midwesterner

A story in today's (Sat Dec 6) WSJ details Lexus sales objectives, and puts some recent Lexus exec quotes in perspective. It appears on p.B4. In short, the story focuses on the NX small SUV (based, incidentally, on the Toyota RAV4) and it's role in recovering the Lexus luxury car sales position in the last decade. Apparently the erosion comes to a large extent from lack of vehicles in the small SUV category. Recently statements about European pricing and not dropping below the $30K car figure are apparently related to the Audi A3. A3-sized cars in Europe are a big part of the market, and unlike the U.S., the notion of luxury is not necessarily related to size. Roads are often narrow, parking is limited in cities, and fuel cost is a critical factor. Lots of small - medium cars with engines below 2L, or diesel-powered. The introduction of those cars in the States, with U.S. spec'd engines, is an introduction of the European idea. I wouldn't say it constitutes a price war, as alleged recently, but it does take the notion of "luxury" down a few $$. Look at the U.S. answer in the Ford Focus or Fusion, for example, or in the Chevy Cruze and Malibu, or the Dodge what's-it. In any case, Lexus hopes to sell 40K NXs in the next year, nearly matching the BMW / M-B small SUV sales (100K units this year). Currency exchange rates will play a role, and the strengthening dollar may make luxury imports look more attractive. I haven't looked at impact of exchange rates on German vs Japanese cars, but one may benefit more than the other, all other factors (e.g. production cost) being more or less equal (probably are not). Lexus enthusiasts will find the article worth reading, and it is interesting to note that only about 26K units account for the spread between the top (BMW) position and 3rd-place Lexus in this country. Would be interesting to see a break-out of sales by model, LS40 vs 7-series and S550; GS vs 5-series and E-class, for example. That might tell a different story about the Lexus competitive position. In another interesting statistic, both BMW and M-B sales in the U.S. are up, but Lexus sales are up by 4% against BMW and double M-B; so gaining sales faster than the competition. Is a return to the market-leader glory years in the offing? Stay tuned and watch the NX launch.

I read the article, but did not get the same message. First, the story appeared to me as speculative; the information is not yet documented by Lexus. Second, as I read it, the 500 designation refers to displacement, not hp. For example, my GS 350 is 3.5L but delivers 306 hp. A 5L engine would be consistent with many modern high-performance engines, but wouldn't necessarily have to deliver 500 hp. Finally, as I read it, the effect of the hybrid system (electric motors) adds the equivalent of 1.5L displacement, or whatever the figure was, but doesn't represent a literal increase in displacement. Doesn't seem to make sense to add displacement to a hybrid system when the objective is to augment the gasoline engine with electric power to reduce fuel consumption. A literal increase in displacement for the gasoline engine would appear to work against fuel efficiency and the objectives of a hybrid.. 500 hp or more is a lot to put through the drivetrain and on the pavement in any car, and in many cases is not very usable -- at least not in normal driving. So, are we talking about 500hp options for the average guy who can pay Lexus dollars for his ride, or are these to be showcase models that wind up in limited production and are pretty much aimed at the track and winning the power propaganda wars? If the plan is to produce a 100 or so ground-shaking European supercar killers just for bragging rights, it doesn't do much for me as a potential buyer of the mainstream offerings. If the intention is to produce a car I'd buy, I'd really rather see a choice with outstanding road manners and handling, with a smaller, high-efficiency (maybe turbocharged engine) that would deliver stellar mid-range response.

I'm not sure what engendered the discussion about price wars; I'd think that a non-issue. Audi, BMW, and M-B are all generally priced higher for similarly equipped cars, and I've seen no evidence of price wars or deep discounting in my area. In fact, if there is a pricing strategy, it appears more Lexus strategy than European. On an individual sale basis, I got a substantial discount on my GS -- part of what led to a buying decision. The reference to the $30K barrier, as I noted somewhere else, appears disingenuous. It's not much of hurdle in the luxury car realm, as few cars above the basic transportation definition sell for less. So I, once again, agree with St. I like to think of myself as a steely-eyed realist, so with the exception of a few cars with which I could have a transcendental relationship, I will be carefully evaluating as the Lexus product line evolves.

