German Car Zone

The comparison we've all been waiting for: Lexus LS460 vs Mercedes-Benz S450, PART II

In this comparison, the following criteria were tested: CHASSIS, COSTS and DRIVING DYNAMICS. Below are the highlights.


If you recall, the Lexus narrowly beat the S-Class in the first comparsion because of the collission avoidance system it had. Here, the Mercedes S-Class exploited the poor braking of the LS and the wobbly handling to secure the win. Both cars were pretty equally matched though.

So, Autobild starts out by saying that the S-Class makes a great start here with the braking distance. The S-Class stops a full 2 meters earlier than the LS from 100-0 km/h. They also said that the S450 was more relaxing to drive. The S450 has the better engine response, handles much better and is more agile than the somewhat heavy-feeling Lexus LS460. More important, the steering of the S-Class was cited as being direct and responsive, the LS steering on the other hand was vague with almost no feedback.

Suspension wise, both cars offer class-leading technology and comfort, but the S-Class is much better. Autobild stated that when riding in the S-Class, you don't feel a thing. The same applies to the Lexus, but the S-Class has the added benefit of a slightly sportier suspension setup that still manages to better the purely comfort-biased suspension setup of the Lexus. What's more amazing, the S-Class has better comfort despite having 19" rims compared to the LS's 18" rims. However, when you select COMFORT MODE on the LS's air suspension, it becomes a much softer ride and very quiet too (but handling worsens).

The S-Class is more of a driver's car while the LS is clearly a chauffeur-oriented machine. Both cars offer impressive rear passenger space, with the Mercedes offering slightly more. Autobild also criticized the LS's rear saying that despite the massive measurements of the car, the LS offers at most space for two adults at the rear - a third one will make things tight. The reason for this are the rear doors, which are thick and minimize the amount of space at the back.

The S-Class offers the bigger luggage compartment too. 550 liters compared to the LS's 505 liter luggage compartment. Putting heavy suitcases into the trunk is also easier in the S-Class than the LS. Also, the LS460 weighs 2,155 kg and this means it can only take on board a pathetic 340 kg of extra weight (including passengers). As Autobild put it: "When four adult males use an LS to go to the airport, they need to rent a taxi to transport their luggage. Embarassing." The Mercedes S450 weighs 2,020 kg and can take onboard a hefty 525 kg of extra weight. A big bonus for the S-Class.

The LS interior is a nice place to be. The quality of materials and workmanship is top notch. Autobild found the materials of the center console to be on the cheap side, which sort of ruined the atmosphere as a whole. On the Mercedes, leather, navigation and DVD systems have to be ordered extra, but the interior is much better built than the Lexus, and so are the quality of materials used. Older drivers might need some time to adjut to the new COMAND operating methods on the Mercedes though. Still, it is much easier to use and operate than BMW's i-Drive. Despite this, using the cockpit of the Mercedes properly takes time. Lexus on the other hand relies on old fashioned push-buttons. Getting what you want is easier and quicker in the Lexus, but the vast amounts of buttons (over 100!) equally take time to figure out, especially their location.

Both the Mercedes and Lexus have impressive V8 engines. The LS460's 4.6-l V8 engine sounds a little more awake and aggressive than the 4.7-l V8 of the Mercedes, probably due to the extra 40-horsepower but also because of the 8-speed transmission, which always finds the correct gear. The LS transmission also works smoothly: can't be heard or felt. The promised fuel economy however was never obtained, no matter how much Autobild tried.

The 340-horsepower of the S-Class are also topfit. The S450 trails the LS460 from 0-200 km/h, but it is close. Despite the power disadvantage, the S450 feels almost as fast as the bigger S550, thanks in part to the equally excellent 7Gtronic 7-speed automatic transmission.

At 79,254 Euros, the S450 is actually cheaper than the LS460 (82,000 Euro). However, once you equip the S450 with some useful options, it'll be 8,000 Euros more expensive than the Lexus. On the other hand, the Lexus guarantee against rust is only 12 years while Mercedes is 30 years. The Mercedes is slightly more fuel efficient and has a longer range.

FAZIT: The Lexus is a worthy competitor and Mercedes should stay alert. The Lexus isn't perfect though, the poor brakes, short maintenance intervals (every 15,000 km) and poor onboard carryable weight are serious handicaps. The Mercedes S-Class remains the benchmark in this class. Excellent comfort, a lot of space, fine build quality and materials and a responsive engine: no weaknesses.


FINAL SCORE

1st Place: Mercedes S450 498/600 points
2nd Place: Lexus LS460 484/600 points


THE SCANS





What surprised me the most was that the 340-hp S450 was able to keep up with the 380-hp LS460 so well. I know the S550 is the true competitor to the LS460, but I assume Autobild selected the S450 based on price. Take a look at the acceleration figures and see how close it was. In terms of comfort, both cars again were top notch, with the S-Class marginally taking the crown.


ACCELERATION

Lexus LS460: 0-100 km/h = 6.4 seconds, 0-200 km/h = 23 seconds

Mercedes S450: 0-100 km/h = 6.5 seconds, 0-200 km/h = 25.2 seconds


BRAKING

Lexus LS460: 100-0 km/h COLD = 39.4 m
100-0 km/h WARM = 38.5 m
200-0 km/h = 159.3 m

Mercedes S450: 100-0 km/h COLD = 37.6 m
100-0 km/h WARM = 36.5 m
200-0 km/h = 152.3 m

wow a super good result keepin in mind that this is the 450..

heck i would take a 350 over the lexus

"When four adult males use an LS to go to the airport, they need to rent a taxi to transport their luggage. Embarassing."

This really is funny. I cannot understand how Lexus manages to screw up on something as important as this.

^wow that sucks with a capital S

I posted this on Autolies. Can't wait to read the 170 comment flame war.

So their (Lexus') brakes ain't that bad, like in one of the previous tests...

You wrote this, Chris?

I don't understand the weight thing - is there a weight limit of some sort? A Phaeton weighs 2.4 tons (2.7 tons for a W12, give or take) and I haven't heard of such problems as not being able to take extra weight.

Otherwise, I agree with most of the review.

Indeed that's a weird stuff about that load capacity...

"However, when you select COMFORT MODE on the LS's air suspension, it becomes a much softer ride and very quiet too (but handling worsens)."

As expected, Lexus has seriously got to work on that issue. While Autobild found the LS has a number of weakness', they also said it had a number of good points. However, I just don't understand this lack "luggage space" which nearly every new Lexus model is suffering from.

Thanks for the test Wimmer.

Although I say that Lexus deserves a soft-biased suspension, I do see the merits of striking a balance between sportiness and comfort which the S-Class has perfected. Benz certainly deserves a lot of praise there.

I'm perturbed about the luggage space too Bruce... But what I'm more curious about is the load capacity.