I wonder how those shi**y korean brands make their way to the top.
Really? A Hyundai or Kia is not a Lexus, but they are certainly not to be seen as such nowadays. These are supposed to be "objective", so if the results turned out the way they did, there's a reason for it. Hyundai and Kia have made numerous improvements over the years. If I remember, the introduction of Lexus, forced Toyota to go from being number one to number three (behind Mercedes-Benz) in 1990's Initial Quality Study.
LOL Porsche, Jaguar and BMW came above Lexus? Wow there's nothing wrong with this "study" at all lol
Well, maybe for BMW. My mother's E38 7er (2001, built 11/2000), her current '09 650i (E64) and 2013 760Li (F02) have been very reliable. The latter is a special edition (1 of 15), so that should not really be shocking in the first place. By comparison, her 2010 760Li was a lemon and was replaced after 9-10 months with another (2011 model) by BMW USA. That had minor foibles as well, which VDS would affect. IQS is not really a measure of Lexus quality.
Porsche and Lexus (along with Buick closely), battle it out for the top spot in the Vehicle Dependability Study. Lexus has not always been on top, as Porsche has successfully bypassed them at times. I believe that one day Jaguar might come close to that, at least post-2018. At Jaguar we're doing our best, in improving our reliability (to the best of our abilities). We may not have the shine and popularity that Land Rover enjoys amongst the Hollywood set and their followers, but we are eons better in customer satisfaction. Back to Lexus, they did well this year and last year in VDS.
Can't imagine how a German brand is above Lexus...
This is not the first time, as Porsche has bested Lexus a number of times in this category. They did so from 2006 to 2008, 2010, 2013, and last year in 2014. They have always been excellent in this regard, save for some rare incidents, where their customers are loud about their displeasure. Unlike those currently above Lexus in IQS, Porsche has also been successful in other categories against Lexus as well. It is very much a battle at the top between Lexus and Porsche in IQS. It is mainly about the design of the components and ease of operation, not necessarily the overall quality.
This is impossible, our cars are made with precision!
Ease of use is pretty much the problem, not particularly build quality. Some claim these instances are purely "anecdotal", but they are what they are. It is a very variable, if not fickle measure. Alternatively, mmcartalk also said it can apply to quality of component design on lower-end Lexus models.
POS hyundie/kia. They've done well brain washing people that its okay to drive their sh*t mobile. It was and still is embarrassing to be seen rolling on a Hyundie/Kia. Brand new doesn't change that.
As someone that had a Hyundai briefly as a first car (despite my family background), they've made excellent strides, from the models first shown to me in television advertisements in the latter portion of the early 1990s, to what they make now. Independent subjective opinion doesn't really take away from that. If they were truly as you said, they wouldn't be near there.'
Good post, Andyl.
I don't currently own a Lexus myself (I did once own an IS300), but I concur with much of what you say, based on my recent Lexus observations, test-drives, and reviews. Lexus paint was once like a mirror, but does seem to have picked up a slight amount of orange peel, especially in black. And there does seem to be a little more wind noise on recent models than in the past. I attribute that, though, more to cost-cutting than to real screw-ups on the assembly-line....Lexus, long ago, like Honda/Acura, mastered the art of Swiss-watch precision in vehicle-assembly at the plant. The wind and road noise you hear is not necessarily poor assembly at the plant, but simply the designers skimping on the amount and quality of sound insulation, and from using noticeably thinner sheet metal for body panels and doors. You will also notice a firmer ride on most newer Lexus models compared to the past, but that is not necessarily cost-cutting. That is simply the low-profile tires and firmer suspension/underpinnings that the industry seems to have become obsessed with.
And, from what I can tell, the drop-off in paint jobs, insulation, noise, firmness, etc..... seems more pronounced in the lower-line Lexus models than in upper-level ones. Ride in today's GS, LS, or LX, and you will have noticeably better refinement, quietness, trim, paint-quality, etc.....then in the NX, CT, IS, or even the ES......a vehicle that was once noted for refinement. Lexus seems to be still be giving the good refinement and comfort was once noted for....the difference is that now, you have to pay more for it by getting the upper-line models.
The new NX300h AWD Premier that my sister replaced her 2013 RX450h F-Sport with, is notably less refined, but that is very much expected and obvious due to line-up positioning. I pointed this out to her last fall (on trade-offs to expect), before she came to visit and commit to ordering one for herself. In that case, she does not really live the UK, so she decided to downsize and focus on replacing her '08 RX400h in Atlanta. The car was already paid for, so it didn't make sense to me why it was so imperative to get the NX. Driving it, I can say it feels more composed in some respects, which isn't surprising.
All automotive firms have reduce operating costs, but the art of the game is how and where to do it, without affecting product quality perception.
And comparing Porsche, who sells 35k vehicles a year, to Lexus at over 300k, to Ford and Toyota at over 2 million doesn't make sense.
Small, niche makers need to get separated in one table and the major automakers need their own curve. Much, much easier to watch quality on such low volumes versus companies that builds 10X-100X more product.
BD
Yes, Black Dynamite has a point. This will not likely happen, but volume matters a good amount. This would moreover affect Vehicle Dependability Study, not so much IQS and Lexus excels no matter what on VDS (save for 2009-10). IQS though is more focused on design of the components and ease of operation. If a feature is not intuitive to the user, then that is what will affect their positioning on IQS.
