Battle betwen generations Lexus LS
03-03-20, 10:26 PM
#1
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
Battle betwen generations Lexus LS
Having recently seen the arguments over "prestttttttttttttttige" do you believe that the LS500 is different. same, or taken the best of both worlds from the original LS formula?
Last edited by coolsaber; 03-03-20 at 10:30 PM.
03-04-20, 02:07 AM
#3
Lead Lap
the 500 in 2019 is far less 'prestigious' than the 400 was in 1989, the new car is just kind of a meh sized deal whereas the original was a genuine game changer to the entire business
on the wikipedia article for the Lexus LS, at no point is the 500 mentioned in the 'industrial significance' section of the article lol
on the wikipedia article for the Lexus LS, at no point is the 500 mentioned in the 'industrial significance' section of the article lol
03-04-20, 04:31 AM
#4
Lexus Fanatic
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It's a case of competition. As Stroock says, the LS400 was a game changer, but the only recent game changer has been Tesla.
that said, the LS500 is very nice, just not wow.
that said, the LS500 is very nice, just not wow.
03-04-20, 09:26 AM
#6
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the 500 in 2019 is far less 'prestigious' than the 400 was in 1989, the new car is just kind of a meh sized deal whereas the original was a genuine game changer to the entire business
on the wikipedia article for the Lexus LS, at no point is the 500 mentioned in the 'industrial significance' section of the article lol
on the wikipedia article for the Lexus LS, at no point is the 500 mentioned in the 'industrial significance' section of the article lol
03-04-20, 10:21 AM
#7
Lexus Champion
Had to stop watching that vid the number of times he says "like" is ridiculous.
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03-04-20, 11:33 AM
#8
Lexus Fanatic
In 1989, Im not sure a lot of people bought the LS because of prestige; mostly because they were sick of German reliability.
03-04-20, 01:14 PM
#9
Lexus Champion
the 500 in 2019 is far less 'prestigious' than the 400 was in 1989, the new car is just kind of a meh sized deal whereas the original was a genuine game changer to the entire business
on the wikipedia article for the Lexus LS, at no point is the 500 mentioned in the 'industrial significance' section of the article lol
on the wikipedia article for the Lexus LS, at no point is the 500 mentioned in the 'industrial significance' section of the article lol
03-04-20, 01:26 PM
#10
Lead Lap
I wasn't old enough to know anything in 1989, but I would venture that the original LS was not very prestigious when it came out. Think Hyundai with the Genesis. The Lexus name was new, how could it be prestigious? Yes, it was a game changer, but that is looking backwards into history. In 1989, Im not sure a lot of people bought the LS because of prestige; mostly because they were sick of German reliability.
the W140 was rushed into production because of how much the LS exceeded their expectations, and extra features were rushed to try to get the S class back ahead of the LS
but anyway since prestige is all about public perception I'd probably have to concede that the LS in 1989 was probably a bit down on prestige lol
03-04-20, 01:36 PM
#11
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With the German upmarket brands, it was not so much that they were unreliable (before the mid-1990s, for example, Mercedes built arguably the best vehicles on the planet), but simply their cost and expense...and the cost of repairs when they finally were needed. The original LS400 offered a comparable vehicle to the Mercedes S-class at a lower cost and Toyota reliability.
as for prestige, between the product, the marketing, the service and the dealerships, i think lexus managed to establish prestige right out of the gate. an AMAZING accomplishment.
03-05-20, 02:17 PM
#13
True, but it very quickly developed an extremely good reputation. It was also backed up by an excellent ad-campaign, and the voice of James "Mr. :Lexus" Sloyan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0fGw0kvAzs
With the German upmarket brands, it was not so much that they were unreliable (before the mid-1990s, for example, Mercedes built arguably the best vehicles on the planet), but simply their cost and expense...and the cost of repairs when they finally were needed. The original LS400 offered a comparable vehicle to the Mercedes S-class at a lower cost and Toyota reliability.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0fGw0kvAzs
With the German upmarket brands, it was not so much that they were unreliable (before the mid-1990s, for example, Mercedes built arguably the best vehicles on the planet), but simply their cost and expense...and the cost of repairs when they finally were needed. The original LS400 offered a comparable vehicle to the Mercedes S-class at a lower cost and Toyota reliability.
03-05-20, 02:24 PM
#14
Lexus Fanatic
The LS500 is a very different sort of car.
I remember when the LS400 came out, my Dad very nearly bought one. It became prestigious pretty quickly because they were so well regarded. and it became the "it" thing to have. They gained traction really quickly compared to say Genesis.
Having had a 98 LS400, an 04 LS430 Ultra, and two LS460s all bought new, my least favorite was the LS430 Ultra. The LS400 and the LS460 have a dynamism to them where the 430 was just really a barge. I would say my favorite of them was the 98 400, followed by my 17 LS460L.
I remember when the LS400 came out, my Dad very nearly bought one. It became prestigious pretty quickly because they were so well regarded. and it became the "it" thing to have. They gained traction really quickly compared to say Genesis.
Originally Posted by Och
If I could have a brand new LS of any generation, I'd take the LS430 Ultra.
Having had a 98 LS400, an 04 LS430 Ultra, and two LS460s all bought new, my least favorite was the LS430 Ultra. The LS400 and the LS460 have a dynamism to them where the 430 was just really a barge. I would say my favorite of them was the 98 400, followed by my 17 LS460L.
03-05-20, 02:28 PM
#15
the original LS I think definitely made more of a stir than the genesis did, Mercedes and BMW execs weren't too happy that their big heavy hitters were being undercut and outperformed by this new fancy Toyota
the W140 was rushed into production because of how much the LS exceeded their expectations, and extra features were rushed to try to get the S class back ahead of the LS
but anyway since prestige is all about public perception I'd probably have to concede that the LS in 1989 was probably a bit down on prestige lol
the W140 was rushed into production because of how much the LS exceeded their expectations, and extra features were rushed to try to get the S class back ahead of the LS
but anyway since prestige is all about public perception I'd probably have to concede that the LS in 1989 was probably a bit down on prestige lol
I deleted that entry, as it was an opinion, not an objective observation. The W140 took 9-10 years to develop from 1981 to 1990/91. It wasn't rushed in the least, it was late by 18 months, if not 4 years!
BMW was more influenced by Lexus than MB, as LS quickly affected early research & planning of the E38 7 in 1989-90, later launching in November 1994 for North America. BMW are the ones that commented on the LS being "sold" at below cost.
Exactly, but all that might change.
Last edited by Carmaker1; 03-05-20 at 02:31 PM.