In terms of the general view, I'll say Lexus is perceived a tick below MB and BMW.
In my mind...they have been the nicer car for a long spell.

This to me comes back to what is available in North America. Bring in the Majestas, Crowns, Chasers; I think Toyota answers MB above and beyond. At the upper level mass sedan, Toyota needs to offer a long wheel base variant and engine option. For creature comforts they have it IMO.

 

Personally, I think its higher then the competiation, but as far as the uninformed rest of the world, its a tick below MB, and BMW, simply because heritage counts for something in this category.

Not to mention, both BMW, and MB have a $125K brand status car. (MB has more then anyone can keep up with).

Things will change when Lexus rolls out a $100K+ car.

 

I have to agree with many of the other posters that Lexus is still a notch below MB and BMW. Despite some of my criticisms of Lexus on this board, I'm hopeful that Lexus can ascend to the top in both the unknowing public's and car enthusiasts' eyes sooner rather than later. (I just hope that when they do reach the summit, prices don't climb too high.)

I think we've all learned not to underestimate Lexus, as they rose to near equals with the kings of German prestige in only 15 years. They've got reliability and customer service downpat. I think the only ingredients really missing are a sportier image, snazzier aesthetics, and time. Where Lexus has been trashed is in its "soullessness" and its "copycat and bland Japanese styling." When these attributes are added to the mix, and obviously they are currently being worked on (as the new L-finesse theme pays testament to), more and more car enthusiasts and auto rags will take notice. And while compared to the general public, us enthusiasts are a very minor group, we are a pretty influential and loud minority group.

The final piece of the puzzle will be time. Image doesn't change overnight. It almost seems inevitable that Lexus will dominate in sales, satisfaction, and prestige, but that day is still some to many years away.

Lastly, the car market is pretty fluid, as someone else noted. I don't doubt that Lexus will surpass BMW and MB one day, but that's if current trends continue and aren't fixed. Plus, we've got to set some time limits on the discussion, as 50 years from now, another brand might have been created (Hyundai or Miata luxury brand?) and incorporated lessons learned from all current luxury players, or maybe Acura, Cadillac, and Infiniti will have continued to climb and claw their way to the top. Regardless, if we're talking prestige within the next 20 years or so, I stand by my words above.

 

i defintely think lexus is still behind bmw and mb, i dont see them anywhere near them actually until they can push out a vehicle that can stand by the s600 and 760li, yeah our cars are reliable and luxurious, but we dont offer anyting near their top models, i think there is a reason why we dont see any celebrities fixing up lexus vehicles......... cause their image is nowhere close to of mb and bmw... just my 2 cents....

 

Being trained with Mercedes Benz and soon to be an employee of them, I think Lexus can compare to Benz. Even though Benz has been using the technology recently introduced to Lexus years ago, They are both using pretty much the same systems, but with different names

 

IMO, I say it's surpassed that of MB and BMW. But in the eyes of typical car buyer, Lexus probably is on the same level of MB and BMW or slightly below, but well ahead of Acura and Infiniti.

I would say what's probably keeping people from thinking of Lexus running in the ranks of MB and BMW is the brand has a short history, but Lexus accomplished so much in its 15 year running. Also, for the typical car buyer, some still think Lexus is nothing more than a Toyota with leather seats. My coworker's exact statement, but what I can say for a guy driving a Chevy.

 

I think Lexus is still below MB and BMW. Any Lexus will receive attention in a crowd, but not as much as a BMW or MB. I think the Prestige factor correlates with price too. What I mean by this is the difference in price is what makes the Germans get more Oohs and Ahhs. Like a member said earlier, if you have an S, 7, and LS in a parking lot. Chances are, the most people will go be Wowed by the S, then the 7, and then the LS. I think a lot is due to a Loaded S500 can being about $100k, a loaded 7 being $85k, and the UL LS being $70k. So the higher in price, the more people are impressed by it. Kinda like when you go shopping for clothes. The difference between a two nice dress shirts, one being Polo Ralph Lauren, and the other being some other company. The Polo will grab more attention.

The Germans also have the history beind them, but I think that only really gives MB the big boost.

All of this is not to say that each automaker does not make great cars and with have their Pros and Cons in certain areas.

 

Whoever keeps bumping this post by replying and deleting, quit it.

 

FYI, everytime someone posts a vote on that poll, the thread gets bumped to the top. I think you should know that by now.

 

i agree that it's definitely regional, but say here in the US, it's right below mb and bimmer. most people still dont' get lexus just coz' it's a lexus, they know lexus are good and get the cars after comparison and thinking.

mb and bimmer you get people who will just go in there and say oh well it's a mb/bimmer so i will get it. that's pretty dump, but that also means a lot

 

This will be really interesting. Hyundai is planning a Lexus-like luxury upmarket divivion right now as we speak. With the quality of the products they are turning out NOW............with prices in the low-teens to mid-twenties..............the prospect of what these upmarket vehicles will be like is just awesome.

 

Heh, oh, my bad. Doesn't work like that on the other forums. Voting doesn't bump, but posting will. I actually thought that was pretty annoying at first, but then I got used to it... Anywho, carry on.

 

I think that's the way it should be, otherwise if a few just voted & didn't post, the thread will just die & few people will see the updated poll results . . .

 

prestige dont mean anything to me, its all about how good the car is

 

if lexus can make a car able to compete with AMGs and M, then they will be perceived as equal. until then, i'd have to agree that lexus is still a notch below BMW and MB.