2004 Lexus LS430 Luxury Car Reviews & Ratings

The interior of the Lexus LS 430 is quiet, comfortable and luxurious and is loaded with high-tech gear designed to make driving safe and pleasurable. It isn't a showy interior, but the workmanship and attention to detail are first class. And a number of revisions improve what was already an excellent interior.

Majesty leather upholstery is standard and comes in a choice of Saddle, Ash, Cashmere, Ecru, and Black. We found the light colors beautiful, but no one does black as well as the Germans. Snazzy perforated semi-aniline or luxury leather trim are optional. Rich wood trim in Bird's-Eye Maple or California Walnut warms the LS 430 interior beautifully and there's an optional Antique Walnut with fired edges that's quite interesting.

The seats are roomy and can be quickly adjusted to a comfortable driving position. The driver faces an adjustable steering wheel trimmed in wood and leather with easy-to-use controls for the audio system. Vivid electroluminescent gauges rank among the best available and, for 2004, the needles are white, making the instruments easier to read. Window switches are illuminated, making them easy to find at night.

To the right, at the top of the center stack, is a seven-inch touch screen used to control climate and audio, as well as the optional navigation system. Thankfully, a set of hard buttons integrated along the driver's side of the touch screen is provided for the primary climate controls (temperature, fan speed, Auto, recirculate, defrost). A similar set of buttons to the right allows quick access to key navigation and audio functions. This combination of hard buttons and touch-screen buttons seems to work well. You can also use voice commands to direct the action: "68 degrees." Your passenger should have no trouble finding and adjusting the separate temperature control. The automatic climate system reads temperature sensors around the cabin and aims cool air specifically at any hot spots where the sun is baring down.

The navigation system is improved for 2004 with more datapoints (5.6 million vs. last year's 785,000). It's also more sophisticated, using icons to show points of interest, and even displays building footprints in Manhattan and Chicago. Navigation systems are getting better every year. A new backup camera can help the driver spot objects behind the car. Whenever Reverse is selected, the system automatically projects an image (in living color) onto the navigation screen of whatever the camera lens can detect behind the car. Looking at this screen can help the driver spot objects that might be difficult to see in the mirrors or over the shoulder. As if that wasn't enough, the navigation system is linked to the optional Lexus Dual Mode Mobile Phone. For example, if a point of interest is called up on the navigation screen, a push of a button will dial the location directly.

Bluetooth is part of the optional navigation system as well. When combined with a Bluetooth-equipped phone, this wireless technology allows the driver to transfer personal phone books to the navigation system and make hands-free phone calls using the car's touch-screen display. Customers can place a hands-free call in different ways depending on their preference. To help prevent driver distraction, the one-touch dial feature is the only dialing function that a customer can access when the vehicle is in motion. The system can store up to 18 one-touch dial numbers. Some Bluetooth functions are disabled when the vehicle is in motion, but the driver can use steering wheel controls to answer and end calls as well as adjust call volume. This greatly extends the utility of the handheld cell phone, which can remain in the driver's pocket while underway. The system can be programmed to work with up to four different phones. The Lexus dealer orders a compatible phone for you from a wide choice of major providers.

A small LED display above the navigation screen displays driver's and passenger's temperature setting, outside ambient temperature, and the time. Directly below the navigation screen is a pair of vents that can oscillate from side to side, just like that little fan you have out in the garage.

Below, the standard audio system includes an in-dash, single-feed six-disc CD changer, and a 15-function information display with a trip computer with compass. The audio controls are large, elegant, and easy to adjust. The optional Mark Levinson premium audio system is designed to deliver optimal sound quality regardless of where you're sitting. Presets allow the drive to optimize the sound quality according to the number and placement of your passengers. Speaker placement has been modified for 2004 for better sound imaging. XM Satellite Radio is available by subscription, eliminating the need for the driver to reset stations when driving long distance. This brings CD-quality music and 24-hour news and sports channels into the cabin.

Back seat passengers will find lots of leg room, comfortable and luxurious accommodations, and convenience features that aren't even included in the front seats of some cars. The three-person rear bench has contoured spaces for two and a broad center fold-down armrest. The armrest features a padded storage drawer and a panel to control the heated seats, compact disc player and rear climate system. Extensive applications of leather and rich wood set an opulent mood.

Passive safety features include seat-mounted side airbags, rear side curtain airbags (important for head protection), new knee airbags, in addition to the dual frontal airbags. Most important are the seatbelts, which feature pretensioners, force limiters, and retractors, so be sure to use them. The optional Pre-Collision System uses radar to detect obstacles in front of the car and, if it determines an accident is unavoidable, it can preemptively retract the driverÆs and front passengerÆs seatbelts. PCS also prepares the Brake Assist which, after the driver applies the brakes, automatically applies increased braking force to help reduce collision speed.

