Separated At Birth: 2009 BMW 750i Meet 2009 Lexus LS460

I prefer the BMW. Here in Maryland, most of the time when you see these driving, the driver usually is over 65 Years of Age, and has Florida Tags.

"If you're wondering, the Lexus had the lame fake tailpipes first."

At least the Lexus looks like a real flagship. The BMW does not.

I'm not a fan of the pug-nose of the 7. It looks like someone put breath-rite strips on a pig and forgot to take them off. I understand they're for the EU pedestrian standards (good idea) but I still don't like them.

I wouldn't have either thanks. If I want a big luxury sedan, I'll go for that new Panamera thanks.

The BMW cannot pull off the fake tailpipes like the Lexus. I personally don't like this new look the 7 Series has taken. I would take the Lexus over the BMW.

the BMW looks better to me, but it could be the color of the car and the wheels.

then again, the only good looking Lexus to me is the IS.

Guess I'm just not a fan of big cars...

Ha! I actually mistaken the new 7 for the LS last week. Maybe it was the trunk lid, the integrated exhaust, or the body shape.

I don't think they look that much a like, and I can easily tell them apart. But, that's just me..

Yeah the Lexus had the lame tailpipe first but at least they did it FIRST. If that concept is so lame then what does that make the BMW? The LAME follower?

e38 body style FTW. Slap on the 18" M-Parallel rims and they were the definition of what a flagship car is and always will be.

By the way, I saw a silver 2001 740iL yesterday, and that car is NICE!

The LS is too much of a senior mobile, but the Bimmer is ugly in my opinion. The person that posted from Maryland that said he sees LS' with Florida plates all of the time also holds true in Michigan!

i think some better wheels would make the 7 grow on me more..

Lexus has always been the copy cat, However driving home the other night, I noticed something interesting -- if you look at the new 7 and LS at night with the rear taillights lit they share a very similar L design ( the rear HALO LED's for BMW) -- Dare I say this ... The Lexus was first to market -- Did BMW take a design from Lexus??

The first time I saw the new 7 series I thought it was a lexus

"Lexus has always been the copy cat"

Yeah, Lexus copied a few design traits from MB back then, for example the GS headlights vs. E-class headlights. However, try to compare the new E-class headlights to the current GS headlights then one will quickly realized that MB just copied something from Lexus which it was copied originally from MB...

Oh the humor...

@jzcarr25,

BMW introduced the LED tube taillight design on the refreshed 2001 E39 BMW 5-Series. The design theme is now shared among the entire BMW family. The 7-Series also had this on the previous generation car.

I also find the rear of both cars to be strikingly similar. The first 7 I saw on the road I initially mistook for the LS (it was from the back). Of course the details are going to be different, but the similarities really are surprising.

I dont see what is the big deal of the fake tail pipe. Exhaust still flows through the tips.

I think this current generation of the LS is a great looking car - it has finally hit its stride. I'm kind of take or leave it with this new 7. Even money or if you were going to give me one and I had to choose....I'd still take the 7 without hesitation. But just talking looks, the LS gets the nod.

.....either way, I'm disappointed with the disconnected tips....but I do really like the finished / integrated appearance they provide.

I like the look of the current gen Lexus LS. As for the new BMW 7 series...not so much.

If I was looking for a big luxury car to be driven around in I'd choose the Lexus LS. It's interior fit and finish is amazing.

If I was looking for a big luxury car to drive then I'd go with the previous gen. BMW 7 Series or the current MB S Class AMG.

checked out the X6 today, they have "real" tailpipes. Or at least it appeared the frame embedded in the rear bumper was all one piece and attached to the muffler housing thing. It may be the sun and heat here in Portland (which we don't know how to deal with) -- and at the threat of thread-jacking this discussion: I really liked how the X6 looked today.

I'd rather have a BMW over a Lexus any day, but I do think the LS460 looks better. It's just so sleek, all the details perfectly integrated. The 750's chrome strip almost looks tacky, and the lights just don't do it for me.

