Taking on BMW and Mercedes is akin to starting a new football team and challenging Chelsea and AC Milan to a kick-around. But Toyota’s luxury Lexus brand did exactly that and actually did quite well. The early LS models went for the technological high ground, in an attempt to avoid the lack of a strong brand image. The cars had steering wheels that moved out of the way when you parked, hidden dials that illuminated when you started the car and an engine you could start with a coin balanced on the rocker cover. In the early years it actually worked, although the brand really wasn’t considered a direct option over an S-Class or a 7-Series. Since then the brand has grown, established a following and started to steal market share from the Germans. So should BMW and Mercedes be worried? Is the LS really is a genuine rival to their flagship products? It has similar levels of trim, matching performance and great build quality. Relying on a badge to keep you ahead of your rivals could become a recipe for disaster.
To look at, the LS is either bland or beautiful depending on your taste. From many angles it is actually quite imposing, which is surely a good thing for an executive car? However, from other angles it has that distinctive Toyota design, which Lexus really should be distancing themselves from if they are to really break the Camry link. The rear end of the car is prettier than the 7-Series and less fussy than the S-Class. At the front it’s a little boring when compared to its rivals, but the overall design is neat, smooth and classy. It also looks huge, giving the car good road presence and a real luxury feel in the valet parking area. The wheels are quite plain and could do with being a little more upmarket and the grill is again too reminiscent of other models in the Toyota range. However, chrome trim along the door sills and a turned up rear boot lid lip add a bit of luxury feel to an otherwise simple exterior design. It’s certainly not as much of a statement as rolling up in a 7-Series, but maybe that’s not a bad thing for some people?
The interior of the LS is quite amazing. It must have taken the engineers years to figure out how to get all the array of electronic extras to fit into such a relatively small space. However, they managed it and gadget lovers will be in their element. Apart from all the ‘normal’ extras you would expect in a car at this level, the LS also incorporates electric blinds for the rear side windows, a fold out table for rear passengers, a choice of relaxing or shiatsu massage in the seats, cup holders, flip down DVD screens, telephones, foot rests and all manner of niceties for a tired executive on the way home from the office.
However, the centre console in the rear means that the LS can only hold four people, making it a pure executive car if you go for the ‘ottoman’ seat option. Anyone wanting to use the LS as a family vehicle will need to go for the five seat option, losing many of the stress relieving toys.
The layout of the dash and the driver’s centre console are both excellent and everything is simple to use. The whole interior is comfortable, well thought out and nice to look at. All the controls, fabrics and plastics feel high quality and the LS gives you the impression that, just like the original LS, it will last for a very long time.
The big V8 in the Lexus is startling in its two extremes. On the one hand it is incredibly powerful and effortlessly smooth, whilst on the other it is whisper quiet, even when under heavy load. The gearbox is almost unnoticeable, and with a flick into tiptronic, allows you to get the most from the 4.6 litre engine. In most cases, owners will simply leave the car in ‘D’ and let it do all the hard work. Driving the car as the luxury saloon it claims to be is the ideal way to get the most from the big Lexus. This is exactly what the LS is good at and should be precisely why owners buy the car in the first place. As a vehicle for transporting four people around in luxury, it really is hard to beat.
Handling is also very good, keeping the car stable and firmly attached to the road on most surfaces. The brakes are powerful, despite giving the driver little clue as to what’s going on between the tyres and the road. In the corners, the LS is too big to really enjoy as a driver’s car and it loses out badly to the BMW in driver feel and feedback. But then very few people will throw this car around tight bends or feel the need to explore the solid handling. The question is really whether BMW 7-Series owners also want to throw their cars around? In truth, it’s doubtful that these cars really need to ‘involve’ the driver or give you responsive and precise handling. Almost every model sold will simply be used to transport executives and families around in safety and luxury.
The LS 460 really is a very good car indeed. It does everything a customer in this large luxury saloon market will need it to do. So is it better than, for example, a BMW 7-series? Well, in some areas yes, but in others, not quite. In outright performance and interior trim it is easily as good, if not better. The looks will not be to everyone’s taste and the whole driving experience is a little muted. But it’s also crushingly competent and very well bolted together. So is it a serious rival to the big two? Well, that depends on your taste for badges. It will be many years before the Lexus badge has the same impact at the golf club as a Mercedes, but in essence both cars are direct competitors. Potential owners will simply have to decide if they want to be the same as everyone else at the eighteenth hole, or strike out in a new direction. The Lexus is the younger, cooler option, but the 7-series is the sensible, driver’s choice. It just depends on whether you’re a badge snob or not.
Verdict:
Amazingly competent super saloon. Really does mix it with the big Germans. However, it needs a bit more soul before it will win many more hearts.
Engine
4.6 V8
0-100 kph
5.4 secs
BHP
380
ME price
US$77,200
(AED283,300)
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