Video: Cruising Estonia in the Lexus IS 300h F SPORT

Time to take a little break and cruise Estonia in the Lexus IS 300h F SPORT: This video was produced by the Lexus Tallinn dealership in Estonia, and it’s extremely well done — the quality reminds me of a less intense Vossen video. (Thanks Taavi!)
Kevin · November 14th, 2013

2014 Lexus IS Wins Popular Mechanics Automotive Excellence Award

Popular Mechanics have awarded the 2014 Lexus IS their Automotive Excellence Award in the Luxury category: Every Lexus parked on the showroom floor is stuffed with the comfort, craftsmanship, and refinement that have made the brand famous. The new IS overflows with these hallmark qualities, but what’s new here is that Lexus has infused the …

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Kevin · November 12th, 2013

Three Lexus Models Nominated in 2013 Australia’s Best Cars Awards

Three Lexus models have been named as finalists in the 2013 Australia’s Best Cars awards — the IS 300h has been nominated in the Best Medium Car over $50k category, and the Best Large Car Over $60k category includes both the GS 350 F SPORT & GS 450h. The ABC awards are run by Australia’s …

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Kevin · October 31st, 2013

New Lexus IS F SPORT Body Kit from LX Mode

Japanese tuner LX Mode has created a collection of new modifications for the 2014 Lexus IS: All the modifications together on one vehicle seems like overkill, but there’s some decent individual pieces — I don’t mind the look of the carbon fiber headlight insert and the thin-line LED above the (non-USA spec) foglight. [Source: LX …

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Kevin · October 30th, 2013

UK Radio Personality Chris Evans Reviews the Lexus IS 300h

High profile UK radio & television personality Chris Evans has reviewed the new Lexus IS 300h for The Daily Mail, and it’s extremely positive: This car looks great. I mean, really great. In fact, I can’t recall a new Lexus that hasn’t. Her sleek body styling and classy (especially for what is essentially a limo) …

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Kevin · October 28th, 2013

Artist Creates Lexus IS F SPORT That Can Paint Pictures

Lexus Belgium has collaborated with artist Sergio Albiac to build an IS capable of painting pictures of its driver — best watch this video for a better explanation: It’s not for everyone, but there’s something very cool about a car that can generate images based on how you drive — I’d like to see the …

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Kevin · October 24th, 2013

Illest Clothing Brand Creates Lexus IS F SPORT Body Kit

Clothing brand Illest has announced a new tuning line called Illest Coachworks, and their first project is a body kit package for the 2014 Lexus IS F SPORT — here’s some renderings in high resolution: The Illest Coachworks IS F SPORT includes a front spoiler, rear diffuser, trunk wing, roof wing, and new exhaust tips …

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Kevin · October 22nd, 2013

2014 Lexus IS 250 Misses Consumer Reports “Recommended” Rating

The 2014 Lexus IS 250 will not be receive the Consumer Reports “Recommended” rating, according to a new Reuters article: The Lexus IS 250, which starts from US$35,950 (RM114,051), is “neither sporty nor luxurious” and had the “worst road test score posted by any Lexus sedan in recent memory,” Consumer Reports said in an e-mail. …

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Kevin · October 22nd, 2013

Autos Canada Reviews the 2014 Lexus IS 350 F SPORT AWD

Autos Canada recently drove the 2014 Lexus IS 350 F SPORT AWD along the British Columbia coast to the remote town of Tofino: When we pull into Tofino, the mutant aggression of the Lexus’s slashed and grilled face makes the car stand out like a sore thumb. It’s a surfer’s paradise here, and the year-rounders …

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Kevin · October 22nd, 2013

The Art of Driving by Lexus & Wallpaper Magazine

Lexus Europe & Wallpaper Magazine collaborated with two artists to create a pair of one-off art installations built around the new IS 300h. Cristina Parreño Architect Cristina Parreño works in Madrid & London, and has this to say about her installation: The installation is an attempt to capture movement in a still construction…The installation envisions …

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Kevin · October 21st, 2013

Photo Gallery: Lexus IS 300h F SPORT in Ultrasonic Blue

Lexus UK has released a nice photo gallery of the Ultrasonic Blue IS 300h F SPORT: While Ultra White may be the F SPORT color of choice nowadays, Ultrasonic Blue would be my first choice, hands down. Looks fantastic. [Source: Lexus UK]
Kevin · October 18th, 2013

Photo Gallery: Lexus IS F SPORT on New Vossen CVT Directional Wheels

Vossen Wheels have announced the latest addition to their CV series — the new CVT is a light-weight, staggered directional one-piece cast wheel, and it’s a perfect fit for the new Lexus IS F SPORT: The CVT requires four molds, rather than the typical 1 or 2 molds for standard cast wheels. As a result, …

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Kevin · October 15th, 2013

Lexus IS 350 F SPORT Named Esquire Car of the Year

The 2014 Lexus IS 350 F SPORT has been named the Esquire Car of the Year: This is a deeply Japanese machine in the best way, a hypersensitive steamroller of a car that has as much in common with a German autobahn weapon as a Gundam suit does with a Walther P38. The industry has …

