Lexus LS 460
 

The ultimate smooth, quiet luxury sedan. .
By John Stewart of New Car Test Drive.com
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Lexus LS 460 Walkaround for those who live in Santa Monica Area of Los Angeles.

Lexus designers have given a lot of attention to aerodynamic considerations that ultimately lead to improved high-speed stability, quieter operation, and better highway fuel mileage. Yet, this has been done without making the LS look like some super-streamlined jellybean. The detailing is impeccable, the fit and finish is precise, and the entire look is one of refined, contemporary elegance.

As the flagship, the Lexus LS gets the most finesse of any of the Lexus L-finesse designs thus far. Its lines flow smoothly from its amazingly complex, crystal-like headlamp units, under the car, up over the roof and around the mirrors, with a short trip over the short rear deck to the integrated rear spoiler. After all that detail work on the exterior, they gave the car a drag coefficient of 0.26, tied with the best in the industry for a four-door sedan. Reducing aerodynamic drag not only helps fuel economy, it also contributes to reduced interior noise levels.

The headlights are automatic-leveling and also aim themselves to the left or right to better illuminate around corners, and the taillamps are LED units which deliver enhanced visibility to other drivers.

For 2010, the LS gets new grilles, a new front bumper with different air intakes, slightly revised headlights and taillights, changes to the exhaust diffusers, a revised rear license plate surround, reshaped mirrors with integrated turn signals, and new wheel designs. Models equipped with the Sport Package have a black grille, while standard LS 460s have a chrome grille with five bars and the LS 600h L has a four-bar chrome grille. The Sport Package also adds an aero body kit with a front lower spoiler, side rocker panels, and a rear lower spoiler. The Appearance Package includes the aero kit and the Sport Package's 19-inch wheels.

Interior Features

To climb into the left front seat of the Lexus LS is to climb into the near-ultimate of luxury cars. The seats are gloriously comfortable, and they are 16-way adjustable for travel and rake and tilt (12-way on the passenger side), with a three-way memory system for each front seat. All models come with perforated leather seats, with the option of semi-aniline leather. The seat bolsters are just wide enough to retain your torso without feeling too tight or intruding on comfort. The seats that come with the Sport Package feature more pronounced bolstering, but they don't pinch wide backsides. The front seats are heated on the standard car, with heated and cooled front and heated rear seats added to the L version.

Optitron is the name used by Lexus to describe its electroluminescent gauges and displays, and they are lit by bright white LEDs for excellent readability, day or night. Almost all of the needles illuminate, dominated by the large tachometer and speedometer needles. Every single switch on the car is lighted for ultimate convenience. A thin-film-transistor (TFT) multi-information color display delivers as many as 13 information and setting displays during driving.

For 2010, the LS 600h L gets a new LCD instrument cluster with a large central speedometer flanked by oil temperature and tachometer graphs on one side and fuel gauge and power meter graphs on the right. The information is easy to see, but not particularly interesting in appearance.

Four-spoke tilt-and-telescope leather-and-wood steering wheels (heated on the uplevel versions) feature redundant controls for audio, information, cruise control, radar cruise control option, telephone, and a brake-hold feature. To use the brake-hold feature, just come to a stop, push down the brake pedal, touch the button on the steering wheel, and the brakes stay on regardless of vehicle attitude until you touch the gas pedal.

The center stack of controls is beautifully integrated, as is every single piece of interior trim, and though there are lots of buttons, they are clearly marked in large type and lighted, so there will be little confusion after a couple of drives. The navigation display is large and bright, and the graphics are crisp and sharp. An auxiliary input is provided for MP3 players, and a USB port is added this year for iPod connectivity. Your iPod can be controlled through the steering wheel audio controls or the radio. The standard ten-speaker audio system sounds wonderful until you try the optional Mark Levinson Reference Surround Sound system, with 19 speakers and 450 watts, which we think might just be the single best automotive sound system on the market.

The LS is a big, roomy and comfortable luxury sedan, with generous interior dimensions and 18 cubic feet of trunk space, enough for four sets of golf clubs.

The long-wheelbase L versions offer more almost five inches more legroom, by virtue of their greater length, and the option of a luxurious rear-seat setup with two reclining heated bucket seats, a cool box, sunshades, additional climate ducting, and dual-zone rear HVAC control. Yet another configuration, the Executive-Class Seating Package, adds a folding table and a right rear seat with a built-in ottoman section, shiatsu massager, an extra air bag, and a rear roof-mounted 9-inch DVD screen and two sets of wireless headphones. No car manufacturer this side of a $350,000 Maybach offers this kind of rear-seat setup.

New for 2010 are the Safety Connect and Lexus Enform telematics systems with complimentary one-year subscriptions. Safety Connect operates like GM's OnStar system, offering a measure of security with Automatic Collision Notification, Stolen Vehicle Location, Emergency Assistance Button, and Enhanced Roadside Assistance. Lexus Enform offers two unique ways to get directions to destinations. Destination Assist supplies directions with the help of a call center, and eDestination allows drivers to send destinations to their navigation systems from a website. Enform also comes with Lexus Insider, which is a way for the factory to communicate with owners via audio casts that provide tips, event information, and other information an owner might need.

Continue to read about  the LS 460 Driving Impressions in Van Nuys
 

Keyes Lexus is Located In Van Nuys CA just minutes from Santa Monica or Burbank.

Remember to look at the quality Certified Pre Owned Lexus Cars and SUV's Used Lexus.