MotorWeek | Retro Review: '93 V8 Luxury Sedan Comparo

Huge early 90's money getting thrown around here. Which would you want?

[@superseriousreviews1168]

“Stomp on the Accelerator and the STS promptly blows its headgaskets”

[@ej2civicb736]

They really didn't blow head gaskets the head bolts were garbage causing the heads to lift and let exhaust gas into the coolant water jackets

[@curbowman]

I spat my computer screen with your comment! So true!

[@destructoidx99]

northstar is junk period

[@Tuppoo94]

It was such a shame that they released the car with such a faulty engine design. It took them forever to sort it out, which naturally only made things worse.

[@rarebrownboi774]

Sts had a great engine problem was they choose to make it weak with the bolts and Cadillac took too way long to fix the head bolt problem and that could have saved future north stars but importantly Cadillacs success in their car buys and chose not to idk y

[@SimeonToko]

That "industrial" leather in the LS400 has stood the test of time.

[@siamiam]

Decades later and the Lexus LS400 are still driving on the road...

[@loaferguy73]

+siamiam Tons of them out here in LA and most are in pretty good shape!

[@mattcordero8612]

So are the benzes? Whats your point lol

[@KRRZ350]

All driven by Indian doctors

[@akishot6735]

And so are the BMWs and definitely the Mercedes

[@josephsmith2351]

Cadillac to I own one

[@mmdaltx]

The jump in reliability from the early 80's to early 90's was amazing.

[@danielfrancis7798]

Well except for the North Star

[@fields1]

Then in the late-90s you saw the quality of all German cars plunge.

[@borninhk1]

@@fields1 because they had to shorten their development time to keep models fresh versus the Japanese.

[@ctre97]

That and power is incredible. My 87 Camaro made 160hp with an old sbc, the 93 Camaro 275hp

[@epi2045]

@@danielfrancis7798 So true!

[@ShariaLawAllDay]

"It is rumored that V8 luxury sedans are endangered species and we heard the same rumors 20 years ago!". And 24 years later you still hear the same rumors!

[@oldtwinsna8347]

It is headed that way though, the turbo 6's are moving in. Get the V8 LS , Genesis, while you still can.

[@Littleathquakes]

the new Lexus LS series is a turbo V6 now

[@gedaman]

All sedans are an endangered species now. Even Honda has had to cut back production on the Accord!

[@thetechlibrarian]

Not only that but they went so far up market the average person can't even own them anymore these cars were all aspirational when I was growing up and everyone saved for maybe the Cadillac was able to be purchased at six or seven years old with faith that you could drive it and fix it yourself That will never be the case with one of the new s classes or seven series

[@t436]

@@thetechlibrarian Current cars you don't want to own, lease and walk away with w/o a huge hit in depreciation and repairs only a dealership can fix properly out of warranty.

[@theinternets7516]

Those old 7 series sedans are still gorgeous.

[@rodmunch69]

I've owned 3 BMW's and 2 Cadillac's, and in this comparison those are the two best looking cars. I love that BMW look, but also love that Cadillac look. BMW here is pretty traditional looking, while the STS still looks fairly modern. Both had great interiors as well.

[@nickgee7291]

I love those 90s interiors. So confortable and warm

[@CGJ7755]

Ive owned a 93 Q45 just like the one in that video for 11 years and can confirm, its awesome. Fast and fun to barrel down the backroads in.

[@NateTheGreat1684]

Out of all these cars, there is probably more of the Lexus still on the road than any of the others

[@opaholdskool8674]

Depend on where are you from

[@04dram04]

Yes. But its so ugly

[@jeffreyrigged]

still a million of those caddi in eastern ky

[@user-xf4ib6ko4m]

@@jeffreyrigged yeah but...North Star 😂🤣😂

[@jeffreyrigged]

@@user-xf4ib6ko4m i know but they are everywhere.

[@puckingrufus56]

They might as well call the Audi V8 the Unicorn because I've never seen one.

[@ftffighter]

I see one every day out front of the mechanic's shop across the street broken down. Kind of sad because they are rare.

[@JohnMcMahon.]

Have you checked under your bed?.. I mean, have you double checked?

[@dlwst44]

I live in Pittsburgh, PA, I had one back in 2008. I spotted 2 more around town. A year later mine was totalled when somebody ran a light. I never saw another one after that.

[@joes.7536]

Nope. Haven't seen one that I can remember I used to have an Audi unicorn too. A 1984 4000s 5cyl manual back in 2001. I remember the starter went out and I want the 20 auto parts stores looking for one, and couldn't find one in stock. And That's in the motor City. Not a rural area.

[@rogervalkriye4133]

I've never seen one in person, I live in Baltimore. Tons of the STS and LS400 though, they're everywhere.

[@azzurrin889]

I always loved the look of the old early 90's cadillac sts

[@raymondturner6784]

I liked the overhaul they did in 1998.

[@michaelsimko7694]

The 740i was such a beautiful car with superb performance. The STS was one of my dream cars when I was a kid in the early and mid 90s. I loved its smooth design that had a combination of European luxury, European performance, American luxury, and American muscle.

[@NoName-tz5ji]

You forgot European reliability,ie: Renault 😂

[@defyyourlogic487]

That caddy was a sleeper even by today's standards.

[@starxlr7863]

Yes it sure was. It was the fastest of any Cadillac that had come before. Only the Cadillac's from 1955-62 with the 365/390 equipped with Dual four's or tripower could compare. That was the last time Cadillac's were fast and powerful. This Northstar V8 was a star for sure in Cadillac's history line up.

[@OrdinaryKy]

@@starxlr7863 but like all stars, they blew up. Sad really. Luckily they fixed it by the time cars like the XLR came out!

[@kgisabeast]

That old 7 series looks badass, too bad they're so problematic. Those ls400s are still all over the place.

[@loaferguy73]

+kgisabeast Lots of LS400's are still here in LA, and most are in pretty good shape still!

[@waverunner7063]

You see them nationally. Hell I have one and there are a few others in the area where I live. The engine and transmission live forever while everything else on the car falls apart.

