2008 Lexus LS 460

Fourth-Generation Lexus LS 460 Flagship Sedan Redefines Full-Size Luxury Segment...Again

Introduced nearly a year ago, the Lexus LS 460 and the long-wheelbase LS 460 L again set the bar for full-size premium-luxury sedans by introducing new levels of performance, sophistication, contemporary styling, and comfort features. For 2008, the LS 460 L gains a new option package to further enhance ride and handling.

The long-wheelbase LS 460 L not only offers exclusive rear-seat luxury features, but for 2008, the LS 460 L can be equipped with an additional Air Suspension Package that also includes Variable Gear Ratio Steering, Adaptable Variable Suspension (AVS) and five-spoke 19-inch wheels. The customer seeking a more engaging driving experience can choose the Touring Package that adds sport-tuned AVS for 2008.

'Since the first LS model nearly two decade ago, the Lexus flagship sedan has been setting new standards in luxury, refinement and craftsmanship with each new-generation design,' said Jim Farley, Lexus group vice president and general manager. 'Besting our own standards is always a challenge, and Lexus did it for the LS 460 models by introducing truly new technology and production processes.'
Standout Design and Lexus Details

The LS 460 flagship is the latest of the brand's sedans to adopt the L-finesse design philosophy, revealing a family resemblance that conveys elegance, refinement and a strong emotional appeal. Minimal body gaps, a low front grille and deep-drawn fenders all contribute to the car's distinctive, muscular profile. One of the defining elements of the LS 460's appearance is the vehicle's headlamps. The LS engineers wanted the projector-type xenon front lights to have thick walled lenses with crystal-like properties. To understand better the properties of a 'crystal' lens the Chief Engineer and his team made a headlamp lens out of crystal. Data was gathered on everything from transparency and the refractive index of light, to surface roughness. Based on the resulting data a new lens was molded and hand polished to reproduce the inherent look of crystal. In addition, the new headlamps reach 30-60 feet further than the lamps used on the previous generation LS.

Inside, soft passenger touch points create a relaxed atmosphere, with additional stitching for a rich look. Even the angles on the center console were optimized to enhance comfort for the driver and front passenger. Tasteful wood and chrome trim as well as refinements to the interior lighting create a rich ambience.

The long-wheelbase LS 460 L offers nearly five inches more rear legroom than the standard-wheelbase LS 460 model for a total 'couple distance' (hip-to-hip space between the front and rear seat) of 45.5 inches. Making the most of the added room, the long-wheelbase model offers exclusive rear seat area luxury options.

The Executive Class Seating Package for the LS 460 L includes a rear-seat entertainment system featuring the world's first ceiling-mounted 3.0 VGA high-quality display with a nine-inch screen that deploys via electronic motor. This comprehensive package also equips the LS 460 L with four-zone independent front and rear air conditioning with Lexus' Air Purification system and the world's first ceiling climate diffusers; rear-door power sunshades with a fixed rear console and foldout table, and a right rear-seat recliner with ottoman leg rest. A multi-function massage feature includes an enhanced massage mode for the right-rear seat. The massage feature can be used alone or in conjunction with the seat heater or cooler.

While the standard rear seat has a built-in 28-degree angle, the available ottoman seat reclines up to 45 degrees with Lexus' first upper-back recliner featuring a 17-degree angle adjustment. In addition, the available left-rear power seat also reclines 38 degrees, and the rear seat moves front to back approximately three inches. The climate control is further upgraded with three infrared sensors located in the headliner that measure the lap, upper body and seat on each side and then adjust airflow appropriately.

High-Output V8 and World's First Eight-Speed Automatic Transmission A new-generation 4.6-liter V8 engine is mated to the world's first eight-speed automatic transmission in the LS 460. The innovative V8 produces 380 horsepower and 367 lb.-ft. of peak torque, comparable with competitors' engines of greater displacement.

The superior performance is due in large part to new technologies, including the world's first electric motor-driven Variable Valve Timing with intelligence and Electronically controlled intake cam (VVT-iE). The combination of electrically controlled intake and hydraulically controlled exhaust achieves superior engine-startup operation and high-output performance.

A dual fuel-injection system, with both port and direct injection, optimizes efficiency under all conditions. The port injection helps provide cylinder cooling, which allows the high compression ratio (11.8:1) for power and efficiency. The dual-tract intake system and an Acoustic Control Induction System (ACIS) contribute to the smooth, linear power delivery.

