Edmunds 2007 Lexus LS460L Followup Test: The Sleeper

Edmunds is very inconsistent with their acceleration figures. This is still 1/2 second slower than what Lexus quotes. Edmunds and acceleration figures are pointless, you can only trust them when there is a comparison test and all vehicles are tested under the same conditions with the same driver. The S550 has been clocked a lot under 5.9 by other publications.

so has the 750i, fastest I have seen was 5.4 seconds.

What colour is that ?

Diamond black ? Beautiful

JUGNU

I agree JUGNU

Carboy

Looks like IS-F purple/blue.

the trunk of the L model is only 12 cubic feet if you get rear air conditioning? That's not just small for the class, that's the same size as an A4 or 3-series sedan trunk.

Wow, that ain't very much space.

Especially for a real estate agent such as I that
needs a trunk that will hold my Open House signs.

Perhaps you should buy a Buick, then you could sit in your garage with the engine running. Be sure to film and upload the black comedy to Youtube.

It's not 12 cuft with the rear air conditioning. All LS (standard wheelbase and long) come standard with rear air-conditioning and a trunk space of 18 cuft. (which is bigger than MBs 16.3 cuft and equal to BMW). When you get the executive seating package on the L model the trunk space drops to 12 because you have a 45 degree reclining ottoman. That's what eats into the trunk space.

I forget where I read it but remember a qoute from a article saying this Lexus LS can do 0-60 under 5.4 seconds.

Lexus

yeah but the lexus takes the longest by a long gap to stop vs the BMW or the Mercedes ...What good is it to go fast, when you cant control it?

That was Lexus's claim that no magazine has been able to duplicate.

I think Lexus lost its design direction, slightly, around 2000.

I don't think Lexus even had a design direction until 2005.

This is not a bash, though. The IS, GS, and specially this LS are two giant leaps forward in the right direction.

How is this faster than the S550? Mercedes quotes 5.4, for both RWD and 4Matic. Edmunds gets very fast times on some cars, and slower times than normal on others.

Otherwise, though the interior isn't great, it's a nice car. My friend John took us out for dinner one night, and we were in the back.

Too bad it wasn't the L with the reclining seat!

He was, ironically, going to get an S550 with the four-seat package, but Mercedes wouldn't extend the warranty (it was a demo model).

The Mercedes is elegant and the LS460 is plastc.

*sad*

The only thing sad on this site are your consistantly inane and misspelled invectives toward Lexus and Toyota.

Why don't we have spellchecker?

Why don't you have a brain?

Sounds like a rumor.

Sounds like an already proven fact.

Sounds like rubbish

january LS sales is 150% of S-series.

I wonder why? ;)

because it's $30K less when comparably equipped. guess what, honda sells many more accords than cadillac sells CTS. of course it's another ridiculous comparison beacause the CTS is $15,000 more than the accord. the LS and S are simply not in the same ballpark.

more power to you and you guys keep talking about how edmunds is wrong, if they said that the s550 was the fastest car in the world you guys would of believed it, but since its a lexus its wrong.

trd 1 .. actually the S550 has been clocked by numerous magazines 0 to 60 in anywhere from 5.4 seconds to 5.7 seconds .... The BMW 750 has been clocked anywhere from 5.6 seconds to 5.8 seconds ... Again I ask, what good does a powerful engine and great acceleration do for you, when it can't be controlled? hence the handling and braking figures of the New Lexus Ls

Anyone else notice the LS460 is already in need of a redesign?

Be lookin' outdated.

We're noticing that you're in dire need of a lobotomy.

Be lookin' retarded.

What a good review. Thank you to Inside Line for not including all the bulls#!t so prevalent in reviews of cars from Germany. They reviewed the car for what it is: an ultra-luxury limousine, not a two-door sports car.

What's a big surprise to me is how impressed they were with the performance/handling with the massive vehicle:

"The optional adaptive suspension is worth the money, as it keeps the 4,500-pound sedan on the level...Ride motions are beautifully controlled at any speed."

We already know it's fast, undauntedly luxurious, and as solid as a tank. Good car no matter how you look at it.

