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If I remember correctly, the spindle grill is part of Lexus's effort to bring excitement and sportiness to its vehicles. IMHO, Lexus has failed in that regard - the spindle grills don't make the vehicles look sporty or exciting, they just make them look cartoonish and atrocious. Lexus seemingly has not mastered the art of making its cars looking sporty and classy at the same time like MB and Bimmer.
Has the sprindle grill helped sell more Lexus? I seriously question that it has. If we compare each vehicle's sales units before and after the adoption of spindle grill, we should get a more clear picture.
I think Lexus continues to make really nice vehicles, it's a shame that each one of them has a hideous face. For this reason we switched to BMW and Mercedes in the past few years. But we learned first hand that M/B have awful reliability. Therefore, we will come back to Lexus when it stops making ugly vehicles. Until then, no hideous Lexus for us.
If I remember correctly, the spindle grill is part of Lexus's effort to bring excitement and sportiness to its vehicles. IMHO, Lexus has failed in that regard - the spindle grills don't make the vehicles look sporty or exciting, they just make them look cartoonish and atrocious. Lexus seemingly has not mastered the art of making its cars looking sporty and classy at the same time like MB and Bimmer.
Has the sprindle grill helped sell more Lexus? I seriously question that it has. If we compare each vehicle's sales units before and after the adoption of spindle grill, we should get a more clear picture.
I think Lexus continues to make really nice vehicles, it's a shame that each one of them has a hideous face. For this reason we switched to BMW and Mercedes in the past few years. But we learned first hand that M/B have awful reliability. Therefore, we will come back to Lexus when it stops making ugly vehicles. Until then, no hideous Lexus for us.
Has anyone tried painting the Lexus grills so they match the color of the body?
I am thinking it would at least color match and there won't be as much "in your face" contrast. Or maybe it will make it look even worse lol, who knows.
I do think Lexus has attracted some new customers with their current styling and lost some of the old school customers that wanted a more subtle look that they had before.
as an aside, i wasn't aware that acura's reliability records were worsening. i was under the impression that it was one of the most reliable marques one could purchase from. honda makes some damn reliable machines.
I wonder if the worsening reliability records of Acura is really true. Honda hasn't all of sudden forgotten how to make reliable cars. CR is not the best way to guage anything as they don't really explain in detail things. How is it that Buick is doing better in reliability than the other GM models.
I think the masses have stopped caring what a vehicle actually looks like, how it drives, and if there's even an ounce of build quality that went into it.
They only care about getting a good deal, free maintenance program, and most importantly as much electronics and gizmos in it as possible.
If people still cared about how a vehicle looked, brands like Lexus, Nissan, Hyundai, Toyota and many others would be in big trouble since half of their cars look like some kind of mixture of a monster or goofy Disney character.
People still care about what a car looks like. Boring is out. Spindle is in.
as an aside, i wasn't aware that acura's reliability records were worsening. i was under the impression that it was one of the most reliable marques one could purchase from.
It was indeed one of the most reliable for years.......no question about it. But according to Consumer Reports (which I still consider the best reliability source available), reliability of recent models is not what it used to be. From what I've seen, they still come from the factory screwed-together like a Swiss Watch.....arguably some of the best factory quality-control in the business. But, from what even some Honda technicians are admitting (and there are a number of comments about that in Honda and Acura forums), cheaper, less-durable parts are being used under the skin, where they aren't so easily noticed at first by customers and reviewers.
How is it that Buick is doing better in reliability than the other GM models.
I've explained this a number of times, so I don't know why this question keeps coming up. The smaller, Opel-based/rebadged Buicks (Verano, Encore, Cascada, Regal) are substantially better-built and more reliable than the larger American-designed ones such as the LaCrosse and Enclave....and Buick, as a whole, substantially beats the other three GM divisions in reliability (as of now, it is #3 among all brands sold in the U.S., behind only Toyota and Lexus). The Chinese-built Buick Envision SUV, of course,having been in the American market only a few months, is still too new to have any significant reliability data.
Another thing that generally helps with Buick reliability is that, with the possible exception of a very few Regal GS buyers, they tend to be bought and driven by those who tend to drive conservatively and take care of their vehicles. In general, the less you abuse or stress an car, and the better you take care of it, the less trouble you are likely to have.
The constant complaining from people who frequent the forum astounds me.
The cars are too slow
The new RC too expensive
The GSF too expensive
The spindle grill too big or too ugly
The RCF too heavy
Can't tune a Lexus engine
The technology too old
The ride is too smooth
The ride is too harsh
I can't even remember them all.
i don't know that any of these 'people' complain about all of the above...
for example, of those, i personally:
- don't think lexus vehicles are too slow.
