jcp

I bought a 2006 CL several months ago and have very mixed feeling about the car.

As a daily commuter it does a good job. It's comfortable, roomy and has quality workmanship, with the exception of annoying dash rattles that appeared when the temperatures dropped. Also, I expected the ML audio system to be better, but it's merely acceptable.

However, from an overall driving enjoyment perspective, the experience so far has been extremely disappointing. My car has the OEM 18's, but still feels mushy and totally disconnected to the road. I am aware the LS430 generally caters towards an older demographic, but I expected more. The steering response is beyond slow and lifeless. The car has decent power, but throttle response and transmission gear changes lag big time. This is the first car I've had in many years that I have to worry about merging onto traffic.

Can anything be done to make the LS430 sporty and more enjoyable to drive? Will changing the suspension make a dramatic handling difference without destroying the ride? Are there any ECU and transmission tunes available to eliminate the dreadful slow throttle response and sharpen the super slow transmission shift logic?

I'm trying to enjoy my LS430, but in stock form it's dreadful.

Thanks
JC

1QWKGS4

iTrader: (3)

There is an LS Sport model in '04'-'05, its handles alot better (Firm), and you can get the Blitz Throttle Controller to pep up the response. IMHO, I had similar feelings as you when I had my '05 Ultra pkg LS. Its nice but pretty boring.. If you want more sporty while retaining some luxury ride - you have to go to the GS's. I Sold my LS and bought a 2nd GS430 for my daily drive. Couldn't be Happier.

1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

I will agree with you about the Mark Levinson system, I had to get into the back seat to realize that my sub was working.

then, literally , on the first song I loved, I cranked up the volume and bass a bit, and the woofer blew

Aside from that I love the LS in every way, no offence, but if you wanted a sports car you should of got one, the LS is a 'Luxury Sedan" and IMO it does its job perfectly.

But yea, swap to coilovers and aftermarket wheels, that will wake it up a little.

Prochamber

You should have bought either a Porsche or some other type of racing car.

Kansas

YES! A Porsche Panamera 4-door sedan is what he needs. Damn, I love them. Even my wife does and she usually doesn't give a hoot about cars except that she seems to like riding in nice cushy quiet cars a lot.

Or maybe he OP needs a BMW 5-series M-type if he needs a sedan and doesn't mind the maintenance issues.

Dreadful is a pretty strong word to describe LS430 handling. I've driven BMW 5-series and E-class Mercedes on race courses and I sure wouldn't call the handling of any LS430 dreadful.

In my book, a 2006 CL is as good as it gets for an LS430 - more desirable if it has the PCS option. My limit on acceptable used cars is 3-years old but I might still make an exception if I found a stunningly exceptional white 2006 LS430 CL with PCS - I tried in 2008 or 2009 and couldn't find one a single one that meant my requirements.

Dash rattles? Have you checked your glove compartment and door pockets for junk rattling around? That's been the usual culprit for me time after time. I had an annoying buzz a couple of days ago and found it was from an open sunglasses case laying on the passenger seat - snapped it shut and buzz was gone. If it is not something like that then maybe the previous owner did something that caused rattles -- any nonstandard modifications made in the dash area?

Jeez ... sell this great car to someone who appreciates it and move on.

NERCCERT

JCP,

After driving my boosted E46 BMW M3 down a canyon road, I enjoy driving my LS 430 to work and back. They are just completely different. If I commuted in the M3 I would be beat up by the drive, the LS 430 is perfect for most every day, the M3 is a blast to play in but not very practical for my long drive to work and back.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

You can drive in manual mode and control the shift tendencies. As far as the suspension goes, it was designed to be soft and comfortable over sportiness. You can change the handling a lot with springs and new shocks or coilovers. You will loose a lot of comfort of course.

