By Jay Shoemaker
November 13, 2006 -
Driving a Mercedes E63 AMG just prior to testing the Lexus LS 460 was a big mistake. The German and Japanese machines define the opposite poles of the luxury sedan spectrum. The E63 is for driving enthusiasts. The LS 460 is for people who hate cars.
At first glance, the LS 460 has finally stopped cribbing its design cues from Mercedes– and started cribbing from the BMW 7 Series. In the flesh, it’s clear that Lexus has turned inwards for inspiration. As I patrolled my dealer’s lot to scan color variations, I couldn’t distinguish an ES from an LS. In fact, the Japanese brand’s “L-finesse” design philosophy Lacks-finesse across the entire model range. There are no exterior character lines worth mentioning. I like the way the LS’ exhaust pipes integrate into the rear valence. And, um that’s it.
This deeply conservative (not to say bland) approach carries over into the interior, which seems carefully designed to avoid offense. While you can’t fault the LS 460's ergonomics or the luster of its wood accents, the $61k-and-up car's cabin comes off just a little bit, well, cheap. The buttons are made from plastic that Audi wouldn't use for the A8's trunk release. And Lexus can buff that leather as much as it wants; it still feels like it came out of a Camry. Of course, the LS 460 boats— I mean boasts every luxury car toy on earth, including intuitive parking assist (Danger Will Robinson!) and power everything you can imagine (and much you can’t or wouldn’t).
The LS’ optional beat box is the cabin's highlight. Mark Levinson's ICE includes 19 speakers and 15 bridged amplifier channels running 450 watts of power (continuous average power, all channels driven, at 0.1% THD; 20 - 20,000 Hz, in case you thought that was a bit woosy). The system can play Dolby Digital 5.1 DVD audio, MP3 and WMA files. An eight gigabyte hard drive automatically records up to 2k songs as you play them. The only features missing are internet access and a built-in Play Station 3, which are no doubt available in Japan. And the sound– you could blow $100k on a home system that doesn’t sound half as good.
Firing-up the LS’ 4.6-liter V8 is about as aurally exciting as switching on a pool heater– which is fair enough. The driving experience is a bit like swimming in warm water. Helming the LS, I thought I'd become an automotive quadriplegic; my mind was operating the vehicle rather than my extremities. I had no sensation whatsoever from the steering wheel, throttle or brakes. Every control involved with the vehicle’s operation lay just within the range of human perception.
The LS 460’s electronic brakes were designed for women wearing high heels; the slightest touch of a stiletto brings the car to a complete stop. Steering feel isn’t. There's only one way to know the slushbox is changing gears: watch the tacho needle bouncing gently up and down. Unless you depress the throttle at 45mph. Then there's an unacceptable hesitation as the transmission rows through a few gear changes before finding the meaty part of the engine’s torque range. Remind me again why Lexus needs an eight speed transmission? Oh yes; Mercedes has a seven speed.
The LS 460’s handling reminded me of a 10-month old Golden Retriever puppy: affectionate but clumsy. Turn-in is irrelevant. You can’t feel the car settling into a corner and you only realize that you are exceeding the vehicle’s limits when the door’s angle of attack relative to the road exceeds 15 degrees, and the traction control wrests control (you mean I was driving?) away from the driver.
Lexus claims the LS 460 wafts from zero to 60 in 5.4 seconds. Given 380 horsepower and 367 lb. ft. of torque in a 4244 pound luxobarge, that sounds about right. But it felt a lot slower. It could be the complete lack of sensual feedback or the effects of that pesky E63 again. Anyway, the LS 460 desperately needs a sport package. Alas, none is available. I suspect Lexus knows its target audience will be more impressed with (though not concerned about) the sedan's extraordinary 21 city and 27 highway miles per gallon.
I last drove an LS in 1990. Compared to the competition over at Mercedes and BMW, the LS was a breath of fresh air: bargain-priced and elegantly engineered. I almost bought one. OK, I’m trying to impress you with my open-mindedness. And it's true: I can see the virtue of a machine that functions without any apparent effort from man or machine. But I struggled not to giggle at the LS 460’s “Luxury Car for Dummies” perfection. If Lexus added an in-dash popcorn maker, I’d find more reason to buy this mobile entertainment lounge. But nowhere near enough.
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November 13th, 2006 at 7:45 am
I think your review gets the car spot-on, from the point-of-view of a knowledgeable car enthusiast. Which begs the question: how many are there left of that breed?
For most people, driving is transportation.
And they’re not very good at it if I judge by the parallel or nose-in parking skills on display wherever I look. When they can’t even get the basics right, then forget about their skills taking curves.
The vast majority of 4WD owners never really need it, and particularly not in the offroad vehicles they buy that never touch a curb. Likewise, most car owners are more curious about the efficiency of the brakes than they are about the acceleration.
Some years ago I was trout fishing in Chile, up in the Andes and close to Argentina. The owners of the lodge definitely had a need for 4WD and off-roaders.
Their lodge was 2000km south of Santiago, but they’d still go up to the capital city to look for a good 4WD bargain. They went looking for supermarket driven jeeps, four to five years old. They said they would be “as new” as far as the use they were going to put them through, and the original owner got the depreciation.
