2008 Lexus LS460 Review
August 18, 2008 by Matt Brogan
The pews are generously proportioned, well cushioned and appropriately supportive, and as well as being electronically adjustable in 16 directions they also offer three memory settings for four of the five seating positions.
The Mark Levinson Reference surround sound system incorporates some 19 speakers, a six-disc CD changer and console mounted iPod integration and although the sound quality is decent when playing music, it is, by far, most impressive when utilising the aircraft style roof mounted fold down screen for viewing DVDs. The experience is involving, stunning, in fact it’s better than most home theatres and with the electrically operated privacy shades in place on the rear glass, viewing is a pleasure, even on bright sunny days.
Urbane styling with user-friendly form and function means mastering the LS is a delightfully easy process for which no I/T degree is required, in fact it’s so simple I didn’t once need to reach for the owner’s manual. Climate, audio, navigation and ancillary systems are all quite rational in lay-out and though some of the switch gear feels a little on the ad-hoc side, it is well placed and does not detract from the overall feeling of quality.
Placid yet purposeful propulsion comes thanks to a 4.6-litre, quad cam, V8 with VVTi (variable valve timing) that runs small electric motors to continually retune the inlet valve timing while a more customary mechanical setup is used on the exhaust side. Believe it or not the engine is also checked by a specially trained technician who uses a stethoscope to detect any acoustic abnormalities prior to final tuning. Impressive.
Producing 280kW at 6400rpm the power is surprisingly lithesome and linear, and best of all offers a sweet V8 growl under heavy acceleration. Torque at 493Nm at 4100rpm isn’t exactly going to see you in need of a trip to the chiropractor but it does manage to make a meal of hills and even gets the 1945kg beast from standstill to 100km/h in just under six and a half seconds.
A world’s first eight-speed automatic transmission with ‘AI’ (Artificial Intelligence) and simulated sequential shift is in charge of cog swapping and is said to be able to anticipate gear changes before they’re required whilst at the same time being imperceptible to the feel - er, not quite. A few subtle jolts can be felt on kick down and there is a moment or two of thought required on the odd occasion, but provided you’re driving the LS in its intended fashion, the gearbox should sate most buyers requirements.
Fuel efficiency is surprisingly frugal given the mass of the car and displacement of the engine. Mid-11.0L/100km averages are manageable, even lower on highway cycle and even when driven less cautiously, mid-14.0L/100km were about the worst results noticed. For my week with the LS I returned 11.6 litres per 100km with combined city and highway driving.
The air sprung ride of the LS is about where you’d expect a luxury sedan to be, and certainly doesn’t disappoint in terms of being both comfortable and quiet, but this is somewhat to the detriment of the vehicle’s handling. Whilst it is certainly not a poor handling car, and does offer three modes of damper setting (Comfort/Normal/Sport – with the added bonus of lifting the front for steep driveways), it does carry a lot of inertia into corners producing noticeable body roll during more abrupt manouvering. Driven in gentlemanly style, this shouldn’t prove an issue.
Well.. I have seen a video in Youtube.. and they’re searching for a best chaueffuer car… They tested all high-end luxury cars such as S-Class, 7 series, Jag XJ, Lexus LS, etc…
and suprisingly the Lexus comes second while the Jag in the lead…
hey guys
a lexus is a toyota it’s a horrible car. it’s built like a toyota. it sucks. it’s not a dang limo, or anything close to a mercedes. i’d rather have a 1980 mercedes e 200 thann a 08 lexus LS. my 08 mercedes s600 is so much nicer than any lexus. my fathers maybach 62s is better than any car a japanese car company can make. you can’t compare don’t even try. The only thing better is a Rolls Royce Phantom. Lexus sucks
A review from Car Magazine [October 2008 issue] comparing BMW 7 Series – Audi A8 – Lexus LS460 Luxury Saloons
Lexus LS460
Good – Gadgets
Bad – As soulful as a Tumble Drier
Verdict – “A great Car…. If you HATE Cars”
[That has to be the quote of the year]
I for one will always take the Lexus LS above any other luxury sedan in the market. But unlike most of you German fans, I still respect the German luxury brands because if it wasn’t for them, world class Lexus cars would not exist today. Not to mention, if it wasn’t for the first LS400, Mercedes and BMW would not have had to step up the build quality of their vehicles.
But to simply ignore the fact that Lexus does build great cars is simply ignorance. The LS460 is one of the best cars ever built and given Lexus’ reputation, I’m confident they will only make it better. You may not like the Lexus LS, because we all have different tastes in a luxury car, but you will give Lexus its due respect for creating the LS460.
Some very ill informed comments by I suspect people who will never be able to own a Lexus of any type.
HI have owned 9 Lexus since 91 and being fully aware they are built by Toyota.In fact since 91 I have owned 3 LS400\’s an SC430 2 GS300\’s an RX 350 & 2 IS 250\’s.
During this period I also owned 2 E class Mercs A CL200 a CLK 350.
Each time I ventured away from Lexus I found myself driving a car that in a few months was requiring warranty work.Not once in any Lexus have I ever required warranty work,however on one occasion I did mention that the drivers door trim had an irritating noise when leaned on in some places and without hesitation the response was,\”we\’ll get a new one under warranty for you sir.
My last Merc purchase was the current E class which after deciding to go ahead with the purchase I was informed,the only car in stock had metallic paint $3000 Park assist $1900 and a sunroof $3000 and a wood grain steering wheel thus the car cost increased by almost $10K,very annoying.
The most recent purchases have been 2 GS300\’s and there are NO OPTIONS available.The cars come with every conceivable option.
The German makes are losing buyers like me simply because they will not offer a fully equipped car without the buyer spending from $10K to $25K above the advertised price.
Buying a Lexus is simple choose the model and get the extras as standard,and get a level of service from the dealers that is unrivalled anywhere.including a loan car when yours is in for service
Looks like an Aurion geeeez,,get your eyes tested and your brain scanned,if you have one
Larry Wilkins Says,
“Some very ill informed comments by I suspect people who will never be able to own a Lexus of any type.”
So true Larry!!
so larry wilkins, you say the majority of us will never be able to afford a lexus. lexus is a cheap car. it’s a toyota that they charge a little extra for. as i said before my dad has a maybach 62s and i an s600. both of the cars are made by the same father company, and neither have had to get work done. i have also recently bought a mercedes slr coupe. this car doesn’t have any competition from lexus because frankly the biggest engine lexus makes doesn’t come near the horsepower of my slr. so i’m glad you have had 9 lexuses, but i guarentee they were on lease and if you actually had some money you would have only have had 4 or 5 lexuses. you don’t actually have the money to buy a lexus. i on the other hand bought all my cars cash in hand. anyone with reasonable credit can walk into a toyota/lexus dealer and buy one on lease and get it easily. also, the mercedes you bought were the cheapest least powerful ones in their class so if you’re gonna complain about mercedes try out the nice one in the class or mabey an s class because the only competition for it is the bmw 7 series so get over it lexus sucks