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2013 Lexus ES earns five stars from NHTSA

The 2013 Lexus ES has earned a five-star crash rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The 2013 ES 350 and ES 300h hybrid earned the highest ratings in each of the government's crash evaluations, including overall driver safety, frontal crashes and overall side impacts, save one. The sedan only achieved a four-star rating in the NHTSA rollover protection test, but that fault wasn't enough to keep the vehicle from earning a five-star designation overall.
The announcement doesn't mention the recent Consumer Reports claim that the ES comes with a faulty emergency trunk release that can be easily broken in a panic situation.
As you may recall, the 2013 ES 350 carries an MSRP of $36,100, plus an $895 destination fee and offers buyers a 268-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 good for 248 pound-feet of torque, as well. The ES 300h, meanwhile, stickers at $38,850 plus the same destination charge.

Junkyard Gem: 1997 Lexus LS 400

When Toyota introduced the Celsior to the world in 1989, followed shortly by Lexus LS 400-badged versions appearing in showrooms (as 1990 models) around the world, automotive-industry executives from Stuttgart to Yokohama broke out in the shaky sweats. Here was a designed-from-scratch (at the cost of over a billion bucks) luxury sedan with a six-bolt-main DOHC V8 engine, all manner of futuristic gadgetry, a super-quiet interior, intimidating build quality … and a sticker price 44% lower than that of the Mercedes-Benz 420SEL, 30% cheaper than the BMW 735i, 26% cheaper than the Audi V8, 12% cheaper than the Jaguar XJ6, and 8% cheaper than the Infiniti Q45. Sales were brisk, and the early LS 400s are finally starting to wear out in sufficient quantities that I see quite a few in the self-service wrecking yards I frequent. The second-generation LS was built for the 1995 through 2000 model years, and these machines have held together so well and depreciated so slowly that it's tough to find discarded examples (we saw the same process with the sturdy Toyota Cressida a decade or two earlier). Today's Junkyard Gem is one of those second-generation cars, now located in a Denver car graveyard. I admired the LS 400 so much that, about 10 years ago, I bought a '97 Coach Edition in Jade Green Metallic paint and (2018 LS 500 shown for scale). Because I am a hopeless car nerd, I had a Celsior grille and set of badges shipped over from Japan and installed them on my Lexus. When the 1997 Toyota Century — the first year with the ultra-smooth V12 engine — becomes import-legal in the United States next year, I plan to obtain one. My LS 400 has been extremely reliable and still hasn't reached the 150,000-mile mark, but I like to know that I can find junkyard parts for it if necessary. I went to visit this car because I was hoping to find a good set of factory wheels for my winter tires; the Blizzaks roll on some much-rashed ugly LS wheels at the moment. I passed on these Vision alloys, in part because there were only three on the car. The interior appears to have been thoroughly worn-out even before junkyard shoppers tore it apart. I don't know how many miles were on this car (because I'd have had to connect a battery to get the digital odometer to show me anything) but I'm guessing the final total would be impressive. The 1UZ-FE V8 displaces 4.0 liters and was rated at 260 horsepower.

2019 Lexus GX 460 Drivers' Notes Review | An ancient, yet luxurious SUV

The 2019 Lexus GX 460 is an old-school SUV with luxury draped all over it. Body-on-frame SUVs are the exception these days, as unibody crossovers lead the way forward. There are plenty of great reasons for this, but the GX marches on as a unabashedly truck-like SUV. Nothing about the price screams truck, though. At $70,840 as-tested, anybody who buys a new GX 460 is going to be left with a sizable hole in their wallet. However, it’s not without a bevy of luxury features. Being the high-zoot “Luxury” trim level, ours comes standard with an adaptive suspension, semi-aniline leather interior, a power-folding third row, mahogany wood accents and three-zone climate control. That said, Lexus still managed to tack on a decent number of options. A $2,340 Driver Support package added the Mark Levinson audio system and a suite of driver assistance systems. Our tester also had a $1,970 rear seat entertainment system and a $1,950 Sport Design Package. The package includes 18-inch gunmetal wheels, heated second-row captainÂ’s chairs and a sizable list of exterior changes like front and rear bumper spoilers and scarlet taillights. The powertrain is also stuck in a older time period. Whereas most large crossovers now use downsized turbocharged engines, this Lexus sticks with a 4.6-liter V8 good for ... wait for it ... 301 horsepower. The V6-powered ES 350 makes 302. Worse, the GX gets poor fuel economy and doesnÂ’t exactly rocket up to speed with much excitement, either. At least it's proven from a reliability standpoint. Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore: We try to talk about a specific element of the vehicles we test in Drivers' Notes, but indulge me today. IÂ’m going to talk about the Lexus GX 460Â’s ethos. By that I mean itÂ’s an old-school SUV that looks and feels the part. Wrapped in LexusÂ’ sharp, spindly styling, itÂ’s classy yet also kind of hulking. The steering is light and the vague brakes have little bite at first and then a lot as the pedal travel increases, making for challenging inputs for the driver. Still, I like it. The GX 460 captures the ethos of an old-school SUV perfectly. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder: For a three-row SUV, the GX feels pretty small inside. The second row is decent, but I know Greg had to do a little moving of seats in order to fit a rear-facing child seat back there.