NY times pans the LS600h...

[Submariner]

Dude, just hop into a Lexus LS600h. It's so economical and can get you across the Atlantic in like a few hours. Totally cool.

Nah, Ill get my LS 800 A little more power, less MPG, and weighs in at an economical 8 tons!  It's perfect for the uber wealthy tree hugger in all of us!

[cawimmer430]

Nah, Ill get my LS 800 A little more power, less MPG, and weighs in at an economical 8 tons!  It's perfect for the uber wealthy tree hugger in all of us!

How much did it cost? $200K? Did you know that your LS800 is a rebadged Toyota Century! 

[Submariner]

How much did it cost? $200K? Did you know that your LS800 is a rebadged Toyota Century!

OMG LOLZ you're totally right!  Thats what makes it so great!

[cawimmer430]

OMG LOLZ you're totally right!  Thats what makes it so great!

Toyota for life baby! 

[Submariner]

Toyota for life baby!

And Hybrids!

[cawimmer430]

And Hybrids!

Oh my God! Hybrids! They're like so environmentally friendly you know!

[Submariner]

Oh my God! Hybrids! They're like so environmentally friendly you know!

Yeah, and in case you didn't know,m even when they get worse MPG than their petrol counterparts, they still are far more green!

[cawimmer430]

Yeah, and in case you didn't know,m even when they get worse MPG than their petrol counterparts, they still are far more green!

Totally! Plus, all the celebrities drive them so they must be good! 

[Submariner]

Totally! Plus, all the celebrities drive them so they must be good!

Hells to the yes!

[cawimmer430]

I got to go. My sister's VW Golf is in the shop again (7th time this week). Thank God I have my little Toyota GAYgo to drive her to and from the dealership back home. Until later!

[Submariner]

I got to go. My sister's VW Golf is in the shop again (7th time this week). Thank God I have my little Toyota GAYgo to drive her to and from the dealership back home. Until later!

Ha, alright.  Have fun with that.  Hit me up sometime.

[the Teuton]

I got to go. My sister's VW Golf is in the shop again (7th time this week). Thank God I have my little Toyota GAYgo to drive her to and from the dealership back home. Until later!

She didn't get rid of it when she picked up the 1er?  She should feel good that Ratzinger drove a Golf.  If he could put up with it, she must feel blessed.  The only thing that could make the car better would be Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive.

[565]

0-60 times may be similar, but the LS600 has been shown to have pretty high trap speeds 105+mph in magazine tests while the LS460 pulls around 102-103mph.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/download/0707_Lexus-Gulfstream_dp.pdf

http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/download/Lexus460.pdf

[GoCougs]

Cougs, it's slower, gets the same combined cycle miliage, costs 30,000 more, and has a 39% smaller trunk.?

Don't even bother to defend this one.? Lexus built a bullshit car that sold on hype alone.

No defense is warranted. This is a halo product for hybrid technology, and it is excellent in that purpose.

[Raza]

No defense is warranted. This is a halo product for hybrid technology, and it is excellent in that purpose.

How is that correct? 

If the M3 were the halo for BMW performance, and it didn't perform as well as a 325i, would it still be excellent?

[GoCougs]

How is that correct??

If the M3 were the halo for BMW performance, and it didn't perform as well as a 325i, would it still be excellent?

If the entire year's allotment sold out within a few months, I'd say yes, that M3 would be excellent. After all, it's all about selling cars, whatever the angle.

Whether hybrids have legs based solely upon the merits of the technology still remains to be seen IMO.

[red_shift]

If the entire year's allotment sold out within a few months, I'd say yes, that M3 would be excellent. After all, it's all about selling cars, whatever the angle.

Whether hybrids have legs based solely upon the merits of the technology still remains to be seen IMO.

Missing the point here, but then your love of anything Japanese has that effect on you from time to time, no?

[sportyaccordy]

Dude, just hop into a Lexus LS600h. It's so economical and can get you across the Atlantic in like a few hours. Totally cool. 

Jesus Christ, you sound JUST like Bono, it's UNCANNY.

[the_koof]

Man, I totally want an LS600h! It will single handily save the world!!!

For $121k, I'll buy a 2007 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, '02 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD Duramax 4WD (toy hauling, modifying, off-roading) and have just enough to pick up an '07 Mini Cooper S. 

[nickdrinkwater]

The LS is a really nice car but I can't see the sense in buying this instead of the cheaper V8 model.

However, credit is due to the Lexus marketing department for the high sales, despite its questionable 'greenness'.

[Soup DeVille]

IN ?North Dallas Forty,? the shaggy 1979 gridiron film...

...there?s no free lunch, even at the drive-through....

...Behind its green Teflon shield...

... Jor-El had better prepare the escape pod before it?s too late...

...weighs in like Jared before his Subway diet...

I think the author needs to be fined for "Excessive use of pop-culture references"

[ifcar]

If the entire year's allotment sold out within a few months, I'd say yes, that M3 would be excellent. After all, it's all about selling cars, whatever the angle.

