Okay, so you know I like Fendi. You know I like Halston. You know I like Christian Dior. I love BMW’s. But I also like Lexus cars! It must be obvious by now that I am spoiled to no end. Nevertheless, Lexus is on my list of must haves for the upscale career person. Lexus is the luxury vehicle for Toyota motors. It was first introduced to us in the U.S. in 1989 and has been a hit since. It has ranked as the highest selling maker of luxury cars since 2006. Lexus vehicles are sold in over 68 countries and territories worldwide. Lexus originated from an underground flagship sedan project that began in 1983. The effort developed into the original Lexus LS, which was the first vehicle to wear the Lexus marquee on its launch in 1989.
Let’s do a quick lesson in Lexus letters. Lexus production models are named alphanumerically using two-letter designations followed by three digits. The first letter indicates relative status in the Lexus model range or ranking and the second letter refers to car body type or style, LS for “luxury sedan”. The three digits indicated engine displacement in liters multiplied by a factor of one hundred, like 350 for a 3.5 litre engine. A space is used between the letters and the numbers.
The Lexus IS series is the entry level luxury car and compact executive car. The IS was introduced as an entry level sport model which was slotted below the ES in the Lexus lineup. The IS was originally sold under Toyota’s Altezza nameplate in Japan until the introduction of the Lexus brand.
The Lexus IS200 was originally the AS200 under the Altezza brand. Powered by a 1G-FE inline 6 engine, generating 160 horsepower and mated to a 6 speed manual transmission, with a 4 speed automatic optional. The Lexus IS200 and the Lexus IS300 interior featured unique elements not typically found in other Lexus models. These included chrome metal ball shifter, pop up navigation screen and chronograph styled instrument paneling with smaller gauges for temperature, fuel and voltage. This was also true for the Lexus IS250 model with slight variations on the detailing.
The Lexus IS350 is only available in the automatic transmission. The IS350 also shares larger braking discs and calibers borrowed from the GS430. The IS does not come in a Lexus LS400 series. The Lexus LS does come in a Lexus 400 series and is a full size luxury sedan that serves as the flagship mode of the Lexus. This is the big Lexus that you see on the road.
The Lexus GS series is the mid size luxury sports sedan and executive car. It has been sold since 1993 and was designed to fill the gap between the ES and the LS series and to provide Lexus with a sports sedan to compete in the mid size car class. Production of the Lexus GS300 began in 1993 in Japan. At the time, the GS represented the latest advancement of Tahara production technology, touting only eight hand welded spots and the other 4200 welds being done by robots. The interior of the GS was a combination of the LS and SC performance coupe in a rounded, aerodynamic shape.
Lexus cars have a very good rating and used Lexus cars are no different, with almost all dealers providing guarantees on their “certified” used Lexus cars. I am a lover of the Lexus and know that you will be too. Take one out for a test drive. Happy Driving!
