I'm so used to the bigger Lexus showroom at Mutiara Damansara that it made me think, 'I wonder what it's like at the KL showroom.' Today was a relaxing Saturday and I didn't have much on my plate. On a lark, I decided to hop over to the Lexus KL Showroom at the Life Centre along Jalan Sultan Ismail to see what's going on and what Lexus models I can drool over.
This particular dealership, by virtue of the premium space it commands, plays second fiddle to the Mutiara Damansara showroom which is easily three times larger. I had to manage my expectations to avoid disappointment in case they didn't have every model currently sold by Lexus Malaysia.
Service was a bit slow in the beginning to be honest.
Okay, I admit, I'm not exactly a good looking guy, so none of the female sales consultants even tried to 'court my business.' Finally, a guy by the name of Stanley guided me around the showroom and after identifying myself from All Lexus, his face lit up and things moved fast from there. He gave me free reins to take pictures as I pleased when I told him I was essentially bringing my readers to this showroom through the blog, highlighting the wonderful fact that this blog gets more hits than the official Lexus Malaysia website.
As I walked around the showroom, these are the cars that I saw and was able to get in. Let me say upfront, today's piece is not a review of these cars; rather it touches on something more basic, more primitive, more intuitive. It's about how these cars made me feel. Salesmen and brochures can drown you in a lot of facts, engine size bla bla bla, low CO2 emissions bla bla bla; but I'm not interested in any marketing marmalade. I just came down to the showroom to see how these cars made me feel. To me, if a car can make me feel special, that alone wins half the battle.
Lexus ES 250 Luxury
The first Lexus that caught my eye was this goooorgeous ES 250 Luxury edition, finished in Red MC and a Topaz Brown interior. I'm usually conservative in exterior car colours but for once found myself thinking that this...is perhaps...not too bad. This colour combination is for those who don't make the obvious choices in life. Malaysians usually choose cars with a view on how easily it will sell on in the future. Hence, white, black, grey Lexus are the ones that dominate the roads. But for those who want to break away from the mould, from traditionalist thinking, I honestly think this red colour is what they're looking for.
And I love the new thick chrome surrounds that make up the spindle grille. It looks sporty and elegant simultaneously; quite an achievement - without falling into the trap of looking gawdy. But in this Luxury spec, I'm not such a fan of those 17" rims. They look rather after-market, like a derivative of what comes with the Toyota Camry Hybrid, and not in keeping with understated sophistication. Personally, I'd change the wheels. But other than this, the Lexus ES 250 in Red MC is spot on from every angle.
It gets better as you swing the doors open and enter inside. I dig the Topaz Brown interior. The leather feels like an expensive handbag. Supple, soft and well toned. Nobody does leather like Lexus - BMW and Mercedes just can't match Lexus seats.
My hands on the steering wheel, everything seemed intuitively placed. We take little things like this for granted, but there is an honest necessity for it. Not too long ago, I watched an episode of Top Gear where the three presenters were testing 4-door supercar saloons. Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond were in the back seat of a Maserati Quattroporte, giving James May simple instructions like 'Change the clock' or 'Open the boot'... and he couldn't do those basic functions! It puts paid to the notion that designers have to change the dashboard fascia of every model to ensure there's differentiation yet in the way the controls are placed, buttons are located, there must be some family homogeneity to ensure driver familiarisation is maintained when he steps out of a Lexus ES 250 into, say, an IS 200t. The driver should immediately know where the controls are located. In the ES 250 here, everything fell into place tidily.
But really, you want to be in the back seat, don't you? Most owners will never have the privilege of sitting in the rear seat, which is a pity because they're so good. I won't exaggerate and say it's better than the benchmark Mercedes S class. But I will tell you they're infinitely better than a Mercedes E class. So the rear seats of the Lexus ES 250 punches above its weight in this category by slotting itself in between the Mercedes S and E class in terms of rear seat comfort.
The price for the Lexus ES 250 Luxury is RM280,600 but Stanley tells me there's a generous end of year discount, in the region of RM25,000 depending on the model. It is powered by a 2.5 litre 16 Valve DOHC engine that produces 181 bhp. There were a few other similar models in the showroom when I visited, but they were sold. This one isn't claimed yet. If you can hack the dough, this is simply sublime.
Lexus NX 300h
The Lexus NX 300h isn't entirely new to the Malaysian market, having been launched earlier this year. I was in London last year and test drove this hybrid model in November 2014 when it first appeared in British showrooms.