The review had 2 errors. The intuitive park assist is not the back-up camera, but rather the sensors front and rear which graphically and audibly warn the driver when they are about to hit something, and the glove box is not ill-fitting. They all look like that, but it was designed that way. Lots of customers notice it and say the same thing. I don't know why they made it that way...

Mitch

anthony - lost me on that one with the performance handling ... what is impresseive that it stops in 136 ft from 60 mph ... I believe the international CXT takes about the same distance

Remember that this is a 17-foot long luxury limousine.
The testers clearly indicated that for a car of this nature, it was more than apt.

It's really questionable how nearly all the negative comments about the braking distances of this car make it seem like it's a totally unsafe car.

"Aside from a grabby pedal feel, we had no complaints about the brakes in normal traffic situations."

Yes, and the equally long "limousines" from Audi, BMW and Mercedes have anywhere from 13-25ft shorter stopping distances.

60-0mph:

Mercedes-Benz S550- 123 ft

Audi A8L- 121ft

BMW 750i- 110ft

Wow. I get de-boosted by frustrated Lexus fans for quoting FACTS.

FACTS, plain and simple.

The S550's quote was from Edmunds' Inside Line, the A8L quote was from Road & Track, and the 750i quote was from Motor Trend.

Redundant. Huh.

Anthony didn't know that 136ft is below average for this class. He blamed it on the LS's being a limo. I decided to prove him wrong.

As if you don't say how much reliability matters, over, and over, and over?

true, people are talking about this car like its a hatchback, its dang 17-foot luxury car.

I'd like to ses a Lexus LS460 wagon.

It would be an improvment.

I'd like to see you produce an intelligent comment.

That would be an act of God.

thing is, with the s class, you can do all that designo stuff and have a pretty unique car with glossy black laquer, a leather dash in a contrasting colour and exclusive seats. the s class can go up and up and up into bentley territory very easily, the lexus can't. i know that doesn't matter to most people, but does lexus have a designo equivalent?

This article is tottally off the mark...How do they gather that the LS's performance figures of 5.9sec 0-60 & 14.3sec for 1/4mile is faster than a 750i & S550.

S550 runs 0-60mph around 5.7sec & the 1/4mile @ 14.1sec. The 750i runs 0-60 around 5.6sec & 1/4mile @ 14.0.

I've seen a couple LS's on the road & I have to say, if I hadn't been looking in their direction, I would have never noticed. Exciting.

Why are you guys and girls still comparing the Lexus LS to the MB S-class and BMW 750i? The German did not belief that the Lexus LS is better than the S-class and 750i. So the German did a comparison off it own, Lexus LS won, perido. No if and but.

Right now I think the Lexus LS460 and especially the LS600 hl is the most beautiful car in this segement.

El34, if you want plastic, goe buy a Kia or a Hyundai. Just in case you have read the new yet, Ford just drop down number 4.

Lexus

There's the key word:

I BELIEVE the LS is the best car in the segment.

People try to pass off their opinions as facts. It's just not true.

I believe the S-Class is the king of this segment. Of course, it's not necessarily true- I'd never prove it to stubborn individuals like yourself. It's a belief, not a fact.

I believe I'm married to the most beautiful supermodel in the world! Therefore, I am!

And, as a counter, I know an article off the top of my head in which the LS came in last! It was beaten by the Super V8, 750Li, A8L and S550 (in that order)!

what are you people talking about? Did anyone not read the most recent car & driver in which the LS460 came in 5th place .... There was a 5 car comparo between the 750LI, Audi A8, S550, LS460, Jaguar Super V8. Even the Jaguar was ranked higher than the Lexus ... In that comparo the 0 to 60 of the lexus was 6.2 vs.. 750 Li of 5.7 vs..the S550 of 5.6 ........ The handling of the lexus was not better either. The 300ft skidpad was run by the lexus .80g at 54.9 mph. That was almost 10 mph slower than the BMW .. Lexus also had similar braking problems and such.

That is a pretty larger disparity in figures from edmunds.com & car and driver

correction, Lexus LS won, Period..No if and but about it.

please share your data proving this claim.

Afraid of what? Some LS460 is going to come into our nightmares? I mean, are sales really "scary"? Do they make an impact on how we think of our own cars?

