2013 Lexus GS 350 Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

2013 Lexus GS 350 Long-Term Road Test

The cargo net is one of the simplest and more useful features, yet it's still often an option, even on luxury cars.

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darthbimmer

Ah, the pitfalls of designing a car (or any other product) to hit a price target. Relegating items like those to the options sheet helps keep the base price down. The alternative would be, say, to reduce cost in the suspension by $318 market price. I know which I'd prefer. (Hint: It's cheaper to add a cargo net with aftermarket parts than to do a springs-and-shocks swap aftermarket.)

fordson1

darthbimmer was too nice to go there, but I'm not - it's "relegated," not "regulated," Mr. J-School Grad. I must admit this is sad...my $22k SVT Focus came with a cargo net, and my $30k GTI came with two of them, one on the underside of the package tray and one with a zipper compartment in it.

cjasis

Yes and no. From the perspective of the consumer, it's a bummer that so many high end/luxury manufacturers charge and arm and a leg for items that are included in much cheaper cars (yes Porsche, I'm pointing my finger directly at you). Yet we continue to pay for these things and so if you're the manufacturer that has to answer to shareholders, why not pad the bottom line?

bc1960

This is an accessory that I have somehow survived without for almost 40 years. The owners of a luxury sedan may well have another vehicle which is used for fetching and carrying objects which might benefit from it, so there are a other things I would be more concerned about not being included; but as a matter of industry practice such things are PIOs or dealer-installed because they provide an extra profit for the dealer.

stever

I have two nets that came with my last couple of cars. Never used them, just got in the way. Would much rather have D rings or footman loops built in to the storage area to attach my cords and bungies to. Luckily those gizmos are cheap and attach easily.