Florida! Nicest One On The Web!! Mint on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2019 Lexus ES revealed before Beijing debut

After revealing the grille of the 2019 Lexus ES last week, Lexus posted a single photo of the whole shebang this morning. Only two sentences accompanied the image: "The all-new ES springs from a reimagined luxury equation. Engaging design, athletic performance, and renowned refinement transform Lexus's most popular sedan." We could be forced to wait until the Beijing Motor Show reveal on April 25 for substantial info on that transformation, but based on what we already suspect, the coming ES has big britches to fill. This seventh-generation sedan will be the first to go global, opening up a sales beachhead in Europe for the first time. The ES will also replace the GS there, perhaps signaling a shift in European strategy for taking on the Germans — the rear-wheel-drive sports sedan couldn't compete, so perhaps the front-wheel-drive family sedan will do better by not making a frontal assault on the segment leaders. The GS' fate isn't clear in the U.S., either, with the model expected to either go away or take a hiatus while designers reboot it. Lexus promised "the unexpected" with the new ES, and rumors of AWD have accompanied the news of "a range of advanced gasoline and hybrid powertrains." Right now the ES offers two powertrains, one gas, one hybrid, a bit meager to call "a range." From what we can tell of of the image above and teaser video below, the ES gets a lot sharper in front and along its flanks, skinny headlights mixing it up with a severely creased shoulder line. Out back, the sloping rear end gets bolstered by new taillights and a prominent spoiler. Barring any more teases or leaks, we expect to know everything about the ES a week from now come Beijing. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Beijing Motor Show Lexus Luxury Sedan lexus es

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.

2016 Lexus GS F First Drive [w/video]

Performance cars used to be about horsepower and chassis tuning. Lately the question isn't so much what's under the hood, but how many buttons are on the console. We're overwhelmed with individual settings for engine response, transmission, exhaust, steering, and ride. When did these cars turn into a choose your own tuning adventure? The Lexus GS F represents an attempt to step back from this over-adjustable madness and return to more bygone sports car values. It has a special engine, unique bodywork, and a chassis tuned for high performance. There are only two settings you need to play with. The first setting is the Drive Mode Select dial on the center console, which mainly controls the response of 5.0-liter V8 engine and the shift behavior of the eight-speed automatic. The engine is the same V8 found in the RC F, making the same 467 horsepower and 389 pound-feet of torque. New this year are small balancing weights on the crankshaft pulley that cut down on internal vibration. Drive Mode Select also changes the electronic power steering, air conditioning, and stability control (you can also turn it all the way off via a separate button). The engine is the same V8 found in the RC F, making the same 467 horsepower and 389 pound-feet of torque. You will use two settings in the GS F: Eco when you want to get somewhere, Sport S+ when you want to get somewhere fast. Normal and Sport S modes offer intermediate steps you don't really need. Eco mode softens the throttle and reduces the use of air conditioning for slightly better fuel economy. It also makes the center-mounted tachometer switch into an eco-driving gauge. S+ puts everything into sport mode, including a heavier steering weight and a higher stability control threshold. While Sport S mode shifts the noon position of the tachometer to just below the horsepower peak of 7,000 rpm, S+ goes a step further and turns the rev indicator into a solid bar that grows around the edge of the display. It also adds oil and coolant temperature to the readout. And how could we fail to mention G-Force Artificial Intelligence (or grin at such an overwrought name)? That's the shift logic the transmission uses in Sport S+. It's designed to hold revs in corners and downshift during hard braking. "Our goal with F is to make a driver's car, not a drag race winner." The other button in the Lexus GS F that you need to pay attention to is next to the Drive Mode Select knob, labeled TVD for Torque Vectoring Differential.