The Lexus RC 350 is a car that seems to be a bit confused about what it wants to be. The looks suggest full-on sports coupe. There is an aggressive grille, massive vents in the bumper, sharp side sills that jut from the body, and at the rear are faux diffusers for fake bumper vents. The colour is a retina-searing creamsicle orange that has garnered

Review and Photos by Jeff Wilson Generally speaking, the thought of spending a handsome sum of money on a new car and then being expected to pay for the paint additionally annoys the heck out of me.  It takes the art of nickel-and-diming someone to a whole new level and the German car companies do it better than anyone.   They’ll offer one, or m

In car design, as in life, appearance matters. When you see what Lexus has done with this fourth-generation model, is it any wonder the RX helped define the segment it now, arguably, dominates? In 1958, Ford introduced a car called the Edsel, a traditional-enough line of sedans, convertibles and station wagons to be sold alongside the F

There’s an old song by a band called The Monks that goes, “Nice legs, shame about the face.” I found myself humming it while I was driving home in Lexus’ mid-range SUV, the RX 350. It’s always been one of my favourite sport-utes to drive, but I’ve yet to work my way around the redesign that turns the nose into a gaping, filigree-encrusted hole. Sti

The 2017 Lexus GS 350 is perhaps my favourite Lexus sedan. It’s substantial but not huge. It’s handsome but not outlandish. It’s luxurious but not pretentious. And it performs admirably enough to be taken seriously. The cabin is spacious enough to be comfortable, but small enough to feel intimate and involved. The GS has always been a

The accountants at Lexus should take just as much credit for the super sleek design of the RC Coupes as the artists who crafted its postmodern yet elegant silhouette. Because it’s those typically cost-conscious management types that approved the expensive tooling changes required for those unique looks, with lines that resemble little else in the L

Driving along in the 2015 Lexus GS 350 F-Sport somewhere between Duncan and Cowichan Bay on Vancouver Island, I exited the Trans Canada highway and found myself on one of the Island's famous backroads — a narrow ribbon of blacktop that twisted and undulated along the coastal topography, occasionally skirting the water's edge before diving back into

At times, it’s surely been a bit of a tough sell to convince buyers to ante up for a new Lexus ES, given the perennial entry-level luxury sedan is so closely related to Toyota’s stalwart mid-sizer. But when the magnificent new 2018 Camry hit the market this year, it was a wholesale improvement over not only the outgoing family sedan, but was also d

With a recent and total do-over of the Lexus RX, Lexus’s hot-selling crossover now boasts styling, manners and trimmings that pull their weight harder than ever towards its price tag. The use of chrome and glitz is restrained and tasteful, and the RX 350 F Sport isn’t as aggressively blinged-out as the front row of a Wiz Khalifa concert.

There’s something to be said for keeping things simple. Not counting its distinctively aggressive front-end treatment, the Lexus IS 350 mostly sticks to the basics, and they’re good basics. Robust, powerful V6 power? Check. All-wheel-drive surefootedness? Check. Nicely appointed interior? Check. Quiet, comfortable ride? Check. Competent handling? C

Dan says: I don’t know about you, but I like an underdog. With the exception of professional hockey, where I support a certain team fervently, I seem to always cheer for the dark horse in sports where I don’t really belong to any single fanbase. I liked Cleveland in last year’s NBA finals. Wanted more than anything for New England to bow in the Su

The Lexus ES 350 has been with us for a long time. When it first showed up, many were skeptical about how a Camry-based sedan could simply be rebadged and command such a premium. It quickly became evident that Lexus had done a lot of work in every department and the ES 350 has always been a very fine, mid-grade luxury sedan. It's not entry-level lu

It has often been said that you can’t judge a book by its cover. Nowhere is that statement truer than the revised-for- 2019 Lexus RC 350 F Sport . Reading through the hyperbolic marketing material online, I was prepared for “athletic and responsive” capabilities that promised an “emotional driving experience”. Particularly eye-catching in Flare (ak

In 2000, the heir to the Toyota throne returned. Akio Toyoda was young and vigorous, but he was also taking the helm of a company that had transitioned away from sports cars and towards the hybrids and crossovers that would define the future. He was an avid golfer, not quite a gearhead. 311 hp seems like it should be enough, but a torque peak

Day 1   The best selling Lexus in the lineup, the RX 350, is what I'm driving this week. Fully redesigned for the 2016 model year I have been looking forward to this test for a while. The interior upgrades are stunning but I have also been very curious how the new eight-speed transmission works with the 3.5L V6 engine. That engine hasn't chan