Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

houdini1

This one is better.

driver100

abacomike said:

houdini1 said:

I don't think the soccer moms will like the grill on the 2016 RX either.

That is one ugly looking front end of a vehicle. Definitely overdone, in my opinion. The grille looks like the mouth of some hungry and ugly looking dude that I would not want to meet on a dark street one night. I can't believe that a majority of the people who saw that grille would say they liked it!!! The front end looks like the car hit a chrome fence head on as it bent in the middle.

Cowcatcher, hit a picket fence, , looks like the beak on a budgie, ....hilarious but true!

Maybe young people like these very techno designs. My IT expert guy listens to techno music, and I simply just don't get how that can be considered music.

driver100

This is the 2016 RX 350 I got. Hope their design guy isn't following this site:

stever

Maybe not, but the sales people must be thrilled with all the publicity the beak is getting all over the net. Some of this talk has to be generating leads and ultimately sales.

imidazol97

houdini1 said:

This one is better.

Agree. I liked the one I put up for two reasons. First, it showed no reason for the vertical rectangle. Second, the website was called "Deviant Art." LOL

stickguy

Probably getting done people to think about Lexus, that might not have otherwise. Likely the intent.

Wether that leads to them buying, vs. just gagging, remains to be seen. As does how many former Lexus buyers don't re-up!

imidazol97

driver100 said:

This is the 2016 RX 350 I got. Hope their design guy isn't following this site:

The earlier picture showed a chrome or aluminum color to the grill. This one is blacked
out and those really bother me. Bottomless pit look to them. Angry looking when
analyzed in terms of personality for the "face" of the vehicle.

The pattern in the black weave makes my stomach cringe when I look at this picture.
It's like it's moving.

abacomike

driver100 said:

This is the 2016 RX 350 I got. Hope their design guy isn't following this site:

Maybe the salespeople are preparing a list of responses - that way they will be able to respond to questions like:

What's the name of the jerk who designed that "nose"?

What was the designer of that front end "on" when he/she sketched that "schnozzola?

Are there optional front ends on that car?

What exterior color would you recommend that would go with that "beak"?  Red for bloody nose?  Green and yellow two-tone for nose drainage from a severe sinus infection?

Hey, Mr. Salesman - would you drive a car that had a schnoz like that?

ab348

imidazol97 said:

This looks like the upper beak on a parakeet I had when I was a kid.

The Beak-Nose!

ab348

houdini1 said:

It does look like the "cowcatcher" on those old locomotives.

I was going to say the front end looked like an ice chipper, but I think your description is more apt.

houdini1

driver100 said:

This is the 2016 RX 350 I got. Hope their design guy isn't following this site:

I've seen your version also. I think mine may have been the F Sport model and yours is the regular RX 350, or vice versa. Hopefully they are both just versions that might be...but I don't think so.

Michaell

Salesman's answer to all those questions -- 'you don't see the grille when you are in the driver's seat'.

driver100

Michaell said:

Salesman's answer to all those questions -- 'you don't see the grille when you are in the driver's seat'.

Yeh but, how would you like to be crossing the street and get hit by that big ugly grill, and then lie on the road looking up at it?

carnaught

Makes me feel "great" that I just leased a new RC (posted on CCBA board) with that grill you most are trashing (which I like). Kind of feel bullied....after the first bully, when you're down, others come and throw dirt too. Thank you Houdini for starting this same subject on the CCBA board also.

I'm outta here..........BYE.

Michaell

carnaught said:

Makes me feel "great" that I just leased a new RC (posted on CCBA board) with that grill you most are trashing (which I like). Kind of feel bullied....after the first bully, when you're down, others come and throw dirt too. Thank you Houdini for starting this same subject on the CCBA board also.

I'm outta here..........BYE.

