Lexus GS Challenges BMW 535i & Mercedes E350 Sport

To prove how much the new GS has improved, and show how it stacks up to the competition, Lexus invited Automobile Magazine & Motor Trend to do some independent testing of the GS 350 F Sport against the BMW 535i and Mercedes E350 Sport.
Kevin · February 21st, 2012

Winding Road Reviews the 2013 Lexus GS

Winding Road has published their review of the 2013 Lexus GS, and while the entire thing is worth reading, I wanted to highlight their observations on how the GS compares to the BMW 535i and Mercedes E350 Sport.
Kevin · December 6th, 2011

Lexus Europe 2011 Sales Update

Good news out of Europe -- over the first six months of 2011, Lexus has increased sales 42% due to strong interest in the CT 200h.
Kevin · July 21st, 2011

Lexus LFA Places Fourth in EVO Car of the Year

The Lexus LFA took part in EVO Magazine’s Car of the Year showdown, where it went up against the best and brightest of 2010, including the Ferrari 458 Italia, Mercedes SLS AMG & Porsche’s GT2 & 3 RS. Lucky for us, someone over at German Car Forums has scanned and uploaded the entire article, which …
Kevin · December 30th, 2010

Lexus RX Commercial: Photocopier

The Lexus RX goes on the offensive in this new commercial: Bringing competitors into the mix is something that we saw last month in the IS & ES commercials, and it signals a new, more aggressive direction in Lexus advertising. Cool concept, too.
Kevin · November 8th, 2010

Top Gear’s Supercar Showdown

At long last, some kind soul at Toyota Nation has scanned the Top Gear magazine article that pitted the Lexus LFA against the Mercedes SLS AMG, Ferrari 458 Italia, Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera & Porsche 911 GT3 RS. As it turns out, the LFA doesn’t really get a fair shake — for reasons confusing at best, …
Kevin · September 20th, 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 …
Kevin · August 17th, 2010

Automobile Magazine: Lexus LFA vs. Mercedes SLS AMG

Georg Kacher first wrote a comparison of the Lexus LFA & Mercedes SLS AMG for CAR Magazine, and now he’s expanded on his initial review for Automobile Magazine this month: The Lexus LFA and the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG are about as different in approach and ability as a muscular sprinter is from a sinewy long-distance …
Kevin · July 29th, 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 …
Kevin · June 8th, 2010

Lexus Ranks First in Quarterly U.S. Luxury Sales

With the inclusion of March’s sales numbers, Lexus has finished first in the U.S. luxury automotive sales race for the first quarter of 2010.  It’s been a tight race from January through March, with Mercedes-Benz taking the lead in January. As noted by Bloomberg, Lexus’ 42% sales increase in March to 20,219 vehicles sold for …
Kevin · April 8th, 2010

Automobile Magazine Compares the Lexus LS 600hL vs. Mercedes S400 Hybrid

Automobile Magazine has an article up on the Lexus LS 600hL and the Mercedes S400 Hybrid and how their approach to hybrid technology compares: The biggest benefit of the Lexus hybrid system is its smoothness. The two electric motors and two planetary gearsets allow the big V-8 to loaf except during hard acceleration. Flat-out, the …
Kevin · July 7th, 2009

Motor Trend Comparison: Lexus RX 350 vs Volvo XC60 vs Audi Q5 vs Mercedes GLK350

Motor Trend has performed a comparison of the new 2010 Lexus RX 350 against the Volvo XC60, Mercedes GLK350 and the Audi Q5—the verdict: With all so evenly matched, small blemishes become colossal warts. Numb steering and Spartan digs doom the comfortably competent GLK350 to fourth place while unwieldy styling and soulless performance relegate the …
Kevin · May 25th, 2009

Car Middle East: Lexus LS 600hL vs. Mercedes S400 Hybrid

Car Middle East has published a quasi-comparison of the Lexus LS 600hL and the upcoming Mercedes S400 Hybrid, though it reads more like a hybrid primer: Whereas Mercedes’ mantra has been to make the S-class hybrid as green as possible, Lexus has taken a different approach with the LS600h. Here, performance is the number one …
Kevin · April 27th, 2009

