2015 Lexus LS 460 F-Sport Driven

Melanie
Sat, 05/23/2015 - 23:04
If you’re the boss or you simply want to feel like one, you’ve got to get into a Lexus LS 460. In classic Lexus fashion, the LS 460 F-Sport is an elegant four-door, turning heads on the streets as it glides by. From the inside out, this Lexus is a superior embodiment of luxury.

Lavish, large and powered by a V8

The trend may be to do away with the V8, but Lexus is wise to keep their well-tuned 4.6L under the hood of their biggest, sassiest sedan. Regardless of trim level, the LS 460 is powered by a 4.6 Liter Four Cam 32-Valve V8. Ours boasted the F-Sport Package. Read: 386 hp and 347 lb-ft of torque. With three drive modes to choose from (Sport, Sport S+, and Eco), Lexus’ largest sedan performs regardless of what driving “mood” you’re in. All this power probably has you wondering about fuel economy (or, perhaps not). The mpg specs actually are not too bad for a V8, garnering an EPA-estimated 19 miles per gallon with combined highway and city driving.

Open the doors to opulence

Once inside, the Lexus LS 460 did not disappoint. The marriage of high-quality leather, wood and aluminum make for a remarkably finished interior. The seats in the sedan are probably more comfortable than my couch and they nearly rival it in size. The amount of legroom in the LS 460 is almost ridiculous. You could probably be 6ft-8in and still be perfectly comfortable resting in this luxury sedan. Where’s my chauffeur? The only thing that would have made my time with the LS 460 F-Sport would have been a driver! Premium sound adds to the in-car ambiance and makes it the perfect overall in-car experience. The displays in the cluster and infotainment system featured beautiful graphics, but it was a little odd that the primary display was a non-touch screen. I found the joystick for navigating the display a bit fussy, since I couldn’t effortlessly select what I wanted. A touch screen or a different dial could have made this a bit more intuitive.

Riding in style

Image Credit: Lexus The Lexus LS 460’s cabin is quiet, very quiet. I was impressed to see how quietly the Lexus floated over even the roughest roads in downtown Orlando, Florida. We only felt a hint of roughness in the ride when driving in “Comfort” mode. And as expected, suspension was stiff while in “Sport” mode. Exceeding my expectations was the turning radius in the LS 460 F-Sport, a necessary feature for a car of its size. I’ve driven compact cars with larger turning radiuses. (I may have driven in circles a few times in an empty lot to test out this feature.)

Features to your heart’s content

Lexus made sure to hit all the details in its largest sedan. Didn’t have the strength the close the door? No worries – the LS 460’s soft close feature will secure it for you. Hate being unable to find the seat belt buckle at night? Handy lights on the seat belt buckles eliminate that hassle. Do you worry you’ll one day lose your phone in the abyss that is the space between your seat and the center console? Rest assured, Lexus added padding in the space so you’ll never lose your pens, french fries, phones, etc., again.

The Bottom Line

The high-end four-door sedan that is the Lexus LS 460 F-Sport starts with a base MSRP of $72,520. Tack on the F-Sport performance and comfort package like in the model we drove and you’re looking at closer to a $85,000 ticket price. Competing with the likes of Jaguar, Mercedes and BMW, this Lexus’ price slides right in the premium luxury ball park. Image Credit: Lexus

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