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By John Goreham Mar 12 2014 - 1:39pm

The one luxury and performance car list Lexus cannot make

Not one Lexus on this prestigious list of the top 20 luxury performance models. Here's why.
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Lexus LFA supercar
Lexus IS 350C hardtop convertible coupe
Lexus RC-F V8 coupe

Anyone who reads Torque News knows that Lexus is the top luxury car brand in the world when it comes to things like quality, reliability, and resale value. It is hard not to be a fan of a brand that regularly wallops the German rivals in so many ways. We do try to find some balance to our work though, so we thought it only fair to accurately report on Lexus’ failure to make this new list. The list is the top 20 most expensive to insure cars.

Published by Insure.com, the list is a who’s who of fantastic cars. Mercedes is the clear winner with 7 of the top 20 most expensive to insure models for sale in the US. Audi is the next big winner with 4 cars, and BMW and Porsche each get 3 of the coveted spots. The list is owned by the German makes, but India’s own Jaguar (a Tata Motors brand) does take two of the top 10 slots. The surprise winner overall is the Nissan GT-R supercar, despite the fact that the car is not even close to being the most expensive car on the list in terms of MSRP. This makes sense after all since the GT-R was specifically designed to beat the world’s supercars at a lower price point. Job well done.

Neither the Lexus LFA supercar, nor the flagship of the line, the LS 600h long-wheelbase hybrid were able to make the varsity team. The LS 600hL is no price slouch either. With its standard Alcantara headliner, 438 horsepower, and the ability to regenerate power for use by its electric motor, it comes in at a lofty $135,940. That price is higher than a full-whammy Nissan GT-R. Yet, it still doesn’t earn Lexus a slot on this list. Perhaps if Lexus dropped its pre-collision, frontal collision avoidance system, lane-keeping, active pedestrian detection, and driver attention monitor it might score more highly.

Are you wondering what it would cost for an average 40-year-old male with a short commute to work, normal policy limits, and a $500 deductible to insure the top car on the list? That would be $3,169. That price seems very reasonable if you consider the bragging rights that go along with it. Lexus does have a very vigorous continuous improvement program, and if it tries hard it may make this list in the coming year. But don’t count on it.

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Comments

Neil Baer wrote on March 14, 2014 - 11:43am
Perhaps Lexus doesn't make the list because they are bland and stylistically ugly. When one pays a lot for a car, they want a design that wows them. The new front end on most Lexus is a disaster. So, while they are well built, quiet, nice cars - they have very little "wow" factor. Style sells...and wins awards.
John Goreham wrote on March 18, 2014 - 2:13pm
I'm guessing you didn't read the article Neil. I appreciate your comment anyway because it gives me the chance to point out that when Lexus switched to the new nose you refer to on its IS sedan, sales more than doubled. The same was true of the GS when it received that update. ES and RX sales with the new nose have continued to climb. With regard to awards, the newly styled IS has now been awarded the top spot in sports sedan comparisons against the BMW 335i, Audi S4, and Infiniti Q50 by both Road and Track and Car and Driver. Not everyone likes the Lexus style language, but since Lexus' vehicles are the leader in sales for most of the categories they compete in, someone must. Personally, I think the new nose is overdone on the F Sport version, which is what usually makes the PR photos. On the standard cars I think it works well. Thanks again for commenting.