alipontiac

Hi all
this is my first post in the club, i was surfing in lexus forums between time to another and to all another car forums for the true love for cars as an auto enthusiast. I am not a lexus owner YET, but my wife will be ES350 owner in the coming 2 months after selling her BMW X6, but for me am looking forward for the LS460 to replace my Mercury grand marquis in the future.
while we was at local car dealer not authorized Lexus dealer, i saw this lovely LS460 L, with unique interior wood trim and exterior color also,this is the first time i see this trim and i didn't even see it in lexus web site, and here is some pic for it sorry for the crappy image quality





anyone know what this wood trim called?

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

Is bamboo an option? Something tells me it is.

hjones4841

I have owned 5 Grand Marquis since 1990 (still have a 2003) and one 06 Town Car. I traded the Town Car for a new-to-me 2011 LS460 a month ago. Here is my take on what you will and will not miss by going to the LS460:

You will miss the trunk space. Although the capacity is close on paper (21 vs 18 cu ft) more stuff will fit in the Grand Marq trunk. That can be a very big advantage, however. When packing for a short Christmas road trip I kept telling my wife to remember that the Lexus has a smaller trunk. In so doing I had less to carry up and down the stairs to the garage. Surely, the Lexus trunk space is all usable and in reality it does pack well, but it does not have that cavernous deep well trunk of the Mercurys.

You may also miss the bench front seat. I thought that would be an issue for travelling with our dog, but she sits in my wife's lap on the passenger side just fine in the Lexus. My wife does complain that the bucket seats make it more difficult to fasten the passenger seat belt.

You won't miss the engine noise. I think my 03 Grand Marq has the loudest engine noise of the ones I have owned, but even the 06 Town Car engine was much noiser than the LS. The LS engine noise is the "fun" type when you step on it and wind it well up into the tach And the LS engine power leaves the Grand Marq way back in the dust.

You won't miss the body squeaks and rattles. My 2011 LS is much tighter than any of my Ford products were when new. You will understand that exterior and interior body panels can indeed line up without gaps. You will like the real wood instead of the plastic type.

You won't miss the Grand Marq seats. Although the Town Car had more padding on the bottom cushion, they both pale in comparison to the comfort of the LS seats. One really great feature for me in the LS is the way the driver's seat cushion can be adjusted back and forth independently from the rest of the seat - wish that was on the passenger seat also.

You certainly won't miss the Grand Marq stereo. Even in the non-Mark Levinson LS, the sound is far superior to that in the Mercury. I had spent a wad of cash putting subwoofers in both the Town Car and in the 03 Grand Marq and a JBL MS-8 setup in the Lincoln. The LS really does not need a sub and the stereo imaging is a very pleasant across the front one, and if you get the ML system you will be amazed at the sound - my brother has it in his 07 LS and I sure wish mine did also.

As you probably have noticed, ride quality in the Grand Marq has diminished over the years. In 1996 or so, Ford decided to shed the floaty ride in their big cars. But, the money was not put into the suspension to make it firmer and still very comfortable.

So, I think you get the idea that I am truly impressed by the LS. And at age 64 it takes quite a bit to impress me. The Lexus certainly is a completely different type of car than the Grand Marq, but I think that you, too, will never have a complaint about making the change.

RandyV

That trim looks like a big yawner to me.

alipontiac

Thanks for your reply, both grand marquis & Lexus LS are very desired cars in my country,even for young people like me, i am just 24, both are tough and reliable, but the LS really showed up superior built quality, specially here in extremely hot country, they last forever unlike BMW 7 series ,Benz S class & Audi A8 they are just to show off none of them survive after warranty expired.

RodT

That wood trim is extremely nice!!!!!!

harleybob

hjones4841. What a great post I my self have owned four Grand marquis. Everything you said in that post was quite correct. Lincoln should be ashamed of themselves of what they have done to there cars. The Grand Marquis gave me great service. But like you I ordered my self a 2014 ls 460. Should be here by the end of Feb. Drove the car four different time quite impressed. Although I am only 60 years old LOL.

hjones4841

Thanks, harleybob. I had planned on buying one more new Town Car, but did not have the money when Ford discontinued them. I am sure you noticed that over the years, more and more sound proofing was removed from the Grand Marqs. No more padding under the hood, etc. But we are getting way off topic here. Congrats on the new LS. I am very sure that you will love it!