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Lexus LF-Gh Official Reveal Video

While we may have seen photos of the Lexus LF-Gh last week, the concept car was officially revealed tonight at a gallery in New York City — here’s a video of the event along with reaction from some leading design minds: I was lucky enough to attend the reveal, and there’s no question that the …

Kevin · April 19th, 2011

Lexus NY Auto Show Coverage Starts Tomorrow

With the NY Auto Show and the introduction of the brand new LF-Gh concept, it’s going to be a busy week in New York City for Lexus, and I’m going to be here in the city to cover all the events. The fun starts tomorrow morning with a special caravan that’s going to be touring …

Kevin · April 18th, 2011

Lexus LFA Driver Development Program Video

Have to admit, it feels a little surreal linking to this Lexus-produced video of me attending the LFA Driver Development program — feels like I’ve broken the fourth wall: What a day this was — the first comment on the Youtube video page pretty much sums up how I feel. Have to thank everyone that …

Kevin · April 14th, 2011

Lexus LFA Desktop Wallpaper: Through the Back Window

The next Lexus LFA wallpaper is this abstract photo of the Lexus LFA’s interior — I must have taken it through the back window: Select Resolution: 1920×1080 | 1680×1050 | 1440×900 | 1280×1024 | 1280×800 | 1024×768 I’ve never had my hands on a better steering wheel in my life, it felt like it was …

Kevin · April 13th, 2011

Lexus LFA Desktop Wallpaper: After the Rain

Now that my Lexus LFA article has been published at Lexus Magazine, I can share some of the photos I took in handy desktop wallpaper format. I’m going to post up one a day this week, starting with this moody shot: Select Resolution: 1920×1080 | 1680×1050 | 1440×900 | 1280×1024 | 1280×800 | 1024×768 The …

Kevin · April 11th, 2011

A Wicked Driver’s Ed: My Experience at the Lexus LFA Driver Development Program

It is with extreme excitement that I present my article about the Lexus LFA Driver Development program, which is now being featured on the Lexus Magazine website — here’s a quote: While no LFA owner myself, I did get the opportunity to attend this full-day driving school at the Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California — …

Kevin · April 7th, 2011

Photos from Lexus LFA Driver Development Program

While the full story on my experience at the Lexus LFA Driver Development program is still a couple weeks away, Lexus Magazine has published some of my photos from the event — here’s a sample: It didn’t take long for me to start missing the LFA — I can definitely say with some certainty that …

Kevin · March 22nd, 2011

Lexus LF-Gh Concept to Debut at New York Auto Show

The rumors are true — Lexus will be unveiling a new concept at the New York Auto Show! Dubbed the LF-Gh, this concept will provide a stylized look at the next-generation GS. The current generation, which has just entered its sixth year of production, is expected to be replaced in 2012. While there’s nothing in …

Kevin · March 21st, 2011

Quick Impressions of the Lexus LFA Driver Development Program

Today I attended the Lexus LFA Driver Development Program at the Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, and while I don’t want to give away too much in advance of my Lexus Magazine article on the event, I did want to share some brief impressions. I started off the day’s driving by hitting 118mph (190km/h) on …

Kevin · March 15th, 2011

Lexus LFA Driver Development Program Tomorrow

After weeks of anticipation, five hours in a plane, and two hours in a manual transmission IS 250, I arrived in Sonoma, California for the Lexus LFA Driver Development Program, the full day training program at the Infineon Raceway meant to bring LFA owners a better understanding of their new purchase. While I’m here to …

Kevin · March 14th, 2011

Lexus LFA at Infineon Raceway

The Lexus LFA Driver Development Program starts tomorrow at the Infineon Raceway, and to mark the occasion, let’s watch Scott Pruett Justin Bell tackle the course using an LFA equipped with a very impressive tracking system by Video VBOX: Having the full details on LFA’s speed & steering wheel position is going to come in …

