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What can I say about Lexus ES’ that hasn’t already been said countless times before, other than it’s a front-wheel drive, mid-size, premium-branded anomaly that’s managed to weather regular storms…

In Our Garage

2017 Lexus ES 300h

What can I say about Lexus ES’ that hasn’t already been said countless times before, other than it’s a front-wheel drive, mid-size, premium-branded anomaly that’s managed to weather regular storms of negative driving dynamics criticism and come out shining as a top seller in its field?

Of course, there really isn’t much else directly in its field to compare it to other than Lincoln’s MKZ or the front-drive Acura RLX that’s no longer available in Canada. Alternatively we could look down market into mainstream volume brands in order to face it off against its own platform-sharing Toyota Avalon or others like Buick’s LaCrosse, Chevrolet’s Impala, Chrysler’s 300, Dodge’s Charger, Ford’s Taurus, Kia’s Cadenza, or Nissan’s Maxima.

The major differentiator in this class is this electrified 300h that brought Toyota’s storied Hybrid Synergy Drive to the mid-size luxury class in 2012 (a year after the MKZ Hybrid), but even this is now old news in the premium sector thanks to much more advanced plug-in hybrids from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Infiniti and the like. And after all is said and done, most luxury buyers will look for their hybrid (or non-hybrid) fix in the SUV segment where Lexus’ own NX 300h utilizes the identical drivetrain in a more popular and more utile body style.

To get a clearer understanding of all this, let’s take a look at sales. Unfortunately Lexus doesn’t report hybrid numbers separately, other than the dedicated CT 200h, but lumps them in with their conventionally powered equivalents, so we’re left to guess that hybrids sell at similar percentages of total sales from model to model. Lexus sold 2,153 ES models in Canada last year, a far cry from the 4,251 purveyed in 2007 yet better than the 1,892 delivered in 2011. The NX hasn’t been around that long, but its sales have steadily grown from 6,127 in 2015 to 6,295 last year. What’s more, after five months of 2017 the NX has found 2,766 new owners, so it looks like it’s on schedule for another record year, whereas the ES’ has only managed to lure in 775 buyers, which could result in a new low. Then again, compared to the 432 MKZs sold over the same five months, the ES is all roses.

As for which vehicle matters more in the market, the numbers speak for themselves. To be clear, these sales totals in no way reflect which model is better or worse, but rather have everything to do with a near universal shunning of four-door sedans and adoption of crossover SUVs, other than a few exceptions like BMW’s 3 Series and Mercedes’ C-, E- and S-Classes in the premium sector and Honda’s Civic, Toyota’s Corolla, and Hyundai’s Elantra amongst mainstream brands.

The sad reality is this 2017 ES is the best ever, and while halfway through the second year of its sixth-generation facelift, it’s still worthy of much higher sales than it’s getting, that is if there was anyone under 70 interested. We’ll likely never know if its traditionally conservative clientele has been rubbed the wrong way by the model’s adoption of Lexus’ avant-garde styling or if its drop in popularity is just a sign of the times, but a quick rundown of those “competitors” mentioned earlier shows a similar downward trajectory for the Taurus, Avalon and Cadenza, plus the MKZ mentioned earlier, although sales of Charger are surging (it had one of its best months ever in May) and 300 strong, while the Impala, LaCrosse and Maxima are on track to make small gains as well.

As far as mid-size front-wheel drive sedans go, I find the ES 300h attractive from front to back. Its spindle grille, Nike swoosh driving lights and chromed apostrophe-squiggle fog lamp bezels are big bonuses in my opinion, giving the car a more daring façade than its inner personality deserves, while its rear end design, with its subtle deck lid spoiler overtop gracefully understated LED taillights and lovely lower body diffuser/undertray, is as pretty as its backside has ever been.

