CAR Magazine Review: The 2018 Lexus LS 500h Hybrid

Posted by Kevin on February 22nd, 2018

Ben Oliver at CAR Magazine has written a balanced review of the new Lexus LS 500h hybrid:

I’d usually let you decide for yourself about a car’s exterior design but as you’re unlikely ever to see an LS in the metal, here’s what I think. I love it. In proportion if not in detail, this is how the Maserati Quattroporte (not a fan) should have looked.

It’s a 3.5-litre atmo V6 with the new Lexus Multi-Stage hybrid system and a CVT transmission, first seen in the LC coupe and retuned slightly for the saloon. Its system total of 354bhp is worked hard by the 2340kg mass of the car. Exiting a roundabout at the pace of a chauffeur just starting to get worried about delivering you to the airport on time easily sends the needle to 3000rpm or beyond to deliver the required torque, and an unpleasant moo-whine-thrash into the cabin.

Also buried in the review is this technical tidbit to file for future reference:

The car’s deputy chief engineer told me there hadn’t been time to hybridise the twin-turbo version of the V6 before this car was launched, but the job was now in hand. More torque lower down would probably solve both the refinement and the engagement issues, and make the LS a much better car.

Lexus LS: Fourth GenerationReviews
Popular Stories

Sorry. No data so far.

Comments
L
mikeavelli
Yes 5,100 lbs is wow but it was AWD. Not sure why this spec was sent/chosen. Weird. I just don't understand the inclusion of the Continental.
All the cars in the comparison are AWD models.
L
mikeavelli
Yes 5,100 lbs is wow but it was AWD. Not sure why this spec was sent/chosen. Weird. I just don't understand the inclusion of the Continental.
All the cars in the comparison are AWD models.
Tragic Bronson
mikeavelli
Yes 5,100 lbs is wow but it was AWD. Not sure why this spec was sent/chosen. Weird. I just don't understand the inclusion of the Continental.
Weird, but probably the same reason why the S Class wasn't in this test either, it might have won their test too easily.
Tragic Bronson
mikeavelli
Yes 5,100 lbs is wow but it was AWD. Not sure why this spec was sent/chosen. Weird. I just don't understand the inclusion of the Continental.
Weird, but probably the same reason why the S Class wasn't in this test either, it might have won their test too easily.
Tragic Bronson
mikeavelli
Yes 5,100 lbs is wow but it was AWD. Not sure why this spec was sent/chosen. Weird. I just don't understand the inclusion of the Continental.
Weird, but probably the same reason why the S Class wasn't in this test either, it might have won their test too easily.
Joaquin Ruhi
mikeavelli
Weird. I just don't understand the inclusion of the Continental.
Tragic Bronson
Weird, but probably the same reason why the S Class wasn't in this test either, it might have won their test too easily.
These excerpts from the Motor Trend comparison answer your comments and objections:
For decades, the default choice when buying an executive luxury sedan has been the Mercedes-Benz S-Class...

...We assembled four Mercedes S-Class challengers from each major auto-producing nation to see which has the best shot at challenging the Merc on its throne...

... Representing the stars and stripes is the 2017 Lincoln Continental AWD Black Label 3.0. Wait, you say, why isn’t the California-born and -bred Tesla Model S the American pick? After all, it is far and away the best-seller in this segment—it even outsells the Mercedes S-Class—so we reasoned we’d hold it back for a future test with this comparison’s winner and the S-Class. As for the “other” big American luxury car, the Cadillac CT6, well, it’s unimpressive, finishing third to the Mercedes E-Class and Volvo S90 in its last comparison. With no major changes to the CT6 since then, we thought we’d give the Continental, a proper flagship for the Lincoln lineup, its shot at glory.
Joaquin Ruhi
mikeavelli
Weird. I just don't understand the inclusion of the Continental.
Tragic Bronson
Weird, but probably the same reason why the S Class wasn't in this test either, it might have won their test too easily.
These excerpts from the Motor Trend comparison answer your comments and objections:
For decades, the default choice when buying an executive luxury sedan has been the Mercedes-Benz S-Class...

...We assembled four Mercedes S-Class challengers from each major auto-producing nation to see which has the best shot at challenging the Merc on its throne...

