Many automobile makers are trying their hardest to wring as much performance and fuel economy out of vehicles through force-fed ‘mini me’ motors with five, four, or even three cylinders. Then there are those companies that are run by old-school car enthusiasts who value performance and responsiveness courtesy of eight More
By EWAN KENNEDY CAPTION: A. B. C. BODY COPY Lexus RX has been a huge success for the upmarket Japanese marque since its launch in Australia in April 2003. More a high riding station wagon than a 4WD it has mild to medium off-road ability in its AWD versions, though More
When it comes to vehicle propulsion, Lexus has well and truly grabbed the petrol-electric hybrid bull by the horns. Other alternative power sources don’t get a look-in. And it seems the luxury arm of Toyota is on the right track. Diesel is rapidly falling out of favour after doing the More
The ES goes back almost to the beginnings of Lexus in Australia in the early 1990s, being the second car to come here after the LS 400. Since then it has pretty much ploughed a straight, if unspectacular, furrow. Now the mid-size sedan has been given a makeover to bring More
Lexus, not usually seen as a predator, is on the prowl. The hunting grounds are the upper reaches of the medium passenger sedan sales segment and the lower branches of the premium car market tree. A major player in the luxury car market in Australia since the early 1990s, the More
Lexus RC F Carbon is semi-race machine aimed at serious drivers who enjoy pushing themselves to their limits during track days. Interestingly, the Lexus is powered by a naturally-aspirated engine, a 5.0-litre V8. The German machines in this high-performance category are rapidly moving in the direction of turbocharged engines. No More
The Lexus ES300 offers value in a prestige Japanese car built to a high standard. However it achieves lower cost because in its earlier models it was a Toyota Camry/Vienta with a different style of body and some mechanical upgrades. There are sufficient body similarities between the Lexus and Toyota More
Lexus RC 350 is rapidly becoming high on our list of our favourite coupes. Sure its hard hitting big brother the V8 engined RC F Sport is even quicker and almost race focussed, but the F is far more expensive at $74,000 than the $66,000 RC 350 Luxury in which More
The three big German marques are at it hammer and tongs in the Australian sales race at the moment. No more so that in the crossover SUV field. The very British Land Rover is starting to get involved as well with its just introduced Discovery Sport. So it’s no surprise More
By EWAN KENNEDY CAPTIONS: A. B. C. BODY COPY The Lexus IS range of sports sedans was aimed squarely at the BMW 3-Series when launched in Australia in 1999. Later, the Mercedes C-Class was also in Lexus’s sights as Mercedes quietly moved it from the boring sedan into the sporty More