[@DannysGarage]

For what it's worth, the E32 740i is really not all that bad in terms of maintenance. The M60 V8 has proven itself to be BMW's most reliable V8, with no chain issues, oil consumption issues, or any other huge faults. Sure, there was that Nikasil/Alusil debacle in the 90's, but at this point any running M60 is likely to be fine. My 1994 740i has 214,000 miles on it and the engine has never been opened up. I just took it on a pretty hard mountain drive the other day, and it performed admirably.

[@sachinmistry1]

That 740i is a very handsome car. It looks clean and masculine. I've always been a fan of that design

[@bryan10444]

@@DannysGarage BMWs most reliable V8 lol it's sad when i generally unreliable engine is the best one they got

[@GhostHawk76]

And yet after 27 years only the Lexus LS400 made it through and still maintain a quarter of its original value and still driving on the road.

[@joaquinfranco9012]

And the W124. In terms of quality, the Mercs of that time outclassed the Lexus.

[@simonomisimonomis]

@@joaquinfranco9012 true, the lexus wasn't at the level W124 in terms of quality and reliability Now V8 W124s (400E/E420 and 500E/E500) are worth more than an early 90s lexus

[@lilibethdoherty295]

Toyota actually cares about quality and reliability ,Kaizen is continuous improvement a philosophy of Kiichiro Toyoda the founder of Toyota.

[@TheChill001]

@@lilibethdoherty295 the mercedes at those days was still run by engineers rather than pennypinchers...so yes, they did too.

[@VramanNoodles]

@@lilibethdoherty295 I get that, but Mercedes wasn't a bad manufacturer during 1954-1999 they made durable and some seriously reliable cars, especially those diesels on W123s, 300Es, 300Ds, and W460s. Now Mercedes, I get it, they have like over 100 computer modules and processors built in them, way to complex and they wear out/depreciate extremely quickly. Basically that's all German manufacturers now, I love old Toyotas, probably more than most cars, but you can't underestimate any old Mercs. Specifically the W123 is my favorite Benz.

[@SearchEast2069]

Best part about these big Luxury cars like these is you can get them for dirt cheap on the second hand market.

[@gerardusch]

And then spend a fortune on maintenance ...

[@vel6979]

Kakejolas it varies

[@xavichuvy9047]

@@akutan04rt50 The W124 was built like a tank. The 7 series and the Audi weren't so bad either.

[@mathewpatton1007]

@@xavichuvy9047 Lol what? I don't know alot about audi's of that era but that gen 7 series was a mechanical nightmare.

[@xavichuvy9047]

@@mathewpatton1007 Can you elaborate? Most issues I see with them are due to lack of or improper maintenance. The same thing can be said about most luxury cars that cost a fortune when new but could be bought for peanuts after a few years.

[@THUANEXP]

Only the LS400 still alive nowaday

[@AD-sp5cv]

The infiniti Q45 might be reliable too from japan who knows lol

[@michaelg492]

The mercedes w124 is bulletproof, still seen everywhere on European roads today.

[@rodmunch69]

The only people driving that ugly Lexus are people on meth who are too poor to afford a 1997 Ford Escort.

[@jackdough8164]

Naw this was when Nissan made good cars. I still see quite a few older Infiniti’s around pretty often up here where I am and I’m in the rust belt

[@galil_6863]

The Northstar had so much potential. If the head gasket issue had been solved earlier, this would have been a truly memorable decade for Cadillac.

[@silviocolella3308]

I overlooked it I had a good almost 3 year one with my Grandmother’s 1995 Cadillac SLS but once needed water pump my aunt wouldn’t pay for maintenance anymore

[@melvinharris7859]

I still think it is a memorable decade, since the cars were great in basically every other aspect, and even with the head stud issue that didn't usually appear until well over 100k miles, and could be sorted out permanently using a head stud kit for a couple hundred bucks.

[@jannevaatainen]

That Mercedes body style looks very nice. A classic, for sure!

[@manthony225]

A 92 Crown Victoria really looked like the Infiniti . Never noticed that before.

[@tientrinh943]

I noticed that too now lol

[@jmin8400]

Very mixed bag, as a Blue Oval guy, remember that cars are not designed in a vacuum. Taurus was released when Q45 was being designed, while Q45 was released after the '92 Crown Victoria had already been designed. EN114 (92 model) styling ended in 1988. MW claimed that Q45 copied Taurus. Who knows.

[@dmer-zy3rb]

true. though the crown vic did it better. the q45 was easily the ugliest/most boring looking of the cars here.

[@rodmunch69]

Crown Victoria looks a lot better than that ugly Nissan Maxima.

[@zhila5958]

@@rodmunch69 your taste in car f**king stinks. do you have a functioning eye?

[@Zachman676]

I love how you can hear a distinct difference between every manufacturers V8

[@RivieraByBuick]

this is the difference of the exhaust, not the engine. All V8 have the same firing order, carbureted v8 sounds differnet from injected, but injected v8 are all the same (except for crossplane cranked).

[@phil955i]

@@RivieraByBuick these are all crossplane crank V8s

[@RivieraByBuick]

@@phil955i lol what? all of them are FLAT. (Also BMW M60 crank is in my garage at this moment, i can assure you it is 180 degree. I have have Mercedes in my hands as well). get your knowledge before u comment.

[@phil955i]

@@RivieraByBuick Oh dear. The vast majority of production V8s are cross plane. Do you even know the difference between flat plane & cross plane V8s? You are clueless bless you 😂

[@RivieraByBuick]

@@phil955i can u even read?

[@andxx0r_the_second671]

The Benzo V8 sounds really muscular under hard throttle. Love it!

[@incyphe]

+andxx0r_the_second Haha I love that sloppy v8 sound!

[@frazzleface753]

And that design is such a classic.

[@anthonynicholich9654]

Yeah but they should have used the S class 400SE instead 400E to be equal with other contenders

[@anthonynicholich9654]

Should have used S Class 400SE Instead of 400E to be equal with other condenders. 7 series BMW is equal to S class not E.

[@MercOne]

@@anthonynicholich9654 I said that too, but the 400SE was way more expensive and to my shock the base price of the 400E, 740i and A8 were nearly identical. The W124 was great car, but it was outclassed here. I too would have bought a 740i out of this group.

[@ahuehuete4703]

We know which one Scotty would choose :-)

[@rfdsdf1]

Those STS caddys were beast in their day still like the looks really wanted one back in the day.

[@RustyVigero2005]

If you want one they're cheap. Wouldn't recommend one unless its got like 10k miles bc it's a Northstar lol.

[@thetechlibrarian]

Just a few years after this I thought they looked so sweet in face off with nicolas cage.

[@Erichhh]

I dodged a bullet by not buying one in 1997. It was a 1994 green STS that they wanted $36k for 🤣.

[@roddydykes7053]

Shame they all had to be FWD

[@rodmunch69]

@@RustyVigero2005 you're an idiot. You're the same moron that would say a Fiero was dangerous because it catches on fire. You simpletons who just repeat rumors over and over again as if they're true, you're just boring people.

[@Lovejazz01]

My parents had the Caddy STS , I loved it, but for myself I dreamed of having the Infiniti Q45, so sporty and unique looking for a little less than the others here.

[@ivanrmz8624]

I want to buy a 1993 Q45, its very rare to find but I like that car, very luxury and elegant

[@V59971]

Just saw the Lexus here in Manchester England , that thing just stood out from the rest . What a beautiful car

[@pabloaguila6344]

Are you blind or deaf? It was an average luxury car at that time. Today is a different story.

[@RichardJohnson-dj1pd]

Pablo Aguila do you even see any of the others around anymore? Didn’t think so. They’re all in junk yards

[@roddydykes7053]

@@RichardJohnson-dj1pd the only ones on this list I don’t see (Saskatoon Saskatchewan) are the Audi and the Infinity (although a old rich neighbour in the cul-de-sac has a Q45, only one I see in the city) it just depends on where you live, whether people beat their vehicles to shit or not

[@rodmunch69]

OMG are you Toyota fanbois annoying. That Lexus was boring back then, and its even more boring now. But I guess to people who look forward their entire lives to one day owning a Camry, well someone like that wouldn't have any sort of taste.

[@gedaman]

That Audi V8 wood trim is outstanding. I guess not many people were buying Audi at that time due to the unintended acceleration issues from the late 80s. It would be another three years until the 1996 Audi A4 came around and won over the Audi car buyers again.

[@jameskerherve7487]

I could watch the BMW hit the brakes all day. Amazingly composed.

[@rodmunch69]

106FT is exceptional even today with much better tire compounds. If you had the ability to modern UHP summer tires on that car, I bet it'd be right around 90ft, putting it on par with the best performance cars on earth.

[@bensmithkent22]

I know watch that caddy squirrelling all over the place.

[@mercury-gt1js]

the only ones I still see on a regular basis is the Lexus LS and the Mercedes.

[@nolanmitchell5896]

My first car I purchased was a 97 Cadillac STS with 74k miles in 2016. It now has 115k and still drives like a dream. Keep the oil in good shape and full, do coolant checks and let it rip. I have not been disappointed by it at all. These 90s cads are truly badass

[@starxlr7863]

These are some great cars. I grew up with a 1995 Seville SLS. Now we have a few other Seville's (84, 94, 96, 00) Absolutely correct, do the proper maintenance and you will be fine. The 1994 Seville now has 320k and my 1993 Allante has 198k. They are great!

[@rodmunch69]

Your first car was an STS in 2016? Wow, really broke the bank, must have spent upwards of $600 on it.

[@williamheinsinger7390]

Most Caddys Didn't make it past Cash For Clunkers back in 2009 lol

[@95mushroom]

That was a dark time for us 90's era GM boys....

[@tinkynine3351]

Another Obama abomination.

[@markbrinton6790]

@Suicidal in Cleveland yes, those are 2 models that were solid. Shame about the XJ's.

[@TheTaxburden]

Lmao

[@jakeabernathy1537]

Most everything here didn't make it past Obama's abomination! Why didnt someone clunk his ass out of here!

[@vintagehaynesflute]

To compare with the Lexus LS and the BMW 7 series you’d need the Mercedes S class not an E.

[@karimsaleh3876]

I think they didn't bring the W140 because it's out of competition ☝️

[@ArjunMahavni]

V8 North American S-Classes from this era were sold only in long wheelbase form, meaning that it was way bigger than the LS and/or the 7

[@vintagehaynesflute]

Arjun Mahavni the 7 sold in America was also the long wheelbase model

[@ArjunMahavni]

@@vintagehaynesflute the short 7 came here too but maybe the S was just on a higher level? we may never know

[@larryfinkelstein6315]

Maybe because the S was priced higher than 60k?

[@gmman010983]

They rag on FWD but by the looks of it the STS was making light work of the cones compared to some of the others..

[@EDHBlvd]

Also fastest to 60mph even with traction disadvantage.

[@rodmunch69]

FWD kills the fun of driving, at least every FWD car I've ever had did. BUT with that said it really did perform well and in the slalom test it stayed super flat and had zero drama, very very impressive, in particular for the time period we're talking here. Also those Caddy's are very cheap to fix and keep running - I see them all the time where I live, but I honestly thought they were dramatically slower than what they are.

[@daninva6458]

I used to own a Deville with the same drivetrain. HG's blew and it wasn't worth fixing money wise any more, but it was a nice car to drive in its day. One plus for the FWD that they totally ignore is that they are vastly better in the snow. IMO, that may have been a deciding factor for a lot of people who chose this car.

[@rodmunch69]

DanInVa I live in FL, never seen snow, so no deciding factor to me. In the rain maybe they perform a bit better, but I don't think it's FWD, I think it's that they're normally underpowered cars so you can't really do dumb things in them as easily.

