2008 Lexus Ls460 on 2040-cars

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Consumer Reports: Toyota expected to announce fix for emergency trunk releases

According to Consumer Reports, Toyota is set to release a fix for trunk release pulls on certain Lexus vehicles that could snap off in an emergency. As you may recall, CR found the federally-mandated emergency releases could break if pulled toward the user. As it turned out, the trunk surround behaved like a fulcrum, putting more force against the center of the release than toward the trunk mechanism itself. While the organization found the problem to exist on 2013 Lexus ES and GS, Toyota was able to replicate the flaw on the IS as well.
Toyota will alert 700,000 owners of 2007-2013 Lexus ES models, 2006-2012 IS vehicles and 2013 GS cars and replace the old ABS plastic release with a sturdier polypropylene part free of charge once the components are available to dealers. The service campaign is expected to begin in January.

Toyota Hilux gets heart transplant from Lexus IS F

The Toyota Hilux might not be sold in the US, but Toyota's venerable pickup has an international reputation of being able to go anywhere and do just about anything. The trucks aren't really known for their speed, though, at least until Toyota South Africa Motorsport's new, one-off project. This bruiser ditches the usual diesel engine and replaces it with an unrestricted 5.0-liter V8 from a Lexus IS F making 449 horsepower. Of course, it takes more than power to handle the rigors of high speed off-roading. The motorsport team also adds bigger, competition-spec brakes, fully adjustable dampers, new springs, and retuned gearing to make the truck look practically ready for the Dakar Rally. The gearbox is really the only part that carries over. The V8 gives the special Hilux quite a mean growl, too. With the new Tacoma just launching in the US, maybe the engineers at TRD need to apply this same concept over here for its own Lexus-engined, one-off pickup.

Lexus IS 200t gets a 245 hp turbo four-cylinder, comes here in 2016

The exact timing isn't clear, but now that we have the good news we're ok with a little wait: in Europe Lexus just replaced the 2.5-liter V6 in the IS 250 with its 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder, and we'll get it. The 2.0-liter currently serves in the NX 200t, putting out 235 horsepower and 258 pound-feet. Car and Driver says it will be tuned differently for what will become the IS 200t, with an output of 241 hp and 258 lb-ft. Those numbers whoop the 2.5-liter V6 by 37 hp and 73 lb-ft, and they're just 65 hp and 19 lb-ft under the 3.5-liter V6 in the much more popular IS 350. Improvements continue in the transmission, the IS 200t getting eight cogs - there won't be a manual option - instead of the six-speed 'box mated to the 2.5-liter now. That means buyers can expect a car that's not only more powerful and more responsive, addressing the two fundamental omissions in the IS 250's list of talents, it will also get better fuel economy than the 21 city, 30 highway miles per gallon the old six-cylinder musters. What they can't expect according to CD is all-wheel drive. We're told the engine swap should come "in the early part of the 2016 model year," and it will only come with rear-wheel drive. C/D says that Lexus will bring a third engine to the range that will power an all-wheel entry, which seems a tad complex to us, but if true it wouldn't be the first time the words "Lexus" and "complex" have cozied up together. A press release from Lexus Europe is below. LEXUS TO LAUNCH IS 200t WITH INNOVATIVE 2.0l TURBO PETROL ENGINE • New turbo engine offers superior smoothness and responsiveness, with no turbo-lag and high fuel efficiency • Engine mated to 8-speed Sport Direct Shift transmission • IS 200t on sale in Europe as from September 2015 Brussels, Belgium, 26 Jun 2015 - Lexus is expanding the range of vehicle equipped with its new 2.0-litre turbo engine. Following the launch of NX 200t in early 2015 and the announced arrival of RX 200t by the end of the year, IS is the third Lexus model to be fitted with this new engine. Powered by a new 2.0-litre petrol turbo engine – with innovative D-4ST fuel injection technology for both fuel economy and instantaneous torque – the Lexus IS 200t sports sedan delivers 245 DIN hp (180kW) with a maximum torque of 350 Nm. Capable of rapid acceleration up to a top speed of 230 km/h, its 8-speed Sport Direct Shift transmission was developed for the high-performance RC F.