I have to apologize, I didn't realize that you where so sensitive about what you drive. Again if I hated ford I wouldn't own $ 350,000.00 worth of ford vehicles, I think that would show that I like ford vehicles. But I try to be a realists and I understand what ford vehicles are = great vehicles ( broncos, bronco raptors, F 150 Raptors, Shelby Mustangs, and Ford GT'S ). But I try to be a realists and understand what they are. No question ford has made some iconic vehicles over the years, but facts are facts and numbers are numbers, and you can not compare Lexus build quality to fords. It's like comparing Tom Brady to dak Prescott. You can't in reality compare the two quarterbacks.
Yes Lexus concentrates on high quality luxury vehicles, but when they concentrate on high performance ( LC 500 or LFA) OR OFF ROAD with luxury (land cruiser, forerunner, LX 600, or GX 550) they know what there doing and they do it right.
For somebody who doesn't care about taking the roof and doors off, and you start looking at spending $ 70,000 ( loaded Wildtrak) or $ 100,000 MSRP ( RAPTOR ) , the Lexus makes a compelling choice, especially when you look at build quality.
But you are the one making the (build) quality argument, none of us are. You brought the perceived quality issue up. You are making the luxury vs. non-luxury 'Ute comparison. You are arguing with yourself and upset no one agrees with you.
Like I said before, the master-mind of manufacturing "quality", Edwards Deming, whose quality methods were adopted by the Japanese in the aftermath WWII, is the definition of quality I use; that being "fitness for use". If one is interested in taking a vehicle deep off road, fording through creeks and rivers, running dusty trails or deserts, especially with the roof (and doors) removed, the Bronco is the higher quality vehicle than the GX. If you want to drive to a groomed off-road campground at a lake in leather-bound luxury with a 20-speaker stereo and memory-adjusted, heated/cooled 26-way electrically configurable seats, then the GX is the higher quality vehicle. One has a base price of $35K and the other (prospectively) $65K... duh.
The Bronco is designed to a broader based market. Its trim levels start at a bare bones Base model for off-road purists to build a rig from, up to a near-luxury Raptor model. It offers both a 2-door body and 4-door body configuration with a standard soft top or an optional hard top. It offers three engine choices and two transmission choices. It offers 4-levels of suspension and two levels of brakes. It offers tire choices from 30" to 37". It offers 3-levels of electronics integration and 3-levels of seat trim. So, in my view Ford has done an incredible job of offering a vehicle to a far broader spectrum of buyers while offering affordable pricing at each trim level. From the data presented so far for the GX, it offers just 4-doors, 33" tires, a single suspension design, a single engine and transmission choice, with trims that up-level the luxury continent. And maybe a hybrid drivetrain. Which vehicle build requirements do you think are more difficult to achieve, let alone considering the vehicle launch was during a worldwide viral pandemic?
This is what the posters here have been saying, they
want the ORV Bronco because of the available steel bumpers, high approach and departure angles, locking front diff, electric-disconnect front swaybar, vinyl flooring and seats, and removable roof/doors. As far as recalls go, yeah, no argument, Ford at this present time has industry leading recalls, but there is no correlation between recalls and vehicle longevity; you are the one making that inference. I have a 17-year-old BMW 3-series with 420,000 miles on it (I bought new). It's had five (5) recalls; two related to airbags, and three related to fire hazards (twice for the same component). In comparison, my Black Diamond has had one recall, for the rear camera not turning off fast enough when in low-range. LOL.
Compare the pricing, content, and offroad capabilities between the Wrangler and Bronco, then that's the proper comparison. The price of the Raptor is reflected in market desirability, and it really is a low-volume one-off vehicle because it has a wider frame, different suspension, different brakes, different interior, different gauge cluster, and different engine than the non-Raptor Bronco. And the Raptor is way effing cooler than a Lexus GX.
No salt tram towers were harmed in the making of this post...
