Lexus LFA

V10 / 4.805 cc / 560 PS @ 8.700 (!) / 354 lb/ft (480 Nm) @ 6.800 / 0 - 62 mph (100 km/h): 3,7 s / Vmax: 202 mph (325 km/h)

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Lexus LF-FC Hybrid Sportcoupe

No technical specification available

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Lexus hots up its hybrid hatchback

LEXUS, it seems, are way ahead of me.

When I test drove the CT-200h earlier this year I walked away impressed but slightly frustrated; it was a hugely impressive hybrid hatchback, but "it isn't the last word in excitement". It was, I wrongly concluded, business as usual when it came to Japan's 1-Series bater. Even Kylie Minogue struggled to make the standard version look exciting.

But now the Japanese luxury car master's just spiced up the smallest of its models, meaning you can now enjoy a sports version of its hybrid hatchback.

The CT-200h Sport comes with the same eco-friendly powerplant as the normal version but it's been blessed with a tasty set of 17-inch alloy wheels, a new rear spoiler, flared sideskirts and a racy mesh grille among other cosmetic updates, meaning that while it doesn't have any extra go it offers plenty more show.

The company is, however, promising sportier handling, and said it's tuned the CT 200h F-Sport’s suspension for a more engaging drive, and fitted a lateral damping system as standard.

Yet for all the aggressive styling it's still an automotive eco activist thanks to its clever petrol/electric technology, meaning that it'll still return 68mpg and - thanks to its low emissions - cost nothing at all to tax.

In a stroke Lexus has just eliminated my main criticism of the CT-200h; that, for all its clever features, it was a bit boring. It's now just a little more Fast and Furious and a little less Friends of the Earth, and that's all I'd ask of it.

The CT-200h is available to order from Lexus showrooms now and costs £27,850.

Fire up the... Lexus CT-200h

IN the weird and wonderful world of car badges, every letter comes with its own connotations.

D, for instance, will forever stand for diesel, while I - usually preceded by G and T - denotes fuel injection. Yet if you're in the market for Lexus' first hatchback, it's H, writ in the tiniest of fonts on the rump of the new CT200h, that you're going to be interested in.

H stands for Hybrid, the eco-friendly blend of petrol and electric power that Lexus and parent firm Toyota have made their own over the years. Indeed, step into the new arrival from the Toyota Prius Life On Cars tested earlier this year and you'll find yourself in very familiar territory.

The clever computer displays you use to find out how much of the Earth you're saving while driving, for instance, are almost identical to the ones you'll find in the Prius, and that car's party trick - seeing how long you can drive on electricity alone - has made it into its upmarket cousin. Make no mistake; like the Prius, the CT-200h comes stuffed with intelligent thinking.

But don't let that fool you into thinking this is a Prius in drag, because it's far from it. The challenging Prius styling has been ditched by the CT-200h for a far more sober set of clothes, and once you've removed the distinctive D-pillar it is, if anything, a bit of a background blender. For better or worse, it looks like a Lexus.

It's the same story on the inside, with a cabin that's cosseting and comfortably laid out rather than rakish and idiosyncratic. Passengers front and rear will find it easy to get comfortable but children in the back might find the CT tricker than most to see out of, with that unusual window shape meaning they have to crane their necks forward to get a better view.

In fact the real departure for Lexus is the way their smallest offering brings front wheel drive to the firm's showrooms for the first time, but don't let that put you off. Smooth, reassuring and a true motorway mile muncher, you won't regret being behind the wheel if you found BMW's 1 Series or Audi's A3 a little harsh for your liking.

The CT-200h isn't the last word in excitement but it gives you effortless comfort with an eco twist. Business as usual for Lexus, then.

Lexus GS 350 AWD (2013)

V6 / 3.500 cc / 306 PS / 277 ft/lb (376 Nm) @ 4.800 / AWD / 0 - 62 mph (100 km/h): 5,7 s / Vmax: 142 mph (228 km/h)

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2012 LEXUS LFA TRACT TESTED

Watch out this cool video. The 2012 Lexus LFA car has been tested on track!
Inside Line Test the $375,000 super car from Lexus, and it's fast!

