[smush]

> The 4Runner has barely changed in 10 years.

To be fair, that may be a purposeful design decision.

I consider the fact that the 4Runner can trace its way back to a 1980s Hilux that Top Gear dropped off a building (and still survived) to be nothing but good for its likely reliability.

Similarly, its primarily dial-based dashboard (as opposed to the touch-screen everywhere fad right now), truck-based suspension, and off-road performance (all things that could point to it being a rather much for a city car) to be its primary selling points.

Additionally, why change what sells so well? They sell ~140,000 4Runners a year, vs all of the Lexus models combined being ~40,000.

I can't comment on the Camry/Corolla as I've never owned one.

[eldenbishop]

Kind of related: Their Land Cruiser is specifically designed for a 25 year service life and is thus very conservative, changing slowly if at.

[jdkee]

That's incorrect by an order of magnitude. Lexus sells in excess of half a million cars per year.

[smush]

I stand corrected.

Having performed some cursory 'research' I found that in the USA in 2018, according to https://www.best-selling-cars.com/brands/2018-full-year-usa-...

All Lexus vehicles combined sold 92,660 units versus the 4Runner model which sold 139,694 units.

A difference of 47,000 units, or roughly, the 2018 US sales for the Lexus ES

[quicklyfrozen]

92,660 is the total for Lexus cars, not vehicles; total Lexus US sales from that chart is 298,310.

[pixelbash]

At a guess the USA is not the primary market for Lexus.

[tastygreenapple]

America is 100% the primary market for Lexus.

The first Lexus car ever was unveiled in the 1989 Detroit Auto Show, Toyota's first non-Japanese Lexus plant was in North America. In fact, Toyota stopped selling top-of-the-line cars after Lexus launched, they discontinued the Cressida and stretched the Camry into the Avalon just to have a full-sized Toyota in America.

Toyota didn't even sell Lexus cars in Japan until ~2006, the American Lexus vehicles were badged as Toyotas (e.g The LS400/LS430 was the 'Celsior'). Additionally, Japanese luxury tastes are different than American tastes - the Japanese Toyota Celsiors were available with a premium cloth interior and without sunroofs (which came standard on many American Lexus cars).

Now, Lexus may sell more in the Middle East than North America (by revenue if not units) but America was 100% the target market.

[chubbyrabbit]

There's a joke that Lexus stands for Let's Export to the US.

[abawany]

The Top Gear reference is powerful but in my opinion, meaningless. All it has done is coin the legend of the invincible Hilux. However, I did not see them or anyone try similar tricks with trucks of similar vintage, making this just a show trick.

[majormajor]

> The Top Gear reference is powerful but in my opinion, meaningless. All it has done is coin the legend of the invincible Hilux. However, I did not see them or anyone try similar tricks with trucks of similar vintage, making this just a show trick.

The reputation existed before the show, that's where they got the idea.

[abawany]

I understand, but no one has referenced the less-shiny, real world, imperfect experience in this thread; they have quoted the shiny and superficial Top Gear shtick, which I must admit was the first time I started to develop a considerable distaste for that show. Their attempt has introduced an unfair halo effect for Toyota that has deflected from their more relevant and modern day failings.

[rayiner]

Yeah I pretty much don’t need my 4Runner to have touch controls.

[bluedino]

Lexus sells over 100,000 RX SUV’s a year alone. Toyota sells its twin, the Highlander, at over 200,000 units each of the last three years.

They also don’t change it very often.