For several years Lexus has offered an Advanced Parking Guidance System (APGS; also called Intelligent Parking Assist) option on its Lexus LS 460 and Lexus LS 600h, and the same system is offered in the 2010 Toyota Prius.
The Lexus/Toyota system was, and still is, the first and only system in the U.S. market to automatically steer the vehicle into both parallel and back-in parking spots.
ford active park assist 001
ford active park assist 001
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Now Ford is also offering its Active Park Assist feature on several vehicles, including the 2010 Ford Escape, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT. The system uses ultrasonic sensors, rather than cameras, to make the parking spot identification more accurate, by most accounts.
The Ford system gives a simple command on the instrument panel and uses ultrasonic sensors as well as camera sensors. Ford has shown its system to take 15-30 seconds, but we ended up taking much longer with the Lexus system because of the need to manually adjust the outline of the space itself almost each time.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Lexus or a Tesla Motors Roadster
The Tesla Motors EVs.The gist is that sometimes company pricing makes little sense. In the midst of this economical reality, some cars still defy gravity. Ultimately, you come to expect a high end electric vehicle, EV such as the Tesla Motors Roadster to cost what it does about $110,000. But would you pay the same price of a hybrid, HEV Lexus, namely the LS 600h?
What $110,000 Buys You. With a $110,000 in your budget, the choice of cars is wide. For those wanting more eco-green friendly alternatives, the choices narrows down to Tesla Motors, Commuter Cars and now, the Lexus LS 600h. So what do you get for $108,000? An HEV Lexus.
This mid-sized "luxury" sedan is basically a Toyota Prius 2010 model. Toyota hails this car as its flagship hybrid model. But the harder question for consumers will be, is the new HEV Lexus worth more than a quarter of the regular price?
Considering the new cars due to hit the market soon, the Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid, PHEV for over $80,000, the up and coming Tesla Motors Model S that should retail around $50,000 as well as Fisker's next PHEV, the Nina which should sell in the vicinities of $30,000, where is Toyota going? Is a hybrid Lexus worth that much more?
Thursday, November 26, 2009
LA Auto Show Preview: 2010 Lexus GX 460
Lexus has revealed the second-generation of its GX midsized luxury SUV, the GX 460, ahead of its official debut next week at the LA Auto Show. The same size as the model it replaces, the new GX 460 is still an old-fashioned, body-on-frame design that shares a platform with the redesigned Toyota 4Runner. Both are traditionally capable off-roaders. But it promises more refinement, through technology and conveniences. For example, a power-folding third-row seat folds flat into the floor, rather than up against the sides as the old one did. And that is just the beginning.The name change also represents moving to a new 4.6-liter V8, which makes 301 hp, up from 263. The standard transmission is a new six-speed automatic–upgraded from last year’s five-speed. EPA fuel economy estimates are 15 mpg city and 20 highway, for a combined 17 mpg; the last GX returned 15 mpg combined.
A host of new high-tech features provide protective systems for everything from off-road driving to on-road crash performance.
Previously optional, the new Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS) is now standard. It hydraulically controls the anti-roll bars for reduced body lean in corners, and disengages the bars for greater off-road articulation. The vehicle also has downhill assist control to automatically limit descent speeds on steep slippery grades off-road. The Crawl Control, trickled down from the Land Cruiser, is a feature that automatically controls the throttle to maintain a set speed on slow off-road ascents. Crawl Control engages automatically when low-range is selected and the crawl speed can be adjusted manually. Hill start assist keeps the vehicle from rolling back when starting on an uphill.
All-new 2010 Lexus GX 460
Things are a little rocky for Toyota of late, prompting among other things company president Akio Toyoda to announce plans to review and possibly trim the line-up of full-frame trucks. Meanwhile, Lexus has just revealed the next generation of its "midsize" sport-utility vehicle: The all-new 2010 Lexus GX460--named for the displacement of its V-8 engine--replaces the GX470 with an all-new engine, both more efficient and more powerful than the 4.7-liter it replaces--while keeping the stout body-on-frame construction.
Although the 4.6-liter V-8 produces 301 horsepower and 329 lb-ft of torque, the Lexus GX460 is about more than just power. There's also standard seven-passenger capacity and full-time four-wheel drive, and the GX460 has active suspension that changes the degree of roll stiffness with an adjustable anti-roll bar. Lexus says the system, which it calls Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System, or KDSS, can reduce lean in corners by up to fifty percent while still maintaining the suspension flexibility needed for off road use. Stability control, brake assist and electronic brake-force distribution are all standard as well.
