What with the high price of gasoline these days and a shortage of patience on many California highways, consumers can only wish that auto dealers would offer more cool cars that are also affordable and fun to drive. While getting behind the wheel of a vehicle that looks good doesn’t mean your temper won’t flare when you get cut off or get stuck in traffic, it can mean that your ride will be a little easier, perhaps putting a smile on your face in spite of it all.
Lexus
Lexus has more to offer this year with the addition of the IS-F, the LS 600h L and the LX 570.
The IS-F is a compact sport sedan and the first in Lexus’ high-performance line. Offering a 400-horsepower, 5.0-liter V-8 engine, this car will scream from zero to 60 miles per hour in less than 4.9 seconds. As for the outside, the exterior looks cool with wider fenders, a flared bumper and vents behind the front wheels. While looking good, this design also makes for the proper airflow given the taller engine that even needs a power dome to fit.
Inside, the interior has body-hugging seats, carbon fiber trim and chrome shift paddles. You’ll redline this baby at 7,000 rpm so be careful and, keep in mind as well, that the IS-F has one transmission, but enough gears for two – that is an eight-speed automatic with both a manual mode and steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles.
Next up – the LS 600h L, which will cost you around $104,000 with a V-8 engine and an electric motor for better gas mileage – it also offers the kind of acceleration that will make you smile. This 600h hybrid is last year’s LS 460L. Outside, the body is about the same as the LS 460, but you will find the word “hybrid” on the trim near the bottom of the rear doors.
Inside, the 600h L has a special power-flow diagram on the dashboard’s central LCD screen and there is also that great self-parking system that uses the car’s rearview camera. Going with the fact that this is the first automobile to match an electric drive system to a V-8 engine with a 5.0-liter and you’ve got a nice piece of metal. You will also get 430 horsepower, but the hybrid effect compares it to the performance of a V-12 engine.
A third 2008 Lexus option is the LX 570, taking the place of the Lexus LX 470 full-size SUV. Overall, it’s an eight-seat, luxury style ride that still calls itself a truck.
Outside there is the 20-inch alloy wheels and it’s four inches longer and about an inch wider than last year. Inside, the interior offers more room for passengers too, in the tune of four inches. Third-row seats are reminiscent of the many other SUVs in the class and it is split 50/50 with the halves folding upward along the side walls.
Under the hood there is the 5.7-liter, V-8 engine and that will add more than 100 horsepower coming in around 381. The transmission is a six-speed and the towing capacity is at 8,500 pounds.
While you might feel uncomfortable doing it, you can also four-wheel drive in this vehicle. However, you will probably find the antilock braking system more to your liking with the promise to detect loose surfaces like snow, gravel or sand, which immediately extends the stopping distance.