I am aware that there's another thread about Acura vs Infiniti, Lexus, Audi, this thread is only for discussing why Lexus is considered up there with MB and BMW cause I only view it as a Toyota Plus, same goes for Acura and Infiniti being Honda Plus and Nissan Plus.

I have read through a handful of posts and opinions and it seems like people treat it as if Lexus is up there with BMW and MB while Acura is a joke when comparing with Lexus. Seriously, I have never discovered the reasons for such bias.
Do a quick search on google or yahoo answers and you'll see people screaming LEXUS LEXUS LEXUS!

One aspect of Acura that I dislike is that the retards there take a Japanese Civic + Accord, slap an Acura badge on it and call it a luxury vehicle, but the rest of their lineup seems to be on par with LEXUS and whatnot, so why such a big different in reputation?

Anyone else like to contribute?


Please try to keep this thread clean, I'm looking forward to serious discussions.

 

What does Acura have that's on par with the LFA and ISF? Or the Lexus convertible models? Or Lexus' four luxury hybrids? And is the RL ($47k) on par with the LS ($65k)? Plus Lexus doesn't have any hideous beaks on their cars. I love my TL but, as a brand, Acura doesn't offer what Lexus does.

 

Acura = Honda Special Lexus = toyota Special infiniti = nissan special

 

I think Lexus > Acura. Always have.

The TL was supposed to compete with the GS, now the RL doesn't even come close to what the GS offers.

I don't even want to mention how I feel about the design of Lexus over Acura, Lexus wins that hands down, especially as of lately.


All subjective, of course.

 

I would tend to agree Lexus> Acura

 

I detail and get to drive a few Lexus and BMWs and neither of those compare to the MB. My son in law has a MB CLS sedan and had a 500 sl.

So I don't know how they can compare a Lexus to the MB.

 

The newer Lexus's are much nicer than newer Acuras in my opinion, although I really liked the MDX vs. the mommy-mobile Lexus SUVs. I say this having owned a Lexus previously, although I like my TL-S MUCH better than my old IS300...which was basically a dressed up Toyota Altezza.

The company to watch in the luxury segment now though is Hyundai surprisingly. They REALLY stepped it up with the new Genesis sedans.

 

so why didnt all of you who think Lexus is better buy a Lexus? im just sayin

LFA=NSX
ISF=TLS

the new hyundai's are nice but nothin has yet to compare to the standard in luxury which is MB

 

In 06 I didn't like the looks of them.

 

I agree, I'd take the MDX over the RX any day. But I'd take the GX470 over an MDX any day also.


Seriously?

ISF=TLS?! and NSX=LFA? The NSX is a nice car, don't get me wrong but it's not a fast car by any means.

RWD V8 producing over 400HP to a FWD V6?

I'd take a TLS over an M3 too!

 

for me, Acura was always a "sports luxury" brand.

Lexus was always seen as a higher end luxury brand on par with benz and BMW.

just my two

 

because I'm poor and got a new 08 TL for $26k out the door...

and those comparisons aren't even close.

 

The reason Lexus is on the level of MB and BMW, while Acura, Audi, and Infiniti are not is because of their brand recognition, prestige, luxury features, product offerings (sedans, hybrids, coupes, supercar, etc) total sales, sales in the 50k+ market, dealership and corporate level of customer service and convenience and a few things else I'm forgetting off the top of my head.

I always use this as a great example about the luxury status in this country. Go out into a crowded street and ask a random group of a 100 people to name a luxury car manufacturer and the majority of people will name either BMW, MB, or Lexus. Those are the big luxury nameplates in this country. You'll get some people who will say Caddy, Acura, Audi, and Infiniti but not as many people know that those latter four makes, except for maybe Caddy, are luxury name plates. I know that is my personal experience, especially with Audi and Infiniti. I've met many people who didn't know that.

BMW, MB, and Lexus have the brand cache, prestige, and name recognition.

