Lexus

Lexus tries to make RX 350 a sports car, and fails

Lexus injected its brand, which had taken the place of Cadillac among AARP members, with a little excitement when it introduced the LFA and the IS-F. While those models have legitimate sport cred, the F-Sport line of cars, exemplified here by the 2013 Lexus RX 350 F Sport, comes off as much less convincing.

In colloquial terms, F Sport is all hat and no cattle.

On its own, the Lexus RX 350 works as a solid luxury SUV. Seating for five, flexible cargo space, and an easy driving character have made it a strong seller for Lexus, and a success … Read more

CNET on Cars 12: BMW 750Li vs. Lexus LS 460

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An embarrassment of riches this time as the 2013 BMW 750Li and Lexus LS 460 hit our garage on the same day. Some assignments are just more comfortable than others! But while both cars are luxurious, one felt much readier to cut it up on the road to my hands, and you might be surprised which.

A great Car Tech 101 in this episode, explaining the rather tricky relationship between horsepower and torque. We're conditioned to think about horsepower, but … Read more

Is there a self-driving car in your future?

LAS VEGAS--As hints leaked that both Lexus and Audi would be showing autonomous cars at CES 2013, no less a publication than the Wall Street Journal hyped the story. However, those expecting to see cars driving themselves around the Las Vegas Convention Center were disappointed. This trend had no gas.

Lexus burst the bubble with a surprisingly short press conference. The company brought two of its LS sedans on stage, one of them fitted with sensors and processors to research advanced safety features. Lexus vice president Mark Templin described the company's research as focused on safety, which could be … Read more

Lexus shows off road-aware safety research prototype

LAS VEGAS--Lexus showed off a prototype version of its safety-focused research vehicle today at CES, and it's designed to be more aware of what's going on around on the road.

That translates to a car that's been equipped with a bevy of sensors and other technological goodies, including a roof-mounted Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) laser that can detect objects from 70 feet away.

Other additions include a trio of hi-def cameras that look out for nearby vehicles; a sensor that detects the car's speed and angle; and a GPS antenna that Lexus says can figure out which way your car is pointed even when the car isn't moving. … Read more

Lexus at CES 2013: Join us Monday, 11 a.m. PT (live blog)

The auto industry will be watching as Lexus executives show off the company's latest in autonomous-driving technology at the 2013 International CES. The event kicks off at 11 a.m. PT (2 p.m. ET) on Monday, January 8, and CNET will be there to cover it live. We'll have a live video stream, along with a live blog packed with the news and analysis.

You can tune in to the blog and video stream here:

CNET's live coverage of Lexus' CES 2013 press conference.

Lexus is reportedly set to demonstrate autonomous-driving features. The Japanese automaker last … Read more

All-new Lexus IS to debut in Detroit; what should we expect?

Lexus has announced that it will be pulling the wraps off of the all-new IS at the 2013 North American International Auto Show--better known to those of us car guys and gals as the Detroit Auto Show. The automaker has stated that the new model "has been completely redesigned, inside and out" and will be inspired by the LF-CC Coupe Concept (which we saw make its own debut at the 2012 Paris Auto Show) and the brand's LFA halo car.

Beyond that, the automaker hasn't said anything else about the new IS. So, exactly what should … Read more

Lexus ads are the latest auto spots to dis social media

While there's a lot of attention paid to how much technology is being built into new cars, Lexus has at least three ads going in the other direction. 

The ads, which were unveiled this week, don't want you to sit around at home doing social media, but encourage you to hit the road. Preferably in a Lexus.

One ad, embedded above, makes fun of hitting the Like button:

This December, remember: you can stay in and "Like" something or you can get out there with your family and actually like something.

The ad below takes … Read more

Tech car buying guide

When shopping for a new car, the old questions remain relevant. Does it have enough seats for my family and friends? Are the seats comfortable? Will it suit all the uses for which I need it? Does it get good fuel economy? Is it safe?

However, there are many new tech features available that can make your drives more comfortable, keep you out of traffic jams, and prevent accidents. In addition, there are different drivetrain options that can save you a lot of money, depending on your lifestyle.

In this guide, we will let you know what features you can … Read more

Your automotive DJ: Five cars that play requests

Voice-command systems in cars let you make phone calls, enter an address into navigation, and even request music by an artist or album name, all without taking your eyes off the road or your hands off the wheel. Voice command over music usually works with an iPhone or iPod cabled to the car, or a thumbdrive plugged into the USB port. Most of the cars below rely on Gracenote's music database to translate artist and album names into phonetics understandable by a voice recognition system. This database includes nicknames, so instead of saying "play Bruce Springsteen," you can say "play The Boss."

Here are five cars waiting to take your musical requests. … Read more

Efficient concept cars frontload Paris Motor Show

The 2012 Paris Motor Show opens this weekend, and ahead of the show we have seen numerous previews of concept cars using hybrid and electric power trains. Carbon dioxide reduction is a huge issue in Europe, and automakers are showing off their latest research into vehicles that can give people the transportation options to which they have become accustomed, yet meet new emissions specifications. The win-win for Europeans is that these vehicles get much improved fuel economy in a regions with notoriously high gasoline prices.

Here are just a few of the cars we expect to see during the 2012 Paris Motor Show. … Read more