The Korea Herald

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Lexus named most affordable luxury car

By Korea Herald

Published : Feb. 9, 2014 - 19:31

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Lexus LS (Toyota Korea) Lexus LS (Toyota Korea)
Toyota’s premium sedan brand Lexus was named the most reasonably priced luxury marque by Kelley Blue Book for the second consecutive year.

Topping the “2014 5-year Cost to Own” category alongside Mazda, Lexus models had the overall lowest-projected price tag for the first five years of ownership, the car shopping data service said.

In the Kelley Blue Book awards, Lexus LS and RX topped the High-End Luxury and SUV/Crossover categories, respectively.

According to KBB, Lexus offsets the purchase price with the “lowest depreciation cost of any eligible luxury brand,” and ranked “lowest in repairs” and “among the lowest in fuel and insurance costs.”

It also said, “In addition to a features-per-dollar advantage versus its European competitors, Lexus vehicles also offer strong resale value, low maintenance costs and terrific fuel economy, thanks in part to the most hybrid offerings of any luxury automaker.”

The survey said the Lexus was a great purchase after factoring in that the sticker price includes future value, including estimated depreciation, maintenance and repair, fuel cost, finance and insurance fees. Secondhand Lexus cars also sell well.

Established in 1926, KBB bases its awards on current vehicle data, auction transactions, sales data and market conditions.

Other Toyota brands, such as the Corolla, Tacoma Regular Cab and Prius c, were also picked as the best in the compact car, midsize pickup truck and hybrid/alternative energy car segments, respectively.

Others on the KBB list were the Hyundai Veloster Turbo for sporty compact car; Audi A5 for luxury car; Chevrolet Spark for subcompact car; and Honda Accord for midsize car.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)