Previews

Autoblog has posted their review of the 2010 Lexus LS 460 Sport, where they were pleasantly surprised by the sedan’s newfound sportiness:

Approaching the first tight turn along this curvy hillside ribbon of asphalt, we instinctively wanted to tap into the upgraded Brembos to scrub off some momentum. Expecting a fair amount of body roll, we planned our line accordingly, but amazingly, the LS – with its re-calibrated suspension, beefier stabilizer bars and uprated shocks – was well planted and barely bobbed to either side. We pushed a little harder into the next bend and the stately sedan just hunkered down and carved a perfect arc. This can’t be right.

As the road straightened out we were scratching our head trying to figure out what just happened. Is this Lexus actually fun to drive? Did these seemingly minor suspension changes really transform the LS from a perfectly wonderful boulevard cruiser to a genuine back road bomber?

These positive reviews of the LS Sport are very exciting—with no (reported) sacrifice in ride quality, a tasteful body kit, a handsome interior color scheme with beautiful matte wood, and all the performance upgrades, there doesn’t seem to be a single drawback to this package.

Best of all, this bodes well for the future of the Lexus’ flagship sedan—maybe these performance upgrades should be standard.

(I also recommend going through the photo gallery, great detail photos in there.)

[Source: Autoblog]

Autoblog has just published their first drive of the 2010 Lexus GX 460—here’s a excerpt of their impressions:

The engine feels strong on the road and the new six-speed transmission makes the most of that power. The cabin is quiet even when matting the throttle to the floor, and over the course of a 30-minute run down a blissfully traffic-free Southern California freeway, we never had to raise our voices to be heard. It’s sedan quiet and nearly sedan smooth.

The ranch route gave us a chance to try out the adjustable suspension settings, full-time four-wheel drive, crawl control feature and even the front and side wide-view cameras. The GX handled everything we threw at it with so much aplomb that we suddenly realized what this vehicle is all about…The fact that not many people will need to ford a stream or tackle a mud bog – let alone drop hay bales around their hilly 2,000 acre ranch – doesn’t negate the value of the GX 460.

Some other facts that jumped out: the current GX 470 currently holds a 25% share of the full-size luxury SUV market, and the entire 2009 US production allotment of the GX 470 were sold. This would explain the GX sales figures this year—there wasn’t enough supply.

(Perhaps the best part of Autoblog’s review is the photo gallery, some really nice detail photos.)

[Source:

< a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/09/2010-lexus-gx-460-first-drive/">

Autoblog]

I wanted to wait a little while after the Lexus GX 460’s introduction before weighing in with my own impressions of the SUV, which I had a chance to see for myself at a Lexus Canada sneak peek dinner a couple weeks ago.

Much like the RX redesign, the new GX is a more masculine retelling of the model it replaces. The first generation GX had a fidgety look, too tall and skinny for my taste, so this lowered and aggressive redesign hits all the right notes. It has that same “larger-than-life” feeling that the LX 570 gives off.

There are minor issues with the exterior design—the front bumper air intakes are too prominent and the rear lights have an ordinary look—but I love the bold wheel arches and the entire side profile. I even like the front HID headlight design and its symmetry with the fog-lights.

Continue reading this article...

Automobile Magazine has posted up a first drive of the 2010 Lexus GX 460, which reads like an obituary of body-on-frame luxury utility vehicles, and includes this suggestion:

When this new GX got the green light four or so years ago, the world was a different place. Today, Lexus doesn’t really need two V-8-powered, body-on-frame utility vehicles. A more appropriate stable mate to the successful RX model might be a crossover patterned after the GMC Acadia which delivers about 10-percent better gas mileage and more interior space, albeit without the GX’s off-road prowess.

The argument that Lexus should abandon the GX because of the LX ignores one of the biggest differences between the two: price. There is a near $25,000 USD price difference between the two models. Instead, the body-on-frame sets the GX apart from most of its competitors, with the reduced interior space as the trade off.

***

On a sidenote, here’s a GX 460 curiosity:

The instrument cluster is a delightful array of three liquid-crystal displays and four glowing needle and digit gauges. Scrolling through the menu allows displaying such useful info as which way the front wheels are pointing.

[Source: Automobile Magazine]

Only hours after its official introduction, Edmunds has posted their first-drive impression of the new 2010 Lexus GX 460, and its a nice overview of the new SUV:

On paper, the 2010 GX’s extra 500 pounds looks like it could completely cancel out the gains in horsepower and torque. On the road, however, it’s not quite so obvious…Around town, the light-effort steering and quick throttle response make the GX feel small, easy to drive and perfectly suited to the country club environment it will no doubt live in during most of its life.

...the GX’s ride quality on pavement and off-road is exceptional. Anyone who says a body-on-frame vehicle can’t be forced to dance hasn’t driven a GX. Whatever sloppiness the live rear axle might imply isn’t apparent from behind the wheel, so while there’s an optional variable damping system, it’s completely unnecessary.

Also mentioned is Lexus USA’s 2010 target of 14,000 units sold, which appears low for a newly redesigned model in its first year of sales—though this is a market segment that has contracted considerably over the last couple years, and it’s likely Lexus USA is being conservative.

[Source: Edmunds Inside Line]

There’s still plenty of Lexus LFA reviews to cover—next up is the UK’s Autocar and their great hands-on video with the supercar in Germany:

This footage does a great job showing the LFA’s speed in a real-world context—choice quote: “The engine is absolutely sensational…just think a cross between a M5 and Porsche Carrera GT.”

(Thanks Asoka!)