First Reviews of the 2013 Lexus LS

Over the last couple weeks, automotive journalists from around the world have streamed through Palo Alto, California, to drive the new 2013 LS, and today, the very first reviews are coming in.
Kevin · August 10th, 2012

Imagining a Lexus Compact Crossover SUV

Stumbled across this Japanese magazine rendering of a Lexus RAV4-based CUV over on Club Lexus, and thought it looked rather interesting.
Kevin · June 7th, 2012

Lexus Creates NFC Ad for Wired Magazine

In the latest issue of Wired, Lexus has again pushed the advertising boundries by creating the world’s first print ad to feature a near-field communications tag.
Kevin · March 23rd, 2012

New Lexus GS-F Rendering from Japan

As previously mentioned, TLE reader Shamiz sent me over a bunch of cellphone pics from an unnamed Japanese car magazine, and among the images was this rendering of a possible Lexus GS-F.
Kevin · September 29th, 2011

Lexus Magazine Article: Lexus GS Detail Shots

My latest Lexus Magazine article is now live — this month, I take a photographic tour of the new Lexus GS interior, with a focus on the smaller details that really impressed me.
Kevin · September 5th, 2011

EVO Comparison: Lexus LFA vs. Ferrari 599 GTO [w/ Video]

EVO Magazine has brought together Lexus UK’s Pearl Blue LFA and a Ferrari 599 GTO for a matchup in their latest issue — and while it may not hit newstands until next Wednesday, here’s a fun little video showing the two cars battling for top speed bragging rights.
Kevin · August 15th, 2011

2012 Lexus GS Photochops

An as-yet-unknown Japanese magazine has put together their rendition of the fourth-generation Lexus GS: While it may be a modified version of this CT 200h photo and a poor photochop all round, I’ll give it some points on the clever headlights. Also included was an attempt at the GS F: Again, it’s another riff on …

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Kevin · February 18th, 2011

Lexus CT 200h Darkcasting Talk Show

The next chapter of the Lexus CT 200h’s marketing push is Darkcasting, a video talkshow that takes place inside the new hybrid hatchback — Lexus Magazine explains: Darkcasting, a new talk show that’s filmed, well, after the sun goes down, and that will soon run on the Lexus Darker Side of Green site. Lexus’ Darkcasting …

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Kevin · October 28th, 2010

Top Gear Magazine Supercar Showdown

Last month, a video showed up on Youtube showing a Lexus LFA, Mercedes SLS, Porsche GT3 RS, Lamborghini LP 570-4 Superleggera, and Ferrari 458 all parked on the side of a UK road — turns out this was the work of Top Gear Magazine, who pulled the “five greatest supercars of the year” together for …

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Kevin · August 17th, 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 …

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Kevin · July 23rd, 2010

Lexus Magazine Feature on GX 460

Lexus Magazine has a nice feature up on the GX 460: The freeway is white with snow. The windshield wipers can barely keep up with the endless flakes rapidly hitting the glass. Gripping the wheel, I glance down at the navigation system. Just 20 miles to my destination, but it could take an hour or …

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Kevin · June 25th, 2010

Car Magazine: Lexus LFA vs. Mercedes SLS

Car Magazine has a supercar comparison we’ve all been waiting for as they pit the Lexus LFA against the Mercedes SLS — some choice quotes: The LFA in particular is infamous for its insane intonations of raw power. Redlined at 9000rpm where the rev counter changes colour from snow white to devil´s red, the V10 …

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Kevin · June 8th, 2010

Interview with Hiromu Naruse, Chief Test Driver for Lexus

Lexus Magazine has a brilliant interview with Hiromu Naruse, chief test driver for Lexus, about his experience in helping develop the LFA: Lexus: What was it like to drive the Lexus LFA prototype the first time out? Naruse: I have to say, when I drove the LFA for the first time, it was scary. It …

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Kevin · May 26th, 2010

200 MPH in a Lexus LFA

As part of Motor Trend’s coverage of the Lexus LFA, the supercar was strapped onto a dynometer and pushed to its upper limits: 200.2 MPH is something else, even on a dyno — it’s amazing just how smoothly the LFA ramps up, and judging from the footage, it gets there with hardly any vibration at …

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Kevin · May 25th, 2010

Lexus Straight Talk about Safety

Lexus Magazine has an interview with Charles Hubbard & Paul Williamsen of Lexus College, the company’s technical training center, about the various safety systems that Lexus uses in their vehicles. It’s just a quick overview, but I thought this question says it all: LEXUS: First of all, we can’t have a discussion about safety without …

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Kevin · May 13th, 2010

Stunning Red Lexus LFA Photos

Japanese website Carview has published some red Lexus LFA photos as part of an extensive review: I could post photos of that red LFA every day. These photos are part of a larger gallery that includes plenty of interior shots along with photos of an LFA in various stages of undress: Absolutely amazing—must see photos. …

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Kevin · April 19th, 2010

Lexus LS 460 & Hideki Watanabe in Kyoto

There’s a wonderful photo-essay on Lexus Magazine by Doug Knox & Andrew Shaylor that takes you through Kyoto, Japan in a LS 460 driven by Chief Engineer, Hideki Watanabe—some example shots: Many miles later and comfortably at one with the LS, Watanabe patiently takes me to school, explaining how his team managed to eke out …

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Kevin · April 19th, 2010

More Video of the Red Lexus LFA

The red Lexus LFA is so fantastic, I don’t even care how shaky this video footage is: Great to see the LFA in such a classic supercar color—can’t wait to see it in yellow for the first time.
Kevin · April 12th, 2010

