I enjoy Doug's vids. even though I don't always agree with him. I think he should've mentioned LTR over the competitors for the IS.

 

I think he did mention that the reliability is good, but I think it is a given that most enthusiasts know that anything Lexus isn't going to be anything but reliable. He does get both a regular car buying and enthusiast crowd, and IMO, the enthusiast side said, meh, it isn't BMW M340i or AMG C43 fast enough. IMO, that's what the enthusiast looks at as the standard for this segment, while a non-enthusiast buyer may not care as much about the power.

 

I'm not so sure. When your competition out sells you mightily, clearly both enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts would rather buy the competition than the IS.

 

What is LTR? I do enjoy Doug as well.

 

Long term reliability.

 

I think the refresh may not be able to sway a large amount new buyers to the brand but I think it will sell fine to the Lexus loyalists and maybe that really is their plan since, as Doug mentioned it, people aren’t buying sedans anymore so why invest in them.

 

I think sedans for family use is transitioning to CUVs for sure. However, sports sedans will always remain because they serve a need for enthusiasts and the Germans do great in that segment. Its obvious that Lexus has given up sport and is mostly going after luxury so the IS will always get the 2nd hand treatment vs. the ES now. Doug was pretty much spot-on in his review of the IS.

 

People are still buying sedans, perhaps not at the level as in the past. By not investing in a new IS, it is a self fulling prophecy. SUVs and Crossovers didnt always use to sell at the numbers that they do now, but they invested in their future anyways.

 

And that is why some fanboys are butt hurt that Doug doesn't embrace "reliability". While it brings in certain customers, it isn't the bringing the customers (aka the enthusiasts) that they've targeted with the F Sport models. The 2GRFSE is improved, but the power is still that of a base engine in most of its competition.

 

Reliability is something you appreciate after owning the car for years. In most cases, Doug barely has the amount of time with these cars to get a vague idea of what it'd be like to live with the cars.

Having said that, cars these days are getting more and more reliable (for the most part), making reliability advantages middling most of the time, especially when we're talking brand-new models.

 

Is Long Term reliability important to the majority of Lexus Customers (new cars only)? Keep in mind as of 2020, majority of new Lexus vehicles sold are leases according to Experian Automotive Data Reports.

Bottom line, one can dislike that lack of power of this refresh as a valid concern, but probably the only thing one can really dislike. As long as those lease rates are outstanding, the target demographic will continue leasing em until, other brands starting paying customers to switch.

 

Lack of power aside, no memory sit or an auto folding mirror in a 50k car, at least in USA. Common. The way i see it, if someone is getting it for long term, yes, but this is a boring lease for people that change their vehicles all the time. I definitely got my eyes on those Genesis when I'm ready to get a new vehicle.

 

Leasing applies to other brands as well and they still outsold the IS. Luxury brands needs to make its owners feel special. Right now, nothing in the Lexus lineup, maybe except the LC convertible, makes its owners feel special. Sure if you are a Lexus diehard, but outside of that, there's not much there.

 

I`m glad you brought up Genesis, cause they`re probably the only ones who are going to pay Lexus customers in value to switch brands.

Leasing and LTR imho dont really go hand in hand is the point I`m stressing. Feeling special is a whole different ball game for a customer picking up an IS vs a 100k LC convertible.

 

I think most non-enthusiasts lease based on brand and Lexus is a tier below BMW and Mercedes and even Audi to most people's eyes. Thats mostly why the 3 series and C class beat the IS in sales because they feel special in those German brands. For enthusiasts, other things matter and the only thing Lexus does better is long-term reliability and maybe handling....even that, I bet its mostly comparable. So can Lexus win over enthusiasts with the new IS? We will see.