2008 Lexus LS 600h L Luxury Sedan

Pros

High-Comfort with Great Peformance and Standard Features.

Cons

Lack of Handling, A bit too smooth with lazy sluggish feel. Annoying Navigation Design.

I wanted a high-end luxury sedan with some sporty attributes. I test drove the Lexus LS600h only, and that was the problem. I could have saved a lot of annoyances and visits to the dealer for help. I bought the LS600h because I thought it was the best for the money. Yet, I was wrong. Yes, while the LS600h is very high-end and offers so much for a smaller price.. I just lacked my type of features, specs and expectations.

When I test drove it, it seemed so much more sporty but the steering seemed to loosen and get much more lazy within such a small time, maybe it's just a feature or something. Either way, I went to Mercedes-Benz and test drove the Mercedes S550 AMG and LOVED IT. I am going to trade the Lexus LS for the S550 AMG very soon.....read morehide

Pros

Dead silent ride; amazing audio; neck snapping acceleration; decent gas milage; comfy seats

Cons

truck too small; paint soft (dings easily); expensive!

My 7th LS sedan, and so far the best. The combined milage I get is between 24 and 25 mpg. Not bad for 438 hp, 5200 lbs. It's very easy to drive long distances, very quiet, and comfortable. Plenty of room inside (especially the rear seat). Trunk is sparse (I guess they had to put the batteries somewhere), and for some reason, the rear seat massage was removed from the "ultra" package (and put in with just the executive seating package -- a not too useful seating arrangement). The other strange removal is the extra sun shade (mini) above the rear view mirror. Can't figure out for the life of me why they got rid of it -- it was very useful, and didn't get in the way of anything. Anyone who has the cash should consider the LS600h - you won't regret it....read morehide

Pros

Torquey engine, dead quiet, ultra smoothe, basks you in luxury, SULEV car

Cons

V12 price range with S550 V8 performance

This car was supposed to give the thrust and power of a V12 with the fuel economy of a much smaller car. Well, it failed in both catagories really. The Lexus claims a 0-60 run of 5.5 seconds which is good, but that's what the cheaper Merc S550 V8 does. It gets great fuel economy for the engine but 21 mpg is still nothing to brag about. I drive an Audi A8 W12 (2005) and was going to get this car but the only thing the Lexus has going for is its ultra quiet cabin and (somewhat) good fuel economy. If this was priced with the V8 Audis, Mercedes, BMWs, Jaguars, ect it would be a HUGE threat to them. But 104,000 starting is what you get for the A8L V8 completely loaded with every possible option. With options you're looking at probably 120,000 or even 130,000 which puts it with a 510 bhp mercedes. The LS600h needs to re-consider its competition because Audi, and Benz have it beat in my book....read morehide

Pros

Everything. LED Head/tail lamps, AWD, Huge Screen, Mark Levinson, Price, Safety & Comfort, Quiet

Cons

Too quiet...maybe, a little sacrifice to trunk (but compensates w/ contribution to the environment

Must see the attention to details and craftmanship such as... hand-sanded paint job to perfection, Alcantara Headliner with Hand buffed Steering Wheel, and it is very easy to learn and use all features. Real time NAVtraffic does help saving time along with being able to schedule multiple destinations with time/distance management... Electric motor that gives you the ultimate torque from the very zero mph as you step on the accelerator. If you have some sort of mechanical understanding, it is hard not to be convinced by the benefits of Hybrid System. Air purifier, Cool box, DVD Entertainment System, Shiatsu Massage, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control with Pre-Collision System the "Life Saver", Personal Card Key with Smart Access, Rearview Camera...and turning radius is as tight as Scion Xa!!! 438 Hp without gas guzzler tax because it is rated at SULEV (Super Ultra Low Emmission Vehicle).
Watching Carlos Santana Concert DVD through this amazing Mark Levinson was the best Car Audio Exprience... it is the best. Love it....read morehide

Pros

Technology, interior space, ease of use

Cons

Styling could be more ostentatious

I test drove this car recently and I thought it was a very nice traditional luxury sedan, extremely comfortable in both front and back. If there's one thing Lexus does particularly well, it's comfort. The seats are very nice and the leather is buttery-soft, plus the multi-adjustment functions and the rear seat massage (optional) are really luxurious. And most of the professional reviews agree--if you want to relax the Lexus is the way to go. As for other aspects, such as performance, I think that the LS 600h is pretty good but if you want more sporty performance at the top end you might want to look elsewhere--this car is designed for more 'gentlemanly' driving. Take your pick.

