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| 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. And Lexus’ new IS 250 luxury sport sedan sure feels like the real deal. Admittedly, it isn’t the rocket that the M35x is, nor does it give the athletic rush of the TSX. But when I parked my posterior in the 2006 IS 250 I felt right at home immediately, and my week with it was a marvelous experience despite the weather not having allowed me to drive the car properly – by which I mean I couldn’t wind it out with abandon the way I’d have liked. more... Lexus GS 300 – Relentlessly Pursuing Passion? 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... Lexus GX 470 Adds Luxury To Off Road Capability 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... New Lexus RX Blends Power, Luxury, and Economy 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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