Stick around! I'm a fan of the new Nissan styling (Juke, Maxima, Murano) - "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"

isellhondas

carnaught said:

Makes me feel "great" that I just leased a new RC (posted on CCBA board) with that grill you most are trashing (which I like). Kind of feel bullied....after the first bully, when you're down, others come and throw dirt too. Thank you Houdini for starting this same subject on the CCBA board also.

I'm outta here..........BYE.

Like they say in the car business..." There's an a** for every seat"!

Honda would, from time to time come out with some hideous new color that 99% of the people thought was just horrible BUT, there was always someone who just HAD to have that color! Go figure.

abacomike

carnaught said:

Makes me feel "great" that I just leased a new RC (posted on CCBA board) with that grill you most are trashing (which I like). Kind of feel bullied....after the first bully, when you're down, others come and throw dirt too. Thank you Houdini for starting this same subject on the CCBA board also. I'm outta here..........BYE.

Carnaught, you should take all this "badgering" of the front grille-work with a grain of salt and a "chuckle"!!!  The main and most critical issue is that Lexus is one of the few brands that continually score among the top 3 or 4, year after year, as one of the most trouble-free brands in the world.  I sure can't say that about Merceded-Benz, can I?  

But when it comes to exterior design, not all cars are created equal.  The Lexus brand is well engineered, however personally, I find the grille-work a bit "over-the-top" as do others.

I wish you many happy years of driving in your new Lexus.  And, by the way, as I mentioned in one of my posts, I find the grille on the IS 250/350, GS 350 and the more sporty models appropriate and eye-catching.  It's the grille on the LS 460 and ES 350 that I find unattractive.

Mr_Shiftright

Sometimes designs are just too far ahead of their time to be. You can stretch all the way back and find cars that look great today but were made fun of when they appeared....the Studebaker "which was it is going" design. Tail fins (who's laughing now? The guy who bought the '57 Chevy with fuel injection) / The Ford "Squarebirds"--and soon after many american makes were doing the "Three Box" design. They called the Audi TT "a glob of melted ice cream"/ the Mercedes 230SL was called "the car corrupt senators give to their chorus girl mistresses in Las Vegas". And we needn't dwell on the Bangle Bustle.

for me, the most serious design "offense" is b-l-a-n-d.

houdini1

Carnaught, I certainly did not mean to disrespect you or your wonderful new Lexus. We currently own 2 and have owned 6 over the last 10 years. Wonderful cars. Perhaps I was a little over the top in my criticism of the grill. Kind of thoughtless of me and I offer you my sincere apology.

Sandman6472

Sure wish my VW had the reliability and "cheap to keep" goodness of the Lexus brand and if I had liked the CT more, wife hated it, there would be one in my garage now. Loving my neighbors new IS 250 in my favorite charcoal color...just love the stance of it. A bit pricey even for a base auto tranny model though and a bit bigger than my Golf, for me, the perfect sized vehicle for my needs. Hardly ever use the hatch but nice to have the ability to carry stuff. Not sure but think my kids Versa hatch is about the same size or a bit smaller.
While at the dealer this morning, again saw my favorite rims on a new diesel model...the seven spoke ones that cover up the lug nuts, absolutely stunning on this vehicle and would look great on mine. Just wish they had given me that style when they had me chose 17 inch rims back a few weeks after purchase. Lack of communication was the issue that dragged on for almost a month and left a bad taste of the whole experience. Unfortunately, there are only 3 VW stores in my area and they own two of them!!! Such is life ai guess and luckily I do like what I eventually got...just prefer this style and thought I was getting them!!

The Sandman

fezo

I liked the 61 Plymouth. Of course I was ten at the time.

We had a 57 with the push button tranny. I've seen them at least back to 1955.

I don't think the Lexus is as bad as it's turning up in here but an awful lot of new car design is a bit odd looking. I still can't get over the "bold" 15 Camry.

My wife's way better. Lucky for her it hit her pain threshold (which is mighty high) when it did. Another day or tow we might have lost her. She'll be home tomorrow and is still planning to go to The Eagles concert we have tickets for Friday.

