By request, here is my review and write-up of the latest Porsche Boxster.

Porsche introduced the ubiquitous Boxster in 1997 as their answer to the also-new BMW Z3 2-seat roadster, 2-seat folding hardtop Mercedes SLK roadster, and the 2+2 Audi TT hardtop ( later convertible as well ). The new Boxster, like the Z3, was an instant hit, and 1997 came to be known in the auto press as the " Year of the Germans ", as the Japanese had by then, for several reasons, dropped their more expensive sports cars from the American market, leaving only smaller, entry-level models such as the Mazda Miata and Honda Del Sol.

The Boxster, however, was just what Porsche, with its reputation for high prices, needed at the time. Porsche originally was targeting a base price of under $40,000, but ended up with a base price in the mid-40's ( minus the inevitable dealer mark-ups ).

The car quickly turned out to be the best-selling new Porsche in history, with LONG waiting lines at Porsche dealerships. A second Boxster assembly plant was opened in Finland later in the year and STILL did not even come close to meeting worldwide demand... long waits persisted. A friend of mine, who owns a restaurant I often eat at, ordered a new silver Boxster in March of 1997.

He finally took delivery in April of 1998...a 13 month wait. The car was already one model-year old by then, with first-year depreciation, when they first handed the keys to him. But he still has it, and loves it, and still drives it back-and-forth to the restaurant, in good weather, every day for work....he has an old 944 beater and his wife's front-drive Odyssey minivan that he uses when the weather isn't so good.

The Boxster, today, remarkably, has not risen significantly in its factory price in the last 10 years..base models still start in the mid-40's. And, in fact, due to the much different supply-and-demand situation today than 9-10 years ago and the cars readily in stock, you can probably purchase a new Boxster today for the same or less money than back them......and get more car, with the advances of the last 10 years. And the slightly more expensive ($1000) Cayman hardtop model, with the same engine, and the much more expensive Boxster S and Cayman S models, with larger engines and more equipment, have been added in the meantime for those who don't want the base roadster version.

The Boxster, over the years, has developed a reputation as one of the ideal sports cars, with excellent roadability and handling. Even stodgy Consumer Reports, never particularly wild about sports cars, rates it very highly, although early versions had some reliability problems, particularly with the folding-top mechanisms ( probably one more reason for the hardtop Cayman's introduction, along with the obviously more-rigid structure).

So... as currently Porsche's lowest-priced production car, the obvious question is: Does the Boxster provide more driving fun and value, per dollar, as lower-priced two-seat roadsters, some of which start at half of the Boxster's price, such as the Mazda Miata, Honda S2000, and GM twins Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky? That, of course, is one of the main reasons for this review and write-up... read on.

Model Reviewed: 2007 Porsche Boxster

Base Price: $45,600

Major Options:

Preferred Package: $1990

Porsche Wind Stop: $375

Destination: $795

Price as reviewed: $48,760

Drivetrain: RWD, Mid-engine, 2.7L horizontally-opposed flat-six, 245 HP @ 6500 RPM, torque 201 ft.lbs. @ 4600 RPM, 5-speed manual transmission.

Exterior Color: Guards Red
Interior: Standard Black Leather


PLUSSES:

Superlative Brakes.

Go-Kart handling.

Music-to-your-Ears Exhaust note

Top-Notch Paint Job.

Rigid body Structure for a Convertible.

Adequate Space Inside for Moderately Tall Drivers.

High-quality Leather Seats.

Good Trunk Space for a Small Sports Car.

Well-Designed Fabric Power-Folding Top.

Tilt-and-Telescope Steering Wheel.

Rock-of-Gibraltar Solid Clutch and Shifter.

Wide Choice of Exterior and Interior Colors and packages.

Well-Placed Tachometer.

Reasonably Good Stereo.

Generally Well-Done Hardware Inside and Out.


MINUSES:

Questionable Dollar Value.

Harsh, Noisy Ride.

Not a Car for Long Trips.

Not Much Torque at LOW RPM's and in Higher Gears.

No Engine Hood or Engine Access at all From Above.

Rather Awkward Markings for the Speedometer.

Unconventional, Left-Hand Ignition.

Less-than-ideal shoulder belts.

EXPENSIVE Parts and Service.

High Insurance Premiums.

Seats in Base Model Only Partly Power-adjustable.

Too Many Confusing, Look-Alike Dash and Console Buttons, Even in Non-NAV Version.


The first impression of this car, as you walk up to it, is that of the general Porsche non-Cayenne family. The hood, front end, and headlights are all quite similiar to its Cayman, Carrera, and 911 siblings, although the rear end, mainly due to the mid-mounted rather than rear-mounted engine and folding top, is somewhat different. The exterior paint job is truly first-rate ( mine was fire-engine Guard Red ) and rivals that of Lexus, as does the baby-butt smoothness and quality of the sheet metal. There are two trunks, as with other mid-engine cars... one up front and the other one in back behind the engine. Both offer, and especially combined, a pretty good amount of cargo space for a car of this type... certainly much better than the mid-engined Toyota MR2. The exhaust pipe is unusual for sports cars in that it is one large oval under the center of the rear bumper rather than the more common twin pipes, but produces a pleasant exhaust note.....more on this later. The exterior hardware, as expected from Porsche, is also first-rate, with none of the appalling cheapness you find on, say, a Dodge Neon.

