The Truth About Cars - Lexus LS 460 Review
11-13-06, 08:23 AM
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The Truth About Cars - Lexus LS 460 Review
Posted in the Review thread (reviews only), but here for conversation/debate. 
The Truth About Cars - Lexus LS 460
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=2636
The Truth About Cars - Lexus LS 460
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.
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.
11-13-06, 09:32 AM
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I stopped reading reviews at the Truth quite some time ago as they seemed to be everything but the truth. Full of exaggeration and imbalance. Everbody's entitled to an opinion but these guys go out of their way to bash a lot of very good cars. Reader beware!!
11-13-06, 10:38 AM
#6
Lexus Test Driver
I think that this guy is very depressed and may be about to kill himself (I hope). How can you hate everything so much??? It really sounded very childish to me and it certainly wasn't written by any sort of professional (despite what his title says).
Anyone have his email because we can give him free advice. The good journalists take an objective view and write the positive and negative points about what they are reviewing. There, I said it!
Anyone have his email because we can give him free advice. The good journalists take an objective view and write the positive and negative points about what they are reviewing. There, I said it!
11-13-06, 10:46 AM
#7
I'll say it--this 'review' is asinine. I'm also quite tired of these hit jobs. These 'reviewers' are more interested in sports cars--and the moment they get into a Lexus flagship, they want to go back to their sport car. It's ridiculous.
Then they take pot shots at the car. Not worth wasting much thought over, just like the 'ES perfect, but still not enough' review a while back.
One other point--I sat in an A6 a few months ago and he's outright lying about the plastics. The LS 460 buttons are much better, smoother to the feel, etc. And the leather is far improved over a Camry's.
If you can't tell that, 'Truth about Cars,' you have no business writing a fair review. Also, Lexus owners do enjoy cars...just not the cars you want, which are typically less well-made, harder-driving, less fuel-efficient and luxurious than Lexus/Toyota cars.
It speaks to the sense of being innately threatened, violated, or insecure that these reviewers have resorted to bashing so vociferously. Makes me wonder why they would need to adopt such a hateful tone, unless Lexus were doing something right--something that gets under their skin.
Then they take pot shots at the car. Not worth wasting much thought over, just like the 'ES perfect, but still not enough' review a while back.
One other point--I sat in an A6 a few months ago and he's outright lying about the plastics. The LS 460 buttons are much better, smoother to the feel, etc. And the leather is far improved over a Camry's.
If you can't tell that, 'Truth about Cars,' you have no business writing a fair review. Also, Lexus owners do enjoy cars...just not the cars you want, which are typically less well-made, harder-driving, less fuel-efficient and luxurious than Lexus/Toyota cars.
It speaks to the sense of being innately threatened, violated, or insecure that these reviewers have resorted to bashing so vociferously. Makes me wonder why they would need to adopt such a hateful tone, unless Lexus were doing something right--something that gets under their skin.
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11-13-06, 11:09 AM
#8
Lexus Test Driver
I'll say it--this 'review' is asinine. I'm also quite tired of these hit jobs. These 'reviewers' are more interested in sports cars--and the moment they get into a Lexus flagship, they want to go back to their sport car. It's ridiculous.
Then they take pot shots at the car. Not worth wasting much thought over, just like the 'ES perfect, but still not enough' review a while back.
One other point--I sat in an A6 a few months ago and he's outright lying about the plastics. The LS 460 buttons are much better, smoother to the feel, etc. And the leather is far improved over a Camry's.
If you can't tell that, 'Truth about Cars,' you have no business writing a fair review. Also, Lexus owners do enjoy cars...just not the cars you want, which are typically less well-made, harder-driving, less fuel-efficient and luxurious than Lexus/Toyota cars.
It speaks to the sense of being innately threatened, violated, or insecure that these reviewers have resorted to bashing so vociferously. Makes me wonder why they would need to adopt such a hateful tone, unless Lexus were doing something right--something that gets under their skin.
Then they take pot shots at the car. Not worth wasting much thought over, just like the 'ES perfect, but still not enough' review a while back.
One other point--I sat in an A6 a few months ago and he's outright lying about the plastics. The LS 460 buttons are much better, smoother to the feel, etc. And the leather is far improved over a Camry's.
If you can't tell that, 'Truth about Cars,' you have no business writing a fair review. Also, Lexus owners do enjoy cars...just not the cars you want, which are typically less well-made, harder-driving, less fuel-efficient and luxurious than Lexus/Toyota cars.
It speaks to the sense of being innately threatened, violated, or insecure that these reviewers have resorted to bashing so vociferously. Makes me wonder why they would need to adopt such a hateful tone, unless Lexus were doing something right--something that gets under their skin.
You are right, these guys like sports cars and have no taste otherwise. If they could I bet they would bash Rolex, Ritz Carlton, Mortons and Brooks Brothers and praise Timex, Hampton Inn, McDonalds and Levi's
11-13-06, 01:27 PM
#9
Super Moderator
They look at the LS460 as if it's a sports sedan, which it's not intended to be, which makes these reviews totally senseless, lame & worthless. This one looks like a rant more than anything, very unprofessional.
