March 2009 | Lexus Enthusiast

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Car Magazine’s Long-Term Lexus IS-F

Car Magazine is issuing monthly website updates on their long-term Lexus IS-F, and this month the magazine editors had their first service stop: It took an hour to get there but when I arrived at Lexus Leicester I was greeted by a smart showroom, courteous staff and a decent cup of tea. I was even …

Kevin · March 31st, 2009

Spending Time with the 2009 Lexus IS 250 AWD

Early this morning, I made my way to Toyota Canada’s corporate HQ outside of Toronto and took possession of a Lexus IS 250 for review. It’s the AWD config, an automatic, with Truffle Mica exterior and Ecru leather interior, a very flattering combination. The rest of the day was spent powering through highway traffic and …

Kevin · March 30th, 2009

Lexus USA Adjusts 2009 Model Prices

Lexus has bumped up the prices for most of its 2009 models, increasing the following models by $150: IS 250/350 ES 350 GS 350/460/450h LS 460/460L/600hL LX 570 This increase comes into effect on Wednesday, but the amount’s only significant in that every model is seeing the same price hike. Maybe a shared part? [Source: …

Kevin · March 30th, 2009

China’s BYD Auto Releases Lexus RX Clone

While it’s true that all car companies have been guilty of design plagiarism at some point, Chinese automaker BYD has taken it too far with their shamelessly brazen copy of the second generation RX, the S6: These Chinese copycat designs are a rampant problem in automotive design, and what makes the situation worse is that …

Kevin · March 27th, 2009

Wald Body Kit for the 2010 Lexus RX 350

Wald International has released a Black Bison body kit for the new Lexus RX—first off, here’s the photo gallery: All the things that made the Black Bison design look so awkward on the IS-F end up adding some real character to the RX. There are minor complaints: the IS-F style grille looks great but clashes …

Kevin · March 26th, 2009

Flickr Find: Lexus GS Panning Practice

While working his panning skills, photographer Otis Blank snapped this great pic of a Lexus GS in transit: I’d say the practice is paying off!

Kevin · March 26th, 2009

Automobile Mag: Lexus IS-F Long-Term Test Update

I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to post a photo of the Lexus IS-F in the snow, but Automobile Magazine’s Four-Seasons update is definitely worth the quick read as well: I hand the car off to Mr. Kitman, who makes several trips into and out of New York City. “I love the sound of the …

Kevin · March 25th, 2009

Lexus Enform Service to arrive with the Lexus HS 250h

Arriving late this summer, the Lexus HS 250h will be the first vehicle offered with the new Lexus Enform + Safety Connect telematics system. Safety Connect, a service that will be offered on both Toyota and Lexus vehicles, provides a support network in the event of an emergency—offering automatic collision detection, locating a stolen vehicle, …

Kevin · March 25th, 2009

Production Lexus LFA to debut at Tokyo Auto Show?

This year’s Toyko Motor Show could be the location for a major moment in Lexus history—according to an Edmunds insider, the production version of the Lexus LFA will debut at the October autoshow. Of course, at this point it’s still a rumor, but when you consider that Toyota’s new president, Akio Toyoda, has been the …

Kevin · March 25th, 2009

New Beginnings

Hello, and welcome to The Lexus Enthusiast, otherwise known as the new and improved version of The Passionate Pursuit. As promised, the name change is the first step in some major improvements coming to the site, in fact, today’s changes also include a move to a new software platform. WordPress, which has powered the site …

Kevin · March 25th, 2009

Michael Bay’s Lexus ES 330 Commercial

Loud, blurry and preposterous, this Lexus ES 330 commercial by Michael Bay would fit neatly into any one of his movies (jump to 1:02 to see the Lexus commercial directly): Somehow I doubt an airbag is going to save you from being hit by a tractor trailer.

