10 reasons the Lexus we know and love is dying

[DT1975]

Had this email from the club Lexus (US forum)

https://www.clublexus.com/how-tos/slideshows/10-re...

As a long term Alan Partridge who decamped a few years back some of the 10.

V8 Engines Are Leaving Lineup

LFA Concept Is An EV 'The original LFA had one of the most thrilling and best-sounding V10 engines ever created. And it is being replaced with a car powered by batteries...'

Quality Interiors Reserved for Top Models

No Coupes or Convertibles Once LC Leaves

Lexus Reliability Slipping

True F Models Are Dead 'If you're a Lexus enthusiast who thrives on performance, Lexus has all but abandoned us. Which means you'll need to switch to BMW, Audi, Mercedes, or Cadillac to get your luxury performance car kicks.'

Downward Trending Luxury

[Super Sonic]

Found it impossible to read with the adverts keep popping up over the paragraph I'm trying to read and the page keep jumping up and down.

[DT1975]

Super Sonic said:

Found it impossible to read with the adverts keep popping up over the paragraph I'm trying to read and the page keep jumping up and down.

Apologies

I have an ad blocker so can't see the ad carnage

Basically the points I copied.

End of an iconic V8, luxury slipping, LFA going EV

The US basically hung onto much more than the UK but it looks like a tipping point.

[uktrailmonster]

Seems like a thinly veiled anti-EV rant to me. I’m going to test drive the new RZ 550e F-Sport when available in the next month. Reviews seem quite positive, even though their EV tech is still lagging a bit behind the curve. Pretty much every reviewer has praised the build quality and refinement.

[DT1975]

uktrailmonster said:

Seems like a thinly veiled anti-EV rant to me. I m going to test drive the new RZ 550e F-Sport when available in the next month. Reviews seem quite positive, even though their EV tech is still lagging a bit behind the curve. Pretty much every reviewer has praised the build quality and refinement.

The forum was always V8 centric, so could well be. It's like a wholesale mind change isn't sitting well, probably the end of an era.

[uktrailmonster]

DT1975 said:

uktrailmonster said:

Seems like a thinly veiled anti-EV rant to me. I m going to test drive the new RZ 550e F-Sport when available in the next month. Reviews seem quite positive, even though their EV tech is still lagging a bit behind the curve. Pretty much every reviewer has praised the build quality and refinement.

The forum was always V8 centric, so could well be. It's like a wholesale mind change isn't sitting well, probably the end of an era.

Yeah, that makes sense. I’m looking at it from a totally different perspective. The RZ is the first Lexus I’ve ever been interested in buying. I associate the brand mostly with extremely reliable, but utterly bland and boring exec cars. I don’t ever think about their sports cars, which is what I presume club members are mostly into.

[DMZ]

There is no EV that is going to replicate the LFA or a V8 for that matter, so they have a point (or 10). I’m a bit surprised Lexus doesn’t keep churning out that stuff given how important the US market is.

[swisstoni]

I think Americans know a slightly different Lexus to us in the UK.
V8s and 'sedans' were how Lexus entered the market everywhere but in the UK at least, they are most known for hybrids and SUVs. And certainly not sportiness. The LC was bought in low numbers here and the LFA was always a glorious irrelevance really.

I am more concerned about any lowering of quality. There are two Lexus sitting on my drive as I speak, showing how much I like the brand. One is 15 years old now and is still rock solid. I would always replace it with another Lexus but I do wonder whether the quality of everything I have enjoyed would still be there in a new one.

[uktrailmonster]

swisstoni said:

I think Americans know a slightly different Lexus to us in the UK.
V8s and 'sedans' were how Lexus entered the market everywhere but in the UK at least, they are most known for hybrids and SUVs. And certainly not sportiness. The LC was bought in low numbers here and the LFA was always a glorious irrelevance really.

I am more concerned about any lowering of quality. There are two Lexus sitting on my drive as I speak, showing how much I like the brand. One is 15 years old now and is still rock solid. I would always replace it with another Lexus but I do wonder whether the quality of everything I have enjoyed would still be there in a new one.

