Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. Lexus led four categories (and Toyota two more,) and topped all manufacturers in J.D. Power’s 2018 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study. The consultancy firm's influential study measures the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles over the past 12 months by original owners of 2015 model-year vehicles. The study covers 177 specific problems divided into eight major categories. A lower numerical score indicates higher quality and Lexus earned the top score with 99 problems per hundred cars, with Porsche close behind at 100 problems per hundred, and Buick coming third with 116 (Toyota came in at 127). This marks the seventh straight year for Lexus as the most reliable brand, this in the midst of historically high marks for the industry overall.
Even though it is 2018 data mentioned here, what is astounding is not so much Lexus being on top in the reliability ratings (that's more or less to be expected)...but Buick, a GM product, being #3. And, in fact, in J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study (IQS), which measures the number of defects/problems in the first 90 days, Buick is actually on top at #1....with Kia second. That study shows how well the vehicle is built at the factory and delivered.
Some auto pundits have tried to explain Buick's good recent showings as a shift from domestic to (mostly) foreign manufacturing plants, and the fact that Buicks are driven by older, more conservative, and non-aggressive drivers, putting less strain and wear on the actual vehicles themselves. There may (?) be some truth in that, but I think it goes much deeper than that.
ES is made domestically. Cheaper to make with the ancient V6. No turbos. No state of the art E-axle. No full awd. Crown comes from Japan
Nobody except the most diehard Toyota loyalists will buy this over an equivalently priced Lexus ES. The same reason the Avalon is dead, and it was cheaper than the ES. In the context of the ES, this vehicle makes no sense.
