ralteredstates

I had a few hours off this AM (unusual) and was going by a Lexus dealer. On driving through I saw they had just received the LS 460 and asked to test drive it. My impressions: magic carpet ride has been improved! The handling is better than I remember and the power is remarkable. They have increased power over 100 hp from last years. Seat is even better than the RL's but the feel through the steering wheel is almost non-existent. It does track well. There is a slight floaty feel but I don't think you can have the incredible ride without some of that. New toys inside do not outshine the RL's except the worthless (IMHO) parking assist- $500 feature. The I-pod does integrate with the audio system but you control it via the I-pod itself (doesn't show on nav screen). Rear seat is VERY roomy even in the short version. I asked to test drive a new 430 right after I drove the 460 so I could do a side-by-side comparison. On getting in the 430 I immediately noticed the seat was no where as comfortable as the 460 and even less so than the RL! Seat bottom was "harder" and my hip bones were hitting bottom (pardon the pun). Steering wheel feels thin compared to the 460 (and the wood/leather wheel I have on the RL). Does anyone remember Consumer Reports making an issue of the RL having a turn-the-ignition switch instead of a push button? Well, the 430 has the same setup! They never mentioned that! (I like Comsumer Reports but get the feeling they have something against the RL...). I would not consider getting a new 06 LS430 but will consider the 07 LS 460 next spring when there is a choice of colors/equiptment and more room to negotiate. For now, I am enjoying the RL (and the fact it's AWD) which the LS is not (the 460h will be AWD and close to 90,000 bucks) We have a fantastic car for the price...even those who paid close to 50k. I hope this site stops obsessing about the price of the RL. Acura has built a great car for the price and forgot to let the public know. The only downside is value in resale (and the awful I-pod integration). If you get a chance, test out the new 460. It's going to be a BMW and Merc. killer.

sleepinxlionhart

hey, i heard that the LS also has RL setup for the door handle, how you just touch the door handle, the the door unlocks. I'm so mad at them for copying acura, but still, it looks to be a pretty nice car. I agree, the parking assist is useless, but it's pretty cool i guess.

Mike_TX

The IS350 I had for a short while had the exact same door handle unlock as the RL. Don't know who "copied" whom, but I know it's the best keyless unlock mechanism out there, bar none.

We're going to the Taste of Lexus this weekend, and I'm looking forward to driving the LS. Just for grins, though, since I don't want to fork over the kind of bread it takes to buy one!
.
.

sleepinxlionhart

oh..haha. i didn't know that.

Rob L

FYI the 460 supposedly is going to get AWD down the line...maybe next year or for 09 model year.

I love the 460 and hope in time I can upgrade to a 460L (which by that time should offer AWD) with the rear seat upgrade package..not the executive package (the right sight ottoman thing with dvd enetrtainment system) but the package below that with the 4 zone climate and semi-reclining rear seats.

ralteredstates

all four doors have the touch to unlock system like the front doors on the RL. AWD will be here in the spring since it is standard on the hybrid model (460h) which will be here in a few months. BTW, the MPG on the standard 460 is 19/city and 29/highway. Fantastic for a 380+hp motor.

sleepinxlionhart

i thought it was 27 for highway, either way it's pretty remarkable...maybe due to the 8 speed tranny? honda engines are supposed to be the best, so i hope Acura can top that soon, but honda engines outshine some of the other models in Lexus. the LS seems to be too excessive, probably not needed for everyday driving...it's kinda like a plane ride, the feactures, especially the 460L. i don't like the taillights though

ralteredstates

you are right...in my exhuberance I mistyped 29 instead of 27. It still is a great MPG for a large car. As far as the looks are concerned, I had to walk around it before I knew that it wasn't a GS. The 430 is one of the most distintive cars (IMHO) even though it is consertive. The rear on the 430 is Merc like. The rear on the 460 is BMW like. I think they should have stayed with the same theme they were on with the 430. Still, not as horrendous as the 7 was when they changed it back in 2002. With that said, the RL is still one of the most distintive (but understated) designs out today. I can tell one from fairly far away. The most distintive is the beautifully designed Jags. To bad they are such a POS.

sleepinxlionhart

yeah, the 430 was way too conservative looking. it's about time they finally updated it with the 460.

ram_g

POS? Don't fall for that "common wisdom"...my 2003 S-type R with 55K miles has been flawless, and in addition to its distinctive looks it has a distinctive 400hp / 400 lb-ft monster lurking under the hood...

Jaguars have come a long way in quality, not as good as the Japanese cars but quite a bit better than the European competition.

I would love to combine my Jag's charisma and power with my wife's RL's electronic toys...if there's one area where Jaguar falls flat it is in the provision of the latest high-tech gadgets...still doesn't make it a "POS".

Mike_TX

But based on the pictures in the mags, the LS looks SOOOO Camry. Just bigger.