I was up at Sloan getting follow up. We're getting toward resuming life. Just like I predicted - just in time to turn 65.... Started the fist attempt at vaccination today. We'll see how it goes.

driver100

carnaught said:

Makes me feel "great" that I just leased a new RC (posted on CCBA board) with that grill you most are trashing (which I like). Kind of feel bullied....after the first bully, when you're down, others come and throw dirt too. Thank you Houdini for starting this same subject on the CCBA board also.

I'm outta here..........BYE.

We are all sorry carnaught.......I think we got carried away. To tell you the truth, there is a new lexus I go by almost every day and the thing is the grill actually looks much better in real life. I think the problem is that in pictures it is usually taken at grill level, so you see the whole size of the grill, when you see it from a higher position it doesn't look so large.

Another thing.....they sure are popular, so a lot of people like the Lexus, and if I become disatisfied with my European metal a Lexus would be near the top of my list to check out.

Tonight I saw an RX 350 and I thought it was a really smartly designed SUV, and although it hasn't changed for years they keep making small improvements, that give it a really smart look.

stickguy

true that some cars look much better (or worse!) in real life vs. pictures. and a lot of the pics are of the hot rod (F?) models, where they seem to accentuate it.

Michaell

fezo said:

I don't think the Lexus is as bad as it's turning up in here but an awful lot of new car design is a bit odd looking. I still can't get over the "bold" 15 Camry.

I actually like the look of the '15 Camry ... not quite so appliance like. Could be a replacement for my Elantra GT next year when the lease is up. Gotta find something even cheaper than my Hyundai at $232/mo.

verdugo

carnaught said:

Makes me feel "great" that I just leased a new RC (posted on CCBA board) with that grill you most are trashing (which I like). Kind of feel bullied....after the first bully, when you're down, others come and throw dirt too. Thank you Houdini for starting this same subject on the CCBA board also.

I'm outta here..........BYE.

I hope you're kidding when you said you felt bullied and that you stick around.

Expressing your own opinion of a car's grill is not bullying.

Now, if we had said "OMG, only an idiot would buy that car," that would be crossing the line.

But saying that somebody expressing their own opinion about a car grill is bullying you? Pfft, super touchy PC-ness.

jipster

Hey guys, long time no see. Nice to see many many of the old familiar names still here. Jmonroe still around? I saw Isells, "There's an as$ for every seat", comment. Reminded me of the old days.LOL.

Thought I'd be having a sales story to share. The lease on my 2012 Honda Civic expires in November. Thought about either buying it ($11,500) or buying a new Buick Regal or Mazda 6. But my mother-in-law recently passed away, and I think I will probably drive her 2008 Mercury Mariner. With one kid in college, and the other at a private high school, seems the more economical route to go.

The Honda Civic has been a good car, but I missed the comfort , power, and smooth ride of my previous Buick. So the odds were high I would not buy when the lease ran up. The 2008 Mariner has the same 3.0 Ford Duratec engine that my 2004 MPV (for those that remember) had. So it has a lot of power. Actually laid down some rubber peeling out the other day.LOL.

I see Shifty and Steve are still hanging in there. I have a lot of fond memories of this forum, and many of you. I've really taken to tennis the past 3 years, and play quite a bit, have gotten my rating up to a 4.0, which is decent, but my Kindle Fire makes it difficult for me to post and navigate here.

Take care,
The ole Jipster

jipster

Well, that was an odd way to end a post (above). No edit button??? Boy am I going to let Steve and the other Edmunds top guns know about this.

driver100

jipster said:

Hey guys, long time no see. Nice to see many many of the old familiar names still here. Jmonroe still around? I saw Isells, "There's an as$ for every seat", comment. Reminded me of the old days.LOL.

