04 Rx330-awd-119k-premium Pkg-navigation-heated Front Seats-sunroof-tow Hitch on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2014 Lexus IS gets TRD bits

Toyota Racing Development (TRD) in Japan has designed cosmetic and performance bits that give the 2014 Lexus IS a front-to-back workover. Different from the F-Sport parts we expect from Lexus here, the full body kit runs 437,700 yen ($4,285 US) and starts with air deflectors at the lower edges of the front bumper, through to side skirts, a decklid spoiler and a rear bumper with a diffuser and quad exhaust tips.
For 288,750 yen ($2,830) you can sharpen responses with new shocks, springs, dampers, sway bar and bracing. The priciest individual component is the set of 19-inch wheels, four of them going for 527,625 yen (5,170 US). There's no word on US importation or pricing yet, but done up all in black like the IS above, we wouldn't mind seeing it here.

2015 Lexus RC 350

Luxury coupes like this new, 2015 Lexus RC 350 have got, to my mind, a more challenging mission than their all-out-performance variants; in this case, the recently reviewed RC F.
That's not to say that I think actual owners and shoppers of cars like the RC F, BMW M4 and Cadillac CTS-V Coupe only care about output figures and lap times. In fact I'd say that those are outliers in terms of how they get used most often. But the story that we reviewers tell - and that shoppers in the ego-boosted segment tell themselves before they pull the trigger - have a lot to do with what the car is capable of on the edge of its envelope.
Mainstream coupes can't rely on that kind of irrational pull, however, at least outside of the emotional world of styling persuasion. For a buyer to drop more than $40,000 on the RC 350, he or she will want tons of features, comfort, good looks, and, yes, a dash of sportiness to spice of the pot. Reason and desire seem a lot more balanced here. That's great news for Lexus, with its history of creating sensible luxury cars and a pretty composed luxury coupe in this new RC.

2015 Lexus NX offers bold design, compact luxury

Meet the all-new NX, Lexus' entry into the space occupied by the likes of the BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA. Based off the LF-NX Concept and sharing much of the design language seen on the polarizing IS sedan, the NX looks to be a rather sporty Lexus crossover.
The big news here is under the hood: the NX will be the first Lexus to use a turbocharged engine. That's right, a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder can be found in both the NX 200t and NX 200t F Sport. There will also be an NX 300h, and if Lexus' nomenclature remains consistent, we already know all about that one. As of right now, there aren't a lot of details on either powertrain, although with the NX's Beijing debut still over a week away, here's hoping we know more soon.
As for that design... well, we're waiting to see it up close. The initial reaction from the Autoblog team has been mixed so far. Like the IS, there are plenty of sharp angles, while the front is dominated by the brand's spindle grille. Lexus' designers have refined the shape of the headlights, giving them a cleaner overall look than on the pioneering IS. In back, LED taillights come standard. According to Lexus, 17-inch wheels are the base rollers, while 18s are optional.