Should you buy a Lexus

[Lex_1988]

I tested out the ES and it's a much better hybrid experience compared to my 64 plate IS. The surge of revs isnt so bad when accelerating hard, more mpg and it felt like the perfect long range cruiser. The only issue I have is that I no longer commute and so now want something more exciting for my journeys to the supermarket.

I also recently went for a drive in my brother's 15 plate 430d GC and the acceleration/torque made my IS feel like a 1.4 Punto. The mpg on the beamer is mid 40s and the 8speed ZF is smooth as silk. 

I've now started to ponder whether I need lexus unrelenting reliability in my life...

With a manufacturers warranty in place, I think it might be worth going back to the dark side. 

 

[Malc]

2 minutes ago, Lex_1988 said:

whether I need lexus unrelenting reliability in my life...

the issue would be, could you, or would you, really want to suffer the extreme inconvenience, even the once, of a BMW ( or other marque ) breakdown requiring roadside assistance, towing to a local garage etc and being without your car for even an unnecessary day 

the money doesn't really come into it at that stage, it's the utter inconvenience of it all .........  dark wet windy winter's night and all that stuck up on the Yorkshire moors whatever 

Malc

[Jud Cariosto]

On 12/18/2021 at 5:23 PM, Linas.P said:

Generally speaking I would say - yes it is worth buying Lexus, because they in general use better materials, are more sporty, yet more comfortable (adaptive suspension or just in general better suspension tuning) and it is Lexus, I mean there is value just in the badge regardless if one values it or not.

However, that was the case when Lexus had dedicated or significantly enhanced cars like IS, RC and GS, those cars were not Toyota and did not have Toyota equivalence (more or less), sure they were still based on certain Toyota platforms and used many Toyota parts (which is good, they are reliable). Very important - they were RWD and Toyota's are FWD, this is one of key areas where driving dynamic comes from and why they felt better than Toyotas of similar size. 

However, when it comes to Toyota Avalon (ES), Auris (CT) or CHR (UX), it is definitely not worth buying Lexus, they are identical cars with cosmetic only changes and they feel exactly like equivalent Toyota would feel. Badge on these cars is worth just as much as plastic it is made from and unless you want to spend extra money to sit in Lexus dealership during the service and drink instant coffee from mug with Lexus logo and have little candy wrapped in Lexus wrap, then NO it definitely isn't worth the money.

Lexus RX and NX are kind of interesting in a sense that they are based on existing Toyota cars, but they are kind of improved significantly enough that they no longer feel like Toyota, the way they ride and plastics and sound insulation inside really makes them feel little bit more luxurious. Besides SUV market is very competitive and they are priced reasonably well, where getting RAV4 won't save significant amount of money over NX, especially considering options etc.

In the end the only 2 remaining cars which are true Lexus are LS and LC, and those are really worth every penny you spend and are on the league of their own which no Toyota could match.

So I guess in the end - it depends, what model, what year and what people want from their cars. 

What do you think about the new NX? Is it true Lexus now? They say that this time they have upgraded it to a substantial degree to state that this is not just an improved RAV4.

[Linas.P]

2 hours ago, Jud Cariosto said:

What do you think about the new NX? Is it true Lexus now? They say that this time they have upgraded it to a substantial degree to state that this is not just an improved RAV4.

NX has always been substantially upgraded, small SUVs are now hottest market segment and it is very competitive, so Lexus really puts a lot of effort to make NX competitive. Now sure - it is generally speaking based on RAV4 and if you get the entry level FWD version then I don't think there is much between them, but Takumi or F-Sport+Takumi really comes loaded compared to competition and even other cars in Lexus range.

I always used to complain that NX was much better equipped, more modern and even had more option that RC despite costing the same to buy. The truth is that RC was niche product and Lexus didn't care, where they really care for NX buyers. For example same year NX had wireless charger, better sat-nav, optional panoramic glass roof and optional 360 degree camera. Whereas RC had none of this. RC could even fit DCC even as an option (on F-sport) whereas NX could... and even when it came to optional DCC which was only available in "Premier" RC, the NX system was "full speed" (meaning it would work all the way to stand still and would start after stopping by itself) compared to RC which only got older system which would cut-off below ~24MPH.

I have not compared new NX in detail, but I am quite confident that sort of thing will continue - Lexus most certainly going to continue to focus on this market segment and "pimp" NX to the limit. The only thing I was disappointed about is that Top of the range NX450h+ cannot be bought with panoramic roof, nor Mark Levinson premium audio, despite it being standard in NX350h on Takumi and available as an option for F-sport. This just doesn't make sense.

Finally, RAV4 is outright ugly in my opinion, whereas NX maybe not the prettiest car ever, but still relatively nice for SUV. So yeah - in short I think NX is "best value for money" model in Lexus range and all thing considered substantial enough upgrade over RAV 4. I would not say the same about UX, which I really don't understand and can't see why it exists on top of Toyota CH-R... I still think it looks better both inside and out, but not different substantially enough to justify 2 separate models - just make CH-R not ugly and that would do. 

[Lex_1988]

On 12/28/2021 at 6:11 PM, Malc said:

the issue would be, could you, or would you, really want to suffer the extreme inconvenience, even the once, of a BMW ( or other marque ) breakdown requiring roadside assistance, towing to a local garage etc and being without your car for even an unnecessary day 

the money doesn't really come into it at that stage, it's the utter inconvenience of it all .........  dark wet windy winter's night and all that stuck up on the Yorkshire moors whatever 

Malc

Yeah your right Malc. The switch now namely for more power isn't sensible and I do love the look of the is f sport.

Therefore thought I'd get it more to my liking and have the alloys finished in a shadow chrome. Won't be OEM but should make the wheels pop nicely in the sun.