well, mebbe so roger, but how many guys got lucky because they were driving
their dates in a lexus ?
dennis
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________Subject: re: Jaguar vs. Lexus
Author: Roger Peng rpeng@flash.net at internet-sd
Date: 10/15/97 11:00 PM
David,
I have new Michelin MXV4 tires on my XJ40, and the car has just 34K miles on
it. It’s about as good as it gets. I used to think my Jag was pretty quiet,
until I drove the Lexus. The ES300 you rode in was probably an earlier
model. They made significant improvements in 97. I had also ridden in an
older LS400 before, and wasn’t all that impressed by it. The ES300 I drove
was purchased just last month, and I drove it extensively over the L.A.
freeways.
When the Jag reaches 70 MPH, you can hear the wind noise. It is that way even
on the new XJ8. There’s none in the Lexus. If you look at the door jamb of
the Lexus, you’ll see that it’s loaded with rubber. No wonder there’s no
wind noise. When you start up the engine of the Lexus, it is totally silent.
You can’t tell if the engine is running without looking at the gauge. At
idle, there’s no vibration whatsoever. With the Jaguar, you can still hear
some mechanical sound, and you can feel the engine a bit at idle when the
car is not fully warmed up. The A/C system in the Lexus is also quieter, and
the sound system is better. When everything little thing is added up, the
Lexus out scores the Jag by a bundle. The only thing I didn’t like was the
remote control door lock, which needed to be held down for a second or more
to work. Oh well, my Jag doesn’t even have such a feature…
Roger Peng
I’m surprised at your experience. I rode in a friend’s ES300 (and had
previously ridden in an LS400) and thought my XJ40 compared very favorably
in terms of quietness, smoothness and comfort. Tires can make a major
difference in noise and harshness. My '86 Audi had a noisy ride, and after
casual discussions with some people from Goodyear I traced the noise and
vibration to the Eagle GT+4 tires, which perform very well but are known
for their noise and roughness. Lexus uses Eagle GA tires which are
specifically designed for a smooth quiet ride. What kind of tires do you
have on your XJ40? I just installed a new set of Pirelli 4000Es which are
original equipment on Jaguar sedans and I think deliver a very quiet ride.
You also should not have much engine noise on an XJ40.-David
1994 XJ40 4.0L
1993 Pontiac Trans Sport
1963 Lincoln Continental 4-dr. ConvertibleAt 12:46 AM 10/15/97 -0700, you wrote:
I was in L.A. recently, and I had a chance to drive a brand new Lexus
ES300
extensively. At the risk of sounding like a heretic, I must say I am now a
believer. I have never experienced anything as refined. It is almost as if
the car is electric powered. You simply cannot hear the engine. There is
no
wind noise whatsoever, and hardly any road noise. You practically feel
like
you’re traveling in vacuum. In all fairness, this car deserves all the
accolades it has received. As a vehicle it is magnitudes superior to any
Jaguar sedan. When I came home to drive my XJ40, my car suddenly feels
quite
primitive by comparison. Having said this, the Lexus does not have the
style
that Jaguar has. The Jaguar is a more interesting car. It all depends on
what you’re looking for in an automobile. I look forward to driving my
Jaguar every morning; I enjoy washing it on the weekends; I like the
ambiance of its interior–at times I would sit in it when it’s parked in
the
garage. I doubt I would feel the same way about a Lexus despite all of its
superiority.Roger Peng