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I recently purchased a beautiful Ultra White over Black 2016 F Sport with approx 39K miles. This is my first Lexus so after my initial research which led me to purchase the car, I'm now absorbing everything I can here on the forums. I should say that, so far, I'm impressed with the overall maturity here and willingness of other more seasoned members to answer my questions quickly and thoroughly.
One of the comments I see most about this car is that it has grown long in the tooth over the years with the subtle refresh of model year 2016 encompassing a new instrument panel on the F Sport, front/rear bumpers and head and taillights, not much changed after that. Doing some research on Edmunds I saw that the safety equipment that was optional on the 2016 was made standard for 2017 and it appears that some colors were renamed or added/deleted from 2018-2020. Aside from that, what if anything am I missing that changed on this car over it's 2016 refresh? Could my 2016 F Sport be mistaken (without referencing the VIN) by even a GS aficionado for a 2020?
A true aficionado could likely narrow it down a bit....for one, we've all learned that a 2016 has the shopping bag hooks in the trunk and the negative battery terminal cover and the 2020 would not.
I don't think there's anything like say the early 61-65 Lincolns. Those the grille changed I think every year, the dash board changed multiple times, the location of the fuel door moved around, front disc breaks were added, the car was lengthened I think at least twice, front turn indicators moved around some, etc... and that was before the sheetmetal "refresh" of the 66.
If the car were a true Lux model you could date that either a 13-15 or a 16-17 but you'd know it wasn't an 18-20 because the Lux was discontinued after '17 from my understanding.
I don't think cars change as much between model years as they used to unless there's a really good reason - I vaguely thinking there as a Honda product (I could be wrong on the brand) semi-recently that had a somewhat major change after the first year because reception was very poor. In general I think many cars have their mid-cycle refresh at year 3ish and other than a few changes to packages and options become standard there isn't a lot of difference.
And...I forgot, I also wanted to echo your comment about the group - I've only been on here since early January and folks here tend to be very helpful and the level of discussion seems to stay mostly respectful and above the juvenile level which I greatly appreciate.
Last edited by LexusGSboy; Sep 7, 2020 at 10:06 AM.
Two things I just thought of.....the triple beams would also possibly allow you to differentiate between a 2016 and a 2017-2020 as would the limited slip differential. But, since they were both options you wouldn't be able to look at a '16 and know it had to be a '16 because it didn't have those.
Could my 2016 F Sport be mistaken (without referencing the VIN) by even a GS aficionado for a 2020?
Yes, your 2016 could be mistaken for a 2020. The only "tell" or giveaway it was a 2016 would be if it didn't have the Lexus Safety System suite of tech (adaptive cruise, auto emergency braking, adaptive high beams, etc.). This was optional for 2016 and then made standard starting for the 2017 model year cars and forward.
What would give it away is the lack of camera behind the rearview mirror. If your 2016 has this, it would look identical to any of the other newer model year cars.
I recently purchased a beautiful Ultra White over Black 2016 F Sport with approx 39K miles. This is my first Lexus so after my initial research which led me to purchase the car, I'm now absorbing everything I can here on the forums. I should say that, so far, I'm impressed with the overall maturity here and willingness of other more seasoned members to answer my questions quickly and thoroughly.
One of the comments I see most about this car is that it has grown long in the tooth over the years with the subtle refresh of model year 2016 encompassing a new instrument panel on the F Sport, front/rear bumpers and head and taillights, not much changed after that. Doing some research on Edmunds I saw that the safety equipment that was optional on the 2016 was made standard for 2017 and it appears that some colors were renamed or added/deleted from 2018-2020. Aside from that, what if anything am I missing that changed on this car over it's 2016 refresh? Could my 2016 F Sport be mistaken (without referencing the VIN) by even a GS aficionado for a 2020?
Impossible to tell the difference on a passer-by GS if its a 2016 or 2020 or anything in between. That's the beauty of buying a 2016 - it looks like a brand new 2020, but you'll get similar options and a much lower price point as a CPO car.
You can read the actual press releases using these links, which highlight some of the bigger ticket changes for each model year:
Thanks, all! I just finished an exhaustive interior detail on it and can confidently say it looks 99.99999% like a 2020 that just came off the truck as far as the interior goes. I'm loving this car more and more each hour.
Thanks, all! I just finished an exhaustive interior detail on it and can confidently say it looks 99.99999% like a 2020 that just came off the truck as far as the interior goes. I'm loving this car more and more each hour.
Just curious - what all did you do? Favorite products? I'm still learning a lot so I like to hear the particulars
*Gtechnique Tri-Clean Interior Cleaner to sanitize and strip off any of the old greasy dressing the previous owner used on the dash and seats
*NV Car Care Cleanse Leather Cleaner to clean the leather seats and steering wheel
*NV Care Care Guardian Leather Conditioner/Coating for the leather seats and steering wheel
*CarPro Clarify Glass Cleaner
Detailing is one of my hobbies and if shared how much I've spent trying and buying various high end products, I could have bought a GSF instead of GS350. But, we all have our hobbies and detailing our cars is mine. This was 3 cars ago for me - a 2016 Cadillac ATS Coupe that had perfect black paint....until some dust fell on it shortly after this picture, haha.
a 2016 Cadillac ATS Coupe that had perfect black paint....until some dust fell on it shortly after this picture, haha.
