Video & Photo Gallery: 2018 Lexus LS 500 in Manganese Luster

Black Dynamite

It's been a couple of days and I feel no better about being swerved by Lexus on the concept. The concept shouldn't have been sent out if it had nothing to do with the production car. This car looks weak and lacks every ounce of presence the LF-FC had. The car is two cylinders short and the interior graphics on the dash look like a nightmare compared to the incredible infotainment Mercedes brought to mark. A huge disappointment that will reflect in sales after 2018. It's sales will sink like a stone, and Mercedes execs are smiling from ear-to-ear right now.

It's almost as if some bean-counter did an analysis on the clearer better design last year and said "We can't afford to make it look THIS good!" and Lexus went to Plan B, which is weak sauce, in comparison. This car looks like a rough draft of the next LS, and they picked it back up off the cutting room floor a few months ago.

What a shame, the fact that Lexus showed last year they COULD be better than this, but chose not to be. Last year, I was getting Filet Mignon. This year, Filet-O-Fish? Bait-and-switch. Not cool.
BD

BD, with all due respect, you're reaching pretty far into the future here - sales will "sink like a stone" after 2018, Mercedes execs "smiling from ear to ear", dash is a "nightmare," car is "weak."

Your post contains a lot of drama and it's clear that you're feeling burned, but if the LS runs with or faster than the S and 7, nobody is going to call this engine underpowered or lament the loss of a V8. Lexus specifically went to great lengths to improve NVH and harshness, so I have a feeling this new V6 is going to end up even smoother than the 2UR-FSE. I don't really know how you drive, but for most intents and purposes, torque is what makes a car feel fast on the street. The 2UR-FSE is too torque deficient to fight fair and square with the S550 and 750iL. If this new engine is smoother, quieter, faster and pulls harder, then why does it matter how many cylinders it has?

I know you've been around a while and are a long time Lexus fan... not sure why you're so upset about the translation from LF-FC to LS 500. Concept cars never make it to production unscathed for a number of reasons. I actually think the LS 500 looks a good bit like the LF-FC, maybe 80% or so. That's what I expected, and with the help of Carmaker1 and others, we had plenty of indications of what to expect.

Black Dynamite

It's been a couple of days and I feel no better about being swerved by Lexus on the concept. The concept shouldn't have been sent out if it had nothing to do with the production car. This car looks weak and lacks every ounce of presence the LF-FC had. The car is two cylinders short and the interior graphics on the dash look like a nightmare compared to the incredible infotainment Mercedes brought to mark. A huge disappointment that will reflect in sales after 2018. It's sales will sink like a stone, and Mercedes execs are smiling from ear-to-ear right now.

It's almost as if some bean-counter did an analysis on the clearer better design last year and said "We can't afford to make it look THIS good!" and Lexus went to Plan B, which is weak sauce, in comparison. This car looks like a rough draft of the next LS, and they picked it back up off the cutting room floor a few months ago.

What a shame, the fact that Lexus showed last year they COULD be better than this, but chose not to be. Last year, I was getting Filet Mignon. This year, Filet-O-Fish? Bait-and-switch. Not cool.
BD

BD, with all due respect, you're reaching pretty far into the future here - sales will "sink like a stone" after 2018, Mercedes execs "smiling from ear to ear", dash is a "nightmare," car is "weak."

Your post contains a lot of drama and it's clear that you're feeling burned, but if the LS runs with or faster than the S and 7, nobody is going to call this engine underpowered or lament the loss of a V8. Lexus specifically went to great lengths to improve NVH and harshness, so I have a feeling this new V6 is going to end up even smoother than the 2UR-FSE. I don't really know how you drive, but for most intents and purposes, torque is what makes a car feel fast on the street. The 2UR-FSE is too torque deficient to fight fair and square with the S550 and 750iL. If this new engine is smoother, quieter, faster and pulls harder, then why does it matter how many cylinders it has?