Thought I'd be having a sales story to share. The lease on my 2012 Honda Civic expires in November. Thought about either buying it ($11,500) or buying a new Buick Regal or Mazda 6. But my mother-in-law recently passed away, and I think I will probably drive her 2008 Mercury Mariner. With one kid in college, and the other at a private high school, seems the more economical route to go.

The Honda Civic has been a good car, but I missed the comfort , power, and smooth ride of my previous Buick. So the odds were high I would not buy when the lease ran up. The 2008 Mariner has the same 3.0 Ford Duratec engine that my 2004 MPV (for those that remember) had. So it has a lot of power. Actually laid down some rubber peeling out the other day.LOL.

I see Shifty and Steve are still hanging in there. I have a lot of fond memories of this forum, and many of you. I've really taken to tennis the past 3 years, and play quite a bit, have gotten my rating up to a 4.0, which is decent, but my Kindle Fire makes it difficult for me to post and navigate here.

Take care,

The ole Jipster

Always nice to hear from a blast from the past Jipster, mastger of the Jipster Method.

I agree, a Civic is very basic transportation to get from A to B, not much real joy in driving one.

Mariners are nice...that would make a nice car if in good condition.

I play tennis about 4X a week. I am probably a 3 but I have been improving. I don't want to get too good at it or it will limit who I can play with. The tennis clubs I belong to in Canada and in Florida are really booming...a lot of guys I talk to come back to it once they retire and have time on their hands. It seems golf takes a long time to play, it isn't that much exercise, equipment costs a lot, and it is very expensive to play a round. At $50 or more a game, a couple going 3X a week, it can add up. Then you need fancy clothes too.............

Hope you stick around and let us know what happens with the Mariner.

driver100

stickguy said:

true that some cars look much better (or worse!) in real life vs. pictures. and a lot of the pics are of the hot rod (F?) models, where they seem to accentuate it.

Another thought is that often we don't like something at first but then we get used to it and like it. We looked at Audi A4s in 2008 and my wife hated the front end, and I wasn't crazy about it:


Now, the grill doesn't look unusual at all and in fact looks quite distinctive and nice:


Carnaught, if you are still here, which model did you lease? All those cars look great, and even the front looks smart from the right angle.


When we show pictures at grill level it is like taking a picture of someone at stomach level, their stomach looks huge and wide and their head and feet look small.......

suydam

I agree. I really hated the Toyota wide mouth bass front end. But when I saw an actual Corolla it looked fine and Ifound that I liked the look. Pictures can be deceiving. I also think how a car feels on the inside is much more important. The Juke looks like a cartoon to me, and unfortunately feels like a cartoon inside too so the exterior is even more distasteful to me. Tell us about how your Lexus drives and about the interior. That's way more useful information.

bwia

Well, that's a grill and utilitarian at that. On the hood is a 250-pound deer hunted by Daisy Turner, a black woman born in Grafton, Vermont in 1883.

And what a story-teller and colorful character she was. In this short Boston Globe article Daisy recounts her experiences growing up in Vermont as a black woman, her father who was born a slave and her Nigerian grandfather who was a slave trader.

This shotgun toting woman was mean. "No one crossed her without paying a price: In the 1920s, when a man broke off his engagement to Daisy, she sued him for breech of promise — and won." Read the full article at http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/books/2015/07/13/centenarian-daisy-turner-became-narrator-sweeping-african-american-family-tale/npQHoPH1YG7AdmIuZcMXqJ/story.html

abacomike

@driver100:

I actually like the newer grille-work on the Audi - did not like the older model front nose.  The newer grille has some shape to it and is less verbose than the previous version.

But of course, this is just my opinion.  As I get older (not too many years left in my ability to get older), I lean toward the adage, "... more is less..." or is it "less is more" for my own car styling.  But in sporty models like the GS 350 and IS 250/350, as well as the Buick Verano, the Infiniti G50, the Cadillac ATS and many others in that sporty class, more styling features like the grille are more appropriate.

