Philips

Autoblog ran an article on the update of 2015 is250, I read some of the comments people made. OMG they really disliked the car. Many say it is underpowered (probably yes) , ugly (hell no), with dated technology ( not true). And of course they trashed it because of they thought it is a soaped up Toyota.

I generally don't care what other people thinks, but since I love my car so much, it still hurt a bit. It is like hearing someone criticising my daughters. But it reminds me how different in opinion we all are. I think the car is sexy as hell, while there are some who whole heartedly think it is ugly. There are a lot to love about this car, I love the way it corners, the interior design is just perfect for me. it is a very refined car.

One common comment that i always found on-line regarding Lexus is , only the American falls for Lexus, the European know too well to avoid it. This snobbery really amazed me. I think these European elitists are just narrow minded brand *****s. I am Asian and lived in the States for 4 years. I think American have the most healthy open-mindedness towards cars. Whether they are Japanese, Korean , American of European, if the cars are good, they will sell well in the States. I think European consumers are missing a lot by turning their eyes aways from the gems from Asian and European Car makers. Besides, that statement is not based on fact since, Lexus is also doing quite well in Asia too.

Hope you excuse my rant as a fellow Lexus owner.

rayaans

Im from the UK and let me tell you its not just the badge snobbery but other things to. To list a few:

1 - European's are diesel mad because all the executives cant afford to get up and down the motorway on more than 1 tank of fuel.
2 - The reviewers here dont do anything but smash the cars from 0-100mph on country roads and dont do real world testing
3 - Reliability cant be measured in a few days
4 - Lexus does not market here as much as in the states or as much as the German counterparts do
5 - There's less than 40 Lexus dealers in the whole of the UK.

FinaLpeace

To be honest, I trash the IS250 as well because of how slow it is. It didn't earn and isn't worth the "fun to drive" tag, the IS350 F Sport did and is fun to drive. I've owned both the IS250 luxury package and IS350 F Sport package. I traded in my IS250 because of how slow it is...... and I dont seem to feel much of a difference compare to my 07 IS250 besides better handling but it's still so slow. Since the IS250 doesn't have the power then it needs the luxury features, which it isn't luxurious enough compare to most luxury cars. So let alone the IS250 F Sport package which is totally pointless to have in such a slow car. This is of course base on my opinion so you can disagree but do test drive the IS350 F Sport in Sport + mode first before disagreeing. Test driving might not be enough for some people, but once you own the car and daily driving comparing the IS250 to IS350 you will notice which car is "fun to drive" which Lexus aim to dominate in this segment. I'm Asian American and as I stated earlier that I've owned a 07 IS250, 2014 IS250, and now 2014 IS350 F Sport. Now I remember consumer reports put down and trash the IS250 in a report earlier this year stating similar negative comments to the car, whereas the IS350 is not brought up at all.

Also there is no reason to compare Lexus to the Europeans based on what you said because there's a reason why they can sell their cars way higher value than Lexus can. I love Lexus that's why I bought the IS350. We all should know by now that the Mercedes badge is more valuable than Lexus and they do have better designs and more luxurious. Compare the S Class to the LS, E Class to ES. The Europeans are dominants of the fashion design world, there is no doubt. I'm a very honest person and the only reason why I didn't go for Mercedes is because they're not as reliable. Which wealthy person out there would love to have a Lexus more than Mercedes / Audi / BMW. Maybe 10% of them?

dasbuch

Consumer reports used to provide useful reviews of cars, but my faith in them was destroyed when they started panning good products solely to add controversy and draw readers. I'll stay focused on the IS as an example here instead of listing all the cars they said sucked that everyone else thought were great, but they basically did some really stupid sh_t with their IS 250 review, namely reviewing the gas mileage of an AWD 250 and judging both the gas mileage and acceleration without even mentioning what their mileage was like in sports mode versus eco mode.

CR's subscription base has gotten eaten up over the years because of the vast amount of information available on the 'Net and the fact that there are a gazillion sources of information where people can find out how good a car is according to the people who actually drive one every day, as opposed to one or two engineers at CR labs that drive the car for a couple of weeks.

It is fair to say that Consumer Reports has COMPLETELY lost their credibility as a car reviewer. Ignore them going forward.

Then why is the CLA class cheaper both in price and build quality? It's fine to have an opinion, but never confuse facts and opinion because they are two different things. I have seen several BMW loyalists switch to the 3IS, and I don't know anyone who considers either the BMW or Mercedes brands "more valuable" than Lexus unless they have a case of arrested development and are living in the 80's - 90's time frame.

dasbuch

The dealership presence is a big factor. There are cities here in the US that I have friends in that would love nothing more than to buy a Lexus but it does not make sense for them because the nearest Lexus dealer is over an hour away.

