Sens4Miles

With gas hitting a record high again today, do you think it's time for Lexus to start offering 4 cylinder engines in their lineup? It seems as if they've made a very conscious effort to keep Lexus as a 6 or 8 cylinder lineup only and leave the 4 cylinders to Toyota. However, when you have BMW & MB starting to offer smaller, more fuel efficient engines, do you suppose Lexus should start doing the same?

cliffud

iTrader: (3)

i think the 4 cylinders should be left to their scion division.

mmarshall

Forgetting this...........



During this............



Equals THIS..................

whlkev

seriously, if you can afford a lexus, gas price shouldn't be that high on your list of concerns.

if consumer want 4cyl, they look at toyota/scion, not lexus.

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

+1, we don't need 4 cyclinder high revving I4 like TSX.
plus it will cheapen the brand.

No no no, no 4 cycl.

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

Keep the 4-bangers to Toyota.

Give Lexus the 6+ cylinders.

Toyota needs to maintain "luxury status" with Lexus, and part of Luxury is providing a little more excessive amenities over practicality.




I mean, we can always ask for cloth seats or 14" wheels on Lexus vehicles, but I don't think it will happen...

SLegacy99

I disagree. 4 cylinders done right is a logical decision.

Direct injected, turbo/supercharged 4 cylinders wouldn't be so bad. And who says that the 4 cylinder has to be inline? Why not flat for better handling. I think if a vehicle like the IS is going to be in hybrid form it should be mated to a 4 cylinder.

Or perhaps Lexus should expand the use of their 2.5L V6. Perhaps with a just a few more horses this would be properly suited for the ES and/or GS, maybe even an RX.

Also, keep in mind that Mercedes is pondering 4 cylinders for optimal fuel efficiency.

So here's my question. Should the LS, LX and GX be offered in 6 cylinders. I think yes, leaning more toward the two SUV being power by DI 3.5L than the LS.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

absolutely not...... there is a much better company offering 4 cylinders, that's called toyota.

lexus is a luxury brand. to be very honest here (and i am not trying to be cocky), like someone already said, if you can afford a luxury brand, you should be able to afford the gas. otherwise, don't stretch it, that's part of the ownership experience. luxury means paying extra for the "status", going cheap is the other direction

cars like gs350 and is350/250 can already achieve very respectable gas mileage with their engines. we don't need a corolla in the lexus lineup for 40mpg

LexFather

1. BMW/Benz/Audi have ALWAYS had 4 cylinder cars , this is not a new trend. Only as of late did BMW/Benz abandon 4 cylinder cars in America. Audi still offers FWD and an I-4 together. In Europe, they sell TONS of 4 cylinder cars.
2. The IS 220d is the first Lexus 4 cylinder and sells very well in Europe, where you need diesels in your lineup.
3. From day one Lexus/Toyota have tried their best to have Lexus be the last step in the brands. Scion/Toyota/Lexus. A I-4, while economical, is well economy in a luxury brand, which muddies things in America.
4. When the IS was being brought here, some wanted to bring the high revving 200hp I-4 from the Altezza here, while others wanted the 2JZ. The IS 200 in Europe always had an I-6. Research in America showed people thought luxury and I-4 =lol. So Lexus stuffed the 2JZ in the IS 300. The 6 cylinder trend continues in the IS 250/350.
5. Recently, I've thought about this. "Should Lexus change and bring 4 cylinders" due to gas prices? Thing is there is no 4 cylinder gasoline IS, only the diesel. A 4 cylinder in any other Lexus would look ridiculous.
6. Lexus is investing heavily in hybrids. We have the first batch and the dedicated Lexus hybrid will debut next January. The 2nd generations will be better than the first.
7. Historically, Lexus has been with BMW at the tops in fuel economy in most every vehicle they sell.


All in all, this thread brings up a good point. Will Lexus dumb down the brand with 4 cylinder engines as gas prices continue to climb. It might save some MPG but in the in the short and long term, it hurts the image of the brand.

mmarshall

We're also forgetting that one of the real figures is power and torque, not just number of cylinders. For instance, I did an Acura TSX-Lexus IS250 comparison just last week and found the TSX's 2.4L four just as peppy, if not more so, than the IS250's 2.5L V6. And look at the torque that Saab, itself an upmarket brand, gets from their turbo-fours in the 9-3 and 9-5. They have never sold a six or V8, to my knowledge, in anything other than the (Chevy trailBlazer) 9-7X. Haven't needed one.

mmarshall

Audi sells plenty of 4-cylinder cars here, too, in the A3 and A4.




In the long run, expensive gas is going to change a lot of so-called "images". When the first gas crunches hit in the 1970's, a lot of luxury cars were downsized and given smaller powertrains. The auto press said the public would never buy it. Well, the public DID. The only real flop was the Cadillac Cimarron....and that flopped for other reasons than just its engine alone. Even the Lincoln Versailles, which the press laughed at, was reasonably successful for several years.

SLegacy99

Saab sells a 6 in the 9-3. I wouldn't want it though. The 2.3L in the 9-5 has more power and gets better gas mileage. I think they just sell a 6 cylinder for the luxury status that so many people are talking about in this thread.

j stuff

iTrader: (5)

i agree with the others. keep the 4s to scion/toyota

LexFather

Mike, BMW sells more 1 series cars with 6 cylinders than Audi sells A3 4 cylinders. A4 has never been a huge seller.

mmarshall

Thanks...forgot about that one lone 6, but nevertheless you just proved my point. The in-line 4 outperforms it and gets better mileage. In like manner, I was impressed with the 2009 Acura TSX's in-line four when I drove it last week.