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Jay Leno Drives the 2014 Lexus IS Sedan, Gives us a First Peek at the Interior

Friday, December 7, 2012

Just like it did last year with the all-new GS, Lexus invited the press to meet its next generation IS sedan before it unveils the car to the public at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in mid-January.

Among those who received an invitation was U.S. comedian and television host Jay Leno who traveled all the way to Japan and the Fuji Motor Speedway to try out a pre-production prototype of the 2014 IS that was covered on the outside, but not on the inside, thus affording us our first view of the dashboard.

Leno hints at a longer wheelbase and a sportier chassis setup aimed to compete primarily against the BMW 3-Series and from the looks of things, GM's newcomer in the segment, the Cadillac ATS.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

The circular design themes on the wrap are no doubt distracting, but make no mistake; this is a prototype of the production version of the next Lexus IS sedan, which we had previously seen only in test mule guise.

If you take a close look at the prototype's body, you will find many common styling cues with the Lexus LF-CC Concept displayed at the Paris Motor Show this past September, including the slanted "spindle" front grille that extends to the bottom of the bumper, the strong belt line, the creased side skirts and the design of the rear end.

This is no coincidence as the LF-CC was penned as a thinly disguised concept for an IS Coupe, which will join the range shortly after the sedan model pictured here, offering Lexus a product to compete against the BMW 3 / 4 Series and Audi A5 coupes.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

We have to admit, Lexus has us somewhat baffled lately with its special LF-A prototypes roaming the famed Nürburgring test track.

As you may very well remember, over the past few months, our spies have nabbed two unique test cars, including a teal-colored model with black stripes and the "AD-A" inscription on the front fenders, followed by a green LFA, again with black stripes but with an "AD-B" label right behind the front wheel arches.

Now, we have a third (!) prototype, this one painted in a white color scheme with red accents on the body and wheels that brings to mind the Porsche 911 Carrera RS. It's named the LFA AD-X.

Friday, July 27, 2012

While we remain short on details, we have little complains when it comes to photos of the 2013 Lexus LS limousine.

For our third post on the new LS during the past 24 hours, we have to thank Carscoop reader Lloyd who discovered these scoop pictures of the Japanese model sitting right under a Toyota Venza on a transport truck in South Korea.

Here's what Lloyd told Carscoop: "Another tip on the 2013 LS. Although the 2013 Lexus LS has been leaked, new spy photos of the non-F-Sport version with little camouflage have surfaced online from South Korea."

From what we can tell, he is probably right about the car not being an F-Sport model. The styling differences between the sported-up and the regular 2013 LS seem to be limited to the bumpers and alloy wheel designs.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

A Chinese website has dropped two -allegedly official- images of the new 2013 Lexus LS sedan, only a few days in advance of the premium model's world premiere at a special event in San Francisco on Monday, July 30.

We cannot say with certainty whether the pictures are real, but if they are, then it would seem that the 2013 LS is a light facelift and not an all-new version of the Lexus flagship model, as we were originally led to believe.

The model pictured here is the new LS 460 F Sport that Lexus has confirmed and which features a styling package with different front and rear bumpers, side skirts, and a rear diffuser with prominent tailpipes.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

We have heard about it but never seen it up until now; a hardtop convertible version of the high-performance Lexus IS-F, which was spotted by our scoop photographers doing the rounds at the 'Ring.

The prototype convertible model seen here adopts all the styling cues of the V8-powered IS-F such as the swollen wheel arches, front fender vents, the modified front and rear bumpers, the quad tailpipes and then some more in the guise of the massive rear wing and special alloy wheels.

But wait, isn't the current IS series nearing the end of its line with a replacement due to make an appearance within the next year?

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

During the past couple of weeks, spy photographers and eagle-eyed individuals alike spotted two similar but visibly different Lexus LFA prototypes with the AD-A and AD-B monikers respectively undergoing tests in and around the Nürburgring in Germany.

Their bespoke styling parts and colors suggested that Lexus may be readying a handful of special edition versions of the LFA to mark the end of the supercar's production.

Well, as it turns out, that's not the case. In an email to the Lexus Enthusiast website, Etienne Plas, senior manager of product communications for Lexus Europe, said that the company does not plan to present any kind of special edition version of the LFA.

Monday, July 2, 2012

A second prototype model of the Lexus LFA with some visible differences from the teal-colored LFA AD-A model that we scooped last week was captured on film by the crew from YouTube channel TouriClips right outside the Nürburgring track.

While featuring a similar, if not identical, aero package with the LFA AD-A, this particular prototype was finished in a green hue and sported 'AD-B' markings on either side.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

A teal colored Lexus LFA prototype with some interesting details captured the attention of our spy photographers at the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

For starters, this particular LFA model is equipped with the Nürburgring Edition package that includes a front spoiler made from CFRP (carbon fibre reinforced plastic), a fixed rear-wing, fin-type side spoilers, a canard fin plus exclusive mesh-type wheels.

If you look a little bit closer, however, you will notice several differences such as the carbon fiber dressed hood with the additional air-vents and roof, the larger and more rounded rear wing and the black stripes with the "AD-A" nameplate just above the side sills.

Monday, April 16, 2012

As is common with many car manufactures these days, Lexus has begun the development phase of its next IS premium sedan with a test mule that utilizes the body of the current model with the undercarriage of the new variant to assess the car's mechanical parts without revealing its design.

