Hi everyone,

I'm a student and have been set a project on Lexus by my tutor.
Apparently it's an interesting car.
However, I know very little about cars, and even less about Lexus.

So far, I've found most people think Lexus=luxury.
It's a relatively new make (from Toyota), and this is unsusal for luxury cars which ususally tend to be quite old brands.
I also thought it was fuel-efficient green car (from the Lexus site), but this view doesn't seem to be shared widely.
My tutor reckons neither of these are interesting, and not a reason for people to choose Lexus.

I've looked at various sites, but since most are commercial sites for Lexus, they don't give me any tips as to what people see in Lexus?
Is there some mind-blowing fact out there that I'm missing?

If any of you would be kind enough to help, it'd be great if you could give me some pointers.
Are there any things about it that really sets it apart from other cars? Are there any real advantages that Lexus has over others -maybe it's the reason you own a Lexus?


Thanks

Reliability
Comfort
Exclusivity
WOW factor

couple of other factors for u to think about possibly:

exclusivity - check out sales figure between Lexus, and say, BMW
value for money - again, the amount of standard equipment on the cars is rarely rivalled

just a couple of things, i'm sure some more will pop up soon

when I bought mine, you didnt see many on the road - add to that, the fact you get so many features, such as heated seats, sunroof etc, that would set you back 5-10 grand on any other marque, throw in the ledgendary Toyota reliability and you have a car thats hard to fault...

That isnt to say there arnt faults, but your mentioning of the 'history', while valid here in Europe, where car buyers seem to think if a car company was wonderful 50 years ago (eg maserati) then that makes their cars today so much better.
The Lexus brand was initially aimed at the US market, which doesnt have these similar views, and in fact, most major japanese (and US) car manufacturers have 'luxury' brands in the US, and these sell very well as most US buyers care more about reliability and value for money than how long a company has been running. (No surprise bearing in mind the US is only a couple of hundred years old itself).

I guess what i'm trying to say is, there are those that will buy a car based more on the badge than the car, such as Mercedes, BMW's or Jaguars.. whereas, Lexus buyers tend to buy the car more than the badge....

In no particular order

value for money
exclusivity
reliability
reputation for customer service
very high standard equipment tally compared to BMW and Mercedes
comfort
anti theft security protection

Something that may help you give some bakground on the brand "Lexus" is some of the history....

Have a looky here....

Thanks for replying! They have been very helpful. I find also this idea that people buy the car not the badge interesting. I'm going to have a look at the history link too.

Reliability-I hear a lot of people state reliability for choosing their car, like VW, but is there any special feature which makes Lexus more reliable?

Exclusiveness and budget-Does that mean not only you get good value for money, but you have the added advantage that most people don't know about that and think of it as a luxury car?

Why is it comfortable?

Many questions, I know..

You may want to visit www.lexus.co.uk and read up on how well Lexus has done in the annual JD Power user satisfaction survey over the last few years. Basically the cars are reliable, meet the expectations of the users and are backed up by some of the best customer service in the industry.

In terms of reliability most Lexus owners find that the reliability is real as opposed to reputation. Many people think that German brands such as VW, Mercedes etc are reliable cars but in reality they have many more problems than Lexus and score much lower in the JD Power survey.

As for comfort - lovely seats, supple ride, low noise levels

Also killer stereos!!

Exclusivity - I drive an LS which Lexus sell about 250 a year in the UK compared to many thousands of BMW 7 series, Jaguar XJ, Mercedes S class etc.

Represent excellent value for money when they are at least righlty so compared with the likes of Jag, Merc and BMW.

The Lexus comes out as the crown jewels, and as one person said to me, "If you want to fly with the eagles you need to stop pecking with the chickens"

cough cough, I know it shares nothing on topic but wanted to share that with you

I bought mine with Reliability factor and they make stunning under stated/exclusive cars.

They have a certain finesse about them, I very rarely look at other cars now and think Wow, but BMW and Merc drivers I find look at the car curiously.

To be honest with regards to the MPG the cars aren't that bad. Their no worse than you're average Vauxhall Omega 2.0L compared to an IS200.

Because the cars are associated with the luxury stigma, the depreciation is not to bad, again no worse than BMW and Merc.

Its hard to explain why you like Lexus, guess its the feeling inside. Its nice when people ask you, "What car do you drive?" One word, Lexus and you'll instantly get their attention.

All in all, fantastic cars.

Wether the seats are partial Leather or full leather their great. Heated seats as standard and electrical movement ensures a quick trouble free adjustment.