[@angelinacortalano3741]

The Cadillac Seville is my choice. All the other competitors never did anything for me and I have been in several of them and driven them. And I like Fwd much more than Rwd. I have seen to many accidents of Rwd cars losing control more than anything else. And just the fact that the Cadillac was Fwd wins me over. The Lincoln Continental for 1995 would also have been my choice with the Seville both having 32 valve V8's and being Fwd.

[@candyman3108]

IMHO the Lexus looks the best from the outside, It is really the car ahead of it's time..

[@petulantfrenzy5532]

Back when 8 cylinders were respected and revered. Long live all V8 engines!

[@ksfpubstar2]

He said the Northstar engine brought Cadillac back 😂 what pieces of shit that engine was

[@davidscott4849]

Dustin Richards Amen to that. Complete and utter junk engine...

[@genosho5574]

The Northstar is a good engine if you do some preventative maintenance, but bone stock it's likely to blow itself

[@channell11]

@D B Anecdotes are nice, but historically Northstar engines have suffered from more than their share of problems-including oil leaks, unreliable liquid-cooled alternators, and deteriorating head bolts that result in head gasket failures. And if you do have to work on one, be prepared for an over-engineered design and a need for special tools. It took until the mid 2000's before Cadillac finally sorted out all the issues.

[@channell11]

@D B That's the problem-anyone who likes to keep their cars a long time or who buys one on the used market would find that the cost of a repair would very easily exceed a significant portion of the cars value. And many of these engines experienced problems prior to 100K miles. Your statement doesn't refute the fact that the Northstar engine-while an engineering marvel and ahead of its time-had design flaws that resulted in a high frequency of serious issues that have been well-documented.

[@AL-SH]

@D B Lol you're a moron. Just because you happened to be lucky by not encouraging issues with that engine it doesn't take away from all the issues reported by the consumers. Step out of your bubble and you'll learn the Northstar Engines were amongst the most problematic engines in the history of consumer reports.

[@ScottaHemi440]

I still love the simple luxury looks of these old 90's Cadillacs. the new cars are pretty cool sure, but they're just not the same as the older luxury... wood grain interior! soft comfy seats, big interior volume! It would do caddy good to get something like that back.

[@rodmunch69]

They did make one, the CT6. Big car, looked amazing, had great technology, it was truly what a new Cadillac should be, and they killed it, instead giving us an ugly Chevy in the CT5. Also you had the XTS, which is a direct descendant of the STS, it was pretty big and pretty plus, and FWD, but the CT6 was truly a next-gen luxury car, and they killed it...

[@larquefausse3623]

20 years later and you'll see more of the Lexus still driving down the street than the other five cars combined.

[@ghettomist1575]

Larque Fausse I still see shit tons of Infiniti's, Mercedes, and BMW's. The others are non existent where I live.

[@nickmotsarsky4382]

Not true. I see a bunch of Cadillacs and 740's.

[@Joke9972]

I have a weakness for the Caddy, though I know it's not the best of the bunch.

[@tdgdbs1]

A bunch huh?

[@Joke9972]

Sorry, not the right word, those days quality was better than 90% produced nowadays.

[@V59971]

That Lexus looks absolutely beautiful

[@rodmunch69]

LOL! No it doesn't.

[@burninggas7715]

BMW 740i is still one of the best enginierd vehicels ever made. You feel so safe inside, the driving experience is also today one of the best ;)

[@me3333]

+rolling troll The 740 was a great car, the 750 was a hunk of shit though. They should have stuck with the excellent V8 instead of messing with that V12

[@ES-pt3mr]

With the worst quality 😂

[@kirbyswarp]

Remember when the numbers in the names actually meant something? Now they mean nothing. The Cadillac was a great car, shame that the early Northstars were problematic.

[@Stressless2023]

+kirbyswarp It's weird that it took GM over 10 years to finally get the Northstar engines right. They didn't fix the defective head gasket issues that they are known for until mid-2004, and by then the reputation of the Northstar itself was already in the toilet.

[@starxlr7863]

+kirbyswarp No they were not full of problems. They were excellent right from the start with little changes made to them over the years.

[@kirbyswarp]

AMCNorthstar 93 The head gaskets would love to speak with you. But after the initial head gasket, my grandpas was dead reliable for over a decade.

[@starxlr7863]

+SuchANiceGirl22 But the head gasket issue was also a problem on other GM engines and was mainly a coolant related problem. I have three different Northstar Cadillac's and they never had a problem. They were all great but the problems started happening around the time Dexcool antifreeze was introduced in 1996. The Northstar V8 are some excellent built engines and there was a reason why it was in production for 20 years and put into several GM luxury cars.

[@starxlr7863]

kirbyswarp What year was your car?

[@NikateeN]

My buddy had that Beamer, and while it was very nice and spacious inside, it was unreliable and expensive to fix.

[@sxyaeprep]

Yes.. and where the little red digital read out is for miles and what not, pixels are always burnt out

[@steeltag]

ive had 4 and none of them were unreliable, but several leaked power steering fluid :-(

[@skeene_6824]

Like all bmw lol

[@RockandrollNegro]

"Unreliable and expensive to fix." I think you just described all German cars in general.

[@kristoffer3000]

@@RockandrollNegro You guys get VW's etc that are built in Mexico or worse, the US. Everywhere else in the world they're really reliable.

[@cherkas009]

Mercedes held up fantastic I see a lot of them in great condition best bargain and they last forever I bought one with 300,000 miles on it perfect

[@cap12206]

@Justinian Yi there no way in my opinion that the M119 in the w124 made such low HP.. they had so much power it was unbelievable. Electronically speed limited at 155 mph too.

[@rodmunch69]

In America you never see them, they've all been off the road for 20-years because they were too expensive to fix.

[@drewscott6013]

I miss the days when you could tell cars apart. Now, I can't tell a Hyundai from a Lexus,

[@drewscott6013]

Troll

[@suomenpresidentti]

It's just what you are used to when you were growing up and learned all the different cars. My dad said same thing in the 80's about all cars looking alike...

[@drewscott6013]

That may be true. But so many cars steal design cues from each other, none of them really stand out. Unless it's a Veyron or something. LOL!

