Lexus LS 460/LS 460L Styling Impressions

yak54

I am considering the short wheel base version, but I wonder if I shpuld wait a year? Generaly first year models have there bugs, what do you think about this one?

dennykrane

I was wondering the same thing. Since the new ls will have a new size engine and new trans, lots of new electronic gadgets in side I too thought of waiting out the first year.

Has any one seen any type of study or survey on how much "bugs" might be on 1st year models ? I have looked to see if there was a fourm on this but found nothing. Any one have info on this ?

DK

ljflx

I've had every first year LS since 95 and know a number of others who've had one or all of them as well. No one I know ever had a problem with this car - in its first year of production or in any year of production.

Tagman - the LS600H is indeed very intriguing. I am very tempted to extend my lease beyond next April and get the car. But I fear the wait list for it.

isaac3

DrFill,
Just got on here. What's the scoop on this LS600 and 600? Is there a source someplace to get info?
isaac3

tagman

ljflx, For goodness sakes, at least get on the list! Nothing to lose, and there is typically some attrition. You might get lucky. The sooner the better.

BTW, did you catch the line "Kevin Finnerty (Kev Infinity) drives a Lexus" on the Sopranos?



TagMan

nvbanker

Kevin Finnerty - yeah, I caught that. Hated the episode, but would like to see Kevin's car. You remember, I'm sure, in the very first Soprano's episode, Christopher had just bought an LS, which Tony used to run down his debtor! You know the car has credibility when it takes over for Cadillac and Lincoln in the Jersey Waste Management business. Look for an LS600h to show up in the movie.

cyclone4

I put my name on the list several months ago. ljflx, don't mess around, place your name on the waiting list. I can tell the LS600h is the car for you.

tagman

It'll be unanimous, lj. Face it . . . everyone here's going to dish out the same recommendation. And for good reason. Don't kick yourself in the --- later. It's deposit time on the wait list! Truly, my friend, do it or you'll lose sleep.

TagMan

drfill

I don't have any inside info, so you know what I know at this point.

The NYIAS will reveal a lot of the missing pieces, and I hope to be there in the flesh!

DrFill

ljflx

So did the ex agent on 24 and the hoods in the initial episode of Sopranos (GS). You've got to love David Chase for his ironies. Take out Kev and just use the last two letters of that first name and you have a spin on infinnity (as in forever) as well as the other Japanese lux brand and then he lets the guy drive a Lexus. Only Chase. Did you also catch Dr. Tashland (the missing doctor). Re-arrange the letters and it's Last-hand. I actually loved the episode but we have to get out of these dream sequences soon. I'm convinced Tony's comatose dream is a dream within a Carmela dream. I do believe Tony got shot and is hurt but Carmela is dreaming how bad life would be if he was hurt a lot worse than he really is. A couple of things that are taking me there are the bluntness of the doctors (something you never see), her inaction with Christopher and the others (she only sees her immediate family, the doctors, her friend and the detectives - so a view totally from her perspective), the fact that everything is now going wrong vs the everything going right situation in episode one and Paulie's words on the coming attractions - "What if he takes a turn for the worse". How much worse can he get? That last line leads me to think that there is a real world (the crime family) view and an imaginary world (Carmela) view of Tony's injury and the two are on separate pages about the gravity of it. We'll see. One other thing - I don't ever remember Tony having another sister but I also missed the first two seasons.

Good advice on the LS 600H. I've got too much going on in the business world these days and I never even thought of listing myself for the 600H.

mikegiller

I think you are bang-on about the Sopranos. Good thinking.

I have a question about the options though of this car for the L version. The last/current LS 430 has massaging seats for both rear seats. The 07' LS 460L only has the rear right seat with the massage feature; it says so on the feature list on the Canadian website. Isn't this a step backwards?

06' LS:

Luxury Appointments
Optional separate front and rear seat climate control
Standard SmartAccess entry with engine immobilizer
Super ECT 6-speed automatic transmission
Rear foot lights and vanity mirrors
Multiple front, side, curtain-shield and front knee airbags
Optional Power rear seats with separate massage and heat controls
Available DVD-based GPS navigation with rear back-up camera

07 LS L:

Luxury Appointments
SmartAccess System with Push Button Start
Full Leather and Wood Trimmed Interior
Dual Zone Automatic Climate Control
Available Lexus Voice-Activated HDD Navigation System with Bluetooth® technology
Available Mark Levinson 19-speaker Surround Sound System
Available 8-Gigabyte Audio Server
Available 4-zone Climate Control with Air Purifier
Available Front and Rear Climate-comfort Seats
Available Premium Four-Passenger Seat Package with Rear-Seat DVD Entertainment System
Available Rear-seat Massager (right seat only)

