2016 Lexus LS Reviews

Lexus GS300 is an upmarket Japanese sedan with a fair bit of sportiness in its makeup.

Lexus is no longer the geeky new kid in the fiercely fought sub-luxury car fight.

We turn the spotlight on the Lexus GS 300h and answer all the questions, including the biggest -- would you buy one?

What's the connection between a gaggle of camera-toting tourists wandering aimlessly around Hobart's waterfront and a flock of seagulls sunning themselves in the middle of the road?

The Lexus RC F has picked up the performance baton from the Toyota prestige brand's IS F and will carry it with what Lexus says is the most powerful V8 in any of its cars.Able to switch between Atkinson and Otto cycles, it's a  more powerful version of the current 5.0-litre V8, with outputs raised to "more than" 335kW of power and 520Nm of torque. Lexus didn't give precise figures during the car's official unveiling this morning, but it's a rise over engine's current 321kW and 505Nm.The engine is mated to an eight-speed auto that Lexus says improves throttle response, and Lexus has added what it claims as the world's first front-engine, rear wheel drive torque-vectoring differential - which works differently to the brake-based system on the latest HSV GTS and other vehicles -- and has three operating modes -- Standard and Slalom for stability and steering response, and Track to aid cornering and acceleration. "The system on RC F is critically different to that on other vehicles as it does not use the application of brakes to assist in vehicle trajectory," Lexus spokesman Tyson Bowen says. "Rather than applying or dragging the brake pedal to the wheel loosing traction, the RC F's differential apportions torque to the wheels that require more or less. The benefit of the system is that it does not consume power by turning torque into heat, and furthermore does not require a larger brake calliper to counter additional heat stress."With the car having been largely developed on the Nurburgring, we're keen to hear the lap time, but that's not being disclosed yet. However with the uprated engine, the RC F should better the IS F's 4.9 seconds for the 0-100kmh sprint and perhaps raise the top speed of 274km/h.The performance gets an optional helping hand from weight-trimming carbon-fibre used for the roof and other body parts, plus an active rear wing that deploys at speeds over 80km/h and retracts when you wind back down to 40km/h and a hood scoop to minimise front lift.It rides on coil-spring independent suspension front and rear, with  monotube gas-filled shock absorbers and ball-jointed stabiliser bars. The wheel-arches can house one of three 10-spoke 19-inch forged alloy  wheels designs -- the top spec finished by the hands of a metal craftsman.An imposing version of the Lexus spindle grille works with the aggressive bumpers and side skirts to add the visual promise of performance, backed up by bonnet and front fender vents, and the four stacked trapezoid exhaust tips at the rear. That attitude carries over into the cabin, with metal and carbon-fibre trim, leather-covered sports seats emblazoned with an 'F', and meaty sports steering wheel.There's also a huge central dial in the instrument cluster that shows a G-force meter and different information depending on which of the differential modes are selected, and a large infotainment screen that dominates the centre stack.

Lexus claims its cars are all about the pursuit of perfection -- but Toyota’s luxury division has made a less than perfect claim for its new V8 coupe unveiled at the Detroit motor show overnight. The company says the Lexus RC F has the “world-first use” of a Torque Vectoring Differential in a front-engine, rear-drive sports vehicle.The problem with that claim is that both the Jaguar F-Type convertible and coupe and Holden Special Vehicles GTS sedan introduced torque vectoring technology last year; Porsche’s 911 has had it for two years, although it is a rear-engined vehicle. “Torque Vectoring” is geek-speak for technology that can prevent a car from having a rear-wheel skid. Lexus claims its system works differently to others, however, the result is the same. Meanwhile, the world’s motoring media became frustrated with Lexus’ decision to not reveal more details about the performance of its new hero car, a pointer to the upcoming Lexus IS F replacement. Although Lexus appears to have over-hyped that claim too. Lexus said the RC F had the “most powerful ever Lexus 5.0-litre V8”, but the company would not say how much power or how fast the car would complete the 0 to 100km/h dash.One of the most popular automotive websites in the US, Jalopnik, summed up the mood at the show when it vented on Twitter: “The Lexus RC-F is faster than a Shelby Cobra, maybe. We dunno.” “The Lexus press conference debuting the RC F Coupe wasn't just slim when it came to details. It was totally devoid of them. No official specs, no nothing,” wrote Jalopnik.Lexus said the V8 concept coupe had “at least” 335kW of power and 520Nm of torque. The current Lexus IS F V8 sedan has 311kW and 505Nm. So no rocket grenade improvement, then. The end. Next story please.      

