It is a brand new car but we all have heard or read about it like it was a classic...it? The Lexus LS and more precisely the LS600h! The big brother of the LS460 could have simply been a « better » version featuring a more powerful engine and a couple tweaks here and there but Lexus wanted more...the « h » stands for Hybrid, and this amazing automobile will soon be available in all the Lexus Centres around the globe.
It's been over a year since the first informations about this Hybrid Luxury Sedan started to emerge...the (ladies and gentlemen) first Luxury car powered by a Hybrid engine in the world!
Over the months, a whole lot of technical informations have been shared over the internet and specialized magazines but this is not what we wanted to focus on for this test drive, so if you are looking for a little « update » on what this car is made of, have a look at the following links:
LS600h and hL, THE Luxury Sedan by Lexus
The Toyota Safety DAY
Lexu LS600h, HDTV
(WMV9HD 720p Direct Download "Right click, Save as…")
Lexu LS600h, HDTV
(WMV9HD 720p Vuze Torrent "Right click, Save as…")
Lexus LS600h, HDTV
(DivX 6 HD 720p, Hosted by Stage6)
Lexus has been communicating a lot on what make this car different, and its the amazing amount of technology brought together to create what might be the most technology advanced car to date, whether we talk about active/passive security or the amazing 5 litre engine (V8 VVT-iE) linked to an electric one good for 445BHP...or the impressive exterior dimensions: a length of 5,15 metres (for the L version, 5,03 for the standard version), a width of 1,88m and height of 1,48m...the weight is impressive as well (2,290kg or over 2,400kg) but the AWD transmission (40% front – 60% rear) is said to make the whole thing easy to manouver...While I'm at it, let me precise that only the L (for Limousine) version will be available to our North American friends while the Europeans will enjoy the standard one.
A world premiere doesn't happen everyday, even in Japan, so I decided, with the kind authorization of Lexus Japan, to spend 1 week with the LS600h and after a couple days I had my mind made up...my point of view is two sided...let's say that there are 2 ways to see and think about this car...on one hand there is what we all heard and that we take for granted; the technology, Hybrid system, security...and on the other there is all that remains to be checked and verified, the drivability, the comfort...in a couple words: how is it to drive such a gigantic machine on a daily basis?
TECHNOLOGY is the key word, it almost seems that the car was built upside down, it's not a car full of technology, it's a technology with 4 wheels and a steering! One simple example was given to us some months back at the
Toyota Safety DAY, this car is real cocoon in which there is almost nothing to fear...and as the majority of the other cars you could come across on the roads is smaller, it feels a bit like driving an SUV, away from any possible danger. And the number of security systems is so high that the best thing is to simply forget about them...even though there can always be a risk, you can be sure that, whatever the case be, the LS600h won't let you down.
Of course the « heart » of the L600h is the hybrid motor. Toyota already proved its knowledge by proposing the Prius as THE eco-friendly car, with Lexus, they had the opportuniy to show-off their skills to the whole community and in particular to the german manufacturers who keep on proposing high powered (classic) sedans with (apparently) limited concerns for environmental issues.
Does this mean that you'll be able to cruise wherever you want for hours in a totally clean car? No, not really but you won't find ant other car in the category able to achieve such low figures in tems of gas consumption and air pollution, the reason is simple, the electric motor doesn't last long enough to be used as the main source to move the car, it can be used for a couple kilometres, a couple minutes but certainly not for a whole day. When it's on, the electric motor makes the car almost completely silent, a very nice way to come up without waking up the neighbours but at the same time mots people aren't used to that little noise coming from a car, as a result it has to be used carefully.
The fuel consumption is maybe what was the most complicated for me to evaluate while I was driving it and I can't bring precise figures but I can tell you that over a week, I never crossed the 360 kilometres barrier driving at a normal pace...
So...with all that said let's now take this LS600h for what it is, beyond the fact that it is a technological wonder, it's first and foremost...a car, which goal is to take us from point A to B, how does it go inside this Lexus?
On the road you can feel every gram of the 2Tons of the car, and despite an excellent AWD system and V8 engine, the car doesn't react swiftly but who would really want it to? The accelerations are smooth and linears and if you don't pay attention, you'll be cruising far over the speed limits in no time. The handling of the car simply can not be criticized, moving such an heavyweight has never been so easy and the electronics will always make sure everything is going right...which can be a bit worrying...but system failures are very unlikely to ever happen.
The design now, let's start with the exterior; well as the LS460 big brother, if you liked one you'll like the other! I, personaly think that the lines of this big sedan are very nice to look at and the new LED lights make it even better. After the IS 250 and 350 it's a pleasure to see Lexus coming up with cars that have their own personality and style!
The interior now, the comfort is excellent and at this level of price and quality it is the least that you could ask for, the seats can be moved in many directions to provide the best possible seat position and enjoymet behind the wheel. The suspensions offer 3 different modes: a « sports » one, the increased stiffness is good for better response, « normal » mode and comfort mode, the one your back will love the most!
If the driver can fully enjoy this Lexus LS600h, the same or more can be said for the passengers, especially those at the rear, actually the space has been increased (even more on the L version) and various options for the seats can turn any trip into a flight in first class!
As perfection doesn't exist and that there always is room for improvement I would say that the quality of the interior could have been better especially the choice of materials (is it real wood?) and the colors (see by yourself in the video)...the overall feel is a bit « old » and « cold ».
Unfortunately, at some point the car looks more like a Toyota than a Lexus and that is a point the Japanese manufacturer will have to improve in the future, especially towards the European crowd.
Plus:
Technology
Hybrid motor
Active and passive safety
Comfort
Minus:
Interior
Price
Conclusion:
What to think about this LS600h at the end of the day, or at the end of the week as far as I'm concerned, is it really a revolution that Toyota came up with through its Luxury vehicles brand? The answer is clearly Yes and the huge step forward made by Lexus in terms of safety, technology and motor will be hard for other car manufacturers to challenge. Unfortunately this may not be enough for some people who do not show a great interest in technology and go for impeccable interiors...Another possible problem for the big Lexus in Japan? Its price, costing 11 million Yens makes it a direct challenger to the Jaguar XJ 4.2 Sovereign, and even though the british queen doesn't feature advanced engine technology or incredible safety features, its interior and style can look more attractive to a lot of potential customers...Lexus's problem might be the image but no matter what, this LS600h is easily sitting among the bests of its category.
Posted on 08/07/08 By G-A.G
