^^POLL.

it looks like lexus has been uglifying their cars lately.

the Acura disease must be contagious.

Look what they did to the 2010 ES350.

the whole thing just gives off a cheap vibe.

(mods, please refrain from calling me a hater. I call it like i see it)



and jesus christ look at the 2010 LS:

 

As a whole, I don't think Lexus is making ugly cars. But that ES facelift does look worse to me.

 

well, 1 sedan refresh (a minor one at that) isnt enough to say that lexus is going in the wrong design direction. Except for the fog lights in that picture, the ES is still an attractive looking car.

Unlike what others think, I like the new RX. At first it took some getting used to, but now it just looks a lot better than the second generation.

The HS...well. No I dont love the design, but its not horrible.

All in all, I cant say that I dont like the new design direction since the IS, GS, LS, and RX are good looking

 

2007 was the best year i think.

all of the sedans looked good.

often i think they designed the introduction model too well, and have a hard time finding things to change during the midcycle refresh. just like this ES

 

agreed. they are changing for the sake of change. Im fine with the grill and the rear/side changes. one can only hope that this is not the new ES, or that this is particular to asia. lol

 

That trapezoidal contour shape on the front bumper that was shared with the LS is now deleted.

it's just flat and dimensionless.

 

We are not sure if this is the USDM ES yet. Also the LS is getting a facelift as well so it won't look like the pic above.

The RX is "sigh" growing on me after seeing quite a few around.

It seems the Lexus grills are becoming more and more prominent, like everyone else.

 

The 2010 ES looks better IMO.

 

the old ES350 with its chromed bitsy fog lights and that horizonta line in th lower air damn that connected the fogs to the center trapezoid made it look very feminine. Though I dont like the new air dam, the car looks much more unisex to me.

 

The grille is not the main problem with the current-generation ES.

They need to put back the 60-series tires, suspension, interior wood, and interior build quality its superb predecessor ES330 had. Until that is done, with grille changes, IMO, you're just putting different make-up on the same dog.

 

Call me a hater, but I dont like the latest designs at all. Even Yoshimi Inaba admitted that Toyota's vehicle designs must be jazzed up. "It's been a fair criticism that our designs do not have enough excitement," he said. You can read more about it here http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/...iscussed_ssi_5

 

This thread got me thinking. It made me come to the unfortunate realization that outside of the IS and LS, there are cars from other manufacturers that I really would rather have. The new ES definitely has lost its classiness (I really like the current gen pre-facelift). The HS is gross to look at, as is the IS-C. The GS before the chrome grill was damn near perfect, now I'm & . The LX is all sorts of messed up on the outside, but the inside really makes up for it IMO. The RX is growing on me, but the previous gen IMO always looked good.


Then they go and slap a HS grill on the new LSh .


These refreshes have me scratching my head. Maybe its time for a new design language as it seems they ran out of ideas.

 

Prior to the LX570 and HS250h, I was commending Lexus on the good job they were doing of distancing themselves from the "Toyota look". In particular the IS and LS are some of the cars from Lexus that hinted at an upcoming new and fresh design language.

But the LX570 and HS250h, well, they just scream "Toyota". Ok, so the LX570 is a rebadged Landcruiser with a few styling modifications. It doesn't bother me since the Landcruiser is a good vehicle and I can see that Lexus was trying to keep development costs down by simply reusing the Landcruiser as an LX570. Fine. No real harm done.

The HS250h on the other hand. I'm sorry, but this vehicle should never have been given a Lexus badge. It looks like a Toyota. It could pass for a next generation Corolla. Actually, a few days ago I saw the new European Toyota Avensis on the street and for a moment I actually wondered what an HS250h was doing in Europe. I couldn't help it. The styling is just similar and the design language of the HS250h is pretty bland and, well, Toyota.

The ES is reminiscent of a Camry. I wish the next generation ES looked a bit more dynamic (just a bit) and didn't carry on the Camry design language. I think in the long run Lexus isn't doing themselves any favors with this kind of boring design.

The new RX is a pretty neutral design. Nothing fancy, just an evolution of the old RX (which never looked like a Toyota in the first place). You can sort of tell it is a Lexus if you know what a first generation RX looks like, but truth be told, remove the badges and the Lexus grille and I think it could even pass for any kind of Acura SUV.

The GX? Well, you hardly hear anything of it so I guess I can "overlook" it. The design on that thing really screams Toyota (it's a rebadged European Landcruiser right?).

 

I realize it's all subjective, but in the write up of the current gen ES, CR says, "the ride is very comfortable", "handling is not sporty but is ultimately secure" and "fit and finish is impressive". I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

I've driven the ES330 and the redesigned ES350 (though, admittedly, the first-year redesigned 2006 model, not a new 2010).

I personally found the 2006 350 I drove lacking in interior solidness (dash creaks/rattles), far less impressive interior trim, especially in the wood department, and a noticeably firmer ride than the 330. Not surprising, since they dropped the tire sidewalls from 60 to 55 and stiffened up the suspension a little (and I always check tire pressures on a review to make sure they're as recommended).

To its credit, though, the ES350 DID keep the silky-smooth, quiet drivetrain, good wind/road noise isolation, and superb paint job of its predecessor.

I looked at a new 2009 ES350 a few days ago when I was last at a Lexus dealership (didn't drive it), but was still not impressed with the interior. It's basically the same as when it was introduced 4 years ago.