EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Will this become the most prestigious luxury car ever?

That is really going to shake up the 'camps' when it comes out and 001 gives it a test drive. I try to stay neutral but really, Lexus, great job!

no

EVER? Yes, it has some amazing features and is very well built, but a Lexus never has nor will ever be regarded as the most pretigious. Mercedes has been around for at least 80 years, and has built luxurious cars since then. and what about Bentley, Rolls-Royce, and Maybach, which have also been around for a very long time? They all have models that will be regarded as the most pretigious way before a hybrid Lexus will be.

Love the LED headlights. Looks rather nice in black... Confidently understated, sleek, and epitomizes luxurious.

Most prestigious ever? Who cares. Sign me up.

This car has no sex appeal.

In fact, it looks like a hammerhead shark.

Fishy.

why?

lol this probably is the best luxury car out there in its segment, but no it will not be as prestigous. Im a lexus fan and i can honestly say that i understand why lexus isnt considered top notch next to merc and bmw outside of US. But either way, its for yourself to enjoy so screw prestigousness

Of course it will be the most prestigious car. The 2007 LS is already up there and this is better than it. It makes you wonder why no one had LED headlights before. I bet Mercedes is stopping production of the S-Class right now to put in LED headlights so they can say they had it first.

mromar
For once i agree with you completey
Take a look at the current S-Class look at the huge gaps between the body panels now compare it the body panel gaps of the Current LS ( Not to mention the new One). That is just one of a million small details that the Lexus engineers pour loads of effort into perfecting.
For all those who seek Prestige, keep seeking it, you are the type that pay through your nose in order to Look successful, I will readily buy the LS 460 or 600h ahead of the S-Class or 7 Series.
Why ???
Because the MB and BMW trade on a reputation they have already acheived and have become complacent thus manufacturing 'Vey Good yet not the best they can Build' Cars while LEXUS are trying to make a name for themselves so are putting in loads more effort into their engineering process in order to create the cars that will earn them the Reputation thus they Build 'The Best They can Build' or as near as makes no difference to the cusotmer.

mromar
For once i agree with you completey
Take a look at the current S-Class look at the huge gaps between the body panels now compare it the body panel gaps of the Current LS ( Not to mention the new One). That is just one of a million small details that the Lexus engineers pour loads of effort into perfecting.
For all those who seek Prestige, keep seeking it, you are the type that pay through your nose in order to Look successful, I will readily buy the LS 460 or 600h ahead of the S-Class or 7 Series.
Why ???
Because the MB and BMW trade on a reputation they have already acheived and have become complacent thus manufacturing 'Vey Good yet not the best they can Build' Cars while LEXUS are trying to make a name for themselves so are putting in loads more effort into their engineering process in order to create the cars that will earn them the Reputation thus they Build 'The Best They can Build' or as near as makes no difference to the cusotmer.

Sorry Guys!!
I hit the submit button twice :(

I95SPEEDINGTICKETS - Yes, I agree. I cannot believe the amount of bashing that goes on on this site...Lexus is a company about inginuity and this vehicle looks good and is ready to take on the competition.

I95SPEEDINGTICKETS- This is a nice ride however can you name ant serious advances that Lexus has brought to the market? They don't get the respect due to the fact they do not innovate. They merely apply existing technology and put it in their cars. This is indicative of second tier makers.

If the current Lexus line up were college papers, they would all get an A- for content and an F for plagiarism.

I95SPEEDINGTICKETS- This is a nice ride however can you name ant serious advances that Lexus has brought to the market? They don't get the respect due to the fact they do not innovate. They merely apply existing technology and put it in their cars. This is indicative of second tier makers.

If the current Lexus line up were college papers, they would all get an A- for content and an F for plagiarism.

YES YES YES.LEXUS IS THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS BRAND.

LEXUS FOR LIFE

JUGNU----->THE CARMAN

PlanoA4
Well if I read correctly the LS has a laser system that montors the position of the drivers Head and Eyes and in the event that the driver Dozes off or is Looking elsewhere and an obstacle is noticed approaching the car then proceeds to use audible warnings to get the drivers attention and if unsuccessful then the car will brake to a complete stop.

