Lexus LS460 - The baby Japanese Barge
Discussion
I wrote about my daily driver a couple of years ago, but time has moved on and with a few moments of quiet time I thought I would give an update.
Well, it's an LS460SEL - which means that it is long and pretty bargey. It is a big car and can take four of the more generous sized PH'ers without too much effort. It has a 4.6 375bhp engine mated to an 8 speed RWD box. No, it's not a hybrid as i'm sorry, the idea of sticking a pile of elecktrickery inside one of these for a 1mpg benefit seems hardly worth the effort and reduction in boot space.
I bought the car back in March 2011 with a singular intent to take me and the ashes of my wife northwards to Skye in some modicum of dignity and comfort. Home on the south coast meant a 1500 mile round trip (at the very least) and my old NG saab 900 was simply not up to the task. It was a main dealer purchase (more off that later), bought the week before the trip. 1500 miles soon became 3000 miles and we (the car and me) returned home mission complete. The car performed faultlessly, as it has done several times since on return trips to say hi to my lass and catch up enjoying the beautiful vistas offered by Loch Slapin.
It was purchased at 40k miles and is now on 93k. It's my daily driver and weeks often involve a 700 mile commute so i've got to know the car rather well.
it's a car that leaves a curious impression. It's not got the interior attention to detail of the Mercedes (though the latest revision to the LS attempts to address that) and it does not have the dynamics of the BMW or the perceived quality of the Audi. Yet... it is a car that the more time you spend with it, the more you realise that it was a car designed completely and utterly for the long haul. The doors for example have the most perfect folded and welded seams and the paint is smooth and orange peel free (though she now sports a smart repair thanks to a determined Pheasant a few weeks back).
The ride can be adjusted from comfort to normal to sport and the engine map from snow to normal to sport and the box also has a sport mode to play with the gears. For commuting I tend to drive it through the gears and leave the power off and the comfort on - barge mode I call it. Traffic lights have surprised more than a few cars, as has the ability of the suspension to rise which is actually very useful on heavily soaked motorways and also stop/start motorway traffic as it does add visibility and presence.
I've thought long and hard what to do come replacement time with this car - but actually i've come to the conclusion that this one will be a keeper and, all things being equal I do hope to see the other side of 250 k with it, which will be in about four years if things go the way they are going work wise.
It will do 30mpg on the motorway with a sedate right foot though 28 is more the norm for me now. It costs on average £500 to service every 10k miles and a set of rubber every 25k - Dunlop Sportsmaxx GTs have made a noticeable recent difference to tyre noise. Having come from BMW dealers that amuse me with their lack of product fix skills... Lexus dealers are in another league of customer service; brilliant people to do business with.
What's it like to drive daily?
It's that rare thing. It can do leptonesque speeds with ease, but I have found that there is a sweet spot at about zero point nine that it will do all day effortlessly and oh yeah, there is a great game to play - the 'see how far the LKA will get you without real intervention' game. My record is the M25/M40 junction to the M42. Not bad methinks. The Mark Levinson DVD system is just utterly brilliant, as are the blinds instead of that stupid privacy glass that makes cars look stupid and the rear monitor makes a handy extra sun block on early morning/evenings when the sun is low behind and fierce.
It's an easy car to live with really. You get used to the size pretty quickly. It's more than fast enough, more than comfortable enough and it's just a big old Toyota which actually, in my line of work means I don't get labelled with the 'overpaid consultant' rubbish I often had to deal with when I had an M5.
(It is also about as opposite as you can have when compared to the other car I have coming soon - an Ultima. Now that is a comparison I am rather looking forward to making.)
Thanks for reading.
DMN
Well, it's an LS460SEL - which means that it is long and pretty bargey. It is a big car and can take four of the more generous sized PH'ers without too much effort. It has a 4.6 375bhp engine mated to an 8 speed RWD box. No, it's not a hybrid as i'm sorry, the idea of sticking a pile of elecktrickery inside one of these for a 1mpg benefit seems hardly worth the effort and reduction in boot space.
I bought the car back in March 2011 with a singular intent to take me and the ashes of my wife northwards to Skye in some modicum of dignity and comfort. Home on the south coast meant a 1500 mile round trip (at the very least) and my old NG saab 900 was simply not up to the task. It was a main dealer purchase (more off that later), bought the week before the trip. 1500 miles soon became 3000 miles and we (the car and me) returned home mission complete. The car performed faultlessly, as it has done several times since on return trips to say hi to my lass and catch up enjoying the beautiful vistas offered by Loch Slapin.
It was purchased at 40k miles and is now on 93k. It's my daily driver and weeks often involve a 700 mile commute so i've got to know the car rather well.
it's a car that leaves a curious impression. It's not got the interior attention to detail of the Mercedes (though the latest revision to the LS attempts to address that) and it does not have the dynamics of the BMW or the perceived quality of the Audi. Yet... it is a car that the more time you spend with it, the more you realise that it was a car designed completely and utterly for the long haul. The doors for example have the most perfect folded and welded seams and the paint is smooth and orange peel free (though she now sports a smart repair thanks to a determined Pheasant a few weeks back).
