Lexus LS Hybrid: 1st Generation (2008-Present)

When the Lexus LS 600hL was released, the automotive press was quick to point out its “flaws”, especially when it came to gas mileage. Being a hybrid, the flagship sedan was expected to have exceptional fuel economy, and at first glance, that didn’t seem to be the case at all.

It’s taken a few months for some journalists to look at the LS 600hL in a different light. We saw it first with the great review by Jonny Lieberman, and now Automobile Magazine has weighed in with a very positive take:

Unlike most hybrids, the LS isn’t about outright fuel economy - this car’s mission is quite clearly to give the V-8 the relaxed demeanor of a V-12 by eliminating the need to rev it quickly in normal driving. It does that…Twenty-seven mpg on the highway is nothing to be ashamed of - in fact, it’s quite impressive - but the almost-as-quick LS460L is also much less expensive.

If you keep reminding yourself that Lexus doesn’t want the LS to be a Japanese 7-series, you’ll agree that it does a fantastic job at making its driver think he’s driving on a cloud - with a million horsepower under his right foot. And there’s no better reminder of that than feeling big surges of smooth, quiet torque while the tach needle rises lazily to 1300 rpm. Very V-12-like indeed.

Most mainstream reviews ignored the fact that the LSh was meant to go up against V-12 competition, no matter how well it actually performed. Quick fact: the LS 600hL, with its 5.2 second 0-60mph, is actually faster than the V12 Audi A8 (5.8) & BMW 750iL (5.4). What’s more, it’s only 0.1 seconds slower than a twin-turbo Mercedes S600. Very V-12-like indeed.

I may have found it a week late, but the time allowed this Lexus LS 600hL review by Jonny Lieberman to fill up with some of the best comments I’ve read regarding the hybrid limo’s appeal. Here’s a quote from the article itself:

I disagree with every review of the Lexus LS600hL ever written. Categorically. To a man, my colleagues misinterpret the most expensive Lexus as a misguided planet-saver that doesn’t deliver enough mpg to justify its sky-high price tag. I view the ultimate hybrid as better driving through science. In fact, despite the dorky “hybrid” badges uglifying the LS600hL’s flanks, Lexus didn’t build this beast to sip fuel. They built it to go toe-to-toe with 12-cylinder Germans.

The LS600hL is no design statement, like the 760Li. It doesn’t announce, “I have a huge wallet” like a Mercedes S600. The LS design is much more Audi A8 W12, only without the goatee. The restrained yet handsome lines strike the same chord as VW’s Phaeton. Only this time they’re brand correct.

This marks the second time Lieberman has reviewed the LS 600hL (the first time was for Jalopnik), and this second go-round is just as enjoyable as the first. In fact, it speaks volumes that the writer would think to revisit the car, convinced as he is that the flagship sedan is getting an unfair reputation.

This was a review I agreed with 100%, and it seemed to echo with the TTAC readership, as the article piled up pages of comments with almost no negativity.

Great read.

James Martin, an automobile reviewer for the Daily Mail, has an aversion to car technology, and was pretty sure he was going to despise the Lexus LS 600hL, but then something strange happened:

I’m not even into technology on cars. Four wheels and an engine is complex enough – after all these years, it still fascinates me how cars with all the same components can be so different to drive.

By contrast, when I get into a new car and have to get to grips with its “iDrive” or “Command” or “MMI” menu system, I’m not fascinated. I’m annoyed.

So guess what I’ve got on my driveway this week? Yep, it’s the most hi-tech car in the world. But the only annoying thing about the Lexus LS600hL is that I love it.

The review touches on what I would consider one of Lexus’ strongest points, no matter how complex the technology, they’re incredibly adept at making it easy to use, especially when compared to the competition. (Though I’m sure the opportunity to lounge in the backseat with a bottle of champagne and the telly didn’t hurt the review either.)

[Source: The Daily Mail]

Perhaps as a way to counterbalance his incredibly glowing editorial of the Lexus LS 460 last year, Arthur St. Antoine took some time in this month’s Motor Trend to badmouth the LS 600hL:

For many buyers, a hybrid car is nothing more than the four-wheeled equivalent of a yellow LiveStrong wristband-a conspicuous, self-satisfying, effort-free membership card into the “I Care” club.

