Lexus is technically not at the same level as the Germans because their powertrains, tech, interior attention to detail, etc. are just a notch below. With that being said, I feel that in the eye of the public Lexus' reputation is roughly at the same level. It is frequently cross-shopped with those brands.

 

Comparing an apple to an oranges? We have a BMW M3 my son drives.(only in summer time, another BMW for winter driving) He always complains kids driving IS trying to race him on the road. I am getting old so I traded in my last X5 for RX. No more is fun driving but I have to control myself reminding me I am almost 80 yo.brain is getting slower, reflection is getting slower, Vision and hearing is not they used to be. Safety is priority number One for me. Soon wife will take over driving chores. Only honorable mention goes to LS-series as far as I am concerned.

 

True story, when I got my 335i coupe in Dec. 2006, it turned heads, hard to believe that a mass produced coupe who today looks somewhat dated, did that....one day a E46 M3 stopped right next to us to ask about the car. We were like 3 car lengths from the light.

Another evening, I was at a stoplight, and a 20-something Hyundai Accent driver looked over, then peeled out, and was gone. I actually laughed out loud, wth just happened? As I gently accelerated to about 40 mph....which was 5 over the limit....

hmmmm growing up my best friend and son's godfather's dad had all kinds of amazing cars, from BMW 5's to Volvos to MB turbo diesels.....as he got older, he put reliability as #1. By the time I reconnected, he had a Honda Odyssey....that became too big and unnecessary, and now they have had two generations of CR-Vs. I think there is nothing wrong with no longer finding driving to be "fun," because priorities change...my mom says the same thing, that she doesn't find driving to be fun (never really did though), and she prefers not to drive at night. She used to be able to drive straight from Boston to NYC by herself or with me, so things just change....dag I wouldn't mind being 5 y.o. again, envy my preschool son....

 

I guess, OP never drove or owned those vehicles. Or he wouldn't raise a question like that.

 

I get a lot of that as well. It's slightly annoying especially in traffic where there is nowhere to go. Infinity G3Xs as well. It seems like they have something to prove. Ironically, I don't get a lot of testosterone showdowns with other BMWs unless they are E90s for some reason.

 

It's more of an age thing. Most of us (except mmarshall) done a lot of dumb stuff when we were very young.

 

It's probably just coincidence, but one of "the"most annoying drivers that I encounter, are those behind the wheel of a Subaru Outback or Forester. No clue why as those are "family" type vehicles. Maybe it's just me, or they have a magnetic forcefield that attracts or rather wants to attach to the rear bumpers of my 335 or LS430....

 

i agree with this. the public perception of the marque is more or less on par with those of the germans despite lagging behind in a number of critical areas. the average joe doesn't realize the deficits and many average joes choose lexus based on its public perception which is quite high.

 

For me Lexus has the luxury part down -- I could care less about a V12, but IMO Lexus does lag behind in powerplants, mainly HP along with sporty variants of their cars (F-Sport is lacking the sport IMO). I mean take the 2GR-FSE motor - yes its reliable, but what refinements have been made in the 10+ years the motor has been out? IS350 has had 306hp/277ft-lbs tq since it's inception - great for a starting point but these days it's nothing to get excited about (Audi S4 has 354hp 369 lb-ft tq, BMW 340i has 320hp 330 lb-ft tq, M3 is totally in another class @ 425+406).

I mean not every model needs to be sporty (e.g. the ES350), but the sports models should be there IMO.

 

I meant 1.5 or 1.75 and corrected it, I must have been thinking 2.5 was a little better then 2 at the time until I re read it.

 

Toyota / Lexus is finally getting ready to roll out new engines starting with the new Camry, so hopefully Lexus will follow suit soon. Having said that Lexus LC 500 is one product i feel Lexus has outdone even the Germans so hopefully that trends continues.

 

Outdone the Germans in what capacity? It's an exclusive model in its own merit, but its not as special as AMG GT, Audi R8 and BMW i8 models. The rest of Lexus line up at this point is so far behind that it's not even playing catch up to the Germans.

 

Outdone in terms of design both interior and exterior. What is special is always relative but LC 500 will be a top choice in its price bracket IMO. All I am saying is LC 500 is a great example of what Lexus is capable of and hopefully we will see the same passion trickling across their line up.

 

I don't think there is much Lexus could have done to make the LC500 more competitive than it is. To me, this is what close to what the next Supra should look like, unless they are going even more radical, and that would be a good idea. Personally I think this class overall is the ugly duckling of the bunch, despite it's popularity The BMW 6-series is not very pretty from the front, the SL isn't as arresting as the AMG-GT, and the Audi A7 is, to me, just strange to look at. Out of the bunch the LC500 is the best looking. Unfortunately, it looks too much like an RC-F, which, while sporty looking, is the underdog in it's class. They could have made the LC500 a bit more distinctive than the RC-F, which honestly, to the layman aren't much different. Notice how the very popular A7 looks vastly different than any other Audi? For better or worse, you recognize that A7 right away.

It's funny that I don't see a lot of them on the road, despite how good it is. I guess not many people want to put down $100k on a Lexus? That brand recognition is still a slight problem for Lexus in the premium classes.

 

You dont see them yet since LC's are just starting to roll into dealerships now.