I test drove a 2017 Caviar when I was looking and that black paint almost had me sucked in....it was a RWD and not a CPO so I hesitated....probably for the best.
Your comment reminded me of this post I read while I was researching...I couldn't find the actual post but I had to email it to a friend when I read it so I had the text..... Credit I believe goes to bclexus for writing this. I laughed the entire way through..
"There’s nothing sexier than a shiny, clean black car. Nothing!
There is nothing LESS sexy than a dusty, or dirty, or scratched black car. Nothing!
When you’re looking for a new car, the black one will seduce you. You’ll look at that model in another color, think about being practical, but the black one will wink at you. Tip its chin. Purr, “Hey baby… I want you inside me.” Walk away NOW, or you’ll take it for a test drive. When you get into a black car for the first time, you’ll feel dangerously sexier than you ever felt in your whole life. Your inner panther will roar. You’ll tingle in places you forgot you had. You’ll like it. And, chances are - you’ll buy it. The other cars just won’t make you tingle like that. Your only protection is to never get behind the wheel of a black car in the first place. Just walk away, and life will be uncomplicated. But, you’ll always wonder…what if.
A thin film of dust becomes luminescent on a black car. Every single spot of anything, even dried sterile water, stands out like a goober zit on prom night. At first, it will disturb and upset you so much that you’ll wash your car immediately. And…then it’ll be dusty again before you even finish drying it. An unknown little fact: Black cars only stay clean for a mere 42 seconds. But, they are the sexiest 42 seconds you’ll ever know. Because of that 42 second rush, you’ll wash your black baby faithfully every weekend. For the first year anyway. And then, all those scratches and swirls you put in the paint taking care of your baby will erode your resolve. You’ll start skipping. People will stare at your car in disgust, and make all sorts of judgments about your sloppiness. You'll scream things at them like; 'Shut up - I just washed this damn car 15 minutes ago.' Of course, you could always buy the black car and make it a garage queen...and never drive it. That's really smart! But hey, it will still get dusty...and all scratched up by you carefully hand washing it.
If you’ve never owned a black car - you may want to admire them from afar, with someone else dealing with all that goes with owning a black car. But...maybe you're the kind of guy that is 'up for the job'. Because maybe you have loads of time and energy to deal with it. If so, you either don't have a job, or a wife, or a girlfriend (or both!), or children...or a even a life!
A scratch on a black car means only one thing - extreme sadness. Be prepared, because you will have zillions of tiny scratches all over your black beauty. You know what color the car is underneath that glossy black? White. You know what scratches black cars? Car washes. Yes, you must always wash it by hand, or that slick black paint will be gouged with zillions of little white arcs where the car wash spinners hit it. Oh, but guess what? If you even touch your paint when you hand wash it - you too will also be putting zillions of scratches in the paint. It simply cannot be avoided. A scratched-up black car is not sexy. Don’t let your black car go like that. Don’t let it get all scratched up because you’re too lazy to wash it by hand either. Or, because it's too cold. Or, you don't have the time. Nothing is worse looking than a black car with white swirl rainbows in the black paint that is supposed to be like a fine mirror finish. Be prepared to buy thousands of dollars worth of products and tools to keep it decent looking. Are you ready to wash/clean, strip, clay, polish and wax/coat on a regular basis? All to see it looking less than sexy again as soon as you drive it around the block.
You will park under a tree only once where birds are known to perch. It will only take you one time to park under the trees in a parking lot notorious for attracting flocks of pooping birds to learn this lesson the hard way. If the bird poop remains for more than an hour on that soft black finish the paint becomes acid etched for sure, which will add nicely to all those swirls and scratches.
Black cars aren’t just hot, they are HOT. Getting into a black car on an average summer day is like getting inside a Weber barbecue with the coals at a perfect red glow. If you like to wear shorts, get used to the smell of bacon frying. It takes longer for the A/C to put out the fire.
Very true! I swore off black cars after my black Cadillac ATS. I, too, went and looked at a Caviar RWD base model with low miles for a great price initially but thankfully another couple was there to test drive it when I showed up so it was not to be. Once I get the exterior of my Ultra White F Sport dialed in and polished/coated I'll be set.
Lexus Safety System suite of tech (adaptive cruise, auto emergency braking, adaptive high beams, etc.). This was optional for 2016 and then made standard starting for the 2017 model year cars and forward.
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This was surprising to read, learn something new every day. I guess it's great for new 2016/17 owners, save 50K and still have the latest model!
A true aficionado could likely narrow it down a bit....for one, we've all learned that a 2016 has the shopping bag hooks in the trunk and the negative battery terminal cover and the 2020 would not.
This is so funny because my wife and I freakin' love our shopping bag hooks, we use them all the time and were disappointed when our 2019 loaner didn't have them!
Toyota and Lexus Join Mille Miglia For The First Time
Slideshow: A five-car lineup spanning more than five decades of Toyota performance and engineering will tackle one of Italy's most celebrated automotive routes.
Charting the changes from 2016 - 2020
