2013 Lexus GS350 Photos and Info

Thanks to an unveil in Pebble Beach we finally have our first good look at the 2013 Lexus GS350 we previously drove heavily camo’d prototypes and, with it, the future look and styling direction of the Lexus brand.

The company also let drop that it would unveil the inevitable hybrid version at September’s Frankfurt auto show. About a month after that, the company will show the F-Sport version at the SEMA show in Las Vegas.

The new GS350, the fourth generation of the company’s mid-range sedan, will be the standard-bearer of Lexus’s new, more “passionate” approach to the premium-car market. Our first driving experience in camouflaged examples of the car, in both standard and F-Sport versions, bear out that oft-repeated passion claim.

The GS350’s styling is considerably, and thankfully, more subtle than the frankly hideousLF-Gh concept car from this year’s New York Auto Show. The ’13 GS sits on a two-inch-wider track, giving it a more planted look. It is, as is the fashion, festooned with LEDs front and rear. Its one truly distinctive visual signature is a new front grille shape that Lexus calls “spindle” shaped. Okay. It looks something like a large square grille that been cinched in about two-thirds of the way up either side. Expect to see a lot of this shape in the coming years.

When the GS350 goes on sale in February of 2012, it’ll be powered by a largely carry-over 3.5-liter V-6, which uses both port and direct injection. The engine makes 306 hp at 6400 rpm (a bump of 3 hp from the last GS350) and 277 lb-ft of torque at 4800. The car carries a six-speed automatic transmission. It will be available in rear or all-wheel-drive versions.

Inside the slightly larger interior is mounted a massive 12.3-inch infotainment screen on which owners can noodle with Pandora, conduct local searches on Bing, and a host of other options. Lexus has packed that interior with all manner of standard and optional electronic whiz-bangery. The optional Mark Levinson audio system pumps out 835 watts. Sensors in the seats allow the climate-control system to direct flow to passenger and not empty seats, says the company, which also claims a nice bump in system efficiency for the effort. 

There’s a new infrared camera mounted to the steering column that keeps an eye on where your eyes are pointed. The camera is integrated into the car’s pre-collision system, so that if a crash appears imminent and the driver is not looking ahead, he’ll get an earlier warning signal than the system would otherwise provide. The system can, of course, initiate braking as well. There’s a bevy of other tricks too, including night vision, a head-up display, blind-spot monitoring, and active lane-keep assist.

The company has not yet announced pricing but we expect it to start in the $48,000-to-$50,000 range. Pleasantly surprising as the shape may have been, price is one thing we knew wasn’t going to change much on this one. Learn More...

Source : http://www.caranddriver.com

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Posted in: AUTOMOTIVE INFO,CAR,LEXUS,LUXURY,SPORTS CAR

2011 Lexus ES 350 Specs, Prices, Pics and Reviews

The 2011 Lexus ES 350 is considered one of the automaker's entry-level sedans, but nothing about it felt entry-level.

It was so well-equipped my grandmother was bragging to the entire East Coast that I had the "nicest Lexus on the market!" I didn't have the heart to correct her.

While the ES 350 was luxurious, its lack of some family-friendly features such as sufficient cupholders and storage compartments had me questioning just who their target market was for this midsize sedan.

To say it handled beautifully would be an understatement. The V-6 engine gave this mom all the pep I could want. Thankfully, braking was as effortless and smooth as accelerating. Despite my somewhat aggressive driving, I averaged around 20 mpg during my weeklong test drive.

Ventilated leather seats and the walnut wood-trimmed interior turned my not-so-glamorous life into something a tad more shiny. For that one week, my automotive life was almost perfect. Its solid doors reminded me that my kids in the backseat were safe, even if I should happen to speed (a little) down the freeway.

The ES 350 has a starting MSRP of $36,725. My test car was equipped with several optional features, including the Ultra Luxury Package, pushing its price up to $44,500.

EXTERIOR

Lexus isn't known for taking risks. This gives its cars, including the ES, a somewhat classic look. The ES 350 is undeniably sleek and beautiful, but it lacked that sporty, head-turning element.