That is just the way it is currently. Doesn't mean that Audi, Acura, Infiniti etc will not get that but they just don't currently have it. Doesn't mean any of those manufacturers do not make nice vehicles, in fact, I would argue that Infiniti and Audi have many advantages over BMW, MB, and Lexus but people just don't know about them.

 

I believe the Lexus brand has more prestige and produces cars more akin to high end German makes. Lexus also has a supercar--an enormously expensive and advanced one at that. For those reasons (amidst a few others), Lexus and Acura are not synonymous.

Honda is a pretty conservative company. Every now and then they get a wild hair and sell something spectacular, but most of the time the cars are "mature", for lack of a better word. Honda isn't the gigantic empire that Toyota or VW is, so I would expect them to perhaps lag a little bit.

Maybe I'm being a bit car-ist, and you'll have to take the following comments and purely subjective, but more often than not I miss green lights or get aggravated in traffic by some slow-minded dimwit driving a Camry, Corolla, Prius, RX3xx, ES3xx, Highlander or some other Toyota/Lexus contraption.

In my eyes, that brand attracts some of the worst drivers--the most inept people on the road. Perhaps it has something to do with the cars themselves--maybe they are so numb or dead that a driver can't help but space out while behind the wheel. I'd certainly want to kill myself if I were driving one. Riding a motorcycle makes me even more aware of this. Sure there are idiots in every brand, even Hondas (almost got creamed by a jack ass in an Accord the other day)... But I have to say the edge goes to Toyota and Lexus.

For that reason, I can't say I'm particularly interested in owning or even driving one of their vehicles, regardless of how advanced or prestigious they might be.

 

Lexus prioritizes luxury better than any other brand. Take a drive in one, it is very quiet in the cabin and the ride is very comfortable.

Infiniti right now is years ahead of electronics/technology than any other brand. BMW/Benz are great (overpriced) driving machines. Acura, well the moment it ceased being produced in Japan, the quality went down the drain. Acura is the most car for the buck. I don't consider it luxury; it is econo luxury at best.

I'm personally about to hop into a luxurious infiniti m37, the car is not as fun as my TL-S to drive (m37 freaken 4000 lbs with 330hp), but the amenities and the options beat any e-class, or 5 series.

 

Ummm...is this a joke?

 

Owned 3G TL and still own 1999 GS400. Hands down the 1999 Lexus was still a better car than the 2005 Acura, which is why I still have the Lexus today. I would hate to even compare a 1999 GS400 to a 1999 Acura TL....the disparage/seperation would only get worse.

Big difference IMO....my Acura was made in Ohio (America) while the GS400 was made in Japan totally.

Not sure how the newer models compare though....as I think they have also move mfg to the US on many models?


IMO....Lexus > Acura overall. At the same time...doesnt come with the same price point either does it! So is it fair to compare?

 

I did...and before I bought an Acura. Guess which one I still have as it is STILL flawless operationally with almost nothing spent on major repairs over ten years later and 100,000+ miles later? The Lexus.

Now toss the Benz into the mix....still not as reliable over time. German cars will nickle and dime you to death as they age....ask my many neighbors with them that I see being towed off monthly.

 

Well put. I have a 96 TL, an 02 RL and recently sold my 05 TL.

The old TL and the RL were made in Japan and are noticeably built better than my 05 TL was. They both drive better, one having almost quadruple the miles and one double. The TL felt cheap.


I also had a 1999 GS400. One of the best cars I've ever owned. Just sold my 3G and looking for a 01-03 GS430.

 

LFA=NSX??? LFA is a super car and cost about $400,000 and NSX is about 100,000 and doesn't consider of a super car


ISF = TL-S wow i wish RWD VS FWD V8 vs V6 400+ HP vs 286 HP


dood u sure know about cars

 

Acura is for the budget minded car driver. When I was in the market for a new car back in 07' I went with the TL-S because for the $ it was an easier sell to me than a similarly equiped BMW 335 with navi that cost around $48K while my new TL-S was $37....

Now my pops has a 2007 MB CLS 550 and my mom has a 2007 Corvette and neither of those cars have anything close to the interior and technology as my Acura has. MB obviously focuses on performance and styling and same with the Vette both have neglected the interior... the MB navi is almost impossible to use its ridiculous and the Vettes interior looks blah!

