2017 LEXUS LC500 REVIEW

Bold. Brash. Beautiful. The Lexus LC 500 is a head-turner alright. It is emotionally engaging with the all-round performance to match. A real Grand Tourer from an unlikely part of the world. It may also be the biggest statement Lexus has made since the LFA. And we got to live with one for the week. You have some idea of the LC 500’s drawing power when the school principal asks you to park the car rather than using the drop-off point because you are stopping the morning carpark flow. And… Read more

LEXUS’S RELENTLESS PURSUIT FOR PERFECTION

Talk about attention to detail. Lexus has spent 15 years developing a dazzling new paint colour mimicking that of an American Morpho butterfly that is renowned for the deep, shimmering blue of its wings Lexus calls it Structural Blue, it uses special technology to produce a finish that is deeper, more lustrous and essentially more “blue” than anything seen before. The development was a collaboration between the company’s U.S. and Japanese technical centres and California-based VIAVI Solutions, a leading provider of thin-film optical coatings and pigments. The desired quality could… Read more

PORSCHES ARE COMING YOUR WAY

Porsche Cars Australia (PCA) has launched “Porsche in Motion”, a roadshow to destinations along Australia’s East Coast. The travelling show will run from now until mid December. It will move onwards into 2018, though next year’s dates and destinations are yet to be set. Porsche in Motion consists of two locally designed and built mobile trailers or “pods”; a brand experience pod and a pop-up showroom pod. The pods provide prospective Porsche customers and fans of the German marque with a similar premium experience found in a Porsche Centre. Proving… Read more

FORETASTE OF NEW LEXUS LS FLAGSHIP

The Lexus LS (Luxury Sports) sedan was the first vehicle launched by the then newly created upmarket division of Toyota back in 1990. Despite dire predictions that it could never beat the upmarket Germans and Brits at their own game the Lexus marque has now been operating for almost 30 years. An all-new fifth generation LS flagship sedan is coming to Australia in April 2018. Lexus assures us it will further build on its reputation for smoothness, ride quietness, craftsmanship and attention to detail. New LS is longer and lower… Read more

2017 LEXUS LC 500 COUPE REVIEW

Lexus has moved into yet another market segment, that of a luxury coupe. Once again the prestige Japanese car maker wants to challenge the big name Europeans at their own game. When the $750,000 Lexus LFA supercar was discontinued in 2012 the design team moved onto the Lexus LC project. Lexus LC 500 has recommended price of $190,000, to which on-road charges have to be added. A $15,000 enhancement pack is there for the person chasing even more in sporting performance. It has Lexus Dynamic Handling with four-wheel steering and… Read more

LEXUS LC: A LOVELY COUPE

You may remember the Lexus LFA supercar of a few years back? It was an ultra-expense, limited-edition model and production ceased in 2012. However, many of the skilled engineers and designers who crafted the LFA were then transferred to the Lexus LC project. That lovely coupe is about to go on sale in Australia and at a considerably lower price than the $750,000 Lexus LFA… Sensibly, Lexus doesn’t charge extra for the hybrid as it has done in the past. Both LC models share a recommended price of $190,000, to… Read more

SHARPER ‘SUIT’ FOR POPULAR LEXUS SEDAN

Of all the Lexus lines, the IS, with 40,000 delivered Down Under, is the model Australia has taken to its heart. Across four generations the IS Line has been known for its trendsetting design and the latest lot to land is no exception. The new models feature exterior and interior styling changes, as well as improvements to the display screen and audio system. The range incorporates the full suite of Lexus Safety System+ technology. The Lexus IS Line is available as the IS 200t with the recently launched 2.0-litre turbocharged… Read more

COUPE THE OVERTURE TO KEY CHANGE IN LEXUS THEME

It is generally recognised that Dame Nellie Melba made more comebacks to the operatic stage than a well-used boomerang. What is not so well known is that the prima donna was one of the first female car owners in Australia. The redoubtable Dame took to motoring (with a chauffeur) so enthusiastically she kept motor cars on three continents – an electric Brougham in Europe, a couple of Pierce-Arrows in the US, a Type AX Renault and later a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost in Australia. How appropriate that Lexus should choose Coombe… Read more

ONE-IN-A-MILLION LEXUS DELIVERS WITH INTEREST

Lexus leaders were left scratching their heads on how to celebrate selling a million IS sports sedans around the world. It did not take long for them to come up with an answer: Let’s make a better one. The result is the new Lexus IS line, which has borrowed from the recently released RC sports coupe, thus creating a four-door version of the well-credentialed two-door. Closer to home, the resulting major IS upgrades are expected to help Lexus achieve a sales record in Australia of more than 9000 vehicles. Available… Read more

‘HOBBY HORSE’ POWERS INTO LEXUS LEXICON

The birth of the Lexus GS F was something of a cloak-and-dagger affair with team leader, engineering boss Yukihiko Yaguchi, bypassing official channels to begin work on what was to become the Lexus IS F V8 sedan. Those after-hours sessions led to Yaguchi-san being involved in the RC F coupe and LFA supercar. Now comes the GS F four-door sedan. Yaguchi is still there, this time as emeritus chief engineer on the project. Heart of the GS F is a 351 kW 5.0-litre V8 mated with an eight-speed transmission driving… Read more