Oh, I get it, St. I've had cars that were emotional, and if I had a Porsche, that would be very emotional. Porsche may even be religious: Zen-like. Always wanted one, and may have one yet in my old age. I felt strongly about my Saab ('06 Aero V6) and would have bought the next generation if Saab hadn't failed. It was not nearly as refined as a Lexus, but had personality and offered mechanical involvement. Terrific mid-range response from the turbo; from cruising speed to 100mph with just a touch of the accelerator. Nimble braking and handling. I miss that car, despite its idiosyncrasies and maintenance requirements. The GS is an altogether different car for a different purpose and I recognize that, so can't fault it on a direct comparison. I like it, but it doesn't grab my soul. It is outstandingly reliable and dealer system is consistent; both important. But I may just want something with a harder edge to got the next few years where age may push me to driving plain vanilla. By the way, if that's you in the photo, you look military. Can't determine branch or unit, but goggles make me think Army or USMC, maybe Armor or Air Cav. If so, snappy salute to you and very firm thanks for your service.

2013 GS350 AWD; 2009 RX350; 2003 BMW Z4 roadster.

Oops! Thought this post had been lost, and I re-did it. Just found it and realized the above is redundant; sorry. Please disregard.

The reference to ubiquitous, Paul, was for Europe, where M-B has a much broader position in the marketplace than most Americans would perceive (and where Lexus is apparently 4th in sales behind Audi, BMW, and M-B). M-B vehicles cover everybody from the equivalent of Chevy and Buick drivers here to Bentley and Rolls-Royce crowd -- plus sports cars, people carriers, and delivery trucks. And that picture goes way back. I think you made a reference to M-B going down-market here with the CLA introduction, chasing sales volume at $30K. My point is that M-B looks different globally and that the increased range offerings in the U.S. are consistent with M-B global sales strategy. And I don't think M-B is sacrificing unit profit for volume. In fact, I think one could make a good case that Lexus is following similar strategy, with the cars already priced lower than most similarly equipped European competitors. I think this story is yet to be played out, and will take a few years yet to see whose business model is the more successful, or if there is much difference in the net result. With respect to your question about incentive for discussion on the site, I don't know. That was my question in one of my earlier posts when I addressed the lack of ferment here. At least we've gotten a little bit of it going ^_^ .

Ubiquitous in Europe, Paul, not here. And performance doesn't mean 0-60, especially in Europe. Both the Brits and the Continentals probably see Yanks as obsessed with acceleration. They put a premium on handling and braking, high-speed cruising, and fuel consumption. My point was that when we think of M-B going down-market to gain share, as I think you suggested in a previous post , we need to consider what M-B looks like in the rest of the world. Depending on where you are, M-B products cover everything from the equivalent of Chevrolet and Buick buyers in the U.S. to premium sports cars, the Rolls-Royce and Bentley crowd, people carriers and delivery trucks. Going down to the $30K level in the U.S. with the CLA is not a deviation from M-B global strategy Re: healthy debate, I don't know. As you may recall, that was a point of one of my earlier posts. I've tried to prompt a little discussion, and gratifyingly, we got some on this string.

You are correct, I believe, about the original LS, and many people mistook the car for an M-B when it showed up on the streets. In particular, the Japanese focused on detail -- as only the Japanese can do -- and delivered an automobile that changed the game. Skeptical automotive journalists soon gave the car points for refinement and reliability, even if it didn't offer BMW handling. And the Lexus business model forced German manufacturers to re-think quality and reliability targets, along with product support. Contrary to the perception of many American enthusiasts, not every Germany burgher drives an M3 full tilt all day every day; ditto M-B AMG models and Audi S-designations. Most of them, if they own German cars at all, drive standard models -- many with smaller engines than offered here (price of gas). All the Germans have gone upscale on luxury, trading off some of the performance edge except for certain options. I think that trend matches both customer demand and corporate objectives for sales volume. I was reminded of the reliability factor yesterday driving back from Thanksgiving in Milwaukee, when I saw a fairly new M-B GLK SUV being hauled on a tow truck. The car hadn't been wrecked so it must have been an electronic or mechanical failure. I'll bet that owner was an unhappy camper. So overall, Lexus acquits itself pretty well. The automotive journalists seem to find the IS is now pretty much a match for the 3-series, and same for the GS vs 5-series. Same with Audi A4 and A6 comparisons. I noted that several writers rated the GS better to drive than an M-B E-class. A fellow here in town owns a fairly new Bentley, but also purchased an LS460 from the same dealer salesman I work with. According to my dealer guy, the Bentley owner regards the LS as the superior vehicle. Depending on model and configuration, Edmunds pretty much rates GS and IS as equal to the Europeans. Customers in the end will vote with their dollars, and it will be interesting to see to what extent we have convergence between European performance standards and Japanese reliability.

