The world at large may sometimes think that Lexus and passionate performance and enthusiasm are a mutually-exclusive oxymoron, but we know better, don't we? For years, our my.IS (née IS300.NET) members have shown the world that Lexus' smallest rear-wheel-drive platform series is a world-class enthusiast sports sedan (or 5-door hatchback or convertible coupe), be it stock or modified to its owner's personalized vision. Our brethren at Club Lexus have similarly shown that the larger GS, SC and even LS series models can be an enthusiast's dream machine. Lexus itself has stepped up to the plate with the IS F V8 sports sedan, the full F Sport accessory line for 2nd-generation IS and 3rd-generation GS models, the new-for-2010 LS 460 Sport and, of course, the pinnacle of Japanese automotive achievement, the LFA supercar. And now, Lexus invites you to share your enthusiasm for the 20-years-young marque by joining the Lexus Performance Registry.
A distinct subsection within the "Inside F" section of the Lexus USA official website, the highlight of the almost-a-microsite Lexus Performance Registry is, of course, the Registry itself, with its beckoning invitation: "PUTTING LEXUS PERFORMANCE ON THE MAP. LITERALLY. Welcome to the worldwide database of exhilarating Lexus performance vehicles. Here, you can... [Read More]
Thus far, the my.IS Front Page's exhaustively detailed stories on the notable changes to the 2011 Lexus IS, IS C and IS F models have included initial, pricing and follow-up stories on the United States, followed by news from Japan. Now it's Europe's turn to receive our attention. As we did with our prior Japan story, we'll focus strictly on the changes that affect just European-market versions of the Lexus IS family, and not repeat ourselves with what has already been said on our previous stories.
IS 250 sedan
It's safe to say that each major Lexus market has seen one notable new powertrain change or variant. In the United States and Canada, it's the new IS 350 AWD (all-wheel-drive) sedan model. In Japan, it's the addition of the IS 350C convertible to the lineup. Europe sees two such significant changes. The first is the fact that manual transmission IS 250 models will no longer be available anywhere in the Old Continent. On the surface, this might appear to be a stunning and shocking... [Read More]
Back on 16 July 2010, the Toyota USA Newsroom became the first online source to reveal extensive official information on the changes for the 2011 model year for Lexus IS, IS C and IS F models. The next day, our initial article commenting on those changes appeared, followed by an article on 2011 pricing posted on 22 July. These two articles raised a multitude of questions, many of which were answered in a third my.IS Front Page story on 4 August. The first consumer website to report 2011 Lexus IS changes, however, is the official Lexus Japan website. Given that those three aforementioned my.IS articles have discussed those changes in a fairly exhaustive and detailed manner, here we'll only focus on the new specific bits that affect only the Japanese Domestic Market. We must note an important caveat, though: given this author's nonexistent knowledge of the Japanese language beyond arigato, kaizen and sayonara, any conclusions and information posted in this article are based strictly on pictures and numbers that are easily understood by non-Japanese speakers. Thus, we may miss certain facts and nuance. If there are any Japanese-speaking my.IS members out there that can fill any gaps, by all means feel free to post your comments after this article. Here, then, are the highlights of the changes for the 2011 Lexus IS, IS C and IS F models in Japan: ... [Read More]
Over the weekend we brought you several photos of the Lexus LFA supercar in a stunning new yellow paint scheme. Lexus has since released a selection of studio shots of this particular car and we just can't resist showing them to you.
There's nothing else is new about this particular version of the Japanese exotic, with a 552-hp V10 engine and 354 ft-lbs of torque. With a six-speed sequential transmission and a curb weight of just 3,263 lbs, the LFA has a power to weight ratio of 5.8 lbs/hp and can hit 62 mph in 3.7 seconds and top at at 202 mph!
Priced at $375,000 just 500 LFA models will be produced. Lexus also recently announced that along with its complex leasing program, the LFA is also available to purchase outright, but customers must agree not to flip the car.
Several weeks ago we brought you a few pictures of a yellow Lexus LFA; now that car has been officially unveiled on the Concept Lawn at Pebble Beach, during the annual Concours d’Elegance. Those early pictures were misleading about the exact shade of yellow, however. Seeing the car in person it is definitely more of a soft yellow than the eye searing color previous photos had lead us to believe.
