Up:

• Solid, Germanic look and feel. You’re definitely driving a BMW
• Sticks to the road like…something very sticky
• Strong engine
• Well-appointed interior

Down:

• Harsh ride
• Laggy automatic transmission
• Nav system clunky, outdated
• Expensive

Sideways

• Feels like a much larger vehicle than it is

Driving Impressions

There’s something about German engineering. Theoretically, the X3 is one of those tiny, car-based cargo boxes disparagingly termed “cute-utes” by people who drive 3-ton trucks with solid front axles and know what a locking differential is. But to its driver, the X3 feels like a big, substantial sports sedan whose driver’s seat just happens to be two feet higher, which is impressive for something that you can both carry a dishwasher and parallel park in a city. The only time you notice its small size is after you get out.

The X3′s performance comes at a price, though, figuratively and literally: the suspension blows straight through “firm” on its way to “harsh”, the laggy automatic transmission really makes you wish you got the manual instead, and you’ll pay over $50K for it.

Build

You can theoretically get a base X3 xDrive30i SAV (BMW’s full model designation) for $39,400, but are you really going to buy a BMW with a “leatherette” interior? Without heated seats, or the good stereo system? Please. Add the navigation system, the sport package with 19″ wheels, and a few more random luxuries, and you’ll top out at around $52,000, just like we did.

BMW cuts no corners on or in the X3. Doors slam nicely, I could find no fault with the interior or exterior finish, and everything I tested worked and felt as it should on a $50K car. The substantial and sumptuous leather-wrapped steering wheel deserves special mention, particularly for those of us with large hands.

Interior Comfort and Ergonomics

Imagine all your German stereotypes as applied to ergonomics: stolid, conservative, yet meticulously functional. Orange-lit white on black gauges, while neither sexy nor futuristic, are very easy to see by day or night — and unlike many luxury cars, the climate control does not require a Masters in systems engineering to operate. All the driving necessities fall nicely to hand, and the tall cabin and highly adjustable seat allow anyone short of Yao Ming to drive without drama.

Like most HID headlamps, the X3′s are flamethrowers. The sunroof is huge, the little pop-up deflector dramatically reduces wind noise…and the X3 comes with what might just be the loudest factory sound system I’ve ever heard. (It’s crisp and clean, too, though the golden-eared types will notice a hint of boominess in the bass that can’t be dialed out.)

The seats, however, are extremely firm. High-performance sports car firm. Special posture-correcting chair firm. If you are a lightweight you may not even wrinkle the leather.

Also, the navigation system poses several problems. First, BMW put the controls on the passenger side. Second, there is only a single knob, meaning you can’t scroll the map around to see anywhere besides where you already are. And, most irritatingly, since it doesn’t automatically dim or change color at night, I had to turn it off in order to see the road! These are bizarre omissions for a car whose driving ergonomics are otherwise so solid.

By John G.

Up:

• Perfectly tuned suspension, excellent road feel. SH-AWD really works
• Comfortable yet firmly supportive seats, great driving ergonomics
• A luxury car for people that understand performance isn’t just how fast you can leave a stoplight

Down:

• Can’t decide whether it’s futuristic or conservative. The result just looks strange
• Dash has too much plastic trim, too many plastic buttons for a $50K car
• Needs something more to differentiate it from the TL

Ever since they stopped naming their cars and started using cryptic acronyms, Acura has always had a major brand identity problem. Is it a luxury marque, or a performance marque?

The RL’s identity crisis starts with the exterior styling: jarringly random chrome bits make it look like the love child of a Lexus and a Decepticon. The interior has its own issues: comfortable yet firmly supportive leather seats with heating and cooling, wood trimmed dash and steering wheel — and chromed plastic around the navigation system that looks out of place on a $50K luxury sedan.

Turn the keyless ignition, though, and pull out into traffic…and all is forgiven. The RL drives effortlessly, and feels like a much smaller, lighter car than the two ton mid-size sedan it actually is. The suspension is perfectly tuned and damped: firm enough to offer excellent road feedback and well-controlled cornering, but not so firm as to be distracting over bad pavement or long freeway commutes. Add usable paddle shifters and that intoxicating VTEC induction roar at high RPMs — and Acura’s excellent SH-AWD system, which makes understeer nearly impossible — and you’ll find yourself carving both corners and freeway traffic with a big, stupid grin.

Yet, unlike most Acuras, the RL is quiet enough inside, even at highway speed, to feel like a real luxury vehicle, and there is enough rear headroom (thanks to strategic dents in the headliner) to seat four reasonably tall adults.