The Lexus LS 430 sets the benchmark for smooth ride quality. This is one smooth, quiet car, and riding in it is very pleasant. The engine is barely audible. Mechanical and road vibration is damped out. No other automaker does a better job than Lexus in creating a zone of serenity for driver and passengers.

The LS 430 handles well for such a large, luxurious sedan. It responds predictably when driven to the limit of the tires in corners, though it doesn't encourage you to do so the way a BMW does. The softness of the suspension results in squirmy transient response when compared with say, the BMW 745i. But the LS 430 does generate lots of grip and offers the responsiveness afforded by rear-wheel drive and double-wishbone suspension front and rear. New monotube shock absorbers improve handling for 2004. The new shocks are larger and more technologically advanced, resulting in flatter cornering response and a smoother ride. The steering system has also been improved for 2004, providing more road feel, more feedback, more precision.

Two suspension options are available, a sport suspension and an air suspension. The Sport Package features a sport-tuned suspension and 18-inch wheels and tires. This setup improves handling feel while maintaining a smooth, comfortable ride. While Mercedes and other manufacturers offer sport suspension packages that result in a harsh, choppy ride, this isn't one of them. Even with the sport suspension, the LS 430 rides smoothly and softly. The optional air suspension allows the driver to switch between two shock-damping modes (and to raise the ride height for driving in deep snow). However, the car floats a little more on the air suspension, even in the Sport mode, making it feel bigger, more boatlike. For this reason, we prefer the sport suspension.

The Lexus V8 is smooth and quiet, and the new six-speed automatic shifts so smoothly it's almost seamless. The 4.3-liter V8 generates 290 horsepower and 320 pounds-feet of torque. Acceleration performance has been improved significantly over last year's model. Lexus says the 2004 LS 430 can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds, a significant improvement over last year's 6.3-second performance. The performance improvement is almost entirely a result of the new six-speed automatic. First gear is lower, and second, third, and fourth gears are closer together, all of which makes for a quicker launch and quicker acceleration. Yet the LS 430 still earns an EPA-estimated 18/25 mpg City/Highway, a benefit of the transmission's long-legged fifth and sixth gears. The driver can manually control shifting, though we found it usually best to put it in Drive and let it does its job. Engine and transmission are designed to favor smoothness over performance, however, so they do not offer the crispness of a BMW powertrain, the other end of the spectrum. The engine's electronic throttle control (drive-by-wire) system helps smooth acceleration from a standing start by very slightly delaying throttle opening when the driver steps on the accelerator pedal, and the transmission favors smoothness over shifting speed. But overall, the Lexus V8 and six-speed automatic are a powerful team, delivering strong acceleration performance for quick passing and freeway merging.

The brakes are responsive and easy to modulate for smooth stopping power. Four-channel, four sensor ABS helps the driver maintain steering control during panic stops. Brake Assist is designed to determine if the driver is attempting emergency braking and, if the driver has not stepped hard enough on the brake pedal to activate the anti-lock brake system, it applies maximum braking pressure until pedal pressure is released. Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) is an excellent active safety feature that helps control side skids under demanding conditions by correcting loss of lateral traction during cornering. VSC integrates traction control to help limit rear wheel spin on slippery road surfaces.

The optional Dynamic Laser Cruise Control system is designed to maintain a set distance from the vehicle traveling in front.

The Lexus LS 430 is powered by a 290-horsepower 4.3-liter aluminum V8 and comes standard with a new six-speed automatic transmission. The LS 430 comes as one model, loaded with every feature expected of a flagship luxury sedan and more. For 2004, Lexus has added as standard equipment features that were previously optional, including a power moonroof with an auto open/close feature, a power rear sunshade, and lighted rear-seat vanity mirrors.

Several important option packages are available. A Sport Package sharpens the handling of the LS 430 with a sport-tuned suspension and 18-inch wheels and 245/45R18 summer tires.

In addition to the leather upholstery that comes standard, two grades of leather trim are available as optional, Semi-Aniline and Comfort. A Premium Package adds front climate-controlled (heating/cooling) seats, heated rear seats, and sonar-based Intuitive Parking Assist.

A Custom Luxury Package is available with the new pre-collision system, the new Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Intuitive Parking Assist, a navigation system with rear back-up camera and Bluetooth, a Mark Levinson audio system, climate-controlled front seats with fans that circulate heated or chilled air, rear seat heaters, a four-spoke steering wheel trimmed in wood and leather, a voice-command system, headlamp washers, and power door closers. The aptly named Ultra Luxury Package features all that plus an air suspension, SmartAccess, rear door sunshades, a rear seat adjuster with power slide and memory, rear climate-controlled seats, rear air conditioner with optical deodorizer, rear swivel reading lamps, and other rear-seat features.