2012 Lexus Rx 350 Base on 2040-cars

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The Lexus Sriracha IS is the hottest Lexus ever

For this year's Los Angeles auto show, Lexus created its hottest IS ever: the Sriracha IS. And the company did so by putting Sriracha sauce in everything! It's in the paint, the steering wheel, and even in the trunk! Check out the video if you don't believe us. Ok, so Lexus didn't really put Sriracha in everything. In reality, the company partnered with Huy Fong Foods to produce this one-off car, and turned to West Coast Customs to execute it. It features a custom paint job designed to emulate the look of Sriracha sauce, and green accents on the grille, mirrors, brake calipers, and exhaust tips are a call back to the food company's sauce bottles. View 13 Photos Inside, West Coast Customs created some clever and surprisingly subtle changes. The climate controls only show increasing heat levels, and the seat heater buttons are bright red with little flames above the seat icons. The drive selector trades sport mode for "Sriracha" mode. The seats get red and green inserts along with logos stitched into the seat backs. Other parts of the interior have green contrast stitching, too. The steering wheel is a particularly unique piece. West Coast Customs found a liquid that looks similar to sriracha, put it a resin container and shaped it to fit the steering wheel, so now it looks like there's sriracha in the steering wheel. It also has a warning sticker for "hot handling." And lest you think there isn't any real Sriracha anywhere in the car, you'll find 43 bottles of the stuff in the trunk, and the key fob dispenses some as well. As for how Lexus tops this, perhaps they could make a habanero or ghost pepper car. Or maybe they could show us a real IS F successor. We think another V8 Lexus would come across as pretty hot. Related Video:

Consumer Reports says these are the worst new cars of 2014

Consumer Reports has announced its annual list of worst vehicles, a cringe-inducing contrast to its list of top vehicles. Ignominiously leading the way in 2014 is Chrysler, which has a staggering seven models listed.
Jeep nearly sweeps the small SUV segment by itself, with its Compass, Patriot and 2.4-liter version of the new Cherokee, while the only midsize sedans listed by CR were the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Avenger. The new Dodge Dart and the Dodge Journey round out CR's condemnation of Chrysler.
Ford is taking heat as well, with the Taurus, Edge and their counterparts from Lincoln all listed as the worst vehicles in their respective segments. Toyota doesn't fare much better, with its Lexus IS, Scion iQ and tC also making the list.

Lexus LC500 Convertible gets Marine Blue interior and top ... in Japan

Japanese customers of the Lexus LC will soon have a wider selection of exterior and interior colors, including a stunning Marine Blue option exclusive to the LC 500 Convertible. The announcement came on Thursday, along with news of some minor handling improvements. The Marine Blue selection adds an tidy navy lid to the LC droptop, paired with a matching interior. However, the entire cockpit hasn't been slathered in blue. Instead, the cobalt hue has been applied judiciously to the steering wheel, dash pad, gear selector, and sections of the door panels. Most of interior is actually white, giving the two-tone cabin an elegant nautical feel. In addition, Lexus is introducing two new colors to Japan's LC palette: Sonic Iridium, which looks like yet another silver variant, and Terrain Khaki Mica Metallic, which looks like the beautiful Nori Green special edition we got in the U.S. and was previously exclusive to the convertible, is now available on the LC500 and LC500h coupe. Buyers can tick a box for new orange brake calipers as well. Lexus says they've also improved the LC's steering feel, ride quality, and controllability during high-g cornering by making minor adjustments to the coil springs, dampers, and stabilizers. Coupled with tweaks to the settings of the variable gear ratio steering and dynamic rear steering systems, Lexus says the overall responsiveness has been improved. Lastly, the LC coupe's panoramic roof now uses a tinted privacy glass.  The Lexus LC menu has always been slightly different between the U.S. and Japan regions. For example, we get three interior options — tan, black, and a red-on-black two-tone. Even before Marine Blue Japan had a fourth, black-and-orange. It's not quite as Halloween-y as it sounds to American ears; the orange is more of a saddle brown. Lexus hasn't said whether Marine Blue (or any of the other improvements) will come to the U.S., but the LC is likely to receive a refresh soon. If the new interior is part of the package, we won't complain. Related Video This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.