[Hayek]

Congrats Mr. Narayan. You will probably be among the first Lexus owners in India - waiting for the review, and hope the car turns out to be as good and hassle free as we all expect.

Feels sad that one more Superb is exiting Team BHP - I still miss that car.

[McLaren Rulez]

It is fitting that your parting shot of the Superb was taken at sunset. I must say, it looks beautiful.

Congratulations on the Lexus.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by R2D2

Given my experience with Toyota plus the added aura & halo of the Lexus marque I don't think you will ever regret buying this machine.

Thank you R2D2. What I liked about Toyota is that their management took the trouble of replying to my letters and on my request came home to answer my questions and give me the opportunity to look them in the eye. When I asked for the dealers' General Manager to meet me he came and patiently answered all my numerous questions. I also did an inspection of their repair shop covering training, how stores are tagged and issued, how planning is done, how tools are issued etc. As I run a maintenance outfit too I have some notion of what is good. From what I observed Toyota will be better than Honda.

While looking at the E-class simultaneously I wrote to MBIL - no reply twice over. I then asked the owner of the dealer to meet me - again no reply. I simply could not get into communication with any one beyond the General Manager who sits at the showroom. When a customer is buying something as costly as an apartment I expect the seller to be willing to connect with the buyer and not hide behind a salesman. Mind you the new E-class LWB is mouth watering. But the attitudes cause concern. In terms of slick salesmanship and ego massaging behavior the sales folks from both establishments were equally competent. Both assured me I was the best thing that happened since sliced bread was invented. But the senior management at MBIL did not want to engage with a prospective customer.

Originally Posted by Hayek

You will probably be among the first Lexus owners in India - waiting for the review, and hope the car turns out to be as good and hassle free as we all expect.
Feels sad that one more Superb is exiting Team BHP - I still miss that car.

Thank you Hayek. I will miss the Superb. What a pity that such a great car (mine is M/T) is backed by a rather corroded organization. I am told mine will be the first delivery in NCR. Nice touch. Bragging rights are important in hamari Dilli. The drivers are the most excited as they know an increment is coming. My older driver, who's been with us 20 years, tells my mother - "iss gaddi mein do engine hain. Mummyji iska matlab hai ki driver ko dugna kaam karna padta hai - double engine double kaam" (This car has two engines. Mummyji that means the driver has to do twice the work - double engine, double work). To each his perspective.

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

It is fitting that your parting shot of the
Superb was taken at sunset. I must say, it looks beautiful.
Congratulations on the Lexus.

Thank you McLaren Rulez.

[androdev]

Congratulations on the new car. You bought something bold, exclusive, expensive and against popular choice - and it is a Lexus

[asitkde]

Congratulations V.Narayan on deciding on the Lexus. During the late 80s and the 90s when I was doing my doctoral and post-doctoral work in the US, I have taken numerous rides in and also driven many times Acura Legend and both Lexus ES and LS models. Lexus soon became the epitome of class, reliability and refinement in the US, in all extreme conditions from -40 degrees to +40 degrees. They became quite popular with the Indian community in the US. I have gone through your thread and believe the car will serve your purposes very very well. Wish you a happy ownership.

[Turbanator]

If the LWB were available in a hybrid version and if Mercedes' after sales was even 20% better (in attitudes) I would have gone for it.

Yes, more than the money it's how it is demanded. I can correlate paying 10 times happily at Oberoi's vs say 24x7 department store charging everything at MRP but asking to pay for a Bag.

I wrote to MBIL - no reply twice over. I then asked the owner of the dealer to meet me - again no reply

Most of the guys including mid-level sales, carry an attitude more so at MB dealership perhaps due to the success of their products of late. But same may happen if you try with Toyota. Lexus being a new brand cannot afford such attitude. I have now started taking a different take in such scenarios if I like something I don't think much about the seller but this does not hold good for products where you have to visit the dealership for service or repairs regularly like cars or bikes. So it's good to try with a newer brand that too like Lexus. I am sure 5 Years down, your total cost of ownership including depreciation will be at least 50 % lower than E class.

All the best with your new possession, looking forward to your ownership review.

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

My sincere thanks to all contributors to this thread for their well meant and valuable advice that helped me through this decision process -. My wife and I have never bought a car this expensive. More than me she still follows thrifty habits developed in earlier humbler times. Then we said we are well past half time in the hockey game of life. Why die rich.

Thanks for the mention, again, and congratulations on the car.. sometimes a purchase isn't about money, deals, or popular opinions, and those times would be the times one would feel the most proud. Will look forward to your initial thoughts on the car but do take your time, your first priority will be to keep the mind and thoughts busy over the new car, after all.

