2015 Lexus LS 460

2015 Lexus LS 460

The 2015 Lexus LS 460 and LS 600h L hybrid represent the pinnacle of Lexus engineering as the brand’s flagship sedans. They offer the very best in Toyota’s fits and finishes–and frequently retain their value better over time than their German competitors.

• Interior / Exterior »

The LS goes unchanged in design for 2015, but it’s aging well, thanks to a refresh that added the brand’s spindle grille two years ago.

Dramatic is a good word for the reinvented cockpit. It’s another iteration of the horizontally themed cabin that works so well in the GS, retrimmed in a higher grade of wood and metallic finishes and surrounded by leather. A larger, 12.3-inch-wide LCD screen dominates the center of the dash, and Lexus’ vividly bright gauges get their own information display, an almost six-inch screen implanted in their midst.

Aluminum is used for some of the controls, and on the F Sport, it makes up the pedals and other interior trim. Standard versions wear walnut, maple, or a “shimamoku” processed wood stained a very dark grey. Hybrids have attractive bamboo trim we wish could be ordered elsewhere. All versions offer a choice of handsome leather trim, with a new saddle color; F Sports have their own leather selection and a black Alcantara headliner.
Lexus’s signature ‘spindle’ grille has found its way to each Lexus model that has been redesigned in the past few years. It’s a piece of a design language that works well on all shapes and sizes, ranging from the RX crossover to the ultra-luxe LS sedan. Thanks to its hourglass grille, the LS looks significantly less anonymous than past models, though the brand’s old ‘L-finesse’ design language is still present through the sedan’s profile and rear. The old and new designs work well together, but we’re still looking forward to seeing how the new theme will look as it creeps across the rest of the sedan’s sheetmetal over the next few years.

• Performance »

Mechanically speaking, the Lexus LS goes unchanged for 2015. It’s slightly more responsive now than it has been in previous generations, thanks to the addition of the F-Sport trim, which dials up the suspension to better compete with the German big sedans.

There are two available versions: the LS 460 and flagship LS 600h L hybrid. You can have the LS 460 in either rear- or all-wheel drive and either short- or long-wheelbase versions, but the hybrid is offered exclusively in all-wheel-drive, long-wheelbase guise.

In the very expensive LS 600h L, Lexus teams a 5.0-liter V-8 engine and a hybrid drive system for V-12-like power. The gasoline V-8 makes 389 horsepower on its own, but altogether the system achieves 438 horsepower. The hybrid system dispatches its power through a full-time all-wheel-drive system and a “shiftless” continuously variable transmission (CVT). For more control during sporty driving, the CVT can simulate eight manually shifted gears. The full-hybrid system can operate for short distances, almost silently, on electric power alone. There’s even an EV button-a feature never before used on a Toyota hybrid in the U.S. market-that forces the system to use only electric power for several minutes. It recharges its nickel-metal-hydride battery packs either via the engine or through a regenerative braking system.

