love_lexus

I like this barn door except in raining day.

DustinV

The Lexus qualities are definitely there, but from a styling point of view this thing has "Toyota" written all over it. And I have a problem with that.

I have commented on this topic before but I always felt that Lexus was doing a great job distancing themselves from Toyota in terms of styling - then came the LX570, the HS250h and now the GX460. Great cars, no doubt, but the styling isn't anything special. I was hoping that Lexus would seriously invent their own distinctive style that would first of all set them apart from Toyota and eventually keep evolving.

Right now, Lexus design, in my opinion, is still a mixture of Toyota influences and some semi-Lexus identifiable designs. Cars which really have the potential to influence future Lexus design are the IS, GS and LS (in my opinion).

Just some thoughts. Please feel free to criticize me.

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

No criticism here- I can see what you mean. To to be honest, this is a Toyota Landcruiser Prado, so we should wait to see what Lexus does in terms of redesigning the front end, wheels, lights, door handles and running boards, etc. They may also add some body moulding or accents, so anything is possible.

For now I am glad that the body is at least attractive. Between the RX, ISc, HS, and LX, I was pretty terrified

dunnojack

body cladding is so last decade.

there is still cladding, in a sense. look at the bulky fenders around the wheels.
the cladding is now integrated into the body.

lexus won't get that grille.

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

Mind you, the pic is of a Toyota.

Lexus will have enhancements to make it more luxurious...

lex

the current Prado has this grill to so you can't say anything about it

lexusscturbo

iTrader: (12)

And parallel parking lol

FKL

So is Lexus going to do a body carry-over from the Toyota model or actually make it distinctive this time around? They put so much time and effort into distinguishing the brand with L-Finesse, but just keep taking Toyota left-overs and doing close to no alteration... I wish push would come to shove and somebody inside the company would acknowledge that a Toyota with a Lexus badge isn't a Lexus, it's a Toyota (unless they have some sort of internal definition of a "real" Lexus that is different from mine). Just look at the current GX - there is zero distinction over the "Prado". Body and interior are carryovers.

Threxx

That might not matter to much to the average consumer who has never seen a prado. We have the 4runner and GX here and while they share a lot of the same basic design and are made in the same plant side by side, they still offer quite a bit of differentiation from them. I own a 4runner and before we got it I went and test drove the GX. I could tell that they were related, but the driving experience was still very different. The GX had a totally different more isolated and more 'solid' feel to it while driving, and the interior is clearly a big step up from the 4runner.

So maybe it's sold as a Toyota elsewhere but does that mean I'd want Toyota to spend a bunch more R&D on the GX just so they can claim it's a more unique vehicle, even if it's not actually much if any better? I mean there are definitely some differences between the Prado and GX... but I think if you wanted the differences to become more significant it would require a lot of R&D costs that wouldn't actually improve either product... they'd just keep people from being upset that their Lexus SUV is elsewhere in the world sold with a Toyota badge on it... and, what, maybe 1/10th of 1 percent of the GX owning population actually knows that, much less cares... so what's the point? If the GX is a good SUV, then it's good.

I think I've seen you go on a GX rant before saying the interior is not up to Lexus standards. And by the current model lineup, it's really starting to look dated, but when it first came out it definitely fit right in to the rest of their lineup. I'm sure the 2010 will perform similarly.

felixsc300

iTrader: (5)

Looks nice.

FKL

Thanks for this post, Threxx. I completely see where you are coming from. I suppose, like you said, it doesn't matter to the vast majority of the consumers who purchase these trucks, but it would to me, personally. So personally, it bothers me, but I understand the monetary gains that can be made by just carrying it over with subtle revisions.

ffpowerLN

iTrader: (1)

That's ok because Lexus knows when you are buying cars you'll head right to your local Audi/VW dealerships anyways...

Not a lost to them by any means.

LexFather

While the NIssan Fuga is called an Infiniti Skyline here, it still is built to the specs of a car in that class. A Prado is built to a higher standard, even if it just has a Toyota badge.

I can respect expensive VWs b/c they are built to that price point. So are Toyotas.

We proved on the other thread the current GX was award winning and did very very well in comparos. Its the real deal.

RXSF

looks alright. add some chrome bits, lexus grill, LEd tails, remote touch and it will be the GX

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

Damn, I got chewed out. I was an ex-GX owner here.

Guess I'm still stuck in the last decade b/c I love the body cladding.
Must be cheaper to produce it without the body cladding too.

I jumped the gun on the grill-I know the prado uses that and hope lexus won't.