LS600hL, the world's first hybrid luxury sedan - is it all just hot air?

[Mr. M]

There are days when you feel like you've got nothing to do.

The hours slip by so slowly it's like trying to hit a golf ball out of a sand pit. It's irritating, difficult, repetitive and worst of all, infinitely boring.

And then you get a bright spark. Let's go test drive some cars! As it was my favourite hobby before I quickly jumped into quizzing which large sedan we've yet to test. LS, XJ, Quattroporte, S-Class, A8, 7er, we've done it all... Until I remembered the LS600hL.

I phoned Lexus up and immediately they hooked us up with a white LS600hL with full options.



It looked brilliant, if abit too technical. The shut lines are the best of any car; don't believe what the German automakers say about their quality control. If you want class-leading quality and workmanship, the LS is it. It's simply engineered to production-line perfection.

And then there's the size. It's long, really long. The rear-view camera came in handy, a feature we sorely miss in the A8.

The rear seats are about as cavernous as the ones in the A8, except in this LS they were almost fully reclinable and best of all, their massaging and cooling technology was mavellously implemented. The DVD system was impeccably integrated into the top of the rear cabin, and the ambience is to die for. The Mark Levinson sound system plus the seats really make this a mobile movie theatre. I mentioned this in my previous LS460L review, and I'll mention it again. The rear seats are the best seats in this car. No ifs and buts about it. Try one and see if you can still stomach paying at a hefty premium for the same kind of luxuries in a German car...



If there's one bad thing about the LS600hL, it is that it almost feels exactly like the LS460L. The only difference you can see in the interior is the extra stitched leather on the dash and on the doors. Not exactly something you would expect considering you're paying a lot more for the LS600hL.



But this car is all about the hybrid. And that's where the money you threw on the car is put to good use. Starting the engine, it sounded like a true V8 but it was a distant rumble. Much better insulated than the A8's cabin. Funny how the 2 V8s sound strangely similar...

After crusing a few metres on slow-moving lanes, the engine shuts off. Literally, the rpms fell to 0 and the car was wafting on its batteries. Stopping at an intersection and then gunning it again, the seamless transition between the electric motor and the V8 is something to behold. It is imperceptible but I could hear a split second switch where the electric motor was powering the car for a few miliseconds before the V8 came in and took over. And when it did, revs rose perfectly again from 0 as if the engine wasn't off at all.

Now if that isn't engineering, I don't know what is.

Halfway through the journey I decided to try out the seat functions. Massages were brutally powerful and I loved it. It's much better than any other system in cars I've ever tried. If you've ever tried Osim massage chairs, this is just like it. I think I've mentioned this before though...

I also played with the radio. From the rear seat you can adjust the radio stations and the volume. That's proper and how it should be on every luxury sedan. The sound system was pretty flawless, except on moderate volume levels it felt a little bit too loud already. The flowing centre console for the rear opens up to reveal a beautifully finished wooden table, a DVD entertainment system with earphone capability, a controller to adjust all massaging functions exclusively, and also climate control. Oh and, in case you don't like the person in front of you, you can move his seat forward so that he can get his due diligence.

My dad floored it the moment he saw a wide, empty open road. The car was sprightly but it doesn't deliver on its V12 power claims. And for good reason - if you took a moment to see the LS's specs, it weighs in at nearly 2.4 tons. That kind of weight dampens everything. Agility, acceleration and fuel consumption. As such it was plain to see. As a passenger I felt the pull of the LS600hL was linear and fast, but not dead quick. It feels a lot like how the A8 4.2 feels like, except the A8 lets in more of the V8's burble into the cabin.

The air suspension for some reason didn't feel as good as it should. On potholes in failed to dampen the jolts and I could distinctly sense in my mind that 'ouch' everytime we pass by one. That shouldn't be in a Lexus. But to be fair, the LS460L did a wonderful job of damping the ground. The reason? It had a spring suspension setup. As much as I like technological progress, sometimes it's best to follow the saying 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. Spring setups are superior in that they are more reliable, require less maintenance and are less likely to go haywire. What's more, with new damping settings in modern spring setups, like the Skyhook in the GranTurismo, you don't get the disadvantage of having a compromise between comfort and sportiness anymore.

So, what's my verdict then?

Lexus has shown us time and again they have been able to build cars that appeal to the most fussy people. Yet for some reason, despite all of this fussiness, there are some details that make a person like me annoyed. Small little things that may not matter to most people, but to me it's super important. Firstly, the fonts on the buttons in the whole cabin is inconsistent in size. Some are huge while some are small. Some are in caps while some are in normal script. It irritates me to see so many buttons having different looks, it confuses the person.



Next, the number of buttons in the cabin is just amazing. Despite having a touch screen Lexus has decided to put all the important functions as buttons. Sounds like a good idea, isn't it? Isn't that what we all want? No. In modern cars with more and more technology its increasingly impossible to have a button for everything. In this day and age you'll need a button for everything from turning on the seat cooling to activating the automated blinds. From here I can see why German manufacturers developed MMI, Comand and i-Drive. It makes things simpler and more organised. Sure it may be a little confusing at first. But it's the way to go to let the cabin keep its simple architecture.

