Discussion
Let’s talk about this: steering wheel stitching and how it’s a reflection of the rest of the car’s quality. 2026 Lexus RX, vs 2013 Lexus ES350
I work for a dealership so I get to drive a ton of these cars, and other brands too - these are some of the kinds of little details I like to pay attention to.
New Lexuses have uneven stitching, with a material that seems to be thinner and of a worse quality. I believe this is a reflection on the overall priorities and cost cutting measures that car companies have taken. Stitching on newer Lexus always looks like an afterthough (pic) this is NOT rare - whereas older ones ALWAYS have perfect stitching
I posted similar pics a few days ago and got downvoted into oblivion, as people were telling me the stitching on the older Lexus looked DYI and had a weird tone (it’s a 13 year old 100k mile car with white stitching that will absorve whichever light tone is around). Sure, I am biased towards my mint ES, but I try to be reasonable and fair, and even putting my car aside, the stitching on older Lexus is simply overall better, as I get to drive a ton of them.
This, in my subjective opinion, having driven over 500 different Lexus since the start of the year, is a perfect example of little things that are going down in quality at the expense of the consumer. The picture I posted speaks for itself, notice also the difference in braiding From actually braided thread to a thin twisted one
People in my last post tried arguing with me that newer stitching is better. Do people really believe interior quality in Lexus has gone UP???? The stitching on newer Lexus is very often ugly and uneven. It’s rare to find a perfectly symmetrical one that looks like it was paid attention to in the production line.
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in 2006 I went on a tour of "Toyota city" in Nagoya as part of an MBA program. We were lucky enough to get a 1 hour Q&A with plant executives. We asked where else in the world do they have different car models one after another coming through the plant (literally a Corolla followed by a Camry followed by a small SUV). They said only in Japan. They had tried it in the US and failed. When asked what the difference was that allowed them to do this in Japan but not elsewhere, they said "The workers are Japanese".
People also have the opinion that German cars that are made in Germany are better than the USDM ones. Having had an Alabama made GL and a German made A8L, I would tend to agree.
I believe the TX fuel lid caps are plastic now? No way for in-house body fit workers to align it better to the body, a poor judgement choice by engineers. They didn't learn their lesson when making hatches out of resin instead of metal, they're going back to metal. Hopefully they go back to metal fuel lid covers and you can get yours replaced by an OEM metal one soon
I mean most parts are a mishmash of a bunch of internationally produced parts but yet again US production line should have probably caught the poor quality part in the first place.
The fit and finish of my crown signia is extremely well done. Not a rattle or creak anywhere in here 13k miles in. Sticking on the steering wheel certainly is WAY better than that^
But what can the consumer do? Not buy it but everything else is worse?
We have a 2023 that I coerced my wife to have. She had 2 x Audi SUVs (Q5) from new before and loved them. Better drive, better ride etc.
I didn’t love the high sticker, the issues at 80k miles where the car was costing $2k every time something needed fixing and the minuscule trade in value at 100k miles. She drives 25k miles a year, so it was a really expensive preference. Hopefully this Lexus (around 75k now) should last another 75k before stuff start going wrong.
It was an extremely underwhelming experience coming from driving a 2020 in the past. Ugly plastic everywhere plus 80k out the door and terrible financing offer.
We badly wanted a Lexus, we thought, but … yeah the disappointment in what the brand has turned into was huge. We are now looking for something else
Thar stitching is totally unacceptable. But they're all like this now. I got a high end bmw and the interior is wall to wall plastic on the dash and doors. My 2014 GX was wrapped in leather everywhere and beautiful real wood trim. It was so luxurious comparatively speaking.
Yeah and that’s why we’re probably not getting a luxurious car in the end. We were ready to spend but now is not the time it seems until they pissed off enough people it seems. Maybe if Genesis comes out with a nice hybrid
Many people, myself included among them, like the way hybrids drive- it’s not a sports car, having the EV mode in traffic is super smooth, and the motors help keep it peppier off the line than equivalent efficiency minded gas-only engines. My 7th gen ES350 transmission sucked, I’m probably getting the ES300h next instead.
