NYCshopper
03-21-2007, 03:15 PM
Test Drive: 2007 Lexus LS460L (Canadian Driver)
http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jm/07ls460l.htm
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2007/images/lexus/2007_lexus_ls_460/07ls460_jm_001-3957.jpg
Oshawa, Ontario - I was sitting in a parking lot one afternoon in the Lexus LS460L, intently scribbling in my notebook, and so I never noticed the young man who walked up to the car until he rapped sharply on the window. After I got back into my skin and opened the window, he asked the question I must have heard a hundred times during the week: "Is this the car that parks itself?"
Yes, it is, and yes, it really does park itself. But that optional feature - and more on that later - is only a minor part of a car that does everything so well that, over the course of a week, we got tired of saying, "This is a nice car!" Because that's exactly what it is.
The flagship 2007 LS460 replaces the 2006 LS430. The name reflects a change from the previous 4.3-litre V8 to an all-new 4.6-litre V8 that, at 380 hp, makes 102 more horses than the engine it replaces. Even bigger news is the transmission: the previous six-speed is replaced by what Lexus calls the world's first eight-speed automatic. I joked that any more gears and it'll be a CVT, but it's no laughing matter: this transmission is the smoothest and creamiest I've ever driven.
Gear shifts are almost imperceptible, and the unit always keeps the engine right where it needs to be, regardless of how heavy or light the load. Throttle response is instantaneous, and the engine has a sweet rumble to it that lets you know there are eight cylinders under the hood, but the sound is restrained in the manner of a luxury car, and so it's very easy to hit way-over-legal speeds without even realizing it. I took it through my favourite test of engine/transmission smoothness - a moment after taking my foot off the throttle, I was back on it again, as you might on the highway when a car pulls into your lane and then moves out again - and there was absolutely no hesitation or jolt. This is, simply, a nice car.
Previously, sport handling in a luxury liner was exclusive to manufacturers like BMW and Audi, but they're going to have to start looking over their shoulders: Lexus has pretty much nailed it with this car. Despite its size, the LS460L takes corners flat, handles switchbacks without lurching, and swallows up road imperfections like they aren't even there. A button on the console switches to Sport or Comfort modes. Stability programs and anti-lock braking are integrated into Lexus' Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM); at a company demonstration, I had the opportunity to brake hard with two wheels on a plastic surface covered with soapy water. While there was still some sliding - even the best systems can only do so much - the VDIM kept the car in a surprisingly straight line.
The 4.6-litre has a combined fuel efficiency rating of 10.8 L/100 km in the 460L, although my week with it, a bitterly cold one, returned 15.8 L/100 km. A hybrid version, the LS400hL with 5.0-litre V8 and high-torque electric motor, should come to market in spring of this year; the company says its performance should be equivalent to a conventional V12.
The second L in the name refers to the car's length. The LS460 comes in two lengths; my tester marks Lexus' first long-wheelbase car, and as such, it can be used for limousine duty, since it offers 120 mm more legroom than the standard version. The base long-wheelbase model, at $98,700, includes navigation system with backup camera, Bluetooth hands-free telephone system, rear power seats, rear seat side airbags and electric opening and closing trunk. My tester had been further optioned as the top-of-the-line Executive Package. That's a progressive series of packages: the Ultra Premium Package is $104,600 (19-speaker Mark Levinson audio system with rear controls, four-zone independent climate control, premium leather upholstery, acoustic glass, rear-seat beverage cooling box, rear door power sunshades and ultra-suede headliner); the $110,500 Technology Package builds on the Ultra Premium (radar cruise control, clearance and backup sensor, pre-collision system, smart key and the self-parking system); and the Executive Package, at $122,700, includes all of those and adds electric power steering with variable gear ratio steering, front and rear adaptive variable air suspension, rear-seat DVD system, rear-seat fold-out table, rear-seat ottoman and rear seat massage system. In other words, this car has more stuff in it than my house does.
The Lexus is very understated: it blends into traffic, which might be the whole point for top power players who want some down-time privacy, but I was disappointed in the lack of interest from other drivers, given the hefty price of the car. Inside, though, that low-key approach translates into welcome elegance. The seats are buttery-smooth leather, and there's just enough shiny wood. As per Lexus standards, the quality and fit are flawless, and there are all kinds of little touches, such as a centre console box lid that closes itself.
