Do Not Sell My Personal Information Jump to content


What Makes Lexus Special?


Loue
 Share

Recommended Posts

:unsure: 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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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....

Link to comment
Share on other sites


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..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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!! :D

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 :P

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. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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..

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!! :D May change when the new IS is unvealed soon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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! :D 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!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


:whistling: 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...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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!! :D May change when the new IS is unvealed soon.

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

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!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share



×
×
  • Create New...