1996 Lexus LS400 LS review from UK and Ireland

Brought my dream car with 89000 on the clock, and absolutely nothing has gone wrong with the car.

In the following months, there was a very minor rattle coming from the gear stick area. After weeks of inspection, can you believe that it was actually coming from the cigarette lighter. The cigarette lighter was rattling in its holder (and I was thinking that it was coming from the transmission itself!!! thank god it wasn't). So I just forced a small piece of card into the gap between lighter and holder, and no rattling now!!!

The car is fantastic; that's the first thing that comes to mind.

You have to remember that Lexus is all about luxury, quietness, and technology, and not so much handling. I know that the car does receive criticism in that aspect of driving. I have driven Mercedes and BMWs, and have to say that no car is as luxurious as the LS400.

It met all the expectations I had about the car. No car is quieter, I just can't stress that enough. The acceleration is extremely smooth and rapid, but not instantaneous, except when you put it in sports mode, when it can give some sports cars a run for their money (when you consider that the car nearly weighs two tonnes).

The rears seats are extremely comfortable, and I do actually prefer to be driven than driving the car (it's that comfortable). Just being seated in the car gives you the feeling that this is a very special car. The stereo is absolutely fantastic, and is actually designed to produce near perfect concert sound. Sometimes I just get into the car to listen to music. To get the best from the system, use original CDs than burned discs from a PC.

I think that a lot of people cannot comprehend that Lexus had what it took to develop a world class luxury car in their first attempt and succeeded at that. I understand that some people make opinions of the car without even driving it. I'm sure that if those anti-Lexus people gave it a chance to find out the actual purpose of the car (i.e providing a quiet ride, comfort etc) I'm sure they won't be disappointed (that's if they approach it with an open mind).