Luxury sports sedans are a tricky balance between comfort and performance. The 2009 Acura RL splits that difference as well as any car I’ve driven, setting a standard for “grin-inducing performance in the twisties while still remaining a totally practical everyday driver.” Now Acura needs to figure out how to make it look as sharp as it drives.

2009 Acura RL Photo Gallery	2009 Acura RL Specs
The official website of Acura – www.acura.com

By John G.

Hybrid Power Without Compromise – Lexus GS 450h

Up:

• Luxurious yet not ostentatious, inside and out: that’s the Lexus way
• Ridiculous torque makes passing easy and high-speed cruising a pleasure
• Hybrid drive means a performance car that doesn’t feel silly stuck in traffic
• Keyless entry and exit done right

Down:

• “Quick start guide” is 58 pages long
• Weighs over two tons and it isn’t even AWD
• Map lights are really dim, light switches are hard to find in the dark
• Batteries for the hybrid drive don’t leave much trunk space

Sideways:

• Really a 4-door Grand Touring car, not a sports car

Driving Impressions

Ever since the Honda Insight set the still-unmatched standard, hybrids have been designed primarily to maximize fuel economy. Lexus has taken a bold new approach — build hybrids that sacrifice nothing in performance and luxury to their flagship models – and has succeeded.

The key to understanding the GS is this: despite what Lexus’ marketing department tells you, the GS 450h Hybrid is a Grand Touring car at heart, not a sports car. It wants to spend all day swooping through long, stately curves at speeds far exceeding the legal limit, and it does so with grace and aplomb. Asking it to carve twisty, narrow canyon roads is like cutting carrots with a wood saw: it works better than you’d think, but it’s the wrong tool for the job.

Build

As you’d expect from a Lexus with a base price of $55K, fit, finish, and feel are absolutely flawless, and Lexus continues to set the standard in every price range they offer. But are you really going to go without a navigation system and the Mark Levinson stereo? No, you’re not, so make it $60K. Add untestable safety features like the Pre-Collision System and Power Active Vehicle Stabilizer and you get the $65,000 sticker price of our test car.

The “Quick Start Guide” to the GS 450h is 58 pages long, so any attempt to summarize its features in a paragraph or two is doomed to spectacular failure. Fortunately, though the hybrid drive, stability control, and collision avoidance systems are more complicated than your average nuclear reactor, you can drive the car without understanding them.

Like every high-end Lexus, everything is comfortably automatic except the part where you actually have to press the pedals and turn the steering wheel to drive (and I’m sure they’re working on that). The only obvious difference between the regular and hybrid version is that you lose a lot of trunk space to the battery bank: this is not the car for taking a family vacation or a big shopping trip.

Internal Comfort and Ergonomics

The interior of the GS 450h is luxurious, in that carefully anonymous way Lexus has both cultivated and mastered. Even the walnut-trimmed cup holder cover moves slowly and silently on an air spring, instead of simply flipping open like on lesser cars. Proximity sensors allow truly keyless entry and exit, and you never have to take the key fob out of your pocket, even to start the car. Add seat coolers and heaters, a navigation system that gets smoother with each model year, an optional surround sound system better than most movie theaters, and it’s easy to get used to a level of effortless luxury that left me sorely disappointed when I had to give the car back.

Unlike the ES 350, tall drivers can adjust the seat low enough to get the sunroof out of their face, and infrequently used controls hide inside a flip-down panel, leaving the dash relatively uncluttered. As befitting a sportier car, the leather seats offer substantial lateral support.

The only fault I can find is with the map lights, which are so dim that it’s difficult to actually read my own handwriting, much less a map. Plus the buttons are difficult to find and press in the dark.

The radar cruise control deserves mention as a great idea that almost works. The idea is that it always maintains a safe following distance from the car in front of you, so you never have to turn off the cruise control, even in traffic. However, no doubt due to liability reasons, the “safe following distance” it chooses is a Drivers Ed-approved four seconds. In any sort of busy traffic, every driver on the road cuts into the space in front of you, and you end up going about 10 MPH slower than everyone else.

Performance

At 340 HP, the GS 450h has roughly the same power as the GS 460, its conventional sibling. In fact, adding the electric motors’ flat torque curve to the gas-powered V6 through a CVT gives you ridiculous passing power at any speed over 30 MPH.

This is easy to do without noticing. The CVT keeps the engine right in its powerband, which means that despite the fact that you are accelerating from “sedate” to “illegal” and quickly approaching “dangerous”, the RPMs are not necessarily rising. It doesn’t sound like you’re going any faster, and your first reminder will probably be traffic which appears to have suddenly ground to a halt. It didn’t – you’ve just hit 95 MPH. This effortless speed is the hallmark of a Grand Touring car.

