I agree with the general premise of this thread. I find the 4 bangers unsophisticated and lacking luxury refinement. The EV would have solved that problem but no one wants them. I recently drove a loaded RX and found it to be very very good. It was a non hybrid FWD and just seemed smoother than RX loaners I had driven in the past. It really left me impressed. I am not a mid-size SUV customer and drive LX's and LS's. The new LX is better in everyway except that noisey V6TT. I hope it holds up for us as we keep them several years before trading.

My LC is amazing and I bought it because I knew it was the end of this era for Lexus. I think adding sub brands to the US Toyota/Lexus world is a risky thing. Consumer attention spans are short and general non-enthusiast buyers just don't understand the family relationship of all those brands. Frankly, I think Aikio Toyoda made a mistake with his focus on "fun" "exciting" sporty" cars. Rich folks can buy a sporty car and leave it in the garage for the weekends. Most of these folks appreciate rock solid, smooth luxury cars that Lexus was built on. They got away from that in the LS and focused too much on pleasing the Automotive Press who are usually clueless, live in an echo chamber an mostly pretend they are NOT speaking to 13 year olds in their bedrooms. This is all evidenced by their recent obsession with all things electric. WRONG! Mature people who can actually buy cars need them to be comfortable, stylish, and reliable. I am not saying bring back the LS400 but my ES350 loaner last month was a really cheap, rough riding, overpriced car. Left me convinced I would rather buy a new Camry. I ended up with a beautiful LS500 (NON F sport) It is a wonderful machine but I can't imagine older drivers enjoying it over a 10 year old LS if given a true comparison.