OK... get in. The car, of course, sits quite low to the ground, like most pure sports cars, but was not particularly difficult to get in or out of....I've seen lots worse. Once inside, the door shuts with a fairly solid sound and feel for a convertible, but the shoulder belt, which is anchored to the side of the body behind the drivers' door, tended to ride high up on my neck, and was not particularly easy to adjust.

The interior on my test car was rather Spartan, especially for the almost $49,000 list price, but there is an excellent choice of interior colors...far more than in most cars.....and various wood, carbon-fiber, and aluminum interior packages are available as options.

There is enough room for my 6' 2", 275-lb. frame, though... the top up, with the seat adjusted all the way down, gives room for my ubiquitous baseball cap. Many of the interior fittings, especially the seats, leather upholstery, shift lever, air vent hardware, and glove box, appeared to be of very high quality. But the designers could have done a better job, even in this non-NAV version, with the stereo and climate-control buttons... they are of rather cheap plastic, are clusted more or less together around the center of the dash, and are too similar in look and feel.

The steering column has both a tilt and telescope feature, and, for my big legs, needed to be all the way up and partly out, but curiously, had no power adjustments... another omission in an almost-50K car. The primary instruments were generally well-placed. The large, well-marked black and silver tachometer, in typical Porsche fashion, took center stage, right behind the steering wheel. The similarly-colored speedometer to the left of it, however, I thought, was rather oddly marked, in MPH-readings every 25 MPH instead of the more usual 10 or 20, making it rather difficult to tell your speed at a glance. A digital MPH readout, under the tach right behind the wheel in front of you, helps some, but can be confused with the similar odometer and trip odometer digits.

The seats are well-made, hold you in place in spite of rather low side bolstering, are sturdily constructed, and have an extremely durable-feeling leather covering them, but are a little stiff in the cushion for my tastes....you feel like you are sitting on a leather-covered park bench with no padding. This, of course, accentuates the stiffness of the car's ride... more on this in a minute. In the base-level Boxster, the rake adjustment is power and the rest of the controls are manual... upmarket Boxsters and optional packages come with all-power seats.

The standard power-folding top, like the manually-operating one in the Miata, is easy and foolproof. Just snap a large oval release in the center of the windshield header, hit a button on the console, and both side windows drop partway down and the top, quickly and efficiently, folds back over your head into the compartment behind the seats over the engine.....probably the reason why there is no conventional engine cover / hood. The whole operation takes only 10 to 15 seconds, and the top seals itself down... no need to boot it.

OK...this car, as a classic driver's car, was meant to drive, so let's hit the road. Start it up with the Porsche-tradition left-hand ignition ( not one of my favorites ) and the 245 HP flat-six lets its presence be known, even at idle, with less than Lexus-level quietness. Let the oil pressure come up, work the solidly-built but easy-to-use clutch and shifter ( one of the car's best features ), and off you go. The engine does not have exactly stump-pulling torque at low RPM's but does get out of its own way as RPM's build....you feel a moderate shove in the back as the revs climb. The clutch and shifter, as mentioned, are both well-done, and have a solid, made-of-granite feel, yet are easy and simple to use. The linkage, though, is a little notchy, and you can go from third to second instead of fourth if you shift too sloppy. Another curiosity, though in an almost $50,000 car is only 5 gears in the base model Boxster... you have to buy the substantially more expensive ( $55,000-$60,000 ) Boxster S model to get the sixth gear, along with the more powerful 295 HP six.

The ride, on rough surfaces, with the car's low stance, lack of suspension travel, firm underpinnings, and low-profile tires, is too stiff and noisy for my tastes, but that is to be more or less expected in a car of this type. And, while the car is indeed noisy, not all of the noise is bad.....the exhaust has a great sound as revs build. Much has been written in the auto press about the Porsche exhaust notes, and the engineers apparently spend a lot of time tuning the mufflers just so. Still, IMO, this is not a car to cruise in all day long on the Interstates... the stiff ride, up-and-down nose bobbing characteristics of mid and rear-engine cars, high noise level, and darty steering will likely wear you out after a few hours or so.

Take this car out on a twisty road, however, and like most sports cars, the Boxster is right at home. The right-now steering, with most of the weight behind you and not over the front wheels, responds with almost Go-Kart quickness, with a close but not-quite-BMW level of road feel and telepathy. The handling and response of this car, in tight curves, is so neutral and responsive that unless you do something really nuts, it is difficult to get in any serious trouble.....especially with the standard stability system that allows quick race-car like response but will help prevent you from swapping ends like with older rear-engine Porsches. This, without question, is a true drivers' car, and perhaps would be even better if a way could be found to attach a BMW-designed steering system to it.

The brakes are as good if not better than the handling. Though my test car came with black-painted calipers instead of the red ones found in some other Porsches, I'm told by the salespeople that all Porsches with metal ( as opposed to ceramic ) rotors come with Brembo brakes, even though this is not mentioned in the literature. The pedal, in the Porsche tradition, was as firm as could be, with virtually no sponginess; the response was immediate, even, smooth, and powerful. If a deer or other obstacle appears in front of you at any moderate speed, you stand a good chance of stopping in time... or a good chance, if necessary, of quickly steering around it with the car's superb handling.


So... the verdict. Is this car worth what it costs, and is it a value compared to its less-expensive competition? I'll get to that now.

