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6 out of 7 people found this review helpful
5.0 stars
"I actually have an LS and have had them since '90."
Pros: 16 Years and I've never been disappointed
Cons: It's not a sports car
Summary: I cannot actually comment on the 2007 because I do not have one, and a test drive (while wonderful) is too limited a sample. I will, however, get a 2008 LS hybrid. Why? Because after having driven Benzes, Jags, Lincolns etc. on trips, I have come to realize that everything else is just a car.
I wonder about those who make negative comments - have they ever actually owned an LS? Or driven one longterm ?
Some thoughts (in no particular order):
1. The LS is not and is not meant to be a wildly exciting car. It is what it is - a luxury sedan - if I wanted a sportscar, I would get one. The LS has plenty of power and quite a bit of zip - it can glide around hindering cars on the open highway - it can cut them off so quickly that they don't even realize they've been cut off. (Not that I make a practice of this - but sometimes one is just late.) It makes a day trip from Boston to NYC quite feasible and not at all fatiguing.
2. The Car and Driver types simply don't get it - they want the LS to be something it is not. If they want to pick on Lexus, they should pick on the SC, the Lexus sportscar that could be sportier. It's a car that doesn't seem to be particularly sure of its identity. But the LS is - it looks like itself - have the critics noticed that while the LS doesn't really change its look much, Benzes have started to try to look more like the LS? It's not Beyonce - more like the younger Sally Fields - you don't fall down looking at it, but it's something you'd like to see again and again. And it is powerful, luxurious, understated and not at all flashy.
3. Oh, and it works. Look at the Consumer Reports repair records of Benzes and BMW's. In sixteen years, the most serious problem I have had (a couple of LS's ago) was that some neighbor's garage door opener also opened my trunk. Everyone connected with Lexus goes way out of their way to be helpful and s for the auto-opening trunk? The service manager came to our house and fixed it in our garage - I hadn't even complained, merely asked if there was something I could do. Moreover, the dealership I have used for the past 16 years is about 45 minutes away - much more in traffic.
4. Finally, as for stopping distance, I don't really know anything about the statistics, but I do know that I have been repeatedly stunned and grateful for how quickly my LS's have braked in extreme situations.
5. Are there no flaws? Well, you really do need to have snowtires (over a grand) in New England winters, and, even then, you need to be careful in heavy snow or ice. And Lexus can be quirky - the 2005 would not pair cellphones except with Cingular - which is not great around us, and it dropped Lexus Link (apparently now back) the automatic satellite phone connection while switching to digital.
5. The LS has always been one of the most environmentally friendly of the luxury cars (maybe the most.) It has never been subject to the gas guzzler tax, and now it will be the first hybrid luxury flagship.
6. Why have I bothered to write all this? Because I do love my LS, and I get really annoyed with critiques based upon misconceptions of what the LS is meant to be.
Bottom line: If you want the best luxury sedan in the world (and I admit that I have never had the money for Bentleys or Maybachs), you will not go wrong with an LS. On the other hand, if you want a sportscar, get one.