... Representing the stars and stripes is the 2017 Lincoln Continental AWD Black Label 3.0. Wait, you say, why isn’t the California-born and -bred Tesla Model S the American pick? After all, it is far and away the best-seller in this segment—it even outsells the Mercedes S-Class—so we reasoned we’d hold it back for a future test with this comparison’s winner and the S-Class. As for the “other” big American luxury car, the Cadillac CT6, well, it’s unimpressive, finishing third to the Mercedes E-Class and Volvo S90 in its last comparison. With no major changes to the CT6 since then, we thought we’d give the Continental, a proper flagship for the Lincoln lineup, its shot at glory.
Joaquin Ruhi
mikeavelli
Weird. I just don't understand the inclusion of the Continental.
Tragic Bronson
Weird, but probably the same reason why the S Class wasn't in this test either, it might have won their test too easily.
These excerpts from the Motor Trend comparison answer your comments and objections:
For decades, the default choice when buying an executive luxury sedan has been the Mercedes-Benz S-Class...

...We assembled four Mercedes S-Class challengers from each major auto-producing nation to see which has the best shot at challenging the Merc on its throne...

... Representing the stars and stripes is the 2017 Lincoln Continental AWD Black Label 3.0. Wait, you say, why isn’t the California-born and -bred Tesla Model S the American pick? After all, it is far and away the best-seller in this segment—it even outsells the Mercedes S-Class—so we reasoned we’d hold it back for a future test with this comparison’s winner and the S-Class. As for the “other” big American luxury car, the Cadillac CT6, well, it’s unimpressive, finishing third to the Mercedes E-Class and Volvo S90 in its last comparison. With no major changes to the CT6 since then, we thought we’d give the Continental, a proper flagship for the Lincoln lineup, its shot at glory.
S
Gecko
Yikes - those reviews are pretty tough. With so much of the world only getting the 500h, it seems like Lexus should have put more time, effort and thought into that powertrain.

It seemed to work so well in the LC 500h... what is different here? The weight? I think the 500h with executive package is around 5,000lbs, no?
Difference is that it is UK reviews, most likely. All UK reviews say it is a cruiser that cant do turns well, while MT tests show it handles the turns the best. But really nothing changes there, that has always been the case. Some Euro reviews also say some of the interior is cheap while MT says it is most opulent.
S
Gecko
Yikes - those reviews are pretty tough. With so much of the world only getting the 500h, it seems like Lexus should have put more time, effort and thought into that powertrain.

It seemed to work so well in the LC 500h... what is different here? The weight? I think the 500h with executive package is around 5,000lbs, no?
Difference is that it is UK reviews, most likely. All UK reviews say it is a cruiser that cant do turns well, while MT tests show it handles the turns the best. But really nothing changes there, that has always been the case. Some Euro reviews also say some of the interior is cheap while MT says it is most opulent.
S
Gecko
Yikes - those reviews are pretty tough. With so much of the world only getting the 500h, it seems like Lexus should have put more time, effort and thought into that powertrain.

It seemed to work so well in the LC 500h... what is different here? The weight? I think the 500h with executive package is around 5,000lbs, no?
Difference is that it is UK reviews, most likely. All UK reviews say it is a cruiser that cant do turns well, while MT tests show it handles the turns the best. But really nothing changes there, that has always been the case. Some Euro reviews also say some of the interior is cheap while MT says it is most opulent.
S
AutoExpress:
This wouldn’t matter so much, of course, if the LS felt light on its feet - in the same way that the A8 undoubtedly trades off a bit of overall comfort for an unusual level of dynamic prowess. But the LS still manages to deliver a fair amount of body roll in corners; in fact, it feels all of its 2.4 tonnes if you try to throw it around, and never shrinks around you in the same way as the Audi. The steering is light and inert, too, making it hard to feel any real sense of connection with what’s going on beneath you.
MT
"The LS 500’s steering is much more new-gen and away from the numb appliances of yore. Sporty, direct, and with a stiffness that will be unfamiliar to the Lexus legions, the LS 500 is a good set of tires away from being a true canyon carver. Our test car’s air suspension sorted out big bumps but struggled with small, high-frequency bumps such as the Botts’ dots that line California lanes. “We’re on pretty new pavement here, and I’m still getting lots of small vibrations from all the little bumps in the road you can’t see from the driver’s seat,” Evans said."
:)

Euro specs vehicles are usually stiffer than US ones, just fyi.

And did people notice how real life mpg was 10% better than other vehicles on test? (except for BMW which wasnt tested without phev "free" mpg).

