so i was honored to be invited by lexus to join their exclusive performance driving event in monterey laguna seca raceway today (yup, drove all the way up there for it from socal)

the main idea behind the event was for the first ever public test ride on the is-f, more here:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...22#post2845422

but at the same time, we are allowed to drive one of the 3 performance vehicles, is350, gs450h, or ls600hl, full speed on the track. and of course i chose the ls600hl. i have driven the other two enough to know that they are good, but i wanted to see how good the 600hl is.

let me tell you, for a car of this size and its weight (including that battery in the back), the car handles pretty darn well!!!!!

i had 2 laps, first one heat and then one where i could really push the car. i got a good instructor on my side (yay!!!) and he taught me through the turns. on all turns the tires squealed bad and sometimes the car slided through corners. body roll wasn't that bad at all. on the straight away i was able to hit 100mph before hitting the brakes, which are very sensitive.

the car is sooo quiet, much quieter than the 460. the cvt actually performed a lot better when it's pushed to the limit, responsive and "kept on going". very different feeling from the TOL event where it's far from the limit (unfortunately also how most of us drive on the streets)

in short, very impressive with the car on the track, love it

 

I also drove LS600hl today as well and agree with everything you just said.

The car is pretty darn quite and isolated that I felt like I was playing Grand Turismo on play station without the sound.

The car kept going and going and going when you push it.

 

lol, yeah, almost stupidly quiet

but in terms of accel, i have to give the hats off to the 450h and the is350, if they are driven correctly, not like those guys who drove the 450h so slow it's crawling.....

can you imagine?! they were so slow they didn't have to brake going into a turn.....

 

They were driving the lexus the way it was meant to be driven.



I kid.

 

and reason why lexus has to be more careful in selecting the right people to invite

 

Wow, they had LS 600h L at Laguna Seca as well? Darn I should have gone. If only this was last month, I was in the Monterey CA area then....took Highway 1, wow that was an experience. Previously avoided the coastal route.

Did you guys drive there and back the same day?

 

Squealing tires, nice body lean and g-force madness down the corkscrew.

I don't think anyone can say they've flogged an LS600hL...let alone flog an LS600hL on a world renowned racetrack period.

5.0L V8+ Lexus Hybrid Synergy Drive = Literally endless pulling power.

 

Great info. Since flogging an LS600hL on a track will mean the v8 is working hard all the time, why (how) do you think the car much quieter than the LS460L? What else have they done?

 

good question, and honestly i can't say why. the ls460l just has more roar (and whine?!) when it's put into full load. when i said the car is still very quiet, i was mainly referring to that 1) it's a bit quieter than the ls460l at wot (maybe they put a 5L so it doesn't have to work "as hard"?!) and 2) it's still much quieter than a lot of other cars i have driven

drove up tuesday after work, get some good sleep, woke up early wed for the event, rushed home afterwards

right on, ryan! and seeing the ls600hl drifting sideways? priceless

 

WOW...I'm envious Nice

 

I think the LS600h is more quiet than an LS460 at WOT or when pushed hard because the LS hybrid's engine is detuned so that plays a part, and it likely has more insulation.

 

that could be the case. they not only detune the gas engine but also move from 4.6L to 5L for a reason, probably try to put even less load on the gas engine. could be a reason for the quietness

on a funny note, when we got into the car, the driver started the car and didn't know it's started already, coz' it's in hybrid mode and it's completely silent. it was a little wow moment for me

 

WOW gr8 did you document the lexus drive ? any pictures? video ? would be gr8

 

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho....php?p=2846737
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=300564
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=300507

 

Here is a dark video of the LS 600h L being pushed to high speed (speedometer shot)...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=DFmvPhza1go