[ItsHectic]

To those who have driven a recent model Lexus, what are your thoughts?
Do you think they can compare to Audi/BMW/Merc as a prestige car?

Personally I do not like them, I disliked many things about the car, too many buttons, weird brake feel, ugly sounding beep it makes when you lock the car. I think they are good cars but for a prestige car they need to sort out a few things.

I ask this because on whirlpool forums whenever someone mentions BMW a lot of people say to get a Lexus instead because its cheaper to maintain, so I feel alone on my view.

[b0bab0i]

Most comfortable Luxury vehicle on the market.
The Lexus LS is more quiet than a Tesla Model S. Smoother ride than an S class.

Ugly sounding beep? Who the hell cares about this stuff? Have you heard the Panamera beep when you lock the car?

[ItsHectic]

I thought the S class got air suspension before the LS did. And now the S class has a new type of adaptive suspension that scans the road up to speeds of 130km/h. So are you really sure the LS is a smoother ride? Are you comparing the same generations?

I care about the beep, sounds like a refrigerator thats been left open too long and cheapens my perception of the car, it is an unpleasant beep although I have not heard the one in the panamera.

[squartus]

I had a 2010 lexus IS 350, was actually a great car but I wanted something with more grunt hence my M3

[Nkc]

reliability, comfort and quality...that's what Lexus is all about.

[Chihuahua]

Originally Posted by Nkc

reliability, comfort and quality...that's what Lexus is all about.

+1, and they're closing the performance gap.

[BenchRacerYo]

Originally Posted by Kyle B

+1, and they're closing the performance gap.

+1

With the availability of the NA 5.0 V8, I am more interested in the RC-F than I am the F80/F82.

[The Automotive Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by BenchRacerYo

+1

With the availability of the NA 5.0 V8, I am more interested in the RC-F than I am the F80/F82.

It's going to weight more then the M3, though.

[BenchRacerYo]

Originally Posted by Rev ///Me

It's going to weight more then the M3, though.

Does not matter to me. Not considering either car. Z06 or Viper for me next.

I prefer naturally aspirated engines, but a supercharger is fine to me. Still keeps some of that NA feel.

[b0bab0i]

Originally Posted by ItsHectic

I thought the S class got air suspension before the LS did. And now the S class has a new type of adaptive suspension that scans the road up to speeds of 130km/h. So are you really sure the LS is a smoother ride? Are you comparing the same generations?

I care about the beep, sounds like a refrigerator thats been left open too long and cheapens my perception of the car, it is an unpleasant beep although I have not heard the one in the panamera.

W221 compared to XF40.

Haven't sat in/driven a W222 yet.

[NemesisX]

They prioritize different aspects from their German rivals.

A quick note on prestige - the "prestige" of a car brand is only as robust as the "prestige" of the person who drive's the car.

Person A finances a used 335i for $20,000.

Person B buys a new, loaded Honda Odyssey outright for $37,000 and writes a check for it in full

Person C leases a brand new 7 series for 3 years @ $800/month with $0 down, but goes back to driving a used econobox years later because the lease payments are unsustainable.

Person D drives a 335i that his parent's purchased for him.

Who's to say that Person A driving the 335i is considered "more prestigious" than person B driving the Odyssey? Person B could be driving the used 335i in principle (if person B can afford to write a $37,000 check on a minivan, he can afford to finance a $20,000 car). Is Person C deserving of a more prestigious reputation than Person A just because Person C drives a 7 series?

I fall into the class of "Person D." The fact that I drive a "BMW" is in fact not prestigious at all because I did not purchase the car with my own money.

I just think there are so many variations that brand prestige means very little. Now, that being said, there are various metrics to try and assess the "prestige" of a car brand.

http://www.autospies.com/news/Luxury...ercedes-29811/

Luxury Institute Survey 2008: Most Prestigious Brands

1) Porsche
2) Lexus
3) Mercedes

The proprietary Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey is the only measure of the prestige of leading brands among wealthy Americans. A national sample of 1,642 wealthy American consumers, with an average income of $349K and average net-worth of $3.7 million, was surveyed online. Survey results are weighted to match demographic and net worth profiles of the same audience according to the latest Survey of Consumer Finances from The Federal Reserve.

So, to bring the discussion back to the topic - yes, a lot of people (and in particular, reasonably affluent people) consider Lexus to be of comparable prestige to Mercedes, BMW, and Audi.

[ItsHectic]

I guess I am alone then.
The reason I do not consider it as prestigious and because I believe Audi/BMW/Merc and ofc Porsche are more prestigious (and it used to be in that order) is because they all go beyond the call of building a good car.

Lexus while still prestigious to a degree do prioritize different aspects, I noticed it is not as refined but they use more expensive materials at least such as leather and paint. Lexus is also not as technologically advanced as shown by the LS vs the S class suspension. Their is not as much attention to detail in a Lexus for example the feel of pressing the buttons in the car is not as good.

But those are not the reasons I think they are not a replacement for Audi/BMW/Merc, and its also not a badge thing or markup price.
I just found it more difficult to live with a Lexus, I guess you could say it was attention to detail but things that bothered me:
Brake pedal goes by travel not just pressure.
The beep.
Must turn off ignition to lock the car.
Too many buttons and feels unintuitive compared to BMW.

Prestigious cars deserve to be nitpicked.

