Lexus LS600hL

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How much?	$ 126027
Engine:	4969cc, 8cyl, 389BHP @ 6400, 384lb ft @ 4000
Transmission:	Automatic
Fuel Economy:	9.3 - l/100km
Performance:	6.3 sec 0-100kph , 250kph
How heavy?	2430kg

Shahzad Sheikh
08 March 2010

Video report

The majestic LS460L is no longer the flagship saloon in the Lexus range.

How’s that?

Well the number on the back says 460, but now there is an LS with 600 adorning its haunch. Readers, I give you the even more majestic Lexus LS600hL.

A bigger number means a mightier motor and more power right?

You got that right. Under the lengthy bonnet of this car sits a 5.0-litre V8 producing 389bhp…

Hang on a minute, if the 460 is a 4.6-litre, why isn’t this a 6.0-litre? And isn’t that only 14bhp more than the 460?

Ah, you know your Lexus saloons – no pulling the wool over your eye. Or is there? You’ve missed the little ‘h’ that follows the 600. That stands for hybrid – what we have here is a full-fat, full-on luxury car interpretation of that beloved celebrity special, the humble Toyota Prius.

Okay, and I guess the ‘L’ is because this is the long wheelbase, but what about the power?

Gosh, you’re impatient! I’m getting to it. Couple that petrol engine to the electric motors and total output rises to 438bhp giving a 0-100kph time of 6.3secs. No doubt this is aided by traction from the 600h’s all-wheel drive system.

The idea of the hybrid drive system is to provide the grunt of a V12 or turboed V8 but with the fuel-sipping thrift of a V6 – Lexus claims 9.3L/100, I saw between 10-11.5L/100 in real world cruising which is remarkable for a massive V8 luxury saloon.

How does it all work? Do you have to get a really long extension cable if you want to go for a drive on electric power?

It does in fact work on electric power only – there’s even a button marked EV that will let you do this. This means it will glide away from standstill with barely a whisper – which is a bit eerie and rather disconcerting to bystanders. It can continue to do this up to 40kph as long as you don’t stamp on the throttle too hard.

That is assuming that there is some charge in the battery – and no, you don’t have to find a three-point socket to do that. The battery is charged whilst the car is decelerating through a process of regenerative braking, or by the petrol unit itself. Once charged the electric motor will cut into provide motive power at lower manoeuvring speeds, in traffic, or when coasting, and it will also complement the petrol power at higher speeds.

It’s come a long way from the first generation Prius, and this system is so refined that if it wasn’t for the strange periods of odd quietness and the display which shows you graphics of where the power is coming from and where it is going either on the dash monitor or directly in front on the instrument panel, you wouldn’t know it was there, or working.

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Karan Mathur says

Re: Lexus LS600hL
Alongside The Launch Of The 2010 Lexus LS600hl The 2010 Facelifted Version of The LS460L Has Also Come & I Dont Seem To See Any Info About it On Your Website. I Recently Bought The 2010 Lexus LS460L & I Have To Tell You That it Does Come With Improved Specs Such as The Auto-Repair Paint,LED Front & Rear Lights. The LS460 Will Always Be The King Of The Road & The It Will Forever Symbolise The Lexus Motto of "Pursuit of Perfection" The only Diff Between The 2 is 1 is a Hybrid With a Blue Lexus Symbol & The other 1 Is Not! I Dont Think it Would Be As Popular as LS460 in The Middleeast Cos only Consumers in Countries Like America,England Need Hybrid & Alternative Drive Systems As The Price of The Petrol Varies. I Suggest You Make a Review Of The 2010 Lexus LS460. :) Reply

13 June 2010

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