…how can you justify paying almost 50 percent more-some $33,000-for the hybrid LS when it nets you only a 15-percent gain in output (438 gas/electric horsepower for the 600hL versus 380 horses for the 460L) and almost no improvement in fuel efficiency (20/22 city/highway mpg for the hybrid versus 16/24 mpg for the 460L)?

You can’t. In a revealing lux-sedan comparison last December, the LS 600hL finished fourth out of four, the test drivers (I was one) docking points for its compromised trunk (much of the space is eaten up by hybrid bits), a hugely complex powerplant that overheated when we charged up our mountain loop, and real-world fuel economy barely 15-percent better than the average posted by the rivals from Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, and Maserati-each of which happily romped all day.

The limitations of the LS 600hL are well-documented, but using that fairly uneven super-sedan comparison as the basis of proof is rather suspect. Also, and I find it surprising that it wasn’t mentioned, the LS 600hL has several unique features (particularly the all-wheel drive) that cut into the $33,000 price difference versus the LS 460. This isn’t just a case of pointless hybrid markup, no matter how often it’s repeated.

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As a sidenote, the buying public sure isn’t phased by the negativity — Lexus was only expecting to sell 2,000 LS 600hL’s in 2008, and the car is currently moving 1,000 units a month.

The minute I saw that Jalopnik Jonny Lieberman had gotten his mitts on an LS 600hL for a week, I knew we were in for a treat, and I was not disappointed in the least:

Why am I laughing like such an idiot? Seriously, my cheeks hurt from grinning. Well, the reason why is that I’ve died and gone to Heaven, if only for five minutes or so. I’ve had pure automotive moments before. A Porsche Boxster on Decker Canyon. A Miata at 6:00 am Sunday morning on Angeles Crest. A Mustang in the desert. A Se7en on the Dragon. This [The Lexus LS 600hL], screaming along with one of my favorite bands with both feet off the pedals suspended in perfect leather-soaked isolation, ranks right up there. What? Why? Because I was doing exactly exactly what the car has been designed to do. Man in harmony with machine, all 5,219 porky, absurd pounds of it.

Highly enjoyable, it’s nice to read a review that captures just how impressive this car is, the feeling it brings. It’s even possible there won’t be any complaints about the trunk space:

Already looking forward to part two.

Driving.ca took a unique turn with their review of the Lexus LS 600hL, putting Jimmy Pattison, the fourth richest man in Canada, behind the wheel:

Once the colourful self-made billionaire figured out how to operate the keyless ignition and push-button emergency brake on the 2008 Lexus LS600h L — and put his seat belt on “old school” style, with the shoulder belt behind him — he instinctively piloted the massive executive sedan for a highway off-ramp and a place to wind out the new Lexus flagship.

Within just seconds of turning onto the highway, Pattison had the hybrid luxury car sniffing 160 km/h on an empty section of the TransCanada Highway. With his well-manicured hands firmly gripping the wood and leather-trimmed wheel, he effortlessly and confidently settled into taking the Lexus through its paces.

“Boy, this is some car,” the natural-born salesman commented a number of times during the highway run, typically when he’d mat it.

“For the size of this car, it really goes.”

He was even more impressed by the groundbreaking LS600h when reminded it is a hybrid.

“Boy, that’s something.”

The idea of actually incorporating a potential customer into the review is a novel one, too bad there’s a catch — Pattison earns part of his billions by owning car dealerships, including a Lexus branch in Vancouver, BC.

The Wall Street Journal’s review of the Lexus LS 600hL isn’t so much a condemnation of the car, but rather the hybrid technology that spawned it:

The biggest con running in the auto industry right now is the notion that hybrids represent some sort of quantum leap in green transportation. Not only is this patently untrue — hybrid technology is actually decades old — but it shamelessly plays to the hypocrisy of our society.

Cost-benefit analysis clearly doesn’t figure into the [LS 600hL's] allure. We did the math: The hybrid version will save its owner enough on gas to break even after only 2.1 million miles. Keeping with Toyota’s brand strategy for its Lexus division hybrids, the LS 600h L deploys its technology as a badge of exclusivity rather than environmentalism, with the sort of “Why? Because we can!” bravado that’s endemic among luxury-car brands.

