| Lexus CT 200h – the Greener Side of Sport?
Is Lexus' new "Premium Compact Sportback" a luxury car, a sports car, or just a reasonably luxurious hybrid with sporting pretensions?
Well, if you've seen the commercials for the new Lexus CT 200h, you've undoubtedly noticed they refer to this cute little wagon as "the darker side of green," hinting that it's more than just an economical hybrid – that it has some driving soul as well. And why not? A hybrid does not necessarily mean "no fun". The Honda CR-Z is a relative blast to drive, and the Lexus GS 450h is plenty fast and pretty fun to drive, so why can't the new Lexus wagon offer the same experience?
Obviously, there's no reason. The only problem is that Lexus seems to have forgotten that. more...
Lexus IS and GS 350 AWD – a Fine Pair Gets All Wheel Drive
Lexus has squeezed a little more power from the engine this year, raising the IS' pony ante (does that make it a "pony ante" operation?) to 306 horsepower with a peak torque of 277 lb.-ft.. The GS 350 has to make get by with a mere 303 hp/ 274 lb.-ft., which was still V8 territory only a few years ago. And if that isn't enough for you, the offer a V8 version as well: the GS 460, which claims 342 hp @ 6,200 and 339 lb-ft @ 3,600 rpm.
Perhaps the biggest technical tweak besides the extra oomph is the addition of the AWD option, which came in very handy during my wintry sojourn with both Lexi. more...
Lexus HS 250h – an Easy to Like Hybrid
Call it an uber-Prius, if you like.
It's the Lexus HS 250h, the luxury car maker's first four cylinder model, and at heart it's a luxury hybrid. It's also a very nice car that would undoubtedly be easy to live with.
And it's so green, regardless of which color you order it in, that it could drive you nuts. Not only is it supposed to sip gas (Lexus claims a mileage rating of 41.3 mpg or 5.7L/100 km, though I never got that), but it's also supposedly equipped with an interior that's nearly one third populated by "sustainable ecological plastics" whatever the heck that's supposed to mean. more...
Chevy Camaro and Lexus HS 250h – Retro Meets 21st Century Green
You might say the duo of the reborn Chevy Camaro muscle car and Lexus' new hybrid luxury sedan are a case of "something old, somethin—g new, something borrowed, and something green."
The something old – the Camaro – is now something new, for better or for worse. The something new – the Lexus HS 250h – is also something green, since it's a hybrid. As for something borrowed, well they both lean on their respective companies' heritage to create new vehicles that will probably do well in their respective niches. more...
Popular Lexus Ute Gets a Brand New Suit
Lexus' most popular model has undergone its first major restyling and reengineering, a process designed to keep it current and competitive.
And it has. While recognizable as an RX, the new RX 350 looks and feels quite a bit different than its predecessor. It's still a fine vehicle, though, and should continue to be a top seller for Toyota's luxury division. more....
Lexus GS 450h Update
One's a great example of the "cute ute" genre, and the other's a luxurious and eco-friendly road rocket.
And while neither the Honda CR-V and Lexus GS 450h features major upgrades for 2009, both of them continue to be excellent vehicles in decidedly different niches. I got to some quality time in each vehicle recently, which reaffirmed that both are my favorites of the vehicles I've driven in their respective "cute ute" and "hybrid" markets. more....
Big Lexus SUV Ups Its Own Ante for 2009
The Lexus LX 570 is the latest iteration of a vehicle that really began life decades ago as the Toyota Land Cruiser wagon – a fine vehicle then and today. The current version features a bigger and more powerful engine, more interior volume, more technology and more luxury appointments than you can shake a stick at.
It's also a huge vehicle that cuts a swath through traffic. This is definitely a "full size" SUV! And there's a lot to like about it. more...
Lexus Unleashes a Beast
It's a lean, mean driving machine, yet it comes from a company whose name is more associated with luxury than sports.
The Lexus IS F (the first in a new line of "F" designated vehicles from Lexus) is a beast from the Far East, a car that combines the marque's acclaimed luxury and attention to detail with the high performance meanness of a true muscle car. The result is a car that'll put a smile on the faces of people who like their car's niceness to tempered with the kind of nastiness that comes only from a high performance car. more....
Porsche Cayenne Turbo and Lexus LX 570 – Awesome, Times Two
They're big, brawny and luxurious – and can go nearly anywhere. But are they any good?
Well of course they are – this is high end stuff!
"They," are the 2008 Porsche Cayenne Turbo and Lexus LX 570, top of the line SUV's from opposite corners of the world. Both showcase state-of-the-art technology envisioned differently by different companies. more....
Lexus GS 450h – No Slowpoke Hybrid, this!
Love may not be quite as wonderful the second time around. But it's still pretty good!
After my second kick at the Lexus GS 450h hybrid, I wasn't drooling with lust as much as I did after my initial week of test driving it more than a year ago. It’s still a fine car, a wonderfully luxurious four door sedan and probably the fastest hybrid I've driven. But the bar has moved since then and, other than some minor tweaks and extra standard equipment, the GS 450h hasn't.
