Twelve Observations Concerning the Lexus IS 350

Last day of Japan Week, get it while it's hot! With the we-now-know 416 horsepower Lexus IS-F about to drop, we thought we'd take this opportunity to get one last look the previous Lexus performance champ, the IS 350. If you like bells and whistles and beeps (and $47,000 price...

Nov 15, 2024

Lexus IS-F, Part 1

Remember back 20 years when Mercedes and BMW scoffed at the idea of a Japanese luxury competitor? They weren't alone; basically everyone did. Well, we guarantee those companies are doing anything but scoffing now. This time around, with Lexus going after the Germans' most profitable niche - hottie factory tuners...

Nov 15, 2024

Lexus IS-F Engine: Topless and Naked

I mentioned in today's of the IS-F review that if you remove the engine cover you're, "Looking at Darth Vader's chest plate, an expansive jumble of wires, black boxes and even more wires." Well, I wasn't kidding. More after the jump. That's, uh, me, holding the rubber engine cover. Notice...

Nov 15, 2024

Lexus IS-F, Part 2

The night following our first day with the Lexus IS-F, after our own Wes Siler managed to procure two trashcans full of beer, a bunch of us auto-journo types sat around telling war stories involving crochet mallets (don't ask). After we'd laughed most of the oxygen out of the room,...

Nov 15, 2024

Lexus IS-F, Part 3

Among the people to whom I showed the IS-F, reaction was mixed. Some absolutely loved it. Others, not so much. I'm right in the middle. Not counting the fab-looking wheels there are three major differences between the steroidal F model and a regular IS. 1) Front end. The brake-cooling inlets...

Nov 15, 2024

Lexus IS-F, Part 4

Lightning-fast acceleration, massive globs of handling and most likely the finest brakes we've ever stomped. World-class performance from an unlikely source, and that equals stealth. The eight-speed transmission means even with performance on par with the competition, you 'll get better fuel efficiency. The (expected) price will undercut the competition,...

Nov 15, 2024

2008 Chevrolet Aveo Sedan, Part 1

[In many ways Jalopnik is like a fraternity and as one of our newest members of the fraternal order also happens to be our youngest, we're hazing giving our college-enrolled "new guy" a task to complete before he graduates that's as simple as A-to-Z. Or to spell it out —...

Nov 15, 2024

2008 Chevrolet Aveo Sedan, Part 2

Call it the anti-Scion, with the Aveo trading avant-garde fashion for mature, predictable styling cues. Of course, that also means it trades the "I'm on my way to a rave" hipster-mobile image for the "I'm on my way to a mediocre job" commuter-mobile image. It's wholly unoffensive, and equally uninspiring....

Nov 15, 2024

2008 Chevrolet Aveo Sedan, Part 3

Money doesn't grow on trees, you can only live in mom's basement for so long and you live in fear of $5/gallon gas. You care about acceleration, handling and looking cool. Speed Merchants: No Fashion Victims: No Treehuggers: Yes Mack Daddies: No Tuner Crowd: No Hairdressers: Yes Penny Pinchers: Yes...

Nov 15, 2024

Audi R8, Part 1

Yes, folks, you read that right: Audi, well, they got a little funny in the head, and they went and handed me the keys to a shiny new R8. I, the least likely Jalop to ever buy any sort of new car- or, in fact, any used car new enough...

Nov 15, 2024

Audi R8, Part 2: Welcome To The Racetrack!

Here it is, folks, the long-awaited sequel to ! Some rumors have been making the rounds among our more conspiratorially-minded readers that the long delay was due to my imprisonment at an Audi-run rendition facility at an unnamed Eastern European location, on the orders of Audi brass enraged by my...

Nov 15, 2024

Lexus LS600h L, Part 1

I picked up the Cyber Barge— aka my very own for a week Lexus LS600h L — in Gardena, CA near Redondo Beach. It was about 1:30 pm. I had to be home by 5:00 pm because I am the only person in my circle of friends with the NFL...

Nov 15, 2024

Audi R8, Part 3

Here comes the long-awaited Part 3 of the R8 review. Remember that cool Audi-branded USB flash drive that Audi gave me back in ? I just took a look at the Expensively Produced Photos on it, and some of them are so pretty that I figured I should share them...

Nov 15, 2024

Lexus LS600h L, Part 2

First of all, the "Hybrid" badges on the doors are gauche, essentially meaningless and an utter afterthought. Talk about tacked on. And tacky. Lexus, the car costs over $100,000 — the kind of people that buy the LS600h L don't care what others think. Make that shouldn't care. Most likely,...

Nov 15, 2024

Lexus LS600h L, Part 3

Even though you're rich, stealth-wealth is your thing: you're not just another schmuck in an S-class. Mercilessly powerful, unbelievable technology, cruise ship smooth ride, sublime comfort and modern good looks. The back seat is one of the best in the world. Five powered sunshades. The perverse pleasure you get from...

Nov 15, 2024