European LS 600h L Preview at Chauffeur Drive ‘07

European Chauffeurs will be getting a sneak peek of the Lexus LS 600h L at Chauffeur Drive ‘07, a new event “for Europe’s limousine and chauffeuring industry to see and drive the world’s most exclusive cars and limousines in one place”: Andy Simpson, Lexus’ Manager, National Corporate and Remarketing, commented: “We are pleased to be …

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Kevin · July 17th, 2007

NY Times Unimpressed with the Lexus LS 600h L

NY Times writer Lawrence Ulrich took the LS 600h L to task in today’s paper, unable to understand what possible benefit it could have over Lexus’ own LS 460, nevermind the V12 competitors the car is aimed at: On the performance front, forget about the Lexus hanging with V-12 sedans like the Mercedes S600. Turns …

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Kevin · July 15th, 2007

Fifth Gear: Melanie C & Her RX 400h

It’s fairly bereft of any substance, but Fifth Gear had a mini-interview with Melanie C (of Spice Girls fame) about her choice of vehicle: Seems like she couldn’t stop herself from plugging her album, though listening to her own albums to learn the lyrics is so appropriate it could almost be true.
Kevin · July 10th, 2007

Fabulous Body Kit for the Lexus LS 460

My favorite part about the body kits put out for the Lexus LS 460 is how absolutely subtle they are — first was the Wald International’s offering, and now we have the full gear from Fabulous: The changes are so minute, the only part of the kit that’s immediately obvious is the mini-wing on the …

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Kevin · July 7th, 2007

Car & Driver: Lexus RX 400h Long-Term Test

Easily, my favorite car magazine feature is the long-term test, where the magazines various writers and editors spend twelve months behind the wheel of a car then share the results. Well, not satisfied with a single year, Car & Driver enjoyed a two year-long visit with the RX 400h. The magazine’s staff managed to put …

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Kevin · July 5th, 2007

Lexus LS 600hL on a Norwegian Test Track

Norwegian website Dinside Motor took an LS 600h L through its paces, hitting 160mph and showing off some major bodyroll: I like to see these kind of tests, it’s so much more interesting to see the handling instead of reading about it.
Kevin · July 5th, 2007

Lexus LS 600h L Website Launches

The LS 600h L is now available for pre-order from Lexus.com. Starting at $104,000, there are three package levels ranging from $4,000 to $12,570. When will the LS 600h L actually arrive in North America? No official word yet, but my guess would be some time in September.
Kevin · June 29th, 2007

Cnet Reviews the Lexus LS 600h

The latest review of the LS 600h comes from the techs at Cnet, and although it didn’t get a perfect score like the previously reviewed LS 460L, the car still came away with an exceptionally high score of 9.7/10. Mini-marks were taken away for exterior styling: And while the LS 600h is a very handsome, …

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Kevin · June 16th, 2007

Road & Track: Lexus LS 600hL Review

Road & Track has served up a bit of a twist with their LS 600hL review by comparing it with a Gulfstream G550, the world’s foremost private jet. A strange association, and incredibly flattering to Lexus, but the justification is this: When the word “flagship” was coined, I’d bet its originator had neither $104,000 luxury …

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Kevin · June 15th, 2007

The Lexus LS 600h: A Misguided Hybrid?

Hybrid Cars has taken a dim view of the LS 600h, slamming it as “bizarre and misguided”, and urging his readers to steer clear. Understandable, I suppose, when your point of comparison is the Prius. It’s true that LS 600h doesn’t get better gas mileage than its non-hybrid version, the LS 460, but why criticize …

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Kevin · June 13th, 2007

The Lexus LS 600h Commercial: Fast Reimagined

The LS 600h commercial Fast Reimagined has been posted to Youtube, and it’s classic Lexus imagery: For a little background information, I found an interview with the digital effects team at Dexigner: For this spot’s end-footage of the car, Balden explained that the Lexus was shot with a Canon digital SLR on the end of …

