In Malaysia, Lexus is a really exclusive thing. Test drives of the press fleet are limited to an exclusive list, and for the media on that list, test drives are limited to taking the car for a spin around the headquarters – none of the usual three day test drive stuff. Shannon Teoh of NST Life & Times, one of the lucky local journalists who managed to get a feel of the Lexus LS460L shares with us his experience driving the flagship Lexus.
Remember the first time you flew? Wasn’t it a magical feeling? Here you were, strapped loosely into a seat on something that from the inside, looked like a train, all elongated and filled with rows of seats with a small toilet in the back.
Then, the takeoff, and the immense amount of Gs forces you back into the seat and then, lift off! You panic at the feeling of weightlessness, but soon, you get used to it. The planes levels off and there’s no acceleration in any direction. Not up, not down, not front, back or sideways. Just plain sailing. Man was never meant to fly so I guess that’s why we love it so much. We love it so much, that we built a car that feels like flying. Not in the sense that it reaches take-off speeds. But that feeling of plain sailing with zero intrusions.
Welcome to the world of luxury saloons. Where champagne, cigars and cushy bums are the name of the game. But the Japanese, they do it differently, don’t they? They go for the most tangible idea of luxury. So with the Lexus LS460L, it’s a car built to meet all you might practically need out of a luxury car – save the massively endowed blonde bombshell. The LS in its 460L guise, is the only iteration of Lexus’ flagship available in Malaysia. There’s nothing a happily married man could conceivably want in a long-legged sedan that the LS460L couldn’t give you.
The first thing that hits you, is the whopping 19 speakers located in places you never even knew existed in a car. You’re more likely to lose count before finding all of them. The immaculate sound system just permeates the atmosphere once the in-car entertainment is fired up. I know full on hi-fi systems that don’t sound this good. It’s scintillating stuff, this Mark Levinson Reference Surround system – you’ll want to buy it without the car even. You’ll be so surrounded by laser-sharp sound that you’ll hardly notice anything that’s going on outside of your car. This is especially welcome when you’re not driving.
As far as the drive goes, which is something you shouldn’t be doing yourself in a car like this, it’s capable, with 375hp derived from its V8 engine. That doesn’t sound like much in a car that has a gross weight of 2.5 tonnes but it’s really much better than it looks on paper thanks to the world’s first eight-speed auto box that keeps you as close to peak torque of 493Nm as possible.
Supremely composed through corners, you’d conceivably complain about the steering but then, this was never meant to be a pseudo-sports car the way the Bentley Continental Flying Spur is. The first signs of discomfort will come from the passengers – although this too takes some doing. Extra-legal speeds through the bends result in conspicuous but well-damped bodyroll, giving you a good overlap of comfort and generous amounts of handling.
This helps the feel of flying but what clinches it, is the Ottoman rear seating. Wrapped in semi-aniline leather which is adjustable to the point of lazychair levels of recline, it’s like one of those business-class seats on airliners. Add to that the retractable table and also a great ride, and this might as well be Flight LS460L instead.
That’s not the end of it. The Rear Seat Relaxation System is your own rudimentary massage spa, providing both Shiatsu and customisable pummeling to ease you into slumber. I don’t usually sleep well in any sort of moving object but the LS460L really lulled me with timely proddings of my pressure points, the electronic sunshades, its smooth-as-a-baby’s-bottom ride and wonderfully adjustable seat really got me under the Sandman’s spell. This is a much-ignored form of luxury – the ability to make your trip from point A to B forgettable, as if it never happened. I don’t want to be fussed about, taken for a wild ride or look at the people going by. Just let me get out of the car as hale and healthy as when I got in.
Some might say it’s not going to look as impressive as an S-Class. Sure, as a status symbol, an L-badge is not quite a three-pointed star. But the next time you roll into Carcosa Seri Negara for some big shindig, how many will actually turn up in an LS? That’s exclusivity.
At only RM777,448, it’s a bargain given that it’s a world away from the bare bones S350 that sells for RM754,888. To beat the 4.6-litre Lexus, you’ll need the 5.0-litre V8 in the S500L which costs RM1,411,888. Add some loose change, and you’ll have TWO LS460Ls.
Of course, you’d only buy one, but the money leftover could pay the salary of ten highly-trained servants for two years! So go on, don’t just look like you’re rich, be pampered like you’re rich as well.
[ Note: Photos used in this post are from international press stock photos, and not photos of the actual car being sold in Malaysia. Thus, specs and trim level might be different. Click any of the photos in this blog post for an enlarged version. ]
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
Test drives of the press fleet are limited to an exclusive list, and for the media on that list, test drives are limited to taking the car for a spin around the headquarters
—————————————————————-
Why so exclusive while 7-series and S-class can be test driven by anyone who has a valid driver license during their road show. Not that Lexus is a multi million car like rolls royce.
