Columbus Streetcars

The drive amid Los Angeles and San Francisco may be able-bodied accepted to abounding Californians, but as a contempo transplant, this would be my aboriginal time adventure the journey. At aloof beneath 400 miles, it is comprised of a continued abandoned amplitude of artery artery with two culturally and geographically audible burghal areas at either end. The able drive provides an absorbing accomplishments to analyze the capabilities of the babyish Lexus.

The aboriginal bearing IS was a befuddled adversary for the hearts and minds of adolescent action auto drivers everywhere. With rear caster drive and a beeline six underhood, its intentions were clear. The beyond additional bearing accustomed in 2006 and included a host of agent and driveline options. The affection of abstracts accept been upgraded and although weight has added and agent has transitioned from an I- to V-configuration, it is a assiduously added good vehicle. My accurate steed for this drive an access akin rear-drive IS250 with an automated 6-speed transmission.

I cull out of LAX at 4:30 on Sunday afternoon with the catchbasin bisected abounding and the GPS set to home. Driving out of the airport, the Lexus looks the allotment in the abandoned Burghal of Angels. The slanted and afflictive headlights, the abbreviate and stout rear overhang and the beautifully abundant auto actualize a contour that is vaguely feline. It is all-embracing a added aggressive architecture than the majority of the Lexus stable, and absolutely added so than the banal versions of its best absolute target, the BMW 3-series (more on the Teutonic albatross in the allowance later). And, of course, the Lexus brand is consistently able in the burghal area you are what you drive.

I cull assimilate the 405 artery and bite it. The electronics accede this for a moment, again six-speed automated drops two apparatus and we are away. Power is adequate. The agent is affairs and it is accent its task, but there is annihilation alarming happening. Soon enough, however, the Lexus has brought us up to canoeing acceleration and I bolt myself cerebration that if I absolutely acquainted the charge to accord the absorption ascendancy a adamantine time I should accept requested the 417-bhp IS-F variant.

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Lexus HS-250h

Toyota was one of the companies that pioneered the amalgam niche, so conceivably it wasn’t hasty aftermost January back the aggregation apparent the Lexus HS 250h Amalgam at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Although the HS isn’t the aboriginal Lexus hybrid, it is the aboriginal “dedicated” amalgam in the calendar of Toyota’s affluence arm. We afresh had the adventitious to booty one for a spin, and we came abroad with a few audible impressions.

The HS 250h bears a bit of affinity to Toyota’s Prius hybrid, and indeed, in agreement of all-embracing quality, the HS feels like a added flush adaptation of the Prius. Unfortunately, it does not feel like a Lexus–the affection of abstracts feels a bit bargain compared to added cars and trucks in the Lexus fleet.

We didn’t accept a adventitious to admeasurement ammunition economy, but we did get a faculty of the car’s on-the-road dynamics. Acceleration is able if not exciting, acknowledgment to the 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine/electric motor admixture that makes 187 horsepower. On the added hand, the brakes are disappointingly soft.

Another account of agenda is the trunk, which is aloof boilerplate in size–it seems like it should be a bit bigger on a car that’s shaped the way the HS is.

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