ThumperPup

I ended up getting a different car than what i had orignaly was thinking
i got a 2016 ES300H with a J Vin so i know thats from japan but thats not the reason i got it i got it because the bank said no to fiancing the 2016 ES350 for some reason but they said yes to the 2016 ES300h

Lexuss07

On the American built ones you can tell right away that it is American built by looking at the rear side glass that says "Pilkington". The Japanese models says "Lexus". The vin number begins with a 5 instead of a J. As far as the quality is concerned, the Japanese models are better.
The US models' A/C does not blow as cold as the Japanese ones.
The wood trim above the glove box does not have as a straight line as the Japanese models.
The seats on the American models tend to creak more.
The glove box door requires more effort to close than the Japanese model.
The trunk on the American model requires more effort to close than the Japanese model
The durability of the interior materials on the Japanese models seem to be better than the American made models.

I purchased a Japanese built ES 350 and I am glad that I did.
All of the hybrids of this generation were built in Japan.

lesz

My first reaction, after reading your post, was to make a point-by-point reply to your questionable assertions, but, as the former 3 1/2 year owner of a Japan-built 2013 ES with a good number of (relatively minor) build quality flaws and the current almost 3 year owner of a US-built 2017 ES whose build quality is about as perfect as can be, I'll just shake my head and move on.

Lexuss07

See if the A/C on your 2013 blows colder than the A/C on your 2017. Set the temp at 72 degrees and you can see what I mean.

bc6152

The temperature of the A/C in your car isn't a reflection on the build quality of a Japanese built vehicle vs. one built in Kentucky. I would match my American made Lexus ES 350 against any one from gen 6 for quality of materials and integrity. I would also match the Lexus workers in Kentucky against the Japanese employees. Americans can build cars just as good or better than anyone with the proper direction and training...

Lexuss07

Then shouldn't one have cooler A/C than warmer A/C if the vehicle is capable of doing so. I am not saying cooler A/C is a reflection of build quality here, it is just a feature the Japanese model has cooler A/C. I was just comparing the US built versus the Japanese built capabilities.

Albo

To decide if there is even a significant difference in quality, you would need sizable data. I'm sure Lexus has this data as I'm sure they do quality control regardless of where the car is built. With a brand like Lexus and the strict guidelines that go into putting these cars together and the quality control that goes into it, I'd be hard pressed to say that there is any significant difference between them.

bc6152

Totally agree and well stated...

Universe93

I'm not really sure Japanese vs US built makes a difference anymore. It may have back in the days of the late 1980's and early 1990's because I have experience with the Camry's that were built in Japan vs build in Georgetown, KY. The Japanese Camrys were superb, and no cracks, rattles or anything. But even Japanese factories have cost-cutting measures that have affected them, let's not overlook that fact.

My Japanese built 2013 Lexus ES350, while still great build quality, still has rattles, large body gaps and interior panels that are not perfectly aligned. I'm not going to stress over it because I have 2 toddlers, hardly have time for cars like I used to and I really bought this car for the reliability, which nothing has happened at 99k miles except for the driver's side door lock actuator acting up just this past week. Sometimes it wants to lock and sometimes it doesn't work. This is the only issue I've had.

OBLexus

This is anyway a really funny way of saying what is good and bad - if you set an A/C to 72F, the interior of your car should reach that temperature within a few minutes - NOT colder or warmer!!
In fact, in my Japanese built 2018 ES350 I constantly find the A/C too cold, there isn’t a clear correlation in between the set temperature and the actual temperature coming out of the vents, it’s always too cold and I have to manually interfere.
P.S.: I’m neither American nor Japanese and I love my car.

STLLEXUS

If yous puts out too much cold air too quickly I would recommend setting your car on ECO mode this will slow down the cooling process too save fuel.

OBLexus

Maybe, but I don’t get why I should have to do this. 72 degrees F are 72 degrees F, whether in sport mode, eco or normal.
It isn’t a major issue to me - I was just commenting on one of the above comments that points out an “extra cold” A/C as a special feature of high quality.
A high quality A/C keeps the correct temperature in auto mode at all times...

STLLEXUS

Yes I agree my American made model gets cold easily also. but in ECO mode it gets up to temp a little slower than on other modes.

Mike728

This is silly, but I'll play. My Japan built ES 350 is able to maintain the temp I set it to. I keep it at 72 degrees year round and it works as designed. I suggest to anyone that has an issue with it getting too cold, to get it looked at.

Fillykonk

When I went to negotiate the end-lease options on my 2014 intent on buying it out, the salesman did his best to get me into a 17 model. I was a little leery of doing so based on the Japan vs. US assembly but the deal was too good to resist. Having now owned the 2017 for 2 years I can honestly say that the assembly is every bit as good if not better than that of the Japan-assembled one. I would not hesitate to buy a Lexus based on its assembly point.