2008 Lexus LS600HL
Thursday, May 10th, 2007
The brand new big hybrid from Lexus is unusually fast. When you floor the gas pedal, the tach needle flicks almost instantly at the bidding of the continuously variable transmission to 6000 or more rpm, a point at which the new 5.0-liter V-8 pumps out about 389 horsepower. This is supported by a 221-hp electric motor, and together the two machines send 438 horses to all four wheels through a Torsen center differential.
Because the transmission is stepless and the two motors are so quiet when they operate, the sensation is an understatement as the 5220-pound sedan drives down the road. Lexus proudly claims a 50-to-70-mph time of 3.5 seconds. The fuel consumption should be about the same as the LS460L’s, which requires 6.2 seconds to hit 60 mph. Under the 2008 EPA testing regime, the LS600hL is rated at 20 mpg city and 22 highway. We estimate that for 2008 the LS460L will have a rating of 17/25. More telling is that our observed consumption with the LS460L was 13 mpg, whereas the LS600hL returned 20 mpg during its week-long visit with us.
Lexus claims this car has V-12 performance with V-8 fuel consumption, and it’s hard to argue with that comparison unless the V-12 in question is in a Mercedes-Benz twin-turbo model, and in that instance, Lexus should expect to get its butt kicked. This new Lexus hybrid is extraordinarily quiet, with particular attention paid to suppressing noise wherever it’s found. There are additional insulators around the V-8’s cylinder-head covers.
The inverter has a reinforced case to reduce the high-frequency vibrations these devices usually emit. And there are myriad other techniques and materials used to bring noise levels down to about half of those found in other luxury cars, according to Lexus’s measurements. The company also paid extraordinary attention to safety in the 600, adding advanced precollision with brake activation to the extensive array of safety mechanisms. This system detects objects, determines the likelihood of a collision, and then applies the brakes up to 40 percent of maximum force without any action by the driver.
Tags: 2008 lexus, 2008 ls600hl, ls600hl
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