Lexus LS460L

For anyone in the luxury car market I highly recommend the LS460 its an incredible car for its price point. I had the chance to stop by the dealership here and drive one.. I also was curious to see how it parked by it self. It was a nice touch but i would just park the car myself. You can score an loaded one for under $80K

Lexus FTW .

I recently went out with an lpower member while on a trip, he picked me up at my hotel in his white new ls460L, I was super impressed. as he toiled getting us to our restaurant I sat in the back with the reclining and massaging seats, (the passenger side one has a maybach like ottoman), I put up the shades put the tv on and relaxed, it was fantastic!

 

really impressed with the car.... he has 22 inch wheels on it (that look great), and you would never know by the ride.

As a passenger, it is unreal, I'm not so sure if it;s the most exciting to drive, but it is fast.

He did mention he looked at the S65 merc, but outside of the insane fwd thrust the lexus had it in his opinion.

and considering he has upgraded everysound system in everycar, he has left the 19 speaker lexus one untouched.

 

 

The one downfall......I do think the car needs some cosmetic touches like different wheels, otherwise it looks like an old man's car.

but outside of the insane fwd thrust the lexus had it in his opinion.

 

maybe I'm misunderstanding but .. the LS460 is RWD. Are you saying the 460L is FWD???

maybe I'm misunderstanding but .. the LS460 is RWD. Are you saying the 460L is FWD???

 

 

 

no...sorry about that, I meant outside of insane "forward" thrust of the s65.....

 

he was saying how fast the s65 is,,,,,but how much nicer and refined the LS was...and all the gadgets are insane!!

The one downfall......I do think the car needs some cosmetic touches like different wheels, otherwise it looks like an old man's car.

 

You are right - it looks like an old man's car .............cos it is an old man's car.

For anyone in the luxury car market I highly recommend the LS460 its an incredible car for its price point. I had the chance to stop by the dealership here and drive one.. I also was curious to see how it parked by it self. It was a nice touch but i would just park the car myself. You can score an loaded one for under $80K

 

 

see if you can get us a pic of the 460 with the 22's...

The sound system in the LS460 (Mark Levinson 19 speakers) is, BY FAR, the best car audio I've ever heard.

 

VCR, please go try one and give us a review from a real audiophile perspective. I'm sure you will agree though...

 

-Olivier

It's been a while since this thread first appeared.

Have any of you changed your opinion about the LS since then?

Do you now like it or did you already like it but now hate it?

 

As for me, everytime I see one I get excited. It doesn't look like an old man car to me. As much as I like the SClass the LS is sleeker and lower....a sportier look. It's the sleekest luxo barge out there. We already know about it's technology, reliability and luxury but the sleekness just blows me away. Even stock, it's sleek. That's huge for me to say........I put wheels on every car I've owned the last 20 years. But with 22's and lowered, the car is drop dead gordeous imo.

It's been a while since this thread first appeared.

Have any of you changed your opinion about the LS since then?

Do you now like it or did you already like it but now hate it?

 

As for me, everytime I see one I get excited. It doesn't look like an old man car to me. As much as I like the SClass the LS is sleeker and lower....a sportier look. It's the sleekest luxo barge out there. We already know about it's technology, reliability and luxury but the sleekness just blows me away. Even stock, it's sleek. That's huge for me to say........I put wheels on every car I've owned the last 20 years. But with 22's and lowered, the car is drop dead gordeous imo.

 

Nothing beats owning a Lexus (other than owning a Lamborghini .) I purchased my Lexus used and still get the royal treatment at the dealership every time I visit. Head to head match the cars by reliability, the build quality, the features for the price, the customer service, and value retention. The LS is still the superior luxury car imo. The S class is the better car to drive however.

Now that this thread is revived, I think it's time to revised the car itself. IMO, it should be the LS600h. I spent a good amount of time checking out the car and drove one for about 2 hours. Well, "typical" Lexus to say the least: hi-tech, reliable, comfortable, etc... And being a hybrid AND a Lexus, it's dead quiet. As with all Toyata hybrids, a bit weird on starting the car --- you don't feel anything, no shake, no noise...nothing. You almost have to watch the dash to know that the car had started.

