LEXUS vs. MERCEDES vs BMW

[karenroserobles]

It would help. Why would you spend millions of pesos when only you would know how expensive you car is? Having people know and acknowledge the expensiveness of a luxury car is a big part of the reason why we want to own a luxury car.

Ask common people about bmw and benz and they will know its an expensive car. Ask the same people about Lexus, they might not even know its a car, but a men's club along quezon ave. ;)

Okay thank you so much for this!! helps me a lot.

[karenroserobles]

parang survey to ah. among the three i choose the merc because the cars are just timeless. i guess it comes with getting more mature. i find BMWs to be too youngish (sporty), which is something i don't really look for in a car anymore. you drive to republiq in a BMW. you drive to the golf course in your benz. hehe

lexus kasi parang hilaw pa talaga eh. lexus is a "luxury" car brand that aspires to be european. if you can get the real thing for a reasonable difference in price, eh di might as well get the real deal! you don't buy an automatic seiko if you've made your money and want to flaunt it. you get a rolex.

yup mejo survey sya. i really want to know what car enthusiasts like you think about these cars. Thank you so much!

[karenroserobles]

Personally, I find the Volvo's design a bit too sport-oriented. It looks nice in a sporty sort of way but I keep thinking that Volvo could've made it look both sporty and luxurious as well.

*TS: Lexus's strength over other luxury brands? I'd say their cars portray the owner as a sensible person who thinks of efficiency and practicality in buying a luxury vehicle instead of just gunning for the ubiquitous Merc or BMW as a statement of their success. And being a Japanese car, a Lexus would most definitely be cheaper to maintain than its European counterparts.

Thank you so much for this.

[karenroserobles]

Personally, I find the Volvo's design a bit too sport-oriented. It looks nice in a sporty sort of way but I keep thinking that Volvo could've made it look both sporty and luxurious as well.

*TS: Lexus's strength over other luxury brands? I'd say their cars portray the owner as a sensible person who thinks of efficiency and practicality in buying a luxury vehicle instead of just gunning for the ubiquitous Merc or BMW as a statement of their success. And being a Japanese car, a Lexus would most definitely be cheaper to maintain than its European counterparts.

Thank you so much for this.

[karenroserobles]

We were choosing between the 3 plus an Audi for my dad's retirement car specifically ES350, 530D, E350 both are all good cars. Lexus is a little bit bland and kulang sa character. Since the 5 series although good is more of a driver oriented car and when our driver tried out the car nahirapan due to the i-Drive. A6 was also a good alternative good mixture of sportiness and luxury but nagkatalo lang sa pricing. The Benz amongst all was really the most luxurios and their new line of engines are really good.

At this price point/segment practicality is really not an issue. We really didn't consider the km/l since if you can buy a P5M car, di ka na magtitipid sa gas. You just look at the overall customer experience.

Hi. What do mean when you say wlang character ang lexus? Yung mga other car brands ba as in may character sila?

[ghosthunter]

Having sat in a Lexus LS460, I disagree with ghosthunter's opinion and say that Lexus has what it takes to deliver on practical luxury. Still, given that amount of money, I'd still add a few millions and get a S-class Mercedes-Benz. Now THAT's luxury.

When I had the opportunity to test drive the entire Lexus sedan range, only the LS460 is the odd one out for the entire sedan line of Lexus that actually delivers the "luxury goods"... but still if I have to spend P6M to P7M on a ubber luxury sedan, I would rather still prefer to choose a prestige brand like Merc, or BMW or Jaguar.

"Lexus" still doesn't deliver that feel of prestige in a brand.

[ghosthunter]

Hi. What do mean when you say wlang character ang lexus? Yung mga other car brands ba as in may character sila?

Styling is too bland... much like a Camry. It feels designed by a committee to meet certain specifications. No emotion was spent on the design.

Compare the Camry to the current Sonata with it's flowing lines and graceful buldges.

[karenroserobles]

Having sat in a Lexus LS460, I disagree with ghosthunter's opinion and say that Lexus has what it takes to deliver on practical luxury. Still, given that amount of money, I'd still add a few millions and get a S-class Mercedes-Benz. Now THAT's luxury.

Personally, I view Lexus as something sensible in terms of luxury. It's not full-blown luxury like those of Caddys or Beemers, but I think it has its own niche market where an owner wants something that offer luxury and is sensible at the same time. Another company that is trying to rival that is Hyundai's own Equus lineup, but it's not there yet to compete with the big boys so I'll cross that out.

