Archive for the ‘Lexus’ Category
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
Lexus’ new revised IS model range is on sale now with on-the-road prices confirmed as starting from £24,350.
New to the range are the F-Sport models designed to give the beautiful IS range some added oomph. The new models available available for both IS 250 and 220d models, takes its cue from the high impact styling of the IS F and is positioned in the IS line-up between the established SE-I and SE-L models.
New F-Sport models
The dedicated F-Sport exterior features include lowered suspension (IS 250 only), exclusive 18-inch wheels and an IS F-style front grille and rear bootlid spoiler. In the cabin there are aluminium sports pedals, IS F-style sports seats, steering wheel and (on the IS 250 automatic) gear lever. The seats are finished in a combination of Alcantara upholstery with leather side bolsters.
A black-on-black interior colour scheme is complimented by a black headlining and grey stitching detail on the front seats and steering wheel.
F-Sport models share a number of premium equipment features with SE-L grade, including rain-sensing wipers, HID headlights with AFS, 13-speaker audio system and memory settings for the front seats and door mirrors.
But is not just the sports models that add to the appeal of the IS range, the rest of the range benefits from a host of technological improvements along with reduced emissions and a few visual enhancements.
For starters, Lexus has developed one of the most accurate and fast-responding navigation systems on the market. Using a 40GB hard disc drive (HDD), it provides Europe-wide coverage and is able to gather live local traffic intelligence in each country to help plot the most efficient route, wherever you may be.
A further benefit of the HDD system is its “sound library” function. Up to 10GB of disc space is available for owners to store audio tracks from CD – room enough for about 2,000 songs.
The touch-screen, full-map system is available as an option on SE and SE-I models as part of package that also includes a rear park assist monitor.
For F-Sport and SE-L versions of IS, it is included in the optional Multimedia Package, together with a 14-speaker Mark Levinson Premium Surround Sound System and the rear park assist monitor.
All Lexus IS audio systems can be upgraded to receive DAB digital broadcasts and are equipped as standard with USB and audio jack plug connection for fully controlled use of portable music players, and Bluetooth with an audio streaming function.
The Mark Levinson audio package now features a “sound library” function, using the navigation system’s HDD to transfer and store music files from CD up to 10GB capacity.
Lexus IS car leasing deals
Lexus IS new and nearly new deals
Lexus IS road test reports
Larger wheels for SE grade
Lexus IS 250 SE and 220d SE have been given more street appeal for 2010 with 10-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels fitted as standard, in place of the previous 16-inch rims.
Improved fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions
The revisions made to the IS 250 for the 2010 model year have yielded improvements in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. With manual transmission, combined cycle economy is now 29.1mpg, compared to 28.8mpg for the 2009 model; the new figure for the automatic is 31.7mpg (from 31.0mpg). CO2 emissions have fallen from 231 to 227g/km for the manual and 214 to 209g/km for the automatic.
Prices start from £24,350 for the IS 220d SE rising to £30,150 for the IS 250 SE-L automatic.
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Tuesday, November 17th, 2009
The Lexus’ hybrid model RX 400h is the least depreciating 4×4, Used Car Expert has revealed.
Reflecting a growing environmental conscience, the 400h lost on average just 8.3 per cent p.a. The used car magazine analysed the depreciation figures of 4×4 vehicles over the last three years. Cars registered at the end of 2006 are now approaching their first MOT, and like many car may be coming onto the used car market for the first time as contracts expire and 2006 vehicles are defleeted.
The Land Rover Range Rover came a close second behind the Lexus, losing just 9.7 per cent on average p.a.
The worst depreciators were the Mitsubishi Shogun, which sufferered around double the depreciation of the Lexus, at an average of 16.5 per cent p.a, while the Jeep Cherokee was not far behind with 16.3 per cent depreciation p.a.
The next edition of Used Car Expert magazine has the full details of the depreciation patterns of the major 4×4s, plus extra 4×4 reviews and news.
Lexus RX 400h to lease
Used RX 400h car deals
RX 400h road tests
Matthew Tumbridge, editor of Used Car Expert magazine and website commented, “Depreciation is the biggest cost to motorists, but it’s so easy to avoid being stung if you plan ahead using our price guide. In the current economic market, it can make owning a car a lot less stressful.”
“If you want to save even more, you can study the year by year figures that we publish in the magazine each month, and you can then beat these figures by, for example buying 6 month old cars and selling after 12-18 months.”
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Friday, September 18th, 2009
Lexus’s full hybrid GS 450h luxury sports saloon is being freshened up for the 2010 model year with styling changes, new colours, revisions to the Pre-Crash Safety system and more sophisticated navigation and audio packages. Currently on display at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the new Lexus GS 450h looks better than ever.
