Joker-02ES3

2002 owner here...
i never post anything tho cuz my car is stock, and will remain so till i get a real job and save up...
right now, im jus aiming for 18' or 19' rims.

Dema

I have '02 ES. And this car is completely bland for me. I do not see any reason to change wheels since it won't give the car better look. I think that previous ES had much better look. In anyway, I'm pretty sure that ES is the best car in its segment. (I considered Audi A6, Saab 9-5, Infiniti I35, BMW 530, Acura TL-S).

Kyle Harty

iTrader: (17)

I don't think I care for the general direction auto design is going, sharper angles, real funky looking bubbly headlights (Celica and Cougar for example) and that sort of thing. I think Sick is right that the industry has hit a little bit of a sticking point. I guess I prefer smoother curves and lines. I like the little older designs of Lexus and just in general. The 98-plus GS is one of my favorites, there's just something about that design that I really like, it's a car with presence. I like the design of the first two generations of ES better than the new ones as well, but the new ES has grown on me a little, that kit from Japan that was posted a while back did alot for it IMO. New wheels would really help for me too.

Lex Diamonds

Agreed - I prefer the older models. The original design of the GS, Italian designed, will always be a favorite.

Mind18

Ditto. AS I think SW03ES mentioned, to me the GS has that "I can't put my finger on it" great look. My dream car right now is the GS 400 black/black fully loaded Everything about it, I just love....especially the quad lighting not only in the front but the rear as well....The same goes for the RX...it is still selling so well after...i think 5 years already?

Does anyone like the styling that Infiniti is heading towards? I really like it for some reason...different yet stil "sophisticated"....the same goes with MB, even though I would probably always choose a lexus over the MB because of reliability.

And as Kyle Harty mentioned...the new ES is growing on me...but now that I think about it...what I think has always made "luxury" cars in general so beautiful, as compared to perhaps their counterparts (like toyota vs lexus) was they always seem to have had the right portions. Maybe that is why I don't care too much for the new ES, because the body seems to big for the wheels, where the wheels actually are slightly inside the body, as opposed to being flush, also I don't like the bubbleness ala Buick, of the new models of Lexus (guess is the reason why i like the exterior of the IS, more boxy)....just my thoughts though..

XenonES3

I agree with you on the benz argument. I really like the 00-02 E-class. My favorite. The S and new C look very sophisticated, but E has this presence.

As far as Infiniti, I don't know. The G35 is definately a step up from Infiniti's old designs but the other models are nothing special. The only thing I like about the Q45 is the headlights, other than that the styling is plain and uninspired. The M45 looks lifted, 18" rims on a car that appears to sit so high off the ground????

In my opinion, I feel BMW has done a phenomenal job with the new 7-series. At first, I thought it was ugly, but after studying the styling more I realize it is quite novel. The car has a presence, when you see a 7 series, you know it's a 7-series.

Mind18

I agree. I don't necessary like the revised styling of the 3 series...but the 7 series to me screams presence and cachet. The back is of course a little bit odd, but I think the overall design is still very well developed.

zexen

obviously another agreement to the 7 series statement. the new 7 series has been very well developed and designed. a friend of mine has the semi-old 740iL Sport, and even though it's a good... 2... years old, it's still a great looking car. even though 7 coats of wax is NEVER enough for that car... the 745 in my opinion looks more sophisticated, and the tail lamps, and small tail lamp strips add an extra little bit of style to the car's design. just my $.02

SW03ES

I'm not a fan of the new 7 at all, I think its a big step backwards from the lithe type of sporty nature of BMW cars.

As for the new design trend with Lexus, its not that the cars are bad looking, its just that Lexus is starting to take a little more risk with their cars. I think that the cars now take some getting used to whereas before they were a little closer to what we're used to. In a way maybe what made everyone else say that Lexus is a bland car is what made them so good looking to us? I dunno.

When the SC430, LS430, and the ES300 came out, I really disliked them. I remember going with my dad to drive the LS430 and thinking how much better looking his car is than the new one. He agreed, and obviously kept his over the 430. As time has gone on, the 430 has really grown on me to the point that at certain styling vantage points look better than the previous gen. Now I like the LS430, SC430 and obviously the new ES. I think what we're seeing is Lexus breaking their molds in favor of creating a new stronger family image, and you can see it. The GX has a really strong family tie with the LS, the new RX is said to also, and the new GS is said to be SC meets GS.

Think of it this way, you can't please everyone, and Lexus' previous attempts to please as many people as they can by not pushing the envelope earned them a reputation as being "soulless driving appliances". Now that they have the sales wins and accolades behind them, they can take more chances. Sales just keep going up and up too...

XenonES3

Compared to BMW and Mercedes, Lexus still is as you said, "A soul-less driving appliance". I drove an IS300 and 330i back to back (friends' cars) and although the IS handled very nicely, I prefered the BMW. It just felt more connected. The IS did everything I wanted it to, but the BMW just did it better.

Ask any IS300 owner, "If you had 10 grand extra to spend, would you have gotten a 330i?" And I guarantee most would say "yes!"

zexen

that's a good comparison. my friend just got a Acura CL-S, and his mom is gonna go buy a brand new 330Ci, and i can't wait to test it out. i personally would take a 330 over a IS3 if i had the money... but i don't, so both of them are outta the question.

SW03ES

Xenon-

Think of it this way though, thats Lexus' first attempt at that kinda car (I dislike the IS all around). Give them some time. I'm sure the next IS will be fantastic, I hear it'll have the 4.3 liter as an option and still be $10k cheaper! I don't think you can fairly call the current IS a soul-less driving appliance though, I think it definately has a soul and a personality all its own. I also think the same is true of the new SC. Infiniti has done a bang up job on their new G series of cars, all the reviews say they're better than the 3 series, you know Lexus won't stand for that lol.

XenonES3

SW03ES-

You make a good point about how this was Lexus' first attempt at an entry-level sporty luxury sedan. BMW has had five or six attempts. There is an advantage right there.

Lexus is definately on the right track, but they still can't beat BMW in terms of all-round performance.

Let's wait and see what the IS430 and new GS deliver.

jobindj

Right Here!

SW03ES

True, but they do have them beat in quality, reliability, comfort and most importantly (at least to Lexus) sales and repeat customer rate (at 71% Lexus has the highest return buyer rate in the industry).