Thanks for the compliment. And I agree about the relative exclusivity of the Lexus; nice not to be just one of the herd -- however elegant the herd might be. I really like the new IS, especially since it is more my size preference, and I will give that car a hard look as I consider my end-of-lease options. Lexus had done an outstanding job of catching up to the Europeans in performance and handling, matching or exceeding those benchmarks in some models. At the same time, Lexus has set a benchmark for reliability that I think the Europeans have yet to approach, at least across all model lines, and has set a dealership standard that only the best of the European dealers offer. Finally, and perhaps most interesting to me, Lexus management has calculated its customers a little differently than the Europeans, sacrificing a bit of the performance edge for luxury and reliability. That seems to be paying off, and it will be interesting to see how that philosophy plays out over time, especially if Lexus continues to raise the bar on handling and performance. I think my GS350 is pretty close to the equal of a standard awd A6, 530, or E-class.

Accurate summation by St. Americans tend to see M-B as occupying a lofty and expensive niche, but if you spend enough time in Europe, M-B's ubiquitous presence in everything from taxicabs to family cars gives a different picture. During the time I lived in the U.K., M-B launched the A-class. It's a fwd car that competes in the compact -- by European standards -- size class, and revolutionized the idea of small, luxury vehicles. Crowded streets and no parking in Geneva; solution: A-class. Cab ranks at Munich airport; C-class succeeds the old 200 cars. Chauffered service to your hotel; look for the driver with the dark blue S-class. 100 mph-plus on the autobahn; E-class diesel coming up in your mirror. I think M-B has only done in the States what was already established in Europe, and that Lexus is following suit. The game is market share. Sacrificing price for volume is, I agree, a potentially losing game. But commanding price and volume; different story. Rolex is a good example. BMW pretty much owned the rights to that gig for years, and may still. Bob Lutz says it costs about the same to manufacture a Chevy Malibu as a BMW 3-series, if I remember correctly from his book. Lexus has targeted a slightly different audience, as I assess it, and has focused on reliability -- which is a vulnerability for the Europeans. I think we'll need to stay tuned for a while to see who wins, or if the race becomes a draw.

Thanks. I really don't have any pain, and don't feel particularly emotional about it. It will come down to financial consideration, reliability, and driving satisfaction. I suspect I'll remain with Lexus, but I am going to do some comparison drives in any case. Oddly enough, the Audi A4 and M-B c-class I owned during the years we lived in the U.K. were faultless, and the dealer service was exceptional. That's been a while now, and it now appears German reliability has deteriorated rather than improved. Combined with highly variable dealerships in this country -- few of which are consistent with Lexus in professional terms -- the market tends to favor Lexus. As I said, I will report on my test drives. If nothing else, it may make for interesting reading.

