Motor Trend has wrapped up their year-long stay with the Lexus LS 460L, which had its share of ups and downs:

...our staffers lauded the interior's rich ambiance and excellent ergonomics, the buttery V-8's power and acceleration, and the first-rate bumper-to-bumper build quality. And with an eight-speed automatic transmission, it didn't force us to visit the gas pump that frequently. Over its year stay, the LS delivered an impressive 18.7 mpg, highlighted by a best tank average of 30.2 mpg.

As we spent more time behind the LS's wheel, however, our admiration shifted to dissatisfaction...Complaints ranged from minor grumbles ("Side mirrors are too small") to major grievances ("If you're a driver, you'll just find the whole experience numb and uninvolving. There is no emotion to this car. None"), all of which made us wish Lexus had produced more of a driver's car than a curtailed limousine. "Too soft" and "floaty" were common notebook entries, as was, "more wind noise than I expected."

I always find myself bristling when I read complaints about "numb steering" and "uninvolved driving", but then I remember that I'm reading a car magazine and that's what they do. Nothing's perfect, after all. (But seriously, new tires and brake pads at 20K? The car's a limousine, not a track-star.)

Motor Trend took delivery of a Lexus IS 250 deked out with the entire F-Sport catalog, and was generally impressed with the difference the factory modifications made:

The brakes, for example, are of the same six-piston front, four-piston rear, two-piece ventilated and drilled rotor design found on the IS F -- and they're brilliant, hauling the car down from freeway speeds with tenacity and a firm pedal. The clutch is fantastic too, with wonderfully predictable take-up and a firm, but unobtrusive feel. The suspension, on the other hand seems a bit of a let down on Southern California roads.

Oh, and Lexus has also tested its equipment on the track, unlike so many posers. In fact, at their California testing venue, Lexus claimed the full F-Sport equipped IS 250 ran an average of just over three seconds faster per lap than a stock version. Assuming accurate timing, it's hard to argue with that.

With all the F-Sport mods applied to a single car, the cost is substantial, jumping from the IS 250's base price of $31,220 to $45,548. Of course, I don't imagine that would be a very common occurrence, it's much more likely to be bought piecemeal based on the driver's preference.

MyRide managed to snag one of the incredibly rare Lexus LX 570's just long enough to film this video review:

A nice overview, to be sure. I've grown into a huge fan of the new look LX. More than anything, the absolute cocoon it provides is a significant upgrade, it's more like a luxury tank than an SUV.

There's a nice little editorial/review of the Lexus LS 460 in the latest issue of Esquire that revolves around writer David Raab's son:

We try the Lexus LS 460L because my son's entire experience of cars is based on sitting in the backseat, and because one of his car guides rates the 460's backseat a perfect 10 -- the only 10 in the book.

"I like the smell of this car," my kid says.

Yeah, I say. Smells like money. Mon-ay. Big money.

"Are we in a base or an LX?" He studies trimlines. He uses the word trimlines, which is a little scary.

I don't think this is a base, I say.

"I don't, either," he says. "This is a dream."

Being a youngster, we can forgive the trim level confusion, especially when his father didn't try to pass off the standard stats rehashing usually seen in this type of article.

(Even more important though, is the discovery that Automobile Magazine's Ezra Dyer also writes for Esquire.)

[Image from Miraruido]

When the Lexus LS 600hL was released, the automotive press was quick to point out its "flaws", especially when it came to gas mileage. Being a hybrid, the flagship sedan was expected to have exceptional fuel economy, and at first glance, that didn't seem to be the case at all.

It's taken a few months for some journalists to look at the LS 600hL in a different light. We saw it first with the great review by Jonny Lieberman, and now Automobile Magazine has weighed in with a very positive take:

Unlike most hybrids, the LS isn't about outright fuel economy - this car's mission is quite clearly to give the V-8 the relaxed demeanor of a V-12 by eliminating the need to rev it quickly in normal driving. It does that...Twenty-seven mpg on the highway is nothing to be ashamed of - in fact, it's quite impressive - but the almost-as-quick LS460L is also much less expensive.

If you keep reminding yourself that Lexus doesn't want the LS to be a Japanese 7-series, you'll agree that it does a fantastic job at making its driver think he's driving on a cloud - with a million horsepower under his right foot. And there's no better reminder of that than feeling big surges of smooth, quiet torque while the tach needle rises lazily to 1300 rpm. Very V-12-like indeed.

Most mainstream reviews ignored the fact that the LSh was meant to go up against V-12 competition, no matter how well it actually performed. Quick fact: the LS 600hL, with its 5.2 second 0-60mph, is actually faster than the V12 Audi A8 (5.8) & BMW 750iL (5.4). What's more, it's only 0.1 seconds slower than a twin-turbo Mercedes S600. Very V-12-like indeed.

A writer from Motor Trend secured a seat to the Lexus Performance Academy held two weekends ago at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana California. Here's how the event broke down:

For the most part, it turned out to be a fun way to spend a day. The four-hour-plus event is broken up into several parts, about 30 minutes in length. The Academy starts off with the program's rundown and a brief introduction to proper driving techniques by a professional driver. Afterward, attendees are split into four groups. Each will rotate through the day's four sessions -- autocross, team relay, lead follow, and advanced theory -- before finishing up with a few laps in an IS F with one of the pros behind the wheel.

Each of the four events described sound like plenty of fun, particularly the lead-follow session:

Three people in IS Fs follow a pro driver in an IS 350 or IS 250 around a road course; in this case, the 1.4-mile course on the speedway's infield. Despite the IS F's power edge, keeping up with the pros predictably isn't easy.

The writer's main complaint was that the event was fairly basic and intended for only novices, though I wouldn't have expected anything different.

Update: The event described here is the paid version of the Performance Driving Academy.