The name Lexus is still relatively un heard of as I presume Lexus are not big on advertising!! May change when the new IS is unvealed soon.

You don't see the Lexus advertised like BMW's or Mercedes in the media but it seems to still get customers and keep them!! I myself bought one as I just love everything about Lexus! Lexus stands for Quality of workmanship,Quality for money(all the standard equipment you get in a lexus that you pay for with other car makers),Quality service(when you go into a lexus dealership,they make yuo feel welcome whether your a protential customer or a customer thats bought a used Lexus!something that I have never had even from buying a brand new car from Ford or Vauxhall!!)Then theres the prestige of owing a lexus.If your asked by someone 'what car do you drive?' when yuo say 'a A Lexus' they look at you as if your some sort high flyer!Yes It's a Toyota deep down but Toyota are renowned for quality and a lexus is just that litttle bit More in peoples eyes. It might just be me but when I'm in a carpark there are all sorts of cars there,Mercs,BMW's No-one takes much notice of them as there are Lots about but a 'LEXUS' Stands out!!!

I think the mid blowing fact is there not a BMW or Mercedes, and of course i own one , erm 2

When Toyota devised the Lexus brand they basically did what the Japanese engineers did with British motorcycles in the 70's, they copied them, and then improved them. The most reliable and fastest motocycles in the world are now Japanese.Just 30 years after they were being called "Japcrap" by the western world.
It was obvious when the original LS400 saloon came on the market they had "studied" S-class Mercedes, 7 series BMW and XJ Jagar's and improved on many of their qualities. Toyota's were already extremely reliable cars, but with Lexus they were competing against the big boys so they tried even harder.
JD Power confirms the reliability of these cars as do most owners worldwide.

Wow! What's interesting is not just the facts about Lexus but how people feel about them (or how it makes them feel)...some of the comments does make me want to get one now (or at least ride in one) even though as I said earlier I know nothing about cars.

It's quite unsual -if I asked someone to sum up a Merc or BMW in 3 words or something you have a good idea what they'll say, but with a Lexus it seems like it's a luxury car which is good value for money, with better specs than other luxury cars and has qualities such as reliability strongly associated with other cars like VW or Toyota (although same maker) which are not at the luxury end. Maybe it's interesting because it's a lux car with advantages of non-lux cars. Or a lux car which is good value for money-not something people ususally associate. I wonder if this exclusiveness is deliberate on Lexus's behalf.

Personally, I like the name. Lexus. Sounds like a very smooth, luxurious car...

Here's an interesting poll carried out a while ago which should help you with your research.

What first atrracted you to the IS?

Find out here

Another Poll. Some fun reading.

Click Here

For me the unique quality that one gets with Lexus is the way one is treated as a client.

When it comes to after sales service all other manufacturers that I have dealt with just dont want to know if there is a problem. As a result car dealers have justifiably earnt themselve a bad reputation. People dont trust them and it has been the same for years, and yet both manufacturers and dealers dont seem bothered. Lexus is the first brand in my experience to be different.

Lexus make the customer feel special. They genuinely want to help and for the first time ever I trust the dealer when I take the car in for a service.

Wow, glad you enjoy your dealer experiences Zoot. Just out of interest who is your local Lexus dealer?

Birmingham

Just read these quotes then ask yourself, why do we all drive a Lexus? Some of us are very fortunate to be in the position to drive what I would class a top of the range Lexus, some not so, however very time I get into my is200se I feel very fortunate indeed.

The name Lexus is still relatively un heard of as I presume Lexus are not big on advertising!! May change when the new IS is unvealed soon.

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Its hard to explain why you like Lexus, guess its the feeling inside. Its nice when people ask you, "What car do you drive?" One word, Lexus and you'll instantly get their attention.


Yes, Lexus are not big on advertising, maybe it’s because they don't need to be.

So why is it when you tell people you drive a Lexus, it get their attention? Maybe the word "Lexus" itself tells people you've arrived

for me i was pulled towards the lexus brand becuase it was not always giving it "the big I am" like bmw and mercedes. They always sat quietly in their corner and waited for the others to finish shouting and then drove by and just let people look and want!!

Its nothing special to say anymore that you have a BMW, where as people are always interested when you say you have a lexus.

But saab is another company to look at, as they are not realy one nor the other when it comes to a luxury brand. it would definately take a bit of looking at. but then vauxhaul are the company behind it.

From an engineering standpoint i can def say that is what attracted me to it.everything it does it does well and with little effort and doesnt cover its self with gadgets to make up for flaws.