I can understand criticism of the trunk space, and the so-so gas mileage is certainly a point for debate, but using the LS 600hL as a conduit for criticism of an entire industry is something else entirely.

Another thing, why is it that the LS 600hL has to compare against the LS 460, rather than against its competitors? Does every Mercedes S600 review focus on the $60,000 (!!!) price difference between it and the S550? I almost think that Lexus would have gotten a more positive response if they had released a V12 LS, rather than using a V8/hybrid combo that puts out comparable numbers.

I would have thought that Auto Motor Und Sport’s comparison test of the Lexus LS 460 vs. Volkswagen Phaeton would be hard to beat in terms of bias, but they’ve outdone themselves, their comparison of the Lexus LS 600h vs. BMW 745d vs. Mercedes S420 CDI is a absolute gem.

Posted on Autospies, the bulk of the review sadly goes untranslated, but allow me to share the more salient points:

Interior Ergonomics and User Friendliness

• BMW 20/25
• Lexus 17/25
• Mercedes 24/25

Comfort

• BMW 20/25
• Lexus 17/25
• Mercedes 24/25

Active Safety Features

• BMW 11/20
• Lexus 11/20
• Mercedes 14/20

Resale Outlook

• BMW 7/10
• Lexus 1/10
• Mercedes 8/10

I understand the criticism of the LS 600h’s lack of trunk space, and sure, the gas mileage is a sore spot, but low scores in comfort, ergonomics and safety? Absolutely ridiculous.

However, my absolute favorite has to be the resale outlook, where the LS 600h scored a 1/10. Please, Auto Motor Und Sport, tell me how long it will be before I can get this $100,000 car for $10,000? I’ll even travel to Germany to pick it up.

I’ll admit, it was somewhat disappointing that the Lexus LS 600hL review in The Times wasn’t written by Jeremy Clarkson, but Stuart Birch gives it his best shot, including some interesting stats on the customers Lexus plans to reel in, along with a rather interesting question:

Lexus says that about 10 per cent of buyers will have previously owned a Bentley and 60 per cent will have had a Mercedes-Benz SClass or BMW 7 Series. The Mercedes and BMW, together with the excellent Audi A8, are arguably its nearest rivals, each available with diesel engines that have relatively modest fuel consumption and emissions figures, without electric motor assistance.

So to achieve exceptional frugality, why does Lexus not produce a diesel-electric hybrid for Europe? It would have to refine vibration, noise and some other issues, but Lexus is doubtless sufficiently clever to achieve that. And the added cost of a diesel engine at Lexus’s heady price levels should not be a problem.

Why doesn’t Lexus produce a diesel-electric hybrid, not just for Europe, but for the rest of their world markets? This could be key at increasing the LS 600hL’s rather mediocre gas mileage, and go a long way to calm the recent press decrying Lexus for cashing in on their hybrid technology.

NY Times writer Lawrence Ulrich took the LS 600h L to task in today’s paper, unable to understand what possible benefit it could have over Lexus’ own LS 460, nevermind the V12 competitors the car is aimed at:

On the performance front, forget about the Lexus hanging with V-12 sedans like the Mercedes S600. Turns out that the Lexus can’t even outrun its own nonhybrid version, the LS 460 L. Nor is it appreciably quicker than V-8 competitors that cost $20,000 to $30,000 less, like the Mercedes S550, the Audi A8 and the BMW 7 Series, or the similarly priced Maserati Quattroporte.

Driven gently, the Lexus will indeed beat the mileage of its apples-to-apples V-8 rivals, but only by 1 m.p.g. to 3 m.p.g. A Mercedes S550 isn’t an egregious guzzler at an E.P.A.-rated 16/24 m.p.g., and I managed 19 m.p.g. during a recent test. And when I drove the Lexus in mildly spirited fashion, its mileage dropped to 19 m.p.g. It’s hard to see why such minuscule mileage gains would dazzle the type of person who’s ready to drop $100,000 on a car.

There are a lot of valid points in the article, but the central point is this: all of the extra weight from the hybrid engines and All-Wheel Drive system slow the car down considerably and shrink the trunk to the size of Kia Rio, with no appreciable gain in performance. In light of its $30,000 premium over a similarly equipped LS 460, it’s a very valid question to ask, why bother with the hybrid?

