Like you, I love classic cars. But I also follow industry news and trends and I have a passion for new luxury cars, even if I’ve yet to own one. Because of this, I thought I’d share with you my views on the state of various luxury brands. First up, Lexus.
Let’s talk first about what, in my eyes, Lexus is doing wrong.
They only just got a three-row crossover
For a company that invented the luxury crossover segment back in 1998, it took an astonishing 20 years for them to add a third row of seats. Sure, Lexus’ primary market – the US – has had the GX since 2003 but until the 2018 RX-L, they had no direct rival to cars like the Acura MDX, Volvo XC90 and Infiniti QX60. As for the RX-L, it’s a mostly competitive product but reviews indicate that third row is on the cramped side for its segment. Lexus merely lengthened the overhang of the RX by 4.3 inches, retaining the same 109.8-inch wheelbase. It’s not a perfect solution but at least it finally gives them an entrant in the segment.
Some of their models are getting old
The CT debuted in 2011 although it’s tipped to be replaced soon; it’s also been discontinued in the US. The LX dates back to 2007, although it’s had a multitude of refreshes. The GX debuted in 2009 and is the most tired-looking of this triad. Fortunately, American buyers don’t get the Toyota LandCruiser Prado which is the GX sans its posh trim. Its absence elevates the GX but this is still a vehicle that’s looking rather outdated up against rivals like the Range Rover Sport, even if it’s unique in retaining body-on-frame construction.
They need to invest more in the Chinese market
China has yet to overtake the US as Lexus’ biggest market and doesn’t assemble any models there, thus incurring hefty tariffs. However, Lexus sales continue to grow and the average Chinese Lexus owner is 35, a whopping 25 years younger than their American equivalent. The brand still outsells Infiniti, Acura, Volvo and Lincoln. Mercedes-Benz, however, remains the leading luxury automaker in China and outsells it 4-to-1.
Their infotainment system is awkward
Lexus persists with the same mouse-style controller in its Enform infotainment suite. From experience, it’s not completely horrible but it can be clunky and frustrating, especially compared to Mercedes’ COMAND. Critics continue to savage it but Lexus continues to use it.
They’re a bit slow in powertrain development
Lexus was a few years behind the Germans in offering a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, now standard in the IS, RC, GS, NX and RX, while the 2018 LS500 introduced Lexus’ first turbocharged V6, again a few years after the Germans.
There’s nothing wrong with Lexus’ core 3.5 V6 engine or the F cars’ rorty 5.0 V8, even though the Germans are often more powerful. But the Japanese brand’s smaller powertrain lineup meant they stuck with disappointing engines for too long, like the silky but slow 2.5 V6 and, in some markets, the 2.7 naturally-aspirated four (even in the RX).
They don’t have any BEVs or PHEVs
This is another baffling one considering Toyota’s history of hybrid innovation and considering how increasingly necessary electric vehicles are in the Chinese market. There’s no all-electric (BEV) Lexus yet in response to the enormously successful Tesla Model S; one is tipped to finally bow in 2020, well after Audi, Jaguar, Porsche and Mercedes BEVs have launched. Even more disappointing is the lack of a single plug-in hybrid (PHEV) when almost every other luxury brand has offered at least one, including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Cadillac, Porsche and Volvo. Toyota even has a PHEV, the Prius Prime. Where’s the Lexus?
So, what are Lexus doing right?
They offer a huge variety of regular hybrids
No other brand has such a huge range of hybrid vehicles. In the US market, every single Lexus bar the IS, RC, GX and LX are available with a hybrid drivetrain; a hybrid GS was available but has just been discontinued. In other markets, there are hybrid IS and RC models available. Toyota was ahead of the curve with hybrids and Lexus has been no exception. While some other companies have discontinued slower-selling hybrid models, Lexus has persisted.
They’re more exciting than ever
Lexus came to acquire a rather conservative image and one of the oldest average buyer ages in the business. Well, they’ve sure shaken that off! The IS finally has a coupe derivative, the RC. Lexus now has tuned “F” variants of both the RC and GS. There’s also the F-Sport package available across the range, à la Mercedes’ AMG Line or BMW’s M Sport, which adds cosmetic enhancements and, in some instances, performance options like four-wheel-steering, sport-tuned adaptive suspension, upgraded brakes and limited-slip differentials.
That includes the ES
Even as Lexus introduced F and F-Sport models, however, they always had the rather stodgy ES muddling their brand image. The ES has long been one of Lexus’ strongest sellers and most profitable models but it’s had one of the oldest average buyer ages in the luxury market. With the 2019 ES, Lexus has finally given the sedan the makeover it needed to fit in with the rest of the brand. It looks like a shrunken version of the new LS and is also available now in sporty F-Sport trim. It’s still a plush, comfortable cruiser and not the first choice for a bout of canyon-carving – so, it’s still an ES, through and through – but it now has some more visual excitement.
