The bastardization of Lexus's F brand

[homeforsummer]

I'm still kind of confused about how Lexus could be bastardizing something no one cares about anyway. Other than some vague trickle-down relationship that they have going with the IS-F and LF-A, what value does the F brand actually hold?

Depends on the model, but as I mentioned earlier, you do get a few extra bits and bobs beyond a styling kit.

Even on the CT 200h the F Sport gets uprated springs and dampers, but on the GS 450h (specifically the hybrid, rather than the GS 250 we also get in the UK) you get the uprated suspension, as well as four-wheel steer and variable-ratio steering. Obviously costs a fair chunk over the non-F Sport but at least there's some engineering behind it.

 

[ShobThaBob]

I'm still kind of confused about how Lexus could be bastardizing something no one cares about anyway. Other than some vague trickle-down relationship that they have going with the IS-F and LF-A, what value does the F brand actually hold?

That's kinda what I was getting at. There is no history. There's nothing there to bastardize. Anything they're doing at this point is setting the precedent for what we can expect from the badge.

 

[///M-Spec]

Other than some vague trickle-down relationship that they have going with the IS-F and LF-A, what value does the F brand actually hold?

Is that a rhetorical question? Or do you think this warrants discussion?


M

 

[Tornado]

The latter.

The LFA came out not even two years ago. The ISF came out 5. The OP is acting like offering side performance packages for more pedestrian models is invalidating a long and illustrious history, which to me kinda seems like writing off the entire M division of BMW way back in 1979 because the first car they made after the 3.0CSL and M1 was the M535. Let them get a foothold on the market and establish themselves fully before claiming that they are going against their entire concept.

 

[AMCNUT]

All brands need to sell cars, and if there are buyers queuing for cars that look the sporting part for a portion of the price of the real article, then you can bet that automakers will jump on that (profitable) bandwagon. Whether it's a newish sub-brand like F-Sport of something more venerable like BMW's M or Mercedes' AMG operations is irrelevant in my opinion.

Half the reason many people buy cars like Lexus, BMW, etc. is with an eye to impress people. Once these people figure out that you can buy a car that looks like something fast and has a cool name to boot, but has all of the benefits (such as fuel economy or insurance) of the lower-tier models, vanity and $$$$ take control.

 

[Joey D]

On a 2 and a half ton SUV with a ride height not much lower than my knees, I do think they are extras. Selling points. Nobody buys an SUV with even an inking of thought that they plan on tracking it. I'm just against the idea of a performance SUV to begin with I think, which is tangent to what's discussed here.

There's two guys that autocross Jeep SRT-8's and a guy who does it with a Typhoon around here (not SCCA events) and they do quite well. I even think Chrysler has a racing version of the Jeep SRT-8 they use. So yes, there are people that think about tracking their sports SUV's.

Or there's the Tuner Grand Prix Porsche Cayenne