Jakebob

I'm not sure, I get the impression that BMW and other german brands have some major issues and it's definitely more hit n miss if you're gonna get a good one than with a Lexus. I have a friend who bought an IS 300h a couple months ago and he's had mostly BMW before, including a 2011 F10. The 5-series was a diesel and thus has very high torque. The gearbox is undersized for the powerful engine and it ended up with a new gearbox, out of warranty.. No goodwill from BMW either which seems to be the norm, sadly.

That said, it's still a difficult choice, as the BMW feels more "alive" and the Lexus is the more sensible choice.

roli

How is it not moving with the times? The 300h is a perfectly acceptable rival for the German diesels. It's economical and more eco friendly while not sacrificing too much performance. The hybrid drive is a bit old school, but that only makes it reliable. And I am almost certain that they will be moving towards a more modern option with the new generation. While we are talking about performance... around here Lexus was never seen as a performance vehicle. Their cars are intended to transport a person from point a to b in comfort and luxury. And I think they do that perfectly. People usually drive small diesels that have acceleration figures at around 10s or more to 100km/h. Lexus with a figure of 8.3s is a monster compared to that. Will a BMW have a better figure? Yes. But it will sound like an old tractor while doing that.

If we are talking electronic gadgets and everything else... It's pretty comparable to other brands. At least I haven't seen something particularly interesting in other cars that the Lexus doesn't offer. If we are talking infortainment systems... The praise that BMWs iDrive is getting is undeserved in my opinion. I prefer the system in my Lexus. Don't get me wrong though - they are both pretty horrible. But so are the ones in every car. Simply because car manufacturers are lagging behind on such things.

There aren't many European Lexus forums around. Even less of them are as active as this place. So it's only natural that we gravitate towards something where the chances of getting a reply are much higher.

davyjordi

very well said.

webra

Yes I agree too. There are probably more forums out there than we think, but they might not be in English.

I also agree that for traditional Lexus owners, getting from point a to b in comfort is very important, as is reliability. Then Lexus decided to add zest to their product line. The marketed the 3IS and 4GS as sports saloons/Sedans, IS300h included and in so doing invites performance comparison. So 330e becomes a rival for the IS300h. Yes, Lexus may have their multi stage hybrid system in the wings, but it’s yet unproven, generally not well reviewed and definitely not in my price point, possibly for a very Long time. The 330e is a world ahead in performance, right now.

I see what the Koreans are doing with the Stinger on the one hand, and Ioniq on the other too. Very impressive. They are accomplishing what Lexus did all those years ago when they burst onto the scene and pushed everyone into denial.

As a BMW and a Lexus owner, I see one brand moving ahead and another being quite stagnant. Both have their strength and weaknesses, but one brand now excites me a lot less than it did 10 years ago.