Hows your old barge compare with newer metal

Hows your old barge compare with newer metal

Author
Discussion

Zumbruk

7,848 posts

259 months

Saturday 4th May 2019
quotequote all
I blame low profile tyres and the Nurburgring. I sold my RS3 because the road noise was driving me bonkers.

biggbn

22,823 posts

219 months

Saturday 4th May 2019
quotequote all
Ocellia said:
Reminds me of my neighbour commenting (when I drove a Lexus LS 400 Ser 4) how he liked " 'Not-hearing' you drive by in the village"!
Supreme comfort and great stereo too-that you could hear perfectly in the hush.
I had my regular passengers believing my ls400 was an ev for weeks!!!

Itsallicanafford

2,759 posts

158 months

Saturday 4th May 2019
quotequote all
LexyLex said:
Thanks for this - older LS460 owner here. The ES is interesting but more than likely going to try stretch to an LS500h when I feel it's time to move the LS460 on. Although, I could take an ES, as like you the Lexus isn't the only car I own - S2 Elise owner when I want noise and proper fun. Bet that Megane is great fun biggrin
Glad to help. I would of course love a LS500h but it’s quite a step up in cost from an ES. Maybe give one a whirl, but I fear that someone like me moving up from an IS would be more impressed than somebody moving down from an LS. The ES is a real worldwide volume seller for Lexus.
The Renault is of course an absolute riot of a car but I have always hankered for an Elise since I saw the S2 at the Earl’s Court motor show when they were first released, enjoy!

tomic

720 posts

144 months

Saturday 4th May 2019
quotequote all
Another LS460 owner here. It is extremely quiet, although tyres do make a difference. I replaced the prematurely cracking Pirellis on the front with Hankooks recently and it was a bad move. Noticeable increase in noise so looking to swap them out soon.

Also, it does have 19" wheels so although the ride is smooth, on rough surfaces it'll get upset much more easily than a comparable older car on 15/16 inch wheels.

chunder

734 posts

245 months

Sunday 5th May 2019
quotequote all
LexyLex said:
chunder said:
I have a 2001 GS430 and for some reason every time my wife is a passenger she falls asleep - can be any time of the day but without fail !

Haven't driven a newer GS so can't comment and no point comparing it to my other cars as they are all in a different sector (XC60, IS-F, S40, V40 T4 track car).

Such a good car can't bear to sell it even though it only now gets used for 500 miles a year !
Don't - it's worth more as a car than it's value of sale just to have. It won't depreciate any more and has years of life left in it (these cars last like Mercedes of yesteryear)

How's the IS-F - bet that's fun. I drove the mk4 GS and thought it was very very nice but as I have the LS I am over the moon with that. The Mk4 GS kicked up more tyre roar than my LS which was to be expected but it was a more engaging and nimble drive - again to be expected.
The IS-F is a superbly engineered car but with flaws. There is so much to like and at the moment around £15k for a good 60k example a bargain but I could write a whole PH article !

Overall the good outweighs the bad and I think i'll keep it as there is now after market support to remove the bad, ride quality being the worst, my wife now refusing to sit in it. Driving over a leaf will spill a coffee and unless you only drive on mirror smooth roads you'll soon have a chiropractor on speed dial. Haven't driven a 13 plus plate with the revised Lexus suspension but cheaper for me to change to KW or Bilstein to sort.

The e-diff isn't great, the later proper LSD models are supposedly much better but again, albeit £2k odd, there is a an after market fix. Lexus also strangled what is a brilliant engine - again after market inlet, headers and exhaust will fix that, deliver another 50hp and let it actually make some noise (although inlet noise when all the valves are in play is moorish).

So, a very good car that £8k will make great - a 14 plate will cost me £15k more and there isn't anything else around £28k that grabs me so intend to improve this one (once the track car is finished).

Never been in an LS but if the GS is anything to go by must be a very serene drive - enjoy !

Jaguar steve

9,232 posts

209 months

Monday 6th May 2019
quotequote all
I have a 18 year old XJ with a 3.2 V8. A mate has a two year old 1.4 Golf. Both are automatic and both are good examples.

Apart from the XJ feeling much quicker in a straight line and a little more refined there's little to nothing between the two cars. If pushed I'd say the Golf has a more comfortable ride and better seats, the VW fit and finish and paint quality is better than the Jaguar and of course it'll go at least twice as far on a litre of fuel as well as costing less than half to tax every year.

The verdict? Newer everyday shopping hatchback VW 1. Older prestige top of the range Jaguar 0.

alfaant

6 posts

65 months

Thursday 9th May 2019
quotequote all
All your complaints about tyre noise. Have you tried fitting Michelin Cross Climate to your cars

Truckosaurus

11,183 posts

283 months

Thursday 9th May 2019
quotequote all
Jaguar steve said:
.... two year old 1.4 Golf....
I suspect the key point is that the Golf is a lower tier model so will have small wheels and soft suspension whereas the higher spec versions will have rubber band tyres and 'sports' suspension.