LEXUS LF-Gh IS NEW HYBRID REVEALED

As it gets closer to its debut at the upcoming New York International Auto Show later this month, Lexus has teased the Lexus Future Grand Touring hybrid concept with two photos offering partial reveals of the front and rear.

The company tags the LF-Gh as a redefinition of the luxury “grand tourer,” and undoubtedly, the concept will be effectively premiering the new form of the GS, the current incarnation of which has been around since 2005. The debutant is set to make its entrance on April 19.

Credit to paultan

KYLIE MINOGUE PROMOSIKAN LEXUS CT 200h

Call it an endorsement, call it a partnership, in fact, call it what you will, but Aussie pop queen Kylie Minogue is the latest superstar signed on to plug a specific car model, in this case the upcoming Lexus CT 200h.

The new relationship will see Kylie supporting the introduction of the CT 200h through the cross-media Quiet Revolution marketing campaign and other forms of publicity. In addition to appearing in the upcoming TV commercial and print advertisements, Kylie will take delivery of her own personally specified CT 200h, which of course isn’t a bad thing.

Lexus should be so lucky

SUPPOSE you're a car company renowned for making your motors big. Quiet, endlessly reliable and full of eco-gizmos, naturally, but still big.

You then do something that's been in vogue with big car makers for ages and launch a small one, but you don't want to be embarrassed by it looking so, well, small. Need to make it look a little larger? No problem. Just hire a pintsized popstar to promote it.

That's the impression I got today after looking at the pictures accompanying Lexus' genius idea of getting Kylie Minogue to promote the CT 200h, who in return will get the Japanese company to sponsor her 2011 tour. Nothing wrong with that - Seat is, after all Shakira's latest collaborator - or Kylie herself, whose particular brand of not-at-all-inspired-by-Daft-Punk dance electropop actually sounded brilliant on her last album. But she looks tiny next to that car!

Belinda Poole, Lexus director, explained the tie-up by saying: "Kylie is the perfect ambassador for Lexus and the new Lexus CT 200h."

"Kylie has the energy, style and exceptionally popular public profile that will reach directly to customers new to the Lexus brand."

Readers old enough to remember Kylie in her gold hotpants days will already know she's done this sort of automotive promotion work before, when Ford scored the PR coup of the Noughties by getting her to pose with the StreetKa . To this day I still won't drive a StreetKa because it's the first image that springs to mind when anyone utters the phrase "girly car", but it and Kylie were made for each other, because it's as sprightly, good looking and stylish as she is. More importantly, it was small and actually looked as though Ford had tailor-made it just for her.

Putting Kylie next to the CT-200h doesn't work because the evidence presented above doesn't make it look bigger - it just makes her look smaller, and despite my best efforts I can't help conclude she's still the more stylish of the two. With the StreetKa, it was a partnership of equals.

To this day, I cannot picture Kylie Minogue driving anything else.

The Life On Cars Radio Show

WHILE I could have used the new MP3 dictaphone in The Champion office for something vaguely useful, I've used it to record a show about cars instead.

As part of a venture for ChampRadio, the paper's new online radio station, I offered to do a recorded version of the banter you're probably used to reading on here and in the back pages of a certain local newspaper. It's essentially a follow up to what I did with Dune FM - the last show was in June last year - but with a more of an emphasis on new cars on their way to a showroom near you.

You can check this week's episode out by clicking on the link below to see what guest Katie Massam and I think of a whole host of cars, and you can check out all the other broadcasts on the "Radio" link on the blog.

You can also get involved, if you've got an opinion about cars and don't mind having a microphone thrust in your face, by getting in touch.

Until then, enjoy...

Fire up the... Lexus IS-F

THIS car's closest rival, believe it or not, is Liverpool Airport.