The 4.6-liter V8 also achieves new levels of rotational balance and reduced friction. Crankshaft journals are polished to a mirror finish to minimize the friction generated between the connecting rods and the crankshaft. In the final assembly stage, a motor cranks the engine to check for any vibration; after assembly, an accelerometer is mounted to the front and rear of the crankshaft to measure any rotational difference. A master technician conducts a final vibration and sound check on each engine.

The new eight-speed automatic transmission allows gear ratios that maximize torque up to the tire-grip limitations in the lower ranges yet maintains quietness and admirable fuel efficiency on the high end. The transmission-control system allows simultaneous release and engagement of the clutches to negate gearshift shock.

The LS 460 can accelerate from zero-to-60 mph in approximately 5.4 seconds. Even with that level of performance, the new-generation LS is rated at an estimated 16 mpg city and 24 mpg highway by the new EPA testing method. The LS 460 models in addition achieve Últra-Low Emissions Vehicle II (ÚLEV II) certification.

Confident Driving Performance with Superior Ride Comfort

The LS 460 is equipped with large front- and rear-ventilated disc brakes and standard 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels with all-season tires.

Variable Gear Ratio Steering (VGRS) selects the steering gear ratio according to vehicle speed, enhancing responsiveness and driver control. VGRS also partners with the Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) system, making minor steering adjustments to help improve control during challenging road conditions.

What Tranquility Sounds Like

The first generation LS of nearly 20 years ago set new standards in cabin tranquility and the fourth-generation models continue the heritage of this flagship luxury sedan. (concept carz) A super-strong body structure is instrumental in keeping vibration, and therefore noise, in check. The interior cabin of the LS demanded not only exceptional silence, but the quality of the sounds had to be pleasing to the occupants. For example, engineers tuned the sound of the doors opening and closing by studying the sounds of skillfully crafted wood doors in luxury homes.

Even the sounds of onboard motors for all the power assists were specially tuned. One example: one-touch power window motors that reduce speed near the closure point to lower noise and create a more pleasant sound. In the LS 460 L, laminated side glass further reduces any outside noise intrusion.

Highly Advanced Dynamic Handling Control

The Lexus LS 460 provides one of the most advanced and comprehensive integrations of vehicle-safety technology in the market today. Active safety features include the Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) system, which by itself integrates and manages the Electronically Controlled Brake (ECB) system, EPS, Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Antilock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and engine torque via the electronically controlled throttle.

Taking input from an array of sensors in the vehicle, VDIM anticipates the onset of a vehicle skid or slide while cornering, and it then helps correct the condition with a combination of braking, throttle, and steering control in a way that is essentially transparent to the driver. The VDIM system gathers data from more sources – processed earlier and more quickly than in previous systems – to help make operation in the LS 460 even more seamless and effective. For specific conditions, the VSC function can also be temporarily disabled by the driver via the 'Trac Off' button.

New Ideas in Occupant Safety

The Lexus Definition of Luxury

In designing the new-generation LS interior, Lexus benchmarked luxury seen in high-end custom private jets. An automatic electric parking brake system, which eliminates the need to press a foot-operated pedal, is standard for added comfort and convenience. As a further example of Lexus' passionate attention to luxury detail, the LS steering wheel is wrapped by supple, twice-buffed leather. The water-based dye used on the leather provides a more natural feel, and a whipstitch pattern ensures a smooth wheel surface without any unevenness or jumps in the stitch. In addition, Lexus designed a steering-wheel heating system to provide warmth instantaneously with no temperature variation, regardless of where the wheel is gripped.

The optional Luxury Package includes upgraded semi-aniline leather with leather trim door armrests, an Alcantara headliner, power rear seats with power and memory headrests, rear climate-controlled seats, and rear side-impact airbags. A Rear Seat Úpgrade package features dual-zone rear air conditioning with air purifier and additional rear air ducts, added wood trim, rear cool box, rear power-door sunshades, and rear audio controls.

The long-wheelbase LS 460 L, in addition to its 4.8 inches of additional rear legroom, augments the already long list of standard luxury amenities by including as standard: Lexus Navigation System with XM® factory-installed satellite radio with NavTraffic, climate-controlled front seats, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel, power rear sunshade, a one-touch open/close power trunk, power door closers, and headlamp washers.

