Karl on Cars
Lexus
October 27, 2009
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?
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- Karl Brauer October 27, 2009, 6:00 AM
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- Ford GT, Lexus, Talk Back Tuesday
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- Lexus LFA
September 22, 2009
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.
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- Karl Brauer September 22, 2009, 3:00 AM
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- Car Audio and Technology, Lexus, Safety Systems, Talk Back Tuesday
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- Lexus Crash Technology
March 17, 2009
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.
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- Karl Brauer March 17, 2009, 6:00 AM
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- Acura, Car Audio and Technology, Honda, Lexus, Safety Systems, Talk Back Tuesday, Toyota, Traffic Safety
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- Toyota Honda Lexus Acura Navigation System Nanny
October 21, 2008
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).
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- Karl Brauer October 21, 2008, 6:00 AM
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- Acura, Audi, Honda, Hyundai, Lexus, Talk Back Tuesday, Toyota, Volkswagen
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- Talk Back Tuesday Do Luxury Brands Make Sense
September 8, 2008
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.
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- Karl Brauer September 8, 2008, 6:00 AM
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- Lexus
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- Lexus IS-F
August 28, 2008
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.
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- Karl Brauer August 28, 2008, 6:00 AM
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- Lexus
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- Lexus IS 250 F-Sport
July 30, 2008
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.
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- Karl Brauer July 30, 2008, 6:00 AM
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- Chevrolet, Fuel Efficiency, Honda, Hybrid Vehicles, Lexus, Toyota
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- Fuel Prices, Hybrid Vehicle
July 14, 2008
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.
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- Karl Brauer July 14, 2008, 6:00 AM
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- Lexus
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- Lexus GS 350
November 30, 2007
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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- Karl Brauer November 30, 2007, 7:00 AM
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- Domestic Manufacturers Problems/Challenges, Lexus
August 28, 2007
Just took a gander at Automotive News' future product plan for Japanese carmakers. Not too surprisingly, the coming years hold hybrids and crossovers from the Land of the Rising Sun (actually, many of them will come from right here in North America). Each automaker has a few interesting items in the pipeline.
Acura: No official confirmation of a V8 in Acura's future, which I continue to view as the division's greatest failing. The next RL is due in 2011, so they better make up their mind. But we do know a V10 engine will power the NSX replacement. I like that they have a full-tilt exotic in the works, but one vehicle does not a division make (as was proven with the last
NSX).
Honda: Honda will continue to push hybrids, with a smaller-than-Civic model. No more Accord hybrids, but the Odyssey will be Honda's first V6 diesel-powered vehicle in the U.S. in 2010 (also the year CR-V goes diesel with a 4 cyl.). I'm personally looking forward to the Remix, the spiritual successor to the CRX. And between the Pilot and CR-V? Yup, another crossover is coming.
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- Karl Brauer August 28, 2007, 6:00 AM
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- Acura, Future Vehicles, Honda, Hybrid Vehicles, Infiniti, Lexus, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Scion, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota
August 30, 2006
I give Toyota credit for creating the Lexus RX400h. This car cost $7,000 more than the equivalent RX330 (now RX350), but for the RX customer, this price increase is negligible, and Lexus knows it. Instead of trying to eke out any substantial fuel mileage gains, the company used hybrid technology to give the RX400h a real "kick" when you floor it. The car is relatively quick, even though acceleration is only a couple tenths better than the 330 (you car read more about it in our comparison test between the RX400h, Highlander Hybrid and Liberty Diesel
)...
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- Karl Brauer August 30, 2006, 8:15 AM
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- Fuel Efficiency, Honda, Hybrid Vehicles, Lexus
February 27, 2006
You want an example of how expectations can change an impression? When I attended the Toyota Camry launch last November I had to listen to two hours of product presentation about how the car was "finally passionate and inspired and desirable." Toyota really wanted to make the journalists believe it was no longer a vanilla sedan. Then I drove it, and it was still a vanilla sedan. Probably the best vanilla sedan on the market, and one that the target buyer will love, but having to adjust my expectations -- totally constructed by Toyota during the presentation -- to the reality of what the new Camry actually was almost wrecked my first impression of the car.
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- Karl Brauer February 27, 2006, 11:46 PM
- Categories:
- Lexus, Toyota
February 24, 2006
I just spent the morning in the GS450h, and as expected it came off as a spectacular car. The primary point this car makes is that you can drive a hybrid vehicle with absolutely no penalty
(except, of course, cost). Toyota's earlier hybrid efforts (Prius and RX400h) are fine vehicles, but the hybrid element is very apparent while driving them. For instance, when the engine fires up to assist with accleration on the Prius, you know about it. And when you apply the brakes in either car there is an inconsistant feel as the drivetrain switches from motor to generator. These issues are minor by earlier hybrid standards. For instance, in the Honda Insight you REALLY know when the drivetrain is doing its "hybrid" thing, while in the Prius you just sort of know and in the RX400h you only kinda know.
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- Karl Brauer February 24, 2006, 1:44 PM
- Categories:
- Hybrid Vehicles, Lexus
January 8, 2006
WOW! I'm not saying that because of styling. Really, it looks like last-generation's S-Class front end and the current 7 Series rear end (without the Bangle Butt).
Here's the important stuff:
- 380 horsepower
- 8-speed transmission
- 0-60 in 5.5 seconds*
- Reclining rear seats (ala Maybach)
- Automatic parking system (yes, it parks itself)
- 4,000 song storage in audio system (takes 3 years to listen to them all)
- Short and long wheelbase versions
Looks like the Germans will be working late for awhile...again...
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- Karl Brauer January 8, 2006, 11:03 AM
- Categories:
- Auto Shows, Lexus
