rominl

iTrader: (4)

i posted something similar in the taste of lexus event in the car chat forum

went there today to test drive the ls600hl. the car is A LOT quieter than the ls460l mainly due to the engine part. the car has more power and more punch too, you can definitely feel it

however, to be honest, i am not that impressed about the car over the ls460l. the quietness and more power are about what i could see (on top of the cosmetic changes), braking somehow i felt it wasn't as good as the ls460l, and handling wasn't that good neither. i wonder if that's coz' the ls600hl (at least not all) has the ****, so handling was just so so, more or less the same as the ls460l. with the extra 25k, umm......

by comparison, when i drove the gs450h, i was totally "wow" by it over the gs350 and the gs430.

so anyway, that's what i thought. the even was brilliant!

encore888

Thanks for the review, rominl! Interesting driving impressions, yes the LS 600h L is a very unique animal for sure. Indeed, the published reviews have different opinions on what they value compared to the (already excellent) LS 460 L.

BTW here is a link to the ToL thread:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...292157&page=14

Looks like the event is improved over the past. Actually I rated 2004's Taste of Luxury the best, followed by last year's 2006 Taste of Lexus: Design and Innovation edition.

Maybe this year's Taste of Lexus: Luxury Living edition will be pretty good too! I am definitely looking forward to test driving the cars. Last year I gave up on the GS 450h due to the long line, hopefully this year the LS 600h L will be driveable due to the access card system.

Gojirra99

My guess is the 600hL you drove may not have the APSSS. At least one report stated the 600hL felt more agile than the LS460L (non-Touring), although the current Sports Car International magazine likes the handling of the LS460L Touring Package more than that of the 600hL with the APSSS.

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

Interesting to hear.

What about the awd? Did that help or did you notice any difference?

Being in a limited space, it's hard to push it more and get it in the higher speed.

flipside909

Henry, did you floor it? I noticed both the LS460 and 600hL has that regular pedal travel...and once you pass that detent...and push the pedal in further to it's full travel...there is more response from the motor. I dunno about you but I was able to get the 5.0L V8 to growl just as I was at the apex of that first turn...it was unexpected and pretty scary!

I guess we'll see the full potential of that car soon.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

yes i floored it all the way, but both me and my wife believe the 600hl is much quieter. on the 600hl we still heard the engine roar, but we did 600hl, 460l, and then 600hl drive back to back to back, and when we got into the 460 and floor, both of us were like "huh?! this is loud"

anyway, andrew, i agree it probably doesn't have **** (btw, i checked lexus webpage, even the 450h spec says apsss?). i drove the 450h on the SAME course as the 600hl and it handled sooo much better

hard to say how much the awd helped. since the overall handling was just so-so i was a bit disappointed already

another note, the cvt is really very "weird" and "funny". somehow the 450h setup feels more balanced and natural. on the 600hl it felt kind of funny.

i got the car up to about 70 before i had to do panic braking

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Both are attributable to the extra seven hundred pounds (5049 vs. 4332) it's hauling around, plus the regenerative braking definitely gives a weird feeling.

I suspect with a drivetrain and chassis this complex (AWD, CVT, hybrid, etc.) it's going to take YEARS of tuning to refine it.

For comparison, the AWD S550 is 600lbs lighter, although the S600 is only 100lbs lighter.

Gojirra99

They put APSSS (P for Power) for the 600hL, but I think it's just **** for the 450h in it's specs. There is certain member here who always try to avoid using that **** acronym, it's almost like he doesn't want it to be used as a joke

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

exactly like my review from last week

agree 100%

rominl

iTrader: (4)

yup, remember i was confused when i read your review last week? i drove the car, and believe me, when i got off, i completely UNDERSTOOD and AGREED with you. i agree with paul, probably going to take some time for lexus to really figure everything out?

andrew, look under body and chassis
http://www.lexus.com/models/GSh/deta...fications.html

Gojirra99

Ah, I've seen it stated without the "P" before, so they've added the "P" like they have for the 600hL now, I think they must have changed it at some point to avoid that acronymn too LOL

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

It's just not really what I expected, and to be honest, I don't really like the differences over the LS 460L, aside from the headlights and leather wrapped dash. I do though applaud their effort to be different...it's just not to my taste.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

11.65 cu ft trunk space (per Lexus web site) is the kicker for me.

Car is still AMAZING though but I wouldn't want a first year one. Just too complex to get it right out of the shoot.

Gojirra99

It's actually only marginally smaller than the LS460L with the rear-seat upgrades, that's actually better than I expected already, I was afraid it will be as small as 9 cu.ft. as in the case of the GS450h.

I don't think you can get a first year one anymore if you put a deposit now. You probably won't get it until fall next year, which means a 2009 model, that's what I was told up here ... unless a lot of people are pulling out, that might speed things up ...

rominl

iTrader: (4)

andrew, yup it said **** before, i guess they standardize it now? good explanation about the short form, that was one of the worst made ever i have to say

paul, i looked at the trunk space in person. seriously, it's not much worse than the 460l with the rear seat upgrade at all. basically you almost can't tell the difference.

honestly, if i get this car, i wouldn't take it to airport to pick up people with a lot of luggages anyway