Beautiful 2008 Lexus Gs460 Mark Levinson Luxury Sedan * V8 * Low Miles * Nav * on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Ford, Toyota clean up in Best Car For The Money Awards

The U.S. News Best Cars for the Money Awards picks winners by looking at the average transaction price, five-year total cost of ownership, the regard a car has from the automotive press, reliability figures from J.D. Power and Associates and safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The result, according to the magazine, is "the best combination of critical acclaim and long-term value."
Ford nabbed six of the 21 categories that received awards this year, the Focus, Fusion, Fusion Hybrid, Taurus, Escape and Edge getting trophies. Toyota and its Lexus and Scion sub-brands took another five, the Tacoma and Tundra owning the two categories given to pickup trucks. The other ten awards were split between Honda with three, Buick with two, and one each for Subaru, BMW, Hyundai, Chevrolet and Mazda.
Follow the link to see all the winners and read about why they were chosen.

2015 Lexus NX offers bold design, compact luxury

Meet the all-new NX, Lexus' entry into the space occupied by the likes of the BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA. Based off the LF-NX Concept and sharing much of the design language seen on the polarizing IS sedan, the NX looks to be a rather sporty Lexus crossover.
The big news here is under the hood: the NX will be the first Lexus to use a turbocharged engine. That's right, a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder can be found in both the NX 200t and NX 200t F Sport. There will also be an NX 300h, and if Lexus' nomenclature remains consistent, we already know all about that one. As of right now, there aren't a lot of details on either powertrain, although with the NX's Beijing debut still over a week away, here's hoping we know more soon.
As for that design... well, we're waiting to see it up close. The initial reaction from the Autoblog team has been mixed so far. Like the IS, there are plenty of sharp angles, while the front is dominated by the brand's spindle grille. Lexus' designers have refined the shape of the headlights, giving them a cleaner overall look than on the pioneering IS. In back, LED taillights come standard. According to Lexus, 17-inch wheels are the base rollers, while 18s are optional.

Optimistic Lexus bumps US sales target higher

Last year Lexus sold 244,166 cars in the US, slotting into third place in the luxury segment behind BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Earlier this year Lexus said its target was 260,000 units in the US (which would still put it behind BMW's and Mercedes' numbers from last year), but Automotive News reports that it has raised its upper outlook to 270,000 cars.
The half-year pace hasn't been enough to make either number, but Lexus is gunning for a 15-percent gain in IS sales behind the arrival of the 2014 model, and this is also the first full year of sales of the new ES and LS. Lexus will most likely end the year in third place in the luxury segment behind BMW and Mercedes again, even if it does sell 270,000 units, but has said its prime directive is "good, steady growth."