Seems like Lexus has built a very nice twin turbo engine.
S
AutoExpress:
This wouldn’t matter so much, of course, if the LS felt light on its feet - in the same way that the A8 undoubtedly trades off a bit of overall comfort for an unusual level of dynamic prowess. But the LS still manages to deliver a fair amount of body roll in corners; in fact, it feels all of its 2.4 tonnes if you try to throw it around, and never shrinks around you in the same way as the Audi. The steering is light and inert, too, making it hard to feel any real sense of connection with what’s going on beneath you.
MT
"The LS 500’s steering is much more new-gen and away from the numb appliances of yore. Sporty, direct, and with a stiffness that will be unfamiliar to the Lexus legions, the LS 500 is a good set of tires away from being a true canyon carver. Our test car’s air suspension sorted out big bumps but struggled with small, high-frequency bumps such as the Botts’ dots that line California lanes. “We’re on pretty new pavement here, and I’m still getting lots of small vibrations from all the little bumps in the road you can’t see from the driver’s seat,” Evans said."
:)

Euro specs vehicles are usually stiffer than US ones, just fyi.

And did people notice how real life mpg was 10% better than other vehicles on test? (except for BMW which wasnt tested without phev "free" mpg).

Seems like Lexus has built a very nice twin turbo engine.
S
AutoExpress:
This wouldn’t matter so much, of course, if the LS felt light on its feet - in the same way that the A8 undoubtedly trades off a bit of overall comfort for an unusual level of dynamic prowess. But the LS still manages to deliver a fair amount of body roll in corners; in fact, it feels all of its 2.4 tonnes if you try to throw it around, and never shrinks around you in the same way as the Audi. The steering is light and inert, too, making it hard to feel any real sense of connection with what’s going on beneath you.
MT
"The LS 500’s steering is much more new-gen and away from the numb appliances of yore. Sporty, direct, and with a stiffness that will be unfamiliar to the Lexus legions, the LS 500 is a good set of tires away from being a true canyon carver. Our test car’s air suspension sorted out big bumps but struggled with small, high-frequency bumps such as the Botts’ dots that line California lanes. “We’re on pretty new pavement here, and I’m still getting lots of small vibrations from all the little bumps in the road you can’t see from the driver’s seat,” Evans said."
:)

Euro specs vehicles are usually stiffer than US ones, just fyi.

And did people notice how real life mpg was 10% better than other vehicles on test? (except for BMW which wasnt tested without phev "free" mpg).

Seems like Lexus has built a very nice twin turbo engine.
Black Dynamite!
Seems to me Motor Trend was very fair with the Lexus, and if they got a $85k fleet copy, not a loaded-to-the-tits example, it might've won.
No V6 is worth $100k, so it was fighting with one arm tied behind its back. For the size of it, its back seat should be bigger, and it weighs more than a comparable S-Class, which again, with a V6, ain't gonna git it! And the infotainment......

It's a solid triple, but not going dethrone the S-Class anytime soon. Maybe Lexus was wise not to even try......
BD
Black Dynamite!
Seems to me Motor Trend was very fair with the Lexus, and if they got a $85k fleet copy, not a loaded-to-the-tits example, it might've won.
No V6 is worth $100k, so it was fighting with one arm tied behind its back. For the size of it, its back seat should be bigger, and it weighs more than a comparable S-Class, which again, with a V6, ain't gonna git it! And the infotainment......

It's a solid triple, but not going dethrone the S-Class anytime soon. Maybe Lexus was wise not to even try......
BD
Black Dynamite!
Seems to me Motor Trend was very fair with the Lexus, and if they got a $85k fleet copy, not a loaded-to-the-tits example, it might've won.
No V6 is worth $100k, so it was fighting with one arm tied behind its back. For the size of it, its back seat should be bigger, and it weighs more than a comparable S-Class, which again, with a V6, ain't gonna git it! And the infotainment......

It's a solid triple, but not going dethrone the S-Class anytime soon. Maybe Lexus was wise not to even try......
BD
L
Fair to complain about lack of rear seat room, but then the same complaint should be made for every other car that is more than 4.5 m.
L
Fair to complain about lack of rear seat room, but then the same complaint should be made for every other car that is more than 4.5 m.
L
Fair to complain about lack of rear seat room, but then the same complaint should be made for every other car that is more than 4.5 m.
LDeleuran
That is something I don't quite understand. The new LS is longer than the previous LWB LS, and yet, now there is a lack of space in the back!?


And regarding the infotainment. It seems like an easy cop-out to simply dismiss it as "unintuitive", "hard to use", "poor graphics", etc. I would really like to know exactly what it is that is unintuitive. This should be easy: If a grouping of menues is unintuitive, then give us an example of this. Give us an example of what they find hard to use. Which graphics are lacking? Icons? Map displays? Transitions? Did the reviewer adjust the input settings? Are they automatically adjusted by the system? I don't want to know that a system is bad, I want to know why. Whe else waste the time on reviewing a car when you don't want to go in depth?
LDeleuran
That is something I don't quite understand. The new LS is longer than the previous LWB LS, and yet, now there is a lack of space in the back!?