Although there are a lot of controls up front, most of them are very intuitive, including the navigation system. The cruise control can be used conventionally, or switched over to a radar-based adaptive system that monitors the vehicle in front and slows or speeds up the car to maintain one of three pre-set distance limits, which can be easily switched by pressing a button on the wheel. The HVAC system's temperatures can be controlled separately by driver or passenger (folks in the rear also have their own individual system controls) and there's even a button that activates a pollen filter for those with allergies, but if you want more control over the settings, you have to access the vent mode and blower fan through the computer screen.
The Executive Package's rear seat is heavenly: you can control the audio or video system, fold out the table for making notes, or enjoy a shiatsu massage (yes, really), which operates via a remote control. The ottoman chair looks interesting, but it really isn't all that practical. No one can be sitting in the front passenger seat when it's in use, because that seat slides up close to the dash; once it does, the right rear passenger seat leg rest lifts up, like a La-Z-Boy lounger, and includes an airbag in the seat cushion to prevent the occupant sliding forward in a crash. The main problem is that although the car's long, it's not a super-stretch: I'm only 5-foot-4, but I couldn't stretch my legs out straight without hitting the front seat (and getting footprints on that lovely beige leather). A couple of taller passengers couldn't straighten their legs at all; it's a great feature for showing off, but I can't imagine too many people actually being able to use it without sitting sideways in it, which isn't very comfortable. Because the front seat must be all the way forward, there's no ottoman seat available behind the driver.
But of course the big deal here is the self-parking feature, which Lexus calls Advanced Parking Guidance System. At the moment it's the only model in North America that has it, although a similar system is also optional on the Prius in Japan. It will only back into a spot, not nose into it, and it doesn't "un-park" by driving out.
To use it, you drive up to a spot as you normally would, whether on an angle for row parking, or alongside vehicles for parallel parking. When you put the shifter in reverse, the backup camera image shows up on the screen. You touch it to indicate row or parallel parking (it can parallel park to the right or left).
Once you do, the car's sensors measure the space beside or behind the car, and a green rectangle - the area where the car will ultimately end up - appears on the screen, where it can be adjusted using the touch screen if necessary. From there, you take your foot off the brake and your hands off the wheel, and the car steers itself. The driver, not the car, operates the brakes, and you'll get a warning if the car's moving too fast; if you don't slow down, or if you touch the wheel or throttle, the system shuts off. You have to brake when you get close to other vehicles, but the system shuts off (and a voice tells you it has) when it senses the car is within the original rectangle's area.
It worked very well in a controlled demonstration put on by the company, but in the real world, I wasn't always as impressed. It can be confused by puddles, snow, faded parking lot lines, or if the parking lot is too dark. While I probably wouldn't have hit the cars on either side (I didn't try to find out), the green rectangle frequently came up crooked in the spot, and it didn't always want to move: my attempts to straighten it would often result in the rectangle turning red, which turned off the system, and I never was able to move it back so that it turned green. The car parks only at idle speed, which presented a problem when I tried to use it in a lot with a slight incline; the car stopped halfway up, and when I touched the throttle, the system shut off.
The bottom line was that when it worked, it was indeed a marvel of engineering, but by the time I set up the screen and let it do its thing, I could have parked it myself in a fraction of the time. Use it in a parking lot full of speed-crazed shoppers at Christmas at your own risk.
More to the point: this car is so nice (there I go again), I never wanted to let it park itself, because I didn't want to stop driving it. The dilemma is whether to sit in the back with the massaging seat, or sit up front and be in control of this exceptional automobile. At this price, it's a decision for only a small number of buyers, but it's sure one many people would love to be able to make.
Pricing: 2007 Lexus LS460L
Base price: $98,700
Options: $24,000 (Executive Package, which includes Ultra Premium and Technology Packages)
Freight: $1,775
A/C tax: $100
Price as tested: $124,575 (Canadian Dollars)
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2007/images/lexus/2007_lexus_ls_460/07ls460_jm_005-3953.jpg
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2007/images/lexus/2007_lexus_ls_460/07ls460_jm_003-3955.jpg
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2007/images/lexus/2007_lexus_ls_460/07ls460_jm_004-3954.jpg
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2007/images/lexus/2007_lexus_ls_460/07ls460_jm_008-3950.jpg
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2007/images/lexus/2007_lexus_ls_460/07ls460_jm_011-3947.jpg
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2007/images/lexus/2007_lexus_ls_460/07ls460_jm_013-3945.jpg
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2007/images/lexus/2007_lexus_ls_460/07ls460_jm_002-3956.jpg
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2007/images/lexus/2007_lexus_ls_460/07ls460_jm_v002-3943.jpg
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2007/images/lexus/2007_lexus_ls_460/07ls460_jm_009-3949.jpg
http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jm/07ls460l.htm
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2007/images/lexus/2007_lexus_ls_460/07ls460_jm_001-3957.jpg
Oshawa, Ontario - I was sitting in a parking lot one afternoon in the Lexus LS460L, intently scribbling in my notebook, and so I never noticed the young man who walked up to the car until he rapped sharply on the window. After I got back into my skin and opened the window, he asked the question I must have heard a hundred times during the week: "Is this the car that parks itself?"
