2007 Lexus LS600HL Reviews

Ewan Kennedy reviews the 2001, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2013, 2016 Lexus LS as a used buy.

One stretches to near full length in the rear of the limo, an ottoman propping extended legs while the vertebrae are manipulated by a cunning practitioner of shiatsu. Then a wailing sound assails the ears ...This would be all too Hugh Grant, except the noise is not a Highway Patrol siren. Or the Vice Squad. Though it is The Police.That's the 1980s popsters, of all things to pick. The nasal whine of the vocalist is surround sounding through 11 speakers from a DVD screen that's dropped from the inner roof.And the masseuse is not some flower of the orient, but a mechanical function built into the optional-with-ottoman left rear seat of the new Lexus LS 600hL.And that's about the only option in a car whose decadent lushness contrasts utterly with frugal fuel use and a carbon dioxide emission rating that wouldn't disgrace a V6.The LS 600hL is the world's first V8 all-wheel-drive hybrid.It can reach 100km/h from standing in 6.3 seconds, but will use as little as 9.3-litres of 95 RON petrol per 100km.Its globulous, 2.4 tonne kerb weight can be clawed through a tight bend with surety via a Torsen all-paw system, leaving a fairly petite carbon footprint of 219 grams per kilometre.All this and it just about parks itself too.While the LS 600hL undercuts by more than $100,000 certain German LWB limos, it still costs $240,000 for the full-specced four seater as described above or $233,000 for the five pew model.All right already, so that's light years beyond the likes of you and I.So too, for that matter, is the $120K GS 400h released 18 months back and even the $94K RX 400h SUV that followed.Where all this does impact on us is in Toyota's luxury arm making hybrid performance vehicles their domain.While the Europeans adhere to ever-cleaner diesels — and BMW spruik their Hydrogen 7 to the mega-rich and famous — the Lexus petrol-electric gambit will surely devolve to the compact executive class.So what chance a hybrid of the IS to compete against the 3 Series and C-Class?“Very possible, absolutely,” the 600hL's chief engineer and my fellow backseat passenger Osamu Sakata assured Carsguide as he ratcheted up the shiatsu setting to intense.For now, the bombastic halo exercise that is the most expensive Lexus to date serves to provide glimpses of our motoring future.The easiest to see are the first application of LED low-beam headlights — near daylight bright, it's claimed. One you hope you'll never have to see is the anti-submarining in-seat airbag in the four seat model.Then there's the Intelligent Park Assist (IPA) system, which is sending a thrill through the geeky and the ability-shy.IPA uses a rear camera and ultrasonic sensors to identify a parking space and calculates the correct steering angle to guide the big bugger in without curbing the 19-inch rims or bending fenders.For a decent part of the exercise your only involvement is pressure on the gas pedal.The side and rear window blinds are push button. A body heat sensor (I'm not making this up) automatically controls the climate. The grab handles and bin doors are damped so they shut at uniform rate. Which is nice. SNAPSHOT LEXUS LS 600hLPrice: $233,000 (five seat); $240,000 (full spec)Engine: 5L/V8 hybrid; 290kW/520NmEconomy: 9.3L/100km0-100km/h: 6.3 seconds  THE KEY RIVAL THEY FORGOT TO MENTIONLexus compares its LS 460hL flagship against a list of leviathans such as BMW's $346,000 760Li and even the Bentley Arnage.Insofar as these fat-capacity petrol-guzzlers are towards thetop of their respective makers' ranges, that's a reasonable suggestion.Lexus just happens to flog them in terms of value and green credentials.A car Lexus failed to mention was another biggish, V8 AWD — one that uses a hi-tech diesel engine to accomplish its ends.At $210,000, Audi's A8 4.2 TDIquattro undercuts the LS600hL on price. It alsohas better acceleration(5.9 seconds to 100km/h over 6.3) and competitive fuel economy (9.4L/100km to 9.3).The first eight-cylinder diesel in this class, the A8 has twin turbos and intercoolers to deliver 650Nm of turbine-like thrust.If the hybrid system is eco-friendlier in city traffic, the TDI comes into its own on the open