yeah, the LS has the dual stage paint process, meaning it's hand sanded twice.

i did look at the paint quality on the LS and think it's much better than other lexus (including sc430). i didn't really see any orange peel effect

 

There is ZERO orange peel on the LS460L paint; the surface is polished to an almost mirror-like finish. If you look at the actual surface texture of almost any other car the quality of the finish is nowhere near as smooth as that on the LS460. The Phaeton and LS are very closely matched in this regard; I'll have to compare them side by side to see if one is discernably better...

 

very very good to know!!!!! when i got my sc430, one of the first things i noticed was the orange peel on the car. the paint are thick and deep however it's not very smooth. same with the 3gs and 2is i have seen so far.

but from friday night's event that was first time i saw production LS units and those paint finish was awesome. i was like an idiot kneeing down and "lying" on the hood to look at all the paint and reflections

 

A couple of other points...

Though the driver and both outboard rear passengers have multiple seat memories, the front passenger has NO ability to set memory positions. This was a big surprise; since I'm 6'7" I usually adjust seats to a position that is not comfortable for others.

If you don't drink soda (we don't, at least not in the car) you have to hunt just a bit to find the short water bottles that will fit the rear fridge. Perhaps Lexus needs to come out with their own bottled water brand?

The radar-assisted cruise control works brilliantly well; this is a great feature, although the Lexus has so little rolling resistance at speed that you have to -- on occasion -- get on the brakes to slow the car. The Radar/Cruise will adjust to compensate for proximity, but can't actually slow the car. I wouldn't want the system to apply the brakes, but having it select a lower gear might be nice to offer a slight amount of engine braking.

The lack of integrated iPod control seems to be a major omission; I realize there are aftermarket solutions for this, but I had expected this to be incorporated into the design of the new car.

The Adaptive Lighting takes some getting used to. It appears to me that it can either be turned ON or OFF; a MEDIUM setting might be nice.

The fog lamps appear to be useless; they are aimed far too low and seem to be there mostly for looks, at least on US-spec cars.

The owner's manual warns against using a clothes hanger on the coat hooks; apparently you might be impaled if the side curtain airbags deploy. Does anyone actually hang clothing directly on the hook without using a clothes hangar?

The air purification systems (we have both front & rear) work very well; you can watch the system automatically activate the recirc function when you pull behind a diesel truck. Both front and rear filters are easily replaceable -- a nice touch. You can also activate a "Pollen Mode", where the system goes into overdrive (when required) for a 3-minute period.

The increments between settings for the air suspension are well-chosen; though I would have liked a slightly more sporting balance overall, the differences between each position (Comfort, Normal, & Sport) are easily discernable without being too drastically different.

The factory carpeted interior mats are -- to my mind -- of inferior quality compared to the rest of the car. Again, they should look at what the Germans provide on their cars. The all-weather mats are much better made, but all of the mats give minimal coverage on the driver's side -- far too much of the carpeting around the dead pedal is exposed to dirt and wear. I am hoping there is an aftermarket solution that offers an improvement in this area. I'd also like it if someone would make a set of those plastic tray-type mats that have elevated edges to keep all dirt and moisture inside the perimeter of the mat. Also, the all-weather mats are only available in Black or Tan -- no Grey.

We have the factory car cover and will report back once I've tried it out. We keep the car garaged, and will likely use the cover only if we're out of town to cut down on dust.

Apparently you CAN optimize the Mark Levinson sound system to adjust for the position of the listener; however, the Owner's Manual claims this only works when playing CDs. On the Phaeton you can use this feature regardless of source; I can't imagine why the Lexus has this limitation.

The front cupholders are too small, when my wife jumped into the car with her favorite thermal car mug -- which is not particularly wide -- the edges rub on the wood. The wood in this area should have something protecting the edges, but it appears to be unprotected. Have to go shopping for narrower coffee mugs...

The LS460L may have the biggest glovebox in all of autodom...

 

Awesome feedback!

Are you sure the radar cruise can't brake the car? That seems crazy.

The S-Class cruise can bring the car to a complete stop and means you don't need to touch the gas/brakes at all in stop and go traffic, except for lights and stop signs. That's pretty cool.

So according to your post in the roll call your car has everything except the touring package (19's/brakes) and the executive seating package, is that right?

And if I may be so bold, can you say what the price was on that out of the door? You can PM me if that works better and I will keep it to myself.

Anyway, huge congrats and big thanks for all your feedback so far.

 

Thank you for the fair comparison!

 

The EPA site (fueleconomy.gov) shows the 460 and 460L as both having 103 cu ft of interior room. I am assuming that while it might be 103 for the SWB, 103 for the LWB is likely a mistake.

 

I read the manual this morning, as I'd used the cruise yesterday and wanted to confirm my initial impressions. It clearly states that the car will not slow itself; the radar feature merely "pauses" the cruise control until there is an appropriate gap to the car ahead. This is exactly how the system works on other Toyota products, except that the LS460L has a much better way of working. Better grade logic (or else it's just the 8-speed), and finer increments for varying the speed with the cruise control stalk.

My guess is that some of these features are limited because of the legal climate in the US. The idea of not being able to change your destination or search a POI database (unless you do it via voice commands in the LS) is positively ludicrous!