I like & appreciate a driver's car as much as anybody, but I won't be looking at those qualities in a large luxury sedan like the LS460, I would appreciate it for what it is designed to be, the emphasis should be on ride comfort, quietness, gadgets, luxury & refinement. All it needs is to handle competently in normal driving on regular public roads, which I am sure it does very well.
I am interested in the LS460 as a luxobarge in which to take family members/friends out for a relaxed trip in luxury. I think I am sensible & considerate enough not to drive too aggressively & make potentially dangerous moves with these passengers with me. When I want to have some spirited driving fun, I would be driving my other smaller sports coupe mostly by myself.
I like & appreciate a driver's car as much as anybody, but I won't be looking at those qualities in a large luxury sedan like the LS460, I would appreciate it for what it is designed to be, the emphasis should be on ride comfort, quietness, gadgets, luxury & refinement. All it needs is to handle competently in normal driving on regular public roads, which I am sure it does very well.
I am interested in the LS460 as a luxobarge in which to take family members/friends out for a relaxed trip in luxury. I think I am sensible & considerate enough not to drive too aggressively & make potentially dangerous moves with these passengers with me. When I want to have some spirited driving fun, I would be driving my other smaller sports coupe mostly by myself.
Last edited by Gojirra99; 11-13-06 at 01:36 PM.
11-13-06, 01:55 PM
#10
Lexus Test Driver
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The first sentence shows the author's ignorance and lack of intelligence. Where has Lexus in any press release or literature compared the LS460 to an E63 AMG? The author should be busy driving an M5 and comparing it to the E63, better yet the Audi RS6. If he had driven an S550 or 750i prior to driving the LS460 his review might be worth reading, but the first sentence gave away the biased waste of words to follow. Thetruthaboutcars, LOL. More like Ihatejapanesecars.com 
11-13-06, 01:59 PM
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Over and over again
They keep saying the same thing.
We did not buy a sports car. We bought a luxury car. I love the quiet, soft and smooth gliding through the streets with the sound of nothing but my Mark Levinson soothing my nerves.
I will take this over MB & BMW anytime.
We did not buy a sports car. We bought a luxury car. I love the quiet, soft and smooth gliding through the streets with the sound of nothing but my Mark Levinson soothing my nerves.
I will take this over MB & BMW anytime.
11-13-06, 02:09 PM
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Reliability of Lexus vs MB
The review is rediculous-it never mentions reliability does he? Of course not-I owned a E320 (2004)and I had 15 warranty issues ranging from their version of Lexus Link not working out of the box, to the sunroof clips failing-oh yeh, engine belt issues, several recalls. I finally got fed up and traded the E320 in for a GS430
And frankly-the LS460 handles "almost" as good as the GS, and the LS acceleration is much better and a great deal more interior room.
The forum admin should delete the post-as the review is not accurate and is obviously biased. Better yet-post it on the MB forum
And frankly-the LS460 handles "almost" as good as the GS, and the LS acceleration is much better and a great deal more interior room.
The forum admin should delete the post-as the review is not accurate and is obviously biased. Better yet-post it on the MB forum
Last edited by donaldm823; 11-13-06 at 04:16 PM.
11-13-06, 03:57 PM
#14
I'll say it....this guy is a jerk.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Opinions are free. They can be biased and subjective but they are free. The LS is a luxobarge pure and simple. Comparing it to sports sedans is just crazy. I love it's design. In person it is beautiful. The interior could be a little more luxurious. It's sweet but it could be more so. A 70K car should have thickly bolstered armrests. I don't agree with the hard rubber dash. The wood is the usual Lexus standard and the seats feel great. The gadgets are wonderful. It is a top notch car regardless of what anyone says.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Opinions are free. They can be biased and subjective but they are free. The LS is a luxobarge pure and simple. Comparing it to sports sedans is just crazy. I love it's design. In person it is beautiful. The interior could be a little more luxurious. It's sweet but it could be more so. A 70K car should have thickly bolstered armrests. I don't agree with the hard rubber dash. The wood is the usual Lexus standard and the seats feel great. The gadgets are wonderful. It is a top notch car regardless of what anyone says.
11-13-06, 04:17 PM
#15
So thats what the guy thinks. Big deal. he just came out of a merc E-63!!! I would feel like that too. My buddies E55 is GREAT and when I climb into my car I felt the sameway too. it wore off quick though. So he's writing what he feels. Oh well.
"the slightest touch of a stiletto brings the car to a complete stop. "
Uhm, let me get this straight, you just came out of a car with responsive brakes and now youre complaining of the LS? Weird. Not everyone is going to like what some of like. Hey you think the pizza is garbage? Well then move cuz Im going in for seconds!
"the slightest touch of a stiletto brings the car to a complete stop. "
Uhm, let me get this straight, you just came out of a car with responsive brakes and now youre complaining of the LS? Weird. Not everyone is going to like what some of like. Hey you think the pizza is garbage? Well then move cuz Im going in for seconds!