Taste of Lexus-Drove new cars on test tracks

[slingshot]

I went to the Taste of Lexus driving event in Belmont Park, NY this weekend and it was really great. They treated people great and there was quite a big crowd. You had the ability to test drive every Lexus as well as competitors from Mercedes, BMW, etc. I drove the RX400h, IS350, and GS430 and liked them all. Of the three, the IS350 excited me the most. They had a light system setup. In my excitement, I forgot to use the paddles to shift. The auto transmission was just fine though. I hit the pedal when it turned green accelerating hard and throwing my head back. Then came the high speed twisties which this car took with no trouble at all. Fantastic ride and nice interior. They had only two pre-production IS350's to test drive so the wait was very long but worth it. I watched a DVD movie on the GS430 NAV system and the Mark Levinson system totally rocked. I highly recommend everyone to go to this event if it is in your area.

Many Pics by me here: http://dfwald.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album02
Click on Start slideshow button and adjust the time in seconds for each pic to your liking.

[DatSRBoi]

I hate you every much..Dang it why has it to be 21 and up

[slingshot]

Website with more info on Taste of Lexus - Event locations and dates, etc.

http://www.tasteoflexus.com/default.asp

Gifts they give out: Zagat Survey 2005 America's Top Restaurants book in Lexus binding (1383 restaurants in 41 US locations), Lexus pen, Lexus catalog, and Paul McCartney's latest CD.

[StockSolara]

damn that looks hella fun

[MikeATL]

Every Atlanta session is full! It says I'm wait listed, that sucks.

[SPF 0]

I hate you every much..Dang it why has it to be 21 and up

I'm actually surprised that the bottom age limit is that low.

[slingshot]

The one weird styling issue I saw with the new IS and GS models were mismatched top and bottom grilles. I don't know why they did that.

[michaels artic frost]

Thanks for posting those great pics of the Lexus. I'm sure you had a great time. I've been meaning to go to a Mercedes one for quite some time now. But just never got around to it.

-M

[Jackass-Jeff]

=] Good to see you had a good time. I get paid to go to this =]

[SC V6]

=] Good to see you had a good time. I get paid to go to this =]

must be rough.. ahah that would be nice

[siennasc98]

I did register two months ago and got confirmed for the Taste of Lexus, Performance Edition event on Saturday 11/5/2005 12:45 PM at Alameda Point.

[slingshot]

Jeff,
Well, they treated us great. While waiting on line for checking in, they walked around with trays offering appetizers. The only negative thing was the long lines waiting for the test drives. The IS350 wait was super long because they only had two to drive. Well worth the drive though. The new cars look pretty good but they don't stick out and really grab you. The effect is angular looks instead of rounded streamlining. The mismatched upper and lower grilles really ruin it and cheapen the look. The Infiniti G35 and M45 really scream out great styling to me in comparison. The new Lexus models are more ho-hum in styling since they are only trying to compete now against BMW and Mercedes. But even those competitors have a distinct look while Lexus still doesn't have that. Overall, I came away with the impression that Lexus did their homework with engine and suspensions but the styling doesn't make them worth what they are charging. I now feel my car is an incredible bargain for what I got. Same thing goes with buying an Avalon instead of a Lexus costing far more. Lexus needs not only better performance but better styling to get a larger younger-age market share.

[Jackass-Jeff]

Jeff,
Well, they treated us great. While waiting on line for checking in, they walked around with trays offering appetizers. The only negative thing was the long lines waiting for the test drives. The IS350 wait was super long because they only had two to drive. Well worth the drive though. The new cars look pretty good but they don't stick out and really grab you. The effect is angular looks instead of rounded streamlining. The mismatched upper and lower grilles really ruin it and cheapen the look. The Infiniti G35 and M45 really scream out great styling to me in comparison. The new Lexus models are more ho-hum in styling since they are only trying to compete now against BMW and Mercedes. But even those competitors have a distinct look while Lexus still doesn't have that. Overall, I came away with the impression that Lexus did their homework with engine and suspensions but the styling doesn't make them worth what they are charging. I now feel my car is an incredible bargain for what I got. Same thing goes with buying an Avalon instead of a Lexus costing far more. Lexus needs not only better performance but better styling to get a larger younger-age market share.

L-Finesse is about seeking that brand feel, as you stated. RIght now, instead of an overall LEXUS feel, you get the IS traits, the GS traits, LS traints, etc... that keep the car, that car. GS carryovers include the headlamp set. It's 2 middle high-beam and 2 outer low-beam. I don't feel like thinking to much right now, but you can see the other "carryover" traits.

When you look at the GS vs IS, you can see the similarities, while the sharper lines on the IS makes it slightly more aggressive than the GS. The L-Finesse look is somewhat controversial (love or hate, almost no in-betweens) but it's found a market with a certain niche. We've been beating our sales records due to the GS and RX 400h launch and are pulling away from the former #1 USA dealership. We're about 200 or so cars ahead now =P The product line will shape up w/ the next ES (07 MY), RX (07 MY), LS (07 MY), then, finally, the SC (08 MY) (not 100% sure about the SC).

But hey, Lexus has gotten passed the material luxury and is moving to (some have been) time-saving easy maintenance/maintenance-free vehicles. Example: 04+ LS/LX/GX do not need transmission fluid until 100K miles. 04+ All Vehicles don't need coolant until 100K. All new vehicles with 6-speed transmission will eventually receive the 100K fluid also. So you're basically doing oil change only until around 100K, where you drain and refill everything.

Lexus dealers are starting to offer flatbed and mobile servicing. We offer that to our dealership's guests right now, but a lot of other dealers are starting to follow suite. Complimentary loan cars (usually a Lexus, selection varies by dealer) also help if you don't want to wait at the dealership and want to run a few errands.

BMW depicts sports car (Ultimate Driving Machine)... Mercedez depicts prestige. Lexus... Last year, the event was called "Lexus Taste of Luxury Tour". This year, it's the "Taste of Lexus Tour". They are trying for Lexus = Luxury. It's actually been catching on. The evolution of the Lexus experience makes the competition have to follow suite. Everyone buys a car for a different reason, but more are coming to us =]

[newroc]

Just finished listening to the mccartney CD and I'm wondering why lexus chose to back this one to enhance their image. It's definitely an acquired taste, unlike anything he's done before, too bitter for me though. Just curious as to what kind of "music" it is, if you can call it that.

Another curious thing at the event was why the hybrid track was only 1/3 as long as the rest. It was too short to do anything, and the hybrid drove like any other car... maybe that was the point they wanted to make?

[that1mexguy]

Every Atlanta session is full! It says I'm wait listed, that sucks.

I'm registered for it along with everybody in SELOC. If you really want to go, I can ask one of them to bring you as their guest, let me know.