While the handling, brakes, power-top, transmission, body/paint, seat leather quality, color/interior choice, and some of the hardware on this car generally impress me, compared to less-expensive 2-seat roadsters like the Miata, S2000, and Solstice/Sky, this car does not, IMO, present a particularly good value per dollar spent. This is anything BUT a cheap car... even as the base-model American-market Porsche, its base price still starts over $45,000....and my car, with only minimal options, still listed pretty close to $50,000. And that 50K still does not buy you all-power seats, power tilt/telescope steering controls, or any optional interior packages to dress up the rather Spartan trim. Nor does it buy you a sixth gear for the manual transmission. Nor does it buy you an engine that will really scoot you at low-RPM's, although the power, as stated earlier, does come on some as revs build. Nor does it even buy you a simple engine hood that you can open to look at the engine...you open the rear trunk, pull out a small trapdoor, and check the oil and coolant through extended caps. Anything else requires putting the car up on a rack.

For the price of this car, you can buy two non-turbo Miatas, two Solstices without dealer markups, one and a half S2000's, and almost two Skys. That's a big price difference for a car that basically does the same thing. Granted, the Boxster has superb brakes and handling, but those much less expensive cars have brakes and underpinnings that do the job almost as well. The Boxster, Miata, and S2000, all three, IMO, have better build quality than the Solstice or Sky. The Miata and S2000 are likely to be the most reliable of the group, then the Boxster, then the GM cars... in that order.

However, to be fair, although you are obviously paying, at least to some extent, for the the panache of the Porsche nameplate, some of the Boxster's high cost ( and that of other Porsches ) is, of course, beyond the company's control. Porsches are built by German and Scandanavian workers in plants where they get extremely high wages and benefits, have many things paid for them, take long vacations, and have short workweeks, even by our own American UAW standards. This, and the high cost of some of the materials used in these cars, such as the quality paint, sheet metal, and leather, of course, makes them rather expensive to produce. And, also to be fair, unlike a lot of other vehicles, base-model Boxster prices, as already mentioned, have stayed pretty flat over the years, and have not risen much. But still, this is a competitive and dog-eat-dog auto market today, with enormous competition, and Porsche, though they make superb sports cars, IMO does not make vehicles that are cost-effective from a competitive point of view. They stay in business, like BMW and Mercedes, mainly from the panache of the nameplate, while other manufacturers offer competitive vehicles at lower prices.

Unlike many of the new cars I review, I had the good fortune to drive one today that was a demo, in excellent shape, with enough miles on it that it was fully broken-in, at a dealership far enough away from Washington, D.C. that the roads were relatively uncontested, and so I was able to drive it a little more aggressively and a little closer to its limits than I usually do with new cars... but still, of course, with common sense... I am a responsible person.

The history of BMW 3 and 5-series products, and their significance in today's auto marketplace, really doesn't need a whole lot of explanation from me here.....many of you at CL are regular readers, like I am, of the magazines that test these vehicles, and are aware of how they usually are at the top or nearly at the top of sport-sedan comparison tests at magazines like Car and Driver, Road and Track, AUTOMOBILE, AUTOWEEK, and others. Although the people that staff these publications and do the car testing give other vehicles their due when deserved, in general they eat, sleep, and breathe BMW and Porsche. And, little wonder........these people, in general, are very sport-minded, tend to want cars that run, handle, and brake aggressively, and are naturally attracted to Bimmers. And, even with the ( in my opinion ) uglier and tinnier bodies, more poorly-finished interiors, iffy electronics, and the awkward I-Drive of the more recent BMW models, you HAVE to give the company its due. BMW has, arguably, the best steering, chassis, and suspension engineers in the world. Under the car's skin, these guys DO their homework....there's no question about that. Unfortunately, the skin itself, on the newer, Chris Bangle-designed cars, is quite another matter. The body sheet metal, door solidness, general interior finish, and of course, the You-Know-What on the console and dash all need more attention.

So....since many of you already know as much or more than I do about the history and status of these cars, let's not waste any more time with that. By special request, here is my review of the 550i Sport:


Model Reviewed: 2007 BMW 550i Sport Steptronic

Base Price: $58,500

Major Options:

Sport Package with Active Roll Stabilization: $2800

Cold Weather Package: $750

NAV System: $1900

Satellite Radio: $595

Logic-7 Surround-Sound System: $1200


Destination Charge: $695


List Price as Reviewed: $66,440


Drivetrain: Front-engine/RWD, longitudial-mount 4.8L V8; 360 HP @ 6300 RPM, torque 360 ft.-lbs @ 3400 RPM
6-Speed Steptronic automatic with Sport and Manual Shift modes and Adaptive Transmission Control.

Exterior Color: Silver Gray Metallic

Interior: Black Dakota Leather with Dark Poplar Grain wood trim.


PLUSSES:

Superlative Steering system and chassis engineering.......a BMW tradition, of course.

Excellent ride-handling combination even with stiff, run-flat tires.

Muscle-car torque and performance.

Good engine layout under the hood.

Smooth, responsive Steptronic Automatic transmission.

Nice-looking alloy wheels on all 5-series models with the Sport Package.

Well-designed shifter.

Heated and cooled cup holders....though I myself rarely drive when consuming beverages.

Good headroom in front despite the sunroof.

Nicely done wood trim.

Fairly roomy trunk. ( No spare tire with the run-flats )

Dull but classy paint colors.

Well-designed primary gauges.

Nice, easy-to-use and solid-feeling air vents.

Warm-your-buns-right-now seat heaters.

Nice stereo...but with clumsy and awkward I-Drive station selectors.

Manual, analog front-seat climate knobs and controls make I-Drive unnecessary for that function.

Free required maintenance for the warranty period.


MINUSES:


Blow-your-bank-account price......and BMW is not known for incentives on this car.