[@NikoBell12]

Drew Scott All mainstream cars are going to look similar to each other whether they're from the 40's or the 2000's.

[@drewscott6013]

NikoBell12 You've already made your first comment. I don't need to hear from you again.

[@dejansiljegovic4467]

I'll take the Lexus ls400, will last you the longest with the best build quality out of the bunch

[@henryovalles7311]

Dejan Siljegovic right now mint 740 4k q45 2k ls4 3k sts 1.5k audi 5k mer 4 7k

[@SkysurvCoNz]

W124 Mercedes are widely regarded for vault like build quality and were on par with Lexus, better in some areas. Now far more desirable as well.

[@bennybop5387]

@@SkysurvCoNz that's why they get dumped soon as the warranty expires... beautiful cars they are though I'll give you that...

[@crs290]

It is the only model that is likely to have ALL the ancillary systems working after 20 years.

[@betterbeavailable]

I get bored in any car in few years. I don't give a damn if some Toyota lasts a bit longer. Toyota is also known for its cheap plastics.

[@sheldonm3535]

Why would they compare a 7 series to an E class? Should’ve compared a bmw e34 540i to a E class V8

[@mathewpatton1007]

Should have compared the S class and Deville instead of the E and STS. Would have showed how superior Merc was too everyone else at this time and just how shitty Cadillac had become.

[@RicardoMartinez-kr5qk]

@@mathewpatton1007 yeah, i wonder why they went with the w124 and not the w126. The 124 is definitely outclassed by the e32

[@AirRideFanatic]

Yeah the V8 model E34 had just come out the year before... Wonder why they chose the 7-series?

[@poopscoop5836]

The pricing is in the same range, the mercedes of the 90s were the most expensive when compared to other eras. In the 90s mercedes tried to fill the gap between the jaguar, bmw, audi and rolls royce/Bentley. Now and before they compete with these normal luxury brands. The 90s S class (W140 chasis) cost like 135k for the lowest trim (v6 3.2L) compared to like 82k today for the lowest trim S class which is comparable to all the other flagship cars from the other luxury brands. They were on their big baller shit in the 90s, but it wasn't super profitable so you end up getting the slightly more reserved mercedes of today.

[@sebastianochs7714]

Also wondered about that

[@Josh-er6oz]

That Lexus was really groundbreaking for the period, my dad had 3 as company cars when he was running his business and he absolutely loved them

[@ponyboycurtis007]

Dang. What was his business called? Ballers Inc?

[@rickhouten1622]

😂

[@TurboquandoGaming]

108 ft on the bmw that's Damn impressive even with some new cars with brembos can't stop that short

[@EDHBlvd]

Ya it kept itself composed too. Impressive.

[@TurboquandoGaming]

Shaun Martin Lol trust me ik it's unreliable but that stopping distance was Damn sure great

[@unknownunknowns]

That might be because cars of the same model keep getting heavier due to higher safety and comfort standards.

[@fry.master]

bmw's m60 isn't unreliable... probably one of the best v8's of its time for it. PCV valves caused oil consumption, and nikasil is an issue on pre 1994, but other than that its absolutely bulletproof. we have several cars with 250k+ miles with clear oil and no issues. Smooth as new and just as much power :)

[@waverunner7063]

The BMW also had a 5 speed auto ... in 1993!

[@hrra8759]

my 1996 northstar deville still running today 220k with miles and still beats mustangs like it did in high school 05. 275hp 300lb tq fwd v8 for the 90s car was unheard of.

[@NYKgjl10]

Nice, I still drive my "97" EL Dorado with over 115k and still going strong.

[@rodmunch69]

What kind of parent buys their kid a Cadillac? Wow, terrible.

[@sunilayya8948]

Loved both the infiniti and ls400. The q45 had a fantastic engine which sounded amazing when pushed and a great chassis too. Ls 400 was super refined but less of a driver's car.

[@mediocreman2]

That Q45 is a beaut.

[@amg3078]

the only one that's not still around today is the Audi lol

[@MaestroTJS]

Not true. There is an A8. All the other cars have their equivalents too, but Infiniti no longer has a Q45 equivalent. The Q70 comes close but it's technically a midsize.

[@bobsmithinson2050]

Maestro_T he meant the Audi in this video...I am 32 and oven never seen one in my life other than pics or video

[@xavichuvy9047]

@@bobsmithinson2050 I guess it depends on where you live. I'm from Barcelona and I've seen a few.

[@CountryCarReviews]

Bry Ytab I seen an Audi V8. Bigfoot was driving it with jimmy Hoffa 😂

[@quattno1506]

Am Gee you see lots in Seattle, Anchorage AK, and Portland

[@per.bjoerk]

That Audi V8 such a beauty!

[@notroll1279]

Don't know how well that car sold in the US - in Germany it had only marginal success. It was clearly one of their middle class models on steroids with a modiefied front design ad lost out against the BMW 7series and S-class it was priced to compete with.

[@MaestroTJS]

+Martin Guenther I don't believe it sold well at all in North America. Audi's resurgence in the marketplace didn't start until the A4 came out in 1996. In the 1980's, there was a scare in the marketplace of "unintended acceleration" and it ruined Audi's reputation.

[@nickmotsarsky4382]

You're joking, right? It looks so boring and bland. Just a square shape.

[@Enko063]

Audi V8 has two titles in DTM championship, and has best historical achievement in this comparison.

[@xavichuvy9047]

@@notroll1279 It also lacked badge appeal at that time.

