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Lexus gets top brand marks from Consumer Reports; Ford, Jeep hit hard

Consumer Reports has released its 2014 Car Brand Report Cards, with Lexus again reigning at the top and doing so with the same industry-topping score of 79 that it registered in last year's Report Cards. This year, the institute credited its lineup for being "usually quiet, comfortable, and fuel-efficient," noting it's the only brand on the list "to achieve an excellent average overall reliability score." The Car Brand Report Cars list is meant to rank the best all-around vehicles based on CR testing and reliability results tallied by subscribers it surveyed. Each brand included must have sufficient test and reliability data for at least three models, a standard which left out 11 marques including Fiat, Jaguar, Land Rover and Porsche.
This 2014 Brand Report Cars edition is the first of a new format in which sub-brands have been broken out from their parent brands, with Acura using this year to move up the leaderboard into second place with a score of 75 for its "reliable, well-finished and somewhat sporty models." The top three was rounded out by Audi, climbing from eighth to third by scoring a 74 for "well-crafted interiors, nice handling and good gas mileage." Audi scored highest in the road-test portion, its improved reliability aiding its rise. The top nine was completed by Subaru, Toyota, Mazda, Honda, Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz.
Ford and Jeep weighed in at the other end of the rankings, Jeep taking the lowest overall score in the road tests and hampered by "a mix of spotty reliability." Ford was sunk by reliability issues with its MyFord Touch infotainment system which consumers found troublesome enough to negate its cars earning "solid test scores" for being "very nice to drive." Perhaps the rumored switch from Microsoft to Blackberry's QNX for the next generation SYNC will help them out. Cadillac's score also took a hit for infotainment reasons after it was the leading US brand last year, the CUE system in the XTS dragging Cadillac to the bottom of all General Motors brands.

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."

Lexus comes to SEMA with a wine-dispensing crossover

While some manufacturers are going neck-deep into the tuner car world for SEMA this year, Lexus is keeping it classy with a restrained lineup of cars with lighter modifications. It made sure to hit all of them though, even the tiny UX subcompact crossover. Here's the rundown: 2019 Lexus RC 350 F Sport Cross Country Custom The idea on this one was to pick up a few different modifications from different shops as it's driven across the country. Along the route it's picked up some RS-R USA springs, Vossen forged wheels with Nitto performance tires, Apexi N1-X muffler, a satin wrap and blue underglow. There's not a whole lot to it now, but Lexus says there are still more modifications to come before it hits Los Angeles. 2019 Lexus UX 250h It's still a funky-looking crossover, but Lexus tried hard to make it stand out from the rest of the bland boxes on the road. The light blue wrap combined with an Apexi N1 suspension does the trick. These subcompact crossovers tend to look even more like hatchbacks once manufacturers lower them a couple inches — all that's left is to get rid of the unsightly black plastic cladding. This one has an Apexi N1 catback exhaust too. We can't imagine that sounds too hot with the CVT transmission in the UX though. 2019 Lexus ES 350 F Sport Wine lovers, here is the car for you. Lexus used the trunk area of this ES 350 to put a wine refrigerator, wine rack and glass holder. It did that, then made the flooring of the trunk out of oak barrel wood. To keep it upscale-feeling Lexus added a subtle Artisan Spirit aero kit and Rays Engineering 20-inch wheels. The Rolls-Royce Cullinan better watch out. 2018 Lexus LS F Sport The long Lexus looks a lot racier in this gray paint and 22-inch Work wheels. An aero kit brings it all closer to the ground without actually lowering it. Gigantic six-piston Brembo brakes in front and four-piston rears are painted in yellow, and look menacing within the big wheels. Related video: