Lexus - LS Euro NCAP Not yet rated
Supreme refinement and equipment, and excelling in comfort this is the Lexus flagship of luxury.
Lexus is the best-selling luxury car brand in the United States and it's not difficult to see why. Sleek styling and use of the highest quality materials throughout the build quality matches or betters that of rival luxury saloons. Travelling in near silence the LS cabin has almost every conceivable luxury.
A showcase for motoring technology the LS 460, as well as all the usual items like electric windows etc, has a vast array of gadgets, from a radar-based cruise control system right the way through to an assist system which uses a camera to monitor the driver and warn of any obstacles ahead should their eyes stray from the road or they start to nod off. The LS can even park itself ! Using a 'park assist system' the car steers itself into a parking space, in a reverse parallel parking manoeuvre, while the driver carefully controls the car's speed using the brake pedal. There are also clever pre-crash systems designed to reduce the impact of both front and rear collisions.
The LS has yet to be rated by Euro NCAP, however given the level and quantity of safety features on board it would most unlikely this luxury model from Lexus wont be accredited with the same 5 star rating as has been accredited to other Lexus models.
There is only one engine available at the moment, a 4.6-litre V8 petrol producing 375bhp and 364lb ft of pulling power, although a hybrid LS600h should be arriving to bolster the range very shortly. Using the worlds first eight speed automatic gearbox the LS 460 is a seriously quick car, which Lexus claims can race from 0-60 in a Porsche-like 5.7 seconds. A fuel consumption figure near an average of 25mpg is extremely good for a vehicle of this class utilising a powerful V8 engine.
Lexus's reliability record is second to none and they have consistently ranked at or near the top in independent ratings of quality, reliability and durability. Even so, all Lexus models come with a 3 year 60000 mile, 3 year paint and 12 year perforation manufacturers warranty. In addition you also receive 3 years free Lexus Roadside Assistance, provided by the
RAC.
About the manufacturer
Despite it's luxury image, Lexus is one of the leading players in advancing motoring technologies to reduce the impact on the environment. Perhaps not so surprising when you realise their connections with Toyota.
Lexus understands that cars produce exhaust emissions, consume raw materials and energy, emit certain harmful substances during manufacturing, and have to be disposed of properly at the end of their lives. Whilst understanding these impacts on the environment are of concern to most of us, it also accepts that doing without a car altogether isn't a viable alternative for most people, and therefore petrol and diesel engines will probably continue to form the major source of automotive power for years to come. Accordingly Lexus is directing its efforts toward advancing existing technologies as well as developing new technologies to reduce, and ultimately eliminate the effects of each of these processes.
The 2015 EU target is for 85% of all vehicles weight to be reused or recycled and 10% energy recovery, leaving only the remaining 5% for disposal. Along with the benefit of reduced waste, recycling also helps cut back CO2 emissions as it reduces the need to use fossil fuels in the creation of new materials. This is on top of the 2003 UK's End of Life Vehicle Directive which also seeks to prevent and limit waste, improve reuse, recycling and recovery of end of life vehicles.
To help achieve these goals, Lexus is pioneering the use of high recoverability materials, researching and using parts easy to recycle at the end of their lifecycle. This includes many rarely seen parts, like body sealer and interior skin material, as well as more obvious things like bumpers.. In fact recycled bumpers are already being used to make trim for luggage compartments and recycled soundproofing material is being utilised for the silencer behind the dashboard.
Lexus has also introduced a policy of free take back for all qualifying Lexus vehicles from the 1st of January 2007 and they have appointed Autogreen Ltd as the service provider to manage the scheme.
Lexus now uses a number of lead free car parts and anti-corrosion coatings, mercury-free lighting and switches, and asbestos-free friction materials and engine gaskets. In Japan, Lexus has developed ways of using certain foam products found in vehicle residue to create recycled soundproofing products. Glass can also be recycled to make tiles for use in landscaping pavement. It also avoids Substances of Concern in various kinds of paints and in solvents
Plastic components used in the interiors and exteriors of Lexus vehicles are molded from highly recyclable and lightweight materials. Enviromentally preferable materials have largely replaced mercury and lead, some of the more challenging substances to deal with, when a car is dismantled.
Lexus uses its Automobile Shredder Residue Recycling plant to recover urethane foam, fiber, copper, glass and plastics from dismantled vehicles.
When it comes to fuel technologies ultimately the aim of Lexus is to produce a zero-emissions car. In the meantime, a host of innovations and initiatives such as lightweight engineering, a sophisticated fuel-injection system, 'clean diesel' technology and recycling solutions are playing their part in helping to limit the immediate ecological burden. This includes hybrid technology, a combination of petrol and electric power which greatly reduces emissions and boosts economy. Lexus recently launched the GS 400h, the world's first luxury hybrid SUV and hope soon to incorporate this new technology into the GS range.
Thanks to the existing sophisticated VVT-i combustion management controls all Lexus models already meet Low Emission Vehicle or the more stringent Ultra Low Emission Vehicle EPA certification standards.
All eight factories that build Lexus vehicles are ISO 14001 qualified, having received an internationally recognized certification for environmental management systems. In-plant water use, waste volume and scrap material generation have been cut dramatically, along with improvements in plant energy efficiency.
The Lexus Environmental Assistance Network allows all Lexus dealers access to a customized web site that provides up-to-date waste-management information enabling them to return numerous components for precision factory remanufacture and ultimate sale as rebuilt parts.