The same squinty tail lights, the same greenhouse, similar headlights, same general lines. I'm for a family resemblance in a car line, but I would have hoped the LS460 would be more distinctive in its own right. Maybe when I see it in person this weekend I'll revise that opinion.

As for engines, I have to say the 3.5 liter V-6 in the IS350 is seriously powerful and responsive. Because it has a combination of port and direct injection, it just plain gets up and goes at any speed. Based on my IS350 experience, I think its 306hp is a good bit under-rated.

That's some engine tech Honda and others will glom onto soon enough, but I'd love to have it in the RL now. It would honk.
.
.

bkw

I absolutely love our 06 LS430, minus the navi, and we'll be in the LS460AWD in 08. We drove the new LS460 SWB a couple weeks ago and I must say that while every aspect of the new car is better than the older car, I'm already bored with the external styling. Fresh out the box and it already looks dated. Don't get me wrong, it's long, smooth, silky and clean, but it's like they mated the GS430 and the Avalon (*yawn*). But that's what the LS is and always has been. Our 06 looks very plain jane and boring to the enthusiast, but with subtle modifications, like any car, this car looks absolutely stunning. I'm sure the 460 will react the way to modifications, and if you search, you'll see tuners already VIP'ing this car.

Like most have already stated, the LS430 has RL-like amenities such as keyless entry and keyless go, Bluetooth voice (with phone book synch!!), rear and side window shades, and AFS.
BUT it has other cool things that I wish were present in the RL like cooled seats, more adjustable seating - the rear cushions move independently from the rest of the chair, oscillating vents, rear vanities, adjustable air suspension (option ala ultraluxury pkg), rain sensing wipers, power & seasonal transmission settings, and a V8

Rob L

The LS looks like the IS which is such a shocker since they are using the same design for their models now. Seriously, I have NO CLUE how people do not mention the IS when talking about the LS460 exterior yet will reach for all these other non-Lexus models. The main diff between the IS and LS is the rear end and a bit up front but from the side they seem (based on pics) to be almost identicalwith the LS a bit smoothed out and longer. How anyone can not see that direct connection and will bring up different cars/car lines (a Camry? you have got ot be kidding me) is beyond me. I also think the GS is the abomination of the Lexus sedan line in terms of exterior styling and it clearly doesn't look like the LS/ES/IS. Seems to me that while it may have been the first "L finesse" model they realized issues with it and tweaked the design for the other 3.

BTW I prefered it when Lexus had each model look different. I'm not a big fan of the European style of making all your cars look the same.

On a non-topic rant, it annoys me how so many people will take shots at Lexus for similairites with their cars and other brands yet European brands seem to be exempt from this. Nobody seems to mention how the new S-Class interior is a basic rip-off of the 7 Series nor does anyone ever mention the front end of the S class looks similar to the front of the IS...well, as similar as the rear of the LS does to a 7 class. It annoys me how the Euro brands never get criticized for this stuff but whenever a japanese brand (specifically Lexus) has some similarities it is said they are unoriginal and junk. I guess many just cant let go of thier German car fanboyism/bias.

Oh and I have NO CLUE how anyone can say the LS looks like a Camry but to each their own. Apparently many think Scarlett Johansson is beautiful while I think she is avg at best.

The RL looks more like an Accord than the LS does a Camry or even the GS.

phile

^ I agree. And another thing I can't stand is all the credit that Bangle gets. Everyone points out the "Bangle-butt" - that design had already been on many car trunks, he just made it much more obvious. Look on a Hyundai Elantra or XG300/350 and you'll see it was already there prior to the 7-Series.

Kaiserseal

I also got an invite to the taste of Lexus, I will let you all know how well the airbags deploy.

jftjr

Um, yeah. Who's the fanboi?

Lexus styling is PAINFULLY bland, and follows completely in the Toyota brand line. Park them all next to each other and you'd never tell them apart except for the badging.

Why don't people criticize MB, BMW, and Audi for this? Because -- they create the designs, then the Japanese follow them in a smoothed-out manner in the next generation of cars.

It isn't so bad.... and if you want to see what happens when Toyota goes out on their own to design something, take a look at the new FJ Cruiser.... lol

Rob144

I saw the earlier comments about the RL looking like an Accord. When the Legend first came out, it definitely looked like a beefed up Accord, but with fender flares and exposed headlights. You had to look a little deeper to see how much different, better, and nicer it was than an Accord.

There are certainly similar design cues between the RL and the current Accord, just as there are similar design cues between the new LS460 and the ES350 (and to a lesser extent the Camry). Most of the rest of the world's Accord is what we know as the TSX. In Japan, our Accord is their Inspire, but with with a fancy grille.

The RL is one of those cars that doesn't happen to look that great in photographs. It looks much better in person, and to my eyes, very different from an Accord.