I can't help but think how the general public in Delhi/NCR will react simply by looking at the front and logo, more like "ee konsi gaddi aa, front vich sirf L laga hai" Of course I maybe wrong, more Indians are aware of Lexus and its luxury quotient these days.

[V.Narayan]

For those interested the landed price is INR 70.3 lakhs inclusive of taxes, accessories and full insurance. Warranty for the car & batteries is 5 years. I'll post photos tomorrow.

[Sahil]

Congrats Narayan! Most in your case, including me would go for the E-class LWB but I am glad you let this decision be more about the feel good factor of the overall experience rather than it just being product based. Most of us succumb to a great product over great buying experience. I did the same too, when I bought my S-class, the sense of arrogance at MB dealer Auto Hangar Mumbai was peaking as the w222 S had just been launched and stocks were limited. The senior management had the most arrogance while the sales rep was very kind and easy going. A year on I bought a CLA and refused to take the deal from MB Auto Hangar even though they offered me a slightly better price. At the end of the day when you are buying a luxury product, you do expect to be treated with special attention and finesse. Sadly most dealerships have a very transactional relationship with customers.

Btw, which MB dealership were did you have this experience with ?

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by Sahil

Congrats Narayan! Most in your case, including me would go for the E-class LWB but I am glad you let this decision be more about the feel good factor of the overall experience rather than it just being product based. Most of us succumb to a great product over great buying experience. I did the same too, when I bought my S-class, the sense of arrogance at MB dealer Auto Hangar Mumbai was peaking as the w222 S had just been launched and stocks were limited. The senior management had the most arrogance while the sales rep was very kind and easy going. A year on I bought a CLA and refused to take the deal from MB Auto Hangar even though they offered me a slightly better price. At the end of the day when you are buying a luxury product, you do expect to be treated with special attention and finesse. Sadly most dealerships have a very transactional relationship with customers.

Btw, which MB dealership were did you have this experience with ?

Dear Sahil, I know exactly what you mean. You want to be treated with courtesy and respect - that's not asking for a lot. The E class LWB is outstanding in its opulence and the way the ambience of the interiors comes together. But the fact that Toyota & the dealers' GM were willing to patiently entertain multiple letters from me on my many questions and even the MD of Toyota Kirloskar was comfortable corresponding with an ordinary one time buyer like me made the difference. Even though I was hell bent on a hybrid more than once I almost fell over on the E-LWB side of the fence. My guess is that in our country the demand for luxury cars and marques is so high that the success goes to the heads of some dealers and OEM management - I may be wrong; just an assumption.

The MB dealer referred to in my post is T&T Motors of Gurgaon. Best wishes, Narayan

PS: you have an enviable line-up of cars in your stable.

[Chetan_Rao]

Nothing much to add to the discussion except my congratulations on deciding what works best for you, and not buying for 'swag value'.

On another note, I can't imagine why someone would act high & mighty with a customer willing to pay close to (or over) 8-digit sums for a product. If that's how luxury customers get treated, I really wonder if the mango man should expect any respect in a transaction at all.

It's someone's hard earned money, whether he's buying an Alto or a Maybach

[V.Narayan]

The Lexus showroom at Gurgaon. Tastefully done. Located at the Oberoi Hotel.


The customer lounge on the first floor. The owner of the dealership gave my missus a courtesy call which was a nice touch.


Pre-delivery inspection 1.01 - check if the engine is there under the bonnet!


I took about 2 hours over the PDI and understanding all the knobs and buttons. They are patient with fussy customers. I sent them the relevant parts of the Team BHP PDI in advance.


Side view. Getting the 3M plastic put on tomorrow.


Front view ES300H. Did an 85 kms round trip today with my mother & aunt. Both dozed off completely. Good NVH.

Owner's review in end-May after I've done some reasonable time on the car. My thanks to all who advised and shared their thoughts and suggestions. On this note we'll close this thread. Best wishes -Narayan

[Durango Dude]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Owner's review in end-May after I've done some reasonable time on the car. My thanks to all who advised and shared their thoughts and suggestions. On this note we'll close this thread. Best wishes -Narayan

Congrats, V Narayan, enjoy your Lexus hybrid! Keep us posted. Those are some lovely pictures and a lovely color your car has!

[khoj]

that's quintessentially you Narayan.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Pre-delivery inspection 1.01 - check if the engine is there under the bonnet!

Heartiest congratulations on your fantastic new ride. Look forward to your review and to seeing you along with the Lexus at one of the meets sooner than later and now sir, you may close the thread

[agambhandari]

Congrats on opening Lexus's account in Delhi! LOL

On a serious note though, wishing you the best in your brand new car. Its a different stroke that makes a lot of sense in today's scenario i.e. the rising pollution in delhi.
And I admire your persistence for the hybrid even in the light of the E200 Launch.

Looking forward to your ownership thread.