Revised Pre-Crash Safety system and new active headrests
The Pre-Crash Safety system in the GS 450h has been revised to support the pre-crash seatbelt and brake assist functions with pre-crash brake technology. Both front seats are fitted with new, inflator-operated active headrests, activated by a signal from the ECU in the event of a rear-end impact. The inflator slides a piston into the headrest, unlocks the mechanism and projects the headrest forwards and upwards to support the occupant’s head and reduce the risk of whiplash injury.
Navigation and audio upgrades
In common with its sister Lexus models, the GS 450h is adopting a new hard disc drive (HDD) navigation system with the 40GB capacity, giving Europe-wide coverage with traffic information data capture in each country.
Two audio systems are featured in the GS 450h range: a 10-speaker Lexus premium package and a 14-speaker Mark Levinson Premium Surround Sound System giving 5.1-channel surround sound on selected CDs and DVDs. Both systems are now DAB ready and provide USB and audio jack plug connection for fully controlled use of portable music players, and Bluetooth with an audio streaming function.
Both systems also provide a “sound library” function, using the navigation system’s HDD to transfer and store music files from CD up to 10GB capacity – the equivalent of about 2,000 music tracks.
Styling
The 2010 GS 450h wears a distinctive new front grille that features a series of horizontal bars of different thickness. The hybrid-blue rear lamp clusters have been modified to incorporate larger, transparent outer lenses and a new 18-inch alloy wheel design has been introduced for the SE-L.
In the cabin there is a new hybrid-blue backlit stop/start button and the choice of a new Venaro Grey semi-aniline leather upholstery option, with contrasting black stitching and grey bird’s eye maple wood grain trim.
Lexus GS 450h car leasing
Lexus GS 450h new and nearly new prices
Lexus GS 450h road tests
The range of 11 exterior colours includes three new shades: (Vanilla Mist, Richmond Green and Atlantic Blue).
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Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
Fifth in a series introducing key features of the new RX 450h: Rear and Side Parking Monitors
When it comes to parking manoeuvres, a moment’s inattention can cause a costly mistake. Scraped alloy wheels and dented bumpers are a major grip for many motorists, but with the new RX 450h (rated at five stars on RoadTestReports.co.uk currently), Lexus has gone further to make life easier and safer when it comes to navigating tight spaces.
The new full hybrid luxury SUV is available with three different monitor systems that eliminate blind spots and provide handy guidelines to ensure drivers keep on the right track as they negotiate parking spaces.
The Rear Parking Assist Monitor is fitted as standard to all models. Like the previous generation RX, this uses a miniature camera mounted discreetly above the number plate, which captures a real-time image of the area immediately behind the vehicle.
On models equipped with satellite navigation, the image is presented on the multi-display screen on the centre console, complete with overlaying guidelines that show the predicted path of the vehicle in line with the steering angle.
On RX 450h SE models without satellite navigation, a new system is adopted with the image presented on a 2.4-inch monitor neatly incorporated in the rear view mirror.
Going further to help the driver, the new RX 450h is also available with a new Side Parking Assist Monitor. A wide angle lens camera is integrated into the underside of the passenger door mirror to show the area alongside the vehicle on the centre display. It is activated using the main switch control on the steering wheel, or can be set to automatic mode, in which case the image is shown as soon as vehicle speed drops to 6mph or less; the display is cancelled when the speed reaches 7mph.
Because a very wide angle lens is used, the driver has the option of two views: an overall side view, extending to the rear of the vehicle, and a forward view, including the front quarter.
Guidelines show the vehicle width, the width including the door mirrors, the estimated position of the vehicle’s front end and the position for the front and rear wheels. It also shows the minimum turning path and the predicted path of the vehicle according to the steering angle.
The guidance can help avoid clipping objects when turning and to eliminate blind spots, for example when pulling over to the side of the road, so reducing the risk of “kerbing” the alloy wheels.
The new RX 450h full hybrid luxury SUV is available to order now, with customer deliveries from July. On-the-road prices start at £41,600 for the SE model.
Search SaveMoneyOnCars.co.uk for the best deals on Lexus RX 400H models
Search ContractHireAndLeasing.com for the best deals on Lexus RX 400H models.
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Friday, May 8th, 2009
If ever a car tried to be all things to all men (and women) then it’s the Lexus RX. Part family car, part exec cruiser, part estate and part 4×4 SUV, the new, much-modified RX450h is the third-generation RX and features second-generation full hybrid drive. On paper it’s got the lot, but is it almost too good to be true?
Lexus RX lease prices
Lexus RX new and nearly new prices
The new 450h has 10% more power than the outgoing 400h, but it uses 28% less fuel – a best-in-class 44.8mpg combined. Careful real-world driving should yield 50mpg or more. CO2 at 148g/km means annual road tax of just £105 (Band F). This RX also qualifies for a Benefit-in-Kind tax rate for company car drivers of 14% – way below that for all other similarly-sized SUVs. Insurance groupings are 17E (out of 20) or 40E (out of 50). OTR prices start at £41,600 for the SE model, rising to £55,505 for the SE-L Premium. Too good to be true? If it weren’t for the lousy coil suspension and borderline bootdspace (seats up) it would be.
