Impressive

[MinisterofDOOM]

I took the Q on the longest drive I've made in the Q so far (have been lamentably short on road trip time since I bought the car, sadly). About 300 miles, ~4.5 hours.

I love this car so much. The trip was made on I80 between Utah and Nevada. 75mph speed limit. I really enjoyed the drive. The car is marvelously smooth and silky at those speeds, even with the stiff eibachs and tokicos. And, despite the fact that I'm running a 4.08, I managed TWENTY miles per gallon (most of the drive at 80mph) and that includes ~80 miles of city driving as well.

I'm pretty sure I've been spoiled by this car. My dad's Maxima and it's VQ, which I formerly viewed as smooth, comfortable, and refined, seem crude in comparison to my 14 year old car. It's wonderful.

And the best part is that while I was enjoying a silky ride, smooth V8, comfortable driving position (first car I've ever driven which did not make my butt numb after the first hour or so), and excellent visibility, I was also getting feedback from the car (I have the fast-ratio steering rack, which is just about PERFECT as far as steering goes in my mind) and being engaged to have some fun. So Lexus can take a hike. I get my comfort AND my fun in one go.

Oh, and also noteworthy is the car's PLENTIFUL passing power UP HILL in overdrive. 4.08 rocks.

My single complaint is a result of mods: cruise control is useless above real-world speeds of 72mph (cruise stops working above speedometer-indicated 85mph) which means cruise was not available to me on this trip. I very rarely use cruise anyway. 3 of the 4 cars I've owned have all had non-working cruise and the other had none at all, so I'm used to not having that option.

[SanCarlosQ45]

I can agree with you completly. My 1994 is my car that I drive to the local college everyday. We decided to take the Q because our saturn is not ready for a long trip.

Our trip was up to Corvallis oregon, so a total of 1300 miles, about 12 hours one way. I did 90% of the driving each way and I was not tired after that long. We were doing 75 the whole way, even through the mountains.

The only problem we faced was the blower motor went out an hour before we got to Corvallis. The car is black so it got hot fast, but it was no problem. And to add to that every Cheveron said that they have ethonol which could have contributed to the dead #8 injector I now have.

We got 20-21 in the mountains and about 22 in California central valley and bay area. Pretty amazing really.

But all in it is an amazingly easy drive because of the seats, driving position, and the light steering at speed. Gotta' love it man.

[WesQ]

I have a 94 Q45 and also get about 20-21mpg from a combo of town and freeway driving. Using the NICO ECU on Stage III, I get about 17-18mpg, but its a real rush to drive withthe extra hp. Took it into All Import Service (aka Jerry Tucker) for a brake job and ended up buying a set of g 35 wheels with 225/45 R18 91Ws in the front and 245/45R 18 96Ws in the rear to replace the stock 15Rs. The handling is greatly improved, its like the Q machine is on rails. The down side is there is more road noise.

[Victor]

I couldn't live without cruise control. I use it as much as possible. I remember driving 14 hours a day in my Mustang that didn't have cruise control going across the whole United States and having to step on the gas pedal with my left foot because my right leg was in pain from keeping it in the same position for hours and hours.

[Q451990]

My single complaint is a result of mods: cruise control is useless above real-world speeds of 72mph (cruise stops working above speedometer-indicated 85mph) which means cruise was not available to me on this trip.

Hmmm... I wasn't aware of this limitation. Typically my above 80mph driving is done in quick bursts - but surely there is a way around this...

Heath

[Q45tech]

Obviously people don't understand that a performance tune [ecu] lowers acceleration fuel consumption as the mixture is made leaner. Absolutely zero effect at low loads or steady speeds.

Everything is about rpms and throttle position.

225/45 R18 91Ws in the front is a serious over loaded tire, I'm sure they will chunk and feather soon.

In EU or Japan you would be jailed and fined for exposing public to danger by running a seriously weaker tire.

91 load index is 1356 pounds vs oem MINIMUM of 1521 pounds.Statically the front tires have 1180 and when you panic brake you add 230 pounds to each tire.

1356 + 230 = 1586 vs your 1356 capacity.

I'll say a prayer for you and the public!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[fiveliterbeater]

So Lexus can take a hike. I get my comfort AND my fun in one go.

if you don't mind me asking, what generation Lexus are you saying to go take a hike? no offense but the ride on my M is a little more luxiourious than any Q you can present me and my hat is off to the 06+ GS and 02+ LS. if you think your ride is awesome, you just might blow your load when you drive a GS. that car would've been my purchase had i not driven an M.

Lexus couldn't however match the options and features that the M offers (especially the HP)

[MinisterofDOOM]

if you don't mind me asking, what generation Lexus are you saying to go take a hike? no offense but the ride on my M is a little more luxiourious than any Q you can present me and my hat is off to the 06+ GS and 02+ LS. if you think your ride is awesome, you just might blow your load when you drive a GS. that car would've been my purchase had i not driven an M.

Lexus couldn't however match the options and features that the M offers (especially the HP)

There are different brands of pleasant ride quality. The Lexus/MB take on ride quality is to isolate the driver as much as possible from the road. I don't like this method. The Infiniti/BMW approach is much more sophisticated. Their blend of smooth ride and driver feedback is my preferred way of doing things. And that's what I love about my car. It is not floaty, but the ride is still silky. Of course, with the eibachs, particularly bad road surfaces can become unpleasant. Think of it, I guess, as an ice skater vs a hovercraft. Both are smooth, but one is still "connected."

Even though I appreciate the luxury goodies my Q offers me, they are mere "extras." I appreciate things like heated seats, etc. But I don't need them to enjoy the drive. I prefer the focus to be on driver involvement. But when a car manages to blend BOTH, that strikes my fancy. Lexus doesn't bother with that...they don't need (or, I would wager, care) to, because they have their float-lux niche pretty well carved out. Even with the new "F" line of high performance Lexus models, the mix is still lacking driver involvement. Power's no fun if you can't participate in it.