Yeah, that’s exactly how I think of Lexus. The main reason I’m considering my first Lexus is their reputation for build quality, reliability and customer service. Recent reviews seem to indicate that the quality is still high. Not a single one I’ve read has been critical of build quality or refinement.

[fflump]

uktrailmonster said:

Yeah, that s exactly how I think of Lexus. The main reason I m considering my first Lexus is their reputation for build quality, reliability and customer service. Recent reviews seem to indicate that the quality is still high. Not a single one I ve read has been critical of build quality or refinement.

Lexus lives or dies on build quality, reliability and driving refinement. I’ve not driven new models but price seems to be shifting a little as some of their models do seem to be relatively inexpensive compared to perceived competitors as well as similar Toyota models.

I guess the staple of the Lexus brand globally was the luxury V8 saloon which is a contracting market and Toyota show no desire to compete in the luxury saloon space anymore other than the gloriously absurd Century which is Japan only these days I think .

[DMZ]

uktrailmonster said:

Yeah, that s exactly how I think of Lexus. The main reason I m considering my first Lexus is their reputation for build quality, reliability and customer service. Recent reviews seem to indicate that the quality is still high. Not a single one I ve read has been critical of build quality or refinement.

A review is not going to tell you anything about build quality or reliability. Quality of plastics maybe but no review is required for that, just go and sit in a car for a minute or two.

That said, I have no idea what Lexus is like these days or what they even make.

[andy43]

I’ve had a Lexshsush for a few years - yes the dealers are ace, super friendly service dept on first name terms with customers that they only see once a year and a genuine interest in their cars from what I’ve seen.
The newer stuff is good but not remotely sporty - I’ve driven NX hybrid and PHEV, LBX hybrid, RX450 hybrid and PHEV and RX500h and they all seem very well built. The Toyota 2.5 PHEV drivetrain in the bigger ones is 300+ bhp and literally bulletproof.
Nearly bought an RX but I just couldn’t live with the post-2024 bonging and nannying with IIRC a total of three screens to plough through on every journey to make some of it stop.
I had a 75 plate LBX this week and they’ve already learnt - the speed warning is just three quiet bongs and a single press of a button will switch it off.
Hopefully the new sportscar will bring a bit of excitement back now the V8 has gone.
Reliability and owner experience is spot on but they need halo cars back.
Gratuitous pic - mines top right

[TrevorHill]

Company in moving with the times shocker.

[Digga]

Never owned an LS400, but fell in love with them using them (Mk 1’s) as excellent alternatives to ste, wallowy American cars when is was visiting USA in 90’s.

Liked the cars so much I wanted one, but didn’t have the pockets for a new LS400, so got a GS300. It was not really the same. It was supposed to be a bit more sporty than safety, but really wasn’t and lacked the effortless, bottomless shove of the V8, nice as the six was. Whilst owning that car I was loaned a Mk2 LS400 which felt even more magnificent than the MK1.

IMHO a big Lexus is exactly the sort of car either a hybrid or full EV could work, if done well. My Taycan gives even more of that feeling of bottomless torque and smoothness than an LS400, with the advantage you can, at a switch of driving mode, drop the chassis, stiffen the ride and sharpen the throttle response into a very, very convincing impersonation of, if not a sports farm then a very fast GT. Think Porsche 928.

Seems to be a huge amount of V8 endings issues being reported in the states from all manufacturers. Must be something in the new emissions regs, but maybe this is Toyota saying it’s just no longer possible to build engines that can run a quarter million miles without a murmur?

[Lester H]

uktrailmonster said:

swisstoni said:

I think Americans know a slightly different Lexus to us in the UK.
V8s and 'sedans' were how Lexus entered the market everywhere but in the UK at least, they are most known for hybrids and SUVs. And certainly not sportiness. The LC was bought in low numbers here and the LFA was always a glorious irrelevance really.

