Has Jim Khana finally gone soft, or has Lexus simply perfected the "Long Game"? In this episode of The Auto Brief News, Jim and Amber move into The Studio to dissect the eighth generation of the Lexus ES—a car that refuses to be a spaceship or a track weapon, opting instead to be a "Private Jet for the road."

While Amber geeks out over the "Multipath" philosophy, the DIRECT4 all-wheel-drive, and a 14-inch UI that’s faster than a pit stop, Jim finds himself accepting a peace offering: the Interactive Manual Drive. It’s a virtual simulator that mimics a mechanical clutch in a silent EV, and against all logic, the Analog Soul is a fan. We also dive into the "Hidden Switches" and the Omotenashi hospitality that makes the rear s ...