They have a unified, attention-grabbing design language
Much has been said about Lexus’ design language on this website but the polarizing spindle grille and sharp creases have done nothing to hamper sales, Lexus’ sales trending up in key markets like the US, Europe and China. In the US, the brand is having its best sales in ten years. I know the new design language sure got my attention and there’s probably others like me out there. Isn’t it better to have people talking about you, even if it’s not always good?
They finally have a halo model
Sure, there was the limited-run LF A but that was 7 years ago. With the LC, Lexus has miraculously turned a concept car into a production car with virtually no changes. In photos and in person, the LC is absolutely stunning with its concept car looks.
It’s also beautiful inside.
The LC continues Lexus’ tradition of offering a hybrid option in almost all of their models. The LC500h’s 3.5 V6 and electric drivetrain, with a combined system total of 354 hp, is enough to get it to 60 mph in the same time as the LC500 and its 5.0 V8. Its combined fuel economy of 30 mpg is also extraordinary for such a seductive flagship coupe. Lexus may have been out of this segment for years but they’re back with a car that’s both tantalising and surprisingly on-brand.
There’s a new generation of the car that started it all
The LS is no longer the most relevant Lexus as smaller and more affordable Lexus models have slotted underneath it over the years. After years of subtle evolutionary styling changes, Lexus has taken the LS in a new direction. It’s slinkier and more aggressive and under the hood is a new, twin-turbo 3.5 V6.
The interior is also a dramatic change from the old LS460, Lexus taking some chances with new design elements like kiriko glass trim and striated door trims. It’s just as glitzy as the S-Class interior which, depending on which trim and lighting elements you choose, can look like a South Beach night club.
They’ve been consistently reliable and well-built
This doesn’t get enough attention. Lexus has long had a reputation for exceptional reliability and build quality and they’ve never let that slip. Lexus and Infiniti were the only luxury brands to have cars with a score of 5 out of 5 in JD Power’s 2018 Vehicle Dependability Study, which looks at reliability after three years of ownership. Lexus and parent brand Toyota also topped Consumer Reports’ and What Car’s 2017 reliability surveys. There’s myriad other accolades and findings I could cite that demonstrate Lexus’ exemplary reliability and quality.
They consistently have good resale value
As with their reliability and quality, Lexus’ vehicles have long had excellent resale value and consistently top the charts for best retained value after three years.
They’re keeping up with the market’s demand for crossovers
The RX remains the best-selling mid-size luxury crossover. The NX and UX tackle the compact and sub-compact crossover segments. All that’s missing is a full-size crossover (which is apparently in development) and some crossover coupes, à la the BMW X6.
If Lexus had a problem over the years, it was that its models lacked the excitement of German rivals even if they may have offered lower price tags and superior reliability and resale value. With its daring L-Finesse design language and growing lineup, Lexus may eventually be able to wrest the US luxury sales crown it lost to Mercedes-Benz in 2011. Their bigger priority, however, should be catching up in the Chinese market.
Lexus has, in my eyes, the best lineup they’ve ever had, chock full of desirable luxury vehicles. Now they just need to invest more in the Chinese market and in electric vehicles.
Related Reading:
Used Car Test Drive: 2014 Lexus IS250 – Beakzilla vs. King Maw, Part 2
CC Comparison: The Best And Wurst Alternatives – 2014 Lexus GS350 F-Sport
I was just at the San Diego Auto Show right before New Years with a friend. We stopped by the Lexus area. That new LS, while it doesn’t really translate well in photographs…. that car has real presence in person. It looks so good in person, it is so long and slender looking. It was big, but didn’t look bloated. I’m not the biggest fan of the front end styling, but it really worked well on the new LS.
We also sat in the GS. I told my friend that I was surprised it was on display, since they had been discontinued because of dismal sales. Immediately I heard a woman’s voice from behind me say in a playful and snarky tone “Don’t say that, it hasn’t been officially announced yet”. She was one of the booth babes… um… auto show professionals. We actually had a really nice chat with her. She was very knowledgeable about the products, the company, and was able to carry on a conversation outside of a memorized script (which is what you usually get at these types of shows).
Other than the LS, there’s nothing that i would like. They are definately great cars and Suv’s……………………but………….boring!
William, you’re right about the reliability. We have a 2001 ES300 that was purchased new. After 18 years and 130k miles, we’ve had to replace an O2 sensor and a brake light bulb. Otherwise, just regular maintenance. We purchased a new RX350 in Oct. ’17. Didn’t even consider any other brand.
” Didn’t even consider any other brand.’
This is why some customer serving companies succeed and some fail (or are failing).