Next Generation Lexus LS Rendering

By way of the Autoten blog, here’s a new Lexus LS rendering from Mag-X: Even though it’s far too small and understated to be the next LS, there’s something about these stylized line drawings that I just love, and I couldn’t resist posting it. (For what it’s worth, according to the rendering blurbs, the next-generation …

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Kevin · March 31st, 2010

Lexus LFA Real-World Performance Figures

Since the production Lexus LFA’s introduction last year, the only concrete performance figures we’ve had to go on were the official numbers from Lexus—but that’s all changed now that Car & Driver had a chance to perform some speed tests with the supercar at the Nissan Technical Center in Arizona: At the moment, there’s no …

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Kevin · March 29th, 2010

Lexus LFA Video Review by EVO Magazine

Here’s a video review of the Lexus LFA by EVO Magazine’s Chris Harris : The video watches almost as a love letter to the LFA—some select quotes: “The fit and finish, and just the sheer levels of fetishism, that have been lavished on this interior, I think, know no equal. It’s just stunning. The materials …

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Kevin · February 12th, 2010

Inside Lexus Hybrid Drive

Note: The following interview with Lexus Hybrid Drive chief Shinichi Abe was written by Doug Knox for Lexus Magazine, and is reprinted with permission. WHEN THE LEXUS Hybrid Drive project first received the green light in the early 2000s, Shinichi Abe, the man about to inherit the biggest thing at Lexus at the time, admits …

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Kevin · January 31st, 2010

Lexus Milan Design Week Retrospective

When Lexus’ L-Finesse design language debuted in 2005, it also marked the first year of the the company’s involvement with the annual Milan Design Week in Italy—and now, Lexus Magazine has posted a retrospective of the various exhibits over the last five years. It was at the Milan Design Week last year that the transparent …

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Kevin · January 6th, 2010

Lexus Magazine Looking for Feedback

Lexus Magazine, the monthly owners magazine from Lexus USA, has recently made the switch from print publication to part of the Lexus Drivers website, and are now looking for feedback on the changes from Lexus Enthusiast readers. My own experience with the old Lexus Magazine was limited to reading PDF versions, and for the most …

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Kevin · December 2nd, 2009

Road & Track Interviews Lexus LFA Chief Engineer

Along with their driving impressions and technical analysis, Road & Track also had a chance to ask Lexus LFA chief engineer Haruhiko Tanahashi a few questions: What were the most difficult challenges you faced? This is difficult to answer. In Toyota, the highest-performance car we had in the past was the Supra. It had its …

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Kevin · October 26th, 2009

Road & Track Drives the Lexus LFA

Road & Track has turned in their first impressions of the 2011 Lexus LFA: On the roads around the Nürburgring, the LFA is docile. Even with 560 bhp on tap, the car doesn’t need to be driven in anger to appreciate its power and road-hugging ability. Put the paddle-shift transmission in the sportiest setting and …

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Kevin · October 26th, 2009

C&D Drives the Lexus LFA

Car and Driver has posted up their early impressions of the Lexus LFA: Lexus claims multiple justifications for the LFA program. The car, it says, casts a halo over the Lexus F line of performance machines. It’s also a way for Toyota to explore new technologies, particularly carbon-fiber construction. And since Lexus says it will …

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Kevin · October 21st, 2009

Car & Driver Reviews the 2010 Lexus RX 450h

Car & Driver has a short review of the 2010 Lexus RX 450h, and it’s a mostly positive affair—which is rather surprising considering the source: Despite a fourth-place finish in a recent comparison of luxury crossovers, the RX does impress. As with the RX350 we tested earlier this year, it was a struggle to find …

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Kevin · September 11th, 2009

Car & Driver: Lexus LF-A Test Drive

Car & Driver sent a journalist out to test out the Lexus LF-A race car, and the resulting article is so positive that I had to double-check that it was really on the C&D website: …the engine feels stronger than 500 horsepower, more like 550. A Lexus spokesman provides a torque figure: 369 pound-feet. We …

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Kevin · August 21st, 2009

Info on the Lexus LF-A Driving Modes (plus a Name-Change Rumor)

Japanese auto magazine Holiday Auto has published some new information on the LF-A, including details on the four Automated Sequential Gearbox (ASG) modes: Auto, Normal, Sport and Wet. Normal & Wet modes are fairly self-explanatory, but here’s what’s mentioned about the other two: Sport mode will allow for 0.2 second gear shifting. Auto mode will …

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Kevin · August 16th, 2009

Is this the 2010 Lexus LS 600hL?

An image of what’s claiming to be the 2010 Lexus LS 600hL facelift has popped up (click for a larger image): The most obvious change is the front grille, and the front bumper intakes have also been reworked and would resemble both the GS & IS designs. The turn signals are also integrated into the …

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Kevin · August 13th, 2009

Mine Magazine Launches

The New York Times has a good summary of the launch of Mine Magazine, the customized, print-on-demand venture put together by Time Warner & Lexus: Subscribers pick five of eight magazines, like Food & Wine or Sports Illustrated, and articles from those magazines appear in their custom magazines. Readers receive several issues with an article …

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Kevin · April 22nd, 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 & …

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Kevin · March 18th, 2009

Is this the 2009 Lexus IS?

An Autospies reader recently posted up this scanned-in Japanese auto mag page depicting the facelifted 2009 Lexus IS: “Top Secret” banner aside, this is likely a photochop, though subtle enough to be believable. The differences are slight, there’s some GS design incorporated into the front end, and the side panels look to be tucked in. …

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Kevin · November 12th, 2007