road, proving that performance and prestige are compatible with diesel, too.There's 11 airbags, Pre-Collision Safety System, Active-radar Cruise Control, Adaptive Variable Suspension and Vehicle Dynamic integrated Management (VDiM) system. And a sunroof. So you get the lot. Lock and stock as standard. Leave the option gouging to the Germans.And leave the hybrid engines to theJapanese.This latest Lexus petrol-electric combo is another modern marvel, shifting a game it has almost to itself to another level.A 5.0-litre version of the 4.6 quad-cam V8 used in the much huzzah-ed LS 460 is combined with a new dual-stage transmission incorporating the electric drive system for a combined output of 290kW and 520Nm from 4000rpm. The 650-volt electric drive motor delivers 165kW/300Nm, with all those lovely Newtons available from zero revs.The hybrid system blends the two power sources according to operating conditions to provide a maximum 327kW. That's about the output of 6.0 petrol — hence the designation.A switchable EV mode2 allows 40km/h on electric power only. Indeed the car stops its petrol engine whenever possible (when the car's stationary, for example) to save fuel and reduce emissions and noise.It says much of the intended buyer that the Lexus minders saw that we spent as much time in the back as behind the wheel. On the basis of our limited and mostly straight line exposure, any of the myriad cars that Lexus pits itself against are more involving drives.That said, with the sport suspensions selected and the eight-speed manual mode of the CVT engaged, the V8 emits the heartfelt growl and something approaching the overtaking ability of the lesser, conventional LS.Unlike the latter, it's afflicted with a hybrid's tiny boot (albeit with full size spare), all those clever gubbins chewing up the golf club space.While your captain of industry might accept that it's not easy being green, he mightn't take so kindly to a lack of implements to use on the green.Still, at least the Lexus will massage more than the ego.

Mercedes and BMW have luxury-loaded battle wagons for $300,000-plus. Suzuki's local headliner is the Grand Vitara four-wheel-drive and Proton has to get by with the Gen.2 baby hatch.But there is no flagship quite like the new Lexus LS.Australia has just had details of the new V8 Lexus LS460 but, barely a week later, it has been overtaken by a car called the LS600hL.It is a serious, tick-all-the-boxes headliner for Lexus, for Japan, and for hybrids.Lexus has gone all the way with its commitment to petrol-electric hybrids by creating the first flagship of any brand that has a green footprint.It is still more than two tonnes and the fuel economy is never going to rival a diesel-engined Peugeot 207, but it is a huge commitment by Toyota as it overtakes General Motors as the world's largest carmaker.The LS600hL — cryptic for 6.0-litre performance, hybrid drive and long wheelbase — will reach Australia in a couple of months. The price should be in about $240,000, based on the $184,900 of the LS460.Final details are being decided, but the car will have incredible luxury and technology, from a self-parking system to LED headlamps, a device that monitors driver fatigue, and even a reclining rear passenger seat with shiatsu massager.On the hybrid front, Lexus has gone all-out with a 5.0-litre V8 with battery-electric booster, all-wheel drive and a constantly variable transmission that can mimic an eight-speed manual.“This car is the symbol of the Lexus brand. It is like a president or the chairman of a company, not just responsible for itself, but for everyone in the group,” chief engineer of the LS hybrid Osamu Sadakata says.