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

UK Chauffeur First Choose Lexus

London-based UK company Chauffeur First has announced plans to go green by replacing their existing fleet with Lexus hybrids, namely the GS 450h and LS 600h. Chauffeur-First has already taken on 18 Lexus GS 450h performance saloons, all top-of-the-range SE-L models, with two of the new LS 600h luxury saloons due for delivery and a …

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Kevin · June 4th, 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

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

Lexus USA May 2007 Sales Report

Toyota USA released their May 2007 sales figures today, and it’s another record setting month for Lexus, with an increase of 2.1 percent over May 2006. For simplicity’s sake, I’ve built a handy chart to illustrate the totals: 2007 2006 % Change IS250/350 5,722 4,605 19.5 ES350 8,572 9,554 13.7 GS350 1,854 1,940 -8.1 GS430/450h …

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Kevin · June 1st, 2007

Lexus ≠ Porn

The Autoweb is all abuzz with news that Toyota has sued a Detroit-based pornography site for using Lexus in their site name, Lexus Cash. The Japanese-based automaker filed a federal suit Thursday in Detroit, alleging Mario Mendoza, 26, and Katie Lynn Krzywdzinski, 24, both of Dearborn, broke trademark laws by using “Lexus” as the name …

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Kevin · June 1st, 2007

Unaired ES350 Commercial Discovered on Youtube

I stumbled upon this never used Lexus ad for the ES350: How totally bizarre. As for background info, it was created by Walter Robot, an animation studio in Orange County, California, and was to be a series of commercials featuring the full Lexus lineup. The idea, according to Christopher Louie, one of the principals, “was …

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Kevin · May 31st, 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

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

Elvis Costello & Beethoven Star in Lexus Commercial

There’s always backlash when a musician sells his music to be featured in a commercial, but is that really necessary with Elvis Costello’s Lexus ad?: It’s a rather innocuous celebrity endorsement, but that doesn’t stop some people from taking offense. A fantastic concept, famous musicians talking up their favourite music — that it’s an commercial …

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Kevin · May 30th, 2007

Fifth Gear Review of the IS220d

Another week, another Fifth Gear  Lexus review posted on YouTube. This time up, it’s the Lexus IS220d, from an episode aired in 2005: There’s a few things that stand out in this review, when Tom Ford compares it to the BMW 320d: “Do you want to be able to say, ‘My car’s faster than your …

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Kevin · May 30th, 2007

Dreaming of an IS Coupe & Convertible

From Japan’s car magazine Car Top comes a digital rendition of a Lexus IS Coupe & Convertible: Keep in mind this is only a photochop and has no real basis in reality, though this car has been hinted at since 2005. Really, it’s more a question of when we’ll be seeing these cars, because the …

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Kevin · May 30th, 2007

America’s Favorite Domestic Luxury Car = Lexus?

The global economy in effect or the growing geographic ineptitude of America? An Anderson Analytics survey asked 1,000 U.S. college students to name the county-of-origin of particular brands, one of which was Lexus. 33.7% of the respondents believed it to be an American company, with 37.3% correctly identifying the country-of-origin as Japan. Not a particularly …

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Kevin · May 30th, 2007

Fifth Gear Review of the LS460

Tom Ford of Fifth Gear, the British car show, takes a ride in the new LS460 and really talks up the technology (most of which is not available on North American models): the advanced obstacle detection system, the car’s ability to stay in lane with no user input, driver monitoring and one of the smoothest …

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Kevin · May 29th, 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

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

Start

It all started with the LS400. I remember the first time I noticed one, admittedly mistaking it for a Mercedes, only to see that silver L and think I’d seen something rare, like a Ferrari or a Lamborgini. Of course, that wasn’t the case, but the truth impressed me even more, a Japanese Luxury brand, …

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Kevin · May 29th, 2007