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2009 Lexus LS 600h L Review

April 26, 2009

STYLING | 7 out of 10

Expert Quotes:

near perfection
Edmunds

differs little from the LS 460 in its exterior appearance
Cars.com

the hybrid edition gets several special touches
Kelley Blue Book

The 2009 Lexus LS 600h L has a shape that’s advanced enough to surpass some of its luxury competition; it’s little changed from the non-hybrid versions.

Most reviewers reflect positively on the 2009 Lexus LS 600h L. “This newest iteration is arguably more attractive than the S-Class against which it now competes, though it’s a close call,” ForbesAutos reports. “This big sedan has a clean, conservative, yet absolutely contemporary shape, accentuated by a forward-thrusting arrowhead motif carried through from door handles to the front and rear lamp units and even the large, unusual twin exhaust-pipe diverters low in the rear bumper.” Edmunds observes, "from the outside it looks identical to the [Lexus] LS 460 L," which it acknowledges is "a handsome car, having moved far from its unimaginative origin as a Japanese version of a mid-range Mercedes with more generic styling." Some reviewers from around the Web, however, feel the 2009 Lexus LS 600h L is less distinctive than its ultra-luxury competitors. “Park those high-wattage rivals beside the Lexus, and the modestly styled LS virtually disappears,” the New York Times proclaims.

Inside the LS 600h, ForbesAutos feels the dash “has a riot of buttons and switches, some of them half-hidden, with sometimes-incomprehensible acronyms.” Amid the array of controls, Kelley Blue Book reports that in the 2009 Lexus "semi-aniline leather highlights the cabin, and leather trim extends onto the instrument panel, upper front doors and door armrests." Edmunds describes the interior of this Lexus 2009 model in glowing terms: "Beautifully crafted and comfortable interior...rich wood trim is complemented by perforated leather upholstery." But Edmunds says the interior of the 2009 Lexus LS 600h L is “near perfection, in an ergonomic sense.” Its “Optitron electroluminescent gauges are both handsome-looking and effective,” and “the rest of the interior is just as brilliant in an aesthetic sense.”

As for differences between the hybrid edition and its gasoline-powered relatives, Cars.com reports that the 2009 Lexus LS 600h L "shares the gas-only L model's interior appointments," but points out that "special to the hybrid is a power-flow diagram on the dashboard's central LCD screen...the basics are repeated in color graphics between the speedometer and tachometer." Kelley Blue Book says this Lexus 2009 is "essentially the same in overall appearance as the extended-length LS 460 L sedan," but notes that it gets "several special touches, [such as] blue accents on headlamps, taillamps [and] badging." Cars.com remarks the hybrid LS "differs little from the LS 460 in its exterior appearance"; the most notable is that "aside from the model badge on the trunk lid, the word HYBRID appears on the trim near the bottom of the rear doors."

Conclusion

If you appreciate the styling of other models in the Lexus lineup, you'll like the 2009 Lexus LS 600h L.

STYLING | 7 out of 10Expert Quotes:near perfectionEdmundsdiffers little from the LS 460 in its exterior appearanceCars.comthe hybrid edition gets several special touchesKelley Blue Book The 2009 Lexus LS 600h L has a shape that’s advanced enough to surpass some of its luxury competition; it’s little changed from the non-hybrid versions. Most reviewers reflect positively on the 2009 Lexus LS 600h L. “This newest iteration is arguably more attractive than the S-Class against which it now competes, though it’s a close call,” ForbesAutos reports. “This big sedan has a clean, conservative, yet absolutely contemporary shape, accentuated by a forward-thrusting arrowhead motif carried through from door handles to the front and rear lamp units and even the large, unusual twin exhaust-pipe diverters low in the rear bumper.” Edmunds observes, "from the outside it looks identical to the [Lexus] LS 460 L," which it acknowledges is "a handsome car, having moved far from its unimaginative origin as a Japanese version of a mid-range Mercedes with more generic styling." Some reviewers from around the Web, however, feel the 2009 Lexus LS 600h L is less distinctive than its ultra-luxury competitors. “Park those high-wattage rivals beside the Lexus, and the modestly styled LS virtually disappears,” the New York Times proclaims. Inside the LS 600h, ForbesAutos feels the dash “has a riot of buttons and switches, some of them half-hidden, with sometimes-incomprehensible acronyms.” Amid the array of controls, Kelley Blue Book reports that in the 2009 Lexus "semi-aniline leather highlights the cabin, and leather trim extends onto the instrument panel, upper front doors and door armrests." Edmunds describes the interior of this Lexus 2009 model in glowing terms: "Beautifully crafted and comfortable interior...rich wood trim is complemented by perforated leather upholstery." But Edmunds says the interior of the 2009 Lexus LS 600h L is “near perfection, in an ergonomic sense.” Its “Optitron electroluminescent gauges are both handsome-looking and effective,” and “the rest of the interior is just as brilliant in an aesthetic sense.” As for differences between the hybrid edition and its gasoline-powered relatives, Cars.com reports that the 2009 Lexus LS 600h L "shares the gas-only L model's interior appointments," but points out that "special to the hybrid is a power-flow diagram on the dashboard's central LCD screen...the basics are repeated in color graphics between the speedometer and tachometer." Kelley Blue Book says this Lexus 2009 is "essentially the same in overall appearance as the extended-length LS 460 L sedan," but notes that it gets "several special touches, [such as] blue accents on headlamps, taillamps [and] badging." Cars.com remarks the hybrid LS "differs little from the LS 460 in its exterior appearance"; the most notable is that "aside from the model badge on the trunk lid, the word HYBRID appears on the trim near the bottom of the rear doors." ConclusionIf you appreciate the styling of other models in the Lexus lineup, you'll like the 2009 Lexus LS 600h L. 2009 LEXUS LS 600h L STYLING | [7 out of 10] Edmunds: "near perfection" Cars.com: "differs little from the LS 460 in its exterior appearance" Kelley Blue Book: "the hybrid edition gets several special touches" The 2009 Lexus LS 600h L has a shape that’s advanced enough to ...

Read More of this Review:

  1. styling
  2. performance
  3. quality
  4. safety
  5. features

Other Choices:

In prestige, the LS 600h L lags behind the German rivals, with a big caveat: In celebrity circles, the LS 600h is instantly recognized, and its green reputation is the best. Otherwise, these three German rivals to the 2009 Lexus LS 600h L are about the same size, but in the case of the Audi and Mercedes-Benz, both have large-displacement 12-cylinder engines and rear-wheel drive. The A8 L 6.0 offers a solar-powered ventilated sunroof, a personal refrigerator, and an acclaimed Bang & Olufsen sound system that's perhaps the best in this class. Both the S-Class and the 7-Series offer optional night-vision systems that help illuminate the road, especially to spot animals up ahead. The LS 600h L's powertrain has all-wheel drive, which makes it a bit more ideal in some weather conditions, and it gets substantially better fuel economy than any of those rivals. Atop the guzzler list here is the Mercedes-Benz S600, which has a downright sinful fuel economy rating of 11 mpg in the city. The LS 600h L's city rating is nearly double that, at 20 mpg. The 7-Series has just been redesigned, with an even more beautiful interior; for now, it’s only offered in V-8 750Li trim. Each of these sedans has similarly expansive backseat space and offers an extensive list of over-the-top luxury features that cater to the front and the backseat occupants.

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See the Lexus LS 600h L in Other Years:

2009 | 2008

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