I say because the easiest and cheapest way to experience the epic acceleration of Lexus' IS-F, the company's first ever supersaloon, is to check in for the next flight from John Lennon, strap yourself into an Easyjet Boeing 737, and remind yourself of the way it rockets down the runway as it takes off. Japan's answer to the BMW M3 is a master of that same sort of relentless acceleration.

Thanks to a 414bhp, 5.0 litre V8 engine nestling under the bonnet of this otherwise sober suited saloon, this Lexus is fast on a level far removed from ordinary British motoring, making it wickedly intoxicating and effortlessly illegal at the same time.

It's as easy to drive as anything else from the firm's showrooms, being smooth and quiet on country roads and a doddle through built up areas, but mash your right foot into the floor and you might as well be on the next flight to Malaga.

Even overtaking, this car's party piece, can get you into trouble if you don't watch your speed, because even split second bursts will propel you well over the speed limit, although as a conselation you're treated to an American muscle car soundtrack as you do it!

My only real criticism is that it's neither as outlandish as BMW's M3 or Jaguar's XFR - a saloon with this much potency might as well look the part - and that the interior, well built and sumptuously trimmed as it is, isn't particularly inspiring either.

In my heart of hearts I know that a £57,000 Lexus that gets from nought to 60mph in less than five seconds before powering on to a top speed of almost 170mph is completely irrelevant in an age of austerity and Government cost-cutting, and that really I should be pointing you in the direction of one of the firm's eco-friendly hybrid models instead.

But you just can't help loving this Lexus.

As published in The Champion on December 1, 2010

LS 600 h L & RX 450 HYBRIDS LAUNCHED IN MALAYSIA

It’s highly unlikely that anyone who can spend just a shade under a million for a vehicle would really be that mindful of just how much that ride consumes, but here it is anyway, a hybrid luxury sedan that gobbles up less fuel and goes gentler on your wallet.

Okay, so maybe that’s not quite the way to look at it. How about a “doing your part for the environment while ensconced in the lap of luxury” bit then?

Well, how about both, since the Lexus LS 600 h L manages the above in equal measure, and in inimitable style at that. The flagship hybrid luxury sedan is Lexus Malaysia’s latest introduction into the market, and making it a double do for the higher-end hybrid movement is the introduction of the RX 450 h SUV as well. Which of course earns Toyota the bragging rights as the first player to have three hybrids in the country, two of them luxury units.

Full story and gallery of launch photos after the jump.

Admittedly, the market for a hybrid such as the LS 600 h L is rather minute, but Lexus Malaysia says it’s all about giving customers a wider choice in the upper-end, and it’s certainly as big a hitter as you can get.

The car is powered by Lexus’ Hybrid Drive full hybrid system, which combines a 2UR-FSE 5.0 litre V8 block, permanent all-wheel drive and a high output electric motor. The engine is a development of the 4.6 litre pot found in the LS 460L, with stroke increased from 83.0mm to 89.5mm, and output figures are 389 hp at 6,400 rpm and 520 Nm at 4,000 rpm. As for the 650V electric motor, this one delivers 165 kW of power and 300 Nm of torque.

The battery pack in the LS 600 h L is a compact two-piece sealed NiMH unit with a total of 240 cells, delivering a total of 288V. It’s placed next to the rear air conditioning unit, located behind the rear seats. Naturally, this allows the car to run in electric vehicle (EV) mode, with the car able to run on battery and electric motor up to a 40 kph speed for a short distance.

Together, the hybrid powertrain generates a combined output rating of 438 bhp, but is able to return a very respectable 10.75 km per litre in combined cycle fuel consumption. Lexus says that in city traffic or slow speed driving, the car’s fuel consumption is over 30% lower than the LS 460 L.

Replacing the eight-speed automatic transmission here is the L110F electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (E-CVT). Fitting into the existing LS transmission tunnel, the tranny consists of two water-cooled motor generators, tagged MG1 and MG2, in this case a power split device and a motor-speed reduction device together with the transfer for the all-wheel drive system – MG1 fulfils the role of the starter motor and generator, while MG2 is the traction motor and acts as a generator for regenerative braking.