A sport-tuned air suspension highlights the Touring Package, which incorporates 19-inch five-spoke wheels and summer tires, Variable Gear Ratio Steering (VGRS), and larger brake rotors with higher-friction brake pads.

The LS 460 models offer the segment-exclusive Advanced Parking Guidance System (APGS) to assist with parallel and back-in parking. Once the driver has correctly positioned the car and identified the desired parking space via the navigation screen, APGS uses the rear back-up camera, parking sonar sensors and electric power steering system to guide the car into the space. The driver controls vehicle speed via the brake.

The Best in Onboard Information and Entertainment

Lexus LS sedans have long set the standard for onboard entertainment and information features that are both rewarding and easy to use. The available 19-speaker, 450-watt Mark Levinson® Reference Surround Sound system creates a new benchmark for mobile audio systems with its theater-level entertainment experience. The system includes a DVD/CD changer and 30 GB Hard Disc Drive (HDD). A portion of the HDD is dedicated to storing up to 2,000 (128-bit) digital songs. An auxiliary jack located in the front center console connects an iPod® or MP3-capable digital music player.

The available Lexus Navigation System for the LS 460 (standard on LS 460 L) includes a hard disk drive (HDD) for faster calculations, and the Bluetooth® technology features voice input of telephone numbers while driving. A rear back-up camera is included as part of the navigation package. The camera automatically projects an image of what its lens can detect behind the vehicle onto the navigation screen when the vehicle is in reverse gear.

New Production Processes Ensure Highest-ever Quality

Lexus developed a build process specifically for the new LS line at its award-winning assembly plant in Tahara, Japan. With remarkable levels of fit, finish, and refinement – achieved through the combined skill, knowledge, and pride of Lexus master craftsmen (called 'takumi') and advanced technology – the LS models exemplify 'world's best.'

For example, the painting process was thoroughly changed from the previous-generation LS. During the application of alternating layers of paint and coatings, each L is hand-sanded twice in key areas. This process smoothes and refines the painted surfaces and enhances the deep, mirror-like quality of the finish. New six-axis buffing robots with three-dimensional movements were built so that curved surfaces and ends can be polished as well.

Premium Protection

All new Lexus vehicles come with a 48-month/50,000-mile basic limited warranty with roadside assistance for 48-months/unlimited miles. Powertrain and restraint system coverage is provided for 72 months/70,000 miles. Corrosion perforation protection is covered for 72 months, regardless of mileage.

Source - Lexus

Lexus and Mark Levinson: An Alliance in Audio Excellence

Early in the development of the all-new Lexus LS 460, the luxury sedan's executive chief engineer, Takeshi Yoshida, met with Mark Levinson's Phil Muzio in Japan. In preparation for this key meeting, Muzio and his team had prepared volumes of research for Yoshida-san and his staff of engineers.

Muzio knew that the launch of the next-generation LS, the brand's flagship luxury sedan, would be Lexus' most important launch since its birth in 1989. The reinvented LS was a vehicle that would require the most advanced car audio system for any sedan on the market. The 450-watt surround-sound system Mark Levinson was proposing included 19 speakers, a figure that caused Yoshida-san to hesitate, knowing the additional challenges it would present when shaping the sedan's interior – down to the last detail. Nineteen speakers was unprecedented, and an unlikely number to accommodate. Even this, the largest of Lexus sedans, simply did not have the necessary space. Muzio, however, was intent on introducing a new level of automotive audio to go hand in hand with the LS 460.



'There are specific Mark Levinson product launches that represent a level of technical and artistic achievement of which I am most proud. The debut of Mark Levinson® Reference Surround, designed for the exciting, all-new Lexus LS 460, ranks high among that elite group,' said Phil Muzio, director of acoustic systems for Mark Levinson. 'Few words are required to communicate the excellence of these products, as the emotions that they convey when listening to our favorite music and movies say it all.'

As the Lexus brand approached its decade anniversary in the late 1990s, the luxury automotive division decided to pursue a superior sound experience for its customers that was on par with the luxurious refinement for which it is was known. With the brand being based on the Lexus Covenant that it treat each customer as a guest in its home, it seemed to be a logical choice to partner with Mark Levinson, the leader in audiophile home sound systems.



