Month: June 2015

2015 Lexus ES-300h FWD Sedan

On By stuwright47In *HYBRIDS/ELECTRICS, LexusLeave a comment

20150615_153629On a recent long weekend I was able to test a new Lexus for a trip to Nebraska, and it was the ES series hybrid model that has been available since early 2012.  The car was painted Atomic Silver and had black leather five-passenger seating.  Inside it was black perforated “Semi-Aniline” (a dying process) leather throughout, courtesy of the Ultra Luxury package that was included on this ES.   This added $2,435.00 to the base price of the Lexus ($40,430.00) and included power memory heated/air conditioned front buckets, ambient lighting, bamboo trim, power tilt/telescope steering column, rear sunshades, and driver’s seat power cushion extender.

Additionally, the car had blind spot monitor ($500.00), lane departure alert with intelligent high-beam headlamps ($1,015.00), navigation package with 8″  screen ($1,795.00), power trunk closer ($400.00), intuitive parking assist ($500.00), rain-sensing wipers with de-icer ($155.00),  and heated leather trimmed/bamboo steering wheel ($450.00).  Thus the base price and freight of $925.00 pushed the total M.S.R.P. to $48,605.00.

My father and I bought a brand new 1965 Corsair Corsa for about $46,000.00 less than that figure in Grant, Nebraska fifty years ago.  I bring that up because my 50th class reunion in that town was the reason for the road trip in the Lexus.  I tooled around Grant in the ES300h, a sedan considerably more accomplished than the old Chevy was, and although the Lexus is more expensive, the Corvair was over $20,000.00 if adjusted for inflation.  The Lexus’ current price adjusted back to 1965 dollars comes to $6,500.00, and it may be that Bullock Chevy/Cadillac there in Grant sold a Caddy for about that amount.  I don’t really know, but I do know that Dad and I didn’t bother to look at such a car.20150615_153920

As a popular Lexus hybrid, the ES has an Atkinson-cycle, 2.5 liter, four cylinder gasoline engine at its heart, and two electric motor/generators to contribute power.  An Englishman named Atkinson obtained an American patent on the Atkinson-cycle engine over 120 years ago, but the design wasn’t favored until recently because its efficient fuel consumption aspect was more than offset by its lack of torque.  Well, electric motors provide instant torque, so in the hybrid automobile the Atkinson engine goes with an electric motor like love and marriage.  And in the ES300h, the total package provides 200 horsepower and runs that through a continuously-variable automatic transmission. Reportedly, top speed is 112 mph and zero to sixty acceleration takes 8.1 seconds.

Size-wise, this ES is a luxo-Camry with 111” wheelbase and a 16-foot overall length.  It’s heavier than a Camry, though, at 3,700 lbs. with its big battery.  That battery restricts the trunk to 12.1 cubic feet, and on this ES the lid powers up and down.  No restriction is evident in the back seat, however, with seating for three and a big armrest in the middle.  Riding anywhere in the ES300h is a pleasure, and I felt the ride was superb while motoring up through northeastern Colorado and into Perkins County, Nebraska.  Lexus ES300h styling is suitable for me and me and Ruth really liked the Atomic silver tone.  The front-end styling is fine and so is the rear with the exhaust tips concealed, hybrid-style.

EPA ratings for the ES300h are 40-city, 39-highway, and 40-combined miles per gallon – electric power allows drivers to save fuel in the city.  My average, driving around Greeley as well as the road trip to Nebraska, was 41.1 mpg.  It’s hard to say how much driving is necessary to make a hybrid Lexus pay off; there are other factors involved in the calculations.  With resale value and pride of ownership factored in, this hybrid Lexus looks like a pretty good deal to me.

2015 Lexus RC-F RWD 2-Door Coupe

On By stuwright47In *PASSENGER CARS, LexusLeave a comment

20150608_185153In late 2014, Lexus brought out their high-performance version of the RC Coupe, the RC-F, as a 2015 model offering.  The RC-300h and RC-350, the original V-6 coupes, were upgraded to a V-8 in this new car, a 5.0 liter, 90 degree, four-cam power plant.  The RC-F is essentially a blend of three prior Lexus models – GS and IS sedans and the IS-C convertible.  What the amalgamation resulted in was what I called a “supercar” all week long during my testing of the RC-F.

In a pleasant turn of events, on several occasions nearby motorists, upon blowing their horn, were seen giving me and Ruth a “thumbs up”, as opposed to the customary shaking fist.  They must have agreed with me as far as the “supercar” characterization goes, and admittedly the Infrared paint and terrific styling makes getting around in obscurity quite difficult.  Lexus likes to say “you’ll turn heads” with the RC-F, and indeed we did.

M.S.R.P. of my test Lexus came in at a total of $74,560.00, including freight.  The base price ($62,400.00) had as options the following: 19″ hand polished alloy wheels ($1,500.00), leather interior ($800.00), navigation package ($2,840.00), the paint ($595.00), premium package ($4,400.00), and moonroof ($1,100.00).  Thus the four passenger RC-F was equipped with pretty much every imaginable interior amenity including the Mark Levinson rock-crushing, 835-watt, 17-speaker surround sound audio system.

