Last Saturday we took my parents out to Belmont Park to check out the Taste of Lexus Performance Edition event where they basically took over one huge parking lot and split it up into four small courses so that people could test drive all their available models (including one not yet in production prototype, the rocket IS350). They also pitched a huge tent on one side where you could view the newer cars (IS350, GS430, RX400h) up close, learn about some of the technologies incorporated in the vehicles, snack on some more upscale finger foods, and even schedule a massage.
To attend, you had to sign up on the website for a specific time. We had signed up for 11am and I was shocked at the amount of people already there. Definitely had a pretty darn good turnout. Weather was pretty good for it (cloudy) as well although not good for pics.
I was mainly interested in checking out the RX400h which is the first hybrid SUV ever. Not that its gas mileage is all that much better (probably ~10 mpg better than the non-hybrid version) but hey, it's a start. ;-p
The batteries do give the RX400h a nice kick in acceleration though for a hybrid vehicle. It's too bad they didn't redesign the vehicle exterior though since they did change the model number from 330 to 400. Oddly, not many people seemed interested in it as it had the shortest test drive line out of all the new vehicles.
The GS430 is a pretty speedy sedan although a bit pedestrian for my tastes. ;-p They also had the Mercedes-Benz E500 available to test drive as well so people could compare the two.
The IS350 was one hell of a racehorse. 0-60mph in 5.5 seconds, a whole second faster than its rival the BMW 325i. And it definitely felt it. Pretty rockin' acceleration and it hugged those curves like a champ.
All in all wee must've spent a bit over 2 hours there. Most of the time was spent waiting to test drive the IS350 since everyone wanted a shot at it. Pretty much like a trip to the amusement park except you got to control your own ride. =p On exiting each person got a "thanks for visiting" gift of a Zagat's guide to the top restaurants in the US in a leather binder. Anyway, it was a pretty nice event and I enjoyed testing out the RX400h and the IS350, even if it only was for a moment. ;-)
