here's a link to a web article from CNN Money:

New Lexus sedan: fast, classy - and dull
The ride is smooth, but the 2007 Lexus LS 460 is a little too quiet.

CNN: http://money.cnn.com/2006/12/01/auto...ion=2006120110

I've never driven one, so I can't say if this is accurate or not...

The LS460 is quit because the LS430 was louder.
The LS400 from 95' to around 2000' was way too quiet. They retuned the exhaust on the LS430 and made it louder (I like it a lot), I guess they went backwards (well, for us, but for the target audience...) with the LS460.

I've said it before, I'm waiting for the 600. Then I'll do the indepth comparisons.

I don't know if it's just me but maybe it's just Lexus...all of their cars tend to be very quiet. I have an 06 GS430 and that thing is very, very quiet. I could tell that it would have a nice growl if I put an exhaust on it, but dad does most of the driving in it and he doesn't like anything more then stock...

There is definitely potential but I think they are made to drive quietly???

They are definitely made to drive quietly. And to some that's more important than loud sporty sounds -- that's why we have AMG/M. I think Lexus has a very comfortable ride and I think that's what appeals to the Lexus buyers, especially those for the LS-Series.

Yeah, the second LS-Series (95' - 00') was very, very quite and then I think they felt it needed to be louder, but then found most of their customers didn't like that new loud, so now they've reverted back. I think that's better (IMO), don't try and copy Mercedes, or BMW, Lexus has (whether you like to admit it or not) craved their own niche market and now belong in the high ranks of the automobile industry.

So those who dearly hate the LS - well it's here to stay!!

*That being said, I personally prefer BMW and Mercedes-Benz over the Lexus counter-parts (E-Class/5-Series to GS, C-Class/3-Series to IS, S-Class/7-Series to LS); however, I think the GS, IS, and LS are still great cars, and to me besides Mercedes and BMW, I think they're the best options out there.


Tee_Tz.

Doesn't it take like.....4 city blocks to stop from 70mph.It should come with an anchor in the trunk.

Don't get me wrong...I love Lexus' and I respect what they do as far as making their cars the way they do, but what I'm saying is that the potential is there to make it a very worthy opponent amongst the mercedes and bimmers in the world. That is all...

A lot of people have been commenting on the brakes, I guess they are bad. What's funny is when I went to Lexus.com to find the specs of braking, it said "Still Being Researched", the only thing not listed. That's strange.


Tee_Tz.

Here we go again. Another Lexus thread in a Mercedes site. Do you really expect any positives from a competitor, no, a leader? Come on. Enough of this Lexus mumbo jumbo. Lets stick to what we like and drive.

Actually, I'm very objected - although most people aren't - even when one's talking about the competitor of my car -- I'm no "Religious Benz Zealot", I'm a true car enthusiast so I like competition. I like to see other manufactures make something great. And I think Lexus did a good job with the LS, the automatic parking system is quite innovative -- then again I'm an engineer, so I don't (unlike many) brush it aside as "a joke", because I know the effort and complexness that goes into creating such a feature, hence my respect for it.

So the S-Class can drive you down 5th Avenue from uptown to downtown in Manhattan (with the exception of traffic lights) and the LS can park itself, it's going to be crazy what these cars will do in the next 5 years.


Tee_Tz.

I'm not so sure Lexus wants that. They're doing very, very well targeting a market of upper-middle-class buyers who want a comfortable, quiet, reliable car who are not concerned with performance and handling. Why go after MB and BMW when they've already got their target market cornered?

the lexus needs more and stickier rubber and it will stop just as well as the german competition. The tires are much narrower than the 7 series or S-class.

Do you really think some larger tires are going to stop it faster? Come on now. Its almost 30 feet behind the competition. If anything, larger tires will just increase rotational mass, which would likely increase braking disntances.

Edmunds has thier tests showing 60-0 MPH at 122.6 for the S550 and 128 for the LS460 without the optional touring package which has better brakes.

5 feet is no joke when it comes to safety but it's no 30 feet

Wow, so it has better braking than the Benz? And actually it's got better acceleration too... Hmm...


Tee_Tz.

IMO...the problem with Lexus is their styling tries not to offend anyone. Love it or hate it, MB and BMW's have some style. The Lexus sedan (LS) is too vanilla, whereas the IS and less so the GS have some flavor.

I am inclined to disagree with Edmunds test. I mean go look at C&D's test and its clearly behind in the braking department. Even on my test drive, I really had to stomp on the brakes in order to get it stop. Perhaps Edmunds got a beefed up version. Who knows.

I don't think it will, I know it will. How does an M3 stop faster than a 330ci when they both have the same size brake rotors? Tires my friend... they play a huge role in braking.

The competition is rolling on summer rubber (BMW) and the S-class tire is 30 mm wider. Stickier/more rubber definitely decreases stopping distance.

What do you know, here is a quote from the C&D article

The M3 also has an entirely braking compound and rotor material than say a regular 330ci. I think there are too many factors here at play in order to get the car to stop better.

I disagree, the basic components are still the same. The rotors and pads difference is negligible, same with suspension. The standard M3 pad does not perform much better than a 330ci pad, I know this from days at the track.

There are very little differences between a 330ci and M3 (suspension and brake wise).. the marketing department may have you believe otherwise.

Numbers don't lie. Take a look at this Tirerack test. The blue bar is a goodyear eagle RS-A H-rated all season (similar to the Lexus tire) in a 205 mm width. The rest are Z-rated summer tires with a 225 mm width. One tire decreased stopping distances by over 15 feet... now you tell me that tires dont make a difference. Coincidentally all these tires were tested on a 2003 BMW 330ci.