Norwegian website Dinside Motor took an LS 600h L through its paces, hitting 160mph and showing off some major bodyroll:
I like to see these kind of tests, it’s so much more interesting to see the handling instead of reading about it.
The latest review of the LS 600h comes from the techs at Cnet, and although it didn’t get a perfect score like the previously reviewed LS 460L, the car still came away with an exceptionally high score of 9.7/10. Mini-marks were taken away for exterior styling:
And while the LS 600h is a very handsome, refined-looking car, has easy-to-use cabin electronics, and wonderful interior space, our consensus opinion was that it just doesn’t have the beauty to push it over the top. To get a top score in our design sub-rating, a car has to be a real head-turner.
In all other respects, the LS 600h blows away our rating system. Although much more expensive than the LS 460 L, it justifies its price with more power, superior handling, and lower tailpipe emissions.
Much of the review focuses in on the technological amenities, which should only be expected considering the source. An especially geeky attention (a third of the article!) was given to a competitive parking test, as the Cnet editors battled the Parking Guidance system to see who could park the fastest. Nerdy!
Road & Track has served up a bit of a twist with their LS 600hL review by comparing it with a Gulfstream G550, the world’s foremost private jet. A strange association, and incredibly flattering to Lexus, but the justification is this:
When the word “flagship” was coined, I’d bet its originator had neither $104,000 luxury sedans nor $46.7 million business jets in mind, but here are two shining and incredibly diverse examples that can claim the honor. Both the new Lexus LS 600h L and Gulfstream G550 are the pinnacle of each manufacturer’s lineup, and represent the sophistication, performance and technology that come from doing something very well, over time, in ever-improving iterations.
Always a more technical magazine than their counterparts, much of R&T’s review is given to the more esoteric aspects of the car. One especially handy supplement of the article is the included LS 600hL PDF, that details the car’s specs and performance figures.
Hybrid Cars has taken a dim view of the LS 600h, slamming it as “bizarre and misguided”, and urging his readers to steer clear. Understandable, I suppose, when your point of comparison is the Prius.
It’s true that LS 600h doesn’t get better gas mileage than its non-hybrid version, the LS 460, but why criticize a car for having 70% cleaner emissions than its competitors, or for being 50% quieter than a conventional car? What does it matter how many 600h’s are made, and how does the price of the car affect its environmental impact?
It’s impossible to argue the duality of the LS 600h, we are after all, talking about an ultra-luxury car purporting to be eco-friendly. However, there is a significant counterpoint to Hybrid Cars’ analysis: the car’s effect on the luxury car industry as a whole.
Already Mercedes is scrambling to put out its own hybrid to compete with 600h, as will every single one of Lexus’ competitors. This car has started a movement that will bring truly clean-running high-end luxury cars, a segment that has long favored horsepower and torque over gas conservation. Nevermind that with each successive iteration of this model, the technology will improve and the environmental punishment will lessen. How could being the forerunners to this movement be considered “bizarre or misguided”?
The LS 600h commercial Fast Reimagined has been posted to Youtube, and it’s classic Lexus imagery:
For a little background information, I found an interview with the digital effects team at Dexigner:
For this spot’s end-footage of the car, Balden explained that the Lexus was shot with a Canon digital SLR on the end of a camera rig as a series of long exposures. … “As soon as we got a look at the first take, we were all instantly convinced that this would look great,” Balden explained. “The footage looked amazing on its own, but once Pat Murphy and I finished with it, re-editing the takes to create a sort of day-to-night transition, adding a little move, blurring the background, and playing with the reflections on the car itself, it really looked gorgeous.”
Youtube user h4×0r0x was nice enough to post a demonstration of rather unique LS series feature found on the steering wheel, namely the Hold button:
As you can see, this button allows you to hold your brakes, meaning that you can rest your feet while at a stoplight. In essence, we’re looking at the anti-cruise control.
This is Lexus’ Passionate Pursuit of Perfection in full-effect.
The Family Car review of the ‘93 LS 400 was one of the articles I used to convince the girlfriend to buy our car, so I took a special interest in their fresh new review of the LS 600hL, knowing full well it was going to be all quality.
I wasn’t disappointed, this is an incredibly detailed road test, expertly researched and full of interesting insight:
My first impression of this new luxury sedan is that Lexus has succeeded in building a technological marvel. The quality and craftsmanship is apparent at first glance by the depth of its meticulous paint job, the one-piece chrome trim around the side windows and the close fit of all the body panels.
My first experience driving this car was surreal. Sitting behind the wheel, with the exception of the power gauge, it looked like I was in a well equipped LS460. That is until I tapped the start button to bring the engine to life. No sound. Nothing. I do feel a cool breeze coming from the AC outlet, but the tach is right on zero.
Whenever the LS600h L is coasting or slowing down, the gasoline engine will shut off, which also saves fuel. When accelerating from a stop, MG2 is capable of propelling the car at light throttle and low speeds without having to restart the engine. When engine power is needed, MG1 will bring the engine to life almost imperceptibly. The CVT transmission has no reverse gear, backing up is handled completely by the electric motor (MG2). You rarely have any sensation of when the gasoline engine starts or stops. This is the smoothest hybrid I have ever experienced.
Recommended reading to anyone in the market for this car, which is becoming more and more exceptional with every detail I get. Can’t wait to see one in real life.
[Via: Autospies]
Bruce McCulloch over at Autosavant asked the question “Does the 600h really offer any true advantage over the lesser LS460?” and came away with a resounding “NO!”
Let’s summarize his major points:
With these points in mind, it’s hard not to agree with his conclusion. However, little weight seems to have been given to the LS 600h’s exclusive features: LED headlights, All Wheel Drive, multi-zone climate control with infrared body temperature sensors, more wood and leather, and an optional Active Stabilizer Control system which provides better stability. With the exception of the ASC, these features cut directly into the price difference between models, and definitely put the 600h a cut above the 460.
McCulloh’s comparison also dismisses the environmental impact of driving a hybrid, which can not be discounted as a motivator to buyers in this price range, with their jetsetting and yachts sucking up fuel.
Really, it’s a debate for debate’s sake, as most of the 2008 production run of the 600h/600hL is already spoken for. Someone’s buying them.
According to Forbes, the new Lexus LS600h is one of 2008’s most anticipated luxury cars. Hardly surprising, given that it’s the first hybrid available in the upper auto echelon.
Other cars on the list:
Most of these cars represent significant releases for their respective brands, particularly the Audi R8 & Volvo C30. At the high end of the scale, the Drophead Coupe and SLR McLaren are practically unobtainable, even if price was no object (the entire 2008 & 2009 production runs of both models are already spoken for).
Take a look at these cars in a Forbes slideshow to see them in all their pictorial glory.
Lexus has released their ultra-mega hybrid LS600h & LS600hL sedans in Japan, and The Winding Road was good enough to share some photos and a host of exceptional numbers:
Pretty amazing figures, but what else could be expected from the most expensive production car ever made in Japan?
[Source: The Winding Road]
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