IS/RC Lexus IS Euro NCAP Crash Tests

[bum-man]

WCF Article

 

[Osnabrueck]

Just gimmie gimmie that knee airbag!

I'm a bit surprised that BMW hasn't built one into the E90 and E92. One point for Lexus and knees around the world.

 

[bum-man]

For some reason I was under the assumption that most luxury cars came with knee airbags as standard (especially the Germans), but I guess I was wrong. Hopefully, the new C will offer them, otherwise they would be stupid not too.

 

[cawimmer430]

Don't show this to the Lexus fanboys on Autospies. These guys are living in their dreamworld, where Lexus "has more prestige" than German and British luxury cars.

The IS is a good car, but let's face it, it's not the class leader it was intended to be. Yet, you have all these little fanboys proclaiming it to be better than the BMW 3-Series because it is faster (IS350 vs 330i). Thank God the 335i shut them up.

 

[Mr. M]

Don't show this to the Lexus fanboys on Autospies. These guys are living in their dreamworld, where Lexus "has more prestige" than German and British luxury cars.

The IS is a good car, but let's face it, it's not the class leader it was intended to be. Yet, you have all these little fanboys proclaiming it to be better than the BMW 3-Series because it is faster (IS350 vs 330i). Thank God the 335i shut them up.

Well in Singapore, Lexus is just as prestigious as German/British cars in many minds. It depends on the culture and location, really.

The IS, I believe, is quite class leader in terms of value for money. Not an all-rounder like the 3er, but it has its merits certainly.

 

[bmer]

For some reason I was under the assumption that most luxury cars came with knee airbags as standard (especially the Germans), but I guess I was wrong. Hopefully, the new C will offer them, otherwise they would be stupid not too.

I don't think any German car model has them yet... So nowadays Lexus has something that the Germans don't have: 8-speed automatic transmission, knee airbag etc.

Don't show this to the Lexus fanboys on Autospies. These guys are living in their dreamworld, where Lexus "has more prestige" than German and British luxury cars.

The IS is a good car, but let's face it, it's not the class leader it was intended to be. Yet, you have all these little fanboys proclaiming it to be better than the BMW 3-Series because it is faster (IS350 vs 330i). Thank God the 335i shut them up.

Let's talk about Autospies and fanboys again...

 

[cawimmer430]

Well in Singapore, Lexus is just as prestigious as German/British cars in many minds. It depends on the culture and location, really.

The IS, I believe, is quite class leader in terms of value for money. Not an all-rounder like the 3er, but it has its merits certainly.

I respect Lexus, but to me, Lexus is nowhere near the German or British brands in terms of prestige once you get into the detail.

Prestige is built with time through innovation, success in motorsports and much much more. Mercedes, BMW and Jaguar have a reputation for these aspects for example. That's where the appeal and appreciation come from.

I'll use the name Daimler-Benz (even though the Benz AG and Daimler AG were merged in 1926) had to struggle when they were selling cars in the late 19th century and throughout the 1910s and 1920s. The breakthrough came in the 1930s when more people could afford the cars they offered (they also offered mainstream cars, not only luxury). During this time, they innovated, participated in motorsports, developed aircraft and ship engines and brought out cars that would become classics / famous because they showcased new technology etc. or were simply revolutionary or stunning in terms of design.

Lexus? Created by Toyota in the late 1980s. They've had it so easy. With Toyota's funds, they didn't have to struggle to make money. Toyota could afford to market them and it is well known that they took a W126 S-Class and later a W140 S-Class and perfected them in the form of the LS400. That's hardly innovating. Lexus has made hybrids available to the masses, true, but as I understand it, the concept was showcased by either Audi or VW in the late 1980s or early 1990s.

In effect, you could argue that non-luxury European brands like Citroën for example have more prestige than Lexus because they've been very innovative with suspensions, transmissions and ride comfort in general. We can add Fiat, Alfa Romeo and many more to the list if we examine the detail.

Also, Lexus are cheap and well equipped, that's true, but if you look at why they are cheap in America, you'll see that the Japanese are playing a dirty little game called illegal trade practice. They buy American Dollars by the boatload to keep their currency artificially weak. This ensures that their products are cheaper in the US market. The US Dollar and European Euro are pretty competitive. Add to that the fact that the European brands can practice prestige pricing and you've got your answer why European luxury cars cost more and Lexus, Acura etc. are cheaper. I do agree that the German brands should create more value by supplying more standard equipment. Things like navigation or leather should be standard on any Audi, BMW or Mercedes in the US.

Don't get me wrong, I am glad for Lexus since they've shaken up the industry and forced the Germans to wake up, but in my honest opinion, Lexus is not as prestigeous as the European luxury brands and it bothers me when people say they are.