I'm considering purchasing an LS Sport Any comments negative, positive, or reviews from owners in comparison to LS460?

 

I have a '10 LS Sport that I picked bought a little over a year ago. The Sport option package is not cheap but I like the car a lot. I had a BMW 550i Sport before this and wanted a "sporty" ride but didn't want what was basically the same car for another 3 year lease. I've had 2 other Lexus models in the past (GS430 and LS430 with the Euro tuned suspension) and really like Lexus. The LS Sport, while not as good a ride as the 550i is certainly tighter than the normal LS SWB - particularly in the "sport" air suspension setting. It holds the corners pretty well in the twisties and I particularly like the paddle shifters. It has a specially tuned suspension and I find it pretty quick off the line and with good acceleration at all speeds.

For me it is a pretty good compromise between sport and comfort. The Bembo brakes are great - with the exception that they wore out in 15,000 miles and my it took my Lexus dealer about 2 weeks to get replacement pads. I also like the special interior that comes standard with the Sport option package (at least it did with mine).

 

The Sport version seems to be the best of the LS 460s, but there are things to be aware of. The driver's seat is terribly uncomfortable if you do not have an ample behind -- like riding a rail. This is so for all the LS 460s, but especially this one driven in the sports suspension mode. (I drive on a cushion now to deal with this and do not use the sport mode.) The turning radius is way wider than it was on the LS 430: too bad. The eight-gear transmission is too busy: it defeats use of the very good manual shift mode becuase you have to go through so many gears to get to a sustainable speed you want, so I don't bother with this any more. I am having a squeeking Bembro brake problem that the dealer has yet to figure out how to fix (started when under 1,000 miles), and the brakes are very grabby, though that can be mastered. It is annoying (and dangerous if you are driving) to try to adjust the Levinson sound and speaker settings, which has to be done through different screens on the Navigation screen instead of by turning **** readily at hand and much less flexible anyway since you can no longer put the sound from particular speakers just where you want (the "surround" setting is not as adjustable as it should be). Reception of radio stations is terrible compared to the LS 430 Levinson system: very weak at pulling them in. My dealer says nothing can be done about this. I am anxious to learn if others have had this problem and if there's something that will fix it. Last, the garage dor opener signal is too weak: you have to be on top of your garage dooor for it to work. I used to be able to do this from the road before even enetering my driveway. Another thing the dealer says cannot be fixed, but I'd like to hear from others about that.

 

interesting, i never had problems with the garage door opener even from far away. whereas my gs400, for some reason i couldn't even program it (other cars no problem). i didn't have fm problems, i could even listen to fm in the garage.

for the brakes, i wonder if it's a break in problem. if the brembo brakes aren't broken in correctly, squeaking can happen.

 

I like the idea of the sport version but not the fact of it. I considered it when choosing my new car but decided to custom order a 460L. Here's my list of things I don't like about the Sport:

Grill: that blacked out cross hatch deal just doesn't make it for me.

Aero kit: the front pieces by the wheels make it easier to scrape on the concrete bumpers in parking lots.

Brembo brakes: nice to have shorter stopping distance, provided the car behind you can stop as quickly, but the bad things are the brake dust and the replacement intervals.

One interior color: more options, please.

Sport seats: the Lexus LS is a good long range cruiser but you won't want to go far on these seats.

When you read the car reviews, they all say how much better the LS corners with the sport package. To make use of it, though, you have to put the suspension into Sport mode which would be nice when going through mountain terrain. For everyday driving, you'll want to stick with Normal or Comfort mode. The standard suspension is similar to those modes, IMO.

 

same here, i like the idea, but the execution on the ls460 sport is pretty half *** imho. i don't doubt the performance of it, seems like it's a step up and drives we well. but some other details are missed (body kits is horrible) and color selection is too limited.