Let’s take a look at the 4 major luxury automakers’ flagship lineups:

Audi:

A8
A8L (long wheel-base)
S8 (performance)

BMW:

730d/Ld (not available in US)
740d (not available in US)
740i/Li (not available in US)
750i/Li
750i/Li xDrive (AWD)
760i/Li (V12)
ActiveHybrid7/ActiveHybrid7L (hybrid)

Lexus:

LS460/LS460L
LS460/LS460L AWD
LS460 Sport (sports tuned suspension)
LS600hL (hybrid)

Mercedes Benz:

S550
S400 Hybrid
S600 (V12)
S63/65 AMG (high performance)

From the model listing it seems like BMW and MB offer more engine choices than Lexus, however when we take a closer look we can see that Lexus offers more variety than the other two brands. The LS460 has both standard and long wheel-base, with AWD options are available for both and the sports-tuned suspension available for the standard wheel-base version. Also there is a range toping hybrid that offers V8 gas mileage and V12-like performance to compete with the other V12 flagships in the segment.

One can really make a case for either three brands of having the most complete flagship lineup in the segment (Audi is a non-factor in this discussion…) but let’s not forget that Lexus is only 20 years old so I think it’s incredible for them just to be able to be included in this discussion with the more established brands.

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Following is the official press release from Lexus:

• New LS 460 Optional Sport Package Combines Sport Tuned Air Suspension, Brembo Brakes, 19-inch
Forged Wheels with Aero Body Design Elements and Exclusive Interior Features
• Updated Lexus Premium Audio System Adds USB /iPod® Connectivity, Bluetooth® Streaming Music Capability, Integrated XM® Satellite Radio Receiver
• New Subscription-Based Lexus Enform™ with Safety Connect™ Telematics System

TORRANCE, Calif. (Oct. 9, 2009) – Lexus today announced Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail
Prices (MSRP) for the 2010 LS 460 and LS 460 L premium luxury sedans, GS 350 and GS 460 mid-size luxury sport sedans, and GS 450h mid-size luxury sport hybrid sedan. The MSRPs do not include a delivery, processing and handling fee of $875. The GS and LS sedans will arrive at dealerships later this month.

For 2010, the 2010 LS 460 models receive a revised grille, bumper, and headlamps, taillamps, license plate surround and exhaust diffusers. In addition, new side mirrors feature integrated turn signals while the standard 18-inch wheels have a new 10-spoke design. The LS 460 and LS 460 L freshen their exterior color palette for 2010 with new shades: Peridot Mica, Satin Cashmere Metallic, Matador Red Mica and Deep Sea Mica. Inside the LS adds an Eco Drive indicator that can encourage economical driving. LS 460 L models also receive standard Intuitive Park Assist and Intelligent High-Beam.

The LS 460 rear-wheel drive (RWD) model offers a new Sport Package for 2010. The Sport Package enhances the overall driving experience with an exclusive perforated Black/Saddle leather interior with sport front seats, a unique leather-trimmed steering wheel and paddle shifters for the eight-speed automatic transmission. It also offers tighter handling with its sport-tuned air suspension, stabilizer bars and shock absorbers. A unique front grille, distinctive Aero kit, which features a front lower spoiler, side rocker panels, and rear lower spoiler, 19-inch 10-split spoke forged wheels, and Brembo brakes are also included in the package.

The Appearance Package, a stand-alone option for all LS 460 and LS 460 L models, is also new for 2010 and offers the unique front grille and Aero kit found in the Sport Package. For RWD models the package also includes 19-inch five-spoke wheels. The new Cold Weather Package featuring a deicer, more effective heater and heavy-duty battery is available for all LS 460 and LS 460 L models. Advanced Pre-Collision System (APCS) is now available for the LS 460 L models. LS 460 and LS 460 L models also receive power rear seats with lumbar massage and power butterfly headrests as part of the optional Comfort Plus, Rear Seat Upgrade and Executive Class Seating Packages.

