This past week I was presented a 2013 Lexus LS460 F Sport four-door sedan for testing while travelling in and around Phoenix, AZ on a working vacation.  It was painted Starfire Pearl (white) metallic and inside it was trimmed in black perforated leather.  Of course, the car seats five comfortably because the LS (M.S.R.P. $81,990) is big, with a wheelbase of 116.9” and an overall length of 200”.  Weight is 4,400 lbs.

Boy, did the LS operate with a great deal of aplomb on the turnpikes in the Valley of the Sun!  It had the blind spot monitor, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, navigation (12.3” screen!), 10-speaker Lexus stereo with satellite radio, Bluetooth, Lexus Enform app suite, and power tilt/telescope (and heated) steering wheel.  All the windows powered up or down (out of sight), the mirrors folded in when the car was locked and of course a proximity key fob and pushbutton starter button were on hand.  The front buckets were superb and adjustable in 16 (driver) and 12 (passenger) ways.  Also, the embossed (F Sport) headrests powered up or down, just like the windows.  Aluminum trim is present in the cabin on door panels, dash, and on the pedals, as well.  Stitched leather was all over inside, including some real fancy door panels.

The engine for the LS with rear-wheel drive is a 4.6 liter, 386 horsepower V-8 with a fuel economy rating of 16-city, 24-highway, and 19-overall miles per gallon.  Behind it is an eight-speed sequential-shift automatic transmission with manual control-capability and steering column-mounted paddle shifters.  I’ve never driven a car with such a transmission – a truck, yes, but not an automobile.  It provided silky-smooth acceleration, and reportedly the LS will go zero to sixty in 5.4 seconds and top out at 130 mph.  The F Sport rides .39” lower than the standard LS on an air suspension setup, but provides a fun, somewhat aggressive handling package, particularly when Sport S+ mode is selected on the console.

As mentioned, the finish of the car was a striking, metallic white and up front resided LED lighting for day or night attention.  The grill is a specific F Sport blacked-out egg-crate design in the new six-sided Lexus manner, and big air intakes surround the front fog lights.  Taillights have three “L’s” molded within each, and an appropriate amount of chrome is all around the car.  The  wheels were 19” split-ten-spoke forged alloys by BBS surrounded by 245/45R19 summer radials.  Behind them could be seen the big Brembo 14.8” ventilated disc brakes.  They provided plenty of Whoa! to go with all the Go! The twin exhausts puffed out of two sculpted chrome finishers molded into the rear fascia.

As a car to enter into freeway traffic in America’s sixth largest city on a weekday, I cannot think of a better choice than the 2013 Lexus LS460 F Sport.  For dropping off the wife in front of the toney El Chorro Restaurant in Paradise Valley to have dinner; same car.

On Tuesday I received a new Lexus to test; the ES series hybrid available since early 2012.  It came in “Deep Sea Mica”, blue metallic paint and it was quite attractive.  I’ve tested six prior Lexus cars and SUV’s, and this ES350 looks like it may end up being my favorite.  Inside it was black perforated “Semi-Aniline” (a dying process) leather throughout, courtesy of the Ultra Luxury package included on the ES.   This added $2,435 to the base price of the Lexus 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), lane departure alert ($965), navigation package ($2,625), power trunk lid ($400), parking assist ($500), rain-sensing wipers ($155),  and heated leather and wood steering wheel ($450).  Thus the base price and freight pushed the total M.S.R.P. to $47,944, about $10,000 less than the Lexus GS that I drove the first week of 2013.  And this latest car has hybrid technology, although it’s a bit smaller than the GS.

Speaking of hybrid technology, the ES has an Atkinson-cycle, 2.5 liter, four cylinder gasoline engine at its heart, and two electric motor/generators to chip in 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 peanut butter with jelly.  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 such a Toyota, 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 among the best (of cars I have tested) while going along the Jackrabbit Trail here in Weld County on a ride to Johnstown.  That road is pretty pock-marked and need of repair, but provided little in the way of discomfort inside this car. Outside the car, styling is suitable for me with the exception of the painted door handles.  The new (to Lexus) 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 and 39-highway – electric power allows drivers to save fuel in the city.  My average, driving around Greeley all week, was 34.8 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.  I noticed at Lexus.com that the base prices are $2,750 apart, so with resale value and pride of ownership, this hybrid Lexus looks like a pretty good bet to me.

Lexus, Toyota Motor Corporation’s luxury car division, has been producing GS series automobiles since 1993.  The GS lies in the middle of the Lexus sedan lineup, between IS at the bottom and the LS series at the top.  It is in the 4^th generation configuration, having been introduced in February of this year.  Three GS Lexus models are offered, or will be, including the GS350 that I drove this week.  The other models are the GS350F and the forthcoming GS450h, a performance hybrid (later this year).

The GS350 that I tested had an all-aluminum V6 (3.5 liter) with 306 horsepower and 277 lb. ft. of torque.  It is mated to a six-speed sequential-shift automatic transmission that includes paddle shifters behind the steering wheel.  It is an all-wheel drive, five-passenger sedan with wheelbase/length/weight numbers of 112.2”, 190.7”, and 3,795 lbs., respectively.  Zero to sixty acceleration is reportedly 5.6 seconds with a top speed of 144 mph.  Fuel economy ratings are 19/city and 26/highway with a 17.4 gallon tank.  Classified as a mid-luxury class performance sedan, the car is really attractive, particularly from the front and the rear.  Each side of the car could use a little more chrome (my favorite finish), as most everything there is painted silver.  But it is nonetheless a stunner, and I noticed it getting a lot of looks around town.

My Lexus came in Liquid Platinum silver metallic paint and the leather interior was black.  The rear armrest was as extensive as I have ever seen, with seat heat and air conditioning controls in the armrest as well as radio buttons, rear window shade control, and of course, the cup holders.  Oh, and don’t forget some storage, as well.  The front buckets are sumptuous, with 18-way power (Eighteen!) capability.  And while on the topic of numbers, how about that split-screen 12.3” multimedia display in the center of the dashboard?  Rear backup camera, navigation, 835-watt stereo, console mouse – all on hand.  I enjoyed the mouse for controlling, well, just about everything electronic.

The GS rides on 18”, split-nine spoke silver alloy wheels fitted with 235/45R18 Dunlop Sport S100’s.  High-toned stainless exhaust finishers extend out from under the rear fascia and on the front of the car are Bi-Xenon Hi-Intensity Discharge headlamps, plus fog lights.  The M.S.R.P. of the Lexus was $61,212.00, and that included the blind spot monitor ($500), Luxury package ($6,350), stereo upgrade ($1,380), navigation package ($1,735), intuitive park assist ($500), floor mats, and freight.

Driving the brand new Lexus was certainly a pleasure, as I headed out to I-25 for a ride to Ft. Collins.  The ride is adjustable with a knob on the console – actually four settings – normal, ECO, Sport S, and Sport S+.  With the two sport settings the driver gets suspension, steering, shifting, and throttle modifications – plus the gauge cluster gets a red lighting surround effect.  All this makes the console quite busy, but nicely thought out.  Both it, the dashboard, the door panels, and the rear armrest are sprinkled with controls.  But all the gadgets added to, rather than subtracted from, the overall GS350 experience, making it a “recommended” vehicle on my list.