Just had my two-year lease anniversary and service with just more than 17K miles on the odometer. As expected, no problems. Car continues to perform virtually flawlessly, the only exception being the interface with starter button. Sometimes requires several tries to start, even with my foot firmly planted on the brake pedal before pressing the start button. Apparently no service bulletin on this. The big question is what to do next, especially if Lexus offers to buy out the lease early. I understand this is not unusual. The leasing manager told me this arrangement is the best deal in town, as you apply the early buy-out to the next lease, substantially reducing your cost. Well, we'll see. Maybe there'll be an early buy-out option and maybe there won't, but in any case, no later than next November, I will need to decide: buy the car at the residual value, lease new, buy another, or choose something else. This has been the best highway cruiser we've ever owned: quiet, solid, sure-footed, good power and sharp braking and handling, comfortable ride. But, as I noted in a previous post, not much pizzazz. As much as I like the car, it doesn't quite capture my heart. It is not quite a pure driver's car, and if it's the little things that count, Lexus get's it wrong with the controls for headlight washer and cruise control. I continue to dislike the clatter of the high-pressure fuel injectors, although this may now be endemic with all brands. I also recognize that I may be overly critical, and that the character of even the German cars has changed. Drove an '06 BMW 3-series a while back, and found the historical sharp edge of that brand much deteriorated. So between now and lease-end, I am going to drive some others, including the Cadillac CTS and M-B. I will likely conclude that in this size class that I am best served to keep the Lexus, especially given the car's reliability. But I intend to test my preferences over the next few months, and will report here on what I find. I gather that I am not the only one in this position.

This is very curious. Aside from the obvious mechanical issues and questions is a more fundamental question about the honesty of the dealer personnel. Over the years that I owned Saabs and Hondas, I maintained both cars -- by the book -- at the dealerships. The service writers, particularly those at the Saab dealer, were generally technically competent, forthright, and honest in their assessments and recommendations. Since acquiring our Lexus cars, I've found the dealership to set a high professional standard. I believe the service writers seek to do a good job, but frequently appear to have far less technical understanding than many of their customers. That may raise a question of competency, but I've seen no evidence that they are trained to sell services as described in one of the posts above. Because my cars are relatively new ('09 and '13, with the '13 being a lease) I think I am well served in relying on the dealer -- especially if I intend to trade. Service quality is generally consistent if not quite as stellar as the Lexus folks would like to believe, and cost is not out of line with some independent shops. However, I take my BMW Z4 to a local shop run by a guy who is extremely technically accomplished, absolutely honest, and who charges very fair rates. He absolutely outshines the BMW dealer. I am borderline on moving the '09 RX350 service to him, and if there is a moment's doubt about the dealer, my local guy would get all my business. Part of the business model for Lexus, as I understand, is excellence in service. I would think that would include an objective to ensure honest, customer-oriented advice and service. The situation described above seems a guaranteed way to drive buyers to other brands, and must ultimately be self-defeating. I guess maybe I benefit from being in a medium size town in the Midwest where the ethic is perhaps different.

Agree!

Some more on Lexus strategy: Whether or not the next LS is more Panamera-like remains to be seen, but a story in today's WSJ may shed a little light. The story, in the Marketplace section, deals with Volvo's attempt to make a U.S. comeback, and notes the positions of the luxury-sport competitors. Data shows Lexus at #3 position behind M-B and BMW respectively, with 335K annual sales for M-B, 309K for BMW, and 275 K for Lexus. Audi is down the list at 159K, followed by Infiniti and Volvo. This is a substantially better position than the sales referenced in the links to the Uyttenhover interview, which I think were global numbers. But Lexus has fewer dealers -- 234 compared to 361 for M-B and 338 for BMW. Only Infinity has fewer. The consequence is more sales per dealer -- 1175 for Lexus vs 929 for M-B and 915 for BMW. That generally means more profitable dealerships, and lowers the cost of dealer administration. Consolidation among construction equipment dealers a few years ago resulted in fewer but stronger dealer organizations that benefited both the customer and the manufacturer. So maybe Uyttenhover's argument that Lexus is not chasing volume makes more sense and gives some insight to Lexus strategy. Strong dealers and an improving product line benefit those of us who buy the cars, so good on 'em. Also noted today on a CNN or MSN news piece a listing (from Forbes Magazine?) of cars not to buy. The BMW 745 was apparently excoriated by Consumer Reports as overloaded with technology and a poor driver. That's surely a jolt for BMW, and contrasts sharply with the ratings for the LS. And while I was at the dealership yesterday for my 2-yr / 20K service, I got a good look at the new RC coupe. This is an impressively styled and executed vehicle, and likely another Lexus success in the making. Could snitch some sales from both M-B and BMW coupes. All this strikes me as good for Lexus demand, sales, resale value -- and us.

