Lexus (20 Posts)
From the Land of the Rising Sun and its neighbor with people named Sun comes the all-Asian World Cup Face-Off. Defending the sensibly priced and powered Hyundai Genesis Coupe we have former Vice-Admiral of Testing, Inside Line Associate Editor Mike "Kim Jong" Magrath. Behind the wheel of the wildly overpowered and overpriced Lexus LF-A is Associate Editor Mark "Kujira Sushi" Takahashi.
Want to tame the wilderness in luxurious comfort? The choices are few, but the 2010 Lexus LX 570 definitely has the goods to deliver. The shot above (by Photo Editor Kurt Niebuhr), is a good indication of the big Lexus' off-road prowess. That's a difficult climb in hiking boots, but the LX reached the summit then back down the other side (which was just as steep) just as easily as it pulls into my driveway.
Last week I blogged about the frustrating iPod integration in a 2010 Lexus ES 350, in which the system decides to play a sample of the music on the device as you scroll through a list of menu items. But this problem, which also popped up on a 2010 Toyota Camry XLE I tested last week (and every Toyota and Lexus I've been in recently), is minor compared to other tech troubles I uncovered in the Camry. And it shows the difficulty automakers face when trying to accommodate the latest portable devices drivers bring into the car.
It's not like I have the latest and greatest phone, a year-old iPhone 3GS, which just became antiquated. And I haven't had the exact same issues in other Toyota and Lexus vehicles, such as not being able to pair my phone with the Bluetooth system, as shown in the long video above (with apologies for the blinking display).
Few things are more frustrating than when you're rocking to a great tune on the road, only to have the music interrupted for some reason. I've found this to be a common symptom of poorly planned steering-wheel audio controls, like those in late-model Jaguars with similarly shaped and closely spaced volume up/down and track up/down thumb wheels. Just when I'm ready to crank it up, I inadvertently hit the track up/down control instead ... and the moment is over.
But I noticed something just as infuriating in a few Lexus and Toyota vehicles I've recently tested, as shown in the video above I shot last week in a 2010 Lexus ES 350. When scrolling through artists on a connected iPod, whichever artist the screen's blue highlighted bar lands on, the iPod automatically begins playing from there. And the same thing happens when scrolling through songs.
A heads-up display (HUD) is offered on only a handful of vehicles: several Cadillacs, the Chevy Corvette, BMW 7 Series and Lexus hybrids. In terms of tech, a HUD isn't exactly rocket science, although the automotive version did evolve from initial use in aviation.
Though some find HUDs distracting, the feature helped me keep my eyes on the road while testing a 2010 Lexus RX 450h Hybrid. And on my speed.
If you've been reading my "Karl on Cars" blog entries for any length of time, you already know how I feel about modern vehicles. Essentially, there are no truly "bad" cars today. Sure, there are some subpar cars, but even they aren't truly bad.
(I could Focus on such vehicles, but that would be a low Caliber and unPatriotic approach to this topic, and might annoy people living in Colorado -- or in a Canyon. BTW, Cobalt blue is a nice color).
Anyway, saying there are no truly bad cars isn't news, but I think we've hit another paradigm shift in the last 12 months or so: There are an increasing number of downright great cars.
Sure, the "just fine" part of the graph is still the fattest, but the top part (representing "great cars") is taking on mass and could threaten to topple the whole thing over if things keep going in this direction.
I feel bad for Lexus. And it's not often I feel bad for a vehicle manufacturer, especially one swimming in cash (and trust me, even with its recent financial woes Toyota is still swimming in billions of dollars).
But the introduction of the Lexus LFA has me seriously concerned. Not about the company's long-term outlook -- Toyota has too much money and too many strong products to be in any serious trouble. But I fear the next couple years could be very painful for Toyota's top-line dealers, and I don't see the LFA helping their cause.
First, every premium brand is facing an uphill battle to maintain sales in this emerging "rather-save-my-money-than-impress-the-neighbors" era. It's called value, and people are (thankfully, IMHO) finally considering it when making a vehicle purchase. Don't believe me? Check out our data showing how premium SUV sales have TANKED in the last couple years.
Second, while the Lexus LFA offers impressive technical and performance specs these can't overcome the inherent weaknesses in its supercar pedigree. A single-clutch automated transmission in a 2011 model that costs $400,000? That questionable technology is already a decade old. And even a 3.7-second 0-60 time and a top speed of 202 mph, as amazing as those numbers sound, really aren't class leading in today's supercar field.
Which begs the question: What makes a supercar truly super?
If you've been paying attention to the news over the past week you likely heard the tragic story of a California Highway Patrol officer, along with his wife, daughter, and brother-in-law, being killed in a car crash. You may have even heard the chilling, 49-second 911 emergency call from inside the car that leads up to the final moment of impact.
Unlike typical automotive fatalities involving alcohol or a high-speed chase, this accident appears to be the direct result of a jammed accelerator pedal (likely involving the floor mat).
If you're like me, you're probably wondering how a CHP officer, undoubtedly trained in the art of car control, could fail to avoid such a tragic outcome. But after my initial shock I began analyzing the specifics of the situation. Turns out it might not have been so avoidable after all.
One of my friends is ready to buy a new car. As you might imagine, when you're in my position and a friend or family member is ramping up for a car purchase the phone often rings (or, as in this case, the "New Email" folder goes bold).