I feel so loyal to the lexus brand because they also look after me, when you take your car in for a service they make you feel very welcome, and make sure that your car and you are always well looked after.

plus after the crash i have just been in the car saved my life, which might not have been the case in another make of car!

also when other BMW and merc owners say its not presitge etc because it doesnt have history then they are wrong. Lexus doesnt have a laurel on which to rest. it keeps setting the bench mark for all the others to acchieve. where as bmw etc keep saying how they "were" great a long time ago. lexus are great NOW and keep gettin better!

yes, this is true. i bought my is200 se auto from an independent car dealer and went to lexus bristol for a check up. they did a road test give me a report about the vehicle and washed the car for free! while i even didn't bought the car from them. this is for me the first time in my life (driving 20+ years) i have a customer service like this!

i traded a website domain name for mine

on 3rd lexus.. love em!

Lexus is all about quality as defined by the Japanese.

When you buy a product and it doesn't perform as it should it's annoying. The older marques started out as being more about opulence than outright quality but they've had to adapt improve this.

Toyota have been making some of the best luxury cars for ages but have never sold them abroad. The earlier Lexus LS was designed to compete with Mercedes S-class and Lexus pinched a lot of the design cues as well as matching their equipment levels to the S-class primarily for the American market.

The Lexus brand was set apart from the Toyota brand because of the brand-snobbery with cars. Mercedes is a well respected brand but it is in the bottom ten for reliability these days. Jaguar are more about a nicely padded sofa on wheels. The reliability is pretty bad and they skimp on the components. The Rolls/Bentley/Maybach are all about opulence but aren't really practical, commercially viable cars. Early Rolls' used to have a tool kit and set of spares in the boot so wasn't really about reliability in those days. Toyota has now adopted a lot of the Lexus technology.

Japan is basically a communist state where there is low unemployment but they work all day and have graduates as lift attendents. Japan is most probably the hardest working nation of all where employee and employer are for life (at least they used to be). Toyota spend more on design and engineering than most and Lexus takes it one step further adhering to quality control standards particularly strictly.

These days luxury cars are all about the latest gadgetry and safety gear too. The top of the range LS or Merc-S or BMW-7 show-case their latest improvements which won't be seen in other cars yet.

Lexus was probably the reason why Mercedes revived the old Mayback marque. Mercedes were the main target for Lexus and they seem to have succeeded in trouncing Mercedes. The latest S-class has had a lot of cost cutting as well as lower reliability yet is still consderably more expensive than the equivalent Lexus.

Personally, I bought mine because Quentin Wilson said he had one, it had over 100,000 miles on it and was still "eerily quiet".

value for money as the spec is huge in comparison to other marques. To get the equivalent in an audi you need another 20% and BMWs are sooooooo common the exclusivity of the Lexus brand is great.

Reliability is important too.

Sat Nav
Colour
Reliability
Not a Beemer or Merc
Those sexy Dials
shape

we had a 5 year old merc, we thought its time to change it so we went to a merc dealer and wanted to have a look at a B class merc. sales rep seem to be to busy with some other things and he said there to busy and asked us to come next day. opposite the merc dealers there were lexus dealers so we thought we go and have a look at there cars. from the time we steped in to there show room we were treated like kings. and we liked the car as well so we have placed an order for one.

The quality of the cars and most of all the great customer service the dealers give (even though they charge for it)

After two Toyota Corollas and two Toyota Carinas, Lexus was a natural progression for me. On my second GS300 now, will have to be an RX or LS next (but not for a while yet...)

Oh, and in a word... reliability. Toyota (and therefore Lexus) are renowned for it.

driving a nissan bluebird for many years, i never planned to buy a lexus until the day a friend of mine, who buys and sells old cars, introduced the 1990 LS400 to me, i had a week test drive and decided to buy it.

Why?

1- Affordable: bought it for US$ 18k
2- buy one get all: the car has almost all things i ever expect for a car: stylish appearance, quietest car, great stereos, tilt/ telescopic steering, leather seats... and many many more that others are only dreaming of
3- durability: first test dride was surprising for a 15 year old car. still as smooth as new, and there is still no signal of getting old

in my opinion, Lexus for suitable for people who drive and enjoy the car by themselves (dont have a driver)

I had a Calibra at the time which was nice and slick with leather but so unreliable, When I first noticed Lexus IS 200 i just thought WOW really sweet car nice shape and i loved the alloys. It was different to BMW and the colours along with rear lights made them stand out!

Now that I have bought one its the best car I have had its reliable, smooth, full of gadgets, not a BMW and when people ask what I drive and I say Lexus the say WOW like im driving a Bentley or something LOL

So the brand must have a lot of credit!

here here, I agree with all of that. I love my car and think it's great. I like the fact that there not common and that you have something special, like your own little secret that you just want to tell everyone about.

