The core philosophy at AutoSpies.com from day one has been to tell our audience our true opinions about the manufacturers and their products, no matter how bad or how good.
Because of that attitude we suffered in the beginning trying to get what we needed from them because they knew they could not control us, like they do with the other traditional media outlets.
And TRUST us, they DO.
But because of AutoSpies.com hyper traffic growth and influence over the last year, plus the decline of printed media impact and readership, things are really changing with our relationships with the auto manufacturers and in the business in general.
In other words, your support has been ENORMOUS and we’re appreciative because we know we could not have done this without YOU! Thank you!
A week does not go by anymore when some PR person is calling us asking if we would like a short or long term review car from their stable or to attend a press launch of a car.
That’s good for us and it’s good for you because you can be assured it will help us do an even better job of giving you the inside scoop in the future.
We’re now in the position to CHOOSE the cars we want and pass on the ones we don’t.
So when I decided to make my choice for my daily driver (mid-size premium sedan) I decided to call our contacts at Lexus and request a long term loaner of the new GS450h.
Why did I choose the GS450h over cars like the 5-series, E-class, M-Series or others?
A number of reasons which I will list here for you:
1. It’s the best looking design…sexy, decadent, athletic, modern, youthful and elegant all rolled into one. The 5-series design has never worked for me and the E-Class is very nice (my second choice design-wise) but too taxi-ish looking for my taste and the interior looks too Chrysler-like.
2. The GS450h is so $#%@#$ fast you just can’t believe it! 0-60 is amazing but 30-80 is as good as my old M5. The best description of the feeling is like a silent Carrera S with less drama. An S500 tried to pass me this morning and when I looked in my rear view mirror two seconds later, not only was the guy looking outside his door to see if he was standing still, I could just see in his facial expression that his ego has been crushed and deflated for life. I think he’s still driving around San Diego in a fog wondering what happened.
3. The car looks more expensive than the E and 5. ESPECIALLY on the inside.
4. If I was driving a 550 and I was driving it hard, I would be getting around 14-15MPG. I’m absolutely KILLING this thing (Lexus, you did not hear this) with hard starts, full throttle passes, etc. and I’m still getting 24MPG!!!! If I baby it, I can get 29MPG! With NO compromises. It doesn’t look like a hybrid and it is as fast or faster than the regular gasoline competitors.
5. But living in California, the biggest bonus is being able to blow by everyone in the car pool lane LEGALLY because it’s a hybrid! Trust me, you don’t know how under-rated that feature is!
6. The electronics (Bluetooth, etc.) and sound system blow everything else out of the water.
7. The Lexus dealership experience (I get to enjoy the brand new Newport Lexus facility…more on that in another article soon).
8. I’m doing the right thing for the environment with NO sacrifice on my end.
So there you have it.
But how will it run long term?
I will be driving it as my daily driver, so I will be reporting back to you if I run into any service issues during the next few months.
Things are changing my friends…For the good for me an you.
It’s a great time be a car lover!
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