2016 Lexus Is 200t on 2040-cars

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Toyota Camry, Lexus RX to get aluminum parts

Ah, aluminum. The lightweight, strong material has long held a following within the premium ranks, but as Ford prepares to launch an aluminum F-150, the material is gaining acceptance among more mainstream automakers. Toyota is one such brand, with a new report indicating that the Japanese giant will add aluminum bits and bobs to some of its upcoming vehicles.
These won't be full, aluminum-intensive treatments like the F-150, however. Automotive News reports that an aluminum hood and liftgate will be coming to the 2016 Lexus RX, and following that, the Camry will get a bonnet built from Element 13 for model year 2018.
As AN points out, Toyota is no stranger to aluminum, using it in Japanese-built models like the Prius and Scion FR-S. The RX and Camry, though, will mark the first time the company's North American factories will use the material, and they'll do so on a significantly larger scale, owing to the higher volumes that the Camry and RX represent.

Why is there a huge bulge in 2021 Lexus IS 300 AWD's driver footwell? We explain

After an initial turn a few weeks ago for the 2021 Lexus IS first drive review, the revised luxury sedan has returned to the Autoblog garage for a second look. This middle-of-the-road IS 300 AWD pairs a 260-horsepower V6 with a six-speed automatic transmission and four driven wheels, and frankly it's the least interesting way to spec out the redesigned sedan. While there are cars in this segment designed to get a performance boost from their all-wheel-drive systems even in dry conditions, the IS isn't one of them. Adding insult to injury, you get stuck with a cramped driver-side footwell care of the engineering shenanigans that went into making this system possible.  While we've mentioned this particular compromise before, we rarely touch on the reasons why it exists in the first place. The fundamentals are fairly obvious; the standard IS utilizes a longitudinal, rear-wheel-drive powertrain. As is typical with this configuration, the transmission sits in a tunnel beneath the center console. This arrangement works just fine, provided you don't need to power the front wheels.  To do so in a traditional car like the IS requires a literal end-around maneuver involving the engine and transmission, which we've diagrammed for you below care of MSPaint. This is a bit simplified for the sake of this write-up, and it should be noted that this is not the only way to implement AWD in an inherently RWD platform, but it illustrates how the power for the front axle (red) and rear axle (blue) flows from the transmission to the drive wheels. To get juice flowing to the front axle, Lexus had to add a parallel output shaft, exiting the transmission from the front with enough clearance for the bell housing and engine, which sits between the transmission and the front differential. This requires quite a bit of lateral reach, meaning the housing has to extend much farther out than usual to accommodate it (yellow arrow). As a result, the all-wheel-drive transmission looks a lot like a sci-fi gun with a chunky drum magazine hanging off the side of it. The hump (above right) in the footwell is there to clear this protrusion. This basic configuration isn't unique to Lexus. In fact, if you look at a BMW xDrive cutaway, it's similar. So, why no "hump" in other cars? There are multiple factors, but to boil it down to what is most relevant, it's a combination of the resulting shape of the Lexus transmission housing and the size of the IS chassis.

2022 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance Launch Edition inaugurates the revived V8

Lexus is kicking off its V8 revival with a limited-run Launch Edition model of the 2022 IS 500 F Sport Performance. Painted in "Incognito" grey and exclusive to the North American market, the Launch Edition will be constrained to just 500 units, each boasting a serialized plaque and other unique elements.  In addition to the aforementioned paint finish (and it is indeed the only option for Launch Edition), you also get a set of 19-inch BBS wheels borrowed from the standard IS 350 F Sport's dynamic handling package, shown here in a nice gunmetal finish. As an added bonus, Lexus says they weigh about four pounds less per corner than the regular F Performance wheels. Not bad.  2022 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance Launch Edition View 33 Photos Inside, you get a handful of unique interior bits, headlined by the serial number plaque on the center console. Other nice touches include a (heated) silver ash wood steering wheel with faux suede inserts (which you'll also find on the seats, door accents and center console) and a "Launch Edition" animation in the instrument cluster.  Despite the lack of strict mechanical upgrades (unless you consider wheels to be in that category), the F Sport Performance Launch Edition's performance qualifications are pretty sound. You get the same 472-horsepower, 5.0-liter V8 with 395 pound-feet of torque, which is the same V8 Lexus has utilized elsewhere in recent F models. It currently powers the RC F coupe and, until last year, was also found under the hood of the larger GS F sedan. Like the BMW M3 it matches for power, the Lexus will come standard with rear-wheel drive and a limited-slip differential, making it a convincing performance offering, but Lexus cautions that while it is certainly more potent under the hood than the original IS F, the F Sport Performance will not represent the pinnacle of its "F" brand. Power will go to the rear end by way of the same eight-speed automatic that Lexus uses elsewhere. Just 500 examples of the Launch Edition will be built, and it will be exclusive to North America. Pricing will be announced a little closer to the IS 500 F Sport Performance's on-sale date, which Lexus has not yet shared.  Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.