Remarkable attention to detail in the 3GS. Many issues I used to
have with the 2GS like the trunk falling on my head, glovebox CD
changer and other nuisances were taken care of. Fit and finish
is first rate.

 

I am not sure what is going on with Lexus and rattle these days. I think part of the issue is Lexus has spent so much time isolating the driver from the road, that even the slightest creak is annoying.

As far as interior goes, it is nice, but I am not sure I would call any of the model superb. Each model looks and feels like a nice Toyota to me. For $90k I would expect the LS to look different and nicer. Perhaps an all leather dash would be fitting. When I compare the photos of the GS and LS interior, quite frankly I like the GS a lot better.

 

Possibly, though my perception of the amount of noise level in the Lexus RX350 for example is it's good, but not THAT great to the point that noises would be that much more noticeable than in, say, the 07 Tahoe I drove.

And if that were the case the LS would be the most annoying of all since it's the quietest and smoothest riding.

 

I agree that Lexus cars have so much sound insulation, that interior noises are amplified...

...btw if you want the leather dash that's on the LS 600h L.

 

The first thing that I noticed on our ES330 (and what really sold me on the car), was the unusually high quality of the interior materials. Aside from the gray-painted section of plastic that surrounds the radio and HVAC stack, the remainder of the interior is of incredibly high quality, and very solid. The leather, the wood, the dash material. All top notch.

The IS is pretty good too, although beyond the leather surfaces, I didn't think that the interior looked of any higher quality than any of its competition. Pretty much on-par, for lack of a better term, which is still good.

 

It's also on the Caddy SRX which starts at $38k.

 

I think Audi still lead the way in interior quality. Our A4 has solid metal door openers - our IS's are chrome plated plastic. The same goes for the door pulls and dash trim - if it looks like metal in the Audi, it is - in the Lexus it's plastic lookalike. The quality of the plastics are also a grade higher. And there are no rattles!

 

Good info. I have always liked Audi but thus far never owned one.

 

My A4 has plenty of rattles in cold weather when going over bumps and rough roads, and it only have 17k miles on it.

Though the actual material quality, I agree is better than the IS and most others in the class.

 

for the leather I actually found the typical lexus leather to be better than any benz/bmw leather which feels like leather that hasnt been conditioned in a few years

I think the IS has better craftsmanship than the ES and strangely the GS

 

I think Lexus originally had less 'range' of interior materials from ES to LS, but now, you go from an LS into an IS or ES and there's NO comparison.

I think the interior of the RX300 I owned was higher quality than the 'painted fake aluminum' plastic in the RX330/350. The first gen IS was cheap but that's because it really was a re-badged Toyota (Altezza) and aimed at the 'boy racer' crowd. The 2IS is more luxurious but the materials seem cheap compared to the GS, and definitely the IS. The latest GS may be 'subtle' but that can also be 'boring' and it has so little wood I'm disappointed.

The latest LS has also inherited some of that awful metallic painted plastic around the screen, but other than that, it's really really nice.

The latest ES to me seems only a small step above an Avalon but at least the ES doesn't have the swaths of metallic painted plastic panels, as does the Camry. Fugly.

 

rosskoss,

I like your post. As for my '03 SC430, it's the first luxury car I've ever owned and coming from a Toyota family, the Lexus interior quality of the wood and leather is superb compared to the Toy.

So far, after 3 years, my interior wood grain is so smooth and shiny due to my weekly cleaning of it. My leather is holding up very nicely and I condition it every week. I use Meguiar's leather wipes and the wood cleaning wipes for the wood trim.

I think the interior build quality of my car (wood/leather) was carefully designed to achieve a level of comfort and peaceful feeling when sitting inside the cabin. I don't think the refinement of the wood/leather was only dedicated to the LS460 because I noticed that the superb stiching and craftsmanship of my sc430 is very good as well.
My leather door handles are very secure and has held it's stiching so far.

And the ML system is very superb providing the best possible concert hall surround music when the top is either up or down.

The only issue was the heavy trunk lid struts that wore out after 3 years due to the convertible folding top due to it's regular usage. I got those changed under warranty.

I've very happy w/ the purchase and it was a major step for me to step it up from a Toy to a Lex.

The Lex just makes me feel more comfortable and enjoyable when I'm in it.

Now, the newer Toy models like the Avalon is very comfortable also. But the leather was not as plush and the wood trim was a little too fake when I test drove it and carefully analyzed it. The engine was very nice and smooth.

I think w/ daily cleaning maintenace, I'm able to sustain the original high quality of the wood/leather build and keep the car in tip top condition for many years to come.

