justinjsw

I will scan the entire print when I have time.

Article by Robert Cumberford...Automobile Mag 5/04

There is little question that the best made of the world's volume production cars carry the Lexus badge, but so far there has been only one truly good looking and moderately original model, the Erwin Lui "balloons full of wet plaster" SC coupe offered with 3.0- and 4.0-liter engines. The big LS sedans have been pale copies of Mercedes Benzes, the smaller ones restyled Toyota Camrys, bad BMW imitations, or recycled Giugiaro Jaguar proposals. The bloated SC430 is an unfortunate interpretation of what some Toyota designers on safari in the south of France thought would appeal to the nouveaux riches in Newport Beach. So the Lexus product lineup has nothing original, nothing visually excellent, just superbly made but boringly styled cars.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

For the most part, he's right. However, the consumers don't seem to care and continue to make Lexus one of the top choices in the market. To Lexus, that seems to be much more important.

Vans

Automobile experts will always rail on Toytoa for boring designs. But toyota doesn't always design cars for enthusiasts. The non-enthusiasts make up 99% of the car buying public. Soo, I don't think Toyota is too concerned with what they say. The next generation of Lexus automobiles will be much more exciting - atleast thats what Lexus has said...

ostrich

I love it! We should expect to hear from our "boring" and "non-enthusiast" Lexus diehards here very soon! LOL!

biker

OK sicklex - let's hear the rebuttal.

TLProspect

Oh no, please don't antagonize 1SICKLEX, he was just starting to be nice and tolerable in his last few posts.

1SICKLEX

Lexus doesn't really deny this. GOing forward, the general manager has stated Lexus cars will be more stylish (thus admitting they are not all the most stylish cars) but he also said, we won't alienate 260,000 people a year. In other words, people don't seem to mind, just the critics.
There is a reason I canceled my Automobile subscription 2 years ago. The worst pics, articles and writers. But let's look at every Lexus product made:
ES 250-hell yes, boring
ES 300-stylish but boring, but look at how the headlights are copied 13 years later.
LS 400-boring
SC 300/400-classic coupe, still looks gorgous after 14 years
1st Gen GS 300-Gigariuo styled, classic but not a head turner
LX 450-big SUV, nothing flashy
RX 300-small SUV, perfected the game, MDX is a bigger version, not to mention how the tailights have been copied left and right and the non-nav LCD display. Stylish, yes but not gorgous.
2nd Gen GS 300/400-very stylish and head turning, not sure how he missed this one. With the Altima/Maxima copying, clearly it is stylish.
IS 300- between everyone copying the ALtezzas, the side crease, and the most stylish interior of any sedan, it is stylish. Exterior overall is not the most head turning.
LS 430-bigger and blander
SC 430-ugly to many, beautiful to many, it sold 6,000 copies in advance. Still a strong seller. I don't like it but it is stylish. Love or hate response.
LX 470, quad headlights but not a head turner
ES 330, ugly to many, beautiful to many, stylish and selling stronger than ever. Love or hate response.
GX 470-not a head turner, hell it's a SUV


I think that was pretty objectful.

biker

If nothing else, sicklex knows his lex!

ostrich

OBJECTFUL????? I guess that means he is still not objective then

MoMocedes

LMFAO...I def. saw that coming.

MoMocedes

Wow! very well put, but I disagree about the LS 400 comment hell that car was the hottest luxury brand selling car when it first came out. Several people underestimated it and it became #1 selling luxur sedan.

buzzdsm

Go on a little road trip in a LS430 and you wont give a rats ass how it's styled. Between the silence of the interior, Mark Levinson audio with controls in the back, messaging and heated rear seats, smooth soft ride, 300hp, etc, etc, etc

Yes-If I was going to spend $70K on a car (I won't), the LS430 would be my first choice. There are too many cars trying to be something they are not. Simply put the LS430 is the best highway cruiser made.

Oh I forgot to mention it's the most reliable vehicle ever made.

