Comments on: Review: 2009 Lexus ES 350

By: nellar

nellar — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:11:54 +0000

Alot of revisionist history re Lexus in this article. Lexus couldn’t exist without Mercedes Benz showing them the way. Much the same as Infiniti, which couldn’t exist without Audi and BMW. The Japanese brands are just more geared towards the American market. And this particular Lexus model, the ES, is and always has been nothing more than a Camry with leather.

By: Need more oil for GM

Need more oil for GM — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:05:32 +0000

Quality? Reliability? dependability? Nothing beats a GM vehicle. An American Revolution

By: homeland security

homeland security — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:44:20 +0000

Yes NMOFT I am sure that MB, BMW etc are concerned of Lexus in Europe. But it is still a long way to go to dominate the market. Being “former” european I share view of some auto industry excecs that europeans tend to prefer some history on their car brands. Some real history in racing, how kings and queens, presidents and alike used your brand etc.
I do aprreciate many Lexus models, they are nice, good quality etc. But Lexus is just 20 years old brand which started as rebadging luxury model Toyotas for North-American market. So I don’t really understand when you mention Japan. Most of americans do not even know that Lexus did not éven exist in Japan, all the top models like LS was just badge engineering till couple years ago when Lexus brand was launched to Japan.

Few years back I was in biztrip to Japan and was driven in luxury Toytota, exactly the same as LS.
But anyway Toyota has done superb job when introducing rebadged Toyotas to americans, with topnocth service, dealer network etc. In US they got there in less that twenty years, as it took i.e. Mercedes lot longer to establish MB-brand to North-American market
But when it comes to a diversity of their product portfolio, engine options and real performance Lexus is still far away from MB and BMW. And in Europe Lexus brand is still misisng almost all the glory it has established in US.

By: Kaizen

Kaizen — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:24:39 +0000

Well, unfortunately, not anymore. Although it does make you wonder if Buick or Jag would be at top if they built/sold in the numbers like Lexus does.

By: tyler_is_aero_tt

tyler_is_aero_tt — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 06:16:44 +0000

Z06ified you know that Lexus is at the very top of the list in reliability, got that right?

By: elviososa

elviososa — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 05:41:17 +0000

one word…..FUGLY

By: bcjohnso99

bcjohnso99 — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 04:03:44 +0000

I think the real competition for this will come from the 2010 Buick Lacrosse (assuming GM can pay the bills to run the assembly line). Attractive styling with good quality + lower price + “buy American” will sit well with many older folks to which these cars appeal.

By: winnipegjets

winnipegjets — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 02:52:57 +0000

i absolutely HATE this car. i am a big fan of the rest of their products, i just cant stand this one. the only people you see drving it are 70-90 year olds who dont know how to drive anymore. i hate the interior of the car, whenever im at my local lexus dealership (my parents both drive lexuses) i always check out whats new, and never wander towards the ES. im also not a huge fan of the new RX, interior is a major improvement, but the exterior is UGLY. my sister just ordered a 328 xdrive coupe which will be really nice. but never in a billion years would i ever buy a gm. eben though no more oil for toyota is right that there quality is up, but their reputation still sucks.

By: idrinorbarsaku

idrinorbarsaku — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 01:28:12 +0000

In the end, this is not a car you should make fun of for any reason. who gives a shit if its similar to the camry? only the ones who want to argue without a real reason will care. the people who buy this car for what it is will not care. This car is one of the most reliable cars that drives on 4 frikin wheels! it has a great ride! Power feels great for what it is. The interior fit and finish is top notch. the sound system is great. great fuel economy. oh yeah…its comfortable as hell without driving like buick-boat! you would have to be a complete moron like NMOFGM to get a buick instead of this…or any lexus for that matter!

By: johnnycanuck

johnnycanuck — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 21:03:50 +0000

It wasn’t that long ago (OK maybe it was, but I swear there was color TV at the time) when Buick had the same kind of cache as Lexus. It filled the void between basic (Chevy) and gaudy (Cadillac) and soldiered on successfully for many years fulfilling that role. Of course all that got lost in GM’s monumental quest to badge engineer their way into the colons of North Americans and I for one have very little faith the brand will ever re-attain its former glory. That, however, is a topic best saved for another discussion.

The ES350 is Lexus’ Buick. It’s a ‘nice’ car that offends no one and you may go your entire life without ever seeing one all blinged out. Add to that it’s reliable, has excellent resale value and a Lexus- not a Toyota- badge and I can see why it sells so well. That doesn’t mean I’d ever buy one, but if I was ever asked to recommend it to someone so inclined I’d have no problem doing so- as long as they brought it up first.

