So today I was looking at our competitors and found out that there are things that they do better.

For instance, these window switches, buttons, from Merc looks way better tan my Lexus (not painted, no "design nor signs at all", dull, plain. cheap)





What are the things that you can't stand or you feel that the competition is doing better?

I don't think changing this things would cost a lot of money for Lexus but the gain and impact could be exponential.

 

i dont really care for MB switches, i think Lexus controls are way more ergonomic.

I am not sure what would i want Lexus to copy myself - i buy Lexus because it is lexus. If I preffered MB/Audi/BMW, I would have bought them.

If we are talking about our cars that we own, I can tell you what would i have wanted them to improve in 2IS for my next car for instance, that makes more sense to me... Most of these things are much better in 3IS/RC - for instance powertrain (IS300h) is much better than my 2IS. There is more steering feel and better suspension. There are less squeaks and rattles. More space in the back and bigger trunk.

Every manufacturer has their own advantages - BMW has best diesels, MB has prestige, Audi has - cloth interiors? lol. I guess they have google earth maps or something like that :P.

 

well, now that i thought about it more - I always liked ambient lighting in Audi cars. Interior lights up as (red) xmas tree... unlike lexus, which is a lot more subdued. RC has some kind of ambient lighting as well so thats good.

 

Bothers the hell out of me how long Lexus automatic light take to engage. Seems that ~10 seconds of exposure to dark is needed before they will turn on...if you're going 60 mph through a tunnel, you will be nearly out the other side before they engage. Every other brand - even mainstreamers like Jeep and Mazda - have an instantaneous response to darker conditions.

 

In the 1990s, the doors on a Lexus shut with a THUNK. Today, on most of them, they shut with a light "Bwik" sound. The interior hardware also seemed much more solid back then.

 

this is adjustable in every lexus and toyota car... I find it pretty good as we have a lot of trees on our streets so a lot of german cars light turn on too easy.

 

something that is also adjustable is automatic wipers, you can get dealer to adjust how sensitive is to the "rain"

 

For what its worth, I own both of those window switches. While the C class ones are nice, what you don't see in that lexus picture is that you get blue lighting (at least on my RX) beneath the window pull switches. Its a pretty nice touch and looks good at night



Now, onto my list:

I want fabric wrapped panels on the bottom of the interior doors, by the map pocket so that getting in and out doesn't leave scratches from shoes.

I want a full color display between the gauges, not the ugly monochrome display

I want an electronic parking brake

I want there to be one consistence use of LED DRLs, ie. if LED tubes are used on the LS, they should use tubes for every other model.

I want LED turn signals in the rear and front, especially if you are getting LED headlights as an option

I want sunglass holders along with enform, why is that so hard?

I want 3D flyover with topography on the maps

I want 12 inch screens for all models

I want all models to have the same park distance control system. Not sure why some have it flush while others have the ugly old kind

Im sure there are more, but all of these small things add up to a big thing. Not sure if I will end up with a Lexus next.

 

My biggest gripe is cost cutting materials plain and simple. I'm buying a Luxury car, I expect more than rough plastics, a bit of leather and followed by some more iffy plastics.

As I and Marshall have mentioned in past threads too, doors do not close with the Patented Lexus Thud.

It's not. In fact the Infiniti puts their SOS to side of their Sunglass Holder in the Q50

 

1. Why no independent foglight control? I did hear before about how there's a legal requirement that foglights can only be turned on when low beams are on, but I see many cars (eg. Infiniti) that uses their foglights as DRL, and other cars I see with foglights on in addition to DRL. So that reason seems like BS.

2. Stock offsets suck. Even my IS-F, a "performance car": I love the look of my stock wheels but I'm left to use spacers in order to make them flush with the body. Germans do offsets like a bawss. Even the Ford Edge sport I saw today had nice flush offsets. All Lexus/Toyota have this issue.

3. "Toyota" stamped all over Lexus parts boxes. Walk into a gorgeous new Lexus service and parts department, enjoy the lattes, the fancy aquarium, the fine leather sofas... all befitting the ambiance of a luxury brand, then walk up to the parts counter and see 10 million "Toyota" logos all over the shelves. Yes I know it's made by Toyota but could ya at least keep up the continuity for appearance? Do Porsche parts come in VW boxes? Do Ferrari parts come in Fiat boxes? Come on.

 

I actually like that aspect of Lexus. It means that they're dirt cheap to maintain and anybody who works on Toyota can work on a Lexus(at least on the older cars).

And I agree about the "thunk" of the doors on the older models being far superior. That huge door on my SC300 requires a good tug to get it to close, has a very nice feel/sound/heft about it.

Also the "mouse" thing Lexus uses on its newer cars is infuriating IMO. Touch screens are the way to go, fingerprints be damned.

 

Carry over engines with 5 hp bumps. I also hate the coat hanger sway bars .

 

Sunroof size. Always seems to be the same. I want bigger and more sunroof options . Also that black plastic trim around it can make noise and it's on every model it seem

 

Good point. I had a 1991 Cadillac Brougham with the sunroof option, almost 1/2 of the roof was glass on that car.

Now days BMW, Benz, and Cadillac are offering completely glass roofs, where the sliding glass portion is almost 1/2 half of the roof. Might not be practical for desert climates(unless you keep the sunshade closed, but then what's the point??) but its still a really neat option that totally transforms the car, considering something as basic as a Honda Civic EX has a sunroof as standard.

 

Do you want to pay Porsche or Ferrarri prices? Even Audi parts are extremely expensive. You may dislike the label but it is saving you money.