Aron9000

The thing about a Benz G-wagon is it handles like a drunk elephant. Steering is super slow and like 8 turns lock to lock. Still a fun vehicle(and brutally quick in AMG trim), but the way it drives might put off quite a few people.

SW17LS

It does, but its not perfect. I spent some significant time in one at the car show. There is still hard, cheap feeling plastic on the lower doors and on the dash to the left of the steering wheel that doesn't belong in a $90,000+ vehicle, and isn't present on the LS or GS for instance. The doors don't have the same heft, and don't close with the same heavy "thump", all in all I don't feel the car feels as solid and high quality inside as the LS...which surprised me.

cino

iTrader: (1)

I'm not surprised they went cheap on lower doors because every mainstream luxury brand does that too. Though the cheap looking plastic on the left side is probably carriy-over from pre-refreshed.

SW17LS

I don't agree with that at all. Lexus themselves didn't do that on the LS or GS, and you won't find plastic like that in any MB, BMW, Audi, Cadillac, Range Rover at any price point approaching $90k.

Hayek

As much I immensely respect Lexus for their reliability record, I must be honest, I would never pick an IS 250 over a C300 because I'm not a fan of the new IS' design (The old IS was a very elegant car, though) and even though I'm not freakishly big (6'1 and 220 pounds that's quite thin for American standards) I found the IS interior to be very cramped.

So... Yeah... Screw Consumer Reports, I will have a C300 Sport in steel grey with black leather (which I can fit in it no problem at all), thank you very much.

Come to think of it, the spindle grille design ruined every single Lexus IMO, so for now I can say that I would rather take my chances and buy anything else other than a Lexus. I used to LOVE the Lexus GX 460 right up to the moment they fitted that hideous grille and now the car the grace and elegance of an effing gargoyle.

And besides Consumer Reports said that the Tesla Model S was the best thing ever created in all of human history since anaesthesia, only now to say that the car is a glorified piece of junk. So... Screw Consumer Reports and J.D Power for that matter as well.

Life's too short to give up prestige, luxury, style, performance, safety and handling just because some nerd says that the car that you like is not very reliable. Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Corvettes and Vipers catch fire for fun, but if you could afford any of those cars would you really say no and buy whatever blandtastic car CR or JD recommend? Come on... If you want to play, you have to pay.

Rhambler

Nothing wrong with that. I mean, if everyone listens to those nerds and didn't buy a car because they said it was unreliable, no one would ever buy an X or Y car or whatever said brand that nerd indicated was poor.

What people want, what people value, what people desire, what traits they look for are all different. There's no right or wrong answer...subjectivity, blind emotion all come into play when buying a new car.

You, for example, has that "life's too short" mantra when it comes to prestige, styling, "luxury," whereas some old geezer is sitting in the service bay at the dealership is saying to himself the same thing from a different perspective, "life is too short to constantly be at the dealership." Apples to oranges.

Good luck.

SW17LS

That to me is the key. It's not the cost, because new they're under warranty, is the time and the hassle of having to constantly take it in for something, or have something not working, having to write down a list of things and have the car out of commission for a couple days every oil change. It's something I didn't realize until I had a car that was problematic like that (my 2011 Jeep) how annoying that was, how stressful it was, etc.

And the GX460 was elegant? I've never found anything about the GX460 attractive.

1111GS

I've considered a few times but then got chickened out and stuck with Lexus.

You haven't changed.

SW17LS

LOL, I find the continued hatred of the spindle grill fascinating. On some cars its a little overdone I agree, but to hate it on *every* model. There are models that improved with the spindle grill, the GX is one IMHO, the previous gen RX, the LS, the GS, the LX I even think the IS and ES.... its a little much on the new RX, 16+ GS and the NX, and the RC can look a little awkward but I think it looks great on the RC-F.

EZZ

I chose the new IS because I loved the looks. Spindle Grill is much more desirable for me than the feminine beauty of the 2IS. However, I drove the new 3 series, C class and the IS350 and the driving dynamics won me over. The other two cars felt aren't a better drive. The IS350 has a far superior chassis and that's what won me over vs reliability.

Hayek

Well, I'm sorry, but the GX looked great before the spindle grille disaster and I'm fond of the GX and the LX because they are Land Cruisers and I always liked the Land Cruiser.

tex2670

CR bashed the new IS. I think it's pretty harsh myself--the prior generation was recommended, and the engine and drive train carry over, and the score drops from the mid 80s to the high 50s? I don't understand it.

LexBob2

As I recall, their low rating was on the IS250. They said the 350 is a much better choice.

1111GS

Well... then you changed a bit. Like many I like the refresh on the GX. I never thought I would have interest in this model until the refresh. Along with the new pricing (although I rarely see base model), I think Lexus got a good sale on it for its new refreshed frontal design. When some say their 3GS looks nicer than 4GS, I can see their reasoning if they merely talk about the exterior. But the GX? I can't seem to see it even a bit of it. I do feel the new grilles (RX, LX, GS and RC) a bit too much but I think it might be because they are too new. GS doesn't look too bad to me. I personally think our GS would have looked better if it were a little "thicker". The new grilles do make it look thicker maybe just a bit too much.
We all tend to think our car is nicer than the newly introduced, don't we?

yakim

I love the sentiments expressed and totally agree except that I absolutely hate dealing with service departments and their shady advisors, even if the car is covered by the warranty. So, all in all, I would stay away from the brands that are known as lemons