Devh

The way I see it it's not cheaper parts. There is more money thrown in the research and development for a Camry and Tacoma then the LS. That reliable hardware gets trickled up the food chain and packaged apropreatly. Other makes do just the oposite. Toyota like most Japanese makes of other products like expensive camera lenses takes pride in their workmanship. Even the Toyota veichicls manufactured in the U.S. has the same quality assurance. Honda found out long ago it's not the American worker its management.

swfla

iTrader: (1)

It's also nice to have less costly and readily available parts made possible by spreading it across several models. My nearest Lexus dealer is a 90 minute drive away, doable, but an all day affair. It's nice to have a Toyota dealer/service in my town. Options for pricing and time spent. That's a good thing in my book.

roadfrog

While Lexus has innovated many "firsts", I appreciate them for being a company that PERFECTS other's innovations. I prefer that because, while my 7 series BMW had many firsts, none of them were reliable or very well thought out (ie: "I-Drive). Lexus will take something another manufacturer has introduced and then perfect it and make it dead reliable. The down side is that some will consider Lexus to be a bit behind the times.

R Z

If you will find the book The Relentless Pursuit, you'll know that before the LS400, the body styles of the other luxury sedans were boxy old style forms. Lexus introduced a new style, a new better performance, and a new way to drive in luxury without compromising a quiet driving experience.

As mentioned, I'll take my LS460 whether outdated or not compared to any of the other "luxury" vehicles on the road. Life in a Lexus is good!

Gbp

Others have posted about Lexus's ground-breaking innovations. It's easy enough to use Wikipedia and Google other sources to get a comprehensive list. Regardless of past accomplishments, it seems there's a common perception that Lexus hasn't continued to innovate or improve, resulting in other car makes not only closing the gap, but perhaps surpassing Lexus. Another perception is that the LS460, especially prior to 2013, had a somewhat bland appearance. I think "understated" is a better word.

A car is more than any single aspect, such as exterior and interior appearance, technological features, comfort, ride, handling, performance, craftsmanship, quality, and reliability. If you look at the LS, you'll find it's probably tops in reliability, and near or at the top in most other categories for a large luxury car. Arguably, you can come up with examples, some of which are more subjective than others, of a different make/model which is superior than the LS in some features, but depending on the weight you assign to these different categories, the LS could easily rank as the best overall.

Innovation is just one aspect of the whole picture and for me has a lower priority than reliability and some other categories. For example, I really like the presence, luxurious interior, and reputed performance of the Jag XJ, but concerns about reliability, rear seat headroom, ease of access, a few exterior styling miscues, and some features that seem more gimmicky and less durable (e.g. the pop-up transmission ****) than useful would make me reluctant to purchase it. I also think the super-aggressive design might simply look trendy and, eventually, dated.

This is why I like the relatively understated appearance of the LS. It manages to bridge the gap between traditional and modern styling, especially on the 2007-2012 model years. I prefer its more aerodynamic styling and appearance compared with the LS430 and LS400, although I think one could argue the latter two are more traditional. To use a suit analogy, the LS430 and LS400 remind me of Brooks Brothers with their center vents, the LS460, LS600h bring to mind a more modern, yet sill classic European suit with side vents. It's just an analogy, OK?

dlbuckls10

Lexus - the pursuit of perfection. The innovation of reliability.

ShamanLS

Well, old vehicles were simpler compared to today's vehicles. Also, the old labor are not like the new labor used today. The experience varies

primatives

Thanks guys!!. Interesting read!

SW17LS

Not sure where you live, but in the US at least a Lexus priced at or over $100,000 is VERY rare. Its basically only a VERY loaded LS460L or an LS600hL. I would say nationwide perhaps 1 or 2 vehicles priced this way sell each month, if even that many.