Slowly and methodically, Toyota’s upscale brand has been pursuing a course to make themselves relevant in the eyes of the young and restless. When the LFA came out of nowhere, it signaled the beginning of this strategy. Here was a no-compromise poster car done in a way only the Japanese could have conceived. Then came an expanded F line, as well as a trio of sleek concept cars that the public begged to buy. Begged to buy? A Lexus?!?! This then, was a turn of events.

Now we enter today with their affinity for Testarossa fins and angular bodies, their cutting edge electronics and lighting, and their increasingly modern interiors. Lexus is becoming cool, and I suspect will be the next “it” brand sometime in the next decade. BMW is increasingly pursuing SUV’s and leaving behind their “ultimate driving machine” persona. Mercedes lost the plot years ago and seem content to sell to golfers and retired dentists. Sure there’s a GT or Black Series here and there, but all that lipstick does nothing for this pig. Audi might be the cool car of the moment, but their recent designs have shown that they have no idea where to go forward and with the billions lost on the VW diesel scandal, Audi will likely see their development budgets slashed dramatically. The space is open for Lexus to occupy it – the crown of “It” car is ready for the taking. I think they are going to do it.

Whether the new Lexus will make it into the annals of boy racer legend remains to be seen. It seems unlikely that it will sit in the pantheon of greats like the original Golf GTI or even GM’s Nova – a classic back in the day. The car certainly has that type of appeal and looks like the sort of vehicle that young drivers would use to get into trouble with the law. But these things are inherently unpredictable. It is usually only after the fact that you find out that a vehicle was something special and had a cult following. Hindsight is a wonderful thing in the automotive world.

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Maybe we’re getting a little hard on just a technicality. It’s better to go ahead and check out what is the 2015 Lexus GX 460 capable of and figure out why Lexus still keeps a few classic SUVs in its offer especially when the RX 350 and the NX series are selling so well.

Lexus only offers the GX 460 in base and Luxury trims. The base model consists of a base formed by 18 inch wheels, automatic LED low-beams, sunroof, a rear privacy glass and a rear spoiler. Getting inside, the driver and front passenger benefit from 8-way powered seating with 2 lumbar options and driver memory settings. Steering wheel benefits from tilt and telescopic function. Leatherette premium vinyl upholstery and dual climate control also comes standard on the GX 460.

Among these, the Luxury trim comes with a liquid graphite finish applied on the 18 inch wheels, which are further tuned with an adaptive suspension able to overcome bumps and cracks in the road with great finesse. Auto-dimming side mirrors blind spot monitoring and a mahogany wood insertion on the now-heated steering wheel are just a few of the team of upgrades the Luxury package offers. One last element which may not be omitted from the list is the Mark Levinson audio system; a real piece of technology for audiophile drivers.

If one thing’s certain, the GX 460 doesn’t whine like most other SUVs when it comes to pulling, climbing and dragging around thousands of pounds. Equipped with a 4.6 liter V8 engine connected to a 6-speed automatic gearbox, Lexus GX 460 delivers 301hp and 329 pound-feet of torque to the wheels. A permanent four-wheel drive system with a dual range transfer case is also fit into the standard package. When equipped properly, the GS 460 is not shy of towing 6,500 pounds.

The SUV reaches 60 mph in 7.2 seconds, an average value in the full-sized SUV segment. Fuel economy values aren’t as encouraging though; EPA estimates a 17 mpg combined fuel consumption rate, rendering the GX 460 below the average of the segment.

Although built on the classic body on frame system, the SUV rides smoother than you might expect, especially thanks to the adaptive suspension whose level of firmness can be altered in three stages. In an attempt to tune the braking system both for on and off-road use, Lexus induced a rather slower response on the braking pedal.

While you can easily find a bunch of full-sized SUVs with better handling and fuel economy, the GX 460 didn’t not mistakenly named its trim Luxury. It offers a variety of great interior materials and a multitude of options which smoothly combine classic styles with modern technology. If you’re more a car lounge type and don’t really care about arriving on time and downshifting, chances are the 2015 Lexus GX 460 may look up to you.

The post Lexus GX 460 Luxury Is Ready and Capable appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

That was my initial thought really, as I opened the door to the 2014 Lexus IS-F.  I’ve always enjoyed the Lexus vehicles, but have never really thought they were something to write home about.  Classy, comfortable, semi-affordable, and made with strong quality, the rides have always been related to the newly promoted managers and stay-at-home moms to me.  And I wasn’t giving this ride in front of me much more of a thought.  Yes, I knew what it was, what it had inside, and had seen the hilarious Top Gear episode with Clarkson driving it like mad man.  But for some reason I could not look past the Lexus name.

And I am sorry for that.

I am sorry to this car that is more than what I could have ever imagined.  415 hp at my disposal, all pushed through the rear wheels, was insane.  I’ve handled high powered vehicles before, but nothing has invoked the amount of fun that the IS-F did.  Every start-up, every acceleration, every corner – the world had become my race track.  I was finding myself looking for reasons to take new routes home, finding longer roads to stretch the legs on, the really get the full taste of what this car was supposed to deliver.  No car has ever invoked that emotion in me.  It became an adventure, an opportunity to see the confused looks on the faces around me of the people who, like me originally, only saw a Lexus.

And that’s why it saddens me to write this article.  Lexus ended production of this dragon 2 weeks after I had the vehicle.  The moment of reading that news was bittersweet for me.  I felt blessed to have experienced that ride, knowing that if ever an opportunity for me to own a RWD high-power sedan came up, it would be my number one choice.  No questions about that.  But on the other end, I feel cheated, as if Lexus showed the world just what it could do with a sedan, launching the F-Sport branding, but then taking away the true heart and soul.  There is no word if this engine, this mastered piece of Japanese engineering, will return in some form, and that stings.

The moment I started this car, the first hard pull off the light, the cornering with the tires squeaking just as if they were egging me on, was pure bliss.  The noise of the exhaust, bark of the shifts, was like pure adrenaline being pumped into my system.  I became an addict of speed in this car.  Let that sink in.  A Lexus made me fall in love with pure horsepower.

But there was one moment of pure bliss with that car.  My best friend was having his bachelor party that weekend, and I offered to drive him and two others to the many festivities.  As we drove through the empty streets, I looked around and saw the grins on 3 non-motor head faces.  These gentlemen, owners of cars that get them from A to B, were hooked.  Every corner, every acceleration, every bark in the shift made their smile even more permanent.   I felt bad, as if I had just introduced them to a new, addicting drug, but at the same time, welcomed them to the party.

It’s a series of mixed emotions I have with this car.  It’s not practical for me, but that’s only because I live in Colorado.  Any other state, such as Arizona, and I would have this in my garage in a heartbeat.  But as I look around at the other rides on the market, I am not seeing anything that will truly fill this need, this missing part of my addiction to speed.  And every bit of it was caused by a Lexus.  No more was I looking at this as a grocery-getter for the upper middle class.  No longer did Lexus fit in the ‘kind of cool’ category as they have proven they can delivery something that invokes pure motor head emotions.  Now, instead, I wait to hear of the next insane ride that will grace the streets.  And I only hope it exceeds the top-class that the IS-F delivered.

One day,  I will find a way.  I will justify this ride.  I am sorry I ever doubted it.

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