X-Drive AWD system not available in the 550i like with the 525xi and 530xi.

Tinny sheet metal and doors compared to previous-generation 5-series.

Ugly headlights, taillights, and trunk lid.

Poorly finished interior for a car of this price.....with a couple of nice exceptions.

Cheap-looking and cheap-feeling leather on the seats.

No engine-temperature gauge.

I-Drive... need I say more ?

Relatively tight rear-seat headoom and legroom for tall persons.

Paint job OK but not particularly well-done.

Sharp plastic edges on rear-seat climate knobs uncomfortable to grip.

Snobbish, aritocratic nature of many ( NOT all ) BMW reps and dealerships.

4 year/ 50,000 total-car and drivetrain warranty not compatible with other premium-car makes.

Free maintenance during the warranty only covers the computer-signaled maintenance, which can be inadequate,
especially for oil changes.

Expensive parts and service when the warranty DOES run out.......often at arrogantly-run dealerships.

Relatively high insurance rates.


The first impression of this car, as you walk up to it, is that it is immediately recognizable as another member of the Bangle-designed family, but is a little less of an eyesore, and a little better-looking overall, than the larger 7-series. I would place the new 5-series between ( to my opinion ) the ugly 7 series and the generally acceptable-looking 3-series in overall looks, although I still am not a fan of the new 5-series' headlights or rear end. It is not a butt-ugly vehicle in the sense of the Pontiac Aztek or Scion xA / xB, but its general styling is just not my cup of tea.

The exterior mirror and trim hardware is generally OK, though you can definitely tell the difference between the old and new 5-series in sheet metal solidness and thickness. The doors on the old car felt and shut like a Moseler safe...the new ones are more lightweight and shut with a tinnier sound.

Other features on the exterior are quite nicely none. The alloy wheels on all of the Sport-Package 5-series cars are handsome and classy... as befits a drivers' car. The paint job, though not quite up to Toyota / Lexus standards, is generally smooth, even, relatively free from orange peel, and lacking only a little in the luster department. The darker colors, as with most cars, generally have more luster than the lighter ones.

The engine, longitudinally-mounted as with virtually all RWD cars, sits neatly and compactly under the hood, even though it is the largest available powerplant for this car outside of the M5's big V10. It has a plastic cover over the top part of it like most cars these days, but a lot of room is left around the edges of the cover to get to things... you won't have to raise it up on ramps or a hydraulic lift to get so some things. Apparently BMW designed this car with not only the driver in mind but the guys who work the service bays... one possible reason for the limited free maintenance.

Inside, the car has a few nice features but generally is a disappointment from the superb interior of the last-generation 5-series. The power tilt / telescope steering wheel is well-done, with a BIG, meaty, well-padded rim to grip....just what you would expect from the industry's best steering systems. The three wide but tapered spokes allow a good view of the equally well-designed primary gauges, which are easy to read at a quick glance. An odd feature, for a classic drivers' car, is the lack of an engine temperature gauge. I could not find one; the salesman couldn't either, and one is not listed in the car's literature either. I guess it's just left to a warning light that goes on when the coolant reaches critical temperature. The turn-signal and cruise-control stalks, on the left side of the column, were nicely designed, solid-feeling, and easy to use.

Other nice features inside were the smooth, well-designed, solid-feeling air vents, relatively well-done but too highly-polished wood trim ( I like a flatter and less-polished wood finish ), adequate head and leg room in the front seat for tall people despite the headroom-encroaching sunroof, heated / cooled front cup holders ( though I rarely use them ), and the well-done stereo, except that the sound quality was, of course, not quite up to the wonderful Mark Levinson unit that I listened to last week in the Lexus LS460, and, yes, though there is a manual knob for off / on / volume and steering-wheel controls for volume, you still have to fiddle with I-Drive to change the stations or make other adjustments. Another nice feature inside was the was the I-Drive-free manual knob / button system for both the front and rear climate control.

The seats, as befits a driver's car, were multi-adjustable, well-shaped and comfortable, but had cheap-looking and cheap-feeling leather on them. Fortunately, as you would expect from BMW, they hold even wide torsos and butts like mine in place while cornering, something that a lot of smooth, waxy leather seats don't do.
The rear seats, as with most cars, are of course, not as roomy as the front ones, and, with the front seats moved back a little, have just adequate leg and foot room for someone my size... and getting my big size 15 shoes out the narrow foot opening was a job. Rear headroom is OK for average-size adults but clearly inadequate for me and my ubiquitous baseball cap. A leather-covered pull-down panel between the rear seats offers covered storage compartments and cup holders.

Much of the rest of the interior, in my opinion, was rather disappointing, with substandard fit-and-finish for a car in this price class....my test car ran a whopping $66,000, and BMW produces some V12 U.S.-market cars that run more than twice that if you really want to blow some cash. As stated previously, I was not impressed with either the seat leather or the door trim. I was also not impressed with the general fit and finish of much of the interior hardware ( except the nice features previously noted ), especially the poorly-finished rear climate-control knobs between the rear seats that were sharp-edged and uncomfortable to grip. However, despite the second-rate hardware in much of the interior, the car seemed tightly built... I could detect no squeaks or rattles, even on a car with a some miles and a cold day ( 28 degrees ). Cold weather usually makes squeaks and rattles worse because parts contract and you have more clearance between them ). The optional cold-weather package ( my test car had it ) does its job, though, with seat comfort.....the seats heat up fast, and I mean FAST... much quicker than the ones in my admittedly much cheaper Subaru.