Unless said individual has a massive inferiority complex, I think not.

I like the LS460. But I also like the Mercedes-Benz S550 and BMW 750Li. What's wrong with you people? You just can't admit to liking other brands. And to say the LS460 is "obviously" better than the S550 is blasphomous. There's nothing obvious about it. Some people like the S550's looks better (me being one of them), and some prefer the LS460's understatement. I wouldn't say it looks very sophisticated in that picture, because the headlights are oversized compared to the sparseness of the rest of the design, and Lexus picked a bad rim design.

You didn't mention the A8L. I'd say that's a pretty sophisticated car, for the most discriminating buyer.

I didn't say the car wasn't sophisticated. It's very nice. It's just not very photogenic.

I also didn't say that it was a fact. The whole point of my post was that no opinions are true.

Therefore, your saying the S-Class's and 7 Series's stylind details are outrageous isn't true, either. The cleaned-up 750i/Li is cool-looking, especially in black with the "shadowline" window trim (Sport Package). The S550 AMG is, IN MY OPINION, the best-looking car in this class. The A8 is better-looking than the 7 IMO, and I'd tie the LS with the BMW. There's really no such thing as "last" in this class... it's all good.

"I wouldn't say it looks very sophisticated in that picture, because the headlights are oversized compared to the sparseness of the rest of the design, and Lexus picked a bad rim design."

Will, note that I said "in that picture." You can't beat me at my own game.

How many want the self parking?

I wanna see a raise of hands?

I would love to see the number of people who would actually want you handling their real estate transactions.

How many find EL34 unamusing?

Don't even bother replying... it's a rhetorical question.

No thanks you, I think I pass

Lexus

go read the car & driver article the BMW4me refers to above. in it, the LS not only ranks last, but it's the weakest performer in both acceleration and handling. fyi--comparing acceleration times is only useful if all the cars are tested at the same time, under the same road conditions and using the same recording equipment. pulling numbers from disparate resources is pointless. please find a comparison where the LS out accelerates the S550.

omg im pretty sure this will be my next car. if i can get the money...

i would definately get the self parking feature. It maybe a gimmick, even i will admit to it, but nonetheless, its a "show off" feature that will really impress your friends. lol...or buy you new ones.

LOL. Honesty is a virtue.

It's like the S-Class's night vision system. It's fun to show your friends at the club... but you'll never use it.

The LS is a great deal, so you could get one with the parking system for little over $70,000. That is, if you don't go for the ever-so-tempting "L" version.

S4cabriofoxone, I have to disagree with you on MB's Night Vision.

A couple of years ago I was visting relatives in Southern Illinois and driving at night on some of those roads there were no street lights at all and a few times I almost hit a deer and the Night Vision would have been a great help, IMHO.

There's no depth perception.

I have to side with the Lex fans here. If the night vision was on the LS, you'd be singing a different tune.

S4cabriofoxone, If Lexus comes out with nightvision I will say, It's about time!!

that is true, the self parking feature is real cool and all, but i mean your not going to use it unless, like the commercial you got all those wine glasses stacked up by each other. lol, but it might come in handy in some places.

If I was going to get the LS, I would definitely take the Lexus LS600 hl. Those triple zeon light are beautiful and sophiscated.

Lexus

Well, duh.

That's pretty implicit. Who WOULDN'T want the best of something?

Well, there's one exception: I'd rather have the S8 than the A8L W12, and the S63 AMG than the S600. I guess all four of those models are considered the "best", too, huh?

buy a $110,000 car for the headlights!? i need a little more than cool headlights to justify that much for a car that looks just like a $61,000 base LS.

Where does it say that? Edmunds? Check any other source; you'd be proven wrong.

Excuses abound for the poor brakes.

God, huu, the car needn't be perfect in every way! The brakes are a flaw, and you can admit it!

yeah, all this quibbling over a few feet of stopping distance under MAXIMUM braking has been old for months already.

when was the last time any of you EVER made an all-out panic stop?

i CONSISTENTLY drive anywhere from 10 - 20 mph over posted limits, and the last time i had to make a panic stop was over 15 years ago!

further, it's been said before, with modern brakes, the TIRES tend to be more of a factor in braking and handling performance. ALL tires are optimized for SPECIFIC driving conditions and make compromises in all other conditions.

german cars get tires intended for autobahn use. USELESS overoptimization for OUR driving conditions. i wouldn't second guess Lexus' choice for comfort (this IS a lux car), wear, and reasonable performance.

and even with stock rubber, this L model STILL outslaloms the STANDARD wheelbase MB.