Between the ES (GS ata direct competitor?), 5-series, or E-class: I'll go for the E-class. The only Lexus lines I love is the LS and the LX, anything more and I like Mercs better. And yes, I've never been a fan of Beemers, but I'm a fan of Mercs. If not, that Maserati I saw in Fort earlier is always calling out for me :naughty2:

What do mean sensible ang lexus?

[karenroserobles]

i beg to disagree... the LS is humongous, but in general majority of the population don't know lexus... people usually are enticed by the big 3 (Audi,MB,BMW)...

i agree. why do you to lexus is humongous?

[ghosthunter]

Personally, I find the Volvo's design a bit too sport-oriented. It looks nice in a sporty sort of way but I keep thinking that Volvo could've made it look both sporty and luxurious as well.

Volvo is properly targeting it's market segment. It's shedding it's old image of an old-stuffed-up man's car for a more youthful look and targeting younger buyers as well with it's more sporty look and handling. People who are looking for something European without the usual high price-tag associated with it... and even maybe something "not-german" too. ;)

[karenroserobles]

When I had the opportunity to test drive the entire Lexus sedan range, only the LS460 is the odd one out for the entire sedan line of Lexus that actually delivers the "luxury goods"... but still if I have to spend P6M to P7M on a ubber luxury sedan, I would rather still prefer to choose a prestige brand like Merc, or BMW or Jaguar.

"Lexus" still doesn't deliver that feel of prestige in a brand.

Really? Thanks so much!

[ghosthunter]

Personally, I view Lexus as something sensible in terms of luxury. It's not full-blown luxury like those of Caddys or Beemers, but I think it has its own niche market where an owner wants something that offer luxury and is sensible at the same time. Another company that is trying to rival that is Hyundai's own Equus lineup, but it's not there yet to compete with the big boys so I'll cross that out.
:

How is spending the cash value equivalent of a BMW luxury sedan on a Japanese unknown luxury car be a sensible decision?

If you want a sensible luxury car, buy a top of the line Toyota Camry or a Nissan Teana or Hyundai Sonata.

[karenroserobles]

Styling is too bland... much like a Camry. It feels designed by a committee to meet certain specifications. No emotion was spent on the design.

Compare the Camry to the current Sonata with it's flowing lines and graceful buldges.

Pati when you test drive the car? Parang wala pa din bang character?

[ghosthunter]

Pati when you test drive the car? Parang wala pa din bang character?

With exception to the LS460... the entire Lexus sedan range (IS, ES, GS) was a combination of slow, lumbering, cramp and boring to look at. If you want "character", I would say an old man.

[imperialv]

How about after sales service? Who has the best service here in Manila?

[jhnkvn]

Let us kindly remember that the Lexus locally situated in Fort Bonifacio has opened its doors just recently to the public. It's no wonder that Lexus will still need time to build up their reputation here in the Philippines compared to PGACars or Cats Motors. However, they're pretty well-established in other markets. If we take a global view for it, Lexus IS considered a luxury and that alone pits it against Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

I think Wikipedia's article about Lexus' marketing sums it up the best:

"Industry observers have attributed Lexus' early marketing successes to higher levels of perceived quality and lower prices than competitors, which have enabled the marque to attract customers upgrading from mass-market cars. A reputation for dependability, bolstered by reliability surveys, also became a primary factor in attracting new customers from rival premium makes. Lexus has since grown to command higher price premiums than rival Japanese makes, with new models further increasing in price and reaching the over-US$100,000 ultra-luxury category long dominated by rival European marques."

Can we say that Lexus wasn't supposed to initially go head-to-head against them but simply fill out the gap left behind by luxury and mass-market automobiles? Possibly. But that requires further research.

[uls]

Lexus is an aspirational brand


aspirational brand definition from Financial Times Lexicon

aspirational brand
A brand that people think is a very high quality brand, which will give them a higher position in society if they buy it.

[mda_]

Lexus is an aspirational brand


aspirational brand definition from Financial Times Lexicon

its all about context, perceptions. Lexus is either a) an aspirational mass brand if you're moving up, or b) a massified luxury brand if you're already there.

[uls]

^^^

moving up from a Toyota or moving down from a Merc

--

aspirational brand kinda like Coach

lower than LV

[ChunkyLover]

Lets just say Lexus has its own great qualities... it has its own reasons why it became the top selling brand in the US.... ever think of that? hehehe

lexus are for the people who has already owned tons of bmw audis and mb... people who would like to be differentiated
:D