When I started working in the marketing of software and the delivery of software services, an old pro told me the following way customers think about price and quality:
(Paraphrasing):
If the product stinks but they got a great deal on the price, all they remember is that the product stinks.
If the product is great and they paid a high price for it, all they remember is that the product is great.
There are exceptions, but I believe this is somewhat accurate.
Another joke-like meme (before memes were a thing) goes like this:
Software designer and programmer to customer:
“There is Good, Fast, and Cheap. Pick two.”
“Good, Fast, or Cheap. Pick 2” was hanging over the parts/service counter at the John Deere dealership where my father worked.
Eddie,
You are expressing and opinion just like a young non-Lexus owner auto writer for a publication like Motor Trend repeating an oft told mantra while walking along, spinning a prayer wheel in a Nepalese Temple. Hmmmmmm, boring, Hmmmmmm, boring.
Perhaps you have fleetingly driven a Lexus but have you ever owned a Lexus long term? If you have been a long time owner then we can have a real, and perhaps spirited conversation based on real experiences.
I currently own a 2005 LX470 and a 2008 LS460L. Others in my family and I have owned Lexus, Cadillac, BMW, and Mercedes Benz cars over the decades giving us a good factual basis for comparison. The Lexus cars that we have had since 1990 have all been extraordinarily reliable especially compared to the German cars that we have at times unfortunately owned. Cadillac’s remain an unspeakable topic in our experience.
Boring, well that depends on your viewpoint and what you do with your cars.
Maybe I’m unusual, but I have taken my LX470 off road in New Mexico and other places in the west with the boring thought that I don’t have to worry about returning. Let me give you an example of the comforting boredom of the LX470 (a Land Cruiser cousin). In 2010 when in ABQ, I decided to drive the 30 mile or so dirt road to the Chaco Cultural Center National Park from the southern entry point at Crown Point after a night of heavy monsoon like rains (yes that can happen in New Mexico) saturating the dirt road into a muddy deep quagmire with frequently found zones of flooding at least a foot deep. The mud covered, and mud encased, LX470 easily covered the distance to Chaco Canyon without any sweat on my part. When I arrived the National Park Rangers told me that I was the only one that day to come in to Chaco from the southern route. Yes, I had the boring comfort that the LX brought me Chaco without any issues. I like that type of boring, and other off roads trips have been equally reassuringly boring. I equally had no issues in leaving Chaco Canyon despite the deep mud with the trusty LX. So boring in a Lexus LX is good, in my estimation.
Regarding the LS460L, well that has also been an incredibly reliable, and speedy car well suited for trips from the Great Lakes to Florida handling the mountain twisties of the West Virginia Turnpike and Virginia’s mountainous portions of I77 at speed. The handling at speed is a delight. Without admitting so, I have it on good authority, some say, that traveling at 85 to 90 mph is quite enjoyable. The West Virginia Turnpike is a real pleasure in the LS.
I have been accused from time to time of having a heavy throttle foot, and I have no arguments with the LS. The old Jaguar slogan of “Pace with Grace” is truly applicable to the LS combined with the boring knowledge that the trip to Florida and back will be completed without and issues, mechanical or otherwise. Again high speed, quiet travel with boring re-assurance that nothing will go awry. What’s not to like about that?
Hope you don’t take this as too snarky, but try long term Lexus ownership, and then let’s talk about boredom.
Cheers.
Well said. I find my 4wd pickup to be very fun to drive, because of where it (reliably) takes me. Rocky mesas, natural hot springs, forested mountains, remote trailheads … all far more fun to me now than a blast through the twisties or a stoplight drag race. Chaco Canyon is on my list, by the way.
Oh, I dunno, vic. Maybe that wasn’t necessarily eddie’s point.
I’ve no question that Landcruisers (and Lexly derivations thereof) are the finest 4wds in the world, nor that Lexus build quality was miles ahead of the fancied Euros from launch and has – with what should be to the Euros eternal shame – remained so. I’m further convinced that the driving dynamics of something like the LS460 would be within (or beyond) a bee’s dick of difference to the topline Fancied EU Royals, certainly in any real-world sense.
But could a person hold the opinion that they find Lexusses a bit humdrum, a bit prosaic, that they fail to catch their interest, as I (and it seems, eddie) do?
I quite seriously recommend Toyotas (or Lexi’s, if they’re cashed enough to get a bit of posh) to anyone who ever asks me about what car to get. For most people, for most purposes of motoring, reliability is neither boring nor interesting, but the ONLY aspect of their transporter that needs to be unquestioned, inbuilt. To get one about is the function of the thing, after all.
Yet I’ve owned some dreadfully unreliable machines (usually Euro), but I LIKED them all: usually for some design or ride or steering bit, different aspects for different cars. On days when they caused a lot of swearing and walking, I liked them very little and cadged a lift in someone’s Corolla. But I bought them from nerdly enthusiasm. And with me-recommended Corolla friends abounding and available, I never regretted the purchases. Mostly.