The ride can be adjusted from comfort to normal to sport and the engine map from snow to normal to sport and the box also has a sport mode to play with the gears. For commuting I tend to drive it through the gears and leave the power off and the comfort on - barge mode I call it. Traffic lights have surprised more than a few cars, as has the ability of the suspension to rise which is actually very useful on heavily soaked motorways and also stop/start motorway traffic as it does add visibility and presence.
I've thought long and hard what to do come replacement time with this car - but actually i've come to the conclusion that this one will be a keeper and, all things being equal I do hope to see the other side of 250 k with it, which will be in about four years if things go the way they are going work wise.
It will do 30mpg on the motorway with a sedate right foot though 28 is more the norm for me now. It costs on average £500 to service every 10k miles and a set of rubber every 25k - Dunlop Sportsmaxx GTs have made a noticeable recent difference to tyre noise. Having come from BMW dealers that amuse me with their lack of product fix skills... Lexus dealers are in another league of customer service; brilliant people to do business with.
What's it like to drive daily?
It's that rare thing. It can do leptonesque speeds with ease, but I have found that there is a sweet spot at about zero point nine that it will do all day effortlessly and oh yeah, there is a great game to play - the 'see how far the LKA will get you without real intervention' game. My record is the M25/M40 junction to the M42. Not bad methinks. The Mark Levinson DVD system is just utterly brilliant, as are the blinds instead of that stupid privacy glass that makes cars look stupid and the rear monitor makes a handy extra sun block on early morning/evenings when the sun is low behind and fierce.
It's an easy car to live with really. You get used to the size pretty quickly. It's more than fast enough, more than comfortable enough and it's just a big old Toyota which actually, in my line of work means I don't get labelled with the 'overpaid consultant' rubbish I often had to deal with when I had an M5.
(It is also about as opposite as you can have when compared to the other car I have coming soon - an Ultima. Now that is a comparison I am rather looking forward to making.)
Thanks for reading.
DMN
LKA is lane keep assist, a system that reads the road white lines and when used with the active cruise control in effect monitors the traffic and turns the steering to keep the car in lane. It takes a bit of getting used to, the idea that the car self steers takes some confidence. if I stop all wheel input/resistance it warns then disables the system. I know some others hate the notion of driver disconnection, but on a long commute it all helps.
drivin_me_nuts said:
I wrote about my daily driver a couple of years ago, but time has moved on and with a few moments of quiet time I thought I would give an update.
Well, it's an LS460SEL - which means that it is long and pretty bargey. It is a big car and can take four of the more generous sized PH'ers without too much effort. It has a 4.6 375bhp engine mated to an 8 speed RWD box. No, it's not a hybrid as i'm sorry, the idea of sticking a pile of elecktrickery inside one of these for a 1mpg benefit seems hardly worth the effort and reduction in boot space.
I bought the car back in March 2011 with a singular intent to take me and the ashes of my wife northwards to Skye in some modicum of dignity and comfort. Home on the south coast meant a 1500 mile round trip (at the very least) and my old NG saab 900 was simply not up to the task. It was a main dealer purchase (more off that later), bought the week before the trip. 1500 miles soon became 3000 miles and we (the car and me) returned home mission complete. The car performed faultlessly, as it has done several times since on return trips to say hi to my lass and catch up enjoying the beautiful vistas offered by Loch Slapin.
It was purchased at 40k miles and is now on 93k. It's my daily driver and weeks often involve a 700 mile commute so i've got to know the car rather well.
it's a car that leaves a curious impression. It's not got the interior attention to detail of the Mercedes (though the latest revision to the LS attempts to address that) and it does not have the dynamics of the BMW or the perceived quality of the Audi. Yet... it is a car that the more time you spend with it, the more you realise that it was a car designed completely and utterly for the long haul. The doors for example have the most perfect folded and welded seams and the paint is smooth and orange peel free (though she now sports a smart repair thanks to a determined Pheasant a few weeks back).
The ride can be adjusted from comfort to normal to sport and the engine map from snow to normal to sport and the box also has a sport mode to play with the gears. For commuting I tend to drive it through the gears and leave the power off and the comfort on - barge mode I call it. Traffic lights have surprised more than a few cars, as has the ability of the suspension to rise which is actually very useful on heavily soaked motorways and also stop/start motorway traffic as it does add visibility and presence.
I've thought long and hard what to do come replacement time with this car - but actually i've come to the conclusion that this one will be a keeper and, all things being equal I do hope to see the other side of 250 k with it, which will be in about four years if things go the way they are going work wise.