“When conceiving the 600h, we didn't set out to build a hybrid car. First we thought about the level of performance and social responsibility required for a premium car. Then we started thinking about what kind of powertrain we needed. The answer was the hybrid.”Sadakata says the new LS has the performance to match a V12 petrol limousine, with the fuel economy and CO2 emission of a V6.That means a 0-100km/h sprint of 6.3 seconds, a limited top of 250km/h, and a claimed combined fuel economy of 9.3 litres for 100km.In some ways the arrival of the 600h is a return to the start for Lexus, which broke the mould in 1989 with its original LS flagship.The question is how many customers will want the car, and if so, as a green machine or for the gadgets.Lexus Australia is forecasting sales of five to 10 cars a month, or about half the volume of the regular LS460, and is still working on the final price and specification.It intends to sell it as a regular five-seater and with the four-seat cabin that is compulsory with the shiatsu recliner — which crimps front-passenger space — but is not sure of the breakdown.But all will have the long-wheelbase body, which puts an extra 120mm into the rear-passenger space.“It will be almost a built-to-order car,” Lexus Australia sales operations manager Andrew Caie says.“It's a toe-in-the water for us. A lot of LS buyers have been lining up for the car, so it will take a while to clear those before we go out to new buyers.”Caie is not firm on final details because of the price and position of the 600h.“The planning volume is not really huge. That's one of the reasons we have not locked everything down.“We aren't going to go out and sell thousands. This is a very different perspective even from the LS460.”But he does confirm the LS600hL will be the first Lexus over the $200,000 mark.“We probably have a few months before we know the final price.”The bottom line will include leather seats, twin DVD screens, 19-speaker sound, 17-inch alloy wheels, four-zone automatic airconditioning, a rear cooler bin and safety gear ranging from front/curtain/knee airbags, an airbag to stop rear-seat passengers sliding into the footwell in a serious crash, a pre-crash system, radar cruise control and a fully integrated vehicle dynamics system including stability control, anti-skid brakes and adaptive air suspension.On the roadTHE LS hybrid creates a sensory overload. There is so much technology, so much luxury, it is difficult to know where to start.It is easy to slide into the reclining shiatsu massager and fire up a DVD for relaxation, or talk to the Japanese engineers to hear the inside story of the engine and transmission and all-wheel drive.But it all fades to background when I crank the speedometer towards 240km/h on a German autobahn arrowing out from Frankfurt — the obvious choice for the preview, because it is Benz-BMW-Audi home ground — and submerge in the luxury, the quiet, the refinement and the surprisingly good driving experience.The long-wheelbase LS is the best car Lexus has created, as expected. It has cracking performance, is stable and responsive in corners, is supremely quiet, and has every luxury trinket possible.It does not have the personality of a BMW or Benz, but Lexus has always gone softly to avoid offending potential owners. And it wants people to choose their car for different reasons.So to the hybrid drive. The LS is electric-car quiet around a carpark, but there is no mistaking the howl of its 5.0-litre V8 when I sink the foot on a wide-open autobahn.Or the stop-light potential of a total package that delivers a combined 327kW and 820Nm.The LSh will also drop down to about 8 litres for 100km on a gentle cruise and, despite its heft, Lexus says its CO2 output is lower than the regular 460.There is so much in the 600h that I could write a book about the technology and frame an essay on how it feels and drives and responds.It is enough to say that it is the world's most techno-driven car and it delivers everything wanted from a Lexus flagship.Does the world need a car such as this?Probably not, but I said much the same thing when Lexus introduced the original LS and when Toyota unveiled its first Prius hybrid.Those cars started something new and there is every chance the LS600hL will be carving out fresh territory and previewing technology that will eventually be as common as electric windows are in today's economy compacts. Fast Facts: LEXUS LS600hLON SALE: SeptemberPRICE: Estimate $240,000ENGINE: 5.0-litre V8 engine with series/parallel hybrid drive, 650-volt electric motor and nickel-metal hydride batteryPOWER: 327kW combined (290kW at 6400 revs, V8 only)TORQUE: 800Nm combined (520Nm at 4000 revs, V8 only)TRANSMISSION: Eight-speed constantly-variable automatic, all-wheel driveWEIGHT: 2320kgFUEL ECONOMY: 9.3 litres/100km (claimed combined)CO OUTPUT: 219g/km (claimed combined)