My friend currently owns a 2005 Acura TL, which he purchased because of its combination of luxury, technology and quality. He's a successful lawyer, and financially capable of buying a much more expensive car, but he puts a lot of value on...well, value. When he asked me about the TL four years ago, and told me what his priorities were, I said, "The TL will absolutely serve your needs." He bought it and has had no regrets. But his driving habits rack up the miles quickly, and after four years his TL is pretty worn out.
So he's ready for a new car, and the just-redesigned 2009 Acura TL would be the obvious choice. After all, it still offers all the luxury, technology and quality of the previous version. However, in my friend's words, it is "quite ugly."
His girlfriend drives a 2006 Lexus RX, which he really likes except for one characteristic -- he HATES how the navigation system goes dead once the car is in motion. So he asked me in his email, "You're the car expert. Can you tell me if the new 2010 Lexus RX navigation system can be used while in motion or is it a completely useless upgrade like it has been to this point?" To which I replied, "Lexus=Toyota, and Toyota=nanny-ism. In other words, NO USING NAV WHILE DRIVING!"
This made him very unhappy and put him in a state where I can't reprint his next reply. It also made him write a no-nonsense letter to Lexus; a letter that generated a very corporate response. Follow the jump to read it.
Remember when buying an Acura or Audi or BMW or Lexus or any other premium brand meant you got a premium car? The idea was pretty simple: If you wanted a premium car ownership experience you had to pay a premium price and purchase a premium vehicle.
As I drove the new 2009 Volkswagen CC recently it occurred to me the only thing separating this car from its Audi brethren was the emblem on the grille. Interior materials, performance, high-tech features, heck even exterior styling and "presence" were all up to Audi standards.
So was the price, of course, with a VR6 4Motion model starting at $40,000 (though $27,000 will get you into a base 2.0T car, which is still quite nice and a much better value).
After a disappointing experience behind the wheel of the Lexus IS 250 F-Sport recently
, I wasn't expecting too much from the Lexus IS-F
. Yeah, sure, I know this is a whole 'nother deal, what with it's 416 horsepower, 5.0-liter V8 and 8-speed, paddle-shifted transmission.
Yet it was hard to believe two vehicles could share a platform, exterior panels and interior design without sharing the bulk of their driving characteristics. But you know the old saying: There's not a problem in the automotive world that can't be fixed with more horsepower.
How weird is it driving a Lexus with three pedals? Not nearly as weird as driving one with a pronounced exhuast warble or a short shifter. But if you buy a Lexus IS 250
and order up the full contingent of "F-Sport
" add-ons you can get all three of those features, plus Bilstein shocks, lowering springs, sway bars, a free-flow intake, larger brakes and 19-inch forged alloy wheels.
With a starting price of $31,000 the IS 250 represents a viable value in the entry-luxury category, though it's not a particularly sporty sports sedan. Lexus hopes to change that by offering a full line of F-Sport accessories, but after driving this rolling F-Sport catalogue I remain unconvinced. Pricing, with all of the above-listed upgrades, comes to $45,000. So equipped the IS 250 F-Sport feels almost as good as a base G35 sedan...which feels almost as good as a BMW 335i. And $45k gets you a 335i with both the Premium and Sport packages.
In case you haven't noticed, fuel prices have dropped recently. Some would call the latest price drops a drop in the bucket (why do I have trouble getting excited over gas costing "only" $4.33 a gallon in Los Angeles?), but a price reduction of 5 percent over the past two weeks is better than the constant gas price hikes we've seen since early spring.
However, as with most things, there are two sides to this reduction in coin. Specifically, as the price of fuel drops so does the advantage of hybrid powertrains over traditional gasoline versions.
Probably more than any other segment, the luxury sedan category has become a morass of simply great cars. A6? E-Class? 5 Series? CTS? M35/M45? All excellent vehicles.
That puts some mighty high pressure on the 2008 Lexus GS 350 to compete effectively.
After 100 miles I was impressed with the car's drivetrain. The 3.5-liter, 303 horsepower V6 has all the traits you expect in this segment -- broad torque, effective refinement and even some compelling exhaust roar. Hooked to a six-speed automatic with both a "Sport" and manual-shift mode, the GS feels about as responsive when goosing the throttle as anything in the category.
As you've undoubtedly noticed (or at least read on this blog), there are very few truly "bad" new cars on the market today. Most cars range from adequate to exceptional, which means if you're a manufacturer banking on your product to guarantee success, you may be in trouble. I've read enough of your comments to know that a really bad dealership experience can end a relationship with a manufacturer, even if the car itself was great.
This article from the Financial Times talks about how the tight competition among luxury brands is forcing dealers to elevate everything from showroom architecture to on-site technology to available cuisine. At one of the Lexus dealerships in this article (located in New York City) the owner is attempting to remove the dealership experience completely by selling the cars online and delivering them to the customers' homes. When one considers the cost of office space in NYC this idea starts to make sense.
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Recent Posts
Face-Off World Cup: Lexus LF-A versus Hyundai Genesis Coupe
July 19, 2010 3:00 AM
Test Car Notes: 2010 Lexus LX 570
June 10, 2010 6:00 AM
Car Test Notes: 2010 Toyota Camry XLE's In-Cabin Tech Troubles
June 8, 2010 10:00 AM
Test Car Notes: 2010 Lexus ES 350 iPod Interface, Music Interrupted
June 1, 2010 10:00 AM
Test Car Notes: Lexus RX 450h Heads-up Display Keeps Your Eyes on the Road
April 20, 2010 10:00 AM
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