Road Tests
Follow-Up Test: 2007 Lexus LS 460 L

Sleeper car

By Erin Riches, Senior Content Editor , Edmunds.com
Date posted: 01-31-2007

There's no sense in believing the 2007 Lexus LS 460 L should talk to you as you drive it, whispering about the romance of the road through the tingle in the steering wheel and the seat cushion. If you drop $80,000 on a big sedan, you don't want conversation; you want to be served.

So the long-wheelbase 2007 Lexus LS 460 L looks after its driver in ways that range from subtle (folding in the exterior mirrors every time you lock it) to overt (parking its whole big self). Through it all, the car seldom breaks the silence to interrupt your thoughts. Never has piloting a 17-foot-long sedan been so relaxing.

No ottomans then?
Since we've already tested a regular Lexus LS 460, a week with an LS 460 L offered a chance to laze about in the rear-seat ottomans of this long-wheelbase car with its extra 6 inches of legroom. It's a $10,000 premium over the regular 2007 Lexus LS 460.

Plans changed when our test car arrived without the optional $12,675 Executive Class Seating Package — the accessory group that includes the ottomans (complete with under-thigh airbags) and a rear-seat DVD player.

Nevertheless, our LS did include both the Luxury Package ($2,780) and the Rear Seat Upgrade Package ($1,625). So we were set up with dual-zone rear climate control, power rear-seat adjustments, heated and cooled seat cushions, rear audio controls, sunshades to cover every square inch of rear glass, and even a cool box capable of chilling four bottles of raspberry wheat ale.

The rear air-conditioning system is bulky, by the way, and reduces trunk volume from 18 cubic feet to 12 cubic feet. As a consolation, it includes a deodorizer to keep the cabin from ripening on long trips.

In addition, our 2007 Lexus LS 460 L had the Mark Levinson sound system ($2,530). Our car also had the features everyone is talking about, the Intuitive Parking Assist ($500) — another name for backup camera — and Advanced Parking Guidance ($700), the magic feature that enables the car to parallel park itself.

The long-wheelbase LS 460 L also includes air suspension (not available for the conventional LS 460), a setup that also features adaptive dampers and variable-ratio steering.

Even without the full load of options, our test car rang up a bill of $82,870. Although that's $20 grand less than the last Mercedes-Benz S-Class we tested, for this money you could also buy a BMW 750Li or Audi A8 L.

So we expected a lot from the Lex. And with its liberal acreage of overstuffed leather and glossy walnut, the LS 460 L feels suitably rich, though we didn't care for some of its squishy vinyl trim. Its build quality was impeccable, save for an ill-fitting glovebox lid.

Not as "L" as you'd think
The L model stretches the wheelbase of the conventional LS some 4.8 inches, and it measures 202.8 inches overall. That's 1.0 inch shorter than a BMW 750iL, 1.5 inches shorter than an Audi A8 L and 3.0 inches shorter than a Mercedes-Benz S550.

Guiding our big Lexus through commute-hour gridlock in Los Angeles was no more difficult than maneuvering a Toyota Camry, thanks to a tidy 36-foot turning radius and very light-effort steering at low speed. The steering still does its work with precision at these speeds, a rare accomplishment for steering with all-electric power assist.

At higher speeds, the LS 460 L feels a touch sportier, as its steering firms up while the adaptive shocks keep its body impressively level through turns. The suspension offers Normal, Comfort and Sport modes, but the differences are slight aside from subtly tighter rebound damping in Sport. The ride motions are beautifully controlled in any mode, even at triple-digit velocity.

And then we ran the numbers
Driven harder at our test track, our Lexus LS 460 L maintained this high level of composure, despite the fact that it's softly tuned. Its 61.6-mph slalom speed falls squarely between the standard-wheelbase BMW 750i (60.2 mph) and the Mercedes S550 (63.9 mph). In comparison, the regular-wheelbase LS 460 carried 63.0 mph through the cones.

Skid-pad performance was similar between the two LS sedans, as the extended-length LS 460 turned in a 0.78 g to the regular sedan's 0.82 g. Both wore 235/50R18 all-season tires, but our L tester had Dunlop Sport Maxx A1s instead of Bridgestone Turanzas.

Both the standard-length LS and the long-wheelbase LS were equipped with vented 13.1-inch front brake discs and 12.4-inch rear discs, and neither car proved impressive regarding stopping distance.

At 4,507 pounds, the L weighs 250 pounds more than the standard-wheelbase sedan, which probably accounts for an increase of 8 feet in its stopping distance from 60 mph, some 136 feet. This is significantly greater than the stopping distance recorded by the LS's competitors, which generally fall into the range of 120 feet, while the BMW 750i, which weighs the same as the long-wheelbase LS, came to a halt in just 118 feet.

Varying surface conditions are likely in play here, says our road tester, and to its credit, the LS 460 L never lost its cool. ABS vibration was minimal and fade was nonexistent. Still, we'd like to test an L with the Touring Package, which provides larger brake discs (14.6 inches in front, 13.2 inches in back) and wider 245/45R19 summer tires, along with a firmer suspension calibration.

Aside from a grabby pedal feel, we had no complaints about the brakes in normal traffic situations.

The sleeper
Competent in most areas, the big Lexus is phenomenal in the powertrain department.

This department has only two employees but needs no others. The 4.6-liter V8 is rated for 380 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 367 pound-feet of torque at 4,100 rpm, and it's paired with an eight-speed automatic that drives the rear wheels.

Ordinarily, the powertrain employees go about their tasks unobtrusively, as the V8 scarcely makes a sound and the transmission short-shifts through its gears. But press the accelerator pedal to the floor and you'll whip them into a quiet frenzy.

The LS 460 L accelerates to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds and reaches the quarter-mile in 14.3 seconds. This performance doesn't seem particularly noteworthy until you realize the L model is not only as quick as the standard-wheelbase model, but also quicker than both the BMW 750i and Mercedes-Benz S550.

Fact is, you won't find a faster extended-length luxury sedan unless you consider a car with something really exotic under the hood.

Parallel parking: Inside Line vs. LS 460 L
Your neighbors probably don't know about the LS 460 L's quickness, but they all know it can park itself. As the YouTube videos suggest, however, Advanced Parking Guidance takes practice to master. You don't want to be on a busy street with unsympathetic motorists piling up behind you the first time you try it.

In our unscientific "Parallel Park-Off," we put an editor of average parking prowess behind the wheel. After identifying the right line into the space, she parked the LS 460 L within 5 inches of the curb but rubbed the right rear tire in the process.

Then we let the Lexus have a go. We approved the target and watched the battle unfold, hands off the wheel, foot massaging the brake. The LS placed itself 5 inches from the curb, but committed no tire foul.

Our verdict? Spend the paltry $700. You'll avoid wheel damage when park-by-Braille relatives borrow the car. As punishment for losing the park-off, the IL editor was dealt a noogie and severely reduced pay.

Silence that isn't awkward
True enthusiasts live for high-strung cars that engage you with high-strung demands. Yet however entertaining such cars might be, most of them are annoying on a daily basis.

For those of extremely finite patience, the 2007 Lexus LS 460 L is the ideal live-in luxury sedan companion. It basically looks after its own affairs and doesn't speak unless spoken to.

And should you care to inquire, there's plenty of performance for the taking.

The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.