If I were to buy a Luxury car it would be either a MB, BMW or a Lexus... I would say Lexus is probably best but you will get more buying MB and BMW cuz of the name recognition and prestige associated with them.

 

Lexus has managed to seperate themselves from Toyota whereas even the pre 2007 3g TLs still had honda on the glass and other parts. But honestly it's just because Acura doesn't make cars to compete with th 7series like an LS. There's nothing even remotely close price wise. But as far as reliability and repare cost, there's no compareison...Acura hands down.

 

I know the vette's interior is blah but MB is not concerened with performance at all...I would guess at least the build quality of the inerior is better than the TLs. But I agree with the pricing...the TL/s is a great value and the only option is the S package or the navi. So you could easily drive off the lot with a new TL for $32k.

 

I can say that I'm pleasantly surprised by this thread. I'm not a huge fan of Lexus but I've slowly grown to appreciate some of their cars, but I was expecting to see a disproportionate number of Acura > Lexus posts with blind loyalty and no supporting arguments.

I'm impressed here.

 

Can't really compared a NSX and LSFA since the NSX comes out with its "2010/2011" model with over 500HP.

Lexus beats Acura overall especially since Acura has a lot smaller lineup.

What Lexus cannot beat is Acura's 3G TL BABY.

No car on the road is better than the TL overall. NONE. Well unless if you're a girl.

 

I haven't really had first hand experience with Lexus' quality but the only lexus I ever considered purchasing was an IS350. However that car is way too common over and seems to be less bang for the buck compared to TL so I bought the 3G TL and is quite happy with it =D. Lexus seems to offer less on their models when compared with Acura and their interior but I do admit that Lexus has way more variety in their lineup. So it seems a company is considered "luxurious" if they decide to make higher end vehicles regardless of being able to sell them or not. I have seriously never in my life seen a LS on the road or rarely a GS. As for their SUV lineup, I've only seen the RX on the road, and the other two, maybe once or twice. It's mostly IS or ES everywhere which is pretty much in the same class as TSX and TL.

I agree that Honda is pretty conservative, it seems like money more important to them than making their name known in the luxury market. Almost every car in their lineup is a guarantee sale and I do see a lot more MDX, RDX on the road than a RX. That aside, if they did go with the new NSX, in no doubt in my mind it would've been a LFA competitor but too bad they decided to cancel it. However I do see a problem with Acura, just like someone above said, they are more of a "sports-luxury" so you have people in their teens or so buying an Acura and transforming it into a ricemobile, which doesn't seem to happen so much with the Lexus. Lexus is like BMW and MB in the sense that after you have purchased the car, you pretty much keep it stock looking without having to add in a bodykit here or a bodykit there. I still can't seem to put Lexus over Acura though, because I still see lexus = high end toyota, acura = high end honda, infiniti = high end nissan and imho toyota = honda = nissan. (Actually not so much nissan, I somehow feel nissan is a tiny bit inferior compared to Honda and Toyota)

I have come down to a conclusion:

IMHO
It really depends how many vehicles they have to compete with others in the same class. If Acura went mad and decided to add on a few coupes, hybrids and somewhat pricier models, then maybe they will be considered on the same playing field as LEXUS, BMW and MB. So in this sector, seems like the term "luxury" means the power to choose, and sadly Acura hasn't given the consumer much of this power.

 

I think Acura is perpetually stuck in the same position that Infiniti is. Both manufacturers make good cars, and are continually improving but they need to make serious changes before they get to the same level as Lexus, MB and BMW.... but more importantly I don't see those changes happening. There is no way Acura can sell a flagship vehicle like the 7/S/LS as even the RL is slouching in sales. Infiniti saw the same thing with their Q45, hence why it's discontinued. I potentially see the same thing happening with the RL. The thing is, I don't think Acura really cares. As it's been mentioned in this thread and in many, many other threads, Honda is a conservative company, who chooses to do things their own way. I don't foresee any LS460 competitors coming from Honda Motor Company anytime soon, at least not in North America.

