course now I'm wondering why I even bothered to type all that out since you have already quite clearly demonstrated you are immune to logic.

 

Well since we're talking about the upcoming RL...I was comparing it to the upcoming gs330. That is unless you think they are going to bring back the outdated, heavy inline 6 for the next gen.

 

Uh... First of all, there's no such thing as ES300 to begin with, its ES330, but thats not whats important.

 

Actually, ES300 has been around for about 10 years, ES330 just came out this year. There was even an ES250 before, but whatever.

 

I'm not immune to logic, I am aware of the price differences, but it's not just the price that matters. If you are shopping for a car, do you cross shop cars based on price only or by their driving dynamics? GS430 and Corvette are similarly priced, are they being cross shopped?

Try to realize that the driving dynamics of RL is closer to driving dynamics of LS and ES (bloaty, soft, quiet, aka buick century); same goes for its appearance inside/out - pretty boring yet expensive and classy looking. Perfect ride for upper middle class old farts, soccer moms and dads.

TL on the other hand is a perfect match for GS300's - sporty, aggressive looking, etc. Even though it is often said that people cross shop ES300 and TL, I disagree; Most of the ES drivers are mid-aged or older folks, while the TL and GS are more appealing to the younger crowd.

 

There aren't any specs released on the next GS yet, so anything could happen. And 2JZ-GE is the best 6 cylinder engine ever made, much better than the bored camry V6.

 

wow...I had no clue there was an es250 or es300 before

since when are we talking about cars no longer in production.

 

yes it was a great engine..but everyone knows and has known that it will be discontinued (at least stateside it will and most likely alltogether).

p.s. the 2jz-gte was better than the 2jz-ge is now. Maybe it is the same block...but the gte has stronger internals. and the rb26dett still kicks both their asses.