And... yes... the I-Drive. I KNOW that I-Drive, and the similiar Audi MMI, are controversial devices, and that some of you, like doug999 and genearch, like them and have no problems with them, while others curse the day they were invented. I'm sorry, but in all honesty, I'm going to have to include myself with the latter. I've yet to see an I-Drive in ANY BMW product or an MMI in ANY Audi product that I liked, could get comfortable with, or had no trouble using. The one in the 5-series is not as complex as the one in the larger 7-series, but that does not make it simple or easy-to-use by any means. Even the sales rep, who drives these cars every day and sells them for a living, couldn't figure part of it out. Granted, spending a lot of time with the system, getting it programmed and customized to one's tastes, gradually getting used to it, and learning how to use the Voice Activation system might make it a little easier to use in the long run, but even that is not assured. Car magazines that have kept long-term-test BMW's for up to a year still sometimes have trouble using it even after a whole year. I certainly wasn't going to master it in just an hour or so ( I spent a good 30 minutes after the half-hour test-drive just trying to figure it out myself ).

Sorry, guys but even if I take some flak for it, I just cannot buy this device. Even getting used to it means reprogramming one all over if you should get a BMW loaner car during service. And driving......especially with a superb drivers' car like this......demands that the driver keep his or her eyes on the road, not fiddling around with a 8-sided knob and a video screen or trying to talk into some speaker....especially with the stereo playing. Fortunately, except for some of the stereo adjustment functions, maintenance computer, and the NAV system, there ARE backup knobs and controls that allow you to by-pass the I-Drive controller.

OK... get ready for a treat.

Now for the part you've all been waiting for. Yes....I'll get to it right now. Once you get past the generally disappointing styling, sheet metal, and interior, and start her up, this car is a BLAST to drive. Even though it is not an M5, only one word describes it... WOW. Start her up by inserting the square plastic ignition " key " into the column-mounted hole, press the starter button, and the big 4.8L V8 fires to life with a refined but a less-than-Lexus level of quietness. Idle a minute or so to get oil pressure up on this cold day, ease the slick, smooth, well-designed shifter back into Automatic drive, and slowly take off, letting the drivetrain warm up. You will not have gone a single block before you know why they call BMW the Ultimate Driving Machine... the power-assisted Active steering ( standard with the Sport package ) is precise, smooth as a baby's butt, and has JUST the right amout of effort for a satisfying feel. Nor does that wonderful steering feel change as the power steering fluid warms up, like it does on some cars. The first speed bump in the dealer parking lot clues you to the marvelous suspension design and tuning... with, yes, even better to follow on the open road. Brake for the first stop sign and you notice a firm, linear, responsive brake pedal... perhaps the best outside of rear-engined Porsches.

Like I said earlier, unlike many of my test-drives, today I had a broken-in car, relatively congested ( for Northern Virginia ) roads, a marvelous driving machine that approaches near-perfection in sensual feedback, and little or no excuse to drive like Grandma. So, today, I did some DRIVING.

Get the engine temperature up a little ( guessing since there is no gauge ), slide the lever into Sport Manual, downshift a gear or two, punch the gas, and the 360 HP and 360 ft-lbs of torque slingshots the car forward like a NASA rocket sled as you are pressed firmly back into your seat and hear the quite audible, un-Lexus exhaust note behind you. The wide torque curve....and acceleration....holds up through all 6 gears......until I got a quick glimpse of Old Smokey up ahead, parked in his nice white Crown Vic fuzzmobile halfway behind a fence, trying out his new X / K-band special. Obviously, a good QUICK test of the brakes at speed... same firm, linear, superb response I first felt in the parking lot. Fortunately, I wasn't going really going THAT fast ( despite a love for cars I am a responsible driver ) and I went past the cop at a low enough speed that he didn't flag me ( I guess they know that a lot of people test-drive M's and other high-performance BMW's on that stretch ). The transmission not only has a smooth, slick shifter but, unlike the harsh-shifting SMG, shifts just as smoothly, even under an engine load. The ratios were just about perfect...not too wide or too narrow, but, in the Manual mode, you have to be careful with the lever. Most cars have upshifts by bumping the lever forward and downshifts by bumping the lever back ( or, in the case of Daimler/Chrysler Autosticks, bumping it side-to-side ). The 5-series Steptronic is the opposite....like similar Mazda units, you bump the lever forward to DOWNshift and back to UPshift. So, if, like me, you are used to other Sportmanuals, you have to remember that this is the opposite.....otherwise you could, if not actually red-line the engine, give the drivetrain a big jolt by downshifting when you meant to upshift. The computer naturally will prevent the ultimate stupidity by locking out a downshift at too high an RPM, but you can still give the car quite a jolt at moderate RPM if you are not careful.

The suspension and chassis was even better than the drivetrain. BMW chassis, steering, and suspension engineers are arguably the world's best. Here, the Ultimate Driving Machine logo means JUST that. The suspension does a superlative job of combining ride comfort, stability, neutral cornering, steering response, and road feel... even with notoriously harsh-riding, low-profile, run-flat tires. My test car had the sophisticated Active Roll Stabilization feature and the Active Steering system ( part of the Sport Package ) which produced an even better ride / handling / steering combination and feel than the normal, standard 5-Series suspension. I had so much confidence in the chassis engineering of this car that I wasn't afraid, even as the responsible driver I am and with the Stability Control turned off, to throw it around any reasonable corner at any reasonable speed... as long, of course, as it wasn't a blind corner, and you could see what was oncoming. The amount of ride comfort, considering the semi race-car handling, was astounding....you barely felt bumps that most cars that handle like this would have you pounding over. I really enjoyed this test-drive, despite the near-ticket, and was disappointed in having to take the car back and turn in the key... and then I was a lot MORE disappointed spending the NEXT 30 minutes trying to figure out the I-Drive.