Is this a possible mistake? Does anybody have any insight on this matter?

barrys

If I'm not mistaken, the massage option is not the problem but rather that the seat comes with a foot rest that can extend outward and the seat back and lean backward on the 2007. For some reason they felt they could not put that behind the driver's seat but rather OK behind the passenger seat.

lexus460l

They actually meant that there will be massage features on both sides but there will only be reclining seats with footrests on the right side. They did that because they were afraid that if there was recling footrests on the left side too, that will disturb the driver driving

landi

Does anybody think that the LS600h exterior or interior will be substantially different than the LS460?

nvbanker

It's different, but not much different.

landi

You are probably right. The concept shown for the 600 is virtually the same as 460 with maybe different headlights and grill. I am hoping to have a completely different dash because I think the hi tech nature of the car deserves something more dramatic than the one shown for the 460. I do not recall seeing interior shots of the 600. I think Lexus did good on the exterior and the interior (except the dash). For example, the detail on the doors is great. The best part is the four seat option which I think it makes the other brands, with much higher price points, look childish.

yak54

I wonder if the ls 460 will handle as well as the bmw 750?

dewey

Available Rear-seat Massager

What is her appointment schedule like and her hourly rate

dennykrane

The Dallas auto show starts on wed and runs through the week end. I plan to go by there and see if by chance they are showing the 2007 LS. I kind of doubt it; its worth a try.

I guess I can take a photo or two on my cell phone, but I dont know the process on how to download it to the comp.

I'm just hoping they will have more info on specs. and optional packages. :confuse:

DK

nvbanker

Denny: When you open your cellphone (to take that picture), does it beep five times to signal the Enterprise?

dennykrane

They did have the new LS at Dallas...........It really looked nice. It was the silver long wheel base car, and was on the turn table so we could not get in it, but the car looks better in person than from the photos . I guess its just a different prespective. Any way 2 bits of info that might or mightnot of been mentioned before are :
the l model will be 20 to 30 k more than the shorter model. the guy said they were still working on that. I'll stick with the short one. And the l model loses trunk space, from the recliner. Go figure .
DK

mikegiller

Denny Krane

ljflx

He's probably talking a fully loaded LWB car vs a stripped SWB car. The price differential between an ultra and a stripped car in the current model is $17K right now. There's no way you are looking at a $20-30K price differential between a SWB ultra and a LWB car. Somehing got lost in the translation there. I would expect the popular model choices of a SWB car to be around $65-67K and a LWB equivalebt (which will probably have $5-8K of options not even available on the SWB) to be around $77K. Top of the line fully optioned LWB cars probably will run 80-82K and then we get into the 90's on the hybrid.

tagman

There's no way you are looking at a $20-30K price differential between a SWB ultra and a LWB car.

Thanks, ljflx. You must have been reading my mind. I was about to ring your bell and ask you what you knew about that. Thanks for straightening it out. It definately sounded out of whack somehow. A little miscommunication at the auto show can too easily spread a bunch a bad rumors in a hurry.

BTW - You should get your deposit in BEFORE the 12th. Once the publicity hits the lists will grow.

TagMan

landi

Thanks for the advise! I just put in my name with two dealers on a wait list for both LS460 and LS600h. When they come out I can decide which one to go for. My lease runs out in Nov 06 but Lexus will extend it if I wanted to wait for the LS600. But I am not sure I can wait that long. But if it is really impressive, maybe I should?

drfill

I saw a need to straighten that out, but I had a more pressing business in HELM to attend to.

DrFill

landi

I just noticed that the LSF-h concept was shown as short WB when it first hit the auto shows (tokyo?). Has there been any word if the 600h is going to be offered on both short and long WB? I always assumed it was the long WB because it is the top of the line. But they keep saying it is performance oriented so maybe it is only the short WB.

ljflx

Tagman- I'm on the list for both the LWB and the Hybrid now. I've also found out that the LWB car is already pretty heavily deposited and will be in short supply for the first couple of months unless Lexus ups production. Thanks for waking me up on that one.

