Different interior trim colour options to web and brochure

Habu · February 23, 2019

Been looking at an ES again today in Newcastle (specifically to review HUD and ML audio) as my nearest Centre doesn’t have an ES available with those options. One thing I noticed with 2 Takumis in the compound was that one had ivory leather and brown wood whilst another had rich cream leather with bamboo. The differing wood extend to the steering wheel and USB cover, etc. The brochure and web colour state the trim is rich cream and brown wood which appears not to be actually available. I was going for rich cream and brown wood but now it’s going to be ivory and brown wood. The bamboo (assuming it is bamboo) is too light for my taste. The bamboo is my NX is more of a honey colour.

Other observation is that there is no parking sensor on light at all - that little green ‘P’ on the dash. The only light now is parking sensor off light. Strange to omit the P on light.

Habu · February 24, 2019

Lexus UK have just replied to me. The only option (excluding black, sandstone and topaz) is rich cream with brown Shimamoku. This is as per the website and e-brochure. They (Lexus) are going to now check with product development as the two ES Takumis I described don’t match the UK trim options.🙄

Might be some explaining to do this Friday with the two customers as to why both don’t have what they ordered unless Lexus Newcastle has access to more trim options than Lexus UK thought were available. (Where’s that popcorn emoji?)

Cheers

Peter

Habu · February 25, 2019

Lexus have replied advising that customers who pre-ordered their ES last October did so before the UK trim level was finalised and so have ended up with vehicles which may differ to what is now confirmed. The confirmed colour combo now (excluding black, sandstone and topaz) is rich cream leather and brown Shimamoku wood - as per the website and e-brochure.

Martin J · February 27, 2019

This is interesting, and I'd love to know how and why Lexus UK decide to limit the trim combinations of their cars for the UK market. To me, one of the key bits of added value in a premium car is the ability to choose a personal trim preference, not least as we spend more time looking at the cabin of our cars than the outside. When the NX was first launched, other markets had a wider range of trim colours and finishes: in particular, when you ordered cream/ivory seats, the lower part of the dash and the upper part of the door trim was also cream, whereas the UK cars were still black. I know volumes in the UK are lower than for some other markets, but I'm not sure why this should mean a more limited choice of finishes for custom orders from the factory. A related complaint is that UK brochures do a woeful job of depicting interior trim and colour options, but haven't seen the ES one yet.