The permanent all-wheel drive system uses a Torsen Limited Slip Differential, developed exclusively for the car, offering a 40:60 split between the front and rear axles in normal driving and shifting the torque split automatically (during acceleration or braking), within the range of 30:70 to 50:50, under less than ideal road conditions. Speaking of which, the car has three switchable driving modes – Normal, Power and Snow – to pick from.

Of course, there’s more to the LS 600 h L, and it’s pretty much chock a block as you can get in terms of features and kit. Unique to it are blue accents on the LED headlamps, badging, door lower moulding, smart key fob and blue-tinted tail lamps.

Electronically controlled Adaptive Variable Air Suspension (AVS) comes as standard fitment, with three suspension damping control modes – Normal, Comfort and Sport – available, along with a ‘Height High’ mode that allows the car a 15mm higher ride height. The car comes with seven-spoke 19-inch aluminium alloy wheels wearing 245/45 series tyres.

Safety-wise, there’s the Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) system, which integrates and manages VSC, traction Control, ABS, EBD and brake assist, among other things, and the car comes with 11 airbags. Parking assistance too, through the Intelligent Parking Assist (IPA) system, which assists rear and parellel parking.

There’s plenty in the interior – three semi-aniline leather colours, together with two classic colours of all-black with medium brown walnut woodtrim and Mellow White with matt Ashburl woodtrim, as well as aluminium chrome trim accents, a centrally-mounted 8-inch Electronic Multi Vision (EMV) touchpanel, a TFT colour LCD combination meter, climate control and a Mark Levinson 7.1 Reference Surround System with 19 speakers and a 15-channel, 450 watt amplifier. Passengers at the back get a Rear Seat Entertainment System (made up of a separate DVD player and a center console mounted 9-inch LCD Screen), as well as rear left powered Ottoman seat, complete with Rear Seat Relaxation system.

A total of 11 exterior colours – with the final clear coating enhanced with a two-component paint with has anti-scratch nanotechnology polymer – are available for the LS 600h L, which is priced at RM998,500, on the road without insurance.

If the LS is a bit too big – or rich – for your tastes, then there’s always the RM520,200 (again, on the road, without insurance) RX 450 h to consider. The hybrid SUV features styling cues to clearly distinguish it from its petrol-only RX 350 sibling. The front bumper has a dark silver grille, with a wider and slimmer multi-bar design and a slim louvre in the bumper below the grille.

Additionally, there’s a different engine cover, chrome fog lamp surrounds, blue accents for the tail lamps, blue tinted emblems and ‘450h’ logo as well as ‘Hybrid’ logos on the plated side mouldings at the base of the rear doors. The SUV also gets exclusive 19-inch five-spoke split design alloy wheels – with 235/55 series tyres – in a darker shade.

The RX 450h’s Lexus Hybrid Drive system is made up of a purpose-developed Atkinson Cycle 3.5 litre V6 petrol engine, a 123 kW electric front drive motor, a 50 kW rear motor, a electronically controlled continuously variable transmission, a three-block, 10-module-each 288V hybrid battery (located below the rear seats) and compact new Power Control Unit (PCU).
The 2GR-FXE pot in this one shares the basic architecture as the RX 350’s engine, but features – besides the Atkinson Cycle operation – a water-cooled exhaust gas recirculation (and attendant pressure sensor), a hybrid-specific intake manifold with large sound resonators, intake-only VVT-i and an accessory belt to only drive the water pump. Output is 245 hp at 6,000 rpm and 317 Nm at 4,800 rpm, and the combined hybrid system output is rated at 295 hp, while offering an impressive 15.9 km per litre combined cycle fuel efficiency.