In in luxury sport sedans like Jaguar, the Lexus LS 460, Mercedes E and S Classes and the BMW 5 and 7 series, I prefer a bit more conservative look.  IMHO of course!  

houdini1

bwia said:

Well, that's a grill and utilitarian at that. On the hood is a 250-pound deer hunted by Daisy Turner, a black woman born in Grafton, Vermont in 1883.

And what a story-teller and colorful character she was. In this short Boston Globe article Daisy recounts her experiences growing up in Vermont as a black woman, her father who was born a slave and her Nigerian grandfather who was a slave trader.

This shotgun toting woman was mean. "No one crossed her without paying a price: In the 1920s, when a man broke off his engagement to Daisy, she sued him for breech of promise — and won." Read the full article at http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/books/2015/07/13/centenarian-daisy-turner-became-narrator-sweeping-african-american-family-tale/npQHoPH1YG7AdmIuZcMXqJ/story.html

We could certainly use a few million more like her around today !!

ab348

I actually saw a car like carnaught's this morning around town. It actually looked good in person, very modern. My only issue was that it was parked in the employee lot at a senior's complex. Have to think that was an administrator living high on the hog.

stever

jipster said:

Well, that was an odd way to end a post (above). No edit button??? Boy am I going to let Steve and the other Edmunds top guns know about this.

Hover over the top right of your post and a cog will appear - click that and your Edit button will show up (the edit window is now 4 hours). If you want to "read the manual" some tips are here.

And welcome back!

mako1a

jipster, welcome back. Just wanted to say that Mariner is a Ford Escape with some lux items. There is not much trade-in on them as I learned the hard way and you'll never see the 3.0 again so hang on to that one. If you tire of it I'll store it for you here in VA as I miss my Escape and how easy it was to park.

fezo

About to take the girls off to their summer strings group (Carrie plays viola, Claire violin) and on the way home am picking up Jen from the hospital!

Meanwhile, the guys are out putting down a new driveway as we speak - one the Prius and Miata can clear!

roadburner

verdugo said:

I hope you're kidding when you said you felt bullied and that you stick around.

Expressing your own opinion of a car's grill is not bullying.

Now, if we had said "OMG, only an idiot would buy that car," that would be crossing the line.

But saying that somebody expressing their own opinion about a car grill is bullying you? Pfft, super touchy PC-ness.

I have to agree.

suydam

You have to admit it would be a downer to be excited over a new purchase and have people laughing their asses off over the make. It was rude, so just fess up, folks, and move forward.

verdugo

suydam said:

You have to admit it would be a downer to be excited over a new purchase and have people laughing their asses off over the make. It was rude, so just fess up, folks, and move forward.

A downer? I can buy that. Rude? Not so much. Bullying? Definitely not.

Bullying should only be used for when it's really bullying.

Either way, I hope the OP doesn't leave.

abacomike

suydam said:

You have to admit it would be a downer to be excited over a new purchase and have people laughing their asses off over the make. It was rude, so just fess up, folks, and move forward.

First of all, it was not rude if people like me did not know he just bought a new Lexus with that same grille!  I gave my honest opinion about not liking the grille on the luxury model - LS 460 and the E 350.  I also stated that that grille-work is more appropriate on the smaller/sportier models.

I don't read every post - especially if it was 2-4 weeks ago - because my Dad was dying and I was at the hospital or Hospice 6-8 hours a day.  I also rarely read the posts on CCBA.

RUDENESS is determined by intent!!!  There was never any attempt to "bully" carnaught - but he took it as bullying which is his right.  Intent is the determining factor here!!!

suydam

I hear you. I think his punch was pretty recent though. An Oops! My bad! never hurts especially when it's true -- nobody was calling him out, we just forgot.

driver100

I hope carnaught comes back. It was boys being boys and things got a bit out of control. Pictures of grills are kind of like statistics, you can make a picture or say that a picture looks a certain way to get the effect you want.

