Lexus by Brian Long

Author:Brian Long
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Road & motor vehicles: general interest
Publisher: Veloce Publishing Ltd
Published: 2016-09-04T16:00:00+00:00

Japan’s new Celsior, the home market equivalent to the LS400. This photograph clearly shows the revised rear valance, which no longer incorporated cut-outs for the exhaust pipes. Although available in eight different shades, white was still by far the most popular colour for automobiles in the Land of the Rising Sun. (Courtesy Hideo Aoki)

Interior of the Second Generation Celsior. This is the top-of-the-range Type C model, kitted out with leather trim and the optional GPS navigation system.

“It would be difficult to duplicate the upheaval the first LS brought about,” noted Motor Trend, “but as it moves into a new generation, Lexus has again put the pressure on the rest of the luxury class.”

This view was confirmed when Car & Driver carried out a particularly interesting comparison test with the new LS, a subtly revised Infiniti Q45, the BMW 740i (the most expensive car in the pack), the Mercedes-Benz E420, and the recently introduced X300-type Jaguar XJ6 (the beautiful lines of which were designed by the late, great Geoff Lawson).

The Lexus won this clash of the titans, with the Benz, with its bigger engine and lower price compared to the last Car & Driver test, taking second. It said: “This newly redone Lexus earns respect more than affection, but the respect flows in such torrents that placing it anywhere but atop the heap is out of the question.”

Describing the interior, Motor Trend’s John Pearley Huffman stated: “Design simplicity and space efficiency combine in the LS400’s cabin, resulting in an environment a bit less ornate than some luxury cars, but comfortably elegant and impeccably tailored. Packing a CD changer and an airbag in the passenger-side of the dash is an engineering marvel.”

The New Celsior

In Japan, the Second Generation Celsior (the home market version of the LS400) was announced on the 11th October, with sales starting on the 22nd. In addition to seven existing coachwork colours, a new type of paint, known as Dark Green Mica PIO (plate iron oxide) Toning G, was also available. Interiors, finished in leather or wool jacquard moquette, came in three different shades. Prices ranged from 5,100,000 to 5,840,000 Yen, with the F-Package adding a further 700,000 Yen to the latter.

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