A Dog Turd?: Jeremy Clarkson Rates the New 335i SE Coupe

ouch

interesting yet, predictable review by Mr. Clarkson

But this article states it is the BMW that came from a dog's rear-end.

my japanese friend, who honestly doesn't know what a lexus was, said this when i showed him an SC. "it looks like someone sat on a bug". and it's true.
and will, this is what you do! you have decided that becaue gogo doesn't like lexus design, he must LOVE other cars and hate japanese cars etc! he never said that!
the SC doesn't look like a lexus, it looks like a toyota. it is a very girly car (loads of cars are!). other lexi aren't. people are allowed to not like just one car in the line-up or even 2. i too hate with a vengance the SC and GS, but i like the IS, LS and RX (even if i hate its advertising). i hate the jag S-type and X-type, but i like jaguar as a whole. it don't like the porsche cayenne or cayman, but i love porsches!
the CL is also very clearly a mercedes, from the wheels to the grill to the styling. you'd never thing it was an audi or a bmw would you? lexus do this too, the LS and RX are both very clearly Lexi, but the SC isn't.
and will, i can explain magic feel. it's in the steering. my mother (she seems to be mentioned in autospies a lot), who is far from the sportiest driver, says of her 323 convertible "it's a joy to drive, everyday". and she's right. the brilliant steering, brakes and engine note all add up to make a brilliant car, with personality and feel. not "magic feel" but feel. the magic comes from the fact that seemingly only bmw can do this so well. mercedes, audi, lexus, none of them match the driver invlovement of a bmw, and that matters to a lot of people. it's the reason why my mother didn't get a clk, due to the notoriously dead steering! people have different priorities, and people are allowed to have different opinions. gogo never said lexus was crap, he said the design of the SC was crap (the rest of the car's pretty bad too), so then you attack him and call him a euro-fanboy! understand why you've been getting a lot of stick recently?

Gogo,

Since you are claiming you're a design student isn't design subjective? What one may think as an intuitive design may be a complete "turd" to another? So just because you are a design student doesn't mean you know crap about what kind of design everyone likes, does it? Personally I like the Lexus SC, it's different than the typical design. And if you think it looks like crap then blame the french riviera, because that's where the Lexus designers got their inspiration...spending weeks there and collecting design inspiration from the yachts to home interiors of the french.

http://www.lexus.com/about/news/articles/2001/1/20010109_4.html

With that being said, you sure got into this forum and actively posting quite fast. Just starting with a new signup a day or so ago and posting and having opinions on everyone within a day. It seems to me that you must have had some other name and got kicked off for some reason or another and had to come up with a new identity.

This review just makes the same point that the only review you should concern yourself with is your own.

Car reviews are like movie reviews.

He thinks it's an excellent drivers car with a brilliant engine, but he wouldn't buy one becasue of the looks inside and out and because he he would be a BMW drivcer if he bought one.

335i a turd? well that is what Clarkson said, I love BMW and the 335i, but BMW has as many fans as they do people who dislike BMW, also people hate the BMW " I think I am all that" image, but you have to wonder if this car had a different badge it would get a better review.

Yes, he's more biased towards Audi and Mercedes. He owns an SL500, and Audis consistently win his reviews.

He speaks the honest truth. The interior is rubbish and should have more flashy bits and pieces to show refinement. IT is NO different than the sedan and that makes it boring. It's supposed to be more sporty plus it has 2 less doors to give it even more reason. On the outside I believe it looks stunning. It looks the part (a luxury coupe). The interior I was never too fond of from the get-go. Even the old 3 series interior would have suited this much better.

There's too much plastic in the 3-series sedan/coupe. Perhaps just as much as a Honda Civic =p

Clarkson has a way about him, he's sort of a cartoon character. But, I do agree with his review. I've always loved the 7 and 5 series design, but for some reason I think the 335i is boring, inside and out. It really seems to be a phenominal car but the design will never stop anybody in their tracks.

u probably havent seen 1 in real have u? its stunning. anyway styling is subjective.

Mdalle dont waste your time on Will. I like the e92 very much and would take the 335 right now. Lexus does not appeal to me, it is just a car, but nothing i would ever dream about, that is a good thing about us people, we got different taste thats why there are so many different cars out there.

TaDaaa! Right on MPoweDK! Some like one car, some like another and then there are those who seem to prefer dog turds.

When he exaggerates, he exaggerates.

