Motor Trend passes on the the LS 600h L
11-15-07, 09:38 PM
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Motor Trend passes on the the LS 600h L
Did anyone read the latest LS 600hL review that's linked from the reviews sticky in this forum:
The Link is:
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...pressions.html
Comparison:
2008 Jaguar Super V8 vs 2008 Lexus LS600hL vs 2007 Mercedes-Benz S550 vs 2007 Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT
The key points in the article......
"The all-wheel-drive Lexus (600h L) exhibited pigheaded understeer in most corners, often attended by the beep-beep nagging of the stability nanny. Switching it off kills the beeps, but never allows one scintilla of chassis slip angle. And despite being fitted with $3000 worth of active anti-roll bars, the LS 600hL seemed to roll as much or more than the other cars here, even when set to "sport" mode (it's borderline nautical in "comfort"). Charging hard up the hill depleted the battery quickly (actually, pressing the gas pedal on any type of road kills the battery quickly), and horsing the CVT through its eight virtual gear ratios with liberal doses of carpet-crushing throttle provoked an unseemly "hybrid system overheat" warning. We didn't find the hybrid gear equal to sacrificing a golf-bag's worth of trunk space for and, after this session, all editors were ready to red-pencil the 600 badge down to a 500"
In the end, the Lexus strikes us as ideal for CEOs who've made their fortunes plundering the earth's resources and want to appear to be making amends. It said little to us beyond "Forgive me; I'm not quite the guzzler I appear to be." Its smugness irked us almost as much as its undeserved 600 badge. We'd all sooner drive the tire-smoking LS 460L for $33K less, so it finishes fourth.
The Link is:
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...pressions.html
Comparison:
2008 Jaguar Super V8 vs 2008 Lexus LS600hL vs 2007 Mercedes-Benz S550 vs 2007 Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT
The key points in the article......
"The all-wheel-drive Lexus (600h L) exhibited pigheaded understeer in most corners, often attended by the beep-beep nagging of the stability nanny. Switching it off kills the beeps, but never allows one scintilla of chassis slip angle. And despite being fitted with $3000 worth of active anti-roll bars, the LS 600hL seemed to roll as much or more than the other cars here, even when set to "sport" mode (it's borderline nautical in "comfort"). Charging hard up the hill depleted the battery quickly (actually, pressing the gas pedal on any type of road kills the battery quickly), and horsing the CVT through its eight virtual gear ratios with liberal doses of carpet-crushing throttle provoked an unseemly "hybrid system overheat" warning. We didn't find the hybrid gear equal to sacrificing a golf-bag's worth of trunk space for and, after this session, all editors were ready to red-pencil the 600 badge down to a 500"
In the end, the Lexus strikes us as ideal for CEOs who've made their fortunes plundering the earth's resources and want to appear to be making amends. It said little to us beyond "Forgive me; I'm not quite the guzzler I appear to be." Its smugness irked us almost as much as its undeserved 600 badge. We'd all sooner drive the tire-smoking LS 460L for $33K less, so it finishes fourth.
11-15-07, 10:01 PM
#2
It's really weird how they didn't select the LS 460 L, the rightful competitor to the S550 and Jaguar XJ. 
Anyhow, it boils down to the fact that they liked outright performance, hence picking the smallest car out of them all, the Maserati Quattroporte, while the Lexus hybrid's stability control beeped at them too much. And then they got bogged down on the hybrid argument. Why not get an LS 460 L and avoid that discussion? The 600h L is better suited for a values analysis comparison with its gas-guzzler V12 rivals.
Anyhow, it boils down to the fact that they liked outright performance, hence picking the smallest car out of them all, the Maserati Quattroporte, while the Lexus hybrid's stability control beeped at them too much. And then they got bogged down on the hybrid argument. Why not get an LS 460 L and avoid that discussion? The 600h L is better suited for a values analysis comparison with its gas-guzzler V12 rivals.
Last edited by encore888; 11-15-07 at 10:07 PM.
11-15-07, 11:00 PM
#4
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I think they considered the 600 instead of the 460 because of price and the fact that ( I think?? ) Lexus said it was going to be a little more sporty with all its anti-rolling suspension gadgets, bigger brakes and engine.
Could care less what they think, its still the car to have IMO for straight up luxury which is what I would want from this class of car. That interior especially with the Executive package is to die for.
Could care less what they think, its still the car to have IMO for straight up luxury which is what I would want from this class of car. That interior especially with the Executive package is to die for.
11-16-07, 01:23 AM
#5
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Pompous ***
His Mom forgot to change that idiot's diaper long ago, and now he's just full of it.
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11-16-07, 10:09 PM
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11-25-07, 05:08 PM
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I'm a Motor Trend subscriber and also thought the comparison was ridiculous. I realize that they need objective criteria to compare vehicles, but why do they insist on rating luxury sedans based on how fast they can carve up a mountain road? If that was the type of driving that I intended to do, I would have bought an M3. What a joke!
11-25-07, 09:00 PM
#14
I wouldn't disagree with their top rating for the Maserati based on their criteria.
What I did find interesting is that their ranking of Maserati, S550, Jag and then LS600 is the exact inverse of the reliability ranking of those four vehicles.
What I did find interesting is that their ranking of Maserati, S550, Jag and then LS600 is the exact inverse of the reliability ranking of those four vehicles.
11-26-07, 07:41 AM
#15
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The LS600hL would probably do better if it weren't so darned heavy.