I am more concerned about any lowering of quality. There are two Lexus sitting on my drive as I speak, showing how much I like the brand. One is 15 years old now and is still rock solid. I would always replace it with another Lexus but I do wonder whether the quality of everything I have enjoyed would still be there in a new one.

Yeah, that s exactly how I think of Lexus. The main reason I m considering my first Lexus is their reputation for build quality, reliability and customer service. Recent reviews seem to indicate that the quality is still high. Not a single one I ve read has been critical of build quality or refinement.

It is ,in my experience last autumn. Went a 120 mile run, including M6 and country lanes in the small(ish) hybrid SUV. Apart from being a sensible size, it was effortless, seamless in changes of drive and really well finished in a conservative way, a cut above a Toyota Avensis I also used at that time.

[uktrailmonster]

DMZ said:

uktrailmonster said:

Yeah, that s exactly how I think of Lexus. The main reason I m considering my first Lexus is their reputation for build quality, reliability and customer service. Recent reviews seem to indicate that the quality is still high. Not a single one I ve read has been critical of build quality or refinement.

A review is not going to tell you anything about build quality or reliability. Quality of plastics maybe but no review is required for that, just go and sit in a car for a minute or two.

That said, I have no idea what Lexus is like these days or what they even make.

Of course not, but it says something about perceived build quality and refinement. Same reviewers are criticising Audi, VW, Mercedes for their increasing use of cheap finishing materials, but I’m not hearing those vibes around Lexus yet. Or at least not the model I am considering.

Some of the reviews these days are incredibly detailed too with 4K quality walkarounds so you can get a good impression of the fit and finish. Obviously I will go and look for myself, but they seem good. My only slight concern is around the infotainment, which doesn’t get great reviews and looks a bit dated.

[ChocolateFrog]

uktrailmonster said:

Seems like a thinly veiled anti-EV rant to me. I m going to test drive the new RZ 550e F-Sport when available in the next month. Reviews seem quite positive, even though their EV tech is still lagging a bit behind the curve. Pretty much every reviewer has praised the build quality and refinement.

Lexus never seem to review that well when new but revisit at 10 years old and it's a different story. See LC500 as a prime example.

[RizzoTheRat]

I've only had my NX since September, but I'm very happy with it.
Mid size SUVs seen to be what a lot of the buying public want, and in PHEV form it's got plenty of power and instant pickup that you don't get from a petrol auto. Smooth ride and quiet most of the time, although I can see why some people don't like the CVT as the sound takes some getting used to. Adaptive cruise and lane following work well, 50ish mpg on cruising on the motorway, it's an ideal relaxed cruiser. I guess the petrol only NX 250 might feel a bit underpowered though, but that's not avaliable in Europe.
Unfortunately the author of the article on the OP wants a sports car.

Edited by RizzoTheRat on Saturday 10th January 13:23

[uktrailmonster]

ChocolateFrog said:

uktrailmonster said:

Seems like a thinly veiled anti-EV rant to me. I m going to test drive the new RZ 550e F-Sport when available in the next month. Reviews seem quite positive, even though their EV tech is still lagging a bit behind the curve. Pretty much every reviewer has praised the build quality and refinement.

Lexus never seem to review that well when new but revisit at 10 years old and it's a different story. See LC500 as a prime example.

I’ve only looked up reviews of the RZ and mainly the new 550e F-Sport. The first gen RZ got (rightly) slated for it’s poor range and slow charging. The updated version is getting much better reviews even if the EV tech is still lagging behind. As a car, it gets praised for perceived build quality and refinement. Mixed reviews on the steer-by-wire, but some reviewers seemed quite positive about that too. The 500e is probably the one to buy, but the F-Sport looks more interesting. It’s not meant to be a hardcore sportscar, but I’ll take a 400 hp family EV like this over any diesel equivalent from the last 2 decades. It appears to have supreme refinement for the class and decent handling. Definitely worth a test drive. If the dealer network lives up to its reputation then there’s a lot to like here I think.

[wjk_glynn]

Why was this thread moved from General Gassing to Japanese Chat?

Seems perfectly fine, and of interest, for the general board.