Inside, the ES 300h combines high-grade furnishings with low-rung hard shell plastics, some top-tier switchgear with others pulled up from the Toyota parts bin, some old-school glossy albeit real woodgrain trim next to nice looking metallic surfaces albeit often hollow and plasticky, and one decent electronic interface with another that shouldn’t show its face in the premium class, making my comparison to the many mainstream volume-branded players earlier quite fair. The ES raises its game over these in some respects, but falls below some of them in others.

Under the “What’s new for 2017” column, all ES 300h trims get standard rain-sensing wipers, a rearview camera, and Lexus Safety System Plus, the latter package adding auto high beams, dynamic cruise control with emergency autonomous braking, lane departure warning, and lane keeping assist. You’ll need to spend more for blindspot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, but this is hardly uncommon in any class.

I’ll go into more detail in my upcoming road test review, in which I’ll also dispel myths about comfort-focused, melted butter driving dynamics, or not, and praise its fuel economy—maybe (of course I’ll nee to compare it to the MKZ Hybrid). You’ll have to come back to find out, but either way Lexus won’t be selling anywhere near as many of its ES 300h models as it will the NX 300h, so I might as well skip this one and go straight to writing my review of the hybridized SUV, right? I suppose not. Instead I’ll get both finished as soon as possible. Stay tuned…

I’m always fascinated by how different the Canadian market is from our friends to the south. We speak the same language (accents and colloquialisms aside), watch most of the same TV shows and films…

In Our Garage

2017 Lexus IS 350 AWD F Sport

I’m always fascinated by how different the Canadian market is from our friends to the south.

We speak the same language (accents and colloquialisms aside), watch most of the same TV shows and films (albeit skewed more towards all things hockey), and listen to much of the same music on the same brands of TVs, tablets and phones, buy most of our clothes from the same popular branded stores, and eat at many of the same fast food restaurants (although you can’t get poutine or a McLobster at McDonald’s U.S. locations), yet we still have unique national traits that show up in the types of things we purchase.

Canadians tend to like hatchbacks, wagons and minivans more than Americans, and when we opt for four-door sedans we lean more towards smaller sport models than larger luxurious ones. Take Lexus, for instance. In the U.S. the mid-size front-wheel drive ES has long been one of the most popular luxury sedans in existence, more than doubling IS sales in 2012 and selling tens of thousands more every other year.

Here in Canada, however, the IS is the Lexus sales leader, albeit not at such a wide spread. Last year Lexus Canada sold 3,033 IS series sedans compared to 2,153 ES models, whereas the year prior it found 3,401 customers for the IS compared to 2,305 for the ES. The IS’ best year was 2014 when it sold 3,945 units, while you’ll need to go way back to 2007 to find the ES’ best sales results of 4,251 deliveries.

While I like the ES 350 and ES 300h, my feelings are more lukewarm than anything remotely fiery hot. It’s an excellent car from a mid-size family sedan perspective, but exactly how much better it is than any of the large mainstream volume-branded flagship models such as Toyota’s own Avalon, Nissan’s Maxima, Chrysler’s 300, Chevy’s Impala, Buick’s LaCrosse, and Kia’s Cadenza is difficult to surmise. The IS, however, has nothing from the lower class to compare it to.

Perhaps Kia’s upcoming Stinger will measure up premium status, but for the time being we can only draw comparison to D-segment sport-luxury car leaders like BMW’s 3 Series,

Mercedes’ C-Class, Audi’s A4, Acura’s TLX, Infiniti’s Q50, Cadillac’s ATS, Volvo’s S60, Jaguar’s XE, and Alfa Romeo’s new Giulia, if I ever get my hands on one. In this way it’s a true premium product, unlike the ES that only really competes with Lincoln’s MKX and Buick’s Regal or LaCrosse in the near-premium sector.

As for where the IS stacks up against those German, Japanese, American, Swedish, British and Italian competitors, Lexus can feel pretty good with its fifth place amongst 11 direct rivals (I included the Buick Regal due to its size). The only non-German car to beat it is the TLX, while the Q50 remains just behind nipping at its rear tires.

