EAL RAN RECENT TETRIS Se OBA REAR omaha

New safety features and
roomier cabin for LS400

WHEN JAPANESE car
companies entered the luxu-
ry car market in the late
1980s, established European
and North American luxury

car makers were terrified —-

the Japanese had already
proven they could build
high-quality small cars.

Could they build better lux-

ury cars and sell them for
less?

“The mid-sized Acura Legend
was the first Japanese luxury car
“to hit North American shores in

1987, but it was the full-sized, V8-

_ powered cars from Lexus and
Infiniti that really put Japanese
luxury car manufacturers on the

. map. The Lexus LS 400, intro-

‘ duced in 1990; was quieter,
smoother, more powerful, and bet-
ter-built than most British and

. German competitors — and cost

_ tens of thousands of dollars less.

Its one weak point was its styling,

a no-frills, conservative, sedan:

theme with few innovations. But

that didn’t stop thousands of North —

- Americans from buying “the King
* of all Toyotas”.
.Fast-forward to 1995. The
strengthening Japanese Yen has
‘forced Lexus to raise prices to:
! within spitting distance of its com-

my ' 845
Marine Drive

petitors; luxury builders — such as
BMW, Jaguar, and Cadillac —
have introduced exciting new
models; and overall quality levels
amongst domestic and European
luxury cars have improved signifi-
cantly.

In a few short years, Lexus and
other Japanese car makers have
lost the market advantages they
once had. Now they must sell
them based simply on their prod-
uct virtues —— a situation which
seems fairer anyway.

The LS400, Lexus‘ flagship,
has been redesigned for the first
time since 1990. Noteworthy ©
changes include subtle styling
touches to improve aerodynamics;
a longer wheelbase; a larger cabin;
more safety features; 10 more
horsepower and improved fuel
economy. Lexus chose to refine

‘rather than alter. the car's basic

shape. Astute Lexus observers will
notice a redesigned front air-dam,"

new grille, separate rear tail- -lights,

and a new trunklid.

The new LS400 has a drag
coefficient of .28, the lowest of
any car sold in North America —
unbelievable for a four-door sedan.
Though the car’s overall length

“and width are the same, the wheel-

base has been stretched by 35 mm
(1.4 in.). That adds more interior
room to a cabin that was already
very roomy. In addition, the doors
are bigger for easier entry and the
trunk is also slightly larger.:
A-number of safety features

have been added to the new
LS400. In addition to dual airbags

‘and seatbelt pretensioners, the new .

car has additional side-reinforce-
menis, a new collapsible stecring
column that provides for both pri-
mary and secondary collisions,
and a three-point seatbelt system
for the centre rear passenger. For
improved stopping power, the
standard disc brakes with a three- .
channel] ABS system have been .
increased in size by 15%. As
before, the LS400 comes with a

LEXUS FLAGSHIP automobile, the 1995 Lexus 1.S400; features’ mild styling revisions, a

WHO TO CALL:

Auto Editor

Andrew McCredie

985-2131 (147)

POLY RRs INC NUCL ne ae ORL Et SNe

@ largor:

passenger cabin and trunk, 10 more horsepower, improved fuel economy and more safety fea.”

‘tures.

sophisticated traction control sys-
tem to prevent wheelspin of one or.
both driving wheels in slippery
conditions. It can be turned on or
off via a button on the console.
The super-smooth dual over- -
head cam, 32 valve 4.0-litre V8
engine now produces 260 horse-.
power (up from 250), and gear’
ratios have been altered to provide
more punch at low and medium

speeds, the speeds where most dri-

ving is done. Technical improve- ‘
ments to the engine have resulted
in a slight improvement in fuel
consumption which now averages
11.1 litres per 100 kilometres (25 -
m.p.g.) —- a very good figure for a
juxury car. However, the LS400
does require expensive premium
unleaded fuel.

The standard, and only, trans- -

mission is a slick four-speed aute- .

matic which features a new gated
(jagged) shift pattern on the con-
sole. This prevents the driver from
inadvertently moving into the
wrong gear accidentally, and pro-
vides a horizontal (left-right) shift

from third to fourth, making i it eas-

. jer to gear down manually.

Standard features on the LS400
include tastefully applied wood |
trim, superb stitched leather’
upholstery, power tilt/telescopic
steering wheel, back-lit analogue
instruments, left and right temper-
ature controls, air filter in the ven-
tilation system, keyless entry
which ‘can be used to close the. .
power windows, and a 280 watt,
seven-speaker Nakamichi AM/FM
cassette/CD system with a new six
CD changer mounted in a separate
glove-box rather than in the trunk.

The LS400 also offers an

unbeatable warranty: standard four’

:year/80, 000 km coverage plus a:
unique six year/110,000 km pow-
ertrain warranty.

The Manufacturer's Suggested
Retail Price of the 1995 LS400 is

* $75,900. Competitors include the

Jaguar XJ6/Vanden Plas, BMW

740i, Cadillac Seville, Lincoln

Continental, Infiniti Q45, Audi V8,

and Mercedes-Benz E420,
A difficult decision, indeed.

‘MSRP: $75,900:

Type: four-door, five-passenger
luxury sedan’

Layout: ':: longitudinal front™
engine/rear-wheel-drive |.”
Engine: 4.0-litre V8, DOHC, 32°
valves, multi-port fuel injection. '
Horsepower: , 260° @ 5,300:
p.m,

Torque: ‘270 ft “bs. @ 4 500°
rp.m. ; i
Transmission: four-speed auto-.
matic.”

Curb weight: !,675kg (3692 Ibs.)
Wheelbase: 2,850mm (112.2 in.)
Length: 4,995 mm (196.6 in.) :
Width: 1,830 mm (72.0 in.) |:
Tires: P225/60R 16 Bridgestone ”
radials ;

‘Trunk capacity: 394L (13 Seu. ft)
Fuel consumption:' City: 12.8
VL00 km (22 m.p.g.); Hwy: 91

‘ M00 km Gi mpg.)

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