Interesting new video. At least in a dark color that side thing doesn’t look quite as bad as on a light color (because of the shiny black plastic). But I still don’t like it - it might look ok on a Camry but NOT on a Lexus.

 

Maybe they'll start matching the color of that hideous lightening bolt to the color of the car. That would make the looks more palatable. But for me the deal breaker is the size of the 8ES, not the looks.

 

Possibly but they don’t seem to do it for any other Toyota product, so probably doubtful.

 

Thread title:
Do you consider getting the new gen ES?

The 7ES Forum?
The 7ES Forum just invested heavily in new 7ES!
For many, not much quid left.
Plus, they must justify their new purchase.
So, the answer is "hell no", or at least very unlikely.
However, older model of owners like 6ES, 5ES, 4ES etc and other make/model owners will more likely buy 8ES.

 

Justification is I don’t want an all electric and still on the fence with hybrid. I understand Toyota/Lexus has a long history and seems to have gotten hybrid right. I’m more comfortable with gas powered and like the design of my 2024. Not so much the 8th gen. What is the saying, “a butt for every seat” or something like that?

 

This is your second post in this thread insinuating strongly that the posters here who criticize the 8ES are just blind to the new car's virtues, and too tied up in the ego of their own 7ES ownership to acknowledge them.

I don't accept being the target of your public condescension any more now than I did then.

In my previous reply, I detailed with supporting evidence that the 7ES did not whip up the storm of criticism when released that the 8ES has. Perhaps you didn't happen to read that post (even though you did put up a reply against it).

That said, here's another point to consider: The most similar car to the 8ES on the American road is the Crown sedan. In case you haven't noticed, it is flopping with American consumers, exactly for the reasons I publicly predicted it would:

1) It's butt ugly.

2) it combines the weaknesses of a crossover (higher center of gravity for poorer handling, larger frontal area for lousier highway mileage) with the weaknesses of a sedan (no hatchback versatility, no off-road capability), while providing no compensatory virtues except for easy entry/exit.

Does anything in this formula sound familiar? At the bottom line, I do agree with one thing you've said about 8ES sales: "We'll see."

 

In addition to Cadillac and Genesis we tested Crown. Lexus checked all requirements here.

 

Chill.
The results of the polling in this thread are quite obvious.
It is very common and natural for immediate predecessors to criticize their immediate successors.
We're only humans.

📜 Historical Examples of Criticism
• Theodore Roosevelt was famously harsh on his successor William Howard Taft, even running against him in 1912.
• Eisenhower criticized Kennedy’s domestic policies.
• George H. W. Bush took shots at Clinton’s Haiti policy.
• Nixon criticized Bush Sr. for comparing himself to Truman.
• Jimmy Carter openly criticized George W. Bush’s foreign policy, calling it “the worst in history” at one point.
• John Quincy Adams, after losing to Andrew Jackson, served in Congress and regularly criticized Jackson and later presidents.

8ES was not personally engineered for LexFinally, but it was engineered for the market!
The market is moving towards high riding wagens and electrification - whether we personally like it or not.
Hence, it is prudent for many vehicles including my sister's all new EQE EV sedan for example, to be >2.5" taller than the ICEV version - to on the one hand accommodate the battery pack, yet on the other hand to provide 4" towards a higher seating position.
The other feature of the 8ES is that the wheelbase is now a good 4-5" longer than Camry & Crown [Avalon replacement], hence the overall length is longer.

Sure, some of us won't like it, especially if we just recently invested $50-60k on 7ES, but that is the direction the market is heading in.
It will be interesting to see consumer response next year.
Let the market decide for itself.
The market will be the judge.

 

I already covered this fallacious comment about how every new model gets criticized. Twice. There's no need to delve into non-automotive world history to duck the fact that the 7ES didn't draw a hail of criticism for its ugliness as the 8ES has. Tell us, what do history book say was the immediate reaction to the Pontiac Aztek?

Also, we agree. The 8ES was engineered for "the market." The Chinese market. It was based on a design co-developed by Guangdong and BYD, introduced only in Shanghai, and tailored to satisfy a market that had already shifted to include 2-1/2 Chinese ES buyers for every American. I have never at any point argued that 8ES will not sell, was a mistake by Lexus, or was not based on sound market reasoning. I have only said, and will unashamedly say again, that it was not designed to please AMERICAN buyers. Not just me, but the mass of luxury buyers in my country. It's not about either you or me. It's about the worldwide shift of power, the end of the American era, being reflected in the design of global products.

 

I disagree with this logic, totally.

I've owned a 2ES, a 4ES, and 7ES. As one might expect, I would like my next car to be an ES, too. I'll probably wait for the 9ES or the 10ES. BTW, I have plenty of "quid" left, thank you very much. And I'm confident many, if not most readers here do, too.

Nothing in this post rings true to me at all.

 

There's some hope.
Keep in mind that they designed the car for the Chinese market, they have some time to think about that detail and other details before they launch the car in US.
I watched a couple days ago a video from AutomotivePress about the new Corolla. He was interviewing Corolla's chief designer and the guy said that they may build the Corolla to look exactly like the concept car if there's interest for that. He said that during this phase they tend to investigate what the buyers want. Maybe somebody from Lexus is reading this (and other) thread(s) and decide to remove that altogether for the US market.

 

They even started the advertisement:




Are they keeping this "border" around the Lexus letters?

 

WTF is this? They are not even trying...

 

looks like side lights.

 

day 1, i would take a razorblade to try and shave off the trimmings. i can't believe they're keeping that in the promo videos. looks like flashing or extra gunk (i forgot the term for it) when the cover is molded and pulled out of the jig. usually an operator goes in there with a wire wheel or blade to trim it up