Aesthetics is always subjective, can't criticize a man for having an opinion on looks. Some people like the look of the 911 frog eyes, some people don't.

Personally, I found the last generation 3-coupe incredibly attractive, and better than this current iteration.

Gogo nailed it. The SC430 is an ugly POS.

I like it, and I don't care if I'm in the minority (which based on sales of the new coupes I am not). I think it looks great outside, as the previous 3-series was starting to look pretty old to me (excluding the M3 and Performance Package 330i). My only gripes with the new 3-sedan were the tail lights and corners of the headlights. Both of those are different on the coupe, and the tail lights especially are a very classy rendition of the 7-series/8-series lights. And (gasp) I even like the interior. It's stylish, it looks upscale, and the only thing I didn't like on the new sedan (the plastic passenger door grab) is encased in leather in the coupe. The red interior looks fantastic, and I HATE red interiors. Now if they'd just make it so the rear windows could retract like the MB CLK (they obviously can do it since the new convertible will) it'd be perfect.

Can we all agree on one thing, and that is Jeremy Clarkson is too damn big for this BMW.

He looks better in the 300C.

huu76 took Clarson's comments too literally.

Some of his assumptions on cars are too left-field for you conservatice Lexus folk.

Will, you like the SC430? I'm flabbergasted.

It has a surprisingly harsh ride, a horrible shape, and no performance. Its interior edge has also been diminished- look closely, and you'll notice that the 6 Series and XK have both caught up.

If it was a Mercedes, you'd hate it.

Oh and, I love the 3 Series coupe.

The 335i is fantastic. I don't agree with Clarkson alot of the time, and most of the time you need to take what he says with a grain of salt. Part of the charm of listening to him is not really to take his advice about the car b/c he's really not a great car reviewer; he's a personality and a funny one at that.

The SC had a harsh ride since Top Gear said it had a harsh ride.

Also, the SC ripped its interior from the previous Jaguar XK that it isn't even funny. I mean RIPPED.

the SC has a harsh ride in europe. in america it will be softer, but here the bmw 6 series has a better ride.

as does in fact all of the SC's competetion. really does not do anything well. useless rear seats, yet doesn't look sporty, big wheels harsh ride yet doesn't handle well, not very fast, outdated engine, weird looks....it hasn't got anything going for it.
a 6 series may look a bit odd to some people (personally it think it looks quite cool), but it handles, rides well, and is fast. the XK looks amazing, and handles well, goes fast rides well, and the SL (still the king after 4 years) does everything really well, although it is expensive. will, just think how sexy the SL is, and how it compares to the SC. and then consider that the SC came out only 1 year before the SL.....

jeremy clarkson is an idiot. that is a fact.

When Clarkson says anything bad about Lexus, people on this site always say that he is right, bla bla bla. Now that he has said a few negative things about the 3...

Clarkson is an attention-seeker of the highest order. His primary aim is to be entertaining and amusing...then he mentions a thing or two about the car.

In terms of auto reviewers he is a crude, poor man's version of the much superior LA Times Dan Neill.

Gogo,

After reading all of your posts on this article and on previous ones I have come to the following conclusion along with many other members....you have no idea what you are talking about.

And continuing to state how you are a art major, excuse me "design" just discounts everything that you say. How in the world you continue to say that Lexus is without soul or any possible design is proof that you either have a degree from a corn flakes box or you really don't understand design at all.

The SC400 was better designed than the current SC. The SC400 was just a rounded out coupe. Lexus' first try at it and they hit it off. Widely popular and a overall good car. Good design, well...nothing special but that wasn't the only selling point.

I swear more people get all hot under the collar just because someone made an opinion and someone HAS TO fire back. Anyone who didn't see the humor in Will's comments is a complete idiot and needs to get off this site.

I figured you would counter with that. Give yourself a few years and a few jobs.

I, for one, think that this is an exciting period in car design. Companies are finally taking risks with styling. Style has become more important. I love the e92, so much so I just bought one.

I agree. They're really rethinking how styling works out there.

Before, everyone was copying the trend-setting Audi 5000 of the mid-'80s. That was a revolutionary car and perfected the rules of car proportions forever.

However, I'm glad that designers have finally found away to differentiate the same basic shape. I must give credit to BMW here- they may still be using the 5000's proportions, but they single-handedly spurred new design trends from Mercedes, Audi, Lexus, Infiniti and other, less-prestigious brands.