Whether hybrids have legs based solely upon the merits of the technology still remains to be seen IMO.

So success depends on how many cars you build compared to how many you sell?

The Prius didn't sell out its allotment in a few months. Neither did the Camry or Highlander hybrids. Total flops.

[Danish]

If the entire year's allotment sold out within a few months, I'd say yes, that M3 would be excellent. After all, it's all about selling cars, whatever the angle.

Whether hybrids have legs based solely upon the merits of the technology still remains to be seen IMO.

GoPubes to the rescue!

Toyota must not be dishonored!

[sportyaccordy]

IN ?North Dallas Forty,? the shaggy 1979 gridiron film...

...there?s no free lunch, even at the drive-through....

...Behind its green Teflon shield...

... Jor-El had better prepare the escape pod before it?s too late...

...weighs in like Jared before his Subway diet...

I think the author needs to be fined for "Excessive use of pop-culture references"

It's all part of the marketing, dude.

Expect the LS600L to bow in the next Bond flick.

Also, save your pennies for the 1000HP Lexus GT-F hybrid. 10 miles per gallon never burned so green.

I love what you sell to me, Toyota!

[GoCougs]

So success depends on how many cars you build compared to how many you sell?

The Prius didn't sell out its allotment in a few months. Neither did the Camry or Highlander hybrids. Total flops.

Sorry in advance ifcar for the jab, but this post is a joke.

[red_shift]

Sorry in advance ifcar for the jab, but this post is a joke.

Yours or his?

[Submariner]

No defense is warranted. This is a halo product for hybrid technology, and it is excellent in that purpose.

How is this a halo product for hybrids?  It manages to do everything the petrol-only model does, except worse.

I say it only serves to expose the many weekneses of Hybrids.

I think you ought to just give the Toyota ass-kissing a rest for a while.  Just for once, at least toy with the idea that not everything they make is the second coming of Christ.

[GoCougs]

How is this a halo product for hybrids?? It manages to do everything the petrol-only model does, except worse.

I say it only serves to expose the many weekneses of Hybrids.

I think you ought to just give the Toyota ass-kissing a rest for a while.? Just for once, at least toy with the idea that not everything they make is the second coming of Christ.

You and a few others need to slow down, take a breath, and remember that in posts post I have been an extreme critic of hybrids.

The sum total of my responses regarding the car itself was/is that it's a runaway hit with its intended market. I've said nothing else about the car itself.

Both are fact. Get over it.

[Tave]

I have been an extreme critic of hybrids.

True stuff.

I'm biased of course as IMO hybrids are in general a loosing proposition; finanically for the automakers, financially for buyers (at current gas prices), and environmentally (chemical process and metals mining).

2.) Hybrids aren't nearly as efficient as manufacturers state. I am skeptical of 24 mpg - a 50% increase!

3.) If the 24 mpg is indeed realistic, the price premium will require about 4 years to break even versus a 17 mpg, gasoline only 1/2-ton (assuming 15k mile/year and $3.25/gallon). If/when gas prices fall, the payback period will increase.

4.) There are already more fuel-efficient pick-ups (small/mid-size), relative to gasoline-only 1/2-tons, already available. These alternatives would also be substantially cheaper. Though they don't have the specs of the 1/2-tons, the majority of 1/2-ton buyers won't ever use a 10,000 lb towing capacity.

5.) 1/2-tons are still very much a status vehicle.

I think GM is hoping for a Prius-like win, but I think they're heading for an Accord Hybrid draw.

I think I'd call [hybrids] a fraud, not a hoax.

Oil is it. Drill, drill, drill is the answer.

Bolded is a pronoun I changed to a noun.

Last sentence of the article:

"It's a little odd that GM is introducing four hybrids this year (Saturn Vue Green Line, Aura Green Line, Tahoe Hybrid and Yukon Hybrid) and keeping their biggest selling point, fuel economy, a secret. "

Hmmm. Yes indeed. Could it be that hybrid advantages fall off precipitously with large vehicles such as this? Write-ups of the previous-gen hybrid Silverado saw a 1 - 1.5 mpg real-world advantage.

Part and parcel of the Prius' material mpg gains are in non-hybrid areas; small, skinny tires, style-out-the-window body work, and really small IC engine for a mid-size car.

One hat-tip to GM though: who else is (will be) doing this? Could prove to be a substantial competitive advantage. One downfall I see is that if people are truly in search of superior mpg, there are loads of smaller vehicles available. Most people who buy these vehicles don't need the space, power, towing or 4wd capability. The options to downgrade a Prius or hybrid Civic or Camry are much more limited.

All in all, I'm still not a fan of hyrids. Small, high-pressure Diesles with CVTs are the path to real-world materially superior mpg IMO.

Type in "hybrids" to the search engine and limit your results to Cougs' posts, and you will see a long list of criticism that completely overshadows anything positive he has to say about the technology.

[Raghavan]

GoPubes to the rescue!

Toyota must not be dishonored!