So I was bored yesterday and visited my local Lexus Dealer to test drive an LS460.

I wanted to drive the LWB Sport Edition with the AIR Suspension and bigger wheels, but they were both on the showroom floor so I took out the one outside. SWB With the NAV/ML/Comfort package ($76K).



After about 20 Minutes of driving around town and some straight aways, the BIGGEST difference I noticed was basically just the acceleration from dead stop. It made some grunting noise (Exhaust) at the very beginning and the grunt would then go away as soon as i get to about 45MPH.



The ride was basically the same as my 3 year old LS430 UL (Stock). Smooth, comfortable, glides on the road.



The NAV was a much better version with more color and 3D graphics.



After the drive, the salesman's comment to me was..."It doesn't look like you are very excited about this car at all.." Which is accurate because I really wasn't that excited about it. Sure it looks great outside, it smelled a little newer than mine and faster than mine, but I do not think I will be trading mine in anytime soon.



Maybe next time I drive it and I am alone and can really be familiar or do a back to back comparison, then I "might" change my mind...We shall see..



Mike

 

agree with ya,, drove a 460 regular wheel base when they first came out,, can't say it was a lot quicker but thought the braking felt different,, could tell the steering was also a change they made,, tranny certainly smooth,,

was also questionable on another first year design change with the engine, tranny and several other components,, been burnt on a first year before and still gun shy,,

with only 22K on my 05 it still has a long way to go and sure wasn't anything on the 07 that made me want to write the check,, wife also agree the 07 was nice but nothing to get overly excited about to consider a trade,,

 

I think you guys just saved me a lot of money.

 

A beautiful car, great NAV but 0 fun to drive for me. Steering was WAY overassisted for me with no "feel" so I will keep my Euro tuned '04 until they have a similar package for the 460.

 

its a very beautiful car, no doubt... but its not easy to make a '04+ UL absolute.

 

It's an LS, and you have one already. Yes, the new LS is quite amazing in its own right, but the spirit of the LS lives on in each vehicle.

 

I was in a similar situation. Last Tuesday I returned my leased '04 LS 430 with only 16,000 miles and got the SWB LS460 (ML, Rear Comfort plus, etc - 73K list). None had the sports suspension. The 430 only had 16,500 miles. But the lease was up and I did not want to buy. At the end it was between a MB S550 or the LS460 (they lease for a very similar amount). I chose the LS, because eeliability, NAV and real time traffic outweighted the pros on the MB.

So far, some of the differences I am enjoying: Acceleration, the vastly improved Blue Tooth, the real time NAV actually provides good information, the XM radio (never got the option on the 430). I have tried the self parking, and while I can park a lot faster myself, it is impressive. The ML stereo on the 460 sounds great and the features such as the hard drive are good- I also had the ML on the 430 but this one sounds better to me.

Could I have lived with the 430 longer? Of course. It is the best car I have ever owned (too soon to tell on the 460) - I even considered extending the lease one year, but the lesor (a bank - not Lexus, was difficult) so they got their car back.

 

My test drive left me feeling pretty much the same. Frankly, I think my LS430 with the modifications I've made is more fun to drive and a good bit more sporting feeling than the new LS. I like the new LS, but just for my driving enjoyment, I wouldn't be willing to pay much money to trade. The main thing that I liked about the 460 was the sound system. On certain source materials it's plain awesome. We were watching the movie Master and Commander (excellent sound track in terms of effects, etc.) and the part where the Captain sees the muzzle flash from the cannons through the fog, then the cannon ***** smash through the ship.... makes chills run up your spine because it's so real-sounding in the LS the way you hear everything all around you.

The thing I really don't like about the 460 is the way it looks like a universal generic sedan. I HATE the way so many manufacturers are taking that path these days. At least the 430 looks unique. Looks are only skin deep, but I really want to be able to appreciate the appearance of a car, and Lexus is going in the wrong direction in that regard, IMO.

 

Very true.

I went from a 1994 LS400 to a 2005 LS430. The difference is very evident.

There is dvd-based navigation. Mark Levinson surround sound (Nakamichi was fantastic, but let's be serious here, the Mark Levinson sounds clearer, at least to me). The air-suspension. The heated and cooled front seats. The massaging rear seats. The change was BIG.

I got an extended testdrive (okay okay, my neighbor has an LS460 and he lets me examine it to my hearts content) of the new LS460 and it's just not that big of a change to justify jumping up to it.

However the urge is there after seeing it on the road plenty of times. I'm anxious to see the LS600lh in person and if it will have anything 'extra' somewhere to make it worth the upgrade.

If not -- hey, it's not like the LS430 UL is a bad car!

 

No, you got a joyride not a "test drive". Those are reserved for people who can actually afford to pay for a car. "Worth the upgrade" decisions should be reserved for employed persons, not freshmen who live with their parents.

 

ouch sparky... do i hear some resentment towards the younger generation?

Its ok I resent vraa too. 05 ls430 for an 18 y/o? Dang.

 

sparky's resentment is well deserved, I was very detestable towards him in another threads. For that I apoligize. It was very wrong of me.

 

That's a very respectable thing to say, and I commend you for it. There's hope for you yet, young whippersnapper!

P.S. I'm 33, not too old of a fogey yet!

 

I couldn't agree more with the original post. I test drove the new LS460 for about 35 minutes and walked away very unimpressed. It felt good to get back into my 2005 LS430. Don't think I'll be making the switch either for at least a few years. I just couldn't see that much difference in the cars. The salesman tried to impress us with the automatic parking feature which took longer to program than it would take me to back into the parking space. That was one $5000 option I would not need. Just couldn't see any reason to "upgrade" at all. With my eyes closed, I don't think I could tell the difference between the 460 and the 430....both are fine cars.