It was only a matter of time. These are baby steps in the right direction, but I bet the Germans are shitting bricks already. I always root for the underdog, but I'm so excited.

http://www.lexus.com/fcv/is_f.html

Pretty soon, Infinity and Acura will also come out with their uber-sedans. Honestly, AMG and M Power better watch out, they have intense competition coming out, and their monopoly is in trouble. People used to whine about the Japanese luxury line being inferior due to FWD, but now most of them have shifted to RWD or AWD, and their luxury, technology and drive is absolutely head-head with the Germans. Imagine a G35 with an r34 or r35 motor slapped in there... by the looks of things, it's becoming a strong possibility. :smokin:

I really like that... See, if I hold out on a brand new car for a few more years I could probably get something really sweet the way technology is goin... Another DSM should suffice me until then though. :icon16:

Have they started to make turbo kits for it yet|? hehe

Pssh, Luxury cars are overrated.

Pssh, Luxury cars are overrated.

I don't know about that. They can certainly walk the walk as far as technology goes, as well as power.

My cousin has a stock E55 AMG (2004). It is by far the fastest, most ruthless thing I have ever driven in my life. I can hardly imagine what the other top of the line AMG models can do, like the S65. Or even RENNtech tuned. I would always talk smack about AMG as being overrated waste of money...until I drove his car. 470 hp, 516 tq. Seamless tranny too. What a drive. H=I don't want to be there when a maintence boo-boo happens though. One spare part might cost as much as my frikking 3000GT. lmao.

I wouldnt be worried about it the next gen AMGs are going to be the e63 and s65 with 514 and 612hp respectively. and the '08 M3 is rumored to be above 400hp and turboed. I wonder what theyre going to put in the c-class cuz that e63 engine would be outrageous in that car. my dad has a c32 with 350hp and that thing hustles so 514 will be rediculous. And all of it sent through that 7speed tranny

I agree with defiancy. Luxury cars are overrated. Those that can afford them seem to be too old to "drive" them. Plus, like I have said before, I dont see any point in drooling over something I wont ever be able to afford. Granted, my dreams of a LS1 FC and a Evo are pretty far stretches too, but a damn like $80k car like those really wont ever happen.

Yes, luxury cars have power but at an extreme price. I was just reading about this today actually. The top 12 sports/luxury cars of 2007. #1 was Bentley Continental GT, followed by the AMG. The 07 Cobra was #10, and the only American car on the list aside from the Caddy XTR or whatever, which was dead last and everyones least favorite car.

The thing about luxury cars it, yeah you may have 470 hp, but guess what, You weight 2 1/2 tons also.

Aside from the Lotus and Porshe 911 turbo, the Cobra was the lightest car on that list. I was like WTF.

Here's the list.

Finalists in Robb Report’s 2007 Car of the Year were: #13 Cadillac XLR-V; #12 Lotus Exige S; #11 Lamborghini Murciélago LP640; #10 Ford Shelby GT500; #9 Rolls-Royce Phantom EWB; #7 Jaguar XKR Convertible #6 BMW M6; #5 Audi S8; #4 Bugatti Veyron 16.4; #3 Porsche 911 Turbo; and #2 Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG. #1 Bentley Continental GT

I mean it's nice to have the finer things in life, but all these cars on there are over 100,000 dollars except two. Guess which two?

They may be heavy but they haul ass. the new Mercedes ML AMG weighs in at 6300lbs but still runs 0-60 5.2 seconds. Used theyre not that expensive by dad got his 2002 C32 in 2005 for 24k thats less than a new evo...

They may be heavy but they haul ass. the new Mercedes ML AMG weighs in at 6300lbs but still runs 0-60 5.2 seconds. Used theyre not that expensive by dad got his 2002 C32 in 2005 for 24k thats less than a new evo...

They are both 13 second cars, And if I could get a three year old Evo I bet it would be less than 24k, depending on mileage.

Also the C32 is 60k or so. and the S65 AMG is like 120k brand new. You can get a new Evo for 31-35k.

