by Cheryl Eldridge

Each week I encounter  high anticipation on  which  automobile I will  test for the week. Well this week, I was really elated!
I was blessed to test drive the 2014 Lexus IS350  which was coated in a  beautiful “nebula gray” color  accented with “hot red leather seats” that complemented the interior.
Sexiness was definitely in the atmosphere. The car even made me change my attire, so that I would match the car’s attitude.
For 2014, the Lexus IS350 is redesigned. Highlights include assertive new styling, a larger, gorgeously crafted interior and a longer equipment list.
The Lexus IS350 is the compact sport sedan entry from a brand known for its ultra-refined luxury sedans and high reliability ratings. It does battle with some very popular European-brand sedans that have elevated consumers’ expectations in the entry-level luxury sedan class. From our standpoint, strong acceleration, solid fuel economy, sporty handling and luxurious accommodations are all baseline requirements for a six-cylinder compact luxury sedan in 2014. Last year’s IS350 was certainly quick, but its interior was cramped and, apart from its speed, it wasn’t especially memorable to drive. The redesigned 2014 Lexus IS350 features notable upgrades, including a new interior with richer materials, and a bigger back seat.
The 2014 Lexus IS350 is a compact luxury sedan available with rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.
Standard equipment for the 2014 IS350 includes 17-inch wheels with all-season tires, HID headlamps, LED daytime running lights and brake lights, heated side mirrors, moonroof, keyless ignition and entry, dual-zone automatic climate control, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, eight-way power front seats (heated for the IS 350 AWD), leatherette premium vinyl upholstery and a 60/40 folding rear seat with armrest.
A new Safety Connect telematics system comes with the standard eight-speaker sound system, delivering weather and traffic information (when in metro areas) free of charge via the audio system’s HD radio. Also standard for all IS350 models are a 7-inch color display, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, voice recognition for most infotainment operations, satellite radio, an auxiliary audio jack and iPod/USB connections.
The first of the 2014 IS350’s three option groups is a Premium package that includes LED headlights and heated and ventilated front seats. The Luxury package adds blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, auto-dimming side mirrors, rain-sensing windshield wipers, perforated leather upholstery, wood trim, a power tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel and driver-seat memory.
Atop the option-group food chain is the F Sport package. Available for the first time for both rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive versions of the IS350, F Sport brings LED headlamps; a full-mesh treatment for the grille and revised front bumper; 18-inch wheels (with either summer or all-season tires); sport-tuned suspension; upgraded brake pads; multi-adjustable sport seats, perforated leather trim on the steering wheel and shift knob; a special sport-oriented adaptive instrument cluster; and aluminum trim for the pedals and door scuff plates. On rear-drive models, the package also includes an adaptive suspension and a more aggressive Sport S+ setting for the drive mode selector. Variable-ratio steering can be added as a stand-alone option on rear-drive IS350s equipped with both the F Sport package and a power tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel (via the Luxury package).
The Navigation package incorporates the Remote Touch mouse-type controller for the entire infotainment suite, plus a navigation system. This package also provides a rearview camera, real-time traffic information, automatic phonebook download for Bluetooth phones and Enform enhanced telematics with smartphone app integration (including Bing, Yelp, Pandora and iHeartRadio). An upgraded 15-speaker Mark Levinson audio system can be bundled with the navigation system.
Additional stand-alone options for the 2014 IS350 include a rearview camera (for models without the navigation system), 18-inch wheels, adaptive cruise control (bundled with a pre-collision system), a lane departure warning system, and front and rear parking sensors. I really enjoyed the Blind Spot Monitor, which is great while cruising down the expressway.
The 2014 Lexus IS350 comes with a 3.5-liter V6 generating 306 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission is standard for rear-wheel-drive models, and a six-speed automatic is used for all-wheel-drive cars. Either transmission gets steering-wheel paddle shifters to enable manual shifting when desired.
Lexus estimates the IS350 will accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds, a good number for this segment. The all-wheel-drive model is almost as quick.
Lexus estimates the rear-wheel-drive IS350 will deliver 19 miles per gallon in the city, 28 mpg on the highway and 22 mpg combined. My tester, the all-wheel-drive IS350 gets the same 19 mpg rating in the city, but drops to 26 mpg on the highway and 21 mpg overall.
One asset that the Lexus does display was the gas output system. If you are running low on gas, which I was at a time, the nearest gas station pops up on the navigation, that’s a cool amenity, especially when driving long distances.
The 2014 Lexus IS350’s standard safety equipment includes antilock disc brakes with brake assist, traction and stability control, front seat side airbags, front knee airbags, side curtain airbags and dual rear-seat side airbags. Safety Connect, the brand’s onboard automatic safety and security service, incorporates collision notification, stolen-vehicle locator and roadside assistance from a cellular connection with a response center.
Optional safety upgrades include a rearview camera, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alerts, and a lane-departure warning system. The optional adaptive cruise control brings a pre-collision warning system that can initiate automatic braking and prepare other safety equipment to help mitigate crash severity.
On the inside, the Lexus redesigned interior increases the car’s luxury quotient and addresses a major fault in the previous-generation IS350: a small, hard-to-access backseat. The additional 1.6 inches of rear-seat legroom is immediately noticeable, and adults will have an easier time getting in and out. The rear seat also folds in a 60/40 split, a convenience the previous IS350 never offered. Trunk capacity is 13.8 cubic feet, which is above average for this class.
Interior fit and finish was never a problem for the old IS, but the 2014 model brings upgrades to the brand’s already high standard. The upper dashboard armrests, steering wheel, and even the sides of the center console (where knees tend to rub) are swathed in dense, high-quality padding. The front seats are brilliantly supportive yet supple, but those with larger frames might feel slightly snug.
The new dashboard and center console design is attractive and contemporary, and enhances the interior’s feeling of spaciousness. The audio and climate controls are set at an angle to minimize sun glare, and the high-quality buttons and knobs are easy to use.
The 2014 IS350’s one interior foible is the Remote Touch control interface. Inspired by a computer mouse, this controller is the primary method for making audio and navigation selections in models with the optional Navigation package. Although the 7-inch display is sharp, cursor control with the Remote Touch controller is wobbly, particularly when you’re on the move. Making matters worse is the lack of a hard “back” button and the fact that all the icons are the same color. Fortunately, the IS350 has standard voice recognition for many infotainment functions and the navigation system expands on that. Bottom line, voice control is a vital redundancy here.
My tester’s price tag was $49,737 and was loaded with everything.
Until next week, drive safe, buckle up and no texting while driving. It’s the law.

