I have to say, having just recently bought my first car and gotten used to the luxury of having your own car (remember, I did live in New York City for 11 years where barely anyone owns a car) I was thrilled when I learned that Lexus & Toyota of San Francisco had a program where they loan their vehicles to local influencers. Why not try a fabulous luxury vehicle and see how it drives. By borrowing the car for a few days I was able to see for myself what it’s like to drive a Lexus and share the experience with my readers. I also fell in love with both vehicles, so now my next dream car is of course a Lexus!

You did not have to twist my arm to participate and borrow a Lexus for a recent getaway to Calistoga (read more about Calistoga here) which I loved so much, I borrowed another sportier Lexus for a road trip to Santa Barbara for the Fall Vintner’s Celebration weekend (read about here). The two experiences were quite different as the first time I borrowed the Lexus NX Hybrid, SUV which was fabulous. A few things I adored about this car making it my new dream car (when and if I get a new car and can afford this) are noted below:

• The smaller size of this speedy yet functional SUV. I have a larger Acura RDX and as much as I love it, the Lexus Hybrid NX is much zippier, easier to drive and even easier to park!
• I loved the sunroof allowing plenty of light in and in my case allowing for fabulous pictures.
• The navigation system is also amazing. I didn’t opt for the Navigation in my current car so having it was truly a luxury. I mean I am driving a Lexus so of course it would be a luxurious experience!
• The Lexus on demand support (where you call for help) and they answer any question and also will send addresses to your nav system so you don’t have to stop and type it while you’re driving. Sounds silly but it really saves time and they’re super nice when you call.

The gorgeous interior of the car with the nice navigation

I love the light leather color. So elegant and pretty in a sporty yet luxurious car.

For my second getaway borrowing another Lexus vehicle I thought it would be fun to drive something a bit sportier and borrowed the Lexus RC which I nicknamed the “batmobile” because it was so fast, sexy and amazing. I had a five-hour road trip from San Francisco first to Lompoc (a fabulous wine area outside of Santa Barbara), read more about Lompoc and their Top 10 Tasting Rooms here.  From Lompoc Santa Barbara County for a fabulous Santa Barbara Vintner’s Celebration followed by more exploring in Santa Maria Valley. The car was perfect for this long road trip and made the highway driving that much more fun. As you can tell, I love driving so driving a luxurious, smooth, fast car like this was a dream. It was also great on the windy roads as it truly handled like a race car. Remember, I have been to Audi Raceway Driving school so know how to drive like a pro!

The Lexus RC

Such a nice sporty interior yet still beautiful with every little detail covered. Very functional yet still attractive.

This car really was perfect. It was so fun to drive on the 101, as well as on the windy gorgeous views in the vineyard. Some of what I loved about driving the Lexus RC included the below:

• The sporty 3.5-liter V6 engine
• The bucket seats allowing for a super comfortable yet sporty driving experience.
• Heated seats in both the front two seats and the back row bucket seats. So nice for all four passengers!
• The navigation system
• The sleek body shape, aka the “bat mobile”.

 

Pretty hard to beat this view of the gorgeous car and Santa Maria Valley’s Wine Country in the back drop!

Incredible views of San Francisco as I concluded my road trip

Farewell to my bat mobile and a huge thanks to Lexus of San Francisco for loaning me this incredible vehicle.