The US car industry has come full circle and returns to old-fashioned horsepower at this year's Detroit motor show, with large pick-ups and "America's Ferrari" set to steal the limelight from imported exotica.Centre of attention at the show, which opened overnight Australian time, is Ford's new F Series truck, which has for decades held the title as the planet's favourite vehicle and makes a watershed move to aluminium construction.The bold decision, aimed at cutting fuel consumption, takes aluminium mainstream and makes Forda pioneer in volume production using the metal.Demand for pick-ups has rebounded since the global financial crisis and Ford sold more than 760,000 of the outgoing F Series last year, up 18 per cent.It has kept details of the redesign secret and will hope it can upstage its rival from General Motors, the Chevrolet Silverado, tipped to win Truck of the Year.US buyers strongly favour full-size pick-ups but last year GM broke ranks and offered a version of the smaller Colorado, described as "mid-size" in the US. At a preview event for the show, GM unveiled the GMC Canyon, a more upmarket version of the Colorado with a bull nose and acres of chrome.It marked the first appearance for Mary Barra since she was named chief executive - the only woman to lead one of the car giants. "I'm honoured to stand here tonight and humbly lead this team," Ms Barra said. "It's a team of men and women doing unbelievably great work."It comes just weeks after GM shed its "government motors" tag, with Washington selling the last of the shares acquired during the GFC. As well as a truck award, GM is also in the running for Car of the Year with two out of the three finalists -- a Cadillac and its reborn Chevrolet Corvette. The new Corvette has earned a reputation for delivering Italian sportscar performance at a fraction of the price. A track-focused version, called the Z06, will be GM's show star.The Z06 will compete for crowd attention with the Ford Mustang, which makes its first public appearance after private unveilings last month.GM's recovery milestone has a parallel at Chrysler, after Fiat recently acquired complete control.The smallest of the US "Big Three" is now wholly foreign-owned but rebounding thanks to a focus on Americana, with its controversially redesigned Jeep Cherokee SUV winning over sceptics. It too is in the running for Truck of the Year.Unlike the F Series and Corvette, it will be shipped to Australia starting mid-year. Hometown drawcards will force foreign brands backstage despite an impressive line-up.German and Japanese carmakers are also stressing traditional petrol-driven horsepower with an exceptional crop of performance cars. BMW debuts two halo junior executives in the M3 sedan and M4 coupe, which drop V8s in favour of six cylinders but have more power and better efficiency thanks to turbocharging.Lexus has the M4 in its sights with the RC F, a V8 coupe based on its mid-size luxury sedan. Meanwhile, Mercedes rolls out its next generation C-Class and a tuned version of its small off-roader, the GLA 45 AMG; Porsche shows a retro-flavoured 911 Targa sportscar; and Mini a concept that previews the upcoming John Cooper Works go-fast edition.Audi will attract attention for a crossover concept. It is expected to preview its smallest SUV yet, likely to be called Q1. The Detroit show has yet to return to its glory days of over-the-top presentations and for-the-fun-of-it concept cars, but the industry has been bolstered by 15.6 million sales last year and newfound confidence after the economic storm of four years ago.   

The Detroit motor show may showcase some of the most stylish and extravagant of the world's upcoming automotive models, but the manufacturers also garnish these four-wheeled objects of desire

The RC-F is a successor to the Lexus IS F sedan and gets an updated version of the IS F's 5.0-litre V8 engine. However Lexus promises power will trump the current 330kW and we've suggested the coupe may receive an increase of 32kW to 343kW.The video shows the performance coupe's sporty looks with a large spindle grille and aggressively-styled bumpers and side skirts.

The images fill in more of the gaps after the alleged engine details escaped via a debut invitation late in December.The sporty looks have been dialled up with the back-facing bonnet and front fender vents seen in the previous RC F teaser image joined by aggressively-styled bumpers and side skirts, a large spindle grille, trapezoidal quad exhaust system and carbon-fibre roof aimed at trimming the weight down below the exiting IS-F's 1700kg.There are three choices of 10-spoke 19-inch forged alloy  wheels -- the top spec being hand-polished. It's possible carbon-fibre may be underneath the show livery on other parts as well, while we're expecting to also hear about suspension upgrades for the new car, while Motor Authority suggests there will also be some performance enhancements adapted from the Lexus LFA supercar.Lexus has confirmed these include an active rear wing that deploys at speeds over 80km/h and retracts when you wind back down to 40km/h. The interior features more carbon-fibre with metal accents, chunky steering wheel,  leather sport seats with an F embossed on headrests and large-screened infotainment system.As a successor to the IS-F sedan, the RC-F carries the performance baton for Lexus, and the leaked engine details suggest that baton will be carried by an updated version of the IS F's 5.0-litre V8. Lexus has confirmed today that the power will be "well above" 330kW and we've suggested earlier that it could deliver 343kW (a lift of 32kW) and eight-speed automatic.It's not known yet whether torque will also rise above the exiting car's 505Nm, but it's been tipped it could get around another 40Nm. We're yet to get the performance details, but Lexus would be keen to shave even a little off the the IS F's 4.9 seconds for the 0-100kmh sprint and perhaps raise the top speed of 274km/h.