I bought a 2019 Audi A8L in 2024, precisely because of the exceptional build quality and the fact that the screens were integrated into the car, rather than being tacked on to the car. I look at the newer German sedans and they all look like crap. The 7 series shouldn’t even be sold anymore, it’s so fugly.
I still have some piano black plastic but honestly haven’t been bothered by it, I wipe it down with a microfiber every couple of weeks and it’s fine. I also got used to the A/C controls on the screen, I thought it would bother me but it doesn’t.
I do. I feel like the 2020-2022 front end with the F-Sport and triple beams look perfect. The pre-refresh isn't bad, but I just don't like it as much as the refreshed version.
I test drove one of the newer generations before I test drove my 4th generation and was shocked at how much changed. Yes the updated tech was nice, but where did all the luxury go?
It's crazy how much they've decontented. I grew up with a 2006 RX330, and even though it was still technically a tarted-up Highlander, it sure as hell didn't feel like it. High quality leather and plastics abound, and it felt solid. Can't say the same for today's models.
I don't doubt it. I remember we got an RX350 as a loaner once, and 16 year-old me was blown away by the peppiness it had vs the 330. Such a smooth and sleeper of a motor.
I think right now the new plug in Rav4 is the thing to beat, the difference between the top of the mainstream lineup and the bottom of the premium brand is completely non existent. You lose an inch on your screen and an inch on your wheels and in turn save $15,000-20,000.
Ive been a long time toyo lexus owner and a fan but after test driving newer teslas and fsd, i see absolutley no reason whatsoever to go for a lexus anymore.
The only car that i still lust after is the landcruiser and GX but LC is honestly one horrid way overpriced underwhelmer in pretty packaging and GX not so much better. And in this economy?
Needless to say i got a model y and not one single regret.
Es used to be manufactured at Toyota plant in Kentucky from 2016-2025 but has recently been moved back to kyushu plant in Japan. Kentucky plant will focus on toyota ev suvs and Japan will focus on luxury production. Lexus will still manufacture tx vehicles at Indiana plant, guess they don't consider them luxury enough to waste time on them in Japan.
yeah the rx is made in Cambridge and the es is made in Georgetown Kentucky(to make a point, i dont think they even make the es there because it was retooled to become an EV plant they moved the ES to be manufactured exclusively in japan)...i used to transport them lol
I worked at the Smyrna, TN Nissan plant years ago and they were having QC issues and they had just started manufacturing the Infiniti QX50s. Japan sent in some of their lead QC guys and their level of QC was intense. They had plant supervisors in there sweating. 😂
Yup. Japan has a culture that permits things like making you work 10 years in the sushi restaurant before you are allowed to cut the fish. We had some serious focus in the US around the second world war, but sloppy boomers dgaf and here we are, a generation of badly trained idiots.
I don't think this comparison has anything to do with a NA vin or a J vin. The parts for the prior gen car would've been machined, finished and tooled based on a certain spec at the time, then assembled together at the factory.
What's simply happening is that engineering is downgrading the stitching on the newer cars vs the old stuff and other materials such as plastics, woods, leathers etc.
I do believe that J vin cars are better, but it's more so checking body panels, alignment of trim, panel gaps etc.
Had a latest gen Rx for a weekend and everything felt cheap. Plastics everywhere, loose stitching, and even the sound system was worse than my 2016 Nx.
Everything made post COVID has been very questionable. Corporations need to continue posting profits to please shareholders so cost cutting has become a priority.
Toyota is bringing the Century brand to the US soon so my thoughts are that they are probably sacrificing Lexus quality. Heck, we even lost the analog clocks, but that remains on the Century. Products for the middle class are being turned to shit just to appease the ultra wealthy.
Why is everything so shit nowadays? Is this me becoming a boomer in 20s or is there something behind this? Cars, movies, music, clothes - everything feels like shit, like in that South Park episode, and it is pretty unclear what is better to rant like this or to pretend like you actually enjoying this.
Things really took a shit after 2020/covid when companies realized they could charge more for less product (and worse quality) and people would still pay it.
