LS600h More Than a Bigger Toyota Camry

I hope Lexus is not thinking that just pricing the LS600h in the 100k range will automatically earn them a place in the high end luxury market.

My past experience with Japanese luxury vehicles is that they are always lacking in the feel of i am getting what I paid for. The feeling comes from having owned two BMW’s a 1988 320 and 1992 750iL. When my friends would say I spent too much when I could have purchased a comparable Japanese luxury vehicles for less. I just opened the doors and shut them sharply and say no thanks. The feel and quality at that time was just not in the same league. I distinctively remember the Nissan commercial calling the ES300 a Camry with some bells and whistles.

My first Dislike of this vehicle is the fact that it has a very similar silhouette looking very close to that of the Camry. The only distinct difference is the front grill and If I was thinking of paying 70 to 100 G’s for a car I would not want anyone to mistake it for a Toyota Camry.

The LS600h (the h is for hybrid) has a few unique features such as a messaging rear seat even though it is only on the right side. I guess you rear seat passengers will have to take turns sitting on that side on long trips. I remember my 750iL having a power reclining rear seat that was available on both sides so the other passenger would not feel left out.

The LS600h has a pre-collision system that uses a camera to scan the area ahead for obstacles but also trains a camera on the driver, to determine whether that driver is responding adequately; the system flashes a light and sounds an alarm to warn the driver of a possible impending crash, helps the car respond by quickening the steering ratio and by starting to apply the brakes automatically , and prepares the car by tightening the seatbelts and closing the windows. This will really help to avoid crashing your $100k hybrid.

The LS600h is demonstrating Lexus ability to provide performance with energy conservation and environmentally considerate by giving you V12 performance with V8 gas mileage. Lexus puts the combined output of the 5.0-liter V-8 and the electric motor at more than 430 hp (versus 380 hp for the LS460’s 4.6-liter V-8). The company claims that the hybrid delivers acceleration on a par with twelve-cylinder luxury sedans while providing fuel economy that beats competitors’ V-8s. The LS600h L continues Lexus’s philosophy of positioning its hybrids not as fuel-sipping green machines but as the highest-performing, top-spec models in the range. As such, the LS600h L will be the most expensive version of the LS, and will be offered in the United States with the long-wheelbase body only. Whereas the LS460 comes with rear-wheel drive, the hybrid will have standard all-wheel drive. Seating is for only four, with a console between the individual rear seats and power sunshades in the doors and a Maybach-style articulating footrest.