Kevin · March 8th, 2011

Site Update: Disqus Comments

In order to bring the comment system some much needed new features, I’ve decided to try out Disqus. Disqus is the same system used by Engadget & Mashable, and makes it easy to respond directly to other comments, along with being able to “like” comments, respond to comments via email, and edit your comments. Besides …

Kevin · March 7th, 2011

Interview with Troy Sumitomo from Five Axis

Lexus Magazine has published an interview I did with Five Axis president Troy Sumitomo about the Project CT, the Lexus show car that debuted at last week’s Chicago Auto Show — here’s a clip: KEVIN WATTS: I know that with the Project IS F, you were inspired by fighter jets—what did you use for inspiration …

Kevin · February 18th, 2011

Canadian Debut of the Lexus LFA

Last week, I attended the Canadian debut of the Lexus LFA at the Exhibition Place in Toronto. On display was a white LFA, which has been sent on loan from Lexus Japan and has arrived just in time to make stops at all of Canada’s major auto shows (including this week’s Toronto Auto Show). The …

Kevin · February 16th, 2011

Driving the 2011 Lexus LS 600hL

This past weekend, I made the trip to Toronto and picked up a 2011 Lexus LS 600hL from Lexus Canada for a two week road test. The LSh has a Obsidian exterior & Parchment interior, and is fully loaded with every conceivable feature, right down to the massaging rear ottoman and a whole host of …

Kevin · February 8th, 2011

Lexus 2010 Year-in-Review

With 2010 coming to a close, there’s no better time to look back on the year that was, so here’s a bullet-point breakdown of the last twelve months: January The year started off strong with a Top Gear review of the Lexus LFA, complete with crazy graphics and the usual badge snobbery. TLE readers voted …

Kevin · December 31st, 2010

Happy Holidays!

The festive season has arrived, and I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my readers a safe and happy holidays! As can be imagined, things will be quiet over the next few days, but regular posting will resume December 29th with the history of Lexus die-cast models, followed by a look back …

Kevin · December 24th, 2010

A Visit to Lexus of Henderson

During last month’s visit to Las Vegas, I took the opportunity to get a good look at the newly opened Lexus of Henderson. The dealership is a massive facility and the largest one I’ve ever been to, but it’s not just the size that’s impressive, the design is pure classic — check out the showroom:

Kevin · December 5th, 2010

TLE Site Update

In order to keep things current and make room for some planned improvements, I’ve updated the website design — no major changes, and probably best compared to the 2011 Lexus IS refresh: all the same elements, just a little bit sharper. If things are looking a little weird for you, I suggest clicking your browser …

Kevin · December 1st, 2010

Repainting the Lexus LFA

The Pearl Grey Lexus LFA revealed at SEMA earlier this month has led an eventful life — going from its Matte Black days at the 2009 LFA launch in Miami to its commercial appearance in Starfire Pearl — and now we can see just how the supercar transforms from shade to shade, courtesy of Lexus …

Kevin · November 23rd, 2010

Lexus CT 200h in Black

While on the topic of the Lexus CT 200h, here are a few photos of the black CT 200h taken at the September press launch in France (click for a larger version): The best part about the last picture is that the brick wall is actually the bottom of a castle.

Kevin · November 19th, 2010

Forza 3 Lexus LFA Giveaway

Not to be outdone by the recent Gran Turismo screenshots of the Lexus LFA, here are some exceptional “photos” from the Forza 3 version of the supercar from Flickr user WeezyMac: Pure fantastic, the realism is just unbelievable — be sure to check out the other screenshots in WeezyMac Flickrstream. *** Speaking of the Stig’s …

Kevin · November 17th, 2010

Lexus GS 450h Photos: Cryogenic

Down the street from my house is Industrial Cryogenic Enterprises Ltd., which is basically an old, (seemingly) abandoned garage out in the middle of nowhere. Not only does it make me think of cryogenically frozen Futurama heads every time I pass, but it’s also the perfect place to take grunged-out car photos — so that’s …