In a perfect world I would have an LS430 for the week and a Porsche 911 for the weekends.

dom

Thats where I disagree. If I have the money to afford a 70-90K automobile, I'd care less about reliabilty. For one, I would't be keeping the car for more than 3 years and if it does break, I'll have the money to fix it.

I'd take a S-Class over a LS anyday of the week. Superior, stlyling, performance and snob factor.

gilboman

i'm not sure about that... when we go on a roadtrip in the summer with friends, the LS is always the one chosen eventhough there's a S430 in the garage. the quality in materials is superior in the lexus eventhough the S430 costs a lot more and nobody ever figured out how to use most of the features in the benz.

Junkster

You know what rich people hate more than anything? Inconvinience. It never looks good when your car has problems and you're with your other rich friends. Sure, you can pay for it to be fixed, but what about in the moment? There's nothing worse than having your car have problems in the middle of your day.

I think that's why you do see alot of stars have multiple cars, cuz they know one of the cars needs to go to the shop.

Junkster, who would take the LS.

buzzdsm

Reliability is a big part of a luxury car. Things like rattles should not exist in a $70K car. This is one big reason why Jaguar's sales suck. I think they are some of the best looking cars out there but who wants to tell your friends "Sorry, I can't drive because my POS that I pad $70K for is in the shop again."

If reliability wasn't an issue then Lexus wouldn't be the leader in sales that they are today. You also wouldn't see these other cars work so hard to improve their reliability. How embarresed do you think MB is that they are at the bottom of the list?

1SICKLEX

Clearly most people agree as the LS is the luxury sedan sales king. Most people in that price range want class, pretige, luxury, reliablity, quality, sport is way in the back (when have u EVER seen even a S55 or 745 driven briskly?).

Lexus pretty much figured out what people wanted back in 1989 and have been making the LS better every year.

I've driven the new 6-speed and was SHOCKED at how swift it was and how much I liked it. I was not a fan of the LS at all. I knew it was quiet, comfy etc but it never felt sloppy.

There are a lot of people like domn, that is why the S and 7 still sell well for such an expensive car.

To put things in perspective, they sold 20,000+ 55-70k LS 430s and what 15,000+ 25-27k TSXs last year. That is why Lexus can invest in all these new hybrids and projects, they have more profit.

Even Benz owners will tell u at this point, the S430 is an absolute joke.
And the next LS promises to be better looking and not as bland, though critics may complain but not Lexus.

buzzdsm

What's also amazing is that they are able to keep it reliable with all the new things it can do. Check out this list.

SmartAccess

Rear-seat heaters

Mark Levinson® [3] 11-speaker 240-watt [4] Premium Audio

Intuitive Parking Assist

Front climate-control seats with heat/cool knob

Dynamic Radar Cruise Control

- Lexus DVD Navigation System [5] with voice-command NAV button, backup camera[6] and Bluetooth

Power door closers

Rear-Seat Luxury Group:
Seat adjuster with power slide, headrest with memory and massager
Air conditioner controls with Air Purifier
Cool box
Audio controls


All this and it can still run 0-60 in 6.4 seconds and go 150mph.

captainjack

Don't forget that a BIG part of the Lexus experience is the service. That's where Toyota really "gets it." Lexus customers feel like royalty. That's even more important than performance.

biker

The LS draw doesn't seem to translate to the smaller sedans in the Lexus line up. While the LS is ahead in the full size category, the GS and IS trail badly in the midsize and compact categories.

phile

That's because Lexus threw everything but the kitchen sink into the LS and you'd pay a little above 65K, at most - and that's just recently; when Lexus started out, you could get an LS400 for about $35,000. Plus the dealer service and Lexus perks. You just can't beat that. I can see why someone would rather have the LS than a 7-Series. Personally, I'm not a fan of Lexus. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and the worst of innovation - they can continue to chase Mercedes forever as far as I care.

But as for the other offerings, I'll take a Mercedes E-Class over a GS or a 3-Series over the IS any day.

buzzdsm

The Lexus may have been chasing MB at first but they've passed them around 1990 and have never looked back.