DrUnBiased

December 2007 Motor Trend.

Luxury Sedan Comparison

1st.) Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT
2nd.) Mercedes-Benz S550
3rd.) Jaguar Super V8
4th.) Lexus LS 600hL

Comments about the LS: "Overpromises and underdelivers on performance, fuel economy, and even luxury."

Don't know if it has been posted online yet.

JessePS

was expected.

LexFather

With 2 things, not just the article.

Threxx

Hmm... I admit that my experience with the cars on that list is very limited but I have to say I don't think I'd ever consider a Maserati if I was looking at the other cars on that list. The Maserati, at least to my knowledge, is more of a semi-exotic and has some pretty crazy costs and expectations associated with it for maintenance and the like.

The LS has the nicest and most serene interior on that list, probably the smoothest ride, among the most feature content, and probably a far lower overall cost of ownership all things considered.

The only complaint I have about the LS is a lack of driving excitement (but in this class with these heavy cars, how many people are honestly looking for driving excitement??) and the fact that the whole hybrid getup barely if at all raises performance and mileage despite its significant increase in the complexity weight and cost of the car...

LexFather

Historically the LS has done well in MT, either 1st or 2nd, UNTIL the LS 460 and now 600h L. Funny b/c those 2 cars blow any previous LS out the water but its fared poorly in this mag.

Funny, I don't read Edmunds and stopped subscribing to M&T.

encore888

I'm just curious why they would choose these particular vehicles to test against each other. Motor Trend gave the LS 460 and 460 L pretty good reviews, and likes the IS in particular. But why not the 460 L in this comparison? At $120K the 600hL would have cost going against it. I can see where the overpromise and underdeliver may come in when one is expecting Prius-aimed hybrid style, but not luxury IMO.

Yeah and it's funny how the latest LS is far better than previous models, and has received awards and won some comparisons, yet in others does not get its due (higher placing). I think it's possible that the increased price has eroded that original advantage which helped sway comparisons in the past. And that perhaps Lexus no longer has the upstart ingenue thing, and people approach it with already high expectations like here:

http://blogs.motortrend.com/6207600/...les/index.html

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

The LS 600hl is such a weird animal, and I do basically agree with most of the reviews...but keep one thing in mind. The thing weighs like 5,200lbs and has AWD. If they were looking for upscale sedans with a sporting demeanor, the faster, lighter, more agile LS 460L Touring would be far more appropriate.

I think that the LS 600hL is a great exercise in technological capability, but I don't think it's worth more than the 460L as the acceleration and fuel economy actually tip in the 460s favor.

MR_F1

I can't help but feel people don't get the point of the 600h.... maybe Lexus should have just dropped in their V12 and forgotten about developing the V8 hybrid concept. The only car in this class that significantly outperforms it's V8 counterpart is the MB S600.
Along comes Lexus, the give you the power and performance of a 760, plus AWD, plus BETTER fuel economy than any V12 out there, and people just don't get it.

Furthermore, whats with everybody looking for driving excitement in this category of cars? I mean......seriously.
I haven't been in the new LS as yet, but it under delivers in Luxury? I refuse to believe that....

Pure and Simple BS.

Allen K

iTrader: (4)

People just expected the 600h to be some sort of super car. V12 power, I-4 gas mileage, and it didn't happen and they're disappointed.

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

I ignore these magazines like I ignore paris hilton and lindsay lohan...waste of time.
It has nothing to do with the lexus bashing since I only look for the factual data and not subjective data.
Thank goodness for CL's car chat

Vladi

I would love to hear a explanation for that. What is that 600h is lacking in luxury that others don't other than a badge maybe. As far as we know it offers most amenities in its class. Unless they don't count features as luxury..

I am sure of one thing, car that really underdelivers as complete package here is Quattroporte. I've had it for few days as my dd few years ago, to school and back, when my friend was back in Ecuador. Car is nothing special for the asking price. The way it drives, interior ergonomics, a lot of thick black plastic, green lightning a la 80s and quite possibly the worst nav system on the market is something you would not expect from a $100K car. On the contrary it has awesome sounding engine, finest italian leather, color combo and real sporty steering feel but again one of the worst semi-manual transmissions in the segment, shifts are just notorious. Nevertheless my friend traded it in a little bit over a year for brand new M5.

Very niche car, miles away from total package.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

I say this first by stating I personally would love to own the new LS460. If I could afford one I'd buy it in a heart beat over the other models it competes against. That said, I was a little disappointed with the interior feel when I checked it out. Now, it could be simply because the outgoing LS430 interior fit, finish, and feel was so good that I was expecting the new LS460 to improve on it. I came away liking the layout of the new LS460, but feeling the outgoing LS430 interior was still much more plush, and felt better. The LS460 I checked out was the Long base with the massage seat in the rear. Over all it just felt like a small step down from the LS430. Still though, I'd buy one in a heartbeat if I could

LexusChris

iTrader: (1)

They can say what they wanna say but I still have my heart for the LS.

rai

I would agree with most. The Lexus is heaviest and AWD probably doesn't help it feel sporty which a lot of these magazines are looking for. Fun and sporty are great if you are driving a car for a week and you don't have to pay for the depreciation or worry about reliability. I would probably far vote for the Maser if I was driving it for a week. I didn't read the article but I believe the Maser is close to 42xx lbs which is half a ton less than the Lexus hybrid.

A non-hybrid LS is a better car (cheaper, lighter etc..) and may have done better also the price difference would be a big seller which I think it is over these other cars.

I really don't get the whole why-brid hysteria which hopefully has jumped the shark. I mean if it's costing $20K extra (for a Lexus hybrid) it will never ever save that money back in gas and you do get more power but what an extra 700 lbs no thanks.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

completely missing the point over the LS600hL, it has several major features thats not even offered on the 460