Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[2013 Lexus ES earns five stars from NHTSA]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/12/05/2013-lexus-es-earns-five-stars-from-nhtsa/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/12/05/2013-lexus-es-earns-five-stars-from-nhtsa/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/12/05/2013-lexus-es-earns-five-stars-from-nhtsa/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

2013 Lexus ES 350

The 2013 Lexus ES has earned a five-star crash rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The 2013 ES 350 and ES 300h hybrid earned the highest ratings in each of the government's crash evaluations, including overall driver safety, frontal crashes and overall side impacts, save one. The sedan only achieved a four-star rating in the NHTSA rollover protection test, but that fault wasn't enough to keep the vehicle from earning a five-star designation overall.

The announcement doesn't mention the recent Consumer Reports claim that the ES comes with a faulty emergency trunk release that can be easily broken in a panic situation.

As you may recall, the 2013 ES 350 carries an MSRP of $36,100, plus an $895 destination fee and offers buyers a 268-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 good for 248 pound-feet of torque, as well. The ES 300h, meanwhile, stickers at $38,850 plus the same destination charge.

2013 Lexus ES earns five stars from NHTSA originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 05 Dec 2012 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2013 es 3502013 lexus es 350crash ratinges 300h hybrides 350lexuslexus es 300h hybridlexus es 350national highway traffic safety administrationnhtsaWed, 05 Dec 2012 08:27:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20393876/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/12/05/2013-lexus-es-earns-five-stars-from-nhtsa/20393876/article-detail.xml 20393876 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/12/2013-lexus-es-350-628_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/12/2013-lexus-es-350-628.jpg <![CDATA[Lexus Safety Experience: Enthusiast knowledge made common]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/09/lexus-safety-experience-enthusiast-knowledge-made-common/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/09/lexus-safety-experience-enthusiast-knowledge-made-common/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/09/lexus-safety-experience-enthusiast-knowledge-made-common/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Lexus RX 350 - Lexus Safety Experience
Lexus Safety Experience - Click above for high-res image gallery

You're an auto enthusiast. You know what all the acronyms on the buttons around your dash stand for. You understand that braking power can beat engine power 99% of the time. That feeling you get from activating the anti-lock braking system? It's not "scary" and you know you should keep your foot down. The problem is that the average driver or new-car shopper is not an enthusiast. Lexus knows this and it has created an event to help educate its salesmen around the country, who in turn can better explain the safety systems available on the cars in the showroom.

The Lexus Safety Experience is a half-day event that highlights the safety tech fitted to most Lexus vehicles (some 2010 models and all 2011s). In short, it decodes the aforementioned acronym alphabet soup and then demonstrates exactly what each one does. What does VSC stand for? What is TRAC and VDIM? Is EBD something I should get tested for?

Answers: Vehicle Stability Control. Traction Control Activity Area and Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management. No, it means Electronic Brake-Force Distribution.

The terms might be foreign concepts to many of its customers, but Lexus is trying to change that. Not by telling its sales force what everything means - by showing them.


Gallery: Lexus Safety Experience

Lexus RX 350 at the Lexus Safety ExperienceLexus RX 350 at the Lexus Safety ExperienceLexus RX 350 at the Lexus Safety ExperienceLexus RX 350 at the Lexus Safety ExperienceLexus RX 350 at the Lexus Safety Experience

Photos by Drew Phillips/Copyright 2010 (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Lexus Safety Experience: Enthusiast knowledge made common

Lexus Safety Experience: Enthusiast knowledge made common originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 09 Oct 2010 09:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2011 lexus es 350EBDfeaturedlexuslexus es 350lexus gxLexus GX 460Lexus RXlexus rx 350lexus safety experiencesmart-stopTRACtraction controlVDIMvehicle stability controlVSCSat, 09 Oct 2010 09:33:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19658742/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/10/09/lexus-safety-experience-enthusiast-knowledge-made-common/19658742/article-detail.xml 19658742 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/09/01lexussafetyexperience_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/09/01lexussafetyexperience.jpg <![CDATA[Review: 2010 Lexus ES 350 is soft-riding royalty that's lost its crown]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/30/review-2010-lexus-es-350-is-soft-riding-royalty-that-could-lose/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/30/review-2010-lexus-es-350-is-soft-riding-royalty-that-could-lose/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/30/review-2010-lexus-es-350-is-soft-riding-royalty-that-could-lose/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

2010 Lexus ES 350 - Click above for high-res image gallery

The entry-level luxury sedan segment doesn't command the enthusiast attention of, say, the ultra-premium luxury sports sedan. But if you ask automakers to choose between the two, we'd wager that most would rather have a best-in-class $35,000 sedan than a world-beating $70,000 sports tourer.

