Lexus 2012 GS — equipped to give you a futuristic feel

MUSCAT — The Lexus 2012 GS has generated a huge buzz all around the world, inspiring posts, reports and even blogs. All this about the new front-end on the 2012 Lexus GS — particularly its new spindle-shaped grille. However, true to Lexus style with any major new-vehicle launch, the car also comes loaded with intriguing new and enhanced technologies. And often many of them gain a distinct recognition for being the world's first.

Take the S-flow technology for instance. There's no way you would imagine a car air-conditioner playing smart. But that's what Lexus has done — engineered a “smart” air-conditioning system which uses occupant-detection sensors to automatically aircondition only the occupied front seat. And that's not all, unlike any air-conditioning system ever, the S-flow technology also improves fuel economy by as much as three per cent.

Another aspect in particular that alters and redefines norms is the level of advancement in the Lexus 2012 GS'S paint. Two of the vehicle's optional colours are high-tech in many ways. Riviera Red actually contains glass flakes in the coating that enhances the shimmering brilliance to the exterior. Another colour, the silvery Liquid Platinum, has been purposefully engineered to accentuate body-curves — as well as shine in different lighting conditions, whether it’s dull and cloudy or bright and sunny.

The best part about Lexus is their capability to give imaginations shape. And often many of them are featured in their products. Have you ever heard of any car with a navigation screen that's a whole 12.3 inches in height and over a foot wide? That's what you will find in the Lexus 2012 GS. Additionally the GS screen is wide enough to redefine how a driver interacts with multi-display functions, which is to say, it allows for more info to be shown at one time via a split-screen format.

The 2012 GS also includes as an option, Mark Levinson’s new Greenedge audio components. (Greenedge technologies are basically the LED lights of the audio world. They produce more while using less). The 2012 GS offers a new 835-watt Mark Levinson premium audio system (optional) with speakers that are lighter, more energy-efficient (there’s less load on the alternator), and have less distortion — and this optional sound system produces almost twice as many watts per channel over the previous generation’s system.

Definitely the presence of hi-tech systems like these in the 2012 GS and controlling them while driving could be perceived as a distraction for drivers. But Lexus has taken good care of that with the inclusion of the upgraded remote touch technology. This mouse-like hand controller for audio, climate control and navigation, feels and acts even more like a computer mouse. The second-generation version, standard in the 2012 GS, actually slides, whereas the first generation — a technical wonder in itself — toggles more like a joystick.

Over the years Lexus GS has rapidly built its reputation because of its many unique technologies like the Pre-crash System, Smart Beams and Lexus IS F-influenced suspension system and more. Now actually imagine getting your hands on one while you are driving. We are referring to the bamboo steering wheel which is the GS Hybrid’s aesthetic “technology” — one that is fine-tuned by Lexus Drive Meister Shuichi Ozaki THE all-new Land Cruiser Prado continues the tradition of the Land Cruiser brand that is held in the highest esteem in more than 170 countries and regions around the world. The fourth generation of this most sought after four-wheel-drive in Oman maintains the outstanding drivability, reliability and basic functionality of the earlier generations — even under the harshest driving conditions — while improving on the on-road and off-road performance.

This new fourth generation machine boasts of many ‘First Time Technology’ like multi-terrain select with multi-terrain monitor as a world’s first technology, crawl control, kinetic dynamic suspension system and dynamic radar cruise control as the 'first in its class'. Many more safety features make the all-new Land Cruiser Prado, the safest on any driving terrain.

The steering-wheel-mounted multi-terrain select switch allows easy selection of the most appropriate mode to match the driving environment, with settings labelled ‘mud and sand’, ‘loose rock’, ‘mogul’ and ‘rock’, and adjusts the traction control to optimise vehicle drive power and braking for enhanced off-road performance.

When in a multi-terrain environment, the world’s first multi-terrain monitor displays images from on-board cameras located on four sides of the vehicle so the driver can see ground conditions in six areas around the vehicle: to the front, rear, and the front and rear left and right sides. In addition, the monitoring of the area in front is linked to the steering operation to display the distance from the front of the vehicle to a point along the projected tyre path, thus providing additional support to the driver.

The electronically modulated Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS), a First-in-class feature, uses hydraulics to optimally control the front and rear stabilisers to suit driving conditions. It provides a high level of roll rigidity for excellent vehicle stability during on-road driving and allows a large suspension stroke for outstanding off-road performance on rough surfaces.

The crawl control feature, a first-in-class feature, with a choice of five-speed settings, automatically controls engine output and brake application to maintain a very low speed on surfaces that require delicate speed adjustments, thus allowing the driver to focus completely on steering. The system minimises wheel spin and wheel lock on such surfaces as rocks, sand and when ascending steep inclines, providing outstanding drivability and vehicle stability. The system is also affective for extricating the vehicle