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2019 Mercedes-Benz G-Class vs big luxury off-roaders: How they compare on paper

During our first drive of the 2019 Mercedes-Benz G-Class, the all-new SUV's product manager was asked to identify competitors that might have been benchmarked in its development. The look on his face was about the same as if someone had asked him to recite King Lear in Klingon. As far as Andreas Hoeppel was concerned, the G 550 and AMG G 63 doesn't actually have a rival, or at least something the engineers and designers thought to compare it against. The G-Class is a G-Class, who cares what the other guys are doing? Well, in case you care, we figured we'd plug the new G-Class' specs into the old Autoblog Comparo Generator 3000 (TM) to see how the G 550 and AMG G 63 compare to the Range Rover and its mightiest SVAutobiography Dynamic model, plus the Lexus LX 570 and Bentley Bentayga V8. Frankly, Heir Hoeppel was onto something as each of these is wildly different. But, they do share some common elements: giant size and weight, ultra-lux interiors, and far more off-roading capability than other luxury SUVs offer and any of its owners are likely to ever utilize. Sad. So enjoy this trip down specification lane, and if you're still left hungry, you can always check out our Range Rover comparison or create your very own comparo. Off-Road Clearances and Capability All the fancy off-roading software and special cameras in the world won't do you a lick of good if your SUV is too close to the ground or has low-hanging body work that'll get easily ripped off. As such, check out each of these uber-SUV's ground clearance, approach and departure angles, and wading/fording depths. In this case, the Range Rover has an advantage due to its air suspension that can raise itself into an Off-Roading height that's a whopping 2 inches higher than the new G-Wagen. Sadly for itself, Lexus only provides figures for its air suspension when in normal height. It could match or surpass the Range Rover for all we know (but doubt it). As Land Rover does provide figures for the Range Rover's approach and departure angles in normal and Off-Road height, you can get an idea of just how much clearance the new G-Wagen has without any fancy (and expensive to fix) raising and lowering air suspension hardware. In fact, its departure angle is better than even the Range Rover's Off-Road height. Bentley doesn't provide any such information despite touting the Bentayga's surprising off-roading talents.

Lexus gives IS early updates for 2015

After just a year on the road, Lexus is bringing some modest tech and style upgrades to the 2015 IS. There are no mechanical changes to speak of, but the refinements should spruce things up a little bit.
The only exterior change for the 2015 IS models is the addition of LED foglights, but as they say, it's what's on the inside that counts. All models get an improved radio with Siri Eyes Free voice command for iPhone 4S and 5 users, and the standard backup camera now includes dynamic grid lines. There is also new piano black trim around the instrument panel and window switches, and a Stratus Gray interior color replaces the previous Light Gray. Buyers get a one-year subscription to the Lexus Enform Remote, which allows drivers to use their smartphones to control some aspects of the car, like remotely locking the doors.
Vehicles ordered with the F Sport package get heated and ventilated front seats, and all-wheel-drive F Sport models get a heated steering wheel, as well. The warmed wheel is also optional on non-F all-wheel-drive models. It should keep drivers nice and toasty in the winter.

Lexus RX replacement to debut in Detroit?

The 2015 Detroit Auto Show is shaping up to be a big one for Lexus, with Group Vice President Jeff Bracken confirming to Ward's Auto that the Japanese luxury marque will have at least one, and possibly two, all-new-model introductions. Ward's seems to think that one of those vehicles will be the new RX crossover, one of the brand's most popular (and oldest) offerings. The complete and utter lack of spy photos of the new RX doesn't necessarily support Ward's argument, although if the new CUV ends up being based on the JDM Toyota Harrier, as previously reported, the absence of camouflaged images might make some sense. As for that other vehicle, it's hard to say what we might see. Were we to put our money on it, though, the long-awaited GS F would be a strong contender for a Detroit debut. The high-performance challenger to the BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG has been spotted almost completely undisguised as recently as October. On top of that, Detroit's reputation as a performance-focused show (last year's show saw debuts of the Ford Mustang, BMW M3 and M4, Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Volkswagen Golf R and Porsche 911 Targa) makes the GS F's appearance there a fair bet. One thing we can count on at least hearing about when Detroit rolls around is Lexus' strong sales position. The company's 2014 sales should crest 305,000 units by the end of the year, marking the first time the company had passed the 300,000-unit mark since 2007. Bracken told Ward's that should be an easy task, particularly with the brand's "best month of the year," December, still to come.