And just wondering, some of the other reviews here are cut off, or give the car props in the written text but vastly different scores elsewhere? Some simply give preference for BMW and Mercedes-Benz without giving substantive reasons? Sounds like they did not actually test drive the vehicle at all. Hopefully any repair incidents, if true, are taken care of. Having followed up on the auto reliability ratings, I have high confidence that the LS 600h will be far above the competition--notably the S-Class which was not recommended this year by Consumer Reports due to quality concerns....read morehide

Pros

Refined, luxurious, quiet operation, ML sound system(!!!)

Cons

Exterior styling not a stand-out, not really a V12 despite badge

This car's sound system, among the other luxury amenities, is AMAZING! I've heard sounds in some of my favorite songs for over 20 years that I have never heard before! The 19-speaker Mark Levinson sound system alone really makes this car special. It's also attention-to-detail, build quality and craftsmanship that are the hallmarks of this car, which have become the major strengths that really define the entire Lexus brand. The executive-class seating in the back really puts this car on another level entirely. Kicking your feet up and enjoying a superb massage all while watching The Wizard of Oz may perhaps describe a perfect Sunday evening in your home to you. Well I did this last Sunday in the backseat of this Lexus while en route to the airport.

There aren't too many gripes one could have about this car, unless you want to start mentioning nit-picky or arbitrary aspects. For one, the exterior styling of the car isn't as bold as I would like. It's a handsome car, with nice clean and confident lines, but when you look at its rivals such as the Mercedes S-Class or the BMW 7-Series, you just don't get a strong sense of importance or occasion. But don't get me wrong, I think I actually prefer the nice and elegant clean lines of this car compared to the scary look of most new Bimmers, and the "fat" look of the new S-Class.

However, there are so many other things that this car does well, it's hard to pass it up on any one negative aspect you might personally find on your own. Features such as the hard drive for storing ripped music files for faster loading, the easy-to-use touchscreen navigation, the electric ear-occupant window shades, the extremely easy-to-read electrolumiescent gauges, not to mention the show-off feature, the self-parking system, which has only slightly missed the mark about 3 out of the maybe 12 times I've used it.

All of that and I have yet to even mention the hybrid system! I normally observed between 20 and 25 miles per gallon, and normally I do about 50/50 freeway cruising and city creeping. The transition from electric power to gas power...well you can't tell there is a transition. The hybrid monitoring system was a bit confusing to look at when I first gazed at it, with all those flowing arrows just zooming around the screen but after a while I understood it fine, although really, the display is pointless in my opinion. All it does is allow you to visualize how your hybrid system is working, I guess most will appreciate it. And with a hybrid system on board, you would think that this is a slow car. It's not! It's a very fast car! The sensation of speed is always muted in almost all Lexus cars, and even in this one, but still, you can tell that it's moving very fast by the speedometer coupled with the sight of trees whizzing by you at a very fast rate. Noted though, the faster you drive it down the freeway, the more your mpg decreases. But most will be fine.

Bottom line, this car is what a flaship luxury sedan shoulSpeed demons, tree huggers, Forbes 500 CEOs and celebrities alike will enjoy this car....read morehide

Pros

Nice car, new technology

Cons

Wind noise and faulty brakes, park assist

I like the car, but I hate the fact that I had taken my car to the dealer to fix the problems couple of times. They were able fixed the break problems, but I have to take it back to them again and have them work on the wind noise, as well as the park assist. The wind noise it only happens when you go over 45 MPH, and the park assist works on and off. One time I almost hit the car while backing up.

I'm dissapointed with the fact that I only have 2123 miles so far and I had taken this car to the dealer 6 times for the same thing.

I bought it thinking that it would be better than a BMW or a Mercedes Benz. Now I wish I could go back on time and have an S Class Mercdes Benz....read morehide

Pros

Every conceivable luxury option availble....Pure luxury over any German brand

Cons

Takes a while to learn all the technological advancements. Much more wizardry than any German can in

An incredible car at any drive. I've owned several different German vehicles and several Lexus products and no comparison. Don't let the detractors on line fool you. This is finest automobile in the world. Take a drive in any of the Rolls and Bentley lines and see the cheap prosucts that do't last. Lexus is the finest quality and the most value ofr any dollar spent....read morehide

Pros

Comfort, tecnology, ride

Cons

not as silent as I expected

I have the car for 1 month and in comparison to mercedes 550 it is much better. I am enjoying it more every day. Rear seating comfort is unbelievable

Pros

Technological innovations, V12 performance w/o gas guzzling, luxury features

Cons

very expensive, AWD is a requirement (adds weight)

This car is a technological showcase, from the infrared camera that scans your face to be certain your are paying attention, to the sensors which track your body temperature, to the traffic information and hard disc song drive.

Very smooth and powerful, especially midrange acceleration on the highway. Very comfortable ride with the air suspension....read morehide