What's The Point Of Owning A 'Luxury' Car Anymore?
08-31-16, 07:46 PM
#181
Lexus Fanatic
one thing that blows me away is the 22 buttons on the steering wheel 
i can control almost everything without taking my hands off the whee
i can control almost everything without taking my hands off the whee
08-31-16, 07:50 PM
#182
Lexus Fanatic
Yes, all the buttons are workable with your thumbs.
08-31-16, 10:28 PM
#183
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
But if you have both hands gripping the wheel, as is recommended on some dicey road conditions, that leaves only two free thumbs sticking out. Are all those 22 switches/controls on the wheel close enough (or designed in a suitable manner) that your two thumbs can easily reach and/or operate them without having to take the hand off the wheel? I couldn't say for sure without actually seeing the design, but, in general, methinks probably not.
09-01-16, 06:00 AM
#184
Lexus Fanatic
When I first tried to test-drive an IS300 (before I bought one), all I could do was manually-downshift. I couldn't manually upshift again until the salesperson showed me the (completely hidden) button behind the spokes. Somewhat embarrassing, as I can usually figure out a lot of things for myself when driving, though I'm still not that good with things like Bluetooth, MP3, SYNC, etc.....
Last edited by mmarshall; 09-01-16 at 06:03 AM.
09-03-16, 11:33 PM
#185
Jeep has been doing that for years, drove a 1998 5.9 Limited V8 Grand Cherokee, it had buttons on the back of the wheel that turned the volume up/down and tuned the radio. Fastest SUV in the world for 1998, kind of funny how my 1999 Z28 Camaro ran about a second and a half better quarter mile ET, cost about half as much as that truck, and was WAY better on gas.
09-04-16, 03:14 AM
#186
Lexus Fanatic
Jeep has been doing that for years, drove a 1998 5.9 Limited V8 Grand Cherokee, it had buttons on the back of the wheel that turned the volume up/down and tuned the radio. Fastest SUV in the world for 1998, kind of funny how my 1999 Z28 Camaro ran about a second and a half better quarter mile ET, cost about half as much as that truck, and was WAY better on gas.
09-04-16, 10:38 AM
#187
The new ad for Infiniti Q60 has a statement in it that strikes me a lot about how I judge cars. "The most important thing about a car is how it makes you feel".
I like a smooth quiet ride, lots of room, nice materials and workmanship. To me, this is luxury and I feel good no matter what the badge on the hood says. For me, the Genesis G90 is truly a luxury car. I can accept (though not completely understand) how the right badge on a lesser car for some people makes them feel good and as if they had "arrived".
I like a smooth quiet ride, lots of room, nice materials and workmanship. To me, this is luxury and I feel good no matter what the badge on the hood says. For me, the Genesis G90 is truly a luxury car. I can accept (though not completely understand) how the right badge on a lesser car for some people makes them feel good and as if they had "arrived".
09-04-16, 11:14 AM
#188
Lexus Fanatic
Originally Posted by oldcajun
The new ad for Infiniti Q60 has a statement in it that strikes me a lot about how I judge cars. "The most important thing about a car is how it makes you feel".
I like a smooth quiet ride, lots of room, nice materials and workmanship. To me, this is luxury and I feel good no matter what the badge on the hood says. For me, the Genesis G90 is truly a luxury car. I can accept (though not completely understand) how the right badge on a lesser car for some people makes them feel good and as if they had "arrived".
I like a smooth quiet ride, lots of room, nice materials and workmanship. To me, this is luxury and I feel good no matter what the badge on the hood says. For me, the Genesis G90 is truly a luxury car. I can accept (though not completely understand) how the right badge on a lesser car for some people makes them feel good and as if they had "arrived".
And now they have a premium badge too.
09-04-16, 08:57 PM
#189
My 2010 Prius also has water-repellent front door glass and felt-covered A and B pillar trim. (These last two are only available on the top model. The base models have regular front side windows and plastic covered pillar trim).