I know you've been around a while and are a long time Lexus fan... not sure why you're so upset about the translation from LF-FC to LS 500. Concept cars never make it to production unscathed for a number of reasons. I actually think the LS 500 looks a good bit like the LF-FC, maybe 80% or so. That's what I expected, and with the help of Carmaker1 and others, we had plenty of indications of what to expect.

Black Dynamite

It's been a couple of days and I feel no better about being swerved by Lexus on the concept. The concept shouldn't have been sent out if it had nothing to do with the production car. This car looks weak and lacks every ounce of presence the LF-FC had. The car is two cylinders short and the interior graphics on the dash look like a nightmare compared to the incredible infotainment Mercedes brought to mark. A huge disappointment that will reflect in sales after 2018. It's sales will sink like a stone, and Mercedes execs are smiling from ear-to-ear right now.

It's almost as if some bean-counter did an analysis on the clearer better design last year and said "We can't afford to make it look THIS good!" and Lexus went to Plan B, which is weak sauce, in comparison. This car looks like a rough draft of the next LS, and they picked it back up off the cutting room floor a few months ago.

What a shame, the fact that Lexus showed last year they COULD be better than this, but chose not to be. Last year, I was getting Filet Mignon. This year, Filet-O-Fish? Bait-and-switch. Not cool.
BD

BD, with all due respect, you're reaching pretty far into the future here - sales will "sink like a stone" after 2018, Mercedes execs "smiling from ear to ear", dash is a "nightmare," car is "weak."

Your post contains a lot of drama and it's clear that you're feeling burned, but if the LS runs with or faster than the S and 7, nobody is going to call this engine underpowered or lament the loss of a V8. Lexus specifically went to great lengths to improve NVH and harshness, so I have a feeling this new V6 is going to end up even smoother than the 2UR-FSE. I don't really know how you drive, but for most intents and purposes, torque is what makes a car feel fast on the street. The 2UR-FSE is too torque deficient to fight fair and square with the S550 and 750iL. If this new engine is smoother, quieter, faster and pulls harder, then why does it matter how many cylinders it has?

I know you've been around a while and are a long time Lexus fan... not sure why you're so upset about the translation from LF-FC to LS 500. Concept cars never make it to production unscathed for a number of reasons. I actually think the LS 500 looks a good bit like the LF-FC, maybe 80% or so. That's what I expected, and with the help of Carmaker1 and others, we had plenty of indications of what to expect.

Black Dynamite

It's been a couple of days and I feel no better about being swerved by Lexus on the concept. The concept shouldn't have been sent out if it had nothing to do with the production car. This car looks weak and lacks every ounce of presence the LF-FC had. The car is two cylinders short and the interior graphics on the dash look like a nightmare compared to the incredible infotainment Mercedes brought to mark. A huge disappointment that will reflect in sales after 2018. It's sales will sink like a stone, and Mercedes execs are smiling from ear-to-ear right now.

It's almost as if some bean-counter did an analysis on the clearer better design last year and said "We can't afford to make it look THIS good!" and Lexus went to Plan B, which is weak sauce, in comparison. This car looks like a rough draft of the next LS, and they picked it back up off the cutting room floor a few months ago.

What a shame, the fact that Lexus showed last year they COULD be better than this, but chose not to be. Last year, I was getting Filet Mignon. This year, Filet-O-Fish? Bait-and-switch. Not cool.
BD

BD, with all due respect, you're reaching pretty far into the future here - sales will "sink like a stone" after 2018, Mercedes execs "smiling from ear to ear", dash is a "nightmare," car is "weak."

Your post contains a lot of drama and it's clear that you're feeling burned, but if the LS runs with or faster than the S and 7, nobody is going to call this engine underpowered or lament the loss of a V8. Lexus specifically went to great lengths to improve NVH and harshness, so I have a feeling this new V6 is going to end up even smoother than the 2UR-FSE. I don't really know how you drive, but for most intents and purposes, torque is what makes a car feel fast on the street. The 2UR-FSE is too torque deficient to fight fair and square with the S550 and 750iL. If this new engine is smoother, quieter, faster and pulls harder, then why does it matter how many cylinders it has?