Put it another way. You can have some impeccably super-quality French Provincial houses newly-built, if that’s for you, or a dubiously-practical eco-piece, that ends up permanently leaking, from some mad architect’s vision. You can predict that mine’d be the latter, and it’d be me returning each day to think how much I like the thing, and finding the superbly-made chateaux next door boring (smiling smugly till I stepped inside and into another puddle and began raging).
Justy, Thanks for giving me a smile and letting me laugh at myself as an evolving old, retired, F..rt whose cars are well used and aging with me.
When younger, I too had my share of old, worn out Cr..p cars that I loved, like the cr..p, but well loved 1960 Bugeye Sprite that I bought while in Uni needing daily transfusions of engine oil while it spewed out the prior day’s transfusion as billowing smoke out the tail pipe. At least I didn’t have to worry about mosquitoes or buzzing flies during the summer.
Or my old 1961 VW bug, my introduction to rear engined swing axle madness–but a joy for the ages and with memories to match. So Justy, I have been there with you in having dreadful, unreliable machines that gave me much joy and pleasures–as well as the heartaches of untimely breakdowns.
When slightly older and definitely not wiser, and definitely not married yet, I, like you, fell for the siren call of several well worn, used, rust prone Italian cars having the usual ownership issues expected and well documented in many CC write ups.
Despite my experiences and frustrations, I believe that everyone still needs to have the driving and ownership experience of a 1950’s to 1970’s Italian car at least once in their lives. Like having the chance to spend a date with a young Sophia Loren. A dream, maybe heaven on earth,but inevitably a not livable dream, but ……yes, ah, the used Alfa GTV6…what an engine, what an engine sound….but a rear transaxle shifter that makes a 914 shifter seem infinitely more precise. and that Alfa taught me how ephemeral Italian steel was, seemingly melting away daily. Not gone in 60 seconds, but gone in two years from production in long away sunny Italy, and only one year in my hands–amazing that it lasted that long in our salt rich, Great Lakes, Salt Belt. But a frustrating dream, but still a brilliant Euro memory
That Alfa was an Italian dream and an Italian nightmare, simultaneously. Italian dreams and dreaming are like experiencing San Gimignano in the Tuscan hills for a day and then relishing the experience for a lifetime.
I am still drawn to dreams and dreaming, to tinkering and constant repairing,and maybe that is why I have been drawn to older cars and older houses and keep them running and livable for decades.
Case in point, something that you and most of the CC readership can laugh at is my 1973 914 that I have owned since 1979. Likely a stupid (no doubt) financial venture on my part, requiring much time and money to keep running for decades far beyond the actual value of the car. I don’t have time for an affair, my mistress is in the garage.
The 2018 914 engine breakdown in Las Vegas is one that most people would consider a sign that the 914 should be dumped. God knows this winter’s engine rebuild that I’ve started will be more than the ancient car is worth, but as you likely understand, I love that ancient heap and love knowing that this heap, my heap, has carried me all though the North American Continent over the years. Heart over mind, no doubt.
My two now old, but absolutely dead reliable and enjoyable Lexus cars are the counterbalance to the other questionably reliable cars in my life. The Ying balancing the irrational Yang, so to speak. After chasing the automotive dreams and seductions of my youth, now as an old F..rt, it is enjoyable to actually jump into a car (one of our old Lexi) or our Volt and know that it will run, unquestionably run to wherever my wife and I wish to go without risk of breakdown. Remember that slogan, happy wife, happy life–there is some truth in that–and she loves her Lexus LX470, and has for years.
A new pseudo super-quality French Provincial house, well not for me or my wife. We were drawn to an initially seemingly cheap, old worn out house requiring a lifetime of loving restoration, time, and money, sort of like my old cars. Loving work together builds a loving home and loving car experiences–the CC experience applied to life–I reference Paul and Stephanie, as an example.
Cheers, I enjoyed your comment. Thanks. Godspeed on your life’s journey.
Lovely. Cheers to you too.
One more point for the “win” column: the new RX has faux landau irons on the C pillar. Given that many Lexus customers are too young to remember those from their pre-brougham era heyday, let alone from the horse-drawn carriage days, that counts as a clever Easter egg in my book.
F-Sport ES is f-ing JOKE.
Total debasement of the F-Sport badge (same with the F-Sport RX) – if you can’t give it more power, don’t bother.
It’s just as bad as parent company Toyota allowing you to order the XSE Camry with 4 cyl.