Also the Obstacle recognition in the LS can detect Everything from Vehicles to People and Animals and semi large Plastic objects, because it utilizes Radar and Cameras While the system in the MB Distronic and BMW Active Cruise can only detect Vehicles

Now i dont know who invented what but i do know that the LS is the first car to implement this Laser monitoring system for the driver.

Have a look at this review of the LS460

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,12929-2319048,00.html

PLanoA4

how about 8 speeds to the transmission...thats an innovation. and as 195speedingtickets said, the radar pre collision system

harddrive for music storage in cars

Toyota Century V12

bmwexpert, first people say lexus copies other car makers, and when they make their own design, WHICH IS CLEARLY DIFFERENT THEN TOYOTA, A LITTLE, you say its too cheap looking. should they have made it like the condusing 7 series?

****confusing

Lexus - you can't polish a turd. you put dimonds on it then it is still a turd

but the point is toyota is not a bad car to begin with...its not like this LS460 has a base from, well i dont know, a chrysler PT Cruiser, cough cough

Speedingtickets- Ok I give you the 8 speed auto, though I am not sure of how valid 8 fwd speeds are in light of CVT transmissions. But other than that the others such as obstacle recognition have been out for a while (Cadillac). Pre radar has been out for at least two years.

But here is an example of what I was saying directly from Autoweek’s favorable review of the 460.

Suspension: With the goals of improving straight-line stability, steering feel and other qualities, Lexus has re-engineered the 460 front suspension for “double joint” steering geometry resembling that introduced by Audi. Benefits are said to include keeping the tire treads more square to the road, which gives better steering feel, flatter cornering and less brake vibration.

They did mention the self park feature as new and the patented crystal look headlights.

I just think it is odd the focus is on “innovating”, is a self parking feature (to get a license here you have to pass parallel parking) and "crystal look" headlights. But the core component of front suspension you copy from Audi. Priorities are obviously more towards looks and trivialities vs. solid engineering. And you guys wonder why Lexus gets no respect.

LexusKindaGuy12- The first two comments were addressed above, the hard drive music for a car?

Sony had aftermarket models with the feature in 2005. nothing new. BTW Chrysler has it in the 2006 Sebring right now.

1995Speeddingtickets- you said "Well if I read correctly the LS has a laser system that montors the position of the drivers Head and Eyes and in the event that the driver Dozes off or is Looking elsewhere and an obstacle is noticed approaching the car then proceeds to use audible warnings to get the drivers attention and if unsuccessful then the car will brake to a complete stop."

That is a creative approach to the 2005 Volvo Driver Alert System they copied. Volvo opted NOT to take control of the car though. So I will credit sort of to the fact that they took control away from the driver.

acutally no car maker has one that actually applies brakes fully..i think.

how is having a better suspension equal out to solid engineering. if they can make things better, they have to be able to engineer something. i dont know, at this point im rambling because its impossible to get throughto you guys that lexus is a competant car maker that makes good cars. lexus is not the only luxury carmaker to not invent something before.

lexuskindaguy,
i wouldn't call putting in an 8 speed gearbox innovation.
it's a "my gearbox is bigger than yours" thing, just so it can beat 7gtronic.
and it has 8 speeds to disguise its lack of low down torque.

and as for a lexus being the most prestigious car?
in europe, the only people who buy lexi are criminals and people who can't afford a merc, audi or bmw.
and environmentally friendly?
i reckon a 730d or s320cdi has that covered.
this just happens to go a bit faster.

You guys who underestimate Lexus are missing something. Your ideas about Lexus are from 1999. You are missing the new styling, the innovations and the new overall dynamics. People who see the value in Lexus are actually looking at what Lexus is, now. Not burning them on the past, when they were still getting their brand together.

