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13/04/2009
By EWAN KENNEDY
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Almost 20 years ago a new upmarket automotive marque arrived in Australia. Lexus is a division of the giant Toyota corporation but that company decided to go for a new name in an attempt to lift Lexus away from the crowd. Despite dire warnings from the cynics who said the concept would never work, the first Lexus on offer, the big LS400 saloon, sold well almost from day one.
By far the biggest feature of the Lexus LS400 is its near-silent ride and the comfort it provides. The ride quality really is exceptional, though handling is not quite as good at the dynamic extremes as that of the Lexus' German competitors. Changes to the suspension in the upgraded model introduced in November 1997 did improve matters, but the LS was still a long way from being a sports sedan. With some degree of poetic licence, Lexus tells us The LS stands for Luxury Sports.
 Quality is another feature of Lexus LS. First rate materials are used throughout and these are assembled with care and understanding. Those who appreciate the finer things in life were amongst the first customers of the Japanese marque.
The LS400 was discontinued late in 2000, to be replaced by a near-new design in the LS430. April 2007 saw the introduction of an all-new LS in the form of the 460. In case you haven’t guessed, the number refers to the capacity of the engine in decilitres.
Interior space was good in the original 1990 LS400, but was noticeably improved in November 1994 when the initial model received a solid revamp. They have different styling to the original, though the changes are so subtle that only experts can pick them up at a glance. Cars from that date are probably the ones to aspire to. There was a more noticeable body redesign in November 1997.
September 2003 saw a revised and upgraded version of the Lexus LS430. It has features such as doors that pull themselves closed, door mirrors that automatically fold themselves against the side of the car when you switch the ignition off so they can’t be damaged in carparks. There's front-mounted radar to keep an electronic eye on the vehicle ahead when you are using the cruise control. If heavy braking is required the Lexus sounds a gong to grab your attention. There’s the tiny video camera at the rear to give you a picture of what’s happening behind while you are reversing. And the electric motor that automatically powers down the sunscreen in the rear window when you engage reverse gear.
Lexus LS400 is powered by a 4.0-litre V8 engine which puts it roughly midway into the typical engine capacity for a car of this type. The twin-cam, 32-valve unit is incredibly smooth and very powerful. It was uprated several times during its life before being replaced by a thoroughly revised 4.3-litre unit late in 2000. The LS460 engine was virtually all-new.
 Of particular interest is the hybrid Lexus LS600hL, introduced in November 2007. The ‘600’ doesn’t mean there's a 6.0-litre engine under the bonnet, but that Lexus considers its new hybrid has the sort of performance that would normally require a 6.0-litre engine. The big ‘L’ in the title announces this is a limousine, with a longer wheelbase than the standard Lexus LS460 on which the new model is based. Most LS600hL models were imported with an upper-luxury layout featuring just two business-class seats in the rear. A timber-trimmed console between the two seats contains controls for the Mark Levinson audio system as well as the inbuilt DVD player, climate control, rear window shades and a few other minor functions.
Dealerships that specialise in the Lexus marque are relatively scarce and tend to be confined to major cities, plus the Gold Coast. However, there has been some expansion into a few of the larger country cities. The far-flung Toyota network can assist Lexus owners in the unlikely event they get into strife with their cars as they are specifically trained to work on the high-end LS Series.
Insurance isn't likely to be overly expensive in comparison with the high price of the car. Talk to a Lexus dealership to see if they can assist with advice on friendly insurance companies.
Almost all used cars are bought from a Lexus dealership and have been serviced by specialists throughout their lives. These tend to fetch top money, but and are generally the preferred buy and those in the know hunt them down.
 All new Lexus come with an impressive Encore lifestyle package that includes complimentary service pick up and delivery of the car, roadside assistance, a priority ticketing service at leading cultural centres, golf days and a luxury travel service. Buyers of used vehicles up to five years old and bought from a Lexus dealer receive the same benefits. The offerings may change from time to time so contact your local Lexus dealer for the latest info.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Do your own initial inspection to weed out any obvious duds, but always have a Lexus inspected by either a senior motoring association technician or a specialist in the Lexus marque. In the absence of a Lexus mechanic, some Toyota mechanics are trained on the car.
Look over the complete vehicle, testing each of the functions on the stereo, telephone, electric seats, climate-control, windows, doors, and so on. Use the owner’s manual to work out exactly how everything should operate.
Check for damage to the bodywork and the interior trim and remember the car should be close to immaculate in all areas unless it is one of the oldest models. Even then, we would expect the car to be in very good condition inside.
Make sure the engine starts virtually immediately and accelerates without hesitation even when it is cold. Look for a puff of oily smoke from the exhaust when you accelerate hard after the engine has been running on a light load, or idling, for a while.
Lexus LS400 cars built before August 1992 had an oil leak at the rear of the engine. The chances are that most, if not all, engines will have been repaired years ago. Check with Lexus if there's any doubt.
Make sure the transmission operates almost imperceptibly.
During an extended road test make sure the brakes stop the car in a straight line without too much pedal effort, and that the steering is precise, smooth and reasonably light.
CAR BUYING TIP
When buying at the top end of the car market try to tap into the social scene. You will be surprised at just how much the owners know about one another’s car buying (and other) habits.
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