how do lexus cars really compare to european cars?

[dr. d]

I beg to differ. You cannot compare a M3 and a 328i. it's not just "extran insulation and nicer interior materials".
It's how everything works. You can put a V10 on a Civic, put a 1 foot thick insulation, it may run 0-60 miles in 2 seconds, but IMHO, it will still be a Civic.

so what does "how everything works" mean? the civic is now virtually insulated from outside and engine noise, does 0-60 in 2 seconds, and has nice leather interior. so what else does the civic have to do, so that "everything works", so's it can start comparing with european automotive royalty? or are we dealing with snob appeal?
decades ago, there was this series of ads in the US by an american car manufacturer, where the subject customer was blindfolded, then asked to ride some cars... without snob appeal, the pedestrian brands could actually compete with royalty..