German Car Zone

I think Lexus is onto something with this "L-Finesse" design philosophy, but they have some issues to sort out; the interiors look uninspired, and the exterior designs need less gaudy ornamentation and more attention to detail. Once they have those things sorted then I think they'll look more the part of the establishment, but for now they're still lacking in design leadership. Aside from that they're cars dynamics are very uninspired as well, and that may take an even longer time to sort; we'll see how the IS-F fares later/early this year/next year.

Deutsch I very much appreciate you're point of view, but you still haven't told me what you voted for (if any of them)

IS hands down. Yesterday my dad told me he is thinking about a Lexus IS250 but I hope it was just a joke.

New LS is just "awesome" ...!

An automotive journalist brought the LS600h L by the office yesterday and took us for a spin. It's an impressive car (you gotta love those LS600-exclusive headlights). But at six figures, I really wonder who would want such a thing over an Audi S8, Mercedes S600 or BMW 760.

Definitely for those to whom a "Hybrid" badge is a shoo-in. Another contingency is the tiny boot space. For a car this massive, you ought have more trunk room than a Z4. Milage is "good" but not phenomenal, averaging 21mpg.

Cabin NVH is, as you'd expect, errily quiet. If you're the kind who thinks alot while driving, your thoughts defintely won't be interrupted.

My favorite car right now is the IS350. It has become a very good image car for Lexus, and the've done well following its styling lead. I think the LS460 is great in a "very Lexus way," but I'm still put off by the interior, which feels very old-school in execution.

On a sidenote - I'm very dissapointed in the transparent rebadge job Lexus has done with the forthcoming '08 LX. Like its predecessor, the LX looks like a very ham-fisted rejigging of the Land Cruiser. They've just changed some minor cosmetics and added a premum cabin. For shame.

LS. Wears the corporate face of "L-Finesse" very well.