Read the full Lexus RX 450h SE-L Premium road test
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Thursday, February 19th, 2009
The all-new RX 450h will make its European debut as the centrepiece of the Lexus stand at the Geneva motor show on 3 March.
Significant revisions to the Lexus Hybrid Drive powertrain will deliver substantially lower carbon dioxide emissions when the luxury crossover goes on sale in the UK this summer, setting a new benchmark in its class, well below the figures achieved by the current best-performing diesels. At the same time it will also be more fuel efficient and more powerful than its predecessor, the RX 400h, the model which first introduced hybrid power to the premium market.
The new RX 450h addresses the principal concerns of today’s motorists in a market segment where sales have been affected by cost-of-ownership issues and growing environmental concerns, and does so without compromising Lexus’s hallmark standards of luxury, quality and refinement.
Marking the third generation of the RX, the new RX 450h displays exterior and interior styling that is the latest expression of Lexus’s L-finesse design philosophy. In the cabin the new dual-zone Crossover Cockpit showcases numerous technical innovations for improved safety, comfort and driving pleasure.
The new Lexus IS 250C will also be presented at Geneva, ahead of going on sale in the summer. With an all-aluminium folding roof that can be lowered in just 20 seconds, the IS 250C combines top-down driving pleasure with hard-top dynamic performance.
Sharing the same smooth 205bhp (208 DIN hp) 2.5-litre V6 engine and six-speed automatic transmission as the IS 250 sports saloon, the IS 250C has been engineered and styled for excellent handling and on-board comfort in open-top driving and equipped to meet the highest crash safety standards.
These new models will be joined on the Lexus stand by the IS-F high performance saloon, GS 450h hybrid sports saloon and Lexus’s hybrid flagship, the LS 600h limousine.
For the best car leasing deals on the Lexus RX, visit ContractHireAndLeasing.com.
Search SaveMoneyOnCars.co.uk to buy a Lexus RX.
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Monday, January 19th, 2009
The Citroën C6 is Europe’s safest car, according to analysis of Euro NCAP data by motoring website NEWCARNET.co.uk.
From February 2009, safety organisation Euro NCAP will award a new star rating based on a car’s combined performance in protecting adults, children and pedestrians in an accident.
Previously, vehicles have been awarded points and stars separately for the three areas, but the system is being changed in the hope that manufacturers will try to improve pedestrian safety as they aim for the highest ratings for their cars.
Applying this points system to the 150 cars that Euro NCAP has already tested separately in all three areas, NEWCARNET.co.uk discovered that the Citroën C6 scores highest across the board, followed by its stablemate family hatchback, the C4, and the Volkswagen Golf.
At the other end of the scale, the Isuzu Rodeo pickup scored lowest, with just 41 total points across the three areas, compared to the C6’s 100.
“Euro NCAP has done an excellent job over the years of promoting car safety, to the point where it is now a significant part of the car-buying process,” said NEWCARNET.co.uk’s Massimo Pini. “What the points table shows is that several manufacturers still have work to do to if they’re going to get high scores in the future.”
NEWCARNET.co.uk’s analysis also showed that Britain’s best-selling car, the Ford Focus, placed 27th in the table, with the most recently tested version delivering above-average scores of 35, 40 and 15 respectively in the adult, child and pedestrian safety categories.
Although the Toyota Prius and Nissan X Trail may be popular for currently having the highest ratings in child safety, their pedestrian scores were less than half those of the C6, lowering their positions in the overall table to 27th (equal with the Ford Focus) and 48th respectively.
Similarly, despite sharing the joint highest adult safety score with the Volvo XC60 and Nissan Qashqai, a below average pedestrian score puts the latest Renault Megane in just 39th place overall.
The top ten safest cars according to NEWCARNET.co.uk:
Citroen C6, 2005 model
VW Golf, 2008 model
Citroen C4, 2004 model
SEAT Leon, 2005 model
Toyota Corolla, 2007 model
Nissan Qashqai, 2007 model
Honda Legend, 2007 model
Honda Civic, 2007 model
Lexus GS, 2005 model
SEAT Altea, 2004 model
Search SaveMoneyOnCars.co.uk for offers on new and nearly new Citroen C6 or any other model named here.
RoadTestReports.co.uk rates the C6 at four and a half stars. Have you driven one? Let us know what you make of the C6 and influence the star rating by submitting a road test report here.
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Friday, November 28th, 2008
Lexus is so confident that you will be hooked on their cars that they are offering a 48 hour test drive. The 48 hour Lexus Experience is “More than just a test drive” according to Lexus. “Its an experience” If you fancy 48 hours with a Lexus then simply complete the form on their website
If after your test drive you fancy a Lexus then there are some fabulous Lexus Contract Hire And Leasing offers available
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