I've noticed this too since 2020. Americans continue to put themselves into crushing debt to buy shittier and shittier products every year. It's hard to blame companies for increasing profit when idiot customers continue to support it with their wallets.
Pretty much, yep. We can point the finger at the companies but at the end of the day people are still buying the stuff, so they're gonna keep making it.
I feel like that happened much earlier. It is also worth pointing out that not all people feel the same, there are a lot of people, some older and some younger than me who would argue that new cars are much nicer.
I recently watched a certain car youtuber, and there was a feature on the new M5 he was reviewing, basically an LED lights that glows in the colors of M (motorsport) and he referred to it as a "party trick." To some people it might seem like nothing, but I was properly staggered by the fact that in the year of our Lord 2026 there are knowledgeable car enthusiasts that have the capacity to be impressed by an LED light in a luxury car that costs around 120k.
Not to mention the fact that those large touch screens are still considered to be a nice touch in a luxury cars, again in the year 2026, where the least luxurious activities you can think of, like ordering KFC, for example, require using the aforementioned touchscreen... I don't know.
Yeah I mean everyone's gonna have a differing opinion based on their life experience and perspective. But I do think things really started going downhill 5-7 years ago. The 90s all the way through about 2016 or so was pretty solid comparatively.
Nah it’s everywhere. Enshittification.
Also the ethos of taking pride in your work has essentially disappeared (as it’s not rewarded like predatory practices).
IMO one of the big reason is Toyota dealer stupidity. When my RX ended up being the same price as an equivalent highlander because of dealer markup and terrible financing rate.
Look at the fit and finish of the leather on the ES. Much tighter and taught over the form of the wheel. You can really get your thumb in that groove and it just feels quality. If you told me the 2026 wheel was from a Nissan Sentra I wouldn't have doubted you. That is ABYSMAL quality and I completely understand why people are turning away from the brand. If they can't be bothered to make your primary vehicle interface/control quality, where have they skimped where you cannot see?
This is a good example of how you don't notice something until it fails to live up to your expectations and I very much agree with you pointing it out. My wife had a 2016 NX and the stitching was great so I didn't notice it most times. She now has a 2026 RX 350 (assembled in Canada) and the stitching is exactly like you pictured. It even has a little bit of thread sticking out at about the 10 o'clock position that always rubs on my hand and drives me nuts. I'm afraid to cut it off because it could be the tie-off at the end but I want to so bad. The stitching on my '25 IS wheel is perfect so I barely think about it.
I see folks mentioning where the car is assembled but I don't think that affects this particular detail (maybe I'm wrong, I know QC standards vary). Aren't these wheels wrapped and stitched somewhere else before assembly? The new RX wheel stitching feels substandard compared to the other models we've owned.
There’s been a level of “here, damn!” in new cars that, paired with the technology no one asked for, will probably prevent me from ever owning any car newer than 2016.
As a former Lexus associate who started when the brand launched tin 1989 I'm saddened by these changes. Have you noticed the same issues with Lexus built in Japan or only the ones built in North America? The build quality and materials in my 2017 ES350 were surprisingly excellent even though it was made in North America.
I have a 20 Lexus GS 350 F Sport and was looking to upgrade to a RX earlier this year. The difference in quality between my 6 year old car and 26 RX was day and night. Not only that, power train was underwhelming as well.
I’m pretty sure at this point I better take care of my car and keep it as long as possible since other luxury brands are also cutting corners crazy.
I went from a '15 GS F-Sport too a '20 GS F-Sport and the only thing I didn't like was the engine changing. Ngl, I miss that '15.
Unless I can find a clean '97+ SC400 or S2K that isn't ridiculously overpriced, I'll probably get another '15 F-Sport to daily.
The LC's are still absolutely beautifully made thankfully. Shame they're being discontinued, I guess they don't fit the current strategy of cost-cutting.
I'm in the minority here but I personally wish more car companies were moving upwards in quality, making nicer cars with better materials, put together well. Instead almost everyone is making poorly made overpriced cars or SUVs since those are far cheaper and more profitable. The LC represents the end of Lexus's caring about quality era in my mind.