It's just a different world and a different market with luxury cars. They certainly don't pretend to be economy power boxes like the Evo or the STi, they are what they are. I mean, I won't be able to afford one either, but I don't think I don't need to experience everything in life to appreciate it. They are expensive, but after having driven a few, I think I can say I know why, and the price seems justified somewhat for some of the technology they have in there. There's a little more to cars than going 0-60 in the fastest time possible (found that out after selling the DSM, haha), so comparing an S-class Benz to an Evo is just silly. They are both champs at what they do, and they have wildly varying segments, so you can't really group them together. Fuck... I think I'm getting old.

While I agree with you, comparing luxury cars to Sports sedans/coups is a bit of a different world. But alot of luxury cars do tout their high performance and comfort as their selling points, so is it really so awful to compare the two? When you speak of high end luxury cars, performance is a large part of that. So when anazlying what car to buy you have to look at wether you think the extra 70,000 dollars for italian leather, wood trim and a butt warmer really make it worth having that AMG over the just as fast GT500? I also think a large part of it comes down to the name. When you buy a Benz, half the money you just spent on it is for the name on the back.

I mean, who would think you could add the same extras to your car that they have for a tenth of the price?

Luxury anything is overrated and you pay for the name: homes by the beach, L.Vitton handbags, Armani sunglasses, Bang & Olufson electronics. After all, they do the same thing the "economy" segment does, only pehaps marginally better.

Here's the deal. With cars, come car segments, and with those, comes a plethora of compromise.

Back in the day, if you wanted to be fast, you'd be a sports car and that's it. Forget the lugguage capacity, gas mileage, comfort, etc. Your "job" was to go fast, and that's it. Hauling cargo? Truck. Comfort? Caddy. Gas mileage? Honda.

These lines, however, have been severly blurred with the technology, segments-busters and corporate strategies of today. A 4-door family sedan, an S65AMG, will make mince meat out of a Corvette. An F-150 is as comfortable as a Buick. SUVs are giving the same gas mileage as some family cars. There isn't any limiting definition anymore as to what a car can or can't do.

Here's where the luxury price tag justifies itself to a degree. Luxury cars are meant to have it all in a day an age when every other car is excelling in several different segments and target markets. Speed, comfort, ride quality, safety, build material, everything, has to be top notch. Therein lies the price-tag. I mean, have you ever seen the technology they put into their cars? Vaccum powered windows, auto-sensing frikkin everything, eletronic suspension, (and ocourse, the butt warmer and the leather) etc etc. The list never ends. Just go check out a fully loaded S or Bimmer or the new Lxuses at a dealership, and then compare them to the next "regular" saloon you can find. The difference will be so stark, it'll make the latter look prehisoric. These cars really do drive and feel amazing and different. A GT500 is fast car, but if youre one's entire argument is centered around going fast, why not buy the Ariel Atom...much cheaper than the GT500 and will give it a whupping it'll never forget. The reason why you might not pick the Atom is because it's a retarded looking go-kart with zero practicality. So for that extra $70,000 you were talking about, you get the practicality of the 4 doors with the speed to match. plus all that technology crammed in. Just the compsomise I was talking about earlier.

Wether one subjectively cares for this over-the-top luxury is an entirely different matter, however, and don't let that discredit a deserving vehicle of it's accolades; that would be like me giving the GT500 a 3/10 because there's not enough room in the trunk and the rear seat is a little tight for 3 grown adults, a stupid move considering the car is to be rated according to speed and power for the buck. By comparison, for folks not looking for a fast 4-door sedan, the Evo may seem like a waste of money, and they'd rather buy a 4-banger Accord to get around in. Etc .it's all about different priorities. But I have driven both kinds of cars throughout my life, and it's just a different ballgame with the "nicer" ones. Just my 2 cents. And if any of us on here were to ever win the lottery, sure, we'd see every DSM ever made in a special garage, but a Benz or two will always manage it's way as an addition to the household.

Reserved for when i get off work.

It will in my house lol

Here's a good article:

http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/car-reviews/car-and-driving/mercedes-sl55-amg-1005099.html