This particular prototype that was freshly spied testing in Europe features slightly extended front-and rear-ends.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

We knew Lexus was preparing a replacement for its five-year old ES sedan, but we weren't expecting to see the actual production model making its first appearance in China – not that we're complaining.

Surprisingly, casting aside some stickers on the alloy rims and a…craftily folded newspaper to hide the instrument binnacle and the steering wheel hub, the 2013 ES is virtually camouflage free.

And while this is probably the China market version, don't expect to see any noteworthy differences over the North American model that should follow later this year.

Like its predecessors, the sixth generation of Lexus' base luxury sedan is built upon the chassis of the Toyota Camry (the 2012 model in this case) featuring its own sheetmetal and interior designs.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

The photos you see here are scans from a leaked brochure of the Japanese market 2012 Lexus RX that has received a mid-life facelift, three years after its market launch in early 2009. The updated RX will be available in North America as a 2013 model.

Following in the footsteps of its bigger brother, the 2013 Lexus LX 570 that was introduced in January, the refreshed RX gains a new fascia featuring Lexus's new trademark spindle grille along with revised headlamps sporting LED daytime running lights and a redesigned front bumper.

Also new are the tail lamp graphics and the alloy wheel designs.

The interior gets a news steering wheel design and refreshed trim options while as Carscoop tipster Leopaul pointed out; Lexus will also be offering a new optional rear-seat entertainment system on high-range models.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

While Lexus was planning a slow strip tease for its 2012 Detroit Motor Show-bound sports coupe concept, the folks over at Autoblog.com discovered a video teaser from the 2012 February issue of Road & Track magazine, giving us our first look at the car, which will carry the LF-LC moniker.

We don’t get any additional information on the rakish concept model, though in one of the photos, it looks like there's a "HYBRID" badge right in front of the rear wheel arch.

Lexus has previously told us that the design of the LF-LC would hint at a new design direction for the brand's future models.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Our trusty spies have scored another touchdown with the high-performance, wide-body Lexus LS saloon that has piqued our interest over the past few days.

We already know it is called the Lexus LS TMG Edition and that it is being developed by the Japanese group's Toyota Motorsports GmbH division, formerly known as Toyota Team Europe, based in Cologne, Germany.

Toyota's subsidiary was responsible for firm's World Rally Championship cars starting from the 1970s right up to the 1990s, but now works on various special projects.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

The veil of secrecy surrounding the super Lexus LS that we captured testing on the Nürburgring racetrack last week has started to fall apart.

Today, along with a fresh batch of scoop pictures of the hotted up LS, our spy photographers also sent us a shot of a spec sheet that's been circulating on the internet and which we were also informed about from the guys over at the Clublexus fan site.

Here's what Mike from ClubLexus told Carscoop:

"We had an insider at the old F1 Toyota facility snap photos of this LS and what looked like a modified LFA GT2 with BBS wheels, widened fenders....they snapped photos of the specs for the LS...it stated 650hp at 9,000 RPM with 20" wheels. Within hours of the pics posted, we got a message from Toyota to take the pics down, which we did."

Friday, September 16, 2011

Lexus may not be fully embroiled in the sports car segment as the only true performance models in its range are the IS-F and the limited run LFA special, but something tells us that the Japanese firm is not yet ready to throw the towel in and let its rivals take the win.

And this, despite the fact that over the years, we have heard many rumors about the possibility of Lexus expanding its range of high-performance F-badged lineup to include the GS and the LS models, and which never came into fruition.

This brings us to our mystery Lexus LS prototype that was snagged doing the rounds on the Nürburgring racetrack in Germany. Our scoop photographers tell us that the car featured the usual testing equipment seen on other prototypes on the 'Ring.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

We are less than 48 hours away from Lexus' world premiere of the new generation of its premium mid-size sedan, the 2013 GS, but China's Autohome news site has nabbed the most revealing shots of the car to date.

Essentially, the only parts of the 2013 GS that are covered are the front and rear Lexus logos. The car pictured here sports the GS 350 AWD badge at the rear, which means it is equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 petrol engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission that transfers power to all four wheels.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Eagle-eyed Carscoop reader Florian M. sent us these pictures of a heavily disguised 2013 Lexus GS prototype that he spotted at a rest area on a highway in France.

Lexus has been thoroughly testing the next generation of its mid-size premium sedan on both sides of the Atlantic, and it has also introduced the car to select media outlets for a first drive.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Following the announcement on the time and place of the premiere of the all-new 2013 Lexus GS 350 –that would be the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 18th for those of you that didn’t read our previous story- the Japanese company lifted the embargo on the first test drive of the car in the States.

Invitees include names like Car&Driver, Autoweek and Motor Trend. Naturally, the exterior of the pre-production test cars were bagged in plastic, but their interiors were largely free of camouflage (see links below for photos) revealing an edgier LF-A-esque design with lots of stitched leather on the dashboard and a gigantic 12.3-inch information screen above the center console.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Well now, that didn’t take long, did it? Less than three months after the presentation of the LF-Gh concept car at the 2011 New York International Auto Show and Lexus has already started testing the production model that will spawn a successor to today’s GS sedan at the Nürburgring circuit.

Naturally, the Lexus GS prototype is covered in plenty of camouflage but not to the point that it discloses its styling similarities to the LF-Gh study.

Aside from the body proportions, details like the protruding side sills, the high rising belt line, the “dotted” LEDs and large grille up front, and even the alloy wheel designs, appear remarkably faithful to the concept.