 

I'd say the flagship model gets the most attention...
I'm not a big fan of Lexus leather (at least in the es 300/30) It always cracks and wrinkles prematurely. On the other hand...German (BMW) Leather has a uniquie texture and more durability even though they use more vinyl.
On the other hand..I prefer the lexus over my 04 tacoma daily driver (for obvious reasons)

 

I would say in my 2nd Gen GS there are some interior pieces that feel high quality and there are some others especially buttons and switches that feel pretty cheap for a car in this price/class range. The buttons for the hvac and radio controls don't feel special or really any different from say a Toyota. They have kind of a hard feel and the tactile feedback when you press them is okay. The radio ***** feel kind of hollow and do not feel very high quality either when you use them.

The seat heater buttons, vsc, and drive mode switches on the transmission tunnel look and feel downright cheap. They are dissapointing to touch and when you press them they give off a cheap sounding and feeling click. My parents Acura TL and CL have buttons and switches that feel much higher quality and give a softer more higher quality tactile feel when used. The turn signal stalks and wiper stalks on the 2GS feel pretty solid and have a nice quality feel when using. The wood trim is nice especially on the doors but the piece surrounding the gear lever and seat heater switches has kind of a ugly orangish look to it which is a little too shiny and looks pretty fake. One of my friends thought it was fake wood just looking at that piece and I could see why he would think so. The top part of the dash that meets the windshield has a nice solid high quality feel to it even though it rubs and squeeks against the windshield. The rest of the trim around the car and in the rear has a pretty high quality feel. The black leather is a bit dissapointing as it has sort of a waxy rough feel and look in many places and not the smooth supple buttery feel I like. Some areas are pretty rough and I am working on softening them up. My parents Acuras have tan leather that feels much more softer and supple and they do not even treat it with any conditioners. The doors on my GS have a pretty solid high quality thunk when you shut them.

I don't know what it is about Lexus cars but they seem to have alot of squeaks, creaks, and rattles. My GS squeaks and rattles more then my 94 Mitsubishi Eclipse and my 96 Accord and my parents Acuras, that is pretty bad. I have noticed alot of squeaks and rattles in other Lexus cars too except for the LS430s and SC430s I have been in which I do not recall squeaking or it was hardly noticeable.

I just sat in the 3GS and IS 2 weeks ago and looked more closely at the quality of the interiors. As for comparing the quality and feel of the 3rd Gen GS and new IS to the 2nd Gen GS the buttons and switches have a nicer higher quality look and feel to them. The wood seems a little nicer on the transmission tunnel but the IS does not use a solid piece of wood but a very very then sliver on top of a plastic piece that seems to scratch easy and costs a fortune to replace. The plastic around the hvac and radio controls seems decent but not spectacular. The leather felt better then my GS but was not as smooth and supple as I would like. The plastic piece that covers the top of the dash and meets the window feels very different then my 2GS. It feels and looks like a grained piece of plastic that has a nice feel where the 2GS feels and looks more like vinyl or even leather. One thing I noticed is when I knocked on that top piece in the 3GS and IS it felt kind of hollow and not as solid as the 2 GS. The plastic piece on the 3GS that extends out with the mirror, gas cap, and other buttons did not feel very solid and I would fear that it may wear and break after a few years especially if you accidently bump into it. Some bits and pieces in the IS felt a little cheap and were a little less in quality then the GS.

Overall I feel the 2GS has a relatively high quality interior with a few details a little on the cheap side like the hvac and radio buttons and the seat heater, vsc, and driving mode buttons feel downright cheap. I don't think it sets any benchmarks on quality or design but I am fine with it. The center stack with the hvac and radio controls has a kind of plain and boring design and look that does not really look all that upscale to me and the car could use a few more features standard in this price class. I wish the interior lighting around the hvac controls, radio, and other lit areas was not that plain Toyota green but the same as the optitron gauges or at least white.
As for the 3GS interior I think it has a nicer more modern design with a more appealing center stack with higher quality buttons and switches but some pieces feel a little cheap like the hollow feeling dash covering and the overall feeling of the car seems a little less "solid" then the 2GS. The 3 GS felt smaller then the 2GS especially in the headroom department. The 2IS interior felt like a slight notch down in quality then the 3GS although I did sort of prefer its dash layout to the 3GS.

As for setting standards or interiors that wow you I think that would go to the new Audi A8 and Bently Continental GT especially with the light colored maples. I also really like the new RLs interior which is my favorite in that price class.

 

From my experience, lower end cars like the 3 series and the ES use some leather with matching vinyl panels on the doors and seat sides, etc.

Higher end cars like the 5/6/7 series and the LS, use all leather. Also the higher end models use a higher quality leather.

I think the leather in either case can last if properly miantained.