2014 Lexus Is350 Base Sedan 4-door 3.5l on 2040-cars

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2020 Lexus LX 570 Sport Package is sporty like tube socks

The Lexus LX is enormous, square, old, and expensive. It is also very luxurious, and now it has a sporty version, with Lexus announcing the Sport Package for the 2020 LX 570. But you can only get it on the three-row trim, the least jazzy of the bunch. The styling makeover adopts a sport grille, which means an ornate mesh instead of slats in the spindle opening, and a new lower portion that appends parallelogram intakes at the corners. Not only do the vents appear to be non-functional, they look like aftermarket afterthoughts. The sides get body-colored mirrors with chrome accents, while in there's a tweaked lower rear valance. Inside, leather-trimmed seats come in either Black, Cabernet, or exclusive Moonlight White, under a black headliner. If our numbers are correct, Lexus has bumped 2020 LX prices up by $150 across the admittedly small board. The base, two-row model will start at $86,380. Assuming the destination charge holds steady at $1,295, that makes for a total of $87,675. The three-row will need $92,675. Lexus Safety System+ comes standard, with assistance features such as Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Alert, Intelligent High-Beam headlamps, and adaptive cruise control.  When the range goes on sale in September, the LX 570 with the Sport Package will cost $100,595. That seems like a weighty chunk for minor ornaments; however, the Sport Package automatically adds the Luxury Package, which adds features like heated and ventilated seats, four-zone climate control, LX projector door lamps, and a la carte options like the 19-speaker Mark Levinson audio and the 21-inch wheels. Optioning a 2019 model with to the same spec comes to $97,935, so the Sport Package comes to $2,310 after subtracting the $150 price increase. That also seems like a lot, considering the Luxury Package already provides the option of Cabernet seats. But the LX is a special kind of beast. Any truck that can run with a multi-terrain system mode called Mogul instead of Snow doesn't have to live by the same rules as other terrestrial rigs. That's what you can do when you're a dinosaur that "packs in a lot of charm."

Toyota's car subscription service rewards you for safe driving

Toyota has teamed up with Sumitomo Mitsui Auto Service Company to launch a new car subscription service with gamification elements in Japan. The program is called Kinto, and it'll offer two tiers: the first, called Kinto One, will allow you to drive one Toyota vehicle over a three-year period for anywhere between $420 and $900 a month. When the tier becomes available on March 1st, you can choose from the available Prius, Corolla Sport, Alphard, Vellfire and Crown models. The other tier called Kinto Select will give you the power to drive one of the available Lexus-branded vehicles for $1,630 a month for three years. Now, what truly makes Kinto potentially more interesting than other leasing services is a rewards program that awards points based on how well you drive. Toyota didn't really expound on how it will work, other than saying that it will "award points to customers based on their vehicle usage (such as for safe or ecological driving)." As TechCrunch notes, the assumption is that the vehicle's in-car connected system will come with the ability to monitor your driving. Best thing about it is that the points you earn aren't useless rewards you can't even use: you'll be able to apply them toward payments. Kinto's Select option will be available starting on February 6th, almost a full month before the more affordable Kinto One launches. Both will be available via select dealers in Tokyo on a trial basis, and they won't officially roll out across Japan until summer. The points program won't be available until fall, when Kinto One's options will also expand. Unfortunately, there's no word on whether Kinto will eventually roll out in the US and other markets outside Toyota's home nation.For more information on Vehicle Subscription Services, check out the Complete Guide.Reporting by Mariella Moon for Engadget.Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Lexus readying hot IS F Coupe

The 2014 Lexus IS sedan has been turning heads and dividing public opinion since we first drove it. Then, as now, we knew that a revamped IS F would be in the offing at some point, but until today we had know idea what form the Lexus would take.
Our first ever batch of 2015 Lexus IS F spy shots has just come across the transom, and the camouflaged coupe - that's right, there are just two doors this time out - is awfully intriguing at first glance. A much more aggressive front end is prominent, as is the slinky roofline that finishes in a pert rear end. The signature IS grille is still in effect here, at least in terms of the shape, and while the headlamps are covered up, we'd expect some variation of the slash-like units on the 2014 IS.
Hinting at the car's performance intentions are large slotted brake rotors with significantly sized calipers, all tucked in behind dark-finish wheels. Quad exhaust tips and a retractable spoiler can be seen at the back of the car.