Billionaire gives 'thumbs up' to new Lexus luxury hybrid

VANCOUVER -- "I'd rather drive a car than do anything I know."

So says Jimmy Pattison, and after spending an hour cruising Vancouver's North Shore with Canada's fourth-richest man, that's very apparent. One also discovers Pattison likes to drive fast. Very fast.

Once the colourful self-made billionaire figured out how to operate the keyless ignition and push-button emergency brake on the 2008 Lexus LS600h L -- and put his seat belt on "old school" style, with the shoulder belt behind him -- he instinctively piloted the massive executive sedan for a highway off-ramp and a place to wind out the new Lexus flagship.


Within just seconds of turning onto the highway, Pattison had the hybrid luxury car sniffing 160 km/h on an empty section of the TransCanada Highway. With his well-manicured hands firmly gripping the wood and leather-trimmed wheel, he effortlessly and confidently settled into taking the Lexus through its paces.
"Boy, this is some car," the natural-born salesman commented a number of times during the highway run, typically when he'd mat it.
"For the size of this car, it really goes."
He was even more impressed by the groundbreaking LS600h when reminded it is a hybrid.
"Boy, that's something."


That auto instinct that has served the Prairie boy so well during a remarkable six decades in the car business continues to be his guiding force, as the all-new 2008 Lexus LS600h L is indeed really something. Considering a base price of $132,000, it should be.
Essentially a hybrid all-wheel drive version of the Japanese luxury carmaker's flagship LS460 L sedan, thanks to the leading edge Lexus Hybrid System, the LS600h boasts V-12-like power with V-6-like fuel consumption and emissions. The all-new 5.0-litre V-8 gasoline engine works in concert with high-output electric motors and a newly designed large capacity battery pack to produce a wheel-spinning 438 horsepower.


However, even with Pattison's soft leather loafer coaxing the fly-by-wire throttle pedal ever lower, the all-wheel drive system kept that muscular power under refined control. The all-new dual stage electronically continuously variable transmission, or ECVT, also helped Pattison control the big beast in the corners. With the flip of a centre console switch, the drive train can be placed in one of three driving settings as driving conditions warrant -- optimized, maximum performance and maximum control (for snow and ice).


Just as the underpinnings and chassis on the new Lexus flagship are state-of-the-art, so too is the interior, featuring all the 21st century creature comforts a CEO would expect in their golf club ride (though on that note, the trunk space isn't what you'd expect from such a big car, as the battery system takes up a large amount of space under and behind the rear seats. Best to leave the clubs in storage with the pro shop).


Standard features include: 16-way adjustable powered driver's seat; 12-way adjustable powered front passenger's seat; power assist doors; an automatic powered opening and closing trunk; wallet-sized smart card key and push button start; a hard-disc based navigation system with voice recognition; power rear window sunshade and rear side window auto sunshades; a clearance and back-up sensor and back-up camera; accessory power outlets and LED map lamps; and four-zone independent front and rear climate control with air purification, soft-touch heater controls, and rear seat heater ducts.


Not very many options are available; however, one that is reflects the refinement and elegance typical of the Lexus LS600h L. Called the Executive Package, the $26,700 option is in essence a rear passenger seat. But what a seat.


With a push of a button on the wood grain rear centre console, the front passenger seat folds tightly into the front dash; push another button and the rear right seat turns into a full-on chaise lounge, complete with ottoman seat cushion (with its own airbag, incidentally), a shiatsu massage setting that works eight points of the weary executive's body and a high-end DVD entertainment system.


So why wasn't Pattison stretched out in the back watching a Sinatra flick and getting his body worked over shiatsu-style while the reporter drove?
"When I'm in a car, I like to be doing the driving," the 79-year-old replies.
That's not to say the world's 230th richest person doesn't appreciate the finer things available in automobiles.
"I had a '73 Caddy with a TV and fridge in it," he recalls. "I saw it at the Chicago Auto Show back then and bought it off GM after the show."
Much has changed in the car business since the 19-year-old Jimmy Pattison flipped cars to UBC classmates only to drop out of university to work full-time as a salesman for a Vancouver dealership.


"I went up and down Kingsway, which was where all the dealerships were back then, for two weeks looking for a job as a car salesman but was told I was too short and too young. GM told me I had to be six feet to work in the sales department. They offered me a job in the parts department but I wanted to sell."
Of course, sell is what he did, and in 1961, at age 31, he opened his first dealership, a Chrysler store.


What hasn't changed in the business, he says, are the things a successful car salesperson requires.
"Number one, put in the hours. Hard work.
"Number two, be honest.
"Number three, you want to find out what they need, and that's not necessarily what they want when they first walk on the lot. You gotta dig down."
Today, the Jim Pattison Auto Group is B.C.'s largest automotive retailer representing nine brands in 19 locations. These include Toyota-Lexus, Volvo, Hyundai, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Suzuki and Cars Unlimited.
His passion for driving hasn't cooled one bit, even for a man who today owns a big luxury boat and a small fleet of jets.
"I'd take driving over flying any day," he says matter-of-factly, adding,
"If I have a business meeting in Calgary, there's times I'll jump in my car at home in West van at 8 at night and drive all night to get there."