1998 Lexus Ls 400 Luxury With Navigation" Looks Great " on 2040-cars

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2019 Lexus UX 250h First Drive Review | Flashy looks and smart hybrid tech

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Lexus admittedly is late to the subcompact crossover segment, but it hopes to make up ground with the 2019 UX by offering an intriguing combination of hybrid technology and flashy design. Longer than any premium subcompact SUV rival at 177 inches, the UX's 60.6-inch height is lower than all but the Infiniti QX30 and Mercedes GLA, and it sits in the middle on width at 72.4 inches — the BMW X1 and Subaru XV are narrower, the Audi Q3 and Jaguar E-Pace wider. Those dimensions give the UX a much more hatchback/crossover feeling, rather than a boxy and upright SUV. The inline four-cylinder 2.0-liter gasoline engine teams with two electric motors to produce 175 horsepower channeled through an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission. The hybrid offers electric all-wheel drive with a dedicated electric motor generator integrated into the rear differential. Despite the crossover looks, Lexus never suggests the UX is a proper off-roader. On-road it does feel a little more solid, and promises more traction on slippery surfaces off-road. The U.S. market gets a strictly gasoline-fed option too, in the UX 200. It's powered by a 2.0-liter 169-horsepower four-cylinder engine paired to Toyota's new direct-shift CVT transmission and front-wheel-drive only. Economy figures are still to be finalized, but Lexus estimates 33 combined mpg for the UX 200, with the all-wheel-drive 250h expected to achieve 38 mpg combined. Related: 2019 UX is the most affordable Lexus In Europe, the UX will be sold alongside the now-aging CT hatchback, despite rumors the CT is on its way out (it's already been axed in the U.S.). But the UX is by far the superior vehicle. The CVT in the Lexus UX is better and doesn't whine like the transmission in older versions of the CT. The UX also handles way better, even though for most customers its environmental credentials, keen running costs and distinctive design are more likely to factor into the buying-decision process. The UX's cabin is a welcoming space. It's smart, logical and less cluttered than the larger NX. Material quality is excellent and original in places too — the optional dashboard covering akin to textured Japanese washi paper is a good example — and Lexus is stressing the brand's superior craftsmanship, called Takumi, throughout its range. Unfortunately, the interior is hamstrung by the laptop-style touchpad for the infotainment screen (7-inch is standard, 10.25-inch on F-Sport trim).

Lexus IS to get Deviant at SEMA

It's time to start gathering intel on SEMA, and it starts with this drawing of a modified 2014 Lexus IS. Lexus ran a competition on DeviantART, an online community for artists, to find a suitably modified IS that it could build and display at the temple of all things aftermarket in Las Vegas. The winner, as judged by a four-person panel from among more than 600 entries, is the IS rendered above by Rob Evans.
The winner looks like the beginning of a build for an IS entry into Japan's Super GT series, with a seriously exaggerated front spoiler and rear diffuser and fender flares that aren't just punched out, they're throwing 12-punch combinations.
Evans will have his car built by VIP Auto Salon and plastered all over Lexus materials promoting its presence at the show. Oh, and he gets an IS F-Sport for a year, among other prizes. Second place went to Lucia Lee, third place to Guangho Huang. A press release below has more on the competition and the winner.

Did Lexus make a BMW? Or did BMW make a Lexus? This and other 2017 surprises

It's that time of year again. The calendar is about to reach its end, Star Trek Cats 2018 is about to take its place, and I'm reflecting about all the cars that graced my driveway this year or summoned me to exotic places. You know, like Stuttgart or Phoenix. In 2017, I drove at least 57, and as I perused the list of them, I started to notice a common refrain: "This car surprised me." Most were pleasant surprises, but there were a few head scratchers and facepalms for good measure. In both cases, it was generally the result of car companies seemingly trying to break out of an existing mold. Nowhere was that more apparent than the pair of Lexuses slathered in Infrared paint: The LS 500 that left me this week and the LC 500 that was my favorite car of 2017. Though Lexus has been trying to shake its crusty, gold-packaged reputation for some time now, its efforts always seemed like an old man choosing Hollister to redo his wardrobe after realizing it hasn't been updated since 1987. I fell in love with the LC, genuinely floored by its near-perfect take on the GT. It's characterful in sound, appearance and tactility. It was at home in the city, in the mountain and on the open road. It was both comfortable and thrilling, and after driving the mechanically related LS 500, I can report that the LC's talents aren't an outlier. The LS 500's turbo V6 may make different noises than the LC's naturally aspirated V8, but it nevertheless invigorates the cabin when the car is placed in Sport+ mode. The steering is truly communicative, body motions are kept in miraculous check, and I absolutely forgot I was in an enormous luxury limo ... and a Lexus one at that. It was everything that the BMW 530e was not. I drove that on the exact same roads and was utterly bored the entire time. Generally doughy, lifeless steering, more distant than Planet 9. And no, the plug-in hybrid powertrain had nothing to do with that. At least it shouldn't. The Porsche Panamera S e-Hybrid I also drove this year proves that, as do the Hyundai Ioniqs, which are surprisingly adept and fun little cars regardless of what powers their wheels (Hyundai + hybrid = fun really blew me away). I would drive that Lexus LS F Sport over the BMW 5 Series any day of the week, which seems like a shocking thing to say in relation to either car. While Lexus is seemingly breaking out of its old crusty mold, BMW seems to be climbing into one.