Photo: Lexus
Lexus have never really worried the likes of BMW, Mercedes and Audi in Europe, because it’s a well-known fact that the four-pot turbodiesel is king of the executive car market here. Cars like the BMW 520d, Mercedes E220 CDI or the Audi A6 in its 2.0-liter guise make up the bulk of exec sales in Europe. Any of these cars have more than enough poke to satisfy most drivers while achieving around 5 l/100km (56 UK mpg) easily, if driven with care (a light right foot).
Lexus’s repugnance towards four-cylinder engines and diesels in particular have made them stick with their overly-complicated hybrid systems, claiming they can achieve similar results in terms of economy, while retaining the smooth nature of V6 petrol engines. The diesel-powered IS220d, the first oil burner ever installed in a Lexus, was a very good car, but its 2.2-liter diesel was nowhere near as good as the benchmark German small diesel - the 520d.
It’s admirable how Lexus will not give up and adopt diesel tech, no matter what. They keep trying to tell us that hybrids are just as good as diesels, and they are planning on bringing an even more economical model than any other in their range, a GS equipped with a 2.5-liter V6 and an electric motor. This solution of reducing the displacement of the engine while boosting it with electric power is so very Lexus, according to autocar.co.uk.
They claim that with this system, they can match the BMW 520d - at least when it comes to tailpipe emissions, with the Lexus reportedly being able to achieve 119g/km of CO2. In the same manner in which Porsche refused to move the engine of their 911 further forward, so too have Lexus stuck by their principles and not followed the crowd - they don’t look to keen on changing that any time soon, and for that, we tip our hats.
It’s admirable how Lexus will not give up and adopt diesel tech, no matter what. They keep trying to tell us that hybrids are just as good as diesels, and they are planning on bringing an even more economical model than any other in their range, a GS equipped with a 2.5-liter V6 and an electric motor. This solution of reducing the displacement of the engine while boosting it with electric power is so very Lexus, according to autocar.co.uk.
They claim that with this system, they can match the BMW 520d - at least when it comes to tailpipe emissions, with the Lexus reportedly being able to achieve 119g/km of CO2. In the same manner in which Porsche refused to move the engine of their 911 further forward, so too have Lexus stuck by their principles and not followed the crowd - they don’t look to keen on changing that any time soon, and for that, we tip our hats.
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