The poor folks at Lexus must think I have it in for them. I don’t care much for most of the Lexus range, you see, and found the new IS to be a particularly disappointing car, especially as it came right after the GS450h, which is a bit of an eco-belter, to be honest. Most of Lexus’ cars just seemed to lack soul, I felt, that certain something that makes you love a car rather than just admire its abilities.
Unsurprisingly, I fully expected the all-new LS460 luxo-tank to be the epitome of the Lexus ethos. After all, if they couldn’t get the sporty IS right, there wasn’t much hope for the big girl, was there? But I was wrong. Very wrong. The new LS isn’t just a superb luxury item, it’s also a superb car. Why the sudden bout of Lexus love? In pictures it’s a bit drab looking but in the metal it’s stately, imposing and very, very masculine. Its simple elegance makes a mockery of its overwrought German rivals, even if the optional, 19” five-spoke alloys are a little racy for such a car. Wheels aside, though, this is how luxury cars should look – intimidatingly handsome (God, no, not pretty) and classier than an anonymous charitable donation.
The interior impresses, too. Like the exterior, it has a pleasing simplicity to it that’s a welcome change from the too-cool-for-buttons cabins of its rivals. It takes only a few kilometres to figure out the basic functions of the large, touch-screen infotainment system (though the scattered stereo and HVAC controls need a rethink) and even less to find the perfect driving position in your deeply sumptuous leather seat. Oh, sure, you’ve got the usual Toyota bits like the cheapy stalks and electric window switches, and there’s the prerequisite pointless luxury car technology like a self-park system and adaptive cruise, but the cabin is just so cosseting and luxurious that you quickly forgive it those minor irritations. It’s the driving experience that sets the LS apart, though.
The Lexus is swift and comfortable, as you’d expect, but it’s also blessed with a sharp, communicative steering, an outstanding transmission and the first active suspension system I’ve tried that actually works. In ‘Comfort’ mode, it cruised with serenity while in ‘Sport’ mode, the LS tore down back roads with an ease that belied its size and boggled the brain of its driver. Even the 8-speed transmission, which I expect to be in perpetual gear-hunting limbo, was a revelation. Naturally, it shifted a lot in the pursuit of optimal economy, but when you wanted to play it was happy to drop three of four cogs and get your right foot really involved in proceedings.
Better than a 7-Series to drive, I hear you ask? Hmmm. Maybe not better. But every bit as good. See? I don’t have anything against the good folks at Lexus. I just couldn’t understand why they put so much work into the engineering and then made their cars handle like they were on castors. The LS is different, though. It’s desirable to the core and massively competent, which puts it on the top of the luxury car pile as far as I’m concerned. Now I think I’ll have a lie down. Writing that about a Lexus has left me a bit dizzy...
INFO
Lexus LS460
Engine 4.6-litre V8, 380bhp, 493Nm torque
Transmission 8-speed automatic
Acceleration 0-100km/h 5.7 seconds T
op speed 250 km/h
Economy 11.1 litres/100km
CO2 Emissions 261 g/km
Weight 1,945kg
Boot Capacity 505 litres
Base Price €127,400
Price As Tested €146,695
0 comments