Congratulations on your new car(s) and don't let others put them down. It comes down to what is best for each person. Had a 2005 RAV4 (excellent vehicle) and in 2014 traded it in on a Nissan Rogue (excellent vehicle).
Lexus is a luxury vehicle and a super reliable make. Personally I just don't like the spindle grilles, but that's me.
Read an interesting article a while back that if Lexus had not been created and been so successful in the early '90's, MB "E" Class would cost $15-20,000 more than it does now. This is based on what MB was selling comparble cars for at the time. Ain't competition grand?
Happy Motoring!

My 2008 Lexus GS350 was more unreliable than any of the German cars I owned, it spend 6 weeks in the shop in my first year of ownership. Buying Lexus do not guarantee problem free driving. The automotive industry as a whole have improved dramatically reliability wise that being the most reliable auto manufacturer really do not mean as much as it use to. If you look at the JD power survey you posted, Mercedes average 0.12 issue per owner per year while Lexus average 0.09 issues. Both very reliable cars in my opinion. Mercedes out shines Lexus in so many other areas that the slight edge Lexus have in reliability is hardly a selling point.

OP, sorry you had to let the E go, wish you all the luck with your new car and hope you find yourself back in an MB cockpit sooner rather than later.

She's a beauty ! Enjoy the new ride.
You are "dead to us " now

That's a nice looking Toyota!

I had a 2007 IS. It had one dash rattle that the dealer fixed perfectly and that was it. Decent car.

In this case (not hating at all), I actually wonder if a front license plate would actually break up the predator grill and make it a little less intense? But looking at the design, I don't see how dealers in states that require front plate would ever mount them.

Good luck with the new purchase. BTW, red leather is addictive. Have it on my F30 328 Xdrive and it gets compliments every.single.day.

Beautiful car/ Good luck, I've yet to look over the performance specs but I'll do some research now just to brush up. I'm sure you'll be happy with your purchase.

Haha, congrats on the new purchase. The interior looks really nice, comfy/color wise. I am not a fan of their front grills either but still, a nice little car .

Not a fan of the grille either, although I must say it blends in nicely on a black car. No so well on the lighter colors.

It's hard not to notice the different style direction MB and Lexus have gone. MB has totally smoothed out its lines, while Lexus has gone bold and angular. Lexus outsold MB last year (and BMW, and Audi) for the first time I believe. Maybe they are on to something.

Enjoy the car.

not trying to be confrontational but outselling one brand doesnt necessarily mean its better. it could just be cheaper or offering better deals.

i read that BMW outsold MB and Audi down here last year. im quite happy with that for the simple reason that it makes my car a bit more exclusive.

although im seeing more MBs on the road down here than before, its still not like a toyota where its left and right, front and back when im stuck in traffic. no offense to toyota owners.

The interior looks nice (and sexy in red) any day. I just cannot digest the spindle grille (face). Rather than speculating on which car is better, we should focus on which car is better for the OP and which he would be most happy with.
I'm glad you found the best suitable match for now. It's a tad smaller and younger than your original E class. We hope that you'll be back with her (E class) in due course when you are done and finished with your new fling. Congratulations. .

Hiding the grille does not make the grille any better. Acura have gone thru the same design fiasco with their bird beak grille design year ago and BMW with their Bangle butt design. Acura use to paint their grille for the customers for free, in the end, both companies have enough sense to change their designs. Lexus. However, have somehow manage to have made their perdictor grille even bigger and uglier.
You are wrong about the sales numbers, in 2015, Lexus sold 344000 units in the US while Mercedes sold 380000 units, BMW was #1 in the US. World wide, Mercedes probably sold 4 to 5 times as much cars as Lexus worldwide.

I can't confirm that 380,000 figure, but I stand corrected. Looks like BMW was #1 in US with sales of 346,023 units, Lexus edged out Mercedes for 2d place with sales of 344,601 vs. 343,088. I think I got the early info from Forbes, and it may have been a projection.

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1...es-into-second

http://www.rawhide.org/blog/car-tips...FQ6LaQod_3gH3g

Point is that we all buy what we want, whether because of appearance, price, performance, prestige, or whatever. Some buyers might actually like the Lexus grille, while others are willing to overlook it because they feel they get more for their money. Seems to me that Mercedes has it's own grille controversy. Different strokes for different folks. I didn't even look at Lexus when I bought my cars. Don't know why...just didn't.

OP might have been a little "in your face" with all the pics and so forth. This is, after all, a Mercedes forum and he should have expected some blowback.

No doubt, we all vote with our walets. The IS350 F sport is a nice performing car for the price but not my kind of car. I merely made a comment about the grille, If exterior design is not a priority, by all means, the IS is a nice entry level compact sport sedan.

A face only a Mother/owner could love.

I was wondering why the Lexus designer, Yasuo Kajino,would design a grille that looks like that, so I Google it, and one look at the Yasuo Kajino's picture, you will understand why And why is up with all the Nike logo on the IS350?

Ok, I did not need to see that. The grill on every car has been a signature design element since 1905.This is no different. Enjoy that new ride!

that photo. couldnt agree more with all the Nike logos. pointy lines everywhere i look. that being said...

give it up guys...i think OP has moved on, so should all of us.

Thats a face only a mother could love.



The good news is since its basically a toyota with leather interior, its sole redeeming factor means youll have a long time to get used to it.

haha This is so messed up

I like the color. Wow you guys are rough - lol.

Any issues if I post pics of my candy red Elantra here tomorrow?

Actually the grille is supposed to reflect back to Toyota's original beginnings as a textile companey and the spindles used in manufacturing textiles. This why you see it on both Toyotas and Lexus'. Dumb idea if you ask me, but its their company.
Sort of like the original W212 rear quarter panel crease reflected back to the ponton design.
The Lexus ES has a lot in common with the Toyota Avalon, but I think there are more differences between the IS and Toyotas, especially now that Scion is pretty much gone.

Whats the nike logo on the car for, did Lexus use to make sneakers too?

Beautiful car

Awesome looking ride. Perfect size car for me. I had a 2009 IS250 AWD and I really miss that car. Lexus is a great brand.