Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Lexus LS460L: a satisfying drive

Nice of Jeremy to understand the whole point of a luxury cruiser suppose to do.

"unbelievably comfortable and quiet."

*snooze*

exactly, it's a luxo cruiser.
so let's just stop the comparisons to the S, 7 and A8 now.
if you want to float buy this car.
if you want to drive, buy german.

Or wait for the possible LS-F.

lexusis350, the next Lexus F car will be the redesigned SC-F.

The concept they've been showing.

No, EL. You have no right to say anything about any Lexus product- all you do is bash them!

It's called the LF-A, and it has nothing to do with the SC. It's an R8 competitor.

There will be no LS-F. Until BMW makes an M7, Lexus wouldn't dare copy Audi or Mercedes-- they're trying to be BMW, remember?

haven't heard they're actually making one. wouldn't really make sense to make a 'performance' version of a soft luxo cruiser.

I agree with renlex that this is not meant to be a driver's car. If you want a luxury car, buy this. If you want a sports car, buy a real sports car. None of this AMG automatic sports sedan business.

I hate when he says 'bonnet'.

why? that is the word...
and he'll put his luggage in the boot, too, not the trunk.

I always liked jeremy's reviews. Funny and amazing and most of time objective. As told before i've tested this car and it's excellent. It' drivng is very pleasant. It's not as fun as a Z4(which i love to drive and i drive everyday) but it's something different. Different than any other car that i've drove
before! Try it you won't dislike it for sure!

What about the self-parking assistance for the parking impaired.

The LS460 is for those that like one million push buttons!

Has Clarkson got rid of his Ford GT yet? Latest news is that he has just got a Gallardo Spyder.

He comparing the Lexury and comfort of this Lexus LS460 to the Rolls-Royce Phantom. Just wait until the Lexus LS600 hl come out. The Lexus LS600 hl is probably going to be compare to the Maybach for sure.

Good job Lexus

Lexus

He makes a good point and accurate assessment. If your are a "Driver" the car is not for you. (Like we didn't know that) If you are a "Cruiser" then the LS is the ticket for you.

Not everyone wants a carve corners, they simply want a nice car that won't spill their Starbucks latte. Different appeal to a different demographic.

you're comparing apples and oranges. no LS is comparable to a rolls, bentley or maybach.

If it a Camry why are you and your fellow Germanboys drooling all over it?

Good point.

S4, is that really you? Are you sick or are you being serious? You're absolutely right though, the Maybach is nothing more than an S-Class with almost triple the price. It doesn't have the highest quality materials for a car that goes into the six digits.

Mr. Lexus IS350,

I suppose you have sat in a Maybach and can therefore make this claim?

Because I have sat in both and I've been given a ride inside a Maybach and let me tell you, the interior materials are perfectly fine. High quality, just as you'd expect in such a car.

Stop trying to promoto Lexus by "bullshitting" about other cars.

For comparison purposes. The LS interior looks "overrated" to me. Copy and paste the link and see for yourself.

LS460: http://autozeitung.de/online/bildDB/37643_1024.jpg

Maybach: http://autozeitung.de/online/bildDB/13040_1024.jpg

The Maybach isn't an S class, Lexus IS350. It merely uses the underpinnings of the W140 S class, which was built to withstand more weight than the W220 and W221 S class chassis.

By your logic, the Lexus LS460 must be nothing more than a Toyota Celsior then. Get my drift?

Jeremy Clarkson gives Lexus a good review?!?!? I thought for sure he would say it wasn't anything special.

"Couple that to the gearbox, which changes so smoothly you cannot feel the shifts, and you have a car that can be compared to the Rolls-Royce Phantom."

Wow. At least he can appreciate the true meaning of Lexus, to be a luxury car.

Why don't you go ask your mommy to help you take a piss and leave the typing to us grown ups.

Thanks.

Ricemaster,

I own and drive a Lexus LS 460, Lexus GS 350, Lexus SC 430, Bentley Continental GT, Maserati Quattroporte and a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S. I have spent more in a month than you have in your life!

Here is a comment someone posted on Clarkson's article:

"Jeremy, I cannot believe that you actually LIKE this car! It is a gigantic missed opportunity.

The mid-range cars have been getting so good, that the high-end cars are increasingly pressed to justify the price difference. Mercedes and BMW responded by layering on problematical electronics. Mercedes reliabity has been dreadful. BMW ergonomics are unforgivably bad.

Lexus had the reliability and electronics nailed. What it needed was style and "fun to drive." The style is now fine -- certainly competitive with any rival save Audi. But this car is just AWFUL to drive: floaty suspension, vague steering, long stopping distances. It makes any secondary road a chore to be avoided.

My original 1990 LS was a better driving machine -- and I eventually sold that because it was too soggy. Where is 17 years of progress? Oh, it is in the automatic parking feature that only sort of works.

In short, this is a car for people who hate to drive. I found it profoundly disappointing". END

I haven't driven the car myself but can this guy say this i.e the 17 years of progress part

"There can be no doubt, of course, that the three-letter acronym was created"... *falls asleep on keyboard* ZZZZzzzz

Na, just wanted to clarrify that JC writes too much sometimes and takes ages to get to the point, and someppl just have their own opinions on reviews.. so if u dont like mine, shuv it!

Is there a video too!?!

Uhh.

Will, the reason they can't be compared is because the Germans (specifically Mercedes and Audi) had mastered "pure luxury" long ago. The A8 and S-Class are ultra-luxurious. The difference? They can also handle.

And yet you disagree with him on all other topics, i.e. when he lauds German cars?

Your will bends at his.

Lexusis350, check our names. Don't tell me you haven't seen this "S4cabriofoxone1" imposter; he's been posting for at least a month.

Also, he has plenty of grammatical errors. I do not regularly make grammatical errors. English clearly isn't his first language.

I don't like the Maybach either, but I still have sense enough to know that the LS600hL isn't competition for it.

Both the LS600hL and S600 are Continental Flying Spur competitors, IMO. Not as prestigious- but more modern, and slightly less powerful.

That also applies to the W12 and 760Li.

Well, when you consider the cars, the LS600hL and S600 could both be thought to be Maybach competitors. Maybach does have the much more exquisite interior, but when it comes down to it, a fancy interior isn't worth $200,000. The S600 is a better alternative, because (obviously) of the price difference, the power, and the S-Class's coolness. The LS, while every bit the mini-Maybach, is upstaged by the S600 IMO. Although the 600hL has the trendy hybrid system, I don't think that's what anybody buying this kind of car cares about. The S600 has about 100 extra horsepower, and the Maybach looks (that could be a good or bad thing). Advantage, Mercedes.

No, Will. Why do you relentlessly diminish my comments? You know I'm not some dumb@ss biased German fan. See through my car and into what I have to say- it's a lot more than what you can comprehend.

the LS600hL will compete against ANY uber lux limo. it has one thing NO OTHER can match: SILENT motion with the electric drive. part of the limo experience is SILENCE of mechanicals.

while other limos achieve silence with insulation and sound absorbtion panels, NONE have the INHERENT silence of electric power. and when the lexus V8 does cut in, it also has all the sound absorbtion of others in the class.

they probably won't push it internationally, but the Toyota Century v12 could also be made into a Lexus limo. IF lexus ever felt the need.

So in other words Jeremy Clarkson thinks the LS460 is a POS.

hmmmm.

Good. Nice job. Admission of faults. That's step #1 to being human.

Although, what you said is arguable. I'm not personally going to argue with you... but... oh, it's so hard! The LS is as COMFORTABLE as the competition, but-- THE S-CLASS AND A8 ARE BETTER ON THE INSIDE. Ah. I let it out. There.

I'd take an LS460L if they gave me $10,000 off. Otherwise, I'm inclined to go elsewhere for my luxury sedan. On my personal list, handling is tied with luxury. That's what make the S-Class and A8 so appealing to me.

I really shy away from comparing the Lexus LS to the Rolls-Royce Phantom. Sure they share certain design traits, but they are truly different types or styles of luxury.

The Lexus LS is really an aggrandized Japanese car, by which I mean it is in the Japanese style of luxury. There is a rather plain, if plastic looking dash structure with no stitching on it. The buttons are small and precise looking. The interior of the car for some reason reminds me a bit of a watch. The character of the car is demur and unassuming.

The Roll-Royce on the other hand is built in the English style of luxury, lots of exposed stitching on both the dash and the seats. Copious wood abounds in the cabin. Attention is paid to the details: this Monday I looked at Roll-Royces and Aston Martins for about 3 hours and you know the more I look at the RR the more I like them. Originally, I hated them, hated them hated them: they looked like some horrible German bastardization of and English car defined by planes and not by curves. I found it offensive that some upstart German car company could ever have pretensions of being an engineering firm with the prestige of Rolls-Royce offensive. I realize now that the front is defined in a semi-planar way, but the rear is not really planar at all. Anyway, the Rolls-Royce is a behemoth even compared to the LS, and it isn’t demur, it is anything but. Probably the only thing you will find with comparable aerodynamics is a refrigerator.

As for the Maybach: Robb Report recently called it the “Why-bach?” It is a very expensive aggrandization of a Mercedes which is made stylistically to compete with English luxury. It is a horrible device: reminds me of some botched plastic surgery. What an obscure name for them to pluck out of history. If there is ever a single brand that should be brought back it I think it should be Deusenberg. The problem, of course, is actually making something worth the name.

any other fans of Car Talk out there?
some guy called in this weekend. he has an early '90s LS400.

as mite've been expected of an "aggrandized toyota," it has been largely trouble free. except for ONE single part, the car still has ALL the original components, working fine. INCLUDING the spark plugs.

this, after racking up 350,000 miles!