Lexus LS 600h L: First Look

Motoring Channel Staff - 18/Apr/2006

Showing foresight and just a little bit of courage, Lexus has beaten both Mercedes and BMW to the hybrid punch, unveiling its colossal (both in name and size) LS 600h L hybrid luxury sedan at the 2006 New York International Motor Show.

The huge Japanese luxury car features a number of firsts for a production model (it's first scheduled for sale in the USA in April 2007), least of which is the hybrid V8 engine. As Lexus explains, a"quiet-ride" ranked as one of the top five reasons for the private purchase of prestige-luxury vehicles and the LS 600h L has NVH levels are about half that found in conventional cars, making the hybrid LS one of the quietest automobiles ever built.

Other attention-grabbing features include an 8-speed automatic gearbox, an impressive 19-speaker stereo, super low levels of fuel consumption, is the first production car in the world to utilise LED headlights for nighttime and low-beam use, and it even has an automatic parallel parking feature; at the push of a button the car will allegedly park itself (with some brake input by the driver).

Based on the upcoming LS 460 L model, which is set for an October 2006 release in the States, the LS 600h L gets a larger engine than its 4.6-litre V8 siblings. The 5.0-litre V8 combines with electric motors to provide performance that's not far from 12-cylinder luxury cars: with an expected 0-100km/h dash time of around 5.4 seconds, it will rival the long wheel-based versions of the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes S-Class. 

Like all of its hybrid models, Lexus is positioning the LS 600h L as the most expensive range-topping flagship model, with the highest power output: compared to the LS 460, the LS 600h L produces an extra 37kW of power (50hp). Unlike its petrol-only cousins, the LS 460 and LS 460 L, both of which are rear wheel-driven, the new hybrid limousine will be an all wheel-drive affair as well. 

Lexus has already developed a number of hybrid petrol-electric vehicles, such as the RX 400h and GS 450h, and the new LS model will be the world’s first vehicle to feature a full hybrid V8 powertrain, something which it's European rivals have yet to make a song and dance about. Combining high-output electric motors and a newly designed large-capacity battery pack with a 5.0-litre V8, Lexus claims its newest hybrid vehicle develops a total of 430 horsepower, which equates to about 320 kilowatts of power. 

The LS hybrid is expected to carry a Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV) rating, says Lexus, which would mean the LS 600h L has nearly 70-percent cleaner emissions than the “cleanest” of its competitors. Further to this, the new Lexus also reduces another type of pollution - noise. Lexus says that the new LS 600h L has been designed to set a new standard for silent running in the prestige-luxury sedan class, owing to the inherent noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) improvements offered by its hybrid powertrain. 

In addition to the new one-touch parallel parking feature, the new LS 600h L will feature air suspension system equipped with Variable Gear Ratio Steering, or VGRS, which will be an option on the LS 460 L model. The VGRS optimises the steering gear ratio according to vehicle speed to help enhance responsiveness and driver control. VGRS also partners with VDIM, making minor adjustments to front-wheel angle for improved control in challenging road conditions.

Seeing as the LS 600h L is the long-wheelbase model it brings with it nearly five inches or about 125mm of additional legroom for rear passengers says Lexus, and can be outfitted with a long list of luxury conveniences that includes quad zone front and rear A/C with air purification, rear-door power sunshades and rear power headrests, a spectacular 4-person seating configuration with a fixed rear console and fold-out table, and a right rear-seat 45-degree recliner with footrest and multifunction massage.

And if all that isn't enough for your luxury needs, the new hybrid pleasure cruiser will also include a voice-activated hard disk drive (HDD) satellite navigation with Bluetooth technology and XM real-time traffic system. There's also a rear-seat DVD entertainment system with a good-sized nine-inch drop-down screen, and a specially developed 19-speaker (450-watt) Mark Levinson Reference surround sound audio system.

The LS 600h L will go on-sale in April 2007, six months after the LS 460 and LS 460 L launch in October 2006.