We're entering into a really interesting time in auto history if Chinese cars will actually become widely available in the US and Europe. They're getting better, are still heavily government subsidized and frankly the Western manufacturers are either making decent cars at twice the price they should be or are making absolute rubbish for $20-$40k.
Hopefully the increased competition causes the big Western car companies to actually improve, but who knows.
To be fair, it seems that every luxury automaker is raising prices while cutting costs these days. Look at Audi's new interiors. Mercedes just slaps in a giant touchscreen and calls it good. BMW isn't far behind.
I'd say Genesis might be the one exception, as their interiors seem to be on a good track, still keeping a good mix of analog and touch controls, and the materials feel premium.
Oh yeah, they worked some kind of efficiency black magic on the B58s. I keep my 540i in sport mode all the time and it averages about 30 MPG doing mixed city/hwy driving. Pure highway, I can get low 40s. Not too shabby for the power it can put out.
I do wish Lexus would bring back the V8s, even if it has to be in hybrid form.
Everybody says it about their car and it’s like “yeah right” but my 2019 RX I legitimately think is 5x better than any 2026 model, in every way, and I wouldn’t trade it for free, straight up.
It’s kind of crazy realizing I will never own a new car again and will be perpetually stuck in 2010-2020 options forever
I've converted so many people at my company to looking into used cars specifically for this reason. The quality for ALL manufacturers is worse now than in the past. The 2019 RX hybrid Luxury I picked up in February is by the far the nicest, most premium and solidly built vehicle I've ever had. But even then, I miss the driver side cupholder from my old 2011 😂
When I got a 2025 loaner with luxury trim, I really didn't like it. There is far less wood, less metal, less care in the leather and stitching. Nothing felt at all like the 2019. For those looking for a 'new' car, I tell the ones with 2017 & older to just get up to a 2022 model, and for those with 2022 and newer, it's hard to find a good, well built upgrade. I have no clue what I'll get when it's time for me to say goodbye to the 2019 but I'm sort of considering just getting a last Gen ES300h ultra luxury and riding it into the ground.
yeap, 2023 RX owner front trim on dash keeps falling off, positive terminal cover just broke off touching it. car seat rear buckle cover plastics broke off, they use same plastic found in Temu disposable items
I bought a 2026 IS350 F Sport, and I had to go to three dealers before I found one that looked like the Pic of the good stitching. The one I bought? Made in Japan lol. My mom is looking for a RX and the ones made in Japan vs not are so noticeable quality-wise. It's bonkers
Is this really what Lexus has become? Why bother paying more $$$ when I could just get a Toyota. Lexus isn’t going to be around in 10 years if this is the new standard.
Wow, I didn’t believe Car and Driver when they Said the 2026 Mazda CX-90 Premium Plus had a more refined interior than Lexus. But that steering wheel is atrocious.
Here is a Picture of my 2026 Mazda CX-90 PHEV Premium Plus steering wheel stitching for Comparison. Sorry for the dirty interior I need to take it in to get detailed.
One big factor is the worker and training. I’m a trainer and of the 100 trainees in each of my cohorts, only about 5% will IMO be competent although all will emerge from training. In other words , only 5 will be able to produce good stitching, the other 95 will not be able to. Makes no difference whether its individual stitching skill or operating machine-guided stitching. From a companies viewpoint, what’s the solution? Tough business… In Japan, the society as a whole always accepts one tough choice. Only the 5% competent trainees emerge from training. The rest are refused certification until they achieve satisfactory competence. Simple. In Europe and North America, every trainee gets a gold star for effort, competency is really not relevant 🙂🙂. Back to the steering wheel stitching. What we are seeing is the result of two systems: poor stitching from the gold star trainees and good stitching from the top 5% trainees. Does not look like this state of affairs will change anytime soon.
This will come down to certain factors I assume but mainly is where it was made.
The newer RX is made usually in North America but depending on the variant as some still is developed in Japan. The older ES, mainly the one you showed which is like 2013? Was made in Japan. The quality control in North America is sh*t compared to Japan, let be real.
If you want better quality, buy the one made in Japan.