Yes, it is, and yes, it really does park itself. But that optional feature - and more on that later - is only a minor part of a car that does everything so well that, over the course of a week, we got tired of saying, "This is a nice car!" Because that's exactly what it is.
The flagship 2007 LS460 replaces the 2006 LS430. The name reflects a change from the previous 4.3-litre V8 to an all-new 4.6-litre V8 that, at 380 hp, makes 102 more horses than the engine it replaces. Even bigger news is the transmission: the previous six-speed is replaced by what Lexus calls the world's first eight-speed automatic. I joked that any more gears and it'll be a CVT, but it's no laughing matter: this transmission is the smoothest and creamiest I've ever driven.
Gear shifts are almost imperceptible, and the unit always keeps the engine right where it needs to be, regardless of how heavy or light the load. Throttle response is instantaneous, and the engine has a sweet rumble to it that lets you know there are eight cylinders under the hood, but the sound is restrained in the manner of a luxury car, and so it's very easy to hit way-over-legal speeds without even realizing it. I took it through my favourite test of engine/transmission smoothness - a moment after taking my foot off the throttle, I was back on it again, as you might on the highway when a car pulls into your lane and then moves out again - and there was absolutely no hesitation or jolt. This is, simply, a nice car.
Previously, sport handling in a luxury liner was exclusive to manufacturers like BMW and Audi, but they're going to have to start looking over their shoulders: Lexus has pretty much nailed it with this car. Despite its size, the LS460L takes corners flat, handles switchbacks without lurching, and swallows up road imperfections like they aren't even there. A button on the console switches to Sport or Comfort modes. Stability programs and anti-lock braking are integrated into Lexus' Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM); at a company demonstration, I had the opportunity to brake hard with two wheels on a plastic surface covered with soapy water. While there was still some sliding - even the best systems can only do so much - the VDIM kept the car in a surprisingly straight line.
The 4.6-litre has a combined fuel efficiency rating of 10.8 L/100 km in the 460L, although my week with it, a bitterly cold one, returned 15.8 L/100 km. A hybrid version, the LS400hL with 5.0-litre V8 and high-torque electric motor, should come to market in spring of this year; the company says its performance should be equivalent to a conventional V12.
The second L in the name refers to the car's length. The LS460 comes in two lengths; my tester marks Lexus' first long-wheelbase car, and as such, it can be used for limousine duty, since it offers 120 mm more legroom than the standard version. The base long-wheelbase model, at $98,700, includes navigation system with backup camera, Bluetooth hands-free telephone system, rear power seats, rear seat side airbags and electric opening and closing trunk. My tester had been further optioned as the top-of-the-line Executive Package. That's a progressive series of packages: the Ultra Premium Package is $104,600 (19-speaker Mark Levinson audio system with rear controls, four-zone independent climate control, premium leather upholstery, acoustic glass, rear-seat beverage cooling box, rear door power sunshades and ultra-suede headliner); the $110,500 Technology Package builds on the Ultra Premium (radar cruise control, clearance and backup sensor, pre-collision system, smart key and the self-parking system); and the Executive Package, at $122,700, includes all of those and adds electric power steering with variable gear ratio steering, front and rear adaptive variable air suspension, rear-seat DVD system, rear-seat fold-out table, rear-seat ottoman and rear seat massage system. In other words, this car has more stuff in it than my house does.
The Lexus is very understated: it blends into traffic, which might be the whole point for top power players who want some down-time privacy, but I was disappointed in the lack of interest from other drivers, given the hefty price of the car. Inside, though, that low-key approach translates into welcome elegance. The seats are buttery-smooth leather, and there's just enough shiny wood. As per Lexus standards, the quality and fit are flawless, and there are all kinds of little touches, such as a centre console box lid that closes itself.