The main advantage of a hybrid, though, is when you’re stuck in traffic. Sports cars are completely wasted on the morning commute, like a thoroughbred race horse forced to pull a plow. The Lexus doesn’t mind at all: I actually got better mileage creeping along Highway 101 during peak commute hours than on the rest of my test drive! If you’re really bored, you can set the display to show power distribution amongst all the different subsystems as you accelerate and brake. It’s complicated and hypnotizing, like watching a simulation of a nuclear reactor.

Handling

The road feel is excellent for a car with so many computers between you and the road: the car’s solid construction and low-profile tires make the GS 450h feel like it’s been carved from a solid block of marble. Perfect weight distribution leaves the handling absolutely neutral, even when I dramatically overcooked a corner and slid, tires screeching and smoking, into the thankfully unoccupied oncoming lane.

However, there is no disguising over two tons of mass, nor the fact that I would have made the corner with no trouble had the car weighed as little as it otherwise felt. All those batteries and electric motors add up to 200 more pounds than the conventional GS 460, which is heavy to begin with. Like an NFL linebacker, it’s amazing how quick it is considering its size and mass, but the wide receivers will always be faster. Again, think of it as a 4-door Grand Touring car, not a sports car.

The low-profile tires provide solid road feel and squirm-free handling, but exact a price: unpleasant impacts over the occasional square-edged bump that overtaxes the shocks and goes straight up your back. Interestingly, I thought the adjustable suspension was less harsh and better damped in “Sport” mode — except at very low speeds, like parking lots and bumpy driveways, where “Normal” mode was superior.

Styling

The GS 450h is cut like an expensive men’s suit: conservative, clean lines, executed well, but not flashy in any way. If you feel that spending $65,000 entitles you to be noticed everywhere you go, you need a different car. However, with this latest generation of styling revisions, Lexus has finally grown up, got down to business, and put any nagging doubts of “it’s just an expensive Toyota” to rest. The arched roof line and nearly-fastback trunk profile recall a less swoopy and more dignified Mercedes CLS. Solid.

Value and Conclusion

Though Lexus calls the GS series “sports cars”, they fall far short when judged as such, as one might expect from a two-ton car with no manual transmission option. The GS 450h is really a 4-door Grand Touring car: even the styling recalls a two-door coupe, and it’s happiest at 50 MPH and above, where the abundant torque and sure-footed high-speed handling let you put hundreds of miles behind you in an alarmingly short time. When judged as such, it succeeds.

But why bother with the hybrid version? According to the ratings, it doesn’t even improve the gas mileage much…but that doesn’t tell the whole story. To appreciate the GS 450h, you have to get stuck in a traffic jam. Instead of idling away at $3.50 a gallon and overheating, the engine simply cuts off, the electric motor takes care of advancing you three car lengths at a time, and your blood pressure stays low. This difference may seem inconsequential, but it really does make a difference to your stress level.

This intangible benefit is the real reason to pay extra for that little “h”. If your driving habits make this important to you, it’ll be money well spent. If not, you can save the money, the weight, and the trunk space.

Who should buy it?

People who want a luxury GT car, but who commute daily in traffic and need to carry four adults in comfort.

Ratings

Build 5.0 Lexus sets the standard
Interior 4.5 Excellent, but the weak map lights and tiny trunk lose half a point
Performance 4.5 Torque: it’s what’s for dinner
Handling 4.0 Well controlled, but a bit harsh, and too heavy to be truly sporty
Styling 4.5 Conservative but clean, like a bespoke suit
Value 4.0 Spendy. Worth it? You decide

2008 Lexus GS 450h photo gallery	2008 Lexus GS 450h Specs
Official website for Lexus cars, hybrids, and SUVs – www.lexus.com

by John G.

Up and Down

Up:

• Handles like a tall sports car: tight and responsive
• Sneaky fast motor
• Paddle shifters are a hoot
• Seating and driving positions work for both very short and very tall people
• A crossover SUV that’s fun to drive? OMG THE SUN JUST EXPLODED!

Down:

• Computerized audio, climate, and navigation system nearly impossible to learn and use
• No full size spare tire, no engine temperature gauge
• Cargo space, like most compact SUVs, not quite big enough for bicycles

Driving Impressions

There’s something about VTEC that makes you drive like That Guy.

