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After six years of development, Toyota created a luxury car.

In the seventh year it rested-and introduced the Lexus LS 400 to the U.S. market.

Toyota took the BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes, separated the good features from the bad, then reassembled the parts and components into one machine using only the best features from each.

It then breathed life into the vehicle with a 4-liter, 250-horsepower, V- 8 engine.

Seldom does a car with so much advance billing live up to its reputation. This is jigsaw engineering at its best. And the pieces all fit-snuggly.

The immediate impression is that the Japanese again demonstrated their ability to copy. Lexus sheet metal is similar to Mercedes`, the instrument panel BMW-like and interior seating and design looks to be lifted from Jaguar. You may recall Lexus aroused controversy before it went on sale when LEXIS, the electronic legal information service, charged that the Toyota name was too similar to its own. That dispute was settled out of court.

Yet, despite the similarities to other cars, the Lexus LS 400 we drove stands on its own.

Let`s start with that 4-liter, 250-h.p., 32-valve V-8. It is quick but quiet and has an 18 mile per gallon city/23 m.p.g. highway rating and a 22.5- gallon tank. Touch the pedal and the response is immediate with no waiting to build momentum.

The 4-liter is teamed with an electronically controlled 4-speed automatic. A computer in the transmission “talks“ to the engine`s computer to retard ignition timing for a split second in shifts to reduce engine torque and lessen the load on the transmission to make those shifts smoother and quieter.

There`s also a dual mode, normal or power, setting. The power setting causes shifts at higher engine speeds for increased acceleration. We found the normal setting was more than adequate for the power needed to merge, pass or move from the light at the head of the pack.

The suspension system features independent front and rear double wishbones. Toyota boasts “high caster geometry, small king-pin offset, hydraulic strut bar cushions, pillow ball control arm bushings, low-pressure gas-filled shocks and front and rear stabilizer bars.“

What all that means is above average ride and handling with no roll or lean and the ability to snap into or out of any corner or turn: firmness without harshness. And it`s complemented by four-wheel antilock disc brakes as standard and speed-sensitive power steering that provides maximum response with minimum effort.

Add to this optional traction control ($1,600, which includes heated seats) and you have one heck of a road machine. Traction control is to moving what antilock brakes are to stopping. With traction control, you minimize wheel spin when the tires hit water, snow or ice on the pavement or gravel on side roads. Like the name says-traction control. You keep hold of the sur face. We didn`t have snow or ice, but we did encounter one of those steel floor bridges on which most cars sway and shimmy because the radial tires just don`t grip tightly. With Lexus it was one straight, smooth trip over the steel platform. There was no sideways vibration, no feeling as if we were skating along the surface.

The four-door Lexus sedan is built on a 110.8-inch wheelbase and is 196.7 inches long, or just about the same size as a Buick LeSabre four-door sedan.

The little extras from Toyota quickly become evident, especially in a test car equipped with optional power tilt and telescoping steering wheel ($800 and includes a power memory unit to automatically adjust seats, headrests and outside mirrors). Put the key in the ignition and the wheel powers out toward the driver and then moves into the proper position. Remove the key and the wheel lifts up and retracts toward the dash to provide room to exit the car. Very nice touch.

Other goodies include a shift lock mechanism that makes it impossible to move the gear lever out of park without depressing the brake, a handy fuel tank cover and trunk release lever in the dash to the left of the wheel where it`s easy to see and use, a cup holder that slides out of the center armrest, a tool kit with all the screwdrivers and wrenches needed for emergency service hidden in the left wall of the trunk and a first aid kit for more immediate emergencies hidden in the right wall of the trunk above the optional CD player.

Standard equipment, besides power steering and antilock brakes, includes air conditioning; AM-FM stereo radio with cassette; cruise control; and power windows, mirrors, seats and door locks. A driver`s side air bag also is standard.

One surprise is the length of the option list. Toyota obviously had the choice to make more items standard and increase the $35,000 base price or keep the $35,000 sticker where it was and increase the option list.

Leather seats, sunroof, remote keyless entry, heated front seats, CD player, memory adjustment system for power seats/head rests/mirrors, all- season tires and dealer installed telephone are options.

Will Lexus capture sales from U.S. and European luxury carmakers? We expect so, especially among the pricier BMW and Mercedes.

The Lexus 400 went on sale Sept. 1. According to Toyota, 40 percent of the cars traded in were European makes,12 percent were Cadillacs and 6 percent were Lincolns.

Toyota has come up with a luxury-performance package for less money than the Europeans. But BMW and Mercedes have prestige names, you say. Sure, but Toyota laid the groundwork for the luxury Lexus sedan by building quality small, high-mileage cars and later quality compacts and sports models.

Jaguar has acted to counter Lexus by lowering the price of its XJ-6 sedan to $39,700 and bringing out a new more fully equipped Sovereign sedan at $43,000 for 1990.

BMW and Mercedes have not responded. At BMW, a 525i runs $37,000and a 535i $43,600, but those are 1989 prices. At Mercedes, a 300E sedan runs $44,850, again the `89 price. The 1990 BMW and Mercedes offerings won`t be out or priced for a few weeks.

>> 1990 Lexus Ls 400
Wheelbase: 110.8 inches. Length: 196.7 inches. Engine: 4 liter, 250 h.p. V-6. Transmission: 4-speed automatic. Fuel economy: 18/23 m.p.g. Base price: $35,000. Strong points: Tration control, ABS, the best of existing luxury cars wrapped into one package. Weakpoint: More options than expected to pad the price.

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