Cars! Cars! Cars!

Malibu: Cheapest Lexus You Can Buy

CNN reports: The black art of auto pricing. This article is actually pretty interesting since it talks about how manufacturers come up with prices and how the manufacturer judges the competition.

The only line we did find interesting was (we'll bold, but that's not how it is in the actual article)

Adds [Edmunds.com senior analyst Jesse] Toprak: "When you sit inside the top-of-the-line Malibu, it is like sitting in a $45,000 Lexus."

We wonder what it's like sitting in a $45,000 Lexus, then. It's like a $30k Malibu?

Hey, we're pro Malibu here (despite not getting one dropped off with a driver) and nearly anti-Lexus, but, come on! If the quote had been "... sitting in a similarly priced Honda Accord" we could have swallowed it. We wonder why the reporter didn't take the quote to task and ask why it feels as nice as a Lexus that costs 50% more.

That's a snap of the 2008 Chevy Malibu from our good friend Aaron Gold at About: Cars.

Lexus Is Stupid

CNN reports: Lexus announces new flagship hybrid. Let's make a hybrid for the most gluttonous among us. This is a mockery of what hybrids stand for.

Unloved Avalon

We hadn't thought it about much, but TTAC is right: Why buy the Avalon?

When it first came on the scene, the (most recent) Avalon was a shining example of how Toyota could raise the bar way, way over Detroit's head. But now that the current Camry is out, along with its far better bred sibling the Lexus ES 350, we're having a hard time recommending the Avalon

Before the Camry and ES were redesigned, we thought the Avalon looked the purtiest, but now we're happy to tell folks to either save their ducats or pony up a few more for a the gussied ES 350 (which is a hell of a decent car).

What's your pick? Camry, ES or Avalon?

Ten Pounds Of Ugly

AutoWeek reports: Can Lexus Cross Over?. We have no doubt that Lexus can build a mighty fine crossover dealie, but if it looks anything like the snap on that page... well, mercy -- we'll pass.

You know, before Lexus goes to chasing the latest auto-crave, they should really focus some love on the SC430. It was fun a few years ago, but now it's old.

The Lexus Fumble?

The Truth About Cars leaves a steamer on the hood of the Lexus SC430: Lexus SC430 (TTAC really needs to spice up its headlines).

Review Justin Berkowitz just hates the Lexus SC430. Hates! Check out these quotes:

The Japanese luxury 2+0 self-consciously straddles the line between boring and weird.

Stepping inside the SC430's cabin is like lowering yourself into a bathtub.

Fire up the SC430's V8 and… Hello? Testing. Is this thing on?

The SC430's speed-sensitive, power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering somehow manages to get it exactly wrong. The system's too heavy when you'd expect it to be low-effort, and numb and vague when you expect it to sharpen-up. The double wishbone suspension also inverts expectations. It crashes at low speeds and floats when hustled. What's more, visibility is atrocious from inside the pillbox.

Woohoo! That's the kind of anger we're striving for -- go, Justin, go!

Our only beef with the review is that we consider this a fast car. It does do 0-60 in under six seconds (which Mr. Berkowitz points out) -- that's mighty fast for any kind of non-exotic car. Otherwise we agree with the review. The last time we were in the SC430's cockpit all we remember seeing was the windshield washer nozzles staring is in the face.

Do you think the SC430 is bad enough to tarnish the reputation of Lexus? Is the SC430 really that bad compared to the competition?

That's a snap of the 2007 Lexus SC430. And a yacht. Guess which is which?

Chrysler Builds A Lexus

Remember that kinda cool Lexus IS 300 wagon thing? Chrysler built one. On 'roids, but they built it. Winding Road reports: Detroit Auto Show: DCX Reveals Chrysler Nassau. The Nassau, eh? How about calling it the big Lexus IS 300 wagon thing?

Oh, relax, we know it's called the SportCross. We're illiterate, but we do remember the names of things. OK, we used The Google. So what?

Lexus: Come On Over To Our Team!

Autoblog reports: Lexus joins growing list of automakers seeking gay buyers. Lexus is out a-courtin'! We don't have a lot to say about this, really. It makes a lot of sense to market your product to people who can buy it, and if Lexus think gay folk can buy it, who are we to argue? No, what we really wanted was to be able to post a picture of a rainbow. Rainbows are pretty and we don't get to post pictures of them often enough. Ah, pretty rainbow.... Hey, man, watch your hands! Oh, hell, affection is affection.