It’s not just the variable valve timing: Toyotas have it, but they don’t make you want to dice freeway merges like you’re on your final qualifying lap. Nissan uses it, but no one feels the urge to drift a Sentra through a yellow light like they’re playing Grand Theft Auto. Ever since the Integra GSR, “VTEC” has been basically synonymous with “Drive it like you stole it.”

Somehow Acura has managed to build a little crossover SUV that tempts you to do the same. Taut handling, quick steering, and supportive seats with big side bolsters mean you can get away with the sort of maneuvers typically reserved for mirrorshade-wearing midlife crises in a 911 Cabriolet, or teenage sons of Silicon Valley executives with $15K of tuner parts bolted to their Eclipse.

In short, while the RDX is a sensible vehicle with decent gas mileage and lots of cargo space, it’s also a hoot to drive, and will sorely tempt you to hit the paddle shifters, floor it, and become That Guy.

Build

Most luxury vehicles are fortunately devoid of the confusing thicket of options available on the low end, and the Acura RDX is no exception. Everyone gets a nice big set of 18” alloy wheels, a full leather interior with heated seats, and HID headlamps so bright that they make the incandescent high beams irrelevant. There is only one way to spend more than $33,865 on an RDX: the technology package, which pushed the retail on our test vehicle up to $37,365. For that extra $3,500, you get a very nice 10-speaker Elliot Scheiner audio system with satellite radio, and the full computerized navigation package with backup camera.

It’s impossible to find fault with Acura’s fit and finish on the RDX, and I didn’t detect a single rattle or squeak, even with the impressive stereo cranked up to “pain”. However, the doors don’t slam with quite the same authority as a Lexus, and the switchgear, while solid, doesn’t quite have the same buttery feel. Is that difference worth $10K and tippy handling? If you’re in the target market for the RDX, probably not.

Interior Comfort and Ergonomics

Here the RDX illustrates the essential duality of life: black and white, good and evil, heaven and hell, the best and most adjustable driving ergonomics I’ve tested and the worst user interface disaster since BMW’s I-Drive.

First, the good news. The driver’s seat is firm yet comfortable, the substantial side bolsters are pleasantly supportive during high-speed cornering, and you could easily believe you were driving a sports coupe if you were a couple feet closer to the ground. In addition to the tilting/telescoping wheel and standard power and memory hijinks, the seat has several inches of up-and-down adjustability, meaning that both very short and very tall people can drive the RDX without compromising comfort or visibility. Well done.

Interior trim is clean and modernish, with lots of brushed aluminum and silver-gray plastic complementing the black leather seats and door trim. The immense center console provides a comfortable leather-topped armrest, and can swallow a briefcase (!) if you deploy the internal trapdoors. The excellent 10-speaker audio system remained crisp and clean up to ear-bleeding levels, which is important, because while both engine and wind noise were well controlled and barely audible, pavement noise was relatively pronounced by the standards of a luxury vehicle.

And now, the bad news: the computerized console that controls the navigation system, plus part of the climate control and stereo, requires a degree in aeronautical engineering to operate. In addition to over 40 tiny buttons on the radio and center console, you get a big gearshift-like joystick that also pushes and twists, meaning you will probably rear-end a cement truck long before you figure out how to change the CD. The audio and temperature readouts are randomly split between the LCD screen and a small display way up near the windshield, and in a design decision that values button symmetry over sanity, half of the climate controls are on the passenger side. I am an engineer, and I didn’t successfully turn on the radio until my second drive.

The big, clunky joystick makes using the navigation system while driving like trying to play Gran Turismo and Q*Bert at the same time. After parking and fiddling with it for fifteen minutes, I did find one great feature: real-time traffic information, like you get from 511.org in the Bay Area, on top of the map. This is so awesome that you immediately wonder why every navigation system doesn’t have it. Too bad most people will never figure out how to turn it on.

Performance

Honda usually builds practical, conservative vehicles — but every so often they like to show off their engineering department, usually by taking some complicated technology that others never quite get right and bringing it to market in a perfectly tuned, emissions-compliant package, as if to say “OK, kids, here’s how you build a motor.” In the case of the RDX, that would be the variable-flow turbo 2.2L VTEC four, which pumps out 240 horsepower, a ridiculous 260 ft-lbs of torque, and meets California ULEV standards. Honda’s stated reason for building it was that the twin turbo saves weight over a six-cylinder engine, thus improving handling, but personally I think they’re just showing off.

