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2011 Lexus IS F [w/video]

Michael Harley — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Lexus, New Car Reviews

New Updates Soften Japan's Super Sedan

Mid-course corrections are a common occurrence when speaking about high-flying commercial aircraft and oceangoing freighters - both are often pushed off track by errant winds and powerful currents. But when it comes to automobiles, a mid-course correction can be a sign that something was wrong the moment a new model was unveiled.

The Lexus IS F was introduced at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show. The compact, high-performance sports sedan was a fresh Japanese alternative to the Audi RS4, BMW M3, Cadillac CTS-V and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. Yet, despite a full suite of performance enhancements that lifted it above and well beyond the standard IS, the 416-horsepower rear-wheel-drive sedan arrived lacking the refinement and performance to properly battle its competition.

Lexus reviewed the situation, noted it was not on the proper path and made a series of corrections this past year. The 2011 IS-F four-door boasts a host of improvements, both inside and out, promising a smoother ride, better handling, improved ergonomics and a freshened exterior. So is the Lexus IS F firmly back on track?

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2011 Lexus IS F [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lexus IS gets a minor - a really minor - facelift

Jonathon Ramsey — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 17:33:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Lexus, Luxury

It helps to have an excellent eye for detail when trying to find the updated features on a Lexus IS. A facelifted IS caught in China, said to be taking the model through 2012, will get LED running lights in the headlight clusters, redesigned fog lights and taillights, revised chrome trim for the steering wheel and glovebox and a tweaked wheel design. Right now Lexus is paying attention to the LFA and the new GS coming in 2011, so if you were hoping for more from the small sedan, mark your calendars for two years from now.

[Source: XCar (translated) via Lexus Enthusiast]

Lexus IS gets a minor - a really minor - facelift originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Jun 2010 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lexus LFA to be sold in Europe through one dealership

Noah Joseph — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 09:32:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Performance, Europe, Lexus, UK

Lexus LFA at Lexus Park Lane - Click above for high-res image gallery

We're not the vindictive types here at Autoblog, but we can appreciate some measure of poetic justice. After all, how many lustworthy European supercars were made available over the decades to any European buyer with enough cash on hand, but those same cars were scarcely available on this side of the Pond? The Old Continent practically had the market cornered. But what goes around comes around, and in this case rather quickly, as Lexus has announced that its new groundbreaking LFA will be available in Europe, but only from one dealership. And that one location isn't even on the continent. It's in England.

London's Lexus Park Lane has been appointed as the sole sales location for the LFA in all of Europe. So any buyer from Monte Carlo to Oslo looking to get his or her hands on one is going to have to head here. A demonstration car has already arrived at the Park Lane showroom, and the dealership has appointed a dedicated "personal liaison manager" to handle all LFA sales.

The one part where potential European customers have us beat is that, unlike North American clients who'll have to lease their LFA, across the Atlantic customers can actually buy their example outright. Prospective customers can begin registering their interest now, orders will begin in the spring and deliveries will commence in 2011 and continue through 2013 until all 500 examples have been sold. Follow the jump for the full press release and check out the images in the gallery below.

Gallery: Lexus LFA at Lexus Park Lane

[Source: Lexus]

Continue reading Lexus LFA to be sold in Europe through one dealership

Lexus LFA to be sold in Europe through one dealership originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Justin Bell shows off Lexus LFA in Jay Leno's Garage

Frank Filipponio — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:56:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Lexus

2011 Lexus LFA at California Speedway - Click above to view the video after the jump

The lease-only 2011 Lexus LFA supercar has been getting a lot of exposure lately. We had a chance to drive it a few weeks ago and just showed you some pics of the matte black car when it showed up at Cars & Coffee in Irvine this Saturday, but now we have something even better. LeMans-winner and Jay Leno Show racing coach, Justin Bell, heads out onto Fontana's California Speedway with this very same LFA, getting some instruction himself from fellow racer Scott Pruett before taking the better seat for a lap.

The segment was shot for the latest episode of Jay Leno's Garage, the Jay Leno webshow that highlights a different car every week, sometimes with Jay driving and sometimes with Justin doing the heavy lifting. Follow the jump to see the video for yourself and be sure to check out Jay's Garage regularly if you don't already. Listening to this thing rip up to 9,000 RPM is worth the nine-minute investment of your time, trust us. Thanks for the tip Gabriel!

[Source: Jay Leno's Garage]

Continue reading VIDEO: Justin Bell shows off Lexus LFA in Jay Leno's Garage

VIDEO: Justin Bell shows off Lexus LFA in Jay Leno's Garage originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cars & Coffee: Lexus LFA shows up ahead of LA Auto Show

Frank Filipponio — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:03:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Etc., Lexus

2011 Lexus LFA at Cars & Coffee - Click above for high-res image gallery

The Lexus LFA supercar might not be in dealerships for another year or more, but the two prototypes are getting quite a workout. After driving the car in Miami, we heard the white one was shipped off to Europe while the black one took up residence in its new home: a trailer. The car has made a few appearances around the country, most recently at SEMA and a private showing in the Los Angeles area. Next stop on the LFA tour appears to be the LA Auto Show, but apparently it couldn't stand to be cooped up too long.

Along with a handful of other Lexus show cars, it showed up at our favorite Saturday morning car meet. The handler fired it up several times so the crowd could marvel at that V10 shriek. Reactions were mixed, mainly where price was concerned. We heard more than one person say that if it had a Supra badge and sub-$100K pricetag, it would be a killer. At four times that price, the Lexus badge just doesn't seem to win as many people over. One thing almost everyone loved was that changeable display with the sliding center gauge.

Gallery: 2011 Lexus LFA at Cars & Coffee

Cars & Coffee: Lexus LFA shows up ahead of LA Auto Show originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Lexus LFA may cost $375k, but the paper one is free

Jonny Lieberman — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:29:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Etc., Japan, Lexus, Toys/Games

Many people are into model cars. And... origami. Tangrams, too - which are sort of a two-dimensional, reusable form of origami. What are we on about here, why are we discussing folding paper and models? Funny you should ask. See, the all new Lexus LFA went ahead and got revealed the other day and initial reaction (at least around the Autoblog virtual office) has been pretty negative - negative towards a certain dude name Damon Lavrinc who gets to jet off to Miami and drive the latest Japanese ubercar and it's 560-hp, 4.8-liter V10 that has to propel just 3,263 pounds. Jerk.

But fear not, because even if we don't get to drive the mightiest ever Lexus (and Lord knows at $375,000 we'll never be able to afford one), we can still have one, in a sense. As it turns out, an incredibly loose sense. But yes, if you click this here link, you will find a website that lets you print out a LFA pattern, and with a coupe quick folds you too can have your very own (paper) Lexus LFA. The question then becomes, how good is your printer? OK, we've got to go now, our planet needs us. Thanks to Will for the tip!

Gallery: Tokyo 2009: 2011 Lexus LFA

[Source: Lexus LFA Wiki]

The Lexus LFA may cost $375k, but the paper one is free originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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