2012 Lexus ES

2012 Lexus ES: Find Out What all the Buzz is About

The 2012 Lexus ES has been turning a lot of heads. The ES is a mid-size sedan, luxury vehicle from Lexus. It is a true luxury vehicle with the heart and soul of a sport car. The ES was first introduced to the North American market along with the Lexus brand in 1989, and has been a top seller since. The 2012 model includes a number of improvements and upgrades over previous year's models, something a lot of Lexus fans are excited about.

About the 2012 Lexus ES

Overall the ES is now more powerful and more efficient due to a lot of technology and engineering advancements. You can get the ES in 3 packages including Premium, Luxury and Sport. In addition you may pick and choose your features either at your local dealership or on the Lexus website. MSRP for the basic model starts at a very low $35,725-a great value within the luxury class.

A number of colors to choose from

Elegant to sporty, the ES comes in a range of colors to fit nearly anyone's preference. Choose from Starfire Pearl, Cerulean Blue Metallic, Satin Cashmere Metallic, Truffle Mica, Matador Red Mica, Tungsten Pearl, Deep Sea Mica, Nebula Gray Pearl and Obsidian.

A Next-Generation Body to Fit Superior Engineering

More aerodynamic, better fuel efficiency and less wind noise; the new streamlined look is the epitome of the Lexus L-finesse design philosophy.

Futuristic Dual-Swivel Lighting

What if your headlights could sense curves in the road ahead, and swivel automatically for vastly improved visibility? Perfect for dark winding roads, Dual-Swivel lighting is now available on some models.

Parking has never been easier

Parking in the city is often at a premium, no matter where you are at though the proximity sensors that come with Park Assist will help you fit your Lexus ES just about anywhere.

Side View Mirrors and Rear Camera for Superior Visibility

Whether you need to be seen, or if you need to see more the side view mirrors on the Lexus ES are build smarter. Turn signals are integrated into the mirrors so other drivers know exactly where you are going when no matter their angle. The mirrors sense when you are in reverse, tilting for the perfect view while backing up and the rear view camera offers a panoramic view of everything behind you right in your center console. In addition the side mirrors are fit with fog lamps to illuminate the area outside your car so you never miss a curb, shopping cart or vehicle.

Does your car know when you're there?

With SmartAccess sensors in your car know when you are approaching, unlocking automatically when you grab the handle. In addition your keys never need to leave your pocket or purse with push button start. This is the next level of convenience, not to mention Lexus makes it nearly impossible to lock your keys in the car.

HID Headlights

Short for high intensity discharge, these lights provide incredible visibility while at the same time being less distracting to other drivers.

Stylish Glass Ceiling

Available with some models, the new ES offers a panoramic view of the sky to passengers in the front and in the back.

High Tech Dynamic Radar

A great new feature to compliment traditional cruise control; Dynamic Radar uses radar to sense your distance from the vehicle in front of you and maintain just the right distance.

Evolution of the Porsche Cayenne

As the Porsche company approached the 21st century, they realised they were missing out on what was becoming a sizable market sector, namely the mid sized crossover market. Up until this point the sector had been dominated by brands such as Land Rover and Jeep. However, since the introduction of the Mercedes ML in 1997 and the BMW X5 in 1999 it was becoming obvious to Porsche that they were missing out on something.

Consequently Porsche designed and introduced its own interpretation of the type in 2002. Porsche were able to call on other similar models within its stable including the Audi Q7 and the Volkswagen Touareg for inspiration and know how, to allow it to develop a rival for the BMW and Mercedes offerings. Also, with the advent of the Porsche Cayenne as it was to be known, Porsche offered something that had not been available in a Porsche since the discontinuation of the Porsche 928 in 1995, namely a V8 engine.

The base model Porsche Cayenne though is powered by a VR6 derived engine, which is the same unit that powers the above mentioned VW Touareg as well as the Volkswagen Golf R32. It produces around 250 horse power which is good enough the get the rather large and heavy Porsche Cayenne from rest to 100 kph (62 mph) in around 7.5 seconds.

However, as Porsche are not necessarily known for their slow cars, there are other options available. The next step up is the Porsche Cayenne S. This version has a V8 engine delivering 340 horse power. This decreases the sprint time from the above 7.5 seconds to a more respectable 6.4 seconds with a top speed of 155 mph.

After that there is the Porsche Cayenne GTS which houses a 4.8 litre V8 engine which produces 405 horse power. The sprint time consequently drops again to now below 6 seconds at 5.7 seconds.

There is also available, in true Porsche tradition a Cayenne Turbo and a Cayenne Turbo S. The first of the turbo Cayenne's had 450 horse power and so the sprint time dropped again to 5.3 seconds. Mercedes were now taking note though and countered with the Mercedes Benz AMG63 version of the ML. Porsche hadn't finished though and followed up in 2006 with the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S. The Turbo S was home to a monster 4.5 litre twin turbo V8 producing 520 hp. This was good enough for a 0-100 kph time of 5.0 seconds and a top speed of 171 miles per hour.

Still though Porsche had not finished tweaking the performance of the Cayenne and at the Beijing Motorshow in 2008, they revealed a new version of the Turbo and Turbo S. The former had received another 50 hp and so had a 0-100 kph time of 4.9 seconds. The new Cayenne Turbo S now had 550 hp and dropped another 0.2 second off the sprint time to 4.7 seconds.