I don't know about technical issues with LS cars, but an 07 with only 90,000 km sounds pretty good. A test drive ought to answer the wind noise question, and if the car is certified or comes with warranty from the dealer, I would think any suspension component requirements would become a non-issue. Of all the people I've known who have Lexus LS, and from everything I've read, the only complaint is that it does not have quite the spirited driving performance of its German competitors. And that's usually an acceptable trade-off for folks who buy Lexus. One of these days in the not-so-distant future, we may narrow down to a single family car, and an LS would probably be the main contender at present. Good luck.

On re-reading the article in the link, I am again struck by the curious insistence from Mr. Uyttenhover that Lexus is not seeking volume. Alain Uyttenhoven, by is name and assigment for Lexus, must surely be European. If so, he would be keenly aware of his competitor strengths. He may mean that Lexus will not lower price or de-feature cars to get volume, but to say the company has no interest in gaining share of market seems disingenuous. If, in fact, Lexus is selling about 500K cars annually while Audi, BMW, and M-B are sitting on about 1.5M sales each, I would think increased market share would be a significant objective. During my corporate career, I didn't know anyone in marketing or manufacturing who didn't think very competitively in terms of sales volume. Given the cost benefits that come with volume increases, I have trouble believing Lexus management is happy sitting on one-third the volume of each of its three main European competitors. A quote from Shakespeare comes to mind: "He doth protest too much, methinks", or something to that effect. So yes, let's think a redesigned LS is very much aimed at attracting new customers.

Hmmm! Interesting, but remains to be seen. As I noted in a recent post, the current car is an elegant machine. It does not have the visual impact of an M-B S550 or an A7 / A8. Like many Japanese designs, the focus seems to often be on not alienating rather than making a statement. Something to do with Eastern ideas of harmony, perhaps. The bigger issue is technological, I think, and the car needs to come closer to its European peers in performance. The current LS I drove needed a little sharper steering and taughter suspension, perhaps, and brakes with more bite, like those on my '13 GS350. Driving feel is more like my wife's '09 RX350. The f-sport version solves that problem, but I don't care for many of the f-sport features (boy-racer looks?). Couldn't we have a touring version with the suspension and brakes but not the trim package, and the sport seats and largers tires / wheels as optional? And if I'm going to spend f-sport money, I may be more inclined to look at German engineering -- which is where my heart has generally been in the past. Having said that, at age 70 and bearing down on 71, I put a little more premium on comfort and reliability nowadays, and by 2016 might be ready for an LS. It certainly meets the test for quality, reliability, and elegance. Just as long as the Lexus stylists don't polarize me out of it.

Hmmmm! Well, we are getting some pizazz on the website. The on-line dictionary defines pizazz (or pizzazz) as the quality of being attractive or exciting. Synonyms include words like "charisma," and maybe "panache" would work. I think we can argue that quality and pizazz are not mutually exclusive, nor are pizazz and reliability. I have more or less defined pizazz as personality, in my original post, whatever that means in an automobile. Given the various ratings on the Porsche Boxter, I think we could say that it exhibits both pizazz, quality, and reliability. Not directly comparable to Lexus sedans, obviously. Whatever the case, my GS 350 is clearly attractive, and it probably qualifies as exciting when driven full-bore. I just wish it had something that made it feel more compelling in everyday driving. But maybe there's some pizazz there and I just don't know it. Haven't driven the new version of the IS350, but based on the magazine reports, I think it's beginning to show some pizazz. In the meantime, I think we are doing a good job of upping the pizazz level on this site. Some cool posts on the subject. Can we get some more?