[@ErwinSchrodinger64]

Watching this video just reminds me on how Honda/Acura kept telling the world that Acura will be in this league very soon. Well, it's 20+ years later: Lexus made it out of Japan as a highly respected automaker due to its reliability, RWD platforms, V8, and quality (Infiniti you get the thumbs up as well). Oh, Acura, you said you would change the world of luxury. It's been over 20 years and you're not even close to being in the luxury world (Lincoln has now surpassed you... of all things, Hyundai is running rings around you). Acura will continue to fail because it will remain FWD, never adopt a twin turbo V6 for it's automobiles (much less a V8), probably offer turbo inline-4 on all of its cars, add heavy electric hybrid technology, never make beautiful sporty sedans again (Legend, Vigor, & 3rd generation TL), never let go of ugly front ends (let go of the beak, Acura), be Honda's bitch, and not be able to stay up with the times. I think it's time Acura to shut it's door and just sell the MDX and RDX at Honda dealers. It's hard for a Honda fanboy to wake up to reality. Really hard (please don't bring up F-1).

[@AL-SH]

ErwinSchrodinger64 I completely agree. Back in 2004 when Acura introduced its new TL to the market everyone thought it was just the beginning of Acura entering the top spot in the mid size sports luxury. I mean the TL was just on another level in terms of design alone. Now 14 years later, Acura is not even competing with Infiniti Q50. Acura has just become a "sportier" Honda, nothing more.

[@A22DNAL]

...Salty much?! Sheesh!

[@Kurtiskurtical]

Which Mercedes, Big Money Waster or Lexus redefined the sports car... I rest my case.

[@jmin8400]

@@AL-SH That TL was introduced in 2003, not 2004. 2004 was when the transverse RL was with SH-AWD transverse was introduced. MYs are like names, they're not actual dates. Honda had "allegedly" rejected a V8, longitudinal RWD layout back in 2001 in favor of a transverse, V6 w/standard AWD layout. I can believe maybe that decision happened in 1999, but by 2001 and 2002 it seems too late in development to be undecided on a car due in late 2004. My source worked for Honda 20 years ago, so maybe his memory of timeline was rusty. They finished styling the '05 RL by early 2002.

[@vinr6867]

My gf crashed her '03 Corolla so I bought her a 1993 LS400 with 123k miles; the LS ride is very smooth and quiet and it looks very classy and presentable.

[@NavySturmGewehr]

I have a '94 Q45... fantastic car

[@caviar_dreamz]

NavySturmGewehr One of my favorite cars. I always thought it had the soul of a muscle car so I thought it was funny when they compared it to one.

[@xavichuvy9047]

Bland and dull as they come though.

[@sofloflow]

Xavi Chuvy Yes, you are.

[@xavichuvy9047]

@@sofloflow Yawn, as lame as the Q45.

[@sunilayya8948]

@@taylorc2542 yes. I remember they had a superb line up with the z32 300zx tt, 240sx, maxima, sentra ser, pathfinder and hard body trucks . All these were class leaders and unlike today's Nissans offered superb reliability and longevity. Sad how they were almost bankrupt by 99.

[@dave11686]

Lexus LS400 for sure.

[@rodmunch69]

Only a dullard would say that, and that's what you get with Toyota fanbois, afterall you're the people who make it a life goal to one day own a Camry, as if that's not embarrassing.

[@dave11686]

@@rodmunch69 oh man you’re funny. I’m not a Toyota fan boy in the least and I actually personally own a 94 Cadillac Deville(Non-Northstar.) Also I wouldn’t own a Camry

[@rodmunch69]

@@dave11686 If you think that Lexus is a good looking car, it means you're on meth, which is why you only had $300 to spend on a car, which is why you got that ragged out Deville. That's coming from a two time CTS owner, just, you know, they were new, not ragged out drug dealer cars.

[@dave11686]

@@rodmunch69 if you say so buddy!

[@dave11686]

@@rodmunch69 I’d hardly say my car is “ragged out” also my wife has a CT200H which has been a fantastic vehicle for her. What do you drive, by the way?

[@ricorob100]

STS Cadillacs were no joke back then, as the CTS, and ATS are no joke today! Lexus are good cars, but they only had three cars back then ES300, ES250, and LS400, and performance wise...ehh! The Northstar motor was a decent power plant as my good friend raced an STS in his 91 Mustang GT, and the STS held its ground against the GT! I still see quite a few of the old STS models on the road in 2016. Great car then. Maintain it and it will run for a long time!

[@Stressless2023]

+ricorob100 Lexus made 4 cars in 1993, and the original ES250 was gone by then. Lexus had the LS400, the GS300, the ES300, and the SC400.

[@nathanlopez5667]

+SuchANiceGirl22 yeah but their best looking and fastest car the introduction of the 1998 gs400 now thats a car

[@MaximilianvonPinneberg]

They tried to sell it in UK for a while. I think the only ones on the roads were dale testers.

[@jackahorey2354]

Look at the shut-lines on that Caddy this legend is standing by at the beginning. You almost don't need to open the doors to get in and out.

[@schomminater]

They talk about the lack of fit and finish in the Cadillac, but did anybody notice the mismatch at the glove box in the Audi?

[@gmman010983]

Mark Schommer They wouldn't dare say that about a "German" car which wasn't all that expressive.

[@Lucille69caddy]

Anti-American bastards.

[@hellkitty1014]

The horrible finish of the passenger airbag on the BMW. The Nissan Maxima-like interior of the Q45. The new for 1986 E-Class interior. And yes...that Audi...

[@jmin8400]

@@hellkitty1014 BMW had 10x worse finish on the rarer examples of German-spec E32 750s with the optional passenger airbag from about 1990 till mid-1992, when they finally added the passenger airbag as standard equipment in most markets. The finish on this unit (built late 1992) was really cleaned up compared to those earlier examples. I think that the E31 8er, was the first BMW to get the finish right from the first year (of pass airbag), as even the first E34s with them built in 1993, suffered a little too like E32. The E38 7er, was probably the first BMW designed with a passenger airbag in mind and not as an afterthought. The E32 dash was an old design language, which didn't lend well to fitment of safety restraints and dated back to drawings from 1981-82. Unlike MB, that lost the glovebox until the W140, BMW managed to do both in tandem (airbag+glbox) and rushed it in on special order 1990-92 E32s experimentally.

