RDLGX

So true...great post ! I really wanted an X5..I love the looks, but after reading so many problems that owners of them had, I wanted to stay with Lexus. I have always had Toyotas and then moved up to my current RX350 after buying the NX first. While the NX just didn't work for me, and I had problems with it, the RX does, and was perfect fit. While still debating whether I like the style of the 2016, the bottom line for me is Lexus is so reliable , and by being so, it makes driving more fun knowing that you don't have to spend your time with your car in the garage getting worked on. And to me, customer service is of up most importance, and I think Lexus is one of the best with that. They have treated me royally. So in the future, I know the new style for Lexus might not be exactly to my liking, I will buy one because of reliability and customer service.

ls430lover

its all relative, so the german vs japanese debate will go on forever. i think being the i owned 2 lexus vehicles a ls 400 and a ls430, and 4 bmw's mostly 5 series i can chime in with some fairness.
1) reliability the answer is quite obvious the lexus brand is unparralled and fantastic. for those buyers and there is alot of them that want that buy lexus. speaking of realibilty the germans are stepping up and those with the experiences of years ago times are changing slowly, still never come close to lexus.
2) tech, by far most of the germans are far ahead of the japanese. end of story, every day i get in my car i find the tech interface, nav, I drive, talk to nav input, radio selection, views of screens, all fantastic. when i got loaners of gs, ls the cars are literally 2 to 4 years behind in look and feel,
3) styling.. very subjective, i would say the germans are more conservative and consistent. i happen to like the current ls i know surprise, like the gs, love the is, but the new rx, nx in particular are over the edge and lexus is hoping this design paradigm shift will change over time as people get more comfortable with it, personally if i see a feminine pretty girl, she is either attractive or not attractive. i know the emotional connection lol.... I'm serious i see a new car with beautiful lines its either attractive or not. as example the new 7 series, i was disappointed in alot but happen to find the rear end attractive, and the interior is not as thought but attractive.
4) engine tech, sorry to say and i loved my v8 in the ls, both ls's.... the germans are far ahead in engine tech and drive the new is200t or the gs200t when its out and drive the 328, 528, a6 with v6 and you will see the difference ..
5) Efficiency, i think we all over look the lead lexus has in the hybrid market. the best and fantastic offerings, but Infinity, Lexus, are 4 years behind the germans in engine/transmissions.. this will all change with the new ls wow i think fuel cell very promising.
6) fit and finish..... the japanese far ahead in workmanship, craftsmanship but not design. i like the flow and design of the german cars particularly my 5 series but to each his own.
7) comfort of seats, i think lexus wins by a little over bmw, both offer very comfortable seats but i like the gs and ls seat over the germans except for some of the high end multicountoured seats of the mb or bmw.
cheers

AL13NV8D3R

I totally agree with you that Germans make better styling and have up to date technology. Thats why i have owned 5 Germans car previously! I love everything about them except for reliability and quality of service. If they can get those two things right, i think they can pull new customers from the Lexus crowd. But thankfully for Lexus sake germans dont care for its customers in the service department and still build cars that will leave you stranded in the snow and rain when you need it to work the most. This actually happend to me twice.

I am sure you can tell the different between a pretty girl and a ugly one. But remember, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. You may find one person attractive but i may think she was beaten by the ugly stick. And what you see is Ugly, other people will see a beautiful angel. The same thing goes for cars. Some will like the looks and some will hate it.

I think the 4 Cylinders from the Germans are refined and powerful. Some of there entry level cars with turbo 4 cylinders are just as powerful and smooth as a NA V6. But remember that the germans has been in the turbo 4 game much much longer than Lexus. Lexus just debuted its turbo 4 last year so how can you even compare? Give the Japanese some time and I am sure their turbo 4s will be improved.

I find it funny that people in this forum come in here and bash on the new RX and feel that everyone must agree with them. You dont see me posting on the Lexus CT forums bashing on it when it came out? I feel the CT was ugly too but dont go out of my way to make the CT fans argue with me or try to convince CT fans how ugly there cars is.

ls430lover

no bashing no rhetoric other than fair and balanced speak, thats why this forum is so great.. you have people talk with a myopic view without reality.
you mentioned fair comparing the 4 cylinder 4 years behind the germans.
thats the point the same way lexus was looking 4 years ahead of the germans with the ls400 or ls430 they should have not dropped the ball and still have cars like the is, gs, es, and rx with a v6 that is 25% behind in efficiency they are too good a company for it, its bad leadership or leadership that was sleeping at the wheel
and as far as the rx looks for all those that think it has good line and handsome or pretty, like you said beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, i found beauty in the interior, the exterior is going to be kissing alot of frogs. i should have also prefaced my post originally that the f sport was the one i spent most of my time viewing and to be fair didnt spend alot of time eyeing the non f sport

SW17LS

There's also a point where you've voiced your opinion 5 times and it's time to drop it. You've done that here. It's the 4RX forum. We get it, you think it's ugly, and you should move on.

If you want a more balanced discussion, start a thread in CarChat.

JT4

Well said, and same here.

Except my German experience was with Mercedes, and while I never like to say "never again" I don't see another MB in my future. Unless of course the wife twists my arm like she did the last time. But I think she is even done.

And like you the reliability was a major concern. And both of our ML's had right around 30K miles on them when we got rid of them so its not as though I am complaining about vehicles with 75K + miles on them.

However, can't complain about MB service, my dealer was fantastic. Just as good if not better than Lexus. And my Lexus dealer is good..

Considered BMW but a couple of friends and relatives talked me out it. My wife's cousin worked for BMW in logistics for years and always drove one. But would always say that if he didn't work for them, he would never own one and most of his co-workers felt the same. IMO that says a lot.

SW17LS

I think one thing that people don't think about is that even if it's under warranty, having to take it in all the time to get stuff fixed is a huge PITA. I never really realized that either until I had an unreliable vehicle, our 2011 Jeep. The issues were all minor, and covered by the warranty but every service stop was multiple days and ordered parts and with that car no loaners. Huge hassle.

ericsan13

Excellent post - reliability comes with a sacrifice. Testing takes a long time and probably results in older tech being used until new tech can be thoroughly tested.

4) Squeezing every ounce of power out of the engine likely reduces reliability too much for Lexus' comfort threshold.
5) Thanks to the prius for advancing the hybrid tech for lexus.

I really need to get started on cross shopping between the X5, ML and RX. However with my idea of passing my old car down to my parents after one generation (7 years) worth of use, I am afraid that RX and ML will be the most likely candidates.

dchar

I totally agree with SW15LS and second this! Also, some proper punctuation and capitalization in your posts wouldn't hurt...

RDLGX

Did you have a Grand Cherokee ? It's a shame isn't it, that Jeep has so many problems...I really wanted a Grand Cherokee a while back, and I think they are very good looking SUV's, but here again if you read reviews about the Jeeps, they aren't good. So once again my decision became Lexus.

SW17LS

I actually had two Grand Cherokees, a 2011 and a 2014. The 2011 had a lot of small glitches, had terrible brake corrosion at 20k miles, lots of little electrical issues, switches that quit working, sometimes multiple times (window switches, lock buttons, the HVAC control panel) had a window leak at the rear hatch...stuff like that. I loved that Jeep so much though, after an exhaustive search for a vehicle to replace it I bought another one, a 2014 Overland which was much higher optioned and figured I'd roll the dice again. I only had that a year before we had twins and we traded it on the Sedona minivan but it was 100% problem free. The 2011 had already had like 15 warranty repairs by the time it was a year old.

I also posted on the Jeep forums. It seems to be hit or miss, you either have a good one or a problematic one. Its a great vehicle though, I miss it. The problem free one that is LOL

metrathon

That's a great story. Here's another one: NEVER had a major problem with any of the Bimmers I've owned. Where does that leave us?

niklow

Wife said the same thing, interesting you say that - heard this from many women now. Last 2 generations is what gave lexus our 3 leases. This 2015 might be last.

Our neighbors wife went from 2012 rx to new IS skipping the 16RX as well.

JDR76

Some people will like it, some won't. My wife loves the new RX and would like to trade our 3RX in on one.

Oldfart

Same here. My wife would trade it today.