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Kevin · June 13th, 2007

Lexus LS 460 Hold Button Demonstation

Youtube user h4×0r0x was nice enough to post a demonstration of rather unique LS series feature found on the steering wheel, namely the Hold button: As you can see, this button allows you to hold your brakes, meaning that you can rest your feet while at a stoplight. In essence, we’re looking at the anti-cruise …

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Kevin · June 12th, 2007

Lexus RX 400h, Wagoneer Edition

While I have strong doubts that Lexus will ever release a RX Wagoneer edition, one 400h owner isn’t about to wait to see. Discovered by Autoblog.it, this one-off wooden body kit was created by Italian tuner firm Castagna Milano for someone very rich and equally eco-obsessed: Most of the reactions to this unique body modification …

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Kevin · June 11th, 2007

Family Car Reviews the Lexus LS 600hL

The Family Car review of the ‘93 LS 400 was one of the articles I used to convince the girlfriend to buy our car, so I took a special interest in their fresh new review of the LS 600hL, knowing full well it was going to be all quality. I wasn’t disappointed, this is an …

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Kevin · June 9th, 2007

Wald International Body Kit for the LS 460

Wald International, a Japanese tuning company, has been one of the premier body kit & modification developers for Lexus since the LS 400. The new LS 460 is their latest subject, which they treated with a very distinctive reverence: Save for the rims, the USF40 Executive Line body kit is nothing overly flashy, and is …

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Kevin · June 6th, 2007

RX Models Finish High in Consumer Reports SUV Rankings

Both of Lexus’ current RX models ranked in the top four of Consumer Reports latest SUV rankings, with the RX400h coming in second and the RX350 tying the Acura MDX for third. Considering that the Highlander Hybrid took the number one spot, Toyota practically swept the Consumer Reports rankings. Not a bad result, though they …

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Kevin · June 5th, 2007

The LS 600h vs. the LS 460: Is the hybrid really worth the extra money?

Bruce McCulloch over at Autosavant asked the question “Does the 600h really offer any true advantage over the lesser LS460?” and came away with a resounding “NO!” Let’s summarize his major points: The 600h costs $35,000USD more than a similarly equipped 460. People buying a car in this price range ($100,000USD +) don’t really care …

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Kevin · June 5th, 2007

The Lexus & The Rain Rig

Flickr user gcbp_television has given us an insider’s view to the making of a Lexus GS450h commercial: The apparatus on top of the GS450h is called a “Rain Rig”, and it simulates a downpour from inside the vehicle. Here are some more details provided by the photographer: The rain rig was on the car for …

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Kevin · June 4th, 2007

The LS600h is one of 2008’s Most Anticipated Luxury Cars

According to Forbes, the new Lexus LS600h is one of 2008’s most anticipated luxury cars. Hardly surprising, given that it’s the first hybrid available in the upper auto echelon. Other cars on the list: Rolls Royce Drophead Coupe Audi R8 Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren Roadster Infiniti G37 Cadillac CTS Maserati GranTurismo BMW M3 Porsche 911 …

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Kevin · June 3rd, 2007

LS600h & LS600hL Hybrid Sedans Released in Japan

Lexus has released their ultra-mega hybrid LS600h & LS600hL sedans in Japan, and The Winding Road was good enough to share some photos and a host of exceptional numbers: The Japanese cost of the base model LS600h is ¥9.7 million, or $80,000USD, with the extended wheelbase LS600hL retailing for up to ¥15.1 million, or $125,000USD. …

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Kevin · May 31st, 2007

Celebrity Watch: Rupert Murdoch

In a rather surprising move, Rupert Murdoch took time out from trying to buy the Wall Street Journal to announce his intention to bring News Corporation to a “carbon-neutral” state by 2010. As part of the campaign, Murdoch “has bought a Toyota-made Lexus GS450H “green” car, and other practical measures include solar-powered golf carts to …

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Kevin · May 29th, 2007