re: Booked the Lexus ES300h, but am unsure | Should I buy a German sedan instead? EDIT: Buying the Lexus Hi,
we were in a near identical boat, living in Mumbai.
Having owned a previous gen A6 & a host of sedans + given the car would primarily be used by dad who's in his late 60s - we considered SUVs first.
Right off the bat, the SUVs just didn't excite us as much as the sedan options. While they were capable for our speed breakers; the side to side swaying + price tag just didn't feel as nice as their similarly priced sedan counterparts (E vs GLC, 5 vs X3, etc.)
Our final shortlist was down to 3 options:
1) Lexus ES : We loved the Hybrid, the interiors and looks, feature list, space, and expected peace of mind. But we couldn't digest paying a hefty premium for the ES, especially as back then there were solid discounts on the pre-LCI 6GT which IMO is a brilliant car.
2) Audi A6 : Top option for buying new. It looked great inside-out, Audi came up with some attractive extended warranty plans and I had found some decent Independent Mechanics who could help service the vehicle once out of warranty. The troublesome Air Suspension was deleted and the car was overall very practical for someone looking for a mix of self drive + chauffeur drive.
3) BMW 6GT : Top Option for buying new. Undoubtedly, if the 6GT LCI was available at the prices then, it would have been our top choice. It didn't have the looks inside or outside to really tug at our heart which was a downer when spending so much, and I was concerned about the Air Suspension, but ticked every other box! This is one car I would look strong and hard at!
The other options were evaluated but written off: E Class (average ride and handling, high maintenance), 5 series (leg room, kit), 3GL (low seating, didn't feel as special coming from the A6 which truly set a high bar), S90 (low headroom, low seating, rear air suspension, etc.), etc.
Eventually came across a deal on a pre-owned ES CBU which we jumped at as it was a reasonable price for the vehicle, still under warranty, and after checking with the A.S.S. we brought her home.
Having lived with the ES for nearly 6 months, and with 1500km under the belt (thank you lockdown) here are my responses to some of your queries:
1) Ground Clearance : The Lexus is LOW. One has to be really careful on poorly designed speed breakers, especially with a full load. It clears 90% of the speed breakers, the 10% one has to be really careful! The 5 series isn't much better (maybe 92-93%).
Interestingly, I may put my money on the A6 for tackling them better.
On the highways it's not as much of an issue, but the roads in city need you to be careful - crawl over the bigger bumps / go sideways. I have certain routes planned out which avoid larger speed breakers, and if there isn't an option - I try and taken another vehicle. If this will be your only vehicle, it could be an issue for some city trips.
The way I see it, a carefully owner driven sedan is a more rewarding experience than an SUV. But if you plan to hand it to a driver, the SUV will be more abuse friendly for our roads.
2) Ride Quality : The lexus is superior to the SUVs as far as ride and handling is concerned.
However, unlike the stiffer Germans, the softer underpinnings do should over undulations.
For some reason they've dug up the roads and filled them up diagonally to the road, so the car does see some side to side movement on these unlike my F30 3 series running a stiffer upgraded suspension.
3) Service : The Lexus service center in Mumbai is based out of a Toyota Dealership. Compared to Mercedes / BMW it doesn't feel as premium to deal with. I was not very happy with my very limited experience there (and with Toyota service levels in general with our Corolla and Etios); but will be sending the vehicle for it's first service under our ownership this coming week & the service manager seemed quite cheerful and eager to help - hoping this service changes my views on this and I have a better place to send the Corolla too.
As you rightly said, Audi wasn't great to deal with. However with the extended warranty packages - fixing the vehicle is their headache now, and after the extended warranty period there are a host of competent independent mechanics.
4) Fuel Economy : I'm getting 15kmpl in the city. The last vehicle which gave my such a brilliant city fuel economy was the Etios! It's absolutely brilliant! For comparison, the Corolla gives 8kmpl, our diesel C220d gives around 11-12kmpl.
5) Performance : Given my daily is either a tuned 328i or a tuned S-Cross 1.6; I enjoy quicker cars and brisk drives when the roads allow me too. But with the lexus, you just enjoy driving peacefully. It's changed the way I drive and the only meter I look at is the energy consumption meter. After a day of work I don't feel annoyed when stuck in traffic, but it is actually a pretty calming experience!
In addition to that, the better appointed interiors, the silence and NVH, etc. have really won over dad & many of my friends. So far we're quite happy with the vehicle, but I would urge you to relook at the A6, and 6GT too once before making a decision.
The XC60 is expected with a facelift and a petrol heart so if you like the vehicle, negotiate hard for stock in inventory.
I wouldn't worry much about resale. After 9-10 years of ownership we sold our A6 in 2021 at par with what a similarly old 5 series / E Class would have commanded (Rs. 9.xL). Given the discounts on offer, even if you sell it for half what a 5 series / E Class would command - you would still be in the green factoring in interest and what not.
That being said, I expect the 530i to retain it's value better than the E200 due to limited numbers and enthusiast buyers. |