2010 Lexus GX 460 Test Drive
The Specs
How closely related is the GX 460 to the new 4Runner? Well, they both ride on the same 109.8-inch wheelbase and the slight differences in other specifications can be attributed to slight differences in bumper, roof rack and wheel design. The outgoing GX
However, it is a vehicle that's gotten heavier. According to
Fortunately, the GX 460 is blessed with a stout heart. The GX 470's iron-block "2UZ-FE" 4.7-liter DOHC V8 has been replaced by the new, all-aluminum "1UR-FE" 4.6-liter V8 DOHC V8 (which is not, incidentally, the same 4.6-liter V8 installed in Lexus cars). Featuring continuous variable valve timing and a thirst for 91-octane or better fuel (but not utilizing direct injection), the new engine is rated at 301 hp at 5500 rpm and 329 lb-ft of peak torque at 3500 rpm. That's a substantial improvement over the outgoing motor's 263-hp at 5400 rpm, but only a modest bump up from the old engine's 323 lb-ft of peak torque at 3400 rpm.
Strangely though, the GX 460's engine lags 9 hp behind the essentially identical 4.6-liter V8 installed in the 2010 Toyota Tundra pickup, and the Tundra engine is rated to operate on 87-octane fuel. Intake and exhaust-system differences are the likely power thieves here.
The sole transmission behind that new engine is the same six-speed automatic used in the Tundra equipped with the 4.6-liter V8 and a step up from the five-speed used in the GX 470. It shifts so smoothly that its operation is effectively undetectable. The full-time all-wheel drive system has an electronically controlled two-speed transfer case and a locking center differential. The standard 265/60R18 mud-and-snow tires aren't particularly aggressive by off-road standards, but the drivetrain makes every effort to help them gain traction.
Considering the amount of heft the GX 460's engine must lug, that it achieves an EPA-estimated 15 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway is surprising, if not impressive. And the GX 460 is rated to tow up to 6500 pounds when equipped with the correct hitch.
The suspension uses double A-arms in front with a solid axle on coil springs located by four links in back—hardly exotic stuff. But it's complemented by a four-wheel Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS) system and, on the rear wheels, Adjustable Height Control (AHC). Those both seem to work well enough, but the star here is the same Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS) used on the off-road ready Trail version of the 4Runner.
The KDSS system manages the connection of the stabilizer bars to the GX 460 through the use of electronically controlled hydraulic cylinders at the points where the bars would otherwise conventionally mount to the frame. Extending the hydraulics has virtually the same effect as disconnecting the stabilizer bars and increasing suspension travel when the going gets hairy.
So that's the substance and steak of the GX 460. The sizzle comes in the details.
For some, there might be too much technology crammed into the GX 460. The dashboard, center stack and steering wheel are an absolute riot of buttons, with knobs and sliding panels that hide more buttons and knobs. Of course there's a navigation system, redundant audio controls, switches for scrolling through information displays, more switches that tell the all-wheel-drive system what to do, and, optional in Premium-grade models, a package that bundles a driver monitor, lane-departure alert system, "intelligent" high-beam headlamps and a dynamic radar-based cruise control system. You don't have to be a Luddite to be overwhelmed by the tsunami of tech, but if you are one you've got a head start.
Lexus GX 460 unveiled, replaces GX 470 with more power and better gas mileage
The G X 460 replaces the GX 470 and the new 4.6-liter V-8 also used in the Toyota Tundra pickup replaces the -- duh -- 4.7-liter V-8. That inefficient 4.7 actually got worse fuel economy in the Tundra usage than the 5.7-liter V-8.
The change adds adds power: the 4.6 in the '10 GX 460 is rated 301 horsepower and 329 pounds-feet of torque vs. the 4.7's just 263 hp and 323 lbs.-ft. in the '09 GX 470.
It also ups the fuel economy: the 4.6 is rated 15 mpg in town, 20 on the highway, 17 combined (5.88 gallons per 100 miles) . That's up from the 4.7's 14/18/15 (6.67 gal./100 mi.)
The GX, similar to the Toyota 4Runner that no longer offers a V-8, is a mid-size SUV with full-time four-wheel drive. The vehicle continues to be a truck-style, body-on-frame machine in a time when most buyers are shifting to unibody crossover SUVs. A third-row seat now is standard and comes with power-fold.
Lexus LFA is lease only in US
The Lexus LFA supercar will only be available to lease in the US, the company has confirmed.
Only 500 units of the £343,000 supercar will be built, and any customers ordering one in the US will have to wait two years before seeing their names in the log book.
Car collecting is big business in the US and a Toyota UK source told Autocar that the decision has been taken to prevent buyers there from keeping their LFAs as unused museum pieces, waiting to appreciate in value.
The move has also been designed to fend off speculators buying the car and then selling it on almost immediately for a large profit. Lexus’s US vice president for sales Brian Smith said speculators buying and selling LFAs would be “damaging the ownership experience”.
“If someone buys it in the first month and then decides to sell it, that could be damaging for the ownership experience,” he said.
“If it is not controlled and hits the speculation market, all bets are off. We want people out driving the car and not parking it in a museum or selling it at an inflated price.”
Last year, Nissan tried a similar scheme to stop GT-Rs getting into the hands of speculators. It explored the idea of getting eBay to ban the sale of GT-Rs for six months, but decided this w
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