“Total debasement of the F-Sport badge ”
I completely agree. The FSport trim created some genuine buzz in the enthusiast magazine world when applied to the RWD IS and GS. Put it on a FWD ES (and the CT200H, believe it or not) and you immediately yank that credibility away, even if it does handle well for a big FWD sedan.
They need to figure out if they want the FSport to mean something for driving enthusiasts, or be a marketing technique to upsell traditional customers on a costlier trim level. It can’t be both.
Agreed, same as with the TRD Camry/Avalon. All of these cars sell on the perception of being understated, dependable and sensible (ie frumpy, boring) but that’s what the market for these WANTS. Enthusiasts and even informed posers are gonna see right through what’s basically marketing fluff. Does the RC/LC have a sedan equivalent? If so, THATS the sedan that should be leveraged this way, much like the old IS (4 door Supra) was. Tarting up an already tarted up camry in a feeble attempt to be something it isn’t is horribly out of touch and reeks of desperation. Especially since we all know Toyota is capable of doing a real performance car if it wants to.
I guess I don’t understand these comments. Was the Gremlin Levi’s Edition a debasement of the blue jean brand? I mean, I’ve been wearing Levi’s for 50+ years (no, not the same pair) and I would never have considered owning a Gremlin. F Sport is a Lexus trim and spec package, no more, no less. It’s a Lexus, not a Lamborghini.
Umm, the equivalent to this would be if AMC made a Gremlin Levi’s edition with a velour interior. In that instance AMC eschewing denim to broaden the appeal doesn’t debase Levi’s the jean company whatsoever, but it would certainly would make that special edition lose its value.
Likewise Plymouth turning the Roadrunner into a gaudy sticker package on the Volare in the late 70s didn’t debase the Warner Brothers cartoon, but it did debase the Roadrunner name for Plymouth.
Very excellent analysis Will!
As for my own feelings on Lexus, I’ll make it short:
– They build quality cars that have few issues and last a long time for sure
– Their in-car technology is infuriating to use
– Their performance-oriented models lack any emotion from behind the wheel
For many luxury car buyers, Lexus is a good fit. It just isn’t for me.
Yes, just because a certain car may not be your cup of tea, it doesn’t make it a bad car. I would never buy a Porsche 911, but I cannot deny it’s an incredible piece of automotive machinery. When the wife needed a new car, she wanted something classy, a bit upscale, of intermediate size and stone reliable. Her Lexus ES 350 fit the bill perfectly.
Im no fan of Lexus or Toyota. FJ-anything, pre-Taco pickups, Supras and Celicas aside pretty much everything they make is a total snooze and/or nowhere near my radar anyway.
That said, I give them a LOT of credit for fielding an attractive coupe with real performance cred. Would I ever buy an RC/LC? Nope. But SOMEONE is stepping up and voting with their wallets for style and performance in an automotive climate that is becoming dumbed down to the lowest common denominator of economy and practicality…things that EVERY vehicle sold should offer a level of if its to even exist.
What’s baffling to me is why the C cars are sold as Lexus products and not at least offered as Toyotas. Sporty coupes are your sex appeal cars. Ever seen a poster of a Camry on a young guy’s bedroom wall? Same question but Supra. In the minds of the car-focuse, Toyota does still have some cache, even if it’s mostly due to long-gone models. Lexus, not so much. Much like how the SC was basically a refined Lexus Supra, why hasn’t Toyota claimed a racier, brasher C variant for itself, where it would likely find more appeal to import enthusiasts who want more than the FR-S and Civic have to offer? Nissan seems content to let the 370Z languish, while BMW, and the D3 are selling plenty of sporty coupes. Competition forces everyone to up their game and sporty coupes are the perfect medium for showing off just how much a carmaker is capable of. Halo effect.
I’m unconvinced that coupes do anything for an automaker’s bottom line. Even BMW is going CUV. The market and halo effect for true sport rather than visual sport is small. See Cadillac ATS, CTS, CTS-V, and their failure to elevate the brand. Halo in 2018 is a big SUV/CUV.
Lexus has an uphill battle with its sportier offerings. The IS and GS won the enthusiast magazine praise early in their cycles, but they never got the internet enthusiast’s respect or mainstream buyer’s attention. The Mercedes and BMW competitors won big in sales despite those cars turning towards numb comfort and relying on badge prestige.
And while the American pony cars are doing well, good luck getting a D3 fan to jump brand loyalties for a Lexus. I’m pretty well convinced this is why Toyota doesn’t burn a lot of R&D funds trying to keep the Tundra competitive. High cost:benefit ratio.
You make some good points. A sporty coupe as a halo isn’t a magic bullet. What works for Dodge, what COULD work for Toyota isn’t a recipe for success over at Lexus or Cadillac. What went wrong with the A and C TS cars at cadillac has been discussed ad nauseum here. Those are good cars, great performance cars but they make for lousy Cadillacs. I’ll bet ya a million spacebucks the story would have a different outcome had those been Pontiacs or even Chevies. That’s why I think those sporty rwd coupes/sedans could fit into Toyotas lineup—a more ‘neutral’ brand —than Lexus which is conservative and stuffy.