Although there are a lot of controls up front, most of them are very intuitive, including the navigation system. The cruise control can be used conventionally, or switched over to a radar-based adaptive system that monitors the vehicle in front and slows or speeds up the car to maintain one of three pre-set distance limits, which can be easily switched by pressing a button on the wheel. The HVAC system's temperatures can be controlled separately by driver or passenger (folks in the rear also have their own individual system controls) and there's even a button that activates a pollen filter for those with allergies, but if you want more control over the settings, you have to access the vent mode and blower fan through the computer screen.
The Executive Package's rear seat is heavenly: you can control the audio or video system, fold out the table for making notes, or enjoy a shiatsu massage (yes, really), which operates via a remote control. The ottoman chair looks interesting, but it really isn't all that practical. No one can be sitting in the front passenger seat when it's in use, because that seat slides up close to the dash; once it does, the right rear passenger seat leg rest lifts up, like a La-Z-Boy lounger, and includes an airbag in the seat cushion to prevent the occupant sliding forward in a crash. The main problem is that although the car's long, it's not a super-stretch: I'm only 5-foot-4, but I couldn't stretch my legs out straight without hitting the front seat (and getting footprints on that lovely beige leather). A couple of taller passengers couldn't straighten their legs at all; it's a great feature for showing off, but I can't imagine too many people actually being able to use it without sitting sideways in it, which isn't very comfortable. Because the front seat must be all the way forward, there's no ottoman seat available behind the driver.
But of course the big deal here is the self-parking feature, which Lexus calls Advanced Parking Guidance System. At the moment it's the only model in North America that has it, although a similar system is also optional on the Prius in Japan. It will only back into a spot, not nose into it, and it doesn't "un-park" by driving out.
To use it, you drive up to a spot as you normally would, whether on an angle for row parking, or alongside vehicles for parallel parking. When you put the shifter in reverse, the backup camera image shows up on the screen. You touch it to indicate row or parallel parking (it can parallel park to the right or left).
Once you do, the car's sensors measure the space beside or behind the car, and a green rectangle - the area where the car will ultimately end up - appears on the screen, where it can be adjusted using the touch screen if necessary. From there, you take your foot off the brake and your hands off the wheel, and the car steers itself. The driver, not the car, operates the brakes, and you'll get a warning if the car's moving too fast; if you don't slow down, or if you touch the wheel or throttle, the system shuts off. You have to brake when you get close to other vehicles, but the system shuts off (and a voice tells you it has) when it senses the car is within the original rectangle's area.
It worked very well in a controlled demonstration put on by the company, but in the real world, I wasn't always as impressed. It can be confused by puddles, snow, faded parking lot lines, or if the parking lot is too dark. While I probably wouldn't have hit the cars on either side (I didn't try to find out), the green rectangle frequently came up crooked in the spot, and it didn't always want to move: my attempts to straighten it would often result in the rectangle turning red, which turned off the system, and I never was able to move it back so that it turned green. The car parks only at idle speed, which presented a problem when I tried to use it in a lot with a slight incline; the car stopped halfway up, and when I touched the throttle, the system shut off.
The bottom line was that when it worked, it was indeed a marvel of engineering, but by the time I set up the screen and let it do its thing, I could have parked it myself in a fraction of the time. Use it in a parking lot full of speed-crazed shoppers at Christmas at your own risk.
More to the point: this car is so nice (there I go again), I never wanted to let it park itself, because I didn't want to stop driving it. The dilemma is whether to sit in the back with the massaging seat, or sit up front and be in control of this exceptional automobile. At this price, it's a decision for only a small number of buyers, but it's sure one many people would love to be able to make.
Pricing: 2007 Lexus LS460L
Base price: $98,700
Options: $24,000 (Executive Package, which includes Ultra Premium and Technology Packages)
Freight: $1,775
A/C tax: $100
Price as tested: $124,575 (Canadian Dollars)
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2007/images/lexus/2007_lexus_ls_460/07ls460_jm_005-3953.jpg
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2007/images/lexus/2007_lexus_ls_460/07ls460_jm_003-3955.jpg
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2007/images/lexus/2007_lexus_ls_460/07ls460_jm_004-3954.jpg
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2007/images/lexus/2007_lexus_ls_460/07ls460_jm_008-3950.jpg
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2007/images/lexus/2007_lexus_ls_460/07ls460_jm_011-3947.jpg
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2007/images/lexus/2007_lexus_ls_460/07ls460_jm_013-3945.jpg
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2007/images/lexus/2007_lexus_ls_460/07ls460_jm_002-3956.jpg
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2007/images/lexus/2007_lexus_ls_460/07ls460_jm_v002-3943.jpg
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2007/images/lexus/2007_lexus_ls_460/07ls460_jm_009-3949.jpg