The spanking new Lexus showroom is indeed a 5-star hotel parading as a car showroom.
Customer service is impeccable with fine mannerism, courtesy and attentive service ruling the day.
Here is my brief impression with the LS460L because there was a long wait-list for the GS300 tester.
This luxury limousine is full of sheer presence, measuring at 5.15m in length, with an extended 3,090mm wheelbase. Powering it is a 32V DOHC V8 with Dual-VVTi displacing 4,608 cc. Power output is rated at 380bhp @ 6,400rpm and torque is a bolt-wrenching 493Nm at 4,100rpm! All this glory is neatly nestled under super-clean engine covers. I dare challenge anyone to find a single wire dangling upon popping up the hood.
Check out the engine bay!
Before we drove off, our sales consultant, Tareq demonstrated the 16-speakers Mark Levinson DVD-CD-Radio system. It was mind-blowing for an in-car entertainment system to reproduce such clean, uncluttered and balanced sound! Capable of dts and Dolby-Digital 5.1 in all its glory!
Most striking impression of this flagship Lexus must be its baffling silence. The LS460L is so refined you don�t even hear its engine idle. Outside noises are practically filtered out while rolling tyre noises are almost absent. The V8 is simply marvelous with a linearity of power that attests to the clich� saying: �No replacement for displacement.�
Prod the throttle and you get creamy smooth acceleration and pick-up capable of hauling this 2 tonne beast in 5.7 secs to the century sprint.
Tackling those rough speed strips on the highway was as if they were non-existent. In similar fashion, all lumps and bumps plus nasty road irregularities are effectively dampened. Steering felt light and lifeless at high speed but what the heck�I guess such a limo was meant more for the chauffeur! Ride comfort is carpet-like even though air suspension was not part of the deal here.
Pushing the car into high three digits speed was a breeze. Due credit to Lexus for the superb 8-speed auto �box which is very smooth, with truly imperceptible upshifts and downshifts - even in manual mode. However, care must be taken for a LWB car like this because it oversteers easily and the rear end felt floaty and twitchy at times. Tracking stability in those fast sweeping corners is a little lacking � a dark blot marring its otherwise pleasant chassis dynamics. Braking power is excellent and pedal feel is good.
So how does this super-limousine bred from �The Pursuit of Perfection� rate in the company of the new W221 S-Class and the current 7-series?
Towards this, I can only say: �The backseat is the best place to be in�.
Written by: Dr S.P. Long
15th January 2007.�
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