The LS460 is the first LS from Lexus that I've liked - the styling of the previous generations tended to be ugly. So, I think this LS looks better than the 7, which at least looks better than the prior 7.

The LS looks sooo much better than the 7series. Simple, good looking design. Now only if that 4.6L V8 had twin turbo's.....mmmm.

The EU pedestrian impact standards don't only result in ugly cars- they are also an unwarranted interference with the Law of Natural Selection.

Is it just me or does the 1,3(sedan) and 7 series back ends look similar? Just bigger with each car... at least the 1 and 3 series have real exhaust tips... ;p

I guess I am in the minority, but I think the 7-Series is a lot better looking than the LS. The Lexus is certainly attractive, but it isn't imposing. It just doesn't have the look that a flagship should, but I can't put my finger on why.

louiswei-
It was more than a few traits. The first two generations of LS cars were nearly exact replicas of S-Classes, to the point that the proportional ratios were identical (at least according to Robert Cumberford), it was kind of embarassing. However, I completely agree with you that Lexus has finally hit its stride stylistically in the past few years. Also, the new E's headlights aren't really a copy. They are actually trunkated versions of the cluster used on the current SL-Class (they just took a piece out of the middle) although I agree they do look exactly the same as those on the GS. The new E's exhuast pipes, now that's another matter.

@bimmerjay

BMW started the LED tubes -- I agree. However the original design of the tubes were completely horizontal. The new 2.0 tube style, which started w/ the x6, 3 and now 7 has an L shape to it on the side, which I noticed on the LS fist (I dont think the LS is LED).. I know, I have issues...

Lexus -
http://www.autotropolis.com/2009/Lexus/LS-460/308344/Tail-light/exterior-photos.html#Tail%20light

BMW

http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/BMW_7-Series/photos-exterior/tail-light/

The Lexus LS (and IS for that matter) were clearly influenced by the Bangle Butt design of the previous 7 series. Granted, Lexus made it a more cohesive design, but it was still a copy. BMW copying the exhaust is moot with the main body design of the Lexus copying BMW. I'm amazed at how many car designs Bangle influenced for better or worse.

OK, ok -- my copy cat comment was a jab at Lexus -- sorry, I am an eternal german car fan at heart, couldn't resist -- I agree lexus has come a long way and can hold their own on design

EVERYBODY was copying the Bangle butt... The most guilty party? MB S-class...

However besides the Bangle butt the new Lexus design has NOTHING in common with the Bangle design. Bangle is famous for his "flaming surface" however the Lexus L-finesse emphasizes in the "cleanliness" with simple lines. Try to compare the side profiles between a 3-series and IS then you'll realize it.

I have long said this, but few people have seemed to realize it. The "Bangle-butt" was not a purely original design cue. It was a take on the 1997 Mercedes-Benz Maybach Concept vehicle. Bangle took it, englarged it, and found a way to make it work aerodynamic miracles, but the original styling feature was first seen back in 1997. Mercedes then took inspiration from Bangle's aerodynamics and slightly enlarged the feature on the 2004 Maybach. That feature then migrated over to the W221 S-Class. MB certainly found inspiration from Bangle's advancements, but the S-Class' rear end is actually a Mercedes original. Whether that is a good thing is up for you to decide ;)

http://www.carstyling.ru/en/cars.1997_Mercedes-Benz_Maybach.html

Lexus outdid BMW with the large sedan styling. The LS is a much better design. Luxurious, solid, exuding the flagship premium quality and refinement that once only BMW 7's had.

BMW went backwards and produced the aero sperm. They lost all the wonderful sporty, clean lines- which the LS gained.
The 7 is also no match in pure quality. If I were in this market, it would be the Audi A8. That interior blows away the 7 Series and actually has styling appropriate for a class-leading premium flagship.

Although Bangle is blamed for the hideous rear ends on so many BMW's, he is actually not responsible for it. Internal politics aside, the final product is a disservice to BMW7 loyalists as well as the company's rich history.