Edmunds Sport Sedan Comparison Test

Edmunds has posted up a comparison test of 2007-2008 sports sedans, pitting the 2007 Lexus IS 350 and Infiniti G35 Sport against 2008 models of the Cadillac CTS, Mercedes C350 Sport and BMW 335i. How did Lexus fare? Fourth place: Not one editor who scored this test was able to find the kind of personal …

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Kevin · November 5th, 2007

Edmunds Comparison: Lexus IS-F vs. Audi RS4

Edmunds has pitted the Lexus IS-F against the Audi RS4, and in what might be the first published IS-F comparison test. The results, unfortunately, were not pretty, as this is a fairly one-sided affair, with the RS4 pulling far ahead of the IS-F in every category. Their conclusion really says it all: The 2009 Lexus …

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Kevin · October 28th, 2007

Lexus GS Commercial: Etiquette

It would be easy to write off the new Lexus GS commercial as a late reply to Audi’s Parking Assist mockvertisement, but in truth, it’s a much bigger statement than that: What a great distillation of Lexus — it may be a lot flashier than the ES 350 commercial I featured on the weekend, but …

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Kevin · October 17th, 2007

Comparison: Lexus LS 600h vs. Mercedes S420 CDI vs. BMW 745d

I would have thought that Auto Motor Und Sport’s comparison test of the Lexus LS 460 vs. Volkswagen Phaeton would be hard to beat in terms of bias, but they’ve outdone themselves, their comparison of the Lexus LS 600h vs. BMW 745d vs. Mercedes S420 CDI is a absolute gem. Posted on Autospies, the bulk …

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Kevin · October 3rd, 2007

Comparison: 2008 Lexus IS 250 vs. 2008 Mercedes C200k

British car mag Auto Express has pitted the Lexus IS 250 against the Europe-only C200K version of the new Mercedes C-Class, with the Mercedes coming up with the win: The IS’s V6 has more character than the C-Class’s four-cylinder engine, but isn’t any pacier, unless pushed hard. The IS250 costs more in SE-L trim, too, …

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Kevin · October 3rd, 2007

Consumer Reports Comparison: The Lexus LS 460L vs. The Mercedes S550

In their November issue, Consumer Reports has compared the Lexus LS 460L and Mercedes S550, which the LS 460L handily won, scoring 99/100 versus 86/100 for the S550. While I certainly wouldn’t argue with the outcome of their comparison, I think Consumer Reports has gone off the deep-end, listen to this logic: The Lexus LS …

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Kevin · October 2nd, 2007

Hyundai’s Veracruz vs. RX 350 Commercial

Hyundai has taken Motor Trend’s rather irksome comparison of the new Veracruz and the Lexus RX350 and ran with it, producing this cute but flawed commercial: Now, Hyundai can’t be faulted for wanting to draw attention to the Motor Trend results, but is it really a smart idea to celebrate the copycat styling of the …

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Kevin · July 21st, 2007

Comparison: 2008 Lexus RX 350 vs. 2007 Hyundai Veracruz Limited AWD

It should be common knowledge that the Lexus RX 350 and the Hyundai Veracruz Limited are in different classes, bought by different people for different reasons, but that didn’t stop Motortrend from comparing the two vehicles in their latest issue. Let me save you the farce, the Veracruz is declared the winner of the two, …

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Kevin · June 21st, 2007

Comparison: Lexus IS 350 vs. BMW 330i

It’s now almost two years old, but I’ve seen few comparisons as detailed as Autoweb’s head-to-head showdown between the 2006 BMW 330i and the 2006 Lexus IS 350. No stone is left unturned as they pit the two cars against each other, comparing them in convenience, design, comfort, and driving. The results couldn’t be considered …

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Kevin · June 10th, 2007

Hyundai’s Azera vs. LS 460 Commercial

After the results of the Total Quality Index survey, I decided to do a little Hyundai Youtube surfing and found a recent Azera ad comparing it to the LS 460: My personal disdain of Kelsey Grammer notwithstanding, and the fact that there are far more differences than similarities between the Azera and the LS 460, …

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Kevin · June 7th, 2007

Total Quality Index: Lexus Results

Another study was released today, this one by San-Diego-based research firm Strategic Vision. Their Total Quality Index, or TQI, is considered the premier measure of new vehicle owner satisfaction, as it asks buyers to rate every aspect of the owner experience. Lexus made a decent showing, with the RX 350 placing first in the Near …

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Kevin · June 7th, 2007

Lexus Places Second in J.D. Power 2007 Initial Quality Study

J.D. Power & Associates published the results of their 2007 Initial Quality Study, and Lexus placed second in the overall rankings, behind Porsche: As you can see, it was a very close race, with Lexus owners reporting 94 problems per 100 Vehicles as compared to Porsche’s 91. The individual vehicle results were less flattering, with …

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Kevin · June 6th, 2007

Lexus Interiors Score High in KBB Research Study

KBB has released the “Interior Styling” results of their consumer automotive perceptions research study, and Lexus scored high in each of the luxury categories: Luxury Sedans 1. Lexus 2. Mercedes-Benz 3. Infiniti Luxury SUVs 1. Cadillac 2. Lexus 3. BMW Convertibles/Sports Cars 1. Mercedes-Benz 2. Porsche 3. Lexus From my own experience, I know Lexus …

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Kevin · June 5th, 2007

The 1955 Lexus F-100

It doesn’t look much like a Lexus, but this restored 1955 Ford F-100 owes a great deal to the LS400. Owners Terry & Terri Altman used the ‘91 Lexus LS400 1UZFE engine, along with its steering column and instrumentation in their restoration. As for why, here’s a quote from their interview with Custom Classic Trucks: …

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Kevin · June 4th, 2007

Comparison: 2007 Lexus IS350 vs. 2007 BMW 335i

Edmunds has published a head-to-head battle of the 2007 IS350 vs. the BMW 335i, and while the results are fairly predictable (Shock! The 3-series wins again), a point must be made that the test itself was skewed in favor of Bavaria. With performance being the main point of the comparison, the 335i was equipped with …

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Kevin · May 31st, 2007

Audi Attack

Audi has gone catty and released a commercial that claws at the Lexus LS460’s ability to park itself: Not content to be oh-so-subtle with the dig, the car even slides between a LS460 and an IS350. (Is this about the LS460 winning World Car of the Year over the Audi TT?)
Kevin · May 29th, 2007