In contrast, luxury cars with everything but the popcorn maker are the other side of this compensation coin.
OK, so you’re not going for the overengineered supermarket trolleyjeep — but you still want to show that you can buy more car than you know what to do with.
And just as you wouldn’t know how to get sideways out of a rut in a forest dirt track in a jeep, you haven’t bought the luxury car to experience anything that has to do with actual driving.
It’s more an extension of the home experience I suspect - combined with “look what I could afford to buy”. Mobile entertainment lounge gets it in three words.
November 13th, 2006 at 8:03 am
When the original LS hit the streets, I was luck enough to get one for an extended drive.
I was amazed by how smooth, quiet and luxurious the car was: a “baby Rolls Royce.” (Or better, considering the build quality of pre-BMW Rollers.) A bit plasticky, but a genuine contender against the Mercs and Bimmers of its day.
And then I had to hustle the car. Suddenly, the LS transformed into a standard-issue Olde School American full-size sedan. If floated over bumps and kicked down reluctantly.
Since then, Lexus has tightened the LS responses considerably. But then Mercedes has introduced Airmatic suspension to the S-Class and 7-Series’ engines continue to offer sublime torque and thrust.
Judging from Jay’s review (I’ve got a ride scheduled later this week), we’re still where we were back in 1990. The LS is still the big car Cadillac should be building (but can’t), the Merc is still over-priced, snob friendly and dubiously reliable; and the BMW is still the sporting luxobarge driver’s choice.
November 13th, 2006 at 8:33 am
Is it REALLY that hard to parallel park a car all by your self? As it is, you have backup sensors and a camera, since you obviously couldn’t be bothered to learn your car’s dimensions.
And besides, how often is the owner of a $70K luxobarge going to be circling the block looking for the meter with a few more minutes of time left in it? Is Donald Duck’s Uncle Scrooge still in the market for a new car?
I may not have gotten up on the right side of the bed this morning, but cars like this really cheese me off. So much engineering talent wasted on a puff piece of so little value.
Good review, though.
November 13th, 2006 at 8:48 am
This article really resonated with me. You see, I recently test-drove the new LS. Here’s the punch line: the good folks over at Lexus had us drive a 7-series first, for comparison purposes.
Not such a good idea.
November 13th, 2006 at 9:30 am
Being a luxo-barge affecianado, I was actually interested in test driving one of these machines. I had assumed that in the intervening years (since the 1990 era model) that Lexus had closed the gap with the German’s performance rather than just emulating their looks.
Guess I’ll wait another three lustra or so unless Lexus can do a decent sports package. But I fear there is just too much Toyota in them and I further suspect that they find a strange sense of immorality in driving enjoyment.
November 13th, 2006 at 10:35 am
I’ll start with the parallel park-o-matic, because that’s obviously the only thing the advertising chooses to talk up. Question: How many owners/drivers of a $70k lux-boat actually use parallel parking regularly? Maybe I’m overly provincial with my cultural aversions to NYC and LA, but most execs tend to use parking decks or valet, from my experience, and at any cost. So how much of Lexus’ total US market really parallel parks on a daily basis? And as a driver, this feature says to me: “Our car is so numb (or has such poor visibility) that we don’t trust you to do it yourself”. Lest anyone think I’m being a technophobe or Nihon-basher, I said (and say) the same thing about Dis(s)-tronic auto cruise control.
I have always heard the expression “BMW makes cars you really, really want to drive. Lexus makes cars you really, really want to ride in.” Guess this one is no exception to that rule.
I agree with the assessment of what the LS did back in ‘90, I remember it pretty well. But if you’re not undercutting the price of the Germans, then where’s the allure? A 7-series can be driven by a no-brainer driver as well as an enthusiast; the Lexus, apparently, cannot.
November 13th, 2006 at 10:37 am
I have no qualms with Lexus offering a Luxury car - there are many people who scoop these up as they care little about thrashing in through a corner to avoiding the boring highway to catch a twisty parallel road.
I do have one draw back as Lexus does advertise it’s LS as somewhat “sporty”. They should realize they make one of the best no compromise luxury cars out there. Leave sporting intentions to others (or the GS within their sales structure).
November 13th, 2006 at 10:49 am
Did you drive the regular wheelbase car or the extended? For reasons that escape me, they’re only offering the adaptive suspension, which I believe has a sport setting, on the long car.
The semi-anilin (sp?) leather might also only be available on the long car, I cannot recall at the moment. Any idea if your car had it?
I ask these things because in the previous generation LS the optional sport suspension VASTLY improved the car’s handling, bringing it about even with the S-Class of the time, while the semi-anilin leather had a much nicer feel than the standard stuff.
My site’s page for the LS, in case anyone is interested in seeing how the pricing stacks up:
http://www.truedelta.com/models/LS460.php
November 13th, 2006 at 10:58 am
The LS is the Lexus I care least about. Starting as a shameless S-Class imitation and now imitating BMW’s profile without its performance or steering feel.
For that matter, the brand itself lost its (IMHO) when the sleek SC400 became the inverted-bathtub SC430.
November 13th, 2006 at 11:17 am
The LS460 is a very nice $45K car.