2011 Lexus Lx570 Nav Rear Entertainmentone Owner on 2040-cars

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Lexus LC convertible possibly spied in production form

Following a concept reveal at the beginning of the year and confirmation of production a few months ago, we've finally got a glimpse of what may be the production Lexus LC convertible. The droptop was spied during a photo shoot in Los Angeles. It appears to be wearing the "Structural Blue" hue that made its debut at SEMA a couple years ago. While the concept shown at Detroit looked nearly production-ready, there are small differences between it and this photo car. Close examination shows that this version has a small wind blocker and differently shaped rear seat backs. These pieces match up with the prototype that appeared at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The main difference between this car and the Goodwood example is that this photo car has more finished trim around the tonneau cover. Another difference from the Detroit concept is the fact the rear tonneau has a section finished in the same color upholstery as the interior. Though Lexus confirmed the LC convertible for production, it hasn't given any indication as to when it will go on sale. The fact that Lexus is doing photo shoots of the car has us thinking it will be revealed and put on sale in time for the next model year, making November's LA Auto Show a prime choice. It will undoubtedly be fitted with a choice of the 471-horsepower 5.0-liter V8 or the 354-horsepower V6 hybrid powertrain.

2019 Lexus ES 350 F Sport Quick Spin Review | Yet another Lexus surprise

The 2019 Lexus ES 350 F Sport truly cements that "driving like a Lexus" now means something far different than it ever did before. It's not dull, it's not anonymous and old ladies probably won't like it. It should not be painted pearlescent white. Instead, the new ES is genuinely engaging to drive, feeling every bit like it was spawned from the same gene pool as the lustworthy LC coupe and surprisingly sharp LS flagship sedan. I actually enjoyed driving it more than the BMW M550i, and I liked driving that car quite a bit. Seriously. No one is as surprised by that statement as the guy who typed it. It really comes down to what you feel through that F Sport steering wheel, through your heels planted in the floor below, and the seat of your pants that's now placed lower in a sportier driving position. The 2019 ES 350 is one of those cars that manages to shrink around you as you hustle it along, feeling much smaller than its full-size sedan dimensions would indicate. It may be based on the Avalon, but that car never felt as lithe and responsive as its Lexus cousin. The extra structural rigidity of the ES is part of the equation. Now, to be fair, the ES in question is the F Sport model fitted with the optional Adaptive Variable Suspension derived from the divine LC, which no doubt helps the dynamics compared to lesser ES trims. But judging by the impressions of others, plus the rest of Lexus' redone lineup, lower-trim ESs seem to drive well. Even the base cars come with novel swing-valve shock absorbers designed to ably soak up bumps while keeping things level around corners. The electric power steering motor has also migrated from the column to the rack – a sure fire way to improve steering feel. And that it does, plus Lexus has a knack of tuning the various steering settings (Normal, Sport and Sport+) to be subtle in their increase of effort. There's no overly stiff weighting to satisfy the notion that "sporty" steering equals "stiff" steering, as is often the case in cars with variable drive settings. Appropriately, I drove in Normal around town and in Sport+ on my mountain road evaluation route. The differences aren't night and day -- it still feels like you're driving the same car -- it's just been tweaked slightly for ideal performance. These drive settings also adjust the adaptive suspension, if so equipped.

Mazda and Lexus crowned with KBB 5-Year Cost To Own awards

We report on a lot of awards, some of which are given out based on more solid criteria than others. This one, the Kelley Blue Book 5-Year Cost to Own awards, seems like one that new car shoppers should pay attention to.
The cost of a car goes far beyond what you pay for the actual metal, leather and rubber at the point of purchase. Fuel, insurance, maintenance and repair costs, and the cost of fees from the state and financing will all weigh on your wallet while you own the car. That's not even taking into account the biggest cost: depreciation, or the amount of money you lose based on what your car is worth years from now versus the day you bought it.
KBB tracks these sorts of things, and they've compiled a list of winners for 2013 models. On the brand level, Mazda and Lexus earn the 5-Year Cost to Own award for having the lowest overall projected five-year totals (though, curiously, we note that Mazda and Lexus each had only one segment winner). There are lots of winners for all the various segments, so we'll just pick out a few surprising ones to share and you can view the rest here.