Besides, aren't Lexus extremely expensive in the UK compared to the US?

Glashub

There are 2014 IS250's all over LA. From young studs to matrons. Unbelievable really given how much the car is supposedly hated. Shows the disconnect between what enthusiasts/trolls post online and what real car buyers will spend their hard earned cash on.

SW17LS

Do yourself a favor and do t read comments on articles like that lol. Read the comments on a lot of their articles for a lot of different vehicles...they're the same.

FinaLpeace

Lol CLA is not a comparison with the IS, buddy, the C class is...... I didn't want to even respond to this haha. Also the CLA isn't that cheap with the options added after MSRP.

Do not get offensive, my post in response to this thread was totally neutral, as I'm a current 3rd gen IS350 F Sport owner.

What is one MAIN reason why Lexus is a popular luxury premium brand? RELIABILITY = less $$ to fix problems

You're so biased and love Lexus to death, which is not a bad thing especially on Club Lexus, but do not try to respond to my post by throwing a comeback where I have to embarrass you back. Your fact is Mercedes cost "LESS" and CLA is cheap in quality, but the real fact is the CLA still cost average of 38k+ with options added and its not a comparison to the IS. Not to mention that Mercedes just had to throw in a "cheap car" and could still sell it well hahaha?

One last thing I'd like to mention. Theres a reason why Mercedes and all the European brands compare to Lexus have twice if not triple the amount of different models they can sell to their consumers worldwide? Lexus is pushing its way starting with the NX and RC, but we'll see how well that goes. As a Lexus owner I'd be happy if Lexus can be the top Luxury brand, but the truth says that if it is then their cars would be selling more than you can afford. Also do not bring Toyota Camry ETC up, Lexus is a totally different category in the game.

FinaLpeace

There are tons of IS250 and 328i than IS350 and 335i. WHY? YOU KNOW WHY LOL cheaper......
BUT 328i is as fast as the IS350 if not only 0.5 second slower while the IS250 is...... slower than a CIVIC Si and SCION FRS.

FinaLpeace

Okay okay one last post in respond to this thread then you bias Lexus lovers can bash on me all you want.

How would you feel when a Scion FRS pulled on your IS250 on the road? Bet you someday some kid in a FRS would notice your IS250 badge and taunt you embarrassing enough.

There's a reason why Lexus is destroying the IS250 from the game and replacing it with the IS200T. I apologize to those IS250 owners who're upset, but like dasbuch says opinions are opinions, get the FACTS right.

Thank you please respect the facts and do not throw back biased opinions at me.

Again I would like to mention that I am a 3rd gen IS350 F Sport owner and both 3rd 2nd gen IS250 of the past.

SW17LS

I had an IS250 loaner last week and while it wasn't "powerful" I wouldn't call it a dog, and it was zippy, light handling, and very enjoyable to drive. If I were to buy one I would buy the 350, but I don't really have anything negative to say about that 250.

As for an FRS "pulling on" my rhetorical IS250 on the road...I'm a grown up. I don't race cars on the road...so if they were racing me they'd be racing themselves. If I did care...I'd have bought the 350...or another car entirely. The kid in the FRS can enjoy his zits and his job at McDonalds lol

BTW in your post earlier talking about MB having more badge value (it does, I agree) you say compare the E Class to the ES and then admonish someone else for comparing the CLA to the IS. The E Class compares to the GS, not the ES. MB doesn't have a car that competes with the ES. I did compare the E Class to the GS...and bought the GS. The E Class Is the worst car in that segment IMHO, it was certainly my least favorite car by far.

FinaLpeace

This is an epic quote, shows that you are completely an amateur. The EU is more expensive in everything compared to the US. Also maybe your friends just don't love Lexus enough to drive an hour or maybe cross state to buy their cars?

davyjordi

finalpeace, you sound as though you'd belong much more at home driving a different marque and posting on a different forum.

FinaLpeace

You have to care...... Lexus is advertising the IS as "fun to drive" which one is "more" fun to drive? IS250 vs IS350? Yes this is an opinion question, you may choose the IS250 haha. Also if you dont even need the IS350, why IS250 when you can always drive around in a corolla, contradicting enough yet? If you want a luxury sport sedan do not tell me you dont CARE.

I'm tired and dont want to make anymore posts to this. It's always the dollars when it comes to why I didn't by the top model? Lets not drag away the main topic of this thread and my original post.

dasbuch

Your comments betray your level of maturity.

Last time I checked, Lexus was much more expensive in Germany than equivalent BMW / Mercedes adjusted for USD.

BMW and Benz are taxi cabs and cop cars in some parts of Europe.