Higgie

Here in the Netherland only the LS 600h is available, you can't buy the LS 460 here.
Because of the lower CO2 emission the LS 600h is cheaper than the 460.
But where are the 600h's in the US? I only see a couple 600h's on this forum.
Is 95% of you driving the 460? Why? The 600h has more power, AWD, less fuel consumption, oh and a smaller booth
(And it's cool to drive it at the parking lot in "stealth mode" 10 feet behind walking people. )

swfla

iTrader: (1)

Speaking for myself. I drive a 460 because my budget allows for a used car. There just aren't any 600h used in my price range. Brand new, they are considerably more money than the 460. About $80k vs $100k.

Higgie

Wow!! I checked the prices of the new model on www.lexus.com and www.lexus.nl
At this moment 1.00 USD is about 1.10 Euro
The 460 is "only" 72.540 USD
The base model LS600hl costs 120.440 USD in the US and 149.990 Euro's (about 165.000 USD) here in the Netherlands.
No wonder the 600h is rare in the US.

Gbp

I'd live to see the LS600h offered in a SWB version. I generally think of hybrids in terms of increased mpg, but the appeal of the LS600h seems to realate to its higher default trim level (along with some features not offered even on LS460L's), and power, smoothness, and quietness of its engine.

I'm happy with my SWB, but would have liked some of the LS600h's non-hybrid enhancements, like the leather dash and rear entertainment system.

swfla

iTrader: (1)

Wow, the price difference was greater than I thought. The hybrid is so much more than just power and increased fuel economy. Truly a luxury car. But the difference in price is hard to justify for my budget.

dlbuckls10

The 600hL starting price of $120,000 vs the 460 at $75,000. Cost is the main reason there are fewer 600's and used ones are costly. I would love to own the Lexus flagship because it faster, smoother, quieter, and offers more features, but it isn't worth the cost and my 460L suits well.

caha14

Also, since 2009 (second model year for the 600h), the LS 600hL has been a special-order-only vehicle. Given its price, as already highlighted here, there aren't many folks willing to buy this car new. As awesome as the vehicle is, dollar-for-dollar, the "hybrid" premium is arguably excessive. Thus, there aren't many out there, and when a good one comes up for sale, it doesn't usually last long.

Unsober1

I got no hate on the 600's. But it's priced too high. While I can't afford either car new, I can afford an off lease 460. There were no 2010 or newer LS600 on the market that are under $40k when I was car shopping, and maybe still not. And if I was gonna buy one of these new, I couldn't justify the premium of the 600 over the 460. I would rather own 3 LS460's for the price of 2 LS600. But that is just me.

Doublebase

What does the 600 average for fuel economy? I'm curious because I'm averaging 26 mpg in my 460...which I didn't think was half bad. Is the 600 getting 10 mpg more than that? If not, I don't see why you'd spend the extra money for one. Are they faster?

Unsober1

According to the lexus website, the 600 get better gas mileage in town, and the 460 gets better highway mileage. It's a few mpg better for each

hfahmy

I get 23-25mpg in town and 27-28mpg on highway according to the Lexus measure, which is normally 2mpg higher than actual. 08 ls600hl with 31k miles.

CRowe14

Wow...
And here I thought there was somethinng I wasn't reading correctly, as earlier today, unwashed scanning through via the display button and came across 26mpg. I took a small roadTripp over the weekend, about 1.5 hour there and back, and man was it fun, relaxing and just...power and comfortable!
Incredible car.

SW17LS

I love my LS, but if I were spending over $100k...certainly upwards of $120k I would be in an S550...I wouldn't even consider an LS600hl. I think thats the issue here, $120k gets you a VERY well equipped S550.

dal20402

I did not want a LWB car, and in the US there is no SWB 600h.

Even if I were OK with LWB, a used 600hL in the same condition as my 460 would have cost a fair bit more.

Also, the 600hL carries too much of a weight penalty -- more than 500 lbs. over the 460L, and more than 750 lbs. over even a loaded 460 SWB.

Too bad, because that hybrid powertrain is a dream come true.

jainla

two reasons:

a) except for 2008 and 2009 model years the LSh never sold well in the US. Blame the economic collapse and the price of oil dropping at that time. This also affects their availability on the used market. I looked for almost 2 years for my LSh and was about to give up.

b) Lexus kind of misjudged the hybrid market in the US for this car.

To be sure the LSh is an amazing car (even today 8 years after it went on sale) but in the US hybrid means fuel economy. The slightly better FE of the hybrid didn't cut it for most people; nor did the USD 30K price differential. Nobody is impressed when I tell them what my mileage is; after they figure out it's a hybrid.

Cars here are taxed on price; not CO2 emissions so there was no way to recover that offset. I think the thinking among most people in that price range was that the cost of fuel is inconsequential compared to the car; so those dollars might be better spent with something that had an AMG stapled to the back of it. Or something with a bunch of turbos bolted onto it at least.

The whole 'performance hybrid' thing never really caught on; and people were kind of horrified at the fact that the EPA rates the LSh mileage as seemingly lower than the RWD SWB car. And the 0-60 time is also slower.

At least on paper. On the road this car feels much much faster than the numbers give it credit for. Midrange pickup is almost Tesla-like in it's speed and intensity. I've gotten 27-28 mpg on long drives and 21-23 mpg consistently in town (so long as it's not a 2 minute drive to the corner). Name one other 438hp AWD car with this much luxury and speed that can do that. But alas it's lost on some people.