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2008 Lexus LS600hL Review

greenwad submitted on 06/12/2008 Official AutoSpies Timestamp: 5:20 AM
from: carwad.net

[20] user comments | category: Reviews

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Tags: 2008 lexus, lexus, lexus ls, lexus ls600hl, ls, v 8

Tag Links: 2008 lexus, lexus, lexus ls, lexus ls600hl, ls, v 8

2008 Lexus LS600hL Review

The Lexus LS has gotten a bunch of flack from us journalists, mostly because it’s so distant and removed that its driver’s relationship with the road is no closer than its passengers’. As much as I love drivers’ cars (and, oh do I ever), Lexus never pretended that the LS was to appeal to enthusiasts. The LS is supposed to appeal to their antitheses - people who don’t want to be bothered with the task of driving at all. I mean, why else would this thing park itself?

Lexus launched the hybrid LS600hL as a competitor to the V-12-powered monsters from BMW and Mercedes. Again, journalists complained, saying that the LS doesn’t even come close to matching those cars’ performance. And it doesn’t - the twin-turbo V-12 Mercedes S600 could probably dust the Lexus with half its cylinders deactivated. At half throttle.

Or not - but the point is: I’m convinced that’s not what Lexus meant when they compared the LS600hL’s performance to the V-12 cars. They meant that, in that oh-so-smooth Lexus way, the LS would glide around town in the quiet, relaxed way that only twelve-cylinder luxosedans can. And that is a talent the LS possesses in spades.

My first trip in the LS was a thirty-mile drive at rush hour north of San Francisco. Traffic was moving between a crawl and 50 mph, up and down big Marin County hills, and yet not once did the tachometer bother to indicate anything more than 1600 rpm. In normal driving, the combination of electric assist and the V-8’s prodigious low-end grunt makes excess engine speed superfluous. Off the line, the Lexus’s powerful electric motor sets the car into movement the way a jet engine does (though without the noise) and then slowly spins the V-8 up to operating speed (just over idle) without so much as a shudder. It’s no exaggeration to say that, without a tachometer, the passengers in an LS600hL would have no idea whether the engine was running. Read Article

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Peyton18 - 6/12/2008 10:37:18 AM

0 Boost

Again? Ditto my last comment... you can't compare this to the S, the MB is just that good. Is the LS a great car? Sure.

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DexDiamonds - 6/12/2008 11:00:18 AM

+5 Boost

Final journalist are starting to re-evaluate how they were rating this car.

"The LS is supposed to appeal to their antitheses - people who don’t want to be bothered with the task of driving at all. I mean, why else would this thing park itself?"

That statement says it all. It's more like the Cadillacs from the 60s. A really innovative plush car. It was never mean to be a performance car. Just because it's capable of going fast doesn't mean it's directed towards the enthusiasts.

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w209w114 - 6/12/2008 11:26:11 AMView My AgentSpace

+7 Boost

"Lexus launched the hybrid LS600hL as a competitor to the V-12-powered monsters from BMW and Mercedes. Again, journalists complained, saying that the LS doesn’t even come close to matching those cars’ performance. And it doesn’t - the twin-turbo V-12 Mercedes S600 could probably dust the Lexus with half its cylinders deactivated. At half throttle."

Just my thought.

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F1_Driver - 6/12/2008 1:53:31 PM

-4 Boost

Even with half its cylinders deactivated, it'll still produce more CO2 and is less fuel efficient than the LS600hL.

Willis - 6/12/2008 3:07:52 PM

+1 Boost

The difference is that Mercedes doesn't market their S600 as a "green car". Lexus markets the LS600h as an efficient green car which might sound "cool" to people with no brains, but the people who use their heads and wonder how this overweight and overpowered car is supposed to be green understand that this car is nothing more than a marketing gimmick.

Let's face it, people shopping in this class couldn't give a damn about the environment.

STJ88 - 6/12/2008 11:28:18 AM

-5 Boost

@w209w114

Your thought doen't count because your stupid.

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w209w114 - 6/12/2008 11:39:12 AMView My AgentSpace

+1 Boost

LOL :) Really? Elementary School grade name calling sure doesnt make you sound like the brightest. WHy dont you present some evidence to back your claims.

Why do you get so defensive about the Lexus? Just out of curiosity. Is it because you purchased one and want to believe its the best thing out there? Is it fanboyism? or maybe Envy towards Mercedes. You tell me

w209w114 - 6/12/2008 11:59:14 AMView My AgentSpace

+2 Boost

"Your thought doen't count because your stupid."

And dont get me started on your grammar ;)

LexusKindaGuy12 - 6/12/2008 12:59:23 PM

+4 Boost

"very V12 like indeed"

thats all we needed to know

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85bmw745i - 6/12/2008 10:06:30 PMView My AgentSpace

+3 Boost

Well put Homer

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2JayZee - 6/12/2008 2:39:26 PM

+3 Boost

Are they finally starting to get it?

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F1_Driver - 6/12/2008 3:03:28 PM

+1 Boost

Who are they? The German fanboys? Judging from baseless deboosting going on I would have to say no.

Rupert - 6/12/2008 7:00:53 PMView My AgentSpace

+1 Boost

I finally understand the point of the LS600h. Now why didn't they market it like this? And why in Europe did they make it so slow in the sake of fuel economy? It does 0-62 in 6.3 seconds for chrissakes!

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StickShiftCamry - 6/12/2008 11:16:18 PM

-1 Boost

I drove this big sh* , one of MLS' black cars - they say it's not a drivers car - but out of 760 and S6-- this thing u can rest ur palm on the gear lever and hold gears at surprisingly high rpm, like 6000, and either it rev matches or the electric motor does something nice when u dwn shift at high rpm, but the all wheel drive kicks in and doesn't let the wheels spin - tho it tries to when u slam it while turning. Those 2 only have switches behind the steering wheel.

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StickShiftCamry - 6/12/2008 11:20:52 PM

0 Boost

forgot to mention it's f**n fast too. Those .3 sec. stuff is BS, all these cars are tie - all of them are low 5 sec. 0-60 there is nooo difference. I don' think anything is faster or feels faster 0-30.

Agent63 - 6/13/2008 12:22:58 AMView My AgentSpace

+2 Boost

I like the LS600HL. The headlights alone make it look more stunning than my 460 but I'm sure comfort level isn't much difference. It's just the whole hybrid technology is dumped in there.

We don't need another LS600 thread because it always causes flame wars.

The LS is what it is and the S is what it is. Both great cars and not much to hate on neither of these two. It just depends which brand you're loyal to and which style you like. I have both and love them both. Both are high quality and both are smooth and quiet so as a person who experiences these cars on a daily basis I can argue for both.

NO MORE FLAME WARS PLEASE!

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Lexluther - 6/14/2008 10:05:46 PM

+1 Boost

Agent63

I couldn't agree me.

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Lexluther - 6/14/2008 10:06:54 PM

+1 Boost

Opps. I couldn't agree more.

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huu76 - 6/16/2008 3:04:11 PM

+1 Boost

I missed this forum. Oh well.

S600 may outrun the LS600hL, but the LS will match its lux and will outlast it. The S600 may be able to pass a lot of things, but a gas station isn't one of them.

Nice to see the supposed know-it-all journalists are finally learning that V-12 performance doesn't mean it needs a V12. Just Toyota thinking outside the box, the Germans might start to comprehend once journalists start accepting the future that Lexus is trailblazing and knocking them for needing 12 cylinders to get 12 cylinder performance.

Above 20mpg mileage for a 5000+ vehicle is damn good, and a SULEV rating is just a bonus.

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