How to Look Rich Driving a Lexus ES

Behold the poser vehicle of choice! Photo courtesy of Lexus.

I've found that there are many people in life who go around trying to act like they make drastically more money than they actually bring in. Over time I've developed several theories about why people try to act like they're rich, and in the end I've concluded that such poser activities are pathetic, foolish and completely misguided. In fact many of the richest people I've ever known try to downplay their wealth by making efforts to not stick out amongst the crowd.

While I don't understand why some people have this undying urge to appear wealthy, I have started to notice a pattern in how many of these people put on the image of wealth without actually having the money to back it up. These men avoid "dressing down" at really any time and instead favor cheap pleated chinos, penny loafers and polyester polo shirts you would find on the mannequins at JC Penny's. But this is a car blog and not a fashion blog, so back to cars. When it comes to vehicle choice there seems to be one vehicle these posers gravitate towards: the Lexus ES.

Why is the Lexus ES the poser vehicle of choice? For starters to the untrained eye it looks like a big, expensive vehicle because of the stylized "L" plastered on the grill and deck lid. Once, many years ago, I had a coworker literally tell me that the cheapest Lexus cost "like $70,000." Yeah, maybe in Australia, but not here in the U.S. of A. Currently the 2013 Lexus ES 350 has an MSRP of about $36,000. You can't get a BMW 3-Series for that cheap! In fact, a fully-loaded Honda Oddysey Touring or a Chevrolet Suburban 1500 4WD costs significantly more.Why is the ES so damn cheap? Sadly, the car is a sheep in wolf's clothing. While it looks like a luxury car, it really is a near-luxury vehicle. Truth be told, the last few generations of the ES have been incredibly mechanically similar to a Toyota Camry, just with wood trim, a V6 engine and leather seats (and you can get a V6 engine and leather seats in a Camry).

So these poser guys buy a Lexus ES 350 hoping the average guy sees the Lexus insignia and the leather seats, takes a dump in his pants and automatically assumes the other guy's car is even nearly as nice and as expensive as the Lexus LS.

And then you have the bragging about how high-performance the Lexus ES 350 is, because we all know so many people who drag race their V6 Toyota Camry at the local strip on the weekend. Most luxury sedans pack at least a decent punch, even with all the heavy creature comforts weighing them down. The 2013 Lexus ES 350's engine produces an average 268 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque. The car also features unresponsive steering approved by the Blue Hair Club and a suspension setup that will have your eyes glazing over within two miles of driving. Trust me, no automotive enthusiast's heart beats faster upon thinking about driving the Lexus ES 350.

But the automotive ignorant don't get this. In fact, I once had one of these poser Lexus ES 350 drivers try to tell me some B.S. story about how he bought a Porsche Cayenne Turbo but sold it after a few months because it wasn't a very good vehicle. It's not like I stay up at night dreaming of owning a Cayenne, but the story was so ridiculous I had to bite my own tongue to keep from bursting out laughing. Why anyone would give up the blistering acceleration, cold-as-ice stopping power and road-gripping ability of a Cayenne Turbo for a Lexus ES 350 is completely inexplicable, except that the person is completely lying through his teeth. Posers don't know how to pull the wool over the eyes of someone who actually knows about cars instead of just vaguely knowing about car brands and not much else.

But I digress. The point is that there are so many people who buy the Lexus ES 350 to make themselves look rich. I'm not necessarily saying the ES 350 is a bad car, but then again I'm not really saying it's a good car. It's kind of like Wonder Bread, the stuff that thankfully is no more: it's just okay. While some people might be fooled by a Lexus ES 350, nobody who really knows cars will be impressed by an ES 350 owner's complete lack of automotive taste or pathetic attempt at appearing wealthy.

Super Bowl 43 Ad Watch: Audi A6: The Getaway

Audi was in prime form at this years Super Bowl with the highly anticipated Getaway commercial. The ad features everything you could want from a car ad. Chases, cool cars, baddies, and of course premier wheelman Jason Statham.

We start off in the mid 70s trying to get away in a plenty powerful Mercedes 6.3, only to end up blasted by a dumpester and a Lincoln Towncar. Jump to Miami Vice style 1980s with a bright red BMW 5 series and a black Bandit Trans Am, and a Mouse is loose billboard. Thankfully Audi left the 90s well enough alone with a Lexus ES parked outside a theater playing Tommy Boy. You have to love Staham's disgusted face when he sees the Lexus. Next we jump to 2009 in all Statham's Driver glory in his trademark black suit. Swipe the keys from the valet played by Joaquin Garay III(Paco from Herbie Goes Bananas for you car guys). And off we go with baddies on motorcycles. Finally able to get away thanks to the new supercharged Audi A6. Hollywood at its best.



As an added bonus, we're throwing in the Audi R8 Godfather commercial from the 2008 Superbowl.

European autos have resale edge over domestics

Recent surveys show that the Detroit Big Three are starting to lose footing on their vehicles resale values. Kelly Blue Book is saying that the top five brands with the best overall predicted resale value are Volkswagen, BMW, Honda, Acura, and Porsche. The rest of the Top Ten are Lexus, Subaru, Toyota, Infiniti, and Audi. Of course, none of these are Big Three domestics. Many of those brands made up the 1o worst picks for resale value for 2008.

Why the big turn? Simple. Over production. The Big Three lean towards overproducing their vehicles. Then they slap on huge discounts and rebates. Those combined with the over abundant supply of Taurus, Impala, and Stratus fleet and rental cars. Helps to absolutely destroy the resale value of those cars.

Volkswagen is the surprise comeback kid on the survey list. They have steadily grown over the last 5 years. Thanks to big boosts in quality, fuel efficiency, European styling, and exceptional value.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Lexus Hybrid vs. Audi Diesel. Who will win the luxury war?

Lexus set out to beat the Germans at their own game by offering the LS600 Hybrid. A luxury car that offers hybrid technology. Mercedes, BMW, & Audi had created the ultra luxury cars with the big V-12s under the hood. So why create a hybrid? Well Audi has responded by offering a new A8L 4.2 TDI. The Lexus offers a 5.0 liter V8 that combines an electric motor that produces an additional 50hp over the gas version.


Auto Express from England recently paired the LS 600 H with the A8. In TDI form the A8L is the UK's most powerful diesel car you can buy. Where did they stack up. Well everything has lined up in favor of the Audi. Most noticeably in the pricing category. The Audi offered a £20,000 difference in price. With good reason too. The Lexus is the most expensive model to ever be offered by Luxury spin off of Toyota. The German marque is as well known for developing diesel power in luxury and sporting cars as Lexus is for its work in the field of hybrids.


Where the Audi has it all over the Lexus is in driveability. The Audi is actually fun to drive. It's responsive, and preforms exceptionally well with it's Quattro all wheel drive. The Lexus on the other hand lacks AWD, and is rather boring to drive.