[@jmin8400]

@@hellkitty1014 As for the others, MB was running behind schedule due to the W140 and R129 SL. Until those reached a significant stage in the mid-80s, no other model programs were started. MB barely began working on a 190 successor in October 1986, 4 full years after intro and then took 6 1/2 years to release it in June 1993 (USA Nov 93). They no longer leave such huge gaps anymore between release and doing a replacement. The W210 E-Class began development in 1988 and ran very late as well, so they never knew when they'd be finished and refused to spend money updating the existing model's interiors. The W124 interior looked good enough, compared to an '86 model with older seat patterns. I wonder when MW conducted this test in 1993 though? Infiniti updated the Q45 in early 1993 and called it a 1994, so not sure why they didn't test that instead. Tom Cruise drove a '94 Q45 in a summer 1993 movie, which was filmed in 1992 and into Feb '93. If he had access to that, why wouldn't MW test that '94 model instead? A lot of the choices made here for test vehicles, seemed very suspect.

[@victorh5174]

I too also still see STSs and LS400 running in the US.

[@ryansrides9714]

Awesome video, love seeing all of these classics in brand new condition

[@ravipeiris4388]

Thank you for uploading and sharing with the rest of us. It's amazing that out of all these vehicles tested, only the Lexus has stood the test of time as I write this comment in 2022.

[@simonomisimonomis]

the w124s are quite common too and stood a lot of abuse

[@Porsche996driver]

The 740i killed everything. Look at that handling and flat stopping wow! Grandmas drove lazy Lexus which is the only reason you might still see one. My old VP grenaded his Q45 after 4 years!

[@MrFuchew]

really you think thats the reason you still see the lexus ?

[@nutz4gunz457]

Smart money buys the Lexus.

[@lebrosca]

+Nutz4Gunz45 life is too short to buy boring cars ;)

[@MatrixDiscovery]

+Oscar L. Life is too short sitting around getting your car fixed frequently.

[@mro9466]

+smasila M60 leaks anyone ?

[@me3333]

+Nutz4Gunz45 The Lexus is smart money but the BMW or Merc are so much more car than the Lexus and lets face it if you can buy one of these new, it wont be your only car.

[@travisp11]

Gentlemen please...with today's low resale you can own them ALL for pennies on the dollar. I'm guessing you could buy them all for what, maybe $20,000?

[@Benzer18]

And now after 28 years.. The 400e is the most sought after model..

[@ic1815]

That Northstar acceleration note will never get old. Love it.

[@Nino_J]

I'd take the LS400

[@iheartgs400]

I had that similar motor M119 on the 210 chassis with the 5 speed auto and that bad boy had power for days 60-120 was really its sweet spot. Those 400E W124 are rare af and now fetch decent money. Also can’t deny the LS400 greatness though many are trashed beyond recognition sadly hard to sort after as well. I just wish Toyota would give there classic cars a better parts support like how MB treats there older cars.

[@jayparks3051]

Love these retro reviews! Thank you MW ❤️👏🏻

[@christhomas835]

By golly gotta love that plastic egg carton grill wrapped around the Northstar on them cadillacs

[@PremierAutoMan86]

Thankfully 23 years later V8 luxury sedans are still alive! Although a V6 is the base engine in most luxo barges today it's great that most can still be had with 8 or 12 under the hood!

[@BLOEDVLEK]

+PremierAutoMan86 It is definitely getting harder and harder to find 12s these days though.

[@unknownunknowns]

+Grave Flower That's because turbos are being added to help reduce the cylinders without losing power due to fuel economy standards.

[@BLOEDVLEK]

Yeah, I know they are making engines smaller and smaller because of the EPA but it doesn't change the fact we are losing our big engines and that I and probably many others are sad about that.

[@MaestroTJS]

Volvo has gone to an all-4-cylinder lineup...and the other manufacturers are adding a lot more I-4's to their cars too.

[@unknownunknowns]

Maestro_T with turbos.

[@ManMak6]

Lexus and Mercedes are my favorite!!! Never even seen the Audi v8

[@sashimimann]

I missed the great old V8 era!

[@promiseye4974]

My grandpa used to owned a q45 and we were always the fastest after the traffic lights

[@TheChill001]

the only issue with this test would be the fact that they used the 400E, while it should've been the 420 SE considering they used the cars of the S-class' range of competitors...

[@rodmunch69]

Dummy, they compared the cars based on cost, did you miss that? Maybe Mercedes shouldn't have marked up their cars so much and it have been in the test.

[@gli7utubeo]

I wish Infiniti would make a true Q45 equivalent car today, one of the same scale. The Q70 seems shrunken and tight inside.

[@sunilayya8948]

I loved the q45s styling too including the interior.

[@gustjr7330]

Time changes everything...but these cars are still beautiful.

[@rodmunch69]

Not that Infinity, that thing looks awful. Also the Lexus isn't really anything special either. But the BMW and Caddy look amazing, and the Audi is very handsome. The last years of the Mercedes isn't a great example of era, I think this one is pretty blah, but at least it's a lot better than that boring Lexus and hideous Toyota.

[@frankb4199]

The Lexus still looks and runs like that today lol

[@seanteh7120]

Fell in love with that bmw many years ago. Too bad it isn't built to last half as long as a Lexus or a Merc. Used to hate looking at the Merc design but decades later many are still running strong. Earned my respect.

[@japanjack62]

The W124 was an over engineered, over built auto. I kick myself for trading in my W124 wagon it was a 92 with 4 matic. My 2014 wagon is nice, a lot more airbags and a panoramic sunroof, but not the car the W124 was....

[@rolandlevit3002]

That audi is absolute masterpiece. So sad they sold so few of them. All of these cars are great, but audi is far far beyond any of them.

[@1984AP]

Their favorite car, I couldn't agree with more. Love the 7-series. Own a 1993 5-series - always wanted a 7. Great test. Thanks for posting.

[@rodmunch69]

Well take $500 out of the ATM and go buy one, it's not like they're expensive anymore.

[@1984AP]

@@rodmunch69 For a bad one sure. A really nice one is hard to find and usually north of $10K.

