2000 Lexus LS Reviews

Lexus staged the world debut of the first compact luxury hybrid car, introduced three F Sport models, revealed pricing for its IS 350 and announced it has sold all its eight allocated LFA supercars at $700,000 each.<56365 >The CT 200h F Sport hybrid model - the fourth Lexus hybrid - looks the part with “flame blue” paintjob and sports wheels.  Underneath it features ``body performance damper'' to increase rigidity, suppress vibration and improve ride and handling.It will also have a two-mode function that varies dynamics from economical to sporty and is the first luxury car with a top three ranking on the government’s Green Guide.  The CT 200h F Sport goes into production in December and will arrive here early next year.Lexus chief executive Tony Cramb says there is a trend to small vehicles that do not compromise on features.  "CT 200h F Sport models will add even greater appeal to a vehicle that - with its hybrid drivetrain and list of advanced features - is set to become Australia's most advanced luxury hatch,'' he says.Cramb also announced that Lexus will eventually offer a dedicated F Sport model on every vehicle line starting with the IS and CT 200h vehicles."Twenty years ago, Lexus offered just one dedicated luxury vehicle, the LS400. Today, that dynamic has changed and we have five model lines with 33 variants and a growing platform,'' he says."The coming years for Lexus will be defined by a growth in hybrid vehicles and performance-oriented product - driven by our two halo vehicles LS 600hL and LFA.''Cramb says the eight allocated 412kW/480Nm LFA supercars have all been sold with the first arriving early next year, but he would not reveal the identity of owners or who missed out.  He says they could have sold more and were originally only allocated five until they pleaded for more."Each and every Lexus LFA customer has had personal dialogue with senior Lexus Australia representatives,'' he says."Lexus has forged a strong relationship with each LFA owner. This relationship will continue well into the future, encompassing technical and service support and access to Lexus' exclusive Encore program.  “They will become collectors’ cars.”The carbonfibre-bodied 411kW V10 supercar was unveiled by US racing legend Scott Pruett who has taken potential buyers around US racetracks and helped sell 171 of the 500 vehicles built.Cramb also announced the new IS 350 will arrive in three trims, starting at $64,800.  The 233kW, 3.5-litre V6-powered IS sedan will be more than $20,000 cheaper than its nearest rival, with competitors cited as Audi A4 3.2 FSI Quattro, BMW 335i M Sport and Mercedes-Benz C 300 Avant."As part of Lexus Australia's negotiation process for IS 350, pricing was always top of mind,'' he says.  "IS 350 pricing is not apologetic. It's realistic and supports our long-held belief that luxury vehicles shouldn't be priced highly just because they can be.''The F Sport model will cost $71,800 and the Sport Luxury will be $81,300 and all will come standard with satnav.  Cramb says the IS 350 will not be the top seller but will “substantially” increase sales of the IS line which is its top selling line.  Lexus will extend its motor show presence with a travelling show around the country, featuring the CT 200h.The "Progressive Luxury Tour'' has already toured the US and Canada and features a mobile tech centre, with iPad information consoles and prototype vehicles.  Brisbane will play host to the first leg of the Australian tour, followed by Sydney and Melbourne.The free tour is in Brisbane at Redacliff Place, Queen Street Mall, from October 16 to 18, 10am to 7pm; Sydney, Palm Grove, Darling Harbour, October 22 to 23, 12-9pm and October 24, 10am-7pm; and Melbourne, Queensbridge Square, Southbank, October 29-30, 12-9pm and October 31- November 1, 10am-7pm.

If not quite as hot as the IS-F released last year, the IS 350 ups the ante within the mainstream IS lineup – midway between the IS F’s V8 grunt and the IS 250’s smaller 2.5-litre V6, now retuned for strict Euro 5 emissions regulations. The IS 350 features a gutsy 3.5-litre V6 powerplant clearly designed to compete with the bigger six-cylinder prestige offerings from BMW, Benz and Audi.  You’ll see the new IS 350 at the Australian International Motor Show alongside the newly facelifted IS 250 and the jaw-dropping LFA supercar. The IS 350’s new 3.5-litre engine develops a healthy 228kW and 375Nm, and is mated to a six-speed tiptronic automatic transmission.  Together with the IS 350’s trim dimensions and light weight, the package will see 100km/h on the dial from a standing start in just 5.6 seconds – a significant performance improvement over and above that of the IS 250. Something else that’s new, and hints at Lexus’s new sportier DNA – the IS 350’s ‘F Sport’ ID, together with more sport-oriented suspension, a unique wheel/tyre package, edgier front end plus HID xenon headlamps and LED-based daytime running lights. Pricing is, at the time of writing, still anyone’s guess. That’s due to be announced as the Motor Show kicks off – with the likely best guess in the $90,000 ballpark.

