REVIEW: Lexus GS hybrid beats rivals?

what the prophets of doom have to say about this article.

Bring on the bashing and let the games begin!

Interior shots would be nice =)

Wonder what the actual mileage will be? The electric motor has little to do with highway mileage and not sure how Toyota or any hybrid get there MPG rating when it appears to be impossible to achieve in the real world. Defintely needs to be changes through the EPA.

If i remember correctly, Autospies will be showing the interior pictures in the next segment.

This looks good, but a loyal BMW fan like me can never take this over a Bemer.

This brand new GS is definitely gorgeous, it has everthing. Definitely another winner from Lexus, Lexus for Life.

Lexus

Every topic I go to you the comments you have made were dumb and a waste of time to read. You hate everything don't you? It's getting quite annoying. Perhaps leave a comment when you have something better to say. If you put negative feedback at least know what you're talking about. <br>
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My opinion is totally different from yours. I think the Lexus is no the Volvo of Japan. I don't even think Volvo cars are that bad either. The GS is a beautiful car. Their interiors are very flush and high quality. It's a comfortable car to ride in and is very quiet. <br>
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So before you put Lexus down why don't you go to your local dealer and sit in one or if they let a youngster like yourself test drive it. Stop looking at photos online and making jugdements. You think you know but you have no idea.<br>
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My two cents.

Hang around "normal" people and you will understand exactly how they drive; aka not hitting redline. Very few people drive to hit the redline. These people think it is "hard on the enging". AKA my parents and brothers. When I drive, I hit the redline often. Call me a "speed racer" or whatever you want, but I like to have an interesting drive. When I am with my brother in the car, he complains when I go to redline. Call him a traditionalist or whatever. Same thing with my parents. When I was driving my Mom in her 4 Cyl Camry, I had to cut in front of somebody in the left lane since we were approaching a parked car in the right lane, so, I stepped on the pedal and floored it. Again, complain, complain, complain,"Don't press so hard on the gas, you will ruin the car." And that was coming from somebody who drove a Toyota Supra Turbo for 10 years with stories of going 250 kmh on the Trans Canada HWY!!!!

Bottom line: Most people baby their cars!

Ricer: A person who makes unecessary modifications to their most often import car (hence the term "rice") to make it (mostly make it look) faster. The most common modifications are (but not limited to):

- Huge exhaust that serves no purpose but to make the car louder
- Large spoiler on the back that looks like something Boeing made for the 747
- Lots of after-market company stickers they don't have parts from, but must be cool
- Expensive rims that usually cost more than the car itself
- Bodykit to make the car appear lower, usually accented with chicken wire
- Clear tail lights and corner signals
- A "performace intake"- a tube that feeds cold air to their engine usually located in areas of excessive heat (behind or on top of the engine)
- Most of these riced cars (a.k.a. rice rockets or rice burners) are imports; Honda Civics, Accords, Integras, CRXs, RSXs, Del Sols Mitsubishi Eclipses, Lancers, Subaru Imprezas, however there are some domestics such as Chevrolet Caviliers, Dodge Neons, Ford Focus; small, slow, economy cars designed specifically to go slow. Please note that some Supras, Skylines, WRX's and other higher performance imports are designed to go fast, and are therfore not always considered rice. It really depends on the severity of the case.

The "ricer" attempts to make their car "performance" by adding the modifications listed above. These ricers are not confined to any one ethnic group or color, however different ethnic groups are known for certain styles.

ah yes...in england referred to as the "chav chariot" and riven by a "boy racer" who used to wear someting called "fake Burberry" and had a girlfriend with a "croyden facelift". chavs provide hours of entertainment...point and laugh....
if you don't know what these words mean, go on wikipedia and look up chav.
don't you hate it when someone has made their civic into something ridiculous but they've spent so mouch money they could have bought a decent car?

Japan's new wealthy are on a spending spree

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Foreign carmakers cash in as the rich get richer

By KANAKO TAKAHARA
japantimes.co.jp

One Sunday in June, a man in his 30s visited the spacious BMW showroom in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward.

Akio Iio, manager of BMW Tokyo Corp.'s Shinjuku dealership, waited on the first-time customer, showing off the gleaming German luxury and performance cars.

To Iio's surprise, the man not only said he wanted to buy a two-door 650i convertible worth 11 million yen, but promised to pay in cash.

Iio called on the customer, president of an IT company, to collect the money a few days later, and the man paid him in one lump sum.

In recent years, there has been a great deal of talk in the media about the growing gap between rich and poor in Japan. And while the phenomenon, if real, poses headaches for policymakers, manufacturers of luxury cars are turning a handsome profit as the rich get richer.

Auto sales have remained flat at around 6 million units per year since 1998, but expensive imports are grabbing a larger slice of the pie.

According to the Japan Automobile Importers Association, the number of newly registered imports priced at more than 10 million yen nearly tripled from 3,868 in 1998 to 10,937 in 2005.

Cornes & Co., which imports such high-end makes as Maserati, Bentley, Ferrari and Rolls-Royce, illustrates the trend.

In fiscal 2005, Cornes sold 426 British-made Bentleys, up from a mere 43 in 1999. During the same period, it saw its sales of Maserati cars nearly double from 211 to 397.

Kazuhisa Ichinose, director of Cornes' sales and customer service division, said changing lifestyles over the last five years among its core middle-aged and older customers has given a boost to sales.

"Traditionally, people in those age groups would leave an inheritance to their children," Ichinose said. "But now, they are more inclined to use it to enjoy the remaining years of their lives."

"Choi-waru oyaji," or "stylish old guys," are more common these days due in part to the popularity of Leon, a monthly fashion magazine aimed at well-off middle-aged men who aren't afraid to splurge on themselves.

Luxury car importers point out that Toyota Motor Corp.'s introduction of its Lexus models in Japan last August helped expand the market for import makes, too.

Toyota hoped the Lexus, which was already selling well overseas, would lure buyers away from rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Lexus models start at about 3.9 million yen.

But Toyota has had a tough time getting a foothold in the segment, selling 10,300 of the cars by the end of 2005, just over half its sales target of 20,000.

Luxury imports, on the other hand, are enjoying strong sales as potential Lexus buyers check out what the foreign automakers have to offer.

"Customers who were only interested in domestic cars began to consider import cars that a