“This is not my mother’s American Standard,” said Jay Gould, the company’s CEO, as he introduced the new DXV collection at its New York showroom. With toilets that feature heated seats and automatic flushing and a $5,500 soaking tub, the brand has definitely gone upscale. And along the way settled the argument of who left the toilet lid up.
Divided into four design groups that represent different eras—Classic (1880–1920), Golden Era (1920–1950), Modern (1950–1990), and Contemporary (1990–today)—American Standard hopes to “re-earn the love of homeowners,” Gould said. Prices range from $325 to $425 for a bathroom sink, $520 to $600 for a pedestal sink, $650 to $900 for a toilet, and $3,200 to $5,500 for a soaking tub. The collections are available in 500 kitchen and bath showrooms nationwide, which you can find on the American Standard website.
American Standard also introduced the AT Series of smart toilets and bidets. The seat lid of the AT200 toilet, $4,200, opens automatically as you approach it. All cleansing functions are enabled by a sensor as soon as you sit down on the heated seat. And once you’re done, the lid closes and the toilet automatically flushes. So who left the seat up becomes a moot point.
Top toilets in our tests
If you don’t mind opening and closing the lid or flushing the toilet yourself, you can choose a more standard American Standard. The American Standard Champion 4 2002.014, $300, topped Consumer Reports tests of single-flush toilets. The comfort-height model combines superb solid-waste removal with quietness and a reasonable price. Single-flush toilets from Gerber and Toto scored almost as well. The champ of our tests of dual-flush toilets is the Glacier Bay N2316 sold at Home Depot and at $100 it’s a CR Best Buy.
—Celia Kuperszmid Lehrman
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