The Mazda BT-50 is presented as an ‘active lifestyle vehicle’ that overturns the conventional image of a utility with modern and refined styling. The new model was developed from the ground up as a brand new type of vehicle.  As well as strength and dependability, the BT-50 is a great alternative for a wide range of customers who lead active lifestyles. The exterior design features crisp lines, an imposing presence, plus sporty, dynamic proportions. When it finally hits Australian roads it is designed to be an instantly recognisable head-turner. Customers who buy the BT-50 will, in effect, also be making a small investment in Australian automotive expertise as well – the vehicle was jointly developed, with the all-new Ford Ranger, right here in Australia. So you can be sure it’ll be tough enough for our potentially harsh operating conditions. Another significant display at this year’s Australian International Motor Show is Mazda’s range of next-generation SKY powertrains due for release later next year.  The SKY powertrains are a key part of Mazda’s earlier (2007) commitment to reduce by 30 per cent overall average fuel consumption levels between 2008 and 2015. The Mazda 2.0-litre SKY-G (for gasoline) petrol engine features direct injection and natural aspiration, while the hi-tech turbocharged 2.2-litre SKY-D (for diesel) common-rail diesel engine provides a solid wall of torque from just over 1000rpm to an incredible 5200rpm redline. Both are mated to manual and auto SKY-Drive transmission options – both with six speeds. The auto uses a locking clutch 80-90 per cent of the time for direct drive, which minimizes frictional losses, boosts efficiency and reduces greenhouse emissions.

... but you will get a full production preview at the Australian International Motor Show. The Corolla-sized CT 200h is Lexus’s first-ever luxury hot hatch, and proves ‘green’ doesn’t necessarily mean boring – offering the choice of Normal, Sport, ECO and even emissions-free EV driving modes together with crisp, clean handling. It mates a 1.8-litre inline four-cylinder petrol engine with intelligent continuously variable valve timing to a battery-driven high-output permanent-magnet electric drive motor, and drives the front wheels via an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission. The CT 200h will benefit from parent company Toyota’s considerable expertise and global dominance of the hybrid market, but will add ‘Sport’ mode to the equation – as well as put the new Audi A1 and A3 plus the BMW 1 and 3 Series firmly in its sights.

This amazing vehicle will be the halo car of the Lexus range – as well as its key exhibit at the Australian International Motor Show.  The car features a beautifully sculpted CFRP (carbon fibre reinforced polymer) body. In fact, CFRP components represent 65 per cent of the LFA’s body composition by mass – and substantially more than that by volume seeing as it’s a substantially lighter (and stronger) material than either aluminium or steel.The remaining 35 per cent of the LFA’s meticulously sculpted body is crafted from aluminium. The extensive use of CFRP saves over 100kg of mass – which is directly translated to both performance and efficiency improvements.Only 500 Lexus LFAs will be made, with production of just 20 units a month over an approximate two-year period. Each will be largely handmade, and customized to each customer’s specifications.Each LFA body will bear a plaque announcing its position in the limited production run, and each of the 4.8-litre V10 engines will bear the assembler’s signature.In the USA, where 150 of the 500 LFAs will be sold, racing driver Scott Pruett was commissioned to give demonstration drives to prospective customers. In European markets, customers place their LFA order at a single dealer located in Park Lane, London. This car is exclusively awesome.Power comes from a 72-degree V10 displacing 4.8 litres and delivering 412kW at 8700rpm. Its peak torque of 480Nm arrives at 6800rpm, although 90 per cent of that (430Nm) is available from just 3700rpm, making the LFA a supremely tractable car.The engine redlines at an amazing 9000rpm and engages its rev-limiting fuel cut-off at 9500rpm (at which point it is turning at the rate of 158 revolutions each second, and generating torque via almost 800 individual combustion events per second).The V10 was selected over a V8 with the same displacement thanks to its capacity for higher revs, and over a V12 configuration because of the V10’s lower reciprocating mass – thereby ensuring more rapid engine response.How rapid? Lexus says the engine can go from idle to redline in just 0.6 seconds – and is used in US TV advertisements to shatter a champagne flute.A six-speed automated sequential gearbox – rather than a dual-clutch transmission – with paddle shifters can upshift in just 0.2 seconds. There are four computer-controlled operating modes: auto, normal, sport and wet.The LFA’s top speed is a claimed 325km/h, with 0-100km/h in just 3.6 seconds. Weight distribution is near to the ideal 50/50 front to rear.