I know you've been around a while and are a long time Lexus fan... not sure why you're so upset about the translation from LF-FC to LS 500. Concept cars never make it to production unscathed for a number of reasons. I actually think the LS 500 looks a good bit like the LF-FC, maybe 80% or so. That's what I expected, and with the help of Carmaker1 and others, we had plenty of indications of what to expect.

Gecko

I actually think the LS 500 looks a good bit like the LF-FC, maybe 80% or so. That's what I expected, and with the help of Carmaker1 and others, we had plenty of indications of what to expect

I see the same thing Gecko, The rear end is the only part of the car that didn't look like the LF-LC to me. The Car as a Whole is pretty much what I expected it to look like.

I wanted/expected a V8 to be in the LS500, at least as an option,but with the numbers the V6 TT is putting out, the smoothness/response they are saying it produces, I'm not disappointed.

Gecko

I actually think the LS 500 looks a good bit like the LF-FC, maybe 80% or so. That's what I expected, and with the help of Carmaker1 and others, we had plenty of indications of what to expect

I see the same thing Gecko, The rear end is the only part of the car that didn't look like the LF-LC to me. The Car as a Whole is pretty much what I expected it to look like.

I wanted/expected a V8 to be in the LS500, at least as an option,but with the numbers the V6 TT is putting out, the smoothness/response they are saying it produces, I'm not disappointed.

Gecko

I actually think the LS 500 looks a good bit like the LF-FC, maybe 80% or so. That's what I expected, and with the help of Carmaker1 and others, we had plenty of indications of what to expect

I see the same thing Gecko, The rear end is the only part of the car that didn't look like the LF-LC to me. The Car as a Whole is pretty much what I expected it to look like.

I wanted/expected a V8 to be in the LS500, at least as an option,but with the numbers the V6 TT is putting out, the smoothness/response they are saying it produces, I'm not disappointed.

Gecko

I actually think the LS 500 looks a good bit like the LF-FC, maybe 80% or so. That's what I expected, and with the help of Carmaker1 and others, we had plenty of indications of what to expect

I see the same thing Gecko, The rear end is the only part of the car that didn't look like the LF-LC to me. The Car as a Whole is pretty much what I expected it to look like.

I wanted/expected a V8 to be in the LS500, at least as an option,but with the numbers the V6 TT is putting out, the smoothness/response they are saying it produces, I'm not disappointed.

I still feel ambivalent about some of the 5LS' exterior and interior styling cues, and wish they hadn't fallen into the German (and Lexus' own hybrid) inflated number naming conventions. (Why not just call it an LS 350t? It would be so much more honest). Yet, when I saw the new LS drive away at the end of one of the official videos, I had an epiphany of sorts: Lexus is going its own way and marching to its own drummer in the upper executive car segment. The LC could've been a mundane, conservative coupe inspired by the BMW 6-Series or Mercedes' E and S-Class coupes. Instead, the concept, design and even the front-midship engine placement aimed directly at Maserati and Aston Martin. With the 5LS, Lexus' aim was less the conservative S-Class/7-Series/A8 triad and more the Porsche Panamera. Sure, the 5LS isn't a hatchback, but the new LS is unique in marrying an executive, chauffeur-worthy interior (still with optional reclining seat ottoman on the passenger side) with 4-door coupesque styling. Does it look a bit hunchbacked in the process? Yes, but so did the 1st-gen Panamera. The latter's styling only became truly lustworthy with the 2nd generation. Perhaps the 5LS may be the perfect S-Class/Panamera best-of-all-worlds mashups as a driving experience, one that may make us overlook all its aesthetic foibles.

