To be fair, that may be a purposeful design decision.
I consider the fact that the 4Runner can trace its way back to a 1980s Hilux that Top Gear dropped off a building (and still survived) to be nothing but good for its likely reliability.
Similarly, its primarily dial-based dashboard (as opposed to the touch-screen everywhere fad right now), truck-based suspension, and off-road performance (all things that could point to it being a rather much for a city car) to be its primary selling points.
Additionally, why change what sells so well? They sell ~140,000 4Runners a year, vs all of the Lexus models combined being ~40,000.
I can't comment on the Camry/Corolla as I've never owned one.
Having performed some cursory 'research' I found that in the USA in 2018, according to https://www.best-selling-cars.com/brands/2018-full-year-usa-...
All Lexus vehicles combined sold 92,660 units versus the 4Runner model which sold 139,694 units.
A difference of 47,000 units, or roughly, the 2018 US sales for the Lexus ES
The first Lexus car ever was unveiled in the 1989 Detroit Auto Show, Toyota's first non-Japanese Lexus plant was in North America. In fact, Toyota stopped selling top-of-the-line cars after Lexus launched, they discontinued the Cressida and stretched the Camry into the Avalon just to have a full-sized Toyota in America.
Toyota didn't even sell Lexus cars in Japan until ~2006, the American Lexus vehicles were badged as Toyotas (e.g The LS400/LS430 was the 'Celsior'). Additionally, Japanese luxury tastes are different than American tastes - the Japanese Toyota Celsiors were available with a premium cloth interior and without sunroofs (which came standard on many American Lexus cars).
Now, Lexus may sell more in the Middle East than North America (by revenue if not units) but America was 100% the target market.
The reputation existed before the show, that's where they got the idea.
They also don’t change it very often.
Which makes a lot of sense when you consider how and where it's used. It's easier to have service and repair infrastructure for one car with identical mechanicals over a decade than 3 or 4.
Saw this:
Toyota cars are very successful, I don't know how do they react to a market change because AFAIK, they recently didn't have to.