Kevin · November 12th, 2010

More Lexus SEMA Photos

After two intense days at SEMA and a poorly thought-out red-eye flight, I’m now back at home safe & sound — there’s been plenty of Lexus news released over the last few days that I’ll be working through, but first I want to point you towards some photos I took at SEMA for Lexus Magazine …

Kevin · November 4th, 2010

SEMA: Day 1 Photos

Perhaps I should have expected it, but SEMA has turned out to be a whirlwind of activity, with little time to do much but take photos and move along to the next exhibit. First off, the LFA was unveiled at the CEC booth yesterday with two different wheel styles: The passenger-side ten-spoke alloys were a …

Kevin · November 3rd, 2010

2010 SEMA Lexus Show Car Lineup

Lexus have announced their SEMA show car lineup, and it’s a hybrid-exclusive affair — here’s what to expect next week: CT 200h F Sport Concept HS 250h by VIP Auto Salon GS 450h by 0-60 Magazine RX 450h by Paul Tolson of EST LS 600hL by Fox Marketing LS 600hL by VIP Auto Salon Joining …

Kevin · October 29th, 2010

2010 Lexus GS 450h Photos: Electricity

The first set of photos from my time with the 2010 Lexus GS 450h are all about the electricity (click on any image for a larger version): Taking photos with an electrical backdrop was my #1 goal with the GSh, and luckily I had been saving a hydro station for such an occasion. Electro-shock!

Kevin · October 29th, 2010

2010 Lexus GS 450h Review

A few weeks back, I had the chance to spend some time with a 2010 Lexus GS 450h, which stands as one of my favorite models in the lineup. Now, having reviewed the 2009 model last year, my main focus this time around was trying out some new photography techniques, but I did want to …

Kevin · October 27th, 2010

Car & Driver Video: Lexus LFA & Ferrari 599 HGTE

Car & Driver has posted a video featuring the Lexus LFA & a Ferrari 599 HGTE driving through Wales: The video’s all well and good, but what’s with this quote?: [The LFA] has got a fantastic chassis, great steering that’s Ferrari-like, chassis is really well balanced, tons of grip, tons of downforce, fantastic carbon-ceramic brakes, …

Kevin · October 21st, 2010

2011 Lexus CT 200h: First Drive

Over the past month, I’ve had two occasions to drive the Lexus CT 200h — first time up was at the NYC stop of the CT 200h World Tour, where I found the CT 200h to be a perfect fit on the busy New York streets, easily absorbing the rough edges of city driving without …

Kevin · October 12th, 2010

Paris Photos: Lexus CT 200h in Smoky Granite Mica

The lights surrounding the Smoky Granite Mica Lexus CT 200h on display at the Paris Motor Show made for some strong contrast: I also ventured out onto the rotating platform for some pics of the interior, which just so happened to be a wild red & black fabric almost impossible to photograph: Much to my …

Kevin · October 4th, 2010

Photos from the NYC Lexus CT 200h Event

While my driving impressions of the Lexus CT 200h will have to stay under wraps until my article is published by Lexus Magazine later this month, I do have some photos to share from the event in NYC this past weekend (click on any image for a larger version): Like anything in New York, space …

Kevin · September 14th, 2010

Lexus CT 200h Event in New York City

Two Lexus CT 200h prototypes are making their way around North America, and this weekend’s stop will be High Line Park in New York City. This event, which is one of just four tour stops in the US, is open to everyone, and provides an unique opportunity to drive Lexus’ newest hybrid months before its …

Kevin · September 8th, 2010

TLE Featured in Lexus Magazine

Here’s something different — Lexus Magazine has published a feature on this very website: [The Lexus Enthusiast]’s key service is to continually aggregate the sea of information out there about Lexus models—your model, or the model you’d like to make your own. By his own admission, site editor Kevin R.E. Watts sifts through a thousand …