- don't think the rc is too expensive
- don't think the gsf is too expensive (especially since there's huge discounts to be had out there )
- don't think the rcf is too heavy
- don't think the ride is too smooth
- don't think the ride is too harsh
just yesterday, i was pointing out an LS to someone not familiar with lexus (believe it not - he buys [leases] one MB after another), telling them how wonderfully smooth and quiet they are.
Those people should leave.
respectfully, we value all opinions unless they are expressed in a way that violate CL rules.
Like living with a woman you hate but you stay for the sex. You'll still be miserable if the sex is all you like about her. One day you'll leave or learn to like something else about her. If you do stay, complaining about her is stupid. Same thing with a car.
and that right there was a horrible, sexist, and insensitive 'analogy'. please try to refrain going forward.
Originally Posted by Allen K
Lots of assumptions coming up in the next couple of sentences so no one get offended The older folks that like the floaty suspensions are more likely to be purchasing a car rather than leasing them. They're also more likely to keep them for a while. If I'm Lexus, am I more interested in the older 1 sale every 10 year customer who likes the floaty ride or the relatively younger 1 lease every 3 year customer who likes a firmer ride?
i don't know that more older customers are likely to buy than lease, but generally, of new car sales/leases, most customers period are older. that's what lexus has been working on of course. leasing has become more common across the board, in particular because things change so quickly now, and because many people in general want a new car more often. i bought my current vehicle, but could definitely see me leasing the next one, although the mileage i do puts me somewhat on the fence.
Originally Posted by 97-SC300
I think the masses have stopped caring what a vehicle actually looks like, how it drives, and if there's even an ounce of build quality that went into it. They only care about getting a good deal, free maintenance program, and most importantly as much electronics and gizmos in it as possible.
post of the day. i will say that while a lot of people aren't that fussed with the vehicles looks, they do care (a lot) about brand image and vehicle color (#1 factor in buying, always has been!).
Back in 2012, the original predator grills were quite conservative and blend in with the crowd.
The original F Sport packed a little more oomph.
However, with the 2016 refreshes of late, the predator grills are far more eye catching, and stand out, breaking away from the ordinary.
Most importantly, I think it finally gives Lexus some individuality.
Once this fad with the mis-named spindle goes away, you can bet Lexus and Toyota will walk this design back. Auto consumers can sometimes have short memories so once the Next Big Thing comes along, all is forgiven, especially for brand loyalists. Acura's gleaming metal beak is now in the dustbin of auto styling history, destined to be commented on in automotive style books about bad decisions, bad designs and bad marketing.
I'm glad Toyota and Lexus did this to make a statement but I don't think that they needed to slap the grill on every product. And yes Audi did this well over a decade ago, but they also went straight back to their Auto Union racers for inspiration to fix the "boring" front ends of their otherwise handsome cars. And Audi grills are generally nice and flat with no ridiculous weird busy front ends that look like a Fast and Furious mod.
Apparently one of the cardinal no-go's of auto styling is that you don't "pinch" your grill at its midpoint or higher. You're basically making your car look nose heavy with the big fat lower portion and then giving your vehicle a "scowl face".
Rounded triangles and trapazoids are better. And the other thing - the "spindle" fans have forgotten that you have to style the rest of the car too. I can't see why you slap a cowcatcher on an otherwise boring side slab sided profile like the GS or RX and call it edgy and different. BMW 5 series has run into this issue too with the side profile looking rather plain but they use cut lines to accentuate the body. Mercedes has now done really well with their E and S class.
Folks this topic has been discussed ad nauseum with dozens of threads. This one with several members telling others to leave CL because they like or dislike something has become the type of rude discussion we will not foster on our community.
01-02-17, 10:20 AM
The smaller, Opel-based/rebadged Buicks (Verano, Encore, Cascada, Regal) are substantially better-built and more reliable than the larger American-designed ones such as the LaCrosse and Enclave....and Buick, as a whole, substantially beats the other three GM divisions in reliability (as of now, it is #3 among all brands sold in the U.S., behind only Toyota and Lexus). The Chinese-built Buick Envision SUV, of course,having been in the American market only a few months, is still too new to have any significant reliability data.
please try to refrain going forward.
i will say that while a lot of people aren't that fussed with the vehicles looks, they do care (a lot) about brand image and vehicle color (#1 factor in buying, always has been!).