The reason? Very few fortunes are made selling a few thousand highfalutin' rocket launchers, but bottom lines can easily be bolstered or crippled based on the success or failure of a plush, high-volume cruiser. Luxury marques from Acura to Volvo have experienced varied levels of success at the low end of the luxury market, but few have enjoyed the consistent sales dominance of the Lexus ES. In the past decade, Toyota has cranked out over 600,000 copies in the U.S. alone, with another 650,000 units shipped around the world. And those sales have traditionally been overwhelmingly of the retail variety with little or no incentives. Not bad for what many consider a glorified Toyota Camry.

Enthusiasts take note: Lexus didn't reach such lofty sales levels with a rear-wheel-drive architecture or pavement-punishing quantities of horsepower. The road map to success for the ES has been simple: a soft, compliant ride; a pampering interior; and unmatched quality. The fifth-generation ES350 has built nicely on those attributes with smoother power, a quieter cabin and more technology. But the competition is still striving to overtake the ES in sales, so Lexus has gone and given its top-selling sedan a mid-cycle refresh for 2010. We spent a week in a Starfire Pearl ES350 to see if it still had the goods to remain a top option in the entry-level luxury segment.


Gallery: Review: 2010 Lexus ES 350


Photos by Chris Shunk / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Review: 2010 Lexus ES 350 is soft-riding royalty that's lost its crown

Review: 2010 Lexus ES 350 is soft-riding royalty that's lost its crown originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2010 es 2502010 es3502010 lexus es2010 lexus es 3502010 lexus es3502010Es2502010Es3502010LexusEs2010LexusEs350ESes 350es 350 reviewES 350 road testES-350es350es350 reviewes350 road testEs350ReviewEs350RoadTestfeaturedlexuslexus eslexus es 350lexus es 350 reviewlexus es350lexus es350 reviewLexusEsLexusEs350LexusEs350ReviewreviewreviewsFri, 30 Jul 2010 11:58:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19561936/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/07/30/review-2010-lexus-es-350-is-soft-riding-royalty-that-could-lose/19561936/article-detail.xml 19561936 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/lead1lexuses350review2010_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/lead1lexuses350review2010.jpg <![CDATA[Chicago 2008: Lexus ES 350 Pebble Beach Edition]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/06/chicago-2008-lexus-es-350-pebble-beach-edition/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/06/chicago-2008-lexus-es-350-pebble-beach-edition/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/06/chicago-2008-lexus-es-350-pebble-beach-edition/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Click the image above for a hi-res gallery of the Lexus ES 350 Pebble Beach Edition

The Lexus ES 350 is the second model this year to get the Pebble Beach Special Edition treatment, along with the Lexus RX 350. Both of them join Lexus' Pebble Beach regular, the Lexus SC 430, in the bespoke-paint-and-packages options. We don't mind the 17-inch wheels with the liquid graphite finish one bit. And just as with the RX, you get your choice of three additonal special packages that can bestow you with Callaway goods, custom luggage or Viking cookware for you epicureans. For full details, check out the press release after the jump, and take a gander at the gallery of hi-res pics below.

Gallery: 2008 Lexus ES 350 Pebble Beach Edition

Continue reading Chicago 2008: Lexus ES 350 Pebble Beach Edition

Chicago 2008: Lexus ES 350 Pebble Beach Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chicagochicago 2008chicago auto showChicago2008ChicagoAutoShowlexus es 350lexus es 350 pebble beach editionLexusEs350LexusEs350PebbleBeachEditionpebble beachpebble beach editionPebbleBeachPebbleBeachEditionWed, 06 Feb 2008 19:03:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1108527/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2008/02/06/chicago-2008-lexus-es-350-pebble-beach-edition/1108527/article-detail.xml 1108527 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/02/es350_pbe01_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/02/es350_pbe01.jpg -1 2