Nothing else is new about the model, with a 552-hp V10 engine and 354 ft-lbs of torque. With a six-speed sequential transmission and a curb weight of just 3,263 lbs, the LFA has a power to weight ratio of 5.8 lbs/hp and can hit 62 mph in 3.7 seconds and top at at 202 mph!
Priced at $375,000 just 500 LFA models will be produced. Lexus also recently announced that along with its complex leasing program, the LFA is also available to purchase outright, but customers must agree not to flip the car.
As early leaked reports indicated, Toyota is being exonerated after Congress pushed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to reveal the preliminary findings of its investigation into the cases of "unintended acceleration" of Toyota vehicles.
A Department of Transportation investigation of the black box recorders in 58 Toyota vehicles involved in "unintended acceleration" crashes has revealed that in 35 of those cases the brakes were never engaged. In nine other cases the brakes were only applied immediately before impact. In five additional cases no data was recorded, while in five more it was shown that the brakes were applied early on. One incident showed that both the accelerator and brake were pressed.
Toyota did place a recall for a faulty mechanical brake pedal and for millions of vehicles with what could be improperly installed floor mats – the later which is believed to be a cause of the crash in at least one of the 58 vehicles investigated by NHTSA.
"The limited research completed so far has not led to identification of safety defects other than sticking gas pedals or pedal entrapment," reads the report, clearly indicating that faulty vehicle electronics are not to blame.
Lexus aims to prove just how impressive its new LFA supercar is by competing in what is arguably the world's most prestigious sports car series, the FIA GT1 Championship. The carbon-chassis 552-hp V10 exotic will reportedly take on rivals such as the Lamborghini Murciélago, Ford GT, Aston Martin DB9, Maserati MC12 and domestic rival Nissan with its race-spec GT-R.
The LFA has already competed at three Nürburgring 24 hour races, placing first in its class this past year after two DNFs the years before.
Racing against the GT-R will be a big step for the LFA, as Toyota's past failures at the Nürburgring and the fact that the company never released data on just how fast the car could lap the famed circuit raised doubts that this was the supercar it was destined to be.
In addition, Lexus intends to also compete with the LFA in the Super GT series in Japan and if all goes well for Lexus in the FIA GT1 series, expect to see the car make an appearance at next years 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Putting the focus on the LFA will be a primary concern for Toyota's motorsports department, indicating that Toyota has now abandoned any plans to enter the World Rally Championship.
Bye-bye AFS and PCS
In our joy that HID headlights, the new LED daytime running lights and headlight washers were joining the 2011 IS 350 sedan standard equipment list, we totally missed the fact that AFS (Adaptive Front lighting System) is no longer offered on the Lexus IS line as part of the 2011 changes. This was brought to our attention by the September 2010 print edition of Motor Trend magazine and confirmed by the 2011 Lexus Technology Summary charts. To refresh your memory, AFS helps illuminate more of the road in a turn by steering asymmetrically via suspension ECU. In the case of 2006-10 Lexus IS models so equipped, the left headlamp... [Read More]
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The world at large may sometimes think that Lexus and passionate performance and enthusiasm are a mutually-exclusive oxymoron, but we know better, don't we? For years, our my.IS (née IS300.NET) members have shown the world that Lexus' smallest rear-wheel-drive platform series is a world-class enthusiast sports sedan (or 5-door hatchback or convertible coupe), be it stock or modified to its owner's personalized vision. Our brethren at Club Lexus have similarly shown that the larger GS, SC and even LS series models can be an enthusiast's dream machine. Lexus itself has stepped up to the plate with the IS F V8 sports sedan, the full F Sport accessory line for 2nd-generation IS and 3rd-generation GS models, the new-for-2010 LS 460 Sport and, of course, the pinnacle of Japanese automotive achievement, the LFA supercar. And now, Lexus invites you to share your enthusiasm for the 20-years-young marque by joining the Lexus Performance Registry. 
Thus far, the my.IS Front Page's exhaustively detailed stories on the notable changes to the 2011 Lexus IS, IS C and IS F models have included 
Back on 16 July 2010, the Toyota USA Newsroom became the first online source to reveal extensive official information on the changes for the 2011 model year for 
Our recent 