It’s a sneaky-fast engine: the turbo has no obvious lag, and makes no noise beyond a barely-audible hiss at low revs, but it makes the on-throttle transition very soft. I thought the acceleration somewhat anemic at low revs until I noticed how quickly I was passing traffic. But what you really need to do is give the RDX enough boot to downshift, or just hit the conveniently placed paddle shifters: the VTEC kicks in with the throaty roar instantly familiar to anyone who’s ever driven one, and Mr. Sensible puts on his Oakleys and turns into That Guy. You will seriously floor it up every freeway on-ramp just to hear that noise. Unfortunately, by doing so, you will also fail to achieve the advertised 17/22 EPA mileage rating.

Did I mention how much fun the paddle shifters are? They work in either Regular or Sport mode, the difference being that in Sport mode, your gear selection lasts until you either hit redline or come to a stop, whereas in Regular mode they’re just a temporary override. Most manumatics are useless, but these actually do what you need — which is to let you bang a couple upshifts in preparation for a pass without having to reach down and mess with the gear lever.

I have nothing to say about the brakes except that they caused me no drama, even after a long workout on a twisty backroad.

Handling

Running too hot into a turn, I expected a vehicle this tall to dig in and flip over, quickly ending my short career as an automotive reviewer — but the RDX’s wide track and stiff suspension simply railed it around like a slot car. (Acura claims it beats the BMW X3 on the skid pad.) Even using too much accelerator on wet roads doesn’t make it push the front end out of turns: the AWD spins the outer rear tire to keep things in line. Couple this with a high seating position that makes you think you’re cornering much faster than you are, and the RDX will make you feel like Michael Schumacher.

The suspension flirts with harshness, but never commits to dinner with it. Acura has kept the RDX safely in the “firm yet comfortable” zone by not overdamping the shocks like most manufacturers, and though you feel all the bumps in the road, they don’t hurt. Well done.

The small steering wheel is only 2.8 turns lock to lock, so you can do just about anything without taking your hands off the ergonomic bumps at 10 and 2 (or, for that matter, the paddle shifters). All in all, Acura makes it damnably easy to drive like That Guy, and in the class of “vehicles that can take home a 50 inch plasma TV without using bungie cords”, the RDX is the clear handling winner.

Styling

The RDX looks bigger than it actually is, and like many movie stars, you don’t notice the small size until you get up close. The stock 18” wheels are pushed way out to the corners, and combine with the no-overhang front and rear bumper to give it a mildly muscular stance – a surprising departure for Acura, which is usually known for its aggressively bland styling. No one will mistake it for a CR-V, and while the RDX doesn’t squirt testosterone like a Hummer, no one will call it a “cute-ute” either.

I’m not sure which of the several shades of metallic gray our test vehicle was painted, but it looked good.

Value

Assigning value to a luxury vehicle is usually a tricky proposition, but in this case, it’s fairly simple. For $5500 more than a loaded CR-V, you get a grin-inducing motor, tack-sharp handling, nuclear HID headlights, and styling that won’t make people expect you to unload a stroller every time you get out.

Conclusion

No one actually wants to buy a compact SUV. They come to realize that they need to regularly haul around more stuff than fits in a car, but don’t have the room to park a truck or real SUV, and don’t want to pay to fill it up either. So Mr. Sensible resigns himself to buying a “cute-ute”, sacrificing both good handling and his testicles on the altar of practicality, while looking longingly at the Corvette or F350 he really wanted.

This is where the RDX saves the day for Mr. Sensible. He can haul around a wife, two kids, and all their sports gear, or take three buddies and their backpacks on a wilderness hike – but, like a werewolf, he can also crank up the stereo, hit the paddle shifters, floor it, and to the hordes of honking commuters he’s left behind him, suddenly morph into That Guy.

• Build 4.5 Flawless execution but still room for improvement
• Interior 3.5 Driving ergos get a 5, stereo/climate/navigation get a 2
• Performance 4.5 Turbo + VTEC = $$$
• Handling 5 Exceptional for an SUV and solid by any standard
• Styling 4 The big wheels make it work, but it’s still a compact SUV
• Value 4.5 It’s easy to understand where the extra money went
• Overall 26/30=B+ Fix the stereo/climate/navigation and it easily earns an A-

Who should buy it?

If you enjoy the acceleration and taut handling of a sports car, but you can’t give up AWD, cargo room, and easy urban parking to get it, the Acura RDX is your vehicle.

>> See all of the Acura RDX photos in our photo gallery

>> Read more Acura RDX reviews submitted by the CarReview.com community

>> www.Acura.com – official website for Acura cars and SUVs

by John G.