I won't write up a formal verdict on this car like I usually do. Between your own knowledge of the 5-Series and what I have told you here, most of you guys can come up with your own conclusions of whether this is the car for you or not.
Just make sure, when you go to buy or lease one ( you can probably get cheaper monthly payments leasing ) that you have some money in the bank.........you will need it.

IN A NUTSHELL: Yes, everything you've heard, discussed, and read about... and more.

When the original Lexus LS400 was introduced for the 1990 model year, it was a car that has represented a luxury, quality, pricing, and marketing landmark in the history of Japanese-designed automobiles. Toyota created the Lexus luxury nameplate... and the car that, by definition, represents and typifies that nameplate more than any other Lexus product since.

Along with luxury arch-rival Infiniti and Saturn, a new low-cost division from GM, ( all three divisions were introduced the same year ) Lexus set new ( for then ) standards for customer treatment and service. These three nameplates see-sawed back and forth in both the J.D. Power and Consumer Reports listings as the three highest-rated brands for dealer service and customer satisfaction. The Lexus motto was.....and is....." The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection," and the LS400, at the time, despite a few minor issues like a tendency for the brake rotors to warp from the car's large size and heavy weight, was about as close to perfection as the designers and engineers of the time were able to make it. Its mere presence in the auto market, and its base price ( at the time ) of $35,000 sent the Mercedes and BMW organizations reeling, despite the public contempt for Lexus that the Mercedes corporate people showd at the time. BMW, of course, had, and still has, a highly loyal and dedicated core of sport-sedan buyers, but Mercedes paid heavily for that contempt. In an attempt to keep up with Lexus and compete with them, Mercedes was forced to not only lower the prices on their vehicles but also the quality of many of the parts they used as well. Though Mercedes was... and continues to be... along with Volvo, one of the auto industry's most highly-regarded nameplates in safety and crash protection... this economizing of their vehicles in the 1990's led to a slow, but steady, and relentless, drop in the reliability of their vehicles. Although there is a loyal core of customers who continue to buy Mercedes products despite their poor reliability, the deterioration of Mercedes vehicles ended up in a vicious circle that drove some of them away from the brand and into new... you got it... Lexus products. Once they experienced Lexus quality and customer service, they were hooked... and continued to help Lexus grow into the the luxury powerhouse it is today... the highest-selling luxury nameplate in the American market.

The LS400 became the LS430 as a new 4.3L V8 engine was developed, not only for the LS but for its sister GS430 as well ( experimental versions of an IS430 were produced for testing and evaluation but never made it to production, even with the new IS model ). The LS, more and more, became the new benchmark for mass-produced luxury cars that the Mercedes S-Class had once been... as the S-Class fell further and further behind the LS in the American market despite the well-deserved reputation of Mercedes for safety... something Mercedes still merits.

So, now, LS430 becomes the LS460 as an all-new, 4.6L-equipped, 2007 model is introduced, with upcoming LS460L ( long-wheelbase ) models for more rear-seat room and a smoother ride, and All-Wheel-Drive LS600H Hybrid models to follow. The latest model, as befits a Lexus flagship, is a true luxury car that is VERY impressive... easily, along with its sister GS300/350AWD and the new SH-AWD Acura RL, one of the Ten Best new vehicles I have ever driven or reviewed. However, like any car, it is not perfect, due mostly to what are IMO unnecessary design and marketing changes... of which I will go into more detail below. And it is anything BUT a simple car... it has a vast number of technology, convenience, safety, electronic, and communication features in both the front and rear seats that take TIME to learn and practice. You DON'T just get into this car, start the engine, and take off. If you do, it will be like trying to pilot a Boeing 747 with only basic-training-plane experience.

Now... here is my take on this remarkable car.


Model Reviewed: 2007 Lexus LS460 Short-wheelbase

Base Price: $61,715 ( includes processing, handling,and freight )

Major Options:

Premium NAV / Mark Levinson Package: $6345

Comfort Plus Package: $3620

Intuitive Parking Assist: $500

One-Touch Door Package $395

Lexus Link $900

All-Weather Floor Mats; $99

Cargo Net: $59


List Price as Reviewed: $73,633


Drivetrain: RWD, front longitudinally-mounted, 4.6L four-cam VVTi-E V8, 380 HP @ 6400 RPM, 367 ft lbs. torque @ 4100 RPM,
8-speed sequential-shift ECT automatic with with manual sport-shift, snow mode, and ECT-i, 2.937 final-drive ratio.


Exterior Color: Starfire ( White ) Pearl
Interior: Black Leather with Medium Brown Walnut Trim.


PLUSSES:


Quiet enough for King Tut's tomb.

Turbine-smooth engine and powertrain.

Muscle-car performance.

Jewel-quality paint job.

Impeccable wood trim.

Park Assist does the job.....once set up properly.

Supreme interior comfort.

Long-wheelbase model upcoming for even more interior room.

Good agility for a car this size.

Relatively flat cornering with lack of body roll.

Superlatively well-designed gauges.

Complex electronics and controls but easier to use than BMW or Audi systems.