The GS 350 and GS 460 enter the 2010 model year with active front headrests and updates to
exterior and interior colors. The GS 350 and GS 460 receive two new exterior colors, Deep Sea Mica and Satin Cashmere Metallic as Black Sapphire Pearl, Verdigris Mica, and Golden Almond Metallic are discontinued. Parchment-colored interior replaces Cashmere. GS 450h receives a few exterior enhancements to distinguish itself from the gas-only model, including a revised front grille, clear taillamp covers and unique 18-inch wheels.

The LS 460 and GS series enter the 2010 model year with an updated Lexus Premium Audio
System and a new optional hard disc drive (HDD) navigation system. The Lexus Navigation System includes a casual-speech voice recognition feature, voice command, and enhanced Bluetooth® with phonebook download. The updated Lexus Premium Audio System includes Bluetooth streaming audio and a USB port, in addition to the auxiliary port. When an iPod® is connected through the USB port, information such as artist, track and album is displayed on the head unit, while music can be controlled through the head unit or steering wheel audio controls. An integrated XM® Satellite Radio receiver is also standard.

Lexus Enform™ with Safety Connect™ is an all-new telematics system available by subscription.
Safety Connect alone is standard on all LS 460 and GS models. Lexus Enform with Safety Connect is standard on navigation-equipped LS 460 and GS vehicles. Complimentary one-year trial subscriptions of Lexus Enform and Safety Connect are included. The Lexus Enform and the Safety Connect response center operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – every day of the year.

Lexus Insider™, a complimentary, opt-in service available without a subscription, is also standard on Lexus Enform equipped LS 460 and GS vehicles. The service offers in-vehicle audio casts with useful vehicle tips and event information, as well as insights into exclusive owners’ benefits. As part of the Lexus Enform navigation platform, XM NavTraffic® and XM NavWeatherTM are available via individual XM® subscriptions. All XM services include a complimentary 90-day trial subscription.

Model _________ MSRP _____ MSRP Increase __ Percentage Increase
GS 350 RWD ___ $45,000 ___ $0 _____________ 0.0%
GS 350 AWD ___ $46,950 ___ $0 _____________ 0.0%
GS 460 _______ $53,470 ___ $0 _____________ 0.0%
GS 450h ______ $56,550 ___ $0 _____________ 0.0%
LS 460 RWD ___ $64,680 ___ $855 __________ 1.3%
LS 460 AWD ___ $68,205 ___ $855 __________ 1.3%
LS 460 L RWD _ $70,225 ___ -$3,510 ________ -4.8%
LS 460 L AWD _ $73,750 ___ -$3,510 ________ -4.5%

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On the top it’s the new BMW 7-series and at the bottom it’s the Lexus LS460, I don’t know about you people but to me the similarities are just striking.

By the way, the similarity didn’t just end there, the new 7-series also picked up the “fake” tailpipe design that’s on the LS460. Pretty much the “real” tailpipe exhaust was hidden behind the rear bumper and the holes on the bumper are strictly for cosmetic purpose. Lexus was knocked on hard for incorporating this kind of design first on the IS F but most people failed to realize that cars that cost several times more, like the Lamborghini Murcielago and Audi R8 also have this kind of design. Now it seems like the can-do-no-wrong BMW is also picking it up… Well, if those tailpipe exhausts are so lame then what does that make the BMW? The LAME follower?

Anyways, back to the 750i and LS460, the two cars are just so similar from the rear end I personally have mistaken a few new 7-series on the street as the Lexus flagship. Some people would say that’s because the new Lexus design language was heavily influenced by the Bangle philosophy but I beg to differ. Except for the Bangle butt, which everybody was copying, the new Lexus design has nothing in common with the Bangle design. Bangle is famous for his “flame surface” however the Lexus L-finesse emphasizes in the “cleanliness” with simple lines. Try to compare the side profiles between a 3-series and IS then you’ll realize it. Same goes for the LS and 7er here, the lines on the LS are much cleaner and simpler than the Bimmer, except for the rear end which clearly BMW got its idea from Lexus there is nothing alike between the two flagships.

