F-Sport - too sporty?
02-13-12, 04:11 PM
#16
The trim on the IS can be replaced but it is very expensive. Looking on Sewell right now here's what you're looking to spend AFTER the Club Lexus discount. A dealership will probably try to squeeze another 1-2 grand out of it:
Trim - Annodized Aluminum: $3230.94
Trim - White Birds Eye Maple: $1848.21
Trim Kit - Wood (California Walnut): $2297.18
The F-Sport trim is this one I believe, someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
Trim - Gunmetal Gray Trim Kit: $391.20
Trim - Annodized Aluminum: $3230.94
Trim - White Birds Eye Maple: $1848.21
Trim Kit - Wood (California Walnut): $2297.18
The F-Sport trim is this one I believe, someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
Trim - Gunmetal Gray Trim Kit: $391.20
02-13-12, 04:44 PM
#19
My thinking is, if the trims are that easily install or swappable, they won't be on there very tight, so they will quickly become a source of rattle or they fall off. So in order for the trim to have good fit and solid installation quality, they must be installed at the factory.
02-13-12, 04:51 PM
#20
Lexus Champion
To me, wood is nice for furniture, but in a car- I think/like sportiness. With wood I don't think sportiness. If F-Sport is sportiness, I feel it should be a 'techy' type of look and feel. If you don't want sportiness in a car and think wood is luxury, why get the sporty model? Isn't that what F-Sport is? To appeal to the younger crowd, or the crowd that wants performance? I donno about all of you, but I'd rather not have wood, makes me feel like I'm riding in too much Luxury, which is good for many, but not my taste of 'sporty'.
02-13-12, 04:58 PM
#21
To me, wood is nice for furniture, but in a car- I think/like sportiness. With wood I don't think sportiness. If F-Sport is sportiness, I feel it should be a 'techy' type of look and feel. If you don't want sportiness in a car and think wood is luxury, why get the sporty model? Isn't that what F-Sport is? To appeal to the younger crowd, or the crowd that wants performance? I donno about all of you, but I'd rather not have wood, makes me feel like I'm riding in too much Luxury, which is good for many, but not my taste of 'sporty'.
That's the definition of personal preferences
02-13-12, 05:00 PM
#22
To me, wood is nice for furniture, but in a car- I think/like sportiness. With wood I don't think sportiness. If F-Sport is sportiness, I feel it should be a 'techy' type of look and feel. If you don't want sportiness in a car and think wood is luxury, why get the sporty model? Isn't that what F-Sport is? To appeal to the younger crowd, or the crowd that wants performance? I donno about all of you, but I'd rather not have wood, makes me feel like I'm riding in too much Luxury, which is good for many, but not my taste of 'sporty'.
02-13-12, 05:00 PM
#23
i think this will continue to be a problem for time to come. it comes down to cost, still. i still believe if lexus makes things too customizable for people, so they can pair seats with trims, etc... it's going to affect production line and thus boosting the cost of the cars which will trigger down to the sticker price.
lexus probably wants to maintain a comfortable margin from the german competitors. let's face it, that's a big factor keeping lexus in the game.
i absolutely understand what you mean by the gs fsport with the aluminum trim, that's what turned me off too. but given the segment and choices, i guess there are still some room in it for lexus to pull this off.
i mean, if anything, lexus should actually have different suspension to the gs350 fsport first compared to regular gs350 with luxury package, before getting down to trim levels
lexus probably wants to maintain a comfortable margin from the german competitors. let's face it, that's a big factor keeping lexus in the game.
i absolutely understand what you mean by the gs fsport with the aluminum trim, that's what turned me off too. but given the segment and choices, i guess there are still some room in it for lexus to pull this off.
i mean, if anything, lexus should actually have different suspension to the gs350 fsport first compared to regular gs350 with luxury package, before getting down to trim levels
02-13-12, 11:12 PM
#24
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To me, wood is nice for furniture, but in a car- I think/like sportiness. With wood I don't think sportiness. If F-Sport is sportiness, I feel it should be a 'techy' type of look and feel. If you don't want sportiness in a car and think wood is luxury, why get the sporty model? Isn't that what F-Sport is? To appeal to the younger crowd, or the crowd that wants performance? I donno about all of you, but I'd rather not have wood, makes me feel like I'm riding in too much Luxury, which is good for many, but not my taste of 'sporty'.
the only thing i feel differently is that i'm not staying away from wood because i want less luxury. To me wood = traditional/classy and non-wood = contemporary/sporty, and that's all there is to it. Both can be luxurious as far as i'm concerned, but in a different way.
now black wood can look sporty too (although not as much as non-wood trim imo), which is why it's ok for me if there's no other option. But its sportiness is strictly due to its black color, and that's why i'd just prefer glossy piano black in that case, which looks sporty, modern, and as classy as any wood trims out there.
as far as non-wood trim goes, my preference goes something like CF/piano-black ~ striated aluminum > plain aluminum/metallic
Last edited by raptor22; 02-13-12 at 11:21 PM.
