Thats what I konw
8 speed A/T
Power adjustable rear seats
Voice activated GPS (HDD) with backup camera.
Does the 2007 Lexus LS 460, flagship of Toyota's youthful premium franchise, live up to these criteria? Yes. Is the LS 460 the equal of such grandees of the high-end game as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series? After a week in this standard-wheelbase example, our answer is, "Not yet."
A two-tiered model line
For the first time, the LS is offered in two versions. The standard LS 460 ($61,000) is just over a half-inch longer overall than the outgoing LS 430, but its wheelbase is 1.8 inches longer and both tracks are 1.5 inches wider. The extended-wheelbase LS 460L ($71,000) adds 4.7 inches in length over the LS 460 with an equal increase in wheelbase. To maintain styling equilibrium between the two new models, the front and rear overhang dimensions are identical.
The LS 460's 198-inch overall length falls halfway between the Mercedes-Benz E-Class' 191 inches and the S-Class' 205 inches. At 4244 pounds, the Lexus is no lightweight, but it does beat the aluminum-rich Audi A8 by about 44 pounds. The S550 and 745i each weigh about 220 pounds more.
Our Mercury Metallic tester was well optioned, which kicked up the sticker to more than $72,000, a hefty sum that could have been lowered by $5,645 through elimination of the navigation system and Mark Levinson Reference Surround Audio system. However, the car did not include several notable options, including the Advanced Parking Guidance System — which basically parks the car for you — or Lexus' new Pre-Collision System with Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, which senses a possible front collision and prepares the car accordingly. Nor did it have the air suspension, which is only available on the LS 460L.
First in the race to 8x8
Both LS models share a single drivetrain: a new 4.6-liter V8 with all the electronic gizmos imaginable, and it sends power to the rear wheels through a world-first eight-speed automatic transmission.
It's the world's first combination of eight-cylinder engine and eight-speed transmission, and it was worth the wait. Aided by such engine-uity as the world's first electrically controlled valve timing system, dual injection and an electronically controlled induction system, the 460's sophisticated engine is as smooth as Swiss chocolate melting in the sun. Its 380 horsepower is a 102-hp bump over the previous 4.3-liter V8's output, and the 367 pound-feet of torque is a 55 lb-ft increase in twist.
Equally state-of-the-art is the transmission. A new hydraulic control system utilizes four disc clutches for ultrasmooth gear transitions, and a torque converter with variable control helps low- and midrange torque and delivers better fuel economy. The driver can choose to shift manually or drop it into "S" mode, which defaults to gear choices from 4th through 7th. Every mode is effortless to initiate, and it all works smoothly enough, but we would have preferred a little spark in performance when we were manually shifting through the gears. At the test track we tried both automatic and manual gearbox modes, but found the performance to be equivalent with either shift input.
Our test car accelerated from zero to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds, an admirable figure but slower than the 5.4 seconds claimed by the factory. We couldn't match the claimed quarter-mile time of 13.8 seconds either — 14.2 seconds was our best run.
Far more important was the V8's utter lack of obvious effort, even when it was recording performance numbers on par with the larger V8 of the Mercedes-Benz. So seamlessly and effortlessly is the power delivered, however, that putting the pedal down is about as thrilling as watching the Golf Channel. On the upside, the power boost is accompanied by class-leading fuel mileage ratings of 19 city/27 highway. We recorded a best of 25 mpg out of three tanks of fuel.
It's all in the driving, or is it?
To quote the chief designer of the Lexus LS 460, Yo Hiruta: "The ratio of design cost to total car cost is higher for Lexus than for other cars."
You could have fooled us. Perhaps we're being too harsh, but assessing the new Lexus LS 460 in light of Mr. Hiruta's statement does lend some clarity to our ambivalence about this fourth generation of Lexus' flagship sedan. It's a car we deeply respect and admire, but it's not one that has swept us off our feet. While we value its comfort, impeccable build quality and expected reliability, what we love most about cars is driving them, and the LS 460 falls just short of delivering the snappy, precise control of the road we covet most. If we were somehow penalized to give up our driver license, we can think of few other cars in which we'd rather be the passenger.
Still, despite some areas we feel could use some improvement — a too-soft suspension, grabby brakes, uninspired styling — there is no disputing the LS 460's rightful place at the head of the Lexus fleet.
Courtesy of edmunds.com