Lexus - GS Euro NCAP - 5 STARS
Stacked with luxury equipment this smooth and handsome executive car with its broad stance and raised shoulder line speaks of cultured power.
Lexus has for some time been at the forefront of green motoring so it should not come as a surprise to learn that, along with its parent company Toyota, it was joint winner of the prestigious WhatCar? Green Award for 2007.
In addition to a choice of two petrol engines, a 3litre V6 and a 4.3 litre V8 (both powerful yet effortlessly smooth) there is also the 450h, the world's first high performance hybrid saloon.
The GS 450h hybrid saloon has a 286bhp petrol engine that combined with a 190bhp electric motor creates a combined output of 340bhp, and an impressive 0 to 62mph in a mere 5.9 seconds. What's equally impressive, is that fuel consumption and emissions
are what you would expect of a smaller family saloon. All models have a six-speed automatic gearbox.
The green credentials of the 450h will be tempting to many company car users being in a lower tax bracket than similarly powered rivals, adding up to a saving worth £1000s each year. The hybrid 450h uses a system that recharges its massive battery whenever cruising, coasting or braking, making use of energy that
non-hybrid cars waste to return carbon dioxide levels lower than some small diesel engines. It also achieves levels of nitrogen oxide and hydro-carbons that are lower than any other car. This makes it one of the most environmentally friendly cars in its class.
All GS occupants are well catered for with leather upholstery as standard on all but the base model. Music aficionados will also appreciate the high quality 10-speaker sound system, which is upgraded on SE-L models to a top-spec Mark Levinson branded system. All cars have a 'Smart Key' entry and push-button start-up system.
As you'd expect all models are superbly furnished with eight way electric front seats, cruise control, speed-sensitive electric power steering, sequenced LED interior lighting, advanced automatic dual-zone air conditioning, tyre pressure warning system and alloy
wheels and a touch-screen display are standard. Lexus adds a DVD-based satellite navigation system with rear view monitor and steering-guided parking sensors, plus heated and cooled front seats to all SE models. The top-level cars have just about every luxury item imaginable.
The Lexus IS is about as safe as a any car in its class. NCAP gave it a top rating of 5 stars in its crash test rating and scored it four stars for child occupant protection. There is almost every piece of safety kit available youd expect on a luxury motor including seatbelt pre-tensioners, ten airbags (including twin front, side, curtain, and knee airbags, plus two side bags -optional on the base model), ABS, traction and stability control, and headlamps that swivel with the
steering to give better lighting on corners. An optional Pre-Collision System is also available - it anticipates when a crash is imminent and reacts accordingly, tightening seatbelts to pull passengers into the safest position and triggering the brake assistance for maximum braking.
Lexus has consistently ranked at or near the top in independent ratings of quality, reliability and durability, even so, all Lexus models come with a 3 year 60000 mile, 3 year paint and 12 year perforation manufacturers warranty. In addition you also receive 3 years free Lexus Roadside Assistance, provided by the
RAC.
About the manufacturer
Despite it's luxury image, Lexus is one of the leading players in advancing motoring technologies to reduce the impact on the environment. Perhaps not so surprising when you realise their connections with Toyota.
Lexus understands that cars produce exhaust emissions, consume raw materials and energy, emit certain harmful substances during manufacturing, and have to be disposed of properly at the end of their lives. Whilst understanding these impacts on the environment are of concern to most of us, it also accepts that doing without a car altogether isn't a viable alternative for most people, and therefore petrol and diesel engines will probably continue to form the major source of automotive power for years to come. Accordingly Lexus is directing its efforts toward advancing existing technologies as well as developing new technologies to reduce, and ultimately eliminate the effects of each of these processes.
The 2015 EU target is for 85% of all vehicles weight to be reused or recycled and 10% energy recovery, leaving only the remaining 5% for disposal. Along with the benefit of reduced waste, recycling also helps cut back CO2 emissions as it reduces the need to use fossil fuels in the creation of new materials. This is on top of the 2003 UK's End of Life Vehicle Directive which also seeks to prevent and limit waste, improve reuse, recycling and recovery of end of life vehicles.
To help achieve these goals, Lexus is pioneering the use of high recoverability materials, researching and using parts easy to recycle at the end of their lifecycle. This includes many rarely seen parts, like body sealer and interior skin material, as well as more obvious things like bumpers.. In fact recycled bumpers are already being used to make trim for luggage compartments and recycled soundproofing material is being utilised for the silencer behind the dashboard.
Lexus has also introduced a policy of free take back for all qualifying Lexus vehicles from the 1st of January 2007 and they have appointed Autogreen Ltd as the service provider to manage the scheme.
Lexus now uses a number of lead free car parts and anti-corrosion coatings, mercury-free lighting and switches, and asbestos-free friction materials and engine gaskets. In Japan, Lexus has developed ways of using certain foam products found in vehicle residue to create recycled soundproofing products. Glass can also be recycled to make tiles for use in landscaping pavement. It also avoids Substances of Concern in various kinds of paints and in solvents
Plastic components used in the interiors and exteriors of Lexus vehicles are molded from highly recyclable and lightweight materials. Enviromentally preferable materials have largely replaced mercury and lead, some of the more challenging substances to deal with, when a car is dismantled.
Lexus uses its Automobile Shredder Residue Recycling plant to recover urethane foam, fiber, copper, glass and plastics from dismantled vehicles.
When it comes to fuel technologies ultimately the aim of Lexus is to produce a zero-emissions car. In the meantime, a host of innovations and initiatives such as lightweight engineering, a sophisticated fuel-injection system, 'clean diesel' technology and recycling solutions are playing their part in helping to limit the immediate ecological burden. This includes hybrid technology, a combination of petrol and electric power which greatly reduces emissions and boosts economy. Lexus recently launched the GS 400h, the world's first luxury hybrid SUV and hope soon to incorporate this new technology into the GS range.
Thanks to the existing sophisticated VVT-i combustion management controls all Lexus models already meet Low Emission Vehicle or the more stringent Ultra Low Emission Vehicle EPA certification standards.
All eight factories that build Lexus vehicles are ISO 14001 qualified, having received an internationally recognized certification for environmental management systems. In-plant water use, waste volume and scrap material generation have been cut dramatically, along with improvements in plant energy efficiency.
The Lexus Environmental Assistance Network allows all Lexus dealers access to a customized web site that provides up-to-date waste-management information enabling them to return numerous components for precision factory remanufacture and ultimate sale as rebuilt parts.