2005 Lexus Is 300 Sport Sedan Automatic on 2040-cars

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Mazda6, Honda CR-V and an Autoblogger's BMW Z3 | Autoblog Podcast #620

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by West Coast Editor James Riswick and Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. First, they talk about the cars that have been in their driveways, like the Mazda6, Lexus UX 250h and Honda CR-V, as well as Riswick's own BMW Z3 (where he actually recorded the podcast from). Then they discuss the news, which includes car dealers moving to digital commerce and other updates about — you guessed it — coronavirus, and how it's affecting the automotive industry. Finally, they take to Twitter to help a follower choose a weekend convertible for long, isolated drives in this week's "Spend My Money" segment. Autoblog Podcast #620 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving 2020 Mazda6 Signature 2020 Lexus UX 250h Honda CR-V 1998 BMW Z3 2.8 Virtual dealers Coronavirus update Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:

Lexus RX L coming to L.A. with 3 rows of seats

It's been nearly a year and a half since we heard Lexus would introduce a three-row RX crossover, and now it's finally materializing. The crossover will make its debut at the L.A. Auto Show with the name of RX L. Lexus will offer it with two different powertrains and individual designations for each. The basic version is the RX 350L, which we presume will use the same 3.5-liter V6 with 295 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque as the two-row model. The other is a hybrid called the RX 450hL. We also expect this to use the same 308-horsepower hybrid powertrain as the short RX hybrid. Toyota hasn't revealed any other details about the crossover aside from the teaser photo shown above. The full reveal happens on November 29, when we should have more photos and information. This bigger RX is an important vehicle for Lexus, too. Currently, the only way to get a Lexus with three rows of seats is to get a GX 460 or LX 570. Both of these are based on traditional, body-on-frame, V8-powered SUVs, the Land Cruiser Prado and Land Cruiser respectively. As such, they could be a turn-off for someone that wants the car-like driving and better fuel economy of the RX, but needs that extra level of practicality. The RX L bridges that gap, and could be a big sales success for the brand. Related Video: Image Credit: Lexus LA Auto Show Lexus Crossover SUV Hybrid Luxury lexus rx 2017 LA Auto Show lexus rx450h

This Lexus hybrid will paint your self-portrait while you drive

To encourage better driving habits, some hybrids use leaves or tree graphics to portray how efficient or inefficiently a driver is, but Lexus has come up with a more unique method of relaying this information. For its Art Is Motion campaign, Lexus has equipped a Lexus IS300h with special software that enables the car to paint a portrait of the driver by combining the skills of generative artist Sergio Albiac with specific inputs from the driver.
A regular photograph is uploaded into the system, but the portrait will vary depending on how the car is driven. Using vehicle speed, engine speed and how often the hybrid system is used, the driver "paints" a self-portrait via the software that has cloned Albaic's creative process, which then shows up on the car's center display screen. If the driver is more cautious and maximizes electric driving, the image will be clear (as shown above), but if the driver accelerates heavily, the picture becomes more abstract. Similarly, slower speeds result in "colder" colors while higher speeds use "virulent" colors - perhaps signifying this type of driving isn't healthy for the environment.
For now, Lexus has only created one Art Is Motion IS300h, and it plans to auction off this car in the future. Lexus released three videos, which are all posted below, to show off this car, but there is no additional information yet about the auction.