myLexus007

Hello LS460 owners,

Why would one chooses LS460 F-Sport over LS460 and vice versa?

My father is hitting 67 next year and looking for his "retirement" car. He likes soft & quiet ride and the luxurious amenities on the LS. We've looked at several '13, the F-Sport package is around $2000-$4000 on average and we absolutely love the look and don't mind paying extra for it. However, after driven the NX200t vs NX200t F-Sport as loaner, we absolutely hate the F-Sport on the NX as it was unrefined and rough. We have not driven the LS F-Sport or LS, so we don't know how big the difference.

Is the LS F-Sport more expensive to maintenance? Does both have air suspension? Anything we should know?

litesoarer

AFAIK Sport option LS are all AVS Equipped. The air shocks are expensive to replace when necessary so look into CPO cars and consider the extended warranty options.

I decided to go with a higher mileage (2010 Sport w/78K) example and while it will end up costing me a bit more in maintenance, the upfront cost was considerably less.

dlbuckls10

The F-Sport suspension is firmer and taut. The seats are more firm and supportive. The steering is more precise and the F-Sport isn't available in a LWB.

Dr. Jekyll

iTrader: (1)

Actually that's not entirely true. The F-Sports have active air and can be adjusted on the fly as needed and to your preference.

AustinHusk

On my 2015 FSport, the Sport+ setting stiffens up the air shocks (I think that's what it does based on the dash graphic)

Dr. Jekyll

iTrader: (1)

Correct but you also have an Eco Mode, Comfort Mode and Sport Mode as well right? I can go from soft to firm based on those 4 settings so the F-Sport isn't necessarily stiffer. It can actually ride smoother in Comfort mode considering the air suspension too.

SW17LS

They're really very similar. The F Sport cars all have air suspension, the suspension is tuned a little firmer, but its very subtle. F Sport cars also have an intake sound generator that increases engine note under strong acceleration, I would drive one to see if you're okay with the result of that. The interior has metal trim vs wood trim, seats have more side bolstering, etc.

I like the look of the F Sport too, but overall I think the base car suits the LS better, but either car will be equally reliable, maintenance costs the same, etc.

Is he going to put a ton of miles on it? The air suspension doesn't ride much differently than the standard coil suspension. If he's going to keep it a long time thats a consideration.

litesoarer

Do the early sport models 10-12 also have this intake enhancement as well?

jasone36

If shopping with the intention of long-term ownership, and your resources (money for repairs) are finite, I would stay away from all the air-suspension models (including the F-Sport, which is all air-suspension).

If you'll only be driving it for a few years and getting rid of it, then it really shouldn't matter either way.

myLexus007

I think he'd probably keep it for 7-10 years, it's a "retirement" car so I don't want to say it's his last , going to put in about 10,000 miles annually.

Do all non F-Sport have coil suspension? If not, how do we check if it's has coil or air suspension?

I understand that the F-Sport also has staggered tires, correct? We will okay with F-Sport firm ride as long as we have the options to go back to Normal mode with the soft LS ride.

myLexus007

Most likely will keep it for 7-10 years and even longer. Is there a way to check if the vehicle has air by looking at the VIN? Or we have to ask the dealer?

SW17LS

No, only the 2013+ F Sport.

It's easy to tell if a car has air suspension, if you look at the console the buttons around the drive mode selector will have a "HEIGHT HIGH" button, and there will be a "COMF" mode above the "ECO" mode as well as a "SPORT S+" mode. If it's a coil spring car it will just have "ECO", "NORMAL" and "SPORT" with a snow mode button on one side and a TRAC off button on the other.

The coil spring car rides like the air suspension car in normal. The air suspension is also available on the base car, and almost all LS460L's have it.

If he wants the best ride, I wouldn't get the F Sport just because it doesn't have enhancements where he wants them

islandbeef

The LS F Sport is for folks who are NOT retirement age, but like retirement age targeted cars.

myLexus007

Thanks for the info, now we know what to look for. I think we are gearing toward the regular one since he likes soft ride.

We don't want LWB, so for the small portion of the SWB that has air suspension, the difference to look for is the height adjustment option as well?

Our 2004 GX470 (sold) also had height adjustment, never occurred to me that its have air suspension.

SW17LS

Yeah SWB or LWB the buttons on the console are the same.

I wouldn't be really worried about the air suspension either way. If he puts 10k a year on it and has it for 7 years that's 70k miles. If he buys one with 30k on it that's 100k miles. My dad had a 400 and a 430 both with air suspension, his 400 had almost 200k miles on it and his 430 had about 100. No issues with the air suspension.