Before anyone mentions it, the NSX is an exception... it's somewhat more of a niche vehicle. I'm not saying the two are similar, but nobody expected Lexus to make the LF-A and IIRC they were all accounted for, even before production began.

 

ilovemnagos, your logic is wrong.

Since Acura has a smaller line up they should EXCEL with what they have..they don't. Infiniti is inferior? Best V6 & technology package on the market..try again..

Lexus is pure luxury. Get some quotes and see the difference in pricing and of course quality and built.

My honda (acura tl-s) had more rattles @ 0 miles than I bet MichaelBenz's 99 Lexus @ 100k has now. My motor mounts broke twice, etc..etc.. TL-S is a fun agile sports sedan. 2nd thing to consider is the customer service. Ever been to Acura service dept? Ever left that place with a smile on your face?

Guys, be realistic when you are saying Acura TL is the best car on earth..give me a break.

 

You have to remember that the only Lexus that is Toyota like is the ES300 (camry platform) aside from the SUV's

Everything else is different. Please tell me which Toyota drives like a GS.

 

My dad owned a Lexus LX470 back in Dhaka, Bangladesh so naturally I got to drive it in a very early age and I have to say that brands such as Lexus can build the finest cars when it comes to big SUV's and High Performance Sports cars because from day 1, Lexus started with their best Lexus LS V8 powerplant, compared to that neither Honda/Acura created any single V8 engines for their roadcars.

To me, in terms of brand recognition and overall quality, I rank all three german manufacturers above the rest of the Japanese luxury car makers.

1) BMW - They make cars that sell well, hands down no one can equal either of their class-leading 3 series and 5 series.

2) Mercedes-Benz - S Class and SL coupes speak for themselves, plus Mercedes has a lot of racing heritage, SLS AMG, SLR, CLK-GTR are just a few to name. They are at the very top when it comes to high-performing CLS/S-Class/CL/SL-class.

3) Audi - Audi will always be number 3 in my view. Their R8 brought out a lot of new characteristics to Audis. They needed a great sports car and the R8 delivered, stole a lot of attention from Porsches. Audi A4, A6 & A8 are great cars but lets face it they cant beat either the 3/5 series or the S-Class.

4) Lexus - Besides the GX470 rollover scandal, Lexus has brought the very best cars in terms of luxury. They are just comfortable and long lasting cars, they wont let you down if you go over 200,000 miles even. LS has always been a good selling full size sedan, whereas the GS was a mixed bag. IS is a great TL alternative but I feel like the Lexus cars needs a chauffeur rather than me driving it (besides the LF-A)

5) Acura - Good cars but their current gen of cars look fugly. The ZDX has grown on me, looks good at some angles. The current TL/RL are simply hideous cars, even the previous RL was so good looking. The new TSX is a good improvement from the previous TSX. Besides that Acura doesn't make any coupes or V8 cars while their rivals make V10 and V12 sports cars.

6) Infiniti - Infinitis have improved massively ever since the 03' G35 came out but to me Infiniti falls short of Acura only because Acura makes much more reliable cars. If you get a rental G35 from your body shop in replacement of the TL, you will understand what I mean. The Infinitis don't live upto the hype once their age kicks in. After 4-5 years owning any Infiniti down the line, you will definitely agree with me. The engine, brakes, steering response - nothing feels on par with the Acura/Lexus vehicles. That being said, neither Lexus/Acura has any valuable response for the sexy little G35 coupes/sedans/convertibles.

 

Marketing....plain and simple.

Something that Acura has never done well.

 

autofreak



The above is rated #1 by Consumer Reports in reliability above ALL brands/makes..... I've driven and owned many brands... German cars are awesome until sensors randomly start failing.

 

I am not a CR subscriber, but wow the new M tops the charts? That is quite a big surprise. The M rivals against the Lexus GS/5series/E-Class I suppose. I am sure its sales will be good in NA but doubt it will equal either the 5er or the E-Class. But boy, that color and that sedan looks hot, waiting for a 4 door sports coupe from Infiniti soon.