I still feel ambivalent about some of the 5LS' exterior and interior styling cues, and wish they hadn't fallen into the German (and Lexus' own hybrid) inflated number naming conventions. (Why not just call it an LS 350t? It would be so much more honest). Yet, when I saw the new LS drive away at the end of one of the official videos, I had an epiphany of sorts: Lexus is going its own way and marching to its own drummer in the upper executive car segment. The LC could've been a mundane, conservative coupe inspired by the BMW 6-Series or Mercedes' E and S-Class coupes. Instead, the concept, design and even the front-midship engine placement aimed directly at Maserati and Aston Martin. With the 5LS, Lexus' aim was less the conservative S-Class/7-Series/A8 triad and more the Porsche Panamera. Sure, the 5LS isn't a hatchback, but the new LS is unique in marrying an executive, chauffeur-worthy interior (still with optional reclining seat ottoman on the passenger side) with 4-door coupesque styling. Does it look a bit hunchbacked in the process? Yes, but so did the 1st-gen Panamera. The latter's styling only became truly lustworthy with the 2nd generation. Perhaps the 5LS may be the perfect S-Class/Panamera best-of-all-worlds mashups as a driving experience, one that may make us overlook all its aesthetic foibles.

I still feel ambivalent about some of the 5LS' exterior and interior styling cues, and wish they hadn't fallen into the German (and Lexus' own hybrid) inflated number naming conventions. (Why not just call it an LS 350t? It would be so much more honest). Yet, when I saw the new LS drive away at the end of one of the official videos, I had an epiphany of sorts: Lexus is going its own way and marching to its own drummer in the upper executive car segment. The LC could've been a mundane, conservative coupe inspired by the BMW 6-Series or Mercedes' E and S-Class coupes. Instead, the concept, design and even the front-midship engine placement aimed directly at Maserati and Aston Martin. With the 5LS, Lexus' aim was less the conservative S-Class/7-Series/A8 triad and more the Porsche Panamera. Sure, the 5LS isn't a hatchback, but the new LS is unique in marrying an executive, chauffeur-worthy interior (still with optional reclining seat ottoman on the passenger side) with 4-door coupesque styling. Does it look a bit hunchbacked in the process? Yes, but so did the 1st-gen Panamera. The latter's styling only became truly lustworthy with the 2nd generation. Perhaps the 5LS may be the perfect S-Class/Panamera best-of-all-worlds mashups as a driving experience, one that may make us overlook all its aesthetic foibles.

I still feel ambivalent about some of the 5LS' exterior and interior styling cues, and wish they hadn't fallen into the German (and Lexus' own hybrid) inflated number naming conventions. (Why not just call it an LS 350t? It would be so much more honest). Yet, when I saw the new LS drive away at the end of one of the official videos, I had an epiphany of sorts: Lexus is going its own way and marching to its own drummer in the upper executive car segment. The LC could've been a mundane, conservative coupe inspired by the BMW 6-Series or Mercedes' E and S-Class coupes. Instead, the concept, design and even the front-midship engine placement aimed directly at Maserati and Aston Martin. With the 5LS, Lexus' aim was less the conservative S-Class/7-Series/A8 triad and more the Porsche Panamera. Sure, the 5LS isn't a hatchback, but the new LS is unique in marrying an executive, chauffeur-worthy interior (still with optional reclining seat ottoman on the passenger side) with 4-door coupesque styling. Does it look a bit hunchbacked in the process? Yes, but so did the 1st-gen Panamera. The latter's styling only became truly lustworthy with the 2nd generation. Perhaps the 5LS may be the perfect S-Class/Panamera best-of-all-worlds mashups as a driving experience, one that may make us overlook all its aesthetic foibles.