Concert-quality, blow-your-ears-off Mark Levinson stereo
( You've got to hear this unit to believe it )

Extremely well-designed electric power steering gives good feel and feedback.

Plush, well-finished trunk area with cargo net.

Individually heated and cooled REAR seats.

Relatively smooth ride.....but stiffer than it needs to be.

Dull but rich and classy-looking paint colors.
( My favorites were the Starfire White Pearl and the greenish-gray Verdigris Mica )







It was hard to really find many things to complain about in this truly excellent car, but.....


MINUSES:

Expensive......you pay for what you get.

All-Wheel-Drive not available until the LS600 Hybrid....it should be an option on THIS car.

Ultra-smooth ride of the LS400 and 430 now history with the new 50-series tires and suspension.

Lots of set-ups needed for the Park Assist to function.

Effective but slightly spongy brake pedal.

Too much Chris Bangle-styling in the rear end....this detracts from the car's looks.

NOTHING is accessable under the hood except for an oil dipstick, filler cap, and brake-fluid....ridiculous.


Despite this car's status as the new Lexus flagship, there is not really a lot to differentiate it, visually, from its smaller and cheaper cousins, the GS, IS, and, especially, the ES. In fact, in general body shape, it is not easy to tell a new LS from the new ES, especially from the side view, despite the substantially larger size of the LS. And I was not terribly impressed with the Chris-Bangle-inspired trunk-lid, although, underneath the trunk lid, the rest of the LS460's rear end is MUCH better looking than the BMW 7-series. The new LS460, despite the general resemblance to the rest of the Lexus passenger-car line, still retains some LS-traditional styling features like the big chrome grille with horizontal bars and the large fog-light cutouts beneath the grille. But the styling overall, has been made more swept-back and aerodynamic this year......this is no Scion xB or Honda Element. And, while I'm generally not a fan of sweep-back aero styling, it no doubt helps and contributes to one feature that I DID like, very much.....the car's tomb-like quietness.

The exterior, otherwise, is everything one would expect of a Lexus flagship. The paint job is as smooth and even as a baby's butt, and has jeweler-like precision and finish though, of course, Pearl White paint jobs, like the one on my test car, don't have quite the gloss that some other colors do....it is a slightly more matte, oysterlike pearl effect. Toyota and Lexus lead the industry in the quality of paint jobs, and believe me, as the Lexus flagship, this car is no exception.

The exterior hardware and trim is first-rate, from the chrome door strips and window moldings to the power fold-away mirrors, door handles, and wipers. Panel gaps are all as thin as possible without actually interfering with doors opening and closing. An optional feature, which my test car had, was the One-Touch door package, which not only power-closes and latches the trunk lid, but power-latches all four doors as well. Friends... we are getting spoiled when we don't even have to shut our own doors anymore.

One significant failing on this car is the design of the underhood space. The lightweight aluminum hood ( most new vehicles now have aluminum hoods ) opens up to virtually nothing... that's right, NOTHING. Not only does the engine have the usual big plastic cover that blocks access to its components, but the entire REST of the hood, as well, is almost completely covered by an enormously wide plastic cover that completely blocks EVERYTHING but the oil dipstick and brake-fluid reservoir. The oil filler-cap, for oil changes, is under a little snap-cover on hinges built into the huge underhood cover. At the risk of sounding like Ralph Nader, there out to be a law against designs like this one.


However, the interior of this car is fit for a king, which was especially nice to see after the disappointment that the new ES350's was... I have commented and written much on the new ES350's disappointing redesign and won't rehash that here. The quality of the wood and leather in this car compares with a Jaguar, and Lexus, happily, did NOT scrimp with the wood trim and interior parts quality like it did with the new ES. The interior of this car looks... and feels... like a Lexus SHOULD look. And this fabulous interior has four different leather and three different wood-trim colors, depending on the exterior color... my test car had the Black leather with Medium Brown Walnut trim.

Sure, if you REALLY look closely, you can find a few cheap-quality parts inside to bitch about ( you can with ANY car ), but in the LS460, those cheap and flimsy parts are kept to an absolute minimum.. .a couple of things like the thin plastic snaps for the glove box door, rear-seat-warmer covers, and front arm-rest flip-compartments, but overall this interior, quality-wise, is first-rate. Again, with a $73,000 price tag as tested, this is to be expected.

The seats are quite comfortable, though obviously they are not designed for sports-car cornering or support. The power-headrest does not go up quite far enough for me while I am sitting upright, but that is compensated for by the NICE, power-driven thigh supports that extend out from in front of the seats with the touch of a button......that is an area that my big legs find lacking in many cars. The leather on both the front and rear seats, as stated before, is virtually Jaguar-like in quality, and there is plenty of legroom front and rear, with even more to follow on the 460L Limosine-like long-wheelbase model.

The dash gauges are superb in their design, execution, and backlighting... some of the best I have ever seen. Most of the controls, despite the car's complexity, have well-designed buttons, pointers, and indicators... but believe me, you WILL spend time learning them....lots of time. As I said earlier, this is not a car to just jump into, turn the key, and go.