Let me sum up what I think of this car:

It's nice.

It just doesn't really do much for me. I don't know why. But the LS has never been about excitement or high style, and this car continues the heralded tradition.

Edmunds didn't fail to mention that they found the styling bland, and that the interior had some vinyl trim and Toyota buttons. Those last two, I was surprised at. Can you get a full-leather upgrade for the dash?

Get the S-Class and be a happy driver.

I'm pretty sure the designers responsible for such a non-sybaritic atrocity have been summarily fired.

The new restyled 7er is more beautiful than the S, LS, A8 in my opinion. You can never say its ugly, they really fixed the car and now it looks brilliant. As for the 2002-2005/6 model, if you put it infront of a lion, I bet you it can scare it! lmao. So instead of just picking on the 7er, lets just pick on the bad brake on the LS ;).

Seriosly, all of the cars in this class are nice. Its just a mater of taste. Like I like the 7er, you dont. I dont like the LS' style, but Will does.

There was 1989 Lexus.

well to each his own. the LS is classic american-style luxo cruiser. cushy and removed from the road and the world. some of us like a little more engaging driving experience.

The new LS is an amazing car.

If you don't like it because it doesn't suit your taste, that's fine.

If you don't like it because it wasn't born in Germany, than you are ignorant.

If you think selling doghouses at Petco qualifies as being in the "real estate" business, then you must be EL34.

Dogs need homes too!

there's apparently room for all of these cars in the market.

you buy a 7 if you're in your forties (average buyer is late forties) and still enjoy an engaging driving experience.

you buy an LS if you're in your sixties (their average buyer age) and prioritize luxury and quiet over everything else. people who drive these cars don't even like to drive. and the LS let's the zone out and forget their even driving.

i'd take a 4th model year 7 over a brand new LS. not ready for AARP yet.

There's two things about the Lexus LS460 and they are the American made CD player and speaker ensemble and the IED taillights.

That's about it.

Does that actually make sense to you?

you're right. slight differences don't make a huge difference in the real world. but if one is going to claim that one car is better than another, you should have the data to back it up. true, the LS isn't that much slower, but it's way off in terms of braking and handling. just drive the 750, S and LS and you'll feel the difference.

okay okay, WHY DID I GET DEBOOSTED ABOVE? PLEASE READ MY COMMENT, DOES IT HAVE ANYTHING AGAINST ANYONE? OMG THIS IS SO SILLY! I WANT AN EXPLAINATION!!!!!!!!!!

Why is it that if I say one negative thing about Lexus, and the rest positive, I get de-boosted to -6 and can't see my own comments (the "Show Comment" button doesn't work- 001, I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE), but when I side with them suddenly, I get +50? Why is this site so stupid? WHY DO WE HAVE BOOSTING? I hate it!

I never said it should "race", huu. Anthony just said there was nothing wrong with the brakes. The LS460 (non-L) stops eight feet longer than the A8L, and that really is a lot. You might not know it, but even a two-feet difference is a lot, especially in a performance test. Why are you so stubborn as to not accept what I say, which is true, and pass it off as an opinion?

S4 .. I agree with you. Handling and braking do matter in the real world. The difference between 120 ft and 136 ft is alot when compared to a 7-series. That is the difference between me having a panic stop & you sliding thru the intersection.

I agree with some of the posters in here about performance and such, but one shouldnt post an article that states that the LS is a better performance car than the BMW. Edmunds is the only test of about 6 or 7 about the 750Li that the LS has out accelerated or out handled. What is performance? Handling, braking, accerleration, oversteer, understeer ... and the LS is better how? Not a single source out there has the Lexus being able to perform in the low 5's to 60 as Lexus claims ...

only IDIOTS ever have to make panic stops to begin with.