After testing the Lexus LS 400 and its luxury competitors, Mark Levinson reevaluated this belief. The acoustic engineers at Mark Levinson decided that the LS not only had the quietest passenger cabin on the market but that it had the requisite level of tranquility, even at elevated speeds, for engineering an automotive sound experience of the highest quality. In 1998, a strategic partnership was forged between Lexus and Mark Levinson to collaborate on and produce the best automotive audio experience on the market.

The original goal of Lexus' exclusive collaboration with Mark Levinson, to exceed consumers' expectations, is maintained to this day and plays a part in the launch of every new Lexus vehicle. As each next generation of Mark Levinson sound systems debuts in new Lexus models, the objective remains faithful to the Mark Levinson philosophy and original mission statement: Recreate in the home the emotional response evoked by the original musical or cinematic event, and closely replicate in the Lexus vehicle the emotional experience music and movie aficionados could previously attain only with the finest home consumer equipment.

The first Mark Levinson® Premium Sound system was launched in the 2001 LS 430. The same engineers who fine-tuned and perfected the world-class Mark Levinson home systems spent thousands of hours in prototype vehicles matching the sound system to the LS' unique interior architecture and acoustic character. The painstaking collaboration resulted in an audio presence with acoustic imaging that had never before been created in an automobile.

The Lexus-Mark Levinson audio evolution took a new, purposeful step with the introduction of the Mark Levinson® Surround Sound system on the 2006 GS 300 and GS 430 luxury sport sedans. The 14-speaker, 330-watt Surround Sound system was the next-generation audio entertainment experience. Its Discrete 5.1 Surround system improved the 360-degree sound space for all seats. The partnership's progression continued with the 2006 IS 250 and IS 350 luxury sport sedans that also featured 7.1-channel architecture while combining 14 speakers and 300 watts of power.

The debut of the 2007 LS 460 and the 19-speaker Mark Levinson® Reference Surround system it came to house reveals the maturing relationship between Lexus and Mark Levinson. This now eight-year alliance comes to fruition with a sound system that uniquely mirrors the benchmark luxury sedan's personality. Mark Levinson designers and engineers identified the differentiating performance objectives necessary to legitimately earn the 'Reference Surround' moniker: timbral accuracy, timbral matching and dynamics.

The Lexus and Mark Levinson have developed a process in which engineers meet early in the development cycle and continue to work closely throughout the vehicle's progression. As many as three to seven years in advance of a vehicle launch, Mark Levinson engineers begin analyzing multiple conditions to determine system content, including both automotive and audio market conditions, vehicle cabin size, the vehicle's price point, and buyer demographics. Mark Levinson engineers walk through a step-by-step product-planning process with Lexus planners and engineers to determine the optimal audio content for each future vehicle.

The objectives of Mark Levinson Surround Sound systems were ambitious and challenging from the start. They had to provide an exciting and satisfying entertainment experience for both music, music videos and movies commensurate with the quality and performance of Lexus vehicles. They also had to offer compatibility with the new consumer digital formats and with the new consumer media formats. An enhanced automotive-entertainment experience had to be created by refining the sonic performance in each listening seat with all current formats and media. At the same time, this next-generation system was architected to provide a higher level of sonic performance for each of these important sonic attributes: three-dimensional stable imaging, high resolution, harmonic richness, natural dynamics, musicality, and 360-degree spatial envelopment.

In order to achieve these objectives, the Mark Levinson hardware- and software-design team had to create and implement an entirely new digital processing topology, increase the number of power amplifier channels, architect a system topology that utilizes the latest generation of Mark Levinson transducers while allowing for the proper reproduction of multichannel sound, and architect and code new proprietary software applications.

The painstaking design and development process continues to advance with the Mark Levinson offering for each new Lexus vehicle, continuing to deliver a superior experience to Lexus customers.

The 2002 meeting between Yoshida-san, Muzio and their engineering staffs was significant for the new Mark Levinson Reference Surround Sound system. Muzio understood Yoshida's hesitation and the intrinsic difficulty in creating a 19-speaker surround system. He also knew that the LS' executive chief engineer's final decision would be determined based on his experience listening to an early incarnation of the Reference Surround. After exiting the demonstration prototype vehicle, having experienced the new Mark Levinson creation for 15 minutes or so, Yoshida offered up only an extended pause. This pause was followed by one simple, and significant, statement: 'I must have this in my car.'

Source - Lexus