SW17LS

Then you roll the dice by ordering something you haven't seen. That's true of any car company, not just Lexus. Things look different in photographs than they do in person. Ever bought paint off of a paint chip from the store and then had your walls painted and it looks totally different? I have. I bought a grey paint and it turned out purple. When I laid the paint swatch against the wall it matched, but the purple he just doesn't come through until you see it on the walls.

The pictures online are half computer generated, you weren't misled it's just a reality of looking at the color of something in a computer monitor and then looking at it in real life in natural lighting.

Is the difference really that significant that you're not happy with the car? What is it you want Lexus to do for you?

StevenTodd

I am basically happy with the car but wish the Lexus Built It Tool feature was better at giving you a better picture of what your car looks like after you have configured it so the customer could make a more informed decision. I am not talkingabout such things as if a particular color was not as dark as shown on the Website, etc. I realize the color on acomputer monitor or in the car’s brochure sometimes can be off.


I have used the Built It feature on various other car company websites such as Mercedes, Lincoln, Chevrolet, and Audi, etc., and Lexus is the worst. The Build It feature on most will give you a photo of the interior of the car as you are building it. As you add the upholstery color and any option trim colors the image on the screen will change accordingly based onthe various options you have selected. After finishing your configuration you get a pretty good idea of what the interior of the car will look like based on your final configuration. Lexus does not do that.


When I built my car on the Lexus Web site using their Built It feature, the first thing it asks you to choose is an exterior color. Then it asks you to choose an interior color. I chose Flaxen perforated leather with Matte Honey Bamboo Trim. Immediately a photo pops up on the screen showing the interior of the car with the Flaxen seats and all the trim in Matte Honey Bamboo including the center console leading you to believe this is the color combination that comeswith the Matt Hone Bamboo trim. At no place during the built it process does it tell you there are different color configurations for the Matte Honey Bamboo trim depending on the option package you select. Imagine my shock when I picked up the car to discover that a portion of the center console was hard black plastic rather than the Matt Honey Bamboo. At no place during the build process or even in the Lexus brochure does it tell you that certain option packages will result with a portion of the center console being in hard black plastic.


You ask what I would like Lexus to do. I would ask them to make their Built Itfeature provide clear and accurate information on what the interior of the caris going to look like once you have completed your build process as most other car manufacturers do. That way customersare not surprised when they pick up their car. One on of the reasons for having a Build It feature is so the customer can configure the car as they want it and send that configuration to the dealershipto see if the dealership has a car that matches it or has a car close to it.


This is what I did but the dealership informed me they had no cars in their inventory with the Matte Honey Bamboo trim. Consequently they offered to special order the car for me. When I sat down with the Sales Associate to order the car I showed him the Lexus printout of the car I had configured showing all the option items I had selected. I even showed him the photo of the interior with the Matt Honey Bamboo trim (the one I posted at the beginning of this thread). He made no mention that the car I had configured was going to have the hard black plastic rather than the MatteHoney Bamboo for a portion of the center console. Since neither the Lexus brochure or the Lexus Web site shows you a photo of a car with the hard black plastic console I had no knowledge that aspect even came with the car. You can select any trim color and you will get a photo showing no hard black plastic on the center console.

sapd911

I have the gloss on the doors, I bought mine back in July 2015.

mrsteve7

I'm with you on this one - Lexus needs to do a better job in this regard. This isn't a $49 toaster oven for the kitchen, and the "Build It" feature of the website that is to be used as a tool for the very purpose of visualizing these options should, at a minimum, be accurate in its representation, commensurate with the cost of purchasing a car such as this. I don't think this is too much to ask, nor do I think it's insurmountable for Lexus to achieve.

Mike728

I agree that the Lexus site is terrible. Really, what they need to do is put a disclaimer on that interior pic, stating that it is shown with optional features. Did you notice it also shows the seat cushion extender and Mark Levinson audio? Just to name a couple obvious standouts in the UL optioned ES in the picture.

I doubt it will make you feel better, but 2016 is the first year of the current design to offer wood on the center console, in the US. My 2013 UL has that same black plastic.

Life is full of lessons. Sadly, for you, you're the one giving them to others on the site. They will now be more educated when they place their orders for the ES. That is one of the reasons this site is so valuable. Thank you and please try and enjoy your new beautiful ES!

bc6152

I agree with Steven Todd and this is a perfect example of why I would never special order a vehicle. When the car comes in it's yours. Scratched or scraped, wrong interior, additional options not wanted, whatever. I prefer to see exactly what I'm getting and pass on what I don't want. I realize that one cannot always get the exact vehicle desired, but that's the tradeoff.