Production of the SC ended in August and only 690 were sold during nearly a decade in Australian showrooms. There were some positives to the SC430 - its smooth 4.3-litre V8 engine, the folding hardtop roof and brilliant Mark Levinson sound system - but Lexus has much bigger ambitions for the new LC two-door. The exclusive Carsguide sketches show a car with a rakish body that takes its cues from the Lexus LF-A supercar, with far more space and grace than the dumpy SC. It is tentatively called the LC600h, a tag that makes an obvious hybrid connection to the existing LS600h luxury sedan. The LC will reportedly employ a shortened version of the next- generation LS chassis, as well as an updated version of the 5.0-litre V-8 hybrid system from the LS600h L and the same car's all-wheel drive system. Like the outgoing SC, Japanese sources say LC is also being developed as a convertible with a retractable metal roof. Expected to out-perform its European competitors, the LC600h will reportedly generate some 370 kilowatts and will sprint from 0-100km/h in less than five seconds. According to a Lexus insider, the company sees the new LC as the car that most captures the essence of what Lexus is all about _ performance, luxury and the environment _ more so than any Lexus model to date. It's an upscale configuration that should elevate the car a status rivalling the Mercedes SL, something the SC was never able to accomplish. The LC is currently being developing in the shadows of the next LS, and our Lexus insider tells us not to expect the LC before its four- door LS brother hits showrooms in 2014. "If we don't get anymore nasty surprises on the economic front, then anytime after 2015 might be the right time for the LC," he says. While work is well advanced on the LC600h, Toyota is still struggling for traction with a revival of its thuggish Supra coupe. But it's not giving up and a Japanese insider says Toyota recently applied for a patent on the Supra name in the USA, a move that fuels stories about the possible re-launch of the model, which was killed in 2002. Toyota has reportedly tried to kick-start a Supra rebirth several times over during the past five years. The FT-HS hybrid sports, an edgy coupe concept that starred at the 2007 Detroit Motor Show, was the latest failed attempt. No-one at Toyota will confirm a Supra program, but there are hints that the name could be used for a future hybrid sports car or perhaps a special grade model.

... and one of the stars of the Australian International Motor Show.

The Japanese car giant says the expansion - which will include the Lexus CT200h to debut at this month's Paris Motor Show - answers increasing customer demand for greener cars and a rising number of hybrids from rival car makers. The six will be two Lexus variants and four with Toyota badging. A Toyota spokesman - who is not named - says the models are all-new and not upgrades of existing hybrids.  They will be launched to capitalise on the success of hybrids in select global markets. Toyota's Prius, for example, has been Japan's best seller since May 2009.  The announcement comes as rivals such as Nissan go public with plans for greener cars. In Nissan's case, it has ignored hybrids and wants all-electric vehicles. It will sell the Leaf all-electric plug-in hatchback in Japan and Europe later this year and, possibly, Australia next year.  Mitsubishi now sells its all-electric i-MiEV baby five-door hatch in Australia and Subaru sells electric cars such as the Stella on the Japanese market. Toyota also has electric plans. It will debut a fully-electric version of its RAV4 at the Los Angeles motor show in November.  The electric RAV is the product of Toyota's partnership with US-based zero-emission carmaker, Tesla.

The punchy IS 350 finally joins the local line, Lexus is bringing the F-Sport sub-brand to Australian showrooms, and there are improvements to everything from safety to economy and emissions. There is unlikely to be any price hike despite the changes, although Lexus refuses to discuss showroom stickers ahead of the local IS unveiling at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney. "It's a true facelift. It's not just a tickle," says Peter Evans, the new corporate manager for marketing and aftersales at Lexus Australia. It's suspension, it's daytime running lamps, it's the dashboard, its a whole bunch of stuff. And we'll have a range of IS 350 models, as well as the launch of F-Sport. We're planning to price it competitively against its competitors." But there is no diesel for the Lexus IS, as Toyota's luxury brand continues its commitment to hybrid cars in Australia. There is a diesel in Australia but Lexus will soon have the CT200h for Australia and Japanese sources point to a full hybrid in the next generation of the IS in around four years. The importance of the IS update is reflected in its position in Australia. "It's our key model for Australia. Ultimately there are three cars that should drive the brand, and this is number one," says Evans. "The car is doing well. We're happy with the IS but the one we're having more trouble convincing people to consider is the RX." European information on the IS upgrade points to cleaner engines which meet the latest Euro 5 emissions standards, with better efficiency and reduced emissions for the IS 250 automatic and IS 250 coupe-convertible. Exterior changes run to LED daytime running lamps in the nose, a new grille, new rear lamps and new alloy wheel designs. The F-Sport model picks up more of the impact of the V8-powered IS F, with a deep front spoiler, 18-inch alloys, and a big rear spoiler. Inside, there is a sports steering wheel with leather-and-alcantara trim.

While the handsome popular but sedate IS250 has been here since 2005 and the high-performance IS-F since last year, Lexus Australia has long agitated for access to the IS350