AlexusAnja

This might be a thread that belongs in general car chat but I wanted it here to see what other LS430 owners are thinking about the possible new LS look given the new GS and leaked photos from China of the ES250.

I had always thought I would not replace my 430 with a 460 because the 460 did not distinguish itself enough from the ES and now with the family grille design, it looks like Lexus is going to adopt Audi's small, medium, large philosophy in design. I think the look of the GS fits it, but I don't think the design carries well into the ES and I'm scared about how it will look on the LS.
The LS is the flagship and it is suppose to have a top tier luxury and sophisticated look. I think the new front end is 'sporty' but it's not luxurious for a LS.
I just might have to keep my 430 seven more years... which is not a bad thing.

Enigma869

It's always amusing to me when I hear anyone make comments comparing the LS vs. the ES. I've driven both vehicles and the comparison is beyond ridiculous! They couldn't be more different vehicles if they tried! Comparing an ES to an LS is analgous to comparing a Kia to an S-Class Mercedes. Heck, all BMW's look identical and nobody seems to complain about that. If you look at a 3 Series, a 5 Series, and a 7 Series, they all look identical from the front. Drive the 3 Series for a week and then jump into the 7 Series for a week. You'll quickly learn that they're not close to the same car and there is a reason that one of them is more than twice the cost of the other one!

John

AlexusAnja

Agree... my comments were just at looks. Ray Charles could tell the handling differences between an ES and LS. As for BMW, that's there trademark grille like Rolls so they'll live or die by it, but the kidney bean shape is not radical so easy to design around.

Muti007

No one said they drive similarly, he was saying theyre styled far too similarly. And Id have to agree. They just do not have any gravitas. When you see one at a light or see one pulling away, you are not struck with the thought that a rather expensive luxury flagship is in front of you. Rather, it barely looks like a step above the ES300. And Id bet to the average person who doesnt know cars at all, theyre probably indistinguishable.

Im worried about its replacement too. All of the new Lexus cars are getting the stupid new pinched in at both sides front end and Im sure the LS will too. Ive already seen it on the IS and an IS convertible, and it looks like butt. Adding it to an even bigger car? No thanks.

Slvr surfr

iTrader: (1)

Add me to the worried list. I was just thinking about this the other day. Although i think if they tried real hard it can work but they would definitely have to try real hard. The new look is very aggressive and sporty that really don't translate to Tier 1 luxury IMO. I'm not gonna throw it under the bus just yet but i am very anxious about the new LS with this design language.

Dailow

I'm actually more curious as to what Lexus has in line for the new LS, since rumors say that the new ES is going to be the quietest car that Lexus has ever produced.
(Source)

Considering that the LS is known for road isolation, it's an interesting crossroads to see if they're going to inject more sportiness into the LS.

Jabberwock

The only good thing I can say is that the new front end styling looks better than the atrocious laughable front ends that Acura has been using - unfortunately that's not saying much.

The Japanese auto makers surely engineer some super high quality cars and their interiors and their ergonomic user interface designs are in general really excellent but their exterior designs is not their strong suit. They are way better off when they just take direction on exterior design from Mercedes, Audi and Volkswagen. I think most modern BMWs look like crap except for the latest version of the Z4 that is actually a big improvement over the previous totally fugly Z4.

Muti007

I dont see aggressive and sporty, I just see ugly. Have you seen the new LX?




More likely, if that rumor is true, the ES just debuts before the new LS so they claim its their quietest car ever and it gets a lot of press for being so. Then comes the granddaddy of ultrasmooth a little later

Enigma869

Right, and the "average person" also doesn't know the difference between a C Class Mercedes and an Mercedes SLR McLaren. I still think it's a silly argument when talking about just exterior syling. Again, aside from the length of the car, a 3 Series BMW looks just like a 7 Series BMW. I do agree with you on the point about the new Lexus styling. While I'm intrigued by the new Lexus Enform platform, I looked over the new GS at my local dealership and definitely don't love the way it looks. Then again, thought the SC convertible was one of the more hideous looking cars ever made. I guess everyone has their own preference.

AlexusAnja

It's true that the average person with cars can't tell the difference between a camry, accord or corolla much less between an ls or es, but we're talking about us... the car fanatics who can tell the difference in the night between a 02 or 05 LS just by looking at the taillights.
My question is for us ls owners who now have to think are we going to like the new ls or not, based on the current trend.

Muti007

Ill have to respectfully disagree.

Most everyone knows when they see an S class or a 7 series that theyre looking at big money and those cars command respect by just about everyone. C classes and 3 series? Sorry but no. And only an idiot could look at something as outrageous as an SLR Mclaren and not be able to distinguish it from its lower brethren. They may not know what it is, but they will know its likely more $$ than their house. IT practically screams it.

The current LS looks little more than a Camry or an ES to most everyone IMO. The last LS didnt.

Kira X

iTrader: (24)

I'm definitely worried about the new LS. The new spindle grille looks alright on the GS, but I don't want to see it on every Lexus. The LS used to stand out from the ES back in the LS430 and ES300/ES330 days, but that is not the case now. The current LS looks too similar to the ES in my opinion. The average person might get them mixed up, I know I did before I got into the car scene.

It also seems that Lexus is really putting a lot of effort into the next ES, almost too much. The way they describe the next ES, it sounds like it will overshadow the GS, IS, and maybe even the LS. It seems weird that Lexus wants to make the ES the most quietest car instead of the higher end cars like the GS or LS.

V8_Fan

They said that about the current ES vs. the LS430. Having driven many ES's, although there's not a whole lot of difference on surface streets (in terms of noise), on the highway, the ES whistles near the driver's left ear. I don't hear anything like that in my LS.

As far as SUV looks go, even the salesman admits that the older LX470 looks better than the current LX570.

AlexusAnja

The entry level RX and ES are Lexus' real meat-n-potato vehicles that rake in the money, and with Buick (yes, Buick) and Hyundai behind it's tail (and close I might say) it's got to raise the bar very high and exceed expectations and comparison. The GS and IS are more sporty vehicles, so you kind of don't want too much isolation, or you'll take away from the roar of the engine and revving. ES and LS drivers, we don't want noise... we're sensitive...

2013 ES will be quietest Lexus, until the LS is introduced. The ES will never trump the LS in anything (except price) just by virtue that it will always be the entry level luxury vehicle, that's a good value.

I know that the new GS will probably have a true "F" variant, not just F-sport add ons, so that will make it interesting, but the ES and GS are so close in design, I really think that the ES will take more of the GS's share of Lexus buyers. Not many people are going to be able to tell the ES from GS, and that's what I'm afraid with the LS, that it's going to just be a BIG ES. Someone mentioned that when you see a S or 7 series, you know that someone serious is driving that vehicle... if you see a LS that looks like an ES and think it's an ES... then

AlexusAnja

Oh boy... if this (sneak peak) is correct, Lexus is not just going to allude to the corporate grille on the LS, they're going to stuff it in our face. I guess my LS430 will be mine for another generate (which isn't a bad thing actually... we love our 430).