Who wants to see the 2018 LS 500 & 2018 LC 50o Together :)



Stitched together..more to come soon

Who wants to see the 2018 LS 500 & 2018 LC 50o Together :)



Stitched together..more to come soon

Who wants to see the 2018 LS 500 & 2018 LC 50o Together :)



Stitched together..more to come soon

Who wants to see the 2018 LS 500 & 2018 LC 50o Together :)



Stitched together..more to come soon

mikeavelli

Who wants to see the 2018 LS 500 & 2018 LC 50o Together :)



Stitched together..more to come soon

better rims

mikeavelli

Who wants to see the 2018 LS 500 & 2018 LC 50o Together :)



Stitched together..more to come soon

better rims

mikeavelli

Who wants to see the 2018 LS 500 & 2018 LC 50o Together :)



Stitched together..more to come soon

better rims

mikeavelli

Who wants to see the 2018 LS 500 & 2018 LC 50o Together :)



Stitched together..more to come soon

better rims

@mikeavelli thanks for the video. I can't wait to see more.

Seriously guys... LOOK HOW MUCH BETTER THIS CAR LOOKS WITH A (somewhat) RESPECTABLE PAIR OF RIMS.

@mikeavelli thanks for the video. I can't wait to see more.

Seriously guys... LOOK HOW MUCH BETTER THIS CAR LOOKS WITH A (somewhat) RESPECTABLE PAIR OF RIMS.

@mikeavelli thanks for the video. I can't wait to see more.

Seriously guys... LOOK HOW MUCH BETTER THIS CAR LOOKS WITH A (somewhat) RESPECTABLE PAIR OF RIMS.

@mikeavelli thanks for the video. I can't wait to see more.

Seriously guys... LOOK HOW MUCH BETTER THIS CAR LOOKS WITH A (somewhat) RESPECTABLE PAIR OF RIMS.

I still can't get over the side profile of this car. Everything else looks great.

Levi

Yes, comparatively the VAG execution is quite crude and outdated, as seen here in the "luxurious" Audi Q7.

While I agree the Lexus solution is far more artful, there's no reason to put the Audi's interior in quotes. That's one of the best interiors in its class; it's actually very well done, as is the Q7 in general. Shame about that exterior though...

I still can't get over the side profile of this car. Everything else looks great.

Levi

Yes, comparatively the VAG execution is quite crude and outdated, as seen here in the "luxurious" Audi Q7.

While I agree the Lexus solution is far more artful, there's no reason to put the Audi's interior in quotes. That's one of the best interiors in its class; it's actually very well done, as is the Q7 in general. Shame about that exterior though...

I still can't get over the side profile of this car. Everything else looks great.

Levi

Yes, comparatively the VAG execution is quite crude and outdated, as seen here in the "luxurious" Audi Q7.

While I agree the Lexus solution is far more artful, there's no reason to put the Audi's interior in quotes. That's one of the best interiors in its class; it's actually very well done, as is the Q7 in general. Shame about that exterior though...

I still can't get over the side profile of this car. Everything else looks great.

Levi

Yes, comparatively the VAG execution is quite crude and outdated, as seen here in the "luxurious" Audi Q7.

While I agree the Lexus solution is far more artful, there's no reason to put the Audi's interior in quotes. That's one of the best interiors in its class; it's actually very well done, as is the Q7 in general. Shame about that exterior though...

Serpens

While I agree the Lexus solution is far more artful, there's no reason to put the Audi's interior in quotes. That's one of the best interiors in its class; it's actually very well done, as is the Q7 in general. Shame about that exterior though...

I know it's a matter for another thread, but surprised that anyone thinks the Q7 interior is anything close to best in class. Only Audi could get away with that much black plastic and not be heckled for it.

Serpens

While I agree the Lexus solution is far more artful, there's no reason to put the Audi's interior in quotes. That's one of the best interiors in its class; it's actually very well done, as is the Q7 in general. Shame about that exterior though...

I know it's a matter for another thread, but surprised that anyone thinks the Q7 interior is anything close to best in class. Only Audi could get away with that much black plastic and not be heckled for it.