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HIS GADGETS : Lexus in Uganda
First things first, many people have heard of the Lexus brand but never really given thought to what it represents. In a nutshell Lexus is the luxury car division of Toyota, period. Lexus has earned a well-deserved reputation for turning out utterly refined luxury vehicles. The hallmarks of this brand are quiet, well-crafted interiors, a plush ride and excellent performance from powerful, nearly silent engines.
Launched by Toyota in the fall of 1989, the Lexus line represented the company’s effort to create a world-class luxury-car brand. The cars were, however, slammed by some for being somewhat less exciting than their European competitors because of bland styling and a suspension that placed plush ride quality over sporty handling dynamics.
Nevertheless, the brand has distinguished itself time and again in quality and reliability surveys. It may not offer as much passion as its German rivals, but for drivers interested in cars that emphasize quality, dependability and comfort, the Lexus marquee is hard to beat.
It’s not every day that you come across a Lexus in Uganda, but every once in a while one pops up and indeed it’s always special. Unfortunately though, the Lexus marquee might not command as much respect from your fellow drivers and friends simply because they feel it is a Toyota. Making things worse is the fact that many times people see the same car on the road with Toyota badging and other times Lexus badging particularly the Toyota Harrier aka Lexus RX300.
See most cars in Uganda are used, from Japan and are made for the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM). Before July 2005, the Lexus brand did not have a market presence in Japan, however the same cars were simply rebadged Toyota. For instance the Toyota Harrier and the Lexus RX300 is actually the same car and they are made in the same factory in Japan. I must add that there is no such thing as Lexus RX 300 is called the Toyota Harrier. The Lexus LS was called the Toyota Celsior, the Lexus ES 300 was called Toyota Windom, the Lexus GS300 called the Toyota Aristo while the Lexus IS200 called Toyota Altezza.
The Lexus SC 430 was called Toyota Soarer while the Lexus GX and LX were called the Land Cruiser Prado and Land cruiser Cygnus. The same goes for Honda with the Acura brand and Nissan with Infiniti. So if you are pushing one of these Toyotas, you ought to know that your car has Lexus bloodlines. The difference between the Lexus and the equivalent Toyota is mildly cosmetic and the Lexus more often than not has more options including leather seats, sunroof, better audio system etc.
I sometimes see many the Harriers imported into Uganda from the Japan badged as Lexus where the Toyota emblems on the body are replaced with Lexus emblems. Naturally the Lexus shall have a significant price premium over the Toyota badged version.
If you are not keen you might pay premium for a Lexus yet it’s a Harrier. Nonetheless you could check the steering wheel and the windows where you shall have Toyota badge and Toyota printing respectively for the Harrier. The Lexus shall have the L on the steering and Lexus on the windows. These are very expensive to alter.
Lexus holds its value well, one of the reasons you can never find it cheap on the used car market compared to the German rivals everyone seems to want.
