Honestly, as a huge Lexus fan, I have to agree with a lot of people: I am disappointed in this brand. Also, I think this is a good post to kind of vent on, so here I go:
In 2012, Lexus introduced the spindle grille on the 2013 GS. With that, Lexus transformed the brand into a much a more uniformed, desirable company. Let's be real: Lexus has always been able to compete with the Germans while Acura and Infiniti could never (I mean Infiniti is on the verge of being completely dismantled soon due to abysmal sales), but they still fall short. Have we ever seen the IS beat the 3 Series or CClass? Anyways, Lexus soon introduced sportier vehicles like the RC, RCF, LC, and F Sport variants across almost all models including their crossovers. They were really trying to change their image.
With all this, Lexus also announced it would distance themselves from Toyota. Reading this, in my opinion, was one of the best things that could have happened to Lexus. Lexus fans could stop relying on a Toyota redesign to initiate a Lexus redesign. At the time, I thought it meant Lexus would start making much more fun to drive cars and not a sporty-looking RX that drives like a Highlander. And I thought we could FINALLY stop hearing "that Lexus is just a luxury Camry." Boy, did that change when Toyota slapped a freaking spindle grille on it.
Basically what I am saying is that Lexus had so much potential to keep being great, and then something happened: Toyota STILL got priority. RAV4 gets a redesign (a gorgeous one let me add - probably because it looks super NX-like) and a "Prime" version while the NX redesign has been delayed and has, of course, a dated hybrid engine. The GS, a staple (in my eyes - maybe yours too) to Lexus, has been begging for a new look and engine; the facelift it received in 2016 (I think) was SUPER disappointing (sorry, but the base grille design is kind of ugly), but will we get a new one? No, Toyota got it with the Mirai. The problem with that is that Toyota thinks people in the GS market will stop and think "oh, I'll just get that atrocious-looking Toyota since it's the same thing." Not the case at all. My parents were going to wait for the next GS, and when I told my dad that the project was headed for the Mirai only, he decided to look into the ES FSport. People want the Lexus badge. Not a Toyota badge with a Lexus interior. Toyota just does not understand that, and because of that, they are eliminating popular Lexus models, and I love Akio as much as the next car guy, but just because he doesn't love the GS, doesn't mean other people hate it too. Personally, when I think Lexus, I think GS as one of the top models. I mean last generation was ICONIC in design. Absolutely timeless.
Another issue I have is, and sorry for bringing in competitors, is the inconsistency of styling. I am sorry to say this, but why does the Mercedes GLA look really nice (I mean it's not the best looking Benz but still decent) and it's getting a redesign soon, and our brand new UX is really bland. I am sorry to anyone who owns the UX. I am not trying to bash it, but the concept was so nice, and it's so boring looking. The interior as well is so blah. Mercedes and Audi have these futuristic interiors and we are following the BMW trend of kind of keeping the same looking interiors with the new generation. BUT then we move to the stylings of the LC, LS, and hey, I'll even throw Mr. bread and butter ES in there. They are gorgeous to look at (well, I do wish the ES interior didn't look like the last gen RX's). But this is what I mean: you can have a different range of vehicles, yes. You can have your "lower" end ones: UX, CT; your "higher" end ones: LS, LC; but you don't have to make your lower end ones look like lower end vehicles. Audi and Mercedes have these "lower" end models, but they are still striking in design. Personally, I love the new Audi A1 - it's a cheaper Audi, but it still looks like it comes from the same family as the A7. If I knew nothing about cars and you told me the UX and LC were from the same brand, I would not believe you.
Overall, I really think Lexus is still a top competitor to these German brands that always have seemed to dominate, but I think in a way, they are falling behind. Something needs to be changed asap. I do not want to see the GS go. Then the RC. Then the IS. Then the GX. Then the LS. These are great models. They just need some attention. Please, Lexus! Don't become Infiniti. Their sales were down almost 50% (I think they sold like 4k models in September or something), and they had to be pulled from Australia.
Feel free to disagree! I know I have strong opinions here!