 2014 Toyota Corolla
By Frank S. Washington

SAN DIEGO – If the Camry is Toyota’s bread then the Corolla is certainly the company’s butter.
What’s more, it was the Corolla that cracked the American car market wide open for Toyota. The car was the right prescription at the right time. It was small, it was fuel efficient and most importantly it was reliable.
If not for the Corolla becoming an icon of small, gas sipping, sturdy cars, it is doubtful that Toyota would have become the automotive juggernaut that it is today.
But a yellow caution light has come on and with the 2014 Toyota Corolla the company hopes to snuff it out before it gets serious. On the one hand, the Corolla is Toyota’s second bestselling nameplate with 300,000 annual sales. But on the downside the average age of a Corolla buyer is about 53-yers-old.
That number needs to be lowered or it will go higher; that’s one reason why the advertising and marketing campaign for the new Corolla will lean heavily on digital and social media. Still, the automaker should take pains as not to tick-off current owners with a new Corolla that doesn’t appeal to them.
That’s the probable reason why the 11th generation of the 47-year-old Corolla is bigger a lot bigger. That should appeal to older buyers. Toyota’s new compact can carry four adults comfortably.
The wheelbase was lengthened by 3.9 inches; the overall car was 3.9 inches longer; it was 0.6 of an inch wider and 0.6 of an inch lower. The key was moving the hip point of the rear seats back 3 inches. That created a back seat area that was as spacious as some midsized sedans.
Does that extra space make the 2014 Corolla a perfect car? It sure didn’t. The steering could have been a little tighter, a colleague noted that the brake pedal was a little spongy and the car could have used a bit more low-end torque for better acceleration from 65 mph.
That’s the problem when automotive companies and the cars they make become icons. There is a danger of always expecting more despite the facts. And the fact is that the 2014 Toyota Corolla is a compact car that starts at less than $20K no matter what model you get. And at that price range, you’re not going to get sports car performance.
Trim lines begin with the $16,800 L, there’s the $18,300 LE, and the LE Eco starts at $18,700 and the 2014 Toyota Corolla S starts at $19,000. Buyers have the option of three transmissions. There is a four-speed automatic; Toyota doesn’t expect to sell many Corollas equipped with it. There’s a six-speed manual gear box but the real effort has gone into the new continuously variable transmission (CVT).
It has been tuned to simulate gear shifts; the Corolla S equipped with a CVT comes with paddle shifters. This transmission was so quiet it made you forget that it was a CVT. Gone was the unnerving whine of CVT transmissions.
The gear boxes can be paired with a 1.8-liter four cylinder engine that is a carryover from the last model, though it has been enhanced. It made 132 horsepower and 128 pound-feet of torque.
The manual got 28 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway. The four-speed automatic got 27 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway while the CVT got 29 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway.
With the “Valvematic” valve train variable control feature, the same engine will generate 140 horsepower. Toyota said it increases overall fuel economy by 5.3 percent.
On the road the 2014 Corolla handled well. The CVT was virtually unnoticed. Acceleration was good for normal traffic. And except for a bit of wind noise around the side view mirrors, the car was quiet. A retuned suspension resulted in a great ride.
Although the car was a little bit wider, the interior felt like it was a lot wider. Gone was the center stack, replaced by standard audio controls, with climate controls underneath and then the gear shifter. The clock sat atop the dash.
Depending on the model, there was either a three analogue instrument layout in front of the driver: odometer, speedometer and fuel gauge. Or there was a two instrument layout with a TFT screen in the middle.
The 2014 Toyota Corolla is a very capable car. Traditional buyers should love its size, its price and its features.
With its standard LED headlights, backup camera, upgraded interior materials, fresh exterior design, Bluetooth, driver knee airbag and passenger cushion airbag, the new Corolla is a value purchase that fits the times.
But Toyota needs lightening in a bottle in the form of an advertising and marketing message to attract a younger buyer. The 2014 Toyota Corolla is equipped with the latest generation of the company’s Entune multimedia system.
It can do everything from function as just a plain old radio, although these days that means iPod and USB jacks, Bluetooth with streaming and voice controls, to encompass a navigation system with an app suite that includes Facebook Places, Bing search engine, Pandora customized Internet radio and MovieTickets.com. There are 10 apps and two data services.
Toyota has the right car and it has the right features. Now it needs the right message targeting the right market to hold on to the buyers it has while attracting the younger buyers the Corolla needs to maintain its iconic standing within the company and within the market.

Frank S. Washington is editor of AboutThatCar.com
Frank Washington