Lexus Car Reviews: IS, LS600, LS460, SC430, ES350, RX & GS

Review: 2010 Lexus RX350

By Jay Shoemaker
February 25, 2009

Euphemisms are our friends. If it weren’t for “calamari” my kids would have never tried squid. Similarly, the SUV became a more palatable version of the station wagon-- although I am not sure how the wagon became an object of scorn by my generation. I have many happy memories slouched down in the third row, kissing girls. I suppose piloting one of those behemoths might have tempered my enthusiasm for the genre. The early SUV’s were thinly disguised trucks and evolved to become more like tall wagons currently known as crossovers. If the designers over at BMW have their way, mutant ninja vehicles will soon replace the crossovers. In the meantime, we have the 2010 Lexus RX350.

Review: 2010 Lexus RX350 continued »

rating summary and performance review: 2010 Lexus RX350

Posted in Car Reviews | Lexus | 54 comments

Comparo: BMW M3 vs. Audi RS4 vs. Cadillac CTS-V vs. Lexus IS-F vs. Mercedes C63 AMG

By Mike Solowiow
February 23, 2009

M, RS, V, F, AMG. The alpha alphabet represents five manufacturers' best efforts to create something unique, exciting and memorable from their more prosaic mainstream motors. The resulting "performance tuned" sports sedans are so powerful, so capable, so versatile, that they're the ground based equivalent of the all-weather fighter jets that battle for control of the skies. While the shibboleth "there's no such thing as a bad car" applies here, there are always going to be winners and losers. And it's our job to sort the wheat from the chaff.

Comparo: BMW M3 vs. Audi RS4 vs. Cadillac CTS-V vs. Lexus IS-F vs. Mercedes C63 AMG continued »

Review: 1992 Lexus SC400

By Steven Lang
February 16, 2009

'There is nothing quite like it!' Every enthusiast I know has that attitude towards their car. But rarely is it actually true. Platforms are shared. Engines and transmissions are modified and tossed into whatever else can accommodate them from a cost perspective. Compromises are made. Only sometimes they aren't. Sometimes you can buy something so unique, so timeless, that you can appreciate it's qualities even twenty or thirty years later. The Lexus SC400 is one of those rare, outstanding machines. Let's start with the door hinge.

Review: 1992 Lexus SC400 continued »

Posted in Car Reviews | Lexus | 56 comments

Review: 2008 Lexus IS-F Take Two

By Robert Farago
January 7, 2009

Can we forget the BMW M3 for a moment? If you analyze the IS-F from a evo-lutionary perspective, the highly-horsed Lexus four-door is a loser. Looks, handling, pedigree, charisma, horsepower-- the IS-F is the Bimmer's bitch. Instead, imagine approaching the IS-F as I did, after test driving the LS460. Driving along in Japan's big ass barge, the usual pistonhead thoughts occurred. Sweet engine! If only the throttle was a touch more responsive. If there wasn't this dreaded Old School floaty rebound. If the car was a bit... smaller. I don't know. Fun. And then you jump into the IS-F. Mission accomplished. Only who asked Lexus to build a car for me?

Review: 2008 Lexus IS-F Take Two continued »

rating summary and performance review: 2008 Lexus IS-F Take Two

Posted in Car Reviews | Lexus | 57 comments

Comparo: Lexus RX350 vs. Hyundai Veracruz

By Sajeev Mehta
December 1, 2008

A note to TTAC’s Best and Brightest: if this comparo sounds oddly familiar, that’s because something stinks. But it’s not the husky, malodorous adhesives wafting from the pleather-wrapped Hyundai Veracuz. Nor is it the you-gotta-be-kidding me popularity of a premium-priced Toyota Camry sitting on stilts. The funk comes from mentioning both in the same breath. But I swear on the effeminate grille of a B9 Tribeca that I’ve never read a certain Motor Trend review elucidating this very notion. Fair enough?

Comparo: Lexus RX350 vs. Hyundai Veracruz continued »

Posted in Car Reviews | Hyundai | Lexus | 32 comments

2008 Lexus IS250 Review

By Megan Benoit
July 9, 2008

The Lexus IS250 is a chick car. Funny that. Its predecessor, the IS300, was such a guy car. In fact, every time I see a male of the species behind the wheel of a Lexus IS, I check my theory by scoping the badge. Sure enough: it's an IS350. Strange. The IS250 is a great entry-level luxury car. While it's slower than the 350, not everyone ~~can afford to pay that much~~ needs that sort of power. So why aren't more guys driving one?

: Chicks love it

: Sybarite's delight

: Perfect, if you're under four feet tall

: What we've come to expect from Lexus

: Clean yet unispired styling

2008 Lexus IS250 Review continued »

2008 Lexus IS250 rating summary and performance review

Posted in Car Reviews | Lexus | 68 comments

2008 Lexus LS600hL Review - Take Two

By Jonny Lieberman
May 28, 2008

I disagree with every review of the Lexus LS600hL ever written. Categorically. To a man, my colleagues misinterpret the most expensive Lexus as a misguided planet-saver that doesn't deliver enough mpg to justify its sky-high price tag. I view the ultimate hybrid as better driving through science. In fact, despite the dorky "hybrid" badges uglifying the LS600hL's flanks, Lexus didn't build this beast to sip fuel. They built it to go toe-to-toe with 12-cylinder Germans.

2008 Lexus LS600hL Review - Take Two continued »

2008 Lexus LS600hL rating summary and performance review - Take Two

Posted in Car Reviews | Lexus | 70 comments

2008 Lexus IS-F Review

By P.J. McCombs
January 21, 2008

Hammering the IS-F through the sleepy desert two-lanes of Rosamond, California, I tried to remind myself: “I’m driving a Lexus.” But the 416-horsepower sedan leaves little time for inner monologues. Caned hard, the IS-F reels in straight-aways like King Triton's spey rod. Corners arrive before your consciousness can catch up. Quick! Turn in, dip the throttle, unwind the hefty steering and feel the skittering rear wheels rotate you through the apex. Then look down at the silver “L” pointing at your chest. Cognitive dissonance much?

2008 Lexus IS-F Review continued »

2008 Lexus IS-F rating summary and performance review

Posted in Car Reviews | Lexus | 68 comments

Lexus LS600hL Review

By William C Montgomery
November 7, 2007

Lexus has gone green. That’s right. The Japanese luxury automaker’s website encourages actual and potential customers to explore eco-design and hybrid living. Meditative Asian music and beautiful nature photographs accompany the explanation: “Hybrid Living explores new ideas of how we can experience our lives in such a way that minimizes our impact on earth without sacrificing comfort and luxury.” Kinda makes me want to fire-up an incense stick, slip on some sandals and go for a slow Sunday afternoon drive in an ecologically-tuned Lexus. But my inner cynic won’t let me enjoy the ride. Despite Lexus’ posturing, the two-and-a-half ton LS600hL doesn’t run on herbal tea and happy thoughts.

Lexus LS600hL Review continued »

Lexus LS600hL rating summary and performance review

Posted in Car Reviews | Lexus | 78 comments

Lexus LS460L Review

By Jay Shoemaker
May 21, 2007

My wife struggles with two automotive tasks: finding her destination and maneuvering the car into a parking space. (Locating a parking space is another issue, but why make her sound any more spatially challenged than she is?) The only voice my wife follows without question emanates from her car’s navigation system. So, issue number one sorted. Until now, she has endured her parking problem by opting for garages or HUGE spots. When she heard about the Lexus LS’ new automated parking system, she sent me to the dealer to check it out.