2007 Lexus LS 460 Preview

New Lexus Wows with Innovation and Performance

Both sportier and more luxurious than the previous model, the next-generation LS bristles with new technology.

Although Lexus touts the totally redesigned full-size LS sedan – its largest and priciest sedan – as daring, it's only incrementally more exciting visually than its staid predecessor. It is, however, attractive and more aggressive looking than the model it replaces, incorporating Lexus’ new style, called L-Finesse, already woven into the recently released GS and IS sedans.

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The new LS line features Lexus’ first-ever stretched version, the LS 460L, with 4.8 inches of added space between the front and back wheels for larger back-seat accommodations – no doubt to keep pace with long-wheelbase models from Jaguar, BMW and Audi, which tend to be more popular in the U.S. than the standard models.

Important mechanical innovations include a new eight-speed automatic transmission – a world-first, Lexus says – electric power steering, and a redesigned suspension that incorporates the next generation of Lexus’ Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management. This system is said to anticipate skids or slides and help preempt them by automatically adjusting braking, throttle and steering control, without the driver ever knowing it.

Already one of the most luxurious sedans on the market, Lexus has elevated levels of luxury and amenities inside the LS. First impressions indicate that the look, feel and function of new features such as power reclining seats replete with fold-out leg rests and massage capability nudge this Lexus dangerously close to much costlier ultraluxury sedans from Maybach and Rolls-Royce – even though those brands still carry considerably more clout than Lexus.

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A few other innovations are impressive, though could be solutions in search of problems: The new LS will be able to park itself using radar sensors and cameras; a credit card-size “smart card” can unlock the doors and enable the engine to start with the press of a button, even from inside a wallet or purse; and interior climate control sensors measure not only the ambient, but body temperature.

The car’s 4.6-liter V8 engine is all-new and 36 percent more powerful, producing about 380 horsepower and 370 pound-feet of torque for a 0-to-60 mph sprint in 5.5 seconds. It remains to be seen whether Lexus’ “unique connection to the road,” as CEO Jim Press put it during the car's Detroit auto show unveiling in January, will be enlivened with the new chassis and suspension. Lexus models are usually more soft than sporty in terms of handling, with muted feedback on what the wheels are doing in relation to the road.

Fuel efficiency and low exhaust emissions were a focal point, with average fuel economy for the new LS projected in the mid-20s and compliance with level two Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle regulations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Look for a full test drive soon.