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Last nigh t I had the rare opportunity to follow behind my own LS460L as my wife drove it for 150 miles...so I was able to see it as others see it. It's a great looking car from any angle....but IMO the Japanese (Honda, Lexus, Acura, etc.) don't understand two things:
1) Width - The Japanese seem afraid to make a wide car - they prefer to go taller. If I were making a new LS, it would be wider and lower, in looks if not actual dimensions. If I park my LS next to my ancient '58 Chrysler, it looks like a double decker bus. Plus, imagine your LS with another 3" of interior width.
2) Low end grunt - Yes, the DOHC engines make good power but you have to wind them up too high to get it. If I were making a new LS, a tap of the throttle would make the car move out as if it had been stuck by the very hand of God. No waiting - just instant thrust.
It's not so much the handling that I'm concerned about. My LS handles fine. It's the power. I can't imagine any real noticeable difference in power with the sport version.
Anyway.. Does anyone else think we're going to see a new LS looking pretty much like this?
Lexus should steal Ian Calhoun from Jaguar for their design department. But of course keep the Japanese engineers for everything else. Now THAT would be the end of the pursuit for perfection.
All of you are just guessing and tossing out rumors. The Toyota and Lexus divisions just about never release data about their vehicles until just before they go on sale. I can remember back in the 80's and early 90's, before the internet that dealer's usually got the new vehicles in before they got the brochures that everyone was waiting for. As one person stated they need to clean out the current model year before they bring in the new models. I have been buying Toyota and Lexus products starting in 1978 with a Corolla and I have owned 12 Toyotas and three Lexus products and that was always the case. I personally knew my dealer and his sales manager when I lived in California for 30 years and they never got any inside scoop to release.
Toyota and Lexus Join Mille Miglia For The First Time
Slideshow: A five-car lineup spanning more than five decades of Toyota performance and engineering will tackle one of Italy's most celebrated automotive routes.