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The RC-F has a fairly smooth drag coefficient of .33, and reportedly has a top speed of 168 mph.  On the dashboard is situated a tennis-ball sized, 200 mpg speedometer and a rather large 9,000 rpm tachometer.  A rating of 467 horsepower from the throaty V-8 is at an impressive 7,100 rpm, and the torque rating is 389 lb. ft. at 4,800 rpm.   Four driving modes are available on the console-mounted knob of this car –  Sport S mode alters the powertrain for more dynamic throttle response, Sport S+ mode adds steering enhancements to help provide a higher level of responsiveness, normal mode provides the optimal balance of fuel efficiency and engine performance, and ECO mode moderates the throttle response, engine power output and climate settings for increased fuel efficiency.  My favorite was, of course, the Sport S+ mode, and even Ruth urged me to make the selection when we rode around together.  Part of the reason for our desire to drive in that mode was the active sound control that Lexus installs – at engine speeds up to 3,000 rpm, the system issues a steady tone of low and deep sounds.  And as the engine speed increases, the tone transforms into a higher-pitched note that blends with the engine’s mechanical sounds, and it really honks above 6,000 rpm.20150611_05594520150614_090048

The RC-F transmission is an eight-speed sport direct shift automatic that is smooth operating in normal and Eco modes, and more abrupt in the two sport modes.  Paddle shifters are on hand and the two-door coupe has rear wheel drive with a Torsen limited-slip differential.  Zero to sixty acceleration is reportedly 4.5 seconds. Wheelbase of the RC-F is 107.5″, overall length is 185.2″, the trunk holds 10.1 cubic feet of luggage, and the weight is 3,958 lbs.  It is the same size as Ford’s Mustang and about 200 lbs. heavier.20150614_090119

I averaged 20.3 miles per gallon with the Lexus, and provided it with its called-for premium gasoline.  The tank holds 17.4 gallons, and the EPA ratings are 16-city, 25-highway, and 19-combined miles per gallon.  Purchasers of the Lexus RC-F don’t care about the information in this paragraph, but do care about the rocket-ship performance and dynamite styling of it.  This reviewer could recommend a long look at the RC-F if that is the twin desires of their purchase.   20150611_060048

 

 

 

 

2015 Subaru BRZ Series.Blue RWD

On By stuwright47In *PASSENGER CARS, SubaruLeave a comment

SAM_4073Subaru and Toyota joined forces a few years ago to produce a rear-wheel drive sports car and in 2013 they introduced what Subaru named the BRZ.  Subaru provided the engine for the unit and even landed the job of producing the car for both companies.  The Subaru name (BRZ) denotes boxer engine (B), rear-wheel drive (R), and Zenith (Z), which means a point in time when something is most powerful and successful.  Toyota put out their sports car with a Scion nameplate and named it the FR-S.

I found a 2015 BRZ Series.Blue in my driveway last week courtesy of Rocky Mountain Redline, and the driver came to the door with the keys.  Actually, I didn’t need the keys in my hand when I left the neighborhood because the Subaru has “keyless access and start”, allowing you to enter and drive with the keys in your pocket.  This BRZ had the big red “STI” starter button because of its designation as a Series.Blue, a limited production model (limit, 1,000), with a lot of other special equipment on hand, as well.SAM_4065

Subaru has built 500 of these WR Blue Pearl metallic BRZ’s (they are done), and 500 Crystal White Pearl ones.  All of them have as upgrades the following items:      black STI front, side, and side-rear under spoilers for keeping the BRZ well-grounded at high speeds, red-finish brake calipers that can be seen between the spokes of the wheels, special 15-spoke black painted STI wheels, and the special red illuminated engine start/stop button.  Also, the car sports leather and Alcantara upholstery featuring blue leather seat bolsters and head restraints. The unique color continues with Blue stitching accents on the seats and the blue and black leather-wrapped steering wheel, as well as the shift lever boot and leather-wrapped parking brake handle.

Interior appointments of the Subaru included audio/navigation system, cruise control, heated front seats and mirrors, power windows, Bluetooth phone connectivity, and AM/FM/XM/CD radio.  Ruth and I drove to Denver and back in the car and the seats did not annoy, the guidance on the highway was great, and road noise was suitable for such a car.SAM_4064

The BRZ, trimmed-out as nicely as it was, still shines brightest on the road.  It is powered by a 2.0 liter, four cylinder boxer aluminum engine that provides 200 horsepower (@ 7,000 rpm) and 151 lb.-ft. of torque (@ 6,400 rpm).  The punch-counterpunch action of the boxer pistons in the Subaru cancel each other out and provide a smooth delivery of power.  Also, the horizontally opposed engine results in a lower center of gravity in the vehicle (18”), aiding the handling and cornering characteristics.  Porsche and Subaru are pretty much it when it comes to boxer automobile engines, and the design is found in some BMW and Honda motorcycles.  The motor was patented by Germany’s Karl Benz in 1896.  Fuel economy ratings on the BRZ are 22-city, 30-highway, and 25-combined miles per gallon.  The car burns premium unleaded gasoline, and the tank holds 13.2 gallons.SAM_4078

My test BRZ had a six-speed manual transmission, and what a pleasure it was to operate with a snick-snick short-throw shifter/linkage setup.  A sport-tuned suspension is installed along with a Torsen limited-slip rear differential and 4-wheel disc (11.5″) brakes.  Reportedly, the 2,800 lb. BRZ travels from zero to 60 in SAM_40636.4 seconds.  The black wheels are 17″ in diameter and are fitted with P215/45R17 Michelin Primacy HP summer radials.

M.S.R.P. for the Subaru was based at $27,695.00.  Freight and the Series.Blue package ($1,795.00) brought the total to $30,285.00.  Shoppers looking for a 2 + 2 sports car for around $30,000 with terrific styling and performance would be well-advised to look at the 2015 Subaru BRZ Series.Blue, if they can find one.