Evander Klum asked:

Lexus, Toyota’s luxury arm, has grown to emerge as The United States’ top-selling automotive luxury brand. In 2006, Lexus sold 322,434 vehicles in the U.S., more than any other luxury competitor, foreign or domestic. Lexus has also been the number one selling luxury marque in the largest automotive market for the past seven years. And things are only getting better for Lexus as they continue to build the best luxury vehicles and auto parts like Lexus cold air intake as well as accessories.

Considering the price, a Lexus is almost too good for £71,000 or even for £65,000 with some extra kit and space. However, £57,100 is perceived a little much for a four-door saloon. But with that price you’ll get the world’s most sophisticated luxury car, the original of which was priced £40,000 eighteen years ago.

The latest Lexus model, the Lexus 460, is considered much larger and more rounded when compared to the original and the mark-two version. Lately, Lexus designers have made use of fashion to put elegance on Lexus vehicles.

This new Lexus flagship has no doubt been upgraded – the auto maker has given it multiple airbags and all sorts of electronic stability and safety systems sure to satisfy future owners and enthusiasts alike. Traction control and assistance systems, which belong to the category, can be switched off by the drive at will. Warning devices, on the other hand, only become prominent when necessary, such as in case a car ahead suddenly slows down or stops.

On the technical issues, Lexus increased the engine size a little; from four liters in the original to 4.3 liters in the mark two. Currently, engine size for this model is now 4.6 liters. Such engine allows the car to run 0 to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds, and delivers a top speed of 155 mph.

Another significant feature is the switches and buttons made available everywhere in the car and the best thing about them is that you don’t have to read the owner’s manual to know how to operate them. That’s a lot more of a user friendly control panel which everyone will especially be thankful for.

On the exterior, the radiator grille was changed from just being a big square grille to a one closely similar to the Mercedes Benz S-class’. Not exactly the most original of the lot you may say, but Lexus vehicles certainly live up to its reputation of being one, if not the best in the industry.

Some owners and test drivers have been reported to point out a detectable engine noise on the latest car, though not much to be considered loud. Regardless this new Lexus model has been gaining praises, including that of its interior smelling of real leather which was used in the upholstery.

Priced at about £55,000, though itcouldn’t be closely compared with the prestige of Audi or BMW with regards to a cross-country dash, the Lexus delivers luxury, safety, comfort, and reliability all in one swoop.



Caffeinated Content

Jason Moore asked:


With the soaring prices of gasoline, the 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid is the automaker’s first entry in the gasoline-electric market, and most are asking for the reason of its late entrance.

Toyota and Honda, two huge Japanese rivals, have been marketing hybrids for years, and Nissan just recently followed the trend with this sedan.

The price of the car is pretty nice. A tester had a starting price of $24,400, which is just enough for a five-passenger, midsize sedan. But it had a “Technology Package” that added a walloping $7,250 for a bottom-line sticker price of $32,365. In the midsize class, that number is some serious money.

Equipped with quality Nissan catalytic converter, a basic 2007 Altima with a gas-powered 2.5-liter, 175 horsepower in-line 4 cylinder engine has a starting price of $17,950. On city streets, fuel economy ratings are 26 miles per gallon while 35 mpg on the highway. Those figures are not as good as the respective 42 mpg city, 36 mpg highway ratings on the Altima Hybrid. But if you do not put a lot of miles on a car every year and do very little city driving, the low-cost gas-powered Altima might make more sense than the Altima Hybrid.

Moreover, upon last year’s introduction of the Altima Hybrid, the Internal Revenue Service announced that it is eligible for a $2,350 tax credit. But that credit will progressively decrease once Nissan sells its 60,000th Altima Hybrid.

The 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid offers a smooth-cruising, attractive sedan with ample interior room for five. A rounded front and nicely sculpted back end are listed under smooth exterior styling. Its nicely laid-out interior is attractive and comfortable. Everything is within easy reach and easy to understand and has no complexity from the cockpit.

On the open road, there are no bumps on the run up to 60 miles an hour and above. Bumps are experienced when stopped at traffic lights and occasional stops are made.

Standard features include traction control, dual-zone climate control, side curtain air bags, steering-wheel mounted controls and a tire pressure monitor.

With the 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid, Nissan fans will surely find a nice choice in this long-awaited hybrid option.

Nissan is the fifth major car maker to either introduce a hybrid to the US market or announce plans to do so. According to Nissan, one of the well known Japanese auto manufacturer, Nissan and Toyota signed in September 2002 a basic agreement guaranteeing that Nissan will produce 100,000 hybrid vehicles within a five-year period, and that Toyota will supply the hybrid system components such as transaxle, inverter, battery, and control unit. Nissan will come off the engine and unit adaptation.