So why would anyone spend an extra $30,000 for this car? Certainly, the performance gains of 12-cylinder sedans aren’t always justified by their enormous premiums. Many people buy them for that V-12 badge on the fender, the exclusive message it sends. Ditto for the Lexus, but the roughly 2,000 people who’ll line up for the hybrid won’t be broadcasting their superior power, but their superior morals, however illusory.

As I wrote previously, this car is a forerunner of things to come, and as such it suffers from the mistakes of a work-in-progress. Things will get better for the LS 600h L, the car will shed some weight and add more power in future iterations, to bring it more inline with the V12s that Lexus wants to compete with. It could be only the massive financial expenditure of development that forced Lexus to bring this car out in its current state, though that’s purely speculative on my part.

Norwegian website Dinside Motor took an LS 600h L through its paces, hitting 160mph and showing off some major bodyroll:

I like to see these kind of tests, it’s so much more interesting to see the handling instead of reading about it.

The latest review of the LS 600h comes from the techs at Cnet, and although it didn’t get a perfect score like the previously reviewed LS 460L, the car still came away with an exceptionally high score of 9.7/10. Mini-marks were taken away for exterior styling:

And while the LS 600h is a very handsome, refined-looking car, has easy-to-use cabin electronics, and wonderful interior space, our consensus opinion was that it just doesn’t have the beauty to push it over the top. To get a top score in our design sub-rating, a car has to be a real head-turner.

In all other respects, the LS 600h blows away our rating system. Although much more expensive than the LS 460 L, it justifies its price with more power, superior handling, and lower tailpipe emissions.

Much of the review focuses in on the technological amenities, which should only be expected considering the source. An especially geeky attention (a third of the article!) was given to a competitive parking test, as the Cnet editors battled the Parking Guidance system to see who could park the fastest. Nerdy!

Road & Track has served up a bit of a twist with their LS 600hL review by comparing it with a Gulfstream G550, the world’s foremost private jet. A strange association, and incredibly flattering to Lexus, but the justification is this:

When the word “flagship” was coined, I’d bet its originator had neither $104,000 luxury sedans nor $46.7 million business jets in mind, but here are two shining and incredibly diverse examples that can claim the honor. Both the new Lexus LS 600h L and Gulfstream G550 are the pinnacle of each manufacturer’s lineup, and represent the sophistication, performance and technology that come from doing something very well, over time, in ever-improving iterations.

Always a more technical magazine than their counterparts, much of R&T’s review is given to the more esoteric aspects of the car. One especially handy supplement of the article is the included LS 600hL PDF, that details the car’s specs and performance figures.

The Family Car review of the ‘93 LS 400 was one of the articles I used to convince the girlfriend to buy our car, so I took a special interest in their fresh new review of the LS 600hL, knowing full well it was going to be all quality.

I wasn’t disappointed, this is an incredibly detailed road test, expertly researched and full of interesting insight:

My first impression of this new luxury sedan is that Lexus has succeeded in building a technological marvel. The quality and craftsmanship is apparent at first glance by the depth of its meticulous paint job, the one-piece chrome trim around the side windows and the close fit of all the body panels.

My first experience driving this car was surreal. Sitting behind the wheel, with the exception of the power gauge, it looked like I was in a well equipped LS460. That is until I tapped the start button to bring the engine to life. No sound. Nothing. I do feel a cool breeze coming from the AC outlet, but the tach is right on zero.

Whenever the LS600h L is coasting or slowing down, the gasoline engine will shut off, which also saves fuel. When accelerating from a stop, MG2 is capable of propelling the car at light throttle and low speeds without having to restart the engine. When engine power is needed, MG1 will bring the engine to life almost imperceptibly. The CVT transmission has no reverse gear, backing up is handled completely by the electric motor (MG2). You rarely have any sensation of when the gasoline engine starts or stops. This is the smoothest hybrid I have ever experienced.

Recommended reading to anyone in the market for this car, which is becoming more and more exceptional with every detail I get. Can’t wait to see one in real life.

[Via: Autospies]