When a company like Lexus establishes a common design theme, then cars in it's product family will look similar. The same is true within some Mercedes, Cadillac, and Nissan products.

Styling is subjective. There's only so much that the designers can do with a generally conservative aerodynamic design before elements start to be shared amongst the various automakers.

For example, it's amazing to me how the downward-sloping character line has spread to such a wide range of cars. It happens to be the "style" of the moment.

Rob144

kollamala

Till 2006 the ES,GS and LS had distinct personalities,looks etc. From 2007 they all look the same. tail-lights etc. I hoped the LS would be atleast different. Maybe the same designer churns out all these cars.
Take the case of Acura, the RL,TL,TSX etc all have different personalities.
The gas mileage and the 8 speed automatic are amazing though. Did anyone hear the sound system in the new LS. It says DVD-Audio in the specs.

Mike_TX

Well, just have a look:



Sure the tail lights are tweaked slightly, and the tailpipe finishers are different, and there's a slightly different "kink" in the C-pillar, but they HAD to make the LS a little different ...
.
.

Mike_TX

It occurred to me that I should clarify that I am not being derrogatory towards the LS460 when I say it looks Camry-like. It is just an observation about how the designs are so similar. It is still a very classy-looking car, and in fact, I must admit I'm beginning to like the Camry, too.

I am the previous owner of two LS's, so I know they are excellent vehicles, and I am not suggesting in any way that the LS460 is just a tarted-up Camry. The Camry should be so lucky. But maintaining such a strong family resemblance to the Toyota line will probably bode better for Toyota than it will Lexus.
.
.

neuronbob

This is absolutely true. The RL is a much more appealing car in person than in pictures.

The new LS is also a great-looking car. Two of my colleagues own them. When you see it in person, it looks quite striking and is VERY different from the plebian-appearing Camry.

Qatar

Personally, i believe that the Ls460 tail light looks more like the Honda Odyessey than the camry. Can anyone post those two pic's next to each other for comparison.

static808

The new LS looks very good. My only problem with it is that from the side its a dead ringer for a BMW 7 series. Other than that, the LS460 is a stretched RL with a V8 and no AWD. Only if those Acura Thugs can create a comparable car in size and powerplant.

jcb-memphis

Take the RL, stretch it just a tiny bit, and turbocharge the current engine or the MDX 3.7L variant.

Bingo, cost at factory 5-10 more....max.

Fix the iPOD interface, priceless. :-)


JB

TriniBwoy

Interesting observation. They do look quite similar indeed. The Camry looks better though. LS looks too big w/ no sense of style.

neuronbob

You mean, what interface?

"Extension" on the navi hardly counts.

But that's OT.

bkw

At least you guys with 06's have the 'luxury' of being able to get an ipod interface from the factory..

sleepinxlionhart

oh yeah, i just thought of something, who in the right mind will actually parallel park their LS460 on city streets? so isn't the auto parallel park thing pretty useless?

Qatar

Am i the only person who think that Lexus did an excellent job with thier first long wheel luxury sedan, and that the rest (Infiniti and Acura who knows when will follow). If it was the RL, we would have been more excited. At least a Japanese brand is trying to outdo our German rivals. Good for Lexus and its customers. Lets just give Acura about 10 more years and we should hopefully see something

i_mobile

Not only that, it requires a space at least 6.5 feet longer than the car for the auto parking to work. If you cannot park the car yourself in such a big space, then you have bigger problems....

phile

Well you know the old saying, nothing a little money can't fix.

ralteredstates

I think Lexus came up with an answer(auto park) for a question no one asked. It is interesting and maybe for people who are vertically challanged. I am only tempted with the LS because of the incredible ride...nothing else over the RL

Mike_TX

Did the Taste of Lexus this morning.

The new LS is unquestionably nice, but they didn't let us drive it enough to really get a feel for it. There was only a short course that started out with a very sharp right-hander, followed by some more switchbacks, a slalom and some rumble strips to show bump control. No straights, so I never got the car over 25-30mph.

My personal opinion is that they are screwing up by not letting people get the feel of the car under more normal conditions ... including at least a brief acceleration run. As it was set up, it kept you so busy turning the steering wheel it was hard to tell much more about the car.

The course for the IS and GS was much more interesting, especially since it started with a longish straight where we were encouraged to floor it. I didn't bother with the GS450h hybrid, but I have to say I'm really impressed with the GS350. It has the same basic engine as the IS350, so it really scoots. It also handles really well, with minimal body lean, good steering feel, excellent brakes and lots of poise. Unfortunately, Lexus tends to have crummy lease terms on their cars, expecting you to be willing to pay big prices for their stuff.

I could get interested in a GS350 at some point, but in the meantime at the price I paid, the RL remains an outstanding bargain.
.
.