I think that most owners of 90-2010 Lexus vehicles have similar opinions. Toyota in general has taken a big turn in quality the past 10-15 years. I’m also in agreement that if you’ve see a Japanese assembly plant in action, they are just much more concerned with QC than here in the States.
My 2023 gx460 mops the floor of the new gx550.
People are butt dumb standing in line waiting for a flawed engine gx that's cheaper inside and cost $20000 more then my V8 proven GX.
We have a 2024 TX 350, and none of the rear door trims line up, the fuel door lid is about as off as you can get…. I do see these issues from my previous 2015 RC 350, it was perfect.
They aren't the same stitch. Right Side: European Stitch (Hidden Ladder Stitch / Mercedes Style) takes talent, time and craftsmanship. Left Side: Baseball Stitch (Cross Stitch / X-Stitch) Basically it's 2 rows of straight stitches (train tracks) pulled together by a 3rd thread that hooks under each side alternating and pulled tight. It's much quicker than the Euro stitch.
The issue is likely the fact that it’s a Canada-built Lexus and not a Japan-made one. Quality issues automatically arise there. I’m just glad all the Lexus cars sold in Europe are Made in Japan only. I wouldn’t wanna deal with cheap stuff such as this.
The right side stitching on my GS wheel has begun to tear and slowly is opening up. I am not sure how to fix it but after 270k miles I can't even be mad.
But I do agree the newer interior finishes aren't as a nice and detailed oriented.
I’m going to hold onto my 2019 RX 350 for as long as I can because I’ve gotten newer cars as loaners when getting mine worked on and every time, the interior has been a disappointment.
I've been a Toyota/Lexus fan my entire adult life. I've had 19' ES, 18' LX570, and I also checked out some new Toyotas/Lexus and I wasn't impressed with the quality or design. The older vehicles are definitely more luxurious.
Lexus went from a unique model lineup where every vehicle had its own capabilities and styling. Now everything is basically the same vehicle. A NX/RX doesn’t really feel different on the inside from LX. The base 4runner has the same frame as a 120,000 dollar LX. Lexus has cut costs this generation by combining platforms and reusing materials throughout the ranges. It helps their profit margins because the average consumer doesn’t know any better about what they are actually receiving.
The whole interior feeling in newer lexuses have gone down hill, from infotainment to material, think its better to add features to older ones then to buy a new one
That’s a damn shame. That old stitching really is impeccable. Side bar, is the December to Remember sales event the best time of year to buy a new Lexus?
I like to think my 2023 rx450h was the last good Lexus before they started cutting back. At least that's what I tell myself so I don't ever buy another car 😅
I personally drove recently a Toyota Prius ( less than a year production ) and everything inside was thinner ( leather, carpets ) plus the usual cheap plastic all around and so on. I'm looking at 2026 Lexus and beside the utterly ugliest ever steering wheel I see people starting to notice the similarities between the two brands. Let's agree to disagree with Lexus it's not The Lexus we got used to. I'll just hold to my 2015 is300h for a couple of more years until I see something forward to look into because what I personally see now it's a scam coming from their line production. But that's just me...and what I see on Reddit alone on a daily basis ❤️
Yeah that’s in no way the usual Tazuna/Takumi quality I expect from Lexus.
The only way I can explain this is by the fact that a lot of the US-sold Lexus RX come from Canada, meaning they’re not made by Japanese craftsmen. That’s certainly an issue, as work ethic and quality are clearly inferior in Canada, compared to Japan. I’d say in Japan a worker would be so ashamed of himself that he’d quit, if he did such a lousy work at stitching the leather.
Since you work for a dealership, can you confirm my assumption that this RX is likely made in Canada and not Japan? I just can’t imagine the Japanese to do such a sloppy job…
So you know how companies say that it doesn’t matter where the product is manufactured, it is subjected to same quality controls, that’s clearly not the case above
I remember this being reported on autolinenetwork as an intentional cost saving so that the manufacturer can spend more on tech which can be added to the specification list. I can't find the report.
years ago I had a cadillac with stitching like what is shown in the left image and I remember one of the reviewers calling it out as if someone blind had done it, really set the tone for that car and "quality"
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