The LS 600h L moves very quickly, and with almost uncanny quietness. The only time you hear the gasoline engine is when accelerating hard. Acceleration is quick; Lexus claims a 0-60 mph run of 5.5 seconds. But the LS 600h L doesn’t feel very sporty. Its variable-ratio steering responds mostly with lightness and distance. And though cornering is nice and flat, thanks to the the adaptive air suspension that affords different settings for those driving systems, the hybrid also rides a little stiffly in most modes, a consequence of its heavier curb weight. Fuel economy is rated at up to 20 mpg combined, not bad for a 5,200-pound sedan, but not absolutely breathtaking.
The LS 460 seems more intensive change, though its drivetrain is largely carried over from previous years. A 4.6-liter V-8 doles out an effortlessly smooth, usually silent 386 horsepower and 367 pound-feet of torque. With a curb weight of between 4,200 and 4,900 pounds, the LS’ 0-60 mph times are estimated at between 5.4 seconds to 5.9 seconds, and its top speed is posted at a regulated 130 mph. It’s coupled to an eight-speed automatic transmission, in rear-drive form or fitted with optional all-wheel drive (in which case the engine makes 357 hp and slightly less torque, but gets a limited-slip differential with a torque bias of 40:60 that can vary from 30:70 to 50:50 depending on road conditions).
The base versions without air suspension offer electronic control of transmission, revised electric power steering, and throttle in Eco, Normal, and Sport modes. Eco slows out the throttle for better mileage, while Sport speeds it up along with steering response for a nonlinear boost across the board. Cars with the base suspension ride well but are a bit too soft for crisp handling response, and numb, light steering don’t encourage enthusiasm. We’ve also found the transmission can seem indecisive at times, since it has so many gears from which to choose, but it doesn’t demand anything from the driver.
All-wheel drive is an option, and air suspension comes with long-wheelbase models. Even on these models, the same effortlessness pervades the LS driving experience. There’s a plushness that plays through the steering, which remains a light-touch affair even when Sport mode is engaged. The ride is exceptionally controlled and smooth, even in the air suspension’s stiffest mode, probably because the air suspension now shares information between wheels to control ride motions as a whole, not as individual wheels. Eighteen-inch wheels and tires are standard, by the way, with 19-inchers an option.
The F Sport model doesn’t manage to be quite as assertive as so many of its European alternatives–it’s softer-sprung than those–but it’s more composed than it ever has been before. Expectations are higher for the F Sport, since Lexus has done a good job revamping its GS sport sedan under the same initials. The F Sport teases with a faint hint of the visceral snap that dominates the Jaguar XJ, BMW 7er or the Benz S-Class. The driving experience is no longer exactly effortless, now that the electronics of the air suspension, transmission, steering, and throttle allow some custom tailoring.
The carryover drivetrain adapts new controls to tackle that mission. The automatic offers paddle controls and a manual mode, but on prototypes we drove, it didn’t respond as swiftly as promised. The gear indicator held firm at the top of its range, despite clicking and tapping to trigger downshifts that should have been legal, given the place on the tach. Downshift blipping are exclusive to the F Sport’s flavor of this gearbox. The low gears are staged and groomed still for luxury, and though upshifts are quicker, the LS’ gearbox still feels like it deliberates more than the six-speed in an XJ. There’s still a measure of control lacking for the driver, a missed connection.
The LS’ redesigned suspension, steering and braking systems get tauter for more road feel and tighter control in the F Sport. Its air suspension comes with additional Comfort and Sport+ modes, the latter of which tightens the air shocks to something we’d still call only mildly firm, despite the F Sport’s 19-inch tires (summer or all-weather). The F Sport gets the variable-ratio steering system too, but no rear-steer setup like the smaller GS, because of its place at the top of the Lexus the lineup. It’s just a bit more assertive, with light feel and just a suggestion of feedback. It’s just not as composed as it could be, when dodging shadows on the Skyline above Palo Alto, and grabby brakes and a high-set pedal make it conversely difficult to drive smoothly in town.
There’s yet more to set the F Sport apart on paper, less to draw direct comparisons with the German benchmarks. It rides 0.4 inches lower, has Brembo six-piston caliper brakes, and a suspension brace for better rigidity. On rear-drive models, there’s even torque vectoring–a Torsen differential between the rear wheels, one that distributes torque to the outside wheel to boost cornering. It’s still just mildly more assertive than the base LS, and still less responsive and less crisp than an S-Class or an Audi A8.
The real heresy comes with a sound generator that amplifies some intake noises to enrich the driving experience. Lexus? Adding noise into the equation? From a brand that’s championed an effortless driving experience, it’s an ironic twist. For all of the past 22 years, Lexus has been about removing those disturbances. Noises have been quelled, vibrations have been damped out. Their re-introduction, and the first pass at pulling the LS into tauter shape, shows the pressure put on the LS by vehicles like the Hyundai Equus, which replicates the silent, unemotional driving experience well enough for substantially less.

For this model year, the LS goes mostly unchanged, with exception to a few updates to the infotainment system, and the addition of run-flat tires to hybrid models with the 19-inch wheels. Every LS can be commended for its excellent build quality and quiet cabin, and the recent addition of the F-Sport trim gives the LS a little more of an edge than in past generations.

