Infiniti vs. Lexus: The showdown

They’re two of the biggest players in the luxury vehicle market, and even though they are both Asian companies (or rather owned by Asian companies), Infiniti and Lexus have taken a completely different approach to the way they manufacture and market vehicles. But putting the PR department aside, let’s spend some time focusing on the R&D department of both companies and determine which has the edge.

It can be said that even though Infiniti has established itself as a leader in its market, it still does not have the years under its belt that Toyota’s luxury division Lexus sports. Lexus has been in the arena for a lot longer and has developed a sort of fanatical following, however Infiniti, not to be left out, has it’s own share of fans and there are many who would pick an Infiniti over a Lexus any day.

Design

It’s hard to be a judge of design as many people will differ in the types of vehicles they consider appealing (except of course for vehicles like the Aztec). However many would agree that Infiniti has the edge concerning styling and design. It’s no mistake that Infiniti’s look nothing like their Nissan counterparts (if they exist). While Lexus has traditionally gone for bolder lines and grills that still represent the Toyota philosophy of design, it would be next to impossible to tell that the company who owns Infiniti, Nissan, designed both the Nissan Altima Coup and the Infiniti G37 Coup.

However, take a look at the Toyota Camry and the Lexus ES and you will definitely see some similarities. The same can be said about the Toyota Land Cruiser and the Lexus LX. Both vehicles are marvelous but there are major similarities between both of them.

Is this to say Infiniti’s styling is better than Toyota? Absolutely not, however it does say something about the companies differing ideas concerning design.

On the inside, both car companies seem to have it made, with consoles, infotainment and rear seat entertainment systems coming standard on most models, not to mention such things as heated seats etc. However there is still variance in design. Take for instance Lexus’s approach to the whole technology situation. Again, there is no real winner here but Lexus does take the edge in this round for sheer technology. Not saying Infiniti doesn’t have something going here, but take a look at the tech inside the RX versus the FX and there’s just no comparison.

Performance

This is something that is not up to preference, yeah you may enjoy a vehicle that takes a full 12 seconds to move from the 0 to 60 on your speedometer, but that doesn’t mean the performance is better. For the past three years, Infiniti has been competing against the 3 Series with its G36 and G37 coups. However with the latest vehicle it’s safe to say that the G37 Coup is as good if not better than the mighty 3 Series (not M3). Compare that to the IS from Lexus, yeah it’s a nice performing car, but it packs nowhere near the amount of power that you can get from an Infiniti G37 or BMW 328i.

The same can be said about the FX versus the RX or the G37 Sedan versus the ES or better yet the all new Infiniti M versus the GS. In terms of performance, Infiniti is a clear winner here.

Wrap-up

So it will be up to the buyer and there is sure to be bias involved in choosing any vehicle and deciding between an Infiniti or Lexus will definitely be the same case. But if you’re about power and style, Infiniti seems to have a small lead in that arena. Technology, Lexus clearly takes it. That said, it’s your call, I will say that the IS-F is a beast and probably is the closest you will find from the Japanese market that can take on an M5 or M3.