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Kevin · October 10th, 2013

Interview with Lexus IS Deputy Chief Engineer Naoki Kobayashi

Lexus IS deputy chief engineer Naoki Kobayashi explains some of the car’s interior design decisions in an interview with Lexus UK: Lexus UK: What’s the difference between ordinary seats and the ‘integrated foaming construction’ seats that are a Lexus first in the F-SPORT? Kobayashi-san: A conventional car seat is designed like a stuffed toy, with a …

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Kevin · October 8th, 2013

Lexus LS, ES 350, & IS Convertible Get Minor Updates in 2014

Much like the rest of the lineup, the Lexus LS, ES 350 & IS C convertible all received minor updates for the 2014 model year — here is a list of changes for the models sold in the USA. 2014 Lexus LS Siri Eyes-Free mode. Revised auto headlamp on/off Ability to open trunk lid without …

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Kevin · October 7th, 2013

Custom Wide Body Lexus IS F SPORT Coming to SEMA

EST Styling is bringing a custom all-metal wide body Lexus IS 250 F SPORT to the SEMA show in November — here’s the promotional poster: Equipped with an Air Runner suspension & painted in a wild BASF orange, this IS F SPORT is being built by Gabriel Escobedo & Paul Tolson (who also built the …

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Kevin · October 7th, 2013

Photo: VIP Auto Salon Builds Custom Lexus IS F SPORT for SEMA

SEMA is now a month away, and as you can see in the above photo, VIP Auto Salon is hard at work creating the custom Lexus IS F SPORT from this summer’s Lexus IS Design contest — as a reminder, here’s the winning design from Rob Evans: The finished car will be shown at the …

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Kevin · October 2nd, 2013

2014 Lexus IS Nominated for North American Car of the Year Award

The Lexus IS has been nominated for the 2014 North American Car of the Year, an annual award given by a jury of 50 North American auto writers. The IS is currently up against 12 competitors, including the BMW 4-Series, Cadillac CTS & Corvette Stingray — the next round of voting will pare down the …

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Kevin · October 2nd, 2013

Photos: Lexus IS 350 F SPORT on the Move

Photographer Ste Ho of Shutterlit recently spent some time with an Ultra White 2014 Lexus IS 350 F SPORT, and here are the results: Ste is one of my favorite photographers, and a master of the “rig shot” — make sure to check out more of his work on his website, or follow Shutterlit on …

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Kevin · September 30th, 2013

2014 Lexus IS iPad App

Finally had a chance to download the Lexus IS iPad app, and it’s a surprisingly comprehensive tool for showing how the new Lexus sedan stacks up against the competition. There are full 360° exterior and interior interactive comparisons of 2014 IS, Audi A4, Mercedes C250, & BMW 328i — here’s a couple sample screenshots: There’s …

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Kevin · September 23rd, 2013

Autoweek Comparison: Lexus IS 300h vs. BMW 320i EDE

Autoweek, the largest car magazine in The Netherlands, tested the IS 300h against the BMW 320i EDE in their latest issue — by way of a trusty translator, here’s how the two cars compared: Can the new IS be compared to the 3-series? If you are only after driving experience, you should opt for the …

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Kevin · September 20th, 2013

Lexus to Create Live Comedy Commercials During Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Starting tonight during Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Lexus will be staging two live IS commercials performed by improvisational comedy troupes: In an intriguing ploy meant to harness both TV advertising and social media, NBC will allow Lexus to run a live commercial in two different ad breaks accompanying the show. In the first, set …

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Kevin · September 19th, 2013

Video: Lexus Canada Takes the 2014 IS to the Track

Lexus Canada recently held a track day event in Montreal, and created a video of the event using high-resolution RED cameras & an octocopter: There’s also a behind-the-scenes look at how the video was filmed: Both videos do a super job of demonstrating the capabilities of the new IS, and the image quality is off …

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Kevin · September 18th, 2013

Forbes Reviews the 2014 Lexus IS

Matthew de Paula of Forbes has reviewed the 2014 Lexus IS, and was deeply impressed with the changes made to the sports sedan.
Kevin · August 7th, 2013

How does the New Lexus IS Taste?

How does Toyota president Akio Toyoda evaluate new cars? As Hans Greimel of Automotive News explains, it all has to do with taste.
Kevin · August 5th, 2013

The Lexus IS Design Contest

How would you like to customize a new Lexus IS and have your work shown at SEMA in Las Vegas?
Kevin · July 17th, 2013

What’s Next for Lexus?

According to a Drive interview with IS chief engineer Junichi Furuyama, Lexus continues to weigh their options regarding their next vehicle.
Kevin · July 9th, 2013

Lexus IS Ad Campaign = Illuminati Plot?

Website Prison Planet has a very interesting critique of the new Lexus USA IS commercials, suggesting the new ad campaign is “filled with Illuminati symbolism.”
Kevin · June 21st, 2013