Kevin · March 23rd, 2009

Lexus Japan’s RX Museum Party Video

Should we need any proof that Lexus is being marketed differently in Japan as compared to North America, look no further than this video from the Japanese RX launch party, featuring DJ No+Chin in a “battle” with visual artist Saori Kanda: Feels more like Scion than Lexus, color me impressed by how uniquely Japanese this …

Kevin · March 23rd, 2009

Canadian Driver Reviews the Lexus ES 350

The Lexus ES 350 doesn’t get a lot of play, particularly with it in the third year of its design cycle, but this Canadian Driver review of the 2009 model is worth noting, as it manages to capture the ES’ appeal and includes a previously unheard (and likely untrue) rumor: The 2009 model retains the …

Kevin · March 23rd, 2009

Lexus J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Results

J.D. Power has published the results of their latest Vehicle Dependability Study, and for the first time since its inclusion, Lexus did not place first, coming in third behind Buick and Jaguar. The study looks at the problems per vehicle for the 2006 model year and the problems encountered over the first three years of …

Kevin · March 19th, 2009

Frankenstein Lexus Spotted in Qatar

Car Capture, an exotic carspotting blog, managed to snap some photos of a freakish Frankenstein “Lexus” in Qatar: Let’s see—I’m guessing ES 300 body, BMW headlights and LX rear lights, though who can really tell with all that body work. My favorite touch? The Mercedes V12 badge on the trunk. Fantastic. For larger images, visit …

Kevin · March 18th, 2009

Lexus Sponsors Customized Mine Magazine

Lexus is sponsoring a unique print experiment by Time Inc.—a personalized magazine called “mine”. Published bi-weekly over 10 weeks, the magazine combines articles from an assortment of magazines customized to your tastes: Readers can select five titles from eight published by subsidiaries of Time Warner Inc. and American Express Co.: Time, Sports Illustrated, Food & …

Kevin · March 18th, 2009

Lexus Wallpaper of the Week: RX 450h in Motion

Right from its first reveal, I’ve been quite taken with the new Lexus RX, finding it a vast improvement over the outgoing model and a vehicle I fully expect to see parked in my driveway some time in the future. To that end, I’ve been searching for a great photo that would work as a …

Kevin · March 17th, 2009

Lexus Voiceover Actor Switch Permanent?

In the latest US RX commercials, longtime Lexus voiceover actor James Sloyan was noticeably absent, replaced instead with James Remar, most recently from Sex & The City and Dexter. And now, Ad Age is reporting that the change may be permanent after talking with a Lexus spokeswoman: A Lexus spokeswoman said the marketer wanted a …

Kevin · March 16th, 2009

Gearlog Reviews the 2010 Lexus RX

Considering its consumer gadget focus, it’s not all that surprising that Gearlog’s review of the Lexus RX centers on the technology in the newly redesigned SUV, with barely a mention of its driving performance. It’s an even-handed review, and includes some of the first criticisms of the new Remote Touch controller system: Remote Touch has …

Kevin · March 16th, 2009

Lexus Pre-Collision Technology Upgrade

Toyota has announced two new safety technology systems that are expected to appear in Lexus vehicles some time in the near future. The first, illustrated above, is an improvement on the current pre-collision radar system that detects probable collisions. The system, which uses millimeter-wave radar, can sense moving objects in the vehicle’s path, and now …

Kevin · March 12th, 2009

Edmunds Reviews the 2010 Lexus RX 450h

With the new Lexus RX 350 now available in North American dealerships, the auto reviewers have been turning their sights on the upcoming RX 450h. Edmunds, who had plenty of good things to say about the non-hybrid version, didn’t end up all that impressed with the hybrid: The 2010 Lexus RX 450h hits 60 mph …

Kevin · March 12th, 2009

Toyota and Lexus Hybrids Top One Million Sales in the U.S.

Toyota announced today that the company has now sold 1,000,000 hybrids in the USA since the Prius’ introduction in 2000. An extrodinary number to say the least, it’s certainly a clear indicator that hybrid technology is a strong selling point. From the press release: The sales milestone was achieved with an industry-leading six Toyota and …

Kevin · March 11th, 2009

Lexus RX Commercial Digital Effects Explained

Dexigner has posted an in-depth article detailing the production of the new 2010 Lexus RX commercials, including how some of the digital effects were created. This part was especially interesting: “City” opens on the RX sitting in traffic. But the vehicle has a secret weapon-XM real-time traffic monitoring that reveals driving conditions on the road …

Kevin · March 11th, 2009

Lexus RX 450h Test Drive Videos

Today we have two unique 2010 Lexus RX 450h videos that are the equivalent of an Internet test drive — no dialogue, POV angles, long ambling drives down deserted highways — all to give an insight into potential ownership. The first video is from Lexus Japan, and is likely taken from a promo DVD — …