 

The restyle breaks the "old man's car" mold which is good. However, it cannot shake its image as a Japanese car (yes, I know it IS a Japanese car). I.e. the moment you open the door, the pull handle doesn't have that "substance" feel; in fact, it's a border-line cheap feel. And closing the door lacks the "ka-chunk" solid-as-a-vault feel; instead it gives a cheap "thud". Don't get me wrong, it's a nice car and the technology, the craftsmanship and reliability set a new standard to the industry. But compare to its European counterpart and/or price bracket, it, IMO, pales a bit.

 

And Olivier, sorry I didn't see this post earlier. The Mark Levinson system is nice but a bit overblown: i.e. more name than substance. Mark Levinson has long been regarded to have a clean and refine sound if a bit lean & dark sounding. The ML system in the car has some of that signature to it but it's far from the "hi-fi" that the ML home audio is capable of. Nice but not my taste. A lot of these designer brand OEM car audio is way over-rated. The B&O in the Audi, the Linn in Aston Martin, etc... It's a brand thing more than anything else. E.g. a Linn system at home will more than easily blow the car system away. As afore-said, the car cabin is simply too harsh of an environment to have or worth of a killer stereo. That's my opinion but many would probably disagree here. As for good OEM car stereo, IMO, a Harmon Kardon Logic 7 system with an Alpine headunit & CD changer (as in a MY2005/6 Ranger Rover) is more than sufficient. BTW, Harmon Kardon owns Mark Levinson among other brands.

i just bought this car... very nice, especialy mine has the split seat in the back with the big console, its almost like my maybach. ive only had it for 2 days, but i love it.

 

oh and here is a vid of the park asist, its crap realy.

 

 

lexus park asist. top gear

And Olivier, sorry I didn't see this post earlier. The Mark Levinson system is nice but a bit overblown: i.e. more name than substance. Mark Levinson has long been regarded to have a clean and refine sound if a bit lean & dark sounding. The ML system in the car has some of that signature to it but it's far from the "hi-fi" that the ML home audio is capable of. Nice but not my taste. A lot of these designer brand OEM car audio is way over-rated. The B&O in the Audi, the Linn in Aston Martin, etc... It's a brand thing more than anything else. E.g. a Linn system at home will more than easily blow the car system away. As afore-said, the car cabin is simply too harsh of an environment to have or worth of a killer stereo. That's my opinion but many would probably disagree here. As for good OEM car stereo, IMO, a Harmon Kardon Logic 7 system with an Alpine headunit & CD changer (as in a MY2005/6 Ranger Rover) is more than sufficient. BTW, Harmon Kardon owns Mark Levinson among other brands.

 

Agree that brand name car audio is overrated....

 

Mark Levinson as well is very overrated. You're giving them too much credit, VCR.

 

As for the car comment, yes, a car will never be a home, but a well done car can be enjoyable. My friend Vu is one of the most demanding, critical audiophiles in the US, stocking $80k CD players, $25k turntables, $250k amps in his store, yet has spent some time building car systems in his day and has a stock of quality car gear.

 

The heyday has passed, and you probably never got to hear a real nice car. There were gurus of this art in the '80s and early '90s, but now those guys are gone, and the manufacturers build a lot of overrated crap compared to what they used to make. As Vu says, the manufacturers are trying to impress:

 

"25 year old white guys with goatees trying to be black"

 

And the market has suffered accordingly.

Mark Levinson as well is very overrated. You're giving them too much credit, VCR.

 

Sorry to hijack this thread a bit:

As for ML, depends on what era. When Mark L, the man, found the company, it really was a watershed in solid state audio gear. The ML-6/6A & the ML-2 are still regarded as benchmarks and highly collectible. ML lost some of the halo when Madrigal took over from Mark L. The early "No." series were fine for what they were, i.e. solid state audio in the mid 80's --- built like a tank with clean, a bit dark and clinical/analytical sounding. Can't remotely compare to tube gears of course but each camp (tube vs. SS) has their own fans to this day. In late 80's to mid-90's, ML wowed the world with their no-hold-bar/cost-no-object No.30/31 (and subsequent 30.6/31.5) CD transport/DAC and was considered the epitome of CD technology at that time. But as Madrigal fell, so too did ML. Personnel changes (both in engineering and management) almost killed off the company for good until Harmon came in and bought it. The future doesn't look too good for ML though: not too many hardcore audiophile left; most had diversified into A/V. ML tried (and still trying) A/V with their No.40 preamp/processor hoping this new halo product can recreate the wow factor (and sales) that the No.30.X/31.X brought. But it was way too complicated and too much money, not to mention A/V's technology takes a quantum leap every year; the No.40 simply can't keep up with the tech update and no one wants to pay $$$ for a semi-obsolete product! And with Lexicon also under Harmon, it's almost certain that the A/V R&D will be put there rather than ML. Harmon is trying to rebuild the ML name by giving the product line a facelift. But just a handsome box with the same old sound can't really cut it. And it's simply too risky to invest heavily in a brand new audio-only product.

 

As to the Lexus/ML marriage, IMO, a simple brand identity marketing tool to elevate both brands for mutual benefits. The fact that the Japanese goes crazy for anything flying the ML flag (just like they do for anything by JBL, McIntosh, Ortofon, SME etc.) justifies the collaboration between Toyota & ML.

And Olivier, sorry I didn't see this post earlier. The Mark Levinson system is nice but a bit overblown: i.e. more name than substance. Mark Levinson has long been regarded to have a clean and refine sound if a bit lean & dark sounding. The ML system in the car has some of that signature to it but it's far from the "hi-fi" that the ML home audio is capable of. Nice but not my taste. A lot of these designer brand OEM car audio is way over-rated. The B&O in the Audi, the Linn in Aston Martin, etc... It's a brand thing more than anything else. E.g. a Linn system at home will more than easily blow the car system away. As afore-said, the car cabin is simply too harsh of an environment to have or worth of a killer stereo. That's my opinion but many would probably disagree here. As for good OEM car stereo, IMO, a Harmon Kardon Logic 7 system with an Alpine headunit & CD changer (as in a MY2005/6 Ranger Rover) is more than sufficient. BTW, Harmon Kardon owns Mark Levinson among other brands.

 

VCR,

 

I remember your posts regarding the poor audio environment the interior of a car provides and I agree with you. I don't think a car sound system will ever produce the quality of a good home system. However, I was merely pointing to the fact that, for a car audio system, the ML in the LS460 or 600-h is damn good and still is, for me to this day, the best I've heard. Mind you, I have not experienced as many car systems nor do I have the ear/knowledge you have in terms of brands, sound quality, history, etc. I also agree with you on the double-marketing idea for the brands.

 

Either way, thank you for contributing your amazing knowledge of everything related to sound. I listen to a LOT of music and I am always looking to improve my knowledge on all things "noise". I plan on having quite the system, with turntables hooked to a keyboard and computer, good speakers, amps and what not when I finish my studies and can move into a decent place. Until then, my Altec Lansing system will work just fine (one of the best purchase of anything I've done in my life).

 

-Olivier

^You are more than welcome, Olivier, anytime. And good luck on assembling your system.

Regarding the ML in the Lexus, it's fine for a car audio, really; just a bit overstated. It does sound good considering what it is. Leaps & bounds better than any Lambo OEM stereo!

^You are more than welcome, Olivier, anytime. And good luck on assembling your system.

Regarding the ML in the Lexus, it's fine for a car audio, really; just a bit overstated. It does sound good considering what it is. Leaps & bounds better than any Lambo OEM stereo!

The ML is overrated but so are the rest....I think we all agree.

Looks like we all also agree the LS is the best Lexus offering to date. Well, I'm partial to the SC300/400 of the 90's but the LS is bringing Lexus up to luxo standards where people can finally stop thinking of it as an overgrown Toyota.

^You are more than welcome, Olivier, anytime. And good luck on assembling your system.

Regarding the ML in the Lexus, it's fine for a car audio, really; just a bit overstated. It does sound good considering what it is. Leaps & bounds better than any Lambo OEM stereo!

 

I've only heard the OEM sound system of the Gallardo and let's just say the modified exhaust was a more welcomed soundtrack!!!

 

I'll be contacting you probably when I need to make moves on my sound system career!!

 

-Olivier