09-05-16, 04:39 AM
#190
Lexus Test Driver
One thing to point out is that the German "luxury" brands really aren't "luxury," but they do offer cars in the $100k+ level.
I use to live in Germany when my father was stationed there, and BMW and Mercedes was almost like Chevy and Ford here, but their top models was in the stratospheric dollar range. Heck, I remember seeing nothing but BMW and MB police cars and these cars were pretty ubiquitous.
Volkswagen was the only brand back then that offered really cheap cars, but they even tried to sell upper echelon vehicles under that brand, but kind of gave up and moved to Audi.
These German "luxury" brands really aren't luxury, but just offers a full gamut of cars, from cheap people movers, to cars you might see at Pebble Beach. They did offer a bit more premium, but it wasn't until the 80s that they started to cash in on perception. Back then, these brands offered ordinary people movers like everyone else. It didn't help that the exchange rate back then made these cars more expensive then they really were. Our brands moved that upper echelon to different brands, Cadillac and Lincoln in particular.
Toyota and others had to make different brands to justify those dollars and try to break the stranglehold on top-tier, expensive vehicles, that for the Germans, were considered just a normal part of the lineup.
Of course, these alternative brands cashed in on that "luxury" reputation even more by offering lower-priced, but still more expensive models, but the main aspect, at least for Lexus, was to try and break that top-shelf model of MB and BMW. They didn't have to repackage themselves to sell an equivalent $100k car as they offered that all along as part of their normal lineup.
I use to live in Germany when my father was stationed there, and BMW and Mercedes was almost like Chevy and Ford here, but their top models was in the stratospheric dollar range. Heck, I remember seeing nothing but BMW and MB police cars and these cars were pretty ubiquitous.
Volkswagen was the only brand back then that offered really cheap cars, but they even tried to sell upper echelon vehicles under that brand, but kind of gave up and moved to Audi.
These German "luxury" brands really aren't luxury, but just offers a full gamut of cars, from cheap people movers, to cars you might see at Pebble Beach. They did offer a bit more premium, but it wasn't until the 80s that they started to cash in on perception. Back then, these brands offered ordinary people movers like everyone else. It didn't help that the exchange rate back then made these cars more expensive then they really were. Our brands moved that upper echelon to different brands, Cadillac and Lincoln in particular.
Toyota and others had to make different brands to justify those dollars and try to break the stranglehold on top-tier, expensive vehicles, that for the Germans, were considered just a normal part of the lineup.
Of course, these alternative brands cashed in on that "luxury" reputation even more by offering lower-priced, but still more expensive models, but the main aspect, at least for Lexus, was to try and break that top-shelf model of MB and BMW. They didn't have to repackage themselves to sell an equivalent $100k car as they offered that all along as part of their normal lineup.
09-05-16, 08:51 AM
#191
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
09-05-16, 07:39 PM
#192
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
I can accept (though not completely understand) how the right badge on a lesser car for some people makes them feel good and as if they had "arrived".
gets back to the chart i put together and posted on page 5 as to which 'buttons' are needed for consumers:
09-06-16, 09:36 PM
#193
09-07-16, 01:23 PM
#194
just a tidbit - In Paris last month, I Uber-ed all the time - Citroen, Peugeot, BMW, Renault. Out of all them, the BMW (3 series) felt extremely comfortable and in control over the cobble stone roads of Paris. The rest of the cars, it was either floaty (Citroen) or just harsh (Renault, Peugeot). It is then one realizes why the BMW is revered.
09-07-16, 01:44 PM
#195
Lexus Champion
just a tidbit - In Paris last month, I Uber-ed all the time - Citroen, Peugeot, BMW, Renault. Out of all them, the BMW (3 series) felt extremely comfortable and in control over the cobble stone roads of Paris. The rest of the cars, it was either floaty (Citroen) or just harsh (Renault, Peugeot). It is then one realizes why the BMW is revered.