Because it's a sedan, it sits low enough to the ground that my 2-year-old could climb in and out of it by herself. However, the roofline was so low that my 9-month-old developed a permanent bruise on her forehead from me hitting her head on the door frame every time I tried to maneuver her out of her child-safety seat. Sorry 'bout that, baby.

While deep and somewhat cavernous, the trunk was easily accessible. The trunk is sizable. It swallowed my humongous double jog stroller with room to spare. It also features a pass-through to the cabin to accommodate longer items.

The Lexus ES 350 has a 268-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine that's paired with a six-speed automatic. For the 2011 model year, the engine has been revised so it now uses regular gas. It gets an EPA-estimated 19/27 mpg city/highway.

SENSE AND STYLE

Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Fair

Fun-Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove-On): Groove-On

INTERIOR

The ES' interior was so beautiful that I found myself fearing what my brood would do to it during our test drive. Luckily, it was as sturdy as it was sparkly.

In the front row, the comfy optional leather seats were heated and ventilated. Legroom wasn't lacking as my tall husband was able to fit in the front passenger seat with a rear-facing child-safety seat behind him in the second row. However, he struggled to find a comfortable seating position because of the adjustable lumbar support.

Almost every control in the sedan is accessible by voice commands. This was novel at first, but after spending about 20 minutes (unsuccessfully) yelling in unison with my 2-year-old daughter, "Add phone," we gave up on the voice-controlled system and went the old-school touch-screen route. The touch-screen made access to the navigation system a breeze, which made my driving experience much safer. I was no longer forced to rely on my smartphone to navigate through the Los Angeles' convoluted freeway system. This left my hands free to drive.

While I loved the Lexus' interior, I definitely felt that I was not the target market. A prominent ashtray in the front row was my first tip-off. Second, was the serious lack of cupholders and bottleholders. There are two cupholders for the front row and two more in the second row's fold-down center armrest. While that might work for two adults in the backseat, it renders them completely useless when the back row is filled with two full-size child-safety seats. Without car seats, this car could comfortably fit five people (as long as they hold their own beverages).

The cabin's storage compartments also were less than desirable. While there was a deep center console that housed the MP3 jack and USB input, the glove compartment and door pockets were small and difficult to use. I found myself wishing that the ashtray was a multipurpose storage compartment.

The optional panoramic moonroof is a show-stopper in this car. I'm pretty sure that it stole my 2-year-old's heart. She couldn't get enough of it. Learn More...

Source : http://www.cars.com

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Posted in: AUTOMOTIVE INFO,CAR,LEXUS

2011 Lexus CT 200h Specs, Pics, Prices and Reviews

Americans love hybrid hatchbacks, but mostly for the hybrid part; overall, we're still lukewarm on traditional hatchbacks. Lexus added a third ingredient budget luxury to create the CT 200h.

Starting MSRP $29,120–$30,900

With a starting price just over $29,000, it's the least expensive Lexus in nearly two decades, and it shows. The 2011 CT 200h feels at times like a cut-rate Lexus, but its combination of fuel efficiency and handling should win the brand some much-needed younger buyers.

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2012 Lexus LFA Specs, Pics, Prices and Reviews

There’s something slightly weird about this scene. We are about to drive the daunting 12.9-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife track in Germany. In a Lexus.

Okay, it’s the exotic LFA, a Ferrari-fighting supercar that will cost about $350,000. But the company built its reputation on smooth, refined, and perfectly nerve-calming cars, so why does the LFA exist? In what parallel universe is this thing remotely Lexus-like?

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2011 Lexus RX 350 Specs, Prices and Reviews

After a week test-driving the 2011 Lexus RX 350, a headline in the Wall Street Journal's April 18, 2011, edition caught my eye: "Lexus Falls Behind Rivals." The timing of this article was fortuitous because I'd been grappling with the fact that I really didn't love the RX 350 during my test drive. 

Starting MSRP $39,075 – $40,475

I was eager to drive it since I've seen so many of them around town and assumed there must be something extraordinary about this car since it's such a hot commodity. As it turned out, the RX 350 is extraordinary in how ordinary it is.

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Posted in: AUTOMOTIVE INFO,CAR,LEXUS