[Twix]

The only reason I went with a BMW and not a Lexus suv was performance. The Lexus was very refined. Smooth engine, quiet cabin, excellent interior fit finish and feel. As far as build quality, I bet the Lexus would not be in the shop nearly add much as my BMW has been.

I was prepared to live with a car that wouldn't be terribly reliable, just because it fits my needs and wants. The majority of people who can afford "prestige" are typically getting older, ads want comfort and reliability over braking feel, 0-60 times and how a car responds to oversteer.

[majin ssj eric]

My wife's 2013 GS 350 F-Sport is a fantastic vehicle. It drives like a sports car should yet maintains Lexus's peerless levels of comfort and build quality. The interior is just amazing (nicer than the 535i we drove IMO) and the peanut butter tan leather we got is just about perfect. Don't get me wrong, I would have loved the 535i as well but with rebates and such we were able to get a fully loaded GS for $10-$15k less than a comparably equipped 535i (and still much less than even a 528i). Money talks...

[Robert]

The 3rd generation IS is a major step up from last generation. Much more responsive to being tossed around. My only hesistation is wanting to see if Toyota releases a new engine in next model year. If the rumored turbo six cylinder shows up, it will be icing on the cake.

[synclastica_86]

If you value comfort and gadgets over driving pleasure. The Lexus gives the most bang for your buck. My IS had LED interior lights well before I see it on any European car. The infotainment and GPS used to be miles ahead of BMW and Mercedes. The GPS in my E85 was a joke. iDrive and Comand have come a long way though. The instrument panel in the new IS sport is amazing. The thing I can't stand abt Lexus nowadays is it's exterior. It seems like the designer is trying too hard.

[jkrig]

Originally Posted by majin ssj eric

My wife's 2013 GS 350 F-Sport is a fantastic vehicle. It drives like a sports car should yet maintains Lexus's peerless levels of comfort and build quality. The interior is just amazing (nicer than the 535i we drove IMO) and the peanut butter tan leather we got is just about perfect. Don't get me wrong, I would have loved the 535i as well but with rebates and such we were able to get a fully loaded GS for $10-$15k less than a comparably equipped 535i (and still much less than even a 528i). Money talks...

Agreed!....And the GS in F-Sport trim is light on its feet compared to the competition, which kinda makes up for the lack of power. The interior is just a nice place to be, and for me at this point in my life is what makes the sale, great fit/finish, heads up display, heated/cooled front seats, good audio system. I will be on the market next year this time and the GS is the top of the list...I will surely miss the power of my 335i but I won't miss the "what's going to break next" anxiety....

[BMW269]

Expect the new 3.0l V6 and 4.0l V8 turbo to make their debut with the next generation LS. The RC will get the new 2.0l I4 turbo after the NX, of course it will replace the 2.5l V6 in the IS and GS.

[ItsHectic]

So today I drove my dads Lexus again.
Was inconvenienced by the fact you cant enter a GPS location while driving, do they still do this?
Also I noticed very odd brake behaviour. I went to do a 3 point uturn on a 4 lane 2 way street using a driveway, I had to be quick to avoid a car in the outside lane so I did some heavy braking before going in to the driveway. I pressed the brake about half way and the car slowed a bit, I pressed a bit more then the car slowed a lot, it was not linear at all and felt weird like the car was doing its own thing, it was not the emergency braking either.

My dad has had 2 Lexuses and I just refuse to believe they are a replacement for a German car.

[Robert]

Originally Posted by ItsHectic

So today I drove my dads Lexus again.
Was inconvenienced by the fact you cant enter a GPS location while driving, do they still do this?
Also I noticed very odd brake behaviour. I went to do a 3 point uturn on a 4 lane 2 way street using a driveway, I had to be quick to avoid a car in the outside lane so I did some heavy braking before going in to the driveway. I pressed the brake about half way and the car slowed a bit, I pressed a bit more then the car slowed a lot, it was not linear at all and felt weird like the car was doing its own thing, it was not the emergency braking either.

My dad has had 2 Lexuses and I just refuse to believe they are a replacement for a German car.

Check the pads. My brakes always bite hard on the is350, seems to be less grabby as they wear but never notice the binary behavior you experienced. Go test drive the new IS, it is more equally matched for driving experience. The older Lexus is meant to be driven differently. I love the buttery experience when I drive normally not completely off the hinge, the style car does not reward.

Nor do I find the non-M, S, RS or AMG European cars as edgy as I like. They're a notch higher than old Lexus but you still feel the compromise.

[ItsHectic]

This is a sports luxury CT200h the 1st year model. It has about 10,000km on it so I doubt its the pads.
I think I will test drive the new IS but I am expecting to be disapointed.

[Mike00]

Originally Posted by ItsHectic

This is a sports luxury CT200h the 1st year model. It has about 10,000km on it so I doubt its the pads.
I think I will test drive the new IS but I am expecting to be disapointed.

That's not exactly a top of the line lexus. If you want a decent comparison go drive the IS350 or better yet the GS350. Quite frankly if the new GS had been out when I bought my 13 S4, I would have probably gone with that in a heart beat. The newer models, IS350 and GS350, have made some big leaps forward in terms of handling feel and performance. It's not a BMW or Audi but they are now in the game and the fact of the matter is Lexus blows away the competition with fit, finish, luxury, and quality. If lexus continues on the path they are the german car makers are going to continue to feel some more pain.