You are correct about the equipment on my car; though I was first on the list at our dealer I didn't have the ability to choose options on the first cars that were sent to the dealer. The first LS460L they rec'd just happened to have the perfect color combinations for us; though it had more equipment than I would have ordered and lacked the Touring package it was close enough and matched our needs pretty well.

As to pricing; I am prepared to look like a stooge here, but I've not yet heard of any dealers selling these cars below MSRP. My dealer did comp us a set of all-weather floor mats and the Lexus car cover...

 

That seems weird. If someone cuts me off and i have cruise on the car slows down and if necessary it applies the brakes.

 

Our tax dollars at work; the LWB must have somewhere between 5% to 10% more cabin volume. It feels -- subjectively -- like one of the roomiest back seats I've been in. With my wife (who's 5'10" tall) driving, I feel like a head of state in the back seat. More impressively, at 6'7" I can get 100% comfortable in the front seat, then jump into the back seat without feeling the slightest bit cramped...

 

I have seen videos of a demo of the radar cruise control braking the LS460 all the way down to a stop. Can't remember where they were on the internet, but someone on this board brought a series of great LS460 videos to our attention.

 

I always appreciate input and am prepared to be proven wrong. There is a LOT to digest and learn on this car! Also, the owner's manual refers to several different versions of the car; though I thought I had the Cruise figured out I'll go back and check...

 

Lexus website:

http://www.lexus.com/allnewls/

Go to "Technology"...
Choose "Radar Cruise Control"...

"Your LS monitors the speed of the vehicles traveling ahead of you. The available Dynamic Radar Cruise Control maintains a preset distance by adjusting the throttle and/or applying brakes, sustaining a safe distance from the car traveling in front of you."

Time to figure out why my car just releases the Cruise Control when it senses traffic ahead; I have yet to see it apply any brake-age. When I used it yesterday I had to constantly "dab" the brakes on a long, gentle downhill section...

 

Had a chance to do some of my usual roads today; thought I'd relate some handling differences between the LS460L and our VW Phaeton.

After pushing the Lexus, I have to say that there are both pros and cons to its' cornering and handling.

The Phaeton has better -- and more accurate -- initial turn-in. I suspect this has something to do with the elecrically-assisted power steering in the Lexus.

Also, the Phaeton has AWD; this allows you to enter a corner just below the limit, then floor the throttle. The car executes damn near perfect four wheel drifts. The overall handling on the Phaeton is very precise; though it's a heavy car the turn-in (with the proper tires) is good, and once you set the car up for a corner it stays set.

In contrast, the LS460L is a bit twitchier and less confidence-inspiring under aggressive driving conditions; it's a bit harder to sense the limits, there is a bit more body-lean, and the overall feeling under hard-cornering is slightly less stable than in the Phaeton. It certainly seems to understeer more than the P-car.

I'd say the German cars I've driven have a slight handling advantage (which is greater in the BMW 7-series -- especially with the Sport Package -- than the other luxo-barges) over the Lexus. However, this is all subjective until you get all the cars together on a track and clock them against the stopwatch. One thing about the Lexus -- it's so insanely quiet and well-isolated that -- quite often -- you are going faster than you might have thought. On long sweepers (Marin County/Bay Area, take 101 North and exit onto Hwy. 37 towards Vallejo/Sears Point -- the ramp is fantastic!) the car can be set into the corner at 85% or so of its' limit, then a gentle application of throttle will bring it up to about 95% or those limits. What it doesn't like are mid-course corrections; this is a car in which you need to be smooth to go fast.

Twice today I had LS430 owners trying to get close for a better look. One of these occasions was on the above-mentioned ramp to Hwy. 37; in this case the (undoubtedly nice) gentleman was right on my tail entering the ramp; by the time I was on Hwy. 37 he was nowhere to be seen, and caught up to me about 2 miles down the road as I was exiting. He may have been driving his car at 50% or 90%; I have no idea. My point is the car can be driven quickly; it just takes a little bit of care. Some people here may think I'm being overly hard on the LS460L, but it does compete head-to-head with the BMW 7-series.

The Lexus is superior to other luxury sedans in many ways -- and it's important to remember that cars are merely tools. Sometimes you want a spade to dig a hole, sometimes you want a shovel, and sometimes you need a stick of TNT. Given it's level of luxury, ride quality, and absolute comfort, the Lexus handles well. It would not, however, be your preferred method of transport for a long jaunt down the CA coast along Highway One.

I will try to take my neighbor -- who has a 7-series with the Sport Package -- out on the road and get his opinions. If we can, I'll have him hit a few corners at the limit, and see if I can stay on his tail...

 

thank y ou so much for all the reviews brt, that's so awesome of you!!!!! love to read all these aspects from an owner directly

yeah i looked at the rear coolbox on the ls460l, it's only for can soda basically. the one on the ls460l with exec package, the coolbox is bigger and you can put bottle water i believe

yeah please keep usposted on the laser radar control unit, it would be silly if they don't have any braking applied, as stated on the website. hopefully it's not a glitch

just curious, where are the air purifiers located in the car?