mmorozov

Damn, that LS460 is noisy!!! I don't have the wind whistle, but the low-frequency rumble is comparable to driving in an open convertible. I actually recorded the sound in both ES350 cabin and in LS460, while driving at the same speed. The LS460 is much louder. At least my LS460 is.

Next time the dealer gives you a line about hearing more in a super-quiet cabin, laugh in his face. If you can hear MORE, it is not a quiet cabin.

jettie1767

Noisy? In my SWB, the wind noise is not as bad as before the fix. No other noise I can think of other than hearing the occassional tire rumble or engine revving.

mmorozov

The cabin in LS460 is very well insulated, even without the laminated glass. I once was driving away from the parking lot and couldn't hear my friend running after the car and asking me to stop. Lexus did a good job on insulation of the noises coming from outside, no question there. On low speeds it's like driving a tomb.

But there is some aerodynamics problem, which causes excessive wind rumble hitting the windshield (I guess) at higher speeds. And that vibration is very audible. It is much louder than road noise in ES350.

What's interesting, is that people report different noise patterns.

GS430X6

Is there a whiner law? lol

mmorozov

I don't consider myself a whiner. Quite a few people are dissatisfied with LS460 for a variety of reasons. And these are not some MB or BMW fan boys trying to bash the "fat camry" out of jealousy. Many of these "whiners" have been driving a Lexus since 1990.

We see a lot of people complaining about reliability of MB, but we don't see anybody who is dissatisfied with MB cars when they are not in the shop. With LS460 it is exactly the opposite. Nobody complains about reliability, but we see many people complaining about the car in its fully functional condition.

The car is controversial at best. It is not the "perfect" car by any margin. Even people who are mostly satisfied with it still endure trade-offs and learn to live with it.

The opinion of an owner matters more than all awards and titiles. So despite all awards and titles and despite many satisfied consumers, the sheer amount of dissatisfaction among other owners leads me to an opinion: IMHO, Lexus produced a dud in its most expensive segment.

jettie1767

LOL! Noisy is very subjective. I thought that the RX330 I used to have was very noisy at highway speeds. Then again, some folks will probably say it's not. I'd say my IS250 rides like a go-kart but some will probably say it rides nice.

Astie

Dear 460Lex,

I'm really sorry that my comments seem to have upset you. In any case, I was just giving my views on my car, which is the subject of this thread. If you happen to consider that whining, fair enough, you're entitled.

I do wish you wouldn't take such a belligerent attitude, but you are entitled to do that also, and if you feel it helps you, it's all good.

Best wishes.

spnj

Don't Buy it. Don't Buy it. I have had the car for 3 months. I can not agree more with lexuslean. The wind noise is intolerable. The electronic lockouts are maddening. I regret everyday not buying the MB or BMW. I had an A8L and the handling was far superior and no electronic lock outs. You just can not appreciate how annoying and noisy this car is during a brief test drive. Even the caller ID is blocked when the car is moving. It is as if lexus engineers designed this car to be stationary in the driveway, no lockouts and no wind noise

mmorozov

The lockout feature wouldn't have been so bad if only it wasn't designed by retards. Limiting user input is one thing. I can see how that can be dangerous. But hiding even the tiniest bits of very useful information (like caller ID) is downright paranoid. Interestingly enough, some information is not hidden while in motion. It displays the text information about the song and performer on the XM radio (but hides it on FM). How is a short phone number more distracting than 2 lines of XM text?

Spnj is right - this car is much-much better when it is stationary. Neighbours envy you, the value doesn't drop as much when miles are low, there is zero chance of getting a door ding on some parking lot. In other words, it is a very nice souvenier car in 1:1 size.

I don't regret not buying MB or BMW, simply because they don't offer better nav. It doesn't need lockouts, it sucks as it is. I know what I am waiting for. There are rumors of a new Infiniti Q coming out in 2009!

Johnny

Wrong! Which Lexus have you been driving? When your car's phone book is transferred or inputted in the LS's database, the Caller ID indeed displays at the top of the screen.

mmorozov

First of all, it is not really a caller ID if it can only match a number to an address book Caller ID is when someone calls from an unknown number and is still identified. But this is not really a feature of the car.

The problem with the car is that it should at least display the phone number of the caller if it is not present in the address book. And it doesn't, while in motion.

Transferring my address book to LS is not easy. I can only send numbers one by one. Whatever transfer function they have in there is not working with my Nokia E70. Was anybody able to successfully and effortlessly syncrhonize their phone with LS460?

The way I see it, it should simply use the address book of whatever phone is connected without loading it, but that's tomorrows technology I guess. In the meantime I am simply mounting my phone so I can see it and it gives me everything - caller ID, non-locking address book, search, call transfer, etc. And my first and last Lexus earns another point for unfriendliness and stupidity.

Johnny

No offence, but the Lexus system is not a phone, but rather a Bluetooth device, and for the time being acts a slave to a cell phone. This limits it to matching the data in your phone to the data which must be inputted into the car. I'm sure some wizard will figure out a way around this in the future, so for the time being that is what we and all Bluetooth users are stuck with. Lexus builds cars not cell phones.

There are some phones which will transmit the complete contact list from a phone in one go, and these are listed at Lexus' website. There have also been Club members who have done this successfully.

mmorozov

Oh, I agree that Lexus is not a phone and it cannot do much more than the phone can. The problem at hand is that the phone transmits the number of the caller via the blutooth and Lexus would display it, but only when the car is not moving. When the car is in motion we are not allowed to see the number of the caller. Matching it to the addressbook is a different story altogether. It might show the name if it matches the number if you transfer your phonebook.

Maurice

I totaly agree. The LS460 SW has a SERIOUS design problem that results in wind noise. It is somewhat mitigated by the windows exchange but far from resolved. All the SPIN from Lexus does not make the noise dissapear in some cars - mine included. My previous LS models did not have the wind noise issue. I doubt there will be more LS's or Lexi in my future - I am dissapointed in how Lexus has handled this.

If you are contemplating purchasing a 460LS SW - test drive the actual unit at over 65 for a few miles to see if the noise bothers you. I wished I knew about this before I leased mine.

allklr

iTrader: (1)

One of my business partners just picked up an 08 S550, The car that I considered before my 460L. After driving it today I'm still happy that I got the 460L, I love the technology and features on the 460L compared to the S550. I will say the S550 is drop dead gorgeous and seems more like a solid car.