Kevin · July 23rd, 2010

World’s Smallest Lexus Enthusiast

Just a personal note to explain the radio silence of the last couple days: Much to the excitement of my wife Karissa & I, our daughter, Pepper Gwendolyn Watts, was born yesterday — making her the world’s smallest (and youngest!) Lexus enthusiast. As you can imagine, life gets turned upside down with a new baby, …

Kevin · June 18th, 2010

New Lexus CT 200h Photos

Here’s a bunch of new Lexus CT 200h photos showing the new hatchback in a more natural setting: The more I look at the CT, the more impressed I get. Sure, there was plenty of L-Finesse design cues that could be drawn from, and there’s certainly some elements of the RX & the IS, but …

Kevin · June 14th, 2010

Lexus Performance Registry Now on Lexus USA Website

After our week and a half preview here at The Lexus Enthusiast, Lexus has launched the Performance Registry on their website as part of a larger Inside F performance section. Inside F, as you would imagine, is dedicated to the Lexus’ growing performance lineup, with information on the LFA, IS F, LS Sport, and all …

Kevin · June 4th, 2010

Lexus LFA Desktop Wallpapers

During my trip to the Lexus F-Sport event in New Jersey, I took over 600 photos — including 350 of the LFA alone — so I thought I would share my favorite three images as desktop wallpapers: Select Resolution: 1680×1050 | 1440×900 | 1280×1024 | 1280×800 | 1024×768 Select Resolution: 1680×1050 | 1440×900 | 1280×1024 …

Kevin · May 20th, 2010

Video Interview with Scott Pruett

One of the best things about attending the Lexus F-Sport event in New Jersey was the chance to meet Scott Pruett, the very successful race car driver that also happens to handle the LFA hot-laps. Scott is such a well spoken and knowledgeable guy, and his insight into the LFA was really something to hear …

Kevin · May 18th, 2010

Driving the Lexus LFA

Picture the most intense, heart-pounding roller-coaster ride of your life, only instead of rails and a cart, you’re strapped into a prototype supercar driven by a race car driver. That was the scene two weeks ago at the New Jersey Motorsports Park, where I found myself in the passenger seat of Lexus USA’s (formerly matte …

Kevin · May 17th, 2010

TLE Issues Resolved

Regular readers may have noticed some general weirdness with TLE since its move to WordPress a couple days ago — unfortunately, with a site move of this size, there were a number of unforeseen issues, including some problems with viewing articles and leaving comments. I’m happy to say that the most of these problems have …

Kevin · May 6th, 2010

The Lexus Enthusiast 6.0

Welcome to The Lexus Enthusiast 6.0! Now running on the WordPress platform, this new edition of TLE was made necessary due to reasons too numerous and technical to mention, but rest assured, the switchover will be well worth it. The most obvious change is the content slider at the top of the homepage, which should …

Kevin · May 5th, 2010

Lexus F-Sport Event Today in New Jersey

Just a reminder that the Lexus F-Sport event at the New Jersey Motorsports Park is happening today—there’s still time to book a spot, but not for much longer. As mentioned last week, I will be at the event all day—in fact, I was at the track today as part of a early preview, where I …

Kevin · April 28th, 2010

Lexus New Jersey F-Sport Event Next Week

A couple weeks back, Lexus USA announced an April 29th F-Sport event at the New Jersey Motor Park, and today, I’m happy to say I will be attending. I didn’t want to miss my chance at a hot-lap in the LFA with Scott Pruett, so I’ll be making the eight-hour drive down to New Jersey …

Kevin · April 21st, 2010

Lexus RX 450h Review

My three month winter road test of the 2010 Lexus RX 450h wrapped up last month, and it’s safe to say that the experience has changed my opinion of Lexus’ most popular vehicle. It’s not that I didn’t understand the success of the RXh — from a purely practical point, it’s easy to see how …

Kevin · April 11th, 2010

Exclusive Interview with Lexus CT 200h Chief Engineer

Although I wasn’t able to attend the Geneva auto show and see the Lexus CT 200h debut in person, I did get a very special chance to virtually interview the two men central to the creation of Lexus’ new hatchback model. By way of the good folks at Lexus Europe, I sent questions by email …

Kevin · April 6th, 2010

Lexus RX 450h Service Appointment

Last week, right before my long-term Lexus RX 450h loaner was set to be returned to Lexus Canada, I had the opportunity to bring it to my local Lexus dealership, Performance Lexus in St. Catharines, Ontario, for its 8,000km oil change.

