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2015 Lexus LS gets tiny tweaks to try to keep up in LA

The 2015 model-year updates for the LS are certainly minor, but at least Lexus isn't letting its flagship sedan languish completely. The biggest change for the revised model is an improved infotainment system with an updated navigation and dynamic guidelines for the backup camera. Lexus' Enform App Suite also allows owners to remotely control some of the vehicle's functions, including the door locks, ignition and climate control settings. Among the litany of incredibly small tweaks, the dome lights now use LEDs, and the F Sport model that includes features like a sport-tuned air suspension and 19-inch forged wheels gets an added badge at the rear. The changes have increased the turning circle by 3.9 inches for models with the standard suspension and 18-inch wheels. All of the changes are definitely minor, but hopefully they'll sustain the posh motor until its next iteration is ready. 2015 Lexus LS Shows Why This Luxury Flagship Became A Luxury Legend - New Multimedia System for 2015 - Lexus Enform App Suite Upgraded - Upgraded Backup Camera With Dynamic Gridlines - F SPORT Model With Special Suspension, 19-inch Wheels, Brembo Brakes October 16, 2014 History seems to be repeating itself. The Lexus LS upended the luxury segment a quarter-century ago, and one reason was that it made a powerful V8 engine standard when it was a very expensive extra-cost option in some European models and not even available in others. Just change the year to 2015, and the situation seems to be replaying. A supremely smooth, standard 386-horsepower 4.6-liter V8 teamed with an eight-speed automatic transmission is only one facet of the 2015 Lexus LS 460, though undeniably, it's the one whose benefit you feel quite strongly during a road test. Nearly silent acceleration remains a hallmark aspect of driving a Lexus LS, which also offers the option of a more engaging driving experience with the F SPORT Package. A wide range of model choices also make the Lexus LS a standout. The LS 460 comes in regular and long-wheelbase versions, each with the further choice of rear-wheel drive or all-weather drive (360 hp with AWD). The ultimate Lexus flagship sedan remains the LS 600h L hybrid with 438 total system horsepower from a 5-liter V8 paired with an electric motor and all-weather drive. New for 2015, the LS gains a new multimedia system. The multimedia system, accessed through the navigation screen, provides a multitude of capabilities.

Toyota previews next Lexus RX with Tokyo-bound JDM Harrier

The Lexus RX shares much with the Toyota Highlander, but its more direct counterpart is the Toyota Harrrier. Never heard of it? That's because Toyota only sells it at home in Japan, and now it's revealed a new one. So if the Harrier is essentially a Toyota-badged version of the RX, then what's the big deal, you ask? The big deal is that the new Harrier which leaked in July, set to debut at the Tokyo Motor Show next week and which you see here isn't quite the same as the Lexus, and those differences could (and in most cases likely will) make their way over to the RX as well.
For starters, the styling is different. Granted that the Lexus version will almost certainly get a spindle-shaped grille, but even so, the Harrier's nose seems to protrude further than the RX's and the headlamps are a notably different shape. The greenhouse is also a different shape, coming to a sharper point at the back, and the mirrors are fixed to the A-pillar not to the door panel. The taillamps are revised, the tailgate has a new profile and there's a pseudo-diffuser at the bottom of the rear bumper. Subtle changes, to be sure, but then Toyota and Lexus are known for their evolutionary approach to styling. The interior has apparently undergone some updates as well, with a more dynamically styled dashboard, a more symmetrical center stack and different seats, steering wheel, door panels... the works. The infotainment display screen has also moved further down from its position in the current RX.
Toyota will offer the new Harrier with a 2.0-liter four mated to a CVT and driving either the front wheels or all four, and a hybrid setup with a 2.5-liter married to a 140-hp electric motor. The RX is offered here with a 3.5-liter V6 either on its own or with an electric assist. We wouldn't expect Lexus to go swapping the larger engines for the smaller ones, at least not for the US market. There's plenty more to the Harrier, of course, than the similarities and differences to the Lexus RX, and if you're buying a premium crossover in Japan, you can delve into the full details in the press release below, together with the images in the gallery above.

Did Lexus make a BMW? Or did BMW make a Lexus? This and other 2017 surprises

It's that time of year again. The calendar is about to reach its end, Star Trek Cats 2018 is about to take its place, and I'm reflecting about all the cars that graced my driveway this year or summoned me to exotic places. You know, like Stuttgart or Phoenix. In 2017, I drove at least 57, and as I perused the list of them, I started to notice a common refrain: "This car surprised me." Most were pleasant surprises, but there were a few head scratchers and facepalms for good measure. In both cases, it was generally the result of car companies seemingly trying to break out of an existing mold. Nowhere was that more apparent than the pair of Lexuses slathered in Infrared paint: The LS 500 that left me this week and the LC 500 that was my favorite car of 2017. Though Lexus has been trying to shake its crusty, gold-packaged reputation for some time now, its efforts always seemed like an old man choosing Hollister to redo his wardrobe after realizing it hasn't been updated since 1987. I fell in love with the LC, genuinely floored by its near-perfect take on the GT. It's characterful in sound, appearance and tactility. It was at home in the city, in the mountain and on the open road. It was both comfortable and thrilling, and after driving the mechanically related LS 500, I can report that the LC's talents aren't an outlier. The LS 500's turbo V6 may make different noises than the LC's naturally aspirated V8, but it nevertheless invigorates the cabin when the car is placed in Sport+ mode. The steering is truly communicative, body motions are kept in miraculous check, and I absolutely forgot I was in an enormous luxury limo ... and a Lexus one at that. It was everything that the BMW 530e was not. I drove that on the exact same roads and was utterly bored the entire time. Generally doughy, lifeless steering, more distant than Planet 9. And no, the plug-in hybrid powertrain had nothing to do with that. At least it shouldn't. The Porsche Panamera S e-Hybrid I also drove this year proves that, as do the Hyundai Ioniqs, which are surprisingly adept and fun little cars regardless of what powers their wheels (Hyundai + hybrid = fun really blew me away). I would drive that Lexus LS F Sport over the BMW 5 Series any day of the week, which seems like a shocking thing to say in relation to either car. While Lexus is seemingly breaking out of its old crusty mold, BMW seems to be climbing into one.