Up:

Down:

Sideways:

Driving Impressions

Lexus has come a long way from their humble beginnings as rebadged Camrys with leather interior and gold trim, firmly establishing themselves as legitimate competition for the classic German marques. If, like most of us, you’ve spent most of your time driving sub-$35K sedans or SUVs, you’ll find driving the fifth-generation ES 350 to be a subtle yet pleasant surprise.

There is absolutely nothing eye-catching about the ES 350. Your mind sort of says “Hmm, nice car” and slides off to daydreaming about that threesome with…ahem. And that is the point of the ES 350: it’s a car you never have to think about driving unless you want to. The doors unlock when you approach the car, the climate control keeps the interior temperature constant, the engine has more than enough power to accelerate and pass while being completely inaudible over the excellent stereo system, the suspension easily swallows the harshest pavement, and the steering wheel even gets out of your way to let you in and out. All in all, it’s perhaps the smoothest, most civilized driving experience you can have.

Build

The base price of the ES 350 is only about $33K – but buying a Lexus without leather seats seems faintly ridiculous, like wearing Chuck Taylors with a three-piece suit. The mandatory $5,380 Luxury Package includes all the things you expect from a luxury car, like blindingly bright HID headlamps, leather seats with integrated seat heaters and coolers, and nice-looking 17” wheels. In addition, our car had an excellent Mark Levinson designed audio system ($4K) and a collision warning system I didn’t get to test, plus all the standard features like a moonroof, automatic headlights, and power everything. Total sticker price on our test car was $46,045.

For that sort of money you expect a different level of car. This being Lexus, you get it. Even the smallest piece of plastic interior trim feels completely immobile, like it’s made out of granite, and I suspect you could run a micrometer around the gaps between body panels without moving the dial.

Trunk space is sufficient for multiple full-size golf bags, or even bodies if you can bend the knees before rigor mortis sets in. Neither rear seat folds away, but there is a pass-through for skis, which protects the armrest when opened. A full-size spare is included.

Interior Comfort and Ergonomics

The key to the Lexus ES 350, or any modern Lexus, is “relax and enjoy it”. Everything on the car is automatic, and I suspect it still bothers the Lexus engineers that the onboard navigation system can’t actually drive to your destination for you. The headlights and dashboard lights turn on by themselves in the dark – and in a feature that’s only taken auto manufacturers 100 years to figure out, turn off by themselves when you cut the engine and get out of the car. The ES 350 doesn’t just have a dome light: it has front and rear passenger seat lights, front and rear foot well lights, and even “puddle lights” under the mirrors that illuminate the area outside, below the door, so you can see what you’re about to step in as you enter or exit the car.

To use the climate control, it’s best not to mess with the computer at all, which is an exercise in frustration. Just leave everything on “automatic”, move the temperature readout up and down, and trust the computer to keep you comfortable. The seat coolers are great on hot days, though the feeling of having cold air blown up your butt is shockingly intimate at first. The onboard navigation system works well, but I couldn’t figure out how to turn the destination off, and the disembodied voice kept on telling me to turn around. Best just to leave it on map mode.

Drivers too far over 6’ may have an insurmountable ergonomic problem with the ES 350. The low roofline put the sunshade right in my face, and I couldn’t see stoplights without craning my neck way forward.

I have no idea who Mark Levinson is, but the stereo with his name on it is excellent. It pumps out clean sound at levels that vibrate all the mirrors into unusability. Combine that with the extremely quiet interior, and the cockpit becomes a comfortable and luxurious sound chamber.

Performance

The ES 350 gets a displacement and power bump from last year, to 3.5L, 272 horsepower, and 254 pound-feet of torque. The six-speed automatic transmission lets you turn a sedate 2250 RPM at 80 MPH in 6^th gear, and 95 MPH feels no more dramatic than 65.

The drivetrain is perfectly tuned for freeway travel: the transmission kicks down very responsively when you need to slot yourself into a hole in a faster-moving lane, and flowing through heavy traffic feels almost like skiing. Flooring it, however, leaves an obvious delay as the car says to itself “Harrumph…well, if you must insist” before downshifting three gears. It then launches you forward with impressive authority and brio, though you feel faintly churlish for having asked it to do something so uncivilized. I never noticed the brakes, which means they must be good given the speeds with which I often found myself hurtling down offramps.

There is a manumatic setting, but if you want to use it, you need to be driving the IS or GS.

Handling

My initial reaction was “This thing floats like a 1970’s Lincoln Continental,” and indeed, it has the pillowy-soft ride usually associated with expensive mattresses. Bad pavement simply disappears under the suspension. Despite this, performance exceeded my expectations: while the ES3 50 is no sports car, it copes well with twisties, swooping through smooth, stately arcs with surprising speed while a bewildering array of traction and braking assists correct any minor bobbles. The light steering, however, offers very little road feel.