Lexus has also shown us their intelligent hybrid drive, yet they still refuse to get rid of the beeping light on the dash that comes on everytime a passenger unbelts his seatbelt. C'mon, we know we need to put on seatbelts already, there isn't need for a warning!



Well so much for little irritations. On a whole, the LS600hL impressed everyone from the test drive team (ie. my dad and me, heh) but despite its merits, it just wasn't enough to justify for a new car. So we left the showroom, contented and convinced we got the right car.

Anyone who's less fussy and who is looking for a reliable, clean automobile, look no further. This car will do everything you want it to do, and more. But for the rest of us looking for that bit of construction in our German cars that make them so special, from just the way they do their thang, then the Lexus may not satisfy us after all.

[MikeJ]

Originally Posted by Mirage77

Lexus has also shown us their intelligent hybrid drive, yet they still refuse to get rid of the beeping light on the dash that comes on everytime a passenger unbelts his seatbelt. C'mon, we know we need to put on seatbelts already, there isn't need for a warning!

A seatbelt reminder is worth up to 3 points in EuroNCAP... and, unfortunately, way too many people do need reminding.

Nice review, but I'm still unable to like this car even the tiniest bit.

[cawimmer430]

Nice review, thoughts and opinions.

The LS is certainly an impressive car. Lexus can't dazzle people with heritage so they have to dazzle people with technology. That's they way I figured it.

The rear inner door design of the LS strike me as very boring for some reason, almost "fake" or "cheap" looking. Compare it to the rear inner doors of the S-Class for example and you'll see what I mean.


Lexus LS


Mercedes S-Class


See?

Eitherway still a nice car. Probably my favorite Lexus at the moment, and I don't like Lexus much mostly because people overrate them so much.

[Giannis]

Originally Posted by Mike

Nice review, but I'm still unable to like this car even the tiniest bit.

Same here. Great review, but i still don't like the car. Call me narrow-minded but this is it, sorry

[CorpusCallosum]

The s class interior just kills the LS altho any interior in this segment is brillaint anyway

[ree]

Great review, but not only the S-Class interior kills the LS interior, which is really boring - also the A8 interior looks a lot better...

[Bruce]

Great review atop of an excellent bunch of pictures, James. Thanks for posting.

I'm probably the only one here who actually likes the LS interior, but then again, that's not really surprising considering my long time affection for Lexus. As far as I see it, they hit the nail on the head when it comes to catering to their customers, and their customers expectations of design, comfort and features.

[Centurion]

Good work with the review James. Earlier this year I drove the GS 460 and just like the LS it has more buttons than a 90s Sony home cinema receiver. The quality feel in the GS is pretty good though and is stuffed with all sorts of technological features the salesman showed off in 10 minutes before letting me take off in the car.

The buttons on the picture you have posted look quite plastic-ish. How did you life the feeling off the buttons? They don't really look up to standard if you compare with the S-class which has nothing but aluminum buttons.

Overall the GS was a very comfortable driving experience and the steering didn't have the same feedback offered by the E-class.

[Mr. M]

Originally Posted by Bruce

Great review atop of an excellent bunch of pictures, James. Thanks for posting.

I'm probably the only one here who actually likes the LS interior, but then again, that's not really surprising considering my long time affection for Lexus. As far as I see it, they hit the nail on the head when it comes to catering to their customers, and their customers expectations of design, comfort and features.

I am a big fan of the LS's interior Bruce. Indeed, they have catered to their customer's needs, and they are doing exceptionally well. The waiting list for the LS600hL is already until next year February, an impressive figure considering this car costs as much as an S500, which is selling in far lower volumes. Lexus does tremendously well in Asian countries whom, among other things, appreciate the values of Lexus that satisfies their needs.

Originally Posted by Luwalira

Good work with the review James. Earlier this year I drove the GS 460 and just like the LS it has more buttons than a 90s Sony home cinema receiver. The quality feel in the GS is pretty good though and is stuffed with all sorts of technological features the salesman showed off in 10 minutes before letting me take off in the car.

The buttons on the picture you have posted look quite plastic-ish. How did you life the feeling off the buttons? They don't really look up to standard if you compare with the S-class which has nothing but aluminum buttons.

Overall the GS was a very comfortable driving experience and the steering didn't have the same feedback offered by the E-class.

The buttons feel cheap when touched, no question. But the way they felt when pressing it is pretty good, it gives a responsive feedback. The S-Class's buttons were better though. But I think this is the only bad thing about the LS's interior. If you guys have a chance, try sitting behind an LS... It's an amazing experience. I still can't forget about it.

[Amo]

I have loved every LS there has been, and thios is by far the best. The single thing I would change, is to put an anologue clock on the dash instead of the digital one. Otherwise, the car is perfect to me. Great review.