On the side note, Lexus has always been accused as the copy cat dated all the way back to the LS400 (which looks nothing like the MB S-class when it was unveiled) and I do have to admit that Lexus did “borrow” a few design traits from MB back then, for example the GS headlights vs. E-class headlights. However, try to compare the new E-class headlights to the current GS headlights then one will quickly realize that MB just copied something from Lexus which it was copied originally from MB…

Oh, the humor.

Picture source: Edmunds InsideLine

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IN A NUTSHELL: Yes, everything you’ve heard, discussed, and read about……….and more.

When the original Lexus LS400 was introduced for the 1990 model year, it was a car that has represented a luxury, quality, pricing, and marketing landmark in the history of Japanese-designed automobiles. Toyota created the Lexus luxury nameplate……and the car that, by definition, represents and typifies that nameplate more than any other Lexus product since.

Along with luxury arch-rival Infiniti and Saturn, a new low-cost division from GM, ( all three divisions were introduced the same year ) Lexus set new ( for then ) standards for customer treatment and service. These three nameplates see-sawed back and forth in both the J.D. Power and Consumer Reports listings as the three highest-rated brands for dealer service and customer satisfaction. The Lexus motto was…..and is…..” The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection,” and the LS400, at the time, despite a few minor issues like a tendency for the brake rotors to warp from the car’s large size and heavy weight, was about as close to perfection as the designers and engineers of the time were able to make it. Its mere presence in the auto market, and its base price ( at the time ) of $35,000 sent the Mercedes and BMW organizations reeling, despite the public contempt for Lexus that the Mercedes corporate people showd at the time. BMW, of course, had, and still has, a highly loyal and dedicated core of sport-sedan buyers, but Mercedes paid heavily for that contempt. In an attempt to keep up with Lexus and compete with them, Mercedes was forced to not only lower the prices on their vehicles but also the quality of many of the parts they used as well. Though Mercedes was……and continues to be…….along with Volvo, one of the auto industry’s most highly-regarded nameplates in safety and crash protection……..this economizing of their vehicles in the 1990’s led to a slow, but steady, and relentless, drop in the reliability of their vehicles. Although there is a loyal core of customers who continue to buy Mercedes products despite their poor reliability, the deterioration of Mercedes vehicles ended up in a vicious circle that drove some of them away from the brand and into new……you got it……..Lexus products. Once they experienced Lexus quality and customer service, they were hooked…..and continued to help Lexus grow into the the luxury powerhouse it is today………..the highest-selling luxury nameplate in the American market.

The LS400 became the LS430 as a new 4.3L V8 engine was developed, not only for the LS but for its sister GS430 as well ( experimental versions of an IS430 were produced for testing and evaluation but never made it to production, even with the new IS model ). The LS, more and more, became the new benchmark for mass-produced luxury cars that the Mercedes S-Class had once been……as the S-Class fell further and further behind the LS in the American market despite the well-deserved reputation of Mercedes for safety…….something Mercedes still merits.

So, now, LS430 becomes the LS460 as an all-new, 4.6L-equipped, 2007 model is introduced, with upcoming LS460L ( long-wheelbase ) models for more rear-seat room and a smoother ride, and All-Wheel-Drive LS600H Hybrid models to follow. The latest model, as befits a Lexus flagship, is a true luxury car that is VERY impressive…easily, along with its sister GS300/350AWD and the new SH-AWD Acura RL, one of the Ten Best new vehicles I have ever driven or reviewed. However, like any car, it is not perfect, due mostly to what are IMO unnecessary design and marketing changes…… of which I will go into more detail below. And it is anything BUT a simple car……..it has a vast number of technology, convienence, safety, electronic, and communication features in both the front and rear seats that take TIME to learn and practice. You DON’T just get into this car, start the engine, and take off. If you do, it will be like trying to pilot a Boeing 747 with only basic-training-plane experience.

So……most of you have heard about, read about, and discussed this car, quite a bit among yourselves, and publically here at CL. Except for some initial comments, I didn’t really get into those discussions very much, for obvious reasons….I was waiting for my own review. Now………here is my take on this remarkable car.

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