DailyHack

3,123 posts

110 months

Thursday 9th May 2019
quotequote all
E91 on 16" balloon/unfashionable tyres (winter tyres) lovely wafty car on the motorways.

My mum has a F31 m-sport on 18" wheels, ride was good but poor in comparison, why do we do people do this to themselves smile

Then again my '60's Beetle has 165/80/15 tyres (80 profiles!!) now these are balloons!!

anonymous-user

53 months

Thursday 9th May 2019
quotequote all
Jaguar steve said:
I have a 18 year old XJ with a 3.2 V8. A mate has a two year old 1.4 Golf. Both are automatic and both are good examples.

Apart from the XJ feeling much quicker in a straight line and a little more refined there's little to nothing between the two cars. If pushed I'd say the Golf has a more comfortable ride and better seats, the VW fit and finish and paint quality is better than the Jaguar and of course it'll go at least twice as far on a litre of fuel as well as costing less than half to tax every year.

The verdict? Newer everyday shopping hatchback VW 1. Older prestige top of the range Jaguar 0.
I struggle to believe that a well maintained X308 genuinely rides and handles no better than a currnet boggo spec Golf with it's solid beam axle thumping about at the back, and it's cheapy McPherson struts at the front.

I'm quite sure it's built and painted better though, and the X300/8 seats always were a bit disappointing.

dbdb

4,311 posts

172 months

Thursday 9th May 2019
quotequote all
It surprises me too. My XJ40 rides well - it is one of the few areas in which it is still pretty good even by modern standards.

anonymous-user

53 months

Thursday 9th May 2019
quotequote all
dbdb said:
It surprises me too. My XJ40 rides well - it is one of the few areas in which it is still pretty good even by modern standards.
They did firm the X308 up, but an X300 Sovereign on baloon tyres is still superb.

Jaguar steve

9,232 posts

209 months

Friday 10th May 2019
quotequote all
dme123 said:
dbdb said:
It surprises me too. My XJ40 rides well - it is one of the few areas in which it is still pretty good even by modern standards.
They did firm the X308 up, but an X300 Sovereign on baloon tyres is still superb.
The X308 with sport or touring suspension rides a lot firmer than the same name suspension on the X300. The sport suspension 308 in particular - I've had both - is way too firm in my view especially when driven on poor roads and if fitted with larger diameter wheels and low profile tyres like my first one was.

That gave a absolutely shockingly bad ride by any measure not just the legendary Jaguar one and especially when compared to the dozens of old French cars I've had that nothing else I've either been in or driven can get close too.

anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 10th May 2019
quotequote all
Jaguar steve said:
The X308 with sport or touring suspension rides a lot firmer than the same name suspension on the X300. The sport suspension 308 in particular - I've had both - is way too firm in my view especially when driven on poor roads and if fitted with larger diameter wheels and low profile tyres like my first one was.

That gave a absolutely shockingly bad ride by any measure not just the legendary Jaguar one and especially when compared to the dozens of old French cars I've had that nothing else I've either been in or driven can get close too.
Maybe I'm being unfair to my X350 when I compare it unfavourably to my old X300 Sovereign or XJ12 then. It handles miles better than either of those, and maybe the ride is still better than an X308?

As I've said before though, I doubt the X300 would have been as impressive on 19" wheels with 40 profile rubber as it was on 16" wheels with 60 profile!

RoverP6B

4,338 posts

127 months

Thursday 4th July 2019
quotequote all
Certainly, having driven an F11 520d back-to-back with an E39 520i Touring (allowing that comparison between a 4-pot diesel and the silky M54B22 straight six isn't fair, but it's what I have!), I can say that, in ride, handling and NVH, the F11 was beaten hollow by its grandfather. The E39 also, despite being shorter and narrower, has more leg room and a bigger boot.

My E66 760Li rides pretty well, but there's a bit of tyre noise and a rustle of wind around the sunroof (although it mostly goes away when the internal cover is pulled forward). It's on 20s and Nankang tyres - maybe some decent rubber, perhaps smaller wheels, and a new sunroof seal might improve the NVH noticeably.

ericmcn

1,999 posts

96 months

Thursday 4th July 2019
quotequote all
CDB1983 said:
Without spending mega money I haven't found anything quieter than our LS430. Double glazing makes a surprising difference to noise.

My friend has a 2014 Audi A8 with the V8 diesel and engine noise aside its nowhere near as quiet at motorway speeds. Prior to that he had a 2011 Phaeton with a V8 petrol engine and although close wasn't quite there.

Both look much more inviting inside though and make our 05 LS430 feel somewhat Spartan in comparison but the Lexus feels far better built by miles.
A Lexus barge is probably the most opulent and peaceful drive in the world, bar none, certainly with the LS series but the IS is also far better than most modern cars. For the mainstream German cars build quality was superior in years gone by, it has since nose dived.

mcholeboy_59

133 posts

76 months

Saturday 6th July 2019
quotequote all
My '03 peugeot 406 hdi is quiet at higher speeds,

Small amount of road noise, almost zero engine noise and zero squeaks or rattles from the cabin.

Lovely. smile