2010 Lexus LS460
By: Juan G. Robbin
Raleigh/Durham to Key Biscayne the long way, in a 2010 Lexus LS460
Pop quiz! What’s less than 900 miles from Miami, offering cool summer temperatures as well as scenic mountains? If you guessed western North Carolina you are right! Recently, this writer did a three day family trip starting in Raleigh/Durham NC and ending in Key Biscayne, Florida with overnight stops in Asheville, NC and St. Augustine, FL. Our vehicle of choice? None other than a 2010 Lexus LS460 luxury sedan.
Known for its Swiss watch-like quality and reliability, the Lexus LS460 enjoys a fervent following by those that enjoy and appreciate comfort, style and luxury in a body style that has an elegant, contemporary look. There are two body lengths and engine offerings in the LS line, these are the LS460, LS460L and the LS600h respectively. The “L” version is almost five inches longer than the standard model and the “h” features a hybrid power plant.
As we would be four adults on the trip, we agreed to pack sensibly, not really knowing if we could fit everyone’s luggage in the trunk of the LS460. As it turns out, our fears were unfounded as everything fit perfectly. Setting off from Raleigh, my goal was to test the LS during a three day trip. Focus areas included: Fuel economy, performance, space, comfort, drivability and general passenger comments on the car.
The 1st leg of the trip was Raleigh to Asheville. I fiddled with the GPS navigation system and found it to be fairly easy to set up intuitively, selecting the quickest route which was entirely made up of highway driving, giving us a projected drive of 250 miles in just over four hours. Power in the LS460 comes from the silky smooth, normally aspirated 4.6 liter V8 engine with 380 HP. Upshifts from the transmission are mind-reader like, especially when you needed most, such as an up-hill slope or when passing traffic. Mind you, four adults and a full trunk put us close to gross vehicle weight, yet the LS460 rarely, if ever, felt power challenged. Just as planned, we arrived during the late afternoon at the historical and picturesque Grove Park Inn. www.groveparkinn.com Located on the outskirts of Asheville, this scenic “grand dame” Inn has seen many industrialists, heads of state, glitterati and US presidents as its guests. Today, the GPI is more of a destination resort, especially for its world class spa and serene retreat-like location. Built from granite boulders from nearby Sunset Mountain, the GPI opened to the public in 1913. The hotel was the vision of E.W. Grove, a St. Louis entrepreneur who made his millions in the 1890s peddling an elixir called Grove’s Tasteless Chill Tonic. For his Inn, he envisioned a hotel that would be like “a big home where every modern convenience could be found, but with all the old-fashioned qualities of genuineness with no sham.” We dined at the fabulous Horizons Restaurant, offering elegant, modern American cuisine. During dinner, we had the privilege of chatting with the restaurant’s pianist, an 80-something gentleman from Eastern Europe that has a soft spot in his heart for South America and its music. We were astounded at his encyclopedic music knowledge. We gave him song names all evening and he graciously played every single one from memory!
The next morning we awoke to temps in the low 60’s together with a soothing light fog blanketing the mountains, a most welcoming change from the sizzling hot and humid Florida summer. After a nice breakfast in the hotel’s terrace, we reunited with our travel gear in the porte-cochère of the hotel, where I had to play puzzle master and carefully fit all of our luggage into the LS460’s trunk. Once loaded and ready to depart, the GPS navigation system showed 480 miles to our next over-night stop, the historic Florida city of St. Augustine.
The LS460 is an elegant and luxurious sedan yet not pretentious or ostentatious. Being the third generation of the LS line, the LS460 keeps a noticeable lineage to its heritage yet in its current iteration, it is modern and stylish. There is a traditional looking front grille flanked by the powerful xenon headlights. Moving towards the rear, you notice the sedate and stately roof line, which fits right in with the architecture of the LS, thus enabling Lexus to offer a large trunk opening. Definitely a welcome design feature for trips like this one. Below the rear bumper, the LS has two metal rimmed exhaust tips that blend right into the body color bumper. These tips seem more like jeweled accessories on a finely dressed Hollywood starlet and make the rear of the LS460 look modern and unique.