There are many, many convenience and luxury features inside, both up front and in the rear seats, and I can't cover them all in detail on a car this complex in just one review, so I'll touch on some of the more impressive and interesting ones. The Mark Levinson stereo (an option on my test car) is just superb....it is the closest thing to perfect sound I've ever heard from a production factory automotive sound system. High-quality speakers are literally everywhere, front and rear...they completely surround you. The much-publicized Park Assist system ( another option ) also works superbly, but it takes some fiddling with the NAV buttons ( with disclaimers ) to set it up properly. I could not do it by myself...the salesman had to demonstrate it. You have to set the frames through the rear-view TV camera, set up the limits, and a few other things. But if and when you do it right, the system is amazing. The car almost literally parks itself. The computer turns the wheel as needed, guides the car as close to the curb as you set and adjust it, and maintains the space between the two cars in front and behind it. ( it obviously will not function, of course, for safety reasons, if there is not sufficient space for the car's length and a buffer zone between cars.

Another interesting feature inside is the HOLD button on the steering wheel. It works in conjunction with the car's electronic push-button parking brake to hold the car still while idling in gear so you can take your foot off the brake while at stoplights.

The NAV system, with the integrated stereo and climate controls, is complex but works quite easily compared to BMW's I-Drive or Audi's MMI system. Like on most Lexus products, the heater will toast you in an Arctic winter and the A/C blows ice-cold continuously. Both front seats and the two outboard rear seats are both heated and cooled as well. Climate-wise, there is little excuse for not being comfortable in this car, and seat-wise, little as well, except for the already-mentioned tendency for the power-front head-rest to not go up quite far enough. The steering column, with exquisite, smooth-as-glass wood trim on the wheel, power-tilts and power-telescopes as well, with a variety of adjustments.

OK... fire her up with the starter button. If it was not for the dash lights coming on, you would never know when the engine caught. This car, while idling, would make a library at midnight seem noisy. The engine is so smooth and quiet, reinforced by the large amount of plentiful and effective sound isolation built into the car's body and interior, that it makes you wonder why Lexus is spending the time and money to develop an electric-motor-equipped version of this car, albeit it with the larger 6.0L V8 instead of the 4.6L. If the car's idling is comparable to a library at midnight, then its normal riding noise level is like a library at other times... almost as quiet. King Tut could ride in this car without waking up. Lexus, of course, is famous for low noise levels, and this car is just what yould expect of its flagship.

The 4.6L V8, with 380 HP, 367 ft-lbs. of torque, and VVTi valve timing, gives muscle-car performance despite the car's large size and weight. Lexus quotes a 5.4 second 0-60 time, and while I did not push this brand-new engine to its limits, give the gas pedal a good nudge and the acceleration will shove you back in your seat. The transmission bumps off all 8 gears ( I'm not sure I got fast enough for 8th ) with amazing smoothness even under hard acceleration, though in my opinion 8 gears is somewhat of overkill... if you are going to put in that many gears you might as well just use a CVT, although I don't think there is a CVT currently in production that will withstand the kind of torque this engine produces. My opinion ( and this is just my opinion, not necessarily a fact ) is that Lexus uses this transmission just so they can one-up Mercedes advertising with their 7-speed, but there seems to be little or no practical reason to actually have that many gears in normal driving.
Ride quality, though acceptably smooth for my tastes, was mildly disappointing when you consider that Lexus, this year, like on the ES350, went to lower-profile tires and a slightly firmer suspension that on last year's model. This tire and suspension change, in my opinion, was NOT necessary, and while it does give good cornering and handling response ( more on this next ), it also does stiffen up the ride a little... the loss of the ultra-smooth ride of previous LS models is small but noticeable. I would, personally, like with the new ES, rather have the suspension and tires of last year's model, but, unlike the new ES, I don't find the stiffer ride of this new LS to be objectionable... the car is heavier than the ES and with a longer wheelbase, and even with its 50-series tires to the new ES's 55-series still rides smoother... and the long-wheelbase LS460L, of course, promises an even smoother ride.

Steering and handling, on this big, heavy car, was first-rate for its size, with a marked lack of body roll and relatively quick, smooth response. After my experience with the numb, feathery, WAY overboosted electric power steering units on some other vehicles ( worst was the Saturn VUE's ) the electric power steering on this car was a REAL surprise... smooth, acceptably high effort, good road feel, linear response... almost BMW-like in its characteristics. The Lexus engineers really did their homework on this one, considering that electric power steering is a relatively new automotive invention and that they don't have BMW's long history of expertise in steering excellence to fall back on.

Brakes were a little on the spongy side but powerful and effective. I pleasantly did not have the brake problem in this car that I have often mentioned with other vehcles... my big size 15 clodhopper shoes getting hung up under the right tip of the brake pedal whan I try and lift off the gas. The big footwells in this car and the wide placement of the pedals give big feet plenty of room to move.

The verdict? Despite my slight disappointment with the more aggressive tires and suspension this year, the lack of an AWD option on the rear-drive 460, the too-Bangleish trunk lid, and the absurd and inexcusable lack of access to anything under the hood, this is truly an outstanding and superb car. Except for AWD snow traction, it has almost everything you could want in a modern car... muscle-car performance, handling, a reasonably smooth ride, interior comfort, plushness, and and quality fit for a king, jewel-like fit-and finish, reasonably simple controls ( except for the Parking Assist ) for its complex systems, not only a killer but a mass-murderer stereo, tomb-like quietness, and an impeccable reliability record to boot... one of the best in the industry.

So....I'm proud to award this car the title of one of the All-Time Best cars I have ever driven or reviewed. It is, without question, THE finest front engine / rear-drive car I have ever reviewed, and it now takes its place with others in my All-Time-Best category... its own sister 2006 Lexus GS300 AWD, the 2006 SH-AWD Acura RL, the Audi A8, and the last-generation pre-Bangle BMW 530i.