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Few Words about a living Legend, the Lexus LS


17 years... Lets see what happened in these few years.. A lot of us graduated college, got married, have kids and hate our wives but the truth still remains you gotta love her end of the day. That's what we car lovers feel of the Lexus LS, when it first came out we said it was too boxy and a Mercedes copy shot; but we loved how the seat belts moved vertically and the dash board glowed like an Angels wand, and having everything as standard was not a dream anymore ; Mercedes and BMW believe it or not had cup holders as an OPTION ; So we loved the LS, it ran for about ever with three refresh and changed entirely in 2001.

2001 Change of the LS was rather a disappointment aesthetically , it put on a lot of weight, the smiley face looked a lot like the whale from Pinocchio and it didn’t really feel all that powerful as its competitors in 2001 the S500, A8 and the 760i. However it did remind you how protected and comfortable you were in your mothers womb. Massage chairs in the back and memory settings for rear passengers were just amazing. The quality and craftsmanship blew our mind as it closely reminded you about your once in a life time stay at a Ritz Carlton or Four Seasons hotel. The designers of Lexus actually spent half a year staying at luxury hotels, first class planes and luxury cruise lines before going to the design board for the LS 430. It does show its reflection on the car, the car was virtually flawless other than the extra fat which it lost in 2003 a bit.

2007, a year we see infrared night vision from Mercedes Benz S 550, iDrive system with 3D navigation from BMW 745li . I mean what would make the LS460 different from the bunch? To begin with its outstanding design, does not make you feel like you are driving your granny's LS 400 or your grand pa’s LS430. It feels of any age when you set your eyes on it. The LS460L comes with full reclining type seating as first class air plane seats with your own private wine cellar. It has about every little gadgets you will think of in the world from pre collision system to infrared cruise control to a 30GB hard drive for your MP3 songs (time to throw away the iPod). Now what I love the most is its ONE TOUCH PARKING system. You pull up your vehicle to a blank spot between two cars. You take your hands off the steering wheel and press the PARK button and the darn car will park its self. YES. Also an industries first, it will come with a 8 Speed transmission which I hear is seamless and packs a punch for those interested in some serious Jedi power. The engine is designed to produce 380bhp and 0-60time is under 5.2 sec, which is also top in its class. The LS600h will be launched later in 2008 with 5.0 V8 hybrid power plant which will consume fuel same as a 3.0 V6 engine but producing nearly 500bhp .

All this comes down to the price, we don’t know what it will be like but I think the price for the LS460 will begin at $73000-$120000 depending on your choice and option. Lexus did scare away the competition with the IS250 and IS350 , Lets hope this one also scores the spot. Well like I said even though we might hate her once in awhile , we still love her and would adore to live rest our lives with her.

Saad Khan
May 27th 2006

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this gen of LS is a real competitor of S Class and Bmw 7 series .A real treat full of technology.Can beat German cars sure no doubt.The LWB has got seats like the Maybach 62 does for the third of the price of the Maybach 62.Even the 760il or the S 600 dont have that.The LS 600 h is the most interesting version full of tech like LED night head lamps , first hybrid system with a V8 powertrain,.........and 430 hp.

but do you really expect maybach 62 owners moving to Lexus? no, But you really see a lot of 760Li and S600 buyers moving towards it....after all thats the segment which is more important.

it is a more important segment than the ultra luxury market of Maybach 62 and RR Phantom and Bentley Arnage.Lexus can do something in the LS segment.

snkpkp wrote:but do you really expect maybach 62 owners moving to Lexus? no, But you really see a lot of 760Li and S600 buyers moving towards it....after all thats the segment which is more important.

I agreed and disagree with you. I agree that Maybach owners wont go to Lexus but neither would S600 & 760iL owners. The Lexus's price is say around 40% lower than the S600's. Dont quote me on this I was using the reference that the new Lexus here in Dubai is 280,000dhs while the 760 is 400,000 and the S600 would be 500,000dhs.

Now clearly the people who can afford the S600's would not go to a Lexus no matter how good they are. The only people who might go up the marque are those who are in the market of E500's, S320's, 740's, A8's. See these German brands have a sense of omph to it, they have their own problems but still people buy it because of the lineage. Brands like BMW, MERCEDES and AUDI has a rich heritage in the automotive industry, Lexus is a baby in this case.

All I would say is being a former LS400 owner I am truly impressed by the car. When I switched to the 740iL from the Lexus I was dissapointed, but then BMW quickly made me a believer in its handling and power delivery which the Lexus did not. But all in all the Lexus is a great great car and the new one which is sportier would be even more impressive. If only they had the handling and a bit of grunt from their engines like the Bimmer it would be a serious serious contender.

I agree with Arnab........ppl who can afford S600, 760 and A8L W12, won't go for LS. Lexus cars are really comfy and reliable, but they are not as good in the performance department. btw, the LS600h will be producing 430 hp.......not 500 hp.