There are plenty of comments here on how Lexus isn't even the most prestigious brand now, can't compare to the Germans in terms of the world, etc......
While those comments may be true, it doesn't fairly compare Lexus to the Germans in terms of how long the brand has been around.
If one considers the rather short time Lexus has taken in reaching the position they have attained, then at that rate, Lexus has extremely high potential to be considered 'the best'. Everyone seems to forget that when Lexus started in 1989, the Germans and Americans laughed at them and didn't think it would go anywhere. Lexus ended up being the #1 seller and has also been #1 in quality ratings forever. It's no accident. The efforts Lexus puts into producing cars of supreme quality is enormous.
The critics keep saying that Lexus is not big in Europe and other commments of the sort. Europeans desire a different driving experience, and Lexus knows this and is also making a strong effort to change. Lexus easily has the finances and is making some HUGE changes and knows it has to to be able to win over not just the Europeans, but in it's home country of Japan as well.
Lexus was known in the past years for producing high quality albeit 'bland' cars since it's inception, but look for the brand to be the up and coming star in the future at the rate it's going.

well put dave...the bottom line is that the average joe isnt going to be looking at who invented what first, or even how well it takes corners for that matter. THe person who is going to buy the LS is looking for a quiet, comfortable place, to drive around in. Not taking it to the race track to see its limits. thats the truth and we all know it

LexusKindaGuy12 - I will be the first to say that Lexus makes a competent car. By all means yes. Lexus excels at what they want to. The problem is they want to excel more at making money by recycling proven technology in their vehicle rather than pushing the envelope. Lexus/Toyota excel at manufacturing innovations, these innovations put money on the bottom line, and the consumer gets a more uniform product to boot. The problem is that many users want the leading edge that they have not provided. Until they do, they will not seriously challenge the “Premium” brands of the Germans, but they will devastate the other “Luxury” makes..

Dave- Lexus has had an impressive track record in the US. No fool would argue that point. But they are showing that they are not fully understanding the market outside the US. This is indicated by the modest sales in Japan and across Europe. They have figured out the brand nameis not quite as universal as they thought.

LexusKindaGuy12- You are right the "typical" Lexus customer is looking for a quiet, comfortable place, to drive around in. The Typical BMW, MB, Audi driver is looking for more.

I look at this car and i wonder to myself...Why would anyone want to spend their hard earned money on a car that looks like a dressed up toyota inside and out?

Lexusis350, many recent concept car's use LED headlights, it wasn't Lexus's concept or idea. Besides the Audi S6 uses LED lights on it's front bumper, so if you ask me, Audi was the 1st to it. Also BMW already created the headlights of the future more than 10 years ago, and now everyone including Lexus uses them...their called xenon's.

what new technological features have the german manufacturers come up with in the last 20 years?
i-drive?
how about...
hybrids (someone is going to say Audi had it first, but electric cars were around in the 19th century, i'm talking production vehicles)
optitron (?) gauges
whisper quiet engines (i dont know what the tech is on this, but it's somethin)
jeweled headlamps (the ES had 'em way before anyone else)
32 valve 8 cylinder engines
8 spd transmissions
VDIM (love it or hate it, it's a safety advance)
parallel parking assist
variable vave timing.
advanced aerodynamics
an entire new class of vehicles, Crossover luxury SUV's

i'm sure there are many more.

MunichRob

Concept cars are designed for future production, not to drive on the road. The Lexus LS 600h is the first car to use LED Headlights. Audi may have them on their bumper, but not for headlights.

No.....the most prestigious luxury car's are from Rolls Royce, Bentley, & Maybach. Toyota/Lexus is not even considered a prestigious brand are they?

Lexus makes great vehicles but they don't appeal to enthusiast drivers. There's no 'soul' to them unlike being behind the wheel of a Carrera, M3, etc. where you feel like you're an extension of the machine. As quiet, smooth, and over-the-top luxurious as this LS is, the brand is a couple of notches below being the most prestigious and always will be.

MunichRob- Errr actually Philips created Xenon headlights. But BMW used them first in production.

Lexus will NEVER be in the same league as Merc, BMW, and Audi

Prestigious? Yes, to a certain extent. BMW and MERC's, also, yes, to a certain extent. No car can ever be named the most prestigious, because there are people out there that can afford all that and then some. For those of you that says Lexus is not sucessful in the "outside" world, in Europe, Japan, etc, need to rethink that Lexus is more focused on North America because "we" are the biggest market out there. Ever wonder why they are the most money making automaker and yet they sell most of their vehicles, here, in North America. So Lexus takes technology and recycles them, huh? If that were the case, why is BMW and MERC's electronic glitches are still adorned on all their cars? Did they try to make it better? Apparently not. Since most German cars are now implementing this new "iDrive" system on all their cars. I guess thats why they say Germans are stubborn, hence the hard ride all their cars give. I guess their racing heritage didn't go too far from there luxury vehicles. Honestly, all this talk about road and handling, I mean, c'mon..Would anyone drive an S-Class and take a corner doing 70MPH?..LOL..yeah OK...

MB3494

You say that Lexus will NEVER be in the same league as Mercedes, BMW, and Audi and you're right, they're in a higher league. They're better cars all around. Mercedes and BMW are too focused on speed and performance and have lost sight of making luxury cars. Lexus incorporates power with luxury in the perfect amount to make it a better car than those.

Im very interested to find out how all you uber car fans define prestige. You numbskulls fail to realise that lexus has mastered the most difficult element in making cars,(quality Craftmanship and reliability). Mercedes Bmw and Audi have all been around exponentially longer than Lexus and they still have not and cannot match the quality. I dont know how many of you readers live in the Sothern California area, but if you do take a look at the used car lots, how many lexus's do you see. Not too many,but the lots do closely resemble a german car bone yard. How many 90-94 S class or 7 series do you still see on the road today v.s. an ls 400? Nill.Im not saying any of this because I hate german cars. Im saying it because all I keep reading is the same factless comments. People need to give credit where credit is due and stop living in the past.From what i have seen in reviews the only gripe that all the european journalists had with the Ls 460 is the steering didnt feel as sporty as the german cars. Prestigious cars should be above industry standards on the jd power surveys, and not having recalls on $300k+ slr's or having your $100k+ Z8's body deform where the shocks are mounted. Not to mention the $1m merc clk gtr spyder that basically fell apart when the dealer was test driving with a potential buyer. Bottom line when you pay a lot of money for your dream car your dreams should be sweet and not nightmares, and a prestigious car is not so when it makes visits to the dealer for (un)schedualed maintainence.

Hey rupert I guess you can say mercedes has no torque also since they have a 7 speed huh? What a cornball. Zero to sixty for the Ls460 is 5.4 sec. A8L Dubya12 http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Followup/articleId=106174/pageId=64463 5.8 sec, oh and the 760LIE and s600 http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/sedans/0302_mercedes_s600_bmw_760li/ 5.4 & 4.6 respectively. All you nay sayers (haters) BEWARE the LS 600hL will be much quicker than the LS460 and the performance lacking V12's from Audi,Bmw and breath down the neck of the fuber benz. Will you german car fans feel "prestigious" and "Uber" when you get smoked at the stoplight and all you see out of your windshield is 600H L. You will go directly to your neighborhood pharmacy and get some anti depressants to deal with the fact that you were misled into believing you bought a superior product when all you realy did was over pay for an automobile plagued with these little things called electro gremlins. I give no credit to inovation if the inovation is not complete or perfected. Would your teacher give you an "A" if you did not complete or perfect your assignment? There is an automotive war between all manufactures right? In real war, who will win? Someone who hides behind there history with weapons that are not always reliable when you need them, or someone hungry and needs to make a name for themselves, but these guys have the most flawless,accurate,reliable and the most consistant weapons on thier side. German cars won some battles but watch them loose the war. There is nothing they can do about it, only lexus can beat themselves. It is only a matter of time.

I forgot the Jag super v8 0-60 http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=107154 "just 5.6 sec" while in the wake of sulev exaust of the Ls 460. Im making a point to to talk 460 #'s because it tops or ='s accel times from the top of the line euros as a base model. If a 460 can keep up with or top your best asside from the s600 what makes you fools think they can handle the 600H. Makes no sense to talk about a V12,Dubya12 or STUPER V8 that are so powerful they get matched or beat by a an "UN" prestigious "TOYOTA"4.6 V8. Its almost like the stock market. Would you knowingly invest your money into a stock that continues to grow and consistantly pays out more than you expect, or dump your money in a stock that is flat lineing and looses you money from time to time. If Uber prestige is what you want I have the stock for you.

what an amazing car. it is beautiful and luxurious but i don't think it will be the most prestigious-rr phantom and co...
way better looking than 7-series, s-class, a8.
but i think that at 5 metres in length it is approx. same length as am rapide and maserati quattroporte and they are more exclusive, expensive and better looking=prestigious...

This car will become the most prestigious Lexus ever, and be a serious challenge to the prestige of the top Mercedes and BMW equivalents, IMO.

The sheer technological wonder of this vehicle, and all the world's firsts it contains, will make it a must-have. But since production will be limited, this car will be very exclusive...

Lexus has elevated its brand image with this car, I can't wait to see it come out. I bet quite a few Hollywood celebrities will be purchasing one...

EFOXS4, as a lexus Rx330 owner, i can honestly say that the "plastic" dash that is silver is great IMO. I think it looks great, and it feels great, whether or not you think it's cheap looking. IF you want uniformity in all models, take a good look at the recently redesigned ones. GS, IS, LS,RX; they all have this color scheme, the silver plastic buttons on the side, thats pretty uniform to me.

as for AUDI, i have no idea why people keep saying the interiors are so good, i think they look hideous and even though the buttons may be in the right place, the layout is all wrong and unappealing to me.

quality doesnt revolve around who has better feeling buttons, it also has to do with reliability. THe last time i checked audi was almost as bad as MERC so you cant give them any recognition for quality. Bottom line, even though you guys think its a toyota, it will change the way people look at lexus after it comes out

oh and i thought of another invention from lexus that has been around for a while

THe worlds first twin chamber airbag for front passenger!

most prestigeous? hahaahahah no

jthree, the reviews i've read have commented on the superfluousness of the 8 speeds, and the lack of low down torque in the engine.

and i LIKE this lexus, which is a suprise.
i've always like mega luxury saloons (bar maybach, that piece of dirt) and this one does epitomise it.
whether i'd pick it over an s class is another matter.
it's very close and i can't quite decide.

its hard to say which came first, the low torque or the 8 speed. They had to amke the torque lower to have the 8 speed, so either they tuned down the engine or as your sugesting, they created the 8 speed after the engine. nobody will know.

IMHO i think that the 8 speed came first, they want to show up the germans...then created the low torque engine.

i think it was a very happy coincidence that they could make an 8 speed, and then luckily, they could tune the 460 to have more hp than say an s550, but at the expense of torque.
actually that must have saved a shedload of money.
m-b introduced the 63 because it was easier to make and has less torque than the 55 amg, so they could fit 7 g tronic to it.

Is it just me , or does this car look like an upscaled camry? U cant afford a BMW or MB , then go 4 a lexus dats wat i say. Almost everybody that owns a Lexus tries to convince themselves that lexus is better than a BMW or MB, y? coz they could afford any of these 2. thats how it goes and will always go.

M53R, have you ever owned a lexus? driven one for some time? or even sat in a new model of one? I used to be a huge Merc fan...loved all of them...still love them, but after you over the star on the hood and the prestiege, you will see that its just an over priced huge problem. Lexus makes good cars, whether or not you think the styling is bad.

and just to throw this out there, if i wanted, i could have bought MERCS the past 3 cars i have owned...instead, my last german car was a E class in the 90s and have bought 3 lexus cars there after...probably totally up at $110,000. So money isnt an issue if your looking for a luxury car, its what is the best. SO yes, i could have bought an S class for myself, but instead, i think im going to stick with lexus. which btw arent as cheap as they used to be. they are comparably near the germans, maybe a thousand under or so

Im glad we kinda toned down this lexus bashing thread. I dont want it to seem like I am bashing German cars, it is just when you here (read) people bashing a car line with mostly emotional rather than factual statements it realy detracts from the info we can all share together. I think some people should grow up and realize that all these companies have made considerable contributions to the car world and give them their damn credit.I do realize that the germans have been arround a lot longer and have paved the way for the japanese but you guys cant sit here and tell me that the japanese (Lexus for the most part) havent influenced not only the germans but the car world on how to build a quality automobile. Efox I am just trying to show you guys factual reviews and specs. I have read that the S8 does the 5 sec to 60. I want you guys to be prepared to see the hybrid version. I predict it will hit 60 between 4.4-4.7 sec. It has a 5.0 v8 paired w/hybrid, cvt and all wheel drive. These hybrid motors have torque avail in an instant from zero rpms. take a look at o-60 for the the gs 450h 5.2 sec http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/luxury/sedan/112_0604_2007_lexus_gs_450h/ coppy and paste to your browser. The 600h is going to pack at least 100 more hp. Call me crazy but I think lexus is understating the hp #'s on the 600h. The 460 = 4.6L = 380hp, 600h = 5.0+hybrid = 430. So .4 ltrs + hybrid give it only 50 hp over a 460 Bs. This thing is going to knock on 500 hp's door and ask if it can play.

When you finally put all of your personal preferences on the side, your will come to the realization that each generation of the Lexus LS has been a marked improvement. The LS460 is the finest example yet of what Lexus has learned from the "uber" set in Germany. The Japanese have copied everything and now improved upon it. Everything from fit, safety, performance and most importantly customer service is evident in the Lexus product. What Toyota has done to GM and Ford, they are about to do to Mercedes and BMW. Yes, it may not have the heritage and panache that the German marques have, but don't think they won't figure a way to eventually duplicate that also. By the way, I drive a Mercedes S500.

Prestigious? NO! Not with bland looks, school bus handling, and Toyota packaging.

Efox I agree with you to a certain extent the A8 interior was the best out of all the luxury cars in the uper class. I have sat in all of them at the auto shows. My only gripe with that car is the standard head liner was the same as a friends VW jetta and I hate the texture. When you option it out it has the alcantra. I dont know if you are aware but the ls430 offered the alcantra headliner in the UL package since 2001. The A8 is an awesome car as I have test driven it. It is a nice balance between lux and sport. It also has a tight turning radius, if you are in a parking spot and you crank the wheel all the way L or R and let the car turn you will make a nice tight 360 to the exact same spot you started in.

Lexusis350, i know what a concept car is. The point I was making is, LED headlights are not Lexus's innovation if they've seen it on other companies concept vehicles. They just put it into production first (but let's be real, car companies aren't racing to incorporate LED headlights into their model lineup's).

PlanoA4, yes Phillips did develop xenon technolgy, but BMW had the idea to intergrade it into their car's.

LexusKindaGuy12, how can you for one second say an
Audi interior is ugly and unnatractive, and then say Lexus has a beautiful interior & perfect layout. That comment goes to show how tanted your opinion is! Lexus looks like a dressed up toyota while Audi looks like a dressed down Bentley... and there's no disputing that!

munichrob...its just my opinion...i dont like the layout of audi cars...nor the new I drive/command stuff that are in cars now.

And btw, if you see them in concept cars, how rarely do you see concept cars actually come into production? i dont think i can even think of one that was a concept car that came into full mass production. I think lexus does get the bragging rights with the LED headlights, clearly they made it first in the race.

Jthree, i also agree that i think the LS600hl will have more than 430 horsepower. I think lexus wants to surprise the world with at least 450+. They arent using the 360hp engine from the 460, the new car gets a 5 liter one. So adding a 5 liter engine plus two hybrid motors...im guessing close to 500...call me crazy