I was parked opposite a Caddie ATS today and I thought that grill looked very nice. It couldn't polarize or be offensive to anyone. The new emblem is a nice touch too...looks very elegant..

I think the bold front ends are made to identify the car...twin kidney grill on bmws, large black grill on Audis, Mazda smaller big black grill, Infinity a traezoid design, Acura a beak......ha ha, but, you get the idea.

roadburner

verdugo said:

A downer? I can buy that. Rude? Not so much. Bullying? Definitely not.

Bullying should only be used for when it's really bullying.

Either way, I hope the OP doesn't leave.

If the OP thinks that what happened to him was "bullying" he should hang out on some of the marque-specific boards. For example, mazdaspeedforums.org contains a wealth of useful information, but woe be unto you if you ask a question that could be answered by reading the FAQ or using the search function.

qbrozen

I saw the new badge in person last week and really don't care for it. Its just too big.

fezo

Well, she's home and doing well and the new driveway looks great. Need a few days before doing anything like putting a car on it.

Up the road a piece they're showing To Kill a Mockingbird on the big screen. The girls had that for required reading this year so taking them up.

abacomike

fezo said:

Well, she's home and doing well and the new driveway looks great. Need a few days before doing anything like putting a car on it. Up the road a piece they're showing To Kill a Mockingbird on the big screen. The girls had that for required reading this year so taking them up.

Great news!  Fezo, you need a nice long vacation from stress - do yourself and Mrs. Fezo a favor and go to a nice B&B in the mountains and lay back, sip a Mai Tai, and have a masseuse come to your room and give you guys a nice massage.

Or go on a 7-day cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale and bask in the sun.  I sure would envy you if you took my suggestion seriously.  Time to live life the way it should be lived now that God has given you that one chance in a million.

I say this with sincere thoughts and prayers for you and the Mrs.

abacomike

Please allow me to digress and go off topic for a bit.

Well, tomorrow at 8:00 AM, I will have several blood tests to determine if this new miracle drug I am taking to cure my Hepatitis C disease is successful in significantly reducing or even totally eliminating the Hepatitis C virus from my body.  In 95%+ of patients studied after being on the drug for 2-4 weeks of a 12 week regimen, the virus was undetectable in the blood. 

I am am praying this drug is working for me.  I will know by next week.

The side effects of the drug are headache and loss of energy/ weakness/tiredness - both of which I have experienced.  I have to drink a tremendous amount of water and liquids to help flush my kidneys.  My doctor did a blood test this morning to check my electrolytes because of other side effect symptoms I have been experiencing like muscle weakness and severe muscle spasms and cramps in my legs, thighs and diaphragmatic muscles surrounding my ribs.

My Coumadin levels have dropped significantly forcing my doctor to increase my dose each day.  This is all probably little known side effects of the drug which is reported to the pharmacy nurses and the CDC.

It seems I am just destined to suffer a bit more than the average person.  What made all of this even worse are the 6-7 weeks of trying to keep my Dad alive and making all those decisions for his treatment.  I don't know how I have managed to cope with all of this.

My brother arrives tomorrow evening on a flight out of Jacksonville.  We have to settle Dad's estate at banks and at the brokerage firm that has some of his investments.

I just want to make it through next week with the hopes of good news re: the blood test results for the virus.

Thanks for allowing me to digress a bit and being off topic.  I just needed to get some things off my chest.

stickguy

good luck Mike. You certainly have been through a lot the last few years. Hopefully the drug really is the miracle and works for you, and soon you can feel better, and actually have some time in peace to R&R. if anyone deserves a vacation at this point, it is you.

bwia

stickguy said:

good luck Mike. You certainly have been through a lot the last few years. Hopefully the drug really is the miracle and works for you, and soon you can feel better, and actually have some time in peace to R&R. if anyone deserves a vacation at this point, it is you.

Ditto