Kevin · March 11th, 2009

Lexus Power of H Commercial: Solar Tree

Power of H, Lexus’ hybrid marketing campaign, has put out three non-product infommercials featuring example of green engineering. First, we watched homes being built from shipping containers, then a bridge that uses the passing cars to generate electricity, and now the final installment about a Solar “Tree” built in Italy: These videos may have been …

Kevin · March 10th, 2009

Rumor of a Lexus IS-F Evolution

According to Japanese auto magazine Best Car, Lexus continues to work on a lightweight version of the IS-F, dubbed the IS-F Evolution. The main focus on the IS-F Evolution would be reducing weight, where up to 300lbs could be dropped by using carbon fiber anywhere possible. Possible body panels would include the front bumper, front …

Kevin · March 10th, 2009

Lexus Canada February 2009 Sales Report

After a year of setting sales records in 2008, Lexus Canada is feeling the pinch of the shaky economic climate with sales in February dropping 24.4% compared to last year to 1,303 units sold. That said, the RX 350 continues to be a strong seller, and with the introduction of the 2010 model mid-month, sales …

Kevin · March 9th, 2009

Consumer Reports Names Lexus LS 460 Best Overall Vehicle of 2009

Consumer Reports’ love affair with the Lexus LS 460 continues — first was their astonishing 99/100 score in 2007, followed by a win as 2008’s top luxury sedan — and now CR has named the LS 460 the best overall vehicle of 2009: With a road-test score of 99 out of 100, this is our …

Kevin · March 9th, 2009

Healthy Start

Regular readers may have noticed that the Lexus news hasn’t been all that frequent lately, and I’d like to explain just what’s been happening “behind-the-scenes” here at TPP. First of all, I’ve been extremely sick these last three weeks, having been hit by an extremely nasty cold that made it hard to do much of …

Kevin · March 9th, 2009

Lexus Japan releases Red-Edge Black Interior for the IS

The IS also received an interior treatment from Lexus Japan, with the Red-Edge Black Special Edition, very similar to the Meteor Black GS edition: Loving that red stitching — it’s a great accent color, a real eye-catcher. (Still partial to the red carpet in last year’s Passionate Black interior, though.) This special edition interior is …

Kevin · March 5th, 2009

Lexus Japan releases Meteor Black Interior for the GS

Lexus Japan has been known to release some incredibly nice limited edition interiors, and they’re back at it again with the Meteor Black interior for the GS: The interior starts off with the default black semi-aniline leather, and then all of the stitching is two-tone black & red with silver accents. Also, both interior wood …

Kevin · March 5th, 2009

Building the Lexus Enform 3D City

This is just amazing — take a look at this byHook video that documents their construction of the 3D city in Lexus’ Enform presentation video: Watching 3D being built never fails to astonish me, especially when it’s viewed in 10X speed.

Kevin · March 4th, 2009

Lexus HS 250h Back in Disguise

After revealing the HS 250h for all to see at the Detroit Auto Show, Lexus is back to camouflaging its new hybrid sedan in public, which Motor Trend managed to snag on camera. Here’s another photo: The reasoning might be that this is a pre-Detroit mule with some new mechanical tweaks, or it might signal …

Kevin · March 4th, 2009

Lexus USA February 2009 Sales Report

The Lexus USA sales numbers for February have been released, and it’s just plain depressing: 2009 2008 % Change IS250/350/F 2,147 3,906 -42.7 ES350 2,575 4,795 -44.1 GS350/460/450h 595 1,422 -56.4 SC430 76 189 -58.1 LS460/600h L 700 1,891 -61.4 Total Cars 6,093 12,203 -48.0 RX350/400h 6,218 6,956 -6.9 GX470 516 1,549 -65.3 LX570 281 …

Kevin · March 3rd, 2009

2010 Lexus RX 450h Gas Mileage Europe/USA Comparison

Lexus UK has revealed the gas mileage of the 2010 Lexus RX 450h press release for the Geneva Auto Show: With a total system output of 220kW/299 DIN HP, the improved Lexus Hybrid Drive gives the RX 450h a maximum speed of 200kph. Via continuously variable transmission it will accelerate seamlessly from 0-100kph in just …

Kevin · March 3rd, 2009

Video of the Lexus Heads Up Display

At long last, here’s some user video of the new Heads Up Display technology built into the 2010 Lexus RX: At first, I didn’t understand the arrow columns to the right of the speedometer, then I released it was actual lane directions! Amazing. This might not be available in North America, but I don’t think …

Kevin · March 2nd, 2009

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