I test drove both LS460 and LS 460 L briefly. Just regular city driving. Same as most of the drivers at my age, my driving is quite mellow. I couldn't feel the difference between both versions. Maybe I haven't spent enough time on both test drives. For those of you who have driven both models, do you feel any difference?

My understanding is that both versions are mechanically the same. Do they have the same reliability? Hope this is not a silly question.

The spec shows LS 460 L has laminated rear windows. I assume this will make the car quieter. Personally, I couldn't tell the difference. I thing both the SWB and LWB are pretty quiet. Other than the extra room, of course, has anyone noticed any major difference?

 

a lot of the ls460l are on air suspension, so that will give you better ride quality. smoother, quieter, and better rebounce.

and in general lwb cars will also give a smoother ride mainly over uneven / bumpy roads, due to the longer wheel base.

yes, ls460l will be quieter too coz' of the laminated windows, but i wouldn't say it's dramatic difference of course

 

I like the room on the on the LS 460L Im glad I went with it its nice to have the room

 

Driving the LS460 is roomy enough for me. The extra 6 inches on the LWB will make it tougher to park in my garage since it would be a tighter fit to get in and out of it the front and rear such as groceries from the trunk, etc.

 

My take on it, is both perform the same. I've test drove both. There is not much of a difference in quietness in the cabin, but I've heard the laminated windows do help a little. I like the L, we have younger children, and just easier to manage them in the car with room to move around when car is in park of course

It is a tight squeeze for the car to fit in a standard size garage. But that's not big deal for me.. since I also have the SUV, and have a J-circle driveway, so garage has to be opened to get groceries and golf clubs out of the car then towards the front door.

 

wait, isn't all auto glass laminated for safety reasons?? or is this some other type of laminating?

 

IIRC most windshields are Lamisafe, which is the auto safety feature; the lamination for the side windows is billed as extra sound insulation. The LS 430 UL had a similar treatment as the LS 460 L, more window lamination.

As for performance, for what it's worth, Edmunds.com got the same 0-60 acceleration times for the 460 and 460 L despite the extra weight (90 lbs.) on the latter.

 

Aypues, laminated (Lamisafe) are double pane all around on the LWB. The SWB's rear door windows are single pane tempered (Temperlite). If you search in here, you'll find all the technical and liability reasons for using one or the other. There is no silver bullet - both have advantages and disadvantages.

Back on topic: I've owned both the LS460 and the LS600hL. The LWB is marginally quieter for reasons alluded to above. Further the conventional suspension is noisier (squeak) going over large bumps. The ML audio sounds better in the LWB - more resonance. The extra room in the back will also compensate for the paltry trunk volume - I often had to use the back seat for large boxes, etc...

As for the ride, there is a slight uptick in the ride on the LWB equipped with 19" tires. However, since the greatest improvement in that department can be accomplished with superior tires, then the stock tires fall short on overall performance - and I don't mean the get-up-and-go kind, rather ride quality (control, etc...). If I purchase another LS in the future, one condition of sale will be to remove the tires that are supplied from the factory, and replace them with high quality proven rubber.

 

All, thank you for the feedback. I am leaning toward the LWB. With our age, we appreciate the extra room to get in/out.

One question regarding to safety. Hope this is not another silly question. It's easier to break a long stick than a short one. In a side impact crash, am I correct to assume the regular (SWB) LS460 is safer than LS460 L?

 

i don't think there are any supportive information that ls460l is less safe

 

All, thank you for the feedback. I am leaning toward the LWB. With our age, we appreciate the extra room to get in/out.

I believe the front seat passengers have no extra room. Its only the rear seat passengers who have the extra legroom.

 

In Canada at least, the LS460 SWD AWD comes stsandard with air suspension. Not the case for the LS460 SWD without AWD.

 

correct, the 5" extra space all goes to rear cabin

 

sorry about the confusion. I'm the "young" one in the group. My passengers are usually older than I'm. People at my age (passengers) appreciate the extra room to get in/out.

Air suspension sounds nice and cushy. Is it reliable? The air bags probably need to be inflated every time you start the car. With frequent inflat/deflate, the bags and pumps can go bad easily. I'm sure it's something quite expensive to fix.

 

Actually, the LWB's front seat travels much further back than the SWB, which is great for larger folks. So yes, the extension is made back of the B-pillar, but everybody benefits from the extra length.