Motor Trend Comparison: Lexus IS-F vs. BMW M3 vs. Mercedes C63

The Lexus IS-F comparison tests keep pouring in, this time from Motor Trend, who pits the new super-sedan against its primary competitors, the BMW M3 and the Mercedes C63. Here’s some selected highlights: Steering feedback and response are everything in a car like this…The C63’s turn-in is crisp, with plenty of honest feedback and a …
Kevin · March 14th, 2008

Fifth Gear’s Tom Ford on the Lexus IS-F

From one Fifth Gear presenter to the next, this time we have Tom Ford raving about the Lexus IS-F, by way of Top Gear Magazine: The Merc C63 is properly mental. The RS4 (I know it’s out of production), is a brilliant, brilliant thing. The BMW M3 brings together so much tech and knowledge that …
Kevin · March 5th, 2008

Car Magazine Reviews the Lexus IS-F

Car Magazine has posted their review of the IS-F, and it turns out to be a remarkably positive affair, with a very small dose of complaints and a full course of compliments: The F also rides with a fluency and poise that will leave most M3 and C63 drivers green with envy. There are no …
Kevin · February 12th, 2008

Lexus LX 570 Debuts in China for $179,000 USD

The Lexus LX 570 went on sale today in China today, retailing with the rather extraordinary price tag of 1.3 million yuan, which translates to $179,000 USD, or roughly 242.5% higher than the USA’s retail price of $73,800. Frankly, an increase of over $100,000 is astounding, yet it’s hardly out of place when looking at …
Kevin · January 10th, 2008

Lexus to Enter the DTM Racing Series?

According to Touring Car Times, the photo of the Lexus IS-F Racing Concept could be an indication that Lexus will be joining the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters car racing series: The rumors on which manufacturer would join Audi and Mercedes in the Deutche Tourenwagen Masters have been many during the recent years. Since the talks about …
Kevin · January 7th, 2008

Lexus Considering India Launch

Lexus, along with Alfa Romeo and Hummer, are looking at India as a potential new market, according to The India Times: Japanese car maker, Toyota does not rule out the possibility of launching its high end Lexus brand. Although the volumes will be low, even at that price point we will require a dedicated dealer …
Kevin · December 6th, 2007

1989 Lexus LS 400 Featured in Old Top Gear Episode

It’s hard to discount the power of Youtube when you can watch a 1989 episode of Top Gear detailing the introduction of the then-newly released Lexus LS 400 (jump ahead to 1:26 to get there directly): Not a full-on review, which is a slight disappointment, but the praise is astounding, let me quote presenter Tiff …
Kevin · November 30th, 2007

WSJ Reviews the Lexus LS 600hL

The Wall Street Journal’s review of the Lexus LS 600hL isn’t so much a condemnation of the car, but rather the hybrid technology that spawned it: The biggest con running in the auto industry right now is the notion that hybrids represent some sort of quantum leap in green transportation. Not only is this patently …
Kevin · November 16th, 2007

Comparison: Lexus LS 600hL/Jaguar Super V8/Mercedes-Benz S550/Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT

Motor Trend assembled some super saloons in their latest ultra-luxury sedan comparison test, pitting the Lexus LS 600hL against the Jaguar Super V8, Mercedes S550 & Maserati Quattroporte Sport. The LS 600hL didn’t have a great showing, at least in the driving department: The all-wheel-drive Lexus exhibited pigheaded understeer in most corners, often attended by …
Kevin · November 12th, 2007

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 …
Kevin · November 5th, 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 …
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, …
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 …
Kevin · October 2nd, 2007

How Much Horsepower will the Lexus IS-F Have?

There’s a survey over at Autospies right now asking: How much horsepower with the new IS-F debut with? As of this writing, the leading guess is 440bhp to 450bhp with 23% of the votes, but what I found more interesting than the survey is the write up that accompanies it: A few months ago Car …
Kevin · July 16th, 2007