rosskoss

I spent 3 weeks with my folks at Sarasota, FL. In that time, I came across 5 new LS460s. Here's the thing, each time I saw one, I barely recognised it as an LS460. I actually had to use my brain to figure out if I was looking at a Camry, ES350 or some other Lexus. The car has very little to zero presence.

When it first came out, I loved the design (minus the rear which I thought was too BMWish) and I constantly defended the design on other auto forums even as others bashed it. I felt that the car would look more commanding in person due to it's large size. However, that wasn't the case at all. For a top of the line luxury car, I barely noticed it and even had a hard time distinguising it (as a Lexus fan) from Toyotas!

On the other hand, I also saw a few Bentleys and a Mercedes CLS. BAM! My eyes were arrested to the cars and I had to fight to keep myself from staring. The same goes for the new Mercedes S550. I didn't like the new design initially but now I see how effective it is. Overall all, the Lexus probably still is the best car in it's class but it's design is way too bland.

JZA80MHU38

Maybe they are targeting customers who want to stay low-profile or do not like the "look-at-me" flashy style.

O. L. T.

iTrader: (17)

Evidently not, you passed 5 of them and managed to spot all 5 of them. Then you thought about them. Then you posted a thread about them. Apparently they caught your attention.

Faraaz23

I fully agree with OP. I live here in Ft. Lauderdale and am starting to see them more and more. I absolutely LOVE the LS460, but I too think it has less road presence than a 7 series or S-class. Sometimes I have to do a double-take to see if that was really an LS or a new ES350. However, that said, there is nothing wrong with a conservative design. Many buyers do opt for that. I just do not think this will appeal to some of the people buying 750Li's, which on the opposite end of the spectrum looks like a whale.

Pearlpower

iTrader: (2)

I actually like the new styling of the LS460. Very nice body style.

doug_999

I think the IS/ES/LS all look very similar. I think they are all great looking cars, but when approaching one, I never know what it is until I get up close (ok, to be fair I have yet to see an LS460 on the road -or maybe I did and thought it was an ES?)

sdbrandon

+1 The only two Lexus that stand out to me are the SC and RX. A truly unique design and leaves no doubt it is a Lexus.

However, I find all the models quite nice.

Gojirra99

I have personally known a few people who can't distinguish among C-class, E-class & S-class(W220) Mercedes until they get very close, close enough to read the model designation batch, but I guess it doesn't matter if it's a Benz A C-class Benz is still a Benz right ?

I personally have zero problem distinguishing the GS from the ES & LS even from a far distance. The side profile of the GS is very distinguish, but yes, I wish they've made the LS nose more aggressive to distinguish it more from the bland ES nose. It's not bad looking at all, it just doesn't shout look-at-me .

Pearlpower

iTrader: (2)

I find that most companies stick to a theme on their line of cars. BMW, Lexus, Cadi, and Benz especially like to stand out and so many of their cars possess similar trends. Porsche took things a bit too far with the 996 and it’s Boxster front clip and many 996 owners were not too happy. I would like there to be a bit more of a difference myself.

TRDFantasy

Same here. I have no problem at all with distinguishing an IS, ES, LS, and Gs from one another. I finally saw the LS on the road for the first time, and those imposing headlights along with the low, wide grill definitely gives it a lot of presence. It's all a matter of opinion in this case, but I instantly recognized it as the new LS.

rsantiago

In terms of design for Lexus the 2nd Generation GS and 1st gen SC is still easily the recognizable car. Even the 1st Gen LS is easier to spot than the new LS, I tend to blur it between ES at times.

Gojirra99

I think we ought to think carefully what people are really thinking in their minds when they see a flashy car on the road that "have presence", are they looking at the car only or do they really care who is driving it.
If they do notice the driver & the occupants as well, are their thoughts mostly negative or positive ? Do you really think they are not just admiring the car but admiring you as well ?

When a car catches my attention, I am usually just concentrating on the car itself & couldn't care less who is driving it unless it's a very attractive looking female, in which case, I would be looking regardless of what she's driving anyway

doug_999

Agreed and that's why I left the GS out - as the first of the L-finesse gen, the GS stands out and I can tell them from a mile away and personally I still think the looks of the GS are the best.

thetopdog

I agree totally. The 1st SC and the 2nd Gen GS (no bias because I own one ) are the only 2 cars in the history of Lexus that were groundbreaking designs. The new IS is nice too, and I've always loved the LX for some reason

I think ('think' tells you how much of an impression the car had on me) I've seen the new LS, but it just doesn't stand out at all. That might be what the typical LS buyer wants though

Hypnotik

Ive been seeing a couple on the road and i have to say that from the front they look great. From a distance however, the rear looks like a ES330. Sometimes i see what i think is an LS460 but when i get closer, its a es330. Dont know if thats a good thing but the LS460L definitely looks great when its parked, and you are looking at it up close. Only then can you actually see the lines of the car.