2016 Lexus LS Reviews

Audi is a brand on the march, and its marketing people are proud of it. This Christmas-themed ad for Audi in the US takes another stab at rivals BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz, and suggests  that the appeal of the four-ringed brand is enough to encourage owners of the other premium brands to donate their keys to charity. Earlier this year, another Audi US ad suggested that the other brands create typecast images of their owners, and that the Audi image is above such typecasting. Well that's Audi's opinion anyway.   Watch the desktop version of the Audi donation ad here.  This reporter is on Twitter: @Malcolm Flynn  

Lexus has updated its LF-NX compact SUV concept for the coming Tokyo motor show, giving it a cosmetic touch-up around the nose and a new turbo engine in the lead-up to its move to production status.Largely unchanged in appearance from the car revealed at Frankfurt motor show in September, the LF-NX has sprouted a front under-lip spoiler integrated into the nose's aggressive styling -- much of which is aerodynamically functional, with styling cues such as the vertical lines performing as an air curtain and helping channel air flow to the front brakes.Under the bonnet it gets a newly developed 2.0-litre turbocharged engine -- likely to morph into a NX200t variant when the new Toyota RAV4-based compact SUV hits production.When that happens, expect it to be joined by a NX300h hybrid, with a new version of the Lexus Hybrid Drive system. Other variants may follow, as Lexus positions the NX to steal some of the success of the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLA Class.The concept will be unveiled at Tokyo motor show on November 20, and more details about the planned progress to production time could be revealed then.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

We turn the spotlight on the car world's newest and brightest stars and ask the big questions, including the most important -- would you buy one?

Lexus has reintroduced the ES nameplate to Australia, with an all-new four-model lineup that undercuts the previous ES by up to $12,500.Sitting between between the existing Lexus IS and GS lineups, the new ES range defies Lexus convention by pricing the new ES 300h hybrid variants beneath the petrol-only ES 350 by $2000 across Luxury and Luxury Sports trim levels.“The decision to lead ES pricing with the hybrid is a result of higher consumer demand and the commercialisation of hybrid technology,” Lexus Australia chief executive Sean Hanley says.“More than 30 per cent of Lexus customers locally choose hybrid as their preferred drivetrain and we believe ES will grow that proportion as we edge ever closer to our goal of 50 per cent hybrid.”The ES 300h Luxury kicks off the range at $63,000, with the Sports Luxury grade commanding a $9000 premium for either driveline – topping off with the ES 350 Sports Luxury at $74,000.The previous fourth-generation ES exited the Australian market in 2006 with its single-spec priced at $76,500, and the new model follows its predecessors with a mid-sized body and front-wheel drivetrain.Australia missed out on the fifth-generation ES range due to a lack of right-hand drive availability, and Lexus Australia lobbied hard to plug the resulting gap in their lineup with the new model."Over the past seven years, luxury vehicle customers have been looking for a vehicle like ES and we are happy to welcome them to the Lexus family," Hanley added.The price-leading ES 300h Luxury comes with partial leather trim, satnav, reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring, glass sunroof, 10 airbags, eight-speaker audio, proximity keys, air-purifying dual zone climate control, digital radio, Lexus Remote Touch driver interface, multiple drive mode selection and 17 inch alloys. A $3000 Enhancement Pack is available for the entry ES 300h Luxury, which adds a Pre-Collision safety system and active cruise control.These features are standard on the rest of the ES lineup, with Sport Luxury versions of both models also gaining semi-aniline leather trim, three-zone climate control, HID headlamps, unique 17 inch alloys, 15-speaker Mark Levinson Audio, heated front and rear seats with ventilation on the fronts, powered boot lid, manual side sun shades, rear centre armrest-mounted ventilation, audio and sunroof controls.Both models come with a full-size alloy spare wheel, with the ES 350’s 490L boot dropping to 420L for the ES 300h, and losing the petrol models' ski port boot access. ES 300h hybrid models are powered by a 151kW transversely-mounted version of the 2.5-Litre four cylinder petrol-electric drivetrain fitted to the smaller IS 300h with a six-step CVT auto. Petrol-only ES 350 models come with a 204kW 3.5-Litre V6 -- as seen in the RX 350 SUV – tied to a six-speed torque converter automatic.Lexus is yet to confirm official fuel figures for the new ES lineup, but both ES 300h models qualify for the Luxury Car Tax exemption for fuel-efficient vehicles. Full details will be available after the official launch in early November.PRICINGLexus ES 300h Luxury – $63,000Lexus ES 300h Sports Luxury - $72,000Lexus ES 350 Luxury – $65,000Lexus ES 350 Sports Luxury - $74,000 This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn 

I go weak at the knees just thinking about big 4WDs with V8 engines.

We've bid bye-bye to the RX270 Lexus, a car we have grown to like for many reasons over three months and 7000km.

Take some high-tech projection mapping software, an empty warehouse, an F1 driver and the new Lexus IS Hybrid and it becomes the recipe for the world's first full-sized, real time video game. Created for the Italian branch of Lexus, to launch the Hybrid IS there, the project chose 10 of the brand's Facebook fans and paired them with F1 driver Jarno Trulli and a projection mapping iPad app to compete against each other.Each had to design a race circuit, then ride shotgun with Trulli while tracing their course on the iPad, which projected their circuit onto the warehouse floor. Called 'Trace Your Road', the competition set the task of hitting seven designated touch points while completing the circuit in the fastest time.  Watch the 'Trace Your Road' video game action.  This reporter is on Twitter: @Karla_Pincott  

The premium offshoot of Toyota is now well established in this country and this third generation IS range has plenty of appeal enough for its European rivals to be worried.

Perhaps even with supercharging, as the Japanese brand's European engineers turn up the wick on serious performance model.Lexus is already committed to an IS F coupe that will rival the new BMW Z4, but the GS project is about major bragging rights in a class where 700 Newton-metres of torque is the price of admission.

It's been the best looking Lexus for a long time and the new model IS continues that trend with its sporty, sexy lines and striking front and rear styling.