It will do 30mpg on the motorway with a sedate right foot though 28 is more the norm for me now. It costs on average £500 to service every 10k miles and a set of rubber every 25k - Dunlop Sportsmaxx GTs have made a noticeable recent difference to tyre noise. Having come from BMW dealers that amuse me with their lack of product fix skills... Lexus dealers are in another league of customer service; brilliant people to do business with.
What's it like to drive daily?
It's that rare thing. It can do leptonesque speeds with ease, but I have found that there is a sweet spot at about zero point nine that it will do all day effortlessly and oh yeah, there is a great game to play - the 'see how far the LKA will get you without real intervention' game. My record is the M25/M40 junction to the M42. Not bad methinks. The Mark Levinson DVD system is just utterly brilliant, as are the blinds instead of that stupid privacy glass that makes cars look stupid and the rear monitor makes a handy extra sun block on early morning/evenings when the sun is low behind and fierce.
It's an easy car to live with really. You get used to the size pretty quickly. It's more than fast enough, more than comfortable enough and it's just a big old Toyota which actually, in my line of work means I don't get labelled with the 'overpaid consultant' rubbish I often had to deal with when I had an M5.
(It is also about as opposite as you can have when compared to the other car I have coming soon - an Ultima. Now that is a comparison I am rather looking forward to making.)
Thanks for reading.
DMN
nice write up....if you ever do decide to sell....give me a shout..id be interested especially if it has black leather seats. cheersWell, it's an LS460SEL - which means that it is long and pretty bargey. It is a big car and can take four of the more generous sized PH'ers without too much effort. It has a 4.6 375bhp engine mated to an 8 speed RWD box. No, it's not a hybrid as i'm sorry, the idea of sticking a pile of elecktrickery inside one of these for a 1mpg benefit seems hardly worth the effort and reduction in boot space.
I bought the car back in March 2011 with a singular intent to take me and the ashes of my wife northwards to Skye in some modicum of dignity and comfort. Home on the south coast meant a 1500 mile round trip (at the very least) and my old NG saab 900 was simply not up to the task. It was a main dealer purchase (more off that later), bought the week before the trip. 1500 miles soon became 3000 miles and we (the car and me) returned home mission complete. The car performed faultlessly, as it has done several times since on return trips to say hi to my lass and catch up enjoying the beautiful vistas offered by Loch Slapin.
It was purchased at 40k miles and is now on 93k. It's my daily driver and weeks often involve a 700 mile commute so i've got to know the car rather well.
it's a car that leaves a curious impression. It's not got the interior attention to detail of the Mercedes (though the latest revision to the LS attempts to address that) and it does not have the dynamics of the BMW or the perceived quality of the Audi. Yet... it is a car that the more time you spend with it, the more you realise that it was a car designed completely and utterly for the long haul. The doors for example have the most perfect folded and welded seams and the paint is smooth and orange peel free (though she now sports a smart repair thanks to a determined Pheasant a few weeks back).
The ride can be adjusted from comfort to normal to sport and the engine map from snow to normal to sport and the box also has a sport mode to play with the gears. For commuting I tend to drive it through the gears and leave the power off and the comfort on - barge mode I call it. Traffic lights have surprised more than a few cars, as has the ability of the suspension to rise which is actually very useful on heavily soaked motorways and also stop/start motorway traffic as it does add visibility and presence.
I've thought long and hard what to do come replacement time with this car - but actually i've come to the conclusion that this one will be a keeper and, all things being equal I do hope to see the other side of 250 k with it, which will be in about four years if things go the way they are going work wise.
It will do 30mpg on the motorway with a sedate right foot though 28 is more the norm for me now. It costs on average £500 to service every 10k miles and a set of rubber every 25k - Dunlop Sportsmaxx GTs have made a noticeable recent difference to tyre noise. Having come from BMW dealers that amuse me with their lack of product fix skills... Lexus dealers are in another league of customer service; brilliant people to do business with.
What's it like to drive daily?
It's that rare thing. It can do leptonesque speeds with ease, but I have found that there is a sweet spot at about zero point nine that it will do all day effortlessly and oh yeah, there is a great game to play - the 'see how far the LKA will get you without real intervention' game. My record is the M25/M40 junction to the M42. Not bad methinks. The Mark Levinson DVD system is just utterly brilliant, as are the blinds instead of that stupid privacy glass that makes cars look stupid and the rear monitor makes a handy extra sun block on early morning/evenings when the sun is low behind and fierce.
It's an easy car to live with really. You get used to the size pretty quickly. It's more than fast enough, more than comfortable enough and it's just a big old Toyota which actually, in my line of work means I don't get labelled with the 'overpaid consultant' rubbish I often had to deal with when I had an M5.
(It is also about as opposite as you can have when compared to the other car I have coming soon - an Ultima. Now that is a comparison I am rather looking forward to making.)
Thanks for reading.
DMN
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