Well, it is technically a Toyota Harrier, and the Harrier was sold for 2 model years prior, 1997 and 1998 in Asian markets.

 

Says Toyota, that I am very sure of.

 

Then why don't they put "Lexus" stickers all over the car instead of "Toyota"? I mean, the window glasses, the engine bay, the fuel cap, the lights/lamps, everything reads "Toyota", and whatever doesn't say Toyota has "Denso"...

Just me wondering....

I had a Lincoln LS and I could say that I was driving either a Thunderbird or a Jaguar X type 4.0. Same powertrain/Drivetrain with different prices. Automakers need to check themselves and stop doing that. A Camry is just as reliable as a ES, and we all know that.

However, I drive a "Lexus".

 

However, the Japs are not as bad as the others like Ford/Lincoln/Mercury, or GM/Chevrolet/Pontiac/Buick/Cadillac/Oldsmobile/Saturn etc... The Japs try to stick to two lines of the same breed. IE- Toyota/Lexus, Nissan/Infinity, Honda/Acura. Now, check BMW or Mercedes, there's only one. Do they make less $$$?........ I don't think so. It's all about class and mentality.

How many times has Lincoln renamed the same vehicles in the past 4 years! They all share the same platform, engine, and then put a different suit and tie and jack up the price. Oh well, I wish we could do that with some humans and call them "nice people"...

 

Major distinction is that the Japanese manufacturers are moving from low cost to luxury market... working there way up, without loosing their base. So they have to use the distinction (elite/snooty) by separating the lines. They are establishing a new brand.

The Merc and BMW have their modified versions too [Lexus tried it with their LTuned .. did not go anywhere). They are (or were) trying to get into low price (higher volume) market by acquiring other companies or coming up with smaller vehicles. [Customer response seems tepid].

Back to the original topic.. Lexus is establishing (I would say has) a brand distinction. From the posts here, the CL members seem like they like the Brand Distinction, but when it comes to paying $4 more for filter, $10~20 more / hr for labor, upscale waiting lobby are baulking. It may be typical of hard core DIY, but may not representative of a typical Lexus customer.

The saga is ongoing. We can predict how it will end .... as long as there is market for ES (while camry is there) and similarly RX ( while highlander is there.) . I am expecting that getting service from Toyota will be more restrictive as time progresses. ... at the very least they will be told to use the pricier parts with Lexus logo on it.

Salim