I don’t necessarily want you to read performance into that last comment, as the Q50 is now the get-up-and-go leader amongst Japanese entries when kitted out in top trim. That would be the 400 horsepower Q50 Red Sport 400, that crushes the top-line 290 horsepower TLX as well as this top-tier 306 horsepower IS 350 (the mighty V8-powered IS F no longer part of Lexus’ “F” performance branded lineup).

Amongst the Germans, you’ll need to move up to the 354 horsepower S4 to get near the Q50’s highest level of boost, as the top-line A4’s 252 horsepower four won’t light a fire under any serious stoplight warrior, whereas BMW’s 340i now makes a heady 320 (but if feels like so much more), while Mercedes’ C 43 AMG sizzles with 362 horsepower.

To keep you from bothering me with emails, the quickest non-Quadrifoglio Giulia makes 276 horsepower, the fastest non-Polestar S60 puts out 302 horses, the speediest non-V ATS puts out 335, and the hottest XE maxes out at 340; I’m not even going to go into the M3 and V8-powered AMG. So, to make a short story long, the IS 350 doesn’t pull in its buyers on performance alone.

In fact, while 306 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque is nothing to be shy about, nor its bettering the already enjoyable IS 300 by a significant 51 hp and 41 lb-ft, its six-speed automatic is no more advanced than the ES 350’s identically cogged autobox. Where it deviates is in its aforementioned smaller size and rear-wheel biased standard all-wheel drive layout. I’ll delve into its overall driving dynamics in an upcoming review, so for now we’ll leave its drivetrain specifics at that.

Hard to believe but I drove the original IS 300 soon after its 1998 launch, and was on the press launch for the second-generation 2006 model in Toronto, where we put it through its paces on a makeshift autocross course at the old Downsview Airport, owned by Bombardier incidentally. That was a breakthrough car for Lexus, but other than the sensational 416 horsepower IS F I mentioned earlier and tested in the spring of 2008, that second-gen car doesn’t come close to measuring up to this third-generation model.

This latest IS was introduced in 2013 as a 2014 model, and thanks to dramatic styling and dynamic performance has garnered more fans than ever before. This year marks the current third-gen’s mid-cycle update, which includes subtly reworked styling from front to rear. Following a pattern already set out by its siblings, the front grille grows in size, especially in F Sport trim, as do new larger air intakes integrated into a totally reworked lower fascia. These details are even more pronounced in F Sport trim thanks to a glossy black grille surround and side vent strakes, these matching the grille and vent inserts ideally.

The checkmark LED driving lights remain unchanged, but the headlamps above truly catch the eye as they get a totally new shape and inner assembly, whereas the LED taillights are identically shaped yet receive new lenses and innards. A new lower fascia incorporates a new matte black diffuser style cap and new angular tailpipes, this latter upgrade winning my wholehearted approval.

I’ll give you my honest opinion about changes up front in my upcoming review, but suffice to say bigger and bolder doesn’t necessarily translate into better. That said some changes inside are nice, including new “hairline” instrument panel trim and a gorgeous analog clock.

As for feature details, the F Sport package mentioned earlier is the Series 2 version, which comes standard with the $53,350 IS 350 (it’s optional on lesser IS models). It boasts the previously noted styling enhancements as well as unique 18-inch alloys on 225/40 front and 255/35 rear tires, an adaptive variable suspension, an LFA supercar-inspired fully configurable colour TFT primary gauge cluster, a heatable three-spoke F Sport leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel, an F Sport shift knob, scuff plates, F Sport performance seats, heat and ventilation for those front seats, auto-dimming side mirrors, a massive 10.3-inch infotainment touchscreen with navigation, a single in-dash DVD, remote control, satellite radio, USB and aux ports, Siri-Eyes-Free, a powered sunroof, blindspot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, and more.

Other features pulled up from lesser trims include aluminum sport pedals, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, filtered dual-zone auto climate control, a reverse camera with active guidelines, eight-way powered front seats, rear seat heater ducts, all the usual active and passive safety features, and more.

