With a move to offer all-wheel drive on its LS 460 and flagship LS 460 L for 2009,
luxury cars that provide four-wheel traction.
Only Audi, with its A8 series of sedans, and Mercedes-Benz, with its S-Class, can compete with the new LS for all-wheel drivetrains, other than Chrysler's 300C AWD and Lincoln's new MKS, at the lower end of the full-size luxury segment, and Bentley's Continental Flying Spur in the upper reaches.
The new all-wheel drive LS shows a trend at Lexus, with its IS 250, GS 350 and LS 600h L also offering power from each corner, which only makes sense being that Lexus has always put safety first, and all-wheel drive has proven to enhance all-weather stability. The brand sells a crossover and SUVs that have always been sold with all- or four-wheel drive, so Lexus is no stranger to the latest drivetrain technologies.
Making use of the same setup used in the brand's LS 600h L hybrid flagship, Lexus incorporates a compact Torsen limited-slop differential for distributing torque between the front and rear axles. Its default setting is 40:60, front to rear, but it will immediate shift the torque from 30:70 to 50:50, depending on demand.
The rest of the all-wheel drive LS models' drivetrain remains the same, which is good news. Its 357-horsepower 4.6-liter V8 is no slouch, with 344 lb-ft of torque on tap, and its eight-speed automatic transmission is one of the best in the industry, optimizing the engine's output and providing good fuel economy for the class.
Lexus' air suspension will be standard, as will the brand's Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS) that “continuously adjusts shock-absorber damping rates” to optimize road conditions and driving style, says Lexus. The Japanese brand's Variable Gear-Ratio Steering (VGRS), which selects the optimal ratio to enhance “responsiveness and driver control”, will also be part of the standard package. Additionally, VGRS works in unison with the Lexus' Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) system, also standard.
All-wheel drive LS models will get standard 18-inch alloy wheels mated to all-season tires on the outside, while a heated wood and leather-trimmed steering wheel plus a power rear sunshade up the ante inside.
Look for the new 2009 LS AWD in Canadian Lexus dealerships next month.
参考译文：
伴随着推出LS 460 的全驱2009款和LS 460 L的旗舰2009版的行动，雷克萨斯车系已经加入数量极少的全尺寸高档四轮驱动的车型的竞争行列当中。
比较起来，奥迪的R8轿车系列和梅赛德斯奔驰的S级车型可以在全驱技术方面与新款的LS大致相当，而诸如克莱斯勒的 300C AWD 和林肯新款的MKS要稍逊一筹,宾利的陆地飞驰（ Continental Flying Spur ）则要稍微优越一些。
新款的全驱车型LS展现了雷克塞斯的发展趋势，它的 IS 250, GS 350 andLS 600h L等车型仍然是由汽车的四个方向各自提供传动，而能够给出合理解释的原因只能是雷克萨斯总是把行驶安全放在第一位以及已经被证明了的车型全驱在全气候下的性能更为优越.事实上，一些全驱或四驱的雷克萨斯的cross车型和SUV车型已经在销售，因此对于最新的汽车驱动技术雷克萨斯已经不再陌生。
为了利用LS混合动力旗舰版车型上的相同结构，莱克萨斯的LS旗舰版设定调紧了汽车前后曲轴的力矩分配的极限数值.现在前后的曲轴设置为40：60，而根据需要会很快从30：70调整到50：50。
而一个好消息是剩下的LS全驱款车型仍然保持不变.4.8L的V8车型拥有的357的马力，344镑的平台转矩以及8级自动变速技术都使得它成为现有车型最好的一款，同时在发动引擎优化和燃油经济上它也有相当好的变现。
同时雷克萨斯还透露一些消息，随着该品牌车型为更好的适应路况和形式作调整，将会对其 通过不断调整减振器阻尼率的不同空气悬置情况进行标准和规范.而且该车型的用于优化比率以改善驾驶控制的变加速技术也随之得到规范，同样得到规范的还有雷克萨斯的车辆动态集成管理系统。
LS的全驱款将会配备18英尺的合金轮胎和适应户外各种气候的轮胎，同时汽车还会有一个由加热后的木片和修剪的皮质组成的方向盘加上车后的一项动力属件用以在车内遮阳。
期待下个月在加拿大由经销商展出的LS AWD200款吧。
（转载）