While wife's RX350 was in for service, I drove a new LS460. This is impressive, elegant automobile; quiet, smooth and seamless with plenty of power. While it is bigger than I would typically buy, and I prefer the taughter suspension and sharp braking of my '13 GS350, the LS makes a compelling argument for the day when comfort and elegance trump nimble and sporty. It is a significant step above what I perceive to be the competitive position of previous LS models. My biggest criticism is braking: The LS brakes feel like those in the RX350 -- soft, with too much pedal travel. I prefer the immeditate bite of the GS brakes. An f-sport LX would likely remedy that situation. However, I find the more understated standard configuration more satisfying than the f-sport version, and my 70-year-old bones would probably like the standard seat better than the f-sport seat. Will hold judgment until I get to drive and LS f-sport. Nonetheless, I could maybe see an LS in my garage one of these days. At some point, we'll likely go from three cars ('03 BMW Z4, '09 RX350, '13 GS350 AWD) to one, and I will be ready to give up attacking freeway entrance and exit sweepers and trying to ace the apexes on country roads. At that point, the LS may be the ultimate compromise. And by that time, Lexus may see fit to sharpen up the handling and braking of the car another notch, making it a bit more competitive with the Europeans. How about making the f-sport suspension and brakes an option with all-season tires, and without having to buy the whole f-sport package? I don't pay much attention to reliability issues with the Audi A7 and A8, BMW 7-series, or the S-class Mercedes, but I know all three manufacturers have been dinged across the board for reliabiliy issues. I gather BMW has had some significant issues on these cars, and that's been an issue on trade-ins. Factor in reliability, and the European edge in handling and braking erodes, especially considering the type of driving for most folks buying these cars. Overall, the LS is a beautiful automobile with lots of class and an excellent interior, and mechanically sufficient for all but the higher levels of spirited driving. For anyone contemplating a car of this size and this price range, the LS460 should be on the list.

OK, I went and looked at Lexus Enthusiast. At first I thought the site must belong to Lexus, as the homepage comes off -- in my perception -- as advertise-y; almost propogandistic. I read some of the comments; let's just say the ones I read demonstrated the biases of the writers. The site is Canadian, I believe, and some comments appear to reflect that country's unique position with respect to availability of certain cars and Canadian pricing. I am an auto and autosports enthusiast: I like all kinds of cars, and I can find something good to say even about the ones I didn't buy. Neither do I care about spy photos, speculation on what Lexus might do next, or celebrations of one-off models that I will never buy (e.g. "hand-crafted" at Pebble Beach). Doubt I will go back to this site.

Overall, I think the Lexus business model is pretty good, although a bit more nanny-ish than I'd like. But the intent seems to be a high-quality, professional selling environment. That's been consistent with my dealership, with the dealership my daughter and son-in-law used in Chicago, and my brief experience with the dealer in Spring, TX. I got my car washed there while traveling recently. If nothing else, the Lexus promise, or implied promise, and the number of dollar you lay down for the car allow you to be fairly demanding. I usually bypass car sales people and go directly to the sales manager with my pitch: I want to look at car, and if I like it, I will ask for your price. If I like it, I will write a check. If not, say thanks and walk out the door, but I won't sit and bicker about a couple of hundred bucks at a time. Fortunately, there was no requirement to do that when I bought the GS. Maybe being a service customer with my wife's RX350 helped. It came from an estate sale in the family, so was not sold orginally by my local dealer. Best dealership I have had was my Mercedes dealer when we lived in the U.K. Talk about first class, that place wrote the book. Was sorry to leave it when we moved back to the States. With respect to the seat heaters, I am informed that there are two kinds, and that the type in the GS require auto shut-off. Maybe that's associated with the winter package on the car and the higher capacity heater, but I don't see why. The seat heaters on my Saab were equal in performance but did not require auto shut-off. It's an inconvenience, but not a show-stopper. We almost never use the seat cooling function, so I have no criticism of it. Given my automotive preferences, I would have gravitated toward the IS if it had been in the 2014 configuration. I looked at it, and thought that's what I wanted, but there were additional cash incentives for the GS, and it appears to have very strong resale value. Although its a littlel bigger and heavier than I like, I've got to say that the excellent back seats and rear legroom are really nice when we have other folks in the car. My wife never liked the Saabs as well as I did, but she likes the GS somewhat better than I do. I guess it's a keeper. I recently drove a new LS460. It is a magnificent automobile, but lacks the immediacy of the GS, especially in braking -- more closely related to the soft braking feel in the RX350. The F-sport presumably fixes that, but I'm not sure I like the F-sport version, and I a not likely to lay out LS dollars. So agaiin, looks like the GS is a keeper.

Oops, typo. In assessment styling discussion, "ques" should read "cues."

