Eolafan

Can anybody on our forum tell me if the wood steering wheel on my 2015 ES350 is actually real wood or is it wood-like plastic? Thanks in advance.

Mike728

It's real.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

ALL Lexus have real wood trims.

Eolafan

Thanks guys...I appreciate the speedy replies.

lesz

Actually, most of the "wood" trim is a plastic base with a thin layer of real wood veneer on top of it, but I believe that the steering wheels are solid wood.

LeX2K

This is true mainly because the world is running out of fine hardwoods. But it doesn't change the look at all or the fact that Lexus has always used real wood trim even the lowly ES250 had beautiful wood treatments.

Does anyone know of a Toyota with real wood trim besides the GT2000?

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

That is correct. Everything that looks like wood in a Lexus is real wood, whether it is solid or veneer.

SW17LS

The reason is actually weight and cost savings, and resilience to temperature changes with a veneer vs solid wood. This isn't something unique to Lexus, all automotive wood trim is veneer.

The steering wheels are indeed solid wood around a metal core. Two pieces of wood actually sandwiched together.

lesz

Part of the reason for using veneer is that, if solid wood was used on curved surfaces, there would be significant waste in carving those curved surfaces out of a block of solid wood. When veneer is used, the thin strips of veneer can easily be bent to fit against a curved molded plastic base.

On my GX, the two pieces of trim around the center dash vents have a significant curve to their shape. If you look closely at those pieces, you can actually see, along the sides of the pieces, a line where the veneer has been laminated to the plastic base.

mcomer

BlackAdam

Pretty awesome! Thanks for sharing.

kellens

That video sure adds to the respect that a lot of artisans put into making these automobiles

Jaythomas

Amazing video.

Stereorob

not only is it legit wood, but have you ever noticed how the grain patterns all match?

the wood is made by the musical division of Yamaha (grand pianos etc) for lexus, and the patterns all match cause they are from a single tree