And regarding the infotainment. It seems like an easy cop-out to simply dismiss it as "unintuitive", "hard to use", "poor graphics", etc. I would really like to know exactly what it is that is unintuitive. This should be easy: If a grouping of menues is unintuitive, then give us an example of this. Give us an example of what they find hard to use. Which graphics are lacking? Icons? Map displays? Transitions? Did the reviewer adjust the input settings? Are they automatically adjusted by the system? I don't want to know that a system is bad, I want to know why. Whe else waste the time on reviewing a car when you don't want to go in depth?
LDeleuran
That is something I don't quite understand. The new LS is longer than the previous LWB LS, and yet, now there is a lack of space in the back!?


And regarding the infotainment. It seems like an easy cop-out to simply dismiss it as "unintuitive", "hard to use", "poor graphics", etc. I would really like to know exactly what it is that is unintuitive. This should be easy: If a grouping of menues is unintuitive, then give us an example of this. Give us an example of what they find hard to use. Which graphics are lacking? Icons? Map displays? Transitions? Did the reviewer adjust the input settings? Are they automatically adjusted by the system? I don't want to know that a system is bad, I want to know why. Whe else waste the time on reviewing a car when you don't want to go in depth?
zeusus
Nouvel
True, and I cant fathom why someone wants to be seen in an F-sport looking like some kind of race-car when actually what they are driving is a comfortable and slightly under-performing normal car. Lexus should focus on being elegant and solid, and not so pathetically "sporty".
Lol, are you trolling or delusional? I don't know a single soul that desires to have a "slightly under-performing normal car" in this segment. :joy:

Is that why F-sport variants are getting huge chunks of the overall sales per model?

In the end, that is the big difference between you, a single consumer, vs. an actual marketer who studies trends and what people want.
zeusus
Nouvel
True, and I cant fathom why someone wants to be seen in an F-sport looking like some kind of race-car when actually what they are driving is a comfortable and slightly under-performing normal car. Lexus should focus on being elegant and solid, and not so pathetically "sporty".
Lol, are you trolling or delusional? I don't know a single soul that desires to have a "slightly under-performing normal car" in this segment. :joy:

Is that why F-sport variants are getting huge chunks of the overall sales per model?

In the end, that is the big difference between you, a single consumer, vs. an actual marketer who studies trends and what people want.
zeusus
Nouvel
True, and I cant fathom why someone wants to be seen in an F-sport looking like some kind of race-car when actually what they are driving is a comfortable and slightly under-performing normal car. Lexus should focus on being elegant and solid, and not so pathetically "sporty".
Lol, are you trolling or delusional? I don't know a single soul that desires to have a "slightly under-performing normal car" in this segment. :joy:

Is that why F-sport variants are getting huge chunks of the overall sales per model?

In the end, that is the big difference between you, a single consumer, vs. an actual marketer who studies trends and what people want.
krew
zeusus
Lol, are you trolling or delusional? I don't know a single soul that desires to have a "slightly under-performing normal car" in this segment. :joy:

Is that why F-sport variants are getting huge chunks of the overall sales per model?

In the end, that is the big difference between you, a single consumer, vs. an actual marketer who studies trends and what people want.
Nouvel is no longer on the forum because of his trolling.
krew
zeusus
Lol, are you trolling or delusional? I don't know a single soul that desires to have a "slightly under-performing normal car" in this segment. :joy:

Is that why F-sport variants are getting huge chunks of the overall sales per model?

In the end, that is the big difference between you, a single consumer, vs. an actual marketer who studies trends and what people want.
Nouvel is no longer on the forum because of his trolling.
krew
zeusus
Lol, are you trolling or delusional? I don't know a single soul that desires to have a "slightly under-performing normal car" in this segment. :joy:

Is that why F-sport variants are getting huge chunks of the overall sales per model?

In the end, that is the big difference between you, a single consumer, vs. an actual marketer who studies trends and what people want.
Nouvel is no longer on the forum because of his trolling.
bogglo
"Our test car’s air suspension sorted out big bumps but struggled with small, high-frequency bumps such as the Botts’ dots that line California lanes. “We’re on pretty new pavement here, and I’m still getting lots of small vibrations from all the little bumps in the road you can’t see from the driver’s seat,” Evans said."

I think This is due to the Tire choice Lexus went with. They should have find a way to include a spare tire to eradicate the use of runflats. Am sure a Tire Update to that LS will produce a different result in all aspect of the driving review.

B