Of note, standard with on all IS trims for 2017 are LED headlamps with automatic high beams, rain-sensing wipers, dynamic radar cruise control, and other Lexus Safety Sense+ features such as a pre-collision system and lane departure alert with autonomous steering assist, which would all come together to earn a best-possible IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus rating if it weren’t for a merely “Acceptable” rating for its small overlap front crash test and another “A” for its headlights. It scores best-possible “Good” marks in every other category, and a “Superior” rating in the area of Crash Avoidance and Mitigation under front crash prevention. Being that most other Lexus models earn top IIHS marks, they’ll want to modify whatever needs fixing in order to make this car qualify.

Not safety related, unless trying to find your way, finding the optimal driving position, or getting the sun off the necks of rear passengers, my Atomic Silver painted tester included the reasonably priced $1,300 upgrade to the F Sport 3 package that added a 15-speaker Mark Levinson audio upgrade and a powered rear window sunshade.

I’ll go over all-important driving dynamics in my upcoming road test review, plus talk about styling, interior materials quality and refinement, roominess, how all the features work, and more. Stay tuned…

Amazingly, Lexus went from having nothing in the compact luxury SUV segment throughout most of 2014 to being one of the top-three players by the end of 2016. The story is even better in the U.S. where…

In Our Garage

2017 Lexus NX 300h Executive

Amazingly, Lexus went from having nothing in the compact luxury SUV segment throughout most of 2014 to being one of the top-three players by the end of 2016. The story is even better in the U.S. where the new NX is now number one in the entire class.

How the mighty Germans have fallen, not that Lexus is particularly weak and feeble. The Japanese luxury brand is a powerhouse in the crossover sport utility sector where its RX has been the bestselling mid-size luxury SUV in both Canada and the U.S. (by a long shot) for as long as there’s been a mid-size luxury SUV segment, a vehicle class it helped to create. Therefore it only makes sense the NX would do well too.

It helps that it looks fabulous, or at least I like it a lot. The NX’ design hasn’t changed one iota since arriving in December of 2014 as a 2015 model. Lexus didn’t wait long before getting this hybrid variant to market either, joining it up with the NX 200t for the model’s inaugural year and making it an important part of its one, two knockout NX punch ever since.

Now that the Audi Q5 Hybrid is history, the NX 300h is an anomaly within the compact luxury SUV category. In fact, with Audi also eliminating the Q5 TDI (at least temporarily) and Mercedes-Benz doing likewise with its new GLC (again, just for the time being as far as we know), the only alternative-fuel competitors in the class are BMW’s X3 xDrive28d and the unlikely addition of Jaguar’s F-Pace 20d. Still, being that Dieselgate ruined Rudolf Christian Karl’s most fuel-efficient internal combustion engine (ICE) type, most environmentally oriented consumers won’t be turning to diesel as a way to save the planet, leaving the NX 300h as the only real green choice in this burgeoning market segment.

Behind the NX 300h’s bold spindle grille is the same ultra-clean powertrain as the new Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and Lexus’ ES 300h, comprised of a 150 horsepower gasoline-fueled 2.5-litre four-cylinder Atkinson Cycle ICE with 152 lb-ft of torque driving the front wheels and a 50 kW (67 horsepower) permanent magnet electric motor powering the axle in back, the energy for the latter sourced from a rear-mounted nickel-metal hydride battery that gets recharged via the ICE as well as regenerative braking.

When topped off it has the ability to drive solely on EV power for short distances at low speeds (bumper-to-bumper traffic, parking lots, etcetera), but most of the time it merely assists the ICE for improved performance and reduced fuel consumption. A specially designed continuously variable transmission (CVT) takes care of shifting duties, of sorts, the full result of Lexus Synergy Drive’s combined forces being 194 net horsepower and the same 152 pound-feet of claimed torque (although it feels like a lot more and likely is).

More importantly the NX 300h is good for estimated fuel economy equaling 7.1 L/100km in the city, 7.7 on the highway, and 7.4 combined, which is far and away the best in its class (the X3 and F-Pace diesels achieve 7.9 and 8.1 combined city/highway respectively).

