Lexus' flagship luxury saloon has been named the best car in the world by an international panel of journalists. Facing tough competition from the new Audi TT and the revised Mini Cooper, the LS 460 won because of its excellent build quality, reliability, and the luxurious ride. The LS 460 also showcased a number of new technologies that will eventually trickle down to more common cars, which is also the case with its arch-rival, the Mercedes-Benz S-class.
The award was announced at the New York Auto Show, along with the results for the other categories of awards.
Mercedes has been touting its new Bluetec diesel technology and this was recognized by the panel as a deserving winner for the World Green Car of the Year. Audi’s design renaissance is reflected in the new TT, which grabbed the World Car Design award.
The award we’re most interested in, though, is the Performance Car of the Year, which was scooped by the Audi RS 4. Audi has had a reputation for poor ride quality and a lack of steering feel, but the engineers behind the RS 4 have overcome these issues and delivered a true bahnstormer. Next year we expect the performance race to be even tighter with the BMW M3, Audi RS 5, and Mercedes C63 AMG fighting it out for the honors.
For more from the New York Auto Show, head to our dedicated hub.
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