Lexus LS Review

Lexus’ first car, back in the late 1980s, was the no expense spared LS 400. Toyota’s new luxury car division spent billions to create a luxury machine to take on, and beat, the class benchmark, Mercedes-Benz’ S-Class. And, you know what? Beat it the Lexus indeed did. It was an extraordinary achievement.

Since then, Lexus has expanded and become a fully fledged premium brand in its own right. Sadly, it’s taken its eye off the ball when it comes to its luxury range-topper. The LS remains an awesome piece of luxury car engineering, that’s still crafted to truly impeccable standards. It’s just that these days, the S-Class is once again the better car…

You can have the big Lexus in two flavours, LS 460 or LS 600h. The latter is a hybrid but don’t be misled – both come with a big V8 petrol engine, so both offer the same outstanding mechanical smoothness the LS is renowned for. There’s probably not a luxury limo that has a pair of engines more sewing machine sweet than the LS.

There’s not much splitting the LS 460’s 392hp and the LS 600h’s 445hp in terms of power and performance, either (ironically, the LS 600h is slower, taking 6.1 seconds to 62mph instead of 5.7 seconds...). The hybrid doesn’t even have much more pulling power, something that’s usually a strength of electric-assist engines.

Where the hybrid does come into its own is its pure electric running. Frankly, it won’t take you very far, very fast; soon as you start to demand more, the engine kicks in. But for as much engine-off silence as you come to a halt and pull away from the lights as possible, it has an advantage. But it’s only city centre users who are likely to feel the benefit.

The Lexus LS is set up as a cruiser rather than a bruiser, but it does neither as well as the best in this class. The biggest draw is likely to be its air cushioned ride, which does display the characteristic absorbency of a genuine luxury car, which comes into its own on smooth roads. Sadly, the big wheels mean it’s a bit too irritable for comfort over bumps and, here in Britain, you’re likely to find the S-Class a smoother runner.

Handling has never been an LS priority. It’s safe and secure, but not a car you’ll hustle for the fun of it. Indeed, sensations are probably the last thing you’ll feel, for Lexus has intentionally engineered this car to be easy, remote and refined: steering feel would spoil that elegance so it’s been tuned out. Sorry, BMW 7 Series and Jaguar XJ fans.

Overall, it’s a stable and comfortable car to drive, without particularly starring in either aspect. It’ll never be a back-road blaster but we do think the LS should match the Mercedes-Benz’ remarkable comfort: maybe the next version will do…

Here, apart from the effects of age, is where the LS comes into its own. Engine refinement is staggering, even if you push it really hard, and the haven of peace it creates at speed epitomises what a luxury limo should deliver. If you’re sat in the back, you’ll feel very good about yourself indeed.

This refinement, achieved by tireless detail engineering plus more obvious tools such as double-glazed glass, makes it a good place to enjoy some of the toys on board, as we’ll see. It also makes it a particularly easygoing car to drive for long distances: you don’t get the same general fatigue that you do in more normal cars when driving an LS, simply because it’s such an easygoing partner.

Where it does stumble is in some of the age-related issues that newer rivals don’t suffer. Compared to an S-Class, there’s perhaps a bit more wind rustle, a trace more road noise, a few thuds over bumps that you wouldn’t get in the Merc. Really, though, so high are the standards, you’re unlikely to grumble that much.

The Lexus is a traditional-feeling machine behind the wheel, and older LS drivers will find it all very familiar. It’s a little too Japanese compared to the extraordinary standards set by the sophisticated Merc S-Class, the high-tech Audi A8 and the urbane Jaguar XJ, so a little too formulaic and dull, but the fit and finish is little short of staggering.

Seriously, there’s not a luxury car that’s better built than this: materials quality is tremendous and the fit and finish is absolutely impeccable. To operate, the LS is an extremely satisfying machine, simply because it’s a machine of such integrity.

Behind the wheel, you sit high, atop lush and multi-adjustable seats, feeling a bit more upright and traditionally-sat than more enveloping rivals, but no worse off because of it. It won’t excite you and won’t keep your passengers awake with excitement, but will please you if you’re after a top-notch car partner for life.

Both regular LS 460 and long-wheelbase LS 600h L are more than five metres long. Even the base car weighs two tonnes, with the hybrid weighing over 2.3 tonnes. These are very big and substantial cars, then – and they feel suitably large and accommodating inside.

The driver, of course, has plenty of space, and an added sense of room thanks to the high driving position. But it’s the rear that’s the big winner, particularly in the LS 600h L with its bespoke two rear seats, acres of legroom and bespoke climate control set between the two passengers. When you’re looking at this class of car, it’s really a matter of decadence, as no choice is particularly cramped. And the LS is very, very decadent.

There’s a big flaw with the hybrid, though: a tiny boot. We’re not kidding: whereas the regular car has a huge 560-litre boot, the hybrid’s batteries peg this back to just 370 litres – that’s Volkswagen Golf-sized, without that car’s hatchback practicality! If you are running it as a chauffeur car, this will severely restrict your airport-carrying duties: be warned.

Despite its ‘green’ hybrid pretensions, the LS 600h is not a cheap car to put fuel in. There’s no hybrid magic at work here: fuel economy is not that much greater than the non-hybrid car, with 32.8mog against 26.4mpg. You have to wonder, apart from the occasional electric-only running, what the point is. We say, don’t bother spending the extra.

And what a lot of extra it is: the LS 600h is £25,000 more expensive than the top-spec LS 460. Yes, you do get a long wheelbase and a more lavish rear cabin for that, but really? It’s a massive amount of money that just seems out of step with what else is happening in this sector – particularly Mercedes-Benz’ latest multi-choice hybrid S-Class and S-Class L line-up.

There is one running cost advantage the LS 600h L may have over the LS 460: CO2 emissions. It emits 199g/km CO2, compared to the non-hybrid car’s 249g/km CO2. If it’s being bought for chauffeur duties and there’s a strict sub-200g/km policy on car choices, it might have an advantage here. But it’s a slight one.

This section is short: Lexus quality is brilliant, and reliability is peerless. As we’ve alluded to, there’s perhaps not a better-finished luxury car on sale, and the deep down integrity is absolute. And in terms of dependability, no luxury car is more reassuring for the long run than a Lexus.

The LS has a good selection of safety systems; newer rivals have a few extra autonomous-assist and crash-avoidance gadgets, but it’s still well served by technology. And, although Euro NCAP hasn’t crash-tested it, its bulk and thorough engineering means we have no concerns over crash safety either.

Traditionally, security surveys have ranked Lexus as the most secure cars in Britain and, as the flagship car, the LS will benefit from all this experience.