Along with its EV mode, the NX 300h features three selectable drive modes including Eco, Standard, and Sport, these focused on maximizing efficiency or power rather than changing steering and suspension settings.

This being a niche model in comparison to the NX 200t, Lexus’ Canadian division limits trims to just one and options packages to a singular digit as well. Standard trim, which starts at $54,350, is therefore generously equipped with 18-inch alloys on 225/60R18 all-seasons, LED low-beam headlights with washers, LED DRLs, LED clearance lamps, LED fog lights, LED taillights, aluminum roof rails, a rear rooftop spoiler, auto-dimming power-adjustable heated side mirrors with integrated turn signals and memory, proximity access, and more on the outside.

Once inside the base NX 300h includes pushbutton ignition, a heatable leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel, a powered tilt and telescoping steering column, a colour TFT multi-information display, leather upholstery, heated and cooled power-adjustable front seats with driver’s side memory, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, dual-zone auto climate control, touchscreen infotainment featuring a reverse camera with active guidelines and navigation, a 120-volt household-style power outlet, an integrated garage door opener, a powered moonroof, a powered tailgate, hill start assist, all the usual active and passive safety features including airbags for the driver’s knees, and more.

Our fully decked out tester included the $6,650 Executive Package that adds full LED headlamps with auto-leveling and auto high beams, rain-sensing wipers, dynamic radar cruise control, head-up display, Qi wireless device charging, 10-speaker audio, Shimamoku hardwood inlays, powered rear seat releases with switches on the dash and cargo compartment, front and rear parking sensors, blindspot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, a pre-collision system with emergency autonomous braking, lane departure alert with steering assist, and more, raising the price to $61,000 plus freight and fees. These latter items earn the NX 300h Executive a Top Safety Pick Plus rating from the IIHS.

Where the conventionally powered NX 200t can be had with the sportier F Sport package, the NX 300h makes do with less aggressive styling and more comfort-oriented suspension settings, although you can upgrade the wheels to a unique set of 19-inch F Sport alloys via the accessories catalog for $2,650 and change.

As you may have noticed I haven’t told you diddly squat about my experience behind the wheel, what I think about its overall refinement, or its standard and available feature set, overall roominess, pricing and value proposition, etcetera, etcetera, which means you’ll need to come back for my detailed road test review. Make sure you do, as you may just be surprised at what I have to say…

There’s a reason Lexus is considered a Tier 1 luxury brand along with Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. Strong sales numbers have a lot to do with it, but also its almost totally full range of models. For…

In Our Garage

2017 Lexus RC 300 AWD F Sport

There’s a reason Lexus is considered a Tier 1 luxury brand along with Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. Strong sales numbers have a lot to do with it, but also its almost totally full range of models. For a relatively new brand, such a wide assortment of models and body styles means that some don’t sell well enough to make money, but instead provide important branding that trickles down to enhance higher volume cars and SUVs.

The IS series was Lexus Canada’s bestselling car last year with more than 3,000 deliveries. This is a polar opposite result from Lexus’ U.S. division sales that saw the more comfort-oriented ES series as the brand’s premium car populist last year and every year prior, by a long shot, whereas that larger front-wheel drive four-door model only found 2,153 buyers during calendar year 2016 in Canada. This shows that Canadians view Lexus in a sportier light than our friends to the south, but still not enough to snap up RC coupes en masse.

The stylish new two-door hardtop model only managed to pull in 526 luxury buyers last year, which while more positive than the 415 mid-size GS and 95 flagship LS luxury sedans sold during the same 12 months, is still a far cry from the 4,765 BMW 4 Series delivered through 2016.

Lexus’ big money was made on SUVs, the RX leading sales for the Japanese brand as well as Canada’s entire mid-size SUV segment at 8,147 units, whereas the fresher NX is already third in its class with 6,295 deliveries. Even the massive LX SUV outsold the RC at 748 units, while the sizeable GX also outshone RC numbers with 551 units down unpaved roads.