Kevin · March 17th, 2010

Lexus LF-Ch Interior Photos

At last week’s Toronto Auto Show, I had a chance to take some interior photos of the Lexus LF-Ch, and it was an amazing opportunity to get a close-up look at the handcrafted and one-of-a-kind concept car. Before entering, I was asked not to touch anything—the interior is delicate and not built to be handled—even …

Kevin · February 16th, 2010

Interview with Toyota Canada’s Stephen Beatty

I had a chance at last week’s Toronto Auto Show to have a quick chat with Toyota Canada’s Managing Director, Steven Beatty, about the growing Canadian Lexus sales and the possibility of a production LF-Ch coming to Canada (keep in mind that this conversation took place before Lexus’ announcement of the CT 200h). TLE: In …

Kevin · February 15th, 2010

Toronto Auto Show Coverage

I’ll be attending the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto today and will be bringing you coverage of the Lexus exhibit along with plenty of photos (as usual). My major focus will be taking interior photos—every single interior picture I snapped at the Detroit Auto Show didn’t turn out due to my insistence on using …

Kevin · February 10th, 2010

(Re)Introducing the New TLE Comment Moderator

Much to my excitement, The Lexus Enthusiast community has been growing steadily over the last few months. There’s now dozens of frequent commenters with diverse insight and strong opinions, and it’s been one of my favorite things to watch as the site builds in popularity. In order to best serve this community, I’ve asked frequent …

Kevin · February 9th, 2010

2010 Lexus RX 450h Long Term Review: Week 8

Even with the winter weather, one of the real pleasures during my time with the 2010 Lexus RX 450h has been driving at night. It all starts with the on-demand all-wheel drive system—there hasn’t been a single slip, really nothing more than a flash of the yellow traction light, and that brings a lot of …

Kevin · February 7th, 2010

Lexus RX 450h Long Term Review: Week 5

I’m now halfway through my time with the 2010 Lexus RX 450h— after six weeks, the interior controls and options has become second nature, and that familiarity has increased my appreciation of the design decisions throughout the cabin, particularly with the steering wheel layout.

Kevin · January 26th, 2010

Lexus LFA @ The Detroit Auto Show

After a concentrated effort, I finally got through all of my Lexus LFA photos from the Detroit Auto Show—seeing the LFA for the first time was a funny experience. After all the hours writing about it, poring over photos, watching videos, there wasn’t much room for surprise—or so I thought. From a distance, the LFA …

Kevin · January 20th, 2010

VIP Auto Salon Lexus HS 250h @ The Detroit Auto Show

The modified Lexus HS 250h at the Detroit Auto Show was the centerpiece of the entire Lexus exhibit. Put together by Clark Ishihara and VIP Auto Salon, the HSh is decked out in Branew—front under-spoiler, side skirts, rear under-spoiler, trunk spoiler, stainless steel muffler, and the 20” wheels all come from the Japanese tuning company. …

Kevin · January 18th, 2010

2010 Lexus GX 460 @ The Detroit Auto Show

The Detroit Auto Show was only my second time seeing the 2010 Lexus GX 460, and I came away just as impressed as the first time—it’s the side profile with the muscular wheel wells that makes the new GX so appealing: Now, I didn’t mind that the side-opening rear door was retained from the previous …