The cabin feels calming and serene. Close the door gently and the optional power door closers secure the doors tight. Definitely one of the cool vehicle features that always make me smile. Never again will you be driving with a door that’s partially shut. Once inside you are greeted with excellent quality textures, finishes, trim and switchgear. Seating position is excellent, with all of the needed controls for the driver right on the steering wheel. Of course, the LS460 offers Bluetooth connectivity; voice activated commands, high-end Mark Levinson sound system and an excellent multi-zone climate control system. There are plenty of nooks and crannies throughout the cabin, perfect for arranging and organizing all of the items one seems to have when you board a car these days. Rear seat is quite comfortable, with individual HVAC controls as well as left and right side headliner mounted lit vanity mirrors and a rear sunshade.
After several en route stops, we made it to St. Augustine surprisingly energized and refreshed. The parking valet at the historic and elegant Casa Monica Hotel efficiently unloaded our gear and took care of parking the car. The 120 year old Hotel Casa Monica www.casamonica.com is truly a masterpiece of old world charm mixed together with eclectic, modern styles and amenities. Our room offered sweeping vistas of tree lined historical parts of town as well as sections of the castle façade of our hotel. That evening we selected the hotel’s elegant 95 Cordoba Restaurant, where we dined on Asian and Middle Eastern inspired dishes. Definitely, a culinary delight!
A noticeable feature in the LS460 is the smooth feel of throttle and brake pedals. It’s easy to make “limo stops” as well as smooth starts with this car. All of the passengers appreciated that, making me look like a driving hero, thank you Lexus! One thing we did notice was the steering sensitivity to wind and truck aerodynamic gusts. This could have been because of the high total vehicle weight. Brakes and suspension are right on the money, offering solid direct braking and excellent road imperfection and expansion joint dampening. Engine and wind noises are noticeably minimized, even during fast highway cruising.
The third day we did some shopping and driving around St. Augustine, before departing to Key Biscayne. For a full sized sedan, the LS460 returned incredible fuel economy, particularly on the highway. We averaged an honest to goodness consistent 25.5-26 MPG along the entire 1,100 mile trip. Tank-full range is greater than 400 miles. After a late afternoon arrival into Key Biscayne, we all realized that the trip was made more comfortable due to our leisurely pace as well as our well planned selection of a fantastic vehicle. That evening, I asked my family about their impressions on the 2010 Lexus LS460 Sedan, and these where some of the comments they made:
“Excellent car for long distance driving”
“Comfortable, safe and reliable”
“Rear seat could use a bit more leg room and a recline feature”
“Great overall package of luxury, style and comfort”
“Who brought so many suitcases?”
The Essentials:
MSRP: $65.380.00 MSRP (As tested): $69,464.00
Fuel Economy: (Observed): 25.5 MPG
Engine: V8, 4.6 liter, 380 HP
Popular Options: Comfort and Sport package, HDD Navigation, Mark Levinson Sound System
visit: www.lexus.com
looking rear C pillar and cargo hatch. There are the distinctive, blue accented Lexus badges front and back, as well as “hybrid” logos on the lower edges of the doors. Our verdict after a week’s driving experience? The CT200h is a hybrid that doesn’t look like one, yet fits right in.
gears, like other conventional transmissions do. Once at highway speeds, the CT200h is impressively smooth and quiet, yes, it’s all Lexus. Braking feels strong and direct, with a side benefit of giving the propulsion batteries a boost via the regenerative charge system. One surprising feature of the CT200h is its handling, I was able to put it through its handling paces on my favorite expressway on-ramp and I was pleasantly surprised at the composure and balanced feedback the car gives. The leather-wrapped steering wheel has the typical array of controls, in addition to its wonderfully pleasant grip and girth.