I think the Lexus lure is one of being valued. As a Customer you feel genuinely valued whenever you come into contact with 'Lexus' - BMW Audi (as example) are very arrogant in their approaches and therefore those brands have poor customer service in comparison with Lexus.

I don't find my recently purchased Lexus 'better' than my previous BMWs - but what is 'better' is Lexus Customer Service experience. They call you back when they promise, they show an interest when dealing with you and will go that little bit farther to please without being prompted - and thats does make a difference.

Enough of a difference for me personally? No not really. I would pick a BMW over a Lexus or Audi everytime. Why? A car is there to be driven and nothing drives better than a BMW IMHO.

(I know I'm going to get flamed for this!)

I've just ordered my 4th Lexus - an RX 350.

My wife and I looked at several other cars including an Audi A6 Avant. The Audi sales guy was nice enough but made no effort whatsoever to get even within a country mile of the deal my local Lexus outfit were offering. They took the ***** on the trade in offering a paltry amount of cash. Lexus offered £5k more than the Audi dealer on my trade in! They then did a storming deal on the list price and made me feel like a valued customer and valued my repeat business. There's no doubt that if the RX is as good as my 3 previous IS's I'll be going back in 3 or 4 years...

The Audi dealer didn't make me feel like a potenital customer. It was just 'take it or leave it' - so I left it!

The reliability and value for money are major parts as to why Lexus has been succesful in building the such high raport that it has today.

It is also nice when someone asks you what car you have and when you say Lexus there's not one person that isn't impressed.

They also are such nice looking cars and fit in anywhere you take them.

Everything has already been said that needs to be said, I suggest you buy one for your self!

I have got to say that reliability is top notch! 3rd service now, couple of MOT's and 120k miles and still not had an advisory, ok i have uprated breaks and susp... but compared to other cars i have had its just been great and I am confident it will be for many more years.

Also has exclusivity, atleast round where i live, everybody has a Renault, BMW, Vauxhall, its nice to be different I still love climbing into my car to drive to work.

The car in front, Is now a Lexus

no1 in various jd power surveys of customers for past six years.

ive had mine 2 years now & still get a smile on my face everytime i get in.
i had dreamed of getting one for two years then went out one day in a vectra & came home in a lex to my wifes surprise......now its lexus for life for me, just no comparrison to any other car ive owned and this is my ninth

Nice wind-up.

I had a toyota for ten years and always loved my toyota so reliable and never failed, but for two or three years i wanted a lexus and now i have one i love this car even more just it is a bit more expensive on petrol, but i feel so proud when driving it and people do look at the car with a certain awe and friends say whose is the lexus and it's a great feeling when they have a ride in it there are so many nice features that they remark on bmw and mercs are a little common now a days!!

i got it coz the car looks mint as fuk and the name is know as a foooookin good car lol

no matter how old you are a LEXUS is just something else all say a lexus and it just makes you feel great and you also know it is a great car and wont let you down all the refinements you could need its really superb from smudge

I bought mine purely for the snob value. I considered my options, BMW - driven by tossers (by no means a blanket statement but all the ones I seem to meet are), Audi - not quite there yet, Jag - an expensive Mondeo, Merc - Haha, you're joking right? Volvo - not time for my midlife crisis yet.
I will of course say it's a fabulous car to drive and I appreciate aesthetics and it's a beautiful shape - lovely lines.
The approving nod you get at the traffic lights makes it all worthwhile, oh and so does the 'excyawse me mate - I couldn't help noticing that I've got a better car that yaw. Oh yes, I am considerably richer than yaw'

I brought mine as my mum and brother had got 1 each and loved the shape of them, I originaly went out looking for a bmw which i drove 7 different models in the same day, but they just never felt as good to drive, the garage where i brought mine from delt more in Bmw's and i saw my lexus parked at the back of the lot so thought why not test drive it to compare against the bmw's i'd driven and as soon as i got in it i knew it was more comfortable stylish and reliable as i used to be a quality inspector for toyota and bmw i knew the build quality and standards of toyota were alot better than bmw plus it had the sat nav built in, i only went down the road a couple of hundred yards turned round and took it back and paid for it there and then Over the past couple of months i've been looking to upgrade to a newer model of car test drove quite a few from an mitsi evo 8 to a skyline and some not as exciting even found a 10year old lexus ls400 with 19,000 on the clock for £8450 and out of them all it would have to be the lexus again just for the quality and pleasure they are to own..