Smooth ride quality and a serene, limo-like ultra-luxury interior remains the priority of the Lexus LS, with driving dynamics more muted than those of some other large luxury sedans, even with the addition of the F Sport. The pièce de résistance is the LS 600h L: it eschews the V-12 or twin-turbo V-8s of other luxury sedans in favor of a gas and electric duo that delivers a net of 438 horsepower and 20 mpg combined on the EPA cycle. Were it more composed and less jittery in ride, and more direct in its steering, it’d be worth considering despite its huge price tag of more than $100,000.

In a slightly more realistic realm, the LS 460, the extended-wheelbase LS 460 L, and their all-wheel-drive counterparts all display a similar set of road manners. There’s brisk acceleration from the 386-hp V-8, and almost imperceptible shifts from the eight-speed automatic, but handling is no strength. Zero to 60 mph runs take as few as 5.4 seconds, but a real hustle through a canyon road will take longer than any of its competition, due to dull responses from the steering and boundy, plush ride motions.
On the F Sport, a sport-tuned air suspension, variable-ratio steering, Brembo brakes, and special 19-inch forged wheels with summer tires can change the feel, but not so much as to make the Lexus LS unrecognizable. It’s still a more softly sprung vehicle than any of its German counterparts, or even the Infiniti M or Jaguar XJ. Body control is better, and there’s somewhat crisper response from the steering, but it’s still very light and unenthusiastic. All LS sedans offer some measure of driver-adjustable attitude; the base car’s Eco, Normal, and Sport modes are augmented on air-suspension cars with a Sport + and Comfort modes that subdivide its personality into more discrete, still obviously comfort-oriented, tunings.
The extended-wheelbase LS 460 L and LS 600h are about five inches longer than the standard-length LS 460, and most of that stretch goes to rear legroom. Even short-wheelbase models come with enough space for taller, lankier passengers, though, and across the line, large, comfortable front seats, well contoured backseats, and a large trunk make these sedans great choices for those with important guests to transport—or just impressive long-haul comfort. The front seats have been revamped and have excellent support and power adjustments in just about every direction; F Sport versions have somewhat more bolstering, but they’re great for long trips.

A navigation system is now standard in the LS 460, as are heated and cooled front seats; and a rearview camera. Bluetooth and iPod connectivity are standard on all LS models, along with Bluetooth audio streaming. Lexus’ Remote Touch, a mouse-style controller, drives the infotainment functions, while Entune links the audio system to your smartphone for mobile-app usage, including audio streaming and Facebook updating. A Mark Levinson entertainment system is available on the LS 460 and standard on the LS 600h L, offering 19 speakers, 19 audio channels, 450 watts of power, and 8GB of hard-drive space for music. Major options also include climate-controlled, massaging rear seats; a Blu-Ray DVD entertainment system; and the ottoman-style backseat, fold-down wooden trays, and rear cooler box. The 2015 model now offers “Siri Eyes Free Mode,” which integrates Apple’s Siri voice command system with the car’s infotainment system.
The LS’ best-executed change from previous editions has been the new “spindle” grille treatment that’s worked its way into other Lexus vehicles, one by one, as they’ve been revamped. It’s distinguished, finally, by its own distinctive styling notes, not graced by elegant echoes of others. There’s still plenty of been-there in its silhouette, but Lexus designers are on to something–even more so, inside its lavishly trimmed cabin. There, the horizontal theme that’s wrapped itself around the cockpit in the GS and ES sedans is warmly interpreted, capped by a 12.3-inch LCD screen and framed by a selection of wood or metal trims that ping a slightly alternative chord, whether they’re shimamoku wood stained a dark grey, or the lighter shades of the Hybrid’s bamboo.

In extended versions, there’s a standout ottoman-style seating option with built-in massage features, both of the backseat positions, in top-of-the-line models, get power adjustability. Trims remain impressive even when matched up with those in top Mercedes and BMW flagships, and the top-notch aniline leather is supple and delicate compared to what you get in other Lexus models. If you’re more often chauffeured, add the Executive Class Seating Package, and you’ll practically have a Rolls-Royce-caliber space back there.
Photo Gallery: Lexus USA

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