The D3 ponycars are relatively affordable and even in base guise are solid performers, I don’t consider them competitive against anything Lexus has, as even the high end halo submodels at comparable prices (Shelby’s, Hellcats, ZL1, etc.) kind of are their own niche alltogether and wont get cross shopped. Not to mention Supras like the MKIV that everyone had on their bedroom wall was a commercial failure in its day, it was the Toyota’s 70 Barracuda, a heavy overpriced car whose kid brother(Duster/Celica) stole its livelihood, and only after initial depreciation buys and the lure of rarity became a sought after legend. It seems like the problem today is there are actually TOO MANY spiritual Supras on the new car market. People ooh and ahh at them but there is way too much better choice in the real world, including much sportier sedans than existed in the 90s and earlier.
I hate to say it but sporty coupes are as boring as anything else in the current industry that’s accused of being boring. You don’t really have different dynamics and strong points/weak points brand to brand anymore, and they have all have gone for the close coupled approach to body design, cutting away any semblance of practicality in the process, save for the Challenger whose large car bones have given it a unique and surprisingly stable place in the market – as an aside I predict sales will tank if FCA ever moves it to the smaller Giulia platform, just like the 6G Camaro did. Bloggers will praise the dynamics but in real life that is a meaningless measure outside of a racetrack. – the days of the coupe being the preeminent bodystyle for showcasing new and unique styles, shapes and sizes that couldn’t be done practically on a 4-door ended decades ago, not just because 4-doors got sleeker but because coupes all homogenized into “sports car”. Where are the modern day intermediate 68 Chargers or 66 GTOs I ask? All I see in 2-doors are stubby ponycar descendants.
Most people want a car that gets them where they’re going without drama. By extension, most people of means want the same thing, but with more luxury and comfort.
This is the sweet spot for Lexus, and they know it.
Those grilles…. bleh!!!!! The grilles just kill what would otherwise be a great design language. What happened to the clean and understated look that they were known for in the past? I know that any brand has to evolve to stay relevant but this “look at me” styilng trend is the dumps. I’ll take the BMW for 500 please Alex.
Dbranch83,
I agree about the grilles. I think one day people will look back on this era of vehicle styling like we look back at the 70s clothes fashion. They will not stand the test of time, with a few exceptions. Volkswagen it seems is becoming the timeless Armani suit of the car world. Conservative class holds up forever.
I agree about VW – especially the Golf and Tiguan. Their designs will age well as always.
I’m a fan of Lexus. Not only did they turn the luxury market on its head 30 years ago and force both MB and BMW to sit up and pay attention, but they have also consistently produced the most reliable vehicles in the luxury phylum. My former MIL is on her 3rd RX, each taken easily to 250k before she trades them in after 7 years…minimal maintenance needed. I also love the SC430 – I thought it was a brilliant design – powerful and classy.
They’ve now got some provocative design, decent handling and twin-turbos. Are they the new pace and grace?
This was the inspiration for the grille
A buddy of mine has a Lexus NX. I’m not impressed. It rides rough over any irregularity in the road, some of the leather is separating from the door panels, back seat is cramped, and not much storage space in the rear.
Funny thing is his neighborhood is full of Lexus NX.
Guess its based more on prestige, less on substance.
Thank you for the update . I follow the auto industry news quite closely but I long since stopped studying the relative merits of the products themselves. I used to enjoy doing so but work, family and hobbies take up all my time. So I appreciate a well – researched synopsis like this to bring me up to date.
“Lexus was a few years behind the Germans in offering a turbo-charged 4 cylinder engine” … and the Germans were 30 years behind SAAB, who introduced their inline-4 turbo in 1978 with the 99 Turbo (BMW’s Kugelfisher tii was a relative fail and few were made) and perfected it shortly thereafter with the Trionic engine management system. SAAB was the first maker to go Turbo-4 across the line with the 90s 900. SAAB owned this concept while the Germans ignored it for decades. Our ’82 900-T would blow any BMW 3 series off the road back then…and is still running well after all these years.
Lexus design language today is awful, and as technically well developed as they may be, I couldn’t live with their gross frontal aspect.
Actually, BMW offered a 2002 Turbo in 1973-74, well before the Saab 99 Turbo.
Ummm.. I mentioned that, if you had actually read my comment.
The 2002 Tii’s Kugelfischer mechanical injection was highly problematic, and very few were made. I had a ’74 2002 so was very well aware of them. It took SAAB to do it right, and they were the first to be 4cyl Turbo across the entire line as well.