BTW - The S550 has grown on me in pix - particularly that side profile. But I haven't seen one on the road yet.

ljflx

That was the proto-type at 199". From everything that has been stated the hybrid is a LWB car only. This is a car that is V12 equivalent so they either make it available in both sizes or LWB only and I see it being the latter. That was also what my dealer indicated.

landi

I have seen about 20 S-550s on the road mostly blacks and greys and a few whites and silvers. Personally I had to get used to it. I like the darker colors with huge wheels (20"+). I must admit, I really liked a black one that had all lights (front and back) and windows blacked out and huge chrome wheels with the sweet AMG package but fully loaded it is $113K. So the LWB LS460 at about $80K fully loaded sounds very good. With the extra $33K I can buy another very nice car or two very cheap cars! The LWB LS dark colors should be fairly nice with all that chrome. We will see.

ljflx

I will definitely be at the show this year. I wish it had better timing with schoolbreak this week (no vacation this year as they are working heavily on a pool in my backyard) as I'd rather go on a weekday but most likely will go this saturday or next saturday.

bugfiat

I have seen the new S Class in Canada. I can live with the exterior styling including the wheel arches but I am not at all impressed with the interior styling especialy the dash board. For me, it was too flat and boring. However, reading the reviews, it sounds like a fabulous car to drive and I also like the night vision system.

I am waiting for more info on the new LS on Wednesday at the NY auto show. Like many of you I am not sure whether to go with the 460L or the hybrid. As I will be driving it, I am not fussy about reclining rear seat especially if it will reduce the trunk capacity.

nvbanker

And I agree with your assessment - the old S cabin was just about perfect - why mess much with that? Looks like they cheaped out to me.

tagman

BTW - The S550 has grown on me in pix - particularly that side profile. But I haven't seen one on the road yet.

The S550 is a beautiful car. My only grudge has turned out to be the trunk. Didn't bother me at first, but in the final analysis, I don't love it. At certain angles it's slightly out of whack . . . but it wouldn't be a deal breaker either. Certainly, the LS isn't perfect styling either, and although very tasteful, lacks the KO punch that is more inherent in the S's styling. Leave the nit-picking to the forums, cause in real life either car would be a wonderful experience.

Congrats on getting on the lists. At least you now have some options to play out if you want to.

Later . . .

TagMan

landi

Few more hours! Today my dealer said the 600 arrives in April of 07. He said "a lot" of people have put in their name. He said people just put in their name and they are not sure if they want the car because not much is known about the car. The only thing he said was that the car will be "very limited production". I guess when time comes for deposits, the real buyers will step up. At about $90K, I think there will still be a lot of buyers, at least in So Cal.

drfill

Drop your knowledge at the LS600h forum, please.

DrFill

syswei

press release

5-liter, "more than 320kW" (320kW=429hp)

landi

I had predicted Lexus pulling a fast one with the 5.0 liter but 429 seems too low for the 5.0 liter + electrics. It says more than 320. Not much else is provided in terms of features except AWD. I was hoping the 600 release would give us more info on the 460. What is the MPG when you convert 14L/100KM? I had guessed 28-29 combined. (Sorry Dr but no LS600 board! These two cars are almost the same.)

landi

Press conference did not reveal any visual interior or exterior difference between the two vehicles with the exception of the front light clusters which look stunning. Black car was beautiful. Cannot wait to see it in person.

syswei

Much more detailed than the Australian release, and you can click on the picture to access a picture gallery

press release

direct link to picture gallery

landi

Thanks for links.

neno8403

Thanks for the links. I caught the last few minutes of the live event but it didn't show anything but a camera that was focused on nothing.

Anyway, I am loving the lights from the original LF-Sh concept but I'm still curious why Lexus adamantly refuses to use that cool, beautiful grille from the LF-Sh concept as well. Oh well. Anyway I'm loving the LED headlights. But 430hp seems like a big disappointment. I was expecting at least 500-something horsepower. So what exactly does the "600" in LS600h signify?

syswei

here

neno8403

CLICK ON PHOTOS TO MAKE LARGER

hpowders

in looks from the rather tired-looking current LS.
Spring of 2007?
Wow. That's a long time to wait.
Even though I am a BMW man, I will definitely be checking one out next spring at my nearest Lexus dealership.

momers

Hi all,

You might want to check out the new LS600hL video at the japanese website ... www.lexus.jp

It literally took my breath away for a few seconds

direct links
http://lexus.jp/ms/2006newyork/
HYBRID video under the movies section.

You might also notice the difference in the configurations offered.

momers

bugfiat

I agree. It is a very well done web presentation. The hybrid looks great, especially the lights. But I don't think I can wait one more year for the hybrid (and also pay the hefty premium) so I will be going for the 460L.

Thanks for the link to the Japanese web site

tvtimeout

The 2008 600 h will be out in the spring of '07. It will be slightly longer than the current 430 and it will be priced north of $98,000. There will be a very limited quanity available at dealerships ( mine suggested that they would get 2).

This is to compete with the top of the line Mercedes and BMW's.

syswei

Where did you hear the 98k number?

wbwynn

The wait on the new LS has become frustrating, the germans are wooing me again. Drove the A6 Avant Quattro and ML350 for fun...very tempting.

Help! Len, is there a cure for this?