News & Reviews- Make: Lexus

At first glance you'd be forgiven for thinking the RC 300 AWD F Sport is an RC F. Of course, the two models are based on Lexus' new RC sport coupe, so their design and overall shape is identical, while this version is visually amped via the F Sport upgrade package's more aggressive styling front to back, not to mention it wears the same Solar Flare orange paint as the previous RC F I tested, but driving them is night and day.

The RC F is a 467 horsepower V8-powered rear-drive super coupe competing with the likes of BMW's M4, Cadillac's ATS-V Coupe, Mercedes-AMG's C63 Coupe, and I suppose Infiniti's new Q60 Red Sport 400 as well, whereas the RC 300 AWD F Sport only looks as if it can leave 90 percent of its four-wheeled rivals in a tire-smoking whirlwind of bruised egos. In reality its 3.5-litre V6 merely makes 255 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque, the latter number notably less than some of its competitors' base four-cylinder engines.

The Bavarian and Swabian challengers' Read Full Story

Expanding its hyper-performance F sub-brand is an important step in Lexus' continued progression as a Tier 1 premium brand, and while the Japanese luxury division has contracted this process somewhat with the (hopefully) temporary loss of its IS F sport sedan, it has certainly grown out F prospects in other categories, particularly the new RC F super coupe that I reviewed a couple of months ago (which even includes a race-spec RC F GT3 variant) and this mid-size GS F super sedan.

The GS F puts Lexus in rarified company, alongside the legendary BMW M5, Mercedes-Benz' nearly as well recognized E63 AMG, Audi's S6 and Cadillac's less known but nevertheless very respectable CTS-V. Of note, Jaguar has bowed out of the mid-size uber sedan race by eliminating its XFR/XFR-S, but Alfa Romeo is just introducing us to its new Giulia Quadrifoglio, although it's a slightly smaller model than the usual E-segment competitor, yet a bit larger than the D-segment "compacts" occupied by the M3, Read Full Story

The CT 200h is an unusual entry-level model. First of all it's a five-door hatchback in a premium compact car segment dominated by sedans, and second there's no conventional powertrain, a hybrid being the only option.

No wonder sales have never measured up to the segment leaders, the CT dead last in popularity when compared to other premium entry models. Leading the list is Mercedes' long and lean CLA, a four-door coupe/sport sedan that sold 3,870 units in Canada last year, while Audi's more conventional A3 sedan was a close second with 3,788 buyers over the same 12 months (Audi just started selling the A3 Sportback e-tron hybrid as well, a car that's probably closest to the CT in size, body style and powertrain, albeit the German brand is likely only relying on the five-door model for laying down a positive eco footprint, not sales). Acura's ILX, a slightly larger compact sedan based on the Honda Civic, found 2,551 new owners in 2015, whereas Mercedes' other entry model, the Read Full Story

Are Lexus RX fans ready? They've been a conservative lot over the years, Toyota's luxury division appearing to be messing with success with the latest 2016 makeover, but their radical new L Finesse 2.0 design language has certainly worked with other models across the line.

They definitely would have a lot to lose. The RX sits clearly at the top of the mid-size luxury crossover SUV heap in Canada and the U.S., last year's sales of 7,063 units only beaten by both Mercedes mid-size entries, the M-Class (including some new GLE sales in the U.S.) and the larger seven-passenger GL (Lexus needs a Highlander-sized seven-occupant crossover to compete more effectively), the former selling 6,008 and latter 2,473 for a combined total of 8,481. In the U.S., however, even adding up the old ML, new GLE and larger GL, Mercedes fell short by almost 20,000 units at just 80,920 compared to 100,610 for the lone RX, and that's after the Mercedes models' combined sales grew and the RX dropped 6.4 Read Full Story

If you're liking Lexus' progressive new design direction as much as I am, and sales numbers show that you are, you're going to be happy the Japanese premium brand has given its E-segment fighting GS sedan a stronger dose of spindle juice for 2016.

It's only a mid-cycle update, but the latest GS has certainly added swagger to its strut thanks to more complete adoption of the marque's L-finesse 2.0 design language that now includes a larger, deeper more eye-catching grille, an aggressively complicated lower fascia, vertically stacked LED headlamps, checkmark-shaped LED driving lights, more complex LED taillights and other visual refinements, the look especially pleasing in uprated F Sport trim. That's how Lexus shipped my latest tester, a car that had me at hello.

It's difficult to remain unbiased when a vehicle or brands' styling grabs your heart, mind and soul as effectively as Lexus' latest lineup of cars and SUVs has done with mine. Rather than my weeklong tester Read Full Story