Audi debuted the inline-5 turbo in 1979 (Audi 200, then the Ur-quattro in 1980) but then eventually developed their turbo-4 in around 1997 or so, still 20 years later but not 30. VW of course started using the same engine at the same time as well.
“Isn’t it better to be have people talking about you, even if it’s not always good”.
Right…ask Dodge about 1961.
The salesmen at the time came up with…”Well, you ride on the inside, not on the outside” LOL
The 2nd gen Ram was HIGHLY polarizing….but that turned out to be a home run.
Is there a car on the road more hideous than the current Prius? Yet to the demographic that buys it (and most other conspicuous eco-mobiles) that’s part of the appeal. I hate those things passionately, but no one can deny that Toyota knows that demographic and how to strike the right chords with them.
Toyota sure had my sister in mind with the Prius. Her husband hates them, but she wanted one and to be honest about it, what she wants is what happens in that house. She loves it. She wanted one as soon as she rode in one of her friends’ cars back when the Prius first came out. She was, until then, a Nissan Altima person, so a Prius isn’t a huge jump in boring level.
Lexus gets so many things right but misses the mark with others. A good example is the new UX that I looked over at the LA Auto Show. Styling is subjective but I think the UX wears some of the Lexus design language better than other models (it is positively gorgeous compared to the awkward looking NX). And the interior is beautifully done, uncluttered, modern, elegant. Road testers says the UX is quieter and rides and handles better than the NX. But only 169 HP and 151 ft-lbs. @ 4800 rpm (the Hybrid is 175 HP)? And a CVT with a real first gear and 9 simulated shifts? The awkward touchpad isn’t much better than the old mouse controller. Put in a turbo 4 and an 8-speed automatic and better tech and this car would be perfect for many people in crowded urban areas – subcompact SUVs sell really well in SoCal and there is great demand for a premium model. But who wants a luxury car that cannot easily blend into traffic from challenging freeway ramps or that does so with the awkward roar of a straining four cylinder/CVT combo?
So, the same powertrain that’s optional in the new Corolla hatchback, and what looks like a lot of common hard points. I’ll take mine with the image delete package (and six-speed stick).
>>Their bigger priority, however, should be catching up in the Chinese market.
Not really. China will consume and assimilate their tech and then Lexus will be shown the door as Chinese brands will become dominant.
See Apple.
I think the profile and rear styling on most of their current models is excellent and distinctive, but I’ve been unable to warm up to the overdone front ends. They are just….too much and out of proportion with the rest of the design.
History will most likely view them in the same “what were they thinking” vein of the 1961 Plymouth.
A friend of mine is a salesman at a Lexus dealership and I asked him how people react to the front styling. He admitted that a good percentage of his customers do not love it and his workaround response to that is to remind people that most of the time they will approach their car from the rear 3/4 view. Too funny.
The cars are bulletproof, however (as well everything Cadillac should have been and hasn’t), and it’s completely understandable how they have such an incredibly loyal customer base who won’t consider anything else, no matter what they look like.
Here in SWFL, Lexus has become the new Buick. Stuck behind a long line of slow moving traffic in Naples? Yup, the lead car is being driven by a cotton top in a Lexus. By the way, I’m a 66 year old cotton top, myself, but I’m the one in the Boxster. There’s about twelve of us at every stop light around here.
Great analysis William. I can’t say I have much love for any modern luxury vehicles, and even if I were extremely wealthy, I’d have little desire to own a luxury vehicle (I’d just have a warehouse of classics). However, if had to pick a modern luxury car, I’d probably pick a Lexus LS, mostly it’s one of Lexus’ best and the brands stellar reliability record. While I know the German cars might be more exciting and have better dynamics, reliability trumps all that for me.
I also have to admit, I have been somewhat intrigued by the Lexus RCF. A high performance naturally aspirated V8 engine is becoming a rarity in this class. I haven’t driven a 5.0L V8, but if it is anything like the related 5.7L in the trucks, I am sure it’d be a gem.
If I had the $$$, I would have strongly considered the RCF, but that’s out of my price range and had to settle for something a little different.
Good friend lived on a diet of Maserati, Aston Martin and Jaguar, keeping them for a few months or so and would trade them if anything annoyed her about it – I put her into an SC430 in 2003, she kept it until 2018 when she bought a RC350. Lexus killed her with kindness and this kept her in the brand. The SC430 was luxurious, the new RC350 is tinny in the body by comparison and has cheap interior trim. But, she’s a happy camper.
KJ in Oz
The last time that Lexus did it right….
their “Enform” infotainment is not “clunky.” it’s so bad it should never have gone past the proposal stage.
It’s always interesting to read about life in the parallel universe (here in Austria Lexus sold less vehicles than JAGUAR in 2018 (364 – that right, 364 – versus 1154. I won’t even bother to mention how many cars M-B sold).