It’s a philosophical choice: instead of involving you closely with the driving experience, the ES 350 insulates you from it. You can drive it all day at 80% and arrive on time with perfect hair. If you want to feel the road and push the limits, buy a sports car.

Styling and Exterior

The ES 350 isn’t a car you notice at first glance. Our test vehicle was a beige sedan with beige interior, which is basically invisible in traffic or a parking lot. You have to force yourself to look harder.

When you do, it’s a pleasant surprise, like realizing that your high school librarian moonlights as a fitness model. The new ES 350 has a longer and wider wheelbase than its predecessor while maintaining the same exterior size. Combined with a higher hood and trunk line, this gives it a more aggressive stance (Lexus uses the word “confident”) than previous Lexii.

It’s still not a car you will be noticed in, but the lines are pleasing to the eye. To me, it’s the first Lexus that really says “luxury marque.” Well done.

Value and Conclusion

Upon starting my test drive, I wasn’t immediately blown away by the ES 350. However, I soon found myself taking a much longer route home than I anticipated, because driving it was so effortless.

Lexus has provided a quiet oasis of calm for the driver: heavy traffic, bad pavement, and searing heat become distant annoyances that barely register over the crisp, clear audio system. The surprising thing is how little performance they’ve sacrificed to get you there. Add to that a price affordable to non-CEOs and styling that finally justifies the premium over a V6 Camry, and you no longer have to justify your purchase to Mercedes owners with “but it’s reliable.”

Build 5.0 - Lexus sets the standard for build quality

Interior 4 - It’s a 4.5 unless you’re tall

Performance 4.5 - The new motor is excellent

Handling 4.0 - Great for its intended purpose, but not agile or sporty

Styling 4.5 - Finally Lexus gets it right

Value 4.5 - An honest luxury car for under $40K? Yes, please

Overall 4.4/A- Strong to quite strong. Well done, Lexus

Who Should Buy It

Anyone who spends a lot of time in their car and is under 6’2”. If you have to do a lot of driving, this is absolutely the easiest and most painless way to do it.

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Up, Down, and Sideways

Up:

-Toyota fit and finish, inside and out: flawless. Classy interior. No rattles or squeaks.
-The 4.0L V6 is a very strong motor.
-Good cockpit ergonomics, even for tall drivers. Steering wheel tilts and telescopes.
-Simple stereo and climate controls.
-Reasonably comfortable rear seats, unlike most double cab pickups.
-Real 4WD: two-speed transfer case and locking rear differential.
-Full size spare tire.

Down:

-Spongy brakes.
-Offroad package suspension feels stiff and a bit vague on the road.
-Large turning circle.

Sideways:

-Big. Not a compact pickup anymore. Not even close.

Takeaway:

-If you need a pickup with serious off-road capability, this is the civilized choice.

Driving Impressions

Urban pickups are a series of compromises. Any truck with 9.5 inches of ground clearance, a two-speed transfer case, and a locking rear differential is obviously intended to venture far beyond the pavement. However, Toyota accepts the reality that most of the Tacoma’s miles will be spent on freeways and in line for the drive-thru, and civilizes it as much as possible.

The tasteful, car-like interior and low seating position could make you believe you were in a Camry if you weren’t sitting an extra three feet off the ground, as could the lively acceleration. The illusion of driving a family sedan is only spoiled in a few places: suspension designed to swallow small boulders is harsh on freeway potholes, the brakes feel a bit mushy when they’re straining to haul two tons down to a stop, and there’s no way to disguise the body roll of a tall truck on twisty roads.

Build

I test drove a double cab 4WD TRD VVT-i V6 SR5. No, I didn’t just fall asleep on my keyboard…the letters all stand for some part of “this truck is loaded with every possible option”, including the big 4.0 liter V6 engine with variable valve timing, off-road and towing package, power windows and doors, and the highest trim level inside and out. If my calculations and Toyota’s website are correct, this comes to an MSRP of $30,230. This isn’t a compact pickup price anymore, but compact pickups don’t seat five or tow 6500 pounds. (Or require a 41 foot turning circle.)

Toyota’s reputation for quality is legendary, and the Tacoma upholds that reputation. I couldn’t find a single piece of trim out of place. The switchgear felt solid, and the doors closed with a satisfying “whump”.

All Tacomas come stock with a bedliner, movable tiedown points on tracks, and several storage cubbyholes in the bed, though unlike the Honda Ridgeline, none is lockable. A full size spare (thank you, Toyota) lurks in the usual place under the bed.

