I still really, really love owning and driving a sedan. With that said, in our house we have one CUV/SUV, one truck, and one sedan. If we had to let one go, it would be the sedan, even though it's my favorite. The GS just cannot match the Highlander's utility. The Highlander can take 6 people, can haul a good bit, gets excellent gas mileage, and is perfect for the family, despite being my least favorite of the three. Not only do I absolutely love driving the Tundra, it's safe because we need it to pull the trailer and for yard/house projects.

It's pretty easy to see why CUVs/SUVs are so popular, at all levels, including high end luxury.

 

Sedan, convertible, and very capable SUVs, especially LX.

The perfect fleet. Overkill a little bit, there's just two of us... lol.

 

I think there is a happy medium. Having had that Yukon Denali for a week, my wife and I were very happy to get back into the Pacifica at the airport. It just drives better, its easier to live with, feels much lighter on its feet and less stressful to drive. The Yukon is a great vehicle, but its just not something either of us have any interest in driving day in and day out. But, there are a lot of unibody large SUVs that have most of its benefits without most of its drawbacks, they have the high seating position, the utility, the go anywhere ability while still maintaining the ease, nice ride and maneuverability of a sedan. Something like a Range Rover, GLS, X7 etc is really what is a replacement for a big luxury sedan IMO. Even something like a GLE or X5 or Range Rover Sport delivers a very polished ride and the interior quality and build quality and refinement of something like an LS with a lot more utility in an overall package that is about the same length.

 

Utility is great in a SUV but I still like driving my sedan every day. I just like the way it drives/handles. I don’t need the utility on a daily basis. We will always have one SUV but I don’t see us having two.

 

If I were to get an SUV we would keep the minivan also. Wouldn't get 2.

 

I've been thinking of trying to get by without our SUV...RX 350. I'm going to trade our IS 350 for a IS 500 Ultimate Edition. Had the wild idea of replacing the RX with a LC 500 or CT5 V Blackwing while they are still being made to make a dream garage. But that would give me two v8 rwd vehicles. The RX is handy for bad weather, taking a pet to the vet, and taking my 80 year old Dad to the doctor. Might be hard to do without an SUV unfortunately.

 

Who cares if you have too many cars....

They make me happy and I like looking at them and driving them.

 

Like I've said before its about the mental load. I don't want more than 2 cars because its just that much more to think about and worry about.

 

I can understand that. I just love cars, the ones I own I love too much I guess lol. I won't dump any car of mine until it turns into a piece of junk and/or money pit.

But yes the registrations, maintenance, insurance cost etc. are enough extra worth mentioning when you own a bunch of cars.

I just spent like $1200 in tires on the LS430, am about to drop $2000 for new Michelins and a dealer alignment for the Merc, and within a year the Yukon will need some Michelins.

It can be expensive, even when the money isn't a problem it's still a lot.

 

I love cars too, but I have too much else to think and worry about. If I were retired or my kids were grown or I didn't have them or something that would be different...

 

Not surprising at all. I personally think Lexus, as a brand, peaked around 2008, and from then on it was nothing but downhill for them—zero innovations.

 

the lc500 (launched late 2017 as a 2018) was an impressive accomplishment and a one of a kind design and beautiful build quality.

but yeah, apart from that... pretty weak, but they sell mostly to people who upgrade from toyota so the 'excitement' bar is very low, lol.
but they know what they're doing and still sell a ton of cars very profitably. just not many to enthusiasts.

 

Well, I still think 4GS (2012) is one of the best things they ever did, but I am super biased.

 

I agree, 4GS was a great car

 

4GS is a great sedan and I wonder why they wouldn't base off this and introduce a new LS. We've been two SUV family for a while now. 4GS was my last sedan. While it drives great, I just feel more comfortable above the ground a little more. After the GS, went through quite a few Lexus SUVs. We've been Lexus free () for a while now but still two SUV family. To think of it, I don't know what our next car will be.