Lexux 03 Sc430 Nav, 96k Low Miles, Nice Car! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

8 things you should know about the Lexus LC 500h powertrain

Lexus unveiled the LC 500h today in The Netherlands, and I got to take a look inside its new hybrid system. On one hand it seems like a box of magic – it combines two seemingly incompatible transmission types into one package. But that's also the ingenious simplicity of the thing. We don't have all of the details on how it all works yet, but here's a rundown of the high points.Efficient business in front, low-key party in the back. What makes it all work is the mullet of transmissions. For the new hybrid transmission, Lexus used the Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive/Lexus Hybrid System – which consists of an e-CVT with a planetary gearset and two electric motors (one for charging the battery, the other for motivation and regen) – and grafted a conventional four-speed automatic onto the back. The two units actually coexist in one package, with the e-CVT making things efficient and the automatic expanding the capabilities. So at the low end, the system can deliver more torque, and the engine can also run at lower rpm on the highway. It's all thanks to those fixed gear ratios, and it's surprisingly simple.Except it's not that simple. This is where the virtual gear ratios come in. Like current Lexus hybrids, the system has ratios it can call up with the e-CVT. In this case, there are six virtual ratios to complement the four real physical ratios, for a total of 10 "gears" at the transmission's disposal. (Not coincidentally, the V8 LC 500 coupe has a 10-speed automatic.) One of the four fixed gears is always engaged when the car is moving, so the 10 ratios come about from combinations of what the e-CVT in front and the automatic in the back are doing. In other words, all 10 ratios are variations on the four fixed gear ratios, which means that all 10 gears could be considered virtual.It won't use all the gears all the time. In Eco mode, the car will start off on electric power and skip the first couple of "gears." When it's set to Sport or Sport +, the engine will be engaged from a stop and the transmission will select the lowest ratio. The sportier modes will also ignore the top couple of gear ratios.It can drive faster with the engine off. In a Lexus GS 450h with the Lexus Hybrid System, for example, at speeds above 62 mph or so the engine has to start up. This is because something needs to take up some slack from the battery-charging motor-generator or else it will start spinning too quickly.

Lexus LF-Z Electrified previews future Lexus hybrids and EVs

While the company has yet to release a fully electric car or even plug-in hybrid in the U.S., the company is adamant that it's ramping up electric plans. One way it's doing this is with concept cars, and the latest is the Lexus LF-Z Electrified, just in case you forgot what powers it before the middle of this sentence. It's not a specific preview of any particular model, but is meant as a hint of a series of, well, electrified Lexus models coming in the next few years. The LF-Z is a clear evolution of the LF-30 Electrified concept from the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show. Like that concept, the front of the car effectively inverts the current Lexus grille design, with the "spindle" section in the middle being solid, and the area on either side covered with dark translucent panels that evoke open areas. The whole body is more crisp and creased than the LF-30, and it looks a little more grounded in reality. It has four conventional doors with actual door handles, the proportions are closer to a sedan or fastback, and a seemingly conventional taillight bar. But getting up close reveals many intricate details such as the cubic shapes in the front fascia, the frilled edges of the front fender flares, and the narrow breaks in the lighting. The interior is ultra-minimalist, with all the display systems placed around the driver, and a simple dash that wraps around to the doors and the rear seats. The seats themselves have a similarly geometric design to the exterior, and the choice to highlight the driver seat in a contrasting upholstery is interesting. Likely because the LF-Z doesn't preview any specific upcoming model, Lexus offered nearly no details about what powers the concept beyond electricity. It has the batteries mounted in the floor, and it features dual motors, one for the front wheels and one for the rear wheels, which isn't particularly remarkable. No range or power numbers were given. Steering is done by-wire, kind of like what you'll find in certain modern Infinitis, and the car features other bits of technology that are already available or coming soon to production cars such as augmented reality displays, a smartphone key system, electrochromic roof glass and reclining rear seats. Still, we think it's a distinctive concept car that could spawn some similarly distinct production cars. Lexus announced that between now and 2025, it will launch more than 10 new electrified models as conventional hybrids, plug-in hybrids or fully electric cars.

2014 Lexus GX 460

The Toyota 4Runner has always held a special place in my heart for its boxy styling and off-road prowess, but until now, I never had the chance to drive its more luxurious cousin, the Lexus GX 460. Granted, the GX actually has more in common with the foreign-market Land Cruiser Prado, but all three SUVs ride on the same body-on-frame platform.
Originally an answer to the luxury SUV craze from the early 2000s, the GX hasn't changed all that much since its introduction more than a decade ago. It's a big SUV with plenty of space and crammed with just about all the luxuriousness Lexus could fit into a 12-year-old vehicle, but, more importantly, it still has the chops to go places many vehicles in its segment wouldn't dare venture. And just for good measure, Lexus tacked on its new signature spindle grille in what has to be its most pronounced appearance yet.
I've had a chance to drive most of the latest Lexus products (including the IS, ES and GS) to see just how competitive Toyota's luxury arm has gotten in recent years, but after spending a week with the 2014 GX 460, it's refreshing that, for now, Lexus has resisted the urge to follow some of its rivals in replacing rugged, body-on-frame SUVs with softer, car-based crossovers.