I recently posted a challenge to what I see as a lack of ferment in the forum, so am responding to my own challenge with this assessment of my '13 gs350 awd. Background: I am a 70-year-old corporate retiree and lifetime auto enthusiast. I've owned something approaching 50 cars in my life, including everything from a new '68 Olds 442 to a turbo Corvair, Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Saab. I have lived on two continents and driven in 10 or so countries, both right- and left-hand drive. My younger years incuded hot rods and drag racing; later autocrosses and hillclimbs, and driving an open-wheel racer when I lived in the U.K. Generally, I lean toward European engineering, and my prejudices will show up in my assessment, no doubt. Bought my car based on experience with my dealer in conjunction with my wife's '09 RX350, improvements in the current gs350 iteration, and an extremely attractive deal and a very professional business model.. Other factors include variable quality of, and distance from, the European car dealers, Saab's demise, and reliability ratings on the German three (including my own experience with my Z4). Key points: - Favorable: Very professional sales staff, selling environment, and business model; rock-solid, highly reliable car, '13 and later gs 350 highly competitive with Audi, BMW, and Mercedes. - Unfavorable: Erratic performance from start button -- does not always work first time, and may require 3 - 4 tries; under everyday driving conditions, the car displays little pizazz (does everything well, but no personality); navigation is unneccessarily complicated. At two years and 13K miles (our driving is split among three cars), here is my overall assessment: Generally, the car lives up to expectations. It is reliable (except for the start button problem), quiet, and solid. It is probably the best long-distance cruiser we've ever had, certainly the most comfortable. Seats excellent. High marks for handling and braking, and outstanding stability in bad weather. The car offers excellent acceleration when needed, and responds to spirited driving well -- especially in sport mode. The electronics interface has been criticized in the magazine reviews, but I do not find it a problem -- at least, no more of a problem than any of the other interfaces. A little practice makes the controller pretty easy to use, and I like the integration of the screen in the dashboard. As noted earlier, I find the navigation system complicated and offering to many variations and features, although clearly superior to the '09 RX350. I find my clamp-on Garmin Navigator, which I used with my previous car, to be much simpler and far easier to use, especially as it allows on-the-go input that the passenger can make. I like the heated steering wheel, but wish the seat heaters did not automatically turn off (federal requirement, I am told). The side-warning signals in the mirror are an extremely valuable feature, and the rear sunscreen is more useful than one would guess at first. I dislike that the cruise control turns off when the engine turns off; it needs to be like the European versions that allow it to stay engaged until turned off. It also needs to be better positioned for the right hand. Windshield squirters should be integrated with the wiper stalk. Fuel consumption seems acceptable for a car weighing nearly 4000 lbs, although some of the German competitors appear to do a little better. In the winter and local driving, I drop below 20mpg sometimes. In good weather and under optimal conditions, I can hit 27 mpg. Most of my driving is suburban or highway. In freeway driving, I typically try to cruise at 70 - 75 mph, and closer to 80 where speed limits and traffic allow. The car has required no maintenance other than the 10K service and the brake switch recall. One of the strongest arguments for Lexus, in my view, is the business model. I appreciate doing business with professional sales people, and the Lexus care philosophy is highly valuable at this stage of life when reliability and dealer support are more important than, say, cornering power. Styling is satisfying but perhaps bland, with no major faults, but no compelling design ques (e.g. Cadillac or BMW). Ergonomics get maybe nine point out of ten based on commens above, but are overall good. Overall, I give this car high marks. In sport mode and with my foot in it, the car exhibits some flair, but is otherwise closer to plain vanilla than mint chocolate chip. Having said that, I perceive that Audi, BMW, and Mercedes have all moved in that direction, and without the reliablity of the Lexus, and in some cases, without the resale value. Those considerations are big compensation for any loss of "personality," whatever that means to different folks. So, approaching two years, let's call the total score about 9.5 out of 10, or maybe a little higher. Would be interested in hearing other assessments. Anybody else have a problem with the start button? It was listed as an item in the Lexus questionnaire I received after purchase, but there is no service bulletin issued and the dealership has not earmarked it as problem.