Test Lexus LS 460 against Mercedes s-class

Here does the best car of the world come?

Lexus wants to build the ideal luxury sedan. The new LS 460 offers most modern technology, fresh Design and squints again towards Mercedes. Where does the Japanese stand in the comparison to the new s-class?
By J. Staat the most important in front: No, this Lexus does not have yet the hybrid drive, which makes so much wind. The Japanese present first the LS 460, their new Top limousine, only with V8-Benziner. The hybrid model with the up-saddled electric motor, which is to be called LS 600, follows only 2007.

With which, also without hybrid, at least one would be reached: About the Toyota flagship already now more one talks than ever before in his Dornroeschen career. Because the "ideal luxury sedan", so the requirement of Toyotas noble mark, schlummert in this country there - sells since 1990 modest 6153mal. To the comparison: Mercedes delivered 2005 approximately 50,000 s-classes with us alone. Completely differently in the USA, where the large Lexus has German Nobelkarossen for years suspended.


In November thus the LS 460 comes. Also the fourth generation of the Japanese flagship squints again unmistakably towards Stuttgart and wants above all one: better its than the Germans. Which is still missing with the image, is one block-end broadside of High Tech novelties to make up for: Eight-stage mechanism, new 4,6-Liter-Motor, against surcharge best Pre Crash security - as if Toyotas Design Pope Wahei Hirai would know not exactly that above all the first sight counts.

to the Neuwagenkonfigurator

A back à la Jennifer Lopez: With the LS is properly which to.
And there the new LS can be able to be seen finally in the circle of the large ones. Calm surfaces, wuchtige flanks, strong conditions on the trace grown by 45 millimeters - the Japanese urge to put a large car works in a forced manner, but self-assuredly. And details like enormous final pipes or the saucy headlight ring demonstrate proud courage only the rear bumper carry a mismatching ring prosperity bacon. In the comparison works S 500, which is just as large nearly on the centimeter, almost delicate. And inside a trace more airily owing to narrower roof columns and larger glass areas.

Both five-meter ships offer place in the abundance and luxury up to the play border: Key lot door opening, electrically adjustable seats, leathers and wood are in series, in the Lexus also a navigation system. The rear single seats (surcharge) in the test LS float between Minister armchair and cinema quality: In the central arm rest are separate seat and climatic attitude, ice subject and the operation of the DVD system with monitor in the roof sky. Gibt's with Mercedes also.

In the cockpit only the personal taste decides. Approximately around the steering wheel of the Lexus the switches sprout such as mushrooms after the rain - who despairs with iDrive of BMW, deeply felt in the LS 460 the classical search task.
Article "Mercedes Benz s-class W221"download (0.98 €)

Quality and equipment in the noble Toyota are premium.
"our older customers" want, answer that the Lexus developers. The s-class, which banished its small shift lever to the steering column, is clearly more cleared up.

For the goal of building again the most comfortable drive of the luxury class Lexus again designed the whole car. The humming 4,6-Liter-Achtzylinder solves the conflict "suction tube or direkteinspritzung?" in its way: It has both. Depending upon load the fuel before or behind the valves is injected. Result are 380 HP, best exhaust gas values and 5.7 seconds to 100 km/h. Those world-wide first mechanism with eight stages is to switch as gently as a butterfly wing strikes. The s-class has seven stages, gets its 388 HP from the larger capacity of 5,5 litres.

But crucially always is the travel quality, and there Lexus wants to be again the whispering master of its class. But are large parts of the chassis from aluminum. Pneumatic cushioning with electronic absorber adjustment is in series on board. On their European tuning the technicians work at present likewise with high pressure as on the electrical steering element with variable translation. Both was laid out so far amihaft softly, the tauter air chassis of the s-class is considered here than yardstick.

Side open

© UnitedPictures.TV
With the price (probably scarcely 80,000 euro) the LS might be clearly under that of the Mercedes (89,668 euro), the equipment is not certain not. That applies also to the two safety packages, which combine spacer radar, tail Kollisionswarner and driver monitoring in new way. They alone are their own test worth, there may we already times buckle the seat belt itself. Only it will never give one Diesel in the LS. But the hybrid. Japanese Dornroe awakes.

Result of AUTO picture test editor Joachim State of no doubt, Lexus arrived above. Technically the LS 460 drives to no more comparable Mercedes, AUDI or BMW afterwards. The development step from the old to the new LS is at least as large as from the Mercedes the W 220 to the current s-class. No question: This new Lexus is a genuine alternative to the German luxury liners, which could score at the most still in a discipline: the driving dynamics.

Technical data Lexus LS 460 V8 • 4 valves per cylinder • 4 obenliegende cam shafts • Capacity 4608 cm³ • Achievement 280 KW (380 HP) with 6400/min • max. torque 493 Nm with 4100/min • Rear-wheel drive • Eight-stage automatic transmission • Pneumatic spring system • Trunk of 510 litres • Tank of 84 litres • Length/width/height 5030/1875/1465 mm • Tire 235/50 R18 • Unloaded weight 1945 kg • Point 250 km/h • 0-100 km/h in 5,7 s • Consumption 11.1 l Super/100 km • Price approx.. 80,000 euro

Technical data Mercedes Benz S 500 V8 • 4 valves per cylinder • 4 obenliegende cam shafts • Capacity 5461cm³ • Achievement 285 KW (388 HP) with 6000/min • max. torque 530 Nm with 2800/min • Rear-wheel drive• Filter stage automatic transmission • Pneumatic spring system • Trunk of 560 litres • Tank of 90 litres • Length/width/height 5076/1871/1473 mm • Tire 235/55 R17 • Unloaded weight 1940 kg • Point 250 km/h • 0-100 km/h in 5,4 s • Consumption 11.9 l Super/100 km • Price 89,668 euro

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