By: jackjimturkey

jackjimturkey — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:35:12 +0000

It’s just a camry

By: save saab

save saab — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:06:18 +0000

I’ve riden in my friends 05 ES. Good car, but I’ll stick with my Saab.

By: No More Oil For Toyota

No More Oil For Toyota — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:01:21 +0000

homeland-point taken, but here’s this. MB,BMW, and Audi actually have to be concerned with Lexus as it continues to steal sales from them, on home turf. How many Domestic brands are really becoming a threat in Europe or Japan.

GM quality IS up. unfortunately reputation is not and wont be for a looong time,if they even make it that far.

JD Powers…based only on 100 day satisfaction, and doesnt give a ratio of how many sold. Buick scored high, but sold less than a quarter compared to Lexus. if Lexus sold..500K and Buick…100K units, i would hope that, that 100K sold had fewer issues. and then theres the demographics, who bought Buick—old senile people. the general public doesnt know what JD Powers is, they rely on consumer reports, which i dont want to get into…especially when it comes to Imports. (sig withheld)

By: zeegone

zeegone — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:40:25 +0000

This is a great car and is going to continue to sell very well. I like how they’ve done the interior with a good balance of electronics, wood, and platic. Those who shall remain nameless are fools for calling any Lexus unreliable too. If I were in the market for a V6 sedan I’d still take a G37 for the money but those are 2 very different cars.

Tyler-aero TT- what’s up with the dis for GM? Like all car companies theyv’e had a few misses on vehicle reliability (Allante, Catera) but over all they are still very reliable, especially the trucks, and are only getting better. Heck, I’d easily take a CTS over this ES. Looking at your name am I right to assume you drive a Saab?! I don’t even want to get started on their reliability.

By: homeland security

homeland security — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:54:24 +0000

No more oil for Toyota, you told:”Lexus will continue to dominate both US and Europe—thats a fact”.

Lexus sales in Europe are pitiful compared to any of the european luxury brands – now thats a fact.
Who dominates in Europe in luxury class is MB, BMW, Audi etc.not Lexus.

GM quality is nowadays almost on par with anybody i.e. JD Powers rated Lexus #1 for good 10 years, Bick being second last years. What happened then, Buick was sharing bright spot with Lexus.
Support your own country buy american.

By: Z06ified

Z06ified — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:11:05 +0000

tyler – actually you can: I have a 1999 Suburban with 180k miles on it and it is 100% reliable. My ’02 Corvette Z06 has also had nothing go wrong with it, even after being abused on tracks and auto-X’s.

Try again, young grasshopper…

By: Z06ified

Z06ified — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:06:32 +0000

I think that dash design, especially around the top of the center console and the passenger side, looks cheap and almost hideous. And what’s with the el-cheapo green LCD displays from the mid-1980′s in the center stack (clock, etc.)? – it doesn’t even match the white on black LCD displays in the gauge cluster. I also see some interior panels that don’t line up properly.

Bleh. Total yawnmobile. I’m amazed at how many people plunk down $40k+ for one of these.

By: No More Oil For Toyota

No More Oil For Toyota — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:48:44 +0000

@ NMOFGM—”major smackdown” LOL ooohh.

is Toyota threatened by Buick? no.

By: tyler_is_aero_tt

tyler_is_aero_tt — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:48:38 +0000

NMOFGM my mom has a 1999 Lexus RX300 and nothing has gone wrong yet. You just can’t say the same about GM.

By: No More Oil For Toyota

No More Oil For Toyota — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:45:38 +0000

NMOFGM–hillarious comment, i applaud you. i’m surprised a person like you can even type. Lexus will continue to dominate both US and Europe—thats a fact. GM will fall — thats a also a fact. keep living the fantasy, the writing is on the wall.

Buy Toyota (or Honda) there cars last longer and have better resale value

By: Need more oil for GM

Need more oil for GM — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:22:12 +0000

Wow, the car made it through the test drive without breaking down on you guys. That’s amazing for an import.

The new Lacrosse is gonna put a major smackdown on this glorified POS Camry. The Current Lacrosse is already a better car for less money and longer lasting reliability and dependibility. The new one will only be that much better. Then it’ll really be Buhbye Lexus.

Buy american. Buy GM.

By: tyler_is_aero_tt

tyler_is_aero_tt — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:16:16 +0000

Lexus’s are really luxurious and feel very high quality and are decent to drive, it’s just that there are more fun cars out there to drive.

By: Borat

Borat — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:14:00 +0000

I can’t imagine anyone comparing 3 series with this. I think only competition is really TL and Infinity. I am sure both are much more able on the road as far as handling and feel concern.