Lastly, I don't understand how they measure Reliable Cars and their rankings but to me the most visible luxury cars on the road that are from the 90s seem to be Acuras/Lexus/BMW's.

 

But they are trying much more than Acura... Acura is still stuck in a 5 speed RL.

I want to get the infini M, but the Sport package you see in the pic only comes in RWD...which drives me nuts as I really want it..but snow/rain...

 

I bought my TL-S because I am a value buyer. I cross-shopped it with the IS350 and the Cadillac CTS. I did not consider the IS250 because I test drove one as a loaner and it was slower than my IS300...which says a lot. I also would not consider any of the German cars because they are flat out too unreliable and I drive a LOT for work. Besides, Lexus, Cadillac and all of the German makes have too many non-standard features. Similarly equipped versions of those cars to the TL-S were SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive and I really couldn't justify the cost. The TL-S is also a very beautiful, aggressive looking car and is fun to drive, whereas the Lexus and CTS were a lot softer and cushier to drive.

So, for what I was looking for, the TL-S was above and beyond the best choice. With that being said, if I'm looking for a high end sports car I would be looking in the direction of an M5, S5/S8, S55, etc.

Oh so would I...we're talking about two totally different price points for those cars though.

An Acura is designed for the most part as a reliable, entry-level luxury car. The other marquees were designed to span the entire spectrum of luxury buyer...from entry level all the way up to the guys spending $150,000+ on a daily driver. That's the biggest difference.

For what it's worth though, my buddy (who used to be on this forum) sold his TL-S and bought a G37-S. The G37 is nice but he says he really misses his TL-S and liked it more than his new car.

 

IMO, Acura doesn't excel with their small lineup because half their cars have crappy design. However, the discussion here is not about how many cars ACURA have sold. I am saying that most people seem to complain about ACURA not offering anythign to compete with the lineup at BMW, MB and Lexus which makes them less luxurious by not offering higher end vehicles. I never said Infiniti is inferior, I said I FELT Nissan is a tiny bit inferior mainly because they don't SEEM to have the same reputation as Honda/Toyota.

Just cause Lexus is pricier than Acura doesn't automatically make it better, I don't care how much they sell for, if they're the same quality I would definitely get the cheaper one. I don't understand the discussion of quality and built around Lexus and Acura. Both Lexus and Acura are reliable and imo, the interior of some lexus looks fairly cheap.

Seriously, customer service? Just cause the place you've been to sucked doesn't automatically mean all Acura stealerships have bad customer service. It's like saying I bought one toyota that broke down so now all toyotas are unreliable. I went with my dad to a BMW stealership yesterday and not a single person cared about us. I had to go ask for service myself! What a joke, does that automatically make the customer service at all BMW stealerships horrible?

I don't think anyone here mentioned that the TL is the best car on earth. Everyone here is being civilized having a serious discussion about Lexus and Acura. Maybe you should get off your high horse and stop bashing on people's OPINIONS just because they are DIFFERENT than yours. So what if they think their TL is the best car on earth, if you think differently, then go purchase something else, at least they are happy with their purchase.

 

I have never driven a GS or a toyota so I can't answer your question. However, I did fall in love with the Lexus IS and GS models except IS is way too common here and the GS is a bit pricey =(. Also, the rear seats of the IS was a deal breaker for me.

 

Could you clarify what you meant by better? I like Lexus as much as I like Acura and that's why I can't justify the major difference in pricing. I am indifferent between the two. Both great company that produce great cars.

 

Actually...my 2005 TL was full of squeeks and rattles when I sold it and in fact your right, my TL had more squeeks and rattles from the factory straight up than my GS had at the time with over 100,000 miles....that is VERY true. But at the same time....fit and finish were 100% better on my Lexus at 100,000 miles than the Acura at 0 miles....its just the way it was and remained. But as previously stated...different price points to the cars too.

1999 Lexus GS400 FTW. I am still trying to find a car that has been as good to me as this one has....which is why I cant part with it!