Lexus have made just one car that has ever bordered on being pretty and desireable, and that’s that new LC. Everything else has been a paragon of virtue, and disinterest.
For the aged like me who saw the Pontiac Aztek as a messenger from the future forewarning of the Great Aggressive Ugliness soon to envelop all, the top photo here of the model spread should be captioned “Lexus. The relentless pursuit of beautifully built bad taste.”
Excellent analysis, btw, Mr S.
Add this to the list of what they’re doing wrong. They’re ugly. Unnecessarily com plex. Which leads to unnecessary weight. Which leads to problems which aren’t practical to fix when the warranty runs out.. Info tainment system ? The driver is supposed to be DRIVING, not looking at some screen, or fiddling with some doodad trying to get their favorite song to come up. Or getting directions. Colin Chapman had it right. Does anyone remember his slogan ?
I’ll never understand why people find infotainment screens more distracting to have than a bunch of buttons. How often do you actually adjust the buttons on your dash? The answer to that is the same if you have an infotainment screen.
Say you want to use the navigation. Punch in the address before taking off, done. It just tells you where to go. Easier than you pulling over intermittently to check a map.
Say you want to listen to music. Turn on your playlist or just the regular radio, it’s just set and forget.
I’ve had cars with dash screens before and I can assure you I rarely had to do any “fiddling”.
I’m not even going to get into the weight/complexity argument. That sounds like a grievance you have with all modern cars.
I listen to “The Car Doctor” radio program, hosted by Ron Ananian. He owns his own repair shop. Vehicles are having problems even the dealers have trouble repairing under warranty. I have nothing against technological advancement, but we’re getting carried away with”conveniences” the manufacturers think we’ve got to have – mainly because the other car makers are doing it. Colin Chapman had it right.
This is a separate issue from your initial post, the complexity in this case isn’t a matter of being difficult to repair (there is less physical labor changing out an infotainment unit than installing an aftermarket stereo receiver in older models). The problem is the cost of replacement outside of warranty is typically huge(even fasteners from a dealer parts inventory will break the bank), and because these components are all integrated into security salvage isn’t really an option either, you’d still need the dealer level equipment to crack the VIN locks which most repair shops won’t have.
I wholeheartedly agree that this is a problem for these modern systems, especially with longterm ownership, but it’s not really a fault of the technology as an interface, it’s overzealous security measures OEMs created to prevent roaming bands of 1980s street toughs from breaking into cars to sell stereos on the black market. Even modern cars without infotainment have this to deal with.
It’s a matter of actually having to look to hit the *right* button on the screen, separate tactile buttons or knobs can be used completely by feel. Some cars with infotainment screens don’t even have navigation and it baffles my mind as to the point of even having the ugly LCD screen there at all(I do know, cost via parts consolidation, hooray for the shareholders). Set it and forget? Well sometimes, most times in fact, I might not be in the mood to hear a song on my playlist that day, or I don’t want to listen to a terrible block of radio commercials for half the commute and want to change stations. I do these things completely blind on a traditional radio, even on my aftermarket one with the stupid tiny buttons.
I won’t argue complexity or weight as Jonathan contests, I would actually counter that the physical complexity and weight of the system is likely lighter than traditional auto interfaces since so much is integrated into the single unit, and networked through the car with less cumbersome CAN wiring. There are real reasons modern cars are porkers and it isn’t infotainment. I agree that things should be simpler, but since cars are allegedly competing with smartphones the need to jam in apps and features is just too tantalizing for marketers and modern customers easily swayed by shiny objects.
That anvil looking grill is awful looking.
Very good analysis. I largely concur. I find the spindle grille is growing on me more and more, and works quite well on many of the models. But the RX350’s styling overall is still a bit challenging for me.
Toyota’s aversion to full EVs is a huge topic, as they totally lost the “green crown” they won for themselves with the Prius. Tesla totally stole that away. But Toyota is typically a conservative company, and a very profitable one, and EVs are going to be a huge challenge to make a profitably.
I concur with some others that as attractive as these coupes are, I have doubts that they will ever pay off. Coupes are not seen as halo cars, and the market has moved on to other things. Tesla certainly isn’t planning to build any coupe versions of its sedans. If a sedan has the right draw, a coupe version is unnecessary. And a lot of added expense.
To me, Lexus vehicles are overwrought, over-styled, over-the-top, origami-looking to point of being utterly undesirable. How sad that so many carmakers feel the need to take this design path. The current Honda Civic is hideous with all its gratuitous and conflicting angles. Why do most cars today look like they’re in pain? There are far too few cars available with clean, simple lines that are not overstated. Audi and Mazda come to mind. Automotive history will remember them kindly.