Competitors

Edmund’s Inside Line has pitted the new Lexus LS Sport package against the BMW 750i Sport in a performance track test, and in the process, somehow managed to add a full second to the LS 460’s official 0-60 time.

According to the Edmunds numbers, the LS 460 Sport hits 0-60 mph in 6.4 seconds compared to the 750i Sport time of 5.2 seconds. This flies in the face of the official numbers for the non-sport LS 460, which Lexus is claiming can hit 0-60 in 5.4 seconds.

Hard to believe the LS Sport package would come with a performance disadvantage—surely something must be amiss with the testing.

[Source: Edmunds Inside Line]

Auto Express compared the 2010 Lexus RX 450h to the BMW X5 30d SE to see which SUV is the better buy:

...which car more successfully mixes eco-friendly credentials with rugged versatility and luxury?

There’s no denying the X5 still rules the roost for image and driving dynamics. Plus, the big boot and seven-seat potential make it a practical proposition. Yet the latest Lexus is a huge improvement over its predecessor.

The RXh trounced the X5 in fuel efficiency, delivering 44.8 mpg compared to the diesel’s 34.4 mpg (British). Along with its “refinement, sophistication and impressive emissions”, the Lexus SUV took first place in the comparison.

[Source: Auto Express]

Popular Mechanics has posted a rather awkward fuel economy comparison between the hybrid Lexus HS 250h and diesel BMW 335d—what starts off as a fuel economy showdown ends up being a driving contest that’s over before it even begins:

Our drive took up through the Santa Monica Mountains high above Malibu to test the handling of these two sedans. And no, it doesn’t take long to realize the BMW is in another league, with fluid, organic steering and a chassis that encourages you to press on just as hard as the road and your bravado will allow…The HS250h has all the sporty boxes checked off. The chassis calibration on our Touring model is firm, with little body roll. And the steering is quick with good grip from the 18-inch tires. The Lexus can handle corners at a surprisingly good clip. But the driver and the machine do not meld into one seamless unit like the BMW.

I know, it’s shocking that the rear-wheel drive 265hp 335d (with its 425 lb.ft of torque) would outperform the front-wheel drive 187hp HS 250h, but what about the fuel economy?:

Our fuel economy test took us from Santa Monica up through the mountains to Santa Barbara and on the 101 freeway to San Luis Obispo before returning home for a total of 390 miles. Over this route, the BMW returned 33.6 mpg and the Lexus delivered 34.7 mpg—just about 1 mpg better. If this test had been skewed more toward city driving, we expect the Lexus would have provided a more serious fuel economy advantage.

So, rather than a more balanced route that included some in-city driving, this fuel economy comparison takes place entirely on the highway, even though that clearly favors the diesel engine?

Whatever—the HS 250h still managed to return better gas mileage than the 335d, and that was the whole point of the article, right?

Cost no object, we’d probably choose the BMW and its addictive diesel thrust. But if performance is less important than price or fuel efficiency—and $12,000 is a lot in this economy—the Lexus would be our pick.

Wait—what?

[Source: Popular Mechanics]

The New York Times has published a comparison between the Lexus IS 350C and the Infiniti G37 convertible:

While the Infiniti manages to look reasonably pert from behind, the Lexus has a wicked case of Solara butt. But if the Lexus is no swan, dropping the roof does make it less of a waddling goose. Viewed in convertible profile, that big deck suddenly looks imposing, and the Lexus’s crouched stance and short front overhang come into focus.

I got caught in rainstorms in both vehicles, and discovered that the Infiniti’s top also makes a surprising racket when it’s being pelted, like a Caribbean house with a tin roof. Beneath the Lexus’s aluminum top, all I could hear were drops on the windshield.

Lifting the Infiniti’s enormous trunk lid feels like curling a bowling ball. Lexus’s lid is large but more wieldy.

I think in terms of styling, the Infiniti G37 has an edge if only because there was an actual coupe to base the design on, though I must admit, these two convertibles look awfully similar to one another.

In the end, the Infiniti G37 convertible was the winner with an asterisk:

Ultimately, the Infiniti’s sharper looks and sharpened performance would make it my personal choice. Yet I’ll admit that many people who gravitate to convertibles are more concerned with SPFs than r.p.m.’s. It was Lexus that kicked off the hardtop convertible trend with the 2002 SC 430; the brand’s fans now have a relatively affordable and practical alternative to the two-seat $70,000 SC.

[Source: New York Times]

Lexus has placed first in the American Customer Satisfaction Index, tying with Cadillac. Rounding out the top five was Buick, Honda and Lincoln-Mercury. Lexus scored 89 out of a possible 100 points, a 2.3% increase over last year.

This marks the fourth year in a row that Lexus has placed first in the University of Michigan study, which asks car buyers to rate their satisfaction level compared with their expectations.

[Source: ACSI via Bloomberg]

As part of their Great Drives issue, Automobile Magazine has a convertible comparison pitting the Lexus IS 350c against the Infiniti G37, BMW 328i and Volvo C70 in Laguna Beach, California. Ultimately, no winner is given, but the IS 350c was named first among equals:

The silky 3.5-liter V-6 in the [IS 350c] makes 306 hp and the most torque in this comparison - 277 lb-ft - yet it’s priced to compete with the 328i rather than the significantly more upscale 335i. No wonder Lexus expects to sell 1600 convertibles a month.

Although Infiniti tries to channel BMW’s sporting heritage, Lexus favors the luxury end of the spectrum. The IS350C features the most sumptuous interior in its class….By all of the measures that matter most to prospective owners, the Lexus was very good, and it offers a winning compromise of style, performance, and utility.

With no clear winner, this could be considered a rather weak comparison, when in fact it’s a very clear overview of the differences between competitors. By all accounts, the IS-C had a very good showing, which is very nice to see in its first-ever comparison (to my knowledge).

(One other thing I noticed is how much better the IS convertible design looks when placed among its peers—it provides some much needed context.)

[Source: Automobile Magazine]