5th Generation (2018+) Lexus LS 500 & LS 500h Megathread
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F1 Silver Arrows
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My guy just concatenate all of your thoughts in one post.
@F1 Silver Arrows so what are your thoughts on this? What do you think. I think they went back in time and bought back the 4LS. I think this is going to be huge.
F1 Silver Arrows
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I think that Lexus needs to start pushing boundaries to keep the LS nameplate alive. It's a shame to see the 5th generation LS languish and be abandoned by Lexus.
While the 4th generation LS was very good, I also love what they did with the 5th generation LS, it was genuinely sporty and athletic, and in some cases did a better job than the Germans at the time, but it needed an engine that was deserving of that amazing chassis. Had they brought in a turbocharged V8 I do not think the sales would slump the way it would, and the LS would remain near the top like the 4th generation LS was.
I don't think it's necessary to go back to the philosophy of the 4th generation LS. The 6th generation can be sporty, it just needs a powertrain to back up those sporting pretensions.
Anyways, with the 6th generation LS it definitely looks like heavy electrification is what's going to happen (shocker lol). I just hope that the car is executed correctly, has an interior that isn't bland like the new TX and is adorned with Lexus' latest interior technology while not losing the plot like Mercedes-Benz and having the entire dashboard be a screen. I also should add I hope Lexus continues to build their flagship cars with some Japanese flair, like we saw with the 5th generation LS.
yeah I totally agree this is a huge chance to reassert them themselves the way the LS400 did. I agree they just let the current 5LS go but it has a lot of potential . They did keep the low slung backend it reminds of the LF-FC concept. Since they dropped the trademark you think two years?
Ian Schmidt
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You know my position: haters gonna hate, 'cause they aren't driving an LS. 
I went on a 6 hour road trip yesterday and the car was perfect. At no time when going 85 at less than 1000 RPM was I thinking "oh no, I wish I had a TTV8".
I went on a 6 hour road trip yesterday and the car was perfect. At no time when going 85 at less than 1000 RPM was I thinking "oh no, I wish I had a TTV8".I previously owned a LS460 and currently own a (2018) LS500. The LS500 is leaps and bounds ahead of the LS460 in every aspect except the drive. The V8 in the LS460 provided a buttery smooth drive (the expression my wife used was it seems you were "floating on a carpet"). The TTV6 is very powerful at highway speeds, but nowhere as smooth as the V8. A TTV8 might be overkill, but the V8 in the 460 was to die for (at least for me). I have heard the LS500 drive has improved since the 2018 model and hopefully I will get to drive a newer model LS soon to see for myself.You know my position: haters gonna hate, 'cause they aren't driving an LS.
@Ian Schmidt right buddy it just woffs down the road. Very powerful motor and torque. I don’t believe it needs the V8. If 416HP isn’t enough I don’t know what is.You know my position: haters gonna hate, 'cause they aren't driving an LS.
Not sure where you got the impression "it did better than the Germans at times" coz the way I see it, it didn't really outperform the competition in normal specs, not especially the facelift model. They totally reworked the suspension tuning and made the dynamics of the whole car to almost being a couch on wheels (that's savagegeese's words). It didn't fare well against the W223, whose primary focus wasn't even trying to be the best handling car in its segment. See example footages.
@ssun30 we need your in depth analysis of the LS being the best in class handling car XD
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Gecko
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This generation LS has kind of been all over the place... 2018-2019 cars were dinged for having a rough ride and unrefined powertrain characteristics, but great handling. Through some of the refreshes and incremental improvements, the later models are now "too soft" and they've fixed some of the powertrain struggles, but folks say the handling is too sloppy.
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If 6LS lives, here's to hoping they find the right middle ground.
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If 6LS lives, here's to hoping they find the right middle ground.
Randen Montalvo
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Always said the LS is a great car if you just treat it like a moving Luxury couch made extremely well. If you think it's athletic I think thats when your expectations will be challenged with all due.
I know very little about car chassis handling other than what you can learn from the internet. But moose test is not a handling test but a stability test. It mainly tests the effectiveness of ESP.
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Lexus did a disservice to both the GS and LS. IMO, it would have been a better business case to reposition the GS as a proper sports car (think sleek, 4-door coupe) and further pushed the boundaries of luxury and comfort for the 5LS. My family owned a 2019 LS500 and we were kinda let down tbh. It felt like a boosted GS on air suspension. Interior quality was amazing with the brown semi-aniline leather but the car itself felt confused on its mission and purpose. It tried to do a little bit of everything and lost touch of its original role.
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Yes, the LS turned from an expansive luxury car into a compromised sports car with a cramped backseat, and lost 80% of its original buyers.
I know but there's also slalom section in the clip and compared to the W223 it looks very cumbersome.
Relative to the 4th LS, I do agree with you but it's actually not as sporty as you might think. If anything, l'd argue that the BMW G11 was the sportiest in its segment, with its lightweight chassis (use of carbon core) being the main selling point of its sporty nature.
Ian Schmidt
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The 4LS was already sportier enough than the 3LS that dealers started screaming in 2008 about traditional LS customers fleeing, but that was tamped down to a large extent by the gutless tuning of the 4.6. It was reasonably smooth, but the ES and RX felt much quicker which was just wrong.
The 5LS, in both 2018 and 2021 form, is no comparison. You can actually corner at speed and it doesn't feel like a barge.
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WHAT’S NEW: 2024 LEXUS LS - Lexus USA Newsroom
PLANO, Texas (Oct. 25, 2023) – The bold Lexus LS captures attention as the brand’s flagship sedan with its striking profile, refined performance, and exceptional craftmanship. For the 2024 model year, the LS continues to command every corner and sees minor changes.
- Wireless cell phone charger standard on LS 500 and LS 500h
- Head-Up Display, Digital Key capability, and 12.3-inch multi-information display (MID) now standard on LS 500
- New exterior color: Silver Illusion
- New wheel colors and designs available, exclusive to LS models
- Starting MSRP of $80,685 (includes Delivery, Processing and Handling fee)