Bruce

I know you German car fans aren't too big on Lexus, but i'm a big Lexus fan

Performance Results:

0-60 mph: 5.6 seconds
0-100 mph: 13.4 seconds

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"When the first Lexus luxury 4-door made its debut in 1989, it generated more than a bit of angst among its competitors in the automotive industry. In fact, at a Mercedes-Benz new-model introduction that took place right about then, I tried to placate my German host by telling him that the LS 400 looked like nothing more than an S-Class clone. "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," I said cheerily. "Yah," he replied somberly, "that's what we are afraid of."

History has shown us that he had reason to be concerned. Since its debut, Lexus has become one of the most revered names in the industry. Although some of the company's designs are not what I would call breakthrough, the marque has developed a reputation for being supremely reliable. Above all, Lexus has set the standard for customer satisfaction, something other manufacturers envy to this day.

Back in 1989 the flagship of the Lexus line was the LS 400, a somewhat Teutonic-looking sedan (think Mercedes without the attitude) that some might call uninspired. But priced below the German competition, the Lexus was an instant hit. Affordable pricing, however, was not the only selling point. Rather, it was the attention Lexus lavished upon its customers that made the brand successful and set a standard that everyone else would attempt to follow.

Over the years Lexus stuck with a winner, revitalizing the LS every five years or so by making it more stylish, more powerful and more luxurious than its predecessor. So when designers began sketching the fourth-generation LS, they knew the bar had been raised pretty high. The car was no longer the bargain it had been in the 1990s. And consumers, whose heads were being turned by the likes of Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Jaguar and Mercedes, were expecting a lot more from the LS, which had become a bit long in the tooth stylistically.



With visions of declining market share dancing in their heads, the folks at Lexus set out to build a large sedan that, in the words of group vice president and general manager Bob Carter, "still offers all the legendary attributes of Lexus: quality, dependability, value, comfort and...luxury, [but with] more emotional styling, more power, prestige and more high-touch, high-tech features that are intuitive and easy to operate.




Okay, so the underpinnings are great, the engine's terrific and the 8-speed automatic's unique. But what about styling? Most of us don't buy a car because we like the cut of its gearteeth.



Since you asked, let's just say that the LS 460's exterior design, while not breakthrough, represents a refreshing change from models of the past. More muscular-looking than its predecessor, the 460's bodywork, which boasts a CD of 0.26, is set off by narrower headlamps whose shape is repeated in the front air intakes (with integrated driving lights) that are part of the new front fascia. Flared wheel arches, slick rocker panels, a rear end with a shorter overhang, chisel-edged rear decklid and narrower taillights all contribute to a theme that I call "understated aggressiveness."
As interiors go, the look of the LS 460's cabin is evolutionary rather than revolutionary. But that's a good thing, because that means Lexus has taken an already pleasing design and made it better. For example, the broad sweep of the dash is integrated beautifully into the front doors and the center console, the latter set at the same level as the armrests for that extra measure of comfort. The video display with optional backup camera dims for night driving. The dual-zone climate control is way cool (or hot), the radio-***- sound system rocks (or grooves, depending on your musical tastes). And, as you'd expect from Lexus, the instrumentation is concise, the controls are superb and luxury abounds. There are acres of room too, even in our standard-wheelbase test car (an "L" long-wheelbase version is offered too).



Of course, much of the above becomes self-evident when you drive the LS 460, the best LS yet. Drop down into that 16-way, heated (or cooled) power driver's seat, get comfortable and hit the "start" button (no key to turn here). Somewhere, an engine starts and at the nudge of the shift lever ("Will that be full Auto or Sport Shift, sir?"), the world begins to glide silently past the 460's windows. Yes, the Lexus is that quiet — even at 80.


Which brings us to this car's essence. Namely: that it is a sleek, supremely appointed, luxuriously outfitted freeway flier. You can fingertip-steer this baby down the I-5 from San Francisco to San Diego without straining a muscle. You can even bend it through the twisties on, say, New York's Sawmill River Parkway (where David Letterman gets all his tickets) without working up a sweat. But if you're thinking of taking on the Nordschleife at the Nürburgring, then you may be in for some disappointment. Because at 59.9 mph in the slalom and 0.80g on the skidpad where it understeers heavily, the LS 460 is not a "numbers" car.

Not that this will matter to the average luxury sedan buyer who's looking for a smooth, quiet ride that offers elegance, quality and reliability. Not to mention the solid reputation of Lexus."

Curb Zone

 

Alx

I think its a stunning car, and cant wait to drive it and let it park itself!

Bruce

If i must be honest they're are two things about the LS460 which i dislike and one is what you mentioned I can park the car myself and would never use the system

And secondly, does it need eight gears? Most certaintly not imo

If you look the top speed (130 mph) it is achieved in 5th gear, while 6th, 7th and 8th are all overdrive gears. It's the same in the S-Class, the top speed is achieved in 4th rather than 7th gear.. On a postive note that lowers what the engine's rotation speed at 97 km/h in top gear, 1500rpm for the S550 and 1550rpm for LS460. Both will be super comfortable on the highway!

donau

Nice review, thanks Bruce! Good to hear you are a big Lexus fan as well. I kinda doubt I'd choose Lexus over the German carsmyself but I actually don't have the same negative feelings about it like some may do who are partial to German cars. In fact I think the car is pretty luxurious and a fine choice for a car in it's class. I have always respected and liked the top end Toyotas of the early seventies, like Toyota Crowns, which I believe were the forerunners of the models that are called Lexus here in America. My cousins parents owned a couple of those and I remember being very impressed by the (relative) luxury of the car already then.

Bruce

Very nice post

I've always been a big Lexus fan because my dad (another car nut ) has owned four models ( 93 ES300 ;94 LS; 94 SC400; and a 98 GS400) I'm really impressed with Lexus' recent vehicles, especialyl in terms of design and the power they are developing.

Having said that, i personally would rather have the LS460 over any of the comparable executive saloons (S550, A8, 750i and etc). For that category of saloon the LS460 is my choice, although my overall favourite saloon is probably the E63 AMG, followed by the Audi B7 RS4.

donau

Great choices

I have also been impressed by the looks of the GS-models of late

Mirage77

Wow, 52:48 weight distribution!

Bruce

Yeah, i was very impressed on that front. The IS350 also has an impressive weight distribution, it's good to see Lexus creating the comfortable cars they always have but add that sporty direction they need.

Mirage77

More amazing considering that Maserati had to resort to making a customised gearbox that fits at the back of the car instead of the front to achieve a weight distribution like this in the Quattroporte. Lexus didn't need that - they achieved it by sheer engineering.

Bruce

Didn't know that about the Quattroporte so yes it's makes the LS460 even more amazing.

I would imagine that 8 speed gearbox weighs a lot too, the Bugatti Veyron's with 7 speeds has 22kg of clutches.

Curb Zone