CultureMap Auto Awards

Luxury Car of the Year: Lexus remakes its flagship LS and it was worth the wait — and wood

Editor's Note: In the first annual CultureMap Auto Awards, automotive writers Nic Philllps and Kevin McCauley bestow honors in 10 categories for the top 2012 cars and trucks and explain why they're deserving of a good hard look. Now for our sixth award:

Luxury Car of the Year: 2013 Lexus LS

Lexus began its "relentless pursuit of perfection" 23 years ago when it unveiled the LS400 flagship. Seminal images of wine glasses stacked undisturbed on the hood of a V-8 engine proved a level of refinement had been achieved and, unlike the German or American offerings at that time, it proved to start everyday.

The luxury sedan category was forever changed. For the past five years the LS, and Lexus for that matter, has been about as forgettable as their driving experience, but that has all changed for 2013.

Lexus has embarked on "an entirely new pursuit" and we're taking notice from styling that is now centered around a strong "spindle grill" theme yet still conservative enough to draw loyalist buyer, to a whole new interior vocabulary that is thoroughly modern with a level of fit and finish to rival interiors leader Audi. It's the new interior finishes that sealed the award for the LS with Lexus going so far as to invent a whole new wood veneer for the LS called Shimamoku which takes some 38 days and 67 manufacturing steps to make.

For the past five years the LS, and Lexus for that matter, has been about as forgettable as their driving experience, but that has all changed for 2013.

A beautiful matte finished bamboo trim is standard in the range topping 600h hybrid and, not to be outdone by the Hyundai Equus, all long wheel base LSes now have a Business Class-like rear seat option.

Mechanically much of the LS is a carryover from the previous generation, but is further refined to "perfection" and a performance oriented F-Sport model has been introduced delivering driving dynamics closer to that of German rivals all while maintaining industry leading reliability. Starting at $72,000 — $78,000 for long wheel base and nearly $120,000 for the 600h hybrid — the LS remains competitively priced against the A8, 7-series and S-Class and paper-plated examples are showing up everywhere now.

See how Lexus spends 38 days making the Shimamoku veneer . . .

Luxury Car of the Year Runner-up: Rolls Royce Ghost

While our time with the Ghost this year was short, it only takes about 10 seconds to know this car is in a completely different league. Consider that it's slightly larger, and mind you elder, brother "the" Phantom starts at around $400,000 — the Ghost is the entry-level Rolls Royce at $256,000 to $296,000.

It's simply the most beautifully appointed road car with touches from an asymmetrically positioned, glass covered analog clock inlaid in the hand polished wood dash, to the hand-stitched leather leather seats and cashmere-blend headliner. A discretely integrated version of parent company BMW's iDrive electronics, heads up display, night vision, a panoramic sunroof, rearward opening rear doors and, best of all, a 563-horsepower, direct injected V-12 mated to a ZF sourced 8-speed automatic transmission make the Ghost thoroughly modern.

The Crawleys of Downton would undeniably approve.

Aerodynamic tweaks around the exterior make the LS both quiet and more fuel-efficient.

Photo by Nic Phillips

Aerodynamic tweaks around the exterior make the LS both quiet and more fuel-efficient.

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Quest Completed

Houston company's 'drink bomb' wins $10,000 prize from H-E-B

Photo courtesy of H-E-B

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After a valiant search, the folks at H-E-B have completed their Quest for Texas Best. The annual competition considers products from small businesses around the state with the hopes of settling on a few to be sold in H-E-B stores. A Houston company, My Drink Bomb, placed third.

Four Houston companies were named finalists, but only My Drink Bomb secured one of the cash prizes. There were five winners overall, because the competition resulted in a grand prize and two companies tied for third. Austin's winning contestants were followed by businesses in McAllen, Dallas, and Houston.

Founded by Houston entrepreneur Chloe Di Leo, My Drink Bomb adds flavor to sparkling water or spirits without mixing. Each drink bomb is made with ingredients such as dried fruit and edible flowers, adding a touch of luxury to home entertaining.

Oca Foods accepting grand prize for winning the Quest for Texas Best Oca Foods won the grand prize for its peanut butter bites. Photo courtesy of H-E-B

Austin's Oca Foods won the grand prize, $50,000, for its peanut butter bites, which also come in a sugar-free recipe — and with only three ingredients in the original, that means all that's left is peanut butter and salt. They're inspired by a Brazilian snack, are bite-sized, and are wrapped individually, each packing three grams of protein.

Those simple snacks were followed by the similarly streamlined totopos (tortilla chips) and tortillas by Austin's Tozi Super Foods. They won first place and $25,000. The purple treats are made with heirloom blue corn and organic amaranth; the chips also contain sea salt and non-GMO avocado oil.

Tozi Superfoods Tortillas and Tortilla Chips won first place. Photo courtesy of H-E-B

In second place ($15,000) was Deli Spices from McAllen, with a birria spice mix — almost the same thing that won the grand prize for an Austin company in 2024. This South Texas company packages its mix in a big bag recommended to season six pounds of meat.

Deli Spices Quest for Texas Best Deli Spices won second place for their birria mix.Photo courtesy of H-E-B

Tying My Drink Bomb for third place ($10,000 each) was spices by Spicytude. The Dallas-based company specializes in Indian spice kits, made for dishes like tikka masala, butter chicken, biryani, and vindaloo.

These five companies triumphed over more than 370 competitors, and the five finalists that didn't win numbered prizes did win a nice perk: $5,000. Three are based in the Houston area:

Dickinson — Jam-In Tools Crawfish Peeler, a handy gadget that takes the hassles out of crawfish boils
Sugar Land — The Lavish Goat Bath Products, a line of bath bombs and menthol-infused shower steamers
Houston — Long Phung Food Products, ready-to-heat, Vietnamese pork rolls created by a family-owned company with a 35-year history

Texans will have to be on the lookout for these products on grocery shelves. When they become available, shoppers can check out this Quest for Texas Best list online to see them and other past winners that are still available for sale.

h-e-b grocery snacks contests