Interior Comfort and Ergonomics

As a tall man, small import vehicles have historically squashed me like a grape, but I could have worn a top hat while driving the Tacoma. The steering wheel telescopes as well as tilts, and it allowed me a humane driving position as well as an unobstructed view of the large and clear gauges. Unlike many trucks and SUVs, the seat is close to the floor, and the driving position is much more carlike than trucklike. I could see stoplights without craning my neck forward to see out from under the roof.

The climate controls were clearly labeled and worked as expected, as did the stereo. Thank you, Toyota, for resisting the trend towards computerized consoles that require an engineering degree to change the fan setting.

Unlike any other pickup I’ve driven, the rear seats don’t violate the Geneva convention, and you can actually fit five people in the cab, even if none of them is a clown. There are heater vents for the rear passengers under the front seats.

Both the interior and exterior are riddled with little storage cubbyholes. So many, in fact, that you may forget where you stashed what.

Performance

The 4.0L V6 pushes the Tacoma up to merging speed quickly, with authority, and without drama. Once you’re there, the 5-speed automatic lets you cruise the freeway at a sedate 2000 RPM in overdrive. Passing is no problem. Engine noise is never harsh or distracting. This is a great motor, and it gets you 19 MPG city and 22 MPH highway, which is excellent for a 4WD truck that can tow 6500 pounds. (Editor’s note: observed gas mileage during our test drive was 19.5 MPG)

Unfortunately, when I reached the bottom of the offramp, I found the brake pedal to be distractingly spongy. It’s fine during normal stops, but could use more authority when hauling two tons of truck down from freeway speeds. Actual stopping distance felt reasonable.

Handling

Once you leave the freeway, you’ll find that off-road performance doesn’t come without sacrifice: the suspension is a bit harsh and rubbery on bad pavement, and the road feels somewhat remote. Fortunately, though it’s easy to find the limits on a twisty road, the Tacoma doesn’t do anything unpredictable when pushed, and the double cab means there’s enough weight on the rear to keep the usual pickup oversteer under control.

If you 1) know what a locking differential is and 2) actually need one, this is about the best compromise you’ll get for a daily driver. The rest of you should probably get the Sport package instead of the Off-Road package.

Styling and Exterior

The Tacoma was once a compact pickup — but just as serving sizes and American waistlines have expanded over the years, so has the Tacoma. It didn’t look any smaller than the full-size F150 parked next to it.

Fortunately the latest redesign results in a better-looking truck as well as a larger truck. It’s more modern and less slab-sided than a Ford Ranger, but less “CyberTruck” than the Nissan Frontier. The metallic silver paint looks sharp, the exterior fit and finish are flawless, and the alloy rims will keep you out of the aftermarket catalogs for a while. It’s my favorite of this year’s mid-size pickups.

Value and Conclusion

Seeing the current crop of “small” import pickups is like going to your high-school reunion and finding out that the chess club took up bodybuilding. What used to be cute little pickups are now big-ass trucks, with cargo space and (sadly) turning circles to match.

However, Toyota has done an excellent job of hiding the fact that you are driving a big-ass truck. The disturbingly carlike interior, strong engine, and humane ergonomics let you forget about truckness for minutes at a time, and unless you get the double cab and a longbed, it isn’t so large that you can’t park it. Toyota has an excellent reputation for quality and longevity, and the fit and finish of the Tacoma suggest that it will be no different.

Translated: it’s a big-ass truck your wife won’t refuse to drive.

Rating

(My ratings are relative to similar vehicles, not all possible vehicles. For instance, a “3.5” for Performance means something different for a Chevy Corvette than for a Ford Expedition. Also, I don’t give 5′s out lightly. If a car does everything right it gets an 4…4.5 and 5 mean there is something exceptional about it. 3 or 3.5 is average, not a failing mark.

Who should buy it?

People who need (or want) a reliable, drama-free truck, but don’t want to sacrifice too many of the comforts of driving a car.

Editor’s Note: Cars similar in class with the Tacoma are the Nissan Frontier, Honda Ridgeline, Ford Ranger, and Chevrolet Colorado.

>> See all of the Toyota Tacoma photos in our photo gallery

>> Read more Toyota Tacoma reviews submitted by the CarREVIEW.com community

>> 2007 Toyota Tacoma specs

>> Toyota Tacoma videos

>> Links to more Toyota Tacoma reviews on other sites

An appreciative thank-you goes to Stevens Creek Toyota for graciously providing the Tacoma demo truck. This review would not have been possible without their unconditional support and help.