2013 Lexus LS600h L: Plenty of Tech, but Short on Value

By Anh T. Huynh
published

We spent a week with Lexus' flagship hybrid executive sedan to judge its infotainment system and amenities. Do the Japanese have what it takes to tackle compelling German competition, or has the company lost its way? Join us as we look at the LS600h L.

Lexus' Infotainment System

SiriusXM and HD Radio are standard on the LS600h L. The infotainment system supports basic radio playback functions, but doesn’t enable time shifting like some other cars (not that this is feature I particularly care for). There is, however, one feature that the LS600h L boasts, which competing manufacturers should follow: mixing SiriusXM and HD Radio presets.

In theory, the capability is simple. It's a nice touch, though. I prefer the quality of HD Radio broadcasts, but sometimes SiriusXM has the music I want to listen to. By intermingling the presets rather than requiring I change sources every time, I can enjoy Pop2K on SiriusXM and the old-school lunch on KUBE 93 interchangeably. You're given access to 36 preset spots, which should be more than enough.

Flash drives and iPhones/iPods are supported through a USB port located in the front armrest. The user interface is straightforward; you can navigate by folder or track information (album, artist, genre, etc.). I was annoyed by one facet of folder-based navigation, though. Instead of maintaining the directory structure of your flash drive, Lexus' infotainment system only shows folders with music files. For example, let's say you organize your tunes in such a way that they show up as Music\Rap\Eminem\The Marshall Mathers LP. You don't see that in the LS600h. Instead, the infotainment system only shows The Marshall Mathers LP. This becomes problematic if you only remember artists and not album names.

So, overall, the radio functionality is excellent, while USB-based media playback can get a little clunky, depending on how you organize your library. It's not unusable by any measure; Lexus does well enough here.

Mark Levinson Premium Sound

Lexus taps Mark Levinson, another division of Harman, for the LS600h L's premium audio system. The standard premium package pairs 19 speakers with a 450 W amplifier. The 7.1-channel sound system features three-way front and rear channels, two-way center and rear deck channels, and a subwoofer to create in-car surround.

The Mark Levinson sound system worked great for movies, but I couldn’t get it dialed in for the music I listen to (hip hop, pop, rock, some trance, and some country). It simply doesn't offer enough mid-bass for my tastes. The tweeters are fairly detailed though, and they don't sound overly bright.

Anh T. Huynh
25 Comments Comment from the forums
  • blackmagnum
    It doesn't look stately and serious like the LS400 of old. Have they hired a new designer?
    Reply
  • cyb34
    This car, on the outside, looks like your average Mazda or Honda. So -1 there.
    I'm sorry for Lexus for Mercedes is years ahead with its new S class.

    This LS600 does not look premium enough and the inside is closer to an Audi A6.
    Reply
  • tuanies
    13745416 said:
    It doesn't look stately and serious like the LS400 of old. Have they hired a new designer?

    I'd assume so since the LS400 was a Toyota Celsior and badge engineered with premium only content for the US whereas the LS600h L and LS460 was designed solely to be a Lexus from the get go with its own styling.

    13745581 said:
    This car, on the outside, looks like your average Mazda or Honda. So -1 there.
    I'm sorry for Lexus for Mercedes is years ahead with its new S class.

    This LS600 does not look premium enough and the inside is closer to an Audi A6.

    Yea, the Mercedes S class is stunning inside and out. The Lexus looks bland and when you step inside, it doesn't give the same wow factor. Sure its functional, but its not what I'd expect from a luxury vehicle.
    Reply
  • edlivian
    if I had 100+k to spend on a luxury sedan car, i would never get this car, it would either be a A8/A7, S550 or 760i.

    And its not because I dont like Japanese cars, I used to have an Acura RL, but they too have dropped the ball. Their design looks bland, they drive is similar to mid class series high end cars, if you want high end you do not think Lexus anymore.
    Reply
  • edlivian
    who on Earth needs composite plugs for an infotainment system?! It is 2014!

    you are right, that is completely absurb, I think I threw all my composite cables away, its either HDMI or Displayport
    Reply
  • 2Be_or_Not2Be
    Why would you review a 2013 model in 2014 when the 2015 cars are almost out??

    Or are we just recycling? I'm also for recycling - just not in my "News" section. ;)
    Reply
  • danwat1234
    I think 1 of the main reasons why this Lexus doesn't get much better fuel economy, and no better fuel economy than a regular Lexus is because the engine is not Atkinson cycle, but rather regular OTTO cycle.
    In most hybrid cars, the engine is Atkinson cycle, where the intake valves stay open part way up the compression stroke to increase thermal efficiency. Thus it is more efficient not only in the city where the electric motors aid efficiency, but on steady state highway driving too.

    But with this Lexus it is probably just plain OTTO cycle. If they were smart, they have camshaft behavior where it could change from OTTO to Atkinson and back on the fly, in millieseconds, so you can have more fuel economy and also the power when you get into it. But they don't.
    Part time HCCI (Sparkless diesel cycle ignition) is even more efficient, with OTTO cycle when you want power.

    Also if this car had a higher capacity battery pack with a more powerful electric motor, there'd be less need for engine displacement.
    Reply
  • tuanies
    13747142 said:
    who on Earth needs composite plugs for an infotainment system?! It is 2014!

    you are right, that is completely absurb, I think I threw all my composite cables away, its either HDMI or Displayport

    Yea its a bit odd. Even the Honda Fit and Civic have HDMI inputs now for the front infotainment system.

    13747365 said:
    Why would you review a 2013 model in 2014 when the 2015 cars are almost out??

    Or are we just recycling? I'm also for recycling - just not in my "News" section. ;)

    Because the higher end luxury vehicles are harder to come by. We got ahold of it towards the end of 2013. 2014 was mostly carryover minus one package change that added the driver assists to make it $135k, which doesn't really change our opinion of the vehicle at all. I assume 2015 will be another carryover year as well since the flagships run on 10 year product cycles.

    13749117 said:
    I think 1 of the main reasons why this Lexus doesn't get much better fuel economy, and no better fuel economy than a regular Lexus is because the engine is not Atkinson cycle, but rather regular OTTO cycle.
    In most hybrid cars, the engine is Atkinson cycle, where the intake valves stay open part way up the compression stroke to increase thermal efficiency. Thus it is more efficient not only in the city where the electric motors aid efficiency, but on steady state highway driving too.

    But with this Lexus it is probably just plain OTTO cycle. If they were smart, they have camshaft behavior where it could change from OTTO to Atkinson and back on the fly, in millieseconds, so you can have more fuel economy and also the power when you get into it. But they don't.
    Part time HCCI (Sparkless diesel cycle ignition) is even more efficient, with OTTO cycle when you want power.

    Also if this car had a higher capacity battery pack with a more powerful electric motor, there'd be less need for engine displacement.

    I think at the end of the day, its because its still a very heavy boat and they are trying to replicate a V12 with good fuel economy but ultimately end up with something that doesn't do much better than a turbo V8 that has more power and much more entertaining to drive.
    Reply
  • zodiacfml
    I don't know but they probably have something here. I believe their hybrid implementation is well suited for this niche since buyers of this class won't be able to use all the power of a V12.
    With the hybrid though, max torque would be available even at low RPMs which results in a more relaxed driving and that performance would not need an expert driver.
    Reply
  • tuanies
    Yes, that's ideally what they're going for. But it doesn't offer much more smoothness than the V8. Buyers in that class won't necessarily use all of that power, but they buy it to know they have all of that power. It doesn't give you the "I just dropped $130k on a car and its awesome" type of feel.
    Reply