EVEN ON THE RACETRACK, brakes MERELY scrub off speed. when was the last time you saw or heard of a RACE driver coming to a FULL STOP on a track? (short of in a crash.)

braking distances are mainly just an ARBITRARY test to fill spec sheets. they have LITTLE significance except to show up truly retarded designs/performance.

in the REAL WORLD, skilful drivers almost NEVER make full panic stops down to zero. as on the track, they just scrub off speed, then MANUEVER AROUND obstacles.

you guys quibbling over a few feet for 60 - 0 must be a bunch of 7th graders.

this shoulda been under S4's post above.

"even a two-feet difference is a lot"

ONLY for idiots with brains and reaction times SO SLOW that they'd delay applying the brakes to the point where an extra 0.0001 second or so would ACTUALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Some really smart comments are getting deboosted by fans who dont want to hear what people have to say. On the same note, some really dumb posts have way too many boosts (clearly boosted by fans). I only bring this up because I cant seem to boost or deboost comments that I like. I wonder if this is happening to many people as a reason for the disparity.

"only IDIOTS ever have to make panic stops to begin with."

see above for FULL commentary.

I like it, but still feel its not as classy as the S55 or A8.


Now go ahead and de-boost me.

apexalex:

"when was the last time any of you EVER made an all-out panic stop?"

a couple of times in the past year alone. if not for the "useless optimization" of the brakes on my BMW i would have smashed into the side of the idiot who backed out in front of me while i was going 50mph on a major road. the brakes on my car amazed me. i stopped within 24 inches of the side of his car. not so useless after all.

apexalex ... had to do it this morning in route to work. Had a car in front of me on the highway, when I was going about 75, lock up and loose control. My 2006 330xi, with its cornering brake control and me having to lock it up allowed me to swerve and avoid him and the concrete barrier. Had I been in another car, like a a lexus in which the car takes more effort to stop and had to swerve I would have hit him or the wall.

I have had more than enough experience driving lexus, audi, BMW, mercedes on test tracks at ride and drives and other driving events to know the difference a fine tuned suspension and good brakes can affect ones ability to avoid an accident.

from what your posts, it seems to me you probably drive just 1 or 2 seconds ahead most if not ALL the time. possibly even less.

i normally drive 3 to 4, and safe driving guidelines actually suggest in the range of 4 - 6. even though i DO NOT allow as much time as the safety nazis, i have NEVER made a panic stop in over 15 years. and i consistently drive at 70 mph or more, traffic permitting. (i'd go even faster if wind and road noise doesn't begin to bother me at higher velocities.) i actually take pride in HOW LITTLE i use my brakes!

i get heavy on the brakes ONLY when in an extreme hurry. say when i go from 7/10ths to 8/ and 9/10s.

with YOUR driving style, you NEED a bimmer. that doesn't mean the LS is an inadequate car for 99% of the GENERAL driving population.

"from your posts" [delete what] and...

sorry, i assumed enthusiastx11's post was yours too.

so this comment applies to him too. ;)

appex ... huh? what? so you drive close to the steering wheel? 3 to 4 second gap between you and other drivers. Do you drive at 3 am or 10 to 11 at night? I get it you must live in podunct wisconsin with a population of about 2000. try abiding by those ideas living in chicago, new york, san francisco ?

You are right, I planned on a reckless driver next to me losing control and sliding in front of me. Are you sure it is 99% of the drivers? I thought it was 99.3% of them. you are idiot .. Had I had your beloved lexus, I would have hit the wall due the body roll in the car's suspension which would have caused my rear end to swing around on me thus more than likely hitting the wall ... Or I would have expected the car to turn more true to how I had to turn the steering wheel instead of having to over compensate cause my car wasnt moving , then slamming on the brakes at the same time , then the nose of the lexus would dive a bit and the body would roll lightening the suspension which thus slides the wheels out and away .... I could go on, but you already know this ...

In a perfect world, I would love to have a 3 to 4 second gap between myself and the other drivers. I would also love to have multiple playboy bunnies at my disposal. I would love to have my own private plane, a yacht to shame donald trump's , & a 50,000 sq ft house ....Almost forgot, my bank account would be a billion dollars and in my garage would be Bugatti Veyron, F50, Diablo, a few west coast choppers and a 69 fastback cobra