Kevin · January 17th, 2010

2010 Detroit Auto Show: Lexus LF-Ch Photos

The Lexus LF-Ch was a cornerstone of Lexus’ Detroit Auto Show exhibit, its yellow exterior a beacon among the silver of the other Lexus cars on display. The aggressiveness of the front end is cartoonish with its muscular styling and the cute car-face, but that’s nothing a new bumper wouldn’t fix. The exaggerated design boosts …

Kevin · January 15th, 2010

Detroit Auto Show: 2010 Lexus LS 600hL & LS 460 Photos

The 2010 editions of both the Lexus LS 600hL & LS 460 were at the Detroit Auto Show—the LS 460 was optioned with the Appearance package option that adds the LS Sport grille and ground effects: Really liked the Sport grille, it looks 100x better up close than in photos. The body kit didn’t look …

Kevin · January 14th, 2010

Lexus NAIAS Detroit Exhibit Photos

I’m now settled back at home after two days at NAIAS in Detroit, faced with the task of going through the 700 photos stored on my camera’s memory card. In a very real way, the auto show was overwhelming—I don’t know that I was prepared for the scope of it. Of course, getting to see …

Kevin · January 13th, 2010

NAIAS Live Coverage

This morning, the North American International Auto Show has opened its doors to the worldwide automotive press, including myself, and I will be bringing you a Lexus perspective to America’s autoshow. I will be updating throughout the day as I go over every square inch of the Lexus exhibit, including the LFA supercar & the …

Kevin · January 11th, 2010

Lexus @ NAIAS Detroit Auto Show

The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit opens its doors on Monday, and while Lexus won’t be debuting any new vehicles or concepts this year, they will be trying something new with their exhibit—from the press release: Gone is the previous two-story structure with sweeping staircase. This year, the exhibit has a “landscape” …

Kevin · January 8th, 2010

Poll Results: Favorite Lexus of the Past Decade

Last week, I asked you to vote for your favorite Lexus of the past decade—510 votes later, here are the results: Ranking 1. Lexus IS F 20% 2. Lexus 2nd Gen IS 16% 3. Lexus 4th Gen LS 13% The IS F received 1 of every 5 votes and took the poll with ease, not …

Kevin · January 7th, 2010

2010 Lexus RX 450h Long Term Report: Weeks 2 & 3

Travelled: 1077km (669 miles) Gas Mileage: 8.8l/100kms (26.7 mpg) The second and third week of my 2010 Lexus RX 450h road test blended in together as I powered through day after day of holiday visiting, a pile of snow and ice, and a lengthy head cold. It was in this blur of activity that I …

Kevin · January 4th, 2010

Happy New Year!

2010 is ringing in all over the world, I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish all of you a Happy New Year! Much happened over 2009—we saw the introduction of the LFA right in the middle of an automotive market meltdown, the LF-Ch and the promise of a compact Lexus, the long awaited …

Kevin · December 31st, 2009

Poll: Favorite Lexus of the 2000s

As we prepare for the new year, let’s take a moment to look back on the decade that was by voting on the top Lexus of the 2000s: For me, this was a hard choice between the third generation LS & first generation GS hybrid, but after much deliberation, the GSh won out: On its …

Kevin · December 31st, 2009

Happy Holidays!

The festive season has arrived, and I would like to take this opportunity to wish every one of my readers a safe and happy holidays! Regular posting will resume December 28th with a report on how the RXh handled the holidays, along with some year-end wrap-ups and what to expect in 2010. All my best, …

Kevin · December 24th, 2009

2010 Lexus RX 450h Long Term Report: Week 1

Last week, I took the delivery of my first long-term road test vehicle from Lexus Canada—a 2010 Smoky Granite Mica RX 450h: This is the full deal—an RX 450h with the Ultra Luxury package that includes Heads-Up Display, rear entertainment system, LED headlights, and fifteen-speaker Mark Levinson audio system. As far as I can tell, …

Kevin · December 21st, 2009

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