It's still an excellent performer, though. more....
Lexus LS 460 - A Classy, Capable Cruiser
In 1989, Toyota's new Lexus division set the automotive world on its ear when
it introduced its new high-end luxury sedan, the LS 400. It was a quantum
leap for Japanese manufacturers in which they dared to go head-to-head
with established luxury makers such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Jaguar, etc..
But 18 years is an eternity in the ultra competitive automobile market and
while Lexus has introduced a bevy of beautiful and successful vehicles over
that time, the flagship LS had never received a complete revision. Until
now, of course. more....
Lexus GS 350 - More Oomph a Welcome
Addition
Remember the old Toyota slogan "You asked for it, you got it"? Well,
it still applies – at least as far as Toyota's upscale Lexus division's
mid-range GS sedan is concerned.
When the third-generation debuted for the 2006 model year, the base model
GS 300 came with a 3 L V-6 engine rated at 245 hp and 230 pound feet of torque. This
was the car's weakest link, taking a lot of the "fun to drive" factor
out of the experience. more....
Lexus GS 450h – a Hybrid That'll Amaze You
Talk about a jaw dropper!
The Lexus GS 450h isn’t just a luxurious four door sedan, it's also one of the fastest sedans I've ever driven. And it's a hybrid! Who'd have thunk?
Not that I've driven anywhere near all of the world's great sedans, of course, but I've driven enough to know that what this Lexus hybrid is accomplishes is amazing. It goes like a bat out of heck and, while it doesn't exactly sip gas, it returns surprisingly good fuel economy as well. All while coddling you in the manner expected from a Lexus. more....
Popular Lexus
RX SUV Adds Super New Powers
Maybe they should call it RX Version 4.
Since the introduction of Version 1, the RX 300, a few years
ago, the Lexus luxury SUV has seen its share of upgrading
and refinement. First there was Version 2 (the RX 330) and
its addition of a larger engine along with such nifty features
as a power operated tailgate. Then came Version 3, the hybrid
RX 400h introduced in 2005.
Now Lexus has once again upped the ante with the 2007 RX
350. The new name indicates yet more power, but this V6 engine
isn't just the old one upgraded again: this time it's an
all-new V6 that Lexus says improves fuel economy while upping
the oomph ante.
The new power plant plants 270 horses of power onto the
road @ 6200 rpm and 251 lb-ft of torque @ 4700, which is
more than adequate for this type of vehicle. The double overhead
cam engine uses intelligent variable valve timing to, as
Lexus says, "optimize torque for quick response at all
engine speeds" while improving combustion efficiency.
more...
Lexus Redefines the Meaning of “IS”
I think I may have a new favorite car.
Once in a long while I find a vehicle that almost seems
as if the manufacturer took my measurements and built the
car to fit me specifically. My old 1983 Toyota Supra was
like this, as was my 1972 Datsun 240z. Infiniti’s M35x
comes very close, as does the Acura TSX. They’re cars
I could easily drive the daylights out of for many happy
years, and in the case of the Supra, I did exactly that for
20 years.
Lexus, and to a lesser extent Infiniti, really set the car
world on their ears when they first burst onto the market
about 15 years ago. Since then, the premium Japanese brands
have been serious contenders for the dollars of the reasonably
well heeled.
Over the course of that decade and a half, Lexus has changed
its marketing from relentlessly pursuing perfection to passionately
pursuing perfection. And they continue to make excellent
cars that are often considered to be as perfect as a car
can be.
The latest in their stable are the 2006 GS 300 and GS 430,
the third generation of the sporty sedan that sits below
the LS 430 flagship and above the ES 330 and IS 300 entry
level sedans. Sporty and entry level being relative terms,
of course. more...
Toyota’s 4Runner has been an excellent example of the
mid-sized SUV species for many years, and when the company
unleashed its latest version it saw an opportunity to not
only redesign it but to push it up market as well.
Hence the Lexus GX 470, a luxury SUV based on the popular
4Runner that gives you the formidable capabilities of its
Toyota sibling but with all the coddling and technology you’d
expect from the Lexus name.
My review unit was from the 2004 model year, and coming
as it did just ahead of the 2005 model’s new engine,
it provided a wonderful opportunity to get to know the vehicle,
and then try the supposedly new and improved model for comparison
when it comes by. more...
Coming on May 6, 2005, to a Lexus dealer near you, the world’s
first luxury hybrid SUV.
It’s the 2006 RX 400h, the highest-tech and newest
version of the popular RX 330 (nee RX 300) that has been
selling oodles of copies since its introduction.
Lexus says the new hybrid version of the SUV gives V8 performance
with the fuel economy of a compact car. Those are pretty
impressive claims – almost like proclaiming you’ve
built a perpetual motion machine – and if Lexus can’t
back them up there are sure to be some people looking to
make hay from the fact that the company fell short in its
relentless pursuit of perfection. more...
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