Although I had a packed schedule during my time there, I decided I had to fit in a test drive. The looks of the Lexus NX reminds me of former F1 driver David Coulthard's jaws - and not in a bad way. Maybe it's stereotypical to believe men are more drawn to chiselled looks and women into more curvaceous shapes but I found myself aroused by the bold lines of this vehicle in ways I shouldn't put to print.
The strong lines continue inside and it's nice to see a departure from the cabin of midweight SUVs you see on the road today. I don't know why but when I see the interior of the BMW X3 or Audi Q5 or Mercedes ML... after a while, they start to look (what's that word) homogenous. That's car speak for looking downright bland in layman terms, by the way. But the interior of the Lexus NX takes on a different trajectory from all that, and carves its own looks, and never tries to mimic ze-Germans. Unlike a Lexus ES 250, which may be bought for business reasons (company car), the Lexus NX range will only ever be bought privately. So it's about the way the looks make you feel, whether it cossets you in white butler gloves, and heightens your sensory perception. When design becomes right, it's hard to put it into words but that's how it felt for me. The only thing I lament is that the Malaysian market gets these dreary black interiors. I know, it looks the part, I know it's harder to see dirt, but really, can't we have some variety here?
The rear seats continue the same dark moodiness but at least the rear legroom is very generous. And I love the shimamoku wood; there's a classiness to it burl walnut can't match.
The Lexus NX 300h is priced at RM372,111 and is powered by a 2.5 litre petrol engine mated to an electric motor that runs on Atkinson Cycle. There was another Lexus NX 300h that was sold but this one is still waiting for its future owner. Could it be you?
Lexus RX 200t
Finally, right at the entrance of the showroom, was the Lexus RX 200t. This car intrigues me more than the Lexus NX 300h. Why? For such a behemoth, it can still run on a 2.0 litre turbocharged engine. Malaysians love their cars big but they're also money savvy too, always thinking about the road tax and fuel consumption - both which are tied to the size of the engine. Usually, the two don't mix. Large cars are driven by a large engine, so the logic goes, if you want a smaller engine, you have to settle for a smaller car. The Lexus RX 200t breaks this equation and that's why it intrigues me.
I cannot tell you what that design does to me. Still looks like it's a concept car, doesn't it? But no, this is in the flesh. Lexus has done a tremendous job with the family look. You drive a Lexus down the road, people look at the spindle grille and they know it's a Lexus. You just can't confuse it with any other marque. In the Lexus RX range, Lexus has taken the spinde grille to new levels of angularity so much so it reminds me of a diamond: The lines are cut with such precision and skill, you'd think they had to laser it into shape. This particular example is finished in Deep Mica Blue and doesn't she look like a stunning woman in a midnight blue dress?
As I wrote in a previous blog entry here, the proportions of the interior is just right. If I had a family, this would be the one I'd get. It's so spacious but never intimidatingly so. A 12.3" Electro Multi Vision (EMV) display assumes a fixed central position and it puts everything at visual glance: Audio information system, navigation, car system controls and incoming mobile phone calls.
Common to almost every Lexus (bar the Lexus CT 200h) is the analogue clock in the middle; it's design reminds me of the simple strokes of celebrated Japanese designer Issey Miyake.
Once you step up from the Lexus NX into the Lexus RX, build quality also takes a step up. Lexus of old have been known to suffer from rattlegate; but I honestly believe with this, rattles, squeaks and noises have been kicked out the door. I've sat in the latest Range Rover before (the Range Rover, not the Sport or Evoque) and I can tell you, this feels more sturdy than the Ranger which has too much plastic bits for a car tagged to a stratospheric price sticker).
And this is an interesting colour combination too. It's not black - that alone is a plus point. It's what they call Noble Brown - a name no doubt coined to make it sound better than it should - but honestly, this is a great colour. Rich, dark tones that reminds me of dark wine. Excellent choice. And boy is this vehicle cavernous. I think if you had to stop by the roadside and take 40 winks, don't do it behind the driver seat; come back to the back seat and have yourself a business class flatbed.
How much damage will this car do to your wallet? The asking price is RM404,800. Yes, that is a lot of money but you do get what you pay for. To be sure, this isn't an SUV for those who have to pay through instalments within their one-third of net salary criteria. No, this is bought by the 'other half,' people who were born with a silverspoon and for whom money is no object. In other words, the lucky b**tards. For those individuals, and in Malaysia there are plenty, this is the car they'd rather be seen in. In due time, the valet parking spots in Pavilion and KLCC will be filled with these.
The Lexus KL Showroom is located at:
Lot G-02, G-03 and G-03A,
Life Centre
20 Jalan Sultan Ismail
50250 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2164 5800
Cheers,
All Lexus
No comments:
Post a Comment