Sway bars will also help. As far as the lag in throttle, I do not feel this in my 04.

ultm8mind

iTrader: (3)

As mentioned above you can upgrade the suspension, maybe go coils or drop it a little. Sway bars would stiffen it up a little also. But as far as power, they do have super and turbo chargers they make for our car, Greddy I know has one, but they are pricey.

jcp

Hey guys,

I appreciate the comments. Just a little background. I was a previous BMW owner for the last 20 years and have owned 3 generations of M5's (e34, e39 and e60) among others. They were phenomenal sport sedans and affordable while under warranty, since maintenance was covered. However, my e60 was very costly the last two years of ownership out of warranty with SMG and VANOS failures and some intermittent electrical issues. After this emptying of my wallet I sold my M5 earlier this year.

So I decided to buy an affordable luxury sedan for my daily driver needs that had a reputation for reliability and decent fuel economy (the e60 guzzled 93) and get a dedicated sports car for the weekends. I originally considered the GS, since the size fits my needs better, but after reading this forum the general consensus was the LS is much higher quality, so I decided on the LS.

I know it's unfair to compare the LS430 to an M5, but I had hoped there was at least one sporty bone in my LS.

Bocatrip

I love my LS430 just the way it is, knowing I can always rely upon it and enjoy the most comfortable ride that is out there. However, I too wanted something sportier, so I recently purchased a 2010 Jaguar XK Coupe with just 5,000 miles. I use the LS430 as my daily driver and the XK on weekends or whenever I need a change. Now I have the best of both worlds....Reliability and comfort, and sporty fun whenever I feel the urge. I'm still a loyal LS430 owner, and love it's dependability and comfort!

Jabberwock

LS430 is an amazing car, very high quality, super lux ride, and bullet proof reliable.... but it is a boat - plain and simple.

If you want a car that handles and drives like an M5 then you need to get another M5 and be prepared to deal with BMW style maintenance and ongoing costs, etc. Or check out something like a Porsche Panamera as previously suggested....a beautiful car and a true sports sedan, although it too may be as exciting $$$$ to maintain as it is to drive.

Tmarbury

I once met an old college associate at a Lexus dealship, he was looking at the LS430. We spoke for a while until he asked my thoughts on the LS. I replied it's not for the BMW or MBenz drivers. This is strictly luxury at its finest. You want sport go handling BMW you want the name go to the Benz, but if yuo want quality luxury at its best you are in the right place. The LS is not for everybody and Lexus sales that point very well.

I'm still trying to understand the comments about the ML system, for me it works when I'm listening to classis , R&B or my GO GO (that's Chuck Brown). Beautiful sound adjust to your liking or go aftermarket.

IMHO. Don't waste your time, money and effort to make the LS into something that it was not engineered to be. It will only cost you more later.

warminwisc

Most of the folks on this site value the LS for power, quiet, reliability, comfortable ride and offer up the handling to have a solid Benz like feel and craftmanship w/o the $ in repairs.

If I may ask politely you must have test driven the LS, these faults must have been apparent, why did you buy it?

No matter how you try a German car will always trump a Japanese car in my book in handling and steering and they are finally getting reliable in the last few years.

MyLS EuroSport is firmer but still not a German feel but handling and steering is decent. Problem is in the price range of an 06 LS, to get a full size luxury auto like an A8, 745, S430 still may have reliability problems and I have had my 2 LS's for 170k driven miles now with one wheel bearing to speak of.

I might suggest an M37 series from Infinity though they may still be $ used, the M35 I did not like, or even a G series smaller but handles well.

jayclapp

Is it possible the OP is pulling our legs? His comment about worrying about merging onto traffic seems a bit strange for a car that is capable of 0-60 in 5.9 seconds. Just mash the throttle!

Jabberwock

Agree - I wondered about that statement also. My car is not very good at squirting in an out of heavy traffic (my Miata is great for that) because the LS is just too big and heavy for this task. But for merging into traffic or passing someone the LS is a beast. Step on it and it pulls like a 757 - it will very quickly take you from 30 to 75mph for merging and then well beyond normal highway speeds in very little time.