Superstreet Magazine Featured 600whp 1998 Lexus Gs300 / Aristo / 2jzgte / Hks on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2016 Lexus ES shows updated, US-spec face

Lexus debuted the refreshed style for the ES at the Shanghai Motor Show with a much more prominent take on the company's spindle grille. If you hoped the conspicuous schnoz might be toned down for the US version of the luxury sedan, we have some bad news. The US-spec 2016 Lexus ES looks exactly the same. The spindle grille stands as one of the most polarizing styling features on new vehicles today. Rather than soften things, Lexus' designers make the shape even more pronounced for the refreshed ES. The latest take removes the crossbar from the center and outlines the whole thing in chrome. More angular, standard LED headlights make the edges appear even sharper, as do the triangular foglight surrounds at the lower corners. At the back, the taillights feature a more conspicuous L-shape and chrome-tipped, rectangular exhaust tips finish things off on the ES 350. The company also adds some evocatively named colors, including Autumn Shimmer, Nightfall Mica, Caviar, and Eminent White Pearl. Beyond the updated looks, the other major change for the ES is the availability of the Lexus Safety System+ suite of tech. It includes a Pre-Collision System, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, Intelligent High Beam, and High-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control. If all that isn't enough to make you feel more secure behind the wheel, a blind spot monitor with rear cross traffic alert is an additional option. The improvements to the interior aren't quite as drastic as the outside. There's a redesigned steering wheel, shift knob with a leather boot, and more soft-touch materials around the console. New trim colors include Linear Dark Mocha, Illustrious Piano Black, and matte-finish Bamboo. Both ES 350 and ES 300h models are unchanged in terms of powertrains. For a starting price of $38,940, after the $940 destination charge, buyers can get the ES 350 with a 268-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 and six-speed automatic. For $41,860, customers can order an ES 300h with a hybrid, 2.5-liter four-cylinder making a total output of 200 hp. Luxury, Emboldened: Lexus ES 350 Revs Up Style and Luxury for 2016 Refreshed Look with Bolder Rendition of Lexus Spindle Grille Standard LED Headlights and Other Premium Design Features New Lexus Safety System+ Suite of Driver Assist Technologies Upgraded Interior Finishes Mark Levinson Audio and Panoramic Roof Available with All Packages July 10, 2015 Maintaining luxury leadership requires a relentless pursuit.

Lexus fans vote Solar Flare for new RC F hue

What's in a name? When it comes to model nameplates, quite a lot, and automakers go to considerable lengths to find just the right one. Same goes for the names of the colors in the catalog (save for maybe the Rape Yellow in the extensive Bugatti palette), but every once in a while, an automaker will open it up for suggestions from the public.
SRT did that when it introduced a new shade of blue for its Viper, as did Chevy for the pale green on the Volt. And last month, Lexus followed a similar path when it asked fans on Facebook to come up with a name for the new shade of orange for the RC F.
Fans suggested names like Tangerine Flame, Outrageous Orange and Fiery Orange, but ultimately the winning submission that Lexus selected was Solar Flare. The name was suggested by five individuals and will now enter the catalog of colors for the new luxury muscle coupe with its 450-horsepower 5.0-liter V8.

Lexus to reveal production NX crossover at Beijing in April

At the Frankfurt Motor Show last year, Lexus rolled out a concept crossover called the LF-NX. It then brought it back, with a new paint job and a turbocharged engine, at the Tokyo Motor Show a few months later. We got another glimpse a couple of months after that during a presentation from Jim Lentz. But now Toyota has confirmed that the finalized production version is just around the corner.
While all the attention is affixed on the Geneva Motor Show, Toyota released a statement (which you can read below) announcing that the NX (as it will officially be known) will debut next month at the Beijing Motor Show. Set to be positioned below the RX, the new NX will tackle what Lexus terms as "the growing segment of premium compact crossovers," taking on the likes of the Audi Q3, BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLK.