My dealer afforded me the opportunity to experience a LS600hL for a 48-hour period this week. Coming from the LS460 SWB acquired 16 months ago, the transition was surprisingly smooth. The extra length was barely noticeable; however I was most impressed with the hybrid system, a technological tour-de-force. I found myself setting fuel economy targets trying to make optimal use of the electric drive. The battery doesn’t seem to last very long, and I’m sure there’ll be longer lasting ones in the future. This is a heavy car, so no surprise here. I played around and became rapidly familiar with the Parking Guidance system (APGS). I had read that some writers were troubled by the parking results they were achieving, ending up crooked or bumping into obstacles. After a few tries however, I was able to park the car square and tight in almost any spot, parallel or reverse. The trick was to let the system determine the width and depth of the “box”, and make minor corrections from there. I did find the backup speed limit a bit slow, but that's a given.

Some other observations:
The acreage in the rear cabin was impressive... however…
The trunk was just spacious enough for two wheeled golf bags, and little else.
The five LED headlights "per side" are OK, but not as crisp as HIDs; very impressive at first blush though.
The automatic door and trunk lid closers are very nice.
The cabin is very, very quiet, especially when the ICE shuts down at traffic lights, or EV Mode.
The acceleration & torque are phenomenal, especially merging into highway traffic.
The pneumatic suspension and 19” wheels/tires made for a solid and more controlled ride.
The ML system’s minimum Volume seemed a little suppressed on this car, by about ten positions.
The fit and finish with a few exceptions is similar to my LS, although my wife feels the seats are more comfortable.

This car was not the Executive version, so there certainly would be more to say about that, were that the case. Four wheel drive is one of the 600’s attractions, so I would like to give the car a spin (literally) before commenting on that aspect of its performance. The additional electric ponies make long hills a breeze as it negotiates them with aplomb, as you would expect.

 

I've never understood the value of the LED headlights. I miss the brighter HID headlights of my LS430.
I thought these were standard on all LS's. My LS430 had the automatic door closer. I really like this feature.

After a year with my LS600hL, I still love the car, and, as is usual with my previous two LS's, nothing but normal maintenance. Oh, wait, one of the rear doors has started squeaking when I open or close it......

In a couple of weeks my wife and I are taking a driving trip to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. I look forward to driving those scenic oceanside roads with some nice classical music playing.

Maybe I'll take a photo of the car with a nice background and post it....

A tad nervious, though, about putting the car on the CAT ferry.....

HBH

 

Good, I should try to get them loan me a 600hL for 48 hours or longer too.
It really sucks with the 600hL Canadian options packaging that you either get the Executive Package loaded with everything, or the non-executive version missing a lot of options.

For example, no premium Leather(semi-aniline)Seat Surfaces , escaine Roof Head Lining, leather Covered Instrument Panel and Doors(even my LS460L Executive Package has leather covered glove box that the "base" 600hL does not have), plus 4-Zone Independent Automatic Climate Control, Infrared Body Temperature Sensor, Milli-wave Radar Cruise System, Rear Side Window Auto Sunshade, Pre-Collision System, Driver Monitoring System, Obstacle Detection System etc, etc,......

Everything get packaged into the Executive Package as a $26,700 option for the 600hL, or the base version with almost none at all.

 

I wish Lexus had a 760Li to copy the variable door feature

I think we are using vauge terms
The new LS46/6 have soft touch doors like the LS430, soft touch trunk like the LS430, but also completely automatic trunk, unlike the LS430
If the LS430 UL had it, I completely missed it in my few years of driving

 

Helmar, take a photo with this landmark in the background, Peggy's Cove Lighthouse...

 

It's pretty neat that the ML gets different volume settings because of how quiet the LSh is...