Just the same, we can’t discount the importance of sports models like the RC when it comes to brand image as noted earlier, and the beautiful Infrared painted 2017 RC 300 AWD F Sport parked in our garage this week pulls eyeballs almost as effectively as the same spec car did in Solar Flare orange last year. That vibrant colour isn’t available for the 2017 model year, although seemingly identical Molten Pearl can be had on the even rarer V8-powered RC F super coupe, this being one of the only changes for the regular RC model’s third year of existence.

Many thought the 2.0-litre RC Turbo, currently available in the U.S., would’ve been added to the Canadian lineup for 2017 in order to drop the price and hopefully attract more buyers, but Lexus appears to want its northernmost coupes fitted with all-wheel drive and that car is only pushed from the rear, so the $49,050 RC 300 AWD is base here in Canada.

It’s arguably better looking with the $4,700 as-tested F Sport Series 1 package (there is no Series 2 package for this model, in case you were wondering) that adds a new front fascia with a larger, bolder grille and unique lower fascia detailing with integrated fog lamps, as well as other exterior styling upgrades, plus unique 19-inch alloys wrapped in 235/40 performance tires (although my tester is fitted with winters), an adaptive sport suspension, a powered tilt and telescopic sport steering wheel with paddle shifters, rain-sensing wipers, front sport seats, NuLuxe pleather upholstery with contrast stitching, memory for the driver’s seat, ventilated front seats, a fully configurable LFA-style TFT instrument cluster, Lexus’ touchpad Remote Touch Interface for the infotainment system, navigation, active sound control, and blindspot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert.

The only other notable option is a dealer-added F Sport performance exhaust system integrated within a fabulous looking rear bumper diffuser (for about $2,050 and change). Lexus claims the upgraded exhaust reduces backpressure for increased torque, which might be noticeable given the RC 300 AWD’s modest engine output.

Despite its considerable 3.5 litres of displacement, the base V6 makes just 255 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque for fairly relaxed performance due to the coupe’s considerable 1,765-kilo (3,891-lb) curb weight (it’s actually a bit heavier with the F Sport gear). Making it feel even more comfort-biased is a six-speed autobox in a segment filled with snappier eight-speed auto and dual-clutch alternatives.

So how does it feel? I’ve told you too much already, but don’t worry as I’ve got a lot more to say in the upcoming road test review. Make sure to check back for the full story soon…

With fuel prices once again soaring in most Canadian cities, the long-in-tooth Lexus CT 200h just might be one of the most relevant entry-level luxury models available today. Only Audi’s A3 e-tron can…

In Our Garage

2017 Lexus CT 200h F Sport

With fuel prices once again soaring in most Canadian cities, the long-in-tooth Lexus CT 200h just might be one of the most relevant entry-level luxury models available today. Only Audi’s A3 e-tron can give it a run for its money regarding fuel economy, although the German is initially much more expensive than the $32,750 CT.

Updated just a few years ago, the CT remains fresh looking thanks to Lexus’ new spindle grille and aggressive frontal body cladding, while its profile and sporty five-door body style has always been good looking.

A 134 horsepower 1.8-litre Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine drives the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission (CVT), while a proven (a.k.a. old-school) Ni-MH battery pack powers an electric motor that more often than not is used to assist the gasoline engine in true hybrid form, although the CT can drive under pure EV power for short distances at low speeds (bumper-to-bumper traffic, parking lots, etc). If the power unit sounds familiar, it’s identical to that used in the previous Toyota Prius, and like the Prius the CT delivers superb claimed fuel economy rated at 5.5 L/100km city and 5.9 highway.

While the drivetrain is pulled from the Prius, the platform architecture is sourced from Toyota’s global compact car line, which made sure a fully independent suspension lived up to Lexus’ handling and ride quality standards. Its handling is even more engaging in as-tested F Sport trim.

Stay tuned for a detailed review of the 2017 Lexus CT 200h F Sport shown here…

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