Still haven't seen it on the m'sian road,anyone?
I wonder how many will buy this car especially in bolehland where everyone is kiasu wanted to show off their "S" class.
Paul,i think we'll have a better coverage for the test drive report if you were the "lucky one".
It's just too brief….but somehow nice photo.
7 series side
ini mau AP punya kah? ;-P
Love these kind of cars. 493Nm of torque is incredible. The smooth accelerating G forces felt in cars like these which have these kind of magnificent engines really show how much effort has been put in to making 493Nm of torque and 375hp as comfortable to ride in as possible.
Having said this, Toyota do make some great high displacement engines and can be considered the best Japanese luxury auto make. Lexus although still fresh in the U.S have been gaining a reputation that even Mercedes find tough to beat.
Lexus…….The Line of Luxury
Ahhhh.. Lexus.. Even they could make the german feels nervous. Japan against the rest of the world haha next stop, supercar territory. Italians, watch out!
Another great piece of work by Shannon. I've always read his reviews in NST, n I like his writing style that's nt too car nerd-ish. I mean, anyone with absolutely no idea abt cars can hv some idea what he's talking abt rather than gettin bored when they drown in jargons like VTEC, ABS, QWE, RTY, UIO, ASD, FGH……..
I used to nt like Lexus, cuz they used to be a Mercedes wit no toy, bt this LS460 is simple astonishing!!! This is the 1st Lexus that actually get 4/5 rating from Jeremy Clarkson.
brilliantly technologied! i wan the sound system!!!
not sure will ever see that amount of money in my lifetime :P
What a tech marvel.
saw want over taking me in front of the office.. its a sight to behold.. quite massive in size.. but it sure does go!
elongated version of the mark x?
is the mark x available in m'sia btw?
Lexus isn't exactly fresh in the US, they've been there for almost 20 years. I like the Lexus but as someone said, this car won't sell in Malaysia where people love to show off their S-class.
Can dream only!
Do you think they will bring in the smaller Lexus so that people will have a choice instead of 3 series or C class ? About time , right ?
Be realistic, Lexus need to be 30% cheaper than the 2Bs in order to have some impact.
It is said that Lexus will bring a few more models nxt year, oh wait, I think this year!! Some say it's RX, some say it's IS, all we know is he's called The Sti….ops!!! Got carried away!!
I've got email from Lexus Malaysia, that the IS250 will be available this year!!!!
No chance to own one for a makan gaji rakyat!
Wonder if Wald/LX/Naza bring in one and guess what would the price be ?
Rm555K or Rm666 ? :)
At only RM777,448, it’s a bargain given that it’s a world away from the bare bones S350 that sells for RM754,888.
————
Wah Paul Tan "At only" ah, log on the link below: –
http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/pricing.aspx?ye…
American public with higher income and purchasing parity power can buy same car at mega sales with 70% discount from bloehland price. US price from USD 61K and USD 71K is approximately 30% of our price only. Really NAP big suck!!!!!!!!
it might be cheaper in the US, but a normal makan gaji rakyat in the US can't afford a lexus either.
But those who can afford car at RM 100K and above in Bolehland, their AMerican counter part can afford it. This is because our PPP is around USD 12.5K and US is USD 38K!
Their average income is 3 time higher yet their high end car is 1/3 of Bolehland price. Factor in these 2 variables, their Purchasing Power Paritiy is approximately 9 time. Their average income of USD 3 K per month is able to buy these car if the car loan is 5 to 9 year. But I believe it is a "rare" case in US to take car loan up to 9 years!
8918.. yes i saw one.. dont know whether is the show room car on testing session or someone bought it
er.. ive got the photo. how am i suppose to email to paul.. sorry im new here.
Joe_ooi, well said. Income & purchasing power disparity really shows the ugly side of our economy. I hate the politicians who keep promoting that our economy is getting healthier and the rakyat is more wealthier.
Buying a premium car here is like buying a house in the US. Metal houses on rubber wheels.
Spot ON Joe Ooi …..u got it right!! Msian car a WAYY too overpriced & even weirder when some ppl mention an 80k car is gud price…..ppl pls wake UP!!
I think that the brakes on most Toyota cars really sucks…
wonder if Lexus would be the same…
(Sorry for a little off topic :)
They should have a 3 litre model, to avoid huge road tax. BMW has their 730 and Merc the 280 (which is 2996cc).
Only then can they hope to break into the Malaysian market.
LJ
merc's 280 is e-class which is GS for lexus.
About the IS250, Lexus said they will launch it sometime this year but they gave no clear indication of exactly when they will do so. Does anyone have more info on this? Which IS250 variant is Lexus going to bring in, the standard or high specs IS model? How about pricing? Maybe 300K…. the GS300 is selling for 400K.