The powertrain consists of a front-axle system with an electronically-controlled continuously variable transmission (E-CVT) and an electric-drive rear axle. Similar to the LS 600 h L, the E-CVT transmission has two sets of planetary gears, one motor-speed reduction device and the other a power split device, which divides driving power between the petrol engine and electric motors, or combining both. The front motor’s maximum output is 123 kW and 335 Nm.

There’s no propeller shaft in the electric all-wheel drive system, which is called E-Four – the rear axle has its own drive source, in this case a motor-generator (with a built-in differential), offering 50 kW and 139 Nm of torque. Oh, and like the LS, the RX 450 h is able to run on electric mode, again up to a 40 kph speed, as long as there’s enough juice in the batteries to do so.

Among the many items on the kit list are semi-aniline leather front seats with a Power Cushion Extender which extends the edge of the front seat cushion by an extra 21mm, LED headlamps, a Lexus 12-speaker Premium Audio System, 10 airbags, a Side Parking Assist Monitor and nine exterior colour choices.

I'd rather have a Suzuki Swift than a 170mph Lexus

This is one of the contrived conclusions I've come to after spending a day driving a selection of newly-launched cars around the Yorkshire countryside, after which I sat down and pondered whether I really am The Champion office petrolhead. I'll say it again; I'd rather have a Suzuki Swift than a 170mph Lexus.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders test drive days for the media are a bit like speed dating for cars, and it was at one of these events today that I somehow managed to persuade a nice man working for the Toyota/Lexus press office to lend me the keys to the Lexus IS-F, a banzai belter of a saloon that's being dubbed the Japanese M3. No, I don't know why he thought it was a good idea either.

Don't get me wrong; I loved the Lexus, primarily because it's by far and away the most bonkers car I've ever been allowed to drive. Anyone not familiar with this four-door flyer might dismiss it as a normal Lexus saloon with a bad Max Power bodykit on it, but the first moment you mash your right foot into the floor and get the 414bhp V8 to strut its stuff is sublime and scary in equal measure. It is intoxicatingly, frighteningly and licence-losingly fast.

Which is why I couldn't recommend it, because its strongest suit, the tidal wave of torque it offers up, is also its biggest drawback. The moments when you feel the explosiveness of this car's engine are just that; moments, because within seconds you've shot up to speeds you really shouldn't be doing. It's an addictive hit of epic acceleration, but get hooked and it'll get you into trouble.

I'm actually beginning to wonder whether I hanker for horsepower at all. A week after whinging that a wheelspinning Jag was completely outclassed by Escorts and Polos in an endurance race, I've realised that an entirely different bit of Japanese automotive engineering to the Lexus is a belter for Britain's highways and byways.

Suzuki's new Swift is about as far from the IS-F as I can imagine, but a combination of balletic handling, a flick-of-the-wrist gearchange and a sweet engine that sings rather than roars made it far more fun in the real, Gatso-ridden world. It's as if someone's stolen a Mazda MX-5, one of my favourite sports cars, disguised it as a small shopping car, and then put it on sale.

It really is that good.

Full road tests of the ten cars David Simister drove in Yorkshire will be posted on the Fire Up The... page in the coming weeks.

LEXUS IS VIDEO COMMERSIAL

The last commercial we saw from Lexus was none other than the "Pursuit of Perfection" which featured the LF-A shattering a crystal glass with the use of its "perfect pitch". And since Lexus is a good display of class and creativity, they have released another commercial that highlights the musical talents of the new IS sedan. The spot is called "Music Track" and features "122 percussion instruments arranged to create a precision-driving course full of angles and straightaways." Each instrument comes equipped with a lever that is positioned to allow the cruising IS sedan

to press it as it passes by. This positioning allows the Ultrasonic Blue 2011 Lexus IS sport sedan to become a master musician with each note it creates.

The commercial highlights the precision of the IS sedan, but the main man behind the wheel of the luxury vehicle is professional stunt driver, Eddie Braun. Together, the car and man duo are successful at playing each note without even coming close to knocking any of the instruments over. Nicely played, Lexus.