2012 Lexus LS 600h L Overview Change Vehicle

This 2012 Lexus LS 600h L review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2012 LS 600h L, and includes Lexus LS 600h L safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

The 2012 Lexus LS 600h L is the hybrid version of the gasoline-powered LS 460 L. This variant of the brand’s full-size luxury sedan offers more horsepower and improved city-rated fuel economy, as well as the LS 460 L’s optional all-wheel-drive system. It competes directly against the far less expensive Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid.

Lexus sticks to the LS 600h L’s existing gameplan for 2012, albeit with one minor tweak: the Smoky Granite Mica exterior paint option has been replaced by Nebula Gray Pearl.

If you’ve ever wondered what a nearly loaded luxury sedan looks like, direct your attention to the 2012 Lexus LS 600h L. With the exception of three options, every bit of hardware and technology available has been fitted to the car’s one and only trim.

That translates to a list of standard features boasting all-wheel drive, an air suspension system, 19-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights with washers, power-folding and auto-dimming exterior rearview mirrors, electric door and trunk closers, and SmartAccess push-button keyless entry.

Inside, the cabin is dripping in Walnut, Ash or Maple wood accents joined by a cattle yard’s worth of soft hides on the cabin’s various surfaces, plus premium-grade semi-aniline leather upholstery and a suede-like headliner. The power-adjustable tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel is heated, and the LS 600h L’s front seats offer a wide range of adjustments, can be heated and cooled, and are connected to a triple-setting memory feature. Rear passengers don’t enjoy the same level of standard equipment, though they do have their own vanity mirrors and a power sunshade.

No matter where your backside is planted, this hybrid’s 19-speaker, 450-watt sound system is sure to rattle the eardrums. A six-disc CD changer is included, as are an iPod-ready USB port and a complimentary three-month satellite radio subscription. Elsewhere in the 600h L’s cabin are dual-zone climate controls, a universal garage door opener, a push-button ignition feature, a power moonroof, Bluetooth hands-free connectivity, Lexus Enform telematics with services like emergency response and roadside assistance, and a navigation system that provides real-time traffic information. Finally, the king of the Lexus luxury-sedan lineup serves as host to the brand’s Advanced Parking Guidance System, which, in short, allows the LS 600h L to parallel park itself.

You may be thinking that the next logical step would be to build a car that can actually drive itself, as scary as that sounds to some of us. Truth is, such vehicles are already in various stages of research and development, but you won’t find an Autonomous Mode option available for the 2012 Lexus LS 600h L. However, Lexus does offer an advanced pre-collision system as an option, as well as a Premium Package II with four-zone climate control, rear heated and cooled seats, a rear nine-inch entertainment system, and more. A separate Executive-Class Seating Package II starts with the Premium Package II’s contents and then adds a power reclining and massaging right-side rear passenger seat, a unique set of 18-inch alloy wheels, and a rear table.

Given its obvious link to the gasoline-powered Lexus LS 460 L, it would seem logical to assume the 600h L would depend on the same 4.6-liter engine. However, what’s really at the heart of this car’s Lexus Hybrid Drive system is a 5.0-liter V8 that joins forces with two electric motors and a nickel-metal hydride battery pack to generate 438 horsepower.

Standard on every LS hybrid is a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and an all-wheel-drive system featuring a Torsen limited-slip center differential. The EPA suggests drivers will average 19 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway.

In keeping with its more-is-better approach to standard features, Lexus has fitted the 2012 LS 600h L with a plethora of safety-related items. Sprinkled within the mix are up to 10 airbags, the brand’s Safety Connect system with emergency response services and enhanced roadside assistance, and Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) technology comprised of four-wheel-disc antilock brakes, electronic brake-force distribution, and stability control.

At the time of this writing, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not published 2012 crash test data. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has awarded top marks for the LS 600h L’s front-impact protection, but hasn’t announced results for other categories.

Likewise, reliability information is scarce for 2012, though Consumer Reports has added the LS 600h L to its list of Recommended vehicles. If a new owner does encounter a problem with this Lexus sedan, it’s likely to be covered by a four-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, a six-year/70,000-mile powertrain warranty, and an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty on all hybrid components.

Advanced technology doesn’t come without a few sacrifices. In the case of the LS 600h L, the placement of its hybrid battery pack cuts trunk space to roughly half that of the gasoline-powered LS 460 L. But, when it comes to acceleration, the two variants match up much more evenly, reaching 60 mph within one-tenth of a second of each other.

Typically, a hybrid sedan offering no better than 23 mpg would earn very little praise. But the 2012 Lexus LS 600h L isn’t your run-of-the-mill hybrid, as evidenced by its 438-horsepower powertrain, undeniable refinement, and limousine-like cabin. While hybrids traditionally deliver greater efficiency and newer models use a more advanced lithium-ion battery pack, the Lexus is more sophisticated than its primary competition from Mercedes – even if that sophistication comes with a price tag that’s $20,000 more expensive than the Benz. For the buyer focused on this very narrow niche, the LS 600h L is worthy of strong consideration.

By Thom Blackett