Lexus: still turning heads

By ALASTAIR SLOANE

The first Lexus was the automotive version of a luxury retreat. It was such an engineering success that rival carmakers went back to the drawing board.

Mercedes-Benz double-glazed the windows of its S-Class to try to match the quiet Lexus. Straight-six specialist BMW was forced to match its V8 power. Audi studied its build quality. The Americans were stunned by its attention to detail. Jaguar used it as a benchmark for its new XJ series.

That was a decade ago. Lexus upgraded the LS400 model early in the 1990s but ignored the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" rule. The second-generation model in 1994 rewrote build standards, but didn't have the dynamics of the original. Also, its German rivals were closing the gap.

A smaller model, the ES300, appeared, so did a four-wheel-drive, both modelled on existing vehicles from parent company Toyota. Then last year Lexus launched the LS430, the replacement for the LS400 and the most substantial upgrade in the model's history.

Now it is preparing to show off an all-new executive, the SC430, a coupe/convertible that Americans are buying at the rate of 1000 a month.

The SC430 will go on sale in New Zealand later this year but there's no word on price yet. It is powered by a 32-valve 4.3-litre V8 producing 209kW of power and 417Nm of torque and mated to a five-speed automatic gearbox. The car's retractable hardtop turns the coupe into a convertible in 25 seconds. Other cars have similar power-operated systems.

The SC430 will be beautifully built, like all Lexus models. Even the bits that buyers can't see will be finished with superb attention to detail.

It will also have something in common with the LS430 - the smoothest, quietest V8 engine in the business.

The all-alloy engine is a superb unit which, like the children of another generation, is seen but not heard.

Lexus wanted the ultimate "quite achiever" when it set out its goals for the car back in the early 1980s. It aimed the car at the American market.

Toyota assigned 2300 engineers to the project. Over seven years they lived in California, learning about the lifestyles of the rich and famous. The resulting LS400, first unveiled in New Zealand in 1990, stunned the automotive world with its engineering refinement.

For the second generation model, Lexus sent its engineers and planners on a similar mission, this time including Europe, in its research into the secrets of affluent Western tastes.

Lexus reckons it has figured out what the world wants in a luxury car: elegance and efficiency. The $175,000 LS430 has it in abundance.

It is virtually all new, with more interior space and sharper dynamics. The engine is silent at idle and hums quietly at 2000 rpm at 100 km/h on the open road. The only intrusion is tyre noise from the road surface.

The adaptive five-speed is equally as smooth, although kicking down a couple of gears can get jerky as the electronics come to terms with matching throttle pressure with engine speed.

Low-speed ride is superb - again probably the best in the business - but high-speed ride sometime catches the car out. It floats on its suspension somewhat during quick changes of direction and the damping could be better on poorer surfaces.

Handling is otherwise composed. The LS430 comes with everything that opens and shuts, including a remote control key which locks and unlocks doors by touch as long as the driver has the key in his/her pocket.

Lexus now has a badge - the bit on the bonnet which symbolises a place in the world. Its rivals made much of its lack of heritage back then.

It expected as much and answered with an after-sales customer care package the likes of which had never been seen.

But a badge on a luxury product was crucial to some buyers, just as designer labels are to others.

European and American critics said that for mass-market carmaker Toyota to build a car such as Lexus was like the Tupperware company making a crystal decanter to break into Waterford's territory.

The Tupperware decanter might, to some people and for the sake of argument, be the finer product. But would you buy it?

Would it be synonymous with perceived perfection? Does it have a history of excellence? Would it look out of place in the grand houses of Europe, an estate in Connecticut? Would you admit that it's a Tupperware? No question that it will do its job, as will a Toyota, but is that enough?

That's what they said was the downside of Lexus. The argument doesn't apply any more. The Lexus stands on its own, badge and all. It might not have the driving dynamics of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, but it's a dazzling example of refined motoring.