[@rodmunch69]

@@1984AP you're not going to find a really nice one, but you can get a random one for literally around $1k or so, then spend $9k fixing it up, probably the cheapest route to go since that $10k 'nice' one is going to fall apart as well. BTW, nothing against BMW's, I'm on my 3rd one.

[@bmw3-er]

beautiful cars. What a time to be alive back then.

[@travisp11]

Q45 looks like a Ford Taurus/Lincoln Town Car combo from 1993.

[@ScottaHemi440]

+travisp11 speaking of Town Car, where is lincoln's offering for this comparison? is TC to big for the tested class???

[@illitero]

+travisp11 No it doesn't. +ScottaHemi the Town Car of the time was a floating body-on-frame dinosaur with weak truck engines and interior parts shared with Mercury/Ford. It was barely more than a Crown Victoria in an off-the-rack suit from Macy's with a soggy air suspension. It may have been called a luxury car, but only by way of Ford's insistence, haha. By comparison, the Q45 was a rebadged, short-wheelbase "feature-lite" version of the Nissan President. I was surprised to see that it had four-wheel steering - as I had mentioned, the q45 had a lot of features stripped for the American market to cut costs, but I guess in 1993 the American divisions of Japanese automakers hadn't reached the level of sheer cost-cutting that American ones had/have. I don't mean to pick on you or the Town Car; it's cool that you like it. It's just that it had a vastly different effort from Ford in terms of engineering and customer base that gave it zero objective competitive edge against the lineup in this video.

[@Johnny96ri]

@@ScottaHemi440 a Continental would have been the Lincoln model...but the DOHC 4.6 V8 Conti didn't show up until 1995. The 93 would have been the awful Taurus-based abortion.

[@revinot]

The LS400 and the E Class no matter the variant ;are well built and reliable, thats why you still see them on the roads today.

[@rodmunch69]

You literally never see one of those Mercedes on the road. This is America you eurotrash dope, those Mercedes were all off the road by the year 2000 because they were too expensive to fit, and if you could afford a Mercedes, you wanted a new one, not one that was 7 years old.

[@kgarba9253]

740i, LS400, 400E, Q45, STS, Audi v8 in that order.

[@kgarba9253]

+Kevin Garbaccio The 7 series is in another class of car than these others and I'm not trying to be a fanboy or anything. A 530i would be a more apt player in this comparo. Wouldn't a 740 be a competitor with a SWB s430 or s500? I don't think the LS400 of the day is in the same "flagship class" it is today. y'all have to know what I mean

[@compgeke]

+Kevin Garbaccio That's what I was thinking. I was surpried when they said a 700 series over a 500.

[@cherkas009]

+Compgeke perhaps because they got it close to 60000 which was the range between 40 thousand and 60000

[@AE86ofMtAkina]

The 740 is my favorite, but if I had to buy one I'd choose the LS400.

[@waverunner7063]

I wouldn't even consider the STS because it is front wheel drive and a shitty GM.

[@InvestBetter.]

4:23 That's how brakes should work. Zero nose dive

[@RoyalAbundance]

740i and Q45 would have been my picks.

[@shitstain7137]

no one gives a rats ass.

[@reyrob]

Why did they chose the 400E? The Benz that compete in this class is the S class and more precisely it would be either the 420SE or the 500SE. Any of these would have trashed any of the others. The S class W140 is one of the best ever made!

[@dontelindsey5846]

price point?

[@reyrob]

+Donte Lindsey possibly however the equivalent should have been the BMW 540i not the 740i.

[@mipmipmipmipmip]

I am wondering as well! The E class is so much smaller.

[@ChapeauMill]

reyrob Did you miss when they listed the price of each car? The 400E and 740i were about the same price

[@akishot6735]

the 500e would be the best choice here

[@castlewhore2007]

26 years later and the only one I see more of is the Lexus LS400.

[@Alex-di8ti]

Ah yes, the Northstar. Such a reliable unit...

[@JasnoGT]

I love all of them. Drove and rode in my friend's LS400 (1998) the other day. It was excellent. The bimmer is also great but maintenance sucks. Ive had a '99 323 and 01' 525 in the past. Actually like the Cadi too.

[@starxlr7863]

I agree, I really love each of these cars. My favorite is the Cadillac, BMW, Lexus and Infiniti. Its sad to know how many of all these cars have disappeared. I really miss these days and I remember seeing all these cars around.

[@Porsche996driver]

4:15 The BMW stops from 60 completely flat - no dive whatsoever. Nice trick for the early ‘90s!

[@rodmunch69]

106ft is exceptional, even by today's standards. If you had the ability to put modern UHP summer tires on that thing it'd probably stop in 90ft. Amazing what you can do when you have an already great braking system and your car isn't made ultra heavy by government regulations.

[@busybee2033]

Cars where real back then and nice looking

[@T8Videography]

Was sad to see there was no Lincoln Town Car in this comparison. They probably outsold the hell out of all of these.

[@kiabrown7013]

$40-$60 cars back in 93 the looks and style nice Germany

[@bundy26]

I still have the Car and Driver magazine issue with this same comparison.

[@salamander5318]

Where's the Lincoln Towncar?

[@Anonymous-yh4ew]

That is what I thought.

[@twoeightythreez]

Sal Amander Town Car wasnt in the tested price range. I had one and it was a nice car even if it would have had its ass handed to it by any of these cars performance wise. 1993 hell i think towncar still had the 302

[@MrTheMiguelox]

No it had the 4.6 SHOC since 1991

[@erikhertzer8434]

...it rolled over in the slalom.

[@thetechlibrarian]

Wallowing around a corner somewhere

[@markj2838]

Love all these cars ... but the caddy had looks ahead of its time... would like to own any of these... lexus if i was keeping it for the long haul.

[@starxlr7863]

Same here, I love each of these cars a lot. The Cadillac will always be my favorite but any of the others are also some excellent made cars. I really miss these days.

[@michaelr5322]

Sorry to say that, dear Old-School MotorWeek Guys, but the Benz 400E is actually one class lower than all the other cars... probably not price-wise, but size-wise etc...