OK. I went over to the Metroplex yesterday to do a little comparison shopping between an '08 LC and an '08 Range Rover. I'm not going to get too specific on too many details. This is more of a summary. I decided to drive the LC first. First and foremost, I like it . It really does look better in real life. As far as styling goes, I personally feel like Toyota could have done some things better, but all in all it does look like a LC. Out of curiosity and to get Shott's blood pressure up
I put an '08 Highlander up against it and you can sure tell the family resemblance (which I personally do NOT like!). The LC looks very substantial and rather imposing...Like it Should!! That was the exterior. The interior is first class all the way. Don't be worried about the dash pods being difficult to read, they're OK. The materials, design, and fit and finish are quite good. This LC is put together like I would expect a Lexus to be. The driving experience was excellent as well. The power delivery was great, the ride was plush but firm (good) and the electronic goodies like crawl control are just plain cool ! All in all I was quite pleased with it since I really went into this with quite a lot of skepticism about this new LC. Now, after the LC I went to the LR store and kicked a few tires over there. Since this is a LC forum I am going to be brief about the Range Rover. The RR is pure class. It looks great, drives fabulously and the interior is even more posh than the LC. I drove both the standard 305 hp version and the S/C with 400 hp. The s/c version just plain rocks !! As far as driving dynamics go the RR and LC are quite similar. I took the RR to the LR off road test track to try out it's capabilities and it didn't disappoint. It is a shame that Toyota doesn't have something similar to demonstrate the LC's off-road prowess!! OK, here is what I got from driving the LC and RR. I would most likely pick the LC over the base RR. They are priced very close and the LC has 380 HP vs. 305 HP in the RR. The RR doesn't look and feel THAT much better to offset the HP difference. Anyway, I like power !! If money was no object I would choose the RR s/c, no question about it. The RR s/c commands a steep premium of about $17K--$20+ over the LC. Is it worth it, probably not, but the RR's exterior styling is far and away more pleasing to me than the new LC's and, it has some intangibles that I just like more. It will be interesting to see how the LX570 is priced. I personally feel that Lexus should give the LX more HP than the LC. That would (in my eyes) be a smart move given the premium that the LX will certainly command. I know the LX will have even more gizmos than the LC but I'm not sure Lexus can do enough to this platform to sway me from a RR s/c without (at least) a 20-30 HP bump. I am sure that the LC and LX will sell very well none the less. That being said, I like the new Land Cruiser. Am I going to get one? Possibly, but not until I see and drive the LX570 !!
I put an '08 Highlander up against it and you can sure tell the family resemblance (which I personally do NOT like!). The LC looks very substantial and rather imposing...Like it Should!! That was the exterior. The interior is first class all the way. Don't be worried about the dash pods being difficult to read, they're OK. The materials, design, and fit and finish are quite good. This LC is put together like I would expect a Lexus to be. The driving experience was excellent as well. The power delivery was great, the ride was plush but firm (good) and the electronic goodies like crawl control are just plain cool ! All in all I was quite pleased with it since I really went into this with quite a lot of skepticism about this new LC. Now, after the LC I went to the LR store and kicked a few tires over there. Since this is a LC forum I am going to be brief about the Range Rover. The RR is pure class. It looks great, drives fabulously and the interior is even more posh than the LC. I drove both the standard 305 hp version and the S/C with 400 hp. The s/c version just plain rocks !! As far as driving dynamics go the RR and LC are quite similar. I took the RR to the LR off road test track to try out it's capabilities and it didn't disappoint. It is a shame that Toyota doesn't have something similar to demonstrate the LC's off-road prowess!! OK, here is what I got from driving the LC and RR. I would most likely pick the LC over the base RR. They are priced very close and the LC has 380 HP vs. 305 HP in the RR. The RR doesn't look and feel THAT much better to offset the HP difference. Anyway, I like power !! If money was no object I would choose the RR s/c, no question about it. The RR s/c commands a steep premium of about $17K--$20+ over the LC. Is it worth it, probably not, but the RR's exterior styling is far and away more pleasing to me than the new LC's and, it has some intangibles that I just like more. It will be interesting to see how the LX570 is priced. I personally feel that Lexus should give the LX more HP than the LC. That would (in my eyes) be a smart move given the premium that the LX will certainly command. I know the LX will have even more gizmos than the LC but I'm not sure Lexus can do enough to this platform to sway me from a RR s/c without (at least) a 20-30 HP bump. I am sure that the LC and LX will sell very well none the less. That being said, I like the new Land Cruiser. Am I going to get one? Possibly, but not until I see and drive the LX570 !!
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