02-13-12, 11:53 PM
#25
Lexus Test Driver
I totally agree with the OP. I like my wood and consider it an upper class feature. But rather than focus on the lack of customization from the factory, my main gripe points to manufacturers using the metal and simulated trims to save money. That's what's really going on here. It's cheaper to include these finishes than it is to include wood. I believe it's just a sneaky way to cut costs, and try to convince customers that a cheaper material is acually the thing to have. This actually started with Audi in 2002. The default trim in the new A4 was a painted gloss finish to match the interior color. The upgrade extra-cost option was wood. That idea has trickled down to other brands and now half of us are fooled into thinking the painted finish is the thing to have. 
02-14-12, 12:09 AM
#26
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And if i wanna go classy, there's always piano black 
Last edited by raptor22; 02-14-12 at 12:13 AM.
02-14-12, 12:43 AM
#27
Pole Position
can you explain why should it have different suspension?
just so it is different or? Are you not happy with the fact that it outhandles everything else on the market?
If you said it was too hard for Luxury, I would understand that better than just the fact that you want someone to tell you it is ... different.
You know how this works right? Engineers developed suspension for F-Sport model and then marketing came in and said hey thats cool, we want this in Luxury as well. Just like what happened for instance with Prius, where they developed Euro and NA specific suspensions and then NA Marketing said - hey, we want Euro on our cars as well.
I would think that the fact that you could get Luxury with same handling performance, and wood and other amenities, is actually better for the customers, not worse. But you are paying the same for both packages, I dont know why do you think F-Sport should be definitively better. If it was GS-F that you paid 80k for, then sure.
But right now it seems like non issue. Want more agressive design, big brakes, big wheels, get F-Sport... want a sleeper with wood interior, rear HVAC and tricked out passanger comfort, get luxury, same handling, same price.
just so it is different or? Are you not happy with the fact that it outhandles everything else on the market?
If you said it was too hard for Luxury, I would understand that better than just the fact that you want someone to tell you it is ... different.
You know how this works right? Engineers developed suspension for F-Sport model and then marketing came in and said hey thats cool, we want this in Luxury as well. Just like what happened for instance with Prius, where they developed Euro and NA specific suspensions and then NA Marketing said - hey, we want Euro on our cars as well.
I would think that the fact that you could get Luxury with same handling performance, and wood and other amenities, is actually better for the customers, not worse. But you are paying the same for both packages, I dont know why do you think F-Sport should be definitively better. If it was GS-F that you paid 80k for, then sure.
But right now it seems like non issue. Want more agressive design, big brakes, big wheels, get F-Sport... want a sleeper with wood interior, rear HVAC and tricked out passanger comfort, get luxury, same handling, same price.
I agree with every word of this post. The fact that the Luxury package has the same class leading handling and suspension as the F-sport package IS A GOOD THING. Why should Lexus dumb down the Luxury package just to artifically create as distinction between F-sport and Luxury trims? Already the Big Brakes,19 inch wheels and F-sport only Rear wheel steering option is enough to differentiate the F-sport from the Luxury package.
The fact that we can get the best of both worlds - comfortable cruising in Normal mode and cornering machine in Sport+ mode just shows how much homework the Lexus engineers have done on suspension tuning this time around.
02-14-12, 08:06 AM
#28
Lexus Champion
@MPLexus301
If there is definitely one thing that I will agree with you, it is this.
PIANO BLACK = GODLIKE AWESOME
In my humble opinion, I think the GS350 F-sport should have an option for Piano black (aside from the current aluminum).
Otherwise, I would go straight to Tahara and request for it myself if ever I get such a car for myself hehe.
For me:
Piano black > aluminum (any day)
Two cents
If there is definitely one thing that I will agree with you, it is this.
PIANO BLACK = GODLIKE AWESOME
In my humble opinion, I think the GS350 F-sport should have an option for Piano black (aside from the current aluminum).
Otherwise, I would go straight to Tahara and request for it myself if ever I get such a car for myself hehe.
For me:
Piano black > aluminum (any day)
Two cents
02-14-12, 08:17 AM
#29
I understand your idea, is to have all the cars shipped to the dealer without trim, the trim pieces would be put on after purchase. Great idea, but..............
My thinking is, if the trims are that easily install or swappable, they won't be on there very tight, so they will quickly become a source of rattle or they fall off. So in order for the trim to have good fit and solid installation quality, they must be installed at the factory.
My thinking is, if the trims are that easily install or swappable, they won't be on there very tight, so they will quickly become a source of rattle or they fall off. So in order for the trim to have good fit and solid installation quality, they must be installed at the factory.
I've had my trim pieces pulled off and put back on when installing various things and they all fit fine with no rattles afterward, but I could see where the the concern with rattles comes from
02-14-12, 09:06 AM
#30
You don't have to ship all cars without trim because most people are fine with whatever bundles the cars come with originally. Just offer the option to swap them out.
I've had my trim pieces pulled off and put back on when installing various things and they all fit fine with no rattles afterward, but I could see where the the concern with rattles comes from
I've had my trim pieces pulled off and put back on when installing various things and they all fit fine with no rattles afterward, but I could see where the the concern with rattles comes from
This is a problem on Infiniti vehicle: